A/N: Hey guys! Here comes the next chapter.

Before starting it, however, there is a SECRET EPISODE to this story that takes place between this chapter and the last. It's called The Light Connecting Our Hearts, and it features Aurora meeting WolfieRed23's KH OC, Shaylee. We did a two-shot collab, and it's very much canon to this series, which I will show throughout.

Now, ONWARD!

…

Chapter Eleven: Awake and Asleep

~Day 155~

The police continued their search, aided by volunteers, such as those from the Wright Anything Agency, Aurora's parents, and even some of her classmates from Themis, like Juniper Woods, Hugh O'Conner, Robin Newman, and Myriam Scuttlebutt.

But, by now, it had already been six days. The very few leads they had has grown cold.

They haven't found anything new.

…

Roxas frowned slightly as he stumbled over one of the more complicated words in Aurora's book. He had found another in her book bag: Evidence Laws – Post-Dark Age. It seemed like an extremely new book, not that Roxas understood any of it while he read it to the comatose Aurora.

It had been two days now since she had tried to leave, and the lesser Nobodies had subdued her. Demyx was going frantic with worry the longer she took to wake up, and even lashed out at Luxord yesterday until Saïx was forced to confine him to his room until he could calm down.

Nothing was making sense anymore. Lazy, passive, happy-go-lucky Demyx was wound tighter then a spring. Roxas overheard the higher-ups talk about Aurora's "usefulness" yesterday in Twilight's Passing, and Xion seemed to be struggling more than ever.

It was enough to give Roxas a headache.

Suddenly, Aurora groaned softly. Roxas looked up, watched as she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, before blinking them open. He leaned closer.

"Aurora?"

The girl turned her head and looked at the bag that she constantly wore, where it sat next to her pillow. She smiled at it, before looking up at Roxas.

"Roxas?" she muttered softly. Roxas though he saw a flash of confusion cross her face, but it was instantly gone. He grinned at seeing her awake though, putting the book down and taking her hand.

"You're awake! Finally!" he said. Aurora blinked up at him in confusion.

"Yeah… wait, how long have I been out?" she asked.

"Two days. It seems those Nobodies really did a number on you," Roxas said.

"Oh…" She looked away, only to see her two textbooks sitting on the nightstand.

"What were you…?"

"I read to you while you were asleep," Roxas said with a smile. Aurora smiled back at that, fully sitting up and taking them.

"They must have been pretty boring…" she said. Roxas hesitated before chuckling with a nod.

"Yeah, they were," he admitted. Aurora laughed, hugging the books to her chest.

"Well, thank you."

"Of course! Let me go tell the other's you're awake. Demyx has been beside himself this whole time," Roxas said as he left. Aurora sighed, watching the door close behind him.

The doorknob was different now. There was no keyhole on this side.

…

~Day 156~

Once they were sure she was fully recovered, Saïx sent Aurora to Castle Oblivion with Axel again. Fiddling with the pink ribbon that was now tied around the strap of her bag, she decided to cooperate with Axel this time. He was definitely a little wary of her magic, but when she showed no sign of attacking him, he relaxed.

"So, you and Demyx are brother and sister?" Axel finally asked as they walked through the blindingly white halls after a while of silence. Aurora looked over, before nodding.

"Yeah. Er… how has he been?" Aurora asked. Axel glanced at her before looking up thoughtfully.

"Well, alright, I guess. I dunno, I don't really talk to him much. He's kind of a wimp when it comes to fighting, but he can play some cool tunes on that Sitar of his," Axel replied. Aurora giggled at that.

"That figures. Mom and Dad have taught us music from such a young age… Edym wanted to become a rock star, one day," she admitted.

"Edym? Was that his name before he lost his heart?" Axel asked. Aurora nodded.

"Yeah."

They fell quiet for a moment, before Aurora glanced sideways at the ginger. "Hey, Axel… why did his name change?" she asked.

"Well, when a Somebody becomes a Nobody, they earn a new name. Probably because something pretty substantial about them has changed," Axel explained. Aurora frowned slightly at that.

"Really? Because Edym seems like the same old dork. The only difference is, he plays a sitar instead of a guitar now…" Aurora replied. Axel snorted.

"You're really nice to him, you know that?" Axel laughed.

"Oh, like you don't tease your friends," Aurora replied, shaking her head. She then sighed, closing her eyes as she thought of her brother.

That's when she saw it. Surrounded by darkness, a faint light glowed. It was very dim, and it flickered every now and again. That's when she realized the faint heat she's felt under her skin wasn't from the fire wielder next to her, but the faint light she was sensing from nearby.

