Of Men and Women
By: Lilly Blitz
Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger, or it's characters. That's all I'm saying...
How stupid can they be?
Flea adjusted her gloves. It was a habit she picked up a long time ago. She did that whenever she was bored, and boy, was she bored.
It had been a few weeks since the last raid on the Human villages. It had been a small success and the whole of the army was waiting for new orders.
That fat, green idiot of an imp. Why can't Ozzie see that the longer we wait, the stronger the Human army will become.
She, being a general of the Mystic Army, was tortured by the thought of the superior Mystic race, falling prey to the weak Humans.
She chuckled. "Like that would ever happen."
No. It wasn't the Humans that she was thinking about. It was her fellow Mystics that were bothering her. She was a strong warrior and a powerful sorceress, but everyone thought she was...
"A man. How can they buy that garbage?" she growled to herself. Flea stood in front of a mirror, giving her reflection a hard look. There in the mirror was a beautiful teenage girl with deep brown eyes and long, red hair, braided in the back. "How can they not think that I am a female?"
She knew the answer, of course. She told them she was a man. The day she entered the fortress was the day she began to pretend that she was male. She told Ozzie that her feminine looks were only a ruse to make Human males fall into her traps. Ozzie, being as stupid as he usually was, believed her and she rose in the ranks. She was shocked, however, that the other Mystics believed the story. She didn't mind it most of the time, but lately, it was annoying her more than usual.
"And you know why too, don't you?" she whispered to her reflection. "It's because of him. It's because you love him, isn't it?"
Love. It was an emotion that she was not supposed to feel. But the feeling was strong. So strong, she couldn't help it.
The man was Ozzie's pupil. A powerful Mystic that had more magic in his little finger than Ozzie had in his whole body. His name was Magus. Flea didn't know how Ozzie found him, or how long Magus was kept in isolation. All she knew was that she fell for him the first time she saw him.
It was not that long ago. She was in the training area, practising a new fire spell, when she heard voices. They were behind the door and trying to be very quiet. She moved toward the door, wanting to hear.
"Yes, it's about time."
"Oh come now. If they found out about you too soon, my plan would've been ruined."
"You better come up with a better excuse than that for keeping me locked in that room. I should blast you where you stand."
Flea frowned slightly. Who was that? She opened the door as quietly as she could and took a quick peek. One was Ozzie, the over weight leader of the Mystics. Flea looked at the other one and gasped.
He was the handsomest man Flea had ever seen. His well-toned muscles made his figure stunning. The long blue hair matched perfectly with his ghost-white skin. She couldn't see his face, it was turned. Flea stared for a long time. Who is this man? What does he want? How does Ozzie know him? Flea could feel her heart beating against her chest. She moved slightly, hoping to get a better look. Unfortunately, her hand slipped and the door moved, causing a squeak.
Both Ozzie and the man turned toward her. The newcomer's face was sharp and very thin. He frowned at her, his blood-red eyes bearing into her. Ozzie, on the other hand, smiled.
"Ah, Flea. Training, I suppose?"
Flea nodded curtly. She never really showed respect to Ozzie.
Ozzie turned to the man. "This is Flea. He is our best magician, well trained in the art of magic."
The man looked at Flea again. "He?" the man said. His voice was quite low and sharp. He turned to Ozzie, scowling. "What kind of idiot do you take me for? That is a girl."
Ozzie shook his head, grinning. "Ahh, he only looks like a girl. Flea looks like that only to fool Human soldiers."
The man looked hard at Flea. "Really." He sounded amused.
Ozzie nodded his head. "Yes. The first time I met Flea, I thought he was a female too. You aren't the first one, Magus."
Magus. So his name was Magus. Flea knew the name meant 'great magic' in the Mystic language. Flea smiled. So he was a magic user like herself. Perhaps he would need her assistance.
Ozzie turned to Flea once more. "Well. Continue on Flea."
Both Ozzie and Magus walked off. Flea couldn't help but stare after Magus. A small smile crept up on her face.
Flea continued to stare in the mirror. She sighed sadly. Magus would never notice her. She hadn't even seen Magus since than.
Thud!
Flea turned around, startled. Someone was rapping on her door.
"Hey Flea! Ozzie wants to have a word with us!"
Flea groaned. It was Slash, Ozzie's other general. He was the only Mystic of his kind, he looked half human and half fish. His blue skin would shimmer slightly in the sunlight. Slash was almost as big an idiot as Ozzie. Moreover, he was disgusting, always talking about the Humans he slaughtered and exactly how he did it.
Flea sighed. "What does he want?"
"How the hell should I know? He just told me to get you and come back fast. Now move it!"
Flea cursed under her breath. She hated it when Slash ordered her about.
"All right, all right!" Flea yelled. "I'm coming."
Flea took one last look in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she set out, ready for whatever Ozzie had to say.
Flea was walking down the corridor with Slash in tow. He was busy babbling about some bloody fight him and his troops were recently in. Flea was not listening. She was busy thinking.
I wonder what Ozzie wants. Maybe we're going to attack the Humans!
Flea grinned in spite of herself. She enjoyed battles and fighting. A battle would be just what she needed right now.
Slash was still talking. Oh for crying out loud, can't he shut up!
