Chrono Trigger

Footsteps! Follow; the village searches for the gate key only to find that Kino is missing. Ayla assists in the search…

Kings and rulers differ in alternate times. A king in modern times makes himself appear busy with piles of paperwork that merely required his signature. A king could go through his whole life without lifting a finger to help those in need. But everyone can agree that type of king is a spoiled and lazy king. The same could be said for this prehistoric era. There were rulers here that made themselves fat by living off the labors of others, but Ayla was not a bad ruler. She was the best.

She took her calling very seriously. Nobody could explain why she was so strong and so passionate. Everyone believed that god gave her this strength and she believed it as well. According to its holy origin, she took her gift very seriously and used it often, although from a first meeting many would think of her as a fun-loving and indulgent woman. What they missed at first glance was a woman that was hard-working and earnest. Every morning she rose before the sun did to walk out to the fields. She would ask questions, resolve disputes, make her rounds through the village and aid anyone she could. She was well loved and deserved to be. At that moment, she was sitting on a throne made of wood and stone, listening to the complaints of villagers. As she listened to their plight (which concerned a grievance concerning the price for chicken feed) she saw her object of affection waiting patiently in the corner.

"Crono!" She waved excitedly as the villagers looked at each other in disbelief, feeling that their petty problem was far from resolved.

Marle was watching Ayla with a newfound sense of appreciation for her. It gave her a new insight into how a ruler should approach his or her people, which she felt must come in handy someday if she ever made things right with her father. She also made a mental note to finish any work in front of her, which unfortunately, Ayla did not do. The villagers tapped their feet impatiently and Crono said he would wait until the matter was resolved.

Ayla sighed as if it was something bothersome in the way of something she greatly anticipated. She sat back down and was not nearly as attentive, yet she was a deal more forceful and quick to speak. Evidently, the villagers were taken aback by whatever she said and they finally went their way. She jumped off her throne and walked towards the group of foreigners again. She nearly skipped she seemed so happy. "Good morning, Crono!" She gave him a hug, but did not kiss him on the cheek as she did before. Marle and Lucca, thankful that she did not greet him as she did before, still felt their blood boil a little. Ayla stretched and smiled dreamily, "Ah, I slept like a rock!" She slumped and seemed serious after studying their faces, "Is there something wrong?"

"Ayla, we are missing something very important and we don't know where it is." Lucca said.

"We can't continue our journey without it." Robo said with a polite bow.

Ayla called for an assistant immediately, asked for details and described the missing item in her native tongue. The man went out and they could hear him shouting to all the townspeople. These were truly a united people, because they could hear other voices shouting what the town crier had said before. Within a few moments the town crier came back inside and knelt before Ayla.

"Ginausoy na sang mga katawohan. Makasabat ako sa imo madugay-dugay."

"Sige." Ayla replied, giving him the sign to rise.

The town crier rose and went outside. Ayla explained that a search was going on in the village and they would have their things back in no time. However, "no time" was turning out to be "a lot of time." At least a half an hour went by and they heard no word from the town crier. They could still hear the villagers speaking with each other but suddenly there was a heightened sense of urgency. Even Ayla poked her head up and started to pick up things from the voices.

Finally, the town crier returned, a little breathless as if he had run throughout the whole village. Ayla gave him a curious look and he said, "Ayla, si Kino naghalin. Ginpangita namon sia, pero nawala sia. Basi, kabalo sia kon di-in ang ginusoy namon?" Crono looked at the man and then at Ayla. A strange look graced her face as if she heard something unbelievable. She put her finger to her chin and thought for a moment.

"Crono, I need you all to come with me. Kino is missing and I think he knows where your things are." Ayla stormed past them as if she was furious and they followed behind.

