Chrono Crusade II
The Children's CrusadeBased off the hit anime: Chrono Crusade
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Disclaimer: I don't own Chrono Crusade or Chrno Crusade (why the Japanese spelling has one less vowel, I don't know. It doesn't make any sense to me). I don't own Azmaria, Rosette, Chrno, Satella, Joshua, Floretta/Fiori, "The Elder", Kate Valentine, Ewan Remington, Aion, Sister Anna, Mary, and Claire, Nelly, Sarah, Billy, the NYPD, Disney, Dracula, umm… is that all of them?
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Episode 4: Locked
The roaring twenties were over. The peace brought about by the end of the First World War and the economic comfort and convenience brought about by new inventions such as the automobile, the radio and the telephone, came crashing down at the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The stock market fell so low that it would not fully recover for another twenty-five years. Black Thursday, the first day in a number of increasingly shocking market drops marked the beginning of The Great Depression. Though some profited from this time period, many sooner took their own lives than weather it. The country, as well as the entire world, had entered a renewed state of unrest.
"Gosh," Michael smirked, carefully speeding down the highway. "Haven't done two in one night in a while."
Azmaria discreetly covered her mouth as she yawned. "Neither have I."
Michael dared a glance over at the drozy Azmaria. "Hey, don't you quit on me."
"I'm trying not to," she rubbed her eyes until the whites matched the iris.
Michael strummed his hands on the steering wheel, watching the road ahead of him. "I think I know how to wake you up."
"Wha? HWA!"
Azmaria screamed as Michael went hurtling off the road and catapulting down a dirt side-road.
"Michael, what are you doing?!" Azmaria screamed.
"It's a short cut."
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"Woh," Michael expertly skid to a stop at a police barricade set up by a movie theater.
Azmaria stepped out of the car and glanced around the deserted area. "Where are all the police?"
"Aw, wow. A movie theater. Have you ever been to one of these, Sister Azmaria?"
Azmaria stopped, half way through with loading her Exorcist Special 96. "Oh, no. I haven't."
Michael slung the equipment kit on his back, grinning brightly as he and Azmaria headed into the theater. "We should go to one sometime. There's a new movie called "Dracula" that I really wanted to see."
"Dracula?" Azmaria looked cute and confused and Michael kicked in the theater door. "Yea, It's about this demon called a 'vampire' that can turn into a bat and drinks peoples' blood for nourishment."
Azmaria shuddered. "That's horrible."
Michael chuckled to himself. "Let's be thankful that vampires aren't real, eh?"
Azmaria nodded nervously as they ventured into the dark. The floor creaked with each step though they could barely hear their boots on the carpeted floor. The lights were broken, some periodically flickered, casting a strange and eerie light on pieces of movie posters and advertisements. Azmaria tried desperately to control her fear, where as Michael was looking around in boyish excitement. "I haven't been to see a picture in so long. I don't think I've seen any of these." He stepped over a broken chair and half turned around. "I hear that Walt Disney's working on some big new thing with those drawn cartoons. We're going to have to see that, too. Should be a bit nicer than Dracula."
Azmaria wasn't listening too closely. Every flickering light, every bit of movement, swayed her attention. Something was in the hallway with them.
"Brother Michael," Azmaria whispered. Michael squatted down next to her, silent and alert immediately. "What is it, Sister Azmaria?"
She tightened her hands on her pistol in an attempt to force them to stop shaking. "There's something over there." Azmaria pointed with her pistol and Michael's hand slowly moved to the light attached to his shoulder strap. There was a loud crash when he flicked it on.
"Over there!"
Azmaria swung around; Michael's light trying to keep up with her. The pursued was too quick and was barely caught by the light before it moved again. "To the left!"
There was a bang and a crash. Something broke. Shots rang out. When they had turned themselves completely around more than once, two doors suddenly swung open, side-by-side.
The partners wasted no time. "I've for the right," Azmaria shouted as she ran forward.
"I've got left," Michael replied, dropping the kit from his back, and taking up a tommy gun. Michael burst through the right door into an empty theater. He shot around, looking in all directions and running down the rows of seats. "There's nothing here."
Azmaria had darted into the left theater just as quickly. She swung around back and forth with her pistol, sidestepping quickly down the rows. There was nothing there but a shredded screen.
