Sorry about the super long wait, everyone. Had major writer's block and way too much homework. x.x But the chappie's really long. Well, kinda. Anyways, hope all of you enjoy.

dark-sorceress-sakura: Glad you're lovin' it. n.n

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85: x.x Errrrrr… She's not gonna die. I promise. As for Joshua… Just keep on reading the on-going chapters. Well, umm… Aion was able to pull his horns and Chrno's horns out in the show, so… I'm planning on revealing the Apostle of Prudence in the next chapter and, ummm… Yeah.

Lachwen: I'm glad you're enjoying it. And I'll try updating as much as possible, but it is kinda hard to.

Mika Sorano: Glad you think so. n.n

Chobit 00: Glad you loved it and thank you. n.n I wish you and everyone the best as well.

Rythmic Breathing: Lol. I've been trying to update. But it's not dat easy when you're frequently busy or having writer's block.

evilanimeblond22: I'll try. n.n

YumeTakato: I'll try to as often as possible.

Chrno Crusade: The End Is Just The Beginning

By:

Guardian Angel of Innocence

Chapter Fifteen: Eclipse of the Moon

Rose stood upon the upper deck of the ship, looking over its railing at the wide expansion of the ocean around the ship. She smiled as she watched three dolphins jump out from the water then land back in it, repeating the same process all over again. A few seagulls flew by, letting out cries as they flew up higher into the clear blue sky.

"How's he doing?" Stella asked suddenly as she came up beside Rose, also admiring the scenery.

"He's in bed right now sleeping," Rose said then turned to face the jewel summoner, raising an eyebrow when she saw the new outfit she was wearing.

Stella wore a tight aqua green dress that clung to every curve of her body quite nicely. The dress had a low v-neck, but not low enough to reveal anything that shouldn't be seen. On top of her head was a hat that matched the dress with a dark green ribbon going around the top of the hat then being tied off into a bow. Upon her feet were aqua green heels.

Stella nodded. "I see." There was a short moment of silence before she chose to speak again. "You should go get changed. That outfit doesn't suit you while we're on here."

Rose gave her a look, but nodded, leaving the railing and heading to the dorms.

Azmaria was sitting in the library reading a book on the past of the Sinners, most of it being summarized by Chrno when the book had been written. She closed her eyes as she imagined the events that had taken place when Aion had taken Pandemonia's head. She heard someone pulling up a seat beside her and opened her eyes to see who it was.

A young girl sat down, a large old book within her hands. Her eyes were green while her hair was short and pink, slightly curling at the ends. Her skin was deeply tanned and it almost appeared as though the girl frequently got sunburned causing Azmaria to come to the conclusion that the girl loved doing anything that was outside. Her ears were oddly pointed at their ends causing Azmaria to wonder whether the girl was a demon or not. She appeared to be the age of eight, her height showing it very well. Her outfit consisted of small white artist hat, white coat that buttoned up then tied much like a robe, a beige button up t-shirt, a beige skirt, white tights, and brown cowboy boots that went a little above her ankles. Upon her wrists were a pair of silver bracelets on each one decorated with exquisite diamonds and sapphires.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do ya?" the girl asked sweetly, smiling.

Azmaria shook her head. "No. Not at all." She smiled.

"I'm Mariah," the girl said, holding out her hand.

"Azmaria," Az said, shaking the girl's hand.

A glint lit Mariah's eyes.

Rose turned the knob of the door to her room, slowly opening it so as not to wake the person within it. Once inside, she gently shut the door then went over to the closet, looking through the outfits that would be appropriate to wear. There's going to be a ball while we're eating isn't there? There always is in these types of ships. A frown found its way across her face as her mind went into thought about the dancing and music that would be occurring around her. She shook her head and grabbed out a dress. "Then you'll have to do because I'm definitely not wearing one of those big poofy gowns." She looked towards the boy-demon-Chrno-on the bed, his eyes shut while his breathing came out evenly, only a few coughs coming out here and there as well as some blood with it.

Rose smiled at the peaceful expression upon her partner's face then went into the bathroom to change into the dress not trusting Chrno to stay asleep while she changed. After a few minutes, she finally came out and admired herself in the large mirror, twirling around a few times causing the dress to slightly fly up as though it were a dress fit for one who did ballet.

