Author's note: I do not claim to own any of the characters ^_^ they are a creation that is best kept by it's author. I hope he might read this one day and get inspired to write a sequel to Chrno Crusade.
If you have not read the manga, do so!!! It's good. ^_^ this fic is based roughly off the manga, interspersing some stuff inside of it, so if you're confused that's why.
Denizens of Darkness, Harbringers of LightA Chrno Crusade fanfic by Nightelfcrawler@yahoo.com
**
Chapter Ten: Comrades, and Enemies"OI. You." The cold sharp voice bit through he air like steel, hard and fast, causing Chrno to turn around from his thoughtful perch on the edge of the greenery surrounding Eden's upper level.
Rizel stood tall behind him, arms folded, a cold glare on her face as she regarded the silent demon who had come to this solitary place in order to break away and enjoy some silence.
She was an imposing figure, despite being a woman, or perhaps because of it. Her tight pants and revealing blouse were the same that Chrno remembered her wearing before, and the western style hat sat cockily on her head, the same as ever. Yet…her eyes were no longer friendly as they gazed down at him.
"You and I have unfinished business." She stated coldly, as she walked to the edge of the platform and stood next to him, staring out at the clouds on the horizon. A dark storm seemed brewing, and Sheda would have to bring Eden to a safer, lower place for the night, as the wind and rain picked up.
Chrno regarded her quietly, the wind tossing his short hair around wildly, and the light cloak he had thrown on. He slowly rose to his feet and turned to face her, not quite sure what to expect.
Rizel had changed… he couldn't say he blamed her. Ever since their last encounter, when Rosette had nearly defeated the lady-demon, he had felt her anger and feelings of betrayal when she had ordered Rosette to shoot him… She had not even tried to take him on, but used others as her tools to extract what little revenge she could manage.
But would she actually risk a confrontation with him…? Especially now…?
Rizel turned on heel and faced him. She was nearly his height, and gazed sharply back into his eyes with lethal intent. "A challenge."
"Challenge?" He asked quietly, not certain what she was getting at… a fight between them… it wouldn't last long, for she was still recovering from being nearly torn apart by Rosette's Gospel.
Rizel turned and strode away from him, heading back down the green towards the center dwelling. "Unless you're afraid, Chrno. I challenge you. Meet me inside."
Chrno stood there for a moment, a slight frown on his face as he watched her depart. A challenge… He sighed. Well, he couldn't refuse.
Well, it makes you wonder! I mean think about it, when you think how long they are, it'd make a perfect set up for disaster!
Chrno's head tilted to the side, as he gazed back at the dwelling. He'd been trying to filter out most of what was going on there, but the problem with having extremely sensitive reception to any thoughts around you, was that it often was hard to block everything else out…as Joshua had found out. He couldn't handle the 'noise'… of course Chrno had more experience, but that certain phrase caught his attention out of the jumble of things going on inside.
Rosette, that's horrible to think of! Heyyy it wasn't ME who mentioned lightning…But Rosette, I don't think Chrno would appreciate you calling his horns 'lightning rods'… I mean…it's not really funny if you think about it.
A very large sweatdrop formed on Chrno's head. Oi…those two. He smiled and brushed his pants off lightly, then with a rather mischievous smirk on his face, he decided to have a little fun with them. He focused his energy, and then with a blur around him, vanished in place, only to re-appear in the rafter space above where Rosette and Joshua were strolling.
"It is too funny! Just imagine the look on his face if it ever happened!" Rosette was waving her hands around ecstatically. "Just give him a couple marshmallows and…."
"And?"
"GAH!" Rosette jumped several feet in the air, whirled around, staring all about her with wide eyes, before tilting her head up and blinking at the violet haired demon who crouched on the beam above their heads, a grin on his face. "C…c…chrno…" She stuttered, before her face lit up bright red.
Joshua hid a snicker and glanced up as Chrno lightly jumped down to join them. "I wish you wouldn't keep doing that, Chrno-niisan." Joshua couldn't stop grinning however. "You're going to give Rosette a heart attack one of these days."
Chrno just laughed out loud, not able to help himself, just as Rosette's fist connected with the top of his head.
