Disclaimer: Gee, you think?

Author's Note: Ah, family reunions. That time of the year where I'm forced to sit in the back of some God-forsaken pavilion, surrounded by bucket loads of unhealthy food, trying to make small talk with relatives I'm probably not even related to. But whatever. . . our annual fourth of July get-togethers actually weren't that bad this year— I kind of had fun. I do like seeing some of my aunts and uncles. (Particularly the ones who might be reading this. . . ;-) )

Anyway, since—by tradition—I need an excuse for the chapter being so late, that's my reason this time: I was in MN visiting relatives. (Oh! And as I said in my DitR update, all of you anime fans in MN who I met up with? Yeah, y'all are darb!)

X

X

X

DOUBLE TROUBLE

X

Chapter Six: A New Contract

X

X

X

One week. It had been a whole week since Chrono had been torn apart by the Elder's stupidity— and things were starting to change. Of course, to say that the situation was getting better would be a downright lie. Hell, to say things were "bad" would be an utter understatement. Rosette blew out her cheeks in a silent rage, a scowl on her face as she stared out the window in gloomy thought.

Why were things turning out like this? Why was it that Little Chrono was becoming more and more childish, obsessive, and jealous? Why was Big Chrono evolving into this parental, domineering, bossy thing? Why was it that they kept drifting further and further apart! She was sick of bedtime stories and bouquets! She just wanted all of this to be over!

. . . As did, it should be mentioned, the rest of the militia— who had recently been assigned to stalk the pair. Much to Sister Kate's horror, the split devil's relationship with, well, himself, had reached the point where the Order's firearms and barriers were the only things that could keep the two from ripping each other (and the convent) apart. Even Rosette's attempts to interfere didn't help. If anything, they only made the case worse.

"Oops! Sorry! I think I tied this one too tight. . ."

"Huh?" the nun gave a jolt of surprise, so lost in her own musings that she'd completely forgotten that there was another person in the room. "Oh. . . oh, no, Azmaria—it feels fine. Thanks, by the way. . ."

"No problem!" Az chirped, snipping off another strip of gauze. "I'm always happy to help!" A pause, the girl's cheerful face falling slightly. "Though, I was wondering: why you didn't ask the— uh— Chrono. . . s. . . to bandage—?"

"Because they'd probably break my wounded arm in the process," Rosette spat angrily, eye twitching as her free hand clenched into a fist around her chin, which her palm had been supporting. "First they'd bicker over who got to choose the ointment, then they'd poke each others' eyes out with the scissors. . ."

The apostle blanched, giggling nervously. "Uh. . . yes. . ." Then she blinked. "Wait a moment— how did this happen, anyway? Sister Kate told me that she'd sent you three out on a mission, but I can't imagine either Chrono letting you get hurt."

A snort. "I didn't get this from an exorcist gig," the teen grumbled, giving her bruised and battered limb and helpless shake. "This is from the battle after. . . the Battle of Who Gets to Sit Next to Rosette in the Car." Rosette grunted something foul under her breath. "A battle that ended in us crashing into a damn tree! Now I don't get to drive for another week— even though it's not my fault!"

"Ooo. . ." Az moaned her sympathy, imagining the scene in her head. It went something like this: Fight, fight, fight, crash, fight, fight, massacre, fight, Kate (scream in horror), fight. . . fight. . . Not fun. "How awful."

"Yeah," the nun muttered, flexing her uninjured fingers furiously, "and that's not even half of it . . . ! Well, actually," she painted a dark, dry smile upon her face. "I suppose, technically, that it is."

Again, Az looked confused. "What do you mean, not even the—? Oh. . ." The apostle trailed off knowledgeably after following Rosette's gaze and finding it locked on the two devils—who were currently in the middle of a very heated cat-fight (bitch-slapping each other every so often) in a tree outside Rosette's window. Perhaps it was better not to ask what they were doing there. . .

My, my— look, there went Little Chrono now. . . That had to have hurt. 'I wonder if those leaves taste good. . .' Azmaria pondered, watching the sealed devil spit out a handful of the stuff. 'Guess not.'

"I just don't understand, Azzy!" the young woman complained bitterly, changing her snicker into a hacking cough when the child managed to hit his older counterpart smack in the forehead with a green apple, causing BC to topple, swirly-eyed, from the branches as well. "Elder told me that I'm their glue factor, but for all the time we spend together— nothing happens!"

