Chrono Crusade Fan Fiction ❯ ChrnoCrusade: Redone ❯ Episode One: Saving You ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Note: Okay, I can't deny it any more. I want to do a Chrno Crusade fan-fiction! There it's out…

 

I've been toying with this idea for some time… (cough) eighteen weeks and three days (cough) and I finally got the gall to do it. It's a simple AU-ish thing (as there seems to be a great lacking of them) and it's based on some of the manga. But I'm completely changing it at the same time. You see, even though Joshua is in this fan piece, he plays a completely different role. Instead, someone else will be the kidnapped sibling. (Hint: It's a female.)

 

Chrno and Rosette will have a contract, though, he he, it's slightly different… (wince) People are going to either squeal in joy or completely kill me for what happens when they make a contract.

 

Oh, what else, umm, without giving up everything, hmm… Oh, yeah! I will first begin with the `rescuing' of Azmaria. And from there have a few flashback sequences, all ending at pretty much the same place.

 

And without further ado, let us start this little fan-fiction-thingy…

 

ChrnoCrusade:

By: AndreahTreole

Episode 1: Saving You

 

00

 

“Rosette. Rosette? Can you hear me, Rosette?” The male's voice pierced the silence, a young redhead wincing in response. Lifting her microphone, disguised as a gold brooch of a butterfly, she pushed in the wings, activating it.

 

“Chrno, you imbecile! I'm going into this place incognito! Watch how you address me!” she hissed into the tiny contraption. Hazel eyes darted from side to side, taking in all occupants of the casino. How she wished she could join them, feeding coins into the slot machine and praying for all sevens. Or, maybe she'd try a few hands at poker, she was always beating her partner at the game, she should try her luck on veteran players…

 

Or perhaps not…

 

“I apologize, RUBY. Where'd you get such a name anyways? Ruby Adams? Sounds a little too ritzy for you…” he snickered before closing his communicator to hear her retort. He was standing outside the well-lit establishment, playing the well-designed statue for the gamblers and their beautiful courtesans. His red coat blocked most of the chilly air, but he still wished he was inside, where it was warm.

 

“What do you mean by that, you little worm?”

 

“Oh, nothing. I mean absolutely- Shit!” The transmitter in her ear, or her overly gaudy earring to the others, gave a faint static sound. Either Chrno dropped his communicator, or…

 

Or, someone found him and smashed it. And by the sound of the last word he said, it was more than likely the latter.

 

Cursing sharply, Rosette turned down a seemingly abandon hallway, intent on exchanging her dress for something a little more practical to `work' in. Even though the red dress was a beauty; strapless with the slit coming up mid-thigh on the left side, not to mention the wonderful and unique sequin pattern at the neckline, and she wasn't sure when she'd ever get to wear something like it again, she knew that she had to be able to move in order to run. This dress would certainly not allow her to do that.

 

She would've changed too, if it hadn't been for the fact, just as she reached back to unzip the zipper, she heard voices coming from behind her. Dropping her hands, she spun in a complete circle trying to find a place for her to hide. Trying the handle to a nearby janitor's closet, she grinned in delight when it turned. Rushing into the room, she practically slammed the door shut, but caught it, and closed it slowly.

 

Sighing in relief, she turned and gasped when large brown/red eyes met hers. Rushing over to the spot, she slapped a hand over the mouth of the young girl she had walked in on, telling her keep quiet with a finger to her lips. Concentrating on her hearing, she waited for the telltale sign of someone passing the door, but never did she hear it. Instead, the two that had interrupted her changing, paused at the door and spoke to each other in sharp voices. One was wheezing, like an old man that was soon to pass on, and the other, a voice that sent shivers and indescribable chills up and down her half-bare back.

 

“Where is she, Lerajie?” Wheezy asked, his voice barely audible by the thick door between the two parties.

 

“I don't know, Master, but the Legions are on it.” `Lerajie' responded, his voice still sending tremors through the girls' bodies.

 

“Well, find her! If you don't I'll-” they never heard the end of the sentence, for, at that very instant, the man was reduced into a hacking fit. Rosette could hear the sound of liquid dropping to the floor; the muffled noise worried her. This man, whoever he was, wasn't what he seemed to be. Obviously, if there was talk of Legions, then he was a devil worshipper. And, if her suspicions of the other man were true, then he could be worse and be contracted to a devil.

 

Even though it was only a thought, Rosette felt that that could truly be what was going on. Biting her lip as the two finally moved away from the door, she looked over at the child she had been keeping quiet. Imagine her surprise when her target, Azmaria Hendric, stared back at her, her eyes wide and scared, framed by the lavender lashes, the same color of her beautiful wavy hair.

