I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.
This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.
Text Key:
() -- thoughts
'bold' -- sound effects
Speech -- Chrono/Demons in true form
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Black Sabbath
Part Three: Broken
By: Anime Otaku
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"Of all the things she has broken in her life, why hasn't the Contract she made with that demon been one of them?"
-Sister Kate Valentine
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Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch, 1924
Rosette sighed in annoyance as she waited impatiently for the sun to rise. Patience had never been her strongest of virtues, she'd much rather be out DOING something than stuck where she was WAITING for something. But, given her current condition, she was in no shape to be doing much of anything -- except getting better.
A growl escaped from the young exorcist when she looked out the window again, the first rays of golden sunlight just starting to peek over the horizon.
(Not much longer,) she told herself. (Just a little bit longer and... and... Oh, applesauce! I can't take much more of this!)
Sighting in frustration, the teen sat up, ignoring the slight pain in her side. Walking to the window, she threw it open and breathed in the fresh morning air, the sweet smell of wet grass and dogwood trees filling her lungs.
"This is the last time I wake up early," she huffed, her gaze automatically locking onto the Elder's workshop.
What she was so desperately waiting on was inside there, probably still asleep at this very moment. Rosette could just imagine Chrono as he slept soundly in his bed while she was up and awake waiting on him to come see her.
Chrono.
The thought of him brought up a memory that was still fresh in her mind. Rosette flushed pink when remembered the things that Chrono had done to her, had said to her, and the way her body had reacted to him. But even after all of that, it was what happened afterwards that really stuck in her mind.
-----------------------------
As the initial shock had begun to wear off, Rosette had instinctively jumped up and tried to run after Chrono. A feat that was stopped by a sharp pain that laced through her side and both Azmaria and Satella pushing her back down on the bed. She tried to argue with them to let her go after him, but they refused to let her go. After they had finally gotten her to calm down, somewhat anyway, Father Remington had come in and explained everything to her.
Or so he said. She didn't know why, but Rosette had a sneaky suspicion that the priest was hiding something from her. What it was, she didn't know, but she had been determined to find out by asking Chrono. Once again she had been stopped, by Father Remington this time, saying that she and Chrono needed to spend a couple days apart, just as a precaution.
Rosette had exploded.
She explained, in not so subtle ways -- despite the presence of Azmaria's virgin ears -- that she and Chrono were not going to be separated for any length of time. A promise she made good on when she had been caught trying to sneak out of the infirmary early the next morning. And again at lunch. Finally, after dinner, she had made it to the Elder's workshop, only to be caught once again, this time by Father Remington, who happened to be checking on Chrono.
The priest tried to get Rosette to go back to bed, but the blond exorcist absolutely, positively, refused to leave until she was allowed to do what she had come there to do. And with the gentle reassurance from Chrono, who had emerged from his room due to all the commotion, Rosette was allowed to lead the demon back into his room where they both promptly sat down on his bed -- and Rosette proceeded to unbraid and braid his hair.
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After that little incident, Father Remington had given Chrono permission to visit Rosette one hour a day, three times a day. And for the past three days, he had been doing exactly that. Rosette couldn't say that she was completely happy about it, but it would give her the chance to braid his hair everyday, just as she had done ever since that sunny afternoon in Michigan four years ago.
Rosette was pulled from her musings by three soft knocks on the door and a slightly muffled voice. "Rosette, it's me. Open up."
A big grin spread across the teen's face and she had to suppress the urge to squeal in excitement like a little girl. Quickly scurrying over to the door, Rosette opened it a crack and looked out. Chrono was standing there, a smile on his face and her breakfast in his hands.
"It's about time," Rosette huffed, masking her excitement with annoyance. She moved aside, letting the demon in and closed the door behind him.
"What do you mean 'about time'?" he said, setting the tray on the bedside table. "I'm a full two hours early, if you hadn't noticed."
Blinking in confusion, Rosette looked out the window and saw that Chrono was right. The sun itself was just starting to peek over the horizon.
"Wha... what are you...?" Rosette stammered.
"What am I doing here two hours early?" Chrono finished for her. Rosette nodded. "Well, I thought you wouldn't mind if I spent a little extra time with you," the little demon admitted, a faint blush painting his cheeks. "Three hours a day isn't enough for me."
Rosette felt her cheeks heat up at her partner's confession. "That's fine. I don't mind at all."
Chrono smiled. "I'm glad. So, what now? Would you rather eat your breakfast or catch a few more hours of sleep?"
"Well, I'm definitely not going back to sleep while you're here," she said, sitting on her bed. "Besides, I can get all the sleep I want later."
"Alright, breakfast then." Chrono went to give her the tray, but paused when he felt a slight tugging on his braid.
"I can skip breakfast, for now anyway," Rosette said, smiling slightly. "First thing's first. Get over here and sit down."
Chrono smiled at his partner's bossiness. Doing as he was told, the demon reached behind him and untied the ribbon and shook his head slightly, causing his braid to come undone.
Rosette kneeled behind him and took her brush from the bedside table and started to run it through his hair. A comfortable silence fell over the two as Rosette brushed out the tangles in Chrono's hair. Once finished, she sat the brush aside and laced her fingers through his hair, separating it out and starting the braid.
