Konichiwa.

Look at all the reviews! Yay!

BasiliskWings: Not only did you mess up "Basilisk", but you used like, a fake name or something, so I can't figure out who you are. But I love you. So there.
HallowedShame: Thanks so much for the reviews. I love thee.
Princess Kitty Zelda Child: Thanks.
Gijinka Renamon: By the last name, I'm assuming you're into Digimon... it's been a while... XD Thanks for the review.
VG-Junky: Man, I was wondering where you were. So glad you're back, thanks.
Daikoran the BlackIce Kitsune: -Dead from fart- Yeah, Kaze rocks.
Peanut673: Hi! Fuck you. I hate Marth x Zelda, I HATE Peach x Roy, and I HATE YOU. Go fuck yourself. Now, I'm not saying those who don't write OC's aren't creative, but you have to be more organized if you want to introduce your own character, as well as at least two dozen others, with Teams and Trinities, in a contest with an unequal amount of people. Now, everyone is obliged to his or her own opinions. But 1) Since you don't write your own stories, and 2) You're a blind shitcock, no one (but me...) fucking cares about yours. It also amazes me that you formed your own opinion on the first chapter, which doesn't even introduce the relationship Roy or Ferah has/fails to have. In conclusion I wonder why you even read my story, after it obviously explains in the summary the goal of the main character, a bloody OC. You are truly a stupid individual.

I didn't think it would have to come to this, but welcome to SK'S FLAME POLICY:
- I do (though haven't yet) flame people, but only on choice of things. I never flame the entire story, especially after reading one fucking chapter. Why? Because I don't go read stories that I'm not going to like.
- If you flame me, you will be chewed out. For if you flame me, I hate you.

I'm beginning to think this story is stupid. I might redo it, but maybe after I finish it. And what of a sequel? Well, the question remains, what would happen?

NOTE(S):
- Changed Jordan "Charizard"'s hairstyle, and his name, to Cameron.
- I changed this story's rating from PG to PG-13, because I obviously swear a lot. So therefore do the Players. But Roy won't. Cause he be like that, yo!

XXX
Chapter 6: Lilina of Ostia
XXX

"Try again." Demanded Cecelia harshly. She held up her Iron Sword.

"Oh, man." Whined Ferah softly as Roy moved her forward. With a flutter of their cape, they dodged and whirled, then crashed down on Cecelia. They breathed hard, struggling and pushing their strength against each other's blade.

They slid their blades and unfastened, creating small sparks that disappeared quickly. Roy slammed his boot against the stone flooring and the jumped back, then threw himself forward with an extended slash. Cecelia's sharp sword was knocked clear out of her hands, thrown onto the tile. It slid in a circle, and then slowed.

"Roy..." Cecelia said in disbelief, breathing hard. Roy had never had so much speed before.

Roy filled his lungs as sweat slid down his forehead. He slid his sword into the sheath on the back of his belt.

Cecelia nodded as she went to fetch her sword. "I think we're good for today. You should go and get something to eat. I'm sure Rebecca's already prepared something for you."

Ferah and Roy had kept the Avatar-Player thing a secret from everyone except Wolt, who didn't understand it well anyway. "Man. I'm going back to bed." Said Ferah in a whisper. Instead of Roy being inside her, she was inside Roy. Sometimes, she was in the dark insides of Roy's mind, sitting and standing on something intangible. But other times, she was right with him, holding the Sword of Seals. Which she still hadn't gotten to flame.

"Roy!" Suddenly someone called from the castle, a someone with a friendly, smooth voice. A young woman, Roy's age, strolled out of the castle and into their view. She had beautiful, dark blue, long hair, and wore a red, thin dress trimmed neatly in gold. Wolt was behind her, chewing on a crusty pastry. The girl, or woman to Ferah, waved enthusiastically, beaming.

"Oh, Lilina!" Roy immediately brushed the sweat from his forehead, and Ferah could feel his temperature, which had dropped since they were resting, jump up again. "You've awoken. Er, Ferah..."

Ferah closed her eyes. "I'll see you later." She said, not wanting to meddle in Pharaen things. She subtly fell out of Roy's body, then swooped up her purse as she dashed into the forest.

Ferah organized through her outfit sketches. Who was that girl? Roy had instantly become embarrassed that he was all messy. He did seem to act that way in front of her, though, as well. She sighed softly. That lady was so pretty... She must have been Roy's girlfriend. He was a prince and a hero after all, and a prince always had a princess. She shook her head as she felt a strange sadness overtake her.

"Alright, so we know there is definitely a match for us today." Said Kaze. "Since we didn't participate yesterday, and there are four matches. We have yet to fight the Sapphire Team and the Topaz Team. Dominick."

