Sora awoke to a painful blunt force to his face. He got to his feet and when his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found himself in some kind of dungeon with spikes lining the walls. He was not alone in this dungeon; there were six other people in there with him. He recognized one as Yusuke. There was a boy with spiky orange hair dressed in a black robe standing with his arms folded and another boy in a black suit with yellow eyes and black hair with three white stripes running through it, he was flanked by two blond girls who must have been sisters.
"Yusuke…what's going on?" he asked, rubbing his face.
"We're all Ha Des' prisoners." growled Yusuke. "He's hosting a fighting tournament and forcing all of us to participate."
"Alright, that's it!" Sora growled, summoning his Keyblade. "It's time to put a stop to this!"
"It's not that simple." said Yusuke grimly. "We'll be up against some of the strongest demons in the world and…he's got Keiko."
"Wha…?"
"I don't know how he got his hands on her, but he says he'll feed her to his demons if I don't compete."
Sora supposed he could postpone his search for Riku and Kairi in order to help Yusuke. Keiko seemed very good for him. The boy with the orange hair introduced himself as Ichigo and the boy with the striped hair introduced himself as Death the Kid. They had been invited to participate in the next Spirit World Tournament but were also abducted by Ha Des' demons. It wasn't long before a dark portal appeared and someone entered the dungeon. Sora recognized him as Ha Des' general.
"My master is ready for you." he growled.
He led them up a spiral staircase and into a large arena where Ha Des was waiting for them.
"Welcome to the Castle of Dark Illusions." he said, sounding disturbingly jolly. "My apologies for the way you were all brought here, but I promise it'll be worth your while. My Demon World Tournament will make Koenma's tournament look like a joke, you'll all forget about Him soon enough."
"Sounds like you have an inferiority complex." said Death the Kid.
Ha Des seemed momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained his composure and chuckled softly.
"You're a spirited one…good. I look forward to seeing you break."
Yusuke took a step toward Ha Des.
"If anything happens to Keiko, I swear I'll kill you, Ha Des." he hissed.
Ha Des was not intimidated in the least.
"Keep making empty threats and I might just let my demons devour her…and I'll make you watch."
Sora felt a surge of anger, but knew there was nothing he could do just yet; he was just going to have to play Ha Des' game. Yusuke and Kid were ushered to the side and Sora and Ichigo were called into the ring. Demons of all shapes and sizes filled the stands and were roaring with delight. Ha Des however sat alone in a balcony high above the rest. He produced a microphone and spoke into it.
"For the first match, Sora and Ichigo Kurosaki will face off against…THE MASKED BEAST…DES GARDIUS!"
A large fiend with armored orange skin (about as tall as Darkside Heartless) stomped its way into the arena as cries of "Bloodbath!" and "Slaughter!" erupted from the stands. The fiend had three elongated heads with ornamental blue masks covering its faces.
"Okay, Sora. Let's hurry and kill this bastard!"
Before Sora could even reply, Ichigo recklessly dashed toward Des Gardius, drew a red and black katana, and leapt high into the air. He began slashing relentlessly at Des Gardius, leaving a trail of black-red flames with each swipe. He allowed himself to land as Des Gardius (literally) fell to pieces on the arena floor, having not laid a claw on Ichigo. All of Des Gardius' remains dissolved into particles save for the three masks it wore, which rose into the air and connected. They melted and twisted together to form a grotesque orange mask which flew toward Ichigo and attached itself to his face. He began thrashing and struggling to rip the mask from is face but seemed unable. Sora rushed to help him, but a bloody red glow formed around him and he began attacking Sora.
"Maybe I should've mentioned that when Des Gardius is defeated it leaves behind the Mask of Remnants, which takes control of the one responsible." Ha Des said, savoring every moment of Sora's predicament.
Ichigo waved his katana and sent a wave of black-red energy at Sora, who reduced the damage he took with Protega and rolled to the side as Ichigo leapt toward him. He began stepping back, parrying Ichigo's strikes. Not only was the Fenrir powerful, but its reach was considerable, which allowed Sora to keep his distance. If he could just concentrate long enough to strike that mask, maybe he could pry it from Ichigo's face. He jumped as Ichigo swept his blade low in an attempt to sever his legs and launched a fireball into the cursed mask; it pulsated for a bit but still clung to Ichigo. He ducked in time to avoid having his head sliced off and cast a cluster of ice crystals at the mask, which Ichigo began clawing at. Finally, he discharged a lightning bolt into the mask and he could see it beginning to loosen.
"Just beat him, Sora!" he heard Yusuke shout over the roaring of the demon spectators. "It'll be alright!"
