Forgotten Memories Chapter Fifteen

Chrono Crusade

Date Started: April 27th

Sora Kazuma

"The what?" I blinked. "Pursuers? And why have they found Chrono?"

Yugo glanced back and forth between his brother and me, evidently just as lost.

Jin stared at Yugo but when it seemed he got the same response from him, he sighed softly. "I was hoping he would start to remember on his own, but since it's not coming back…"

"It's not like I can control it!" Yugo snapped.

The red-headed demon glared but continued on. "The pursuers are an association of devils who have dedicated themselves for hunting down the sinners."

"Oh." I said before I even realized I had spoken. Now it made a little bit more sense. My head suddenly had begun pounding, so I could tell Yugo was taking the information and processing it, trying to find things that may lay dormant in is mind.

"You said the pursuers had Chrono. What's this deal?" Julius spoke up, pushing me back a little as he fought to regain his composure.

"The pursuers don't have Chrono. Duffau is more or less afraid of him-"

"Duffau?" Yugo raised his head slightly, looking at him, a hand pressed to his forehead.

"What?" A smirk touched Jin's lips. "Name sound familiar?"

I watched him growl hiding a smile. My head was killing me, which meant he was trying his hardest to figure this out.

"Duffau is the leader of the pursuers, if you can say they have a leader. He's an old enemy of Chrono's and yours Yugo. At the moment though, he's willing to call a treaty."

"If we do what?" I replied before Yugo could speak up.

"They've decided that your group is the lesser of two evils and are prepared to join forces with the Magdalene Order to fight against Aion."

"What?" Julius's gold eyes blinked wide.

"Devils…are willing to work with us, to defeat Aion?" I swallowed.

"We don't have much choice. He's pretty much a threat to us all and the pursuers are looking for a good excuse to take out the sinners." Jin huffed. "Things are about to get really ugly. If the Magdalene Order accepts this alliance, you can almost bet that the sinners are going to retaliate." He turned his head, looking at his older brother. "Yugo the least you can do is remember your old comrades who you swore to fight with."

He growled and my eyesight went dizzy, head throbbing from the pain. "Aion…Sieg, Aidan…Chrono…" He hissed and I could tell he was getting mad, frustrated with himself. "R-Rizel…G-G-Genai, V-Vi…"

"Yugo…" Despite my state I heard Julius call out to him, and I reached for his voice, my fingers latching onto his arm to try and stable myself.

"Damnit!" Yugo snapped and my eyesight immediately cleared. I couldn't help but let out a loud gasp as the pressure released in my head. Those gold eyes lighted on me for a minute and his temper flared. "You had me hurting Sora to try and find the answer, bastard! Knock it off!"

Jin blinked, eyes shifting to me. Apparently he hadn't remembered Yugo's memory affected me as well because his normally cold composure was thrown off for a minute. "…I'm impressed you could remember what you did. If you can recall names on your own now by just thinking about them, it seems you're getting better." He looked at me again and I knew what he was thinking as if he had spoken. And she's getting worse.

"In any case, Rosette is going to most likely contact the Order, which means you all should be called in soon." Jin went on. "There's no way she can make this decision herself."

Yugo lifted his head slightly. "Seems your right."

Footsteps dashing down the wooden hall stopped at our door just before it was thrown open and two young operatives stared at us. "M-Miss Sora!" the first one said, looking at me, but his dark eyes seemed to be showing fear of the two standing closer to him. He was still watching them warily and the more timid of the two couldn't stop staring at Jin as if he was suddenly going to attack him. "Commander Sera and Reverend Gilliam have asked for you in Father Sera's office as soon a possible!"

"Gilliam?" I blinked.

"Yes mam. He just returned this evening!" The boy called, before bowing. "We'll be going now."

"Well, let's see what we've heard on this end." Yugo sighed, buttoning up his shirt.

"I'll wait here." Jin responded.

"You might as well come with us Jin." I smiled, grabbing clothes from my bag and headed for the changing partition. "I know you don't want to get involved, but at this point-"

"It's pretty much a lost cause." He cut me off. "I know. I would have eventually had to take sides anyway."

"And joining Aion is the side you wouldn't wanted to have been on, right Mr. Jin?" Julius's voice picked up and I smiled. I think that was the first time he had actually spoken up to him. I could sense Yugo's surprise too.

"You have that right kid." He huffed, but I picked up the hint of a smile in his voice.

Entering Sera's office put us in the middle of a zoo. Three agents were gathered around the commander's desk while an older man with dark brown hair rambled on the telephone and the handsome blonde-haired leader silently spoke with his team.

The man on the phone looked up and his eyes blinked on us. "I have someone here who would like to talk to you." He replied, holding it out in my direction.

I stepped up next to him, taking the phone from him. "Hello?"

"It's nice to hear you're voice Sora."

My heart skipped a beat. "Remington!" I was so happy to hear him…so relieved to hear from someone that I knew. Then my mind clicked. What was he doing on a phone? He was supposed to be on his way here. "Ewan, what's going on? Aren't you and Mia supposed to be on a train right about now?"

"Things came up, and the central council has ordered that I stay here for now. Mia however, has gathered a miltia team and has left already, so she should be out there within the next couple of days." He explained. "Anyway, Sora, we have an interesting matter at hand."