"It is odd," the child agreed shortly, tying the last cloth strip into a small bow. "If anything, they just seem to be. . .be. . . "

"Be?" the blonde pressed, making an irritated noise when Az trailed off. "Be what?"

"Well. . ." A swallow. "Drifting further and further apart."

". . ." Silence. Rosette's eyes crinkled and clouded, her lips thinning dangerously. Azmaria stiffened a bit, worried that she might have invoked her "big sister's" rage—

But all the exorcist did was slump, as if deflating. And honestly, that scared Charity more than the prospect of being hit. "Rosette—?"

"You're. . . right." The words were spoken quietly, with more frustration and fury behind them than the little girl had ever heard. Yet the coldness in her tone wasn't directed towards Az— it was aimed at herself. "All I'm doing is making things worse!"

Azmaria paled considerably, terrified by how Rosette was acting. This wasn't like her—! Frantically waving her hands, the pale haired girl attempted to shoo the depression out of the room. "Now, Rosette, I'm sure that's not tr— I mean, I'm sure it's not all of your fa— that is. . ." The pink pooled child made a pathetic sound in the back of her throat, feeling more and more guilty for causing the melancholy look on her best friend's face. Regardless, she took a deep breath and tried one last time; voice louder than before: "I'm sure it's going to be okay, because they both l—!"

"Hellooooooooooooooooo!"

"—!" Rosette instantly grew rigid. Good lord. Az, on the other hand, perked up— apparently mildly relieved. "Oh, good! She'll know what to say!"

The nun snarled, shooting Azmaria a withering look that would have made a diamond curl into ashes. "NO!"

Charity whimpered, grinning timidly as she held her clasped hands to her face. "B— but she's all ready h—!"

"Then get her AWA—!"

At that moment, the door slammed open, nearly bouncing out of its hinges as it crashed into the wall. "Chrono-baby, I've returned to take you away with me, just like we promised!" sang the tall, busty jewel witch who now stood in the doorway, looking positively delighted until—

Her eyes fell on the seething Rosette. "Oh," she drawled, good cheer gone; arms falling to her sides before crossing under her chest; an air of smug superiority clinging to her entire body. "It's you. Well, I suppose the cat's out of the bag—!"

"Youuuuuuuu!" Rosette barked, leaping to her feet and charging for the German— but was smartly held back by Az. "Leggo, Azmaria—! And YOU— YOU leave Chrono alone!"

"Oh? And why should I deny the little cutie the pleasures of a REAL woman?" Satella giggled, a magenta flush dusting itself across her regal cheeks. "He wants it, you know. He tells me so when we're cuddling on the love seat in my villa, warm and cozy and sharing a mug of the finest hot chocolate. . ." The woman began twiddling her thumbs, embarrassed and pleased, while staring dreamily off into the distance. Rosette simply grew angrier.

"THAT'S JUST SOME SHIT YOU PULLED OUT OF YOUR—!"

"Rosette!"

"So what if it is?" the summoner countered airily, examining her fingernails for a moment before sauntering into the bedroom, closing the nearly splintered door with a gentle tap of her foot. "What will YOU do about it?"

The teen was nearly frothing at the mouth by now, watching the woman with sapphire orbs as cold as glaciers. "Killing you seems like a good idea," she hissed, finally managing to yank her sleeves out of the apostle's wavering grasp. But even though she was finally free, Rosette didn't do what she promised— for Satella had obviously calmed down, ready to discuss why in hell's name she had shown up in the first place.

"I'll take a rain check," the German snorted, clearly amused at the prospect of Rosette killing her. "Right now, I've heard we have a bigger problem." Seating herself gracefully on the very edge of the bed— because she "didn't know what went on there, when no one was looking" (and winked teasingly to water down the flaming fire that suddenly exploded to life on Rosette's enraged face)— Satella flipped her thick hair over her shoulder, lacing her fingers together before cupping one crossed knee. "Ironically enough, about my darling Chrono-honey."

"He's not yours," the exorcist grumbled sourly, but sat herself down on the floor just the same— staring expectantly up at her (and she used this term very lightly) friend. "But. . . yes. There is something wrong. Did Elder tell you—?"

