More of my insanity hms Normal hms 7 1169 2001-10-16T13:42:00Z 2001-10-17T19:52:00Z 2 1034 5899 hmsh 49 11 7244 9.2812 21

Disclaimer: Chrono Trigger doesn't belong to me. If it did, Flea would be a main character. It belongs to Square and their creative minds. I'm not making any money of this. Don't sue, please?

Author's notes: This is Yaoi! Male/male relationships that is. Also contains some graphic violence and sexual acts. Hints at non-con sex as well. This isn't betaed. Oh yeah, Magus might seem a bit OOC. I was trying to portray his inner despair over loosing Schala.

A Trial of Hearts

By Shaded Mazoku

Part 3: Discoveries

Magus was suddenly stunned. He had great difficulties believing his own two eyes. In his confusion, he dropped his scythe. That was his second big mistake that day.

Flea got up and scratched Magus' face, drawing blood. The movement itself was too fast for Magus to avoid it. He hissed and took a step backwards, blood dripping down his face. Flea also took a step back, glaring.

Magus took that opportunity to straighten up and glare back at the Mystic. He was shocked by how Flea looked, though. As the vainest creature Magus knew, Flea had always strived to look as dazzling as possible. Usually with the help of expensive dresses and a kind of paint the Mystics had developed for use on faces.

Now, however, Flea was wearing the ragged remains of a light pink dress, tattered and grimed with dirt. The cross-dresser's long pink hair, usually braided into a single thick braid, was now hanging loose around him. It was as grimed as the dress, and since Magus had last seen Flea, it had grown much longer and was now knee-length. There were dark rings around his eyes and it looked as though he hadn't slept for ages. The Mystic's small slender body was covered in cuts and bruises. Still, even though he looked like that, Flea still managed to look very feminine and pretty.

Flea apparently disliked being looked at, because he let another of the light blasts he had used earlier explode on Magus. Magus instinctively lifted his cloak to protect his eyes. The blasts didn't really hurt, but they were very annoying. Besides, knowing Flea, he suspected them of having effects on status. I'll just have to make him stop using those blasts, he thought. I'll find out how he got here later. He prepared to cast Fire 2, which was one of his least damaging spells.

He didn't get a chance to do that, though, as Flea grabbed the discarded scythe and swung it at him. The cross-dressing magician might not know how to handle a scythe, but Magus wasn't going to stand around waiting for him to learn. He dodged the attack and tried to trip the Mystic, cursing the creature's swiftness. Flea was once again too fast. He dropped the scythe, though, as it was too heavy for him. Magus grasped the weapon in the air and swung it at Flea, his resolve about taking the magician alive long forgotten.

Flea seemed intent on killing Magus as well. He held a long dagger in his hand, probably the same that he had used to threaten him earlier.  The Mystic's eyes were gleaming with something that could only be described as bloodlust. Magus actually felt worried for a brief moment. Flea might not be very strong, but he had an insane expression on his face. Magus had never seen that before.

Flea hissed and leaped forward, dagger ready for attack. The blade slashed through the air and into Magus' shoulder, sinking into the flesh and imbedding itself in the bone. Magus hissed as pain shot through his body in lightening. He ripped the dagger out of his body and gasped slightly as blood started to pour out of the wound. Snarling, he threw the dagger at Flea, who managed to dodge, but not fast enough. A deep cut was opened on the Mystic's temple.

Magus smiled faintly as he saw the damage he had caused. It also gave him an advantage, because the pain the wound caused distracted the Mystic. The blood seeped out of the wound and stained Flea's skin crimson. Flea didn't take this very lightly and lounged himself at Magus, nails digging into skin, drawing blood. Magus, not prepared for the attack, fell backwards, Flea on top of him. The slender Mystic made a hissing sound and clawed at any exposed flesh he could find.

Magus growled and flipped them both around, pinning Flea's arms to the ground using his weight. He was now in a perfect position to stare into the Mystic's pink eyes. He noted that the area around the eyes were red, as if the other had been crying. Flea had been tossing and twisting underneath him ever since he had flipped them around, but was now going limp. Magus smiled, feeling a bit more confident by now.

Flea didn't give up that easily, though. As soon as he felt Magus relax slightly, he sunk his teeth into Magus' already wounded shoulder. Flea might not be very strong or very powerful, but he had sharp nails and even sharper teeth, and he knew very well how to use them.

Magus roared in agony as Flea's teeth sank into his wounded shoulder. Pain rippled through his body, making him grit his teeth. He grabbed Flea's hair and pulled the vicious Mystic away, slamming his head into the ground. Flea's eyes rolled backwards and he passed out, leaving Magus to tend his wound.

He ripped a strip of his cloak and made a crude bandage, tying it around his wound. First when he had finished that task did he look at Flea, who was still unconscious. Funny, Magus thought, Flea look almost peaceful like this. He lifted his scythe of the ground and stood up, lifting the weapon. One strike is all it will take, he thought. He was just getting ready to swing his scythe down and behead the Mystic when he noticed something on his neck.

Dropping the scythe, he bent down and carefully turned Flea's head so that he could have a better look. A long scar trailed over the Mystic's neck. Someone tried to cut his throat, Magus realized. He felt cold inside. Even though he had been ready to kill Flea just moments earlier, the straight line of the scar showed that whoever had done this; they had done it when Flea wasn't expecting it. It struck Magus as a horrible thing to do, attempt to kill someone when they were defenseless.

Magus slowly cradled Flea in his arms and got up. He dismissed his scythe, having no use for it right now. Lifting himself of the ground, he took of towards Guardia Castle.

*     *     *     *     *

The world slowly slid back in focus. He was floating, or so it felt. It also felt very safe and warm. But everything was dark, and he couldn't grasp the reason. He felt the dark calling for him, and although he struggled, he fell back into nothingness.

*     *     *     *     *

Magus landed in front of the castle. For a while, he had been sure that Flea was going to wake up, but he had luckily remained asleep. He still wondered how Flea had gotten here and why he was here, but in the condition the Mystic was in right now; he was not fit for answering questions. In fact, he wasn't fit for doing anything at all. I'll take him to Marle, Magus thought. She might be a stupid princess, but she's a decent healer. Flea stirred in his arms and Magus decided to move faster.

~TBC

Author's note: I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I have a minor writer's block right now.