AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Coronavirus. What a bummer!

How are you doing? I hope you're staying safe. I would be really interested to find out more about how COVID-19 has affected you, so if you've got the time I would love you to drop me a DM and let me know you're doing okay.

The most important thing is that you stay safe, you stay well, and that you enjoy today's chapter.

A huge thank you to Tiffanyreigle777, Scarlett-95, YumeTakato and crestoflight3. Your reviews have made me smile so much. Also huge thank you to everyone who has been chatting with me about non-story stuff too; I'm still stuck in isolation, and honestly speaking to people is saving my sanity.

[Side note: This chapter was originally going to go out tomorrow. I'm posting it a day early because crestoflight3 is an absolute angel.]

Enjoy!

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE | JUNIOR HEROES

Thebes was beautiful.

The square was lined with elaborate buildings made from towering ornately-carved columns of polished marble and stone, decorated with flashes of gold or elaborate swathes of fabric. The city was bustling with activity; mismatched market stalls were nestled in to every nook and cranny selling fruits and trinkets and figurines, and the air was filled with the scent of spices and oils and an excitable buzz of conversation.

"It's so busy!" Naminé breathed, her eyes wide with awe. Donald nodded, turning his gaze from one building to the next.

"I'm glad they've got all the repairs done," he said with a satisfied nod.

"Repairs?" Kairi asked.

"Last time we were here, Hades was attacking the city," Goofy explained. His face split in to a grin and he nudged Donald with his elbow. "Hey, looks like they did have insurance after all." He and Donald shared a chuckle; Kairi was glad to see that Naminé looked just as confused as she felt.

"Well, well, well. Look was Ailuros dragged in." The sultry voice made Kairi jump and she span on her heel to find the speaker leaning against a wall behind them.

"Meg!" Donald exclaimed. She smiled and pushed away from the wall, closing the distance between them as her thin lips curled in to a playful smirk. Kairi found herself entranced by the woman and the way she moved with a certain heavy grace; Kairi found herself watching the hypnotic sway of Meg's hips and she felt something uncomfortable burning in her chest.

"Here I thought it had been so long you might have forgotten me," she teased.

"Aw, we'd never forget you!" said Goofy with a bright grin. Meg's smile fell a little and she shifted her weight, wrapping her slender fingers around her hip.

"Where's Sora?" she asked. Donald and Goofy shared an uncertain look that didn't go unnoticed by Meg. The smile fell away completely then and she glanced quickly from one to the other. "Is he all right?"

"He needs your help," Goofy said at last. Donald nodded.

"You and Hercules," he added. Meg's expression grew serious.

"He's at the Coliseum with Phil. I'll take you to him." She glanced at Kairi and Naminé then, and a wave of uncertainty rolled across her face. Goofy smiled and gestured towards them.

"This is Kairi and Naminé. They're friends of Sora's."

"So I guess I'm bringing you two along with us then," Meg said. There was something in her voice that Kairi couldn't make out, and it was adding fuel to the unsettling fire burning in her belly.

"That's right!" said Donald. Meg glanced between them one last time before finally nodding.

"Well, all right," she said, though when she turned to walk away she seemed to think twice. She quickly turned back to Kairi and Naminé. "Don't let Phil get under your skin. He's a grumpy old goat, but he's harmless. Mostly." That didn't help Kairi's nerves, but she forced a smile and nodded nonetheless. Meg watched her closely for an uncomfortable moment before she finally turned away. Donald and Goofy were quick to follow, keeping up a light conversation, but Kairi found her feet rooted to the floor.

"You okay?" Naminé asked. She slid her hand in to Kairi's and squeezed gently, pulling Kairi from her thoughts. She nodded, her eyes trained on Meg. Her deep chocolate hair gleamed in the sun as it swayed back and forth, and her olive skin gleamed like the models in Kairi's favourite magazines used to. She swallowed thickly. Naminé laughed and nudged her with her shoulder. "I know that look." Kairi's ears flushed and she found the strength to peel her feet from the floor. Naminé fell in step beside her.

"There was no look." Naminé only laughed again.

