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Rutilus Catena	By : Zilleniose Category: +. to F > Chrono Crusade Views: 3190 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Hey all!
Noticed there aren�t many new fics for the CC
category, so I thought I�d submit another RP by me and Sammy. Forgive the
somewhat tacky play-on-words Latin title. I�m horrible with titles. And I
happen to like Latin.

If you at
all remember �Darkest Night� (It was deleted along with my account for being
under the age of 18. Which I�m not now so they better keep off my ass), and you
liked it, then this will probably have you pleasantly surprised.

The basis of
the story is (sort of) the same kind of plot � totally different world, semi-vampiric Chrno who purchases Rosette (whom is 12 again,
leave me and my lolicomplex alone. There�s a reason
for it) as a slave.

Only Sammy I
and thought it would be absolutely hilarious if they weren�t only in character,
but the actual characters taken from a part of the original CC storyline. For
lack of a better plot-bunny, the portal to Eden malfunctioned and stuck a knife in
the space-time continuum. Horrah for anomalies!

Of course there
will be lemons later on, and you will find out just why there will be in this
chapter. Enjoy!

----

Chapter 1

God...fucking...damnit. Every morning the sun and the
yelling woke her up, she wondered exactly where she was, for a moment believing
she was still in the bed at the recovery site and all the last two weeks were a
dream. But the cold hit of water beating
down on her body and the bodies of other children younger and older then her, woke her up quickly, and she immediately jumped to her
feet, much to the amusement of her captors. She glared at them viciously, a few
choice words lodged in her throat, but the dirt caked wounds that coated her 12
year old body lay testament that she couldn�t afford to scream at them so early
in the morning. Instead she flung dirt in their direction and ducked behind
bigger bodies to keep from the icy chill.

She didn�t
understand what quite had gone wrong, when she and Chrno stepped through the
doorway, the one Satella had gone through and lead
them to, it should have transported them to Eden. Somehow, though, she ended up in
this hell. 12 years old again, and in the middle of a pit of squirming naked,
dark haired children, blond against a sea of black and brown. She had panicked,
rightly, and started screaming and yelling and fighting those who had come to
calm her down. That had earned her the first beating of many to come. Not that
she cared anymore, nothing would break her will. She was sure Chrno was around
here, and probably just as much trouble as she was. She worried about him, and
it kept her focused. She needed to find him, get out of this dimension, and get
her fucking brother.

Why couldn�t
anything go right for her?

After the
morning 'bath' They were all herded out to scrounge through bags of rotting
bread and dirty water, before suddenly, they were all penned up in a different
direction, the men laughing at them. Rosette just rolled her eyes, back to the
selling block huh? Not that she�d ever sell. She'd make sure of it. Her little
tunnel out of the pit was almost under the wall now. She'd escape, she was sure
of it.

The bustling
about the streets were slow as usual, the unkept dirt
paths and rusting, rotting buildings lining every corner filled up with shady
characters even before the sun rose. Whatever had happened with the portal to Eden, no one could really say for sure,
but the place Rosette was dumped in was certainly not Earth... or at least, her
Earth. Demons were numerous and walked about in broad daylight, even legion
prowled in the shadows, much like stray cats that would as soon tears your leg
off if you were to look the other way. Very few humans could be found in the
masses, and all had collars on in a variety of colors and intricate modeled
clasps at the front. Future, past, or alternate timeline - whatever the case,
it was obvious humans were no longer the dominant race. Pandemonium had risen,
and so did her children. Humans, though once thought as nothing more than a
nuisance, were commonly kept as slaves for whatever reason; sex, food, or
maids. Even children younger than Rosette were sold off to be raped thoroughly
before painfully eaten alive in broad daylight, like it was an everyday
occurrence. Of course, many of the children with her had heard of much nicer
places beyond the town they were in, castles and rich cities that elite demons
lived in. It was slightly more encouraging than the setting around her
currently, but the laws wouldn't change no matter where she goes. Humans were
insects. There would be no solace for her if she couldn't find Chrno.

