INVALIDS

By Hydraa

I'm back for one day on my vacation and here's what I wrote on it. This takes place after "War". Rated R for violence and an ickle bit of fangirl service.

The house was small but cozy, the walls solid and thick. In the bedroom, a large bed stood before a crackling fireplace, where a bright blaze sent waves of heat into the room. Through the frosted window behind the bed, snow could be seen falling in the darkness.

He slept, dressed only in a thin pair of drawstring, cotton pants. The room was hot, the fire stoked high before his lover left, and he'd long since kicked the covers off and now sprawled indolently, his arms curled up around his head. He'd been asleep since before she built up the fire and she'd stood there for a while before heading out, just watching him. He was tall and lean, and the light of the fireplace danced across his naked skin as his chest rose and fell.

Chrno stirred slightly, tossing his head as he mumbled in his sleep. Along with the cotton pants, he had a length of gauze tied around his forehead and temples, to stop the intermittent bleeding from his temples. They didn't know why he was bleeding, as it was in his full demon form that he had his horns ripped out, but he still bled in his human forms as well, whether boy or man. Exhausted and feverish, he could do nothing but convalesce and wait for it to pass.

It had been a long, delirious flight back from San Francisco to New York. He didn't remember a whole lot of what happened there, or really anything after they were attacked in Eden, but he didn't want to know. Whatever it was, it had been bad, but somehow it got them back with the Order. If Rosette hadn't been right by his side, he would have crashed out the side of the plane when he woke up and found Sister Kate looking down at him. However, now they were back and the Elder's old cottage, built on the land beside the Order where the ground wasn't sacred and his powers weren't limited, had been given to them both. Chrno was used to the place. The back storage room had been where he used to sleep, on a cot between sacks of potatoes. The main bedroom was much better, once Rosette burned the sheets and brought in new ones.

Feverish and sick from having his horns ripped out for the second time in his life, he rolled over, snoring softly and almost inaudibly. The fire crackled, so hot it raised a light sweat on his skin and he mumbled to himself, rubbing his cheek against the pillow. Burying his face in it, he wrapped his arms around it and relaxed again.

At the window, glowing red eyes peered in, assessing the situation. They looked at the sleeping demon, at the fire, and at the otherwise empty room. Sure that the Sinner was the only one there, they withdrew.

A moment later, the side wall blew in. Chrno had a moment to think not again and then he was rolling on the floor, nearly ending up in the fire before he scrambled to his feet and sprinted out the door, moving on a wave of pure adrenaline.

"Failed us, Sinner gigigi," Kalv laughed, his pig face breathing in. "Die this time." He exhaled and flame blew out his nose, engulfing the bedroom and streaking into the living room after his target.

Chrno bolted out the door, into the freezing, snowy night. There was no way he could fight back. He could barely maintain his adult form, let alone go to demon or use his astral in any way. It he hadn't been scared out of his mind, he wouldn't even have been able to run, but as it was, he didn't feel the frozen snow under his bare feet as he sprinted across the yard. The cottage was built near the wall of the Order and Rosette had said she'd leave the wrought iron gate unlocked, just in case he was feeling well enough to come to supper. If not, she'd bring him something later.

Hopefully, that would mean she'd be in the dinner hall, as that was closest. Already gasping, Chrno slammed into the gate, one hand fumbling for the latch in the dark as Kalv rose up above the burning cottage behind him.

"Can't run! Gigigi. Can feel how sick you are. Won't get away."

Chrno's head was pounding in agreement with that as he managed to release the latch and the gate swung open. He fell through with it, swinging around on unsteady feet to look back the way he'd come, and nearly threw up as he felt what little energy he had suddenly diminish from the protections built into the Order. Kalv was only twenty feet away, inhaling again.

He ran out of the gateway and flames filled it. Choking, he sprinted through the ankle deep snow as fast as he could, trying to blink it out of his eyes and see the way to the Order's buildings. Kalv crashed through the wall behind him, hesitating as he felt the wards act against him.

Chrno kept running. It was dark, cold, and he was freezing, his feet feeling like blocks of ice as he stumbled and went down, soaking himself in the snow before he managed to get back up. His ears were ringing and he expected to get turned into a pillar of flame at any second.

