Forgotten Memories Chapter Two

Chrono Crusade

Date Started: November 2nd 2004

Sora Kazuma

It was voices I heard the next morning, shifting and tumbling around the room and the walls inside my head. Mia was worried because Lena hadn't returned yet. Rosette was telling her it was all right; she probably forgot her key or rented a room in a hotel or something so she wouldn't have to travel back here in the late night. There was Chrono's startled voice, asking Yugo why he was curled up next to me on the covers like a lap dog, and that if any of the head sisters saw him, they would remove him from the room.

Then there was Yugo's voice. His ungodly handsome tenor voice, hiding a deeper, sexier tone underneath. "Anyone who tries to take me from her dies. I will NOT leave her side, Sinner."

I rolled over, smacking him in the head. "Yugo, it's to early. Shut up and go back to bed."

"To early?" It was Rosette's laughter. "Sora, it's 10:00. You just missed morning mass."

"I what!" I sat up, staring at her.

"Of course. She gets up when Rosette tells her about her little church gatherings. But when I'm trying to be protective over her and let her sleep, I get hammered in the face." Yugo replied bitterly, holding his left cheek with his palm.

"You don't understand. If I missed morning mass and Sister Kate finds out…" I swallowed.

"It's alright." Mia sat down on the side of my bed. "She knows you missed mass, but she wasn't exactly surprised. You've been gone three months Sora, and for most of the time you were injured. She wasn't expecting you to immediately snap back to what you were." She smiled at me, her brown eyes shining. "It's good to have you back."

"Thanks." I leaned over hugging her. Mia was another support, a stubborn and reliable friend to lean on when something went wrong.

"We've got cases this morning to report for briefing, but we'll see you when we get back here, alright?" Rosette told me.

"Keep an eye out for Lena, okay?" Mia said, standing up.

"See you later Sora." Chrono waved as the three headed out.

I sighed as they shut the door behind them. I got the feeling I was being left behind, but I knew if they seriously needed my help, I would be called on. Turning my glance, I smiled at Yugo, placing my hand on his. "Sorry for hitting you. I wanted to sleep more, but now that I'm back I guess it's a good time to reacquaint myself with my work."

His eyes narrowed. "You mean hunt devils."

I could feel his pain, his irritation at my job. I tightened my fingers around his. "I'm sorry Yugo. It's what I do."

He turned his head from me, looking out the window. "I won't be any part of it."

"What about when we were out in the wilderness, getting attacked by any and every demon that could sense my human blood?" I replied lightly.

"That was different. You had no weapons, and could barely move. I had to protect you because if I didn't you would have been dead in a heartbeat." He explained, not looking back at me.

I remembered a moonlit grove among the trees, a massive bug devil trying to strangle the life out of its captor, a beautiful human shaped demon with massive black-feathered wings. The images were fragmented and came to me in sudden bursts but I know the winged devil to be my contracted devil beside me. "Yugo…Is it not going to be different here in the city? Am I not going to need you to protect me and help me from demons when they decide to come after me?"

"It's different here." He growled. "In the forest, it was a survival instinct. Here you're just putting poor souls out of their misery for fun."

I lost my breath at his words. "Do you think I kill devils for fun?" my own anger was mounting now, along with sadness. I hadn't been expecting him to fight me on this. "I kill, I do my job, because if someone doesn't, there are going to be devils running the underworld of this city, hunting and killing families and children in the night and New York would be nothing but a living hell. There are people who are summoning-"

"I know about the Devilbringers. The ones who worships devils and bring them forth from dark realms." He snapped. "And in those cases, it is the humans who should be killed, not the demons they try to bound."

I swallowed. "The humans should be killed, I agree, but so should the devils. They're evil, Yugo."

He pulled away from me when I tried to lay a hand on his shoulder, glaring at me. "Is that what you think? That we're evil and out to destroy the human race?" he hopped off the bed staring down at me with those anger-filled gold eyes. "That none of us, not even me, are filled with good intentions?"