The dress was made from silk and clung nicely to her body being very loose towards the bottom. It was strapless and dark blue, reaching a little below her knees. A ruby heart brooch was pinned to it in the upper left part of the dress, diamonds outlining it. She wore long white silken gloves that reached her elbows and dark blue heels. Her hair was pulled back in a semi-ponytail being tied with a dark blue ribbon. The only make-up she wore was red lipstick.

"That looks very nice on you," a voice said, suddenly interrupting Rose from her thoughts.

Rose quickly spun around, grabbing out her gun from one of the holsters strapped to her thighs out of habit and pointed it at the one who had spoken.

The one who had spoken was none other than Chrno who had placed his clawed hands up as though he were being arrested by cops.

Rose let out a sigh of relief, putting the gun away. She then blushed out of embarrassment from being so paranoid and from something more, the deep feelings she felt for the demon…

"Rose, I don't think I should go down there looking like this," Chrno said as though sensing the sudden awkwardness.

Rose placed her hands on her hips. "And why not?! Look, I don't care what everyone else thinks about demons, but their views about it are nothing about you because you're not the stereotypical kind!" She went up to him, determination written across her face. "If they try to even harm you or anything, they'll have to get pass me because I won't allow them to. I don't care if they start treating me badly because of that. No one deserves to be treated badly just because those people hold something against that person's overall race based on what the majority thought instead of the minority! It's plain prejudice and it's stupid!"

Chrno was taken aback by this slightly, though, he really shouldn't have been all that surprise considering she had never feared him whenever it came to their first meetings whether it was when she was Mary Magdalene and being kidnapped by him or when she was Rosette Christopher stumbling upon a tomb with her brother and finding him next to a coffin. He smiled and nodded. "Very well then, but what do you suggest I wear?"

Rose smiled. "An outfit I bought for you, of course!"

Stella looked up at the night, cloudy, sky, the stars' light hardly making it through while the moon's rays showed through slits of clouds, almost creating a holy-like atmosphere where the rays touched, one of the places being upon the ship. She closed her eyes, breathing in the harsh, cold air before opening her eyes and turning around to walk down the deck.

"Excuse me, but do you perhaps know where the ballroom is?" a lady asked her.

Stella looked up from the wooden floor and at the woman.

The girl had long flowing orange hair that reached her waist and yellow green eyes. She was strikingly tall, her figure being very thin but not so much to give people the impression she was a stick. Her ears were also pointed at the ends while her lips were covered in red lipstick. Her outfit compromised of a tight black short sleeved dress with a slit on the right side of it that reached a little above her ankles, a black rose attached to the dress in the upper left portion, and black heels. She appeared to be at least eighteen or nineteen.

"You might as well follow me," Stella said. "I have to go there to meet with some of my… Comrades anyway." She began going upon her path once more, the young woman following. "I'm Stella, by the way."

"I go by the name of Ruby," the woman replied then looked up at the cloud-covered full moon, a grin spreading across her lips.

Rose smiled as she finally got the full suit upon Chrno's body, him and her both having had trouble putting the shirt and coat on him. After a bunch of blushes and nervous laughs as well as cries of frustration, they both had finally gotten him ready for dinner. She took a step back to admire the purple haired demon's outfit.

The outfit was a tuxedo, the coat being a light shade of brown as well as the pants, his long sleeve shirt being white. His tie was also black while his dress shoes were black.

Rose's smile widened as she dragged her partner over to the mirror so he could see how fabulous he looked for himself.

Chrno sweatdropped. "I look like I'm a business man in the Wild West."

"Well, if you got black, it would clash with my outfit. I think dark colors should have their partners be light. Since I'm wearing dark blue you should wear light brown," Rose explained.

Chrno frowned. "Rose, you always wear blue and I normally always wear red."

"If I got you red, you would look like some bloody guy and that would just make things worse than they already are!" Rose cried, pouting since she preferred her choice of clothing to what Chrno was suggesting.

Chrno sighed in defeat, shaking his head. "You're so stubborn, Rose."

Rose smirked slightly then grabbed one of his clawed hands. "Come on! We're going to be late and Stella's going to kill me if we embarrass her!" She opened the door with her free hand and winced as a sharp pain went through her whole arm causing her to quickly recoil her hand from the knob.

Chrno instantly became concerned. "Rose, what is it?"

Rose held her arm, looking down at her wrist, which happened to be the source of the pain. Her eyes widened when she saw a cross mark etched into her wrist, blood coming out from it. Oh, no… She was about to take her other hand away from Chrno's knowing that her other wrist would most likely hold the cross mark and would also be bleeding; she didn't want Chrno to know nor anyone else knowing the conclusion they would come to, but she was too late. Chrno had already spotted it.

