What We Once Were is being written by 6 different people. The POVs in this chapter are written by:
Hunter- Twilight's Inferno
Nellie- Gravity'sMirage
Chrissie- BlossomingLuck

Also, there will be SPOILERS throughout for many of the games but also from released material that's being shown for Dream Drop Distance. If you have a serious problem with spoilers then this probably won't be your type of story.

OC Pairings in the fanfic- OCxLeon RikuxOCxIenzo/Zexion OCxLea/Axel OCxXion OCxVen [slight VanitasxOC] OCxArc [final fantasy 3]

Also there may be some SoraxKairi and later TerraxAqua.

Also all character that are from Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy do NOT belong to us, they belong to Square Enix and Disney :)

Chapter 1- Accidents, Incidents, and Random Chances.

~Hunter POV~

"Woods!" I heard Seifer's voice shout as I jumped off the train car ahead of him and ran.

Woods, that was me. Hunter Woods actually. Just your average seventeen year old guy, except for a few things. One, I would say I was good looking (I have a lot of girls to back that up too). Two, I was being chased by Seifer's gang and no not just his main three, there was a lot more than people thought and well it's a long story. Oh and three, I had a Keyblade and controlled fire, but just because I had them doesn't mean I'd use them against Seifer and his gang they used to be my 'friends'.

It was late in the evening, so many people weren't out. Perfect for Seifer to come along and try catch me again. Of course the sky wasn't getting any darker, it was stuck in permanent sunset that's how it always has been in Twilight Town, and I've been here my whole life. I ran along the boardwalk in the beach area of town, I knew where I had to go. There was no stopping them this time, I ran towards a section of warehouses. I could hear them on my tail; I cut across in the sand. My pace slowed, but it wouldn't take as long and I could get out of sight faster.

The sand gripped at my black biker boots, kicked up dirtying the hems of my dark blue jeans, the wind pulled at my black leather jacket, and pressed my already close fitting red t-shirt closer. I could out run them, even in sand. I had a slender yet muscular swimmers body build, mostly from Grandstanding. That's what I was most known for, because I was the best at it. I had a handsome face, especially so with a charming smile, short light brown hair that was naturally kinda messy, and bright blue green eyes.

I finally made it to the concrete lot the warehouses were on, I ducked behind one to catch my breath. But this wasn't the one I needed, that one was a few rows down. I heard them coming and went for it.

"Can't out run us Woods!" I heard Seifer again.

"Wanna bet?" I shouted back, my voice echoing off the buildings. I smiled a little and kept going. I got to the warehouse I wanted, I grabbed the door. Locked. A new lock, a coded lock. I didn't know the code; it was just a padlock before.

'Dang it dad.' I thought to myself as I yanked on the handle one more time. I went around the other side; I forgot it was a U shaped warehouse. I went into the center of the U but I heard the guys behind me. I looked around quickly as I heard them getting closer. Crates. I saw them stacked up in the corner up to the roof; I quickly went to climb them. Trying to keep quiet as well, I had to jump a bit to catch the roof. I pulled myself up quickly; I rolled onto the roof out of sight just as I heard Seifer's voice below. I laid on my back looking up at the sky, breathing quietly.

"Where is he? Thought you said you saw him go in here." I heard Seifer say angrily, then a grunt. He must've hit the guy.

"I did. He ran in here." The guy said. His name was Brandon Swift; he used to be my best friend.

"Agh. Search the lot you idiots. Any open warehouse, search it too." Seifer ordered, I heard them walk off. I slowly looked over the side, they were gone finally. I let out a deep breath and got up slowly, I kept low to the roof though.

I found a prism like sky light on the roof, it took some work and a little melting from fire but I got it open. I grabbed the inside handle and leaned down to look in, lucky for my there was a cat walk a little to the right. I slowly lowered myself down hoping I wouldn't fall and swung myself over dropping onto the cat walk. Soon I was down on the main floor, that's where the Gummi Ship was. See my dad worked for the World Order thing so he got one of these, and I wanted to 'borrow' it. I heard a rustle behind me, I whipped around Keyblade out, it was designed to look like flames. I slowly walked around the crates that were stacked everywhere.

