OOOOO
She Will Light The Way
Chapter Nine
Can't We Get Beyond Underdrome?
Swept away from the sunny sanctuary of Twilight Town, two redheads traveled through the darkness, the endless winding roads of the Realm of Darkness.
Axel, the fiery renegade Nobody, dragged his captive behind him, having chased her across the Realm of Light, before finally seizing onto his prey.
Kairi, struggled in vain against her captor. She tried to wriggle out of his grip, but his hand was seized around her wrist, ironclad tight. She tried to act as dead weight, but Axel was far too strong for that, easily able to literally drag the slight teenage girl behind him. And while she had taken a self-defense course, Axel towered over her in height, and had the reach to match, and always kept Kairi far enough away to prevent her from doing anything more than feebly pounding on his arm.
With that as her only option, Kairi did just that, smashing her free fist against any point of purchase she could find. Her strikes lacked power, and they weren't hitting anything vulnerable, but they were frequent. And annoying.
And, after enough shots, Axel clearly had enough.
"Will you stop!?" Axel roared, stopping his forward progress. "Why can't you just follow along like a good little Princess, huh?"
"I'm not following you anywhere, you creep!" Kairi spat out, still flailing and hitting her tormentor. Him stopping was a good start, but he needed to bait him further... "You're just some gross asshole who's probably trying to hurt Sora! I don't care what you do to me, I'm not coming along without a fight!" Normally she would not be so defiant towards a being much more powerful than her, but she needed to be insulting. Vitriolic. She needed Axel to loose his temper.
"I am not trying to hurt Sora!" The Nobody fired back. "He just has something I want. Something I need. And I think you're the key to getting what I want." His tone was condescending and reductive. "So, why don't you be a good little damsel, stay quiet and smile politely, and you'll get to see your boyfriend soon enough. You win. I win." Axel pulled Kairi in close, from arm's length to almost chest-to-chest.
And that was what Kairi was counting on.
"Got it memo-"
Kairi twisted herself so her back was to her kidnapper and then, with all her might, elbowed him right in the solar plexus. Axel's choked on his own catch phrase, rearing back in pain, his grip loosening, but still not enough for Kairi to tear away. Still, she persisted. She stamped down on Axel's right foot, aiming for the instep, hoping she could muster enough strength to apply pressure through his boot. Axel hunched over from the pain, cursing under his breath, finally releasing his grip on Kairi's wrist. With both her hands free, Kairi formed a ball and swung wildly, slamming into Axel's nose with a hammering blow, before sprinting away, running back down the path she had been dragged along.
But she only managed to run a couple dozen feet away, before she heard him say, "So we're doing this the hard way, huh?"
Raging walls of flame sprung up from the ground, at either end of the stone road, cutting off all passage. Kairi barely came to a stop in time, feeling the heat of the wall, almost being scorched by the sheer convection of it. In an instant, she was trapped.
"You know, I was just gonna nab you and run, as a service. A courtesy." Axel stalked towards her, looking furious. Beyond furious, he looked enrage, barely holding it together. "But, hey, if you want to be difficult, I have no problem roughing you up a little before hand." Flames appeared, lighting up Axel's hands and wrists.
"Funny. I was going to tell you much the same."
A shadowed figure appeared in the flames behind Axel – the wall furthest from Kairi. Emerging from beyond the fiery barrier came another imposing, monstrous man dressed in the same black cloak as Axel, this one with pale blue hair, a hideous "X" shaped scar across his face, and an impossibly cold and distant demeanor.
The stranger unflinchingly passed through the wall as if it were air, the flames not singing a single hair on his head or fiber of his cloak.
"Saix!" Axel called out, pivoting to face him.
"Traitor." Saix returned, the only emotion he displayed was a brief show of his canines.
With a wave of Axel's hands, the flames abated. "Kairi, get out of here." He ordered. "I know I seem like the bad guy but, trust me, this is the real big bad right here."
Kairi nodded dumbly, and did what she was bid. Whatever the situation, she did not want to be anywhere near the area when these two started throwing down. Besides the fact that both of them, and her current environs, all gave her the creeps.
Axel let a jet of flame fly at his enemy.
Saix moved with an insane burst of speed, colliding into the fire as if it wasn't there. A black-and-blue blur of death rushed towards Axel. Something happened and Axel screamed; a bloodcurdling howl of horror and pain that echoed through the vacuous, dark space. This caused Kairi to stop and turn around, sheer curiosity catching up to her, and she deeply regretted that fact.
One of Saix's gloved hands was sticking out the other side of Axel. Cleanly piercing through the fire elemental's body. Kairi's stomach did flips in revulsion, her knees locking in pure fight. She had stumbled into a realm of monsters...
