Pure Bliss
A/N: This is a story that I pretty mush wrote while I was watching the scene. I had to do it twice because I forgot to un-equip Crono and he had some really good stuff =D. Since I'm a die-hard Crono/Marle fan, I decided this would be the perfect time to write it out, so R/R and I hope you enjoy!
Hey. The name's Crono. I normally don't talk much; you can even ask my friends, but I figured I might as well try to converse with someone in this bleak place. It seems that even though more people come in through here everyday than I can possibly imagine that there's barely anything to do around here. I decided talking to someone would be a smart move, so I ended up talking to you.
Sorry if I seem to be rambling on a lot, but I never really got the chance to talk to my friends much since I died. I wish now that I had spoken to them more often, but I guess I was always the silent type, not that you would be able to tell now. Besides talking to people, all I can do is look through this orb that'll let me watch over my friends. I really wish I could be with them now, but I'll just have to give them my strength by watching over them everyday.
When I first got here, a man informed me that I had died. It wasn't really easy for me to cope with that, but I got used to the idea pretty quickly, I guess. He said that I could mingle with anyone that seemed to pass through here; he also mentioned looking through this orb which I was more than thrilled to take part in. I'd rather watch them than talk anyway; it's much more interesting. Don't take that the wrong way, I see very interesting people pass through here, including yourself; I just never bothered to talk to them.
You must be wondering how I got here. I only assume that because I truly wonder how everyone dies and ends up coming here. The way I got here most people find heroic. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I miss home, my home. I also long to see my friends everyday; not looking at them through this orb, but face to face, I want to hear their voices clearly and not with an echo. I bet you understand how I feel even though you just got here. I've been here for weeks now and the feeling only grows stronger over time; you'll know what I'm talking about soon, but anyway, back to the way that I died.
I was just finishing facing Lavos for the first time, and I was just waking up after being passed out for a long time. It's wasn't the most peaceful wake up call that I had wished for, but it did wake me up, none the less. That heartless bitch Zeal was laughing again. It was a high pitched shrill laugh that stung my ears and pained my soul. It seemed like her sound would last on forever and it hurt; it hurt my ears so badly that I couldn't stand it. Lavos's roar mixed in with her laughter was almost too much to bear, and the simple fact that she was laughing at our pain, and even her own daughter's pain. It was disgusting and I couldn't believe she was still laughing. It was the only time in my life that I had ever wished that I didn't have ears.
Marle, Lucca, Schala, and Magus were all near by feeling the same thing I did, pure pain. Queen Zeal started talking again, but I didn't really care; we all were too numb to care about anything besides our aching ears. The only thought that ran through my head at that time was, 'We're all going to die. All our adventures would be in vain. Lavos would still destroy the world, and we were powerless to stop it.' If Zeal could read my mind, I could understand why she kept laughing. She thought she had won, and in our eyes she did finally win. But then I rethought out everything we did and what purpose it had in our journey, and all because of this bitch that would mean nothing. The thought filled me like water filling a glass, quickly. It eventually hit the very bottom of my soul and sparked a fire that I didn't even know was waiting to burn. I became so pissed off because she was going to win and it wasn't fair! We had risked our lives time and again to prove that what we believed we were doing was right. She would ruin it all. Then I decided that I was NOT going to let this insane woman win.
Getting up to my knees slowly, I looked out of the corner of my eyes and saw Marle do the same. She looked tired and weak, yet she was still trying to get up to talk to me.
"Can you move, Crono?" she muttered weakly before she collapsed to the ground. I could tell she was still awake, but she had used up all her energy and couldn't move. Lucca tried to talk to me as well. She strained to sit up and whisper out a few words before her body gave way.
"You have to save Schala!" demanded Lucca as she fell back down on her side. All four of them seemed to be giving me their energy just so that I could stand. It was empowering, and I could finally stand on my feet.
I walked over to Schala and checked on her quickly. Magus, who was not too far off, asked her if she was all right with his little strength. He was concerned about her, and no one knew why. He seemed to have a connection to her that no one could really grasp. I had to admit though, he looked so much like her and Janus that it was uncanny.
Schala nodded to him, signaling that she was OK. Then she looked up at me. She seemed so hurt, both emotionally and physically. It was sad that her own mother would do this to her at such a fragile age. It was sad that she did this to both of her children; it really was. "Crono, don't!" she cried. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she spoke for I could tell each word was painful to her. "Humans can't hope to defeat Lavos!"
