Chapter Four: The Land of Magic

Outside the small cave, the wind howled. A blizzard raged furiously, the snow falling and flying everywhere. The entire continent was blanketed in the thick, white freezing snow and ice. Inside the cave it was dark, cold, and mostly dry except for the piles of snow and ice that accumulated at the front of the cave, blown in by the icy gales of wind.

The cold was what woke Skye up. The cold, and some flakes of snow that blew in and landed on her face. She opened her eyes and wiped it off her face and out of her hair. Standing up, she brushed it off her clothes. She had no idea how she'd fallen asleep. She rubbed her head, where there was a small ache. Probably bumped it when she'd gotten here. At first she couldn't remember how she had ended up here, then it came back to her. Ankara.

Wrapping her jacket tighter around her as she shivered, she peered out the cave entrance. All she could see was the raging blizzard. "Well, this is great," she said sarcastically to herself.

"Do you always talk to yourself?"

Skye jerked, startled. She whirled around to see Bleu standing there, a wry smile on her face. "Jeez!" she gasped. "Don't do that! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry," Bleu laughed. "But would you have preferred that I walked up and tapped you on the shoulder without saying a word?"

Skye glared at her. "I would have preferred that you found a way to alert me to your presence without scaring me!" She shivered again and moved away from the entrance. "Sweet Mana, but it's cold. Do you have any idea where we are?"

Bleu stepped closer to her and peered out the cave entrance. "Not a clue," she replied, moving away as the cold got to her. "I don't think there's a place in my time like this, so we're not there. In fact, we could be anywhere, so that's not much help."

"Well, we can eliminate my world," Skye said, moving further away from the opening. "I've been to the Ice Country, and there are no caves like this there." She scowled briefly as she recalled her misadventure there.

"What about mountain caves?" Bleu asked, moving back herself.

Skye shook her head. "There could be, but it's the wrong season. When I left, it was fall, and the snow was long melted away in the mountains. It'll be a month or so before it starts snowing again up there. Besides which, it almost never snows like this, and certainly not at the beginning of the season."

"I don't think we're in the mountains, anyway, now that I think about it," Bleu replied. She studied what she could see out the entrance. "I wonder.... nah. Couldn't be."

"Couldn't be what?" Skye asked curiously. "You have an idea of where we are?"

"Possibly, but it's most likely impossible."

Skye sighed. "Where, Bleu?"

"12,000 B.C."

Skye frowned. "Excuse me? We've been there."

"Yeah, but it's not supposed to snowing if we are there. The blizzard stopped and the world began to thaw out from the Ice Age when Zeal fell."

"Maybe we're in that era before Zeal fell." Skye shrugged and pulled a black band from her backpack and tied her hair back in a stubby ponytail.

"I was thinking that, but that'd be impossible, don't you think?"

"Probably, but who knows? Where Ankara's concerned...." She shook her head. "Anything's possible. Look at that magic shield she has."

Bleu nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Well, let's go."

Skye stared at her. "Go? Go where?"

"If I remember correctly, there should be a building nearby which will take us up to Zeal. I've never been there, but I remember hearing the account of the adventure Crono and his friends had. It described where it was."

"Convenient," Skye commented as she pulled her hood up and zipped her jacket up. "But why do we have to go out there? It's freezing!" She frowned. "Wait, why did you say UP to Zeal?"

"Because it's on islands floating in the sky." Bleu grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's go." Despite Skye's protests, she dragged her out into the storm.

"There! There it is!" Bleu pointed.

Skye squinted and tried to see through the blinding snow. Off in the distance she could barely see a glowing light. "The l-l-light?" she asked, her teeth chattering in the freezing air. The icy wind was cutting painfully through her clothes and into her skin.

"The building," Bleu replied. "Come on." She pulled her along.

As they got closer, Skye could see that it was indeed a building. Glowing light that alternated between purple and yellow shone from the small windows and the roof, hinting at warmth inside. Skye was all too eager to open the door and hurry in. She sighed with deep relief as she was surrounded by warm air. Rubbing her face and arms, she began to relax and warm up.

"Well, let's go on up."

"How?" Skye asked.

