Uh-oh...what's going on with Kyrie? Also, on Deviantart, I did a couple meme featuring these two, if you guys wanna check it out. OH! And there's a new poll on my page, too.

Kyrie (c) Me

Kingdom hearts (c) Square Enix

Kingdom Hearts

Bonded Soul

Chapter 73

Axel could only watch helplessly as the girl he cared about writhed in pain, curled up in a little ball as she tried to muffle her screams. He snapped out of his dazed state and reached down, pulling the girl into his lap as he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her to his chest. The others had already gathered around them, trying to see what was wrong.

"Kyrie?"

"Kyrie, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Hey, Angel, you don't look so good…"

"What's wrong with her, Axel?"

"Look, I don't know!" he exclaimed furiously as he glared at them, cradling the writhing girl against his chest. He didn't know what was wrong with her, or what caused her to scream in agony and collapse.

"What the hell's wrong with her? She was just fine a second ago!" he thought as he cradled her, not exactly sure what to do. Small sparks were starting to emit from her body as she buried her head into his chest, biting her lip to prevent herself from screaming in pure agony. After a few minutes, her writhing calmed down to small trembles as she panted heavily.

"Kyrie…?"

"K…K-Kingdom…H-Hearts…" she whimpered, trying to withstand the horrible pain that was ripping through her body. Something inside of her, a part of herself she didn't know and understand, was telling her that Kingdom Hearts was in trouble. It was in pain.

Axel brushed her hair out of her face as he cradled her body in his arms.

"What?"

"I-I-it's…h-hurting… t-the v-voices… screaming…p-please… make it s-s-stop…" she continued as tears started cascading down her cheeks. Riku looked over the pyro's shoulder at her, his expression grim.

"C'mon, we better hurry and keep going." he urged. Axel turned to him and opened his mouth, ready to tell him off, before he spoke again. "I don't know what's going on, but from what she just said, it might have something to do with Kingdom Hearts."

"Kingdom Hearts?" Goofy asked as he cocked his head to the side. The man nodded as he looked at the opening that led to the next room. "How much farther do we have to go before we reach Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts?" Demyx scratched the back of his head for a moment before answering.

"Well… the next room is the Proof of Existence, then it's Naught's Approach. Once we go through there and Ruin and Creation's Passage, we should be at the Altar of Naught where-"

"W-w-we… f-find Xem…Xemnas…" Kyrie answered weakly as she rested her head tiredly against Axel's chest. The pain had lessened some, but it was still intense as it drained her body of her strength. The voices in her head were now soft whimpers of pain, as she clenched her eyes tightly to block them out. Sora nodded grimly before he started heading to the next room.

"Then c'mon! We don't have time to lose!" he cried as he started walking. The others nodded in agreement and followed after him, with Axel carrying the weakened girl in his arms. Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Demyx, and Xigbar walked on both sides of him, all of them staring at the barely conscious girl in worry as her body trembled slightly from the pain. But once they got to the next room, Axel swore.

"Damn! It's blocked!" he growled as he looked at the other side of the Proof of Existence, only to see the exit blocked by some kind of barrier. Xigbar nodded grimly before looking at one of the proofs, where a portal was opened. Kairi looked around in uneasiness.

"This place is creepy, it feels like a graveyard…" she spoke in uneasiness as she inched closer to Sora. Demyx nodded.

"It kinda is. This place is the Proof of Existence, where all of our proofs lay. Each one has our weapon, rank, and title on it, and if one of us fades, it turns red and breaks." he explained. Then he pointed to his. "See? That's mine, the "Melodious Nocturne". Since I'm still here, it's blue. But look at that one," he pointed to another, Xaldin's.

"That one was Xaldin's, the "Whirlwind Lancer". It's red and broken because he's already gone."

"Wow…" Donald and Goofy awed as they looked at the thirteen proofs that surrounded the room. Kyrie winced and buried her face into Axel's chest, both in physical and emotional pain, as the memories of what happened to each of the members came flowing back. Sora looked around the room before looking at Xigbar and Demyx.

"So how do we get rid of the barrier?" he asked curiously. Xigbar pointed to the "Gambler of Fate" proof.

"See that? It's a portal that leads to "Havoc's Divide", where Luxord is. We take him out, and the barrier should open. Got that, Kiddo?" he explained. Sora nodded as he, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi began heading to the portal. Demyx and Xigbar looked back at Axel, who was still carrying Kyrie.

"You should wait here, Ax. It'll be too risky to take Kyrie along, especially since she's so weak right now." Demyx suggested. Axel was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, fine. But make sure that Sora and them get back in one piece, got it memorized?" he grunted. The two nodded and followed after the group, leaving Axel and Kyrie to remain in the room. Axel looked at the girl in his arms for a few moments, before walking over to his proof, kicking some of the rubble that littered the floor away. It had been smashed, all except for the floor which had his weapon and titled displayed. He quickly sat down, his back resting against what remained of the "headstone". He adjusted his hold on the girl, so that her head was tucked under his chin as she lay in his arms.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked after a few minutes, his voice soft. She gave a soft sigh and nodded, but he wasn't fooled. "Kyrie, be honest. How bad is it, really?" he asked as he looked down at her, his emerald irises boring into her brown ones. She gave a small, weak smile before speaking.

