Sora was smiling as he flew toward a sparkling light in the distance. A voice was guiding him to it. Flashing to the other side, he extended his hand forward to reach for a little girl with auburn hair. Although younger looking, he knew it to be his friend, but she vanished.
"It's up to us."
Deep within Hollow Bastion, Sora picked up his unconscious friend as Riku spoke up. An image cut in, showing the boy tainted by darkness snatching away the Keyblade from Sora. It flashed into his hands, making him smile darkly.
"Only the Keyblade masters can open the secret door and change the fate of the worlds."
A dark Riku shot a ball of fire at Sora, only for it to be deflected by Goofy's shield. "But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either!"
"All for one and one for all!" Donald said, running up to Sora.
At that time, the Keyblade vanished from the dark Riku's hands and back to Sora's. The boy, rejoined by his friends and the Keyblade, stared danger in the face with much courage.
"My friends are my power!" Sora boldly declared. In a brief instant, he was shaking another of his friends awake, but she was unresponsive. Her face flashed in a separate image. That girl who always smiled so sweetly.
Standing before Sora and his friends was a beastly man with sharp fangs. He was impressed by what he saw in the boy. "So, your heart won this battle."
Flashing to an isolated part of the Heartless-ran world, Sora was fazed through by an unknown man wearing a black coat. His face was hidden beneath a hood as he assaulted the Keyblade master. Their powers clashed, causing for that part of the castle to collapse. But, Sora stood against the powerful foe, his friends by his side. The girl with silver hair was standing next to Sora with a fire burning in her amber eyes.
"It is I, Ansem." Sora, and Riku-Ansem clashed against each other. A Keyblade of light and a Keyblade of darkness collided with each other. "Lead me into everlasting darkness!"
"Sora!"
"Forget it!" Sora blocked an attack with a renewed strength given to him. "There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"
Donald and Goofy tried to stop the boy, who had won the battle. He impaled his own heart with the dark Keyblade, freeing the lost hearts of the seven princesses. Kairi's heart, as well, was returned to her. But at the cost, Sora faded away into darkness.
Yet, even as he walked as a Shadow, Kairi protected him. Her light shined and returned him to who he was before. They embraced one another.
"Kairi." Kairi smiled and giggled playfully. Her image fading away in a bright light.
"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." Leon told the young heroes.
"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again." Aerith added, encouraging them to never give up hope.
In a secret waterway, Sora stood together with Kairi and Kara. A charm was placed in his hand by the blue-eyed girl. "Take this with you. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to give it back to me."
"Don't worry. I will." Sora smiled, holding it close to his heart.
"Promise?"
"Don't ever forget..." Kairi's voice echoed as Sora sealed a Keyhole blending with the darkness. "Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
Roxas rose out of bed and searched around his room. Plagued by another powerful dream, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. For some reason, he felt like it made more sense than the others. The names and faces were beginning to ring a bell, though Roxas was not entirely sure just yet.
Staring out the window at the rising sun, he breathed out and reflected on what he remembered of the dream. "Right... 'Promise'..."
He formed a fist with his right hand and pretended to swing a sword. Sighing loudly and rubbing the back of his head, the boy clamped his eyes shut and mumbled the words to himself, "What a mess..."
Igni lied in her bed, wide awake. She had been lying on her back staring at the ceiling for nearly an hour now as thoughts poured into her mind. Why they did, she couldn't explain it. What she did know was that they meant something. And, then, she couldn't help but think back to that time when those strange creatures chased her and her friend through town. It was bothersome. Not that they were crazy by attacking viciously. Well, that was part of it. But the girl who was on the rooftop.
Sighing, the youth shifted onto her side and gazed at the bookshelf in her room. Something felt off and wrong. Roxas and... who?
The morning sun was peeking over the horizon now, and warm sunlight inched ever closer to the window of her bedroom. Eventually, it slipped in through a slit between the window curtains and brought in some light to the room. A line of sunshine trailed over Igni's cheek, interrupting the moment she had to herself. It was about time to get up, and she didn't really have a choice to. Roxas, if he was up on time, would be coming by at any moment to make sure she was ready.
Today was the big day for the Struggle tournament. Hayner told her about it some time ago, before the misunderstanding at the sandlot. The man in charge of it was reluctant to let her sign up at the last minute yesterday. It was going to make it hard with the line-up, he told her. She was glad he added her to it after some more prodding. But, now she was beyond the point of backing out. Fighting was one thing, but she was hardly comfortable fighting against Hayner or Roxas. What if she was pinned against one or both of them? They were her friends. Even if it was a friendly competition, she didn't want to add fuel to any fires.
