Heidi's life takes a turn for the worse when she realizes there's more to being an Apostle Guardian than she ever thought possible. What of her relationship with Joshua?

Basically I had this idea dancing around my head from the moment I finished this story on my old site all those years ago, I just never got around to actually being bothered to write it up until now. Enjoy, wombles! Let me know what you think of this interesting new direction for the story. The beginning of this starts from the middle of Part 23 where Rosette is brought back to life by Chrono's lurve. (aww)

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

Ascension (alternate ending)

I stepped forward, "Rosette will never falter...never surrender...not to you...not to Pandaemonium...not even to death itself!"

Suddenly, a whisper echoed through my mind, 'The dagger...use the dagger...'

"(Of course! The dagger! I've almost forgot about it completely!)" I pulled out the dagger and the sorcery inscriptions on the blade became clear:

'Grand Advance, Gale of Light, Elimination of Darkness. Prevail!'

I read the words out loud to myself, "Grand Advance...Gale of Light..."

A whirlwind of light took form and surrounded me, which made everyone widen their eyes in surprise.

I knew what to do, "Hey, Aion!"

He turned to me with a look of alarm.

"Chrono…I was wrong about you..." I said, "You're not the dumb-devil...HE is!"

I threw the dagger and it hit Aion on the side. The inscriptions began to glow.

"What is this –"

"Elimination of Darkness! Prevail!"

The sword that Aion was holding(which was currently stabbing Chrono)shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, soon the dagger's magic paralyzed Aion and he was struck with horror.

"WHAT? I – I can't move!"

"Here's a tip...don't mess with my friends!" I raised my hands, "Sword of –"

*WHOOOSHHH*

"What the - ?"

Illuminated wings shot out from behind Rosette as I saw her sit up and raise her gun at Aion.

*KAPOOOOWWWWW*

What I witnessed in that instant...would be etched inside my mind for the rest of my life...amidst the burst of brilliant light that signaled Pandaemonium's passing...a smiling figure could be seen...it was the first time I met this person, but I felt as if I had known them for a long time. A series of images passed by in front of our eyes, and then disappeared.

*WHOOSHHHH*

I shielded my eyes until the light faded in a gust of wind, "Ah...what was that all about?"

An unnamed apostle said, "Memories of a visitor..."

"They're gone...all gone...and they'll never come back again." Azmaria had tears coming out of her eyes, but I didn't know why.

"Oh yeah! Rosette, Chrono!" Joshua exclaimed.

We all turned to see the teariness that was...Rosette and Chrono, embracing in eachother's arms.

"Chrono..." said Rosette, "I..I'm back!"

"Yes...this a miracle..." Chrono replied, "I've never felt such happiness before..."

"This is no miracle...Chrono, I heard your voice. And...I just had to find a way to answer you. That was what...brought me back!"

"Never leave me again...never."

Joshua smiled in relief, Azmaria and I smiled through tears of joy.

Joshua's expression suddenly changed and I saw him turn around in the other direction for reasons unknown.

"Joshua? What is it?" I asked him.

"Aion...?" he muttered.

He was nowhere to be seen. Just as I was taking this in, the whole floor started rumbling beneath us.

"What the-? What's happening?" I exclaimed.

"It has begun..." said an apostle, "The sands of time for Pandaemonium are running out."

Azmaria, Chrono, Joshua, Rosette and I all gave her the 'ARE YOU SERIOUS?' look.

Another apostle continued explaining, "If the legion continue to scatter, the whole planet will be polluted...

"Causing at least half of all living beings on earth to become mutated..." Jasmine added.

XiaoXiao concluded, "This is the result of Pandaemonium's final annihilation. Nothing can stop it now."

I was floored, "How could this –"

I felt a hand on my shoulder that made me stop for a moment, "Chill, there is a way...somebody's just gotta get to the core to stop it." I turned my head to see it was Rosette, "And I will be the one."

"G-HUH?" This day couldn't get any weirder for me, could it?

"But Rosette...!" Joshua pleaded.

Azmaria felt the same, "I saw Pandaemonium's memories too..."

"At the core, there's a control mechanism that can put a stop to this." Rosette explained.

Chrono appeared behind her and responded to her decision, "I know that even I cannot dissuade you from this...so I only have this to say. I am coming with you...and will assist you all the way."

I put my hands to my head in astonishment, "I think I'm gonna go insane..."

Just then, I choked. I think I made some kind of sound, then a blinding stunning pain exploded behind my eyes.

"HEIDI?" Azmaria screamed.

I couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't do a thing. Tears streamed from my eyes, and my hands clutched my head, to keep the pain from splitting my skull wide open.

The only semi-coherent thought I had was, "(This is worse than the punishment I got for being a lousy Guardian! MakeitstopMAKEITSTOP!)"

