Me: As promised, here's the next chappie!
Char: I think this is a rather crappy follow-up to what you considered one of your better chapters.
Me: D: You're mean.
Char: I'm not mean, I'm brutally honest.
Me: ANYWAY! I would've had this up yesterday, but my swimteam was having a banquet, and so I spent the entire day getting ready and running errands. (Saw a movie, went to the bookstore, got a haircut, tried on my dress... you know, the works)
Anxclof: Enjoy!
Me: You're suspiciously happy...
Disclaimer- God, I wish... (stares at Sora)
Sora: I don't think I even WANT to know.
Now, Anxclof thought to herself, she had some semblance of understanding why Roxas felt so attached to this town.
After her embarrassment in front of Hayner and the others, they had promptly taken her to one of Sunset Terrace's restaurants, which apparently specialized in breakfast. Currently the five of them were all sitting at a table outside, the faded light from the sun shining on the circular table and creating a glare. The shade from the awning over the outdoor section of the restaurant, as well as the cool breeze of early morning, cast a small chill through the air.
Upon getting the table, Olette had immediately told Anxclof to order the chocolate chip pancakes, as they were the specialty here. Hayner had complained that this was only because the pancakes held the cheapest price on the menu, but one glare from his female friend promptly silenced him. Anxclof had had to hold back a giggle, as the scene reminded her of her – as of yet – rather strained relationship with Axel.
Now they were waiting for the waiter to come back with their change. Anxclof wondered briefly why Olette had had to get her own munny to pay for the breakfast, but then decided that this must be how they always did things and dismissed it. Men, she thought to herself.
She flinched as that thought brought back the image of a certain blond, spiky-haired Nobody, translucent as he had faded. While Anxclof, having grown up mostly in seclusion – first living by herself for two years and then with the Organization – was a little less socially adept than others, she welcomed the diversion of listening to Hayner, Pence, and Olette's enthusiastic conversation; it distracted her from the reason why she was still in Twilight Town in the first place.
Pence and Olette chatted to each other about something Anxclof couldn't hear, though she caught the word "struggle" a few times and wondered what was going on. As for Hayner, he chose to sit at Anxclof's side of the table, his brow creased in a slight frown as he stared out over the town hedges at the train tracks. Anxclof welcomed the reprieve from conversation, however brief, and followed Hayner's gaze. A vibrantly-colored train wound its way around a corner, leaving wisps of smoke in its wake. The blond boy's eyes were rapt as he gazed at them.
Pence and Olette's laughter finally petered off, and the former turned to look questioningly at Anxclof. "Hey, what did you say your name was?"
Anxclof blinked. "Um… Anxclof."
Next to her, she heard Hayner make a sound of contemplation, and narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
"Nothing," he muttered, returning the glare. "It just… sounds a little familiar."
It was all she could do to keep from gasping. If her name sounded familiar, then could the virtual Twilight Town have ties with the real one?
No, it's stupid, a voice inside her head insisted, and reluctantly, Anxclof dismissed the idea.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Hayner continued.
Anxclof winced. "Is it that obvious?"
"Then you should stay for a while!" said Olette, eyes widening. "Come on. You need someplace to go until…" She wrinkled her brow, probably realizing that she didn't know too much about Anxclof's purpose.
The other brunette couldn't hide her surprise, and quickly darted her eyes away before it could get too obvious. She found herself unable to fathom why the hell these people were so interested in her – probably because of Roxas' influence in the virtual Twilight Town; she mentally cursed Char and Riku yet again.
"I… can't stay," she murmured at last. Pence tilted his head of unruly dark hair to the side, while Olette just looked bemused.
Hayner lifted his head from where it had been resting on his propped-up hand and looked skeptically at Anxclof. "Why not?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.
Anxclof hesitated, realizing that it probably would have been better to keep the truth to herself.
So, she just shrugged in awkward response. "I just can't. I'm… I'm looking for someone," she finished pathetically. For all intents and purposes, though, that was true. Only now that Roxas and Sora were one again did she realize that that brief taste of being with her friend again, that one kiss, wasn't enough. Anxclof's stubbornness wasn't going to let her sit by and be satisfied with that one all-too-short glimpse of paradise; she wanted to see it all, know its ecstasy forever, and for that to happen, Sora had to be out of the picture for good.
"And that someone's not in Twilight Town," Olette concluded.
