The Winding Path

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger. I do however write about it, for no profit, but to get the ideas out of my head.


Magus woke up in the morning, and opened his eyes, to find Schala already awake, watching him. This was a minor surprise to him. Not that he showed it, of course. So he smiled at her, still waking up, and she averted her eyes, being caught in the act, and somewhat embarrassed for it. Instead of letting her go, as was probably expected, he rather pulled her in closer, embracing her.

Schala's scent surrounded him. It was a delicate smell, one he couldn't quite place. It smelled of things that comforted, but sweet, not quite flowery. It was unique. He nuzzled her hair softly, smiling into it.

He heard her breathing, and could tell that she was inhaling his scent too. His scent that was almost like incense, but dark at the same time. His scent that overpowered hers. In a sudden territorial act, he nuzzled deeper into her hair, like a cat would to mark ownership. He felt her intake of breath, as well as heard it. He chuckled to himself.

After a moment, he loosened his hold, and she could look back up at him once more. Her skin was flushed, eyes bright.

"You know, I can finally hold you," he whispered tantalizingly in her ear, voice soft, breath whisping over her skin. "Before I couldn't."

She knew why. She twitched under his breath, and he felt the tremors, and her hair tickled his face.

"Janus," was her first word, and it was his turn to twitch, as he tensed up. He had an idea where this was going. "We're family."

"We are also human," he reminded her, as well as himself. "Subject to human emotion and need."

He tightened his hold on her with his words, without pulling her closer this time. The hold was still gentle by any standard, but she was thoroughly stuck with him. There was no give in his grip.

"That isn't the point," she said, even though he saw she didn't really want to hear what she was saying, either.

"Besides, I haven't been Janus for a very long time," he told her. "I am not the same little boy."

Looking at him, her eyes big, she heard something in his voice, something she was used to, but not quite so strongly. It was bitterness, and loneliness. Years of it accumulated. Shaping him into the determined man that he was today.

He was right. He wasn't truly her little brother anymore. It wasn't just that he was technically older than her. Magus himself had changed over time. He had become powerful, mysterious. He had become a man over the course of the years. With a man's desires. Desires she was curious to explore, she had to admit to herself. Desires she knew she reciprocated, timidly. To hold him, to love him, and beyond. Years of his company, years of slowly loving him, couldn't be erased by the fact that she had learned who he really was. To be truthful, he hadn't really lied to her ever. His name was Magus now, and the only part of Janus that still existed was the unwavering care of her.

"Give it time," he whispered to her, embracing her slightly, before pulling away to get up.

Schala was relieved that she wasn't being forced to make a decision immediately. She would probably do something hasty if pushed. She was grateful, and realized that Magus understood to a point what she was going through. Almost entranced, she watched him stretch and shake his hair out, and she saw the minor tangles shaking right out. She felt the familiar tingle of magic in the air. He moved gracefully, muscles sliding over each other, like some great cat.

"Come now, we should find something to eat," he told her, smirking again, in a way that was endearing. She could almost see Janus in the look. So she took the hand that he proferred, and was swept up, feeling stronger than the day before. "The goggle-girl should still be sleeping, so we'll have to make something."

Schala stared at him for a moment, before realizing that he had meant Lucca. Also, that she had never really been allowed to pursue the art of cooking. No one had ever let her do anything. So this was a new feeling. A new freedom. She followed him down to the kitchen, holding on to his hand as he lead her carefully onwards.

Watching him, she saw his stride had shortened to accomadate for hers. His hair trailed behind him, as long as hers, but paler. In fact, he was like looking at a marble statue, so pale was his skin. His warmth denied that possibility. His eyes were the most vibrant thing about him, holding such depths in those crimson pools. Such emotion that never touched his face around others. She felt clumsy compared to him.

The trip to the kitchen was a short one, and she followed Magus' glance to the living room that was cluttered with books, gadgets, wires, and a Lucca splayed across the couch sleeping. Then they hung a left, entering the kitchen quietly, so as not to disturb the lightly snoring inventor.

Schala had never really seen the interior of an actual kitchen. So she was excited, to say the least, as well as confused. She had no idea what anything in the room did. She stopped mid-step, and Magus looked back as he felt her resistance, and noticed her look of awe and amazement.

Try as he might, he couldn't help but laugh. Her eyes were on him again, just like that.

"I've never been in a kitchen before," she explained, cheeks tinting in her shame.

