Author's Note: Hello again! I'm so happy I managed to get another chapter done in a reasonable amount of time. I'd like to think everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or alerted so far. I love nothing better than feedback on a new story. Hopefully I'll be able to manage some sort of update schedule if I can get school under control... Also, I must warn you... A certain redheaded someone is prone to bouts of uncontrolable corniness and/or sexiness.. I am not to be blamed for any laughing and/or fangirling related injuries. That is all.

Chapter Two: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

~::~

As he soared through the air, flipping and twisting expertly, Roxas allowed himself a small smile. He'd hit the board in just the right spot this time. His feet slapped down against the mat at the end of the landing pad and he threw his arms above his head. It was a perfect landing. He grinned as the judges clapped for him and proceeded to write down their scores.

Panting slightly, the blonde hurried over to where Rikku was standing by their team's bench and took the bottle of water she held out to him. "You were great!" she chirped.

"Thanks," he gasped after chugging half the water. "It went better than I expected."

"It was totally-… Oh my gosh!" She abruptly cut off and squealed happily when she glanced over Roxas's shoulder.

"Ouch, Rikku, what was that for?" Roxas wiggled a finger in his ear. "Good grief."

"Over there! It's… it's… Oh my gosh, I can't wait until Yunie and Olette come back for a break! They'll totally die of happiness!" The over-enthusiastic blonde was babbling like a brook. "I can't believe I'm seeing this! But why-"

"Rikku."

"-are they here in the first place? I didn't know they liked this kind of-"

"Rikku."

"-thing at all! I wonder if I can talk to them-"

"Rikku!"

The green-eyed girl blinked. "What?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Roxas demanded.

"Behind you, in the stands… My three favorite actors, like, ever are sitting in one of the special boxes reserved for… well, special people," Rikku pointed upwards, and Roxas followed her gesture to see several people seated in the area she had mentioned. He guessed that the younger-looking ones, a blonde, a redhead, and a boy with what seemed to be silver hair, were the actors Rikku was talking about. "I'm totally in love with the silver-haired guy, but it's kinda weird because his name is Riku too, but it only has one K in it."

"Yeah… That's really weird," Roxas began edging away from her, noticing the glazed-over look of total adoration in her eyes. "Um… I need to go do some stretches before my next event. Bye." The blonde boy hurried away, glad to be free of the obsessive Rikku. On his way towards the stretching area, a foot stuck out in front of him without warning and he fell forwards, barely managing to roll and stand up again.

"Better watch where you're going, lamer."

Roxas gritted his teeth and kept walking. Damn that Seifer.

"Hey, chicken wuss, I'm talking to you!" The blonde boy turned to face his adversary, doing his best to look calm. "That's better. I hope your pathetic excuse for a team at least tries to give us some competition. I hate being bored almost as much as I hate your lousy guts."

"I think your pantyhose are on too tight, Seify," Roxas taunted. "Be careful you don't cut off the circulation to your brain."

The blonde boy began walking away again, giving the other boy five seconds to figure out what he meant. "Hey! You're gonna get it!"

"No bad-mouthing the other guys, y'know?" one of Seifer's teammates, a very tall, muscular boy said. "We could get docked points."

Another one of the Stars, a lithe girl with cold eyes and blue hair, nodded. "Peace."

"Oh, have it your way," Seifer grumbled.

Roxas smiled to himself as he went and sat down on the stretch mat, glad to be away from the hot-headed boy. He did several backbends to loosen the nervous tension in his muscles and then stood and did a few simple exercises to prepare himself for his next event, which thankfully wasn't for a few minutes, so he could catch his breath. He watched from afar as Olette took her turn on the vault, flying gracefully through the air to land without so much as a tremble in her body. Yuna was on the parallel bars, twisting her way between them in a serious of fast hand motions that Roxas could barely follow. Wakka was on the pommel horse, showing of his powerful arms, and Tidus watched with a hint of envy, waiting for his turn. Selphie was on a break as well, and came to join Roxas as he watched.

"They're all great," she said with a small smile. "I hope the judges can see how hard we've worked to get this good. It seems so effortless, but so many hours of hard training went into it all…"

Roxas blinked, wondering if she'd eaten something funny. Selphie was not known for her sentimental side. If anything, she was the one who was always just a little too blunt and a little too clueless. Still, he agreed. "Yeah. I hope they do, too."