She pulled herself out of bed and tugged at the curtains to let in some more light, her deep thinking coming to a close. Eyes squinting at the flood of sunlight, Igni mumbled quietly to herself, "Just do what you can, I guess."
"Hm?" Igni's eyes fell on the door when she heard a sound. Shuffled footsteps and a soft tap against the oak wood. A piece of white paper was slid under the door, and the person on the other side fled. "Roxas?"
Igni got out of bed and investigated the note; she read the neatly written text silently.
Igni,
I'll meet you at the alley. Today is the big day for the Struggle Tournament.
We made a promise with Hayner the other day, so let's keep it.
- Roxas
"Short and to the point as ever," she said half jokingly.
Smiling to herself, Igni hurried to the closet to get dressed for the occasion. She chose a simple outfit that wouldn't get in her way when participating in the Struggle rounds- a white, zippered shirt with short sleeves, black arm sleeves reaching from her wrists to the elbows, gray pants, and red slip-on shoes. It was her usual look around the town, and it would be for this day, too.
She met up with Roxas at the alley he mentioned in the note given to her, and they hurried along to the stairs on the other side that led to the sandlot. That was the quickest way either of them could think of, or else they'd miss out going any other route.
"You two better hurry to the sandlot!" a man putting up another poster called out to them. "You're gonna be late!"
"T-Thanks," Roxas said, rushing ahead with Igni close behind. He was right. They found that out when a loud noise coming from the sandlot echoed.
The sandlot was crowded with people from all over Twilight Town and the next town over. Loud cheers of excitement roared all around. Parents and their children were clapping happily as the announcer introduced them to the tournament. Igni's eyes beamed at the crowds. There were even townspeople on the rooftops. So this is what a Struggle Tournament is like, she let out a breath of awe as fireworks exploded in the sky.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town! It's time for summer's most sizzling clash," the announcer stood up in the center of the square arena. "That's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and title match!"
"Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer?!"
"Seifer, y'know?" Igni heard Rai's voice from somewhere in the crowd. It prompted her to roll her eyes sarcastically.
"And who will leave today as our new Struggle Champion?!" the announcer continued, ignoring the teen's remark.
"Hayner! Roxas!" To her surprise, Olette and Pence were standing on the sidelines cheering her friends on. They had no hard feelings, it seemed.
"Setzerrr!"
Deafening shrieks from women all over the sandlot pierced Igni's ears. Roxas, who was standing right next to a group of them, covered his ears with his hands and cringed. A tall man with a thick mane of silver hair stepped up onto the square arena. The formidable looking man had thin scars on his face. He was taking in the rush of the moment so calmly and flaunted the large champion belt over his shoulder.
"Yes, the crowd is fired up, so you know what comes next," exclaimed the announcer, who scooted closer to the champion. "Let's... STRUGGLE!"
"Hey, now," another man replaced the two in the arena. He held a microphone and got the audience slightly settled down with his announcement. "It's time to introduce today's combatants!The four bad boys who struggled their way through the preliminaries! And, we have ourselves a special newcomer to the Struggle!"
"Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Comittee: Seifer!"
"Completely out of nowhere. Who knew he'd make it so far THIS year? Vivi!"
"An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner! It's his first trip to the finals!"
"Here's Struggler number four, who happens to be my absolute favorite customer: Roxas!"
"A brand new face all over Twilight Town and the neighborhoods best friend! Showing her face to the Struggle out of the blue! Let's give her a warm welcome: Igni!"
Tension rose when Hayner and Roxas locked eyes. The longer she watched them eye each other, the more Igni felt like the tournament was going to be less exciting than she thought. Her friend turned away as if in shame and held his head low. She put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly, but he only gave a small smile.
What could be done? That was the main thing she had on her mind at that moment.
"So, who will win this sweltering summer Struggle?" asked the fiery announcer. "Who will take on the grand prize? The summa cum laude of Struggle- the Four Crystal Trophy! AND... a chance to take on our defending champion, Setzer! It won't be long now, folks. I suggest our challengers go over to the official Struggle Rules before we begin!"
The high energy of the festival died down for some time before the matches were to start. Hayner and Seifer were already over with the official in charge of laying down the rules. Taking their time, Roxas and Igni walked together across the sandlot.
"You gonna be okay?" Igni asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"..." Roxas quietly nodded.
No verbal answer was given. The hurt look on his face was enough to give her a hint. It's going to be a long day, unless they make up somehow, she thought.
The referee called out to all of the contestants, luring them in to a group huddle. Igni stood in between Vivi, who was particularly quiet and staring straight ahead at seemingly nothing, and Roxas. There was a blackboard behind the referee, allowing her to see their names lined up in brackets. It looked confusing to the eyes of the Struggle's newcomer, so she was eager to hear the rules.