Flea, at one time, had wanted to tell someone that she was really female. At first, she wanted to tell Slash. But as she got to know him better, the idea disappeared.
She knew what Slash did to females, Mystic or Human. The only difference was that the Mystics lived afterwards. What the demented swordsman did with them during the night was too disgusting to imagine. Flea shivered just thinking about it.
Slash looked at her. "You okay?"
"Hmmmm...?" she replied. "Oh yeah! Just a slight breeze."
Slash looked confused. "I didn't feel anything."
Flea stopped listening. She often wondered how Slash became a general in the first place. He was only good with swords. Flea believed that Slash didn't know an ounce of magic, save his levitation ability.
Flea sighed. It didn't really matter anymore. She didn't care about Slash, Ozzie or the other Mystics. The only thing she thought about was the man of her dreams.
Her heart just stirred at the mere thought of him. And a sudden smile appeared on her face.
Maybe Magus will be there.
The throne room was nothing special. There was just a chair in the room, nothing else. The windows were always closed and there were only a handful of torches.
Fine by me. I hate the light anyway.
All Mystics hated the light. There were many reasons. Manly it was because most Mystics could not stand harsh light in their eyes. Others, just because they didn't like the sun and anything to do with it. And others just hated anything cheerful in the slightest. Flea didn't know the exact reason she hated the light, she just did.
Trying to contain her thoughts, she looked around the room for the others. Slash was, of course, standing beside her, the ever present smirk on his face. Ozzie, in all his bloated glory, was standing in front of the throne, his white robes hanging loosely off him. Flea grinned. She wondered how much material it took to cover the enormously fat leader. And standing beside Ozzie, to Flea's great pleasure, was Magus.
The newest Mystic looked more handsome then Flea remembered. And surprisingly, there was a small satisfied smile on his lips. On the other hand, Ozzie looked very annoyed and upset about something.
Flea glanced at Slash. Had he met Magus?
Slash looked from Ozzie to Magus. "Hey Ozzie? What did you call us for?" He jerked his thumb at Magus. "And what's your student doing here? Isn't this a little too adult for him?"
Flea sighed. Apparently they had met.
Magus turned his attention to Slash. Amazingly, he was still smiling.
"I wouldn't say such things if I were you, Slash. After all, I am the new leader of the Mystics."
It took a minute for the whole of that statement to sink in.
Magus, the new leader?
Flea was torn between being shocked and joyous. Shock, because she didn't think it was possible for someone to replace Ozzie while he was alive. Joyous, because this might be the chance for the Mystics to deal the deathblow to the Humans. Also, because of her feelings. To put it simply, Flea was delighted
Slash did not share her feelings.
"You've GOT to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. "You? The new leader? IMPOSSIBLE!"
Ozzie sneered very slightly, obviously sharing his feelings. Magus continued to smile.
"If you don't like it, you can always leave."
Flea could tell by the look on Slash's face that he was sourly tempted to do so.
Ozzie stepped forward, frowning. "No point arguing about it now."
Flea could sense something wrong in Ozzie's voice. She suddenly felt sorry for the fat fool. It was weird. She never felt sorry for anyone, especially not Ozzie
The smile faded from Magus' face. "All three of you, leave. I need to be alone."
Flea and Ozzie both bowed slowly. Slash was more reluctant, MUCH more reluctant. He barely inclined his neck, then stormed off.
Sighing happily, Flea followed.
It didn't take long for Flea to find Slash. He was busy slashing at a statue of armour.
"Upset, Slash?" Flea inquired in a sweet voice.
Slash turned and pointed the sword at Flea's neck.
"Don't talk to me Flea," he warned. He walked off.
Flea smiled, deciding to follow Slash some more.
"What's wrong dear?" Flea cooed. "A little angry at Magus?"
Slash whipped around. If looks could kill, Flea would've been a lifeless heap on the floor.
"I'm not one of those stupid Humans Flea! So quit acting like a female!" Slash thundered. "I don't need your goddamn comfort!"
Flea grinned a little. Good, I'm getting to him.
"And why don't you?" she purred. "I think you definitely need it." She allowed a small giggle, which made Slash shudder. She knew he hated it when she acted feminine. Oh, if only he knew!
She continued. "I thought you'd be happy that Ozzie was no longer our leader."
"And I am. But that fool Magus is too inexperienced to be leader!" Slash snarled. "Someone else should be the leader. Someone with experience, someone with skill, someone..."
"...like you?" Flea finished. She laughed. "Oh please. You don't have the intelligence or the patience. You would lead the Mystics to ruin."
"As would you." Slash retorted.
"I didn't say I wanted to be the leader. I'd do just as bad as you. The difference is I can admit that I'd be a horrible leader, you can't." Flea smiled.
"Oh, just leave me alone. Go and do whatever it is you do," Slash groaned. With that said, he disappeared.
Flea continued to smile. Things will be going our way for a change. We will defeat the Humans and take over as the rightful rulers of this planet. And maybe, just maybe, Magus, no Sir Magus, will notice me.
But Magus did not notice her. At least, not the way she wanted to be noticed. It had been over ten years. Ten stinking years and the war was still raging on. Flea had been so sure that the Mystics would've won by now. Magus was a good leader, no doubt about it, but he was always preoccupied with something else. Something bigger.
She snickered to herself. Ah, well, who am I to criticize Sir Magus.
