OH GOOD GOD SHE UPDATED.

Yes I know. It's a Christmas miracle. Only it's lame and three months late.

Enjoy? I await tomatoes for not updating in eight months.

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Chapter 11

Scar

Ninety-eight years.

The current demon general reminisced as he relaxed at his post deep within Pandemonium, his deep red eyes watching the false skyline that the walls of his world so generously bestowed upon his kind. The blue sky was too dark, laced with hints of red – and the clouds were nothing like he's seen up in Earth.

It had been ninety-eight years since he was last graced the permission to rise to the land above, even if the orders he was given did not allow him to take the time to truly appreciate the lush, beautiful world that had been inhabited and abused by the primitive human race. Their world had a real sky… real stars at night, warm sunlight at day. They had a freedom they had no idea they should cherish; such a stubborn, ungrateful race they were. Even the highest ranking demons weren't allowed passage to earth without the link of a Contractor, and nowadays, there are far more demons terrified of leaving the haven of Pandemonium.

Thousands of years ago, it was rare to find a human without the haunting shadow of a demon… After all, as long as his kind continued to harvest the human's special blend of Astral, they could gain immortality. Their horns only provided them with so much life force, that without a Contractor, even a high ranking individual such as himself would last a mere two hundred years – a flicker in the stream of time. If only they had the complete protection of their queen, the demon race would once again rise and flourish in the abundant life of the human world… but alas, their guardian fell almost a thousand years ago. Though their world may still be in tact, it hardly gave them a home. False light, little food, and chaotic storms became a norm, not to mention that without a dominant female, there was no hope for future generations.

Gritting his wicked sharp fangs together in seething frustration, he remembered the band of traitors that had reduced their once beautiful world into this barren wasteland – the ones labeled with the feared title of 'Sinners'. In that war a thousand years ago, they had succeeded in doing the unthinkable… they killed their queen, and forced their way into the world above, seeking a well camouflaged refuge. To this day, he never figured out their intention behind the massacre that had killed nearly eighty percent of their kin, but to him, that was irrelevant. Their actions spoke louder than any reason could.

"General Dufaux," A black hooded figure that barely hid his disfigured face appeared from the shadows, placing his arm across his stomach in an obligatory bow. "The scouts have returned… shall I give you the report?"

The red-eyed demon only recognized the other's presence by tilting his chin up, still gazing up at the sky. "At once. Were their any casualties?"

The hooded figure returned his question with a painful silence, his voice lower than before. "…Only one scout was able to return. The body count is one Sub-Elite, twenty soldiers, and nine scouts. The last one to return has died… we are in the process of extracting its Astral."

Dufaux grimaced, his only obvious portrayal of distain in his silence. "Very well. What do we know?"

"Sinner Chrno's primary location." His subordinate sounded pleased, grinning to show a crooked fang. "He's oddly close to his Contractor… he's even revealed his true form to her – no doubt he's protective of his prey. We should use this to our advantage."

"Do we have permission from the top to proceed to Earth?"

"Yes, General. We have four Sub-Elites and a squadron of soldiers ready at our command."

"No need." The demon general turned, walking past the cloaked one with a sadistic grin upon his features, eyes gleaming with the ache for revenge. "I want to take this bastard down myself."

The inferior lowered his head as his commander walked past, fangs gleaming.

"As you wish."

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"DUFAUX!!!"

A vibrant clash of energy bright enough to mimic even the strongest bolt of lightning lit up the area as Chrno rammed into the Pursuer with ready claws. His opponent skidded back against the cement and took to the air, retaliating with naught but a laugh as he was closely followed with a deadly golden leer.

"Neesan!" Joshua repeated harshly, tugging harder on his sister's shirt as she continued to watch the scene unfold before them high in the night sky. "What the Hell is going on…? We need to get out of here!"

"No," She stated firmly, placing a hand over his own in hopes of giving him the slightest bit of comfort. "I can't leave him like this… there has to be something I can do…"

"Him? What are you talking about?!" He gasped, blue eyes darting from Rosette's worried gaze to the sky. She couldn't possibly be talking about the older man that had confronted the both of them with questionable intent, but at the same time… she couldn't be talking about either monster, could she?