"On it." Sang Dominick, as his laptop loaded the information on the CDs. "Hm... Topaz Team, Captain is Karen "Samus". Sapphire Team, Captain is Trent -"

"If we go against their team, Ferah, you fight Trent." Commanded Kaze, cutting in on Dominick's relay of information.

"What? Why me?" Whined Ferah, looking up from her drawing, a sketch of a dress she was going to finish once she got home. It was colored a cerulean blue, which means it would look best on the youngest in her group of friends, Ariel. But green always looked best on her, and she really wanted to color this dress green. Emerald had become her favorite color.

"I don't want to fight him! Why can't you?" She continued.

"Because you know him better. And we get the same amount of points regardless of Captain versus Captain or Rival versus Rival." He paused. "That is, as long as we win." Kaze took his reading glasses out of his pocket and put them on, then leaned over Dominick, reading the information on Cameron "Charizard", the boy with blonde and electric-blue spiked hair. He was tall, but not as tall as Kaze, and was more filled out, like most American boys.

Name: Cameron 'Charizard'
Age: 15 Years
Height: 6' 1''
Weight: 140 lbs
Orientation: New York
Excels: Aerial and Long Range Combat
Records: None.

"Aerial and Long Range." Read aloud Kaze, sliding up his small glasses. "If we fight the Sapphire Team, I suggest we look out for Cameron and Trent, but apparently Kristina is good too."

Aaron looked behind him to Kaze. "I'll take Kristina." He said quickly.

"No point in calling opponents. We always change, anyway." Said Selena. She kissed Fern's white forehead as she placed the kitten on her lap. "Look at how much you've grown!" She stroked her nose with just enough pressure to lure Fern to sleep.

"Right. Expect the unexpected." Ferah agreed.

"The teams fighting today are... the Ruby Team versus the Topaz Team, and the Sapphire Team versus the Emerald Team!" Hirogawa announced.

Ferah dropped from her riser onto the earthy grass, and then moved over to Kaze and Dominick. Selena and Aaron joined shortly.

Kaze nodded. "Ferah, go for Trent. As for everyone else... try your best."

Selena smacked her luscious lips. "Alright."

The Sapphire and Emerald Team met up with their Executive and moved over to their fray. They divided, moved to their side of the arena, slipped through the metal gate, and stepped onto their platforms.

"The crowd..." Murmured Selena. "...got much larger." She looked around, a little nervous. "Daisy." The pale-lime-dressed princess appeared at her right, ready to battle.

"Gets larger and larger every match." Said Aaron proudly, who also noticed the large gathering of faces staring in at them. "Link!" The elf appeared next to him.

"Gee, no pressure." Said Ferah. She pushed back a brown-black bang. "...Roy, are you, uh, busy?" She said in nearly a whisper, although Roy would be the only one able to hear her in Pharae.

"Mrs. Ferah? Well, if the match is now, I can rearrange some things." There was a short silence, and then Roy appeared next to her, his right hand behind him on the hilt of his sword. "Good afternoon." He nodded, then looked ahead into the arena.

The arena was one of the larger ones, with many tall, large trees and bushes. Ferah could not see any of the Sapphire Team on the other side. The forest seemed murky and mysterious, appearing like the Kokiri Forest at night. She chewed on her long thumbnail as she tried to peer through the green darkness.

Aaron scratched his blonde hair. "It's gonna be like... laser tag."

Kaze nodded. "Good thinking." He released air. "So then we have two choices; projectiles or stealth."

"Well, you're good at both of that." Rushed Aaron as he saw the announcing light switch from red to yellow. "And we've got projectiles." He proposed, looking over to Link.

"The electric boomerang, bombs, arrows, and the grappling-hook." Link said, checking and adjusting his brown leather belt as he made sure he had each of those items.

"You can't shoot a laser and still be stealthy. So it's one or the other." Said Dominick, wondering what type of projectiles Mr. Game and Watch might have that he had not discovered yet.

"...Or maybe you can." Said Kaze, deep in thought. He swallowed his spit and tipped his head downward.

"...3...2...1!" The light went green.

"Survival!" Ferah heard everyone roar, including the audience. She smiled to herself as Roy unsheathed his sword and disappeared into her.

"Ready?" She asked, as she cautiously ran into the trees, holding the sword tight and in front of her face.

Roy nodded. "As I'll ever be, I suppose. I'm never ready for this type of thing." His voice made an instant decrescendo as they entered the wooded range.

"Neither am I." Whimpered Selena as she picked up her skirts and tiptoed over a fallen, mossy log.

Nearby, Dominick threw up his whip and pulled himself up into the trees, where he disappeared. Kaze had long disappeared behind the veil of shimmering greenery.

"I suppose wearing green does have its advantages." Said Ferah aloud.

