Beyond What You See
By Lilly Blitz
Nothingness... That was all she could see in the darkness... Nothingness
And she was getting tired of seeing that all the time.
Lucca pushed herself away from the railing, looking tired and irritated. She was tired of sitting in this pit stop of time and doing nothing.
Maybe she'd grab a book next time she had a chance to go home.
Looking around her temporal home, she saw all but three of her companions resting. Of course, their leader, Crono, was one of those three out and about, hopefully finding items that would make the fight with Lavos easier. With Crono was the Princess of Guardia, Nadia, better known as Marle and the former leader of the Mystics, Magus.
Lucca scowled at the thought of the dark, brooding sorcerer. After he had all but forced his way into the group, all he really did was complain about their slow progress; that is, if he said anything at all. His only redeeming feature, which she only admitted grudgingly, was that he was quite handsome. His personality though... Even Marle didn't like him, and she got along with everyone.
Marle... Rich, beautiful and royalty; Lucca hadn't thought she could get along with the princess. It was surprising, therefore, that she and Marle became good friends. While Marle would never have the same level of intelligence that Lucca had, she did have a sharp wit that few knew about. She was happy and a little too energetic, but it didn't bother Lucca. All in all, she was a good match for Crono.
Lucca couldn't help but grin at the thought of her spiky-haired best friend. The two had been friends since they were toddlers. Crono: always protecting her from bullies while she alway dragged him into testing her inventions. Lucca had often heard people in the village say that her and Crono would make a good couple; that would always make her laugh. She could never see herself with Crono; they were best friends, but that was all.
Feeling slightly more cheerful, she seated herself near the Old Man; he was sleeping again. Did he ever wake up for more than a few minutes?
Standing behind the Old Man was Robo; he was currently recharging. Lucca remembered when she first met her mechanical friend; broken down and left to rust. Like all machines, she had gotten along with Robo very quickly; though his ability to make decisions and have emotions sometimes made Lucca forget her friend was a robot.
Beside Robo was Ayla, chief of the Ioka, in a deep sleep. Lucca wasn't sure what to think of her. On one hand, she was strong, there was nothing she couldn't destroy with her punches and kicks. On the other hand, she was rather dumb; you couldn't really talk to her about anything at all, all she knew was fighting. She was very loyal, though, and had taken a shine to Crono. Besides, she was nice; Lucca could live with that.
And... There was Frog, former squire to one of histories greatest knights. At first, Lucca had been disgusted by the squire, him being a giant frog and all. As they travelled together, she got to know the real Frog; a noble man who suffered from his past and sought redemption. He had a problem with low self-confidence, but he could lead if he tried; he had done so during Crono's short demise. She had, eventually, become friends with Frog, There was something about him though, that intrigued Lucca; she wasn't sure what it was, but she was determined to find out.
He was sitting beside her, his eyes closed. She moved closer, causing one of his yellow eyes to open. "Lucca?"
"Oh, sorry Frog," she apologized. "Did I wake you up?"
"No Lucca," he said smiling. "Tis too early for me to sleep."
"Oh..." She often had a hard time talking to him; there were lots they could talk about, but she could never remember them.
Frog, too, remained silent. He had pulled out his great sword, the Masamune, and began polishing it. Lucca just sat there, observing him. It was hard to discern the emotions on Frog's face, but Lucca knew him well enough. Right now, he was calm for the most part, but there was a deep sorrow as well; it was always there.
She knew it was somewhat due to his current from. Many people despised him, even loathed him. He was so gentle, so courageous; yet people could only see his cursed form and looked no further. People could be so stupid...
Lucca looked down, feeling ashamed. She had been one of the people who only saw the surface and not the person he truly was. She always claimed to be smart, and yet...
"I'm sorry."
Frog stopped polishing and looked up. "Could you repeat that? I did not quite hear."
"I'm sorry," she repeated more loudly, "for what I said to you when we first met. It was really stupid of me to say those things."
Frog shook his head, smiling slightly. "Twas a long time ago, I had forgotten about that. We art friends now, correct?" She nodded. "Then there is nothing to forgive."
Lucca nodded, but she didn't smile. "But what about all those other people? Don't you... ever get angry?"
Frog simply shook his head. "Tis happened far too often. Becoming bitter does not help, tis pointless."
"You're a good person," Lucca mumbled.
"Indeed, and because I am, I can forgive them. I understand why people despise me, but..." His shoulders sagged. "It does not make it any easier to take. But I do not hate."
Lucca stared at him; he looked more despondent than she had ever seen him before. She forced a quick smile to her face. "I wish I could be more like you, being able to forgive people for something like that."
Frog smiled a bit and reached over to grasp Lucca's shoulder. Lucca's eyes widened, but that was her only outward reaction. Inwardly, she felt a rush of emotions that almost overwhelmed her. She didn't know what they all meant, but she did know she never felt quite like this before.
"Tis hard Lucca, and it takes many years. I have even been able to forgive... him."
Lucca knew who Frog meant; he was referring to Magus. It was because of that stuck-up Mystic that Frog in his current form now. He had been cursed, and Magus still didn't have the heart to remove it.
"That's why you didn't kill him than?" Lucca asked quietly.
"Hate only breeds more hate," Frog explained. "Killing him for what he did in the past did not seem right. It does not correct all the wrongs he had committed."
"So you're able to get along with him?" Lucca inquired. She didn't think it was possible for Frog to get along with Magus.
Frog's smile turned more into a grin. "I said I was able to forgive, I did not say that I like him."