She walked past certain people, who by this time, stopped crying out for a search and had carried on with their daily labors. She asked them questions in her dialect so it was very hard to understand. Robo had began to be proficient, but kept silent so he would not inhibit the conversation. However, even Crono, Marle, and Lucca could understand that she was talking about Kino and where he could be. Villagers would either shrug, point their lips to the south (which meant the same thing as pointing with their fingers) or say what they saw him doing last. Finally, they found a villager who reluctantly answered the chieftain. After that bit of information she was even more wroth than before and actually stomped her way south.

She was very focused on what she was doing, insomuch that she would barely heed any words spoken to her. Robo was able to recount what the villager had said to the chieftain. It was a very revealing conversation and it gave Crono a deeper impression of what he was up against. The conversation was as follows:

"Hey, Ikari! Have you seen Kino around?"

"N-no, my liege. I haven't seen him."

"You have, haven't you. I already heard that he was mad. If he told you not to say anything under threat of punishment, believe me when I say that I will not let him lay a finger on you without having all five of mine in his face."

"He saw me watching him. He was grumbling something about the visitor and how he would have his way. He was carrying something shiny. He also had a pickaxe with him. I think he was planning to bury it."

"Where was he going?"

"He was heading south towards the jungle. I told him that he should stay away because reptites have been spotted there, but he told me to stay quiet and mind my own business."

Crono pondered for only a moment. It was long enough to put this puzzle together, for he could already tell what the motivation was by the way Kino stared at him with raging hatred. He turned to the others and told them how Kino had treated him poorly, how he glared at him at any given opportunity. Ayla, even though she still forged her way forward, paid attention as Crono shared his opinion about Kino. "I think the reason why he is doing this is because he likes Ayla." Ayla blushed but kept moving forward and said nothing.

The villagers, who lived within the gated community, although they seemed very strong, were the weaker folk excluding Ayla and Kino. They could tell because the further they walked away from the village the stronger and bigger people seemed. Evidently, the stronger you were, the less frightened you were of the enemy. Ayla would stop occasionally, clap her hands at the entrance to any yard she visited and shouted, "Tag-balay!" The owner of the land would come out, greet her with a beaming smile, exchange brief pleasantries, and then answer any questions she had. She began to do it so often that Crono suspected that she had ulterior reasons for doing so. Maybe she was so infuriated that she did this to calm herself so she wouldn't injure Kino in her wrath.

They walked on past banana trees, rice fields, sugar cane fields (whose blades of grass were as tall of two people combined) and farms until there was no more farmland around them. Already, the heat of the day was coming on and the sweltering heat began. Ayla seemed to pay it no mind, but the others had not adapted to such conditions. Their clothes were already drenched and clutching to their bodies while their exposed skin glistened in the sun. To make it worse, they were approaching a thick jungle and clouds of mosquitoes could be seen over bodies of water. In the light of the sun the foliage of the jungle was the deepest shade of green you could imagine with a myriad of different colors in between. However, as a whole, the jungle was so thick it appeared to be black from a distance.

"We aren't going in there, are we Ayla?" Marle whimpered, swatting another mosquito that alighted on her arm.

Ayla growled and nodded, "That snake Kino is in there somewhere. I can smell him!"

"Wait a second…" The party paused as Lucca knelt low to the ground to inspect something that caught her eye. They grew closer and they could see that Lucca had become visibly worried.

She had good reason to be. What she had seen was human footsteps, or at least feet covered in animal fur. What frightened her were several other footprints that were too fresh to be anything other than footprints made that day. They were large and only had three toes.

Reptite footprints.

Ayla looked to the ground and then looked up to the dense foliage. A sudden look of utter grievance and worry plastered her face and she darted towards the jungle. Crono and the others followed behind but could not run as fast as she could. She darted up a tree with feline grace and sat upon a tree branch. She cupped her hands around he mouth and shouted for Kino. There was no answer except the squawking and roaring of the animal life around them. She shouted again and an answer came from a short distance away. She leapt from the tree and darted towards the sound, branches and leaves brushing her in her wake. Finally, she found a huddled figure hiding in the hole of a tree trunk. He poked his head out and looked around. He smiled brightly when he realized it was Ayla. His smile instantly vanished when he realized she was visibly upset.