Still defiant, and with enough fight still in him, Axel pushed off of Saix, loosening his body from the foreign hand. Creating much-needed separation, Axel wreathed his whole left arm in flame and lunged at the other Nobody, swinging wildly and unleashing a violent cry.
With his expression not changing an ounce, Saix casually caught the Axel's fist with the hand still covered in ichor. Just as easily as Axel had nabbed Kairi, Saix seized Axel's hand, snuffing out his fire. The two struggled against each other for a while, but Saix was clearly the stronger of the two, even without the cavernous wound in Axel's chest cavity. The sound of bones snapping and cracking echoed out through the void, first Axel's hands as Saix enclosed his around it, but then he began to twist and bend Axel's arms, contorting it to odd, alien angles, no doubt causing the radius, ulna, and humerus to snap and crack and fragment.
Once more, Axel wailed in agony, as Kairi's blood ran cold. This was so horrific, and yet she couldn't find it within herself to pull or turn away.
It seemed that if Saix was not currently holding on to his mangled arm, Axel would not be standing at the point. In fact, it seemed it was a miracle he was conscious at all, given the pain he was suffering.
"Isa..." Axel huffed in a ragged, laboured breath. "Why are you doing this...?" One of his legs gave out, so Axel was now looking up at the other Nobody. "What happened to us? We were friends... We were suppose to be in this together. Why did you betray me and join Xemnas...?"
For the first time, Saix actually deigned to show emotion, his face twisting into a horrific, frightful glower.
"My name is Saix! I discarded that worthless persona long ago." Saix effortlessly lifted Axel over his head, still only holding on to his one hand. "And I did not betray anyone, the only traitor here is you!" Saix snarled as he brought Axel down from the apex, bringing the fiery Nobody down, and warping his spine around his knee and thigh. Once more, the sound of snapping bones rang out. "And as I vowed to the Superior, I would root out and eliminate any betrayers in our midst."
Once more Saix picked up Axel, letting him dangle in the air. The redhead's entire lower body was warped and twisted, sticking out at odd, impossible angles. His eyes flitted open and close, barely able to hold on.
Ghostly blue flame lit up on Saix's free hand, who formed it into a claw.
"But I will thank you for leading us to the girl. The Organization thanks you for your final contribution, Number VIII.
"Farewell."
Lashing out with the clawed hand, Saix easily tore through Axel's left shoulder, severing the twisted, mangled arm from his twisted mangled body.
Axel went flying through the air, over the edge of the stone road, vanishing into the void without another word.
Kairi's legs gave out on her. She sank to her knees and wanted to scream in terror, but her voice bunched up in her throat. She knew she need to run or hid or do anything but her body refused to answer the primal call.
It was too late, anyways.
Saix tossed aside Axel's severed limb like so much refuse and approached her.
"Now, little girl, come along. Otherwise, I would have to give you a similar treatment to our traitor. And I would hate having to rough up such an important asset..."
Kairi woke up in a cold sweat.
-O-SWLTW-O-
"Kairi?" Yuna softly rapped on the surface of Kairi's bedroom door. "Are you up, yet?"
There was no reply. Yuna knocked again.
"Are you okay? Please say something, we're all worried about you."
Again, no response. Yuna sighed. There was only one way to rectify this.
"I'm coming in then, okay?" Yuna said. The dual-eyed girl then slowly slid the door open and entered.
It had been two days since the nightmare on Beast's Castle (and that was putting things lightly...) and things had not been going well, to say the least. Yuna's hasty Cure spell on Paine had proven to be an absolute blessing, in hindsight, as the stern swordswoman was able to rouse herself out of unconscious, not too long after Kairi bested Xaldin. Thinking quick and acting quicker, Paine gathered up her allies and hurriedly got them back to the ship, leaving without even sparing a second thought to the fate of Belle or Beast. Back on the ship, Paine stuffed as many Potions and Ethers into her three allies as she could, trying to stabilize their wounds and at least get Yuna up on her feet so that her and her White Magic could get to work.
By now, they were all basically fully recovered. Physically, at least. The psychological and mental scars, however, ran much deeper. The Gullwings certainly had their pride damaged, and would not forget their near-brush with death anytime soon, but Kairi was an utter wreck. The very first thing she did when revived was retch and dry heave, before breaking down into body-rocking sobs, tearfully muttering how thankful she was everyone was alive. Beyond that, she basically holed herself up in her room, only leaving to eat or to receive further treatment from Yuna. She barely ate, spoke even less, and carried with her an aura of despair, so heavy it was almost tangible.
The experience had broken her spirit. After some much welcomed forward progress, Kairi's confidence was sent tumbling backwards, regressing even past their first landing in Twilight Town.