I collapsed. Then Joshua's arms, hard and lanky, were wrapped around me as I let out a pitiful moan. His anxious face said something to me, I think, before my vision was overcome by a bright light.

...

"Where am I?" I asked.

My head was clear, and I was standing in an empty white room. Although it wasn't sure if it even was a room, there were no walls surrounding me, just whiteness all around.

"Heidi. The sorcerer, Guardian of the Apostles." said a disembodied voice that was neither male nor female.

"Who's there?" I asked, afraid for a moment.

"Welcome back, Heidi. Now listen carefully. We will only tell you this once."

"What's going on?" I snapped, "Who are you? What just happened? Where am I? How did I get here? Explain yourself!"

"We exist to rule out your objective, Heidi. Your life is merely a form whose purpose must be served in the cycle. Your powers as a sorcerer may label you as the Apostle Guardian, but your true purpose is to keep on going."

"What…?" I stood there looking dumbfounded.

"Enter the core of Pandaemonium, awaken your true power, and continue the cycle. Returning to where you belong."

I thought really was going insane, "No way! I would never – Rosette said she'd be the one to –"

"YOUR role in the final stage is the most important, Heidi. It will finally end all this, before it begins again."

"No…"

"Now listen carefully…" the voices continued, "History always repeats itself. New apostles will be chosen to replace the ones from the past whose powers have already expired. They will carry on living, while the new chosen apostles are blessed – or some might say – cursed with their powers."

"And me?" I asked, "Shouldn't my powers be passed on to another chosen Guardian too?"

"Impossible, Heidi. You shall be reborn upon the awakening of the new chosen Apostles. Only your soul is capable of carrying out this task."

"(A neverending cycle…but why?)" I shouted into white space, "That's ridiculous! I wasn't told any of this before! How come I never remembered all this in the first place, HUH?"

"Something changed." They said, somewhat solemnly.

"TELL ME!"

"...You fell in love."

...

The last thing I saw before regaining consciousness was a glowing figure of a woman in a veiled robe. I blinked up at Joshua, his oceanic eyes looking down at me. His arms were still wrapped around me and I looked past his worried face to see Rosette, Chrono and the rest of the apostles surrounding me with the same looks on their faces.

"Jeepers, Heidi you had us thinking you were being punished again." Joshua told me, "Being a Guardian sure has its faults, doesn't it?"

"Could it be because Apostles are a total nuisance?" I croaked, irritated.

His mouth almost quirked in a smile, that's when I knew how upset he'd been.

"Heidi, are you okay?" Jasmine's face was scared, making her look as young as Azmaria.

With difficulty, I pushed away from Joshua and stood up on my own two feet, getting a slight headache in the process.

Rosette was concerned with how I was doing, "Heidi, don't –"

"I'm fine." I went over to the dagger on the floor and bent down to pick it up, the sorcery inscriptions glowed upon me touching it.

"(So this is it, huh?)"

Taking a deep breath, and knowing full well what fate awaited me, I took a step forward, "Rosette, Chrono. There's no need… I'll be the one to do it."

"Huh?" Joshua glanced at me with surprise.

"Joshua, Rosette." I faced my two oldest friends, "Can we talk outside for a moment?"

They exchanged glances between eachother, unsure what I was on about, then turned back to me, "Sure."

"Chrono, you too?" I asked.

He nodded at me in response, then followed. The four of us walked toward the exit of the building.

Then Azmaria called out, "Wait! You're not all going, are you?"

I stopped mid-walk and hung my head visibly, my back still facing her and all the other apostles, "This will only take a moment."

"Heidi, I don't care if you knew these people way back when." I heard Jasmine say, then stomp her foot, "I'm your friend too! Xiao Xiao and I have been for the past four years. Heck, now you're our Guardian! But if you think that means we'll let you walk away without explaining yourself first –"

"Jasmine." I cut in.

She grumbled, "What?"

I turned around to face her, "Thank you." Then to the rest of the apostles, "It was an honor to work with you all. I made mistakes, I failed once as your Guardian, but you forgave me. And when it all comes down to it, I certainly don't regret meeting you."

Jasmine's face softened, as did Azmaria's.

"(Maybe we'll meet again after this…someday.)"

I gathered what strength I had to smile, to tell them it was all going to be okay, even though it probably wasn't, at least not for me. Forcing back tears is harder than it sounds.

"This will only take a moment." I repeated.

I turned back away, and the four of us walked toward the exit of the building. By the time we were outside, we walked all the way to the edge of the cliff we were standing on. A bright sunset shone on the horizon.

"Well, go on then." said Rosette, "You must've dragged us all out here for a reason."

I faced her, together with Joshua, who was watching me with concern.

"Do you remember how we first met, all those years ago?" I asked.

They were both silent for a moment, before Rosette finally said, "You were running from something. You didn't know where else to run so you hid inside the orphanage."

