Author's Blabber:
Hi again everybody. Here's the second chapter of my little fic (Damn this took me much longer to get out than I had hoped for), and it will answer some of the questions from the first one. I hope you guys like longer chapters 'cause it's twice as long as the first one. By the way for those interested I left a small piece of symbolism in the first chapter (dunno if anybody noticed or even cares). It has to do with the tea brewing, and if you just combine Rosette's thoughts when she studies the brewing and the gypsy's words when she hands it over it should be fairly obvious (I hope).
The 'already had sex' problem brought up by lordmaquareion is indeed very valid, and I feel I need to address it somehow. I became inspired to do this story by reading another fanfic called 'Eternal Regrets, Lost Desires' by the author Lechan, which can be found on AFF. That story takes place somewhere around the Christmas episode, and as such it fits into the anime without disturbing the timeline. I liked that the story was written so it could actually be considered a part of the anime, but it struck me that such a turn of events would utterly destroy the whole idea of the disease curing kiss, and thus I decided to try and revise the latter. If you will that story can conceivably be perceived as a 'prequel' to this one, and for those who haven't read it (and are old enough to read it heh...) I recommend it as it is excellently written and funny as well.
And thanks a million for the reviews so far, it really does make it worthwhile.
I'm using a couple of different 'scene changers' now.
X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X
This denotes a change in actual place/time. A perspective change without a 'scene' change does not usually warrant this.
x x x x x x x x x x x x
A purely imaginary change in place/time such as a person having a longer flashback or falling asleep and starting to dream, the actual time and place is unchanged. A double line of x'es will be going from the 'real' world into a dream or vice versa, a single line will denote going between different states in the same dream, hope this makes sense.
"Speech"
Thought
Transcendental Voice
EXCLAMATION!
Let's see which combination to pick... how about:
Transcendental thought (Heh that does sound cool though)
Disclaimer: Who said I claimed anything in the first place... Well I didn't.
This is also a slightly revised chapter 2, but as with the first chapter no changes have been made which requires you to read it again, unless of course you think it's so good that you want to :-)
The Curing Kiss
By Shnoosh
Chapter 2 - Condition
He was all alone. Eyes closed tightly. Curled into a ball. Wings wrapped protectively around himself. Floating in nothing.
He was trying to shut out the darkness.
Damn this... dream... he thought, and was immediately wracked with burning pain, originating from the numerous black spots on his dream body. He hated when it happened. If his mind wandered off, if he was deliberately unaware of the present, he could deal with it. It merely resembled physical pain after all. Whenever he accidentally gathered his consciousness, he also became aware of the feeling of being incinerated alive. His thoughts needed to drift to avoid it, to escape the here and now. So he let it wander back in time. Back to when the dream began occurring to him.
It was before the train ride.
He had taken so little notice of it.
Back then it was just a strange dream after all.
x x x x x x x x x x x x
Everything was black.
Except himself.
Am I glowing?
He pondered this as there was no source of light anywhere illuminating him.
No, I'm just... visible.
He tried moving his feet.
There's no ground.
Am I flying?
Falling?
Standing?
It didn't really make a difference either way. He was simply... there... He could move freely, but he had no sense of direction.
Am I moving or... stationary?
He realized that this held no meaning whatsoever, he had no way of knowing. There was nothing to indicate where he was or where he was going. Everywhere was simply... dark.
"Rosette?" He asked cautiosly into the void. His voice sounded muted. He really didn't expect an answer though, this 'world' was anything but ordinary.
What is this kind of place.
The darkness wasn't much help in answereing this question. A thought occured to him. It was hard to say if this would give any clues to his whereabouts, but he might as well try something.
He pulled out a hair holding it before him, it appeared to be floating in mid-nothing. Doesn't seem to hang in any direction, wonder if it'll just stay in front of me if I let it go.
He released it.
It vanished instantly, swallowed by the darkness.
WHAT THE...? Where did it go? His hands grabbed at nothing in search of the small hair, which had disappeared entirely. But thoughts of the lost hair were quickly replaced. By moving his arms he had become aware of something...
Something which was unsetteling...
Something which was missing...
The familiar sensations of air brushing past skin was simply not present.
Is there no air? Am I even breathing?
A nameless fear began to seep slowly into him. Right now his body appeared to breathe, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was only because he was actively making it, and it would stop again the second he wasn't consciously thinking about it.
He eyes started to dart around searching frantically for any sign of anything other than darkness. He looked up, down, left, right. As if I even know which way is which, he thought angrily.
His heart began beating faster as the fear continously rose within him. Where the HELL am I? What is this darkness?
He tried to run. It can't go on forvever, I can get out of here.
His heart quickened its pace along with the running movements of his body.
There's gotta be a way out. If I keep going this direction, I'll come to some kind of wall. Then I'll find the door.
His movements sped up becoming increasingly desperate. The darkness seemed to go on forever.
Or maybe it only reached three feet ahead of him.
He didn't know.He couldn't know.
This is a dream.
He just had to get out.
It has to be a dream.
The knot of desperation tightened.
This is such a god damn cliché.
Anger rose.
I'm dreaming.
Teeth clenched.
I'm trying to run.
Eyes flared.
And I don't even know where I'm going.
Movements began to slow down, as the frustrated anger was replaced by something else.
I don't even know what I'm running away from.
