Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, though that should be obvious.

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I Need a Hero

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Six said as he, Domino, Rika, and I walked down one of the many crystalized roads. Six smiled and held his hand out for me to shake it. "I'm going see other worlds and explore the mysteries surrounding them. What are you three going to do?"

"Travel around and live an amazing life together," Domino replied quickly, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer to him. Rika just rolled her eyes at us. "And hopefully help Kane learn how to use more magic. He's still got a lot to learn."

"That I do," I said with a smile, putting my hands behind my head. "Hopefully I can train in worlds that don't get destroyed or have people dying in it." I took Six's hand and shook it, feeling the warmth of his hands touch mine. "Just a question…what happened to your back?" Six clutched his bare back, looking unsure of what to say. "Hey, you don't have to tell me." Six looked into my eyes and smiled. "I guess we'll see each other again?"

"I hope so," Six replied, giving me a thumbs-up. He put a hand over my heart and said, "Kane, you have a strong light like no other. Don't lose sight of it." A pinkish colored portal appeared behind him. "See ya later, Kane." He stepped backwards into the portal, and he and the pink portal disappeared.

I looked at each of the stars. For some reason I can't explain, they began…dimming. The light didn't seem as strong in my eyes any more. In fact, each ball of light began turning into other shapes, as if the light was dimming to show me what was inside of it. One world looked like a giant, grassy mountain with a golden palace on top, golden stone columns jutting up into the air above the world. "What's happening…I can see the worlds more clearly?"

"Your eyes have become more accustomed to the brightness of each individual world," Rika answered. Normally they're so bright that a normal person can't see beyond that light. But now you can because you're used to that light. I could see it perfectly as well."

"Same here," Domino replied. He followed my gaze upon that golden palace that I wouldn't stop staring at. "I guess that's the place we're headed." I slowly nodded. The three of us, now on our Gliders once more, sped towards the world that looked like a golden palace.

Once we entered the world, we were introduced to a beautiful sight. We were riding right above the clouds. The sky was a brilliant blue and the clouds below were pure white, looking like actual physical objects as opposed to normal clouds. Domino lowered our Glider so I could feel the cloud. Leaning downward I touched the cloud, and a chunk of soft, white silk-like cloud came off in my hand. Clutching it in my fist, it fell from in between my fingers as a shower of golden light. I smiled at the feeling of the warm, golden light as it passed between my fingers.

Looking ahead, peaking just over the clouds was the tip of a grassy green mountain. On the tip was what looked like a giant cube-shaped palace. The ground was completely square, columns lining all the sides and a roof being held up by the columns. All of it was golden.

I looked down, and saw that slightly below the clouds were other smaller buildings and structures circling the grassy mountain. The Gliders vanished beneath our feet and we each landed safely on the grass coating the hill. The clouds were but a few inches lower than us. We began scaling our way up the mountain, getting ever closer to the palace. And once we got close enough, I started to hear voices.

"How many times must I tell you that what you're doing is spreading the plague of darkness upon the mortals below!" a deep, gruff voice yelled out. Did he say darkness? We climbed onto the square ground of the palace. I put a finger over my mouth to keep Domino and Rika quiet, and the three of us hid behind a column. In the center of the palace, there were several golden thrones all arranged in a U-shape. At the base of the U was the one who spoke. He was a man with long and neat black hair and a black beard. He appeared to be wearing a suit and a red tie. He seemed about five feet taller than the average human.

Only one other throne was filled, right to the side of the other. He had short black hair and a black mustache. He was wearing a shirt that looked like something you'd wear on a vacation to the beach. He was wearing a necklace made of seashells. In one hand was a sea-green colored trident, and in the other was a glass of what looked like orange soda. He was around the same size as the other man.

The one who stood before the two of them was a tall, imposing and very muscular man with albino white skin, intense black eyes that seemed to glitter in the light of the golden palace and the sunlight, that were either the eyes of a genius or a madman. He sported shoulder-length black hair and was slightly shorter than the other two. He wore a black robe. He said, "And Zeus, how might I be spreading this 'plague'?" His voice had a creepy vibe to it that sent shivers down my spine.

"Hades, you know as well as I do," the bearded one known as Zeus replied. "Getting mortal women pregnant."

