A/N: Hey guys! Another chapter, coming your way! This is the last chapter of part one, and the end of the Roxas part. But we're about to get to Aurora FINALLY meeting Sora! It only took a whole fic and half of another, but eh. He's been asleep that whole time – the lazy bum. Haha.

Review Reply to Gamergirl: That was actually the hardest chapter I've written so far, so I'm glad you liked it! DiZ can die in a fire. Just saying. I'm glad you enjoyed the pink ribbon scene! I really enjoyed putting that in because it shows how insecure in her own judgement Aurora still is, despite her confident exterior. I'm not sure. WolfieRed23 and I need to discuss it more, haha. You'll see here! And it's okay. Have fun!

Now… ONWARD!

…

Chapter Six: Day Six – Summer's End

Aurora stared at the ceiling above her, laying back in the bed she used at Olette's. She hadn't managed to sleep at all that night, worried about Naminé and Roxas.

She was scared. Scared that she hadn't done enough to warn Naminé, or that she hadn't tried hard enough to find Roxas before it was too late.

When the clock struck seven in the morning, Aurora sat up.

(I can't just lay here. I need to find them. I need to help them!) she thought, jumping to her feet. She quickly got dressed before grabbing her book bag out of habit, swinging it onto her back. She glanced over at Olette, who was peacefully asleep, before leaving her a note.

'Went out to train early. I'll meet you and the other's at the Usual Spot!'

She left it on her pillow, before slipping out of the room, then the house.

Olette's house was in Sunset Terrace, so Aurora had to take the train to Market Street. From there, she quickly made her wat through Tram Common, to the hole in the wall that lead to the woods, and finally, to the Mansion.

The Mansion was even quieter then Aurora was used to. She first checked the side room, finding it empty. Then she checked Naminé's room. That too, was empty. Aurora's heart dropped for a minute, but she relaxed when noticing the sketchbook and box of crayons were missing too.

(Hopefully, that's a good sign…) she thought, before turning to the Library. (Last stop, the basement. Hopefully, DiZ isn't around, and there's a clue to Roxas's whereabouts on that computer of his…) she thought to herself, slowly pushing open the library door. She crept in, down the steps, and carefully opened the door to the computer room.

It was empty. She pushed the door open all the way and slowly walked in, looking around. Another door lead deeper into the basement, though what was beyond was unknown to her. Instead, she turned her attention to the computer monitors.

Aurora sat carefully in the chair, studying the computers. A picture of a boy with brown, spiky hair, was on one monitor, with a loading bar underneath. "Restoration at: 98%" it read. She shook her head slightly and studied the other monitors. One showed a map of Twilight Town, with a small, blue dot in Sunset Terrace. Red dots flickered, then vanished, in the area marked "Tunnels" and "Market Street." Aurora leaned closer, studying that.

(It almost looks like a mini-map from a video game…) she thought. (That looks like the player icon…) she pressed her finger against the blue dot, (while those look like enemy markers…) Her eyes flickered to the red dots. "But why is this here?" she muttered. She then shook her head, turning to the center monitor.

Password:

"Oh, great," she muttered, putting a hand to her chin. "What kind of password would he have?"

She suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the door that lead deeper into the basement. Panic froze her for just a moment, before she looked around. She spotted a light shining down from the ceiling in an alcove, something she hadn't noticed before. It kind of looked like a transportation device…

…With no other choice, as the footsteps had reached the door, Aurora dove into the light, covering her head and face with her arms, and hoped for the best.

The light faded. Aurora opened her eyes, and gasped.

She was still in the computer room. She was going to get caught!

(I need to get out of here!) she thought, jumping to her feet and taking off, back through the door to the library, up the steps, and out of the mansion.

She used a water spell, launching herself over the Mansion gate. As she landed, she rolled, minimizing the impact on her ankles and knees. It was a move she had been practicing for a while, and had finally got down.

However, as she rolled back onto her feet, a chill raced down her spine. She quickly looked around, and gasped.

Lesser Nobodies – Dusks – had appeared around her. She bought her shield up defensively, and glared at them.

(For all of my training this past week… I haven't been able to train using Nobodies or Heartless. They just haven't been around. So why now!?) she thought to herself. One of the Dusks launched itself at her.

