Author's Note: Yay, writing. :D I'm keeping a steady schedule so far. This makes me quite happy. However, I know for a fact that next month, being NaNoWriMo, is going to be chaos, so don't get too used to weekly updates. I'll do my best to have a backlog so I can still post as I'm scrambling to write 50k words in 30 days...
Chapter Three: Look before you leap.
~::~
Roxas allowed himself to take one deep breath before he began, going through the steps in his head as he went. Somersault. Push Olette back up. Back flip. He ignored the roaring crowds in the stands staring down at him, focusing only on his desire to win the competition and put Seifer in his place.
The finale of their routine approached, and Selphie's suggestion from before echoed in his ears, loud and clear. "Spread your feet apart." Instinctively, his legs moved, and just milliseconds later, Olette landed in his outstretched arms, safe and sound. He didn't wobble an inch before letting her down at the judges applauded. He panted all the way back to their bench, stunned that he had managed to pull that off.
"That was excellent, Roxas!" Rikku congratulated him. "I'm sure we'll win!"
The blonde boy smiled at Yuna's over-zealous cousin tiredly, gulping down several large mouthfuls of water. "I sure hope so, Rikku. I hope."
By the time the majority of the individual events and floor performances were completed, Roxas was beginning to get antsy. He watched the scoreboard as the numbers fluctuated, showing that the Sunsets and the Stars were tied for first place, something that was almost unheard of.
"And so, ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of today's events," the announcer said over the loudspeakers. "However, seeing as we have a tie for first place at the current time, the judges have decided that the two teams must go head-to-head to claim the title of state champions!"
Roxas, Tidus, Yuna, Selphie, Olette, Wakka, and Rikku all stared at each other in horror. There was no way they could beat Seifer and his team like that, not now that they were all so tired!
"Seeing as we have yet to see the group performances yet, we will allow the remaining teams to show us their routines so the Stars and the Sunsets may get ready for their face-off," the announcer continued. "So, without further ado, please welcome the first group!"
As the crowd applauded, Roxas and his team raced to the practice room they had been in earlier and began feverishly working on their group routine. It wasn't an easy one, and in several instances, there were still small mistakes that could cost them points if they were caught by the judges.
"I swear to God, I'm going to kill Seifer if he walks away with the title this year," Olette growled under her breath, something many of the others on the team had never seen. She was usually the calm one, talking sense back into others when they were angry.
"Olette, I think you should-..."
"Come on, into formation!" she barked. "We've got to get this right!"
Things started to go disastrously wrong after that. Wakka dropped Selphie when he was supposed to catch her after a back flip, Yuna lost her balance while doing a handstand, Tidus tripped over a somersaulting Roxas, and Olette was downright furious.
"Stop!" she finally exclaimed. "Just stop, everybody!"
The other five gymnasts froze. Roxas, who was in mid-back flip, flopped onto his back in confusion. "Let's all just cool down for a minute. Our concentration is shot." Rikku brought them all ice-cold bottles of water, which they took gratefully. "We can't focus on just trying to beat Seifer here, guys," Roxas continued as they all sat down on the mat. "We're doing this because we love it, not because of some stupid ass who thinks he owns the world. Our family and friends are all proud of us for getting as far as we have. So let's make them even more proud by doing the best we can!"
The other five member of the team stared at Roxas in amazement. He wasn't the most talkative person at times, and that was one of the longest speeches he'd ever made, even in front of them, his friends.
After a moment's hesitation, Olette nodded. "He's right. We've got to stop letting Seifer get to our heads. Let's go out there and enjoy ourselves. Who cares if we win or lose?"
"But I thought-..." Tidus elbowed Wakka in the ribs. "That was a little harsh, brudda. I was only kidding, ya?"
Yuna rolled her eyes and stood, wiping her forehead with a towel. "Well, in that case, let's try it again. Maybe we can get it right this time."
In less than ten minutes, the group was back out in the arena. However, the equipment from earlier had been moved to the sides so that the gymnasts had the majority of the floor space to work with. One of the judges came up and asked for the captains of each team. Seifer walked forwards, a smug smile on his face. Olette looked like she was about to move when suddenly she pushed Roxas up instead. The blonde shot her a confused glance over his shoulder, but didn't ask why she had done it.
"Seifer, since your team won last year, you get to perform first," the judge said. "Whichever team that shows us they have superior knowledge of how to perform a group routine will be declared the winners. May the best team win."
"This is pointless," Seifer murmured as the judge walked away, just loud enough for the opposing team to hear. "We're gonna cream you lamers and send you home crying like the bunch of big babies you are." He then turned and followed his team towards the center of the mat.
Roxas held his teammates back as they attempted to rush the arrogant boy while his back was turned to them. "Come on, let's go sit down and see what they do. I'm sure we can top whatever it is."