"Check," Hades said.

"Taking people's lives when it is unnecessary."

"Double check."

"Training people to use the dark powers that you possess."

"Ooh, three checks. Got yourself a world record, bro." Hades began clapping his hands. "Let me break it down for you—I don't care. Never have. Never will. Mind your own business, and I'll continue mine. Deal?" Zeus began to say something more, but the man on the side took over.

"Hades, go back to the Underworld where you belong," the man replied. "Or—"

"Or what, Seaweed-Breath?" Hades asked, stalking up to the man's throne with his hands behind his back. "Is the great Poseidon going to drown me in his everlasting sea? Maybe poke and prod at me with that trident of his? You're too weak to do anything to one such as I. Capiche?"

"I think I get it," Domino whispered into my ear. "Elijah Brunner always taught us about the other worlds out there, and what kind of mysteries, secrets, and lore they hold. These three are the Greek gods from the Greek Mythology…if I remember them correctly, there's Zeus, God of the Sky; Poseidon, God of the Sea and Storms; and Hades, God of the Underworld and Lord of the Dead. The big three brothers."

"So they exist?" I asked quietly.

"There are an infinite number of worlds," Rika replied. "Anything's possible."

"He won't have to finish you off—" Zeus said, holding a hand out in front of him. A single lightning bolt appeared in his hand, and he pointed it to Hades. Hades simply rolled his eyes as he turned his back to Zeus. "If I do first!"

He threw the lightning bolt at Hades, which sped towards the God of the Underworld at the speed of light. It collided with his back, sending a crackling sound echoing off the palace columns and shaking me down to my core. Without realizing it I dug my fingernails into Domino's shoulder from the intense shock. Hades whipped around quickly and jumped at Zeus, balls of blue fire appearing in each of his hands. He tossed the both of them at Zeus, but Poseidon intervened by jumping in the way and deflecting them with his trident.

"Nobody makes a fool out of me!" Hades screamed out. "NOBODY!" His hair seemed to spark with blue flames. His eyes widened a he shot fire from both of his hands. His flaming blue hair turned to a mix between red, orange, and yellow. His skin seemed to darken until it was a sickly gray, and his lips were as black as coal. "Don't underestimate me, brothers! There is not anything powerful enough to defeat someone who controls death!"

"How about a Keyblade!" Domino yelled, knocking Rika and I to the side as he dashed out from behind the column, running straight for Hades, Starlight in his hand.

Hades cocked his head to the side. "What the—?" Domino swung his Keyblade, the sharp edge of it cutting into Hades' side. Nothing but black powder escaped his wound. "What is that?" he asked with a smirk, rubbing his now pointed fingers as he stared down Domino's Keyblade. "And where can I get one?"

"Of course he'd just jump out like that," Rika said, rolling her eyes at Domino's stupidity. Under her feet appeared her Glider, and she darted forward at Hades as well, balls of darkness appearing in a circle around her. Each of them shot towards the Lord of the Dead, colliding with the man and causing him to back away. Her Glider vanished and Darksouls appeared in her hand, which she used to smack Hades across the face. Hades spiraled backwards, spinning on his heel as he tried to regain balance.

"Who are these two?" Poseidon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Intruders, that's what," Zeus replied, putting his hands together and cracking his knuckles. "But helpful intruders, nevertheless. Are they demigods?"

"Of course we are!" Domino shouted out, and Rika and I face-palmed. Back in Salem he declared himself a witch, and now a demigod? "The most powerful demigods you've ever seen!"

"Ha, don't make me laugh," Hades said, towering over Domino until he shrunk down to Domino's size. He put his arm on Domino's shoulder like an armrest. "Buddy, listen, it's great to play pretend. Really, it is. But, see, here's the thing. I'm the only god right now getting women pregnant since the Oath of the Gods, and I can say, you don't look anything like me."

"Oath of the Gods?" I asked, stepping out from behind the column and walking towards Rika and Domino.

"An Oath saying we shouldn't have any more kids with mortals for the next few hundred years," Poseidon answered. "To make sure a demigod doesn't rise up and try to be a god. Breaking the oath means dire consequences. And Hades here—" Hades waved at Poseidon to acknowledge him for calling out the God of Death's name. "—he's been creating more and more demigods for over a decade."

