I don't own Chrono Crusade.

-CHAPTER 12-

The Studio

Rosette and Chrono bumped into each other in the dining hall the following morning—literally. Rosette ran straight into him the second he stepped foot in the cafeteria, exclaiming that she had been waiting for him and tugging him away from the Elder and toward the line of youths in blue.

"R-Rosette, be careful. You're going to trip someone."

"Don't be such a worrywart. They know to get out of the way."

In no time Rosette and Chrono were at the head of the line. Rosette was eager to pile Chrono's plate with more food than he would ever hope to finish—a deep bowl of porridge, ham, biscuits, eggs and fruit. Chrono tried to remind her it was it was important not to waste food, but she barked that he had to eat more and finished by reassuring him she would eat whatever he didn't.

They joined Beth at a nearly full table. Rosette actively pushed a tray to the side while asking if its owner—a teenaged boy with thick glasses—minded if she sat next to him. He shot her an exasperated look, but seemed to decide it wasn't worth the fight because he quickly slid down the bench, making room for both Rosette and Chrono.

"You two look to be in high spirits," said Beth, her tone flat but welcoming. She was nursing a mug of hot tea, her empty plate already off to the side.

Rosette encouraged Chrono to dig in. He sighed, but obliged. He was hungry.

"We're going to the shooting range with Minister Remington so I can finally practice with my Colt," Rosette shared enthusiastically. "Chrono's coming with me for training starting today. That's why he finally dragged himself out of his cave at the pervy Elder's place."

"You were the one too busy to come see me!" Chrono managed to say after swallowing his mouthful of porridge. "It's not like I liked being holed up in there again, but people look at me funny and—"

"Who looks at you funny? Want me to beat them up?" Rosette grumbled, shooting a mistrustful look around the room. Chrono waved his hands delicately, trying to put the girl's mind at ease.

"I'm fine. And anyway, it's not like they have no reason. I am—"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Just eat. We have to get going soon or we'll be late."

Rosette began shoveling her food down in huge mouthfuls. Her table manners were often revolting but completely expected.

"You sure wasted no time in getting back on schedule," Beth observed, and Chrono laughed smiled faintly as his attention was drawn back toward the other Sister. She was still drinking her tea calmly. Her hair had grown since they had last seen each other, but it was still held back with a headband.

"Beth, that reminds me. When will you begin training as a Novice?" Chrono found himself wondering, but immediately regretted having asked. Her eyes widened and she seemed to get a bit flustered.

"W-well, you see, I—"

"Beth is the right age, but she's way too chicken to become a Novice. Trust me, I've asked her a billion times already. She thinks she won't be any good and would rather focus on devoting her prayers to the big guy in the sky." Rosette clapped her hands together in what Chrono suspected was a mock prayer.

Chrono felt a twinge of sympathy for Beth, who was staring at Rosette with a very flat expression. He wasn't surprised when she got up without a word, gathered her tray and walked away to deliver it to the dish counter.

She did not return.

"Rosette, that wasn't very nice!" Chrono exclaimed, and his voice must have been louder than he had intended because several heads turned in his direction. He lowered his tone, but stared hard at Rosette. "Don't tell me you've been badgering Beth about this. You can't see that you hurt her feelings?"

"What do you mean? We always talk to each other like that. I call her a goody-two-shoes, she makes fun of me for always getting in trouble."

"That's not the point. She's clearly feeling insecure. You should be more supportive. Friends can't only be critical of each other."

"What do you know? It's not like you're the expert on friends between the two of us—"

"Rosette!"

He was commanding and he knew it. The girl immediately shut her mouth. She almost seemed to glare at him before her façade of frustration crumbled a little. She gave a little huff and turned her attention back to her breakfast.

Rosette's words had made Chrono briefly think back to a time long ago when he had lived peacefully with the other Sinners, and he had to dismiss the painful memory. He didn't need it. Not anymore.

"Let's get going," Rosette said when she had finished her breakfast. "We don't want to keep Father Remington waiting."

Chrono, who was also finished eating, followed her to the dish counter without a word. They deposited their leftovers in the garbage and in no time were veering off toward the staircase that led to the first level basement of the Order of Magdalene.

The basements were forbidden to all but Novices and higher-ranking Militia—it was the first rule of the Order of Magdalene. No Brother or Sister without the proper title could enter the training and weapons' facilities housed below the main building.

