Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Uh . . . Sorry. I was just laughing at how dangerously close I came to flames because of that cliffhanger . . . Hahaha . . . Anyway. Here it is!

I don't own CC or its characters . . . I wish I did . . .

Chapter 18: Free Time

The group entered Arni drenched with water. While this may have annoyed most of them, it didn't bother Serge or Kidd. No sir, they were too excited to be bothered by a little rain.

She said YES! Kidd. Said. YES! I can't believe it! Serge thought to himself. He had a spring in his step when he walked into the small village. Not even the sight of the still crippled village did anything to hinder his joyous attitude.

Glenn looked at Serge in confusion. A little while ago, before Serge had collapsed, he had been in an almost depressed mood. Now it looked like he was about ready to jump! The only time he had ever seen somebody else this joyful was when Riddle accepted Dario's hand . . . in marriage . . . By the goddess. Kidd said yes! Glenn simply stopped walking in surprise at the revelation. He looked at Kidd. Although she was quite a bit more reserved than Serge, Glenn could see the joy in her eyes.

"Glenn? Why did you stop?" Ana asked. With wide eyes, Glenn looked at her. "She said yes." Ana looked at Glenn quizzically. "What? Who said yes and to what?" Glenn grinned, "Kidd said yes! Serge and Kidd are engaged!" Ana was speechless.

"What's up with those two?" Harle asked Janus. She had been hanging around him ever since the S.S. Invincible. She didn't know why, but she was attracted to him. Possibly more than she ever was with Serge.


Janus didn't answer for many moments. Harle sighed and stood in front of Janus trying to stop him. Janus simply walked straight through her as if he was just some hologram from Chronopolis. Harle growled. I hate it when he does that. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Don't just ignore me!" Janus simply looked down at Harle. Finally, "If I tell you, will you let go?" Harle smiled and let go of his arm. Janus sighed, "Serge and Kidd are to be married." Strangely enough, the news didn't hurt Harle like she thought it would.

"SERGE! YOU'RE BACK!" Leena, who worked part-time at the café, practically screamed when Serge stepped into the restaurant. Serge ignored her while scanning the place. There were no other blue-haired men in there except him and Janus. Serge sighed in relief.

"Yes, Leena. I'm back. So, where's everybody?" He asked indicating the near-empty café. Leena frowned, "That's all I get? Just a 'Yeah, Leena. I'm back'! After what you've done to me?" Serge looked apologetically to Janus. He, then, looked apologetically at the other villagers in the café. "Uh . . . Leena, can we talk about this outside?" Leena got angrier. "Outside? Outside?! In the rain?!" She's lost it. Serge thought. Serge sighed, and walked toward the backroom of the restaurant.

"How could you do this to me, Serge? Did all of the things we did together, all of the moments we shared, matter at all? Instead, you run off with some girl you just met!" Serge sighed. If she was acting like this before he told her the big news, how would she act after? "Well, technically, Kidd and I have known each other for more than two years. And to your first question, of course all of that matters! I love you, Leena. Just . . . not like that . . . anymore. But I do love Kidd that way! That's why I had to go rescue her in the first place. It's why I 'ran off' with her." Here I go . . . "It's why . . . we're getting married."

Leena couldn't speak. She was too hurt. If there ever was a point in her life where she was the lowest, this was it.

Finally, she managed to whisper, "How . . . could you?" Then she promptly slapped him and ran out of the backroom and then the café in tears.

 Serge sat down in a chair across the table where Janus was. He felt the lack of sleep he had been suffering in his body. He groaned and put his head in his hands. All the while, Janus looked at him with an amused expression on his face.

"I take it, she didn't enjoy the news?" Serge looked up at him. "What news?" He asked playing dumb. Janus rolled his eyes, "About you and Sch–Kidd. Everybody knows about it by now." Serge was silent for a moment and then laughed, "Actually, she took it better than I thought." Janus was silent.