Magus only shook his head, laughed, and said, "I know. Everything had to be explained to me the first time as well." This made Schala feel somewhat better about herself, seeing his sympathy to the situation, born of similar circumstance.

So Magus went around, explaining the kitchen contraptions, and using the hand language, as Schala requested it, to supplement her learning. Then after the tour of the amazing new room, way more amazing than her bathroom adventure had been the previous day with Lucca, it was time to search out breakfast components.

Turned out it would be pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Magus knew how to cook. He had been forced to learn, growing up, and forced to practice those skills throughout his life. In fact, he had also been forced to help cook meals during his time travelling escapades. So he was no stranger to it. Plus, it was with the same unyielding desire to attain perfection in everything that he did, he had assigned to learning to feed himself.

Schala insisted on him teaching her, so he explained more as he went, stirring batter, then letting her try. Frying sausage, then letting her mimic him again. Cooking eggs, and letting her flip them after demonstrating with the first egg. Pouring batter into the skillet on the range, using his flipper, even though he could just flip them using the pan itself, tossing them into the air.

As it was her first time, and she was carefully monitered throughout the entire process, Schala did alright, even though there were some rather oddly shaped pancakes and eggs involved. This still had to be some of the most fun Schala had ever had, the most liberating experience. She was excited, and just as she was wondering why they had made enough for three people, the swinging door opened, and a disheveled Lucca walked in, following her nose as she scratched the back of her head.

"Mmm, smells good," Lucca said, stifling a yawn. "Should keep you here," she winked at Schala as she said this, "if it involves not having to make my own food." This ended with a smirk at Magus, before her eyes became focused on her plate of food and nothing else. Magus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose at the antics of the purple-haired woman scarfing down food.

Schala smiled at the display, and sat down at the table, to begin eating her own food. Slowly, and enjoying the new flavors. If anything, this was the best meal she had ever had, if only because she had helped make it with her own two hands.

Lucca finished breakfast first, and picking up her plate, told them, "I'll wash since you cooked," as she headed over to the sinks to fill them with water and cleaning soap. Somehow, Lucca's hair had been smoothed down during the eating process, her glasses straightened, clothes shook out so they were less wrinkly, overlarge shirt and loose black shorts just hanging. Plus the bright eyes behind the spectacles.

While the sink filled up, Lucca began the process of making coffee, which smelled heavenly, deceptive to the bitter flavor the hot drink had. Lucca drank it as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Turns out Schala needed hers with a lot of cream. Magus sipped his, and it was filled with cream as well.

After comfortable silence, Lucca finished with washing the dishes that had been dirtied, smiled at Schala, who had been carefully watching her the entire time, Lucca laughed. Looking at Schala, she made an offer the girl couldn't refuse.

"Do you want to take a bath?" were the magic words, and Schala was lost. She trailed behind the brilliant scientist, after thanking her brother for breakfast, and Magus just leaned back in his chair, content with how the morning had gone so far.

In fact, once his sister was done, he would use the shower that Lucca had created. The last of many models of shower, built to save time and water, but certainly not the end of the tweaks to it's design.

A good morning indeed.


This was the beginning of many days spent in idyllic comfort at Lucca's house, it's own island separate from the cheerful town of Truce. Schala spent her time mainly with Magus, but also kept on learning things from Lucca, and being visited by Marle and Crono. Mainly Crono, who didn't have much to do. No one was in a hurry to ask the siblings to leave.

Magus was actually happy, his goals in life achieved. The one important person to him in close proximity, and enjoying his company.

Of course, it wasn't completely perfect. Lucca enjoyed interfering with him. She always found things for him to do. Usually helping her out with moving things around, then helping her with her inventions, but he suffered through it, mainly for something to do, and the fact that Schala was always entranced by the inventor's inventions.

The one thing that appealed to Schala the most – besides learning at a prolific rate how to cook food – was gardening. Lucca's island was completely self sufficient in all things. There was even a well, most likely fed by the Heckrans Cave. The garden was something that had been put into motion by Lucca's mother, who happened to enjoy having legs, and never missed them, having no knowledge of her alternate legless future. Of course, the amount of food the garden produced was more than Lucca would ever need, so she just prepared for emergencies and sold the rest, her parents having moved to Medina shortly after the adventure through time.

Having two new guests who seemed like they might be permanent attachments, much to Lucca's glee, the food actually had people to feed, so less was gone to be sold.