 

Stunned, Rosette blinked at the girl, standing and helping her from the floor. They were silent, the two of them, for a few seconds. You could hear the ticking of the clock hanging around Rosette's neck, giving the past the seconds the girls' were wasting as they stared at each other. It wasn't long before Azmaria spoke up, her voice shaking in her fright. “Please, miss, don't tell anyone you saw me here! I can't offer you anything for your silence, but if you could-” she was interrupted by Rosette's laugh.

 

“Oh, calm down. You keep getting worked up like that; you're going to get an ulcer. Jeez, kid, relax.” Azmaria was still tense and Rosette sighed. “I'm Rosette Christopher, though if anyone asks you, I'm Ruby Adams. I've come to bring you under protective custody.”

 

“Are you with the police.”

 

Rosette rolled her eyes, “Those incompetent idiots? Hell no, I work for the Magdalene Order.”

 

Azmaria gasped, red orbs widening, “You mean the underground organization that supposedly exorcises devils and fixes the mistakes of rogue devil summonses?”

 

“Yeah, though there's no `supposal's about it. We really do exorcise and exterminate. My question for you is how do you know about it?” Rosette adjusted her dress, the thing had started to shift downwards and she didn't want to flash the poor girl.

 

“Well, I've read about you on the internet. I really don't have much to do during the day so I mostly spend it online.” (Sounds like my cousin)

 

“Damn, how the hell did we end up on the web? We keep the Order quiet, who could've…?” She shook her head before grabbing the younger girl's hand. “Come on, Azmaria Hendric, I've been assigned to bring you in. Now, let's get going, while the getting's good.” She dragged the not-so-compliant Azmaria from the room, nearly colliding with a large blockade when she opened the door.

 

Gasping, she took a step back, pushing the young girl behind her in case she had to fight. Looking up at the man she had nearly ran into, her head only reached his chest, even with her heels, she gasped at the sight. He was plenty older, at least visibly 45, with cutting golden eyes. He seemed to be digging deep into her soul, that, or looking down his nose in the pretenses of looking at her face but was really in truth looking at her cleavage.

 

In either case, she didn't like him looking at her. Not at all.

 

“Young miss,” she jumped at his voice, shielding her target more with her body. She couldn't trust this man, she could tell by just looking at him. “May I ask what are you doing in this forbidden corridor?”

 

`Sure give it a creepy name, why don't you?' she thought, her hand sliding down her left hip, reaching for her gun. “You may ask,” she said, tartly, “but I won't answ-”

 

“Please sir,” she was startled once more, by Azmaria no less, at the sudden interruption, “she's a guest that got lost. As did I. We were trying to find a way back to the casino.”

 

“Oh, were you now? Than tell me, what were you doing in a janitorial closet?”

 

“We were locked in by a passing janitor by accident, only now did we get the door open.” Azmaria lied, defending her new friend and rescuer.

 

Lerajie obviously didn't buy it, his disbelieving frown said so, but still he played along. “Well, young mistress, you should have let the workers help her. Next time, don't play heroine.”

 

Azmaria looked down and nodded, “Yes, sir.” She looked at Rosette from the corner of her eye, a sad smile playing on her lips. She made to walk forward, but stopped when a loud crash sounded to the left. Rosette, Azmaria, Lerajie, and two `workers' turned at the noise. Again, the undercover Magdalene official was surprised at finding someone she knew in battle with a large… Gargoyle?

 

“CHRNO!” she shouted, receiving a weary glance from her partner. When he moved out of the way of another attack from the stone protector, Rosette pulled her M9 from its holster. Though it wasn't as lethal as her .45 caliber pistol, it was lightweight and didn't accidentally discharge when she shifted. Plus, it held fifteen Sacred's in a magazine than her original seven. Shooting at the gargoyle that had her partner trapped, she ran over to her target and scooped her into her arms. “Let's go!”

 

Lerajie didn't seem to like that, his large body blocked her from going anywhere, but that didn't stop her. Though he appeared human, Chrno had told her earlier that he wasn't.

 

Raising her pistol, she aimed straight at the devil. “Move!” she shouted, even as she let off a round at his head. He dodged the bullet, coming up beside her. She gasped, knowing she didn't have enough time to turn and fire at the man. She didn't have to, because, just as he went to attack her and Azmaria, Chrno tackled him to the ground.

