Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Cross.
Skye groaned as she carefully placed her hands underneath her and pushed herself to her knees. She shook her head a couple times as though she was trying to get rid of the dizzy feeling she felt before she finally got to her feet. Nearby, she could hear Serge moaning as well, making her wonder if he had just come to himself.
The blonde turned to face him and saw Serge was sitting on the sand and holding his head. "Serge, are you okay?" she asked as she held out her hand.
"I think so," Serge answered with a nod as he accepted the girl's hand and allowed her to pull him up. "What happened just now?"
Skye bit her lower lip, not sure how to respond to it. She could say that she didn't know, but she did know at least the gist of what happened. There were still many things that puzzled her, but she knew she would be lying if she said she didn't have any sort of idea.
"Skye?" Her green eyes widened as she shifted her gaze back to Serge, who was giving her a look of confusion and concern. "Skye? What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry Serge," Skye answered, shaking her head. "I think I know what happened, but I'm not too sure. We should head back to Arni Village though."
At the mention of the village, the boy turned his head to the sky, and this time, it was his turn to look puzzled. "I think you're right that we should go back, but… I don't think the sun has moved. How could that be? Leena knew we would be here and anyone from the village could have come down to check on us."
The blonde followed the boy's gaze and frowned a little. She had to admit that Serge was right. The sun didn't seem to have moved at all and there was not a single cloud in the sky. She wasn't sure how long they were out of it.
"Let's go back to Arni Village, like you suggested," Serge went on, taking the girl out of her thoughts. "When we get back there, we can ask around to see why no one checked up on us. Would you mind if we finished our talk later?"
"Yeah, it's fine. It can wait," Skye replied. She waited for the purple haired boy to turn away before she lowered her head for a moment in guilt. She had some answers, she was sure. The villagers had no reason to assume they were there at the beach. At least, she wanted to think that. She wanted to tell him that, but she kept telling herself that she shouldn't, as much as she wanted to. Especially since she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.
The girl could barely remember walking through Lizard Rock. It was such a haze in her mind, and she could only recall doing it because Serge would call to her to see what was wrong. Why did that voice whisper her name? Why was she here, wearing clothes similar to Kid? Why was Leena teasing her so often, especially when it came to Serge, instead of being demanding toward him? Why did Serge take her to the beach and didn't try to push for Leena to come along too?
"Skye?" The girl straightened when she heard her name being called and looked over to the boy. While he still had a concerned look in his eyes, his arms were crossed. "What's wrong, Skye? You've been acting oddly since we woke up at Opassa Beach."
Skye lowered her head again and placed her right hand on her left elbow. "Serge… I want to tell you, but even I'm not sure. I admit, this whole thing feels strange even for me. I don't think you would believe me…"
"Why don't you just tell me?" Serge suggested, giving the girl his best reassuring smile. "You'll never know unless you say something, right?"
The blonde took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Right now, she wanted to wake up and find that she was at home in her bed. She slowly opened her eyes, not at all surprised when she found that she was still there. "I know this may sound odd, Serge. But I've been feeling like something is wrong."
"What do you mean by that?" Serge questioned, tilting his head and ignoring the stands of hair that swayed with the movement. "I will agree that something really strange happened at Opassa Beach if that is what you mean."
"That's only partly it," the girl replied, tapping the ground with her toes nervously. "You said I was acting oddly, but… please be honest, Serge. Have you noticed anything about me?"
The boy rubbed his chin as he closed his eyes. "Yeah. I noticed a lot of things seem to confuse or surprise you. To be honest, I was wondering if… well, if you were remembering something. I've actually been wondering something since we first met…"
"Hey, Serge!" a man's voice called, interrupting the boy. "Didn't expect to see you there!"
The two turned toward the source of the voice and found a man with brown hair barely peeking out of his hat and brown eyes, giving the young man a kind smile and a wave. This man was one of the first signs to the nagging feeling the girl had, because as far as she knew, this man should not even be here.
"Hello, Miguel," Serge answered with a smile of his own.
"It's been a while since we've seen you, boy," Miguel went on before either of the two could speak. "Are you on leave right now? Are you planning on visiting your mother soon? She has missed you so much!"
Skye felt her eyes widen and she took a sharp breath. Every time she had seen something she thought was out of place, she figured it would somehow click into place. And that she was supposed to be a minor character at the most. But the way the man was speaking to her friend, there was no way the story was on the right track, or how she knew it at least.
"And who is this girl next to you?" Miguel went on, startling the girl further. "I've never seen her around here before. Is she your girlfriend, perhaps? One you met in Termina?"