"Who's there?" I demanded, I got no answer but there was a sound of movement. I stepped around the crates. On the ground by the wall was a girl, she had to be around my age, a year younger maybe. She had on a long black cloak, but her hood was down like it had fallen off. She had a cute face with short black hair and the deepest blue eyes I've ever seen. They were big, she was afraid of something. I let my blade disappear. "Who are you?" I asked her stepping back a bit.

"I…my name is Xion." She said nervously, I gave her a charming smile hopefully to relax her.

"Well Xion. My names Hunter Woods." I said and extended my hand. She hesitantly took it and I helped her up, she was a little more relaxed though.

"Um…hi." She said awkwardly with a small smile. I gave a smile back.

"Hey. So what are you doing in here?"

"I ah…I don't know. I woke up and that ship is the only thing I could find. I went on board, and when it started going I hid. When we stopped and the pilot left I got off and I was locked in here." She told me slowly, I knew my dad just came home so happily she hadn't been locked in here long.

"So you stowed away on my dad's ship?"

"Oh. That's your father's? He sounded nice, but I was in storage room so I only got bits and pieces." She said with a smile

"Yeah he's great…" I said sarcastically. Her smile dropped and she seemed to want to say something.

"He's not anywhere Seifer."

"He is here keep looking. Break doors if you have to." Seifer's voice came and very close. I looked at Xion.

"Look I'm taking that ship and leaving. You coming Bambi?" I asked, kinda quietly. Don't ask about the nickname, I saw a picture of a fawn in one of my dad's files named Bambi and her eyes kinda reminded me of that fawn's eyes, big and cute, but her's were that deep blue. She looked at me confused but nodded quickly when there was a bang on a wall outside.

I took her to the ship. I've watched my dad work this thing a few times, he would bring me and show me. Well when we got along. I quickly boarded the ship with Xion and closed the hatch right as I heard the lock on the door snap open. The ship wasn't big at all, we had this level and then a ladder to get up to the cockpit. I let her go up the ladder first then followed.

"So you know how to drive this thing right?" Xion asked me slightly worried

"Well maybe not the bell and whistles to it, but I got the basics." I said and she nodded a little, but truth was I've never flown this thing.

I sat in the pilot's seat and buckled up the harness, Xion sat in the copilot's. I looked out the cockpit window, Seifer's guys surrounded the ship. I reached over and grabbed the speaker, and held the button so I could speak.

"Boys, you might wanna move. It's gonna get hot with the blasters." I said into the speaker and heard it echo outside. But I couldn't hear them. I pulled the lever down on the dash and the ship started up and started to hover at its programmed height. Which was level with a large window, that window would swing open and let the ship out. I hit the green button and the window swung open and we were gone. Out the warehouse and up and out into space.

"Whoa…" Xion whispered looking out the window at all the stars.

"My dad told me all of those were worlds." I said looking out and then looking at the map on the screen

"Really all of them?"

"Well maybe not all. Sure some of them probably are." I said trying to keep the Gummi Ship on course. Xion nodded slowly.

"So, why were those guys after you?"

"Oh them…well that's Seifer's gang, Seifer is the jerk of Twilight Town. Well let's just say he was planning something bad, I had some involvement with tipping the cops, and now he wants to beat me up for it." I told her the basics of the story.

"Oh…wow."

"Yeah, he's a jerk…" I said looking out the front. There was a pause. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, she was rather cute as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked at me slightly and gave me a small smile, I returned it. "So where you from?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" I asked raising an eyebrow at her

"No... I don't remember much from before I woke up."

"You don't? So what do you remember?"

"My name...and I do remember Twilight Town, well not really the town but the sky. I knew the sky right when I saw it, I don't know how." She explained, I'd never seen her before so I wondered how she saw the sky here.

"Wow."

