Leena's The One
By Brian Davis
Leena, Chrono Cross, and all related characters are property of Squaresoft and... well not me.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The idea sort of popped into my head while I was thinking of a fanfic to write: What if Leena had been the one instead of Serge to encounter that experience? So many things would've been different and maybe it wouldn't make quite as much sense. This is just me playing around with fanfiction-dom so... feel free to wonder about my social status. J
Leena looked out at the children, splashing carelessly in the water. Next to her stood Serge, his blue hair tightly matted to his head by a bandanna. He had just arrived to apologize for being late to meet Leena on the docks of Arni, but instead he arrived to a speech about komodo-scales and necklaces.
"Kids sure have it easy..." Leena mused, watching the young ones at play, "Remember when we were like that? Not a single care or worry on our minds... How each day lasted an eternity, filled with newness, fun, and excitement..." She turned to the young boy, a hint of playfulness in her beautiful green eyes, "But the important thing now is not our childhood but my komodo-scale necklace!!! YES!" The young girl suddenly became a mock authoritarian, "We have to face up to reality and live each day anew!" She calmed, falling back into her sweet innocent self, "So I want you to go to Lizard Rock and get some komodo scales for me! I would join you, but I still have to watch the kids..." Before Serge could open his mouth to talk, she started again, "It's your fault; you were late! Once you collect some komodo scales, I'll catch up with you at Opassa Beach. Is that okay with you, Serge?"
Serge nodded his head, reluctant to argue with the vibrant girl before him.
"Good!" she exclaimed happily, "That's what I wanted to hear! Okay, then! Go collect some scales at Lizard Rock... let's see... I think three should be enough. Good luck, Serge! I'm counting on you!" With that, the young man dismissed himself, leaving Leena to watch the children again. She sat, yawning and clutching her knees to her chest. A nearby fisherman looked to her, chuckling softly.
"You should be nicer to your boyfriend," he said, "He seems like a nice boy."
Leena's face flushed into five shades of red as she turned to the man, fighting the slight smile forming on her face.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Leena shouted, "He's just a really good friend!"
"He must be a really good friend. No other friend would travel all the way to Lizard Rock for you, would they?" Leena became calmer, looking out into the sea. The fisherman was right, she knew.
Serge was very willing to get those scales for me, Leena thought, Could he like me as... more than a friend? Leena pushed the thought away, though deep inside, she felt the need to go run after Serge and ask him if he felt that way.
I'll be seeing him at Opassa, anyway, she thought, dipping her toe into the water before her. Her thoughts stayed in a statured limbo between the thought of Serge even remotely liking her as a girlfriend and her brand new komodo-scale necklace that she'd have soon.
"Leena?" a small voice rose from under her, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked into the water to see the young boy looking up at her, an ear-to-ear grin across his face.
"Yes?" she asked, her voice raising near to an octave.
"Does Sergey like you?" the boy asked. Leena, yet again, flushed.
"I don't... I don't know," Leena stuttered, "Keep swimming. You have to get out in a minute."
"To meet Sergey, right?" the boy asked, smiling.
"Yes, he's getting me komodo scales for my necklace," Leena excused, standing up, "Come on. I have to get to Opassa Beach. Your mom's probably expecting you home soon, anyway. She should be back from Termina, by now." Groaning, the young boy and his brother swam to the shore as Leena began thinking to herself again.
Is everyone seeing something I'm not?, she asked herself in her head. As she fixed piece of stray red hair from her face, she began to walk away from the docks, heading for Opassa Beach and hoping that Serge had brought her scales already.
Reaching the shores of Opassa, she noticed that Serge had not yet appeared. She looked around, watching for any sign of his approach.
"Serge?" she asked, "Do you have my scales yet?" Scanning through the trees, she saw no sign of Serge or her scales and frowned slightly.
"I guess I'm too early," she said to herself, sitting in the sand, "I'll just wait for a few minutes." She sat in the sand, folding her dress under her body and looked out at the everstretching sea before her. Sure, she had known Serge for a long time but... as a boyfriend? That was for someone who just wasn't her. She never pictured herself with him, but what was everybody else seeing that she wasn't? Glancing at the clouds above her, she wished for something to show her a way to decide on whether her feelings for Serge were what she had thought or maybe something more. A rush of water surged into her legs as she yelped in fright at the suden frigid water on the bottom half of her body. She stood, looking at her now dripping dress.
