A/N: So, with the last chapters proofreading out of the way, I can get started on this one! Or maybe I should keep writing even when the proof reading isn't done, so I can update faster. But that just means more proofreading, which could mean that I'll move slower. You know, it's like when you have a little homework assignment, you just get it done, but when you have like a ten little homework assignments, it's hard to start any of them. It just makes procrastination easier. So, I'll look into that and see if it helps or harms.

I've decided to move the review responses to the southern AN, because it's just more logical. The material in the north note should logically be written before or during the writing of the chapter, and the content of the south note should be written afterward. Because I sometimes get reviews during the writing or proofreading stages, I respond afterward, meaning I either need to split the responses between the notes or just wait until I finish to respond. That said, I'd still appreciate it if you would at least glance over the names of those who reviewed to give them some public thanks for their effort, which helps to keep this story in my focus.

I know that from time to time, various characters have been not quite themselves. If you want, you could let me know if I'm getting better or worse at this. Keep that in mind as you read if you would.

§ - Chapter 8: Here We Go - §

"I don't think it would be safe to try to heal him," stated Zelda, gazing down at the blonde young man stretched out on the bed before them. When Link had arrived back at the village, and explained the situation, Zelda had immediately brought him, carrying the stranger, to their designated healing hut. It was little more than a shack with a bed and some basic first aid and medical items, such as bandages and crutches. She had directed Link to lay him on the bed and had since been preparing her magic to treat him. Or so he thought.

"Are you sure? I know we don't know much about him, but I'm pretty sure we could restrain him if we needed too," Link said. He had thought this through and was certain he had made the right decision, but Zelda's reluctance caused him some doubt.

"It's not that," Zelda began, visibly relaxing her best friend. "I don't think it would be safe for him. He has within him two kinds of power. He has something strange in him that feels similar to twilight magic, but it's not quite the same."

Link interrupted her, "Twilight magic?" he asked, scrutinizing the black-robed boy once more, as if maybe this time his body would reveal some secret of his nature.

"It's just another energy in the world," she explained, continuing. "The other thing in him is Light. But it's a foreign kind of Light. I've never seen anything like it before. I'm not surprised that I don't know all that much about the twilight-like power, but this is Light, and it's so different. Anyway, I'm not sure what using my Light on him would to either of the energies within him. I could do more harm than good."

"So, there's nothing we can do." sighed Link.

Zelda replied, "Well, to be honest, he's mostly just exhausted. If we let him keep sleeping, I'm sure he'll just wake up healthy at some point."

"So, there's nothing we can do." Link repeated.

"If you insist on looking at it that way, that's your fault. For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing by bringing him here. I like to consider myself a good judge of character, and I'm sure he's no enemy. I think he could be a good friend, actually," Zelda said, sounding for all the world like the young girl she looked, giggling slightly.

This annoyed Link somewhat, for two reasons. One: Zelda often pestered him to make some friends, calling him a loner and such irritating things. Who made her his therapist? Two: he didn't think she was being serious enough about the current situation.

She noticed his annoyance and decided that now was probably not the time. Changing the topic, she prompted, "You could get some sleep too, if you want. I know you always like to be asleep, either on your bed or on your bird. But this time, you actually deserve a little rest after what's happened. Go take a nap or something, and by the time you're done, your friend will most likely be about ready to wake up himself. If he shows any signs, I'll have you woken up, alright?"

Link gave a nod and headed over to his new housing indicating his agreement to the terms presented.

Having said their goodbyes, Kairi, Lea, Riku, Sora, and Tidus stood in a semicircle on the Play Island beach. All of them had a clear view of the place at which Sora said the Gummi Ship would drop the others off, and each anxiously anticipated their arrival.

"Yeah right!" shouted the red-haired man, "I'll figure out where Roxas is before you've even made it to your first world. I can use Dark Corridors still, 'cause Kairi's immune to them. You can't, cause you're with the mouse."

The silver-headed denizen responded, "Right. For the record, his Majesty and I can both use the corridors without a problem. And anyway, you've got nothing to go on, and you'll just magically stumble across him somewhere?"

"Absolutely. It's like, the power of friendship, or something. Aren't good guys supposed to believe in that sort of nonsense?" retorted Lea.

"Nah, that's just Sora's thing. The rest of us aren't so childish," jabbed Riku.

"Right, 'cause instead of friendship, you believe that you can just beat people up until you get what you want. You're definitely way more mature than I am. And seriously, who uses a catch phrase? 'Got it memorized'? Really?" The brunette boy taunted.

"Yeah, well, at least my way works," said the older Keyblade Master.

Lea jumped in, "Hey, it's classy!"

"You tell yourself that," Riku mocked.

"You're way works, huh?" asked Sora.

"Yeah, what about it?" the platinum questioned defensively.

The younger looked at his best friend mischievously, answering "Well, last time I checked, I beat you in our real fight, not the other way around. Both of you, actually."

"It's been a while since then. Would you mind reminding me who became Keyblade Master first?" Riku teased.

Lea provoked them again, saying, "Ladies, please. You're not so tough. After I've finished training Kairi, even she'll be able to beat you."

