Disclaimer: I don't own Chrono Crusade…disclaimers take the fun out of everything………
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Chrono Crusade
Smile Empty Soul
Chapter 5
The demon spirit stood up, his aura flaring a deep red as he used his frustration and anger for power. "I will not be the subject of your ridicule," he commanded, his voice almost two octaves lower. "The spell you have over me that keeps me here will be broken.."
His aura whipped around him, flashing wildly in distrust. In one last attempt, Astral tried to reason with him. "Chrono, if you don't calm down, this Universe will-"
"No! You lie; everything you've said has been a lie! I will break this illusion!" His voice thundered with his power as he flew into the air.
With sonic speed, he flew away from Astral, trying to escape. His wings spread out from his body, streamlining him to a higher and faster power.
I have to get away; I have to find Rosette!
I must get away!
His determination grew and his body began to glow a bright gold, as though he had suddenly gained more strength. The Universe around him though had begun its transformation from endless white to a suffocating black.
What's this place doing now? he wondered cautiously. After all, the surrounding area didn't exactly look inviting. Yet Chrono continued to soar through the stygian darkness, despite how he had noticed how cold and unfeeling the Universe had become.
I've got to find Rosette.
The space around him slowly morphed into his memories once more, the ghostly pictures swirling through the darkness. Whispers of every conversation echoed through his ears, and yet he was able to hear every word spoken.
It was then Chrono noticed something…odd. He was no longer having to concentrate on flying; he was standing still, he saw with a start. He could move freely, yes, but he could no longer sense where he was going.
The entire universe had become a never ending darkness, the feeling nearly suffocating him. His eyes widened as he realized that the world around him was moving faster than he could comprehend.
And yet, everything stood still.
Chrono stayed where he was, unsure of what was going on, or how to stop it. Perhaps what surprised him the most though, was the sound of a heart beat.
Ba-dum…Ba-dum…
The spirit flexed his claws, his eyes scanning the Universe for another individual.
…Ba-dum…
And suddenly, something clicked in Chrono's mind.
That heartbeat…it's…mine.
He lifted his hand and placed it over his heart, feeling the vibration.Ba-dum.
The memories that had frozen in time around him cracked and shattered like broken glass, the shards falling into the surrounding darkness.And it was then Chrono felt like his heart had been set on fire. He clutched his chest, the sharp pangs almost unbearable to him.
What's going on! Why…am I given…a heartbeat only to have it stop once more!
Unable to move anymore, the spirit fell from the black sky, his body painfully meeting the ground.
What's happening! he panicked. I…I can't move! His mind flashed with intense pangs, his vision fading in and out.
It was like he was dying all over again.
His amber eyes widened as he watched the ground disappear beneath him, thick chains slithering out from the darkness and wrapping themselves around his shoulders and arms.
The chains pulled him down.
Instinct overrode rational thought as he attempted to fight against the force that was pulling him through the dimensions.
Chrono wasn't sure exactly when he lost total consciousness, but he knew that he had lost the fight before it even began.
The darkness grew around him, and Chrono could no longer decipher reality.
A short while later, Astral appeared at the break in the ground, her great white wings beating to keep her in the air. The Guardian only had to take one look to know what happened, and it ate at her heart.
"The Universe rejected him…"
Chrono will become a wandering spirit.
The angel knew the heartache that he would go through, for becoming a wandering spirit meant having the one thing you wanted stolen away. And she knew that this Universe loved to put a spirit through a hope before crushing it.
Guilt filled her, for the things Chrono accused her of had become a reality.
Astral couldn't look away.
Maybe it had been a few hours, or maybe it had been days; Chrono couldn't tell. He felt as though he was swimming, yet was unable to move.
Slowly, he forced himself to fight against whatever it was that suspended him and open his eyes.
He lazily cracked open one eye and took in his surroundings. His was in his old room again, the sounds of-
…He was in his old room again!
Chrono shot up from his makeshift bed, completely awake. His eyes darted across the room as he flexed his claws.…Why am I here? How am I here!
Was everything just a dream?
With little effort, he sprung out of his bed, confusion and desperate hope forcing him to find out the truth.In a flash, Chrono was standing by the door. He went to open it though, and found that he couldn't. He couldn't even touch the door.
His hand just went through it.
Now, obviously, this frustrated Chrono to no end. After all, what kind of demon was he if he couldn't open a door?
But it was around that time when he realized that his hands were transparent, same as before. And with that realization came disappointment. So he was still dead after all.
Well, that was disappointing…
Chrono just sighed as he walked literally through the door and past Elder's workshop. For a split second, Elder looked up, straight at him, and the spirit wondered if perhaps the man could see him. But then Elder shook his head and returned to working on his invention.
"I could have sworn I saw him," he heard the old man grumble.
With a heavy heart, Chrono shoved his hands in his pockets , his wings drooping.
Why was I sent here if I am not even alive to enjoy it?
Was this Astral's punishment for me?
Or did I bring this upon myself?
As he pondered, the spirit wandered out of the workshop and subconsciously flew to Mess Hall.
Yet on the way there, Chrono was confronted once again by celestial interference.
The sky turned hazy before him and golden script wrote itself within the air.
Cursed as a Wandering Spirit,
Your salvation relies on
Your own acceptance
Of your death.
For a moment, Chrono stared at the script, a feeling of impending doom forming in the pit of his stomach.
…A…wandering spirit?
The name of Astral was signed at the bottom of the message, and slowly, the spirit wondered if perhaps he had made the wrong choice.