No, it wasn't his ears. The bells of the church were pealing out a frantic warning and he saw shapes appear at the lighted windows and doors, men and women running outside carrying weapons.

"Don't shoot me!" he gasped, his voice barely a whisper. "Please! Help!" Stumbling again, he reached the frozen steps to the mess hall and people started racing past him. Catching himself as he fell against the first step, he looked up to see Rosette. She was holding a machine gun and looked furious. Just the sight of her made Chrno want to collapse and let her deal with everything.

"Get inside," she ordered, swatting him on the backside as she passed to get him moving.

The order was an absolute to his tired mind. Coughing, Chrno dragged himself up the stairs, lunged to his feet, and banged through the double doors into the interior.

It was blessedly, wonderfully warm. Chrno took two steps in and crumpled to his knees, his pants soaked through, his hair wet, and his bare chest heaving. Everything was deathly silent and he looked up.

No less than fifty girls, all young nuns and novices, stared at him from the long mess tables. Every one had huge eyes and red cheeks. A few had their mouths hanging open. Chrno stared back, confused, and then looked down at himself, remembering belatedly that wet cotton turned transparent and he wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled and pitched over sideways, fainting.

All of the women rushed to help.

---000---

Rosette was pissed. "Who do they think they are?" she ranted as she tucked in the covers, tugging on them rather harder than she had to. "Do they really think it takes fifty girls to check one man for breathing? I could see you were breathing from the doorway! And taking off your pants?? I don't care how wet they were! I didn't see any of them trying to put a blanket over you!"

Turning, she grabbed a bottle off a tray on the nightstand and poured a large dollop onto a spoon. "Open," she snapped and shoved it into Chrno's dutifully wide mouth. "Swallow." He did and nearly choked on the cod liver taste. Tossing it onto the tray while she continued to rant, she handed him a pill and a glass of water. "And now we all have to go to some bloody sermon on the sin of lust! Can you believe it? Take the pill." He did, sipping some water afterwards. "Show me." He opened his mouth and lifted his tongue. "Good boy. I mean, really. Why do I have to go??"

"Probably because you're the one sleeping with the object of lust in question?" Remington asked from the next bed, amused.

"That's for health reasons!" she retorted and spun on Chrno. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" He shook his head. "Are you warm enough?" He nodded. "Can you survive without me for an hour?" He smiled. "How are your Astral levels?" Instead of waiting for an answer, she grabbed his face and pressed her mouth against his, breathing energy into his mouth. Done, she kissed his forehead. "Get some sleep. Once this stupid sermon is over, I'll talk to Kate about having them find a place for you off the Order's grounds again. You're safer here, but I don't like what the wards do to you when you're sick." Straightening, she spun on Remington. "You keep an eye on him. If he has any problems, you send for me, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he answered with a salute.

Rosette sniffed and swept out of the room.

Remington grinned and looked at his new roommate. "She's bossy when she's angry, isn't she?"

"I know," he sighed. "It's easier to just go along with it."

"I know I would. Sometimes that woman scares me."

The priest chuckled and even Chrno managed a smile. The two men were now sharing a room in the male barracks, one barely large enough to hold two single beds and a nightstand for each. Two wardrobes stood against the wall at the foot of the beds, the doorway between them. It was near the boiler and therefore warmer than most of the rooms, as well as being near the main doors so they'd be easy to check on. That made it somewhat noisier, but the men of the Order tended to be a quiet type anyway.

"Why are you in here anyway?" Chrno asked wearily.

The priest shrugged. "My leg's really acting up. Kate thought it was best I rest for a few days." He grinned. "She yells more than Rosette does."

"I didn't think that was possible." The demon paused. "Rosette broke your leg, didn't she?"

"Yeah. In four places. She already apologized." Remington glared down at the leg underneath the covers. "I just wish it wouldn't take so long to heal."

"Why is it? You're a young guy. It should be better by now."

"Oh, just unlucky I guess."

Chrno nodded, letting his eyes close without questioning him anymore. He was tired and really just wanted to sleep. He started to doze.

"Hey, Chrno."

Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned his head to see the priest looking at him intently. "Yes?"

"Is that your natural form?" Chrno blinked, confused. "I know you're really a demon, but when you turn into a human, is that what you always look like? I mean, I can see the boy you in your face, just older."

