Verboten - Vietato - Kinmotsu - Forbidden

7 of 13

AN: Yay. Fluffy goodness.
People keep asking me about Gabriel/Rosette and Christopher so here is an answer for you all.
Gabriel(Rosette) is no longer female and therefore has a perfectly legitimate reason for wanting the now female Chrno. And as for attitude, Gabriel grew up under completely different circumstances than he did when he was Rosette. In his new life he's the pampered only son of a rich Italian family and high-level demon lord. Of course he's different. Rosette was more outgoing than Mary Magdalene, and Gabriel is a combination of his previous two personalities with a new dimension added.
As for Christopher:) , he started out as a red herring, a distraction. I made him because I wanted there to be someone similar in personality to Rosette, but to not actually be Rosette. However he has somewhat evolved since then. Now, I have him as a good friend and student for Chrno. I just meant for him to be a sweet kid, who at thirteen, when Chrno met him, was very outgoing like Rosette, but at sixteen he's quieter, more like Joshua. Christopher's main tragedy is that he lost his first partner and trainer at fifteen and it scarred him. He still likes a bit of fun, but now he takes every thing with the philosophy of the glass is half-empty. He's no where near the optimist that Rosette was and Gabriel is. He's just an original character, nothing more.
I hope this clears some things up. Don't be afraid to review, I'm always willing to answer questions about my stories.

P.S. Sorry for the wait. My parents came out for a visit and between them and a cranky teething 8 month old, I had no time to type these past couple of weeks. . . . . . Which has since turned into a now toddling 14 month old and my life being stressful and crazy the last 6 months. But I'm doing a bit better now.

Many have tried to get near her
Deep in the heart of Tokyo
Found nothing there but a mirror
She's no one you'll ever know

-Ace of Base "Tokyo Girl"

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrno Crusade, just what I've done to them. If you want to sue me, you can have my insane cat and my daughter's teething ring or maybe her stuffed cat.

V V K F

"I just want to fall asleep in your arms. I always just feel safe when you're holding me."

V V K F

"So, explain Christopher to me."

"Chris?" Chrno looked over her shoulder at Gabriel as they walked through the convent grounds. "He's my student. He's a sweet kid. He actually reminds me a lot of Azmaria."

"Always falling down?"

"No," she laughed, "He's optimistic. He was such a happy child when I first met him. But things change."

"I remember." Gabriel wrapped his arms loosely around her chest.

She pulled away to look him in the eye. "What do you remember?"

Gabriel arched an eyebrow. "Most of it. I remember your eyes. When we first met as Rosette and Chrno, your smile never reached your eyes. They were always so sad and troubled. But one day," he sighed, "a day I deeply regret, I noticed that you had changed. You weren't sad. Your eyes smiled at me. Your emotions there for me, if only I would see them."

Chrno blushed and ducked her head in shame. "San Francisco."

"Yes."

The petite nun hopped up onto a branch of a tall oak tree. "This hurts more than I thought it would."

Gabriel reached up to touch a dangling ankle. "What does?"

Chrno ran a hand through her bangs, careful to not dislodge her short wimple. "This. You."

The Italian's golden eyes were sad as he leapt up to sit next to her on the branch of the old oak tree.

"For so much of my life after my tuning, all there was, was pain and anger and sorrow. Then I met you. You brought so much light into my world. And then you died. I spent fifty years in darkness waiting for you."

Gabriel reached out and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. A soft affirmation of his continued existence.

"Then you came back. And after only four years of being together, I lost you again." Her voice broke on the last word. Burying her head in her hands she tried desperately to stop herself from breaking down in front of the one person she had met in her long life that truly loved her. "Until the day Ewan told me I could sleep, I was in hell." She looked up at him as tears started to slid down her cheeks. "All I wanted was to be with you. And you weren't there." With a quick motion she was out of the tree and walking away.

Gabriel called out to her, his voice holding a touch of desperation. "Things change Mary Chrno. I am here now."