His eyes widened when he saw the blood going down Rose's left wrist and widened even more at the sight of the cross scar. "Stigmata…?!"

Rose looked at Chrno, tears filling her eyes, then looked away. "I'm sorry… Chrno."

Chrno closed his eyes as memories of the past three incarnations having those same marks ran through his head. He opened them afterwards and dragged her into the bathroom before she could protest. "The others mustn't know."

"I know…" Rose said, quietly. "But how do you expect to hide the bandages?" She glared at the blood stained gloves she was wearing. "Blood either doesn't come off at all or is very hard to get rid of."

"I'm sure you bought an extra pair and, if not, I have my own you could borrow," Chrno said then blushed. "It was a gift for later on, but this is more important so…" He shrugged as he opened the medicine cabinet, grabbing out a roll of medical tape and some gauze.

Rose blushed as well, slowly nodding. "I… See."

Chrno placed the gauze over the cross marks, trying his best not to touch the blood knowing the effect it would have upon him then grabbed the tape, rolling it over the gauze until it was secured then ripping the tape off at the end with his claws. He stood up then went back into the room, Rose following. He then opened up the dresser's drawer next to his bed, grabbing out a small box. He opened it up revealing white silken gloves, handing them to Rose.

Rose took the gloves looking at them in awe. "Chrno… These must have been really expensive!" Her face filled slightly with panic. "I could never accept such a-"

"I told you, Rosette, it's a gift," Chrno said, smiling. He went over to her, wrapping one hand over her wrist. "It was my mother's… And I want you to have it."

Rose's eyes widened. "Your… Mother's?"

Chrno nodded. "Yes." He blushed as he turned his back to her, fidgeting slightly. "I would have given them to you sooner, but I…" He turned a deeper shade of red.

Rose watched him puzzled by his sudden nervousness, going up to him so that she could see his tomato red face. "Why are you… Blushing?"

Chrno let out a breath, trying to keep his face from going any redder if at all possible. "Mother told me a long time ago, before I had joined Aion, to give these gloves to the woman I would… That would be my… Ummm…"

Rose's face suddenly turned to several shades of red as she finally caught onto what Chrno meant. "That you would marry?! Your wife?! Your…" She turned even redder if at all possible. "Mate?!?!?!"

Chrno smiled sheepishly, his face still very red, as he nodded. "Yes, my… Mate."

Rose's eyes widened.

"Am I… Interrupting something?" a small voice suddenly asked.

Rose and Chrno both turned to face the person who had spoken to see Azmaria and Mariah.

Rose instantly mentally thanked the young Apostle for interrupting her and Chrno, going over to her while hoping her blush had finally left her face. "Not at all, Az." She looked at the other girl before turning her attention back to Azmaria. "What is it that you need?"

"My dress," Azmaria said, slightly sweatdropping. "It's almost dinner time."

"Ah! Right!" Rose said. "Well, your dress should be in the closet. We'll be waiting here for you until you're ready." She smiled.

Azmaria nodded, smiling. "Okay! And this is Mariah, by the way." She ushered towards the young girl standing next to her before running into the closet in search of her clothing then running into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mariah. I'm Rose and this is my friend, Chrno," Rose said then spotted the girl's pointed ears. She smiled. "He's a demon just like you."

"You know I'm a…?" the girl asked, not finishing her sentence.

Rose nodded. "Your ears aren't normal. Any nonobservant person wouldn't notice it or those who are untrained in the art of demons, however, I'm a Sister from the Magdalan Order so, of course, I would instantly recognize that. However, even if I wasn't, I would still be able to since my friend's a demon."

Mariah nodded in understanding.

Stella watched her watch through narrowed eyes, Ruby standing beside her with her arms crossed. The two were within the luxurious dining ballroom. The high domed ceilings were decorated with celestial beings and crystal chandeliers while the tiled floor was covered in a few places by crimson rugs with gold trimming around them. The people were dressed magnificently, holding crystal goblets full of champagne while chatting merrily with their fellow companions. The music playing in the background was of the classical type such as Frank Sinatra and Mozart, people dancing elegantly to the songs.

"They're late," Stella said through gritted teeth. The people at their table were waiting for her and her counterparts and, though they didn't appear it, she knew full heartedly well that they were becoming just as impatient as she was.