He came to a halt.
I don't even know if I've moved away from where I started.
His muscles relaxed.
I don't even know if I CAN get out.
He looked 'down' in despair.
I'm just... alone.
He closed his eyes, clenched his fist and threw his head backwards.
"ROSEEEEEETTE!"
The demon was using the full capacity of his voice, in an attempt to pierce through the smothering blackness. Hoping that she somehow heard him, that he would get a response. Anything. Please... just anything.
Nothing.
Not even an echo returned, as if his very words were swallowed by the darkness too.
"AZMARIA!"
"REMINGTON!"
"ELDER!"
"GODDAMN, SOMEONE ANSWER ME!"
He looked towards his chest again.
"Magdalene..."
The last word was barely more than a whisper.
The demon slumped. Giving up. Arms and wings dropping low.
WINGS?
He couldn't believe it. He hadn't realized until now that he was in his full form. Another fear instantly rushed through him, one that he knew all too well.
NO! I have to change shape. Can't take her life like this. He immediately tried to decrease his usage of astral, but his body wouldn't respond. What the hell is WRONG with me! He gripped his head in frustration, and his face froze in shock.
Horns?
Letting his hands slide around the side of his head he could feel his horns were en place, and they were intact. Why are they here now? They were ripped off so long ago.
He again looked around at the engulfing nothingness.
And if I'm really dreaming, how can I think so clearly? How can I be so aware? As if... I'm not dreaming at all.
He turned his gaze down towards his hands.
But If I'm not dreaming, where am I then? And why is everything so dark and silent. It's just like a... An overpowering sadness immediately welled up inside him. It was the only explanation he could think of. His expression went completely blank.
No... this... can't... How...?
He was at a complete loss as to why this had happened to him, but in a horrible way it made perfect sense.
The sinner lost all strength in his muscles. Somehow he managed to drop to his knees.
I'm sorry...
His vision clouded.
I'm sorry Rosette. I'm sorry I couldn't help you find Joshua. I'm sorry I had to leave you. I'm sorry I had to die. I'm sorry...
Tears filled his eyes.
But I'm glad you will live. I hope you won't cry because I'm gone. I'm just a demon anyway. I hope you'll find... Joshua. That last thought had to be rephrased, but the original meaning was still evident. It hurt.
It hurt a lot.
I hope you'll be happy...
He kept staring at his legs not wanting to look into the darkness. Salty water ran along his face, but never fell down, never left his cheeks. The droplets were just being sucked into the endless void, like everything else.
Chrno stayed in that position seemingly forever, crying silently, smiling vaguely. His sole comfort was the fact, that he would not be stealing any more of his precious contractors life.
At least... she will live...
x x x x x x x x x x x x
That morning when he opened his eyes, and saw the familiar walls and ceiling of his small room in the convent, he just stared in disbelief.
I'm alive? It WAS a dream after all! He jumped out of bed, taking in the feel of the blankets on the way out. He could smell breakfast! He could hear voices! He could see... THINGS!
The door opened and a fairly surly teenage nun entered, she certainly wasn't known for having an agreeable mood in the morning. "Alright, sleepy-head. It's time to get up. You usually don't sleep late, don't think to make a habit of iiIIIIIEEEEEE..."
Chrno had grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around laughing.
"What the hell are you doing you loony? PUT ME DOWN! I'm getting dizzy!" Arms and legs flailed wildly to no avail.
He put her down, held her for a moment, released her, and got dressed. It all took about five seconds. "Sorry 'bout that Rosette! It's just... such a wonderful morning." Crimson eyes were beaming.
"What are you talking about, it's cold, it's grey, and it's raining." Rosette said with a frown.
Chrno was already on the move. "I know! Isn't it GREAT?" He darted out in the hallway. "Let's go eat."
The sister was whirled around helplessly when the demon ran past her. To prevent her impending rendezvous with the floor, she grabbed at the first thing vithin reach, it happened to be the metal frame of the bed. What the hell's up with him... She decided that she didn't have time to recover fully, and quickly leapt out the door in an attempt to catch him. Her partner was already way ahead of her. He spun around himself, did a backflip and a reverse somersault, startling a couple of nuns on his way. "WAIT, AREN'T YOU EVEN GONNA GET A SHOWER?"
"I'LL GET TO IT! I'M STARVING!"
"But you're never..." You don't even need to eat. Rosette just stood there, staring at the red mini tornado disappearing down the hall. She almost never saw him this happy. And for no apparent reason at all. Well, these last couple of days had been... special... but for Chrno to act like this all of a sudden... She looked through the window at the gloomy weather outside and a slight smile formed on her lips. Today's gonna be a good day. And soon we're leaving, to go look for Joshua. Everything's gonna be just jake. She truly felt that way, as she started to walk down the hall. I better go knock some sense into him, before sister Kate starts to suspect him of being possessed and decides to lock him up.
x x x x x x x x x x x x
First... of many...
Blistering pain immediately brought him back from the memory. He curled up tighter, protecting himself. He willed his mind to leave the present once again, to make him escape the burning spots which were now covering his dream body.
