Heya wombles! Gee it's been a while since I've called you that, hasn't it? Enjoy the story! Did you know that Amayimrom is Moriyama spelt backwards? Hahaha...why don't I write Ekusiad next time?

Thank you for the reviews, and my sincerest apologies for the late updates. I have a life too you know!

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

Denying Trust (part 15)

I found myself in the orphanage being pushed on a swing by Joshua. We both chat while I swing.

"I heard from Mrs Gene that there'll be another teacher coming in to see us." said Joshua.

"Another teacher?" I asked.

"Yup, and I hear it'll be another Partnership one."

I heard "Partnership" and groaned, "This can't be good news for Rosette."

"True, we're always banned from being partners because we're brother and sister."

"And that would be what some people call cheating."

"But we never cheat! We're related for crying out loud."

"Exactly, this means for some people that it'd be too easy for the both of you to pass everything."

Joshua paused, "Which will mean WE'LL have to get partnered again – OOF!"

"That's right."

Silence.

"...Joshua?" I turned around on my swing and realized you had knocked him over when he had stopped pushing.

"…I wanna ride the pony." He was uttering.

I knelt beside him and shouted, "JOSHUA! Wake UP!"

Rosette appeared from around the corner of the house, "What's going on? Why are you yelli – YAAH!" She saw Joshua lying in front of me and ran over, pushing me aside, "Joshua! Joshua! Are you okay?" She began slapping his face from side to side, "Stop playing around!"

"ACK! Rosette, don't wake him like that!"

Joshua shook his head from the dizziness to see Rosette, "Hello, big sister..."

"That wasn't funny!" Rosette raised her hand again.

"GAH – I'm okay big sister, Heidi just bumped into me while I was pushing her on the swing."

"You okay? Really?" I asked him.

"You bumped me real hard, Heidi. I really saw cartoon birds flying around my head..."

Rosette sighed and shook her head.

"Hey, Rosette. You've heard of the new visiting teacher coming to the orphanage soon?" I asked her.

"Yeah?"

"When are they coming?"

"Mrs Gene said tomorrow."

Joshua and I jolted.

"TOMORROW?" we both exclaimed.

*KAPOOMP*

I fainted with my legs sticking straight up.

"What's the matter with her?" Rosette asked.

Joshua smiled awkwardly, "Actually, it should've been YOU doing that."

"Why?"

"I hear it's another Partnership one."

"Whaat?"

*KAPOOMP*

......

"Uh - …"

The wind blew past my face as I was resting my face on my arms on the surface wearing my white summer dress with my green cardigan on top. I looked out into the deep blue sky and wondered what Joshua was doing right now.

I sighed, "This is SO boring." I looked lazily at the flashing bracelet on my arm that had neutralized my magic and was irremovable. I had tried pulling it off but it wouldn't work. I tried banging it on the railing but that didn't work either. I even tried cutting it off with Fiore's kitchen knife without her looking but got caught in the act.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" said Shader.

I was too bored to be surprised she was there, "Uh-huh..."

"Well, aren't you gonna do anything?"

"Like there's anything to do around here."

Shader watched me gaze off into the distance sleepily, "...Thinkin' about him, aren't ya?"

I flinched back, "WHAT? What are you talking about?"

"You're in deep thought about Lord Joshua."

I blushed and sighed angrily, "Not you too..."

"Well, I kind of like the idea..you two being together."

I cleared my throat noticeably loudly for her to hear.

"You have known eachother for quite some time too."

"Look," I said, "Joshua and I grew up together. There's nothing more to it than that."

Shader turned and winked, "Are you suuure..?"

I had had enough, so you gave her a big NOOGIE, "Yes! I'm SURE! Knock it OFF all RIGHT?"

"MEOOOOOOOOOOW!"

Fiore emerged onto the balcony unnoticed by the both of us.

"Apostle Guardian."

I stopped noogie-ing in the middle and turned my head, "Yes?"

"Lord Joshua calls for your presence."

"Well, whaddaya know? Looks like he's – " I noogied her again, "MEOOOOW..!"

"I'll be right there." I said to Fiore, then turned back to Shader, "I told you to knock it off!"

