Author's Note: So I just got Birth By Sleep and have started with Terra's story. The scene between him and Zack is really cute and I'm surprised there aren't more stories out there about them. So, I figured, what the hell, I'll write the story I want to read. Starring Zack and Terra. As well as Hades. So I'm not sure how long or smutty this will be since I basically am just pantsing this aka writing with only a vague idea of the plot. But if any one out there is reading this, please enjoy and leave a review if you wish!

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Mark of a Hero

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I couldn't believe I had let myself become controlled by the darkness. Me, Zack Fair, Solider in training. But even a Solider couldn't put up much of a match against the Lord of Darkness after all. I hated his bladed smile and the way he he knew just how to pull the right strings that turned me into a puppet. The guy gave me the creeps, even more so then this damned hellhole I now called home.

A long shiver shook my spine as I glanced around the Underworld caves. I could hear the sound of running water and the shrill screams of lost souls. It was starting to become routine though, and it was sad to say it didn't have the same effect on me it had a few weeks ago.

It was lonely down here with nothing but a plate of meat kabobs in front of me and that pretty, albeit snarky brunette that walked around this pale like she owned it. Believe me, she was no ally. She was Hades' second-in-command. I was just his prisoner.

If it hadn't been for my cockyness and my desire to be strong, to be a Solider, maybe I wouldn't have let myself be tricked into making a deal with the devil. Now I fought in the Olympus Games under Hades' control. He'd beckon the darkness within me with his bony finger and I'd fight with the unwanted aid of the darkness. With the darkness, I was strong, I was unbelievable fast, and yet it wasn't the strength I had wanted. I was the exact opposite of what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a hero. Like that Hercules guy Hades hated so much and made me fight. He was the hero, and I was the villain.

"Hey Zacky-boy! I got a little buddy for you,"

I looked up when I heard Hades' voice and if my ears didn't fool me, I could hear someone else along him. I could hear the sounds of shackles and a man grunting, and my interest immediately peaked.

Had Hades acquired another man from Solider? Was it someone I knew? Maybe it was that Hercules guy.

Either way, I knew whatever fate Hades had in store for this guy, it wasn't going to be good.

Hades turned the corner, and when he moved out of the way, I had my first glance of the one who would be my new prison mate. I guess Hades had a penchant for brunettes because here came another. This time, he was more of the tall, dark, and handsome type. His eyes were cast at the floor so I couldn't really see his face, but he had a build on him that I only wished I had. Muscles on top of muscles, and the reason I could tell was because the guy was shirtless. I winced when I saw the black burn on his chest. Ow, now that looked like it hurt.

"Zack, Terra. Terra, this is Zack," Hades said as he gestured towards me with that cruel smile he always seemed to be wearing. For the Lord of the Underworld, he sure smiled a lot, even if it was a demented kind of smile.

Terra glanced up at me, eyes set in a glare that I didn't really feel like I deserved. Icy. Just like his eyes, which were blue. So, brunettes with blue eyes was Hades' thing huh?

"Nice, Hades, very nice. How do you expect to feed two mouths when you can barely feed me," I said as I crossed my arms and sat back against my wall. Yeah, my wall. I claimed it as mine since I sat against it whenever I wasn't training.

"You're lucky I feed you at all punk," Hades said as he pushed Terra towards the wall. Terra turned to give him a nasty look, and I could only assume this guy put up a fight. He sure didn't look ready to break. Not even close.

"Get off me!" Terra said as he elbowd Hades off of him, and Hades, always calm under pressure, laughed.

"Hey, hey, hey, is that way to talk to your new boss? I don't think so. Anyways, Terra, hopefully you can teach this little schmope down here a thing or two about fighting."

"If I'm such a schmope, why am I still locked up down here?" I asked with a roll of my eyes and a cross of my arms over my chest.

"Details. Who needs em?" Hades said, distracted as he tugged Terra towards the wall opposite of me and manifested a couple shackles out of smoggy darkness. "Now, listen, this guy is the real deal," he turned towards me, "you know? The hero type. 'Cept that this guy's got enough darkness in him to cloud all of Olympus(!)."

"Shut up!"

Terra swung a fist at Hades, and Hades immediately grabbed his wrist with a tentacle-shaped darkness. I felt bad for the guy. I had at least known better not to fight Hades like that.

"Down boy," Hades said, and the fire on his head began to flicker from blue to red. "You don't want to test me, trust me," he said, and I could see him glance down at the mark on Terra's chest.

Terra challenged him with a heated glare almost as hot as the flickering fire, and I flinched. Maybe Hades was right, maybe this guy really did have darkness in his heart.

"Don't make me laugh, Terra." Hades said, waving his hand dismissively and rolling his eyes.