"Reflect!" she yelled, bringing her shield up as the spell bloomed from it. The Dusk slammed into it, then reeled away when the magic barrier shattered. She whirled as another came at her from behind.

"Water!" she yelled, pointing at the attacking Dusk. A geyser shot up from underneath the Dusk, sending it flying. Aurora whirled around again, blocking another attack, before cloaking her shield in another Water spell and throwing it. The shield spun quickly around, slamming into the Dusks and leaving a trail of water floating in the air behind it. Aurora caught the shield as it came to her, and jumped on the trail of magical water. The current pulled her forward, and she swung the shield at every Dusk she passed, bashing them aside. Once at the end of the trail, she jumped off and into the air.

"Watera!" she yelled, pointing down at the Dusks. A large bubble of water appeared, trapping the Dusks. Aurora landed a few feet away from it, feeling a new power surge through her. She smirked, raising her left hand to the sky, palm up, fingers spread.

"Thunder!" she yelled. The sky darkened for just a moment, before a bolt of yellow lightning struck down, slamming into the water bubble. The Dusks trapped inside writhed for a moment, before vanishing into silver Dust. Aurora let out a sigh, letting the Watera spell drop and rubbing her arm, feeling the drain on her magic. Taking a few deep breaths, she allowed her body to relax and her energy reserve to recharge, before moving forward.

Thankfully, she didn't run into anymore Nobodies on the way back. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Roxas and Naminé however, so she didn't notice the eerily silent town as she headed towards the Usual Spot.

Finally, she entered the alleyway, and froze.

"…these icky orders to destroy you if you refuse to come back with me."

Axel. That was Axel. He stood in front of the entrance to the Usual Spot.

And across from him… was Roxas. Without the Organization cloak.

Blocking Roxas' two other escape routes were Dusks. Aurora scowled at that.

(Destroy? I thought he was your best friend!) she thought in disgust towards Axel.

"We're… best friends, right?" Roxas asked, though to Aurora's ears, he sounded unsure. Axel didn't seem to catch it as he turned his head away slightly, mussing his hair.

"Sure… but I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for—" he cut off, his eyes widening, his hand dropping. "Wait a sec! You remember now!?" Axel gasped excitedly with a grin.

"Y-yeah," Roxas said.

(He's bluffing. Roxas forgot? In that case… this isn't going to end well…) Aurora readied her shield, thinking back to what she knew about Axel.

"Great!" Axel said excitedly, while Roxas looked around for a means of escape. "But, you know, gotta make sure and all, so umm… What's our boss's name?" Axel asked.

Roxas didn't answer. Instead, he looked away. Axel looked down with a sigh.

"Ugh, can't believe this," he muttered. Aurora frowned and launched herself forward, using a thunder spell to take out the Dusk in front of her.

"That's enough!" she yelled. Roxas, who had bent down to pick up a stick, jumped slightly.

"Aurora!?" he gasped, looking at the girl who now stood next to him. Aurora glanced over, surprised by the expression he wore.

It was like he was seeing a ghost.

"You!" Axel gasped. Aurora turned back to him, her eyes narrowing.

"I don't know exactly what's been going on, but Roxas left the Organization for a reason. As his best friend, you should understand that," Aurora snarled. At one time, she had considered the man in front of her a friend.

But when she had tasted freedom for the first time in many, many months, he had betrayed her. He had snatched her back from the brink of escape and dropped her through a portal, back into her prison in The Castle That Never Was. Then, although she couldn't remember exactly how, Axel had betrayed Roxas.

Now, here he was again, ready to either destroy or kidnap his best friend. All because of Xemnas's orders. Axel frowned at her words. Roxas crouched closer to the ground, getting in his fighting stance. The stick he held changed in a flash of light, becoming a Keyblade.

Axel sighed, summoning his Chakarams and getting into his own stance.

"BLIZZARD!" Aurora yelled, pointing at Axel with her left hand. A chunk of ice flew towards the man.

…

Suddenly, Roxas was gone. The ice slammed into Axel, throwing him back and into the fence. Aurora looked around, confused.