"The pursuers have asked for an alliance with us. I know." I responded and watched Sera and the older man beside look over at me in surprise.

"I'm not going to ask how you now that, but it's true. Rosette has contacted us here with the news. Apparently she is staying at the Harvenheit Villa on the outskirts of San Francisco."

"The Harvenheit Villa?" My eyes widened. "That means-"

"She's with Miss Satella." Julius spoke up, catching on.

"And with Sieg." Yugo added.

"What's going to happen Ewan?" I asked, swallowing slightly. "No doubt the council is going to fight this."

"Kate thinks the same thing. She and I are scheduled to meet with them any time now. We're hoping to persuade them, but there's only so much we can do. We'll keep in constant contact with you to let you know what's happening. I've already talked with Jack as well as Bryant and they have agreed to send you to the Villa early. Meet up with Rosette and Chrono and stay on standby until Sera and Gilliam join you there. They'll have the answer at that time."

"Yes sir!" I nodded.

"Sora…" There was hesitance in his voice. "Tell Julius and Yugo I say hi, and the three of you be careful."

I smiled. "Will do Father. Take care."

"It seems you and Father Remington are close." Sera said with a smile as I hung up the phone.

"He's like a big brother to me. I've known him since I came into the Order." I replied, looking at him. "We have our orders sir. If there's anything else you'd like to inform us of before we leave-"

"I would actually like to introduce you to the head of the San Francisco branch." Bryant stood, motioning to the guy who was standing closer to me. "This is Reverend Jack Gilliam, who's been away on assignment during your stay here."

"It's an honor to meet you Sister." He bowed his head slightly, offering me his hand.

I put mine in his with a nod of my head. "You too. I thought Father Sera was a little young to be running the convent all by himself. I'm glad to know there's someone above him to keep him in line."

"H-Hey!" Sera growled, his tan cheeks flushing as he glared at me but Reverend Gilliam just laughed. "No fair…I'm twenty-one you know…"

"Bryant has his moments where he gets carried away but he is a very capable leader and his men trust him. He's a good kid." Gilliam smiled.

"K-Kid!" Again the blonde sighed. "Anyway Sora, while we're introducing people, perhaps you would inform us on who your red-haired friend is."

I blinked, looking back at the group I had brought with me. "Oh…that's Jin. He's Yugo's little brother and the one who told us about what's going on with the pursuers. He's been a big help to us." I replied. Before he could go on about another devil in the place, I smiled. "Well, we'll be heading out now. Let us know what's happening as soon as you hear word from New York, alright?" I ushered the boys out of the office, shutting the door behind me. If we had just continued talking we were going to get nowhere.

I got the keys from the main desk and headed for the garage. "Jin, are you going to ride with us?"

"I prefer not to. I'll meet you there." He said, disappearing before I had even realized he had vanished.

Yugo snatched the keys from my hand. "I'll drive."

The reason you really shouldn't let Yugo drive is because he doesn't care what the speed limit is in the city limit. After getting directions to the Villa from an operative at the convent, it should have taken us about an hour to get there under normal standards. We were pulling up to the front gates in a little over half an hour and my hands were cramping from holding onto Julius and the seat so we weren't thrown all around the inside of the vehicle.

It seemed the entire place was lit up and the front porch lights were blinding as we headed up the walk. Rosette was waiting on the front porch and she came rushing down to me, her arms wrapping around me. "I wasn't expecting you all to be here so fast." She said softly but she couldn't hide her grin.

"It's what happens when Yugo has control over the car." Julius replied sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair as Yugo glared at him.

"Come on in…we have a lot to talk about."

"That's for sure." Despite the situation, I was awed by Satella's mansion. Everything was so beautiful…and so deadly expensive. I didn't want to touch anything because I was so afraid I'd break something.

"Yay! We have more company! More company!"

"I'd know that voice anywhere…"Yugo muttered.

Sieg came sliding down the mahogany railing on the elegant steps, his crimson eyes lighting on us. "Hiya everyone! Are you all okay?"

"It's starting to feel like old times." Jin came down the steps, followed by a butler with kind eyes and dull gray hair.

"Master Sieg, please refrain from roughhousing so late in the evening." He told the scarlet-haired mass of energy.

"Sure Steiner!" He smiled back at him. "Everyone's in the dining room. Come on, come on!"

"So, how'd you get in before us?" I asked Jin as he joined us.

"I was going to wait out front but Sieg came and found me and he's been showing me around ever since. Apparently Duffau and his men are waiting in living room and Satella, Chrono and Azmaria have holed up in the dining room with a telephone close by." He replied. Leave it to Jin to be gathering information in any situation.

Rosette and Sieg both pushed open the heavy wooden doors and we were led into a massive hall with a long elegant dining table surrounded by thirty or forty oak and velvet chairs.

Satella and Azmaria were sitting down at the far end in complete silence, cups of hot tea in front of them, while Chrono had his head resting on his arms as he laid on the table. They looked up as we came in, Sieg dashing ahead.

"Everyone's here! We can have the meeting now, right?" He said with a grin, waving his arms around. He was like a hyperactive child stuck in a man's body and I giggled despite everything, watching him. He was wearing baggy pants and a long oriental robe-like shirt, the front closed by clasps and the sleeves extending longer then his arms so his hands were hidden underneath the cloth. Throw in his messy dark red hair and he was just begging to be cuddled.