"I know it's weird. So where are we going exactly?" She said changing the subject and looking at the on screen map.

"Well it says world this way so we're going that way."

"Really? You seem like a guy to know exactly where you're going at all times."

"Who says I don't?" I said with a charming smile looking over at her, she returned my smile

"Well you don't know where we're going right now."

"The fact we're heading towards a world is good enough. Everything else I got." I told her causally

"So what do you 'got' then?" She said making fun of my grammar, and flashing me a cute smile.

"Get munny, see the worlds out there, then go back and kick Seifer's butt." I said with a smile

"Sounds like quite a plan." Xion said with a hint of sarcasm. I looked over at her,

"Okay so what's wrong with it?" I asked in the still playful tone

"It's missing something." She said simply looking out the window

"Like what?" I asked, she looked over at me with just a hint of a smile

"Something genuine." She said, I was surprised not sure what to say.

"What?" I asked finally, she smiled at me

"You heard me, I think there's more to you than munny and rivals."

"Oh? Why do you think that?" I asked putting up a slight defensive guard

"Because you helped me." She said simply. I just looked at her for a minute. I didn't know what to say really.

"Low Fuel" A robotic feminine voice interrupted.

"What?" I check the gauge. "Oh come on dad..." I muttered, guess he didn't fill the tank.

"Hunter...we're gonna make it right?"

"Don't worry Bambi. The world is right down there, we'll be fine." I told her starting to take the ship down. "Can you hit the world dot on the map and see where we are?" I asked. She reached over with her small hand and touched the dot. The world popped up with a name and description, "What's it say?" I asked, a little too busy to read it

"Radiant Garden." She read, from her tone she hadn't heard of it, but I've heard it mentioned.

"Alright." I said then the ship lurched violently as we broke the atmosphere. That's when the problems started, gravity kicked in and with too low fuel to fight it properly. We were dropping like a rock.

"Hunter, please tell me you know how to land this."

"Not exactly." I said fighting with the wheel to remain in control

"What? I thought you said you knew."

"I said I knew the basics."

"That includes landing."

"Well I've never actually flown it."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. Now hang on tight." I said yanking the wheel up, the nose came up fast. Xion let out a slight scream gripping the arm rests. I leveled out the ship and we started a rough glide down. The landing was by no means smooth, the nose buried it's self into the ground of a giant gorge.

It finally came to a stop, our harness belts had tightened themselves, and Xion had grabbed my arm. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sat back, breathing heavy

"You okay?" I asked her, I looked around and over at her. Things had fallen, buttons and switches had broken off, wires hanging, walls intended in, basically the inside was a mess. Xion had a few scraps on her.

"Yes I'm fine. Are you?" She asked me, she was looking at my forehead. I felt the hot sticky liquid starting down my face, I obviously got a cut up there.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I said unbuckling my harness and she unbuckled hers. She got up and waited for me. I put my hands on the armrest to get up, only thing was I couldn't. I fell back down as a sharp pain went through my leg. "Agh."

"Hunter. You alright?" She asked coming over,

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." I waved her off.

"No you're not." She said going to my left leg. Part of the wall indented on it, I didn't even feel it cut as deep as it was till I saw it, then I had to grit my teeth. "I'll get you out, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying." I told her calmly, I was pretty good at keeping calm. But I was surprised when a Keyblade appeared in Xion's hand. "You're a Keybearer too?" I asked, she looked over and nodded.

She used the blade and leverage, she put it between the wall and my leg and used it to pushed the bent wall up a few inches. I grabbed my leg and moved it out from under it. She let her blade disappear and came over helping me up.

"It's okay I got it." I told her, she gave me a 'yeah right' look but stepped back with her arms crossed. I tried to walk but fell forward and she caught me "Fine. I don't got it." I said, she helped me out of the ship into the gorge. She was looking around.

"Look over there, there's a castle and a town. There will be someone there to help." Xion said starting to lead me there.

"Unless they don't like strangers." I said joking and she sighed

"Think positively will you?"