Azmaria lowered her pistol slightly in confusion and that's when the devil sprung. Hanging from the ceiling was a creature with abnormally long, spidery claws and talons, four on each appendages; two to three long, rubbery tails; two long, curled horns; a flat face; and incredibly skinny with an exaggerated rib cage like a gray-hound. It saw her almost immediately.
Azmaria had barely enough time to gasp as the monster dropped on her and sliced her pistol in two. The devil knocked her over, pinned her to the ground and his necked stretched and her teeth were barred to tear out her throat when a small voice broke through the darkness.
"Stop," it said, simply.
The twisted, spidery, gray hound devil's jaws halted mere inches from Azmaria's neck. It retracted its head some and waited in anticipation, still keeping Azmaria pinned to the ground.
Lonai, the small devil girl from the other day, had emerged from the slit in the screen and was standing at the end of the aisle with a look of controlled indifference. She started walking towards them.
Lonai's eyes were fierce and cold, with a hauty expression that quite clearing displayed that although she was diminuative in size, she considered herself superior; superior enough to command a devil and hold Azmaria's life in her sharp, delicate claws.
Lonai walked right up to Azmaria who was, unmistakably terrified. Not of Lonai; Lonai quite intrigued her, but of the breathless monster whose weight now rendered her quite helpless.
Lonai lifted her head more as to add to the effect of looking down on her hostage. "Who are you?" The small demon's violet eyes glowed. She was dressed a little differently than before. The large white hat was gone, as with the little white coat and the dress. She still wore a skirt of sorts, but it had a high slit on one side, showing off the small girl's boots. She also wore a dark, high necked blouse that was just high enough, just loose enough, and just dark enough, to conceal something underneath it that was not easily concealed.
Azmaria stuttered in her fear. "A-A-Azmaria H-Hendrick."
Lonai stepped closer, lowering her face to look at her hostage more fully and more fiercely. "That means nothing to me. Who are you to Michael?"
Azmaria's curiosity surged, in spite of herself, as the small devil drew closer. Lonai quickly became frusterated when Azmaria didn't immediately answer and would've possibly lost her patience and released the larger devil on her, if tommy gun fire hadn't interrupted. The large, sickly looking devil immediately leapt from Azmaria and the shots followed the devil up onto the ceiling and the far wall.
Azmaria spun over to see Michael reloading his tommy gun. He locked it into place and looked over at Lonai, who instantly panicked, with a look of disappointment. "Ya know, Lonai. If you have any questions, you can always ask me."
Lonai hissed and quickly turned to run, shouting at the devil hanging from the ceiling as she did. The large devil leapt at them again. Michael opened fire on it, giving Azmaria enough time to gather her wits and find where her pistol had gone.
The devil dropped to the ground, then sprung to the side and started leaping off walls, each time daring to move closer as it dodged the fire.
Michael scowled. He wasted no time in then pulling out his collection of crucifixes and flinging them, all at once, into place around the monster. It writhed as it was caught in mid-air. Azmaria, with expert reflexes, quickly loaded a Gospel into her pistol and fired. The devil vanished, swallowed up in the holy energy, and was annihilated.
Azmaria sighed heavily with relief. The small devil girl was about to flee the scene as she normally did, when Michael spun around and trapped her in a crucifix barrier as well. The small devil hissed and spat at him.
"Let me out, you filthy human!"
Michael sighed a little and Azmaria slowly pulled herself together and started walking over to him.
Michael stood over Lonai, right outside her barrier. "Where are your hostages?"
"I'll never tell you, you wretch!"
Michael narrowed his eyes. "Tell me or I'll throw your key into the New York harbor."
Lonai froze up, eyes wide and pleading. Michael looked back at her with practiced discipline. Lonai huffed and looked away. "Let me out and I'll go get them."
"That's a wonderful idea," Michael smiled, his hard eyes quickly replaced with cheerful, pleasant ones. "But how do I know if I can trust you."
Lonai's eyes now held the ferocity as they looked up at him, glowing, violet, cold, and bitter. "You can't."
Michael met her eyes, still smiling, and sighed. He pulled up one of the crucifixes and the barrier vanished. Lonai darted threw his legs and ran right past Azmaria and out the door.
Michael sighed, slowly picking up the rest of the crucifixes as he chuckled. Azmaria watched him for a moment and then picked up the few remaining herself. "What 'key' were you talking about?"
Michael looked up at her, blinking, and Azmaria broke into a panic. "Oh! It isn't that- You don't really- I didn't mean to pry."