'That's not funny.'

I smiled, not even going to answer.

Satella looked at him and then sighed. "Let's get this over with. There are three…" She stopped when she saw Jin and blinked. "make that four devils here, and I want some answers."

"Story time! Story time!" Sieg pulled out a chair and hopped in it with a smile. "Who wants to go first? You, Chrono?"

I sat down next to Sieg watching the violet-haired devil as he dropped his head slightly. "Chrono, if you don't want to say anything then-"

"No." He shook his head. "I'm just wondering about you. The more I say, the more Yugo's going to remember and-"

"We're willing to take the risk." Yugo cut him off.

"Right." I nodded.

"I'll help if you need it." Jin spoke up.

Chrono nodded slightly. "I said…something to Satella earlier. This news should not come as a surprise to Jin, or Sieg and Rosette knows a little bit more then the rest of you, but for those of you who are in the dark, I'll explain…why three of us are labeled as Sinners."

I was bracing myself for the news. Yugo had distanced himself a little bit in my head to try and numb some of the pain, but I knew just as well as he did that he couldn't get rid of it.

"There were nine of us. Nine…who went against everything. Aion, myself, Sieg, Yugo, Genai, Rizel, Viede, Shadar and Aidan. We…attacked Pandaemonium, and took down its queen. We destroyed our own kind, massacring millions of devils, anything that sought to oppose us. And at the top of the list was Duffau. He raised an army to go after us, hunt us and track us down, and he called that small army of his the pursuers." Chrono's voice was practically monotone and quiet but in the silence of that great hall, we all heard him crystal clear. My mind was on fire, my eyesight blurring over, but I didn't need sight to listen and I could bear with the pain in exchange for this information. I felt Yugo wrap an arm around me for support and my other hand found his on the table, fingers locking with his. "Yugo, Sieg…we're still on his hit list, just not the top priority right now. Duffau has named Aion as the number one threat and he wants to break up the rest of the Sinners before they're able to cause any more trouble. We'll be fighting old comrades from now on."

"It's something that we decided though, right?" Sieg, spoke up, smiling. "We all left because of our own reasons and we knew…if we weren't with Aion, we'd be against him. It…was just a matter of time. I'm…looking forward to seeing everyone again. Shadar and Genai and Viede and Aidan. It's been so long. Even if it means we have to kill them, it'll still be nice to see them one last time."

"I honestly don't know if Duffau will double-cross us, but from the look of things, it's highly unlikely. He's teaming up with us because he's looking at avoiding a fight with you three at all costs." Jin said after a moment. "Chrono, you alone are enough to put him on an edge. Despite the Pursuers original intent, I think this alliance would be a good thing."

"Are you honestly asking that we trust those horrid things!" Satella snapped. "They're devils…devils who are after your lives and you want-"

"Shut it!" I shot back, cutting her off mid-sentence. I don't know what it was, but every time she opened her mouth I had the urge to slap her. "Don't you think we know that! We're taking a big risk here and we damn well know it, but the more help we have against Aion the better!"

"They're devils!" She came back, standing up as if to challenge me. "The same flesh and blood as that damned creature himself! Would you put your life in their hands!"

"Satella, that's enough!" Rosette barked, standing up as well.

I was shaking so bad I was fuming. Even with the migraine I stood up, slamming my fist into the table. "And you're saying you wouldn't!" She had struck a nerve with me and she was going to pay for it. "If you were in a life-or-death situation, you wouldn't let Sieg save you!"

Her bright crimson eyes widened slightly at that and I smirked. "You're pathetic. You really are pathetic. Pathetic…and rather disgusting Despite that pretty face and body you're really horrible. I feel bad for you. You have the one person's who's always by your side and you can't trust him. That's pitiful!"

"How dare you judge me!" She snapped back.

"Satella! Sora!" Rosette yelled.

Satella glared at her, before stalking out of the dining hall and slamming the door behind her.

I plopped back down in the chair with an audible sigh. "You can't say you don't agree with me Rosette."

"That maybe true, but at the moment, you two aren't helping matters." She replied, sitting down next to Chrono, who was watching her worriedly.

'You said nothing I didn't agree with.' I immediately got a response from him and I rested my head on his shoulder. He would support me until the end.

"You…" I blinked and looked over at Sieg who had been quiet the entire time. "You all just don't understand her. She…has reasons for being the way she is, like everyone." He smiled softly. "I think I'll go try and cheer her up. Be back in a little bit." And with that he vanished in his seat.

As if caused by his sudden disappearance, the phone on the table rang. We all stared at it for a minute and at each other, before Rosette picked it up. "Hello?"

Her eyes sparked recognition and we all listened in silence before she hung up. Something was bothering her and there was something she wanted to say.

"Rosette?" Azmaria said softly, looking at her.

"Father Remington and Sister Kate are out of the meeting. The council has decided…to leave the decision up to us." Her blue eyes stared at mine.

"It's a risk." I repeated as I stood up. "But I think a risk we're willing to take."

"I agree." Rosette smiled. "Mr. Steiner!" She called, directing her glance to the open door that led to the kitchen.

"Yes, Lady Rosette?" The butler appeared after mere seconds.

"You might want to start up a car, and let our guests know that we will meeting up with a group of officials from the Magdalene Order. Oh and find Sieg and Satella too." Rosette grinned. "We have an alliance to go work on."