"Oh... I had better go get changed before Serge comes," she whispered, nearly cursing herself. As she began away, a shadow loomed over her, darknening the earth around her. She turned back to see what was approaching just as what seemed to be the entire sea crashed upon her, crushing her beneath its weight. Her screams, to her dismay, erupted as a stream of bubles, audible only to her. She tore at the water on her, seeing daylight but not seeming to be able to reach for it. Her lungs ached for air as she clutched for freedom of the watery hell she was trapped in. Her sight faded to black as she was overwhelmed by the empowering force around her.
"Miss...?"
"Miss, are you alright?"
Leena opened her eyes, blinded by the direct sunlight blaring onto them. Raising her arm weakly, she shielded herself from the painful brilliance. Looking at the voice above her, she noticed a komodo above her, chirping curiously.
"Serge?" she asked, becoming frightfully aware of her surroundings, "I said komodo scales! Not komodos!" She scrambled to her feet, rushing away from the creature.
"Don't be afraid," an old man said, nearing her, "We found you washed up on shore. You're lucky to have survived." Leena looked to the man, curious herself.
"You found me?" she asked, "But I was here before that big wave hit."
"Big wave?" the man repeated, "Young lady, there haven't been any large waves on this beach since about ten years ago. That was during a horrible storm, though."
"I need to get back to Arni," Leena urged, "Everyone's probably worried about me."
"Are you friends with Serge?" the old man asked.
"Yes, we're friends," she replied.
"That's strange. I don't remember seeing you two together." The old man and Leena looked at each other in perplexity for a moment before the man started away.
"If you're going to Arni, though, I'll escort you back." Leena smiled, wondering why the man had never seen her before. Strangely, she had seen him a few times but had never really engaged in conversation with him... or what seemed to be his pet komodo. She followed him, looking out at the sea as she trailed with him back to the village.
Once back in Arni, Leena looked around. Nothing was different or changed since she had left s she must have only been out for a short amount of time. She could hear laughing and splashing from the docks that sounded all too familiar. She walked to the docks, watching people mill about in their normal way. Some cast odd glances at her but she caught none of them as she made her way to the familiar voices. She arrived at the dock to see the two boys she babysat earlier swimming and splashing around.
"Didn't I send you back to your house?!" Leena asked, suddenly enraged at the young ones, "You could've drowned or worse!" The two young boys looked at each other, confused by the young woman's ranting.
"Who are you?" the boy she talked with most asked her.
"I'm Leena! Your babysitter!" she cried, appalled.
"I'm sorry, miss, but our babysitter is Una. We don't know anyone named Leena." Leena gasped.
"Una?" Leena asked, biting her lip, "Well, where is she?"
"She just brought us here and left," the boy explained, "But we're big enough to watch ourselves!"
"No, you're not!" Leena cried, surprised by the young boy's claim.
"We don't know you!" the other boy cried back, "We can do what we want!" Leena backed away, horrified.
"I..." she began to stammer as Una turned the corner, approaching her on the docks.
"Are you Serge's friend from Opassa?" she asked, "The old man told me about you. I think you should go talk to Serge. I know I've never seen you around here and I'm sure he doesn't know you." Una's glance became near lethal as she closed to Leena, scanning her. She quickly broke into a smile, "Oh well... I haven't met every person Serge knows, now have I?" Una walked to the edge of the docks, looking out at the children swimming, "Don't go out too far!" Leena, dejected and confused, started her way to the house she had learned to know about: Serge's. She had expected to see Marge approach her, but once into the first room of the house, she stopped, noticing the young man talking up a storm with his mother. That's strange, Leena thought to herself, Serge is usually so quiet. She approached the two, clearing her throat. Both Serge and Marge snapped their heads in her direction, eyeing her suspiciously.
"What are you doing here?" Serge asked, "Who are you?" Leena slumped slightly, becoming tired of this identity crisis.
"I'm Leena!" she cried, "Don't you remember me?"