Chrono's hands clenched into the mattress when he felt Rosette's fingers graze the back of his neck, sending a jolt of electricity down his spine. He grit his teeth and forcefully suppressed the shudder that threatened to spread through his whole body.
(Calm down,) he told himself, (nothing's going to happen. Rosette won't produce another scent for at least a month and my Legion haven't reactivated since that incident.)
"Chrono, you okay?" Rosette asked, stopping in the middle of her braiding.
Chrono blinked in confusion at such a bizarre, out-of-the-blue question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You just seem really tense, that's all," she said. "Are you sure you're all right?"
Chrono turned his head slightly to look at her. "Of course." Rosette had a disbelieving look in here eyes. "Honestly, everything's Jake," he said, smiling.
Rosette smiled slightly back then resumed her work. Another long period of silence settled over them again, both content in the other's presence.
"All done," Rosette announced, tying off Chrono's final plait with the bow.
"Thanks, Rosette. You did a good job, as usual." When she didn't say anything, Chrono turned to look at her. "Rosette?"
Chrono inhaled sharply when Rosette suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him to her and resting her cheek on the crown of his head.
The little demon went rigid and his face turned dark red. "R-R-Rosette? What are you doing?"
"Can we just stay like this for a while?" she whispered, tightening her hold on him slightly. "I miss not having you around all the time. It gets really lonely."
Chrono smiled and relaxed into her embrace. "Sure, I don't mind at all."
Rosette smiled as well. "Thank you."
"Chrono?" she whispered, after a few minutes of silence.
"Hm?"
"How did you know I was awake?"
Although she couldn't see it, Chrono was smiling slightly. "I just did."
(I knew, because, I'm always watching over you, Rosette. And I'll continue to do so. Now and forever.)
-----------------------------
Chrono leaned back against the stone well in the center of the Magdalan Order grounds, watching the clouds drift by. The feel of the warm afternoon sunlight shining down on him brought back memories of his days with Rosette and Joshua back in Michigan. The stories he would tell them, the games they would play, and the dream that the two children wanted to share with him.
Chrono shook his head. As much as he would have liked to take a walk down memory lane, it was best not to dwell too much on the past. It always had the unfortunate effect of bringing up the most painful of memories.
Memories of Aion, of the Sinners, of his betrayal.
Of HER.
And that memory was the most painful of all.
"Chrono?"
Chrono snapped his head up, blinking away the wetness in his eyes, hoping that his tears hadn't been seen.
"Huh?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Satella," he said, rising up to sit on the lip of the well. "Nothing really. Just thinking."
The German woman raised an eyebrow. "Really? So I suppose those tears were the result of you thinking so hard it hurt?"
Chrono flinched and looked away. (Damn!)
Satella took a seat beside the demon. "Oh well, it's no business of mine, so I won't pry into it. The truth is that I'm here to see Rosette and Azmaria as well. Where are they?"
Chrono shrugged. "Don't know. Course if I hade to guess, you might find Azmaria in the infirmary with Rosette. They're supposed to be letting her out today. Why?"
"I've... come to say good-bye to everyone," she said after a moment of silence.
"Good-bye?"
Satella nodded. "I've been doing a lot of thinking ever since that incident in the park. All I've ever been doing is just sitting around here and waiting for information. But, I just can't stand here and do noting anymore, so I've decided to go to San Francisco and restart my search there."
Chrono smiled. "I see. Well, I wish you the best of luck, but I don't think you should say your good-byes just yet."
Satella cocked her head to the side. "Why not?"
"Rosette and I will be heading to San Francisco as soon as her ribs heal. And I have a feeling that we'll bump into each other sooner or later over there."
"I see. Well then, I won't say good-bye just yet," she said, standing up. "Oh, and, Chrono, one more thing."
"Yes?"
"Tell Rosette that she still owes me for that vase she broke at my manor. Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean she's getting off the hook."
Chrono sweat-dropped. "Eh, heh, heh, I'll be sure and tell her."
Satella smiled. "All right then. I'll see you la--!"
Chrono jumped up and caught Satella when she stopped in mid sentence suddenly and fell forward.
"Satella! Satella, what's wrong?" he said, shaking her slightly.
"You don't need to worry about her, Chrono. You should be more worried about yourself."
Chrono whirled around and came face to face with Sister Kate.
"Sister Kate? What are you doing here?"
Sister Kate smiled wickedly and pointed a revolver in Chrono's face, cocking the hammer back.
"Just picking up some cargo to come back with me."
Chrono's eyes widened. That was most defiantly not Sister Kate's voice. But he knew who it belonged to.
"Rizelle!"
Chrono didn't get a chance to move before the possessed Sister pulled the trigger.
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"Ah, it feels so good to be back in my own room again."
Azmaria smiled as Rosette plopped down on her back, snuggling into her pillow. "So how much longer are you going to be on bed-rest?"
Rosette sat up and put a finger to her chin. "Well, from what the doctors told me, technically I'm well enough to do pretty much whatever I like. However, because the injury to my ribs was so severe, I can't do anything to overexert myself. Like going on missions for example."
Azmaria nodded. "So you're sill on light-duty, huh?"
"Yep. At least I will be for another month or so."
