A/N: Ok. Here's the thing. My com crashed. You think that's why I did not update? No. Close, but incorrect. See, I fixed it. Wasted 2 hours of my life and fixed it. Typed up 4000 words again. And guess what happened? It crashed again! Yes, my friends. My bloody com just crashed…… twice……within 2 days. Nice com isn't it? So here I am, getting ready for another 4000 words and hoping that the ideas are still in my brain, if not……let's not go there.

Disclaimer: KH stands for Kingdom Hearts, which also stands for I don't bloody own it. Done. And to emphasize my pathetic-ness, I don't even own Nevaeh! She just can't seem to escape from Talitha Koum!!!

P.S. In case you haven't noticed. I'm really pissed.

P.P.S Face it, who wouldn't be in my situation.

P.P.P.S. And before I get into a fit again, thx to all my lovely reviewers. Sorry to keep you waiting, but here's FINALLY chapter 9.

P.P.P.P.S Am I ranting?


Hold Me Tight, Don't Let Go

Chapter 9: It Begins

They were at the Olympic Coliseum.

Why were they there?

Training.

How long were they there for?

One week.

What kind of training did they do?

One on one.

What does that mean?

It means Sora and Roxas try to kill each other.

How many times did they fight?

More than a thousand.

Who won?

No one.

How come?

Result so far. 0 wins, 0 losses, 1238 draws.

Simple as that.

Hercules really had no idea what was happening. All the spikey-haired brunet said was, "Sup, Herc! Need a place to train! Mind lending me the arena? I'm pretty sure you won't mind!" And that was it. He charged in with another spikey-haired blond, and if it wasn't for the fact that Sora had just charged in, he would have suspected that Sora dyed his hair blond for some unfathomable reason.

Now, he wouldn't say he regrets it. Nope, not one bit. Because of this sudden event, he got to see some of the most amazing attacks ever to be created. And seeing them being executed by two sixteen year olds is just plain marvelous. He hate to admit it, but no way he could spin seven hundred and twenty degrees in air, narrowly dodging the Strike Raid executed by Roxas and retaliate with Ars Arcanum the moment he landed on the ground. He's a hero, no doubt, BUT, he was no stuntman, hell no.

Yet, something was more intriguing. The two people that arrived here an hour later, were seriously……weird.


With you-know-whos……

"Hey Sparky! Cool down will ya?"

No answer, oh, well, if you could call having ten kunais flung your way as a form of answer, well then yes, she did respond, though not a very friendly response.

Axel smirked, 'Oh boy. She's angry. But you have to admit that she's so much cuter than when she becomes a cold-blooded killer……WOAH!'

Larxene was MORE than pissed. She was ready to kill. And that means Axel's gonna die. How DARE he call her Sparky in front of all those people? Oh, he shall pay. No matter how 'hot' he is, he's going down. Pun is intended.

Axel looked like he was having fun. Why? Meh, guess he failed to mention that teasing Larxene was his favourite hobby. At first, when he got this mission, he thought it was going to be boring. I mean, a grown up man, watching two kids fight it out for like ever. It's just sooooo immature. BUT, when Xemnas happened to let slip who was joining him on this mission, he immediately made it a point to thank him in the future. And of course, he needed to get ready for his partner didn't he?

Surely, she won't mind being with him?

As for Larxene, when she got this mission, she actually felt that it was going to be worth its while, for she would be able to see how much Roxas has grown, and of course, ALL of Sora's techniques, which should prove vitally useful for future combats. YET, superior just HAD to say that. "Oh, by the way. No.8's going to be your partner for this mission……"

She could still remember the smirk on his face. God. Did she ever tell anyone that she hates life? Maybe she did, that's why she died and became a nobody……GOD.


With Sora and Roxas……

"Time to finish this! Take this! Blade Beam!" And with superb control over his strength, Sora concentrated all his energy onto the tip of his blade and flung it directly at Roxas, causing a gigantic shockwave to form. For a moment, it looks as if Roxas was done for.

Yet, he was grinning, "All right! I'll take it and return it back to you! SHOCK!" Electric sparks were seen all over his body, and similarly, the two keyblades began to charge at insane speed and with a huge SWISH! Two horizontal electrical shockwaves were sent towards Sora.