The blonde
quietly grabbed dirt off the handles of the pen they were being ushered
through, making sure she wasn�t being watched terribly as she mashed the goop
into her golden hair, mucking it up enough so it might seem from the casual eye
as just a lighter color of brown. Hopefully her owners wouldn�t notice until it
was too late. Finally they reached the selling pits, after a damn hear half of
the children were sent to the slaughter house. Fodder for Legion. She had been placed in the pack with the unsellables, and after too much time there, you'd get
crushed up and made into dog food. The girl cringed at the thought, and made a
face, shaking her head. She wouldn�t be here long enough for that to happen.
Her thoughts were cut short as suddenly she was grabbed purposefully from the
pack, yelping as her arm was wrenched in the wrong direction.

"Come
with me bitchlet." The crude voice of her
'bee-like' owner cut into her ears, and she struggled, growling like a wounded
cat as she kicked at his legs.

"LET ME THE FUCK GO!" She howled, making a large scene as the demon manhandled her, digging
his claws into her already wound dappled skin.

"Shut up you ungrateful wench!" He
snarled, slapping a hand over her mouth, thumb pressed inside so she wouldn�t
bite him, all but choking her with the horrible taste. "You are going to
be sold if you like it or not. Creatures like you aren�t meant to be wasted on
the slaughter house."

She glared
over her shoulder at him, kicking and squirming and yelling despite the
gagging, as she was brought behind the selling platform and hit with another
cold hose, feeling nearly drowned under the pressure of it. But the mud crawled
out of her dirty hair anyway, and a thin dress was slapped onto her, cut revealingly.
She snarled, yelled, cursed at them, covered her self and forced nearly five
demons to have to congregate on her to keep her from killing the one trying to
dress her, before she was all but dragged, wrists and ankles bound, and gagged,
onto the stage in front of the eager crowd. The remains of the last 'product'
was scattered on the ground in front of her, his eyes staring soullessly up at
her, feet away from the remains of his body.

"Next
item," A rather large, somewhat humanoid demon stepped out from the group
that held Rosette in place, lips curling into a smile on his pig-like face,
claws motioning to the young girl with stunningly blond hair. "A very
exotic toy, yes..... don't let her fool you - she's
feisty, but she can take a beating." The demon holding her arms jerked her
around, lifting up her dress for a moment to display the scars and still
bleeding wounds around her body like it was a trophy. "She won't pass out
near as fast as any other girl her age... the perfect pet. I guarantee you -
rape her, drink half her blood, and she'll stay alive long enough to recuperate
for another round in days."

The usually uninterested crowd of demons began
to murmur, blood-colored eyes watching her intently and grinning fang-laden mouths
literally began to drool. The slave trader finally found a good selling point
in the girl - she would usually chase potential buyers off with her attitude,
but now it's become her best trait. "I'll start the bidding at twenty
thousand pent!"

There was an
eerie silence, like all other times she had been dragged to the auction podium,
but this time... voices began to rise.

"Twenty-five thousand!"

"30 thousand!!"

"38
thousand, top that!" A larger demon roared, chuckling only to be topped
again, the crowd in a frenzy as the child squirmed, trying to break out of her
bonds, which only made the crowd more eager, pushing against the fences keeping
them away from the stage, blood and mud squishing beneath their toes. damn it damn it damn it! what can i do! where are my guns! I'm going
to fucking kill all these bastards! i
swear it!! But fear still tremmored through her at
the list of actions he had said, and she spat her gag out, growling as she
began chewing at the bonds on her wrists, the bidding apexing,
excited. SHIT.

"100 thousand! No 1200
thousand!"

"Shut
the fuck up you lower ranked scum! 1500 thousand!'

