Chapter One: Bridging the gap
Authors note: This is a fic that has been written by Me, Amako, and Zoey. I'm not going to reveal much, because I want you to figure it out on the way. Btw, I'm working on the 2nd chapter of CHOCOLATE MONSTER and Amako is working on BLANK PAGES, and Zoey is working on her fic FIREFLY as well. Maybe we'll get them out soon! Enjoy!
Chapter One
It was a long ride, even in the tunnels that spanned thousands of miles and boasted a speed limit of 700 mph, to get to his house. But she didn't mind, not in the least, because distance meant that when she did visit him, she'd stay for a long time, something she had been looking forward to for ages. She smiled slightly, allowing the vehicle to pilot itself down the long tunnels as she pushed her long white hair out of her face, a warm blush on her cheeks.
Joshua Christopher, her childhood crush and long time love. She wondered what he had been doing since the last time she had seen him 3 years ago. Those had been good times, before she had been discovered for her singing and began touring. She had just come back from Europe…. She wondered if he knew she was coming.
With a little frown she turned the wheel, leading herself off the tunnels and to the surface, the rumble of cars shooting above her head for a mile up making her a bit nervous. She had just got her license and was still terrified to go above the ground more then a few feet. "Now where…" She asked herself, biting her bottom lip, "Did Rosette say that they were living?" She scanned her fingers over the computer screen to her left, bringing up directions that she had scanned into the computer. It wasn't safe to allow the computer to drive in this situation… New York traffic was horrible.
It didn't take long though to reach the outskirts of the city, where the old centuries seemed to meld into their own amongst the buildings. A lot of the towers here had been built atop, and around old skyscrapers and parks of the 21st century. She frowned lightly, not realizing what state of living the two siblings must be in to have to live here. She pulled the car up to the smallest of the buildings; a measly 79-floored wonder called The Seventh Bell, and slid out of her mustang. "Well…. here goes nothing" She breathed out slowly, looking about the overgrown plants that surrounded the building, flowers and the like, before trotting into the lobby. "Wow…" She whispered, looking about at the old marble floors and furnishings, her high heels clicking with every step as she made her way up to the elevator shaft, hesitantly poking the button and jumping a bit as the doors grinded open with groan of unhappiness.
"Lord almighty…have the safety inspectors ever been over here?" She asked the air timidly, not sure if she was ready to put her life in the hands of just a rickety old contraption. But as the doors started to slide close she pushed herself forward with a sudden bout of courage and slipped inside before the metal doors locked together with a clang. For a moment the entire thing was silent, and it seemed like it had broken down, but the second the poor girl stepped forward, it rocketed up with a power that literally knocked her off her feet. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
DING
The door creaked open easier this time, as if energized by her terror, and the young girl nearly threw herself out the doors with a strangled cry, clinging the rug for a good 10 minutes until the ground stopped moving beneath her. "Ugh…" She whimpered, climbing to her feet again before smoothing down her dress and attempting to fix her hair that was now sticking up in odd places, trying to act as if that moment of un-professionalism had never happened, but the way she walked, a bit sideways, told of her near death experience. "She said…it was room 7956…" She said simply, walking down the hall, avoiding a hole in the floor quickly before picking up her steps. How could anyone live in this place?
Knock Knock
She pulled back her hand, holding her fist timidly in her other hand as her knocking allowed the door to Swing open and she stepped inside. "Hello?" She asked Timidly, peaking around the corner at the cluttered apartment, a welding gun and a lot of tools scattered around the foyer. "Rosette? Joshua?" She stepped around the kitchen wall and wandered into the living Room, her eyes widening at the sight of a rather fantastic machine, the metal gleaming slightly despite its antiquity and wires running from it in all directions, connected to generators that rumbled loudly, a hunched form working before a rather large set up of old screens and keyboards.
