Demons Etc.

Chapter Five: Secrets and Mysteries

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!

Rosette jerked straight awake, with a scream that she heard echoing in her ears as she gasped for breath, clutching the sheet to her.

She'd had the dream again... The dream of when her brother had been taken from her. She'd never seen it in person, but the scene played out over and over, always a bit different, and still the same. Joshua was taken from her, and despite her attempts, she couldn't stop him from leaving her.

She shivered, despite the warm damp air that clung to the room from the radiator that was malfunctioning…drat it.. that was the second time this week that it'd overheated on her… She sighed and slipped out, pulling a robe on, and slippers, grabbed her baseball bat grumbling sorely as she shoved the door open and started down the hallway.

"Stupid heater…stupid weather…" She grumbled, yawning widely as she pushed the door to the roof open slowly, as not to awaken the two guys this early in the morning. She always hated going onto the roof…it was cold…

With another yawn, she pushed the door open, and shivered in the sharp cold morning air…then stopped. Whose voices were those…? She couldn't hear the words, just soft murmurings that told her someone was trying not to be overheard by those below. She slowly stuck her head around the corner of the cement bunker, and peered across the roof, and her breath caught instantly.

It was HIM.

His back was turned to her, but she recognized that coat anywhere...plus the long pointed ears and strange tail thing gave him away. Her fists stiffened, as her mind swirled.

After she had returned from the Order, she'd done some thinking. That night, she'd come up with something that had made sense in her mind, based on the information that she'd been given. She remembered that a demon had 'stolen' the Saint's heart…and that demon had been one of these Sinners. Chrno had also mentioned the renegade group, so it made sense to her that the demon she'd run into so many times, could possibly be one of these Sinners. If not, he was at least a rogue, not working for anyone in particular, given the Order knew about him, and didn't seem out to destroy him.

Which meant the demon was an unpredictable ally…

But it also stirred her heart a little. Imagine that…a demon and a human falling in love and tragically forced apart for some reason. She was determined to help them re-unite! Yes she was.

She grinned a bit, as she started to take a step forward, but then stopped suddenly when she saw who was with him in the early morning shadows.

Remington…?

Her brow furrowed. What on earth was he doing up here with him!? Were they in cohorts?? Why in the middle of the night? What were they whispering about…?

"I'm not sure how much longer…" The demon was speaking quietly.

"…shouldn't…..hide….but I don't see what….can do…." Remington was replying with a shake of his head. "We need her…."

"Speaking of which…are you doing….?"

Remington sighed a bit and put a hand to his head, and looked suddenly dismal. "Not good. It's getting worse…."

"You should really see to it soon. Let me look." The demon's voice seemed to firm up so that she could hear his words clearer.

What happened next was enough to make Rosette freeze in shock, her breath even holding as her eyes widened in horror.

Remington pulled his shirt open…and she saw the truth.

Her first thought was the light was playing tricks upon her…but that wasn't the case, as rubbing her eyes hard did nothing to rid the vision of artificial implants crossing the ex-priest's chest. From the low murmurs and the looks they were exchanging, Rosette knew instinctively what they were…

Demonic implants.

A sudden fury and rage began to rise up inside of her. This whole time…he'd been keeping it a secret?! From both of them!? A red haze of anger clouded her vision as she stood there, gripping the baseball bat firmly, a sudden urge to USE it, on something other than the heater unit, flooding through her. She almost missed the next few words.

"You should really go to the Elder and see if he can improve on anything."

The elder!? The Order knew about this? Some of her rage left her slowly. If the Order knew…then maybe it was just her who was in the dark. But why? Didn't they trust her?

Her head whirled, but she slowly turned and lay her hand upon the door and slipped back down. The heater could wait… Right now, she had to think things through. Her hand found the door, and she slipped back inside, and paused in the hallway, closing her eyes. It made sense, somehow…that was why Remington didn't go with them on 'house calls', he was worried that he might be a liability.

She sighed and made her way back downstairs, got into the shower, and woke herself up a bit more, dressed, and entered the kitchen. For once, the guys weren't there, which actually didn't surprise her. Remington was probably chatting still with his demon buddy, and Chrno was still asleep, she assumed. She hadn't heard a peep from his room.

