On Glass Wings
--xxSerenity
Greetings all! Sorry for the delay and pasting the next chapter. Ive been having issues where my computer was not letting me copy and paste from this site. But it's been figured out now. Enjoy this chapter ;)
-20-
the one-winged demon
October brought with it a gust of cold air, even for an island community. The trees littering the few grassy knolls of the city were dying, their lush green fading and giving way for the ugly browns of autumn.
The beaches were much, much colder, especially in the morning, and Sora was greeted with the icy sting against his face as he jogged down the stretch of sand to the other end where the rocks broke into the sea and blocked off the ending of the islands.
4 a.m, he murmured to himself. I've been doing this for the last three weeks. Why don't I feel any stronger?
After his run, Sora would report to Sephiroth's personal practice room to endure more intensive training under Sephiroth's watchful tutelage, and Sephiroth watched him well.
And since by that time Sora's injuries had fully healed, he was able to be trained fully as well as properly, though everything he did for his left arm, he doubled with his right.
"Why am I working one arm more than the other?" He would ask, and Sephiroth would let out a low thoughtful hmm before replying.
"You'll find out soon enough. Now don't talk. Just focus" He chided, and although frowning deeply, Sora did return his attention to the gymnast bars, where he was currently engaged in a multitude of one-armed pull-ups.
-oOo-
"You know what I don't get." Namine spoke out loud while clinging to the swing she sat upon. One foot tucked up onto the bar while her other leg dangled freely.
"What's that?" Riku replied as he, himself, relaxed on the platform, his breathing gradually returning to normal as he regrouped after a long, intense practice.
"You know you're guaranteed a spot in the festival regardless of whether you win or lose. But– Don't you even realize that you're about to lose this competition to Sora?" Namine truthfully didn't care, but it just seemed so– out of place for Riku to just not care like he was in regards to this challenge that Sora initiated. Riku wasn't the type to let anybody win, and he was often depressed when someone did beat him.
How on earth was he going to react if someone like Sora beat him in a competition like that?
Riku "hmphed" and played it off as if he didn't care, but Namine caught the flicker of his eyes and knew that he was realizing what he hadn't before.
"It's fine." He declared. "I told you, he could win this thing, and I'll crush him, and everyone else, in that festival."
Namine actually giggled at that, and she brought a hand to her lips in an attempt to stifle it, But naturally she was too late, and Riku cast her a look.
"You think it's funny?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. Before, you had no interest in going to this festival. The moment Sora threatens to steal your "only ticket" you become all defensive even though it's obvious that ticket isn't your only way in."
"You know, Namine, We're talking as if he's going to actually be able to pull this off." Riku remarked, although Namine noted the tenseness in his voice.
"You don't think he can?"
"Tch, of course not. I don't even know why you're worried about me thinking I'll lose to him. Just because I can't do it doesn't mean he'll be able to do it."
Namine smirked and leaned her head to one side while averting those eyes to the same side.
"Whatever you say, Riky"
She was about to say something else when Roxas barged through the door of Namine's practice room. He was out of breath with his hands to his knees, and the commotion managed to grab the pair's attention right away.
"What's wrong with you?" Riku asked, and Roxas sucked in air in a flurry of gasps, broken words sneaking out between ragged pants.
"You guys– really need to come see him. He's actually doing it!"
Riku and Namine exchanged glances, but complied anyway, jumping from their perches to meet Roxas at the ground before the three made their way eagerly to the upper floor of the dormitories.
Once there, that is, once on the stretch of walkway that overlooked the main practice room where Riku and Sora had once launched their waterballoon assault on Sephiroth, The three peered over the side just in time to see the blur of the boy before he caught the far-off swing.
In Riku's mind, he could practically feel the color drain from his face, and Namine murmured a faint "Wow.."
"He just did it– perfectly." She commented, and Riku turned to her with that normally cool expression, as if he hadn't just died a million embarrassing deaths inside.
"So what? I'll win the festival. That's all that matters."
"Hah! Riku, you better practice that routine so you don't get your ass completely handed to you. Sora's going to make you look like an amateur out there. ."
