Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Chrono...

Chrono Crusade

Smile Empty Soul

Chapter 4

Deep within the dimensions of Suspended Time, a spirit woke up.

Well, technically, he didn't wake up.

Perhaps it is better worded as "he became aware of his surroundings." Or lack of surroundings. Either way, he didn't think it mattered.

He just knew something wasn't right.

As…wait, who was he again? He tried to remember…but it was like his mind was blank.

His name…Didn't it have something to do with time?

The spirit racked his brain for the answer, and finally, it hit him.

Oh, yes! Chrono was his name…

Well, as Chrono attempted to stand, he felt as though he was wading through water. It was beyond weird to him. The entire area around him was empty and…white, seemingly endless. He shivered.

To him, it was as though he were standing still, yet flying at the same time. Like he was falling and climbing. Chrono just felt like he was…there.

And that something from within him was missing.

Looking around, he noticed that the white universe around him must have sensed his presence for it had taken on a new shape, morphing into what looked to be moving, faded colors. . .The colors arranged themselves to form moving images of him and others.

And those images that circled around him seemed…familiar.

I've seen these places before…haven't I?

Chrono watched in morbid fascination as the scenes played out around him, whipping around him faster than he could comprehend.

Yet as he watched and listened, a sick feeling of dread formed within him.

Every single recreation of the familiar world he saw swimming around him seemed so…real. Like what he saw really happened. Even at that moment, he could feel the caress of a windy breeze from one reality, and the sharp sting of claws in another.

Those images, that girl…He knew he was connected to them in some way. But how?

Just then, faster than Chrono really knew, it clicked.

These were…his memories…

The scenes playing around him grew brighter as slowly, they sank into his mind once more. He staggered forward and fell to his knees, the feelings that came with those memories becoming almost too painful to bear.

"Rosette!" he cried out, finally recognizing the girl from his life.

…Hold on; his "life?"

Did I die?

No…this…can't be…

He was at loss for words, his situation beyond anything he'd ever gone through.

Memories of pain and torture flashed into his mind, and then darkness: release. That was the last thing he remembered.

I…I think I…did die.

Despite what he thought, Chrono didn't want to believe it. He could still move, he could still see!

But…his heart wasn't beating. He didn't have to breathe.

Chrono slowly felt panic build, his eyes widening slightly. "I have to get to Rosette!"

I have to find a way to see her again…

I feel like I need to say I'm sorry…that I had to leave…that I left without completing the mission. That I had to die.

I need to see Rosette, though. If only for a second…

But the question was how to find her. The pictures had faded back into a never ending white, leaving him there with no idea how to escape.

What was this place, anyway?

Desperately, Chrono scanned the place that he was in, searching for a door…or something…anything!

Luckily, he did find something. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted small waves of power, the different colors blending and becoming larger in size. At that point, the power was an indistinguishable color. At some point, it looked red, and at others: blue. Each one, though, had a mortal feeling to it. Something Chrono knew, but just couldn't describe.

He needed to find a way, though…Was this it?

Morbid curiosity overwhelmed Chrono's feelings of self preservation, the aura almost calling for him…

Chrono flew into the unknown energy, debating whether or not to fight against it. His instincts told him it was harmless, and he was dead anyway! So, what could it hurt?

As he got closer to the magic, or whatever it was, Chrono couldn't help but notice how the drifting auras of color became more vibrant.

He landed softly on the ground, his wings enfolding. "…What is this?" Chrono whispered to himself.

Just then, the waves of energy came to life, as thought acknowledging his presence. They swirled together into a large oval, creating a color of glittering black.

The center of the energy expanded into a white mist, the wisps taking shape into what seemed to be a faded picture of the Order.

If Chrono was still alive, he knew his heart would have leapt out of his chest. In any case, he staggered backwards out of surprise. "The Order…" His soul ached to be back there.

Once again, the image swirled, another one taking its place.

"Rosette…"

The picture began moving on its own accord, like a movie that played in the theaters. Chrono stood transfixed, almost unbelieving.

Had he found Hell? ….Or was this a portal to Earth?

The Rosette in the picture was standing in front of a grave, the pocket watch tightly gripped in her hand. The expression on her face betrayed her thoughts as a myriad of emotion flitted across her features.

"Chrono…" Her ghostly whisper wafted out of the looking glass, wrapping around his memories.

And almost like a smack in the face, he realized the grave Rosette stood by…was his own.