"Actually, it was your Sister Kate who called," Satella arched an eyebrow, clearly as surprised as Rosette and Azmaria. Sister Kate did not just call anybody, after all. . . Especially not magical, horny cradle-robbers. Usually. This seemed to be an exception. "She spent a good five minutes hysterically shouting something about running out of free militia members and ammo. . . then asked that, since I know more black magic than you, if I could perhaps help put one and two together, so to speak. And it should be said that they offered me a small fortune, but out of love and devotion I'm here at no charge! . . . So I expect nothing but pure cooperation from you." The jewel summoner smirked at the blonde, tapping her nose haughtily. Said blonde retaliated by attempting to bite that finger off.

Both snarled and glared for a few long seconds, but quickly cooled down again. After all, when the business was about Chrono—a Chrono who wasn't even there to see them arguing over him—. . . what was the point in fighting?

"Now, if I understand correctly," Satella started once more, a look of sincere concern on her face, "Chrono has been— for lack of a better phrase— torn in half? The Sinner and the sealed form, right?"

"Yes," Azmaria chimed in helpfully, "and. . . well. . . Rosette, here, is supposed to be the one that can bring them together, but. . ."

"But it's not working." The woman looked as if she was dying to make some sort of comment about this fact— but upon noticing Rosette's expression, fought the urge. "I see. . . Well, I'm sure—being both smarter and more beautiful— that I can think up som—"

"I'm just getting in the way. . . aren't I?"

Both Satella and Az froze, snapping their stares upon Rosette. They had never seen her look so lost and. . . well, pathetic. She was gazing at her bandage with a strange look in her shaded eyes; lips drooping so low that it seemed as if they were about to fall from her face. What was—?

"I don't understand!" she continued to rage when no one answered, his voice soft and yet, too loud; full of bewildered humiliation. "I don't get it! Azzy's right— all I'm doing is making things worse! And I— I don't. . . I can't figure out why!" With a muffled sniffle, Rosette pulled her knees to her chin and blew out her cheeks. ". . . I don't even know who Chrono is anymore. . ." she admitted softly, her eyes seeing past events rather than the floor in front of her.

True form Chrono snorted, bored. "We do?" he asked monotonously, drumming his fingers to an unheard tune. "Funny. I didn't think so."

After a moment he swallowed, glancing up at her with watery eyes. "Am I. . . that useless?" he asked, shivering. Fear shone like a fire in his ruby pools; a fear ignited by jealousy and a feeling of worthlessness.

A harsh swallow. "And. . . all I'm doing is. . ."

She was cut off by a loud, over-dramatic sigh. "What on Earth are you talking about?" Satella inquired in a mildly irritated, slightly concerned fashion. Shaking her head with a light shrug, she snorted. "You make no sense at all!"

"Gr—!" Rosette glowered, snapping a red-hot gaze upon the witch— a gaze swimming with unreleased tears. "I said that Chrono isn't acting— isn't being—! And now I'm—!" She hiccuped, furious when the woman rolled her eyes.

"There you go again, making no sense," the gem sorceress tutted, clucking her tongue. "How in God's name can Chrono be acting strangely when he's not even here?"

"Listen, you—!"

"Uh, well, not right now," Azmaria threw in quickly, striving to keep her "big sister's" temper under control. (It was a very futile attempt, but at least she was trying.) "He's outside, right now, obviously. But what she means is—"

"I know what she means," Satella interrupted briskly, insulted by the girl's words. "And I repeat: how can he be acting strangely when he's not even here?"

". . . ?" Both of the younger women were now understandably baffled. "But— yes, he is. There's tw—!"

"Good lord, can you two listen or are those ears just for show?" the German cried, leaping to her feet with an annoyed toss of her head. "You told me yourselves that Chrono has been split! So why do you keep saying he's here? There aren't TWO of him—there's only ever going to be ONE Chrono, and as long as those two imposters are sneaking around, Chrono isn't going to be ANYWHERE, let alone be acting strangely!" Releasing a furious little scream of frustration, Satella opened her mouth to begin fuming some more—

But the words died on her lips when she took a good look at the devil's Contractor. ". . ." A sigh. Her gaze softened, mouth quirking upwards in a small, kind smile. Crouching next to Rosette, she patted her head gingerly, eyes determinedly fixed on the door. ". . . So hurry up and pull him back together, Miss Glue. Because I miss him."