A waitress that Serge had never seen before passed nearby and Serge stopped her. "Hey, what's going on? Where is everybody?" The girl looked annoyed. "It's the annual Fishing Festival, stupid. What did you expect?" Serge groaned, "Great . . . Now we'll have to wait until the end before we can get out of here." Janus looked at him quizzically. Serge explained, "Everybody who has a boat attends this festival. If the boat owners decide not to, then they'll rent their boats out to people who don't have one. They often stay out for a week or two. I didn't they would still have it in light of the storm. I guess I was wrong."


Leena ran through the grassy road of Arni. She was heading to her house. It's ironic, She thought glumly. whenever I'd be emotional like this, I'd go to Serge. But now, when Serge's the one who hurt me, I'm alone.

Karsh smiled when he saw that it had stopped raining. He looked at the rest of the resting group that he was traveling with. Janus and Serge had gone out to look for people and the rest of them had decided to rest under the empty shelter that the people of Arni had built. Karsh was bored now though. I'll go for a walk.

Leena kept on running. She wasn't even looking where she was going anymore. She was too busy trying to shield her depressed face from the rare villager. WHAM!

Leena crashed into a purple-haired man. "Hey! Watch it!" She said while taking her anger out on this stranger. The man simply blinked in confusion. "Uh . . . I'm–" Leena stormed into her house before the man could even answer.

Karsh simply stood there dumbfounded. What just happened? He wondered. After a few minutes, who the girl was registered in his mind. That was Leena, wasn't it. I wonder what got her so upset.

"Janus . . ." Serge said ominously. Janus looked at him. Serge sighed, "I want you to know . . . that just because Kidd and I . . . Well, it just doesn't change anything. If I become evil in any way, whether I'm being controlled or not, I want you t–"

"I understand." Janus cut in. Serge smiled sadly, "Thanks."

"Annual Fishing Festival, eh?" Lynx was once again watching the group via a large computer screen. He laughed, "Back in a week or two? I'm afraid that you'll be sorely disappointed, my young Chrono Trigger."

Days passed and the group was getting bored. "Serge? Why can't we just make another boat like we did before? Wouldn't that be easier?" Ana asked. Serge smiled. "It'd be faster, yes, but we've all gone through so much lately. I think that we need to rest for now. I bet that we're going to need rest for the training that we're gonna be doing to learn magic." Melchior laughed, "Actually, there's nothing to it. It doesn't take long to master magic. It's not like using a weapon or anything."

A week passed and now the eight were on the lookout for the fishermen and women. They'd be getting back soon.

Karsh walked around aimlessly. It was yet another beautiful day in Arni and Karsh had nothing to do. Karsh sighed. I almost wish my Ax wasn't made of rainbow shell. At least when it was made of metal, I could spend my time sharpening it. Now that it is indestructible, I can't do anything with it.

This is it. Leena thought sadly. This is the day I start anew. I'm getting out of this place. Away from the worrying, babysitting, memories, and most of all, Serge. Leena stepped out of her house with multiple bags in her hands.


Karsh heard a door slam shut and he looked toward the sound. From his distance, he couldn't see who had stepped out of the house. What he could see was the fiery, red hair. There's a cute red-head. He thought with a smile. Time to introduce myself.

Karsh walked a little bit closer until he could see who the girl was. That's . . . Leena! Why's she carrying all of those bags?

Leena saw him approaching. It was that purple-haired man that Serge had been traveling with. He was the man that she had bumped into a week before. She no time to think about this though, because as she walked down the steps that led down from her front door, she tripped.

Crap! Karsh thought as he saw Leena fall. He ran forward to help her.

Leena closed her eyes and braised for the painful impact on the wooden steps and, eventually, the ground. It never came. She kept her eyes closed for a few more moments until she someone else breathing heavily.

Leena looked up and stared into the eyes of the purple-haired man. It took a few moments for it to register in her mind that he had caught her.

