Chapter 21: Modest Hate
Disclaimer: Welp, this is going to be the usual. I do not own Chrono Trigger. Or its art. Or its characters. Or its music. Or anything really...except for the premises of this story. I make them dance to my evil, evil whims! Too bad I don't own Chrono Trigger...or is that a good thing?
The dinner had been cooked, and Lucca had returned at last. In tow was Crono and Marle, then the rest of the crew, Robo more stately than Ayla, and Glenn with a quiet dignity.
For once, Lucca's house was clean and orderly. Except it was that way in general now. Magus was somewhat obsessive compulsive about it, and Schala enjoyed being able to actually do housework. Much to Lucca's continuous disbelief. Everyone else was under the impression that Lucca had actually tried to make her house more comfortable for the party that was to happen. She didn't bother correcting them.
"So, what do you got for dinner?" Marle asked almost immediately. Even if they had brought food from the castle, she was curious for Magus' cuisine.
Lucca shrugged, not really sure what had happened while she was gone. Only knowing that the cake was a work of art. "Dunno, hopefully something good. If not for our sakes, Magus should have made something palatable for Schala's sake."
After a snort of laughter, Marle sobered a bit at Glenn's stiffened posture at over-hearing such disturbing news to him.
"That vile wizard hast prepared dinner?" was his quietly outraged question. Lucca tensed up, as well as Crono and Marle. In fact, everyone was a little quieter at this.
"You know...he did kind of help us save the world..." was Lucca's response to this anger. Somewhat meek in the face of it all, but going forward anyways. One did not live with Magus without developing a thicker skin.
"I care not for his more recent deeds, it is the deeds of his majority that concern me!" Glenn more or less managed to hiss out, but keep sounding polite. Somehow.
Then Schala entered the room, Magus in tow. Or rather, she had a hold of his hand, and he was reluctant to pull away, even if it meant seeing his hateful once enemy, once team mate. She managed to smile serenely at everybody, and especially at Glenn, which somehow alleviated the mood, just the slightest.
"Happy day of birth, good sir," was her greeting to Glenn, before smiling and saying hello to everyone else. It was somehow appeasing. Crono worried about what would happen if she were to leave the room ever. He suspected that nothing good could possibly come of it. His worries were set aside, as Lucca wandered up to brazenly confront Magus about what he had done about their dinner. Either way, Lucca wasn't disappointed, and they were all set up for a fine supper.
This had to wait, though. Everyone wanted to catch up. Marle especially. She missed her friends dearly, being stuck in the castle for the most part. Crono only visited her almost daily. Lucca almost never, being prone to distraction. So this escape was really quite a treat, and she wanted to make the most of it.
Out of everybody, Crono was the only one who really approached Magus, who was sitting in a corner, Schala patiently by his side, staying with him in favor of everybody else.
-So, how has life been recently? And how did Lucca convince you to cook for Glenn?- Crono asked first thing, a quiet smile on his face, Schala scrunching her brow at this continued unexplained hate between the two men.
-She asked Schala- was the unamused answer to his question, which had Schala looking at him hard.
-You know, she did ask you as well, and you agreed to help out.-she reasoned back.
-And I would have rather not made food for all of these...people.- was his response, softened only because it was directed at her.
Schala gave a questioning look. She knew Magus had a dislike towards people, but she had rather hoped he had more camaraderie with the people he had traveled with.
-Don't mind him,- urged Crono, his gentle expression showing a wry amusement. -He hates that he needed help saving the world is all.-
Magus snorted, and didn't deign to answer to this latest insult, although quietly to himself, he did agree. It rankled horribly to have needed the help to destroy his most hated enemy, thus opening the path to saving his sister. One alteration he would have added was that it wasn't to save to the world. It was all about the revenge. And his sister. At least he had saved his sister on his own. There was that at least to assuage his wounded pride.
-Everyone needs help sometimes- was Schala's reproving answer, smiling at Magus in a teasing sort of way.
-Not everyone wants help- Crono had to add. Magus just snorted at this.
-Well, I'm glad he had the help, for one. If you hadn't of been there, I never would have met you all, and he may have been hurt- Schala added, grateful. Ignoring Magus' 'hmmphing' in the background. She didn't say anything in response to his ire, she just leaned against him, hey eyes apologetic while still unremorseful.
