A/N: I forgot to mention this last chapter, but the bit about the crystal is true, I know because it happened to my mother. And after you read this chapter remember that there is an epilogue! Believe me you'll want to read it.
MisoGirl -- Yes I know it's an evil cliffy. By the way, do you really have five kitties?
Pooch -- Uh, well... I pitty your siblings...
raspberrysorbet -- Well I hope what Shader does eases your blood lust a little.
Fuoco Annerito -- Thank you!
Satella reached into the pouch at her waist as the Devils came at them while she sat on the shoulders of Tiara and grabbed the gem she needed. With a small push of her mind and a focusing of her will it transformed into a crystalline recurver bow. Pulling the thin string of energy back an arrow of energy formed from the power in her palm. She released it to shoot through three devils with lethal accuracy. They plummeted to the ground. Genai was in front of her and had to roll out of the way as he went after Melissa.
A larger Devil barreled into him and they came flying at Satella, Shader and Rizel as they rode Tiara. The dragon veered out of the way, Shader clinging to the taller Human from behind squealing loudly. The jewel witch barked at Shader to let go of her. With a squeak the cat Devil complied. Satella turned around, drawing back the bowstring and aiming. She couldn't get a bead on the enemy. Rizel called out to Genai, "Bring him closer!"
Easier said then done... But he did manage it. Satella shot. Genai pushed the dead devil away and went past the four females to help Viede who had three enemies to contend with. The women turned as they watched him zip by, inches above their heads.
From their right came another enemy. To close for Satella's bow and not enough time for her to switch weapons. Rizel threw one of her knives into the Devil's eyes and it reeled away. A large Devil appeared from below to loom above them. Shader jumped over Satella's head to rest her shins on the Devil's shoulders. The heel of her palm connected with his forehead, concaving it. She pushed off to land gracefully on Tiara's large head as her opponent dropped far below – and then jump straight up, doing a half summer salt to plant her feet on an enormous Devil's chest with enough force to make him start flying backwards. She grabbed his arms and kept her feet firmly in place while forcing him into a barrel roll, deftly maneuvering him to collide with one of the opponents Genai and Viede were still having trouble beating before riding him down to the ground.
Rizel looked around to see where everyone else was. Sebastian was caught in a duel and Zeke was keeping several enemies very busy. He would be done with them shortly. It was Sebastian she was worried about... But there was nothing she could do – except trust him to win. Viede and Genai had finished with the trio and were now keeping the path clear for the two women still on Tiara's back. Not an easy task. Past them, down below, Shader and her opponent crashed into the ground in an explosion of debris, making a crater underneath the larger of the two.
An explosion of power drew her attention. Chrono and Aion were fighting – and the result was devastating to the landscape.
Chrono's in a rage... She thought as the bottom of her stomach dropped out of her.
There was no need for her to tell the others; they couldn't miss it. She winced as she saw Shader doing her best to make it to the glass domed temple – that remarkably remained unscathed – while avoiding getting killed in the crossfire of the battles above her. Rizel turned her attention back to Viede and Genai – in time to take advantage of an opportunity down one of their enemies. Neither said 'thank you.' To do so could get them killed.
Chrono and Aion exchanged blow after blow, leveling mountains, making newer and smaller ones, creating craters large and small and destroying entire forests. Aion managed to land a blow that threw Chrono into a deep, cold lake – where he held him. Chrono's rage turned to panic. He had been drowned so many other times by Aion that he was to afraid to even take a bath.
Each Devil that has a power unique to them is named for it. Shader was one such Devil. Which is why she had yet to be seen by the enemy, though Rizel did have the have the ability to see her even when she called the shadows around herself to hide, like she was right now. It used to bug her, but not since they had been trained to work as a team.
'Shader look out!' Rizel's voice sounded in her head, 'Above you!'
Shader looked up – just in time to dodge out of the way of a corpse as it landed in the dirt with a solid, earth shaking thud that made her lose her balance and fall on her butt. Ignoring the pain in her rear end, and giving the corpse an annoyed glare, she got up and started for the temple again.
Rosette writhed in pain. The baby was coming way to fast. Much faster then it should have been even with the crystal around her neck.
A month ago she and Chrono had been informed by their doctor – who himself couldn't quite believe it – that the baby was viable. So the only reason she was not pushing was because she feared that Aion planned to sacrifice her child to open the gates. It made sense. The only way to force open the gates involved a ritual that demanded the blood of a new born. But the urge to push was overwhelming and she couldn't remove the crystal.
She would have loved to have screamed out her rage at the white haired Devil... But her throat had seized up a long while ago and she could barely breath or think as it was. The baby wouldn't wait any longer. She had to push. And she did. Unfortunately what she didn't know was that when the head is out you have to stop pushing and pull the child out. Not that she could in any case. From her entrance to her cervix she was torn.
Her throat finally unseized and she let loose a scream that stopped every fight above her as they all turned to stare down at the glass domed temple she was housed in. Even Aion – still holding Chrono under – paused. What he didn't realize was that Chrono had heard his mate's scream as well. Something deep in his core snapped and with all the viciousness and brutality – but none of the desire to kill, or the mindlessness – of one of his rages he fought back. He had to get to Rosette. Nothing mattered else in that moment. Anyone who got in his way would be killed or maimed – whichever was faster.