The pursuers left once they heard the news, heading out to the meeting point, while Yugo, Julius and I headed out to our car. There was no way I was going to be near Satella unless a dire situation broke out and maybe even then I would leave her to her own demise. I was fed up with her haughty attitude and I really felt bad for Sieg. He was by her side always and she didn't even really seem to notice him at all. When I thought about all Yugo and I had been through there was no way I could just totally ignore him like that.

'Little One, you don't seem to realize…that Sieg doesn't mind things that way.' Yugo said as I started up the car. I had stolen back the keys to avoid almost dying on our way there.

'Because Sieg's actually a nice guy who gives a damn about his contractor. The way she went on in there…honestly. She doesn't see him as anything other then a devil.'

He sighed. 'I'm not saying that she's in the right because she's not, but hurting her means you're hurting Sieg too. You might want to be a little less spiteful on your words.'

I huffed, pulling away from the driveway. Satella honestly deserved it.

We arrived at the lookout just as the car from the Magdalene Order did, the head beams of their vehicles falling on the tall forms of the pursuers who were standing there in the road.

I stopped the car, turning the ignition off. "Julius, are you-" I started as I turned to look at him. He was curled up on the backseat asleep, long locks of dark hair falling into his face. "Sleep then." I said softly as we got out of the car.

The three men standing in the middle were watching us, rather then watching the group from the Order. "Sinner Yugo. My, it's been a while." The one in front said with a smirk. He was rather intimidating with a jaggedly-cut beard, dark hair and unsettling eyes.

"I would say the same thing, except that I can't honestly remember you." Yugo snapped back, his voice cold and arrogant. "I'm guessing you must be Duffau."

"Eh?" He blinked. "Your memory's been wiped clean…" He glanced to me and I grabbed onto Yugo's shirtsleeve, despite my attempt to keep up a strong front. He was really creepy. "I see now. The power of a contract. You always were the compassionate one, weren't you?"

"As compassionate as he is deadly." A form dressed in white materialized between us and the sinners, standing to his full height.

"Ah, White Wolf. I thought I smelled more then one dog around." He replied, but Jin said or did nothing, other then stuff his hands in the pockets of his white trenchcoat.

"Sister Sora." Gilliam came up to us, passing by the pursuers as if they weren't even there. "We're here to see this through as mere witnesses, nothing more." He turned, looking up at Duffau. "I'm Reverend Jack Gilliam from the Magdalene Order, San Francisco Branch. It's nice to meet you."

For a minute the devil did nothing but then he gave a slight nod of his head. "Duke Duffau. Likewise."

Another car pulled in behind us, signaling Rosette's arrival. Sieg appeared by our side with a goofy grin. "Hey Hey! Long time no see!"

Duffau's eyes widened. "Sinner Sieg…"

Satella was apparently with them, but she, Steiner and Azmaria hung back while Chrono and Rosette came forward to talk with the pursuers. Though we didn't make the final decision, all of us stood around watching as Rosette shook hands with him. In a way we too had been a part of the debate and at the same time we were out of it. Only one thing was clear among all the people present- we all wanted Aion dead, and the sooner, the better.

"Sir, the Magdalene Order is at your disposal. You are more then welcome at our convent." Gilliam told him.

"Thank you for the offer." Duffau responded. "We will be there first thing in the morning."

"I wanna go too! Is that okay?" Sieg asked the Reverend with an eager smile.

With the pouting crimson eyes even the Father had to give in. "Yes, of course!" He smiled.

"Yay!" Sieg grinned.

"Until tomorrow morning then." Duffau nodded, disappearing before us.

"It's late, and I'm really tired." Rosette stretched. "I guess it's alright to restart things in the morning. I can't keep my eyes open much longer."

"And this time, go to your own bed and sleep." Chrono reprimanded her and I blinked. What was he getting at?

"Miss Sora?"

I turned, as Steiner walked up to us. "Master Julius has already retired for the evening. Why don't you stay at the villa for the night? There wouldn't be much point in traveling an hour back into the city and risk waking the lad up."

"Oh, no! We couldn't stay! We don't want to cause any more trouble or anything!" I told him. I had a feeling the longer I was around Satella the more the urge to strangle her was going to be.

"But Lady Satella has already requested it Miss. Won't you please reconsider?" He replied.

I looked over at the car where Azmaria and Satella were. Well that was a surprise. I wasn't expecting her to be willing to play hostess. I had been shocked that she hadn't ordered I was thrown out of her house earlier.

"If she's going to the trouble to invite us, we might as well stay." Yugo snatched the keys from my hand. "One night at the villa won't hurt and besides-" He glanced behind him to the purple-haired devil. "Chrono, there are some things I want to ask you about."

Those crimson eyes widened slightly. "Sure." His voice sounded surprised but I could tell there was something going on. Something they had been planning to talk about.

"I am in love with this bed!" I cried, snuggling the silk sheets to my face. "Can I keep it? Honestly? Can I take it home with me when I leave?"

Steiner chuckled softly as he blew out the candles on the bedside table across from me. I watched as he adjusted the blankets over Julius's sleeping form and smiled. "Get some rest Jul." I whispered as I laid down.

The next morning I awoke with the same foggy feeling but at least I knew where I was. I reached out in my mind to find Yugo and I got an answer immediately back. He was with Sieg out in the garden.

