Well, here's the first chapter for ya:3 Thanks for all the reviewers already, and Kir-San, I feel for you! TT :Cries: Firefly should've never been canceled…. But at least there will be a movie out in September! Hopefully, someone will find out it was moronic to wipe it off the air, and sponsor it. I'd be so happy…. :Hopes:

Disclaimer: I don't own Chrno Crusade, or Firefly. If I did, they would have both continued. xD

;-; Amai-Chan! Jen-Sama! I WUUURVS YOOOOU!

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"How's it going, Jenai?" A particular blond-haired girl walked into the navigation room, munching on an apple. Her attire was much different from what she wore during their previous mission, and in fact, Chrno got a few more bullets whizzing past his ear for being the one who suggested she be the bait. She walked over right beside said pilot, stuffing her hands in a pair of tattered jeans, right under a rumpled white button-up blouse that seemed three sizes too big, and hadn't been washed in months.

"Well, everything seems stable. We just got an incoming transmission about 3,000 kilometers to the east, there's a dock down there with an open space." A white-haired man relaxed in his seat, looking over the monitor as he set it to autopilot for a moment. He glanced back at the girl, portraying a single ice-blue eye, the other covered by a red bandana that tied to the back of his head in a somewhat awkward way. His shoulders slumped a bit, his brown leather jacket sliding down his arms a bit by doing so. "And what are you doing eating an apple? You know how hard it is to get those?"

"Hey, it was in the kitchen, and I was hungry." She replied in a flat tone, giving him a small glare that immediately made the older man look the other way. "Besides, we're sure to find someone who's selling fruit in Persephone. There's a lot of crazy things sold there."

"Eh? Like you?" Jenai snorted, until his face was rudely introduced to Rosette's fist. He jerked back, rubbing his bruised nose, though he knew he asked for it.

"I'm not a 'thing', thank you very much." She huffed, taking another bite of her apple, almost growling at him like a dog would after being taunted. "Dùn.(1)" She muttered, before turning to walk out of the door of the control room. Yeah, as much as she'd try to hide it, she was really exited about getting down on solid ground. It wasn't very often they make stops at Persephone, and to her, it was a very memorable place… One full of both horrifying pain and joy.

Well, it wasn't like she'd miss the docking, in a ship such as this, it's never a very smooth landing. It would probably take at least another half an hour, so she figured she could relax a bit down in her private quarters, or harass their prisoner. That was always fun, but Chrno didn't much approve of it.

When she first stepped on board, her life went upside down and slung into a blender a couple times, so much she was afraid she couldn't see straight. For the earliest years of her life, she had been pushed and shoved around, always told what to do and where to go, then suddenly… she became part of a crew who's occupations consisted entirely of bounty hunters, and she no longer had someone to watch over her every second of her life like she was used to. Chrno used to do that for a while, but when she started to get older, she was treated like an adult, as she should. It was just a big change for her, while still so young.

"At first I refused to warm up to you…" She whispered to herself, hands running through her hair in an act of frustration and anxiousness. Her arms dropped as she stared out one of the rear windows, still aimed towards the stars from which they came. For the four years she had been here, this became home. The stars became her home, the endless sea of stars that once terrified her had become a protective blanket; and every once and a while, she felt the refusal to leave it.

"Rosette?" Came a soft voice from the back corridor, light footsteps approaching her as she lifted her head. She saw the familiar form of her protector, red eyes gleaming softly in the dim light. "That's odd, you're never one to reminisce." He said with a laugh, walking over and leaning against the wall beside her, hands casually tucked in his pockets as she peered down to her contemplative face.

"Hey Captain." She said with a slight grin, looking up above her, as he always seemed to tower over her.

He grimaced a bit at that, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Something on your mind?" He asked.

She smiled and looked down at her feet, balling her hands up into fists that tightly clutched the ends of her loose blouse. "Nothing, it's just…. It's been a while since we've been to Persephone."

"You don't like the place, I take it." He said calmly, smiling down at her, violet bangs brushing low over his vibrant ruby eyes. "Can't say I blame you."

