Okay, then, here's a long un for those of you who I know wanted it. Hope you like it!

Summary: When Rosette went to bed the night before, she was in 1924. When she woke up the next day, she was in Eden… unmistakably 54 years in the past.

WARNING: This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Return to Times of Yore
By GundamWingFanatic90
Submitted: 26 September 2005

Past, Eden, Rosette

I laughed heartily at the sight before me, though I was only about half-aware due to the alcohol in my system. Aion was passed out on the floor; Rizelle was poker-faced in her chair, a mountain of about 734 shot glasses stacked in front of her; Chrono sat across from Rizelle, seeming bored, his own mountain of 735 shot glasses spreading across the table towards me; Genai was singing something terribly off-key to my left, dancing wildly with an utterly intoxicated Shader; and Viede, who hadn't touched more than 4 glasses of Scotch, was watching the whole thing, much like I was, from the sidelines. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that I'd have a humongous hangover in the morning, but I paid it no mind, instead enjoying the moment as long as possible.

"Yeh knoooow, Chronooo," Genai was now slurring, "if you drrrink much morrre, yeh mayht die of alcohawl poishoning!" I blinked. Could demons really die of alcohol poisoning?

"Yeah, Ku-hic-ro-no!" Shader exclaimed, hiccupping in the middle of her sentence. "Eeether that, er yer hooornsh'll be sho drooownned wish likker that yeh'll hafta geyt a Cooonnntracter teh reshtore yer Asshtruhl." I took a moment to translate what she said. 'Either that, or your horns'll be so drowned with liquor that you'll have to get a Contractor to restore your Astral.' Yeah. That about summed it up. Suddenly feeling melancholy without my partner in his 12-year-old form by my side, I rose from the table, swaying dangerously as the world spun around me. The current Chrono looked up at me, his usual poker face still in place.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. I could swear that there was a hint of concern in his crimson eyes.

"I… I'm just gonna get some air." I said. Surprisingly, I was sobering up quite quickly, no longer slurring though I could feel a migraine-class headache coming on. "I'll be okay, don't worry. Keep drinking, I dare ya." With that, I turned and walked out of the dining room and out into the cool night air. I remembered the layout of Eden well, much to my amazement, and I guessed that it must have been from what I'd seen of it in Chrono's memories. I walked over to the edge of the floating platform and sat down, drawing my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on their caps, wrapping my arms around my shins in the process. A long time ago, I may have been scared at the extreme height at which I now sat, but as I said, that was a long time ago, and this was now. All of the times I had flown with Chrono in his demon form had helped to dispel that fear, and I could not sense it returning any time soon. I gazed out over the land far below, not truly seeing it, and before long, I felt a familiar, and yet, alien presence behind me, hearing his footsteps a second after.

"Hello, Chrono. Who won?" I asked without turning around. The wind played with my hair and cooled my hot face, flushed from the alcohol running rampant through me. I knew the answer to my question even before he shrugged and told me,

"Rizelle." He sat down next to me after a second's hesitation, and when he did, I could see a redness creeping up the sides of his neck and face, all the way up to the tips of his delicately pointed ears. We were silent for a long time, each lost in our own thoughts. Finally, he broke it with a question.

"So… how much time do you have left, Rosette?" I swallowed hard at the sound of my name coming from his lips. He said it the same way as he said it in my time. I guess that with my best friend, things didn't change, after all. I didn't care that my uniform's slits up the sides were revealing my bloomers and all of my legs, didn't care that I was getting cold, didn't care that I wasn't going to be able to find Joshua at this rate. All I cared about was the demon at my side, who didn't truly care about me. Or, at least, not much.

"Not enough. Not enough for anything." I whispered in reply. "Just enough to hopefully allow me to find my brother with a few seconds to spare." I looked over at him. "But at this rate, it doesn't seem like that'll ever happen. I'll die before I'm even born."

"What happened to convince you to make the Contract?" he asked. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" I countered.

"Because I want to know if I'm evil enough to coerce you into doing it, or if you did it of your own free will." he retorted. My ever-present smile widened a bit more, and I turned my gaze back to the ground far below.

"Circumstances landed you sleeping in a grave for 50 years, and when my little brother and I finally woke you up, your stores of Astral energy were so depleted that you were weak just from the first few movements you made." I said softly, nostalgic memories making my gaze soften and my smile broaden a little more. "You were in a 12-year-old form, a form that seemed the same age as I was at the time. I don't think that you'd be able to coerce me, no offense. No, I asked you to make a Contract with me so that we could help my brother." A sudden pain in my chest made me gasp, and I clutched the spot over my heart, my hand making my Militia uniform rumple a little as I grasped onto it.

Agh, damn! I thought bitterly. It really hurts this time! A hand fell onto my shoulder, and I turned to meet Chrono's steady gaze. Sweat slid down my face and into the collar of my uniform as he asked,

"What hurts?" I almost laughed. Almost.