X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X
What can possibly be taking her this long. It's been hours since she ran off. Well, if she doesn't show up within the next ten minutes, I'm leaving. She can handle herself, and walk back to the house for all I care. It was dark already and Satella had been waiting far longer than she would normally tolerate. The chill of the night had begun to set in, and the lack of heating and isolation in the car made her cold and extremely cranky. Blast it! Why does this stupid thing have to be so damn cold. And it isn't excactly cheap either, how hard can it be to put some kind of heating in it. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms in an attempt to keep warm. She couldn't see very far, but in the distance she noticed something down the road. Something, which mostly looked like a bag with feet and hair, was moving swiftly and purposefully towards the car. Is that her? She stepped out of the car trying to see more clearly who the person was.
"ROSETTE!" She yelled, when the figure became recognizable.
Exhausted from running all the way back Rosette took a minute, leaning on the car when she reached it, to catch her breath. "Satella, I..." She tried speaking, but was still too short of breath.
The jewel summoner just stared at her with a curious face. "Yes?"
"Uhhh nothing... Anyway, thanks for waiting, let's go back to the house." Rosette headed for the passenger seat in the car, opened the door, and got in.
Satella's expression quickly went from dumbfounded to irritated. "Hey wait up little missy." She got in as well. "Listen, it was YOU who dragged me out on this 'shopping trip'. You can't just run off to god knows where, staying away for over two hours, and then expect to come back without any explanation whatsoever. I feel like I've been waiting forever, sitting in this goddamn car, for crying out loud!"
"Aaaaww..." Rosette made an almost mockingly cheerful expression, she couldn't help feeling a bit gleeful, that she had made the redhead wait so long. "You don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself you know."
"Shut up, will ya! I wasn't worried about you. Just bored, that's all." With a mischievous grin she continued. "The only thing I was worried about, would be hearing about a building block having collapsed, because of a bum-clad girl."
"HEY!" Rosettes face shot towards Satella's Teeth bared and fists clenched. "Watch it or I'll rearrange your face!"
"My, my... Aren't we jumpy." Satella giggled as she started the car. Nothing cheered her up quite so much as pestering the young sister, she was such an easy target. "So what took you so long?"
Rosette sat down in her seat again. "Well I'm not really familiar with this city, so I got lost on my way back," she lied waspishly.
"For two hours?" Satella pulled the car out and drove down the road.
"Well... I don't even think that the car was parked in that spot before. You probably drove it and forgot to move it back. Or rather, you did it on purpose just too keep me looking for the car, probably enjoying the fact that I was running around looking for it."
The german woman laughed. "That's what you think? I moved it? For my own amusement?" She looked triumphantly at an obviously irritated Rosette. "Tell me. Is that your explanation for everything? Saying that it's not your fault? Is that what Chrno's for? Taking the blame for you, when you screw up on a mission?"
"THAT'S IT!" Rosette lunged at Satella pinning her head to the window with her left elbow, her right hand posed to strike. I'm gonna claw her rotten eyes out! "Don't you EVER say that! Take that BACK! NOW!" Tears began pressing forth. Chrno... Please... hang in there...
"AWIGHK! I'm thowy. I kak ik gak. Dek me GO! WE' GONGA 'IK THAK!" Satella managed to say being hopelessly trapped between the glas and Rosette's elbow bone.
"What?" Rosette didn't understand a word of it, but she looked out the front window after hearing the sound of a horn and noticing a light shining on her.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Finally the squabblers agreed upon something.
They were headed for a head-on collision with a streetcar.
Both of them grabbed the wheel, pulling in opposite directions.
"LEFT!"
"NO, RIGHT!"
"LET GO!"
"YOU LET GO!"
The car swayed, driving on two wheels, narrowly dodging the oncoming metal juggernaut which stampeded noisily past them.
"CAAAR!"
"SHUT UP!"
A car going in their own previous direction just barely evaded them, as they were now driving transverse to the street.
"WATCH OUT!"
"TURN!"
"SHUT UP!"
"YOU SHUT UP!"
The car turned left grazing the buildings. People who had been peacefully taking evening strolls or looking at the shop windows, were now frantically jumping left and right, dodging the rampaging vehicle. The car drove out on the road again.
"TURN, DAMMIT!"
"I KNOW!"
Still balancing on two wheels the car turned right again, suddenly dropping down to all four, driving neatly on the right side of the road in their original direction.
Both girls were staring in disbelief out the front window. Four hands, with knuckles paler than white, were tightly gripping the wheel. Satella sat, arms completely stretched, pressed back in her seat, Rosette was in a horizontal position leaning over Satella's arms. Their faces were almost nothing but eyes.
The gold haired teen returned to her seat. Satella glared at her grimly.
"What the HELL were you THINKING? No wonder you keep breaking stuff, if that's how far your think ahead, before you act!" Her jaw was aching.
Rosette looked down at her clenched fists, holding back the urge to go at her again. "Just... Shut up and drive!"
Satella eyed the exorcist shortly. Something was obviously making her extremely edgy. "Alright then. I take it back. Ok?"
"Hmphh..." Rosette managed.
Neither of the young women said anything. Only the sputtering of the engine, and the grinding sound of tires on the road, made sure that time didn't pass in complete silence. Rosette sat looking out the window, her expression had quickly changed to one of concern, as if she had already forgotten everything about Satella and the near car crash. Something much more important was on her mind.
"So why did you run away?" Satella asked, after a while.
"Huh..." Rosette was far away in her thoughts.
"When you ran off. Where did you go?"
