Disclaimer: Don't own Chrono Crusade, or 'Chrno Crusade', however you prefer to spell it n.n, anime or manga. This is just a random story for my (and hopefully your) entertainment.
Author's note: Sorry for the kinda long wait, but this chapter was so long. So many things happen in it (hence the title), and I didn't have the heart to cut any event short n.n. Well, sense I vowed to myself to stop making the author's note so long, I'm outta here n.n, enjoy the newest chapter, and I hope this answers more of everyone's questions!
P.S: I'm currently working on the Chapter 5: Bonds, but I'm not sure when it will be completed. If I am lucky I will be able to work on it this Tuesday, and it should be complete by Thursday evening at the latest, if all goes well. I kinda took a spell of writer's block for a bit, but now I'm back with a vengeance n.n. Sorry for the wait, thanks for being patient!
Chapter 4: The beginning
The blond minister seemed to enjoy seeing us squirm, or at least he enjoyed seeing me wiggle in my seat as I recovered from shock. What'd he mean; I sure as hell didn't want to be stuck as a kid!
"Well when you said that his body might have reacted to the great deal of stress Rosette, you weren't that far off. You see, when weak and in need of conserving energy, such as lacking horns, the demon body can revert to a child state in order to save as much energy as possible. Due to his great emotional pain, his body reacted as if it was weak. But as long as his horns are in tact, when the pain has subsided he will return to his full form." Remington gave them a full reply to our exclamation, remaining very calm. I, on the other hand, was suddenly furious…
"What do you mean, pain subside! Do you expect me to just get over what happened, just forget?" the man sighed, exasperated. I was standing, fuming, and glaring at him, feeling like I could choke the man. At the moment, I completely forgot Rosette's presence in the room…
"No, I never said forget. I don't expect you to forget what has happened, Chrono." He stood and approached me, standing before my form, and staring down to my face. "You do… remember don't you?" he asked suddenly. I was ready to tear at him, withdraw my claws and rip into flesh… but could I? Did I have my claws in this form? I was panicking and suddenly felt very helpless. At least I calmed, but only long enough to realize just what he'd said to me.
"Remember? How could I not? I could never forget her!" I called to him loudly, trying desperately to sound more fearsome than I was. I seemed to keep forgetting that I was only a child now, however, and couldn't have been very intimidating.
"Calm down, Chrono! I see now that you do remember, so tell me, do you still remember me?" I was confused, suddenly wondering how he knew about what he was saying in the first place, or if it was the same as what I thought at all.
"I've…never met you, why would I?" It was a statement now, instead of a scream. My senses regained, and I realized I too should be calm, and simply ask what I needed to. "Now, how do you know about the child?"
"Oh, I see then. You don't recall, very intriguing. I would imagine if Rosette could remember, she would be hurt." He was talking directly to me now, maybe because he couldn't avoid it. Yet it still surprised me when he did not address Rosette personally, as if she was not in the room. I looked back to her then, to make sure she was there, because I had forgotten as well in my anger.
She arose and moved like a phantom. She stood before Remington, staring at his face, appearing to be in pain…
"What do you mean, what don't I remember Father, what are you not saying?" her voice was enforced by the evidence of her feelings of betrayal. I remained still, gazing at her, memorized.
"Well, when I said the name Chrono is familiar, I mean we all knew Chrono, a boy very similar to the one before us, but he does not recall." Her brows furrowed, and she looked determinedly to the man.
"So….did I know him?" her voice still carried the same tone, but grew angrier with each word.
"Yes…" the Father replied briskly, avoiding explanations.
"How! Was Chrono… right?" her words grew mild again, curious. Something with my body snapped…Before I knew I was moving, I had pulled her into an embrace, uncaring of what Remington would think of these actions, yet having no control oven them anyway. My eyes fell shut, and I buried my head against her collar. She stiffened beneath me, and I knew she didn't like this…but I couldn't help myself, my own form had moved without my will.
"Please, tell me I'm right, tell me my child has returned to me…tell me she's the same person." My voice was dry and desperate, small and childlike, full of need. It was foreign to me, for the first time since reverting to a boy. I had overlooked such change in the whirlwind of events that had occurred. My head was still spinning with questions now that I was very aware of all this, and the fact that I wouldn't be fixed immediately like I had assumed. At the moment though, none of that mattered yet.
"I don't know who you are referring to, but it could in fact be possible…" the minister replied, precautious of me now. Rosette's frame was still stiff, and I could feel her eyes scouring me, startled and afraid. I tried to operate my arms, pull away from her, but they were locked around her waist…
"Th…there was a little girl, one that looked just like Rosette, but she died years ago…" I explained, shaken myself. I felt as though it had to be true now, and if it was I didn't want to let her go, allow her to leave me again.
