Chrono Trigger

Who "Nu"? The hunt for the elusive spirit is underway and is not without its frustrations…

Perhaps it would seem a little absurd for such a strange and abrupt change in this story, but the next part occurred in a very unnatural way. However, I can say this to soften the blow or to even excuse this little detour: If there was a creature with astounding longevity we would not be able to comprehend its thoughts. The Nu was such a creature and was generally thought of as some superior spirit. Although it is not known what they do to earn such reverence, we may know that they were cut from the same cloth as Masa and Mune.

How so? Namely because their actions followed the old adage "A little nonsense now and then is cherished amongst the wisest men."

Even though elemental spirits are wise enough to appreciate the smaller miracles of the world and find enjoyment in them, they apparently are not wise enough to maintain an attitude befitting a creature of such boundless knowledge. That is why they usually take a playful and almost taunting nature to us, or those who always seemed to be in a rush, for the things that seemed important to us would be considered trivial and temporary to them. Also, the aforementioned idiom was something they loved to revel in.

So, imagine if you can, the joy that a single Nu held when he saw a group of humans trudging through his forest! His bulbous body, which held a large gaping mouth, sped through the trees without rustling as much as a single leaf. It hung by its short stubby legs from a tree's limb and watched them walk by. They did not have to speak for him to understand their entire history. The simple Nu, in all his wisdom acquired over the centuries, learned to read every little tell that came from the way they walked and even they way they glanced at each other.

For example: He already knew that the red-haired one and the blonde in soft clothes had feelings for each other while he shared the same with the brunette that wore strange things on the bridge of her nose. He recognized the stronger blonde woman and could tell there was a hint of romance in her for the red-haired boy; but it seemed a little non-committal and there was something there for someone else. The creature that looked like an animal yet read like a human seemed very worn and tired, almost as if he had been wrestling with something for years. The strong woman seemed to think of the man-animal as an appetizer while the man-animal held his calm yet seemed very skittish inside. The two women who were loved by the red-haired boy seemed to love each other platonically, but there was a tinge of jealousy within them. And the metal giant? Even an artificial being did not escape the intricate senses of the Nu! This metal giant had more in common with the spirits then the others could realize. He could tell that this giant found the joys in many things that escaped the humans who plodded along as if being outside were a chore. Also, he seemed more like a spirit namely for the fact that nothing seemed to escape his ever-encompassing gaze.

That is, of course, except for the giddy Nu that watched them walk by without as much as a turn of their heads.

The Nu let himself fall from the branches to the ground. He rose from the mud and waddled behind the humans and wondered what would be the most amusing thing he could do. His skin changed from a camouflage to the color that marked him as a Nu, but quickly changed back as a twig snapped underneath his feet. The humans looked back, unable to see the Nu in front of them. They shrugged and sauntered on.

"Where in the world could this stupid thing be?" Lucca growled in annoyance as she swatted another mosquito.

"If I knew, I would tell thee…God forsaken jungle…" Glenn irritably kicked a nearby tree, knocking off an excessive amount of mud that clung to his boots.

"Robo? Are you getting anything?" Crono asked, wiping away the sweat that had soaked its way past his bandana.

"I get that it is very hot and humid here." He said with a merry tone. He hastily apologized when he felt a surge of adrenaline from all party members.

"How about rain? Does it look like it might rain soon?"

"The humidity suggests that it will come again soon."

"Ugh…when?" Even Marle's usual cheerfulness was being drained by the larger and thirstier mosquitoes that filled this jungle.

"I would say in about twenty minutes."

"Can we take a break?" Lucca moaned, letting her arms go limp in protest, "Seriously…these mosquitoes are eating me alive!"

Ayla sighed, feeling very pressed for time. "We rest now, but not long. There are lives in danger."

The Nu moved, his weight changing within him so that he was lighter than air. His feet and long toes made nary a dent in the soft mud as he moved freely about the members of the group. He floated in the air, turning upside down, and watched Lucca while she unloaded a small bag stuffed with prehistoric rations. The look of utter annoyance as she slapped the back of her neck sent the Nu reeling in silent laughter. His body brushed a group of leaves and caught Lucca's attention. The Nu held back a gasp as it hovered in the air silently. Lucca peered into the nothingness, swearing to herself that she heard something, but dismissed it as the work of devil insects and turned her back. She took a seat on a fallen log and began to eat a lunch that was prepared earlier that day. The Nu saw an opportunity here and pulled a leaf from a tree. He formed it into a sharp end and poked Lucca in the back of the neck while she took a large bite from a ball of rice. Her hand flew to the back of her neck, along with a curse flying form her mouth. The Nu moved several times, but finally he poked too hard.