The sun had become that of summer in no time flat. The sproutlings that Lucca had shown Schala how to care for, had started their leafy progression into something more resembling edible plants.

Magus enjoyed watching Schala wear Lucca's work clothing, kneeling in the soft dirt, wearing a wide-brimmed hat to protect her naturally pale skin, taking naturally to growing things. In fact, the garden hadn't looked so healthy since before Lucca's mother had left the island to her daughter.

All in all, the system worked. Except that Magus seemed to be getting nowhere fast with his sister. They shared Lucca's parents old room, where the bed was large enough to fit two comfortably. Lucca, who had all the chances in the world to take the larger room, for some reason enjoyed the cramped, claustrophobic feeling of her room she had inhabited since childhood. It was her cramped room. So Magus and Schala had a large bed that they shared, but never did anything in but cuddle.

As much as it pained Magus, he was determined to give her the time she needed to sort through her mind. To get used to the idea her home was gone, and was never returning. He had held her through enough sad nights, and comforted her the best he knew how, that she was starting to heal.

Schala wasn't prepared to take the step forward with him, though.

Magus' naturally territorial tendencies weren't excited either, because Schala showed no interest in anyone else, either. Lucca had taken her to town, and found new work clothes for Schala to garden in, and help around the house in, but had also shown the lost princess around the new world.

Schala didn't realize quite how beautiful she was, so she was more radiant than Marle in that aspect. Not to mention the exotic light blue hair to match her eyes. She truly seemed otherworldly, and the male population of Truce had become immediately smitten with her. Which she hadn't even noticed.

Schala was kind to everybody, but oblivious to the nature of the world. Magus had to hover at times, giving warning glances to those who were brave enough to attempt to approach them. They always stammered, if not for Schala's attentions, then in fear of Magus.

He had to glower a lot.


Marle had noticed after a few months, that the only nice clothes Schala owned were the ones she had arrived in.

It hadn't bothered Schala in the least, or her living companions, but Marle wouldn't stand for it. She ended up dragging Lucca along as well, abandoning both Magus and Crono, who ended up sparring with nothing else to do.

-So, you guys seem to be doing well.- commented Crono, leaning back on the porch swing, one leg up on it, the other lazily hanging.

-She is much happier.- Magus admitted, smiling slightly, then he grimaced a little. -If only she wasn't constantly being courted by blithering idiots...-

Laughing, Crono couldn't reply for a moment. -You know, you have plenty of your own admirers.- he ventured, already knowing it was a wasted effort, but trying anyways. He had noticed how the brother and sister only truly had eyes for one another.

-I would rather not be chattered at by empty-headed children.-was the response, sounding grumpy, even without the words formed by a mouth.

-It's not only young girls, even my mother has noticed you,-laughed Crono, hands twitching, the breathy noise escaping his throat. It only became closer to a real laugh when Magus cringed slightly.

There was a lull in the conversation after that, but it wasn't irate, just thoughtful.

Gathering his courage, Crono finally managed to speak up. He gave a slight cough to catch Magus' attention.

-You know, she does love you right back, right?- he asked, waiting for a response, ready to run if need be.

Instead, he just received a sigh. -But does she know?- was the response, Magus' eyebrows were drawn together, and his hands met, and he brooded over them, elbows on his knees. There was frustration visible.

-You could always try for someone else.- Crono suggested, knowing that this effort was also useless.

Magus just shook his head, and barked out a humorless laugh. Crono shook his back, giving a defeated smile, knowing already this was how it was going to go, and knowing that trying would never get anywhere. After all, Schala never noticed anyone besides Magus, either.

-Just give her time.-Crono eventually advised. He had a hard time denying the two happiness with his outlook, and knew they were good for each other.

-I have been giving her time.-Magus growled as his hands flashed. -I don't like waiting.-

"What else is new?" came a snarky voice, causing Magus' head to snap up, both him and Crono caught off guard by the sudden reappearance of the wayward women. Which also caused another surprise.

Marle had been true to her threats, but also had a good eye for clothing.

Schala was in a pale blue sun dress that went down mid-calf, with a chaste look all around. There was a white overcoat, that didn't really do anything, besides look nice, as it came down to the bottom of her ribcage, and the sleeves only just went past her elbows.