"I was joking Xion." I said and she wouldn't look at me. "Hey relax Bambi it'll be okay." She looked at me for a second then continued.

"I know." She said and we started to walk (and me limp) towards the town. Hopefully there will be someone to help.

~Nellie POV~

I brushed my dark brown hair out of my face as I walked through the rather quaint town. Surprisingly, none of the townspeople questioned me being there. I suppose random visitors must have become a very common occurrence for the people of Radiant Garden. Most of the buildings were made of yellowed brick with orange shingled roofs. I wanted to go look at some of the shops, but I simply didn't have the time. I continued on with my journey, following the worn sign posts that directed me to an area called the Bailey; it also appeared that I had just left an area known as the Marketplace. I hoped my younger sister, Chrissie would be alright. We had traveled here together although she didn't have much interest in why I had come here.

I was still surprised that no one had noticed me; but I did look rather unassuming in my white button-up shirt, my orange plaid skirt, my brown sweater, my knee high socks, and loafers. I suppose I wouldn't have suspected me either. I reached a very large, old gate. I peered through its barred door; I could make out a huge castle surrounded by what appeared to be the start of a garden. It looked like the whole place was in a state of repair. I realized that there was no lock on the gate so I carefully pushed it open and slipped inside. I walked down the beautiful stone path towards the castle, it looked very grand but there were parts of machinery that gave it a warped appearance. Although, those parts seemed much less numerous then they should to be effective; it seemed that the castle was undergoing restoration to its original self.

"Hello?" I called, probably a bit too softly. I adjusted my brown, leather bag over my shoulder as I kept walking. The path opened up to a large circular area, it looked very beautiful; however, I couldn't help but think how much prettier it must have once looked. I glanced up the steps to where a man stood. He had short red hair and a brutish appearance; he was wearing a dark grey uniform. "Um, Hello?" I repeated as I walked over. He grunted in some form of a greeting. "May I enter the castle?" I asked as I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

He seemed to ponder my question, "What's your business?" he asked. He had a right to; after all I didn't even belong in this world.

"Oh, I…" I struggled to come up with a good enough reason that didn't make me seem absolutely crazy, "I would like to review the research that was conducted here approximately ten years ago," I explained as I nervously fiddled with the strap of my bag.

"You aren't part of the Restoration Committee," he stated. I had the feeling that his statement clearly showed he would not let me see that data, why else would he say something so obvious. Clearly, it was for my benefit.

"No, I'm not," I replied, "Will you at least take me to speak with a scientist who worked here? Preferably one familiar with the data."

"I have to admit, it's quite odd to have someone asking about data so old," I heard a voice remark from behind me, I turned around to see a blonde man clad in a lab coat.

"Oh, well, I suppose it is." I murmured, I held out my hand, "My name is Cornelia Dawson, although I go by Nellie."

He shook my hand as he said, "Even. And you already met Aeleus," he remarked as he gestured towards the tall guard.

"May I see the data?" I asked carefully.

"Most of it was corrupted a long time ago," Even replied with the wave of his hand, "If that's all you need then you should be on your way."

I stared, "Oh. Well can I at least look around inside?"

If you must," Even remarked, Aeleus opened the door to the castle, revealing a very beautiful entrance hallway. I stepped inside, Even followed me in. "Ienzo!" Even called. A young man, wearing a similar lab coat appeared, he had dark blue eyes and grey-blue hair that fell over one of his eyes. "Cornelia Dawson has requested access to the castle, would you mind accompanying her?"

"I'm more than capable of-" I started to say.

Ienzo nodded, although he hesitated before saying, "Yes, I do believe that I have some free time. However, Even, I must request that you continue cleaning up the castle while I'm showing her around." He remarked. Even didn't seem happy about being told to clean up, but he didn't argue as he headed off. Ienzo looked at me, "My name is Ienzo, I believe he said that yours is Cornelia Dawson, correct?"

"Yes, although I'm normally called Nellie," I admitted.

