xXJeanetteXx- I'm glad to… Just couldn't resist. Cliffhanger. Will see how that works out :P

animefan0000012345- I'm silent ;) You'll see in this chappie

White Rose Fox- thank you for your wonderful review xD glad you like it.

elfenwindakachrno- I like fell of the chair when I read your reviews! I couldn't stop laughing. Lolz. Glad you reviewed, and yes, she definitely should continue that story. It saddens me that so many good stories are abandoned :(
And yes, I try to be consequent with this story (let's not talk about others shall we?)

lolz. Thank you for your wonderful reviews. And no, you didn't spend 30 seconds for nothing! Your thoughts keep me going. Aw, well, I'll shut up.

Disclaimer: Chrono Crusade ©Daisuke Moriyama

Open Your Heart: Chapter 12

And you're sure you've hurt for so long
You've got nothing left to lose
So you say you're not going to fight
Because no one will fight for you…~
[Robot Boy, Linkin Park]

-x-

Azmaria glanced at her watch nervously. Mary has been down in the library for quite a time. If she didn't know the woman, she would think that she had forgotten her. She shook her hair automatically, her silver locks dancing around the angelic face.

The sound of footsteps was heard and the nun entered her office. She was flushed and looked tired. Her eyes were framed by dark circles.

''I'm sorry Azmaria. I'm late.'' The abbess started apologizing frantically. Azmaria just smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

''Calm down Mary. I see you haven't slept. Why is that?'' Albino's eyes flashed with concern. 'If she didn't sleep because of this…' The nun looked away, her gaze falling through the window, somewhere far away in the distance.

''You know Azmaria… I was raised on those stories. On the stories that told about the perfect world. The happy world. And then, when I grew up, I began to see that this world isn't happy. Demons do exist. I used to hate them. But now, as I hold this book in my hands,'' She glanced at the thick black book in her arms, ''I see that nothing is black and white actually. There are many shades of gray in between.''

Her grip on the book tightened and then loosened. She carefully turned around and faced the Apostle. Then the abbess sighed and put the book on the table.

''Now I see that not all demons were bad. And now I understand that the stories are true. There was a demon in our lines, wasn't it?'' Her brown orbs dripped with knowledge as she gazed to Azmaria. The elder woman just continued to smile.

''Yes Mary, there was. And he was specific indeed. Long time ago I knew him. But now-''

''You mean you knew him? He is probably dead after all these years.'' Azmaria chuckled.

''You obviously don't know much about demons, do you?'' The abbess blushed several shades of red. She shook her head in embarrassment.

''Well, no. There wasn't really any opportunity, since they withdrew years ago. As you know, we don't have much work there days. Maybe a spirit or two a month. Demon twice a year. And that brings me to my question. Azmaria, why do you need this book?'' The nun sighed and fixed her eyes at the albino. Azmaria crossed her arms and sighed.

''Demons have much longer life spans that humans. And this particular one… how do I put it? He calls it 'sleep', but Elder and I agreed that the better term would be hibernation. And he slept for so many years, but now he was awoken.'' Her eyes sparkled a sinister red for a moment.

''And I need it because I don't know what to do. Josh and I didn't pry into order's work so much, so we weren't there when Elder wrote this book. But I knew that it existed. And now I need it.'' She closed her fingers around the cover and brushed the soft texture of the title. The nun continued eying her actions.

''You don't think about handling it on your own? I can get-''

''Please Mary, this isn't about me. And you don't have to. Because he is quite harmless.'' Or at least she thought so. Honestly, he was far from harmless, but the albino didn't want to worry the woman anymore.

''So, should we get that breakfast?'' Azmaria asked. She didn't want to talk about demons any more. The abbess was slightly dazed, but she followed the older woman obediently.

She learned that Azmaria had more experience in this kind of situations and she didn't question her. But, as much as Mary trusted her, Azmaria didn't trust herself.

'Why do I have the feeling that this isn't going to end well?'

-x-

Rosette screamed. She didn't know for how long her voice echoed the dark room. She just knew that her life depended on it.

How?

Those hands let her go in the moment she let out her voice. She ducked and hid behind the couch.

Go away. Go away. Please don't be there when I open my eyes.

She calmed herself and almost immediately got angry.

What the hell? Why am I hiding? I've been through worse! I-I lived. And now I faced a burglar and I'm scared. Well done Rosette. She added mentally.

She carefully closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing.

In and out. In and out. Yes, that's it, calm down. In and out.

She had temper tantrums ever since she was a child, so her 'advisor' taught her the basics of controlling that anger.

Step first, calm yourself.
Step two, think clearly.
Step three, do something.

She never actually thought that will come in handy.

Okay, I've calmed. Now what?

She hushed herself and listened to her surroundings.

Nothing. No breathing, no movement, no raging heartbeat. That is except for her own. She quietly sighed.

Maybe he's gone.

Her eyes flickered open and she peeked out of her shelter. There was no one in the room. She left out another sigh and stood up. Then she gazed at the broken door.

Well, Azmaria will surely kill me.

-x-

''Dammit! How could I be so stupid!''

The demon cursed at himself as he flew to his hideout.

His ears ached liked they've been pierced through. He started rubbing them to soothe the pain.

All those years I've been sleeping and now she did that. Ow, that hurts! But, after all, it was his fault. Giving up, he landed in the forest.

''Well done Chrono, you idiot. You just couldn't wait few more hours. Nooooooo, you had to break into her house and scare the shit out of her. Now she'll never come back.''

'You could just take her with us.'

Chrono froze. He scanned his surroundings. There was no one there. And with his ears hurt, he really wouldn't hear anything for some time.

Great, now I'm hearing voices. He thought to himself as he positioned himself in his favorite place. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the pain.

'She smells so good. Why didn't you take it with us?' The voice growled.

Chrono's eyes snapped open. He was sure that he was alone. Even with his ears hurt, he still had the sense of smell. And he was fucking sure that there was no one there.

Great, just great. I'm really losing my mind.

But, unfortunately, that was not his biggest problem. He thought about the blonde girl that captured his mind.

Actually, he really wanted to wait for her, but as soon as he thought about her scent, something snapped in him. And then he woke up by the sound of her screaming.

Not that he didn't remember it.

He consciously made the decision and he went to her, but it was like someone else was driving the Chrono-mobile. Like he wasn't in driver's seat anymore.

Dammit, I'm going crazy over her. And Gods, if she didn't smell so good. Fuck.

He tried to get that scent out of his head. Not the right time to think about her. And he would not do anything.

But he could swear that voice purred when he was thinking about her.

''No,'' he said with his eyes closed, ''that is not going to happen. I will not become more of a monster I am.''

I can't do that to her. I won't do that to her. I can, no, I must control myself.

He didn't think that would be easier said than done.

-x-

A/N: I'm like exhausted. Really, I've been working on this chapter ever since I got home. Two hours! Wow, yay me!

Yes, I'm lazy, but school's been hard. And I had extra classes of Biology t'day. So, yeah, I'm quite satisfied.

Was this chapter weird? (lol, I'm the author and yet I'm asking the question. Tell me!)

I'm going to crash on my bed now. Tomorrow is Saturday, thank God. And please don't look at the grammar. I know it's awful.

Hugs and kisses ~MB

P.S. Reviews are appreciated people!