"Then yes, Rosette could be that girl. But remember, even if she is, she is not the same person. She may possess the same soul, but she is a person all her own." Then he did something I by far expected. Remington rested his palm against my shoulder, and clinched it. I looked up, eyes brimming with tears, and his stare locked with mine. "Now, let her go. You're scaring her." His voice was stern, carrying a protective father like force. My arms loosened and fell to my sides, my head bowed in shame. Rosette heaved a heavy sigh, probably of relief.
"I…it's so hard to believe, but it's not exactly crazy either." She spoke again, her voice regulating. "We'll just… have to find out on our own I guess…" she still stood in front of me, gazing at my hidden face. I nodded in compliance.
"Chrono will be just fine in a moment Sister, I'm sure all of this is a great shock to him." I glanced up, to see her smile weakly to Remington and nod, then return her depths to me. Our gazes met for a moment, before awkwardly breaking away. "Now, I want you two to go enjoy yourselves, get better acquainted because you'll have a long day tomorrow." She completely turned away to speak this time.
"Why's that?" Excitement lit her voice like a song, and I smiled with tender memories of a similarly eager girl.
"I'm sending you two on your first mission together. If you work well with one another, we'll consider partnering you two up." Father stated with a wily grin at us, as if he knew something we were supposed to. "And after that, we'll run the interrogation." Rosette seemed ecstatic, I guessed a mission was a good thing, but I guessed wrong…
"Well alright! We'll find something to do!" She grabbed my wrist, tugging at me like I was an oversized teddy bear, something I'd become accustomed to all too quickly, and announced we were leaving. "See ya later Father! Thanks again!" I loved her enthusiasm, but it was a little scary too.
"Have fun with your new friend Rosette." He replied, with a chuckle as he waved and we exited the room. Standing outside the door, she looked to me. Nodding to herself, seemingly deciding something, she spoke, but more thought out loud.
"We need to find you more clothes, but wh-… oh wait, I can ask one of the kids here if they have some stuff you can borrow, cause you really need something." She still clutched my wrist as she examined my 'new' body, disapproving of the shirt which draped over me like a gown, and pants that were over my shoes, those too clumsily hanging on my feet.
"Uh…alright." I managed to utter. I didn't think about children so young staying here, but I suppose it was reasonable. If Rosette stayed here since she was 12 years of age, they must take in orphaned children often. I wondered if they were all training to fight 'monsters' one day, or if some would leave to lead perfectly normal lives.
After my reply, she preceded to lead me to the child's dormitories. We walked back down the same white hallways that lead us to Remington's 'office', until, though the mazes of doorways and long stretches of corridors, we were back where we had started. The chapel seemed to be at the center of things, instead of set apart. I was fond of the surroundings though.
The whites were not too white, the temperature didn't shift to extremities, and though it seemed similar to a religious order there was a comfortable liveliness here. It was almost a perfect opposite to the hospital environment from before, so of course I would be fond of it. She would have liked it as well…
We crossed the large room, and opened the door directly diagonal from the door to the girl's dormitories, which lead to open air. It was evening now, and the sun was dimming and fading in the sky, orange glowing in the horizon as sunset approached. There was a simple walk way, with a covering, which lead to another building, alike to the rest of the surrounding, with off white brick, only this was a smaller addition. I wondered why a child's dormitory would be separate however, and who watched them.
"Rosette, why is the children's dormitory here instead of with the others?" She looked back to me, then adverted her gaze forward as she pushed the door ajar with her unoccupied hand, and replied as we met bright waves of color.
"Because Chrono, the children's building is… special."
The walls were…painted? There were murals of jungles upon these passageways, and laughter filled my ears as we walked though the narrow hall. I looked up, and there were ropes crossing the ceiling, dark jade and tangled to look like vines; how clever. The atmosphere, shady and in closed, even reminded me of the place the murals illustrated. There was a double door we finally reached to our left, also a deep green and decorated with the forest environment. With a beautiful grin spreading across her velveteen lips, she burst the door open
"Hi guys!" her voice was as loud as the reaction. It was a large, living room like place, with a television sitting on a stand to the left corner, bean bag chairs scattered across it, toys in a few boxes in the unoccupied corners, and all the environments one could imagine upon its walls. The ceiling was decorated with those little stars and planets that glow in the dark, but more than I had ever seen. Finally, there were children, from the ages of 3 all the way until about 14 years of age, all staying here.
Many turned their heads in surprise or cheer at her announcement, and a few got up, or abandoned what they were previously doing to meet her. One such was a boy of probably twelve.
"Hey Rosette, we haven't seen you around in a while, Whatcha been doing, and who's this, a new kid?" He was very friendly and seemed appreciative to see the Sister once more.
"He's just a friend of mine Brian. And sorry, I wanted to visit again but I've been so busy. Father's really been keeping me on my toes lately…" she explained patiently, smiling to him. He returned her gesture, seeming satisfied.
"Well, okay… but you have to promise to come see us more often! We miss you!" he complained, still happily.
