Positively Criminal

Chapter Twelve

It happened too fast to comprehend. Chrno had pulled the trigger, and pain dashed across Aion's face as he dropped the gun, and fell to his knees, his hands clutching the wound just next to his heart. Blood started to pour from his mouth, and his eyes seemed dazed. "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" And then he fell, and remained motionless.

Chrno let the gun slid from his hands as he turned to help Rosette. "Are you okay?" he asked, fusing over her like a mother chicken.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rosette said, as she gazed past him over at Aion. "Is he... dead?" she asked, almost regretting the answer.

"C'mon," he said, ignoring her question and helping her to her feet. "We should get out of here. There are people outside who can help you."

She turned frightened eyes over to him. "Outside?" she cried. "No! This place is surrounded by police! You'll be arrested the second they see you!"

He smiled warmly at her. "It doesn't matter," he said. "The Sinners have been disbanded. Sad to say but Aion is dead. That was the only thing I wanted to do with myself before I died. I can live in prison for the rest of my days content with my success."

"But," Rosette cried. "You're innocent! There must be some way to prove you are! They have to believe you they-"

Chrno placed two fingers to her lips. "We gave them a solid confession Rosette. They're not going to believe anything else."

Rosette went to retort when her blood ran cold. The sound ringed through her eardrums, staining itself into her brain. As soon as the gunshot went off, Chrno groaned and fell forwards, clutching his bleeding side. Rosette turned to face Aion, who lay on the ground, the gun in his hand. He smiled, before the light died from his eyes and he slumped forwards.

"Chrno!' Rosette screamed in horror, dropping next to him. "Oh god Chrno! Please be okay!"

He could barely hear her cries of terror as he felt himself extremely exhausted. "Rosette..." he groaned.

"Please don't leave me!" she sobbed. He could feel her tears as they dripped onto his busted hand.

"You made her cry," a voice inside him told him. "Now how will you live with yourself?"

"I..." his tongue ceased to work, and his head ached with blood loss. He commanded his body to work. "I love you Rosette! Please understand! Please understand!" But his mouth wouldn't work. All he was watch her weeping form, as the darkness swallowed him.

---

He had a killer headache. It felt as though his head was slowly being cleaved in two with a dull and rusty axe. And the continuous beeping didn't help either. He groaned and tried to hold his head but found that everything was stiff. It hurt. But, he was wrapped in warm blankets that were very inviting, the sheets under him were soft, and had been previously washed. He liked this feeling, and wanted to snuggle deeper under them, and would have, had everything not been so stiff. He let out a small, aggravated groan and with it, he heard a sharp gasp from someone close to him.

"Chrno?" he knew that voice. It was the voice of an angel. Oh god. He died! Didn't he?! But, he had to wonder, if it was the voice of an angel, then why did it hurt so much?

Peeling open his eyes, he came face to face with his angel. "Rosette..." he mumbled. "Where am I?" Her eyes were red from crying and her face was stained with tears, but she smiled despite that.

"A hospital," she replied. "Aion shot you; he just missed your lung. You're lucky to be alive!"

His head was pounding and he found it hard to think straight. "Is he alive?" he asked.

Rosette shook her head. "He died right afterwards," she replied.

"Oh," and the two fell into silence. It was a small, uncomfortable silence as if they were mourning for the man. "What..." he trailed off, forming his sentence. "What about the police?"

"You're free to go," she said softly, her smile broad.

"How...?" he mumbled.

"Shader went into the police station after they emitted you in the hospital. She confessed to everything. She told them about Aion's plans, and all about how she and Viede brought you to the bar that night. They had to take her word for it, since they realized Aion really wasn't a saint," Rosette said with a smile.

"So... I'm...?" he couldn't help but smile as his eyes drifted shut. "This is the happiest day of my life, despite the whole, getting shot thing." Rosette pushed the bangs from his eyes affectionately. "So..." he mumbled his voice dry. He peeled open an eye and looked up at her. "Still got that boyfriend?"