"You boys already know the rules, but a refresher can't hurt," the referee said. He turned to Igni and nodded. "Make sure you listen good, okay?"
"It's easy!" he continued after a brief pause, handing each of them harnesses with colored orbs sticking to them. "You've each got 100 orbs. Using these Struggle bats, you attack to take away your opponent's orbs. When the match is over, the one with the most orbs wins! It's as simple as that."
"Okay, now all eyes on the board! We're getting this thing started. Hayner and Roxas, head up there with the tournament promoter!"
"...Don't hold back," Hayner mumbled to Roxas, passing him by to the arena.
"Good luck," Igni nodded to Roxas, urging him to do well.
The two boys were given the blue foam bats to use in the match, accompanied by a friendly pat on the back by the promoter. Without much expression, Hayner moved to his side and pointed his bat at Roxas, who was less than thrilled to be fighting a friend at the start of the tournament.
Igni, who was sitting on a bench near Seifer and Vivi, watched with worried eyes. It was surprising to her that they actually spoke to each other at that moment. They seemed to be back on the same page by the look of it. Hayner was smiling and so was Roxas. It made her feel more at ease. Good luck to the both of you.
"Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Roxas and his best friend, Hayner!" the referee announced.
The match was intense and both gave their all to win. Ultimately, with his skillfully accurate moves, Roxas came out on top. Roars of exciting energy were released all over the sandlot as Hayner fell onto his back in defeat. Yet the both of them got together in high spirits in the middle of the playing field. It was a pleasant sight to their friends on the sidelines, seeing them playfully nudge each other.
"Out of the way..." Seifer shoved by Hayner, nearly tipping him over.
"What? You in a rush to lose?" Hayner snapped back, but he was ignored.
The next contestants taking the arena caused for low murmurs to come up. It was Seifer fighting next, and the much smaller Vivi sneakily appeared right beside Roxas. None seemed to notice him waddling across the grounds. And, no one else but Roxas noticed the creepy chuckling, so it appeared. But keen eyes from nearby caught on and found it to be quite strange.
As Roxas took his place next to Igni, those blank eyes beneath the pointed hat followed. Vivi stood in the middle of the square, watching both teens carefully. Seifer, who was standing by with his Struggle bat, growled and narrowed his eyes. "Don't mess with your elders."
Those were the last words before the match between Seifer and his underling, Vivi, began. Immediately, the disciplinary captain was put on the defensive by Vivi's swift movements. How can he move so fast? were the words running through Igni's head as she watched on.
"When did Vivi get so tough?" Hayner blurted, jaw dropping somewhat.
"No idea," Roxas said. "If Seifer can get one orb and wait for the time to run out..."
It may have been pure luck for Seifer to swipe a single orb off of Vivi's belt. He was eager to make a run for it and escape with a narrow victory, if only Vivi didn't get to it first. Seifer grunted as a strong strike struck him down, and he flew to the ground with all of his yellow orbs rolling away.
"I-I'm not sure what happened, folks," the announcer stuttered with pure shock. Everyone in the audience fell silent after having witnessed what had just took place. The short contestant merely ignored it and walked away to the sidelines, claiming the victory for himself. "Um... but... the winner is Vivi! In a positively blistering comeback!"
Seifer collected himself eventually and limped down to where Roxas, Hayner, and Igni were. A mean scowl was on his face as he approached them.
"That's not Vivi," Seifer's quiet words held much meaning. "Somebody needs to thrash 'im."
"It looks like Seifer's withdrawn from the Struggle for Third Place," the promoter announced.
"So I'm in third now?" Hayner gasped. "Aw, baby!"
Igni blinked in surprise and glanced across the sandlot at a zippered hat poking above the stage. She swallowed a lump in her throat and slowly nodded her head. A strange vibe was given off by that... that mysterious boy. It couldn't be explained, but she felt something was off. The girl held her breath and clenched her teeth firmly. I... I have a bad feeling...
"The next match will begin in 20 minutes!" the promoter said to the group, informing them of the break time that had just begun. "Alright, little lass. Your time to shine is coming up. If you aren't back by the time the tournament picks up again, it's a disqualification."
"Right..." she nodded slowly. But, the girl's head was elsewhere. Something was on her mind and took her thoughts away from her. A voice whispering to her was drawing her away. Looking to the stairs leading up to the alley, she saw the source of the peculiar voice. There was some mysterious figure over that way, yet no one else saw him. No one else heard him calling out to her.
"Kara..."
Practically senseless, Igni pushed her way through the cluster of townspeople and followed the voice without letting anyone else know that she was going. Her friends lost sight of her soon enough. The girl disappeared into the growing shadows of the alley without a trace.