"So you're the one named Crono!" bellowed the queen. She turned towards me and gave me an evil glare. She was brain washed for sure; nothing else could change her so much. I mean, from hearing all the people talk, you would think that she was a really nice person, but she was twisted with anger and hatred, only thriving for the chance to receive immortality. "Come and feel the power of Lavos!" The beast shrieked again droning out all sound.
I was getting sick of Zeal's talk, but what could I do? I tried facing Lavos before and I almost died! This was an impossible situation, and I didn't like it one bit. Nothing was strong enough to defeat Lavos, but something had to give way, and something had to die to stop the terror from happening, I just didn't know what; truthfully, I didn't want to know for any answer I would have gotten, I wouldn't have liked.
I thought back to the first time I came to this era. In one of the towns, we met Prince Janus. That boy had said something so strange and out of no where. He said something about the black winds, but the thing that caught my attention was when he said, 'One of you shall perish.' No one knew what it meant at first, but it was slowly making sense as I added it all up in my head. He somehow saw into the future and saw this happening. I don't know how, but I knew one of us would end up having to die.
I didn't want anyone to die to stop Lavos besides Lavos himself. I liked my life, and I didn't want the others to carry that burden. But I knew that it was my time to die. I'd be damned if I saw any of my friends die! Marle, Lucca, Schala, even Magus, they were all important to me! I couldn't go on living knowing that I could have taken their place; it would just be unbearable.
I walked towards Zeal and shot her an icy glare. I sent her all the pain, suffering, anguish, despair, and helplessness that I had bottled up in my soul. I gave it all to her in one look, and I knew she saw it. I was glad, too. In her eyes I saw that she received my message that I was trying to send her.
"What do you plan on doing with that battered body of yours?" she questioned with a hint of interest in her voice. I didn't reply; I just stood in front of Lavos with my sword ready waiting for him to strike me down.
"Feel the wraith of Lavos!" Zeal yelled as the beast blasted a wave of energy focused on me. I began to float in the air casting Luminar for the last time, only using my spirit as the energy source. Pain filled my body when the blast first hit me. I couldn't deny it either, because it had hit every part of me, and I didn't think that it was possible. It seemed to last forever even though it only lasted for maybe two seconds, but those were the most painful two seconds of my life.
When the pain subsided, I felt so calm. It was amazing how peaceful I could feel before embracing death and after feeling all that pain. It was as if I was walking on water with a cool breeze blowing over my face. Nothing felt better, but I knew, this too, would pass. The thing that truly knocked me back to reality was a sharp cry from Marle.
"Crono!" I could hear her plea, and it hurt me so much to leave her like this. It sounded like she was going to cry, and she did. Her sobs were the only thing I could hear at that time, and it stabbed my heart over and over. I didn't want her to cry. I was saving her life and the lives of millions; I didn't want her to cry over me. She shouldn't cry; I was doing the right thing.
Lucca also cried out my name, but I couldn't really hear her that well. That moment dragged on forever it seemed. Whoever said your life flashed before your eyes right before you die was right. Everything about my life was rushing at me all at once, yet I could remember every event clearly. My father's funeral, he died when I was only seven years of age. He taught me so many things in that little amount of time. From him is where I learned how to fight and survive by myself in the wilderness. My mother and I loved him to death, and being with him never made us happier. I remember how badly she cried after his funeral. For weeks her pain would never stop, and it hurt me, too. I tried to be strong for her, but it was just so hard. Lucca used to play with me then, or she would just talk to me whenever I needed someone to listen to me. We were like brother and sister, and Lucca's parents accepted me as their own child. It was great around the time when I was 10-17. My life had never been better.
After that, all the adventures with Ayla, Frog, and Robo were dashing through my mind. They were my newest friends, yet I trusted each with my life. They were all brave and all extremely friendly. It was great traveling with them through all those adventures. I can barely remember a better time than that of what I shared with them. I wish I could relive that over and over, but I guess in a weird way, I can.
Finally, I remembered Marle. What was there not to love about her? Everything about her was so well defined, so perfect. You would think I would be saying this because she's a princess, but no, that wasn't it at all. I admired her from the moment I first met her, and at that time I didn't know of her royal heritage. Even when I did know, I truthfully didn't care. She was what I was looking for in a female; Marle was smart, funny, beautiful, playful, yet strong willed and courageous. Every time I traveled with her, something new about her would amaze me like her compassion to set the world straight when we first heard about Lavos and the kindness she showed toward all of us. It just dazzled me.
The one thing I could never do was admitting that I loved her. I couldn't admit it to her, let alone say it to myself. I thought about it several times, and I just figured it wouldn't work. How could I tell her anyway? I was a common boy from a small town who had fallen in love with a princess. In my eyes it didn't work, and I was sure that it didn't work out in her father's either.
