Fans: Says who?
Sora53: Says me. Since this is the beginning of a new fic, I must claim ultimate power over you. I CLAIM THE POWER! MUAHAHA!
Fans: You're weird.
Roxas: I really want some sea-salt ice cream.
Corita: You've been doing nothing but eating the stuff for months!
Roxas: I know, but still...
Riku Fangirls: -squeal- Riku?
Sora53: NO!
Riku Fangirls: GET HER!
Sora53: -sigh- -runs away screaming-
Disclaimer: I dun own nothing but Corita and Tria. Oh, and Mr. Perkins too, but I don't know how many more times he'll be mentioned...
"Good job, everyone!" Olette said happily as she poured the munny each of them had made into her handmade pouch. "I'll count it and see if we have enough. In the meantime..."
She took out a few orbs and handed them to Roxas. "Let's get ourselves some ice cream to celebrate a hard day's work!"
"Great!" Roxas said, looking down at the small orbs. "Tria and I'll meet you at the station tower."
Tria was standing next to Roxas, holding their skateboards. Hayner, Olette and Pence headed away from them, and Tria handed Roxas his skateboard.
"Alright, Roxas." Tria said, dropping her skateboard to the ground. "I've pretty much mastered standing on it...now how do I actually ride it?"
"It's easy." Roxas laughed, getting on his own. "Just push forward with your leg...and direct yourself by shifting your weight."
Roxas skated forward, and Tria began to move forward. She pushed forward with her right leg, and began speeding up.
"Look, Roxas! I'm doing it! I'm...going down a hill! AHH!"
"Don't panic! Wait...where are you going? TRIA!"
Roxas quickly followed Tria, who was skating off into oblivion.
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Tria eventually came to a halt in front of the items shop, panting heavily.
"Wow...I think that's the first time I didn't crash!" She said brightly.
"You've been improving." Roxas said kindly, picking up his skateboard and walking with her to the ice cream shop.
"Roxas! Tria! Let me guess...5 ice creams?" The store owner asked kindly when they approached him.
"Yes, please." Tria said as she took the ice creams he handed her. Roxas dug the munny out of his pocket, and handed them to him. They headed towards the station tower, ice creams in hand.
"So, Roxas..." Tria said as they walked past several crooked signs for The Struggle, "You're fighting in the Struggle again, right? I was thinking about entering myself."
"You?" Roxas asked, startled. "I dunno..."
"You don't think I'm good enough?"
"It's not that at all! It's just...jerks like Seifer are going to be in it and..."
"What was that?" An all-too familiar voice called out. Roxas and Tria turned to see that Seifer and his gang were 20 feet away from them.
"Oh...hello, Seifer." Tria grunted.
Seifer, as always, was accompanied by his friends: Raijin and Fujin, who preferred to be called Rai and Fuu, as well as Vivi. Rai was a muscular guy, though not very bright. Fuu was a clever and intelligent young woman, and very simple with her methods. Vivi was a young black mage and rather timid, which was probably the only reason why he went along with Seifer in the first place. As the leader of the group, Seifer was bold and outspoken, and considered himself and his friends the town's 'Disciplinary Committee'.
"Hope you don't chicken out of the tournament tommorow." Seifer taunted. Roxas ignored him and continued walking.
"Hey, Trio."
"It's Tria." Tria said angrily.
"Don't fall for it." Roxas whispered quickly.
"What have you got there?"
"Nothing for you." She hissed.
"Oooh, that hurt." Seifer said angrily. He began heading towards them, and his friends followed.
"Seifer doesn't like it when people talk back to him, y'know?" Rai said.
"Ice cream." Fuu stated, looking at the treats Tria held.
"Give 'em here." Seifer said, holding out his hand. Tria ignored him, and she and Roxas kept walking.
"Incompetence." Fuu said.
"Seifer! She just totally dissed you, y'know?" Rai growled to his leader.
"Yeah...looks like we're gonna have to teach Chicken Wuss and Trio a lesson. It's our duty to protect the well-being of this town."
"Roxas, do something." Tria whispered in her brother's ear.
"Me! You got us into this!"
"Over there! That's Mr. Perkin's shed!" Tria whispered back. Meanwhile, Seifer was ranting about his 'sworn duty' with Rai and Fuu spouting out agreements. "There should be some extra weapons for the Struggle there!"
"On my count, we run for the shed." Roxas whispered. "One..."
"So, fork over the ice cream!"
"Two..."
"Seifer doesn't like to wait for his ice cream, y'know?"
"THREE!"
Roxas and Tria ran forward, where Mr. Perkins shed stood. Mr. Perkins was the head of the Struggle tournament organizing, so he took care of most of the equipment. Dashing inside, Roxas and Tria dropped their skateboards as well as the ice cream and grabbed the nearest weapons. Roxas grabbed an almost club-like sword, while Tria grabbed a staff with a star on top. Both were blue with yellow handles. The twins dashed back outside to see Seifer and his gang waiting for them.
"You really think you can take me on?" Seifer growled.
"Seifer's never lost before, y'know?" Rai shouted.
"Undefeated." Fuu agreed.
"Wait a second." Tria said to Roxas. "We're fighting Seifer over ice cream?"
