Riku, Telary, and Kairi watch the sun come up from the balcony outside Kairi's suite, none of them feeling as good about the luxury they'd enjoyed as they did yesterday, before all this mess. According to the attendants, Azlyn had been in the house last night. But she certainly hadn't slept with Telary, and no one's seen her this morning either.
On one hand, Telary can't help but feel that his fiancée's period of self-imposed exile is a good thing. After all, goodness knew what Riku might do if he cornered her. But, whatever she did, he still misses her by his side.
"I know you're upset," Kairi says, placing her hand over his comfortingly. "But you've got to eat, Telary. We've got a big day coming up."
"I know," the wizard agrees with a sigh, cutting away a portion of his omelette before stuffing it almost reluctantly in his mouth. "I still can't believe we actually have to compete today before we can go rescue Sora."
"Hades' deal was pretty tight in a lot of aspects," Riku says with a scowl. His food is already completely gone, devoured eagerly and angrily. "His non-interference clause cut both ways. If we do anything to disrupt the tournament's schedule, like postponing or dropping out, he already wins."
"We'll work around that," Telary says with a small shrug. Frowning, he puts a hand on his sister's shoulder. "It's you I'm worried about, Kairi."
The Princess of Heart shakes her head, leaning back. "Normally, I'd tell you to knock it off," she says, chuckling darkly. "Give the big speech about how I can 'handle myself'. But today, I really am feeling the pressure."
"Fear not, my crimson-haired compadre!" Icarus declares with his usual gusto. He's already wearing his mock-Sora uniform, the wig sitting in his lap as he eats. "For I shall be there to watch your back." The inventor snorts, rearranging the fruit on his plate into some design only he seems to be able to decipher. "Oh boy, does this bring back memories. I used to get into these kind of scrapes all the time back in school, with Herc. I remember this one time, when we found out the school receptionist was a literal harpy…"
"Uh, Icarus," Kairi gently interrupts. "Maybe this isn't the best time. After all, don't you have to, uh, mentally prepare for your performance as Sora today?"
Icarus nods, screwing up his face in concentration as he slaps the Sora wig over his own unruly locks. After a moment, he opens his eyes, dashingly mounts the breakfast table and declares, "My friends are my power!"
The others remain silent, staring up at him with blank faces.
"Actually," Riku finally says, after the inventor plops back down in his chair, "that wasn't too bad!"
"Still," Telary says, "maybe try and keep from talking as much as you possibly can, hm?" Standing up, the wizard makes his way over Icarus. Pulling up the inventor's wig, he plucks out a few strands of hair.
"Ouch!" Icarus protests, leaping up in his seat. "What's the big idea, huh?"
"We're going to need to switch you out for the real deal Sora at some point, right?" the wizard explains, pulling out a small vial and placing the hair inside. "After all, the deal specifically stipulates that he win the tournament. So I consulted with master Donald, and he helped me research a new teleportation spell. And before anyone asks, it isn't powerful enough to free Sora from the Underworld. In mystical terms, that place is a fortress. Anyway, once we have Sora, if you and Kairi are in a match, all I have to do is cast the spell and switch the two of you out."
"And you're sure that, through all of this, none of the tournament officials, Hercules included, are going to notice any of this?" Kairi asks with a raised eyebrow. "Seems a little too good to be true."
"It isn't like we have a better plan," her brother replies with a shrug. "And their vantage point is rather far away. I wanted to tell Herc, but honestly I'm worried just how far 'non-interference' extends. Hermes we can probably trick more easily, considering he'll be too busy showboating. At least, I hope he will."
"So, to sum things up," Riku says after taking a long pull from his coffee, "this plan is built on hastily thrown together deceptions, lies obvious to anyone willing to look any further than surface level, and really really fervent prayers that most likely won't be answered?"
For a long time there's only silence, until Icarus of all people speaks up. "Sounds that way to me!"
"Good," the silver-haired Keyblade wielder declares, leaning back and deeply breathing in his hot drink's scent. "That means it's just crazy enough to work."
KH-KH-KH
Still trapped, Sora waves his Keyblade around uselessly. It's the third time he's tried, just in case, but it seems that Hades' lock doesn't work from the inside. Well of course it doesn't, what god worth his salt would be that idiotic?
The Keybearer doesn't know how long he's been here, though judging by the rest he's got it's been a few hours at least. Certainly not enough time to give up hope in his friends. There'd be no wait long enough to kill his faith in them!
And so he sits back down, leaning against the wall and hoping hard that his friends will come for him. This being captured thing is kind of a bummer, he can now conclude on his second experience with it. He makes a mental note to not mention that around Kairi. Pure of heart the girl may be, but she has one of the greatest appreciations for cruel irony that Sora has ever known.
KH-KH-KH
As dopey, hokey, and all-together squirrelly as Icarus might appear, apparently when put under pressure he can be quite thoroughly relied on. Somehow, through a deft combination of saying nothing at the right time, and inputting the perfect words at the very right time, the group manages to fake out everyone they walk past on their way up the tunnel. The inventor even signs a few autographs.