Anxclof nodded, keeping her eyes on the shiny surface of the table. As she watched, a fly darted in halting steps across the surface, and she followed its path with her eyes. It was about to reach the piece of leftover pancake on Hayner's plate when the boy reached out a hand and swatted it away. (1)
"Well," he muttered, "I guess you could still stay for a bit, if you wanted."
Anxclof raised and lowered one shoulder. "Yeah, sure, why not."
"Char?" Sora shouted at the unconscious redhead, shaking her. "Char!"
"It's no use," the red-clad man murmured, causing the Keybearer to jerk his head up and stare at him. The warrior himself met the clouded blue eyes evenly. "The pain must have been too much for her. She won't wake up if you yell at her."
Sora growled to himself and looked back at Char. Her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly open, almost as though she were dreaming; had it not been for the blood staining the ground beneath her leg, it could have been that way. Sora didn't even want to think about how the burned flesh itself must look.
He shook his head furiously. "It's just…"
Donald and Goofy stood wordlessly nearby, eyes wide with horror and surprise, watching as the Keybearer pushed a hand through his messy brown locks.
"She could be dead, and it'll be all my fault," he finished. To his complete and utter shame, his voice broke at the thought. Ever since the destruction of his island, Sora had vowed never to let someone – or something – be destroyed for his sake; yet now here he was, after all this time, breaking that vow.
In response, the warrior walked over and knelt beside the two of them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked on, wondering what he was going to do.
When the man pulled out his broadsword, Sora gave a start, putting a hand to the Hidden Dragon Keychain, ready to take action if need be. He watched tensely as the impressive blade was hefted to lay right below Char's nose.
A thin fog ghosted over the blade, creating brief little misty spots against the sword before vanishing and, a few moments later, being replaced by more. The man carefully pulled the broadsword away and sheathed it. "She's alive, but barely."
Sora's shoulders slumped with relief. "Thank goodness…"
"You're really good," Donald said to the man. "Are you some kind of hero?"
The warrior sighed. "I'm no hero… I'm just an…"
The three of them waited for a response. Sora could almost hear Char's voice in the back of his head asking, You're just an…?, and had to swallow to hold back the lump in his throat.
"Auron," the man murmured at last, getting to his feet and turning away.
Sora blinked. "Huh?"
The older man looked back. "My name."
The brunette jolted in realization. "Oh!" He looked at Donald and Goofy, then back. "Well, I'm Sora."
"Donald," the duck added.
"And Goofy," finished the knight, his voice awkwardly happy considering the circumstances.
Auron stared at them, then his eyes roved down to the unconscious girl in Sora's arms. "And her?"
"Oh, that's Char," Sora said, feeling that stupid choking feeling build up inside him again. He swallowed hard to keep it back and grinned weakly. "I… she always said she didn't like me…"
Auron shook his head. "If that were true, would she have done what she did back there?"
"That's the problem," Sora muttered, clenching his fist. If it hadn't been for the fabric of his gloves, he was sure that his fingernails would have been making little, red half-moons on the palms of his hands.
Auron chuckled. "People can do strange things… to protect others."
Goofy glanced at Donald, who shrugged, equally lost at the warrior's meaning.
"Well," Sora said awkwardly at last, "either way, we have to get out of here, right?"
"Yes," Auron agreed. "The Underworld has a curse placed over it, to weaken anyone who might come inside."
"So that's why we were so weak," Goofy said.
The man nodded. "I don't know if there's a way to get rid of it."
"We're just gonna have to find that out from Hercules," Donald suggested.
Sora nodded. "Okay, let's go." He glanced down at Char, currently unconscious in his arms, and had to try hard not to blush when a few strands of red hair moved over his arm as she moved her head. "Um…"
Auron raised an eyebrow, and the faintest semblance of a smile flickered over his face. "Clearly, you three have no idea what to do with an injured woman."
Donald glared brazenly at him. "Are we supposed to?"
Auron shrugged almost innocently. "If I could help you out, I would." When the others looked confused, he signaled to his left arm, which was held immobile in a sling that seemed to be part of his coat. "A one-handed man cannot do much with a human burden. And you will need a guardian to help you all out." His mouth twitched in a small smile. "Perhaps we were fated to meet."
Sora huffed. "A guardian? Thanks, but no thanks."
Auron's smile widened, but not by much. "Heh. Have you ever considered that such pride could be your downfall?"
Sora was caught off guard by the other's words, and stared at the ground. "Well…"
"How do you expect to defend yourself if you're toting a dead weight?"