Scowling, Riku had started to turn away from his two friends in order to take his leave when he caught sight of that familiar smirk just blaring up at him from down below.
Sure enough, Sephiroth's dark grin burned him to the core, and after returning that grin with a deep frown, Riku did leave, grabbing the door and slamming it behind him.
"I can't believe I agreed to this. I wonder what I was even thinking.." He mused out loud, although equally as aggravated, and he hadn't been expecting another voice to answer him.
"Well, You probably didn't care because you knew you'd get into the festival regardless, right?"
"Huh? Oh, Leon..Yeah I guess." Riku admitted, reaching behind the back of his head to aimlessly rake his fingers through long hair.
"You know, Mom purposely told me to tell Sephiroth that only one partner won the pass garunteeing them a spot in the next festival. Not both, and he actually believed that." Leon explained, and Riku eyed him curiously.
"Why did she pick me, Leon? Why not him? After all, it was Sephiroth's routine they used without even consulting him."
Leon rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, but in the end he ended up shrugging slightly.
"Isn't it obvious? And I mean besides Sephiroth being a satan spawn." He replied with a chuckle. But Riku shook his head.
"She had great faith in you. She knew you would be better than the two of us. But she also had equal faith, if not more, in the partner she knew you'd choose to take."
Riku thought about this for a moment, scratching his head before he let his arm drift to his side.
"Wait..Really?" He asked, sounding genuinely surprised at Leon's proposal. He wasn't offended per se, maybe just a tiny bit let down that it wasn't just him that his mother had bestowed all her faith upon after all.
"You know, after all is said and done, No one ever really stopped to see how she took the whole thing. I mean, she always was our sister.." Leon pointed out, and Riku nodded once.
"It makes me wonder.."
-oOo-
Sora dragged the towel along his face, drying it of the thin layer of sweat coating his skin, and dampening the bits of brown strands that framed that angelic visage. After the whole Beauty and the Beast production, he hadn't really moved too quick to return his hair to its original state, and so it remained in that feminine style. It had even grown a bit longer, trailing just a bit below his shoulders even, although it was still unruly spiked at the ends.
"You have come very far, Sora. Very far indeed." Sephiroth remarked as he stepped off his place from leaning up against the wall, just to move over to the boy as he gulped down his water.
Once satiated and refreshed, he would wipe his mouth of the remaining liquid with the back of his hand and grin that wide, childlike grin.
"You really think so? You think I'll beat Riku and go to the festival? And then maybe I'll win the festival?" He spoke so fast that Sephiroth narrowed his eyes in slight aggravation, but he quickly shook it off just to keep up his "friendly" disposition, if one could even call it that. The faintest of grins crossed those lips as he offered a single yet encouraging nod.
"Oh yes. Not only will you beat Riku, but with me as your partner, you'll definitely blow the audience, as well as those judges, away with this skill."
It was with those words that Sora's interest peaked, and he regarded the elder with wide, hopeful eyes.
"My..partner?" He asked, and again Sephiroth nodded.
"Like I said, you can't enter the festival without a partner. You need someone you know and trust. I taught you this routine, trained you until you could execute it perfectly. Who better else than me?"
Sora played with his words, staring from all angles at what he was proposing since– the proposition did spark something bad in the pit of his stomach. But he ignored it when he also recalled Namine's speech that day, about having a partner you could trust to catch you.
The boy swallowed hard, and took a quick swig from his water bottle to dampen his newly dried throat.
"You are right. Thanks Sephiroth!"
"Mm. But you know, in order for you to be my partner, I need to observe you in day-to-day life" He then said, drawing a curious look from the boy.
"Eh? Observe me?"
"Yes. In order to get in sync with each other, we need to live together until the festival. It will help us be more attuned to each other's rhythms and therefore it shall increase our level of performance."
It still baffled him a little, but in the end Sora merely nodded, accepting the other's offering with the idea that it was just until the festival. So even if Sephiroth did make him a bit uncomfortable, less than before, but still a little, it was all for the good of their performance.
"Good, then tonight you shall come stay with me."
-oOo-
Riku wasn't surprised to find Namine in her room, but he was surprised to find her listening to that particular song...
