Evilanimeblond22: Thank you and I will. n.n
Chobit00: Lol. Ryoukai ( I think that's how you spell it x.x).
Rythmic Breathing: I will. n.n As long as I dun have any writer's block, it's no prob. o.o I have no clue, but I believe it to be because ppl dun like reviewing or... They're just too busy. But thanks for the reassurance. n.n
Katrina-chan: Yeah. I seriously neva saw the episodes nor read the manga when I first began writing this. o.o But I have now. I finally have all the episodes and I also have the first two mangas. I was shocked at how close I was to the series, too. x.x Though, I was also a little off. And I'm glad you're enjoying it. n.n
Chrno Crusade: The End Is Just The Beginning
By:
Guardian Angel of Innocence
Chapter Thirteen: The Dangers of Traffic
The room was still dark and damp, but there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light ahead. If only he could get up. He weakly tried to do so, but only ended up falling back onto his back. He could faintly see a figure within the light, going farther and farther away from his location. He couldn't let the light go away. He couldn't let the figure leave him. He weakly sat up, trying not to allow gravity to pull him back to the ground. He reached out his clawed hand, a single word escaping his lips. "Ro... Sette."
Azmaria yawned, stretching out her arms after she set the manual to the side. She had made it half way through the book, a piece of ripped paper holding her place.
Stella looked at the young Apostle from the corner of her eye then turned her attention back to the front. "Azmaria, you should go to one of the bedrooms and get some rest."
Azmaria shook her head. "You should, too, Miss Stella."
"Let her stay up if she wants," Rose said, tiredly rubbing her eyes while suppressing a yawn. "If she doesn't want to go to bed, then just leave her alone. But if she falls asleep at the wheel, don't come running to me." She placed her hands behind her head as she leaned back in her seat, watching the ceiling.
"And who's to say I'm going to fall asleep at the wheel?!" Stella cried. "I'm not you! I don't go crashing every vehicle I get my hands on!" She turned around to yell at the blonde haired nun.
"I don't crash every vehicle I drive!" Rose countered, also turning around to yell at the red haired jewel summoner.
"That's not true and you know it," Stella muttered, turning back around to face the road.
Rose was about to protest when she heard Chrno coughing. She quickly spun around to face her sickened comrade, concern replacing the irritation expression she had had on her face just seconds ago. She grabbed a towel and dipped it into a bowel of cold water then gently placed it on Chrno's forehead after squeezing the towel to rid of any excess water. I could just close the clock, but... If I do that it may just kill him at a far more accelerating rate than it would if I left it open. She sighed, placing her hand over the symbol of their contract. His body's trying to fight off whatever was in that bullet so it is using a lot of astral energy. She shook her head and leaned forward slightly until her face was just inches from Chrno's. She softly whispered into the purple haired demon's ear, "All these precious seconds of my life are all yours and yours alone. I will do whatever it takes for you to live, Chrno." With that said, she lightly kissed him on the cheek then leaned back in her seat after Chrno's coughing had finally come to a cease. The gaze within her eyes became distant as though she were in deep thought or in a different location.
Unbeknownst Rose, Chrno could hear every word coming from her lips. It seemed to help him gain the strength within the dark room, him finally being able to get to his feet. He began running in the direction of the fading light, holding out his hand as he drew nearer or so he thought. "Rosette... I won't let your life go to waste. I'll keep my promise! I won't let you die again!"
Stella stopped the van/ambulance/mobile home vehicle, yawning as she stretched out her arms. She had parked underneath a bridge much to her disapproval since she'd prefer to park in a normal parking lot and sleep within a hotel or motel. But, of course, she was very aware of the risk involved in doing that. She reached her hand up to flip a switch that was beside the rear view mirror, curtains covering all the windows. It had to be at least one in the morning. She knew she wouldn't be able to go on without some rest.
She looked to her right to see that Azmaria had already fallen asleep, her head resting against the arm rest while her legs were slightly brought up to her chest, her long light lavender hair covering part of her face and blanketing part of her body. A smile tugged at the edges of Stella's lips as she leaned forward slightly, moving the hair away from Azmaria's face.