"Roxas!?" she called. Axel picked himself up with a groan.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he demanded. Aurora turned back to him, getting ready again. "This is his creation, used to keep Roxas trapped. If he wants, he can freeze time for anyone."

"'He'?" Aurora asked.

"DiZ. He's gonna use Roxas for his own purpose," Axel growled. Aurora scowled at him.

"Doesn't sound too different from the Organization, then," she sniped. Axel flinched slightly.

"It's different. In the Organization, his Keyblade was needed to finish Kingdom Hearts so that we could become whole again. Here, DiZ is going to make him disappear," Axel explained. Aurora frowned at that, but remembered what Naminé told her.

"No. Roxas won't disappear. He'll become whole," she said softly, though sadness filled her voice. (Even if, to me, he already seems to be whole.) She took a deep breath, touching the pink ribbon around her neck.

"I was told I could trust you. And honestly, I really tried. But you… you betrayed me. I had been so close to freedom that one time…"

Axel's eyes widened.

"No, I wasn't the one who opened that Portal—"

"Save it!" Aurora snapped, entering her fighting stance. "I don't believe you! You've done nothing but betray your 'friends'! Well, not this time, not with Roxas. If you want to go find him, you'll have to go through me!" she yelled.

(I know you said I could trust him. I guess, wherever you come from, he's different,) she thought, gripping her shield.

Axel closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Fine," he said, getting into his own fighting stance. Aurora rushed forward, cloaking her shield with a Blizzard spell. Axel dodged as she attempted to bash him with it, spinning around her and attacking her from behind. Aurora cried out, before twisting around, blocking another Chakaram strike with her shield. The power behind the stroke caused her to stumble back, right into the fence. She dropped to the ground to dodge a horizontal strike.

"Blizzard!" she cried, pointing at his feet. Ice suddenly bloomed up from the ground, freezing his feet in place.

"Ah!" he cried at the cold. Aurora quickly moved, getting out of her cornered position, and attacking. Axel used his fire to melt the ice, before turning, striking with a quick combo. Aurora, not used to fighting such a fast, experienced adversary, stumbled back, trying to block the attack. Axel suddenly dove towards her, slamming both Chakarams into the shield she held up, using his superior height and strength. Aurora fell back with a cry of surprise, and smacked her head against the pavement. White lights popped in front of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Aurora," she heard Axel say, before hearing his footsteps run off.

"No!" Aurora muttered, pushing herself up. Dizziness rolled over her, and it was all she could do to keep from hurling.

After a few minutes, her head cleared enough for her to cast another spell.

"Cure," she muttered. Green light swam over her, and the insistent pounding in her head faded. She pushed herself up. (I gotta find Roxas before he does!) she thought, running through the streets of Twilight Town.

As she ran, thoughts swam through her head.

(DiZ created this Twilight Town to keep Roxas trapped, but I haven't seen him this whole week, which means I've been in the real one this whole time. Did Ansem kidnap Roxas when we were asleep? He sorta seems like DiZ's muscle, after all. But… why? Why do all of this? DiZ said for revenge, but what has Roxas and Sora ever done to him? None of this makes sense…)

Aurora skidded to a stop in Tram Commons, looking around, when she spotted a flash of silver from the woods.

"Of course!" she gasped, running that way. (The Mansion! That's DiZ's home base, after all!) she thought as she ran. She knew what she had seen was a Dusk. It only made sense for them to follow after their target: Roxas.

She was surprised to see the gate of the Mansion open, but didn't let that slow her down. She burst in through the door, quickly looking around, before heading towards the library and the basement beyond. She stumbled to a halt in the computer room, a small gasp escaping.

The monitors were all smashed, broken to bits and pieces. Electricity still sparked from them every now and again.

(Wh-what happened here?) she thought to herself.

Studying them and the surrounding area didn't yield any clues, however, so she decided to continue, going through the open door that lead further into the basement.

What she found, however, was a wall of flame. "Wh-what!?" she gasped, the heat searing her skin. She backed up slightly.

"R-Roxas!?" she yelled. There was no answer. Aurora tried both Water and Blizzard spells, but nothing worked on the flames, meaning they were magical – unnatural.