Before anything else could be said on the matter, Marle flounced up, smiling. "Hey, Schala, wanna go to the kitchen with Lucca and me to set out dinner?" Her expected answer was obviously a yes.
Schala nodded, shy, but not wanting to offend, or let her unsurety with people stop her from trying.
A quick tug at her sleeve while she was getting up stopped her, and caused her to look back. Magus was looking skeptically at Marle and Lucca. "Don't let them break anything," he muttered, shaking his head, then looking sternly at her. Schala could only laugh.
This time it was Marle's turn to 'hmph' indignantly, swirling away, nose in the air. Schala followed more sedately. Magus watched them go, before leaning back once more, ignoring everyone as usual.
Crono gave his quiet chuffing laugh, unaffected by his churlish nature, then settled back as well, relaxing. Everything was going well enough so far. Peace was something to cherish.
Things carried on in such a way, until it was time to actually eat. Magus went into the dining room prepared for the worst to have happened to his careful repast. Frog went in expecting doom and damnation. Instead he was met with a simple dinner, elegant in its lack of ostentation. Magus let out a breath seeing everything in one piece and unmolested. Even if he hated who he had cooked for, it would have been a waste for his work to be ruined.
Two tables had been put together to make enough room for everyone, chairs of many makes surrounding the table, with mismatched cutlery and dishes. Robo offered to serve everything, and things went as smoothly as could be hoped for. Everyone tucked in, Glenn somewhat belatedly, noticing everyone eating, including Magus, before he started to eat. Paranoia was there, even though Magus had never been one for subterfuge when it came to killing people. Better safe than dead.
Conversation started easily, and even though Schala sat next to Magus, Glenn spoke to her anyways, easily charming. As much as Magus resented it, he ignored it, and all went smoothly. Until the cake was served.
Glenn stiffened at the sight of it, pastel green, an unpleasant reminder of the past. If it had been anyone else who had made the cake, he wouldn't have minded, but it was Magus, and he saw the proffered insult. Everyone else tensed up, and one could sense the hostility between the two men, one taller, fairer, and younger in appearance, the other more muscular, tan, and roughly handsome.
Until Lucca intervened. "Oh, please do fight!" she gushed. "I would love to see it!"
This brought a pause, as both men looked at her as if she were daft.
Defensively, Lucca glared at them, while still admiring them. "What? I like handsome men, and I think it would be quite a sight." Then she sighed wistfully, eye-balling them in a way that caused them to look away, almost in need to cover themselves. Ayla laughed loudly at this. Schala blushed, Robo beeped, Marle looked mildly confused before smiling, and Crono just shook his head.
"Go on! Fight! Fight good!" was her addition to the conversation, her interest less lecherous, but still looking at the two men with lusty eyes. The two men looked away, then Ayla smirked at Lucca, rolling her eyes at the two erstwhile combatants. Her facial expression just screamed out a derisive 'men'.
Crisis averted, things settled back into an easy atmosphere, everyone other than Schala used to the anger Glenn had, even with Cyrus put to rest, and Magus' arrogant, spiteful defense.
After supper was over, dishes were cleared. Magus could only stare in horror at the piles of dishes cluttering the kitchen, ignored by anyone and everyone. It was such a distasteful display, that he just growled in disgruntlement, before stalking to the kitchen to wash them all. He couldn't manage to ignore them like everyone else.
When Schala saw what he was up to, she started to turn back to help, but Marle grabbed her arm, giggling. "Magus, you don't mind if I steal her while you do this?"
Looking exasperated at Marle, he glared at her. "Do what you want, and she can do what she wants," the second part added without malice. Schala looked at him, her eyes asking if he truly minded. His look told her to be happy.
Marle just smiled at the display, strangely gloating. Neither sibling noticed it, eyes speaking to each other, ignoring all else. It was easy to forget the two were related, as the only thing they really shared was hair colour, one being tall and lithe, the other willowy and delicate. As soon as the eye contact was broken, Marle took Schala's hand once more, and continued to drag her out to the living room.
Magus turned back to the task at hand, and began to roll up his sleeves, baring his marble pale arms to the elbows, before putting on an apron with a googly eyed robot adorning it's red surface. He ignored the strange looks as people noticed it when they passed the door. Instead he focused, and brought forth heated water with minor conjuring, filling the sink, adding cleansing soaps at the same time. With that accomplished, he took out a string and tied his hair back loosely. Watching him do such mundane tasks was queer, yet it was still really happening.
