Hey all! :)

So, I've got something a little out of my comfort zone today! I was asked to write this by the lovely Samantha Vi Tenebris, and while I've played Kingdom Hearts before, I've only ever gone through the first game so please bare with me!

This is based off Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, so I had done a little research as I put this together so if you're going to flame, please be nice as this is my first story outside of the Anime series I'm very much used to!

As for original characters, ALL THE NAMED CHARACTERS belong to Samantha. This includes: Liana, Septima, Ligia and Raider.

AS FOR CHARACTERS IN THE GAMES – If I butcher anyone's personality, please don't be rude. I did do quite a bit of reading before writing this and actually went and searched up on the main characters to learn about them a little bit, so I feel I'm somewhat prepared for this.

Also, just to note, I'm not following the Kingdom Heart's story line to a T. I decided to change it up a bit, because that's what us writers do. ;)

So, without further ado, I give you this lovely request and hope you all enjoy! Samantha, I hope it's to your liking! :)

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

[Requested by; Samantha Vi Tenebris]

- x -

Journey to the Coliseum

"Ahh~ Finally, we made it!" Ventus and Ligia grinned brightly as they all but ran towards the gate to the town of Thebes.

Aqua shook her head and sighed, "Did we really have to bring them along, Terra?"

"They were lost," He stated in a matter-of-fact tone but lacked the same bite that Aqua's voice still held, "Besides, it's better to travel in a group around these parts. Despite it being a more peaceful and prosperous spot, it still has its dangers."

Seemingly satisfied with his reply, Aqua nodded and remained silent.

"They seem to be getting along good," Septima said with a smile, having walked up beside Aqua to try and coax the girl into conversation.

The blue-haired girl looked at her and nodded, "Yeah. It's nice to see Ventus enjoying himself at someone else's expense rather than ours. I like him and all, but he can be a bit of a headache from time to time."

"As can Raider," Septima giggled.

"Boys," Aqua and Septima both said with a smile on their faces, mutually agreeing with one another but with no further addition to the conversation.

"So," Raider looked at Terra, "Will you be participating in the Olympus challenge?"

Terra looked at the boy, "Yes, actually," He looked forward and seemed deep in thought, "I have something I need to do."

He could feel Aqua's eyes on him as they walked, knowing she had an idea of what he meant by his words.

Terra was well aware that Aqua had her suspicions as to why they were traveling all the way here, but was being respectful enough not to ask him while in front of their current company.

"Can we stop and get something to eat?" Ligia turned on her heel to look at her own companions, "I'm starving!"

Septima giggled at her younger childhood friend and nodded, "I'm sure that won't be a problem. Will it?"

Terra shook his head and smiled, "Not at all."

Raider, who had been walking beside Terra the entire time, finally glanced over to Aqua and noticed she had a firm expression and was sending Ventus a very disapproving stare at the fact he so willingly followed the young girl towards the nearest food stand.

"Want to go get something to eat as well, Aqua?" Raider asked, his brows rising slightly while his mouth tugged into a wide, friendly smile.

Aqua turned and looked at him with her blue eyes going wide while Terra, completely oblivious to the nervousness creeping up her spine, grinned and nodded.

"Go on, Aqua. It will give me time to scout ahead."

The girl stopped in her tracks and waved her arms in front of her while her cheeks continued to burn a brighter red, "No! I'm not hungry, I'm fine!"

"Don't be a stick in the mud!" Ventus called over to her, earning her attention before he stuffed a skewered fish into his mouth.

Septima looked at her, "It wouldn't hurt."

Aqua frowned at her, "Don't encourage him!"

"Why not?" A sly grin formed on her lips, "Are you scared about being alone with Raider?"

"N-No!"

"Then, go!"

"But, I–" Aqua spluttered something incoherent before letting her hands drop to her sides and heaving in a heavy, defeated sigh, "Fine..."

Septima grinned while Raider walked over to the nervous girl in blue, "Come on, I won't bite," He flashed her a charming smile before motioning for her to follow him.

Aqua, in one more attempt at convincing someone else to ask her to join them, found that Terra had already wandered off and finally gave her final breath of defeat before following Raider through the crowded streets of Thebes.

Septima watched them with a smile before looking over to Ventus and Ligia, going slightly owl-eyed at the amount of fish they were consuming and rushed over to the two, "Hey! I have to pay for all of that, you know!"

"Sowwy!" Ligia cried out with her mouth full, turning to Septima as she ran up beside them.

