By Saul and Krazy Sam

Marle tossed restlessly in her large, soft bed that night. She stared at her stone ceiling, and then at the large grandfather clock that was passed down through the royal family. She sighed, finding that it was one in the morning. She had gone to bed three hours ago, and she couldn't get to sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the wonderful face of the Prince of Choras. She saw his kind face, his gentle eyes, and the way he smiled when he looked at her. Then, the face of Crono worked its way into her mind. She saw him poised at the side of the west cape, ready to jump, and ready to forfeit his life…all because of her.

The night was silent, except for the soft breeze blowing outside her large window. Marle…no… she thought of herself as Nadia now, allowed a single tear to fall from her emerald eye. Nadia finally stepped out of her warm bed and smoothed her white silk nightgown. She slipped her bare feet into her warm cloth slippers and lit her bedside candle. She grasped the brass candleholder and walked silently over to her window, staring out at the landscape. No candles were lit in any of the houses in Truce, and no carriages were running along the dirt paths.

"It seems as if I'm the only one awake…" she whispered softly. She reached back with her right hand and ran her fingers through her tangled golden hair. She closed the white lace curtains and strode to her wooden desk. On top of the desk was a thick book with a cloth covering. On the cloth were the words, "My Journal." Nadia opened her journal to the first blank page, halfway through the book. She picked up her favorite quill pen and dipped it in her small inkwell. She sighed and began to write in her neatest script.

I can't sleep. I feel so bad about what happened to Crono, but I honestly love Jamerson…the prince of Choras. It must've been that I felt attracted to Crono because he risked his life to save me…I don't know… my mind is reeling.

Nadia's eyelids drooped, and she didn't have a chance to finish what she was writing. She rested her head on her arms, and fell asleep with her candle burning low and finally burning itself out.

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Crono was there on his bed, thinking the story had just finished like that. "To wait for Marle to come to me, always, forever and ever..." The rest of the things he would do on his life resumed on these words. He knew it wasn't right, but he didn't feel like doing anything else.

His tear-streaked face had dried just a few minutes ago, but his nose was still runny. Just the thought of Marle on the arms of the prince... he didn't even feel anger against him, but a great sorrow every time he realized Marle would never be with him. He had soaked his handkerchief to the point of it not being usable anymore, so he shamelessly wiped his nose on the sleeve of his clothes.

He sighed and rolled over, getting tangled in his sheets. He was at the edge of his small bed, and as he thrashed to break free of his bedclothes, he toppled out and landed hard on the floor… no… not the floor, but someone's legs! He cried out in surprise, and the person who he landed on shrieked, also. Crono sat up and leaned over to untangle himself, as the other person leaned over to see what had happened. Crono's head collided with the shadowy figure's face, and he yelped with pain. He finally recognized the person at the side of his bed as Lucca. He hurriedly rolled off her legs and she lightly punched him on the shoulder.

"Stupid…" she whispered jokingly. Crono managed a weak smile.

"Lucca, what are you doing here?" he whispered back.

"I just returned today, late."

"Where were you? I looked for you..."

"I told you, at my friend's house. It was pretty hard to get the device to work, so I stayed the night here, and didn't leave until I left it up and running."

"I see..." Crono said with a streak of sadness.

"What happened?" Lucca asked. Crono stared at her. "Well, I can guess..."

"It went very well... except for the fact I finally broke with Marle. I manifested my love to her as you said, but she then told me that she had... another potential suitor."

Lucca heard it. She hugged him, as they where on the floor. She had nothing to say... it hurted Crono so much that she avoided the topic all she could.

Softly, Crono accepted her brace. He felt so good when he was close to her. It felt like something you like to keep all that you can... He thought about Lucca. She had been with him in his worst moments, and practically he owed her his life. They wanted to be together all what they could. Many misunderstood their relationship, but even themselves couldn't explain it very well. Was it love? Many people said it was, but they didn't understand them. It was just the first thing they came up with. Crono had one day thought about it, and only finished with confusion. He confessed his thoughts to Lucca, she remarked that even they cared about other in a more than unusual way, they didn't have the problems boyfriends and girlfriends have, or have to go to romantic places, or mutter things like 'I love you and I would swim the whole ocean for you'. Crono didn't felt like doing this things with Lucca, he just felt happy with being with her, but with Marle he felt the urge of doing them and felt happy when he di... he was getting Marle into the topic again! This was about he and Lucca. "Our relationship surpasses love, or any relationship!", she had finally said to him, and it was kind of what he meant, but couldn't find the words. Luckily Lucca had came with them... he could trust Lucca to help him always, at least he thought that.

