CHAPTER TWELVE
God of the Underworld

"Perfect!" Link cheered as Saya knocked him to the ground yet again. "You're a natural!"

"Even I get lucky sometimes." Saya panted, the blow that knocked Link over having required a great deal of strength to pull off.

"That's not luck, Saya. That's pure skill! Keep it up!"

As Link had said, Saya had mastered the way of the sword very quickly, even while Link had the power of the Master Sword on his side. She was using an Ordon Sword, a hand-me down from him, and it felt good just holding it let alone using it to fend off an opponent. It gave her security in knowing that if anyone tried to mess with her now, she could slash them into ribbons. Speaking of slashing, she snapped to attention when she heard someone swinging at her from behind.

"Not today!" she hollered, performing Link's signature spin attack and deflecting the blow, though being somewhat dismayed when she saw that it had just been Dante pulling a joke on her. "Damn it, Dante, don't do that!"

Dante laughed and clapped a hand down on Saya's shoulder.

"Don't be like that. You're coming along nicely. Think fast!"

Not for Dante, but for Pit positioned in a high spot where Saya wouldn't think to look as he fired an arrow of heavenly light in her direction. She spun around immediately and slashed so quickly that she sent the arrow ricocheting back at its firer, who grabbed it in midair and brightly smiled.

"Nice work!" he cheered. "Keep that up and those guys after you won't stand a OH, CRAP!"

"OH, CRAP!" because Morrigan had suddenly swooped in out of nowhere and seized him around the middle.

"Great shooting, Pitty. Now how about firing a few shots at me? I won't resist."

"What I wouldn't give to do that…wait a second…you're being serious?!"
"Come on, sweetie. Aim that bow right at my heart and let one fly."

"…you know what, Morrigan? You're nuts. You're totally nuts!"

"Why, thank you."

Saya smiled and politely excused herself to go to the bathroom, feeling more empowered than she'd ever felt before. She didn't want people breaking their backs for her anymore even though she greatly appreciated it. She wanted to fight alongside them instead of hiding off to the side and forcing them to fight her battles for her. Now if Juri or Ghirahim came after her…she wouldn't just wait for Link or Dante or whoever to fend them off. She'd show those two maniacs that she was tougher than she looked…without releasing the god forsaken power that Ghirahim kept egging her on to unleash.

"Not unless I can learn to control it."

"Saya."

Just before she could step into the bathroom, Takamaru had stepped beside her and she almost repulsed by the serious look on his face. It looked like he was desperate, and he even sounded desperate when he spoke.

"I thought…I thought I'd never see you again." he said.
"What are you talking about?"

"Saya…it's me. Takamaru. You used to call Maru-kun. Remember? You were the daughter of Lord Tokugawa."

"How do you…my God, that boy was you?! The boy that he sent to investigate the Murasame Castle?!"

"Yes…so the Curse of Yami is real?"

"I suppose so."

Takamaru sighed. This was indeed the same Saya he had remembered from long ago, but after seeing how close she and Lucas were in the small moments he had seen them together, he knew that he no longer had any right to intrude on her. That didn't matter, though. Whether or not he could profess his love to her, he still wanted to protect her.

"This is just insane…" he muttered to himself. "We don't even know what we're up against. Let alone what they want."

"No…there was a demon named Ghirahim. He mentioned that his master was returning, and Link told me that master was named Demise. Demise, however, was killed by one of Link's ancestors…but he reincarnated himself as a man with enough power to take the world under his control."

"Did Link tell you who that might be?"
"No. But he did tell me that the man possesses something called the Triforce of Power. Link has the Triforce of Courage, and a woman named Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom."

"And Ghirahim wanted me to release my power. I can't imagine why, though. I would have killed him in an instant. Besides, I can't do it at will."
"Gods forbid that power ever releases itself again."
"Look, Maru-kun, I feel bad enough about this situation without you calling me an abomination."

"That's not what I…dammit, come here."