"You have nothing to worry about." Kairi glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and Naminé smiled in return – part understanding and part mischief. Kairi tried not to pout.

"Are all of Sora's friends this pretty?" she asked quietly. Naminé pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Some of them are, and some of them aren't," she answered diplomatically. Before Kairi could complain, Naminé had linked their arms together and dragged her closer, "but none of them hold Sora's heart the way you do. Believe me, I know. I've seen it." The thought was oddly comforting. The shard of Sora's heart sent a warm wash of love running through her limbs and she smiled, feeling the embarrassed flush draining from her cheeks.

Meg led them out of the city along a well-worn cobble path. They passed through a looming stone gorge that towered high above them on both sides before emerging on a small hillock overlooking a great stone building perched atop a hill that gleamed like gold in the sunlight. A bird swooped high overhead, casting its shadow over them, and Meg lifted her fingers to her lips to emit a shrill whistle. The bird looped back on itself to dive towards them, growing bigger and bigger until Kairi realised that it wasn't a bird but a horse – a flying horse with silver-white wings and a startling blue mane. He landed beside them with a loud whinny, nuzzling at Meg's hand until she reluctantly agreed to scratch him behind the ear.

"Pegasus!" Donald squawked. The horse stood to attention and unfurled his wings, fanning them behind his head and strutting like a peacock. Kairi almost thought he was smirking. Meg rolled her eyes and poked his flank.

"You think you could tell wonder-boy that we're on our way?" she asked. The horse tossed his mane with a gleeful whinny before taking to the skies and darting back towards the hill.

"So that's the coliseum?" Naminé asked, shielding her eyes against the sun to peer at the gleaming building. Meg nodded. "It's so pretty."

"Phil's been sprucing the place up ready for the games," she said. "It's taken a few years to repair it after the hydra tried to tear it down. I'm sure Hercules would wouldn't mind a few rounds in the ring if you're up for it."

"Y'know, that might not be a bad idea!" Goofy exclaimed. He glanced over his shoulder with a smile. "We've not fought together much, so it'll be a great place for us to learn how you fight, Kairi." Meg glanced back at Kairi with a surprised expression.

"You fight?" she asked. Kairi nodded.

"Very well!" Naminé said firmly, squeezing Kairi's elbow with hers. Meg offered her a gentle smile.

"I hope I get to see you in action."

The hill was short but steep, and the climb to the coliseum left Kairi's lungs burning. Still she was a sight better than Naminé who had gone red in the face and was clenching her teeth so hard that Kairi saw a vein pulsing in her neck by the time they reached the grand stone doors. Meg suggested they take a break to allow Naminé to recover, but no sooner had she sat heavily in the grass then the doors swung open.

The man who emerged was tall and broad in a way that Kairi had never seen before. Golden skin was wrapped taught around thick, muscled arms, and a leather breastplate had been fitted so tightly around his chest that it was practically a second skin. Gleaming auburn hair had been tied back with a strip of leather, though a wayward lock had fallen across his bright blue eyes. He swept it back with a charming smile as he glanced to each member of the group.

"Meg! Donald and Goofy!" he greeted warmly. "What are you all doing here? Where's Sora?" The concern in his voice made Kairi's heart swell.

"Apparently the kid's got himself in some kind of trouble," Meg answered. The man's smile fell to a look of concern and Kairi felt her heart skip a beat. Naminé cleared her throat and Kairi tore her eyes away to find Naminé watching her with a barely-smothered smirk.

"You're staring," she whispered. Kairi felt her cheeks burning and she swallowed thickly. There was no point trying to deny it. Naminé chuckled a little and reached out to Kairi who quickly pulled her to her feet, taking advantage of an excuse to turn away from the man in the doorway before anyone else noticed her flushed face.

"All right, all right, let's break it up." The new voice was rough, like gravel, and the words carried a thick twang which gave them an unusual lilt. The figure that emerged was not at all what Kairi had been expecting; he was short and squat, with a pot belly and a beard that circled the outside of his jaw, but Kairi found herself torn between staring at the curled horns that sprouted from his balding head, and his goat-like legs complete with wild russet-coloured fur. His beady eyes caught Kairi's and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You like what you see, sweetcheeks?"

