disclaimer: i do not own kingdom hearts.

last one! here we go!

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Chapter 7

Roxas looked at Lynn, the concerned look back again, "Are you sure? Isn't that the place that caused you the most pain?"

Lynn's eyes popped slightly; how did he know? She had just met him! He couldn't possibly know that after the short while they'd just spent together.

Roxas reacted curiously to his own words. She watched as his eyes grew wide with shock too, the blue threatening to swallow her. He averted his gaze and looked to his right, biting his lip with a guilty and puzzled look on his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-," he started, looking back at Lynn apologetically.

"No, it's okay. You're right. But it's where I have to be." Lynn's voice was absolute with conviction.

Roxas looked at Lynn, his ocean's eyes inscrutable. He took a few steps backwards, scanning her face the whole time. Finally, he broke the gaze and turned to his left. He held up his left hand, palm forward, fingers spread like he was a crossing guard, an intense look on his face. Then, out of thin air, there appeared a black mass, tall and oval in shape. It seemed to be folding in on itself, falling to a central point in the center, but still held itself together. It was hypnotic to look at.

Roxas' hand fell, surprise once more coloring his face, with just a hint of satisfaction. Lynn's eyes flicked from him to the black hole and back again in amazement.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

He turned his head to face her again, cocking it slightly to one side. "I don't know," he answered, "It just sort of happened. Like it was instinct."

"Wait... but what is it?" she stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the swirling black thing. She felt his eyes tear from her to look at it, too.

"It's a portal," he said simply, "To take you back home. Faster than how we got here, but a lot more dangerous."

Lynn swung her head up to look at Roxas' profile. "'We?' But you weren't with us on the ship..."

Roxas looked down at Lynn, mirroring the confused expression on her face, she was sure. After a second, an understanding crept over his face, "Did I say 'we?' Sorry, I meant to say 'you.'"

Lynn had a feeling he was pulling her leg, but she didn't say anything. She looked back at the portal, thinking, I'm coming, Mom. Hold on for just a little while longer.

She felt Roxas' fingers entwine around hers and squeeze slightly, "Come on. Let's get you home."

Lynn let out the breath she had been holding. She looked at Roxas and nodded, squeezing back. Together they stepped forward into the portal.

It was a bit like walking through a waterfall: Lynn had the feeling of matter opening where she moved and closing behind her, thicker than air but not liquid like water, either. When Lynn opened her eyes on the other side, she didn't see Traverse Town like she had expected. Instead, she found herself in a realm of bright, swirling color with the qualities of smoke. She was just about to say to Roxas that he had made a mistake when he spoke.

"This is the halfway point," he explained, "The Realm of Darkness."

"It doesn't look very dark to me," Lynn remarked, looking around.

"Look." Roxas pointed with his free hand. Straight across from them and about a football field's length away was another portal, set against a dark blue background, whereas the point where they had just come out of was surrounded by rosy pinks and light purples with some grey twisted in. The ground between them was turquoise, blending out of the light colors behind them to fade into the dark ahead.

"Home's just that way," he said, lowering his arm. He looked at Lynn, a small smile on his face. Lynn smiled back at him before turning back to the new portal. Almost there, Mom. Again, they stepped forward together.

They were about halfway across the empty space when suddenly a bunch of things popped up out of the ground in front of them, blocking their way. They weren't Heartless, Lynn felt, though these things never stopped moving like Heartless did. No, these creatures were white, taller than Heartless. No eyes and all mouths that appeared to be zippered, these mysterious beings were long-limbed and lanky compared to the Heartless, which had been hunched and grotesquely short-limbed. They had a symbol on their flat heads, different from the one Lynn had seen all over the castle. This mark was shaped like a pointed cross at the top, but was elongated into an upside-down shaped heart at the bottom. Lynn got the same chills she had felt at the castle.

Before she knew what was happening, before she had time to be afraid, Roxas had ripped his hand out of hers and pulled her behind him. The movement was so unexpected she almost fell. As she regained her balance, a growl ripped from Roxas' throat and he threw his arms down. The same weapons he had defeated the Heartless with before were in his hands again. All Lynn saw of him was a blur as he relentlessly attacked the strange creatures, sending them dissapating into the air.

As soon as he defeated the last one, more appeared, this time in a formidable dancing, swaying ring around them.

"They'll just keep coming," Roxas said over his shoulder from his half-crouch in front of her, "You'll have to run for it."

