Author's note
I'm almost a year late…shoot me.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the reviews for the last chapter – first up on the list is the wonderful Azura Soul Reaver. Trust me, you're not the only one that dislikes Pete, he's just there…like a little fly that won't leave you alone XD I do thank you for reviewing on each chapter, and I'm happy that you're still reading.
Second on the list, is jkls39 ^-^ Heyy , I'm glad you like the chapter – and I'm glad that I got the chapter to feel awkward, because I didn't want them to be back to normal after something like that :/ I actually think that I used an event that happened to me to write out the awkwardness, not a kiss, but a confession, more like O.o anyway…I find it quite hard to write up Disney Town and this chapter, because in the game there isn't much to it, really, it's just a really short story line in those two worlds, so I'm glad that it wasn't rushed ^-^ I really didn't want Mai to be Mary Sue when I was planning the story out, she does need a little help here and there, but I like how she doesn't always count on other people, besides, it wouldn't help her much in the future ;D oh, spoiler alerts! Sorry XD anyway, I knew that Mai wouldn't be the perfect character, and I wanted her to be more…I can't think of the word, but I really wanted the readers to connect with her, and they can't do that if she's all 'Mary-Sue', not a hair out of place and always so graceful, because nobody is really like that in real life. I like how Mai can sometimes blend into the background and stay in her own little bubble. Oh, I'm glad that it has given you an idea ^-^ and yeah, you might be a little surprised by that boy in this chapter. ;P
Nah D: I thought I'd sorted that out – ugh, well, I'll just have to be extremely careful in this chapter…I do try with my English, but I just find it too difficult – I know that might sound weird, but it is D:
Mai groaned, the Sun's heat seeming to beat down on her frail body. She paused in her steps and glanced down at her attire; untying the belt around her waist before she shrugged off her kimono. She sighed sweetly, a relieved smile on her face. "Ah, that's better." She mused.
Ventus couldn't help but chuckle as he came to stand beside her; he had already taken his jacket off and was now wearing his thermo shirt and trousers – as well as his shoes. He held out his hand, catching Mai by surprise before she understood what he was gesturing to. She gave him her belt and kimono and watched him stuff them into his bag before he pulled it over his shoulders.
With that, the pair walked onwards, but found themselves walking down a wide set of stairs and into some kind of town square: tall walls boarded the area to block it from the desert outside, and to line the square were tall building – they looked almost like temples of some sort. "Where are we?" Mai asked tiredly whilst she fanned herself with her hands in order to cool her face.
Ventus shrugged, pausing in his steps to take a good look around. "No idea." He answered with a clueless expression on his face. Mai stopped in her steps and glanced over her shoulder to see the blonde, but something coming up behind Ventus caught her eye instead.
A short satyr ran behind Ventus and toward one of the temples, not even sparing the teens a glance, and hid by one of the corners outside of it, keeping its gaze to the wall. Ventus seemed to finally notice the creature that had ran behind him and glanced over at it. "Huh?" He questioned before glancing over at Mai with a raised brow.
The brunette could only shrug. "Don't look at me, kiddo." She said, starting toward the satyr, still fanning her face. Ventus watched after her for a moment before he sighed, finding no other option but to follow the shorter girl.
When the pair stood behind the half-man, half-goat person, they could hear him mumbling quietly to himself. "Oy, the kids relentless," he mumbled to himself with a heavy sigh.
Ventus stepped forward, "hey, whatcha doin' there?" He asked innocently, but both teens were startled when the satyr jumped a few feet in the air with a yell.
The creature quickly turned to them. "I told ya, I'm booked solid. N-O spells forget it!" He exclaimed bitterly. Ventus stuttered, causing the satyr to raise a brow at him. "Huh? And who in Halicarnassus are you?" He asked, confusion written on his ginger bearded face. "Can't you see I'm busy?" He questioned as if the blonde were stupid.
Mai scoffed. "How the hell did you expect us to know that?" She spat, a deep frown etching her face.
The short creature glanced over at her, opening his mouth to speak – but before he could say anything another unfamiliar voice cut him off, "hey, Phil! I'm all signed up! Phil!" A voice called out excitedly.
The teens glanced over in the direction of the voice, quickly catching sight of a boy running towards them. He looked a little older than Ventus, and a little taller, too – he had bright orange hair that curled up on his head with bright, sky blue eyes and he wore a white rag around his torso, resting on his left shoulder and showing the muscles on the right side of his chest, he also had fairly muscular arms and legs with brown sandals on his feet.
When the boy reached them, he kept his gaze on 'Phil', who didn't seem too happy to see him. "All right, Herc, I hear ya! Now would ya keep it down already?" He whispered loudly. The orange haired boy nodded.
Mai saw something moving in her peripheral vision, causing her to glance over – she caught sight of a boy, he was dressed similar to a soldier with a metal helmet hiding his face: giving light to only his eyes and mouth, and he also had a large sword over his shoulder. His sword actually made Mai feel a little intimidated, seeing as hers was absolutely tiny compared to his. But what surprised Mai the most was how surprisingly small his waist was, making her a little envious – and his chest was surely bulky, and his small waist only made him appear more muscular. "Aha!"
Phil groaned in annoyance, glaring lightly up at 'Herc'. "Beautiful. Are you happy now? You blew my cover!" He exclaimed.
The boy sprinted over to the small group, stopping in front of Phil. "Okay, 'fess up. I asked around, and everybody says you're the guy: the trainer of heroes!" He exclaimed in excitement.
