Chapter 21: When In Thebes

{Other Sky: June 24st 2011, 6:23am}

It was quiet upon the Gummi Ship. No one had spoken since they'd left Deep Jungle, and that had caused some of them to be anxious as Donald and Goofy sat where they were, allowing the Gummi Ship to steer itself as they kept their attention on the small form curled up in a chair behind them. Sora wasn't the same after having to deal the fatal blow to Clayton three days ago, and while they did understand that he would need time to overcome that sort of trauma, they were also concerned with what was happening to him right then. Sora was silent, he refused to eat, he seemed to barely sleep, and his eyes were constantly glassy and hollow, and it terrified the three others to no end.

"Sora..." Donald tried to talk to the boy, but he merely looked away and kept his gaze upon the wall, looking away from them.

"Gwarsh, do you think he's okay?" Goofy questioned.

"No, the boy needs some time to heal. The things that have already happened are weighing heavily upon him thus far..." Donald and Goofy glanced to Jiminy before looking back to Sora, who glanced towards them finally.

"Sora? Are you hungry?" the boy blanched at the question and shook his head.

"No..." Jiminy hopped towards him.

"Cheer up, kiddo, we're here for you," he said as the boy sat up and curled in on himself, resting his head against his knees.

"Yea..." Donald frowned as he moved forward and stood in front of Sora, who only looked down with a faint huff.

"You have to overcome this, okay? I know you can and we're here for you, no matter what," Donald told him as he reached out and placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I know...I just...it's what I did...I..." Goofy gave him a sympathetic look.

"Sora, I understand, but listen, we need you to stand strong, please," he said. Sky-blue eyes glanced him over.

"Yea, we can't do this without you..." the boy shifted a bit, and glanced down again.

"I killed someone...that goes against almost everything I've been taught...my mom is a nurse! I come from a family of doctors! I was taught to always try and save someone before admitting defeat, and what did I do? I killed someone...that's what I did...and it hurts...but I also feel numb...I feel sick...like I'm not...right..." Sora fisted the front of his clothes, feeling another wave of nausea hit him as the image of the blood flashed into his mind.

"Sora...I know it hurts, but you have to get used to it," the boy's expression went cold as he took in Donald's words.

"Get used to it? Get used to it?! I DON'T WANT TO BECOME A KILLER! I DON'T WANT TO GET USED TO IT!"

Sora took in a deep breath, shaking as he felt the lack of sleep and nourishment affecting him. Donald reached for him again, and instantly Sora recoiled, moving away from him, jumping over the side of the chair, and stumbling as he felt a sharp pain course through his body from the wound that still wasn't completely healed. Taking in a shuddering breath, Sora held his hand over the wound, taking a moment to focus his energy towards healing the wound. His mind showed the image of Donald using the spell cure several times, showing him the steps, breaking it down to where he could apply it to himself, and then a faint green-yellow glow of a flower and leaves appeared around his hand before vanishing as the pain ebbed.

"Sora...how..." the boy glanced towards him.

"I learn things by watching, reading, hearing, and feeling...if I just work through the steps alone for a few moments, I can apply it to my own batch of abilities. It's pretty simplistic, if you think about it..." Donald nodded, eyeing Sora again before looking down.

"So you're a kinetic learner," Jiminy stated.

"Yes, I am." the boy pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his head upon them as he listened to the quiet hum of the ship around him.

"When I said you had to get used to it...I didn't mean you had to completely forget what your mother taught you...I was saying that you might have to adapt and become more jaded towards it sometimes..."

"I know, it means the difference between people living and people dying...I get it, but...Donald? Goofy? What am I supposed to do? I'm...just a kid...I don't know how to be a fighter, I don't know how to be a Bearer of the Keyblade...I don't know how to be a hero..."

Sky-blue eyes looked down, unsure of the challenges he was facing now that the thirteen-year-old realized how brutal the path he had begun to tread upon truly was. It wasn't as if he desired to wish it all away – the friends he had made, the things he had seen – but he still found himself unable to come to full grasps with his new reality. What was he supposed to do? He was merely a child, unknowing of many things, and thrust into a fate that most would have deemed as unimaginably cruel. However, he was here and truly had no choices left before him other than to face it.

"Do I really have to become used to killing?" he closed his eyes, shutting out the things and places around him.

