Keys to the Kingdom: Life Goes On

by thepenishellamightier257

Sequel. Alternate Continuity. For Sora and friends, it seems that their days of adventuring are over. But just because evil forces aren't threatening to destroy the universe, doesn't mean everything is so simple. New relationships, old enemies, and an upcoming wedding ensure that for the saviors of the worlds, life is anything but normal. Contains Original Characters.

14. A Deal's A Deal

The coliseum crowd roars as Nessus the centaur falls, his eyes spinning from dizzily. Riku throws up a wave at his adoring public, hopping off the centaur's back with a smirk. Telary remains quiet and still, perfectly content to let someone else have this moment. Still, it does feel good to hear cheering directed at you.

"RIKU, RIKU, RIKU!" A rather large percentage of the crowd is chanting now, and Telary notes with some amusement that most of this contingent seem to be female. From the way Riku is reacting, it seems the silver-haired young man is only uncomfortable with female attention on an up close and personal level.

"There must just be something about those Keyblade, huh folks?" Hermes ribs the crowd, descending on the field with a broad smile. "Give it up once again for the team of Riku and Telary! They're going on to the next round!"

The victors are just exiting the arena, one of Riku's arms thrown around Tel's shoulder, when suddenly the wizard feels a chill race through his veins. They're only a few feet out from the exit tunnel, but he stops immediately in his tracks, looking up to the sky like a bloodhound with a scent.

Riku, feeling the abrupt stop, looks at the redhead and asks, "What's going on?"

Telary just shakes his head, a grimace slowly worming its way across his face. "Azlyn," he replies, as if that explains everything.

And apparently for Riku, it does. "She doing something stupid?"

"I'd prefer to say 'ill-advised'," the wizard counters, shrugging. "But yeah, basically." Sighing and shaking his head, Telary trudges off the field with Riku in tow.

Focused on their objective, the pair hardly even notice as they race past the next competitor in today's first round. Gilgamesh takes note of them, though. As potential opponents, allies of the Keybearer. The warrior's mind races, thinking of quick and effective ways to subdue both of them. They might have provided some challenge before, but after today's events things will be different.

Placing a hand on the hilt of his newly acquired sword, Gilgamesh marches onto the field.

Up above, Sora has been drawn out of his fascination with Icarus. At Kairi's urging, he comes to the balcony's edge, looking down as Gilgamesh takes the field.

"This guy?" the Keybearer practically scoffs. "C'mon, Kairi. He's all talk!"

"And that 'talk' was about how he's determined to defeat you in single combat," the girl chides him gently. "Anyone who threatens your life deserves at least a little consideration." Grumbling a bit, Sora settles in to watch the match.

"Let's get the last match of this round outta the way folks!" Hermes declares, zipping down to the arena floor. "No Keyblades involved this time, but here's someone whose skill can hopefully make up for it… Gilgamesh!"

The crowd lets out a few cheers, that all seem cursory and not particularly enthusiastic. Gilgamesh takes it all in stride, hardly seeming to notice anything but the battle ahead. Whatever else he may be, this guys is serious about fighting.

"Regarding the match's opposing corner, I'm afraid we've had ourselves a last second dropout." The crowd boos loudly, Hermes nodding along sympathetically. Gilgamesh looks rather peeved as well. "I know, I know, it sucks right? We try to avoid cancellations unless there's been a serious injury, but something came up on our guy. On a related note, if anybody sees the proprietor of the taco cart parked outside gate C, tell him that management would like to have a word with him. Anyway, worry not folks, we've still got a match ready for you!"

That seems to get the crowd revved again, and Gilgamesh relaxes as well. He wishes to go to the finals, but to do so on forfeit hardly satisfies his warrior spirit.

At the other end of the arena, a group of burly coliseum employees wheel in a large metal box, completely closed in and revealing nothing of what's inside. But if all the thrashing and loud noises are any indication, whatever is in there seriously doesn't want to be. Gilgamesh regards his coming opponent with interest.

Finally the box reaches the fighting square, the employees pulling it quickly getting out of the way. Gilgamesh steps in the ring and the safety barriers go up. Only then do Hermes and the men on the ground seem able to relax.

"And here it is, today's challenger," Hermes narrates, expertly building up the audience's suspense. "Freshly plucked from deep within the Foreboding Woods, a creature so vile and terrible we almost considered disqualifying it on principle! Let's see if the warrior Gilgamesh can stand a ghost of a chance against the fatal, the floral… Marlboro!"

The metal box's four sides fall away with a loud crash, unleashing the beast within. A mass of writhing, dark green tentacles support a large head that's mostly mouth. At least three rows of razor-sharp teeth gleam inside the creature's mouth, and when it lets out a roar some kind of foul smoke emerges into the air. The creature looks just as fearsome as any Heartless Sora has faced, and if the crowd's gasps are any indication, it's gotten them all startled out of their usual mindless cheer.

