The Covenant: Chapter four
Authors note: Hahahaha again. Sorry it took so long to get these two chapters to you guys. XD
Chapter Four: Your broken thoughts make me ill...
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"ANOTHER date?" Remington's voice was surprised, and he leaned against the desk, curious. "That's the third one isn't it?"
"Why yes it is!" Chrno's voice was cheerful, bright and happy. "Though its not officially a date. Just 'hanging out'." He adjusted his position reclined against the window, looking down at the city with a warm expression on his face. "We're going with some of her friends to a club."
"A… Club." Remington asked Flatly, leaning forward. "Chrno, do you know what goes on in clubs?"
"Dancing." He said innocently, "Some drinking maybe." He sighed, standing back up and walking over to where his partner sat. "It's not going to be anything too crazy. I mean, its Rosette..."
"Chrno. Listen to what you just said. Its IS Rosette. When have things ever been not crazy when she's in the picture?" Remington said simply, grinning widely. "I say, since you are just 'hanging out' you should invite me as well, just in case things go south."
"Well…" Chrno fidgeted uncomfortably, Rosette had been asking why 'that partner of yours, the one with the blonde hair' hadn't been taking up her invitation to come out as well. "I guess you can come…"
"Great. I'll be there." The blonde man reclined back, before flipping through his book. "Its funny, since that bloodbath on the street, we haven't had anything but low level disturbances and false sightings." He set down the book, looking at Chrno meaningfully. "You really must have given them all a show to be afraid to come in here."
"That or something else has." The demon responded slowly, lifting his mismatched eyes to meet the ex priest's dark blue ones. "I keep getting the feeling that we know less then we should about what's going on. Frightening them off? Nothings that easy, or else it would have worked before. Something's up."
"I might not have the same senses as you Chrno, but I can feel it as well." He tapped his fingers against the desk. "Something's coming, or is already here. I'm not sure. We just better be on the look out." He lifted his eyes again, focusing on his chest. "How is the black?"
"Finally gone." He sighed, looking frustrated. "I'm surprised it took so long… He defiantly was talented in making spores… I'm actually surprised no one else got it on them. You did a really good clean up, that's for sure."
"Why thank you." Remington mused, "Not that you were any help in doing it."
"Yuan I've explained this a thousand times…."
"And still you get flustered." The blonde man smiled, standing up. "Go ahead and get changed. We have a check up with the Order in a hour, and then we're free for the day."
--
"Now, you have a check up in a hour, and then some therapy before you go to bed. I rented a bunch of movies for you, and they are there on the counter." Joshua watched as his sister scrambled about, setting things up while trying to change as well, tugging on her jeans on over her hips. Joshua blushed slightly as she tugged off the shirt of her scrubs, showing off a low cut lacy bra as she dug in her bag to find the top she had brought to change into. "Tomorrow I made sure you don't have anything to do, so we'll go out on the town. Maybe even see a play." She smiled up at him, her brother lowering his eyes to her chest, a worried expression passing over his face.
"Hey…what's that?" He kicked his sheets off, pulling his IV bag along with him as he pressed a finger to the black markings that dominated her upper body. "Rosette?"
"Oh." The girl looked down at it nervously, and winced when he touched her skin. "I dunno, I was working with that fax machine when it exploded on me. It just hasn't come off yet." In truth, she didn't know what it was. She had looked through medical books and the like, and had found nothing that could be put akin to it. The little black specks had grown, spreading like leprosy across her chest, looking like some had sprayed black ink all over her chest and stomach. Only this ink was swollen and growing, sapping what energy she had. But it wasn't like she could just take a break because of it….Hell, she had bills to pay, college and work to go to. There was no time she could spare to what ever it was.
"Rosette…" Joshua sighed, reaching into her bag and pulling out the low cut shirt she had brought, helping button it up. "Just because I'm sick all the time doesn't mean you immune to everything." He met her eyes, biting his bottom lip. " Please get that checked tomorrow. I'm sure one of the doctor's wont mind looking over it really quick. Even if it is just ink." He cut her protest off with that, smiling as she sighed a bit.
"Alright… I will." She agreed slowly, as he pulled her hair out from her collar of her shirt. "But in Return, you have to take the medicine they put aside for you during meals. No more hiding it under the carrots understand?"
"But Rosette!" Joshua exclaimed, making a face. "They just make me sleepy and its hard for me to focus, I don't like it."