It was almost like watching an overgrown child. Ayla, who played the role of an enraged mother perfectly, stormed towards the tree trunk while Kino retreated inside. There was the sound of great struggle as Ayla clamped onto his ankles and pulled as hard as she could. The girls cringed as they heard nails chipping away at the bark of the tree and the crackling of uplifted dead roots. Finally, Kino was thrown into a pile of leaves while Ayla did not stop moving for a second. Before Kino was able to shake his head clear and make sense of his world, he found Ayla standing above him, her glare as hostile as anything he had ever seen.

"Ngaa akig ka?" Kino shouted towards Ayla.

The girls gave out startled gasps as a fist met Kino's cheek. His head jerked wildly, his neck following suit. He sat there for a moment, a side of his face visibly red. The punch was undoubtedly painful, and there were tears in his eyes. Whether it was caused by the pain or from some deeper reason, they weren't certain. He sat there for a moment in silence while Ayla stood over him, both of her hands on her hips. She was breathing heavily, as if she were holding back a raging torrent of violent assault. Her fingers tightened and released as she looked down at him. Kino, like a stricken dog, could not meet her gaze.

Was it possible that Ayla wanted Kino to defend himself? Did she want him to fight back so she could injure him further? Nothing of the sort happened. More time passed and the tears began to build on Kino's face. Finally, it seemed as if Ayla had calmed herself down completely. As a matter of fact, she even seemed guilt-ridden. She spoke to him softly this time and he answered just as softly.

Meanwhile, Crono, Lucca, Marle, and Robo were at a loss for what they should do. Evidentially, it was not an idyllic time to speak or ask Robo what they were saying. They even felt disconcerted at the fact they were watching the pair speak to one another. Then again, they could not leave their side either for fear that Ayla could be surrounded by their unseen enemies without warning. Therefore, they stood a short distance away, listening to their strange language which seemed so beautiful when it was spoken softly. It was almost soothing and group could see it had a positive effect on Ayla and Kino.

After a talk which lasted a few brief minutes, the pair came trotting up to whom they deemed as visitors. Although the air around Kino suggested otherwise, he was congenial towards Crono as he addressed him. "Crono, I beg for forgiveness. I angry at first, so I stealed your stone. It was bad of me."

Crono took a moment to analyze the words which were spoken and found that they were only partially sincere, "Yeah, but if Ayla can forgive you then so can I."

Crono stuck out his hand and looked at Kino in the eyes. Kino hesitated for a moment and even gave Ayla a brief glance before he accepted his hand. Evidently, it was still a relationship with holes and gaps in between them. Crono was not nearly satisfied with the manner in which Kino presented himself, but the sooner they could get their gate key and go home, the better. He bit back the words he wanted to shout and said, "Alright then, where is the key?"

At this, both Kino and Ayla looked to the ground guiltily.

Marle stepped forward now and spoke with a tone of apprehension, "You still have it, I assume?"

Kino drew away a pace and looked up to see that Lucca was glaring at him. Evidently, she was not prone to probing about softly, "You lost it?"

Kino sighed, "It was stolen…by Reptites."

"Damn it!" Crono pumped his arm in frustration and looked off into the vast jungle. He narrowed his eyes and felt a great sense of impatience which had never seemed to come over him before. The very air around his person changed. Marle gave him a concerned glance and patted his shoulder. He did not shake it away, but it did very little to calm his nerves. Kino stepped forward again, and this time far more earnestly. Sometimes, it is best to let others see how badly an offense can anger another, because only when anger manifests itself so strongly can another be repentant by guilt. There is a large difference from apologizing by order than apologizing to ease your own conscious. After all, guilt is the knowledge of wrongdoing, and perhaps Kino wasn't fully convinced of his wrong until he saw Crono's frustration.