"Well that looks…" Sora says, searching for an appropriate word and finding none.

"Icky," Kairi comments, grimacing.

"Ooh, marlboro," Icarus declares, shaking his head and making a sucking noise with his teeth. "Nasty customer, only found in the scariest parts of the woods. Some say they were the goddess Demeter's only failure. Of course, when you ask most people about a marlboro, they just say 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH'!"

Gilgamesh doesn't seem to have gotten the same memo as everyone else. His cloak twitches to the side, his arm emerging holding a sword. A rather familiar sword, actually…

Sora's eyes go wide, and beside him he hears Tel's voice say, "Uh, why does that guy have Cloud's sword?"

It is indeed the mysterious blond warrior's Buster sword that Gilgamesh is holding, looking as oversized as ever as it gleams in the light. Then, his second arm emerges, holding yet another familiar weapon…

"A gunblade?" Sora blurts, blinking just to make sure he's seeing things correctly. "How the hell did he get that?"

The match begins before Hermes can make any official announcement. A flurry of tentacle-vines whip towards Gilgamesh, who stands his ground admirably. As the first pair approach, the red-garbed warrior swings the Buster sword with as much effort as anyone else might employ a flyswatter. With a loud snap, three inches of the attacking vines go flying.

The marlboro roars in rage, more tentacles lashing out at its opponent. Gilgamesh takes a step back to dodge, whirling the gunblade in his left hand with considerable flourish. Once again, the green limbs are severed. As the plant monster roars again, Gilgamesh starts moving forward. Swinging both blades in a smooth rhythm, he cuts through the vines as if he's merely weeding out his vegetable garden.

More enraged than ever (and not exactly without good reason), the creature goes for a different tactic. It gathers in a deep breath, exhaling and releasing another foul cloud. It hits Gilgamesh head on, halting his advance with its foulness. He buries his mouth and nose deeper into the red high collar he wears, but still stumbles backwards.

Confident in its enemy's confusion, the marlboro's mass springs forward, opening its mouth once again. Not to employ any stinking breath this time, but to bite down and put all of those sharp teeth to proper use. But, even mostly blinded and near-gagging, Gilgamesh retains plenty of foresight. With a grunt that's audible even from where Sora is watching, the red-cloaked swordsman thrusts both blades up into the roof of his wild opponent's mouth.

The plant monster tries to clamp down, but with sheer strength Gilgamesh holds it jaws steadily open. A tentacle whips out into his torso, but the warrior remains unmoved. He merely twists his blades, reminding the loathsome creature that all the leverage in this fight is now his. Or perhaps more than that, if the way the marlboro slumps forward is any indication. Gilgamesh withdraws both blades from the monster's mouth, moving out of the way and letting it fall to the stone ground. Lifeless.

The crowd starts cheering the moment the marlboro hits dirt, Hermes hovering down towards the arena with a slick grin. Gilgamesh's unnerving calm apparently doesn't extend to post-battle, as he loudly cheers ad thrusts his blades (still covered in nasty green goop) into the air.

"Well, it looks like you've won the crowd's favor in a hurry there, Gil," Hermes congratulates the warrior. "Anything you'd like to say to your newly adoring public?"

"This has been but the slightest preview of my warrior skills!" Gilgamesh declares, the crowd seeming to be very into his bravado. "Rest assured, my aim is to compete at the highest level, and defeat that boy you all seem to love so much. The Keyblade master Sora!"

The crowd cheers, already salivating at the very idea of their new favorite hero facing off against the warrior. Hermes, if the gleam in his eye is any indication, is quite intrigued by the idea as well. Perhaps certain arrangements could be made…

Up in their private balcony, Sora and his allies exchange worried glances. "Seems like this guy's gotten a lot tougher since we last saw him," Kairi points out, shaking her head. "Glad he wasn't operating at this level when I was facing him."

"But what's with those swords?" Sora asks, frowning as he drops into a chair. "Those were Cloud and Leon's swords, practically their signatures. What would this guy be doing with them?"

"Maybe we should contact Leon during the break," Telary suggests. "See if what Gilgamesh was wielding is the real deal in his case at least."

Riku looks around the area, a grimace slowly forming on his lips. "We can do that in a minute, Tel. I remind you that we may have another problem on our hands?'"

"Oh, that?" The wizard snorts out a laugh. "I was just being dramatic, I think. I mean, c'mon, like I could really have this internal sense that tells me when my fiancée is about to do something that could potentially get us all in trouble."

"Probably you're right," Riku replies, though the sarcasm is evident in every word. "That's just silly, right Az?" He pauses a moment, letting the silence sink in. "Huh. That's kind of weird that she's not here, isn't it? Hey Sora, Kairi, did Azlyn tell you she was going somewhere?"

"Uh, she stepped out for a walk a few minutes ago," Kairi says, thinking back with a slight frown. "Didn't say where she was going though."