"Miguel, I don't know what you're going on about," Serge answered in a puzzled tone. "And you should…"
"Uh, never mind that now, Serge," Skye said quickly wishing that her cheeks would stop burning at the man's suggestion. "We should get going. It was nice meeting you, Miguel."
Skye did her best to ignore the shocked expression on the boy's face as she continued down the grassy path. Only now did she see how close they had gotten to the village. She lifted her head upward, noticing some clouds starting to roll in. Despite what had just happened, she was doing everything she could to deny what she had seen and heard. But the more she thought about it, it became harder to deny it.
"Skye, mind telling me what just happened back there?" Serge inquired as he caught up to the girl. "How could you say it was nice meeting Miguel? You've known him before today! And why did he act like he never even met you and thinking you are from Termina?"
Skye felt the pinprick of tears in her green eyes. She did her best to wipe them away before facing the young man. Now wasn't the time to break down. "Serge, tell me something. That girl you said you failed to protect ten years ago. What was her name? I feel like you remember, but haven't said."
The boy nodded slowly, his purple eyes hardening. "Her name… is Skye. Ten years ago, we were attacked, and these people tried to drown her. I couldn't understand why. She was just a little girl, what was so important that they had to kill her? I was powerless to stop them from taking her away." Skye didn't bother hiding her shock, and allowed her hands to fly to her mouth. "But then…there was a miracle. I saw her alive! She was wet and shaking, but she was okay. She said that a man saved her, but couldn't say who."
"But then she vanished some time after that, right?" Skye asked, feeling her hands beginning to tremble.
"I don't know about vanishing, we just never saw her since she was taken away," Serge told the girl, placing one hand on his hip. "We were told it was for her protection. And to this day, I still don't understand why. But I swore that she would be back one day. And then a month ago…"
"You met me," Skye finished for the young man, swallowing a lump in her throat. "You think I'm your Skye."
"I do," the boy agreed with a nod of his head. "But why do you need to know this?"
"Because… because…" Skye trailed off, feeling her throat tightening. "I… think we… and I…"
Serge's face softened when he saw how distressed Skye looked and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "Don't worry, Skye, it's okay. I told you my promise didn't I? I have no idea what happened not long ago, but whatever it is, I'm sure everything will be okay."
"Serge there… there is more to it than that," the girl said weakly, hating the sorrowful tone that slipped into her voice. "Serge, I… I know why Miguel acted like that. He didn't know me… because… because he didn't meet me."
Serge pulled himself away just enough to move his hands to her shoulders. "What are you talking about?"
Skye closed her eyes and allowed some tears to slip out. She could only imagine what it would be like to go and talk to Leena right now. And while she knew that would happen in the story right now, she wasn't sure if she could accept it. After steeling herself as best she could, determined to get her composure back, she gazed into the young man's eyes. "I can't go back to Arni Village right now. Technically, I know I'm supposed to. I'm supposed to talk to Leena, but I don't think I can."
"I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that, but would it make you feel better if I went and talked to her alone?" the boy asked her, the concern returning to his features.
"You can, but I should probably go to Cape Howl. I need to see something."
The crashing waves hit Skye's ears and the sun was setting, painting the sky in a pretty orange color. Skye hated leaving Serge all alone and confused over what just happened, but she figured it was better for Serge to go and talk to Leena alone. That was how the story went before, so she was hoping doing this even a little bit could get the story back on tract again. Though she wondered if that would even be enough.
She was thankful when the creatures seemed to ignore her. She was not prepared for any sort of battle right now. She had only barely learned to fight, as she learned how to use the basic skills of her dagger through Serge's own teachings. But she knew even that wouldn't be enough to help her right now.
Despite her slow movements, she could still hear her footsteps on the ground beneath her feet. The cape opened up to a single cliff, with a large stone at the very end of it. She approached, feeling as though her heart was pounding hard against her chest. She knelt down to read the inscription, not even feeling the least bit surprised.
"Our beloved Skye, died at age seven
May the sea hold her dearly
And protect her departed spirit."
Skye slowly pushed herself to her feet. She told herself over and over that she was not important, since she shouldn't have been. But the words on the stone told her otherwise. Even Serge himself implied it with what he said before.
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "Get a grip, Skye," she told herself, gritting her teeth. "I don't understand how this is possible. But I guess…"
"So, you are Skye, aren't you?" The voice that came behind the girl was not unexpected, but still surprised her. "You are the ghost of the girl who died ten years ago."