"Perhaps they are merely busy," Ruby said, tapping her foot upon the ground out of irritation.

"Busy? With exactly what?" Stella asked. "Rose is just doing this to annoy me." She sighed and shook her head.

"Perhaps it is best that you two ladies take your seats. I'm sure those three will join us shortly," a voice said, the two young women turning to face the owner of the voice.

A young man stood in front of them appearing to in his early twenties. Long white hair cascaded down his head ending a little below his shoulders, his white bangs slightly covering his violet eyes that were watching the two intently, a smile plastered upon his face. His clothing was all white, it being a tuxedo while clear spectacles covered his eyes and black dress shoes covered his feet.

He looks oddly familiar, Stella thought, eyeing the man suspiciously.

"Ah. Charles," Ruby said, her gaze lowering to the ground. "I do not believe we should have to wait for those three."

Charles went up to her, placing a hand underneath her chin and gently tilting it up so she was gazing into his eyes. "But we must. Patience is one of the heavenly virtues, my dear Ruby. And we must have patience or all may fall to failure just as all great ancient cities have."

Stella watched the two feeling nostalgic as faint blurry memories ran through her mind. She shook her head and was about to say something when a voice suddenly broke her train of thought.

"We're here! Sorry we're late, Stella!" Rose cried, running down the stairs while trying not to trip, Azmaria, Mariah, and Chrno close behind.

Stella's eyebrow twitched slightly as the people around her glanced at the blonde haired nun then at her as though trying to figure out just how the two knew the other. She went up to Rose when she finally reached the end of the stairs. She was about to yell at Rose for being late and not having a good reason for the cause most likely when she spotted the dress Azmaria was wearing, wondering how much the outfits that Chrno, Rose, and Azmaria were wearing cost.

Azmaria's dress was a light golden yellow, had spaghetti straps, and reached a little below her knees. She wore matching low heels and carried a matching purse that had a small light yellow flower attached to it near the zipper. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, tied with a matching bow, a few strands of hair being left to hang in the front. A topaz flower brooch hung in the center of her chest, her lips covered in baby yellow lipstick.

Stella's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Rose began to walk away towards their table, Chrno and Azmaria following after. "Rose!" She went up to the young nun, grabbing her by the shoulder then spinning her around so that she looked into her glaring eyes. "Just exactly how did you pay for all that clothes?"

"Well… You see…"

Chrno sat down at the table, Azmaria sitting down beside him.

"It's so pretty," Azmaria said, stars in her eyes.

"Yeah. Sure is," Mariah said, having sat down next to Azmaria. She placed her hands behind her head as Ruby and Charles took their seats across from them.

"So… I hear that there's yet another Apostle Aion and his group are missing," Ruby said, leaning forward slightly, trying to catch Chrno's attention.

Chrno looked at Ruby, a puzzled expression upon his face. "Yes. There is. Just how might you know?"

"My boy, we work for the Order of Venice. Surely we would know such important matters. We're returning there now to discuss with the council on how to handle this," Charles replied, calmly.

Azmaria remained silent, sensing that something didn't seem quite right with this sudden situation. "Why were you here to begin with and not within your Order?"

"We are representatives of Venice and had to hold a meeting with the Magdalan Order. It seems that the humans are beginning to show themselves once more and as such, we must be ready to end this war. The sooner, the better. We can't have any innocent lives lost due to a demon's selfish ambitions," Ruby said.

Azmaria nodded in understanding.

"You what?!" Stella cried, clearly enraged by the news she had received. "What made you think you could use my credit card to buy your way through?!"

"Unlike you, not everyone in this world is totally rich!" Rose defended.

Stella just settled for giving her a glare before joining the others at the table, Rose doing the same.

Rose took her seat beside Chrno, Stella sitting beside her.

Chrno looked towards Rose, sweatdropping when he saw the two girls were clearly arguing over something once again. He sighed and shook his head before looking back at Charles. His eyes narrowed in suspicion since the white haired man looked highly familiar except he was positive he had never seen the man in his whole entire life. So, why did Charles appear to be so familiar?

"Do you have any idea who the other Apostle may be?" Azmaria asked, softly.

"No, but…" Ruby chuckled quietly then leaned forward slightly. "Let's just say that my woman intuition says we'll be meeting this Apostle soon enough."

Stella raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent.

"May I have this dance, Ma'am?" a blonde haired man asked, offering his hand.

