History Repeats Itself
Chapter One – Pictures of the Past
By Crow Skywalker
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Disclaimer - I do not own Chrono Crusade or its characters. I am writing this for my own entertainment and am not making profit in any way.
Author's Notes – I recently got my laptop back from the shop, and I was off work today and felt the urge to write. So, here's another chapter to this fic. Sorry it's taken so long time update.
Summary - It's the year 2006. Rosette is alive and living on her own, until her brother goes missing and her world comes crashing down around her. Upon meeting a beautiful stranger, Rosette is thrust into the battle between good and evil.
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Two days had passed since the incident that had temporarily – as Rosette liked to refer it to, because she would get her brother back, no matter what – left her without a sibling. In that time, the man who had introduced himself as Father Ewan Remington had taken her back to his own place. He'd sat her down, given her some warm blankets and some hot cocoa, and had let her rest for the time being. Several times she had opened her mouth to ask him questions, but each time she thought about it, she cold not find any words for what had happened.
Demons had taken her brother, that she was sure of. Or was she? They certainly hadn't been normal human beings. Normal human beings did not have wings, nor did they fly out of apartment building windows into the dead of night. Another voice in her head was telling her that she was crazy, that there was no such things as demons or monsters or whatever they had been. If that were true, had she dreamed it? But if it were all a dream, why was Joshua missing?
Rosette's mind raced, even when she slept. In her dreams there were always horrible images waiting for her, the fear of the monsters returning and for her own brother's life caused her to twist and turn at night and woke her up multiple times during her stay at the Father's house. She had woken up crying for her brother quite a few times, and she was glad that Father Remington had kept his distance from her for the time being. She was a mess, and she was certainly wondering if she was losing her mind.
In another part of the apartment, away from the living room where Rosette currently slept on the couch, Father Remington had torn apart his room in search of something. The floor was covered with emptied boxes, their content spilling out and littering the floor. Tattered papers from years and years ago up until current time lay about in mounds, the colored paper ranging from white to dusty faded yellow with age. Old pictures and books were scattered about the mess, and his entire closet had been emptied onto the floor.
In the dim light of his bedside lamp, Father Remington kneeled by an open box that he had set upon his bed. He's been searching for something, anything within his collection of belongings, that he could use to prove to himself that he was not crazy, that the young girl asleep on his couch was indeed the Rosette Christopher that he had known in the past.
So far, he had not been able to find anything. It had been so many years ago since Father Remington had last seen the girl, and his memory of her had long since become hazy and faded away. He knew they looked somewhat similar, and they certainly had the same names, but he wanted some proof to make sure.
Picking yet another picture out of the box laid upon the bed, he couldn't help but smile as he looked at the figure in the picture. She was dressed in her nun outfit, her long light violet hair freely blowing in the wind. One of her hands was raised to give a peace sign, and there was laughter apparent on her face. Azmaria Hendric, he thought with a sigh, and felt the memories of the past return.
Despite the death of her two best friends, Azmaria had made the most out of her life. After working several years for the Magdalene Order and becoming quite an elite exorcist – or so he'd heard from the rumors, anyway – she'd ended up with a ring on her finger from non other than Joshua Christopher. The young man had never regained all of his memories, but for years Azmaria had been by his side and had taken care of him until he was well again.
Father Remington had received an invitation to the wedding, but he'd been in Spain at the time. He hadn't made it back in time, but he had sent them a letter to congratulate them on their marriage. Ironically, the next thing he pulled out of the box was the white wedding card that he had received. He laid it down on the bed, next to the smiling picture of young Azmaria.
There were a few crayon drawings of different things that Joshua had drawn during his time in the hospital, and some, even before that. In most pictures there was a drawing of a young blonde girl standing next to Joshua, but he had never known who she was after he had come back to his senses. She had always been in every picture, but she never had a name. Those pictures, too, went with the other ones on the bed.
Reaching back into the box, his breath held as he pulled out yet another picture. It was a picture of four figures, all smiling happily at the camera. The first figure he recognized as Azmaria again, only she was a lot younger in the picture. There was an older, taller woman not too far away, who Father Remington couldn't quite remember the name of. However, it was the two figures in the middle of the picture that caught his attention, and he instantly knew this was what he had been looking for.
