Yay! The rewrite is already so much better than the original version that I wrote like, almost five years ago *cough* 2009 *cough*

Yeah, and the first chapter combines the first two chapters, since they were both so short.
Also, Momo and Max will be a lot more developed than just "herp derp"

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I only own Momo and Max.

Chapter 01: The Light In The Darkness

- Momo-

I trudged along the dirt path that led from the park to the beach. I just got out of school not too long ago, and I decided to go down the path that I used to walk down with Kairi, Sora and…Riku. I sighed and ran a hand through my short black, purple-streaked hair when I thought about Riku. How ironic, that when I finally tell him that I like him…our world is thrown into darkness. After that, I was found by Leon and the others in Traverse Town. I worried about Sora, Riku and Kairi the entire time, only seeing Sora when he would need help from Leon or Cid. I couldn't do much besides help Aerith decipher Ansem's reports, and so I convinced Yuffie to help me train some more. When we had gone to Hallow Bastion, I made Sora promise to give Riku a message. Whether he gave it to him or not, I won't know until I actually see him again. It's odd though. I can remember Sora, but Kairi and Selphie can't. Only recently, Kairi has started to remember him.

"Momo!"

I smiled at the familiar voice and turned to see Kairi and Selphie catching up to me. "Hey guys." I said. "Hey, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to the island with me. Tidus and Wakka are busy with their game, and Kairi doesn't want to go either." Selphie said as the three of us walked together. I thought for a few moments and shook my head. "Sorry, but I actually need to finish a paper for my English class." I said. "Aww!" Selphie said with a pout, making Kairi giggle. Kairi and Selphie started to talk, and my mind drifted off once again. I felt my face scrunch into a frown as I tried to think of a way to find Riku on my own. I know that he's out there, but if no one else will find him, I guess I'll just have to find him on my own.

"Kairi!"

I looked over to see Kairi on the ground and Selphie on her knees beside her. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I…I don't know!" Selphie said, the concern on her face obvious. Kairi slowly sat up and Selphie brushed her off. "Are you okay?" She asked. Kairi nodded. "Geez Kairi. Why'd you have to pass out like that?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. Kairi just smiled softly at me as I helped her stand. Kairi looked toward the beach, and back at before she took off running towards the beach. I let out a groan as we started after her.

We found Kairi standing by the shore of the beach, staring at the ocean. Selphie called out to her and Kairi took a bottle and set it in the water. Kairi explained the purpose of the bottle to Selphie and I plopped down a couple of feet away from the shore, watching the bottle float away. I sighed, laying back onto the sand and closing my eyes. I don't really care about getting sand in my hair; that's what showers are for, right?

Memories flashed through my mind. I thought about seeing Sora in Traverse Town the first time after our world was destroyed. I thought about training with Yuffie and helping Aerith; I also remembered the final time I had seen Riku before everything was over. It was in a dream, or so I thought. I remember being surrounded by nothing but black, or darkness. Then, I saw a light, as cliché as it may sound, and Riku walked out of it. He told me that some things were going to happen, or as I remember, that he was going to be gone for a little while. He said not to forget that he loved me. Cheesy, right? I guess Riku didn't think so at the time. After that, I woke up in my own bed, in our home world, Kairi in my bedroom like the night before the storm. We were the only ones who remembered what had happened to our world, as sad as it is.

"Momo?"

I opened my eyes and looked at Kairi and Selphie. "I'm gonna head home. Are you coming, or are you going to stay here a little bit longer?" Kairi asked. I sat up and shook some sand out of my hair. "I'll go back with you." I said; standing and brushing myself off. "We'll see you tomorrow Selphie." Kairi said. Selphie smiled and waved to us as we walked away. "So do you think mom will make something odd for dinner again?" I asked. "Maybe, I think it depends on what her mood is." Kairi said with a smile. That's right; back when Kairi had come to the island, my father, the mayor, had adopted her. Since then, I guess that we've become sort of close. I guess we're similar to sisters now. I guess it's kind of nice; I mean, up until I was six, it was me and my two older brothers. Well, as Sora used to say, these things must happen for a reason, right?