The wooden stairs creaked as the girl delved once more into the core of the monastery. She had been down this way several times before because Father Remington's office was in Basement 1, but she had not yet been permitted to explore the various chambers: the shooting range, the biggest weapon and ammunition storage room, the combat training facilities. Until today, that is.

Rosette was quiet all the way down. Internally she was still reeling over Chrono calling her out with no rhyme or reason; as if she had actually been rude to Beth or hurt Beth's feelings. They were always like that! Chrono had no idea what he was talking about.

"Are there other basements?" Chrono asked her. She nodded her head despite her frustration, confirming that the Order held several deeper basements that were shut off to all but the most seasoned exorcists and faculty. She had no idea what was down there, but Father Remington had very much implied that it was dangerous.

"There are some rules even I won't break," she confirmed needlessly. "They've probably got some pretty scary stuff down there. A-anyway, we're here."

Rosette paused in front of a big metal door. The entrance to the shooting range was soundproof, but she could still make out the faint popping of guns going off on the other side. She reached for the buzzer left of the door, alerting whomever was within that they had arrived.

"Sister Rosette, Chrono. How wonderful it is that you've decided to join me," said Minister Remington, and the telltale butterflies in Rosette's stomach emerged right on cue. Her tall, golden-haired teacher towered over the two children, beckoning them inside.

Rosette immediately squawked and covered her ears despite her awe at finally seeing the range. The sound of gunfire was deafening. Chrono looked even more alarmed, but he said nothing as they followed Father Remington to the far end of the wide room. There was a fence running from wall to wall with small openings for trainees to fire at still or moving paper targets. Rosette caught a glimpse of Anna, Claire and Mary on the far side. They wore big earmuffs and gloves, their attention squarely fixed on firing their daily rounds.

Rosette was surprised when Remington led them past the big wall of practice weapons and to a small door. He guided them through, giving Rosette a gentle smile that made her knees feel momentarily like jelly.

Chrono looked incredibly relieved when Remington shut the door again, cancelling out the sound of gunfire from the other Novices. The Minister went to flick the light switches. They shifted on with a mechanical banging sound one after the other, illuminating a big room with a padded grey floor and mirrors lining the walls. Several windows were positioned on the top edges. Their faint glow made the dust that clung in the air more apparent.

"Father Remington, what about—?"

"All in due time, Sister Rosette. I thought we might have a nice chat and get to know your new training facility first."

"Uh-huh," Rosette frowned indignantly. "You better not be trying to hold off giving me the gun back after what happened. I told you it was a mistake and you shouldn't have given me a loaded pistol to begin with."

"Yes, yes, Rosette. Don't fret. Patience is key," Remington went on, holding out his arms in presentation. "We call this place The Studio. It's one of our less frequented chambers, but the best place to train with swords or other melee weapons in Basement 1. You can find a wide selection of blunt tools in the storage room over there. We also have a break room with an incredibly soft couch, if you ever feel inclined to have a cup of coffee..." Remington's voice faded to a whisper as he confided: "Don't tell Sister Kate, but it's also my favourite place to take a nap away from prying eyes."

"Keep giving me all this blackmail fodder and one day I might be Sister Kate's favourite Novice," Rosette said, smirking.

Remington laughed.

"If I did not trust you as much as I do I might be frightened."

"Why don't trainees use this place often?" Chrono wondered, and in spite of her desire to tease her teacher Rosette had to admit she was also curious. It looked like a perfectly set up facility where Novices could spend the day honing their skills while periodically checking the mirrors for posture and stance weaknesses, but it was shut off to the side, not easy to access and appeared as though it had been empty for a long time.

"Well, it's probably because we used to keep demons locked away here..." Remington indicated the far wall where the lights were dimmer. Rosette was surprised she had not noticed it earlier, but at the very end of the room there was a what looked like a bronze crucifix. Even from this distance Rosette could see that the cross was adorned with various leather straps. Their purpose was not foreign to her.

"This was before Edward equipped the laboratory with more effective seals, but rumours among the Novices are this place is haunted."

The Minister raised his hands, wiggling his fingers in a goofy manner so as to get his point across.

"That, and there are bigger and better equipped facilities in Basement 2, where most of your fellows spend their training hours. It's no bother to me. It just means I get this place to myself whenever I want, and I thought who better to share it with than the two of you."

"Heh," Rosette nudged Chrono, chaffing him and pointing at the cross. "This explains where they were going to strap you up if they decided you were a bad boy."

"Sister Rosette, if I remember correctly you nearly bit me back when Sister Kate suggested doing that."