Stella stood up afterwards, climbing over her seat into the back room. She was about to go into the bathroom to take a shower when she heard a voice, turning around to face the direction it had come from to see a very tired Rose looking in her direction, still sitting in that same seat beside Chrno.
"Stella, I know you need your rest, but as soon as we eat breakfast after you and Az wake up, let's depart. I... I..."
Stella nodded, smiling slightly, knowing full well what Rose meant. "Don't worry. We'll leave as soon as possible." She turned around to enter the bathroom once more. I know how important he is to you.
Rose smiled then looked towards Chrno, softly saying, "Thank you, Stella."
Rose opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness. At first, she panicked until she remembered where she was. However, if she remembered correctly, she had been sitting on a chair, not the ground. Had she fallen asleep and fallen off the chair afterwards? She grumbled as she stood up only to realize that the air seemed unusually moist, the ground having been slimy. Something was wrong, very wrong. She held her arms out in front of herself as to not trip over anything as she tried to find her way through the darkness, maybe for a switch to turn the lights on. She growled in frustration since she could find none. She hadn't even felt anything while walking around. It was as though the room had been completely emptied except someone had forgotten to take her out as well.
Rose's eyes suddenly widened in horror as panic began to fill her whole system once again. "Chrno! Chrno!" She turned around and began walking back in the direction she had treaded from. It seemed to be hours that she had been walking only to find nothing in her way at all. Tears formed within her eyes as she fell to her knees. She had lost him. Whatever-whoever-had emptied the room had taken Chrno with them. He was doomed for sure now. There was nothing she could do, nothing at all. She brought her knees up to her chest, silently crying to herself. That is... Before a very familiar yet faint voice began shouting, echoing around her.
"Rosette! Rosette!" the voice cried out.
Rose shot her head up, looking around. She quickly wiped her tears away before standing up. A wide smile spread across her lips as she saw Chrno running towards her. However, her smile quickly disappeared as her expression quickly changed to one of concern. She began running towards her demon companion, wondering why his hand was outstretched. "Chrno! You idiot! You're sick! Get back in bed!"
Either Chrno hadn't heard her or he was just way too stubborn or thickheaded. He continued to run towards her as though it meant his life or death.
Rose started to become anxious and looked over her shoulder, expecting a demon to be looming behind her and the reason for Chrno to not be in bed being he was trying to get to her before the demon attacked her. A frown spread across her lips when she saw only darkness, reaching her hand out to carefully feel for any kind of presence that could explain why Chrno was running towards her. Her frown grew deeper when she felt nothing, turning around to face the purple haired demon once more.
"Chrno! Would you quit running already?! You're going to worsen your condition!" Rose cried out, running towards him again.
Chrno drew closer to the light, it no longer fading and growing brighter as he drew nearer towards the figure. The figure was yelling out his name and scolding him for not being in bed, but he didn't care. Just as long as he could reach his goal. Just as long as he could be with her. He flew up, seeming to gain more strength as he increased his speed in the light's direction.
"Hey! Chrno! Stop it! You're using too much of your energy!" the figure cried.
Chrno held his hand out further as though that would finally cover the distance between him and the approaching figure. "Rosette!"
The figure stopped in their tracks, him instantly recognizing it as the girl he had been calling out. He slowed his approach as he finally reached his goal, landing upon his feet gracefully.
Rose growled in frustration but more so out of worry as Chrno flew up into the air. She scolded him for doing so, but it seemed nothing would get through to him until he reached her. As soon as he had landed in front of her, Rose went up to Chrno and hit him over the head, glaring at him.
"You idiot! You may have worsened your condition! You-" Before she could utter another word, the purple haired demon held her in a tight embrace, but not tight enough to squeeze the living day lights out of her. Her eyes widened in surprise then changed to ones that held warmth. She hugged him back, resting her head against his chest.
"I'm sorry, Rose... I didn't mean to scare you," Chrno said, softly, stroking her hair.