They were Axel's.

(No! I'm too late!) she thought in panic, remembering how confused Roxas had been earlier. Since he didn't remember anything, he probably didn't remember how to fight, either. "Damn it!" she cried.

Suddenly, the flames dimmed, then slowly died. In the middle of the ring they had created, stood Roxas, holding two Keyblades, and Axel, who looked weakened.

"R-Roxas?" Aurora asked. Roxas's eyes flickered over to her for a split second. They were sad, but no longer confused. He turned his attention back to the red head, who was breathing heavily, just barely staying on his feet, and stood up straight, de-summoning his Keyblades.

A heavy silence ruled the room for a few minutes, until Roxas finally spoke.

"Axel…" he said softly. His voice was full of emotions: friendship, sorrow… and regret. Axel looked up, smiling at the boy.

"Let's meet again in the next life," he said. Aurora's eyes widened at the implication of that.

"Yeah. I'll be waiting," Roxas said.

Darkness appeared around Axel, and he looked down. "Silly," he chuckled, before looking up again. "Just because you have a next life…" he said as he faded from sight. Roxas looked down at that, guilt marring his features. Aurora hesitated, before slowly walking forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Roxas?"

"Aurora. I'm okay," he said softly. "I'm… sorry for leaving you, too," he added. Aurora shook her head. (I don't know how, but I guess he got his memories back…)

"It's not your fault," she said with a smile, giving his shoulder a squeeze. Roxas smiled slightly at her.

"I guess. What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked.

"I came to find you. I tried to reach you before Axel did, but…" she trailed off. Roxas shook his head.

"It's alright," he said, before turning towards the door that lead forward. He took a deep breath and started towards it.

"I'm coming with you," Aurora said. Roxas turned back, looking at her, before he smiled slightly with a nod.

"Alright."

The two continued through the door. The corridor they entered was light, with sleeping pods lining the walls. Roxas slowed to a halt next to two of them, studying the occupants.

"…Donald?" he said softly in surprise. Aurora looked up, surprised to see what looked like a humanoid duck in a blue hat and shirt. Roxas's attention switched to the second pod. "Goofy? Aurora looked at that one, studying the humanoid dog in the yellow hat and green shirt with a black vest.

"Who?" Aurora asked. Roxas hesitated before looking over at Aurora.

"Sora's friends. I've… been having dreams about them," he admitted.

"Oh."

Both were quiet for a moment, before turning towards the door at the end of the hall.

The room beyond was even lighter than the hall. At the center was a larger sleeping pod. And in front of that was DiZ. Roxas stalked forward with a frown, Aurora at his side.

"At last, the Keyblade's chosen one," DiZ said. Roxas scowled.

"Who are you talking to?" he demanded, stopping a few feet from the man. "Me? Or Sora?"

"To half of Sora, of course," DiZ replied. Aurora frowned at that.

(That's no answer!) she thought.

"You reside in darkness. What I need is someone that can move about the realm of light and destroy Organization XIII."

"That's who your revenge is against?" Aurora demanded. Roxas glanced at her, before looking back at DiZ.

"Silence girl. This is not your conversation," DiZ said, without even sparing Aurora a glance. Her teeth ground together at the complete dismissal of that.

"Revenge?" Roxas asked, before looking back at DiZ. "Why? Who are you?"

"I am a servant of the world," DiZ said, before laughing. "And, if I'm a servant, then you should consider yourself a tool, at best."

"Was that…" Roxas began, before growling. "Was that supposed to be a joke?" he demanded, his voice getting louder and harsher with each word. "Cause I'm not laughing!" he yelled, summoning his Keyblade and rushing forward.

"Roxas!" Aurora yelled, reaching out for him, but just missing him by inches. Roxas attempted to slash the man in red with a grunt, but the blade went right through his, a display of digital numbers appearing where the Keyblade struck, before forming back into the image of the man in red. Roxas, who had stopped behind the man, turned, his eyes widening in surprise.

"My apologies," DiZ said, and anger took over Roxas's expression once more. "This is only a data-based projection."

