A Second Chance
Chapter 4: The Crystal Shrine

A dark cloud of terror had fallen upon Marcus and Namami since Marcus' vision of the return of Luca Blight. No one has even the faintest idea of how it had happened, but it had...they were sure of it.
"Guys! Don't get so down-hearted....Luca is of no threat to us at the moment, and besides...Jowy can take care of himself, he'll find someway to escape." Heiro said cheerfully.
At that moment Marcus lunged at Heiro and knocked him from his feet, they wrestled for a moment but Marcus got the upper-hand and pinned Heiro face-first into the ground.
"Here we go again." sighed Nanami, she turned to Gremio, "Can you please break them up, I can't stand it when they do this."
Gremio just stood there and stared at Nanami, she slowly walked towards him and screamed in his face, "YOU GO BREAK THEM UP NOW OR I WILL BREAK UP ONE OF YOUR LIMBS!!"
Gremio flinched, backed slowly away and ran towards Marcus, who was still slamming Heiro's face into the ground. He pulled Marcus off of Heiro and tossed him to the side, he then helped his nearly unconcious friend over to a nearby stream.
Nanami walked over to Marcus and pulled him to his feet...she then gave him a swift kick to the most sensitive spot in the male anatomy. He doubled over, gasping, and then collapsed to the ground.

*****
3 hours later

Marcus was limping along quietly while Nanami gently tended to Heiro's still bruised/scraped face. Gremio was just looking around keeping an eye out for any movement in the trees.
"Marcus, I'm sorry about that but you have to keep your cool about what other people say, even if it is inconsiderate." Nanami said whilely glaring at Heiro who was know walking on his own.
"I didn't mean it to come out that way...I guess I owe you an apology Marcus, sorry. Come to think of it, this was the second time I had said something like that, and again, sorry." said Heiro calmly, but with pain.
"I owe you an apology too...I shouldn't have flipped like that, again. Sorry. It's just that I'm so worried about Jowy...he's more than just a friend."
"I know Marcus, I know."
"Not as well as I do...but Luca Blight holding him. How?"

*****
2 days later

No one had said much all morning but when the trees parted there was much astonishment from everyone, "Wow...have you ever seen anything like it." whispered Nanami.
"Never, not even the castle of the old Liberation Army could match this." gasped Heiro.
"Nor the castle of the Scarlet Army."
Heiro ran to the front of their little troop and announced, "Welcome, my friends to the Crystal Shrine."
Marcus added, "May this be the sign of Luca's second downfall."
This comment seemed to bring sorrow to everyone's face, and all Marcus could think about was what Luca could be doing to Jowy.