Return of Time

12 of ?

AN: Well I know that I'm updating a couple of days early, but that is so I can update again on Saturday with Ch. 13 - The Lover's Are Discovered! JK Actually the title of 13 is Breakfast Surprises. And I know, this is late, but I had the valid excuse of moving. We just bought our first home, and moving is a b. Anyways you don't want to read me babble, so on with the story.

I said something on the surface
Well it kind of makes me nervous
Who says that you deserve this
And what kind of god would serve this?
We will cure this dirty old disease
If you've got the poison I've got the remedy

Jason Mraz - Remedy

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Julian let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the conference room door, Duke Duffau was late. His son had arrived on time and was currently having a quiet conversation with his assistant to one side of the room. Kathleen was trying to balance a pencil on her nose and not look bored at the same time. Julian could only smile softly at her partners antics. "Kate. I don't think that that's going to help."

Kathleen rolled her eyes as she placed the pencil back on the table. "Maybe not, but I needed to do something. I'm bored out of my mind."

"He's only half an hour late. He could be here at any minute."

As if her words had conjured him, Duke Duffau himself walked into the room, followed closely behind by a dangerous looking female demon.

"Forgive my tardiness, but I'm afraid that my associate had some difficulties getting here that I had to help her with."

The tall woman glared at the other demon for a moment before tossing her head and moving around the table. She proceeded to sit heavily in the seat to the left of Julian without further delay. "Difficulties would be a understatement." She pointedly glared at Gabriel. "If that little brat of yours could just learn to keep his hormones in check I wouldn't have had 'difficulties' in the first place."

Duke Duffau started to laugh as his son gaped at his old nemesis. "True enough Sinner."

Julian's eyes went wide at his words. Carefully looking over the woman next to her, she realized, with a gasp, just who it was. "Chrno!"

Chrno grinned. "At your service."

"But how?"

"Duke Duffau was kind enough to free me from my confinement." She glared as Gabriel sat down next to his father. "As for you brat, I have a few words to say to you after this meeting is over."

Gabriel merely rolled his eyes at her words. "How dare you call me a brat."

"I dare because not only am I good friends with your father, but also because you are the reason I was late today."

"I have never met you before in my life. Besides how can you be Chrno the Sinner. Sinner Chrno was male."

Chrno stretched her arms over her head as she yawned, showing off her ample bosom to the young male. "Do I look like a man to you?"

"No, you look like a very well endowed woman Sinner Chrno."

"Thank you. And the title isn't Sinner, it's Crusader. I don't belong to Pandemonium anymore."

Duke Duffau nodded and chuckled. "You belong with these people now." He turned to his son and motioned for his silence. "Chrno's place among God's servants was decided on years ago. His titles shifted to coincide with that. Chrno the Sinner became Chrno the Crusader, the Servant of God. If you had actually paid attention to your history you would have known that. As for when Chrno became female, that is a question for another time." He looked to Chrno and smiled. "Would you care to start Sinner?"

Chrno smiled. "Of course Pursuer."

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After the Duke and his son had departed for the night, with a promise to return the next afternoon, Chrno redid the Seal and returned to her more human form. It had worn her out terribly to stay in her full form all day, but Duffau seemed to think that it was necessary. Since he had admitted that he wanted to punish his son with it somehow, she had agreed.

She rose from her comfortable chair with a yawn and a stretch. Kathleen and Julian were both slumped in their chairs nearly asleep. "Come on you two." She shook each of them in turn. "It's time for bed. And I don't want to have to carry the both of you."

Julian stood slowly, still slumped. She blinked at Chrno a few times before she moved closer to her friend and poked her arm. "Hey, when did you get small again?"

"About ten minutes ago." The tiny half-demon turned her partner around and steered her to the door. "Off to bed with you."

Julian nodded vaguely and shuffled out of the room. Kathleen however wouldn't budge, and as she was snoring quite soundly Chrno left her there to seek out her own bed.

Once she was there however her dreams were filled with conflicting images of her past love and her present day antagonist. Memories of Rosette floated through her mind and mixed together with odd images of Gabriel and Magdalene. In the end she woke up confused and wondering why the hell she had had the feeling that Gabriel was Rosette. After looking at the clock blearily she decided to go back to sleep as it was only three. By the time she woke two and a half hours later to the annoying sound of her alarm clock, she had forgotten the strange dream and the conclusion it had brought her to.

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