Both friends turned to him, indignant, but were cut off by Kairi, "You leave me out of this. I've given up getting you boys to stop arguing, but don't bring me into it."

Tidus watched as the humorous exchange continued. How can they act so normal? he thought. Aren't they nervous? I guess they have done this sort of thing before, but still. Should I try to say something? Lost in thought, Tidus inadvertently tuned out the conversation until a certain offworlder addressed him directly.

"Hey, Kid!"

Tidus started, caught off guard, before quietly answering, "Yeah?"

"No need to look so nervous," his addresser said, "aren't these supposed to be your friends? They probably won't bite."

"Umm…" Tidus began uncomfortable, when four familiar figures formed before them, sparing him the awkwardness of answering the weird comment.

As Link sat in his bed, waiting for sleep to claim him, he pondered what would happen when woke up.

For every bit of effort he put into sleeping, he drifted that much further from the pleasant darkness. It's not that he wasn't tired. Oh, he was very tired. Exhausted, in fact. He was already emotionally drained from Groose's death and physically worn out by having to deal with both the villagers' incessant problems with Bokoblins and his earlier dealings with Ghirahim. Add to that all the events that had transpired since then and he was certainly ready for his slumber. Unfortunately, his mind said otherwise. His head was swarming with questions about Ghirahim, the red-robed Mayabi, and the youth who had materialized from the shadows. How was he supposed to sleep when all this was flooding his brain with constant questions, each flowing into the next in a ceaseless current of unending mysteries?

Another thread of wonderings weaved through his mental tapestry. At the moment Link saw the boy in the black cloak attack the flamboyant white weapon, the idea that he might be a friend sparked in the back of his mind. Link didn't realize it, but this actually held quite a bit of sway in his decision to take the young adult back to Kakariko with him. His reasoning was really just an excuse, a rationalization of sorts. Of course, he didn't know at the time, but the image of a friend that he had projected onto the boy in the hospital bed had grown to the point where Link began to recognize it.

This both worried and excited him. Naturally, the epiphany that his judgment was impacted so greatly by a naïve hope was more than a little uncomfortable. But with the idea of a sympathetic entity strong enough to attack and hurt Ghirahim, along with Zelda's not so subtle prescription, had him wondering if this black-clad teenager might be a decent companion.

Zelda always insisted that he needed a friend, but he had never felt the same. He had trouble seeing anyone as a friend really, because he had done so much that even the best of the Hylians' knights seemed inexperienced by comparison. Even talking to Headmaster Gaepora, he often felt like he was talking to a child he had to gently guide along. Like, for example, with the many challenges involved in the establishment of the new settlement on the surface. It had never bothered him, though. He was fine without friends. He had never had them, and he didn't really need them. Yes, Zelda was his friend, but she was also his romantic inclination. That's a very different situation.

But something had happened today.

One specific day a while back, right after he had made it through his first dungeon, Link walked into the Bazaar. His confidence was soaring. He had made it through what he had thought was the most convoluted and dangerous place he would ever go. He felt as though he could conquer anything. He didn't need anyone or anything. And then he saw the iron shield on display at the Gear Shop. Immediately, he saw how useful it could be, and he had to have it. So he promptly went over and purchased the shield with some of the small fortune his had collected while in the temple.

It was just like this with the prospect of a friend. He had never had one before, nor even really known what it might be like. Now that he had seen the possibility on display, he started seeing the how useful it could be. Maybe Zelda's right, Link though. Maybe I could use a friend…

And he finally fell asleep.

Tidus was completely ecstatic. First, the weird animal people and the tall guy from before had landed appeared right in front of them. Apparently Sora was right about the location. Ever the excitable one himself, Sora greeted his friends and nearly instantly grabbed Tidus's shoulder. Next thing Tidus knew, he was inside the strange vehicle that had been referred to as the Gummi Ship.

Sora just smiled widely as he prepared the ship to leave, multitasking between operating the Gummi and watching his friend stare wide-eyed at the weird technology surrounding him. Suddenly, the transport began to move, nearly knocking Tidus over with the unexpected jerk.

As Donald nearly busted his gut and Goofy tried to correct him on his uncourteousness, Tidus walked up to Sora at the pilot's seat and asked, "So where exactly are we going?"

"Well," the spiky-haired brunette responded, still beaming, "eventually we're going to the Realm of Darkness. But there are a few things we need to do before we go. First off, we can't get there directly from Destiny Islands, so we need to find a place where we can get through. Normally, we'd use a Corridor of Darkness, but those can be dangerous. We don't have any of those protective coats with us. I think I'd be fine, 'cause I think all the darkness left my heart into my heartless when that happened, so I think I'd be okay like the Princesses of Heart, but I'm not sure. And even if I were, we'd still have to worry about you and Donald and Goofy."

"Wait, so if I heard right back on the Play Island, we're the only group who can't use them, and we're the ones going to this darkness place? What kind of plan is that?" the one with slightly more controlled hair inquired, frustrated both at the apparent poor organization and his own ignorance to basically everything going on.