Thinking on the night so far, Magus was breathing slightly easier, hoping the whispers of black wind were wrong. Or that he had misinterpreted them for once. After all, it had been a good long while since last he had felt and heard their cruel voices gusting around.
His worry caused him to scrub a little harder than was truly necessary, but it added to his hustle, and the cleaning process went all the quicker for it, taking only a little over half and hour to fully satisfy his need for clean.
Standing back, he observed his handiwork, then removed the apron, which had protected him from splashes, and shook it, removing any blemishes with a minor incant. Then he hung it up, and headed back to the living room, quiet steps lagging due to a dislike of being in close quarters with everyone.
He was quickly halted though on arrival, seeing something that incensed him. Glenn was courting his sister. His sister. Schala hadn't seen him yet, but was trying to extricate her hand, blushing, and not making eye contact with Glenn. No one else seemed to notice what was taking place. Glenn, however, did see him, and smirked, eyes narrowed and daring him to do something about it, all the while, his mouth spouting polite small talk.
Like I'm not going to do something about him touching her, flitted through his mind, irritated beyond belief. Instead, he sauntered over, leaned over Schala's chair, and resting his chin lightly on her head, surprising and delighting her- this time it was his turn to smirk- he lazily commented. "Don't you have a married queen to seduce, knight?"
Glenn tensed up, face hard and tight with rage. "I only serve with loyalty and passion, which is more than you can boast, sorcerer."
"Yes, I can definitely see the passion, although weren't you supposed to be loyal to the king as well?" was his next taunting phrase.
Schala got up, offended by the behavior of both men, although giving Magus a confused and hurt look.
"I would give my life for either," hissed Glenn, although there was a furtive look to him, not indicating a lie, but neither denying what Magus had said.
"Why don't you sort out your personal life before courting others," growled Magus. "Otherwise people might start to mistake you for a pig next."
"Wizard, the only reason I have not slain you yet is because the others asked that I stay my hand," was the enraged answer, "And out of goodwill for you finding a way to bring Crono back to us."
In the tense silence, Schala looked at both, face saddened in pain. "What is going on between you two?" she quietly asked, pleadingly of Magus.
Magus opened his mouth to respond, but Glenn beat him to the punch. "This wicked man caused war, murdered my best friend, and gave me the tortuous form of a frog, thus casting me out of society."
There was silence resounding. Then a tenuous voice, trembling in uncertainty. "Is this true?" It was Schala.
Looking at her, realizing suddenly what the wind was telling him, he was remorseful of the pain this was causing her.
"I told you, I was an evil sorcerer warlord," he murmured, eyes pleading with her, face still. "I told you I committed terrible acts."
"Acts he doesn't even regret," hissed Glenn, glaring murder at Magus. "Go on, ask him if he feels any remorse for what he has done."
Looking at him, Schala didn't say anything, and neither did Magus. Instead, he moved closer to her, and it hurt to watch her stiffen. "I'll tell you everything after this," he whispered to her, eyes speaking volumes, full of a vortex of mixed emotions, but truth standing out most fully.
Schala, still just staring and lost, nodded numbly to him, before mumbling an apology, and retreating to their room.
After she had gone, Magus whirled on Glenn. "And why, pray tell, were you courting my sister?" he growled, his resemblance to a hunting cat more apparent, as his knees bent slightly, and his hands tensed for action.
"Because she is your sister, and free from courtship by anyone else in this time," sneered Glenn, his worst brought out by Magus, every time. And making apparent the relationship that the two shared by familial bonds. Which meant his feelings for Schala was taboo, and frowned upon by society, as well as the once frog knight.
"I would die before letting you court her," ground out Magus, eyes derisive, and full of killing light. "You are unworthy of her affections, most uncourtly of knights."
"I can work with that," hissed Glenn, muscles bulging with need to attack the wizard who had caused all the pain in his life. "We do not need you to help save anyone anymore."
With that, the Masamune was unsheathed, and in retaliation, Magus didn't even hesitate at conjuring his scythe into materialization. "Come at me then, drunkard. I can destroy you again if need be."
That was all Glenn needed to hear to go on the offensive. He charged Magus, who leapt nimbly back, magic shuffing the door open behind him, and he landed, feet barely kissing the ground, before he was air-born once more, and landed on the dirt outside. All his grace was matched by the brutality of how knights fought back in 600 a.d. Glenn barely kept up with his speed, but he changed directions quickly going forward, then weaving around and under the Masamune, to swing at Glenn from the side.
