Next chappie! Hohoho. I like this one.

Thankies for all the reviews! PS Akuma, yes, you were right. XD Yes, you get a cookie. Hands you a cookie

I do not own Chrno Crusade.

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--Chapter 3--

The Shadow

"Demon…"

That single word truck her deeper than any blade could. She could almost feel the cold chill he felt when he spoke, though irrelevant to the obvious dropping temperature that was quickly beginning to dull their senses.

"That didn't just happen…." The young girl shuddered, staring wide-eyed at the cross at the other side of the room, the broken jewels on its silver surface no longer shining, as if it had been tainted. "Y-Yuan, tell me that didn't happen…"

"Rosette," He said suddenly, making her cringe as he looked up at her, face as pale as her own. That was the first time he called her by her first name… "This is serious. You need to listen to me, and you must stay calm."

"C-Calm? Yuan, why-?" She gripped the sides of the chair, suddenly looking as terrified as she felt. "I need to get out of here…! Th-this isn't right! There's something wrong!!"

"Don't panic, Rosette." He quickly brought his hands over hers, standing to his feet slowly. By now he was able to see his breath… but just barely. "The more you get upset, the more it does too."

"It?" She looked up at the man with wild eyes, beginning to tear up. "What's it? The demon?!" Her breath hitched, her heart speeding up to miles a minute, pounding fiercely in her chest. "I-I'm possessed by a demon… I'm going to die…!"

"No Rosette, you're not going to die!" He said roughly, raising his voice more than he should have, and apparently… keeping his hands on the young girl for too long. With a sudden movemeny he stepped back from the chair, his hands leaving Rosette's as they went up to his throat, and he strained a few coughs, before falling to his knees, wheezing harshly.

"Y-Yuan!" The young girl bolted from the chair, kneeling down to the ground beside him, placing a careful hand on his shoulder.

"Listen to me, Rosette…." He said quietly, covering one hand over his mouth. "What's happening to you…. Hasn't been recorded in hundreds of years. It's very grave and must be approached with caution." He coughed a few more times, unable to finish. He couldn't hide it any longer, and slowly… blood trailed through his fingers, dribbling down his chin. Whatever was in the room with them… demon or not… it wasn't happy.

Her eyes widened as she saw the blood, it was bright red… meaning it came from within his chest cavity. "No…no…This can't be real…I'm being haunted by some silly ghost….not a demon…"

Yuan ignored her protests, and reached up, gently touching the side of her arm with his free hand to try and calm her down. With a shaky breath he stood up, and walked slowly over to the book case. "We must keep our distance from each other from now on… it seems whatever is following you…. Isn't happy that I'm here. You must stay calm… or it may hurt you too."

Rosette paled even more, as she rested against the front of the chair she was sitting in moments ago, watching him search through his books, a small trail of blood still streaming from the corner of his mouth. Of all her fears…she had never imagined something like this…

"It was said that….A long time ago," He spoke once more after a short silence, grabbing a book then slowly walking back over to the couch. "The moment a human was born, a demon would become assigned to that very person… their lives would be intertwined, until the human's final moments. That was the final, more foremost rule of Pandemonium, the mother of all demons; that the human would belong to no one else, that the demon would protect them from the hands of death from anyone else." He paused for a moment, watching the young girl as she stared at him with wide eyes. "…There was a second, morbid rule that followed… that the human could only be killed by the hands of the demon that was assigned to them, and thus was bound by a 'contract'. She spoke quietly, hugging her arms close to herself since the room was indeed very cold now.

"Yes. The contract stated that the demon would protect them, serve them as they wish, but were by no means bound by any rule or chains – that it would be them that would take the human's life, and no one else, whether it be human or demon brethren." He replied in a solemn tone, before he began coughing again, staining his hand and lips in blood. He took another breath, trying to hurt and continue before this young girl's demon became really angry and took his life, silencing him permanently. "But the thing is… there was a war… between a band of rebelling demons and their Queen…All demons should have been dead by now…Pandemonium is dead…"

"M-Maybe it's not a demon then…" Rosette spoke quietly, hopefully.

"There's no other explanation….the cross…" He looked back at the broken necklace that still lay on the floor. "An ordinary demon should have only been able to reflect it…. But….. this one has broken it."

"No…"

"Rosette Christopher." He spoke gravely, looking at the young girl with immense pity. "You are possessed by an extremely powerful demon… and as you live, it will only grow stronger. It has protected you all of these years…. So that it can take you life with its own hands."

She shivered, shaking her head slowly as Yuan talked, wishing over and over again that this was just a horrible nightmare… that she would wake up and find herself in her nice, safe bed… she would tell her brother what happened in this nightmare, and he would laugh…. Then everything would be normal again…. "When…?" She whispered quietly. "When is it going to kill me….?"

Remington fell silent, casting his gaze down closer to the floor rather than his client. "That…. I cannot tell you."