"Well, Ms. Dawson, is there anything in particular you'd like to know about?" Ienzo asked as he gestured down a corridor, I walked over towards him and we headed down the corridor.

"Well, the research that was conducted here," I whispered as I slightly pushed my glasses up.

"I will answer your question, Ms. Dawson, but first may I ask why it interests you?" Ienzo murmured.

"Oh…" I wanted to lie, but I couldn't think of any good lies. And I was a terrible liar anyway so I told the truth, "Well, my late father, Jeremy Dawson, worked here for less than a month. He would never share what he worked on here with me, only that it was dangerous, from then on he was always a bit hesitant to share parts of his research with me." I looked away from Ienzo as I felt my cheeks flush; I didn't mean to ramble about my past.

Ienzo nodded slightly, "Well, the research itself was about the heart and the darkness inside it. For example, the creation of the Heartless, beings created purely of darkness upon a person losing their heart."

"Oh," I whispered, "But what happens to their body?" I asked, "I think I remember seeing something in my father's notes about 'Nobodies' and I heard about them in Traverse Town once…." I muttered.

"Yes, Nobodies are the empty body of the person," He replied, for a moment he seemed very distant; as though recalling a past event. "Devoid of a heart, they cannot feel emotion," he added. We continued heading down the winding corridors until we reached a large study.

"Ienzo, thank you for showing me around," I whispered as I looked at him closely. I wanted to tell him about how much it meant to me to be able to see a place where my father had worked. As though maybe knowing this would bring me closer to him, as though maybe I could finally feel peace about his death. But I couldn't say that, it wasn't worth it to scare off everyone I meet with my issues.

"Oh, it isn't a problem," Ienzo replied with a small smile. We were silent as I walked around the study. It had a large round desk with many bookcases. I noticed there was an area on the wall that wasn't as dusty as the rest of the wall; suggesting a large picture had once sat there.

"Why did you agree to show me around?" I asked as I looked at him. If this were my lab I sure as heck wouldn't let some random girl in.

"Well, Even was the one who agreed to let you inside the castle," Ienzo explained, "We are also not on the best terms with the Restoration Committee at present so I only guessed that they would think we were up to something if we refused to allow entrance to someone who was curious as to what our current, or even past, agenda was."

"I wouldn't have complained to the Restoration Committee about not being let in," I remarked.

"On the contrary, Ms. Dawson, you wanted in desperately. You would have found out that they particularly own this castle as well and would have asked them to allow you in, in which by some chance you would have also mentioned that we refused to let you in," Ienzo replied.

"Okay. I'm not going to disagree," I muttered. Ienzo smiled at me gently, I returned his small smile.

"If I may ask another question of my own, are you a scientist as well?" Ienzo asked, he started organizing some of the books on the table. Clearly not being able to resist the urge to clean the place up.

"Um, yes, to an extent, I suppose," I murmured as I picked up a few of the books from the floor and handed them to him. "It's not like I have a lab like this or even a specific research focus," I muttered.

"Well, what are you researching right now?" Ienzo asked as I handed him the books.

"Oh, I was looking into what causes some people to be able to wield a keyblade and what spurs the use of magic in people," I explained, "Of course I didn't get very far. I was stuck in Traverse Town without any proper space to work."

Ienzo nodded knowingly, "I believe that our lab will probably return to the focus of darkness in people's hearts. Only now we will try to develop theories as to how to more effectively deal with the heartless and how to return people's hearts." He rambled slightly.

"Um, Ienzo?" I whispered as I extended my hand, the book was wrapped up in a soft shade of purple as I lifted my hand and the book floated up to rest on the pile of books. I didn't necessarily mean to reveal my ability to manipulate gravity, but I had gotten so used to using it that it just sort of happened, "Oops…." I muttered before even getting to my question.

He raised his eyebrows, "Well, Ms. Dawson, it seems you control gravity."

"Yeah," I muttered, I waved my hand, "But that's not really important. At least, I don't think it's that important…"

He slightly chuckled, "Alright then, what were you going to ask?"