"It's a deal!" She took the boy's hand and shook it, and his grin widened. He had messy brown hair that fell around his face, as well as auburn eyes, and he was about the same height as me at the time.
"Alright! Well, I'm gonna go back to our game before Chelsea beats me again." He said, then ran back to the TV, where a console laid in the floor, next to the stand, and a little red headed youth with green depths that seemed to spark when she looked to the boy, sat. She must have been Chelsea. I stood, taking in such an environment, in a trance, absorbed in vivid colors and detailed paintings. Suddenly, an elbow was drove into my side.
"Like it, don't ya?" Rosette whispered with anticipation. I groaned at her 'playful' nudge as she would later tell me it was, and replied.
"Yeah…" She grinned to me, with pride hidden behind her visage.
"I helped paint it like this. It was my idea in the first place, to fix up this building just for the kids. Most of them haven't had it good up until now, and the only environment they've seen is the one they've been stuck; a dreary city, or worse dreary streets…" she was gazing to me, face contorted into an understanding frown, knowing I knew well what she was saying, then continued.
"So, I decided we should show them just how many wonderful environments there are out there! Show 'em how great the world can be, where they could go if they just try. It's so hard sometimes… to know what a gift life is you know, and if we can show them just a little bit how much they have to appreciate then it's all worth it." Her face was shinning with an untold wisdom, tears seeming to spark within her eyes.
It was obvious to me that these children were a deep passion of hers, and she seemed like a wonderful big sister to all of them. It was breathtaking to see just how far she would go, however, just to show them a little more than the bleakness of life, like she had me…
And things were very bleak in my existence. Sometimes, in that alleyway, I felt as if I was seeing the world in black and white, not bothering to look up and see the blues in the sky above me, or the ivy green of the little blades of grass struggling though cracks in the pavement around me. I never even thought about it in fact, but just a day later I was. Had she impacted me that much, in that short of period of time?
Of course, because she had the same strong influence that my child had upon me. In fact, before she came along, I can't even remember what happened before that. It was a hazy, all I remember is walking down the sidewalk at the hospital, feeling pretty dead and detached from everything around me, like I wasn't meant to be there at all, until she collided with my legs, and clutched them so desperately, like I, of all people, was all that she needed…
I had never really thought about my past before that. The memories I had with that young girl were the only things that seemed to matter to me at all. There was never a reason for me to try and thing beyond that until now. I didn't even care about how I came to be, or where I had been before that time. In fact, it would have suited me just fine to be informed that I had just appeared there in a magical puff of smoke by some strange summoning powers that my child possessed.
Now I was struggling to remember if I had just appeared like that though, mainly because of Remington's words. Even though I held no fondness for the man, he did seem to be truthful. But more importantly, he intrigued me. Was I the same guy that he was speaking of? My name did seem familiar to him, but a name is really an empty title that symbolizes nothing, so anyone could have been named 'Chrono'. Where had the name originated anyway, why did I remember that particular title, and how was I sure that it was actually mine? Maybe I heard it somewhere and decided to address myself as such.
So many questions were reeling within my head, and I realized I must have been standing there dazed. And I hadn't even really considered what this new body was capable of, though I was fairly sure that it wasn't as strong. It seemed sort of irrelevant though. Oh well, there would be other times for meaningless though. I shook my head a little and glanced around. Suddenly I jumped involuntarily.
There was another face, inches from my own, huge green eyes burrowing into my own, and curly brown hair hanging around the dark face. She was smaller than me, probably only about three, which left me wondering how her head was even with my own. Then I realized Rosette had the girl within her arms.
"This is Chrono, Melissa. Say hi to him okay?" she told her sweetly, smiling in an almost motherly tenderness. Melissa giggled as if it was all a big joke, and spoke.
"Hwello Chwrono. I'm Meissa… You have really pwetty hair." I smiled in return, feeling quiet a bit fonder of children and their cute innocence than adults and their callus attitudes.
"Hi Melissa, pleased to meet you." I replied mildly, offering my hand to her. She stared at it curiously for a moment, before taking a clump of my mane and examining it. I blinked. Someone jerking on your hair was definitely not fun.
"It's purple… how come?" her face wrinkled in thought. I guess it wasn't really that normal to see someone with violent tresses long enough to trip over, especially on a guy
"Because he's magic!" Rosette exclaimed suddenly. "He's…a wizard, like in the Harry Potter books and he… missed up on a spell so he'll forever have long purple hair!" The girl's eyes lit up happily, with trust and believe. Thank god, I didn't know what to say at all. I didn't even know what Rosette was saying exactly, but decided to ask later.
"Wow! It was nice meeting wou, Mister Chrono!" She exclaimed, wigging fervently in the older girl's arms. She let her down, and she waved to us both before running off.
"Thanks Rosette." I told her softly, blushing slightly due to sheer embarrassment, and nervousness. She grinned and nudged my shoulder.
"It's nothin', but you owe me!" she exclaimed. "Now come meet everyone else, they all seem pretty intriguing by you." She once again took my wrist and jerked me along with her.