Lucca was in a deep purple loose skirt that went to her knees, and a red shirt, that only clung a little to her slim form. The purple hair, which had grown to her shoulder blades over time, was free from it's usual confines. It looked better than the usual tunic and loose shorts, but didn't really suit her. Nothing really suited Lucca like something with a little engine grease on it.

Marle looked about the same as always. As always, Marle preferred white, with blue tints, and her clothing was much more daring than the other two, with a tight white shirt, and a skirt that was mildly bluish tinted that went floatingly down to her knees. The sandals were the same as always.

Magus identified the one who had spoken to be Lucca, who was now scuffing the ground with her boots that clashed with her clothing. Instead of saying anything, he raised an eyebrow, smirked, and rolled his eyes a little, before focusing on his sister.

She was mildly flushed. Marle had managed to fluster her friends in one afternoon. A good days work in her opinion.

Eyeing Schala appreciatively, Magus took her hand gently, giving it a quick squeeze before heading into the house to begin preparing dinner. Multiple people wasn't his thing, and he knew they wouldn't be offended by his leaving to be by himself anymore.

What did surprise him was Schala following him. He had thought that she would enjoy staying with the others for a little while longer. He didn't mind, by any means.

"So, what were you going to concoct today?" Schala asked him, mildly playful, even if she wasn't making eye contact yet, the floor being extremely interesting to her today.

"Thinking about a glazed quail, with peas a green beans," he muttered thoughtfully, looking at what was available storage. "Perhaps peach cobbler for dessert."

He heard Schala stifle a laugh, not realizing how he appeared, mulling over dinner, tying an apron around his waist, and his hair back.

"Well, what do you think of that?" he asked her impatiently, not really serious, but somewhat indignant.

"Sounds good, as long as I can help," was Schala's input.

"Deal," was his reply, voice low, showing the importance of such an exchange. This time Schala did laugh, quietly, hiding her mouth behind her hand. There was silence for a while as Magus pulled things out to prepare.

After everything had been placed, all the food was washed, and the process of making a quail in a sweet and savory glaze with herbs began. The two complemented each other, and worked together seamlessly, weaving around each other, efficient in their processes.

The quail was in the oven, and the cobbler was slowly being prepared, when the conversation came back again.

"I always like your food best, is that odd?" Schala suddenly asked him, handing him another peach to slice up.

"Food made and eaten with the ones you love always tastes the best," was his reply, deceptively light, as his back stiffened a little, wondering how she would reply.

"I guess you're right," was her thoughtful answer after a moment.

"Or else that Lucca can't cook," was his next sentence, as he laughed.

Schala laughed too, but scolded him without any real feeling behind it. "Now that isn't very nice."

"Of course not, evil sorcerors aren't known for being nice," was his answer, giving her a saucy smile, for lack of better words to describe it.

He held his hand out for the last peach, and their fingers touched slightly, and stayed that was for longer than was strictly necessary. Schala ended up looking away when he finished retrieving the peach, face flushed a little. I guess Crono was right, she does feel something.

So he bided his time, waiting for their dance around the kitchen to intersect once again.

When she was moving around him, instead of moving with her to let her pass, he moved with her, and ended up embracing her from behind, hands gently around her waist, as his nose went into her hair. Her intake of breath was enough to excite him the slightest bit, which he fought down.

"Why the hurry? We can take our time," he murmured into her ear breathily. Her hands went up to meet his arms, but didn't try and disentangle herself. That made his heart race, and his arms tighten a bit.

Schala leaned into him, exhaling a little, trying to catch her own breath, her heart racing once more. It always seemed to do that around Magus. She always thought of him as Magus now, realizing that Janus didn't really fit him anymore.

They stayed in such a position for an unknown amount of time, until they heard the front door open, bringing them back down to earth. The voices stopped in the living room area, and Magus reluctantly let go of Schala, giving her a quick squeeze, before resuming his activities as if nothing had transpired.

It took Schala a moment to be able to regain her composure. She didn't succeed as well as Magus had, but gave it a valiant effort nonetheless to try and get rid of the flush in her cheeks.

Suddenly the idea of the fact that they had been sharing a room for a few months now was intimidating, yet exciting all at once, where before she had only enjoyed being close to him, and taken comfort in his presence.

The rest of the dinner preparations went without incident, and everything was done at just the right times. Magus had made a good estimation on how much to make, and as for how to do it, it took as much precision as arcane practices did.

