Wuh-oh…I forgot something last chapter…the disclaimer…. So here it is now!!
Disclaimer: Chrono Trigger and all characters involved in said game are the property of SquareSoft…Enix…whatever…you get the point. So HA!! You cannot sue me now, and even if you did, you would get NOTHING!! I'm flat out broke!! I've seriously named the moth that flies out of my wallet when I open it!!
There we are. And now, with that out of the way, this story may continue on happily. Enjoy!!
"L, Lucca!?" That was all that Magus was able to say as he stared wide-eyed at the top of the purple-haired girl's head, the arm that had held the Dark Bomb only moments ago dropping to his side from sheer disbelief.
She made no verbal reply, instead only nodding her head slightly as she continued to sob uncontrollably into Magus' shoulder.
"B, but…how…when…why?" He was trying desperately to get his thoughts back on track, and to regain some of his composure, but apparently his mouth would not let this happen as these questions tumbled out.
Without removing her head from where it was buried into his shoulder, Lucca made an indistinguishable sound. Magus was pretty sure it was meant to be an answer, but between Lucca's sobs and the fact that it was muffled by his shirt, he could make no sense of it. He was quickly recovering from his shock, and as a result, he was becoming a bit irritated by this sudden visit from someone he had expected never to see again.
"I can't understand you, Lucca."
Again she tried to say something, and again Magus did not understand.
"Lucca. Stop hugging me and let go. Not only can I not understand what you're saying, but you should know as much as the next person that I do not like to be touched."
Slowly, she complied, and peeled herself away from Magus, her entire body shaking from the sobs that rushed out in a continuous flood. Any other person's heart would have melted upon laying eyes upon her in her present condition. She was sopping wet, rainwater dripping off of her and leaving a puddle on the floor where she stood, mingling with the tears that flowed forth from her eyes as she wept, her spirit obviously broken. However, Magus was not any other person, and instead of feeling pity for her and her current position, his annoyance actually grew.
"Alright, now would you mind explaining to me why you're here?"
"MprtskcdmeotbcsIdsmh-"
"Hold it. Stop right there. I can't understand you when you're crying. Now, take a deep breath, and try again."
She did as he asked, but even after taking a deep, shuddering breath, she could not make a coherent sentence. "Muhprntskikdmot-"
This is getting me nowhere. He thought irritably as Lucca continued her vain efforts at
trying to explain to Magus why she was there. "Lucca. Stop." She did so, looking up at him with
her eyes still streaming with tears. The door was still open behind her, and he was about to tell
her to leave, but something stopped him. Something about her frailty, helplessness, and
vulnerability just wouldn't let him send her away. That and he was curious as to why she was
at his castle, of all places, apparently seeking comfort from him, of all people.
Sighing, he closed the door. "Come on." With that, he turned and began walking the
way he came, Lucca following close behind, still crying.
Something must have really upset her if she's crying this much. In fact…I don't think I've
ever seen her cry, even when that fool Crono died.
After walking down a number of dimly lit corridors, Magus led Lucca into a room. The
room had four chairs that surrounded a small table, the legs of which were carved to resemble
lion's feet. Stopping at the far end of the room, Magus turned to face Lucca.
"You will stay here while I go into the other room and get some hot tea for you to warm
up with. Don't mistake this as an act of kindness. I just don't want to have to drag your body out
of my castle after you've died of pneumonia. When I get back I hope you will have calmed down
enough to tell me just why you're here." With that, he turned and stomped out of the room,
leaving Lucca alone with her thoughts.
By now, she was considerably calmer, at least as far as her crying went. However, her
despair was quickly being replaced with growing dread and nervousness. After collapsing into
one of the chairs in the room, she quickly stuck her thumbnail in her mouth and began to chew
on it while she thought about her current situation.
Okay…he's in a bad mood, even for him. I guess I can't blame him…I did just show up
out of the blue…and I did hug him…that was probably my biggest mistake. Actually, my biggest
mistake is what brought me here in the first place. Oh…if he's this mad now just imagine how
mad he's going to be when I tell him…he'll probably blow me up on the spot.
