Here's the next chapter. :) Gah, the anticipation is killing me!

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"Ah!" Azmaria shrieked, drenched. Rosette shot by with an evil grin on her face, equally drenched. Today was a fun day at the orphanage. School was cancelled, due to a national holiday. All of them bored, Rosette had called in Azmaria and some of the older kids at the orphanage to her office that morning. Plans had been made. Stands were situated all around the premises, all of them housing a different activity. Some had darts or a beanbag toss. Others had a guessing game or a cake walk. But at the moment, none of them were manned.

"Rosette, I'll get you for that!" Azmaria swore loudly, giving chase to her blonde friend, her own water balloons in hand. It was also an extremely hot day. Hundreds of water balloons had been filled with ice cold water, held in bins all around the cleared out area near the river. More than one unwary kid had fallen in the river already. Rosette and Azmaria were supposed to have been the adults here. But then Rosette had accidentally gotten splashed, drawing her into the water balloon fight. Azmaria had joined in because Rosette had drawn her into it. Now they were all acting like kids again. Only Joshua was acting his age, and he was the one who had taken upon himself to see that no one got hurt. But even he was partly soaked. Rosette had "accidentally" hit him with a water balloon earlier.

"Rosette!" Joshua shouted, getting hit by another water balloon from her. "Focus on those who want to get wet!" Rosette tossed him a saucy grin from near the river, otherwise ignoring him in favor of focusing on a fourteen year old boy who had just managed to get in a hit on her. Next year he would leave the orphanage and start his own life.

"Sorry," Rosette said in a sing song voice as she ran by him, several kids hot on her trail, armed and ready to soak the orphanage director even more. Joshua sometimes didn't know what to make of his sister. This was one of those times.

"Alright, break time. It's a good time for lunch." Joshua finally shouted out. Everyone froze where they were at Joshua's shout, water balloons leaving their startled owners hands and hitting random people. Laughing all the same, they all went to the place where they had left their towels to get the worst of the wet spots dry. With how hot it was, the wet clothes and hair was a nice way to keep cool.

From there, they went to the picnic area. Some of the nun's from the Magdalene Order had stopped by to make lunch for everyone while they had been having their water balloon fight. They had their sleeves pulled up as they put the finishing touches on the meal they were working on.

"It looks like it's all working out," Joshua told Rosette, sitting down next to his sister, wringing out his hair. It was plastered to his head. "It was a good idea to separate the serving areas so as to not overwhelm the Sisters from the Order. It was also nice of them to volunteer today. Without them it would have taken a lot longer to feed the kids. And boy, did they work up an appetite." More than one kid was rubbing their stomach as they waited in line, which were all growling.

Rosette watched the kids line up eagerly to receive their food, thanking each Sister who served them. "Oh, it's our pleasure. Anything to make your life's a bit happier and not so routine," one of them told them with a huge smile.

"Oh, our lives are never boring or sad. At least, not while Ms. Rosette is in charge," they replied, scampering off to congregate in groups to eat. Rosette heard this, then turned bright red. Joshua laughed and ruffled Rosette's hair, making her blush even more.

"Uhm,..Rosette? Can we eat with you and Father Christopher?" Marianne and a few of her friends asked as they walked up. Rosette scooted over on the blanket to make room for the half dozen kids who had asked to sit with her and her brother. "Thank you." They all smiled and began eating.

"So are you kids having fun?" Joshua asked them, remembering his own meal at this point. "It sure looks like it. When Rosette and I were here, we never did anything like this. Though I wish we would have."

"Rosette, you used to be an orphan here too?" One of the kids asked sharply.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about Rosette," Joshua confided in them. "Yes, we were both orphans here when we were a lot younger. Rosette also used to be a Sister, just like those who were nice enough to make us all lunch today."

"So that's why she cares so much," a young boy named Bromy realized, grinning. "Ms. Rosette is just like us. How cool is that. We're so lucky!" The kids were all smiles as they talked with each other and to the woman who took care of them so well. True, Rosette couldn't extend herself so far that she could be there all the time. But she did try. The kids sensed this and understood, most of them helping where they could.

After they all finished eating, they cleaned the area where they had had the water balloon fight and went back to the stalls, some of them simply wandering around the ground with their friends. Rosette was taking a turn in the dunking booth they had set up. She had a huge line of people waiting for a chance to throw the ball and try to dunk her in the water, mostly though she had stopped from misbehaving. Each kid got three balls, three chances to dunk her. If they missed all three, they would either have to go to the back of the line once more or move on.