"And I would have if you had actually done it." Rosette had an aggravating thought then that she forced herself to voice. "Hang on, are you sure it's not that those annoying halfwits in the shooting range didn't want to train with me and Chrono?"

"Hmm. Perhaps they did voice a complaint or two, but pay them no heed, Sister Rosette. They are my beloved Novices just the same as you, but their circumstances do not meet yours and for the time being it is better that the three of us have a place where I can show you the ropes, share the secrets of my trade, all that jazz."

"Ohhh, those three little..." Rosette grumbled a string of very un-nunlike words that made Remington chuckle and Chrono's cheeks flush.

"Rosette..."

"Yeah, yeah," she brushed Chrono aside. "So come on. Let us see some weapons. Like swords and knives and maces and—"

"Oh, you don't say."

Remington suddenly drew his sword, and Rosette yelped in surprise, jumping back. She had not seen him take it out of its scabbard since Seventh Bell, but as with that night, he immediately turned his sights on the Devil at her side. She felt Chrono stiffen in response, his concern not completely masked by his stoic posture. Thankfully the Minister was quick to reassure both the girl and boy.

"Do not be afraid. I only want to spar with you this time, Chrono. A friendly game. N-not with weapons, mind. I was about to put this down."

"With you, Father Remington?!" Rosette's whine made Remington laugh softly again, commenting that nothing got by her but that Chrono was a unique case and he needed to understand what he was dealing with.

"I don't think that's necessary, Minister. I'm fine just watching—"

Chrono was interrupted when Remington surged at him out of nowhere, the much bigger man swinging an arm in his direction. Chrono only just got out of the way fast enough, Remington's fist brushing the empty air directly before his forehead. The boy looked completely dumbstruck, and but he had to be ready because Remington wasn't letting up now that he had started.

Rosette gaped, unable to move an inch as her teacher danced around the Devil, blocking his blows at every opportunity. Chrono was certainly speedy, but there was a hesitation in his movements that Rosette found—after months of training with the other Novices—she was able to identify easily. His reflexes weren't entirely human. Remington, however, was a real diamond in the rough. No matter how many throws Chrono aimed at him the Minister was prepared. He caught fists, held back blows and seemed to be observing the whole time.

"Don't give up, Chrono!" Rosette abruptly cheered, finding that she was enjoying this despite her slight twinge of jealousy.

Chrono rushed forward again, forearm meeting Remington's. Chrono's sharp fangs were gritted and his hands were clenched. There was a different aura overtaking the Devil, and Rosette blinked as a strange (not not completely unfamiliar) sensation greeted her. She, too, could feel what he felt at times, and there was no denying the faint tingle of anger that seemed to spread from her fingertips to her insides.

"There he is," Remington observed, and it was immediately after he identified this—face slightly strained with tiredness—that he gave an extra hard shove. Chrono was pushed so hard he made the mirror he struck rattle, a gasp escaping his throat. He fell forward and onto the ground, catching himself with both hands. He was panting.

"C-Chrono!" Rosette cried out as soon as it was over, finding her voice again. She hurried forward and directly past Father Remington, kneeling down to check on the exhausted and defeated Devil. When she had assessed that he was fine, she scowled at her teacher. "What the heck was all that about? Father Remington! Chrono said he didn't want to, but you went after him anyway. That's not fair—"

"Hush, Rosette. Everything... is fine. That is... enough for one day," Remington said, a little out of breath. "Chrono, that was... a real test. You... fought well."

Father Remington reached a hand out to help Chrono up, but to Rosette's bewilderment Chrono did not accept it. The Devil stood shakily on his own, brushing dust off his knees and averting his gaze from both the Minister's and hers. Had she really been paying attention she would have noticed that Chrono's fists were still balled. She wanted to ask him what his problem was, but before she could Remington stood up tall and indicated that the shooting range was probably free.

"Come on, Chrono."

Rosette eagerly followed her teacher back through the door to the practice range. It was much quieter now. The three Novices had gone, leaving it empty.

"Always put on your earmuffs before using a gun in the range. The noise in this confined space has the potential to damage your eardrums, and nobody wants that." Remington ordered Rosette to take the earmuffs. She shoved them on, clamping them down tight. "Good. Now remember that you'll need me or another Novice to unlock the gun cabinet if you wish to shoot rounds at any time so don't hesitate. You'll get your own key when you begin taking on missions."

"W-when will that be!?" Rosette clamored, glee rushing through her. After the incidents in the lab with the demon dog and the poltergeist in the rundown factory Rosette was yearning to test everything she had learned thus far as a young exorcist. She was still just getting started, but Claire, Mary and Anna were already taking on odd jobs for the Order of Magdalene and Rosette couldn't stand being left behind.

