By Saul and Krazy Sam

Guardia Kingdom, October, 1000 A.D

Marle and Lucca walk along the plains of the North Guardia continent.

"Why had the Epoch to be destroyed? We could have beaten Lavos on the outside." Marle asked in her normal jovial way.

"It was better not to risk... or it could have been the destiny." Lucca answered, looking at the sun.

"Destiny?"

"The gates were closed and the Epoch destroyed. After beating Lavos there was no point in time travelling."

"But we did before we knew about Lavos!"

"And that was trouble. Do you remember you almost get kill... not born?"

"Yes, but we did lots of other good things."

"Maybe the history is set to follow its course, good or bad. Lavos was out of the planet, a outsider who shouldn't be here."

"Destiny..." Marle said to herself.

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About a week later, Crono was getting ready to go out when he heard the sound of a carriage coming near, then stopping. He quickly finished and got the stairs. What he saw stopped him cold.

Marle was there, dressed in a comfortable but royal dress, and escorted by a half dozen of guards.

"Marle, is anything wrong?"

"I am Princess Nadia of Guardia."

Crono was truly surprised. He thought she maybe had been replaced by some monster, but no. She was serious as the real Marle would have never been, but she still had this bright. A sparkle on her eyes that only Crono could see. That was inimitable. Crono started to worry. "Ok, guys. Step out. I bought the joke. You're going to give me an heart attack."

"There is no joke, Mr. Crono. I'm here for a very important subject."

Crono raised a brow, but in the deep he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I have realized my responsibilities to the kingdom as a princess. Hope this don't hurt your feelings but, I think we should nix our... meetings. This relationship is by plain stupid."

Crono's eyes filled with water. "Marle, what are you saying????" He rushed down the stairs.

"Don't dare to touch the princess!!!" The guards formed a barrier between Crono and the princess.

"What I'm saying is that I represent the future of the kingdom, so I must look for the best possible companion."

Crono blinked and a pair of streams of tears came down his face. He fell on his knees. He didn't know a heartbreaking did really hurt that much as he felt. He realized what this was about. "I guess villager scum like me is to much for the princess." He said looking at the ground, the faced her, "Am I right???"

"Don't make me feel guilty. This is the best way things can be."

"But why? All this time... and at Death Peak..."

"The royal crown thanks you for your cooperation. You will be awarded with a reward of the quan..."

"I don't want money, I WANT YOU!!!" Shouted Crono, his face red and wet with tears.

"I see it's useless to reason with you now." She gave her back and walked out the door, but stopped and turned her face. "And in case you want to know, the royal family is going on a diplomatic trip for five days." She and the guards moved towards the carriage.

But, one the wheels had been broken by a rock and they were changing it.

Crono saw Marle exclaim, "Great." and move behind a tree. To wait, he guessed. He, with an uncontrollable storms of feeling in his heart and mind, ran up the stairs past his worried mom and locked himself inside his room. He just let himself fall and lied on the floor.

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Marle wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but noticed they had not finished changing the carriage wheel. "Great.", she exclaimed. Not wanting to face Crono, she leaned on a tree, out if his sight.

A single tear ran down her cheeks. "Sorry Crono", she quietly cried.

"Princess Nadia! The carriage is ready." Said a guard, snapping her back to reality. She got on the carriage and it headed back for the castle.

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Lucca was worried. The breakup had been two days ago, but Crono was nowhere near recovering. The same day, Crono didn't come out of his room. The next day, he went to the southern forest, not allowing anyone to talk to him. He went on a rage, destroyed 20 trees and leveled a large area. The townspeople was mad at him.

Today, when she saw him sailing out on a small boat, she hardly recognized him. He was in a even bigger mess than usually. His clothes and hair were dirty and ragged, his face pale and it looked like he had been crying. His eyes red, by the tears and not having slept.

Crono's mom was also very worried. "Lucca, if I do ever ask you to do something, is this, please help Crono. You're the only person he's got.", she had said among sorrows. Lucca couldn't talk nor Crono neither Marle, but she would find a way.

"It looked like he was heading towards the southeastern continent. With a motor powered boat I can make up for the lost hours." Lucca quickly made one with wood, a plastic fiber she had invented, a propeller from a riding car-plane her dad had given her years ago and a motor she had built.

When she arrived, she found the small boat and caught sight of Crono heading for Toma's grave. "The West Cape.", Lucca muttered to herself.

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Crono headed for the West Cape, in his storm of feeling only one prevailed, rage. Whenever he felt bad, he would destroy everything in sight to take the thoughts out of his mind. He wasn't even sure of why he was going there, but he would do anything he wanted. It wasn't worth to follow the rules of this miserable life.

Suddenly, a strong hand grasped his shoulder!

Crono quickly unsheathed his sword and with a spin started slashing the enemy. No! It was Lucca! Crono stopped his attack. Apparently, Lucca was undamaged because she was carrying her special vest. "What do you want?" Crono exclaimed annoyingly.

Lucca went straight to the point. "Crono, you had a life before you met Marle! Why can't you go back to it?"

Crono assumed another expression on his face. He looked like the old Crono for a moment. "Lucca, if you walked along a long road, of unknown destiny, and suddenly came an angel and takes you up to the clouds, he said that he would take you beyond the stars to infinity happiness, but instead, drops you to the ground, what would you do?"

Lucca was surprised that Crono could talk with so much wisdom. "I would stand up... and keep walking."

"No, Lucca, because your bones would be broken by the fall."

"But..."

"GO AWAY!!!" Shouted Crono, taking back a wearily expression.

"I won't! You need help!"

"You won't?" Crono asked. His right hand began to shake and a green ball of electricity formed. Lucca recognized this as the beginning of Luminaire.

"Would you attack me?" Lucca said, and started casting a spell.

Crono just dropped the energy ball in the ground, turned around, and walked away. A deadly green sphere of lightning emerged from the ground and engulfed the pair. Crono was not hurt by it and didn't bother to see back.

Fortunately, the spell Lucca had casted was Protect, so she wasn't hurt too much by the Luminaire. But she was still hurt, and very deceived by Crono attacking her. She lied there.

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The wind blew in the West Cape. Crono ignored the grave and went to the very edge of the cape. The ocean lied in front.

An unbearable pain in his heart, anger and rage in his mind, a great tiredness on his body, repressed tears on his eyes and a heavy, but fading weight on his conscience.

Crono had to take a choice.

Part 2

Chapter List