Heya everyone! I'm back…sorta…. With a little experiment I've been itching to do for a while now. I've pretty much dumped "Firefly", seeing as I lost my inspiration. In this chapter, you'll probably notice it starts out a little fuzzy, that's because I started it probably last year, when I couldn't write as good.
Oh yes, and this fic, much unlike my other work, is going to be a great deal darker. Yay angst! C'mon everyone, say it with me now. But it does have Rosette x Chrno in it. Plenty of it. You may just need to wait a few chapters. ;;
I don't own Chrno Crusade. Daisuke Moriyama does.
A young girl of about seven years of age stood at the edge of the playground, clutching what seemed to be a worn stuffed bunny, its ears drooping in a friendly manner, the button eyes a little looser than they should be. She frowned, biting her lip as she watched her younger brother run along the slide, watching and laughing as some of his newfound friends slid down to join him.
She was always watching him… ever since his health had diminished a few years ago, she was constantly worried about him. Simply staying out too long in the sun could trigger an attack, and there was nothing to do to help him, other than be there for him. But… she had her own problems to worry about, even at such a tender young age.
"Hey, you're Joshua's sister, aren'tcha?"
She looked over towards a boy no taller than her, a wide grin spread across his face, his dark brown hair messy and sticking in all sorts of directions. She merely blinked at him, and nodded.
"You wanna play tag? We could use some extras." He placed his hands on his hips, as a few other children wandered next to his side, each one looking at the girl expectantly.
"…No thanks." She replied with a tiny smile, and quickly went back to watching her brother, wincing as he fell in the mulch, but got back up again without a scratch.
"Huh? Why not?"
"I don't feel like it….besides…" She said quietly, squeezing her bunny closer to her as she looked at the boy shyly. "Bad things happen to people who are around me."
"You break a mirror or sumthin'?" A girl asked, squeezing past the boy with wide eyes. "I heard that can give ya seven years of bad luck!"
"…It's not luck." She frowned, shaking her head. "Just….things happen when I'm around."
"Ah, you're jus' scared!" Another boy laughed. "Maybe she's a really slow runner or sumthin'!"
"I'm not slow." She quickly shot back, eyes glaring at the boy sharply. "I just don't want to play."
"Chicken chicken!" He stuck his tongue out, as a few others laughed at his antics.
"At least I'm not a pig-faced retard like you." She balled up her fists, gritting her teeth. "Leave me alone before I break your nose."
"What was that?" He growled, stepping close to her and glaring at her straight in the eye, which she generously mirrored back. "You've got a lot of nerve, you brat!" He brought up his fist to chest level, like a boxer who would have just entered the ring.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said in a level tone, her gaze firm on him though her anger was clearly trying to get the better of her.
"Or what? Little brat!" He just spat and shoved her forcefully, sending her down onto the mulch-covered ground with a whimper. He reared back his fist, barely before she could open her eyes back up and catch her breath.
"No, don't - !"
Before the boy's fist could even move and inch towards her, a ripple of air appeared beneath the girl, as her shadow seemed to extend. As quick as lightning, it shot forward and repelled the fist like a mosquito against a roll of paper. With a yelp, the boy was sent careening backwards a few feet, scraping across the mulch.
It only took one scream of 'monster' before she gained the nickname that would stick with her the rest of her life.
"Rosette the Possessed."
-- Chapter 1 --
Findings
'I can't believe it…' A blond girl about the age of sixteen steps off a bus, her worn sneakers shifting under her feet as she walks along the sidewalk, mumbling as passerby's bump their shoulders into hers without so much a smile in apology. She was well known in this town… the same as any town she's lived in, and by now, she's been in too many to count. With being orphaned at the tender age of four, she had been put up for adoption along with her younger brother.
But the truth is, no one seemed to keep them for long.
Because of the siblings' unusually strong bond, they had avoided many foster parents in the past simply because they wanted the quiet young boy, or the sweet little girl with the pigtails. Most of their new parents weren't as caring as others, but beggars can't be choosers. If there was anywhere the blond girl didn't want to be, it would be the orphanage. Not only did she get picked on, on a regular basis, she always felt lonelier there, even with her brother by her side. And not to mention, the eyes of something she couldn't ever place her finger on.
Rosette Christopher grew up to be known as "The Possessed", for many reasons. Some said she was being followed by a vengeful spirit from the other side of the plane, and some even thought she was born with the abilities of a medium she couldn't quite grasp. Either way, no matter where the young girl went, no matter who adopted her and her brother, she always saw at least one pair of eyes looking at her like she was a monster.
"If Jennifer had only been more careful…!" She cursed, clenching her eyes shut as she roughly ran her fingers through her hair, letting out the high ponytail in the back that had been required to wear at work. Her and her little brother had settled down in this town for a while now, and she even found time for a job on the weekends and sometimes after school – and though she knew she'd meet a sly comment or two about her nickname every day, she looked forward to going to that wretched diner….
But that's because of payday. Hell, she hated that place.
