LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!

[Secondary Characters]

Hercules gasped when he saw who it was. "MEG!" he cried out, taking a step forward and holding out a hand only to be cut off by the crows. He stepped back with Gabranth, his teeth grinding. "She's got nothing to do with this! Let her go!" He called, his fist balling up. He was slowly coming to, and his glow was beginning to return in his rage towards a woman who threatened the one thing in this world he truly loved, that he'd DIE to defend.

"I was about to ask Gabranth to back out of the tournement! He and I both were going to just LET your girl have it, and now you're threatening bystanders?? I can't let that go!" He stood on his own now, crouching in ready position to fight for his lover. "Even if you beat Hades, you have ME to handle!" He'd been to the underworld, and rescued Megara before. He could do it again, and he was more than prepared to go to the ends of the earth and back for her as many times as it took, no matter how tired he was, no matter how desperate the situation.

Simply put, his heart was too strong to let Maleficent win!

[Sai]

Sai had casually taken out the notes he had and was reviewing them as the entire affair was going down. He looked up boredly as Ximar fussed about entering the fray, seeming like he hadn't paid the comotion any thought at all. "This isn't our matter to meddle in..." he reminded the younger Nobody.

He flipped through the pages once more as he spoke, in such a business-as-usual sort of way. "Hades is far too powerful on his lonesome for even the two of us to handle. Furthermore, I hear Maleficent and Kefka's voices on the other side of that door. There's too much looming darkness for even a Nobody to walk away unscathed. It's a losing battle, basically. However..." he set the notes down, crossing his arms now as he spoke.

"Hercules is the only son of Zeus, and as such I'm sure divine intervention is only a heartbeat away. As for the troubles between darkness itself... I can tell already that these things will work themselves out without our help whatsoever. Besides, what do we care who lives and who dies here? I certainly have no feelings towards any one of them in particular. Even if they all wipe themselves out, we're in no deeper than we are sitting here. If any one of them survives, even the villains among them, we're still no worse off."

He looked up, his words as cold as stone.

"Let these events run their course."

[MeadowSong]

[glow=purple,2,300]"Hahahahahahaha! You are needed for a second purpose, good Hero. I am going to have you kill yourself. Either you die, or this pretty princess of yours becomes a Heartless." She chuckled again, and then tilted her head slightly. "That, or I hand her over to Kefka, here. This Mad Clown is able to torture souls for years while using his awesome powers to keep them alive. You are going to die for me, prince."

It was almost too difficult to suppress her humorous snorts, but she managed. "And I think that if I do succeed, I won't have to force my poppinjay to kill your uncle. Though I despise admitting it, he is rather useful whenever he deems it necessary to join my alliance. I'd like to keep my numbers high. Now, what will it be? Ultimate sacrifice? Or a thousand-year torture for your lovely here?"[/glow]

[Hades]

Hades took the hit to the back, not that it mattered. He growled a bit at Shego's... lack of precision, but shrugged it off as he took a step back to let her take out Gabranth. That was her part in his scheme, after all. With any luck, they'd kill each other, with half-luck, Gabranth would off her, with no luck at all, hey, at least Hercules was still in bad shape and he could pummel the hero with monsters to REALLY wear him out! No matter what, he won!

That was... until Maleficent decided to meddle. "WHAT are you doing??? Back OFF, witch! This is MY show!" He was still on fire, until he saw what she was doing... then simply LAUGHED.

He tilted his head back, his red flame dying down to blue calm. All this over Jafar?? That loser? Whatever the case, it was clear Gabranth had pretty much backed out, and she WAS calling an end to it. So long as popular opinion was that Shego won... and it was... He was content. He smirked, then snapped his fingers. A red orb dropped into the green-girl's hands.

"There. A deal's a deal... We're all square..." He looked to Gabranth. "I'm not done with YOU though... but I got more important things to worry about... and all the time in the world. You want your second chance, you gotta kill Herc... but take your time... It's gonna happen. I'll make SURE of that!"

