I apologize that it has been so long since updates. Hopefully there are still readers out there that are interested.

In any case, the writers for this fic are me for the interlude and the match itself, and frequent guest writer Jjukil for the preshow and the aftermath. This pits Sora, main character of Kingdom Hearts, against Aeris, heroine of Final Fantasy VII.

Interlude

Fox McCloud lounged at the door of the training center, arms crossed against his chest, and a odd hat with twin holes that allowed his ears to poke out pulled down to shield his eyes from the sun.

There wasn't really anything Fox felt like doing anymore, apart from just sitting around and counting the days. He hadn't been training for a while. Yes, he did have a month before his next match, and he felt that he should take a break, but that wasn't the real reason he had stopped his preparation. As strong willed as Fox had proven that he was in his battle with Andross, sometimes, will power just runs out. Fox just didn't see the point of overexerting himself to prepare for a match in which he had no chance to win.

He didn't like that this attitude of resignation had come over him, but deep down, Fox knew that his fears were true. His blaster and quarterstaff could not beat Link of Hyrule. The defending champ wasn't invincible, of course... But Fox just couldn't see how he could defeat Link with the weapons and battle tactics he possessed. The fact that Link had never lost a match in the arena only made Fox's prospects for victory more harrowing.

Simply put, Fox McCloud was in despair.

It was not, however,a despair that would last forever. Fox had given up on himself, but there were still other fighters that held great hope for the Cornerian pilot…

"Just sitting around, boy?"

Fox turned in surprise. Fox hadn't noticed anyone approaching, and very few people could sneak up on the very wary pilot. However, Fox was hardly surprised to see that the man who had eluded his notice was the holder of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf. The Gerudo was, after all, quite accustomed to dwelling in the shadows, both metaphorically and literally…

Ganondorf was quite heartened by the victory he had achieved earlier in the month. The Gerudo had never doubted his own strength, of course, but the events surrounding his victory had been quite gratifying. He had killed a worthless boy, and thus saddened and disconcerted many of his fellow fighters. It was all in a day's evil work for the warlock.

So he had been walking around with great pomp and confidence of late. Being cautious just didn't suit the self-proclaimed king of evil.

And I'm not being cautious now, Ganondorf thought. Just... Doing some damage control.

Past experience had told the Gerudo warlock that he might not be able to fight off Link, wielder of the Master Sword. Link had bested Ganon's powers far too many times for the villain to ever be fully confident in fighting Link again.

And if I cannot do it, Ganondorf theorized, Then someone else will have to. It is hardly beneath me to use this silly rivals of mine to fulfill a little task for me.

Ganondorf did not like the acts of forming alliances with people, helping them in any way. He viewed such acts as beneath him. When it came to Link, however, the warlock's good sense won out over his ego. Link... Worried him. And he hated to admit it.

Fox took a slight step back from the man before him. Ganondorf was a man disliked by all of the tournament players since the brutal actions he had taken in the course of his fight with Tidus. Even Bowser and Wario were wary of the kind of evil that seemed to radiate from Ganondorf's being. Fox was hardly keen to associate with him.

"Don't worry. If I wanted to hurt you, McCloud, you'd already be dead on the floor." An almost feral grin accompanied this statement. Given a choice between using Fox to fulfill an end and destroying the pathetic animal, Ganon would certainly still rather kill him. But the rules of this place expressly forbid deaths outside the arena. Ganondorf would have to settle on his other option.

Fox steadied himself, and set his face in a cold frown.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing but to help you."

Fox raised his eyebrows. Something didn't smell right here. Someone renowned for his great evil didn't do people favors. But hope was starting to spring inside him. Against his better judgments, a side of Fox was very interested in learning what he could learn from a man as knowledgeable as Ganon… Even if that same man was an evil tyrant.

Ganondorf had successfully lured Fox in.