"If you and Even needed a hand running the lab I could help. Even if it's just cleaning up, I could use the experience and this seems like as good a place to work as any…" I murmured.

"Hm…" Ienzo murmured, "We could use the help, but, Ms. Dawson, are you sure that you would like to get involved in all the history surrounding this place?"

"I think I can handle it," I laughed, "I happen to have quite the warped history myself. Perhaps this place and me were made for each other," I joked.

"Well, then it would be a pleasure to work with you," Ienzo remarked as he extended his hand. I shook it. "However, I will still have to run the idea by Even, but he won't argue with it." He stated, sounding quite sure. I wondered what I had gotten myself into; this place did feel like it was clouded by terrible events. Maybe, if I figured out what happened here and how to fix these past mistakes I could find a way to be at peace with what had happened to me on Destiny Islands two years ago. But I doubted it.

"Thank you," I whispered as I clasped my hands together.

"Well then," he gestured towards the door, "We should go and speak with Even." He walked out of the room and back into the rather confusing corridors. I understood why Even had insisted I brought Ienzo with me in the first place. With Ienzo leading the way we reached the entrance hall without any difficulty. Even was sweeping the floor, although it barely looked like he'd made a dent in most of the dust that coated this place.

"There you are," Even sighed, a bit irritably, as he looked at the two of us.

"Hello to you too, Even," Ienzo remarked, "Ms. Dawson will be working here now."

"Really? You aren't even asking anyone else's opinion on this?" he grumbled.

"I couldn't think of a good enough reason for you to oppose it," Ienzo replied, "We need the help and she was kind enough to offer up her assistance."

Even didn't argue as he said, "I see your point, Ienzo, but from now on ask me first." He sighed, obviously giving up on trying to overpower Ienzo's opinion.

"Even, I'm more than happy to help with the cleaning and I'll understand if you don't want me directly involved in your research," I stated, "My previous experience isn't extensive and I'm very thankful for this opportunity."

"See? She's a perfect fit," Ienzo remarked with a shrug.

"Alright, fine," Even sighed, "Did Ienzo give a disclaimer about what happened here?"

"He mentioned that something did happen," I replied, "I'm not much of a risk taker but I don't mind risks."

"Well that's good," Even remarked, "You can start work here tomorrow."

"Um, I actually don't have much else to do, so I'm fine spending the rest of the day here cleaning up," I offered.

"I'm sure that we both appreciate your commitment," Ienzo remarked with a smile. "That would be very helpful."

"We should probably find you a lab coat…" Even muttered. Ienzo nodded as he walked off, he returned with a white lab coat in his hands, he handed it to me. I set my bag down by the door as I slipped it on; although it was a bit large for me I just rolled the sleeves up to my elbows.

"It suits you," Ienzo noted. I grinned, I was trying to suppress it but I was very excited to get to work here. I had always wanted to work in a real lab, sure it was messy now but with some work we'd have this place back in business in no time."Ms. Dawson, you mentioned being from Traverse Town, do you have a place to stay?" Ienzo asked.

"Well, not exactly, but I'm here with my sister, Chrissie, so we'll probably just stay at some inn." I replied with a shrug.

"Alright, if later you require somewhere else you may stay in the castle," Ienzo replied.

"Thank you," I remarked, trying not to gush. Even handed me the broom he had been using to sweep.

"I hope you were serious about helping," he remarked. I nodded as I started sweeping. Ienzo turned to go.

"I'll be back in the study organizing if you require my assistance," he remarked over his shoulder as he walked down the corridor. Even shook his head as he headed down a different corridor. Leaving me to sweep up the entrance hall by myself, although I was okay with that I doubted I'd be able to find my way out if I went down any of the corridors. After a while, and a lot of sweeping, I walked over to the door, I slightly opened it.

"Aeleus?" I remarked as I leaned the broom against the wall. I walked outside, "I figured I should inform you that I'm going to be working here…" I whispered. He grunted in recognition. "Also, it's getting late so I'm going to leave; please tell Even and Ienzo that I'll be back tomorrow."