I swallowed. "Yugo…"

"Do you trust me Sora?"

The question came out of nowhere, so suddenly that I jerked my head up to look at him. "Of course I trust you." I felt hurt that he could ask me something like that.

"I know you do. I can feel it. You're upset that I could ask such a question of you." He replied, and I blushed. In the heat of the argument I hadn't put a barrier around my mind, so now all my thoughts could be read like a book. He swallowed. "So, you can trust me, you can keep me close, but still you do not think that I am capable of good?"

"No, Yugo. I know you are. I know you are now." I shook my head. "The contract… somehow it seemed to have killed off everything inside of you that was making you a killer."

I felt his breath stop. "Is that what you think? That that silly binding changed me into a loveable lapdog? The contract bound us together. It did not change me in the least."

My eyes widened. "What? But before you…you were trying to kill me. Back in the cavern."

"I was fighting back for my survival. I refuse to be done in by humans. It's always been my way of thinking. I would not have killed you." He replied matter-of-factly.

"But then…I was ordered to track you, because you killed off an entire town, close to the Canadian border." I stated.

He put a hand to his head, determined to remember that, even at the headache it was causing. "They… were demon worshipers. Bind demons to them and then torturing the demons alive. With them ripping the contracts to shreds, they lost their morals, their feelings and became ruthless devils themselves, continually destroying others of my kind. I lost a dear friend there, and decided that I would do him some justice. I would not have killed without a proper right. It is not my nature." He stared at me, gritting his teeth, fangs showing. "Yet you cannot believe what I am saying."

"No, it's not that-"

"Don't give me that Sora. Not when I can see straight into your head and find the emotion of doubt wavering there." Those gold eyes of his shifted, the anger dissipating and being overcome with sadness. "How can you trust me completely, and doubt my word? I would believe your trying to deceive me with how must you believe in me, but the trust I find is strong and true. So how can you doubt my word?"

"Yugo, I-" I swallowed.

"You believe it is the contract that has bound us together this close. You don't realize your own feelings, but you are denying that mine are there. Is it because of what I am, a devil, that you doubt me so much?" his eyes were wavering; flickering with a pain I had not seen in them before. "I would tear my own heart out for you, if that is what you ask of me. I would gladly lay my life down to make sure that you are still safe. This is not the magic of some damn contract; this is what I feel for you. I don't care if you return them; I was not expecting you to. Just know that they are there, and that I love you. That I am capable of loving you, being what I am. That is all I'll ever ask of you."

I ducked my head. "Yugo…"

I had thought all demons completely emotionless, not capable of feeling, of caring. But Yugo's thoughts were in my head. His worry for me, his desire to make me happy, no matter what the cost. The intimate wanting to be by my side for as long as he could. I could try to deny them, but they were so strong, they were overwhelming. He had opened his mind to me completely, but I felt it was more then that. He had opened his heart. There was lust there, a wanting he had kept quiet since we had first met. Jealousy of any other man who dare try to get near, and a over-possessiveness so great I was startled to realize I hadn't felt it before.

My heartbeat had picked up with experiencing all these things in my mind, racing in my chest. My own mind was gone. I couldn't feel anything for a few moments but then there was the sickening, gut wrenching feeling that told me I had known this all along. I had known all of these things and chose to ignore them completely, blocking them out from my head so this problem would never had occurred. But Yugo had forced it on me and I had two choices: run again or face this with the answer he truly deserved.

Somehow amidst it all I had started crying, tears running down my face. His thoughts withdrew from my head slightly and I regained my other senses, I ducked my head, embarrassed of my tears that would somehow not stop.