"I'm sorry, Rosette. If I could only control my power enough to heal you. But, all I can do is heal flesh wounds, so..." Azmaria bowed her head, her hands clutching her convent uniform.
Rosette smiled and ruffled the young girl's hair. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Azmaria; you're doing great as you are now. And I know that if you really want to become stronger, you will. I have all the confidence in the world in you."
Azmaria looked up, wiping at the wetness in her eyes. "Really?"
Rosette pulled the girl into a hug. "Really. I couldn't have asked for a better apprentice than you."
"Thank you, Rosette. That means a lot to me."
The moment between the two girls was shattered when the sound of a gunshot and someone screaming in pain echoed across the convent grounds. Before either could react, the door suddenly flew open and three figures walked in, each pointing a shotgun at the girls.
Rosette tightened her grip on Azmaria and stared in shock at who the three figures were. "Mary? Anna? Claire? What the hell is going on here?"
Claire smiled at Rosette. "Hello, Sister Rosette. It's so good to see you again."
Rosette's eyes widened. She knew that voice. "It's you! The one from Grand Central Station!"
"Correct. You may call me the Puppet Master."
"How did you get here? And what did you do to them?"
Claire wiggled her finger at Rosette. "Ah, ah, ah. Now's not the time for questions, Sister Rosette. We still have much to do and so little time to do it in."
Anna stepped forward and threw a convent uniform on Rosette's bed. "Please put that on," Claire said. "We must have you looking somewhat presentable for your journey."
Rosette looked at the uniform the back at Claire. "Why should I?"
Claire put a hand to her cheek. "Goodness, I guess you don't care what happens to Chrono then, do you?"
Rosette's eyes widened.
"What did you do to Chrono?" Azmaria shouted.
Clair grinned wickedly. "I shot him."
"What?"
"I've always been curious to see what one of these Sacred bullets would do to a demon when fired at point-blank range." Claire chuckled. "It wasn't very pretty."
Azmaria buried her face in Rosette's shoulder and started to cry.
"I swear," Rosette said through clenched teeth, "if you've killed Chrono..."
"Oh don't worry; Chrono's still alive... for now anyway. But, if you don't do as I say, I can't guarantee that he'll stay that way very long."
"Fine." Gently prying Azmaria off of her, Rosette quickly changed out of her nightdress and into the convent uniform. "There, I'm done. Now take me to Chrono!"
"As you wish." Claire stepped aside and motioned with her shotgun. "He's out by the well, get moving. You too, Apostle girl, I have business with you as well."
Keeping Azmaria close to her side, Rosette let herself be led out of her room by the three possessed Sisters and into the center of the convent.
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Chrono awoke to a world of pain.
Not just the pain from his bullet wound, but pain in his whole body. It was if thousands of tiny needles were stabbing him all at once. Even the slightest of movements hurt. The demon tried to sit up, but found his movements restrained. Forcing his eyes open, he blinked in disbelief when he saw a blue light surrounding him.
(A barrier!)
"Welcome back, Chrono. I thought you were dead for a moment there."
"Rizelle--!" Chrono hissed in pain. Even talking hurt.
Sister Kate/Rizelle sighed. "I can't believe you've been reduced to this, Chrono. When you were with us, not even the strongest of demons could stand against you. And now look at yourself, a single bullet and you're nearly dead."
"Did you shoot me just so you could mock me?" he hissed out.
Sister Kate smiled. "Of course not. I had to make sure you wouldn't cause any trouble."
"Someone will find out. That gunshot is sure to cause some commotion."
"Oh, I don't think so. Take a look around."
Chrono looked to his left and right and felt his heart sink. She had captured them. The entire Order was under Rizelle's control. Each member had a gun pointed to their head and the hammers cocked back.
"You never change, Rizelle," Chrono growled out, anger flashing in his eyes. "Always using someone else to fight your battles for you."
"Careful, Chrono. We wouldn't want any 'accidents' to happen now would we?"
Chrono bit his tongue to stop himself from lashing out at Rizelle again. Instead, he scanned the crowed, looking for Father Remington.
This did not go unnoticed by Rizelle. "If you're looking for that bothersome priest, you're wasting your time. I've already dealt with him."
"What...?"
"Oh, don't worry, he's not dead. Just... napping at the moment. I was quite surprised when I couldn't control him. He has a very strong will, it appears. And the feeling I got from him, it almost felt like..." Sister Kate/Rizelle trailed off, as if she was off in her own world. She quickly snapped back to the present. "Ah, well, enough of that. We have more guests, Chrono, just for you."
The crowed behind Sister Kate separated and Chrono felt his gut twist into a knot.
"Rosette! Azmaria!"
"Chrono!" the two shouted, running to his side.
Rosette quickly removed the barrier and helped him sit up. "Are you okay, Chrono?"
Chrono smiled weakly and gave Rosette a thumbs-up. "I'm Jake. It's gonna take a lot more than a Sacred to do me in."
"Oh no, Ms. Satella!" Azmaria cried, crawling over to the woman, putting her head in her lap.
"Satella? What's she doing here?"
"Never mind about that, Rosette," Chrono said, turning he gaze to Sister Kate, "we have a bigger problem on our hands now."
Sister Kate/Rizelle laughed. "Well, I hope you enjoyed you time together, Sister Rosette, because it's time to go."