"Ah, you noticed," Hades said, putting a hand to his heart. "I'm touched, really. Sorry, but I've got bigger fish to fry. Don't wait for me, I'm not returning any time soon." He snapped his fingers and a portal of darkness appeared underneath him. "But hey, the five of you can spend some quality time together in my absence. Oh, yeah, what was that law? If any intruders enter the palace, they'd be sentenced to death?" He winked at the three of us. "Have fun, you guys." He sunk into the shadows below.

"I don't like that guy," I pouted as the portal of darkness vanished. "Uh…" I looked Zeus in the eyes, and he scowled at me. "Um, don't kill us. Please?"

The god almost stood up, but he slumped back in his seat in defeat. "You know, how about you three just leave? There's no use killing innocent mortals like you…how on Olympus did you get here, though? It's shielded from all mortals' eyes."

"Where is here?" Domino and I asked simultaneously.

"Mount Olympus, home of the gods," Poseidon replied before Zeus could, the latter god sending an angry glare to his brother. "Those weapons you two used…they almost seemed to work better against Hades than Zeus and I's combined powers. What do you call them?"

"Keyblades," I said for them. "Created three years ago. They can unseal any locked barrier and can bring the many worlds together."

"They're also good at kicking butt," Domino replied with a chuckle, and I elbowed him in the side.

"You three," Zeus said, extending his arms out before him. "Gods like us cannot enter that accursed Underworld of his. Unless the three of you go down there and defeat Hades once and for all…I will obliterate you into dust." The hair on the back of my neck seemed to stand on end while all of the clouds became black. In a second they went back to white. "I will not ask how you three were able to arrive on Olympus. Just head down there and find the lair of Hades. You'll figure out how to enter the Underworld. The entrance is always noticeable. Do not leave this world until Hades is destroyed."

I suddenly felt the weight of gravity slamming against my shoulders, and a square tile of floor disappeared underneath Domino, Rika, and I. The three of us fell through the palace and landed on our faces on the grassy mountain below. I slowly stood up and brushed the dirt and grass off of my shirt and shorts. "I guess we have to find the Underworld now," Domino said, leading the way downward, Rika at his side and me trailing two feet behind them.

We started dashing downward quickly, passing through the clouds as they shimmered in gold light around us. "How in the world are you supposed to kill a god?" I asked Domino and Rika, but I didn't receive a response. It took forever, but our feet began stepping on hard ground. We were off of the mountain. Surrounding us was what looked like a town. Old looking houses and buildings were spread out, and a few townspeople were walking about.

"You want to know how to kill a god?" a quiet voice asked from the side of me. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Standing to the side of me was a tall man with a red cloak that billowed behind him in a dramatic wind. His short hair was dark grey and spiked, and he seemed to have some light stubble on his chin. There was a large scar over the right half of his face and over his right eye, which was shut. His left eye was amber colored. "Determination…years of it. You have to be ruthless, but not completely overtaken by the hatred. Only one with strength of heart and strength of will, can truly kill a god."

"And you are?" Rika asked rudely.

"Auron," the man said, staring up at the sky. "The one you wish to battle, Hades…he's taken everything from me." He rubbed where his right eye was shut, and scowled. "This…and my precious sister. Do you three wish to fight alongside me and rid the world of this tyrant?"

"Yes," Domino answered quickly. "Are…you a demigod? Hades' child, perhaps?"

"Demigod?" Auron asked, holding his chin as if to think. "Now that's a title I haven't been called. No, I'm no demigod. I only wish to save my sister. If we go to the Underworld together, we may stand a chance against Hades. Be careful."

"Are we really going to trust someone we just met?" I asked, a little worried of who this 'Auron' could really be. Domino and Rika both nodded. "Okay then, Auron…where is the Underworld?"

"I know an entrance to the Valley of the Dead," Auron muttered, holding his hand out and conjuring a long, thick sword out of thin air. "Hades really needs to hide it better. The entrance…is everywhere." Everywhere? I arched an eyebrow. "Though you can open a doorway leading to the Underworld pretty much anywhere, you have to know what you are doing in order to do so. Observe." He dug his sword into the ground beneath him and cut a jagged line into the soil. The crack in the soil soon released a fog of darkness. Auron slammed his palm into the ground, and the crack opened wide enough for a human to jump through. "The Valley of the Dead awaits."