I stared at my ceiling, unable to sleep. I let out a sigh and sat up. I felt a sudden chill go down my spine and I quickly looked around. I saw only darkness; similar to my dream that I had about a year ago. I shivered and spun around. I froze when I saw a figure in a black cloak, the person being about an inch or two taller than me. "Momo."

I felt my breath stop after hearing the familiar voice. "R-Riku?" I asked. He removed his hood to reveal his hair going to just under his shoulders, and a black blindfold over his eyes. "Riku!" I blurted out, running over to him. I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around him. "Riku…I-I can't believe that it's you…" I said quietly. "Momo…how have you been?" Riku asked. "Screw that! How are you? Are you alright? Just where are you?!" I asked quickly. Riku smiled. "I take it that you're doing just fine. I…can't tell you where I'm at, Momo. It's…really complicated." Riku said. I bit my lip and looked down. "Oh." I said simply, trying to not show my disappointment. "Hey Momo, look at me." Riku said softly. I did, only to see his blindfold gone, enabling me to see his turquoise eyes. Riku put his hand on my cheek. "You don't know how much I miss you Momo, but I can't come home yet. I have something that I need to fix before I can go back. Do you understand?" Riku asked. I nodded. "Thank you." Riku said, smiling. I kissed his cheek. "Hurry up then, you moron. You've missed some things, you know. I still remember our promise Riku…I won't give up on wanting to see you again." I said. Riku put his other hand on my other cheek and kissed me. When he pulled away, I looked at him, slightly flustered and confused. "W-What…?" I started. "I've waited a while to do that. When I can finally see you in person is when it'll be able to count, alright?" Riku said. I nodded, hugging Riku again. "Okay. Now go to sleep Momo."

Two days later, I found myself sitting on the dock facing toward the island that we used to play at. I'm wearing normal clothes now, nothing really notable; a pair of jeans, a sleeveless black hoodie, a long sleeve green shirt underneath the hoodie, two belts, fingerless gloves, and a pair of black lace up boots. The memory of seeing Riku last night was still fresh in my mind, and it only made my want to find Riku even stronger.

I heard footsteps and Kairi sat beside me. "Hey Momo; what are you doing?" She asked. "Just…thinking." I replied, smiling softly. "About Riku?" Kairi asked. "Yeah." I said, feeling my cheeks slightly heat up. "It's obvious. You really miss him, and I get it." Kairi said. I sighed. "Yeah."

Later that day, I went to the island. I couldn't help myself, despite part of me saying not to go. I stepped onto the dock and started walking toward the paopu tree, where I used to hang out with my friends. I went through the old shack, remembering when I used to tease Sora about various things, including his crush on Kairi. Then he would retort with using my feelings for Riku. We'd go on like that for a while, until either Riku or Kairi would stop us with one thing or another.

I put my hand on the base of the paopu fruit tree and sighed. I looked out at the ocean and remembered the resolve that the four of us had to explore other worlds together. Then the night of the storm happened, and changed everything for us. I climbed onto the paopu fruit tree and sighed once more, closing my eyes. Is it me, or am I starting to feel a little bit depressed?

I felt something move beside me and my eyes snapped open. I looked around me, and saw nothing. I was so sure that I had felt something beside me…

I jumped off of the tree and turned to start walking back to the docks, when I noticed a spot of dark smoke. I stared at it as I tried to go around it. I started to walk faster as the smoke started following me and that's when I started running. I jumped off of the wooden path and I felt something grab my ankle, making me trip. I looked back to see the same smoke starting to engulf my leg. I kicked at it and it absorbed my other leg. The dark smoke crawled its way up my body and I shivered. I remembered when Riku left the islands, because of darkness. The smoke engulfed my face and I started to feel suffocated. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Riku…"