The crowd
grew louder, some demons growling and spitting at each other, a fight just
waiting to break out amongst the chaos. "Thirteen
thousand!!" Another yell erupted, before the demon who called the
bid with pushed back, claws digging into his face. "Don't go after my
property, fucker! Fifteen
thousand!" Yet among the rather uncivilized crowd, a powerful
presence was sensed, and the fighting slowly stopped, the smarter demons
becoming silent and worried as their eyes trailed to the back, where a tall,
regal figure walked into the crowd, pitch black wings trailing behind him like
a cape.

"Two hundred
thousand." A very familiar baritone voice easily carried across the
now dead silent congregation of demons, before the crowd began to part slowly,
golden eyes watching Rosette with calm intent. Whispers were heard right after
the unusually high bid, but it was obvious no one wanted to confront the violet-haired
elite who was making his way steadily down to the
front of the podium, twin ivory horns gleaming in the mid-day sun.

She stopped
struggling immediately, looking up at him through the blood and grime that
caked her weary body, her shoulders slumping as relief flooded her body
desperately, and she nearly choked on the words as she gasped out his name,
leaning backwards against the post. Oh...Thank
god.

The
pig-faced slave trader just about lost his balance as the high-bidder's words
fell upon his ears, fangs gleaming as his lips curled into a grotesque smile.
"So nice to see an Elite here in this humble
town..." He bowed his head to the demon who stood
at the fence, before straightening back up. "Do I hear a challenge, or
y'all gonna scamper off with your tails between yer legs?" He called out to the crowd.

Silence - save for a few whispers, but it was
clear that every single being in the crowd was either too poor, or too
terrified to raise the bid left they wish to live.

"Alright then," The trader motioned
for another to open the gates, allowing the tall demon through to sign the
contract. "May I have your name, good sir?" His voice wavered with
pure delight. He could send the rest of the brats he has to the slaughter house
with this money...

"Chrno
Truth." The demon replied in that familiar smooth tone Rosette had never
gotten the chance to get used to. His golden eyes glanced back at her for a
moment, but seemed to disregard her as a whole, as if she was nothing more than
an item. He showed no concern, no relief, nothing that would give her the
reason to think that this was truly the same Chrno she had entered the portal
with a few weeks ago.

"Chrno!" She whispered loudly, tugging at her wrists again as she growled a
little. "Chrno! What took you so long? I've been
worried sick about you!" It tore at her heart a little to see him ignore
her like that, confusion on his current completed state only slightly smaller
then her confusion on the way she he was acting. "Chrno you pompous ass,
answer me!"

"Right
then," The trader nodded, as another demon handed him a book and feathered
pen. "Now this here's a rare beauty... I've already sold her to a breeder
the moment she reaches sexual maturity. I assume you're familiar with the
protocols?"

Before he had a chance to reply, Chrno turned
her way and lashed out at her, the back of his hand slapping the side of her
face hard, the very edge of his claws leaving small bleeding marks across her
cheek and lips. "Ungrateful trash." He growled low, golden eyes glaring at her
intensely as he bared his fangs. "You haven't the right to speak to me in
such a manner lest you wish for death."

"I-I'm
so sorry about that Mr. Truth," The trader rushed his apology, bowing his
head multiple times. "She has quite the temper, and a very...colorful
vocabulary. But I'm sure that makes it all the more pleasurable once you
finally break her, yes?"

The child
yelped, hitting the deck again as she gripped her cheek, pain, worse then she
had ever felt while being here, pain that stabbed deep into the heart. She
growled under her breath, trembling as she fought back tears and gave Chrno a
look full of loathing. This couldn�t be her Chrno. Defiantly
not. "Back the fuck off! You'll never
break me!"

The
violet-haired demon merely smirked at her comment, eyes filled with sadistic
intent. "Believe me, little girl..."
He emphasized the nickname like it was an insult. "By the time I'm done
with you, you'll be begging for death,
not to be broken."

"S-so, as the contract states..."
The trader interrupted him from going any further, grabbing his attention once
again. "You are to prepare her for breeding before she reaches sexual
maturity. I'm sure this won't be a problem?" He made sure to use a more
formal way of saying 'fuck', or 'rape' in front of an Elite.

