Demons Etc.

Chapter Four: Forging Destinies

Authors new note: Good grief... you mean... she lives? Oh yes. Fear me. I'm retouching this fic, almost 4 years after I started it. Forgive me, real life problems, lack of inspiration and stuff got in the way, but... I'm back! Look for changes and complete revisions after Chapter 6! I'm touching up a few things each chapter, then re-working it completely starting with Magdalena's scene. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Moriyama-sensei does. Blame him!

"Gah…." Rosette opened her eyes, and squinted at the sunlight streaming merrily in at her through the open window next to her bed. The nerve of it, to rise and wake her this early… Damn she had a pounding headache…

She closed her eyes again, feeling the aches and tired strain from last night set in. She just didn't want to move… but then, she did have work to do. And besides, her bosses didn't know about the 'incident' last night. By the time she'd made it back, it had been late at night, and their lights had been off. Figured, during a major event they were sound asleep.

She dragged herself out of bed, and rubbed her hip, staring out at the busy city below. She doubted the exploding zeppelin would make more than a minor headline…

Her thoughts darted back to Azumaria… the girl was special… no wonder they called her an Apostle. Such power… though it had nearly taken everything out of her, she'd managed to get them both to the ground safely, before passing out once more. Rosette had carried her back to the car, and returned her to the Order, no questions asked as Gilliam had taken one look at her, nodded and thanked Rosette, telling her to make a report and bring it to them when she could.

He'd then promptly closed the door in her face.

That was gratitude for you.

With a yawn, she pushed her door open, after dressing, and made her way sleepily down the corridor towards the kitchen. She could smell toast, and as she opened the door, Remington turned his head, and smiled in greeting as he deposited a plate with some eggs and toast on the kitchen table. "Good morning, Rosette."

She yawned in response, waving a hand, and plopped down in one of the couches, across from Chrno who was reclining, a paper opened out in front of him…

Sure enough, front page, damn it…

Rosette felt her cheeks heat up, as she read the headline, and the small details. No mention of the strange winged angel, thankfully… at least one job had been decently salvaged.

"Long night?" Remington's voice sounded slightly teasing, and she shot him a glare as he set some juice down on the table, and gestured for her to come sit down. "You were gone at dinner a long time, we were worried."

"Yeah well… it turned out a bit different than we expected." She sighed, moving to the table and taking a long gulp of the juice, as Remington slid into the seat next to her, an eyebrow raised as he poked at his egg with a fork. "Let's just say we didn't really 'walk off' our dinner."

Remington smiled faintly. "I saw the papers…and we had a call from the Order this morning informing us that Azumaria was awake and asking if you were all right."

Rosette cringed a bit. "Geeze, word gets around."

"Well, you would have told us anyway." Chrno's cheerful voice cut in, as he slid into the other vacant seat, his hands sweeping a napkin up and depositing it upon his lap in one swift motion, as his glittering crimson eyes studied her with an amused twinkle. "You seem to enjoy making a great scene when you work."

"Oh shut up." Rosette grumbled. "It wasn't my fault this time! That damn friend of yours showed up to make things difficult." She shot him a swift glare. "And you were passed out back here, some help you two are." She glanced down at her egg, yawned again, and stuffed it into her mouth quickly, missing the rather surprised glance they threw at one another over her head. "Besides…" She said, as she spoke with her mouth full of egg. "…I found out somethin' interesting you might wanna know."

"Oh?" Remington asked, taking a sip of his juice.

"Yeah." She gulped the rest of her egg down, and took a bite of toast, after slathering it with butter. "Azumaria definitely is something else…" She quickly explained what had happened, leaving out the rather embarrassing part about the other demon for the time being. "So, whatever special power she has, it's something impressive…"

The two men exchanged glances, and Remington rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So…it's true then. She IS an Apostle."

"I guess." Rosette said, leaning back, her breakfast consumed in less time than it took for her to repeat the alphabet forwards and backwards. "But I'm not quite sure what an Apostle IS."

"Hm… well…" Remington tapped his fingers on the table lightly. "It's…something involving a prophecy made. You heard something about it when we visited the Order."

"Yeah, and was confused as all hell. Explain it to me."

Remington lifted his gaze, and Rosette saw him exchange a knowing look with Chrno, who's brow briefly crinkled a bit, before the expression was wiped from his face and he turned his attention to her, tapping his fork against the plate lightly, in thought.