With that, Satella stood, walking towards the door. "Well, I'll be off, then," she twittered perkily, casting one smiling glance over her shoulder as she did so. The nun was watching her strangely, now—with thoughts flashing behind her blue pools. . . . along with a silent thank you. The summoner nodded slightly, grinning her cocky grin. "You two keep working like you have been—and I'll go make some real progress in my private library!" She glanced away, pondering. "Hmm. . . I wonder, if I bound them together with handcuffs and locked them simultaneously on my bed. . ."

Rosette—as suddenly as she'd seemed to slip away—snapped back to life. "WHY YOU—!"

"Hohohoho! Toodles!" the jewel witch cackled, dancing out the door before the nun could scramble to and cock her gun.

And then she was gone.

X

"Hi."

Little Chrono flinched, talons nearly cracking as they dug into the coarse rock of the bridge. Trying not to vomit upon processing the unpleasant sounds of the speaker, the sealed devil instead forced a large, phony smile onto his face. "Oh," he bubbled, even his voice sounding fake. He took a large bite of the Granny Smith in his hands. "It's you. And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Can it," Big Chrono scowled, the bump on his forehead still throbbing; fists clenching in absolute animosity when the child casually offered him a bite of the very recognizable apple. That little—! Taking a calming breath, the Sinner stepped a foot closer, leaning against the granite railing in a similar fashion. Beneath them, the shallow stream trickled merrily, gurgling off to hide in the corners of the convent grounds. "You knew I'd be here, that's why you came."

"Maybe," the smaller demon replied cheerfully, nibbling on a bit of the green fruit's peal. "Or you could have come because I'm here."

"Ugh. . . Does it really matter?" BC groaned, seeing the argument from a mile away. Little Chrono shrugged, staring at the flaming horizon; watching soundlessly as streams of violet and navy stained the edges of the sky. A few stars were poking their way to the surface of the heavens, as well— glimmering dully in the bright sunset. Both sighed, refusing to meet eyes.

Five full minutes of tense silence followed.

". . . I told her about you."

Big Chrono grew rigid, a chunk of rock crumbling in his suddenly tense grip. "Wh— what was that?"

"I told Rosette," the sealed one repeated, allowing the core of his apple to land in the tiny stream with a 'sploosh.' "I told her about you—that you're not what you're pretending to be."

The Sinner's face darkened, turning maroon. But from anger or embarrassment. . . . ? "I am exactly what I appear to be! It's YOU that—! That—! You shouldn't act the way you are!"

LC frowned, fingers laced together and squeezing hard; holding himself back. "What do you mean, the way I am? I'm perfectly honest with her. I told her that I love her."

"That's what I'm talking about!" true-form Chrono roared, slamming his palm down on the stone. The whole bridge shook, but the child remained calm. Rather, as calm as he had been before the demon-made, mini earthquake. "You shouldn't love her!"

Eye twitch. "And YOU shouldn't be stealing her Astral!" Little Chrono countered, tossing his plait over his shoulder; jaw set. But after a beat he sighed, lowering his head. ". . . that was below the belt," he admitted grudgingly, sounding slightly remorseful. But only very, very slightly. "I know that's not. . . I. . ."

Big Chrono, who had been standing as still as a statue with a look of self-disgust on his face, relaxed a bit. "'S nothing," he grunted, having to clear his throat from emotion.

". . ."

The evening birds sang.

". . ."

A cricket chirped.

". . . You know you love her," Little Chrono finally whispered, voice soft and cracking and sad. "Why don't y—?"

But he cut himself off with an 'OW! Dammit—!' when BC bashed him over the head with that chunk of granite he'd accidentally snapped off. "What the hell was that fo—?"

"I do NOT love Rosette!" the Sinner nearly shrieked, a blush definitely decorating his cheeks now. "I don't—! I can't—!"

"I GET IT!" LC screamed, eyes watering with pain as he clutched his abused head. Ooo, look, they had matching wounds. How cute.

Blegh.

"ARGHOKAY!" the child panted, snapping an icy stare on his doppelganger; dropping his hands, trying to ignore his newly acquired migraine. "Let's just DROP IT! This isn't what we met here for!"

Big Chrono faltered, hesitating. . . before lowering the stone, nodding once to show his consent. Though it went without saying that on the inside, they were muttering 'Although we BOTH know you're a lying bastard. . .' "You're right. Lets get this over with."

"Let's."