So, she instead set about cooking some breakfast for herself, as she sat down, and pulled out the manila folder that had been laying on the table…the one with Joshua's photo in it, and she studied it.

He looked happy…

Tears welled up in her eyes as she fingered the photo. Why did he look happy? He shouldn't be, he was away from her! It wasn't fair… how was it that she spent her whole life looking for him, and he seemed content…

She gripped the papers in her hand tightly crunching them a little, as her shoulders shook once.

A gentle hand on her shoulder, startled her, and she jumped slightly before looking up to see concerned ruby eyes staring down at her.

"You okay?"

She smiled faintly and lowered her gaze, to avoid letting her boss see the tears that lined her eyes. "Uh…yeah…just thinking." She quickly wiped her eyes on her sleeve, pretending she had something in them. "You're up early."

"As are you." He replied moving away, and going to pour a cup of coffee. "Anything on your mind?"

"Eh…" She replied, standing up and making her way into the kitchen to pour him a bowl of oatmeal that she'd whipped up. "Well… I was wondering about him…"

"Your brother?"

"Yeah… I mean… I wonder how he is… He seemed so happy in that photo, but…I mean if he's with that guy you say is dangerous, I wonder how happy he can really be." She glanced his way with a slight frown. "Speaking of which…who IS this Aion anyway?"

Chrno sighed a little, and set his mug down, leaning on the counter peering over at her with a thoughtful look, before running a thumb over the rim and staring into his beverage. "He's the leader of the Sinners."

She paused, and frowned, before finishing scooping the oatmeal into the bowl and passing it over to him. "So…he's a rogue then."

"Somewhat… He has a small knit group of companions to work with, but he's not very well liked by the rest of Pandemonium."

"Figures. So why would he want Joshua?"

Chrno accepted the bowl, and dumped a whole cup of brown sugar into it, making her smile. He always loved his food sweet for some reason…it was one of those little nuances she'd noticed. "Well… if your brother is an Apostle, that's why."

"So…he wants to use his healing ability?"

"More than that." He swirled the concoction and took a taste, still frowning thoughtfully. "He's always sought to gather their power…for what end, I'm not certain, but it's nothing ultimately good for the world, I can promise you that."

"Well, duh." She snorted, and he laughed a bit, his eyes twinkling at her mildly. "I mean, if he's pissed off both realms, then he's not out to earn the Nobel Peace Prize."

Chrno laughed at that, and tilted his mug in salute to her. "That is true."

They sat in silence for a little while, before Rosette leaned over the counter casually, her hair falling down over her shoulders and catching the light, making it glow slightly. "Say…how exactly does the demon realm work, do you know? I mean…who exactly is in charge of going after the 'sinners'?"

"They're a group of demons called Pursuers." He replied, lifting a mouthful of oatmeal up and enjoying it before continuing. "They're powerful battle-trained demons, who seek out the Sinners and eliminate them."

"Sounds like bounty hunters."

"Somewhat…more like assassins to eliminate political enemies of the state."

"Wonderful." She snorted. "So they chase after all the Sinners then? Even that one who's been hanging out with Remington?"

Chrno promptly choked on his mouthful of oatmeal.

"Oh, didn't hear about that." She drawled, with an annoyed tone. "Yeah…I saw him this morning…they seemed to be REAL fond of one another, if you get my point."

His coughing increased, followed by a reddening of the face.

"I always knew that he was odd… figures that he'd have a strange taste in company."

He doubled over, clutching the side of the counter, as he pounded his chest, coughing to get the oatmeal out that had gone down the wrong way.

She blinked at him, suddenly aware that he was overreacting a bit. "Hey, what's wrong? You DID know about that didn't you? And what about the fact that Remington's part demon?"

Chrno coughed a little more, grabbed his coffee, though spilling half of it on the way to his mouth, then cleared his throat and looked up at her with a somewhat guilty look. "Er…well…yeah…I found out about it when I first met him."

She sighed a bit, and pulled a chair up, plopping in it, as she watched him mop up his shirt with a napkin. "So why didn't you guys tell me? Did you plan on keeping it a secret this whole time? How'd he end up like that anyway?"

