Previously on t h e l i f e l e s s l e e c h:

"Our kind? Who...and what are you?"

"Your leader. And it's about time you realize who you are...Rexa."

xxx

"Whoa, Marluxia, what did you do to her?"

"Don't worry. She is only in a siesta. Namine, you know what to do."

"Come here. We all have to see what happened to her before she...lost her heart."

xxx

"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."

"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. You won't be waking up just yet."

xxx

"Well, do you know what the creature is?!"

"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."

xxx

"It won't be too long before the Heartless becomes a real threat to your people."

"It already has. Renée's hurt, isn't she?"

"Well in your level of words, how much does 'hurt' hurt?"

xxx

"Well there you go then. If you keep watching what goes on, your questions will be answered. We've been through the same thing, so we would know. You have a scent of such innocence and weakness, and a newborn nobody. But out of all of the history that I've learned about nobodies, you're the most questionable newborn I have seen."

"Is that bad?"

"Well I'm not saying its good, but its not that it's bad either. See, that's what's so intriguing about you."

xxx

"We heard. I called your house phone earlier and your dad said that you were asleep. We didn't want to bother you, but now we have to take action."

"What action?"

"We're going to see Ansem The Wise. Right now."

"Wait, right now!? I didn't know that we were ALL in this!"

"Well, duh. We all want Renee back and we all want to know what that creature was that attacked her hard enough to knock her into a coma."

"But the laboratory is so far away! Couldn't we have picked sometime early during the day?"

"Aren't you anxious to know more about those things that are lurking around as we speak? If you won't go, we won't."

xxx

"I don't mean the city. I meant this world. Your friends aren't here. Perhaps you can look for them elsewhere besides this place."

"What do you mean 'leave the world'?"

"Your friends are no place in the world right now. Your other friend is in a fatal coma, your lover has lost his heart, and your parents will take extreme measures on how to punish you for what you did if they find you."

"Huh?! Wait a minute - you mean Isa? How did he lose his heart?!"

"The Heartless found him as a threat them and you. As much as you might have loved him dearly, they could feel the darkness in his heart, and took it all away. You should be thanking them."

"How do you know all of this…?"

"I can see your past, and your future. Neither of them are pretty to look forward to. You're only left with no choice."

"What choice is that?" Era asked, not really wondering what the answer is.

"The reason the Heartless are following you. They're offering to return you to your friends, a better family, and your real love, but it is a big sacrifice. The crevice along the station you all left from. There is nothing but darkness there. A home to Heartless if nowhere else. All you need to do is give them what they came here for."

xxx

"Organization XIII has a mission. Collect the most hearts so that we may one day we could no longer just be empty shells. As much as we appreciate the abilities we have now, we also want to be real people again. To have hearts. If there's anything we want, it's that."

"There is a boy, who holds the key to our existence, that we need in order to restore Kingdom Hearts the way we desire it to be. He was meant to destroy the Heartless, and for every heartless destroyed, a heart joins within Kingdom Hearts. Its our only hope for becoming whole."

"His name is Sora. He's not much of an impression to me, but he still is useful to us, which is why we must get a hold of him and his...'keyblade'. He's known as the keyblade master."

"No need to worry, Rexa. He's a long way off from here, so we have all the time right now to prepare and teach you how to be a full-fledged Nobody before you meet him in person."

"Now Rexa, come. Its time for you to prepare before the arrival of the Keyblade Master."

PART TWO:

KEY OF GUIDANCE

In a room that Rexa had found on her own, she stood wordless as she stared outside the window. It was evening, and the castle appeared more inexplicable in the darkness as did the road that led to it; which she could barely see. The dark made the room she was in seem very bright, but the entire castle was this type of white hue. The flashback that she had dreamed of earlier still seemed to buzz in her head, and it wouldn't let her be. Her original form was obviously tricked by some sort of fake being, and she wondered what the town's condition was at the moment, and if her friends ever came back. Sighing as she pushed some of her streaked blonde hair back, she walked over to a different corner away from the window, more focused on actually wanting to be back at her old home than stay at Castle Oblivion. She even wondered if the other Nobodies would understand how she felt if she were to tell them about it. As if on cue, a swirl of shadows had begun to spin around at a far corner of the room that Rexa could see from the corner of her eye, but she didn't turn her head.

Out of the shadows stood Axel, and he casually walked towards her, as if he was expecting a conversation or an explanation of something. As he got closer, Rexa only turned her head by an inch to get a better look at him. He seemed harmless at the moment, but something deep in her told her that in the future, he might expect something from her.

"Now how come you're all by yourself?" He asked coyly. Rexa's eyes narrowed to where he stood.

"I wanted some alone to think."

"About your flashback, right? We've all been there."

A few hairs had fell in front of her face. "We didn't all share the same fate, I bet."