Her heart picked up a bit, as she realized who it had to be, and she stepped forward, a wide smile working over her lips as she timidly rested her hand upon his shoulder and leaned over to shout in his ear over the noise of the generators "Joshua?"
That should get his attention.
Joshua Christopher sat in the cramped space of the living room, which had become anything but as soon as he started his little 'project' well over a month ago. He had finally scrounged up enough money to purchase a motherboard he had been eyeing for a while, and when he finally got his hands on it, he wasn't sure he wanted just a computer. He had made the one both his sister and he uses in the household nearly from scratch as soon as he found out how to make one. He was considered something of a genius in school, always passing the most prestigious math and science courses without barely lifting a finger – and of course, completely flunked anything that involved any physical activity. He was by no means lazy, but his health kept him on his rear most of the time. Sometimes something as simple as walking to the store to pick up supplies for dinner could wear him out and cause him to retire early on in the evening.
The blond tilted his head up from his work, welding goggles placed firmly on the top of his head, wiping away from sweat that had accumulated from such tedious work. If only Rosette would help him some more…. She loved to use that welder, but if nothing got torn apart, melted, or otherwise destroyed, she wouldn't help. Besides, she thought his project was too far-fetched – even for an extremely smart young man like himself. Sisters… Why do they-
The second his mind began to wander off from his work, he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder, delicate and soft, much unlike Rosette…
"JOSHUA!"
"WAAH!" Joshua jumped out of his skin, dropping the lone keyboard that had once lay comfortably in his lap, the clattering made from the moment of destruction making the poor boy fall backwards, gasping for air. "R-Rosette! I told you not to d-"
He blinked a few times, awaiting the lecture that his sister was sure to give him for being so wrapped up in his work… Wait, his sister didn't have hair that long… and it was blond…. this girl…
"A-Azmaria?" Joshua squeaked, looking up at the young girl from a very odd angle, having been flat on his back, looking up at her with a surprised grin.
Azmaria squeaked slightly as he wrenched away from her touch, coming within inches of being part of a certain collision of heads as he fell from his chair and tumbled to the floor. "Joshua!" She dropped to her knees quickly, not realizing the nice view the boy must have had beneath her dress as she helped him sit up again, her ruby eyes worried and her cheeks quite pink as she looked up at him with a faint smile. "I'm sorry I scared you! It's just so loud in here! What is that thing?"
He coughed, taking her hand as she hoisted him up back into his chair, a faint blush on his cheeks. He didn't MEAN to glance up her dress... it was just... there. "N-No, it's my fault. Rosette always says I get too wrapped up in my work and can't hear anything or anyone around me." He rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment, looking up at her with the timid ness he usually portrays around her. "Sorry it's so loud in here. I'm working on a new invention!"
Her eyes lit up with curiosity, smiling brightly as she looked at the rather huge contraption that was rattling away in the living room. "Oh! Your invention! Rosette told me that you were restoring an old attempt at a time machine with a grant from the Museum! That's great!" She timidly stepped up to the machine and brushed her fingers along the cool steel, grinning cutely. "Where is Rosette anyway?"
"Probably trying to finish her homework in her room..." He sweatdropped. "She always takes hours. You know her."
She nodded slightly; stepping around the blonde boy in search of the one girl she could truly consider a sister. She had missed the girl's realness since she had left for her tour; the number of fake people that had surrounded her in that long trip was nearly revolting. "Rosette?" She peaked into the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "Rosette!"
Unaware of the new arrival, a blonde head bobbed from around the corner of the doorway to the kitchen, sapphire eyes casting an annoyed glance to the contraption she had grown to dislike the presence of. "I see you're still working on that piece of junk," Rosette muttered, voice lined with distaste as she switched her gaze to her brother. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even stop to eat."
"W-well...I can't argue with you there." Joshua laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head with a bit of a blush. "It's just so hard to stop once I'm on a roll..."
"Rosette!" Azmaria squealed at the sight of her, scampering up behind the girl to throw her arms about her waist, not hearing a word they had said at all over the noise of the generators.