"Aurora?" Axel asked, putting a hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. Her eyes snapped open, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She griped the strap of her bag, clutching the ribbon. "Did you sense something?"

"Uh…" Aurora stalled.

"Please, Aurora. If you did, let's go find it. Once we do… Xemnas is sure to let you go."

Xemnas is sure to let you go. Those words echoed in her mind. It was tempting.

She knew what she had to do.

"I did. Come on!" Aurora said, taking off down the hall. Axel nodded, following her.

(They'll never find it. Not if I lead them away from it.) Aurora thought, leading Axel through the castle, and as far away from the spot where she sensed that light as she could. The warmth from under her skin faded as she continued forward.

In the end, of course, they didn't find it. Axel promised they'd try again next time, and took her back to her room.

…

~Day 172~

Axel didn't take her to Castle Oblivion today, so Aurora spent her day rereading her textbooks again, then playing her Nintendo DS.

"Damn," she muttered as she lost against the final boss of her game (again). She then looked up at the moon, realizing that Roxas was later with her dinner.

That wasn't like him. (Maybe Saïx has him doing a late mission or something?) she thought. In the twenty-three days she'd been here (yes, she was keeping track), Aurora had learned a lot about the Organization from Roxas. Xemnas was the leader, Saïx gave out the missions, and their ultimate goal was to complete Kingdom Hearts so that they can regain hearts and become whole again.

There used to be, at one time, fourteen members. Five of them had been eliminated at Castle Oblivion, however, though Roxas didn't know the cause. Axel seemed to, but he was unwilling to talk about it. Axel had been there too, though, and as the lone survivor, Aurora had suggested that he was dealing with Survivor's Guilt. Roxas agreed.

Roxas had no idea what Aurora's purpose there was.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, bringing Aurora's train of thought to a halt. The door opened to reveal Roxas, holding her tray of food. Rather than a smile, however, he had a worried frown on his face.

"Hey, Roxas, is everything okay?" Aurora asked. He carefully set the tray down on her desk.

"Sorry for being late," he said softly, not looking up. "Xion… failed her mission last night, and now she won't wake up."

Aurora knew who Xion was, though she hadn't actually met the girl. She was the fourteenth member of the Organization, and Axel and Roxas's best friend.

"Oh, no," Aurora muttered, standing. She walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm… so sorry," she said.

"It's alright. I'm sure she'll wake up soon." Roxas was quiet for a moment. "I'm just… so tired of Saïx treating her like an object!" he suddenly exploded. Aurora jumped at that, surprised. "He's so down on her. I just don't get it!" Roxas complained.

"I don't know," Aurora said. Roxas sighed.

"Sorry for dumping this on you…"

"It's alright. I'm here if you need to talk," Aurora offered, before smiling. "It's not like I'm going anywhere," she added. Roxas chuckled at that, before giving her a worried look.

"They're holding you captive, aren't they? The higher ups. That why you tried to escape, and why Demyx has been so… yeah…" Roxas trailed off, looking away with a guilty expression. Aurora bit her lip.

"Yeah, they are," she admitted. "But… if they hadn't kidnapped me, I'd have never seen Edym again." Roxas looked up in confusion. "Demyx," Aurora said. "Edym is his real name. And… I'd have never met you," she added with a smile. Roxas smiled back, though she could still see guilt in his eyes. Aurora gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Don't worry about it. They just need my ability to find something, that's all."

"Well… alright," Roxas conceded. Aurora nodded with a smile.

"Now, why don't you go see Xion. I know you're itching to visit her," she said. Roxas chuckled.

"Alright," he said, leaving. Once the door closed, Aurora sighed softly.

(Poor Roxas. It seems like he's going through so much…)

…

The next few days, when Roxas would visit Aurora, he talked more and more about his friendship with Axel and Xion, and how those three would sit on the bell tower of Twilight Town and eat ice cream together after their missions.

"Maybe, one day, you can come with us," Roxas said one day. "Once Xion wakes up, of course."

"That sounds nice," Aurora said with a smile.

"I'll talk to Axel. Promise."

…

~Day 193~

Twenty-one days. That's how long Xion slept. But once she woke up, her, Axel, and Roxas continued their missions and eating ice cream together.

Axel mentioned that Roxas asked about Aurora joining them on the bell tower one day. Axel, of course, couldn't agree. Xemnas would throw a fit. Aurora wasn't mad at the red-head. She understood.

…

A/N: Ta-da! I know it was a bit of a slow chapter, but important none-the-less.

The next chapter picks up just as the game did around this point!