Yuna was gravely worried for her friend. Not just for the sake of the mission, or her future as a warrior, but as a person. This was a horrible traumatic experience to go through, and the last thing Yuna wanted was to see anyone dragged down by the choking shackles of despair.
Yuna turned the lights on as she entered the room, seeing Kairi was huddled up on top of her bed, still dressed in her pajamas, her hair in a tangled mess. The redhead didn't so much as look at her as she entered and crossed the distance between them.
"We haven't seen you all day, are you hungry at all?" Yuna asked. Kairi didn't reply and just shook her head, not even bothering to look. Heartbreak and loss and suffering were all delicate subjects, so Yuna was doing her best to not force Kairi to do anything before she was ready. Just keep things polite and gentle.
Yuna sat down on the edge of the bed, one foot on the ground, turning to face her companion. "Did you sleep well last night?" Nightmares had been plaguing the girl, most of Xaldin, but sometimes of other things. Her kidnapping and Sora's bargain with the Organization. Flashbacks to prior traumas. Somehow they were worse than any dark fantasy her mind could conjure.
Kairi didn't answer.
"We got a heading, by the way. The next Blackheart Stone. It's fairly far out, though, so it will be a few days, still."
Kairi didn't answer.
"Your wounds look like they've healed up well, but how are you feeling? Is there any lingering pain anywhere?"
Kairi didn't answer.
"Have you thought maybe you'd like to get back to training? We can start slow, if you don't feel up to it, just simple stretches and exercises."
Kairi didn't answer.
Yuna sighed and scratched her head through her brown hair. This was getting her nowhere. The worst feeling in the world was wanting to help someone but not knowing how. Yuna craned her neck about and saw a small book laying on top of Kairi's nightstand. Her interest piqued, Yuna reached out towards it.
"No, don't." Kairi's voice was small and raspy, but the suddenness caused Yuna to freeze all the same. "I... just... that's Sora's... It's his and don't want anyone else going through it. Sorry..."
Yuna felt like she should be offended by that sentiment, but she was just grateful Kairi was speaking at all. "No, I'm sorry. I should have asked first."
Silence overtook the two girls, as Yuna hopefully looked at Kairi. For a brief moment, the two did lock eyes, Kairi's big purple-blue eyes wide and shaking, tearful, before Kairi averted her gaze, looking down and covering her head with her hands. Seeing that this might be a fruitless venture, Yuna declined her head politely, before heading to the door.
Once more, Kairi's voice caused her to stop.
"Yuna... What am I suppose to do?"
The brunette gunslinger turned around to face her friend, seeing that Kairi was trembling like a leaf, holding onto herself, as if just saying those words expended a tremendous amount of effort.
"How am suppose to keep going after all that? Every waking and sleeping moment, I'm back there... I can see and hear and feel everything all over again! Every time I tell myself I'm going to get over it and move on, that terror returns. It holds onto my heart and my entire body becomes paralyzed! I-I-I don't even know if Belle and Beast are okay! What am I suppose to do if two of Sora's oldest friends died because of me?"
Tears had begun to well up in Kairi's eyes by the end of her outburst, as she and Yuna met each other's gazes again. This time, Kairi remained unerring in her stare, desperately looking for advice.
"Please, Yuna, please tell me, what am I suppose to do?"
Yuna entered a state of quiet thought, being very deliberate in choosing her words. This was an incredibly crucial point in Kairi's journey, and Yuna wanted to do everything she could to help her out of this dark place.
"I think what's important, right now..." Yuna began after a long while, speaking slowly, still taking time to consider her words. "Right now, you can't let that fear take control of you, Kairi, otherwise we're all lost. And I know it's hard, but it's what has to be done. Just because we were all beaten back then doesn't erase all the hard work we've already put in. All the good you've done. You destroyed three Stones already, you restored peace to three worlds... even if Belle and the Beast got hurt, we all survived, I'm sure they did too.
"No matter how hard it is, you need to keep having faith in yourself, Kairi. Because we all still have faith in you."
Once more, the two just stared at each other for a long while, Kairi only nodding her head very slowly. While Yuna dearly believed the words she spoke, she knew no words could fully assuage Kairi's fears. Especially considering Yuna had not been able to answer the most important question. The unanswered question.
"What do I do when we encounter the Organization again?"
Because Yuna didn't know how to solve that question, either.
Wishing her well, Yuna excused herself and traversed through the sterile halls of the ship.
What am I suppose to do? What are we suppose to do? Yuna thought, as she headed towards the galley. Very good questions, Kairi...