"ACK!" Rosette squeaked in surprise, nearly toppling over from the unexpected impact. A lock of snowy hair drifted over her shoulder. "What the...Azu?" Blue eyes blinked in momentary confusion, before a bright grin lit up her face. Turning about to face the younger girl, she returned the hug energetically. "It's been such long time! How have you been?"
Rosette abruptly cleared her throat, pointing a thumb behind her in mock-irritation. "And don't mind him. He's been too busy with that trash heap to realize what's going on around him."
"Great! The tour was such a Success!" She blushed cutely, turning her eyes to Joshua with a warm look. "I think its great, to have such a big project... I mean, he's going to be widely known for this once its displayed wont he?" She let Rosette go, placing her back upon the couch lightly as she stepped around it. "What is it supposed to be anyway?"
"A time machine!" Joshua said proudly, waving around a small wrench above his head. "And it's really gonna work!"
"Junk," Rosette stated simply, kicking the bottom lightly as she walked up to it. "But Mr. Genius over there prefers to call it something else."
"TIME MACHINE!" Joshua repeated.
"A time machine!" She said slowly, as in awe. "Does it work?" She leaned over and went to poke one of the outstanding buttons on the side, completely enraptured. She had never seen something quite so... amazing...not since Joshua and Rosette had shown her the pocket watch their father had created in an attempt to restore life. Even though it hadn't worked, she still had got an odd shiver from it, and she was from this too.
"A-ah! Azu, please don't-" With a crack, the machine shuttered and let out a blow of steam, humming and slowing to a complete stop, leaving them in a very humid room.
"...Touch that button..." He coughed, sighing as the machine cluttered to a stop. "It's still not finished... besides, who knows what might happen if one of you push the wrong button? I know Azu's pretty careful, but Rosette could break it. Like everything else she touches."
The blonde's fist clenched more tightly around the spatula she had brought with her from the kitchen. "What was that!" She near-screeched, sending an icy glare toward Joshua. "I don't destroy everything!" She gave the machine another kick out of frustration. "I think it'd be better for everyone if this worthless thing was destroyed! All it does is take up space and keep you from doing anything useful around here!"
"But!" Azu piped up, giving Joshua an Adoring look. "Its so cool! And he's following in his father's footsteps too!"
Rosette raised a curious eyebrow to the look Azmaria was giving Joshua, but said nothing.
"Hey! Don't kick my baby!" Joshua whined in retaliation, hugging the huge contraption. "You'll hurt her feelings!"
"See what I mean, Azu?" Rosette gestured incredulously to the boy hugging the machine. "Obsessed!" The blonde girl gave the rusted heap another kick. "Metal doesn't have feelings."
"Well, how am I going to get it finished if you keep breaking it one way or another? I swear, I'll never get done..." He replied, crossing his arms, pouting.
The machine sparked a bit, and Azu gasped, grabbing at Rosette's arms with obvious worry. "Rosette! Please--" With a sharp whirl the thing came to life, the rusted arches starting to lurch into motion, spinning about faster and faster as it glowed a blue tone, the tools that had rested within it disappearing with a small crackle of electricity. "Don't..?"
Joshua's eyes widened, standing to his feet quickly and looking at the screen on his laptop that had been momentarily hooked up to it to watch the status as he worked. "Y-you guys? Something's not right here..." He said with a cold sweat.
"Don't you dare blame this on me!" Rosette shouted indignantly, though it was getting harder to hear the voices in the room over the increasingly loud noises the machine was emitting. "I didn't break it!" She bent down to inspect the small dent her repeated kicking had molded into the metal, and bit her lip. She didn't accidentally bust it again, did she?
"What...What is it doing?" The singer asked softly, her hair whipping about her as she moved to Joshua' side, her eyes shutting slightly against the wind that was filling the room. "Is it working!"