---

"Say cheese!"

"Cheese is so cliché, can't we use-?"

"Aw! Rosette, I got you with your big mouth open!"

"My mouth is not big!"

The class broke apart, and the children all scattered off to find their parents and receive their praises. Rosette picked her gown off the ground, and headed off to where her father, mother, and younger brother stood. She waved the high school diploma in front of her brother's face tauntingly. "See Joshua? Now I have a document saying that I'm smarter then you."

Joshua grinned. "It's a document all right, but it certainly doesn't mean you're smarter then me."

Instead of chasing after her younger brother and beating him into the ground like she normally would, she laughed. She pulled her hat off and handed it to her father, who was expecting it, her diploma followed. She then pulled her gown over her head, revealing a pair of jeans and a casual t-shirt. "Here!" she said with a broad smile. "It's all in order."

Her father handed her the purse and plane ticket, her luggage sat beside him. "You be careful out there!" Her mother warned. "There are dangerous people out there Rosette! You keep your things to yourself. Don't talk to anyone! Don't lose each other!"

Rosette grinned. "Yeah Mom, I get the picture."

It had been a full year since Aion had been killed. All the excess wounds healed up nicely and things got back on track. It seemed as though the gun battles and police chases were all but a fleeting memory.

"Rosette!" she turned at a familiar voice, finding Azmaria running up to her. She stopped next to her and smiled. "Oh Rosette, I'm glad I caught you!" she said. "I wanted to say goodbye before you left!"

Rosette smiled. "Don't worry Az, I'll be back. It's just a year. Or two," she added under her breath.

"One year and only one year!" her mother shrieked. "I want you back here in time for college!"

Rosette laughed, and Azmaria pulled her into a tight hug. "Have fun," she said. "And be careful."

"I'm always careful Az. Besides, Chrno will be with me." She said, and pulled the girl off of her. She grabbed her bag smiled at all of them.

"Speak of the devil," her father, Vincent asked. "Where is he?"

A honk called their attention to the front of the school, where Chrno stood, waving, and leaning against Rosette's mother's car. "Right there!" Rosette said, as she took hold of her bag and turned to leave. "I'll see you all soon," she called, before heading towards him.

"Wait!" Rosette turned, the voice seemingly all too familiar. She found herself facing Satella, her arms crossed. "I wanted to say thank you." She said. "For stopping Aion."

Rosette grinned. "That's all in the past now," she said, before blinking. "Um, what are you going to do now?"

Satella shrugged. "The Pursuers disbanded, so I have no life there. So I think I will open a small shop of my own."

Rosette laughed. "Good luck with that," she said.

"I could manage a store!" Satella exclaimed. "Watch me you little brat!"

Rosette stuck her tongue out at her, and turned, hurrying down the path to meet Chrno. He popped the trunk, and she put her bags inside, next to his. She then closed it, and got in the car next to him. She leaned over and gave him a fleeting kiss on the lips.

"Where to?" he asked, turning to her with an amused eyebrow.

"Anywhere we want to go." With that, he turned the key in the ignition, and gutted the engine. He backed up, before driving clear out of school yard. She leaned on him affectionately, smiling. "I'm thinking Paris, Venice, perhaps even Rome."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah Rosette, do you feel as though I'm not romancing you enough?" He asked.

"No, no, you're fine. But I feel a moonlight dinner under the Eiffel tower would be just peachy." She said in all seriousness.

Chrno stopped at a stoplight, and turned to look at her. "I love you, yah know," he said.

She turned to meet his crimson pools called eyes. "I love you too," she said, and kissed him again.

The End

A/N: There, the end. I wanted to finish this and I'm glad all the chapters are finally up.

Also, just a side note, Aion's dying words, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" were the last words of Jesus Christ. It means, "My god, my god, why has though forsaken me?"

Thank you for everyone who had the patience to read, and review.