"Step on this." Bleu pointed the glowing purple and yellow circle on the floor. "This will warp us up to Zeal."

Skye's eyes widened. "And I thought I'd seen everything," she muttered as she followed Bleu onto the circle. The next second she felt a bizarre, cool energy surround her and lift her into the air, up into the sky. They floated up through the raging blizzard, then the next thing she knew, she was standing on solid ground.

"Er...." Skye shook her head. It felt a little light. "That was, um... whew. Very... odd."

"Uh, yeah." Bleu blinked. "I'm a little dizzy. You too?"

"Yup." Skye looked around. "Wow. It sure is pretty up here though."

"That it is. Very." Bleu stepped down off the platform and onto the grass of the small floating island, still wet with dew. Sunlight sparkled on it, and on the shiny white roof of the nearby town.

"So, we go in there, right?" Skye asked, indicating the town.

"Not yet," Bleu replied. "First, we have to make a few adjustments."

"What kind of adjustments?"

"To our appearance. And we have to decide what names we're going to be going by."

"Huh?" Skye was confused. "Why do we have to do that?"

"Because Magus and his sister, who's a friend of mine, are here. If we were to go by our real names and appearances, it could screw things up in the present."

"Oh." Skye nodded. "Okay. Now I understand." Reaching up, she adjusted her hair. "Sorry, but this is the only alteration I can make to my appearance."

"That's fine," Bleu replied. "Now, what name are you going to use?"

"Kirine. It's the name of my ancestor who helped start the Scorpion Army. What about you?"

"I don't know yet," Bleu answered. "Should I go with Orina, my middle name, or Nightshade, my last name?"

"Depends on what kind of effect you're going for," Skye answered with a shrug. "If it's mysterious you want, go with Nightshade." She smiled. "Sounds cool. Though Orina is pretty, too."

A slight half-smile appeared on Bleu's face. "Thanks. It was my mother's name. I'll go with Nightshade, since a mysterious effect would be best."

"How are you going to alter your appearance?" Skye inquired.

"I'll just pull my hood up to hide my face." She glanced down at the ground. "Done it so many times..." she murmured.

"Why would you want to do that?" Skye asked, utterly confused.

"Because I.... never mind." Bleu swallowed, looking sad and uncomfortable. "I don't really want to discuss it."

"That's fine," Skye said softly, studying her thoughtfully. She smiled at her. "Cool name you have."

Bleu looked a little embarrassed. "Thanks. Nightshade was actually my mother's last name, as well. Since Mystics don't have last names, I had to take hers when I was born. She insisted on it. I wonder why."

"Mystics?" Skye looked bemused. "What are those?"

"Remember Ozzie, Flea, and Slash? They were Mystics. A race of magic-users, very different from humans. I'm half." She reached up and slid some of her dark hair back to reveal a pointed ear. "You see? This is my sole outer Mystic trait."

Skye's eyes widened slightly. "Cool."

Bleu stared at her. "Cool?!"

Skye shrugged. "Yeah, cool. They look almost elfin. I've always thought humans were rather boring physically, anyway, and stuff like that is cool to me." She smiled dreamily. "And then there's...." She trailed off, giggling.

"Then there's what?" Bleu asked with an amused smile. "Care to share the joke?"

"Well, it's not really a joke. A rumor. About humans versus demons. Whether or not demons have... that they're...." Skye gestured with her hands, blushing. "I... think you know what I'm referring to..."

"I...." Bleu stared at her in open-mouthed shock. "You... are kidding, right?"

"Nope," Skye shook her head and giggled. "My ancestor, the one whose name I'm taking, found out the truth of the rumor." She smiled wickedly. "So, are Mystics anything like demons? Just curious!"

"How would I know?" Bleu said, bewildered. "Never been with one." She blushed a bright shade of crimson.

"But I thought you and Magus..." Skye let the sentence hang, her cheeks pinkening again.

"He's not a Mystic," Bleu corrected her. "He's from Zeal. As for them.... oh god!" Bleu clapped a hand over her mouth, her face turning a deep red. "I can't believe I... jeez.... my god..." She trailed off, burying her face in her hands.

