Before this next chapter begins, I have a few announcements. First off, starting with this chapter I shall respond to your reviews via e-mail if you give me your e-mail address or have it available for me to see. If you don't won't me to respond to your review then tell me in your review or don't give me your address. Now a few of you suggested that I have more than 2 groups in my story. Well, it was already in my plans to make several different factions. Some of these factions are friends to Auron's group, while others are foes, and some are a little bit of both (like Taki). These other factions shall form over the course of the story. However, you won't be introduced to one of these other factions until another chapter or two. Until then, I will be focusing mainly on Auron's group and Sephiroth's group. I would also like to thank everyone for the suggestions. I cannot guarantee that I will use all of them, but I will definitely put in some more Street Fighter characters and I have been thinking on adding Kratos (from God of War) as well (although it's still not set in stone that he will appear). I shall also add more of my favorite characters and games to the mix as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any video games or characters and elements from the games. They are owned by whoever created/published them.

War of the Warriors: Crystals of the Sky

Chapter 9: A Hero's Quest and a Dark Alliance

By the time Auron's group got back to Jonin, they were all quite tired. Chun-Li stopped by the shops to grab some items for their journey while the rest of the group went back to her house to get some shuteye. During Chun-Li's shopping spree she bought a couple of tents, a bunch of potions, several revives, cures for various ailments, and a bunch of other stuff she thought was useful. When she got back to her house, she found that everyone else was already asleep. She quietly placed the items she bought on the counter and decided to go to bed herself. However, as she approached her room, she heard loud snoring coming behind her door. When she opened her door, Chun-Li almost gasped at the sight of Dante, fully clothed, sleeping on her bed. 'I knew I should have told him not to sleep in this room', thought Chun-Li. 'Still, I wonder why no one else told him.'

Chun-Li had to admit that the sight of Dante sleeping on her bed was rather amusing. After all, he was cuddling his guns as he slept. 'I wonder if he always sleeps with them', wondered Chun-Li. Still, as amusing as the sight was, he was sleeping on her bed and had to get off. First, Chun-Li gently tapped Dante on the shoulder. When that didn't work, she poked him harder. Dante continued to sleep on. Getting frustrated, Chun-Li kicked the bed fairly hard, but Dante still didn't wake up. Finally, Chun-Li grabbed the sheets and pulled them so hard that it caused Dante to fall completely off of the bed.

The moment Dante touched the ground, he snapped awake, grabbed his guns, and pointed them straight at Chun-Li. "Don't shoot!" shouted a shocked Chun-Li, who had her hands raised into the air. Dante glared at Chun-Li for a few moments before slowly lowering his guns. "Hey lady, can't a guy get some sleep?" asked Dante in an annoyed tone. "I'm sorry, but you were sleeping on my bed", explained Chun-Li. "Well, I was here first. Why don't you go sleep in another bed," replied Dante. Chun-Li flushed red with anger and yelled, "First of all, there aren't any more beds! Also, you forget that this is MY house that you are staying at and that this MY room!" "So, where am I supposed to sleep at?" asked Dante. "Simple, you can sleep on the floor like Auron", replied Chun-Li. "Hell no!", replied Dante, "I'm not sleeping on the floor. I've been sleeping on the ground for so long that I almost forgot what a bed feels like." "Well, you're still not sleeping on my bed", said Chun-Li.

"Hey, I got an idea", said another voice. Dante and Chun-Li turned to see Talim standing near the door. "Oh, did we wake you up Talim?" asked Chun-Li apologetically. Talim just smiled and replied, "That's okay. I was already up. Anyways, Dante can sleep in my room if he wants to." "But where will you sleep?" asked Chun-Li. "Actually, I think I will walk around town for awhile", answered Talim. Chun-Li looked at a near by window and noticed that the sun was beginning to set. "It's starting to get dark. Are sure that you want to walk around town alone?" asked Chun-Li. Talim retorted, "I'm not a little kid. I can take care of myself." Before Chun-Li could say anything else, Talim walked out of the room and out of the house.