The man let Leena down onto her feet softly. She was about to thank her when she noticed that her suitcases were all on the ground. Most of them, as old and tattered as they were, had opened and the contents had spilled out. Leena groaned and then cursed loudly. She kicked one of the unopened bags and it flew open spilling more clothes and personal items. "No . . ." Leena fell to her knees ignoring the sharp pain.

Karsh felt bad for Leena. She was just sitting there crying her eyes out, and Karsh wasn't doing anything. He didn't know what to do. He had never been the helpful type in that way. "Hey . . . uh . . . don't cry. They can always be washed." He said pitifully.

Leena stopped crying and was silent for a moment. Then she laughed harshly. "Wash them? Wash them?! How stupid are you?" Karsh winced.  I guess that's not what she was crying about. He thought to himself. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Leena sighed, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that." She smiled weekly and Karsh grinned. "Okay! Now that that's settled, I have to ask. What are you doing with the bags?"

Leena was silent for a few moments. "I . . . I'm leaving." Karsh didn't get it, "What, you visiting a relative or something?" Leena rolled her eyes. "No. I'm leaving . . . for good." Karsh was silent, until, finally, "Oh . . . where do you plan to go?" Leena sighed, "To Termina." Karsh stared at her. Didn't she know that Termina was . . .


"There aren't any boats around. You're not planning on walking, are you?" Leena nodded. Karsh's eyes widened, "What?! You can't possibly go through Fossil Valley!" Leena put her hands on her hips, "And why not?" Karsh grimaced as he remembered almost being skewered by a werewolf. "When was the last time you went through there?" Leena thought about it for a moment, "I dunno, maybe a few months ago?" Karsh sighed, "In the last month or so, Fossil Valley has changed drastically. It's way too dangerous for you to go, especially while carrying all those bags."

Leena was fuming. How dare he tell her what she can and what she can't do. Karsh saw that she was getting mad, "I wouldn't even go through there alone anymore." It wasn't a lie, "There are these weird wolf-like creatures there. The only reason we passed through there to get here was because Serge. If he wasn't there, we'd be dead."

"Wait . . . why would you be dead without Serge?" Karsh sighed, "I . . . uh . . . It's kinda hard to explain." Leena smirked, "Fine. I'm still planning on going." Karsh's eyes widened, "What?!" Leena nodded. "But . . . but . . . where will you stay?" Leena hadn't thought about that. "I . . . I have a friend named Lisa who lives there. She own's the Element shop. I can probably stay with her until I get my own place." Karsh sighed sadly, "Lisa's shop is a pile of rubble now. So is nearly the entire city." Leena's eyes widened, "Wha–what? Termina's . . . destroyed?"

Karsh sighed, "It all started nearly a month ago. Termina was attacked, unprovoked, by a huge dragon. The dragon was, or I thought that it was at that time, the most powerful beast I had ever seen. This dragon killed General Viper." Leena nodded, "I heard about that. But I only heard that the dragon had destroyed the manor." Karsh shook his head, "It also killed many soldiers and civilians inside the manor and out. But anyway, the Divas–Glenn, Marcy, Zoah, and I– wouldn't–"

"You're one of the Divas?" Karsh held up a hand. Leena fell silent. "Anyway, we couldn't hope to destroy the dragon alone. That's when Serge showed up. To make a long story short, he wiped out the dragon." Leena's eyes widened, "Alone? Serge couldn't do that!" Karsh grinned, "That's nothing compared to what he does later." Leena was silent.

"So, anyway, after explanations and stuff, Termina is attacked again by hordes of monsters. I mean, hundreds, thousands, of them. We were able to beat them, but at a cost. Termina was in ruins." Leena was stunned, "I . . . had no idea. What were you saying about Serge doing more?" Karsh grinned wider . . .

"So . . . what Serge was saying about your adventures is . . . true?" Leena asked. Karsh nodded, "Every bit of it." Leena was silent for many minutes. "So, are you still planning on leaving?" Silence. Karsh sighed and got up, "Well. Think about it. And . . . wait 'til you can get a boat to Termina. The valley's way too dangerous." He started walking away. "Wait!" Leena got up and chased after him, "I have more questions!"