He pulled Saya into a tight hug, surprising her for a brief moment with her struggling to get loose. Within moments, however, she calmed herself and embraced him in return. She needed this right now. It felt great to see him again even if she didn't return his romantic feelings. A friend was all she needed right now.

Little did she know that one particular friend had been watching her from around the corner, and the second he saw Takamaru embrace Saya, Lucas felt a knot in his throat and a weight on his heart. True, he and Saya weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, but that promise she made to come back to the Nowhere Islands with him had really hit home for him. Was she now just going to throw that away? What was so great about Takamaru…and what was this about a god forsaken power that she had?

"I would never consider you an abomination." Takamaru whispered gently. "I'd sooner commit seppuku than do a thing like that."

Saya smiled.
"I still remember what you said about seppuku, too. It's cowardly. Running from the sins and mistakes of the past solves nothing and will only worsen until you face them head on."

Takamaru parted slightly, still keeping his arms around her. He smirked.

"Isn't that what you're doing, though?"
"Yes, but I'm different. For me, the past is all there is and all that there ever will be."

"You know, that's the only thing I even remotely disliked about you. You're so pessimistic."

"Well, you're too optimistic. Opposites attract, as they say."

Lucas bit his lip and sniffed, realizing too late that he had been heard. Takamaru and Saya suddenly parted and looked in his direction, spotting him despite his best efforts to hide.

"Lucas?" Saya called. "Is that you?"

Lucas nervously stepped out and looked at her in an ashamed manner.

"I'm sorry, I…I just needed to…"

"Lucas, please don't be upset." Takamaru interrupted. "There is nothing between Saya and I."

"Then what was all that 'god forsaken power' and 'Lord Tokugawa' crap?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"If you've got nothing to hide, then tell me!"

Saya flinched and felt her eyes tear up at Lucas raising his voice. She wanted to tell him, but that certain prideful part of her just wouldn't let that happen. She didn't want more people feeling sorry for her and treating her like a damsel in distress.

"We can't. It's more than you can possibly understand."

"I have psychic powers and stopped my homeland from being destroyed only to get sucked through a time rift. I think I could probably understand it if you at least told me what it was."

"For God's sake, Lucas, you don't need to know and quite frankly, I don't think you want to know."
"Uh, yeah. I do want to know. That's why I'm asking."

"Lucas…"

"ANSWER ME!"

Saya flinched again and anything she could have said to try and reason with him was flushed out. Lucas himself had almost no control over what he said, thinking only that Saya was hiding something important from him, but he immediately regretted everything he had said. Before he could even attempt to apologize, however, they were suddenly interrupted by a woman running up to them with a phone in her hand.

"Excuse me, Ms. Kusanagi. There was a phone call made to the front desk for you. It's from the Yamasaki Orphanage."

"What?!"

The thought that the orphanage was calling was enough to quickly get her excited, but what in the world would they be calling for? Maybe it was safe for her to go back now…no, it couldn't be. Not with Juri and Ghirahim after her. She took the phone from the woman and planted it to her ear, the woman leaving instantly.

"Hello?"

"Saya! It's Ken! How are you?"

"Ken? I'm good, thanks, but how did you know I was here?"

"Easy. I heard you were still in the area and I just called each hotel to see which one you were in. Are you alright? Trish asked me to ask around about you."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Trish now?"

"She's a little ways outside Osaka. She's been looking all over for KRZZZZT!"

"Hello?! Ken?!"

The line had suddenly buzzed out until it came back on with an entirely different voice speaking.

"Hm. Yamasaki Orphanage, eh? Might be a good place to visit."

Saya's expression went from confusion to shock and finally to anger.

"So help me, Juri, if you even go near that place, you're dead!"

Saya heard a laugh from the other end before the sadistic brawler answered.

"Oh, what? You're gonna run all the way from where you are and stop me with your whining? We both know you're not gonna let your power loose for just anything, so maybe I'll give you a bit of motivation."

"You're not that evil…"

"I wouldn't call it evil. I'd call it a little harmful fun. Speaking of which, one of my friends will be along any minute to give you and your friends a good time. I know he'll have fun."

