A/N: 8D;;; Yeah, please don't kill me!!! I know I' blamed it on school in the past, but it really is the problem! DDx I'm graduating this year and I need to keep up with my studies, which totally explains the long wait for this chapter. 8D;; So anyway, this chapter is a bit lengthy, so be sure to follow along! Also, my Microsoft Word trial ended. So I couldn't spell check, but I reread it twice. Let me know if there are any errors! AGAIN, I'M SORRY! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura do. Although Mima and Erol belong to me.

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Chapter 36

The brunette boy rolled his shoulders again, feeling a slight twinge on his spine.

"... Damn it. Stupid over-sized chicken-thing..." Sora mumbled, massaging the spot that hurt the most.

Kairi barely heard his insult and peered up at him guiltily. She really should listen to Sora before doing anything, or else he'd get hurt again by trying to save her. Her feet stopped, twisting her body to face the brunette head on.

"Sora, I'm really sorry. I really should have-"

"Yes, Kairi, I know," Sora said a little to quickly. "Just don't let it happen again."

"... Where does it hurt?" she asked, fiddling with the hem of her kimono sleeves.

The brunette boy blinked at her. "It's just my back, like I told you already, unless you forgot."

Auburn locks swayed quickly when Kairi shook her head. Guilt was overriding her conscious, so there was no way she could forget. "No, I didn't forget..."

Well, this wasn't unexpected. Of course Kairi would get all gloomy and such for doing something like that to Sora. But he couldn't help but notice her eyes scanning around for something.

His brown brow quirked. "... What are you looking for?"

She pointed a finger to a bench, which was currently occupied by an elderly woman in heavy attire. The senior citizen seemed to be prepared for the upcoming cold.

"Let's sit there for a minute," Kairi suggested, looking back at him.

"...Huh? Are you tired already?" the brunette asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Kairi shook her head. "No, but I want to do something for you."

Well, Sora could've taken this as something completely different, but he didn't get his hopes up.

"Er, what are you going to- Whoa!"

At that moment, Kairi was dragging Sora over there against his will. Now, Sora is no weakling, as displayed in his and Kairi's carnival date. He could easily tear his hand away from hers, but something about the warmth emitting from her very small palms seemed secretly inviting. Heck he even wanted to curl his fingers around hers, but the only thing that would accomplish would be awkwardness. And the two of them certainly didn't need that for this fun day.

"H-Hey, Kairi! Hold on! There's only room for one of us on that bench!" he quickly pointed out.

Kairi still kept going. "Would you like to sit on the ground or the bench?"

The brunette blinked at her multiple times. "... Um... If I sit on the bench, where are you going to sit?"

"I'll be standing," she replied, getting nearer to their destination.

Sora knew better than to take that seat for himself. Besides, it was common courtesy for a guy in their society. And if Riku found out, he'd personally kick his butt.

"The ground then," he said. Sora also pondered what on earth she could give him on a bench.

...A kiss maybe?

His tan face started emitting heat and a rosy color. Where the heck did that idea even come from? He quickly threw the thought out of the window. Besides, how and why would she accomplish that using the bench? Couldn't she just do it right then and there? Most importantly, WHY would she even do that? They were friends!

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Kairi greeted politely with a smile. "Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Ah, why certainly," the elderly, yet, pudgy woman confirmed, scooting a bit. "Ah, should I move a little more for your boyfriend?"

... Boyfriend? How do I look like her-

His gaze led to their intertwined hands.

... Right, I should've known.

"That's alright. That won't be necessary," Kairi politely stated, seating herself on the bench. The weird thing was, she didn't even fight back of how he WASN'T her boyfriend. Maybe it was respect being shown torwards the elderly? Yeah, that must be it.

"Here Sora, just sit in front of me," the auburn-headed girl instructed, moving her little feet under the bench seating. Sora hesitantly did so, plopping against the hard, cold ground. Now what? He saved Kairi from a fatal fall, courteously gave up his seat for Kairi, and now his butt was slowly threatening to get frost-bitten. What was she going to give him? His ears picked up the sound of shuffling clothing, particularly silk. Before he could even turn his head, a bewitching sensation came upon his back. Fingertips pressed against his sore muscles, making him cringe and then relax.