"As I see it, McCloud, you have a tough match ahead of you. And if you lose, I have to face Link... And that's not something I want to do. So therefore, you have to win."

"You'd rather face someone who could beat Link?"

"Of course. I'd utterly destroy you."

"…Then why should I take your help?"

"You will not defeat Link without the things that I can teach you. You know that, I know that."

Fox McCloud stared suspiciously back at the confident, smirking man before him. He still didn't trust the warlock. Ganondorf was pure evil. Everyone knew it. Everyone avoided him.

All the same, Fox McCloud had always been a competitive person.

So, an alliance formed. Ganondorf would teach Fox McCloud all the tricks that could be used to beat Link. And then, Ganondorf hoped, the protégé would fall. It was such an easy way to use people.

Preshow

Blade rang against staff again and again as he pressed his attack. He wasn't the fastest swordsman around, but his attacks were powerful and far from slow, and she was having a hard time keeping up with him. He finished with a feint to the legs, then an unusually savage downward chop that left even the audience with raised eyebrows. She scrambled away, but couldn't completely avoid the hit, and she fell to the floor with a yelp as he struck her calf.

But when she looked back, she discovered the hit had taken its toll on him as well. The awkward attack hadn't hit the way he expected, and it left him so off-balance he had nearly fallen over. She was actually much more proficient in magic than melee combat; now she had a perfect chance to hit him with a spell, then recover herself.

But she just couldn't do it.
And he knew she wouldn't.

After he managed to get back to his feet, he looked back at her just in time to see her finishing off a healing spell. He growled and started to go back into his stance...but then sighed and dropped out of it.

"Aeris, please," he complained, putting away the Keyblade. "I was wide open!"

Aeris shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sora," she sighed as she got to her feet. They had trained for their match mostly by sparring with each other, and they had done so many times as the month and a half had gone by. They had picked up the pace after the tournament started...mostly at Sora's insistance. "I know you've wanted to train for this seriously, and I know it must be frustrating...but...."

"You can't overextend yourself like that," said their sole onlooker.

Both fighters turned to him in shock.

"Wha...what do you mean, Cloud?" Sora said.

"You're too brash. Reckless," he continued, barely believing he was saying the words. "Don't take risks until you don't have a choice. Otherwise the enemy won't have a chance to beat you--you'll lose to your own mistakes."

Sora nodded, feeling sick. Cloud had come to almost all of these sparring sessions, but he had never said a word. In the end, though, both fighters knew who he was pulling for. The fact that he had given Sora advice anyway didn't make him feel good at all about his chances.

"Well," Aeris started, "I don't really HAVE to pick away at Sora's every weakness, do I...?"

"Yes!" Cloud and Sora said at once.

They looked at each other for a second. Then Cloud smirked and nodded his head, letting Sora have the floor.

"Aeris, I do want you to pick at my weaknesses. Hit me with everything you've got! How could I be ready for the next round if you didn't?" he explained.

"...I guess you've got a point there," she admitted.

"I'm not going to beat up one of my best friends here just so I can lose to some dumb cyborg in Round 2," he grumbled. Aeris smiled weakly at that. "So please...DON'T hold back. Okay, Aeris?"

"...okay, Sora," she agreed, finally understanding him. "I won't hold back." She gave him her warmest smile; as usual, Sora couldn't help grinning back.

The Battle

As they stepped into the arena, Aeris Gainsborough still had mixed feelings about this. Certainly, the Cetra was happy to be out there competing, here again the tourney where she had made the sweet 16 last year. It wasn't as if Aeris's other state of existence was preferable to spending time with her friends, even if the world around the arena could be a bit intense. But... She wasn't happy at who she was fighting.

She still wasn't going Sora win. The young keyblade wielder had approached Aeris before the match, and asked that she not spare any of her energy to give him an edge. So she wouldn't. In truth, both Aeris and Sora were almost inclined to just let their opponent triumph, to give glory to a good friend. Both contestants had offered at least once to simply forfeit the battle to their opponent. Neither had accepted the offer, though, so it looked like it would be yet another fair, all-out melee in the arena today.