The two attacks clashed straight on. It seemed like a draw, what with light flashing all over the place and what with the shockwaves slowly nullifying each other, yet, Sora continued to grin, "Sorry bro. Aftermath coming up." And as if on command, the shockwave emitted by Sora split further into ten smaller shockwaves, yet the power they held was still substantial.

Roxas gave a low whistle, "Hey, that's cheating." Yet, he didn't seem at all disappointed, it was as if he was expecting this. He then braced himself, "Sonic Blade!" And once more, flung his Oblivion at the shockwaves with tremendous strength. And amazingly, Oblivion began to spin at an alarming rate, stirring up a gust of wind that sucked all the shockwaves into it, thereby completely nullifying it.

Herc was sweating just by watching this fight going on. Phil was just cheering like mad. Meg was drinking a cup of tea and reading a magazine.

In the blink of an eye, the two were once again caught in a weapon deadlock. And it was really easy to tell the outcome of this battle as well……

"I'm winning this one, if you don't mind."

"Actually I do."

"You think I care?"

"Yes."

"……you acting funny or something, 'cause I ain't laughing."

"…………"

And of course, within ten seconds, both boys slumped back onto the ground, panting heavily, gasping for air.

Meg didn't even look up, "Match 1239. Draw. Again."

At that, both boys groaned. They would never have believed that drawing was such a frustrating thing. What's worse, drawing with your other…………

Sora huffed, "Hey, Roxas! You have any idea how long this is gonna take? 1239 draws……that's just lame."

Roxas replied, "I know……but I guess it can't be helped. How else can we train? Fighting against each other is actually the best, considering you know all of the others' attacks. You know mine the least."

Sora frowned, "Hey, come to think of it, you have the upper hand! You know all my attacks! How come you still can't win? Oh, I get it. You're weaker than I am……hehehehe."

Roxas immediately roared back, "Hell no! I'm not weaker! It's just because you've been hogging the body, that's why I lack practice. If I fought as much as you do, I could easily defeat you. No sweat."

"Oh yeah?"

"YEAH!"

"Then bring it!"

"My pleasure!"

And that was how battle number 1240 began………


Back in Radiant Garden……

Riku, once able to move, headed off to Disney Castle along with Nevaeh to try and see if he can get more information about the Chasers. Meanwhile……

Namine was seriously getting impatient. Using magic is SOOO not her style. She thought to herself, 'I mean, how dumb is it? You have to stay away from your opponent, and concentrate like crazy, before you can even pull something off. That's just so unfair. Roxas gets to go through all the action and fun stuff……while I have to stay behind……UNFAIR!!!' which was why she began to develop a whole new type of fighting.

Kairi, on the other hand, is apparently enjoying this. She now has this extreme fascination with magic. It was sooooo interesting. All you have to do, is imagine the attack, and depending on your concentration, the strength of your attack varies. What's more, you can even blend elements together, or string them into threes. Extremely useful. She loved it. She can use all four basic elements to perfection. She was currently working on Cure. She knew it was going to be a necessity. She smiled at the thought of finally being able to help Sora, and it was with this determination of not being left behind that she trained with all her heart.

Merlin was beyond happy with their results. He was overjoyed. Kairi completely mastered the elements within two days! She can even mix them together. The results are incredible. However, what intrigues him was what Namine was trying to do. She was combining magic with physical attacks. The effects of the attacks were actually amplified on a single target instead of what magic was supposed to do.

Leon noticed that it was quite similar to what was happening with his gunblade. By pulling the trigger while cutting down his opponent, greater damage is dealt. Yet, with Namine, it was obvious that magic would be able to do a HELL lot of more damage. Just thinking about it made Leon smirk. He always had the idea that Namine wouldn't stay put, not after having such an active boyfriend. Somehow, he was always right with this kind of stuff.

He sighed, remembering how Rinoa felt in his arms. He had never been able to forget how she was engulfed by the heartless. It was due to his incompetence. That was what he always reminded himself. Yet……

"HEY!"

Leon snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the woman standing in front of him. Aerith was staring at him with her auburn eyes. "You're thinking about Rinoa again?"

Leon sighed, 'How is it that she could just read my mind?' before replying, "Hmph."

Aerith gave a small smile, "Being negative isn't good for you. Don't keep it all in. We're all here to help, aren't we? Stop acting so grumpy! See how much Cloud has changed! He used to be such a grouch. Why don't you let it go? Remember what I said before?"

