PART ONE:

KEY OF BEGINNINGS

Day 1

What...just happened to me?

Rexa knew that she just woke up from a daze. She was in the room with Marluxia, Namine, and the other members of the Organization that were in Castle Oblivion, Marluxia did...something to her, and at that point she must have fell asleep, or passed out. Either way, she woke up, but this time she wasn't in a vulgar dark alley. She leaned on her knees to see that she was on a giant grassy hill top, and when she looked ahead she saw what looked like a large town with many small houses that were lined up in a couple of rows at different areas. And once again, she noticed something different about herself. Her hair was the same length and color, but there were no streaks in it, and it seemed straighter than before. She was no longer wearing the Organization uniform, but a black shirt with hanging sleeves off the shoulders but with spaghetti straps to hold the shirt tight, metallic blue shorts, fishnet tights underneath and white ankle-length heeled boots. To make things odder for her, she had a lip ring too; now she really wondered what the hell happened. If she were to enter the Castle in this outfit instead of the other, Larxene would have referred her to a stronger word than skank. But she felt she needed to look around the town before she did anything else, kind of like in the other town.

It didn't take too long to reach the actual neighborhoods and shops from the hills. She noticed that a lot of people, some adults and some kids, waved at her, and she would wave back to some of them; but she admitted that she began to wonder if she knew any of those people. The street that she was walking on was named 'Reward Ave', yet Rexa didn't see anything that was worth a reward on the street. The block looked pretty calming so far, nothing very suspicious or the like, so Rexa was partly okay with the idea that she was born in the town; but who did she know there. The question was almost answered instantly.

"Yo, Era!" Shouted a man's voice. He called out a name that she knew wasn't hers, but something told her to react. She turned around, and in front of her was a young man that looked about her age. He had enough facial hair to make it a perfect time for a shave and his hair was light brown and curved upward at his shoulders. He was wearing all black on his t-shirt and shorts, but he seemed harmless if you looked at his entire figure in a different way. But as soon as Rexa saw his face, a name flashed brightly in her mind.

"Lucas! You have off today?" Rexa, but for now: Era, called back. Lucas slowed down and stopped at where the blonde was standing with a coy grin on his face.

"Yes, the boss's wife needed some help with unpacking some more shit. You know how they just moved here a month ago? They haven't unpacked the big boxes yet!"

"So no munny for today, huh?"

"Apparently not." Lucas shrugged. He didn't seem to mind at all, but Era knew his poverty problem and had to work somehow today.

"Well...did you offer if you could help them with the unpacking? If you do, you might be able to throw in a friendly fee."

"That is a nice suggestion, Era; but I already got myself some work for today."

Era blinked. "Hmm? What and where?"

"There's this new accessory shop that's opening soon too, and the owner said he'd pay me if I helped him decorate and unpack for him. The usual gig."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"So, Era, what are you doing today?" Lucas asked, this was the only part in the conversation that got Rexa stuck.

"Well...I'm just walking around this evening. I felt a little lazy staying in the house all day."

"I thought you were watching over the those kids at Destiny Island."

Destiny Island? That's the first time Rexa's heard that. And watching over kids? Well if they were old enough to be on the island alone in the first place...-

"Hey, Era!" Another voice called in - a female voice this time. Era turned around once more to see two slightly younger looking girls walking in her direction. One of them was in uniform for what looked like a cafe, but was probably just leaving her shift. Her hair was long around the front yet became really short along the back and was streaked all the way around with dirty blonde and burgundy. Her skin seemed to be unusually pale to suit the rest of her, and her eyes were a mint green color. As for the other girl, her hair was down to her collarbone and was completely jet black. Unlike the other girl, she was rather tan, her eyes were hazel, and she looked a lot more grown when she smiled. The moment both of the girls approached, two unusual flashbacks came into Rexa's mind. The first vision was of Era when she was visiting the cafe that her friend worked in. It was right after they had themselves a decent conversation the moment they just met.

"My name's Renée."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Era by the way."

"Hmm...I don't think I've meet anyone with your name before...you and I really need to hang out some time; and not just this hell of a cafe."

"Are you going to be off soon?"

"Actually...it'll only be an hour before my shift's over. We can hang out then!"