"Hush!" Roy said, and put their finger up to her lips. He misinterpreted the arms speed and actually whacked her, but neither took any notice. Ferah silenced immediately, and moved behind a tree so her back was to the opposing side. Once she had stilled, she could hear above the distant flutter of deep, thick wings. There was a thud, closely followed by more silence.

Ferah poked her head out and looked around, straining to heed anything else. She could hear nothing other than people moving around, twigs and leaves cracking under their weight. She tried to find out where the mass of the noise was coming from, but failed to see past most of the trees. She quickly turned around when she heard a small object fall.

She continued to her left and forward cautiously. There was nothing around her, but a strange, blue electricity ball in the distance. It was shot off, and hit something far away and diluted. She decided that no one on the Emerald Team had that ability, and moved through the trees that way, before something grabbed her shoulder.

An immense amount of strength sent her into the earth backwards, her head missing a rock by a centimeter. When she opened her eyes, she could see someone staring back at her.

"Hey." Said a boy energetically, brown eyes peering directly into her face. He had blonde, short spikes in his hair, the tips a very bright blue. Like Fox, he had sharp teeth, and like Bowser, had claws. But what made him different were the orange horns emerging from his hair and the great, bony wings on his back.

Ferah screamed and slashed upward. He dashed away, then shot back and grabbed her sword by the blade. She rolled up and rung her left hand around a tree to anchor herself. She was surprised that the blade did not cut him and tried to press it into his palm, but it failed to pierce his flesh.

"Leh... leggo!" Ferah said, gritting her teeth and trying to slip it away.

The boy slid his second hand further down the blade and managed to rip it out of Ferah's hands, ringing his fingers around the handle's golden wings.

"Man! That was easy. You suck." He said, slinging the sword back and forth as he pushed off the ground like one would into water, but instead began gliding into the air. As he lifted off, a great tail swung out from underneath him, the edge on fire.

Ferah noticed the closest thing to her and grabbed at the tail, but managed only to singe her hand lightly in the fire. "Cameron Charizard." She announced to Roy, nodding.

"Sword!" He reminded loudly, so it rung in her ears.

"I know, I know..." Said Ferah, a little annoyed. But Cameron was high above the ground now, his sweeping wings a feat that the audience cheered energetically for.

"Oh, dammit!" Said Ferah though her teeth, as she stomped through the underbrush, trying to follow him closely as he picked up speed, heading for the Sapphire side of the trees.

As she ran she noticed a large, cut stump up ahead, the highest platform she could get on besides climbing a tree. With a rush of speed she slammed her feet down on the smooth surface of the stump and pushed off, jumping high and having good timing. She clasped her fragile hands around the sword, but unfortunately, since Cameron was holding the hilt, her hands met the blade. Unlike Cameron, her hands were not scaly.

Blood slid in her hands and ran down her naked arm as she tried to hold on to it. She watched in awe at the blood, a white-ish blue stream of 0's and 1's that were moving at a rapid rate, processing the attack.

Cameron suddenly took them higher, into the blue sky, above the plot of trees and well past the height of the gates. He smiled, looking down on the girl who was kicking and flailing underneath him. He drew in a deep breath as Ferah tried to pull herself up and kick him, to no avail. Her eyes widened as she recognized that move.

A great, twisting funnel of bright red fires blasted straight at her, and she screamed. It licked her cheeks and the tip of her nose seconds before a thick, linked chain shot forward and wrapped itself around her stomach, tugging her instantly to the ground and out of harms way.

"Hey!" Said Cameron, making a face. But he turned tail and dove, now at the end of the arena.

Ferah yelled as she was quickly jerked away and down, but the chain uncoiled around her thin stomach and returned, she saw, to Link. Roy and Ferah dropped onto the ground on their feet, but pain seared through her ankles. She buckled slightly, rubbing the heavy boots.

"Ouch..." Complained Ferah as she rubbed her black cheeks like a cat. She looked over to Aaron, who ran up to her and helped her up. He put the grappling hook away.

"You okay?" He asked, breathing deeply and checking around them and behind him. He unsheathed his sword again, preparing for battle. "Kaze told me to get you to stop... uh... what did he say... stop playing around and go beat Trent." He said, intimidating Kaze's serious voice and frowning face.

Ferah didn't bother to laugh as she let him help her up. "The dragon... Cameron has my sword." She said.

"Why didn't he attack you with it, then?" Aaron asked as he stood upright.

"He's taking it to Trent!" Yelled Selena from up ahead. Golf club against golden staff, Princess Daisy and another female opponent pushed against each other, their feet pushing back dirt.

Selena was tired, faced against a fox anthropomorphic, like Kaze. But this time the fox had icicle blue fur, and wore something that resembled a skimpy native's gold clothing.

