Sisters by Claim

by Shadoword

For ten years their sister was an invisible figure to them. Now she's back, and they are beyond extatic, but now they are dragged into the world she hoped to keep them out of, and Shadow finds herself fighting to keep the only family she has safe.

6. Bets

Alo, Salut, sunt eu, un haiduc
Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea
Alo, alo, sunt eu Picasso
Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic

Vrei sa pleci dar numa, numa iei
Numa, numa iei, numa, numa, numa iei
Chipul tau si dragostea din tei
Mi-amintesc de ochii tai

Week One:

Dear Sora, Roxas, and Riku,

Hello from Radiant Gardens! You guys wouldn't believe this place, its huge! The people who run the shops are very nice and Aerith, she runs the coffee shop, is so nice. When we got here Monday she was the one who helped shop for dresses for the festival. Apparently every year they hold a party that celebrates the day the small war ended over this town. The theme for the colors were dark blue and white and were gorgeous, the entire place was covered in them. We got to stand on the rooftops to watch the fireworks, we put the pictures in the envelope so you guys could see them. We asked Shadow if you guys could come next year to check them out and she agreed.

It was so funny! Apparently beer was big for Shadow and her friends last night, well, more her friends than Shadow herself. She only had one or two. At one point this guy named Axel ended up standing on the edge of the roof and started singing Numa Numa. We video recorded it. :) We got to meet a bunch of guys that Shadow works with. Carter, Axel, Leon, (who lives here too, just doesn't stay around long), Cid, Yuffie, and Cloud. By the way, he's the one that delivered these letters, don't worry, we both found out he's always that emotionless, it's normal.

Anyways guys, we gotta get going! Can't wait to talk to you later and hope your summer started off with a blast.

-Namine + Kairi

Week Two:

You guys wouldn't believe the food here! Sora and Roxas, you guys would be in heaven, and Riku we know you would love our sister's grilling. We were having these huge cheese burgers that would definitely be your new favorite. We went shopping today, something we had to drag Shadow to do, and ran into Yuffie, who was happy to show us around the clothing departments. Sora, you would get along great with her, she's just as hyper as you, and Shadow said she didn't even have any sugar that day. Scary.

We got to check out a music store, apparently Shadow goes there frequently because they recognized her instantly. Oh yeah! Riku, we got you the new Avenged Sevenfold CD, apparently she has connections. And don't worry you two, we got Sora a new and sturdier chain for his crown neck piece and Roxas we found you new wristbands that you're going to love!

Yoru, Shadow's Alaskan Husky, needs to get washed next week after we go to the park, and she was telling us how the dog always gives her a run for her money, so we're going to help her with that. She brought out a set of chains from the closet, so we don't really know what to expect...

Well that's it for now! Talk to you three later. =)

-Kairi + Namine

Week Three:

We gave Yoru a bath today...it took us an entire hour and a half. The dog made it look like we were committing animal cruelty! Shadow had to shackle her around the neck and pinned her down while we washed her off, thus resorting in Shadow getting soaked, and carrying on to her getting revenge with the water on the jet setting. Remember the time when Riku got his hands on the water hose, so Sora and Roxas ended up walking away all red? Yeah, that bad.

Her movie collection is insane, you guys would like it. If it's horror, heavy action, or involves guns and actually good, then no doubt she has it. We watched Resident Evil last night. We couldn't sleep after that. XP Then today we went to this huge water park that's off to the side in town. The place was amazing, and there was this ride called the scorpion, it felt like we were going to flip backwards in the tube! And the wave pool, it was so large and the waves were turning into good ten foot waves, people couldn't bring surf boards, of course, but you could tell they wanted to.

Hope you guys are doing good!

-Namine + Kairi

Week Three:

You know, we just thought of something. We never told you the story about Shadow's name, even when you guys asked! Sorry! So here's how it went:

We were around five years old and it was two years after Shadow had moved in with us. When we were younger she still had her original name, but for the life of us we can't remember it, (and we think she likes it that way) and were having a hard time pronouncing it after all. So one day Kairi and I had been playing a game of hide and seek in the cluster of tree behind the house. Our parents were throwing a get-together with a bunch of their friends and we had opted to play on our own for a while. So Kairi had been the seeker at the time, with neither of us knowing where Shadow had went, we thought she had stayed with the adults, (she was always good with the grown ups) but anyways, Namine had found a hiding spot behind one of the larger trees and had me, (Kairi) completely lost as to where she could be.