"Who? Ghirahim?"

"Not even close. He should be along in three…two….one."

The line went dead and before Lucas or Takamaru had a second to ask what was wrong, the colour faded away from the environment around them and ceiling and walls disappeared, leaving a giant courtyard of black growths. Thankfully, Pit had rounded the corner just in time to see the three being sucked into this gateway.

"Oh, no, you don't!" he shouted, flying headlong into it just before it closed.

Lucas, Saya, and Takamaru looked all about the environment, trying to make any sense out of what was going on, as did Pit as he landed beside them.

"What in the…" Lucas sputtered. "Where are we?"
"Oh, no…" Saya whimpered. "We've been sucked in Limbo! We have to get out of here and stop Juri!"

Then came a drawling voice that seemed to echo from all angles.
"Oh, but then you'd miss out on all the fun."

Pit's eyes widened when he recognized the voice. It was the voice of someone he was sure he had defeated a long time ago, and to hear him back was probably the worst thing that could possibly have happened at that moment.

"No…it can't be!"

It was. Hades reared his head up from the abyss in front of the group, crossing his arms and smirking down at them.
"Ah, Pit! How wonderful to see you again."

"Hades…"

"Pit."

"Hades."
"PIT!"

"HADES!"
"Piiiiiiiiiiiit…"

"Haaaadeeeeees…"

Shaking off the rather ridiculous introduction, Pit still couldn't believe that the God of the Underworld was still alive after what he had done.

"How are you still living?! I disintegrated you, for goodness sake!"

"Yes, you did turn me into a pile of dust after that brief little scuffle, but why don't we just pretend that didn't happen? You mad, Pitty Pat?"

"Yes, I'm mad! When you die, you're supposed to stay dead!"

"There is this thing called immortality, something I greatly wish Palutena didn't have. Dealing with you would be much easier…but then again it wouldn't be as fun. What a paradox."

Saya looked away nervously, immediately prompting Lucas to look at her with a confused look. Then again, questioning what Saya was hiding from him when they were being attacked by a god on the opposite of the spectrum of Amaterasu wasn't the best idea at the moment. Saya in particular got cold feet when Hades suddenly leered down at her.

"And this charming young lady must be Saya…well, charming aside from constantly playing the damsel in distress role."

Saya gritted her teeth and Pit pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Get used to that. He loves to humiliate and annoy people before beating them down."

"As do I."

The four were relieved when Dante had suddenly appeared behind them, looking as ready to fight as ever. Hades simply gave him a smirk, not really having any idea what to expect from him.

"Yeah, I was heading to the can when I got sucked in. How convenient, huh?"

"And who might you be?" Hades scoffed. "Some random emo pretty boy that everyone loves because he's 'oh so tragic'?"

"Nope. I'm your prom date, you ugly sack a' shit!"

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth…oh, that's right, 'Dante'. She had her heart ripped out by Lex Luthor."

Dante's fists clenched. Hades had obviously hit a sore spot and he knew it, doing little more than laughing when Dante yelled at him that he was a son of a bitch.

"Says the kid whose mother married a second-to-none demon, traitor or otherwise."

"Enough of the patronizing! Get down here and fight, you lazy ass!"

"I'll fight, but this is my world. I'll get assistance in any way I choose. Speaking of which, remember this fellow, Saya?"

Hades lowered his hand and opened it, and who should pop out with his blades drawn than Ghirahim.

"Oh, great." Dante groaned. "This creep again. Saya and Lucas, you take care of him! Pit, Takamaru, and I got the God of Pompousness over here!"

Saya sucked in a breath and cracked her knuckles.

"Fine. He and I have a score to settle, anyway."

Ghirahim stepped toward the two children, producing two of the familiar black blades and licking the tip of one like a lollipop.

"My battle is with Saya, dear boy." he said to Lucas. "Run along now."

Saya expected Lucas to do just that, not because of cowardice but because of anger. She shouldn't have been so quick to doubt him, however, because he stood his ground and sparked his hands.