Leon closed his eyes, 'How can I forget……' and said, "Yeah."

Aerith reached up and gave him a flick on his forehead, "That's right. Blaming yourself for everything that has happened is futile. You can't change the past. Even if it haunts you, you have to be brave about it. What's important is the future." She continued to smile ever so gently, even Leon found it hard to frown.

Eventually, Leon gave a weak smile and nodded, before saying, "Alright, alright. I'll try. But now, please excuse me as I seriously cannot bear to endure any more of Namine's bad timing on the combinations. She's got some serious learning to do." And with that, he went towards her, and began to demonstrate the right way of executing the attack.

Aerith watched him as he taught Namine patiently regarding proper strength use and timing on attacks. She felt relieved that Squall (She had no idea why he would want to be called Leon. Leon Leonhart???? That's just stupid.) had actually tried to move on. She gave a small sigh and looked at him dreamily, "You know……I could never tell you how I feel. I can easily see how important Rinoa is to you. Yet……even if it was only once……if you can just……hold me……" And with that, she shook her head, shaking away these thoughts, before sighing and going to find Cid, whose computer was currently acting real strange.

Leon turned his head slightly and watched her leave, and frowned. He had an idea of how Aerith felt towards him, yet, he didn't dare to get too close to her. He knew he wasn't strong enough. And he had no intention of what happened to Rinoa years ago to happen to Aerith once more. No way he was going to permit that. He learnt his lesson.

Namine looked at him, pouted and asked, "Leon? What's wrong? Am I really that pathetic?"

Leon blinked, and laughed, "No, no, no, no. Don't get me wrong. I was thinking of something else. You are anything but pathetic. Your timing's really improving. I assure you, the attack you're inventing is unique……and powerful if used to its full potential. Have you thought about how you would name it?"

Namine giggled, "Wow! I can name it?"

Leon smiled gently, "Sure. You came up with it. You have the right."

Namine nodded, "Oh. Okay. Say……how about Arcana?"

Namine and Kairi had no idea that they were actually getting real close to Cloud and Leon. They were like their role model brothers. And Tifa and Aerith acted like their sisters. Funny how Kairi hanged around Cloud whilst Namine bugged Leon. Aerith had pointed that out numerous times to Tifa. She had thought that Namine would bug Cloud due to the similarity in hair colour. Same with Leon and Kairi.

Yet, Aerith was whom Kairi mostly went to for cure training. Aerith was more than happy to pass on the techniques in reviving and healing to Kairi. Namine liked hand-to-hand combat due to her training in Organization XIII before. The other nobodies never judged her according to her appearance. Reason? Simple. Larxene and Roxas aren't exactly fitting the big and strong picture, are they? Yet, when it comes down to one-on-one, the Roxas can easily defeat about any other Organization member, whereas Larxene's aim was just LETHAL. Whenever Xigbar faced her, he would grumble about how he shouldn't have taught Larxene how to play darts……

So when Namine started training, no one really looked down on her because of her appearance. Nobodies strongly address the fact that both sexes are equal. No discrimination. Why did they do that when people like Xigbar and Vexen are present? Again, answer is quite simple. Larxene almost pierced Xigbar's groin after his masochist comment during a training session, and whenever Vexen even made the slightest allusion to the weak abilities of the female sex, Larxene would make sure that torture is inevitable for the scientist.

Namine trained with Roxas. Xemnas felt that making her train with Larxene was going to be way too dangerous. They do NOT want two Savage Nymphs on the run within the Castle that Never Was. And that was why Namine preferred physical combat. She takes after Roxas.

Now, Namine was highly gleeful due to the fact that she had mastered a whole new type of fighting skills. Arcana sounded pretty good to her. She grinned as she thought about it. The more she used Arcana, the more control she got over it. She even tried to combine Arcana with the powers of Light and Darkness. She wasn't sure if it worked, since she felt no extra boost of power in her attacks, and her outfit had no change. But she decided that it was a start.

Kairi too was making superb progress. Her magic spells have now reached the point that they can be used within two seconds. Now that was highly useful. Imagine blasting everything around you into oblivion but using Thunder AND Magnet spells combined. Real smooth.

