Chrno Crusade: 1981

Chapter 2: Azmaria Hendric

"I love you so much I can't speak, so how will you see my kindness?

Hold me tighter, I believe in your warm heart

Farewell, solitaire, to tomorrow"

Several hundred miles away in a small town just south of Florence, Italy, an old woman picked up her cup of tea and took a sip. As her tongue flicked the inside of her lips and tasted eighty years of living mixed with earl grey hitting the back of her throat, the heartfelt words of a timeless love song entered her mind. She had not thought about this particular song for a very long time, but after the current days events, the shooting, the coverup, and the media frenzy, her small corner of Italy seemed even smaller. That, coupled with her feeling of sadness and impending evil made the sound of the old, but familiar song, as equally warming as the tea in her hand.

"Because I have someone whom I love so much, I'm here by your side, protecting you

I'm so glad that I was born on this earth that connects me to you…"

As she reached the end of the phrase, her voice, like that of someone much younger, seemed to carry across the field in front of her house, over the trees, flowers, and through the olive garden near the fence, out into the world…where a tall man could be seen walking towards the old woman's front porch. Noticing this, the old woman placed her tea on the stand next to her. Her cat could be seen nuzzling at her leg and, with the strength she had, she reached down and picked up the large long haired tabby and place him on her legs.

"Hmm…The world has changed so much. Italy has changed. But have we, Alin? Have we?"

Her cat looked back at her, but without an answer to be found. All he wanted was love. So do I…sweet Alin.

The man in the blue uniform was now only 20 or 30 feet away from the front porch of the house. The Old woman continued to pet the medium sized, grandly fuzzy creature laying on it's side in her lap and began to sing softly to the sleepy beast, which only made Alin purr even more.

"You have a beautiful voice, miss" Ewan had stopped short of the first step of the house, not wanting to impose or step where he had not been given permission to step. Time may be of the essence, but it's still proper to be polite.

"Hmm," The old woman smirked, "I'm way past my prime. I sing for myself these days." Alin, not acquainted with this new visitor, quickly jumped off of the old lady's lap and walked slowly over to Ewan to make a 'proper' introduction…and hopefully get petted in the process.

"What's his name?"

"Did you come here to meet my cat? Or is there some other purpose to your 'uninvited' visit?"

Ewan, without skipping a bit, put his hand along side the inquisitive cats cheek, turned it's little face upwards, and look straight back into the cats soul. Alin, neither afraid nor disturbed, went with the flow for a moment or too before pulling his head back, walking back into the house to get a drink of water from his bowl.

"Alin tells me he likes your singing, too. It calms him down. It's soothing."

"Clearly he tells you more than he does me. Then again, I don't have the power to read a cats mind."

"I wasn't reading his mind, ma'am. He spoke to me. Like I am speaking to you. But, clearly, he was more interested in having something to drink than having a chat with a human being."

"I don't blame him. We're boring creatures…don't you think?"

Ewan wanted to agree with the woman, not being human himself. But since his heart, rather, his metaphysical heart was essentially human, he related with the truth of humanity too much to make humans the bad guys. Humans just want to be loved like anyone else, just like Alin. "I wouldn't know, ma'am."

"Hmm, you are a puzzle aren't you?" The two shared a long moment of silence seeming to stretch into infinity, where the sun was just beginning to set behind the horizon line. "Well, you might as well come in and have some tea. I have a cup or two left over and if someone doesn't drink it," the old woman lurched forward, pushed against the arms of chair with her frail hands, and slowly lifted herself out the seat, "well let's just say I don't like to let things go to waste." Looking to her left, she grabbed the walking stick and turned back toward the door of her house. Ewan followed slowly behind her. Before entering the house, he turned back towards the field. He noticed Deufo was already there, sitting on the fences surrounding the olive garden, tossing a few of the ripe ones out and spitting them back into the garden.

"Your tea is getting cold, young stranger."

Looking away from the field, Ewan entered the house and closed the door behind him.