Chrno's voice seemed impatient as the trader
held the book out, before he bit his finger and used his claw to write his name
in blood on the parchment. "Your payment will be sent forthwith."

Rosette
squirmed even more desperately, cursing under her breath as she brought blood
to her wrists trying to pry them out of their binds, her breathing rough as she
refused to look upwards, panic in her chest. Damn it Damn
it Damn it. She wanted to hurt
someone, something. She wanted to just go home!
This wasn�t happening.

The
pig-faced slave trader bowed with respect and motioned for the demons holding
her to release her - but her freedom was short lived, as Chrno's claws gripped
around an already bloodied wrist and pulled her forward. Cold golden eyes
stared down at her before he placed his free hand in front of her face,
uttering low under his breath. "Sleep."

She didn�t
have a chance to yell at him, her eyes going unfocused and she fell asleep with
a slump, blood dripping from her battered body. No...

-------

It felt like
she had been sleeping forever, and the only thing that brought her out of the
dark depths of sleep was little flashes of white light, pain? She slowly opened hazy blue eyes, to look
upwards at dark red silk that twined around bed posts, canopying around them.
She flinched as the pain came again, and she looked down, still half asleep, to
see cotton pressed to one of her multiple wounds, cleaning them carefully.
"What-" She suddenly realized where she was, and gasped sharply,
jerking up and rolling out of the lap of the large demon man, not noticing at
first that she was clean, dry and in a simple white slip. "Don�t touch
me!" She grabbed the closest blunt object, a paper weight, and held it up
ominously.

Chrno's eyes
blinked as she squirmed back, having startled him at her sudden movement. His
expression quickly melted into his all too familiar 'I'm lower than dirt' look
at he reached out a hand very slowly, but made no move to touch her.
"Rosette..." He knew she would react this way - after all, he had
hurt her, confused her, and probably gave her a scare back at the slave trade.
If only she hadn't yelled at him.... how could he ever explain to her? Did he
even deserve another chance? "I'm so sorry..." Was all he managed to
choke out, voice barely a whisper.

She froze,
looking at him with mixed feelings, half of her gave out a sigh of relief, it had all been an act, the other, was paranoid that he was
screwing with her. "What is the name of my older sister?" She snapped
quickly, glaring at him as she backed up a little more.

Looking
puzzled for a moment, he smiled gently and replied in
a calm voice, catching onto her game. "You don't have an older
sister."

She let herself
give into her relief, and the paperweight went colliding with the rug, barely
noticed as she all but threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly about
the neck as she fought back tears- and then proceeded to pound him in the head.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!"

"Ow-ow-ow- Rosette, I - ow, stop
that! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!" He
whimpered loudly, wincing each time her tiny fists hit him. He gave her a
minute to be in control before he very gently caught her hands in his, looking
down at her with horrible guilt. "I didn't mean to... It's this demon
hierarchy this world has - someone would have gotten suspicious if I hadn't
reprimanded you for raising your voice at me..."

She squirmed
in his large hand, trying to tug her wrists free. "Do you see this!? You
cut me you jerk! I don�t care if they had gotten suspicious! I'm twelve years
old you insensitive bastard!" She glared at him meaningfully, before her
shoulders slumped. "What the hell is going on Chrno...?"

He let
silence fall between them, before he slowly let go of her hands, gaze falling.
"I don't know.... the portal to Eden must have malfunctioned or
something." He paused for a moment, unsure of what to say next. He knew
about as much as she did so it seemed. "I think if we look for the other
end of the portal, and I honestly don't know if it even exists, we might be
able to make it out of here. I... haven't really gotten any leads since I spent
all my time looking for you first. I'm assuming you've... seen what demons like
to do to young girls."