But it's his fault, too…he played a major role in all this. Besides…what else was I
supposed to do? There was no one else I could go to. My parents kicked me out when they found
out, so that's obviously out of the question. Crono and Marle, well, they're too busy…and I
don't think I could ever look them in the eye again if I told them about this. Robo's a robot, so he
wouldn't be much of a help in this situation. Ayla probably would have helped…but I can only
take so much of her. Frog would have definitely helped…but not in the way I would like. He
would just offer to kill Magus for playing a part in all this, and then lecture me until my ears
bled for it happening in the first place.
So that just left Magus…which is sadly pathetic. Of all people I had to go to him for
sympathy. But like I said…it's just as much his fault as it is mine, so he should have to deal with
the punishment, too.
"Are you going to take this or am I going to have to dump it in your lap?"
Snapping back to reality, Lucca looked up to see Magus scowling down at her holding a
mug of what looked to be very hot tea, if the rising cloud of steam was any indication.. Eager to
keep him in as good a mood as possible, she quickly took the cup from him. However, she
quickly regretted her hasty move, as her fingers were immediately burned by the cup.
Nearly dropping the cup in her haste to put it on the table and thus prevent any third
degree burns, Lucca looked up to see Magus smiling nastily at her. Of course, being Lucca, it
wasn't hard for her to figure out what that smile meant.
"You jerk!" she bellowed, forgetting her earlier resolution to keep Magus in a good
mood. "You did that on purpose! You knew that cup was hot!"
"Really? It didn't seem hot to me," he said, his smile growing bigger and nastier. He was
obviously enjoying her anger.
"That's because you have gloves on! You could have put it on the table, you know. You
didn't have to insist on me holding the stupid thing!" She wanted to throw something at him, but
the only thing around was the mug of tea, and not only did she not want to touch it again for quite
awhile, but throwing it at him would mean shortening her lifespan even more than telling him the
news she had would.
"And miss out on this fun? I wouldn't dream of it. However, now that you have shown
me that you can speak coherent English, perhaps you wouldn't mind telling me why you are
here."
Lucca's anger melted away to be replaced again with dread and nervousness. She knew
she had to tell him…there was no doubt about that. With a loud sigh and a quick glance at
Magus, she began.
"Okay…well…after we killed Lavos and all of you went back to your own times, things
were fine for awhile. Crono and Marle began planning their wedding and I was free to get back to
my inventions. We were pretty much happy now that we could just hang out without worrying
about whether or not we would live to see tomorrow.
"However…a few weeks ago…I began noticing some…uh…things, that could spell
disaster for my happiness. Everyone else's happiness was safe, just not mine…or yours."
At this she stole a quick glance at her blue-haired host, and, seeing that he was about to
comment on what she just said, she hurried on.
"So anyway, when I became absolutely positive of what these…things…meant, I wasn't
sure just what I should do. Up until a few hours before I showed up here, I thought of every
possible way I could change things. However, when I couldn't come up with anything good, I
decided that it would be best if I went to my parents.
"They…well…they didn't take it very well. My dad fainted and my mom, after getting
over her shock, ordered my out of the house. So, I-"
"Wait a minute," Magus interrupted her, apparently confused by something. "Your father
fainted? And your mother was the one that ordered you out of the house. Isn't that just a
little…backward?"
"Um…no…Dad's always been a bit…weak…when it comes to shocking news. That's
part of the reason he married my mom. That way, when he faints, she can tell him what
happened. And Mom's always been short tempered, so it's actually not all that surprising that she
reacted the way she did."
"I…see…"
Seeing that Magus was a bit confused, Lucca continued before he could ask what she
could have possibly said to get her kicked out of the house.
"Anyway…once I was thrown out, I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't know where to go. I
tried the inn, but I quickly discovered that going to the inn alone is a bad idea when you're a
woman. Too many men that have been traveling for a long time without…uh…company…if you
get what I mean." She shuddered slightly at the memory.
"So after running like mad to get away from there, I began to realize how bad my
situation really was. I tried thinking of where I could go, but there wasn't anywhere. I couldn't go
to Crono and Marle because they're too busy to deal with my problems, and the same news that
got me kicked out of my house would make me too ashamed to even look them in the eye. That's
when I began thinking of the Epoch.
