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

Author's Note:
Hello everyone! This is me one day before the exam, having given up studying for the next few hours.

General thanks to all regular reviewers of the previous chapter
lazy cat, NightElfCrawler, ruby-dream, Die Kikyo Die

Welcome new reviewers
kitsunedemon, Kaolith

Chapter 11: Conversations

Remington:

We snuck back to the Elder's workshop. No one was awake, except for those who were patrolling the compound, and they were easily avoided.

The first thing that I did when we got there was to tend to Rosette's injuries. There was a nasty bump at the side of her head, but given time to rest, she should be fine. I placed her on Chrno's bed, since he was adamant that we put her in his room instead of the couch. I tried to be as gentle as possible, though she didn't even stir when I tightened the bandage around her head. When I was done, I sat back and observed her for a minute.

She was so very young; slightly younger than Magdalena had been when she had been brought here. Sister Kate had decided that unofficially, Rosette would be my ward, at least until she became a full-fledged exorcist. It had been simple in Magdalena's case. All I had needed to do was follow her and ensure that she was protected at all times. I could not do this with Rosette though, for two reasons.

The first was that my presence would be unnecessary. She would be surrounded by people during class time and it would most likely be embarrassing for an independent person such as Rosette to have me hovering over her all the time. That would not help in getting her to trust me. This had never been a problem with Magdalena though. While I wouldn't say that she was submissive, she had still had a much more calm and passive personality. Magdalena had the calmest blue eyes, so kind and compassionate...

A slight commotion outside the room broke my train of thought made me turn around briefly to peek outside. Elder was having trouble since Chrno was fidgeting and being uncooperative. Obviously I was taking too long with Rosette. Chrno had made it clear that he wasn't comfortable leaving her with me. Here lies the second reason.

If I wanted Rosette to trust me, I had to get her away from Chrno for a while without making it seem like I was doing so. And to do this, I needed Chrno to trust me or at least tolerate me around Rosette. Quite a challenge, I must admit.

Sighing, I covered her with a nearby blanket, before leaving her to rest. Hopefully she would feel better in the morning.

I came out of the room to see Elder finish binding Chrno's wounds. Chrno had quieted down as soon as I returned. "So Remington, what is the alibi going to be?" Elder asked when I walked up to them.

Hmm...this required some thought. We had originally wanted to say that those two had been in the workshop all night, but that wouldn't explain why they were injured.

"Well..." I sat down and began slowly. "people know that I took Rosette away for a chat after class. We won't deny that I had spoken to her and if anyone asks what the conversation was about, I'll just say that it was confidential."

Elder nodded slowly, as he began packing up the medical supplies. Due to the nature of his experiments, it did seem extremely wise to always have a good stock of medical supplies in here. I continued spinning the tale. "We can however, truthfully admit that I had said something to upset her. Then we'll say that she ran off without permission to go find Chrno at your workshop. You had some kind of explosion occurring this morning, didn't you? We could attribute Chrno's injuries to that incident."

"That makes sense, I suppose." Elder said thoughtfully. "But what of Rosette. How do you explain the concussion?"

"Hmmm..." This was tricky. But then, I lived for subterfuge. I looked around the still semi-destroyed looking room. The Elder was walking around, looking for somewhere to put the first aid kit. Not looking where he was walking, he nearly tripped over a pile of unidentifiable slag, but caught himself just in time.

I suppressed a chuckle, before an epiphany struck me. "How about this? Rosette was helping Chrno to tidy up the workshop, but she tripped on something and banged her head."

There was silence for a minute before the Elder cackled. "That's the best you can come up with." Elder wheezed incredulously.

I raised an eyebrow. "Can you do any better?" I said with a grin. He just shook his head and tried to compose himself. "Anyway, however lame the excuse is, at least the two of them will be in less trouble."

"Why?"

Surprised, we both turned around. Chrno was looking down at his injured arm. He had not spoken until now. "Why are you protecting us?"

He looked up at us with piercing eyes. "Isn't it in your best interests if I were proven to be as dangerous as you believed I was so that your superiors would have all the more reason to get rid of me?"

Hmm...how to respond to that? I knew that he was dangerous. No matter how good and kind he may turn out to be, I could not forgive him for what happened in the past. What he did to Magdalena.

But Rosette needed him...for now. "Tell me, what did you plan to do after the two of you successfully escaped?"

Chrno was thrown for a minute at the abrupt change in topic. "You didn't answer..."

I cut him off. "What would you have done with a young girl and restricted powers? Where would you have gone? Would she have been better off?" He said nothing at that. I grinned inwardly and mentally patted myself on the back. I was a master at directing conversations where I wanted them to go. I motioned for the Elder to leave us for a moment. He frowned, but complied nonetheless.