"So I'm going to live the rest of my life…" She stuttered, tears beginning to line her eyes, making it hard to see. "Wondering if, every day, this could be the day I die?"

"It depends on the demon…" He replied calmly. "If they see you as a source of power, you will live longer. They receive more from you the longer the Contract remains. If they see you as entertainment…. As a toy… you could be dying a little every day. Demons are sadistic creatures by nature, and have little pity over a human's emotions."

"Th-this isn't helping…" She took in a slow breath, tears streaming down her cheeks, though she tried so hard to make them stop. "Is there anything I can do? I can't live like this knowing that… A demon is always watching me…waiting…"

The blond man gazed at her with a horrible pained expression, before coughing a few times and grabbing a tissue, wiping the blood off his hands. This wasn't good… The temperature is continuing to drop. Much longer, and her demon will have the intent to kill. "I will do my best to find a way. If it makes you feel better… take this book." He said softly, grabbing the leather-bound book he had grabbed earlier, and handed it over to her. Though the moment her fingers brushed over his, he felt a searing pain ripple through his body with a gasp.

"Y-Yaun?" She shuddered, grabbing the book quickly to her chest and standing to her feet.

"I'm fine… but you mustn't stay any longer…. Or we could both be dead in a matter of minutes." He wheezed, wiping off a bit of blood from his lips as he grabbed for a piece of paper and began to scribble down something. "If anything happens that concerns you… here is my number."

The young girl took the paper quickly, her breathing still somewhat erratic from the horrifying truth that still seeped into her thoughts. "Thank you so much…" She whispered, before running to his door, head hanging low in shame as she took her leave, not wanting to endanger this man any further.

A few moments passed as Yuan sat on his couch, leaning back as his breathing slowly started to return to normal. "Dear Lord in Heaven…" He whispered, eyes gazing upwards to the ceiling, pain and sorrow in his voice. "Please watch over you daughter Rosette Christopher…"

-

The entire run home she had felt sick, fear and the dulled pain still running through her veins, as she became yet more aware of something watching her every move. By the time she had made it home, the tears that had once started at Remington's house came back at full force, almost sending her into a fit of despair. A certain thought ran through her mind as she walked to her room, looking around for any signs that Joshua may still be home… but he was gone.

'If I die by the hands of a demon…' She whispered in her mind, closing her bedroom door behind her and leaned against it, hiccupping as she tried to calm her tears. 'Will I go to Hell…? How long with this last…'

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice was small and strained as she spoke to the air, her body slowly moving down before she sat to the ground beside her door, her knees held up tightly and defensively against her chest. "Why won't you leave me alone…?!"

The familiar temperature drop she experienced before began to reappear again, small shivers running up through her arms and legs as she looked around her dark room, the only thing serving as a haven of light being a small lamp beside her bed. "Please…. I beg of you…stop this…!" She pleaded, burying her face into her knees, as if trying to shrink back… to disappear. So that nothing could get her.

A small whisp of air traveled up her bare arm, up to her shoulder in an eerie fashion, making the young girl nearly jump out of her skin.

In all her years… she had never felt anything. Maybe it was coincidence, but… in this desperate time, her already frail and helpless mind state only came to the worse conclusion - That the demon that has been following her for sixteen years, was finally responding to her anguish.

"You were there at Yuan's home too, weren't you?" She spoke aloud, her face no longer buried in the safety of her arms as she looked on into the darkest corners of her room, half expecting something to pop out and scare her.

Another whisp of air traveled up her arm, in the same place it had before. This was no coincidence.

The demon was here, and it was answering her.

"Why…?" She asked quietly, her voice pathetically small and helpless. "Why do you do these things…? You could have killed him… you could have killed so many people over these years!"

This time, there was no response. No cold air rushing past her skin to comfort her to know that she at least wasn't crazy and talking to the air around her.

Silence filled the room, her sporadic breath the only source of comfort through the nearly deafening state of the uncomfortably calm atmosphere. "….Do you…. understand me?" She asked softly, looking up, eyes searching for any signs of the abnormal. Suddenly the floor she was sitting on ran colder than ice, and it made her jump to her feet with a small scream of surprise. This was frightening her worse than it had before… was it angry that she was trying to talk to it? "P-please! Don't do this to me..!"

She blinked as she felt a warm…. Something, almost like a fingers, cross over the side of her face, and she immediately panicked, whirling around to find nothing was behind her, just the door. Slowly, she backed up, sitting down to her bed as the air around her steadily became normal, no longer biting her skin with cold.

Was it tormenting her? Playing with her? Was it amusing to watch her emotions being tugged around like a ragdoll?

"You're a monster…." She whispered gravely, though a hint of anger had risen to her voice. It was toying with her. "Why don't you answer me?!"

As soon as her voice had risen, the light beside the bed she was sitting on blew out, making her gasp in surprise, leaving her a pitch dark room. She backed up on her bed so that her back touched the wall, grabbing the tangled covers and pulling them over her body.