"And let you hurt her after the promise we made to each other? Not a chance."

Ghirahim scowled.

"Your impulsiveness disgusts me. It honestly seems like human children have no manners in this day and age. It's easier for you to just step out of the way or lie down and die."

Saya smirked and unsheathed the blade Link had given her, pointing it at Ghirahim much to his chagrin.

"Nah. That doesn't sound nearly as fun as giving you a long overdue ass-kicking."

"Fine. I was looking to vent out a little rage, anyway."

He made the first attack, spinning like a cyclone with the blades outstretched. Lucas and Saya quickly jumped back and lunged forward once the way was clear, countering their foe with a slash and a shot of PK Thunder. The demon parried both blows and retaliated with a series of stabs, each of them parried until Lucas finally sent him flying away with a charged PK Thunder. He hit his head against the ground, but got up in nearly an instant.

"Hm. So Link has been teaching you a thing or two about swordsmanship. How kind of him."

Dante and Takamaru rolled to the side as Hades slammed his hand down on the ground, Pit taking to the air and firing a series of arrows at the dark god's eyes. While they seemed to take effect as Hades reeled his head back and raised his hand to his face, his head came back down almost instantly and he had nothing more than a wide smirk on his face.

"Oh, no." Hades said in a mocking tone. "You've ruined my complexion. Out, out. I need to apply more mascara."

"Yeah, real funny!" Pit shouted.

"Hilarious, actually. Oh, and Pitty? I have something to show you!"

Hades reeled back and cast his hand forward, firing a massive beam from it that brought down a tall structure nearby, Pit just barely managing to avoid the beam. Meanwhile, Dante and Takamaru jumped from falling piece to falling piece of the wrecked structure until they both took massive leaps straight toward Hades' face.

"Surprise, motherf*cker!" shouted Dante.

With a punch from Dante's gauntlets and a strong front kick from Takamaru, Hades stumbled backwards and left himself wide open as Dante pulled (shockingly) a shotgun, charging up a blast and releasing it to send Hades toppling backwards.

"Aaaargh!" the dark god screamed. "You little bastard!"
"Hey, how 'bout that?" Dante mocked. "I guess you CAN kill a god."

"No, I'm fine. You need to work on your aim, buddy boy."

"…shit."

Indeed, for Hades knocked Dante away with a simple flick of his finger, even though it barely did anything to him. Reflexively, Hades pinned Pit to the ground with his open hand, though reeled back when Pit split his bow into blades and stabbed them into the exposed skin. Hades released him and simply waved his hand about.

"Well, that was rude, Pitty."

"For God's sake, will you and Morrigan just quit calling me that?!"

"Morrigan Aensland?"

"…yeah. How do you know her?"

"We both know that delivering a sudden monologue isn't good for anyone. It bores the hero to tears and makes the villain look like an idiot for spilling out all his secrets, but why don't we just say an associate of mine wants her out of the picture?"
"…really? Because that would be a good thing! She's a nightmare!"

"Even though Palutena seems to enjoy her and she's more of an annoyance to you than anything actually threatening? And she's been friendly to you this whole time? Now you sound like the bad guy, Pitty."

"That's it! I'm gonna shut you up once and for all!"

"Or maybe you'll make me talk more. Who knows?"

Saya let out a small cry when one of Ghirahim's blades scratched against her cheek, leaving a small trickle of blood that the demon smirked at.

"This shouldn't be a problem for you. Just heal it right up and let's have at it again." he mocked.

"What in the world is he talking about?!" Lucas shouted as he ducked under another slash and launched PK Fire.

"You don't know, dear Lucas? Why doesn't Saya tell you herself?"

Saya gritted her teeth and stabbed forward numerous times at a near impossible speed.

"Why don't you shut up and fight?!"

She stabbed at Ghirahim's arm, only for the sword to bounce off of it harmlessly.

"Oh, yes. Perhaps I should have told you that the supple skin of my arms is stronger than any steel, but what's more fun than figuring out your enemy's strengths for yourself?"

