Aqua vs. Crono (Fire and Ice Collide)

The sounds of morning birds chirping broke through the peaceful silence of dawn. Aqua awoke just as the sun was peeking above the horizon. She groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had been so tired the night before she fell asleep before seven. Early to bed early to rise, she thought as she stretched and crawled out from under the blankets.

Making as little noise as possible she crept out into the hall headed for the bathroom for a quick shower. As she passed the guest room she could hear Crono softly snoring inside. She smiled as she shut the bathroom door quietly behind her.

The warm water was refreshing and she could feel her sinuses clearing with the steam. Hot showers were always her cure for morning allergies. Spending the day sniffling was not her idea of fun. She stayed under the water for a while longer, only exiting the shower once it began to turn luke warm.

After she was dried and dressed, Aqua headed for the rooftop of her apartment. She spent the early morning basking in the sun’s warmth. It was a balmy summer day, the kind that made the air heavy with humidity. She could feel it every time she took a breath.

It had been a few days since Crono’s return and the rescue of their new friend Zero. Aqua was quite happy to have Crono crashing at her place. She never realized how quiet it was living by herself. While she enjoyed being lazy, she knew she should be anything but.

“I think I’ll ask Crono to spar today,” she said to no one in particular. “It’ll feel good to stretch my muscles.” With that being decided she sprawled out into her chair and closed her eyes, waiting for her friend to wake and come find her.

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WC:306

Crono enjoyed the way the light poured in from the tall windows inside of Aqua's guest bedroom. Most of the apartment had a dim and calm demeanor, like a cloudy day by the ocean. But, the way the guest bedroom was set up allowed the sleeper to be greeted by the yellow glow of the morning sun. Being in a city, they didn't get the full blast of the sun's rays, the surrounding buildings shaded most of it. It was just the right amount of cheery light, not overwhelming, as if the apartment itself was saying “Good Morning Crono!”

Aqua had made sure that Crono got into new threads. He donned his crisp new clothes and fastened his belt. She wasn't present inside of the apartment, he could tell right away. Everything was quiet, too quiet. Normally she was watching something on TV, or had music playing on her super expensive stereo system. However, a quick check to his spiritual sense indicated that she was above. He assumed she was on the rooftop.

Opening the fridge, he pulled out a pitcher of filtered water and poured himself a tall glass. The water was refreshing and he guzzled it down within a few seconds. He took the stairs up to the roof, bounding them two at a time.

The heat was evident when Crono stepped outside. West City had a balmy atmosphere, nearly sub-tropical during the summer. He was used to the far more mild climate near East City, and the frigid atmosphere of the Northern Mountains. He saw Aqua sprawled out in a chair, sunbathing.

“I think I’ll ask Crono to spar today,” Aqua said. Crono snickered, as she hadn't noticed his presence. “It’ll feel good to stretch my muscles.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Crono said and squatted down next to her. “It's been awhile since I've done any training. I'm sure Master Korin will put me through a hellish regime when I return to the tower.”

The city was noisy. Crono had spent most of his life in the countryside and had not become accustom to the beeping of horns, the sounds of whooping sirens, and the general commotion in the air. Even on top of a roof, it felt cramped. It was a strange notion, seeing as forests were far more dense than cities, but angular nature of the city left a different impression on the teen.

“Aqua, I wanted to thank you,” Crono said, brushing a hand through his mop of crimson hair. “If you had not reached out to me, I think I still would have been out there—all alone. You're a great friend, I'd do anything for you. I promise, if you ever need me, you only need to call my name. I will be there.”

WC: 426

As aqua lay basking in the mid-morning sun she thought about her plans for the day. She wanted some action, it had been so long since she had trained with Korin. She was feeling a bit like a noodle, he toned muscles were beginning to weaken. “I think I’ll ask Crono to spar today,” she said to herself. “It’ll feel good to stretch my muscles.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Crono’s voice came from beside her, causing her to jump with fright.

“Jeez,Crono. You scared me,” she said turning her face to meet his as he squatted down next to her.

“It's been awhile since I've done any training. I'm sure Master Korin will put me through a hellish regime when I return to the tower.” He said looking around at the city.