"I'm not really sure why, but if the King and Master Yen Sid think it's best, it must be," came the response. Needless to say, this didn't really satisfy Tidus, but his mood quickly lifted. He couldn't keep his mind off that fact that he was really going on an off-world adventure. It was so exciting!

"Oh, and the other thing we need to do it give you a crash course on fighting," the ship's captain appended.

"What!? I can fight!" Tidus shouted indignantly.

"Yeah, well… not well enough to go into the Realm of Darkness, that's for sure. Don't worry, we're not gonna sit around and train for a long time. If we had to do that, you probably wouldn't be coming. All you have to do is be able to fight well enough to not get separated from us, so we're just gonna spend about a day practicing combat as a group, okay?"

He didn't want to agree, for that would involve admitting his wasn't the skilled fighter he imagined himself to be. But he couldn't really argue. He knew after watching the "fun little spar" between Sora and Riku that real fighting in real situations was far above his current capabilities. Tidus would most definitely rather admit he needed some training now than need to be rescued later. He'd never live that down. "Alright, I guess that makes sense."

For the next hour-and-a-half, Sora navigated the Gummi Ship while he caught up with his companions from adventures past. Rather than awkwardly trying to occupy himself in the unfamiliar environment, Tidus decided to watch and listen, gleaning what information he could about the worlds they had seen and the things they had done.

The time went by relatively quickly and soon enough the Keybearer announced that they had arrived. Tidus looked out the window to see what looked like an island floating in the sky. Sitting on it was a massive building complex covered with columns and statues.

"What is this place?" the inquisitive teen questioned.

"This is the Olympus Coliseum," Sora informed him. "If you're lucky, you might become a junior hero today," he said, sarcasm subtle but detectable.

"Junior hero?" Tidus asked skeptically.

The veteran adventurer just looked at him and said, "You'll see."

Contentedly lost within the world of quiet rest, Link was sharply awoken by an unpleasantly familiar voice.

Hero.

At least he believed he had awoken. Standing on air in a vortex of colors, he realized that must still be asleep.

Hero, the voice said again, neither requesting any answers nor demanding any actions. It simply stated the word, as if indicting him of some crime.

Hero, the voice accused. That same mix of restraint and control coupled with aggression malice. This was the blue-skinned demon in the red garbs. The one called Mayabi.

Link wanted to ask what he wanted. Link wanted to figure out who he was and why he seemed to act as if they were already well acquainted. But instead he just stood as the colors around him became dark, leaving him standing in the center of the great black windstorm this man seemed to be able to summon at will. His cold gray eyes stared from empty air toward his soul, and Link couldn't help but begin to panic.

Hero!

He shot up in his bead, breathless and sweaty, with a knight standing over his.

"Hero, Zelda has sent for you. The boy you brought to the village is stirring," said the uniformed man before marching off smartly.

Hero? Since when have I been called that by anyone other than demons and Impa? He though as he put on his own uniform and hurried toward the Zelda's location.

When he got there, he saw Zelda intently watching the adolescent on the sheets in front of her. He had begun shift and stir, and his eyelids were twitching, as if they couldn't decide whether to open or not. After a few more moments, the boy sat up slightly and his eyes flutter open and shut, the sudden light reaching them both a blessing and a curse.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily, trying to wipe the sleep away from his face.

As consciousness returned, he debated whether he should get up and see his situation or let the comforting abyss retake him. Eventually, he decided he could be in danger, so he hesitantly opened his eyes, finding the sun's brightness momentarily painful.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily, trying to wipe the sleep away from his face.

"Kakariko Village," a feminine voice answered him.

A/N: Ahh, back to the proofreading again. Yay.

…

So this was basically the end of the prologue arc. 'Cause really the main conflicts haven't even been set up yet, they've just been hinted at as I attempt to move the situation to a place where a crossover makes some sort of rational sense. Did I succeed? Did I fail? Did I make you fall asleep? Leave your thought if you wish.

Now that you've enjoyed the chapter (hopefully), it's review response time!

Okey dokey! Hmm… spellcheck was not a fan of either of those 'words'.

Anyway, reviews!

But first: unicron1000 has followed and favorited my story! I appreciate him very much, so he gets some free publicity! Everybody appreciate him!

Lilac Gemani: Alright, "!?" it is. I'll eventually replace the old ones, but as you can see from Tidus on his trip to the Coliseum, the interrobang is now retired from my repertoire. And I have to say, I feel a bit more mature already.

TheLegendaryBladeFalchion: Inspiring, huh? That seems a bit overmuch in my opinion, but much thanks none-the-less! If you do pick up your story again, let me know. I may take a look (it just depends if I've found the time to look into Bleach, otherwise I'd probably be lost). Or if you post something else, let me know about that too! As to your constructive criticism, I'll make efforts to be clearer in the future.

Thanks for the reviews, guys!

Hmm... I find myself using more exclamation points in my author's notes, especially the southern ones, than I would normally. Almost as if every little inflection needs it's own punctuation mark or you won't understand. I'll work on that.

Until next time!