"BAKA!!!"
"Ow…" Chrno picked his face up from it's flattened position on the floor, peering up at Rosette pathetically. "Rosette…you're cruel."
Rosette just fumed at him, steam pouring out of her ears. "Serves you right for spying on us!"
"Oi oi oi!" Chrno sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "You're the ones thinking such odd things so loud. I overheard all the way across the compound."
"Bah." Rosette crossed her arms with a pouting look. "No fair, that's cheating."
Joshua just held his stomach, laughing on the side.
**
"A challenge…?" Rosette looked a bit worried as Chrno explained his real reason for coming back to the building. "What's she thinking? She's not strong enough to take you on to a fight… Especially now that your astral's all recovered."
Chrno shook his head. "I'm sure she knows that, after all she's been talking to Sheda as much as we have, she knows the repairs wont' be finished for another couple of days. If she were going to challenge me, I would have thought she would have picked something that she could actually best me in. Rizel hasn't ever been a strong offensive fighter…more of a backup."
"Maybe she's gonna arm wrestle you." Rosette picked up one of Chrno's arms and poked his bicep with a suspicious look. "After all, you HAVE been mooching around these past few days doing absolutely nothing."
Chrno scratched his nose with embarrassment. "Ara… that's not fair, I was enjoying having some time off."
"Feh…lazy bum. You've only been at this a week and already you're complaining." Rosette insisted, smacking his arm with a fist and walking forward ahead of him. "Come on, lets not keep her waiting…"
Joshua helped Chrno stand, and glanced over with a light grin. "And make sure if you go outside, don't let Rosette give you any small marshmallow birds on sticks."
**
The inside room of the dining facility was pretty ordinary as the rooms inside Eden went. There was a large table, and a cooking facility, though few people used it. Rosette had once insisted on cooking for the group, since she felt they didn't get enough nourishing supplements, being as they didn't really NEED food, they just ate it to enjoy it. Unfortunately, she and Joshua did need it, and Rosettes cooking skills were… to be desired.
Nonetheless, when the three entered the kitchen, they were somewhat surprised to see all the others gathered there, lounging around casually chatting, with Rizel seated at the table, a serious look on her face.
"Oi.." Rosette pulled on Chrno's arm and whispered in his ear. "I think she really IS going to arm wrestle you…"
"Ano…" Chrno flushed a bit again, not sure if she was serious, or joking.
Everyone's eyes were upon them, as they paused in the doorway, and the chatter died out. They were all aware that Rizel had challenged Chrno, and were there to see what happened…
Rizel's eyes slowly lifted, and Chrno felt an electric chill shoot down his spine. She was serious.
Her hand slammed down on the table, making Rosette and Joshua jump in surprise, and Sheda's tail bristled to the side as she also jumped.
"Sit." Rizel's tone was final, and Chrno didn't even try to argue, but instead quickly took the seat across from her, as it seemed was expected. Everyone else gathered around the table, not sure what to make of this.
"Vid. Fetch them."
Vid turned and silently went to a cupboard, rummaged around, then came back with a box that jangled lightly, as he set it down. Out of it, he pulled two simple shot glasses, and several other crystal glasses down to the side, along with a beaker.
Chrno felt his face redden, as he saw the remainder of the contents of the box.
Rizel pulled the bottles out and slammed them on the table, one by one, and glanced across at him her eyes glittering with a dangerous gleam. "I challenge you Chrno!" she slammed the flask of whiskey down. "To a drinking contest." The corner of her lips pulled up. "A contest I am most certain to win."
Rosette and Joshua stared with wide eyes at all the alcohol on the table before them, and then glanced between the two demons. A drinking contest…? Ever since they'd met Chrno, they hadn't ever seen him drink, though Rosette remembered seeing him indulge with Ion in his memories… but even then, he seemed to prefer holding the glass…
And due to the very red blush on his face, Rosette figured there was a good reason as to why.
"Um… are you sure…" He began, before Rizel interrupted him.
"Chrno. It's my challenge, and I issued it to you. Do you accept, or will you disgrace yourself by refusing, and backing down like the coward you are." Rizel's eyes glittered intently, locked Chrno's.