Faster than he looked, Glenn brought the heavy sword up to block, only the tip of the scythe cutting his cheek shallowly, but still felt like it sucked out some of his life force, before bringing the butt of the sword to try and smash Magus in the face, but he had already moved out of range, moving the scythe done the blade of the Masamune, creating sparks and a creeling noise, trying to hook it.
Glenn just rotated the sword again, and tried to charge once more, this time summoning water as well, which wasn't such a good idea, as Magus did a counter-spell, which took a hold of the spout, swirling it around, and turning it back on Glenn. It did minimal damage to the man, but mainly just weighed him down, as the now soggy clothing clung in all the wrong places. Magus was right behind the water itself, throwing shadows, as his cloak formed around him once more.
Neither man noticed the others shouting at them to stop.
Clashing once more, they were pushing weapons, each trying to get the upper hand. Magus spat out between clenched teeth, "You just never could leave the 'fiends' alone, and when it came back to bite you, it's my fault."
"Cyrus was only trying to save the kingdom, and protect people!" yelled Glenn, heaving on the second syllable of 'protect', and throwing Magus back a few feet. Instead of stumbling, Magus pivoted, spun, and came down low, scythe cutting for the legs, but the haft catching instead, tripping Glenn up.
"You came for me first! Would you think I would not defend myself?!" laughed Magus, disbelief colouring his voice. "And when your dear Cyrus died," and now Magus was standing above Glenn, the pointed sharp butt of his scythe mere millimeters away from Glenn's neck, "You tried next. I spared you, you pitiful amphibian, but I never murdered anyone. Go back to being a drunk in taverns."
Glenn gave an enraged shout, water creating a barrier around him, and throwing Magus into the air, surprised by the sheer force of the summoned water, which dispelled almost immediately. It hit with bruising force, causing his ribs to ache, and in retaliation, shadows surged up from the ground, sucking away vitality from the knight, causing him to catch himself before being dragged down as the darkness melted away.
Both men were staggering now, once clenching ribs, the other trying to stand upright. That was when the lightning struck between them, melting the ground with its heat. There was a curtain of light that accompanied it. Then Crono was there, standing, looking angry, although his movement was fast enough that it seemed he had just appeared with the lightning.
Crono was angry enough at the display, his breath was noisy, and hissing out in bursts, louder than anything he had done in a very long time. It caused him pain to try, and when he did attempt, it didn't work very well, and was airy and unintelligible. Either way, the quiet sound expelled from his incapable throat was such that its disgust was apparent. Impatient, his hands began to move in a blur.
-Are you two stupid?- was the way it began. -You two are worse than children, and really, I would have at least expected you- and this was directed at Magus, -to have behaved better in front of Schala.-
Magus looked down at that, then cast the scythe away, brows drawn down, his own ire still stirred. "The frog started it, touching her with his disloyal hands."
Snorting in something akin to dark humor, Crono shook his head. -You can't blame others.- Then he turned to Glenn. -And you, we tried to warn you not to charm her, you knew it wouldn't be well received.-
Glenn just spat on the ground, glaring still at Magus, Masamune still clenched in his hands.
-Frankly, we are all getting tired of you two having it out all the time.- this time it was Crono snarling, his hand gestures knifing through the air. -This could have been a perfectly pleasant evening between friends.-
Silent for a while, Magus spoke first. "I will not cause any more turbulence, as long at the knight doesn't provoke me anymore."
-No, you will not do anything, even if he does provoke you.- Crono gestured, hands like blades cutting the air. - That goes for you too, Glenn.-
Muttering to himself, Glenn finally answered. "I will attempt to behave better, even if he is a villain. I don't want to disgrace Cyrus' memory for him."
After another long silence, Crono alternating glares at both men, finally accepted that as probably as good as he was going to get from either.
A metallic sound with a punctuated snap at the end indicated Glenn sheathing his sword, before whirling, his green cape swirling behind him, as he stalked back into the house. Magus mirrored him, turning and prowling towards the garden out back, dark purple cloak trailing behind him.
Magus found himself brooding, and leaning against the back porch. His cloak was shrouding him, protecting him from sight. Swaddled in shadows, brows drawn like wings, making his frown that much more fearsome.
It probably doesn't help that I look exactly like I did back when I first killed Cyrus.