-3rd person POV-

Sora walked off of the mysterious train after Donald and Goofy. When it disappeared, he laughed nervously. "Haha…there goes our ride…" He said. Sora turned to walk forward, but he bumped into Donald and Goofy. "H-Hey guys, why'd you stop?" He asked. Donald pointed ahead of then and Sora gasped when he saw someone laying on the ground. "A-Ah! We should help them!" Sora said, pushing past Donald and Goofy. "Sora, wait! We don't know if they're dangerous!" Donald said, running after Sora. Sora kneeled beside the person and he noticed that it was a girl, with familiar short black hair that has purple streaks in it…

"Momo!" Sora said in surprise, turning her over. He grabbed Momo's shoulders and started shaking her. "Momo! Momo, wake up!" Sora said quickly, the worry clear in his voice. He heard a gasp escape from Momo and her eyes fluttered open. They grew wide and she started coughing. "Momo, are you okay?" Sora blurted out. Momo looked at Sora, confusion on her face. "Sora…? Where am I? Why…are you wearing clothes that look too small for you?" Momo asked. "You're okay!" Sora said with a relived sigh as he tightly hugged her.

"How did you get here?" Sora asked, pulling away from Momo. "Well…I was on the island, our island, and some black smoke sucked me in and…I think I passed out." Momo said. Sora stood and held his hand out to Momo, helping her up. "Donald, Goofy; you guys remember Momo, right?" Sora asked. Donald and Goofy nodded, greeting Momo. Sora smiled. "Alright, let's check out this tower!"

-Momo-

After meeting Yen Sid, we went to see the fairies. They gave Sora some new clothes, and put a spell on mine. After getting the Gummi Ship back, we decided to leave.

A little while earlier…

-Roxas' POV-

I fought my way to the old mansion. The voice in my head told me to go there. Wow, I probably sound really crazy right now. As I climbed up the hill, I saw a familiar person in front of the gate to the mansion. Her shoulder-length purple, red-tipped hair was draped around her shoulders and she was sitting with her knees in her chest, crying into them. I rushed over to her and kneeled beside her, putting my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, and tears were on her face. "R-Roxas…?" She asked in a quiet voice. "Max, what's wrong?" I asked, still feeling a little surprised that she could see me. "H-Hayner, P-Pence, and O-Olette…I…I can't speak to them or touch them…Some girl, told me to come here, but when I got here…" Max's voice trailed off and I helped her stand up. I also noticed her blush. "S-Sorry…I know that you're not used to seeing me cry." Max mumbled.

Some of those white creatures that I had fought appeared and I stood in front of Max, making the keyblade appear. "Roxas, what's going on?" Max asked. Some of the creatures jumped towards us and I got ready to fight them, but someone appeared in front of us, stepping out of a black portal. "Go!" He said, summoning a keyblade. I nodded and unlocked the gate behind us. I grabbed Max's hand and started running toward the mansion doors. When we were inside, I let out a sigh of relief. "R-Roxas! Wh-what is going on?" Max asked, catching her breath. "I don't…I don't know." I replied. I realized that I was still holding onto Max's hand, and I was about to let go when I felt her squeeze my hand. "Max?" I asked, looking at her. "I…Roxas, I'm scared." She whispered. "Hey, don't be afraid. We'll find out what's going on." I said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear with my other hand. Max nodded and we started to explore the mansion.

We walked into a white room that I recognized as the room that Naminé and I had spoken in the other day. The drawings on the walls are the exact same as then. I looked on the table and saw two new drawings; one with Hayner, Pence, Olette, Max and me. Not too far away from it is another drawing, of Max and me holding hands. I looked around the room and Max was staring at a drawing on the wall. "Max?" I called, walking over to her. The drawing that she was staring at was what looked like me, running down a street. "It…it looks familiar…" Max mumbled, her stare looking blank. I looked closely at the drawing and heard a high-pitched sound in my mind.

"Roxas!"

"Why did the keyblade choose me? I need to know."

"Idiot! You're going to get both you and Max killed!"