"No, it's not that." She frowned slightly, not wanting him to see the emotional side of her – nobody ever sees Rosette Christopher teary-eyed. "Just a lot of memories… mostly horrifying ones, yes…. But some good ones too."

"…About Joshua?" He asked in an even softer voice, afraid that mentioning his name would hurt her even more than it did when she was younger.

She sighed inwardly, and with a forced smile upon her lips, nodded. Of course her little brother was on her mind, but… not right now. Not that she'd tell him that. "Also about….what would have happened had Gaiun gotten a hold of me."

"Ah, but he didn't." Chrno said with a smirk, bringing up a hand to ruffle up her hair a bit, a gesture she hated because it made her seem like a kid, but knew she found it comforting. "Don't worry about it, Rosette. There's no way you'll get taken by the likes of him."

"Yeah, God must have really been smiling down upon me." She said with sarcasm thick in her voice, looking up at him with a small grin. "I got stuck with you. Oh joy."

"Hey, you're not being fed to creatures as a midnight snack because of me." He huffed, showing a childish sort of gesture as his cheeks puffed out with a bit of annoyance. She just laughed at him.

"No, I'm gonna get shot to death because my lazy-ass partner never brings any bullets with him on missions."

"I don't do that very often!"

"Oh, hush." She smiled and elbowed him in the gut, making the taller man wince and let out a wholehearted laugh.

"You know, I never thought I'd warm up to you, Captain." Rosette giggled as he held his stomach, looking down at her with a look that had the eyes of a lost puppy, and grin of a devilish fox.

"I never thought I would," She closed her eyes, leaning onto his form softly with a small blush on her cheeks. "cóng lái bù…(2)"

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Down a long musty street full of small shops and handmade carts, with ships thrumming past as often as a bird would flutter by, Chrno walked down with a wandering eye, hands slung in his pockets as they usually are.

It was about ten years after he fled from the Alliance, making eight years of solid bounty hunters' work. There wasn't much choice he had at this point… all of the outer planets were desolate and couldn't offer much of a working wage, and go too far in, the Alliance will be ready to capture him quicker than he could turn his tail to leave. It wasn't as bad as many would think, or hear, and to Chrno it's one of the better lives he came to live. A fluctuating, but good pay… He had a good ship, and a very loyal crew that followed him, including his 'sister', and a friend he had made in the early years of a soldier for the Alliance. Plus he got to see and travel through new worlds he never even heard of.

Currently, his little sister was prowling around the port they docked in for any interested customers with a load of cash in their pockets. Hitchhikers were pretty common in Persephone, and with a 'Howler', people will pay good money to ride it, since they were pretty hard to find nowadays with a working engine. Most are unstable and can easily get lost in hyperspace while going at a maximum speed, but with his little sister….. well, she's found nothing that makes her happier than tinkering with machines. She made a ship more reliable than a Federation cruiser.

"Number twenty-six! Number twenty-six up for bid!"

Chrno lifted his gaze from his current position, spotting a fairly large crowd of people, considering it was in the middle of the streets. There were whispers and eager gossip already abound, and he quickly noted most of the people gathering were men. Interested, he walked towards the direction of the crowd, one eyebrow raised in curiosity as he peered over at a soapbox stage a rather large, short man had made.

Behind the plump man was a small store, probably rented for whatever he was selling. A red, rather expensive-looking silk curtain draped over the opening, contrasting greatly with the bent woodwork and steel pipe holding up part of the wall, sticking out rather crudely at an angle as well, rusted and cracking.

The curtain rustled a bit, before the large man spoke again. "She's a cute one, perfect for any young man's collection."

With that, a young blond girl stepped out from behind the silk fabric, breathing a little hard, cheeks slightly pink, as though whoever was in the back had a tough time shoving her out there. Her blue eyes sagged in a depressed manner, her lips pressed tightly together, wrists bound with tight rope in the front of her body as she walked forward, wearing nothing but a large, dirtied white t-shirt.

"Miss Rosette Christopher, please state your number and statistics." The man said with a grin that made Chrno cringe with disgust. It was a slave auction….

"Rosette Christopher, number twenty-six." The young girl said in a forced, yet small voice. "Age eleven; Breed class, fertile, virgin." She winced a bit, noticing how her last comment made some of the men in the audience whoop and holler.

