Yeah, it was my idea ta use Chrono Cross in this way, but I can't take all the credit. It came to mind one day after I was thinking of the way DominoDS had reversed Mary Jane and Peter. So it's partially their influence.

One: Thrown into Darkness and Despair

"Kid!"

Kid stirred in her bed. One arm hit the floor and she sat up with a start. "Huh?"

"KID!" her father's call rattled the windows of Arni yet again.

"Coming, Dad." Kid groaned. She brushed her matted blond hair, tying it back in a braid. Throwing on her usual outfit (red vest, red skirt, white halter top, boots, gloves, pendant), she slid downstairs for breakfast.

"Your cousin was here." Wazuki told his daughter as she came down.

"What did she want this time?" Kid asked dully.

"She was with Adam." Wazuki told her.

Kid's eyes misted over. Adam was Leena's boyfriend, but Kid had had a crush on him ever since she was little. It was he who had comforted her after she had been attacked by that panther when she was little, and lost her mother, Marge.

"Kid, are you in dreamland again?"

"Eh?" Kid snapped awake. "Oh, sorry." She stood. "I'll go see A-uh, whatever Leena wanted."

"She just wanted to see if-" Wazuki was cut off as Kid ran out the door. He sighed, a wry smile touching his lips. "Energetic little kid. Oh well."

Kid darted out of her house, stopping short at the pier. Adam was standing with Leena, watching the children play and splash about in the water. They were talking in low tones, Leena laughing every once in a while. Then Adam leaned over and kissed Leena deeply on the lips.

"Ahem." Kid crossed her arms and gave Leena a look of pure venom. Leena returned it.

"Oh, yeah. You." Leena suppressed a grimace. "Adam was going to get me some Komodo Dragon scales for my necklace, right Adam?" she leaned against his chest. Leena knew about Kid's secret crush on Adam, and took every chance she had to boil Kid in a kettle of jealousy.

"Uh. . .yeah. . ." Adam was surprised by the sudden movement.

"And I wanted you to go with him to make sure he didn't get hurt." Leena shot Kid a do-it-or-I'll-tell-him-everything look.

"Do it yourself." Kid waved her away.

"I can't! I'm watching the kids!"

"Why would you want some dumb Komodo Dragon scales anyway?!"

"They're not dumb!"

"Yeah, not nearly as dumb as your face!"

Leena quivered on the point of infuriation. "KID. . ."

"Fine, whatEVER."

"And remember, Addykins, three scales, and meet me at Opassa Beach when you have them." Leena told him. Kid turned away and stuck her finger down her throat.

Kid looked at Adam sharply. "Are we going or are we gonna stand here all day?"

"Coming." Adam shared a loving look with Leena before following Kid.

Kid glanced back to see Leena sink to her knees, her eyes dreamy. 'Blech. . .I don't ever want a boyfriend.'

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"Kid?" Adam called.

'He's such a dummy, isn't he? I'm right here.' Kid thought bitterly. "Here's another one." She unceremoniously ripped the scale from the back of the dragon's head, tossing it to Adam as he came into sight of her. Adam faltered, unable to catch the scale. He bent to pick it up as Kid continued. 'What did I ever see in him? He acts all sexy in the village, but once outside, he's a little baby. He was too afraid of the last Komodo Dragon to even touch it. Pitiful!'

"I think we have them all." Adam told her, shying away from a branch that resembled a Komodo Dragon's tail.

"One more." Kid told him. "Leena said three, you told me. We've got two." 'Holy Sky Dragon, the guy can't even count?!'

Kid continued down the path until she spotted the last Komodo Dragon. "I got him!" she called to Adam. She sprinted after the dragon, dagger raised. "If you have to make this hard on me, I'll have to make it hard on you!"

