Kairi had expected them to head off after Ansem after they finished Hollow Bastion. Instead the others brought her somewhere else entirely. A world with a towering building, that had a pair of large statues of armored men with swords in front of it. And in front of each of those statues were two cauldronlike things with fire burning in them.
This looked nothing like where she'd expect to find Ansem.
"Um, is this where we're going to find Ansem?"
"Nope," Said Donald as he and Goofy walked past her, "This is where you're getting some proper training."
"But we don't have the time for that." She could almost hear the whine in her voice as she said that.
"No buts," He responded, turning back to her with a disapproving look and hands on his hips, "If you're to have any chance against him then you've got to get stronger and fast. You're lucky that mystery person didn't do anything worse when he took you."
"Ansem's not going to sit around and wait for us."
"Which is why we came to the best, now come on," With a wave he started heading towards the building, not even looking to see if she's following behind him.
Sighing she followed after, even as Goofy said, "Aw, don't' worry about it, the guys here are good pals of ours."
"Goofy," She said, "That doesn't help."
"Gawrsh, sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
"Are ya sure?"
She nodded, her eyes downcast, "Yeah."
Not waiting for him to say more she moved on, reaching the doors of the building quickly, and soon she was opening them with Donald.
What she saw on the other side of the was a surprisingly small room. A single shelf on two opposing walls, with them containing three trophies. There was also a list of rules on the opposing wall, next to a doorway with no door, only a simple rope to keep others out.
Just what kind of place was this?
And just as she had that thought a small fat satyr came in past the ropes, looking at some kind of paper and mumbling with such intensity he didn't notice them standing there. But he also wasn't paying attention to where he was walking, and he walked right into the wall next to them and proceeded to fall on his posterior.
A grimace of pain was quick to cross the groups faces at that, though a laugh did come from Donald as he covered his mouth with a hand.
That seemed to set the satyr off as he immediately jump back onto his hooves to glare and yell at them, only to stop as he noticed who was in the group, "Donald? Goofy? What are you two doing back so soon?"
"Hiya Phil," Goofy responded with a wave, not even caring about the almost verbal attack.
"We're here," Donald began, "Because there was an... incident with Sora. And she," He jabbed a thumb behind himself to indicate her, "Had to take over his place. We need her to learn how to fight and fast. We're kinda on a time crunch." At that his eyes became almost pleading, "Can you do that? We figured if anyone could it'd be you."
"Gee, I dunno," Phil said, a hand to his chin in thought as the other rested on his hip, "Experience isn't something you can get overnight."
"Just knowing how to fight would be good enough. She already knows magic, but she kinda has trouble with wielding her keyblade."
"Hey!" She broke in, annoyed, "You make it sound like I'm useless!"
"You struggled the whole way through that last place."
"I still won!"
"And that mysterious man?"
"He caught me by surprise!"
"He still almost killed you!" He snapped, his webbed foot stomping on the ground.
"Whoa whoa whoa," Phil broke in, putting himself between the two of them, "What's this about almost dying?"
The two huffed as Donald answered, "As we were leaving the last place some mysterious stranger kidnapped her, and almost killed her. Which is why," He added, "She needs to learn how to fight better, so that can't happen again."
"Geez," Phils head turned to look up at her, "You were a real damsel in distress."
She pouted, her arms crossing, "I did fight back, and catch him off guard."
"Kid that can only do so much." When she didn't give him a response Phil sighed, and shook his head, his arms going up as though he were shrugging, "Let's just see what you can do alright? Humor us, okay?"
She could only groan in exasperation, "Fine."
(khkhkhkhkh)
What she needed to do sounded easy enough. He just wanted her to destroy some barrels in a time limit he had set. Putting this into practice was trickier than she thought as it seemed like the spells barely cracked the barrels. By the time she had started swinging the keyblade and destroyed all of them, the time limit had been over.
"Well," Phil said after a moment of thinking his words over, "You're good with magic, but your weapon skill is atrocious."
Why did everyone have to talk about her fighting skills like she was defenseless? She's won her battles, "I'm not that weak."
"I didn't say you were, just that you need to get better at swinging that thing around."
She just sighed, opening her mouth to respond when spotted something and stopped.
There was someone watching from the stands. An older teen with blonde hair that was somehow spikier than Soras, and clothes that made him look more monster than human. Just who was he?
She didn't get a chance to call out and ask though as he stood up and walked away, his tattered cape flowing behind him.
He didn't even look like he was from this world. Was he from Hollow Bastion like Leon and the others too?
She'd have to talk to him later. But for now she just looked at Phil with her hands behind her back and a cute smile on her face, hoping to speed up this world visit, "So can I get started practicing already? We kinda are in a hurry after all."
(khkhkhkhkh)
The sun had begun to set by the time she finished training, ragged gasps shaking her exhausted body. The sweat that drenched her body made her clothes cling uncomfortably to her skin. And yet they still weren't happy with the work she'd put in. It just wasn't fair, they weren't training. It was just her.
Sighing she just stared up at the stars from where she had climbed up, the ground so very far down from where she was. She really needed a bath and some sleep, but she didn't know where to look and she really didn't want to move anymore.
A flash of motion in the lower part of her vision had her looking down towards the battle and training area. That mysterious teenager was down there swinging some sort of giant sword wrapped in bandages. And he was alone.
Well she did want to talk to him, so with care she made her way down from where she was, and once she was on the ground she started making her way towards where she saw him. She just hoped he was friendlier than he looked.
Still he seemed kinda scary, so as she got closer she found herself placing a hand on one of the pillars as she almost hid behind it while watching him.
She had no idea how long she stood there watching before he stopped, his sword lowering to the ground, annoyance clear in his voice, "Is there something you want?"
She jumped, slowly making her way out form her unintended hiding spot, her hands over her heart, "I'm sorry, it's just," She hesitated, "Are you from Hollow Bastion?"
That seemed to get his attention as he turned to look at her. She could see the surprise on his face even if the lower half of it was covered, "What?"
