The Source of Power

By: Yamiko #7

Hello! The calmer frame of mind has been achieved, and I have returned with yet another chapter.

Though that frame of mind may very well go out the window if I have to read any more of Beloved. Seriously, if you have the choice, DO NOT READ THAT BOOK. Of our entire IB reading list, which has included such classics as Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Homer's The Odyssey, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Beloved is the only book that I have absolutely hated with a passion.

I'll give you one reason: I have serious problems reading sex scenes.

And the ones in this book aren't even good sex scenes. Not to mention some other things that happen that would get most anybody excommunicated from the Catholic Church. It's supposed to be an accurate look at slavery. I won't fault the author's accuracy - after all, I wasn't there. (Neither was she, as a matter of fact - she's still alive today.) Every once in a while, though, I just get one of those reactions: I know slavery was bad and all, and I know you want this to be accurate, but jeez, did you have to put THAT in there? I have a friend who skipped both breakfast and lunch because of something that happened in that book.

I'll bet I've made you all want to go read it now. Please, for the love of all that is holy and most of what is not, DON'T.

(Sigh) What, me rant? Never...n.n

So, without further ado, delay, explanation, or most anything else, here's the next chapter! Have fun!

Chapter Nine: The Voice of Reason

"This is great! Everything is going according to plan...wow. Am I good, or am I good?"

Rosette had killed more temptations in the past ten minutes than she had her entire life. There went another one - the temptation to answer that question. Instead, she posed one of her own. "You mean you had this planned?" Then, frankly and somewhat derisively, "I never gave you that much credit."

"Oh, gee, thanks." That sentence contained more sarcasm than she'd ever heard this demon use. "I just feel so much better after that."

"You should." A marathon eye-roll accompanied this statement.

The demon ignored her, choosing himself instead as his conversation partner. "What is taking him so damn long? I have his girlfriend! What other motivation does he need?"

Yeah, no kidding. Rosette sighed and shifted impatiently.

And realization hit her like a bag of bricks. She could move. Not just her eyes, either - everything.

But why? His hand hadn't moved from the back of her neck. If it was still there, then why was she suddenly...well, not free, but definitely freer than she had been.

Why?

She shrugged off the questions, filing it (along with the what-the-hell-do-I-call-Chrno problem) under "Things to Think About When You Actually Have the Time" and focused on her options. How could she sabotage this plan of his?

The possibilities were limited. Intriguing, though...very intriguing indeed.

I am going to kill him.

Chrno was having problems thinking of anything else.

I am going to rip that son of a bitch to pieces for what he's done to Rosette.

It was of course at this moment that the voice decided to reappear and offer its advice.

CALM DOWN, DAMN IT!

Several long seconds of mental silence reigned. Then –

I am really sick of you, Chrno commented. Who the hell are you anyway?

I'm Reason, the voice replied. Or Sanity. Whichever one you prefer – in your case they're kind of the same thing.

Several more long seconds ticked by. Wait…if I'm talking to my sanity, doesn't that make me insane?

Nope, Sanity replied. 'Cause I'm here. If I weren't here, then you'd be nuts.

…Right…I still don't get it…

You don't NEED to get it, Sanity responded shortly. What you need is to figure out what you're going to do when you finally meet this demon. My advice is not to do anything stupid.

Oh, thanks, Chrno replied acidly. That takes care of everything.

I'm serious, Sanity insisted. When you're stressed or angry, you're just as impulsive as Rosette. Haven't you ever wondered why so many things get destroyed when you two go on missions? You're a part of it too, buddy.

Chrno just sighed.

"Yeah, I know," the voice from the dog commiserated, "thinking about your impending doom can be rather depressing."

Chrno blinked. "Shut up."

"But you won't have to think about it much longer," the voice continued as if it hadn't heard him. "It's not much further."

"What part of "shut up" do you not understand?" Chrno growled. He could feel the anger building again at the base of his throat.

"The "shut" part," the voice replied snidely.

The fury within him flared, momentarily overshadowing his control and banishing Reason back to his corner. That single moment was all it took for him to lash out at the nearest possible object, unleashing that fury in a single strike that sent the dog soaring through the air.

With a startled yelp and a sickening crack, the dog slammed against a tree and began to slide to the ground. Chrno, now back in relative control of himself, watched him fall.

"Don't tempt me."

"Yeah, I don't think I'll do that anymore," the voice muttered uneasily. Fido whimpered for several seconds at the foot of the tree before rising shakily to his feet and trotting off. After a quick mental check to secure his control and make sure Reason had recovered, Chrno followed.

I am so mad at myself right now I would kick myself if I possessed that kind of flexibility. This chapter was supposed to be so much longer, but, well…okay, I actually have a list of reasons why this one is so unsatisfactory.

1) I decided what I originally wanted to do for the climax was inadequate, so I decided to rewrite it. Unfortunately, I am still in the process of doing so.

2) In IB, April is known as Hell Month. Exams start the beginning of May, so April is where every teacher finishes up everything they failed to cover in class before this point. For me, this included nine mock math exams, reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children (533 pages, for those of you who were wondering) for English, covering several units in chemistry, and reviewing the entirety of Maoist China in history. (I'm a little busy.) Because of this, I found it rather hard to concentrate on my fanfiction this past month. Once exams start, I probably won't be doing any writing until after graduation. Instead of making you all wait until May 27th, I decided to end the chapter here and give you something to read, no matter how much it may suck.

3) For most of my spring break (which is when I intended to finish this fic), my laptop was in the shop being repaired and updated. There went my prime writing time.

4) Did I mention it's Hell Month?

So, all in all, I really am sorry to make you wait nearly two months for this little thing. I promise the next chapter will be worth it, but that's the only promise I'm going to make. As for when it'll be written and posted…um…like I said, no promises.

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this idiocy, and I'll see you all next chapter!