A/N: Sorry for the late update… I just acquired FF8, and am thinking of adding them in when I beat it.

Chapter 3

When the going gets tough…

Chrono opened his eyes to see Marle standing over him. Mouthing a few silenced words to himself, he sat up. His whole body felt slightly sore, but there did not seem to be a cut anywhere. He looked around him to discover he was on the edge of a forest. Lucca kneeled by a small lake near the edge of the forest. She was washing her face in the water, her hair fluttering in the gentle breeze. Chrono took another look around him before lying back down. He sighed and looked into the sky. There was not a cloud to be seen in that bright blue sky. Chrono looked at Marle and asked, "Do you know where are we?"

Marle had a strange look in her eye before replying, "No, I don't know where we are. I wish I did, this place seems to be okay. I just hope I get back home soon!"

Chrono sighed and said, "Well, we won't just find our way home by wondering about it, now will we?" He looked over at Lucca and said, "Hey Lucca! We'll be moving out soon, so get ready to move."

Lucca looked back over and said, "Why do we have to leave so soon? I don't get it!"

Chrono sighed and said, "To find our way home. You do want to find a way home, don't you?"

Lucca gave a surprised look at Chrono. After a few seconds, she said, "Do you even have to ask that type of question?"

Chrono said, "I hope I don't have to. Now, it appears we are looking for a blood-red portal. I'm supposing it's not here, as I don't see any blood-red lights here. So, let's go to the nearest town."

Chrono, Lucca, and Marle took a glance back at the forest before continuing down the path that lay before them. The birds sang sweetly in the occasional tree by the path, and the sun was not blazing down upon them. There were a few clouds in the sky, and an occasional breeze was quite refreshing for everyone. They were walking about five minutes when suddenly they saw a town up ahead. A castle was farther ahead, looming over the town in the distance.

Finally, the group arrived into town, where they seemed to be out of place to the inhabitants there. The group split up in hopes to find some kind of information on where they were and how they could get back. Chrono managed to attract the attention of a few of the citizens of the town. He asked each of the citizens about who lived in the castle. The only reply Chrono could get was that the person who lived in the castle was their ruler whose name Chrono could not get. Marle managed to find out that the ruler of the place just recently ascended the throne. The person defeated the original leader in a hand-to-hand combat. Lucca managed to find out that the ruler was actually a female who was wearing strange clothes. Finally giving up on getting more information, Chrono decided to go to the castle and meet the ruler herself. While walking down the path, Chrono decided to take his time and admire the nature around him. The wind was breezing gently, blowing the crisp autumn leaves on the ground. Chrono watched as the leaves formed little vortexes on the ground. He looked up at the trees and saw that some of them still had green leaves on them. Wondering how that was possible, Chrono shook his head and continued down the path to the castle.

Upon arrival at the castle, a guard asked the group what they were doing there. Chrono simply replied that they were there to see the ruler. The guard, after some… persuasion… escorted the group to the room where the ruler was. It was an elegant room, with wonderful furniture all around. A curtain covered the back wall. The guard said, "Your Majesty, these are newcomers who wish to speak with you."

A voice from behind the curtain said, "Ruler happy. You may leave."

The guard said, "Yes your royal highness."

The guard left the room, and the voice spoke again, "Ruler busy. What business you have?"

Chrono said, "Your Majesty? I came here to ask for your advice. Let me explain our situation. We are not from around this area. We came from a faraway place, and now I am seeking a way back."

The voice said, "You come from faraway place? Sit down and tell tale."

Marle whispered to Lucca, "Someone needs to brush up on their grammar." Both girls started to giggle silently. Chrono gave a patronizing look at both of them before saying, "We were doing something in a place where we were."

Chrono paused and turned to Lucca whispering, "How do you describe a robot to a medieval ruler?"

Lucca whispered back, "As best you can."

Chrono turned back to the curtain and said in a slow loud voice, "My friend was working on a creation she had made. She put together a… thing… that could do something…"

He turned to Lucca and said, "I sound like an idiot."

Lucca said back, "Yes, you do. Just go on."

Chrono took a breath and continued, "That… thing… messed up and opened a hole in the ground. We fell in the hole for a very long distance and came out of the hole near this area. We walked from that place to here, hoping you can find a way to send us back."

The voice said, "I see. Wandering traveler lost. Me like wandering traveler. Wandering traveler tells great story. Wandering traveler should be town storyteller."

Chrono said, "But your highness! It is true!"

The voice said, "Me believe story. Me know story is true. Story happen to me too."

Suddenly the door burst open. The same guard ran into the room and said, "Your highness, a strange… thing… appeared out of nowhere from a large glowing hole in the floor. It is made of some kind of hard metal, and can speak! It speaks words about traveling through these things called portal. This strange creature is also shaped like a person, to a degree."

The voice said, "Me wonder who it is. Send in! Me want to meet speaking metal."

The guard said, "Yes, your highness."

Chrono muttered to Lucca, "Speaking metal?"

Lucca muttered to Marle, "Traveling though portals?"