Nearly a year ago, Joshua, her little brother, had attracted attention of a certain couple, and couldn't resist him. They were actually about to be kicked out of the orphanage (Rosette kept thanking the lord, though it was obvious how nervous she was getting), after staying there an extra year they were supposed to be. At fifteen and fourteen years of age, Joshua and Rosette Christopher were the oldest orphans in the lot, and weren't exactly welcome as it was. So, it was the last thing she could think of… either take another chance with another family that can't possibly be as bad as the one before, or live on the streets. Lucky for them, their parents allowed them to live by themselves and give them a steady income for food and the like, enough to get them by… but it was obvious if they wanted to keep their foster parents from finding out the true horrors of 'the Possessed', they'd have to live on their own.
And by true horrors, you can only tell what that means if you witness a scene caused by Rosette. Just like at the diner not hours ago, before the young sixteen year old sophomore was 'given leave' as they like to call it. Jennifer was supposed to be the shadow of Rosette, the new girl – who was a little clumsy, but eager to help and full of spirit nonetheless. Well, clumsy enough to step over her own feet while putting a boiling pot of water over another burner, which with all the tainted luck Rosette had, went right for her. A gust of wind and what Jennifer described as a bend from her own shadow propelled the pot and the rest of the scalding water away from the surprised blond.
'Just what is wrong with me…?' She thought while fumbling through her pockets to find the keys to the apartment, having come upon the stairs to the complex some time ago. 'It's like my luck has been getting worse lately….'
With some ease, she got her keys out and unlocked the door to her apartment, walking soundly just as she heard the TV in the living room go on.
"Neesan!" A more childish voice sounded as the teenage girl walked into the small family room, when a near exact replica of herself bolted from the couch, setting down a laptop computer onto the table in front of him. "You're home early!" He said with glee, latching onto the slightly shorter girl, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Uhg…." She replied, hearing her bones crack a bit at her little brother's tight hold, making her eyebrow twitch in response. "Yeah…..something happened at work. They said I could leave early….don't worry, they're still paying me full time. I just missed an hour or so."
The blond-haired boy's hug loosened, as he looked down with a concerned expression, going to no lengths to hide it. "…Did it happen again?"
She just shook her head, puffing her cheeks out in annoyance as she shoved him lightly, walking to the living room with a groan. "I don't know what you're talking about, Joshua."
"Neesan," He prodded, following her until she sat down on the couch, grabbing the remote and flicking the TV on to try and avoid the boy's questions. "You know what I mean. That ghost that's following you."
"There's no ghost following me." She assured him, though she really didn't know herself. She was always tender about the subject, and purely for her little brother's sake, always turned down his suspicions, telling him he was such a child for thinking that she was possessed by a vengeful ghost, or had been cursed with something. "I told you that a millions times. Now drop it."
"I won't," He said sternly, sitting down beside his big sister with a bit of a frown, pulling his laptop back into his lap, pulling up a page on his web browser. "You know as well as I do even you can't be clumsy enough to do some of the things that happen to you. Now tell me what the situation was at work."
She sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she admitted defeat. She could never say no to him for long….and the worst part it, he knew it. Little bugger. "A pan of boiling water almost fell on me. Never hit me though, just went back straight at Jennifer. Lucky she jumped, or she would have gotten worse burns…"
"Is that it?" He asked, eyes a little wide. Of course he didn't mean 'is that all?', lord no, in fact this interested him more than any book he could get his hands on – and if only everyone knew how much Joshua Christopher loved books…. "Did it reflect back, like it hit a force field?"
"Joshua, I'm not the heroine of some twisted sci-fi novel like the ones you read." Rosette replied in a grunt, but that only provoked him. "It just kinda….I dunno. Changed direction."
"Things don't normally do that while airborne, Neesan." He simply frowned at her, shaking his head. "There was something I wanted to show you….I was surfing the web when I found it. I think we may have found an answer as to why you're called 'The Possessed'."
She raised an eyebrow, trying to dull her surprise and maintain a calm demeanor as she changed the channel on the TV. "Another one of those silly occult sites? Give me a break, Joshua."
"No no, this is an organization." He beamed at her, scooting close to her so he could show her what was on the screen. "It was founded hundreds of years ago they say, and used to have bases all across the world, mostly in America… even had their own military. But now they've shrunk down to two branches, one in San Francisco…" He paused and grinned. "And one right here in New York."
"You sure it's not just some fake site some teenagers put up?" She sighed but looked nonetheless, showing vague interest. "….The Magdalene Order?" Oh great, it's a religious cult.
"No Rosette, it's the real deal. It's got a webpage and everything…"
"You can't keep believing everything that damned internet tells you."
"Just look," He pulled her arm, pointing to the screen. "There are a bunch of stories in here that most were too…classified so to speak, for the newspaper and such. Some of them have made reports on the news though….."
"I don't believe this." The blond teen shook her head. "How do you know any of this is true?"
He just gave her a soft, sad look. "Well… what do you have to lose?" He asked quietly. "Neesan, you've lived with this for sixteen years….you can't deny something's wrong here. And I really think we have the answer right here in front of us."