"Oh." Chrno closed his eyes. "Yeah, I always look the same. I can't take on any other shape. My demon face looks like this too, only more demony." He opened his eyes again. "Why?"

"You look familiar." Remington frowned. "I've seen your face before. I just can't think where." He shrugged and lay back. "It doesn't matter. It'll come to me eventually."

Chrno stared at him for a moment, but the priest seemed to be sleeping. Finally, he settled down again.

"Chrno?"

"Yes?" he sighed.

"How old are you?"

He looked at him again. "Why? This isn't about me sleeping with a seventeen-year-old girl, is it?"

"No." Again with the wicked grin. "Lots of guys want to do that. I just want to know how old you are."

Chrno closed his eyes deliberately. "About a hundred years, give or take. I can't give you an exact number. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Can I sleep now?"

"Sure. Sleep tight, Chrno."

Chrno did, dropping off almost immediately. Remington stayed awake for a while longer, watching him and thinking.

---000---

Rosette swept into the room, waking them both when she turned on the light.

"We're heading out! That pig demon showed up again downtown. We're going after him." Dazed, Chrno started to climb out of bed. "Not you." She shoved him back. "Does he have any weaknesses we should know about?"

"Urgh," Chrno managed, trying to think. "He's one of the deadliest fighters in Pandemonium? He doesn't really have any weaknesses."

"Then a hail of Gospels it is. Teach him to go after my boyfriend." She rubbed her hands together and pulled Chrno up into a sitting position. Grabbing his pillows, she punched them into a more reasonable shape and pushed him down again. "I don't know how long we'll be gone. Kate's taking just about everyone. This guy's nasty."

Chrno looked at her worriedly. Her eyes were gleaming, just like they always did at the prospect of battle. "Are you sure I can't come?" he asked. "You never go into a fight without me. I can stay in the car…"

She smiled and swept back his hair to kiss his forehead, right over the gauze. Then she started to unroll it. "You're the one he's after and you're in no shape to go anywhere." She finished unrolling the gauze and made a face. "You're still bleeding. What's up with that?"

"I don't know," he groused, taking a deep breath. "I don't want you to go. Not without me."

Rosette paused, looking at him in surprise. "What?"

"I don't want you to go. I'm telling you not to go."

He expected her to laugh at him, or hit him on the head and yell at him. Telling her what to do wasn't something he normally ever did. Instead, she moved his hair again and gently rebrushed her lips across his forehead.

"Chrno," she whispered. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. I know you're scared, but you don't have to be." She flashed him a smile. "And if you try and tell me what to do again, I'll feed you your wings. Got it?"

Chrno sighed, cringing. "Got it."

She cleaned and rebound his injuries, chattering on about how she was going to stop the demon personally while she did. Chrno was quiet throughout it, but as she finished, she kissed his mouth, breathing astral into him.

"I'll be back," she promised him softly. "I'll always come back to you." She kissed him for real on the mouth and he leaned into it, craving her touch, but she pushed forward, forcing him back into the bed. "Get some sleep. I'll be back by morning." Straightening, she swept out of the room.

Remington looked over at him appraisingly. "That went well. At least she didn't spank you."

"Oh, shut up," Chrno grumbled and rolled over so his back was to him.

---000---

Chrno woke up to darkness. The lights were out, the window shadowy with night. Fuzzy, he tried to think what had woken him. His head was a dull ache and his arm was cold where the blanket didn't cover it. He grabbed it, pulling it closer, and tried to sleep again, only now he was thinking of Rosette and he rolled over with a sigh, wondering where she was. If she was okay. If she was coming back soon.

Remington gasped from the other bed, something huge and malformed misshaping the blankets that covered him.

Startled, Chrno scrambled for the bedside lamp. It came on and he squinted his eyes nearly shut at the light, staring. Remington lay on his back, the bottom of his bed seemingly three feet higher and throbbing.

"Remington?" he gasped. "What?"

"Go back to sleep, Chrno," the priest hissed. "That's an order."

"You're not my master," Chrno told him automatically and pushed his covers back so he could get up. "What's wrong?"

"Go away, Chrno!"

Chrno ignored him. Remington didn't have the absoluteness that he craved from a master. There was too much pleading in his voice. The demon walked closer and pulled the blankets back.