The Mystics WERE winning though. The Human army was badly crippled, the villagers were scared stiff of the Mystics and the Humans' favourite hero, Cyrus of the Square Table was dead. He was killed by Magus himself, and his squire was turned into a frog!
Maybe the Humans killed the boy, thinking him to be one of us. Flea thought gleefully. Now wouldn't that be rich.
On top of that, the Mystics had kidnapped Queen Leene, the current monarch of Guardia, and paid Yakra to watch her.
"Things can't get much better then this!" Flea laughed.
Flea was doing quite well. In fact, so were the other two generals. Slash, who at first despised Magus, was having the time of his life. He had all the victims he could kill, whether it be knights in battle or the young women he was with briefly.
Even the former leader had regained a fraction of his lost glory. Ozzie, never taking part in battle, gave orders from afar. She hated to admit it, but there was a reason why Ozzie made a fairly good leader.
Flea was once again standing in front of her mirror, looking at her reflection. She had changed. Her body grew from a teenage girl into that of a young woman. The only noticeable change, though, was that her skin was a little paler, but other than that, she looked the same as did ten years ago. Flea stared at her reflection, and would have continued to stare, except that someone was knocking at the door.
BANG!
Flea didn't jump. She merely turned toward the door. "What?" she called in bored tones.
"G-general Flea? L-lord Magus w-wants a word w-with you," the voice stammered. Obviously a lowly soldier.
Mentally, Flea gave a cry of joy. Magus wanted to talk to her. Maybe she could tell him how she felt for the last ten years. Forcing a sigh, she replied with a stiff, "Fine."
Gotta keep up appearances.
She exited her room, totally ignoring the small imp that had brought the message, and floated off.
She smirked. So very, very soon, Magus would be hers.
Flea entered the throne room and there, sitting on the chair was Magus. He hadn't changed much either. He still looked the same and his personality was still quite vile. In his right hand he held a wickedly curved scythe. Looking at the weapon alone was enough to send chills down a person's spine, but to see the Mystic wield it in battle, that was something else. His eyes were shut. He was obviously concentrating. And he hated to be disturbed while concentrating.
Flea cleared her thought nervously. "Uh, sir? You wanted to see me?"
Magus' eyes snapped open. For a moment, there was fire in his eyes as he glared at the intruder who disturbed his thoughts. Flea recoiled slightly. Magus was not a person you wanted to cross.
When he recognized her, the smoldering look disappeared. "Yes, yes. It's about time you showed."
Flea bowed. "Forgive me, my lord. I would have hurried if..."
"Silence!" Magus roared. The quiet that followed was distressing.
Magus gave Flea a hard stare. "You are in charge of the attack at Zenan Bridge, correct."
"Not really sir," Flea stuttered. "I'm only in charge of rallying the troops. Ozzie's in charge of leading the attack."
Magus nodded. "And how are the troops coming along?"
Flea stared, unable to speak. Magus never cared about the rallying or training of the troops, he only cared about the attack itself. Maybe Magus wasn't feeling well?
"Flea, answer the question," Magus said in a dangerously low voice.
Flea pulled herself from her thoughts. "The troops are fine. They should be ready in two days."
"Good," Magus replied. "I want everything ready once those Humans rebuild the bridge. Continue on."
Flea nodded and with a quick bow, took off. That was too close.
Just as Flea reached for the handle of the door, the two doors burst open. Slash stormed in, scowling. Flea couldn't help but wonder what went wrong.
"Slash, is there a reason why you have barged in here?" Magus asked.
Slash nodded, grimacing. "The Queen is back at the palace."
"Excuse me?" Magus demanded. "Did I hear what I thought I heard? Did you say that someone rescued the Queen?"
Slash swallowed hard. "Yes sir. Three youths walked into the cathedral, in search of the Queen. They killed many of our troops in the process."
"And Yakra?"
Slash lowered his head in shame. "Dead. Killed by those brats."
Magus sat there, his face expressionless. "That was your charge, wasn't it?"
Slash nodded.
"You will be punished at a later date. Now leave."
Slash bowed and turned away to leave, Flea following.
"Well, you did it now."
Slash growled as Flea stepped in front of him.
"Sir Magus isn't very pleased with you." Flea smiled. She enjoyed watching him suffer.
But Slash was in no mood for her and her taunts. He grabbed Flea by the collar of her shirt and pulled her so close that their faces nearly touched.
"One of these days, you'll get what's coming to you. And when that happens, I'll be there. Laughing."
He let go of Flea and stalked off. Flea just dusted herself off and smiled.
"Not likely, dear," Flea said coolly.
It was a few days later. The attack on Zenan Bridge was well under way. Ozzie was leading the attack. While not very strong, he was great at battle tactics. Probably why Magus choose him to lead the attack. The weather was horrible. It was raining cats and dogs, with thunder and lightning every so often.
Flea was smiling happily. She loved rain. She wished it would never stop. It was one of the few things that both Flea and Slash enjoyed. So there she was, walking down the corridor with a Mystic that, on any other day, she would fight and argue with.
"Oh, it's lovely, isn't it? Only on truly beautiful days like this will I even attempt to tolerate you," Flea remarked, smiling up at Slash, who was a good foot taller than herself.