She sat there silent, before groaning and standing to her feet, rubbing her temples. "I can't take this anymore. If you need me, I'll be in my room doing homework. I've got a test tomorrow in Ecology…"
Joshua frowned, but nodded as she left, looking crestfallen. "Alright…"
If only she could see how worried he was…… maybe she would have gave him a chance to prove he could help.
-----
The blue-eyed girl fell down onto her bed with a sigh, fumbling her pillow in her arms and muffling her face with it. Honestly, what was that boy thinking? She had more important things to worry about rather than some silly superstition! Her grades were dropping, she was probably going to get fired from her current job real soon at the diner…And if that happens, she'll have to ask her foster parents for money again. She hated that.
Sure, she only saw them every few months or so, on holidays and such…and all in all, they were terrific people. When she and her brother were adopted, they were more than ready to introduce them into a life of luxury. A beautiful mansion, a private estate, and the ties to get them both into a top-notch school.
Most called her crazy when she denied the royalties, and instead, offered she and Joshua would get their own apartment, and earn money on their own. Her foster parents were moved… and so, let them do as they wished.
But Rosette doesn't have that much charity. In fact, on the inside, she wished she could stay with her foster parents for the rest of her years. She wouldn't have to deal with this job or stressful school life. But she was cursed… possessed, as many called it. And if they ever found out, there wouldn't be another orphanage to go back to. They'd be on the streets.
With a long, frustrated sigh, she rolled over on her stomach and reached down over the side of her bed and grabbed her laptop. The thing was old and probably had no more than two GB worth of memory on it, but with her glorious minimum-wage job she was blessed with, all she could afford was a piece of art right from a dumpster.
And her little brother got a brand-spanking new one from his last birthday. Not that she used her five pound computer that much, short of typing essays and talking to friends on occasions – but every once and a while she wished she could surf the net as quickly as Joshua does. 'I hope that doesn't make me a geek…'
Waiting three minutes for her lousy distraction of a machine and several irritating hums and bleeps later, her web browser was up and running.
"What was that address….?" She mumbled to herself, reaching over and expertly clicking around on the small keyboard.
She couldn't believe she was doing this.
"Magdalene…" She whispered, the bright screen reflecting off of her cerulean eyes with clarity. "The Order of Magdalene." The site looked nothing special, with all due respect, it even looked somewhat shady. This had to be some sort of a hoax… There was no way tales of occurrences like the ones she's been through are common enough to be piled together in an international website.
"Hauntings…Curses….Demons…" She scrolled through page after page, scanning through some vaguely descriptive documents before she raised an eyebrow. "Second realm Astral projections?" That certainly sounded odd. "Some clients have claimed to be haunted by otherworldly creatures such as the undead… but have been able to physically interact with their surroundings, and in most cases, harms their host." That sounded more like what she was going through, although, she was never the one to get hurt. It was always ones around her.
"I'm insane." She shook her head, sighing and rolling over to her side, away from the computer. "This is insane. There's no such things as ghosts."
She lay there for a long while, pondering and sighing frequently about why she should take this as seriously as Joshua is. Sure, whatever's happening is interfering with her daily life, but should she really be investigating the paranormal? If stuff like this has happened before, people would know about it.
Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, she rolled back over to her laptop, scanning the few stories they had posted on the site about 'Second real Astral projections'. They all had some sort of similarity, but…. It wasn't enough to make her truly concerned. Still, she was compelled to continue looking, before a few names appeared on the screen, accompanied with a small photo.
"Yuan Remington….?" She stated the name out loud, looking at the photo quizzically. His rank was a first Official of the paranormal investigators in the Order of Magdalene, and as luck would have it… He lived only a few blocks away from the very room Rosette was sitting in. "No way. People actually have jobs for this?"
Taking in this information slowly, she closed her eyes, and reached for a pen on her nightstand, and a blank index card. She quickly jotted down some numbers, before reaching up to close the lid of her laptop. This was insane. A hoax. Nothing in this world could be explained in such a horrific manner, such as the existence of the paranormal. This couldn't be the answer for her.
"Joshua!" The blond teen called down the hall as she stepped out her room, walking towards the living area where her little brother had begun to gather a few DVDs and books into a backpack. "….You leaving?"
"Yeah," He nodded, smiling up at his sister as he zipped up his bag and stood, slinging it over his shoulders. "Billy and I are going to do some studying together. I've got my cell with me, but I might not be back until late."
"Oh….alright. Be careful." She nodded, not taking time to lecture him about his health like she usually does before he's about to take a trip out somewhere without her. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jeans, she walked to the door and slipped on her shoes.
This time, it was Joshua's turn to question. He stepped into the hall, looking at her with a confused expression. "You're leaving too?"
"Yeah….Just going to take a little walk." She said softly, before slipping out the door, leaving her brother to ponder what her real intentions were.
As she walked down to the sidewalk, she pulled out the index card she had scribbled on. "Yuan Remington…" She repeated his name, before looking up, down the street. She was going to pay him a little visit….
Gasp! What will happen? What will Rosette find from Remington? O.O I know. And you don't. Nyeah.
Until next chapter! Tootles :3
Zoey