Tears of innocence

---Chapter 4: Surrounded by Shadows

Rosette stood at the door of the orphanage, not wanting to come inside yet. She was a bit calmer after sharing with Chrno the news of her brother's mysterious disappearance, but she still felt a big hole inside her chest, and she wanted nothing more than to ran back to his place again and cry all night, though she knew it was impossible. She would only make Mrs. Jean even more worried than what she was already, and she knew she couldn't run away from the truth forever. Still, she didn't feel like seeing anybody's face at the moment, so she just stood there for a few minutes, gathering her courage, until she finally walked in, hoping to run away to her room as soon as possible.

"I'm back, Mrs. Jean." She muttered in a rather hoarse voice, her eyes on the floor. She felt really bad at herself now… she had disobeyed her kind guardian once again, and ran inside the forest to look for Chrno despite her warnings. She deserved to be punished...

"Welcome back Rosette, you had us really worried." Said Mrs. Jean gently, making Rosette feel even worse. "Sarah, Nelly, Billy and Kevin have told me that you have been going to the woods every day, and that you don't want to play with them like you used to. What's wrong, dear? Have you been missing Joshua that much?"

Rosette wasn't really good at making lies, so she just nodded and said nothing, not wanting to give Chrno away. Being silent was extremely unusual in her, since she was normally the type to speak up her mind, so Mrs. Jean took her silence as a 'Yes' and continued speaking in a very warm, motherly-like tone. "I'm sorry I haven't noticed that before... we all miss Joshua very much, but we worry about you too." Rosette nodded again, feeling tears forming again in her eyes. Joshua…

Mrs. Jean embraced Rosette and they stayed like that until some of the kids of the orphanage came and stared at them curiously, feeling bad for her. Rosette had always been their leader, and to see her so vulnerable made some of them a bit uncomfortable...

Mrs. Jean released her hold on Rosette and gave her a handkerchief so she could wipe her tears. "Now come with me Rosette, Minister Remington wants to speak to you." She said kindly. Rosette raised her head, almost unable to believe her ears. The minister wanted to see her NOW? That was as bad a punishment as she could think of, the mere idea of seeing that man again, specially after what happened to her dear brother partly because of him was enough to make Rosette more than a little angry, but what could she do? She didn't want to disobey Mrs. Jean again, so she just lowered her head in defeat and followed her obediently into the room where Minister Remington was patiently waiting for them. He stood up from his chair as soon as they entered, and Mrs. Jean excused herself and left the two of them alone.

Remington looked at Rosette with a mixture of concern and pity that only annoyed her further, though she didn't say anything, tired as she was with all those feelings of sadness and worry weighing heavily on her heart. She avoided his eyes to stare at the window. What could Chrno be doing now? If only she could be with him, instead of having to face the stupid minister again... Chrno didn't pity her, Chrno never treated her like a child, Chrno always listened...

"How are you feeling now, Rosette?" The soft voice of the minister interrupted her thoughts, but she just shrugged. What did he expect her to say, after being informed of the sudden disappearance of her only relative?

"I know everything that's happened lately has been very hard on you." Remington continued, while Rosette listened half-heartedly, not looking directly at him. "I sincerely apologize for taking your brother away from you... it was something necessary, and it was vital that he was put under protection before our enemies got a hold of him. We never expected something like this to happen… the enemy's strength has increased way beyond our expectations. However, I think we still have a chance to rescue him."

Rosette was all ears now, all her thoughts about Chrno suddenly forgotten for the moment. "But... but you said he was probably dead!" She exclaimed, speaking for the first time. Remington smiled a bit at that, but his face became serious almost immediately.

"Yes, that's what some members at the Order prefer to think." He said, choosing his words carefully. "But I know some particular demons that might want to put his powers for a better use. I think that he's alive and well... somewhere inside Pandemonium."

"Pandemonium?!" Even the mere sound of it made her a bit afraid. "You mean the place where all demons come from? But if he's there... how can he be okay?" Despite her words though, she felt a spark of hope inside her. If Joshua was alive, then Chrno would be able to save him. All he needed to do was to go back to Pandemonium and take Joshua with him...

"Joshua is a very special boy... his powers can be good, if used correctly, however, they can be also cause a great tragedy if they are put to a bad use. I think demons know this already... that's why I don't think they killed him." He leaned on his chair, and looked at Rosette intently. "I can't guarantee that this is the absolute truth... it's only a strong possibility... however, I didn't come here just to tell you the news about Joshua. I also came to make you a proposal."

Rosette looked at him, not sure of how to react. A proposal? What could it be? It sounded a bit fishy, but she said nothing, waiting for his next words.