"What makes you think that I'm going anywhere with you?" Rosette snapped.
"Oh, that's too bad. I thought you wanted to see you brother again."
Rosette's eyes widened. "Joshua..."
"I can take you to him, you know," the possessed Sister said, smiling. "He's been screaming for you for so long that it's gotten annoying. I'm hoping that by bringing you to him, it will shut him up. "
"Horsefeathers!" Rosette shouted. "What makes you think that I'm going to trust the words of someone who hides behind innocent people like a coward?"
Sister Kate's eyebrow twitched. "A coward, am I? Well, let's see how brave you are when you see the real me."
"Rosette, what are you doing?" Chrono hissed.
"Stalling for time," she whispered back. "If I can keep her talking long enough, I'm sure I can think of a way to get us out of this."
Chrono groaned. "Were all dead."
Rosette ignored her partner's comment as the crowed parted again and Rizelle stalked forward. Chrono's eyes widened in disbelief. The Rizelle he was looking at now was completely different from the one he had known all those years ago. No, this was not the Rizelle he knew. What he was looking at was a monster.
"Rizelle...," he whispered in a sick voice. "What did they do to you?"
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Duffau flew over the New York skyline towards the Magdalan Order, panic eating away at him. He didn't care if anyone saw him in his true form at this point; he was too busy cursing himself for his stupidity.
(Damn! Damn! DAMN! How could I have been fooled that easily? Three days! Three days I spent running around this city chasing a decoy! A DECOY!)
Putting on an extra burst of power, Duffau pushed his speed and body to the limits, creating a gust of wind below on the city streets that caused the people to look up at the sky in confusion.
As the city streets and buildings gave way to grassy fields and forests, Duffau could begin to feel the presence of the real Rizelle and another, more powerful force. It was more powerful than him. More powerful than Pandemonium even! But who could it have been? Who was emitting this kind of power?
Duffau quickly pushed those thoughts aside when the Magdalan Order came into view. The scene below him only confirmed his fears. Rizelle had been after the Apostle from the very beginning. The Sinner was facing off against a transformed Chrono and had the Apostle of Charity held captive. Duffau was perplexed to see that the entire Order had surrounded Chrono and were pointing weapons at him. Then he saw the thin spider threads coming from two of Rizelle's extra hands and he understood the situation.
Pulling a strand of hair from his beard, Duffau called forth his power and moved in to attack the unsuspecting Sinner.
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Rizelle smiled, amused at Chrono's look of shock. "Surprised? Of course you are. You didn't stay around long enough to see my modification after the incident."
Chrono couldn't say anything, still too shocked at seeing his former friend and fellow Sinner turned into the monstrosity that stood before him.
Taking advantage of Chrono's distracted state; Rizelle sent spider webs from her two free back hands and wrapped them around Azmaria and Rosette, pulling them next to her. Chrono snapped back to attention.
"Rosette!" he yelled, lunging after his Contractor. Pain shot through his body the second he moved, sending him to his knees.
The spiritual power of the Sacred was still having an affect on him, causing his whole body to scream in pain instead of just his shoulder. Chrono clenched his teeth in anger as Rizelle laughed at his weakness, and then he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Somehow Rosette had managed to position her hands over the pocket watch just as she had been caught in Rizelle's threads. Her fingers were inching closer to release the Seal and Chrono knew what she was planning.
(Not like this,) he lamented. (I wanted to tell her, to prepare her for it, but, I kept hesitating. Why? Why did I wait so long? What was holding me back? I was doing it for her, so she could live a long life. What was I scared of? What AM I scared of?)
"Well, Chrono," Rizelle said, bringing him out of his thoughts, "it's been fun, but I must get these two to Lord Aion. And as a parting gift..." Wiggling her fingers, she maneuvered the captured Order members, forcing them to raise their weapons, taking aim on Chrono. "...I'll give you a 'twenty-one gun salute'. Good-bye, Chrono."
That was all the time Rosette needed. Her fingers finally wrapped around the release button and the instant after she released the Seal, Chrono realized what it was that he had been afraid of.
The connection. The connection that he and Rosette had shared ever since the Contract had been created was shattered and he lost the feeling of her presence. That constant reminder that she was always there with him, no matter how far apart they were. And in its place a new connection was formed. Chrono could feel the power that he would now draw upon and shuddered.
It was undeniably evil, but there was no turning back now. Just as before, Chrono took the plunge and called out to the power, absorbing it into his being and using it to transform. As his body began to change, he thought he heard something coming from deep within him.
It sounded like laughter.
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The moment Rosette released the Seal, she knew something was wrong. Instead of the searing pain and shortness of breath she got from having more of her Astral energy being forcefully removed from her soul, she felt something within her shatter and it left her feeling cold, empty, and alone.
The next thing Rosette knew, she was flying through the air in someone's warm embrace. Looking up she saw Chrono, fully transformed and eyes looking down at her in concern and something else.
Regret.
He had been looking at her in the same way four year ago when he had told her what a Contract was. But why was he looking at her like that now? What had he done? A possibility crossed her mind, but she was too scared to look down and confirm it. But she needed to know.
When he sat her back on the ground again she immediately grabbed the pocket watch and looked at it. Again she felt something inside her shatter, this time on a much grander scale.