She made perfect sense with the way she combined them. Merlin was exhilarated. FINALLY, there was a brilliant wizard, or witch actually, amongst them. He was beginning to feel that the power of magic was being ignored as time passes. He knew for one that Sora only used Curaga most of the time, never bothering to use any of the others since slicing at the enemy saved so much time. (A/N: That's what I do……XD)

Kairi suddenly felt her eyebrows twitching. Namine too, felt it. They looked at each other and straight away, fear began to arise in their hearts (or heart, seeing that Namine doesn't have one). And when a portal began to form right in the middle of the room, Kairi was sure that bad news was on its way.


With Sora and Roxas……

After ten more battles, which resulted in ten more draws, Sora eventually got ticked off. He pouted and sat on the ground, refusing to get up any more. Really, you can't blame the poor fellow, fighting the same guy for 1250 times, with neither side winning can get quite frustrating.

Roxas sighed, as he too, dismissed his keyblades and sat down. It wasn't as if he was enjoying this. Xemnas suggested it. He didn't want to do it, but he knew that the Superior usually knew what was best. The reason why Larxene was feared was mainly because of her deadly accuracy with her kunais. Who sent Xigbar to teach Larxene? Xemnas. Done.

Hercules and Phil have gone off on some kind of training, and will therefore temporarily leave Sora and Roxas to themselves. Axel and Larxene had no noticeable change. Still arguing like mad. There were times when Roxas wanted to just shout out the obvious, yet, he was too worried about his personal safety and therefore decided against doing that.

However, what was this feeling he keep having? It felt as if someone was right beside them, watching their every move, yet, it couldn't be, for Roxas had made sure of that when he tried to detect energy levels in the arena. All he felt was Larxene, Axel and Sora. He couldn't tell if it was just his mistake. He had this feeling of unease, and sometimes, these feelings of his turns into trouble.

Sora suddenly stood up, his eyes lit up, and grinned, "Roxas, new training material coming up, although this time, it's for real." Roxas looked at him and suddenly, he heard it. Of course! The way they moved! He would never have thought that the sounds were mixed with the howling wind in the arena.

Sure enough, within seconds, two small figures appeared right in front of them. They were girls of about age 12 and 13. One had orange hair whilst the other had aqua coloured hair. They looked harmless, yet, Roxas knew otherwise. Just by their expressions, Roxas could see that they were definitely strong.

They had no expressions on their faces. No smiles, no anger, no whatever. They merely stood their, and glanced at each other. And finally, the orange haired girl spoke up, "Hey, Izzy, are they the ones?"

Aqua haired girl replied, "Yeah. Think they're worth it Diffy?"

Diffy scowled, "Obviously, the answer is no. Look at them, skinny, short, and just plain useless."

Izzy nodded, "So in other words, they are pathetic."

Roxas smirked and interrupted their meaningless conversation, "You know, whatever you just said about us, I sent it right back at you. Know why? Because you fit your own descriptions more than we do."

Izzy narrowed her eyes, "You know, it's because of thick-headed guys like you, that we, numero Noveno and Decimo of the Atacantes, shall definitely not lose to the likes of you. Remember that!" And with that, they summoned their keyblades. They were exactly alike apart from the fact that one was orange and one was aqua. The appearances were just like Kingdom Key. The key was not exaggerated in any field of combat.

Sora took in a deep breath and asked, "What is the Caida?"

Izzy gave a evil grin and said, "Simple. After Razor became the leader of us Chasers, he decided to form a team of ten strongest chasers as his elite assassination group. He named us the Atacantes. Now, feel the wrath of our keyblades!"

And in that same movement, they disappeared. Yet, this time, Sora and Roxas were given no time to react at all. Within the next second, Sora was flung directly into a wall, whereas Roxas was sliced from behind. Izzy's speed was unfathomable, she wasn't creating afterimages……it was as if she teleported. Yet, it couldn't be possible, Sora was sure it was due to high speed, yet……Sora gritted his teeth, if there were actually afterimages, it might have been easier, because Sora can at least try and figure out where the real figure is. But……

Roxas isn't having much success either. He can barely defend himself, let alone attack. The way they move was way too different from previous chasers. It was impossible to even see them. Roxas was fighting purely based on instinct.

He began to shout, "Hey, Axel! Larxene! You guys okay?"

Diffy raised an eyebrow, "You mean that disgusting guy with red hair and that bitch with antennae? Puhleaze……they were no match. They went down instantly. Pathetic."