"Being a Bearer of a Keyblade means having to make choices we don't always wish to. It also means that sometimes...we have to take to things that we despise or goes against our beliefs. Just remember...what you've chosen to do, even if it were to change you entirely into someone the ones you love cannot recognize, you did it for them, and even though it may hurt, you'll always know it wasn't for selfish reasons, it was for your loved ones...for everyone you have, haven't, will, or will not meet...it's for their sakes alone..."

Sora looked up, trying to find the source of the voice, but failed as Donald and Goofy shared worried looks at the exhausted, fragile looking boy. They had watched since they'd left Deep Jungle as Sora began to look frail, sickly, and his lack of sleep began to eat away at him. His normally healthy tanned skin had faded to a pale, sallow-looking complexion that didn't suit his chocolate brown hair nor his normally warm, sky-blue eyes.

Staring at the thirteen-year-old child in front of him, Goofy was greatly reminded of his own son, Max, and how, every time he would end up having to watch his father go off on an assignment for the King, he would worry; however, he also remembered a great detail on how to cheer up his son. Sora may have been a bit younger than his boy was now, but he supposed something to take the newfound Keyblade Wielder's mind off their recent troubles would be greatly appreciated. Stepping forward, Goofy looked to the boy as he crouched and tired, dull sky-blue eyes looked up to him as he gave Sora a gentle smile.

"I don't know if it'll cheer ya up er not, but...hows about we teach ya how to drive the Gummi Ship?" he asked. Sora seemed a bit unsure, as did Donald, who voiced his opinion.

"Um...Goofy, I don't know about this..." the Captain of the Knights gave Sora a smile.

"Well I am! I think you need to learn how ta drive the Gummi Ship, Sora. It'll be a big help to us," he said. The thirteen-year-old gave him a faint look of curiosity.

"How do you drive the ship?" Goofy stood.

"I'll show ya," he told him as Sora slowly stood and got towards the front of the ship – Donald joining in to assist in the driving lesson – as the boy settled into the pilot seat, he looked at the steering wheel and eyed the controls while Donald remained tense on his left, and Goofy relaxed at his right.

"So...what do I do?" the Captain smiled.

"First, ya gotta take the wheel, and then you'll need ta put your foot on the pedal down there on the right side. After that, there's a small brace for your heel on the left, place your foot there, under the top of the brace is a lever – that's your speed. The button on the right of the wheel is the projectile launcher, and the other is a shield and damage gauge. I think ya should be good," he stated. Sora slowly followed Goofy's explanations, placing his hands and feet where they needed to go before he looked towards a golden-toned world in the distance.

"Where are we going?" Donald looked at the radar.

"It's a place called Olympus Coliseum. It's a straight shot, are you sure you can handle it?" he asked.

"Maybe..." Goofy smiled.

"Awh, don't be such a spoilsport, Donald! How bad could it be?" Donald swallowed.

"Alright..."

Sora stepped on the pedal, increasing the speed just a bit as they started towards the world at a moderate pace. Occasionally, they hit a few bumps or the Gummi Ship would end up going either a bit too fast or a tad too slow; however, it was going fairly well – until something banged Sora over the head, that is. The first thing that he thought had hit him was either a Heartless that had snuck aboard the ship from Deep Jungle – the monkey ones tended to be annoying more so than the plushie ones – or Donald had hit him. In a moment of retaliation, Sora turned the ship to the left a degree, nearly spinning it before he felt another smack and turned to see something he never suspected he would see.

"What keeps hitting me over...a broom?"

"That's a broom from the Disney Castle! What's it doing on the ship?" asked Donald.

"Dunno, but it's not happy..." Sora looked at it again as he straightened the ship out and then glared at the broom.

"What do you want with me? I didn't do anything!" he stated bluntly. The broom shook its fist at him.

"Um, Sora, don't antagonize it..."

"No, why is it hitting me? I didn't...ahh!"

The broom lunged at him and Sora dodged it before the accelerator was hit by the bristles. Mere seconds later, the thirteen-year-old was fighting the broom to get it off him. Sora pulled it away and it hit him again before clinging to his hair and clothes, tugging, smacking, and bashing him as it did. The boy glared, growing tired of the assault before he grasped it by the top, just above it's arms, and focused his magic momentarily – instantly the broom began to burn, blackened by the usage of fire magic upon it. The broom leapt from Sora, running far away from the boy and into an area of the ship too narrow for him to follow. Sky-blue eyes looked at his hands before glancing towards Donald and Goofy, who had concerned looks upon their faces.

"What?"