"Who watches them all anyway?" I asked suddenly as she tried to force me out of my spot.
"Oh, well-" She was cut off as an older woman entered, a huge plate of cookies balanced in both hands. The blond immediately abandoned her struggle to make me move, and went to the woman.
"Mmmm, those look good Ms. Misa! Can I have one, pwetty please?" Her voice was a mock child's as she smiled to the lady.
"But of course Rosette, but only if you introduce me to that cute boy behind you." I had moved, of my own free will, to behind her because I thought it would be a little less painful to just follow her on my own, and was sheepishly starring at the ground. I was cute?
"Sure!" She moved immediately, to find me cowering behind her with a pleading expression. I didn't want to meet anyone else really…especially another adult. But my silent beg went ignored. "This is Chrono, and Chrono this is Ms. Misa, the lady that looks over the kids here!" She told me with a grin. I nodded.
"Ah…pleased to meet you ma'am…" I muttered, not meeting the woman's stare. She giggled at my stance and spoke loudly.
"Don't be shy! You're much too adorable to be bashful." She replied giddily. Rosette laughed too, speaking to this Ms. Misa again.
"He's just like that, but it's okay. I'm sure he'll warm up to everyone eventually." She grinned at me in a maniacal way, as if telling me silently that it'd happen whether I liked it or not. She then preceded to take two cookies, downing one and stuffing the other in my mouth. I crunched up the chocolaty treat, both in shock and bliss. There was something in chocolate that was very… nice. An exotic sort of sweetness that had always reminded me of something pleasant, but I could never remember just what. I was then jerked over to the other children as the other cookies were handed out.
After being introduced to each, one at a time, and many asking about my curious hair and eye color, as well as pointed ears, I was exhausted and wanted to leave the hyperactive youths. Unfortunately I would dread the discovery about my ears later. In order to keep the children from swamping me with other unanswerable questions, Ms. Misa asked if they'd like to hear a story. Most seemed up to the idea, and she sat down. She named numerous stories, which no one wanted to hear apparently, and the small crowd became restless, glancing curiously back to me while Rosette had left me to find the Brian kid from before and ask about some clothes. In panic of more strange questions, I suddenly spoke.
"I…I can tell one, I know…a few…" Oh I was regretting what I said before I said it, especially two hours of story telling later. Then it was the children's bedtime. Rosette had even sat and listened to my stories, much to my surprise, after she had gathered a shirt and pants for me to wear, as well as some old tennis shoes. I had thrown them on as soon as I was given the chance, happy to be back in clothes that were not falling off of me.
It was quiet now; and dark, very dark actually. We were allowed to stay in the room and gaze up and the illuminated stars because Ms. Misa said she could keep a better eye on us this way, pretended we were up to something. The blonde Sister had complained,
"Aww, how much could I honestly want to do with a guy who looks like a 12 year old?" The woman just laughed, and told her after her explanation about my'condition', that they both knew I wasn't really twelve and that's all that matters.
All that seemed to melt away in the comfortable silence however. We laid there for it seemed eternity, though it must have only been a few moments as I pondered answers to all of the questions bouncing in my head. It couldn't last forever, and I knew it. I was right too, not a few minutes after I had thought so, Rosette spoke.
"What do you think Remington meant by all that he said, hm?" I sighed, trying to decode that myself.
"I dunno know." I muttered. I doubted that he knew about the little girl that I recollected about, and I couldn't remember anything before her. I wondered how I could have known that man though. He looked in his later twenties at most, and so it didn't add up; unless he was not human…
"Oh. Um… so, was that girl you were talking about… was she like me?" she asked timidly, knowing it was a very apprehensive topic.
"Yeah, a lot like you actually…" I told her. I was indifferent to the conversation, yet she seemed unnerved by silence.
"Hm…" was her only reply. Then I remembered a question of my own.
"What happened to your brother Rosette, you mentioned him once earlier." He seemed very important, but I had heard next to nothing about him.
"He was kidnapped a little while ago. " She stated solemnly. "Actually, it was when I was twelve, that's why I was brought here…" I nodded, and looked to her.
"So you've been looking for four years huh? No wonder you were so eager for help…but why did you think I would know anything?" She was avoiding my gaze, staring comfortably at the ceiling.
"T…hey think it was another devil that took him…" her words were careful, selected. Tears were gathering quickly in her depths, as I rose and looked upon her form suddenly. Well that definitely makes sense, but it opened an entirely new door. This was all much deeper than it seems. Pondering the truth of this statement, I asked the worse possible question one could think of in this situation.
"What makes them think they would keep him…alive?" She twisted away from me, lying upon her back, and making a noise alike to a strangled weep. I could see her frame slightly trembling with sorrow. Guilt squirmed within my stomach, knowing I shouldn't have said something so callus. It seems it was the second time I had made her upset, but I was surprised when she replied, struggling to remain strong.