The Komodo Dragon swerved slightly, and Kid nearly ran into a nearby bush. Swerving just in time, she followed the dragon down the small hill. She jumped down from the ledge as the dragon continued across a bridge. They repeated this entire route almost four times before Kid managed to catch up to it. Leaping on top of it, she pinned it down and buried her dagger into its exposed throat. "Hate to kill that one, but he wouldn't let up." she muttered, her forehead dripping with perspiration. Removing the other scale, she dropped it into Adam's hand. How he missed this one no one will ever know, but somehow it fell through his hands and landed on the ground. Kid turned around to shake her head without him seeing, but gave a yelp as his hair brushed her backside on his way down to get the scale. "Watch your head!" she told him angrily, spinning around and backing away. Adam turned red and mumbled an apology.

Kid walked through the end of Lizard Rock to Opassa Beach. The beach was vacant, save the live Komodo Dragon that had been stripped of its scale quickly diving into the sea. She turned back to Adam, who was immersed in examining the coral.

"Hot-Head isn't here yet. Good." Kid strode up to the beach. Hands on her hips, she studied the sea through dark blue eyes. She remembered clearly the sensation of swimming in its depths, feeling light-hearted and carefree. That had been ten years ago, when she was six. She had been drifting in the water when there suddenly wasn't anything underneath her. Trying to reach shore, she had panicked, and begun thrashing about. This was the thing her parents had told her not to do when she was drowning, but at the time she was too scared to remember. Everything else was a blur. She had looked down, to see a prosperous, functioning, undersea ecosystem. Fish swam by her body as her strength diminished. But she remembered that. What she didn't remember wasn't very clear. Her head breaking the surface of the water, a wet gloved hand reaching out for hers, a flash of blue. That was all. She had, at first, supposed it was her father, but Wazuki hadn't been wearing gloves that day. Besides, the hand had felt young and strong.

"Dreaming again, Dumb Blond?" Leena asked. Kid turned to see her with Adam's arm around her shoulders.

"Don't call me that!" Kid screamed. She hated it whenever Leena called her a dumb blond.

"Whatever. Just go off somewhere to dream or something." Leena turned back to Adam as Kid stalked off angrily.

Kid tried to force herself to go off into a dream as Adam began to sweet- talk Leena, as he always did. But dreams never come when bidden. They enwrap you when they want to, wild and free.

After a while, Kid began to go off into a dream. It was, as always, unintentional. She began to trace a light circle on her leg with her dagger. Vaguely, she wondered what it would look like if she brought blood. Almost without thinking, she pressed the dagger a little harder. Blood flowed easily from the small scratch, staining the dagger. Kid admired the dagger, the way the blood made a stain, small and perfect, almost like art. The blood against her pale skin also had a quiet beauty of its own. What was it that was so familiar about the dagger. . .and the blood. . .

"Ow! That must hurt!" Leena remarked. Kid jerked awake, and realized what she had done to herself.

"Yeah. It does. I shouldn't have done that. . ." But it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt at all. Almost as if it wasn't her blood on the dagger. . .almost as if it were someone else's. . .

"Dreamer, we're getting ready to go." Leena shook her shoulder. Kid nodded, wiping away the blood with her thumb. She stood, sheathing the dagger.

'Kid. . .'

"Eh?" Kid glanced around.

"What?" Leena gave her a funny look. "You're acting kinda weird. . ."

"Didn't you hear that?" Kid asked.

"Hear what?" Adam asked.

"Nothing, it's. . .nothing." Kid took one last look around before following the others toward the exit.

'Kid. . .'

"I KNOW I heard it this time!" Kid exclaimed. She turned toward the sea. "What do you want?!"

There was no response.

"Kid. . ." Leena murmured. Kid took no notice.

"HEY!" Kid yelled, stepping boldly up to the beach.

"Kid, you're beginning to scare me." Leena told her. Kid turned to see the two of them were staring at her.

"Sorry, I just thought I heard-huh?!" Kid looked down. The patch of sand beneath her was beginning to glow. "What the hell. . . ?!" she murmured. Memories flashed through her mind. Running. Screaming. Pain. Blood. Fear. Eyes. . .eyes so yellow. . .eyes that wanted to kill her. . .

