Crystal: Hello, one and all! I have the newest chapter up for you guys!
Anna: That was quick...
Nihil: She's got her drive back.
Grace: Don't forget a few more characters.
Girl with Pink Hair and Green Eyes: Most of them will be important.
Anna: O.O who are you and what are you doing here?!
Crystal: Oh, this is Polka. My right hand girl for a while.
Anna:... she's the one who you were working on?
Crystal: Well, Polka is for something outside but she decided to drop by.
Polka: It's nice to meet all of you.
Crystal: anyway, to the disclaimers!
Disclaimers: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If you prefer the original KH stories I did, go to my account. And please no flames...
Crystal: Actually, I need to address the no flames thing. -.- Just because I say no flames, doesn't mean you can shout at me on PM about your views about my taste in disney princesses or taste in food. People are can have their own opinions but forcing it onto others isn't being nice, it is being rude.
Polka: Um... yeah, Crystal was pretty angry by this PM. Whoever did the PM, this is no disrespect, but you weren't nice to our admin. And she's pretty angry.
Crystal: Anyway, just get to the chapter before I have the urge to jump a shark or something. -.-
Chapter 4: Zero to Half-Hero?
Two and a half weeks.
That's how long it took for us to get back on our travels. Turns out we were injured more than we had expected after fighting the Trickmaster. We went back to Traverse Town and got healed up, but we weren't allowed until Aerith felt we were ready to set out again. So for the few days, we were bedridden and sore all over. Even Sora and Goofy, who were probably the fittest among our little gang, were whining in pain a bit. This did give me some time to talk to Artemis but only when he visited. He didn't talk about the keyblade I saw him have before we left. In fact, he kept changing the subject every time I mentioned it. I wonder why though.
Still, we went back on our way with extra food and fuel to keep us from having to go back to Traverse Town again. Both Donald and Sora were going nuts since their minds were thinking only of the people they were searching for. Not that I blame them, with the Heartless around it's pretty much danger everywhere… well, except the Deep Jungle but that peace won't last long. I'm still worried about finding my friends and family. I won't forget how when Eddie's call suddenly ended with a scream. I wonder who screamed though. Sounded like his mother but… that's still not comforting. All I can do is hope they're okay until I find them. Even if everyone was destroyed along with the world… will they return when it's restored?
This is real life now, how can one just return from the dead, unless they're just locked in some dark coma. The whole idea of the Kingdom Hearts games being real makes me wonder if anything will happen the way it should be. I wish I had the answers I need right now, so I wouldn't have to stress myself this much. Sadly, I don't. I'm just as lost as Sora right now if not more so. Knowing the game and what will happen only raises questions about how grounded in reality everything is.
So when we arrive in the Olympus Coliseum, it felt a bit normal. The chaos of Wonderland behind us and replaced with Greek buildings and sane people. Walking through the town with Sora and the others, I felt a bit like a tourist. I wanted to see everything! But looking around, we heard the announcement about the games that were going to take place in a week.
"Huh? What are the games?" Sora asked as everyone looked to me. Since I told them my secret, they've kind of been looking to me for almost everything… which I'll admit is pretty cool. My greatest weapon is my fangirl powers.
"Well, the games are actually a tournament for heroes." I say, smiling and waving a knowing finger. "Heroes from all over the world come here to fight and prove their worth. Only the best of the best can fight in those games." I think about how Aqua and Terra during Birth by Sleep got a chance to play in the games… I wonder if those counted as actual games since Hercules wasn't considered a hero back then. Sora's mind however was in an entirely different place.
"Really?! The strongest fighters?!" Sora shouted, his eyes shining like Christmas lights. "Then we should sign up! After all, we've been battling the Heartless, and we won two major battles!"
"Um… I don't think..." But Sora already ran off, Donald following with the same amount of energy as Sora and Goofy followed. I sighed, walking after them. "You'd think they'd understand heroes by now." All through our walk through the Greek town, we've been hearing nothing but stories of heroes and their great deeds. I think beating a bunch of Heartless to them isn't considered being heroes.
I manage to catch up with Sora and the others at the Coliseum and by the looks of it, Sora was struggling to move a pedestal that was bigger than the four of us combined. Donald and Goofy looked like they wanted to help, but Sora kept gritting his teeth and saying he could do it on his own. The faun, Phil, was too busy writing something in chalk to notice that Sora wasn't Hercules but hey, his own fault. It wasn't until Sora slipped and fell on his face when he finally gave up.
