"Struggle Tournament?"
Xion repeated curiously. Roxas nodded.
"Yeah. They do it every summer."
"Have you ever competed?" Xion asked.
Roxas thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Can't say that I have. But, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. You should compete."
"I... I don't think I'm ready."
Roxas placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Xion to meet his gaze. His ocean orbs softened as he looked at her intently.
"Xion... I can help you, you know. Like I could train you."
"Really?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Roxas nodded, smiling.
"Course. That's what friends do."
"Friends? Are you saying... you're my friend?"
Roxas removed his hand from her shoulder and instead wrapped it around her, pulling the shorter girl closer to him.
"Duh." His tone was playful and light. Xion giggled in response.
"... Friends." She repeated, and found herself blushing a little as she met his lingering gaze again.
"Almost sunset. Let's go get our ice cream and meet Axel on the roof."
Xion nodded, and the two of them ran off to the nearest ice cream vendor.
xxxxx
"There you two are. Late as usual." Axel's older, deeper voice chimed as the two sat down, Roxas in the middle and Xion on the left.
"We're not late. You're just early." Roxas responded, biting into his sea salt ice cream.
Axel shrugged. "Maybe. But just what were you two doing? You usually don't take so long."
"Roxas was showing me the Struggle Tournament posters." Xion answered.
"Struggle Tournament? You mean the one that kid Seifer brags about winning every year?"
Roxas and Xion shrugged. Axel smiled, shaking his head.
"You thinking of competing?"
"Xion is." Roxas said softly. Axel turned to the two of them.
"Well... then Roxas and I will be cheering you on, of course!"
Roxas grinned, nodding in agreement. Xion smiled.
"Thank you... I'm very glad I have you both."
"Don't mention it..." Axel said sheepishly, taking a couple bites from his ice cream which was beginning to melt in his gloved hand.
xxxxxx
"Ready?" Roxas asked. Xion nodded.
The two began to run at each other in the garden just outside the Old Mansion, their hands swinging out into the air causing their keyblades to appear. Xion had the Kingdom Key while Roxas had the Oathkeeper and Oblivion blades in each hand. As their keyblades clanged together from impact, Xion said,
"Two keyblades...?"
Roxas smiled. "Pretty cool, huh?"
The blond jumped back, the two keyblades still steady in each hand. Xion began to sprint towards him, her grip on the Kingdom Key tightening the closer she got so she could strike as accurately as possible. Roxas crossed the two keyblades, blocking her attack effortlessly. As Xion struggled to push past the block he'd put up, he pushed back causing her to fall to the ground, the keyblade landing just a couple paces behind her. Roxas let his hands rest at his sides as his keyblades disappeared with a flash of light.
"You okay?"
Roxas walked over to her, extending a gloved hand. Xion nodded, grabbing his hand and smiling ever so slightly as he helped her up to her feet.
"Could you... teach me how to do that?"
"Do what?"
"Wield two keyblades... if I knew how to do that, I'd win for sure."
Roxas thought for a moment. "I don't think you can do that in the contest. Pretty sure it's against the rules. Unless..." He trailed off.
"Unless?" Xion repeated curiously.
"Unless you disarm your opponent and take their keyblade... er, I mean struggle bat. But you'll have to do it just before time runs out. Otherwise you may get disqualified."
"You sure about this?" Xion didn't seem convinced. Roxas grinned.
"When have I steered you wrong?"
Xion pondered the answer to herself for a moment. But she couldn't think of anything, so she shook her head.
"Can't think of a time honestly..."
"Exactly." Roxas confirmed, walking over to his side of the garden again.
"Ready for round two?"
Xion took a deep breath and nodded her head.
"We're gonna do something different this time... when you reach out for your keyblade... extend both hands. And think of someone who would help you in your time of need... if you ask, they will offer a helping hand."
Xion stared at him curiously. Roxas smiled.
"Just... trust me on this one."
The raven haired girl swallowed, biting her lip. She was uncertain but... she had to try, right? When he began to run toward her, his arms extended as beams of light appeared before his keyblades, she did the same, closing her eyes as she thought of the very two people in this world who she could truly count on. As she opened her eyes, she gasped as two keyblades lay steady in her palms. Her grip on their handles tightened as she got closer to Roxas and her arms swooped in an V formation as she struck left and right. Roxas was able to block one of her attacks, but the other caused him be knocked back a bit. As he lay in the grass, his own keyblades disappearing, she went to him without hesitation, leaning over his form in concern.
"Roxas! Are you hurt?"
Roxas' eyes opened, and he stared at her as she helped him sit up.
"Xion... you did it." He said softly.
"You learned the sync ability..." He motioned for her keyblades which she let fall when she'd sat on her knees by his side. Xion looked down at the keyblades, one black and white with a checkered pattern across the middle of the handle and four diamond shape across its blade, the other keyblade was red and grey, it's handle shaped like a certain friend's pair of chakrams.
Roxas...
Axel...
"... Thank you..." Xion was absolutely breathless as she stared at the two keyblades she'd managed to summon.