The second vision came to view and it wasn't as pleasant as the other one. The jet-black haired girl was lying on her side on a gravel road, looking as if she just took a beating from a whole gang of people. Rexa noticed that Era was standing in front of a small crowd of kids that looked about her age, screaming at them angrily and taking a step or two towards them.

"-NOW! GET OUT, NOW!!"

"Or what?" A girl in the crowd, who looked a little hammered, shouted back. She took a few steps back into the crowd as if to stand her ground, and the rest of the kids were silent; silent but smirking, laughing, and taunting a little, as if there was just a fight between the torn girl and the drunkard, but Era most likely made a difficult attempt to break them up.

"I'M ASKING YOU POLITELY TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR WAY!" Era replied loathingly. At this point, the girl then walked back forward a little further than she backed up, close to where Era stood, and socked her hard across the face. Era could here a small rip sound as her hand flailed past her, and for a moment, time had slowed down. The girl's nails were very long, painted maroon, and they had scratched Era's cheek like a hawk's talons. When Era managed to lower her hand, the other girl was back at her distance. "Dude! You just freakin scratched my face!"

"Well, what are you going to do...?! Huh?" The other girl asked as if she's lost half of her mind. Somehow the vision skipped what seemed like a lot, for once it came into focus again, the crowd was gone, and Era was kneeling beside the wounded girl, who apparently had a bad reputation with most of the teenagers around the town.

"I'm Natasha."

"And I'm Era. You don't have to tell me about what the shit was between you and those guys."

"No...I'd rather tell you. I've been hiding it for a while now from everyone."

"Oh? Why me?"

"Because you went through all of that trouble to get those kids away from me. And..."

"And?"

"I just somehow know you have it in your heart to keep it a secret."

"Good enough. Let's get you home." Era replied. She let Natasha's arms go around her back so that she could help her up and walk to safety. At that, the visions ended, and Lucas and the two girls, Renée and Natasha, were looking at her as if she fell asleep on the dot.

"Yo...Era?" Natasha called out, waving her hand so she could try and grab Era's attention. Era blinked in reply and suddenly everything went back to focus.

"Oh? Sorry. I kind of spaced out when you came."

"Thinking about someone important?" Renée teased. Lucas had chuckled a little.

"Oh, I see now~ no wonder you weren't at Destiny Islands last today. You were going to talk to Isa before I came, huh?"

Isa? Why was that familiar. "Well...yeah, I was going to a phone booth to dial him." Era said, becoming pink around the cheeks. Renée laid one of her hands on her hips and smirked at the confused blonde.

"Well its obvious you can't coddle with him. He's on like, the other side of the world."

Lucas licked the side of his lip. "Coddle? You mean cuddle, right Renée?" He replied with a coy tone. Renée scoffed at his guess.

"No, Lucas; not that. I mean that they're so distant from each other." Renée explained. She then turned her attention back to Era. "And you only talk to each other during night, right? Why not during the day?"

"He's nocturnal, and he has a dog to strictly look after too. So he probably woke up by now and is getting ready for that."

"I see. You two should totally visit one day." Natasha said, twirling a few of her hairs in between her fingers. "Hey...have you ever sent a letter to him before?"

Era blinked. "No. Why?"

"You should totally send him one, with a photo of you too if he hasn't seen you yet."

"I've got email, you know." The blonde replied, looking at her side. Natasha giggled at her reaction.

"Hey, its worth a try. What better way to get to know each other better than a letter?...Or email; since that's what you recommend."

"Need some help with that?" Lucas asked slyly. Renée rolled her eyes.

"Lucas, we're just giving suggestions to her. This is between her and Isa only, and has nothing to do with your sexual fantasies."

"Whatev'. You can do what you want. I'm always available though, remember that, Era."

Era could only slightly raise her eyebrows and roll her eyes to another spot, not wanting anything to do with his 'help'.