She could just feel one of her hands rubbing the opposing arm as she tried to calm her nerves, her eyes turning their focus to the ground, "I know some people from there. You kinda remind me of them. I mean you don't really look like you're from here too."
Silence seemed to surround them before the sound of his feet hitting the ground reached her ears. Confused she looked back in his direction only to see him walking away.
So he wasn't as nice as she hoped. But then a thought occurred to her. Donald and Goofy have been to this world before. Maybe they know who he is.
She would have to remember to ask them in the morning.
(khkhkhkhkh)
Breakfast in this world was certainly different compared to the fruit she was used to eating in her world. Here it was bread and wine, she was certain she couldn't drink that no matter world laws. It didn't help that eating the bread felt like eating a rock, it was just so hard.
And she could just see Phil dipping his into his wine before eating it.
This world was so weird.
But she couldn't be rude. So with that in mind she took a bite of her bread, grimacing at how hard it was. All while Phil talked with Donald and Goofy about different things, including the fact that some important guy named Hercules on this world, and was supposed to be showing back up later today.
Another friend of Sora's from the sounds of it.
Speaking of which, "Say Doanld and Goofy, do you guys know that guy with the really spikey blonde hair?"
"Huh?" Goofy asked, "Do you mean Cloud?"
"Cloud?" Was that his name?
"Yeah," Donald added, "Guy got tricked by Hades the first time we were here. After we saved him and he felt better he mentioned that he was looking for someone, and he told Sora to never give up looking too."
"Oh yeah," Goofy had begun to scratch his head as though he were thinking, "He never did tell us who that someone was. We could have helped him look for them."
"We wouldn't have known where to start looking Goofy."
"We could of still offered to him."
He was looking for someone? Just how long has he been looking? She supposed that was something she could try to talk to him about if she ever got the chance.
With that thought in mind she went back to eating, though she still wished it was fruit instead of bread.
(khkhkhkhkh)
She did not see him at all that day. She barely saw anyone over the course of the day really, as Phil had her training all day. She had no idea just how many barrels she destroyed. At least he felt like she was making some progress.
Donald still said she wasn't good enough. Goofy just seemed worried that she was being worked too hard.
When was she going to be allowed to have a say in this?
It was while she was mulling this thought over that someone new entered the arena area. A muscular young man with red hair and armor that seemed to cover very little. On top of all that was a blue cape that went down to the bottom of the skirtlike part of his armor.
The lack of protective covering didn't seem to bother him as he made his way over to Phil, confidence in his every step. With a wave of his hand he spoke to the stocky satyr, "Heya Phil, how have things been while I was out the last few days?"
That seemed to get his attention as he turned away from her to look at him, happiness clear in his voice, "Herc! Things have been great, Donald and Goofy have even shown up and ask us to train their friend over there," As he said that he gestured over to where she was to indicate who he'd meant.
With that said the newcomer then looked in her direction, his expression never changing from a smile. She could've sworn she saw surprise flicker over his eyes for a second though. That didn't stop him though as he made his way over, putting his hand out for a shake, "Hey there, the name's Hercules."
He was so much taller than her, it was honestly a little intimidating. Still he seemed kind, so she put her own hand out for a shake, "Kairi."
That got him looking at her surprised, "Kairi? Do you happen to know someone named Sora?"
"Yeah," Unbidden her eyes became downcast, sadness taking hold, "He had to sacrifice himself to save me."
"Oh... I'm so sorry." He certainly sounded honest at least.
"It's fine," She really needed to get away, "Um if you'll excuse me," With that she made her way out of the arena as calmly as she could. She didn't want any of them to see her cry. They all needed her to be strong after all.
She just needed to find a place away from all of them for a bit.
She didn't have to go far fortunately as not long later she found herself on top of a hill overlooking the coliseum and some sort of town that rested down beyond it. With a lone apple tree being her only source of shade she sat down, and soon found the tears trickling down her cheeks. With no one around to witness this she leaned against the tree and curled into herself, hoping no one would find her here.
Without her even realizing it she cried herself to sleep.
(khkhkhkhkh)
She didn't know how much time had passed, all she knew was that when she woke up the sun was going down and shadows were beginning to swallow the scenery. With a faint groan she moved to stand up only to discover someone had covered her while she was out. Confused she lifted it up and looked at it only to discover it was the torn up cloak she'd seen Cloud wear previously.
With that in mind she got to her feet and looked around, only to see no one nearby. Had he covered her and left?
That seemed so strange, but she couldn't stay there and think about it. She's probably been gone too long. With that thought in mind she bundled the cloak up in her arms and made her way back to the coliseum.
(khkhkhkhkh)
It was several days before she saw Cloud again. Her arms were shaking from how sore she was from training, her lungs burning as she struggled to get her breath back. Everyone else had already gone indoors for the day while she continued on. She had to get better and fast, for Sora and Riku, for everyone. She had to help them.
With little strength left she charged her nearest target, only to miss as her she lost her footing and fell to the ground, keyblade skittering across the dirt.
She wanted to scream and bang a fist against the ground. She could feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes. It just wasn't fair. Why did the fate of all worlds have to rest on her shoulders and her shoulders alone?
So distracted with this she did not notice the sound of someone coming up to her until she heard a voice.
"Hey."
Startled her head shot up to look at who had spoken. There standing in front of her was Cloud, his face as unreadable as last time, though this time he couldn't hide it behind his cloak. He looked almost naked without it.
Seeing that she was awake he turned his eyes away from her, and off to somewhere else, "The dirt isn't a very comfortable place to sleep."
She could feel the dirt grit against her teeth as she spoke, slowly get back to her feet as she did so, "Sorry..."
He didn't speak at first, only moving towards the target to stare at it for a while before sighing, "You'd have better luck learning if you were in a fight."
That got her staring, "Huh? What do you mean?"
He looked almost uncomfortable as he answered, still looking anywhere but at her, "I can help you get stronger."
"Really?"
