I don't own Chrono Trigger.

A/N: last chappie here @_@ I must say, it's rare for me to finish rather old fics. I mean, not continue, finish. Guess this comes to show how much I love Chrono Trigger in general, and Lucca in person.

Enjoy. ^____^

Silent Whispers

Epilogue – Too Late

He was too late.

It didn't take a genius of her caliber to realize that, not even a bright a person as, say, Magus was.

He was, in fact, certain even Ayla would've known the meaning of the situation he was facing.

There was no other meaning to it.

He was too late.

He didn't even realize he had dropped the katana, not even when it hit the ground, creating a metallic clang.

He had promised her. He had sword he'd protect her. She was the fragile girl who loved machines, whereas he was the buffed up kid with the sword and the punk hairdo. He promised, and here he was, staring at his promise lying scattered on the floor, basking in his best friend's blood...

All because he was too late.

Too late?

To do what?

Logic would insist on realizing she was watching back at Marle's tent, then he wouldn't have acted so stupidly. Then she wouldn't have rushed, and he could've stopped her.

His logic would argue on not running fast enough to stop her. But she had a head start, and the expression on her face when he almost kissed the blonde froze him. That show of pain and hurt, that expression of betrayal and disappointment... in him.

But was he really too late for that?

He did the best he could but she was gone through the portal before he reached her. Maybe he was late in doing something else.

And that something else was telling her how he really felt about her.

But how could he, when he himself wasn't sure of the answer?

Whenever he approached her, she'd act like she was completely uninterested in him in any way. He once tried to come clean and she changed the subject, saying she feels the same and that nothing would change that. He felt content at that, but failed to realize whether she meant them as best friends, or...

-

His legs moved on their own as he approached the two, the robot as though offering the girl's body to him. He tried to kneel and ended up falling, touching her face as though she was made of fragile crystals. Her glasses were broken and so he discarded them, wiping the tears and the blood from her face with the back of his hand.

He never knew her skin was that soft. The most they ever touched was hand shakes and the sort, and the skin on her tender hands became gradually rough from over using tools and constant contact with oils and other unhealthy substances. That, however, never reduced the gentleness of the tough itself. As gentle as it was when the two first met.

She truly was beautiful, he reckoned as locks of deep lavender fell on her now pale face.

"Cheer up, Crono!"

He could almost hear her say, her lips still as red as they were, though they too were quickly losing their color as more blood sipped out of the wound on her chest. Why was he too late to realize his feelings for her? Had he only told her, made sure she understood and not left in the dark about it...

Surely... Surely, thinks would've been different!

Right now, he would've been at Leene's square, Nadia's bell ringing as he held his future wife's hand, and as he'd look at her, she'd smile that smile of hers, that smile which says she knew it would end up that way, from the same reason the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, "just because".

Yet, he found himself looking back from the bride to the matron of honor, and each time a different face was there. Once, the bride was a cheerful blonde who was suddenly a sadly smiling bridesmaid, and whenever the blonde was smiling sadly, the bride would have a different smile. A somewhat snobbish smile because she knew better, but always, her smile. And as he would take her hand, she would smile truly, beautifully in a way he had never seen her smile before.

Slowly, yet ever so surely, the faces slowed down and came to a stop. No longer was he holding caressing the blonde's face, no longer was he running his fingers through her golden hair.

He was staring into warm and familiar eyes, his fingers caressing pale cheeks and purple locks, his smile reflecting in those glasses of hers he came to live with.

-

"Crono?"

The swordsman took the girl and held her, held her so tight he would've chocked her had she still been alive. She felt cold against him and he knew he had to get her out of there, had to get her back home.

He stood up, her hand falling down limply. How he wished he'd wrap those arms around him and squeal, asking teasingly if he mistook her for a girl.

But she didn't.

Look straight ahead as he wouldn't have to look at her, he began to walk again towards the gate, Robo picking up the Rainbow and the Gate Key, which she left behind on her way there. A parting gift, which he then mistook for an invitation to follow her... to saver her.

But he was too late.

-

They reached the gate and he paid no attention to the people staring at him. He barely felt Robo put the katana to his belt, offering him the Key once the Gate was open.

"Here."

The boy shook his head at the offer, not taking his eyes off of his friend's face. Now that he looked at her, he felt like he couldn't look anywhere else. Like he wasn't allowed to anymore.

"It was supposed to go with her... she dropped in on accident... keep it..."

His voice sounded worse than usual, the lack of usage being aided by unshed tears.

"She came here on accident."

Robo said as he closed Lucca's fingers around the item and placed her hands in her lap.

"She doesn't belong here."

Though his metallic face showed no emotions, Crono knew he was mourning.

"...I'm sorry for not reaching her in time."

Robo said quietly.

"It's not your fault."

"It isn't yours either.

But it was, he screamed inwardly, it was!

Unable to stand there anymore, he more or less fell into the Gate, holding Lucca's body close.

"I'm sorry..."

Daylight hit him as well as a wave of shocked gasps and cries of sadness.

Lara fainted into Taban's arms.

Marle ran to his side and bombarded him with questions to his own safety. For a moment she mistook the girl in his arms to be merely wounded, yet she quickly changed her tone at seeing the look on his face. The worry changed to shock and paralysis.

"God, Crono... Lucca's... god..."

Ignoring all of the, he began walking out of the square, not heeding anyone's call.

The world broke apart the minute she stopped breathing, and as though all sound stopped reaching him. HE didn't even notice he was walking on grass instead of rock as the houses of Truce passed by him.

Again people stared, the only thing stopping them from gossiping about how he cheated on Marle was the drops of blood which still occasionally fell.

Turns out she still wasn't completely drained.

-

The door to her house was knocked down as he had no hands to open it. Despite the events which happened all in a matter of minutes, he still wasn't that far gone to not realize the irony of carrying her over the threshold on his wedding day to another.

"We're home..."

The stairs creeked as he ascended, almost falling several times due to his knees beginning to give way.

He somehow managed to keep up until she was safely placed on her bed, and then, he fell on top of her.

A blush rose to his cheeks, yet her face was lacking all color. Even her lips were completely pale now.

He ran a finger across those lips of hers, and before realizing it his own met her cold lips. She was frozen and numb, unresponsive in any way. He still continued, slipping his tongue into her mouth. It still tasted like mint from when she brushed her teeth that morning.

-

Suddenly his eyes widened and he pulled back. Her hand was gripping his shirt before falling down limply again. A small smile decorated her lips and unlike a moment before she seemed peaceful and calm.

He pushed himself off of her and fell on the floor, feeling somewhat relieved.

At least one thing he managed to do in time.

He wasn't too late in giving her her first, last, and only kiss.

~The End~