He had creaked open her door and was greeted with a view of her back as she hunched over her legs that were locked together and straight out in front of her, just so she could touch her forehead to her knees.
With the loudness of Nami Tamaki's Heroine blasting in the background, Riku hadn't been noticed at first. That is, not until he actually stepped in and leaned his weight against the door to close it.
Then Namine blinked, shooting around startled though instantly relaxing when she saw who it was.
"Oh, it's just you.."
"Yeah don't sound so excited." He smirked, and moved over to her stereo, a hand at the knob turning the volume down. "Why were you listening to that?" Riku then inquired while moving over to her bed to take a seat.
She didn't answer at first, merely continued stretching.
"I was going through old music and I found that.."
Content with that answer, Riku merely shrugged.
"I need to ask you something." He then said, although the tone he used had Namine a bit concerned.
"What's up?"
"Did Umi ever– teach you any routines that she never showed us?"
Namine suddenly looked extremely hesitant to answer, and inwardly she knew she should feel ashamed for being a tad hypocritical in the sense that she chided Riku for running away from the festival because of his mother's death, whereas, she was doing the same thing, unbeknownst to them all.
Tilting her head to one side she regarded her friend with a bit of remorse reflecting in those eyes.
"What's wrong, Nami..?" Riku asked when he caught sight of that sudden and unexpected sadness.
The girl sighed, and after having sat besides him on her bed, she moved her head to his shoulder with a small, idle sigh.
"There was this one.."
-oOo-
Sora blinked and took in the sheer volume of the room that was ten times bigger than Riku's it seemed, though it had an equally impressive view he noted as he stood by the window and stared out at the lit city.
"Wow.." Was all he could murmur, and Sephiroth barely acknowledged him though he moved to stand besides him, his arms crossed and his eyes focused on the reflection in the glass.
"This place isn't doing so well, you know." He started, and Sora nodded once.
"I know. I've been told."
"Well it's gotten worse. Have you secured any future plans?"
"Huh?"
"I see. Not too many have. But perhaps it will not matter." He then stated, staring thoughtfully into his reflection. "When we win the festival and are acknowledged by the world, we will be sure to bring the crowds back in, don't you think?"
Sora swallowed hard at that. It was quite a bit of pressure to put upon ones shoulders. He even compared it to them throwing him in cold in the lead role, which they all already pulled. Come to think of it, he thought to himself, that bit of pressure wasn't that bad now that he had somewhat suceeded. He had lived through intense pressure already it seemed.
Yeah and it's because of you the shows have been canceled and the place is suffering worse. Sora would then find himself involuntarily chiding, and he sighed and shook his head quickly.
"Is something wrong?" Sephiroth asked with mock concern.
"I don't know. I just can't help but feel like– everything's my fault .I mean– if I didn't screw up in the shows we wouldn't be having this many problems, right?" He really didn't expect Sephiroth to agree with him, so when he did, Sora was both a bit taken aback, and then genuinely hurt.
"It's alright thought, Sora." He reasoned. "The festival will turn things around once more. You may have singlehandedly destroyed an entire company. But you will also make it rise again, and with my help."
Sora whined a little since somehow, Sephiroth's words weren't particularly comforting.
-oOo-
"I remember that manuever. She taught you it?" Riku asked somewhat incredulously.
"Yep." Namine nodded. "This song was playing when she performed it here that time. I remember.."
Riku noted the uncomfortable shift of Namine while her small fists settled in her lap.
"It reminds me of that time..It reminds me of her."
"You loved her, didn't you?" He asked particularly solemly. It was a question that she responded to in an equally somber tone.
"Like you as my brother, I loved her as my own mom. "
After a moment of silence both in remembrance and in thought, Riku finally grinned.
"I think I know what were doing for the festival."
-oOo-
The tension between the two sides of Riku and Namine and Sora and Sephiroth seemed neverending, even though it was really actually only a tense triangle between Riku, Sora and Sephiroth. Namine regarded Sora with all the friendliness she normally possessed.
She even had him join the group of friends in discussing plans for the upcoming haunted house that Leon had suggested in place of a show for Halloween. Perhaps audience interaction would be a good plan to bring back the supposedly dwindling crowds after all.