Kairi recoiled and she felt Naminé shudder behind her. Meg rolled her eyes and reached down to swat the back of the man's head with a frown.

"Knock it off, Phil," she scolded. Phil scowled and folded his arms while the other man laughed and quickly stepped forwards.

"I don't think we've met," he said, holding out his hand towards Kairi. "My name is Hercules." Kairi accepted the handshake and tried not to focus on how perfectly he held her hand.

"I'm Kairi, and this is Naminé. We're friends of Sora's." Phil snorted.

"Oh I see," he grunted, "we got ourselves a couple of fangirls. Where is he, anyway? It's been too long."

"That's why we're here," said Donald. He quickly explained the situation, glossing over the where's and why's before introducing Naminé and explaining what she would need to do to each of them in order for them to help Sora. Phil stared at her, studying her from head to toe until Kairi shifted her weight to place herself between them.

"Magic, huh?" he grunted. "So you're one of Hecate's minions? What's she up to these days, anyway?"

"Hecate?" Naminé asked.

"Yeah, y'know. Goddess of witchcraft, magic, dreams… She and I weren't exactly on speaking terms last time I saw her."

"I can't imagine why," Meg drawled. Hercules smothered a chuckle and Phil shot him a scathing glare.

"I'm not with Hecate," Naminé said, "but I suppose what I'm doing is a kind of magic."

"Whatever it is, if it'll help Sora then we'll do it," Hercules said, puffing out his (already impressive) chest. Kairi linked her fingers behind her back and dug her fingernails in to her palms. Perhaps Sora's pretty female friends weren't the ones she needed to be worrying about…

"While Naminé's working on that," Goofy began, "we were wondering if we could sign up for one of your tournaments." Phil folded his arms and glanced between them thoughtfully.

"There won't be one for a few weeks, we're still talking politics with the big guy," he said, "but I can put your names down. Don't expect me to be givin' you any pity points because you're a man down - I know you fight better as a trio."

"But we are a trio!" Donald exclaimed.

It took Phil several moments to understand what Donald meant; Kairi saw his beady little eyes glance at her several times as he pieced it together. Slowly his eyebrows crept up his balding head, and after a moment's silence his mouth burst open with a great guffaw. He hugged his gut tightly as he exploded in to such hysterics that his short legs were barely able to keep him upright (and if he carried on much longer, Kairi wasn't sure she wouldn't push him over anyway).

"Her?" he finally wheezed, squealing like a stuck pig as he gestured blindly in Kairi's direction. "What's she gonna do? Kick 'em in the shins?"

"Phil," Hercules murmured with a grimace. Phil doubled over, slapping his knee and wheezing between bursts of laughter.

"Maybe she'll ask 'em nicely," he guffawed. He drew himself up tall and sucked in his guy, fluttering his eyelashes. "Oh please, Mr Bad Guy, sir, won't you please step aside?" He doubled over, clutching at his side and squeezing his eyes shut as he continued to belch laughter. Donald grumbled and Goofy folded his arms.

"Aw, c'mon, Phil. That's not very nice."

"And – and then what? Tie 'em up with a daisy chain? Put flowers in their hair? Oh that's rich!" More laughter; Kairi felt her fingers beginning to tingle. Donald and Goofy shared an awkward glance while Hercules shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing uncertainly to Meg who was watching Kairi carefully. Phil tried to speak again, but his eyes caught Kairi's and he doubled over, clutching at his stomach and howling. "Flowers! Ha ha – flowers!"

Kairi's fingers tightened around the hilt of her keyblade and she surged forwards. The petals atop Destiny's Embrace glinted in the sunlight as the found the underside of Phil's chins, and a deadly hush fell over the group. It took Phil a moment to take in what had happened, and his eyes glanced nervously down at the keyblade.

"Those are some flowers," he offered weakly. Kairi pushed against the keyblade a little harder and he threw his hands up in defence. "Whoa, whoa! Easy! Easy! I didn't know you had one of them keyblades!"