He swallowed once, staring at the flasks in front of them, and then sighed. "No..of course not… I accept." His eyes opened, and locked with hers, as he straightened up a bit. He was determined to see this through.
"Ouuu this should be fun!" Sheda pounced into a chair and sat backwards with a wide grin. "Can we join in?"
"Not until we're finished." Rizel snapped at her with a glare.
"Eek!" Sheda backed away waving her hands. "Got it!"
"Why will it be fun…?" Rosette sat down next to the feline, with a curious look as Rizel poured copious amounts of alcohol into the shot glasses.
"Araaa, hasn't he ever told you?" Sheda's grin widened, as her ears perked forward in amusement. "Chrno never touches alcohol unless he's forced to!" She giggled madly. "He can't hold his liquor at all!"
Rosette sweatdropped, and had to giggle. No wonder…
**
Hours later, Rosette's head was swimming, and not entirely from the alcohol she had happily indulged in.
One, two, six, eight, ten…. Gah she lost count of the number of drinks the two demons had consumed, somewhere after the raucous group had dissolved into boisterous laughter after Chrno had fallen out of his chair.
The two had gone about it seriously, though Rosette swore after the first drink, Chrno looked as if he wanted to back out. But he'd stuck through it, and at this point, the two were still even, though how anyone could drink that much alcohol without passing out was still escaping her…of course they WERE demons…
Chrno's hand shakily reached for the beaker, nearly spilling half it's contents as he struggled to maintain a grip on what little consciousness he seemed to have left. His cheeks were bright red, his eyes heavily dilated, and his vision swimming so much, that he couldn't rightly tell which way was up anymore.
Rizel sat poker-faced across from him, a wide smirk on her face watching as her opponent struggled. "This is it…" She hissed as she gripped her own glass. "You can't take any more… but even if you pass out, I have to hand it to you Chrno…you've changed for the better…" She laughed freely, the cold edge in her tone gone, melted after the tenth drink.
She'd never seen Chrno take more than one…and here he was forcing himself to solidly match her, though she knew that he was hating every minute of it, and wouldn't be lasting much longer. The old Chrno would have just given up long ago, and let her win, but not anymore…he had more pride than that… and she felt as if her vengeance had been finally completed.
Either way you looked at it, she'd won, she thought as she tipped the drink back into her mouth, and swallowed, as she heard a clatter from the other side, followed by up roaring laughter from all present.
Poor Chrno had finally had enough, and was laying sprawled on the floor, out cold, over his chair in a most awkward position, as the others continued to consume what was left of the alcohol that the two hadn't finished off.
Rosette giggled and put her own empty glass down, feeling the fuzzy warm feeling inside of her spreading through all her limbs. It had been fun watching him struggle to keep up with the experienced drinker across from him, even though after the first drink, his face had been flushed already, and his words slurred. At this point, she was surprised he'd managed to last as long as he had.
She struggled to her feet, leaving Joshua to enjoy himself calmly sipping a drink of his own, and staggered over to Chrno's sprawled body, and bent down, struggling to pick him up, as she laughed even harder. How she managed to drag him outside, she never remembered, but she finally stopped outside the residential rooms, and collapsed against a column and propped him up next to her, before turning her gaze out towards the sky beyond.
The storm had come in, and Sheda had parked Eden in a small canyon out of the way so they wouldn't be buffeted by winds, and the rain had yet to come… thunder rolled in the background, and flashes of light could be seen darting in and out between the clouds.
It was a dark and stormy night…Rosette giggled more, and glanced over at her companion, snickering as her mind flashed the image of Chrno standing dramatically beneath the sky, arms spread wide, with a metal skewer in each hand fixed with rows of marshmallows…before lightning zapped him and she dissolved into laughter again.
He'd kill her for this…
She sat up, and took a breath of cool air, feeling it refresh her mind, as she glanced over at the passed out demon. She really couldn't feel that sorry for him, since he had the most goofy look on his face at the moment, and even some drool coming out of his mouth. She grinned and wiped it away, brushing his face with her hand lightly, as she felt her cheeks glow more, not from the alcohol.