To his dismay, however, the display the Radiant Garden Stars put on was spectacular. They did masterful flips and cartwheels, launching off of each other's arms and shoulders to fly several feet into the air before landing again, almost instantly pushing off into another series of flips after. However, the perfection didn't last, because right at the finale, as Rai, Seifer and, Fuu, the three more experienced gymnasts, posed, Seifer's left knee buckled and he toppled to the ground, bringing the girl he was holding above his head with him. Rai tried to catch them, but ended up underneath the two fuming people.
Roxas clapped a hand over his mouth, unsure whether he was masking his horror or his amusement. That was such a juvenile mistake to be making at this level... Seifer was going to be embarrassed about that for years to come.
"Thank you for your performance," the announcer said, a note of pity sounding in his voice. "Now, will the Twilight Town Sunsets please take the floor?"
Roxas stood and led his team out onto the bright blue mat, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet to test the tension of the springs below them. He gave his teammates a reassuring smile as they got into place, and then the music accompanying their routine began.
The other five members started out in a V-shaped formation, with Roxas standing facing Olette, the very tip of the shape. Keeping in time with music, he pushed off and did several front flips before rolling into a somersault, and attempting to knock over the others like bowling pins. Olette leaped over him and went in her own series of flips, followed by Yuna and Selphie, and finally, Tidus and Wakka. The five of them landed in a perfect line across the mat from Roxas, who began back-flipping across almost as soon as he finished his somersaults. Wakka and Tidus dove to the sides and rolled around so they were behind Roxas when he landed next, allowing Yuna and Selphie to run past either side of the blonde and launch themselves into the air, allowing the two boys to catch them and then catapult them even higher, twisting and turning in the air until they landed. While this was going on, Olette and Roxas were doing a sort of improvised dance that consisted of flipping around one another, so close that they could reach out and touch the other person, but they managed to keep empty air between them. Roxas finally released her and back flipped to join the other boys, throwing Olette into the air just milliseconds after the other two girls became airborne. The three females landing in a row facing the boys, who took their hands and began twirling them around, dancing to the music with much exaggerated twisting and turning. As the end of the music approached, they increased their grips and began swinging the three girls around in unison, never once hitting each other or losing their balance. As the last notes of the music played, they threw them up into the air and then caught them as they came back down, throwing their free arms upwards.
The crowd erupted with applause, and Roxas felt like his heart was about to burst with pride. They were cheering for him, for his team. They might just have done it.
The judges took a few minutes to deliberate, and then the two teams vying for championship were told to wait in the center of the floor. Seifer sneered in disgust at the Sunsets. His only response was a smug smirk from Roxas.
"Now, I would like to announce the winners of today's competition..." Roxas felt his body tense as the announcer spoke. "The team that has won the honor of being the championship team this year is... The Twilight Town Sunsets!"
"Yes!" Roxas shouted, punching the air above him. His team crowded in on him, hugging and laughing as they leapt up and down. Rikku raced out to them and threw herself in with them, elated that her friends had finally won they title they deserved. After a few moments, they disentangled themselves to shake their adversaries' hands.
"You just got lucky," Seifer muttered as he clasped Roxas's hand. "Next year, we'll take back our title. Count on it."
"Get real," Roxas retorted with a grin. "We're gonna make you work for it."
The winning team was smothered by their group of supporters when they emerged from the main room. Sora practically suffocated Roxas he was so happy. It only thanks to Riku that the blonde escaped with his chest cavity still intact.
"I think you all deserve a special treat for this," Tifa said, smiling at the new champions. "But first, go get cleaned up and change."
"Yes, mom," they six of them said obediently, running for the locker room as she held up her fist threateningly.
After taking their showers, redressing, and gathering their things, the whole team emerged from the locker room and headed back towards the others. However, Saix, the blue-haired man from before, materialized and pulled Roxas to the side, earning some very confused looks from the other five teens.
"Your last performance was quite intriguing," the man said. "I've talked it over with my partners, and we've decided to offer you the role of Mr. Knight's stunt double. Expect a letter in the mail within the next few days with all of the details. I'm sure I'll see you again." Without even letting the blonde boy ask the questions bubbling up inside him, Saix turned and walked off down the corridor.
Roxas stood there staring at the back of the man's shirt, dumbfounded. This was it, his chance to get into the acting business. Even if he was only a stunt double and wouldn't have lines, still, he would be acknowledged for his role. It was a surreal feeling.
"Roxas? You okay, brudda?" Wakka waved a hand in front of his face, jolting the blonde back to reality. "That guy was kinda creepy, ya? What did he say to you?"
"He told me that I've been offered the part of a stunt double in an upcoming movie." It sounded strange coming out of his own mouth.