"I knew I couldn't go to Robo, because he wouldn't understand since he's a robot. Ayla
was out…she's nice but a bit too…rowdy…for me. That left you and Frog. After getting into the
Epoch, I came to the middle ages and then flew around for awhile. Try as I might, I just couldn't
bring myself to go to Frog. I really wasn't in the mood to be lectured on the subject. So…I came
here…And believe me, it wasn't easy. I wandered around outside for hours before I could bring
myself to knock on your door, and after doing it the first time I chickened out and almost went
home. But I ended up coming back and trying again…You know the rest."
She quickly looked down at her mug of tea, which by that time had cooled down enough
for her to drink. She knew what he was going to ask, and now she couldn't dodge it by
talking…she had nothing more to say. It was just a matter of time before she was packing her
bags and taking a one way trip to "The Void", as Magus would say.
"Well, now that you've said that much, would you mind telling me how these 'things'
could ruin, not only your happiness, but mine as well, and what it is about this 'news' that was so
bad that it could get you kicked out of your house, prevent you from going to your two best
friends, cause the frog to lecture you, and make you come to me?"
Well, she thought, here it is…time to face the music.
"Well…you see…I…uh…that is to say…um…" Seeing that she was babbling, she tried a
new approach. After taking a deep, supposedly calming breath, she tried again.
However, this time, instead of babbling, she could not get any words to come out at all.
Instead, a noise remarkably similar to a squeaky toy came out. After covering her mouth
in surprise and looking at Magus, who was obviously very annoyed, she sighed in resignation and
looked down once more.
"Look, Magus…This is obviously harder than I thought it would be. Would you mind if I
waited a little while to tell you? I mean, my nerves are still a bit on edge over this whole ordeal,
and telling you would probably be easier if I took some time to let it all sink in."
What followed her request was complete and utter silence. It dragged on for several
minutes, with Lucca sipping her now luke-warm tea and Magus staring at her as though
she had just asked him to dress in a fluffy pink tutu.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he answered.
"Very well." She looked up at him, shocked that he hadn't started demanding that she tell
him or he would kill her for wasting his time. However, his seemingly generous agreement soon
showed it's true colors, as he stood up and began to leave the room, saying over his shoulder,
"Come back when you're ready to stop being an idiot. You know where the door is."
For a few moments she just sat there, a bit taken aback by his last comment. Sure, he
wasn't exactly known for his flowing kindness, but she didn't expect him to turn her out into the
streets in a storm when she had just explained to him that she had no where else to go. However,
she soon regained her composure, and soon found herself jumping out of her chair to face Magus.
"Wait a minute. You mean to say, that after I just got through telling you how I have no
where else to go, you're going to throw me out?"
Turning back around, he replied, completely serious, "And why shouldn't I? If you're not
going to tell me then why should I keep you here? I'm not running a hotel."
"I didn't say you were! But you could be a little more hospitable to me! What happened
to me is partly your fault, after all!"
"Oh really? And how is that."
"I…I told you…I can't say it just now."
"Then get out."
Seeing that there was no way out of it, she decided to just get it over with. "Alright,
Magus…I'll tell you…but I don't think I can say it very loudly. So, could you…come here."
Glad to have gotten his way, Magus complied.
When he was directly in front of her, Lucca took yet another deep breath, and stood on
her tip-toes so that she could whisper in his ear.
When she had said what she needed to say, Magus just stood there, eyes wide in shock
and mouth slightly agape as he fell back into the chair he had occupied just moments before, the
shock of what he was just told rendering his legs useless.
As he sat there, he was able to say one thing; "This can't be happening."
A/N: Well…so much for it not taking long for me to update this. Sorry about that. This may be
my last update for a while…I have to back to school on the eighteenth. (sigh) However, if my
procrastinator gene kicks in, as it often does, then I may update more often than I did all summer.
Who knows. So...does anyone have any guesses as to what Lucca's news is??
It's…ah….weird…to say the least. Um...anyway…I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I
know that I left you hanging with the news…I just couldn't bring myself to tell you this
chapter…I had to make you wait just a little longer. Yeah…I know it was an evil
cliffhanger…but what can I say? I'm evil. So, leave me a review and maybe when I go to be
tortured this Wednesday I'll survive, knowing that I must continue this.