Ten year old Namine walked down the hall leading to the basement where her father worked all the time, folding her hands in front of her as she walked. Her father was a scientist, and what he worked on, Namine didn't know. All she knew was...

She opened the door and walked inside, catching her father's attention. "Namine, it's way past your bed time," he said disapprovingly.

"I can't go to sleep. I keep thinking about mom," Namine said in her quiet voice. Her father's green eyes softened and he walked over to her, kneeling down to her short height and wrapping his hands around her small shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, tomorrow is the anniversery," he said softly. "We'll go visit her grave together, and we'll tell her all about what's been happening, and you can make her a flower crown," Namine smiled at father, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her face into his chest. "Now, go back to bed, girl, and get some sleep. You'll be getting up early tomorrow."

"Okay, father," she replied, pulling back.

She shut the door tightly behind her, and as she walked away she heard a loud scream, stopping her in her tracks. Her blue eyes closed and she sucked in her pale lips, her little hands balling into fists. She had always heard animal and human screams alike coming from her father's lab, usually in the dead of night when the manor was extra quiet, and she pretended not to notice. She feined ignorance in order to avoid the truth. She was just a child, after all.

...

"Vexen, I don't think the mistress likes me," The doctor's assistant said as she brought him a tray of supplies.

"Why ever would you think that?" Vexen replied, glancing at her through his glasses.

"I can see it in her eyes," she sighed. This young woman's name was Fuu, and she was quiet, well-behaved young lady with short silver hair and dark eyes.

"She is about to turn eleven. Yes, it is quite a troublesome age...just be kind to her. Don't let any harm befall her,"

"Doctor..." Fuu looked over at Vexen as he went back to work.

"Namine is my most precious..."

...

"It's mignight," Namine whispered to herself as she lay in her bed. "The day mom went to Heaven," She looked at the picture of her mother that was sitting on the end table by her bed and picked it up. "Mom...what should I do? I love father, but she...Fuu...she scares me. Always looking at me with those eyes of hers...I hate her. But I know father likes her. If they get married, she'd be my new mom. I don't want a new mom. You're the only mom for me. You'll always be my mom." Namine's mother was beautiful, with blue green eyes, short blond hair with two destinctive strands that stuck up like antennaes. "Why did you have to leave?"

She gently set the picture of her mother down and wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes and got up, walking across the room to the old doll her father had given her when she was four. It seemed to stare right back at her, and she ran her fingers through its dull blond hair. It matched Namine's hair color, and it seemed so...real. She pulled her hand away from the doll.

"Look, Namine! I brought you a present!" Namine turned to see her father walking in with a small bundle in his arms. He kneeled down to her and handed the bundle to her; oh!

"Yay!" Namine said with a smile. "It's a doll! Thank you, father!" She looked down away from her father's smile to the doll's little face and blinked.

It's seems real...She thought.

"You like it?" Namine looked back at father and replied,

"Yes, I do! It's so pretty, it almost looks human." Her father patted her head as he stood.

"I tried to make it look as real as possible. She can be your friend for a while."

Namine turned the doll away from her, feeling a sudden cold chill. She began to feel kind of scared, and hurried back over to her warm bed, cuddling under the thick covers. She closed her eyes and slowly, descended into sleep.

...

Namine sat on her father's lap, singing softly to herself and she tried to created a flower crown. Her little fingers weren't making it easy. "You sing very well, Namine," Father said happily.

"Thank you, father," Namine replied. "I can't get this. I really want to have a flower crown!"

"Then here," Namine felt something soft rest on her head and she moved one of her hands to feel.

"You made me a flower crown? Thank you!" Namine said, turning to smile at him. He returned her smile. "Does it look good on me?" she asked.

"Yes, I think it suits you well...Namine, I'm sorry I can't play with you all the time," Namine turned back to her own flower crown.

"It's okay. I know you have to work a lot." Her father stroked his fingers through her dull blond hair.

"Still..."

They both looked up when they heard the door to the kitchen close. "Hi, mom!" Namine called. Her mother smiled as she walked over to them.

"Were you two playing?" she asked.

"Yeah! Look, father made me a flower crown!" Mother sat down next to them and reached out to move a chunk of Namine's hair over her shoulder.

"It looks wonderful on you, darling," she said with a smile. "Did you two play all day?"

"Yes! We should play again, father," He nodded.

"We should. And you mother should join in as well," She nodded.

"I look forward to it..."

Suddenly she turned, erupting into a fit of coughing and wheezing. "Mom?" Namine gasped. Vexen reached for his wife and gently patted her back.

"I'm okay," she said breathlessly. "It's just another fit," She coughed again, over and over, until she could barely breathe.

"Don't push yourself, Larxene," Vexen said softly. "Why don't you go and get some medicine from Fuu?" Larxene shot a glare at Vexen and growled,

"I can get it myself. I don't need it from

her."

"Mom, are you okay?" Namine asked, gripping her mother's dress.

