JT: This is my first fanfic, so please read and review. I want to know what people think of it before I go on writing. The first two chapters are posted, so please read both of them before reviewing.

Caution: This story is rated Mature due to possibly some yaoi and definitely a lemon or two. Eventually heavy stress on pairings and lemons there. Yaoi will be found in places you wouldn't expect. If you aren't supposed to read this type of thing, I advise you don't.

Reminder: I will give no warning when yaoi/lemons will start or end! Keep this in mind when reading.

Disclaimer: I only own a Chrono Trigger cartridge. I don't own SquareSoft (don't I wish) or the entire game or the characters in any way! I only own this fanfic and characters that I make up (I will do a disclaimer saying that I DO own such characters if the occasion arises!)

With that under that bridge…onto the fanfic!

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Chapter 1: Repetitions

Schala lay on her bed, tossing restlessly. The dream was different than the others, but still terrible. They always were. It was like a warning, a warning for something she wished would never happen.

"Mother, no!" the princess screamed, rushing into the gigantic room. "Y-you can't…!"

"Dalton, darling, see that this little brat is put in her place!" Queen Zeal thundered, pointing at her daughter.

"With pleasure, precious," the man said back, walking up to Schala and grabbing her arm.

Schala tried hard to fight back, but failed. "You will find that unwise, swine," Dalton warned, dragging the helpless girl out of the room.

All that the princess could say was, "Mother…don't do this to me! Don't do this to yourself! Nooo…"

Zeal once again faced the machine as soon as her daughter left. She began to cackle. "And now, Mammon Machine—"

The cerulean-haired girl awoke then, her brow coursed with sweat. "Not another one of those dreams," she said miserably, rubbing her forehead. She sighed. "What do they mean?"

Then, her younger brother, Janus, strolled in casually. "Oh, good, you're awake. Mother wanted to speak with you about…" he trailed off. "Oh dear, not another one of those dreams," he said in barely a whisper as he sat down beside Schala on her bed.

She smiled weakly. "Yes, I'm afraid so," she said, stroking her brother's hair. It was the same color as her own, but shorter.

"We must do something," Janus said, his flame-like eyes starting to glow. "I won't stand by as these dreams keep coming. After you talk to Mother, let's head to the Dream Library. There should be a clue there."

She was touched by her brother's concern. "Yes, let's," she said, getting up from her bed. "But now, I must change so I can go see Mother. I'll see you later in the dream library. You should go there now and start looking."

Janus nodded, then walked out of his sister's room.

Schala lifted her brush, and began to stroke it through her cerulean hair, humming slightly. As soon as she was done, she slipped into a purplish robe and a pair of silver, strappy high heels.

When she arrived at her mother's room, Queen Zeal snapped, "It took you long enough! Sit down!"

The girl obeyed, sinking into a heavily padded chair to the side of her mother's bed. "What was it that you wanted to talk with me about, mother?" she asked, feeling small.

"Oh, be quiet," Zeal thundered. "There was a group of people who came yesterday, wishing to speak to you. They were your age. I told them to get lost, but I wanted to know…would you have actually known them?"

"Who were they?" Schala asked politely.

The queen rolled her eyes, then said, "Then you wouldn't know them?"

"It depends," insisted Schala, determined to find out who they were.

"One was a boy with spiky red hair…and then there was a purple-haired girl, and a blonde—"

Oh, dear, thought Schala. "I…I do know them, mother…" the princess said softly.

"Oh, you do, do you? It seemed as though the boy was quite wrapped up in the two girls he was with, so—"

"I'm not dating him, mother! I happen to know them! When did they come by?"

Zeal began to glare at Schala. "Never interrupt me again!" she shouted. "They were here yesterday around sunset. They said that they would be camping overnight in a cave nearby, and hoped you could come find them…" Zeal paused, thinking. "Where did you say you knew them from?" she inquired suspiciously.

"I just…I just happen to. They…they were…" Schala tried to think of a plausible excuse. The truth was that she had met them in a dream, and since they had come, it made it more of a sign. "I met them…a long time ago at a party," she lied. She hoped it convinced her mother.

"Oh, all right…" Zeal said, sounding disappointed. "You may go now."