Sora hoped that Yusuke was right as continued to parry Ichigo's strikes. Suddenly a few bright magenta beams struck the side of Ichigo's head (out of the corner of his eye Sora noticed Kid holding a silver gun.) He staggered for a moment and Sora struck him hard in the face, which caused the mask to finally fall off and Ichigo collapsed to the floor.
"You gonna be alright?" Sora asked.
"Yeah…just need a few minutes."
Ichigo went to sit on a nearby slab and Kid came to join Sora in the arena. Sora half-expected Ichigo to be dragged away by demons. He also expected Kid to be penalized for helping him, but Ha Des didn't seem to care, in fact when Ha Des did get up, it looked like he was excusing himself.
"Hey, Kid…"
"What is it, Sora?"
"I wanna see what Ha Des is up to. Think you can handle this match by yourself?"
"Hmm…most likely. Go ahead.
Sora took off after Ha Des, darting in between pillars, finally Ha Des came to a stop and Sora spotted the man who helped him the last time he was here, Auron. He had a faint black aura around him and his once dull brown eyes were now like black pits.
"It's almost time, Auron." Ha Des said coolly. "You remember what you have to do, don't you?"
"Yes…kill Urameshi." Auron groaned.
Auron turned around slowly and began walking almost mechanically toward the arena. Sora peeked back around the pillar he hid behind just enough to see Ha Des without being spotted. Ha Des was holding some kind of card in his left hand. Sora couldn't see what was on the card, but it was covered in the same lucid black aura that shrouded Auron. He waited for Ha Des to head back to his seat and hurried back to the arena. Kid was fighting a fiend with warped blue skin. It was attached to a cross, had what appeared to be extra faces all over its body, and was firing spells nonstop. Kid answered this by pelting it with beams from his guns.
"You are disgustingly hideous!" He raved. "Whoever dug you up should be shot…or something!"
Sora rushed to Yusuke's side and told him what he saw.
"Ya know…I think I've heard of that." he said. "The Change of Heart card. It's a magical card that can turn a good heart into a really dark heart. If you can get that card from Ha Des, you might be able to change this Auron back to normal."
Yusuke was then called into the arena Sora's hear skipped a beat when "Auron" was announced as his opponent. He watched in horror as Auron dashed onto the platform and began slashing at Yusuke with his mighty weapon. After a few moments, he turned his head painfully away from the assault and ran through the corridors until he found Ha Des' balcony. Ha Des was sitting with a long-haired fiend in a dark bluish purple suite and a withered blue fiend in aristocratic attire. Ha Des was sipping a goblet of green liquid and grinning at the carnage below. Sora spied the card lying on a pedestal with a lucid green dome over it. Confident that no one would hear him over the delighted roars of the audience, Sora pointed his Keyblade at the dome and shot a thin white beam into it.
The dome dissolved and Sora snatched the card and bolted back down the corridors as fast as his legs would permit him. There was an illustration on the card depicting what appeared to be an angel, only half of her was shrouded in shadow and had a bat-like wing. This was definitely the right card. He made it back to the arena and leapt onto the platform. Auron had just dealt a critical blow to Yusuke, he was about to bring his blade down on him when Sora ran in front of Auron and held the card up to his face, hoping for his sake and Yusuke's that it would work. Auron froze in his tracks, gazed at the card, and dropped his sword. The black aura that shrouded him slowly faded and the card dissolved into black and gold particles.
"It…it's all…so..." He said, his voice shaking somewhat. "Sora…It's clear now."
"Heh, no problem." Sora grinned as Yusuke got to his feet. "That's what friends do for each other, right?"
"Friends…yes…yes." Auron said slowly.
There was a burst of green flame and Ha Des stood in the center of the platform looking furious.
"The match isn't over until one of you is dead." he growled.
"Screw you…ya old bastard." Yusuke spat.
Ha Des snapped his fingers and a swarm of winged demons flitted into the arena carrying Keiko and Koenma in their talons. Ha des moved aside and a panel opened in the center revealing a seemingly bottomless trap hole filled with shrieking purple apparitions. The winged demons released Keiko and Koenma, dropping them into the hole and Yusuke dove in after them. Sora took an involuntary step forward but Auron clamped a hand on his shoulder.
"It's up to Yusuke now." He said grimly as Kid and Ichigo rushed onto the platform. "All of you stay back! Ha Des is mine!"
Ha Des turned to two particular demons sitting close to the arena. One was his armored general and the other was a purple-skinned demon with flowing yellow hair and dark wings.
"Mefist! Baou! Get in here!"