"It's fine. Just worried. It's my job, you know," Rose said, looking up at him as a sly smirk found its way across her face.
Chrno couldn't help but smile at her words. However, his smile disappeared replaced by an expression filled with seriousness. "Where exactly are we?"
"Inside that vehicle thing the Elder made. We're going to Italy to get a cure for whatever was shot through you," Rose explained, her expression changing back to one of concern. "Are you really okay?" Out of habit she reached a hand up to feel Chrno's forehead for any signs of a fever. To her surprise, his forehead was no longer burning to the touch. She examined his face more closely to see that he really did look well.
"I'm fine, Rose," Chrno said, taking a step back from the closeness Rose was putting towards him.
Rose nodded and was about to say something else when her gaze suddenly became distant. She shook her head and reached out a hand, her body seeming to become transparent. Her name was being called out once more, but she was sure Chrno couldn't hear it; otherwise, he would have already turned in the direction it was coming from. She was slightly beginning to panic from suddenly becoming almost invisible, but she had to say something to Chrno before she disappeared completely.
Chrno placed his hand over hers once it had reached its destination upon the side of his face, his eyes holding concern as he could hardly feel her touch or hand for that matter as well as from seeing her slowly becoming invisible, soon to disappear at any moment. "Rose..."
"I'll always be here for you, remember that," Rose said, softly, before she disappeared completely...
"Rose!" Stella cried for the umpteenth time that morning. It was now eight in the morning and Rose was still asleep! She and Azmaria had already eaten breakfast and were waiting for the young Saint to wake up so they could go on their way.
"Rosette," Azmaria said, softly, lightly shaking Rose by her shoulders.
Rose groaned and opened both her eyes. Her eyes widened for a second before turning back to their normal size. She looked around finally realizing she had been dreaming all along. She let out a sigh before giving the young Apostle a small smile. "What is it, Az?"
Azmaria let out a sigh of relief and was about to respond when Stella spoke.
"You tell me to get the move on as soon as possible and when I do, I find you still sound asleep off in your own little dream world!" Stella cried.
Rose blinked a few times then looked away, softly saying, "I know..." She stood up, crossing her arms. "Well, let's get going. I'm not hungry anyways so no use bothering with breakfast."
Stella's expression changed to one of understanding and sympathy as she nodded, climbing into the front of the vehicle, Azmaria soon following suit.
Rose sighed again as she heard Stella start the vehicle then start going on their destination again. She watched Chrno, reaching her hand out to feel his forehead. To her surprise, it wasn't burning hot, just slightly warm. She smiled slightly, coming to the conclusion that the purple haired demon was finally becoming better.
Chrno sat down once Rose had disappeared, the light joining her. He looked up and softly said, "I'll always wait for you, Rosette. No matter what." His gaze fell to the ground as he tried to figure out just how to get out of wherever he really was.
Stella frowned deeply as she slowly moved the vehicle then stopped again.
Rose was becoming agitated as well, growling in frustration when the van came to a halt once more, her having almost choked on a chip she had been eating. "Dammit! Would you quit that, Stella?!"
"It's not my fault!" Stella shouted. "The traffic's really heavy!"
"How the hell can it be heavy?!" Rose demanded. "Humans hardly ever come out during the day because of Aion!" She got up and looked out the front window, her eyes widening out of surprise and amazement when she saw the traffic really was heavy. She leaned forward, pressing a button to turn the radio on then flipping through the stations until she found one that would inform them of the occurrences around them.
"I'm surprised that thing works," Stella muttered. "Considering the TV stations don't even work."
"Humans are beginning to see the light..." Rose said, softly. She smiled. "They're finally coming out."
"Traffic is heavy all across the states due to the uprising of our species, the humans," the man on the radio said. "A huge rebellious protest is being held against Aion and the rest of the demon species. They are finally fighting for independence after seeing a fierce battle at the Magdalan Church. The people have hope once more, believing the Saint has come to save them."
"Saint?" Stella questioned.
"How did they...?" Rose asked, not fully finishing her question.
"Someone must have witnessed the battle," Azmaria said, quietly.