Lynn stared disbelievingly at the back of his head, then glanced at the portal in front of her. Their enemies blocked her path, it was still a long way off, but she wasn't worried about either of those things. "But-,"

"I'll take care of them," he interrupted harshly, "You just run when I say go, you hear me?"

"But what about you?" Lynn cried despairingly.

Roxas turned around and straightened up at the same time. He took in Lynn's frightened expression and gently said, "I'll be okay. You'll be okay. I got your back. Don't worry about me. You have to get yourself home."

"Won't you come with me?" Lynn's voice got higher and shriller. She couldn't leave him behind with all these things intent on killing him. Not after what he had done for her, what he was doing for her now.

He shook his head, "No. I don't think I'm supposed to. I feel a pull in the other direction. This is where our destinies split again."

"But I can't-," Lynn was stopped mid-sentence by Roxas' lips on hers. There was an urgency in the kiss that surprised her. It was also a surprise was how soft his lips were, again belying how edgy he looked... once more without thought, she closed her eyes and kissed him back. After a too-brief moment, he pulled away and she was drowning in the tender ocean of his eyes again. "Roxas," she pleaded.

"You won't leave me behind," he said quietly, looking down, suddenly sounding very sad.

Then it hit her. Now Lynn knew exactly who Roxas reminded her of. She barely had time to think the name before Roxas crouched protectively in front of her again. He eyed the creatures, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "Get ready. Remember the signal." He paused before adding, "Take care of yourself, Lynn."

Lynn never said anything back. Roxas sprang at the strangers, brandishing his blades. In seconds, three were down. The rest gathered around him, ignoring Lynn.

"GO!" Roxas yelled, meeting Lynn's eyes for a fraction of a second between dispatching one enemy and engaging another. His blue were full of fight where Lynn's grey revealed only fear and distress.

But she went, her long hair streaming out behind her. Lynn thought she had never run so fast in her life. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw two of the things slithering in the air towards her, Roxas right behind them.

She shifted her gaze back to her destination. Forty yards to go. Glancing back over her shoulder revealed that Roxas had killed one of Lynn's pursuers and was turning back towards the other, which was catching up to her...

Thirty yards remained. Roxas was running furiously hard, but the creature was just too fast with too great a head start for him to catch up...

Twenty yards to go. It was practically above her head now. She screamed and veered wildly to the left. The creature followed and crashed into the ground right where Lynn would have been had she not changed direction at the last second. Roxas sprung fiercely at it...

Ten yards left. Roxas had finished off the last enemy, but a new ring popped up around him. Lynn stopped abruptly, mere feet from the portal, torn between his safety and her own.

He saw her hesitate. "Go!" he ordered, running one of the creatures through, "Someone needs you more than I do!"

In that instant, the nasty things turned and started making their way towards Lynn. She gave Roxas one last beseeching look, but he had already charged after them and didn't notice. Seeing how close they were, Lynn whipped around and bounded through the black arch, feeling it snap in a very final, heartbreaking way behind her.

With a start, Lynn found herself back in the middle of her bedroom. She looked around. Nothing was disturbed, everything precisely the way she had left it. It was very quiet- not the way she had left. What kind of quiet is it, though? Imagining all the possibilities, Lynn started to panic.

Then she jumped, hearing footsteps outside her door. She turned to her right towards it, bracing herself for the worst. It swung open, squeaking slightly.

Lynn gasped with both relief and joy when she saw her mother's face come through the door. Tear-streaked, with a nasty bruise blooming on her cheek, but it was her mother. Upon seeing her daughter, her eyes widened too. For a split second they stood in absolute silence, looking disbelieveingly at each other, as if afraid they were hallucinating.

"Mommy," Lynn choked out. She fell into her mother's arms and started to cry, more glad than she could have ever imagined to be home.

"Oh, Lynn, where on earth were you?" Mom asked, sounding a little wobbly herself. She stroked Lynn's hair lovingly, "I was so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I won't do it again, I promise. I- I love you," Lynn's closed throat made any more speaking impossible.

Mom's arms tightened around Lynn, "I love you too. sweetie. I'm so glad you came home safe to me."

Lynn closed her eyes and thought of the boy who made that possible, who might have sacrificed himself for her sake. Oh, please, let him be okay. He had said that Mom needed her, but Lynn needed her, too, just like she had needed him. She didn't feel like a nobody any longer. She wasn't alone and useless anymore.

Thank you, Sora.

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the end! i hope you liked it. thanks for reading; my next fanfic should be up soon! catch you later!