The two demons obediently rushed onto the platform. The one called Baou conjured a large flamberge and started exchanging strikes and parries with Ichigo while Mefist tried to slice Kid down the middle, but he rolled out of the way and unleashed a barrage of beams from each of his guns. Sora sensed a dark presence behind him and whirled around to find himself face to face with the Summoned Skull. It reached down and tried to grab him, but he rolled under it and blasted a fireball into the back of its neck. A year ago, he barely held his own against it but he was a much better fighter now and knew not to let it lay its claws on him. He cast Gravity on it, paralyzing itand slammed the Fenrir's blade into its skull, cracking it. He then turned his attention to Auron, who had barely made a scratch on Ha Des. Ha Des conjured a large ball of demon energy, but Sora hurled his Keyblade and shattered it. Ichigo seemed to be more than holding his own against Baou, but Kid was having trouble piercing Mefist's armor, so Sora dashed toward him and brought the Fenrir's heavy blade crashing down on his back, cracking his armor. Mefist then began slashing wildly at Sora while Kid morphed his guns into a pair of high-tech-looking cannons. Black energy bolts began dancing around him and he pointed both cannons at Mefist. Sora rolled aside and Kid fired a thick golden orb from each cannon. One hit Mefist right in the center and the other sailed past him and hit Ha Des, who was strangling Auron. Auron then retaliated by thrusting his blade into Ha Des' chest.
"Master!"
When Ichigo finally overpowered Baou, he flung his flamberge toward Ha Des, who caught it in time to parry Auron's next strike. He then reached out for the fallen Mefist; a thick stream of crimson energy flew out of Mefist and into Ha Des' outstretched hand. All the injuries he got from Auron were instantly healed and he began hammering away at Auron with renewed vigor, only to be stabbed in the back by Ichigo and pelted with beams by Kid. Auron smashed the jug of saké he carried over his blade, chanted something, and the blade became engulfed in flames.
"Your pain…SHALL BE TENFOLD!"
He leapt toward the injured Ha Des and thrust his now flaming blade into his shoulder. Ha Des groaned in pain and a stunned silence fell upon the spectators as he fell to the ground.
"You are beaten…" Auron growled. "Never again will we be your playthings."
"Then…you can DIE!"
Ha Des pulled Auron's sword out of him and shattered its blade. He then raised his hands and cast a very powerful gravity spell; Sora, Auron, and the others were instantly brought to their knees by the pressure. Any second they could have been crushed, but just as Sora felt his spine beginning to snap, there was a loud bang and the spell was lifted. Sora rose slowly and saw Yusuke, Koenma, and Keiko standing over Ha Des, who now had a gaping hole in his center. Yusuke had changed, his skin now had arcane markings all over it and he had a mane of wild bone-white hair. He picked up the fallen ruler; Auron then picked up Baou's demonic flamberge and beheaded Ha Des with it. The head dropped him into the bottomless hole and Yusuke dropped the body in with it.
"Yusuke…wha…what happened to you?" Sora asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
"I see…" said Auron. "You're part demon, aren't you?"
Yusuke nodded.
So he's just like Inuyasha. Sora thought.
A cacophony of furious roars erupted from the stands and hundreds of demons were swarming the arena.
"Everyone, grab me now!" Koenma shouted.
Everyone reached down and touched Koenma. They were engulfed in azure light and in mere moments were back in Spirit World. It wasn't long before he had sent Kid and Ichigo back to their own worlds. Yusuke left, claiming he needed to find out more about himself.
"Hey, Sora." he told him. "When I've got my answers, I plan on coming back and asking Keiko to marry me. I'd like you to be there."
Sora scratched his head for a moment. Truthfully, social events had never really been his thing.
"I…uh…I'll think about it."
Yusuke clapped a hand on Sora's shoulder and left without another word, leaving only himself, Koenma, and Auron.
"What are you gonna do now, Auron?" he asked.
"I…I spent my life protecting others…" he said solemnly. "But now…there's no one left to protect. I suppose I should thank you."
"Not at all." said Sora with a smile.
"Fine." said Auron flatly.
"Well, yeah…you could thank me a little." said Sora, taken aback.
Auron chuckled dryly.
"You should always say what you mean."
He reached into his haori and pulled out a keychain of sorts. The token was shaped like a saké jug and was connected by a length of beads.
"I'd like you to have this." he said, his tone finally warming.
Sora pulled off the Fenrir keychain and attached the new one. The Keyblade now took on a new form; It had a broad, flat crimson blade with three sharp teeth near the tip. The base was shaped like a green ogre-like face with two fin-like extrusions forming the hand guard.
"Thanks, Aur…"
There was no sign of Auron, only dozens of small colorful orbs flying around.
"Goodbye…Auron." Sora whispered.
He gazed at his new Keyblade and silently dubbed it the Guardian Soul.
"Here you go, Sora." said Koenma, opening a shimmering portal. "This will take you back to Hollow Bastion."
"Thanks, Koenma…Oh! Am I a true hero now?"
"Answer your own question."
"Oh, okay then…yeah. Well, see ya."