"Slicing a demon's damn head off!"

Hades laughed, foreshadowing more annoyance on the way.

"Ah, yes. These damn demons with their damn godlike powers in this damn alternate dimension in this damn crossover story with this damn ridiculous comic book plot…damn!"

Hades slammed his fists down again, forcing the ground upward in waves and sending everyone but Pit shooting upwards, tossing Takamaru, Lucas, and Saya around like ragdolls and leaving the latter two wide open for an attack from Ghirahim. That is, of course, until Dante flicked out a strange blue chain, cast it forward and hooked it to Ghirahim's blade. With that, Dante pulled himself toward the demon at high speed before delivering a heavy punch to the side of his head.

"Yeah!" he cheered. "Donkey punch, bitch!"

"Yes, because the ladies love scraggly pretty boys that mouth off at everyone." Hades sighed.

He'd be surprised.

Ghirahim growled once he recovered from Dante's blow.
"I suppose I should have expected this from the son of a second-to-none demon."

"And I guess that's supposed to offend me. Here's the thing: I kill suckers like you as a hobby. A hobby. As in something I do for fun. Meaning it's easy and a chump like you is nothing compared to the shit I've done."

"Excuse me?!"

"You're excused."

Excused he most certainly was when Lucas hit the back of his head with PK Thunder, forcing him forward as Dante struck him with another punch and leaving him vulnerable as Saya delivered the finishing blow when she raised her foot high above the ground and slammed her heel into the demon's stomach.

"Tag team combo!" Dante cheered. "Nice work, kids!"

"Foul play…" Ghirahim seethed. "It's all fun and games…"

He flipped to his feet and made a jumping slash at Lucas.

"UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES THEIR HEAD!"

"Case in point: you!" Takamaru shouted as he rushed forward and blocked the blow.

"Does a certain demon lackey require my services?" Hades mocked.

Ghirahim scowled at Hades while he continued to dodge and block the blows from his four attackers.

"Yes."

"You didn't say the magic word."

"And what is the magic word?"

"….are you serious?"

"What is it?!"

"Please, you idiot! Please! Blasted furnaces, even Pitty here is smarter than you!"

Of course, Hades had chosen that moment to leave himself wide open to another strike as Pit suddenly pulled out one of his massive gauntlets and struck him across the face. What the angel wasn't prepared forward when the dark god reflexively swatted him away and sent him slamming into a wall. With that done, Hades slammed his hand against the ground and heaved it high up again, giving Ghirahim the chance to seize Saya and Lucas each in one hand and throw them higher where they couldn't escape before he lunged at them with his blades ready to stab.

The second Dante spotted this as he flew helplessly in the air, time seemed to slow down in his mind as he struggled with what to do next. He couldn't just chain his way to Ghirahim this time because there wouldn't be nearly enough time to stop him running the two children through. That left…

"Goddammit…I swore to myself that I'd never do this again after what I did to Vergil, but…it's for the best."

He clenched his teeth and spread his limbs out before letting out an earth-shattering battle cry. A cry that echoed through the entire area and slowly began to change tone until it sounded almost demonic, quickly catching everyone's attention until the environment faded into white and all their movements seemed to slow down. The true wonder, though, came from how Dante's appearance had drastically changed. His clothes were now glowing blood red, his skin was paler than a ghost, his eyes were violet, and there even seemed to be small horns jutting out of his head. As he drew Rebellion, his allies and enemies alike could see that it had taken on a twisted and deadly-looking shape, almost cleaver-like…and of course, Dante had chosen that time to throw out a red hook and latch it onto Ghirahim.

"You're up shit creek without a paddle now, you freak!" Dante shouted, his voice distorted into the frightening tone that one would expect from a creature resembling what he had just changed into.

Ghirahim was powerless as Dante dragged him down like a fish on a hook and rammed his blade straight through the demon's chest, smirking almost evilly.

"Seems you don't have as much flair about you as you thought. Oh, well. Makes things easier for me."