Paine and Rikku were currently crowding at the table in the galley, trying to keep themselves busy. Paine was at work on maintenance for her equipment, polishing her shield and sharpening her sword. Rikku had monopolized most of the tabletop, currently rummaging through a big toolbox, while more of the space was strewn with wires and small circuit boards and chips and various other pieces of electronic equipment. The Al-Bhed girl had buried herself in her work since recovering, working fervently on making a portable radar to find the Stones easier.
"Well, how is she?" Paine asked, as Yuna entered the room, not even looking up from her shield. Of course Paine knew she went to visit Kairi. The dark-clad woman was nothing if not shrewd.
"Not great." Yuna said with a sigh. "I was actually able to talk to her for a bit, trying to bolster her spirits, but... I don't know how much good it will do. She's broken, she's scared for herself, worried about others, and doubting her skills..." Yuna trailed off, trying to find more words that just wasn't just repeating herself, but failing, unable to fully convey her worries.
"I mean, we all went through that hell and you don't see any of us becoming a freakin' hikikomori." Riku reflexively brought a hand to her stomach, before pulling it away, then going back to her work.
"We've been doing this for a long time." Yuna countered her cousin. "We know what it's like to suffer a loss like this, and we know how to bounce back. We have the experience..." She then hopefully looked towards Paine.
"There's not a whole lot we can do, Yuna." Paine said. "She's either going to learn how to work through the trauma and the pain and come out of this, or -"
"Or?"
"Or she falls into a depressive mess and we're all doomed."
Rikku threw her hands up in frustration. "Well, that's great! Thanks for the rousing, motivating talk there, Paine!"
"You're welcome."
The two began to playfully bicker with one another. At least the two of them were normal. Normal as they could be. Yuna was thankful for that. She knew she was taking a lot on herself, trying to guide Kairi in the best way possible (defeated by depression or not), so having her two constant companions at her side meant the world to her.
"Well, I suppose it's time for some drastic action..." Yuna said to herself, before turning on her heel and heading in the direction of the bridge."
"Where are you heading to?" Paine asked, while holding Rikku at bay with the length of her arm. Her other hand held up some piece of tech, playing keep-away with the blonde.
"I'm going to plot a course to a new world."
"We already have a heading, Yuna. There's no Stones in the immediate area."
"I know that, that's why we're making a detour to a world without a Stone." Yuna looked over her shoulder, knowing Paine would be scrutinizing her for that declaration. Indeed, she found a pair of red eyes trained on her. "I know going out into the field is dangerous in general, but I feel like just throwing her back into a mission is a mistake. She needs to find something to ease the pain in her heart and reignite her spirit. To understand that failure is not an end, but just another part of being a hero."
Paine stared at Yuna, but offered her support. "I trust your judgement on this, Yuna. Do you have a specific world in mind?"
"I do." Paine's support was incredibly important to Yuna, as she herself didn't exactly know what she was doing. Yuna was use to being the heroine with the weight of her world on her shoulders, not mentoring one.
As Yuna made her way to the bridge, she did have a few worlds in mind. They could trace their path all the way back to Hollow Bastion, touch base with Leon and the others, but she figured they didn't have much of a connection with Kairi, either, and couldn't offer more support than the Gullwings already could. Another idea was the go back to her home, the Destiny Islands. Seeing her family and friends again would certainly boost Kairi's spirits, but, on the same hand, from now on, there was always a chance they could encounter the Organization on any world, and one of those monsters unleashing hell on Kairi's home would do even more damage to her heart.
With those two options ruled out, Yuna had one idea left. A world neither she nor Kairi had been to. A world that seemed tailor-made to helping a hero would had lost their fighting spirit and their confidence. A world where myths were very much real.
Yuna punched the coordinates into the console.
A world of monsters, heroes, and Gods.
-O-SWLTW-O-
Two days past from that point, and it seemed Yuna's pep talk had done some good to Kairi. Or, rather, the girl was trying to put on a brave front, trying to push pass the gnawing dread that now lived in the deepest pit of her stomach. She did her best to get back to her training in earnest, but with only one day left, and just in case of lingering injury, her schedule was much lighter than usual. Probably for the best too, as Kairi found suppressing all this anxiety and doubt was exhausting her and putting a colossal strain on her ability to focus in the moment.
Still, the time had come to move on to the next world (even though Kairi could swear Yuna said the world with the next Stone was pretty far away. She must be misremembering). Warping in, the four found themselves in a wide-open sandlot. The ruins of a once great building lie before them while, directly opposite of the ruins, was a gate that led... down? That seemed odd...
"Yo, Red, you sure you're okay?" Rikku questioned the instant they beamed in, as everyone was still getting their lay of the land.
"Me? Yeah. Of course. I'm totally fine." Kairi forced herself to make a very unnatural and hollow smile, trying to ensure her companions she would be okay.
