This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) Be aware that this was my FIRST time writing a fanfiction, EVER! So excuse me if the writing is a bit…well, 'off'. Woohoo! Part ten! Part ten part ten part ten! *jumps around in randomness* Thank you, wombles! *continues to jump around in randomness*

Disclaimer: Chrono Crusade and all its characters rightfully belong to Daisuke Moriyama-sama. x3

Dumb-Devil speaks the Truth (part 10)

.:Chicago, 7pm:.

We were all sitting in a restaurant/hotel together, waiting for Rosette who was away to finish a phonecall with Sister Kate.

"Maybe she's getting an earful again." said Azmaria.

"To think that a fierce tigress is being reduced to a meek 'pussycat' in front of her boss." Satella stated mockingly.

The entrance door slammed open to show Rosette standing there looking very displeased, she'd obviously heard the comment Satella made about her. She ran over and gave Satella a big bad NOOGIE!

"This is all YOUR fault!" she shouted, "All this wouldn't have happened if you'd agree to go to the church."

" Ow ow OW! What, and stay in that poor downtrodden place? Over my dead body!" Satella exclaimed.

Rosette looked at the dining table you all sat at and saw empty dishes and food scraps. "AAH! You ate everything!"

"Yup! Tastes good too." Satella added.

" Sorry..." said Azmaria, "You were gone an awful long time so..."

"Hey hey HEY!" I shouted.

Rosette attempted to pick another fight with Satella but was held back by Azmaria, with a little help from me.

"....Hey, where's Chrono?" Rosette asked.

Satella shrugged, "He said he was tired..and went back to his room."

I sat back down and gave her more details. "Dumb Devil has been out-of-sorts ever since that incident...he seems troubled."

Azmaria asked Rosette straight away. "Rosette, do you know what's wrong with him?"

"That's right, there must be something bugging him." said Satella.

Rosette winked "This guy always has a lot on his mind...alright! I'll go check on him."

She turned and left.

"Gee…I hope he's not mad at me for constantly arguing with him on the train." I said.

"That is true, you two have had a few issues between eachother." Satella stated.

"When will it stop?" Azmaria asked.

"He's been bugging me for a while and I've always gotten mad at him, and there's no way I can stop myself from getting angered easily...who knows..?" I said.

We all sighed hopelessly.

"(Though it's because of his horns that Joshua lost his mind.)" I thought to myself.

It was hard for me to understand the first time round; that Chrono was in fact, a devil. He and Rosette filled me in on the full story during my early days at The Order.

"You're kidding me!" I exclaimed, "That's why – "

"That's why you suddenly sensed something strange about me on the first day. It was your sorcerous instincts telling you I was…different somehow." said Chrono.

"And also why…Joshua went missing that night." Rosette added solemnly, "It was Chrono's horns that Joshua accepted."

I shook my head in disbelief, "Then…" I turned to Chrono, and found myself glaring hatefully at him.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned.

"What's the MATTER?!" I echoed him scornfully, "It's all YOUR fault! If you hadn't showed up when you did, Joshua would never have –"

"Heidi, no!" Rosette held me back by the arms before I could possibly attack Chrono, "It was an old ally of Chrono's that lent Joshua those horns. He's the real enemy here!"

Chrono stood up calmly, "I understand what you may be assuming at first, but you and I are on the same side. I assure you."

"And YOU!" I glanced angrily at Rosette, shaking her grip off of me, "Selling your soul like that! I know you did it to save Joshua too, but I – "I lowered my head and marched irritably to the door, "I just can't accept it!"I then left the room.

We sorted things out a while afterward, but it still bothers me. You could say…I partly blamed that dumb devil for Joshua's disappearance.

.:Hallway of dormitory doors:.

Satella had her ear on the door to the room where Rosette was with Chrono. We could all hear muffled voices of the two of them speaking but they were fairly clear.

"She's been in there waaaay too long. I wonder what they're doing right now?" Satella asked.

"Umm...I think it's not nice to disturb them." said Azmaria.

I was standing by, watching and listening in. Though my ear wasn't against the door like Satella was.

"From the way you were curled up I could tell you were having a bad dream...wanna tell me about it?" said Rosette.

"(So devils do dream too.)" I thought.

"I…" Chrono began.

"Never mind, it's okay." Said Rosette, "Actually, there're many things I've always wanted to ask you..but it doesn't matter anymore. You've lived for so long, so you must've been through a lot. Before we even met..so.. no matter how long it takes, I'll wait..until the day you decide to tell me."

Chrono paused momentarily before he spoke again, ".....Rosette, I – "

*CRASHHH*

I jumped at the sound of a glass window breaking.

"What the..?" Rosette exclaimed.

"HWEEEHEEHEE! Found youuuu...SEE? Me nose goooooodd…" said a voice almost too distorted to be recognized as normal.

"SINERRRRR! Hornless demon CHRONO..!" said another similar voice after it.

"Pursuers!" Chrono indicated.

Rosette kicked the door open Azmaria, Satella and I moved aside and quickly followed the sprinting Chrono and Rosette.

"Wha – HEY! What's going on?!" Satella asked.

"This area is too confined..we're at a disadvantage here!" said Chrono, "Keh! They sure know how to pick a place and time to fight!"