Domino took no time waiting and jumped headfirst into the crack in the ground. Rika jumped in after him. Auron motioned for me to do the same, and I hesitantly jumped in after them. Auron fell in after me. When we landed, all we saw was green. All four corners of the seemingly endless room were green, with strange white wisps floating up towards the green sky. The ground beneath us was made of rock. We were…on a road. In one direction it led downward to an exit. Ahead of us the road went upward and to an entrance to another room.

I walked to the edge of the road and looked down below…a large, green body of water was underneath this road of rock. I nearly jumped away as a white wisp flew in front of my face and began swirling around my body. "What the—?" I yelled out in shock. "What is this thing?"

"A spirit," Auron muttered quietly, swinging his sword towards his back as a swirling white wisp silently approached from behind him. The sword passed through the spirit as if it weren't a physical being. "They're harmless…but the influence they have on mortals is strong. You can die if you aren't careful." He lunged forward as another spirit flew in front of my face. Swinging his sword, he cut through the wisp and made it disappear. As for the one swirling around me still, Auron had a hard time getting rid of it.

"Thunder!" I yelled. Out of my hands sparked white electricity, shocking the spirit and making it fade away completely. "How often have you been down here?"

"More times than I can count," Auron said, looking to the green sky above. "Hades needs to return something of mine… something valuable. So I've been here every day since then, challenging Hades but never succeeding in killing the bastard. You three…a godsend. You can help me defeat him and take what he's been keeping all this time."

A white wisp—much larger than the last—wrapped its wispy arms around Auron. Though it couldn't physically touch Auron, the spirit caused him to back away, passing harmlessly through the spirit, his heels reaching the edge of the road. He nearly stumbled backwards, but Domino was able to grab his hand and pull him away from the edge. "Thanks," Auron said before jumping into the air, lodging his sword in the throat of another spirit, causing it to vanish. "Head to the entrance of Hades' lair! I'll keep the spirits from interfering."

Domino and Rika instantly dashed off towards the doorway up ahead along the road. Rika looked back, shouting "Kane, hurry!"

I complied, rushing off towards Hades' lair just as Domino and Rika were doing. Looking back, I saw Auron slashing his sword through the air, but the number of spirits flying around him only increased. Domino and Rika reached the door, waiting a few seconds for me to arrive there as well. When I did, Domino put his hand on the doorknob, preparing to turn it.

"Look out!" Auron's voice yelled, just as the largest spirit so far—perhaps larger than the four of us combined—appeared right next to the door. Auron's sword came soaring through the dark air, passing by the three of us and impaling itself into the door, making the large white wisp vanish and the door shatter into splinters of wood and rock.

Auron ran up to us, taking his sword from the ground. Motioning his hand through the air, he commanded us to rush into Hades' chamber. Inside was barely lit up with candles lining the walls, each burning with a red flame. Once inside we saw the Lord of the Underworld himself, sitting atop a throne made of human bones. In his hand was a clear glass of red liquid. He wasn't the only one there, however. Standing in front of the god, his back to us, stood someone familiar.

"Please don't tell me…" I said in annoyance, automatically realizing who this white haired boy was.

Turning his back to Hades, the boy faced us. "Ah, Hades, these are the ones I warned you about."

"Who is that?" Auron asked, getting into a fighting stance with his sword pointing towards him.

"The name's Asher," the boy said, lifting his fedora up with a finger and looking straight into Domino's eyes. "Phoenix Asher. Call me the obliterator of light! The destroyer of darkness! That is who I am!" He raised both arms out in front of him, rings of artificial light appearing around his wrists. "Domino, surrender yourself over to me! Now gather under the name…of the Keyblade hunters!"

Snapping his fingers, seven men and six women appeared in a circle around Domino, Rika, Auron, and I. Domino scowled at Asher. This boy never seemed to quit this goal of killing Domino.

"You three again," Hades said, balling a fist. He released his fist when he looked at Auron. "Ah, and Hero-Boy has returned. Why am I not surprised?" He snapped his fingers, and out of the ground came human skeletons, all wearing Greek battle armor and carrying long swords or axes. There were at least twenty of them surrounding Hades' throne and three of them in front of the entrance to the lair. "Phoenix, I will do the honors of dragging that barefooted boy down into the Sea of Spirits if you help me take down the guy in red."