"You may want to brace for impact..." the Keyblade Wielder, the Court Magician, the Captain of the Knights, and the chronicler all looked at the incoming world and gulped.

"I'm starting to notice a pattern here..." were the words that left Sora's mouth as they impacted the air-field and started to directly plummet towards a grand estate with towering fences, lush gardens, and statues of what Sora picked out as Greek Gods and Goddesses. The house appeared Grecian as well, and instantly the thirteen-year-old knew they were in for a world of, as he would put it: colossal proportions.

{Thebes: 7:45am}

Within the house that was surrounded by several highly enthused girls was a young man in his late teen years with reddish-toned hair, tanned skin, a muscular physique, and deep blue eyes. He stood posed in a heroic form, pointing a sword upwards as he kept one foot up on a pedestal while wearing a lion's pelt. The painter standing nearby was wearing a frustrated expression while he remained crouched over, trying to paint the image before him as he had been requested. Walking around the area, reading off of a list, was a dark brown Satyr with a chubby disposition. The Satyr, Philoctetes, was the trainer of the great hero Hercules, the Demigod son of Zeus, King of the Gods. As they continued about their session of posing for the pottery artist, Phil – as most people called the satyr – continued to read off the scroll.

"At one, you've got a meeting with King Augeas. He's got a problem with his stables, I'd advise you not to wear your new sandals."

"Phil..." Hercules moved a bit to look at his trainer.

"I told you don't move!" the painter stated sharply, causing him to return to his position with a disgruntled expression while Phil continued to talk.

"Phil..."

"Greek Revolution...at three, you gotta get a girdle from some Amazons," Phil said as the painter tried to make the finite details on the painting.

"Phil...what's the point!" Hercules broke his form, throwing the shield and sword he was carrying, causing the painter to accidentally bump the vase he was working on. A black spear appeared across the face of the painting, causing the painter to scream in outrage.

"AHHHHEHHHE! THAT'S IT!" the painter threw his supplies up, growling as he did before he began to stomp off.

"Hey! Keep your toga on, pal!" Phil said as the painter growled and threw his easel onto the satyr, covering him in a color formation that looked surprisingly like a clown's facial paint.

"Well, what is this? A rendition of Oedipus Rex? I don't remember the characters being so colorful." The Satyr narrowed his eyes as he took in the curvy figure of a beautiful young woman with a high ponytail of dark brown hair, tanned skin, violet eyes, and a smooth, yet sarcastic voice.

"Meg, what are you doing here?" Hercules asked her as she came forward.

"Ah, you know, I was just in the neighborhood and thought that mister big-shot could use a bit of a breather, nothing too serious."

"Nope, sorry. Mister Big-Shot has a full schedule today. Herc, I'm going to clean up and make sure we've gotten our at home routine finished. Remember, you have training, and you need to eat a proper meal before leaving," Phil stated.

"I know….I know….but…"

There was a sudden sound of a crash coming from the skylight above, which caused the three people to look up as a brightly colored object spun about in the sky before crashing behind the estate's main house, while three figures were tossed through the opening in the ceiling and jumped before one landed near the water catcher under the sky-light, another in the pile of rugs, and one in a pot. A faint rattle came from the pot while the others looked at the sight of a duck and a dog in moderately similar clothing to the rest of them sat up and looked around while the pot continued to rattle until it fell over and a faint sound of an argument broke out before moments later, a broom shot from the pot on fire as it hopped around, seeking out a means to put itself out. It finally ran to the pool of water and the sight of steam greeted them as it jumped out and turned as the pot rolled and a hand reached out of it. The broom took off running, while the duck and the dog got over towards the pot and a young boy crawled out of it.

"Yea! You better run! You lousy cleaning equipment!" he called as he sat there upon the ground.

"Um….."

Bright, sky-blue eyes looked to them as a flush of embarrassment covered the boy's face. The boy was dressed in what seemed to be a makeshift version of the traditional clothing that they wore. However, instead of just the toga, he also wore a pair of black pants and sandals that came up to his knees, while the toga he wore was deep blue and came to have a set of half-sleeves on it and his gloves had been replaced with black wrist cuffs. The boy looked at his clothing in questioning and then back towards the others as he started to back away, panic lacing through him as he looked at the two people and then turned his attention to the creature standing beside them.

"I…" the woman in purple came forward.

"Well, well….Herc, I didn't know that they sold plants like that…." The woman crouched in front of him.