"We've gotta go tell your family!" Selphie gasped, grabbing Roxas and dragging the poor boy along behind her, the rest of the group following at a more sedate pace. The moment their family and friends came into sight, Selphie released Roxas and ran over to Cloud and Tifa and began babbling excitedly. The two startled adults couldn't make out a word she was saying, so Sora, known himself for bouts of uncontrollable talking, translated.
"Selphie says that this weird guy with blue hair talked to Roxas… Something about being offered a part in a movie with those actor guys Riku was hanging out with as a stunt double," the brunette explained to his parents.
Roxas came in at the tail end of this conversation to see his mother and father staring at him in utter surprise. "Roxas, honey, are you going to accept?"
The blonde hesitated. "I… I don't know. Saix - the guy who talked to me - said I'd be getting a letter sometime soon with all the stuff I need to know. I won't make any decisions until I see the terms."
"That's my boy," Cloud said, ruffling his son's hair. "Smart like your father. Always remembers to look before he leaps."
"So I'm smart like mom?" Sora asked indignantly. "Remember who's in college here. Oh, also, I think Riku said Roxas could go to school with me if he decides to take the part. He's got scholarship offers from a bunch of places… I'm sure Destiny College would love to have him."
"I think that would be wise," Tifa said, patting her other son on the head. "That way we'd know where both of you were all the time, isn't that right?" Her sons groaned.
"Hey, Uncle Auron wants to know when we're getting out of here," Tidus walked over to them, motioning back to the tall, dark-haired man in red standing a few feet away. "He said he's hungry."
Tifa rolled her eyes and smiled. "We can go now. Everybody outside!"
The group followed her out into the parking lot, Tidus and Wakka fighting over who got to hold the trophy. When they got to their group of cars, Olette stole it from them and gave it to Yuna for safe-keeping. The two boys pouted as they went to their respective vehicles and waited for the rest of their car-mates to catch up.
"Okay. I think our wonderful gymnasts deserve a huge dinner after all they work they put in today… How does pizza sound?" The teens cheered, making Tifa smile slightly. "Then pizza it is. Let's all meet up at that place downtown, Vivi's, okay?"
The group nodded and separated into their cars. Cloud was the first to pull out and get onto the highway. The restaurant his wife had directed everyone to was only a few minutes away in the downtown area of Hollow Bastion, a tiny family-run business that was dwarfed by the towering buildings around it, but the customers were faithful, so they always came back for more.
Roxas stared out the window as they drove, daydreaming about what it would be like on the set of a real movie. He came back to reality when his brother tapped him on the shoulder. "What?"
"So what did you think of Riku?" the brunette asked hopefully. "And the other guys with him. If you end up going, you'll be stuck with them for a while."
"I think Riku's a nice guy, from what I've seen. I'm glad you two are happy," Roxas replied. "As for the others… Well, frankly, seeing Ventus really creeped me out. I can't believe how identical we look. And as for Axel… Well, the things I could call him are generally not acceptable for public use."
"Oh, Roxas, he couldn't have been that bad," their mother interjected, obviously listening to their conversation. "Just give him a chance, if you do take the part."
The blonde grumbled something under his breath and fell silent, resuming his staring out the window for the remainder of the ride.
Their dinner was amazing, as the food at Vivi's always was. The whole group laughed and talked for a while as they ate, but Roxas felt as if he were in his own little world where he sat in the corner of the large booth they were seated in. His whole day had been a whirl or surreal events and unexpected twists. It was hard to comprehend.
That night, after the long drive back home, Roxas found himself unable to sleep despite being bone-tired. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours, his thoughts racing through his head. Sora was gay. His boyfriend was a famous actor. There was a boy who looked just like him, down to the spiky blonde hair on his head. He could finally get onto the big screen. There was a redheaded man who desperately wanted to get in his pants for some reason.
Roxas wrinkled his nose and turned on his side. What was his name…? Asshole, or something like that? He was even creepier than his look-alike. If he had to spend time with that weirdo, he'd probably go insane. Still, a movie role was a movie role, so he could live with a little insanity. Sora was his brother, after all, so it wasn't like hadn't been through it before.
Still, this whole scenario was just surreal. It seemed as if by some undeserved, lucky stroke of Fate that Riku just happened to have met Sora in college, they just happened to become boyfriends, Riku was an actor, he was in a new movie, one of his co-stars needed a stunt double, Roxas was his spitting image… It was all so strange, almost like a movie in itself and they way things were playing out.
However, he never could have guessed how much more confusion, ridiculousness, and trouble he was getting himself into until the day the letter promised to him by Saix arrived.
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Author's Note: ...and cue another semi-cliffhanger! Short chapters are so much easier to write under time constraints... See you again with another update next week, hopefully!