Summary: Note to self, even if you happen to be looking for adventure, do not go through teleporting screen doors. You might end up stranded in Twilight Town for the summer. au.

a/n: Hiiii, it's been a month since I've posted. I'm almost completely done with this story. Just have to finish writing chapter thirteen then the epilogue.

Kessie-Louise, I'd honestly be so honored if you wrote a fic based off of this! Honestly, if it hadn't been for your reviews I dont think I'd have finished this fanfic.

We're nearing the end guys. This chapter's title is inspired by one of the kh osts titles.

xo, hanasinspring

disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

part twelve: shaded truths

Kairi wasn't expecting a reunion until after they fixed the It's-The-End-Of-The-World problem. To be honest, she wasn't exactly sure how it all happened. Serah mentioned something about the complexities that come with dimension hopping and so here everyone was. Sora and Xion were currently crushing Ventus and Roxas with their hugs while Naminé stood still, her hands clutching her sketchpad. Riku smiled and shook his head at their shenanigans. Noel and Serah were in deep conversation about how they would shut down the dimension hopping business for good. Or, at least, that's what Kairi assumed. Her plan hadn't worked or maybe it didn't have the chance to work.

"Sora, Xion, you're crushing me," Roxas gasped out as he tried to wiggle his way out of the hug.

Ventus attempted to nod his head. "Yeah guys, chill."

Naminé let out a laugh. She wavered, as if wondering if she should join in on all the festivities. That'd leave Riku by his lonesome.

Kairi touched her necklace, the smooth stone soothing her mind. Grandma. A frown found its way to her lips as she remembered her kind eyes and warm smile. It was obvious Grandma wasn't telling her something. Kairi snorted. It'd been obvious from the start. But what was it exactly? Her grandma probably had a novel's worth of secrets. Axel turned his attention away from all the rejoicing to look at her.

He bumped shoulders with her. "So," he started, "it's the end of the world, isn't it?"

"Looks like it," she mumbled under her breath. "I'm happy for them. I am. It's just … something's not adding up and I can't figure it out. I was so sure the problem lied in Twilight Town, but now? I don't know."

"Hey, you tried your best. And sure, there's a lot of unanswered questions, but you tried, right?"

Kairi cracked a smile. "So, you and Isa."

Axel groaned and put a hand over his forehead. "This again? You really are relentless, kid."

"What can I say? I'm curious."

A string of curses came out of Axel's mouth as he gathered his composure. "He was worried about our random arrival in Twilight Town. Isa said this was all too suspicious and he basically demanded I come back home with you in tow. I have a rebellious streak so I uh, I told him to fuck off and that this wasn't any of his business."

"Axel!"

He sighed. "I know, I know. I should've apologized, but I was just so sick of him nagging me. It gets irritating."

Naminé inched her way over to them, her eyes trained on Sora, Roxas, Ventus, and Xion. They seemed to be in some sort of battle with each other. Her eyebrows shot up once she got sight of Sora waving the giant, key-shaped blade around.

"Sora, that's dangerous," she admonished. It was to no avail considering the four of them were busy roughhousing.

Kairi shook her head at their antics. "What is this place anyway?" From the outside it looked like some sort of castle. She thought there would be more colors going into the castle, but no, it was all white - blindingly white - from what she could tell. It would've been harder to concentrate with only one solid color, but there were intricate patterns along the floor and walls. Hm. Her mind went to the door leading into the next room. There was something familiar about it. Actually, it looked eerily similar to the door her, Ven, and Roxas had gone through.

"Kairi?"

"Hm?" She turned to see Naminé by her side. "Is there something about this place or is it just me?"

Kairi shook her head. Axel was looking off into the distance, not to say there was much distance to look into. She couldn't tell if he was paying attention to the conversation or not.

"I can't say for sure about the rest of the room, but that door looks like the one me, Ven, and Roxas went through. Strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Naminé held her sketchpad, tapping her fingers along the cover to keep herself calm.

"Y'know," Kairi started, "that last Twilight Town I saw was, how do I put this? There was something sad about it. There were people there, but it lost its shine. Grandma told me not to look up pictures of Radiant Garden, but I couldn't help myself. What I'm trying to say is those pictures from what's happening in Radiant Garden reminded me of that last Twilight Town."

"Sometimes I feel like we're going in circles," Naminé said. "It's like no matter how hard we try we don't make any progress."

"Sounds about right," Axel chimed in. "You're not going to give up though, right?"