If the fans in the stands notice anything off about "Sora", their cheers and screams don't give anything away. Riku, Kairi, and Telary stay together, watching as Gilgamesh and the other semi-finalist, the bounty hunter Lani, take the field as well. Gilgamesh pauses, his gaze sweeping over Icarus a second time. Everyone holds their breath, but after a moment it becomes apparent that the warrior hasn't penetrated their ruse. Not yet, anyway.
"Today is the day, Keybearer," Gilgamesh declares threateningly, standing beside Icarus and giving him a heated side-eye. "Today the legendary blade…"
"Um, excuse me!" Hermes interrupts, fluttering up suddenly out of nowhere. Startled, Gilgamesh begins sputtering. "Threats and grudges are all fine and dandy, but I am trying to get a tournament started up here! So save the smack talk for later, capiche?"
More spluttering from the red-garbed swordsman, while Riku, Kairi, and Icarus all chuckle beneath their hands. After a moment, Gilgamesh stands up even straighter, looking quite chastised.
"Thank you," Hermes says with a last indignant huff. His expression changes in an instant, and by the time he's facing the crowd the god is sporting one of his signature showy grins. "HELLO EVERYBODY! Welcome to the second and last day of the Megara Cup!"
The crowds cheer their heads off in the stands, and higher up another audience looks on in appreciation. The gods of Olympus have gathered for this big day, seated comfortably atop a fluffy cloud. Everyone from Ares (God of War) to Nemesis (Goddess of Vengeance) has come out to celebrate the success of Hercules' first tournament.
As for the man of the hour himself, he sits comfortably between his father Zeus and wife Megara, relishing the excited cries from below.
"You really have outdone yourself, Son," Zeus congratulates the demigod with a hearty pat on the shoulder. "A first-rate tournament, all the way!"
"I can't really take credit for all of this," Herc replies with his usual (hard-learned) modesty. "I mean, the people mostly came out to see Sora. He's the big star nowadays."
"And what a star he is, huh?"
Suddenly, it's as if a glacial freeze has descended over the gods' gathering. As one, Olympus's entire pantheon turns to see Hades, God of the Underworld (and apparently Party Crashing). The blue-skinned deity regards them all with his usual cool grin, completely nonchalant despite the clear hatred of all those present.
"Hey everybody, how's it hangin'?" he asks, slithering his way towards the gathering. Everyone's eyes remain on him as he walks, and minus Hercules and his wife, they all clearly recall a similar event the flame-haired god saw fit to interrupt. "Aphrodite, still lookin' smoking. And hey, I would know right? Hestia, is that a fresh apple pie I smell?" After making the rounds, he stops by his brother Zeus, waving a chair into existence before settling into it.
"What are you doing here, Hades?" Hercules demands with undisguised contempt.
The blue-skinned god puts a hand to his chest, mock-offended. "Why, I am just here to partake in this lovely tourney you've arranged here. That's all."
"Yeah, sure," Meg chimes in with a scoff. She refuses to even look at the greasy god.
"Too bad about the main attraction though, huh?' Hades continues, ignoring his former minion. "I mean, tourney's starting, and ol' Sora hasn't even bothered to show up?"
"What are you talking about?" Hercules asks. "Sora is right down there, with the rest of his friends!"
Hades freezes for a second, before reminding himself to keep his cool. Slowly, he turns to look downward. Once again his control is in jeopardy, seeing that someone very Sora-esque is indeed standing proudly with the other contestants. How can this be? A dupe of some kind?
Yes, that must be it. A little last minute desperation and gift-shop disguise. Did they seriously think an act like this would fool Hades? Maybe they just counted on him not showing up. All it takes is one quick whistle blowing and…
Then again, this might be a golden opportunity! After all, why just make your opponent suffer when you could humiliate him first! Whoever this replacement rube is, there's just no way that he and the Keybrat's little chickie-poo could manage against Hades' man in the ring. Oh yes, this will be even more satisfying than he thought.
"He is though, huh?" The god chuckles sardonically, leaning back in his seat. "Guess all this sun is just kinda hard on the old eyes, y'know? Not like the persistent gloom of the Underworld. Say what ya want about murkiness, at least it doesn't half-blind me!"
"Whatever," Hercules says dismissively, focusing his attention back on the arena. If "come up here and be annoying" is Hades' new nefarious scheme, then Herc has to admit that his treacherous uncle has really let himself go downhill.
Far below, Hermes is finishing his grandiose spiel. "Who will be crowned champion, who will get that condescending runner-up prize, and who will go home in a body bag?"
The crowd suddenly lapse into a shocked silence. There is such a thing as taking things too far, after all.
"Aaanyway," Hermes says with a nervous cough, tugging at the collar of his toga, "let's get this party started up in here, shall we? First match begins in five minutes, and it's sure to be one for the ages. Dual-wielding warrior Gilgamesh verses Riku and Telary. Double swords against double-team, anything could happen."