Herc glanced over at him, "true heroes!" He corrected.
Listening to their conversation, a small spark glimmered in Ventus' cerulean orbs, "really? You can teach that?" He asked curiously. Mai glanced over at the side of his head with a raised brow, but when she came to realise that he wasn't going to return her gaze she shook her head with a small sigh.
The soldier nodded, glancing over at Phil. "'Course he can. C'mon, Phil, please." He pleaded. "I really wanna be a hero." The soldier added.
Phil sighed, rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably. "Look, we've been through this. I've got two words for you – student-teacher ratio!" He exclaimed, flailing his arms about.
Ventus was suddenly confused and held up his fingers, "one, two…um?" He mumbled as he counted off his fingers. Mai couldn't help but giggle at his silly antics, catching his attention this time and caused him to smile sheepishly at her, a blush spreading across his face as he quickly averted his gaze.
Phil shook his head and started for the set of stairs. "I already got my hands full with this one, c'mon Herc." He said, ordering the boy to follow behind him, to which the orange haired boy obeyed.
The soldier gawked. "But – I'm low-maintenance, I swear!" He exclaimed.
His words caused Mai to stifle a laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, he looks it." She stage whispered to Ven sarcastically, causing him to force down a grin – but despite how quietly Mai thought she said it, the boy seemed to hear her; catching his attention.
Mai stuttered as he glanced over at her, but where she thought he was going to accuse her of talking about him, his face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry; I always show manners to a lady." He said, eyeballing Mai up and down, causing the brunette's face to redden. The soldier saw the look on her shocked face and grinned. "Ah, you're shy, I get it." He said as he walked over to her and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady." The soldier stood up straight and sent Mai a small wink, causing the girl's spine to stiffen with nerves.
Ventus glared at the boy, feeling jealousy build in his gut and stepped forward. "Okay, I think you've made yourself known." He affirmed. The boy glanced up at Ventus in confusion, only to catch his harsh gaze; he quickly stepped back and held both his hands up. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but before he could a cry came from behind them.
Glancing over, the trio could see both Phil and Herc surrounded by Floods. "Unversed!" Ventus exclaimed, summoning his KeyBlade as he forgot about the soldier and headed toward the scene without missing a beat.
The soldier smirked. "Monsters, huh…" he mumbled before he turned to Mai. "Don't worry, Miss, allow me." He said with a cheeky grin before he followed closely behind Ventus.
Mai's eyes followed after the mysterious boy, feeling her face redden before she quickly regained herself by rolling her eyes. "Boys," she sighed and quickly followed after them, unsheathing her sword as she did so.
The soldier boy pulled his huge sword from behind his back. "Hey Phil, watch this! I'll show ya what I'm made of." He said.
Herc sunk down into a stance and held up his fists. "And I'll help, too!" He exclaimed, although he sounded a little unsure of himself. Phil nodded, and quickly ran off to hide, causing Mai to sigh as she took her stance.
Whilst Ventus and Herc charged into the fight, the soldier ran up to a flood and raised his sword, ready to strike him down, but before he could land his hit it was already taken care of, and he found his sword being stopped in the middle of his swing. He stuttered, seeing Mai there; wearing a smirk on her lips. "Try to watch where you're swinging that thing, sir." She mocked before she pushed against his sword and ran off to fight off other Unversed.
10 minutes later…
Mai breathed heavily, feeling the heat really starting to get to her as she glanced around, seeing that there were still Unversed to take down. She groaned in annoyance as Ventus came to stand beside her, gasping for air. "You okay?" He asked before he quickly slashed at an Unversed that had charged at them and defeated it with only one swing.
Mai gasped. "Yeah, just a little worn out." She answered while stomping down on an injured Flood that was scurrying on the ground in front of her.
Ventus quickly shrugged off his backpack and held it out to her. "Alright, sit out for the rest of this fight." He said.
Mai stared at him in disbelief. "What? No!" She objected, "just because I'm a girl~." She teased, knowing that pulling the sexist card would make Ven all defensive, and she couldn't help but find it adorable when his face went red with stubborn as he tried to get his point across.
Ventus slashed down another Unversed before he looked at Mai with a cute pout on his lips. "I'm not saying that it's because you're a girl!" He exclaimed childishly, causing Mai to giggle before she rushed passed him and stabbed into a Floods gut as it tried to sneak up on Ven.
"Thanks," he said, still pouting and caused Mai to laugh as she took Ven's bag that was hanging off his arm and walked off to the sidelines, feeling the heat becoming too much for her as she stepped into the shade and leaned against a wall of a temple, sheathing her sword and reaching into Ven's bag, passed all the clothing and pulled out the water bottle that was filled with warm water.
As Mai took a refreshing drink she took note of how the other two boys fought – 'Herc' was surprisingly fighting head on, no weapon or anything, and yet he was killing most of the Unversed with just one hit. Whilst the mysterious soldier used his sword, and as Mai watched him, she couldn't help but be reminded of Terra's form of fighting – strength was Terra's main style, although he was short on speed and accuracy, just one painful swing of that scary KeyBlade of his and it would knock a person out…Mai was well known to that…
Quickly shaking away the memories, Mai noticed that there was only a few Unversed left, so she took that as her invitation to join the battle again – she pulled her sword out and flung Ven's back pack over her shoulder before she started towards the fight. Mai didn't rush in to fight Unversed, but even with her slow entrance, one of the Unversed still jumped at the chance to attack her; to which Mai jumped forward and stabbed down into its head, feeling her blade being stopped by the stone beneath her feet. Mai waited for the monster to disappear in a dark aura before she pulled her sword out of the ground and continued forward.