So they were going to turn the whole main stage into one giant maze and then they'd incorporate certain elements for added effects.
But then they needed costumes.
It was a fun topic to discuss, and one that took a long while. But in the end, after everyone had elected what they planned to be, Sora was the only one still completely clueless, not to mention the fact that all the good costume choices were taken.
"You could be a pirate." Roxas suggested, but Riku instantly shot that down.
"It's a haunted house. Not a pirate ship. He has to be something scary. Not just any old costume." He murmured while setting his arms firmly accross his chest.
Sora sighed a bit and slumped in his seat in the small room used for production meetings. A pirate was actually a good idea, he mused, he wouldn't have minded that, and he would've argued the point had a loud, bellowing voice not called out his name, making him wince and shrink further into his seat.
Although peeved, Riku smirked and motioned toward the door with a cant of his head.
"Run along, puppy. Master's calling." He snickered, which naturally drew a harsh glare from the boy in passing as he stood and moved to make his way out regardless.
"Okay, Riku. Enough is enough. " Namine grumbled poutingly.
"Hey. He wants to leave in the middle of a very important meeting, and for him?"
"Well unlike some people, he doesn't mind practicing. Plus, what do you mean very important! We're all sitting here like lazy jerks, and talking about what costumes we're gonna wear for halloween" Namine replied while throwing a handful of candy corn at him before scooping up some for himself.
"Tch.." Riku huffed and dodged the incoming candy, even though the smirk he wore said how he knew she had a point. "Yeah well! Still!"
By the time Halloween rolled around, the company seemed excited to at least have been somewhat back on its feet.
Everyone stood backstage in costume, although Sora shifted uncomfortably and embarrassedly.
"You've been dressed up like a girl in a gown. Why would this cause you any discomfort whatsoever?" Riku snickered and adjusted the cuffs of his puffy-sleeved white V-neck shirt that cut low down his chest. A black, leather vest sat on top of the shirt, open in the same fashion as what part to leave a portion of that chiseled torso bare. "Hey, I can't see if I'm tying this right. Care to assist?" He then added, somewhat out-of-place to the ruffled Sora, who was currently tugging on the hem of the black belly shirt atop his smaller build. It stopped just above his naval, leaving his midriff bare. A fishnet top sat on top of the shirt, and while at least that shirt was long enough to cover entirely, it still left that taut stomach bare, and thus still had the boy equally embarrassed.
"Whatever.." Sora left his predicament for the moment as he turned to face the silver-haired teen in order to assist him with his cape, and being considerably shorter than Riku, Sora had to lean up but barely in order to fiddle with the strings until they were tied in a firm enough knot.
Of course, doing so, Sora also caught a glimpse of the column of bare throat, and soon he wouldn't even realize his eyes had started descending past the cape and further down to the open neck and chest of his attire.
Riku rolled his eyes and tilted his head when he noticed Sora tense up, and it took a small cough from the elder to snap Sora back to attention.
"Like what you see?" Riku snickered, and then chuckled lightly when Sora's face instantly reddened.
"I-I was just trying to figure out what you're suppose to be and what I'm supposed to be too.." Came the younger ones snappy response, and Riku released a knowing "Heh" before reaching into the pocket of his leather pants just to retrieve two pairs of fake, sharp teeth. He handed one to him before sticking the other into his own mouth.
"Any idea yet?" He asked with outstretched arms in order to display his entire ensemble.
"A vampire? We're vampires?" Sora replied a bit annoyed.
"Well, I'm a vampire. You're the little goth kid that I preyed upon. So in short– Yeah, you're a vampire too I guess." He added, but Sora would edge back startled when Riku reached out to poke at a reddish mess on his neck. "But they really screwed up your makeup. We should fix that."
"Yes, it does look a bit messy." An added voice remarked that caused Riku to sigh in exasperation and he stepped back as Sephiorth moved up along side the two.
"We're busy, Seph. Leon wanted Sora to be here with us. You can have him after the show."
"If you could even call this absurd little kidsfest a show, but I digress. I no longer need Sora. He's completely ready for tomorrow, as we both expect you to be."