Rosette Christopher stood out, grinning wildly as she stood next to her partner, the Sinner Chrono. She had been the first and only nun to ever make a contract with a devil, and she held the same blonde hair and blue eyes as the girl sleeping soundly in the living room. Same exact face, same figure – the only difference this time around was that Rosette was now slightly older, untrained, and had never known that there actually were monsters until now.
Looking past Rosette, Father Remington's eyes studied the devil standing next to her. His smile faded and he looked at the figure grimly, taking note of his dark violet hair and red eyes. The devil that he had glimpsed of at Joshua's apartment had the same hair and eyes, but that was impossible, right? It was entirely possible that reincarnation could happen, especially to someone as pure hearted as Rosette Christopher, but to a devil outcast? Impossible.
Holding the picture in his hand, Father Remington stood on unsteady legs. He's been sitting for so long that he got pins and needles, but he ignored it as he exited the room and made his way down the hallway and into the living room. Rosette was tossing and turning, the blankets that had once covered her now falling off onto the floor. Father Remington looked to the girl's face, then to the picture once more.
There was no doubt about it. The real Rosette was right before him, reincarnated into a new life that, up until now, had been quite peaceful.
With a heavy sigh, he sank down into a chair, the only light in the room shining in from behind him from the moon outside. In the moonlight, her face looked almost angelic, and Father Remington felt a pang in his heart. It seemed that somehow, history was repeating itself, and Rosette's life was now thrust into the battle once again. Briefly, he wondered what he was going to do with the poor girl. She was incredibly untrained mind and body, and the Magdalene Order had all but disappeared. Nobody believed in demons or devils anymore, and a lot of people didn't even believe in the power of God these days. The Magdalene Order had dwindled away to practically nothing – or that's what he had heard, anyway.
I need to take her somewhere safe, he realized, looking around his apartment. If any devils were to show up here, he would not be able to defend himself and the girl. He did not own the right firearms or equipment, and he could not take the chance of letting them get the girl. No, he would have to move her. Soon.
As if sensing his presence, Rosette stirred in the moonlight, her arm stretching over her head as she sleepily stretched. Crystal blue eyes blinked open, roaming around the room until they settled on the figure sitting across the room in the dark.
"I dreamt of a tomb in the dark," she said quietly. Then, silently, she turned over on her side. "It was underground, and there were no lights. It smelt of earth and decay, and I thought I was trapped." She paused of a second, her eyes closing. "When I'm not having nightmares, I'm having weird dreams." She took in a shaky breath, "The weird dreams…it feels like I'm supposed to know what they mean, that they're trying to tell me something, or show me something…but I really have no idea…"
"Rosette, I think we need to leave here." He told her, wondering what her dreams were possibly telling her. She sat up on the couch as he spoke, looking at him with wide eyes. "Early tomorrow we will leave my apartment and head for your's. I need you to pack your bags, I'm taking you someplace safe."
Rosette nodded in understanding. She knew she really shouldn't be trusting this stranger, but deep down she felt that she could. Somehow she knew he would not hurt her, and that she should listen to what he said. As weird as it felt and sounded, Rosette felt a sense of familiarity around him, even though she had only met him just the other night.
"Do you," She started, but paused, biting her bottom lip, "Do you think they'll come here? Those…things?"
Father Remington leaned forward in his chair, his elbow on his knees and his fingers templed in front of his face. "Rosette, I'm going to tell you some things, and I need you to trust me on this, okay? Everything I'm going to tell you is the truth – I'm not going to lie to you." He watched as she nodded. "What you saw that night – you saw a devil, a real flesh and blood devil. A demon of the night, creature of darkness, whatever you wish to call it."
He watched for her reaction, but found none. She accepted it as simply as that, as if she had known all her life that there were creatures out there other than the human kind. Perhaps this wasn't going to be such a difficult task after all?
"He took your brother, for some reason unknown…" Father Remington paused, and then his eyes widened slightly as he thought of something. "Rosette, has your brother ever been…sick?"