Then I suddenly felt like someone was behind me, (Namine) and I turned around, only to scream as it turned out to be Shadow. She had apologized and Kairi came around before making the comment that she had gotten so close that she was standing on my shadow. We laughed at this, because that seemed to be one of her top skills, so we had opted for the nickname Shadow. it quickly caught on that no one else besides us could call her that. A few weeks later we asked her what another word for Shadow would be, and she said shade would be pretty close. Even though it was shorter and nickname material, it was already decided what her nickname was so we called her Shade on the more serious occasions. Pretty soon she just introduced herself as Shade, and that's how it caught on.

Sorry that we're only just now answering this. XP But hey! Better late than never! Hope you guys are having a blast and we'll talk to you later.

-Namine + Kairi

P.S. We better be getting letters back!

XXXXXX

Cloud walked up the driveway of the large home with his motorcycle that he had named Fenrir resting out on the street. His spiky yellow hair defied gravity while piercing clear blue eyes studied the door in front of him before he reached up and knocked, swinging his backpack around and unzipping it to reveal the packages that needed to be delivered on Destiny Islands. As the door opened up he pulled out a small package of envelopes, the date each one was written neatly printed in the corner of each one.

Before him actually stood the three teens that he needed. "Kairi and Namine's friends?"

The silver haired teen spoke. "Yeah, you need something?"

Cloud simply handed him the small package, which he took after a second and studied it. "Thanks." He said. "Do I have to pay you?"

"Covered." Cloud said over his shoulder, already halfway down the driveway. The three boys watched as he got back on the motorcycle and it roared to life before quickly taking off, it's emotionless rider already thinking of the next delivery that had to be made.

"What are they?" Roxas asked, looking over at the package. Riku simply opened it up to reveal at least fifteen letters neatly stacked up on each other and one more envelope dedicated to pictures.

"Wow, they weren't kidding when they said they would write." Sora laughed, taking the first and oldest letter. "I think we should get started."

XXXXXX

Kairi and Namine had been switching out with sleeping on Shadow's bed while the other twin would sleep on a small inflatable matress next to it. Their older sister had opted for the couch, which she said normally substituted for her bed anyways while the actual matress almost never got used. When they asked her why she had said by the end of the work day it was easy to crash on as soon as she got home. They had chided her for this, of course, and in turn she had ignored it, as always.

That particular day they found themselves woken up at 7:30, with their sister dressed in obvious work out clothes. A pair of black shorts and a tight black shirt rimmed with gray along the edges, her hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail and she had a gym bag hanging from her shoulder. "Come on guys, get up."

"Why." Kairi groaned, turning over in the bed away from her older sister. "It's summer, summer means sleeping in."

"Because we're going to the gym." she said with a smirk, watching as Namine pulled the blanket over her head. In response to her answer she received complaints, but that only made her smirk more solid as she dropped the bag and grabbed both sheets by the bottom before ripping them off the two, exposing their skin to the cool morning air. "Hey!" The called in sync, and their eyes widened when they saw the large glass of water she was taking very small sips out of. A grin came across her face before they both screamed, the results of the water being thrown on both of them. "Shadow!"

"Ten minutes." she said, already having the bag over her shoulder and walking out of the door, leaving two very disgruntled twins behind her.

It wasn't until half an hour later that both girls stood inside the gym, finding nothing else to do but gawk at it's immense size. Bottom line, it was decked out. The place was large and had large sections dedicated to different parts of of the gym. A map that was located at the entrance showed the various rooms where you could find the kind of equipment you were looking for. As soon as Shade walked in she was greeted professionally by a woman who was actually in a suit at the front desk. "Miss Shade, it's a pleasure to see you." She said.

Shadow just nodded. "Got two extras with me." The woman looked at the twins with a gaze that didn't expressed something along the lines of annoyance but nodded anyway, swiping her card before giving it back to Shade. "Enjoy."

She just nodded once and the two followed close behind her. "Where to first?"

"How good are you two on the treadmill?"

XXXXXX

Five miles of running. Their sister had made them run five miles, running seven herself. After that they had proceeded to take a blessing of a break while Shadow was beating upon an unfortunate punching bag, black fingerless gloves covering her hands as she expertly went at it. "How often do you come here Shadow?" Kairi asked, nursing a bottle of water as they sat on a bench a few feet away from her.

"Normally four times a week." Her leg came around and crashed into the bag, both twins flinching. "Stress reliever."

"How many years?"

"Leon introduced me to the place, shortly after we met, so we're talking about eight and a half years ago." A fist came around and it sunk into the leathery resistance.