"Apostles are… messengers of God, so the Order believes." Chrno said slowly, and at Rosette's light snort, his smile played about his face at her mirth. "No, don't laugh, it's true. Originally, they were merely a prediction on paper made by a Saint long ago. There are supposed to be seven Apostles, one for every virtue. These Apostles were rumored to come into existence when the world's balance was threatened…"

"The balance..?" Rosette blinked. "What's that mean? The Great War?"

Chrno looked thoughtful. "That… could be it. However, I doubt it. The Great War was something that was only fought between warring human countries…yet afterwards, that's when demons started coming to this realm in further abundance than they had… so it had something to do with it, but not entirely that alone caused the Prophecy to be made…" He paused a bit and looked distant. "Besides… the prophecy was made years before any of this came to light."

"So what, the prophecy talks about the end of the world?"

"No, not exactly." He clasped his hands together on the table, and for the first time, Rosette noticed they were bandaged. She opened her mouth to ask him what he'd done to himself now, but he was already continuing with his explanation.

"The prophecy warns of a great disaster to befall the world, and to counteract it, seven apostles were to be born with a blessing of heavenly power to counteract the rise of the…opposition."

"Opposition?" Rosette pressed with a curiosity poking her right between the eyes. "And what'd that be? Demons?"

"Not just any demons." Remington said in a low voice. "A specific group of them that rebelled." His cold blue eyes suddenly hardened, and for the briefest moment, she saw a ferocity reflected within their icy depths, that frightened her. "They were to put a chain of events into action that would fulfill the prophecy…however…" Remington's eyes slowly lifted, and Rosette glanced over at Chrno, to see the dark-haired detective meet them, his own eyes narrowed and intense. "…their plans were stalled due to a splitting of interests within the group."

Rosette blinked, not sure what to make of that, and pondered the situation. "So a band of rebels caused trouble, and they were the ones the prophecy talked about as being the opposites to the Apostles, but they had a falling out?"

"In a manner of speaking." Remington nodded once. "They split apart during a critical moment, and as of yet, the prophecy has yet to be put into motion, and the Order had hoped that it would never be so…they had taken steps to insure it would not… however, the Apostles still have now begun to surface. And if that's the case, they're targets of attention, and also indicate that the prophecy won't be fooled so easily by shuffling our cards about in the deck."

"But we won't let the prophecy come about." Chrno's voice was hard, and firm, and his eyes clear and focused suddenly, as he glanced over at her. "We've fought to make that happen, and as long as we remain fighting the fate fortold, we may have a chance."

"I'm not so sure…" Remington began, but a glare from Chrno shut him up quickly, and he shook his head once, and didn't finish.

Rosette pondered all that in her mind, turning it over as she sipped her juice. So, this prophecy foretold a great disaster… and demons were involved as well. Her mind drifted back to the tall dark and handsome demon who'd snatched her from harm the previous night… who was he…? What was he to all this prophecy stuff? Or was he just a rogue agent working with his own plans? She couldn't really begin to imagine what kind of agenda a demon might have… nothing good, she thought. Yet, he had destroyed, or at least she assumed he had destroyed, Relaie last night.

Her cheeks darkened once more, as she thought of his arms wrapped around her tightly. Geh.. Rosette, you have problems if you get excited at the thought of an evil demon embracing you… She wanted to smack her head, but the two men were still there, discussing the day's work. She instead, glanced out the window at the filtered sunlight streaming through the clouds as they drifted in and out.

"Rosette?" She blinked, and turned back to see Chrno staring at her with a puzzled look. Geh, idiot! You're acting like a fool in front of him… Rosette blushed again an grinned lopsidedly. "Uh yeah sorry, what?"

"I asked if you wanted to go deliver your report this morning, or wait until later." His crimson eyes glittered curiously at her, causing her to suddenly get the impression he was trying not to laugh at her.

"Uh, yeah this morning is fine!" She professed quickly. "I got nothing going on… what's our schedule like?"

"We have to check out a report of some suspicious activity going on in a client's basement in Brooklyn, then I figured we could catch the train out to Newark and walk back over to the Order since it's not far."

Rosette nodded and stood up so abruptly, her chair fell over behind her. "Right! I'll go get ready. Anything you need?"

Chrno smiled up at her, obviously amused. "No, just the usual."