Slash smiled at her, and it wasn't one of his sarcastic ones either. It was a genuine smile. It almost made Slash look handsome.
"I feel the same. But, you know, today would be perfect if I was with a young female Mystic."
He looked at Flea as he said this. Flea began to sweat. Did he guess the truth?
Slash suddenly grinned. "Guess I'll have to spend it with a female look alike."
Flea laughed hard. She was more relieved than anything. That was close!
Slash had been chuckling. Now he was laughing as hard as Flea. In fact, both of them were on the ground, trying to control themselves. A few imps walked past giving the pair a weird look.
Flea wiped the tears from her face. She was panting, trying to stop. She looked at Slash. It was like they never fought at all. It was easy to forget the threat that Slash had said a few days ago. She pressed her hand against the side of the wall and slowly eased herself up.
"Hey Slash," Flea said suddenly. "What DID Magus do to you?"
Slash stretched and slowly got up as well. "You mean, for failing my charge?"
Flea nodded.
Slash drew back the sleeve of his shirt. He held out his arm to show her. There was a long scar on his arm, but unlike normal scars, it was green.
"Magus dampened the tip of his scythe with poison. That's why the scar is green," Slash explained
"Oh." Flea responded quietly. She looked at it for a second. "Did it hurt?"
"Not really," Slash said, grimacing. "The initial slash didn't hurt, but the poison took effect soon, so I was running around, trying to find an antidote."
"Wow. That must suck," Flea replied with real sympathy.
Slash sighed. "Flea."
"What?"
"Is this the only time we can forget about hating each other? When it's raining bullets?" Slash asked.
Flea thought for a moment. "Yep," she said grinning.
"Just checking," Slash replied, returning the grin.
BOOM!
The front doors of the castle flew open. There, floating through the doors was the fat one himself.
Ozzie used magic to slam the doors shut. Then he turned to face his companions. He was dripping wet from head to toe. And he had a very nasty look on his face.
"I'm guessing you lost," Slash observed. Flea just looked at Ozzie.
Ozzie just glared for a second, then groaned, "Magus is going to get me for this!"
He floated past Slash, but stopped and leered when he reached Flea. "At least I won't be alone."
Smiling nastily, Ozzie continued on his way. Flea knew what Ozzie was talking about. The troops were her responsibility. The love of her life was going to let her have it!
She swerved around to look at Slash. He was laughing viciously at her.
"Didn't I say when you got yours, I would be there, laughing?"
Flea sighed inwardly. Things are back to normal.
She glared at Slash. "Shut up, you lump of shit!"
Flea groaned. She was really enjoying this torture. She just loved hanging upside-down, disguised as a bat, waiting for humans.
Man, this sucks!
True, she wasn't punished as hard as Ozzie was, but now that she thought about it, she would've gladly taken a beating.
She was watching for the Humans who had saved the Zenan Bridge. Astonishingly enough, these were the same Humans who defeated Yakra at the cathedral. There was even a rumour going around that these group of Humans had found the Masamune, the only thing that could harm Magus.
Magus had sent her to watch the cave entrance on the Human side. A spy had said that the Humans were coming for Magus. Even if Magus hadn't asked her, she probably would have done something anyway.
No one will hurt Magus.
She was just thinking of stretching her wings when three people entered the cave. One was a young teenage boy with spiky red hair and a long katana in his hands. He gestured to the other two to follow. The one that followed was a young girl with her blond hair tied into a ponytail. She held a crossbow in her hands, scouting for danger. The last person was... Flea blinked her bat eyes, making sure she was seeing what the last person was... a giant frog.
Could that be Cyrus' friend, um, uh, what was his name again... OH YEAH! Glenn! Flea flew after them as they passed. She had to make sure.
The frog pulled out a huge broadsword. The light that shone from the blade blinded Flea and made her nervous. It was the ancient blade, the Masamune.
So it is Glenn.
She continued to follow them. Only one thought ran through her head the whole time.
I have to kill them. I must protect Magus.
Flea payed very little attention to what was happening around her. She had followed them inside the fortress and ignored Ozzie when he threatened the humans. She did pay attention, however, when they entered her chamber.
All the chamber had was a small throne. It was very small, but it would give her enough fighting room. She grinned to herself as the Humans destroyed the fake copy of herself, a Juggler. It pleased her that the monster at least drained the girl's magic before it died.
The frog stepped forward and frowned. "Wait a minute! That wasn't Flea! Where's the real Flea?"
Show time.
She laughed aloud. The humans looked in her general direction. "Here. Over here."
She flew down toward her throne and transformed from a bat to a beautiful Mystic female. She smiled nastily at the frog. "Giving up, little tadpole?"
The blond-haired girl approached Flea cautiously. "Who is THAT?" she exclaimed.
The frog brought up the Masamune. "This is no ordinary woman. Meet Flea, the magician."
She knew that not only Magus was watching, but the others as well. The charade must go on.
She pretended to be outraged. "What the! Hey! I'm a guy."
The red-haired boy stared at Flea with shock. "No way."
"She's got to be a girl!" the blond shrieked.
Flea twirled her braided hair around her finger. "Male, female, what's the difference? Power is beautiful and I've got the power."
Flea laughed. "Poor little froggy! You've turned into a monster, how dreadful!" She grinned. "But since you've brought your new friends over to play..."
