Oh my, it has been a while since I last updated, hasn't it...I am terribly sorry peeps--I just got so caught up with schoolwork, that I didn't have any time for the story...

Anyway, I hope this chappie is up to par--and don't forget to review at the end!!! It will give me lotsa inspiration.

The Fourteenth Challenge

After a long and restful sleep, the members of Destiny's Ninjas awoke to a bright and wonderful sun. The day began with a ridiculously happy and joy filled atmosphere. Somewhere up above, the clouds were doing happy little dances.

"I feel so happy and joy filled that I'm gonna go climb a tree and try to communicate with passing carrier pigeons!" Sora said, and bounded off toward the nearest tree. Meanwhile, Zexion was nearly having a panic attack.

"My emo levels can't take much more of this happiness!" he exclaimed, checking a watch-like device on his wrist.

"What is with this swelling feeling of joy inside my chest?" Vexen asked in fascination, touching his hand to the spot where his heart would be if he had one.

"I feel like I can do anything…" Demyx said wondrously, eyeing a nearby 6,000 ft rock face and debating whether or not he should attempt to climb it.

"Dude, this feeling is so awesome! We should totally do this more often!" Xigbar said ecstatically.

"Yeah we…hey wait--" Riku snapped out of his happiness induced stupor and turned to look at the Nobodies. "You guys shouldn't be able to feel emotions like joy."

All of the present Nobodies blinked, then looked at Riku.

"You know…he's right." Demyx said finally. And abruptly, the happy and joy filled atmosphere was gone.

"Hey! Someone is coming!" Sora called from his perch. Everyone turned around just as none other than Ansem himself stepped out of the trees and onto the beach.

"Here you go." he said bluntly, handing a slip of paper to the confused Xigbar.

"What gives?" Xiggy asked (that is such a fun nickname, huh?).

"I ran out of creative ideas on how to give you the next challenge announcement." the man muttered. Then he turned around and walked back the way he came.

"Um…that was kind of weird." Demyx commented.

And so, with the enthusiasm and happinessness to rival the lollypop guild ("Ah! Not the happiness!" Zexion cried), they were on their way to the next challenge.

Upon arrival, they looked around the grounds in search of a clue for what their challenge might be, but to no avail. There was only an empty playing field and a basket of lint rollers.

"Do you think our challenge will have something to do with these?" Vexen asked dubiously.

"Oh, you silly old man." Imogene said, dropping quite mysteriously out of the sky. Today, the co-host was dressed in a red, pink, and white kimono and wearing some panda earrings.

"Oh em gee! I love your earrings!" Demyx exclaimed with a squeal.

Everyone, even Sora, stared at the Melodious Nocturne strangely.

Demyx seemed to realize what he had said. "That must have been Marluxia's spirit possessing me from beyond the grave!" he said, looking totally weirded out.

"Anywho, your earring fetish aside, Ansem will be here momentarily with the equipment required for this challenge." Imogene said with a bow.

Indeed, after the words were out of her mouth, Ansem appeared, lugging a heavy looking sack behind him.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Sora squealed in such a high octave, he could shatter the particles that make up glass. "It's a body! Ansem's a murderer and he's gonna kill us all!" The frantic Keyblade Master turned and began running away.

"Oh no you don't!" Imogene yelled, kicking off her shoe. It soared majestically through the air and conked Sora over the head. The boy sprawled out on the sand, dazed. Imogene made her way over to Sora and knelt down next to him.

"Does polly want a cracker?" she asked.

Sora looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Yes!"

"Here you go, then." The co-host pulled a little mind out of her pocket and handed it to Sora.

"Yay! Cracker!" he said happily, and skipped back to join the others once more.

Ansem cleared his throat. "Isn't it time we got this party started?"

"Yeah!" the group chorused.

--One crazy party later--

Ansem brought his microphone out and began to speak into it. "I guess it's time we started the chall--hey! Xigbar, you'd better not touch that lemonade stand one more time! And you three! Stop harassing that rabbit!" The man sighed. "Destiny help me."

--We interrupt this program to advertise the release of the Special Ultra Deluxe Ruby/Platinum/Gold/Granite/Plutonium/ Sapphire/Emerald/White Edition of Bambi--the original movie with an additional six scenes, including Bambi first trip to the Plains of Despair, Bambi meets a hobo, and Bambi questions the meaning of life! Buy it today or suffer Bambi's wrath! Now back to your regularly scheduled program--

The team had gotten over its party jitters and was listening intently to Ansem who had begun explaining the challenge.

"It will be a juggling contest the likes of which you have never seen!" he said with conviction.

"What?! But I don't even know how to juggle!" Riku and Vexen exclaimed simultaneously. (Yay for doing things in unison!)

"That's not our problem, sweeties." Imogene said with a shrug. Ansem pulled out the first of the juggling balls and handed it to Demyx.

"Ugh!" he grunted. "This thing is heavy!"

"Precisely. It is going to take tremendous strength in order to pull this challenge off." Ansem smirked.

Once the contestants had three balls each, Imogene blew the whistle that signaled the start of the challenge. Vexen stood there and made a feeble attempt to juggle, but only succeeded in dropping all three of the heavy balls on his right toe.