"Hades, I have to fight these three as well," Asher said in annoyance. "You get rid of Auron yourself with those skeletons of yours."

"Fair enough," Hades said, exploding into a tower of fire. "Oh, but hey, Asher…I will take Domino away from the living. But you must go as well." When the fire vanished, his hair was a burning red-orange, his skin and clothing were red as well. "It's high time all of you vanish…forever!"

The skeletons charged after the Keyblade Hunters. The Hunters each shot beams of light at the skeletons, shattering them into piles of bones. The bones connected as one again, and the skeletons continued to try and harm the Hunters.

"What do you think you are doing!?" Asher yelled out at Hades.

"Oh, you see, here's the thing—" Hades said, pointing a steady finger at Asher. "Down here, in the Underworld, I'm boss. Got it? Ever since you got here it's been nothing but pure, infuriating bossiness escaping those lips of yours! Kill Domino this, and Make him into a spirit, that! You mortals are all greedy little pests, aren't you?" While Hades wasn't watching the battle between the Hunters and the Skeletons, Auron lunged forward with his sword, slashing through every single Skeleton and watching them crumble to dust, permanently. "Oh?" Hades suddenly muttered, raising an eyebrow at Auron. "I've had about enough of you! This rivalry has been between us for far too long. You've forced my hand. Goodbye." He snapped his fingers, and the rocky ceiling above them started shaking.

A large boulder fell through the ceiling above Auron. He tried to back away, but it was futile. Auron fell over his own feet, his arms and legs spread out. His left arm was crushed by the boulder. "Auron!" I yelled out, rushing to the fallen man who was silently cursing from all the pain he was experiencing. Before I could make it to Auron, one of the Hunters appeared in front of me and grabbed my throat, attempting to choke me.

"Kane!" Domino shouted out. I saw him try to jump at me, but Rika made her darkness swirl around him, halting him in his place as Rika lunged towards the Hunter, driving her Darksouls into the back of the Hunter that was strangling me. The Hunter crumpled to the ground, vanishing into artificial light.

Domino sighed once he saw I was alright, and he rushed to Auron to push the boulder off of his arm. After helping Auron up, he swung his hand as Starlight appeared, slashing through the body of a Hunter that was just lunging at the two of them. He vanished into artificial light.

Auron tucked his aching left arm away underneath his clothing, and he and Domino stood back to back as two more Hunters jumped at them. Both, a man and a woman, were impaled by Domino's and Auron's respective weapons. The remaining Hunters each vanished into portals of artificial light, causing Asher to yell out, "Cowards! They aren't that tough!"

"Kill me yourself then," Domino challenged, but Asher simply backed away. "That's what I thought."

"That's enough," Hades said, stepping towards us slowly. His red fire vanished. His hair was now a simple blue flame. His eyes were completely yellow except for his black pupils. He possessed very sharp teeth and unnatural black lips. His face was quite long and thin, with his chin jutting out abruptly. His fingers were long, thin, and clawed. He wore what appeared to be a dark grey shirt underneath a black toga, the latter of which seems to be held up by a small skull pin on his right shoulder. His feet weren't visible due to the length of his robes. He held his hands out in front of him to stare at his palms. "My true form…I like it."

"Kinda hideous, if you ask me!" Rika yelled at the god.

"Nobody cares about your opinions, girl," the Lord of the Dead cackled, stepping towards the entrance to his lair. Snapping his fingers, each of the candles lining every inch of the walls now lit with a black flame. The Underworld had a special power to it. I felt every ounce of my being slipping away. My skin began to gray, to wrinkle up. I felt tired…exhausted. I felt my eyes drooping. "Ah, wouldja look at that. The power and death surrounding this place is affecting you, Kane, most of all. You must be the one to die."

"Nobody's dying, Hades!" Auron yelled out, jumping at Hades with his sword outstretched. Hades grabbed the sword with both of his hands and stopped Auron in his tracks. Auron yanked his sword away from the god and stared the man down. "You'd have to go through me."