By now my body was melting away slowly. Breathing was becoming hard, and a shining light escaped from my body. I didn't know what it was, neither did anyone else, I'm sure. Marle's pendent was gone from my neck; it had fallen off a long time before. Everything started becoming quiet and further away than what it actually was. I was scared now, for I knew that I was truly dying. I couldn't turn my back on fate now, for it was too late. I only had one breath left and I decided to use it well. It was the last chance I was ever going to get, so I used it well. I finally confessed and I felt so light when the darkness finally washed over me.
"I love you, Marle," I whispered as loudly as my breath would allow. I'm not sure if she heard it or not, but I think in her heart she knew. She had to have known there was no way that she couldn't have heard.
Even after I had passed away, I still heard her cry out my name. Soon after, I could hear her sobs of sadness and pain. It was heart wrenching, well, if I wasn't dead at the time it would have been. Ah, I still miss her even now, and it grows everyday. I don'' even know officially how long I've been here.
I guess it's time to look back at the orb and check up on what they're doing right now… wait a second… Why is she climbing up that mountain?
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I bit my lip and kept climbing. I didn't really care how much the icy wind stung my face; I was going to reach the top of that damn mountain. Death Peak was so high and so cold; I didn't' know if I was going to reach the top of if there was even a top. It didn't really matter that much to me though because all I wanted, in this stupid little world, was to get Crono back.
He had done so much for me, and I never really got to thank him properly. He barely knew me and yet he would always be there for any reason. He was my knight in shining armor that I had never had before. Every time I was in danger, He would come for me, and he was there helping me out. If I needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there to support and comfort me when I needed it; he was always the first one to offer as if protecting me was his job alone. But now that he's dead, I feel as if a part of me has left with him. The moment that he left me so did something else that I can't describe.
I was horrified the moment I saw him disappear. All I could do was scream and cry, but even though I was draining out Lavos's roar from my own ears, I had heard him before he died. I know it sounds strange, but I did hear him. I heard Crono speaking, very softly of course, but I still heard him. Right before he completely vanished, I heard him whisper, 'I love you, Marle.' I thought I was dreaming for more than one reason, but I wasn't. He was never one to talk much, but I know I heard him, and I now know that I love him back.
Again the wind nipped at my face unforgivingly with each cold blast. It snaked through the holes of the fabric that I was wearing. It chilled my skin to the very core, but I kept stumbling forward. The trail was hard; monsters kept popping out of no where, yet my friends and I still strode onward, never slowing down. I didn't want to stop, I couldn't stop for I kept telling myself, 'Crono's waiting for you, Marle. You can't give up now because you're so close, so very close.' It was the only thing pushing me forward in the ice, and I was lucky to have that thought ringing in my mind nonstop.
My hands became numb, and each finger no longer existed to me. He cold chilled them into one in a way, and eventually there was no difference between the snow on the ground and the masses of flesh on my body. They all felt the same to me; they almost looked the same as well. The think blanket of snow that kept falling never seemed to stop. It covered my hair making it look pure white instead of it's normal reddish-blonde. My white suit that I always wore was soaked because of the snow that melted under my step. Nothing in this situation looked good, but none of it stopped me either.
I kept climbing and climbing until finally I reached the top. I pulled myself up carefully and let out a sigh of relief as I almost passed out on the white floor. No snow fell up here and the sun shined brightly. Even though a cold breeze still blew, I felt so calm and relaxed up here. My body heat slowly began to rise because even though the weather conditions were better, it was still cold as hell.
The place was silent and I slowly got up again to stagger over to the steep ledge. Near the ledge was a single tree. It was just a plain white, but when the sun hit it, the tree dazzled like a thousand stars in the middle of the night with all the colors of the rainbow. It was truly beautiful, but I didn't pay much attention to it, though I should have. I peered over and gasped as I saw how high up it really was. I felt like jumping though, I didn't know why. Maybe because I thought if I died too, I would join Crono and be happy with him. I didn't jump though; I just stood there like a statue looking over the edge thinking quietly to myself.
Lucca walked up behind me and laced a hand on my shoulder. She knew exactly how I felt and gave me a wiry smile when I looked at her. I smiled back and gave her an approving nod, which meant that I was ready to try this thing out. She held my pendent in her hands while the Time Egg was clasped in mine. I slowly began to pray as I held up the Time Egg to the sky. The pendent shimmered and filled the egg with its energy. It looked like it was working because soon after the egg floated in the air and hovered above us all. It happened so fast, but the next thing I remembered was the sound of the egg shattering.
