Author's note: There will be some similarities to Chrno Crusade. Just to inform you, this is just a story not the real ( umm, I think that is what I should be saying) . Anyway Please R&R for me Thnx.
WARNING: This chapter you are about to read is very very long. If you want, you may take breaks for you and your eyes' safety. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Disclaimer: Chrno Crusade is not owned by me, sadly. (sigh)
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1989 . . .
It was a dark and dreary night. There was no sign of stars in the evening sky not even the moon for the sky was covered by dark, thick clouds, prepared to pour intense rain.
A black Honda Civic came about a deserted looking cavern, stopping from its tracks in front of the porch. Out of the vehicle came two men wearing clothes for gangsters including the black hats.
They hid their guns in their pocket and securely carried the plastic folder in their hands as they opened the front door. A loud irritating screech echoed through their eardrums.
A handsome man with silver hair neatly kept in a ponytail appeared before them sitting comfortably near a strangely large fireplace. Clutching the guns hidden securely in their pockets and the folder they inquired, "We're here to negotiate with a man named Aion. Are you he?"
"I am he who you are seeking" he smirked revealing the sharp canine teeth unlike normal 'humans' have.
"We've got your information now show us the cash!" they ordered as they revealed the guns they had hid in their pockets.
"Foolish men, have patience" he then stood up from his chair "Rizelle, bring me their reward."
From out of the shadow came a tall beautiful woman wearing a red sleeveless dress, the sides hugging her tightly, uplifting her already full breasts. She moved to the silver haired man with grace similar to her beauty. Within her hands was a large heavy paper bag.
"Thank you, Rizelle" he continued to open the bag revealing a large amount of greens/ MONEY!
Flabbergasted by the amount of money and the beautiful woman in front of them, they immediately gave Aion the folder demanding the money. Just when Aion was sure he held the folder, he smirked saying "Foolish men" throwing the paper bag with the contents of cash into the fireplace, letting it burn and turn into ashes in a matter of seconds.
Anger soon took over the humans as they aimed their gun right at the forehead of the swindler. "Die you son of a Btch!" they cursed. As they were preparing to shoot him, they were suddenly disarmed by the swift movement of a being's shadow.
Aion's claw clutches their neck tightly, approaching the fireplace. He tightened his grip on his victims, chocking them, soon decapitating them to death. Their heads soon separated from their bodies as blood gushed out from the neck. Their own heads were then tossed into the blazing inferno.
The devil only laughed at the futile actions made by the humans. His hand covered with their blood dripped unto the wooden floors.
"You can come out, Chrno."
"I appreciated what you did back there but you know I can handle it by myself"
A tall, slightly tanned figure came out from the shadows. "Forgive me" he apologized.
"Don't worry" his bloody hand raised Chrno's chin "I'll always forgive you as long as you're here by my side" Chrno's crimson eyes lowered to looked at the messy floor.
"Aion-sama, you should change before this cavern will reek of human blood and flesh" Rizelle requested.
Loosening his grip, he returned to the folder left by his victims.
"It seems they have some use after all. He was last seen departing for a place called Michigan" Aion spoke as he continued to study the information given.
"Why there? What is his business in that forsaken place?" Rizelle asked just as Chrno transformed into his full demon form.
"And where are YOU going?" Rizelle asked.
"Michigan" he continued," Genai and Viede are in Vegas. Shader is busy doing work in the lab in San Francisco leaving me to scout there. Don't worry, I won't let them see or even catch me" he tries to persuade them
Silence soon ensued inside the cavern as Chrno proceeded to move outside. Spreading his large bat-like wings and took off into the night sky.
"Aion-sama, we all know that Chrno is already doubtful of our plans ever since the Magdalene incident." She implied.
"Don't worry my dear Rizelle." He continued to smile musingly "I won't let that happen again"
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Seventh Bell Orphanage, 1989
Morning
"Rosette"
"Rosette"
"DARN IT, ROSETTE WAKE UP! BREAKFAST IS SERVED!"
At that outburst, Rosette Christopher finally woke up from her slumber. Searching, even smelling for the slightest scent of food in the room. But sensing that there was none, she immediately took hold of the sibling's worn out collar demandingly,
"WHERE THE HECK IS MY FOOD?!"
"I was . . . joking, Rosette. . ." he knew that was a fatal move, "It's your fault that you . . .did . . .int. . . wake up eee--- . . .early!" Joshua Christopher protested.