Rose smiled widely. "Okay! Let's not fail them! We have a world to save, people!"
Stella frowned. "How do you expect us to save the world in this type of traffic?"
Rose's smile instantly disappeared as she let out a sigh. "Good point..." Her eyes suddenly held a glimmer as she grabbed the manual that Azmaria was reading once more.
Azmaria tried protesting but gave up knowing full well that it would be of no use.
Rose flipped through the pages, scanning each of them for what she was searching for. Her eyes suddenly lit up as a wide smile spread across her lips once more. She handed the book to Azmaria, pointing to the page. "Handle that for me, would you? I need to get us through this or we'll be stuck here forever!"
Azmaria looked down the page as Rose waited for the young Apostle to join her in the back room. She slowly nodded after reading all the directions then climbed into the back. "You sure about this, Rosette?"
Rose nodded, giving Azmaria a thumbs up. "I'm positive."
Azmaria nodded then pressed the button behind the driver's seat, the computer system suddenly appearing. She began typing rapidly into the keyboard, surprising both Stella and Rose since neither of them had known Azmaria was good with computers.
Soon enough, a small ring appeared in the center of the room, the gates to it opening up. Rose entered the ring, the gate closing afterwards. Azmaria typed in a few more things before the ring began to raise, a pole underneath it pushing it upwards towards the ceiling. Two doors on the ceiling opened up, the ring going through it. The ring appeared on top of the roof, the two doors closing. Rose began typing a few things into the small keyboard on her right that was attached to the golden railing around her. Afterwards, a microphone appeared from the roof in front of her.
She cleared her voice before speaking into the microphone. "If I can have the attention of everyone, please." Rose paused for a while before speaking once more. "This is Rose Remington of the Magdalan Order speaking. My friends and I have to get through this quickly. One of our dear friends is in great need of medicine. It's a matter between life and death. Please, let us through."
"Rosette," Azmaria said quietly through the communicator that was to the left of Rose attached to the golden railing.
"What is it, Az?" Rose asked.
Azmaria read over the manual once more for reassurance before quietly responding, "It says here that this can make the legs where the wheels are long, thus, allowing us to get through this by having the vehicle go up higher so that it doesn't bump into any other automobiles."
Rose sweatdropped.
"And just how do you expect everyone to move anyways?" Stella asked. "We're not the only ones stuck in this traffic, you know."
Rose frowned deeply then hung her head in defeat, sighing. "Okay. I get it. Sheesh. You don't have to rub it in."
Azmaria turned her attention to one of the computer screens when it began beeping like crazy. Her eyes suddenly widened at the sight the screen displayed upon it. She grabbed the communicator, pressing the gray button down so she could speak into it. "Rosette! We have company!"
Rose growled, grabbing out her gun that had been holstered to her thigh. She quickly loaded it with gospel bullets that had been in her green pouch. She looked around for any sign of the demons, her gun ready in hand. She quickly spun around when she heard screams, her eyes widening in horror.
Jenai and Bit were both flying in the air, both their hands with palms faced towards a group of vehicles. They both had shot out an enormous blast from their hands causing several of the vehicles to blow up as well as kill the people within them. Afterwards, people had begun running out of their vehicles in the opposite direction of the two demons.
Rose growled, gritting her teeth. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the two demons were smiling and laughing at the pleasure of killing hundreds of innocent people. She aimed her gun at them.
Azmaria's eyes widened at the sight of Jenai and Bit shooting the blast. Tears filled her eyes as she quickly looked away from the horrible scene.
Stella growled. "Azmaria, get the vehicle ready! We have to get out of here before they figure out we have Chrno with us!"
Azmaria nodded as Stella grabbed the communicator from her.
Stella pressed the gray button, warning Rose, "And don't you dare pull anything drastic!"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Just get us the hell out of here!"
Jenai laughed as he watched his and Bit's blast destroy the vehicles and people within them. "That's what you get for rebelling against us."
Bit laughed as well as he held his hand out once more, a large black blast forming within his hand. "Who wants to be next?"