A sigh could be heard as he closed his eyes and nodded, his arms crossing over his chest. She could barely see the nod from she was standing, but still she grinned, jumping forward to wrap her arms around him in a hug.
"Thank you!"
Despite what he was wearing she could feel his muscles tense under her.
After a short period of time he brushed her off, walking away as he spoke over his shoulder, barely turning his head, "It's nothing, just don't expect me until after the others have left."
"When they've left?"
"Would you rather they continue watching everything you do? They're telling you how to fight, but you still need to find a way that works for you. You'll never be able to battle like them, you need to battle like you."
"Um..." Just how was she supposed to respond to that?
He gave her no chance to respond however as he simply walked away. It was only once he was gone that she realized she still had his cloak.
(khkhkhkhkh)
Several days later she was beginning to regret taking up his offer of helping her train. Her skin felt like it was blistering with how the sunlight pounded on the bruises she'd already received from the sparring sessions so far. Sweat coated her forehead and trickled down her neck uncomfortably. Blisters had already made their home on the palms of her hands.
Why did she agree to doing this again?
At least she remembered to give him back his cloak. He certainly seemed more comfortable having it back to covering the lower part of his face and rolling over his shoulders, billowing as he moved.
She had little time to admire it though as she blocked another swing of his sword, the impact making her arms shake. Once he pulled his sword back she lunged, swinging at his middle, only to have her swing be blocked. Shortly after she was pushed away her feet grazing across the ground.
"That's enough for today."
She blinked, hesitating to lower her keyblade, "Huh?"
"It's late and you're shaking, we're finished for the day."
"But..."
He wasn't even looking at her as he checked his sword for any damage it might have sustained. Then to her surprise he tossed her something. She barely had time to send away her keyblade as she caught it. Curious she looked at it only to discover he had given her some jerky.
"If you want to get stronger you'll want to have protein in your diet."
"Don't you need this though?"
"I have plenty."
She wanted to say more, but it was clear he was finished talking about it, so she carefully took a bite.
Well at least it was edible.
It took her some effort, but she managed to eat it all. Still she had to at least make it look like she liked it, so she made sure to put on a smile as she looked back at Cloud.
"Thank you, it was really good."
"Lying will get you nowhere."
"Sorry," She really needed to change the subject before she looked like an even bigger fool. Putting her hands behind her back she made her way over, looking as cute as she could, "Why are you helping me anyway?"
"You said it yourself, some has to do it, even if it shouldn't be a kid like you."
She was quick to pout at that, "Gee thanks."
"Besides," He added, "Maybe helping you will help me find the person I'm looking for."
Hearing that she cocked her head, making sure it was visible, "The person you're looking for?"
"Some I have a score to settle with."
"Oh..." She wasn't really sure how to respond to that.
"Don't give up." Before she had a chance to ask for clarification he was already leaving.
A huff escaped her as she puffed out her cheeks. Just what did he mean by that? She couldn't give up, everyone was relying on her after all. If she didn't try every world would disappear. She'd have no way of seeing if she could get Riku and Sora back.
With that in mind she began making her way back to where they were housing only to stop as she spotted some sort of large poster appearing over where she knew the coliseum cup line-ups were listed. Curious she made her way over to look at it.
The Hades Cup.
She could see name after name of various groups that sounded like they could be a challenge. But wouldn't they feel she was ready if she signed up and won it? Donald and Goofy could back her up even, so she wouldn't be alone. Besides it would give her proper battle experience.
All she had to do was somehow get her hands on a ticket to participate in the games. Maybe she could take Donald and Goofy's if they refused to help her. They did say they took part in the other coliseum cups with Sora after all.
Nothing wrong with her trying right?
(khkhkhkhkh)
"No, absolutely not!"
Donald was practically stomping his foot as he gave her that response.
Her cheeks were quick to puff up as she fumed, glaring him down, "Well why not?"
"It's too dangerous! You're not used to fighting like we are!"
"You're not even giving me a chance to try!"
Why did she even hope Donald would agree to let her do it? He was the one who insisted on bringing her here after all. How could she have forgotten already?
At least she had already thought of an alternative.
"I've already decided I'll do it with or without you, you can't stop me."
"Aw come on Donald," She finally heard Goofy speak, "It's not like we can stop her."
All she could think to do was give him a grin, "Thank you."
"Goofy," Donald practically whined.
"Well," The cartoonish dog seemed to consider his words, "If we're with her she should be fine right?"
She nodded, "Exactly."
"But," It was so very easy to see Donald cave as he sighed, "Fine. But," He added, giving her a look, "If we tell you to forfeit, you will. Understand?"
She was quick to nod, putting her hands behind her back even though she crossed her fingers, "Yep, completely!"
(khkhkhkhkh)
That was then. Now that she was standing with Donald and Goofy, waiting to sign up for the cup, she could feel apprehension knaw at her. Nothing had even happened yet and she felt like she was suffocating. It felt like she was waiting to take a test she hadn't even studied for. Was this how Sora had felt the first time?
A flicker of something on the edge of her vision had her looking to the side to find Cloud signing himself up for the cup as well.
"Cloud? You're doing this too?"
He gave a slight nod, not even bothering to look at her as he did so, "I have to stay in shape."
Her head tilted to the side, "Because of that person you're looking for?"
All she got from him was another nod.
"Well," She took a moment to think about what she wanted to say. It wasn't long before she grinned, and held a hand out to him, "Well I hope you succeed in finding them, and I hope we get to go against each other too."
It took him so long to respond that she almost lowered her hand, but a strong grip encircling it stopped her. Startled she looked back at him to find he had accepted her offer of a handshake, though if what she could see of his face was anything to go by he wasn't sure if he was even doing it right.
She didn't get a chance to stare much longer as he was already looking elsewhere, "I won't go easy on you."
She practically chirped as she responded, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Good."
Grin back on her face she went to respond, only to stop as billowing smoke began to coil into a shape not far from all of them. To her that was weird enough already, but then it began to take a shape. Arms and a head became noticeable as well as a body. Soon a large blue skinned in a dark grey toga stood there, smoke billowing from the bottom where feet should be. Light blue flames licked off of his head like living hair in such a way that she was almost entranced. That quickly changed when he gave all of them a big smile, allowing her to see very sharp teeth.