Yugo was there in a second, his arms around me, holding me to his chest. I sobbed into his white t-shirt, my arms wrapping around his waist. It was the first time he had held me like this, and the feeling made me feel safe, protected from anything and everyone, even him. I cried for a long time, finally letting my sobs calm down. I hadn't even realized he had moved us, leaning his back against the headboard with me gathered on his lap and chest. His hand was running up and down my back slowly, causing goose bumps on my skin underneath the thin cotton nightgown. I lifted my head, staring up at him. He met me with a soft amber gaze, his emotions hidden in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." I murmured, my cheeks flushing. "I didn't mean to ignore you or your feelings. I was afraid."

"I know." I felt his power gather in my head and realized he had left the door to my mind open so he could feel what I was sensing.

"I…" I swallowed. "I can accept your feelings for me. I might even be able to return them at some point. I realized that most of the time, I see you as who you really are- my friend, someone who I can turn to no matter what. But when something happens, something I don't understand or get frightened of, I shy away and try to remember your just another devil. But…you're not."

"I understand." His voice was growing deeper. His eyes shut and the seal broke. I watched as body changed underneath me. Muscles appeared underneath the thin shirt, tightening around his thick arms. His body grew hard, a rock solid wall of a human form, his hair falling over his shoulders as it lengthened, dark cyan pooling over the cloth and skin around his face and neck. A rune appeared in his forehead and his face changed from that of a teenage boy to a handsome man. His eyes opened, the pupils narrowing slightly to that of a wild animal's. I felt him put the barrier up. A protective spell in my mind to keep me from losing my contract price. It was a fragile spell, only working if he barely moved and tapped into none of his other power. His clawed hand pushed me forehead and he lifted his head, brushing his lips across my forehead. I gasped at his touch; so gentle it was hard to imagine it was the demon lying under me. Just then he let out a small growl, the barrier in my mind failing and his body reverting back to his human form. His eyes were closed but his voice still the same as he spoke through the change. "I'll… be waiting."

When he looked back at me with his human face, his eyes were shining with pride, and with the knowledge that I accepted him and his feelings for what they were. I had never look so happy and I buried my face in his chest in embarrassment. Still, I was glad it was me that had brought this on. Maybe…if I could figure out my feelings for him… someday I could return them and my head wouldn't be so full of jumbled thoughts and contradictions.

The door opened and I jerked my head off his chest, my face going a bright red. If Sister Kate had come to talk to me about something and found the two of us like this…I was a goner.

I felt the small rise in Yugo's chest as he swallowed, his golden eyes fixed on the door, trying to figure out who was coming in. It took me a minute to realize that his shirt had become unbuttoned from the process of his transformations and the cloth had fallen down to the covers, leaving his lean bare tan skin exposed. My face got even redder. This really didn't look good.

There was the flicker of laughter in my head, telling me Yugo had read my thoughts at the time. 'Well, you're the one that said we're so close we seem like lovers.'

'NOW is not the time for jokes.'

He dropped his head breathing out a sigh. "It's okay." He whispered softly. "Its just Lena. She's carrying on a conversation out in the hall with Father Remington."

Relief hit me so hard I dropped my face back on his chest. "Thank God…" I replied shutting my eyes.

"Still, you might want to get up before she comes in. I don't know if Lena will take the fact that we're lying together in bed as well as you might think."

I got up, blushing at the fact that I knew he was right. Sliding to his side, he grinned tigerishly at me, buttoning the bottom buttons on his shirt, working his hands up his chest.

"Yes, Father I will." My friend's sweet voice called as she entered the room. She came in, kicking off her shoes and sitting down on her bed. That's when her big emerald eyes looked at us and she blinked. "Oh hello." She smiled. "Good morning you two."

"Goo-" I started, but felt Yugo immediately bristle. I glanced over at him surprised. "Yugo?"

He was restraining from growling and I felt an explosive amount of pain in my head that made me immediately take a hand to my forehead.

"Is…everything okay?" Lena asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Lena…" Yugo started, his voice husky, half in and out transformation. "Who were you with last night? I smell… the scent of another on you."