Jenai smirked at his comrade's rashness, his smirk growing more so when he suddenly sensed the two strong energies belonging to that of only two people. He looked in the direction it was coming from to see a vehicle with Rose standing on top of it with her gun pointed at him and Bit. "Today's our lucky day."
Bit looked in the direction his comrade was looking in then smirked. "I agree."
The two demons began flying in Rose's direction.
Rose watched the two demons through narrowed eyes. She didn't exactly heed Stella's warning and was becoming extremely impatient. "What the hell's taking you so long?!"
"Sorry, Rosette," Azmaria apologized as she typed in the codes.
"She's only one girl, Rose! You can't expect her to be done just like that!" Stella cried.
Rose growled then shook her head. "Whatever. Just get us out of here before these two morons catch on." She watched the demons as they drew nearer then began firing her gun several times. Much to her dismay, both of them dodged her bullets.
Azmaria smiled when she had finally completed her mission at hand. The car suddenly rose several feet, long poles extending so that they allowed the vehicle to rise while also keeping the wheels on the ground as well as the vehicle in perfect balance.
Rose smirked slightly when she was at about the same height the two demons were in. "Time to say your goodbyes." She fired several more rounds at them, them being too shocked and surprised by the sudden occurrence to take full notice of it.
Jenai quickly caught on and flew to the side barely just in time. His comrade, Bit, however, wasn't as lucky, the bullet hitting him. Though, it only gave the larger demon grievous wounds, not enough to kill him as of yet.
"You witch!" Bit yelled, holding his hand out towards her, the large blast forming within his hand once more.
Rose's eyes widened.
Chrno stirred in his sleep catching the attention of Stella and Azmaria.
"Chrno?" Azmaria questioned quietly, watching the purple haired demon with concern.
Chrno weakly sat up, his eyes slightly glazed over as he looked in Azmaria's direction. "Rosette...?"
Azmaria shook her head. "She's busy right now, Chrno." She pointed up at the ceiling.
Chrno looked up, slowly nodding. His mind felt foggy, his head suddenly feeling light. He shook his head, trying to get everything straight but couldn't seem to be able to. His vision was slightly blurred, hardly recognizing the objects and people around him. He weakly stood on the floor, stumbling back a few steps. Azmaria quickly ran to his side, awkwardly supporting him.
"Azmaria, try to keep him out of sight. The demons are above us," Stella said as she drove the vehicle over the others, trying her best to keep the battle from involving any others in it.
Azmaria slowly nodded.
Chrno tried to comprehend the occurrences around him as well as everything being said.
"Stella, move it!" Rose yelled into the communicator. "Bit's going to fire at us! I don't want to run the risk of killing everyone around us!"
"Calm down, Bit," Jenai warned. "We still need the Saint and Apostle."
Bit growled, but reluctantly obeyed his comrade.
Rose let out a sigh of relief then let out a cry of pain when several cuts were placed on her back, leaving holes in the back of her militia outfit here and there. She growled and spun around to see Arachnia standing upon the roof of the vehicle. Her eyes widened suddenly out of realization. She grabbed the communicator. "Step on it!"
Stella nodded. "Prepare yourselves."
Azmaria nodded and sat down on the couch, dragging Chrno with her then buckling the seatbelts to them both.
Stella stepped on the gas, increasing the speed greatly.
Arachnia's eyes widened out of surprise as the vehicle began moving, sending her slipping off it. However, she caught the rim of the vehicle before she could go splat upon the cars and ground beneath her. She growled.
Jenai and Bit both rushed at Rose as she fired at them again. Jenai quickly knocked the gun away from the Saint's hands. She growled, grabbing out her other one that had been attached to her left thigh. She quickly loaded it then began firing once more.
Azmaria let out a cry when she saw Arachnia begin to put dents into the back door so she could save herself from an unfortunate death. She quickly grabbed Chrno's hand, unbuckling their seatbelts, then dragged him into the bathroom. "Stay here. You'll be far more safe here than out there." With that said, she quickly shut the door and locked it before the demon could protest. She then ran into the weapon room, grabbing one of the guns and quickly loading it with sacred bullets. Afterwards, she ran back into the room with her gun pointed at the back doors.