"Actually, it seemed like she was acting pretty shifty," Sora adds thoughtfully.

Telary sighs, head sinking into his hands. "We may not win the tournament, Riku," he mutters sadly, "but if there's some kind of worlds recording for hating to be right, I'm a lock for it!"

KH-KH-KH

"You've got to be kidding me." Azlyn stands up from the negotiation table, pacing back and forth. After a minute, she stops, slamming both hands on the tabletop. "This crap is such a blatantly obvious scheme, I feel kind of insulted that you're even offering it to me!"

"Like I told ya," Hades explains, calm and collected, "this whole back and forth good vs. evil thing is wearing me thin. I don't know if ya noticed, but I'm losing hair down here. Half an inch since last year. I need a simple deal, or frankly the only glow I cast'll be the gleaming light off the top of my bald head."

Azlyn snorts a little as she pictures that image. But one moment of mirth is all she allows herself before returning to seriousness. "Say I believe you, and take the deal straight up. How do I know you won't pull your usual shifty sabotage crap?"

"It's all spelled out on my end, doll," the Lord of the Underworld declares, hands open in a classic "innocent" gesture. "From the second you take the deal, I swear to not pull one single trick inside that coliseum. All your boy Sora has to do is take home the big trophy, and the Underworld'll crank out your tourist-trap crap like it's brimstone."

"Yeah, yeah, and if you win the rights, and the profits, all go right to your hands," Azlyn says, grimacing at the thought of that happening. All her hard work down the drain. On the other hand, the sheer thrill of getting such an immensely profitable service for nothing… Well, it's a temptation. But to give in to it, even when she knows it's not smart? Could she really love munny that much?

"C'mon, Blondie," Hades says impatiently, rolling his eyes. "I know that look, I've seen it a hundred times on a hundred faces. You're gonna take the deal, you know it and I know it, so just go ahead. Take it."

And that's the thing, isn't it? Too easy as it may seem, Azlyn has seen her friends pull themselves out of disaster after disaster with nary a scratch. So what, if Hades has some wily scheme to play here? It's nothing they haven't seen before, right? It's kind of betting against her own man, in a very literal sense here, but surely Riku would've screwed up he and Tel's chances eventually? It's as good a deal as she's gonna get, and all of her business-instincts cry out to reach out and take it.

She just has to ignore a few nagging friendship ones to do it. Just as she's reaching out her hand for Hades's open one, Azlyn stops. This probably isn't right, is it? In the back of her head, Telary's voice is screaming for her to stop.

"Something wrong?" Hades asks, his voice cold. "Second thoughts?"

Well, if this isn't a fine moment to grow a conscience? Really, this deal is so overtly simplistic, such an easy maneuver, wouldn't it be worse to not take it? Despite their token protests, certainly her friends are becoming accustomed to this lifestyle. What kind of person would she be to deprive them of an even greater one?

"Please," she scoffs, carefully shrugging like she hasn't a care in the world. "Something like this, I'd have to be brain dead to pass up!"

The contract rolls itself out on the table before her, the dotted line at its bottom practically gleaming. A sudden urge to sign immediately fills Azlyn, but she fights it down. Scrooge McDuck wouldn't sign a contract without reading it, and she sure as hell isn't going to either. All in all though, it looks like she needn't have bothered. Nothing stands out on paper that Hades didn't say aloud. No interference inside the arena, no secret plot to get Sora to kill Hercules. It should probably be suspicious, something this straight forward. But Azlyn's not complaining.

With only just the slightest hesitation, she scribbles her signature down on the line. Munny, here she comes.

"Well, I guess a deal's a deal," Hades says, leaning back in his throne with a satisfied smirk. "Looking forward to see if your boy holds up your end."

"He hasn't lost a coliseum match yet," Azlyn points out, a sudden feeling of smugness rushing over her. A very pleasant feeling at that. "Face it, man, you just made the worst deal of your life!"

The Underworld's ruler just shrugs. That satisfied smirk hasn't left his face since Azlyn signed on the dotted line. "I hope so, for the kid's sake. I mean, it sure would suck if his winning streak were interrupted just after his soul got sold."

Azlyn sputters, her entire body convulsing in surprise. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!" she screams, slamming both palms down on the table. Despite its sturdy stone make, tiny cracks spiderweb out from the points of impact.

"You didn't think I brought you down here to get the trademark on some rinky-dink souvenirs, did ya?" Hades chuckles, shaking his head. "Please, honey, these are the big leagues. I play for keeps, you should've known that by now."

"I can't sell Sora's soul," Azlyn protests, fighting hard against the sudden urge to hyperventilate. "I mean, I just manage his business, I don't…"

"Well, it wasn't all you, really," Hades explains, pulling out a piece of paper. Sora's signature is on it. "That kid really loves giving back to the fans. Turns out, he'll sign just about anything you put in front of him, if a cute kid's doing the shoving. Isn't it comforting to know that this isn't all your screw-up?"