"Shade." The twins glanced over but Shade continued her beating of the bag.

"Leon." She grunted in greeting, her foot aiming a high kick. "How you doing?"

"Not bad." He replied in a monotone, coming next to her and holding the bag still while she beat on it. "The guys were wondering if you're in."

Shadow bounced lightly on her feet, glancing over at the twins. "Depends, how many?"

"Four of us this time."

"Alright, I'm in." She threw one more hit and he had to drop his hand unless he wanted the bones crushed. She walked over and grabbed a water bottle, along with twenty bucks that she gave to her sisters. "Come on." They obediently got up and followed the pair towards the back of the gym, bypassing many other rooms before coming towards the back. The only thing that could really capture is size was it was like an indoor football field, however, the floor was more padded than the rest of the gym. The only other thing were the bleachers along the wall, meant for the spectators.

The only other three in the room were Axel, Cloud, and Carter, all who they were already familiar with. "Ah, welcome to the party ladies!" Axel said with a cocky grin, arms splayed widely.

Kairi and Namine grinned while Shadow smirked. "Hey Axel, going to grace us with another show of your singing skills?" He made a face as she dropped her gym bag on the bleachers and turned to her sisters. "Remember that pizza place next to the gym, go ahead and get some food whenever you get bored." She said, reaching into her bag and they watched in amazement as she pulled out two long and elegant daggers. their sheaths were made of crimson hilts with bands of black wrapping around them before the blades curved outward slightly and they could see that the sharp edges were trailed with the same deep red. She flipped them expertly in her hands to where the blades trailed up her arms. The twins stared in awe and they felt Cloud gently nudge them to the bleachers, where they sat without comment.

Cloud had this sword, and it was huge. Easily the size of him and probably about to hand widths wide, he lifted it like it didn't weigh anything. Leon had this blade that the hilt looked like the grip of the gun and Axel had chakrams that were red, white, and with black handles that were gripped in the center. Shadow smiled at them both as they gawked at the scene. "Rule number one, you stay off the floor at all times, if you wish to leave you go through the side doors. You don't call out, only in case of emergency." Straight and to the point.

"So how much this time?" Axel asked, pulling out his wallet.

The other four glanced at each other. "Forty?" Carter suggested.

"I'm game." They watched as their sister pulled out two twenty dollar bills and handed it to a confused Namine, quickly followed by the other men handing her the money. "What are you guys doing?"

"Kiddo." Carter chuckled, "We're making life livable." The rest of them laughed, including Shade, who looked right at home with them.

"So who's playing champ?" Cloud inquired.

There was some debate for a moment before Leon opted for the spot. "Alright then." Shade said, "I call first dibs against Axel."

He laughed. "Ah! I can already taste the success." Shadow smirked and played with the extremely sharp blades in her hands. "Oh, don't be so full of confidence."

The three men stood next to the bleachers, watching as Shade and Axel stood towards the center of the floor, Shadow to the right and Axel to the left. It was interesting to see two complete opposites face off against each other. You had the darker colors of Shade with most of her outfit consisting of black, same with her hair besides the died tips, then you had the flaming red hair of Axel and his more looser outfit that had more color, of course red, to it. Kairi and Namine glanced at each other, both noting how the weapons were definitely real. "Is this safe?" Kairi hesitantly asked the expressionless Cloud.

The blond looked down and noticed the worry on her look, and softened up just a bit. "Don't worry, we've been doing this for as long as we can remember, and never once has there been a fatal wound."

The twins took comfort in this.

"Ok, on my mark." Carter said. Axel was grinning as his hands were spinning the chakrams with absolute ease. Shadow had one foot planted firmly behind her and the other in front, her lower half facing more towards the wall while her torso was turned slightly to face Axel, her left arm extended in front of her with a blade firmly in her grasp while the second one was behind her and slightly lower, closer to her waist line. "Three. Two. One. Go."

Neither wasted a minute. Axel immediately threw both chakrams and the spun through the air with frightening speed towards Shade, but she easily dodged them as she pushed off the ground, doing a clean back flip as she landed a good fifteen feet away, her daggers coming in front of her as an 'X' form as the fiery redhead brought one down upon her, catching it in a lock before, the taller man grinning down but his facial expression quickly changing to one of awareness as Shade took a long step back, the force he had been putting on his weapons causing him to quickly continue on towards the ground now that the resistance was gone. Axel barely recovered before a dagger came down on him as he rolled to the side to avoid serious damage.

When he was back on his feet he saw just the slightest of cuts on his shoulder and pouted. "Damn, first strike."