I opened my eyes and looked around. Max was still staring blankly at the wall, and Naminé was now sitting at the table. "Organization XIII... they're a bad group." I said. "Bad or good, I don't know. They're a group of incomplete people who wish to be whole. To that end, they're desperately searching for something." Naminé said. "What?" I asked. "Kingdom Hearts." Naminé said. I chuckled. "Funny?" Naminé asked. "It's just, I think-I've been running away from the question I really wanna ask;" I walked up to the table and leaned against it. "What's gonna happen to me now? And when I'm gone…what's going to happen to Max? Just tell me, because nothing else really matters." I said, looking back towards Max who still hadn't moved. "Max…is a complex person. She…isn't a nobody, and yet…she believes that she is one. We hope that she will remember that, but right now, she has broken down." Naminé said. I felt something in my chest squeeze when Naminé said that and I looked to see Max on her knees, supporting herself with her hands. "Max!" I shouted, running over to her. "Mmnn…R-Roxas…?" She asked quietly. "Max, are you okay?" I asked, putting my hand on her shoulders and helping her sit back. Tears started streaming down her face. "R-Roxas…I-I remember…everything." She whispered. "Roxas."

I stood and looked at Naminé. "Max will meet someone to guide her to another person who will take her to her homeworld after you go back to Sora. She will possibly forget you and the memories that she made here." She said. "W-What?!" I asked. "Wait, you're serious?!" Max asked. She stumbled as she stood and I caught her. "I…I can't forget everything from here! That's…that's just not fair!" Max shouted. I looked at Naminé. "Roxas, you are…" Naminé started before she started flickering. "N-Naminé!" I yelled. Naminé broke into pieces and then the pieces disappeared. A man appeared in front of us. "You two cannot change your fate. Max is destined to live in the light…while Roxas is destined to live in Sora's shadow." The man said. "Screw destiny! Roxas has a right, just as much as everybody else, to be his own person!" Max shouted, putting her hand on my shoulder for support. "A nobody cannot be their own person. They don't even have a right to exist." The man said. "That…that's just horrible!" Max snapped. "Wait, what IS a nobody?" I blurted out.

The man in a black coat that we saw earlier stepped out of a dark portal. "DiZ, we're out of time, there are too many nobodies." He said calmly. Another portal, this time behind DiZ, sprung up and Naminé stepped out. "Roxas, nobodies like us are only half a person. You won't disappear. You'll be whole!" Naminé said. Quickly. "Disappear?" I asked. "You won't disappear, you'll-"

"No further outbursts!" DiZ interrupted, grabbing Naminé and covering her mouth. "Wait!" I shouted. Max leaned back against the wall as I attempted to run to the portal. The hooded man stepped in front of me and cut me off. "Roxas, we will meet again. Someday soon; I promise!" Naminé said, just as the three of them disappeared into the portal. "Wait!" I tried, but I was too late. I sighed and looked at Max, before walking over to her. "Are you okay?" I asked. Tears started to fall from her face. "Roxas…I don't want to forget." She whispered. "I don't want to forget you, Hayner, Pence, Olette…heck, even Seifer, Fuu, Vivi and Rai. I don't want to forget any of you! These memories…are too precious to me." Max said, covering her face with her hands. I pulled Max close and hugged her. "Then…try to not forget. That's…that's all that I can really say." I said, pulling away from Max. She nodded and I smiled, removing the wristband on my left wrist. I took Max's right hand and slipped it onto her wrist. "R-Roxas…?" Max asked. "Hold on." I said, pulling the white ring off of my middle finger and placing it on the first finger of her right hand. I smiled and looked at Max. "Look…we don't know for sure that you'll forget me, but just in case, I want you to have those." I said, moving some hair out of Max's face. "Roxas…I…I…" She started, but she stopped before putting her hands on my cheeks and kissing me, straight on my lips.