That wasn't to say that either fighter did not possess a very heavy heart.

Aeris and Sora simply stared at each other, waiting. They didn't hear the annoucer saying their names, and introducing the match. It didn't matter to them. They didn't even need to say anything to each other… It was clear from the looks on their faces what they were thinking, even seconds before they fought each other.

I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this.

But they did hear the one word that would start the match, however they tried to ignore it.

"GO!!!!!"

At those words, the fight began. Aeris held her staff right out in front of her, in a position that appeared to be defensive in nature. She obviously did not intend to make the first move, merely allowing Sora to go on the attack… Or did she?

Slowly, the Ancient started to spin her staff around. The motion wasn't even enough that it would be noticeable to all the onlookers in the stands. But it was important.

In case Sora got the better of her, and actually hurt her badly... She had a little magic. Not exactly being a fighter accustomed to one-on-one duels, Aeris feared that she might need it.

----

Unbeknowst to Aeris, however, the magic might be in fact unneeded.

Even after all the agony that the two friends had been through before the match, all the efforts from both sides pleading for a fair match, Sora wasn't sure if he wanted to go for the win. Certainly, Aeris was much more into the battle today than the boy from Destiny Islands was, even if she did not know it. Sora had really come here only because he had wanted to see those that were lost to him. He only wanted to see his friends again, and perhaps stop the loneliness he had felt ever since the destruction of the Heartless. The Magical Kingdom where Sora lived, while nice, was not the place the boy wanted to spend his days. Sora wanted to be with Riku, and especially Kairi, again.

No luck. He'd been feeling down and unwanted from the moment he stepped into the contest's dimension. Sure, Squall, Aeris, and Cloud were here... But they hadn't been his true friends. They were only his guides and guardians in the battle against the Heartless.

Sora wasn't sure if he wanted to try in this whole match.

But his competitive spirit got the better of him. He would fight.

----

Sora made the first move… Or so he thought. He had totally missed the spell that was being cast before him… Aeris had already completed her work of magic. She was at an advantage from the very beginning.

Holding up his Keyblade in his right hand, Sora rushed at Aeris as quickly as he could. He swung his blade at Aeris's shoulder as fast and powerfully as he could. But she blocked it. The two attacked and parried for a few minutes, keyblade against staff. Though Sora was the swordsman, he didn't have the upper hand.

Geez… I've beaten Riku, I've beaten Ansem, and I don't even have better swordsmanship than Aeris today? What's wrong with me!

The match appeared even. In brawn and weapons, neither Aeris nor Sora had the power to defeat the other. It looked like it would come down to magic.

While he was more apprehensive this time, Sora was again impulsive enough to attack first. Bringing up his Keyblade to a position of sorcery, he launched a powerful wave of fire at the girl in front of him.

It simply bounced off, and Sora had to lunge to the side of where he was standing to avoid being hit be a ray of fire. It took him a few seconds to recover, and by the time he was on his feet again, Aeris had her barrier restrengthed. Aeris's ace in the hole had worked brilliantly, and now she was advancing on Sora, muttering words of magic herself.

Sora gritted his teeth as he rose up again, dashing at Aeris himself. He had forsaken magic now, and was simply content to try again with his keyblade.

He never did reach Aeris, however.

Smiling, Aeris shouted out the final words of an incantation, and then lunged to her left, catching a dashing Sora off guard. Sora simply swept past her, still swinging his sword. While the boy cursed his luck as he tried to bring his momentum to a stop, he was totally oblivious to the black clouds gathering above his head.

A lightning bolt hit Sora, suddenly. The boy winced, but he seemed unharmed. He turned his face to Aeris, smiling as if to say "That all you can do?"

It wasn't.