Stella turned to face the man. She stayed silent for a moment before giving her hand to him. "Yes, you may." She removed her hat, setting it on the table, then joined the man upon the dance floor.

Rose felt a strong sense of nostalgic, suddenly being reminded of the night at the carnival. She shook her head trying to rid her mind of the thought.

"Wow. Miss Stella looks wonderful," Azmaria said, stars in her eyes.

Rose frowned and looked at the red haired jewel summoner and her partner, her eyebrow beginning to twitch.

Ruby watched the pair then turned her attention to Charles. "Shall we?"

"Of course," Charles said, grinning. He stood up and took Ruby's hand, leading her to the dance floor where they began dancing.

Rose stood up. "I'm going back to the upper deck to get some air. This room just doesn't suit me and I'd just be embarrassing Stella again." She smiled weakly before heading towards the stairs.

"Rosette…" Chrno said quietly.

"Ah! I'll go with-"

Mariah held a restraining hand upon Azmaria's shoulder, shaking her head. "Let them be by themselves for a while. Something tells me they should enjoy themselves while they still can."

Azmaria looked at Mariah and slowly nodded. "Okay…"

Rose looked over the railing at the deep ebony sea below her. She closed her eyes as she breathed in the ice-cold air; ignoring the chills it sent her body. The cool breeze slightly blew by causing some strands of hair to fly in front of her face much to her annoyance. She frowned and opened her eyes, pulling the flying strands back behind her ears. She then let out a long sigh.

"Rosette, what's wrong?" a voice asked.

Rose gave the owner of the voice a questioning look until she saw that it was only Chrno who stood next to her. She turned her attention towards the horizon ahead of her. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. But…" She placed a hand over her watch, turning her attention back to the purple haired demon that had been watching the horizon as well but was now watching her, his eyes full of concern. "I have this unnerving feeling something bad is going to happen…"

Mariah frowned as she watched the two couples continue dancing. She let out a sigh and shook her head. A wide grin then spread across her face as a sudden idea sprang into her mind. She turned to face the Apostle of Charity giddily. "Az! Let's go explore and stuff! I know this really cool place where we can hang out on!"

Azmaria gave the young girl a puzzled expression. "But wouldn't it better if we stayed here? Rosette and the others may become worried."

"Az! Who cares about them! Besides, I'm sure they do realize we're just on a ship. I mean, what can possibly go wrong?" Mariah said.

"Well… Have you seen Titanic?" Azmaria asked, quietly.

Mariah frowned then rolled her eyes. "That's beyond the point and chances of this ship hitting an iceberg is slim to none." She grabbed the violet haired girl's hand before she could protest any further then began heading in the direction of the stairs. "Seriously, Az, you worry way too much for your own good."

The man twirled Stella around then caught her in his arms. Stella simply smiled as many people around them watched in awe. However, Stella's smile instantly vanished to be replaced by an expression full of suspicion and curiosity when she saw Mariah leading Azmaria away from the dining room. Normally, Stella would have just assumed they were heading back to their dorms having become tired from the night's events, but, by the sights of their faces, she knew neither of them were tired and it appeared more like Azmaria was trying to persuade the other girl into not leaving the room. She came to a halt in midway turning then got out of the man's hold.

"I'm sorry to end this dance so early, but other things call for attention," Stella said then turned to walk towards the stairs.

Charles and Ruby danced in Stella's way, both smiling widely as they came to a halt.

"Why ever did you stop dancing?" Ruby asked. "I'm sure your partner feels guilty. I bet you he believes he did something wrong."

"I have more important matters at hand," Stella said, quickly, as she watched Azmaria and Mariah go up the stairs.

"And what matters would those be?" Charles asked, calmly.

Stella watched him through narrowed eyes, her suspicions seeming to grow in length. "Matters that are strictly none of your business." With that said, she walked pass the two before they could pull her asunder again then continued on her way.

Chrno's brows furrowed as he thought over what Rose had said. "Bad?"

Rose nodded then looked up at the sky, her eyes suddenly widening. "I didn't know there was an eclipse tonight."

Chrno looked in the direction of her gaze to see the moon slowly begin to darken. It was then that his illness decided to act up once more. He winced and fell to his knees as an enormous pain suddenly clutched his whole body.

Rose looked down at her demon partner anxiously, quickly running to his side. Her expression was full of concern and her heart was pounding with fear. "Chrno!"

Chrno continued to wince, placing one clawed hand over his heart where he clinched the fabric of the clothing tightly creating small holes in it. Sweat began to pour down his face as a shiver passed down his spine.