Rosette saluted, and quickly high tailed it out of there before she could make a further fool of herself. As soon as the door closed behind her, she let out a sigh, and ran her hand through her rather tousled hair. Good grief… Well, she had to give them credit for putting up with her, though from the looks of it they were used to weird things anyway.

She strode down the hallway, and entered her room, and set about fleshing up into a more presentable outfit for going out on their house call. As she sat pulling her long blond hair into a ponytail behind her, her mind drifted off quickly. Alone with Chrno… Her cheeks reddened, and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to have HIS arms wrapped around her… he'd done it twice before… but… well, she'd been distracted both times.

Great… you're obsessed. She bit nearly through the ribbon in her mouth as she wound her hair up, then tied it quickly with said ribbon, and stood up, glancing over her appearance. Yeah, she looked decent today. She bent over and grabbed her jacket that matched her pleated brown slacks, and popped her matching boots on. Yup, professional.

She jogged down the hallway, with her folder under her arm that had the report she'd concocted late at night. It probably was nonsense, but she wasn't about to spend more time re-writing it. They'd just have to put up with her midnight ramblings.

As she entered the foyer, Chrno was already waiting for her, pulling his long coat on, and straightening the collar smartly, as he turned to face her, a knowing smile reflected on his features. He was tucking a Gospel into his belt, and Rosette thought for the briefest moment she saw him shove something gold into his pocket. "Ready?" He asked with a raised eyebrow at her.

"Yup. Lead the way, oh fearless leader."

He flashed her a smile, and together they made their way down the hall, into the elevator and began to head towards the bottom floor.

Rosette couldn't help but shoot him side-ways glances as they rode. He was chatting casually with the bellhop about the day's weather, not paying an iota of attention to her stares, thankfully.

Geeze… why did she get the shivers when she stared at him…? Her cheeks reddened more, and she forced herself to look down, spotting his hands, as they lounged causally in his coat pockets. She'd noticed they'd been wrapped at breakfast, but now that she had more of a chance to study him, she saw that whatever he'd done to himself must have been pretty serious, since his whole palm and upper wrist was wrapped in bandages, and she could see the faint flush of pink burns visible where the swaths had been pushed up by resting in his pockets.

She snorted faintly as the doors dinged once, opened, and she followed him out into the grand entryway. The idiot…

He probably had burned his hands trying to cook bacon again…

The guy was hopeless… He could battle any big demon you threw at him, but when it came to cooking, he was about as safe in the kitchen as a bottle of propane.

"Morning, sir!" The concierge greeted Chrno with a polite nod, and stepped forward, as she and the tall detective paused for him to approach. Rosette noticed he gave her a very flat, hostile glare, before turning to Chrno and handing him an envelope. "This arrived for you this morning."

"Thank you." Chrno took it and nodded to the man, peering curiously at the envelope in his hands, and turning it over as the man left.

"Who's it from? Rosette peered over his shoulder, and saw no label on it. "Do you get things like this often?"

"Sometimes, yes." He admitted, undoing the tie at the top, and pulling the envelope flap open. "People often are afraid to come out and admit they have problems with the occult. So we'll get random tips now and…. then…." His voice abruptly trailed off.

Rosette looked up once at his face, to see his eyes wide, and startled, then lowered her gaze to see what he'd pulled out of the envelope.

At first, she wasn't sure quite what she was looking at. It just appeared to be a crowd of people in Times Square, nothing out of the ordinary. But then, her eyes were riveted upon one single person….

Her breath caught sharply, and she let out a startled gasp.

"….J…Joshua…" her voice shook as her eyes began to tear up suddenly, staring right at the boy amidst the group. Was it possible…? Her eyes were riveted, unable to tear away from the sight of a young boy, smiling warmly in the light, as if nothing were wrong in the whole world.

It took her a good long moment to realize that Chrno had said something the same time she had, and her eyes lifted to his, and saw his face contorted with a mask of conflicting emotions raging across his face. For the briefest moment… Rosette was strongly reminded of… no, that was ridiculous.

Chrno closed his eyes then, and she watched as he strained to reign them in, until finally he opened them again, and she saw he was more under control. "Chrno…?" She asked quietly, and his eyes flickered over to her, ripping away with some effort from the picture. "Who sent this to you…?"