I got dressed, finding Julius's bed empty and headed out into the main part of the building. The sound of a sweet voice reached my ears and I knew Azmaria was serenading someone with that soft soprano of hers.

Walking out into the courtyard I found the handsome wolf demon in conversation with the redhead sinner, sitting on the circlar edge of the massive marble fountain. Sieg looked up at me with a bright smile. "Morning Sora!"

I smiled back, blushing slightly. "Morning Boys. What's the situation this morning?"

"We're to meet Reverend Gilliam and Father Sera sometime later at the Order to discuss battle strategies. Duffau's supposed to be there…Jin already arrived and is helping out in the library with a couple of the pursuers." Yugo explained. "I've been waiting for you to get up."

"Sorry." I grinned sheepishly. "Where's Julius?"

"Did you even have to ask?" He responded. "He's been with Azmaria since he woke up this morning. She took care of his arm so he's feel really grateful right now."

"They're really cute." Sieg smiled and I had to nod in agreement.

"Man…I kinda want to head to the Order already. I hope Duffau has a lead…I want to find Lena, kick Aion's butt and get home." I said after a minute. I was really getting tired of the constant waiting around for something to happen.

"Why you are so happy to work with those devils is beyond me."

I blinked, turning around. I knew that heavily-accented voice anywhere. Satella was up and dressed, and seemingly in the same bitter mood she was in last night. I swallowed. "Satella…" I had to at least thank her for coming to our rescue last night. I might not like her or her attitude but I was grateful for a night's sleep in a mansion.

She looked at me for a minute and then huffed. "Don't even say it. I know what's going to come out of your mouth. I was going to tell you this morning that Rosette has asked that you all stay here. Of course I objected but if you all are going to fight Aion I would rather be informed on the details in my home then have to go into town to that lowly convent. I'll have someone bring your things with you when you return later this evening. " A smirk touched her lips as she haughtily turned her face away from mine. "If you'll excuse me, I have better things to do then sit around and converse with you. Later!"

I sighed as she walked off. Just when I thought she had a shred of decency she killed that off too.

"I…"

I glanced over at Sieg, who had furrowed his crimson eyebrows as he watched the lady of the villa saunter off. He looked like something was bothering him but as soon as that flickered through my mind he smiled over at me. "I'll see you guys later, kay? I'm gonna go with Satella."

I blinked. "Okay…"

I heard Yugo make a slight smug reply and I looked over at him. 'What?'

'Sieg is really taken with her. He was talking about Julius and Azmaria but he seems blind to the fact that he follows Satella around like a puppy.'

'She hardly deserves it. She can't even see him for what he is. Sieg would be much better off with someone else.' I huffed. I hated how she could get everyone's attention just by acting like a spoiled selfish brat.

'Yes, but for Sieg it doesn't matter.' He lifted a teal eyebrow. 'What, are you jealous?'

'It just bothers me…she has all this cash and talent and beauty and she…' I sighed. 'She acts like that.'

'All creatures act the way they do for a reason. There is no doubt some history with Satella and devils.'

'I can't believe you're sticking up for her!' I snapped, turning away from him, crimson staining my cheeks. Yugo hardly acted this way towards a person and Satella was pretty. She was beyond pretty. She was rather intimidating that way and I knew that if she tried hard enough she could easily win over any man she wanted, and it seemed like Yugo was no exception.

'It's no different then you protecting Aidan.'

'It is different! Aidan's a lost soul! He's stuck between sanity and insanity and right and wrong!'

'And under different circumstances you couldn't say the same about Satella?'

I growled slightly. I hated it when he won, and he usually did. 'I just feel bad for Sieg.' I said after a moment, slightly changing the subject.

'So do I. But I feel bad for his contractor too.'

"You just like her, don't you?" I spoke out loud, spinning around to look at him.

He grinned tigerishly at me, as if I was suddenly his prey. Those gold eyes glinted mischievously and I knew he was up to no good. "If I said yes, what would you do?"

"Push you backwards into the fountain." I reached for his shoulders as I said it, shoving him back off the stone side. Unfortunately I wasn't counting on his arms to wrap around my waist and I was pulled into the freezing cold water as well.

"You jerk! I don't believe you!" I cried, pushing back soaking locks of crimson hair. My dress was now weighted down and stuck to my skin and I grabbed his ponytail, pulling his head down under the water as he resurfaced before letting him go. Trying to get up I realized his grip around me hadn't let up and I was now trapped in here with him.

He came up laughing, long bangs plastered to his face and hiding his eyes. "That completely backfired on you, didn't it?"

"You truly live up to your kind, devil! That was awful!" I snapped back but I was hiding a smile behind my fake anger.

He removed one hand from my waist to brush back his hair, looking up at me. "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked. Suddenly his troublesome air seemed to fade away and he leaned up, kissing at my neck, his tongue lapping at the beads of water falling from my drenched hair.

"Yugo…" I pushed my hands against his chest, but that wasn't helping me either…I could feel right through his paper-thin shirt to the hard muscles underneath.

'You know there is no one else for me but you…right?' His voice was in my head again as he didn't even bother to stop his soft kisses. 'Or do I have to show you?'