"Youch! My lucky toe!" he yelped, jumping up and down on his good leg to take the pressure off of his injured one.

"Vexen, you're out!" Ansem declared. The Chilly Academic grumbled as he sat down on the sidelines to watch.

"Hey! I think I've got the hang of this!" Riku exclaimed as he began to enthusiastically throw the balls higher and higher into the air. Then, quite suddenly, he was only juggling two. "Huh?" the silver haired teen looked up, but there was no ball in sight. "That's odd…" he mumbled.

"Riku is disqualified for loosing one of his balls!" Ansem shouted.

"Oh, darn it!" Riku said unhappily, and went to join Vexen.

Meanwhile, somewhere off the coast of Brazil, Riku's lost juggling ball was enjoying the sights on its all expense paid vacation…

Back on the island, Imogene had begun a running commentary on the challenge.

"And Demyx is having a seemingly easy time with this…There goes Zexion--just look at that determination he has! Sora looks like he's just gotten his groove thang on…Oh! That was a close call on Xigbar…Nice save by the Xig-man…Sora looks ecstatic that he's keeping up with his idol, Zexion."

"What about me!" Riku cried despairingly.

"It's okay… I'm sure Sora probably likes you just as much as he does Zexion." Vexen assured the teen, giving him a pat on the back and handing him a tissue.

"I think we need to liven things up!" Imogene said with a familiar spark of mischief in her eyes. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out extra balls and threw them to each of the contestants, so that they each had four.

"Ack! Nooooo!" Sora cried, as slow motion set in. The new addition had disrupted his pattern, scattering all four balls in every direction. Xigbar and Demyx were lucky enough to avoid the flying orbs (still in slow motion), but a certain Zexion wasn't so lucky. Two of Sora's juggling balls collided with two of his own and exploded on contact. Their smoking remains dropped to the ground as regular motion set back in. Zexion looked slightly dumbfounded as Ansem announced both his and Sora's departure from the competition.

"I'm so sorry Zexy! I really didn't mean for that to happen!" Sora was crying as they walked to the sidelines.

Zexion ignored him.

"Oh you're mad now, aren't you?! Don't be mad at me!" Sora whined, dropping to his knees and attempting the puppy dog eyes.

Zexion continued to ignore him. In a last, desperate attempt, Sora grabbed the man's leg.

"Let go of my leg." Zexion commanded.

"Accept my apology first!" Sora pouted.

"Why should I? If it weren't for your Kamikaze balls, I would have won that challenge." Zexion replied resentfully, and wrenched his leg out of Sora's grip.

"B-but no one can resist my adorableness! This just isn't possible!" Sora shrieked and exploded due to a short circuit.

"Dar she blows!" yelled a random man from a random ship out at sea.

Back at the challenge, Imogene continued her commentary. "It looks like the remaining two--Xigbar and Demyx--have adjusted to the new balls nicely…Oh, it looks like we might have a photo finish!"

"Give it up little dude! You can't beat my superior skills!" Xigbar taunted.

"Oh yeah? Well I think you're the one who is gonna loose to me!" Demyx countered (quite poorly if I might add).

"Not in a million years!" Xigbar yelled. All of a sudden, from the heavens, descended the ball that Riku had lost, back from its tour of the southern hemisphere. Down, down, it came, upon Xigbar's head.

"Ow!" The Nobody yelped, but didn't drop any of his balls. Seeing this, Riku's former ball got angry and bounced up once more to knock Xigbar on the top of the head again, this time, knocking him out.

"It looks like Demyx is the winnah!" Imogene announced.

"Alright! I knew taking those juggling classes would pay off someday!" Demyx cheered, jumping into the air.

Ansem put the immunity bottle cap necklace around Demyx's neck, then said slightly menacingly to the others, "We'll see you at Council Fire, where Destiny will decide which two of you will be the next to go…"

--Council Fire--

Ansem and Imogene were in a corner talking to Buddha knows what while the rest of Team Destiny's Ninjas waited in anticipation (minus Demyx, who was safe from the wrath of the trapdoor). The two hosts stood up.

"We have conferred with the almighty Destiny, and it has informed us that the next two to leave are…" Ansem paused for dramatic effect. "Xigbar and Vexen!"

"Dude, that's not cool." Xigbar said before he fell into the trapdoor.

"Oh, this isn't going to be fun." Vexen muttered as he too was swallowed by the trapdoor.

"You four are the only ones left." Imogene said, looking at Sora (who had rebooted after his little exploding episode), Zexion, Riku, and Demyx.

"May Destiny be with you." Ansem saluted them then handed them their prize of…

"Coupons for Red Lobster?!" Riku exclaimed in disbelief. "How are we going to use these?"

"By getting 50 off of your next meal--how else?" Imogene replied patronizingly.

"Frankly, they're more useful to burn." Zexion said drolly.

"Well that 'aint our problem." the girl said without a care.

"Till next time, peeps!" Ansem said as he popped out their sight, leaving behind a smell of fish.

REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!!!! Just kidding, but do review for me, please.