"Chrno has been protecting me my entire life. I'm not about to abandon him when he may need me…" Rosette's eyes closed slowly, internal conflict obvious in her voice. At first she thought that if this battlefield could give her hope of freedom from her demon's grasp, she would seize the opportunity. After all, if Chrno is killed, then she wouldn't have to suffer under his contract anymore – he could no longer make her fear the dark, she may not be pursued by other demons if he was gone. So then… why was she finding it so hard to run away?

"You don't mean…" Joshua's voice was barely above a whisper, but she still heard him clearly. "Neesan, is he…is this monster your 'ghost'?" His baby blue eyes fixated upon his sister's near identical ones, his voice shaky with uncertainty.

She couldn't bare to look him in the eye, so her gaze fell. "I'm sorry… I never told you before. But I only found out a few weeks ago myself…"

"What is he?" Her brother's voice cut her off short. "He's not a ghost, is he?"

Slowly she shook her head, her arms raising to grasp themselves in a nervous fashion. "Chrno's a demon… and I've fell into a contract with him the day I was born."

Joshua grit his teeth, at first seeming shocked beyond belief, but he forced himself to calm. "Neesan," He began, reaching behind him for something that was tucked away at the side of his jeans. "I found that book in your room…the old English one." As expected, he was met with a small gasp, and baffled eyes. "I thought it had to be a joke… but everything seemed to fit perfectly. I… was going to give this to you tonight, if you told me my suspicions held true."

Rosette blinked as he brought out a gun from the pocket inside of his coat, wincing and looking back momentarily as the sound of broken glass and bending metal filled the air. Shoving her brother farther down the wall, she practically glared at him. "Joshua! You can't have a gun!"

"It's an Exorcist Colt 45. They can't fire real bullets – they only take these," He dug back into his pockets and brought out a small bundle of six identical bullets wrapped with a rubber band. "Blessed silver and holy water. Granted I suppose they can do damage to a person, but these will do a shit load of damage to a demon." He paused for a moment, looking hesitant. "At least they should."

It didn't take her long to harden her resolve, a sudden spark of hope glimmering in her eyes. "Give me that." She practically snatched the gun from his hands, fumbling with one of the bullets. "Are these all we got?"

"There's two more boxes inside…"

"Great – well that's not going to do us a lot of good." She wrapped the rubber band around the bundle of remaining five bullets and shoved them in the back pocket of her jeans. Hesitantly she crawled back towards the corner of the building, peeking out towards the wreckage that filled the parking lot, cars so badly damaged you could hardly distinguish them. Well at least she knew that's what the blast was from earlier that sounded like breaking metal…

"W-wait, you're not going to use that now are you?! That's supposed to be our last defense, you could be killed if you rush out there!" Her brother's voice was near hysterical, his hands tightly grabbing her arm, hoping to pull her back if she dared to run out there.

"Chrno's getting hurt!" She turned to him with a determined look. "I've been useless these past weeks... unable to do anything on my own. I won't run away now when there's a chance I can repay him!" Harshly she jerked her arm out of his hold, and ran out from the safety of their hiding spot. With one last apologetic look towards her little brother, she looked up at the night sky, frantically searching for her winged companion. A large explosion across the street of the apartment building nabbed her attention quick enough – and at first, all she could do was gawk.

The second demon with black horns was the first to emerge from the wreckage, half of the building that used to be the community lodge breaking down in a burst of fire. Faster than her eye could see, he was up in the sky, almost in the same instant parrying a winding blow by the edge of Chrno's sharpened tail. They were so fast, so brutal… it was true that these creatures were on a completely different level.

"Where's all that power you had a hundred years ago, Sinner?" Dufaux laughed, striking out with a sword Rosette had not even noticed he unsheathed until now. "This is what you get for waiting so long to feed! You're a mere ghost of the former Slayer of a Hundred!"