 

“Go, Rosette! Now!” he hollered, even as she turned her back and ran for the window. He heard her tell Azmaria something about jumping and watched her blast a near-by window open, leaping from the second-story. The rest of what happened to them was unknown, for at that point Lerajie had shoved him off.

 

“Chrno the Sinner. The one stripped of his rank. It's such a pleasure to see you again!” he sneered, his fangs dripping with saliva. As if the name of the devil that had weakened him caused him distaste. “I didn't expect you to still be alive. You know what it is to devils that have no astral. Death. So how is it you're still alive? Did you find yourself a lovely little contractor?” He made a glance at the shot-out window. “Was it her? The redheaded one?”

 

Chrno growled, literally, “Lerajie, you leave her alone.”

 

“Growling now? Has having your fangs pulled meant becoming the dog of God?” Lerajie taunted, even as he sauntered over to the broken window. Glancing over the edge, he was aware of the fact that the Sinner's eyes never left him. “Pretty little thing, for a human.” Again, he looked as if he had just sucked on a lemon. “But still, disgusting. All humans are. Weak and cowardly, with no respect for those with more power. Why Chrno,” he looked over at his most hated foe, “do you submit yourself to such distasteful creatures?”

 

“Why do you?” Chrno asked, not missing a beat. His red eyes glinted in the dim light of the corridor, silently wondering why no one was investigating the loud racket coming from it. Shaking his head, he felt himself being thrown to the side, slamming into the wall behind him. His head throbbed painfully, especially when his mind finally caught up with him. “Damn,” he cursed. He had just given Lerajie an opening; he really was an idiot. Standing from the crumbling wall he was in, he looked around worriedly for his opponent. Sensing nothing, the young devil, at least by appearance, ran down the hall towards the exit. Not the one his contractor had made.

 

Then all hell broke loose…

 

00

 

“Go, Rosette! Now!” she heard Chrno shout at her. Deeming that the demon could handle Lerajie by himself, she turned and ran to the back window. Hugging Azmaria to her tightly, she felt the girl clutch to her neck and her legs wrap around her waist. Nodding at the shaken target, she leveled her gun at the window.

 

“We're going to jump!” she shouted, firing two Sacreds at the glass. Running towards the open space, she shoved her M9 back into its holster, and pushed Azmaria to her back.

 

“WE'RE GOING TO WHAT?” Azmaria screamed into her ear, even as the two went over the edge. Rosette let out a whoop, enjoying the experience as if it was a roller coaster instead of the imminent bone-breaking free-fall it was. The two were headed straight for a pool, empty of everything, except water, of course.

 

“Take a deep breath!” Rosette yelled, sucking in precious oxygen into her lungs. She heard Azmaria follow suit, and just as she did, they plunged feet first into the icy depths.

 

(This would be a great place for a cliffhanger, but, seeing as I already said no cliffy `til later, you guys get a break)

 

Sinking straight to the bottom, Rosette bent her knees the moment her heels touched bottom. Pushing off with her heels, she `propelled' them to the surface. Breaking through the water with a gasp, she released Azmaria. “Can you swim?” she asked, smiling when the girl nodded. “Good, let's go!” Making it to the edge of the pool, she climbed up, groaning at the weight of her dress. Helping Azmaria up, she reached behind her and unzipped the dress, kicking her heels back into the water. She heard a gasp from the target and looked up. “What's wrong?”

 

“You shouldn't get undressed like that! It's improper!”

 

Rosette snorted, “I have clothes under it.”

 

“Oh.” Shaking her head, she pulled the red dress over her head, and again, Azmaria gasped. Sighing, she shoved the soaked dress to the side and shot the girl an annoyed look.

 

“What is it now?” she asked, lifting the halter strings from between her breasts and tied them behind her neck.

 

“I'm sorry, I'm not used to anyone wearing something so… raunchy?” Azmaria admitted, much to Rosette's irritation.

 

“It's not raunchy!” she screamed, accidentally shaking her hair from its holds. It tumbled down to her shoulders, and now it was obvious to everyone that it had been dyed red. Trickles of the dye dripped over her bare skin, giving her the illusion that she was bleeding from a terrible head wound. It trailed over her shoulders and down her arms. It came out from under her halter-top where some had flowed down across her upper torso.

 

“I-I didn't mean it that way! I'm sorry, Rosette!” Azmaria's eyes filled with tears, and the slowly-going-back-to-blonde sighed.