From the outside, the house had looked like every other Italian home: A one story villa, not very large, but well built, painted a stained white shade and built out of a combination of concrete and strong Italian bark. The inside was built to act as a continuation of the outside; very open and always breathing. However, the house had not been updated for late twentieth century living: the stove was run on coal or wood and doubled as the heater in the winter, where electric lights would have been commonplace, candles and candleholders were present, and in the center of this dated interior— a wonderfully old, yet still in tune, turn of the century nickelodeon player piano. As Evan walked over to it, in what he assumed was the living room, he noticed that the internal mechanism was all powered by one button which, when pressed, made the internal gears move, powering the machine and kick starting the big reel in the center where the music sheet was located. He pressed the button and watched as the piano stuttered to life, clicking and clacking like a set of false teeth, as the wheel in the center began to turn, telling the piano which keys to play, for how long, and so on.

As the piano played, the old woman brought the tea into the living room, where the piano was located, and placed the tea down on the table behind Ewan. He thanked her, picked it up, and took a small sip as the piano played a beautiful rendition of "Ave Maria". He got so wrapped up in it, though, that he nearly burnt his tongue. He attempted to cool off his mouth without drawing too much attention to himself.

"Too hot?" His attempt at being shrewd hadn't worked, and shook his head 'no', attempting to hold on to some form of civility. The Old Lady tried to follow suit, attempting to stifle a chuckle through her teeth.

As the song drew to a close, Ewan placed the tea back down on the table and turned towards the couch, where the old woman was already sitting down…Alin, the cat, laying on his side next to her.

"I'm sorry," the piano notes came to rest and the gears stopped turning…the machine went silent.

"What's bothering you, dear? If the tea is too hot I can get you an ice cube…"

"No, no…it's not the tea."

"Well…If it's about the piano, I'm glad you turned it on. I haven't been able to play it in years, and…" the woman exhales a very large breath, "…it's just too sad to watch the machine play itself. Automation, it's a travesty of the modern world…in my opinion. Nothing is challenge anymore. Nothing is important. Hmm…listen to me, the ramblings of an old woman. That's not why you're here is it?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"I'd say you found someone. And if my cat is brave enough to trust you…I suppose I can as well. Who are you looking for, dear?"

"A friend. A girl, actually."

The old woman smiled and tipped her head back as if someone was about to pour a rather large amount of liquid straight into her stomach. What came out of her, instead, was a very deep bellied laugh.

"I was a girl…once. However, there are no young girls here, Ewan Remington."

"So, you do know who I am."

"Yes…"

"How, Old Woman?"

"Because you seek the girl known as Azmaria Hendric warned me that you would come. But she did not tell me if it would be for good, or evil. She told me you would have a friend with you…if you can call that smelly demon hiding behind the wall to kitchen a friend."

"Let's get one thing straight, lady," Deufo, realizing that he'd been had, shifted through the wall ending up in the living room with the Old Lady and Ewan, overly nonchalant as usual although a tad perturbed from being noticed, "you don't want me as an enemy…and I'll smell however I damn well please, thank you very much." He turned towards Ewan as if to look to him for a bit of support. Seeing it wasn't going to come, Deufo took the tea that was meant for Ewan off the table, chugged it, placed it upside down on the saucer, and replaced the saucer on the table.

"So…" releasing a belch, "Where's Azmaria, Ewan?"

"Why did she tell you these things?" Ewan asked.

"Because she fears you are no longer loyal to the Magdalan Order; that you are working with some…" the old woman glances over at Deufo a second time, "…evil force to help bring the world to the brink again. To help people forget how close evil is to defeating the good of the world. She believes that the assassination on the pope was carried out…in part…by you."

"Enough. God, you are naïve aren't you?" Deufo, his patience waning, decides to get right up in the woman's face, "If we were the bad guys, I would have ripped your throat out by now, Granny."

"DEUFO!" Deufo slowly turned around and looked up at Ewan. Outside, his exterior was a smooth as quicksilver, but Deufo could smell the disapproval in Ewan's constant stare.

"Fine, we'll do things your way…for now." Deufo exclaims, shooting another glance at the Old Lady.