My cheeks flushed hotly at that remark. "I believe you." I whispered. My skin was beginning to gather goosebumps and my body was beginning to shake, but whether it was from his hot caresses on my neck or the ice-cold water I honestly didn't know. Yugo seemed to sense it too because he let up with a sift sigh and lifted me up as he stood, setting me down on the fountain's edge. "We need to get you out of those clothes before you catch a cold. Come on, I'll walk with you back inside."

We had barely made it to my bedroom when I heard footsteps behind us. "Yugo! Sora!" Turning at that familiar voice I managed a smile at Julius.

It took him a second for him to process us standing there in soaking wet clothes but suddenly his face flushed. "Um, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything…" I could tell by the spark in his eyes that something was up. "But we got word that Miss Mia and her team have made it to the San Francisco branch and that she will be at the meeting with Mr. Duffau this afternoon."

"Come on in kid." Yugo told him as he unlocked the door. "You can explain what's going on while Sora gets something to wear."

As I stood in the middle of the bedroom, a thought occurred to me. "Guys," I swallowed, looking at them. "All of our belongings are at the convent. I have nothing here to change in to."

Yugo blinked, staring at me. "You have to be kidding."

"I'll go find Mr. Steiner and ask his advice." Julius rushed out of the room, a crimson flash before I could protest.

I walked over to the window, standing in the bright sunlight. At least there I didn't feel so cold. A few seconds later a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me back against him. I blinked at the gold-tan arms holding me to him and it took a second to click before I realized he was no longer wearing a shirt. He had to be freezing holding me in those soaking wet clothes bare-chested. "Yugo-" I started, attempting to turn and look at him but he silenced me with a simple 'shh' in my ear, leaning his face against my neck.

"You're so cold you're shaking, little one. Give it a rest."

I sighed, leaning my head back on his shoulder. Despite the plunge into the water his skin was dry and surprising really warm. My hands wrapped around his, holding onto him as if I was trying to keep a tiny fire from going out. Closing my eyes from the sunlight I felt amazingly relaxed and comfortable even with the wet clothes. The dripping icy water was a constant reminder of how warm Yugo's body was.

"Ahem."

My eyes flew open and I turned to see Steiner in the doorway with several dresses draped over one arm while Julius's hovered behind him. "Sorry to interrupt," The butler replied amusingly. "But I thought the sooner we got the lady into something warm, the better."

"Please." I told him with a pleading smile.

"…If Satella saw me right now, she would kill me."

I stood admiring myself in a pale blue sundress that went down to my ankles with slits just up to the knees. It was a very cute, very expensive foreign gown and I knew Satella would be livid to see me wearing it. Still, I had to admit it fit pretty well, and with one of the maids taking the time to pull my hair back and up I actually looked a little bit more like I belonged here in this fancy mansion. Meanwhile Yugo had borrowed a pair of Sieg's loose black silk fighting pants and a matching black silk Chinese-style shirt, only because Chrono and Julius were insisting that he change out of those cold clothes and that Sieg would hardly care.

Sitting in the living room with the others I felt awkward and out of place. They were all in their normal everyday clothes and here Yugo and I looked like Lord and Lady of the manor. I was glad when my clothes finally dried a few hours later and I could return to my normal state as well. Yugo too, seemed to be relieved when he returned the fancy silk clothing to their proper owner's room. It was not long after that that we left the villa, heading back to the convent and leading the way for Rosette and Chrono, who hadn't visited the place yet.

The place had come alive it seemed as everyone was rushing out and about. The library was packed with people and among the humans I recognized the two devils that had been with Duffau last night. Jin was at a table piled with several books and surrounded by several officers, deep in conversation about something. Out of the fifteen or so soldiers standing there I recognized one with long golden blonde hair. Smiling I ran up to her, wrapping my arms around her from behind. "Hello."

Mia spun around, her dark eyes widening and she smiled slightly. "Hey. You didn't tell me you had a brother Yugo. He sure is a great help when it comes to research."

"I'm sure." The cyan-haired devil replied with a simple shrug.

I let go of Mia, blinking. Something seemed to be bothering her. "Mia, are you okay?"

She nodded to me between listening in on Jin's conversation. "Yeah. Give me a second though. I want to talk to you."

"Okay…" I waited for her and then we left Yugo, Julius and the others to find Reverend Gilliam and Father Sera as we took off down the long hallway.

"I'll get straight to the point," She said after we had walked a couple of minutes in silence. "Father Sera filled me in on everything that had happened and I have to say I found a little bit more then what I originally thought was going on." She glanced at me. "Why didn't you tell me about this Aidan guy?"

My heart skipped a beat. "Did you read the report? That was ages ago." I feigned innocence. On top of that I could feel Yugo's increasing interest with eavesdropping through my mind.

"Don't play games." She snapped. "I know he was here, in San Francisco. He nearly killed Yugo on the train here and then he showed up again after murdering one of the order's students. How many times has he been to see you Sora?"

I gritted my teeth. "The last time was the fifth. He came to see me twice at the convent in New York." There was no bother trying to hide it now. She would grill me even worse if I tried to lie.

"And Yugo knows about this? What the hell is going on between you two?"

"Honestly, nothing." I snapped back. "My feelings lie for Yugo and always have. Aidan…" Why was I the only one who could see something good in him? "He's a lost soul, that I think can still be saved."

"He's a devil Sora."