"You're right." Lucca said quietly. "Surpasses any relationship..."

"What?" Crono said surprised, taking Lucca with his hands and placing her in front of him. "I can sometimes confuse, but I didn't say that."

"You're right..." Lucca looked at the floor for a moment, thinking deeply. "Did I..."

"...read my thoughts?" Crono murmured giving her a soft look. The usual soft look, indeed. It wasn't the first time things like this, or stranger, happened when they where so close. They never confessed it to other people.

"Crono, why do these things happen to us when we are together?" Lucca braced Crono again, she was worried, and almost cried. These were the only times Lucca scared so much and became so weak, because these were the only times she couldn't explain what was happening.

"Why these things don't happen to us when we are with other people?" Crono tried to protect Lucca with his hug, and these times felt like the whole universe asides them was looking... planning something... against them or favoring them? Neither did knew.

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Nadia jerked herself awake an hour later. She looked around her surroundings and found that she was still sitting at her writing desk with her unfinished journal sitting right in front of her. She moved to light her candle, but found that it was burned down. She moved to her chest of drawers and pulled out a long, thin, blue candle. She placed it in a different holder- a gold one that she inherited from her mother when she died. Nadia walked out into the hall where one of the lamps was still lit, and lit her candle off of it. She strode across the hard stone floor and sat back at her desk. She raised the quill pen once more, and after dipping it in the inkwell, continued where she left off.

…I wonder how Crono's handling this. I think Lucca loves him- I feel there's something strange between them… but I wonder if now that Crono no longer has me, if Lucca confessed her hidden feelings for him. Did she? Did Crono realize that he is better off without me? So many questions, so little answers. I just…I don't know. My mind is going in circles. I still feel attracted to him, but I love Jamerson! It feels like something out of a storybook…but I wish it was that simple. The hero gets the princess, and everybody lives happily ever after. It's not like that in real life. In real life, the hero winds up loving the woman he rescues, only to get it thrown back in his face…oh God… I'm beginning to understand now. It's all my fault! If only I had told Crono about Jamerson…perhaps I did, and maybe he didn't listen…! No, I'm pinning the blame on HIM now. It's my fault. I'm so sorry… He was so kind to me, and I let him believe that I loved him. Then…after making him feel as if he had touched the stars, I made him fall back to Earth…

Nadia choked back a sob as she looked around her room. Her new candle was halfway melted, and the grandfather clock said that it was already two-thirty. She gazed at her familiar possessions, and her eyes strayed to a small gold device.

"Lucca made this…so I could talk to Crono…" she whispered. She lifted the tiny object and smiled. "I never used it…but she said that the green button would allow us to talk…"

Nadia pushed the green button, and a loud pop was heard. The noise echoed off the bare walls, and sent a chilling sensation throughout her spine. She took a deep breath and decided to go ahead and talk.

"Crono…it's me…Marle."

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Crono moaned as he heard a soft voice call out to him. Lucca was sound asleep by his bed, and he smiled as he gazed at her pretty face. She actually was beautiful without her glasses. The way her purple hair fell across her face, the way her intense blue eyes sparkled… Crono strained his ears, and he heard the voice again.

"Crono?" it whispered. Crono looked frantically around his room, and located one of Lucca's inventions. He remembered how kind she was to invent it for him and Nadia to speak to each other. His mind whirled. Lucca… Marle... what did he indeed feel for each one?

"Crono…?" the voice repeated. Crono reached for the small gold device and stared at it. He had never used it before, but he remembered that the green button was to talk. He grasped the contraption and pressed the small green button.

"This is Crono," he whispered.