Lucca couldn't help but laugh at that. Yes, it did seem impossible for anyone to get along with Magus.
"And for a minute there, I thought you might be losing it," Lucca exclaimed, feeling much better.
Frog simply continued to grin, his hand still on Lucca's shoulder. Usually, she didn't like being touched, but this felt... right somehow. What she did next, though, was something she never could explain.
She grabbed Frog's hand in hers and moved it off her shoulder, That was normal for her, but she didn't let go of his hand; she just held it. It was quite nice, smooth and soft, not at all slimly like she had once thought.
"Lucca?"
Lucca jerked suddenly and released Frog's hand quickly. Her face began turning a bright shade of red.
"Sorry," she muttered. "I don't know what came over me..."
Frog just gave her a smile. "It is alright Lucca. I did not mind."
Lucca swallowed hard, trying to get the blush of her face. She needed a change of topic...
"Did you ever wonder what you'd look like?" Lucca asked, mostly to herself. When Frog gave her a puzzled look, she elaborated. "I mean, if you were in you're normal from, what would you look like."
Frog didn't answer right away, he just stared of into the blackness that surrounded them. Lucca felt like kicking herself; how could she ask such a question.
"I could not imagine such a thing," he said at last. "It hast been too long since I saw myself as a Human. How I could look now would depend on many things. But it does not matter, for I look like this..."
"I'm really sorry..." Lucca mumbled. "I just had to go and open my big mouth..."
"You were curious and you wanted to know," Glenn retorted. "There is nothing wrong with asking. I am just sorry I could not answer your question."
Lucca nodded, feeling horrible again. Why did she keep doing this...? She didn't try to sound mean, but that how it always came across.
A tear fell down her face before she even realized she was beginning to cry. Frog noticed the tear too.
"Lucca...? Are you crying?"
"No!" she said firmly, wiping her eyes. She didn't like crying in front of other people; she didn't want them to think she was a crybaby or anything. She made a move to turn away, so Frog couldn't see her face.
Not quite fast enough; Frog took her hand again and looked her in the face. "Lucca, what is troubling you?"
She didn't know what made her do it. Maybe it was him looking so concerned for her, or maybe it was the feeling of her hand in his. She flung arms around the startled frog and hugged him tight.
"I feel so horrible," she choked out. "I keep asking you things that you'd rather not talk about, or things that make you uncomfortable! And I don't know why I do it!"
Frog carefully place his arms around her; Lucca didn't know why, but him doing that made her feel a little better.
"You are not doing it to be mean," he said softly. "It does not bother me Lucca, because I know you. I know you re not trying to be mean, so it does not come across as being mean."
Lucca sniffed a bit. She didn't know why she was getting emotional of a sudden. She was even beginning to feel a little foolish. "I'm still sorry..."
"Do not worry about." He released her and she sat back up. "Do not let everything little thing you say to me bother you, I do not mind. I enjoy talking to you."
"I enjoy talking to you too," Lucca said with complete honesty.
Frog nodded with a smile. They sat in a comfortable silence, just looking at each other when a familiar engine sound came from seemingly nowhere. A few minutes later, Crono and Marle walked up the stairs that let from Epoch's dock to the rest area. Though they both looked tired, they both looked quite happy. Magus, on the other hand, looked to be in a foul mood. He had followed them a short time after. He glared around at everyone; Lucca happily returned the glare.
"Did everything go fine?" Glenn asked.
Crono nodded, grinning in true Crono fashion. "Yep. There were a few complications, but we were able to get the Rainbow Shell..." He suddenly looked sheepish. "There's just one thing."
"One thing?" Lucca asked skeptically. It was always one thing, and it was never a small thing either.
"That fool of an old man said we need to get the Sun Stone," Magus sneered. "And now we need to run around needlessly to find that stupid thing. Why do you people insist on wasting my time?"
Lucca bit back the nasty retort she so wanted to throw at him; it looked like Glenn was doing the same.
"In any case," Crono continued. "We need to go find it." He leaned close to Lucca. "And I really don't want to put up with the Mystic anymore today," he said so only one Lucca could hear.
"Don't blame you," she muttered. Aloud, she said, "You want me to come?"
"Sounds great," Marle exclaimed. "Except... I want to rest for a while. Fighting a giant dinosaur, than some monster disguised as the Chancellor really wears you out."
Crono smiled. "That's fine, we'll find someone else Marle."
"Well," Lucca said thoughtfully. "Robo's still recharging and won't be done for a while yet, and we all know how hard it is to wake Ayla up, so that leaves..."
She turned to Frog, who stood up, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Very well, I will come."
Lucca nodded, happy that he was coming with them. She noticed that Marle was giving her a look though. "What?"
"Seems to me that it's always you and Frog that go together with Crono," she replied, a grin on her face.
"So, it just happens that way."
"Are you sure?" Marle was persistent when she wanted to be. "It's been happening a lit lately."
Lucca looked to Frog. He seemed to be trying to ignore the blond princess the best he could. How Lucca wished she could right now.
"Let's go guys," Crono announced, leading them to the Epoch. Frog gave a fleeting smile to Lucca before following after. Lucca just shook her head at Marle.
So maybe she and Frog did go together more often now than before. It was no big deal; they were friends. Only friends...
At least, that's what Lucca kept telling herself.
A/N: Just a little bit of Lucca/Frog here; it's becoming one of my favourite couples. This could be a bit of a prequel to my main story There's Something in the Air. Hope you guys enjoyed this little story.