Remington's broken leg was swollen with legions, malformed and free of its shattered cast. Rudimentary limbs were trying to grow out of it, waving stupidly at the air, and the whole thing was distorted, misshapen like the worst of the clutches Chrno had seen in Pandemonium.

"What the hell?" he gasped. "What happened to you??" Rosette broke his leg. Where in the world did he get legions from and why were they so out of control? "Who did this to you?"

The priest shuddered, his face tight with pain. "No one… It's an old injury. The Elder…" He winced. "He used legions… to save my life…"

Like Chrno did for Rosette, infecting her with legions through his seed. "The Elder had you sleep with a demon?" he asked, confused.

Remington managed a choked laugh. "No… he used his machines… to strip them of evil… changed them so they would keep my body functioning…"

Except now the Elder was gone. Rosette had said that Sister Kate banished him after he attacked her. Chrno bit his lip, glad the old bastard was gone but not knowing what to do. "He stripped them of evil?" he repeated, not really understanding that.

"Yes… changed their mission… ordered them to work with my body… only it wears off… he uses astral infusions… to stop them from taking over…"

Chrno's eyes widened in shock. The Elder reprogrammed legions to heal Remington?? How could he do that? It took Shader's best computers to reset a legion and the Elder did it with the backward technologies that humans had come up with?

"Wow," he managed. "Shader would really want to meet him, if she could keep from killing him."

Remington raised an eyebrow. His face was soaked with sweat and Chrno grabbed a cloth from the nightstand to wipe it dry. "She's that dangerous?"

"No, she's a pussycat." He thought about that particular pun and winced. "She never hurt anyone before that I know of. But if Elder grabbed her, I think she'd make an exception." Remington coughed a laugh and Chrno bent over him worriedly. "What can I do?"

"Don't know," Remington gasped. "The Elder was the only one who knew how to use the machines."

Chrno looked down at the leg. It was mutating further, a mouth opening and closing somewhere near the knee. It had obviously been trying to heal the leg, but without guidance, it was out of control. The Elder's machines obviously gave it that control, since Remington wasn't a demon and didn't have access to them himself. Normally they would have just died off, but since he'd changed them, that fail-safe was no longer working.

Yes, Shader would have loved to talk to the Elder about how he managed that.

Chrno shuddered and looked at the priest who was his friend. "Where do I find the Elder?" he asked quietly.

---000---

It was freezing cold, the snow still falling as it had all day. Shuddering, Chrno flew heavily across the city, his wings aching as they beat at the night air, his gut churning and his head throbbing. His vision felt weird as well, but he forced himself to keep going, heading for the ghetto areas of Brooklyn. Remington was pretty sure the Elder would be at a little apartment he kept there. It was where he took women he hired or convinced to come with him. With his home at the Order lost to him, he was probably there, along with his machines.

Fuzzily, the demon wondered why Remington didn't say anything when the Elder was banished. Maybe he didn't want anyone to know about his ailment or what he did to survive. Maybe he felt bad that the Elder got away with so much for so long, and how he'd let it happen so that he could survive. Chrno sighed. The second sounded likely. The first as well. The priest had sworn him to secrecy about what was happening to him. He didn't really blame the man either.

Now if only he wasn't so tired. His legs crossed at the ankles and his arms wrapped around his body, he flew heavily, hating every minute of it. He was getting snow in his eyes and he was wet, the cold settling into his wings and joints. Remington would die if he didn't get help though, and even if he had the Elder's machines, he didn't know how to work them. The Elder was the only one who knew how they operated, and he'd used them on Remington for decades.

He wasn't much of a judge of human aging, but he hadn't realized the priest was that old.

Chrno banked, headed along the street Remington had told him to follow. The air was too cold to glide; he had to flap his wings the entire way. He wished Rosette was there, with her crazy driving and her smile. She'd probably yell at him, make him go back to bed, and go collect the Elder herself. At least she knew how to drive. Chrno didn't have the faintest idea of how to get those things to work. He wasn't a technophobe, but the idea of trying to control something that was moving at high speed worried him. Or maybe Rosette's driving just scared him too much to try it himself.

