Disclaimer: its in Chapter 1
A/N: Wee! I have no idea what I'm about to write about! I have no idea where Azmaria came from in the last chappie; I just wanted to include her as soon as it was possible. After all, every one loves Azzy! Iunno any one who doesn't like Azzy, and if someone out there actually doesn't like Azzy, well that's your business! Oh wells, on with the show/fic/watever!!
Chapter 4
Rosette plopped into her seat; Chrno sat down beside her in a calmer manner. Seconds later the bus rumbled to life and proceeded on its merry route.
"So Chrno, since you're gonna take my lovely cousin Magdalena out tomorrow, I expect you to spend the rest of today with me, okay?"
Chrno didn't know what to feel just then. He wanted to blush when Rosette mentioned Magdalene, but at the same time he was worried about what she was planning for him. That question seemed like more of a demand then anything else.
"Of course," Chrno answered quickly.
Rosette smiled at him. It wasn't her 'all you can eat buffet' smile or her 'I'm about to hurt you and enjoy it' smile; it was her 'you're my best friend and I want to do something nice for you' smile. Needless to say Chrno was relieved.
"So what's the agenda for today?"
Rosette leaned back. "Well let's go to my house first so I can give you your present. Then we can go wander around or something."
Chrno laughed. "Well you sure got everything planned out."
Rosette grinned crookedly. "I can't help it. I'm a spontaneous kind of girl."
The bus jerked to a halt and the doors opened letting out a flood of kids, including Chrno and Rosette.
After Rosette dumped her bag on her companion, the two started walking.
"So what was in that letter Azmaria gave you?" Rosette asked out of the blue.
Chrno sighed and flushed slightly. "For the last time I'm not gonna tell you, Rosette. If you want to know that badly go ask Azmaria."
Rosette stayed quiet for about ten seconds. "But I wanna know!" she whined.
Ten minutes later Rosette and Chrno stood in front of a medium sized house. Chrno had finally stopped Rosette from badgering him about the letter and she had spent the rest of the trip talking about some kind of hamburger. Chrno had just nodded to every other word, his thoughts drifting to a beautiful, smiling blonde and blushing red-eyed girl. Chrno was a bit surprised about the second but she was cute, and after that letter...
"A dang." Rosette dropping her keys brought him back to reality.
"Oh we're here." Chrno said vacantly, still trying to grasp the present. Stupid hormones.
When Rosette got the door open the two stepped into her house.
"Joshua you home!"
No answer, meaning the boy was still out. Rosette kicked off her boots and dashed up the stairs. Chrno followed her in a relatively slower pace. He found the girl searching under her bed.
"Don't look at my butt!" She yelled from under the bed.
Chrno leaned against the doorpost, arms crossed and staring at the girl from the corner of his eye. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Why? Is there something wrong with my butt?!"
Chrno choose not to answer for his own sake.
"Aha! I found it!" She crawled out clutching a long, thin package. Chrno eyed the package with interest. Dusting herself off briefly, she thrust the package at Chrno.
"Happy Birthday, Chrno!"
Chrno accepted it, his mouth dry and hands trembling in excitement. He tore off the simple brown paper and stared at the thing in his hands, eyes wide.
"Ro-Rosette! I don't know what to say!"
Rosette grinned at her friend's surprise and sat on her bed. "Well a simple thank you wouldn't hurt."
Chrno headed for the bed and sat down beside her. He stared at the present for another moment before setting it down gently beside him and turning to his friend.
"Rosette, thank you!" he practically jumped on his blonde friend and gave her a bone-crushing hug. "It's the best! I love you!"
The girl's face turned red, partly from the comment and partly from the lack of oxygen. "Ch-Chrno… glad you're happy… But… can't breath!" she managed to gasp.
The purple-headed boy let go immediately. "Eh-he sorry Rosette." He said sheepishly. "But it really is a great present."
He eyed the purple scabbard beside him. "Where'd you get it anyway?"
Rosette shrugged and leaned back on her arms. "Oh you know, Internet."
Chrno chuckled and stroked the hilt. "You're lying, but I appreciate it. This must have been hard to find."
"Hey believe what you want. I told you I got it from the Internet." She said, trying to hide the fact that it had actually taken her days to find something he would like.
Chrno just grinned and leaned back on his elbows. "Well, thank you."
"Oh where is it? Where is it?" In another house somewhere else a girl was franticly searching through her books for something important, a letter to be exact. "Oh I hope I didn't lose it!"