"I think you owe me an apology," she said.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry," he said. She eyed him warily before stepping back and dismissing her keyblade. Phil shuddered and rubbed at his neck, glancing at her carefully. "But, I mean, you can't blame me, toots. You don't exactly look like the fighting type." She wanted to argue, but she supposed he had a point; her lemon sundress and cream cardigan hardly screamed 'Warrior' in the way that Hercules' armour did. Still…

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," she said curtly. Phil shrugged.

"Well sure, but I happen to know that books with girly covers tend to have girly stuff inside them." Kairi didn't really have a response to that, and she was caught entirely off-guard when his face suddenly split in to a grin. "You do got a mean swing, though." He rubbed at his neck again.

"So you'll sign us up?" Donald asked eagerly. Phil rubbed at his chin with a thoughtful frown.

"I can't just go lettin' any old rookie in to the league," he said. He caught Kairi's searing glare and he threw his hands up. "It's nothin' personal, I promise – I don't let anyone in the arena without seein' what they're made of, not even Sora." The sound of his name sent a sobering jolt through her veins and she let out the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.

"That's right!" Goofy proclaimed. "Sora had to go through training before Phil would let us sign up."

"He did?" She glanced to Naminé to make sure that they weren't just trying to placate her; Naminé gave a discrete nod.

"Sure did," Phil answered. "I'd be happy to put you through your paces – in a purely professional way, of course." He added as Meg shot him a disapproving glare.

"It had better be," Meg warned in a dangerous tone.

"Sheesh, women," he muttered (though his bravado didn't keep him from flinching when Meg took an ominous step towards him). "Why don't we leave these guys to it and I'll show you around the arena?"

"We're coming too," Donald said firmly.

"Yeah, that's right! Uh… unless Naminé needs us." Goofy turned to Naminé who smiled and shook her head.

"I'll be all right," she answered with a smile.

The arena was huge, with walls of stone seats rising on either side. Phil trotted to the far end of the arena to retrieve several large barrels which he began positioning around the arena on a variety of ledges and platforms with no small amount of grumbling. Once he was done he wiped the sweat from his brow and trotted back over to them, placing his fists on his hips.

"You got thirty seconds to smash all the barrels," Phil explained. "You ready?" Kairi summoned her keyblade and nodded.

"Ready."

"Okay, kid, let's see what you got."

The first barrels were arranged in a row of three. Each one took a couple of hits before the steel around the top gave way and the bound planks sprang apart from each other. Next she found herself against four barrels, stacked two by two. She took out the lower barrels first, and those on top collapsed as they fell hard on the sandstone floor. Six more barrels waited atop a ledge, and as she leapt in to the air she surrounded herself in a blaze of fire that took out not only her intended targets but also the two stacked barrels behind them, leaving two barrels waiting on opposing platforms. She darted towards the one on the left, tearing through it with her keyblade before sending several shards of ice towards the one on the right. She turned to Phil who's mouth hung agape. The stopwatch hung limp in his hands and Goofy crouched down to read it.

"18 seconds!" he exclaimed. "I think that was faster than Sora!" It seemed to snap Phil from his stupor and he closed his mouth with an audible click.

"Sora wasn't using magic, though," he retorted. Donald snickered.

"You never said she couldn't," he countered. Phil waved a dismissive hand.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Buzz off so I can set up for the next challenge." Kairi dropped down from the ledge and quickly backed out of Phil's way as he stomped towards the back of the arena to get more barrels. Donald and Goofy hurried to her side with beaming smiles.

"Gwarsh, Kairi, that was impressive!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Yeah! You were incredible!" Donald cheered. She felt her cheeks flush.

"It was… they were just barrels," she stammered.

"Magic barrels," Goofy corrected her. "They're the same barrels that Hercules uses for his training, too." Donald nodded enthusiastically

"You're doing great!" Kairi smiled a little as her eyes drifted back to the arena. She watched Phil set up more barrels and ledges. He has summoned pillars too; seemingly placed to prevent her from having a clear shot from one barrel to the next. It seemed he really didn't want her to use magic.