"Crono!" the voice cried. Crono's eyes narrowed.

"Nadia…?" he asked skeptically.

"It's Marle," the voice corrected.

"Marle?!?" Crono almost shouted.

"Crono, I wanted you to know that I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused, and…that deep in my heart, I guess I'll still love you, but I love Jamerson, and nothing is going to change that." she said gently. Crono smiled.

"Well, you breaking up with me has opened my eyes. I guess I hadn't been acting very well, irresponsible and all that... I feel like a completely different person now... Also I became even more friends with Lucca... no secrets..."

"Is she there?"

"Yes", Crono answered truthfully.

"Asleep?" he heard Marle ask carefully.

"Yes."

"How long has she been with you?" Marle questioned. Crono's face turned scarlet, and he was thankful that she couldn't see his face.

"I don't know. I woke up and there she was." Crono leaned back against his wooden bed and gazed at Lucca. She looked so angelic when she was asleep… He wanted to protect her from all the dangers of life.

"Crono…" Marle whispered.

"What?"

"Look out your window… you know, the one that is facing the castle," she pleaded. Crono sighed and looked out of his northwest window.

"I'm doing that as I speak," he answered. He watched as a thin white line began to run down the side. Also, a small flame was moving downward, but not burning the line itself. Crono gasped. "Marle, are you…"

"I'm escaping the guards by climbing out my window."

Crono sighed with exasperation. "Why?" he asked irritably. He heard a faint giggle from the device.

"You'll see in ten minutes," she murmured. "Until then..."

Crono stepped out of his warm bed, taking care of not to wake up Lucca. She was better asleep, and it would be a crime to disturb her. He noticed the somewhat chaos on his clothes and proceed to get them fit. He thought, he always did it every morning. He thought of what he had planned for his life before he met Marle... and now he did or didn't like it? He thought also of what could happen if Marle had accepted him...

"Crono?"

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Marle dashed through the wet grass towards the village. She recognized Crono's house and stared at the vine-covered wall. She remembered that Crono's room was one of those windows, but she forgot which one. She shrugged and went for the window on the left. She quickly climbed up the vines and slung her legs over the side of the window. She pushed herself inside and found herself seeing Crono standing there, deep in thought.

"Crono?"

Crono spun to see Marle. He did not move, and all the feelings he had sometimes felt for her, all of them, he remembered. He tried to gain back the control of his mind.

"What?" he asked rudely. Marle closed her eyes to allow a tear to trickle down her face. Crono, seeing this, realized that Marle was hurt too. He had caused pain to her! He didn't want any more pain caused to everyone. "Sorry." Crono walked to her.

"I just wanted to let you know that there will always be a part of me with you, but I love Jamerson. Now, I consider you a friend, a CLOSE friend, but I just don't think that we're meant to be... I want you to know that I still think of you as a friend and… I'm… sorry for all of your pain and suffering," she whispered. Crono gazed at her, his eyes wet.

"Marle..." then he touched his heart, "I think I can never think of you only as a friend, because I will always love you, you understand?"

Another tear ran down Marle's cheeks. Why was Crono doing that to himself? She didn't want to cause him pain, his pain also hurted her.

"But I understand your feelings and wish you the greatest of happiness with the prince."

"Thanks..." Marle didn't know what to say, so she began to climb out of the window.

Crono saw Marle going out, and the pain he caused to her. He thought back to what could have happened if she had chosen him. It would have been difficult for things to finish well, with her being the princess and all. Something snapped on him, and one last tear came out of his eyes. He wanted to end all the suffering, and to try to take his life back. It would be like a dream if Marle came back to him, but he couldn't expect it. That last tear shattered on the ground. "Okay..."

"What?"

"Okay, I leave you... don't feel sorry for me. You are free to choose your own path without fearing you'll hurt me. It would be our little fantasy if you were with me, but you also have dreams of your own. I want to be your friend."

"Thanks Crono! So, this is it…" she murmured and started climbing down.

"And…" he muttered. Marle turned back hopefully.

"And…?"

"Be careful not to slip on your way down."

Part 4

Chapter List