Rose took his free hand in both her hands as she could only watch with horror. "Chrno…" Tears filled her eyes but she ignored them, standing up as she tried to urge for Chrno to do the same. "Chrno, we can't stay out here with you acting like this!"

Chrno knew she was right, but he couldn't move. If he even tried to stand, his legs would slip out from beneath him as though they were made of jelly. The pain only seemed to intensify as Rose tried with all her might to get him up. The world around him began to spin uncontrollably. He groaned and leaned against Rose as best as he could without creating an unbalance, which would cause them both to fall to the ground.

Rose's expression changed to one of determination as she took Chrno's arm and placed it around her shoulders then used her arm to support him while using her free hand to hold Chrno's free hand. She knew she would have to keep the pace slow for Chrno's sake and she would despite the urge she felt to quickly run to the room they both shared.

Mariah began running, dragging Azmaria with her.

Azmaria reluctantly followed, though, she didn't have much of a choice due to the fact Mariah was still holding her by the hand. She looked around at the doors they passed and watched as Mariah quickly slammed open a door that led downstairs to a lower part of the ship. She tried to keep up with the young girl, but each step taken threatened to trip her. Her breath began to come out in pants as sweat began to go down her face. "Ma… Ri… Ah… Why… Are… We… Running?"

"More running! Questions later!" Mariah said, not bothering to slow down and only seemed to quicken her speed.

Azmaria looked behind shoulder, trying to see exactly what they were running away from. To her dismay, she saw nothing behind them. She turned her attention back ahead, trying to get Mariah's attention once more.

Stella ran down the hall and came to a halt when she spotted a man. She asked him if he had seen two girls running by, describing them to him. He simply answered her by nodding and pointed a finger down the hall, telling her that they had gone to the stairs that lead to the engine room. He told her he hadn't a clue as to why they would go there. She simply nodded and gave him her thanks, running once again in the direction of the two young girls.
Rose walked down the hall when she spotted Stella turn a corner, going down the stairs after she opened the door that lead to them. She raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by this. She just shook her head and began walking again when she spotted the same man Stella had spoken to earlier. "Hey. Do you know where that lady's going?"

"She's running after these two girls that had ran by earlier," the man explained. "One had long violet hair and red eyes. She was about almost to your shoulder in height. The other-"

Rose didn't need any further explaining, immediately catching on to what girls he meant. "Thanks!" She began walking once more before the man could continue.

"Something's… Wrong, Rosette," Chrno said, panting. "Why would… Azmaria… And Stella… And…."

"…You're right," Rose said, thinking the events over in her mind. Chrno becoming sick all of the sudden… Azmaria running off with that other girl… Stella chasing after them… The Order of Venice being here… It's all too much to be a coincidence.

Mariah slammed open the large iron door in front of her and Azmaria as they finally came to the end of the stairs. She then led the young Apostle through the engine room, the heat within it causing the two girls to sweat even more than they already were.

Azmaria felt as though she were going to kill over any second now. Her heart was beating frantically, her legs numbed, and her breathing was coming in fast pants. "Ma-ri-ah-I-can't-run-anymore."

"You're a strong girl. Besides, we're almost there," Mariah said with a large grin before she slammed yet another door open, going into the luggage room. It was here that she immediately hid underneath the stairs that lead up to a higher room, dragging Azmaria along with her. The two kneeled down and stayed silent and motionless.

Stella entered the room and Azmaria was about to call out her name, but Mariah placed her hand over her mouth, shaking her head.

"Az, trust me, you don't want to do that," Mariah said, a glint illuminating her eyes.

Azmaria suddenly shook from fear. She was no longer confused or tired; she was in shock and horror at the thoughts that came to her mind of her fate.

Stella slowly walked around the room, seeming to check under and over anything that came in sight. She had a sneaking suspicion about the demon girl and they were only growing in length.

Mariah peeked slightly over the boxes that obscured her and Azmaria for the time being, but she knew Stella would eventually come looking in their particular area. She turned her attention to Azmaria and whispered, "Now follow me. As long as you do as I say, no one will be harmed." She ushered towards Stella before turning around and crawling on all hands and knees towards the beginning of the staircase.

Azmaria looked towards Stella through a gap between the boxes before reluctantly following Mariah.