"Round two! This time you got a minute," Phil said as he dusted off his hands. "Let's see if you can bust all thirty."

"Thirty?" Donald squawked. Phil pursed his lips and lifted his nose.

"Well, if you don't think she can do it-"

"I can do it," she said. Goofy scratched his head.

"I thought Sora only had twenty-five when he did it," he murmured. Donald glowered.

"He did." Phil pretended to ignore them.

"The floor's yours," he said, picking the stopwatch out of the dust. "You might wanna get mo-"

Kairi cut him off with a pulse of light that shattered the first barrel on the left as she darted right. The barrels had been spread out, placed in ones and twos, and it would take precious seconds for Kairi to dart between them. She lined up her first shot and tried to launch one barrel in to another, but she misjudged the angle and it instead splintered against a pillar. An idea struck her, and after launching the next barrel in to the air she used a gust of wind to adjust its course. It took out two more barrels in the time it took for Kairi to cross to her next target which she demolished with ease. She was going fast, but it wasn't fast enough. She would have to take out multiple barrels at once, and she wouldn't be able to do it from the ground. She raced from one ledge to the next, climbing higher and higher until she could launch herself in to the air. She locked on to as many barrels as she could see before releasing pearls of light which fell like shooting stars, obliterating the remaining barrels in a blinding flash.

She landed in silence. Phil's eyes were bulging, his jaw almost on the floor, while Donald and Goofy were staring in awe. After a moment they erupted in to cheers and they rushed to her side, wrapping their arms around her in a smothering hug.

"That was amazing!" Donald proclaimed.

"A-hyuck! It sure was, wasn't it, Phil?" Phil shook himself from his stupor at the sound of his name and made his way over, smoothing down several frazzled strands of hair.

"You did good, kid," he said. "I… er… I guess we'll be skipping round three."

"So will you let us in to the Games now, Phil?" Goofy asked eagerly. Phil grimaced and scratched behind his ear.

"Well…. Y'see the thing is, we're still waiting on permission from up high to bring them back for real," he answered. "Zeus ain't too happy about us using those fake heartless no more now that there haven't been any real ones runnin' around for a while, and especially after what happened last time they were here. Herc's been trying to convince him to lighten up, but it's not been going so well."

"Why don't we try?" Donald suggested. "We'll convince him!" Goofy placed a hand on Donald's shoulder.

"We don't have time, remember? We hafta be ready to go as soon as Naminé's all finished." Donald's excitement fell with a heavy sigh and Phil folded his arms.

"Thanks for the offer, but Zeus ain't about to listen to you guys. He's having a bad enough time seeing reason with Herc. Maybe by the time you're all done rescuin' Sora, we'll have this all sorted." He paused and smiled, turning his eyes to Kairi. "It'd be interesting to see you and him fightin' together, if this is what you're capable of on your own." Kairi felt a rush of pride, and she smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you."

"Do you think Zeus would help us?" Goofy asked. "He has memories of Sora too, after all." Phil grimaced and shook his head.

"Probably not," Phil answered heavily. "He's gettin' touchy about who he lets in and out of the pearly gates." Donald folded his arms and scowled.

"Well he only met Sora once anyway," he grumbled.

"Hey, Phil!" Hercules emerged from the vestibule, waving eagerly as he jogged towards them. "Naminé's all done with me, so Meg suggested that you should head inside and get ready to go next."

"Oh did she?" Phil murmured with a frown. "Figures."

"How do you feel?" Goofy asked. Herc's smile wavered then.

"It feels strange, revisiting old memories like that, but it was… it was nice. It felt good to remember Sora." Aerith had said something similar. Kairi's stomach bubbled nervously.

"Well I better get in there before your she-beast has my hide," Phil grumbled. Hercules frowned with disapproval and Phil rolled his eyes and uttered a forced apology, though it was followed by further muttering under his breath as he made his way back inside. Hercules watched him go before turning back to them with a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry about Phil," he said with a hesitant shrug. "He takes some getting used to." His eyes settled on Kairi and she gave him a small smile.