At first, I didn't know how to respond. Then, my feelings reacted and I kissed her back, holding her close. When we separated, Max's face was lightly red and she had a tiny smile on her face. "Good to know…that you feel the same way." She said. I felt my cheeks warm and Max faced the door out of the white room and grabbed my hand. "You ready?" She asked. "Yeah. Let's go."

-Max's POV-

Roxas and I found the library, and while on the way, Roxas defended me. I felt so…helpless. We walked inside of the library and Roxas drew a symbol on the table. The floor disappeared. "Okay, this place is really…interesting." I said. "Hey, they have to hide these things somewhere, right?" Roxas said. I chuckled and followed Roxas down the stairs and into the doorway. There were computer screens on the walls and in one corner, there was a chair and some monitors and a keyboard. "What…is this?" I whispered, touching one of the screens that had the silhouette of a boy with messy, spiky hair. "Urgh…" Roxas moaned. I spun and he was cringing, covering his face with his hand. "R-Roxas!" I shouted, starting toward him. After a few moments, he snapped out of it. "Roxas, are you…" I was cut off when the keyblade appeared in Roxas' hand and he started hacking at the computer, destroying any hope of getting the information off of it.

Roxas stood in front of the computer panting, his keyblade still in his hand. "Roxas…" I said, grabbing onto the keyblade. "What…happened?" I asked. Roxas squeezed his eyes shut. "It was all a lie." He whispered. "W-What was a lie?" I asked. The keyblade disappeared and I grasped onto some air. "Everything! This town…is just a creation to lie to me…none of it was real…" Roxas said, putting his hand on his forehead. "What?" I asked, feeling my heart sink. "It was all based on real people. They…they were going to return you to your homeworld anyway Max." Roxas said, looking at me. "So…they found me when I was helping you leave the organization, and they found out that…I was a complete being?" I asked. Roxas nodded. I looked down. "So I guess…that it was doomed from the start…" I muttered, running a hand through my bangs. "What…was?" Roxas asked. I looked at him, tears in my eyes. "I know this is a rotten time, but I think that a few minutes ago, thanks to me kissing you, you were able to tell that I like you Roxas." I said, watching Roxas nod. "Well, I guess I've liked you…for a while now. I just had this feeling, like maybe it wouldn't last, so I never told you. Now…" I laughed bitterly as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I might…not ever see you again." I said, my voice turning into a whisper. "Max…" Roxas said, apparently at a loss of words. I let myself cry as Roxas hugged me. "I…I don't want to say goodbye." I whispered, setting my chin on Roxas' shoulder as I stopped crying. "I don't either Max, but…I think I have to go back to Sora, or else…he won't wake up." Roxas said. "I know." I whispered, pulling away from Roxas. I wiped my face on my sleeve and turned towards the other door. "You…you ready?" I asked. "Yeah."

We stepped into the next room and a group of nobodies appeared, surrounding the both of us. "Max, stay behind me! I promise that I'll protect you, no matter what!" Roxas said. "I-I…" I stuttered. Roxas fought the nobodies and I clenched my fists. "Why…am I so useless…?" I thought. My hand started to tingle, and I heard Roxas shout something at me. I heard something behind me and I spun around, launching my fist toward it. I was shocked to see a keyblade in my hand as it struck the Nobody. I stared at the keyblade in shock. It's white, except for the hilt where I held onto it and the keychain. Two vines; a black vine and a pale grey vine wrapped themselves around the length of the keyblade, from the end of the hilt to the tip of the keyblade, and at the end, they held a blue rose. A blue vine wrapped itself around the hilt of the keyblade and at the end of the keychain was a blue rose. "What…?" I whispered. "Max, look out!" Roxas shouted. I looked up and the Nobody was lunging towards me and I blocked its attack. I shoved the Nobody back and hit it a couple of times with my keyblade. When it was gone, Roxas walked over to me. "Are you alright?" He asked. I nodded as the keyblade in my hand disappeared.