My head was pounding, threatening to drag me into a darkness I had known before. My eyes were blurring over and I knew the pain I was feeling was mutual on both sides. Something had sparked recognition to Yugo and he was trying to remember…remember something horrible.

"Oh." Her eyes went wide and she blushed. "I met the most handsome man last night. He was at the movies when I got there and he asked if he could be my escort for the evening. We stayed at the theatre until well after midnight, and then he took me out driving to a café were we spent most of the night."

'Yugo…' I tried to keep my voice calm despite my agony. 'Is this guy someone you know?'

'I don't…remember, but my instincts are telling me danger. That man had to be a devil, he had to. But I get the feeling that there's much more about him then just being a devil. I can't place it… a great darkness and a great light seem to fill my head.'

At that moment the door burst open and Chrono stood there. His eyes were flashing a dangerous flickering orange, but sadness and anger were apparent too. "Jo-" he started and then stopped dead when he saw the view. His scarlet eyes flashed to Yugo, demanding his attention. "Wanderer, stop. Nothing is coming out of your sealed powers and your hurting your contractor." He ordered.

Yugo growled but there was a flash in his head, a flicker of two devils fighting and Yugo, down on one knee in full demonic form, offering his allegiance to the other residing in the shadows. Despite the pain my mind was at work. Had Yugo at one time, worked for Chrono?

The pain was gone so fast, it left me empty. The lack of feeling nothing, of Yugo's sudden withdrawnness made me weak and I found myself passing out back on the covers, everything going dark.

"Sora…"

"Sora, please wake up!"

My eyes opened slowly, focusing on a pair of pretty amber eyes. Glancing around I saw Chrono's crimson ones and Lena's big emerald ones. I was in Yugo's lap. Blushing I pulled away from him. "I'm alright." I assured all their worried glances.

Yugo's fingers slid over my cheek. "I'm so sorry." He replied and my heart jumped when I felt the ache in his voice. "I wasn't thinking. For some reason I just went crazy. Forgive me."

I smiled, placing my hand on his. "It's alright." I told him and watched his cheeks go crimson.

"Lena," Chrono looked over at her. "You said that you were with a man last night. What did he look like?"

"Well, he had shaggy golden blonde hair. He was pale skinned, but he had a slight tan on him, as if he spent some time at the beach. He was tall, probably almost six feet with a lean build and a pair of the most gorgeous blue eyes I'd ever seen." She blushed. "His voice was sweet. He acted like a true gentleman. He was so kind and easy to talk to, and to laugh with."

"Did you get his name?" Chrono asked again, his voice more demanding.

"Of course I did." She smiled at him slightly. "It was Joshua. Why Chrono? Do you know him?"

I watched as the devil sat back and looked for a moment like he stopped breathing.

"Sinner," Yugo spoke up, staring at him. "Who is this Joshua?"

Chrono raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding aren't you?"

Yugo gritted his teeth. "Do I look like I have a clue?"

The other devil looked at him for a minute and then sighed slightly. "Joshua is a devil, being controlled by Ion."

I felt a flash of the pain came back, but Yugo was controlling himself more this time. "And Ion is…?"

He blinked for a minute and then Chrono's face became a mask. "We'll talk later. I have to be getting back to Rosette. We're supposed to be heading out soon for our next mission. I caught Joshua's scent and thought maybe… he had shown up here. But this matter can be attended to later." He flashed a smile at me. "Do try and get better Sora. You look a little worn out." Getting up he gave us a slight wave before he headed back out the door shutting it behind him.

I glanced over at Lena who had gotten quiet ever since Chrono had started spilling Joshua's story. I felt sorry for her. She must have really liked this guy. "Lena…?"

"Hmm?" she looked up, blinking her eyes.

"Are you… okay? You really like Joshua don't you?" I asked after a moment.

She smiled. "Yeah. The fact that he's a devil doesn't change the fact that I'm attracted to him." She got up, brushing out the layers in her dress. "I'm going to go take a long bath. Father Remington has told me that Sister Kate requested I take the day off so I'm going to. I actually…" she blushed. "I told Joshua that I wanted to see him again but now…I'm not so sure. I just need some time to think, that's all." She headed for the door. "I'll see you all later, alright?"