I felt like my heart broke with the egg and I tried to hold back tears. It didn't make sense. What had happened to the egg? Why was this happening to me? Why couldn't I just get Crono back? It over welmed me and I ran to the ledge. I did the only thing I could do at that time. That was screaming.
"CRONO!" I cried out in vain to the sky. I sank to my knees and began to cry. If I had looked up I would have seen the moon covering the sun creating a solar eclipse. It was strange to see that happened when I did notice it and then everything became dark.
I opened my eyes to see that point of time frozen. It was that moment when Crono died. I looked over everyone's frozen state and gasped. I could remember it all perfectly now. Zeal's laughter, Schala's pleading, Magus's pain, and Crono's death. All I could do was mutter his name over and over again. Lucca as well was remembering the scene in her head and she walked around looking at everyone. Frog caught our attention and told Lucca to take down Crono's body. She did so, and then Frog replaced it with the clone that we retrieved from Crono's mom.
"That should be it," comment Lucca, and only moments after did we leave that point in time. Again we appeared around the tree on Death Peak. I was looking at Crono carefully, calling out his name every so often, hoping that he would wake up. Questions attacked my brain like, 'Would he remember confessing his love?' 'Did he even do it in the first place?' and 'Would we soon meet fate shortly after?' It was too much to handle. I just wanted to cry out of frustration.
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"You must go now," a voice whispered to me. A bright light shined around me, drawing me away from the orb. I didn't know what was happening, but something was pushing into me and pulling me down at the same time. It didn't hurt, but it was the weirdest feeling. Eventually I just tried to close me eyes and relax.
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was Marle's wet eyes staring into mine. Her beautiful face showing fear, worry, and hope all at once, and finally her lips moved as she called out my name.
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"Crono?" I asked for the second time. I was almost losing hope until I saw his eyes flutter open. He stared straight at me as I sighed in relief. He was alive; Crono was alive! I want to scream, to jump, to dance, to sing for joy, but I just stayed there captured in his gaze, drowning in his blue eyes that seemed to be as deep as the ocean. It was those same eyes that had captivated me before and I was glad that I was finally able to be peering into them once again. Everything about him was so special and so mysterious.
It seemed like the rest of the world faded besides Crono and I. The shimmering tree was there also and it only added splendor to the moment. I waited a few moments, and finally I attached myself onto his neck. My face was buried into his shirt as I softly cried to myself. He didn't hold me back but I didn't care; I was finally holding him once again.
"Oh God," I choked on a sob, "so much has happened since you were gone, First we… then we… Crono, are you even listening?" I looked up at him with a desperate look on my face hoping that he would respond. Finally he gazed down at me and smiled. His smile was so warm. It filled my body with heat and the chilly wind bothered me no more.
Yes, Marle. I'm listening," he replied softly. I had barely heard him talk before besides him name a few other things, but his voice was so beautiful. I couldn't really describe it if I wanted to, but it was enchanting to my ears. I felt like I had touched Heaven, just by hearing him talk. I rested my head on his chest and sighed, and finally he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to him. Nothing in the world was more perfect.
After a long pause I finally stated, "I heard you." He looked at me bewildered acting as if he didn't know what I was talking about. I didn't see his look at first but I could feel it, I just could feel him staring. Eventually I gazed back up at him.
"I heard you," I repeated again. This time he knew what I was talking about and he got nervous look on his face. I guess he didn't know what my response to him was going to be. "I just wanted to say that… I love you too, Crono." I looked at him for some reaction, but his eyes were just unexplainable.
"Say that again," he commanded softly as he stroked a few strands of hair out of my eyes.
"Crono, I love you,"
His face seemed to have the biggest smile on it that I had ever seen. He cupped the side of my face with his hand and just started at me lovingly. I could see that he was happy and content with what I had said, and it filled me with joy. Slowly, he descended his lips upon mine, but I did not move nor fight it; instead I just leaned into the embrace.
That kiss I shall remember for the rest of time, for nothing felt better than that. Everything about the moment was right, and we both knew it. Crono kept stroking my back gently while I just hung on to him, afraid that if I let go, he would disappear. But I knew he wouldn't, for a long time.
Everything I had felt up until now stung my heart, but now it was replaced with the feeling of pure bliss. All I could ever say about it afterwards was, the pain was well worth it…
A/N: Yay! First CT fic that I've written that I thought came out well and that I've actually finished. I'm writing another one that is longer by far, but I just felt to rewrite this scene because it was just to pretty. I did admit I almost had a heart attack when Crono died and I didn't have a clone of him. Then I found out I could get him back anyway ^^;; so it all turned out ok. Anyway, just please leave me a review and tell me what you think or how I could improve my writing style. Ja ne!