Rose let out a cry of pain when Jenai had cut her across her stomach with his blade, not so much as to kill her but only enough to cause her harm. She growled and fired her gun at him, but he merely blocked the bullets with his sword. The odds were greatly against her, two to one, maybe even three. But she wouldn't give up for Chrno's sake as well as everyone else's.
Arachnia finally broke through the two doors, smirking. She then caught sight of the young Apostle and the gun. "Are you really going to shoot me with that?"
"I will, yes," Azmaria said, determinedly. Her finger drew nearer to squeezing the trigger.
Arachnia watched the gun and its owner closely. "To think at one point you were such a wimp. Now you're shooting demons down? Ha. No matter what you do to cover it up, Apostle, you will always be seen as a weakling."
"You're wrong," Stella said, though, her opinion didn't matter as much due to the fact she was driving and was helpless to do much else.
"Heh. You can do nothing, but sit and watch, Jewel Summoner," Arachnia said then held her hands out, shooting webbing at the young Apostle.
Azmaria let out a cry.
Chrno heard the commotion going on outside, wondering what was going on. He had finally sorted through some of the confusion his mind had put him through, but he still couldn't help but feel extremely weak. He wondered why and if it was because he had gotten sick again.
His brows furrowed together then his eyes widened in realization. Just when the heck had he gotten that taller than Azmaria? He looked in the mirror, his eyes widening even more if at all possible. He was in his true form. Where was Rosette? Why hadn't she sealed the clock? How much of her life had been used? How could he be sick if he was in this form? He never got sick in his true form before.
Chrno shook his head, going over to the door and placing his hand on the cold knob. He tried to turn it but to no avail. He sighed in exasperation then pressed his ear to the door to at least catch some hint as to what was going on. Above him, he could hear a very familiar girl's voice crying out in pain followed by gunshots. In the room near his, he heard steel being ripped apart until it was finally broken followed by three voices speaking. Afterwards, he heard another familiar girl's voice crying out in pain. He had to do something other than stay locked up in here. He growled out of irritation, turning around to look for another means of an exit. His eyes caught sight of a window.
Jenai cut Rose across the arm, Bit grabbing her by the upper part of her uniform then lifting her up above him at arm length.
"Heh, heh. Looks like you lose this time," Bit said.
Rose winced, but a smirk spread across her lips. "I think you're wrong."
Before the demon could react, she brought her gun up at arm length then fired it, the bullet going straight through the demon's head before killing him all together. She let out a slight cry as she hit the roof of the vehicle hard, leaving a small dent in it. She winced once more as she sat up. Jenai pointed his blade at her throat before she could do anything else, having dropped her gun when she had gotten rid of Bit.
"Azmaria!" Stella cried.
Azmaria winced as the webbing cut into her skin, leaving gashes all over the place as well as ripping her clothing where she had been cut. Arachnia smiled then released the girl from the webbing. Azmaria fell to her knees, tears threatening to come down. But she wouldn't give up just as Rosette wouldn't. She held her gun up.
"May God have mercy upon your soul," Azmaria said, softly, before firing her gun.
Arachnia's eyes widened as she quickly placed a webbing shield in front of herself. The shield blocked the bullet but barely. She growled as she lowered the shield. "If it weren't for the fact that Aion needed you, I would have killed you a long time ago."
Chrno broke the window then climbed out of it, deciding not to fly out of concern for his precious contractor. He didn't want to use any astral energy that was unnecessary. He climbed up the vehicle as best as he could without losing his grip or footing. Finally, he reached the roof. His golden eyes widened when he saw the sight. He growled and quickly got to his feet, rushing forward and punching Jenai in the face causing him to fly back and crash into the roof, leaving a large dent upon it.
Rose looked at Chrno, her eyes widening out of surprise. A smile then spread across her lips at the thought of her partner finally being well.