"Where I found you…asleep on the couch in the living room." Joshua continued.

I nodded, "Did it ever occur to you, how unusual it was for a tiny little girl to just turn up one day and have no connection to any friends or family, no recollection of where she came from, or even who she was except for her name?"

"We dismissed it as amnesia. That's what the doctors said to Mrs Gene. Heidi, we didn't care that you were strange, we were alright with that." Rosette stated.

"Heidi, where is this going?" Joshua walked up to me looking worried, "Is something else gonna happen to us?"

"(Us…)" I thought, "(If only that were the case…)"

I took a deep breath and explained everything to them, while they listened. The voices in my head, the dagger, the visions, the source of my powers as a sorcerer, the other purpose of being the Apostle Guardian…the never-ending cycle.

Joshua stood in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders, "Heidi, you can't be serious…"

I shook my head at him, "You know my ability, don't you? I must have entered the core and acquired its unique properties. That's why I, who appeared at your Seventh Bell Orphanage all those years ago, could use this technique to pass through time." I explained, "You met me for the first time, Joshua. That means I was blown far in time and space...and drifted forward years later. And then I met you."

"B-but shouldn't you remain here to guard us? What about the apostles? What will happen to us when you go?"

I handed him the dagger, "This knife is a part of my body. If you hold onto it...you and the rest of the apostles can guide me with your soul."

"Your body's been through too much already! You can't travel many years more!" Joshua pointed out anxiously.

I gave him a sad smile, "This was determined from the beginning."

Joshua looked grim, "If you don't take this with you...how are you going to finish Aion? If Chrono doesn't stop him before getting to the core, you'll..."

I forced myself to step backwards from him, making his hands fall from my shoulders, no matter how much I liked having them there. I caught sight of the cloth tied to his wrist - reminding me of our promise - as his hands fell; my heart sank further.

"Rosette...I'll leave the rest to you." I said.

Rosette hesitated at first, but she seemed to understand. She nodded gravely, and then walked forward to restrain Joshua from behind. Joshua looked alarmed.

Taking a few steps back, I tightened the cloth tied around my head, gazing fondly at him, and let myself fall backwards off the edge.

"Don't! Don't do it Heidi!" Joshua yelled, "Let me go! Let me go, big sister! HEIDI!"

I continued falling through the sky, before Chrono flew down and caught me. Thus began our flight towards Pandaemonium's core. Chrono flew off into the sunset, and we disappeared on the horizon.

…

By the time we reached the core, Aion was already there. He and Chrono were locked in combat, while I ran towards the entrance to the core. I passed through a series of corridors as I ventured deeper and deeper within Pandemonium. The core, as it turned out, was at the bottom of a dark hole in a small room.

I could almost still hear Joshua yelling, 'Don't! Don't do it Heidi!'

Tears stung my eyes, then I dived right in. "(I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep my promise, I wish it didn't have to be like this.)"

While the darkness began to engulf me, and I continued falling towards the core, I communicated with Joshua through telepathy.

"This is fate, Joshua. Unless I did this, I could never meet you. I'm doing this...so I can meet more of you."

"To meet more of us?" he replied.

"I was terrified that day, even though I had nothing to lose. I hid in the nearest building I could find, not knowing if I would be safe there. I had nothing...until I met you. Yes...not even a single memory."

"Then let me give you mine."

My eyes widened, as a montage of images that happened to be treasured moments of all our time spent together flashed by, lingering on the day we made our promise. These memories embedded themselves within my subconscious mind.

I now knew why I wasn't afraid of him the day we met. I now knew why I landed near the orphanage where I would find him, why I always needed him at my side throughout childhood. Why I never gave up on finding him after he disappeared, even after four years. No, it wasn't only because I would soon become his Guardian. It wasn't that at all.

"Thank you... Thank you... Joshua."

I loved him.

…

Joshua was staring solemnly at the dagger, whose runes that were glowing just a moment ago, had faded back to their dull and ancient state.

*CHUKKA CHUKKA CHUKKA*

The air force of the Magdalene Order had arrived and was preparing for pickup.

"Come on, let's go home." said Rosette.

She let go of Azmaria, who was still in drastic tears after hearing about the fate of the Apostle Guardian. Rosette waved her arms to signal the Order's air force, "There's still much work to be done!"

Joshua glanced at the cloth tied to his wrist before lifting his head, tightening his grip on the dagger while he gazed into the distance with resolve, "Someday, I'll discover the principle...of Apostles, of their Guardian, of sorcery, of Pandaemonium's core...and I swear I'll come back to you. I swear! So until then..."

I wonder if I should make a Part 2 for this? Hmm...maybe, maybe not. Depends on how you readers react to this Alternate Ending. Reviews please! They make me a very happy author/person. ^^