"Yeah," Riku agrees between clenched teeth, quiet so that only his battle partner can hear the grudging words. "Anything."
The wizard barely hears. He finds his eyes drawn immediately upward to the balcony the group had rented yesterday. It's depressingly empty, no sign of Azlyn anywhere. Even knowing that perhaps the most important match of his life is coming up, Tel can't help but be distracted by thoughts of his erstwhile fiancée. What could she be up to, disappearing at a time like this?
There's little time to dwell on it, though. Riku, Telary, and Gilgamesh don't even bother to leave the field after Hermes' intro spiel is finished, simply standing silently while the last minute stragglers filter in. Showing up late definitely doesn't seem like the best idea, considering just how packed the place is.
Eventually it all leads to a small scuffle breaking out in the stands. That draws everyone's attention, and while they're distracted Gilgamesh comes closer to his opponents.
"I sincerely hope you've properly prepared yourselves," the red-garbed warrior declares threateningly. "Your fights before may have been impressive, but I assure you that you have never faced anything like Gilgamesh!"
Riku just rolls his eyes. "Okay, sure, whatever."
"This is nothing but a test for me, boy," Gilgamesh continues, building up quite a head of metaphorical steam. "A chance to pit myself against a lesser Keyblade wielder before…"
"Who, exactly, are you calling lesser, huh?" Riku shoots right back, looking up into the taller man's face. "We'll just see who exactly is the 'lesser' once we get going in the…"
Telary coughs loudly, bumping his shoulder into the silver-haired young man. Distracted from his rant, Riku turns to face the wizard. All it takes is a stern look, and suddenly Riku remembers what their strategy for this fight is. He quickly calms down, reminding himself that the bigger picture here is Sora's safety.
It's a good bit of timing too, as the brawl has been resolved and it's time for things to get started for the day. Hermes once again flutters just a few feet over the arena, waiting for the competitors to take up their places.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," the wing-footed god announces with a hearty grin, "I give to you the beginning of the end of the Megara Cup! Potential champions, star your engines!"
The crowd roars their approval, and even from on high it seems like an actual, physical force. Hades leans forward a bit, anticipating the action about to take place. Whatever these wannabes have in mind, it's sure to be entertaining for at least a little while.
Hermes raises his hands, a trumpet from seemingly nowhere signaling the match's beginning. The entire crowd seems to hold their breath, prepared for a high-octane opening to get them through the rest of the day. Riku summons Way to Dawn as Telary draws his staff. Across the arena, Gilgamesh's strange copycat swords catch the sun's light with deadly glints.
It's time. With a bellow of challenge, Gilgamesh charges forward with both swords raised high. Narrowing his eyes, Riku begins a charge of his own, Telary running along after. The competitors race towards each other, the beginnings of a climactic battle for total supremacy.
Until, with a loud shift in his yell from defiance to pain, Riku falls to one knee on the arena floor. He grunts loudly, clutching at his thigh.
The crowd gasps, and it's enough things happening at once to shock Gilgamesh out of his run as well. The red-clad warrior skids to a stop, gazing down at his opponent with much the same confused expression the crowd is wearing right now.
"Riku, are you okay?" Telary yelps, stopping by his teammate's side. Frowning, he gives the silver-haired young man a once over. "Did you hurt yourself?"
Riku sighs, reminding himself again of the reason he's doing this. Then a third time, just for good measure, before speaking. "Cramp!" he yells, gritting his teeth and shaking his head with a pained hiss. Not that he's actually in any pain at the moment, but it only matters that the crowd thinks so.
"Ouchie," Telary says with a sympathetic wince. He makes a quick glance up to check for believability, and sure enough it seems that the games' audience is buying it. They're all leaning in closer at least, riveted by the drama. "Charlie horse?"
His partner nods weakly. "Must be. Of all the rotten luck!"
"Hey," the wizard declares, holding his hands up defensively, "I told you that you hadn't properly stretched." Going the extra mile, Telary looks up at the captive audience and yells, "I TOLD HIM TO STRETCH! BUT DID HE LISTEN?"
"NO!" a few spectators call out unexpectedly. Telary jumps at the sudden response.
Gilgamesh is still just standing around, confusion evident on his face. After a moment of thinking, though, it begins to morph into anger. Even though that's pretty much according to plan, Tel can't help but get a nervous twist in his stomach.
"This is absurd!" Gilgamesh rages, stomping up and down with almost no consideration for dignity. "I was promised a fight with a wielder of the Keyblade! Where is the proper sport in this?"
"I hear ya," Riku mutters under his breath. He still can hardly believe he ever agreed to this plan. Sora, it's all for Sora…
"Well," Telary speaks up, looking up at the red-clad swordsman, "I mean, you could still fight me… Oof!"
The wizard goes down, the victim of a hard punch straight to the face. He falls back to the arena floor, teleporting out for his own safety. Riku, realizing that the charade has played out, slumps down to the ground himself. Seconds later, he is gone too.