"Soon," Remington revealed vaguely. "Of course you will have to start small, but we all do. And you'll have Chrono as back-up."

Rosette waited with baited breath as Remington unlocked the glass cabinet. He retrieved the same model from the day before and—with an encouraging smile—leaned down to hand it over. Rosette took it up again, holding it against her chest like it was some precious cargo. She turned to show it to Chrono, and though there was still an aura of darkness around him, he did manage a heartening smile. It was enough for Rosette, who was too excited to take full note of her partner's discomfort.

"Your primary ammunition in the field will be bullets filled with Holy Water to ward off monsters, but Edward is always working on new prototypes and bullets for our Novices and Militia to test. Here in the shooting range we stick to regular bullets. We are never in short supply so use as many as you want. Just remember to clean up when you're done and always—I repeat, always—put the weapons back when you're done training. I might not always be here to ensure that you don't do something foolish, but I can trust you, right?"

"Of course, Minister!"

"Excellent. Now, come here."

Remington directed her to one of the small practice booths. He held her arm from where he stood behind her, trying to steady her. Rosette's face was beet-red and her heart was pounding with the Minister's closeness, but she was too excited to say anything. She allowed the Minister to guide her grip on the Colt.

"Gentle but firm, Sister Rosette. I realize that may be difficult, but—" Remington broke off, his attention seemingly drawn to Rosette's hold. She tried her absolute best to remain steady with him over her, and while she was expecting Remington to correct her, she was surprised to realize that his reaction was not critical. "Excellent, Sister Rosette. Despite your er... error in judgement yesterday, you seem to be a natural."

"You think so!?"

"Yes. Your grip and aim are flawless for a beginner. I'm impressed."

"It's like I told you! When Chrono and I shot that demon dog I—"

In Rosette's excitement the gun curved in her hand and, naturally, her finger slipped across the trigger. There was a deafening BANG that made Rosette, Chrono and the Minister all jump until they acknowledged what had transpired. Remington gave a deep and heavy sigh—Rosette apologized frantically, promising that she wouldn't do it again and begging that he not take the gun away.

"Just be more careful. Please. One day you might hurt somebody."

"I'm sorry, Father Remington."

"No need to apologize. Just... go ahead. Try again."

Rosette puffed out her chest, swiveling once more so she was facing the target. She raised her arm exactly as she had before, stilling it with her other and poising her finger over the trigger. She breathed in and out, remembering what Remington had taught her, and with a rush of exhilaration that made her core buzz she fired. She pulled back, admiring her aim. The bullet was not dead-center on the paper, but it was close enough that Rosette immediately met Remington's gaze. He gave her a thumbs-up.

"Wonderful. Let's try to get even closer."

"Yes, Minister Remington!"

Chrono had slipped back into the The Studio while Rosette fired her Colt, both to escape the noise and to stave off his growing restlessness. Nobody needed to see him in this state. He walked from the entrance to the far wall, gaze fixed on the mirror directly in front of him that perfectly reflected his form. It was a small, weak, ineffectual body with crimson eyes that gazed back at him, and he had to fight back the unfamiliar urge to land a fist against the glass.

What are you thinking, Chrono? Wanting to break something... that's not you.

It was the first time in what felt like a very long time his thoughts had turned to his own circumstances. He had done what needed to be done by agreeing to lend Magdale his arms, he had accompanied his partner to the basement to oversee her training with Remington, but the strength of the man's words and blows had bestowed in Chrono a new and alien uncertainty.

If he was not even powerful enough in this body to fight off a human, how could he possibly hope to face Aion? He could not rely on the potential of Rosette unleashing the seal at every opportune moment. He could not only be a burden on her. That was not why he had agreed to form the Contract with her. That was—

"Chrono? Ah, Chrono, I thought you might have wandered back in here."

Chrono bristled slightly when the door opened and Father Remington popped his head inside. Chrono watched through the mirror as the Minister squeezed through the the door, closing it behind him to muffle Rosette's gunfire. He sidled across the room to stand directly behind the Devil, arms folded across his chest and demeanour calm. In the reflection Chrono felt that he looked even smaller. The top of his head didn't even meet Remington's shoulders. The Minister was tall and lean and handsome; when Chrono looked at himself he saw only the shadow of a child.

"Is something on your mind, Chrono?"

"N-no, it's nothing."