"Dr. Fiore said it was good for you, You should listen to her." His sister scolded, smacking him on the head lightly before smiling and kneeled down before him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Promise?"
The blonde haired boy turned red, and glowered down at his lap as he crossed his arms in mock anger. "Fine."
She smiled up at him before clunking their foreheads together, laughing as he yelped indignantly. "Don't stay up to late."
He waved to her as she stepped out of the room, sighing as he rested back in his bed, listening to the quietness that filled the room. A few minutes went by before he heard a bird start chirping happily annoying the poor boy; before he sighed and reached over some of the cords that were strewn over his lap to pull the Stack of DVDS close enough to rifle through.
"Joshua?" A soft Female voice asked, and the boy looked up disinterestedly as his doctor, Fiore, came into the room, followed by a short woman wearing a beanie, despite her long doctors coat.
" G'Afternoon Fiore." He mumbled, separating the videos he liked from the ones he knew Rosette got because she planned on watching them with him later. He'd keep those aside, even though some he wanted to really watch. "I thought Therapy wasn't until later."
"You see, I was lucky enough to run into an old friend from medical school, she said she has something that could help you." Fiore said evenly, fiddling with the machinery that he was connected to. "So we're moving the schedule around a bit."
"Does Rosette know about this?" He asked suspiciously, his eyes traveling over to the woman standing behind his tall dark haired doctor. She wore large glasses that hid her eyes behind the bright reflection of the setting sun, and her lips were curled up into a cattish smile. She clutched a fat briefcase to her side protectively.
"Yes, I told her about it in the hallway." Fiore assured him, nodding to the other woman, who, crouched down beside the bed, opening the briefcase out of his sight. "She'll be by later to see how things went."
He could hear a strange humming, and he finally looked over, trying to catch sight of what the newcomer was doing. All he could see was her hunched over back, the white of her jacket tinted with a green glow. "Will it hurt?"
"Maybe a little at first, but it should stop." Fiore scooted the DVDs off his lap, placing them to the side as she unbuttoned the Teenager's shirt, pushing it down over his shoulders as she felt across his chest with her cool fingers before placing a sensor over three spots once she found them. He squirmed uncomfortably, something whispering in the back of his mind that something wasn't quite right about this. There was something familiar about that woman..
"It feels funny." He said flatly, squirming as the woman connected the wires into a strangely glowing box. "What is this supposed to do exactly?" He closed one eye as she set the box down and placed a sensor on both sides of his head, right above his ears. He was starting to get nervous.
"Its ready when you are Fiore!" The woman piped up from the floor, standing up, her beanie slightly crooked. There was a strange metal device where her ear was supposed to be.
"Thank you Sheda. You see Joshua, It will help you remember..." Fiore said softly, allowing a small smile to grace her features. "Remember everything."
--
"You look beautiful tonight Rosette." The blonde haired man smiled as he climbed out of the car to take the girl's hand and kiss it lightly. "Akin to an angel." His eyes dusted over her appearance carefully, the off the shoulders, deep cut lace shirt that stopped right above her petite bellybutton, the dark hip slung jeans that stuck to every curve and tanned high heeled boots. Her hair tangled about her shoulders in waves, hiding her bare skin, and the pocket watch hung heavily about her neck, but not quite as heavily as he remembered. He hated to see it on her, it brought back far to many bad memories.
She blushed faintly, dropping her eyes to the ground as the driver rounded the car, placing himself between Remington and her with a half forced smile. "Forgive him, he thinks he's to suave for words." Mismatched eyes aimed backwards at the blond man warningly, before blinking as Rosette snorted.
"Oh come on Chrno, like you don't either?" She teased him, smiling as she plucked at his black leather jacket with a grin. "What are you trying to pull off? Rough and tough romantic?" Her smile widened even more as he blushed darkly, placing a hand behind his head nervously.
"Rosette…"
"OH!" She turned around, motioning for her two friends to step forward, two of her fellow med students who were all too happy to introduce themselves to the two handsome men, nearly shoving each other over to get to them.
"I'm Michelle." One said playfully, batting her eyelashes up at Chrno as she pushed her dark hair out of her face, offering out a hand. The demon blushed faintly, looking uncomfortable as he politely took her hand, planting a chaste kiss on her knuckles.
Poor Michelle nearly melted on the spot.