"Uh, well," Hermes says, sounding perplexed as he hovers down, "I guess, um, we have our first competitor in the finals?"
There's some cursory applause, even a cheer or two, but it's obvious that the audience is not happy that this is the grand kickoff to their day. The disappointment follows all the way up, to where the gods, Herc, and Meg watch with stunned faces.
"A cramp?" Hercules blurts after a minute, shaking his head. "Sora told me some stories about that Riku kid, and I never would have thought… Huh. I guess it just goes to show that you can never forget the seemingly small stuff, huh?"
"And what a relevant lesson," Hades agrees, leaning back. That wasn't quite what he expected from his enemies, but it's a solid enough move. He could probably fudge in some interpretation of an intentional loss as a violation of non-interference, but he might as well let the Keybrat's gang get their hopes up. It'll be much sweeter now, when they are eventually crushed.
KH-KH-KH
"I guess that went reasonably well," Telary says as he and Riku make their way back up the competitor's tunnel. His jaw and face-region are still quite sore from Gilgamesh's punch, but it's nothing a quick potion can't fix. "You won't be winning any acting awards anytime soon, but I think people bought it."
"Well, I guess I'm just glad they don't have the technological capability to capture video on this world," Riku grumbles, arms crossed tightly. "Otherwise I'm sure that little stunt would be making highlight reels all over the place."
"Oh, don't you worry about that." Startled, the boys turn to see Hermes hovering before them. The usually upbeat god does not look pleased. "I'm already thinking of commissioning a frieze."
"Uh, hi there," Telary says, attempting to be diplomatic as usual. "I take it Phil spoke to you about, uh, the Olympus Stone?"
Hermes pulls said object from his tunic. Just as Tel remembers, it's a small golden medallion with the lightning-bolt-from-cloud symbol of Zeus upon it. "He said you guys were looking to borrow it for a spell."
"Yeah, and it's really important that we do," Riku says, his voice dropping into a menacing register that Telary (thankfully) hasn't heard in about two years. "So hand it over."
"I dunno," the god says, shrugging and pulling the stone closer to his chest. "After I worked so hard to hype up that first match, and you just wimp out in thirty seconds. I'm really not sure you deserve this…"
Within seconds, Way to Dawn is within Riku's hand. "Well, make up your mind before I do it for you. And I promise, by now I've done all the stretching I need to carry out that threat."
"Don't let my playful demeanor and freewheeling bisexuality fool you!" Hermes threatens right back. "I'm still a god, kid, which means given half the chance I could kick your…"
Telary suddenly gasps. "Speaking of gods, is that Aphrodite over there?"
Hermes' eyes go wide, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he turns to face where Telary is pointing. It only takes him a moment to realize he's been fooled, but by then Riku has already given him a hard knock on the head. Immortal or not, the messenger god is not immune to harm, especially from a mystical weapon. When the announcer winces at the impact, it gives Telary a perfect opportunity to nab the Olympus Stone. Once it's secured, Riku gives Hermes another whack for good measure, before the boys turn tail and run.
Rubbing at the back of his head, Hermes fully turns to see the pair rushing down the corridor. He snorts, shaking his head. Do those punks seriously think they ca outrun him? He's the fastest freaking god on Olympus!
Then the sound of the crowd comes in from the arena, suddenly reminding Hermes that he has a greater, more important duty to attend to here. After that clunker of an opening, the people are gonna need some real pumping up.
Besides, all possession of the Olympus Stone means is that those two can visit the Underworld. Not exactly a great prize to win. So, straightening out the front of his toga and taking in a deep breath, Hermes flies out to entertain the masses.
Kairi and Icarus are just entering the tunnel themselves, greeting Riku and Telary as the boys stop to take a breath. Grinning cockily, Riku holds up the Olympus Stone.
"I guess that's Phase One in the bag, then?" Kairi says bemusedly. She gives her old friend a large grin. "Nice performance out there by the way. Totally bought it."
"Yeah, yeah," Riku replies, rolling his eyes. He puts a supportive hand on the redheaded girl's shoulder. "It's your show now, though. You feel ready?"
Before she can answer, Icarus is cutting in with a manic smile. "Born ready, mon capitain!" He snaps off a crisp salute.
"Uh, yeah," Telary says, giving the disguised inventor another once-over. Goodness gracious, he hopes this will work. Biting his lip, he turns to his sister. "Any, uh, sign of Azlyn?"
Kairi shakes her head as the wizard's heart sinks. Where could she have gone off to? Shouldn't she be doing everything she can to help this plan succeed? He just hopes that, wherever his fiancée is, she isn't doing something rash.
"You know her, though," the Princess of Heart says, trying her hardest to be chipper. "She's always working an angle. I'm sure, even now, that she's out somewhere trying to help Sora in her own way."
"That may work to reassure him," Riku points out in a deadpan tone. "But it just makes me more worried."