The violet-haired demon cringed as he brought an armored arm up to block the sword, but the razor sharp edge was beginning to dig into the slowly cracking material. "I only need a fraction of my power to deal with the likes of you!" He bellowed, the claws on his free hand extending into massive blades before he lunged forward, sending a blast of white electricity into his opponent's face and successfully knocking his sword away from his damaged arm.

Though that final attack seemed to work, his victory didn't last long. Only a few breaths later did Dufaux appear behind him, sword piercing easily through Chrno's back, and out his chest. With furiously glowing golden eyes, the Sinner tried to turn his head towards Dufaux, growling low as he clutched the bladed weapon at his front. Damn it…! He was too slow!

"Getting cocky now are we?" The demon general mused with a dark grin. "I suppose since your other half is dead, you never even had a chance against me. Not like those thousands of years ago."

"Aion is not dead!" Chrno snarled, his grip on the sword tightening, blood dripping from his palms and fingers. "No pampered aristocrat could ever harm him…not when-!"

His words were cut short as a blast of white light engulfed his vision, a severe burning sensation creeping along his back before the sword was removed and he faltered in the air, turning to see what had transpired. Dufaux was missing an entire arm, blood spilling and legion desperately trying to regenerate what was lost. What on earth…?

"CHRNO!!" The familiar voice caught his attention, causing him to frantically search the ground below. Rosette stood in the middle of the parking lot, gun held shakily in her hands. Impossible! Bullets can't harm a demon of their status – unless…

"You little BRAT!" Dufaux growled with unnerving hatred, snapping his wings and flying down towards the human girl in breakneck speed, single hand out with the end of his sword bared towards her.

In the time it took for Rosette to bring up her gun again at the ready, finger pulling the trigger, the black-horned demon had already knocked it away with his gleaming blade. The young girl cringed in horror as she stumbled back to the ground, closing her eyes as she braced herself, the sword coming back around for the final blow.

She screamed as her blood was spilled, pain throbbing horribly in her shoulder, feeling her skin tear in a gut-wrenching fashion, the sound resonating in her ears. The pain was almost unbearable… every nerve was on fire, the tissue feeling as though it was melting away where she had been cut into.

The sword had stopped unexpectedly, already a third of the way into her shoulder, before a black and red ooze poured onto her legs and feet, and she looked up with wide blue eyes, almost unable to comprehend the scene in front of her eat first.

The center of Dufaux's chest was pierced by Chrno's claws, the legion in his slowly regenerating arm pausing from the sudden attack. "Strike that blade through my chest, fine. I'll bleed for you." Chrno's voice lowered to a dark, sadistic tone Rosette recognized he only used when his anger was pushed to the very limits. "For aiming it at my contractor…" He leaned forward, growling deeply under his breath. "I'll make you wish I'd have killed you two thousand years ago."

In that instant, the violet-haired demon's tail whirled around and cut through the neck of the demon general, sending the severed head flying off onto the pavement, legion scattering and melting away in a black smoke, Dufaux's very form being devoured by the shadows at his feet.

Rosette hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath, before she suddenly gasped and took a sharp breath in, unable to move, and almost unable to speak. "'S…he….d-dead?" She asked in fragments, shaking horribly. She had never shot a gun before in her life… if she had missed, Chrno might have been…

"No. He's simply retreated to Pandemonium to heal himself… it takes a little more than that to kill a demon as old and as powerful as he." He replied darkly, watching the ground with lidded eyes where the last of the legion melted away from existence.

It was as if the relief she felt caused her pain to wash over her again full force, choking out a cry as she held the deep wound in her shoulder, blood bubbling out in sickening amounts. Damn it…! If only she had moved just a little more at that time, he would have completely missed her…

"NEESAN!" Joshua came running out from the other side of the building, tears in his eyes and face horribly pale. Completely ignoring Chrno, he fell to his sister's side, holding her up as she began to waver. "A-ah, h-hospital! Hospital!!" He fumbled for his cell phone in his jacket pocket, dropping it to the ground as his shaky hands tried to dial 911.

"No need." Chrno said in a level voice, making the blond boy jump, as if he really forgot the demon was right beside them. Carefully he got to his knees, careful not to open the already healing wound in his chest. He gently took Rosette from her brother, who reluctantly let go, obviously too terrified to argue with large winged demon. With a soft touch, he placed his hand over the young girl's wound, holding her tightly against his chest, as if preparing for something.