Now, he could focus. He saw the annoying clown... and laughed again. "You're kidding me!" he said, shaking his head. "You're gonna sick HIM on me?? Listen, Malefy, baby... This guy's a LOSER. He had all the powers of magic at his disposal and a group of wannabes took him out. He's no more powerful than he was before viciously re-arranging his planet's feng-shui now! I should know, I precided over his 'death' just like I do everybody ELSE'S!"

He sauntered up, blazing up as he approached the barrier to literally BURN his way past it, now standing toe-to-toe with the queen. "But hey, what do I care if you kill twinkletoes here? She works for me anyway..." he chuckled, then shook his head. "So go ahead, off her. As for Hercules, hey you're doing me a favor if you finish him off too. As for the rest of the underworld..." he crossed his arms, towering over her. "No one gets it unless by Big Bro's word... and GOOD LUCK getting him to change his mind..."

Hades laughed again. "Face it, babe... You can't beat me in MY world!" he snapped his fingers at her, mocking her. "Ya can't keep a good corpse down!"

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,700]Shego, of all things, seemed to be ignoring the world around her. She idly held out her hands to catch a flowing red orb, before resting her hand to the side, holding it in her grasp with one hand, while she held the sword in the other. So be honest, the thief seemed... tired as hell.

She watched the conversation between the two, staying still, but nothing seemed to sink in. What wasn't known to her, was that she wasn't just tired from the battles, she was also drained from using the dark powers that were bestowed upon her... no, not using... Abusing. It would explain why she stood there, as if touched, she would fall over. Thankfully, the goodie-two-shoes couldn't see that.[/glow]

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]"Hades, you block-headed twit. I shall take, then, another offer...for now. I will figure out a way to make my other plans succeed. But I will dispatch of your Hero, here, quickly...in exchange for the return of Captain Hook, Queen Grimhilde, and," she thought for a moment, and then smirked. "Chernabog. I will bring the girl to my domain, and Hercules will come running. I will end his life on my field, and you will do as I say. And I will send you a message on carrier," she looked to Shego. "when Kefka is ready to battle. I will claim the Underworld yet. Just you wait!"

And when she finished she, Megara, Kefka, Shego, Diablo and the Heartless disappeared simultaneously, in a cloud of darkness, returning to the Castle of Nowhere.[/glow]

[Hades]

"Yeah, yeah... put your money where your mouth is, witch-girl!" Hades muttered as she began to disappear. "My transactions are cash-on-delivery only! Hold up your end, and we'll talk..." He looked now to Gabranth and Hercules, smirking before gesturing lightly.

"Catch you on the flipside, gentlemen!" he said casually, then in a blast of fire and smoke, was gone as well... Just like that... the tension was over...

[Secondary Characters]

All happened so quickly. Malificent took Megara away... Hades retreated... and now they were all alone in the ring, Hercules and Gabranth. "NO!!" He called out, running forward as the villains escaped. He dropped to his knees and slammed his fists into the marble, literally destroying the ring with every slam as he brought them down again and again.

"MEGARAAAA!!!!" he screamed out, then bowed his head defeatedly. How could he chase after her? He didn't know where they ran... had no idea where to go next... He needed someone far smarter than he for the answers... A man of SCIENCE to guide him beyond the stars to where his love was hidden...

[ximar]

Ximar nodded. He knew Sai was right. He watched as everything was unfolding in front of him.

MEGARAAAA!!!!

Hercules' cry for his love touched Ximar. He could no longer stand by and let this happen....not again. "Sai, even though we haven't known each other for that long, I respect you deeply and value our quick friendship. But Hercules needs help. He may be stronger than any of us, but he has no way of getting that girl back. I'm going to help him to the best of my ability and I would appreciate your help. Your smarter and wiser than me, and that's invaluable. Hercules has lost his love. I refuse to just stand by and let that go unpunished. I'm helping Hercules." He jumped off of the stands and into the stadium. He ran to Hercules' side and offered him a hand up. "Hi. My name is Ximar. You look like you need some help."

[Gabranth]

Gabranth was relieved to say the least. Facing Hades toe to toe wasn't really on the agenda at the moment. Not to mention this Maleficent woman and her sadistic clown that happened to be around.