"It's way too heavy!" Sora shouted, struggling to stand up from his fall.
"What?! Too heavy?! Since when were you such a little…" Phil turned and finally noticed us. "Oh, wrong guy." What're you doing here?" Phil jumped from his spot to face up against Sora and Donald. "This 'ere is the world famous Coliseum. Heroes only. And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pipsqueaks."
"If I'm not mistaken, aren't we taller than you?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Oh, we got one with a bit of backbone." Phil said, and I shrugged.
"No, it's called common sense." I said and looked at the pedestal. "Besides, that thing is way to heavy for a normal person to move alone." This made Phil laugh, and he went over to the pedestal now.
"Look, it's like this. Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum."
"You got heroes standing right in front of you!" Donald said, annoyed at Phil's statement.
"Yup. He's a real hero chosen by the keyblade." Goofy added, his hands on Sora's shoulders. I feel ready to smack Donald and Goofy right now. Just because a legendary weapon chooses you to wield it, doesn't make you a hero like that. You have to earn that right! Sora doesn't seem to think that since he looked pretty proud of himself. I think the last few victories got to his head.
"And we're heroes too!" Donald added. Okay, maybe it's not just Sora who's got the big head. Don't they remember we nearly died in our last battle?!
"Hero? That runt?!" Phil burst out laughing, holding his sides as he looked at me. "Let me guess, you're his cheering squad!"
"Excuse me?" I say, offended by this. "I can fight too; I just don't say anything about it." That and I know I'm still not that strong.
"We've fought a bunch of monsters!" Sora added, looking furious. Phil managed to stop laughing to look at us carefully.
"Hey, if you can't even move this…" Phil said trying to move the pedestal, but it wouldn't budge, "You can't call yourself… a hero." The faun continued to struggle, but it didn't move.
"Yeah…. So since you didn't move it, doesn't that make you a bad trainer for heroes?" I ask. That got Phil's beard to curl in anger, his face turning red as flames.
"Anyway, I'm busy! So run along pipsqueaks!" Phil said and before we can say 'Oh for the love of Zeus,' we were thrown out of the building.
The moment we got out of earshot of the Coliseum and went to an empty temple, Sora and Donald let it all loose.
"What's that old goat's deal?! Treating me like a kid?!"
"He had heroes right in front of him! We fight Heartless all the time and protect the people!"
"Yeah, you tell them, Donald!" I sighed and sat on the stairs, listening to the guys vent. I noticed the temple surroundings carefully and found it interested that we were in a temple of Apollo. The sun entered through a hole in the ceiling and made the patterns on the floor stand out. The smell of oils filled the air, and it didn't seem that bad at all. Though the shouting from the guys was annoying. It took maybe a minute for me to notice some else was with us, and I turned to see Hades standing close to Sora!
"Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy. Wait let me guess. You want to enter the games, right?" Hades says, his hands on Sora's shoulders and turning him to look at him almost nose to nose. "You have that hero look in your eyes."
"Hold it! Foul! Red card! Back off!" I shout, taking out my rapier. "Inappropriate touch and look! Back away from the kid!"
"Hey!" Hades just laughed and looked at me with an amused look.
"No need to get snappy, I just came to give you this." Hades said and handed me a pass for the games.
"A pass? What's the deal?" I ask, but Hades gave one of his annoying lawyer smirks.
"It's all yours, kid. I'm looking forward to a great show. You're expected, after all." He says and walks off into the shadows. The way he said that… was it directed at me alone? No way, Sora's the one with the keyblade. He's the one the villains want to get rid of… but why say he was looking forward to a good show?
"Yes! We got a pass!" Sora shouted, dragging me by my free arm towards the Coliseum. "Come on, let's show it to the old goat!"
"His name is Phil…" I say, but Sora wasn't listening. He was determined to fight in the games. When we got to the Coliseum again, Phil was examining the pass I had given him.
"How did you get a hold of this pass?"
"So, can we enter the games or what?" Sora asked, rubbing his neck. I don't think any of us wanted to say we picked it up from some random stranger with flaming blue hair. Phil frowned, looking at us over the pass.
"All right, you can… but you guys gotta lot of training to do! We only got a week before the games, so we're starting right now!"
"Wait what?!"