She turned her head away, and tucked her hand back inside her jacket with another increase in color on her cheeks. What was she thinking…a demon and a human…they were an odd match, but she didn't mind…still she couldn't help but wonder what the future would bring for them… he was essentially immortal as long as he didn't get himself killed… and she had a shortened life-span that was potentially measured in only days… she was a sister of the Magdale Order, though the vows that she had taken were different than the full instatement into the order…yet she still couldn't help but blush more at the thought of what that meant.
She sighed lightly, and then eeked as she felt a very heavy body collide with hers, nearly flattening her to the ground. "Roooseeettooooo…." His breath tickled her neck as she felt Chrno's head thunk into her shoulder from behind as he staggered into her.
"Gah! Pervert!" she smacked her elbow into his head again, and skittered aside, as he rolled over and rubbed his head, a very pouty expression on his face as his eyes struggled to focus on her.
"Rosette…" He staggered to his feet, and flopped against the railing on the side of the walkway, leaning against it heavily. "Uhn…I'm drunk."
"No kidding!" Rosette snorted, brushing her dress off and joining him, standing on the first rail above the ground, and leaning on the top one casually, so she matched his height. "Man, I've never seen anyone drink so much…well maybe Stella…"
"Don't compare me to her!" He protested with a puff of air to blow some bangs out of his eyes. "She still scares me…"
"Scares you?" Rosette laughed out loud and fixed him with a grin. "Well you can't call her a pedophile anymore."
"Gah…that's what scares me!" He glanced at her, and Rosette felt her cheeks reddening more as his eyes blurrily focused on her.
Dang, he looks even more cute when he's completely smashed… She thought, before clapping a hand to her mouth in shock, when she saw a blush rising on Chrno's cheeks. Crap! I forgot he can hear me…
There was a quiet awkward silence as they stood quietly watching the rumbling of thunder increase as the storm grew nearer, the wind gently blowing her hair back from her face, and tickling her neck as she brushed it away from her face. So peaceful… She was suddenly struck with the nostalgic familiarity of the scene, and her heart clenched inside of her, as she stole a glance at Chrno, carefully guarding her thoughts. He was tipsy enough that he wasn't going to pick up unless she thought something out loud and blatant…like before… Besides, he had told her he tried to tune it out as much as possible… still when he was drunk you never knew what would happen.
Which is exactly what happened.
Rosette was startled, when she felt a strong hand turn her head to the side, as Chrno leaned forward in front of her, and cupped the back of her head in his hand, staring down at her intently, their noses inches away from one another.
Rosette held her breath for the longest moment, as they stared at each other, eyes reflecting the light off of the lightning each time it flickered across the sky, but never leaving one another. Her heart sped up as she felt a lightheaded dizziness consume her. Was it the alcohol… what was it that was making her feel so…free?
It didn't matter…whatever the reason, any of her questions were thrown out the moment Chrno pulled close to her, and pulled her tightly to him, pressing his lips to hers, perhaps a bit more firmly than she had expected.
She closed her eyes, as she felt his sturdy arms supporting her from behind, and the brush of his hair on her cheek as she felt the tickle of his breath on the other. His kiss tasted like the sweet wine she had been drinking, the bitter whisky, brandy, and other hard liquor that he'd consumed, and the spice of something else, something exciting and exhilarating.
She never wanted it to stop… she could hear the sound of his heart beating close to hers, she could feel the warmth of his arm as he supported her, and she could taste the rich blend of his emotions and hers blending into one.
Was this love…? She couldn't imagine that it was anything else… It was like the stories often wrote about…something that grasped your soul, something that you felt through your entire being, like vibrant electricity, something that just felt right…
She found it rather ironic, in that normally Chrno was a shy passive person…he was as embarrassed at the smallest things like she was. Yet here they were, enwrapped in a perfect situation, that Rosette never wanted to end.
Never…
KABOOM!!!!Rosette eeped, as their embrace was broken apart forcefully by an explosion that rocked the entire section of ground around them, throwing the both of them to the ground with a hard impact.