Rosette loaded her gun as everyone headed for a tall window. "This calls for..."

We crashed through the glass window altogether.

*KABOOM*

"…a tactical retreat!" Rosette finished.

"AAAAAAAAAHH!" We all screamed, falling down the building and landed in a car in a clump.

*KRUNCH*

Rosette reached for the steering wheel. "What luck!"

"ACK! My hips!" Satella groaned.

A man had spotted Rosette driving the car and ran over to stop her. "Stop! Thief!"

Both pursuers on their demonic batwings flew towards the car chasing after it at top speed.

"They're closing in on us!" I shouted, "And why the HECK are we running away?!"

"We don't have a choice! It's suicidal to take on them without proper ammunition. And what's more, we're short of ammo!" said Rosette.

"Why don't we head for the Church?" Azmaria asked.

"Good idea! We can restock ammunition there." Chrono stated.

"Um..there's one tiny problem..." Rosette began, "I have absolutely no idea how to get there. In fact, I don't even know where we're going now..."

Azmaria, Satella, Chrono and I were all stunned, "WHAAAT?!"

"Hey! Cut me some slack alright?!" said Rosette, "I've never been here before so how the hell would I know?!"

The windscreen cracked across the surface and I saw the pig-like demon gripping the side of it with his claws.

"URGH!" Satella attempted to prepare her summoning jewel, "Laden!"

Rosette rapidly turned the wheel and made a sharp screeching turn, making the jewel from Satella's glove fall out of its place and onto the ground.

"AAAH!" exclaimed Satella, "Stop the car! Stop the Car!"

"Too late..." I muttered in dismay.

Rosette accelerated the car as fast as the wind rushing past my face.

"CHAAAAAAAARGE!" she called out.

Unfortunately, the pig-like demon was still able to grab hold of the door of the car near where Chrono sat.

"SINNEEEERRR!" it said, "You sinnersssss destroyed Pandaemoniummmm! Betrayed your own kinddd! You no place you can call 'Home'..and you know no peace as long as you liveeeee."

The car had entered a tunnel.

"Because we hunt you down..every last one of youuuu...HWEEHEEHEE HWEEHEEHEE..!"

Chrono stared, unresponsive.

Rosette pointed her gun across Chrono at the demon. "Eat this, pigface!"

*KABOOMMM*

The car left the tunnel which was now thick with smoke.

"No home, what rubbish!" Rosette scoffed, "Chrono's home..has already been decided four years ago! Typical gibberish coming from a pig."

Chrono's expression was cryptic.

"HWEEHEE! No use..me nose gooood!" came the voice of the pig-like demon.

"Bacon boy's not giving up is he?" I asked sarcastically.

Azmaria had been thinking about what it had said. "Chrono..what that demon said earlier.."

"Azmaria," Rosette cut in. "Please leave it at that for now."

"No, it's okay." The grave look on Chrono's face didn't change when he spoke up, "I think..before we face Aion..it's better I tell you guys everything."

I nodded, "I'm listening..."

"I will tell you about…The Sinners."

A familiar looking car zoomed past in the opposite direction from where we were all headed. Very soon Rosette stopped the car at an isolated warehouse. Chrono sat on a crate and dialed a number on the phone on the firearm case while Rosette reloaded her gun.

Chrono hung up the phone after talking and turned to us, "Okay, I've managed to contact the Chicago branch. Help is on the way now. But we'll have to keep the pursuers at the bay, until reinforcements arrive."

"Being low on ammo can be such a DRAG." said Rosette.

"I don't get what all this 'Pursuer' business is about." I said.

Chrono began sketching a diagram in the dirt with a stick. "Simply put..'Pandaemonium' is the home of demons. 'Pursuers' are constantly sent..to hunt down 'Sinners'."

Satella and I looked at the basic drawing on the floor but couldn't work out what he really meant.

"Uh..huh..." we both muttered at the same time.

"But 'Sinners'..are so called because of the 'Sins' they've committed, right? ...What did YOU do..?" Azmaria asked.

"First...let me tell you more about Aion." he replied, "It's better for you to know what kind of person..the abductor of Rosette's brother truly is…"

I then recalled that dreadful night in my head when I saw Joshua and his horns.

The orphanage was going berserk; all the kids were running in all directions trying to get away from the monster Joshua had become. I glanced at Billy who was frozen in time, then back at Joshua.

"AAAAHH!" he screamed, "The noise...not again!"

I stood face-to-face with him and grabbed his shoulders.

"Joshua, tell me what's wrong?!" I asked anxiously.

He removed his hands from his face and looked at me with a pair of eyes I didn't recognise.

"Did you see that, Heidi?" he asked me, "I froze time. As long as he's standing still he won't make a sound."

"What are you saying?!"

"I feel so much better now, in fact, I feel strong."

I broke out in tears, "Joshua this isn't LIKE you!"

He put his hands to his head again and screamed. "AAAAAHH! The noise! The noise is back!"

"Joshua!" I cried.

"Run, Heidi, run! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"But..I..."

Joshua held out the hand where the rag from the promise we made was tied to his wrist.

"Don't..forget..our promise..." he said.

I stood there with tears burning rivers down your cheeks.

"Now GO!!" he ordered.

I turned and ran as fast and far as I could, my tears raining slowly behind me.