That hit a nerve. I glared at her, stopping in the hallway. "So what if he is! So are Yugo and Chrono! So is Duke Duffau. Just because they're devils doesn't mean we should immediately assume every one of them is an evil bloodthirsty monster! Aidan is confused, and probably in all normal rights insane, but I've seen a side of him no one refuses to believe. He can be calm and gentle and I know there's something I can do to help him out. Don't sit there and immediately assume he's a lost cause just because of what he is!"

I saw Mia swallow, her gaze dropping slightly and I huffed, looking away from her. I knew in my mind that I would never have said anything like this half a year ago and that my views and opinions had changed completely, but I also felt that for the first time on the subject I had Yugo's sincere sympathy when it came to Aidan. He was being quiet and I could tell he was thinking about what he had heard, deciding what he wanted to believe.

"That fact still remains," Mia spoke up, regaining her composure quickly. "That you didn't tell me about this. Or Ewan. We could've been of help if we had known. It hurt that you would neglect to tell us. I'm more then just your boss. I'm you're friend."

I sighed softly. "I honestly didn't want any help. And I didn't want to worry you two." I looked at her. "I don't want the two of you fretting about me in the long-run."

She blinked, as if she didn't understand what I had said. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want you two to worry about me any longer. You don't have to." I smiled slightly. "When this mission is over and I know for sure Aion's dead, I'm leaving the Magdalene Order."

That caught Yugo's attention immediately. 'Sora what the-'

'I've made up my mind, and you're not changing it.'

Mia cringed as if I'd attempted to hit her and her head dropped. "What brought this on?"

"To tell you the honest truth, I'm not sure. I'm not sure that when all of this is said and done if I'll still even be alive. The battle against Aion is looking grimmer and grimmer as time passes by. I've seen the powers of the sinners… and if Aion is the strongest then I'm afraid to see what he can truly do. If I do live, I know it will be because Yugo is going to have been fighting at his strongest, and I will probably not remember anything." My head dropped slightly and I smiled. "The days of my past are becoming numbered. My memories are leaving faster and faster. I keep having moments where I blank out, where everything goes away and I don't realize where I am. The other morning I woke up and I didn't even recognize Yugo and Julius. It was…frightening. I know that if this is how I am now then how am I going to be after Yugo has had to fight in his true form for hours against Aion and the others? One way or the other I'm going to lose it all. It's just a matter of time. And then it hit me. Something Aidan had actually told me…the moment my total memory is gone, the contract will end. And if I live after that, I will have a chance to make new memories, start a new life. I don't want to come back to this life. It's all I've ever known. Yugo will live on for years after I die, but my life is still only a set amount of time, and I don't think I want to spend the rest of it fighting the same thing I fell in love with."

"Sora…" Mia looked like she was fighting back tears, but I knew she could tell from my voice that I had already firmly decided on this. She took a step toward me and stopped. "Promise me…even if you lose all your memories…that we can still be friends? Even if you don't remember how it was before-"

"Mia you're more then just my friend." I smiled. "You're like my older sister. If it comes to that and we both survive, that's how I want to remember you."

She came up to me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. "I'm sorry for getting on your case earlier. I…I had forgotten how much you've been through lately…forgive me…"

"Of course." I replied. "Anyway, those days are still a little ways off. I have a job to finish before I can relax, one way or the other. We have to save Lena and we have to get Joshua back."

"Right." She smiled with a nod of her head.

Entering the library again we found Rosette with Duffau, Father Sera and the others. Chrono blinked his bright red eyes at me. "Where's Yugo?" He asked after a second.

"I don't know…I thought he stayed in here with you guys…" I glanced around but I didn't seem him among the chaos crowding the usually quiet room. I reached out to him through my mind and he simply wasn't there. He had a barrier up as if he was at work or at sleep. Weird.

"We can't wait around for him. We have matters that need to be with dealt with now." Duffau responded before I had a chance to crack through the shield Yugo had set up in his head. "Miss Maiko you can fill him in later."

We were led to a back room away from all the noise. A round table with several chairs was set up and we all took seats, silence falling between us for a moment. I was really wishing Yugo was there with me, but for some reason if he had purposely skipped the meeting, it wasn't my right to confront him about it.

Duffau started the conversation and overall it sounded simple enough. They were convinced that someone was summoning devils just outside the city and they had a suspected target. It was about that time that my mind suddenly caught on fire and I ducked my head. What the hell was going on? Was Yugo trying to remember something?

"Sora?" I looked up through my blurred vision, catching Julius's bright gaze falling on me worriedly.

"I'm-" I started to say and then stopped. The pain was unbearable and as I stared at him I was torn between recognizing and having absolutely no clue who he was.

"She's having one of her lapses." A man's voice spoke up, oddly familiar. I saw a flash of gold and then red and I clutched my head as even those swirled together. Somebody…someone was calling my name but I couldn't pinpoint who. Then, everything faded into silent darkness.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a bed. Crimson light was coming in through the window…where the hell had the day gone?