"For what?"
"For being such a good teacher." She giggled.
"You can thank me by winning this thing." Roxas' tone was playful, but Xion wanted more than anything to do that for him and for Axel.
xxxxxx
"You need anything before you go out there? Water? Sea salt ice cream? A sandwich maybe?" Axel offered.
Xion giggled, shaking her head. "Thank you, Axel... but I'm good for now."
Axel smiled. Roxas seemed to be glaring at someone as Xion peered over at him.
"What's gotten into you?"
"Just that jerk, Seifer... walks around like he owns the place."
"That's just how he is..." Axel cooed with a shrug.
"Well, just wait until he loses to Xion!"
"Don't put that kinda pressure on her. We're happy whether she wins or not, right?" Axel reminded. Roxas frowned.
"Course... Xion, you know I don't mean it like that... don't you?"
He grabbed her gloved hands with his. She smiled, nodding.
"Duh." She teased, winking at him. Roxas could feel his heartbeat begin to quicken in his chest as she did this.
"Alright, alright... we are here for our annual Struggle Tournament! Will our winner be our long term champion from years before or will a new challenger take home the belt along with our special prize? Stick around to find out!"
The people in the crowd, mostly teens out of school, cheered and clapped in anticipation.
"The rules are simple... the person with the most orbs of their opponent when the time is up goes on to the next contender." An older brunette continued speaking into the microphone.
"First up, we have a new contender... Xion... and a friendly face from around town... Hayner!" The announcer said excitedly
"You're up. Give 'em all you got." Axel nudged Xion gently.
"I will." Xion nodded.
"Make me proud, Xion!" Roxas added.
Xion couldn't help but giggle in response before going out to the middle of the Sand Lot. The announcer handed her and Hayner, a blond teenager with hazel eyes, a blue Struggle bat to wield. Xion gripped hers tightly, and when the lingering sound of a bell rang through the air, the blond began running towards her at full speed. Xion began to pick up speed as well, her grip becoming stronger on the bat's handle as he got more in range. She swung and so did he. Though she missed, he did not causing her to land on one knee. In the process, she lost blue orbs which Hayner eagerly collected for himself. She chewed her lip anxiously, standing again and whipping herself around to face him again. This time as she sprinted forward, she closed her eyes, thinking of the two people in the audience who were cheering her on, seemingly louder than anyone else in the crowd.
"Xion, that's our girl!" Axel chanted.
"You got this, Xion! Don't hold anything back!" Roxas' voice could be heard alongside Axel's in the crowd.
As she opened her eyes again, she swung as hard as she could at his hand, causing him to lose his grip on his struggle bat. It flew across the empty sand lot, and Xion jumped over to it before he could manage to run over. She swung the two struggle bats in an L formation, striking high with one and low with the other to ensure she'd land a successful hit. Both struggle bats struck him, causing the red orbs to spread across the empty street beside him as he recovered. Xion wasted no time in hurrying to collect the fruits of her labor, and prepared herself to deliver another couple of blows. Hayner looked angry, and as he stood back up, proceeding to run towards her despite not having a struggle bat anymore, Xion braced herself to prepare to block. As she tensed up, the same bell that had prompted them to start sounded again.
"Time's Up. Xion is our winner and will proceed to our next round!" The announcer's voice belted across the courtyard. Xion raised her hands up in triumph, as Hayner groaned.
"Thank you for a good match." Xion said, extending her hand. Hayner looked reluctant to take it, but nodded, taking her hand and shaking it courteously.
"You're... really good. Do me a favor and wipe the floor with Seifer, will ya?"
Xion looked stunned, but soon relaxed, smiling just a little. "I'll give it my all."
"Alright." Hayner said, withdrawing his hand from hers.
Xion began to walk over to her friends as Roxas and Axel eagerly met her halfway.
"Xion, that was amazing! Who taught you to disarm like that?"
"Roxas." Xion answered. Roxas scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Well, well... looks like you know a thing or two." Axel gently ruffled the blond's hair for a moment. Roxas chuckled as Axel withdrew his hand, and placed his hands on Xion's shoulders.
"Do you need anything before your next two rounds?" Axel asked. Xion thought for a moment.
"A sandwich would be great... "
"Alright... be right back!"
xxxxxxx
Xion's second round against Fujin, one of Seifer's buddies who said "ya know" at the end of every sentence he uttered, was tough, but Xion prevailed. Just as she thought she may lose to him, she disarmed him and used his and her struggle bat to extract enough red orbs to declare her the winner.
"It's not fair, ya know?" Fujin moaned.
"She got more orbs of yours than you have of hers. Those are the rules." The announcer reminded him.
Xion grinned from ear to ear as the guy told the watching patrons that she would facing off in a final round against the long term winning champion, Seifer. As the tough looking blond came out to face her, she felt a bit unnerved. But as Roxas and Axel's encouraging voices filled her ears again, she felt at ease.
"This is the last one, Xion! You're gonna kill it, I know it!" Axel shouted.