"There were a few flowers in there, but other than that, there wasn't some kind of fruit plant or something," he stated as sky-blue eyes looked up to the dark-haired woman.

"I'm not a plant!" the boy's blunt tone caught their attention.

"Well, what's your name…flower boy?" the child slowly stood as the other two came running towards him, bracing themselves for a potential attack.

"My name is Sora! Not flower boy!" the boy stared at them with a scowl and the woman laughed.

"Well, you have quite the bit of spirit….don't cha?" she giggled and he felt his face warm up.

"W-What's your name?" he asked with a bit of a stutter.

"I'm Megara….but my friends call me Meg." She put a hand on her hip and he looked her over before smiling.

"Hello…um…." The tall, muscular, young man walked over to him and smiled.

"That was quite the tumble. You okay?" the man asked.

"Yea, we've had harder falls than that….believe me…" Meg laughed a bit as she playfully socked the man in the arm.

"Don't be intimidated by the muscles; this guy has a heart of gold…trust me on that much, kiddo…" there was a small clack of hooves and the trio looked towards the small creature standing nearby.

"Ehum…." The goat-man said. Donald and Goofy jumped in shock while Sora felt a look of realization.

"Oh….sorry, Phil…" the goat-man, Phil, stepped forward.

"So, now that the two of you had become so chummy with our trespassers….can someone please explain why we're detouring from our schedule?"

"Oh, come on, we just wanted to make sure that they were okay," the muscular man stated.

"Yea, yea….they're fine, so get a move on, Herc. And the three of you and your enchanted broom need to be gone before we come back. Capiche?" Meg sent the satyr a scowl as Hercules sighed.

"Phil, its fine if we're a bit late! Besides, it's just a kid and a couple of animals," he stated while Meg kept a frown upon her face.

"No, absolutely not! We are not wasting our time on some kid and two animals that fell out of the sky! Not to mention, your strength is gonna be needed to deal with those horses! King Augeas has been waiting for assistance since two weeks ago! "Phil stated sharply while Sora looked around the area, taking note of the designs and details in addition to the clothing and the names he was hearing. His mind set to work as he listened to the three people arguing a bit whilst Donald and Goofy tried to make sense of everything.

"A Satyr? Then there's a hero with remarkable strength…..and a King with a stable of horses….wait a second…I know this one!"

"You're Hercules, the hero…son of Zeus and Alcmene…." Sora stated as he looked at the red-haired, blue-eyed eighteen-year-old man.

"Alcmene and Amphitrion are my earthly parents, but my biological parents are Zeus, King of the Gods, and Hera, the Queen of the Gods and Goddess of Marriage and Family," he answered back to the boy, who only remained where he was.

"Ah….so it must be different in this world…." Phil and Herc shared a long look with Meg, who shrugged.

"Sora! We gotta go and find the Gummi Ship!" called Donald. The boy looked back at them.

"I know….um…." sky-blue eyes turned slightly towards the others.

"So, you're leaving? Good; come on, Herc…we got things to do," Phil stated as Herc sighed but slowly nodded. Meg frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as the three strangers started to walk away.

"But it's not right….he's just a kid….out in this place, someone like him won't stand a chance…."

"Ahh…" sunset-purple eyes looked towards the boy, who hissed as he grit his teeth and gripped his side.

"You okay, kid?" asked Meg as she came towards Sora, who nodded his head as he glanced her way.

"Yea, I'm good…just a little injury…." The boy took in a deep breath and shook off the sting of pain as he stood straight and Phil looked to him for a moment, eyeing his form before taking in a deep breath.

"Sora, let's go….there's probably something going on here, otherwise the Gummi Ship wouldn't have honed in on this world," stated the duck as the other three watched the boy and Phil continued to eye the boy's stance and his expression.

Phil's concentration remained as he watched the child and took in everything that he could as he paid attention to the child's motions. Phil noticed the details of someone who had been in combat before, and someone who had gone through a rather traumatic experience at one point or another. The Satyr walked over to the boy and started to circle him before considering what to do. The boy from his point of view had started to develop muscle definition, stamina, and a skillset of his own; however, he also was showing the Satyr that he had never been properly trained. Knowing that they were wanting this child to fight without any minor training sent a discomforting chill down into the pit of his stomach.

"Jeez, what are they trying to do? Send the kid to his death?"

"Another one? Hey! Kid….do you know who your parents are?" he asked as he stared at the boy.

"My…parents?" the Satyr huffed.