Finally, it was Roxas's turn to take on the high bar, the one event he was sure he'd nail because of the hours he'd spent on the bar back at the gym, just hanging there to strengthen his arms. After the judges took his name, one of the assistants helped him jump up and cling to the bar.

Adjusting his grip slightly, Roxas began swinging his legs back and forth, testing the bar he was hanging onto. Then, he began swinging himself higher and higher until he picked up enough momentum to circle the bar, air whizzing past him. He swung around a few times, switching handholds, before doing a handstand on the very top of the bar and changing directions. Without warning, one of his hands slipped of the bar, when he was in the middle of a rotation, causing his heart to skip a beat. He launched himself into the air at the arc of the circle and came back down with both hands planted firmly on the cold metal. After he righted himself, he saw the actors and the other people with them that Rikku pointed out staring at him in open-mouthed astonishment. Two of the older men were whispering to each other, seeming very excited. Roxas dismissed this and continued his routine, doing several more launches straight up into the air and a few more directional changes until, with a huge leap and several twists through the air, he landed feet-first on the mat and threw his hands up.

The judges were almost as astounded as the group in the box, staring at the blonde boy for a moment before hastily writing down the scores he had received. Hiding a smile, Roxas went back over to the Sunsets' bench and sat down, letting his pounding heart slow down. He had been terrified that he was going to fall from the bar and lose every single point the judges might have given him, although he was good enough at hiding it. It had only been a fluke, a lucky accident, that he had managed to fling himself up and come back down right on target. He hoped things would go better in the floor performance later.

Eventually, after the morning events were all completed and the scores were calculated, the gymnasts and the audience got to have a short break for lunch. Roxas led his team towards the group he recognized as their friends and family standing in the center of the huge cafeteria.

"Roxas, that was amazing!" Sora pounced on Roxas but instantly recoiled. "Eurgh, you're all wet!"

"It's called sweating, dear brother," Roxas deadpanned. "You should try it sometime."

Sora stuck out his tongue at him and then proceeded to greet the rest of the team, now wary of how sweaty they all were. After this, they picked a couple of tables near the windows and left a couple people there to claim them while the rest got their food. As soon as everyone was present, they broke into several different conversations.

The group consisted of Wakka's girlfriend Lulu and his younger brother Chappu, Tidus's uncle Auron, Yuna and Rikku's friend Paine, Olette's cousin Pence and boyfriend Hayner, as well as Sora and his and Roxas's parents. All of them had known each other for quite a while, having lived in the same schooling zone for several years.

Roxas, not really listening to Rikku babbling about the actors from earlier to Yuna, glanced around at the large room to see who else was there. He recognized few faces aside from Seifer and his cronies sitting with the rest of their team and a handful of other gymnasts.

"Um, hey, I'll be right back," Sora said suddenly, bringing his brother back to reality. "I've gotta go to the, uh, bathroom." The brunette stood and hurried out of the room without another word.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "He probably doesn't even know where it is. I'll go help him." He got up and followed his brother, barely managing to keep in sight amongst the crowds of people flooding into the cafeteria. However, Sora not only went in the opposite direction from his apparent destination, but he seemed to be looking for someone, periodically stopping to check the occupants of the hallway. Eventually, the crowd began thinning out, and soon the only people in the hallway were Roxas, Sora, and a few people going the opposite direction.

"Sora?" Roxas shot behind the corner of a hallway as a head poked out of a door down the hall. "Is that you?" He didn't recognize the voice.

"Riku!" Roxas heard his brother exclaim. He peeked around the corner to see his brother and the silver-haired actor from before standing in he middle of the hall kissing passionately - wait, kissing? When did that happen? "I'm so glad to see you again! It's been way too boring without you around."

The silverette grinned. "I can imagine. So, I saw your brother performing earlier… His skills are really quite impressive. I think Ven - and the casting director - are going to be extremely happy if they look as alike as you said they do."

"I promise, spitting image!" Sora assured him. "It's like they're long-lost twins, or something."

"Well, that's good. If he gets accepted, you'll be just a few miles away from him. We all might even end up living together," Riku said with a smile.

"All of us, as in…"

"Yes, that includes Axel, unfortunately," Riku replied.