He glanced up at her, and shook his head, placing the somewhat soggy napkin on the table and looking a bit apologetic. "Well…we wanted to give you some more time to adjust before letting you in on the more…private secrets that this agency has access to." He glanced up at her, and for the first time, she was aware how piercing his eyes were when he wanted them to be. The cut right through her, and even gave her the shivers. "You understand, right… some people aren't just very open minded in regards to demons…when you fight them every day, you can develop a hatred that might be rigidly in place…not very many people are open minded about such things." He sighed again, and gave a small smile. "As for how it happened, I think that's for him to tell you."

She lowered her gaze, staring at the picture on the table once more before she sighed slowly and nodded. "I understand I think…" She had to admit…knowing this about him, she was on the verge of judging Remington in a different light than she had before…yet he hadn't changed at all…rather she'd discovered something about him that scared her.

No, she couldn't really blame them for hiding it from her, but... She still wanted to know the story.

"I wish you could have trusted me a bit more." She said quietly. "I mean, what if I had accidentally thrown holy water at him or something. I would have hurt him."

Chrno scratched the side of his head and smiled lopsidedly. "I wouldn't worry about it. He was a priest you remember. He's been exposed to more holy items than I have, and is none the worse for the wear."

She smiled tightly at that, and nodded, bringing her coffee back to her lips. "Well…at least there aren't any more secrets that you're keeping from me, right?"

He flinched a bit at that, and opened his mouth, but the words never came.

KABOOMM

The whole building shook violently, throwing her from her seat, right into his lap, but neither of them quite noticed the awkward predicament, as dishes started falling from the shelves, the glass rattled, and somewhere down the hall, she heard a rack of bullets clatter to the ground loudly.

Distant screams could be heard, and from out the window, Rosette's eyes widened in horror as she saw several dark shapes zoom by the window at top speed. "What the HELL!?"

"A…ahem."

Her eyes snapped up in place, and her face promptly reddened, as she realized she was holding tightly onto the tall detective, pressing her cheek into his chest as if she would never live to see the light of day again.

She let go as if he'd burned her, and skidded back with a gasp. "Oh god….I'm sorry Chrno!" She felt her cheeks burn hot as she ripped her gaze away from him, noticing he was about the same shade she was. "I..um…I don't know what came over me."

"Ah.. it's okay." He stood up swiftly, probably more swift than he should have, since he tipped the chair over behind him.

God how awkward…but…it did feel good… Rosette quickly looked down, pressing her hands to the table as she fought to put her blush down. Crap…idiot…

Chrno was already at the window by the time she remembered what had triggered their brief moment of awkwardness. And his face looked less than happy. In fact, he looked worried, and …afraid?

She quickly made her way over to him. "What was that…?" her gaze lowered, as thick black smoke wafted by their window, coming from far below…she couldn't see what was happening exactly, but something in her gut told her that it wasn't just a routine fire drill.

"Come on." Chrno whirled around on heel quickly, not even taking time to grab his coat before throwing the door open, and stalking down the hall. She ran after him, heart beating loudly in her ears as her boots hit the carpeted hallway. Whatever the situation was, they were the front line of defense, available on the scene, and they'd help out no matter what.

He threw the bolted weapons room door open with a slam, and it didn't register until they were stocking bullets into their weapons, that she hadn't seen him use a key.

"Hurry. Bring the Gospels and …." His eyes strayed over to the back row of weapons, and Rosette saw what he was eyeing. "…bring that too."

"Are you sure?" She asked quietly, not wasting time in grabbing the Spirit gun like he asked, and holding it warily. "The Elder said it contained a demon…"

"If so, we'll find out soon enough. But no time like the present to test it." He joked mildly, with a wink at her as he snagged a cruciform barrier set.

She grinned wildly back at him, excitement pummeling through her like a drug. This was the life…shoot first, ask questions later.

Together, they ran down the corridor, slammed open the emergency staircase, and began pounding down. "Wadda ya think it is?" She asked, her breath ripping through her lungs as they practically flew down the metal enclosure, taking whole flights at a time.

"Nothing good." He panted back, giving her a swift look. "I have a feeling. Be ready for anything…" He lept down the last set, and put a hand on the handle, pausing to give her a stern look. "There will be innocent people around. Be careful whom you shoot at."

"Right."

With that final note of caution, then burst out the door into the main lobby.

And what a sight it was.

At first, they coughed as thick smoke rolled towards them, but after stumbling a few feet, it cleared, and Rosette could clearly see the disaster that stood before them.