"Could you maybe stop talking shit about Azlyn for, like, ten minutes?" Telary blurts, suddenly quite tired of the silver-haired Keyblade wielder badmouthing the woman he loves, deserving of some of it though she may be.
"Hey, hows about some focus here, eh?" Phil suddenly interrupts, clomping down the hallway with his usual stern expression. "You, missy, have a match to win. As for Heckle and Jeckle here, don't ya think Sora would prefer bein' rescued to you guys standing around sniping at each other? Rule Number 6: Teamwork makes the dream work!"
"Yeah, what he said!" Icarus chimes in. His outsider perspective is not quite as appreciated though, uniting everyone at least in giving him a glare. "Sorry, I guess I haven't quite integrated into the group that well yet, huh?"
"Whatever," Riku says with a roll of his eyes. Telary thinks, for a brief second, that if he keeps that up they'll pop right out of his head. "How do we get to this Underworld, anyway?"
With a loud clip-clop of his cloven feet, Hercules' trusty flying steed Pegasus trots down the hallway. He gives Telary a horsey grin, nuzzling his snout into the wizard's hand.
"Just when I think I've seen everything," Riku mutters.
"That horse has wings," Kairi comments, her mouth hanging open sort of dumbly.
"And it's a good thing he does, too," Phil explains. "Gettin' to the Underworld ain't exactly up yer butt and around the corner. Unless you die, I guess. Anyway, probably you should take off."
Telary nods resolutely. As Riku climbs aboard Pegasus's back, the wizard pulls his sister in for a hug. "Good luck out there."
"Thanks," she replies, hugging right back. "You be careful too, huh? Bring him back to me, okay?"
"That I can do."
With everything said that needs to be, Telary reaches up to accept Riku's help in pulling him up onto Pegasus. After one last wave and a cocky wink, the silver-haired young man gently kicks his heels into the flying horse's flank. With a loud whinny that echoes up and down the tunnel, Pegasus takes off at a run.
Kairi watches her friends go until she hears the crowd's roar picking up from the arena. Reminding herself that she has her own job to do here, the Princess of Heart steels herself before turning and walking up the tunnel.
Icarus stumbles along behind her, gripping the replica Keyblade awkwardly sheathed in one of his costume's belt loops. He trips on a pebble, throwing his wig askew. Sighing, Kairi stops and readjusts it.
"I know I might have sounded super-confident about this plan before," the inventor says to his partner, eyes nervously shifting back and forth. "But, uh, are you sure we can pull this off?"
She gives him a smile that she hopes looks more confident than she feels at the moment. "Of course we can. Just, y'know, leave most of the fighting to me." Though the circumstances are obviously less than ideal, she can't help but feel a little thrill run through her at saying those words.
KH-KH-KH
As disappointing as the day's first semifinal was, the crowd quickly recovers their enthusiasm for the second. Perhaps it's just an indomitable fan-spirit. Or maybe it has more to do with the fact that one of the competitor's is their current favorite hero, and the other two are hot young ladies. One of who's midriff is showing proudly.
"This is the one you've all been waiting for, isn't that right folks?" Hermes yells into the crowd, succeeding in getting them even more riled up.
The spiel goes on a little longer, but Kairi tunes it out, instead focusing in on Lani, the woman she'll have to beat in order to save Sora. The bounty hunter stands on the other side of Hermes, looking casually confident with one hip cocked, hand resting on it lightly. Her massive axe is strapped across her back, its weight seemingly not bothering her.
So she looks tough enough, and certainly getting this far in the tournament proves that as well. At least here, their team has the advantage of numbers. Or so Kairi thinks, until she turns to see that Icarus has also been sizing up their opponent, though in a rather different way than she herself had. His eyes are glazed, his tongue is hanging just a little bit out of his mouth.
Grimacing, Kairi bumps him hard with her shoulder. The inventor yelps, focusing once again. Primarily on his frowning partner.
"Head in the game, Icarus," she whispers, the words coming out in a hiss. "Don't let yourself get distracted. Besides, you're supposed to be my boyfriend!"
"Right, right," he says, shaking his head to clear it. "Eyes on the thighs… Uh, I mean the prize!"
Before Kairi can scold him, Hermes finishes his grand announcement with a boisterous, "Let's get ready to RUM-BLE!"
As they prepare to head to their starting places, the competitors turn to give each other the customary last threatening look. Except Lani's expression is anything but threatening. Instead, she gives Icarus a saucy wink, blowing a kiss his direction just for extra measure. The inventor visibly struggles to resist acting like he cares, though he can't stop the blush that stains his cheeks.
Kairi immediately decides that fighting this woman is going to be a pleasure.
"So, uh…" Icarus whispers as the pair take up their battle stances. The inventor is crouched in a reasonably believable imitation of Sora's usual stance, but from as close as she is, Kairi can see him trembling slightly. "What exactly is my role in all this?"
"I already told you," she replies, swinging her blade once to get herself ready. "Leave it to me. Uh, do try to look at least somewhat competent, though?"