Michael laughed, pocketing the crucifixes and reaching into his shirt. "My mother gave it to me before the Sinners took her." He pulled up on a chain around his neck. "It keeps Lonai's power under seal."
"Are you her contractor?" Azmaria asked.
Michael blinked and started laughing again. "Oh no. We're not like that. The key's got nothing on that time piece of yours." Michael motioned to the life clock around Azmaria's neck and she took it up gently in her hands.
Michael finally managed to fish the key out from under his shirt and around his neck. It was not a normal looking key. It was about three to four inches long with an elaborately engraved handle (so that it almost looked like a piece of a super computer) and four little prongs at the end that would fit into a very elaborate lock. It looked brass in color and was dark and tarnished. "Here." He held it out to Azmaria, who jumped slightly before extending her hands and receiving the strange key.
Michael kicked away a broken chair to get to the last crucifix. "It really don't matter who has the key, but Lonai probably would've done away with anyone else if they had it."
Azmaria jumped again and quickly handed the key back to Michael, thinking of what Lonai had already done to someone who was merely working with Michael. "Why you, then?" she asked.
Michael took and key and tossed the chain around it back over his neck. "My mom found Lonai sealed away in this room when my mom was a kid. Lonai had been there my whole life until just three years ago when the seal broke."
"Three years ago?" Azmaria looked down at the lifeless clock hanging by her heart.
"Yup. Right after my mom died."
Azmaria was downcast, her delicate hands cradling the capsule of her fondest memories. She remained looking downcast even when they left the theater and found the policemen that had been tied up in the projection room were now released and dazed. She actually barely spoke again until the two partners were back in the car and were casually driving back to the Order.
Michael couldn't much stand the silence. "Are you okay, Sister Azmaria?"
Azmaria had removed the clock from her neck now that they were in the car and was staring into its empty face. "I was just remembering... what happened three years ago."
Michael stole glances as her as he tried to drive. Thankfully, there wasn't that much traffic that early in the morning.
"We had gained so much," Azmaria whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. "And we lost so much of it." A tear splashed on the dark clock face. "We defeated Aion. We found Joshua and Satella's sister, but-" She shook with effort. She tried to get a hold of herself. She tried to hard. It had been three years. Three years since their story had ended and yet sometimes, sometimes when it was dark and she was tired, she could not keep the anguish and regret from slipping into her voice and her thoughts, bringing back the shadows in her memory.
She fought the tears, but they slipped out one by one and she watched them splash onto the clock face. The first time she had seen this clock, it was around Rosette's neck when the fiery young blond had come to rescue her. Never had Azmaria been able to properly return the service. Her life still belonged to Rosette, and to Chrno, and even to Satella, and now they were all dead.
Michael pulled the car over on the side of the road and turned to Azmaria. Azmaria looked up, surprised, tears streaming down her face. She seemed to have forgotten that there was someone else here, that she wasn't alone.
Michael couldn't take her hands because they were wrapped around the clock, so he clasped his hands around hers and the life clock.
"Azmaria." Michal didn't say anything else, but Azmaria could see that he looked genuinely worried. Everything with Michael was genuine. Azmaria smiled brightly back as she often did. She wiped away tears with her arm since Michael still had her hands. "I'm sorry. I'll be all right." She sniffled, her face still wet with tears. "I promised them all I would become stronger. I'll be all right."
"Isn't that right, Rosette?"
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I'm sorry. You're probably all mad at me for posting this so late. I was out of state all week. I was on the other side of the country. I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up to you. I don't know how yet, but I'll try.
This episode went all emotional on me. I hope that's a good thing. I really didn't want to make it too chick-flicky. Tell me if you think of any way I can improve anything because I'm always upgrading my chapters (that includes episode titles). How did the 3rd chapter get more hits than the 2nd? Does that make sense to anybody?
I'd like to take this time to thank my reviewers:
Wolf – I'm so happy that you're enjoying my sequel so much. I'm sorry I took so long to update. I really disappointing people. I shall try my very best to please. I like the kawii demon girl too. I made her a bit cuter in the 3rd chapter than I had originally planned.
Damki – Thank you, my faithful companion. I'm a little worried about the lack of subtly in my explination about Lonai and Michael…
Deji-chan – Thank you, my beta reader. I'm honored to have you. No. Michael's not a contractor. I actually threw in that sentence just for you and your friend.
Thanks for Reading! Come back next week for Episode 5: Voices