"It is all my fault. They ran to me and I threw down the key to escape." Kino fell to his knees, (which was a sign of great contrition in their culture) and said, "Please. You can hit me. Do what want. I deserve it."

Crono said nothing but started walking away. Such hostility and uncaring behavior was foreign to Crono and it was enough to make the members of group hesitate before they followed him into the jungle. Kino still knelt on the forest floor, watching his retreating figure. He did not cry nor shed a tear, but dropped his head in shame. Ayla, who still stood by his side, patted him on the shoulder before saying that she must help him find the key to atone for what had been done. Although she did not mean it in such a way, it only made Kino feel worse as she took his wrong upon her.

Kino rose to his feet when everyone was out of sight. He sighed deeply and looked in the direction of home. "Indi ako magpauli. Indi na."

The anger that followed Crono was so strong that it was uncomfortable to be in his presence. Accordingly so, the rest of the group walked at least twenty paces behind him so that he may be alone to his thoughts. He was out of earshot as the group talked to each other. Ayla was very disappointed in his behavior and only had words of harsher recourse. Lucca, never wanting to betray his trust, served as the opposing viewpoint. Robo could only analyze words and bodily changes as he spoke with a rationality that was expected of a overtly sentient being.

"You don't understand, Robo. Sometimes it is not as simple as pulses and chemical imbalances," Lucca said softly, "I've known Crono since he was little. He's never liked it when someone treats him poorly for no reason."

"But there was a reason." Robo stated, "That reason was the jealousy between Kino and him."

Ayla blushed at those words and Lucca gave a sideways jab as a means of a warning.

After Ayla shook the creeping redness from her face, she was quick to say, "He said 'sorry' to Crono! Crono needs to say 'sorry' back!"

Lucca put a little venom in her scholarly tone as she said, "Evidently, he only apologized at first because you told him to do it! That is anything but sincere!"

Ayla crossed her arms and huffed, "It is still bad to be that way."

Marle stood by quietly and pondered on what happened the night before while the two women bickered. She would have suggested a reason as to his temperment, but it would be a very poor decision on her part. She had always been concerned about what she heard during Crono's trial, which seemed so long ago. She wondered why she experienced so many things with him and yet she hardly knew a thing about him. She would chatter away about her daily life whenever she felt homesick, speak of her favorite games whenever she was restless, and speak of her fears when she felt insecurity. Whenever she would ask him about certain things he would simply smile and ask her another question. At first, she loved the attention and his willingness to know more about her, but later it became a maddening itch.

She was not one to pry, although sometimes others would be under the opposite impression. However, after what she heard last night, she could not help but finally put her nose into a place that it might not have belonged. The fact that that was the case infuriated her. "Why shouldn't I pry and find out about him? Why should there be secrets between us? Why shouldn't he tell me about his father? He knows almost everything about me! Why can't he share with me? Why does he only tell Lucca these things? Aren't I his friend as well?"

Finally, she found out a small part of his dark secret the night before, and it shall be touched upon now.

We go back to that night where the Ioku village was bathed in the reddish glowing of bonfires. We also return to that moment where Crono was victorious and was seated next to Ayla for a few brief moments. Marle, Lucca, and Robo, who had become overcome with excitement, took their place in the festivities. Keep in mind that their idea of being festive differed with each person. Robo was like a little child, observing the joviality of the people and the musicians. Lucca made herself comfortable with a couple of young men that offered her the same thing that Crono had. As she would find out later, following her father's drinking habits out of sheer curiosity was not a wise decision. Thankfully, she did not suffer as much as Crono since she drank much less than he, and not nearly as fast. Marle, being full of energy and excitement joined in the dancing.