With Hades being preoccupied with other matters, he was free to plan what he needed to break his chains. Still, in order to achieve this, he still believed Hercules was the key to this. On the other hand seeing Hades back down from Maleficent this Gabranth had to keep in the back of his mind.

For now watching Hercules smash his the ring to bits, he noticed Ximar running in. Of course, AFTER all the commotion. After resting his polearm on that shattered tile that Hercules smashed to pieces, he would speak. "None of us can protect what we hold most dear. Do not foolish about your next move Hercules, or your fate will end as mine did." Walking up to the side of Hercules. "I'll need your assistance with Hades, I can not let you make unwise moves."

Gabranth glanced in Ximars direction. "I thought I left you in Sai's care?"

[Leckseeuh]

Lexia stood up and patted Lilith's head, a strange thing to do. She smiled and winked at her, walking toward the arena. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go see if they're okay."

And so she stepped into the arena, looking around. Se spotted Sai and Ximar, walking a bit faster, standing at Sai's side. She looked at Herclues also, tilting her head. "Are you okay, sir? Do you need any help?"

[Secondary Characters]

Hercules growled a moment longer, then blinked as he looked up. He was being offered help by two people, both of which he didn't know. He shook his head a bit and stood up, easily the tallest figure here. He looked down, seeming distracted and upset...

"I'm fine..." he muttered, then looked up, a determined look on his face. "Megara! I have to go find Megara!" He looked to Gabranth, that expression never wavering. "A true hero doesn't hide from what's in his heart. And mine's telling me I have to rescue her!" He set his jaw, and looked him in the eyes. "You can't tell me you'd have done anything different."

He looked off again, up to the sky. "The only thing is... I don't know how to follow..." He clenched his fist tightly. "I know they're not in this world any more! Hades can wait... I have to deal with Maleficent first!"

[Sai]

Sai blinked when Ximar left, then sighed heavily and gathered his things. He got up and walked after him, seeing the aftermath of the recent events with a casual, half-concerned eye. He stepped up before Hercules, taking in the whole scene. "I can tell things have been... dramatic here. Even Ximar was pulled into these affairs... a particularly emotional Nobody..."

Just then, Lexia appeared next to him, and offered Hercules help alongside Ximar. It would seem the man was going through a great ordeal, though that barely registered on Sai's emotional radar. He merely tilted his head at this, considering his next actions carefully. He looked to Hercules who seemed so determined. Now seemed as good a time as any.

"I know how you can give chase," he said, not caring if telling such things could potentially endanger the worlds. "There's a place called a Gummi Garage. For a small fee, you can purchase a ship there. It will ferry you across the worlds safely, provided you don't mind flying." He paused, then pulled out one of the keyblade notes.

"This information does not come without a fee. I have questions of my own. Do you know of any documents bearing this handwriting?" he held it up here for Hercules to see...

Worlds be damned... Sai was on a mission.

[Secondary Characters]

Hercules brightened a bit hearing this information. "Well where is it?? Tell me!" he asked eagerly, only to hear there were... bargains involved. He frowned when he heard this. The only people who BARGAINED with information like this were bad guys like Hades... But when Sai only asked for information in return, he blinked.

He'd sigh a bit, though. Shaking his head, he lowered his head. "I don't recognize it..." he said, then straightened and snapped his fingers. "Although... you might find some clues at the Library of Alexandria! They have copies of everything written there! I hope that helps..." he paused, then added hopefully. "So where's this place with the ship again?"

[Sai]

The Library of Alexandria! Sai thought, his eye widening. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it sooner! Of course, the Alexandria he was thinking of was not that of Hercules' own. That one was already a ruin in this time, though not many knew. The one Sai knew of, however, had just such a reputation. However, it was on the other side of Hyperspace.

A short trip for him. Sai nodded, putting the notes away. "Yes... thank you..." he said, then pointed towards the doors. "Go down into the Underworld. In the rotunda that marks the crossroads between the labyrinth, the river styx, and the stairway to this place, there is a symbol. Stand upon it and will yourself to the Gummi Garage. There, you'll find your transport..." he lowered his arm, and nodded. "As for us..."

Sai immediately turned on his heel and started walking towards the exit. "We're off to the library..."