Disclaimer: (sigh.) Nope, I'm still broke and Chrono-less...
WHOO-HOO! I hit past the 50 mark with reviews! Thank you guys so much for all of the support you've shown me! I hope I can repay you with this chapter!
Smile Empty Soul
Chapter 9
At that point, Rosette's mind was in overdrive, jumbled by all the questions that were longing to be screamed out. She could just barely grasp her surroundings as it was. She couldn't breathe, her sides hurt like Hell, and…
…And Chrono was standing in front of her…
Despite her feelings of self preservation (after all, he was supposed to be dead), Rosette couldn't look away; she was mesmerized.
The silver flames around Chrono dimmed as he turned to face her. "Rosette," he whispered, a small frown gracing his features, "were you hurt?" He walked towards her, his wings infolding.
The girl gasped as he kneeled down beside her. "C-Chrono…" Her voice shook with uncontrollable emotions, and she gently touched his temple with her fingertips. "Y-you…you…"
Withing warning, he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. And she leaned against him without even thinking, for once giving into her wishes. "I finally found you again, Rosette," he said with a tender smile on his features.
But she knew it was too good to be true.
Rosette's heart pumped wildly as she attempted to pull herself together. No…No! Chrono's dead; he's not coming back!
Chrono…he can't come back… he d-died...
...This must be another demon; an imposter!
This isn't Chrono!
Her entire body shook as her brain raced, desperately searching for answers.
What do I do? What do I do!
Her eyes flitted from side to side, trying to find something, anything, to get her out of her situation. And out of the corner of her eyes, something shined silver against the bleak backdrop.
It was her gun. And she knew it was loaded with Gospels, too.
It must have been knocked this way during the fight.
I need to destroy this imposter, and fast too. Before he uses his appearance against me…
"Rosette…I've missed you so much," the demon whispered, burying his face in her hair.
But God, why, WHY did you let this demon steal his face!
As discretely as she could, Rosette reached down with her right hand and blindly groped for the weapon just by her feet.
Maybe…maybe he was sent by Aion…
Her fingertips clanged against the barrel of the gun, and she tightened her grip. Rosette then flipped the gun around in her hand, and pointed it towards Chrono's back.
Click.
Chrono's arms stiffened around her at the sound, and he craned his neck to face her. "What-"
"Let go of me." Anger smoldered in Rosette's ocean eyes as she tried to push away from Chrono, who grabbed her around the shoulders.
"Rosette, what's going on?" he questioned her, knowing full well of the weapon she had trained on him. "What… are you trying to do?"
What's she trying to prove?
In response to his question, Rosette tried to struggle out of his grip, and he let her go without much resistance, unsure of why the nun was acting the way she was. Rosette flipped the weapon around to point it at Chrono's forehead. "Don't touch me!" her voice shook as she backed away from him, the gun still pointed at him. "You can't be him…You're not Chrono!"
God, help me break through this deception, Rosette prayed, her heart's voice already calling out for the man in front of her. Don't let me be deceived!
A sense of enlightenment dawned upon the devil's features, and he muttered, "So that's what this is all about…" He scratched his head, feeling slightly awkward about the whole thing.
After all, how does one break it to another that they'd just gotten resurrected?
"Rosette," he sighed, "what can I do to prove to you who I am?" Chrono could hear her heartbeat suddenly pick up its pace even more, if that was possible.
I need for her to realize that I'm not lying…that I came back, just for her!
And I really don't feel like picking bullets from my lungs today…Although with her aim, I doubt I'd live long enough for it to matter.
But how can I get her to believe me?
"You don't need to prove yourself," Rosette snapped with barely contained anger. "I already know that you're not who you claim to be!" She snapped her eyes shut and pulled the trigger of her gun, a tear escaping her eyes.
A solitaire, silver bullet sheared through the air with a high pitched whine, trained on Chrono's chest. Yet in the course of a millisecond, the demon managed to dodge the angry bullet by cutting into his supernatural speed.
And somehow, he ended up only inches away from Rosette.
"Come on, Rosette," he practically begged her. "Stop acting like this…please."
"Acting?…Acting!" she retaliated, backing away from him as if he were poisonous. "Are you out of your mind! I'm not the one acting; you're the one who's stealing other people's identities!" she cried out, choking back tears and failing miserably. "You don't deserve to wear Chrono's face, you imposter!"