. . . Of course, this only led to another long span of quietness— one that hung heavily between them like an invisible curtain. Luckily, the Sinner soon sighed. Dropping the rock completely, he leaned heavily against the bridge's hip-high wall, biting his bottom lip. "Azmaria. . . told me that Rosette almost cried, today."

LC shifted uncomfortably, playing with a stray thread hanging from his red jacket. ". . . She told me that, as well. That's why I originally agreed to mee—"

"Me, too."

Both silently gulped, toying nervously with anything they could. Little Chrono eventually grew tired of batting the string and instead grabbed his braid. Big Chrono, on the other hand, who no longer had a braid, began tugging his skeletal tail.

"She wants us to fix ourselves so badly. . ." the child eventually murmured, sounding ashamed. "But I. . . I don't want. . ."

"Neither do I," the other nodded curtly. "Whenever we're together, all we do is. . ."

"I know."

"But. . ." BC continued at a whisper, eyes on the sun as it slipped underneath the earth. "I can't stand to. . . to see her. . ."

". . . Maybe," Little Chrono piped, growing a bit louder; turning to face his other half. "Maybe, if we can prove to her that we can be good while still in two. . . Maybe she'd let us stay this way—!"

". . ." The Sinner blinked, considering. "You mean. . . no more bickering? Or insults? Or mud wrestling matches?"

LC began to nod, then faltered; laughing nervously. "Er, well, an attempt at no more, anyway. That way, we'll all be happy!"

Another moment of thoughtful contemplation rang through the night, followed by a toothy smile. "That's not such an incredibly bad idea," Big Chrono confessed casually, pensively scratching his chin. "Maybe you're not such a dork after all."

The child beamed. "Of course I'm n— hey!"

"Sorry, sorry," the taller devil waved an apologetic hand—though he didn't seem to mean his word. "I'll start being nice— you're stupidnow."

"Me— not as stupid as you—, too, then," Little Chrono nodded; though his face remained scrunched in poorly hid malice. "Shake on it?"

A smile—just as wide and strained as the other's. "Of course."

But even as they did so, they knew in their shared heart that the contract would not last long. For, if there was one thing that Chrono—whole, split, or in quarters, it didn't matter— would never waver on, it was his promise to protect Rosette. A promise he was still trying to fulfill, despite this 'bump in the road'. The problem now was that he wanted to do that in two different ways.

Mainly by keeping her "safe" from his other half.

And if there was one thing that both Chronos had gotten an equal abundance of during the accident, it was stubbornness.

X

X

X

I need an official name for theses Q-n-A sessions—calling them FAQ is so cliché!

Q: Where did you get your desktop—you know, the one of sexy vampire Chrono that you were bragging about last chapter?

A: I downloaded it from Believe, another Chrono Crusade website. It's a very nice one, too—so I encourage all of you to check it out! URL (no spaces): www. chrno crusade . kuroi-hoshi . org/

PS. (Another great site: www. journey . aoi-ashita . org/ index . php)

Q: What color is Chrono's hair when he's in his Sinner form?

A: Good question—they keep changing it, don't they? In the anime it's purple, like his sealed form. There are also some manga sketches where his hair is purple. On the other hand, his hair is teal, or blue-green, on the opening page of the first manga. And, on the front cover of manga two, it's dark brown. So. . . your guess is as good as mine. It's probably a safe bet to say violet, though.

Q: Tell us about Chrono/Chrono/Rosette's relationship! How does each feel about her? How does she feel about each of them? Will they go off and make babies together? Tell us, tell us, tell us—we don't care if it spoils the rest of the story! Tell us NOW!

A: No.

Q: Why is it taking you so fricken' long to update, you bitch?

A: (Sweatdrop) Sorry about that. Last week, as I said, I was in MN. And tomorrow I'm off on a camping trip for a few days. (Don't worry, I'll be writing on my laptop—I just won't be able to post until I get back.) In addition to that, I'm really busy working on Dancing in the Rain, which, though only a side story, I really enjoy doing. Also— unfortunately—I have a life I gotta live. ;-) So. . . yeah. But I am doing my best here, so please be patient!

NEXT CHAPTER: All right, the Order has had ENOUGH. Unable to tolerate bickering and battles anymore, the Sisters and Brothers kick Rosette, Little Chrono, and Big Chrono out for a day. What's a poor group of exorcists to do?

. . . Did somebody say picnic?

Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed—please R and R! Ja!