Riku and Sora exchanged glances for a moment, and neither wanted to acknowledge the tension that sparked. After the production bit, Riku's anger had faded. He even wanted to apologize, but Sora's attitude then after out ruled that want. Though neither of them hated each other at that point, Sora just wanted to show him he was capable, and Riku– well he just wanted to get this over with. The unnecessary challenge that is, as well as the festival.
"I am ready." He lied, though he knew from the get-go what he planned to do.
"Good." Sephiroth declared. "We wouldn't hope for anything else. Right, Sora?"
The younger one nodded, although he looked a bit more uneasy than he had. Perhaps it was just the nervousness finally setting in. He was going up against Riku after all..
"Then I'll meet you after this little spectacle." Sephiroth added before pushing past the two and then drawing Riku's gaze confusedly after him before he glanced back to Sora.
"Meeting him?" He asked and Sora nodded.
"In order to do the routine for the festival, he thinks observing each other in everyday life would put us better in sync."
Riku seemed to ponder this for a moment, but he shook his head then after and nodded.
"Right, right.." He affirmed, although inwardly he realized what a cocky statement that was. 'The little arrogant shit.' he mused once realizing that that statement basically declared how Sora mentally already had him beaten. The thought actually had him grinning.
"What's so funny?" Sora curiously asked, and Riku's attention returned to the thought in the back of his mind.
He cast a glance at him, and without answer, he then stepped forwards, a single hand seeking out a bony shoulder just to press the younger one against the nearby wall.
"Hey! Get off!" He snapped, but when he moved to break away he'd find his other shoulder pinned and the more he pulled, the tighter he was pressed. "What the hell are you doing?"
Glancing up, Sora barely caught sight of that smirk before Riku leaned forwards, dipping into the crook of his neck where he pressed his lips, thus drawing a bit of a surprised gasp from the boy as he squirmed to get away. But the elder wouldn't relent. His hands moved down over his shoulders, rubbing his palms against his arms through the long mesh sleeves of his shirt until he came to his wrists where he wrapped his hands, tightening around the smaller limbs.
"S-seriously, Riku.." He whined, but his once snappy, demanding tone had softened unbeknownst to him, and he mewled out loud when he felt the plastic of fake teeth pressing hard against his flesh. Eyes that had been half shielded then widened at the slight twinge the bite brought, followed by the soft suction of the lips as Riku drew the skin between those teeth and nibbled lightly.
Sora squirmed uncomfortably, although he found himself tilting his head further to the side, almost as if urging him on.
Catching sight of this, Riku smirked faintly against the kiss, and applied just a bit more pressure one last time before drawing back with a satisfied grin at the bruise that had instantly formed in the shape of those two protruding plastic fangs..
"Hah. There." He said. "That's a perfectly, realistic vampire bite." Clearly proud of his handiwork despite Sora's mortified expression, Riku turned and waved off the scene with a dismissive hand. "Get to your place. The show's gonna start soon."
He turned a corner, disappearing from sight then, and leaving the totally bewildered Sora behind, a hand awkwardly placed to his neck where those dual bruises formed from his fake plastic fangs.
-oOo-
The night played out joyfully. Sora acted as a guide through the "haunted house" Riding on his rollar blades and carrying a flash light that illuminated the walls set up winding around the wide circular ground floor where the performances were held. Above them and on the high ceilings, lights flashed and glowed with halloween shapes. Bats, and jack-o-laterns, witches, the like and every so often Sora would entrance by performing a small trick, like a spin or a jump on his skates, flipping off randomly placed one-person practice trampolines, usually right before someone else made their entrance.
At one point, the sound of a larger trampoline echoed from one side of the maze, and Sora would gasp in mock-fright and point overhead just in time to see Selphie and Yuffie flipping directly overhead. Arms outstretched would show the bits of black fabric dangling from the tight sleeves of their leotards, reminiscent of bat-wings.
The crowd that followed behind gasped and chuckled, and the younger ones pointed and laughed before the realization finally dawned that the passing bats were dropping candy, and those kids scattered around that area to catch the falling gifts, giggling all the while.