Jenai growled and stood up, wiping the blood away from his lip as he turned his attention to the purple haired demon. "To be truthful, I hadn't expected that." He smirked. "I thought you would be dead from that halo bullet by now."
"Halo?" Rose questioned then shook her head as she stood up, pointing her gun at Jenai once again. "Explain."
"I have nothing further to say of it," Jenai said, smirking.
Chrno growled then rushed forward, bringing his fist downward, yellow electricity pouring out of it. Jenai quickly blocked the attack with his blade, growling.
"Don't you dare!" Jenai shouted then punched Chrno in the face, his golden spiked knuckles leaving deep gashes in his face.
"Chrno!" Rose cried. She growled, throwing her gun to the side. "That's it. I've had it with you!"
Chrno winced, placing a hand where he had been wounded. He quickly wiped the blood away then turned his attention to Rose, his eyes widening.
Jenai turned his attention to Rose, his eyes widening as well.
Azmaria stayed silent as she eyed the spider demon. A voice then spoke within her mind, a very familiar calm, comforting voice.
"Use the power of the Heavens to defeat your opponent, Az," the voice said.
Azmaria nodded, closing her eyes.
Arachnia watched Azmaria clearly amused.
Rose closed her eyes, a strong white holy energy surrounding her. Her hair began to slightly float pass her shoulders. Her outfit miraculously changed to one that was a long white gown, but still clung to her body much like her militia uniform. The gown seemed to slightly float up as well, but not to the point of where it would leave Chrno blushing for days. She no longer wore boots nor gloves. She was barefoot and hand. The only clothing worn upon her being the simple white gown. The energy seemed to glow brighter as she opened her eyes, them being a lighter shade of blue than they normally were.
Jenai took a step back, putting his sword up to block the blinding light. "It can't be. Impossible!"
"Rosette?" Chrno questioned, concern showing clearly upon his features.
Rose took a step forward; seeming to float on air with each step she took. She reached Chrno's side then placed a gentle hand on the side of his face. "Chrno..." She smiled slightly. "I've caused you so much trouble." She shook her head.
"Rosette, you never-"
"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Rose said before Chrno could protest. She then left his side, taking a few steps towards Jenai. She came to a halt once she was within a few feet of him. "As for you... I'm afraid I can no longer forgive you for your sins. Your sins are far too grievant for anyone to tolerate. You had your choice of finally coming to a halt, but you choice to not repent and continue to do what you sought as being best."
"You are not God. Who are you to say whether I should be forgiven or not?!" Jenai demanded.
"No. I am not. But I am the Saint and as long as I am upon Earth, I shall decide your fate from past and present crimes and kindness you have caused!" Rose said then brought her hands together. Afterwards, she spread them apart, a lance appearing within her hands. She held it above her head then spun it around a few times. Afterwards, she threw it at its target. "And I'm afraid your kindness is nowhere near to surpassing your crimes."
The lance broke through Jenai's armor and went straight through his heart, passing onto the other side of his armor. Holy light seemed to swirl around and within Jenai's body before he completely exploded into small white particles of light. Before dying, Jenai let out a cry of pain; vowing vengeance would be his.
Azmaria began to sing a beautiful melody as light blue energy began to form around her fragile figure. Angelic wings came out from her back as her outfit changed to a sky blue gown that reached her feet. Her light lavender hair flew up slightly along with the gown. She no longer wore any shoes and her hair came loose of its bow, the ribbon falling to the ground.
Arachnia backed up out of fear while Stella stopped the vehicle, watching in awe.
"How can...? What is...?" Arachnia asked, not fully comprehending the situation. She growled and glared at the ceiling. "This is her doing!" She held her hand upward, a large amount of webbing forming within her hand.
Stella growled, climbing over the seats into the back. "I don't think so!" She held her hand out, placing the other over the small green jewel. "Laden!"