Shader was the first to reach the temple. What she saw chilled her blood. Between her friend's legs lay a wailing baby as Rosette bled out at an alarming rate. There was far to much blood to be accounted for by the birthing of her child. It was suddenly very easy to understand why Chrono wouldn't rejoin them in their last life as the Sinners. Suppressing her horror, fear and anger she ran over to the blond woman and picked up the baby.
"Hey Rosette..." She managed as she cut the umbilical cord.
Her voice betrayed her emotions even to her own ears.
"I'm not going to survive this..." Rosette informed her faintly.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Shader exclaimed, voice wavering with all the emotions she felt so keenly, "Of course you'll survive this! You'll see your little girl grow up to be big and strong and-" Shader froze when she heard Rosette's heart finally stop, "And... You'll see her out the door on her first date..." She continued hollowly, "And see her get married and you'll have lots of grandchildren..."
She slowly broke down into sobs as it settled into her mind and heart that her friend was dead. Slowly, she rested her forehead on her friends still chest.
"ROSETTE-!" She screamed brokenly.
Chrono burst into the temple to see Shader sobbing on Rosette's chest, holding the wailing baby between them. Fear seizing him, he took several hesitant steps forward until his legs gave out. He scrambled to his feet and ran stumbling over to his love. He knew she was dead. Had known since Shader's scream. But he didn't want to believe it. He wanted to see her laying there exhausted but okay. He wanted everything to okay. But it wasn't. She was gone. She was dead.
A ragged cry escaped his throat as Shader moved out of the way, her face ravaged and he came to his love's side. Whimpering, he tore of the chains of off her still form in a frenzy and picked her up gently. Aion came into the temple. Chrono didn't notice.
"Rosette..." He sobbed, "Rosette... You can't be gone... I love you... I need you... How can I live if you're not going to be there? What am I supposed to do...? Your-" He bent over her, sobbing, "Oh, God! You can't be dead! You can't! You can't! You can't! Wake up! Wake up!... Don't leave me..."
Shader had never shown the full extent of her own special power. But she would now. Still holding the baby, she stepped forward and called the shadows to surround Aion. He let out a startled cry. But no heard it beyond the thick curtain of her shadows. She would leave him in there, letting him relive the most frightening and breaking moments of his entire life until there was nothing left of his mind. And she would smile in that moment, satisfied that he had payed for his crimes.
The others arrived. They stared momentarily at the mound of shadows, but she warned them to stay away and the did, coming over to stand near her and Chrono. But they stopped short on seeing the broken Devil.
Only when he had finally ceased sobbing did Shader present him with his daughter. Numbly, he stared at her small form in Shader's hands, then, oh so gently, he took her and held her close. Only then did the baby stop crying. She looked up at him with eyes that could already focus, eyes that knew their mother was gone. Eyes that had she been Human would have been far too knowing, but this child was only half Human. And so it was completely normal and healthy.
"Ai Ami..." He whispered.
"What...?" Shader asked quietly.
"Ai Ami." He looked up at her, fresh tears flowing free of his eyes and offered a bereft smile, "Friend of love... Because she will never be without it."
No one could hold in their tears anymore.
The funeral had been postponed to allow Joshua to be there to say goodbye to his older sister and now they all watched as her casket was lowered into the ground. No one was making any attempt to keep their grief inside. Zeke was barely able to hold Helen up as Sebastian rocked Shader back and forth and Joshua and Azmaria clung to Ctanna for physical support. Genai, Viede and Rizel stood together, arms around each other's waists as tears ran rivers down their faces. But Chrono, holding his tiny daughter in his strong arms, felt to numb and weak to cry any more tears. His love was gone... Given to Heaven and Earth. He couldn't feel anything anymore, his heart no longer beating in his cold chest. He had become little more then a walking corpse since naming Ai Ami almost a month and a half ago.
Azmaria was called up to share a few words. Shakily, she made her way to the end of the hole that the priest stood at. But instead of talking about her beloved sister she started to sing a song La'Shan had taught her at her request. It was in a language very different from anything on Earth, but those gathered understood it's meaning. No one said anything as the apostle of Charity sang, her voice breaking with sobs as she sank to her knees.
Chrono stared blankly at the casket where it rested in the Earth. A tear slipped down his cheek as he listened to Azmaria. And emotions he thought he couldn't feel anymore welled up and consumed him. Looking up to the sky, tears falling freely, he let lose a ragged cry heard for blocks around. No one offered him comfort because they knew that there was none they could offer him. Ai Ami grabbed a fistful of his shirt, afraid of what her father might do. Slowly, he looked down to stare at her cherubic, wide eyed, worried face.
"I'm not going anywhere..." He whispered, his voice wavering as he fought to keep from breaking into sobs again, "I promise that I will never leave you. I will always be there for you. To hold you when you're scared, or upset. To keep you safe from any danger or sorrow... I may not have been able to do that for your mother but I will do it for you. I promise."
Then he let himself cry.
La'Shan, watching the scene out of sight of everyone else except his mate, looked up to the sky.
"Can't we do something? This isn't fare!... Not after everything they have done... Everything they have sacrificed... Please... This was supposed to be their chance to get to live their lives together... This was supposed to be their reward for everything they did... Please." He begged.
God's answer was immediate.
A/N: Remember, their is an Epipolouge! Review please!
P.S. I toldja that you'd hate me...