The duelists pressed against each other, until the fox unlocked and swung her staff around. The blue fire from before shot forward, but Selena dodged it.

Link was about to rush up and help her, but someone called from behind.

"Air Capture!" She yelled, and a great waterspout emerged from the earth underneath him, capturing him in the water.

Aaron struggled to breath, his heavily gloved hands clasped over his mouth to prevent breath escaping. "Go on!" He bubbled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black bomb, which seemed to alight even underwater.

"Going, going!" Ferah said as Selena pushed the girl away so Ferah could make it past. She sent her a breathless glance as she tore off through the dark trees.

Trent was directly ahead. He was as relaxed as ever, his back against a tree and his feet crossed in the dirt. By the lack of sweat or adrenaline in his face, it was obvious he had not fight yet, or done little fighting. He was waiting for her.

Link's bomb went off, making dirt fly past Ferah and making her hair flutter. She didn't notice, but just watched Trent for his next move.

Cameron dropped the sword down to Marth, who caught it instantly. With two swords in hand - the Falchion and the Sword of Seals - Trent smiled and swirled them in professional circles.

"Oh, fuckness." Sang Ferah, biting her bottom lip. Roy clenched their fists, cracking Ferah's knuckles. She took a step forward, ready to fight, but with no idea what to do.

"Do you have any secret items I don't know about?" Ferah asked Roy hopefully.

Roy shook his head and sighed. "Fists and foot, I suppose." They took another vigilant step forward.

Suddenly, there was a strange call, a thunderous roar that paralleled Aaron's bomb explosion. A blur slammed into her stomach, pushing her far back and barely missing a tree. Ferah recoiled, using her feet as breaks and maintaining her stance as dust flew up around her boots.

Cameron flew upward again, and then back down. He took a deep breath and sent the flames forward to her. Her eyes widened in fear, her knees wobbling. She knew if she ran, he could just fly on after her with his Flamethrower nipping at her heels.

"Ferah!" Kaze yelled from behind her. Or at least she thought he was behind her, and turned around to see him, but he was gone in a flash, or more of a blue flash. She could hear the world "Illusion" echo through the stage for a few seconds, but it was gone quickly, as was Cameron. She paused, kneeling, with Kaze, who had his arm around her shoulders.

"Thanks!" She breathed, but Kaze was stills staring at Cameron, who had nearly run into the tree that was behind her seconds ago. But he had moved his feet forward and pushed off the tree, making the tree quiver and crack.

"Damn!" Said Cameron, looking around. He got up quickly. "Who was that?" He asked, before he set his deep eyes on Kaze. "Oh, there you are."

Kaze quickly disappeared again, followed by the rustle of a tree nearby. Cameron perceived his position and flipped his head back, filling with fresh tree-filtered air, then surged fire forward. The tree was engulfed in dancing flames, but Kaze was no longer there.

Fox encircled her, making her hair and skirt billow as the air around him flew. Every time he passed in front of her, he said something.

"Illusion!"

"Take."

"Trent."

"Out."

"Illusion!"

"Dominick."

"And."

"One."

"Opponent."

"Down."

With another "Illusion" Kaze shot off from around her and jumped up high, making himself visible for a second before slamming down on Cameron. Kaze disappeared again, and Cameron struggled to get up from the earth.

Ferah understood, running past the enraged Cameron as he tried to flame the fox that was either shooting at him with a thick red laser or sending kicks into his lower back.

"Trent!" Ferah hollered, running forward.

He had had his back to her, admiring the Sword of Seals and practicing using both of the swords at the same time. He swung the swords around, making whizzing noises. "Ready?"

"Come on!" Roared Ferah, feeling Roy's juvenile recklessness overtaking her. She bent her knees, sliding her back foot away and putting up her blue-gloved fists.

"I amend your effort." Said Trent, turning around as he stopped the swords and let them reflect Cameron's fire. "But that's all you've got." A curl fell in his eyes as he dashed forward.

One of the swords, Ferah was not sure which, cut straight into her shoulder armor, slicing off a chunk. The other sliced parallel to her neck, way too close to her ears.

She fidgeting, stepping back a little, but made use of Roy's large boots as she narrowed her eyes and sent her foot into his stomach. He coughed up a little data onto her cheek and moved back. Ferah had little experience in martial arts, and wasn't paying attention when Trent sheathed what he thought was the Falchion and grabbed her foot, then flipped it over. She slammed into the dirt, and quickly rolled over.

"Flood!" A girl shrieked from far behind her, her call echoing through the park.