The large knight appeared within the vehicle. Stella sent it out towards Arachnia. At that same moment, Azmaria opened her eyes, them being a lighter shade of red. She placed her hands together, the light blue energy leaving her body and forming into a small light blue ball of energy within the palms of her hands. She then shot out the energy once it had grown to the size she wanted. Stella had the knight bring his blade down at the same exact time. Arachnia's eyes widened as she quickly and desperately put up a webbing shield in front of herself. The knight broke through the webbing with ease, the energy ball hitting Arachnia afterwards. Arachnia let out a cry as she fell out from the vehicle.
"You may have won this battle, but you have not won this war!" Arachnia shouted before she disappeared all together.
Rose fell to her knees as the white energy finally left her body. Her eyes turned back to their normal shade of blue while her hair found its place back upon her shoulders. Her outfit changed back to the militia uniform. Sweat was pouring down Rose's face as her breath came out in short wheezes.
"Rosette!" Chrno cried, rushing to her side. He placed one clawed hand underneath her chin, gently titling it upwards as well as turned it so that their eyes met. His eyes held concern while hers held exhaustion.
Rose smiled weakly. "Chrno..." She hugged him much to his surprise, tears filling her eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay."
Chrno embraced the young Saint. "Yeah... But..." He gently held her out at arms length, looking her over for any signs of wounds. He winced at the sight of them. "You need to get patched up. And..." He lifted the clock slightly from its place. "You need to seal this."
Rose shook her head, smiling. "It's fine, Chrno." She placed her hand over his and the clock. "I'll be fine."
Chrno's eyes slightly narrowed. "How much of your life has been used up, Rose?"
"Not much," Rose said, smiling weakly.
That didn't cause Chrno to become any happier. "And how long has the seal been open?"
"Uhhh..." Rose scratched the back of her head. "Well..."
"I knew it," Chrno muttered. "Close it."
"No!" Rose shouted, standing up despite the urge she felt to sit back down since her body felt very weak at the moment.
Chrno stood up as well. "Rosette..."
"I know damn well you're not totally okay," Rose said, looking straight in his eyes, daring him to lie to her.
Chrno remained silent, his gaze turning away from hers.
"I knew it!" Rose cried. She went up to him, catching his gaze with hers once more. "Don't you dare look away. You shouldn't have gotten out of bed to begin with. And if you had absolutely no choice, you should have at least stayed where you were safe. I dragged you along on this mission because it would have been far quicker to get you that medicine than it would have been to just leave you behind. I knew the risks, but I didn't bring you to get yourself into trouble!"
Chrno shook his head, wrapping one arm around her waist suddenly drawing her closer to him as he used his other hand to gently tilt her chin upwards, gazing into her eyes. "If I hadn't come, Jenai could have kidnapped you. I wouldn't have allowed that. It would have..."
"It wouldn't have been your fault," Rose said, softly. "You were ill, very ill."
"It's my fault for becoming ill. If I had known-"
"And you didn't so it wasn't your fault!" Rose cried out of irritation. "Stop blaming yourself for everything!"
Chrno remained silent, speechless at what to say.
Rose smiled, knowing words weren't needed as she stood upon her tiptoes, lightly kissing Chrno in the lips. She hadn't actually meant to kiss him; it just came out of nowhere more than anything else. Chrno's eyes widened slightly out of surprise then closed as he kissed her back, placing his hand that had been on her chin only a few seconds ago on the back of her head deepening the kiss. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing his tongue to pass through her lips. Him and her both battled the other's tongue, enjoying the kiss, both hoping the kiss would never end...
Azmaria fell to her knees out of exhaustion as her outfit changed back to the one she had been wearing earlier, her red eyes darkening back to their normal color while her lavender hair fell back into place. Her breath was coming out in sharp wheezes while a few drops of sweat found their way down her face and onto the ground.
Stella lowered her arm as the knight disappeared. She went beside Azmaria, kneeling down beside her. "You okay, kid?"
Azmaria looked towards Stella, nodding. "Yes. Sorry. Using that power was... Tiring. I've never used it like that before."
Stella nodded in understanding then stood up. Question is... Just where did you get all that power and strength?
And here's yet another long chappie. Not as long as the other, but close enough. Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed it. n.n And dun forget to review on your way out. Thank you in advance.