"Miss Christopher has been bought and returned twice now, and has quite a bit of spunk. She's a hard worker, but the problems arise when she's brought to bed." The man said with an unwavering voice, making the girl glare at no one in particular. "Still, a very charming product. May I start the bid at…. 200,000 Yen?"

Chrno almost hurled, first at the way all of the men rose onto their tip-toes at the mention of 'virgin', then at the seller's choice of words. He made her sound like an item, not a human being. But then again, this kind of thing isn't that uncommon… it's nothing he can help. With a frown, he stuffed his hands back in his pockets, only catching a glimpse of the blond-haired girl, who seemed to have tears forming in her eyes.

"250,000!"

"280,000!"

"281,000!"

"500,000!"

The last bid made many of the bidders gawk, and a few of the passer-bys, including Chrno.

"500,000 Yen, cash." A rather gruff man said, shoving his way through the crowd. He had black messy hair, a tall figure, seemed to be only a little older than Chrno's appearance. He reached into the pocket of a clean white shit, pulling out a card and handing it to the salesman. "Gaiun Tommers, covert trader."

Many of the men grumbled, the familiar name ringing through their ears, knowing there was no way the money in their pockets could outbid this man.

Rosette immediately got wide-eyed, features glazing over with fear. She too, knew who he was.

"Reaver operative." Chrno growled under his breath, stopping in his tracks. There were a few of them roaming around Persephone around the slave trades, picking out suitable prey for the deranged creatures. There were rumors that Reavers pay heftily for young maidens brought to them on a silver platter, but they only seem to trust a select few. Gaiun was one of the more infamous of them, and carries more than enough solid cash on him to outbid an emperor.

The salesman blinked, uncertainty crossing over his features as he looked at the card, then nodding and handing it back to the bidding man. Shoulders slumping as if he felt sorry for the poor child, he called out the confirmation.

"500,000 Yen! Would anyone like to challenge this bidder?" He gestured one hand high, as he saw some of his valuable buyers begin to leave the crowd, murmuring about damned Reavers, or that they wanted to have a chance as well.

After a few moments, the crowd began to diminish, only a few wealthy looking gentlemen staying, arms crossed as they waited for the next item up for bid, knowing once Gaiun sets his sights on something, he will get it.

"Going once!" The man bellowed, voice faster than usual. Gaiun's lips curled into a devilish grin, leering straight through Rosette as the young child whimpered, tears now streaming down her cheeks as she collapsed to her knees, whispers erupting from the rented shop behind her, where no doubt other children were kept. "Going twice!"

"510,000!" Another male voice bellowed, as both the salesman and Gaiun whirled around with shock, the rest of the crowd soon following, eyes just as wide with surprise.

Chrno stepped forward, a small drop of sweat appearing at his temple as he gripped his hands into fists, whispers erupting from the crowd and back inside the shop. "I bid 510,000." He said calmly.

"Sinner." Gaiun sneered, turning to face the ruby-eyed man with a stern, infuriated look. Chrno simply replied with a glare as cold as ice, baring his fangs ever so slightly at the offending man.

"Hold your tongue, or I'll rip it off." He said coldly, anger thick in his voice as Gaiun stiffened, and turned back around, avoiding any more eye contact. If he wanted to dance, so be it.

"600,000." Gaiun replied, keeping his distance from his challenger, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"650,000." Chrno added just as quickly, keeping an emotionless face as he showed no sign of backing down. Gaiun turned to look at him, a little shocked that someone such as him would go all out for a single slave girl.

"Why the sudden interests in slaves, Sinner?" He asked in a disgusted tone, sneering at the taller man once again, tone and gestures literally drowning in insult. "You've never been known to partake in illegal auctions."

Chrno's eyes drifted towards the young blond-haired girl, still on her knees, eyes damp and red as she stared at the two of them, with an expression of a cornered mouse being fought over by two hungry cats. "None of your business, filth." He hissed, baring his fangs at the man again.