"Hello everyone," The stranger greeted, putting his hands into the air in some kind of gesture.
"Hades!" She heard Hercules call as he made his way over with Phil, "What are you doing here?"
The strange being seemed to practically shrug off what he said, "Relax Blunder Boy, I'm not here to fight just yet. This is my game after all," It was then he noticed Kairi, "I see we have a new face here," Before she could even register what was going on in a swirl of smoke he was suddenly in her face, a hand extended for a shake, "Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead. Hi, how ya doin?"
"Um hi?" How was she supposed to even respond to that?
He didn't even give her the chance to consider returning the hand shake, already moving away as he talked, "I'm being generous today. For these games and these games only I won't be taking anyone's soul if they lose," At that he glanced over in Clouds direction, "Even if they deserve a little punishment."
Just what would he have done to Cloud?
"Relax sweet cheeks," She had to shake her free from him suddenly holding her chin. Undeterred he continued, "I don't have a score to settle with you just yet. For now you're off the hook."
Donald was quick to intrude and get between them, "Just start this thing already!"
The deity chuckled, floating back some, "I see you still haven't gotten that temper in check." Flames licked from his fingertips as he snapped his fingers, "Let's begin. See if you can make it all the way to me and a little surprise I have saved for later."
That certainly sounded worrying.
"Oh and before I forget," He almost seemed smug as he added on, "Some pals of yours will be taking place too," And his toothy grin was back, "Be sure to put on a show. Tata." With a wave of his hand in a farewell he turned back into smoke, and soon it was gone.
Just what had she gotten herself into?
Well Donald grumbling under his breath was a little calming at least.
Still she had to make sure she hadn't gotten in over her head by doing this, "Should I be worried about this?"
"Nah," Finding a white glove on her shoulder had her looking over at Goofy, "There's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah," Donald added, turning back to her, "We'll keep you safe if anything bad happens."
A light laugh came from her at that, "Donald, Goofy, thank you. Now can get started on winning this please?" To add emphasis to this she clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head as she smiled at the two.
The sound of someone sighing had her looking in Phils direction. The satyr was looking down at the ground, worry clear on his face, "You guys know where the arena is. Just be sure to keep your guard up, Hades can not be trusted."
She nodded, "Okay." And with that she Donald and Goofy went through the door to the arena. On the surface she made sure to look confident, but under the surface she was terrified. If Hades was as dangerous as they said would she really be alright? He certainly didn't seem like the sort to hold back regardless of whether or not his opponent was mortal.
That was when she saw light appearing at the end of the pathway, and heard the sounds of people cheering. Somehow the knowledge that she was going to be watched made things worse. She hadn't even started fighting yet and already she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It felt so very hard to breathe.
"Kairi?"
She blinked, looking down at Donald who had spoken. He was looking up at her, worry clear on his face, "Are you alright?"
"I..." She quickly shook her head, trying to shake the nerves off. Forcing a smile onto her face she looked back at him, "I'm fine, just nervous."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry," Goofy added in, his shield already in his hands, "Just think of this as a sport."
She could practically hear the worry in her voice, "Like in gym class?"
He nodded.
"I'll try." That's' all she can really do after all.
Soon they were out in the arena area, the sandlike stone shifting under their feet as they made their way to a large stone slab with a pillar on each corner. The arena as the others had informed her.
Sandlike stone turned to actual stone and soon the three were standing in their starting place, weapons in hand.
"So," She started, hesitation clear in her voice, "Do they come out through the other door too?"
She could see Donald shaking his head on the edge of her vision, "Usually we have to deal with a bunch of standard Heartless, if anything beyond that shows up it's usually by itself."
"Oh."
Then she noticed the Heartless appear in front of them, seven shadows and three soldiers. Well at least they were weak ones.
Hearing the sound of something announce the beginning of the match, she lunged, slicing the nearest shadows in two. She barely noticed the whisps of darkness as she turned to deal with a soldier making its way toward her. It was only thanks to the practice she's undergone that she was able to block the kick it had sent at her.
With it stunned she swung at it, slicing the Heartless in two. With that done she turned to face another only to stop. There weren't any other Heartless to fight, she hadn't even noticed Donald and Goofy take care of the others. Not sure what else to do she lowered her keyblade.
That left a new question.
"What do we do now?"
"Now," Donald said, bracing himself, "The next batch show up."
"We don't even get a break?"
"Nope."
Darn. With a sigh she braced herself as the next batch appeared. Now were Heartless she had never encountered, but the others had told her about. Three White Knights and four Powerwilds. Hopefully she can keep up with their erratic behavior.
(khkhkhkhkh)
By the time they reached the sixth match Kairi was beginning to sweat. She had underestimated just how trying this was going to be.
The sound of gates opening though had her looking up in the direction of where the opponents typically was. She did not expect who walked out of it though. Out skipped Yuffie, her yellow scarf bouncing as she made her way onto the arena.
The shock was clear as day in her voice as she shouted, "Yuffie?"
A grin was on the ninjas face as she set foot on the stone, "Hey there guys, fancy meeting you here."
"Fancy?" She spluttered, "What are you doing here?"
"When I heard about this competition I got a feeling you'd be trying this out, and figured I'd see if I could test your skills. Leon is here too."
"He is?"
"Yep!" A large shuriken quickly appeared in the ninjas hand as she got into a fighting stance, "Too bad you won't get far enough to fight him yourself."
A challenge? She could handle that. Lifting the keyblade up the new wielder got into a fighting stance.
The match started and she lunged as Yuffie lept back, throwing a small shuriken at her as she did so. It grazed her arm, making her grimace at the sting of discomfort, but she kept pushing forward. On the edges of her vision she spotted Donald and Goofy moving in to deal damage themselves.