"Listen, Wannabe-Hero," Hades said, licking his lips. "Down here, heroes are zeroes. 'Nuff said. Though I guess, if you wanted, you could fight me. But neither you nor any of your pitiful friends can defeat me in my own turf. That's just the way things are…what did you say your name was again?"

"You have something precious to me," Auron said, holding his hand out as if expecting Hades to hand something to him. "I'd like it back."

"Ah, yes, the girl," Hades smiled. "The two of you were only together for like what? Two weeks? Three? And big bad Lord of the Underworld here decided to take her from you. I could show her to you, if you'd like. But believe me, you wouldn't wanna know the truth behind her. You think you remember her but in actuality, you don't. Before the two of you met in this world that little bit ago…you two had never seen each other before then. She's playing you like a sitar."

"What are you talking about!?" Auron shouted at the god. "I'd known her my whole life. We've been living in this world for three years before you snatched her from me! What game are you playing at, Hades?"

"Game? What game? All I speak is the truth," Hades laughed, dusting off his toga. "Hey, I have a deal to offer."

"I'm listening," Auron said, making his sword vanish.

Hades smiled ear to ear. "Good boy. If you allow your soul to be mine for all eternity, then I will release your sister and she'll live the perfect life. No strings attached. She'll be free as a bird. Oh, and another thing. When your soul is drifting here in the Underworld, you're memories of her will be gone. Forever. Now, will you keep the memories of her and have her stay in the Underworld as a spirit? Or will you give up those precious memories to release her from my clutches? You got one minute, kid."

"I'd be a tad worried about what he said before, Auron," I said, trying to reason with the man. "What exactly did he mean by saying that you and your sister hadn't known each other since a few weeks ago?"

"Does that matter?" Auron asked, holding a hand out in front of him and staring into his palm. "I have to see my sister on the way down. But when she comes back up, back to the living… I'll have forgotten all about her. That's a price I have to pay, Kane."

"Am I being ignored!?" Asher yelled after a long few minutes of silence from him. "Hades, just take Domino's soul already!" Asher ran straight for Hades. Hades looked at Asher as if he were a measly insect, and flicked the white-haired boy in the nose, causing him to fly back into the wall next to the lair entrance. "Domino, I'll find my way to you again and kill you. Just you wait and see!" In a flash of white, Asher vanished.

"Now, where were we? Oh, that's right? We were making a deal." He held his hand out for Auron to take. Auron was a little hesitant. I mean, who wouldn't be? He was basically making a deal to the Devil. But Auron grasped Hades' hand, and blue fire surrounded his and Hades' wrists. Auron let go of Hades' hand. A large hole opened up in the ground between Auron and Hades, nothing but green water and the wisps of white below. Fog made of darkness tried swirling from the depths. "Jump in…I promise, you'll see your sister. Briefly. Now go, time's a-wasting."

Auron put his toes over the chasm below and looked to Rika, Domino, and I. "My sister has to survive. She has to. I'm not taking any other route to getting her back now. This may be my only chance. You three…we'll never see each other again. But don't forget about me. And don't think about making a deal with Hades to bring me back. I doubt he'd allow that. Bye…thanks for helping me, friends." He jumped into the chasm headfirst, vanishing beyond the green sea of souls.

Black flames blasted from the chasm, and once they vanished, a small figure jumped out of the hole, landing in front of Hades as the chasm closed up. She was wearing a black and white cloak that reached her ankles, the hood over her head to hide her face. She was around four feet tall, so she was most likely young. Black hair fell from the hood to her waist.

"Auron's sister?" I guessed.

"Ah, you're free at last," Hades said, admiring the girl before him. "Just as we planned."

"What?" Domino and I asked at once.

The girl chuckled and said in a mesmerizing voice, "Auron looked so surprised to see me on his way down. Even as his memories of me faded, which didn't exist in the first place, he started remembering bits and pieces of who I really am. Our plan to trap him in there worked like a charm."

"What are you talking about!?" I yelled out, anger beginning to overflow my very heart.