Rosette winced, as she felt the cold metal of the floor slam into her back, followed by a heavy weight on top of her. Her breath caught as her eyes opened, finding Chrno's face hovering over hers, flushing a bit as he slowly realized where he was.
And she realized what he was grabbing.
"ARGH! PERVERT!" she shrieked loudly, the same time a second explosion rocked the whole compound, and Chrno was thrown to the side as the walkway buckled beneath them a second time, sending a shower of plaster and debris down upon them from the level above.
Rosette threw herself to the side as a third explosion rocked the compound, and found her feet had no foothold suddenly, and she shrieked in alarm, grabbing onto the nearest thing within grasp to stop her plunge off the edge of the platform.
A pained yelp was the only thing that alerted her to what exactly she had grabbed, before she opened her eyes, and gulped a bit in apology, as she saw Chrno in his demon form, stumble backwards, gripping tightly onto the back of his head, tears streaming from his eyes as he threw a forlorn look back at her.
Well, on the plus side his tail was strong… on the down side, it probably didn't feel all that comfortable having the weight of her full body yanking down on it as she grabbed on with both gloved hands to keep from falling from Eden.
A few scrambled moments later, Rosette had solid ground beneath her feet once more, and a rather disgruntled Chrno still rubbing the back of his head standing next to her, muttering under his breath that she should really try losing some weight.
Rosette's eyebrow twitched, and she shot him a dark glare. "Shut up."
Her eyes turned quickly, to focus on the reason for all this chaos, and her good humor vanished quickly.
Pursuers.
There were ten of them, and all of them bristling with sharp weapons from head to toe.
Rosette felt Chrno's hand on her shoulder, as he pushed her back behind him slightly. "Crap.. how did they find us..?"
Rosette reached automatically for her holster, but bit her lip when she remembered that Jenai had ruined the two weapons she had on her, so she was effectively defenseless. "Chrno… be careful. I don't have my guns." She warned, gripping his arm tightly as she peered past him at the bristling group of demons. "Can you handle them all by yourself? What if there's more?"
She saw his jaw tighten, and she knew that he was thinking along the same lines. The others could help fight too, but if there were more on the way…
"Get the others!" Chrno didn't even give her time, before his aura brightened distinctively, and he crouched in place, before his wings snapped out, and he took off, shooting right at the Pursuers with full force.
Too bad he missed them entirely.
Rosette stood there, flat-faced, as she watched Chrno blast through the wall, several feet away from his intended target, and rocket out into the sky, twirling around looking confused as to what had happened.
"Good grief…" She slapped a hand to her forehead. "We're in deep trouble."
She heard pounding footsteps from behind her, and glanced over her shoulder in time to see Joshua followed by the rest of the Sinners, catching up. The moment Jenai saw the situation, he gave a bellow of rage, and dove forward, warping into his demon form as he did so, and plowed straight into the nearest Pursuer with deadly intent. Vid and Rizel weren't far behind, as soon Rosette felt Sheda pulling her back from the fray quickly.
"Saa, there's nothing you can do, let's get out of their way and watch… it's dangerous." The feline warned, though she managed to throw a hiccough into the midst of that sentence somewhere.
This is probably the worst time that an attack could come, Rosette thought with a worried glance over at the battle, as the four Sinners reeled about, facing the ten demons in front of them. Half the party is drunk, and the other half incapable of stopping them on their own.
It's not my fault!!! Came a protesting voice in her head, and Rosette stifled a snicker as she glanced up at Chrno, who had thrown her a plaintive look.
It began suddenly, and Rosette had to throw herself down the corridor, Joshua and Sheda quick on her tail as she fled the area, when one of the Pursuers threw a blast at Jenai that missed and shot towards their position.
"Kyaaa, not good not good!" Sheda yowled, as a part of her lab coat caught fire, and she had to smack it with her tail to put it out quickly.
"Rosette!!" Chrno's bellow was audible even from his position high above them, and Rosette heard the resounding smash as a heavy body went flying into something that shook the whole compound again.