Dante kicked off the ground, shooting towards Hades at high speed with the struggling Ghirahim still impaled on his sword. Before the dark god had any time to react (as in none), Dante had bored through his chest and come out the other side. Still airborne, Dante drew his gauntlets and slammed Ghirahim's face with them, sending him flying until he hit the back of Hades' head with maximum force before finally throwing out his blue chain, latching it onto a nearby structure before he swung back through the air and caught Saya and Lucas

Once the three were back on the ground, the demonic effects on both DAnte and the environment faded away as he slumped to his knees in exhaustion, breathing heavily and feeling guilty for having tapped into that part of him once again.

"Good God…" Takamaru breathed. "What the devil was that?!"

"The full power of my demon blood." Dante panted, Pit helping him to his feet. "Kat and I call it the Devil Trigger. Feels good getting all freaky like that, but it sure as hell takes a lot outta me."

Once Dante was on his feet, Saya smiled meekly yet warmly at him.
"Dante…thank you so much."
"Don't mention it, sweetheart." Dante replied with a smile of his own, though scowling once he saw Ghirahim and Hades recovering from his onslaught.

He had expected the blow not to fatally wound the two (as much as he and his allies would have liked that to happen), and sure enough, they were healing about as fast as a cheetah could run. While Hades massaged the spot where Ghirahim had slammed into him, Ghirahim himself started fuming.

"YOU LOATHSOME LITTLE BRATS!" he shouted. "THAT DOES IT! I'LL SEND EVERY SNGLE ONE OF YOU HOME IN A BOX!"

"And there is yet another reason that I'm not grateful for your lot resurrecting me…" Hades groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "Jedah did expect us back before long so we could supervise the you-know-what, so shall we just 'skedaddle' as the kids like to say? Not like Saya's going to be hard to find again with the kind of stink she gives off."

Saya clenched her teeth and shook her fist at the dark god as she shouted, "I DO NOT STINK!". In response, Hades simply chuckled under his breath.

"No, but you're certainly loud, and that's good enough for the two of us. Come, lackey."

Hades vanished with a snap of his fingers (though not before Pit shouted "Get back here, loser!"). Ghirahim stood there seething before finally letting out an angered cry and striking the ground with his sword for not apparent reason before he vanished as well.

"Sheesh. Even that sorry excuse for a succubus I once fought wasn't a big a spaz as that guy." said Dante. "…ah, Kat! Right on time!"

Kat appeared in her astral form directly behind Dante and began laying down the stencil of the gateway.

"Man, the management's gonna be pissed." she smirked. "I think we better check out before anyone figures out it was us."

"Agreed."

The group stepped toward the portal, but as Saya and Lucas began to do so, they felt the ground beneath their feet quake, stumbling them until they realized that they were standing just behind the spot where Ghirahim had violently struck the ground. The two looked at each other with frightened expression, horrified to know that they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Oooooh, shit…"

With that said, the ground fell away and the two screamed as they fell into the abyss.

"SAYA!" Takamaru cried, stepping forward in an attempt to break into a sprint.

He could do nothing more than keep his hand outstretched in horror as her and his remaining two allies were phased back into the real world once Kat had conjured up a gateway. As was to be expected, the courtyard was in ruins, but none of the three paid any attention to that. Thankfully, before they had phased back to reality, they'd seen something out of place but somewhat comforting: Saya and Lucas had survived the fall and were laying safely yet unconsciously on a platform. That platform, however, was the deck of a strange ship resembling an old wooden sea vessel with at the top of its masts instead of sails. Mounted upon the bow was a stone bust of a strange reptilian creature with horns jutting out of its head and its fanged mouth opened in a roar.

The masthead was the last thing they were concerned about, particularly Takamaru as he dropped to his knees in defeat, knowing that he'd let the girl he used to love get taken away from him yet again.

"No…how could I let this happen?!"

"What the hell just happened?!" Link sputtered as he and the rest of the group entered the area.

The look on the three's faces said it all, but Morrigan still ahd that disgusting smirk on her face.