Somehow, Azlyn doesn't think the others will see it that way. Certainly dear Riku won't. She'll be lucky not to get a Keyblade to the face if this goes sideways.

"But hey, this could all be a moot point, right?" Hades says, shrugging. "It's like you said, Sora's never lost a match. Maybe my champion this time will take him out, but…"

"You can't have a champion!" Azlyn almost screeches. "You said you wouldn't…"

"The contract states that I wouldn't interfere once you signed it. I set my boy up weeks ago. I always put someone in the games, just in case." He smirks. "Foresight's a marvelous thing, and I've got a direct line. Well, when those shriveled old harpies cooperate."

"Well, I still wouldn't get so smug," she says, mustering up all the threat she can pack in a few words. "Champion or not, you're going down."

"You better hope so," Hades says as smoke begins to curl out from behind his throne. It spreads out across the room, growing so thick that Azlyn can no longer see anything but choking blackness. When it fades, she is gone.

"Nice maneuver there, boss," Pain congratulates his lord, bowing obsequiously.

"Yeah, sure, great one!" Panic concurs. A moment later though, a worried expression crosses the imp's face. "But, uh, she was kinda right about the whole 'Sora's never lost' thing."

"I know, boys, I know," Hades replies, smooth as ever. "But relax, okay? I've accounted for the Keybrat's winning streak. After all, can't win if ya can't compete."

"How are you gonna pull that off, your Most High Lowliness?" Pain asks. "You said you wouldn't interfere with…"

"Anything that went on inside the arena," the god finishes, holding up a finger. "Never said anything about nabbing the kid once he's outside the coliseum, now did I?"

"Huh," is all Panic has to say, scratching his chin in thought. "You really are a master at these things, aren't you? And here all this time I was just agreeing with you because I thought you'd fry me."

Luckily for the imp, Hades is too caught up in the glory of his sinisterness to clearly hear the comment. "Huh?"

Panic swallows thickly. "Nothing. Didn't say a thing!"

KH-KH-KH

Another tournament, another fight with Ba'Gamnan and his slimy siblings. It's kind of nice, Sora thinks as he faces off against the bounty hunter, how in such a wild and crazy universe, some things can remain steady and constant. Night is falling, the arena now illuminated by large fires in pots rather than the sun above.

He spares a quick glance to the left, where Kairi is dueling with Rinok. Holding her Keyblade in one hand, the redhead weaves a defense that blocks and smacks away any swing or stab that comes too close. The female fighters move across the arena, focused on each other.

Leaving Sora to deal with the other two, engaging in a duel with Ba'Gamnan similar to Kairi's, and meanwhile dodging or knocking away bolts from Bwagi's long-range weapon. Ducking under a swing of Ba'Gamnan's odd, sawblade-on-a-stick weapon, Sora quickly whirls his Keyblade to block a projectile. The block manages to catch Ba'Gamnan in the chest, sending him stumbling back.

With a momentary respite from physical combat, Sora rushes for Bwagi. The bangaa visibly panics, firing off a trio of bolts that have no chance of hitting the Keybearer. One goes so wide it's a miracle Ba'Gamnan isn't hit by it, while two quick swings keep the others from piercing Sora. Another better-aimed bolt comes right for his head, but quickly the boy turns his run into a slide. Skidding to a stop at the bangaa's feet, Sora stands and simultaneously deals a devastating vertical blow. It hits Bwagi in the chin, sending him flying up a few feet before he crashes back down, unconscious. His part in the match done, the bangaa teleports to the sidelines in a flash.

Footsteps behind him indicate that Sora doesn't have long to gloat. He whirls around, a perfect one-eighty that leaves him in the perfect position to hold up the Keyblade to block Ba'Gamnan's blade. He quickly backs up, the whirling steel clashing with the Keyblade's metal shaft and throwing up sparks. Regaining his feet, the Keybearer's duel continues on.

KH-KH-KH

Up above, Riku and Telary watch their friends, both settled back into chairs and allowing themselves to be fanned and massaged. Azlyn quietly walks in, stopping at the balcony's edge and leaning over the railing to watch the match below. Sora looks to be doing well, which is good. More good than he knows.

"Oh, hey there Az," Telary says, politely waving off the girl attending to him. He sits up, stomach swirling a bit as he remembers his earlier bad feeling. Hopefully, he can root out its cause without sounding like he was expecting her to do something bad. "Have a nice walk?"

"Great one," she replies, just a hair too quickly. "Good for my legs and upper back, plus it has heart benefits that…"

"So, what incredibly stupid thing did you do while you were gone?" Riku asks, his voice a little bumpy from the massage he's currently receiving.

"Riku!" Telary admonishes the silver-haired young man. Shaking his head, he apologizes to Azlyn. "Sorry, he's just…"

"Cranky because you lost your second match?" Azlyn interrupts, blurting it out in a rush that sounds suspicious even to Riku.