Shield met star as Goofy forced Yuffie into a physical confrontation as flames from Donalds spell grazed her. Still the smile never left the ninjas face.
After a moment of this Yuffie jumped back, the large shuriken glowing in her hand. Before Kairi or the others could react, she threw it. The weapon passed right through Kairi's chest, causing her to keel over as pain laced across the area, but when she put a hand on it there was no injury.
Confused she looked at the older teen.
"Aw don't give me that look, I wasn't going to kill you. Now, are you going to get back up, or stay down and forfeit?"
Right, she had to win and prove herself. Carefully she got back to her feet and prepared for another confrontation.
Soon their weapons were crashing against each other again, Kairi's arms nearly buckling due to Yuffie's additional weight. Flames from Donald, and Goofy charging in forced her back laughing.
"Come on you guys, you can't let this match drag on!"
She jumped at the ninja, keyblade swinging. This time she was the one who dealt a blow, her keyblade bypassing the shuriken to hit the others chest. A grunt could be heard as the ninja was forced back, a hand where she had been hit.
"Okay, that's better," And then she initiated combat with the Princess of Heart again, sending smaller shuriken's in Donald and Goofy's direction as she did, catching them off guard with a quack even coming from Donald.
Metal once again met metal, but this time Kairi made sure to have a hand on both ends of her keyblade so she could defend herself better. With her defense better she now was able to hold her ground with more ease.
With her defense better when Yuffie tried to pull away to avoid Goofy's charge the princess made sure to reach out and grab her. Having not expected that the older teen began tugging her arm so she could free herself, taking several seconds to do so. Those few seconds were enough however as soon Goofy slammed into her, knocking the ninja to the ground.
Not wanting to give the other girl room Kairi lunged, only to have her attack blocked. This time though was different, this time it was Yuffie who was on the receiving end. Not wanting to lose, she put all her weight in pushing on her.
She didn't expect Yuffie to put a hand in the air though.
"I give!"
Not sure what to do she pulled away, giving Yuffie breathing room. What?
Slowly the older teen got to her feet, a hand on her side, "Sorry, but I don't really want to end up unconscious. But, hey," She gave the younger girl a smile, "Don't expect Leon to be as nice if you fight him."
"But," She really wasn't sure what to say, "What about you?"
"I'll be fine don't worry," As if to prove it the older teen pulled out a bottle of green liquid, "See? I've got some potions with me."
(khkhkhkhkh)
Many matches later Kairi was gasping for air, taking every chance she can to catch her breath. She had even groaned in frustration when they had to fight a giant Heartless like the one from Hollow Bastion. Luckily it had the same weakness as the other one. She just prayed there wouldn't be other creatures like it.
Matches later and she realized how much worse it could get.
There standing in front of the trio was a giant three headed snarling dog, saliva dripping from it mouths full of sharp teeth. It looked like it could easily rip her to shreds like a poorly made toy.
Why did she decide to do this again?
Donald and Goofy didn't seem afraid though, so she pushed through her fear and charged. Surely, they must know how to fight this thing.
She barely made it halfway to the giant dog before shadows took place of its saliva, building up in its mouths. Moments later all three threw their heads down, and darkness flowed out as though it were throwing up.
Then she noticed a dark spot form under her feet. Instinct taking over she threw herself to the side and watched as darkness shot out of the ground like a geyser.
Why did everything have to require a different strategy to fight?
She didn't have long to worry about that as another spot began forming, forcing her to get back on her feet and run, darkness shooting out of the ground along the way.
That was bad enough as is, but then as the giant dog began walking around it began spitting balls of fire in the direction of the three. At least she was already moving enough she could avoid getting hurt by those.
Fortunately it soon stopped and she made her way back to trying to attack it, jumping back as the giant dog began snapping randomly. Then she noticed something, it always stopped between each snap. With that now in her mind she began using hit and run tactics, moving in to land one or two hits during each break and quickly moving away before it could snap.
After a while of this she was forced back on the move as it stood back up, darkness already forming in its mouth.
And the cycle continued.
(khkhkhkhkh)
As this was all happening up in the audience, unseen by the heroes two people cloaked in black watched as they fought the guardian of the underworld.
"She's gotten stronger since she started," Commented the more masculine of the two.
"Oh," The feminine one responded, "You mean since you saw her in Traverse Town? I could have sworn you said that she was pathetic and overemotional, that she was useless to us."
"I am beginning to think I had jumped to the wrong conclusion."
"So the plan is still on then?"
"For now, but we will have to move fast. The superior will likely be interested in her after their little scuffle."
A laugh came from the feminine one, "That's probably going to depend on how well she does here."
(khkhkhkhkh)
"Cloud? Leon?"
She had expected to battle them, but she didn't think she'd be fighting them at the same time. She just knew she was going to lose.
Well at least the two of them didn't seem to want to fight them too. They were both looking off to the side instead of at the three.
"Um, hey?" Not sure what to do she just waved, hoping to get them looking her direction.
After what felt like an awkwardly long time a sigh came from Leon as he looked in her direction, "It's time I tested you."
She blinked, "What?"
No verbal response came, instead both of the older teens readied their weapons.
And then the match began.
She was so in shock that she was caught off-guard when the two of them charged her, she didn't even get her keyblade up in time. Large swords sliced each of her sides, causing her to yelp in pain. She couldn't let herself fall though. There was no way she'd ever save everyone if she thought about giving up.
So she stayed standing and swung at who she felt was the closest of the two, praying Donald and Goofy would get the other one. The impact from Leon blocking her attack sent reverberations up her arms. Not wanting to give up she released a spell, hoping to catch him by surprise.
Ice shot from the tip of her keyblade into Leons face, temporarily taking him out of the battle. As he started trying to remove the ice from his face so he could continue Kairi turned her attention on to Cloud.
Only to stop as she saw him plow through Donald and Goofy with such force that he seemed to zip across the arena.
What?
Gulping she readied her keyblade and charged, only to miss as he charged away and toward Goofy. Grimacing she held her weapon aloft calling upon another spell. Lightning struck the surrounding area, some even hitting Cloud, forcing him to freeze as it coursed through his body.