Ventus noticed that Mai had jumped back into the battle, and couldn't help but smile to himself before he glanced back over to the large Unversed in front of him before he finished it off, but as soon as he did a few more Floods jumped out of the ground, causing Ventus to sigh in mild annoyance – he was just thankful that Floods were the lesser of the Unversed.
Mai sighed to herself before she swung at the Floods in front of her, whilst the boys took care of the monsters around them.
When all of the Unversed were taken care of, Phil came out from his hiding spot and met up with Mai and the boys in the centre of the square – Herc was chuckling tiredly and rubbed the back of his neck. Phil sighed before he glanced up at Herc and the soldier, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay…change of plans." He finally spoke up, and at his words the soldier stepped forward, a grin under his helmet. "The games are comin' up. So, I'm gonna watch both of your matches…" His voice trailed off.
Mai stood next to Ventus, and shrugged off his back pack before she nudged his arm with her elbow to get his attention. Ven glanced over at her, and noticed that Mai was holding out his bag for him, causing him to smile lightly as he reached out for it. "Thanks." He whispered below his breath, but it was loud enough for Mai to hear, earning him a small grin. Ventus felt his face warm up from Mai's smile and instantly switched his gaze back down to Phil as he pulled his back pack on.
Phil continued. "Then I'll decide which of you rookies I wanna train." He established.
The soldier grinned to himself, "sweet! Thank you, thank you!" He cheered. "I'm gonna sign up right now." He confirmed before he dashed off towards the stairs without another word.
Ventus' eyes lit up at the sound of 'The Games' and couldn't fight the urge inside him, "The Games, huh? Sounds fun!" He exclaimed before he started after the mysterious boy – causing Mai to stare at his back before she rolled her eyes, but allowed a smile to cross her features over how excited he seemed.
Phil's gaze followed Ven. "Sorry kid, Captain Eager there just took the last spot." He told him before the blonde was too far away to hear him.
At Phil's words, Ventus stopped in his tracks before he glanced down at his shoes with a disappointed sigh. Mai could feel his sudden change of heart, and couldn't help but feel pity for him before Herc got her attention. "I-I don't understand!" He stuttered. He stared down at the satyr's back with wide eyes. "Phil, I thought you were my trainer!" He exclaimed.
Phil sent the boy a quick glance over his shoulder. "You wanna be a true hero, Herc?" He asked rhetorically before he started for the stairs in front of him. "Then you're gonna hafta go out there and show me that everything I've taught you so far is gonna pay off." He said before he was out of hearing range.
Herc stepped after him, but soon stopped himself. "But Phil…" His voice trailed off, trickling with calamity.
"Oh, and no more training sessions for a while," He called so that the boy could hear him, "wouldn't be fair if I helped you and not him!" He exclaimed before he reached the stairs and walked out of sight.
Mai glanced over at Herc, seeing his face drop completely and bowed his head. She walked over to him and gripped at his shoulder with a small shake – startling the boy and catching his attention. She chuckled. "Hey, cheer up. All you have to do is fight a couple o' matches, right? No big deal!" She exclaimed, grinning widely at the orange haired boy and caused him to chuckle in return at how enthusiastic Mai was.
Ventus noticed how comfortable Mai was with the boy and couldn't help his right brow from twitching, but he waved it off like snow on his shoulder and walked over to the pair, noticing that Herc still looked a little down.
Mai continued to shake his shoulder. "I'm Mai, and this is Ventus," she said, pointing at herself with her thumb before she turned to point at Ven, causing Herc to glance over at him before looking back at Mai. "You want us to help you train?" She asked kindly.
Herc was baffled by her sudden inquiry. "You…You'd really do that for me?" He wondered, switching his gaze between the two companions; his gaze landing on Ven. The blonde nodded eagerly. "Sure, why not?" He asked rhetorically with a shrug.
The orange haired boy grinned. "Thanks, guys. I'm Hercules." He introduced, "Herc for short." He established, and since he was facing Ventus he held his hand out to the blonde for a hand shake.
Ven happily placed his hand in Herc's. "Just call me Ven." He grinned, "you're gonna do fine in the matches." He said confidently.
Hercules released Ven's hand and turned to Mai, causing the brunette to stutter. "I don't have a nickname, just…Mai." She wistfully told him, causing their new friend to chuckle.
Hercules grinned at her. "No worries. Well, thanks, you guys." He grinned excitedly. "I'm gonna head over to the Coliseum and warm up. Meet me in the vestibule, okay?" He asked before he started for the stairs, and as he walked past Ven the blonde nodded at him.
The pair stood there for a while before Hercules was out of sight. Ventus turned to Mai, a small frown on his face – but as soon as Mai met his gaze he swiftly looked away, almost as if he wasn't staring at her. Mai sighed as she stepped over to him, stopping in front of the blonde and crossed her arms over her chest, "what's up with you, kiddo?" She asked.
Ventus kept his head down, but glanced up at Mai through his sun-kissed bangs, "nothing." He lied, and Mai could tell.
The brunette sighed and reached over, clasping Ven's chin between her thumb and forefinger before she tilted his head up, seeing his eyes more clearly now. "Ven," she started sternly.
Ventus suddenly felt his palms go sweaty – despite how close their faces were, Ven couldn't help but feel intimidated by the tone in Mai's voice. "I-I swear it's nothing." He tried to pass off, but he didn't move out of Mai's grasp – instead took the opportunity to stare into her eyes at such a close proximity.