I then let her go and followed Fiore across the rest of the HUGE balcony walkway recalling the rest of my past.

……

Along came the morrow and everyone was standing outside the orphanage building waiting for the arrival of the new visitor.

"How long is this going to take?" I wondered.

"You mean you're looking forward to this?" Joshua asked jokingly.

"NO!"

"Shh...I think I hear them coming." Said Sarah.

Everyone watched as a tall figure approached, "Well hello there boys and girls!

Everyone just smiled in response. Nelly waved and said, "Hello!"

I was observing the female teacher. She looked quite young, about 19 from my point of view. She knelt in front of Nelly and rubbed her head.

"Why don't you be my partner for the lesson?"

Nelly nodded happily.

The teacher stood up, "Right. Everyone, I'm Miss Amayirom. I'll be teaching you about 'trusting' your partners." She walked up to Rosette, "You have a brother here is that correct?"

"What do you know?"

"Of course, Mrs Gene has told me. Having you partnered with your brother whom you know very well would give you an advantage of winning against other students. Now that would be unfair, wouldn't it?"

Rosette groaned her answer, "Yes..."

"There's a good girl." The teacher smiled.

Rosette muttered in annoyance as Miss Amayirom got up and stood in front of the group.

"Right, everyone! I'll be putting you into your pairs, because that would only be more fair."

Everyone groaned in annoyance.

"Now now, there's no need for that. Let's see..."

She partnered herself with Nelly, Kevin with Sarah,

"And you there."

"Me?" I replied.

"Yes, you. With this nice young gentleman over here." She was pointing to Joshua.

"Um...but that would be – "

"My request is final now do as you're told."

"But I – "

"Go on."

I had no choice so I just did as I was told and walked to stand beside Joshua.

"Poor Rosette." said Joshua.

"Yuh-huh." I agreed, "She has to get partnered with – "

"No way!" Billy was shouting, "I'm not doing it!"

"That's right! Neither am I!" Rosette shared the same opinion.

In the end they had to be paired together, which was a bit of a bother for Rosette, even I felt sorry for her.

Miss Amayirom told the girls to stand in front of their boy partners with their backs facing them.

"Alrighty! First we will start off with the simple excercise of Trust. Girls will fall backwards with arms outstretched and your partners must catch you from behind."

She bent down so that she was same height with Nelly who stood in front of her facing the rest of you.

"Nelly, I want you to fall back for me."

"Whee!"

She did so in the same position everyone else was in and Miss Amayirom caught her as she fell.

"You see? It's that easy. Give it a try everyone."

Sarah fell back and Kevin caught her without difficulty. I was a little uneasy about it though so I turned back around to face Joshua.

"Are you sure your head feels okay today?" I asked him.

"Well, you bumped me real hard yesterday…"

"What's this?" The teacher sighed, "This is the problem with pairing people who don't know eachother enough."

"No, miss." I said, "It's just that – "

"Turn back around."

I sighed and got into the arms-outstretched position with my back facing Joshua but hesitated to fall.

"Go on then." She ordered.

I still stood there.

"Looks like I'll have to help out."

I turned my head to her. "What do you mean – AH!"

"Whoa!" Joshua exclaimed.

She had pushed me herself and I fell backwards into Joshua's arms.

I felt myself go red, "Ehm..."

Joshua held me and turned his head away, blushing slightly.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" said the teacher.

I nodded and she went off to check out how Rosette and Billy were doing. I stood back up to face Joshua. He looked at me smiling.

"Now that wasn't so bad wasn't it?" he said, imitating her.

I laughed, "More like cheesy. She pushed me without letting me tell her what might have happened!"

"At least you're okay."

I nodded, "Mm-hm."

We both suddenly heard Rosette shout and spun around to see what was going on.

"Settle down! Both of you!" The teacher ordered.

Rosette pointed angrily at Billy, "He let me land on purpose!"

"Did not!" said Billy, "You weigh a tonne!"

"So you're saying I'm FAT?"

The commotion continued on and all I could do was laugh as the teacher struggled to calm the both of them down.

"Well, at least we've learnt one thing today." said Sarah, who appeared beside me.

"What's that?" I asked.

"To trust one another and not deny it."

I glanced at her questioningly, "Deny?"