"I came to ask you to please come with me to the Magdalan Order. Like Joshua, you would be trained as an exorcist, and be put under my custody. You could investigate his disappearance, if you like. To be honest, I wanted you to come to the Order along with your brother, but I didn't have my superior's permission. After what happened, however, I think it's better for you to come with me... there have been reports of mysterious demonic activities nearby, and we need you to be out of danger."

Rosette was speechless for a moment, a million thoughts running inside her head at the same time. Go with him to the Magdalan Order and leave her friends and Chrno behind? Yet she knew she couldn't stay in the orphanage forever... she was 12 years old already, and she would have to leave the place when she was 15 anyway… still... Why did he want her to join? What did he want from her? Had he discovered Chrno's presence?

"Why do you want me to go with you to that place?" She asked at last. "I don't have any powers like my brother... and anyway, why do you need me to be out of danger? I thought it was my brother the one you were supposed to protect!" She exclaimed, a bit louder than what she intended, as her hot temper getting the better of her.

Remington made a pause before answering, his eyes a bit sad while looking at her. "It's true that I failed your trust, Rosette. But there's still hope for Joshua... and I have the feeling that this place will no longer be safe." He sighed, looking out of the window for a moment. "A long time ago... a very powerful demon was sealed near here. We don't know why, or how, but it seems that his seal has been broken." He made a pause, fixing his gaze on Rosette. "This particular demon is extremely dangerous... if we don't seal him again, there's no telling what he could do. And you're the sister of an Apostle, if he finds you, he could use you to his advantage."

Rosette eyes widened a bit at this, but she said nothing and just turned to look out of the window again. What the minister was saying was probably a lie, she knew Chrno better than anybody else…

Chrno... what are you doing now? She thought.

Far away from her, at the center of the clearing in the middle of the thick forest, Chrno stood proudly, his wings flapping a bit under the cold night's breeze.

"I know you're there. You can come up now... Aion." Chrno said smiling. So he had been discovered at last... it was about time. A sound behind him made him turn, and sure enough, Aion was there, a few yards away from him, the moon shining over him as he walked slowly towards Chrno, his dark face revealing no emotions at all. Aion was serious for a few moments, until he couldn't control himself any longer and he smiled at his brother, shaking his head.

"Geeze Chrno, you never change." Said the tall, silver-haired demon, a hint of humor in his voice. "You're as slow as always."

"Not as slow as you are, my brother." Chrno replied, in the same tone. "Took you long enough to find me. I would have expected better from you."

"Not my fault." Aion sighed, a bit melodramatically. "They made sure to keep the location of your grave a secret, and put a holy seal in the entire area. You don't know how hard it was to come here... but come on, is that all you have to say to your dear twin brother, that you haven't seen in two centuries? Like I said, you never change... you're as unemotional as always."

Chrno snorted. "Oh please, look who's talking. All these years, and you still continue to be Pandemonium's loyal dog? Tell me, on whose orders did you come to find me?" He said, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Aion actually laughed a bit upon hearing this. "Oh, you're still so naïve... did you honestly think that I would sit still and do nothing for 200 years? I should be offended." He made a pause, fixing his gaze on Chrno's face. "No, my brother. I came here on my own. Pandemonium doesn't even know you're still alive... they all think you died in that damned battle, 2 centuries ago." He said, carefully studying the impact his words had on Chrno.

Chrno was indeed surprised, though his face remained calm while he pondered on Aion's words. "Oh is that so? How did you find me then?" He said, his voice a bit distrustful. They considered him dead? That sounded almost too good to be true...

Aion gave a small laugh. "You give me too little credit... I have spies in Pandemonium's top levels. You do remember Shader, Rizel, Genai and Viede, don't you?"

"Of course I do, what do you take me for?" Chrno replied, sarcastically. They had fought so many battles beside him in the past... it was kind of difficult to forget about them. "So what did you do? You created a rebel group inside Pandemonium's core and they joined your cause? I'm impressed."

"Yeah, I know you would. But that's not all... I have a plan to overthrow Pandemonium and get control of it, but I need your help to do so." Aion's voice lowered and his eyes got that intense look they usually had whenever he thought about his dream. "I need you, my brother. With the power you possess, sizing control of Pandemonium will be an easy thing to do, once I've gathered the 7 Apostles and have them in my grasp. I already have one of them... locating the other 6 is only a matter of time."

It was Chrno's turn to laugh, though his laughter had a bitter edge to it. "Yes, I figured you were the one who kidnapped the young Apostle boy a few days ago, no other demon besides you and me would have been so reckless." He forced himself not to think of Rosette, and spoke in a very serious tone. "However... I'm afraid I won't be able to help you in my current state. As you already know, I have been sealed... only not one, but three times. The first 2 seals were removed, but the third one, the one that was put on me that time has not been broken yet. It's a holy seal, and it's very powerful. It doesn't allow me to use the powers of the Astral Line... I was only able to regain my true form because I made a contract with a human."