Talim walked slowly down the streets of Jonin. She was telling the truth when she said that Chun-Li's and Dante's yelling didn't wake her up. The truth was that she had waked up from a dream. Talim barely remembered the dream but she felt that she had to be somewhere. That was why she was walking around town. Talim didn't know who or what she was supposed to be looking for, but she knew that the winds of destiny had something in store for her.

As Talim came near the edge of the town, something suddenly caught her eye. In the distance, a horse was running towards the town. When the horse came closer, Talim noticed that there was a man dressed in strange green clothes riding it. Suddenly, the horse stopped a few meters from Talim, and she walked towards it to get a better look. Talim soon noticed that the rider of the horse was badly beaten. There were cut all over his body and he was barely hanging on to his horse. "Are you okay?" asked Talim. However, she didn't receive an answer since the man was unconscious. 'Oh my! This man needs help', thought Talim as she grabbed the reigns of the horse and led it back to town.

Meanwhile, Auron had woken up due to Chun-Li and Dante's argument. Although he was somewhat annoyed by the rude awakening, he decided not to make a fuss about. He also noticed that Talim left. 'I hope she'll be alright by herself', thought Auron, but he figured that she could take care of herself and tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes of trying and failing to go to sleep, Auron decided to drink a little out of his jug. However, Auron soon noticed that his jug was empty. Auron got up and was about to go to the bar to fill his jug when he heard frantic tapping on the door. When Auron opened the door, he saw Talim with a worried look on her face. Sitting on a horse behind her was a blond haired man in a green tunic who looked to be in fairly bad shape.

"Please Sir Auron, he needs help", pleaded Talim. Auron nodded his head and picked up the man from the horse with his good arm. "Get some blankets so we can set him a place on the floor", said Auron. Talim went back inside and gathered blankets as Auron had asked. Cloud, who was sleeping on the couch, woke up from Talim's rushed footsteps. "What's going on?" asked Cloud as he groggily got up from the couch. Before Talim could answer, Auron came in carrying the young man. "Good, you're awake", said Auron as the placed the man on the couch. "Who is he and where did he come from?" asked Cloud. Talim looked at Cloud and replied, "I don't know. I just had a dream and a weird feeling that led me to find him."

For a couple of hours, Auron, Cloud, and Talim watched the sleeping young man. After awhile, they heard a sound coming from him. "Did you hear that?" asked Talim. Auron nodded his head and Cloud replied, "Yeah, it sounded like he said 'Zelda'. I wonder who or what 'Zelda' is?" What they didn't know was that the young man reliving his memories of the past few days in his sleep.

Flashback

It all began that one night when he saw a large glowing rock headed towards the planet's surface and witnessed it suddenly shatter. The young man knew that this was a bad omen of sorts and immediately played his ocarina to summon his horse, Epona. He climbed up onto Epona and headed towards Hyrule Castle. Perhaps Princess Zelda would know what was going on.

When he reached Hyrule Castle the next morning, Princess Zelda was already waiting for him. "Link, I'm glad you have came", said Zelda, who was very relieved to see him. She then led Link to the castle courtyard and made all the guards leave so that no one would over hear them. "Listen Link," began Zelda, "I'm sure you have seen the crystals rain down from the sky last night, right? One of the guards found this in the courtyard." Zelda held out her hand to reveal a crystal. Link placed his hand next to the crystal and could feel power overflowing from it. "Link", said Zelda, "do you feel the power? If someone was able to harness its power, they could do many great things and many terrible things. Also, the crystal's power seems somewhat unstable and seems to have the ability to break through seals. I don't want to say this, but I'm afraid that Ganondorf's seal has been broken."