His eyes narrowed, and she saw cold anger flash through them, as his gaze drifted back down. Rosette glanced at the photo, and saw that his thumb was resting over a figure standing next to the boy who looked remarkably like Joshua. The figure there… was tall, dark skinned, with a saucy grin, dressed in a white causal gentleman's suit, with matching hair that was cropped short. A pair of rectangle spectacles rested on his nose, glinting off the light from the sun, as his eyes focused directly ahead, at whoever had been taking the picture… a knowing look in his eyes, directed at the only one Rosette could assume would understand… Chrno.

"Aion…" Chrno replied quietly, his voice tense and filled with strain, as he turned the picture over, finding nothing written upon the back.

"Aion…?" She replied, her eyes drifting back to the photo, staring at whom she could only hope was her brother. "Who is he…?"

Chrno sighed lightly, and slipped the photo back into it's envelope slowly, looking disturbed. "A very dangerous man."

She bit her lip, and lowered her eyes, as he began to walk out the front, each step echoing loudly in her head, as her mind fought to accept what she'd just seen.

It wasn't until they reached the crowded subway station, that Chrno spoke up again, breaking into her thoughts.

"Who's Joshua, Rosette?"

Her head came up sharply, and she glanced his way, seeing he was fixing her with a thoughtful, knowing look. "Um…" She lowered her eyes, and bit her lip thoughtfully. She hadn't been planning on telling him about her brother… after all, it might be considered a conflict of interest with her current job…but then, obviously Chrno had some knowledge of this Ion fellow who'd been with Joshua… maybe they were linked….

Her head lifted again, and she met his ruby eyes with her own glittering azure ones. "Joshua is… my brother." She noticed he didn't seem to be all too surprised by that information, but merely watched her for a further explanation. "He was… well…" She sighed in frustration, as the subway doors opened, and they slipped inside and took seats. She gripped her hands together in front of her, as the cars began to move with a groan and creak. "He vanished several years ago." She scowled lightly, feeling the anger and frustration set in. "The weird thing was, no one remembered him but me. Everyone who lived at the orphanage with us just forgot he ever existed. No records, no memories, nothing. I was the only one who remembered anything."

She lifted her eyes and met his, seeing sad understanding reflected back at her. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have told you guys about it, but… well I thought you might consider it a conflict of interest and not have hired me." She smiled faintly, and looked back down again, feeling a tight feeling in her chest.

But, to her surprise, a soft hand on her shoulder alerted her to Chrno's sympathy, as she looked back up at him, and saw a kind smile on his face. "You know…it's not really surprising if you think about it."

"What do you mean?" Rosette blinked, sitting up straighter, and staring at her boss with a perplexed look.

"Well…" Chrno leaned back, draping one arm over the back of the seat casually. Since the train was sparsely packed, they could lounge freely without bumping into other passengers. "People in this business are always in it for a reason…and normally it's a very poignant and emotional one. You don't just wake up one day and say 'hey I'm going to go blow up evil spirits and demons'. You usually have a good reason for getting into this line of work." He smiled warmly at her. "Every one has a reason. Remington and I both have our own…I actually figured that something like that was your case. A family member, a friend, or a bad experience that created a grudge… but actually, I'm quite relieved to hear it's something more…investigative rather than detrimental."

She blinked a bit, and lifted her eyebrows. "Never thought of it that way…" But now that he said it, it did make sense. Fighting demons and spirits wasn't exactly a healthy line of work. You had to be dedicated in your cause, and ready to take the crap if the shit hit the fan. But it was also good to know that he didn't consider it a liability. "I always hoped I'd be able to find a clue to where he was. So far, I've come up with nothing…"

"Until now…" His soft voice continued for her, and she nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a little while, before Chrno spoke up again, this time his tone even softer, and Rosette knew he was making sure no one overhead them. "Rosette…did he have any special abilities?"

She frowned, and looked up at him, but he wasn't meeting her eyes. He knew something, obviously. "Yeah…" she sighed clasping her hands together. "You know…now that you mention it, I never put two and two together…" She bit her lip. Azmaria had special properties… and she had been hunted… "He… could heal other people's injuries." He nodded slowly, and she saw a resigned look cross his face. "You think it has something to do with him vanishing, don't you?"

"Well…" He said slowly. "If he really is with Aion, then most definitely…"

Rosette bit her lip, and felt her heart clench. "…he's an Apostle then…isn't he?"

"It's very possible."

--- --- ---

They disembarked the train, and went to take care of their house call without further mentioning Rosette's personal quest. Rosette herself was filled with a new sort of hope, as well as anxiety at the thought that her brother could be closer than she had ever hoped, and yet still further away than before.