Marle muttered to Chrono, "A robot possibly?"

For the third time in a short amount of time, the door burst open again, causing Lucca to shriek with surprise and gladness.

"ROBO!" Lucca shouted in happiness. You could see the tears in her eyes as she hugged the robot. She continued, saying, "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Robo looked at Lucca and said, "I am here and in good condition Miss Lucca. Miss Marle, it is good to see you. As well as you, Sir Chrono."

Chrono rubbed his head and said, "Remember what we said about calling us 'Miss' and 'Sir'?"

Robo said, "Indeed I do."

The voice said, "Chrono? Marle? Lucca? Robo? Frog? Magus?"

Chrono turned to the curtain in shock. Who would it be that would know about the group and their adventures against Lavos? Chrono asked in a rather demanding, yet surprised way, "Who's there! You forgot to mention Ayla."

The voice said, "Me had no reason to mention myself…" The curtain burst open to reveal Ayla jumping out. She did three front flips in the air, before landing ape-like on the ground. Right as Ayla landed, the guard burst the door open for the fourth time. He said, "Your Majesty, we have a very peculiar character who arrived near the same place the metal-man arrived."

Ayla said, "Me want to meet. Bring it in!"

Chrono said, "Frog is here as well?"

Lucca said, "It could be Magus."

Marle said, "Most likely Frog though."

Robo said, "Probability of Frog being here is high. The portal I went through is in a different time-frame than your portal. It is quite possible that it appeared by Frog as well. Probability of Magus being here is high, but not as high. Magus has dark magic to counteract powers of the portal."

The guard walked through the door to reveal someone, but it was not Frog. It was some kind of creature. Chrono looked at it, and immediately knew this was not a creature to cross in a fight. Chrono had trouble trying to figure out what it looked like. He managed to get glances in at Marle and Lucca, both of which had the same awed look as Chrono thought he must have. Chrono tentatively said, "Frog?"

The creature turned its head to Chrono, gave a puzzled look, and said, "I'm sorry. Last I checked my fur, the color was orange."

Chrono said, "Never mind, I mistook you for a friend of mine."

The creature said, "A friend of yours? Did you mistake that person for me? What does this person look like?"

Chrono slowly replied, "Well… he is… green. He looks like a cross between a frog and a human."

The creature looked and said, "I saw a being that looked like that in the portal on the way down here. As to where he went, I have no idea, but I strongly believe he's in this world."

Chrono uncertainly repeated, "In… this… world?" Chrono panicked when he heard that. That phrase confirmed his suspicions, much as he hated to admit it. He really was stuck in some alternate world, with possibly no way back. A sinking feeling was in his heart as he looked around the room. He shouted, "Damn it! It's not fair! Why do we have to get stuck in this damn world, go time traveling, and save the future while other people get to go around and live normal lives!"

Marle patted Chrono on the back and said, "Don't worry about it. Everything will be all right." She turned to the creature and said, "We still haven't found out what your name is."

The creature turned to Marle and said, "My name is Red XIII, but you can call me Rion. From where I'm from, I have saved the world with my trusted allies. However, at this current moment, I am in a little predicament. I got stuck in a portal and separated from my friends."

Lucca said, "Rion? Your nickname is Rion... Rion it is then! How do you think we can help you?"

Rion said, "Well, I guess we find a blood-red portal and get us back to where we came from."

Lucca raised her eyebrows and said, "Blood-red portal?" She started to stroke Rion's fur absentmindedly.

Rion said, "Please be careful with the fur."

Marle giggled and said, "Aw, Rion. You really do look cute. I mean, with that expression on his face, and that brilliant shade of fur. It's as bright as Chrono's cheeks when he proposed to me."

Chrono's fuming and anger soon turned to embarrassment as he turned his head away and muttered, "Can we please change the topic?"

Marle winked at him and said, "Sure thing squeaky-cheeks!"

Chrono completely turned away from the group and muttered, "We should be on our way to finding the rest of the group, and to find Rion's friend."

Rion said, "I appreciate your assistance. Thank you."

Marle laughed and said, "No problem. After all, you help save people. You're a hero like us. It's our turn to help a fellow hero!"

Lucca merely said, "It is good to help others out… when the going gets tough."

Chrono nodded and said, "I agree. Now, let's go help Rion here."

Ayla said, "No like ruling here. Not like Ioka village."

Chrono smiled and said, "You want to come with us?"

Ayla said, "Me go on another wild adventure?"

Chrono grinned even larger and said, "Hopefully bigger and better."

Ayla laughed and said, "I go with Chrono!"

Marle burst out laughing and said, "That's the spirit."

The guard cleared his throat and said, "I hate to burst your bubble miss, but who is going to rule the kingdom when you leave?"

Ayla said, "You."

The guard said, "Wait, what?"

Ayla repeated, "You."

The guard said, "Ruler of the kingdom?"

Ayla repeated yet again, "You."

The guard said, "Thank you miss!"

Ayla commandingly said, "Rule!" With that departing message, the group left the room in search for Rion's friends.