Link's mouth suddenly dropped open. He had defeated Ganondorf before, and through the combined efforts of Zelda and the sages, Ganondorf was sealed away forever. Or at least that was what Link thought, but if the seal was broken then Ganondorf could escape. Zelda continued, "I have sensed Ganondorf's presence ever since the crystals fell last night. I know he's back. However, I can no longer sense him. It seems that he might have left Hyrule. He is probably after the crystals. If that is the case, then he must be stopped. If he obtains enough of the crystals, he could obtain more power than he could even with the triforce. If that happens, then the whole world could be in danger." Then Zelda placed the crystal into Link's hands. "Take this", said Zelda, "and leave Hyrule as soon as you can. Hopefully, the crystal will lure Ganondorf to you. You must stop him, Link! The world is counting on you!" So, Link took the crystal, said goodbye to Zelda, and left Hyrule as fast as he could.

For several days, Link and Epona traveled throughout the world, crossing valleys, fields, and mountains. However, there was no sign of Ganondorf. Still, Link would not give up on his search. Link continued to ride on horse back and hardly ever stopped, not even to eat or sleep. However, the trip was beginning to take its toll on Link, and he soon realized that he probably should stop and rest for a while. Just as he started to search for a good campsite, Link noticed that the land around him looked kind of barren and tainted. He also began to feel an evil presence near by. In fact, it was a very familiar evil presence.

"It's been a long time, boy", said a voice from behind. Link turned around to see none other than Ganondorf standing behind him. Link quickly jumped off his horse and drew his sword and shield. Ganondorf just smirked and said, "Did you really think that I was gone for good? You're still too naïve." Link just glared at him. "You may have defeated me last time, but are you sure you can beat me again? If so, why don't you fight me and we will find out", challenged Ganondorf.

Accepting that challenge, Link charged at Ganondorf. However, Ganondorf teleported away from Link and started throwing balls of magic at him. Link turned around just in time to see the magical attacks coming and quickly switched to his mirror shield. The magic attacks were reflected back at Ganondorf and caused him to kneel down to the ground. Link ran up to Ganondorf and was about strike him down with his sword, when he suddenly felt chill in the air and a second evil presence.

Link slowly turned to see a mysterious cloaked figure. Link had no idea who it was, but he could tell that the cloaked figure had an evil aura. With sword in hand, Link ran towards the cloaked man, but a small group of small black creatures with glowing yellow eyes appeared between them. Link easily dispatched them one by one with a swing of his sword. Yet, with each creature he dispatched, another one replaced it. Still, Link forgot one thing as he battled the strange black creatures: Ganondorf.

Without warning, Link was blind sighted by a couple of magic attacks. Link soon found himself on the ground and in terrible pain. He barely had enough energy left to see Ganondorf back on his feet and standing next to the cloaked man. "Is this the boy who gave you so many problems? I don't see what's so special about him," said the cloaked man. "You shouldn't underestimate him. I did and I paid for that mistake," replied Ganondorf. The cloaked man just shook his head and said, "You were just careless. Anyways, the boy isn't much of a threat now. They can finish him off." The cloaked man pointed to the little black creatures and ordered them to attack Link. Before the creatures began their attack, the cloaked man picked up the crystal that link had dropped when Ganondorf had blasted him with magic. Then Ganondorf and the cloaked man began to walk away. Link tried to get back onto his feet to follow them, but he was too weak and could only watch as they disappeared into the distance.

Link quickly realized that he was surrounded by the little black creatures. Link tried to hold them off but there were too many of them and he was too weak. They were soon jumping and scratching at him. Fortunately, Epona ran to Link's side and reared up on its back legs to scare the creatures away. The creatures backed away long enough to give Link enough time to climb his way up onto Epona's back. Acting on instinct, Epona quickly ran towards the nearest town. Link held onto Epona's reigns tightly and tried to stay conscious. He had to survive this and fulfill his quest. If he failed, then Zelda and the rest of the world would be in danger. However, despite Link's will, everything began to fade to black.