...This feels really good...

"How's that, Sora?" Kairi asked, resuming her massaging.

"...Mm," he mumbled. His voice failed him for obvious reasons.

Meanwhile, the elderly lady was chuckling to herself.

"You're a good nurse, aren't you?" she complimented.

Kairi smiled at her, not stopping her treatment. "Thank you. I used to do this to my dad a lot."

"I see," nodded the elderly woman. She leaned over to get a good glimpse at Sora's face, which displayed that of heavenly pleasure and a wide grin. "You're girlfriend is very kind. You must feel very lucky."

"...Mm," he mumbled again, though he didn't clearly register what the woman exactly said. He was too caught in Kairi's handwork. Kairi, on the other hand, blushed and giggled. Sora was very easy to please.

The elderly woman leaned back and giggled also. "Ah, young love these days. It's such an adorable thing."

Kairi blushed harder. What was she to say to that? To correct her and say that they were just friends? They weren't in love with each other as far as she knew. She watched as her small finger began making circular patterns, disturbing the folding of his jacket. It was smooth to her touch. Meanwhile, the little old lady took a glance at her wrist watch and sighed a puff of air. Kairi made no effort to speak her mind about correcting the little old woman.

"Ah, well, I better leave," she announced quietly, taking up her bright purse.

"Thank you for letting me sit here," Kairi thanked as the elderly woman got up.

"You're welcome," the elder woman replied, turning back around. "Happy holidays."

"Happy holidays," Kairi bade back, watching her figure disappear in the crowd.

"How's your back feeling?" Kairi asked, stopping her movements and leaning over his head.

A roll of the shoulders, a quick stretch, and a now looming Sora was her response. He stood quite monumental compared to her sitting figure.

"Much better. I can actually stretch without hollering in pain now," he answered. She stood up as well and grinned at him.

"Good. Now we can continue our day."

Very typical of Kairi to go out of her way and make things peachy again. That just showed how much she cared. Too bad Sora didn't know the extent of her care for him. The old lady was right. She really is a good girlfrie- er, friend. Yeah, just friend. Wait, he was listening?

"Sora?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and peered down at her. "Huh? What?"

She giggled. "Quit spacing out when I'm talking to you."

"Er, right. Sorry," he apologized. "Um, what were you saying?"

"I was saying if you wanted to-"

"Hey Sora, Kairi!"

The two turned their heads to another friendly couple, one consisting of a silver-haired boy and a raven-haired girl, walking up to them casually.

"Hey guys," Ka waved. "Are you resting already?"

Kairi shook head. "No, we were just leaving. Were you guys going to rest? We'll get out of the way of the bench."

"That won't be necessary," Riku said. "We just wanted to know if you both wanted to come with us."

The brunette eyed his best friend. "Where?"

"That depends. Are you up for a little Struggle competition?" Riku spoke again.

Kairi looked worriedly at Sora, who looked determined as ever.

"Heh, you bet. I'll kick your butt, and right in front of Ka too," he snickered. Ka giggled lightly as Riku crossed his arms smugly.

"We'll see you try. Also, I think Kairi should be there too, since she'd have to heal a bruised head as well as a back," Riku sneered back. Sora flushed ten shades darker than red. Had they seen Kairi massaging his back?

"But Sora, you just injured yourself recently. Are you sure?" Kairi asked, peering into his eyes.

He faltered for a moment, but his gut told him to take the challenge.

"Don't worry, Kairi. I'll be fine. Trust me," he grinned. Kairi smiled a small one, telling herself hat he WILL be okay. After all, he's the one who saved her from a fatal fall.

She nodded. "Okay. I'll be rooting for you and Riku with Ka."

Ka nodded also. "Just don't kill each other out there."

Riku smiled and placed a hand on Ka's shoulder. Riku's long-time friends were quite surprised by his bold action, but of course, didn't show it. Usually he would stutter and let the raven-haired girl make the moves.

"We'll try not to, right Sora?" Riku reassured.

The brunette nodded. "Right. Let's get going then."

The four went there merry way into the sea of people, walking next to their respected partners. In a little bush not far from the bench Kairi and Sora were previously occupying, Mima and Erol were keeping a keen eye.