She glared
up at him, the pain in her eyes speaking that she had witnessed exactly what
demons like to do to young girls. it was only her
loudness and violent nature that had kept her from such a fate. "I'm not
that hard to find." She muttered, "I'm like the only blonde for
miles." She pushed against his chest, "While you've been living in
luxury here, I've been scrapping in the dirt."

He blinked a
few times, before looking around him, suddenly amazed. "Wow, you're
right... this is pretty amazing..."

She smacked
him hard.

"Ow! No, seriously - this is the first time I've been in
here!" He winced, but made no move to stop her. "I spent all my time
looking for you, I've never even been in my own room
until now!"

She eyed him
for the truth, and then punched him again. "Why weren�t you watching out
for yourself, idiot? I was so worried about you! Every time I leave you alone
you end up riddled in wounds!" She huffed, trying to look like she didn�t
care. "Jeese Chrno. I can take care of
myself..."

He winced
for the umpteenth time, allowing her to beat on him as much as she pleased. He
fell silent for a moment, hearing her brave words, reminding him she was still
the same Rosette even though her age had changed. Gently he brought a hand up
to her chin and tilted it up so her gaze could meet hers, trailing his claws
down lightly over some rather large scars that ran across her shoulders and
down her back. "You're a very strong girl, Rosette." He said quietly,
giving her a light, empathic smile. "But look at you... "

She made a
tight lipped expression, before dropping her eyes. "They're just
scars." She muttered, before blinking. "Hey, scars. How am I at that
phase yet? Half of these were from yesterday!" She looked at the half
healed and nearly healed wounds with surprise, glancing up at Chrno
suspiciously. "And where is the pocket watch? What's happened to the
contract?"

"I
already thought about that." He paused, sighing. "I panicked at
first, when I noticed I was in my true form - but I couldn't feel our connection,
and I have my horns again." He motioned to the set of ivory horns perched
just above his elongated ears. "I feel it... there's no contract anymore.
If there was, I would have been able to find you in an instant, but I couldn�t'
feel your presence at all this entire time we've been here."

She nodded a
little, her curiosity getting the best of her as she lightly reached up and
brushed her fingers down the entire length of his horn. "After all this
trouble...they're back huh." She had a strange, almost wistful expression
on her face, before she let her small fingers trail down his cheek, cupping it
carefully. "Sorry, I must have scared the crap out of you."

He smiled,
giving her a guilty look as he placed a clawed hand over her own. "Yes you
did. But I guess we're even... I'm sorry I did that to you back at the slave
trade." He gulped, suddenly realizing the contract he had signed in order
to get her back... and even without that, they were both in a horribly tough
spot. Oh god, where to start... did he even want to tell her? She'd kill him.

"What?"
She glared at him, knowing that guilty look. "Tell me Chrno, or else I'll
pound your head in with those horns of yours." She arched an eyebrow,
tapping her fingers against his cheek as a warning, though a blush tinged her
own lightly at the warmth of his skin beneath and on top of hers.

"U-Um,
I really don't want to." He admitted openly, cheeks burning red. "I'm
just.....ah.... thinking about what we could do to look for the gate out of
here...."

"Right." She gave him that suspicious look, before pulling her hand away,
looking at the small fingers curiously. "The biggest question is, how did I get back to this size? Did we like....take the
place of our alternate selves or something?"

"I've
no clue." He replied, relieved that she let it go
that easily. Though he knew he'd have to tell her sooner or later (probably the
former), he wanted to make sure she calmed down a bit. "I guess that's a
theory..." He watched her examine her hands for a moment, cheeks blushing
again. Oh god this was horrible.... it wouldn't be as bad if she was her normal
age, but why is she twelve all of the sudden? "It's kind of nostalgic
though, seeing you like this. Reminds me of peaceful times..." He couldn't
help but smile faintly, playing with the ends of her hair lightly, remembering
how they were always in pigtails.

"Yeah yeah peaceful times." She swatted his hands away, as if
shattering his memories for more important things. "Another question is,
and you better not be lying to me Chrno, is what type of contract did you
sign?" She crossed her arms childishly, making a harrumph sound.