Ventus looked at her and grinned, "Don't worry, I'll pay for myself!"

Septima sighed and nodded before looking around when something caught her eye. At first she thought she'd been hallucinating when she caught sight of the SOLDIER's signature garb on the woman stealthily making her way through the crowd and now even more so that her eyes caught sight of familiar chestnut, waist-length hair.

Laina... Is that really you?

. . .

"It seems they've already gathered quite the list of participants for the event," Terra muttered to himself while his eyes continued to scan the list.

"Moody, dark, powerful," Hades voice surrounded Terra while the young brunette looked around, "Perfect. Although, it's a pity it's all going to waste."

Terra finally looked to his side and saw the god of Underworld standing beside him, "What are you doing here?"

Hades blinked for a moment before crossing his arms in a haughty manner, "You want to learn how to conquer the darkness, am I right? Of course I'm right – I'm always right."

Terra narrowed his eyes slightly, "So tell me then, what is it that you want?"

"I'm a business man," Hades hands flew to his hips, "I'll definitely tell you how to conquer the darkness, but I can only tell you if you enter the games."

"The games?" Terra looked back at the parchment tacked on the wall with the list of participants before turning back to Hades, who stood behind him with his hands on his hips.

"This is a limited-time offer that shall not be repeated kid, so ticktock, ticktock," Hades said as he spun on his heel and made his way to the main doors with a knowing smirk spreading on his face.

Terra stood there for a moment and watched the Death god walk through the doors before looking down at his hands. It was something he knew he would have to do eventually, and now that he had a man willing to help teach him how to defeat the darkness inside of him, he knew backing out now would leave him at a fresh start with no idea where to go.

Looking back towards the entrance to get back out to where he'd encountered a young Hercules, Terra's brows furrowed in wonder as he pondered over the idea of going to gather his companions before rushing into the tournament.

"No," He uttered to himself, "I shouldn't involve them."

Terra took a deep breath and slowly took a step forward towards the doors, not entirely sure as to what he would be facing as far as competition went when he stepped through those doors. Surely Hades would have something impossibly difficult for him to go through, but with the reassurance of no real enemy or strong competitor on the list hanging on the wall, Terra had some confidence bubbling in his stomach that strengthened his resolve and pushed him faster towards the giant double doors.

"Decided to finally come and chat with me, did ya?" Hades grinned as Terra walked into the lobby-like area, "Good. Now, final answer?"

Terra stood in front of the lord of the Underworld with squared shoulders and determination in his eyes, "I'll do it."

"Alright then," Hades waved his hands in the air as he walked across the room so Terra was now staring at his back, unaware of the malicious grin creeping onto the man's face, "So, we have this silly little paper we have to fill out before we begin. Unbelievable, I know," He took the quill in his hand before spouting out questions until his eyes were met with one in particular, "Favorite god? Really, pfft. Easy answer. Me, obviously."

Terra eyed him carefully as he made the paper and quill disappear, "That's all there is to it?"

"Yep, easy-peasy isn't it?" Hades walked over and stood behind the boy, "Just think, you're one step closer to conquering that pesky darkness but, wait!" He grinned, "You seem to be all warm and fuzzy with it; so sweet, really."

Growing impatient with the god's theatrics, Terra's eyes fell on the dark tunnel leading towards the arena and ignored most of Hades spiel.

"Alright kid, time to go," Hades waved his hand towards the doorway, "And if anything goes wrong, I'll make it all go away. Service with a smile."

. . .

Raider and Aqua continued to walk through Thebes in silence after stopping for a quick bite to eat and noticed something odd about a few of the citizens.

"Think they're anxious for the tournament?" Raider asked.

Aqua nodded, "Probably. It's not very often that they host something like this with anyone worth going to see."

"So harsh of you to say," Raider chuckled with a grin, "Maybe I should enter."

She rolled her eyes, "If you do, what makes you think people will go to watch you?"

"I'd only do it if I knew you'd be watching."

Aqua's cheeks stained red again as she huffed, "Like I'd go and see you fight!"

"Would you go out on a date with me if I won?" Raider slyly watched her while she hesitated with her words, even going as far as tripping on her own two feet and stumbling forward with the nervousness and embarrassment from their current topic of choice.

"What? N-No!" Aqua's hands were balled into tight fists in front of her chest as she stood there glaring up at him, although Raider didn't find her as intimidating as she most likely thought she appeared with the blush on her cheeks and the way her knees slightly rubbed together.