"Why you!" Rosette was ready to pounce on her prey when it, I mean HE, spoke swiftly
"Wait, hold on, stop for a moment, freeze,etc. trying to find the right words to slow down the angered sister. "Miss Jean's calling you to her room right now!" at last he finally said it.
Joshua gasped as Rosette finally released him from her clutches, thankful to the Lord for a second chance of life.
"Ms. Jean's calling me?" she questioned until it finally struck to her. "Oh Yeah that's right!" she thought to herself.
"Thank you Lord" Joshua was still giving thanks to the Lord when Rosette shove him out the door saying,
"So? What are you waiting for, another kick in the ass? Get out of the room, I have to change!" she closed the door that connected her old and dirty room to the outside hallway.
She opened it again, "Oh, did you drink your medicine?"
"Yeah, yeah" Joshua replied lazily.
"Good, now prepare my brunch and do it quickly!" she ordered before closing and locking her door. She chuckled as she heard Joshua's whine of, "I'm not your servant. I'm your younger brother for Pete's sake!"
Half an hour later. . .
Rosette descended from the stairs with the grace similar to an ox to spotting her younger brother, Joshua, busy reading one of his old yet well-kept adventure novels since he had already finished preparing her breakfast. With a grin of mischief on her face, she ignored the delicious food on the table and proceeded to Joshua's reading area.
Joshua stopped reading his novel and glance at the still full plate of pancakes with blueberry jam and the glass of freshly squeezed orange juice then back to Rosette. "OMG, It's the end of the world! Rosette didn't touch her favorite foods!" screams were heard outside the house which Rosette ignored including the reaction of Joshua. Instead she grinned and spoke, "Guess what, Ms Jean allowed us to play outside near the river!"
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Chrno's POV
I flew over Michigan for the whole night, still I couldn't find him. Damn it! I know I must search for him but I am too tired.
Later, I flew over a crystal blue river, untouched by the pollution of man. I decided to rest there, transforming myself into my 12 year-old form to conceal my identity. I became short, my clothes were a little big and instead of the metallic spine at my back, it turned into long messy strands of purple hair.
I laid on the grassy field beside the river, remembering the past. Mary Magdalene.
No! I shook my head mentally. It was for her own good. It wasn't my fault for her death.
No . . . it was not. Suddenly, I heard a ruffling sound behind the bushes.
"Who is it?!" I demanded.
I was slightly relieved when I saw two blonde children about the age of 12. One was a pale blue-eyed boy, the other was a pretty girl with eyes like the ocean . . . fierce yet at the same time, gentle.
Rosette's POV
"Joshua, Hurry Up! I didn't agree to do all those chores for nothin' ya know." I shouted at my younger brother who was carrying the large picnic basket as exchange for letting him go outside.
"Yeah . . . yeah . . . about that . . . Thanks a lot, Rosette." He smiled.
"Yay! I did something good to my younger brother!" I thought as I grinned.
"By the . . . way . . . how long till we . . . get . . . THERE!" Joshua panted. "My arms are already tired of carrying this basket!"
"Just bear the pain, it's just behind these-" my no, our bodies froze behind the leaves as we saw a devil landing down in front of us, luckily we were hidden by the thick greenery.
What I saw then was not devil-like to me but a handsome man once you took off the wings and the horns and ooh maybe manicure his claws. Gosh he's so HANDSOME! Wait, did he just turn into a cute 12 year-old kid like me, COOL!
"Wow!" Joshua gasped as he leaned closer almost falling to the ground luckily With my quick reflexes, I was able to catch him. Unfortunately, the leaves made a ruffling noise as I tried to pull Joshua closer to me.
"SH!T,we're caught." I thought as he demanded to know who was watching him.
I knew it was futile to run since we would be seen plus Joshua was in no condition to run across the woods with a demon chasing after us. So I did the next best thing that I could think of, showing myself so Joshua could run ahead. "Run as soon as I get out of this bush" I whispered.
I was the first to step out of the bush, surprised, Joshua also revealed himself instead of running. "Brave but he's a real IDIOT!" I thought. I then confronted the demon eye to eye. Blue vs Red yet what I saw in his eyes were innocence and a bit of lamentation so I decided. . .
"Wanna play with us?"
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Splashes of crystal clear water covered the face of the 12 year-old demon. Instead of retaliating by the use of his powers, he just splashed the retreating blonde girl.