"I uhm... I went... " The younger woman wasn't much for conversation right now.
"You went back to the gypsy right?"
"Yeah... I did."
"Why? You said you thought she was a fake."
"Well... I just wanted to make sure... I mean just in case she wasn't a fake." Dammit, does she have to pry? Just leave me alone already. "I mean what if I got some of the spell wrong, and I accidentally made things worse or something." As if they could be any worse. Rosette fought to keep her composure, to not let herself break down and cry. She quickly turned to look back out the window.
"Hmmm... Ok." Satella noticed how Rosette was purposefully avoiding her gaze. She didn't believe for a second that she had heard even the least bit of what this was all about. But obviously this was something the young nun wouldn't talk about, so she left it at that. "I got the cold medicine by the way."
X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X
The two shining entities were radiating as bright as ever.
The larger were now enveloping even more of the smaller one. It was seemingly working to cover it completely.
The nothingness trembled to it's core once again.
WHY WILL YOU NOT YIELD
It wasn't a command this time. It wasn't a question either. More an expression of disbelief at something completely incomprehensible.
That's the third
Only one is left
You will die if you will not yield
X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X
The curled up figure, was completely silent. As silent as the surronding void. He was trembling slightly in response to the fiery pain covering his body.
This must... what it's like... showered... burning coals...
Chrno gritted his teeth, as the blistering sensation threatened to consume him. Just the act of forming the thought in his head made the suffering nearly unbearable. It was so much better to let his consciousness scatter, letting him become blind to the pain.
He felt so utterly alone, crouching with his face buried in his hands, and his legs as close to his chest, as they would go. His wings were still wound tightly around him. He was desperately trying to hide himself from the emptiness he floated in.
The demon broke into spasms, as the white-hot burning shot through him again. He tensed every muscle he could still control, fighting to stay in his fetal position. He tried to make his mind wander, to a time he wasn't alone in this darkness.
Before the pain.
Before the spots.
x x x x x x x x x x x x
He was having the dream again, well in fact it was all he ever dreamt anymore. He looked around although he didn't expect to see anything. It was always the same, always the darkness, and the solitude. He wasn't scared that he was dead anymore. He'd woken up every time. But he wasn't as happy waking up as the first time obviously. He'd used the time alone in the dark to think, to meditate. But he was slowly becoming uneasy that he would never dream anything else. He really missed dreaming, he wanted to be able to tell Rosette about a strange, a wonderful, or even a frightening dream he'd had.
Am I never gonna be able to do that anymore? Is this darkness all which is left for me when I sleep?
Closing his eyes he tried to recall some of his past dreams. Dreams he almost never expected to have anymore. He couldn't think of any.
He suddenly felt a presence nearby as if someone was watching him.
His eyes jerked open at the prospect of not being alone anymore. He instinctively looked to his right and his eyes widened in an instant.
A young woman of exquisite beauty stood looking at him. Her long blond hair cascaded down around her slender figure. Her pale skin was smooth and flawless. Her face was so delicate it threatened to shatter by a mere touch. Her eyes were longing for a life, she knew she could never have, and yet they still appeared thankful and filled with love... love meant for him. A peach-orange shawl was wrapped around the back of her exposed, sylphlike shoulders. She wore a simple white dress. A string was tied through the fabric of the dress around her chest and arms. It looked as if the whole thing would fall off if that string was loosened. Held together by a single string. As fragile as herself. He marveled at the woman in front of him. Just as beautiful as I remember. Chrno picked up his jaw again, still trying to recover from the astonishment. He cleared his throat.
"What are you doing here, Magdalene?" His voice sounded so strange in this place. Chrno felt a bit dumb, but maybe she had answers for him.
No response.
Mary Magdalene was simply staring at him.
"Magdalene?" He tried to walk to her. Then he suddenly realized that he still had no idea how. The demon started to make walking movements. But all he managed to do was to move his arms and legs. Of course. There's still no ground. Can I Swim? Fly He flapped his wings, in an effort to propel himself forward. It didn't work either. He tried moving faster and faster, desperately willing himself over to where Magdalene was. This is ridiculous. I must look like a complete idiot. None of it did any good however, he was hopelessly bound to the same spot. She's only ten feet away, and I can't reach her. Why... can't... I... MOVE?
The demon finally gave up.The woman 'stood' completely still, she never made a single gesture, or changed her expression. Only her hair and dress moved, they seemed to be dancing in a wind which wasn't there.
"Magdalene, please... why are you here?"
She just gazed.
Has she come to take me with her? It was almost as if he wanted her to. He had missed her for over fifty years. No. I can't. I won't. I've got a promise to keep.
He suddenly became aware of another figure out of the corner of his eye.
Turning his head to the left he was met by two pools of brilliant azure looking back at him. Hair spilled out like a honey colored fountain and flowed down around a face which was alluring and innocent at the same time. Her skin looked so soft he could almost feel it. Eyes were shining intensively, lighting up the darkness around her, they beamed passionately with life and hope. She wore her militia clothes which fit snugly around her shapely body. The imaginary wind was making the golden hair caress her face gently, and her clothing fly, revealing thighs and stockings. Shit, whoever designed those clothes for nuns anyway? Probably Elder. He wasn't planning on complaining to the manufacturer though. Dammit Chrno. Pull yourself together, will ya. He then noticed the clock around her neck. It was slowly ticking, the seal firmly in place. He relaxed a bit.