Then he snorted. Like I even care.
Sobering, he thought of Schala, and how he was going to talk to her about the rest of his life, finally.
"Janus, where exactly did you go after being sucked through the portal?" Schala tentatively asked, curious, but somehow sensing his life hadn't been an easy one.
"I was brought to 600 a.d., where I was found by those known as the fiends," was the curt answer. "I was brought up to fight, and learned magicks from those people."
"...to fight...?" was the hanging question.
"I guess you could say I'm an evil sorcerer," laughed Magus, easing the tension of the situation, without actually lying to his sister about who he had been. After a pause, he added in, "I never once stopped trying to find a way home, or at least a way to avenge you, and Zeal as well."
The wind brought him back to the present, shaking his head. He knew he was going to have to be completely honest with his sister. Magus was unsure how things would turn out, but couldn't risk lying to Schala about who he had been. Lying would risk losing her altogether, although the truth would imperil his relations with her as it were.
So instead, he stayed outside, putting off going upstairs to talk to her, organizing his thoughts. His mood darkened the already inky night. His pale skin glowed almost, and he was as a specter, silent and watchful.
Eventually enough time had passed that he figured he needed to stop hiding, biding my time, he corrected his thoughts, misliking even thinking about running from his problems. The idea of running from anything rankling. His breath hissed from his mouth, fogging slightly at the chill in the air. There was a dampness that promised rain.
Moving to go inside, he was darkness incarnate, gliding silently over the ground, the soft whispers of his cloak kissing the grass was the only sign of his passage.
Eventually, his path took him back to the front, where he let himself in, the well oiled door as silent as him, and he shut it softly. Looking around, he saw Crono was with Lucca in the kitchen, and they were talking in hushed tones. His shadowed form slid past them, giving no hint of his passage. Neither one noticed him in his swiftness. Moving up the stairs, he chose the hallway that took him to his and Schala's room. He only hesitated once outside the shut door. Once faced with it, it seemed an insurmountable object, only accentuating the distance he felt suddenly opened between him and his sister.
How long he stood there silently staring at the door was lost on him. He just knew that he had to open it eventually. If he wanted to see her again. If he wanted to find out how she would see him after knowing the rest of him.
The black wind was cackling in his ears, teasing and mocking him. Laughing at his hope for something better. It cut him in ways he thought himself immune to. He could almost feel blood trickling from him. Almost as if it were leaking from myriads of lacerations.
Then he inhaled and it was over. His skin was intact. His clothes were whole. The door was a door, and nothing more. It was still the earth, spinning slowly around the sun. Time was passing for him once more. And instead of turning around, or waiting any longer, he reached for the door, but it seemed to sense his mood, or he wasn't aware of it; his power opened it in front of him, like a wave cresting. He entered behind it in its wake. Darkness seemed to creep in with him, tendrils clinging, reluctant to let him go, and following him. Never more did he truly seem to be a dark lord, full of danger and mystery, spicy incense smell coming in with him, The air temperature lowered with him, and Schala looked up from her meditation, wearing a loose shirt and pants, hair down, but around her like air, like water, a froth around her, trickling down her back.
Whereas her fairness made her seem lighter, the fair nature of Magus just made the darkness around him more potent. His hood only half up, his hair flowing out around his neck and down his chest. His hands were gloved again. As usual. The fingers seemed stained with dark, and resembled blood. His eyes incarnadine and depthless.
After a silence, breathless, he broke it. "You wanted to know what happened to me after I was thrown to the mercy of times?"
His deep voice was a void, his face a marble mask. His eyes were terrible.
Hesitating, Schala realized she might not actually want to know what had caused the deep change in Janus, erasing him, and erecting the man known as Magus in his place. Instead of curling up, to deny the heaviness in the room, she swallowed her fears, and nodded, eyes wide, hands clutching her pendant out of habit. Once more, Magus surged forward, and the door shut behind him with a certain finality. He flowed to the window, and turned, so he was facing her once more, cloak shrouding his body, making him taller and skinnier somehow, and that much more reminiscent of a shade.
Schala needed to know, hungered to know. This man who had won over her heart needed revealed to her. So he began his story.
a/n: I know! It's been forever! I feel so bad! But I finally felt the joy and need to write, and as well as the capability of it! WOOO!
...cliffhanger, I know, but I have great big plans for next chapter. Who knows what will happen?! Has my mind changed in a year?!