This will be the last update for a while, because I'll be at camp for a week with no computers. Sorry. I'll probably hand-write though, so you can look forward to multiple updates when I get back… oh boy!

Bruixe doesn't get to fight much… let's see how strong she really is, eh? Grr… I hate writing fight scenes… but I kinda needed it here. Enjoy.

"What's this about?" Bruixe asked as she entered the hall. Axel, Roxas, and Demyx were already there, waiting for her. Her head was feeling sort of stuffy after last night's party, and she imagined the guys were feeling the same.

"Tradition," Axel told her. "Not much to do around this place, you know that."

"Dibs on first," Demyx called.

"Fine," Axel told him. Demyx lifted a hand above his head, and water rose from the ground, forming a blue sitar in his hand, which he spun into place. Smirking, he pointed at Bruixe.

"Can you keep to the beat?" he asked smugly.

Now Bruixe understood. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, summoning her short swords, and stepped back into an easy fighting stance. "May I have this dance?"

She launched herself at him, blades singing through the air, but he danced away, fingering patterns on his sitar. Globes of water surrounded her, and she ignored them – a mistake. When they hit her, they had none of the softness of normal water; they were heavy and painful. "Shit," she cursed, and Demyx said something she couldn't hear.

It was frustrating. He was almost as fast as she was, just fast enough to keep out of reach, and attacked from a distance with magic. Fine, she thought. If that's how it is…

Bruixe flung her hand out and threw one kodachi; it flew past Demyx's head, missing him by inches. As he turned to look – idiot, Bruixe thought – she ran at him, the distraction provide the extra second she needed to actually make contact. She batted his arm away from the neck of the sitar, battering him with fists and feet.

"Water!" Demyx yelled, but Bruixe refused to break her hold – finally she got around behind him and seized one arm, pulling it behind his back. Her left hand brought her second sword up to his neck.

"She got you, Waterboy," Axel called, and Roxas cheered.

"I could have danced all night," she murmured.

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Demyx, and she let him go. Axel stepped up to take his place.

"My turn," he said cockily as Bruixe retrieved her thrown kodachi. When she faced him again, he was clutching red-and-white wheel-like weapons in his hand.

"Chakrams," he said in response to her raised eyebrow. "Like Xena: Warrior Princess."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bruixe told him.

He feigned shock. "You don't know Xena?"

Bruixe ignored this, sizing him up. The weapons were large, but evidently designed for throwing, judging by the way he spun them around. But she was willing to bet they weren't very good for fights in close; if she could break past his guard and get within arms' reach, she just might have him.

No sooner had she thought this than one chakram was flying towards her head, and she ducked hastily out of the way. She hadn't been expecting the second blow, though; it flew back towards Axel, clipping her on the shoulder.

Great, she thought. They come back.

She gritted her teeth as Axel threw them at her with ever increasing speed; she was forced to duck and roll away, always keeping on the defensive. Axel kept low to the floor, circling away, using the range of the weapons to keep her away.

Bruixe had had enough. She stood up and ran flat out at him, batting away one chakram but missing the other, which grazed past her side. Axel tried to move away, but he wasn't as fast as Demyx had been, and she was already on him. The force of her tackle knocked him to the ground; behind her she heard the chakrams clatter to the floor with no one to catch them.

"Knew you couldn't get enough of me, babe," Axel joked.

It was a mistake.

Bruixe pummeled him, fists and feet and elbows and knees, infuriated. He tried to shove her off but she was fueled by anger. "Enough, enough, I take it back!" he yelled eventually. "You win!"

She backed off of him grudgingly, allowing him to stand, rubbing his arms. "Geez," he complained.

"You asked for it," she spat.

"Yeah, you kinda did," Roxas agreed. "Up for one more?" he asked her.

She shrugged, brushing floor dust off her sleeves. "If you promise I'll get to beat up Axel later," she muttered.

Roxas laughed. "Promise," he said. He held out his hands and summoned Keyblades.

"What?" she gasped.

"They're called Keyblades," Roxas told her.

"I know that," she replied. "How… how did you…"

Roxas frowned. "Actually, I don't really know. Are you gonna fight me or not?"

Bruixe blinked, but settled into a fighting position.

"Kick her ass, dude," Axel called out.

Demyx whistled. "Come on, Bruixe!"

Roxas fought at close range, unlike Axel and Demyx, and proved it by charging Bruixe, Keyblades flying. She mangaed to block his strikes, arms jarring with the impact. He's strong! Bruixe realized. You wouldn't think it from his size…

She tried to duck away, but Roxas was ready for it, knocking her to the ground with a well-placed slash to her abdomen. Determined not to lose lying down, she rolled to her feet, using the momentum to knock one of his Keyblades out of his hand. Roxas used the other to knock her away again, battering her legs and sides. She couldn't block them all; finally she slipped, falling to her knees, and Roxas leveled the Keyblade at her throat.

"Damn," she cursed, and Axel whooped.

"It was a good fight," Roxas told her, helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, except I lost," she replied.

"I'd already watched you fight twice," he pointed out. "I pretty much knew you're style. Besides, no one's better than me."

She faked a punch at his head, which he dodged, laughing.

"Loser buys the ice cream," Axel told her.

She shoved him. "Guess that means you're paying up."

He shrugged. "Guess you're right."