Disclaimer: I do not own Chrno Crusade or its characters. Unfortunately, they all belong to Moriyama Daisuke-sensei.

Warnings: Probably first fic ever. You all HAVE been warned.

Rated T for follow-ups, just in case.

Chapter 1, "In love".

That day was definitely not a beautiful day. In fact, it wasn't just "that" day – it had already been a week since the heavy rainstorms started and it almost felt like the Sun had been banished by those dark clouds that had taken over the endless expanse of the once bright-blue sky and were now hovering over the grounds of Eden, putting its residents in a sort of sulky mood. The ominous melody of the wind's vicious howls accompanied by the threatening sound of thunders rumbling only added to the weather's already excessive cruelty.

That day, Chrno was lying in his bed, contemplating the past few days he had spent on observing Aion and his oddly usual behaviour. He just happened to notice something about Aion these days, hidden deep within his ordinary self, that kept bothering him and he was determined to figure what it was. Now that he had the time. Now that his beloved Magdalene was busy helping Shader with her work, even though they were both equally unwilling. "Magdalene". He subconsciously recalled her sweet voice that would greet him every morning, her angelic smile she always wore when calling his name, her beautiful sparkling eyes and the softness of her pale skin he simply couldn't resist...

"Chrno, for goodness sake!", he slapped himself in his thoughts to get back on the track. Using all his mental powers he fixed his attention on his observation of Aion. It was his mission.

"How?"

While the Sinners were all exhausted and frustrated by this never-ending rain, losing their temper easily and shouting at each other for no reason, their charismatic leader didn't seem affected at all. He somehow managed to remain cheerful and full of energy and would now run around the Eden trying to prevent an all-out war of words between his ill-tempered followers from breaking out.

Thoughtful. Caring.

Chrno stopped there and focused on finding something strange about it other than Aion's hype. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. No, this wasn't it. This was typical of Aion. Even though he had honestly no idea how and where Aion got all his energy from (and though he wished he did know), he just knew it wasn't what he was looking for. He sighed and let his thoughts flow again.

"Why?"

Although he himself hadn't – luckily – turned aggressive yet, he couldn't deny the fact he felt completely drained. The very thought of Pandaemonium's Pursuers launching an attack on them anytime soon sent shivers down his spine. He was sure that in his current state he wouldn't be able to fight against them. No one, besides Aion, would. Chrno had even let him know how insecure it made him feel, but that bastard had only told him not to think about it. Not a single word of explanation had been given. And Chrno, as much as he tried – and he really tried – not to think about things, sometimes just couldn't help it. Now he only had more to think about. Why wouldn't Aion tell him anything? Did he, after all, feel uneasy, too?

"As if. That cunning little bastard surely has some hell of a plan he's been hiding from everyone".

Cunning. Overly self-confident.

Chrno sighed again. It was nothing unusual, again. Yes, it did annoy him. Yes, it did make him want to punch Aion in the face. But, damn, he had always wanted to punch Aion and leave some nasty bruises that would taint that pretty face anyway. Or at least so he thought. He did, however, consider the possibility of the latest weather's influence on him. Maybe he too was just slowly becoming aggressive.

"..."

"What?"

The other day, he saw Aion drinking his favourite wine in their living room, alone; probably taking a short break from his role as the peacekeeper of "Paradise" and rewarding himself for his hard work so far. While Chrno was watching him in silence from behind a corner, he slowly began to realise how difficult these past few days must have been for him. Starting to feel a bit compassionate, he decided to join his friend in his lonely rendez-vous with himself. He took a few careful steps into the room, but Aion was faster.

"No, Chrno... The wine is mine. Mine only." He whispered softly, a blissful smile on his face. The alcohol he'd drunk was already taking effect. That didn't go without the other demon's notice.

"And I need nothing now but my precious wine."

"Fine. Just thought you might have been feeling lonely." Chrno only shrugged his shoulders and slowly made his way back to his room.

"Oh, no, Chrno... Not lonely. I'll be honest with you..." Aion trailed off, trying to find words that would properly describe his feelings.

The purple-haired demon stopped in his actions to listen.

"I think I'm in love."

"Wh-what?!" He stuttered.

"With alcohol."

Selfish.

Chrno sighed yet again. He didn't even know why he had even returned to that day in the first place. There was completely nothing extraordinary about Aion getting drunk and spouting some nonsense – happened, from time to time. And one couldn't really blame him. Being responsible for a band of mischievous demons and a Holy Maiden amongst them surely was a mentally demanding task. Chrno was starting to feel hopeless about his case. In the end, that memory didn't lead him to any clues either. Or maybe he was just too dense to notice them.

One way or another, he concluded he indeed had been thinking too much recently. And being one who had never been designed for exercising his brain muscles, having conducted such a complexed thinking process only made him feel sleepy. And frustrated, because despite his greatest efforts, he wasn't able to get anywhere.

"Praise me, Lord Aion, for I have decided to kindly accept your request.", with that being said, he closed his eyes and drifted away.

AN: Grats and thanks to everyone who made it this far! This is my first fanfic here and probably first in general, so I have to apologise for the poor quality and all the mistakes I probably made on the way. I still hope you somehow managed to enjoy it, and reviews would be really helpful ^ ^"