Categories > Anime/Manga > Chrono Crusade > Coniunctus
PART 2:
The slapping noise that echoed in the lab was enough to break Rosette of her sudden rage. The Elder's hand-inches from her bosom-was bent at a severe degree and turning a shade of bright red.
"Elder!" Chrno hissed. "Get a hold of yourself; this is serious!"
The Elder pouted and let his lower lip quiver just a tad. "But, Chrno...!"
Chrno sighed and reached up to grab the old man by the shoulders. "I need another way to generate more Astral energy on my own."
The Elder sobered up and nodded. "I'm assuming this has to do with the latest exorcism?"
He was speaking of the recent incident at the New York Zoo when a lion, an elephant, and two zebras had been used in a satanic ritual and had been possessed by the demons that a few reckless teenagers had called forth. During the exorcism, Chrno had acted as the distraction and had been injured quite severely. Rosette had blamed herself throughout the time it took for him to mend in the infirmary. Blamed herself for not working faster... The Elder had spoken with Chrno about this the following week when he'd returned to the lab.
Thus began Chrno's train of thought.
"Yes," Chrno answered.
Rosette glanced down at her partner and tried to read his eyes. Seeing the guilt in his eyes she knew exactly what he was feeling. "Oh, Chrno..." she mumbled. "It wasn't you-I was the one who wasn't working fast enough."
The Elder cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Nevertheless, I believe that I can help you. I've been working on this for a while now-I've just been waiting for you to be the one to ask about it."
Rosette and Chrno exchanged a surprised glance and followed the Elder to the back of his lab.
"You see, I'd been studying the horns you both brought back to me. I thought if I could find out how the Astral Energy is absorbed by the horns, then I could apply the science to a device to channel more Astral directly into you, Chrno."
He pointed distractedly at the myriad amount of devil horns in jars on the length of shelves in the back room. "And I'm pleased to say that I did come up with a sort of synthetic horn for you, Chrno. If you'd just remove your headband, I can install the implants."
Rosette halted the Elder's forward movement with an upraised hand. "Wait just a minute... Have you tested these implant thingies?"
The Elder gave her a hurt look. "Why, Sister Rosette, of course I've tested them! You don't think I'd endanger our Chrno in any way, now do you?"
Rosette blushed. The Elder offered up a small grin and surreptitiously goosed her rump as he walked past. She thwacked the back of his head with a ready fist and seethed while the old man giggled. "I couldn't resist anymore," he excused.
Chrno, ignoring their antics, removed his headband and winced at the feeling of free flowing air on the empty sockets in his head. Rosette groaned sympathetically at the raw holes-wanting nothing more than to ease his pain.
The Elder, serious now, held up the implants. They were just two metal discs no bigger than a couple of Spirit rounds-finely crafted out of silver with runes carved into the surface. "Now, son, I'll have to put these in your wounds and cover them with an amplifying disc," he held them up for the duo to inspect, "for it to work. It's going to hurt a lot at first."
"Hurt how?" Rosette asked.
"It's going to be painful because when the Astral flows more freely into him, it's going to change him immediately-his muscles will stretch, his bones will elongate, and in such a short time..." he trailed off.
Chrno headed toward his room. "Well, let's do it in here so I don't break anything."
Rosette followed on his heels, but the devil stopped her before she could make it to the room with him. "Rosette, maybe you should wait out here," he suggested.
She grabbed his hand. "No. I'm sticking with ya, bucko."
Looking into her deep blue eyes, Chrno realized that she wouldn't be going anywhere without him. He nodded lightly in consent and squeezed her hand reassuredly. "Alright," he consented. Alright...
*
Father Ewan Remington nearly dropped his tea at the sounds that suddenly filled the Order grounds. It was an anguished howl that he'd only heard once previously.
Chrno...
The edge of his lips lifted up in a little smile. "Sounds like the Elder finally finished that amplifier," he said-sipping his tea and aiming his pleased look at Sister Kate.
Despite the painful sounding racket that Chrno was making, Sister Kate mirrored Father Remington's smile. "If this works, do you think the Contract will be broken?"
The yelling slowly died down and Remington quickly ate a tea biscuit. "It's what I was hoping when the Elder spoke to me about his thoughts."
Sister Kate sipped her tea and nodded.
*
Rosette gaped. She wanted to look away-to preserve Chrno's dignity-but could not tear her eyes away from him.
He was panting. His sculpted chest rose and fell with the frantic breaths...his abdominal muscles tightened and released and despite the pain he'd just endured, his face sported a huge, white grin.
The Elder left the room and returned with a pair of trousers and a white button-up shirt. "Why don't you get dressed, son," he suggested.
Embarrassed, but incapable of removing the smile from his face, Chrno slid his now long legs into the pants.
"It worked," Rosette whispered.
Chrno gently touched the silver amplifying discs that covered the Astral Implants and grinned even wider-Rosette hadn't thought it possible. He looked more energetic than she'd ever seen him-in fact, Rosette herself felt livelier. More like her old self.
More alive...
Chrno slid the shirt on, buttoned it up halfway, looked Rosette in the eye, and bolted for the door. "Catch me if you can!" he called over his shoulder.
After a stunned moment, Rosette sprinted after him and laughed until her sides hurt.
