He woke to a feeling of warmth. His left wing ached with pain, but he felt comfortable. Kuro came to realize he was in a bed of some kind, with a fire crackling quietly nearby. He opened his eyes.

He was in a small room, of perhaps a cottage. For now, he was alone. The room was sparsely furnished but cozy. How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was the Underworld.

Kuro sat up, noticing that the top of his tunic had been stripped, and now hung from his belt. His wing stung, and he turned to look at it. It was wrapped in white bandages.

The door opened, bringing in a pale girl with curling brown hair and a green dress. "Oh," she murmured. "You're awake." Under one arm she carried red fruits, which she set on the table.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to hide his rising alarm. "Where am I?"

"The Underworld," she said quietly. "I'm Persephone."

"Persephone," he muttered.

"I'm Viridi's little sister," she said. "A prisoner of Hades. Long ago I used to help Viridi with the changes of the seasons and fertility. Now I tend the Underworld's orchards and- when I can- help with the passage of souls."

"You'll be pleased to hear that Hades is dead," he said.

She folded her hands. "Oh, I know."

"Why haven't you left?"

"Because someone must provide comfort for the dead." She tilted her head. "Which- you are not, obviously."

"What am I doing here?" he asked warily. His wing twinged, and he glanced at it. "You crashed and broke your wing. You were delirious when I found you," Persephone said. "I have used my magic to help. It should be better soon."

"Thanks," he said dully.

"I would like to know what YOU are doing here," she said. "What is an angel doing in the Underworld? What interest does Palutena have in the abandoned land of the dead?"

"I don't work for Palutena. Or anybody," he replied. "I'm down here to fight fiends."

Her eyes widened. "A noble task. One I myself have failed to achieve, many a time." She turned to the basket, picked up a fruit. "You see, I am a goddess," she murmured. "But I am weak. Had I the strength, I would take over the Underworld's care. It needs a guardian."

"Yeah, the last one burned out," scoffed Kuro. She smiled, and took a bite of the pomegranate in her hands. "Exactly. Without a guardian, this world will eventually collapse, releasing the fiends and souls into the surface world. I had expected it to be showing the signs already, but now I see why it has not."

She smiled at him. "You have been protecting this place, Kuro."

He stiffened. "How do you know my name?"

"You told it to me, when I found you. You repeated it many times, along with another name- Pit." She looked sad. "You seemed very desperate to be considered separate from him."

"I AM separate," he said. She just nodded.

"Soon your wing will heal. You will be free to go. What will you do, Kuro?"

It seemed an honest question. He wanted to fight more fiends, obviously, but Persephone's plight and that of the Underworld was not something he could ignore. Telling a god would provoke an attempt to take the Underworld for themselves. Persephone seemed suited for the job...

"When will my wing be healed?"

"Soon," she replied. "Within the hour."

"Good." He gave no other answer, and she did not pry. She ate- gods did not need to eat, he thought, but she said she enjoyed the taste- and stirred the fire. Finally Kuro sensed the return of strength to his wing.

He got up, pulling the bandages off his wing. "You're going?" she said. "Be careful. Here, take this with you- it may protect you." She offered him a single silvery crystal, on a dull rope cord. Kuro pulled his tunic back onto his body and accepted the pendant.

"I'll be back," he said simply before taking off. Where were the fiends?

Presently he returned with a pouch full of glimmering hearts, and alighted in front of Persephone's home. She was outside, and moved to meet him. "You're back," she murmured.

"Here." He thrust the pouch at her. "Will this help?"

She took it with a puzzled look and peeked inside. A moment later she gasped. "S-so many hearts!"

"The fiends around here drop a lot," he said, scratching his head. He still would not meet her gaze. "Will it help?"

She came closer. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her. Cool lips brushed his cheek. Kuro stiffened and turned towards her, feeling his face start to burn. "You have a good heart, Kuro," she said. "No matter what anyone thinks. Yes, this will help. A little. Enough of these and I might have the power I need to become caretaker." She looked off into the dark sky, her expression hopeful.

"Then I'll get you more," he said. "I'm not about to let this place collapse." He wasn't a goody-two-shoes like Pit, but even he wasn't about to let the whole balance of the world be thrown into chaos.

She beamed at him. "Thank you."