Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing, although I wish I did. Everything belongs to Moriyama Daisuke, ADV and Gonzo.

Author's note:

chibisamisala:

If you want, throw ideas at me. This story is still young, and so any ideas that might fit in at any time during its creation would be slotted in, with due credit given to the one who inspired it. Tell me what you'd like to read, and though I can't always guarantee I'll put it in, it'd be nice to see how other people envisioned Chrno Crusade to turn out. Thanks so much for reviewing. People like you just make me want to update sooner, if only to read the wonderful comments and encouragement which you give me. That isn't to say that I won't welcome opinions or criticisms though. All kinds of feedback inspire me to write better.

RavenWolf11:

Wow...you have an awesome name. I like wolves. Anyway, that was a bit off tangent. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you do continue to follow this story. Hehehe...Tell me what to write, I think I'm starting to fizzle out.

And now the next chapter...

Chapter 4: Sanctuary

Rosette:

What was taking Minister Remington so long? I gulped nervously. Maybe they were arguing about whether I could stay or not. Or more importantly...I glanced over at Chrno.

Chrno was watching the door intently, yet as if sensing my gaze, he turned to look at me. I must have looked really troubled, because he smiled at me reassuringly and said, "Everything will be fine. Don't worry." "It's not me I'm worried about." I bit my lip and looked away from him. "What if they don't let you stay? I don't want you to go."

"Even if they don't want me here, they can't make me leave. I will stay to protect you and help you find Joshua, just like I promised."

I stared at him in surprise. He was so confident and sure. Smiling, he walked over and tilted my head up gently so that my eyes met his. I saw fiery determination. "And if they do force me to leave, I'll just take you with me."

My eyes widened in surprise as his narrowed. "They have not given me reason to trust them. I don't like the thought of leaving you alone with these people."

He looked as if he was about to say something else, but the door opened and

Minister Remington came out. "Sister Kate will see you now. Please go in."

We stepped into the spacious office. A stern looking lady was watching us, her kind expression turning wary as Chrno followed me in. She gestured towards some couches on the side of the room. "Please sit." The door closed, and I turned around in surprise. Remington had not come back into the room.

I sat down nervously. Chrno sat down next to me tensely. The lady studied us for a moment in silence before introducing herself. "My name is Kate Valentine, but you may call me Sister Kate."

"My name is Rosette Christopher." I said politely. I tried to sound confident. It wouldn't do to be impolite to this lady, who was obviously important, but I did not want to seem too submissive either. These people would have kept Joshua away from me. I didn't trust them and neither did Chrno. Still...

The shadow of a smile crossed her face, before the stern expression returned full force. She turned to face Chrno. "And you are..."

"I am Chrno." He looked at her impassively.

She nodded. "Well met, Rosette and Chrno." Minister Remington has informed me of what has happened." I stiffened, but she smiled at me kindly. "You are welcome to stay here of course. We have other children of your age here as well, so you will not be alone." I sighed in relief, but glanced over at Chrno as I suddenly remembered.

Following my line of sight, she also turned to face Chrno. "I do not know why you chose to accompany Rosette, but we will not force you to leave." Chrno looked faintly surprised. "However, we will house you with the Elder, who is the head of the weapon's department. You will be on a sort of probation, to test your trustworthiness and you will not be allowed inside the main building unless accompanied by the Elder or Remington."

Chrno nodded. "Thank you." He said stiffly.

Sister Kate looked faintly surprised at this. I grinned at Chrno and he smiled back slightly.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Sister Kate called out.

Minister Remington came back in "I hope we're not interrupting, but I've brought the Elder, and I've explained the situation to him."

A weird old man followed him in. He wore a lab coat and had the strangest goggles/glasses I had ever seen. He grinned when he saw us. "What do we have here?"

Remington smiled sheepishly. "This is the head of weapon's research, whom we all call Elder."

"Rosette and Chrno will stay with the Order from now on." Said Sister Kate.

"Rosette will be staying with the other children. Chrno is your new charge." Elder looked at us with interest before striding over and sticking his hand out for Chrno to shake. "Nice to meet you, young man." He greeted enthusiastically.

I was surprised and Chrno looked just as shocked. This strange old man was the first one here to accept Chrno with no suspicion or wariness. Incredible...

Gingerly, Chrno shook the offered hand and smiled cautiously. "I've always wanted an assistant." The Elder said merrily. He then turned to me. "And you must be Rosette. A pleasure to meet you as well."

He was too friendly. It was disturbing. There had to be something wrong with someone who was that friendly.

Sister Kate got up. "I will show you to the dormitories, Rosette. The Elder and Minister Remington will show Chrno around."

I looked hesitantly toward Chrno. "You will be able to see him tomorrow." Sister Kate said, steering me towards the door. "I'll leave Chrno to you then, gentlemen."

I cast one more worried glance at Chrno, but he smiled reassuringly at me before I was led away.

The sun was shining brightly as I followed Sister Kate outside. It was morning. The events of last night seemed so far away and unreal. But I knew that they would return to haunt me at night. I had lost everything last night. And yet...as I walked, I clasped the clock which I had tucked into my jacket. I hadn't quite lost everything. There was still Chrno. He would always be there for me. Though I had only known him for a short while, he and Joshua were the most important people in my life.

From the moment I met him, I had felt drawn to him. Maybe it was because he was so mysterious, or maybe because he was more mature than the other kids at the orphanage. Whatever the reason, something compelled me to trust and depend on him.

"Rosette!" I was startled out of my thoughts. She looked at me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

I blushed as I realised that Sister Kate had been calling my name repeatedly. "I'm fine. Maybe I'm just a bit tired."

She nodded understandingly. "You can rest when we get to the dormitories. The other children should be at breakfast at the moment, and you probably won't see them until tonight."

She led me to a large room. "This is the girl's dormitory. We also have boys here, though they sleep in another room. You will be sharing this room with several other girls."

I nodded. I was used to sharing rooms, having grown up in an orphanage. She showed me where to find a nightgown before allocating me a bed. "Rest now." She said. "You will begin your classes tomorrow." She left me to my own devices. Changing out of my clothes, I slipped into the white nightgown before lying down on my stomach in the bed. The clock dug into me. Rolling over onto my back, I clutched the clock thoughtfully.

I wonder how Chrno is doing....

TBC

Yay! My chapters are getting progressively longer. I am progressing so slowly aren't I. Oh well. It'll probably be ages before Rosette reaches the age that she was in the manga. I think I'll try and explore life at the Abbey for a while until I feel that it's time to move on.

I know that there were lots of other girls there, but I will put some boys in as well. I mean, people like Gillium and Remington had to have come from somewhere after all. Should I make the Elder into an evil paedophile? That would make Chrno hate him though. Or maybe I'll just portray him as a friendly old man who only goes perverted when Rosette gets older or something. Tell me what you think.

I hope that chapter was alright. Getting sleepy now, so goodnight. If you liked it, please review and tell me what was good. If you didn't like it, please review and tell me what was bad. All reviews are valuable to me. Thanks heaps, and kudos for coming all the way to the end here.