This was a far cry from the stuffy celebrations she was forced to engage in the castle. Although she admitted it was fun in its own right, the rules were incredibly rigid and was only enjoyable when things were done right. In fact, she told Crono of a time where she accidentally stepped on the foot of her dance partner. The entire party saw it and made note of it, as did her father who ordered her teachers to perfect her form. Her rigid upbringing was made known as she tripped over her own feet. She rose, standing very still and looking around as if she were ashamed. Nobody found fault with it. In fact, several people offered her a hand and offered to dance with her. At first she was baffled, and then she was immediately filled with relaxed elation. During the course of the evening she pondered on how restrictive rules were for royalty and she made a vow to herself to remedy that should she ever come into her own. After all, what were the point of manners if they only served to make the practitioner uncomfortable?

Occasionally her eyes would find Crono. She did not grimace as Crono sat next to Ayla. At least she wasn't throwing herself all over him at the moment. She knew of alcohol and its effects. She knew from the many nobles who would loose their civility and silver tongues for abusing that familiar substance. She could see that the fermentation was starting its effect, but he was still of his own mind. It relaxed him, certainly, because he was smiling earnestly. His strong shoulders slumped forward as he learned against the table. His apple green eyes flashed as they went from sight to sight.

"You like him, don't you?"

It was like a phantom. In fact, Marle wondered if she had spoken out loud and was barely conscious of it. She took her eyes away and continued dancing, finding that her eyes were returning to Crono frequently. She even felt something flutter in her stomach as she thought on his willingness to challenge Ayla in their place. He had done so much for her that she was suddenly overwhelmed by other examples.

"Why not ask him to dance?"

Marle scoffed at her own thoughts. After all, doing such a thing was very improper. It was the men who asked for dances and not the women. She caught the hypocrisy working against her former vow against formalities, but ignored it as she continued to dance. It was then that she realized that she did want to dance with him. Even then, she told herself that he did not seem in the mood for it.

"What if you never have another chance, Nadia? What if you go home and father tells you never to see him again?"

Just that thought made the fluttering in her stomach worsen as urgency worked into her nerves. She also felt a sense of worry. Surely her father would never do such a horrible thing once she explained herself, would he? Did she even need to worry about that and take it into account? It was just a dance after all. She cursed at herself, "Why am I so nervous? It's just a friendly dance. He wouldn't say 'no', would he? He's too nice for that. But what if he doesn't want to and he does anyway just to be nice?" She sighed. She would never want him to feel uncomfortable. She decided that she would not ask.

"Marle?"

She turned around and nearly shrieked when she saw Crono standing passively behind her.

"Sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "I just saw that you…"

"Let's dance!" Marle would have clamped her hands over her huge mouth if she wasn't so stunned by her straightforwardness.

He smiled diminutively, "Wha-?"

He didn't have time to ask. Before he knew it, Marle had yanked his hands and pulled him forward. He gasped in surprise as she guided his hand to her hip and as he felt his fingers intertwine with hers. His head whipped as she unexpectedly began to lead, which was also against formalities. The dance was fast and lively; one that had the pair skipping from spot to spot while swaying and spinning the body. At first it felt awkward and mechanical. She felt as if she were tripping over her own toes with every step, but after a few moments she felt as if she were moving as gracefully as she ever had in her life. By this time Crono had recovered from his surprise and was laughing instead.

"Wow, you are good, Marle!"

Marle giggled in response. "I suppose my father and his years of forced practice had its pros."

Lucca, finishing a bowl, looked out the corner of her eye and saw that Marle and Crono were dancing. Lucca was speechless at first, but suddenly realized that she was surrounded by handsome young men. She giggled lazily as she whooped loudly, holding aloft yet another bowl for drinking.

Marle felt a deep sense of comfort, happiness, and accomplishment. However, the fluttering feeling still resided in her, so much that she wanted to scratch her stomach. However, she realized that Crono was suddenly becoming overcome with the effects of the tuba. She did not say anything at first out of fear of offending him, but he began to stagger and miss his steps. He began to sway and his eyelids dropped as if he were very tired. Finally, it was getting to the point where people began to notice and she did not wish to draw unfavorable attention to him. By this time, Lucca and Robo had taken note of his behavior and they walked Crono to the small lean-to which was loaned to them.