"Um... from what I can tell..." Joshua's shaky voice could barely be heard over the loud screeches of the machine, as he planted one hand on the side of the contraption. "My computer says it's working at full force - but I haven't even finished installing the hardware! It shouldn't be working!" A light deep inside the invention hummed, steadily getting brighter and brighter.
"What do we do?" Azmaria asked, hopping from one foot to the other as she curled her arms around one of his, the wind getting steadily stronger as well as the noise. "What's on the other side?"
"I don't know! I never set a date to go back to!" He replied with a wavering voice, as the light began to shine even brighter.
Bracing herself against the strong winds, Rosette peered toward a lit screen on the face of the machine, and the row of three buttons underneath. One of the spheres was pushed slightly inward. Someone had turned it on? "Hey, guys!" Rosette called, attempting to shout over the noise. "I think I found the problem!" Reaching out, she placed her finger over the next button and pressed lightly down.
The machine shuttered, the light turning green as numbers flashed steadily upon Joshua's screen, flicking to a sudden stop at a certain date. 1863. The arches started to slow along with the wind until all that stood before them was a slowly rotating ring about a quivering green portal, beckoning to be entered.
"Uh..." Joshua shuddered, still holding onto Azmaria tightly as he watched Rosette successfully stop the machine. "Whoa...that's a first..." Rosette fixing something...
The blonde snapped her fingers and flashed a grin toward her brother and Azmaria.
"How's that for 'destroying' things, Joshua?" Her gaze shifted to the green glow and she approached it with growing curiosity. "You didn't tell me you put lights into this thing."
"Um..." He gulped, watching her hesitantly. "I didn't. Not yet."
"What do we do now?" the singer asked softly, her eyes about the size of saucers as she stared at the glowing portal. "We cant, just leave it like this can we? We should call someone?"
Blonde eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You didn't, huh?" She placed a hand into the glow, feeling a slight chill run up her spine from the sensation. "Well whatever it is, it's kind of warm," she commented, "...but cold, at the same time." Furrowing her brows together in bewilderment of the feeling, Rosette slowly stepped into the green light.
"Wait, Rosette! You don't know what that does!" Joshua yelled as she stepped into the light.
"ROSETTE!" Azu squeaked, her entrance seeming to set something off within the machine, as it Spiked dangerously before dieing out, leaving the two onlookers without any idea on where she had gone.
"W-wait..." The poor blond boy blinked, looking at right where his sister was once standing. "...R-Rosette! Rosette! Where are you!"
Azu gave a soft cry as she dashed onto the pedestal, but not a trace of the girl was there, and she gave Joshua a horrified look. "She didn't... did she?"
It was cold in the tomb, very very cold, as it always was. But the creature didn't mind all that much, it was too far-gone to know anything. Layers of dust covered his moth eaten clothing, once radiant silk, and worms crawled about its legs, looking for some way to feast on the cold flesh, but finding none. Its chest rose and fell very slowly, maybe once an hour, if you could find time in this place. The creature, named after time itself, was lost to it, the flow that kept going every time you paused to chart it, continuing along without its namesake. Dull eyes were half lidded, the faint red still there amongst the sunken orbs, running on so little of the energy that kept its form in motion, so little blood. It couldn't move at all even, if he did, it'd die right out. Not really die though, no, it would be reduced to something a lot more pathetic then it was now. Nothing more then a mummy, scrunched up in the tomb until some inkling of blood touched its lips and reanimated it from its disgusting nightmares of the years it had lived.
And it had lived so many years.
Time ticked on, the brushing of consciousness within the creature's mind sinking back into its placid state amongst the nightmares.
But it wasn't long until something bright entered his world of darkness, and he would have lifted a hand to shield his eyes had it not been for the fact that he was unable to do much more then stare into the abyss.
But he could feel it, oh how he could feel it. The burning pleasure of the sun before it cut out quickly, leaving his skin darkened, bronzed despite his centuries in darkness. And he could feel her….