"Competent, yeah. I can do that… Right?"
He'll have to answer that question himself, as Hermes excitedly declares the match's beginning. Kairi steps up as Lani does the same, the two women calculating possible strategies in their minds, looking for any potentially exploitable weaknesses. Despite theoretically having less experience, the Princess of Heart knows she'll have a speed advantage that will.
"Have at thee!" Icarus screams, gripping the fake Keyblade he holds in two hands and rushing forward with it held high. Kairi watches him go with an open mouth, mightily resisting the urge to slap herself on the forehead.
Though, to be fair, the headfirst charge is a pretty Sora-like strategy.
Lani watches with a catlike smile, shifting weight and preparing to counter her opponent's first, probably most powerful, strike. Then Icarus trips, and suddenly she's looking less intrigued and more just shocked, perhaps a little embarrassed. Kairi knows that's what she's feeling.
Icarus goes flying head-over-heels, the crowd gasping at the sight, and suddenly Kairi has an idea. Not exactly what she had in mind a the beginning, but the surprised way her opponent (and everyone else in or above the stadium) is watching the inventor's accidental show is, in fact, a perfect opportunity.
As quietly as she can, the redhead slips to the side, running at Lani's flank while the bounty hunter is distracted. Of course, she hasn't exactly mastered the art of a stealthy approach like, say, Riku, but she still gets close enough to Lani for the woman to be caught off guard. Grimacing, she hefts her massive axe into a diagonal defensive position.
Kairi's Keyblade crashes down against it, and suddenly they are engaged in a weapon-to-weapon struggle of main strength.
"Bold move," Lani says, taking a step to the side that Kairi perfectly counters, the sound of metal grinding against metal scraping unpleasantly in her ears. "Sending your boyfriend out to distract me. Nice to see that whole "pure-hearted light" business hasn't made you too soft."
"A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do," Kairi replies, perfectly willing to play off the bounty hunter's mistakes. "Still, it doesn't feel very ladylike."
Lani's eyebrow quirks, pushing hard against the redhead's blade. "What, using your boyfriend as bait?"
"No," she answers, loosening up her left arm and remembering one of Azlyn's old lessons. "I was talking about this!"
Kairi removes her left hand from the Keyblade's hilt, removing the pressure against Lani and stepping slightly to the right. The bounty hunter, not expecting such a sudden shift, stumbles forward. Right into Kairi's balled fist.
Up above, the crowd lets out an appreciatively empathetic, "Oooh!"
Lani's flailing reverses itself, now pedaling her body backwards. Kairi moves forward, possibly to end this match with a strong hit. But the scantily clad competitor isn't giving up that easily. She swings her axe low, forcing the Keyblade wielder to dance back herself to avoid losing a leg.
Coupled with that, Lani extends a hand and mutters an incantation. Frosty white energy forms into a sphere of pure ice. Judging by its size, Kairi guesses that it's a Blizzara. She tries to plant her feet, raising her blade in both hands to bat the projectile away.
But, once again, Icarus inadvertently comes in handy. He leaps into Lani's line of fire, though from what Kairi can see he has no idea that a magical iceball is coming. But it does, and the inventors' wide-eyed, clumsy swing misses batting it away by a mile. Instead, he bears the projectile's full brunt in the chest. With a loud oof, he goes down.
KH-KH-KH
In the godly tier of spectators, Zeus is looking absolutely dumbfounded.
"Uh, Hercules," the head god says, leaning over to his son. "Are you sure this is the same Sora you told me about? The kid that defeated the Hydra? I mean, this hardly seems to me like a 'rearranging celestial alignments' level of performance!"
The demigod gives his dear dad a hasty grin. "Of course I am! And if I know one thing, it's that Sora would do anything for Kairi. Right up to taking a ball of ice to the gut. After all…" He turns to Megara, his eyes going soft with adoration. "People do crazy things, when they're in love."
"No, no," Zeus says, waving his son's sweet words away. "I get the 'jumping in front of his girlfriend' thing. I'm just saying, I'd have thought he'd have, y'know, deflected the projectile."
Herc's forehead wrinkles as he thinks over that one. In the end, all he can do is shrug and suggest, "He's, uh, just having an off day?"
Zeus nods slightly, while in his own chair Hades does his best to contain his laughter. Oh, he's having an off day alright. These bozos don't know the half of it. Suddenly, something rings from inside the folds of his tunic. The haunting tones of a funeral dirge cut through the Olympian gods' merriment.
"Whoops!" the Lord of the Dead declares with a sheepish smile. "I coulda sworn I had this thing on silent. Well, better take the call, could be an emergency, ya never know! Be right back."
He stalks over to a quiet corner of the cloud, inadvertently pushing into Nemesis where she's standing at the nectar bowl. He winces, knowing that there's no way she'll be forgetting about that any time soon. When he finally reaches a quite corner, he reaches into his robe and pulls out a vial. Grabbing a chunk of cloud and forming it into a rough bowl, he pours the scrying liquid inside. A small application of his godly powers is all it takes to summon an image of Pain and Panic, sitting around in his throne room and looking rather nervous, as is their nature.