It almost broke her heart to see the two of them in such clear discomfort. She didn't want to hurt either of them, and she hadn't wanted to hurt Yuffie either. They were her friends, they were Sora's friends. This just wasn't right.
Still she had to win if she wanted to progress.
With her heart feeling as though it were being crushed by sadness she charged toward Leon, barely noticing as Donald and Goofy joined her. Together they landed a massive blow on him, sending Leon flying, his sword clattering to the ground a distance from her.
She will have to try and make it up to him. Maybe a bet would work?
The sound of movement had the three looking back at Cloud. Electricity was no longer coursing over and through his body, and he was shaking sense back into himself. But then he did something that she thought was a little strange.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head, letting the end of his sword rest on the ground. It looked as though he was giving up.
Then a single batlike wing came from his backside, extending so that it stuck out from under his cloak and only on his left side. It left her wonder where he even hid it, and why there was only one. What happened to the other one?
But then to her surprise he took to the air with just that one wing. How one single wing could hold him aloft with ease she didn't know, what she did know was that he was now heading in the threes direction ready to strike.
Donald and Goofy managed to dodge out of the way, but being in the middle Kairi was not so lucky.
With a yell he swung his sword down, slicing her in the chest. A shriek of pain came from her as she was knocked back by the blow. Seemingly in a bought of rage Cloud didn't react, but instead continued on to try and get Donald and Goofy as well.
In pain she struggled to stand, a hand over where she had been hit feeling warm liquid on her palm. Her chest hurt. Slowly she pulled her hand away, seeing deep red caking the palm of her hand. She really needed to heal up, use the healing spell Donald taught her.
Pain slowing her down she lifted the hand holding her keyblade, praying with all her heart that her injuries be healed. Closing her eyes she waited to see if it would take effect, and then something happened. Her pain disappeared. Slowly her eyes opened as she looked at herself, forgetting about the battle. The injuries on her body were no longer visible, a green glow disappearing from where it had previously covered the injured areas. Her clothes were still damaged, but it was still and improvement.
With the distraction now gone she turned her attention back to Cloud. In the time she had been out of commission he had finished what he was doing and landed, fending off both Donald and Goofy. It was like none of them had even noticed.
Perhaps she could take advantage of this.
Moving with care she maneuvered herself so that she was behind the older teen, praying that she did not catch his attention as she went.
Once she was in position she lunged, leaping at him as she swung. It struck him square in the back, making him stumble just enough to be hit by Goofy's shield and a ball of fire from Donald. He was sent back, using his sword to slow his sliding down as well as to keep him from losing his footing.
When he looked back at them the pain from all of his injuries was clear in his eyes, and Kairi prayed that he would forfeit. She didn't want to knock him unconscious like she had Leon.
But him lifting his sword back into a fighting position made it clear what she would have to do. Bracing herself she moved, only stopping as she charged at her himself. She almost failed to block him, but once he had passed she turned and swung, spell already coming forth in case she missed.
Her keyblade did not land a hit, but her spell did. Another series of lightning bolts struck both Cloud and the ground, but this time it did not simply stun him. This time he fell to the ground, his sword still in his grasp as he lay there, his fingers twitching as the electricity coursed through him.
She felt horrible for what she had done. Just how would she make it up to him?
Without thinking she rushed toward him, pulling a potion out of a pocket as she went. The match was clearly over so it wouldn't matter if she helped them to their feet right?
Ignoring the injuries she could receive for doing this she got to her knees and moved Cloud so his head was comfortably in her lap. Once she was certain he was good enough she was quick to pop the cork off the potion and pour it into his mouth, hoping it would work.
At first nothing happened, then he spluttered, his eyes slowly opening as consciousness returned to him. Granted once he realized where his head was he quickly moved to a sitting position. Even with the lower half of his face hidden she could see he was embarrassed from even being in that predicament. All she could think to do was smile as she got to her feet, "I'm glad you're alright."
Then she went to do the same for Leon.
Like Cloud he seemed to be embarrassed by being waking up in such a predicament. It was almost like they were worried someone would get the wrong idea.
She didn't understand. Sora and Riku never minded when she did it for them. Why did these two do?
Still as they left the arena she couldn't help calling out.
"Leon! If I win this can I get your jacket?"
He stopped, looking over his shoulder at her, "Only if I see you with the trophy."
A grin was quick to come to her face at that, "It's a deal!"
(khkhkhkhkh)
Many more matches later and the three of them found themselves alone in the arena wondering if they were going to battle more Hearless or another person again. And then smoke formed in the middle of the arena, quickly turning into the lord of the dead himself.
"You know I never expected any of you to make it this far," He seemed to shrug as he said this, "Oh well, it's like some say, if you want something done right do it yourself." As he said that flames appeared in his hands, "Now how about you three disappear?"
And she was forced on the defensive, before the beginning of the match had even been announced. She had to run as he sent flames upon flames after her, chasing her across the arena. If she weren't trying to avoid being burned alive she'd probably scream.
Then to her surprise cold air replaced the hot. It was like a breeze shot past her, extinguishing the flames as it did. Confused she looked back, only to find the flames got and both Donald and Goofy beating up the god.
Aren't they supposed to be all powerful?
Still she couldn't waste this opening, and with that in mind she lunged. She failed to harm the deity, but she did manage to damage his outfit before a burst of flame to her face sent her jumping back, scrubbing at her face as she did so.
She prayed that her eyes weren't damaged.
Once she'd blinked them as clean as she could she tried to take stock of the fight. Donald and Goofy were still tag-teaming Hades, but there was no way to know if they were even hurting him.
Would she have better luck if she tried to sneak up on him? Could you even sneak up on a god?
Well she wouldn't know if she didn't try.
Planning to do to him what she had done with Cloud she rushed behind the deity and swung, only to have her keyblade caught by one of his hands.
"Did you really think that would work sweet cheeks?"