After five more minutes of fruitless searching, the girl finally stopped, forced to admit that the letter was not there.
"Oh where could I have left it?" Azmaria asked herself, biting her lip anxiously. It was in my choir booklet the whole time. It either slipped out in music class, my locker or when-!"
Her red eyes widened as the events of that afternoon flashed before her mind's eye. She dropped her books and that's probably when she lost the letter. IN FRONT OF CHRNO! She almost fainted with this new revelation. Maybe, maybe he didn't see it! Yeah, he probably missed it! That's it… I'll just go back to school and it'll be right there on the ground. Yeah…
Filling herself with false hope Azmaria ran downstairs and put on her jacket.
"I wonder what Joshua's up to?"
The two were walking down the sidewalk side-by-side. Rosette was absently staring up at the cloudless sky while Chrno caressed the sword strapped to his waist. Rosette warned him to leave it with his bag and pick it up on the way home but Chrno wouldn't part with it. If you get arrested for carrying a weapon it'll be your own fault.
Chrno just shrugged. I'm sure Joshua would bail me out. Hey speaking of Joshua lets go visit him at the station.
And so they began their trek down to the police station.
"He's probably just lounging around. Last I heard a demon hasn't sown up for the past four months."
Chrno sighed happily and idly watched a bird fly by overhead. "Yeah it's been pretty calm around here. I, for one, am glad."
Rosette wrinkled her nose. "Not me. You say it's been calm, well I say it's been boring!"
Chrno shrugged. "Well that's the price of peace."
Rosette snorted and went silent, occasionally darting glances at her companion. Chrno would alternately stroke his present, smile at some random passing person, stare at birds and smile at her.
"Hey, who's that?"
Rosette, who had gone into her own world, jumped at Chrno's voice. "Huh? What?"
Chrno pointed towards the school gates, which they were about to pass. Just inside a girl was searching the front grounds frantically.
Rosette squinted at the waving light-lavender colored hair for a few seconds before recognizing her. "It's Azmaria again."
Chrno also recognized the girl.
"C'mon, she's probably looking for this letter." His hand briefly touched the pocket where the said letter was safely tucked in. Then he grabbed Rosette's hand and led her brusquely to the other side of the street without a second thought.
The blonde stared at their clasped hands, unaware of her surroundings. For some reason that hand and her cheeks felt uncomfortably warm. Rosette pondered why. I didn't feel this… strange when he was holding my hand earlier. Maybe it has something to do with the weather? Yeah it probably got warmer or something. Now that I think about it Chrno's become very cute over the years… Ack! Bad thoughts Rosette! Think of Professor Remington quickly! Hmm Professor Remington… mentally drools.
"Rosette! C'mon Rosette don't think about the teacher now!" Chrno had to snap his fingers at his dreamy-eyed friend a few times before she came back to reality.
"Wha-? Hey when'd we cross the street?" They stood just outside the school gates.
Chrno rolled his eyes and dragged his still half-dazed friend through the gates.
"Oi Azmaria! Are you looking for your letter?"
Azmaria had not noticed them until Chrno spoke. When she heard his voice the girl squeaked and whirled around. Oh no, oh no, oh-
Chrno was holding the letter out towards her, smiling apologetically. "Umm, I kind of read it, sorry. But I kinda didn't have a choice."
He jerked his head over to Rosette, who stood beside him. She accepted the letter with trembling hands, and stared at Chrno then Rosette with wide, slightly frightened eyes. Her eyes then slid down to where their hands were still connected, growing even wider. Rosette, noticing her stare, quickly let go of Chrno's hand. He hardly noticed and just shoved it into one of his coat's pockets for warmth.
By now Azmaria was red-faced and trembling. "Umm, ab-about the l-le-letter! I-I don't kn-know were all tho-those things ca-ca-came from! So please just-"
A calming hand laid on top of her head silenced Azmaria. Chrno felt it was needed when the girl suddenly started waving her arms around and looked like she was about to cry.
This apparently was the wrong thing to do because the girl fainted once she realized whom the hand belonged to. Rosette and Chrno both dashed forward in alarm and they managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Oh great Chrno, look what you did!" Rosette puffed as she draped the younger girl's arm around her neck.
"Hey I didn't do anything! She just fainted or something." Chrno did the same with her other arm.
"So, what do we do with her?"
Rosette shrugged, Azmaria's limp arm flopped against her shoulders. "We bring her with us I guess."
A/N: Okkkk done!!! Wheeee I'm happy now!! Review!!