"Oh, great timing you guys," Hades tells his minions with serious sarcastic bite. "Wonder which limb I'll have to cut off for this little interruption, huh?"
"B-b-but Your Most, uh, Your Most Evil Excellency," Panic stammers, yellow eyes shaking in their sockets like dice in a cup, "we j-just thought you'd want to know th-tht-that your, uh, expected company has arrived!"
The evil god smirks. "I see. Well, I guess I can give you guys a pass on this one. You managed to get the chamber set up like I told you, right?"
"Of course, master!" Pain declares with a snappy salute. A bit too snappy, however, as he ends up slapping his hand hard into his forehead. "And the, erm, welcoming committee is ready as well. They'll have no choice but to walk right into your brilliant trap!"
"Oh, you flatter me." Hades frowns grimly. "Cut it out, would ya? Y'know I don't like getting my ass kissed that much. Well, I guess the rest is up to our boys in blue. Keep an eye on things, and call me if anything goes sideways. Oh, and boys?"
"Yes?" Pain and Panic inquire in stereo.
"Don't call me." With a quick swipe of his hand, Hades cuts the connection. Readjusting his toga, he turns and heads to grab a quick gulp from the nectar bowl before he gets back to watching his enemies' fall.
KH-KH-KH
As Lani's axe sweeps towards her midsection, Kairi leaps up and turns a solid backflip, landing steady on the ground and still facing her opponent. Azlyn would be proud, had the knight bothered to show up. Seriously, what could she be doing right now?
It isn't worth getting distracted, and thus bisected, at the moment. Instead, Kairi just focuses all her energy into the match. Especially the axe swinging down at her, which she nimbly sidesteps. She steps up for a swing at Lani, but the bounty hunter is amazingly quick for wielding such a heavy weapon. Kairi suspects some sort of enchantment.
Speaking of magic, Icarus has recovered remarkably well from the Blizzara spell he caught full-on. Kairi suspects that if she herself had taken a blow like that, it would have knocked her right out of consciousness, and thus right out of the match. But Icarus had merely made his noise of discomfort, stumbled around for a moment muttering something about someone named Pythagoras, then shaken it off like it was nothing. Honestly, it seems like a move you might expect from a Saturday morning cartoon character.
Still, he's been out of the heavy combat for a minute now, leaving Kairi to deal with the actual fighting. It's been a doozy, and her arms are already quite sore from blocking several chops from Lani's heavy axe. She needs to find a way to end this, and soon. Hopefully Icarus can get his head back in the game, maybe pull another one of his accidentally-helpful stunts.
But is that truly the best course of action? Isn't the whole point of her competing today to kill time until Riku and Telary can get Sora here? No, this is only the semifinal. What really matters is getting her and Icarus into the final itself. She can play at stalling tactics all she likes in that round.
Lani comes in with a high chop, and Kairi blocks it solidly enough to have her arms aching even more. The women disengage and Kairi tries to step around, but the bounty hunter's huge weapon also allows her to cover a lot of area defensively. Getting around it has been proving difficult. Probably what she needs is another distraction from Icarus.
Or perhaps, the Princess of Heart learns as she hears the loud crack of an artificial Kingdom Key across the back of Lani's head, she herself is the distraction in this instant. Her opponent clearly feels the blow, absolute rage overtaking her normally coy demeanor. With a scream that is all the more terrifying for the fact that it is directed straight into Kairi's face, Lani spins and knocks Icarus right back across the head with the flat of her axe blade.
Whatever resilience that allowed the inventor to shrug off the Blizzara, it doesn't see to extend to his skull as well. His eyes go spinning like laundry in a dryer, and even worse, his wig begins to come off. Kairi gasps, aware that that's all it will take to throw this charade of theirs into utter disaster. And once their deception has been discovered by the tournament committee, then it's goodbye to Sora forever…
The mere thought of that possibility stirs something in Kairi. She gasps yet again, feeling a familiar power take hold of her. Reaching back to her memories of when she last called upon that strength, the Keyblade wielder releases the pure energy of her heart.
Light explodes from her fist, blinding everyone watching for several moments. Luckily, the Princess of Heart seems to be immune to its effects. Gritting her teeth, she dives past Lani and straight into Icarus, tackling him to the ground and straightening his falling wig as she does so. They fall to the arena floor together, and a second later there's a loud thump from Lani and her axe landing as well.
When the spectators' eyes adjust once again, all three competitors are on the ground. For a moment all is silent, minus a few enthusiastic gasps from the crowd. What exactly happened down there? What was that light? Could it be they've been underestimating this redhead?