Skye started giggling. Then she grew serious. "Bleu, how did you two fall for each other?"

"I really don't know." Bleu shook her head. "I don't. It's very strange. Neither of us is the most attractive person, and yet we were both attracted to each other. We have horrid personalities, which is why we at first couldn't get along, but then we just... did get along. I really don't understand it."

"Horrid? How?" Skye said curiously.

"Well, not..." Bleu sighed. "I suppose horrid is a bit too strong a word, but we're not exactly super nice either. Insecurities hidden behind arrogance that is most likely fake or mostly fake, sarcastic, cynical, a bit of a loner, not letting anyone else in, and so on. You get the general idea of how we are. We are probably the only two people who can stand each other, and would want each other. Ours is a sad, twisted, bizarre love story."

"And sweet, in a weird way," Skye said with a smile. "Listen, where'd you get the idea you're ugly? You're not."

Bleu smiled sadly. "I've been told that. Very few times. And I've been told a million times, either to my face or behind my back when they didn't think I could hear, that I'm an ugly freak. Guess which I believe? You hear something long enough, you're told it often enough, and eventually you buy it. You start believing it. Sad, but true." She studied Skye. "What about you? Any insecurities eating away at you?"

"Nope." Skye shook her head. "None. It's all a matter of opinion. If somebody likes me, fine. If they don't, forget them. I realized a long time ago that not everybody is going to like me, no matter what I do or who I am, so I should just be myself and do what I wanna do. It's worked." She frowned. "Well... not always. There was a time when I got too carried away with that philosophy, and unwittingly almost helped those I was trying to get revenge on."

"How so?"

Skye smiled ruefully. "Let's just say that if the story of that period were a book, I'd be the villain. Not the main one, though. Probably the comic relief one." She laughed. "I did some odd stuff."

"Like what?"

"Built a couple robots that I was going to use in my plan. But they malfunctioned and were destroyed." Skye smiled wistfully. "Ah... Kilroy and Kettle Kin. My prized creations. I'd love to build another someday. One that would work."

"Is that why you wanted to help Lucca with her device?" Bleu inquired. Skye nodded.

"Yeah. It would have been the first thing I'd worked on since my final robot." Skye yawned. "Look, I'm a little tired. Let's go find somewhere where we can rest, okay?"

Bleu nodded. "Sure. I'm a little beat myself. Let's see if we can get a room in Enhasa." They walked over towards Enhasa.

Finding that there was no place to rest, they left. "Now what?" Skye asked, stifling a yawn.

"We go in there," Bleu answered, pointing to another Skyway, "and warp down to the Terra Continent, and find the next Skyway to take us to Zeal Palace."

"Go back to that frozen continent? No way!" Skye shook her head adamantly. "I'm not setting foot on that for anything. Let's stay here."

"And do what, eventually drop dead of exhaustion because we won't find a place to sleep? That makes no sense. We're going."

"Do I have to?" Skye asked in a pouty, little-kid voice.

"Yes," Bleu replied firmly as she walked off towards the Skyway. "That is, if you want to go the palace with me. Otherwise stay here."

Muttering something under her breath that was probably obscene, Skye followed her new friend to the Skyway.

They ran as fast as they possibly could through the storm to the next Skyway and rushed in and stood on the glowing violet circle.

"R-remind m-m-me n-not to g-go anywhere with y-you ever again," Skye said between chattering teeth. "I-it's so f-f-freezing..." She trailed off, rubbing her arms. As the warm air on the floating continent surrounded her, she took several deep breaths and let them out. "What a day...." she muttered. "Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Ankara has to show up and make things really bad."

"What do you mean?" Bleu asked. "I thought it was a good day till she showed up."

"Of course you would," Skye retorted. "You're not the one in love with a guy from another world."

Bleu winced. "Right. Sorry. How were you going to deal with that, anyway?"

"I don't know," Skye replied. "I really, honestly don't know. I was going in to talk to him about it, having finished crying my eyes out about it, but instead I found Ankara there and I never got the chance." She looked away, at the town she could see off to the west. "I miss him.... I hope he's all right...."

"Yes..." Bleu murmured.

Skye glanced over at her and smiled sadly. "We're pretty much in the same boat, or at least in similar ones, aren't we? Two women stranded in a strange world, worrying over the guys we love. At least with you, the only thing you have to worry about is his safety, if you know what I mean."

"Don't worry," Bleu said softly. "I'm sure we'll find our way out of here, or they'll find us. Lucca has that device, remember?"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Skye replied.

"What are you worried about?"

"What's going to happen to Setzer and I if we ever find each other? What will we do?" Skye looked ready to cry again. "I love him, I really do, but I'm not from his world. We're from two different worlds. And I don't know if he feels the same way about me that I do about him. He said he does, but he never actually said the words. We barely know each other, and yet I know I feel that way about him. I..." She shook her head. 'I'm just so confused. I don't know what to do."

"I don't have any advice to give you," Bleu replied. "I haven't a clue what you should do. Just do what you think is right for you, I guess. That's all I can really tell you."

Skye sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, I suppose. I have to make my own decisions. Right now I've decided that we are going to go up to that palace and go get some rest. You coming?"

"After you." They headed towards the caves that would warp them up.

When they entered Zeal Palace, Skye felt a chill go through her. There was an intangible atmosphere of something that creeped her out. Danger. Unlike other castles she had been in, like Pandora and Tasnica, everything was quiet. People spoke in hushed tones as they went about their business, casting wary, suspicious glances at the two strange travelers who entered.

"Welcome, travelers, to Zeal Palace," a guard greeted them as he walked towards them. "It is the center of Zeal Kingdom. Which makes it the center of the world."

"Hello," Skye replied. "We, ah, wish to see the Queen?" As she said this, she glanced at Bleu. She nodded. "We are merely passing through, and wish to be on good terms while we are here in her realm."

"Why, yes. This way." The guard led them to throne room. As they walked through the beautifully decorated and eerily quiet halls, Skye heard the faint strains of music playing. A deceptively lovely piece that increased her feeling of danger.

"Your Majesty? Visitors to see you." The Queen looked down at them from her position on her ornate throne. Standing next to the throne was her daughter Schala. On the other side was a tall man in a purple cloak that completely obscured his face. A few other men and women they didn't recognize were there also. Lastly, there was Dalton. Skye barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of him.

"Well, well." Queen Zeal regarded them with not a little suspicion. "Visitors, hmm? You may go now," she addressed the guard, who nodded and left.

"Your names?" she inquired.

"I am Princess Kirine of Syrille Kingdom," Skye replied. She pointed to Bleu. "This is Nightshade, my trusted retainer and friend." At this the older people there exchanged glances and gave Bleu some strange looks. "We are merely passing through your lovely kingdom on our way back to ours."

"And we're supposed to believe you?" Dalton snorted. "How do we know you're not troublemakers? According to the Prophet here, there are evildoers coming to this kingdom soon."

"This isn't them," the man in the purple cloak spoke up. "The evildoers I warned of are not here yet. I know these people not, but they seem to be what they say. However, I would warn you to be wary anyway."

"Very well, then." The Queen turned to him. "Prophet, what do you advise me to do with them?"

"Send them on their way and have them out of here as quickly as possible."

Skye scowled. "Who's this creep?" she whispered to Bleu.

"I believe you know him as Magus," Bleu whispered back wryly.

"Erm... never mind...." Skye swallowed. Bleu laughed softly.

"They appear to be all right to me," Schala said, peering at Bleu, who took a small step back out of the light. "Perhaps they could help us in some form?"

"How so?" the Queen asked skeptically.

"Your Majesty, Nightshade here is a sorceress of great power," Skye spoke up. "She has served my kingdom well for many years."

"Why doesn't she show her face?" a man inquired.

"She, she can't," Skye stammered. "She uh, was disfigured many years ago while defending the kingdom from an evil demon."

"A demon, huh?" The women giggled and exchanged knowing looks. The men rolled their eyes and sighed. Skye's face registered surprise and amusement. So, the rumor was here, too? Interesting.

"Yes, a... demon," Skye replied, trying not to laugh.