But, "okay" was about the furthest thing away from what she was. The aforementioned dread lurked in her stomach, and she knew if she stood still for too long, she would begin to shake and tremble. Kairi felt like she could probably handle some Heartless at the moment, maybe even a Guardian... if only her and the Gullwings were present. She had no trust in her ability to help and protect others or noncombatants. And heaven help if the Gullwings got hurt again. Or if she encountered another Organization member. Then she felt like she would crumble into pieces. Or petrify on the spot. Or turn tail and run. Or any other of number of courses of action that revealed her true cowardice, rendering all the anxiety she possessed for the world to see.
Still, Kairi tried to press on. Even if it was readily apparent she was not in the right state of mind. Beyond her empty, forced smile, her entire body was entirely tight and wound up. Her shoulders clenched and held high, hands balled into fists, movements very stiff. The redhead looked like one wrong touch in the wrong spot would cause her to break. Both physically and mentally.
All of this was clear to the Gullwings, who shared a look with one another after Kairi's answer. "Whatever you say, then." Came Paine's reply. "Guess we should get things started, then. Figure out what to do."
"What do you mean, Paine?" Kairi asked. "We're going to find the Blackheart Stone. What else would we do?"
"Right, silly me." Paine cast a look towards Yuna, who used her mismatched eyes to ask for Paine's trust and patience.
After the fiasco on Beast's Castle (not the stuff with Xaldin, the less life endangering fiasco), Kairi had made certain to memorize certain aspects of Sora's journey, so that she could recognize worlds and his allies on sight.
At least I found some task I won't screw up. Her guilty thoughts resonated in her own mind.
And even if the area they were in was rather barren, Kairi was able to immediately identify the worlds as Olympus Coliseum. She had read that some horrible monster had destroyed the Coliseum building itself, which made her a little sad. Sora's own notes had him recall his first adventure, remembering the Coliseum as a grand and wonderful place. Even if Kairi didn't necessarily care for combat sports, she still wish she could have seen it's former splendor. But, there was still work to be done, so she didn't have time to be taken in by flights of fancy, reliving Sora's past.
Sora never failed like I did, either. I bet he never let his friends get seriously hurt. Or almost died, pathetically and forgotten.
There were others gathered in the sandlot, as well, three people standing in a corner near the far gateway that led downwards: a brunette woman, tall and curvaceous, dressed in a lavender toga; a small, portly goat-man, horns and hooves and everything; and a tall, statuesque, incredibly muscular looking man, broad shoulders and titanic biceps, dressed in bronze armour and with rusty red hair.
Kairi recognized all three of them on the spot.
"Excuse me. Hello. Hercules. Megara. Philocletes." Kairi greeted, trying to sound friendly, but it just came off as forced. Her words and tone were as stiff as her movement. "My name is Kairi and I-"
"Okay, first of all, ix-nay on the 'Philocletes', there." Phil interrupted, gruffly, pointing a finger in Kairi's direction. He, along with both Hercules and Megara, had turned about, getting their first good look at Kairi and the approaching Gullwings. "It's just 'Phil'. Second of all Chickadee," Kairi mouthed the word back in confusion, "I'll tell you what I've been tellin' everyone the past couple a' days. Just 'cause my boy is in a bit of a slump, doesn't mean I'm acceptin' new applicants. So, I just got one word for the four of ya:
"GET OUT!"
"That's two words." Paine noted, bluntly.
"No, no, no, no. I'm not looking for anything from you, I, uh, I just..." Kairi looked and sounded totally flustered. "What we're here for, well, I, uh... Sora! And the Stone is busy so we came..."
Kairi babbled without direction or course for a while, just letting words and words fall out of her mouth, drawing confused looks from the trio standing before her. The Gullwings all exchanged a grim look, seeing how rattled the Key Bearer got at the slightest thing.
Finally, Yuna spoke up, covering for her friend. "We're friends of Sora. Well, Kairi is. The three of us are just sort of acquaintances. He's... a little busy at the moment, so we've come around to lend a helping hand to all of his allies."
Kairi breathed a sigh of relief at Yuna's lifeline, looking ashamed at herself for the unseemly display.
"Oh, you're friends of the Junior Hero, huh? Why didn't ya say somethin', then?"
Rikku snickered and snorted. "Junior Hero?"
"Well, you certainly have good timing like Sora, if that's the case." Megara said, eyes switching between the rumble before her and Hercules, who was wearing a glum and unsure look. "We're in a bit of a bind here – Wonderboy more than anyone – and any extra help would be appreciated.