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” she said with a sigh. She sat up facing him, his silence bothered her. Unsure of what to do she waited for him to finish his thought process. Finally, he turned to her and spoke.

“Aqua, I wanted to thank you,” Crono said, brushing a hand through his fiery hair. “If you had not reached out to me, I think I still would have been out there—all alone. You're a great friend; I'd do anything for you. I promise, if you ever need me, you only need to call my name. I will be there.”

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, and a strange fluttering sensation in her stomach. She wasn’t used to such gratitude from anyone. She looked up at Crono and smiled, taking a moment to reach up and ruffle his surprisingly soft hair. “No one deserves to be alone, silly. I’m glad you came, I couldn’t have saved Zero without you.”

It was strange, the bond that they were forming. Aqua thought she use to prefer being alone, but lately she was finding more and more comfort in Crono’s company. He was kind, spirited, and she had to admit he was handsome beyond all reason. His blue eyes always found a way to hole her attention. She felt like a staring idiot sometimes. This crushing business was more complicated than I thought, Aqua noted mentally to herself.

She got up off her chair and walked to the center of the rooftop, summoning her keyblade. It’s sudden heaviness surprised her. She wasn’t used to wielding a weapon on a daily basis anymore. That’s just something I’ll have to fix, won’t I, she thought.

“So, about that spar,” she said with a grin turning to Crono. “I think it would do us both some good. I’m feeling a little sluggish. We don’t want to disappoint Korin when we return by being rubbery and slow.”

“I hope you’re ready fire cracker,” she said taunting him playfully. Aqua charged her power and let her aura swell around her. She loved the feeling of powering up. There was nothing quite like it, the massive amounts of energy radiating from her body tingled. Deep hues of blues and greys swirled like a stormy ocean.

She charge a small ball of Ki and shot it at Crono’s chest, deciding to start things off slow easy. Not wasting time, she rushed him directly after attempting a low hit to his legs, hopefully sweeping him off his feet with her blade.


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WC: 560/866

“No one deserves to be alone, silly. I’m glad you came, I couldn’t have saved Zero without you,” Aqua said.

Her words made him smile and he enjoyed the way her hands ran though his hair so gently. There was something so soothing about Aqua, something Crono couldn't put a bead on. She was a gentle soul, that was for sure and she made him feel a hundred times better.

With little warning, she got up out of her chair and walked to the center of the roof.

So, about that spar,” she said with a grin turning to Crono. “I think it would do us both some good. I’m feeling a little sluggish. We don’t want to disappoint Korin when we return by being rubbery and slow.”

Crono did a few squats and stretched his legs and arms, readying himself for their conflict. With a brilliant flash of light, Aqua's key-shaped sword materialized into her hand. The crimson haired teen's eyes widened in surprise. He would have to learn how to do that someday.

“I hope you’re ready fire cracker,” Aqua said.

He could feel her spiritual energy rising, complimented by a blazing blue and silver aura that crackled around her form. She formed a ball of spiritual energy at the tip of the blade and with a flick of her wrist, it flew at him. Crono brought his arm across his body, swatting the ball aside. It careened into the sky where it exploded with a blinding flash of light.

“Oh-oh!” he said as she was already in front of him, sweeping her blade. It slammed into his legs, knocking him onto his rump. He rolled backward and sprung to his feet in one smooth motion—putting a bit of space between them.

Bending down low, he leaped at her throwing a knee strike aimed at her chest. After the knee, he kept flying upward, doing front flip as he came back down. He landed behind her on one leg, His other leg, which was still suspended, was snapped around at high speeds. His heel was aimed at shoulder blade, as he turned it into a spinning back kick.

“I guess I'm a bit more rusty than I thought. Either that, or you've gotten a lot better!”

WC: 383
TWC: 809

Much to Aqua’s delight, the distracting ki shot did its job. His cocky grin as he swiped the blast out of the way, was replaced with a panicked “Oh-oh!”

