The Struggles

RESTORATION AT 80% COMPLETE

The other guy's long hair shone silver under the moonlight. It glinted like the waves rolling in the distance. He turned to Sora.

Far off in the sky there was a shooting star.

Sora pointed. 'Did you see that, Riku?'

'Yeah,' he replied softly.

There was a strong connection between them. I could tell they were friends. In fact, Sora's feelings were so strong I wondered whether they were something more.

'What I said back there, about thinking I was better at stuff than you,' Riku said. He stretched out his long, tanned arms. 'To tell you the truth, Sora. I was jealous of you.'

Sora drew lines in the sand with the heel of his sneaker. 'What for?'

Riku contemplated the shore a while. The waves rolled over in the darkness. 'I wished I could live life the way you do...just following your heart.'

Sora took it in his stride. He put his hands behind his head. 'Yeah, well I've got my share of problems too.'

'Like what?'

'Like...wanting to be like you.'

Riku seemed to think on this. 'Well, there is one advantage to being me. Something you can never imitate.'

Sora looked to him attentively. 'What's that?'

'Having you for a friend.'

Sora put an arm round him. 'Then I guess I'm okay the way I am. I've got something you could never imitate too.'

And they watched the waves together, side-by-side, long into the night.

My mind felt foggy. It was such a vivid dream. At least it felt like a dream. Was it a dream or was it a vision?

It's destiny.

Who said that?

I did.

Oh. It's you. The boy called Sora. Why do I keep dreaming about you?

We're connected.

Connected? How are we connected?

Are you someplace you can call home?

Yeah...I guess so.

I'm a long way from home. A long way. But I think we're connected so you can help me.

Help you? But how?

I don't know, Roxas. But you'll find a way.

I guess I'll try. No promises though. I'm not in the habit of doing things strange people ask me in my dreams.

It's cool. And Roxas?

Yeah?

Thank you.

I clopped Hayner on the side with the foam bat. 'Hey, Hayner. Do you ever dream about other people?'

We were sparring in the back streets, getting our practise in for the struggles. He blocked my next strike with his own blue bat. 'Yeah sometimes. Why?'

'I keep dreaming about this boy. I hear his thoughts and it's so vivid sometimes I feel like he's inside me.'

Hayner set down his weapon and raised an eyebrow. 'Like in a sexual way?'

'Eww no! I mean in a...spiritual way.' I used his distraction to land a hit on him.

'Ow!' He rubbed his shoulder. 'Roxas. I think you got a screw loose.'

I lowered my own bat. 'Well, we knew that.'

'I don't care if you're crazy. Are you ready to beat Seifer's gang and become champion of the struggles?

I lifted my bat high. 'Hell yeah!'

A hand caught my shoulder as I pushed through the crowd that had gathered round the square.

'Hey short stuff.' Axel had somehow blended in despite being tall, red-haired and in a trench-coat.

I was gonna say something snarky but his smile was disarming.

'Good luck today. You'll knock 'em dead.' He winked at me.

I found myself smiling back. 'Thanks.' I said.

He pulled me into a hug and he clapped a hand on my back. I held him tight against me.

A crowd of spectators had gathered around the square. Our gang was pressed up at the sidelines to cheer me and Hayner on.

Each contender was given a foam bat, which was blue with a yellow handle. They looked harmless enough but they could sting in the right hands. We each wore a belt with five coloured orbs loosely attached. All you had to do was knock off all your opponent's orbs and you were the winner.

My first fight was with Rai. Everything about Rai was decisive and to the point. Even his short brown hair and the determined frown on his face.

The referee raised a hand. 'Ready. Set. Go!'

Rai's chest and arm muscles were comically inflated from too many gym sessions. He was certainly stronger than me, but did he have the technique?

'You look like a big ape, you know that,' I taunted him.

He shifted his weight between his feet as he sized me me up.

I ran around him. 'How long did you spend preening at the gym to get that big?'

He struck at me with his bat. 'I thought the gays like big muscles.'

I deflected him with my own bat. 'Ape-like and homophobic. You've got a lot going for you, man.'

'Hey, no fair. I never said I was 'phobic.' He struck at me again but missed.

I took the opportunity to strike at his belt. Two orbs pinged off. 'You didn't hesitate to rough me up some in the forest with your gang.'

His bat caught an orb at my side and it came off too. 'I was following orders and it was because you dropped litter.'

'Yeah, right!' I parried and tried to get around him.

'I don't have a grudge against ya, Roxas. I just want a fair fight, yaknow.'

I nodded curtly. 'All right then. Bring it.'

Rai's size and strength was impressive but he was a big target. He had a habit of leaving himself open.

I let him come at me, feinted to throw him off, and then sidestepped, allowing him to pass by, before batting off all but one of his orbs. 'Nearly got ya!' I taunted him.

'You play different to Seifer. This has been a good one.' He struck at me but I stepped back and used the momentum to get a swing at his belt. The final orb wiggled and broke free. The crowd cheered as it hit the floor.

'Nice work,' Pence said as we stood against the rope.

Olette fistbumped me and we watched Hayner's first fight from the sidelines. Fuu was swift but her technique was sloppy. Hayner stood up well, no doubt thanks to our sparring and him learning a lot off me. Hayner had been determined to get as good as me. He kept asking me to explain everything I was doing and it was funny because once the bat was in my hands it just sort of came naturally to me, like that time I fought the dusks alongside Axel.

