Flames Under Stars By Jumi_Pearl

A/N: I know, I know. "Oh my gosh! She's actually finished a story!" ^^;;; Gomen! I have a tendancy to write incomplete stories! Heh. But this one is done! Enjoy! And please R&R!!!! I love reviews! They make me feel happy! ^_^

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The flames lashed out at a small girl threatening to burn her as she sobbed. Scents of burning wood and cloth and something like plastic or metal filled the air. A hissing noise accompanied by various cracks and snaps sounded throughout the large, two-story house as the deadly fire ate carelessly at whatever was in its path.

A scream followed by a series of sobs could be heard from a few rooms down. Another good friend was gone, taken by the raging flames.

"Lucca!" a five-year-old girl called. Tears clouded her eyes and dampened her cheeks, and clumps of shoulder length blonde hair fell in front of her eyes. "Lucca!" she yelled again, a fresh batch of warm tears streaming down her face.

"She's gone, Kid," a voice said from behind the child, "gone far, far away."

Kid turned around to face the speaker and gasped in surprise. Before her stood a huge cat-man with brown, shaggy fur and a pair of loose-fitting black pants and shirt. A hat and cape completed the outfit. Next to the frightening demi-human was a female jester, her face covered with white and rose paint. A hat with bells dangling from either side rested on her head.

"G-gone?" the little girl stuttered, fighting back tears.

"Yes, gone." The black, depth less eyes sparkled in the flames.

"W-where?"

"To hell." He smiled as a look of despair crossed Kid's face. "But don't worry," the cat-man laughed, "you will join her very soon!" With his last statement, he pulled out a large, intricately designed scythe and sliced at the air before him causing the flames to jump.

"What do you mean?!" she asked as she moved back a step. A warm sensation flooded her back and the blaze behind her reached for Kid hungrily. She was trapped between a deadly cat and a fire. Fear mirrored in her eyes and she fell to her knees.

"Prepare to die," the other growled and advanced slowly upon the other. The Harlequin stayed where she was, watching as if the whole scenario was nothing but routine.

Kid looked about frantically for something, anything she could use to fend off the demon with. But what was a little girl to do that would even hurt a six-foot tall cat?

About to give in to her despair, Kid gazed down at the floor. To her surprise, a pair of human hands wrapped themselves around her waist and picked her up carrying her out of the burning home and into the outside world. She did not struggle or scream, she was too scared and too upset to argue. Instead, she allowed the hands to set her down on a hilltop a safe distance away from the orphanage.

"Are you okay?" the voice belonged to an older man of about sixteen or seventeen, it seemed.

She nodded and gazed up at the star-filled sky. A cool breeze blew against her flushed cheeks, and she struggled not to cry. While wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her white, cotton nightgown, Kid examined the boy. His cobalt colored hair swayed in the wind, and in his eyes the blazing fire was reflected in a pool of deep-sea blue. She suspected the same flames were in her eyes, as well, but she could care less.

"It's burning!" Kid looked down at the house. "Our home is burning"

A section of the burning orphanage collapsed. "Lucca. . . . All my friends. . . . They're, they're . . . !" She couldn't finish her sentence before she choked on a lump in her throat.

The man set a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay," he whispered.

"Why . . . ?" Kid sobbed. "Why did this happen?

The other was at a lose for words. What could you tell a five-year-old girl whose home was burning right before her eyes to calm her down?

"You . . ." she hiccuped and tried to stop her tears. "Are you going to go away? Are you going to leave me?" she inquired sadly. The blue-haired boy stayed silent. "I'm going to be left all on my own again, aren't I? Everything I have ever loved has gone far, far away . . . ."

So, she had never truly had a family. He knew he could not stay, but he could not tell this little girl who would grow up to mean so much to him that he would leave her. Besides, he knew they would meet again. "I won't leave you," he promised and smiled, hoping she would understand.

"Really!? Do you mean that?" Her cerulean eyes twinkled with joy through her tears. Quickly, she reached over to him and hugged him as tight as she could. He smelt like the ocean. Kid liked this boy. She moved her cheek up against his and felt something like water on it.

"Your cheek . . . . It's wet?"

The man nodded and wiped his own eyes. Had he lost his family, too? Kid wondered.

Kid stumbled to find something to say. "Thank you . . ." A confused look crossed the other's face, "Thank you for saving me . . . ."

"Of course!" he smiled. A sudden jolt from the Chrono Cross told him he was about to go.

Kid sniffed and stared in awe as a bright column of white light enveloped the boy's body.

"Good-bye . . . for now," he whispered into her ear.

"Will I . . . Will I ever see you again?"

He nodded and smiled. ~Of course you will,~ he thought. ~That is, if you come back to me.~ The beam swallowed him up and begin to rise, now, taking him with it.

When Kid at last looked up, the beam and the boy were gone. "What?" she whispered in shock. "Where did you go . . . ?" She understood now. He had left her! "No! Come back!!!" she screamed to the stars. Could he hear her?

"Don't leave me . . . .Please, no . . . ." She fell to her knees sobbing.

"Don't leave me all alone!" Kid begged.

Turning to the smoldering remains of the house, she wiped her eyes again. Making her way closer to them, she noticed a small glimmer in the still hot ashes. Kid reached for it and discovered it was her prized Astral Amulet.

Sitting down with the necklace enclosed in her hand, she gazed up once more. ~Will I ever see you again?~ she asked the boy. He wasn't there, but maybe he could read her thoughts. ~I didn't even know your name . . . . But I'll find out!~ She promised.

"'Til we meet again . . . . my angel . . . ." And with that, Kid slept.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Chrono Cross or its characters. Squaresoft does. I wish I did though! The idea for this story and parts of the dialogue (the conversation between the boy, Serge, and Kid) were from the game. Please don't sue! I have nothing to take, anyways.

A/N: I KNEW I forgot to write something at the beginning! ^^;;; Yeah. Just to let you all know, I orginally wrote this for my Lit. class. But if you guys like this.... I might write more! But then this story would be incomplete.... The decision is up to you! So please R and R and tell me what you think! ppppppllllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaassssseee??????