The two groups then proceeded to exchange more formal and proper introductions (Rikku immediately took to eyeballing Hercules, up and down, trying to touch his muscles, something Megara certainly did not appreciate). Yuna mostly spoke for the Gullwings, Kairi finding herself stumbling over her tongue and own words, feeling like an utter fool. The girls shared the basic gist of their mission, briefly mentioning the Blackheart Stones (but only after Kairi hurriedly reminded Yuna to bring them up), while Megara and Phil recalled the unfortunate events that had rippled through the Coliseum in recent days.
Hercules told the story of him getting involved in match after match at the Coliseum, facing any challenger – human, monstrous or otherwise – that came his way, and then assisting Sora in freeing Meg and besting some villain. It seemed that even a Demigod like Hercules only possessed a great amount of stamina, not infinite, and couldn't be everywhere at once, as in his absence, the Coliseum was destroyed. As a result, Hercules was currently under a massive crisis of confidence, the guilt of his absence still weighing the heroic warrior down, not to mention the sheer fatigue he was suffering through.
"... I feel like I've let everyone down." Hercules shook his head in shame, while Megara comforted him. "Not just myself, or Phil, but the staff at the Coliseum, the townsfolk – this was a pillar of the community, and now it's gone..."
"Great, so we're have two sadsack heroes on our hands..." Paine muttered under her breath.
"Well, I mean, it's just a building right?" Rikku pointed out, examining the ruined stone littering the yard. "Why don't ya just slap an 'Out of Order' sign on the doors and rebuild?"
"Ain't that simple, toots." Phil said. Rikku looked peeved as being referred to in such a manner. "The battles in the Coliseums are an offering to the Gods. It's a tribute. A show. It's important. Even if we do just rebuild, someone somewhere has to hold the games in the meantime."
"And unfortunately Hades has taken just such a time to reopen the Underdrome." Hercules explained, casting a look at the doorway that lead down in the earth, Kairi now understanding it was a gate to the underworld itself.
"Still don't know which numbskull was crazy enough to unseal that nightmare."
"Probably some careless idiot." Rikku said, unknowingly insulting Sora.
Phil shook his head and grumbled a curse. "But, that lousy hothead can't just monopolize things. The Coliseum may be broken, but it ain't closed. So, we're gonna settle things the way we always settle things – in the games!"
"You're having a tournament?" Yuna asked.
Before anyone else could reply, as if on cue, there was a dramatic burst of flame and smoke, ushering in an imposing figure into the lot. Riding around on a chariot pulled by a skeletal horse, the being possessed ashen grey skin, dressed in a black toga, and lacked hair, instead his head was capped with a wisp of bright blue flame. He looked elated, ecstatic, beyond jubilant. The happiest a man or God could possibly be.
"That's right, that's right, a tournament! A most glorious tournament!" The being declared, taking a few more laps around the yard, earning glares from Phil, Meg, and Herc. "Listen here schumcks, the Underdrome is back! And to commemorate such an occasion, Hades – that's me, by the way, in case you forgot. Y'know? God of the Dead? Lord of the Underworld? Me! – proudly presents the Kronus Kup! Named after my dear old departed daddy, that miserable old coot – and it will decide the ultimate fate of the Coliseum! Will the grand-spanking newly refurbished Underdrome rule the roost – with me as promoter and commissioner, of course – or are we gonna keep playing in this rinky dink kiddy pool on the surface?"
"Someone sure likes the sound of their own voice." Paine grumbled in reaction Hades's erratic, self-aggrandizing, rapid-fire speech.
The chariot came to a skidding stop, allowing Hades to loom over the collected seven people. "And lemme tell ya folks, we got a doozy of an inaugural contest here. Are good old Blunderboy, old reliable, the reigning Champ-ee-own, Herc-a-Jerk, standing against hordes and hordes of personally curated Heartless. Winner take all!"
Now the picture was becoming clearer. Obviously Hercules had no choice but to participate in the tournament, but he was clearly the only human competitor fighting for the Coliseum, facing endless teams of Heartless. If he slipped up even once, it was all over. And considering his current state of mind and body...
"And this time," Hades continued, not allowing anyone to get a word in edgewise. "No interloping twerp is going to get in my way and-" For the first time, Hades got a good look at Kairi, and this caused him to finally cease his yacking. "...Key Boy looks a lot different this time around." He spared a look at he Gullwings, leering at Paine in particular. "So does his usual entourage of idiots There's three of them, for one. Well, no matter. No matter! And you know why? Because I can't lose this time! Finally, everything is going Hades' way."
"Lookie here, freakshow," Rikku began, delivering a biting tone and annoyed glare on behalf of the entire group. "We were sort of in the middle of an important conversation here, before you butted in. So, why don't you take all your big fancy words, your big fancy chariot, and you big, fancy, dead horse and go away." She then flicked her hands at the wrist. "Shoo. Shoo shoo."