Hayner was declared winner and it wasn't long before half the entrants had been eliminated. We were both through to the semi-finals. I smirked when I saw the leaderboard and who my next contender was. It was going to be interesting.

Seifer wore a half-shirt that revealed a lean stomach. His open jacket flapped about him as he darted around the field. In contrast to Rai who stood steady and chose his moment to strike, Seifer was ever-moving, keeping me guessing about where he was going and when he was going to pounce.

I mirrored his style as best I could, keeping my distance but still hanging close enough by to get two steps in and strike.

'Go on, Roxas!' Hayner shouted from the crowd.

His voice cut across my concentration. Seifer flew past me and took and orb with him.

He smirked at me. 'Your boyfriend wants you to win.'

I kept back and tried to forget about my lost orb. 'He wants to show up your gang!'

'We're not a gang. We bring justice.'

'By beating random people up?' I asked. I got in close and struck an orb off him too.

Seifer gritted his teeth. He jumped back. 'We don't beat up random people.'

Our eyes met. 'You know full well you beat me up in the forest because I'm a faggot.' I used that horrible word. I claimed it for my own.

'Yeah, so?' he passed his bat between his hands. 'How else are we going to teach a little discipline? How else are ya gonna learn?'

'I'm plenty disciplined.' I said as I feinted, watched him flinch and then took a strike. Seifer lost his second orb. 'I've got nothing to learn, Seifer. I know there's nothing wrong with the way I am.'

'It's not right.' He came at me hard and pushed me to the edge of the ring. He tried to get at my belt but I blocked him with my own bat.

'Suppose you didn't pick on someone so tough,' I said as I pushed back and our bats locked together. My arm stung and sweat ran down my forehead. 'Suppose you picked on some other kid who went and did something stupid because of how worthless you made him feel.'

I pushed him off and got back towards the center of the ring.

Seifer eyed me silently.

I raised my voice. 'How can you know what's right?'

He flinched. 'I don't. I just do my best and follow my heart.' Suddenly he rushed at me.

'Me…me too, Seifer.' I faltered a second and he got in a strike on my belt. Now we both had three orbs left. I recovered quickly and backed up.

'So we're both following our hearts,' Seifer said. 'And it's three-all. If your will is stronger than mine, we'll see who's right, won't we?'

'What a messed up way of looking at the world,' I retorted.

I circled him, hoping to get a hit in again, but he beat me to it, whirling at me with his blade. I saw the bat's edge rebounding off my belt as my third orb bounced to the ground.

Seifer adjusted his beanie cap as if it had been no effort. 'I don't see how else you can look at the world, Roxas. You gotta do what you gotta do.'

'That's no reason to be horrible to me!' I replied.

'Maybe. Tell you what, if you win, you'll get an apology from me.'

'Whatever,' I said.

'I mean it,' he replied. His boots clomped along the ground as he ran at me.

I knew Seifer was wrong and I had to show him. I ran at him and instead of meeting his outstretched bat I ducked and skidded past him, turned and swiped at his back. I felt it connect once, twice and Seifer had just one orb left.

I had to recover quickly, because I was vulnerable on the ground.

Seifer turned and eyed me. Blond strands of fringe poked out of his beanie. 'You are nimble, aren't you? You'd make a strong ally.'

'Shut it,' I said. 'I don't want to be your ally.'

Seifer darted around the arena. I couldn't tell which way he was going, but I upped my own pace, trying to pre-empt where he was going without leaving myself cornered.

I misread a turn and suddenly Seifer was on top of me. I saw his bat swing toward me and it crashed against my waist. I lost another orb. I reacted without thinking, smashing my bat against him back-handed. It felt rushed and all wrong, but as I looked up I saw Seifer's last orb fall and his belt was empty.

'The winner is Roxas!' the referee declared.

Seifer took my hand and lifted it up as we faced the crowd.

Everyone cheered. My pals were chanting from the sidelines 'Roxas, Roxas, Roxas!'

Seifer caught the eyes of Hayner, Pence and Olette before turning to me. He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. 'Roxas, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. You showed me today you are true and honorable of heart. As of today I'd like to propose a truce between our gangs so that maybe we can work together.'

Hayner's voice rang out. 'No way. Screw you!'

I ignored Hayner. I shook his hand. 'We'll think on it.'

Vivi made for an interesting contender against Hayner because he was so short he had to use his superior agility to outmaneuver him. I was rooting for Hayner of course, fully aware however, that if Hayner won we would be up against each other in the finals. I could see Hayner doing some of the moves I had taught him. He was feinting to try and trick Vivi into blocking, then moving and striking unexpectedly. Vivi had a few surprises too, like being able to leap across the arena or somersault out the way, but it wasn't enough to stop Hayner's resolve. Hayner cheered for himself when he got the last orb off Vivi's belt.

He came off the ring, head held high, looking all smug. 'We did it, guys!'

Pence clapped him on the back. 'You rocked.'

'Well done, Hayner!' I took hold of his hand. Some heads turned, but I didn't care. I was proud of him.

Hayner's cheeks went a little red.

'Now you're both through to the final,' said Olette, 'I wonder which one of you will receive my kiss?'