The other girl frowned at this, looping her arm into her friends and pulling her away from the tall man. "Well, are we going to get going? Or are we just going to sit around like love sick idiots all night?"
"Emily!"The brunette squeaked indignantly, making Rosette laugh.
"Well, its true." She huffed, grabbing the blonde's arm as well, looking at Chrno and Remington defensively.
The Ex-priest smiled calmly at them, clasping a hand on the demon's shoulder, pushing him towards the car. "Lets go then, I'd hate to waste this beautiful night."
"Right-o!" Rosette crowed, throwing her free arm up. "I call shotgun!"
"Ah!" Remington tried to argue, suddenly not liking the fact that they had taken Chrno's new car, because that placed him in the back with the two girls. As nice as they seemed, he really didn't feel like being put under the force of their two very different styles of flirting.
"She called it Yuan." Chrno grinned cheekily, opening the door for them, before rounding the other side, hopping into the drivers seat. The rest of them piled in, Remington placing himself behind the blonde girl where he could at least have some room to stretch his legs, and they took off, driving downtown.
"Hey look at that!" Michelle shouted from the back seat, coiling around so she could stare out the back of the convertible at the hospital in the distance. "The hospital must be having some power troubles." She grinned, watching the lights flicker brilliantly from the windows. Rosette turned around, wrapping her arms about the head rest to stare at it, arching an eyebrow. "They seriously need to get those wires checked. Remember when we lost power in the west wing and that poor woman had to deliver her baby in the elevator?"
Chrno arched an eyebrow at that, grinning slightly at her words. He glanced back at the building in the distance through his rear view mirror, his lips twitching downward just slightly. Odd... He shook the strange feeling off, rounding a corner, the hospital dropping out of sight.
--
"Odd..." Jim said to himself, sitting up from under the control panel, wiping his hands of the dirt and grease that had collected on his fingers. "Yeah, everythings fine down here. Still getting that strange reading?" He asked, the man who accompanied him nodding as he cursed to himself.
He tapped at the screen, not really caring if the system he was messing with Did control most of the lower portion of the Gabriel system, the Shield that kept the demons out of their city. How long had it been since they'd had an Attack? A good few weeks. How long had he been working on various parts of this system? Since he was twenty three.
The old man made a grumpy sound. The power readings were off the charts, full of bright green energy that blanked out the specially designed radar. "Don t worry about it Jim, I'm sure the damn thing is just being retarded. These here readings are impossible." He kicked up his feet. "What did they expect from us? Putting a station down here in the damn subways."
Jim continued to clean his hands, peering over his shoulder. "Don't you think you should let someone know man? I mean, even if it is malfunctioning, better safe then sorry?"
"Screw them. I hope this thing blows the hell up. Teach them to stick me, ME, down here in this shit hole." He raged, slamming his fists down on the arm rests of his swivel chair.
Jim jumped, before arching an eyebrow, tucking away his cleaning rag. "Alright man. No need to get pissed. Just let someone know about that before you're released ok? See ya." He gave a little wave, closing the door after him. "Jeese, what a nut job." He muttered to himself, turning from the door only to nearly jump out of his skin, Finding himself face to face with a tall man, half hidden in shadows. "Holy! Man you scared the piss out of me!" He exclaimed, eyes wide.
"I do apologize." Came the smooth, chocolaty reply as the stranger stepped forward, light spilling on his pale white hair and dark skin, a pair of very cool violet eyes staring down at the man.
Jim shivered, feeling boxed in against the door, and shimmied around the man, feeling more and more uncomfortable as his eyes followed him. "You here to relieve George?" He asked, "I just came to check out the system. Its reading a huge power source but we could locate anything, so, just to let you know."
"Really." The man asked, mildly surprised. "Did anyone other than you and... George... See this reading?"
"No..." Jim replied uneasily, "But--"
He never had time to finish, the strangers fist finding its way through his skull and into the wall behind him, splattering crimson across the hallway.
Aion pulled his hand back, pealing off his glove as the body slumped to the ground, faceless. "Good show Chrno, Good show." He muttered, reaching for the door to the control room. "But not good enough."
