Now
By Exile



Disclaimer: THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER*.



Chapter 4: The Entity's plot

Crono turned his head towards Lucca, with both confusion and desperation in his eyes. Lucca didn't say anything, instead, she pinched Crono in his arm.

"Ouch! Hey! What was that for?"
"There. Now you're awake again."
Crono raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you get all this." he said while pointing towards the window.
"I don't either Crono. You just have to keep your head cool like you usually do."

Crono looked to the window again. Everything was still pitch black outside.

"But what if all this will come true... I mean, that didn't look all too good..." he said, staring out into the void.
"Maybe we are seeing this because something wants to prevent that from happening. You know, so that we can change it ourselves."

Crono pondered that for a moment. That was Lucca allright, immediately coming up with an answer that sounds next to perfect.

"Yeah... I suppose so..."

Outside, the black started to change into a new scene, this time really beyond all expectations. They both gazed out through the window again.



Three characters were standing below the tree now. The mature Lucca, Crono and... Magus.
Magus wasn't all gloom and doom though, he didn't have his scythe with him, and he didn't wear any armor or gloves either. All that reminded you from his violent past were the scars on his body.

"You know I can just snap you like this tree... just make your choice!" Magus said to Lucca. Obviously, Lucca had to choose between the former warlock and Crono.

She tried to say something, but the anger in Magus' glooming eyes kept her from doing so.

Crono stepped forward. "You remember what I told you right? He turned on you. Like on those others."
"Hush it you brat." Magus spat. "I never invited you here in the first place."
"Touchy are we? I suppose you should start slicing and dicing again?"

Magus turned to Crono. "And I suppose you want to be the first one to receive that treatment?"
"No, stop that!" Lucca intervened. "Magus, I chose you after the things that happened in Zeal Kingdom. Before that you were just the selfish moron, acting impulsive on everything that got in your way. But the fact remains that I know Crono as long as I can remember, every good and bad thing he did..."

Magus' jaw clenched from anger. "You know what's next...?" he quietly asked her. He aimed his right arm towards the tree. "This!"

At the same time Magus released whatever spell he used, the scene splattered into pieces again.



Again, Crono and Lucca remained as silent as they were motionless. It took another while for them to be able to talk.

"What the hell does that Magus have to do with me?" Lucca started to rave. "I mean, what was he talking about? Zeal Kingdom? What is that, and what is going to happen there?"
"I doubt you should take all of this serious now... Just think about it.
Magus summoned Lavos, so he will most likely go down with him, unless we loose. But the fact that we were actually there in the future means we didn't lose at all. What you just saw must have been fake..."

Lucca turned her gaze towards the floor. What could this all mean? Is all of this just playing inside the head of that Nu, Creto?
She heard a noise coming from behind her, so she turned her head up, turned around and came face to face with the head of that same Nu...



Regaining consciousness, the first thing Crono did was rub his head. Something, or rather someone, had left a big bump there. He looked around. It was day again, and he was back at the campfire next to Ayla and Lucca, the latter one also getting her bearing.

"I can't believe it..." she said. "We're back at the campfire."

Crono looked around. His sword was still sheathed, Ayla was snoring like a rhino getting ready to eat, the fire was out and the mysterious Nu, dead or not, was nowhere in sight.

"Did any of that happen at all?" he asked. "The things we saw through that window, and that Nu knocking us unconscious in the end?"
"Yeah... Well, at least I remember it that way." Lucca said.

The small conversation was waking up the cavewoman slumbering next to the two. She yawned, then got up.

"You two ready for brand spanking new day? 'Cause Ayla want big meal now! Ayla so hungry Ayla can eat bear alive!"
"Errr... yeah. Sure." Lucca hesitantly said, and stood up.

While Ayla started to break down their tents (which were unused for some odd reason) Lucca whispered to Crono.

"Don't ever tell what happened to anyone." she silently said into his ear.
"Believe me, I won't." he whispered back.

After helping Ayla clean up the spot, they got ready to leave to hunt for Ayla's meal and for another day of searching for the illustrious Tyrano Lair.

"All follow Ayla! Ayla will make good use of available resources and create softmysticated meal for everyone! Then we all go to house of Crono for more TV!" she exclaimed happily, then darted off.

"Oh, and remind me to keep her away from anything technological, especially that TV set of yours." Lucca said, and followed after Ayla.

Crono looked around the spot one more time and then also walked off into the wilderness.

Back at the small clearing a Nu, Creto, emerged from the bushes, alive and well.

It looked up towards the sky. "I hope this is what you needed master..."

After staring a few more seconds into the blue sky, it turned around and dissapeared into the jungle.



There. Hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. All final comments about this story (how 'bout some criticism for a change? ;) ) are welcome.



* Actually, there is a disclaimer. I don't own any of the characters in this story, Squaresoft does. Now get back to your dayly life you silly human.