The pocket watch, the symbol of their Contract, of their bond, and of so much more, was dead.
Rosette sank to her knees, two tear droplets falling on the black surface of the watch. She ignored the shouting from Rizelle and the threat of the controlled Order members, too focused on the realization that was staring her in the face.
The Contract was broken.
And Chrono was the one who had broken it.
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Rizelle screamed in pain when an explosion on her back destroyed her two back hands, causing the Order's captured members to collapse in an unconscious heap. Chrono used this distraction to rescue Azmaria and placed her next to Rosette.
Rizelle whirled around and looked up at the sky. "Duffau!" she raged.
"Sinner Rizelle, in the name of Pandemonium, I am here to pass judgment upon you. Prepare to die."
Rizelle backed away from Duffau and nearly ran into Chrono. The transformed demon stood there, a neutral look on his face and an overwhelming sadness in his eyes.
"Rizelle..."
The Sinner didn't get a chance to respond. Duffau attacked again, destroying Rizelle's lower half and blowing her apart. Her scream of pain was muffled by the explosion and Chrono's own screams of horror.
When the dust cleared, Chrono was horrified to see what had happened to Rizelle. The demon's torso was the only thing that remained. Chrono slowly made his way over to the dying Rizelle; Azmaria, Rosette, and Satella -- who had woken up just it time to see the demon blown apart -- following behind him.
"Heh, heh... Do you think this is the end?" Rizelle wheezed, blood leaking from her mouth and head. "It isn't over yet! It's barely even started. This is just the beginning of the end. But... it's too bad I won't be able to see it with my own eyes now."
Chrono kneeled down next to Rizelle and took her hand in his own, giving it a squeeze. "Rizelle, it's me," he whispered. "What's Aion going to use Joshua for?"
Rizelle turned to look at Chrono, smiling slightly. "Chrono... is that you? If only you hadn't left Lord Aion... Don't you know? We Sinners have only one desire. True freedom, true release. If all the Apostles are brought together, we can attain that."
"The Apostles?" Rosette whispered.
Rizelle looked at her. "Heh, heh. You'd better hurry, Sister Rosette. I was supposed to bring you... to make that BOY more stable." Rizelle coughed once, spitting up more blood. "Joshua is an Apostle, but he has horns... He's very easily sucked in by IT. He's become a double-edged sword for us."
Rosette's eyes widened. "It? What's it? What are you talking about?"
Rizelle smiled. "Pandemonium -- the demon world." The demon coughed one last time, closing her eyes and accepting the end. "Lord Aion," she whispered, "was I... Was Rizelle... any use to you?"
Rizelle's body went limp and her hand slipped out of Chrono's, falling to her side.
"Good-bye, Rizelle. I'm sorry," Chrono whispered to her.
Chrono turned around to face the trio of women behind him. "Rosette, are you--"
'SLAP'
Chrono's head snapped to the side and his eyes widened in disbelief, a hand automatically going to the cheek that Rosette had slapped. He slowly looked at her and felt his heart ache. She was crying. Tears were falling unchecked down her face and her whole body was shaking.
"How could you?" she chocked out. "How could you break our Contract like that? I thought you needed me, but I guess I was wrong."
Chrono removed his hand from his face, the red mark already gone. "Rosette, I..."
"Save it!" she spat. "I don't want to hear any of you excuses! And since you don't need me anymore, I'll... I'll just..."
Chrono reached out and tried to put a comforting hand on Rosette, but she slapped it away and backed away from him.
"Don't touch me!" she yelled. "Don't look at me! Don't speak to me! Don't even come anywhere near me! I hate you, Chrono! I HATE you! And I wish I'd never met you!"
Spinning on her heal, Rosette ran away from the stunned demon, Azmaria and Satella quickly running after her and calling her name.
Chrono stood as still as a statue, watching Rosette run away from him. When she was finally out of sight, only then did he let himself move. Collapsing to his knees, the demon began pounding at the ground angrily.
"Damn it!" he whispered, tears slowly sliding down his face. "What have I done? What have I done?"
"Sinner Chrono."
Chrono blinked away his tears and stood up, but didn't look at Duffau. "What do you want, Duffau? Are you here to pass judgment on me as well?"
"Far from it," the Pursuer leader said. "I am here to lend the services of myself and my Legion to help you track down and stop Aion."
"You want the Order to ally themselves with you?" Chrono snorted. "It'll never happen. They'll never allow themselves to openly work with demons."
"Then you must convince them. It can be beneficial for both of us, as we have the same enemy. I will return at sunrise. I'll expect an answer by then."
Spreading his wings, Duffau took to the sky and left Chrono standing in the middle of the convent with his demand.
-----------------------------
Night had fallen by the time the Order was up and running smoothly again. Father Remington left the infirmary after checking on the last of the Order members who were still in a daze due to Rizelle's manipulations. As he walked across the convent grounds, he noticed the dark silhouette of Chrono standing beside the well. The priest walked up to the demon and stood beside the still transformed demon, neither of them saying anything for a long period of time.
Finally, Father Remington broke the silence. "Where's Rizelle's body?"
The demon was silent for a moment before he answered. "I took her outside the convent grounds and buried her. She deserved that at least."