"Because I believe in Joshua, I have hope that I'll see him again so I know I will. One way or another." She was still very confident; it made me want to think it was true because she said it was so. I smiled just slightly.
"Okay. Then I guess we'll just have to find him." She turned abruptly all the way to face me as I laid upon my back, tears still dancing over her skin, and replied cheerfully.
"Yeah! We will…" she quickly wiped away a few droplets, and I nodded. "So, what were you doing before I found you anyway? Why were you in an alley?" she asked curiously, quickly shifting the topic again. I sighed, not turning to meet her face.
"I tried to live like a normal person for a while, but it didn't work out." Her eyes softened as I glanced to her, in order to catch her reaction.
"Couldn't find a job, or just…what?"
"Nope, actually I had a job." I sat up to speak now, looking upon her form laying a few feet from me. She gazed to me like she was listening to one of my stories again, with such interest.
"Did ya quit then?" she inquired, determined apparently to know my background. Why not though? If we were partnered up then we'd be stuck together for a while anyway, so it wasn't so bad getting to know one another. Besides, I needed her to trust me, to know me like she had before. Now convinced she was the same child of before, I just wanted things to return to how they once were.
"No, I was fired Rosette." I told her briefly, wondering if I should explain why I was fired, or if she'd just ask. I decided against a little nagging voice in my head, that I'd just wait and let her ask if she wanted to know. But in a way I was waiting for just the reply that she gave me, a simple,
"Why?" She was collecting herself, sitting up as well, and yawning. She had such a long day and was probably physically and mentally exhausted. I knew I was. Against my better judgment, I answered.
"I worked at a coffee shop just a little ways from her hospital where she had to stay because she was chronically ill. For a while after her death, every little girl I saw looked just like her… luckily you don't see many 12 year olds in a café like that. But there was one day a girl with blonde braids and blue eyes came in, and sat down at the bar with a bright smile.
If I could have seen beyond my own grief I could have realized it didn't even really look like her. But that was unattainable, it was only a couple of weeks after the…incident, and I was still walking in an impossible haze."
I paused to sigh, I never thought about telling this tale to anyone, much less her. Her depths were locked with mine own, and compassion was radiating in waves from her expression. She gently placed a hand upon my shoulder, encouraging me to finish. I nodded slowly, and whether it was to her or myself I'm not sure, then spoke again.
"Well, I asked what she was doing there, of course forgetting in that moment that she was dead and thinking she had snuck out all the way from the hospital to visit me at work… The girl looked to me, so dazed and fearful that I should have realized she had no clue of what I was saying. But I didn't. Looking back, I don't know if I saw that girl at all. Instead I was seeing my angel, smiling at me and just happy to be away from her prison.
You see, that day I forgot I was still alive, awake at all. I was lucky I wasn't thrown into an insane asylum. Well, I asked if she wanted some ice cream, which we served for God only knows what, reason. She nodded meekly and left the counter to sit at a near by table…" I paused again, swallowing back my sorrow the best I could, and gazing intensely at the ceiling.
I could feel Rosette's eyes upon me, searching my depths frantically for something. It almost made me want to laugh, almost. I could only guess at what she was trying to find. Maybe some sort of sign of sanity, or even humor in the tale. Was it all a joke? Hah, hell no. No joke here, it was all very real, and I was delusional. But I was still then too, right? I cleared my throat, glancing quickly to her then back to my fixation above my head.
"I made an ice cream cone for her, strawberry because it was her favorite flavor, and brought it out for her. I forgot to mention earlier, so I guess I should now, but the café was empty of people with the exception of me and her. I sat the treat on the table in front of her, and leaned against it to talk. 'So what are you doing here?' I asked again mildly, with joy in my voice that I couldn't suppress.
'Um… just getting ice cream I guess.' She replied, again shyly. I lifted her chin with my index finger and grinned. 'You don't have to be so bashful around me.' I told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead affectionately. That's when she started to tremble. I remember distinctly frowning, and feeling weighed down with concern and relief that she had returned. It was then I suddenly embraced her.
'You had me so worried… I thought you left me, I thought you died. It feels like it's been so long, like we'd never meet again, but I promise that now I've found you again I won't let you go this time…' I whispered to her, and my voice was so broken and hoarse that I thought I couldn't speak. I began to cry and clutched her, even as she pushed hysterically away from me… Then her parents walked in and screamed.
They called the police, said I was going to kidnap their little girl. Her name was Sara. I remember so well because I remember all the yelling, how they repeated her name in endless repetition like to make sure I hadn't killed her. An officer rushed in, and jerked me up, but I still hung to the girl. By now she was weeping so greatly that my shirt was drenched, but I couldn't seem to wake up.
I repeated to them that she was my little girl, and that God had sent her back to me… I don't know why I did that, but I couldn't stop from speaking it. Maybe because I thought if I said it enough, it would magically become true…I was so humiliated, but my boss was disgusted with me.