 

“It's alright, but we need to get going.” Unstrapping her holster from her thigh, she handed the contraption to Azmaria. Pulling at the buttons on the side of her legs, the legs of her `shorts' dropped, fully encasing her bare legs with the thin polyester material. Though she was still wet, Rosette instantly felt better with the covering of most of her body. Snatching the holster back from the babbling Azmaria, she strapped it back to her thigh. “Ready?” Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed her hand and ran towards the parking lot. “Hopefully Chrno will be there already, if not, I don't think I can wait for him. I don't have much ammo in the car. I hadn't any time to replenish our supplies before we had to leave.”

 

She hopped over a low fence and helped her target over, again breaking out in a full run. Azmaria, clad in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, kept with her amazingly well. It seemed, as if nothing was going to happen…

 

A loud ringing noise came from the casino behind them. Azmaria gasped, “Oh, no!”

 

Rosette glanced at the girl, worriedly, “That doesn't sound good, what's wrong?”

 

“They set off the alarm! Security guards will be all over, we won't make it out of here!”

 

“Stop being such a pessimist. We'll get out.”

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

“We have Chrno!” she exclaimed, running for the car once more. When they finally reached the parking lot, which, inconveniently, was located on the other side of the casino, they gaped at the amount of people that surrounded the perimeter. “Holy shit, you weren't kidding about this place being heavily guarded!” Rosette muttered in the middle of her awe. “I can't believe so many people actually work here!”

 

Azmaria blinked at the Order's official, “Uh, Rosette?”

 

“What's up?”

 

“Um, isn't that Chrno?” she asked pointing to the bush that was closer to the edge of the lot then theirs. Of course, it was her devil companion, and he seemed to be hunched over something, what though, she wasn't sure.

 

Turning, she gave Azmaria a stern glare, “Stay. Here,” she said slowly. The girl nodded. Creeping out from behind the bush, she snuck up behind her partner. She could tell he knew she was there by the tensing in his shoulders. “Chrno!” she whispered. He turned and smiled at Rosette, who in turn, hissed at the sight of his face. “The hell happened to you?” she asked, pulling a soaking wet rag from her pocket and handing it to him.

 

“Was about to ask you the same,” he murmured back. Taking the rag, he ran it over his bloody features. “I just let my guard down.”

 

Rosette rolled her eyes, “Idiot. Here,” she pulled the rag from his hold and wiped the side of his head, clearing away the blood from his temple. A small cut, already healing from his demonic blood, came from his left ear and trailed over his temple and stopped at his cheek. It was apparently the reason for all of the mess. Sighing, she folded the rag up again, shoving it back into her pocket. “So, what happened between you and Lerajie?”

 

“Nothing, we just fed each other crumpets while we sipped some tea.” Rosette gave the devil a hard glare. “Okay, we kind of just threw insults at one another, then he threw me into the wall. I'm alright, though. Thanks for asking.” She slapped on the back of the head for the comment. He let out a small, pained sound in response.

 

“You really are an idiot,” she muttered, before looking back and waving to Azmaria. “Get over here,” she mouthed. The lavender haired child complied, rushing over to the two, and dropping to her knees. “Do you know any back ways to the parking lot.”

 

She shook her head, “I just moved here a week ago. Step-father didn't want me to do any exploring, lest I get seen by guests.”

 

Chrno groaned, “Damn, that sucks.” Rosette nodded in agreement. “So how do we get to the car?” Rosette and the devil looked at each other, right before Rosette looked down at the watch clasped at her neck. Chrno's eyes widened, “Oh, hells no, Rosette. You aren't thinking about… THAT, are you?”

 

“Do you have any better plan?”

 

“No, but, we have to think this through!” Chrno insisted, pulling her hands away from the watch, where they had migrated to. “No unsealing.”

 

“Chhhhrrrrrroooonnnnnnooooo! You are so infuriating.”

 

“I don't care, you are not to unseal me.”

 

Azmaria cleared her throat, bringing the attention back at her. When both sets of eyes were on her, she blushed and looked away, “I… have an idea.”

 

Chrno smiled at her, “What is it?” he tried to not sound too happy, but it didn't seem to work.

 

“Maybe a… distraction? While someone averts the attention of the guards, then someone else can go get the car. After that, the person in the car gets the distraction.”

 

Rosette looked thoughtful for a minute before smiling widely, “That might be so over-used in the cartoons, but it just might work. CHRNO!” she hissed at him, “You are the distraction, don't get caught, `kay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I get to play distraction. Again.”

 

“Well, get crackin', Azmaria and I will be around to pick you up in five.”

 

“It'll be duck soup,” he muttured, even as he ran out of the hiding spot.

 

Author's Note: Hmm, yeah that sounds like a good place to stop…