Pervert. Era thought to herself. "I'll consider your offer." Not. Rexa really remembered who Lucas was at this point. He was a sweetheart most of the time, but at other times -or whenever any source of his or Era's friends were around- he could be a real pig. They had hooked up at one time when they were in their last year of middle school, but now it was their first year in college, and Era's grown up and preferred them both to be just friends. Renée has worked in cafe's ever since she started her first job as a 7th grader, and had a real taste for pastries, despite how unusually skinny she was. Natasha had exposed the truth about the one drunken girl's 'cheating educationally and relationship-wise' and had at one time made a kid drown in the waters near the island. The news got around and she was no longer allowed to baby-sit -since parents were concerned about her behavior around toddlers- and the drowned kid turned out to be the drunk girl's younger and most favored niece, and that's how she got the beating. Rexa knew all about her friendship stories now, but what would occur next. The sun was no longer visible and the sky was covered by a mass of clouds that overshadowed the whole town.

"Um, guys? I'm going to...check on the kids." Era said, breaking the silence uneasily.

"Oh, okay then." Renée replied smiling. "We'll see you tomorrow then?"

"I've...got some work to do tomorrow; I think." Era replied. Without waiting for another voice to follow up the conversation, she began to walk downhill towards where she could see a shore. She could imagine the three behind her wondering if there was anything wrong with her, but to answer their question she was actually a Nobody in the body of her Somebody that's just retracing her steps of what happened in her before-life. They would think that she was crazy if she told them that. A rhythmic gust began to blow a little not too long before she left her friends behind, and the sky was becoming slightly darker by the minute, the sun now engulfed by cloud and fog. It didn't take too long to walk to the shore line of the town. It was just like a beach, and Era could tell that people were hanging around there not too long back. She stepped forward, an inch away from where the high tide usually reached, and stared ahead at the ocean. Apparently there was an island at least a mile away from the town. She could see the shadow of what looked like a few trees and a whole fortress altogether in the shape of a black blob. That's where she said she'd look after the younger ones, but she lied. She only came to the shore to stare ahead. Destiny Island. The words echoed through Rexa's mind, and as if it were a trigger, Rexa had suddenly became separate from Era's body. In fact, the whole view of Era, the shore, and the rest of town became a gray color, as if Rexa were watching an old movie, but she herself was still in the scene. Era didn't turn to face Rexa, so Rexa knew that she was completely out of the scene, but at the same time she was.

"This...is so insane." Rexa said, figuring that she was talking to herself as she stared at the dazed Era in front of her, but she was instantly corrected.

"I know right? Who ever knew your past life would be this way?" A familiar voice interrupted. Rexa looked around her, anxious to see where it was coming from, yet nobody was around, except for a certain Nobody that emerged from behind her.

"You know, you're pretty cute as a Somebody." Axel said, smirking as he approached the heartless blonde. "Not that I'm saying that you're not now, but you know what I mean." He turned his head so that he was looking at Era, who continued her own actions in her little scene. "You're friends seem a little unusual though."

"You're one to talk." Rexa replied, looking at her former self as well. She felt Axel's gloved hand slide softly underneath her chin and then onto her shoulder.

"I know you don't feel any different than her, but that's what being a Nobody is partly about. Once you're born, you've lost your memories of everything that has to do with your past, including your friends, family, even your own name. Once you realize what happened before you become a Nobody, you'll probably feel the same."

"So I hear..." Rexa replied, wanting to look away from her Somebody at that. She could see from the corner of her eye that Axel was smirking, but his smile later on vanished slowly.

"It hurts, doesn't it? I was that way too, when I first joined the organization. After a week or two, you'll get used to it." He backed up a little a looked around the shore himself, as if he were studying it. Then he looked back at Rexa and put his hands to his hips. "You won't be waking up just yet."

Rexa was going to apply, but in a blink of an eye everything just snapped back to the way it was. Rexa found herself in Era's body once more looking dazed up at the sky. Era gasped as she looked around desperately to see if anyone else was around, but she was completely alone. It was officially night time and the moon had appeared brightly above the clouds. When some of the thin fogs passed by in the sky, Era could truly see how remarkable the moon looked. Rexa remembered Isa telling me how he thought the moon was quite beautiful, and how by just staring at him made him feel at ease. The same way was with Era; staring at the moon made her feel more comfortable. Her peace was suddenly interrupted by a beeping noise, coming from her hand. She held it up to see that her wrist watch seemed to be sounding its alarm. When did I have a watch? Rexa thought. Placing her hand on her cheek as if to see how warm it was, Era realized what the time was.