I nodded. I could tell she was upset and hiding it as best as she could. I watched her go and then turned, sighing into Yugo's chest.

"Don't worry about Lena. I'm sure she'll make the best decision that she can." Yugo told me, trying to be comforting. "What bothers me is who this Joshua really is, and why the name Ion seems to anger me so. I have a feeling my memories are going to be needed soon and I don't know nor want to pay the price to get them back." He smiled slightly. "You should get up and get dressed."

"I think…I'm going to go join Lena in the bath. See if I can help her out. She seemed so sad." Hopping off the bed, I smiled. "I'll be back. Don't get yourself in to much with me gone."

"Your leaving is only going to make me come find you." He grinned.

"I'll be back." I tapped his nose. "Be good and stay here."

"As you wish." He replied, lying down on my bed as I headed out of the room.

The bathhouse was unlocked but I knew at this time of day, Lena was probably the only one here. Undressing, I walked behind the wall, blasted with a wave of steam rising up from the tub.

"Lena?" I asked, seating myself on the rock wall of the tub.

"Yes?" her voice wavered. She was on the other side of the tub, averting her gaze from mine.

I slid into the water, flashing her a smile. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out the way you were hoping."

I suddenly felt Yugo's mind touch mine and I got the same feeling I did the day before- his lusting, his annoyance that he couldn't be here with me right now.

'Get out of my head, right now! I don't need you distracting me. This is girl talk.'

'I was only joking. Sheesh.' He replied, his voice the sound of irritation. He withdrew and I put up a barrier, keeping all of his thoughts out.

"I… don't mind the fact that he's a devil. I've realized that they're not all bad. Some like Yugo and Chrono are good." She replied.

A wave of guilt hit me. She had seen it before I had, and I was still having trouble grasping the concept. I immediately wiped the traces of emotion from my mind, knowing that Yugo could still pick up on those.

"I know Joshua's one of the good ones. There's no way he couldn't be. He could have killed me at any time and he didn't." she continued.

"Is it possible, he knows you're one of the demon slayers from the Order and he's trying to win you over to get information from you?" I asked.

"There's no way!" she cried, looking over at me with tear-filled eyes. "Joshua wouldn't! He's to gentle Sora, I know it. If he's a devil, then he only defends himself with his power. You'll see when you meet him."

"Meet him?" my eyes widened.

She nodded. "I've been thinking, and I made up my mind. I want to see him again. I have to see him again. I want you and Mia to go with me the next time I see him, so you can see for yourselves that he's no monster."

"Lena…" This was the way she always was. Her stubborn determination made up for her small size, but I felt crushed that there was something out there that had finally managed to hurt her. She had always been so strong and this… this was the one thing bringing her to tears. I smiled. "Alright then. I'll go with you next time when you meet Joshua."

"Really Sora?" her eyes were shining. "Thank you so much!"

She pounced me and hugged me and I nodded. If this would make her happy…

I spent the rest of the day with her and Yugo, reclining in the green in the field of grass, chatting over menial things and staring up at the blue sky. It had become a habit while I had been in the country and it was just kind of sticking to me. We stayed until the sun had turned the sky to orange and pink pastels, lighting the sky with colors only found in an art studio. Returning to our room later that evening we found that Rosette had already crashed for the evening and Chrono had fallen asleep in the chair by her bed. Mia explained that their mission had been especially hard today and they were exhausted but the time it was done. We sat up talking, quietly with her for a few minutes before the lights went out.

I slipped under the covers and Yugo laid by my side on top of them. Undoing the ribbon in his hair, his dark cyan flowed around his shoulders and neck as he collapsed down on the comforters with a content sigh.

