Disclamier: You know what goes here. I don't own Chrno Crusade...
Chapter II – Curse
"Who are you?" Rosette asked, trying to sound confident.
A person in a gray cloak with big golden wings floated before them.
The person smiled. "My name is Sabrine. I'm a Guardian of Time and I'm here to, you could say, punish you."
"But what did we do?" Azmaria said worriedly.
"She's right. None of us have done anything!" Rosette said as her hand grasped Chrno's.
For some reason she kept getting the feeling that the so-called Guardian named Sabrine was after Chrno, for something he did in the past. Sabrine didn't move an inch since they first saw her. She simply stood there staring at them. Chrno looked at her as if they had met before.
"You presence…" Chrno started. "It seems familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Not bad, Chrno the Sinner. We don't actually know each other but I was watching you when you gained that title. The day that you killed 100 demons." Sabrine paused as Rosette pointed her gun in front of her.
"Chrno's changed. He's not that person anymore." Rosette said.
The three of them jumped off the tree as Sabrine landed on the ground near them. Rosette put down her gun, but she seemed ready to shoot at any second.
"Not that person? Since when could a demon be called a person? But at any rate I'm not here for that reason. I'm here to tell Chrno about the consequences of his time-stopping power." Sabrine paused again. "Due to the long term effect of his freezing power, the Time Stream on this planet is slowly becoming damaged. If this continues, this world may cease to exist."
"Chrno didn't do anything!" Rosette yelled.
She grabbed Azmaria's and Chrno's hand and ran off. They didn't get too far because each other of them got caught. Sabrine came back into their view as well as four other people behind them.
"Calm down. You wouldn't want Azmaria's dream to come true, would you. That'd be a bad conclusion for all of us." Said a voice behind Rosette. "Looks like you needed help Sabrine so we stopped by."
Once Azmaria, Chrno, and Rosette were free, the noticed that they were surrounded by 5 people. Two were in black cloaks, another two were in white cloaks and then there was Sabrine with golden wings and a gray cloak.
"Well then allow me to introduce everyone here. I'm Takaro. The other girl in the black cloak is Rika; both of us are the Guardians of Death. Over there is Irena and Demitrian, they're the Guardians of Life. And you already know Sabrine." Takaro said. "Anyways, we were wandering around and thought you'd want some help Sabrine."
"Never mind about all of this!" Rosette yelled. "Just leave us all alone!"
"Earlier I heard you talking about Chrno's powers. Demon are born with their power, they can't choose them. In some cases, you could call it a 'Demon's Curse.'" Sabrine explained. "And due to some other incidents, such as shortening Rosette's life, the other Guardians are here. We're going to decide Chrno's fate with a battle."
"A battle? Why should we even have to go through this?" Rosette asked.
"Because even though it is the fault of his powers, he is the main cause of the changes of fate. Joshua was never supposed to get Chrno's horns. When Chrno was at Magdalene's grave, he was supposed to die there, as he planned. But even though, he gave out a strong demonic aura which led Joshua unconsciously to unlock the seal." Irena explained impatiently. "And then ther-"
"There was Rosette's life." Takaro interrupted. "You were going to live a different life from this one. One that would last somewhat longer. This brings the point to why we Guardians of Life and Death are here. You have altered many things in the course of Life, Death, and Time."
"Now the battle. You three can fight together. I will be fighting with Irena and Takaro. Rika and Demitrian will be the judges. Anything that will be assumed too dangerous will be stopped by them." Sabrine explained. "If you win then you will be allowed to continue your lives. If we tie, then Chrno will simply be suspended from using his power until the Time Stream is repaired, which should take one or two months. If we win then we get to keep Chrno's soul. Do we have a match?"
The three of the stood silently for a while. Suddenly all this new life and death information had left them frozen. Chrno was the first to say something. He agreed to their terms. Rosette stood there knowing that she couldn't change his mind no matter what she did. So a few minutes later she also accepted.
The moment Rosette accepted, the landscape had changed.
To Be Continued