Chrno audibly urked, cringing as he retracted
his hand from her.
"A-ah...um...." He looked away, feeling as though he couldn't stand
to look her in the eye any longer. "F-First you have to know that was the
only way to save you.... I mean, i-it's not like I
w-wanted it or anything - er, not that I
d-don�t'...ah...."

She stared
at him flatly, before grabbing his face, squeezing painfully. "Stop JABBERING Chrno! I can�t understand you!
Now make some freaking sense!"

He blinked
at her, expression similar to that of a cornered animal. Taking in a breath, he
winced his eyes shut, blushing horribly. "Y-Your slave trader sold you off
to a Breeder, so I'm supposed to have sex with you before you have your
period!"

Dead silence.

Shit.
He should have worded that a little nicer.

She just
stared at him for a few long and tense moments, her
cheeks slowly getting hotter as she suddenly brought back her fist with
lightning speed, and brought it around into his face. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

He winced
and let her hit him full force, bringing a hand up to cover his bruised cheek
(which had already healed over in a matter of seconds), eyes still winced shut
and face still just as red as hers. "I-It was the only way! Would you have
rather I leave you there?" He looked at her hesitantly, as if awaiting
another punch. Honestly, he felt like he deserved it...

"This
isn�t like the other contract right?! This isn�t binding?!" She was about
to hyperventilate, and clutched her hands over her heart, a mixture of
giddiness and horror hitting her stomach. Wait-What? "Chrno how could you!"

"It's
not like I'm going to give you back, so maybe I don't have to fulfill the contract
anyway!" He quickly defended himself, unknowing baring his fangs.
"You're mine
now, I'm not going to lose you again." Quickly he brought a hand to his
mouth, startled. Where did that come from... he suddenly felt so possessive of
her...

She flinched
at that, eyes unintentionally dropping to his fangs and she made an annoyed
face, prodding him in the chest. "Look buddy, I don�t know what�s gotten
to your head but I'm not ANYONES. Least of all YOURS!"

He instantly
retaliated, abnormally hot tempered compared to the Chrno she knew. "Well
as of today, you are." He gave her a dominating look as he pulled at the
metal loop of the white collar she adorned. "We may not have the same kind
of contract anymore Rosette, but this one is still strong. You belong to me and
whether or not you want to, your body will obey my
every command regardless."

She gasped
as he pulled her forward, having to brace her hands on his knees to keep from
falling into him, defiant and now utterly livid, she yanked back the best she
could, golden hair falling about her face as she grabbed his wrist. "LET
ME GO CHRNO!" She yelled, her young voice hitting a broken pitch as she
tried to get out of his grasp. "You're talking crazy!"

For a moment
his eyes blazed with fury, and he bared his fangs again - but in an instant he
froze, suddenly looking horrified as he released her, breaking from her grasp
on his wrist easily as he slid off the bed and retreated down an adjacent hall
in a hurry. The moment he reached the other side - a room that opened up into an
outdoor garden, the moon hanging low in the horizon - he placed a shaking hand
over his mouth and backed up against the wall. What had just happened to
him...? He'd never say those things to Rosette...he cares for her more than
anything else in the world, and he treated her like she was a toy. His anger
rose so easily, and... he felt so possessive of her,
it scared him. They needed to get out of here...

She toppled
off the bed she had been leaning back with so much force,
and landed on the cushioned floor with a squeak, barely seeing him flee through
her tangle of limbs. She quickly righted herself with an angry huff, whirling
for the door and locking it on him, placing her back against it. She didn�t
like this. She really didn�t like this. Being so small, she had no strength
over him what so ever. She quickly she left the door and went to a mirror,
examining her scratched and scraped face, eyes heavy from lack of sleep and
nutrition. She couldn�t do anything like this. "DAMN!" She punched the mirror, her little fist doing no damage
to the glass, only making her skin turn red and trickle blood. She cursed and
stuck her knuckles in her mouth, dropping to her rear in front of the mirror,
trying to cut back tears as she fingers the collar, knowing she couldn�t get it
off. Why...?