They get their answer to at least one question as Kairi stumbles up to her feet. She feels like she just ran a marathon, on top of all her exertions in the match. Then the crowd's cheers hit her full force, and it's one of the most refreshing things she's ever experienced. She looks up to the crowd with a smile, the sound of their approval only increasing as the unconscious Lani is teleported to the safety of the sidelines.
"Well folks, it looks like we have ourselves a couple of finalists, huh?" Hermes declares, hyping the masses up even more. As they show their approval, the god hovers down to Kairi's level. "Good show, girlie. Good enough that I'll let your little friends' actions earlier slide." He grins at her. "Long as you can promise me one hell of a finale, too."
"Oh," Kairi replies, looking down to where Icarus-as-Sora is rising to his feet, smiling at the cheers as if he'd earned them all by himself, "I can guarantee that this will be one eventful final showdown."
KH-KH-KH
"Ugh," Telary comments as he and Riku make their way down through the Underworld caverns. "I thought I'd have gotten used to this place by now. But nope, still creepy as all get out."
"So do you think that this is like, the definitive afterlife?" Riku wonders aloud. "As in, no matter who you are or where your from or how you were as a person, you just end up here?"
"I sincerely hope not," the wizard replies. "Nobody deserves for their soul to be reduced to this." He takes a moment think on his statement, and then amends, "Well, okay, I guess there are people who do deserve it. But certainly everyone doesn't!"
"Especially not Sora," Riku concurs as they step into the next chamber. It stands wide open, almost as big as the entryway and with a ceiling that stretches almost a hundred feet high. "Which is why we need to… Ugh!"
The silver-haired Keybearer recoils suddenly. Telary's eyebrows rise in surprise, and he runs to his companion's side. As he does, he finds out what exactly it was that caused Riku's reaction. With a loud splash, the wizard finds himself ankle deep in shockingly cold water.
"Is this normal?" Riku asks, frowning at the damp ankles of his pants. "Some kind of creative afterlife punishment?"
Telary shrugs, soldiering on another step into an even colder section of the water. "N-no," he stammers, shaking a bit. He remembers a lot of uncomfortable things about the Underworld, but never it being so freezing. The wizard can even see his own breath.
"And I assume the answer is no on the water moving, too?" the Keyblade wielder adds. Looking down, Telary confirms that all the liquid is indeed flowing together, even as chunks of ice begin to form inside its current, expanding until suddenly it's all ice.
And in the form of two hulking creatures, composed entirely of frozen liquid. They very closely resemble desiccated skeletons, complete with its frozen ribcage exposed. Their long arms end in four icy claws, gleaming even in the dim illumination of the small orbs of light scattered around the Underworld's tunnels. Maws full of sharp icicle teeth snap open beneath sadistic slits of empty eyes.
"Ice guys?" Riku marvels, stepping back into his fighting stance as he summons his Keyblade. "From the guy with fire for hair? Is that irony, Tel?"
"Yes, I believe the term is being used properly there, thank you for checking," the wizard replies, already plucking his staff from his belt. "And for giving me an idea!" Thrusting the wand forward, Telary summons his biggest, best fire spell. The ball of fire ignites at staff's end, flying straight and true towards the left Colossus.
It gets about four feet close to the monster before a layer of cold energy snaps over it, turning the deadly flame into a mere chunk of ice. It bounces off the Ice Colossus's chest, and Tel could swear he hears the creature snickering.
"Well, it may be ironic of Hades," Riku quips as he prepares himself for the battle to save his best friend, "but it's also really working for him."
The Ice Colossi stalk forward, their thick legs leaving five foot high ice spikes in their wake. Telary watches with a grimace, once again asking himself only one single question: Where is Azlyn?
KH-KH-KH
Azlyn stands alone in the shadows of her private viewing box, waiting for a very crucial meeting to begin. If things pan out, this may just be a step in the direction of her redemption. She'd seen Kairi's win, noting exactly where the redhead used the tips that had been imparted during their training together. It makes her proud, momentarily blotting out her shame.
And boy does she ever have shame. The very same gut-twisting embarrassment that had kept her from communicating with the others, even to let them in on her plan. She knows it was a dumb move, but the thought of facing them again, before she's fixed things up… It twists like a knife in her gut. Even Telary's attempts at understanding would simply be too much to handle right now.
So here she stands alone, hoping that this first foot forward is upon the correct path. She hears the sound of the suite's door sliding open. Grabbing the bulging sack at her feet, she turns to greet her new guests.
"Welcome to my little slice of heaven," Azlyn says with as much bravado as she can muster, hefting the sack. It clinks loudly as its contents shift. "Gentlemen, and lady too I guess, I've got an offer for you."
It felt like this took a little too long to get this out, and for that I apologize. Gee, I am really going to have to pick up the pace to get KttK III started by at least April. Speaking of, there's a poll currently running on my profile about said sequel. Feel free to check it out and submit a vote so you too can have at least some say in Keys to the Kingdom III!
Anyway, shoutouts are due here for spiderfan626 and TheIrishWriter. As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated. Until next time, and the grand climax of "Team Spirit"!