And that's how we got stuck in the Olympus Coliseum for a whole week. Training, eating, fighting, more training, you name it. We were so busy and sore that we didn't have much time for anything else. I think we're also starting to get addicted to potions since we needed a quick painkiller if we ever wanted to rest. We've also been sleeping in the coliseum but eating the food from the Gummi ship; Phil didn't exactly feed us since we said we had our own food. Thank you, Sora for that. So we're going to have to go back to Traverse Town again unless we want to starve. We could shop here, but I'm not letting Sora anywhere near the wine.
"You're no heroes yet, but you ain't doing bad!" Phil cheered the last day before the games. "Lucky you came to me for coaching?"
"How long have we been training today?" Goofy asked, not getting up from the ground.
"Five hours and ten minutes." Donald answered, waving himself with his hat.
"Apollo, please turn off the sun. It really hurts now. Oh wait, is it Helios and not Apollo…. I don't care anymore." I whine turning away, so I didn't have to look at the bright sun, most likely giving me sun burns as I lay on the ground.
"Let's see the results of your training." Phil said, going to Sora to see if he built any muscle… which none had really formed. "Ah well, that doesn't matter. "But just being strong doesn't make you a hero. It's in the heart." Phil jabbed at Sora's chest, and I sat up to look at him. "In order to become a hero, your heart must be strong, as well." Well, Sora's already got that down.
"What makes a strong heart? If you have to ask, you're not a hero yet." We looked to see Hercules had finally arrived though he looked like he had been busy cleaning.
"Hercules!"
"Hey Phil, I'm done cleaning the Coliseum toilets." Hercules said, and I wondered, how bad were the toilets here if it took a week to clean them.
"Let me introduce you to the man who's the most popular hero around! Hercules!" Phil said but then realized what his champion had just said. "Wait! You were cleaning toilets?!"
"Yeah, that's what you asked me to do."
"For a whole week?!"
"You didn't have them cleaned in a while."
"Okay, that was a disgusting thought." I say, shuddering. "I'm Anna; these are my friends Sora, Donald, and Goofy." I say, gesturing to Sora and the others. Sora, however, was too busy trying to make a muscle on his skinny arms, but to no luck.
"I also checked over the entry list. There seems to be a large number of strange first timers. I wonder where they got their tickets. Also, there will be a lot of female members in the audience since Apollo is playing." Hercules said, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Apollo? As in the God?"
"No." Hercules said, shaking his head. "He's this new musician in the town but apparently he plays so well that everyone seems to love his music. I don't know how he got permission to preform at the games opening."
"Well, I didn't approve of it. Maybe someone else did."
"Probably." Hercules said, and turned to us. "Anyway, you guys should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day."
"Okay, we will." Sora said as Donald and Goofy felt to the ground.
The rest of the day was devoted to sleeping, and eating mostly on Donald and Goofy's part. Sora still wanted to train, but Hercules and I both said no. I wonder why Sora's so into the fact of trying to become a hero? Well, waking up that night from a nightmare gave me a chance to talk about it. I was having a nightmare about my world being destroyed, happens at least once a week now when I noticed Sora sitting on the steps outside and looking up at the stars.
"You okay?" I ask, walking over to him, and he just nods.
"Just thinking about how many worlds there really are. Is every star out there another world?" Sora asked, and I nodded.
"From what I can remember, yes. Every star is another world and the light we see is the light of the heart of those worlds." I say, looking up at the sky. Even with all the stars, it seems so empty. I see a star go out, and I wonder what world was lost to the Heartless now.
"Hard to believe there's so many… Riku was right about my world being a piece of something much greater." Sora said a slightly lost look in his eyes.
"Hey, Sora? Why are you so serious about being a hero?" I asked as Sora closed his eyes.
"It's something Riku and I wanted to be. We used to pretend we were heroes when we were little. My friend, Kairi, she always would be the princess, but we loved the idea of being heroes." Sora smiled as if lost in a pleasant dream. "I guess I just want to do something in memory of my friends. That way, when I see Riku again, I can show him how strong I've gotten. I'm sure he's out there, fighting just as hard as I am."
Oh the irony of Kairi playing the princess. Still, it's nice to see Sora thinking about his friends so much. I can understand now why Sora was so serious. Compared to Riku, I guess Sora felt second rate. He just wanted to be a true hero for a change, and I can respect that. Still, I can't bring myself to tell Sora where Riku really is. Riku isn't really fighting. Compared to the way Sora is acting now, Riku is taking the easy way, and that's not good. You have to earn things, and Sora is proving that right now.