He found he was worrying about her again and forced himself to focus on his current situation again before he turned around and went looking for her. Rosette could take care of herself; Remington needed him and they both owed him. Rosette would be dead now if he hadn't told them how to use his legions to help her.

Briefly, he wondered if he could do the same thing for Remington and shoved that thought away with a blush. Rosette would kill him.

Either that or she'd make popcorn and watch. He wasn't sure. No, he was sure. She'd kill him.

Laboriously, Chrno flew over the run down tenements, his head aching so badly he wanted to vomit. The leather he wore was cold and he wished he'd been able to grab a coat before he left, but he hardly had one that would fit over his wings. He could have taken a cab, but he had no money. Flying was the only way.

Ahead, he saw the white on red paint of an old fire house that Remington told him to look for. An abandoned park laid next to it, full of dead weeds and broken glass, and beyond that the expanse of several old apartment buildings. They looked like they should have been condemned decades before and the demon wondered what made the Elder keep a place in one even before he'd been banished. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

The Elder's apartment was in the one coloured the yellow of earwax, on the corner, on the third floor. Chrno flew towards it heavily, nauseated and slow. He was having trouble keeping his legs straight in the air behind him and they dragged as he came to an awkward landing on the fire escape.

For a minute, all he could do was hang on to the freezing metal of the railing and wait for his head to stop spinning. He could feel blood trickling down from under his bandages and his astral levels were dwindling. He needed Rosette to replenish them for him and she could only breathe out so much at a time. Just being in demon form was draining. He had to be careful how far he pushed himself or he wouldn't be able to get back to the Order.

His head finally settling down, though his stomach still wanted to rebel, Chrno folded his aching wings and lurched over to the window, looking in. The light was on inside and he expected to see the Elder working on one of his crazy projects. He'd done that a lot when Chrno slept in his back room, usually keeping him awake in the process.

He didn't expect to see a woman tied spread-eagled to a bed, naked.

Chrno blinked and rubbed his eyes before looking back in. Yep, there was a woman there. She was gagged as well, her eyes closed. Chrno shivered and tried to think what to do. He needed the Elder's help, but he might not want to be disturbed. Chrno knew if he'd been the one tied to the bed and Rosette was coming in, he wouldn't want anyone disturbing him for any reason. Just the thought sent a little tingle through him and he wondered how to suggest it to her without getting smacked. The Elder though… Chrno could see tears in the edge of that girl's eyes. Somehow, he wasn't sure she was so willing.

Forcing nausea down, Chrno shifted into his man form and tried the window. It was unlocked and he opened it, climbing in. Immediately, the woman's eyes turned towards him, wide with fright. Chrno put a finger to his lips, crossing to her side.

"Do you need help?" he whispered. "Do you want me to untie you?" Now that he was inside, he could hear a man singing badly in the other room. The woman nodded frantically, her eyes huge with sudden hope, and Chrno untied her. She scrambled to her feet and wrapped one of the sheets around her. It wasn't much protection against the cold coming in through the window though.

"Thank you," she told him quietly, eyes shooting towards the door. "That freak paid me to come up here, but I never agreed to this and he wouldn't let me ago."

Chrno grimaced, wishing he just killed the man when he went after Rosette. "Here," he said roughly, pulling off his coat to hand to the woman. He wouldn't have access to it in demon form anyway. "Go down the fire escape." She took the coat gratefully and hurried out the window. Chrno didn't envy her bare feet, but at least she was free. Once she was gone, he shuddered back into his demon form and sat on the edge of the bed. He would have burst through the door dramatically instead, but he just didn't have the energy.

He didn't have to wait long. Barely two minutes after the woman escaped, the door opened and the Elder skipped in, carrying a bucket with a wine bottle in it and a single glass. He wore his usual goggles to hide his eyes, but the only other thing he had on was a leather codpiece with spikes along it. He smelled filthy.

"Here I am, my dear!" he started and stopped.

Chrno growled.

The Elder shrieked and ran, tossing the wine bucket at him. Chrno knocked it out of the way, only getting a few cubes of ice in the face, and forced himself to run after him, wings tucked close to his body.

The old man was on the other side of the dirty, overly cluttered living room, fighting with the locks on the door. Chrno half ran, half flew across it and grabbed him by the shoulder, throwing him back into the room. The man crashed into a series of boxes, sending them and the components inside them flying, and rolled, vanishing for a second. He'd been wearing carpet slippers along with the codpiece, Chrno realised.