A/N: This is a story that I pretty mush wrote while I was watching the scene. I had to do it twice because I forgot to un-equip Crono and he had some really good stuff =D. Since I'm a die-hard Crono/Marle fan, I decided this would be the perfect time to write it out, so R/R and I hope you enjoy!
Hey. The name's Crono. I normally don't talk much; you can even ask my friends, but I figured I might as well try to converse with someone in this bleak place. It seems that even though more people come in through here everyday than I can possibly imagine that there's barely anything to do around here. I decided talking to someone would be a smart move, so I ended up talking to you.
Sorry if I seem to be rambling on a lot, but I never really got the chance to talk to my friends much since I died. I wish now that I had spoken to them more often, but I guess I was always the silent type, not that you would be able to tell now. Besides talking to people, all I can do is look through this orb that'll let me watch over my friends. I really wish I could be with them now, but I'll just have to give them my strength by watching over them everyday.
When I first got here, a man informed me that I had died. It wasn't really easy for me to cope with that, but I got used to the idea pretty quickly, I guess. He said that I could mingle with anyone that seemed to pass through here; he also mentioned looking through this orb which I was more than thrilled to take part in. I'd rather watch them than talk anyway; it's much more interesting. Don't take that the wrong way, I see very interesting people pass through here, including yourself; I just never bothered to talk to them.
You must be wondering how I got here. I only assume that because I truly wonder how everyone dies and ends up coming here. The way I got here most people find heroic. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I miss home, my home. I also long to see my friends everyday; not looking at them through this orb, but face to face, I want to hear their voices clearly and not with an echo. I bet you understand how I feel even though you just got here. I've been here for weeks now and the feeling only grows stronger over time; you'll know what I'm talking about soon, but anyway, back to the way that I died.
I was just finishing facing Lavos for the first time, and I was just waking up after being passed out for a long time. It's wasn't the most peaceful wake up call that I had wished for, but it did wake me up, none the less. That heartless bitch Zeal was laughing again. It was a high pitched shrill laugh that stung my ears and pained my soul. It seemed like her sound would last on forever and it hurt; it hurt my ears so badly that I couldn't stand it. Lavos's roar mixed in with her laughter was almost too much to bear, and the simple fact that she was laughing at our pain, and even her own daughter's pain. It was disgusting and I couldn't believe she was still laughing. It was the only time in my life that I had ever wished that I didn't have ears.
Marle, Lucca, Schala, and Magus were all near by feeling the same thing I did, pure pain. Queen Zeal started talking again, but I didn't really care; we all were too numb to care about anything besides our aching ears. The only thought that ran through my head at that time was, 'We're all going to die. All our adventures would be in vain. Lavos would still destroy the world, and we were powerless to stop it.' If Zeal could read my mind, I could understand why she kept laughing. She thought she had won, and in our eyes she did finally win. But then I rethought out everything we did and what purpose it had in our journey, and all because of this bitch that would mean nothing. The thought filled me like water filling a glass, quickly. It eventually hit the very bottom of my soul and sparked a fire that I didn't even know was waiting to burn. I became so pissed off because she was going to win and it wasn't fair! We had risked our lives time and again to prove that what we believed we were doing was right. She would ruin it all. Then I decided that I was NOT going to let this insane woman win.
Getting up to my knees slowly, I looked out of the corner of my eyes and saw Marle do the same. She looked tired and weak, yet she was still trying to get up to talk to me.
"Can you move, Crono?" she muttered weakly before she collapsed to the ground. I could tell she was still awake, but she had used up all her energy and couldn't move. Lucca tried to talk to me as well. She strained to sit up and whisper out a few words before her body gave way.
"You have to save Schala!" demanded Lucca as she fell back down on her side. All four of them seemed to be giving me their energy just so that I could stand. It was empowering, and I could finally stand on my feet.
I walked over to Schala and checked on her quickly. Magus, who was not too far off, asked her if she was all right with his little strength. He was concerned about her, and no one knew why. He seemed to have a connection to her that no one could really grasp. I had to admit though, he looked so much like her and Janus that it was uncanny.
Schala nodded to him, signaling that she was OK. Then she looked up at me. She seemed so hurt, both emotionally and physically. It was sad that her own mother would do this to her at such a fragile age. It was sad that she did this to both of her children; it really was. "Crono, don't!" she cried. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she spoke for I could tell each word was painful to her. "Humans can't hope to defeat Lavos!"
"So you're the one named Crono!" bellowed the queen. She turned towards me and gave me an evil glare. She was brain washed for sure; nothing else could change her so much. I mean, from hearing all the people talk, you would think that she was a really nice person, but she was twisted with anger and hatred, only thriving for the chance to receive immortality. "Come and feel the power of Lavos!" The beast shrieked again droning out all sound.