"That's not funny," Marge said sternly, "Serge, is this one of your jokes?"
"No," Serge said, his voice deep with remorse, "I don't even know this girl!"
"Serge?" Leena's voice began to break as her lip quivered in anxiety.
"How do you know my name?" he asked her.
"You don't remember me?" Serge looked to his mother.
"Do you remember a Leena, mom?" he asked her, still looking at Leena curiously.
"I... Serge could you run to the fisherman and ask him if I can borrow some fish oils, please?" his mother uttered.
"Sure, mom, no problem!" he siad happily, running out of the house. Marge watche duntil he was out of view.
"How do you know Leena?" she asked, an edge of hope in her voice. Leena cocked her head, her headpiece slipping out of place slightly.
"I am Leena," Leena said, pleading.
"You can't say such things..." Marge whispered.
"But I am!"
"Serge... my son... used to be friends with a girl named Leena," Marge began, sitting in a nearby chair, "They used to play everyday and... one night, there was a horrible storm. She, along with my husband and her father, was in the middle of the ocean, being tossed in the swollen waves of the night. They never came back again..." Leena felt a tear roll down her cheek, dripping from her chin and landing on the dust covered floor.
"My father...?" Leena whispered, her heart dying with its weight.
"There's a memorial grave for her at Cape Howl, to the west of here," Marge continued, "Maybe seeing that grave will make you realize what a cruel joke you're playing..." Leena reeled from the amount of scorn in the woman's voice, "Now leave... before Serge comes back. He doesn't need to hear anymore about this." Leena began to walk away, watching Marge the whole time, and keeping her eye on Serge's house until she had left the village gates, heading for Cape Howl.
Upon reaching Cape Howl, memories flooded back to her of a carving she and Serge had made in a rock at the peak of the cape. She had never meant that she would be in love with him, just friends forever. The carving ricocheted through her mind as she approached the rock, reading the inscription:
Leena, age 6
May the sea hold her dearly
Leena stepped back, her hand shooting to her mouth in awe.
"There you are!"
Leena twirled to see three very imperial looking soldiers approaching her, the lead looking at her menacingly.
"We were told you'd show up sooner or later," the purpled haired leader smirked.
"What?" Leena asked.
"We must capture her and bring her back!" one of his lackies urged.
"Not so fast!"
Another voice rang out from behind the three soldiers and Leena saw what seemed to be a young girl, about her age, brandishing two small daggers, her blonde hair rustling in the wind.
"Ya think yer takin' 'er?" the girl provoked, "You three 'gainst one defenseless shiela?"
"This does not concern you!" the lead excused.
"It can't really be true that this girl is a ghost, can it?" a soldier asked.
"It doesn't matter!" the lead shouted, "We found her here, like we were told. Now get her!"
"Ya still think yer gonna take 'er?" the new girl asked, her red outfit stretching with every word, "I'll kick yer sorry arses so hard you'll kiss the moons!" She flailed towards the three with her daggers, making quick work of their strength. The defeated lead looked to her, anger brimming in his eyes.
"We won't forget this!" he yelled at her, running off with his soldiers.
"I'm sooooo scared!" the girl yelled after them, laughing. She turned to Leena, who had watched innocently as herlife was saved by the mysterious stranger, "You alright? Leena... yer name's Leena, ain't it?"
"Yes..." Leena replied, confused beyond her wildest imagination, "Who are you?"
"Oh me?" the girl replied, "You can just call me Kid. Nice to meet ya."
"Why did you help me?"
"I just couldn't stand by and watch those blokes gang up on you like that they just pissed the bloody hell outta me. I wish I could've beat 'em up some more! But why was that mob after ya?"
"I've never met them in my life," Leena excused, "I don't know why their after me."
"Whaddaya mean you've never met 'em before? Eh?" Kid started but quickly shook her head, "Ahhh, forget it. Hey, Leena! How about you and me team up for a while? That Karsh fella ain't gonna just leave you alone, that's for sure! And to tell ya the truth, I'm new to these islands... It's pretty lonely travelin' around here on me own. So, how 'bout it? Perhaps it was fate that we would meet up like this!"
"Maybe it was..." Leena sighed, "Sure, why not?"
END