There were five of them. All demons. Each with several humans cowering a few feet away, and several figures laying on the ground scattered about. Half the front of the building was gone, bits of brick and mortar falling down in plumes of dust, as screaming crowds fled from the streets outside.

Rosette gulped hard. Five demons… and all of them humanoid…all of them with large horns, and every single one of them deadly looking.

She gripped the gospel tightly in her hand, but a motion to the side caused her to glance at her partner, and see his hand raise to stop her, as he threw a quick glance down.

"Let me talk to them first…" He spoke softly. "If that fails…then we fire…but there are still innocents alive here…we can't risk harming them."

She nodded slowly, and switched her hand to grasp a Sacred instead. Those at least wouldn't harm the humans in the room unless they were close. "What are you going to do…" She whispered, fear clenching her chest a bit. "There are five of them Chrno…maybe more."

"I know." His voice was calm and warm, and she was quite startled when he threw her a kind smile. "Maybe they just stopped for directions."

She twitched a bit, but didn't get a chance to retort as he strode forward, his boots echoing loudly in the destroyed hall, as he stepped through the smoke, and stopped.

The five demons all turned his way, and stirred a bit, as one of them laughed coldly, stepping forward. "Well well well….what have we here… if it isn't Chrno…" There was cold laughter from the others, and Rosette felt something cold tug at her chest. How did they know him… everyone seemed to! "Took your sweet time in showing up." The large demon smirked widely, showing rows of sharp teeth, as the others laughed more. "And here we were about to start on appetizers while we waited for the attraction to make his appearance."

Chrno's eyes narrowed, and Rosette could sense the barely contained fury evident beneath his calm exterior. "All this trouble for me? And here I thought I was low on your priority list of 'most wanted'."

"Ha!" the demon snorted. "You overestimate your importance. You're first on the list…because you're the easiest to destroy."

"I see you're not one for flattery." Chrno continued to stand there calmly, hands in his pockets as if he were merely having a conversation with someone about the weather. "Well then…if pleasantries are out of the way, why don't we move this outside where we have more room."

"I like it in here." It growled, showing more teeth. "Besides…" The others began to move forward. "It's more fun when your prey is cornered by a petty human conscience." His hand whipped out, and a brilliant streak of light shot from it, and exploded into the concierge desk, exploding the row of lights behind in a shower of sparks, as some of the staff who had been hiding there screamed in terror.

Chrno's eyes narrowed further, and Rosette bit her lip. They were as good as dead here. They couldn't use their big guns without the loss of life around them…what were they going to do…!?

Chrno's head lowered a bit, and then slowly lifted, and Rosette saw a rather…disturbing smile on his face. "You know…for Pursuers who are trained assassins… you certainly don't have the most observant bunch following you around like flunkies…"

"What!?"

Rosette saw what he was doing in an instant, and grinned, grabbing her Sacred, and pulling it up level at the demons before her, the moment his hand flashed out, and four golden darts of light slammed into the ground in a specific place on either side of the demons.

"Wha..?" It just hand time to utter, before an exploding barrage of bullets began to rain through the barrier, detonating as they struck the Pursuers with deadly accuracy.

The whole room was filled with brilliant explosions, screams of terror and pain from the various parties sounding around them, as Rosette let loose a full round in each gun in her hand, and Chrno did the same until the empty clicking was heard from both of them, and they instantly met gazes. "Hurry!" He hissed, kicking one of the cruciform crosses over before diving through the barrier just as it fell, running full speed for the door. She didn't waste time in following him, hearing their opponents bellowing in rage behind them as they hit the streets.

"Well that was fun!" She panted, as she trailed him. "Just a walk in the park, eh?"

"All in a day's work." He shot cheerfully back at her, as he turned the corner. From behind them, the sound of the Pursuers pursuing them came louder, as the crashing sounds shook the streets with their reverberations.

Rosette knew they couldn't run forever, but she also had no idea where exactly it was that Chrno had a mind to get to… that is, until she saw the open expanse before them, and her heart jumped.

Well… on the plus side, there was room to blow the Pursuers to smithereens…on the down side, if they played it wrong, they'd be going for a very cold swim in the Hudson River, as the Brooklyn Bridge loomed before them.