"Bad. I…it h-hurts…b-but not as bad as…before." she answered. He nodded grimly and held her close, rocking her slowly back and forth. He nuzzled his face into her hair as he did so, taking in the scent of pine and peppermint that always seemed to clung to her. The two were silent for a few moments before she spoke, her voice soft.

"Axel…w-will they…destroy Luxord?" she asked softly, her voice cracking a little. He was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Why? You don't want them to?"

"I…I d-don't…know. A-after what h-happened…at Port Royal…I d-don't k-know. He…he c-could've k-killed them…he wanted to…kill them. I…want to…s-strike him d-down for that…but I…a-also d-don't want him to…to fade. I…don't k-know." she explained. He nodded and stroked her hair, understanding what she meant. He could understand her confusion on Luxord, because in the beginning, Luxord had accepted her as a member and treated her as an equal.

She winced in his hold and shuddered, turning his attention back on her as her face contorted into a grimace. She was still in pain. He began rocking her once more, not realizing that he had stopped, as he stared down at her.

"Is there something I can do to…ease the pain?" he asked as he rocked her. She gave a small shrug, his rocking lulling her steadily into sleep. "J-j-just… stay. With m-me." she answered. He gave a small smirk before titling her head, pressing his lips against her forehead as he continued to rock her.

"Don't worry. I will." he promised as she drifted off to sleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He stared down at the girl, feeling hurt and angry that she was suffering and that there was nothing he could do to ease or stop her pain. He felt helpless, for the first time in his life as a nobody now a somebody, he felt truly helpless. Here she was, suffering from something he couldn't control, and he could only hold her and watch as she suffered. He cursed silently, looking away from her face and staring at the wall across from them.

"Damn it…Kyrie, I'm going to make him pay. I promise."

-A little while later, Sora and the others-

"How could you…Roxas…Demyx…Xigbar…" Luxord gasped as he slumped to his knees, looking at the boy behind him as he turned. Sora growled as Xigbar and Demyx joined him, the two being able to dodge Luxord's ability that turned the rest of the group into cards themselves.

"That's SORA!" he exclaimed. But Luxord spoke no more as he faded away, the darkness taking him. With that, his friends were freed from the cards, looking around in confusion before approaching him.

"You okay?" Kairi asked as she looked at the boy in worry. He nodded.

"Yeah! No worries." he turned to the passage that led back to the Proof of Existence, where Axel and Kyrie were waiting for them. "Let's keep moving."

"You said it. That fight with Luxord really wore me out." Demyx sighed as he stretched. Xigbar sighed and shook his head, before patting the young man's shoulder.

"Dem, sooner or later you're going to have to stop being so lazy. Not a very good trait to have."

"Hey, I'm not as lazy as I used to be! I actually put a lot of effort into this fight." he argued. Xigbar chuckled at this and ruffled his hair, making the man protest and readjust his hair. Sora looked over at the two and smiled.

"Hey, guys!" the two stopped and turned to him. He grinned. "Thanks for the help. I really needed it." the two looked at each other and smiled, before looking back at him.

"No prob, Sora!"

-Proof of Existence-

Axel looked up as another proof lit up, making him narrow his eyes in disgust when he realized who's proof it was. "Why's Saix's proof opening a portal? It doesn't make any sense…" he thought as he stared. But his question was soon answered as the group exited Luxord's portal, only to realize that another opened as well.

"Hey, the barrier's still there. What gives?" Sora griped as he pointed at the still-intact barrier. Xigbar looked around the room before his eye landed on another proof, making him groan as he crossed his arms.

"Looks like we'll have to face Saix in the Addled Impasse. Since he's the only other member left besides Xemnas, Demyx, Axel, and myself." Xigbar explained as he pointed. The group nodded before Kairi walked over, looking at Kyrie worriedly as she did so.

"Is she still in pain?" she asked as she looked at the sleeping girl. Kyrie looked no better than before, in fact, she looked worse. Her skin was sickly pale as beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and temples, signs that a fever was setting in. Axel nodded grimly as he got to his feet, looking at the group as he did so.

"I'm coming along. Saix is no pushover, and he gets stronger in the moonlight. You wouldn't last five minutes alone with him." he spoke sternly as he stared at the group. Sora blinked in confusion before looking at the girl in his arms.

"But Axel, who's gonna watch Kyrie? We can't take her with us!" he protested. Axel looked at Demyx. "Dem, you watch her."

"Huh? But-"

"Look, Saix can kick your ass easy, with or without the moonlight. You'd be holding us back." he explained. Demyx was silent, he couldn't argue with that. He could never match up against Saix, not even in sparring matches. So he did the only thing he could, nod in agreement as he walked over. "Okay, I'll watch her. But you guys be careful, okay?"

"Okay." Axel agreed as he placed Kyrie on the ground, Demyx kneeling beside her as the group got ready to go. Axel looked down at the girl for a moment before reaching out, brushing her bangs that covered her right eye back, so that her eye was visible. He stared down at her, a sad look in his expression.

"Hang in there, Kyrie. It'll all be over soon, just hang in there." he murmured. With that, he turned, walking into the portal as Sora and the others followed after him.

*hides under the bed* Yeah, yeah...I killed off Luxord. I didn't say that I was going to let them all live! Anyways, enjoy and review. And don't try to murder me in my sleep.