"Filth?" He glared, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, reaching for the pistol strapped against his belt on the right side, ready to whip it out at any given moment. "Because I'm giving her to Reavers? At least they have enough mercy to kill their prey after they toy with them… Even I feel sorry for the slave given to a demon."

"Did you not hear me?" Chrno growled, facing the man with flaring eyes, pupils dilated into tiny slits as they shot right into the man. "If you do not keep your cowardly comments to yourself, I will rearrange your organs into alphabetical order. You can't even begin to imagine the pain you'll encounter if you piss me off."

Gaiun turned his gaze again, hands shifting in his pockets nervously, as the salesman watched with wary eyes, afraid to say anything, lest he bend the last straw for either one of them.

"Fine, take the girl. Enjoy your meal, Sinner." Gaiun spat, turning and taking his leave down the road and past other shopkeepers who had retreated from their posts to see what all the commotion was about.

Chrno just glared at the man as he walked away, then turned to the salesman with a demanding look in his eyes.

"S-sold!" The man nodded, a grim smile on his face as he hurriedly picked Rosette off her feet, wrapping an additional rope on the one binding her hands, and shoved her forward, holding the end of the rope out. "N-now, about your payment…."

Chrno just snatched the rope and brought the whimpering girl closer to him, baring his fangs at the man. "I have no obligation to pay such a disgusting organization. If you truly think it's worth it, by all means, ask me again." With that, he didn't even wait for a response, and turned to walked back down the road from which he came.

The salesman opened his mouth to object, knowing he lost more money than he could make in a month, but snapped it back shut. The rumors were too gruesome about "Chrno the Sinner", and he didn't want to be the one to test them. With a nod, he retreated back into his shop, defeated and penniless.

After walking a ways, Rosette couldn't hold in the tears anymore, and began to hiccup, trying her best to keep her voice down as she was dragged along by her captor.

Chrno stopped in his tracks and aimed his deadly glare at her, only to have it soften immensely at her frightened gaze. He groaned and scratched his head, wondering what the Hell made him go through all of that… "Miss…. Rosette, was it?"

"Y-yes?" She squeaked, shivering a bit from her tears, her mind racing as she tried not to think what may happen to her if she said something wrong.

He looked down at her with a puzzled expression, trying hard to find the words, having no idea how to deal with a crying child. Poor thing, he doesn't blame her if she was sold and returned twice. "You… don't really have to worry about anything, okay?"

She just sniffled, shifting her gaze slowly down to her bare feet with pink eyes and cheeks. How couldn't she worry? She was just sold to someone who had a reputation possibly even worse than Reavers, and was claimed to be inhuman. "….What are you going to do with me, master?" She asked with a small voice, on the verge of tears again.

"Well, I would untie those ropes and shove you out onto the street, but that lunatic would just pick you up again." He turned back around and dragged her along, a little embarrassed. "So you're coming back to my ship, and I'll let you off at the first planet we pass that outlaws slavery." He grimaced and looked absolutely disgusted. "And for the love of God, please don't call me 'master'."

The young girl blinked, looking up at the violet-haired man with curiosity, but still wary. He couldn't tell her he went through all that just because he fell sorry for her or something. "S-sorry, mast… sir." She whispered, eyes drooping again, but ceased to cry.

"You can call me Chrno, I have a name." He added with as soft of a tone he could muster with such a foul mood he was in. "You don't need to call me 'sir' either. Don't be so formal, it's not like you're going to be a slave anymore."

She paused for a moment, staring up at him from behind as he gently pulled her along. "Kuro…no…" She repeated slowly, as if saying a forbidden word.

He didn't respond, but slowed his pace just a bit to they were almost walking side by side. Her lips slowly curled into a light smile.

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GAH. I'm tired. :Falls asleep on keyboard: Sorry for another short chapter, I promise the next one will be longer. Homework has been horrible… and I think I've got some sort of a stomach flu. ;; Aaaaah well, I'll still have time to work on it. :3

If you all were wondering, yes, Chrno is still a demon. There's more to it than that though, you'll find out in the later chapters. ;3 Ciao!

(1) Chinese, which is used frequently in Firefly. Means 'moron'.

(2) Chinese, mean's 'never', or 'never did'.

Zoey-Chan