Naminé lowered her eyes. "I always give up. It's what I do best."

"Hey." His eyes softened. "Roxas and Ven are here. You're all together again. What I'm wondering about is this castle. It's giving me the creeps."

Naminé giggled.

Kairi's hand reached for her necklace, her fingertips going over the smooth stone again. Her eyes closed and she wasn't entirely sure if she would fall asleep then and there. A yawn found its way to her lips as she stretched. When was the last time she'd gotten proper sleep? Maybe for next summer vacation she'll ask for something less exciting like going to the beach or a resort. She could see it now; her laying down on a towel while the sun basked her in its warmth. Maybe she'd collect seashells or swim in the ocean or even sneak a sip of alcohol in.

When Kairi opened her eyes she expected to see Naminé and Axel chatting, Roxas, Ven, Sora and Xion still roughhousing, and Serah and Noel talking logistics. Instead she was in one of the other white rooms, but this time there was no door. She touched her head. What was going on? Ever since she went into the basement everything had gone all wrong. At this point she couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.

"I was in your position once."

She turned to see Roxas in a black coat. It was him, she knew, because of his easy-going eyes, but he wasn't smiling. His face was grim.

"What do you mean?" Her voice sounded weak.

"The answers are here, Kairi. Noel warned you, remember? He told you, 'But if you choose to move forward, then you've chosen a dangerous path.' Wake up. You'll be okay. I promise."

"But what about the others?"

Roxas shook his head. "You sound just like her. Always putting others before your own wellbeing."

"Who?" She tilted her head and took a step toward Roxas.

"Ava. You've heard of her."

"Yeah. The past ate her alive."

"Exactly. If you don't move forward now you'll be stuck in Twilight Town: Going in-between a desolate hellscape with no end of summer in sight and the 'real' Twilight Town."

"If I hadn't seen the pods, if I'd turned back, then none of this would've happened. Is that what you're saying?" Tears pricked her eyes as she moved to wipe them away. "I just … I don't know what's real anymore. Everything is moving too fast. It's like I can't tell fiction from reality anymore. I hate it. It's scary."

Roxas held out his hand to her. "It's hard, I know, and none of it makes sense right now, but if you take my hand and move forward, they'll all be on the other side and there won't be any alternate Twilight Towns or dimensions. It'll all be one solid place."

Kairi closed her eyes.

One.

Breathe in.

Two.

Breathe out.

Three.

Breathe in.

Four.

Breathe out.

She cracked a smile. Grandma always said four was an unlucky number. Funny how that was the number she was ending on.

Kairi opened her eyes again, half-expecting to see Axel and the rest of her friends, but all she saw was Roxas still holding his hand out to her.

"Will my mind clear?" she asked, her voice sounding tiny even to her.

He nodded.

Kairi turned and gasped. Behind her was a portal and through that portal were pods. She turned back around. Roxas was still there.

"Have I … have I been in this room the entire time?" Her eyes widened as she tried to calm her breathing. Everything began to blur once more. She could make out remnants of the others if she let her eyesight blur, but when she focused in, all she saw was Roxas.

Her steps toward Roxas were unsteady as she tried to keep her complete focus on him. It felt like someone was trying to hold her back.

"You can do it, Kairi!" he called out to her. "I'm right here. Just follow my voice. Don't listen to anything else. Focus."

"Are you okay, Kairi?" Naminé.

"We're going to save the world." Axel.

"This is it!" Sora.

"Leave some for me!" Xion.

"Where are you going?" Riku.

"We're so close." Serah.

"Whatever you do -"

"Focus, Kairi. You're almost here." Roxas was so close now, she could feel it. The room around her spun as she kept moving forward.

" - don't go back." Noel.

She didn't expect Roxas' hand to be so warm. Her senses came back to her one at a time. Her hearing hadn't gone, but it had faded on her way forward, but when it came back full force she heard people talking all around her as well as a few cats meowing. It was the sound of a lively city. Maybe she'd been wrong in saying all her senses had gone as her sense of taste had never gone away or faded. The next sense to come back was smell. There was something homey about the smell. It smelled like a mixture of rain and flowers. When she felt her feet underneath she almost fell to the ground. Roxas was there to keep her steady. Slowly, but surely, her sight came back. (Not too slowly though.) First the colors, then the shapes, then the shapes sharpened until she saw Roxas and a group of people holding 'Welcome Home' signs.