"Yeah that's the way Chrno. Let her get wet all over!" the boy sittin at the edge of the riverbank chanted.
"Why you, whose side are you on anyway!"
"I'm on the side which gets to beat the hell out of you, duh!" he shouted merrily.
"YOU! Just wait until I get over there-"Rosette furiously splashed cold water unto the joyful and now wet Joshua.
"I cough cough" Joshua continuously coughed, covering his mouth with both hands as not to concern the approaching friends.
Rosette, rubbing the back of her brother in concern asked him," Joshua, I think we should go-"
"No- let's just cough sit under- that tree- and cough eat our lunch-K?" Joshua replied, weakly. Rosette in defeat nodded.
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Resting under the shade of the large oak tree were the three children and friends. The siblings were wearing their extra clothes while Chrno was bare on top, revealing his well-toned and slightly tanned upper body while his clothes were hung up to dry. Rosette was blushing at Chrno secretly.
After eating their delicious lunch, Rosette decided to ask the very question that was in her mind the whole day.
"Who are you?" she asked the demon boy.
"I'm Chrno, duh" he joked.
"No, no, no. I mean . . . uh . . . describe yourself."
He spoke in a monotone voice, "I'm a being that has died a long time ago. I am a sinner and I am an enemy of my enemies and my friends. I am . . . "dare he say it " a demon, a being you humans fear."
"Really!" they surprised the demon, leaning closer to him observing every part of his body.
An awkward silence soon followed. Joshua was the first to break the silence.
"Can I shake your hand?" his eyes sparked with curiosity.
"Sure. . . ?" he hesitantly agreed letting Joshua's pale and rather cold hand touch his warm claw. Joshua grinned widely saying, "Now my life is complete."
"Stop saying that!" Rosette argued.
"Make me Rosey Posey!" he teased the already annoyed girl.
"I'll Really kill you this time!" and so starts the bickering of the two siblings.
Chrno couldn't help but smile at them. Not only because of their weird quarrelling but also the fact that they didn't run away from him instead they accepted him for who he was. That made him the happiest in a long time.
"Oh yeah well you scribbled my books!"
"That's because YOU broke my Miss Wah Wah doll plus my Barbie doll!"
"You hated the Barbie doll, it always creeped you out with that smile of it." She shuddered at the thought.
"Yeah but YOU broke it not Me!"
"That's-"
"Guys, stop it before somebody gets hurt" Chrno finally intervened in their argument by cutting in between them accidentally tugging on the braid of the girl.
"Oh no" Joshua gasped, "Run Chrno, Run before its too late!"
"CHRNOOOO----!" a dark aura covered the body of the girl even Chrno was frightened. "You Die!" she chased the devil. It was too late for the demon to run, Rosette had already took hold of his long braid. Pulling him closer until they tipped over causing them to tumble down the field luckily they stopped before they reached the edge of the riverbank.
They then saw Joshua staring at then with a 'You-two-look-great-together' look. He then said it, "You two look great together"
They returned to face each other, observing their awkward position. Chrno was on top of her, his claws near the side of her head, his left leg between the thighs of Rosette while his right leg was outside. They stared into each other's eyes. Red and Blue.
They blushed and turned so their backs faced each other.
"Uh-huh" Joshua teased
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The three were now laying on the picnic blanket. Joshua had long feel asleep, only Rosette and Chrno laid awake the whole time.
Chrno, what's your family like?" she asked, staring at the 12 year old demon beside her.
"Well, I live with my brother and his friends. Our mother and father passed away a long time ago." He explained.
"Oh so you mean they died when you and your brother were still small. I know how painful it is to lose someone special. Me and my brother lost our mother not long after Joshua was born because of some kind of illness. Right now, Joshua is suffering the same fate as she. Well after she died, we were immediately sent to the Seventh Bell Orphanage to wait for our dad to come get us . . . "
She sighed.
"Funny though, mom never sent or even contacted our dad. She didn't even let us see his picture nor did she send him a picture of us. So how can we recognize him?"
"Rosette. . ." Chrno grew concerned of the pondering child.
"But don't worry. I'll always protect Joshua with or without dad!" she confidently smiled.
"Rosette I-"Chrno turned his head to find that the girl was already fast asleep, curling up into a ball. Chrno couldn't help but smile at the two. He then turned to face the sky, slumber finally catching up to him.