Chrno pulled up short, and panted a bit, glancing at her. "Rosette…" She glanced quickly at him. "…Go. Run to the middle of the bridge… try to stop traffic if you can. I'll hold them off until we have a clear shot, then use the Gospel only when they're close enough…okay?"

"Right!" She agreed, but stopped short before she took off. "But what are you going to do?"

"Distract them."

"Oh…right…" She blinked, and whirled around. "DISTRACT them!? How the flying f….?"

"Just go!" He urged, and she needed no incentive, as the forms of the five demons burst out of the city behind them, sending people screaming and scattering in terror.

Her feet hit the pavement hard as she ran, reloading the guns while she was at it, hearing cars screeching to stops and people crying out and pointing in alarm at the flying figures that were coming to a stop at the end of the bridge.

By the time she reached the middle, the whole bridge was vacant, and the city seemed eerily empty spread out beneath her in the early morning light.

Her eyes missed the beauty that bathed the city, however, as her mind was focused on simply one goal.

Chrno stood tall as the five demons landed before him, hands once more in his pockets, looking as cocky as you please. At this distance, she couldn't hear their words, but it didn't take long for the action to begin, thankfully. In one swift movement, Chrno threw himself to the side as the five lunged at him, and there was a brilliant explosion of light that forced her to shield her eyes as they collided. Rosette was forced to watch with held breath, as brilliant flashes of light ensued, a few explosions of Sacreds and screams of rage emanated from the center.

Why was this all happening, she wondered as she watched intently, her hair whipping free of it's ties to smack her in the face as the wind kicked up. After all, they were just an exorcism agency…they dealt in demons, but she hardly thought that an exorcist would be so dangerous that these Pursuers would consider him a threat…

Her eyes snapped up abruptly, as a form rose up before her, streaking directly for her with a snarl of rage. Damn it! One of them had broken loose from the fray! Her gun lifted instantly, locking on the flying form, as she stood taller, a fierce determination washing through her, as she calmly stood before her adversary.

Why was it in the face of extreme danger, you always found the center deep within you, and pulled it out just in time to meet said danger head on…

And then have it blow up in your face…

When she'd pulled the trigger, she had been counting on the fact that the bullet would knock the demon back away from her, over the edge of the bridge. What she HADN'T been counting on, was the explosion from the bullet knocked HER full across the expanse of the bridge, and up against the railing on the other side.

The breath was knocked from her by a strong blow to her shoulder, as her back hit the metal lattice work. "Crap!" She wheezed, staring at the gun in her hand with wide eyes. "Aw crap…" She'd grabbed the wrong one! It had been the Spirit!

A huge blast of wind exploded in front of her, as she heard a roaring fury of agony from the demon, met by another howling rush, as the monster that had been contained in the bullets' chamber, rushed out to meet it head on. The resulting collision was so strong, she felt her body being lifted, and tipped over the edge of the railing. It was only by pure chance and luck that she managed to grab a hold with one hand, screaming briefly as she felt the air beneath her feet swirling around as she dangled precariously, high above the icy churning waters of the Hudson.

Fear clutched at her, as she hung there, her other hand still holding the Spirit gun, now empty, as she watched blinding light and wind swirl around her, sending flying shards of debris shooting towards her, slicing into her clothing and flesh like sharp knives. She wasn't sure just how long she could hold on… in fact…her grip was slipping as she realized that, and she struggled to maintain her failing hold on the railing.

Another explosion rocked the bridge, sending cables swinging from their holding points, and filling the air with snapping creaking noises that were not the sort of thing you ever expected to hear outside of a late night radio drama. The only thought that struck Rosette as her hand slipped free of the railing was that the gun had really had far too strong of a kick for anyone to use reliably.

"Rosette!!!" A bellow from above her drew her eyes skyward, as the bridge slowly fell away from above her, and she saw the panicked face of Chrno leaning over the railing, watching her fall. His face was stricken with a brief look of panic, which tugged at her heart, as she realized there was no way he could save her this time…

But to her astonishment, it appeared he was going to try.

He vaulted over the edge of the railing, and dove straight off the edge of the bridge, aiming directly at her, arms outstretched, and face intense as she watched… he began to pick up speed…how was that possible… he was gaining on her?