That brought a glare to her face as she looked at how his hand held her weapon. Then she noticed something. He was holding her keyblade with the tip pointed directly at him. She could exploit this. So, careful to not draw his attention, she called out an ice spell.
It hit him full force in the chest, forcing him to let go of her weapon as he was forced back, a scream of rage coming from him.
Blue flames turned red as they engulfed his body, a snarl taking to his face. Without seeming to think he summoned a large ball of flames to one of his hands, and chucked it at her.
Not sure what to do she blocked it, and stared in shock as that sent the ball of fire right back at him.
Somehow that even seemed to stun him.
Still an advantage was an advantage.
Quickly she, Donald, and Goofy charged him. Together they slammed into his chest, forcing him back to the edge of the arena.
With a snarl he placed his hands on Kairi's shoulders, flames bursting from her hands. Not wanting to cry out anymore she bit her lip to stay silent, continuing to push.
Then she got an idea.
"Donald! Blizzard!"
Not bothering to wait for a response she sent out her own spell, making sure it hit the deity in the chest. Her spell hit with full force, and shortly after Donalds landed on top of it as well. Ice upon ice exploded across the front of the deity, stunning him. It even blew out the flame atop his head.
With him momentarily stunned again the three made another push, putting their all into attacking him. This time it was enough, as Hades was sent flying out of the arena and through an open doorway.
Gasping for breath Kairi didn't even notice the sounds of him making noise as though he were under attack. She was hurt and worn, out and praying that she wouldn't have to face anyone tougher after this.
(khkhkhkhkh)
"You have got to be kidding."
There in front of the three stood a massive towering being of pure stone. It was so big Kairi couldn't even see its head. She wasn't even sure where she should even target on it to win.
Just how is anyone expected to win against this?
Then again they did say Hades couldn't be trusted to play fair...
Hopefully they can figure something out. With how far they've already gotten she really didn't want to lose.
And it took a single step and the ground shook worse than it did before, almost knocking her to the ground.
Well at least it seemed to move slow. She could probably take advantage of that. And besides rocks aren't unbreakable right?
Well, only one way to find out.
Despite the fear she was feeling she charged, targeting the only thing she can reach. Its foot.
Metal met stone as the keyblade made contact, bits of stone splintered to the ground. Not enough to do any real damage, but it was a start. With hope now fueling her she began hacking away at the stone, not even noticing as a shield and ball of fire also made contact.
On and on she continued to hack, breaking off pieces of stone, never once did a crack seem to form. By all account it was beginning to seem hopeless.
But then the gigantic being seemed to stagger. It's balance seemingly lost it toppled backwards onto its rear, forcing the three to rush away so that they wouldn't be crushed. But now that it was down like this there was a way for her to get up, and hopefully attack a more sensitive spot.
Praying, she took a leap and moved from its foot to its knee, and from there to its chest. There she almost slipped with how smooth and curved the chest was. But she was almost there, and she thought she could see where its head was. So with one final push she jumped up, only to find that it did not have one head but two.
Should she just pick one and go from there?
One of its heads began to move, and panicking she struck. Her keyblade landed hard on the side of its face, nearly hitting its eye. Stone splintered off its face, a gash where her weapon had cleaved through.
It was a start. She could work with this.
Putting her all into it she began to swing, striking at its head every time, leaving gash after gash, stone crumbling to the ground in fragments. Distantly she worried that Donald and Goofy might get hit by them, especially since the titan had gotten up and begun moving again. But so focused was she on winning that she did not worry about that for long.
She landed hit after hit, so focused on damaging the head that she did not the body cracking beneath her feet until it was too late. With a rumble the body collapsed under her and she was sent falling along with a large number of boulders. She was falling and had no way of preventing herself from being crushed.
The landing was hard, and she was given no chance to run as boulders fell on top of her. In seconds no one could see her through the rocky remains of its body.
Outside of the pile all Donald and Goofy could do was scream her name as they rushed over and began moving rubble.
Not once did they get a response. Still on they pressed, never giving up on finding her even as tears began to well up in their eyes.
It did not take long before the others came to their aid. Cloud, Leon, and Hercules moving rubble as Yuffie and Phil moved to set up her room in the coliseum so that she could heal better.
With their help it wasn't long before a hand emerged and after that her head. Slowly and carefully they began to extract her body, not wanting to harm her further.
They just hoped she would wake up.
(khkhkhkhkh)
Pain was the first thing she registered. Pain and suffocating darkness. It hurt to breathe, her chest feeling as though there were a great weight upon it.
Had she truly lost her heart this time? Could heartless truly even feel pain?
But if she had lost her heart, where was the floating feeling from before? Why did it feel as though she was laying on something soft?
She didn't have to think about that for long as a particularly deep breath caused a sharp pain to course through her chest and forced her into a coughing fit.
Slowly reality began to fade back in, and the sound of others talking made its way to her ears. A groan of pain soon escaped her as another bout of pain struck, seemingly catching the attention of whoever was speaking.
"Kairi?"
Something touched her lips, and without thinking she followed the silent instruction and opened them, feeling something both cool and warm slide down her throat. Slowly she could feel the pain diminish, the coursing pain changing to a mild discomfort. Breathing no longer hurt, and she began to open her eyes, only grimacing as how bright everything suddenly was.
Moments later she realized her name was being called again, and this time she forced her eyes to stay open. At first all she could make out were blurry blots of color, but slowly they began to take shape.
"Yuffie?" Her voice sounded so very weak.
"Hey, how you feeling?" The worry was as clear in her voice as it was on her face, "We thought we'd lost you."
"Oh... sorry..." She hadn't meant to make anyone worry after all. She just wanted to prove herself. Then she noticed the empty bottle in the ninjas hand, "What happened?"
"You got buried alive. Won the cup, but almost lost your life. Everyone was worried sick." A chuckle came from the ninja as she added, "Donald even tried going after that stupid god after we made sure you'd get better."