Chrono felt tears sting his eyes as he watched the one person he so desperately wished to be with.

Within the magic, he saw Rosette gingerly lay a yellow ribbon upon the giant tombstone. It was the ribbon she had used to tie his braided hair every morning.

"We all miss you, Chrono," Rosette spoke to his grave, leaning against the magnolia tree. "Azmaria misses you…Father Remington does too…Satella still thinks you were cute…Heck, even Sister Kate misses you!" the nun laughed softly. "Can you believe that?"

Her features grew more serious, more distant. "I…miss you too." Rosette stared up at the sky, a soft wind rustling her clothes and hair. "A lot. I don't even know…what I'm going to do next without you…"

A strangled cry erupted from Chrono as the yellow ribbon materialized into his possession, crossing over the dimensions. The silk stayed transparent however, just as he was, yet it was solid in his hand.

Staring in amazement, the demon spirit rolled the strand of ribbon over in his hands, taking comfort in the fact that Rosette still cared.

I'm sorry I left you, Rosette. But I caused you too much pain…It is best this way.

And although he wouldn't admit it, his heart did not agree.

Too bad his heart was bigger than his brain…

Chrono tore his eyes from the ribbon and he looked back up at the portal only to find that it had begun to fade once more.

And it hurt him to see her fade into Nothingness. It hurt a lot.

He couldn't just let his mistakes hurt Rosette too.

His eyes widened a fraction as he saw the picture of Rosette disappear into black. No! Chrono angrily clenched the silk ribbon in his fist, swiping at the magic with his claws only to see that his hand flew right through it.

It was then he realized that someone knew his desires. And the creature who dared to mess with his mind was most certainly doing a fine job…

His instincts told him something wasn't the way it should be though, as if the magic that taunted him held the key to whatever it was that he was missing…

"Stop messing with me!" he shouted angrily. "You've already done enough as it is!"

I refuse to let my emotions be a weakness.

Chrono steeled himself despite knowing that whoever was out there could not hurt him. After all, he was dead.

"Show yourself," the spirit commanded with authority, his bone whip swishing restlessly. He never liked be anyone's fool or being the object of their teasing (Rosette being an exception, though) and the abnormal surroundings made him all the more uncomfortable.

"Fear not, Chrono the Sinner," a melodic voice projected. "I've not come to challenge you."

The faded magic grew more vibrant once more and twisted, morphing into a new creation. The power transformed into the likeness of a beautiful woman with an aqua aura surrounding her.

She stood before Chrono, her power dimming. "This girl that I've seen in your heart…you care for her, yes?"

Her dual tone reached the far edges of the Universe Chrono found himself in, the melody far beyond earthly imitations.

Chrono was more or less flabbergasted as to what was happening. He stepped backwards, his head tilted in confusion. Yet, his instincts told him to be on his guard; For all he knew, he could have still been under their spell…

"Who are you?" Although Chrono doubted she would attack him, he still flexed his claws. "And how do you know of Rosette?"

The lady smiled, her green eyes portraying the sadness she hid. Gracefully, she bowed to Chrono. "I am the Guardian of Astral Energy," she responded. "As for how I know the girl, I have seen her through your heart. I believe I mentioned that already, though."

Chrono, at the time, wasn't sure whether to bow or whether to start swearing. Honestly, why did he always have to attract the powerful people!

The Guardian of Astral Energy?

…Suddenly, he didn't quite feel as confident as before.

He stumbled for the right words to say, but couldn't find anything that made him sound intelligent, or anything close to that. Finally though, he settled on something. "What is this place and why am I here?"

The Guardian transformed some of her energy into a cloud, and motioned for Chrono to sit down. "Perhaps you shouldn't be standing up when I explain everything," Astral pointed out, slightly amused at his expense.

Almost cautiously, he did as she suggested, wondering exactly why he should be sitting down. Did Hell freeze over when he died or what?

When he finally deemed the cloud harmless, he plopped down upon it, finding the cloud to be less fluffy than he expected. It wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but he supposed it would do.

But then, he had never really liked tea anyway…

Astral glanced at the spirit she had finally found, and nearly laughed as Chrono continuously poked and prodded the cloud. Perhaps demons could be adorable too?

After Chrono got comfortable, Astral began to explain the spirit's situation.

"When you fought against Aion, it was not meant to be that you would die. Quite the opposite, really," the Guardian told him. The once alive demon resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that comment.