Remington sighed. It was clear he did not believe him.

"Listen, I know you don't really like me, but I am your Minister now and that means you should not be shy to get things off your chest. What is this particular spell of angst signalling? Is it about Rosette again, or..." Remington trailed off as he seemed to identify the problem. "Are you perhaps feeling insecure that you could not defeat me in combat?"

Hearing it spoken aloud in Remington's empathetic but always semi-mocking tone was both aggravating and strangely therapeutic for Chrono. He looked up, meeting Remington's gaze in the mirror. He wanted to argue, but he had nothing to say. Even if this was not a conversation he wanted to have, the Minister wasn't wrong.

"I realize that it is in your nature to worry, but I hope you didn't think you were only valuable for the strength of your claws, Chrono. We all have our talents and our faults, and you are currently not at your full potential by choice. A noble choice, mind. And even in that choice you're very capable. I did not have an easy time fighting you earlier. There were several moments when you nearly overpowered me. Really, I broke a sweat, and that doesn't happen too frequently these days. I'll have to be on my toes if you ever decide to fight me again."

The little swell of pride that went through the Devil made him perk up, and he stared more confidently at the Minister. Remington was not lying to make him feel better. Chrono had also been able to feel the tempo between them shift as he had nearly taken the upper-hand right before Remington had blocked the final blow that had made him strike the mirror.

"But regardless of your ability," Remington continued. "When we send our exorcists into the field it is customary that they are equipped not only with weapons, but knowledge in identifying demonic activity and medical expertise. Unless you feel we can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Minister Remington smirked as Chrono shook his head, knowing exactly what the Minister was implying. "Y-yes. I mean, no, Minister Remington. I don't think that. It's just... who's going to teach me—"

"Why, Edward and myself, of course! I know you've already been doing a good deal of research in your time alone. You were easily able to pinpoint that you were after a poltergeist when you came across that sick child. Don't tell her I said this, but Rosette isn't really the studious type—she'll go all out in combat, but when it comes to the finer details I think you have more potential."

Remington was quite correct in his assessment of Chrono's Contractor. Rosette was a whole lot of things, but bookish was not one of them.

As for himself, Chrono had not really considered that he could play a role outside of combat, and now that Remington was introducing the prospect he found himself strangely intrigued. He had no knowledge of human medical practices. Being a creature that had, like all of his kind, sustained himself via his horns and the Astral Lines, Chrono couldn't even claim to have much mastery over his own anatomy. His wounds had always healed, his true body had never aged or changed. His mind and heart had evolved—spiritual growth, Rosette had called it, but truth be told Chrono wasn't even completely sure that he could die a natural death.

"Well, what do you say?" Minister Remington said, and Chrono found himself carefully agreeing. "Excellent! Sister Rosette's dorm head Elizabeth Grandburg has also been studying medical skills for about a month now, so the two of you should be able to support each other—"

"Beth has been?" Chrono commented. Well, that explained her reaction to Rosette calling her 'chicken' earlier when he had asked about exorcist training. It was not that Beth was too scared, she was just dedicating her skills away from direct combat. A reasonable pursuit for Beth. "That's wonderful to hear. I guess she'll tell Rosette when she's ready."

"Oh, those two are like oil and water. Best not to get involved!"

A/N: Just some rambly thoughts on where I've taken the characters and the future.

I've really been focusing on how I feel Rosette and Chrono would have evolved from their state at Seventh Bell to the beginning of the manga. There's a whole lot left to interpretation or 'headcanon', but my goal is to fill in the blanks and flesh out various relationships to the best of my ability. In my opinion Chrono, Rosette and Remington's dynamic and is one of the major ones that gets glossed over in the four year gap and it's just fascinating to imagine how Chrono came to see the Minister as both a figure of respect and target of envy. Rosette went from disliking Remington to having a massive crush on him, but she'll never throw Chrono under the bus for anybody. I felt Remington probably would have gone from fearing and hating Chrono for targeting Magdalene and Rosette to realizing that they both see themselves as martyrs for a greater cause.

Response to Guest Review on Chapter 11: Hi and thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying The Lost Years so much. Yes, I'll be adding more chapters to this story. It isn't finished yet. My current outline has 20 chapters, but that could always be subject to slight change. I expect Rosette and Chrono's first year to be around 20 total with the potential for more stories in the future. Thankfully the manga itself left me with a strong emotional potential for the final stretch with Rosette's first friend (Beth) leaving Magdalene right before her 14th birthday. Before that, however, I have some very fun things planned.