Karsh crossed his arms, "Answer mine first." Leena scowled and then sighed, "I don't know . . . If there's no place to go in Termina, then I'm stuck." Karsh smiled warmly, "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't move there. I'm just suggesting that you wait until it's livable. At least wait until you can get a boat ride." Leena smiled and nodded.

"Remember! Bring a few back alive! I want to torture Serge with their deaths!" Lynx laughed as an army of Dragonians flapped away.

Beads of sweat dripped down the dark-skinned fisherman's face as he tried to haul up the large swordfish onto his small boat. He had been fighting this one for many minutes by now, and he was tiring fast. He could only hope that the fish felt the same way.

SNAP! The fishing pole snapped in half and the fisherman flew back against the side of his boat. He unleashed a volley of various curse words from many languages. He had studied exotic languages at Termina University after all. Why not use them?

A shadow passed over his boat. He looked up and saw the silhouette of some type of flying lizard. The man's eyes widened in fear as he saw the hundreds of flying lizards behind the first one. "What the–" FWOOSH!

"So, who is Kidd?" Karsh smiled, "Well . . . I'd better let Serge or Kidd tell you that." Leena frowned, "I don't wish to speak with either of them." Karsh groaned inwardly, then he got an idea. "I have a better idea. Follow me."

"I told you that I don't want to talk to her!" Leena snarled in Karsh's ear. She said it loud enough for Kidd to hear though. "What do you want, Karsh?" Karsh grinned, "Somebody needs their memory returned." Kidd rolled her eyes and Schala took over. "I'm not going to do it if she's not going to cooperate." Leena looked from Karsh to Kidd and back again, "What are you talking about?" Karsh grinned, "Remember how you came to accept that Serge's adventures were real?" Leena nodded slowly. "Well. I don't know if he ever told you this, but you participated in them too." Leena looked at him like he was insane, "Are you crazy? I did nothing of the sort!"

"Would you like proof?" Kidd/Schala asked. Leena looked at her and growled softly. Kidd/Schala wasn't intimidated. "Well?" Leena sighed, "Yeah. I would like proof." The blonde-headed girl smiled. "Just look into my eyes. Don't look away . . ."

Serge sat and looked out to the sea. It was so peaceful today. As if nothing could go wrong. Because of this, Serge knew that something was wrong. Serge heard light footfalls on the pier. He turned around expecting to see Kidd. What he saw was Leena. A Leena who looked like she had been crying just a few moments ago. "Leena!" Serge stood up. "What's wrong?"

Leena ran forward and jumped into a surprised Serge's arms. Serge, being the gentleman that he is, held her like that until she was ready to let go.


"Leena, what's going on?" Serge asked. Leena sniffled slightly and then composed herself, "I'm sorry, Serge." Serge looked at her quizzically, but before he could ask what she meant, she continued. "I'm sorry that I ever pestered you about Kidd and . . . us. I understand now. I understand that you really did go on glorious adventures with her. I know that you really did save the world. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you earlier." Serge was stunned, "Wha–what? How?" Leena smiled softly, "Karsh and I had a little talk. From there, he took me to Kidd–er . . . Schala to get my memory returned." He made a mental note to give Karsh a big hug later. "Although I still . . . Well, I won't get in the way of you and Kidd anymore." Serge smiled and gave Leena another hug.

"Don't worry, Leena. You'll find somebody. I'm sure of it." Serge said reassuringly. Leena found her thoughts wandering to Karsh at those words . . .

All of the fishermen and women, all but one, had either been taken or killed. He had been spared by the dragon-like creatures. The lone fisherman's boat had been destroyed so he was hanging on a large piece of wood. The remnant of some poor soul's boat. In the distance, he could see the mainland, and although he couldn't see it now, he knew he was heading toward Arni . . .

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There ya go!!! How'd ya like it? Please R&R and all that! BTW. For all the people that want to know, I will be finishing this story!

--Ben