End Flashback

After lying on the couch for a few hours, the young man slowly opened his eyes. "So, you're finally awake," said Auron, who was leaning on the wall opposite of the couch. "It's about time", muttered Cloud, who was sitting on the floor next to Auron and was half asleep. Then Talim approached the man and asked, "Who are you and where did you come from?" A few moments passed before the man said the word "Link". "Link? Is that your name?" asked Talim, and Link gave a nod of confirmation.

Just then, a pair of yawns was heard as Chun-Li and Dante walked into the room. "Who's this?" asked Chun-Li when she spotted Link on the couch. "His name is Link. I found him badly injured just outside the town," answered Talim. "So elf-boy, where the hell are you from?" asked Dante. When Link didn't answer, Dante asked, "You don't talk much, do you?" Link shook his head. "Whatever", snickered Dante. "Now Dante, be nice," scolded Chun-Li before she turned to Link and added, "Don't mind him. He tends to act rude like that." Then Chun-Li went into another room. When she came back, she was carrying a hyper potion. "Drink this and your wounds will be healed" said Chun-Li. Link drunk the potion and in a few minutes all of his wounds had disappeared and he was almost back to full strength.

"Thanks" muttered Link in an almost half whisper. "So, the elf-boy does speak after all," said Dante in a somewhat sarcastic tone. However, Link ignored the comment and started to head towards the door. "Hey, wait! Where are you going? If you want, you can come with us," said Talim. Link thought about Talim's offer, but ultimately decided against it. These people had saved his life and he didn't want them getting them involved with Ganondorf. So he silently shook his head and went out of the door. Talim was about to stop him when Auron place his hand of her shoulder and said, "Let him go Talim. I'm sure he had his reasons for not joining us." "I guess you're right," replied Talim, "but I can't help but think that there was a reason why I found him. It was as if destiny was guiding me." "If that is the case, then we will meet him again," said Auron. "You're right," replied Talim as she watched Link untie his horse, get up on its back, and ride off into the distance.

Meanwhile, in a forest far away from Auron and his group, Ganondorf and the cloaked man walked down a leaf-covered path. "The deeper we go into this forest, the darker it seems to become," observed Ganondorf. "It's simple, really. The darkness within the hearts of those we are about to meet have tainted the forest," replied his cloaked companion. Soon, the two figures found themselves entering a clearing where two other people were waiting. "Ah, Sephiroth, I have brought you the legendary sorcerer, Ganondorf," said the cloaked man. "What is it that you want from me?" asked Ganondorf. Sephiroth replied, "I wish to make an alliance. I have this small group of pests that need to be dealt with. Also, we can find more crystals at a faster pace if we combine our forces." "What is it that I get in return?" inquired Ganondorf. "I only need a few of these crystals to achieve my goal. You can have any that are left over," answered Sephiroth. Ganondorf thought about the preposition for a brief moment before saying, "Alright, I shall agree to this alliance for the time being."

Vergil was standing nearby as Ganondorf proclaimed allegiance. 'Yeah right,' thought Vergil, 'he's probably plotting to overthrow Sephiroth when the time is right just like I'm planning.' Still, a couple of questions raced through Vergil's mind. Who was the cloaked guy? It seemed as if the cloaked man and Sephiroth had met before. If so, then where and how did they meet? Also, Vergil couldn't help but feel as if Sephiroth was planning something. It was as if Vergil, Ganondorf, and maybe even the cloaked man were all puppets in Sephiroth's game. However, Vergil would still play the role of a pawn until he managed to get some answers.

Characters in this chapter: Auron (FFX), Talim (Soul Calibur series), Chun-Li (Street Fighter series), Cloud (FF7), Sephiroth (FF7), Dante (DMC3), Vergil (DMC3), Link (Legend of Zelda: OoT), Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda: OoT), Zelda (Legend of Zelda: OoT)

As for the small black creatures and the cloaked man, their identities shall be revealed next chapter.