"No problem," she answered. Hercules chuckled.

"No problem…" he repeated. "Sora used to say that a lot, too. Where is he? You guys said he was in trouble but you didn't really explain what happened. Did he manage to get his strength back?" Donald and Goofy shared an uncertain look.

"He did…" Donald answered slowly.

"But?" Hercules prompted.

"Well, we did what we set out to do," Goofy picked up, choosing his words carefully, "but then… somethin' else kinda came up and Sora had to go deal with that." Kairi tried not to grimace. Goofy shot her an apologetic smile when Hercules wasn't looking.

"And that's when he got in to trouble?"

"Pretty much," Donald answered.

"I was always worried he might do something like that," Hercules murmured. "I know I did."

"You did?" Kairi asked. Hercules nodded.

"A long time ago, Meg's life was in danger," he began. "I thought the only way to save her was by sacrificing my strength. It only worked out because… well because I got lucky. Or… unlucky, I guess. Either way, I didn't exactly go in with a plan and I almost paid the price for it." It was a hauntingly familiar story, even against a different backdrop, and Kairi swallowed past the lump in her throat.

"I'm glad it worked out okay in the end," she said. Hercules smiled and nodded.

"It did," he said, "and it'll work out for Sora too, you'll see. With friends like you on his side, I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"That's right!" Goofy agreed firmly. Hercules grinned.

"So how was your training with Phil?" he asked. "He wasn't too tough on you, was he?"

"She was incredible!" Donald exclaimed.

"She smashed it!" Goofy added. Hercules beamed.

"Really?" he asked. "Well how about we see how you do against a moving target?" The challenge caught Kairi off-guard and she felt her stomach clench.

"R-really?"

"Mm-hmm! Why don't you and I go for a little one-on-one? I wanna see what you're made of!" Kairi swallowed nervously; it wasn't so much the spar itself, but more the thought of going toe to toe with someone she'd just met. It seemed to be normal, though, judging by Donald and Goofy's lack of surprise. If anything, they seemed excited by the challenge.

"How about three on one?" Donald suggested, summoning his staff with a flourish.

"That's a great idea!" said Goofy. "That way we can start figurin' out the best way for the three of us to fight together." Hercules grinned and planted his fists on his hips.

"I can take the three of you!" he proclaimed. Donald folded his arms and tapped his foot.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! No sweat," he said with a cocksure grin that made Donald's eyes narrow dangerously.

"Let's do it!" Donald stuck his beak high in to the air and strutted in to the centre of the arena. Hercules grinned and quickly followed him as Kairi and Goofy brought up the rear.

"Isn't three on one a little unfair?" Kairi asked.

"Don't be too worried about hurting Hercules," Goofy said with a kindly smile. "He's got the strength of a god. I think he enjoys the challenge." He certainly seemed eager to get started; he had already reached the other side of the arena and was crouched low, shifting his weight back and forth with an eager smile. Goofy gently nudged her with his elbow. "Now you don't worry about me and Donald. You fight how you normally fight, and we'll figure out the best way that we can support you."

"I hope you're ready, Hercules!" Donald called as Kairi and Goofy readied themselves beside him. Kairi wrapped her hand around the hilt of Destiny's Embrace and took a deep breath.

Hercules charged. Donald thrust his staff in to the air and sent a burst of lightning that scorched the ground by Hercules' feet as he dodged nimbly around the bolts. He was surprisingly fast given his size, and before Kairi could react he was mere steps away from her. She lifted her keyblade to guard against his attack, but as he closed the distance between them he became shrouded in a radiant gold glow. He pulled his fist back, and Kairi found herself wondering if she shouldn't have tried to dodge rather than block.

Goofy appeared out of nowhere. Hercules' fist collided with the gleaming shield and the two of them ricocheted off each other, flying in opposite directions. Kairi didn't waste the opportunity and she rushed forwards, striking Hercules from below and sending him higher in to the air where she landed a short combination before gravity pulled her back down. Hercules kept rising, hovering in the air as the golden glow returned with a flash. He twisted in the air until he was facing the ground and he hurtled towards it, fist first.