Hades only chuckled at the censure. "Ah, the little blonde one has some chutzpah. I like."
"Wait, I'm dead!?" The skeletal horse questioned, in a deep, reverberating voice.
"Do what the girl said and go slink back under whichever rock you crawled out of." Megara spat, glaring daggers at the Deity.
"Settle down, little Nutmeg. Some good nature taunting is just a part of the show. Builds the program. Gets the audience more invested." Hades then turned his attention to Hercules, drawing up to match him in height. "And seriously, Blunderboy? You're gonna let a bunch of girls talk smack of you? Or did you lose your voice along with your spine?"
That seemed to earn the ire of the hero, his face twisting in anger, even if his weariness still reflected in his eyes. "I'll let my fists do the talking in the ring, Hades. Just you wait."
Hades' eyes alighted maliciously, black lips parting to revealing tiny, pointed teeth, practically salivating at the idea of forcing Hercules through this meat-grinder of a tournament. He looked every bit as terrifying and fearsome as a God of the Dead should...
...But this menacing aura was quickly dispelled when his undead horse turned to him, asking him in a distressed voice.
"Why didn't you tell me I was dead?"
Hades' face fell flat, giving out an exasperated sigh. The moment ruined like the Coliseum, Hades snapped his fingers, causing him, his chariot, and his fancy dead horse to vanish in a puff of smoke and brimstone.
"I guess that educates everyone on the full scale of what's going on." Meg summed up with her typical sardonic tone. "Wonder Boy's in the tournie, but every other competitor are Heartless. If he slips up even once, then the Coliseum is done for, and it's Underdrome all day, every day from here on out."
"Well, we're not going to let that happen!" Kairi declared, pumping her fists, her body still buzzing with nervous energy. "We're here, we can lend a hand." She looked to the Gullwings for support, Yuna offering a reassuring nod. "We can join with Hercules in the tournament, and then we can hunt for the Stone."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your Mares of Diomedes there Chickadee." Once more, Kairi was confused by Phil's nickname. "I can't in good conscious let a bunch of newbies fresh to the circuit into that slaughterhouse. Rule forty-four clearly states that all fighters have to go through their paces and pay their dues before they get their chance in the big leagues." Paine snorted, derisively
"No." The white-haired woman said, brusquely. "We're not going to have our value judged by some tubby old billy-goat." She stared down at Phil, who was taken aback someone challenged him on such a matter. "We're gonna fight, whether you like it or not."
"Hey, listen here! I'm the Trainer here, and what I say-"
"Phil!" Hercules interjected. "They're friends with Sora, I think we can trust them and rely on them. And besides," Hercules looked over at Kairi and the Gullwings, once more looking ashamed at himself, as his next words were already on his lips. "...Besides, in this state, I could use all the help I can get. I don't know if I can get the job done on my own anymore."
"You can count on us, Herc..." Kairi replied. "I'll do everything I can to help out all of Sora's friends." The redhead then noticed her right hand was trembling. She seized it with her other hand, steadying it, hoping no one else noticed.
"Eh, what I wouldn't give to have even the Junior Hero around," Phil grumbled, defeated, "but I guess any port in a storm. Let's go then!" Phil waved everyone on, as he started trotting towards to the gate to the Underworld. "I'm serious, let's go! First match is in an hour!"
"An hour?" Kairi repeated in surprise, voice rising a few octaves.
"Less than an hour, but that's not important. We gotta warm up. Train. Stretch. Strategize. It all comes down to six words: prepare to win, or prepare to fail."
Hercules and Megara followed behind, the trio of native eventually vanishing down the stairway, leaving Kairi and her entourage to lag behind.
Finally, as the party began to move, Paine abruptly said. "I don't like him. The goat."
"Come on guys, I know we're just sort of thrown into this, but it's still important." Kairi said, trying to bolster and cheer on her team. "We have to do what we can to help others along the way, too. Not just focus on the mission."
Kairi ran ahead to join Hercules and the others, while the Gullwings focused less on what she said, and more on the words she left out.
"We have to do what we can to help others, because I failed before, and I need to make it up to myself."
"She's gonna break, guys." Rikku summed up. "She's pushing herself, too soon, too fast. Red ain't herself, still."
"We just need to keep faith. That she can find her courage once again." Yuna replied, trying to buoy the general air of the group, but even she realized how hollow her words were. She didn't even know where to begin in how to help her.
Paine seemed to be of similar mind.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Yuna."
"I hope so, too, Paine."
-O-SWLTW-O-
"You've got to be kidding me!? That little bird iced Xaldin? How!?"
Xigbar's angry rant echoed through the Organization's meeting chamber. Word had just made their way of Xaldin's failure and his demise, as well as the fact that their enemy was barely able to escape with her life. Now, only four Nobodies found themselves occupying the precipitous, towering, impractical thrones, coming to terms with the untimely end of their comrade.