We heard clapping and looked to see a man with red hair, Axel. "Simply amazing, Roxas." He said. "Axel…" Roxas said. "You really do remember me this time…I'm SO FLATTERED!" Axel shouted, summoning flames in a big circle. "But you're too late!" He said. Roxas summoned a keyblade and a black one appeared in his other hand. "Two?!" Axel said in surprise. Roxas stood in a battle stance. "Be careful Roxas." I said, watching Roxas nod. "Come here. I'll make it all stop." Axel said as a cocky smile grew on his face. I watched as the two fought; Axel tried to keep Roxas at bay by using flames, but Roxas still managed to defeat him. "Roxas…"

The flames slowly disappeared and the keyblades in Roxas' hands disappeared. Axel stood across the room from us, panting. "Axel…" Roxas said softly. Axel looked up and smiled weakly at Roxas. "Let's meet again, in the next life." He said. "Yeah, I'll be waiting." Roxas replied. Axel chuckled dryly. "Silly. Just because you have a next life…" Axel's voice faded away as he was swallowed by darkness.

We walked into the next room and spotted some capsules in the corner. As we got closer I grabbed onto Roxas' arm. "Donald…and Goofy?" Roxas said in surprise. "Why…are they in capsules…?" I whispered. "I don't know, but this is really bizarre." Roxas said. I let go of his arm and Roxas grabbed my hand as we walked into the next room together. The room was entirely white, blindingly so, and in the middle was a capsule, bigger than the ones in the room behind us. Beside it was a computer and a chair, empty. In front of the pod…was the man DiZ. "Glad you could make it…wielder of the keyblade."

Roxas glared at DiZ. "What do you want?" He asked. "The 'true' wielder of the keyblade will awaken soon. You must return your existence to him. When he wakes, you will disappear." DiZ said. I felt my throat go dry at the word 'disappear' and I bit my lip, releasing Roxas' hand. "…why…?" Roxas asked. "Because you hold half of his 'power'; and…because you are a Nobody." DiZ said, still eerily calm. "So…SO WHAT?!" Roxas shouted, running toward DiZ with the keyblade. He slashed at him, the keyblade just phasing through him. "My apologies. This is only a data-based projection." DiZ said. Roxas let out a scream of frustration. "I…I hate you so much!" He shouted. "Then make sure you pass on your hate to Sora as well. He's too kind for his own good." DiZ said, fading away. "No! My heart belongs to me!"

"Roxas…" I said, walking over to him. I gently touched his cheek and we heard a mechanical noise coming from the pod. "Max…you're…" Roxas started, but I stopped him. "I know." I whispered, looking at my hand on his cheek. It was flickering. I felt tears on my face and I saw Roxas' eyes were watering. "Max…" He whispered. I leaned forward and kissed Roxas, for possibly the last time. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close before kissing me back. "I love you." He whispered. I let out a sob. "I…I love you too Roxas…"

Then everything went dark.

-Roxas' ROV-

"I…I love you too Roxas…"

Max faded out of my arms and I felt tears streaming down my face. "If I'm not supposed to feel…If I'm not even supposed to exist, then why do I feel like this?" I whispered. My fists clenched as the mechanical whirring behind me stopped. I turned to see the boy from my dreams, Sora, floating inside of the pod. I looked at my hands and noticed that I was fading. "Sora." I mumbled. I wiped my face, despite the tears still running down it. "Do me a favor. When you find Max, keep my promise. Protect her for me." I said. "I know that you are going to meet her someday."

-Max's POV-

I groaned as I opened my eyes. I sat up and looked around, seeing nothing but darkness. I felt shivers running up and down my spine. "Roxas?" I called. Then I remembered that he wasn't here and that I was alone. I stood up and heard footsteps. "W-Who's there?!" I shouted, spinning around. A person in a black cloak stood in front of me. I recognized him from the old mansion. "I'll take you to him." The man said, holding his hand towards me. "T-Take me to who?" I asked. "Roxas."

I felt myself stop breathing for a moment. I reached forward and grabbed the man's hand. "A-Alright. Take me to Roxas."

Dun dun duuuuunnnnnn!
I hope you guys like the rewrite so far!