"I have no proof one way or another what your intentions are, demon." Deufo huffs and stand back up. The old woman reaches for her cane and places it between her calves, resting her hands on the top of it. Her eyes never leave Ewan or Deufo's gaze. "I am sworn to protect Azmaria, her house, her powers…and her secrets so that they shall never again fall into the hands of evil. And while you, Ewan, seem to be who you say you are, you travel with questionable company. Unfortunatly for you, I cannot risk Azmaria's safety on looks alone. So if you cannot offer any more tangible proof than 'your word', I must ask you to leave at once."

At this, Ewan starts to pace slowly across the carpet, his feet shifting like they are carrying no weight whatsoever. Taking in very shallow and soft breath, he turns towards the old lady again.

"That song you were singing, on the front porch. What was the name of it?"

"That song? It was a song I sang for a friend of mine. A song for a love never fully realized until it was too late."

"A song for Rosette…and Chrno."

"…yes…"

"Did Azmaria teach that song to you?"

The Old lady stuttered for a moment. "Um…yes. However, it's a very sensitive subject so I would really prefer if…"

"Sayonara, Solitia…I have only heard one person sing it as you do; with such a sweetness of voice, such an air of innocence." Ewan's steps have taken him right up to the seat in where the old woman has come to rest. Slowly, Ewan falls to his knees in front of the old woman. "I believe you sang it for someone else as well, though in time, he lost his way. He forgot what his purpose was. He, like you, wants to make amends for what is wrong, and what is most certainly right."

"I sing it…for myself now. I'm old…the world has forgotten."

"Is that what you are afraid of, old lady? Afraid of being forgotten?"

"I can't watch the past return again. I won't…I won't be weak and helpless again. I MADE A PROMISE TO ROSETTE…on the…day…she…"

Ewan, now only inches away from the woman's cracked and broken face, looks right into the woman's eyes and traces a finger along the arch of one of the old layers of skin. "And I'll make sure you keep it…"

With that, Ewan kissed the old woman on the lips. A white light surrounded the old lady and her layers of dead skin and wrinkles begin to spark with life. Deufo watched in amazement as the arms of the old lady reach around Remington's large back and pull him towards her, slowly becoming more and more youthful until all signs of wrinkles have disappeared from sight. As the light begins to fade from sight and get sucked back into the space between Ewan and the Old Woman, a new, more youthful set of eyes came into view: large, black, innocent, and surrounded by free-flowing pinkish-blonde hair. Her hands started to fall of his back, down to her sides, her lips found the strength to pull away from Ewan's, and suddenly her back once again met up with the cushioned center of the couch.

"Azmaria!" Deufo, quite surprised with what has just taken place, notices that Azmaria couldn't have aged more than 5 or 6 years in her physical appearance since last he saw her. In all accounts, it is the same Azmaria from 60 years ago whom is sitting there in front of him, her eyes fixed on Remington.

"Oh, Ewan!" She lunges upward to meet him again, this time in a very long hug and places her nose into his shoulder, taking a very long breath in, as if wanting to keep a part of her with him.

"I was so afraid it wasn't you. I wanted to believe. But I knew, I knew that you'd see past the charm…if it was really you." The young girl began to cry, two tears streaming down her face. "God, I'm so glad it's you."

"I'm sorry we came without notice, Azmaria."

"I know. Like I said," sniffing away the tears, "I knew you would come, I just wasn't expecting it to be this soon. I had to take steps…for protection."

"Then, you know why we're here?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure if I can help you."

Ewan and Deufo exchanged a terrified glance. "Why is that?"

"It's difficult to explain…without showing you everything. Quick, come with me." Without a second thought, the young Azmaria, bolder than either of the two gentleman expected to find her, pulled Ewan by the hand into the other room. Still stunned by what had just taken place, Deufo took one long look around the room just to make sure nothing else fishy was going to happen. That's when he noticed Alin nuzzling the outside of his leg.

"Don't tell me, you're really Chrno aren't you?"

Alin looked up and meowed a very long meow. Yeah, right. Deufo, giving up altogether, followed Ewan and Azmaria into the other room…Alin following close behind.

Next – Chapter 3: Tracing the Path of Evil