Chrno didn't mention it to her, since she felt he was letting her have some time to think over what she wanted to do with this information…but neither did he share who this Ion person was, nor his connection with himself.

The walk to the Magdalene Order from their location was a good mile, but it was a nice day, cool but sunny, so neither of them minded the hike.

Rosette lifted her head, stepping with a bit of a spring to her step, over cracks in the pavement, and leaves that skittered about beneath her, as her spirits were lifted a bit by the cool crisp fall air. She felt better, now that she'd run through the realization that she had hope on where to start looking for Joshua… and she was in the place and position to do something about it.

Her eyes darted over to her casual companion, who was strolling as easily as you please down the street, hair gently blowing in the wind, and coat tails fluttering a bit. She realized that while she had only been here, what a month, she knew so little about him… She knew Remington's story a little, and now Chrno knew hers… yet somehow when she pictured the tall detective, she just couldn't figure him out. What motivation would he have to drive him into this line of work? She got an evil thought, and suddenly imagined a very young Chrno, panting as he raced after his parents, arms filled with guns and a huge box of ammo on his back, following them bravely into battle since he was old enough to walk….

She snickered, and he glanced over at her, eyes innocently wide and curious. "What?"

"Nothing!" She sang cheerfully, grinning widely over at him. The look he gave her suggested he didn't quite believe her. "Well, if you wanna know…" She put her hand behind her head and strolled casually like that, staring up at the clouds. "I was just wondering how you got into this business. I mean, Remington's a disgruntled priest, I'm an orphan in search of her brother, and you…" She raised an eyebrow. "You're just a damn mystery." He smiled at that and she gave him a small pout. "I mean, sheesh Chrno… You've got some real problems."

That made him blink, and a slight confused expression crossed his face. "What do you mean?"

She put her hands down, and stuffed them in her pockets, fixing him with an odd look. "Come on, anyone can tell you've got as many issues as any of us.. if not more. But for some reason, you're just afraid to talk about them, or let others know what you're really feeling." She smiled a bit seeing his stunned look. "Oh come on, it's not THAT hard to see. You're always laughing, smiling, or whatever… but there's always this deep sadness that never seems to leave your eyes, no matter how much you try to hide it."

She stopped, and he paused with her, looking a bit startled. "Trust me, I've learned to tell. Joshua always hid behind a laugh and a smile, but was really keeping the truth from everyone, even me. Chrno, I've never been one to press into other people's business prematurely, and I'm not going to start now. But I think someone needs to tell you this, or something really bad will happen and you'll never get the chance to understand it." She crossed her arms fixing him with a flat stare. "If you keep everything that bothers you bottled up inside, never sharing your feelings and issues at all, then one of these days it's just going to pop like a balloon, which might end up hurting you or others. Sometimes the best thing to do is talk to someone, even if they won't be able to help you, it will still help you feel less pressured."

She put a finger right on his chest, and pushed once, tapping him with a firm meaningful hint. "If you keep hiding everything inside of you, and never open yourself up to others, how do you expect to ever be able to understand yourself?"

The confounded look that he gave her was absolutely priceless, and it took her a good long moment of struggling with herself before finally she couldn't hold it back, and burst out laughing at his face. "Oh man… I take it no one's given you this lecture before, eh?"

"Uh… no… not really." He managed, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Rosette shook her head and grinned lightly. "Well.. think about it. Cause I always think that if you share things with other people, you're more likely to be able to handle what comes your way. If you keep quiet and never say what bugs ya, how do we know how to help you out?"

He rubbed the back of his head, and gave her an embarrassed look.

"Look." Rosette turned and began walking down the street once more. "Like for example… things that really bug me…" She held a finger up. "I HATE not being able to do things. When I'm put in a situation where I can't do anything, I just loathe it. Like yesterday, when that stupid demon showed up, playing hero, I just about flipped. I'm always one to stand up for myself, and never give in to anyone!" She glanced back and squinted at Chrno, who had a very odd expression on his face. "Oh right, I never told you about that, did I." She snorted, and kicked a rock, sending it skittering across the pavement as she growled in irritation. "This demon, I told you about seeing one on the roof when I first got here, right? Well, I saw him again while you were busy with Relaie in Las Vegas… then last night he had the gall to show up, sweep me out into the sky without so much as an apology, and steal the whole show!" She growled, gritting her teeth, and making her fists into balls of frustration. "The nerve of him! First he stalks me, then he goes and takes away all the fun!"

