AN: Whoo, my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic and finally getting an update (before it was re-posted) Basically, this story is an adaptation of another game, Chrono Cross, but is set in an alternate Kingdom Hearts universe.

(If you're familiar with Chrono Cross, then you already know how this story might turn out)

This story will also feature stuff/mentions of FFVII and FFVIII (that is not normally mentioned in the KH universe).

Disclaimer I'll be putting up once throughout the entire fic so, yeah pay attention. I don't own Chrono Cross, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters. They belong to Square-Enix and Disney.

Also, I'm aware that I have issues with grammar and whatnot. Uh… it's not that I don't care (I do but it's too much trouble for me), I just hope people will overlook it and focus on the story in general.

Code:
"Talking"
'Thinking'
FOR MATERIA
Techs/Limits

Chapter 1 Chasing phantoms in one's dreams (1)
They had finally made it out of the High Tower and were immediately greeted by a sharp cold breeze. The three travelers, two males and one female stood outside looking left and right to see where they should go next. The younger of the two males, a 16 year-old teenager with ginger blond hair and ocean blue eyes looked to the left and saw passage way.

"Over there," he points and approaches what looked to be like a giant block that was blocking their path. The other male, a 21 year-old man dressed in dark clothing, who had gravity defying spiky blond hair, and vivid blue eyes (he could have passed for the teenager's older brother), walked past him and looked up.

"We'll need to go up," he says in a calm tone as he glances upwards.

"How are we going to do that?" The teen asked following the older man's gaze.

"We climb," This time a girl answers. She was roughly the same age as the teen and she too had blonde hair (though hers was shades lighter than her two companions), and blue eyes. She was dressed in a white blouse, a white vest and a matching skirt. At a distant glance, one would have assumed that the three companions were in fact siblings, but that wasn't the case.

He was about to ask how when she suddenly took hold of the older man's weapons, one of many interlockable blades that made up an even more powerful sword and impaled it into the stone block. The teen gaped in amazement that such a fragile, dainty looking girl could hold such a heavy piece of metal, more that she could impale it straight into a wall without breaking a sweat. As if reading his mind, the girl turns around and grins at her friend saying, "Nothing to it." before she starts climbbling up. The teen follows after her, but the older man grabs him by the arm and pulls him back before he could. He makes a face in protest but when he realizes that the older man was looking away for a reason, his face starts turning red.

"Are you two okay?" The girl asks looking down at them.

"Go on," The spiky haired man says telling the teen to go next. He nods and proceeds to use the blade as leverage to climb up. Surprisingly enough it managed to hold his weight without budging or wobbling at all. He looks up and sees the girl smiling at him, reaching down to give him a helping hand. He gratefully takes it and climbs a top the block.

The teen looked and saw that there was still one more block to go and he groaned knowing that they would have to repeat this again soon. He was going to tell his friend when he saw him staring at his broadsword. He removed the blade, and simply jumped high enough, landing next to his younger companions. The youth gaped in wonder, at such a feat, wishing he could do the same. The man didn't put the sword away but rather repeated what the girl had done minutes earlier. Seeing that it wouldn't be enough, he took out another and impaled it just a few feet above from the first, that way it would be easier for them to climb up.

'Not that he needs any help.' the teen thought, slightly jealous.

The girl went up first. This time the teen didn't need a hint, as he quickly turned away and looked down. He waited for a while before he felt someone nudging him on his arm. "Huh...oh...wha?" he fumbled for a moment before noticing that the blond haired man was staring at him an aloof expression on his face.

"Oh... heh...sorry," he says and takes it as a clue that it's his turn. This time around it was easier and therefore didn't need any help getting up. Though then again the girl wasn't there waiting for him.

'Where did she go?' He got up and dusted his hands as he looked around. He looked to the left and saw an opening that led back into the High Tower, figuring that the older man doesn't need his help, he quickly heads inside looking for her. He eventually finds her not that far away, staring at the strange barrier at the edge. He walks up to her and stares at the barrier, and reaches out. Strangely enough his hand doesn't go through and he concludes that whatever that was, was supposed to keep them from falling back down to the lower levels of the High Tower. He was about to say something when he sees the inquisitive look on her face.

"It's a dead end," she says and the teen figures she's right. There was no other passageway or anything that could lead them any further. All this for nothing.

The older man appears not long after. "Any Luck?" He asks.

"No nothing," the teen replies, shaking his head.

"Hmm, what about this strange crystal?" the girl points to a strange crystal pedestal nearby. It was crackling with energy, the teen doubted that it was safe to touch.

"It could be a switch or a device like the others we encountered earlier," the man says from behind as he adjusted the sheaths his swords making doubly sure that they were secured. The girl walks over and studies the object, before she presses her hand on the strange crystal hoping for a reaction.

"Maybe it's broke-," The teen says but is interrupted by a loud noise coming from above. It was a lift, it was coming to a stop right in front of them. Part of the barrier vanished giving them an opening to step on. Carefully they get on and wait as the lift starts rising up again. The lift led them to another level with more barriers like the previous floor. Straight ahead they could see another passageway, who knows where it would lead. When the lift finally came to a stop they got off and made their way through, leading them into a strange room.

"What is this place? It kinda looks like a chapel," the girl says as she walks around. The room was circular as far as they could tell, there was barely any illumination in the room. The teen wonders what kind of place surrounded by bodies of water, impenatrable barriers, or strange lifts would have a chapel. Or why would it need one.

"Over here," the older man points as he walks towards the right. Sure enough, there was an opening that led to yet another passageway. The two teens follow after their friend. As they continue walking, the teen looks around in awe at such a place. If only they had more time to look around.

"This sure is some castle," the girl says to him as she walks cautiously on the path, there were no barriers here to protect them should they fall. "Right, Roxas?"

The teen, Roxas doesn't say anything as he momentarily stares down at the lower levels and lifts. Right then he had a strange feeling of foreboding that he couldn't quite shake off. "Roxas? You alright?" the girl says distracting him from his train of though.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he replies reassuring the girl with a slight smile on his face.

"Stay on your toes you two, who knows what danger could be awaiting us here," the older man says taking the lead. She holds his hand for a little more reassurance as they trail behind their friend. They make come to a stop in front of a door. Roxas unconsciously lets go of the girl's hand when he starts to feel lightheaded, a faint ringing in his ear. Something is not right, but he can't think what.

His companions take no notice of this, as the older man slowly opens the door. The ringing seems to become louder once the door opens. Was it coming from inside the room? Possibly? The older man pushes the doors wide open and the group is suddenly greeted by a blinding flash of light that Roxas closes his eyes to shield himself, or so he thought.

This room was different from the chapel they had passed on the way here. It was well lit with six blue flames that were stationed in front of them, three on the left and three on the right. On the floor there was a strange symbol and straight ahead where two sets of stairs, on the left and right, equal in length that lead to the same place which was slightly higher than the room they had entered.

There, the older man and the girl were lying on the floor facedown as pools of blood collected underneath them. Only Roxas remained standing with his head lowered as if he were looking down at them. In his hand he was holding onto a dagger, the tip of the blade covered with blood. Blood that belonged to the girl and the man…

His two friends he had just killed...

A wicked smirk formed on his lips before he started laughing.

To Be Continued

1.) the titles for the chapters are based on the titles for the parts in Chrono Cross, not all will be used. I think.