To his delight and surprise, Lucca shot upward, dropping the ball of rice into the mud. She screamed in frustration and started beating the back of her neck and around her person repeatedly. "I HATE THIS STUPID PLACE!" It was then that she noticed she dropped her lunch. Her reply for that was a word that made the others wince. She sat back on the log, content to cast small flame spells on any insects that dare buzzed near her.

The Nu lost interest in the brunette and moved toward the red-haired boy and the soft and feminine blonde. The Nu noticed the slight thrill they would occasionally take when they dodged glances. It was a proverbial game of tag, where they would shy away when one caught the other looking at each other. The Nu smiled almost impishly to itself when it came up with an idea to tease these two. He situated himself between the blonde and the red-haired boy and waited for one to look at the other.

During this time, whenever Crono looked at Marle he kept reflecting on the dream and how nice it felt. He could not help but imagine how soft a kiss from her could be, but at the same time it made his heart skip a beat whenever her cool blue eyes found him. When the coast was clear he looked again but was stunned by what he saw.

"Marle? Are you gaining weight?"

The true folly of any man is to say such a thing to a woman enamored. She did not even turn around to address him immediately. She was crouched to the ground, but raised slowly, her back leaving an arch to form a straight, rigid line. She turned about, her blue eyes suddenly piercing and fearsome. She chewed on her lip, placed her hands on her hip and made Crono feel very, very uncomfortable. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

The Nu who stood between them used all his willpower not to laugh. It was not only his special ability to camouflage himself, but to fool would-be predators by bending and changing the image they would see. While Marle saw Crono as he really was, Crono saw Marle as noticeably bigger, at least noticeable enough to accidentally make a comment.

"Nah, no, I, um…" Crono rubbed his head nervously as he tried to think of an excuse.

Marle strode over to Crono, causing the Nu to cautiously move back. Thankfully for the Nu she did not go face-to-face with Crono. She pointed a finger at him and said, "Listen, I don't know what in the world possessed you to think that would be funny. It might have been funny some other time, but it sure as anything isn't funny now! Why in the world would you…would you…"

Marle was speechless as Crono grit his teeth nervously. She asked, "Crono…when was the last time you brushed your teeth?"

His eyebrows furrowed in sudden confusion, "Uh, I think this morning?"

"What in the world did you brush them with? Butter?"

The Nu held in another volley of laughter, for he had changed Marle's perception. She was stunned as Crono seethed back at her with stained yellow teeth. She could not help but stare at the brown decay that lined each tooth and she felt almost sick as Crono tried to find his words. "What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

"Your teeth are disgusting!"

"They are not!"

"I swear they are! Glenn! Come here and take a look at this!"

Glenn walked from his post while he kicked mud loose from his boots. The Nu hovered in the air, following the direction of Crono's head. Marle beckoned Crono to smile, which he did almost with flippant showman ship to prove his sarcasm. Imagine the look on his face when Glenn dropped to a single knee, crossed himself and uttered, "Oh! Saints preserve us!"

"Cut it out, guys! Marle, you are only doing this because I said you looked fa…Uh…"

Her hands went on her hips again and she boomed, "So you did say it!"

"Well you said I had nasty teeth!" Crono shot back.

"Well you said I looked like I was," she quoted with her fingers and spoke in a deep voice while crossing her eyes, "'gaining weight'. At least I was telling the truth!"

"Hey! I was telling the truth too! You looked huge!" Crono regretting saying that the instant it left his mouth.

"THAT'S IT!" Marle shouted. She reeled back and punched Crono in the arm.

He stood for a moment and then the pain hit him. He clenched his arm and yelled in surprise, "Hey, that hurt!"

"And I'll do it again!" Marle said with a feeling of pride.

At that moment, Ayla and Robo entered the scene. They had heard the argument and came back. Ayla fumed and said, "What is problem? There is danger and we need to get the Nu! You waste time when you do these things!"

"What is 'your' problem." Robo said, emphasizing the missing word from Ayla's statement.

Ayla turned to Robo slowly and said with whispered ferocity, "What did you say?"

"Well, you see, it is proper…ah…proper…speaking…to…oh dear…" Robo, already sensed signs of aggression, began to run around in circles while Ayla chased after him on all fours. Crono and Marle bickered back and forth while Lucca kept firing balls of flame at helpless insects. Glenn kicked a nearby tree, trying vainly to remove the heavy mud from his clothes. Meanwhile, the Nu rolled in the mud, laughing its head off, no longer concerned about being heard.