His grin only grew at how cute she looked at that moment, "Oh, come on now. That's not encouraging!"

"It wasn't meant to be!" Aqua frowned, now waving her hands at her sides in a very spastic manner.

Before Raider could make another flirty comment at the expense of Aqua's shy behavior, he noticed that something caught her attention from behind him and turned to look over his shoulder to investigate himself.

"Is that who I think it is?" Aqua asked more to herself than to Raider, "I wonder if that means that Zack is here, too."

"Who is Zack and who are you talking about?" Raider asked with an obvious jealous undertone at the mention of Zack's name.

Aqua pushed passed him and started after the girl in the purple uniform, "They're friends of Terra's that I've only met a couple of times, but if she's here then that means Zack is here, too. He could be entering in the tournament, so lets catch up to Laina and find out."

Following Aqua silently, Raider nodded and kept up with her brisk pace. Soon, they found themselves in the heart of Thebes while the girl who Aqua was pursuing quite relentlessly.

"Aqua," Raider frowned, "Why are we following her? If you know her even a little bit, why not holler at her or something?"

The girl ignored him and continued chasing after the chestnut-haired girl until they finally reached the main gate to the coliseum, where she turned around to face her two followers.

Much to Aqua's surprise, she was correct in assuming the girl was Laina and was now being faced with unusually cruel, cold Mako eyes that belonged to all of the SOLDIER members.

"Well, fancy meeting you here, Aqua," Laina grinned, crossing her arms under her bust to stare the two down, "And it seems you've brought a friend with you."

Raider frowned slightly, not entirely liking the vibe he was feeling as he quickly began to process the situation. Having been more of the brains rather than bronze in the group with Ligia and Septima, he let his analytical characteristics unfold and narrowed his eyes slightly in concentration.

Aqua frowned, "Laina, if you're here then where's Zack?"

"Inside," Laina motioned with a slight nod of her head towards the coliseum, "I think he's confronting your friend right about now, actually."

Both Aqua and Raider didn't like the tone of voice she spoke with, as if she were gleeful and amused at the fact Zack and Terra were possibly fighting against one another as they spoke.

"Ah, your reinforcements have arrived," Laina looked passed the two and smirked as Septima, Ligia and Ventus ran up to them, "How nice to see you all."

Ventus, not at all aware of what was going on, smiled at Laina, "Hey! Are you here for the tournament with Zack?"

"Stop," Aqua never took her eyes off the girl in front of them, "She's not the same Laina that you think she is. Something's wrong."

"Huh?" Ventus looked from Aqua to Laina and finally noticed something wasn't right, "... Hey, do you think maybe she's...?"

"It's darkness," Septima frowned, noticing the familiar dark shadow locking Laina's skin as it surrounded her body, "She's been taken over by darkness."

Ligia frowned and gripped the hem of her shirt, "We have to help her!"

"Leave it to me," Aqua said with Brightcrest in her hands, "All of you, stay back!"

Septima was suddenly at her side with her weapons drawn, holding the hand-held blades in each hand as she got into a fighting stance, "You honestly think you can handle this one on your own? I don't know how many people you've fought when they're being controlled by darkness, but it's usually a two-person battle."

"Hmph," Aqua gave her one quick glance before locking eyes with Laina, "Fine, but don't get in my way."

Laina watched the two and grinned, "So you want to play, huh? Alright, then," She reached back and gripped the hilt of her sword before swinging it forward in front of herself, "Lets play!"

Charging forward, Laina poised herself with a smirk as Aqua intended to block while Septima surged forward to meet the large sword head-on with her two hand-held blades. The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed around the entire area as Laina watched Septima struggle against the weight of her sword, trying desperately to hold off the attack while Aqua took the chance to make her own attack.

She swung Brightcrest towards Laina and grunted slightly when the girl jumped back to avoid being hit, "This isn't going to get us anywhere if we attack her one at a time."

Suddenly, Ligia and Ventus charged forward with their own respective weapons in hand, "We'll attack her head-on, so you guys focus on getting her from behind!"

"Come on!" Septima jumped forward and managed to get to Laina's right side while Aqua dashed over to her right.

Laina eyed each and every one of them with sharp eyes as she fought off Ventus's Frolic Flame, "Planning on ambushing me?"

"Not quiet," Ligia grinned.

Laina had only seconds to look at Ligia before Raider appeared behind her and delivered a swift kick to her back while also dealing a sharp jab with the side of his hand to the back of her neck, sending her spiraling forward while Ventus took the opportunity to cast a mighty swing that was powerful enough to knock the blade from her hands. When the chestnut-haired girl hit the ground, she let out a rough gasp and went still.