"It seems they're heading to the Struggle match," Erol informed, rubbing his chin.

"Good, then this should work with our next sequence. If making a fool out of Kairi wasn't enough, then we'll just have to make a fool out of Sora-poo," Mima grinned, her red eyes glimmering darkly.

"Mm," Erol agreed, standing up and wiping any leaves from his yukata.

"... Wait, both of us have no experience in fighting or sword-handling," Mima said, quickly dawning on the realization.

"Now now, calm down Mima. Don't include me with your inexperience in the sword," Erol smirked.

Mima gawked at him. "You know how to use a sword?"

"A rapier is more like it," Erol shrugged, stepping over the brush and onto the crowded area. Mima followed, excitement in her eyes as her pinned up hair flowed behind her.

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There barely was a crowd as the four came to, inspecting the arena. The referee was tapping his beefy foot continuously with his large arms crossed across his protruding chest. His mustache twitched with irritation as he eyed the dissipating crowd. He needed to gather an audience again, thanks to a certain, vanishing silver-haired guy. His beady eyes suddenly landed on Riku and the others as they came into view.

"Sorry I'm late ref," Riku said, jogging up to the large referee and leaning against the fencing.

"You darn better be! We're losing a crowd!" he incredulously pointed out. Sighing, he spoke. "Anyway, did you find one more competitor?"

Riku nodded and hitch-hiked to his best friend. "He's Struggle-material enough."

"Enough?" Sora cockily questioned. "I'm way more than enough."

Riku raised a brow and grinned at the referee. "See what I mean?"

The big man nodded. "Okay, I think it's time we start. You two stay in this area. If the young ladies could proceed to the audience fencing, then we can begin."

Kairi and Ka nodded, looking to their respected boys and giving them a sign of "Goodluck!" and "Do your best!" before retreating to the audience area. Riku and Sora looked to each other, determined to out-match the other when the time comes just as the referee coughed into the mic, getting passersby's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Today marks the last of the series of Struggle Tournaments! Our new defending champion, Riku, will be faced with the last challenger, who will be determined by beating his opponent and advancing on to the next round."

Sora snickered at the last comment as he was handed a blue, mini-bat. He swung it around a few times, getting the blood pumping in his arms and his joints flexible. Kairi watched him from afar, smiling at the familiar nostalgia of watching Riku and Sora battle with wooden swords in their childhood on Destiny Islands. She could almost feel the rushing waters of the ocean at her feet as she stood there on the shore, witnessing a great fight filled with jumps and splashes between the brown, spiky-haired boy and the shaggy, silver-haired boy. Just when Kairi was about to witness the memory of Sora's defeat, her thoughts were interrupted by a rude shove.

"Oops, sorry Kairi. I slipped on my sandals," came a sneery voice from behind.

Ka had stepped back a bit while Kairi whirled her head in Mima's grinning face.

"Um, is this another friend of yours, Kairi?" Ka asked, uncertain and uncomfortable by Mima's "friendly" smile.

"You kidding?" Kairi snorted. "She's one of my enemies."

Ka looked a bit dumbfounded as she stared at Mima again. Mima on the other hand, looked fakely hurt and wounded to the heart.

"Kairi!" she gasped. "How could you say that about me? One of your very good friends?"

Again, Kairi snorted. "Don't listen to her, Ka. She's just a no-good liar."

The raven-haired friend of Kairi turned a worried look over to Mima, who, freakishly, turned that hurt look in a devilish-grin.

"Oh Kairi. You're so harsh. It's no wonder Sora-poo doesn't like you," Mima pointed out, unknowingly hitting a nerve in the auburn-headed girl's head.

"Oh Mima," Kairi mocked in the same tone. "You're so annoying. It's no wonder SORA doesn't like you either."

If Sora was there to here this, he'd be having a laughing fit in his stomach. Unfortunately, he remained on the other side of the fencing, where he warmed up for his first opponent. Actually, it was Ka who took his place, holding her gut and trying not to be rude by snorting. Mima looked at the auburn, who was holding out her tongue triumphantly at her, and fumed while having a loud fit. To Ka's relief, the referee interrupted again, his booming voice echoing a couple of blocks away.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot," coughed the referee. "There's is also a prize for the champion."