Schala hurried out, excited dearly by this news. "What was his name…?" she asked herself as she jogged to the dream library to meet Janus. "Chrono!" she fairly shouted.

"Yes, your highness?" a mocking, deep voice said behind her. "How may I help you?"

Slowly, Schala turned to face the voice. "It's…Chrono, right?" she asked, noting his red, spiky hair. "How did you get in here?"

"Easily," he muttered, then said, "and yes, it is Chrono."

Schala fairly fainted with happiness at that, dashing up to hug him. "You are real," she exclaimed excitedly. "You do exist!"

"I, er, yes," Chrono said hesitantly.

"Why are you here then?" she asked hastily, leading him to a bench at the side of the hallway.

The red-haired boy hesitated, then began, "Your mother…she…she has created, with the help of Dalton, a huge machine. It's the—"

"Mammon Machine!?" Schala asked excitedly. At last, her dreams would be unwound!

"How—oh, never mind. Yes, the Mammon Machine. And it's…she's using it to gain power, but it drains the good part of her soul to leave only blackness; blackness, that has been foretold, that will be her downfall, and that of her kingdom."

Schala was struck dumb at these words for several seconds, then recovered. "Oh, um…that's…terrible," she said slowly.

"Princess, you need to help us. We want to save the kingdom, and although your mother might die, everyone else should live—"

At that, Schala burst into tears and leaned toward Chrono, throwing her arms around his neck. "N-no…m-mother…"

Chrono tried to comfort her, but couldn't think of anything to say. This was normal for him; he was very quiet.

Presently, Schala was able to control her tears, and although she remained hugging Chrono, she was able to discuss the current situation. "What can I do to help?"

The boy thought for several seconds, then said, "Let me worry about that. As I seem to recall, you are meeting your brother at the dream library now. Would you perhaps mind if I came along…?"

"That's perfectly all right," Schala said, wiping her tearstained face with her hands. "I, um…" she began, trailing off.

"I know," Chrono said, "you've dreamt about me." He helper her stand up.

Schala blushed, then took advantage of her arm placement around his neck, and bent up to kiss him. "I sure did, but it was about that Mammon Machine business…" she murmured, leaning for another kiss.

Chrono readily accepted her this time, then said, "I think your brother…will be waiting for you."

"Oh, right," Schala said, pulling reluctantly away from Chrono and walking towards the dream library. He followed.

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Janus sat at a table, disks and disks of Schala's dreams spread out before him. He picked one up, the first one, and placed it into the hologram drive.

At that moment, Schala and a boy he did not recognize walked in. The princess was leading him over to her brother.

As soon as she arrived at the table, Schala told Janus, "This is Chrono—he was in some of my later dreams."

"Pleasure," Janus said suspiciously, not offering a hand to shake or even looking up.

"Er, nice to meet you too," Chrono said, then looked at the hologram projector. "What are we—"

Schala whispered, "My dreams. We wanted to see if there was any clues to the Mammon Machine in any one of them…or what mother could be doing to herself…"

"Right," he whispered back.

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The first two dreams were exactly the same; Schala finding a hidden door marked "Mammon – Keep Out" and entering, seeing the machine without anyone around, and leaving the curious room.

The third was slightly different; the princess heard cackling from the Mammon room, and peered in to see her mother there, then was too frightened to go on, and left.

The fourth focused on Chrono and his group, who were trying to shut down the Mammon Machine by stabbing it with a red dagger, but finding no weakness and being sentenced to death. This dream repeated for the next three nights.

The next dream was the one of the night before; Schala running into the room, but being grabbed by a cursing Dalton and thrown out.

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"Like that did us a whole lot of good," grumbled Janus, gathering the disks and putting them on the shelf. "I didn't see any clues, did you?"

"Not one," Chrono said. Schala shook her head.

"I didn't think so," Janus said, disgusted. "How did we possibly think, Schala, that these dreams held clues? We were idiots, is why. We couldn't possibly just accept the fact that your dreams came and went as they did, and they were just dreams!"

Quietly, Chrono said, "I'm real…and I was in her dream…is that not a clue enough?"

Janus glanced at him, then stalked toward his room.