They all thought I had hurt the child, or worse… but I only embraced her. Not that I don't understand why she was so afraid, but I would have never hurt her. I don't believe that I was capable of it… And shortly after that, I discovered my alley and dedicated my existence to rotting there…" I think Rosette might have been crying, and maybe I was crying too but I couldn't think straight enough to tell. I remember wondering if she thought I was crazy now and that even if she did I didn't really mind.
I wanted to tell her things I'd never spoken of, intimate secrets, fading memories, lost hopes and dreams. Because we had before, because I wanted it to be before; I would have paid any price to go back, to capture that precious moment in a frozen reality and never release it.
But going back in time was just a little out of reach for me, like everything else seemed to be as well. An easy example, was now standing before me, and gazing down at my form. I think I saw a tear fall from her cheer, gracefully plummeting down to me, a spectrum of colors streaming though the bead of salty rain, and I could have sworn it went in slow motion before my own eyes before it collided with my shirt, but when I looked down to the spot, nothing was there…
Rosette was clearing her throat, and offering a hand to me, but I just stared at it for a moment. I wasn't there, in reality again. I was thinking about how ironic it was that I could take that hand but it would symbolize nothing. It was so strange, and so painful to know that what was once so possible vanished now. I was wondering if she had a boyfriend, though it didn't' seem much like her… I was pondering if it would be really weird to have a boyfriend who looked four years younger than you or if she'd ever be interested anyway. It wasn't impossible after all, I mean eventually she could develop a fondness for me, just it'd probably be more like a sisterly fondness… that is, unless I was able to revert to my adult form.
But even if that happened, would she ever like me in that way again? Could she love me? I knew so well that even if she didn't, I would. I'd follow her to her deathbed, and beyond… I'd follow her though life after life, find her over and over, even if I had to attend wedding after wedding, but not participating in any of them. Even if I had to stand in the waiting room in countless hospitals to await her daughter or son, and congratulate both her …and her husband.
I'd baby sit ever chance I got, spend more time with them then their own father, love them more than he ever could. I'd stand out in the rain if there were arguments, listen to the screaming, and when the bastard would leave the house, he'd have me to deal with… And if he ever hurt her, in any way, he'd meet the end at the edge of a blade. I didn't care if it was wrong, I didn't care if I couldn't stay in the house with her. I'd live were I could, but near by, in a tent, cave, hell a hole in the ground would do, or even nothing at all as long as I was able to watch over her…
Slowly I awoke from my conscious nightmare, and clutched her palm with my digits, and pulling myself to my feet.
"I'm sorry." She looked to me, very calmly. Her voice was full of concern. I simply nodded, at a loss of what else to say, still clasping her hand. Carefully I entangled my right hand with hers, and pulled the left away and to her face. Grazing my fingertip over her cheek, I audibly sighed.
"God, what I would give if you could remember…" She stayed still, a frown bending onto her mouth, as I whispered my words, almost just to myself. I was glad that she let me stay this way. I needed it so badly.
"Maybe one day, I will…" She said, quietly as well. She then turned and began to exit the room, still clasping my hand…
We walked the entire way back like that, and though the only contact we held was the weaving of our hands together, the warmth seeped though my entire body. I felt so happy, so close to her in our sweet silence. I didn't mind that she wasn't speaking, and on other terms one might think that strange for her, but it wasn't a tense silence.
I do remember at one point replying to her last words, saying in a whisper, 'I hope', but now I'm not exactly sure if that was my imagination or if it really happened. If it did then I doubt she heard me, and if she did hear me then she ignored it all together because she had no response to the slightest.
We made it back, all the way to my pew in silence. We said goodnight, but before I laid down to take my blanket (which was amazingly still in place) and curl up, I very quickly pressed a kiss to her cheek, blushing though I wasn't really embarrassed by it.
She flushed as well, and immediately brought her hand to her face. She covered that spot for a moment, gazing at me and looking bewildered.
"W…well sleep well Chrono…" she told me, trying to neglect my innocent act of affection.
"You too Rosette." I could feel myself grin, and even my voice portrayed it. It was relieving to be daring, and to go beyond the act of an embrace. I was sort of surprised she didn't slap me or fuss and put me 'back in my place', but I was hoping that her lack of negative responses meant something good. She scurried off after that, her hand still pressed to her cheek, as she seemed to be walking in a daze. Either from my sudden actions, or she was really that tired.
I must have been, because while watching her sway out of the room, I fell into a deep slumber. I know I meant to stay awake, I had so much to think about, so much to find answers to, that sleep would be a waste of my precious hours to do so. But I can't recall anything after her exiting the room, so I must have fallen asleep exactly post to that. The sun was again bright when I awoke, confused that it was not still that night, to meet an angry looking Rosette.
"We have to go on a mission, so shuddaup and go away!" she called to someone.
"B…but I just bought some breakfast for him before you leave, I mean… it could be his last meal considering you're the one he's partnered with." I loud growling noise echoed though the room.