A creature, pulsing with blood, royal, rich blood. Blood that never had felt any pain, never been spilt, never had a touch of sickness. The purest of all he had ever seen, even amongst princesses.
And he wanted it.
He cursed his body, unable to do much more then shift in the darkness, his eyes gleaming faintly as the little movement sent dust flying about him.
It was fast. Incredibly high-speed. So quick, in fact, that Rosette wasn't even conscious of what had taken place in that short time span. The very first thing she even registered, was a taste: Acrid, musty, and dry.
Dirt.
Slowly, the horrid flavor of earth brought her back to reality and she coughed, face down on the flooring, cracking one blue eye gently open.
It was dark, that much was immediately revealed. As her eyes slowly attempted and failed to adjust to the inky blackness around her, she rose to her knees and coughed a bit more dirt out of her system.
What in the world had happened? Had she fallen asleep...? Passed out, maybe?
Yes, Joshua had been working on that stupid "Time Machine" of his. Azu had been there, there were frantic, unheard comments from her and Joshua that were indistinguishable from the noise the contraption was making, and then there was that green light... She must have passed out directly on the floor next to that rusty bucket of bolts!
No wonder the floor was dirty.
"Joshua?" Rosette ventured softly, still coughing more dirt out of her dry throat, "Azu?" She winced as she moved to the side, feeling her knee come in contact with something on the ground. She reached out for it, recognizing the object almost instantly upon contact. It was the spatula she had carried from the kitchen.
Oh, no! If she had passed out, that meant that dinner was...ruined, to say the least. She frowned in the darkness, distantly wondering if Joshua had remembered to eat before going to sleep. Sighing lightly, she stood, gazing about the area. As though she were unused to the lack of light, Rosette's eyes were finally fully adjusting to her surroundings.
And that just complicated things ten times more.
This wasn't Joshua's workroom. Or, for that matter, any room that she was even vaguely familiar with.
There was an unidentified large dark shape in the center, but she couldn't make it out from her current position. And suddenly, right before her fuzzy vision, there was a very slight movement beside the large object, which awakened a cloud of dust.
A chill went down her spine almost instantaneously, the small hairs on the back of her neck jumping to attention. For the first time in ages, Rosette felt something akin to fear.
And she had the strangest, inexplicable feeling that she wasn't alone, wherever she was.
The blonde's voice cracked slightly as she spoke, "Is someone there?"
A voice, it was heavenly after all those years of silence, only pierced by his own screaming. It energized him, hearing it, feeling her before him. Her lifeblood beckoning him forward. He groaned slightly, the blood that pulsed about his deadened heart spreading out thinly about his body, giving him very faint life, and he leaned forward, his voice gravely amongst the dust. "Yes…."
She swallowed, her fist clenching more tightly around the handle of the spatula in her hand. That voice, whomever it belonged to, wasn't familiar in the least. Rosette looked about wildly, attempting to find means of escape if this person turned out to be dangerous, but she found nothing in the darkness. "W-Who are you?" she questioned, instinctively holding the utensil out before her in some form of protection.
"My name is..." He said softly, trying to climb to his feet, his dusty hands gripping painfully against the Sarcophagus behind him as he lifted himself up, and weak and in pain. "My name is Chrno." He was about to tell her what he was, oh no, not until she got closer. He hungered for her, her lively beauty that went past her skin and deep into her beating heart. He wanted to rip it out, feast on it until he had enough power to break free of the tomb. "I...I am a prisoner in this place.."
His red eyes lifted to meet with her clear blue ones almost pleadingly, as his long hair tumbled down his back and over his still sculpted shoulders, faintly purple under all the dust. The lights in the place lifted just a bit with his movement, but he couldn't do much more then hold himself out, the blood pulsing through him weakening by the moment. If this took any longer, he'd have to throw himself on her mercy... and that had only ever worked once. His heart clenched a bit at the memory, but he struggled to push it away, focusing at the task on hand.