Roxas screamed in furry before whirling around to face the man again, slashing again and again at the man. Digital number and symbols appeared after each slash, only to reform into DiZ. Aurora's eyes widened, and she took a few steps forward, not knowing how to help him.

This Roxas was a lot different from the one who had bought her food each day while she was trapped. Different from the kind, naïve boy who told her stories of his adventures with his friends. Even different from the one who had freed her from the Organization as he defecated, with no idea of where to go. It was like, in the week they had been separated, something in Roxas had… snapped.

And it was the fault of the man in red, DiZ, who simply used Roxas as a tool of revenge. It scared Aurora to see Roxas like this.

"Roxas!" she called, but the boy didn't stop until his rage-induced fuel ran out, and he stood, panting, as the projection of DiZ faded from sight.

DiZ appeared again behind the boy.

"Come, over here," he said. Roxas stood up straight and turned to face him, anger turning his sapphire blue eyes to ice. Aurora moved forward, standing next to Roxas.

"I hate you so much…" Roxas growled, glaring at the man.

"You should share some of that hatred with Sora," DiZ said, unfazed. "He's far too nice for his own good."

"No!" Roxas yelled. "My heart belongs to me!" He put a hand on his chest for a moment, before readying the Keyblade and rushing forward again.

"Roxas, it won't work!" Aurora called after him. DiZ vanished before the Keyblade could connect. Suddenly, the sleeping pod opened slightly, almost like a flower blooming. Roxas looked up at it, shuffling back slightly.

"Sora…" he said. Aurora's head snapped up to look at the brunette in the pod, asleep. It was obvious he'd been there a while. Clothes, that looked like they were supposed to be baggy, were now too tight, and short, on him.

Roxas stood up straight, looking up at the boy, before walking forward slightly. "You're lucky, he told him, before giving a sad smile. "Looks like my summer vacation is… over."

"Roxas?" Aurora asked, stepping forward. Just before she reached him, Roxas began to glow blue. He turned and gave Aurora a sad smile, before closing his eyes, vanishing.

"Roxas!? No!" she cried, running to where he'd been moments before. But no one was there. She dropped to her knees, her eyes welling with tears.

(Why!? I thought he wasn't going to disappear!) she thought. (Did Naminé lie to me? Or did she not know?)

"This is for the better," a voice said from behind. Without having to turn, she knew it was DiZ. "Nobodies were never meant to exist."

"You're wrong," Aurora said quietly, slowly pushing herself up. "If Nobodies weren't meant to exist, then they wouldn't. But Roxas… Naminé… my brother…? They all do." She turned to face the man in red. "They all exist, and they all have hearts!" she yelled.

"Foolish girl. The only way to become a Nobody is to lose your heart in the first place. How could one who's lost their heart have one?" DiZ said.

"I don't know," Aurora admitted. "But I sense the balance of light and dark in people's hearts, and I could sense them, so there must have been something there! And you…" her voice dropped slightly, becoming darker. "You are too twisted to see just how wrong what you just did was. You ordered the elimination of an innocent girl, and talked an innocent boy into giving up his own identity, his own individualism. All for what, revenge?" She shook her head. "What a twisted goal."

"Hmph. I will not be lectured by a teenager who does not know the bigger picture," DiZ said. "You all have your roles to play. Naminé and Roxas have played theirs, and Riku and Sora will too. Even you, Aurora."

Aurora jumped slightly at his knowing her name.

"But, for now, it's time to send you back to where you belong." DiZ held up his hand, and a portal appeared under Aurora. She dropped through, surprised, and landed in the grass of the woods.

"No!" she yelled, frustrated. She pushed herself up, looking around quickly. But the portal was gone.

"Aurora! There you are!" Olette called. Aurora turned to see the girl running over to her. She stopped when seeing the tears on Aurora's face.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…" Aurora said, quickly wiping them away. Olette hesitated before nodding, looking down. Aurora noticed that she herself seemed kind of bummed.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Olette said. "It's just… I don't know why. None of us do. But today just seems… very sad. Do you feel it?" Olette asked. Aurora's eyes widened for a moment, before she nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," she said, before walking back to the Usual Spot with Olette.

End of Part One

…

A/N: And there we go! I'm sorry if I made any of you cry! (not really, but still).