"I'd better get home." She told herself, before she ran away from the shore towards her home. She figured that the kids on the island went home on their own at the time it was now. Her home seemed more like a ghost town during the night, it was actually a little frightening. She walked to the point of where she met her three friends and looked to her side. There were a few rows of houses to both of her sides from one direction, yet a bunch of closing shops in another. The numbers that she saw only ran by numbers ranging from tens to hundreds, and she decided to start off simple and started to walk towards the house labeled '1'. Rexa didn't know that house numbers came that low; after all, she was smart enough to know that most apartment numbers went by thousands. Walking past ten houses took quite a stroll down the street. At that point, the moon was at its brightest, and Era wondered if Isa was waiting for her call at this point. Rexa pretty much forgotten when exactly she'd call him, but she figured it'd have to be soon since the evening had passed already. Something instantly caught her eye when she looked to the right to face another house. It seemed fairly different than the rest, but it wasn't the eye catching part. Unlike the other houses, this one had its apartment number in roman numerals instead of a number, and the entire area seemed more neat than the rest. The numerals on the wall read XIII; number 13. Must be something to make me feel special. Rexa thought, but Era began walking up the driveway, as if she knew it was her house. It was instant as if the thought was a trigger since the moment she took two steps onto the gravel, another few flashbacks appeared in her thoughts. The first seemed pretty simple and was same to where she was standing at that moment, only it was sunrise. On the driveway stood Era herself, only she looked about 14 years old, and two adults; and Rexa figured it was her parents. Smaller Era, however, looked like she had a bone to pick with someone.

"Now now, Era. I know you're upset, but there is no need to judge until we really get to know this place. We're starting a new leaf now, okay?" The mother said cheerfully. It didn't lift small Era's mood one bit.

"Sure...right. This place is going to be one hell of a show for me." Era Jr. replied.

"Now Era, your mother's right. Just because we're someplace new now, doesn't mean its going to ruin your whole life." The father cut in.

"It already has. I mean- look at this junk!" Era Jr. shouted. She pointed out multiple flaws around the house and some of the others. "I can't believe you think this excrement is better than our old home! I'd just hope for your sake the people aren't like this too."

"Era, you really need to know when to look on the bright side of things when something appears...different. And I'm tired of that tone in your voice."

"Hey, I get tired of yours plenty of times; you don't see me complaining."

For some reason Rexa was forced to look up - either that or she rolled her eyes up just in time, because in the crack of a second she heard a loud SMACK sound. It didn't seem to get to her head till a few more seconds, but then it hit her like a crack of a whip, and then looked back down. Era Jr. grimaced, her hand on a slightly red, burning cheek and holding in a urge to cry. Rexa did wonder if she really made that big of a fuss over a new home.

"You're so mean...you're always so fucking mean...! Why don't things always go the way I plan!?"

At that, the little ranting girl ran away from the house, her parents infuriated and yelling at her to come back. She didn't know where she was going, but she just sped up, wanting to go somewhere that she's never been before; but that could be anywhere but that train wreck of a home. Rexa remembered how angry she was when she first found out that she and her folks had to leave the city. It was the most dreadful time of her life, and she never felt that kind of feeling before. She felt as if her heart just got jabbed with a sledge hammer, her stomach felt as though it sunk to her butt, and her throat felt as dry as when you swallow multiple giant pills dry. She hated the feeling. She hated it!

And it hit her. Her flashback ended and the first thing she looked at was the roman numeral above the door; only...it was a roman numeral anymore; it was a regular number thirteen. When did that happen? Rexa thought. Regardless, it was the same house as it was in her flashback, so she then knew it was her home. When Era placed her hand on the doorknob, it sent a chill through her veins. It was always so cold at night, and she still hasn't gotten used to it since she moved there. Stepping through the door, Era noticed that only a few lights were on still. Her parents were sitting on the dining room table and smiled when they saw her going through the hall.

"Heya, Era. Did you have a nice day?" The father asked joyfully. Era only smiled as if it were same old same old.

"Yes."

"Did you talk to Lucas today?"

"Yes."

"Did he work today?" The mom cut in.

"No." Era said, same tone.

"But he is working somewhere for a substitute, right?"