The competitors looked up at him with anticipation, as well as the rest of the crowd.

"We have a Struggle trophy," said the referee, pointing to the brilliant and exotic trophy behind him. There were multi-colored glass spheres at the end of each swirly point of the golden trophy, looking highly expensive and rare. "And we have a kiss as reward from a lovely maiden."

Sora did a double-take at the referee. A kiss? From a maiden? Hm, maiden meant, two words: cute and pretty. He shrugged, not caring less at who he received a kiss from, as long as it was strictly on the cheek. Riku, on the other hand, laughed quietly to himself.

Kairi's eyes widened a bit at the announcement. If Sora won, he'd be getting a kiss from another girl? An uncomfortable lurch popped in her stomach. She then thought on the brighter side. Sora may not like her, or maybe it was just a peck on the cheek. Or maybe the maiden was just an old woman which maybe satisfied the referee's humor?

"For the maiden, we have chosen one person," the referee announced. "Out of ten girls who were volunteered, Kairi is the chosen maiden!"

Kairi slumped her shoulders. Man, this Kairi chick sure was lucky. Everyone applauded around her, and, for some strange reason, were looking AT her. Oh wait...

"I'm Kairi!" she exclaimed out loud, blushing in the face. Ka laughed as she pushed Kairi through the clapping crowd and to the referee. The red-eyed, raven-haired girl who was left behind was now blowing steam out of her ears. Kairi went against her steps as Ka forced a little more for her to go forward.

"W-Wait, Ka! I didn't sign up for this!" she blurted.

"I know!" she laughed. "Me, Riku and the rest volunteered you to be the maiden!"

"What?!" Kairi wailed at her, but her answer was only a final shove torwards the referee, who smiled at her and lowered his mic for the crowd to hear nothing.

"Ah, you must be Kairi," he said.

She nodded, putting a clump of auburn strands behind her ears. "Yeah, I am."

The referee grinned. "My, you are quite the maiden! No wonder a group of people were so anxious to volunteer you. Although, you know it is your choice on whether you'd like to give the rewarding kiss. Though if you give up the position, you will have to give it to the second place volunteer."

Kairi tilted her head. "Who's the second place volunteer?"

The referee pulled out a clipboard. "Mima."

"No, I'll do it." Kairi stood there for a moment. That had come out way too fast for her own liking.

The referee smiled. "Great! Thank you for sacrificing your time for this event."

She nodded with a huge blush on her face. "It's no problem. Though, I have one question."

"Hm?" hummed the large man.

"Um," Kairi hesitated. "Th-The kiss, can it be on the cheek or something?"

Startling Kairi, the large man laughed, his mustache fluttering away from his upper lip. "Lips or cheek. Wherever you want, miss Kairi."

The flustered auburn-haired girl fiddled with the hem of her kimono. "Okay."

While all of this was happening, Sora was too busy gulping, trying to prevent his palms from getting sweaty. Kairi was the chosen maiden?! Who volunteered her?! Now that she was part of the prize, his drive to win has now gone up dramatically. The thing is, when he won, he would receive a kiss from her, something that he never dreamed would happen. Something that he only considered as a miracle. Something that maybe could bring them even closer.

"No no no no," Sora whispered to himself while shaking his cluttered head. "It's just a lousy kiss on the cheek. It won't mean a thing."

"Keep telling yourself that," Riku snickered as he advanced torwards Sora. "Who knows? If you're lucky, she might kiss you on the lips."

Like a stone, Sora froze in place, his entire being going hot and red. A kiss on the lips?! Is that even possible?!

"Sh-Shut up, Riku. You're just doing this to mess up my concentration, aren't you?" Sora scoffed, regaining his posture and stretching to ignore the overwhelming butterflies in his stomach.

The defending champion smiled. "Maybe? Show me what you got, buddy." Riku slowly walked back next to the referee, waiting for his challenger to come forth. Sora looked after him, a determined smile upon his face. He will win, and he won't let anyone else get that lucky kiss from the chosen maiden. Funny how that seemed more important than the marvelous trophy she stood next to.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the first match to get started!"