There was the gentle touch of someone's fingertips combing through my hair. Someone was sitting there beside me. Opening my eyes I saw the tall gorgeous form of a young man with intense amber eyes and long cyan hair pulled back into a ponytail, the bottom of his head shaved to short fluff, which highly contrasted to the rest of it. He was watching me and I was staring back at him. "Sora…?" His voice was soft, husky and trembling slightly. You couldn't tell by the look of him but he sounded so afraid.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I flashed him a smile. I was so exhausted…and I didn't know why. "Yugo." I spoke his name and I watched those eyes of his light up. It suddenly seemed like life had returned to his still body. His fingertips left my hair, trailing up the side of my neck to run across my cheek. I watched him bit into his lower lip and I blinked. He had never acted like this before.

"Yugo…" I managed to sit up but even that seemed to take all I had. "Yugo, you look like you're going to cry. What…what happened?"

He huffed slightly, arrogantly, but the raw pain didn't leave his eyes. "You don't seem to realize the danger you've been in. You passed out the other day during the meeting. You had another fit and this time it triggered a seizure."

I swallowed. "What do you mean 'the other day'?"

"It's been almost three days." He said after a moment, his voice very quiet.

"What?" I had a gut-wrenching feeling like I was going to be sick. "What about the mission we were supposed to take? Did they postpone it? What happened?"

"Rosette and Chrono went without us and they took Julius with them. Satella was there…had arrived before hand with Sieg. We didn't see it coming, but apparently Aion showed his face."

The urge to gag was growing stronger. "They made it out okay, didn't they?"

"Yeah. But you know Aion- he loves to play head games and he held the trump card between Satella and Sieg and flaunted it in their faces. Apparently Satella's elder sister, the one who taught her jewel magic, is alive. And Sieg has known all along." He sighed, turning on the bedside a little more to look at me. "Satella's in bed. She has been since they brought her home, and Sieg hasn't come out of his room. Apparently Aion did something to Satella's jewels…she can't summon. Chrono took some damage but he's recovering and Julius took a nasty scrape to the forehead but it was nothing Azmaria couldn't fix. Duffau's been working around the clock. He's determined to find Aion more then ever at the moment. And we've been going on the last few days trying to take care of our wounded. The…" He trailed off after a moment. "The worst part is…news has come in from New York. They want you off the case and to return to the convent there immediately."

I just about stopped breathing at that news. "N-No way. Remington wouldn't allow it. He would fight-"

"He has been fighting the decision for the last couple of days relentlessly. Father Sera and Reverend Gilliam have been giving their full support and Sister Kate is completely backing you up. But the council doesn't seem to be letting up on their decision. As soon as you're well enough to walk we're to take the next train home."

Before I even realized it, I was crying. "It's not happening." I shook my head furiously even though it was causing me a great migraine. "I'm not going to give up on Joshua and Lena. I'm not going to give up until Aion's dead. I might lose all my memories trying but I-"

"I don't care about that." His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me against him. "I don't care about Aion, or your friends, or even the damn world itself. Not on the level I care about you." His body was shaking and I couldn't tell whether in anger or from tears but I guessed a little bit of both. "I'm hurting you way to much. I never wanted to see you suffer. My own memories aren't worth all the pain I'm causing you. I was so afraid I had lost you…"

"Yugo…" I wrapped my arms around him in a feeble attempt to comfort him through my own tears.

"This isn't you. You don't belong kept in a bed, looking tired and worn. You're supposed to be stubborn and happy and running around the place like you own it. I'm sorry for everything…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to destroy your life. I meant to save it."

"Yugo, you are my life. Regardless of my memories, I will always have you, and Julius, and Mia and Remington and Jin and Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria, even Sieg and Satella. I will still always have you all. Even Joshua and Lena too, and that's why I have to save them. If the council orders me to come back, then I'm defying orders. I will see this through to the end, and I know you'll be there with me."

He didn't say anything, didn't argue or didn't agree. His mind felt heavy, empty, dead. "Sora, you know how you said you wanted to live your life differently after this was all over because you only had so much time with me left? I'm not going to go on living without you. When you die, so will I. That's all there is to it."

That hit me somewhere and caused something inside me to break. To know I wouldn't die alone…

The tears started falling for a different reason know and I buried my face in his neck. "I love you, Yugo." I said softly, face flushing as I spoke up.

I felt him swallowed and could hear his heart start racing from where I was resting. "I… love you too, little one. You need to get some sleep though." He pried me off of him and made sure I laid back down like an over protective parent would do to a child. I smiled at him as his fingertips wiped away my tears. I hated it when he was right. My eyes were getting so heavy… "Yugo…?" I managed before I drifted off. "Will you be here when I wake up?"

The only answer I got was the only answer I needed to hear.

'Of course love. I will always be by your side.'

Author's Notes: -bursts out into tears from all the mushy stuff- that was so sappy I was really gonna cry. -cuddles Yugo- Things got really serious, really quick, but I would have rather done it this way then deal with Aion. I really don't like Aion. He creeps me out. Okay! Before I get into my obsession with wanting Aion dead…-grins- onto chapter sixteen! Wow, we're getting up there in numbers too…Alright. While Duffau and the Order are preparing another attack, things aren't to good at the Harvenheit Villa. Sieg manages to spill his past as well as his true feelings and neither are taken well by the head of the household. Meanwhile Yugo and Sora have found a temporary way to stop her fits…but it costs both of them energy and time that at the moment they don't have a lot of. Going against the Order's wishes of returning to New York, Sora has stayed in California with the wish to rescue her friends but when the next call for battle comes and it's Genai and Viede answering, will Sora have the strength to make it through this fight alive? Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma