Final Judgement Chapter 2

By Cloud Strife

De'ja vu is a mysterious thing. For those of you who don't know, de'ja vu is when you feel as if you have experienced a certain moment before. It can happen to anyone, But some people seem to experience it more than others. You can be just walking along the side of the road, and suddenly, you know that a red convertible will pass and beep it's horn at you. That is what de'ja vu feels like.

Scientists speculate that this phenomenon occurs when you mind confuses the past with the present. Some people say that it is a change in fate, at least for those who are fatalistic. But others believe that people are sometimes given second chances. It's as if an unknown power, controls the flow of time, and allows people to change mistakes. There are many explanations for de'ja vu, But nobody knows what it is for sure.

* * *

"I don’t know what you’re talking about..." said Marle. "Everything feels as if its in the right place. You’re sorta scaring me, Crono. Maybe you should just lighten up and relax."

"How can I relax?" protested Crono, "Every few seconds I’m being thrown to another-"

Flash!

Ok... Large hall... Lots of people... Stained glass windows...

Crono was trying to figure out where he was now. He was in a large room, with crowds of whispering people on the sides. Stained glass windows allowed colored sunlight to stream through the back of the room.

The trial.

A man in a cheap looking suit stood in front of him. He was talking to Crono, but he wasn’t listening. He was too busy observing the room.

"...We have nothing to hide." said the man. "Bring out the witness."

...Not this again...

Crono slapped his forehead. He knew almost every line in the scene. He drifted into a sleepless daydream at his podium. The voices seemed to roll in and out of Crono’s mind.

"This nice man... He brought me my kitty. Thank you for being so kind!"

"How about that? Doesn’t he deserve a medal?"

"...I saw him. He went right for the pendant before he helped her up!"

"He ate my lunch right off the table!"

"Jury... make your final decision."

"Guilty."

"Not guilty."

"Guilty."

"Not guilty."

"Not guilty."

"Not guilty."

"Guilty."

Some booing and hissing was heard. A sharp clanging sound silenced it. "The final verdict is... not guilty. But even if he didn’t kidnap her, he did run off with her. Three days solitary confinement as punishment."

Crono’s trance was broken as he felt the guard shove him out of the room. He suddenly remembered what would happen to him next.

Damn... Please don’t make me go through this again...

Flash!

"Oh, thank GOD!" Crono said out loud when he realized he wouldn’t have to go through the torture in Guardia castle again. Marle and Lucca turned and looked at him, confused. Crono looked around and tried to figure out where he was. It didn’t take long. There was a thick gray smoke rolling around inside the room, filled with rusted and broken objects. Lucca sat at a transparent object, with several blinking lights and buttons on it. The glass was projecting some sort of image.

"What’s wrong, Crono?" asked Lucca, her attention distracted from the object.

"You’re doing it again." warned Marle. "Quit creeping me out!"

"Sorry..." said Crono.

The future... So this is where it all started. ....Or where it starts? Why can’t I-

"Crono!" Lucca shouted. "Quit staring into space and pay attention!"

"Shut up!" Crono snapped, "I need some time to think!" he ran out of the room, not knowing where he’d end up. He passed assorted signs of futuristic presence, all wasted away because of the "accident." Crono stopped. He sat down on the metal floor and started to shake.

What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I control anything?

Crono looked up and saw Marle running out of the thick smoke and sat down next to him.

"Are you ok?" she asked calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You’ve been real tense ever since we came back from the Middle Ages..."

Crono jumped up and shouted, "No! Nothing’s ok! What the hell is going on here?!" Marle stayed calm and glanced at him with a confused, but concerned look.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about..." she responded.

"Of course not! I’m the only one experiencing this! What the hell should I do?!"

"..." Marle didn’t answer. Crono stared at her for a second. She looked up and Crono and responded in a deep, unnatural voice:

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD LET TIME RUN ITS COURSE."

Crono scrambled to his feet and jumped back. His blood ran cold at the sound of it. "Wh.." he stammered, "What did you say?"

"YOUR FINAL JUDGMENT IS NOT FAR AWAY."

Flash!

.

Return To CT Fanfic