Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing, although I wish I did. Everything belongs to Moriyama Daisuke, ADV and Gonzo.
Author's note: Sorry everyone! My computer has been having issues for the past few weeks. Anyways, I'm finally able to pull myself back here to finish off this chapter. Sorry for the long wait. My head feels so stuffed though. Writer's block as well...sigh...
NightElfCrawler, ruby-dream, kitsunedemon, Fall's Plight, evilanimeblond22
Cool! Thanks for the reviews guys.
HypeRAzNChocobOGoddesS
Remington is so evil isn't he? When I first started writing the story, I didn't actually consider making him so...angsty? But then after a few chapters, I was like, 'hey, let's keep going with this idea." That is how Remington ended up as the manipulative evil person whom you read of. Thanks for the review. Hope to see you again. Sugar is very, very good.
BelleDayNight
Thank you newest reviewer! Each chapter gets better thanks to the reviews of my readers, who give me suggestions or question any inconsistencies which they spot. Feel free to throw ideas at me or tell me what you would like to happen in the next chapter. All sorts of reviews are greatly appreciated.
Die Kikyo Die
Do you reckon I should make Remington less evil? My fic will have a happy ending, hopefully. I'll be following the manga closely, but I will end it happily, for Chrno and Rosette at the very least.
Lady Yami
Eek! Update coming right up...Joshua is so evil. Tiny possible spoiler just for you: He will still be saved in the end, but I don't like how he's immediately forgiven for all the pain he has caused. He will suffer from guilt and self-loathing for at least one chapter before I let him off the hook (If I do get around to writing it, that is). But he should also get a happy end...hopefully.
Kawaii Spinel Queen of Evil
Coolness. Thanks for reviewing. Hope to see you again.
Zilleniose
Yeah. I thought about that time leap thing too. Do you reckon I should just split it into two different stories from that point? I dunno. I am still following the manga, but the events would be seen from the perspective of certain characters, to sort of give insight on their thoughts and insecurities. I would like to change the way some events turned out, but it depends if I get inspiration or not.
Youkai Ryuu
Cool! New reviewer! This will continue to the end, but I don't know how long it will take me to get there. I have sort of written the climax/ending (?) and I am extremely satisfied with it. I just hope that I can bend the story to head towards that direction.
Chapter 15: Rescue Mission
Asmaria:
I couldn't take much more of this.
This place seemed so...dead, despite the light and glamour of the casino, just like its owner. 'Father', that's what I was supposed to call the man who had adopted me. He provided for me, giving me luxurious living conditions. But there was no affection towards me in anyway. I only ever saw Father whenever I was brought out to sing at the amphitheatre downstairs. Otherwise I was confined to my rooms, seeing no one but the occasional maids and guards.
Singing had always been fun and uplifting for me, but now it was becoming an onerous task, because I was forced to do so several times per day. At first, I tried my hardest, thinking that my singing would please Father. But he had seemed unimpressed by my singing; only looking extremely dissatisfied each time. Father's assistant was scarier than him. Relaie was a creepy pasty-faced man. He was the person who had taken me to this place.
I had gone from one relative to another after my parents had died. They had always been kind enough to give me shelter and food. It was never much and I was nearly always cold and hungry, but I understood that since they had their own children to look after, I was fortunate that I got what they gave. Still, it had hurt that those who were my kin were weary of my powers. Singing had given me joy and release, but I could not indulge often in this, since it made people afraid of me.
I had been so happy when the band had recruited me. I'm sure my relatives were glad too, since that meant that there would be one less mouth to feed. Everyone in the band had been so very nice. It had been so strange, because they had loved my singing. Before, the only receptive audience that I had had were birds that would gather whenever I sang. But this was the first time that I had gotten a positive reaction from the people who heard me sing.
It had been so heart warming, to be around people who actually wanted me. I had finally felt accepted in a place where I belonged. It hadn't mattered that we were a small band, or that everyone had to work hard. There was always an atmosphere of warmth and affection, with everyone looking out for each other. We hadn't been well off, but we shared what we had and somehow managed to make ends meet. I had been happy.
Then one day, Relaie had shown up and I had been brought here. I had not felt truly happy or comfortable in years. Lately though, I've been getting horrible premonitions of something similar to impending doom. Father had grown shorter tempered and would often send me back to my room with an increasingly unfriendly look in his eyes whereas before it had only been a neutral uncaring expression.
Now, sitting alone in my room, I decided. I would leave tonight. It didn't matter where, so long as I got away from here. Somehow, I would find my way back to the band, back to where I would be loved.
It was this thought which helped to keep me calm during the escape attempt. I shook all over, but managed to wait patiently until the coast was clear. Then I ran. But there were people everywhere!