"Rosette?" He asked a bit hesitantly not really expecting an answer.
He didn't get one either.
He turned to look at Magdalene. She stood as motionless as ever. Eyes firmly fixed on him. Turning around to Rosette again. She hadn't moved either. Completely mystified he turned his head again to Magdalene. Then back to Rosette. To Magdalene, Rosette, back, and forth, back, forth, back, forth backforthbackforthbackforth...
"Aaaarrgh!"
He stopped his head from moving by holding it firmly in his hands, afraid that it might fall off. I'm starting to go completely nuts, this is almost worse than all the time in the tomb. Back then I could still dream. He calmed himself again. But they appear so alive. They're even breathing. Looking closely he noticed something he hadn't seen before. And blinking. I just can't seem to reach either of them, not to mention that they're just standing there. Maybe if I can figure out a way to communicate with them...
It was a foolish attempt doomed to fail, but Chrno still tried every way possible to get a response from either of them: Talking, shouting, telepathy, sign language...
He also tried moving again, both with body and by force of will. But nothing worked. The two young women simply stayed where they were, just out of reach, looking at him.
Finally he gave up. He ended up doing what he typically did in this dream. He waited for his body to wake up. This time at least I have something beautiful to look at. He looked at the women flanking him on either side. His gaze kept alternating between them. He was taking in their entire beings with his eyes, letting the memories of them flow through him, as he waited for the dream to end yet another time.
x x x x x x x x x x x x
Almost seems... like... dream now...
Jerking back the demon immediately understood his mistake, as the feeling of being branded all over his body with red-hot iron sliced through him. Tensing his muscles, he summoned the will to make his body curl into the protective ball he had been in ever since...
Ever since the spots appeared.
X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X
"I'm home." Rosette had just entered the extravagant residence announcing she was back.
Azmaria let out a tiny laugh. She was happy Rosette and Satella had returned. With Chrno sick, the only person around the huge mansion to talk to was Steiner, and even though he was a nice old man, the girl couldn't help getting a little bored. She ran to the magdalene sister. "Welcome home."
"How's Chrno doing?" The teen obviously wasn't in the same cheery mood as her younger friend.
"He's asleep right now."
"I see."Rosette's expression was blank. So he's not doing any better...
"So, did you find some medicine?" Azmaria was eager to hear about their endeavour to the city. Nothing exciting had happened all day.
"It was such a hassle." Satella intervened, needing to air her frustrations about the whole affair. "She dragged me all over the place. She even took me to some dubious fortune teller. I'm so beat."
Rosette eyed the jewel witch with an I-couldn't-care-less expression. Yeah, right. I'm sure you had a horrible time, you whining drama queen.
"And we ended up buying just normal cold medicine."Satella handed the small bag of medicine to Azmaria.
"Fortune..." Azmaria quickly shifted her attention away from the bag. "Rosette, what kind of fortune did she tell you?"
Rosette had completely forgotten that she'd been given a fortune telling, not that she was told anything. It doesn't matter what it was anyway. Not compared to...
"She told her a spell to lower the fever." Satella answered the question for Rosette, when she walked past them. She already knew that the nun didn't want to talk about it, and responded for her.
"Spell?" This was getting more interesting by the second, and Azmaria wanted to hear it all.
Were she taught some demonic ritual?
Did they need some kind of arcane tools for it?
Could she be a part of it?
...and if she's wrong, then the medicine might work, and Chrno will get better easily. But what if she's right... And it doesn't work... Oh, I hope she's not right. Rosette suddenly became aware of the real world again. Dammit you can't just stand here spacing out. "Well..." I need to get away from her, can't talk about this, think fast. "Oh yeah, I need to prepare dinner!" Quickly she darted past the girl escaping the questions.
"Oh?" Azmaria was somewhat perplexed at Rosette's sudden eagerness to cook.
Rosette was frantically rushing for the kitchen, when she realized she almost couldn't stand on her own two legs. Her body felt as if it had been working for several days without sleep. Whoa, I'm really tired... Can't keep... my balance...
"Uh..." Rosette let out a series of small incomprehensible sounds. She was staggering as if she'd had way too much to drink.
I'm getting really... dizzy... falling...
x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x
"What do you mean, a demon can't get sick? He has a fever, that means he's sick right?" Rosette thought the old gypsy was playing her for a fool, and she didn't like it one bit.
"You presume too much, childe." The woman answered. "A fever eez merely a symptom. And eet eez correct, zat for humans eet eez a symptom zat ze body eez sick. Eet eez a defense vhich helps ze body fight ze sickness" She lowered the tone in her voice. "But for a demon, eet eez somezing else. Eet eez a symptom zat his soul eez in peril"
"His... soul...?"
"Yes. You might even say zat eet eez under attack." The gypsy's voice was becoming serious.
"But how? Why's it being attacked? Who's doing this? Where're they coming from?" Rosette let out a stream of questions not giving the fortune teller the chance to answer either of them. She suddenly stood up seemingly about to leave. "I swear, I'm gonna make them pay for doing this whoever they are."
The gypsy caught Rosette's arm before she had the chance to run out. "Vhere do you zink you are going? Do you intend to run back vizout knowing vhat eez attacking him? Vhat do you intend to do, if you go to him now?"