"I'm sure they'd be proud of you if they can see you now." I say and nudge Sora with my elbow. "Especially your Princess Kairi."
"Wha?!" Sora blushed as I laughed.
"Come on, it's written all over your face! The way you looked when you thought I was Kairi, and the way you talked about her now, you got a thing for her." I teased, and Sora just looked down.
"I…. I haven't really thought about it." I smiled and stood up.
"You know, you better think about it. Because if you don't maybe Riku will steal her."
"What?! Come on! You're just as bad as Riku!" Sora whined but after a minute, he joined in the laughter as well. I keep saying how good Sora is, but I think this is the first time we've really bonded… and I can really say he's my friend.
'I just hope Kairi doesn't get jealous.' I think as I walk back into the Coliseum. 'Sora is adorable, but I think I'd like Riku more.' I'll be the first to admit I have a crush on Riku. His whole issue with darkness is kind of a draw in, and he does look really handsome. I stop myself and quickly slap my cheeks. 'No, no, no. No thinking like that. He will be the enemy soon. You will have to fight him one day so no thinking about the crush!'
The next day, the entire stands were packed with people to see the games. A few girls were even whispering about the guy Apollo, who will be playing for the opening performance of the games. I seriously wonder why people aren't wondering about this. Apollo is a god after all and wouldn't it be weird to have a name like Apollo and plays so well? That usually ends in tragedy in Greek stories. I think that was with Arachne and Athena is a good example of trying to match skills with a God. But as long as we're not killed for watching this guy play, I'm not complaining.
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I sat in the back as the performance began, but my heart suddenly sank. The person who walked on the stage wore a silk black toga exposing his chest a bit much to the delight of the women in the crowd, but it was his face. The yellow eyes and dark raven black hair. It was the same guy from earlier, the one from my world, and Wonderland! In his hand was a pipe of sorts and when he started playing everyone went silent. I covered my ears, just incase something happened, and I think something did. I noticed Sora's eyes went glassy, and a few members of the crowd seemed to get this look as well. I pulled out my phone, trying not to focus on the music and put my headphones on to listen to the loudest music I possibly could.
After covering Sora's ears with my hands, he seemed to snap out of it and looked around as if he was shocked. He mouthed something, but I couldn't hear him. The music this guy used was dangerous; he was dangerous! At least I know his name but I had to ask him something. The moment the music ended, Apollo was given a round of applause from the people who weren't affected by the music. He left the field, but I ran after him. He was instantly surrounded by at least six women and I felt my heart sink deeper as I look into their eyes. All the women had a glassy eyed look about them like the music hadn't stopped for them. Their ages also varied from fifteen to mid-twenties. Still, I had to be noticed.
"Hey! Apollo!" I shouted, glaring at him though my hands were shaking. He turned to me and gave me a cat-like smile.
"Ah, I thought I'd be seeing you again." He said, but there was an underline of malice in his voice. "What is it I can help you with?"
"You're the one who kidnapped Alice with your freaky music magic, didn't you?" I ask, but I knew it was him. It had to be. Apollo just looked playfully puzzled.
"Alice? I don't believe I know who you're talking about. I never got her name."
"Cut the act! You kidnapped her, and now you're using your magic on these girls!" I shout, but Apollo laughs.
"What? These girls came to me willingly. Didn't you?" He asked, and all the girls nodded. They all smiled dreamily at Apollo, and I wanted to smack that smirk off his face. He detached himself from the arms of one girl and walked over to me. I noticed the look in his eyes. He must be older than he appears to be or at least cleverer than anyone I've ever met. He leans in and whispers into my ear. "By the way, the princess is perfectly safe in sleep. No need to get angry, Anna."
I freeze as Apollo moves away, and I smile I really didn't like forms across his lips. He turned to the girls and left with them. I wanted to stop him, to make sure the girls were safe… but my feet weren't working. I was too shocked to move. How did he know my name? What was he planning? I am so lost! Moreover, I was scared. This guy was something I knew nothing about and had powers I had never seen before. He was an unknown piece in this game… just like I was. How many more pieces are there?