"Are you okay, Crono?" Lucca would ask, hiccupping herself.

He would only snort and laugh foolishly as his feet dragged in the dirt, "I'm fi-fi-good. I'm good."

The mood was awkward and Marle was taught that the best remedy for awkwardness was a change in topic. It was not a trap by any means, but it was a question that always sat in the back of her mind. Perhaps, since he wasn't in the best state mind he would answer. She began slyly, which was most likely wasted on Crono's diminished sense of observation. "Hey, you know what? You lost a card game back when we were with Toma. Remember that?"

Crono only mumbled a positive sounding response.

"You still have to tell me what you said to Toma about me. Are you going to be a man and confess or not?"

Crono sniggered drunkenly and swayed forward to be caught by Robo. "That's hardly fair, Miss Guardia." Robo said with a tone usually reserved for mothers chastising their children.

Marle stamped her foot, "Oh come on!" She folded her arms, "He better tell me now, because I don't have the heart to hit him while he's weak."

"How about if I tell you?" Robo said politely.

"What? You really DID know?" Marle growled in annoyance.

Lucca laughed, "You're funny Robo."

"Your kind words are appreciated." Robo returned to comment with a slight bow.

"So what did he say?" Marle snapped.

"The saddle you rode was dirty. You had mud marks all over the hind side of your slacks. Crono merely told Toma that you had a…" at this point, Robo put his two index fingers together and spoke slowly, "…an accident and you had to…clean yourself."

Marle's head perked up and she stared at him with a furrowed eyebrow and eyes that searched their faces to understand what they could possibly mean. "An accident…What in the world is that supposed to…" Her glacier blue eyes suddenly turned into dinner plates as Lucca broke out into raucous laughter. She spun on her heels and shrieked while she slapped Crono on his bare arm.

"Heeeey…" Crono said weakly, before stumbling over again.

"You big fat jerk!" Marle huffed and (although she honestly didn't mean to) took him roughly and sped up their march to the hut.

"I'm not fat…" Crono said lazily.

"Shut up!"

She would undoubtedly look back on this day and laugh, but at the moment she was a mixture of several things. Being in such a state of mind and having control over an inebriated person, who had the motor skills of a three-year-old baby, made it difficult to treat him with civility. Lucca and Robo followed still behind, each laughing at the look on Marle's face when she realized what "accident" meant. She fumed and went straight past the curtains that made for the door, taking no precautions on protecting Crono's head. She didn't even hear the loud thump as his head banged against the doorway.

"Owww…Heh, heh…"

"When you get better, you can expect me to go all out on you! Don't expect any mercy from me! Oh-ho no!" Marle took him by the hand and led him to a straw mat that lay on the floor. She turned about abruptly to leave, letting Crono sway and wobble on his own. He fell over and Marle gasped in surprise, turning to see what the sound was. She rushed to his side, repeating apologies, sliding his legs onto the mat. When she did that, she slapped his arm again and said, "But you still deserve it, you little…you little…Daargh!" She shook herself in frustration.

Still, Crono smiled and looked at her, "You know what? You're cute and funny when you're mad…"

"Wha-what?" She looked at him and suddenly felt that odd fluttering sensation again.

His hand clumsily caressed her cheek and he grinned. Marle's own cheeks began to smart from a smile that graced her face before she gently took his hand away and said, "Don't even think that saying that is going to get you off that easy, buster. You're still going to answer to me tomorrow."

"I know…" he said in a dejected tone, "I deserve it…"

"You sure do." Marle said with a humorously serious face and nod, "But you better rest and get over this. I'll see if I can heal you in the morning, but I don't know if I can take bad stuff from the body. I just know I can heal cuts and bruises."

"Alright…" He grew quieter as he turned on his side. "Thank you Marle…"

"You're welcome. Good night."