Gee, thanks for telling me now that I'm dead…

"In any case, it was Aion that was supposed to have died." Astral subconsciously thought back to when she watched Chrono and Rosette through the mirror. "You…were never meant to have suffered so."

Chrono raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Well, it's too late to change anything now, isn't it?"

Astral raised an eyebrow of her own, the edges of her lips curved in a smile. "But here's what might surprise you:

"We're going to restore your life, Chrono."

At that last statement, Chrono blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.

Yet, he was positive that his dead heart lurched.

"…Restore?" he coughed out, his voice cracking into a falsetto.

The cow jumped over the moon. The fat lady sang.

I think you get the picture.

He was shocked, to say in the least.

He wanted so badly to believe it….

And for a split second, he did. Overwhelming joy coursed through him, a small smile beginning to form on his face.

I will be with Rosette again! I could undo my wrongs…

The chance to be by her side once more…

Maybe that would fill the hole in his heart.

The proposition seemed so farfetched, though. Was it really possible?

Could this Guardian of Astral Energy, or so she claimed, really bring him back?

Chrono truly wanted to believe so.

But something, perhaps instinct, planted a seed of doubt in his mind.

This Guardian…She knew something. Knew what he was missing…Did she plan on using it against him?

Was she just using an illusion to lure him into a false sense of security?

Could he, a demon, trust an angel?

It was then a sickening feeling washed over him, almost making him shiver.

Being brought back to life …it seemed unreal. Almost…fake.

And then it clicked in his mind ; He couldn't believe it.

…It made him want to puke, that he had believed her. He should have seen through her act long before now!

All of it, everything, was just talk. Astral never meant to carry out her promise; this was Chrono's punishment for once working with his brother to reverse the powers of Heaven and Hell. And they were using Rosette as the bait.

It was just too bad he was hooked; Bait, line, and sinker.

The Angels had been charged with punishing him for his acts, and he knew they planned to use Rosette to break him.

With perfected lightning speed, Chrono practically flew from the cloud, wrapping his claws around Astral's neck. He shook, no seethed, with anger. Anger that he had become what he hated to be most: a joke.

"You dare mock me! Use me as a target for your taunting antics!" His grip around her neck tightened, and Astral's eyes widened a fraction. "What kind of sick, cruel joke is this?"

Despite the panic Astral felt, her voice did not waver and neither did her gaze. "You forget yourself, Chrono. Everyone and everything here is dead; your earth powers can not affect me." It was true though, and Astral had seen many a good person lose control over their emotions before finding themselves as a wandering soul.

And that was what scared the Guardian.

If he does not realize that I'm trying to help him soon, this Universe cast his spirit back down to Earth to wander. And at the rate Rosette is losing her will to live, we don't have that much time to waste.

"Chrono, listen to me-"

"No! You listen to me! Continuously, you've dangled in front of me the one thing I've ever wanted out of life, and yet you snatch her image away with no second thought as though she were a mere bargaining chip. You taunt me with your power, taunt me with my desire to see her again!" He laughed bitterly, the sound echoing throughout the Universe.

Tears of blood ran down his face at that point, and by then, Chrono could hardly care. "Stop it," he whispered, his voice raw and quivering. "I love Rosette…and I refuse to let you take advantage of that!" He released Astral from his iron grip, dropping to the ground.

He held his head in his hands, letting his wings droop. "Stop getting my hopes up; I know you are merely creating only an illusion to torment me. Surely I have entered Hell."

Tentatively, Astral laid a hand on Chrono's shoulder, only to feel him flinch beneath her touch. His bone whip sprang to life, pushing the Angel away from him.

"Get away from me," he growled lowly. His golden eyes lifted up to meet her aqua ones, pain written all over his face. His eyes, windows to his soul, showed her the volumes of betrayal and hurt that he could not speak.

"I realize that I killed many, innocents and Sinners alike," Chrono said, his baritone voice shaking. "Too many. As a matter of fact, I probably deserve this torment the Angels have set for me. As a Sinner, I know I deserve them. But please, please, don't use the one thing I care about against me."

"Please, Chrono! There is no illusion; Let me help you," the Guardian pleaded desperately. He didn't deserve to be sent back as a wandering spirit! …Even if he was being a jerk.

…But it was already too late.

Hehe! Evil cliff hangers:) Please review and tell me what you think!