Hades chuckled. "For three years, Auron was here on a stupid quest to defeat me and become a hero. Everyone had always seen him as a monster. He was unloved by many. Defeating me and becoming a hero was his only chance to redeem himself. Only a few weeks ago, this girl before me appeared and had a plan to get rid of Auron. I created false memories within Auron's mind…memories of this girl. In his mind, this dark, twisted individual became his sister. And then she willingly jumped into the Sea of Souls where Auron would soon become enraged and try to kill me, doing anything he could to save her. And thus I tricked him into trading his soul for hers. Even though I'm not really sure this girl was worth the trouble."

"You're too kind, Lord Hades," the girl said, putting a hand on her hip. Her voice sounded rather young…maybe ten or eleven years old.

"Who are you then!?" I yelled out.

"The name isn't important," the girl said, looking towards the ceiling. "You know what is important? Getting out of here. That sea thing I was in reeked of death…not that I'm complaining. The smell soothed me. But three weeks of it is kinda not the best thing in the world." She held a hand out in front of her. She looked to Domino and chuckled. "Ah, Domino. I must give much appreciation to you for getting us out of Utopia." Utopia!?

"You're one of the dark Keybearers," Domino said, putting two and two together. "And…you're welcome?"

The girl clutched a fist, and darkness swirled around her. She sunk into the darkness, laughing with pure evilness radiating off of her voice. When she was completely gone, Hades turned his back to us. "One soul is good enough for one day," he said, waving his hand through the air. "I would like to take yours as well, but I'm afraid I'm all tuckered out. Comes with the job. Get out of my palace…now!"

He pointed to the ceiling, and a golden portal appeared in the center. Almost immediately, Domino, Rika, and I flew into the portal unwillingly. I closed my eyes. Suddenly I felt…refreshed. I went from feeling the cold, dread of death to feeling a powerful, sunny radiation. When my eyes opened, I was on Olympus. Domino and Rika stood to either side of me. Standing before us and in front of their thrones were Zeus and Poseidon.

"You have not finished Hades off," Zeus grumbled. "I would take your meaningless life but…we've received word that you three must live. There is no undoing ancient prophecies. The three of you are not meant to die…yet."

Poseidon cleared his throat and said, "You three must leave now."

"Not yet!" a frantic voice yelled, and someone fell from the sky. He landed right in front of Domino. He had short, curly blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a white toga, and from his sandals sprouted two white wings that looked like they just stopped flapping. "Hello, Domino!" He took Domino's hands in his and shook them violently. Letting go of Domino he said, "I'm Hermes, the messenger god, at your service! I found this—" He dug in a pocket in his toga, taking out a white envelope closed with a smiley-face sticker. "—a letter addressed to you, floating around in-between worlds!"

"In-between worlds?" Domino asked, taking the envelope and seeing his name on the front written in cursive. There was no address or return-address. "Who could have sent this?" He peeled off the sticker and opened the envelope, taking out a sheet of regular paper from inside. Rika and I both looked over his shoulders to read the letter, which read:

Dear Domino,

I know this may come as a shock, but I've finally learned that you're alive and well and best of all free from Utopia! It's been a little more than three years since we've seen each other, yet I hadn't been able to forget how your voice sounded or how your face looked. I've gotten a Keyblade of my own and am on my own little journey across the world, which is how I received word on your current status. The world I'm at right now is Traverse Town, a quaint little town with not many people, but from the night sky you can see thousands of stars…the worlds out there. I'm probably looking at the world you're at right now. Wouldn't that be neat? Anyway, come meet me in Traverse Town. You should be able to sense what world that is by using this letter. I hope we get to see one another once again!

From your beautiful sister,

Diantha

It took me a second to process that. I blinked twice before shouting, "You're sister!?"

"Looks like the three of you have a long journey ahead of you," Zeus said, thunder sparking in his beard. "Leave before I try to kill you."

Without waiting, Domino and Rika conjured their Gliders, and I as always rode on the back of Domino's, wrapping my arms around Domino's waist to hold on. As we headed towards space, I said, "You're sister…in Traverse Town?"

"I'm as confused as you," Domino whispered, but I still heard him. "My memories of her were all but forgotten up until now. We need to see her in Traverse Town. It's been too long." And we crossed the border.

.

How did you like this chapter? So Auron's sister...was just a fake. Then who is she? We'll see her in the future, I'm sure. She's an original character...someone else's, I might add. Now...Domino's sister shall be revealed in the next chapter. Stay tuned for more!