"Uh, no," Tel replies warily. "We won. Going to the semifinals so, uh, woohoo. And all that."

"That's good," Azlyn says, giving no indication of the flip her stomach just did. "I want you two to go as far as you can. A win for you would be, uh, a win for us all."

Telary sighs, preparing himself for a serious discussion. "Okay, Az…"

"Wow, Kairi's really holding her won down there!" the knight declares, spinning back to the railing. "We gotta watch. Would be rude if we didn't, right?"

That hardly comforts Telary, but he shuts his mouth anyway.

KH-KH-KH

Kairi is moving as fast as she can, eyes darting quickly back and forth as she tries to anticipate one blade or another. She tries a kick to Rinok's shin, but the bangaa steps back to avoid it. The minor opening this creates gives the Princess of Heart a chance to change the battle's momentum. Taking her blade's hilt in both hands, she delivers a hard swing downward. Scowling, Rinok brings up her knives, crossed in an X-shape that neatly intercepts the downward strike.

From there it's a struggle of brute strength, and judging by the look of the lizard woman's upper body, not one that's going to end up in Kairi's favor. She has mere seconds to think of some advantageous way of disengaging.

Luckily, physical strength isn't the only kind Kairi possesses. Sometimes, having a brother who's an accomplished wizard can be of great use. Like now, when all it takes is a short mental exercise and a muttered word to surround her body in flame.

Rinok screeches in surprise, then in pain as well as the fire begins to lick at her mostly-bare torso. The bangaa takes several steps back, wincing as she checks herself over for burns. She doesn't find any, but soon finds herself covered in something far worse.

Kairi.

The redhead leaps forward, planting a shoe firmly in Rinok's chest. Using a maneuver she's seen Azlyn employ many times, she takes the strike's momentum and uses it, flipping backwards through the air. She lands, then darts forward with her Keyblade drawn back in both hands. Grunting, she swings the blunt blade right into her opponent's chin.

Ba'Gamnan hears Rinok fall, grimacing as he quickly realizes there's only one bangaa standing. Something's gonna have to turn this match around soon, and it won't be some lame back-and-forth duel with the spike-haired kid. It's really no surprise things ended up this way, what with his partners being his cowardly brother and a good-for-nothing female! Nothing but troubles, the lot of…

An idea sparks in the bounty hunter's brain. It's a cheap move, but of course that's nothing to a lizard-man like himself. Ba'Gamnan feints a blow to Sora's head. At the last possible second, the bangaa reverses and hits the whelp in the knee with the blunt end of his staff. The Keybearer winces, his knee buckling just slightly. Ba'Gamnan quickly turns, running away in the split second before Sora recovers.

He hoofs it over to Kairi, who's still awash in her victory over Rinok. A bit too awash, as it happens. Smirking, Ba'Gamnan smashes into her back. Kairi goes down, leaving the bangaa standing triumphantly over her.

Sora runs forward, but after a single step his opponent speaks. "I'd be careful were I you, boy," Ba'Gamnan smugly declares. Steadying his staff in both hands, the lizard-man slowly lowers the saw-blade end to about a foot over the prone Kairi's neck. "One move, and your girlfriend here won't be much for smooching. On account of she won't have any head to do it with!"

The coliseum crowd gasps. Surely something like that wouldn't be allowed in a clean, honest games like this one. But Hermes makes no move to stop it, nor do any lightning bolts come crashing down, so they suppose it must be a legal move. Though a slimy one.

""Not so…!" Kairi begins to say, pushing herself up. Unfortunately, Ba'Gamnan is just as twitchy as advertised. Luckily, he just kicks her instead of pulling a full-on Robespierre. She falls back down, losing consciousness.

A bad move on Ba'Gamnan's part, as suddenly his hostage is teleported to safety, and all the leverage she might have bought him is gone.

"Didn't think that one through, huh?" Sora says, smirking. The bounty hunter opens his mouth to reply, but the Keybearer is on him before he can. With a loud grunt and a mighty swing, Sora wins the match.

Of course the crowd goes crazy for their favorite champ, but somehow Sora doesn't even register it. All he can see is Kairi, standing on the sidelines and failing to hide a look of disappointment.

"Another big win for our boy, huh folks?" Hermes calls up to the crowd, putting a friendly arm around the Keybearer's shoulder. The boy jumps, returning from his thoughts to actual reality. "Not only does he manage to win in style, but keep his fair damsel in…"

"Hey!" Sora yelps indignantly. "Kairi's no damsel, that's an awful thing to say. She took care of that lady lizard, and she's been a huge help to me a bunch of times. Just because she had one bad match doesn't mean…"

"Remember, all you bangaa yungin's…!" Ba'Gamnan interrupts, shouldering Sora aside. "I may have lost today, but we ain't a species of loser! Bangaa are a great people, good enough to be on mugs and t-shirts, which are available at the Bangaa Bros. Officially Licensed Kiosk…"

"Wow, a lotta great commentary from our competitors!" Hermes interrupts, gesturing for the crowd to get loud and put this awkwardness behind them. "Well, that's today's final match folks! Be sure to come back tomorrow for the final, and be safe out there tonight!"

