Prewrite: Let's get this going. Last bit of Olympus Coliseum (for now).

Disclaimer: Square Enix and the Disney Corporation own Kingdom Hearts. I own Daniel and his story. Nice little arrangement we have, no?

Chapter 6: The First Goodbye

Daniel took one last look around the small room he had called home since he had arrived on this world. It was strange; he had only been here for a week, but he was going to miss this place. The sheets that didn't quite fit the bed, the leaky faucet in the kitchen, the annoying noise the shower made…little things that gave the place personality, and made it feel more like a home than just a place he was staying.

He only had a few things, just enough to fill a backpack. For him, it was enough. He turned and walked through the door, not looking back. His next destination was the coliseum. He had to say goodbye to Hercules and Phil.

He entered the lobby, and saw that Phil was waiting for him. "There you are kid. Good timing. I was about to come see ya." "I guess I saved you a trip, then, coach. Where's Hercules?" Daniel looked towards the arena, hearing the sound of fighting. "He's in the middle of a match. Think you can wait a bit kid? I know Herc'd hate to miss sayin' goodbye." Daniel nodded, leaning against a wall as he waited.

While waiting, he took the time to think through his plan once more. Sora said that his navigators would greet him once he booted up the ship. Ship and Pail, I think their names were? He shrugged. Sora had said that the navigators would help him out with the ship's controls and showing him where other worlds were once he got the ship off the ground. From there, he'd go around the worlds looking for Riku and Kairi, just like Sora was. Oh, and that King that the other two were looking for.

Hercules came out of the arena just then, interrupting his thoughts. "Oh, you're here." said the hero. "Yeah. I came to say goodbye to you and Phil." Hercules nodded. "Ok. Lead the way to your ship, Daniel. We'll see you off." Daniel nodded, then headed out the door.

Daniel gazed up at his ship once more. It didn't look like much, but he knew it was his ticket out of there. He then turned to Hercules and Phil. "Thanks again you two. For taking care of me while I was here. I'm really gonna miss you two." He smiled at them, and they both smiled in return. "Don't be a stranger, Daniel." Hercules brought him something long, wrapped up in a bundle. Daniel took it, gazing at it curiously. "What's this?" "A gift," replied Hercules, "from the gods."

Daniel unwrapped it, revealing a sword. It had a longer blade than the one Hercules had loaned him, and the hilt was black with a wider guard. The handle was longer too, about a hand and a half, to where he could hold it with one or two hands, depending on the situation and his preference. He smiled up at Hercules. "Thanks a lot." Hercules nodded and smiled back. "Don't mention it." Daniel slid the sword into the sheath that had been wrapped with it, then strapped it to his belt. It was in the perfect position: easy to get to, and wouldn't bother him when walking or running.

He turned and headed up the ladder to board the ship, then turned and gave them one last wave goodbye. Phil called out one more thing. "Hey kid! I've got three words of advice for ya!" Daniel smiled, and couldn't help but mentally prepare to count the words once more. "Never back down!" Daniel was surprised for a moment as he realized that Phil had gotten the word count right for once. He laughed softly to himself, and felt tears coming to his eyes. Until now, he hadn't realized just how much he was going to miss them. He called out, "Thank you…both of you! I'll come back, and I'll show you how strong I've become!"

With one more smile and one more look at them, he climbed up into the ship and closed the door. The ship sputtered to life on its own, then flew off into the sky, the hero and his mentor watching all the way until it disappeared.

Postwrite: Not much of a chapter compared to the one before it, but I felt like this was a good stopping place. Call me whatever names you like, but I almost cried when writing that last scene where Daniel said goodbye. Is that a good sign, or a bad sign?