Rose opened the door to Chrno's room then gently sat him down on the bed. She took a few steps back, her expression etching with concern. "Chrno, I-"

"I'll… Be fine," Chrno said, giving her a weak smile. "You… Had better go now… It may be too late…. If you don't…"

Rose nodded, her features changing to one of determination, though, her eyes still held concern for the purple haired demon.

"Go," Chrno said and pointed a finger at the door.

Rose nodded once more and ran out of the room, heading back towards the hall she had seen Stella.

Stella growled out of frustration as she looked around the luggage room. She did come across the hiding place of Azmaria and Mariah, but she only found, much to her disappointment, no one. She let out a sigh of exasperation until she caught a glimpse of the door above the stairs. Her eyes narrowed even more so when she saw Mariah and Azmaria crawling on their hands and knees toward it. She watched as Mariah slowly stood up and reached out a hand towards the knob. Stella smirked slightly then held out her hand, the green jewel beginning to glow. "Laden!" The green knight suddenly appeared as she had the knight swing its blade in front of the young demon.

"Dammit!" Mariah cursed and glared daggers at the jewel summoner.

"Azmaria!" Stella cried, ignoring the demon.

Before Azmaria could run down to the red haired young woman, Mariah gave her a glare. "Remember, dear Az, if you don't do as I say, someone may get hurt. And by that, I don't mean myself."

Azmaria hung her head in defeat, tears threatening to release themselves.

Chrno inched back slightly until his back was against the wall. He let out a breath as he felt his body begin to relax slightly so that the pain was no longer as excruciating as it had been earlier. He looked out the small window, hoping that Rose, Stella, and Azmaria were all right. It was then that he heard the steel door give way causing him to quickly get up and get into a defensive stance. He felt his muscles tense as his body began to hurt once more. But the pain isn't what made his eyes widen suddenly…
Rose ran down the hall and down the stairs, grabbing out one of her strapped guns. She growled as she tripped a few times causing her to gain a few bruises here and there. Truthfully, she was surprised she hadn't broken or sprained anything yet. Once she had reached the bottom of the stairs and tripped yet again, she took her heels off and threw them to the side.

"Whoever made high heels in the first place should die," Rose mumbled as she carefully walked through the engine room. She went over to one of the men and asked if he had seen two girls and a young woman run through. She quickly nodded to his response when she found it to be a yes then began running once more.

Mariah frowned as she looked at the large knight then looked at Stella. "Are you seriously going to use that thing in here? You might as well sink the ship while you're at it. This ship can hold a lot of weight, but…" She pointed her finger to the ceiling. "There's not much space up there for something gigantic. And the room's no better considering one horizontal swing of that blade could cut the whole room in half, thus, allowing the water in."

"That maybe so, but I'm not going to allow you to get away," Stella said.

Mariah shrugged. "Your loss." She reached into her pocket, grabbing out a gun. "I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to fight you then. I can't go against the orders of Lord Aion, now can I?"

"Aion?!" Stella cried. Her eyes narrowed. "Reveal yourself!"

"Very well then," Mariah said then sighed. "It seems I've blown my cover. I hope Lord Aion forgives me." She reached into her other pocket, grabbing out a small device. She pressed the button, suddenly becoming slightly taller, her body features changing as well.

Azmaria let out a gasp and took a step back.

Stella's eyes widened then narrowed once more. "You!"

A grin spread across the demon's face. "That's right. It's me. Emerald."

"Well, Emerald, it's time you said your prayers," a new voice said.

The three girls turned their attention towards a few crates to see Rose standing on them with her gun aimed at Emerald.

"Rose!" Azmaria and Stella both cried out in unison.

Rose smirked slightly before releasing the gospel bullet.

Emerald's eyes widened as she desperately made a run for the door, trying to get pass the large blade. However, none of it worked and the bullet soon rid of her…

Two figures stood at the doorway, their true forms being revealed.

"Chrno, give up while you still can. You and I both know you haven't the strength to fight back," the first figure said.

Chrno growled. "Aion…!"

Aion sighed. "As usual, you are being difficult. Very well then. Arachnia, you know what to do."

Arachnia nodded, taking a step forward as a smirk made itself known. "Such a shame that I have to do it this way, but orders are orders, Chrno." She held out her hand, web forming within her hand.

And, while all this was occurring, the sky became pitch black except for the luminous stars….
Once again, hoped you enjoyed it. And sorry 'bout the cliffhanger. I'll try to put up the next chapter way sooner. And dun forget to review on your way out. Ja!