After dinner, he ended up going up to his room to read alone, while everyone else did their own thing, which was mainly socialize, although Schala was still awkward about that, and easily overwhelmed. So she usually ended up reading with Magus.

She had a harder time making it up to their room this night, but steeled herself, and managed to make it up the staircase and all the way to the door without incident. She paused at the door before making it through, to find Magus splayed across the bed, quietly reading while laying on his stomach.

His night clothes were at odds with his day clothes. Still dark, but loose and soft, and suddenly the fact that he decided to forgo nightshirts made her blush a little.

Looking up, he nodded to her, before returning his attentions to the book he was reading, one of Lucca's many books on engineering principles. She watched his back muscles ripple with the small movement under his smooth skin. She went to her night clothes in a hurry, and grabbed them, before wandering behind the screen they had put into place for privacy of changing.

There was only so much to do to actually change into pajamas, so Schala had to content herself with folding her new clothing neatly, and placing them on her dresser, which was still mostly empty, and picking up her book, which she couldn't really concentrate on. Magus, on the other hand, seemed untroubled as he perused the pages of his book, flipping a page every now and then, or backtracking to look at a certain diagram again. It was almost obnoxious how unbothered and unaffected he was by everything. She ended up staring at the same page blankly for a while, rereading the same paragraph before she gave it up for a bad job, and decided to curl up under the blankets.

Magus was taking up just enough blanket to prevent this action. She was slightly suspicious of how aloof he was, now. So she tugged a little insistently on the blanket, catching his attention, which he placed fully upon her, his intense eyes looking directly into hers.

"Could you let me under the covers?" she asked, timid again. Magus just smiled, almost secretively, as he shuffed himself to the side, allowing her entrance to the bed, never removing his glance. Schala wasn't sure if he had been looking at her that way the entire time, and she just hadn't noticed, or blocked it out.

Crawling underneath, she nestled into the pillow, but found herself watching Magus read. He was way too focused on his book to truly be reading.

After a few minutes of this, the book was finally put down, and Magus did a quick maneuver that put him under the blankets with a minimum of movement.

Schala almost wished he was still reading the book, because his focus was entirely on her once again. His smile reached his eyes, as he encompassed her with his arms, as they were wont to do most nights. She just couldn't relax this time. Neither could he, but he would be damned if he let her know that.

Magus felt mildly guilty for manipulating the situation, deciding to give her a small push, not expecting such a result to follow. She must have been supressing her feelings for this violent a reaction. He could feel her heart beating wildly, and her shallow breaths giving her away, if not the flushed cheeks, and the heat she was radiating.

His hand found it's way to her cheek, and he look down at her, her eyes bright, and face mildly confused. He ended up kissing her forehead, and holding her tightly to him. I can't take advantage of her confusion, flitted through his mind.

"Is this how you've been feeling all along?" was her sudden muffled question, as her face buried itself in his chest.

Magus breathed in, and made a humming sound. "More or less," he ended up responding, sighing a little into her hair. "But I promised you I would wait for your final decision," he ended with, voice a little tight.

Schala gave out a little 'oh' noise, and there was no more sound from her for a while, as she just clung to him, fingers digging in.

"Don't worry about it tonight," he finally told her, arms wrapping her securely to him, burying his face in her hair once more, breathing in her natural scent, and using it as a calming agent, suppressing his own urges brought forth by her sudden unsure needs. One hand entangled itself in her hair, the other, on the outside of her, wrapped itself around her waist. "Sleep on it."

She sighed in relief, and slight reluctance, looking up at him. "Thank you, Magus," she said, exhaling as she did so.

Looking at her lips, he ended up going against his word slightly, bending as capturing them, gently kissing her, but deeply, breathing in her air, and giving her his. It was intoxicating, and his arms tightened, his hold in her hair also increasing. As for Schala, her hands ended up exploring his back and sides, feeling all his sleek muscle, and trembling.

Letting loose, they were both breathing heavily, gasping a little for air.

Their eyes meeting, somewhat hazy, he closed his and concentrated on loosening his firm grip upon her, and telling himself to calm down. When he opened his eyes again, they were clear, and it helped to calm down Schala, seeing his self control and composure.

Neither would sleep easy tonight.


a/n: Okay, I couldn't help myself, I needed to put some forward progress in. I just don't think that they are the type to move fast. Sorry for the slow update. Life has been a little...hectic lately. But I love Magus and Schala! Hope it's not too disappointing...