That was all the time she needed. Aqua brought the blade under in a sweeping motion connecting where his knees bent and Crono was sent flying to his rear. With effortless grace he rolled back and was on his feet in an instant. Aqua made a mental note of the technique, as it proved good for putting a bit of space between opponents.

Suddenly Crono leapt at her throwing a knee strike aimed for her chest, Aqua crossed her hands and deflected the blow, however, its strength didn’t go unnoticed. Her bones seemed to vibrate from the force of the blow. That wasn’t the only trick he had up his sleeves. Before she knew it, she felt the hard force of his heel on her shoulder.

Using the forward momentum of her fall she spread her arms and cartwheeled to a standing position. She turned and grinned at him before laughing and bowing, as if she had just put on a show.

“I guess I'm a bit more rusty than I thought,” Crono said. “Either that, or you've gotten a lot better!”

“Why can’t it be both,” she said with a smirk. “You weren’t training in the desert, were you?” Aqua began charging a ball of ki in her right hand, she charged Crono, at the last second flipping over him. On her way down she rotated her waist and attempted to land her foot on his hind end. Not waiting for his stumble, she transferred the Ki down to each fingertip and released the beams.

Unsure of what he would do next Aqua closed her eyes and opened her mind.

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WC: 300/1166

“Why can’t it be both,” she said with a smirk. “You weren’t training in the desert, were you?”

Crono saw Aqua's hand light up again and he knew another energy attack was headed his way. He prepared himself for it, but Aqua was on the move. She vaulted over him, flipping through the air. He reeled hard trying to track her movements.

She landed and fired five super condensed beams of energy, one from each finger tip. Crono was caught by surprise at the deadliness of such a combination. Throwing out both arms sideways, he let his own spiritual energy erupted forth from his body. Sizzling red light encompassed his form, becoming a perfect sphere.

The five lances of light slammed into the sphere, throwing out sparks and bolts of electricity. The force behind their impact caused him to slid across the rooftop, to the edge. There was a small wall around the edge, that came to his hip. Luckily, the stream of energy ended before it pushed him across the gap and into the sixty story apartment building behind him.

Crono recalled his barrier and it vanished within the blink of an eye. “When I was in the desert, I didn't do much but wander aimlessly. I wasn't exactly right in the mind, that's for sure.”

Remember the depth of his sorrow and suffering was not easy. He visibly shrugged off the thought. He was in the middle of a spar, he couldn't get distracted. Aqua was far too good of a fighter for him to take a moment to think about his life. No, it was time for action.

With his crimson aura flaring up around him, Crono flew at Aqua and tried to throw a heavy kick aimed at the center of her stomach. Touching down, he kept up the offensive, throwing a flurry of punches aimed at her chest.

WC: 316
TWC: 1,125

Crono brought up a bright red barrier as Aqua released her energy beams at him. The electric reflections crackled as he began to slide closer and closer towards the edge of the building. In a moment of weakness that Korin would have scolded her for, Aqua recalled the beams. She wanted a spar with Crono, not to hurt him. Though, sometimes she wondered if Korin knew the difference.

Crono must have lowered his barrier, she thought as it blinked out of existence.

“When I was in the desert, I didn't do much but wander aimlessly,” he said with a quiet sigh. “I wasn't exactly right in the mind, that's for sure.”

“I’m sorry,” Aqua said feeling regretful she had even opened her mouth.

As she started towards him to offer a hug his crimson aura flared around him once more. Taking her off guard, Crono flew at Aqua throwing a heavy kick into the center of her stomach. Aqua let out a loud grunt and resisted the urge to vomit. As if that wasn’t enough he continued his attack with a barrage of fists aimed at her chest.

She was able to sidestep just enough so that the majority of the pummel landed on her shoulder, rendering it momentarily useless. It was worse than the “dead arm” game her friends used to play in high school. Needing some space to recover, Aqua took a deep breath in and released a screech of ki, in hopes that it would put some space between the two of them.

“That really hurt, you know,” she said to Crono, trying to shake some feeling back into her arm.
“You might be slower, but you’re definitely stronger.” She put up her hands in a peaceful manner as if to show she brandished no weapons. “I think you win today,” she said with a smile.
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WC:310/1476