KABOOM!

The thunder was followed by copious amounts of rain right were they stood. It was almost as if they were in a shower and the valve was turned on. However, they were so caught up in their arguments, and the Nu in his enjoyment, that they failed to see the source of their troubles for a moment. They slowly came to a stop, each one being distracted by the laughter of the Nu. They drew in closer, everyone silent and glaring knowingly at the figure that pounded his fists in the mud as he laughed on and on. Finally, the laughter began to subside and the Nu wiped its eyes. It jumped to its feet, ready for more pranks when it realized that it was surrounded and was completely visible.

The Nu giggled nervously as the figures gathered around him, cracking their knuckles as they stared down at him. "Uh…hello. I'm not a Nu."

"GET HIM!"

"Okay…okay…I'm sorry."

"For?" Marle asked, holding the end of a vine that wrapped itself around the Nu captive.

"I'm sorry for making Lucca feel like she was being eaten alive…"

"And…?"

"I'm sorry for making Crono look like he had rotted teeth…"

"And…?"

The Nu sighed, "And I'm sorry for making you look fat."

"That's better." Marle said, pulling the end of the vine so that the Nu was no longer bound. The Nu smiled with that big, gaping mouth it had and stretched its arms and legs contently. Ayla, meanwhile, had been feeling more and more urgent and was very quick to the point. "So, can you give the blessing for the flying beasts?"

The Nu brushed off its thin arm and said, "You already got it."

"What? How? You didn't do anything." Crono asked.

"All you really need to do is to touch me and acquire my scent. All animals see a Nu as a guardian of nature and are willing to help them and they know our smell. Just a poke of our fingers to your forehead ensures that our scent stays with you your entire life. I can safely assure you that you touched me enough, seeing that you all saw fit to dog-pile me. In all honesty, there is a poignant ceremony that's supposed to make it all seem mystical, but I think you guys ruined that already."

"I guess we'll just have to live with ourselves." Lucca said sarcastically. "How do we find these flying beasts?"

"Leave the jungle and mimic their cry. I'm sure Ayla can do it just fine. They'll come right to you."

"Alright…In that case we will be on our way…" Crono said, quickly turning about to walk.

The rest followed suit and the Nu waved a friendly hand goodbye while saying, "Thank you for coming! Visit again sometime!"

When they felt they were out of earshot, Lucca said under her breath "We must never talk about this incident again. Agreed?"

"Agreed." They all said unanimously.

They stood outside of the jungle and looked toward the sky. Already, nighttime had begun to fall and Ayla informed them that it was a long distance to the Reptite fortress. She breathed in deeply, the others watching and wondering what sound she would make. What came out nearly scared them half to death, for it sounded like a roar bellowed by a bear. Birds scattered from the trees due to the sudden sound, and they turned the sky into a myriad of colors. However, in those colors a large solid consistency showed. As it grew bigger Ayla began to bounce on her heels. "The Nu did not lie! We can save our friends!"

The beasts alighted on the ground, their mighty wings beating the earth below them. They were very large and their scales were so ragged that there was no problem in finding something to hold while in flight. One looked at the group inquisitively, the others holding back in caution. It leaned forward, sniffing Ayla with its large nostrils. Ayla smiled and rubbed his beak lovingly, prompting the flying beast to lower his long neck. The others hopped forward and followed suit for the others in the party. At last, when everyone was seated and sure they could hold on comfortably, Ayla clicked her tongue and the beasts ran forward. As their speed increased, they beat their wings, jolting their passengers more than expected. Marle almost began to scream in fright for fear of losing her grip, but was helped by Lucca who rode with her. With a sensation that they never felt before, they were up in the air and soaring high above the jungle

Marle, who had been screaming only seconds ago, laughed incredulously, spreading out her arms, and pretended she was flying. Lucca smiled, letting her enjoy the moment before she gave her shove to jolt her back into reality. She gave her a sharp glare, to which Lucca stated with a sly grin, "This is a step up from riding horses, isn't it?" Meanwhile, Glenn watched with amazement, bewildered and thinking incorrectly that he and his friends had been the first humans in existence to fly in the air like birds. Robo felt a sort of nervous sensation as he wondered if the beast could support his weight. Crono contented himself to watch the birds fly alongside them in the sky, wondering where they were going. He felt a strange sense of peace as he felt the wind go through his hair, soaring above the clouds.

As for Ayla, she stared toward the horizon where she knew the Laruba would be. Already, the fiery glow of the distant volcano fields could be seen and she steeled herself for the battle that would come.

Author's note: I respond to a bunch of questions in the following chapter.