In an instant, Rosette's eyes snapped wide open, and she let out a deafening cry of pain as her demon forced tainted Astral into her wound, every portion of her body suddenly on fire. She struggled against him, trying desperately to get out of his firm hold, tears falling down her cheeks and entire body shaking. It was painful… much more painful than before. It was like pouring alcohol all over the open wound, then promptly following up with salt and lemon juice. But it began to fade as quickly as it started, leaving her panting and shaking only slightly in the demon's arms, the blood from her shoulder slowing to a stop and her skin healing over much faster than humanly possible. Exhausted, she fell limp against him.

"Wh-what did you do?!" Joshua practically screamed as Chrno got to his feet, carrying the blond girl in his arms like a precious child. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?!"

"Calm down," Chrno looked back at the shorter boy, walking towards the stairwell. He could hear sirens flooding the streets, and no doubt people will be coming out from their homes to see what happened. "I injected some of my energy into her… Astral, and trace amount of Legion." He scaled the stairs swiftly, not pausing to wait for his contractor's brother, though he was sprinting just to keep up. He stared at the lock on their apartment door, before the entire thing just blew off and the door shot open. Joshua just about dropped his key, frantically following him inside. "It's because we have a contract that my energy is able to synchronize with hers to a certain degree. It would kill anyone else."

"So is she okay?" Joshua asked with a strained voice, pushing the door shut tightly since they didn't have a lock anymore. He could have just waited without destroying it…

"Yes. She passed out is all… the pain is horrible, but it only lasts for a moment. It's much better than taking her to some human hospital and wait months for her recovery." He spoke with a lower voice, walking into the living area and setting Rosette down carefully on the couch, covering her with a blanket. "She'll wake up soon enough."

"Th-this can't be happening." The blond boy shook his head, voice stuttering as he spoke. "All this time I thought she was haunted by some silly ghost…but all this time, it's been you?" His only reply from Chrno was in intense golden stare. "Y-you're a demon, right? Stop hanging on Neesan! Your being here has only put her in danger!"

"I know that, little boy." He growled, standing back to his full height, causing Joshua to cringe and take a step back, though he already had plenty of distance between them. "So in return, I'm protecting her as best I can. Don't dig around in others' affairs."

"Protecting her?!" He yelled, staring at the taller man incredulously. "You almost got her killed today! You've been tormenting her since we were both little! You can't possibly be-" He cut himself off, somehow frozen by the glare sent at him paired with unearthly eyes.

"You're right." He admitted, but didn't seem to show the slightest bit of empathy. "I'm doing nothing but putting her in danger. Tough luck, kid – that's how the world works. Sometimes there are just bad people who take without caring about the consequences it brings to others."

Joshua grit his teeth, balling his hands into fists. "You are just like the demons in that book." He spoke in a low voice. "You're evil… you don't even care if my sister is killed! All you want is her Astral!"

"Andyou're the voice of reason telling me to abandon my evil ways." Chrno grinned, baring his fangs just slightly. "Howtouching. Silence yourself before I lose my patience with you. You may be this girl's brother, but if you become a thorn in my side I'll make sure you'll be unable to bother me again."

The smaller boy cringed, obviously terrified with the threat. There was no way she could leave this monster with his precious sister… but what else could he do?

The violet-haired demon watched him in silence, slowly turning his gaze to the sleeping form of Rosette. This certainly put a wrench in his plans…he had no idea Dufaux would find them so quickly. And now her brother was aware of him…"Joshua," He spoke his name firmly, making the blond boy in question stiffen. "Get plane tickets, call a cab – anything. Just find a way to get you and your sister out of here in the next few hours."

"Wh-what? Why?" He blinked, completely lost.

"It's not safe here anymore… if Defaux found us, then more demons will be on their way. We need to get out of here, and fast."

Joshua was silent for a few moments, but nodded faintly, and ran to the phone, opening up the yellow pages. He wasn't sure if it was right to do as this demon says, but he couldn't just stand there and do nothing, especially if more demons were going to come after them.