"Enough!" Queen Zeal snapped, looking irritated. She directed her attention to Bleu. "So, Nightshade, you are a sorceress, correct?"

"Yes," Bleu replied softly.

"Interesting." She looked over at Skye. "How long do you plan on staying here?"

"As long as you permit us, your Majesty," Skye replied. "We would like to stay a few days, possibly a week, for we are very tired from our long journey and need much rest, but that is up to you. It is your domain, after all."

"So it is." The Queen smiled, apparently liking what Skye had said. "You may stay as long as you like -- though I will put you to use."

"Pardon?" Skye asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nightshade, I have use of you on the Council as a temporary Guru. You will help with the construction of the Ocean Palace alongside myself, Schala, and the Prophet. Kirine, since Schala will be busy with the Palace, you will have to take care of her younger brother, Janus."

"I'm.... a babysitter?" Skye didn't look too pleased with that set-up.

"A care-taker," Queen Zeal corrected her. Skye wasn't fooled.

"But Mother, do you really think that's a good idea?" Schala protested. "Janus doesn't... I mean he... he only likes me taking care of him," she finished.

"Sounds like a little brat," Skye grumbled. "Oh goody."

Bleu smirked under her hood. "Now now," she whispered, "I'm sure it won't be that bad. Take good care of my future husband for me, will you?"

"Your future.... crap." Skye groaned. "I'm really putting my foot in my mouth today, aren't I?"

"It's okay," Bleu assured her. "You couldn't have known. And besides, it's a confusing, complicated story that you know little about, being from another world. So I understand." Skye smiled, relieved.

"Now," Queen Zeal spoke again, "you'll need rooms, won't you?"

That would be nice, Skye thought. She nodded. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Indeed. You are in luck -- there are two vacant apartments that you can use, right next to each other."

Skye smiled. "Thank you, your Majesty. We greatly appreciate your kindness."

"Indeed we do," Bleu said softly.

"Welcome, of course." The Queen called for a servant and directed her to show Skye and Bleu to their rooms.

"This is the first one," the maid announced as they walked into one of the apartments. "Which one of you will be staying here?"

"I will," Bleu replied in the soft, eerie voice she had adopted for this charade. Skye raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"It's been unoccupied for ten years," the maid continued, "but kept clean for visitors. We don't get many, though."

"What happened to the previous owner?" Skye inquired.

"She vanished mysteriously ten years ago. A respected sorceress and army commander."

"Interesting," Skye commented. "And the other room?"

"This way." The maid led her down the hall to the neighboring room. Bleu stayed behind a moment, looking around the room, then followed them.

"I like it," Skye said. "Very much." The servant nodded and left. When she was gone, Skye turned to Bleu.

"How come you just picked the other one?" she asked. "Not that I mind, it just struck me as rather odd."

"I don't know." Bleu shrugged. "It just seemed like the right room for me. Very odd. You really don't mind?"

"No, not at all." Skye sat down on the bed and sighed. "Sweet Mana, but I'm tired. What a day. And what a day tomorrow's going to be." She made a face. "Ugh. I am not good with kids."

"At least he's not a baby," Bleu replied. "Otherwise, you'd have to change diapers and see... well, what only I should see." She blushed and giggled slightly as she said it.

"Bleu!" Skye gasped, giggling. "Sweet Mana, and I thought I had a dirty mind!"

"We both do," Bleu laughed.

"Indeed," Skye said with a laugh. She yawned. "I'm going to bed. I'm too tired to even eat."

"Okay. Goodnight," Bleu said as she left the room.

Once back in her room, Bleu sat down on her bed. She pulled her hood off, shaking her long dark hair free. Brushing some of it away from her face, she looked around the room. There was something very odd about this room that had drawn her to it. Passing it off as paranoia, she laid down and drifted off to sleep.

Schala rapped on Skye's door the next morning. "Kirine? Kirine?" she called softly.

"What?" Skye said groggily. "Who.... is it?" she amended quickly, hiding the fact that she had momentarily forgotten what she was going by here.

"It's Schala," the young princess replied. "It's time to wake up and begin your job."

"What time is it?" Skye asked sleepily.

"Seven."