"Yes. I'm perfectly alright. Sorry to scare you, baby." She leaned down and kissed Namine's forehead. "Now, let's get back for dinner. I made your favorite."

"You made your three cheese lasagna with autumn salad? Yay! That's the best in the world, you know. Right, dad?" Vexen nodded.

"Right. I don't know anyone who can make better lasagna than your mom."

...

We were so happy. Sure, there was Fuu, but still, the three of us were a happy family. But then mom passed away from illness, and we...well...The happiness just kind of disappeared.

...

"AAAHHHH!" Namine bolted up in her bed, looking around her dark room.

"Father?" she gasped. "Something must've happened..." She jumped out of her bed and put her slippers on, opening her bedroom door and going out into the hallway. She had a really bad feeling.

As she walked down the hall, something flew across her face and splattered on the wall...blood? She walked closer to the wall where the red liquid splattered and ran her index and middle fingers over it. "Blood," she whispered. "Why...?" A hand suddenly grabbed Namine's shoudler and she spun around to face two...corpses? She screamed and scrambled away, back the way she came.

"Hey..." She froze halfway back to her room to see a boy with messy blond hair.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Namine asked.

"Come with me," the boy said. "I can help you. My name is Roxas," He walked up to the other end of the hall and turned back to look at Namine. "I said come with me." He turned his face completely to her and she screamed, scurrying back. Roxas' right eye was missing, part of his face badly burned and bleeding. Namine couldn't help but run away from him and back to her room; she tightly locked the door behind her.

When she turned she saw a man dressed all in black standing by the bookshelf by the window. "Who...?" she gasped. "Who's that?"

"You have many interesting books in here," the man said in a deep voice. He pulled a book from its place and opened it, thumbing through it.

"Who are you?" He glanced at Namine and she saw that he had ocean blue eyes.

"I am Marluxia," he replied as he shut the book. "Do you like books, my dear?" Namine didn't answer. "Don't be afraid. I'm merely a salesman."

"Salesman?" she repeated.

"Yes. I hope to get to know you, young lady."

He bowed to her, his odd dull pink hair moving with his motion. "But it's quite troublesome, to think that corpses loiter around your home," Namine blinked.

"Corpses? Those monsters back there? It's like they're from a scary story. Why would monsters like that...?"

"Well, it's a curse," Marluxia said as he put the book he got out back. Namine stared at him, her look telling him she didn't understand. "Those monsters you saw back there were your father's test subjects. They're so full of anger and hatred toward him that the curse brought them back to life...to seek revenge on your father, of course."

"What? No! My father is all I have left! I have to help him," Marluxia smiled.

"Why is that?" Namine spun to look at him. "To achieve his unrealistic goals, he killed so many people as part of his experiments. This is his retribution."

He walked over to Namine and his expression softened. "You must have realized by now...your father's true nature. Yet you still want to help him?" Namine was silent, turning her eyes away from Marluxia and turning to walk out of her room. He shook his head. "My, my, my. Maybe she's just too young yet, to understand our sorrow."

...

Namine peered around the corner to see the corpses that had been there earlier were gone. She had made up her mind. Father was always kind to her, and he was the only one she'd ever have. Marluxia didn't know him; he didn't know what he was talking about. Father would never hurt anyone! "And I promised mom, too." Namine murmured to no one.

...

"The red-eyed stranger gave Jack the power to curse others. And Jack said, 'Thank you, red-eyed stranger. Now I can take my revenge.'."

"Hey, mom," Mom looked up from the book she was reading to Namine.

"Yes?"

"What is father always up to in the basement?" Mom was quiet for a moment before replying,

"It's a hard job he has, Namine. You'll understand when you're a little older." Namine pouted, looking down at the sheets.

"I wanna be older now..." she grumbled.

"Namine, whatever happens, you shouldn't hate or judge your father, okay?" Mom said, cupping her daughter's cheek.

"Mom, I would never hate father. What's the matter?"

"I see..."

"Mom...do you not like father?"

"No, nothing like that, dear. I love your father very much," Namine sighed in relief. "Though, he can be a bit unpredictable. But let's support him no matter what he does, okay? Promise?" Namine nodded, smiling.

"I promise, mom." Mom smiled.

"Good. Now, back to the story..."

...

Whatever happened, Namine would always love her father. She had to save him. She came to the stairs leading to the foyer and saw the two corpses that came at her earlier, wandering around, occasionally tripping over the rug and falling, occasionally bumping into the tables or couches. The door to father's lab was down in the foyer, so how could she get past the corpses? Taking a deep breath, she ran as fast as she could down the steps and rounded the corner to the door just as one of corpses lunged at her-it tripped and fell flat on its face as Namine ripped the door to the basement open and slammed it shut behind her.

She hurried down the hall leading to her father, but froze when she saw a barrier of corpses blocking her path. They appeared to be stuck together, tangled up in each other as they reached for her. "How do I...Oh!" She could...she could set them on fire, like the girl in one of the books she had in her room. She just needed a lighter...

Great. She had to go back the way she came.

...