The brunette sighed, now looking at the older blonde with a traumatizing sad stare: her eyes became larger and glassy, whilst her lips were pouted. Ven couldn't help but take in every inch of her face, feeling the guilt eating up inside him before he finally sighed. "Fine," he groaned. At his words, Mai grinned at him and released his chin, waiting patiently for Ventus to speak.
He stood there anxiously, feeling his heart rate increase as he brought himself to tell Mai about his petty jealousy. "…I'll tell y'later." He said quickly before he turned on his heel and started for the stairs at such a speed that Mai couldn't match.
The brunette stuttered, reaching after him before she dropped her hand, glaring lightly after Ventus. "Sometimes I wonder about him." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head before she followed after the blonde toward the Coliseum.
A few minutes later…
Once in the fairly small vestibule, Ventus walked over to Hercules – who was standing near the entrance that must've led to the arena. Mai followed quickly behind Ventus and glanced around the small room: trophies were lined up on shelves on either side of the vestibule, their colours varying from gold to blue. There was a small bench up against one of the walls, and there was a holographic Moogle shop in the corner next to the door.
Herc grinned at Ventus as the blonde walked over to him, "ready for some training?" He asked hopefully.
Ventus nodded eagerly. "Let's get started!" He exclaimed. At his answer, Hercules' smile only grew as he sent Ventus a small nod before he started for the entrance to the arena, gesturing for Ven to follow him.
The blonde glanced over his shoulder to see Mai, who was having a conversation of her own with the holographic Moogle. She laughed, causing him to smile to himself before he called her name to get her attention. "Mai, are you coming?" He asked, nodding his head towards the arena.
Mai took a while to understand what Ven had said before she nodded, said her goodbyes to Moogle and skipped towards Ventus, but as she did she managed to catch her own foot on an unsteady panel in front of her, causing Mai to tumble forwards.
She closed her eyes and pushed her hands in front of her, not wanting to break her nose and bleed everywhere. Mai felt her gloved hands slam onto the stone floor, causing her to briefly open her eyes. Her face was inches from the ground – glancing over her shoulder Mai saw Ven staring down at her with a worried glance on his face.
"Are you alright?" Ventus asked, alarmed. Mai stuttered before nodding twice, and she saw a smile of relief pass across Ven's lips before he clasped her hand and pulled her up to her feet.
"Thank you." Mai murmured, casting her eyes down in embarrassment.
Ventus could see Mai's face beginning to turn a light shade of red, causing him to grin to himself. "What am I gonna do with you?" He joked half-heartedly, but at his words Mai glanced up at him, capturing his eyes in a mesmerising stare.
Mai could feel her heart rate increase, and all the blood rushed to her face, turning it a dark shade of pink and only made her feel more embarrassed. The longer Mai stared, the more she found herself getting lost in her thoughts, and soon the memory of Radiant Garden began to play through her head repeatedly.
His soft lips brushing against hers, and the way his fingers tenderly grazed her neck-
Mai rapidly shook her head, trying to clear her head and stared down at her feet, but instead found her gaze on both hers and Ven's hands, which were still intertwined. Ven's eyes followed Mai's, and at the sight of their hands his face suddenly grew hot, giving Mai's appendage a little squeeze before he loosened his grip and let his hand rest by his side.
At this, Mai glanced up at Ven with a strange glint in her eyes and a small frown on her face, confusing the blonde greatly before a call behind them cleared his racing thoughts, "Ven, you ready?!" Hercules called from the arena.
Ventus looked over his shoulder and through the entrance, seeing the orange haired boy standing in the centre of the stage, the hot sun beating down on him. But the heat didn't seem to bother him too much, seeing as he was jumping around and waving at Ventus.
The blonde nodded, "yeah!" He exclaimed before turning to Mai, gesturing her to follow him into the arena, which she did. Once outside, the sun seemed to hit them like a ton of bricks – much like all of the other times the teens were in a hot world.
Mai glanced around the bland arena: everything was sand coloured with a stage in the centre, and steps lined up the side of the arena. Mai started for the steps to sit down and watch the boys spar, but before she could Ventus tapped her shoulder.
Mai turned to face Ven curiously, but as soon as she saw the beige bag in her face she knew what he wanted. She chuckled lightly as she took the bag from his hands, waiting patiently as Ventus removed his excess layers of clothing and placed them in the bag, leaving him without a shirt before he walked towards Hercules, summoning his KeyBlade as he did so.
Mai couldn't help but feel her palms grow sweaty at the sight of Ven without a shirt on, but it wasn't like it was the first time she's seen him shirtless; for Christ sake she'd seen him in nothing but his boxers before!
Mai wasted no time and made her way over to the benches, pulling herself up onto the first step and sat down before she looked over at Ven and Herc, seeing them exchange a few words before they got to training sparring each other.
Mai watched in anticipation, but not once did she take her eyes off of Ventus – not even for a second. Mai didn't know what was going on with her, one minute she was fine, the next she would be tripping and stuttering like an idiot.
It was all Ven's fault.
Mai nodded, establishing that what she was acting like was nothing but a reflex to what happened back in Radiant Garden…but why would she be acting like that only now? Mai was a little bit confused, but decided not to bask on it too much and switched her attention to the back pack on the step beside her.
Ven's clothing was too much for the little bag, leaving it unable to close properly and caused Ven's attire to fall out of the bag. Mai sighed, glancing up at the blonde for a brief moment before she reached down and grabbed Ven's thermal shirt before she roughly shoved it back inside the bag.