Her breath caught, as a flash of realization struck her, the very same moment she watched a pair of ebony black wings expand from his back, as a subtle, but obvious change washed over his intensely focused features, his clothing disintegrating and re-forming flawlessly in the simple moment it took for her lashes to blink once. A sudden feeling of suffocating embarrassment washed through her, as his strong arms embraced her tightly, wings catching the air as their descent abruptly slowed, and they soared out across the water, barely skimming the placid surface of the frigid water beneath them.

It was so strange…she thought, as her eyes slowly lifted to gaze at the side of his face, watching his hair whip around the ivory horns streamlining his head, and teasing at the long tufted ears jutting away from his head. Strange…that this whole time…

Oh crap… I insulted him and suggested he was gay!

Her face turned cherry red at that thought, and she ripped her eyes away from his face, instead focusing on the rushing scenery around them. They quickly approached the near bank, and then slowed abruptly, his wings sweeping strongly once, before they touched down lightly on the boardwalk, kicking up no more than a small swirl of dust as his feet touched the ground. He slid her gently out of his arms, but kept a firm grip on her shoulder as he turned around, gaze sweeping back the way they'd come. She glanced up at him again, flushing more, as she wanted to curse herself.

My god…how could I be such an IDIOT!?

He turned back to her swiftly, concern crossing his face as his golden eyes studied her. "Are you okay, Rosette?"

His head reeled back suddenly, as her fist connected solidly with his cheekbone.

The look of complete astonishment on his face, didn't even draw her notice, as she whirled on him, whipping a gun out and slamming it right up under his jaw, just like she had done the first time she'd met him in this form. He froze, one hand still on her shoulder, the other behind him, his wings half furled, and his eyes wide.

Her eyes burned intently, as she locked gazes with him, blazing azure orbs locked on glittering golden ones. "I should beat the crap outta ya." She grumbled in a voice that would have raised the dead. "You and Remington both."

He just blinked back at her, not daring to move, as the small blond exorcist held him an arms length away from sending him into oblivion. There was a tense silence, as they both regarded one another.

"Rosette..?"

"What."

"The gun's empty."

"Yeah. I know."

She lowered her arm, and took a few steps back, twirling it on one finger before slamming it back into her holster with a saucy smirk. "But boy it felt good to see you squirm. Payback's a bitch."

Chrno sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit, as he shook his head, giving her a highly amused smile, before rubbing his jaw. "You hit me!"

"You deserved it!" she snorted in return, folding her arms and facing him. "God, now I feel like the world's biggest idiot." She flushed a bit more, and suddenly looked apologetic. "Does it hurt much?"

He simply smiled at her, before turning around and facing the bridge, his wings folding down and seeming to blend into the shadows of his long coat that billowed faintly in the morning wind.

She stepped up to stand next to him, and fixed her gaze on the horizon with a frown, as they watched the residue of bright glowing energy spreading over the bridges' expanse. "So… did you take any of them out?"

"Two." He replied, pulling out a gun from his pocket, and eyeing the empty cartridges before beginning to re-load. She found it rather interesting to watch him flip the bullets into the barrel with sharply pointed talons, as normal as you please. "And you probably got one with that monstrosity the Elder so kindly jammed in that bullet for us."

"Yeah what was WITH that thing…" She grumbled, trying her best not flush the more she looked up at his exotic features. "It's like…worse than the demon I fired it AT."

"He always did have a crazy sense of humor." Chrno flashed her a grin complete with sharpened canines that glittered faintly in the dawning light. "Along with other things."

She snorted and flexed her fist. "I owe him another poundin' for this." He laughed softly, and she felt the awkwardness of their situation slowly begin to melt away. "So… do you think they're done today?" She glanced back at the bridge, seeing no sign of the Pursuers any longer.

"Probably not." He mused, slipping the gun back into one of the holsters on his hip, his hand brushing against something that caught her eye. She realized she'd seen it the time before when they had been flying over the city in the dying blimp. It was a beautifully crafted device, but it looked old and worn as well. It was a golden pocket watch, whose face was covered by a thick glass, set on a heavy gold chain and attached to his belt through a series of loops and knots. It looked as if it had joined him in many a battle, as it had deep scours and blemishes, that gave it a distinguished look.

She wanted to ask him about it, but she realized that most likely now was not the time. "We should get going then." She said, taking a step forward. "They'll need help back at the building since…" But her words were abruptly cut off, as she heard a sharp gasping choke from behind her.