Crap… She looked back, coming to a stop as she watched the battle wage. Sheda pulled out a device from her coat and began to peer at it, muttering under her breath. "They breeched the south perimeter…I guess it was the weakest point… there doesn't seem to be anymore, but I'm sure they'll find us soon enough since the barrier is down!" Her head jerked up and her eyes narrowed at the battle. "Not good…not good at all."
Rosette grabbed a hold of Sheda's sleeve and yanked her back towards the battle. "Come on, can't you help them?"
"Araaa…" the cat-demon stumbled and tried to stop Rosette from pulling her closer. "No, I can't! I've never been an offensive fighter! Besides, the only two out there with horns are Rizel and Chrno! And Rizel's in no condition to fight, and Chrno's probably in the same boat with all the booze she pumped into him!"
Suddenly, it wasn't a laughing matter anymore, and Rosette felt a clench of fear grip her heart. They had to help out somehow.
"Joshua." She whirled to face her brother, who was standing there quietly, watching with a worried crease on his brow. His gaze snapped across to his sister quickly at her tone. "Is there some kind of holy thingy you can do to help them out?"
He blinked, but shook his head. "Not unless you want it to affect everyone up there." He spread his hands. "All I can really do is help heal the injured…"
Rosette slammed her fist into her palm with frustration. Damn it.. from the looks of things, they weren't going well either…
Her eyes shot open wide suddenly, as an explosion rocked the sky, followed by a scream of anguish, as one of the Pursuers was split in two by a deadly slice directly through his body. Rosette held her breath, watching as Chrno emerged from the smoke, rocketing towards the next one, his tail covered in blood, and his claws equally as stained. A fury light his eyes like no other, and she felt that surge of fear she had felt when she first had beheld him fighting like a fiend out of hell. Half the time, despite his true appearance, she forgot he was a demon…but it was times like this that reminded her sharply of his true inner nature.
However, despite how furiously the Sinners fought, Rosette could see it was a losing battle. Rizel screamed in pain, and went down, and Joshua instantly was running to her side, determined to help, as Sheda furiously worked on repairing the broken shield. Another Pursuer went down, this time to a combination effort from Vid and Jenai… but it still left eight more, and only three defenders.
Rosette watched in frustration, and fear, as both Jenai and Vid went down, taking two more between them, and Chrno taking one more himself, before realizing he was alone in the sky with five opponents surrounding him in a circle.
The pounding of Rosette's heart was nothing compared to the sound that happened next. First, the hiss and crackle of the barrier surrounding Eden went up with a bright green glow that faded once more, though the dim hum of the electricity belayed that it was functional thanks to Sheda's diligence. Following that sound, came the dark laughter from several of the Pursuers, as they faced Chrno, obviously saying something to taunt him, for his posture changed suddenly into a defensive one.
The third sound, was enough to drown out all the others, as Rosette felt a scream coming loose from her throat.
Brilliant red light exploded from all of the Pursuer's hands as they encircled Chrno, and exploded together as one, as a brilliant corona of energy slammed into the demon in the center, immolating him from the view of the others, as the group attacked as one.
Joshua's head jerked up in alarm and fear, as he paused from healing the gaping wound in Jenai's chest, as he watched the explosion above with horrified eyes. "Chrno..!"
Sheda shuddered in fear, as she lowered her hands from their fevered tinkering, to stare in shock at the ripple of energy expanding outwards in crimson rings, as the Pursuers pulled back, dropping their hands from their attack posture, and watching to see what result it would have.
Rosette grabbed onto the feline's arm tightly. "Please tell me he made it out…"
"No…." Sheda breathed quietly. "I don't think he did."
For a brief moment, Rosette's heart stopped cold.
Slowly, the embers from the explosion were dying, and at first Rosette feared that she wouldn't see anything at all, or worse…she'd see what she feared most in this world.
But then, Sheda's gasp brought a new hope rising in her chest, and her heart thudded back into life, as the feline jumped to her feet. "Yatta! He did it!"
In the center of the dying red light, was a brilliant ball of blue energy, that could be seen clearly emanating from the form in the center, as he hovered, arms outstretched, palms flat, and eyes closed deep in concentration.
