Chapter Five:

I watched as she sat by the window, chewing the meat in her mouth with an odd expression on her face. The sun had set three hours ago and I must admit I was enjoying the beautiful sight of the stars up here in the mountains. They were brighter than I had seen them for a while and they seemed to twinkle with hope… for tonight anyway.

I sat on the bed as I stared at her with slightly annoyed fascination. She looked around for a couple of seconds before swallowing.

"Well?" I raised my eyebrow at her as she turned her attention towards me graciously.

"Well what?" She replied with an equally disruptive manner.

"Do you like it?" The answer was simple and I had asked her three times, but she had continued to tell me that she needed to take another bite before she decided anything. Maybe she just didn't want to admit that the meal we had gone through so much just to get was absolutely disgusting, because I didn't want to let her know.

It had been my idea to drive back down to the small village, yet I had been the one who wanted to call it a night and return back first. It was almost completely impossible to find a room! That was a room with two beds, a bath and a meal to come with it. I wouldn't have had any idea most of the inns would be full, but most of them only had two or three rooms to start off with. Apparently this wasn't such an "unpopular place" couples like to escape up to the mountains for some fresh air. At least that was what Rosette and I had been told.

After four places having rejected us, I definitely didn't think sinking back into that lumpy couch at our home was such a bad idea. But Rosette dragged me, it may have been kicking and screaming, but she got me here somehow… In the end it was worth it.

"I'm not going back up no matter how tired I am! Not after you dragged me here now put up with it you bird-brain!"

Sometimes I thought Rosette could do anything.

"It sucks doesn't it?" She began laughing as she placed the plate down on the edge of the window sill. "O well, at least we ate right?" She tried to smile at me. But I could see the fatigue on her still young face, fresh face, happy face. She stood up and threw me a weak smile. "I'm just going to go soak in the tub alright?"

My eyes shut with a sigh as I watched her small frame stumble its way into the bathroom. I had already failed my first goal, getting her to sleep by six o' clock. But things didn't have to go the way we had planned. Like Rosette said, we were together.

Yes, sometimes I thought she could do anything. But the one thing she couldn't do was because of me. She wouldn't live forever would she? She wouldn't even live to see her twentieth birthday. It was all because of me…

I was stupid to think I would have her sleeping soundly by six. Rosette would have never…

The bath had taken shorter than I thought. I thought she would have fallen asleep… and I would have had to come in to fetch her out. But when she emerged I realised that it had been an hour… did time really go that fast?

Rosette held a towel closely to her form, looking anxious as she approached me.

"You can go have a bath now… I'm sorry there is just some blood on the-"

"Its fine, Rosette."

"I didn't mean to get it on your towel it just kind of…"

"Rosette I have tasted your blood before, I think having some of it on my towel won't be just enough to kill me."

She blushed as I placed one of my hands on her wet shoulders, moving her dripping hair out of the way to glance slightly at the two faded holes that marked her skin.

Sometimes I felt ashamed of doing that to her, and ashamed in a way that I had enjoyed it, that I was proud to claim her as my own. I had some selfish thoughts, but all of them were linked to her protection. Did she dream about it? Was she scared?

She had always reacted strangely if I even got close to her neck, did that night five years ago still frighten her? The night she had chosen to give everything up, the night she became my contractor.

"Chrno, don't pull such a face. I forgave you for that remember?"

I sighed at her words and slid my hand up to her cheek. "Sometimes things don't deserve to be forgiven." She remained silent as I turned away. "I won't be long; I will bandage your wounds once I come out, rest until then."

"But Chrno…"

Yes a nice warm bath to clear my head… it's just what I needed when I was worried sick about my contractor in the other room fading away before I had the chance to tell her something really important.

It was a fear…. I admitted it was a fear, no it was a phobia.

I wiped my hair quickly and slipped into some loose pants before opening the door.

I felt my pulse grow quicker, I suddenly became extremely anxious. When I opened this door would she be where I left her? Would have something snatched her away? Was there some possible way fate had decided she should have died thirty seconds ago?

I pushed the door open with a gasp which soon turned to a sigh of relief as I saw her lazing on her bed in her nightgown.

"Chrno? Is everything okay? Your were only in there for five-"

"I'm so glad your okay." Rosette shot me a confused glance before I shook it off and headed towards her, digging for the bandages in my bag.

"Of course I'm okay you big dummy." I smiled at her.

"Sorry Rosette, I just had one of those bad feelings." I held the bandages up and scooted closer to her, taking her wrist in my hand. She flinched slightly but soon relaxed.

"It's having a hard time healing isn't it?" I muttered to myself. "If you even knock it, the wound will begin bleeding again."

Rosette looked guilty. "I kind of have knocked it a few times, and one time I lifted something a little too heavy and it kind of…" Rosette frowned at my disapproving glare.

"Rosette!"

"Chrno!"

I began wrapping the bandage around her wound. "I'm not a baby I can look after myself."

"As long as you continue to go around loosing blood and wincing in pain you are a baby! That needs to be looked after!"

"Oh dry up Chrno!"

I threw her another glare before relaxing myself slightly. She was right, I was being perhaps a little too fatherly, but it was better than her dying from blood loss right?

"Really Rosette you should be more careful. Even if you are selfless and think that it's okay to sacrifice yourself… there are some other people who don't think its okay."

I tightened the bandage around her wrist and threw her a serious glance as she flinched slightly. She seemed to give up and soon looked away with a sigh.

"I'm sorry Chrno…"

I blinked. "It's okay; just try to look after yourself more okay. Otherwise I will be your father and you will just have to put up with it."

There was silence for a small period of time and my hand slowly came to rest on her knee. Maybe it was a good time to tell her that she should go to sleep… Maybe I should be getting some sleep too. It was hard work looking after Rosette when she refused to be looked after.

"Say, Chrno," I once again blinked with confusion as the Rosette's voice lowered slightly; she almost seemed embarrassed or afraid. There was a long silence after she spoke, like she was finding it impossible to get the words out. So I encouraged her.

"Yeah?"

It was then she spoke. "I was just wondering if… you know… you…" She then sighed to herself and dropped her head slightly. "Gah, don't worry about it."

My curious side wanted to probe her and get her to spit out what she wanted to say. But the other side saw that she was tired, confused, in pain and needed to sleep. So I smiled lightly after my chuckle and ruffled her hair which only caused her to pout.

"Okay then, go to sleep Rosette."

"But!"

"Goodnight"

I rose from her bed and headed to mine in the far corner of the room. I watched her as she jiggled around a bit and fluffed up the pillows. She might have wanted to complain, but I saw how relieved her face was once she had sunk into the bed, hugging the covers.

With one more glance at her, I turned the lamp off and sunk into the bed covers myself.

Saturn Stars