The crowd clapped, whistled, woo'ed and all that jazz.

"In our first match, we have Sora," the referee announced, pointing to Sora on one end of the arena. Kairi cheered loudly while Ka clapped on the sidelines. Mima stayed quiet, smiling darkly and folding her arms. "And we have Rai."

The boy, or rather, the MAN the referee was pointing to was tall, built, and had a tan. His lower chin jutted outward, littered with a bit of stubble, and his black hair was short, covering the necessary parts of his head and flaring outward.

"Alright boys. Whoever collects the most orbs wins the match. Keep it clean. Your time limit is one minute and thirty seconds!" the ref. informed.

The two nodded, facing each other and getting in their stances.

"Three, two, one!"

BANG!

As smoke sprouted from the pistol's mouth, the opponents did not rush in, but to only circle around the ring. Sora kept a keen on on Rai, who was smiling like he had already won.

"You're goin' down, ya know?" he bragged with a strange accent.

Sora only cracked a small smile. "We'll see about that."

He only had a minute to defeat this weirdo, so he'd better act now. With that final thought, Sora made the first move, charging in head on.

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Please let Sora win, please let Sora win, please let Sora defeat him!

Kairi closed her eyes, praying to the heavens with her clasped hands and muttering incessantly to herself when a quiet laugh interrupted her. She looked in the direction of Riku.

"Don't worry, Kai. Sora is stronger than that, of course he'll win," he reassured quietly, turning his attention back to the match.

"I-It's not THAT. It's... um..." Kairi drawled, pointing her index fingers at each other.

Riku quickly caught on to the hint, making his grin grow wider. "You really want Sora to win this tournament, don't you?"

A rosy tint crept into Kairi's face, making her hands fly to up to cover her cheeks, even though she knew it was futile.

"N-No! Th-That's not what I m-meant!" Kairi stammered, being careful of her volume.

Riku rolled his eyes, keeping the grin plastered on his mouth. "Then what did you mean exactly?"

Kairi looked to the ground, clenching her fists beneath her yukata sleeves. "I-I meant that... um... well, if you won, wouldn't Ka be kinda... I don't know... upset?"

The silver-haired champion merely shook his head. There was something about that remaining smile he kept.

"She knows that you're one of my best friends. Ka trusts you," Riku turned a bit smug as he shifted his eyes to Kairi's. "Besides, why would Ka get upset? We're not going out or anything."

Kairi looked at him suspiciously. "You aren't? But, you guys seem so comfortable with each other."

Riku scratched his cheek. "Well, yeah, we're comfortable around each other, but we're not just going to jump at it. I'm guessing she wants to take it at her pace, so I'm going to follow it. Besides, I don't mind really."

It was now Kairi's turn to smile. "Geez Riku. Just two days ago, you were spluttering your words like an idiot, but now you're all calm and collected like you usually are. I'm proud."

Her best friend rolled his eyes at her comment, but soon averted its gave to the match, which was quickly won by Sora. Kairi turned her attention too, only to witness her desired winner falling to the ground on his feet like he had just completed a high jump, hoisting the bat over his shoulder. Rai was left, sprawled on the left-most side of the ring and his Struggle bat yards away from his large, open hand.

"The winner of the first match goes to, Sora!" the referee announced with enthusiasm. A loud cheer was heard. The loudest was, of course, Kairi. Sora exhaled, brushing a bit of dirt off of his free shoulder while looking at the jumping chosen maiden. He couldn't help but smile at her childish antics once in a while. After all she had a beautiful spirit, how could one NOT smile? Riku, again, laughed quietly to himself. These two were pretty hopeless when it came to each other.

"Great fight, guys! Thank you Rai, for joining the tournament," the referee thanked, earning a curse followed by a "ya know?!". "Great job, Sora! You were amazing!"

Sora flushed a little as he scratched the back of his head. It really wasn't all that hard. He just had to do a few dodge rolls and an upper slash. All that sparring with Riku wasn't for nothing, you know.

"Very good, very good. Okay! On to the next round! In this next match, we have, Seifer!"

The beefy referee pointed a large finger at the man with the black beanie and searing blue eyes. A scar went across the bridge of his nose, while his blond hair peeked out from under the hat. He looked very arrogant and cocky, swinging his bat wildly before pointing it directly at his opponent.