Seeing Kairi already halfway to the tunnel, Sora jogs to catch up with her. She graces him with a smile. "Thanks for trying to stand up for me out there," she says.

Sora shrugs. "I couldn't let them say that stuff about you. You know that I really do think you're becoming a great Keyblade wielder, right? That I'm glad to have you by my side this tournament? That…"

"Mr. Sora, Mr. Sora!" a vaguely familiar young voice cries out as the pair enter the tunnel. Looking down, Sora sees one of the boys who'd asked for his autograph after the first match. The plump one who'd done all the talking.

"Uh, this isn't really the time for another autograph," the Keybearer says as gently as possible.

"It isn't that," the boy says, shaking his head frantically. "It's my friend, he's in trouble! We were playing outside the coliseum, one of the parts where there's still construction, and a bunch of stuff fell down, and I can't get him out!"

"Oh," Sora says, grimacing. "That's terrible! Don't worry, me and Kairi can…"

The boy scoffs, taking both teens quite aback. "I need a hero, sir. Not his stupid girlfriend!"

"Okay, that is so not the right way to…!" Sora begins, stepping up to the boy despite how small and cute he is.

"Just go," Kairi says with a sigh. "The kid needs help, and obviously he only needs one hero. I'll meet you up at the suite."

"But…" Sora protests. Kairi doesn't seem to care, walking away. He glares down at the kid. "I'll help your friend, but after that we're gonna have a serious talk about respecting adults. And women! And, uh, and redheads!"

KH-KH-KH

"Talk already!" Riku orders, fighting hard against the urge to just summon his Keyblade and force out a confession from the knight. "Tell us what you're hiding."

"It really would be a huge help, Az," Telary says, playing good cop. "If there's a problem, I'm sure we can fix it. You just need to say it. I promise I won't get mad."

"And I can pretty much guarantee that I will!" Riku chimes in. "All that's left to be determined is how much."

"What is going on here?" Kairi says, walking onto the balcony. Icarus comes in behind her, carrying all the wrapped coliseum concessions he can handle.

"Azlyn did something on her 'walk'," Riku explains, angrily eyeing the girl in question. "She won't say what though."

"I was just waiting until everyone was here, alright?" Azlyn says, indignant but composed. She raises an eyebrow at Kairi. "Uh, where's your boyfriend. This kinda concerns him too. It mostly concerns him, in fact." That revelation only hardens Riku's glare.

"Oh, uh, he had to go help someone," Kairi explains flippantly, trying not to show the hurt that kid's words had caused. "A little boy got trapped by in a construction site outside?"

Telary frowns. "What construction? I though the coliseum was finished?"

"It is," Phil answers, walking in without sensing even a hint of the situation's tension. "No new construction is in the works, far as I know."

"Wait," Azlyn interjects, holding up a hand as the color drains from her face. "Did you say he went outside the coliseum? Like, off the grounds?"

Kairi shrugs. "I don't know. Probably."

"Why does that concern you so much, Azlyn?" Telary asks gently.

"Yeah, why?" Riku repeats, anything but gentle.

"Uh, well," the knight answers, wiping some nervous sweat from her brow. "Y'know how you were all on my case about how much I cared about munny? Well, it turns out that you mighta had a good point there…"

KH-KH-KH

Sora slowly opens his eyes, awareness returning to his body. Which is actually kind of unfortunate, considering the pain on the back of his head. It's actually kind of familiar, which does not say flattering things about his overall lifestyle.

Looking around, the boy determines that he's in some kind of caver. It's an odd one though, with a sheer white floor, and walls that seem to have bones laid right into them. Though, weirdly enough, he thinks this is a place he recognizes. When he finally realizes why, the Keybearer springs to his feet.

"Hey there kiddo," a familiar smug voice echoes all around the chamber. Sora looks for its source, but finds no one. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Sure is, Hades," Sora practically spits. "Though, technically I still aren't seeing you. Why don't you come down here and we can do this face to face?"

"Brave, aren't ya?" In a puff of nasty black smoke, the Underworld's ruler appears in the cavern. "I guess you're forgetting a little something, eh?"

And then, Sora notices the bone-deep fatigue he's felt once before. Just to be sure, he summons the Keyblade. Sure enough, its weight almost sends him crashing back to the ground. "The curse of the Underworld…"

"Sure thing, Keyboy," Hades confirms, grinning ear-to-ear. "A hero up there, a zero down here! And, if I'm not mistaken, it should feel quite a bit worse now, after big bro Zeusy made you all 'picture in the stars' official during your last visit."