"...Yeah." Era then replied. The room got awkwardly silent, Era's cue to go to her room before more talking started. Era's room was prettier than Rexa thought it would be. It was a red-based color- red walls, red and pink polka-dotted carpet, and a twin sized bed with maroon sheets and a lot of pink colored pillows. There was a plush next to one of the pillows that looked exactly the same as the little white pom-pom creature she saw at the place she woke up. She wondered deeply if she forgot it may be a common species. Not that it mattered at the moment, Rexa could find out more later on; but in the meantime, Era walked over to the bed that partly looked like a giant strawberry and picked up her cell phone without even looking at it. Checking the screen, she saw that she didn't have any messages, so Isa was probably expecting her call. How would I talk to him? Rexa wondered. I can't even remember what he sounds like. At that thought, almost like a trigger, the phone vibrated roughly in her palm, making her yelp a little from the sudden shaking motion. The caller ID said 'Isa' in the front with a photo of a crescent moon below it. Rexa hesitated, but Era immediately answered.

"Hello there, Isa." She greeted casually.

"I feel so much better now that I hear your voice." Isa replied. "You would not believe what just happened."

"What happened?" The curious blonde asked. She spread out on her bed and began twirling one of her hairs.

"Well…word has it that there's a newly found species around here; and…I think I saw it."

"What did it look like?"

"I don't know exactly. I was outside and it was sort of a camouflage. It had a small shape, but it blended in with the darkness."

Well it put the plush on her bed out of the question. "Sounds like a shadow to me."

"Well, no. It was standing in front of a black wall, and its eyes were a yellow color. I don't know anything else that looks like that, and everyone else is suspicious too."

"Heh. Should I come over there and see for myself?"

"Nah. Wouldn't want you to travel all that time for just a mysterious creature around here. I'd be willing to take a photo of it for you if you'd like to. Fun's not over yet."

"I'd be delighted if you were to do that for me." Era replied. She rolled to her side, wondering how the weird thing would look.

"I'll be sure to do so. But in the meantime, how have you been doing?"

Era was going to reply, but the same thing that happened around the beach just triggered in the room as well. Everything went monochromatic, and Era was still running her mouth. Rexa sat beside her curiously , unable to hear the rest of the conversation, but she already knew someone else was going to appear around.

"Isa, huh? That's just cute." A female voice said. The voice was very close, it sounded as though it came from Rexa's side. In fact, Larxene was at her side, sitting beside her with a cheesy grin on her face and her arm around Rexa's shoulders.

"What do you know about him?" Rexa asked. She couldn't tell herself if she asked suspiciously or curiously; possibly both.

"Weeellll, I'd tell you; but it'd be so heartbreaking, and you'd agree if I did. You'll find out later on, dear, I promise."

"I guess Isa is my business anyway." Rexa replied, looking over at the mirror hanging at the wall. Even the reflection was colorless except for the two female nobodies. "But that thing he mentioned on the phone, what about that?"

"Oooh, it won't be too long before you find out about that too. Trust me, you don't have to find out everything right away. You'll know as your past goes through."

"You just hate to kill suspense, don't you?" Rexa replied. Larxene cackled a little, bringing a finger to her lips.

"Yes, but I call it 'exposing secrets'. Its for me to know, and for you to find out on your own. Sorry to break it to you."

Rexa glanced back at the comfortable blonde. "So why'd you even come here."

"To watch your other self converse so sweetly with her lover from the other side of the world. Where is he anyway?"

"I don't even know…" Rexa replied. She guessed that Larxene appeared to give her a brief reminder of what she should think about as she looks through her past.

"You'll know soon." Larxene replied. She got up from the blank bed and looked at herself in the mirror, a grim smile on her slightly pale face. "Let's just say I know where he is now." It sort of made Rexa think a little more at that point.

"What do you mean 'where he is now'?"

Larxene didn't reply. But she did turn around and smirked and did the same gesture with her figure, placing it on her lips. With a small laugh, she vanished into the swirling shadows. Now Rexa felt dumbfounded as she stared at the spot where the other blonde vanished. In an instance, the room got its color again, and Rexa was once again in the form of her somebody, continuing to babble something that she couldn't even hear at first, but then the sound began to echo through seconds later.

"-together we might see it for ourselves."