"Anna? You okay?" I turned to see Sora and the others coming over to me with concerned looks on their faces. "You ran off so suddenly. Our match is about to start."
"Oh right, sorry." I say, but I think my voice was weak since the others still looked worried. "I'm okay, really."
"Well, if you're sure…"
"Come on, let's go win this game." I say tugging on Sora's hand, and we ran off towards the arena. The battles were pretty harsh on us, but the training did pay off. We were able to hold our own well and for the first time, I felt confident in using my rapier. The thing I noticed though was that Hercules was right, there were no human heroes within the games. They were all Heartless mobs. Come to think of it, has this world seen Heartless before now? I know they experienced Unversed so… what about the Heartless. During the break before we had to go to our final match, Sora and the others discussed this with me.
"Why are the Heartless in the games? I don't get it." Sora asked, sipping on some water as I looked through our potion supplies. We're running low.
"Well, the Heartless are probably after something. But I kind of don't get what they're really after." Which is true, the keyhole is in the hall of the Coliseum, not in the arena. Unless Hades sent the Heartless in to kill us, but if that's the case, why employ Cloud to fight us?
"Hey, kids, whatcha talking about?" Phil asked, coming over with some more drinks for us.
"Nothing." We say quickly and thankfully Phil didn't complain.
"Anyway, you're in the finals. You got a big opponent coming up, Cloud Strife." Phil said as I took a…whatever those containers of water with straws and looked like they were made of plastic that existed in Disney's ancient Greece had. "This guys isn't going to be a walk in the park; he's beaten all the competition alone. You guys may have numbers, but he's got muscle."
"I think we got this, we got potions, after all." Sora said, looking at me, and I nodded.
"We got a bit left to finish up this last round but we have to be careful."
"We also got my magic." Donald said, and I sighed. I think Donald may be the first to get knocked out.
Sure enough, the first minute of the match, Donald was on the ground and unable to get up. Poor Sora, it seemed like he was the one Cloud was aiming for. Goofy and I managed to keep up a good fight as I keep throwing potions to Sora and Donald to make sure they didn't pass out. I'm honestly scared about what will happen after this battle, and if any of us are knocked out, they'll be doggy food. I'm not sure why, but he avoided trying to attack me. Was it because my outfit looks like something Tifa wore, and I reminded him of her? Maybe he was told not to hurt me by some higher force…. But that did give me a chance to strike the final blow to send Cloud down. My first kind of real win.
"I think our battle is over…" I say to Cloud, who was kneeling on one knee. I looked up just in time and tried to yell Cloud to run when a giant paw squashed him to the ground. Okay, Disney's Cerberus looks kind of adorable in the movie. Big but cute. Having it growl down at you with a look that says 'I will eat you slowly and painfully,' all cuteness is gone. Worst part, I'm the closest person to Cerberus. 'This is it! Death by being eaten by a giant three-headed mythological dog!' I think, flinching as it opened its mouth to eat me. Why did I have to freeze when I'm scared like this!? What happened to fight or flight!
But I didn't feel any pain, I didn't even feel wet, I was saved! You know when you're in shock, and how the world seems to go in a kind of slow motion? Well, I felt like that. I was on the ground, Hercules holding Cerberus back as he shouts for us to get out of there. Sora had to drag my shocked body out of the arena and to the main hall of the Coliseum.
"You okay?" Sora asked, gasping as I nodded.
"Yeah, the shock has worn off." I say, but my hands were still shaking. I saw my life flash before my eyes! I thought I was going to die!
"You're lucky Herc came in." Phil said, gasping and clutching his chest. "That was Cerberus, guardian of the Underworld. How he got into the arena, I'll have no idea."
"Unless he was sent." I say plopping onto the ground, and I felt like I didn't want to get up. "Think about it, it can't be a coincidence." Phil nodded, frowning.
"Well, I'm sure Herc can handle…" Phil began, but we all jumped at the sound of a loud dog barking and crashing outside in the arena. "Herc!" Phil panicked, looking ready to pull out his ears and beard.
"You sure he's gonna be okay?" Donald asked; Phil with a raised eyebrow but the faun was too busy freaking out to notice.
"We gotta go help him." Sora said, looking very determined.
"Are you nuts?! This ain't some match; this is real!" Phil shouted, but Sora still looked serious.
"Someone's gotta help Hercules. He can't possible beat Cerberus by himself." Sora says but then grins. "You can decide if we're hero material or not after this."