When he had left the room, I continued. "I am obviously concerned about Rosette. Although I'm not an expert on human-demon contracts, I do know for a fact that it is often more detrimental to the human partner. It seems highly unusual that a demon would care so much about their contractor the way you do. I would have thought that most demons would have just consumed their contractor's soul in one go, uncaring of the consequences." I looked carefully for a reaction, but his expression revealed nothing.

"Why did you make a contract with such a young girl?" I emphasized 'young' and was rewarded with an expression of guilt flashing across his face. "I see now that you care greatly for her. If that is so, then why did you condemn her?"

I gave him ample time to absorb this, as we sat in silence. I took a perverse pleasure in Chrno's pain, which was much more obvious now. I wanted him to suffer, this demon who had caused me such lingering sorrow for the past fifty years.

His voice was thick when he at last replied. "I wasn't the one who suggested the contract. Rosette was the one who requested it. It was because she wanted to save Joshua."

I nodded in understanding. I had guessed that it had been something about Joshua which had lead Rosette to make the contract, but I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that Rosette had been the one to suggest it. She had always been strong willed, stubborn and prepared to do anything for the sake of her beloved brother. But going to the extent of a contract with a demon?

I shook my head slightly, then addressed Chrno again. "Why is Rosette so important to you?" He gazed at me with an unfathomable look. "The contract was made to save Joshua, but you did it mainly for Rosette's sake, not Joshua. It was because she requested it. From what I understand, she persuaded you to let her become your contractor. You could easily have refused, but you didn't. Why?"

Chrno thought for a moment before replying. "I don't really know." I frowned at this. He took no notice as he sat there staring at his hands. "I guess...I didn't want to see her crying. I could not refuse her because it seemed like the only way at the time."

He said no more and for a while, neither did I, lost in thought as we were. I mulled over the circumstances of these two. Chrno had, to my knowledge, been sealed and dormant for the last fifty years. Since he seemed so close to Rosette, I would assume that it was she who had awoken him. But an ordinary human could not have opened the seal on the tomb. Joshua must have been there at the time as well. They must have been the only two people to be in contact with him, considering how close the three of them seemed. To have been trapped in despair for so long, then to be brought back by two small children...I suppose I could see why they would be important to him.

Finally, I broke the silence. "I think I understand you better now. Perhaps now would be the best time to answer the question that you asked me earlier."

Ok...this is where I have to work hard and win his trust.

"If Rosette stays here, she will most definitely be trained as an exorcist. The children here are mostly from families in the city and there are very few who have no place to return to after their schooling, as in Rosette's case. Since Rosette is so young, unofficially, she will be my ward until she becomes a full-fledged member of the Magdala Order. Because of this, her safety is my concern. As such, I have the authority as her guardian to make decisions regarding her well being."

I let Chrno absorb that before continuing. "Officially, I'm allowing you to stay because we need to keep an eye on you two, and make sure that the seal on the clock remains closed at all times."

Chrno laughed humorlessly. "At least you are being honest."

I smiled. "Unofficially though, I am letting you stay because Rosette needs you and vice versa it seems. This way, you can protect her and honor your promise to go with Rosette to find Joshua when the time comes."

He was surprised at this and looked at me searchingly for a moment. I had pasted a very benign expression on my face. "...Thank you." He said hesitantly after a while.

"I'm willing to accept your presence if you can do the same." I raised an eyebrow at his slightly confused look. "There will be situations where I may take Rosette away for a while for field work and where you cannot follow. I need you to be less protective of Rosette and trust me to be able to take your place at certain times."

Chrno frowned mistrustfully. "I promised that I would always be with her..."

"And you will." I intercepted smoothly. "But that does not mean that you need to panic whenever she is not in sight. She is my ward and I also have a responsibility to watch out for her. That doesn't mean that I will be hovering over her all the time though. Some times, overprotection may do more harm than good."

Seeing his confused expression, I smiled. "Think about it. Rosette needs to become stronger. But she won't be able to do so effectively if you are always there acting as a safety net. She needs to learn to handle situations on her own. Encountering obstacles and overcoming them is a part of growing up after all. If we shelter her too much, she will never grow."

Chrno was looking torn, and I knew then that I had won. All that was needed was one more little push. "There are times when we can take care of her better than you can." When he gave a small nod of resigned agreement, I felt a huge surge of triumph.

Rosette:

Why does it feel so hot in here? My head was pounding like crazy too.

Something cold and comforting was placed on my forehead. I sighed in relief and leaned into a cool hand which was gently stroking my face. Chrno?

"Time to wake up, Rosette."

Wait a minute. That voice didn't belong to Chrno...

My eyes flew open and I sat up immediately, or at least I tried to. Not a good idea. My head protested at my sudden movements and I fell back down, dizzy and nauseous. Luckily, Minister Remington caught me and eased me back down.

"Easy now, that was a serious concussion."