Skye winced. She hadn't gotten up this early since she was in training for the Scorpion Army. "Be right there," she said with a yawn. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she smoothed her hair down and changed into her spare clothes.

"I should warn you," Schala said as they walked down the hall. "Janus can be.... well, he's sometimes a bit.... abrasive."

A real brat, huh? Skye smiled weakly. "I think I can handle him.... uh, it, uh..." Skye winced, remembering her conversation with Bleu the previous night. Schala looked at her strangely, then opened the door to her brother's room.

The minute she did, a purple cat raced past them. Janus followed, calling the cat. A moment later, he returned, carrying the wriggling cat in his arms. Schala rolled her eyes and followed him in, shutting the door behind Skye.

Setting the cat down, Janus looked up at Skye. "Who's this?" he asked disdainfully. Skye glared at him.

"This is Kirine," Schala replied. "She's a traveler who will be staying in Zeal for a few days."

"What's that got to do with me? I don't want to meet any weird travelers, if that's the only reason she's in here."

"No, Janus," Schala said patiently, "that's not the only reason she's in here. She's going to be taking care of you while she's here."

"What? What about you? I don't want to hang around some weird stranger."

"I'm going to be busy, Janus. Mother needs me for the Ocean Palace."

Janus's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Ocean Palace. "But... I thought you were going to take me to the library in Enhasa today."

"You can go with Kirine. No protests, Janus. There's nothing that can be done. I'll see you later today." Schala left the room.

Janus glared at Skye. "You do know, don't you, that you can't just boss me around? Since I'm royalty and all."

"So am I," Skye replied with a crafty smile, suddenly very glad she had added being royalty to the lie she was living here.

"Oh?" He looked like he didn't really believe her. "Fascinating."

Skye sighed. "Look. I'm about half as thrilled as you are about this arrangement. So why don't we just go do what you want to do, and at least try to get along for our own sanity's sake? We're not going to get anything out of constantly being at each other's throats, so let's have a truce. Okay?"

"Whatever." Janus sniffed disdainfully. "Let's just go have breakfast and then go to the library."

"Fine."

After breakfast, they traveled to Enhasa and spent a quiet morning in the library. After eating lunch, they started back to the Palace. That's when it happened.

"Hello."

Skye whirled to see Ankara standing there, a deceptively kind, cold smile on her face. "You seem to be settling in nicely, I'd say."

"Who's this weirdo?" Janus asked.

"Janus, go back inside. Now."

"But --"

"I said now! Go! I mean it." She gave him a look that told him she meant business. Nodding, he went back inside Enhasa.

"What was that all about?" Ankara asked, genuinely confused.

Skye smiled tightly. "Let's just say that if he heard us talking, it would disrupt and destroy some things. Now, suppose you tell me what you're doing here?"

Ankara shrugged. "I'm merely paying you a friendly visit, to see how you are. Is something wrong with that?" She wore a mock-innocent smirk on her face.

"Of course there is!" Skye snapped angrily. "You're the one that trapped me and Bleu here!"

Ankara rose an eyebrow. "Bleu's here, too? Interesting...."

Skye frowned. "What's so interesting about that?" she asked, confused.

"You'll see." Ankara smiled mysteriously. "You will all see in time." She looked around, admiring the lovely surroundings. "Such a beautiful kingdom. Too bad it had to be destroyed. Well, it would have been destroyed earlier if not for..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

"If not for what?" Skye said impatiently. "Finish your sentence!"

"Not in the mood." Ankara shrugged. "Besides, it doesn't concern you. But it does concern...." She trailed off again, smiling. "Shouldn't say that. Best to let the truth reveal itself in its own time." She shrugged again. "So, how are you enjoying your new home?"

"What makes you think I'm staying here?" Skye replied defiantly.

"I don't think so." Ankara smiled cruelly. "I know so. You're stuck here for the rest of your miserable life. And there's nothing you can do about it." She laughed softly, coldly. "You all were such fools. You thought you knew what I was doing, what was going on. And when someone thinks that about me, about my plans, that means that they obviously don't have a clue. I'm far more subtle, more patient, than that. Than going the obvious route.