I was getting sick of Zeal's talk, but what could I do? I tried facing Lavos before and I almost died! This was an impossible situation, and I didn't like it one bit. Nothing was strong enough to defeat Lavos, but something had to give way, and something had to die to stop the terror from happening, I just didn't know what; truthfully, I didn't want to know for any answer I would have gotten, I wouldn't have liked.
I thought back to the first time I came to this era. In one of the towns, we met Prince Janus. That boy had said something so strange and out of no where. He said something about the black winds, but the thing that caught my attention was when he said, 'One of you shall perish.' No one knew what it meant at first, but it was slowly making sense as I added it all up in my head. He somehow saw into the future and saw this happening. I don't know how, but I knew one of us would end up having to die.
I didn't want anyone to die to stop Lavos besides Lavos himself. I liked my life, and I didn't want the others to carry that burden. But I knew that it was my time to die. I'd be damned if I saw any of my friends die! Marle, Lucca, Schala, even Magus, they were all important to me! I couldn't go on living knowing that I could have taken their place; it would just be unbearable.
I walked towards Zeal and shot her an icy glare. I sent her all the pain, suffering, anguish, despair, and helplessness that I had bottled up in my soul. I gave it all to her in one look, and I knew she saw it. I was glad, too. In her eyes I saw that she received my message that I was trying to send her.
"What do you plan on doing with that battered body of yours?" she questioned with a hint of interest in her voice. I didn't reply; I just stood in front of Lavos with my sword ready waiting for him to strike me down.
"Feel the wraith of Lavos!" Zeal yelled as the beast blasted a wave of energy focused on me. I began to float in the air casting Luminar for the last time, only using my spirit as the energy source. Pain filled my body when the blast first hit me. I couldn't deny it either, because it had hit every part of me, and I didn't think that it was possible. It seemed to last forever even though it only lasted for maybe two seconds, but those were the most painful two seconds of my life.
When the pain subsided, I felt so calm. It was amazing how peaceful I could feel before embracing death and after feeling all that pain. It was as if I was walking on water with a cool breeze blowing over my face. Nothing felt better, but I knew, this too, would pass. The thing that truly knocked me back to reality was a sharp cry from Marle.
"Crono!" I could hear her plea, and it hurt me so much to leave her like this. It sounded like she was going to cry, and she did. Her sobs were the only thing I could hear at that time, and it stabbed my heart over and over. I didn't want her to cry. I was saving her life and the lives of millions; I didn't want her to cry over me. She shouldn't cry; I was doing the right thing.
Lucca also cried out my name, but I couldn't really hear her that well. That moment dragged on forever it seemed. Whoever said your life flashed before your eyes right before you die was right. Everything about my life was rushing at me all at once, yet I could remember every event clearly. My father's funeral, he died when I was only seven years of age. He taught me so many things in that little amount of time. From him is where I learned how to fight and survive by myself in the wilderness. My mother and I loved him to death, and being with him never made us happier. I remember how badly she cried after his funeral. For weeks her pain would never stop, and it hurt me, too. I tried to be strong for her, but it was just so hard. Lucca used to play with me then, or she would just talk to me whenever I needed someone to listen to me. We were like brother and sister, and Lucca's parents accepted me as their own child. It was great around the time when I was 10-17. My life had never been better.
After that, all the adventures with Ayla, Frog, and Robo were dashing through my mind. They were my newest friends, yet I trusted each with my life. They were all brave and all extremely friendly. It was great traveling with them through all those adventures. I can barely remember a better time than that of what I shared with them. I wish I could relive that over and over, but I guess in a weird way, I can.
Finally, I remembered Marle. What was there not to love about her? Everything about her was so well defined, so perfect. You would think I would be saying this because she's a princess, but no, that wasn't it at all. I admired her from the moment I first met her, and at that time I didn't know of her royal heritage. Even when I did know, I truthfully didn't care. She was what I was looking for in a female; Marle was smart, funny, beautiful, playful, yet strong willed and courageous. Every time I traveled with her, something new about her would amaze me like her compassion to set the world straight when we first heard about Lavos and the kindness she showed toward all of us. It just dazzled me.
The one thing I could never do was admitting that I loved her. I couldn't admit it to her, let alone say it to myself. I thought about it several times, and I just figured it wouldn't work. How could I tell her anyway? I was a common boy from a small town who had fallen in love with a princess. In my eyes it didn't work, and I was sure that it didn't work out in her father's either.