The realization of what he would have to do hit Sora like a sack of bricks, causing his cheeks to heat and a gasp to escape him. He groaned. "Oh, no… don't tell me…"
He looked pleadingly to Donald and Goofy, but they were both smirking and laughing to themselves.
Auron raised an eyebrow. "I suggest we get going, unless you want a mark exactly like hers."
Sora shivered at the thought of Hades coming after them, and nodded in reply. He hesitated, staring awkwardly down at Char. Unconscious like this, she almost looked approachable; the flex of her fingers reminded him that she was indeed still alive, and if she were conscious she wouldn't permit this at all.
And he felt a sudden rush of rebelliousness at the thought. It doesn't matter what you think right now, Char, because you risked yourself for me, and I'm bringing you back.
With that thought, he found himself suddenly lifting her up in his arms, getting rather clumsily to his feet. He could see Donald and Goofy's grins widen, and cast a glare in their direction. As he shifted to make Char's weight more comfortable, he realized that she was lighter than he expected.
"Well?" he said to Auron, triumphant at fulfilling the warrior's expectations. "Let's go!"
The smile had reappeared on Auron's face as he nodded and started toward the other side of the cave. His free hand went to the hilt of his broadsword, ready to use it if any Heartless appeared. Donald and Goofy followed close behind, with a few looks back at Sora, straggling along at the rear; their amusement had turned to worry for both their companions. Sora tried not to think about the barely conscious girl in his arms or what she had done for him.
He just hoped that they could leave the Underworld as soon as possible.
The four of them raced toward the blue-and-gray door that led toward the Underworld "crossroads." Sora sighed in relief at the sight of the door, and his aching legs seemed to sigh with him. While Auron had, as predicted, been immensely helpful in intercepting Heartless – Heartless, no doubt, that Pete had sent into the tunnels to stop them – even his immense broadsword held no comparison to the power of the Keyblade. Sora made a mental note never to walk around with an injured person in such a dangerous world ever, ever again. The pressure of holding the life of someone in his hands was an unwelcome feeling, one that he should have gotten used to way back when he had become the Keyblade master; yet it still filled him with dread.
Donald panted and pushed uselessly against the door, trying to get it open. Sora suddenly remembered what Char had said earlier, and, carefully freeing one of his hands, summoned the Star Seeker to it.
Auron eyed the lavender blade. "Will that work?"
Sora nodded with more confidence than he felt. "It was how we got in here."
He gingerly set Char on the ground, his arms screaming with relief as he did so. The redhead shifted slightly and moaned softly, and Sora's heartbeat spiked; but her eyes still didn't open.
Is she dreaming? he wondered.
He started to raise the Keyblade to the door. Suddenly, a roar rang through the air, causing him to stumble and whirl around.
"Oh, no," Auron muttered. He hefted his broadsword into his battle stance just as the immense, three-headed dog burst into the room.
Sora nearly groaned at the memory of fighting Cerberus, the "pet" of Hades. Before, the situation had been bad enough, because the arrival of the dog had put everyone watching the Olympus tournament in danger. Now, with their all-too-unstable surroundings, Sora realized that fighting Cerberus in this small of a space could cause the cave to collapse on them; knowledge reconfirmed by the sound of the trembling stones in the cavern.
"Hurry!" Auron shouted.
Sora figured that he should comply. Stepping next to Char's body, he lifted the Keyblade and concentrated. After a few heart-stopping moments, during which Sora heard the sounds of Auron grunting as he drove Cerberus off to the side, the telltale beam of light shot out of the blade, and the door parted to let them through.
"Get Char out of here!" Sora yelled to Donald and Goofy. Quickly, they nodded, and, hooking their hands under each of her arms, started to drag her away from the scene. When they had gotten through the opening, Sora started to follow, but something made him glance back. Auron's sword flashed silver as it made several impressive feints, along with its owner, nearly suspended above the ground.
"Sora, wait!" called Donald, reaching out a hand.
The Keybearer ignored him, his temper rising at the sight. It wasn't right that Auron should fight alone against that monstrosity; the least he could do was help him.
Without another thought, he rushed back and came to stand beside Auron just as the door closed.
"What are you thinking?" Auron growled.
Sora shrugged. "Thought you could use some help."
Cerberus abruptly cut off whatever other witty banter might have followed by snarling and leaping forward. The two fighters felt the ground rumble beneath them even as they darted away.
Auron grunted. "Right. But take him down fast, or the cave might collapse on top of us."