"B-but…But I am Chrono!" he argued back, his frustration getting the better of him.
"No…NO! You're not Chrono!" Rosette cried out in disbelief at the resurrected Chrono before her, tears now freely streaming down her pale cheeks. "You're just another one of Aion's tricks!"
"Please, Rosette! Believe me….I came back! I came back for you and you only," Chrono persisted, taking one step towards her. "Why can't you trust me?"
"D-don't move!" she yelled, pointing her gun at his chest. She shook with uncertainty, her arms unable to hold the gun perfectly in place. "I'll shoot you again if you do!" Her expression, contorted with pain and distress, told her former contractor of her inner turmoil.
"Please," he desperately pleaded with her. "Please, Rosette…" He strode closer to the girl, knowing that she could never hurt him. Physically, anyway.
It's me, Rosette! Why can't you see that? Why can' t you see… His beating heart became heavy in his chest as if Rosette had just chained it down, throwing away the key. Chrono grimaced as he felt his heart painfully take its sweet time with every beat, as though it would break any minute.
And in a way, he felt like it could.
Why do you not trust me anymore?
Why…why can't you see me, Rosette?
Rosette held her ground, unknowingly lowering the gun. She knew it was hopeless; she couldn't shoot him, wouldn't shoot him, and even if he was only an image of the original…
I…I can't…I just can't shoot him…His face…
His face struck pain in her heart, and she found herself lost in her memories; her silent wishes that he would be brought back. But how could she trust the man before her?
How could she tell if he truly was Chrono?
He moved closer to her, perhaps not even a yard away now. "No! Don't…don't come near me…" she whispered, terrified out of her mind. She fearfully stepped backwards, ready to bolt if the time came for that.
But yet, at the same time, it was as though her feet were planted to the ground; she just couldn't look away.
Her form was rigid and frozen as Chrono gently laid a hand on her shoulder, turning her so that they were facing. Rosette tried to pull away with all of her might, but his strength was by far superior to hers.
"Rosette, look at me," he whispered softly.
And something (she wasn't sure what) about his tone of voice compelled her to drift her gaze upward. The ocean met the sun in their gazes, both turbulent with untold emotions.
How can I make you understand, Rosette?
His eyes…They look so much like Chrono's…
Slowly, Chrono placed his hand over Rosette's, his claws clinging against the gun in her grip. He lifted the barrel of the gun so that its tip rested against his chest, just above his heart.
Between the gun's force and Elder's destructive bullet, he knew that it could kill him.
But that was the whole idea.
"If you truly believe," he whispered, his voice carrying the slightest shake, "that I am not Chrono, then shoot me now. Obviously, I do not deserve your trust."
He managed a sorrowful smile, his lips quivering. "I leave my life in your hands."
At that point, the gun was unsteady, for Rosette herself could no longer control her trembling. Chrono stared at her straight in the eyes, his own amber orbs glistening with unshed tears.
"I trust you, Rosette."
Please…
I'd rather die once more than never have the chance to be with you…
The hand that instinctively hovered over the trigger hesitated at the demon's words. Rosette's blue eyes never wavered from Chrono, even though tears blurred her vision.
A thick tension filled the room, and what seemed like eternity slowly passed the two by in dreaded silence.
It was as though even the shadows were swallowed by time's warp, leaving nowhere to hide. And a hiding spot was something Rosette was really wishing for.
Her mind was frozen it seemed to her, for her thoughts no longer held logic. The only thing she could comprehend was the pair of amber eyes that held her gaze, and the hand that guided hers on the trigger of the gun.
Rosette felt like his gaze held her soul, yet she knew she held his life in her hands.
…I…I don't know…what to do…not anymore…
The demon's eyes suddenly revealed a hint of bitter regret as a teardrop fell to the floor. "P-please," his baritone voice begged softly. "Just kill me…get it over with!" He lowered his gaze to the floor, his purple bangs shielding his face as another tear rolled down his cheek. Chrono let his hand slip from the gun, and inhaled a shaky breath.
"End this already!" he whispered to her, his vision blurred by tears. "I'd rather die again than be denied by you…So please, stop giving me false hope." He turned his head to face the windows, where small sun rays had begun to shine through. "It'll only kill me slower…"
Rosette caught a glimpse of his side profile, his tears catching the light of the sun, and took his words to heart.