"I am so exhausted…" I replied sleepily. Not getting sleep the night before had caused me to tire out early this evening and I could tell that Yugo was feeling the same way. He raised his head and then sat up. "Yugo?"

"You go to sleep love." He whispered, his golden eyes glancing out the large windows into the moonlit sky. "I'm going to stay up for a while. There's…something that's bothering me."

I blushed. "Alright then." Turning my back to him I barely had time to think what it could be that was on his mind before I was asleep.

I don't know what time it was when I awoke, but the moon was the highest in the sky, flooding the room with its pale silvery light. I opened my eyes, sitting up. Something didn't feel right. I looked over, finding Yugo lying asleep behind me, his finger entangled in the bottom crimson curtain of my hair. Blushing I smiled at him, before glancing around the room. That was it.

Sitting on the edge of Lena's bed was a young man, dressed in a pair of navy blue slacks and a white button-down t-shirt. His face was turned away from me, but I caught his hair color from the pale moonglow- a bright gold. My heart stopped for a minute. Was this man Joshua?

Panic started to rise in me. The window was shut, the door hadn't been messed with, and the ground alarms had not been triggered. How had he gotten inside the premises totally unnoticed?

'Do not be afraid my dear.'The voice resounded in my head. It was beautiful, playful and definitely masculine. I blinked and noticed the man's cerulean gaze had fallen on me. I don't even remember him looking up, but he was suddenly staring at me with a pair of brilliant dark blue eyes. I was hiding my fear, or trying to but I got the feeling that he, like Yugo, had a way of knowing exactly everything I was thinking. He tilted his head, giving me a smile, warm enough to melt ice, long locks of hair shifting into his eyes'I came to check on your dear friend. I felt that she was upset about something, so I wanted to know what was going on.' His voice was sincere, touching. 'It doesn't seem like Hirelena's nature to cry.'

'It's not.' I found myself answering before I had realized. I blushed when I realized I had completely let my guard down.

He got up, never making a sound as he moved. 'I thought so.' He stood beside me, his eyes shifting over to Yugo. Suddenly worry ran through me.

'You…what did you do to him?' I asked, glancing between the two.

'He began to sense that I was nearby. I didn't want Yugo's flaring temper to ruin the moment. I wanted to come in and watch Hirelena sleep, and I knew he would not let me if he were awake. So, I simply put him to sleep. That's all.' His hand reached up, tilting my chin up to look at him. 'I would not hurt him, knowing he was bound to you. I would not wish pain on any friend of Lena's.'

The sound of his voice, my face had gone bright red but I got a spark of realization. 'You…you're in love with Lena.'

'Very much so. I have been watching over her for quite some time.' He let me go stepping back. 'And I have no will nor wish to harm any of you.'

'Then Joshua…why not join us? We could use your help.'

He grinned. 'Thank you for the offer…but I cannot. You see, I serve Lord Ion and as long as Chrono and the Order continue to defy Ion I have no choice but to stay neutral for now.'

"Who is this Ion?" spoke out loud; trying to show how determined I was to find out.

He blinked and then smiled. 'You will find out soon. You have been dragged into this, as soon as you contracted yourself with your teal-haired puppy lying by your side. You answers will be answered, I guarantee that.' He turned, walking over to Rosette's bed. The sigh that escaped his lips was audible and he leaned down, placing a kiss on her forehead. I was shocked at this display of affection for her. He whispered goodnight and turned, smiling at me. 'I'll be leaving now. Forgive my intrusion. I will wake your friend as soon as I am far enough away. And Sora-' he started, even though his eyes were staring onto Lena's sleeping form. 'Do not let anyone know I was here, unless its Lena, and only then tell her I came in to say goodnight to her. I would erase your memories, but I trust you can keep our little secret.'

The wind picked up suddenly within another blink of an eye he was gone. Within seconds I felt Yugo stir in the bed next to me and he sat up. "Sora… what is it?" he asked.

"Nothing." I assured though my mind was still wandering, Joshua…what an interesting guy.