Sarah smiled, "You'll learn when you're older."

"Oh..okay." I turned to Joshua, "So your head wasn't hurt that bad after all."

"I'll be fine, as long as I have people I trust around me." He said.

"Don't forget Rosette."

"Yes, her too." He replied.

I stood beside him as the tension finally cooled between Rosette and Billy, but the poor teacher was exhausted.

"Class…" she huffed, "Why don't we...take a break?"

......

"Apostle Guardian!"

I gasped, coming back to my senses, "Um – ah…"

I was standing in front of a door in a hallway.

"Lord Joshua awaits your presence." said Fiore, who was standing in front of me. She looked me straight in the eye, "If you do anything to brainwash him or cause any uneasiness, I'll be there and you may never be allowed to visit him again."

"Yes um..."

"You are given one hour. I'll be here to take you back when it's over."

She walked off and when she did a turn around the corner so I couldn't see her anymore, I muttered, "What's up with her? I 'am' the apostle guardian y'know."

I looked back to the door standing before me. It looked like any other door but I knew that behind that ordinary door was someone who I no longer recognized as normal. I put my hand on the door knob and turned it, holding my breath as I opened it.

"…Joshua?"

The room had a pretty homey feeling, a similar layout to the room I woke up in when I first came. There was a balcony at the back of the medium-sized room whose door was open and had the curtains flying inwards from the wind. On the balcony, Joshua was sitting on the floor with his back against the balcony fence reading a novel. I walked forward towards him.

"I see you're reading Joseph Conrad."

"Heart of Darkness seems to reach into the heart of the author himself" he lifted his head, "Wouldn't you agree?"

I went over and sat beside him, "Well, I haven't really understood it. I mean the structure of the sentences is confusing, I don't even know what he's focusing on."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hm. Sometimes I think he takes the writing too...unusually descriptively."

Joshua laughed, "So, you haven't lost your sense of humour."

"Nor my hot-headedness. Heck, I even tried to noogie Shader to death today."

"And what was the noogie for?"

I paused, "It's...not really important." I smiled awkwardly at him.

Joshua handed me the book with the page he was reading on still open, "Can you read the rest for me?"

I was a little surprised by his request, especially since I knew him as one total bookworm, "Okay, what page is it?"

For the next thirty minutes I was reading to Joshua the strangely structured sentences I found as nonsense.

"They were dying slowly – it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now – nothing but black shadows of disease and – " I sighed, "I'm tired of this. Is this all you ever do here?"

"Well I'd get out a board game but I'd be winning against you the way I always do." Joshua said.

I laughed, "Right, so you remember that?"

"Yes, and I've always remembered you."

We sat there in silence for a while.

"...Didn't you find your sister, Rosette, on the night of Thanksgiving?" I asked finally.

"No, I didn't."

"A nun in San Francisco, you did run into a nun in San Francisco, didn't you?"

"How did you know about that?"

"She's your SISTER, Joshua!"

Joshua looked at me with suspicion and I knew what I had done.

"I'm-I'm sorry." I said, "I shouldn't have shouted like that."

"It's alright. I'll be fine, as long as I have people I trust around me." He said back.

I gasped, remembering that that was what he'd said during the Partnership lesson with Miss Amayirom.

"Don't..forget..Rosette." I said to him firmly.

Joshua smiled, "Yes, her too."

He took my hand as he spoke, it was awkward for me because I didn't feel the same warmth he gave me four years ago. After a while the both of us were talking like old friends again. I talked about how I spent my new life at the village and what I did there. Yet he never did talk about how he spent his last four years even once.

By the last ten minutes of my time with Joshua, I felt sleepy and my head tilted sideways as I shut my eyes. Fiore came to take me back and arrived to find me asleep on Joshua's shoulder while he continued to read his novel.

"Did she cause you any harm?"

Joshua glanced up from his book, "She's still my friend, big sister. Have faith in her, she IS the Guardian after all." He still had the cloth tied to his wrist and looked at it as he held his book, "She'll never leave my side."

......

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is an excellent book if anyone here's heard of it but it's hard to understand! ^^; Stay updated for the next one to come out! Sure hope you're all patient enough over the waiting period.