Saix gave a dismissive shake of his head at Xigbar's outburst. "If he fell in combat to that pathetic girl, then Xaldin truly wasn't worth of sitting here with us." The eyepatched Nobody slammed his fist on his throne's arm.
"Watch your mouth, you overgrown house cat!" Xigbar spat, glaring at Saix. Saix barely reacted to the threat. "Me, Xaldin, and the Superior were the ones who started this whole deal, so I ain't gonna let you run your mouth and insult him, ya hear?"
Saix reared up, ready to fire back – either physically or verbally or both – before Xemnas held up a hand, demanding quiet and calm, which the Superior received.
"This is neither the time nor the place to bicker amongst ourselves, Number II. Number VII. There are more important matters at hand."
"All too correct, Superior." Luxord chimed in. "We need to show solemnity towards our deceased comrade; a dirge to our dear departed Whirlwind Lancer." Luxord showed a display of mock mourning, before a sly smile spread across his face. "And, I suppose, we need to select a new assassin to deal with our wayward Princess. I threw my hat into the ring before, and I shall do it once more! Superior! Grant me this honour, and I shall promise you a spectacle all too apropos for the death of a Princess of Heart and Key Bearer."
Xemnas looked down at his subordinate, considering his offer. Xigbar, too, seemed eager at an opportunity to finish off Kairi, while Saix was wholly disinterested. Xemnas summed up his answer in one word.
"No."
The Superior of the Organization stood up to full height on the seat of his throne, summoning a Dusk Nobody, which floated in the empty air before Xemnas. "Our numbers have been depleted heavily, and I would not risk losing another when we are so close at long last, so close to completing our Kingdom Hearts..." He uttered those last two words in a reverent tone.
"So you're just gonna let the Heartless handle her?" Xigbar questioned.
"No. I have a different method of attack in mind."
Xemnas held a hand out, as silvery thorns composed of an alien energy extended out from his arm, snaking towards the Dusk.
"All Nobodies derive their power from the nothing. And when they perish, so does it return to that nothingness."
The thorns began to wind and bind their way around the poor lesser Nobody, cocooning it in the energy.
"But Nothingness is my sole providence, and now, I call upon those forgotten powers deep with in the void, to reborn what was thought lost forever."
The cocoon and the Nobody within began to warp and distend in shape and size, growing larger and larger.
When the process finally finished, Xigbar, Saix, and Luxord were all stunned by what they had witnessed.
"Go forth, and eliminated the girl with the Keyblade."
Kairi calling Axel a "gross asshole" is a balm upon my soul.
-So, much like the Dive scene earlier, I probably should have shown the flashback to Saix stealing Kairi from Axel (maybe the game should have shown that scene too, for that matter...) earlier in the story, but I think it fits fine here. Kairi's is currently in a bad spot, mentally, and her depression is causing her to relive all the recent trauma in her life.
-Originally, there was to be a Blackheart Stone on Olympus, but then I figured that would be too much going on for one world, so I changed it to Yuna going out of her way to help Kairi. And I think it's a change for the better. It speaks much to Yuna's character that she would put the well being of her friend before the mission.
-Now, everyone is probably all aware that I do not like Saix. Like, at all. In any role in any game. So, bit of a retcon, in now he's just the brute than handles the Organization's dirty work, versus him serving as a number two to Xemnas in the games (which is even more confusing considering how much of an expanded role Xigbar received in future games; he's basically an afterthought in his debut game). He's not an important villain in this, beyond being a hate-sink who screws with our heroes and underestimates and looks down upon them.
But speaking of that, I just have to ask: who was asking for a Saix Face Turn in KH III? Honestly, show of hands, please. Because that is one of the downright mind-boggling and ridiculous turns that game pulls. Like, he has been nothing more than a monster to almost all of our protagonists (Sora, Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Xion...) and yet he gets a sympathetic sob story and a redemption? He gets a happy ending where Sora and Kairi do not? What absolute garbage...
-Also, cards on the table, I totally cribbed the "Wait I'm dead?/Why didn't you tell me I'm dead?" joke from Star vs The Forces of Evil. I remember hearing that years and years ago and just dying of laughter, I thought it was the funniest thing in the world.
But I think that all I have to say for the time being, As always, please take the opportunity to leave a comment or thought as you see appropriate, anything is always welcomed and it makes my day. What do you think of Yuna taking on the role of Kairi's mentor and minder? What will bring Kairi and Herc out of their respective funks? And just what do you think Xemnas is planning and doing in that final scene? Drop a line, anytime, dear readers.
Until next time, let the light guide your path forward.