"Alright," He replied as I closed the door behind me. I headed back down the street towards the area called the Borough, I hoped I would find Chrissie there…. If not, maybe the Marketplace.

~Chrissie POV~

The architecture of Radiant Garden was captivating. I found myself getting lost in the simple beauty of the stone buildings and the intriguing people strolling along the streets. This was everything I'd dreamed of… But something sent tingles down my spine; this place had history. I shook my head and smiled slightly as I approached one of the shops. My hand brushed the door as I pushed it open. The sign outside had implied it was an accessory shop; so, I'd assumed it would be run by a cranky older women, instead, I was greeted by the sight of three little adorable ducks all sitting on the counter.

"Look we have a customer," the one in red basically shouted as he smiled up at me. The other two jumped up quickly and tried to look professional.

"Hi, I'm Christina," I said as I shook each one of their… wings..? Or maybe hands? "But feel free to call me Chrissie," I added with a smile as I pushed a strand of my long blonde hair over my shoulder.

"I'm Huey," The one in the red said as he pushed past his brothers which made me giggle. He was definitely a troublemaker.

"I'm Dewey," The one in the blue said. Something about him made me think of Nellie. Maybe it was the way he held himself… He was the brains of the group that much I was certain of. Or at the very least he liked to think of himself as such.

The last duckling was in green and he looked slightly lost as he bumbled his way over to where I was, "and I'm… uhhh…. I'm Louie." He looked like a total sweetheart with his cute smile. Who would have thought three ducks could win over my heart?

"So, what do you three have for sale?" I inquired as I toyed with my charm bracelet.

"Lots of stuff!" Huey said basically jumping up and down.

Dewey then was all business as he pointed out all the available merchandise; one in particular caught my eye, "Is that a good luck charm?" I asked pointing towards a keychain that had a small clover on it.

"Probably," Louie said with a huge smile.

"I'll take it," I replied. I'd always had an obsession with fairytales and luck, so, this was the perfect trinket. I handed over the munny with a quick smile as I headed for the door. I stumbled a little as I walked down the sidewalk… my one true curse was my clumsiness; which, I seemed to be tempting by wearing pink wedge heels and a pink ruffled skirt.

I looked up at the sky as I closed my eyes slightly; I adored the feeling of the sun on my face. I turned around a bit too quickly as I was, once again, sent stumbling forward. This time though I actually fell onto my knees.

"Just my luck," I mumbled as I glanced up at a pair of feet. The boy in front of me had strawberry blonde hair and a slight limp… he held out his hand and I gratefully took it with a smile. He pulled me up but he had a slightly pained expression; which, was how I realized he had hurt his leg. Lucky for him I was just the person who could fix it.

"How'd you hurt yourself?" I asked, he shook his head slightly.

"Am I that obvious?" He asked with a smile but by the way he was balancing his weight it was clear as day to me.

"Kind of," I admitted, "May I look at it?"

"Trust me, you don't want too," He replied.

"I think I can help," I offered up with a smile which he gratefully returned. "Sit down," I instructed.

"On the sidewalk?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep," I chirped. He stared disbelievingly, "Trust me," I added. He gave a shrug as he sat down. I slowly pulled up his pant leg to revel a deep gash… it looked horribly painful and it made me cringe a little… still it wasn't anything I couldn't fix. I sat down as I raised my hands slightly just above his wound. I muttered a couple words as two faint lines resembling branches wrapped around his leg. I slowly closed my eyes as I felt the faint the power blossoming at my fingertips. I touched his leg gently and as I opened my eyes I saw a green glow spread across his leg as the wound closed up. He was staring wide eyed at me.

"You're a healer?" a woman with green eyes and a long brown braid asked.

"I guess she is…." The boy said which was when I realized I didn't know his name.

"Yep," I said with a smile; as they both stared at me like I might be slightly insane, "I also have an affection for plant magic," I added with a bigger grin.