Septima looked from Laina to Raider, "Did you knock her out?"

"She'll be fine in a few minutes," He said casually, "I remembered the last time we fought someone who was being controlled and knew that if I could get behind her, that it would be easily dispelled the minute she was knocked out. That's why I had Ventus and Ligia join the fight without you two knowing."

Aqua looked at Raider with wide eyes, "Wow... You thought of all of that in the limited time we had?"

"Brains, not bronze. Remember?" He grinned, making the girl blush and look away.

Septima looked at everyone, "Now that we've found Laina, let's got find Terra and Zack."

They all nodded and quickly had Ventus pick up Laina's weapon while Raider carried the unconscious girl on his back.

"You know, I'd much rather be carrying you on my back rather than her," Raider grinned towards Aqua, making her face red and watched her become flustered.

Septima rolled her eyes, "Save your flirting for when we're all back together, Raider!"

"Fine, fine."

. . .

"Wow, kid," Hades whistled as Terra walked through the next section of tunnels to the last lobby area before the main part of the coliseum where he would inevitably face the final opponent, "I was right. You really do have potential."

Terra ignored him and continued on through to the area, leaving Hades to mutter to himself about how things weren't going according to plan.

When Terra finally made it out into the arena, he briefly looked around as if he was expecting a barrage of enemies like the last ten rounds, when a soldier wearing a silver helmet obscuring his face walked into view.

His eyes narrowed slightly at the familiar garb the soldier was wearing but he quickly brushed it off and got into a fight stance, "Let's do this."

There was no reply as his opponent charged forward with his blade poised for a strike. Terra met him head-on and parried his blow with his sword, using his upper body strength to take advantage of the ordeal and deliver a sharp blow forward to make an opening in the man's defenses.

It went back and forth for several minutes before the soldier finally hit the ground, leaving Terra the victor as he turned around.

"It's not over," A low voice said from behind Terra, making him turn around to see that his opponent was without a helmet now and staring at him with all-too familiar blue eyes.

So I was right. Terra frowned, "Zack?"

Zack gave a loud cry as he charged forward, ready to swing his blade at Terra while he spun around and blocked what could have been a fatal blow.

Terra narrowed his eyes and stared at the usually cheerful, friendly individual he'd grown to enjoy being around before it all made sense to him.

He's being controlled, but it looks like he's still holding onto some consciousness... Terra thought to himself. To think that this could be me if I don't find out how to rid myself of this darkness...

The two slashed their swords with brute force and sent one another flying in opposite directions before readying themselves for another round. Zack made the first move, using the power that the darkness gave him to create a pulsating presence around him to momentarily stun Terra, but it was easily avoided as he shot forward at the precise moment and was able to give a hefty blow to Zack's torso to effectively win the fight.

"Come on, Zack!" Terra urged, "You have to fight it!"

Zack struggled to keep himself standing as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Terra, "Shut your mouth," He shakily lifted the sword in his hands but was quickly disarmed with a powerful swing from Terra's Earthshaker, "Damn it!"

Not giving him an opportunity to recover, Terra surprised Zack with a heavy blow to the stomach that brought him to his knees. Of to the side, Hades muttered to himself about choosing the wrong person to fight Zeus and stormed off in a huff.

"Terra!"

At the sound of his name, Terra turned to see all of his companions running towards him when his eyes fell on Laina, "So, she was here after all."

Aqua and Ventus looked down at Zack and watched as he finally came to and slowly pushed himself up off the ground.

"I guess thanks are in order," Zack muttered, still feeling sore from the sharp fist in the stomach, "Really, though."

Terra looked at him and nodded, "It's no problem."

"Laina was in the front of the coliseum while you guys were inside," Aqua explained, "So we knocked out to cut the connection between her and the darkness."

Zack nodded and walked to Raider, gently lifting Laina's still form from his back and held her against his chest, "When we got here, I told her that I was going to be a while since the list for the tournament was so long, so she'd told me that she was going to look around Thebes. Hades must have gotten to her, too."

"Hades?" Septima blinked, "You mean, Hades has been here this entire time?"

Terra and Zack both nodded while the younger of the two looked down at the girl in his arms, "I don't know what he's after, but he manipulated me into letting the darkness in and was controlling me."