She huffed, feeling her face grow hot with embarrassment as the cool sent from Ven's shirt passed by her, sending a cool shudder down her spine and sent her heart racing. She didn't know if she liked the change in the way she saw Ven, or if she hated it.
It wasn't a big change, not that she had fallen head over heels from him or anything, just that she had found an attraction toward the blonde…an attraction that began to change Mai in every way. Suddenly, all Mai had wanted was Ventus' attention. Nothing else mattered if she had that.
She sighed. What's happening to me? Sure I've thought of Ventus that way before…but what would that do to our friendship…and Kura…?
"The last thing I would ever want is to lose you, Ven…but I couldn't bear to hurt Kura, either." Mai let out a small whine.
"The laws of attraction," a voice spoke up from behind Mai, causing her to glance over her shoulder to see who was speaking. Phil walked down the steps and stood next to Mai, "if you're not careful it'll come back and bite ya in the ass. Hard." He said, not bothering to look at Mai.
The brunette raised a brow before she sighed, staring back out to the arena, her eyes fixed on Ventus. "It's not like that..."
Phil scoffed. "It never is." He said before he glanced at Mai. "So why don't you tell me how it is, Mai?"
The brunette was left stumped by Phil, leaving her to stare into her lap. "I…I'm not sure." She sighed, "I mean, I like Ven…he's the first person I see in the morning and the last I see before I go to sleep, but every now and then that chain is broken when Kura comes along."
"But which one do you love?" He asked.
Mai stuttered. "Wha- I-I wouldn't go that far, satyr." She fumbled in defence.
Her reaction made Phil role his eyes. "Yeah, that's exactly what I said…but when I stopped being stubborn and faced the truth, it was already too late." He said before he turned away from Mai. "You're running out of time, kid – and too soon it'll all be gone." He started for the door at the top of the steps. "I'd work quickly if I were you, Mai." He told her lastly before he was out of hearing distance.
Mai's stunned eyes followed after him, but a sudden hand on her knees caused Mai to stare down and meet bright cerulean eyes. "C'mon, Mai, training's over." Ventus smiled warmly, shaking her knee before he reached over and pulled his shirt out of his backpack, slipping it back on before he grabbed his bag, forcing the top closed and swung the straps over his shoulders.
Mai noticed that he was drenched in sweat, it was even dripping from the tip of his hair, making the locks fall flat on his head from the moisture, and his breathing was heavy enough to make Mai think he was having a heart attack.
Mai jumped down from the step and landed beside Ven, who smiled sweetly at her before he started for the entrance to the arena. Mai was about to follow after him, but the sudden feeling that she was being watched overwhelmed her.
Mai glanced over her shoulder and to one of the small doors that the audience would use to enter the arena, but all she saw were a few sparks of electric blue flames before they disappeared. Mai stared at the doorway for a few seconds longer before she shook her head, leaving it as nothing but her imagination before she hurried off to follow Ventus into the vestibule.
She's back~
"So, you want to become a true hero?" Ventus asked Hercules once inside the vestibule, Mai coming to stand behind him moments later.
Herc turned to Ventus with a hopeful grin playing on his lips, "more than anything!" He exclaimed, before letting out a small sigh. "See, my father is Zeus, the king of the gods up in Olympus." He explained.
His words left Mai and Ventus in complete awe. Ventus stuttered. "Whoa! Herc, you're a god?" He asked in alarm.
Hercules shook his head. "No, no. I'm mortal." He clarified. "When I was a baby, somebody stole me from my parents, and…figured out how to take away my godhood." He explained, turning away from the two and bowed his head shamefully.
Mai stepped forward with a curious frown. "So, this true hero thing…?" She wondered.
Hercules started for the trophies on the shelves on the right side of the room, staring longingly at the trophies. "It's the only way I can become a god again. If I become a true hero, I can rejoin my father and go back to Olympus." He said with a sad smile.
Ventus exhaled deeply. "Wow…I guess you really got your work cut out for you!" He exclaimed.
Hercules simply waved him off and turned to face the teens. "But what about you guys? How come you're here?" He wondered.
Mai turned to Ventus, wondering the exact same thing. The blonde was reluctant to answer and stared down at his feet. "Well…we're just trying to make some friends." He answered solemnly.
Mai felt her heart drop to her knees as she stared at the back of Ven's head with a disbelieving look on her face. She suddenly felt that her, Terra and Aqua were no longer good enough for him. What?!
Hercules merely chuckled."Well, hey! You've done that already." He said, causing Ventus to glance up at the orange haired male.
"Huh?" He wondered.
Herc came to stand in front of Ventus. "C'mon, we're friends, aren't we?" He asked.
Ventus let out a hollow chuckle. "You bet, Herc." He answered. Mai stood there silently, feeling as though she was nothing but a ghost, lingering around Ventus like a little bug that wouldn't leave him alone. All of a sudden she felt alone, like she wasn't wanted anywhere…she couldn't tell if she was just overreacting, or if that was actually the case.
Right at that moment, the vestibule doors were dragged open, and on the other side of the door was the soldier in blue. Mai glanced over at him, noticing that he was looking straight back at her, causing her cheeks to redden as she turned her head away.
Ven sent the soldier a quick glance, but when he saw that he was staring over at Mai he couldn't help but feel a small rush of adrenaline as a deep frown etched its way onto his features before he quickly turned away.