The priest nodded. "I see."
Another long period of silence followed before Chrono asked, "Is there something you wanted, Father Remington?"
"As a matter of fact, there is. I told Sister Kate as much as I heard of that Duffau character's proposition. You can already imagine what her reaction was."
"She said no, right?"
Father Remington nodded. "Shouted it, actually. It took some convincing, but I finally got her to at least consider the option. Unfortunately, I'm going to need your help in doing that."
Chrono tuned slightly to look at the priest. "Me?"
"I pointed out to Sister Kate that you and the demons could be a great deal of information regarding Aion and what he is trying to do. So she wants to talk to you before making any kind of decision."
"I see. Now?"
"I think that would be best. You only have until dawn to come up with an answer."
Chrono nodded. "Alright. Let's go see her."
Father Remington reached out and caught Chrono's shoulder. "Um, you might want to change before you see Sister Kate. You know how she feels about you presence here and I think seeing you in that form would be too much of a surprise for her."
"Oh, right."
Chrono closed his eyes and felt himself change. Opening his eyes, he saw Father Remington staring at him in shock.
"What's wrong Fa--?"
Chrono slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. His voice had changed. He didn't sound like a child anymore. It sounded more mature, like he was still in his demon form. He quickly ran into the convent and found the nearest bathroom, coming to stand in front of a mirror.
"What the hell?"
The reflection staring back at him was most defiantly not that of a child. He was in his mature form again. He quickly checked himself to see what had changed. He had kept the same hairstyle and braid, much to his relief. He had the same red colored cloths as well with only a few alterations. His black sash and suspenders were gone and he now wore a pair of red pants instead of shorts. His headband was still there as well.
"How...?" he asked his reflection. "How did this happen?"
"Chrono?" Father Remington asked from the doorway.
"Yeah?"
"Remember when I said you should change so you wouldn't startle anyone?"
Chrono brought a hand to his face and pinched his cheek, as if to confirm that this wasn't a dream. "Yeah."
The priest sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Forget what I said."
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"Come in," Sister Kate called after hearing three knocks at her office door. Father Remington walked inside and quickly closed the door behind him. "Ah, Father Remington, did you find Chrono?"
Father Remington stood before Sister Kate's desk and collected his thoughts, failing to notice the other occupants of the room. "Did I find Chrono? Well, yes and no."
Sister Kate blinked in confusion. "What do you mean 'yes and no'?"
Father Remington closed his eyes and put a finger to his temple. "Well, yes, I found Chrono. But, he's, well, different."
"Different how?"
"He's... changed. A lot."
Sister Kate started to get mad. "Father Remington, will you please stop beating around the bush and just TELL me what is wrong with Chrono?"
Father Remington sighed. "I can't really tell you what's wrong with him. You'll just have to see it for yourself." He returned to the door and opened it slightly. "Come on in." A pause. "Yes, I told her -- sort of -- but, well, you'll just have to show her." Another pause. "She's going to find out sooner or later. Might as well be now."
Father Remington stepped aside and Chrono walked slowly in moments later. There was a collection of shocked gasps and a shattering of porcelain when Sister Kate dropped her cup of tea. Chrono looked to his left and found Satella, Azmaria and even Rosette sitting on the couch. All three of them had their mouths open is shock and a bright blush painting their cheeks. Rosette seemed to recover her wits first and quickly looked away from him, her hands clenching into fists.
(Rosette...)
Giving himself a mental shake, Chrono walked up to Sister Kate, who was still staring at him in shock. "You wanted to see me, Sister Kate?"
Sister Kate stared at him a moment longer before shaking herself out of her stupor. "Oh, um, yes, yes I did, Chrono. Father Remington has told me of the proposition made by a demon named Duffau. Before I come to any kind of decision I need to know a few things. Things I'm sure you can help us with."
"What do you want to know?"
"I need to know about Pandemonium, about Aion and why he and his group are called 'Sinners'."
"Alright," Chrono said, as Satella and Azmaria moved closer. Rosette stayed where she was, still looking away from him. Father Remington raised a questioning eyebrow, but Chrono slightly shook his head.
"The world in which all demons are borne and live in," he began, "is known as Pandemonium. And our 'Mother' is Pandemonium itself."
"I'm confused," Sister Kate said. "How can the world you live in be your Mother?"
"The world of Pandemonium was named by it's creator, an Angel that was cast from Heaven after the rebellion. Her true name was lost to time and we simply refer to her as our Mother or Pandemonium -- the world which she created."
"I see. That clears it up somewhat. So is Pandemonium really the mother of all demons?"
Chrono nodded. "She is. Demons don't really have a concept of 'family', but since we're all borne from the same 'Mother' we see ourselves as brothers and sisters of the same community. It's a hierarchal society... like where every bee comes from the same queen. So, that's why, for us, killing a 'brother' or 'sister' is considered the greatest sin a demon can commit."
"So that's why you're always being chased by Pursuers," Satella chimed in. She still had a light blush on her cheeks, but otherwise, had recovered from the shock of Chrono's new, more mature form.
Chrono looked at the floor, a great amount of sadness in his eyes. "Yes. When Aion and I rebelled, we had to kill a lot of our brethren to escape Pandemonium. We were labeled as 'Sinners' for that and for helping Aion kill our Mother. It was part of his plan to attain true freedom."