"Um…"

"I mean, would YOU want a demon helping you out on your runs?" She turned to him, spreading her hands in frustration. "It's like asking the chimney sweep to help you clean the living room!"

The look on Chrno's face would have made her laugh normally, but she was still worked up, so instead fixed him with a 'what-are-you-looking-at' glare. The response she got, was just a further embarrassed shift of his eyes, and a slight cough. "Um…about that…"

She raised an eyebrow at him, blinking at his embarrassed look. "What? If you think about it, it's kind of embarrassing. We're supposed to be fighting demons, not co-operating with 'em."

"Uh… yeah…but..." Chrno coughed a bit, giving her another odd look, but stopping as they both pulled up in front of the Magdalene Order gates.

"Geeze…" Rosette pulled out the folder with a sigh. "You think Sister Kate'll be nice to me? She didn't seem happy last time you two were there."

"Then maybe I'll just wait out here." He smiled faintly, glad for the switch of topic, obviously.

She gave him a thoughtful gaze, but shook her head as they both slipped into the grounds, and made their way forward towards the building situated in the middle of the green gardens blooming with fall colors. Rosette made her way inside, and glanced over her shoulder, watching as Chrno strode towards the Elder's cottage. Well, at least he'd be busy.

She sighed as she paused before the headmistress' door, and rapped once.

"Come in." Came the woman's voice, and Rosette slowly pushed the door open, peering in with curious eyes.

Sister Kate looked up, and a smile lit her brow as she saw her. "Ah.. Rosette wasn't it? Please come in, have a seat."

Well, at least she was being more cordial today… Rosette closed the door behind her, and slipped into the pre-offered chair with a faint smile at the headmistress of the order. "Hey, hope I didn't keep you waiting…"

"Certainly not, we were expecting your report some time today." Sister Kate nodded and accepted the folder Rosette offered, and then sat down, and began to read it, nodding once and then. Rosette glanced around the room as she waited, then heard the slight intake of breath from Sister Kate that she had just known would come eventually. Sister Kate's gaze lifted to meet hers, and she fixed her with a contemplative look, before sliding the folder down across the table. "So… a demon assisted you, and you have no idea to his identity?"

"Nope. He didn't really give a name or anything." Rosette grumbled. "Kinda rude of him…"

She cocked her head to the side, and looked puzzled for a moment, then shook her head. "I see. Well then." She tapped several long fingers against her chin. "Rosette…I'm not sure how much I should tell you for your own good, or let you figure out for yourself because you're able." Rosette's puzzled blink made Kate shake her head. "I'm sure you'll discover it in due time, however let me warn you not to become too attached to your co-workers. They may do their job quite well, but they are not easy men to understand and accept, and you would do well to remember that."

Rosette's jaw tightened slightly. "Look, I dunno what beef you have with either of them, but it's got nothing to do with me, okay?" She put a hand on her hip, startling the sister as she peered back intently at her. "Whether or not there's stuff going on here that's way over my head, it's not going to stop me from doing my best. Remington and Chrno are good guys, and there's nothing you can say to me that'll change my mind on that."

Sister Kate's lips pressed thinly together. "I would wager that there is something that could, Rosette, but I won't break their trust and reveal secrets to you without their consent." She sighed lightly. "But you are right. They're good men. They may not have the most…credible backgrounds, but their hearts are in the right place." She sighed. "Which is why we've tolerated their…indiscretions for so long. They're services are deeply valuable, and their skills irreplaceable. No one can do what they can, and for that, we continuously need their co-operation, but if it weren't for circumstances, we would not have even that."

She sighed lightly, and glanced over at Rosette with an interested look, seeing her bafflement. "Were you aware, Miss Christopher, that your two co-workers were once mortal enemies? They hated one another deeply. Yet through a common bond, they were finally able to unite in order to do what was right, and they got past that hatred, and yes…even became friends." At Rosette surprised look, Sister Kate rose up. "What my point is, that despite differences, people learn to work together for a common goal. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for that goal, sacrifices of the heart, and of the body. Whatever you end up doing, whomever ends up assisting you, if you keep your goals firm, then you will never waver." Sister Kate smiled rather encouragingly at the young woman. "Remember that."

"Um…sure…thanks…" Rosette muttered. "Are you done with me now, Sister?"

"Yes." Kate smiled faintly. "Thank you for your report. Please take care."