For the first time, a small puff of air blew against her ear, like an invitation… as a smooth, dark voice whispered close to her body.

"Rosette,"

She gasped and cringed away from the direction of the voice, her eyes wide and frantic as she tried to see what just spoke. The demon… the demon had just spoke to her.

"Wh-what do you want f-from me?" She stuttered, face paling as she searched the room as best her sight would allow her. "Where are y-you… how do you-"

A sudden warmth played across her lips, a slight pressure urging her to stop. And she did, her words cutting off suddenly as she froze. There was a short silence in the room, before the soft tenor voice spoke again, from where, she couldn't make out.

"You needn't be afraid, Rosette." The voice promised her, any and all amusement she expected to hear, void in his words. It was as if… it was trying to comfort her. And from what she could deduct… it sounded male. Surprisingly human.

"Wh-who are you…?" She asked softly, quivering as she felt the warmth from her lips dissipate.

"I am as the Minister told you…" The voice replied with a slight hint of guilt.

Wait…. Minister? "Y-Yuan wasn't a Minister." She said softly. "He worked for the Magdalene Order…"

A small chuckle echoed from beyond. "Amazing how times change… isn't it? You'd be surprised if you knew what that man was really like a long time ago…"

She took in a slow breath, feeling a little more at ease now that whoever was following her was speaking to her. Cautiously, she looked over to her cell phone that lay on her nightstand, and reached over, grabbing the metallic device with intent on calling the only person she knew could help her.

But as she opened it up, a small spark shot from it, making her yelp and drop it, the cell clattering to the floor.

"I wouldn't try that," The voice said once again, a good deal darker than it was before. "It doesn't please me that you're affiliating with that man."

She gave a soft whimper, looking up into the darkness with a helpless shudder. "Why… what are you… going to do…?"

Suddenly the familiar warmth crept up from behind her, even though she was leaning against the cold wall. The feeling of something small and sharp traced across her jawline… it almost felt like small blades… or claws. "I won't hurt you, my dear Contractor." It cooed softly in her ear. "Quite the contrary… I am protecting you from him."

"P-protecting me…?" She shuttered, her body frozen at the tingling that lingered on her skin where the touches once were. "Why..? Why would a demon…?"

"Because you belong to me, Rosette Christopher…" The voice purred, the possessiveness in his tone thick as the young girl stiffened at his words. "No one else…"

"S-Stop it…!" She shivered, pulling up the blankets closer around her, as if it would shield her from her predator. "Please… I don't belong to you…"

"Ah, but our Contract declares otherwise, dear heart." The voice replied, the feeling of claws moved down across her neck, to the spot where she had woken up from nightmares, so see a small wound that would appear there. "And I have tasted your blood many times before as you sleep…"

She gasped, bringing up a hand to cover her neck, trying to make the tingling sensations disappear. "You're a monster…" She whispered, but that only made the voice laugh in amusement.

"I suppose I am. But you are forgetting the vow I made to you…" He spoke again, the tone softening every moment she seemed like her fear would peak. "I will not harm you, Rosette Christopher. I am here to protect you… you have my word."

"Wh-why? So you can kill me when the time is right?" She snapped back, anger seething through her fear-laden voice. "No… This isn't…This can't be happening…"

"Denial only makes the situation worse, my girl." He spoke softly, the warmth reappearing on her cheek, a calming wave suddenly flowing through her veins. "Trust me… I am not your enemy."

"H-How can….." An odd warm sensation spread throughout her body, engulfing her completely as she felt her eyelids grow heavier by the moment – but she wasn't scared. No… it was calming. Something told her she should fight it, that this faux sensation of security was nothing more than a trick that her captor was using against her. But her fear was melting away along with her reason… and her mind craved for the nearly forgotten sense of security and tranquility. Carefully, she lay down in her bed, resting her head against a pillow as she curled her arms and legs close to her body, finally giving in.

"What…" She spoke tiredly, eyes drooping as she fought to stay awake. Through the comforting sensation, her riled mind was able to clear for those few fleeting moments, as a far more simple question arose from her lips – in an almost childlike manner. "What is your name…?"

There was a long silence, before the familiar warmth appeared on her forehead, and she felt her bangs being brushed away out of her eyes.

"…Chrno." The voice answered her warmly. "…My name is Chrno."

-

Finally! Done with chapter three. Now the real fun begins. It was a little OOC for Rosette to get so petrified during this chapter, but if you suddenly learned all that about yourself, you'd probably go through a little shock.

I know you all saw that coming. It was Chrno the whole time. Hehe… I love making him into somewhat of a sadistic bastard. But he won't always be that way towards Rosette…. Just for a while. What's going to happen now that Rosette knows about Chrno? He's going to eat her! Okay, maybe not…

Look for chapter 4 coming up soon. :3 Tootles!

Zoey