Sora got into his battle stance, feeling the familiar surge of excitement rush through him at the fight. "Piece of cake."
A few moments after the door had closed – moments that were filled with panic for Donald and Goofy – the smallest groan caused them both to turn. Char's green-gloved hand went up to the side of her head, massaging her temples. "Ugh… I have the biggest headache." She pushed herself up with her free hand, and muttered a bit to herself about stupid fireballs, before seeing Donald and Goofy.
"Hey guys," she muttered, and looked around. Her initial annoyance turned to puzzlement as her eyes came back to rest on the others. "Where's Sora?"
Goofy stared at his shoes, while Donald shrugged. "He's fighting Cerberus with Auron."
"Auron… is that his name?" Char mused. Suddenly, the first part of Donald's statement seemed to hit her, and she gasped. "Wait just a damn minute. He's fighting this bloody three-headed dog with almost no backup?"
"Pretty much," Donald muttered, his tone revealing his anger at not being able to help.
"Donald," Goofy said warningly.
"Well, what? You obviously weren't going to tell her!"
Char's eyes widened. "That idiot! I'm going to kill him if he makes it out!" She abruptly transferred her glare to Donald, and even the stalwart mage flinched back a little at the fire in her eyes.
"Where are the supplies?" she demanded.
"They're back with Sora; but –"
"But you guys must have some of the Keychains for his Keyblades, right? I need one – right now!"
Neither of the others bothered to question how she knew the names for the objects that let Sora use certain Keyblades; they were too shocked and bemused at her sudden forceful behavior. Aren't people who wake from being unconscious supposed to be all drowsy and… not so aggressive? Goofy wondered.
Char looked from dog, to duck, to door, and back to dog again, her chest heaving with her ire. Then, abruptly, she attempted to push herself to her feet, only to crumple to the ground, face twisted with pain. "Stupid wound!"
Without waiting for a response, she summoned her blades. Donald and Goofy could only watch as she dragged herself over to the door and began beating at the solid material with her swords: slashing first with one blade, then the other, and then both. Ordinarily the sight would have amused them, but now it surprised them more than ever. For someone who claimed to dislike Sora so much, Char was going through a lot to make sure he was all right.
She's hiding something, Donald thought.
After a few minutes of this, Char let out a final snarl of frustration and dropped her hands, letting her swords disappear in the process. One hand went to her injured leg in instinctive response to the pain, and her eyes fell to the ground. Her hair fell to the side so that Donald and Goofy couldn't see her face.
Char could have screamed at that moment. When the same hand that had guided her to unconsciousness and relief had buoyed her back toward the surface of reality, the agony had almost instantly returned: in a smaller degree than before, of course, but it was still enough to make her wince. And now, the same idiot she had risked her life to protect was possibly in there getting ripped apart by three-headed doggy fangs.
If she had been asked right then and there why she felt so strongly, Char would have said that she would be severely annoyed if she had saved Sora, only for him to die right after. But she would never admit that another feeling lurked behind that statement. Friendship? That had to be it.
Char stopped that train of thought at once. Becoming friends with Sora? That wasn't what I promised to Riku.
Like or not, though, it was how she felt. If Sora were killed, I would be sad, she decided. That was a start. (2)
At that very moment, the door burst open. Char's head jerked up, and she heard Donald's pleased squawk of, "Sora!" before she even saw the bushy brown head. Sora grinned, and then his eyes flicked down to Char. Was it just her imagination, or did they soften slightly in relief?
"You're awake," he noted. "You okay?"
Char realized she was staring at him with her mouth slightly open, and raised an eyebrow, trying to regain her composure. "What do you think?"
"Okay, stupid question," Sora laughed. His amusement vanished as he stepped aside to let Auron through. Through the gap, everyone could see Cerberus shake his massive body and start toward the door, the footsteps of which they could more feel than see.
As the door started to close, Sora, Donald, and Goofy made faces at Cerberus and laughed in triumph just as the gap closed, hopefully, for good.
"That was too close," Sora laughed, turning to where Auron had been. His eyes widened when he saw no Auron.
"Hey, where'd he go?" Donald wondered.
Sora shrugged, though a spark of worry still remained in his eyes. "He can take care of himself, right? We have to go tell Meg… that it didn't work." His shoulders slumped in disappointment.
He looked back at Char with concern etched on his features. "Um… are you okay to travel?"