There were other entrances after that of numerous people, some scary, some funny, some with passing candy. Closer towards the end although, while Sora was rattling on about superstitions of halloween, the black cat one in particular, on cue, a trapeze dropped to just above the walls of the maze, and Namine chuckled as she flipped on the bar, holding herself upside down before letting herself fall, just so her ankles could hook around the swing's wires.
"I would happen to be the black cat that crosses your path tonight!" She cackled, crossing her black gloved arms over her chest as she arched her back to face the crowds, and Sora slid to the side to let the scene unfold.
There was a murmur of approval as the kids scampered up to the newly lowered, hanging swing, just to poke and prod at the "kitty" with the felt ears protruding from long blonde hair, and the tail that clung to the skintight leotard.
Namine chuckled to herself as she was poked and prodded, and then again on cue, there was a loud, somewhat obnoxious yell from behind the crowds, making them jump and turn their attention away from the cat as the boy in the black shirt and pants came running through, bursting through the group until he reached the small trampoline that had been placed beneath the swing.
"Get out of my way!" Roxas called as he came upon the bed and jumped, but before he could execute the forwards flip as planned, he tossed the bucket he had been carrying to Namine, who caught it just as Roxas landed, with his back to them, on the swing between Namine's ankles.
He turned then, and everyone caught a glimpse at the bones drawn out on his black clothes, glowing in reaction to the surrounding blacklight.
"Have any of you seen my cat? She likes to jump out of things and scare people!"
The kids laughed and pointed, though Roxas played dumb, scratching his head and shrugging.
"No! She's there!" They ignored Namine's quiet gesture, which was fine either way since she was already rocking the swing a bit with her motions, gaining enough momentum to push herself up.
It was awkward really, once she allowed her ankles to slip, but she raised a single arm above her head, and Roxas grabbed it around the wrist, quickly aiding her by raising her just a bit higher so she could grab onto the wire of the swing and thus from there hoist herself up.
Her feet had settled on either side of Roxas' upon that swing, one hand grabbing the wire for support as she faced Roxas, while her other hand still clutched the bucket. Though she then took it in two hands after a single arm of Roxas' slid securely around her waist to keep her stationary while she twisted her body half way around so she could face the crowds, and from there she emptied the buckets contents, more candy, onto the waiting kids below.
And they all cheered excitedly when that happened, as well as when the "kitty" had been found, and the duo waved when the swing started to raise, thus clearing the path once more.
"And watch out for Dracula!" Namine shouted out in warning before they finally disappeared off the set. Of course, those kids were too excited about their newly found candy to be concerned.
They were at the exit when the final act took place, and the aforementioned "Dracula" made his dramatic entrance, right when they all thought they were free to leave, and the kids screamed as the cloaked Riku sprang out, hissing through those fake teeth while flamboyantly tossing the fabric of that cape along side of him.
"Blood!" He hissed, and Sora blinked upon noticing that he was on his own roller blades.
"Tch, Copycat.." he huffed under his breath, watching as Riku "terrorized" the group by skating in a circle around them, and performing similar tricks that Sora had been doing. At one point, he even pushed himself into an all out back-flip, arching his back enough so that when his skates lifted off the ground, he could press his palms into the floor and kick his legs fully around, although once he landed, he'd twist himself half-way so that now he glided around them in a circle, and the kids cheered.
"So, you've met my favorite victim, eh?" He snickered when he felt Sora's body tense after he glided to a stop behind him, and Riku's arms shot out to catch the boy around the waist. "She has been leading you around my fun house like a good girl, yes?" Sora frowned deeply, but knew he'd have to refrain from elbowing Riku in the rib cage at that moment, so he went along with it, sighing deeply at once more having been referred to as a girl.
Of course none of the crowds thought any different, the way she wore her bare midriff and the hair seemed feminine enough, not to mention those soft, angelic features, and big, blue eyes. The only thing slightly curious about "her" was the slightly deepened voice, but even that could've easily have been mistaken for a girl with a cold.
"I hate you, Riku" Sora whispered, and Riku chuckled before nudging his head playfully against his. His hands then moved to press against Sora's bare sides through the mesh of the over-shirt, and the contact caused the boy to shiver lightly, of course it was only in the act since Riku was in the process of lifting the smaller form, just to toss him up in the air.