"I'm curious, Chrono," Father Remington said after a few moments of silence. "Is Pandemonium the same thing as the 'Hell' that we humans are taught about?"
Chrono shook his head. "No. Pandemonium was created strictly for demons to live in. It's not Hell itself, more like a sub-level of Hell. But the demon world needs Hell just as much as Hell needs the demon world."
"How so?" Sister Kate asked.
Chrono looked up and spread his arms wide. "Look at me, Sister Kate. What do you see?"
Sister Kate was confused. "Chrono, I don't think I understand what you're asking."
Chrono sighed and dropped his arms. "Alright then, I'll ask bluntly. What am I, Sister Kate?"
"You're a demon--"
"Correct," Chrono said, cutting her off before she could say more. "I am a demon. A supernatural creature born of an evil that you humans fear. And yet, I am also very much like you humans. I have a heart, blood pumps through my veins and I can bleed that same blood. I can cry, laugh, and feel pain. I can also feel anger, hate, love, and loss, the very same emotions you humans feel." He looked over his shoulder at Rosette as he said this, and then quickly turned away. "How do you think a being such as myself can do that?"
Everyone present gave him blank stares. He had expected just as much. "The answer is quite simple, really. It's because every demon in Pandemonium has a soul, just as you humans do."
"What?"
"A soul?"
"How is that possible?"
Chrono held up his hand to quite everyone. "Yes, a soul. Just as it is the spark of life for you humans, it is the same with us demons. However, we get it in a very different way than you do."
"How does a demon get one then?" Father Remington asked.
"We 'recycle' them, so to speak." This brought another round of confused stares, so he began to explain.
"When a human is borne, he is given a soul by God that is specifically made for him. Along with the soul, he is also given a limited amount of Astral energy that is attached to it. The Astral acts as a sort of 'anchor' to keep the soul in the body. When the Astral runs out, the human dies. The energy is returned to the Astral Lines and, depending on what the human's life was like, the soul either goes to Heaven or Hell. If the human walked the path of righteousness, he is granted eternal paradise. But, if he strayed from the path, eternal damnation is his reward."
"We already know this, Chrono," Sister Kate said. "The souls of the damned must spend eternity in Hell for his sins after his death."
Chrono shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, Sister Kate. The soul doesn't spend an eternity in Hell, it is only stored there. It's final destination is Pandemonium."
Sister Kate's mouth dropped open and her hands started to shake. "Y-you don't mean... Surely you don't..."
Chrono nodded, a grim expression on his face. "I do. Myself, Aion, the Sinners, the Pursuers, and every demon that we have ever fought, has what used to be a human soul in them."
Satella fell back into a chair and Azmaria dropped to her knees. Sister Kate's eyes seemed to have glazed over and Father Remington was barely keeping himself under control, his hands gripping Sister Kate's desk in a white-knuckle grip. Chrono sneaked a glance at Rosette and saw her with her had bowed and shoulder shaking. It hurt him to have to crush down on the urge to go over there and try and comfort her. But, the last thing he needed was to cause a scene in front of Sister Kate.
"How?" Satella asked. "How is this possible? Why would Pandemonium do something like this?"
Chrono sighed. "It's the only way that we demons could be given life. Pandemonium may have been the Mother of all demons, but she is not God. She's just an Angel, and Angels can't create something as complex as a soul. So she needed another way to bring her children to life. When sin was first introduced to man and they started killing themselves, Mother found that the souls of the damned didn't really go anywhere, they just lingered on the Earth in a state of limbo. She soon found out that she could reach out to them and pull them into her world. Unfortunately, when placed into a newly-born demon's body, the soul wouldn't stay, it kept trying to get out. She later learned that because the soul's Astral energy had run out, there was noting to anchor it to the body."
"Which is where the horns of a demon come in," pointed out Father Remington.
Chrono nodded. "That's right. Thanks to the constant flow of Astral energy that's absorbed by the horns, the soul could be anchored to the body and it would never be able to leave. Soon after that, Hell was created to store the souls of the damned when there became too many to just pull one at a time from limbo. When a soul is pulled from Hell and anchored to a new-born demon, it's twisted and reshaped to fit that demon's body. All memories of it's past life are erased and new ones will fill it from the demon that uses it."
Everyone was silent after that until Azmaria timidly asked, "And what happens to the souls of the demons we kill?"
"Unless they can posses a human in time, the demon's soul is sent back to Hell where it's memories are erased and it waits for another body to be anchored to."
Azmaria's hands went to her mouth. "That's horrible!"
"I agree," he said, giving Azmaria a sympathetic look. "But, for us demons, that's the way our life is."
"Chrono, could you pleas wait downstairs," Sister Kate asked, finally coming out of her trance. "I'll need a moment to make a decision as on what to do about the proposed alliance."
"All right. I'll be outside." Chrono walked to the door and stopped just short of it.
Rosette was still avoiding any kind of eye contact with him. Her hands were still balled into fists and she was completely still. Chrono tried to say something to her -- anything at all -- but found that the words simply died on his lips or got lodged in his throat.