As she turned to leave, he somehow managed to sit up, "You know what?"

She smiled and got back on her knees, looking at Crono. "What is it?"

"You are important to me…do you know that?"

She blushed, flattered yet horrified at the same time. So many different interpretations could derive from that single sentence. "What are you saying, Crono?"

He looked at her as if, even in his inebriated state, he was hesitant to say something. He finally said, "I will never let anything harm you, Lucca, or Robo."

"Oh," Marle cast her eyes away from his and said disappointedly, "that's what you meant."

"You are too important to me…I will never let anyone die because of me again…"

Marle's merely nodded nonchalantly, but stopped and turned to face him. She wasn't certain if she heard him correctly, "…Did you say, 'Again?'"

His face suddenly twisted into such a sad countenance it was almost haunting. "I wonder if you and my sister would have been friends…if she were alive…"

"What?" Marle was aghast.

A few tears streamed down his cheek as he said, "You would have liked her…loved her even…"

She put on a brave face which still could not mask her confusion, "Just get some sleep."

"Alright…" He whispered, leaning back onto his mat.

Such an odd thing to say! Was he serious? Was he merely playing another joke on her? If he was, it was not in the least bit funny. Those words stuck with her as she went past the curtains and saw Robo and Lucca, still in a fit of giggles. Robo and Lucca had gone to sleep, which was deep and comfortable one to them. However, Marle had trouble sleeping that night. Many questions went through her head as she watched Crono breathe deep. It may have been her mind and the recent information she received were playing tricks on her, but she swore that a few tears occasionally rolled down his face. Did this have something to do with his father? Was there an accident? She wished she could ask these questions to him, but she believed he would not have it. After all, the death of a loved one is a very serious thing. She certainly knew this for a fact. He mother passed away when she was little, but she hardly remembered it. But it seemed as if Crono remembered every detail by the way he avoided it. Was it really so horrible?

She was not certain how she accomplished it, but she finally fell asleep.

"The footsteps continue on inside the cave."

Marle was brought back into the present as everyone stood at the mouth of a cavern. This was not like any other cave they had seen. The floor was covered in dirt; the soft kind of dirt that feels cool and silky as it slips through fingers. Although it was dark, there was the occasional flicker of a distant light in the back of the cave. A good wind entered in and it let out an eerie howl.

While everyone investigated the cave and the area around them, Crono's eyes fell on Marle who only looked to the ground. He slowly wrapped his hand on her bare shoulder, snapping her into her senses. For the first time since Kino's apology he seemed like his normal self. "Are you okay? Are you tired?" He said this with such concern that Marle felt deeply touched. It made her feel guilty that she could not answer honestly, "No, I'm fine. Should we go in?"

Crono looked towards the back of the cave again, "I think we should. Lucca, can you make some light?"

"Of course." She held her palm out and a little spark grew into a steady flame. "Is that good?"

"Sure, can you hold it? Does it make you tired?" Crono referred to the act of controlling the elements, which used to be such a difficult task for them.

"No, not anymore." Lucca said with a bright smile.

"Alright, keep an eye out."

Author's note: I don't mean to go on hiatus so much as someone rightfully pointed out. Whoever said that, thanks as well, because that made me want to update even more. :) I'm not losing interest in the story, and I still want to write it very much. I just think it's getting more and more difficult to write as the story progresses. I just hope the story is still satisfactory. Sorry for making everyone wait so long. Thanks for your patience. You guys seem to have an unlimited amount of it:)

Translations…

"Ginausoy na sang mga katawohan. Makasabat ako sa imo madugay-dugay." – "It is being searched for by the people. I'll answer back to you soon."

"Sige." – "Okay."

"Ngaa akig ka?" – "Why are you angry?"

"Indi ako magpauli. Indi pa." – Heh, actually, I'm going to keep that a secret. It is a little twist in the next chapter. Maybe it you look at my former translations and put it together you might figure it out.