"All right, you bunch of rookies." Phil spoke out as he walked through the entrance to the arena, startling Mai as she stared straight over at him in shock.
The satyr came to stand in front of the four teens, "it's time we go over the rules of The Games, so listen up!" He exclaimed. "All the matches are divided into two brackets – one for the East and one for the West. The winners from each bracket go head-to-head in the championship match. Now, I signed you two up for the West…" He turned to the soldier and Herc, "'cause they already got a heavy-hittin' contender cleanin' up over there in the East bracket. And if you wanna beat him, you're gonna hafta hustle in there."
The boys nodded. Phil turned back toward the entrance of the arena. "Now move those sandals." He ordered before starting for the arena, Herc and the soldier following shortly after him.
Ventus stood there for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest with a deep frown on his face as he thought, "heavy-hitting contender?" He asked himself.
Mai pouted and put a finger to her lips as she thought. "It could be Terra!" She exclaimed.
"Ven, C'mon," Hercules called out from the arena, snapping Ventus out of his thoughts.
"Oh, okay!" He replied before he ran off into the arena, leaving Mai to stand in the vestibule by herself.
"…Just ignore me, then." She spat bitterly, a deep frown crossing her face as she crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.
"Wow, now that was a kick in the ovaries!" An unfamiliar voice exclaimed from behind Mai, startling her and caused her to turn on her heel, but she lost her footing and tumbled to the ground, landing flat on her backside with a small thud.
Mai glanced up, seeing a fairly large man with electric blue skin wearing a long black robe, but the thing that shocked Mai the most was his flaming blue hair that matched his skin. "What the-…"
"The name's Hades, Lord of the dead, yada-yada." He introduced before he reached forward, grabbing Mai's forearm and pulled her to her feet. "I couldn't help but see that little rejection – well, of course I couldn't help it, I was watching on purpose – anyway, I know how you feel, chicken." He said, pinching Mai's cheek.
The brunette stood there, staring up at the blue man with half of her face being stretched. "Uh, do I know you?" Mai asked, her voice sounding a little strange due to her cheek being squished.
Hades released Mai's cheek and came to stand behind her and gripped her shoulders uncomfortably tight, causing the brunette to squirm under his grasp. "I can tell you're upset – angry, even." He leaned down to be eye level with Mai, "to just be rejected like-…"
"I was not rejected like anything!" Mai snapped, pulling herself out of Hades' grip and turned to face him with a deep frown on her face.
"If you weren't rejected then why is all of that anger building up inside you as we speak?" He asked tauntingly, a wicked smirk playing on his lips.
Mai was stunned by his comeback, leaving her speechless. "Uh…" was all she could muster, causing Hades' smirk to only grow as his eyes travelled down to the sheathed sword wrapped around Mai's waist, "how about we go burn off that anger of yours with some good ol' fighting!?" He persuaded, reaching out to spin Mai around before he lead her out of the doors of the vestibule.
90 minute later…
Ventus walked over to Hercules and Phil, who were talking on the side of the stage, "looks like you made it." He congratulated, catching their attention.
Herc grinned widely. "Yeah, and it's all thanks to you, Ven." He replied.
At his words, Phil crossed his arms over his fat chest with a scoff. "Good! The other kid'll be happy to hear that." He taunted, predicting the orange haired boy's reaction.
He stuttered, "n-no! I need you most of all, Phil! How else am I gonna become a hero?" He asked in alarm, causing Phil to grin to himself.
"Hmph! 'Bout time ya got it!" He mocked before he started off toward the vestibule.
The boys' eyes followed after the satyr, but in the corner of their eyes they could see the soldier running over to them.
Ventus crossed his arms behind his head as the boy came to stand in front of them. "Whoever wins; no hard feelings," he established, holding his hand out for Herc to shake.
The Greek boy grinned, placing his hand in the blue soldier's. "Course not. Holdin' a grudge wouldn't be very heroic."
"Hey, just making sure. You're not a hero yet."
His words caused Hercules to chuckle. "True." He replied with a big grin.
The boys readied themselves on the stage before the bell rang atop the coliseum, signalling the beginning of the match. Hercules charged at the soldier and swung for him, but before he could land a hit, the weapon wielding male back flipped out of the way.
The mysterious boy jumped up in the air, holding his sword high above his head. Hercules gasped, jumping out of the way just in time before the boy's sword clashed on the ground.
Ventus stood on the sidelines, watching the match intently so not to miss a second of it. "This is really close." He thought aloud, but then – in the blink of an eye – the match had changed completely.
Ventus no longer saw Hercules and the mysterious soldier battling it out, but instead he saw Terra and Aqua – they were sparring, just like they always did, and just by watching an illusion he was reminded of how much he missed them.
"Hey! We got trouble!" Phil suddenly called out, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts as the satyr stopped in front of the stage. "Ven, your little girlfriend is out in town fending off a hoard of monsters! If they get past her and gate-crash the games then you can all forget about the match!" He exclaimed, turning to face the boys on the stage.
Hercules fumbled, "real monster?" He asked.
The soldier came to stand in front of Herc. "We have to stop 'em." He said.
Ventus felt his blood run cold as his eyes went wide. "Forget the monsters, I gotta help Mai." He told himself before he darted for the vestibule, summoning his KeyBlade as he did so, "keep the match going!" He told Phil before he ran into the vestibule to find Mai
Mai panted heavily, a wide grin on her face as she swung at the last Unversed in the town square, defeating it with only one hit. She laughed as she turned to face Hades, who stood in a dark corner, where he clapped supportively. "Well, done, chicken. I honestly didn't think you had all of that power in you!" He exclaimed with a sick smirk.