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"YAAAWWWNNN" Rosette was the last to wake up. Her vision still a blur, she tried to gently rub her eyes from the red and light orange color which she thought were her bangs but was actually. . .
"SUNSET ALREADY, Did I sleep that long!" she asked herself as she then realized, "Oh my gosh, Ms. Jeans's gonna kill me AND Joshua!" she started to stand up from her position spotting Joshua and Chrno sitting near the riverbank, fishing with their outdoor-made fishing rod.
"Hey, Chrno, Joshua we have to go home NOW!" she shouted.
The pale boy gave a small sigh and proceeded to where Rosette was. Chrno soon followed. They were soon welcomed with a punch on both their heads.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because I we know that you're hard to wake up plus both of us will be dead if we'll wake you up instead of yourself." Joshua protested.
"YOU!" resisting the urge to punch him, she took his hand and continued her way to the large oak tree.
"Chrno, we had a wonderful time playing with you."
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun!" Joshua replied.
Chrno smiled.
"Anyway" Pushing Joshua aside "Let's meet up here tomorrow morning around nine okay?" Rosette suggested.
"Rosette I can-" Chrno tried to reason out but found that they were already near the forest away from him.
"OK then, we'll see you tomorrow. Bye Chrno" both siblings waved goodbye to their new-found friend and so did Chrno.
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It was already late in the evening when the children arrived. They entered the house as quietly as possible but failed when the boy named Billy caught sight of them. "Oooh" he grinned mischievously"wait till Ms. Jean gets a load of this!"
"Shut the hell up, Billy or else" she threatened.
"Rosette, Joshua!" a shrill came from behind the siblings "Where on earth have you two been!" It was Ms. Jean.
"M-ms. J-Jean! Sorry we're late. We made a new friend he's name is-" Rosette wanted to introduce them their new friend but found that they weren't listening to her at all.
"By the way children, I have some good news for you. Your father's coming to pick you tomorrow in the morning!" the elder woman exclaimed.
The minds and the faces of the two were torn apart by mixed emotions. Happiness because their father has finally found them, Regret because they have to break the promise they made with Chrno to meet with him tomorrow, Anger because it took him a while to find them, sadness so on and so forth.
Yet the caretaker did not bother to look at the grief stricken children since she too was filled with mix feelings with the departure of the two. "He'll be picking you to up early in the morning so you two best be ready.sniff" Ms. Jean tried to stop her tears from falling down and so did the other children hiding behind them.
"Oh dear, we must not cry because we know it's for your sake." She tries to cheer up the others.
"Thank. . . you so much. All of you!" both answered in chorus.
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As the siblings tried to pack their garments for the road, in their mind they thought of only one thing, one special person for that matter and that was. . .
"Chrno. . ."
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Hours seemed to have passed since the children have left the riverbank, leaving the demon to rekindle his thoughts and memories. It was late in the evening, midnight to be precise. Chrno laid by the side of the river, watching the reflection of the moon glow underneath the mystic river. It was beautiful, he wished that the children would see the beauty beneath the stars.
"Chrno" a whisper inside his head was calling his name.
"Aion, I'm sorry. I couldn't find him." He mentally replied.
"It isn't your fault dear brother. He escaped Michigan as soon as dawn came. Our sources say that he again departed for New York City, his home base.
"But still-"
"Enough Chrno, I want you to meet up with Genai and Viede in New York, you along with the others will establish our own little base there as well as in San Francisco."
"When shall I depart?"
"Immediately Chrno, It will surely take us some time to establish a firm hold on our goal and to infiltrate his base."
Regretfully, he agreed to his demand. "I understand"
Once again he found himself glancing back at the playground and the glistening river. Revisiting brief but fun filled memories of the two siblings and he, before reverting back into his true form.
"I'm sorry Joshua, Rosette." He thought as he took off into the starlit sky.
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Author's Note: There is still a short continuation to my "first" chapter/ epilogue. I just had to cut it off since it is already way too long for your pair of eyes to read. Anyway Please R & R since only one reviewed in my other story (AWW) Oh and I'll be doing another story about Rosette and Chrno. Well both of them will be in date preparation since it'll be their first ever date together. Please send me suggestions on how to torture . . . ehrm . . . help them.
Preview: Next chapter, The Christopher siblings are all grown up, as in teenagers. They once again meet an old friend well Rosette that is since Joshua will be stuck in a ventilation machine and in careful care of their new guardians. Pleas read'em THANKS!