This is Astral's punishment for me. She has created this illusion to torture me…right?
Is this even an illusion?
Or am I the illusion?
Chrono growled, confusion overwhelming his mind. The message before him in the sky disappeared, and he was forced to question his mental stability.
Did that message mean that Astral really meant well?
The spirit's mind short circuited as he tried to sort out his jumbled thoughts and emotions. Chrono rubbed his temples, phasing through a set of stone walls. There, the sound of chatter reached his ears.
Because of the noise, his concentration was broken and he looked up to see where he was.
Before his eyes was the bustling room of Mess Hall, the nuns and priests taking their 1:00 lunch break.
Chrono looked upon them in envy as they happily sipped on steamy broth.
Oh yes, how he envied them now; he'd always loved the Order's soups.
Of course, he envied them in more ways than one. After all, what kind of wandering spirit was he if he didn't? They were tangible; they could feel. Chrono could not.
They could carry on with their lives, taking life's surprises with a grain of salt. He could not do that either, for he was trapped in his nightmares; no way out.
They were alive; he was a wandering spirit with no sense of direction or time.
And the more Chrono thoughts about such things, the more he desperately wondered about Astral's proposal.
He longed to live again; he longed to see Rosette, even if he had failed her…
Knowing full well that this was Rosette's favorite time of day, Chrono searched Mess Hall for her. He scanned each face with a warrior's precision, looking for a certain pair of blue eyes.
But when Chrono finally did spot her, he was taken aback and most definitely shocked. Sitting far in the back next to a corner was his Rosette, staring into her soup bowl. She made eye contact with no one and made no move to speak.
Feeling genuine concern, Chrono peered closer.
She was paler than normal, skinnier as well. Gaunt was a good way to describe her physically.
But it was her eyes that scared Chrono.
They were still that endless ocean blue, yet they were different.
Instead of confidence and happiness, pain and bitterness showed within them. And her personality reflected that.
Rosette looked broken. It was as though only grim concentration kept life in her wasted form, and Chrono couldn't bear to see her like that.
He bit his lower lip, obviously troubled by the nuns strange and new personality.
Where was her happiness? Why did she look defeated? What happened to the "challenge all" Rosette?
And why was she crying?
Chrono watched with a heavy heart as the girl excused herself to those around her and left her bowl of soup virtually untouched. The other girls gave a concerned glance at Rosette before shrugging, easily returning to their conversation about hairstyles.
The spirit chose to follow Rosette, intent on trying to comfort her somehow. He flew after her, phasing through the levels of the floor as Rosette slowly trudged up the stairs to her room.
By that time, the one or two tears trailing down her face transformed into rivers, freely flowing from her eyes.
Rosette carelessly opened and shut her door, automatically heading for her bed. She plopped down with a resounding 'thump' and promptly hid her face in her pillow.
She finally allowed herself to openly sob, her shoulders shaking with their force. "Chrono," she managed to choke out as she gave into her grief. "P-please comeback…please…"
Chrono walked across the room, desperately wishing to hold the girl he loved. But he knew he could not even touch her. The spirit knew he was not even seen.
In her world, Chrono's wondering soul did not exist.
He slowly felt a bloody tear run down his face, longing to comfort Rosette.
"Please Rosette, don't cry," he whispered softly. He kneeled down next to her bed and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "You know I can't stand to see you like this."
But he knew that she could not feel his presence, his touch. He knew that he was not real anymore.
Thinking back through his memories, Chrono could remember four years ago when Rosette had barged into his makeshift room at 1:00 in the morning. She had been in a similar state as she was now…
Tears rolled down her pale face and she shook with fear as she attempted to wake up Chrono.
"On, come on; please, Chrono!" Rosette cried, shaking his shoulders. "Wake up!"
Slowly, Chrono came to consciousness, his eyesight creating a blurry picture of his crying contractor.
With sluggish movements, he sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching to get his circulation working again. "Rosette, what's wrong?" he asked sleepily.
In less than a second, Chrono found himself holding a shaking Rosette, her tears staining his shirt. Although still confused, he wrapped his arms around hers in an attempt to comfort her.
"It was scary…so scary…" she sobbed, arousing Chrono's curiosity.
"What was scary?"
"M-my dream. It was a nightmare…a-and you d-died in it," the twelve year old Rosette slowly began calming down, reassured. "I ran all the way here, just to make sure you were still alive and s-safe…"
By that time, Chrono was relieved; he had originally thought something much worse had happened. "But it was just a nightmare, Rosette," he pointed out. "Nightmares aren't real. And besides, you know I'd never leave you."
Rosette hiccupped and nodded, trying to regain her bearings. "I-I know that, it's just…"
Chrono sighed, patting a place on the side of his bed for Rosette to sit.
"I promise I will never leave you," he said with conviction.
Nevertheless, Rosette wouldn't let him out of her sight for days to come…
He smiled slightly at the memory, but his guilt weighed heavily on him.
Chrono had promised her that morning that he wouldn't leave her. And yet, he had. He promised that nightmare wouldn't happened. And yet, it did.
He broke his promise.
He had become Rosette's nightmare.
Chrono bowed his head in regret as Rosette was overcome with another fit of tears, trying to control them. He tried to run his hand through her hair, but his transparency wouldn't allow him to. With a heavy heart, he sighed.
At that point, his once lively and spirited friend resembled a fragile porcelain doll, breaking at the slightest touch. A solitaire tear ran down Chrono's cheek as he stared at the girl he could never have.
And for the rest of the afternoon, he held her, knowing that Rosette could not feel his presence.
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