"What do you mean, sick? Like, with the flu?" She asked, her voice becoming louder and less whispery as she became less tired and more alert.
"No, I mean like he was weak, bedridden, didn't have any energy…could have lasted for quite a bit of time?" He offered.
Rosette blinked at him, looking a little lost as she replied, "When Joshua was young, he was very sick." She glanced down at her hands in her lap. "We really didn't think he was going to pull through, really. But over time, he got better…and he hasn't been sick in years." She looked back up at the strange but familiar man in the chair. "But, how did you know? You've never met me or Joshua, and it was never something he liked to talk about…he didn't like people knowing about it, that he was a weak child."
"I'll answer that question in good time, but I think we now know why the devil took Joshua," he replied calmly.
Rosette looked doubtful. "Because he was a sick child?" She asked steadily, in a disbelieving tone.
"There is something about Joshua that drew that devil to him, and I think it has something to do with that." He held up his hand to stop Rosette from interrupting. "I will find out more information on it where we are going, and when I do, I will let you know."
"Where are we going?" She finally asked.
"I'm hoping to find what's left of a group that I used to belong to. They exceed in exorcism and fighting whatever evil they come up against. If I can track down what's left of the organization, I might be able to help you. They should have all of the materials we need, and I'm sure they will help us."
There was a moment of silence, in which Rosette was the one to break.
"I want to fight."
Father Remington raised an eyebrow, more out of amusement than amazement. He was sure he had heard her say those exact words, years and years ago under the exact same situation. That time, too, he had taken her to the Magdalene Order and taught her how to be an exorcist. This time, however, he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea.
"You don't know what you're up against, Rosette." He sat back in the chair, turning his head to look out the window. "Fighting a devil isn't like fighting a regular person. He'll be strong, fast, and precise…and you, my dear, are not trained to fight this kind of thing. Where we are going, there should be some professionals to help us find your brother."
Rosette was on her feet in seconds, the rest of the blankets falling off of her and crumpling to the floor. She stood in the same pajamas that she had worn the night her brother disappeared, and she held the same angry expression she had had upon her face when she had faced the devils. "I will train, then!" She announced, her voice firm and unrelenting. "I will train, and I will help fight the devils that took my brother!"
Father Remington looked into her eyes and saw her determination. He sighed, knowing there was no fighting this. "It won't be easy…"
"I know it won't be easy," She replied. "But I will do what I have to do to get my brother back. And if that means training to fight the devils…"
"Why do you keep saying devils?" Father Remington interrupted suddenly. He's heard her say it a couple of times now, and as far as he knew…"There was only one there that night."
Rosette shook her head, her blonde hair shining in the moonlight. "No, there were two. You must have missed the first one…"
The older man's eyes widened, and he pushed himself off the chair as he stood in front of the younger girl. "There were two? Did you happen to see what he looked like?"
All this time Father Remington had figured a stray devil had caught wind of some information on a certain boy, and that's why Joshua had been kidnapped. Now, he was finding out there was more than one devil behind this, which meant that this could mean something much larger than it initially had.
"Yes," Rosette replied, moving across the room to look out the window. "I didn't see him for long, but I saw enough. He looked like the other one, only his eyes were a different color, he had different markings, and he had the longest-"
"Silver hair you'd ever seen?" Remington finished, his back turned to her.
Rosette turned to him. "How did you know?"
Slowly, he turned to face her. "Because I've been searching for him for centuries," he replied quietly. "And if what you say is true, we must leave here first thing in the morning." He briskly walked to the front entrance, leaving Rosette trailing behind him. She watched as he put on his boots, the whole time wondering why the information on the silver haired devil bothered him so much.
"Where are you going?" She asked, somewhat startled that he seemed to be leaving her.
"I need to check out something," He told her. "You need your rest. I'll be back in the morning, and we will leave. You should be safe here until I return."
With that, he opened the door and left, Rosette still standing in the entrance looking very confused.
Deciding it was best to do what she'd been told, she headed back to the couch and laid down, staring at the ceiling.
Centuries? What did he mean by that?
Sleep did not come again until the sun showed signs of rising in the early morning hours.
To Be Continued…