--
"Rosette! Don't you think its a bit loud in here!?" Chrno shouted on the top of his lungs, hands clasped over his sensitive ears as the vibrations of the music shook him down in the depths of his stomach, making him feel strange and light headed. It didn't help that Rosette had all but shoved a good four shots down his throat. He wasn't a heavy drinker, hell, he barely drank at all, so he couldn't even begin to imagine keeping up with Rosette and her friends, Let alone Remington. The object of his affection just placed a hand against her ear, laughing as she was spun around by said ex-priest, bursting into peals of laughter as she was dipped and swung around, their noses brushing together.
"Whad'dya Say Chrno!?!" She shouted back, laughing as Yuan set her back on her feet, letting her wobble over to him, nearly collapsing against him in laughter. Her friends had all but disappeared, mixed in with the crowd, utterly smashed and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The blonde man took a seat at the table with them, grinning as he wiped the thin line of sweat from his forehead, having discarded his jacket along time ago.
"Rosette your drunk." He chastised, wrapping his arms carefully about her, making sure that she could still stand. "And I said its too loud in here."
"Oh Don't be such a prude." She muttered, her eyes hazy as she let him lead her to the table, sitting her down on the chair and offer her some water, which she took thankfully. "You've always been such a prude. Nooo Rosette..." She mimicked a high pitched voice, that strangely resembled his younger form's tone. "I Don't wannt to come out. I liiike it here in the dingy black grave."
The music that had been so deafeningly loud, seemed to fade away around the table, leaving them in a pocket of startled silence.
"Chrno." Remington said stiffly, as if not believing his ears, only to stop when the demon held up his hand tersely, watching the girl with piercing mismatched eyes.
"And you." She pointed at Remington, her finger making small circles, incapable of keeping it steady. "You...always let me do what ever I wanted." She closed one eye at him drunkenly. "I had such a huge crush on you..." She flung that hand up, letting her face land on the table with a groan. "What happened to us...those happy days, sad days..."
"Rosette..." Chrno whispered.
"Is she ranting off again?!" Emily asked, nearly scaring the poor demon out of his skin when the girl collapsed on his shoulders, looping her arms about his neck. "She always gets like this. Starts ranting on about things she never did, people she never actually met. Doesn't remember any of it when she sobers up either. Its funny. Like a completely different person..." She grinned, before eying the man she clung too. "Hey you wanna dance?"
"No." Chrno said sharply, reaching out and Taking Rosette's hand, trying to shake her into consciousness again. "Rosette!"
"Fine!" Emily Harrumphed, stomping off after realizing that Yuan was acting just as strange, leaning into where the blonde sat, eyes piercing in concentration.
"Mnnphn..." The poor girl moaned, looking up again. "What? Time for Mass already?" She asked, twining her hand onto the clock. "No..no time." She looked up at Chrno quietly, eyes sad. "No time at all. I waited for you...Why didn't you come? You promised..." She whispered, Sending shock waves through the demon, his eyes widening.
"Rosette I..."
The room suddenly shook violently, the ceiling and walls cracking, sending dust and glass from shattered lights down on the clubbers. Screams echoed through the building as Chrno lept to his feet, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. Like...
"Shit! Yuan the barrier!" He shouted, scooping Rosette up into his arms, the exhausted girl laying like a rag doll against him, the clock sitting heavily on her chest, pulling her shirt down slightly in one spot, revealing the dark black pattern that throbbed on her skin.
Chrno didn't notice it, too intent on getting out of the building as quick as he could, his ex-contractor's friends forgotten.
Oh, but Remington defiantly did, his eyes widening in shock and horror as he followed the demon, throwing on his coat. "Shit Chrno!" He shouted as they slammed through the door, looking upwards where the normally clear dome shimmered above them, as brilliant as the Astral line itself.
What the hell was going on?!
"Chrno Give her to me." Remington said sharply, offering out his arms, eyes narrowing when the demon clutched Rosette closer to him, looking very reluctant to let her go. "She's sick, the world is going crazy, and you cant fight holding her." He said firmly, taking the petite girl, his hand touching the legion on her chest, wincing as it squirmed, surviving on her energy.
"Oh god, she must have gotten that when I..." Chrno gasped in horror, struck immobile by the realization that he might just be the cause of her death once again.
"We Don t have time for this Chrno! Get down To the subway, somewhere! Now!" The Ex-priest roared, forcing the demon into movement as his form shifted, horns twisting out of his temples as he spread tattered wings, taking off with a pained look back at the girl in his partners arms.
"Shit." He hissed to himself, shooting off at breakneck speed.
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So yeah. Enjoyed I hope. XD Things are Picking up:D