She stood her ground, biting down on her lip as she felt a slight sympathy toward the shadowed stranger, despite her fear. "Chrno," she spoke slowly, letting the name rest on her tongue, testing it. "A...prisoner?" Convict? Dangerous fugitive from the law? Innocent but held against his will?
"Well, I don't see any way out of here," she offered dully. "So I don't think I can help you."
He groaned a bit as he stood, dust and dirt falling off of him as he held himself tall, albeit, very wearily. "There are ways, but I am unable to do it myself... I would need help..." He took a hesitant step forward, unsure as what to do in this situation. He would soon be dry of any blood, and then, all his secretity would be lost in death. He would be a mummy, lying about with the very source of life slowly dying beside him, unused and starving. It would be torture.
The only way...He frowned and hated to admit it, would be to put his life into her hands.
"There are ways... I have told you that my name is Chrno; I have been trapped here in regards to an event I had no choice in. I am a Vampire..." He hissed out softly, knowing it would scare her.
For a moment, she stood in silence, not having moved an inch from her current position.
...And then burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
Catching her breath a few moments later, she wiped her tear-induced eyes. "Okay, Chrno, I nearly bought whole "prisoner" thing, but you're really pushing it." She sighed and smiled through the darkness at his slumped form. "But you're pretty bold, I'll give you that," she admitted, the same smile still present on her features. "So I'll help you. What can I do?"
He looked at her, rather startled at her laughter, and frowned slightly, trying to step forward but stumbled, toppling into the dust with a muffled growl. "You can give me a hand."
Casually tossing the spatula to her left hand, she approached him, no longer afraid, knelt next to his fallen body, and held her right hand out for him to take. "Can't get up, huh?"
He looked up at her, his hair tangling about his handsome features as he lifted his hand and closed it about her own, the pulse of her heart beneath her skin making his own skip a beat. He was so hungry... all he had to do was wrench her forward and dig his fangs deep into her throat until she no longer struggled. But he didn't even have enough strength for that...
"Hmm, you really have been here awhile, haven't you?" With one large tug, she attempted to lift him to his feet. For a moment, she felt her breath catch in her throat. The way his dark hair framed his face was almost...attractive, in some way. Mentally shaking the thought away, she decided to question him further. "What have you been living off of down here, anyway?"
He stumbled as she pulled him up, his body almost as light as a feather as his hair floated about his face, and he looked down at her with enchanting eyes as his fingers lightly slid to her throat, the pulse there far more alluring, more alluring then his restraint could bare. "I haven't been." He whispered, tilting her head upwards as he descended to his meal, fangs extending from their dulled state as he closed his eyes. Finally...
WHACK.
After cracking the spatula roughly against the top of his skull, Rosette stumbled backward, holding the "weapon" out before her threateningly, a bright blush painting her cheeks in the darkness. "Alright, buddy, you took your little joke too far," her blue eyes blazed with anger as she spoke. "I said I'd help you get out of here. So stop it with your sick pranks. It's not funny."
And yet, despite her anger, she could not ignore the increase in her heart rate. He had come so close to her, and his eyes seemed almost inhuman, just for the instant she'd locked gazes with him.
The sudden collision of the strange object to his skull sent him reeling, and he stumbled backwards, collapsing with a slight snarl as she spoke in that high pitched, worried voice.
"I am not pulling a ...Prank as you say..." He whispered, eyes flashing as he bared his fangs at her, weakening by the moment. "I am a vampire, one of the originals, I've been locked in this accursed tomb with my nightmares for more centuries then I can remember. I am at my end, my child of light, in a few minutes you will see nothing but a mummy before you."
Rosette didn't want to believe it. She really didn't. ...But he provided the best explanation she could have at this point. There was nothing in the tomb for him to eat, and there was so much dust on him that he must have been rooted to the spot for...years. And it was obvious from her current location and the looks of his clothing, that she was no longer in the year 2163.