"Uhhh... Well..." She hadn't really thought further than tearing the mansion apart, expecting to find some kind of demon she could beat into a pulp.
"Zat eez vhat I mean. You cannot expect to fight, vhen you do not know vhat you are fighting against. Now sit down... and listen."
x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x
She awoke in a bed, feeling awful. Her fever had hit her almost instantaneously, and now she was just lying there too weak to do anything.
"Sheesh." Satella's voice displayed a nonchalant resignation, indicating how utterly incompetent everyone around her were. "You sure shock me. You're not supposed to get sick."
"Sorry." Rosette said with mild sarcasm. It won't happen again your highness...
THWAK!
The fist struck the sick girl square on the cheek, catching her completely off guard.
Satella was in no mood for smart-mouthed replies. "Wipe that smirk off your face." And consider it payback for the incident in the car.
Outraged by how cruel she thought Satella was acting, the young apostle wanted to say something reprimanding, but she had obviously been struck dumb and couldn't utter a single comprehensible word. Instead she just let out an endless stream of incoherent sounds.
"You hit me! How mean!" Rosette exclaimed. I'm sick you damn coward. I'll get you when I get better.
"Go to sleep." Satella said on her way out.
When Satella left the girl finally managed to to say something understandable to human ears. "Rosette, are you alright?"
But she was already asleep.
x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x
Rosette returned to her seat, it was strange how the gypsy could order her around like that. She took a sip of the tea again. It was hot, and it calmed her down.
"To help make zings clear I veel show you some illustrations."
In an instant the old lady had pulled out a piece of paper with her left hand and a foot-long branch with her right.
Rosette's eyes widened. What... Where did they come from, did she just get them out from behind her back?
"Now look here, childe." The gypsy held the paper forth.
The teen's eyes went even wider in disbelief.
On the paper,
Oh...
giving Rosette a big smile and waving,
my...
was...
God.
a stickman.
The old bag's a raving lunatic.
"Stop making zat look." The gypsy sounded annoyed, peeking at the girl from over the paper. "Vee cannot all be artists!"
Rosette had to get another sip of the tea. "No, no... of course not... please go on..." She made a valiant effort to hold back her giggling, but looking at the skinny figure on the paper, which was so warmly greeting her, she knew she was fighting a loosing battle.
"Very vell. Zis eez a picture of a human, eet contains zree important... vhat can you say... parts." She tapped the branch to the head of the stickman. "Zere eez ze mind." She moved it down to the 'torso'. "Ze body." She tapped the branch again on the vertical line. "And ze heart."
The young nun was being as attentive as she could manage.
"Vee know vhat ze physical functions of zese zree parts are. Ze body eez... vell, eet eez ze body... vhich holds everyzing else. Ze heart keeps ze blood circulating in ze body, keeping eet alive. And ze mind eez home of ze consciousness, von could call eet ze vantage point from vhich everyzing eez perceived. Of course von can talk about all ze ozer organs in ze body az vell, but zese are ze only vons vhich have spiritual counterparts."
"Spiritual counterparts?" Try as she might, Rosette really could take neither the drawing nor the old woman's 'teachings' seriously.
"Yes childe. Let me show you how zis looks in ze 'spirit vorld' so to say."
The woman turned the paper around revealing another crude drawing. Again tapping the branch on the paper she said. "Here vee have ze body, mind, heart, and ze soul."
Ok, this... is completely ridiculous. "Uhhmm...?" Rosette pointed at the paper trying her best to look skeptical, while suppressing the laughs that just wouldn't stay back.
"Yes?"
"They're just four circles on a piece of papAUUWW..."
The gypsy had struck Rosette over the fingers with her pointing stick. She appeared as if she was going to lose it completely now. "I KNOW! Zat ez luks like fier zierkels on ein paper. Ez eez nicht easy zu draw zings fon ze spirit vorld! You zink YOU kann doo bezzer? Hier zen!" She shoved the drawing in the surprised sisters face.
Wow, her accent really gets heavy when she gets agitated. "No,no,no... I was just mentioning it because... I don't know what all of this means." I seriously need to find a way out before the crone starts doing a puppet show. Rosette had to drink a bit more, otherwise she might just break down laughing.
"Very vell zen." The woman's accent had reverted back to the original, indicating she was calming down. "Eet eez actually very simple. Vhen two circles touch, eet means zey can communicate." She again pointed the piece of wood to the paper. "Az you can see, ze mind touches all ze ozer circles, so eet can communicate vit zem all, and so can ze heart. Ze body and soul are apart, because zey don't speak directly to each ozer."
"Ohh... Kay...?"
"Ze point eez zat zese four all have a spiritual function, in ze same vay zat ze zree of zem have a physical function vhich I showed you before. You see ze physical function of ze heart vas ze pumping of ze blood, but people talk about ze heart in many ozer vays too." The gypsy slowed down her voice a bit, indicating this was important. "Ze spiritual functions of ze heart eez to be ze home of a persons hope, love, and dreams."
The teen raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying that hope, love, and dreams, all reside in the heart?"
Putting down the paper and the branch on the table, she answered with a question of her own. "Does zat come az a surprise to you, childe?"
"Well... eh... no... I mean... well... I just didn't think of them as being actually... in there..."