She tossed back her cape, revealing a scythe, very much like Magus'. She cast an illusional spell to make it seem like they were fighting in space. She poised her scythe at the Humans, the Humans who would hurt her beloved.
"I'll show you all a good time!"
Before any of the Humans could make a move, Flea came down, slashing the frog on the arm. The frog snarled and countered by swinging the Masamune.
Flea cried in pain. She didn't think the sword would hurt that much. Flea turned to the young girl, who was busy searching through her bag. Flea knocked the frog away, then charged toward the blond.
Before Flea even got close, she was struck by a lightning bolt. She blinked. That didn't even tickle. She looked at the red-haired boy, who looked stunned that his attack didn't work.
"Your magic can't hurt me!" she yelled gleefully. She blew a kiss, which turned into a heart of flames. It struck, enveloping him in fire. The boy cried out in pain.
"Crono!" the blond screamed, aiming her crossbow at Flea. Flea easily dodged the arrows, and used her fire attack. It didn't do as much damage to the girl as Flea hoped. Before she knew it, both the boy and the frog had charged toward her, striking her at the same time. She cried out in surprise, rather than pain. These Humans were annoying!
They gathered together forming a defensive ring around the blonde-haired girl. The girl drank the potion that she had been searching for. Flea guessed it would restore her magic. Flea suddenly grinned mischievously.
She stared directly into the eyes the boy Crono. She used her mind spell to twist his every thought to do her bidding.
Kill them.
Crono nodded and suddenly began to slash at the frog. The young girl screamed to her friend to stop. The boy didn't hear her. He just continued his mindless massacre. Flea laughed. This was almost too easy.
She closed her eyes, wanting to savour her victory. Magus would see how strong she truly was. He would be King and she would be his Queen.
She opened her eyes, only to see that the frog had disappeared. Too late. She looked up and saw the sword coming down to pierce her.
By mere chance, she moved just in time. The blade only hit her shoulder. But it was more then enough to break her mind spell. Crono advanced toward Flea, sword raised. The girl cast an ice spell on the sword and he leaped. And Flea knew, she had lost.
The sword ripped her body horribly, yet she did not scream or cry in pain. She merely closed her eyes and fell to the ground. She could feel herself dying. There was no stopping it.
Before the darkness could totally overcome her, she muttered one thing:
"Forgive me, Magus."
All she could see was black. Fine by her. She hated the light. She loved the darkness. Besides, she was dead, so who really cared.
But was she dead? She could feel needles pricking at her body. It was really painful. Wait! The dead could not feel pain
"Stop it," she muttered. It didn't stop. The pain increased, as did the amount of needles.
"Stop it," she said in a stronger voice. She was getting mad. She didn't like the pain. She could feel her hands clenching. The pain intensified tenfold.
"STOP IT!"
She reached and grabbed the nearest thing and held it tight. She wanted the thing dead. She opened her eyes and saw that she was holding a Hench by the throat. He had several needles in his hand.
"S-sorry General! P-please let go of me! I b-beg you!"
Flea dropped the Hench and it scurried off, afraid to be harmed by the general.
Flea moaned. Her body was stiff. She stretched her neck slightly to the side, but even doing that was extremely painful.
"Back among the living, I see."
Flea turned to the speaker. It was none other than Ozzie himself, grinning from ear-to-ear. And right beside him was Slash, with his arm in a cast and sling, and his head bandaged. He wasn't grinning.
Flea tried to sit up, but the pain was unbearable. Crying out, she collapsed on the cot. Ozzie placed his claw on her shoulder to keep her down.
"Steady, boy," Ozzie remarked, still grinning. "You're lucky to be alive after that attack."
"Attack?" Flea asked, confused. She thought for a moment. Then it all came back to her. "You mean the attack by the Humans?"
"The very same," Ozzie agreed. "Both you and Slash suffered major injuries by those Humans." He looked sternly at her. "I think you need to rest for a while."
For once, Flea did not argue with him. She relaxed and the pain decreased. She looked at Ozzie. "How come YOU don't have any injuries. Didn't you fight the Humans?"
Ozzie coughed, but before he could say anything, Slash intervened.
"He led the Humans on a merry chase. Then he tried to catch the Humans in one of his traps." Slash smirked. "Only he got caught himself. Fell through a hole in the floor. Good thing he remembered he could float."
Flea chuckled softly. She really should've known. She closed her eyes, wanting to sleep, but something nagged at her.
She opened her eyes and grabbed Ozzie's hand. "Where's Sir Magus?"
A dark look was exchanged between Ozzie and Slash. Flea was puzzled. What had happened? Before she could ask, Ozzie started to explain.
"After the Humans defeated me, they went down to the room where Magus was praying for that creature Lavos, or something." He shook his head. "Anyway, after I had managed to get back to the top floor, I heard them fighting. They were down there for a while. Then suddenly, the fighting stopped. When Magus didn't come back up, I went down there to check. No one was there. Magus, along with the brats had disappeared, so the only conclusion must be..."
"...Was that he joined the Humans!" Slash finished, seething with anger. "I never liked that jackass. Never trusted him either. I guess I was right all along."
Flea couldn't believe her ears. Magus, the man she cared about. Magus, the man she would do anything for. Magus, the man who she would die for... was a traitor?