Panicking, I dove into a storeroom and hid in the laundry trolley, praying that no one would find me. The commotion outside was getting progressively louder. I just hope that they believed my subterfuge and thought that I had gone out the window. Shivering, I tried to curl up and make myself even smaller when I heard someone stumble into the storeroom.
'Please don't find me...please don't find me...'
The blanket that I was hiding under was abruptly thrown aside. I cringed, expecting to see a scary looking guard, but instead coming face to face with a girl who looked older than me only by a few years.
It was so unexpected that my jaw dropped open and I just gaped at her. She must have thought that I was going to scream, because she hopped into the trolley and clapped a hand over my mouth while yanking the blanket over us.
"I know I look suspicious but I'm not!" She hissed. "Just let me hide here for a second! Please!"
We both kept still when we heard guards running around outside. Or rather, she kept still. I was still so stunned, that moving had not occurred to me. I had never seen anyone on this floor who wasn't Father, Relaie, a maid or a guard.
After a while everything was quiet again. The girl threw off our cover with an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Whew...! Saved! I thought we would be caught for sure!" She turned to look at me and frowned. "Are you alright?" She smiled sheepishly. "I hope I didn't freak you out too much."
I was still feeling cold all over. The shock of seeing a new person who was actually concerned about me though we'd never met before made me slightly hysterical. I tried unsuccessfully to stifle my sudden fit of giggles. My companion was looking at me very strangely. "I'm sorry..." I managed to gasp out. "It's just...you popped in so suddenly...I thought I was going to have a heart attack..."
"Sorry about that. I'm Rosette Christopher. It's nice to meet you, Asmaria Hendric." That girl, Rosette, had an infectious grin. I liked her already, though I was slightly wary of her. She was most likely here for a reason, that being me. There was no way that she would have known my name if she were just some random guest, who had wondered onto this floor, no matter how unlikely that was. Everyone who had come looking specifically for me in the past had wanted me for a reason. The band had wanted me because of my voice. I had yet to find out why Father had adopted me. Surely this girl was the same. But for now, anywhere was better than here.
Rosette was the nicest person I had met in quite a while. This may be my only chance to get away. I steeled myself for the biggest gamble that I would ever make. "Um...I know this may sound weird, us meeting for the first time and all, but..." She looked at me curiously and I finished in a rush before I could change my mind. you please kidnap me?"
Rosette was shocked. "Kidnap you?! You were trying to run away?"
I nodded. "I need to get out of here. Please take me away with you. It's what you came here to do, right?" Desperate, I grabbed her hand pleadingly.
Rosette was looking even more baffled. For a moment, I thought that she would outright refuse out of suspicion. But then she grinned. "If in doubt, act first and think about it later. I've still got a mission to carry out after all. Ok then, I'll do my best to kidnap you."
In a normal situation, I would think that I had gone insane for putting my fate into the hands of this girl. But my instincts told me that I could trust her, that I was doing the right thing.
Just when I was thinking that everything would be alright, a voice shattered my hopes.
"There you are Lady."
I froze with dread.
Relaie.
Chrno:
Sigh.
Up and up and up I go. When will I stop? Hell if I know.
I paused for a while and just stared upwards. Damn, this building goes on and on. I've been climbing for ages. The windowsills and ledges seemed to get narrower and less frequent. At least I was somewhat closer to the top than I had been the last time I had paused for a break. It was freezing cold out here and the winds got stronger the higher I got.
Too bad I couldn't fly at will anymore. Those wings would have come in handy right about now. But I wouldn't exchange Rosette's precious time for something so trivial. So...it was good old-fashioned climbing for me. Luckily the ledges were spaced relatively evenly.
The motion of climbing was so repetitive that my movements were becoming mechanical. Reach up, over, and pull yourself up. That's probably why I lost track of everything after a while and my mind started to wonder.
What would that guy be doing in a place like this? The Viscount Relaie that I knew of would never have 'lowered himself' to that extent. To most demons, humans were a source of power, sustenance and amusement. They were usually not thought of as equals and definitely never as masters of demons. Even when contracts were made, usually the demon partner dominated over the human counterpart.
There were many types of contracts, other than my own one, each entailing different terms and conditions. But it was nearly always to the detriment of the human, although it may not seem so at the beginning. Eventually, it would be the demon counterpart who gained. From what I had heard, typically only low ranked demons would make contracts with humans out of real need. These sorts of demons would temporarily fuse with humans to imbue them with 'magical' powers, but in the end they would consume the host from the inside until there was nothing left.
Those of higher rank usually did it on a whim and then terminated the contracts and subsequently the contractor when they lost interest. They may fulfil whatever task the human required of them, but something would always be taken in exchange. This could range from sacrifices to physical pleasures, depending on the demon.
How had this particular human, Ricardo Hendric, managed to contract a demon such as Relaie? What had Relaie been offered in return for his services?