Chrno
watched the moon for long moments, guilt tearing at his chest. He still wasn't
quite ready to come to terms with this uncomfortable change in his psyche, but
he was startled to his feet the moment Rosette's fist punched the mirror. 'Rosette, you're bleeding.' He projected
his worried voice into her mind, surprised at how strong of a connection they
have with this contract, just like their old one.

The girl
jumped, looking around the room, before slapping her hands over her ears.
"STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!" She all but yelled, reacting on instinct.

Immediately
he became silent, closing their connection in an instant. He stood there for a
moment, before he came to terms with how stubborn she was being. No, that's not
the right word... she was strong. She always was. But if they were going to
find a way out of here, they couldn't fight like this... he felt horrible,
but...

"Fine." He
whispered, before making his way back down the short hall, twisting his wrist
as he came upon the locked door, and with a 'click' it opened on its own. He
set a firm step back inside the room, but once he saw her huddled form, he
froze. Oh god, what had he done...? "Rosette..." He whispered softly,
afraid to move any closer to her.

"Go away
Chrno." She whispered loudly, her voice a growl. "I can�t talk to you
right now." She clutched her fist tighter, her knuckles white. "I
need to make sense of all this, I haven�t had time to think about it. All I've
been doing is trying to stay in one piece and inviolate." She turned
stormy blue eyes towards him, wet from unshed tears. "Just leave me
alone."

He gave her
a bit of a surprised look, before his gaze fell. It sounded so simple, but when
she said those words... it hurt. It hurt terribly. He wanted to leave, like she
told him to, so that he wouldn't have to see her like this. It was horrible to
see Rosette crying, but when he knew that he was the cause of her tears.... he
wanted to die.

"N-No." His voice came out shaky at
first, as broken as he felt himself. Defiantly he stepped towards her and fell
to his knees, hands slowly curling into fists as he watched her. "You were
always there for me.... no matter what.... and I'm not going to leave
you." He reached up one hand, wanting so badly to embrace her, tell her
everything would be alright... but he couldn't. His hand fell back down and he
averted his gaze. "I.... I don't know what's gotten into me.... gods
Rosette, I'm.....I'm so sorry....I'm so
sorry...."

"Well
you better get it out Chrno!" She said quickly, the tears finally falling
out of anger, "Because I just spent over two weeks with demons treating me
like that and worse...trying things...I don�t need it from you." She
buried her face in her hands, sobs shaking her tiny frame as soft 'uuu's escaped her. "Damn it!" She cursed unhappily, trying to stop from crying. "Its not you! I'm not mad at you I'm just- Cant stand
being so helpless."

He bit his
lip, letting her words sink in slowly. Of course.... he should have known.
Silently he reached for her, gently pulling her to his chest in a warm embrace.
"For the longest time... you were my strength. You helped me forward, you never let me give up. You protected me."
He paused, letting his hand rest on the back of her head. "I know you're
not helpless, even like this...but please... let me protect you this
time."

She shivered
a little, still tense and stiff, before finally she melted, and wrapped her
arms tightly about his waist, crying into his stomach openly. She hugged him like
the child she was at the moment, and let the last two weeks of pain unleash
like a wave against his shirt, curled up against him desperately. She was so
afraid, the entire time, the only thing that had kept
her going was him. She had to hold on to him, not let him slip into madness
like Joshua...

With a
melancholy smile, he relaxed, letting her cry as much as she needed, feeling
her tears dampen his shirt that clung to his stomach. He gently rubbed her back
from time to time when she began hiccupping, and every now and then he would
pull back her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Maybe it was
because she reverted back to a child... but he felt the slightest bit of
comfort knowing she could now come to terms with her emotions, not being forced
to keep them in check for her survival.