Sora blinked, and flailed in a sudden urge of panic. That hadn't been planned! But thinking back to the last showing of Beauty and the Beast he performed in with Riku, and how Riku had managed to save him from a bad, bad fall, Sora imitated that motion, reaching out with the intention of grabbing air.
It worked, he'd learn, since when he opened his tightly closed eyes he'd realize that a trapeze had been dropped for him, and he sighed in relief before hearing Riku call out to him.
"She had better be careful if she doesn't want to be hit on the head by falling buckets!"
Sure enough, when Sora glanced up, he'd catch sight of the bucket being dropped at him, and with a new sense of panic, he dove forwards and over the bar with much less grace then any polished performer, catching himself by the tops of his skates hooked over the swing while he fell forwards and upside down, the forwards force rocking him slightly, but enough to catch the bucket before it crashed to the ground.
Everyone cheered and Sora breathed another relieved exhalation of breath.
"Isn't she great, folks! Best one here. Her blood doesn't taste half so bad either." Riku grinned goofily, and Sora scowled while reaching into the bucket to withdraw a particularly big candy bar which he then handed out to each passing kid as they left.
Passing adults murmured their compliments, and the two thanked them graciously before they were all finally gone, and Sora shot Riku a threatening glare to which he replied with a goofy simper and a shrug of his cloaked shoulders.
"What? It's called ad libbing. And you did really well, by the way." He smirked, and reached up to take the bucket from the younger one, just so Sora could lean himself up in order to grab hold of the swing so he could easily drop down. He nearly stumbled a bit, and being on the skates certainly didn't help, though right before he fell, Riku reached out to grab hold of his arm. "Easy there.." He chuckled, and Sora wrenched his arm back.
"Well now that that's over, I need to get some sleep.." Sora offered with a bit of a pout, and Riku followed him as he started towards backstage.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" He asked out of the blue, and although he was, Sora shook his head.
"Not a chance."
"Good. Me niether" Riku stated with a confident smirk, though for him it was actually true. He wasn't nervous. There was no need to be.
-oOo-
The dawning of the first day of November brought a similar chill like October, even colder, although it was more metaphorically speaking than literally, given the tension that still awkwardly lingered.
In the rehearsal room, Sora paced, his arms folded tightly over his chest while Sephiroth stood by calmly.
"Relax.." He hissed, though when Sora paused and turned his head to face him, Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "What is this?" He demandingly inquired, motioning toward the reddish purple bruise upon his neck.
"Uh..Makeup from last night.." Sora asserted nervously before turning away to resume pacing. He had totally disregarded anything else he had wanted to say to him after that.
"I imagine you'd shower last night.." Sephiroth replied with a hint of disgust, and Sora growled lightly.
"I did! It just wouldn't come off!"
Arching a brow, the elder reached out and quickly pinched the discolored skin between his fingers, causing Sora to instantly yelp and pull back.
"Hm." He stated thoughtfully, although with a deep scowl. "I would think it'd be too soon for that."
Sora glanced up at him curiously, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Leon's voice interrupted them.
"Alright. Let's get this show on the road. The winner of this challenge gets the golden arts ticket into the festival at the end of this month. Sora– You're up first."
The group that had gathered to watch had taken their seats further back while Riku sat with Namine in the first row.
"He looks calm." Namine pointed out, and Riku nodded. "I would think he'd be a lot more discombobulated, especially with that big ass hickey you gave him last night."
Riku grumbled something inaudible, and Namine snickered innocently.
"It was a realistic vampire bite. Not a hickey."
"Really? Looks like a hickey to me."
"It was for the sake of the act."
"Ooookay."
Riku stared ahead, visibly discomforted.
"...vampire bite."
Namine laughed out loud at that, and leaned her head affectionately to his shoulder.
"I said 'Okay' , bad vampire."
But the two hushed as they watched Sora take his stance at the top of the platform, the swing clutched in his single right hand.
From besides Leon, Cloud made a startling observation that had him instantly nervous, as it would any person in their right mind.