"What do you want?" Sora demands, though his tone is dull and lifeless. Suddenly, his legs don't feel able to support him. Grunting, the Keybearer falls back on his butt.

Hades shrugs. "For now, just your simple sparkling presence. Once the Nutmeg Cup I done, and you're mine full time…"

"Excuse me?" Sora blurts, briefly getting a second win.

"Oh, didn't Blondie tell you?" Hades asks, chuckling. Waving his hand, the god summons a large piece of paper. "She sold you up the river, all for just a little more coin. If you lose the cup, which I can only imagine will happen if you're stuck down here during the finals, I get to keep your heroic little soul in perpetuity."

"Lock me up forever?"

The god shakes his head vigorously. "Where would the fun be in that? No, you'd see the world above again. In fact, you'd still be competing in games. After all, you're the guy I've seen come closest to besting Herc! Win-win, right? You get a rematch, I get a dead nephew/nemesis!"

"My f-friends!" the Keybearer protests weakly. "They won't let you get away with this! They'll come for me as soon as they find me gone, and then…"

"Well it might be a bit, actually," Hades interrupts. "Y'see, when the sun goes down the spirits get especially restless around here. That's why the Underworld closes up shop at sundown. Which, if my calculations are correct, was about an hour ago. Guess we're having ourselves a sleepover, huh?"

Sora grimaces. If that's the case, he's in for a long night. Sure, the gang will be down here as soon as they can, but still, the thought of spending a night alone in the Underworld…

"And by the time I open up again, it'll probably be too late anyway," his captor continues. "I mean, without both members of your team present, that's an automatic forfeit! Too bad there's only one of you, huh?"

The spiky-haired hero can hardly even respond to that. Maybe the Underworld's curse is draining strength from his optimism too, but things do seem kind of hopeless. Quite hopeless indeed. The one, very small, bright spot in all of this is that at least he isn't Azlyn, having to deal with…

KH-KH-KH

"Okay, Riku, put her down now!" Telary yelps, grabbing the silver-haired Keybearer's arm and trying to force him to open up the fist currently holding the lapels of Azlyn's jacket. "C'mon, nice and…"

"I have tried really hard to not slide back into old, dark habits," Riku seethes, completely ignoring all of his friends' attempts to calm him down. "I should have known that you would be the one to finally push me too far!"

Rolling her eyes, Kairi shoves her friend in the chest. Shocked, he releases the knight. Azlyn slides down the wall onto her butt, her eyes wide with leftover fear.

"This isn't helping," Kairi reminds him firmly. "Yeah, Azlyn messed up big time…"

"Huge," Telary concurs through clenched teeth. The knight can't even look at him, head in her hands.

"But it's not like she's the first person here to do that, is she?"

The fight drains out of Riku, a slight chill running up his spine. That was and oddly low blow for Kairi to take, but it worked. The anger isn't gone, but he manages to put it in a place where it might at least be useful.

"I'm so sorry, guys," Azlyn apologizes, shaking her head sadly. "I… Hades tricked me. I knew he was trying something, I should've… I should…"

"Save your apologies for Sora," Telary tells her curtly. "Right now, we need to come up with a plan to get him back. He'll be held in the Underworld, right?"

"Most likely," Phil replies, nodding. "Which is a problem in itself right now. Underworld closes down for business completely at night. No spirits out, no mortals in 'til sunrise."

"So we'll have to wait for the morning," Telary says, slowly thinking things over. "And, of course we'll need the Olympus Stone if we don't want to get hit with the full brunt of the Underworld curse. Phil, we gave the stone back to Herc. Do you know if…?"

"Well," the satyr replies, "word through the Olympian grapevine is that Hermes borrowed the stone to impress a date he was taking down there a few days ago. Probably still has it, that blue weasel. Only thing ya can count on him for is message delivery and dumb jokes."

"Can you get us a meeting with him?" Telary asks. Phil nods affirmatively, but adds that it probably won't be until tomorrow. "Good, that should work out then."

"We'll have to do something about the tournament," Kairi points out. Turning to Phil, she asks, "Sora and I's team can't compete without both of us there, right?"

He sighs. "Technically you could. But once you go a round without Sora, he's outta the running and you're competing solo."

"Which I can't do, because Hades's deal specifies that Sora needs to be the tournament's winner." Kairi frowns. "Which means that, somehow, we've got to come up with a fake Sora that can fool the judges."

"That might be easier than we think," Telary chimes in. "I mean, how much detail can Herc and his dad see when they're sitting all the way up on those clouds?"

"We'll still need a pretty close approximation," Kairi says. "We can do somebody up with a few items from the gift shop, but he'll still need to be the same basic height and body type."

"Okay, okay!" proclaims a boisterous voice from behind the group. They all turn to see Icarus, standing tall with a hand on his chest. "Simmer down everyone, no need to beg. Of course I'll do it!"