She couldn't handle the shock. She just couldn't.
"Leave me alone," she muttered, resting her hand on her head. "I need to rest."
Both Mystics nodded and left. As they closed the door behind them, she sat up. She wanted to make sure they were far away. After making sure, she let go her pent-up emotions and cried. She never cried before, not like this.
The only other time she cried was when her parents died. But even then the tears were short. This was different. She had to push her head against the pillow to quiet the wailing. All she thought about was Magus, and it just made her cry more.
She screamed in her mind. Why, Magus, why? Why did you do this! WHY!
Two weeks passed and Flea's whole life changed. Ozzie was once again leader of the Mystics. Every Mystic had heard the story about how Magus had deserted them for Humans. The only Mystic who didn't believe it was Flea.
No one had really seen much of Flea since her recovery. Almost all her time was spent in her room, where she would be lost in her own thoughts. The only time Flea ever left the room was the meetings with Ozzie and Slash. The two other Mystics would discuss ideas and tactics, while Flea nodded or shook her head to make it look like she was listening.
In truth, she missed Magus. A lot. She didn't believe he was a traitor. She believed it was a lie made up by Ozzie and Slash. They both despised Magus and this was the perfect opportunity to ruin him. It was sort of believable, Flea hoped. It could be true. But deep inside herself, she knew he was traitor, she just didn't want to admit it.
She was in her room, lying on her bed. She usually spoke out her feelings so she could figure them out. She usually did this quietly, though. Now she spoke in a loud voice which anyone could overhear.
"Why did this happen? I mean, when I first met him, it was love at first sight for me. If only Ozzie hadn't been with him. He had to tell Magus that I was a man." Flea got up and looked at the mirror. Seeing her reflection only made her go berserk.
"I'm a female, for crying out loud! A Mystic woman! How stupid, how idiotic, how brainless can you get! They must all be mindless idiots to believe I was a man. Do I look like a man? I don't think so!"
Trying to calm down was not easy. Taking deep breaths, she steadied her voice.
"Why did you leave Magus? If I had told you I was female, would you have stayed? I really don't know what to think anymore. I'm supposed to be a warrior." Flea fell into her bed. "And here I am, acting like a lovesick school girl over the new boy. I can't even concentrate on fighting anymore. I'm always thinking of you." She sighed. "Maybe I should get out of the army. But I still want to make a difference." She stretched, craning her head toward the door. "Maybe I'll just walk about for a while."
She reached for the handle, opened the door and stepped out. Nobody would be out at this hour.
Good. I don't want to see anyone.
Flea turned to walk down the west corridor. She only went a few steps before she banged into something. She fell back on the ground. She glared at the thing, or rather, person.
It was Slash. He had been standing right beside Flea's door. How she had missed him in the lit corridor she didn't know. He was standing there with his arms crossed.
"Why don't you watch where you're standing, you idiot?" she demanded, irritated.
No reply. Slash just continued to stare at Flea. And that got Flea angry.
"Get lost, Slash!"
She decided she would go in the other direction, but before she could turn around, Slash grabbed her arm.
Flea looked at him, startled. He had never done that before. And that look on his face...
Flea began to get worried. Slash was acting so weird.
"Something wrong? Not feeling well?" She tried to sound brave, but her voice faltered.
A small smile appeared on his face. It was like he was a wolf looking at a small lamb. Flea was beginning to panic.
"So..." Slash breathed, pulling her closer. "You're very sneaky, aren't you Flea?"
Flea didn't say anything. What was he talking about?
"I should have known. I really should have known." Still smiling, he walked into Flea's room, beckoning her to follow. Flea knew she should run, but curiosity got the better of her. She followed, wanting to know what was going on.
She walked into her room, feeling nervous. She heard the door close and the sound of it locking. Slash held the key in his hand.
That's not good.
Slash walked up to her. Suddenly, he pulled Flea close to him. So close that their bodies touched. Slash began to stroke her hair.
"I can't believe I fell for that. You've always been a liar, it was so obvious you were lying about this as well."
Flea forced a weak grin. "Didn't know you liked guys, Slash."
Slash laughed in her ear. He dropped his head toward her neck and kissed it. Flea felt sick at his touch.
"If I did, I wouldn't be here," he said softly. "I know the truth, Flea. I know that you ARE really a female."
No way. How did he find out?
Flea tried to get away from him, but his grip was too strong.
"Where did you hear that?" she whispered.
Slash kissed her neck again. "You were speaking quite loudly. I heard you say it yourself."
Oh no!
Flea forced a quick laugh. "I was just kidding. I'm not really..."
"You can't lie now," Slash murmured, bringing Flea closer to his face. "You can't get out of this."
It was no good. Slash was not going to buy her stories anymore. Might as well come clean.
"Please Slash," she whispered. "Please, don't do this."
Slash looked down at her. His smile curled into a slight sneer. He lowered his lips to hers, and they touched.
Flea wanted to scream. She wanted to cry out. But she couldn't do anything. Slash's grip was too powerful.
She whimpered. She wanted him to stop. She did not want to end up like all the Mystic females Slash had been with.
Slash lifted his lips away and began to caress her cheek. "I could tell Ozzie that you're a female. He would kill you on the spot. I should, after all the trouble you've caused me."