"Maa, it's nothing." I ground out. "Just a little pain. It's not the worst, believe me…" I managed to flash him a weak grin. "If it was really bad, I wouldn't even be able to think straight." The spell ebbed, and I was able to breathe again, and I gave a half-hearted chuckle. "The only time that's happened was in San Francisco when we were fighting Aion… You went berserk and released the seal on your own… Now, I probably won't live 'til I'm 17." I smiled at him, a genuinely thankful smile. "But that's okay. As long as I find Joshua and you are both beside me, I'll have no regrets when I die." He was silent, gazing down at the earth below us, and I did the same, taking my left arm and hesitantly putting it around his waist. He jumped at the contact and scooted away. I felt a pang of hurt flash through my heart at the rejection, but I shook it from my mind and began to rise to my feet. Chrono did the same, but as he did, he turned green and clapped a hand to his mouth. I could tell that he was fighting bile. In an instant I was by his side, my hands on his shoulders.

"Sit down." I commanded. He did as ordered and sunk to his knees. "Now lean over the side of the ledge until it passes, ok?" Again, he followed my instructions, and pulled his hand away from his mouth to grip the edge of Eden. Nothing happened for a moment while I sat next to him, my side pressed against his for anchorage, one hand on one of his shoulders, and the other rubbing small circles on his back. Unfortunately, his sickness didn't pass, and he threw up over the side of the flying fortress, emptying his stomach into the air, coughing between retches and dry-heaves. I hurriedly pulled his violet hair out of his face, holding it with one hand while I rubbed circles on the middle of his back, softly singing my favorite song.

"None sing so wildly well as the angel Israfel

And the giddy stars (so legends tell) ceasing their hymns,

Attend the spell of his voice all mute

Tottering above in her highest noon,

The enamored moon blushes with love

Yes, heaven is thine,

But this is a world of sweet and sours

Our flowers are merely flowers,

And the shadow of thy perfect bliss,

Is the sunshine of ours." When I finished, Chrono had stopped his vomiting, and was bent over woozily, his forehead touching his forearms, which were perched on the edge. Without a word, I reached into my pouch and withdrew a plain white handkerchief with a cross embroidered on the corner, and, helping him to sit up straight, I gently dabbed away the sweat from his face before cleaning away the remainder of the bile from his chin.

"Ssh… you'll be okay…" I breathed in his ear. He groaned and slumped forward again, seeming to still feel ill, and I put my left hand on the center of his back, my right resting firmly on his shoulder.

"Put your head between your knees and breathe deeply, if you can." He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye, but did as he was told, not feeling up to arguing. A few seconds passed, and all I could see was the back of his red bandana and his purple hair, and then, his quiet voice drifted to my ears, croaky from the abuse his stomach had put his throat through.

"Why are you helping me?" I smiled a little.

"Because… you're my friend. If I was in my own time, I'd still help you." I proclaimed softly. "Even if I didn't know you very well, I'd help you. But as it is, you're my best friend, the one I know best out of the Sinners. I don't expect anything from you in this time, but I still care about you, and I'll help you, to all ends, whatever the cost."

"But why?" I stared at him, wondering if he had heard my speech at all. "I heard you, don't worry, but… why would you feel that way about me?" My soft grin returned, and I put my arms around his shoulders in a friendly hug.

"Because you've helped me in more ways than I can count. Please, Chrono, remember that… despite whatever comes in the future." I caught a flash of red as he turned his head and glanced up at me, but after that, it disappeared again, my companion putting his head down again.

"Why would I forget that?" he croaked after a moment. I remained silent, my smirk slowly fading.

"You'll see, I guess… in the near future…" My voice was quiet, my words fleeting, and in a little, I shook my head.

"Anyway, are you feeling a bit better, my friend?" I asked. A groan was his reply, and I laughed a little bit. "Good, 'cause you need to go get some sleep. Trust me, it works. That is, until you wake up in the morning." I added this with a wink and a smirk as I helped him to rise to his feet and put his arm across my shoulders, one hand holding his wrist while the other situated itself around his waist. He was too ill to argue, holding his stomach with his right hand as we made our way slowly to where I remembered his room being located. Once there, I unlocked it and we went inside. To my surprise, it was a pretty Spartan place, only containing the bare essentials for life. A twin-sized bed sat against the right wall where it met the one directly across from the door, and a nightstand sat next to the bed with a lamp on top. A desk and chair sat against the left wall with a lamp on the corner of it, as well. In the far wall there was the door to a closet, and a bathroom branched off next to the said storage space. With Chrono's groan and my own growing migraine in mind, I maneuvered us over to the bed and sat him down on its edge, helping him to lie on his back before removing his belt, coat, and boots. There was a lingering green tinge to his cheeks, so I hastily fetched a wastebasket from the bathroom and placed it beside his bed near his head, and, tired, I sunk gratefully into a chair that was conveniently located near his midriff.

"Ugh… do you people always drink this heavily here?" I asked him, making a mild attempt at humor. A small chuckle met my ears, and I could tell that he actually did have a sense of humor back in this time- not that I didn't think he did when I saw his memories, I just thought it was buried very, very deeply.

"No, not really. Just on special occasions." he replied. "Meaning every three nights, when Aion decides that it's a good time, or when Rizelle and Genai challenge each other to a drinking contest or two. Usually I don't participate too much, but…" I smiled a little.

"No, really? I couldn't tell." I retorted dryly. He managed to smile a little bit, but I didn't take much notice of it, slumping over to rest my head on my arms, leaning on the side of his bed.

"You don't mind… if I crash here tonight… do you…?" I asked haltingly, my voice fading in and out as I began to zone out. There was no reply, and soon after, I was drifting in a dreamless sleep.

4 down… however many to go. Hope you liked it.

Remember to leave a review!

-Fanatic