When she looked up, Trent had stopped moving. He was looking behind her at the deep abyss. Ferah could no longer hear the wind flowing through Kaze's fur at lightning speed, or Cameron's Flamethrower. All she could hear the rushing of pounding, sloshing water. On the floor, she tipped her head back. A large wave was heading their way, overshadowing everyone in its path.

"Amanda, you friggen idiot!" Yelled Cameron, voicing everyone's opinions, as the tree he had set aflame was instantly doused.

That was the last thing Ferah heard.

The wave of great blue water crashed over her. Ferah was able to catch a little breath, but the impact from the wave pushed her up and slammed her into the gate wall, making her lose most of it. Trent had been right in front of her, and she had smashed into him, her face planting into the circular sapphire on his cape.

The water sloshed around her, and the impact pushed the air out from her neck. She sputtered, taking in clean, cold water.

Ferah felt the water bubble around, then lessen, finally falling to past her head, so she could breath. The crowd on the Sapphire Team side had seemed to get wet too, and now were complaining loudly.

When Ferah fell forward, the water was about hip height. Trent, who had been flat against the wall, pushed off the metal gates, coughing deeply, tugging at the cape around his neck. Ferah hoisted herself onto her knees in a kneel, the water at her chin, as Trent rested on his knees.

Looking around, Ferah saw a lump of pale orange in the corner. Cameron was definitely out.

"Kaze!?" She asked, frightened, looking around in panic. Kaze, a mass of flat black fur, tried to strand. He looked up, breathing deeply.

The direction of the water scooted everyone out of the trees and towards them. Link's and Selena's pale carcasses floated in, followed by the blue fox. Their pale bodies got caught in bushes and behind trees, but Selena's body floated to the end of the gate near Kaze. He picked up her body and sat her upright, so she could see the match.

He swallowed deeply. "Are you okay?" He yelled over.

"Mmm fine." Mumbled Ferah, pulling the headband up. It had slipped over her eyes in the mayhem. She could hear Roy breathing hard too, rubbing his face.

Trent coughed water out from his lungs behind her as she folded her fingers into the metal rings of the fence and stood up. Her head drooped down, eyes closed as she rubbed them too, trying to get her contacts back into place.

When she reopened her eyes, she saw something gold and gleaming near Kaze.

"The sword!" Roy said, and dashed forward, scooping it up as water flew all around them.

As water ran down her cheeks and dripped off her chin, Ferah got up, holding the sword in front of her. The Falchion.

She looked behind her, at Trent, who had been watching her actions. He slid his sword out of the sheath, discovering it to be the Sword of the Seals. Ferah found that even in the hands of the enemy, it still held it's beautiful, glorious shine.

Roy felt proud of its exquisiteness as water droplets were shook off the hilt. "He won't be able to light it." Said Roy, finding it as a haven.

"I wasn't able to light it either!" Whined Ferah. She looked back at Kaze.

He shook his head back and forth quickly, like a dog. "Its just water." He said aloud, to Fox. He looked up at Ferah. "We'll take the source of that wave. I'm pretty sure it's the girl named Amanda." He said breathlessly, and took off into the woods, although he didn't have to go far.

Waiting for him was Amanda "Ruto", in the shape of a nearly-naked, fish-woman. She narrowed her yellow eyes. "Damn. I thought I got you all."

Kaze shook his head and rushed forward. "Illusion!"

Ferah heard him for a brief moment, but turned back to Trent. "So." She said.

"So what?" he asked, and put the sword in position.

"Oh, man..." Said Ferah, who had hoped they could peacefully switch the swords and continue fighting afterwards. Roy reluctantly moved the Falchion up and they bent into position.

The water had drained down to knee-height. It glistened and splashed loudly as Trent and Ferah ran towards each other. When they got into what they thought was still their range, they swung and slashed.

Trent had the Sealed Sword, which was shorter than the Falchion, having a blade that was the sharpest and more battle-designed to strike around the middle of the blade. He had misinterpreted his reach and missed Ferah by a few centimeters.

Ferah had the Falchion, which was longer and more potent at the point. But she wasn't standing out of range for either of the swords, and the blade hit his armor.

It made a vertical slash in his armor, cutting his cape. He backed out and Ferah followed, and then they moved in again. This time, Marth jumped up high, something neither Roy nor Ferah were prepared for. He crashed down on them, chopping through the other shoulder armor and into her shoulder.

Ferah yelled and tore away before it could be made lethal. She backed up for a rest, putting her free hand on the wound.

Suddenly, she heard Kaze yell angrily, and then a tree powerfully snapping. As it came down, it nearly knocked another tree. Both Trent and Ferah turned to see Kaze nearly out, before he shot Amanda in the chest with his laser, a final blow.

"Just you and me." Smiled Trent.

"Right." Said Ferah, not thinking at all. The audience was both very excited and quiet in anticipation.