By now my body was melting away slowly. Breathing was becoming hard, and a shining light escaped from my body. I didn't know what it was, neither did anyone else, I'm sure. Marle's pendent was gone from my neck; it had fallen off a long time before. Everything started becoming quiet and further away than what it actually was. I was scared now, for I knew that I was truly dying. I couldn't turn my back on fate now, for it was too late. I only had one breath left and I decided to use it well. It was the last chance I was ever going to get, so I used it well. I finally confessed and I felt so light when the darkness finally washed over me.
"I love you, Marle," I whispered as loudly as my breath would allow. I'm not sure if she heard it or not, but I think in her heart she knew. She had to have known there was no way that she couldn't have heard.
Even after I had passed away, I still heard her cry out my name. Soon after, I could hear her sobs of sadness and pain. It was heart wrenching, well, if I wasn't dead at the time it would have been. Ah, I still miss her even now, and it grows everyday. I don'' even know officially how long I've been here.
I guess it's time to look back at the orb and check up on what they're doing right now… wait a second… Why is she climbing up that mountain?
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I bit my lip and kept climbing. I didn't really care how much the icy wind stung my face; I was going to reach the top of that damn mountain. Death Peak was so high and so cold; I didn't' know if I was going to reach the top of if there was even a top. It didn't really matter that much to me though because all I wanted, in this stupid little world, was to get Crono back.
He had done so much for me, and I never really got to thank him properly. He barely knew me and yet he would always be there for any reason. He was my knight in shining armor that I had never had before. Every time I was in danger, He would come for me, and he was there helping me out. If I needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there to support and comfort me when I needed it; he was always the first one to offer as if protecting me was his job alone. But now that he's dead, I feel as if a part of me has left with him. The moment that he left me so did something else that I can't describe.
I was horrified the moment I saw him disappear. All I could do was scream and cry, but even though I was draining out Lavos's roar from my own ears, I had heard him before he died. I know it sounds strange, but I did hear him. I heard Crono speaking, very softly of course, but I still heard him. Right before he completely vanished, I heard him whisper, 'I love you, Marle.' I thought I was dreaming for more than one reason, but I wasn't. He was never one to talk much, but I know I heard him, and I now know that I love him back.
Again the wind nipped at my face unforgivingly with each cold blast. It snaked through the holes of the fabric that I was wearing. It chilled my skin to the very core, but I kept stumbling forward. The trail was hard; monsters kept popping out of no where, yet my friends and I still strode onward, never slowing down. I didn't want to stop, I couldn't stop for I kept telling myself, 'Crono's waiting for you, Marle. You can't give up now because you're so close, so very close.' It was the only thing pushing me forward in the ice, and I was lucky to have that thought ringing in my mind nonstop.
My hands became numb, and each finger no longer existed to me. He cold chilled them into one in a way, and eventually there was no difference between the snow on the ground and the masses of flesh on my body. They all felt the same to me; they almost looked the same as well. The think blanket of snow that kept falling never seemed to stop. It covered my hair making it look pure white instead of it's normal reddish-blonde. My white suit that I always wore was soaked because of the snow that melted under my step. Nothing in this situation looked good, but none of it stopped me either.
I kept climbing and climbing until finally I reached the top. I pulled myself up carefully and let out a sigh of relief as I almost passed out on the white floor. No snow fell up here and the sun shined brightly. Even though a cold breeze still blew, I felt so calm and relaxed up here. My body heat slowly began to rise because even though the weather conditions were better, it was still cold as hell.
The place was silent and I slowly got up again to stagger over to the steep ledge. Near the ledge was a single tree. It was just a plain white, but when the sun hit it, the tree dazzled like a thousand stars in the middle of the night with all the colors of the rainbow. It was truly beautiful, but I didn't pay much attention to it, though I should have. I peered over and gasped as I saw how high up it really was. I felt like jumping though, I didn't know why. Maybe because I thought if I died too, I would join Crono and be happy with him. I didn't jump though; I just stood there like a statue looking over the edge thinking quietly to myself.
Lucca walked up behind me and laced a hand on my shoulder. She knew exactly how I felt and gave me a wiry smile when I looked at her. I smiled back and gave her an approving nod, which meant that I was ready to try this thing out. She held my pendent in her hands while the Time Egg was clasped in mine. I slowly began to pray as I held up the Time Egg to the sky. The pendent shimmered and filled the egg with its energy. It looked like it was working because soon after the egg floated in the air and hovered above us all. It happened so fast, but the next thing I remembered was the sound of the egg shattering.