Char scoffed. "Please – I've been through worse." It was a pathetic excuse, but unfortunately it also held the not-so-prestigious honor of being the only thing she could think of at the moment.
She attempted to push herself up, and agony shot through her leg like white fire. She bit back the cry of pain that was aching to escape her, and chewed her lip instead. It felt like she was going to draw blood on her lip. "Okay… maybe not."
"All we have to do is go up them stairs," Goofy offered somewhat weakly, pointing up the massive stairwell that led into the light above.
Char took a deep breath. "You're right," she muttered, putting out a hand to steady herself. "It's not that far away. I can do that."
She was also seething on the inside: because of her stupid little rescue trick, she would most likely be bed-ridden and totally useless to Sora for at least two weeks, even with the best healing magic applied.
As if reading her mind, Sora glanced at Donald. "Donald, can you try casting healing magic on her?"
The duck sighed. "Sora, even if I cast, it's like any other burn. It'll take a while to heal."
Hearing what she knew spoken aloud only served to anger Char even more, to the point where she snarled under her breath, muttering a few words she had only heard Braig use when he stubbed his toe.
When she looked up, she saw Sora's hand held out to her. She blinked. "Uh… what…?"
"Come on, I'll help you," the brunette said; but he didn't meet her eyes.
Char narrowed her gaze. "Sora. Why aren't you looking at me?"
"I am," he protested almost instantly, jerking his head back and looking wide-eyed at her. "Now let's go. We have to tell Meg what happened."
After a few more moments of contemplation, Char sighed in defeat and took Sora's hand. He pulled her up to her feet, which proved to be a mistake: the pain nearly crumpled her, and to her complete and utter shame she had to lean against him for support. He stared intently at the waters of the Underworld sea as he pulled her arm around his shoulders.
"Are you sure that Cura can't help her?" he asked Donald, and Char noticed Sora's free hand clench. She assumed he was aware that he knew the average healing spell, and hated that he allegedly couldn't do anything.
Donald shrugged helplessly. "Mickey found a burn victim once, and I tried to heal him."
"Donald tried real hard, but even with that, it took a long time," Goofy added, his eyes filled with sympathy. It rankled Char, that she now deserved sympathy. "The spells helped a lot, but they couldn't heal it all the way."
Sora inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Okay, well, it was worth a shot…"
Without another word, he started – slowly, so as not to cause Char's leg to flare up again – toward the stairwell. Donald and Goofy exchanged an anxious glance and followed.
As the light from the Coliseum reached Sora's darkness-impaired eyes, he had to shield them with his free hand and squint. He sighed in relief at having left the dank caves of the Underworld; the warmth of the sun on his face was a welcome feeling.
"Gawrsh, this sure brings back memories!" Goofy said, looking around.
Char grunted noncommittally, which reminded Sora abruptly of the other reason why they were here. "We have to go find Hercules and see what he can do about…" Sora's words trailed off, and he glanced helplessly at Char, who just stared evenly back at him.
Almost on cue, the door to the coliseum's lobby creaked open, causing them all to turn. The warrior Hercules' shoulders were slumped and his eyes on the ground, but his eyes brightened when he saw Sora and the others. Sora winced as he saw that Hercules' eyes were shot through with obvious crimson veins.
"Sora, Donald, Goofy!" he greeted them, smiling. "When'd you get here?"
"A little while ago," Sora answered cheerfully. Despite the austere situation, being with one of his old friends was lifting his spirits.
Hercules fully took in the group, and his grin faded when he saw Char. "Who…?"
"Oh, this is Char," Sora said, smiling weakly. "She… got hurt in the Underworld…"
To Char's credit, she seemed to be suffering silently. He could tell that the wound on her leg pained her, because the hand she had around his shoulder was holding him in an almost-painful death grip.
Hercules growled under his breath and turned away. "Hades giving you trouble again, huh?"
"Yeah," Char muttered through clenched teeth.
"Well, we need to get you somewhere you can lay down," Hercules offered.
Char shook her head. "I'm fine, really…"
"Don't be stupid," Donald interrupted sharply, causing everyone to look at him in shock. "You need to rest, otherwise you'll just drag us down."
Char snorted. "Love you too, duck boy."
Hercules had a look on his face that suggested he was trying very hard not to laugh. He motioned to where he had come from. "Let's just take her in there – the closest quarters are pretty far away from the coliseum."
Sora tilted his head to the side, causing Char to growl softly as his hair briefly obstructed her vision. He'd never really thought about it before, but what else was there to this world besides the coliseum?
