Author's Note: This will be, more or less, a sister collection to my story 'Ticks of the Clock'. Originally they were all going to be chapters in said fic, but because they (and there is a growing number of them) have a common factor (the fact that they take place during those 6 "alone" months), I figured I'd group them by themselves to avoid confusion. Other than that, they will be written in a nearly identical format to those moments in TotC, will still be ranging from humor to angst to romance to stupidity, and will continue to be nothing more than seconds passing between Rosette and Chrono.
I hope you enjoy this new collection.
WARNING: Spoilers (ranging from subtle to glaring) for the last episode of the Chrono Crusade anime.
CHAPTER WARNING: Very mild spoilers for manga six. Barely recognizable, but there.
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Sunsets
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Laundry
Rosette smiled contentedly, eyes lightly shut and head tilted back to face the bright blue sky; sunbeams and whispering winds playing across her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she savored the smell of drying linen and cotton blossoms, enjoying the gentle flapping sound of sheets and shirts in the breeze.
But the calming quiet was broken by a soft 'ahem'. ". . . I can do that, you know."
The blonde's grin grew. "No way!" she chirped, pulling a comforter out of her large woven hamper, giggling as the long green grass tickled her bare feet. Winking, she cast Chrono a blithe glance and beam from over her shoulder; watching him as he leaned against the pale fence. "You only want a chance to touch up my underwear, you nasty devil!"
"!" His face burned maroon in the bright afternoon glow. "Wha—! Rosette!"
"Oh, calm down!" Laughing, she shook out the quilt; watching water droplets fly, sparkling like diamonds in the light. "I'm just teasing, Chrono, don't be such a wet blanket—no pun intended. But seriously, don't worry about it. You have your own chores to do. Besides, I like doing the laundry by myself." Pulling a few clothespins off of her apron and using them to hang the cover on the line, Rosette sighed happily— though sounded a bit nostalgic. "It's . . . sort of like a private walk down memory lane. . ." she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "Doing the laundry reminds me of my days at Seventh Bell. Growing up. . . all the stupid kiddy games Joshua and I used to play. . . meeting you. . . being teased by Sarah and Nelly 'cause I wouldn't stop talking about you." Snorting—and not really paying much attention to her words or the blushing demon—the young woman continued. "God, I remember this one time when we were all doing the wash. . . Sarah and Nelly decided to throw me a mock wedding to shut me up. They made me a dress with shee— er—!"
Her hands froze, cheeks turning pink. 'What the hell was I just saying—?' "Um. . ." Clearing her throat, Rosette busied herself with a sopping shirt. "N—never mind."
Chrono regarded her in silence for a long moment, just as embarrassed as she. Then he smiled, hopping up to sit on the fence with a surprising amount of grace. "Laundry reminds me of things, too," he admitted, watching the marshmallow clouds drift lazily past. "Like the good days in Eden, of Mary Magdalene's clean-streak and. . . and you." He chuckled, purposely avoiding his Contractor's stare. "When you were little and you'd come to visit. . . you'd always smell of freshly laundered clothes. And I was always so happy to see you and Joshua. . . the scent became something of a symbol for me."
Rosette said nothing for a minute or two, instead choosing to play with a wisp of her hair. But then she coughed and bit her bottom lip, hefting up her empty basket. ". . . you wanna help me fold the dry stuff?"
". . ." Grinning, he pushed himself from his seat. "I'd love to."