"Mmn…" Rosette stirred, bringing a hand up to her shoulder and groaning, tilting her head to the other side in dull pain. It felt much better than before though…

"Rosette," Chrno spoke her name softly, as he knelt down beside her lying form, reaching out to brush some of the hair from her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired….and my arm…" She mumbled, vaguely remembering what had happened. "What did you do to it?"

"I sped up the healing process with my own Astral. You're going to be tired for a while, but it's almost completely healed now." Somehow, his tone was much gentler than before. "You stupid girl, you could have killed yourself."

"S-same to you! Pulling the big hero card like that was the most moronic thing you've ever done!" She leaned up, rubbing her shoulder as she propped herself against the arm rest. "…Where's Joshua?" Her heart skipped a beat.

"He's in the other room, on the phone. We're getting both of you out of here before more demons attack."

"What, are you kidding me?! This is our home, we don't have any place to go to!"

"Then we'll find a place. We can't stay here, they know where we are."

"But…"

"Do you want to put Joshua in danger as well?" His gaze on her hardened, and she stopped dead in her tracks, his words hitting her full force. He was right… this wasn't just for her…Joshua can't get caught up in all this.

"So…we're running?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." His firm reply made her fall silent for a moment, caught deep in her own thoughts.

"But… what if they follow us? What if they keep coming?"

"They will. But it's safer to retreat… you and Joshua could end up in the crossfire."

"But if they keep coming, we're just delaying the inevitable! Why can't we fight back?"

"I would." He gave her an uncertain stare, golden eyes meeting deep cerulean. "But then I couldn't protect you. These demons aren't just going after me – they're going after you, too."

She bit her lip, looking down. So this was all her fault… if she wasn't here for Chrno to constantly watch over, he could take care of this once and for all.

"I-I got…" Joshua came walking in, nervous at first, but immediately brightened up as soon as she saw Rosette was awake. "Neesan! You're okay!" He ran to her side, Chrno in turn leaving to give them some space. "I-I was so scared you wouldn't wake up!"

"Of course I would have, you dolt." She grinned, though it was plain to see she was still fairly tired. Her smile slowly disappeared though, and she reached up, grabbing his hands. "Joshua, I want you to go stay with our foster parents."

"Wh-what? But I already got train tickets to Chicago!" He stuttered, taken aback. Chrno's ears perked up.

"I'm staying here with Chrno. I need you to go someplace safe until everything is over." She replied firmly.

"Neesan, you can't be serious!" He pleaded, shaking his head.

"She's not." Chrno's voice cut in between the two, as he walked up beside the couch. "She's going with you, don't worry."

"Like Hell I am!" Rosette yelled up at him with an indignant frown. "We can't run forever, Chrno! They'll catch up to us eventually… and if you're so worried about my safety, I'll stay with you the entire way. I've got that gun I used earlier, I'm not defenseless."

"Tonight, you were lucky. I'm not going to risk you getting hurt again." The violet-haired demon glared down at her with stone cold eyes. He wasn't going to waver.

"I don't want to live like this!" She cried, making both men in front of her jump slightly. "You may think it's just fine and dandy, but I won't be able to rest easy knowing that something could pop out at any given time and hurt me or Joshua, or you! We have nothing to gain running, but time. I'm staying here, Chrno. I'm going to fight with you."

The room was filled with an uneasy silence, as Chrno gave the young girl a horribly painful look. This was what she really wanted… and, she did have a point. Running would only help for so long, but with all of Pandemonium on their tails, it wouldn't last forever.

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair and glancing out towards the window, then slowly back at her. He knew her too well… when she was this set on something, nothing could stop her. He could force her with sheer power, but it would still never break her will.

"…….Alright." He spoke in a defeated tone. "It can't be helped then. Joshua, get yourself a ticket to Chicago."

"Ehh? How did you know our parents live in Chicago?" He stared at the demon with wide eyes, before he blinked, and suddenly felt utterly stupid. "…Oh. W-Well…I don't know…"

"Joshua, please." Rosette gave him a pleading look. "I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt because of all of this."