The shockwave knocked her off her feet, sending her rolling through the dirt. She rolled back to her feet in time to see Goofy barrelling towards Hercules, spinning like a tornado. Hercules saw him coming and he braced himself, sharp eyes tracking Goofy as he kicked up a whirlwind of sand and dust. As soon as he was in range Hercules released a blinding flash of light, sending Goofy tumbling back. The victory was short lived, however, as Donald leapt up behind Hercules and thrust his staff in to the air.

"Firaza!" Balls of fire the size of Kairi's fist rained from the sky, leaving Hercules with no choice but to dance this way and that in a desperate attempt to avoid them. One caught the back of his tunic and Hercules threw himself in to the dirt to put it out.

"We gotta stop him from glowin'!" Goofy exclaimed. "When he's covered in light, he's invincible." Kairi nodded, watching carefully as Hercules rolled back to his feet.

"Leave it to me," she said. "Can you distract him for a minute?"

"Gladly!" Donald answered. "C'mon, Goofy." The pair surged forwards, Donald casting a barrage of magic from behind the protection of Goofy's shield. Kairi lifted her keyblade, locking on to Hercules and forcing herself to focus until she felt her magic flare in response. She leapt high, throwing her arms wide as she filled the sky with pearls of light. Then she twisted in the air before swooping down towards Hercules and bringing the pearls with her. They raced ahead of her, striking Hercules and sending him flying. As the storm of light came to an end she quickly closed the distance between them and darted past, landing a blow on his side then turning and doing it again. Seven times she struck him before she lost her momentum and dropped to the ground, rolling through the dirt and springing back to her feet, ready for the next attack.

It didn't come. Hercules was lying on his back, limbs akimbo as he stared up in the sky with a dazed sort of smile on his face. Donald and Goofy were hovering nearby; the former staring at her with wide eyes while the latter was inching closer to Hercules, peering nervously around his shield.

"Hercules?" Goofy asked tentatively. "Are you all right?" Hercules let out a belt of laughter.

"That was incredible! I wish that I could say I was going easy on you…" He sat up quickly, though the action was followed by a grimace and his laughter quickly turned to wheezing. Kairi winced and cast a healing spell over him, which only earned her another broad smile as Hercules pulled himself to his feet. "We should go again! Perhaps you can teach me a couple of things!"

"Are you sure you're up for it, Hercules?" Goofy asked. Hercules nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! It's been forever since I've had a chance to fight against a keyblade."

"What about you, Kairi?" Donald asked. Kairi found a small smile pulling at her lips, and she felt a wash of pride emanating from the shard of Sora's heart.

"As long as you're sure," she said, locking eyes with Hercules. His face lit up eagerly.

"Absolutely!"

They went several more rounds with Hercules, and each time Kairi learned something new about Donald or Goofy. Donald's style of fighting was headstrong and fast, and he often went charging in first with his staff at the ready. Goofy was much more withdrawn and tended to wait on the defensive until he was certain that he had an opening. Sometimes he would appear from nowhere to intercept an attack, and he had a habit of glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Kairi or Donald were safe before heading back in to the fight.

Sometimes Donald or Goofy would call a halt to the fight to introduce Kairi to their joint attacks that they used to do with Sora. One saw Kairi launch Goofy high in to the air where he would plummet shield-first towards Hercules, while another saw her lending her magic to Donald so that he could fire out blasts of magic that exploded like fireworks. It was certainly interesting (and more than a little fun) to work so closely with them, especially after all the stories Sora had told her about them, but every time she paired up with them to perform a special attack it left an ache in her chest thinking about the attacks she and Sora had figured out together.

You'll do them again, she told herself as she felt Donald pulling at her magic. The fireworks exploded overhead and Kairi dove up towards them, summoning another shower of pearls that left Hercules lying in the dust and wheezing an exhausted laugh.

The sound of clapping caught her by surprise and she stumbled as she landed, turning to see Meg and Naminé approaching them. It was dusk now, but the cool evening light wasn't to be blamed for Naminé's pale complexion. Kairi rushed towards her, squeezing her hand tightly.