Flea instantly panicked. "You can't!" she cried, gripping his shoulders. "Don't tell him, please!"
Slash laughed softly. He plainly enjoyed watching Flea suffer.
"I won't," he whispered. He held up his hand before Flea could speak. "But only if you do something for me."
Flea swallowed. She already knew what he wanted. "And that is?"
Slash's smile became more sinister, more evil then ever before. He licked his lips. "You know precisely what I want." He kissed Flea again.
Flea's mind was in turmoil. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to give this monster anything.
Maybe I should run away?
Slash seemed to be thinking the same thing. "And if you think about running away, I'll make sure to tell Ozzie. They'll hunt you down and kill you."
Trapped. Flea was trapped. And she didn't like. She didn't like it one bit.
"Maybe..." Slash pondered. His smile became an evil grin. "It should happen. Right now."
For the first time in her life, Flea was afraid. Afraid of this creature she knew most her life. Afraid of what would happen to her.
Slash forced her to sit on the bed. His hands reached of the hem of her shirt.
She closed her eyes, forcing back the tears. This is it.
/Flea! Slash! Get to the main room, now/
Both of them jumped. Ozzie was calling for them via telepathy.
Slash groaned. "Oh what nice timing." He got up to leave. As he reached the door, he turned to Flea, who was breathing quite heavily.
"After, I suppose."
He unlocked it and left.
Flea thanked every single god and goddess that stopped this.
She left, heading to the main room, shaking every step of the way.
Flea entered the room. Ozzie was pacing, looking worried. He looked up as Flea joined them.
"Ah yes. We're all here."
Ozzie was definitely worried.
Slash just crossed his arms. "This better be important Ozzie. Because if it isn't, there's something I need to do." He glanced at Flea as he said this. Flea just prayed it was important.
Ozzie stopped pacing. "Those Humans that were here two weeks ago are coming back."
That got both Flea and Slash's attention. "No way. Why would they come back?" Flea inquired.
"To kill us, of course!" Ozzie screamed. "We have to kill them. We can't afford not to."
Flea nodded silently. Slash just looked dumbfounded.
Ozzie went toward the wall and revealed two things. One was a black sword. The other was a white cape. Ozzie tossed the sword to Slash.
"That is the Slasher 2. With it, you should be unbeatable."
Slash grinned gleefully. He slashed and stabbed a couple of times. Satisfied, he put in his sheath. Ozzie tossed the cape to Flea.
"That is the Magic Vest. When you wear it, you become invulnerable to magic."
Flea took her old cape off and placed the new one on. It sparkled at her touch.
Ozzie floated past both of them. "Those kids are here. Wait until I call for you." With that, he disappeared.
Flea just stood there, twisting her hands. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She moved away, knowing quite well that it was Slash.
"Worried?"
Flea began to sweat. "This is not the time," she whispered.
Slash chuckled. "I know, but after..." He stepped toward her.
/Flea! I need you/
Flea, glad to get away from Slash, disappeared.
She reappeared in one of the rooms downstairs. Ozzie was standing behind her. He looked mad about something. Might as well play my part.
She tossed her hair behind her. "You sent for me?"
She looked to the Humans. Two of them were that red-haired boy, Crono and the frog, Glenn. She looked at the other person and nearly fainted.
The long blue hair, the thin white face, the red eyes and in his hands a scythe. It was Magus!
It is true. He is a traitor. I'm such a fool.
She forced a scowl to her face. "Well, if isn't Sir Magus. How did you get in here?" She pulled out her own scythe. "Traitors like you deserve a beating!"
"Don't let me down." Ozzie remarked as he floated away.
She grinned at the trio. "Ready?"
Crono and Glenn sprang forward, going on the offensive. Magus, oddly enough, was in the back, casting defensive spells. She used her fire attack on Crono. He stumbled, but the barrier took most of the damage.
She cursed. Damn you Magus!
Crono ran forward, slashing down with his sword. She blocked with her scythe. But Glenn rushed forward, still wielding the Masamune. He cut her side and Flea fell back.
/Retreat Flea! Go back to the main room/
Ozzie. He must have some plan. She put her scythe away and glared at all of them, especially at Magus.
"Just you wait! I'll get you next time!" She disappeared and went back to the main room. To her great relief, Slash was not there. Probably trying his luck against the Humans. She secretly hoped they would finish him off.
Flea stood there for a minute, resting. Why didn't Magus attack her? And what was that look in his eyes the whole time.
"Probably knew that I'm invulnerable to magic," she muttered to herself.
Just than, Slash appeared. He was scowling. "Why did Ozzie want me to retreat? I could have beaten those Humans and that idiot Magus."
Flea didn't say anything. Just looking at Slash now made her skin crawl.
Abruptly, Ozzie floated through the door. He was panting hard.
"T-they're c-coming!" Ozzie gasped.
As if on cue, Magus and the two Humans barged through the doors weapons poised.
Ozzie straightened up and smiled. "Ah there you are. Those two battles were a ruse. Now you must fight all of us!"
Slash readied his sword. Flea gripped her scythe tight. She was shaking slightly.
Magus whipped around to his two companions. "Crono! You take on Slash! And Frog! Ozzie is yours!"
Crono nodded and went after Slash. Glenn, or Frog, frowned, but went after Ozzie. Magus turned and faced Flea.
