Author's note:

The following story is my version of what happened between Karsh, Dario, and lady Riddel over the history of Chrono Cross. Many of the scenes are meant to be the same as are shown in the game, and thus include the same or similar quotes. These scenes are included to maintain a sense of continuity and clarity, even though those who have played the game will recognize many of the situations. I do not have license to the characters or the words that are directly from the game, and acknowledge that Squaresoft and its writers hold these as their own property. This story has two endings, one that results from the Alternate world where Karsh joins Serge's fellowship, and another that is the result of the disappearance of the Acacia Dragoons in the Home world. The former is not yet written.

Karsh lay awake in the emptiness of the night, listening only to his father continuing to work on his forging and the crackles of the fire. As he was known to do, he remained in bed on his back, staring up at nothing. His mother, who passed by the room to check on her teenage son, could not even tell if he was asleep or awake. The rumor that Karsh slept with his eyes open came from so many people having seen him like this.

But tonight was different. Karsh fixed his eyes on the blue stone ceiling of his room, feeling entirely lost in his own home. Bewitched, somehow, the young man wasn't entirely void of thought, but had fallen through consciousness into a state of feeling no existence.

His mother had often told him the story of how her husband Zappa fell in love with her when he had protected her from a wild animal in the Fossil Valley. She had not told him that she had ever wished the same for him, but he knew she felt that way. It was her motherly instinct to wish those pleasant experiences of hers projected onto her son. Karsh every day thought of the one girl that he had fallen in love with, the girl he had sworn to protect as a member of the Acacia Dragoons, and how he'd someday hoped to win the General's favor, as well as Riddel's.

Karsh turned onto his side silently, looking out the window. The moonlight that passed through the night clouds shimmered on the water of Termina bay, and reflected on the native indigo rock that had been built into the canal. Karsh's vision was blurred by his violet hair that had fallen on his face in his turning. He blinked his eyes as a tear fell off the side of his face.

Dario and Riddel were to be married, and with his love taken away, Karsh felt he had been left with nothing, and that he was betrayed by those he loved the most.