They headed into the lobby, and Sora's cramped muscles screamed in relief when he let Char release his shoulders. She stumbled briefly and then managed to settle on the floor, her features still slightly twisted with pain. Donald and Goofy took their places flanking Sora.
"So, you guys on another adventure?" asked Hercules.
Sora smiled. "Yeah – tracking down some friends, meeting some new ones, wiping out some Heartless."
Hercules nodded. "Junior heroes, always busy."
Donald looked indignant at the term "junior heroes", but didn't say anything. Char noticed this and smirked to herself.
"So, did you find those friends of yours?"
The happiness faded from Sora, to be replaced by the homesickness he'd gotten all too used to. "Still working on it," he sighed. He looked up from where he had been staring at the ground. "When we got here, we ran into Meg –"
Char reached out with her elbow and rammed it hard into his side, giving him a you're-not-supposed-to-tell-him look. Sora caught it at once and corrected himself, fighting the urge to rub his ribs where she had hit him.
" – meg-mega trouble, I mean! So we had to go help somebody out. We tried to go teach Hades a lesson, but…"
"This is what happened," Char interrupted, pulling her pant leg back a little ways.
Normally Sora would have shut his eyes instantly and looked away, but as it was the injury was so grotesque that he couldn't help but stare. The flesh all along the bottom part of her calf was an angry crimson, with a few extra specks of dirt from where Sora had set her down in the Underworld.
"Ouch," Hercules murmured.
"Ouch," Char agreed, covering it back up.
"And the Underworld drains our strength too," Goofy added sadly.
"Got any ideas?" asked Sora, looking helplessly at Hercules.
Hercules thought for a moment, then lifted a finger in realization. "Got it! There's a stone that guards against the Underworld's curse. The gods on Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there."
"Awesome! Think we could borrow it?"
Char sighed. "Sora, you can't just go around borrowing tools of anyone's gods whenever you feel like it."
Hercules gave her a hearty pat on the back of the shoulder, causing her to wince. "It's fine; I'm on good terms with them. I'll go get the stone for you."
"Thanks," Sora said, and Goofy added, "That's real nice of you."
Hercules' face turned serious. "But Hades is no pushover, even with the Olympus stone. I have a match today, so I can't go with you… and there's no way that she'll be able to fight with you…"
Char's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean? I can fight just fine!"
"It's like Donald said: you're just going to hinder them even if you go along." Hercules looked sympathetically at her. "I'm sorry."
Sora could almost see the veins pounding in Char's forehead. "Che," she muttered, looking away. "I don't need your sympathy." (3)
Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged nervous glances.
"But hey," Hercules said, trying unsuccessfully to break the awkwardness. "Know what you guys need? Training."
"Good idea!" Sora brightened.
Then he glanced at Char. "Are you gonna be okay just sitting in here?"
The way her eyes narrowed served as enough of an answer.
"Just one thing." The brunette stepped forward and summoned his Keyblade. Donald and Goofy looked bemusedly at each other.
"Heal," Sora murmured, and the slender purple blade glowed softly green as a beam of light shot out onto Char's wound. When the light had vanished, she sighed and lifted a hand to push her bangs back.
"That feels a lot better," she murmured in relief. Without looking at Sora, she muttered almost grudgingly, "Thanks."
Sora shrugged, feeling a little crestfallen. "Don't mention it." He looked at Donald. "You said healing spells couldn't take it away completely, but at least we can make the process a little faster, right?"
"Huh, good idea," Donald conceded.
The three trooped on out into the Coliseum, and Hercules turned to Char. "I'm gonna go on ahead to Olympus and get the stone. Will you be okay here by yourself?"
"Yeah," she said. "It's not like any Heartless are going to be able to get in here."
"Good point," Hercules answered, and left.
Yes, I know I said I was going to forego the author's notes, but I have a few things I want to say.
(1) The fly on the table - along with Hayner's swatting it away - is symbolic. Points to anyone who figures it out.
(2) I know you people are probably all annoyed that it's nearly 30 chapters in, and Char is just now warming up to Sora. But, Char being Char, she doesn't make friends too easily. And also, think about it. They met in about chapter 8, right? So they've only known each other - really known each other - for about fifteen chapters. Not to mention I'm a sucker for fleshed-out romance and plot. :D (Don't worry, though - the fluff will intensify in the week-and-a-half it takes for Char's leg to get better.)
(3) D.Gray-Man reference.