The sight that greeted her sent sharp chills down her spine.

Chrno's face was contorted with surprise and pain, as he slowly lowered his gaze to fix upon the bladed limb that was protruding from the center of his chest.

"Chrno!" Rosette whirled, her hand falling automatically to her weapon as her heart pounded hard in her chest, watching him cough some blood out, as his head turned to give him view of the demon leering behind him with a smirk.

"You've grown sloppy, Sinner." It growled, the other arm reaching forward towards his victim's face, an eerie glow beginning to light it. "You never would have let your guard down before, living among humans has softened you."

Chrno's eyes narrowed, and then started to glow, as a faint wind started to pick up around the two of them. Rosette instinctively knew enough to take a quick step back, even though it appeared the ugly Pursuer had the upper hand, as he continued to hold his bladed hand firmly locked through the gaping hole in Chrno's chest.

What followed happened so swift, she nearly missed it entirely. First, she saw Chrno's left hand come up and grasp tightly onto the blade protruding through his chest, a brilliant golden light emanating from his palm. The Pursuer appeared startled, but attempted to withdraw, only to find himself unable to do so, as a strange gray pattern slowly creeping up his limb as a swirling mist surrounded the two of them. It bellowed in rage, and raised his hand, the glow intensifying as he prepared to strike back, when suddenly his whole body shuddered, and he gave a cough, surprise flashing over his features.

A glowing blade of blue energy was jammed straight through it's chest, humming with energy, and sending black streams of miasma up, as it burned straight through him slowly. "H….holy….blade…" the Pursuer choked, eyes wide and focused on the hilt that Chrno held tightly in one hand, as it angled directly back behind him in a nearly impossible position, gripped tightly in his hand like a dagger.

Chrno's eyes were narrowed, and gleaming with deadly intent, but Rosette also saw the hand that gripped the blade was blistering and burning as well, as the close proximity to the runic holy energy harmed him about as much as it harmed the one it was jutting straight through. "And you…" Chrno hissed in a low voice, though blood dripped down the side of his mouth and onto his blood soaked shirt. "…should learn not to underestimate humans."

An explosion of light rocketed the entire boardwalk abruptly, sending Rosette flying back a good twenty feet, and skidding to a halt just before she tipped back into the river. She lifted her head sharply, eyes wide, and gun raised, ready to unleash a barrage, but hesitating now that she knew her weapon would have the same effect on her boss, as the enemy.

However, as the light died, and the smoke cleared, she relaxed her offensive posture, as she saw it was unnecessary after all. There was no sign of the Pursuer, save a few blackened ashes drifting lightly through the wind around Chrno's kneeling form.

"Chrno!" She dove forward, catching his shoulders as he slumped over, clutching the bleeding wound in his chest with one hand, the other limply holding the runic sword's hilt, blade now banished. "Damn…" She tore her jacket off, and pressed it to his chest quickly, throwing a quick glance to his sweat drenched face. "Hang in there… we'll get you some help quickly." But she paused, as she realized with a jolt, what hospital would treat a demon?

"Eh…it's not that bad. I've seen worse." He murmured with a faint chuckle that turned into a cough, as he spit more blood out. "He was right though…I've grown sloppy."

"Bah, what're ya listening to him for." She snorted, reaching around him and pulling his heavy sleeveless coat off so she could tie her jacket around his torso, to attempt to staunch the blood flow. "He was the one who was so rude to interrupt our nice little chat." She hefted his arm over her shoulder and helped lift him to his feet. "Some people have no sense of timing, really."

He chuckled at that, leaning on her slightly as she started leading him forward, slinging his coat over his shoulders to hide his features that stood him out sharply. There was nothing she could do about the rest, so she only hoped no one would look twice in their direction as they made their way down through the city.

She couldn't help but feel somewhat mystified at this whole situation, as she shot a glance at his strained face, wondering what he was thinking. All the small clues and hints that had been slowly accumulating were combined together in her mind, as she reflected. What irked her the most, was every time she'd brought it up, he'd tried to tell her…and somehow she'd always been oblivious to it.

She wanted to mentally smack herself.

But the one good thing, she reflected with a smile, was at least now, she finally understood him to a degree…and found she didn't dislike what she'd discovered in the least…

Revised: 02/07/08