The time machine must have actually worked.
...What could she do, now? Sacrifice her life to save this starving man, a stranger she didn't know anything about? There had to be another way...
Hesitantly, she took a few shaky steps toward him. "I can't say I completely believe you yet," the blonde admitted in a small voice. "However, is there some other way I can help you?"
He didn't respond for a few moments, his eyes lowered as if dead, before finally he breathed in, lifting his eyes back to her again. "I will not drain you... I need only enough to get out of here..." He lifted a hand again to the sarcophagus once more, trying to lift himself up. "I will be in your debt, and I will bind myself to your service until the time you see fit that I have repaid my debt. But I need your blood, quickly. This choice is not something you can ponder on."
Taking a shuddering breath, she approached his fallen form again, dropping down before him with a single nod to signal that she understood. She was afraid, she could admit it to herself, but still, Rosette felt that what she was doing...was right.
Something about Chrno compelled her to trust him.
His dusty face pulled into a slight smile, and he nodded to her, his large hands settling over her shoulders as he drew her close to him, his voice low and rumbly. "Thank you..." his fingers traced over her pulse point, turning her head upwards with a small smile as he pulled her even closer, sandwiching her form against his with one strong arm as he sank his fangs into her throat, the taste of coppery sweetness nearly driving him wild. He groaned faintly against her skin, licking the wound with lavish attention before he began to drink deeply of her life. It was so pure, so delicious
There was no harm in it, no malice that tainted the flesh and bone of the mortals he regularly had fed on. None of the sicknesses carried by rats and bugs and fescues that filled the flavor with a raunchy after taste. It was heaven in each draft of the substance, energizing him more then he could have thought would be possible. And in this process he bound himself to her, in the ancient way vampires could, binding their very names.
"Rosette..." He whispered against her skin, his arms tight, but gentle about her, like the way a lover would hold his beloved when she was afraid of the dark. Only Chrno was the dark, and he loved it more and more with each taste.
Her sapphire eyes had drifted half-closed, partially from the overwhelming weakness that enveloped her, and partially from his close proximity.
But she clearly heard him say her name. And that...she didn't tell it to him, did she?
Her eyelids drifted even further down as he continued removing the life fluid from her body, and with a great effort, she opened her lips, voice coming out no more than a faint whisper, "My name...how...did you know?"
Finally he pulled back, leaving her enough to live on, enough to keep consciousness, but left her considerably weaker, the guilt that filled each killing hitting him more even though her life had not been lost. He could see it already, although there was not much, the tainting... "I am in your debt more then you might realize Rosette..." He lifted himself up, swinging her gently into his arms bridal style. "I am bound to you now, to your name as it is bound to your blood. That is how I know." He gently brushed her bangs from her face before pressing his now warm fingers to her throat, helping the bleeding stop.
In the hazy and half-dreamy condition of her mind at present, he made perfect sense. Yes, she was safe now. It didn't matter where she was, or what time she was in. None of it mattered, because she felt secure with Chrno.
Unable to fight the exhaustion any longer, Rosette slumped her head against his chest and the slits of dulled blue closed completely.
Chrno chuckled slightly, brushing his own hair out of his face as she curled against his falsely beating heart. "Goodnight dear angel." He whispered faintly as she fell asleep, and he held her carefully as he brushed his fingers over the watch she was wearing on her chest, yanking his hand back with a frown as the contact was rather painful, the face glowing a faint green.
"What do we have here?" He asked in a low voice, but turned his eyes upwards to the streets above, his now heightened senses detecting thousands of beating hearts. His face broke into a rather devious smile, his already stained fangs glinting in the half-light of the tomb. "I am Sorry Magdalene, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks." He whispered softly, brushing his hand over the coffin before he stepped forward into the shadows, and back into time.
Hope you Enjoyed:P