"Where's the safety net?"
"In the festival, there are none. Or no lifelines. This isn't even a challenge between Riku and Sora. It's a test to see if Sora can handle it."
"But– he's so young"
Leon smirked a bit, although he tilted his head as if passing off his aggreement with the whole thing.
"That kid is tough. He can handle it."
Although confused, and utterly concerned, Cloud sat back in his seat to watch, as did Sephiroth, who had taken up a spot besides the two in silence.
Meanwhile, atop the platform, Sora gripped the swing tightly and stared out upon the open floor that would cause a lot of pain should he crash upon it, especially given the force of this maneuver. But he swallowed hard, and focused on that one task at hand.
I am competent.
He swallowed that nervous lump, and lifted his gaze up and out. The other swing was so far, farther than it normally was. There was a flicker of doubt, but he quickly extinguished it.
This is it..
Without another thought, he jumped. The swing carried him further and everyone watched in awe, mainly at the fact he was swinging with one hand on the bar.
When the time came for him to leave the swing, he did, when others thought he would lose his nerve, so that was surprise number two.
That small hand uncurled from around the bar, but not before he twisted slightly to his left, twising the swing as he went.
When he let go, he quickly spun around, and then again. His small form was stretched out horizontally, and his legs had crossed at the ankles while his left arm tucked into his chest, and his right one remained stretched above his head.
He had pressed onwards in that sort of "corkscrew" spin for some time, before he dropped the stance, his body still tense as he sat up, bending his body in half so he formed an upside down V and thus that position instantly launched himself into a series of forward flips. His hands reached out to grab at his ankles in order to keep the momentum as he flipped rapidly, and incessantly.
Finally, that posture was dropped one last time just so he could stretch himself out. The force still carried him, but it required him to drop the tension in his muscles a bit just so he didn't urge himself forwards given he was facing away from the desired swing on the opposite side, although his right arm was held above his head and turned, and he grimaced lightly at the awkward ankle while his fingers splayed out in pursuit of the bar.
"Catch it, catch it.." He encouraged himself.
And catch it he did. He felt his hand grasp the bar, and the force instantly swung him back to the opposite platform, where he gracefully touched down before allowing the swing to slip from his grasp.
No one spoke, no one cheered, and a glance to Riku affirmed that he looked damn well ready to pass out from the sheer humiliation, or so Namine thought.
"Incredible.." Riku offered under his breath, though Namine heard it anyway.
"Now do you think he couldn't do it?"
"Well he just did it, didn't he?" Riku retorted a bit sourly.
Sora climbed down the platform himself, a bit nervous when he heard no signs of any sort of acknowledgement, and he moved infront of the crowd, fully prepped for judgement.
But instead, Leon only cleared his throat.
"Okay, Riku. Lets see how well you can do that."
"I can't" He stated simply, and still strangely confidently.
"What's that?" Leon asked with a bit of surprise.
"I forfeit. Sora wins."
The group mumbled, and Namine poked him harshly in the arm.
"So your wussing your way out?" She hissed, and Riku smirked lightly.
"I'll admit when I can't do something. I'd rather do that then look like a fool trying to do it as good as that."
That statement alone was all Sora needed to hear to make him forget all about the festival. A mid his gradually returning breaths, he smiled genuinely, even appreciatively, and finally Roxas, Selphie and Yuffie broke the tension off to the side with their cheery applause.
Sora's smile only widened, and he rubbed the back of his head in an attempt to stop the blush. But a harsh voice besides him snapped him out of his happy daze.
"Don't lose your focus. Now you have to worry about the festival." Sephiroth grumbled after having appeared along side of him. Glancing up at the elder, Sora nodded albeit shyly, but when he glanced back to his friends in the audience, he'd notice Riku and Namine taking their leave.
But before they could, Namine turned upon reaching the door at the top of the stairs and waved with an approving smile, and Sora felt lighter then he had.
"Alright. I'm ready to practice."
"A month," Xehanort murmured, and Xemnas nodded his approval.
"That's all it will take?" He asked, and this time it was Xehanort who nodded.
"He said it's already started, and it should be finished by the end of the month."
"Good."