"It's the point of the matter, Tria." Roxas responded.
Seifer was handed a Struggle weapon by Vivi, who'd been silent so far. Vivi then retreated back behind Seifer.
"Where did you get that?" Roxas asked.
"Snatched it from Old Man Perkins yesterday. Gotta stay prepared for the Struggle." Seifer shrugged. "You two'll be good practice."
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"Uhhh...Seifer's not feeling his best today!" Rai explained hastily, leaping in front of his beloved leader.
"Headache." Fuu said, leaping in front of Rai.
"Well, you were right Seifer." Roxas said, lowering his weapon. "That WAS good practice."
Seifer growled and stalked off, followed by his beloved posse. Roxas and Tria looked at each other.
"You did a great job, Roxas." Tria complimented.
"You were awesome, too." Roxas said, turning towards her. "Hey...how did you get so good? I've never let you near a weapon..."
"I've been smuggling Struggle weapons and practicing for 4 weeks." Tria sighed.
"Oh...well, then. Are you entering?"
"Are you serious?" Tria gasped.
"Are you nuts? You were great out there!"
"Are you insane? You were way better than me..."
"Are you crazy? Why don't we both just enter?"
"ARE YOU TWO BRINGING THE ICE CREAM OR NOT?" Hayner's voice roared over their conversation. Looking up, they saw their friends sitting on the station tower, watching them. Roxas and Tria laughed nervously, and headed back to Mr. Perkins's shed to retrieve their things.
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"In two days we hit the beach." Hayner said happily, eating his slightly melted ice cream.
"Can't wait." Pence said.
"Yup." Olette agreed as she ate her ice cream as well.
"Tommorow's the Struggle." Roxas said. "You're entering, right Hayner?"
"Of course. You two entering?" He asked.
"Absolutely." Tria said happily. "Roxas is finally letting me. Not that I need his permission, right?"
"You always need my permission, little sis." Roxas joked, snatching her half-eaten ice cream.
"Hey! I worked hard for that!" Tria whined. Laughing, Roxas handed it back to her. The 5 friends stared off into the sunset, enjoying one of the last days of their summer.
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Roxas tossed around in his sleep. His last few nights had been plagued with strange dreams, and tonight was no exception...
A strange red-haired girl was laughing...
A silver-haired boy was racing another boy down a long beach...
A brown-haired girl was talking to the silver-haired boy...
A final character, a brown-haired boy, was talking to the girls...
Roxas tried to focus...the figures were speaking...
"Sora?" The brown-haired girl asked.
The scene changed. The four figures were gathered around a tree, where 3 of then were sitting. The silver haired boy was standing beside them.
"Just talking, as usual." He said.
Then the two brown-haired figures were in a strange area, surrounded by darkness. "Wouldn't want to fall down there..." The boy named Sora said.
"Yeah, that would be a bad thing..." The girl agreed. The dream grew fuzzy, and it was hard to hear them...
"Watch out, Corita!" Sora shouted as a large creature attacked them. The creature was unlike anything Roxas could've ever imagined...
Suddenly, the scene changed again. The two were sitting in a room with 2 others.
"The Heartless are beings without hearts." The strange man said.
"Well, that's creative." Corita said gruffly.
"Well, I didn't ask for this." Sora said bitterly. The screen grew fuzzy again. When it was visible again, two new figures had joined Sora and Corita. One was a large dog and one was a grumpy-sounding duck.
"They to have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Someone said. Roxas couldn't tell who.
"Alright. I'll go with you guys!" Sora said cheerfully. With a final jolt, Roxas sat bolt upright in his bed. Panting heavily, Roxas rubbed his eyes, trying to see clearly.
"A Key...blade?" Roxas muttered, looking down at his hands. He could almost feel the smooth metal of the weapon he'd seen, almost see it gleaming in the twilight.
"Roxas?" Tria's voice shouted across the house. "You'd better get up right now or we're going to be late!"
"Late? For what?" Roxas wondered, trying to remember. The dreams seemed to have clouded his mind.
"The Struggle!" Tria's voice called. It seemed she was getting ready for it, as her voice kept getting louder and softer. She must've been moving from room to room, Roxas thought. "Say it with me now! The. Struggle. Get up or else!"
"Why, what are you gonna do to me?" Roxas joked as he got up and opened his door. "Chase me on your skateboard?"
Tria's angry face appeared in front of him. Roxas flashed her a bright smile, and she sighed.
"I'm not in the mood right now, Roxas." She said as she walked away. "I got NO sleep last night, and if I fight Seifer and lose today then I'll be forever known as 'Trio, the incredible ice-cream delivering wonder'. MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!"
"Alright, I understand!" Roxas shouted across the house as he walked back over to his bed and flopped down onto it.
"Don't you dare lay back down on that bed!" Tria shouted to him.
---Fans: How did she know?
Sora53: Female intuition.
Fans: Really?
Joe: Yup. Just like how Corita always knows whenever I'm in the room. By the way, have you seen her?
Sora53: Nope.
Corita: -is hiding from Joe- Muahaha!
Sora: Why did you drag me into this?
Corita: Because if I hide alone, I'll be lonely.
Sora: I'm out of here.
Corita: NO! I'll BE LONELY!