"That is true." Axel pointed out. "Suicide is the least cause we'd expect to result in a new Organization member. Now that makes you quite unique, doesn't it?"

"Well I wouldn't have done it on purpose if I had known that he was a fake."

"It's okay." Axel replied. "If it were me, I would be angry too." He turned around so his back would be facing her. Silence filled the room after the slight discussion. Rexa thought that a lack of a heart would mean a lack of emotions as well, but she got this feeling that Axel might have wanted her to feel comfortable in the Organization. Anyone would probably want her to be comfortable anywhere, since she was known to be the helpless one. But now that she was a Nobody, she wondered if that would change.

"So, this Sora kid; is there anything else special about him besides that he holds the 'keyblade'?"

"There is one other thing." Axel replied, turning back around and folding his arms across his chest. "There was a time when he too became a Heartless."

"Hmm." Rexa replied. "When?"

"It was in another world, called Hollow Bastion, where he went to rescue the princesses of heart. He had to give up his heart to free the last princess."

"Wait a minute." She cut off. "If he lost his heart, then how is he still coming this way? Its as I was told. When someone becomes a Heartless, they lose their minds and their feelings. They're consumed by the darkness."

"Right. But not Sora." Axel replied. "He was able to hold on to his feelings, even as a Heartless. And there was only, one other man that could do just that."

At this point, Rexa was intrigued. "He managed to get out of the stage of being a Heartless? I don't see how a regular human can do that."

"They can't. And that's the other thing that's special about Sora."

"I see."

Axel turned back around, facing Rexa with a black expression, yet she could tell that he wanted something from her. He looked like he was going to speak again, but he was cut off with swirling shadows not too far off next to him. They soon disappeared, and Vexen came walking towards the blonde newborn.

"Rexa, we need to talk to you in private."

Rexa blinked. "Who's 'we'?"

"Zexion, Lexaeus, and I. There's something we also have to discuss."

Axel glanced at Rexa, then back at Vexen slowly. "Something personal, Vexen? We all need a turn you know."

Vexen glowered at Axel's comment. "You're wrong, actually. And even if it were personal, I wouldn't force her to answer."

"Whatever. Do what you'd like, Vexen." He glanced back over to Rexa. "We can talk again later. You're going to have to start training soon anyway. Marluxia's orders."

Vexen had nearly snatched her by the wrist. "She'll be on time to start. No worries."

Rexa glanced at Axel, who only nodded when she wasn't saying anything. Before she could, the dark ribbons encircled her and Vexen. And then they vanished.

She never admitted it, but the dark room she was in earlier when she met the other three nobodies sort of gave her the chills. She figured from all of these feelings, she was still partly human, yet who knew when that would pass? The other nobodies were in their usual posture; Zexion was standing as if he was in deep thought, and Lexaeus was the same only with his arms across his chest and with a hard expression on his face. Since Vexen had disappeared again when Rexa was dropped off, she was alone with the other two, waiting patiently just like they were. For some reason it'd feel weird talking until Vexen came back. But Rexa had second thoughts about that since Zexion suddenly turned to stare, and eventually opened his mouth.

"You're past. It was really...something." He stated calmly. Lexaeus unexpectedly jumped in on the comment.

"But you seemed so naive. Who would have known you'd be that trusting to fall for a trap like that." His sharp blue eyes opened, but the rest of his features remained motionless.

"Hey now, I don't think SHE could have helped that. I myself, after watching this, am now careful about who and who not to trust."

Lexaeus closed his eyes again and turned his head the other way as if he doubted her confidence, but Zexion seemed to pity her.

"At least she knows that its two different people now." He side-stated to Lexaeus, then he glanced back over to Rexa. "What's done is done, and now that you're reborn as one of us, you can change whatever feature you'd like to."

Rexa gave back a small smile in reply. It was better than way that Lexaeus had reacted to the conversation, but she figured it was over with now. She would just have to get used to his mood. In a moment's notice, Vexen came back to the room, looking as if he was about to tell his deepest darkest secret. Now that the whole trio was around to talk, Rexa could listen in on what Vexen wanted to speak to her about. When Vexen stepped into the triangle of Nobodies, he glanced over to Zexion.

"So then, Zexion, is he still on his way here?"

"Very much so."

Vexen glanced over at Rexa as if he were waiting to see if she had a question, which she did.

"You mean Sora, right?"

"Yes, but no." Zexion replied.

"You see, Rexa," Vexen started. "There is also another person coming the way towards this castle. Marluxia and the others knew about it, but they weren't planning on telling you, since they believe you're in too much in an early stage of a Nobody to learn about- and take on both of them."

"As much as that seems like a safe idea, that seems sort of judgmental." Rexa replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"You don't even know what you're capable of doing as a Nobody yet, so technically, it's a safe idea. Though Vexen wants to make an exception." Lexaeus cut in, glancing over at Vexen. He scoffed in reply, but kept his calm otherwise.