"We should go find somewhere to relax while we wait for her to wake up," Ligia offered, "I saw an inn not too far from here, and then there's a small restaurant that looked like it had a private sitting area."

Zack nodded in agreement while Terra also nodded, "Alright, let's go."

As they all began to leave the stadium, Aqua hung back and walked beside Terra, "So," He could hear the worry in her voice, "Did you figure out what it was that you were here for?"

"Somewhat," Terra admitted, "You were concerned?"

She nodded, "Of course I was. You and Ventus are like my brothers, so when you went off on your own it took everything I had not to follow."

"It was something I had to do," Terra looked ahead, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Aqua nodded and smiled small, "You can make it up to me by buying me something sweet."

"Fair enough," He chuckled lightly.

When they finally made their way to a place where they could eat, Laina slowly came to and looked around at everyone. When she looked up at her lover, he had a bright grin on his face.

"Nice of you to join us."

Laina frowned slightly and then grinned, "I could say the same to you, Zacky."

"Don't call me that," He scowled slightly, "At least not in front of everyone else."

She giggled and looked over to the five that had helped her earlier, "Thanks for getting rid of the darkness. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't of shown up."

"No problem," Aqua smiled while Ligia, Septima and Ventus grinned brightly.

Raider looked at her and Zack before grinning, "Seeing as how you two are an item," He suddenly looked at Aqua, "It seems only fair that I sit with a pretty girl, too."

"Don't push your luck with that one," Zack said, earning a questioning look from Laina and a glare from Aqua, "I tried asking her out on a date a long time ago and I got brushed off faster than I could blink."

"What?!" Laina looked up at him.

Zack looked at her, "I said a long time ago, Laina! Calm down!"

With a huff, Laina crossed her arms while Aqua tried to combat the rising temperature in her face as Raider closed in on her after choosing to brush off Zack's words.

"So," Zack looked at Terra before motioning to Raider, Septima and Ligia, "New friends of yours?"

Terra nodded, "We met them outside of Disney Town on the way here and they were having trouble with some scrappers, so after we helped them we offered for them to join us on the walk here."

"That was nice of you," Zack chuckled, "They all seem so..."

"Loud," Terra sighed, "Septima is the only one who isn't obnoxious."

Laina looked at Terra, "They all seem nice."

"They are," Terra looked at her, "Don't get me wrong, they're great people but having Ligia around is like having another Ventus around. As if he wasn't enough on his own some days..."

Zack chuckled while Laina nodded in understanding, "Where are you guys all headed to now?"

"I don't know about them, but Aqua, Ventus and I are headed to Never Land."

Laina looked at Zack and nodded to him before looking at Terra, "You know, we could always join you guys too if you wanted?"

"You guys have that much free time on your hands?" Terra's brow rose.

Zack shrugged and grinned, "Well, since we're already halfway there, why not?"

"Never Land?" Septima looked at Terra, earning curious gazes from the three conversing teens.

Terra nodded, "Ventus, Aqua and I had decided that after the tournament, we would go to Never Land."

Septima smiled, "We were heading that way too, so if you don't mind the company we can continue to follow you guys."

"More the merrier!" Ventus grinned, having popped out of nowhere.

Ligia was standing beside the young boy with her own grin, enjoying the prospect of staying with the current group they were with. Off to the side, Aqua felt as though she was in for a rough journey if Raider continued to hit on her but sighed, agreeing that they should join their group nonetheless.

"Then it's decided," Ventus threw his fist in the air, "We'll rest up here for the night and then it's off to Never Land!"

NOTE: It's pretty late at night over here so I'll re-check this in the morning for anything I've missed, but I think I got most of it covered. ;)

. . .

I know it's not much and I decided last minute to change it up a bit from what I'd explained to you, but I hope you enjoyed this, Samantha! :)

Before I started writing this I actually watched a couple of game-play videos of Birth by Sleep and really loved the cut scene where Hades meets Terra and brain-ninja's him into the competition. Then again, Hades is my favorite Disney baddie anyways, so I'm little biased. ;)

I hope this met all of your expectations my darling requestee and even though it wasn't that long, I enjoyed writing it and delving back into the love of Kingdom Hearts that lay dormant in my heart, because now I just have a craving to binge-play the first and second game really bad since I never finished the first one but have them both here. LOOL

To those of you who read this, I hope you all enjoyed this as well and really kept in mind that I had hardly any previous rock-solid knowledge that could have made this easier to do.

I love you all so much, new and returning readers, and hope you join me in the next thing that I write!

~ Kayori, out!