"Want some? Then take these shackles off me. You know you can't beat me. That's why you have me locked up, isn't it?"

And with that Hades pushed Terra down into a kneeling position, fire cascading down his arms in fury before he locked up Terra's ankle and both wrists. There was no way Terra was going to be able to move like that, and surely Hades had burnt him in the process, but all I knew was the brunette was quiet.

"Now pay attention," Hades said as he cooled down, hair turning from red to blue, and turned towards me. "You two are my servants now. Think of me as a mentor of sorts. I'm here to coax that darkness from your heart so let it in. You," Hades said as he turned to me, "are a lousy solider and hopefully with Terra over here, you can learn to be of some sort of use for me. Nighty night guys. See you bright and early in the morning!"

With that, he disappeared leaving that foul smoke that smelled like brinstone and fogged up the room. I was used to it, but I heard Terra begin to cough.

Once the smog finally cleared, I stared over across the room to see Terra glaring at me from across the room.

"Hey, I'm in the same position as you," I tried, knowing there was no reason for him to trust me, but for some reason, hoping he could. Maybe I was a bit excited at the prospect of having a friend down here, or at least someone to keep me company. It got pretty lonely, even with Meg walking around. But she was Hades' second-in-command pretty much, and I didn't trust her.

He didn't stop glaring at me, didn't even let up a little. Maybe a peace offering would do the trick?

I slid the plate of meat over to him as far as I could without knocking the thing over, and tried to attempt a smile. "Hungry? I'm not going to finish."

"No," Terra said sternly as he turned his nose up at the meat. "I need to get out of here. My friends are probably looking for me," he said as he looked up at his wrists and he started to try and wiggle his arms out of the shackles. I knew from experience that wouldn't work. Tried it. Thankfully the bandage wrap I had arond my wrists covered the cuts and scabs I had gotten from trying to work my arm out of the shackle.

"If they find out I got talked into being the prisoner of the God of the Underworld," he muttered under his breath, but I still caught it.

He continued to struggle, and I watched with sympathy. Being in that position was horrible, but I wasn't sure mine was any better.

"Hey, if you say you're friends are looking for you, I suggest you lay low until they find you," I said, in an attempt to try and help.

"Laying low's not my style," he said, continuing to struggle until he gave up with a loud yell. "Dammit!"

"Listen, you need to relax." I told him with frown. "Even if you somehow get out of those chains, Hades has got his little minions running around every corner. And have you seen his pet? A three-headed behemoth-sized dog. He named his Cerberus, cute right?" I said, attempting a joke with a smile, but this guy didn't look to be in the mood.

"I just need my Keyblade."

"A what blade?" I repeated with a puzzled look. I had never heard of that before.

"Yeah, then I can unlck this stupid shackles," he said with a sigh. "How long have you been here?" He asked, his first attempt at trying to engage a conversation with me.

"Two, three weeks maybe," I answered, realizing that the past few weeks since I've been here had been blurred. I couldn't really keep track of the days when I lived in the dark down here.

"I'm sorry," he began, his expression softening a bit. "I shouldn't have any contempt for you. You're in the same position as I am."

"Trust me, I'm a good guy."

"I am...or at least I'm supposed to be." His head lowered as he relaxed a bit against his shackles, though Hades had cuffed his arms quite high above his head. It couldn't be comfortable. Hades knew I wasn't trying to escape any longer and so only my arms were chained behind my back, not my ankles.

"Hey, don't worry. Hades can be pretty sneaky."

"Or maybe I just let the darkness cloud my judgement," he said to himself.

"I've heard from a friend of mine that he can twist your mind. He can make you think darkness is the only way." An old friend of mine. One I hadn't seen in years now. I still thought about him, still wondered where he was.

He didn't say anything for a while, and I considered that my cue to let him be. I knew how he felt. Weak and powerless. That's exactly how I felt anyway. Even before Hades had captured me...

"Listen, Zack, let's make a deal," he began with a determined look on his face. A deal huh? Sounded like what Hades had said to me, and look where I was now. But even though I ddidn't know Terra, I knew he wasn't anything like Hades, and nodded my head.

"You help me get my Keyblade, and I promise I'll get the both of us out of here. That is, unless you back stab me or something," he said with a smirk.

"Back-stabbing's not my style." I said, offering him a smirk of my own.

"Alright. Deal?"

"Yeah, deal."

...

Author's Note: There we go. First chapter is smart, sweet, and to the point, but I'm not expecting this story to be very long or have very long chapters. Just a short, fun, guilty pleasure type of story. Well I hope someone out there enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Not sure when I'm going to update next but hopefully in the next two weeks.