"Well, shit. Um… Okay. So, do you want to go and meet my family and friends now, while you get to be away from your little entourage?" Sora asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Riku nodded, grinning again. "I would love too. Still think your brother's gonna flip his shit, like you said he would?"

Sora shrugged and took his hand. "Who knows. That guy is unpredictable."

Roxas tried to turn around and make a break for it so the pair wouldn't see him as they walked by, but his bare feet slipped on the linoleum and he went sprawling on his back right at their feet. He stared up at them from the ground, his cheeks flushed. "Oops."

"Roxas!" Sora squeaked in terror, hiding behind Riku. "Oh my gosh, don't kill me, please!"

Riku helped the blonde boy up and Roxas cocked an eyebrow. "Sora, why the hell would I want to kill you? I would go to jail for murder."

Sora's blue eyes peeked at him from over Riku's shoulder. "This is my boyfriend Riku. We met at the beginning of college last year. He's a year ahead of me."

Roxas's jaw hit the floor. His brother wasn't gay. No way. "Is it April Fool's Day or something? Or did I hear you wrong?"

The brunette looked hurt. "You don't believe me? I can prove it, you know. Riku's dick is-… Mmph!"

Riku slapped a hand over the shorter boy's mouth, his face reddening. "Sora, I swear to all that is holy, if you ever try to tell anyone that, I'll kill you."

Roxas stared at the two of them in horror, eyes wide. "Oh God. You're serious. But… But… When did you decide you're gay?"

Sora came to stand beside his boyfriend. "Um… Last summer, before I left for college. Girls just never really appealed to me as more than friends, so I came to the logical conclusion, I guess. We've been going out ever since last November."

Roxas shook his head in astonishment. "I can't believe it. Why didn't you tell me before?"

Sora flinched. "I thought you'd freak out, but you took it a little better than what I imagined might happen…"

"Well, uh… let's go. Everybody is probably wondering if we got lost or something."

The three boys hurried back to the cafeteria. The moment they arrived, Rikku and Yuna almost died of cardiac arrest at the sight of their favorite actor standing there holding hands with Sora.

Roxas's mother and father exchanged a glance before Cloud said, "Would you care to introduce your… er, friend, Sora?"

"This is Riku!" the brunette said with a cheerful smile. "And he's not just my friend, he's my boyfriend!"

Rikku stood and walked over to stand in front of the pair, eyes sparkling with wonder. "Can… Can I touch your hair?" Riku cocked an eyebrow, but nonetheless allowed her too. After Rikku petted his silvery locks for a few moments, she scrambled back to her seat grinning like an idiot. "My life has just been made. Carry on."

"Well, Riku, I take it you're famous?" Sora's mother asked, looking over him with a critical eye.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded respectfully. "Your son goes to college the same place I do. We met in one of our classes last fall."

Roxas went and sat down in his spot as his parents and the two boys talked. He was completely and utterly confused, but he was okay with it, strangely enough. Sora was his big brother, after all, and he could choose how he wanted to live. It was still a little weird, though, seeing his brother holding hands with another male.

The rest of lunch was fairly normal, aside from the fact that Yuna and Rikku were still swooning over the silver-haired actor across the table from them. Once they were all done eating, the group returned to the hallway outside the main room to wait.

"Riku, where the-… Holy hell," Roxas turned to see someone who looked exactly like him run up and stop abruptly as he caught sight of him. Both blondes walked forwards, totally ignoring the stunned stares of the rest of the group behind them. The newcomer raised his right hand in a wave, and so did Roxas, mimicking his expression as well. The other blonde hopped up and a down as few times, growing more and more confused as Roxas managed to duplicate all of his actions perfectly.

"This is fucking creepy, man."

"Ventus, watch your mouth," Riku scolded him as he pulled Sora with him to stand by the two stunned blondes. "This is Sora's brother, Roxas. I think he mentioned him before…"

"But… He stole my face!" Ventus whined, pointing at Roxas's chest. "That's totally not cool!"

"How old are you, five?" a new voice said from behind Ventus. "Besides, depending on whichever one of you is older, you might be the one stealing Roxie's face." The blonde actor was pushed aside and a tall, lanky redhead stepped forwards, arms crossed over his chest, scrutinizing his friend's look-alike. "Well, well, you really do look like him. Only you're shorter."