"You're just what the Restoration Committee needs," The women said with a gentle smile as she introduced herself "My name is Aerith."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Chrissie," I stated as I stood up and gave her a hand shake.

"Well… I take it I'm no longer needed," The boy said with a small wink as he stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait a second, what's your name?" I asked as I slightly grabbed his wrist.

"It's Logan, and thanks for the help, Doc," He joked with a smile as he walked away.

"I was wondering if you'd like too met the rest of the Restoration Committee before you decide if you'd like to help or not," Aerith said with a smile as she lead me off to a man named Merlin's house, I guess this was their base of operations. We only had to walk a short bit before we reached our destination. As soon as the door was opened I was greeted by a colorful cast of characters.

"Who's this?" an inquisitive redhead asked nicely.

"This is Chrissie, she has a profound healing ability," Aerith said with a smile towards all the others.

"That'll come in handy with all the heartless attacks," a girl resembling a ninja said with a huge grin. I glanced around the room feeling brutally overwhelmed. "I'm Yuffie, by the way," the girl added with an even bigger grin.

"It's nice to meet you," I said with a smile before adding, "All of you."

"Well you've already meet Aerith, and now Yuffie, I'm Tifa," Another women said with a smile in my direction, "That boy over there is Arc, he and Ria are our newest members." A brunette boy, I assumed must have been Arc, gave me a shy smile, and the redheaded girl, who must have been Ria, gave a small smile and nod in my direction.

"There's also Leon and Sid, but they're on a quick mission; also, of course, Merlin but he isn't in either," Yuffie said with a huge grin, she seemed very enthusiastic.

"So... what does the Restoration Committee do exactly…? I'm kind of new here," I admitted sheepishly with a smile.

"We're just trying to get Radiant Garden back to its old glory," Tifa said with a grin and a flip of her hair. They all were definitely determined… which was a good thing…. It made me feel welcome.

"That's a noble goal… if you don't mind my asking… why would you be in need of a healer?" I asked it as gently as possible. I just honestly couldn't fathom why they'd be in need of someone like me.

"Well the heartless attacks are increasing… it's worrisome," Arc said with a gentle shake of his head.

"So the more people who know healing magic the better," Yuffie chirped with a thrust of her fist in the air.

"I see… Well to be honest I'm not that gifted; I only have a slight talent for both healing and plant magic…" I said nicely hoping they wouldn't be disappointed I was such a bust.

"That's fine, a little is better than none, and Merlin can totally train you," Yuffie gushed excitedly. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet with a big grin plastered on her face.

"Plus even a little help is appreciated," Ria said with a kind smile.

"Then, I'd be happy to help; but, first, I need to go check in with my sister, Nellie," I said, as I turned towards the door; Nellie might not have admitted it, but she was pretty protective of me. I walked outside, humming softly under my breath. I skipped forward daydreaming until I ran right into someone.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?" I asked the person who I had just bumped into. He had dark spiky hair and piercing yellow eyes. He slightly glared at me a bit, and I didn't blame him… I had just run into him after all.

"You should watch where you're going," He pointed this out with a smirk. It was then that I noticed his attire; he was wearing a black shirt that had tints of red and dark jeans.

"I know, I'm really sorry, I just get lost in my head sometimes and…" I bit my lip slowly as I realized I was starting to babble. He was staring at me very intently; it was as if he was looking into my soul…or something.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, leaning back against one of the stone buildings.

"Nope," I replied quickly. I probably wasn't supposed to let that slip…. Oops….

"So, have you realized this place isn't what it appears to be?" He said this with a chuckle and a smirk.

"Well….uh… sure?" I offered up with a slight smile… I was brutally confused.

"Well if you want to learn more I'd suggest starting with that old lab… maybe you'll actually find something useful," He said this with a small smirk and a shake of his head…but, I had to admit, somehow everything he said made me want to know more… who was he? And what had happened here before? And, what in the world did that lab Nellie wanted to work at have to do with it?

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