"But childe, zey are not. Not in ze vay you zink. You are still picturing ze heart az ze muscle vhich pumps ze blood zrough ze body. But zat eez merely ze physical manifestation of ze heart. Ze spiritual heart eez not ze same, but zey are each a part of ze zing zat you vould call your heart."
"Ohh..." Rosette felt as if she understood a little bit more. "So if someone would feel... that they love someone else... with all their heart..." She was having quite a bit of trouble saying this out loud.
The fortune teller gave her an intense look "Zen ze person eez more correct zan she even knows herself," she stated.
The gold haired nun blushed instantly. Why did she say... 'she'?
Noticing Rosettes sudden discomfort the gypsy quickly continued. "Ze body here eez ze home of a persons passions. A passion can take many forms, eet veel seem, zat eet can take ze form of anyzing held in ze heart. But zere eez a major difference. Ze passions are inherently self serving in nature, you can even say zat zey are lacking ze compassion of ze heart."
"Uhhhh..." Rosette was beginning to loose track of what the woman was talking about again.
"Vell, for example. If a person vants to change ze vorld, to make eet a better place to live for everyvon, and zey selflessly sacrifice zemselves to make eet come true, zen eet could be called a dream, and eet vould come from ze heart."
"I see."
"If a person vants to change ze vorld, to shape after zeir own vishes, using vhatever means, be eet tools or people, necessary to make eet come true, zen eet vould be a passion, and eet vould come from ze body, even zough eet could still be called zat persons dream."
Rosette took another sip of the cup. She wasn't as inclined to burst out with laughter anymore.
"Anozer simple example, eez ze difference betveen ze vords 'I love you' and 'I vant you'. Ze first zree words are basically from ze heart, vhere az ze second are from ze body."
"But... you make it sound like one's good and the other's bad. I mean are all... actions, or whatever you'd call it, this black and white?"
"No, no, no. Not at all, childe. Actions and feelings are a mix of ze vants of ze body and ze heart. Vell, at least if you are human, but I veel come back to zat later." The woman shifted in her seat. "But even zough you may vant to characterize ze vishes of ze heart az being 'good' and zose of ze body az 'evil' eet eez not az simple az zat. Because ze passions are self serving, zey are also self preserving. If von did not posses ze passions of ze body, von vould not have any selfish motivations. Living and dying could ultimately be determined by ze mercy of ozers, and zat eez not desirable for any living being."
That did make sense. "But... how does this have anything to do with him being sick."
"Childe, he eez not sick." The old woman let out a small sigh while giving the girl a glance silently saying 'I told you zat already'. In a strange way even her facial expression seemed to have an accent. "And all zis eez necessary in order to understand vhat eez happening to his soul." Folding her hands again she continued. "You see, your soul eez ze seed from vhich everyzing else has grown. Eet eez ze center of your being, ze core of your existence. Ze life vhich vas given to you, vhen you vere born, came from ze astral line. Zis life eez held vizin your soul, and zat makes a soul vhat ultimately separates you from a dead zing. All ze ozer parts vhich makes up any living being could not exist vizout eet. Vhen a person dies, ze soul veel immediately return to ze astral line, vhere ze raw astral eet vas originally made from veel diffuse into ze stream. Ozer souls veel eventually be created from ze astral, ze building blocks of souls if you veel."
Rosette was taken aback, she had seen the astral line once, she knew it to be true. But even so, she only knew two who seemed to posses any knowledge about it. The first was Chrno, but that was only natural since he was a demon, and he had once used it as sustenance. The second was father Remington, and he was extremely well versed in virtually every religious and spiritual scripture in existence. This was definitely not common knowledge. How does she know about all this? She even makes it sound so casual. "Uhm... the soul..." Rosette still had trouble referring to the circles with their names. "On the drawing. It's partly behind... the heart, does that mean anything?"
"Now zat." The fortune teller's tone suddenly became eager, and she tapped the two circles with her finger repeatedly. "Eez ze important zing here, zat eez ze fourt spiritual function of ze heart, and eet eez von zat eez az vital to ze soul, az ze physical function eez to ze body." Again she gave Rosette an intense stare. "Ze heart eez ze guardian of ze soul."
Rosette swallowed the tea in her mouth. "The... guardian?"
"Yes, eet eez gifted vit a powerful shield vhich veel protect ze soul from attacks."
"I get it... when a soul is attacked by someone, they've breached through this shield."
"No." The response was very blunt. "Zis shield eez impenetrable, eet cannot be breached by anyzing. If somevon vishes to attack a soul, like a demon zat eats souls, zen ze attacker must reach ze soul first, and ze only vay to reach a soul eez to be lead zere by ze heart. You can say zat ze soul-eater has been invited in by ze person eet eez attacking, and since ze heart itself has guided ze attacker to ze soul, eet veel not try to stop ze attack eizer."
"But why would ANYONE...?" Rosette exclaimed.
"Some humans are lured by ze promises of demons, az you already know. Zey readily invite zese demons into ze soul, and ze reasons are az numerous az zere are people." The fortune teller had a slightly depressed tone in her voice.
Rosette thought about some of the rich satanists houses, where she and Chrno had been exorcising demons. Well, they asked for it. But if something's attacking Chrno's soul, how did it... "But this demon... he would NEVER... I mean he knows about soul-eaters and all that, he wouldn't..."