Kid shook her head to clear it, staring out into the sea. It was then she noticed the wisps of bluish green light beginning to rise up around her. A light breeze, impossibly coming from the ground, lifted her braid from her shoulders and ruffled her clothes. The sun blinded her as she tried to follow the tresses on their way to the sky with her eyes. A wave from the sea washed all around her feet, as well as the entire beach. But it left her dry. She felt light-headed, almost floating. Her stomach pitched downward for a moment, but she wasn't moving. She felt sick. . .so sick. . .

And then it was over. The sea returned to its normal hue. Kid's vision swirled as her eyes rolled up and she collapsed on the beach.

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"What are you doing there, girl?"

A creaky voice broke through the silence in Kid's mind. She was vaguely aware of something gritty under her, all over her face, arms, legs, and exposed stomach. "Eh . . . ?" she murmured. She found herself face down in the sand of Opassa Beach. Pushing herself up, she shook the sand from her hair, and brushed it off of her clothes.

"For a moment I thought you were a dead body washed ashore." the old woman continued, her pet Komodo Dragon bobbing beside her.

"I'm not." Kid stood up, brushing herself off the rest of the way. "Eh?" she looked around, shaking her head. "Where's Adam and Leena?"

"I believe Leena's in the village, babysitting. Adam might be with her." the old woman turned to go. "Take care of yourself now, girl. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you, now." The pet Komodo dragon followed her to Lizard Rock.

"Just like Leena, to leave me for dead." Kid made sure she was all in one piece, but then looked up. 'Girl. . . ? Isn't that woman from Arni? I should know her. Eamma, that's right. Why didn't she call me by name? Huh, probably just forgot again.' Still confused, but unconcerned, Kid made her way out to the lizard's cove.

On her way to Arni, however, she noticed a sign in Lizard Rock. "Huh? 'Warning: Opassa Beach. Keep out!'" she read aloud. "What's that about?" Shrugging, she turned to continue. "Leena'll probably explain."

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"Oh, Adam, do you mean that?" Leena asked.

"Leena!" Kid called, running up to her.

"Huh?" Leena stood up from her place on the pier.

"What the hell happened back there?!" Kid demanded.

"Who are you? What're you talking about?" Leena asked.

"Don't play dumb, Leena."

"How do you know my name? I've never seen you before."

"Kid! Remember?" Kid told her. "Now what happened?"

"How do you know about Kid?!" Leena demanded, stepping away from Kid as Adam stood up.

"Kid was Leena's cousin." Adam told her. "She drowned ten years ago. It's not funny to joke about it."

"Joke. . . ? Adam, what're you talking about?" Kid asked, now very confused herself. "We were on the beach, and you got Leena those scales-"

"Scales? What would I want with scales when I have this?" Leena asked, showing Kid her Rainbow Shell bracelet.

"I don't remember you having one of those at all. . ." Kid murmured.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Leena frowned. "If you think you're Kid, you're wrong! I saw her dead body with my own eyes, right before it sank to the bottom of the sea! It's no joke, whoever you are!"

Kid backed away, by now very confused. But she did want to know one thing. "W-what happened to Kid's father. . . ?"

"He died of a broken heart after Kid passed away." Leena explained. "She was the only family he had, and he treasured her, just as he had treasured Marge, his late wife." She sighed. "I'm sorry I blew up at you like that. It was really very rude of me. But if you want to see her grave, it's up on Cape Howl."

Kid didn't hear anymore. Her father was dead, and Leena thought she was dead. Without explanation, she ran blindly through the village. Tears streaked down her face, making trails in the white makeup she usually wore. Familiar faces fleeted before her eyes, but then they were gone. No one knew her. No one recognized her. She felt like she could die.

She ran out of the village, tripping on a rock and scratching an arm. Curling up on a rock, she cried herself to sleep.

A/N: You like? If not, don't bother to stick around for the other chapters. If so, let me know. I'm not askin' much, just push the button under this, and tell me how it is. I'm not demandin' an essay or anythin'!

BTW, I'm working on the second chapter. Serge'll show up, but I'm not done with it yet. I think I'll have them show up at a bar in Termina, but Serge won't be able to drink, what with the holes in his . . .never mind.