"Listen to me," he said. "I need you to-"

Before he could finish, the Elder bounced back to his feet, swinging an arm wide before himself with a vial in his hand, and holy water sprayed across Chrno's bare chest and abdomen.

The demon shrieked. The holy water burned, smoke curling up as he jumped backwards, nearly putting himself through the wall, and slapped at the water, burning his hands but managing to get it off his skin before it ate through. He thudded to his knees, choking, and looked up to see the Elder standing a few feet away, pointing a pistol loaded with Sacreds at him.

"Ah, shit…"

"Did you think I'd be that easy to get rid of?" the Elder raged. "I've been killing your kind for half a century."

Chrno took a deep breath, one hand up non-threateningly as he tried to stand, bracing himself on a box that ruptured under his weight, spilling him and a bunch of photographs to the ground. "Wait!" he yelped, landing on his burns. "Remington's dying!"

The Elder's eyebrow rose and he didn't fire. "What?"

"Father Remington," Chrno gasped. "His legions are out of control. Do you think I'd be here if I didn't need your help?"

The pistol lowered slightly. Chrno would have gone for it and continued negotiating when the man wasn't in a position to kill him, but he felt sicker than ever. His breath rasped loudly in the overcrowded room.

"He said… he said you have a machine that regulates the legions… you have to help him."

The Elder frowned. "Ewan sent you?"

Chrno nodded desperately. "There wasn't anyone else. He didn't want anyone to know."

"The idiot," he muttered. "He could have prevented all of this if he wasn't so damned noble. Just cause I grabbed a little bit…" Chrno growled at that and he aimed the pistol at him again. "Don't you start. Where did I put that thing?" He started hunting through the boxes, searching.

Chrno sagged, head and wings bowing. Soon, this miserable muck up of a night would be over and he could go back to bed. Shivering, he rubbed his arms and looked down at the pictures that had come out of the box.

They were photographs of women. Suddenly, Chrno felt a cold that had nothing to do with the temperature or his illness. The girls in the photographs were young, staring at the camera with expressions that were anything but happy. Many of them were bound, most of them were in pain, all of them were obscene. Trembling, he touched the pile, sweeping deeper, and saw the young nuns of the Order, photos taken of them obviously without their knowledge. He saw Sisters Mary, Anne, and Claire in the showers, saw Azmaria getting dressed, saw Rosette…

Rosette…

The Elder was turning with a square box covered in dials in his hand, just in time to see Chrno roar and come for him. Screaming, he dropped the machine and fired. Chrno had no idea if he hit or missed. He slammed into the old man with all his weight, claws slashing like scimitars, tail whip stabbing repeatedly. He tore the horrid old man apart, howling at the image of his beautiful Rosette in his mind. Rosette in her innocence, sleeping so deeply that nothing could wake her, not even a dirty old man sneaking into her room and pulling up her shift to… He razed the body until there was nothing left and he was covered head to toe in gore. Then he crawled away and was violently sick for a long time.

Finally, Chrno roused a bit, fighting for focus. He was ill, he was running low on astral, and he still had to get that machine back to Remington and figure out how to use it before he ran out completely. Shuddering, he dragged himself into the bathroom and turned on the shower, turning it completely to hot before he crawled in fully clothed and let the water wash the blood off of him. It boiled a bit of the sickness out of him as well and he felt his mind clear a bit at last.

He'd killed the Elder, murdered him like he hadn't since he fled Pandemonium with Aion, when he ripped a thousand demons apart in a moment of madness. The Order would destroy him if they knew. Rosette…

He couldn't ever let her know.

Shuddering, Chrno climbed out of the shower and back into the main room, careful not to step in the blood as he made his way back to the machine the Elder had been carrying. It was heavy but neatly labelled and Chrno bit his lip, hoping he could work it. For Remington's sake, he had to. He stumbled with it over to the window and forced himself to look back.

The room looked like an abattoir, the walls and floor almost completely covered in gore. Chrno threw up again and opened the window, gasping at the cold air against his wet skin and clothes. He climbed halfway out, the machine tucked under his arm, and turned back, focusing.