She quietly
bundled up those loose threads, and began to tuck them back into that
impenetrable fortress that was her heart, and slowly pulled away from him,
angrily wiping away the remnants of her tears. "Sorry." She said
gruffly, closing her eyes tight and closing it all up again, not wanting the
emotions that came with being a child to be released so easily again. "We
really need to find a way out of here." She didn�t quite look at him,
focusing on her toes as she got too her feet.

"I
think..." He began, staying on his knees since he towered over her while
standing. "The best thing we can do now is lay low and try to gather some
information. We'll look suspicious if we don't pace ourselves."

She looked
over at him ruefully, crossing her arms. "Fine.
But I'm not staying dressed like this."

He glanced
at her full figure for a moment, before lightly gripping the ends of her dress
with both hands - a much cleaner, slightly longer version of the one she was
given at the slave trade, and made of silk, but it was still very plain. "Why not? I think it's cute." He grinned at her.

She slapped
at his hands in pure aggravation. "I'm not some doll! I'm not cute! I want
something normal. And adult. I refuse to be dressed
up."

"That's
not true." He laughed with good nature, letting the end of her dress flip
out slightly. "You're adorable. But if you insist, I'll send someone to
make new clothes for you."

She swatted
at him some more. "Chrooonoooooo don�t say stuff like that! I feel pathetic
enough without being babied!" She crossed her arms adorably and puffed out
her cheeks, her loose hair curling about her chubby cheeks.

"You're
not being babied." He insisted, smiling. "I'm just stating the truth.
Now, would you like a bath while your clothes are being made?"

She looked
at him with pursed lips, and then offered something else for him to get her as
well. "Food?"

He couldn't
help but try and muffle a laugh. That's more like the Rosette he knows.
"Yes, of course." He paused for a moment, realization hitting him
like a ton of bricks. God, he didn't want to touch on this subject again...
"There's a common room for slaves downstairs... it would look odd for me
to bring food to you since demons don't eat.... you don't mind going down
alone? I can ask a chef to get you something."

She let her
shoulders droop. "Yeah fine what ever." She muttered a little,
"I'll take that bath first though." She perked up at the thought,
trying to look on the bright side, and looked at the door. "Where is
it?"

"Ahh....." He blinked at her question, looking lost.
"I'm...not sure..." He looked around, before he pinpointed the sound
of rushing water coming from one end of the room, where there stood a paid of
twin bamboo sliding doors. "Over there, I think. God, this place is
huge..."

She snorted,
rolling her eyes. "Am I going to have to sleep with the servants
too?" She asked sarcastically, pushing around him to step into the
bathroom, her mouth falling open at the gorgeous replicate of a natural spring
that was the bathroom. Complete with waterfall and plants and birds and... just wow. She snapped glaring eyes up at him, as if saying
she BETTER NOT have too. She stomped towards the bath
and pointed at him. "Stay. out."

A small blush
rose to the demons cheeks as he stood to his feet, looking a bit hurt that she
even suspected him of doing so - but he was used to her like this. It was
actually quite refreshing having someone bossing him around instead of the
other way around for the past few weeks... He just gave her a shaky smile in
reply, almost saying something along the lines of 'why would I want to peep on
a twelve year old, you've got nothing to look at', but figured that would just
earn him another punch to the face, or some other form of Rosette-style
torture.

Rather then
hitting him again, she just rolled her eyes and gave a very frustrated growl as
she shoved him out of the
bathroom. "I mean it." And with that she slammed the
doors in his face. "GET ME CLOTHING!" She demanded from the other
side, the pattering of feet and the sound of rustling material the only thing
that let him know that she was now crawling into the amazing bath, and then a
bit of giggling and splashing.

His ears
sagged slightly in defeat, but he did as she told him - and left to wander the
castle-style building they were in.

----

Good lord it
was hard to find a stopping place. Kind of awkward, but I don�t like to have
the chapters too terribly long, especially when there will practically be no
wait for the next one. <3
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Rutilus Catena