"Yea, kid….ya know? Your mom and dad?" he probed.

"My mother's name is Himitsu….but I don't know my dad's name, and my mom never talks about his name…." Sora scratched his cheek in thought as Phil looked him over.

"Alright….what kind of weapon do you use?" Phil inquired.

"Um…." Herc looked to his trainer.

"Phil? Are you going to train him?" he asked.

"I might give him some pointers….but….I don't know about giving him the training I gave you, kid….now….the weapon you use?"

Sora tensed as he swallowed the lump in his throat only because he felt something wrong with what the Satyr had asked of him. Since his experience in Wonderland, Sora had started to take note that something was wrong with people's responses towards the Keyblade when he drew it. Some part of him knew deep down that the Queen of Hearts' words were genuine when she told him that Keyblade Bearers of the past were dangerous and despised; however, another part of him knew that it hadn't always been that way. He ground his teeth together as he clenched his hand and the Keyblade, Jungle King, appeared in his grasp.

The room grew quiet, and then Phil stepped away from him with a look of evident horror upon his face as Meg stared at the strange weapon in Sora's hand as the boy kept his gaze down while panic began to fill him as he realized that, once again, he would face the spite, the hate, and the cutting words from more people, and while they left emotional scars with the words and expressions that were placed upon people's faces and left their lips, Sora couldn't find it within himself to let the words hurt him deep down as if for a moment something had shielded his heart from the scarring words that would come.

"You're a Keyblade Bearer….you need to leave…." Hercules looked to Phil in shock.

"Phil! What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Herc, Meg….I'm going to tell you this right now: do not trust that boy….he's twice as fiendish as any beast of the Underworld and twice as deceptive as a Siren..." Hercules and Meg looked to Phil in discontent as he looked to Sora, who swallowed around the lump in his throat.

"Never let the words of others destroy your heart or your Light….for no matter what anyone ever says….all you have to do is have faith in yourself and the will to become stronger than your obstacles….nothing will be broken, and nothing will be lost…." A voice whispered to him from within and he felt his panic ease.

"I'm not like the others…." He said.

"I don't care! You're a Keyblade Wielder! You aren't welcome here….every Keyblade Bearer does nothing but bring pain and suffering! Don't deny it! You've already caused someone to suffer because of that Keyblade…" Sora looked to Phil, concern and pain filling him.

"What can I do? The Queen of Hearts wouldn't believe me…and I don't think I can convince Phil, either….how can I fix this?" Sora thought as he listened to the words coming from the Satyr.

"Sora….you can do it! I believe in you…."

Sky-blue eyes widened slightly as he heard Kairi's voice ring from within his mind as a faint pain raced through his heart before he turned his attention back towards Phil, who shook his head and started to warn Hercules and Megara about the dangers of Keyblade Wielders, which caused Donald to make a noise that registered as anger whilst Goofy tried to sort out the aggressive fowl. Sora glanced between Donald and Phil, who were sharing glares while Goofy tried to reason out a means to keep a fight from breaking out.

"You can't say those things to Sora!" Phil glowered.

"I don't care! I want nothing to do with a Keyblade Bearer!" he stated sharply. Hercules and Meg looked to one another and then back to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who only could watch as the Court Magician's temper flared alongside the Satyr, Phil.

"I'm telling you that you can't say that to Sora! He's a hero!" Donald snapped as the young Keyblade Bearer tensed as he looked to the Magician.

"A hero? Him? He's a half-pint, there's no way he can be a hero…..besides, he's a Keyblade wielder…none of them except for a small number were ever true heroes…" Sora gritted his teeth.

"Don't be fooled! Anyone can be a hero! Don't you get it? A true hero is someone who is willing to do what is right in the face of everything that is wrong! A true hero is someone willing to surrender their life for another, knowing that those they strive for may never love them, but it will never manner! Because so long as their heart stays strong….they will continue to struggle, to fight, and to never lay down their weapons because they are prepared to lay down their life for all whom they cherish! That is a true hero," he snarled. Internally, Sora felt strange; as if someone else had spoken through him at that point, and the sensation was amplified by the slightly sharp ache deep within his chest. Sora took in a steady breath and then turned his gaze onto Phil as Donald nodded his head at the Satyr.

"Well, that was some big talk for such a little kid…..but I don't think you're a hero. You haven't got the moxie of a hero: you're just a weak, senseless, inexperienced child." Donald grumbled.

"That's it….Sora can prove to you that he's a hero!" the Court Magician exclaimed. Sora shot the duck a long look.