Power flashed out of his outstretched hand and the room burst into flame, centred on the body and that box of pictures he wished he'd never found. The rest of the room whooshed and caught as well, spreading with shocking speed. He had to leap out, wings spreading into the frigid air, and fight for altitude, the cold already freezing him through his wet clothes. For a moment, he was afraid he'd doomed everyone in the building to a fiery death, but people were already coming out, yelling, and he heard bells ringing. He'd forgotten that the apartment was next to a firehouse.

Shuddering, he turned and flew in the direction of the Order, his agony a penance for his deeds.

---000---

Remington looked up wearily as Chrno stumbled into the door and his eyes widened. "Good God, you look like you're half dead."

"Feel it," Chrno gasped, dropping to his knees beside the bed. His hair was frozen and there were parts of his body he just couldn't feel anymore from the frostbite. His astral was at almost nothing, but he'd been able to sense the militia wasn't back yet when he came in for a landing. "The Elder… gave me the box… and left. Said… rude things." He took a deep breath, too tired for a good lie. "Set the place on fire too." He didn't look at the priest while he said it, unfolding the antennas on the box and unpacking the hoses. "You know… how to use this…?"

"Sort of." Remington forced himself up, wincing. His leg was even worse, red lines running up from his hip into his torso and appearing at his neck. Eyeballs followed the lines, blinking stupidly. "You'll have to help me."

He told the demon what to do, how to hook the hoses up to his spine and how to turn the machine on, setting it to flush astral through the man's body to counter the effects of the legions. Chrno did just what he was told, letting himself drift into a fugue state where he didn't have to think at all, just act. It was so much easier there. He wasn't sure when the box started to do its work, though he saw the faces and extra limbs reabsorbing, fading away. It didn't mean much to him. By then, he didn't have to help at all and the floor felt so comfortable and cool. He dozed on it, feeling warm at last, and shifted to his boy form, finally letting himself relax.

He was completely gone when the box did its work enough for Remington to unhook it and get out of bed, his leg healed. He knelt beside the small form and felt his forehead, swearing most unprofessionally at the temperature before he scooped the demon into his arms and ran out the door, yelling for help.

---000---

"How the hell could you let this happen??" Rosette screeched.

"Rosette, language!"

"Stuff it, Kate! Father, I told you to watch him! Look at him, he's burning up!"

"Rosette, he'll be fine."

"How?? You've got him in a bathtub full of ice!"

"That's the quickest way to bring his fever down."

Chrno felt cold. Shivering, he opened his eyes to find he was indeed lying in a bathtub, wrapped in a sheet with ice cubes piled around him. They were what was making him so cold, but his forehead still felt hot.

"Rosette?" he whispered.

Immediately, she leaned over him, her eyes wide with relief. "Chrno? Are you okay?"

He smiled at her. "I am now."

"Oh, thank God." She pressed her mouth against him, exhaling enough astral that he nearly choked. "I've been breathing into you since I got back," she told him, "but you were so sick you hardly took any of it. I've been so scared." Her eyes were wet with tears and he longed to touch her, but his arms were bound into the sheet. He would have been frightened by that, but he could smell his Rosette and relaxed into the icy tub instead like it was the gentlest of feather mattresses.

"Did you get Kalv?" he whispered, his mind opening to her. She felt it and her own mind embraced his lovingly. He sighed, content.

"No," she groused. "The creep made us jump around most of the night and then just vanished. We don't know where he is."

"Mm," Chrno said noncommittally, relaxing against the edge of the tub, eyes closing. Remington said something about him being moved soon, but he didn't care. So long as he could smell Rosette and feel her mind touching his, he was happy. He dozed, slipping into sleep…

…and started awake as he saw the Elder again, torn into bloody chunks thrown across the apartment.

"Chrno??" Rosette gasped as he started to weep. "Chrno! What's wrong??"

THE END

Yeah, yeah, more coming… I wasn't expecting him to pull the ginsu act on the Elder and it took a while to figure out where to go next. I nearly rewrote that scene, but I have some ideas. The next story is going to be very difficult to write, at least to pull off what I want the way I want. Tentatively, it's titled 'Miracle.'

I don't know when it will be out. As of today, there's a solid chance my unit will deploy (I'm military, obviously). I won't be able to post if it does.

Review, please.