Mai laughed, still panting heavily. "Well…you're not…the only person…that I managed to surprise." she grinned, a small spark of something awakening in her eyes.
Hades smirked to himself at the little glitter in Mai's emerald orbs, but a sharp voice caught him off guard.
"MAI!"
The aforementioned girl was just as startled as she spun on her heel to face the steps of the town square, where she spotted a familiar blonde off in the distance. "…Ven?" Mai questioned before she felt a large pair of cold hands clasp her shoulders.
Mai glanced up, only to see Hades staring over at Ventus as he ran over, but the blonde was too far away to notice Hades. "I'm sorry, chicken, but this is where our little training session comes to an end." He said, mocking a sad tone and caused Mai to chuckle. "Hey; do us both a favour and keep this a secret, will ya?" He asked, leaning down to be eye level with Mai.
The brunette met his frozen gaze and gave him a firm nod, the grin still on her face before Hades disappeared within a cloud of blue-ish purple smoke.
When the smoke had faded away Mai turned to face Ven, who was still speeding towards her. She waited patiently for him, and when he finally stood in front of her he panted. "Mai, where's the Unversed?!" He asked in alarm. "Did you get hurt?" He asked, taking a hold of her right arm and pushing her long sleeve up her arm, but before he could search for cuts or scratches Mai quickly pulled her arm out of his grasp, causing Ven to look at her strangely.
"I didn't get hurt." Mai answered simply, looking away from the blonde and placed her sword back into her sheath that was wrapped loosely around her waist. "Not that you would care." She said below her breath, missing Ven's ears…but he did see her mouth move.
The blonde stood there for a moment, trying to process in his mind what could be plaguing Mai's thoughts to make her act bitter towards him. "Mai, have I…have I done something?" He asked, dreading to know the answer.
Mai crossed her arms over her chest, lowering her gaze and took a deep breath before she mustered a smile and turned to Ven, dropping her arms by her side. "Of course not, Kiddo," she let out a small laugh. However, Ven didn't look too amused, knocking the smile off Mai's face. "Just…trust me when I say that I can take care of myself, okay?" She asked rhetorically, to which Ven nodded, a smile of relief crossing his lips.
Seeing the look on his face, Mai began to understand that what she was feeling towards Ven was nothing to hate. It wasn't Ventus' fault if she was starting to grow strong feelings for him, it's not anybody's fault, and Mai now knew that since she was given plenty of time to clear her head when Hades' had her train with all of those Unversed, she had time to truly think about what Phil had said to her.
You're running out of time, kid – and too soon it'll all be gone.
I'd work quickly if I were you, Mai.
The pain that Mai faced just thinking back on those words were unbearable, of course she would jump at the chance to be with Ven. But there was someone else that Mai would jump for as well…the only person holding her back from everything, the person that she would bleed her heart out to within seconds…
Mai stuttered, seeing something move in the corner of her eye in the shadows behind her, but before she could catch what it was it had already disappeared. A flicker of hope sparked inside Mai's heart as she hoped that it was the one she was thinking of.
"Ven!" Herc's voice called out, drawing Mai's attention away from the dark corner and over to the orange haired boy that was heading towards her and Ven, even though he only called for the blonde.
Ventus was startled to hear his name and turned abruptly, "Herc?!" He asked himself before the boy reached them, "Herc, what about your match?" He wondered. "Don't you lose if you leave?"
Herc merely waved him off with a friendly grin. "It was my decision." He lifted the weight from Ven's chest. "Besides, I would choose my friends over a silly match any day." Herc looked behind Ven to nod at Mai, to which she returned the gesture.
"What, you didn't save any monsters for me?" The soldier's voice rang from behind Hercules, capturing everyone's attention as they turned to face him. Mai stepped forward to stand beside Ven.
Hercules seemed surprised that he'd even showed up. "Hey, you're here." He said with an awkward grin.
The soldier started towards the group. "Hey, I've set my sights on being a hero too…I just don't run as fast, that's all." He admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"So you both threw the match?" Ventus asked, feeling guilty about making his new friends worry and ruin their match, "who one then?"
Hercules' face grew glum. "I left first, so it's not me." He answered, upset that Phil was no longer going to be training him to become a hero.
The soldier nudged the boy's arm. "Yeah, but I was only seconds behind you." He attempted to make Hercules feel better about it.
The defeated lad looked to his feet, "still." He said lowly.
Mai stood there silently, just happy that none of the boys apart from Ven had asked about the Unversed, but not one of them seemed to care that there were none around. Mai merely shrugged it off, thinking that they must just be happy with the fact that they were all gone, but because of Hades training her with Unversed Hercules had lost his match without even trying to win.
"Hey!" Phil called out, catching everybody's gaze as he came to stand beside Hercules. "I never said I'd coach the winner. All I said was I'd see the match and then decide." Phil noticed that the boys looked a little confused, causing him to sigh. "Look, bein' a hero takes more than just muscle. Ya gotta have heart and care about people. And sure, you both get high marks for that, but this time only one of you cared fast enough – and that makes all the difference." Phil lifted the anxious weight on both boys' chest.
Mai gawked. "So that means…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes caught Herc's.
The soldier sunk with his head low. "Oh man, I was so close!" He complained before he pulled himself back up, still with a frown etched on his face. "Well, that's life." He let off a smile before a sudden realisation struck him. "Oh, I never really introduced myself," he reached up and slid his helmet from over his face.