"What did you expect?" She mocked, coming at him again. He used one chakram to block the attack that went for his side while the second one came up to cover his right shoulder, the tip of the blade lightly catching the cloth of his shirt just enough to rip through it with it's sharp and cold metal. Shade smirked, and Axel grunted as her head slammed into his, causing the taller one to stumble back before she spun, her foot connecting squarely into his chest in a round house kick and sending him sprawling on the floor.

Shadow flipped her dagger over, catching it smoothly in between two of her fingers before throwing it, the movement smooth and clean, the blade glinting slightly as it flew towards him. Kairi let out a small shriek, covering her mouth as it embedded itself in the ground, Axel having jumped back on his feet and grabbing the nearest chakram, returning the gesture. The raven haired girl stepped to the side to dodge before bringing an arm and blocking Axel's punch by pushing it away from her, her second hand catching the blow going for her head, holding the fist in a knuckle tight grip a few inches from her smirking features. Her foot came down and slammed on his, causing him to yelp before she did a complete 360 turn and send her elbow slamming into his stomach.

He made it to where he fell backwards, enough to where when his feet left the ground he send own slamming into her calves and causing her to go down with him. Both dropped quickly, but using the same speed pushed themselves back up, Shadow having one dagger on her while Axel had both chakrams, her second one still embedded into the ground behind him. "You want your toy back?" He teased, waving his chakrams toward her. "Then you're going to have to work for it."

Shadow grinned. "Sounds good to me." As the two engaged again Namine heard something next to her and turned to see Carter smirking as he held up his phone, watching as the small screen recorded the fight. "What's that for?"

He chuckled. "Normally one of us records each of our fights and saves them to our computers, more like just for the fun of it."

"This is your guys' definition of fun?" Kairi sounded astounded.

"It normally is, unless one of us had a rough week, then it's fun, a stress reliever, and funny as hell to watch." Leon said, smirking slightly.

Both girls screamed as Axel came crashing into the bleachers next to them, groaning and shaking his head lightly in an attempt to clear it. Shadow was grinning as she walked up to him, neatly kneeling down to pick up her dagger from the ground. "Told you I'd get it back."

"Haha." He said sarcastically, pushing himself up from the now indented metal. "You scared your sisters, shame on you."

"Guilt trip ain't gonna work." She told him.

"Damn." He cursed louder when she caught him off guard, grabbing his upper arm and using amazing force to drag him off his feet and send him flying a good twenty feet away from them. "Sorry you two." Shadow said to her sisters, ignoring the grins on her other competitors faces.

"Is he OK?" Namine asked with worry, watching Axel stumble up.

"He'll be fine." She replied dismissively. A chakram came flying towards her from behind, and before they could warn her they watched as she stepped off to the side, her hand coming up and grabbing it in the center, making a turn and throwing it back, almost like a pitcher in a baseball game would. "Come on Axel! Loosing your touch?"

"You wish." He charged her and was able to catch her on her upper arm, creating a decent sized cut as the weapon was thrust past her, but she retaliated with an uppercut, sending his head snapping back before she brought the arm with the cut around and caught him with a much larger gash in his stomach. Grunting he stepped back but blocked another attack that went for his upper thigh, his other hand embedding his spare chakram into the ground before it came around and he grabbed her by the back of her neck, catching her of guard as she suddenly found herself pinned to the floor, her back to him as his hand held her neck in place and he knelt down over her, smirking. "Haha! Who's loosing their touch now."

"That one is new." She said, but was grinning as well. "So is this."

He cursed as he felt one of her solid boots connect with his spine, pain shooting through him and his grip loosening just enough to where she could push herself up and knock him to the ground before she sat on top of his stomach, both arms pinned under her hands. He struggled but as much as he hated to admit it, her working out did pay off with strength no normal woman would have. "Sorry Axel, but it's looking like you lost." Cloud called from across the room.

He growled a curse and sighed, but nodded in defeat. "Alright! Alright!" Shadow pushed herself up but paused to lend a hand to him as she helped pull him up. "Good duel."

"Good duel." He replied in the same respectful tone, smirking as he looked over at her sisters. "Wonder if they're finally realizing you're crazy."

"Probably." She agreed, and both chuckled at the thought.

XXXXXX

It first went Shadow and Axel. Then Cloud and Carter fought, with Cloud winning. After Shadow and Cloud fought and Shade won she proceeded to fight the 'champ', aka Leon. That day they all left the day in good spirits with the bruises already starting to darken on their skin.

But Shadow was the only one who walked away with $180 bucks.