"I'm immortal. I have all the time in the world. I can wait. I don't care when my plans succeed, as long as they eventually do."

"That's crazy." Skye stared at her, horrified by her calm, matter-of-fact attitude.

Ankara shrugged. "Perhaps. But I'm not. Insanity is a tool of mine, but not mine in the sense of the user being insane. I know very well the difference between good and evil. I am quite capable of choosing either. I simply choose the latter." She yawned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some sleep to catch up on. Plotting an interdimensional takeover is so tiring. Be seeing you." Ankara vanished in her trademark blue smoke. With a shiver that had zip to do with the temperature, Skye walked back to Enhasa to get Janus.

As she entered the small town, she saw Crono, Ayla, and Marle walking just ahead of her. With a small gasp, she ducked out of sight of them. She watched as they ran into Janus, who said something about a black wind and someone perishing, then walked on by them.

"What are you doing skulking around back here?" he asked suspiciously as he found her.

"I'm just looking around, that's all," Skye lied. "Come on, let's go back to the palace."

"What was that all about with that strange woman?" he inquired as they headed back.

"Oh, she's just someone I don't like very much. Never mind it. It doesn't concern you." Skye frowned as she said it. Ankara had said something similar. What had she been hinting around at? It didn't make any sense.

"So how was your day?" Bleu asked later.

"Fine. I did almost have a run-in with some of your friends in Enhasa, though, and that sadist Ankara paid me a visit as well. Yours?"

"Mostly fine. I was on edge because of the disguise, and then after lunch those friends of mine came in and got into trouble with the Queen." She sighed. "I know what that means."

"What? What's it mean?"

"It means that in a couple days this place is going down -- us with it."

Skye paled. "You're kidding, right?"

"Unfortunately, no. We're going to have to devise some sort of plan to save ourselves."

Skye gulped. "Great. Not only are we stuck in a time and place other than our own, but it's one with a disaster we got here just in time -- no pun intended -- for."

"Relax," Bleu replied. "I know just what we're going to do."

"You do?"

"Yes. Sometime tomorrow, a mountain on the continent below will be destroyed. When that happens, Nightshade and Princess Kirine will be heading back to their kingdom."

"Uh, Bleu? That was a total lie. We don't have a kingdom to go back to."

"Of course not. We'll be heading to a safe place on the Terra Continent to wait out the disaster."

Skye sighed. "Good. I want to make it out of here alive, so that I can go trounce Ankara and see Setzer. I want to at least say goodbye to him." Her gaze dropped to the floor and she looked sad.

"You made a decision?" Bleu asked quietly.

"Yes. The only one I can. I have to give him up -- there's no way around it. We're from two different worlds. I can't go live in his and he can't go live in mine." She sighed. "I suppose I knew from the start that this would happen. Pure wishful thinking that drove me to think it could work. I shouldn't even have tried."

Bleu sighed. "I wish I knew something to say to comfort you, but I don't."

"That's because there's nothing TO say. There are no words that can make this hurt any less. I'll just have to be strong and say goodbye, and be happy for what little time we did have." She smiled sadly. "At least I have that. I can be happy when I think of him, because we were happy, and nothing ever ruined that, it was just an impossible relationship because of our different worlds. It's small comfort, but at least it's some."

Bleu didn't smile back; she seemed to be thinking about something.

"What?" Skye asked curiously. "What is it?"

Bleu shook her head. "Oh, it's.... I was just thinking about Magus and I. I have no idea what we're going to do."

"About what?"

"We're from different eras. He seems to be willing to stay in my time, but I can tell he'd rather go back to his own. Schala, too, seems to want to return to it."

"And you?" Skye looked at her carefully. "You don't want to?"

"Well... it would be strange to leave my time. But I'm willing to do it." She blushed. "Leave my time, that is. I...."

Skye giggled. "You should heard me earlier today. I told Schala that I was sure I could handle Janus." She winked at Bleu. "Of course, that's your job."

Bleu stared at her, open-mouthed. "That... that's EVIL!" she gasped, giggling.

"Indeed," Skye giggled. "Very."

"We seem to have really warped ourselves with that conversation last night," Bleu commented, still laughing.