He's willing to die…
Opponents just don't willingly hand their lives over their enemies, she knew. So why was he doing that?
He's willing to die...
Could the deception in front of her actually be…the truth? Could he not be lying? Her heart truly wanted to believe so.
He's willing to die…
Could he really be…?
He's willing to die... For me.
And so, for reasons not totally clear to her, Rosette chose an action:
She followed her heart.
With a shaky breath, the girl lowered her weapon and, using her free hand, she placed a finger under his chin and turned his head to face her once more.
She knew that she had practically just put herself in his trust, and that if her guess was wrong, then she would die.
But then, that was what trust was all about.
To say that Chrono was surprised, however, was a slight understatement. His eyes widened at her gentle movements, and his mind…well, let's just say it was short circuiting…
Rosette honed in on his eyes once more, her own searching the very depths of his amber ones. Perhaps a better way to explain it would be to say that she looked through him, the same way that light pierces through glass to reveal what was behind it.
They always say that the eyes are the windows to one's soul…
"Your eyes are so much like his," she accused him softly. "And…I can't help but wonder because of that…"
Rosette cracked a hopeful smile at the demon before her. "Maybe you are Chrono…" She brushed his purple bangs from his eyes, and he made no move to shy away from her touch. "Because when I look past your eyes, I see a soul…Chrono's soul."
She let her gun fall to the floor in favor of hugging Chrono with all the strength she had, truly believing that it was him. He stiffened at first, but then melted into her embrace, his arms enveloping protectively around her form.
She laid her cheek on his warm shoulder and whispered to him, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you…"
I should have known it was you, though…I should have trusted you more!
God, I feel like such an idiot now, but…
"R-rosette…" he barely managed to reply, his baritone voice echoing softly off the walls. A tear slid down his cheek and fell to the cement floor, leaving a trail on Chrono's face. Chrono held her tighter, as though to comfort her….or maybe to even comfort himself.
Rosette…Thank you…
The nun broke away from the embrace and looked up at him, her vision blurring with tears. "I should have believed in you, " she said with a determined regret as she spoke her thoughts. "I should have been able to tell that it was you before now…"
"But Rosette" he reassured her softly, "that doesn't matter ….what does matter is that you're here…I'm here…" Chrono lifted his hand and gently tucked one of the girl's golden locks behind her ear.
"We're finally together again…"
I promise I will never leave you.
And I always…always intend to keep that promise.
Chrono savored the feeling of her touch as she leaned back into him, locking her arms behind his neck.
"I...I almost...I almost can't believe that you're really here," Rosette whispered, hugging him a little closer just to prove to herself that he really was there…
His wings tenderly wrapped around her form as he set his forehead against hers.
"I can't believe I'm here either," he whispered back in reply. A smile lit his face, and a fang protruded from his lip. "After all, it's not everyday someone comes back to life," he said innocently, a mischievous sparkle appearing in his eyes (which Rosette easily caught.) "Now this means I can do this!"
And Chrono kissed her, the tears that slid down his cheeks mixing with Rosette's.
Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I can not promise you that they lived happily ever after. I can not promise you that their lives went smoothly from that point on. I can not even promise you that they overcame every obstacle in their way.
However, Ladies and Gentlemen, I can assure you of one thing:
They lived and loved. And they lived and loved together.
OMG! I'm FINISHED! THIS STORY IS OFFICIALLY COMPLETE!
However, watch out for BONUS CHAPTERS that I will release soon! I've gone through my notes and have collected the scenes I had originally taken out, alternate scenes, bloopers, and even a few alternate endings!
So please, even though the story is complete, review! I'd love to hear whether or not you liked the ending, or how you think the story should have ended. (shrugs.) What can I say? I had NO idea how to end this one...
And now, for my ritualistic interrogations:)
1.) Did you think the people were out of character? If so, how could I improve that for later stories?
2.) Did you think any part of this chapter lacked in detail or lacked a fluid flow of words?
3.) Did you think the transition from thelast chapter to this one was okay, or too choppy?
4.) Did some parts of the chapter just not fit in with the overall plot?
5.) Was the ending too predictable?
(coughs.) So many questions, I know. But I guess I just want to become a better writer :)
Anyways, please review! I'd love some feedback, and it'd keep me inspired to release those bonus chapters!
Thank you so much for reading,
Holographic Shadow