Chrno turned to glare up at him. "But it's not the same."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Of course not." He jumped down in front of her. "That was seventy-five years ago. We were apart for a long time and we have had a long time in this life to change into new people."

Chrno was taken aback. "But that's just it. I've only been awake as Mary for three years."

Gabriel smiled at his distressed mate. "And I was born a half-demon twenty years ago." He pulled the unresisting Chrno into his arms. "Do the details really matter so much? So long as our souls are the same, I do not believe that they do."

Chrno rested her forehead against his shoulder as she calmed and relaxed into him. "I don't suppose they do. I will love you forever no matter what form you take."

Gabriel tipped her head up and kissed her softly. "As will I." Giving her wimple a small frown he plucked it from her head revealing a faded yellow ribbon attached to her ponytail. Smiling he kissed her again. "Let me braid your hair."

Her answer was as soft as the sigh that accompanied it. "Yes." A soft rumbling purr erupted from her chest as Gabriel's handed her the ribbon and his fingers carded through her hair. Within a few minutes he was pulling the old ribbon from her nerveless fingers and tying off her new braid.

"You look beautiful mi amo."

Chrno smiled up at him as she wound her arms around his neck. "You are the only one I've ever let braid my hair."

Gabriel tilted his head surprised. "So you mean that the last time it was braided was…"

"Was the day you died."

A small growl burst forth from his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around his mate's tiny waist and kissed her passionately.

V V K F

"Who's that?"

Julian screamed in surprise and fell off her windowsill perch at Chris' question.

Reaching down the now alarmed seventeen year old helped his mentor's partner off the ground. "Sorry."

"It's alright. You just startled me." She brushed some dirt off her skirt and discreetly rubbed the now forming bruise on the back of her hip. "What was your question again?"

Chris pointed out the window to where Chrno and Gabriel were wrapped around each other, Chrno laughing at something the other half-demon had said. "Who is he?"

Julian smiled indulgently at the scene. Her joy at seeing her friend and partner so happy was almost intoxicating to her. "That is Gabriel Santo. If rumor is true, then he used to be Rosette Christopher. And if how Chrno is acting and that braid she's now sporting are any proof, then I'd say that the rumors are true."

Chris nodded, a bit confused. "How do you figure?"

She hummed before answering, her tone bright. "She never lets any of us braid her hair, right?" At his nod of affirmation she continued. "And Kate told me once that Chrno had said that only Rosette was allowed to touch her hair." Julian shrugged. "And I'm sure that you remember how insane she got a few months ago after her kidnapping."

Chris nodded again. "I've always just figured that it was stress."

The sound of laughter drew the attention of the two exorcists to where a black haired young woman was standing a few feet from them. She had been, fairly obviously, shamelessly eavesdropping on their conversation.

"If it is stress, then I'm sure it must be romantic. My little wurst always was one for letting her partner rule her emotions."

The teen's eyes widened at the implication that this strange German woman knew his mentor. "You know Sister Mary."

"Of course I do lausejunge. She's a friend of mine from the twenties."

"The twenties?" He squeaked in shocked.

Zoë sighed. "Ja. Back when Chrno was a cute little boy and I would chase after him just to annoy Rosette."

Julian laughed in delight. "You must be Satella Harvenheit."

Zoë smiled and held out her hand. "Ja. And now I am Zoë Monroe."

Julian took the proffered hand. "Sister Julian Chara, Militia and this kid is Christopher Rosetti, Militia Sealer Apprentice."

"A pleasure." The summoner waved forward her silent shadow, who was presently observing the state of the hallway. "Ryuu Mahou. She is Gabriel's bodyguard."

Ryuu bowed to the two gaping exorcists. "Konnichiwa."

Julian was the first to find her voice, after the calm greeting of the exotic demon. "Welcome to New York."

V V K F

Translations

German
lausejunge - young scamp