"Aw, Pitty! Did you go to a party and not invite me?"

Pit had some fairly unholy things to say to her, but Dante beat him to it…literally. Pit was actually surprised to see Morrigan grow a shocked and insulted look on her face when Dante stepped forward and backhanded her,even leaving a red mark on her cheek.

"Wh-what the hell was that for, you little prick?!"

"This is serious, you dumb broad!" Dante shouted. "Saya just got kidnapped again and now they've got Lucas, too! Kat! Send us back in! Maybe we can still catch them!"

Kat nodded and bent down to spray another symbol, but all that came out of the can was a mere hissing sound.

"No no no NO!" she growled. "Not now!"

"You're out of fluid?!" Dante exclaimed.

"Dammit…okay, I've got a reserve up in the room somewhere…"

"There's no time! They could be miles away by now!"
"Well, what else am I supposed to…"

Amaterasu stepped forward with a fiery glare in her eyes.

"ENOUGH!" she bellowed.

Dante, Kat, and Link were left speechless at the white dog suddenly speaking, though Ness cut them off with "Long story. No time to explain it."

"I can sense Saya, and I know that she is in good hands." Amaterasu said. "The creature that has captured her is fearsome, certainly, but it is not going to harm her. We have more important things to worry about. Pit, you are undoubtedly shocked that Hades is alive after you defeated him."
"Well…yeah, but he's a god. He can just regenerate."

"After the blow you dealt him, it would take more than a god-like will to recover. He was resurrected by humankind, and as we all know judging from his allegiance with Ghirahim, he is clearly not alone in this escapade and there is a strong possibility that they are subservient to someone else."

Morrigan raised a brow.

"Let me guess. Jedah, right?"

"Yes." Takamaru said. "Hades did mention someone named Jedah."

Amaterasu turned to Link.

"And Link. You know perfectly well who it is that is the true threat to Saya. The one that all of these criminals want to bring her to."

Link gritted his teeth. If there was even a remote chance that Ganondorf had been brought back from the dead, he knew that he needed to put a stop to it.

"Whatever the case," Amaterasu continued. "I can sense their gathering place. The only way we can conceivably help Saya now is to fight them head-on."

Amaterasu sighed. She knew that the place in which these monsters were meant far more to Saya than it should have, and she felt more at fault for this turn of events than anything. Nevertheless, it had to be done. Saya could not be allowed to fall into Ganondorf's hands.

"Come. We go to the Aokigahara."

Thus they left, though leaving Ness greatly confused as he thought that name over. Dante sensed his confusion and looked at him very solemnly before giving him the answer he sought.

"It's a haunted forest near Mount Fuji, and it's where a lot of people go to die…to kill themselves."

Oh, hey, there's a new Nintendo Direct...Little Mac in Super Smash Bros. 4. That is all.

SOUNDTRACK SO FAR

Saya, Ness, and Lucas- "Pollyanna" from Earthbound (SSBM)

Marth to the rescue- "Together We Ride" from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (SSBM)

X and Zero versus Kirby and Meta Knight- "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star (SSBB)

Link versus Morrigan- Morrigan's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3

Link versus Dante- "Never Surrender" from DmC: Devil May Cry

Krystal and Trish versus the Moblin horde- "Lock and Load" from Devil May Cry 1

Krystal versus Mewtwo- "Poké Floats" from Super Smash Bros. Melee

Saya versus Ghirahim- Ghirahim's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Frank versus Ghirahim- "On a Mission" from Dead Rising

Courthouse caving in- "No Redemption" from DmC: Devil May Cry

Samus escapes- Metroid Prime main theme

Chun-Li versus Samus- Chun-Li's theme from Street Fighter IV

Standoff on Mount Fuji- "Douchuumen" from The Mysterious Murasame Castle (go on Youtube and look for a version by a group called ysk1210)

Saya and Lucas- "Love" from Mother 3

"LET'S ROCK!"- "Devils Never Cry" from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

The Devil Trigger- "How Old is Your Soul?" from DmC: Devil May Cry