"Hold on! I'm coming with you!" I say, chugging down a potion for a quick heal. "Someone's gotta save you from this suicide mission."
"We're coming to!" Sora smiled at Donald, Goofy, and me before turning to the doorway to the arena.
"Okay then…. Come on! Let's save Herc!"
"Wait, we're going right now?! We haven't even healed yet!"
"Charge!" I stared at the guys, feeling my stomach sink.
"I'm surrounded by reckless idiots! At least I drank a potion before this!" I shouted, running after them.
I seriously wonder how Hercules was able to get Cerberus at the end of his rope. It was mentioned in the game as well as in the manga that Hercules actually was ready to finish off the three-headed giant dog. But how was he able to do that while having Cloud, unconscious, over his shoulder. I mean, the guy has god-like strengths but still. 'And we're out of potions too…' I think running into the arena. 'Goodbye life.'
"Hercules! We'll hold off Cerberus!" Sora shouted as we got into position. Hercules hesitated for a second but nodded and ran out of the arena. Phil followed after Herc but turned around to shout one last thing.
"Kids, I got two words of advice for you. Attack!"
"That's one word!" Goofy shouted as Cerberus charged at us.
I'm not sure if Sora has a death wish, but he was the first one to strike Cerberus… and that was enough to send the giant dog down. I stare at the dog, poking at it with my rapier, as reality seemed to seep into my mind. Hercules just needed one good punch to beat Cerberus… we didn't need to do a giant battle with the dog shaking the earth, summoning fireballs, and darkness holes at random. We were saved from a horrible boss battle, and I realized… I was laughing.
"Oh god, we did it!" I shouted as Sora cheered with me.
"We did it! We beat Cerberus!" I swear, Sora and I spent the next five minutes dancing in the arena before running back in to find Phil and Hercules. I just managed to hear Hercules telling Phil about how he already had Cerberus on the ropes when Sora came in.
"Phil! We did it! We defeated Cerberus!" Sora cheered. Now that the happiness of being alive has passed, I decided to not say anything about that fight. I think Sora does deserve at least to believe he defeated a mythological beast.
"Well… at least you got the job done." Phil said, and I looked to Hercules to see him winking at Phil to keep silent. Subtle, Herc. Really subtle. "But rule number fifty-one clearly states: Don't get cocky. You got that, don't get…"
"Hey, I bet I can move this pedestal now!"
"What did I just say about not getting cocky!" Phil shouted, as I sighed. Sora struggle for a minute and I looked to Phil and Herc.
"Mind if we help out. Heroes are nothing without their friends, right?" I was shocked to see the look of approval on Herc's face as he nodded.
"Sure, go ahead." I looked to Donald and Goofy before joining Sora at the pedestal.
"Come on, I can push this…" Sora stops, and I can see why. I noticed a light starting to glow under the pedestal. "Come on, push."
"What?
"Just push!" Sora shouted, and we pushed together to see a keyhole under the block of stone. At once, Sora's keyblade appeared, and a beam of light shot out of it into the keyhole. I smiled, watching this. I wasn't expecting to lock the keyhole this early in the adventure… then again, this whole thing is so weird. I doubt a lot of things will be the same as it was in the game. Phil sighed and after a few minutes, her had prepared something for us.
"Thus, I hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further…"
"Hey! What do you mean, junior heroes?" Donald asked, put out by the title given to us.
"You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true here." Phil pointed out as Sora and I looked at each other. We still have a long way to go before we could ever be considered heroes in my opinion.
"So, what does it take?" Goofy asked, and that was a genuine question I've always been asking since I saw this cutscene years ago.
"Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves." Hercules said, with a knowing look on his face.
"Well, we'll be coming back for some more training." I say, but Sora looked proud, his chest puffed out a little.
"We'll start proving ourselves in the games." I sighed and rolled my eyes. The victory was getting to Sora's head, and it was beginning to get annoying.
"You do realize the arena is kind of destroyed, right? No arena? No games." That really seemed to deflate Sora as he seemed to sink back into himself.
"Oh… right." I looked to Hercules and Phil and gave them a wink.