This wasn't Twilight Town. There was an orangey glow coming from the lamps mixed in with the city's dark, warm colors. It fit considering it was night. She wondered how the town looked in broad daylight.

"What…?" Kairi never got to finish her sentence as she was engulfed by a familiar hug; her grandmother's.

"Welcome to Traverse Town, Kairi," Grandma whispered into her ear. "The rest of your friends are waiting."

"Huh?" she sputtered out, trying to get her bearings. "Wait, is someone going to explain to me, for real this time, what's going on?"

She untangled herself from her grandma and looked at Roxas.

"I guess the reunions can wait until a little while longer," he said. Roxas weaved through the crowd, Kairi hot on his heels.

A million questions invaded her mind as she got used to her surroundings. She wondered if her time with Naminé had been real, if any of her time in Twilight Town had been real. What would she do if it wasn't?

As if reading her mind, Roxas chimed in, "It was all real. Well, most of it. Do you know when this started?" They found themselves walking near a fountain before heading into another district and finally into an abandoned house. Kairi shivered, remembering how her adventure had begun.

"I have two theories; either when I went through the door Merlin magicked or when I discovered the basement."

Roxas began tidying up the abandoned house. It was small. Honestly, it hardly looked like a house and more like a tiny room. Kairi placed her hand on a circular table, surprised to see it wasn't coated with dust.

"It was the basement. This, none of this was your fault. The dimensions, the In-Between, none of it. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of this began when Ava couldn't let go of Gula after he died."

"Huh? You mentioned her before. Ava." Kairi tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She yawned and slumped over, the wall acting as her anchor.

"Yeah. You've heard of the tragedy of Gula and Ava, right?"

"Mhm," she said, nodding. "Ava did everything in her power to stop the War of Calamity and prevent Gula's death. She tore through the very fabric of time to get the outcome she wanted."

"Her doing that was real. She was still doing that until, well, now."

Kairi's eyes flitted between Roxas and the window. "Really?"

"It's crazy, isn't it?"

"What stopped her?"

"Ansem's team."

"But I thought -"

"Let's just say it's complicated." Roxas shoved his hands into his pockets. "We were trying to get everyone over safely. This, all of this, is real. It's solid. There are no more dimensions and if there are, they're sealed away and staying in their own lane. We never expected you to find the basement or go into the pod room, but when you did, that set back our plans. And then everything got worse with the heartless attacks. Your time in Twilight Town was real. It just got muddied with all the other dimensions near the end, but that's over now."

"Did," she started, "did anyone know?"

Roxas sighed. "Just Naminé. The others are being filled in as we speak. She was the tether between us and whatever that hellscape was. I remember going through the same thing you were going through. Thought I was losing my mind."

"Is Ven here?"

"Yep. He's filling in Sora and Riku while Naminé talks to Axel and Xion."

Kairi nodded her head. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to process all this information. If she woke up, she wouldn't be back in Twilight Town, right? There was one thing she knew for sure; her summer vacation had been wild.

"What happens now?"

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "Our mission was a success and we didn't have much planned after this if I'm being honest."

Kairi took a moment to breathe and really take in the room. It was a light baby blue with decorations all around. Somehow, she felt more at ease here than any place else. She was sure if she'd been given more time she would've fallen asleep then and there.

Unfortunately for her, the door was kicked open just as she started to nod off.

"Kairi!" She found herself being crushed by a gazillion bodies; all attempting to hug her. There were a lot of "move over" and "are you okay" being repeated.

"Guys, guys!" she yelled. "I'm fine. Just woozy. And tired."

It was chaos after that. Kairi could hardly remember what happened for the rest of the night though she was sure she saw Sora try to wrestle with everyone, including Naminé. Riku and Roxas tried to stop him while everyone else was game for teaming up against Sora. The only thing that got them to stop completely was her agreeing to make some paopu soda for everyone as a celebratory drink. After that there was a lot of laughing. (And crying.) Since Traverse Town was over capacitated, everyone found themselves crammed into that tiny room and sleeping on the floor together. Eight people was a lot, Kairi thought as she found herself between Xion and Axel. As she looked up at the ceiling blearily, she focused on the steadying breathing of those around her. Thankfully, she wasn't cold and she was doubly thankful for the fact that it wasn't scorching hot in that little one house room.

She was especially thankful when she woke up and found everyone still there in that same room with streaks of dawn peaking through the window.

To Be Continued