The dove forward at each other, Trent jumping up again. This time, Roy made a barrel roll on the ground, ending up behind Trent. He had to shove Ferah's head underwater for a moment, something she was barely ready for, but it was worth it. Trying to blow water out of her nose and fight at the same time, she got up and brought her sword forward.

Trent whirled, his blue cape clogging Ferah's view. She yelled and ripped it away. She had held her sword at her right, the direction in which Trent had twirled, so their swords met before Trent was ready. However, he had the advantage now, and slid his sword away and tried to stab Ferah again.

Ferah swerved her hips to the left and almost slipped in the water, but made a horizontal arc, making a slash at the armor-free stomach of Trent.

He obviously felt pain but didn't let it deter him as he tried an upward arc over Ferah's head, for he was slightly taller, but she held the sword up to block it. It clinked, making magical, colorful sparks, like tiny fireworks. The audience cheered as the sparks fell into the water that reflected them so perfectly.

"Ugh!" Ferah tried again, using maneuvers Roy had used with Cecilia that morning. Her blade suddenly began to glow yellow as she swerved and maneuvered her feet. She grit her teeth. "What?" She said out-loud. Is the Falchion easier to use than the Sword of Seals?

"The Dancing Blade." Said Trent. Roy's sword in his hands began to glow as he performed stances and techniques that mirrored her own. He paused as he moved his foot back. "And here is your... Double-Edge Dance!"

The swords both glowed individual colors, going from green to yellow to blue to purple as they changed the angle. The blades clashed again, and more neon sparks emitted from them.

"Dancing Blade, Dancing Blade, Dancing Bladeeeee!" Ferah muttered, not knowing when to name the move. Each time a step of the dance was performed, or after a series of them were done? Ferah was relieved to see Trent actually begin to sweat. She smiled, her passion renewed.

She unlocked, and making her right arm straight and holding her left arm in front of her, made a huge, powerful strike at him. It slashed dangerously close to his neck. It tore the rest of the front of Marth's cape, so Trent threw it off with one hand and went forward again.

The cape floated gently and landed on the surface of the water as the two swords-users slipped and dove, clashed and slashed, glistening water flying up all around them.

Ferah breathed quickly, barely filling her lungs. She felt a cold coming on as the water soaked into the knee-high boots she wore. Trying to concentrate, she timed herself carefully, and in one great move, sent the sword straight towards Trent's stomach. He moved away, but only slightly, so it slid into his side.

Trent yelled out in pain, grabbing the deep cut as the blue blood drained out, joining the water at their feet and diluting. As he looked up, his anger turned into good-nature as his eyes came across the delicate fifteen-year old that was Ferah. He smiled, his eyes closing slyly.

"Like I said. Better than you think. But it remains... how good is that?"

"What makes you say that?" Ferah was quickly running out of energy, and she could feel that so was Roy. The two swords unlocked and the two of them stepped backwards, trying to gain breath and energy. They made less powerful slashes, knocking against chest and shoulder armor. They knew if they swooped to hit the legs, either the unarmored, thin pants of Trent or Ferah's bare thighs, they would be open to hit at their head or back.

"Haven't you noticed, you last a lot longer than the other girls? I have nothing against Selena or Mischa, but they are both very easily beaten. And power may be your forte, but you possess speed, and precision as well." He nodded, maybe to himself, maybe to Ferah.

"What about you?" She paused. "You're really good. But I never understood how being a smart gamer would make you a good fighter." She slammed her blade into the side of his face with the flat part of the sword, doing nearly nothing. "Damn!" She said, and switched her hands around the handle so it would be the edge next time.

Trent's eyes narrowed as he brought up the sword. "It's because... Marth and I... we can relate, we can trust each other, and we can understand each other. This game requires some athletic talent, I see this, but what it requires is a truly trusting and caring personality." With this he swooped forward, his sword leaving a great trail of color behind it.

Although he expected more of the tip of the blade, he was still able to send a deep cut the armor at her chest. As she pushed back, her armor cracked and broke off, dropping into the puddle at her feet. She tugged at her shirt, which had been cut below her clavicle. More of the light blood leaked out.

She rumpled the material of the shirt, holding the blood in a fist, looking down. Then she looked back at her sword, reflecting her rippling reflection in the water.

Trent continued. "I know the reason you didn't get along with Roy wasn't because you couldn't relate, it was because you don't trust him. Relation was Cassandra's problem." He held his sword like a French fencer, point pointed at Ferah and his left hand out behind him. "You trust him to fight along side you. You trust him to protect you. But the question remains, why won't you let him get to know you?" He demanded curiously.

"Because... because he's not real!" She said, almost laughing, even though she knew Roy could hear her. However, he was wordless. She rubbed her left hand on her face.