"I'll give it to 'em then! Go find your own partner you, you-" I coughed lightly in order to draw attention to myself, and smiled to the blond tornado who was pulling viciously at the tray of food. She smiled back, in a menacing way, and spoke.
"See! He wants me to give him the food!" She told the other girl, turning to her quickly. I wondered how she concluded this, just by looking at me…
"But Rosette I didn't-"
"You DO want me to give you the food, right?" She asked, though it was more a command than a question. I simply nodded; no use in continuing the argument right? She smirked, proudly victorious in her small war against the other girl. It was strange how competitive she was, especially about something as simple as giving me food, but I didn't wonder too much about it. It was kinda nice to know she at least cared enough to be jealous of someone over me.
The other girl just shrugged and left. Apparently my fan club was either run off by the blond before me, or they had abandoned me due to my change. Ah well, I didn't care if the entire world had left me, with the exception of my 'partner'. Suddenly I was jerked up by said person…
"Well, let's get a wiggle on Chrono! Time's wastin'!" I stared in disbelieve, she kept getting stranger and stranger!
"What are you talking about now Rosette! First, I thought I got to eat, second please speak plain English, I don't understand you…" she laughed, releasing my collar, and shaking her head.
"It's okay, I was reading this book a while ago on the 1920's and some of the slang sort of stuck. So you don't have to feel completely silly, no one knows what I'm talking about! As for eating, you'll have to do it on the way, because we've got to get going now. You should have got up in time for breakfast like the rest of us…"
She practically threw the tray of food to me, and then started pacing to the door. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my mind, and followed quickly after the hyperactive teen who slung the front door open and disappeared behind it. I searched my surroundings while trying to balance the tray, 'Where'd she go?'
"Oh shit!" I yelled suddenly, a sapphire sports car pulled up to me from the road. A familiar teen peered cheerfully though the windshield.
"Get in!" She called suddenly. Cautiously, I walked around to the other door and climbed in. She immediately threw the car into reverse and drove out like a missile. I griped my food desperately, wanting to eat what was sitting in front of me, not wear it. I tried to bite into a rather appealing chicken biscuit, but completely missed my mouth… so it ended up in my hair instead. I grumbled.
"Can't you drive better than this? I can't even get food in my mouth!" I complained to the young driver. She swerved from our current lane on the road, to quickly dodge a smaller red vehicle ahead of us. Swinging, to be directly in front of the other car, she sped on down the city road.
"I'm driving plenty good enough! You just aren't eating quick enough Chrono!" She told me, coming up on yet another bumper. I sighed, realizing that even if I ate breakfast, my stomach was beginning to churn so it wouldn't stay breakfast anyway. Who in their right mind gave this girl a licenses and car anyway?
She again began to pass someone, when on the left lane came a speeding white delivery truck. I yelled out in panic, the echoing horn being blown as warning, sense he couldn't swerve to the other lane, due to the car we were attempting to pass. Rosette was in shock. I quickly grabbed the wheel myself, luckily in the passenger's seat, and pulled us suddenly onto a (thankfully) abandon sidewalk.
My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, and I was shaking slightly. What had happened? What was she thinking! We could have been killed! I realized as soon as she almost drove into me that she wasn't a great driver, but I really thought that she was a little safer than that!
"Rosette! What were you thinking? It's okay to go a little fast, it's okay to be a little reckless, but not looking to see if there's a car in the other lane before passing someone! You could have killed us, we could have died! " I was still staring breathlessly ahead, at the building we had come so close to crashing with, and my breakfast which was scattered about the windshield…
"I…I know…I don't know what I was thinking… I just… I didn't…"I followed her voice to the woman's trembling form. I guess it shook her up too, but that was to be expected. "I guess my mind was somewhere else just now Chrono, it won't happen again." She finished sincerely. I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright now, but try and focus on the road and driving. I just don't want you hurt." I explained in an almost fatherly air. She adverted her eyes from the window to look upon me and smile.
"You're not mad then?" I chuckled at her begging voice.
"Nope, just worried; I can't say I don't understand getting distracted like that after all. I just don't want you to well…end up dead." I hated the idea, the mere thought. She was taken away from me once, and I'd die before I let it happen again.
I was surprised at myself really, for being so patient in an otherwise awful situation. In another mood I would have been complaining the entire rest of the day. But I was feeling almost lighthearted. I felt like something had changed overnight somehow. Like something that once was, is again.
I realize that's very vague, but it was an extremely vague emotion. Sort of an imprint of the joy I had once felt long ago. It was an empty exhilaration, something akin to the feeling of first falling into love, yet it wasn't. I already loved this Rosette for her soul, what made a person alive anyway, but I guess you could say I was beginning to fall for her as an entire person and not just the remnants of someone who was gone.
She smiled brightly to me, rubbing the back of her neck in a nervous gesture.