Roxas straightened to his full height, but still had to tilt his head at a dramatic angle to even see the stranger's eyes. "I am not shorter!"

"Oh really? Ven, c'mere," The redhead dragged the other blonde over so that he and Roxas were back to back. "Well shit, you are the same height."

"Axel, language!" Riku hissed, glancing nervously at the group of very confused family and friends standing a couple of feet away.

"Yes, mother," The redhead sneered. Suddenly, he pushed Ventus away again and slung an arm around Roxas's shoulders, bringing his mouth so close to his ear that the blonde could feel Axel's warm breath on his neck. "Y'know, you're pretty damn cute… If I flip a coin, what are my chances of getting head?"

Roxas's eyes widened in horror. He turned scarlet and bolted, running over to hide behind his Sora and Riku. "Oh my God, save me. I think he's going to rape me!" he squeaked.

"Axel…!" the silverette growled under his breath. Riku stomped forwards and grabbed the redhead's arm, dragging him down the hall after him. "Excuse us for a minute. I need to have a little talk with my friend."

Sora blinked in confusion. "What happened?"

Roxas shuddered. "You don't want to know, Sora. You really don't."

The two actors came back after a few moments. Riku looked downright horrified and Axel looked cool as a cucumber, smirking slightly when Roxas hid behind Sora again as soon as he was in sight. "Cool it, shorty, I'm not gonna do anything to you. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that sort of thing in public. Besides, you need to be able to walk to do all of your acrobatic stuff. I can't ruin that for you, now can I?'

Roxas stuck his tongue out at the redhead in a very juvenile bout of annoyance. Axel waggled his eyebrows suggestively, earning him slaps from Riku and Ventus.

"Pervert," the other blonde muttered as he walked over to stand beside Roxas. "Sorry about him. He's impossible sometimes. In case you didn't figure it out already, I'm Ventus."

The two blondes shook hands. "Yeah, I got it. One of my friends said you guys are actors… Is that true?"

Riku arrived at that moment. "We are. The main staff of the movie we're about to film dragged us here to look for a stunt double for Ventus. Axel and I already have ours, so he's the last one. And judging by how well you've performed so far, I'm guessing you're gonna get offered the job."

Roxas's eyes lit up. When he was younger, he'd dreamed about growing up to be on the big screen, even if it was just a small background role that wasn't important, and here he was, a possible candidate for a stunt double? "You're joking. Don't people always say to beware of Greeks bearing gifts?"

"He's perfectly serious. No need to be so skeptical."

The boys jumped and turned to see one of the actors' entourage, a man with electric blue hair, standing there scribbling something on the clipboard in his hands.

"God, Saix, don't do that!" Ventus whined. "You don't get paid if one of us dies of a heart attack, you know."

"I apologize," The blue-haired man responded. "But yes, Mr. Strife, Riku is serious. I'm quite impressed by your skills as a gymnast, not to mention the fact that you and Ventus are identical… Keep impressing me, and you've got yourself a job."

Roxas felt like he could've flown as he was led by the rest of his team into the arena floor when one of the assistants called them inside. He practically floated over to their bench and sat down, grinning like an idiot.

"Why do you look so happy, Roxas?" Olette said as she sat next to him. "You need to focus. Our event is in less than thirty minutes. Let's go do some stretches, okay?"

"One of the guys with those actors said I might be chosen for a stunt double in this movie they're working on," he said dreamily as he followed the brunette girl over to the stretching mat. "I'm still in shock. I'll be better soon, I promise."

"You better. If we mess this up, it could cost us a win. Look at the scores." She pointed to the glowing board at the end of the room. They were ahead of the Radiant Garden Stars by three tenths of a point.

"Crap," the blonde muttered, instantly snapped back to reality. "Okay. Time to work."

Thirty minutes wasn't long enough for Roxas to get his nerves under control. He didn't want to do this routine in front of everyone, not when he'd messed it up so many times before. Still, he had to if he wanted a shot at winning the competition, so he followed Olette out onto the mat once it was their turn to perform.

The two exchanged a slight glance as they got into position. Olette's soft green eyes seemed to say, "It's okay, Roxas, just let your body do the work for you. You know this. Make us all proud."

Olette took the first step, and their routine began.

~::~

Author's Note: I so totally do not love these little cliffhangers. Not at all. :D