"AI. It's Artificial In-"

"That's just it! It's artificial! He's like, Capri Suns! He's like a doll!" It became clear to her that everyone could hear her, quieting down and whispering.

"He's like a plant. A pet. A friend. He learns, he grows, he thinks, and he trusts you." Trent put down his sword and took a step forward, holding out a compassionate hand.

"I don't want to care for him, and when this contest is over, just see him disappear! I don't want to... get attached." It was Van all over again. She had never gotten along with him until only a few years ago. When he finally began to get outside and do things with her, go see movies or go out for a walk, she always had so much fun with him. But when the school year started again, depression had suddenly overtaken him, and he forgot all about her, and about himself. "Everything just... disappeared... just like Roy will. Just like Van did."

Ferah suddenly opened her eyes, the pressure of everything making her cry a little. She didn't realize how much she cared for him, a computer program.

She held fingers to her lips.

"Ferah..." Roy said, reading her thoughts.

Suddenly, the audience got loud, their rambling and cheering becoming clear.

"They're... rooting for us." Said Ferah, softly, still not looking up.

"Just like the game." Said Trent. He stood upright, putting an arm into a fist, the other hand dragging the sword tip in the water. "And like the game... There must be a winner. Shall we finish this?"

"Yes. Of course." Said Ferah. With a soft, smooth willingness, she backed up, like Trent, so they each had their back against an opposing fence.

"Roooooooooooyy!" The audience chanted.

"Marth! Marth! Marth, Marth, Marth!" They roared, stomping their feet.

Ferah yelled loudly as she shot forward, dashing through the puddles, water fluttering all around her as her sword passionately glowed.

Trent was coming, doing the same thing. How he looked so glorious, even without his cape, water droplets shaking from his dark hair.

The two collided, dashing past each other with misestimate of speed. Both remained motionless with their back to each other.

Ferah breathed deeply, and each time she exhaled her head drooping lower, closer to the water. Suddenly, she collapsed, her face slamming against the earth. For a breathless moment, she saw her hand fall down after her, pale and lifeless.

The end bell sounded. "WINNER! THE SAPPHIRE TEAM!" The announcer yelled.

"Trrrrreeeennnnt! Marth! Trrrrrreeeeennnntttt! Marth!" The audience sung.

Ferah breathed and separated from Roy, their figure becoming solid. She rolled out of him, mud all over her black cheeks and her white skirt. On the ground, Roy flipped himself over, so the both of them were laid out, wet and staring at the blue sky.

Finally, her cheeks were no longer scorched, her ankles no longer strained, her shoulder no longer bleeding. Her breathing returned to normal, going at the same time as Roy's.

She tried to push herself up, but her hand slipped on Roy's cape and she put her head back down. She was too tired. Roy rolled his head over, his red curls dark and wet. He looked down, then back at her, with his dark blue eyes.

Trent separated and ran over quickly, holding out a hand for Ferah. She gratefully took it, though she felt embarrassed that she was so muddy, sweaty and wet in front of him, but it was the first time that day she cared.

Roy got up and came face to face with Marth. They held out their sword's hilts simultaneously and they each drew them from their incorrect sheaths and put them in their own. Roy nodded. "You're good." He said, to the both of them.

"Yes. Well met." Said Marth in Fire Emblem tradition.

"Good job, Ferah." Trent said as he placed his hand haughtily on her shoulder.

Ferah smiled shyly. "Yeah."

"Ferah!" Selena ran up to her, strangling her in a hug. The rest of the team joined her, and the Sapphire Team joined Marth. After their squabbling of complaining or bragging subsided, all the Players and Avatars stared back at their previous opponents in silence. Regardless of the Sapphire Team winning, they all acknowledged how close of a match it was.

"We all heard and saw what happened." Said Aaron. "Or tried to see. I was stuck behind a fucking tree." When someone was KO'd, they became motionless, but still could hear and see.

"You've improved a lot, Ferah." Said Kaze, taking a swig of his water. No one, even Kaze, seemed too disappointed by their loss. They received a lot of points, anyway. Amanda "Ruto" lost good points for attacking her own teammates. When she had complained about having no choice, Hirogawa had explained that there were tactics involved with the move Flood.

"Thangs. I'm jus sorry I couldn't go arond and help you geys." Ferah said through the pillow over her face.

"You 'ad orders, and you went through with them." Said Dominick, shrugging. "I wish I wasn't the first one down, though."

As Aaron began to explain in detail how awesome his bombs were, Ferah chucked the pillow across the couch and took her feet off, sliding into a sitting position. "I think I'm gonna go talk to Roy. Things got kind of... awkward today." She whispered to Ferah.