"I see. So they sealed you three times, huh? Those humans must really have been very afraid of you, Chrno. Well, I can't really blame them... after what you did to their precious Holy Maiden is no wonder they were so pissed off." Aion said mockingly.

What I did to her? What about what she did to me? Chrno thought, trying to appear indifferent, and forcing himself to keep his emotions hidden deep within him. He didn't want anybody, least of all his brother, to know about the humiliation he had suffered at her hands, when she betrayed him in the worst way possible... "What happened to her, anyway?" He asked, in a jovial tone that masked his thoughts.

"You don't know the details?" Said Aion. "Oh, then you're going to love hearing this... she died the moment you were sealed. Apparently she used up all her Astral energy, in other words her own life, when she put the seal on you, can you believe it?"

Chrno forced himself to smile, though he felt something cold inside. So she had been willing to give up on her life, if that meant causing him as much damage as possible... how can he had been so deceived by her apparent friendliness towards him? He had been careless... stupidly careless. "Well, that serves her right... however the fact remains that I need to find a way to break that seal." He said, wanting to change the topic. He didn't feel like talking about the Holy Maiden for the moment. That only gave him bad memories that he preferred to keep for himself...

Aion smiled, not noticing his brother's discomfort. "Those humans risked everything they had to put a holy seal on you. That was certainly smart of them... no demon could ever be able to break a holy seal, right? Too bad they didn't think about themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"As you know, a holy seal can be broken by a person with the ability to use the power of the Astral Line... an Apostle, for example. The seal you have is too strong for just one of them, but if we combine the power of the seven, then the seal can be broken." His voice lowered. "Help me gather the 7 Apostles, Chrno. Once we have them, we can break your seal and you will be free once again... free to return to being the killer that both humans and demons feared." Aion extended his hand towards him, fixing his gaze in Chrno's red eyes, which stared unblinkingly at him. "Join me brother. If we work together once more, then there's nothing we cannot do."

Chrno's face remained impassible for a moment, closing his eyes while memories he preferred to forget came to his mind. A killer... was that what everybody thought he was? A killer... Was that the only thing he was good at?

After a few moments of indecision he took his brother's hand and shook it in a very firm grip. "You are right." He said. "Pandemonium will be ours. I only hope you know what you're doing."

"Oh please." Aion said with equal confidence. "When have I been wrong?"

"Never. Just don't get too sure of yourself."

"I'll try not to." Aion said, patting his brother on the back. "You look fine, Chrno. I almost feel sorry for the human you made a contract with. What did you promise? Eternal life, perhaps? I swear, those humans let themselves be fooled way too easily."

"Well, you know how they are." Chrno said, though for some reason, he found that he didn't really want to tell Aion about Rosette. He would only make fun of her, and he didn't think he'd found any humor in that. "So, what do I do now? I can't go back to Pandemonium, as you well know."

"Oh no, of course not... listen Chrno, we have a hideout called 'Eden' which we built to hide ourselves. It is our best-kept secret... we will keep the Apostles there once we find them."

"So what about the Apostle you kidnapped some days ago? Do you keep him there as well?" Chrno asked curiously. Perhaps he could take Rosette with him to that place... she would be happy upon seeing her brother again, and he would keep a watch on her... he would make sure that nothing happened to his precious contractor, and he could be with her all the time. It was funny, he was starting to look forward to her visits, and actually missed her when she couldn't go to his place...

Aion sighed upon hearing his question. "Unfortunately, no. A pursuer from Pandemonium discovered me, and I had no choice but to take the boy to Pandemonium's core to avoid suspicion. He is being kept there, and is heavily guarded.... Everybody has plans for the boy... and that's why I need your cooperation."

To Be Continued...

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After a long break, I finally finished this chapter… I can't believe I took so long to finish it, sorry for the long wait! Next chapter will come out sooner I promise... how soon depends on the number of reviews I get for this. The more reviews the more motivated I am to continue and the faster the next chapter comes. So please keep 'em coming! Please? beg

Hehehe, I guess my self-esteem is really low... anyway, I want to give an enormous THANK YOU to all the people that sent me their comments. You know who you are! river of tears

BTW, for those people that have commented on Chrno's "evil" personality, or his OOC... well, all I can say is that his past in this story is different from his past in the manga. His motivations, background and present situation are entirely different, that's why his personality is different as a result. You will see what I mean in the following chapters... hopefully soon.

So yeah, this story is loosely based in the manga. A "what if" of sorts... okay, I'm rambling... Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and you have a very prosperous New Year!