What? I pressed a hand to my head. The throbbing turned into a sharp pain which lanced through my skull when I became conscious of it. My head was bandaged tightly. Slowly, I remembered what had happened, though it was like peering through fog, hazy and muffled. I watched him as he reached towards the nightstand and poured me a glass of water.

"Where...where are we?" My voice was scratchy and hoarse.

"Drink this first." He helped me sit up slightly and raised the glass to my lips. I sipped at the water slowly. Although I was thirsty, I didn't really have the energy to down the glass in big gulps, though I wanted to.

When I finished drinking, I repeated my previous question. Remington put the glass back onto the nightstand. "We're back at the Abbey in Elder's workshop. He and I went to Central Park to retrieve the two of you last night."

I frowned and looked around. I was in Chrno's room. "Where's Chrno?"

"Sleeping outside on the couch. He didn't want to leave your side, but I convinced him to rest for a while so that his injuries would have a chance to heal themselves." Remington assured me. "I promised him that I would stay here to watch you and tell him the moment that you woke up."

I expected him to get up and go find Chrno, but he didn't. He remained seated next to the bed, looking at me contemplatively. "But, I wanted to talk to you first. To offer my apologies."

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time I spoke to you. I wasn't thinking properly that day and I'm sorry that I frightened you."

I was surprised at this, but a little suspicious at the same time. He smiled at my wary expression. "I think I understand your situation better now. I had a long talk with Chrno last night. He explained to me about the contract and why you chose to make it."

Wow. Must have been some talk for his attitude to change so much. He surprised me even further. "Now about last night..." I stiffened, but he smiled and leaned towards me, winking conspiratorially. "We're not going to tell Sister Kate what really happened so we made up a story. If anyone asks you, just tell them that you spent the night here unconscious."

My eyes widened. "Are you telling me to lie? I thought people like you weren't supposed to lie, or worse, encourage it."

Remington grinned, "We're not really lying though. You were here unconscious. Just say that you were with Chrno and that you had a bit of an accident while you were visiting him. Officially, we are saying that you came to find him while he was cleaning up after Elder's explosive experiments. You were helping him, but you tripped over and hit your head on something, giving you a nasty concussion."

I raised my eyebrow. "I'm not that clumsy, am I?"

"Would you prefer that Sister Kate learns the truth?" he said, matching my look with a raised eyebrow of his own. "This way, though you'll still be in trouble for seeking Chrno without asking permission, it won't be as bad as if they had found out what really happened. Hopefully, Sister Kate will say that your concussion was punishment enough for your disobedience and won't be too harsh with you."

I nodded slowly. "But why are you helping us?"

Remington laughed, amused and slightly exasperated. "Chrno asked me that last night as well. I've seen that he is of no threat to you and that you need each other. He will be allowed to stay because of his promise to you. I trust that since he is more comfortable with the idea of staying, you will be too."

Wow. Perhaps this guy was more reasonable than I first assumed him to be. He had such a kind and patient voice too. "Thank you for everything, Minister." He's not so bad after all.

He smiled. "I just wanted us all to understand and trust each other. I'm glad that we finally do." He stood up and headed for the door. "Elder has already gone to tell Sister Kate where you've disappeared to before she has a heart attack. You can stay and rest here for the rest of the day. I'm sure it will be all right if you skipped classes for today. I'll go get Chrno now. He'll watch you for the rest of the day."
Remington:

I woke Chrno up and left him to talk with Rosette. He would take care of her for now. Chrno was more protective than the fiercest of guard dogs. Hopefully though, our talk last night would have mellowed this urge slightly. I grinned as I remembered one of the myths concerning Magdalena, which had inspired an artist to create that surreal painting hanging in one of our many corridors. It was of a woman and a lone wolf.

Chrno the Wolf...it was quite an apt analogy. He was an outcast who had been tamed by a human, and was fiercely protective of the one who had won his loyalty. I wonder if he had been like this with Magdalena as well.

Still, to Chrno, Rosette was his world, of that I was sure. But what of Rosette? Her brother had been everything to her. And now there was Chrno. What would happen once they had recovered Joshua? For certainly, she would value her little brother much more than this demon who had caused her so much pain just by associating with her.

But most certainly, this problem would not surface for a few more years yet. Still, it would be an interesting issue to ponder over during breakfast.

Rosette had been quite forgiving and easy to win over in comparison to Chrno. But then, even though she had gone through so much, she was still only just a child. And children are so easy to mould and manipulate.

I left the workshop feeling deeply satisfied. Two problems solved in one night. Now all I needed to do was wait and watch, as I usually did.

TBC

And back to studying I go. Remington is so manipulative and evil. Still need a rank for Chrno.

I hate exams. I'm going to fail. On a positive note, my chapters are slowly getting longer though. Slowly but surely. Usually they are only 2000 words, but I think I hit the 3000 mark this time, not including all the extra junk at the beginning and end. Hurrah.

Please review and provide me with a pleasant distraction from the woes of my exam. Thanks for reaching the end once again.