"Oh, really? Okay, kid; show me your skill…let's see how you handle my training." Phil started towards the stadium and Sora glowered towards the Court Magician.

"Thaaanks, Donald…."

The duck gave a nervous laugh as he followed Sora and Goofy out, whilst Meg and Hercules shared a long look before she grabbed his hand and started for the door. The Hero looked at the young woman as she giggled a bit and tilted her head towards the door, to which he glanced between the door and the area that Phil had gone away from. Hercules looked towards Megara, who sighed as he remained still and she contemplated what Sora would be put through with Phil having such a great dislike of the weapon he wielded while the other two with the boy seemed to be at odds with each other on opinion as the two of them stood there in silence. Megara sighed as she turned her attention towards Hercules.

"Wonder-Boy, don't let your nanny-goat toss this kid out on the streets," she said.

"Why are you saying that?" she shook her head.

"I'm just telling you….he won't make it out there, even with those other two with him," Meg explained.

"I'm not going to let him throw that kid out. He seems like a good person…just seems to have a bad run of being stuck with something that people don't like…..I understand that pretty well….in my home-town…everyone thought that I was dangerous, a freak, something to be hated….but I never let that get to me greatly…I knew that I could go the distance and so….here I am." Megara smiled.

"Those might be some words that the kid may need to hear. It seems like he's going through a lot of bad things…." She stated.

"I got that feeling, too…what's wrong, though?"

"His eyes…they're blue…..it got me thinking," she said.

"About what?" sunset purple looked to him.

"He could be a child of the Gods…..and if you guys don't watch his back, he'll end up being taken away and being sold into the slave trade…..not to mention, with his looks…..it'll probably not be the work-force type, either." Hercules felt his heart clench at the notion before he nodded.

"I won't let it happen. Now, what are you trying to steal me away for?" Megara laughed.

"How about this….we sneak out the window, round the dumb-bells, you lift up the back wall, and we're gone…." Hercules gave her a slight smile.

"Sounds good to me…."

{Streets of Thebes: 10:00am}

"Dammit….this place is bigger than I thought…." A boy stated. He was in black clothes that were ill-suited to the style of the world and stood off in the shadows with another as midnight-blue eyes looked around.

"Don't mess this up, got it?" stated a voice from a blonde-haired, cobalt-blue-eyed man.

"Come on, Cloud….don't tell me that I don't know how to handle myself…" Cloud sighed.

"How come you came here so quickly?" he probed.

"I managed my job and decided to come to the next one on my list of pass-over observations; this one was the first on my list…." Cloud hummed as he tugged on a red, slightly tattered cloak.

"Somehow, I doubt this is going to go that smoothly. I suggest you stick around," he said.

"How come?" Noctis looked towards Cloud, who glanced about the shadows.

"Because Hades is planning something foul that will mess with the security of this world from the Darkness…he's plotting something alongside others that I don't like….just watch your back, alright, Noct?" the teenager nodded.

"Got it. No worries, I can handle myself. You just focus on making this ordeal with Hades more believable….but, I should probably tell you….Sora is on the way to the stadium right now with Philoctetes….you beat the others there for a few days, so now Phil will expect you to be there," he stated.

"Yea, thanks for the tip. Just remember one thing: you need to stay on your toes. I know what you are and everything about you, Noctis, but that doesn't mean someone or something won't try to hurt you….so just make sure you're careful…" Noctis nodded.

"Same to you, okay?" he asked.

"Right, see you soon." With that, Cloud started towards the stadium.

{….}

Please, one last chance….I wanna be white, white now….

{…..}

Author's Note: Busy, busy, busy. I'm looking for a job, trying to get an apartment, and I'm at odds with my mom right now, so my life is going psycho. I started a patr(e)on account so that I can continue writing and am going to have to update between two potential full-time jobs. I'm asking for prayers, and if you can, check out my page. I'm under the same name on the site. Thanks for all your support, but don't worry, this is not the end: it's only the start of something greater. Got it? No giving up, and you will get your stories, and I will make it work.

Patr(e)on link: patr(e)on dot com/ShadowDragon94

Now, after all that trouble and attempt to get some hope in you and I, here's your preview:

"This is a real sparring match; no holding back."

"Kill him, and then kill Hercules….."

"I see something in you that's not Darkness….I see Light inside you."

"Well, things just got interesting."

Chapter 22: Cloud vs. Sora