"Come on, Xion! Get Seifer outta here!" Roxas yelled.
Seifer didn't look too pleased about these remarks, and proceeded to crouch, clutching the struggle bat in his hands firmly. Xion did the same, taking a deep breath before the bell for them to begin was sounded. As he ran toward her, she could feel the determination in his eyes, which were fixated completely and only on her. She swung but missed while he struck her in the side, causing her to lose blue orbs. He ran to collect them as she caught her breath and stood again. As she turned to face him, she sprinted at him from the side, this time aiming lower so she would sweep him off his feet. Seifer didn't expect this, so she was successful in knocking him down. She collected her opponent's red orbs, which were in abundance due to how hard she'd hit him as he groaned and seemed to be getting back up. She stopped for a moment to breathe, and as she linked eyes with him again she noticed he was back on his feet looking even more intent on beating her. She quickly gained speed and as she prepared to disarm him as she had in the previous rounds, Seifer blocked her strike and then swung his struggle bat into her shoulder then her leg. She gasped in surprise as she fell to her knees and lost too many blue orbs to count. As she stood back up, the bell rang, and the announcer began to say,
"There you have it, folks! Looks like Xion put up a good fight, but our long term competitor here in Twilight Town has done it again! May we present the Struggle Tournament belt and our special prize that we mentioned before... an all paid dinner at the Bistro! That includes a dessert and appetizer, of course."
Seifer happily walked up to the man announcing his obvious victory to accept his prizes. Xion stood still, seemingly processing everything.
"I... I lost... " Xion murmured.
Roxas and Axel ran to her.
"Xion! You did great! You were soo close." Roxas said.
"Yeah, had you had more time you woulda beat him no question." Axel added.
"You guys don't have to lie... to make me feel better..." Xion hung her head low.
"What are you talking about?" The redhead inquired.
She shook her head, her bangs covering her eyes. Her shoulders shook as she began to cry softly, and just as the two of them were going to say something, Xion turned on her heel and ran out of the Sand Lot.
"Xion!" Axel and Roxas called out in unison.
xxxxxx
"Xion?" Roxas called out as he searched the town. He eventually found himself in an alley that showed black and white movies. There wasn't a movie playing right now, and the only person present was the girl he'd been searching for.
"Xion." He walked over to her, sitting at her side on one of the benches.
"I'm sorry, Roxas..."
"Sorry? For what?"
"For... disappointing you."
"Wha... Xion, you could never disappoint me."
Xion shook her head. "You spent days teaching me... how to fight with two keyblades... and what did I do? I got all the way to the end... just to... lose..."
Xion began to cry again, tears streaming down her pale face and rolling off her cheeks. Roxas stared at her, frowning as he realized just how hard she was taking this.
"Xion... I taught you because I wanted to... plain and simple. Winning would've been cool, but... Axel and I didn't care about that. We were there to support you... win or lose, you'll always have us."
Xion turned to him, and Roxas reached out, cupping her cheek gently as he began to wipe some of her tears away.
"So please... don't cry... "
Xion smiled just a little.
"That's what I like to see... "
Xion looked puzzled. Roxas scratched the back of his head nervously as his cheeks began to turn red.
"Your smile, I mean..."
Xion giggled. "That's so sweet..."
She leaned in closer, planting a delicate kiss against his cheek. Roxas tensed up against her initially, but as she pulled away and he met her gaze, he was left with this goofy grin on his face.
"What was that for?" Roxas asked. Xion giggled again.
"Well... I guess I was too shy to do... this..."
Before the blond could ask what she meant, she leaned in again, this time closing the gap between their faces. Her lips were soft and warm and her hair was silky as he took strands of it between his gloved fingertips caressing the back of her head. When she pulled away, she was blushing just as hard as he was, and the both of them were utterly breathless. They sat in silence, but soon, their hands naturally found each other's, their fingers lacing together comfortably.
"Xion! Roxas! There you two are." Axel's voice chimed as he stood in the alleyway. Roxas and Xion smiled at each other, releasing the other's hand from their grasp. He walked over to the two, and the first thing he did was sit down and hug Xion.
"Xion... look... I know you didn't win today, but I am so proud of you. And I'm not just saying that... I mean it"
As Axel pulled away from the embrace, he smiled, and so did Xion.
"Thank you, Axel... and Roxas... I don't know what I'd do without you two."
"There's no need to worry about that." Roxas said. Axel nodded in agreement.
"Yup, 'cause you couldn't get rid of us... even if you wanted to."
Xion chuckled.
"Oh! Before I forget... Xion, I am treating you to dinner at the bistro. You may not have won the struggle tournament, but you worked hard and deserve a nice meal more than that selfish Seifer."
Roxas laughed. "You can say that again!"
"R-Really?"
Axel nodded. "Yup. Soo... you guys ready to eat 'till we can't no more?"
"Mhmm." Xion cooed.
"When are we not?" Roxas added.
"That's what I like to hear!" Axel wrapped his arms around the two as they stood and the three of them headed to the bistro to celebrate.