Turning away, he quickly made his way out of the office, missing the single tear that rolled down her cheek and splashed against the face of the pocket watch that she still wore around her neck.
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"Chrono?"
The demon shook himself awake and turned in the direction of the voice. "Father Remington? What time is it?"
The priest sat down next to him on the lip of the well. "Just a little before dawn. Sorry it took so long."
Chrono blinked rapidly. "It took Sister Kate this long to come to a decision?"
Father Remington shook his head. "No. She decided not long after you left."
Chrono tilted his head in confusion. "Then what took so long?"
"The Bishop Council was a lot more difficult to convince than Sister Kate was," the priest chuckled. "Sister Kate may be in charge here, but, to get full support from other branches if the need arises, she had to go through the Council."
Chrono nodded. "I see. But they agreed non-the-less."
"With one condition."
"And that was?"
"The Council wants you to act as a liaison between the Magdalan Order and the Pursuers. They've agreed to be involved with the demons, but not DIRECTLY involved, if you get what I mean."
Chrono laughed. "Yeah, I understand. It wouldn't look very good to the public if they found out that the Order was working with demons."
"Exactly. I'm glad you understand the situation we're in."
The two were silent as they waited for the sun to rise and Duffau to make his appearance as promised.
"What happened between you and Rosette?" Father Remington asked.
Chrono winced and looked away. "I'd... rather not talk about it."
"Very well then. I wont press the issue."
"Thank you."
"Tell me this much at least. How do you know so much about the workings of Pandemonium? This latest piece of information doesn't seem like the kind of thing that you Mother would just give to anyone."
"It's not. Actually, Aion stumbled on this information by mistake."
"How?"
"We were trying to find a way to become free of Pandemonium by searching through our Mother's memories. The one who was doing most of the searching, a demon named Shader, called us to her lab one day and showed us what she had found. To say that Aion was upset is an understatement. It upset the rest of us as well, but, at the same time, it strengthened our resolve to try and find a way to break free of our Mothers' chain."
Father Remington nodded. "I could only imagine what a human would feel if they dived into the mind of God and found out all of his secrets."
The two were silent again until the sun began to rise in the eastern sky, it's rays lighting the sky above them. Chrono felt a surge of demonic energy and knew that Duffau was here. The demon stalked forward and stopped in front of the two as they rose to their feet.
"Sinner Chrono," he said, "do you have an answer for me?"
Chrono nodded. "I do. The Order has agreed to work with you under one condition."
"And that is?"
"I am to act at the liaison between your Pursuers and the Order."
Duffau reached up and began to stroke his beard. "And that's all?"
"That's all."
The Pursuer pulled several strands from his beard and rolled them between his fingers. "Very well," he said, releasing the hairs into the lightly blowing wind. "I'll accept the condition."
Chrono held out his hand. "Then we're in agreement?"
Duffau took Chrono's outstretched hand in his own. "We are."
"Good," Chrono said, releasing his hold.
"However," Duffau quickly cut in, "this does not save you from Pandemonium's judgment. As soon and Aion and his Sinners are stopped, you will be judged for you actions against our Mother."
Chrono smiled sadly. "I know. And when that time comes, I will accept whatever punishment Mother sees fit to bestow upon me."
Duffau nodded. "Very well then. I shall take my leave of this place and contact you when I have more information on Aion's movements. Until then, Chrono."
Duffau stepped back and disappeared in a surge of demonic energy, leaving Chrono and Father Remington alone in the courtyard. An agreement fulfilled and a dire promise for Chrono to dwell on.
-----------------------------
Chrono entered his room and collapsed on his bed, not bothering to remove any of his clothing. This had turned out to be the most miserable day of his life. The pain he felt in his heart after hearing Rosette declaring her utter hatred towards him was like noting he had ever felt before.
It even engulfed the pain that he had felt when Magdalan had died in his arms.
The demon rolled onto his side and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about his mistakes, both of the past and the present. Instead he tried to think of a way to fix what he had broken. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to begin.
(Sleep,) he told himself. (That's a good place to start. After a good night... well, day of sleep, I should be able to think things through a lot easier.)
Relaxing himself, Chrono was soon lulled to sleep by his own wryness and exhaustion. The last thing he felt before he completely drifted away was the single tear that escaped his eye and was absorbed into his pillow.
(End of Part Three)
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Okay everyone, Part Three is done, sir, done! Yay for me! I'm sorry it took so long to get up, but my Company Commander had the bright idea of sending us into the field for a couple of days while the temperature had been cranked up to around 104 to 115 degrees. Yeah, more fun for me. On the brighter side of things, I think I sweated at least ten pounds off while I was out there.
And for those who are curious, yes, I am in the military -- Marine Corps to be exact.
As usual, I would like to thank everyone for their kind reviews, they really helped me get through this chapter.
And a special thank you to ChibiRaccoon. I think you prayer was answered after I read your review. The writers block spell that had plagued me for the past couple of days disappeared almost instantly and I could write again. So, thank you very much. Oh, and just so you know, the writer that you had so readily thrown yourself at to be a slave to is a HIM, not a HER. Just a little something for you and everyone out there who read this to roll around in there minds.
Next chapter:
-- Old friends meet once again to discusses their findings
-- Chrono reaches his wits end with Rosette
See ya next chapter.