The Pursuers weren't sure what to make of it, and three of them shot forward, enraged that Chrno had managed to throw off their attack…
That's when Chrno's eyes snapped open.
Though she was really too far away to see it, Rosette sensed something odd about his gaze, as he fixed the charging demons with a cold stare. In that brief moment, time seemed to halt as it often did in crazy situations, and Rosette dimly was aware that the cross on his neck seemed to be shining with an even brighter light than it normally did, before the whole world exploded around him.
Rosette shielded her eyes, as the blue and white light exploded from Chrno, the moment he brought both hands together in front of him. There were harsh screams of agony, as the light plowed into the three demons who had been foolish enough to charge him, and they were immediately consumed in the light, disintegrating into ash as it hit them.
A bright grin plastered over Rosette's face. "GO CHRNO!" She cheered wildly, throwing a fist into the air as she watched him. "Damn… I never knew his attacks could do that before…was that the freeze barrier thing?"
"No…" Breathed a soft awed voice from behind her, and she turned her head to see Sheda's eyes huge, and staring up at the sky with absolute wonder. "That wasn't one of his usual attacks." She gulped a bit. "That was…"
The agonizing scream that ripped through the night air cut off anything more that Sheda was going to say, and froze Rosette's blood still. Her eyes snapped up, in time to see Chrno surrounded by crackling blue energy, his back arched, eyes open wide and every fiber of his body straining in intense agony. The two demons left facing him, backed off, not sure what to make of it either, but they didn't hesitate long…they recognized an opening when they saw it, though the had no idea what had just happened to their opponent.
Rosette felt tears begin to run down her cheeks, as she desperately patted her coat for ANYTHING she could use to hurl at them to keep them away from Chrno…he was screaming in pain…if she didn't do something…
Her hand landed on something hard wrapped in a package, and her eyes shot open wide. Sister Kate had slipped her a package when they had departed the Order…and she'd unconsciously just put it in her jacket pocket and forgotten about it.
She wrenched the brown parcel out of her coat, and nearly wore her fingernails thin as she desperately tore at the paper, trying to tear it off with a desperate will to help him.
The cold steel fell into her hand like it belonged, and she rose it to the sky in one swift motion, glancing down the barrel at the two demons directly above… As she watched, Chrno began to fall, the blue energy still swirling around him, and the other two demons hovered in place, preparing to attack once more.
She pulled the trigger.
The backlash knocked her clear off her feet, despite that she had been holding the weapon with both hands. She skidded along the grass, and opened her eyes to stare up just in time to witness the effects of the bullet, as it plowed into the two demons.
Her first thought was one of shock and fear, as she watched the brilliant light surrounding the holy cross in the center, radiate out shooting down towards Chrno as he fell. But the concussion only helped push him along until he slammed into the ground with a ripple of the earth around him, while the two demons above, screamed once, before having their cries cut off, as light spread out diffusing across the sky in a gentle glow, raining down on them all.
Rosette realized she was shaking, as she slowly lowered her gaze to the gun at her side, that was still smoking from the explosion. What on earth was that…?! She thought, bringing the gun up and staring at it. The explosion had been far more intense and damaging than a simple Gospel… and she had the feeling, that had there been twice the amount of demons, it still might have had the same effect.
She gulped once, and then shakily stood to her feet, and found herself pushing as fast as she could towards where she'd seen Chrno drop to the earth. Each footstep echoed with her heartbeat, rapid and as jarring as her boots slammed into the earth.
She reached him just before Joshua did, and her breath caught even sharper in fear. Chrno's whole body was rigid, and shivering, and she could see strain lines running all over his skin, up and down his neck, his arms were twisted with them in interlacing patterns that seemed to burn from the inside out, as his eyes were wide, glowing with a throbbing blue light that matched the explosion he had just thrown out from his body.
Rosette fell to his side and reached forward, half expecting the blue energy crackling around him that was rapidly fading to harm her, but she was surprised when it felt lightly pleasing and energizing to the touch.
Her heart clenched in alarm, as a thought came to her head suddenly, the moment she looked up and met Joshua's startled gaze.
Holy Energy…
Holy Shit.