"Oh? When and where would such a fantastic and beautiful night occur, hmm?" A curious Isa asked. Despite Rexa not hearing anything for a moment, it was like she didn't know what to say, but at the same time she did.

"Not sure. But I'm tired of waiting, you know? We've been stuck on the phone and computer for quite a while now."

"How long?"

"Three years, to be honest."

Whoa, three years? That did seem like a long time to Rexa, and rightfully agreed with her other, despite that she didn't recall much about Isa. But she remembered what Larxene told her; she'd have to find out everything for herself, not that she wouldn't later on.

"We'll think of a date somehow."

"Alright then. So...do you have to go now?"

"Unfortunately. I'm starting to do reports on the moon now. Its very important, as well as beautiful- as you are aware of."

Era smirked as if he could see her smile. "Very well, then. I will allow you to do your work. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Of course, my darling." Isa replied. Era could hear his soft chuckle on the other side of the phone, it nearly made her melt from the rhythmic sound of his amusement.

"Good night, Isa." Era said. She got the same message in return before she pressed the red button on her cell to hang up. It was around nine o'clock when she checked the time, and it was darker than she thought it would be when she looked outside the window. Something gave her a really strong urge just by looking at the window, but she wouldn't let it get control over her; or would she? She didn't want to find out, so she only dimmed her light so her room was dark and of a soft gray color. The moon's light shined through the window even more when there was no other light in the room, and it made Era even more curious.

"I don't think...a peek could hurt." Era said to herself. With only a short black spagetti-straped tank on and short shorts, she didn't realize till the last minute how suddenly cold it has gotten in her room, and the window wasn't even open - yet. Pushing herself off the bed, she waddled off the covers and walked swiftly over to the window. Despite her room being on the third story, she couldn't see anything more than the lights from the other houses and the luminescent moon. She felt she had no choice but to open the window to get a closer look. When she raised the window up from its stand, a sudden wind came blowing through Era, making her shiver as the cold had crawled up her veins. As she popped her head out in the open, she looked down below her. The streets were entirely empty as there were no people or animals around in the dark. "Isa...you've really made me curious."

"That girl always looks for trouble." Another voice said. The moment that Rexa turned to see who came to speak to her now was also the moment where everything froze in place. Everything was gray once more, but this time nothing moved in the separate scene. Rexa wouldn't be surprised that such a thing happened if Vexen were to appear.

"Trouble?" Rexa questioned.

"Its a shame that this Isa of yours doesn't know what he had discovered. And now he wanted to drag you along too. Pity to be so ignorant."

"Well, do you know what the creature is?!" Rexa replied, and she didn't even realize that she slightly shouted her words. Vexen cackled a little from her question.

"Of course. They're the reason why people lose their hearts in the first place, and why only a select few become Nobodies."

"So...that thing that Isa described to her; it's...dangerous?"

"Hostile in every possible way, dear."

"But, how do I warn him!?"

"You can't. Even if I tell you now what those creatures are, your doppelganger over there can't read your thoughts; even when you're in her body, studying memories. Besides, its not like all of this is happening right now. We've told you that these are only fragments of your memories of the past. Just re-runs. You can't do anything about it but watch."

Rexa didn't know how to reply to that. From what she just heard, she didn't want to see the worst to come in the future of this playback. Somehow without even noticing, the frozen scene had begun to have motion once more, and Era was still looking out the window; her hair being blown back behind her. Rexa noticed that she sighed a little, and after a minute or two, closed the window.

"But look on the bright side. Despite that we are just Nobodies who have no one to be, we still 'are'. So you're lucky you're alive to see all this; let alone, being brought back to life to have a fate that sets within the Organization." Vexen did the grim smirk that he did often when Rexa first appeared in Castle Oblivion. It was weird how he always looked satisfied to see her, and he told her info about her past than Larxene and Axel did.

"I see you've gone speechless. Well, if you can't think of anything to reply at the moment, I shall leave you alone to think."

"We'll see." Rexa replied. Vexen vanished back to where he was before, probably in the Castle watching over her with the other members, and Rexa found herself in bed, with her eyes closed. The bed was comfortable though, it settled her mind, but nothing could settle what she was thinking about right now. She thought once again about how all of these were just figments of her past, and how she could do nothing to stop the worst to come.