"You … really are different aren't you?" She said lightly, though she meant something much more serious. Her purpose for the statement was unclear. She could have been saying that because I am a demon that I don't react to something like that the way a person would, or maybe that no one would have reacted so calmly so I was just weird compared with anyone. But it didn't matter, not really.
I laughed at her accusation and simply nodded. Why deny it and waste precious energy, when I could just agree because I knew it was strange as well. It was nice, to be so accepting, just as long as she actually listened to me. I couldn't take another near death encounter…
We slowly pulled back onto the road, Rosette being much more cautious yet still driving so far over the speed limit that she could have lost her licenses for life if caught. Luckily, I guess all the police were on coffee break. After traveling for roughly twenty minutes, we arrived at a rather decrepit warehouse. It was set away from the rest of the city, and any decent looking buildings. It seemed we were in the old part of town.
The building itself was huge. Gray paint was chipping quickly away from it's exterior, and ply wood was nailed at its entrance, symbolizing it's condition at a glace, closed. I could only guess at what was once there, but what matters is what was there now. It was exciting, I had no idea of what to expect. This mission, were we fighting another demon? Was it an investigation, a murder scene? Though I fully realized what behind those doors could be something I didn't want to see, it didn't keep my childish curiosity at bay.
I could sense an ominous force surrounding the building, feeling a deep hatred and passion seeping from it. It was like feeling someone else's emotions, almost as if they were my own. Yet I knew they were not. I did not feel such great violence, and hunger for…something. When sense could I do that though? I didn't really remember trying to before, but I guess I always had. It just wasn't as apparent. I actually knew little about my kind; nothing more than what I had read from books and stories, and didn't think much about what 'special abilities' I possessed, but suddenly this ability to sense emotion became apparent.
We had parked a distance away from building, so when we climbed out from the vehicle we had a long stride to walk. We quickly crossed the parking lot, and my insides seemed to be tearing at me. My vision was clouded by something, then suddenly I fell, my face meeting pavement…
"Chrono! Are you alright?" Rosette was instantly at my side as I peered up at the building. My nose was aching, I think it was broken but I could feel it begin to mend on its own accord. There was a line of blood running to my lips, which I quickly licked away. "What happened?" the young Sister asked after a brief silence and her own deduction that I must have been fine.
"I…I guess I just tripped." I told her, not looking to her, my voice as distant as my attention. I gathered myself into a sitting position for a moment in deep thought. Images began flashing within my mind, so quickly that I could not tell exactly what they were. What was happening? Was I seeing into the future or…reading the person's mind whose emotions these belonged to? I felt a jerk at the back of my head as I continued to stare at the decrepit structure, and turned to find out what was happening.
"Don't move, I'll get this in your hair faster if you just hold still!" The blond snapped to me. My brows furrowed in confusion. What was she doing to me anyway, and…why?
"Uh, Rosette what are you doing?" She laughed shortly, then replied.
"Well, you keep tripping over all that hair of yours, so I tied it back into a ponytail for now…I don't have time to do anything else, so get up and come on!" she released my mane and walked to the front of me, obscuring my view of the warehouse. I steadied myself to my feet, and followed. I have to admit, it was much easier to walk with nothing at my feet to trip me.
The waves of energy were nearly knocking me over as we continued to approach the doors, and I could see that even Rosette got a sudden chill as we neared the entrance.
"Is it just me, or…is something not right here?" She asked, looking to me. She was worried, I could tell immediately. I wondered how many missions she had been on, and how difficult they were, because I had a funny feeling this would be anything but easy.
"It's not just you, I could feel it ever sense we arrived…" I informed her. She was frightened by my words, and that was not a guess. It was written clearly on her face.
"B…but Father Remington, he wouldn't have sent us on a mission alone for the first time, if he thought it would be really dangerous…" She said, as we finally stood before the door. She stopped just at it, staring at the handle, and I a few feet from her. I could barely stand to be so close. It was as though the emotions and images were ripping at my own consciousness. I groaned at the flash of energy that surged though my form, and flinched.
"Looks like maybe Remington didn't even realize the danger that lurks here…" I said briefly. However, regardless of obvious warnings, Rosette grasped the handle, turned it with an ear piercing screech, and barely pushed. The door crept open on its own when her hand fell to her side, and the sight before our eyes caused both our faces to pale…
Author's note: Sorry folks, I know that was a terrible place to leave off… but I couldn't resist n.n. This is still subject to change, especially because I'm a little iffy about how some parts went (especially the car moment, because it went so fast… n.n;). Please let me know how it sounds, and how you liked the chapter! I look forward to hearing my readers thoughts and opinions, they greatly inspire me (and actually make writing easier n.n). Thanks again for reading, and especially those that have been reviewing up until now. I appreciate it immensely! See you next chapter!
Preview: The mystery slowly starts to unravel before their eyes, bonds are created, and what was once lost might have been found… what lies before our two friends could be anything, the question is, are they prepared for the unknown?