/ /
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The slapping noise that echoed in the lab was enough to break Rosette of her sudden rage. The Elder's hand-inches from her bosom-was bent at a severe degree and turning a shade of bright red.
"Elder!" Chrno hissed. "Get a hold of yourself; this is serious!"
The Elder pouted and let his lower lip quiver just a tad. "But, Chrno...!"
Chrno sighed and reached up to grab the old man by the shoulders. "I need another way to generate more Astral energy on my own."
The Elder sobered up and nodded. "I'm assuming this has to do with the latest exorcism?"
He was speaking of the recent incident at the New York Zoo when a lion, an elephant, and two zebras had been used in a satanic ritual and had been possessed by the demons that a few reckless teenagers had called forth. During the exorcism, Chrno had acted as the distraction and had been injured quite severely. Rosette had blamed herself throughout the time it took for him to mend in the infirmary. Blamed herself for not working faster... The Elder had spoken with Chrno about this the following week when he'd returned to the lab.
Thus began Chrno's train of thought.
"Yes," Chrno answered.
Rosette glanced down at her partner and tried to read his eyes. Seeing the guilt in his eyes she knew exactly what he was feeling. "Oh, Chrno..." she mumbled. "It wasn't you-I was the one who wasn't working fast enough."
The Elder cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Nevertheless, I believe that I can help you. I've been working on this for a while now-I've just been waiting for you to be the one to ask about it."
Rosette and Chrno exchanged a surprised glance and followed the Elder to the back of his lab.
"You see, I'd been studying the horns you both brought back to me. I thought if I could find out how the Astral Energy is absorbed by the horns, then I could apply the science to a device to channel more Astral directly into you, Chrno."
He pointed distractedly at the myriad amount of devil horns in jars on the length of shelves in the back room. "And I'm pleased to say that I did come up with a sort of synthetic horn for you, Chrno. If you'd just remove your headband, I can install the implants."
Rosette halted the Elder's forward movement with an upraised hand. "Wait just a minute... Have you tested these implant thingies?"
The Elder gave her a hurt look. "Why, Sister Rosette, of course I've tested them! You don't think I'd endanger our Chrno in any way, now do you?"
Rosette blushed. The Elder offered up a small grin and surreptitiously goosed her rump as he walked past. She thwacked the back of his head with a ready fist and seethed while the old man giggled. "I couldn't resist anymore," he excused.
Chrno, ignoring their antics, removed his headband and winced at the feeling of free flowing air on the empty sockets in his head. Rosette groaned sympathetically at the raw holes-wanting nothing more than to ease his pain.
The Elder, serious now, held up the implants. They were just two metal discs no bigger than a couple of Spirit rounds-finely crafted out of silver with runes carved into the surface. "Now, son, I'll have to put these in your wounds and cover them with an amplifying disc," he held them up for the duo to inspect, "for it to work. It's going to hurt a lot at first."
"Hurt how?" Rosette asked.
"It's going to be painful because when the Astral flows more freely into him, it's going to change him immediately-his muscles will stretch, his bones will elongate, and in such a short time..." he trailed off.
Chrno headed toward his room. "Well, let's do it in here so I don't break anything."
Rosette followed on his heels, but the devil stopped her before she could make it to the room with him. "Rosette, maybe you should wait out here," he suggested.
She grabbed his hand. "No. I'm sticking with ya, bucko."
Looking into her deep blue eyes, Chrno realized that she wouldn't be going anywhere without him. He nodded lightly in consent and squeezed her hand reassuredly. "Alright," he consented. Alright...
*
Father Ewan Remington nearly dropped his tea at the sounds that suddenly filled the Order grounds. It was an anguished howl that he'd only heard once previously.
Chrno...
The edge of his lips lifted up in a little smile. "Sounds like the Elder finally finished that amplifier," he said-sipping his tea and aiming his pleased look at Sister Kate.
Despite the painful sounding racket that Chrno was making, Sister Kate mirrored Father Remington's smile. "If this works, do you think the Contract will be broken?"
The yelling slowly died down and Remington quickly ate a tea biscuit. "It's what I was hoping when the Elder spoke to me about his thoughts."
Sister Kate sipped her tea and nodded.
*
Rosette gaped. She wanted to look away-to preserve Chrno's dignity-but could not tear her eyes away from him.
He was panting. His sculpted chest rose and fell with the frantic breaths...his abdominal muscles tightened and released and despite the pain he'd just endured, his face sported a huge, white grin.
The Elder left the room and returned with a pair of trousers and a white button-up shirt. "Why don't you get dressed, son," he suggested.
Embarrassed, but incapable of removing the smile from his face, Chrno slid his now long legs into the pants.
"It worked," Rosette whispered.
Chrno gently touched the silver amplifying discs that covered the Astral Implants and grinned even wider-Rosette hadn't thought it possible. He looked more energetic than she'd ever seen him-in fact, Rosette herself felt livelier. More like her old self.
More alive...
Chrno slid the shirt on, buttoned it up halfway, looked Rosette in the eye, and bolted for the door. "Catch me if you can!" he called over his shoulder.
After a stunned moment, Rosette sprinted after him and laughed until her sides hurt.
/ /
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