I felt like my heart broke with the egg and I tried to hold back tears. It didn't make sense. What had happened to the egg? Why was this happening to me? Why couldn't I just get Crono back? It over welmed me and I ran to the ledge. I did the only thing I could do at that time. That was screaming.
"CRONO!" I cried out in vain to the sky. I sank to my knees and began to cry. If I had looked up I would have seen the moon covering the sun creating a solar eclipse. It was strange to see that happened when I did notice it and then everything became dark.
I opened my eyes to see that point of time frozen. It was that moment when Crono died. I looked over everyone's frozen state and gasped. I could remember it all perfectly now. Zeal's laughter, Schala's pleading, Magus's pain, and Crono's death. All I could do was mutter his name over and over again. Lucca as well was remembering the scene in her head and she walked around looking at everyone. Frog caught our attention and told Lucca to take down Crono's body. She did so, and then Frog replaced it with the clone that we retrieved from Crono's mom.
"That should be it," comment Lucca, and only moments after did we leave that point in time. Again we appeared around the tree on Death Peak. I was looking at Crono carefully, calling out his name every so often, hoping that he would wake up. Questions attacked my brain like, 'Would he remember confessing his love?' 'Did he even do it in the first place?' and 'Would we soon meet fate shortly after?' It was too much to handle. I just wanted to cry out of frustration.
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"You must go now," a voice whispered to me. A bright light shined around me, drawing me away from the orb. I didn't know what was happening, but something was pushing into me and pulling me down at the same time. It didn't hurt, but it was the weirdest feeling. Eventually I just tried to close me eyes and relax.
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was Marle's wet eyes staring into mine. Her beautiful face showing fear, worry, and hope all at once, and finally her lips moved as she called out my name.
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"Crono?" I asked for the second time. I was almost losing hope until I saw his eyes flutter open. He stared straight at me as I sighed in relief. He was alive; Crono was alive! I want to scream, to jump, to dance, to sing for joy, but I just stayed there captured in his gaze, drowning in his blue eyes that seemed to be as deep as the ocean. It was those same eyes that had captivated me before and I was glad that I was finally able to be peering into them once again. Everything about him was so special and so mysterious.
It seemed like the rest of the world faded besides Crono and I. The shimmering tree was there also and it only added splendor to the moment. I waited a few moments, and finally I attached myself onto his neck. My face was buried into his shirt as I softly cried to myself. He didn't hold me back but I didn't care; I was finally holding him once again.
"Oh God," I choked on a sob, "so much has happened since you were gone, First we… then we… Crono, are you even listening?" I looked up at him with a desperate look on my face hoping that he would respond. Finally he gazed down at me and smiled. His smile was so warm. It filled my body with heat and the chilly wind bothered me no more.
Yes, Marle. I'm listening," he replied softly. I had barely heard him talk before besides him name a few other things, but his voice was so beautiful. I couldn't really describe it if I wanted to, but it was enchanting to my ears. I felt like I had touched Heaven, just by hearing him talk. I rested my head on his chest and sighed, and finally he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to him. Nothing in the world was more perfect.
After a long pause I finally stated, "I heard you." He looked at me bewildered acting as if he didn't know what I was talking about. I didn't see his look at first but I could feel it, I just could feel him staring. Eventually I gazed back up at him.
"I heard you," I repeated again. This time he knew what I was talking about and he got nervous look on his face. I guess he didn't know what my response to him was going to be. "I just wanted to say that… I love you too, Crono." I looked at him for some reaction, but his eyes were just unexplainable.
"Say that again," he commanded softly as he stroked a few strands of hair out of my eyes.
"Crono, I love you,"
His face seemed to have the biggest smile on it that I had ever seen. He cupped the side of my face with his hand and just started at me lovingly. I could see that he was happy and content with what I had said, and it filled me with joy. Slowly, he descended his lips upon mine, but I did not move nor fight it; instead I just leaned into the embrace.
That kiss I shall remember for the rest of time, for nothing felt better than that. Everything about the moment was right, and we both knew it. Crono kept stroking my back gently while I just hung on to him, afraid that if I let go, he would disappear. But I knew he wouldn't, for a long time.
Everything I had felt up until now stung my heart, but now it was replaced with the feeling of pure bliss. All I could ever say about it afterwards was, the pain was well worth it…
A/N: Yay! First CT fic that I've written that I thought came out well and that I've actually finished. I'm writing another one that is longer by far, but I just felt to rewrite this scene because it was just to pretty. I did admit I almost had a heart attack when Crono died and I didn't have a clone of him. Then I found out I could get him back anyway ^^;; so it all turned out ok. Anyway, just please leave me a review and tell me what you think or how I could improve my writing style. Ja ne!