"No I did not expect zat eizer. But you must understand zat zere exists no von who can reach a soul vizout ze heart guiding zem zere."
"How do you know that for sure?"
"Trust me on zis von childe..."
"But that makes no sense... I mean if nobody can even get to a soul, without the own persons heart leading them to it, then what is it that's attacking him? And if they don't even need to breach this shield, then what good does it do? What does it protect against?" She just couldn't make any sense of this.
"Nozing..." The gypsy stated simply.
"NOTHING? What do you mean nothing?" Rosette was now standing with her fists firmly planted on the table leaning towards the old woman, who just sat completely calm.
"Childe, you should sit down and drink some more tea. You veel not be able to listen if you are angry."
The complete calm and leisurely pace, with which the gypsy spoke, was making Rosette furious. She honestly began to consider if she could speed things up by pinning the hag in a Full Nelson, but quickly disbanded the thought, not only for being ludicrous, but barbarous as well. She was just an old lady after all. Reluctantly she sat down and took a sip of the cup as suggested.It did douse her anger and frustration somewhat.
"You must understand, childe." The gypsy continued not affected the slightest by the nearly erupted geyser in human form before her. "Everyzing comes in pairs. Eet vould not make sense if eet didn't. To have light you must also have darkness. If zere vas no sorrow zen happiness could not exist eizer. Do you see?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Rosette's voice was more than a bit annoyed, this was going absolutely nowhere, and the accent was starting to drive her absolutely insane. How hard could it possibly be to pronounce a simple 'th', or a 'w' for that matter?
"Vell, if everyzing comes in pairs, zen in order for zere to be creation, zere has to be... annihilation."
"Annihilation?"
"Yes. And vee all know zat creation, in vhatever form eet might have taken place, has happened. Ozervise all of zis" She made a sweeping motion with her arm as if pointing at the whole world. "Vould not exist now vould eet?"
"But what is that? This... thing?"
"Eet eez a great nozingness vhich veel attack everyvhere, everyzing and everyvon. Eet does so indiscriminately, vizout regard to anyzing. Eet eez not evil, eet has no allegiance, eet eez just zere. Eet fulfills eets role by being ze opposite of creation. Eet simply tries to unmake vhat eez already made."
"But... that's so cruel." Rosette didn't want to believe that such a thing could exist. "Why would God even create something like that?"
"Perhaps..." The gypsy looked saddened. "God didn't make eet. Perhaps ze rule zat everyzing comes in pairs, eez not made by God eizer, but eez an unavoidable fact. Perhaps God vas bound by zis same rule vhen ze vorld vas created. Perhaps zat eez vhy God gave every living zing a heart. A heart vhich possesses a shield zat cannot be breached. Perhaps zis eez ze only vay to protect zose creations zat are ze most dear to God. Perhaps... God eez not almighty, but simply... ze creator."
The sister was stunned. "But then... why haven't anybody ever heard of this?" A sudden sadness came over her and her voice became weak. "Why has this never been seen?"
The old woman appeared even older now. "Eet eez happening az vee speak zis very moment. You just have to know vhere to look for eet. Eet just veel not happen directly to living beings like humans or animals, and zat eez vhy eet goes by so unnoticed. Vhich eez for ze best."
Rosette was paying more attention now. Her initial skepticism had waned, even though she would have wished otherwise.
"Vhen zis...nozingness... attacks a person, eet veel alvays attack ze core of ze being directly. Zis means eet veel attack ze soul. But eet eez impossible for eet to succeed, since ze heart veel protect ze soul." Her expression changed to one of concern. "I am sorry for saying zis, but I believe, zat eet eez zis very zing vhich eez attacking your demon friend."
Even though she knew that this was what the old woman would say, Rosette had still hoped for another, less sinister, explanation. "But you said, that the shield could not be breached, that it was impenetrable. Then how...?" She started to get frightened. Is this really happening to Chrno? Is this... thing... attacking his soul?
"Zere can only be von explanation for zat. Ze shield eez simply not zere."
"But how's that possible? I mean if the heart's supposed to do this, then why doesn't... it... just...?" Her words trailed off.
The fortune teller put a comforting hand on Rosette's wrist, she didn't say anything. She was letting the conclusion come to the young nun herself.
"You're saying..." Blue eyes were slowly becoming watery. "That there's something wrong... with his heart?"
The old woman merely nodded.
And that's it for chapter 2. I hope you still like it (those of you that liked the first one), and do click on the lonely button named 'go' next to 'submit review', it needs you :-).
A bit of clarification about souls etc. for the interested. In Chrno Crusade (at least according to wikipedia) a 'soul' isn't what you'd normally call a 'soul', but is in fact the 'life force' of a person. What would traditionally be called a 'soul' is probably in CC called the persons 'spirit'. The whole body, mind, heart, soul thing is something I made up for this fanfic, and put together they would make up a persons 'spirit' (Add a heart, a soul, a mind and a body to a large pot, pour in 1 pint of water and the seasoning mix, stir, boil and... Instant spirit). So when something is draining a soul it's actually draining that persons life force. This also gives some explanation to soul eaters. Instead of using horns to drain life force directly from the astral line, they take it from a person (or they do a bit of both, varying your diet is good for your health). Thus Chrno's indeed a 'soul eater' himself, though not really by his own choice.