"Same to you!" He frowned, shaking his head slowly. "I can't leave you here… you're my sister…Neesan…" He slid to his knees, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. "I don't want to…"

"You have to." She placed a hand atop his head, stroking his hair to calm him. "No offense Joshua, but Chrno can't protect us both. I would feel so much better if I knew you were safe and away from all of this. Please, just go. I'm not doing to die on you, so we'll see each other again soon."

He quivered a bit, his hold on her tightening. "…I love you, Neesan." He whispered.

"I love you too." She smiled softly.

Slowly her brother retracted himself from her arms, sniffing just slightly as he did his best to keep his tears in check. Just thinking about being apart from her was so horribly painful…could he really do it?

"…Alright. I'll go." He wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeve, giving her the best smile he could muster. He stood to his feet, turning to look at Chrno with a hard expression. "You better keep her safe."

Chrno just smiled lightly at that, reaching out to muss the boy's hair up a bit. "Of course."

He looked up at the demon, determination still set like stone in his gaze, not seeming to mind Chrno's hand on his head in the least. "I mean it. If I found out you let her get hurt….or…or…" He bit his lip, not wanting to say any more.

"Don't worry. I'll protect your sister with my life… so rest easy."

"Hey, hey! I'm not a freaking damsel in distress! I'll blow anything's head off if it as much looks at me funny." Rosette insisted. "Just… give me the address of that place that sold those bullets. I might need more."

"Don't worry. I'm sure if you glare at anything with the same look you give me, it'll make them run with their tails between their legs." Chrno grinned with morbid amusement. "It's pretty damn frightening."

"Say that again." She did her best to give him the very glare he talked of.

"Don't push it, dear heart." His smile somehow changed into something a little more sadistic, making the hairs on her neck stand on end. God she hated it when he did that…

"Um…" Joshua paled a bit at the sudden tension in the air, finding it uneasy how Chrno could make the air in the room suddenly feel cold and unforgiving in an instant. He hated the thought of leaving his sister here with him… but it's what she truly wanted. "I'll… go order some tickets then…" And with that, he slunk back out of the room.

Rosette watched him leave, before looking up at her demon with a slightly annoyed look. "You didn't have to use that tone around him."

"He'll live." Chrno replied simply, which in actuality, made her seethe even more. Without so much of a warning, he stepped forward and sat down beside her on the couch, grabbing at her shirt where Dufaux's blade had cut her earlier.

"H-hey, what are you doing?!" She blushed, moving her shoulder out of his grasp. "I told you, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Mm, I can see that." He pulled her back towards him with a steel grip, unbuttoning the very top of her shirt, almost enough to see her chest.

"AUGH, C-Chrno!" She pushed at him, face beet red and heart racing a mile a minute. "What the Hell?! Let me go!" What on earth was he doing, all of the sudden? For god's sake, Joshua was in the other room – there'd be no way she could convince him to leave if he caught Chrno pulling one of these stunts on her!

"Stop squirming," He ordered her firmly, but at the very least, his voice wasn't as dangerous as it had been in the past. As gently as he could, he pinned her up to the back of the couch, pulling her shirt down past her shoulder so that the wound was completely visible.

'Oh thank god…' Rosette inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes. 'He was just wanting to check my shoulder after all..'

But her thoughts were cut short the moment she felt the heat of his tongue upon her skin.

At first she was too shocked to protest, her entire body frozen as she felt him lick at her wounded flesh, from slightly down her arm. Good lord, what was he doing?! Please Joshua, just stay in the other room… oh dear god… "Ch-Chrno!" She whimpered, shivering slightly at the feel of his tongue, somehow subconsciously more scared of the fangs that were now mere inches from her skin.

It was only a few seconds before he pulled her shirt back up, licking his now red lips with a dark grin. "Couldn't let it go to waste."

She went pale.

He was…

Licking the blood off…oh god…

"AUGH! GET OFF ME YOU FUCKING VAMPIRE!!!!"

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Ahh, it's so late. Time to sleep. Hopefully the next chapter will come a bit quicker than this one, but I can't make any promises. I'm sorry!