The thought of such an irritable duck trying to take on a god brought a light laugh from her, along with some discomfort from the action causing her to cough some. Still discomfort or no discomfort she didn't want to stay laying in a bed. Slowly and with care she sat up, looking around the room she was in. The room she had been using since she was brought here.
For the most part it looked the same, but then she noticed something off to the side. A sizable blue trophy sat on one of the shelves, standing out amongst the stone. And sitting next to it looked to be some sort of cloth.
Curiosity peaked she carefully got out of the bed, ignoring Yuffies warning as she did so, and made her way over to see what it was. There sitting next to the trophy sat Leons jacket and what looked like part of Clouds cloak. She remembered joking about getting the jacket, but she didn't remember saying anything about the cloak.
"Leon said you earned it," She hadn't even noticed the older teen move so that she was standing next to her, "He had to go back to Hollow Bastion, but he did ask me to tell you that he had full faith in you."
"But," She was almost afraid to ask, "Why are you still here? Don't you need to go back too?"
"I'll be heading back soon don't worry," A smile was already back on Yuffie's face, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright first. Like I said, you did worry all of us."
A hand pat her shoulder and the ninja was already leaving the room, "I'll give you a bit and let the others know you're awake. You might wanna take another potion, heal up some more."
And with that Kairi was left alone.
Not sure what to do she picked up the jacket and put it on. It was big on her, but she hadn't expected it to fit considering how much bigger than her Leon was. She still couldn't believe he actually gave her it.
Then she moved on to the piece of Clouds cloak. It looked as though he took his sword to it, and sliced off the lower part. The thing looked raggedy and damaged, but still it came from his cloak and she knew it seemed to mean a lot to him. She had seen how he felt more comfortable he was when wearing it.
Still what could she even do with it?
Almost absentmindedly one of her hands moved to where she had been wearing her chocker, only to find skin and nothing else. She must have lost it at some point during the challenge. At least she still had her necklace, something about it did feel super important after all.
As she found herself thinking all this she hadn't noticed that she had begun to rub a finger against the cloth, testing the feeling. When she finally did though, she got an idea. Taking an end of the cloth in each hand she lifted it up to her neck, to where her chocker used to be, and tied it around her throat. She was sure it and the jacket didn't work with the rest of her outfit, but with them being gifts from friends she just didn't care. A gift meant more to her than just some standard piece of clothing. It came from the heart after all.
(khkhkhkhkh)
After assuring everyone that she was fine Kairi found herself sitting on the front steps leading into the coliseum thinking about what to do now. The others had finally agreed to letting her go after Ansem, but she had to wait until she was back at full strength. Just how long would that take? She knew potions would speed up the healing, but they had told her that she couldn't rely on them all the time.
Just what was she supposed to do while she waited? Train?
That was when she noticed a black feather floating through the air, moving as though it had a mind of its own before landing on the ground in the middle of the area in front of her.
Without even think she got to her feet and made her way over to look at it. With careful fingers she picked the feather up to look at it, seeing that it was not black but a dark shade of blue. It was both beautiful and a little strange. Just where had it come from?
Soon she was looking everywhere, trying to find the source of the feather. But no matter where her eyes landed, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Was the bird it came from already gone?
Still she continued looking, hoping to find it.
It was only too late that she realized it wasn't a bird she should have been looking for, but rather anything feathered as a hand covered her mouth, stopping any chance of her screaming. Long silver locks entered the edge of her vision as the owner of the hand leaned down. Lips moved as though to speak, but she didn't give them a chance to speak, slamming her elbow into his chest.
While the effect was instant, the owner of the hand did not release her enough for her to escape. It was however enough that she could call out.
"Help! Don-"
That was all she could say before her mouth was covered again. This time one of her arms were also painfully pulled behind her back, causing her to hiss in pain. Just why did this have to happen to her now of all times?
Light amusement could be heard in a masculine voice as lips moved next to her head, "You're not the one I'm after but I suppose you could work as bait."
She didn't know who this stranger was after, but she did know she didn't want to be used to capture someone. So despite knowing it would cause her arm more damage she began to struggle, trying to bite the hand as she did so. Hopefully someone would come soon.
She did not know how long she was stuck in this situation, all she knew was that after a period of time she heard Clouds voice.
"Sephiroth!"
She didn't know if it was because it was Cloud who had called out or if it was because this Sephiroth person had been caught, but she soon found herself being released. Not wanting to be grabbed again she threw herself away from this stranger, not caring if her body scraped against the ground.
She needn't have bothered though, as the two seemed to have no interest in her now that they were locking eyes their weapons drawn. How they both managed to keep such oversized swords hidden she had no idea. But looking at how they were clearly ready to fight it didn't matter. It was clear that nothing would deter them if they chose to battle.
Since neither of them seemed keen to make the first move she figured she may as well get a good look at who this Sephiroth person was. Black, that was the first thing she noticed. Everything he was holding was black, his pants, his boots, his gloves, his coat. The only other color she saw on his outfit the red lacing the inner edges of his coat. She couldn't even imagine just how long it would take for someone's hair to get at long as his silvery locks appear to have gotten.
But for her the strangest thing was the one lone wing coming from the right side of his back. It was such a dark shade of blue that it almost looked black. It was honestly kind of pretty.
That was all that she had the chance to see before the two lunged at each other, aiming to kill the other while also defending themselves in turn. She had never seen a fight as much like a dance as she was seeing now.
In awe she just stayed where she had landed, watching. She hadn't even realized the two had moved to the air until they were a good few feet off of the ground, and by then she wasn't even sure how she intervene and stop them. All she could do was pray that things would be fine.
Then something happened that she hadn't expected. The two of them disappeared in a flash of light.
Surprised, she cried out, "Cloud!"
This was just wrong. First both Sora and Riku, and now Cloud. Why did she keep ending up in situations where she could do nothing to help her friends?
Unbidden tears began forming in her eyes, and soon they were trickling down her cheeks.
"He can't be gone too..." Unbidden what she had said back then rose up from her memory as her eyes hardened, "No... I won't let him go too! I'll find him like I'll find Riku and Sora! I know I will!"