"Anyway, we'll see you guys later and don't worry. I'll keep your secret." I grinned, loving my ultimate power, being a Kingdom Hearts fan girl. The two stared at me with a look of shock as we walked out of the main hall. I felt a bit pleased and maybe a bit proud. I do think I've gotten stronger from this hard week of training, and I've learned how to use my rapier better than a few weeks ago. We stopped at the gates of the Coliseum to see Cloud sitting there.
"You gonna be okay?" I asked gently. Well, seeing as he nearly died at the hands of a giant death dog and that fact he was being used I think it'll take a while for him to recover mentally from the whole mess.
"Yeah." Cloud said he was calm, but I can tell he had a lot on his mind.
"So, why did you go along with him, anyway?" Hm… guess Sora must've heard about Cloud working with Hades from Phil. Phil can use his brains… he's just not good at math.
"I'm looking for someone. Hades promise to help." Cloud says as he stands up. "I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."
"You'll find it." Sora says, and for a second, I could see a look of sadness on Sora's face. "I'm searching too." That got Cloud interested as he looked over Sora.
"For your light?"
"Yes." I nod, and I decide to try and give him some good news. He deserves it, after all the crap he just went through. "If you're worried about Aerith, she's safe. We saw her a while back, and she's perfectly fine. I'm sure she's waiting for you too." Cloud didn't say anything and I felt like he was trying to examine me under a microscope. Did I say something wrong? He walked towards me and dropped something into my hands.
"You'll find your own light. Until then, keep looking."
"Huh," was all I could really say as I watched Cloud walk off. I didn't say anything back as Sora shouted for a rematch and we ended our meeting with Cloud on good terms.
On our way back to Traverse Town, I stared at the thing Cloud had given me. It was a clear gem that seemed to shine brightest against a light. Maybe this was meant for Sora… but why did Cloud give it to me. I lay in my bed, thinking about Cloud's words. Come to think of it, what am I really fighting for? Even if I don't find my family and friends, I always think they'll return when the worlds are restored. So… what am I really striving for? 'What is my light really?' I think, curling in bed and drawing the covers over me. My hope is to see my family and friends again… but when all is said and done… What then?
Elsewhere
Apollo looked over the six Heartless and the three Nobodies formed from the girls he had taken. He smiled at his latest creations. His best works yet since both Heartless and Nobodies had a human-like form. He had a few plans for the Heartless. After all the others working with Maleficent needed a bit of help with gaining Heartless within their worlds. Best of all, he knew how to construct them into beings he wished. Sirens of music which can show the dark desires of one's heart…
"I see you have been busy." Apollo turned to see Maleficent walking over to him. A look of pride and malicious glee crossed her face as she saw the forms before her. Of course, Maleficent wouldn't know anything about the Nobodies. To her, they would be nothing but dead bodies that had not faded. Her focus was on the Heartless alone. "What will you do with your new creations?"
"Well, one of them will go to Jafar." Apollo said, pointing to each one in turn. "Someone needs to remove the Sultan from his throne anyway. Three will go to Captain Hook to turn the rest of his crew into Heartless. Another will go to Ursula. And the last… I think I'll unleash her in a new world. Let's see how this unknown piece will react to seeing a new Heartless."
"You seem quite interested in this girl." Maleficent says, looking at a magic circle with the image of Anna lying in bed, now asleep.
"Of course, to prevent a boring life, one must find stimulating toys." Apollo smirked, looking over to his "boss". "After all, even you can see the potential in her. If you can bring out the darkness in her, you would have a perfect pawn."
"Yes, you are right." Maleficent nodded in agreement. "However, we have a guest who is willing to help our cause as long as we hold our end of the bargain."
"Yes, I know." Apollo says with a nod. "For now, let me have my fun while you play with your new toy." Maleficent scowled, not sure if Apollo was mocking her or not before leaving. Apollo grinned, looking back at his new creations. This was going to be very fun indeed.
Anna:... Wait, so there are six siren Heartless out there? And Sora and I have to fight them?
Crystal: yep.
Nihil: and there are three nobodies.
Crystal: Yep.
Grace: Will they appear in this story?
Polka: Nope. But you will see them as we go into the other Kingdom Hearts games.
Anna:... how do you know this?
Polka: Because Crystal is trusting me with her ideas.
Anna and Nihil: Wait, what?!
Crystal: Sorry, but this will be a mystery to even you two. Anyway, Chapter 5: In the Jungle, will be out as soon as I can finish and edit it. I'll see you all later!
Polka: Thank you for reading!