"It's just you and me Flea," he stated.
Flea snarled and, with her scythe held high, charged.
This is it.
She brought her scythe down toward Magus' head. He moved to the side and kicked Flea back. Flea, grinning, grabbed his leg and twisted it, causing Magus to fall to the floor. Flea ran back a few steps and began chanting her fire spell. Magus scrambled to his feet and, before Flea could cast her spell, forced her back into the shadows where no one could see them.
Flea growled at him. Magus had put his scythe away and held Flea against the walls with his hands.
"Let go of me! Goddamn it, it go!" she shrieked.
"Calm down!" Magus whispered. "I just want to talk."
Flea stopped and stared at him. What was he up to?
Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Run away. Right now. Get out of the castle."
"Huh?" Flea asked, mystified.
"I don't want to see you get hurt. I'll tell the others I killed you. I want you to get out."
"Why?" Flea whispered.
Magus took another deep breath. Suddenly, he smiled. "You shouldn't be killed here Flea. I want you to live a normal life of a woman, not one of a soldier. You'll be happier."
Flea was stunned. "You knew!"
"I wish I could say more, but I can't," Magus went on. "Get out of here, now."
Flea stared for a minute. Finally she nodded. Magus smiled deeper.
"Thank you, Flea."
Flea concentrated and disappeared. She reappeared outside the castle walls. And, following Magus' advice, she ran. She kept on running until the castle was out of sight. She sat down on a rock, trying to catch her breath. Her mind was spinning. But, first things first, she had to find a place where she could stay.
She smiled. She knew the right place.
It was a week after the last attack on the Mystics. The war was finally over and it was the Humans that had won. But surprisingly, Flea didn't care. The Humans and Mystics made a truce, so this sort of thing would never happen again. Both Ozzie and Slash were killed in the battle, and so was Flea, supposedly.
Flea spent most of her time reading or tending to her garden. She almost laughed. Her? With a garden?
She lived in her parents' old house. It was secluded in the small forest near one of the Mystics' forts. Strange thing about it though, was that people could grow things in this forest. The soil was right and the trees didn't block out the sunlight.
Flea was on the bed reading. She had gotten rid of her battle uniform and replaced it with a beautiful white blouse and black skirt. She was reading a book when a knock came at her door.
"I'm coming!" she called cheerfully. Magus was right. She was more happy.
She opened it and gasped. There standing there was Magus.
He looked at her. "Can I come in?"
Flea nodded and moved out of the way. Magus stepped in and gave Flea a chance to examine him. He was wearing robes of some sort and on his forehead was a circuit.
"Um.. Magus?" she asked.
He looked at her. "Please. Call me Janus."
"Janus?" she asked.
Janus nodded. "Yes. It is my real name. Ozzie was the one that called me Magus."
Flea swallowed. "Um.. Why are you here?"
Janus shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to you. Is that okay?"
Flea nodded and they both sat. Before long, Flea was telling him about everything that had been on her mind. Everything, including Slash attempting to rape her and her feelings for him.
Janus sat there for a while, absorbing everything. He looked thoughtfully at Flea. "If I knew that Slash had tried to do that, I would have killed him myself."
Flea smiled. "Thanks. Now I've got a few questions for you."
"Shoot."
Flea thought for a minute. "How did you know I was a female."
Janus laughed. "Not that hard to figure out. You look like a girl, you act like a girl, you talk like a girl. The only reason you fooled the other Mystics is because they're all idiots."
Flea nodded. "True. Okay... Why did you betray us?"
Janus sighed. "I was never really on your side to begin with. Ozzie found me when I was a young boy and raised me as a Mystic. The only reason I joined you was to get the spells I needed to summon Lavos. The monster separated me from my sister, the only one who ever loved me," Janus sighed slightly. "I joined those Humans because they also wanted to kill Lavos."
"Did you succeed?"
"Yes," Janus replied. "After that, everyone went their separate ways. I went to the Dark Ages to find my sister."
"Did you?"
Janus shook his head sadly. "No. She died. After I found out, I was planing on leaving, but the villagers found out that I was the Prince of Zeal and made me King.
"You're a king?" Flea gasped. "You mean, you were a prince?"
Janus nodded. "Yes. I was born in the Dark Ages. When I was eight, I fell into a timegate created by Lavos and came here. That's how my sister and I were separated."
Flea stared at Janus. "Wow." Suddenly she asked, "Why did you come here?"
Janus coughed slightly. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Which is?" Flea questioned suspiciously.
Janus took a deep breath. "I want you to come with me."
Flea was taken aback. "What?"
Janus sighed. "The first time I met you I felt something. I didn't know what it was, but now I do. It's love. I love you Flea, and I want to be with you. That's why I called you to discuss things with me that I would never ask of Ozzie and Slash. That's why I never harmed when you failed a mission. I just... didn't know how to express it."
Flea just sat there. She could not believe this.
Janus went on. "So I was just thinking..."
Before he could say anymore, Flea was standing in front of him, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.
"Are you insane?" she choked. "After I told you how I feel about you, you're going to ask. You know what the answer. The answer is yes!"
Janus smiled, stood up and held Flea tight.
"I'll never leave you Flea. I love you."
Flea smiled harder then ever. "And I love you."