Mai gawked at his handsome face: his ebony black hair was spiked back with two bangs coming forward in front of his face, and his lightning striking blue eyes were outstanding, it was almost as if they weren't real!
The soldier held his helmet under his arm. "The name's Zack." He introduced with a wide grin. "Congratulations, Herc."
Hercules looked as stunned as Mai by his appearance. "Thanks, Zack." He laughed.
Phil huffed. "Yeah well, we'll see if you're still thanking him when I'm through with ya." He said in a way that made everyone want to believe he was being sarcastic. "You got a long road ahead of ya, champ."
Zack began to do squats on the spot. "Hey – don't count me out." He reminded Phil, "I've still got plenty of big dreams to go with my lousy luck!" He laughed, causing Hercules to let out a small chuckle.
Mai watched Ventus as he slipped away from the group of chattering lads and knelt down beside Phil, she watched them exchange a few words before she received a tap on the shoulder, startling her as she turned, meeting Zack's face. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I ever got your name." He said with a sideward grin.
Mai stuttered. "Oh, sorry…my name's Mai." She said, smiling her widest as she watched Zack try to process her name through his head.
"Mai...Mai…okay, I think I got it." He smirked before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Y'know, you remind me of somebody I used to know when I was a kid." He said randomly.
"Uh…do I?" Mai asked, confused of what to think about it.
Zack leaned down, getting close to Mai's face and studied her eyes carefully. "Yeah…something about your eyes," He said, tilting his head side to side, "I feel like I've seen them somewhere before." Zack reached out, and with a gloved hand moved the brown bangs away from Mai's eyes, but the second he touched her Mai's vision went white.
An image flew into her head of a figure with black hair laying in a pool of blood surrounded by wasteland…looking closely at his face Mai could see that it was the boy standing directly in front of her.
Mai gasped, moving away from Zack's grasp and stumbled over her own feet, sending her to the ground with a thud, but she didn't take much notice and stared up at Zack's scared face as he tried to think of what he had done wrong.
Ventus quickly ran to her side and took her shoulders, trying to grab her attention, but her gaze didn't dare leave the ebony haired boy. "Mai, what's wrong?" He asked, feeling the worry explode in his gut.
Mai finally broke her stare with Zack and shook her head. "…n-nothing," she answered, pulling herself from Ven's grasp and pushing herself onto her feet before she brushed off the dust from her backside. "I'm fine." She smiled up at Ven as he stood up, his face still etched with worry.
Ventus kept his mouth shut before he sent Zack a confused look to which the soldier held his hands up. "Hey, I barely touched her before she freaked out. I didn't mean any harm, I swear." He apologised.
Hercules stepped forward. "Are you okay, Mai?" He asked worriedly. "You don't look so good." He took not of her incredibly pale face.
Mai let off a painfully awkward giggle. "I'm fine, trust me." She smiled, but she knew that nobody believed her. She quickly glanced over at Ventus. "I think it's about time we got going." She suggested, sending Ven a look that told him that she had something to tell him.
The blonde nodded, to which Hercules' face grew solemn. "Wh-…you're leaving already?" He asked in a tone that pleaded them not to leave.
Ventus glanced at him apologetically. "Yeah…our journey's not over yet." He said reassuringly, sending Mai a quick glance.
Hercules sent him a sad smile. "You'll come back to visit though, won't you?" He asked, although it sounded more like a demand, which made the travelling duo grin.
Mai stepped forward. "How about this: we'll stop by once you become a true hero." She suggested fairly, brushing off the fear inside her heart.
Hercules nodded before Zack stepped forward. "Stop by once we're both heroes!" He included himself.
Ventus chuckled. "Oh, so you mean never come back." He said, crossing his arms over his chest mockingly.
Zack ran to him. "Hey, watch it!" He warned playfully, pulling the younger blonde into a headlock, to which Ven tried to pull himself out of, but to no avail. The pair burst out into laughter, causing everybody else to join in, including Mai.
When the laughter seized, Ven turned to Mai and gestured her to follow him as he started up the steps, she began to do so before Phil caught her gaze.
She glanced down at the short satyr who nodded at her. "Remember what I told you, Mai." He told her wisely. Mai nodded at him firmly with a warm smile, to which he returned before she started up the steps after Ven, waving over her shoulder a few times to her new friends that she was about to leave behind. Well, at least she was certain that she was leaving one behind.
The guilt and pain that built up inside her was phenomenal. Mai knew that boy was going to die, and yet she kept walking away, hoping that she could just let it go, that it would never hang on her conscience. She didn't know when it was going to happen, but she just knew that it was going to happen: that vision left a feeling inside Mai that told her that was going to come true, whether she liked it or not.
When Mai reached the top of the stairs she looked back at them all, keeping an eye on Zack. She didn't know what to do, was she supposed to tell him, or just leave it and hope that she could come back in time to warn him? She had no clue, and it scared her to great depths. What if she didn't make it in time to save him? The guilt would hang over her head for the rest of her life.
Mai took a deep breath and readied herself to run back down the stairs to tell him, but before she could Mai's vision turned black.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter ^-^
Also, I have a little something; I actually think that Mai has a new theme song, and I feel that when you find out what it is you'll enjoy it. But before I tell you all what it is, I'd just like to say that I chose this particular melody because I believe that it will accompany Mai in her journey, and in my future KH stories that it will only be a much better match for her and everything to do with her.
To hear the song, follow the link below: (obviously, change the regular.)
watch?v=WOJ6bzveAlE