Roxas' eyes widened. No way. No. 8 and No. 12 were defeated and they had no idea? How……

And suddenly, the look on Diffy's face changed, "I'm bored with you…I shall finish you this moment." And slowly, her smirk grew and suddenly, her keyblade began to glow. Roxas gasped, "What the?"

Diffy laughed, "Come on, Petalos, scatter." And all of a sudden, the keyblade dissolved into tiny little orange petal-like projections, and with one slight movement of her finger, the petals surrounded Roxas, and at her command, "Crush." The petals engulfed Roxas and the pain he experienced was something he would never be able to forget. For the petals turned out to be small blades and it was like being caught in a hurricane, not a single part of his body was left unscathed.

"ARGH!!!" Roxas was sent crashing into the ground with the petals, blood splashed everywhere, his keyblades were lying beside him, trapped within the petals, and he himself sported countless injuries and the pain zapped through his body, making him unable to even move.

Diffy's smirk merely widened, "Don't worry; the pain is far from over……"

And slowly, the petals began to congregate. It formed a gigantic blade and the blood on it made it look all the more spooky. Roxas knew what was going to happen, what's worse, he couldn't stop it.

Diffy's expression remained unchanged, "Cut."

And within an instant, the gigantic blade smashed down right on top of Roxas, all Roxas could do was prevent himself from screaming. Yet……

Sora was having no luck as well. The opponent was just too fast. Izzy sensed this and frowned, "I knew this wasn't going to be a challenge, but come on! I thought you were the Chosen one? Aren't you supposed to be worthy of me killing you?"

Sora gritted his teeth and executed Strike Raid. Izzy simply dodged the attacks. She was that fast. And as Sora placed all his strength in Final Judgment, Izzy yawned, "This is boring. Shoot to kill, Dios De La Lanza!" And the most amazing thing happened. The tip of Izzy's keyblade shot out at the speed of light and struck Sora right in the chest.

Sora's Final Judgment missed, and all Sora could do was grimace, with his eyes, widened in amazement. Izzy smirked and her keyblade returned back to its original length. It was incredible. A keyblade that could change its length at will.

Izzy looked at her fingernails, "Hmph, this is pointless. It's over. Ataque De La Muerte." The keyblade then stretched once more and struck Sora's chest once more, this time however, the force was much stronger and Sora was slammed back against the wall of the Coliseum. The keyblade lodged itself firmly in his right chest. And as Izzy's smirk grew into a devilish grin, he knew……

"Uno." The keyblade retracted and impaled him in the right chest in the blink of an eye.

"Dos." Two strikes.

"Cuatro" Four.

"Ocho." Eight.

"Dieciséis." Sixteen.

The strikes were increasing with speed every second, and soon, Sora couldn't even feel the pain, all he could see was the blinding light refracting of the keyblade and after what seemed like a lifetime, he heard Izzy said, "Ciento."

And this time, he felt it. All the strikes, before and after, he felt them. The keyblade did as its master ordered and stabbed another hundred holes on Sora's body before answering its master's final order, "Acábelo." And suddenly, it was brimming with darkness, and this time, the force emitted was far greater than ever, for Sora was sent right through the wall of the Olympus Coliseum, and went spinning for at least one hundred metres before coming to a stop.

Izzy slowly walked towards him, not saying a word. She knew what would happen. She knew. And as expected, Sora began to try and get up. Sora knew what would happen too. But he had to. He must get up. Yet……

At the same instant, blood exploded out of both boys injuries, thereby draining whatever strength they had left, and all Sora and Roxas could do, was close their eyes in despair as they watch their enemies laugh evilly whilst they fall down………defeated.


Hey! How was that? Strong aren't they? Oh, and can anyone guess why I named both girls Izzy and Diffy? It's kinda lame, but if you guess it, I might do a oneshot for you if I'm in the mood. LOL. So yeah. And I know there was a lack of Riku and Nevaeh, but they proved to be pretty irrelevant in this chapter. They shall have a comeback next chapter. I assure you. And of course, same old. Pray with me that my com does not crash again. X3

Oh, and by the way. Anonymous Reviewer: Reviewz!

I take it that you meant, may I use Nevaeh? Right? IF that's the case, you have to ask Talitha Koum. She's the creator of this wonderful OC. Okay? XD