"We're not sure who this person is yet. We have Zexion working on finding out who it is right now, but we wanted you to know about this as well, since this probably won't be the first thing Marluxia's going to hide from you."

Rexa raised an eyebrow and glanced at the other two Nobodies. They were in their same position still after what Vexen had said. Zexion actually did turn his head to the side away from her stare, making her realize that none of them were objecting to what Vexen stated.

"You don't really think Marluxia's going to lie to me, is he?"

There was still silence in reply, so Rexa dreadfully found out the answer on her own. But she had just arrived at Castle Oblivion, so she would have to find out a little by herself.

"We're know that you'll be with the other members of the Organization most of the time, Rexa," Zexion said, breaking the silence. "...But you will actually have to check in with us as much as you do with Axel, Larxene, and Marluxia. It's important that you know the majority details of whatever the others get you involved in."

Rexa had noticed that Zexion seemed to be the most knowledgeable in the Castle, next to Vexen. She glanced over at Lexaeus, who had met her stare unexpectedly, and slightly turned his head the other way to avoid her gaze. Sighing after nothing was said, Rexa wasn't sure if he was speaking for everyone after he opened his lips.

"You have our trust."

Despite the remarks that Lexaeus was giving to her, his last pair of words was comforting her. A few seconds had past and before she even noticed, Axel had appeared in the room, eyeing her the very moment the last spark of darkness flew away.

"Rexa, Marluxia is expecting you right about now."

"I see." Rexa replied, glancing over to the other three Nobodies. She noticed that Zexion had glanced over at Vexen as if he needed approval for something. Vexen nodded in reply, and then Zexion slowly turned his head back towards the female.

"We'll be right here if you need us. You focus on yourself now, Rexa."

She nodded her head in reply before she suddenly felt Axel's arm snake around her waist to pull her close for departure. "See you later." He said to the others before they disappeared into the void, transporting to wherever it would take them. The moment the two were gone, there seemed to be doubt filling the room.

"I wouldn't trust her being alone with any of those three, mainly Axel." The built nobody stated suddenly. It was as if all the previous worries Zexion had were suddenly gathering up again, since he glanced over at Lexaeus with a suspicious yet worried look. Vexen had spoke before he had the chance to.

"Now now, you two need to stop worrying." He brought a finger to his chin, letting it rest on the surface lightly. "Just because she's new doesn't mean she's dumb. I think she can handle herself mentally on her own for now."

Her vision had cleared by the time she felt her feet on the floor and re-opened her eyes. She knew that she wasn't in the same place as when she first arrived in the Castle, but where she appeared was greatly similar. It was a long hallway of a sort, but a small door was at the end of it. Marluxia stood in front of the door as if he were a guard, but Rexa knew he was expecting her.

"Are you nervous?" A voice in her ear said out of nowhere. She gasped a little, forgetting that Axel was with her. Turning her head around, the redhead had grinned at her as if nothing could possibly go wrong.

"Somewhat I am, yes." She replied.

"Don't be. Any hint of doubt can raise the chance of your downfall." Axel said as if it were a warning. Either way, it didn't make her any more concerned about what could possibly happen next. As if he knew what she was thinking, he chuckled slightly. "Be a good girl now." And then he vanished. After that, she immediately began to walk towards the other end of the hall where Marluxia stood, waiting for her. It seemed like each step she took, the more she wondered how long it would take in all senses to grow up as a Nobody. Being a newborn seemed to put her down earlier, but it was almost as if she was just about to take the road to a growth-spurt. As her heeled boots clanked against the tile floor, she hadn't realized that she was walking fast, since she was about five feet away from Marluxia now. After she was close to three feet, she slowed down to a stop.

"Are you ready for this?" Marluxia asked incase she would think twice, but her mind was made up.

"Yes." Rexa replied. Marluxia had took a step to the side to reveal the white door behind him. It seemed like an ordinary door, but even she could feel a strange draft pass through her face, and she knew something big was awaiting her through that door.

"Step through." Marluxia said. She glanced over at him and then at the door, soon after walking towards it. When she placed her hands on both of the handles, she felt as if something was flowing through her. She figured that was just the start of what would happen. After she took a deep breath, she opened the doors roughly. Rexa was instantly sucked in without warning. It was similar to the portal that she and someone else would use to go to one place to another. This was similar, but at the same time a lot different. It was as if she was in a dark dimension of sorts, and the pull was intense, so she had no idea on where she would land once she's gone through this. She figured it would be a rough ride, and she would have to hold onto herself physically and mentally to make it through the whole mission. As she let the dark current pull her, she almost heard a voice in her head. She instantly remembered what it was and what it meant for her now.

"It's about time you realize who you really are."