Rosette snorted faintly and left, heading back down the hall the way she came, glad to be out of that meeting. What on earth was the deal with all these people… Sheesh… she'd gotten into more complex of a situation than she'd initially thought. Poor Remington and Chrno…no wonder they got easily fed up around here.

She sighed as she paused in the hallway heading down the stairs, when she heard a faint voice that gave her reason to glance up, and turn her head to peer down one of the other corridors. Far at the other end she could see Gilliam standing with a group of Militia, who looked ready for battle.

What's going on? She thought, peering curiously forward.

As she watched, Gilliam saluted, and then turned back, spotting her and changing his steps so that he headed her way. "Good morning, Rosette." She nodded her greeting to him, and he stopped before her. "I heard you did a good job saving Azumaria last night… she's quite relieved to be back here. Congratulations."

Rosette smiled thinly. "Thanks." She felt bad taking all the credit, really. "Is she okay then?"

"She'll be fine. She rested a little and is going to have a talk with the Saint."

Rosette blinked, and her brow furrowed at that. "The Saint? You mean….the one who made all the predictions way back when?" She stared, wide-eyed at the priest. "She's still alive?"

"Ah, yes actually." Gilliam chuckled a bit. "She's a remarkable woman, really." His eyes got a little distant. "And a puzzling one." He glanced over at Rosette, and shrugged. "She's been a ward of the Order for about fifty years now, and we try and keep her presence not widely known. But, since you're a field agent, you should know of her existence at least."

Rosette frowned, and looked thoughtful, her mind grasping upon one simple fact, and not letting her rest until she asked it. "Why is it you won't let Chrno see her?"

Gilliam stopped, and slowly turned around, peering at her with a thoughtful look. "I would have thought it was obvious." He said simply, turning around, and continuing his journey down the stairs.

"Obvious!?" Rosette muttered with frustration. "Yeah right…real obvious to everyone but me." She sighed but caught up with him. "So, this Saint's really old then."

"She's over seventy." His eyes traced her passage as they walked to the entryway and stopped. "But she looks no older than twenty."

Rosette's jaw dropped. "Yikes…being a Saint has it's advantages."

"Hm…" Gilliam shook his head lightly. "Well…yes and no." His gaze turned thoughtful. "You've heard of the Sinners, yes?"

"Sinners?" She blinked blankly. "What, people who sin?"

He looked a bit confounded, and eyed her oddly. "No, a group of demons who rebelled against Pandemonium, and were designated outcasts."

"Oh…no."

Gilliam blinked. "The demon whom you co-operated with last night was one."

"OH!" Rosette grinned. "Now that's something to go on." She folded her arms. "So, they rebelled against the other demons, does that mean they're on our side?"

"Certainly not." He said firmly. "It merely means they're a rogue entity, just as dangerous if not more. They're hunted by both humans and demons because of their actions. It's not something to treat lightly." He sighed and leaned against the wall. "Well, the reason for this topic is, the Saint was kidnapped by the Sinners over fifty years ago. Whatever need they had for her was quite obvious, since her ability to see the future can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Her predictions were jealously kept and guarded here, so that no one could mis-use them…However, when she was taken, the Order feared they'd never recover her again…" He shook his head.

"Well obviously you saved her, right?"

"Not exactly…" He glanced over her way with an intense look. "We recovered her, but at a cost…when she had left, she had been a smiling calm person with a heart filled with compassion…when we managed to recover her, she had changed. She rarely smiles anymore, and speaks to no one except a choice few. Her predictions are still as vibrant as ever, and help us get an upper hand on the opposition we face, but she no longer seems to be effected, or even care, about what she sees." He sighed. "We noticed several years afterwards, that her illness that had plagued her was gone, and she was strong and full of life…and she had not aged a day from when we retrieved her.

"When we asked her why this was, she simply had smiled sadly, and replied in a distant voice that 'her heart was frozen, as was her life'." He fixed Rosette with a knowing look. "Demons are dangerous beings…in more ways than one. Magdalene is not the same person any longer because of their interference. All the joy and happiness that once filled her is gone, destroyed by the Sinners."

Rosette frowned, not really understanding. "So, what did they do to her then?"

Gilliam shook his head faintly. "They didn't do anything, she claims… However, one particular demon did the one thing that can ruin someone's life forever, and torture them the remainder of their life…."

"He stole her heart…."

Revised: 02/07/08