The black clouds were still above Sora's head, their work hardly done just yet. A lightning bolt abruptly hit Sora again, as the look on his face turned to shock. He was only able to stagger one more step before five more lightning bolts hit him in rapid succession. A wince crept over his face, and before the boy could move another step, all the volts of electricity caught up with him. Sora slumped to the ground, knocked unconscious.

Aeris had won. The corner of her eye wandered to the stands, and saw Cloud, with a faint smile on his face. The mercenary flashed a quick "thumbs up" signal to her, clearly happy at her victory.

…But suddenly she looked back at Sora's face again, as pangs of sorrow shot through her. While she was through to the next round, she still wasn't sure if this was a victory she had truly wanted.

Aftermath

"...I really am sorry, Sora," Aeris said, again, as they reached the portals home.

Sora shook his head and sighed. She had apologized to him at least a dozen times since he had woken up. He'd tried telling her it was okay, that it was his fault anyway for not reacting to her magic. But it was no use. He was about ready to tell her she was making him feel worse...but he was only a few steps away from home, now.

"It's okay, Aeris. Really," he chuckled. "I've learned a lot while I was here, and I'm sure it'll come in handy." She nodded sadly.

"Well, good luck in the rest of the tournament!" Sora said. "I know you'll do great against those other guys."

"Thank you!" she beamed. "Good luck to you, too, Sora. I hope we see each other again soon." They hugged each other goodbye, and then he left.

She shed a tear as she turned away from the portal...but she didn't have long to grieve, as she heard a loud groan coming from around the corner.

"Who's there?" she asked. She only got another wail in response. The voice was gruff and very loud...but she was still shocked when she rounded the corner and saw its owner.

"Bowser??" she said, staring at him with wide eyes.

"OWWWWwww...I don't feel so good," the King of the Koopas moaned, holding his stomach and rolling around on the floor. Then he looked up at her. "Aeris! You're...Aeris, right? You know those Cure spells like the other magicians, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," she said, her concern overriding her disgust for the savage turtle.

"Oh, good...I really need one," he groaned. "...cause after listening to you two idiots fawn all over each other, I'm about to throw up!!"

Aeris sighed and shook her head as Bowser laughed at his own joke.

"I don't think I've ever heard anything more sickening in my life!" he continued, getting to his feet. "'OHHHH, Sora, I'm sooo sorry!' 'OHHHH, Aeris, I'll miss you sooo much!!' 'OHHHH, Sora--I love you!!!' HA! Hey, forget that Cure--you got a spell called 'Barf Bag'? Cause that's all that'll help me now! you tell me something?" she asked calmly. He didn't answer right away--he was too busy laughing--so she asked anyway. "Why did you eat Ness?"

He grinned. "Oh, the kid with the bat? Like I said--because I was hungry, you maroon!" He started laughing all over again...then abruptly stopped. "Too bad some idiot reminded the medical ward they had to send him home...."

Aeris smiled. "I remember that. They pumped your stomach, right?" She couldn't help chuckling a couple of times.

"IT WAS YOU, WASN'T IT??" Bowser roared. "I'll get you for this!!" He rushed her right there in a rage, but she easily avoided the clumsy charge. As he pried himself out of the wall, she cast Planet Protector on herself, still feeling the effects of her battle with Sora. She finished the Limit Break mere seconds before Bowser's paw smacked her head--with enough force to take it off.

"Graah...invincibility," he grumbled, shaking his hand. "It's Mario all over again..."

"I'm sorry I laughed at you, Bowser," she said, "but that really was an awful thing to do. You should be nicer next time." She started away from him before he could respond. "Good luck against Yoshi and Cloud!" she said, smiling and waving. Then she walked back down the hall, humming to herself.

"...what a lunatic," Bowser muttered. Then he grinned. "I think I'm in love...."

Fin

Next update, it's a battle between Golden Sun swordsman Felix and the biggest rising star in gaming, Master Chief. See you then.