"Are you okay?" Naminé nodded with a tired smile and she squeezed Kairi's hand in return.

"I'm fine, just tired."

"That was quite the show," Meg commented with a sly smile. Hercules trotted over to her, his smile slowly slipping in to concern.

"Is everything all right? I thought you were going to come out and watch."

"And leave Naminé alone with Phil? Not on your life," Meg muttered. She glanced back towards the vestibule where Phil was emerging, his hands tucked behind his back as he waddled closer with an unusual expression on his face. He stopped several paces away, shifting his weight back and forth with a grimace.

"Phil?" Hercules asked. Meg arched an eyebrow.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" she asked pointedly. Phil grumbled and narrowed his eyes at her.

"You did good, kid," he said at last, turning his eyes to Kairi. "I, er… Maybe my first impressions of you weren't exactly accurate." Meg rolled her eyes through a frown and Phil glared at her from the corner of his eye. Kairi smiled.

"Thank you, Phil. I accept your apology." Phil spluttered as his entire face turned beet red, and Kairi couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied – especially when Meg shot her a mischievous smile.

"Yell, well, ain't you guys gotta be movin' on already?" Phil grunted. "Naminé said you'd be heading off as soon as she was done."

"That's right," Goofy said with a nod. "Sora's got a lot of friends that we need to visit."

"Well, then, you better get movin'. Here, take these." He pulled his hands from behind his back to reveal two small pieces of paper which he handed to Kairi and Naminé. "Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Furthermore, I offer my services as a trainer of heroes. Not that you look like you need it, toots."

"Me too?" Naminé asked before Kairi could voice her discomfort at Phil's comment. "I'm not really much of a fighter."

"But you are a hero," Hercules countered. "My father says that a true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Her heart. Your heart! It's big – your heart, that is-"

"You'll have to excuse Wonderboy," Meg interjected, placing a hand on Hercules' elbow. He smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. "He doesn't do well around women."

"He just doesn't have the experience," said Phil.

"Neither do you," Meg countered. He puffed out his chest and planted his fists on his hips with a searing glare.

"I've been around plenty of women."

"How many of them have known?"

"We should probably get goin'!" Goofy said loudly. "It was good to see you all again."

"And you," Hercules said quickly, the flush slowly fading from his cheeks. "Tell Sora we said hi. I hope we'll see him again soon."

"He won't stay away for long if he knows there's a tournament to win," said Donald.

"I hope we see you back to fight too, Kairi. I wouldn't mind another rematch." Kairi smiled and slipped the certificate in to her pocket before extending her hand towards Hercules for a handshake.

"You're on."

They waited until they were outside the Coliseum before they pulled the Gummi ship gems from their pockets. It was nighttime now, and a tranquil hush had settled over the valley as the stars were beginning to emerge. Donald was gazing up at them intently, searching the skies, and as the Coliseum doors swung closed behind them he squawked and pointed up at the sky.

"Goofy! Look!"

Goofy followed his gaze, and after a brief moment of searching his eyes widened. He stood next to Donald then and placed one hand on his shoulder whilst the other wiped a tear from his cheek. Naminé stood next to Kairi and took her hand, leaning her head on Kairi's shoulder.

"Kairi, do you see it?"

It took Kairi a moment of searching before she could see what the others did, but once she saw it she wondered how she'd ever missed it. Several stars gleamed in the inky canopy above, outlining three distinct silhouettes – Goofy on the left, Donald on the right, and Sora standing proudly in the middle.

"Do you think he knows what we're doing?" Naminé asked softly. "Do you think he can feel it?" Kairi placed her hand over her heart, reaching out to the shard and to the connection beyond. Nothing had changed, and yet…

"I think he does," she whispered, resting her head atop Naminé's.

What's that? It took 31 chapters for people to finally start seeing Kairi's potential and for Kairi to finally start believing in herself? About time!

(Stuck in lockdown? Fancy a chat? My inbox is open…)

Another world down, nineteen more to go! Which ones do you want to see? Smash that review button and let me know!

See you next time.