This brought me to think about my own contract with Rosette. It had been made hastily with the hope of rescuing Joshua, but in essence it was the same as the others. I had pledged my services to her in exchange for her soul. This was the cold simple fact and truth, no matter how noble our intentions were originally. Even if we did manage to rescue Joshua, I had still effectively reduced her lifespan. Unless the time that had been taken could be replaced, there was no way that she would avoid an early death.
Suddenly, I realized that I had run out of ledges when I reached for one and found nothing but smooth wall. Hurrah! I had reached the top floor. Looking around, I spotted a balcony with a large stone gargoyle to my left.
Hmm...through the windows, guards could be seen stationed everywhere. They were looking pretty worked up over something too. Rosette should be on this floor by now. Maybe I should contact her and see how she is...wait a minute...everyone was suddenly moving off towards one of the rooms. Intrigued, I edged towards another window for a better view.
Let's see...people were backing out of the room now. A tall man was coming out and pulling a girl along. I squinted through the window. The 'man' was definitely Relaie and the girl was the Apostle Asmaria. What was she doing there? And where was Rosette?
Crap! I nearly fell off my precarious perch when Rosette came out of that room as well. Oh this was bad. I had to do something.
Suddenly there was a horrible screeching behind me. Turning around, I saw the gargoyle flying at me, before I was ploughed straight through the wall.
Relaie:
This was aggravating. The little Apostle had caused quite a ruckus tonight. She should not even have managed to leave her room.
My curiosity was roused when I glanced at the female intruder. She was a pretty thing I supposed, by human standards. But that wasn't what interested me. It was her scent. It was very familiar, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why that was.
Crash!
Everyone turned to gape at the hole in the wall that had suddenly appeared. A boy was crawling out from under my gargoyle guardian.
The girl gasped. "Chrno!"
I went numb with shock. "Chrno?!" It barely registered that the girl was escaping with the Apostle. All of my attention was focused on the purple haired boy who followed them.
That was Chrno? That was the Killer of a Hundred who had caused me such grief and resulted in my servitude to a human? Oh how the mighty have fallen. I had heard about how he had left the other Sinners for the sake of a human and the subsequent loss of his horns as a result of his...insubordination.
A human had reduced his power, albeit indirectly. And now here he was dallying with another. He had obviously spent a great deal of time with her, since she was saturated with his scent. For Chrno to be alive and well after so long, it was safe to assume that the girl could be none other than his contractor. She was obviously very important to him.
Even before being known as a Sinner, Chrno had had a peculiar fascination with humans. Freak as he was, he had never been directly reprimanded for this, due to his substantial rank. This was the most likely reason for his downfall.
Disappointed as I was that there would be little chance of a rematch between us, it would be my pleasure to cause him a world of pain. I watched as they fell to the ground floor and bore witness to the destruction that they had caused. The humans in the casino were lying around in various states, having been crushed by fragments of the stone gargoyles.
But first I would need to get rid of the human whom I called 'Master'. He would soon outlive his usefulness. The Apostle's power had been awakened. Coincidentally, this freak accident was just what we needed to trigger this.
Glowing wings sprouted from the Apostle. There was such...purity. I wanted to taint it by dimming that light with despair and fear. Demons were naturally drawn to purity and innocence. We fed on it, giving back some of our darkness in return. I did not know how the Sinner had managed to resist his nature for so long.
At least my human had been chosen for his status and wealth. What could the Sinner have hoped to gain by contracting the girl? It could not have been for pleasure. He had marked her, but had yet to claim her. A demon could easily tell such things when they see a human who has been chosen. It is not something which you see, but something which is felt. It was true that marking was a sign of ownership, but it also served as a form of protection from other demons, provided that the demon who had made the mark was well respected or feared for his or her power. Perhaps it was the latter which was the reason for Chrno marking his contractor. But such a mark would call to him and urge him to complete the process, as he inevitably would. Though he may repress it, a demon could no more change his nature than a leopard changes its spots. How unfortunate that he would be dead before he could do so. Perhaps I could even amuse myself with his little human after his demise and find out what he sees in her. With the power from the Apostle, I would not only be able to fully heal myself, but I would finally be able to exact brutal revenge on the Sinner.
I could almost taste the raw energy being released by the Apostle when she used her healing powers. Inhaling deeply, I couldn't stop a slow grin of satisfaction and anticipation. There was so much power...
That's it for now. Again I apologise for the long wait. Hopefully the next chapter will be out within the week. I know this was like a rehash of the manga, but I just wanted to delve into the psyche of the characters and get a feel for them.
My computer is so virused that it may crash at any minute. I'm going to wipe everything and reinstall, but hopefully everything will be fine and I can continue with this fic very soon.