"Come on, you could do better than that!" Rosette taunted at one of the older boys. "My swimsuit is already dry from where Bromy dunked me. Is it ever gonna get wet again?" Rosette stuck her tongue out at the boy, smiling. He looked even more determined to dunk her. He had missed the first and second balls. This was his final chance to get her under the water.

THWACK! The target button was smashed in by the force of the throw, sending a surprised Rosette into the water. Everyone cheered as she went in, the seat flat against the wall. Rosette broke the surface of the water with a grin, clapping herself. "Nice throw," she complimented as she reset the seat and sat back down, enjoying herself greatly.

Three balls later, Rosette was put under again, courtesy of Bromy, who grinned apologetically before accepting the congratulations of his fellow orphans. He gave up his place to the next person in line. Rosette was about to sit down again when the peaceful afternoon was disrupted.

"Rosette! Father Joshua!" Marianne was yelling. She reached the dunking booth and attempted to catch her breath, two others copying her. "Come quick. We found a strange boy collapsed in the woods. Brandon is staying with him and we three came to get help. Something's wrong. It looks like he has a fever. He's breathing heavily and is sweating profusely." Rosette was out of the dunking in an instant, accepting her clothes from Azmaria. She threw them on over swimsuit as a Sister from the Order approached her.

"Rosette, I'm Sister Lisa. I know first aid, so I would like to come with," Lisa told her. "May I?"

"Of course," Rosette said quickly. "Marianne, lead the way." Rosette, Joshua, and Lisa were all behind Marianne as she led them into the woods, Azmaria staying behind to watch the kids and keep order.

After almost a half mile hike into the woods, Marianne stopped, Brandon coming into view. He was squatting next to a prone person, who was leaning against a tree. Lisa ran ahead of them and felt the poor kid's forehead.

"It's no wonder he has a fever," Lisa said, shaking her head. "Look at what's he wearing. What sane person would run around in this weather with a hood and cloak? And darkly colored ones as well?" She removed the heavy over clothing and dropped it on the ground besides her, checking for a pulse. "He's alive, but any longer and his life may be in danger. It's heat stroke. Poor kid. What was he doing all the way out here? The rest of the orphans are having fun at the festival Rosette arranged."

"Lisa," Rosette began. "That boy is not from the orphanage. He's never been an orphan there. Besides, he's much older than he looks." Rosette and Joshua easily recognized the sick figure leaning against the tree, right down to his worn red clothing. Rosette walked over slowly and placed a cool hand on the burning forehead. Limp purple hair brushed against her hand.

"Rosette?" Chrono muttered pathetically, cracking his eyes open a crack. He smiled wearily. Rosette returned the smile, brushing the undone hair from his face. "Rosette, is that you? My vision is all blurry." Rosette looked to Lisa concerned.

"Father Joshua, I'm no place to command you but could you-" Joshua beat her to the punch, pulling the greatly weakened Chrono onto his back. Chrono didn't protest this, his eyes once again shut, his face pale. Joshua took off without a word for the orphanage, Chrono bouncing slightly on his back.

"Hang on buddy, we'll take care of you," Joshua promised, Lisa and Rosette hot on his heels. "Soon you'll be able to explain yourself. I'll do what I can to protect you from my overly violent sister. You have my word as a priest." Chrono chuckled weakly, unable to reply further. They were now in the festival area. Everyone stopped what they were doing as they saw the stranger on Joshua's back. Azmaria gasped and ran forward to meet them.

"Azmaria, we'll be taking care of him. Make sure the kids continue having a good time," Rosette ordered, keeping a soaked handkerchief to Chrono's forehead. Azmaria nodded faintly and herded the kids back to the activities. Two Sisters from the Order joined them to help Lisa care for Chrono.

"Father Joshua, this is beneath your position, but could we ask you to help us sponge bathe him? Hygiene also plays into health. And since you're the only male here...." Sister Lisa trailed off.

"Of course. I'll be gentle with him," Joshua promised. Rosette hung back as Joshua took him to a private bathroom. And she sat by his side when he was brought to a room and put to bed. Joshua returned to help Azmaria and to also secretly explain the situation to her. Rosette readjusted the cold cloth on Chrono's forehead. Chrono stirred in his sleep as Rosette's hand brushed against his fiery cheeks, but didn't wake up.

"Chrono, wake up soon. I'll be waiting for you," Rosette promised, settling in to wait.

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Now if you ask why I brought him back this way, when most people think the only way he could back is as a baby, I play D&D, which is Dungeons and Dragons for any nongamers here, and my adventures, which have been crazy lately, inspired this. Just because he died doesn't mean he can't be brought back to life. My character has died a lot and has always come back to life just the same. So my gaming experiences have opened me to a lot of possibilities when it comes to my stories.