"I... know. Ferah, is there something you aren't telling me?" Selena inquired softly.

Ferah exhaled air through her nose, moving towards the bathroom to take a good shower. "Well, Trent is really hot." She proposed.

"Hell yah. But other than that." Selena said. She tipped her head back, resting them on top of the pillows of the couch, her flat, golden hair shimmering softly.

Ferah opened the door to the girls' room, Snow Fern running out. She swooped her up and into her arms. "I don't know. Let's just say I wish he couldn't read my mind. You're lucky your Avatar is a girl too."

Wearing fresh clothes, Ferah dropped down into Pharae. It was evening now, and she could see a lovely pastel sunset as the big sun dropped past the mountains. The wind blew softly, making her hair fly back from her face. Every time she came to Pharae, she never understood how real it could be.

She checked her red, flip cellphone. Dinner was in half an hour, so this had to be quick. Another apology, she suspected. She snuck past the corner of the castle wall and turned into the courtyard.

There, Roy was sitting on the stone bench amidst the flower patch, smiling and laughing, nearly blushing. Sitting next to him, the sweet and proper girl from before was next to him, wearing formal evening attire. Ferah felt that the dark forest behind them did not seem so foreboding in her presence. The two of them sat close to each other, and Roy had his hand on Lilina's delicate back.

"...and because he didn't know, he was about to..." He said, smiling, talking about Wolt. When he looked past Lilina's delicate cheek, the edges of his lips dropped just slightly. "Oh. Ferah." Roy said. He waved from behind Lilina. Lilina turned around.

Ferah made a quick dash behind the wall, but was sure Lilina had seen her. "It's alright. Mrs. Ferah, please come out." He said. He had begun using the title "Mrs." for Ferah when he heard her use "Mr." for Hirogawa and inquired.

Tiptoeing through the grass, Ferah came up to the two and curtsied before them, although she was wearing her denim jeans. "Um...hi." She tried.

"Oh, hello. Who is this, Roy?" Asked Lilina. She giggled and smiled, never afraid or shy with Roy beside her.

"This is my friend Ferah. She's a young swordswoman." He nodded. "And she's good, too."

"Oh, hello Ferah. I'm Lilina, of Ostia." She looked over Ferah's clothes, then at her face. "Really young. And good, huh? I'd love to see you and Roy spar sometime." Lilina had had her share of Roy's bragging, and she was rather gullible.

Ferah could feel Lilina's eyes bore into her, trying to find something out. Ferah suspected that Lilina wondered why such a young girl, especially Ferah, an obvious softy, would use a blade.

"Where did you say she was from? I haven't seen her before." Lilina turned back to Roy.

"She's from... here, actually. New. Wandered in a few weeks ago. With amnesia." His lie got longer as he sent a slight of eyes Ferah's way. "Rebecca uh... took pity on her and let her in."

"Even in times like this, Rebecca has always had such a nice soul." Said Lilina. "But that must mean... are you orphaned?" She asked, peering into Ferah's eyes with curiosity and compassion.

Ferah nodded, understanding that, it might be true. She had no parents, after all. She frowned. "I suppose so."

"I'm sorry..." Said Lilina, pushing back one of Ferah's bangs that had fallen forward in her curtsy. "Here, take a seat." She scooted to the left and patted the space of the bench in-between her and Roy.

Roy looked at her for a minute, frowning apologetically.

Ferah understood, a great sadness overtaking her. "Actually, I've got to go to bed. I have an early curfew." She lied, and felt a lump in her throat. "Good night. It was nice meeting you, Lady Lilina. Lord Roy." She nodded, then curtsied one more time, not knowing if it was redundant or not, and tore off around the castle.

Roy held out a hand and wanted to call back to her, but she was gone.

"She's very cute." Said Lilina, tipping her head to the side as she peered into the darkness into which Ferah ran.

"Yeah." Mumbled Roy mindlessly.

Around the corner, Ferah put her head against the cold stone, staring at the darkening sky. Glistening stars were slowly beginning to appear. She folded her chin onto her chest as she slid downward into a crouch. Closing her eyes, she pulled out fists of cold grass.

XXX

Wait. 20 pages. Is that the longest chapter yet? Jee-ful.

You know, I could make this a really good romance novel. But then the genre would be General/Action/Adventure/Romance, and I'm pretty sure you can't do that many. Of course, it will still have a small amount of romance regardless. Still, I'd like some feedback if you'd like some romance in the story. It's PG-13 anyway. I'd also like to hear what pairings you'd like. Don't expect me to do a lot of Shounen Ai, and I'm against Shoujo Ai entirely. I don't want to make this a Mary Sue, though. Anyway, be creative!

Special Thanx to my Editor XaNGrrR, Kuley, and VG-Junky.

- SK