"You?" Riku asks with considerable amusement. He regards the wiry little inventor with a critical eye.

"Come to think of it," Telary says, stepping up and examining Icarus, who's still preening. "Y'know, with the hair and a little lift in his shoes, that could work."

"Oh, happy day!" The inventor jumps up and clicks his heels together. "I'm mainly know for my genius inventions, but as a matter of fact I did some work in the school drama department. I remember this one time, junior year…"

"Save it," Riku harshly interrupts. He sighs, leaning against a wall. "Well, I guess this means my debut tournament's a bust. Thanks a lot, Az…" Looking down to the spot where the knight was just sitting, he finds that she's gone.

Telary jogs out in to the corridor, just in time to see his fiancée walking away dejectedly. Frowning, he rushes to catch up with her.

"Go away, Tel," she snaps at him, eyes focused downward. "I feel bad enough right now without you…"

"Hey," the wizard declares seriously, grabbing at Az's arm. His other hand goes underneath her chin, lifting up her head until their eyes meet. "It's okay. I mean, yeah, you monumentally messed up. Like, seriously."

"Gee, thanks…" Azlyn deadpans.

Her fiancée shrugs. "Sorry, but it's true. You might now have known the full implications of what you were doing, but…" He sighs, shaking his head.

Azlyn doesn't let him say anything else, backing away from his touch. She doesn't look any happier or more relaxed, but at least her eyes are focused on him. "This is my mistake, regardless of whatever other crap I did or didn't know. Somehow, I've gotta find a way to fix this."

"Az, we all can…"

"No," the knight interrupts, shaking her head fiercely. "Like I said, it was my screw-up. Which means the fix has got to be on me. I don't know how yet, but… I will make this right."

Before Telary has the chance to say anything else, his fiancée turns and takes off down the hall at top speed. He watches her go, praying that she'll be as good as her word. In his heart, Telary knows that she will be.

KH-KH-KH

"Now this has been a good day!" Hades declares, leaning back against the large rock serving as the current lock to the Underdrome. The place had been sealed right back up by Zeus after its brief revival, but Hades hadn't minded all that much. Especially now that it provided him a convenient place to stash his prisoner.

"But, uh, Your Lord Most Low Hades?" Panic speaks up, meekly raising one hand. "You know that his friends are going to try to rescue him, right?"

Hades rolls his eyes. "Uh, duh! They're heroes, it's what they do. That kind of tenacity is incredibly annoying, sure, but at least they're predictable. Don't worry, boys, this place is gonna be locked down tighter than Ares' abs. They may punch through eventually, sure, but by then the deal will be in place, and the kid is mine!"

"How marvelous for you."

Hades tenses up, imminently aware of who just spoke. Maleficent steps out of the shadows, regarding the god with her usual cool gaze. She's the only one woman in all the worlds whose mere presence can make even his blue skin crawl. Especially after…

"Uh, hey there Mal," Hades says in greeting, giving her a small bow that doesn't come off quite as mocking as intended. "Been a while, huh? Looking good. Do something different with your horns?"

The witch roll her eyes. "Spare me. It would seem that, by this time tomorrow, the Keybearer may yet be yours. I've come to discuss a trade."

Hades winces. "Uh, well, I guess something could be arranged. I mean, first I'll need the brat to kill Hercules, but…"

"Use him for what petty purpose you will," Maleficent concedes with a shrug. "It was your clever thinking that granted this boon, after all. But, when his work for you is finished… Let us merely say that I have plans of my own for him."

"Always working an angle, aren't ya?" Hades chuckles nervously. "That's what I like about you, y'know!"

"Again, your flattery is transparently insincere." Despite her disapproving, bored tone, the jade-skinned woman is smiling. "Though I suppose the real compliment is that you feel the need to employ such tactics at all. I take it then, you know of…?"

"Oh yeah," the god replies. "Honestly, I feel kinda dumb that it took me so long to realize why you came back."

Maleficent smirks, pleased. "So, might we be able to come to an arrangement regarding Sora?"

Hades shrugs. "Long as I can have the kid kills Herc dead, he's all yours. Though, out of sheer curiosity, what exactly are you…?" A poignant glare from the witch is all it takes to kill the words dead in Hades' throat. "Your business entirely, I understand."

"I take it you have the means to stop anyone who might object to your possession of Sora?" Maleficent asks with a raised eyebrow.

Hades smiles slickly. "Oh, you don't have to worry on that score, Mal. The measures I got in place, well, I guess the best way to describe them would be… Titanic."

Happy New Year, everybody! Aren't you glad I emerged from my mild hangover to gift you this chapter? This Olympus Coliseum story honestly isn't quite turning like I hoped it would, but still I forge onward! My hope is to get KttK III rolling by spring, which means finishing this and two other parts, plus Chain of Memories.

Anyway, shoutout to TheIrishWriter for his review of the last chapter. As always, it's great to hear from my readers! Until next time!