"And his opponent will be, Erol!"

The name made Sora's eyes whirl in the direction of the pointing referee. He had just stepped away from the center, onto the sidelines, only to hear the name he didn't want to hear at the moment. Surely, there was Erol, proudly standing up straight and holding the Struggle bat by his side with confidence and grace. His lavender eyes landed on Kairi for a moment, who was stunned. He looked back on Seifer, forming a victory smile upon his lips as he readied his stance to attack. Riku quietly watched, but only to feel a bit annoyed inside. He should've seen this coming.

Crap, our plans might be ruined if Erol wins this tournament.

"You know the drill fellas!" the referee said loudly into the mic. "You have a minute and thirty seconds, like the last match!"

Sora watched intently as the large ref. loaded the pistol and aimed for the sky.

"Three, two, one!"

BANG!

Seifer took the first move, immediately charging with the Struggle bat waddling behind in his arm. Erol made no movement, but to only stand his position. His bat raised slightly, not to defend, but to attack. Erol did so just as Seifer was within a foot. With a swift bop of his Struggle bat, Seifer was sent staggering back, clutching his head, having a few orbs drop. Erol was quick to side-step along, collecting them as he kept a close eye on Seifer.

Sora narrowed his eyes on the rapier-experienced teen's movements. They were so graceful, and well-planned. It was like he followed these movements out of a book. Kairi was equally stunned, trying very hard not to blink or else she would've missed the whole match. Riku, was unimpressed, but only focusing on Sora next to him.

He'd better be watching Erol closely.

Seifer regained himself, growling in the process. Erol made no movement, only to stare at him head-on, which only resulted in aggravating him further. Seifer ran torwards him again, this time, blocking when Erol struck. Seifer swung around, only to lunge quickly and perform an upper-swipe. Erol dodged by an inch, finding an opening to his shoulder and quickly thrusted his bat into the joint. Seifer was once again thrown backwards, with much more added force this time. The dark umber-haired teen now began to pivot back and forth, collecting orbs as he slowly stayed within his area. Thirty three seconds remained, and Seifer jumped right up, charging again. Erol sighed, pivoting more rapidly. It was time to finish it. Before even giving Seifer a chance to take another step, Erol's quick feet-work zig-zagged rapidly around the central part of the arena, appearing behind him and striking horizontally, sending him flying into the opposite end of the fencing. Many orbs dropped to the ground, which made easy-work as Erol ran around, gathering them up. His opponent laid face-down, twitching slightly as he made an effort to come back on his feet, even though it was too late...

"And our winner is, Erol!" the referee announced, signaling the end of the match. The crowd cheered behind him, awed and what not of his unique fighting style. Mima cheered loudly behind the fencing while Sora and Kairi stared in amazement.

Crap... He really knows how to fight...

Sora now had an obstacle in his path to get to Kairi, even thought she was just a few steps away, well, excluding Riku anyway. Actually, he wasn't sure if he could beat Riku either. The silver-haired boy always one-up'ed him in almost everything. Oh great, now frustration was building up in his head. No time for that now. The match with Erol is coming up.

"Very good! Thank you Seifer, for that excellent match!" the large referee thanked. "Now! For the match to determine the challenger for our champion!"

Sora walked out onto the arena rigidly, yet he held no emotion as he turned to face Erol. Erol was the same, yet his eyes narrowed on him slightly. The tension between them grew thick enough for a knife to cut it in half.

"And now folks, to determine the challenger, we have Erol and Sora!"

Did the crowd just grow immensely huger, or was it Sora? Oh well, that didn't matter. Kairi was the only person he needed to get to right now.

He paused for a moment.

Did I just... AGH this is ridiculous! I already told Roxas, so why can't I tell myself?!

Sora shook his head a little, ridding thoughts of embarrassment and filling the emptiness with concentration on defeating Erol. One thing Riku taught him, was to analyze your opponent first when you get the chance. Sora HAD gotten the chance of analyzing Erol in the last match. He knew of Erol's quick feet and powerful thrusts. Now he just needed to find ways around it.

"Alright boys. Keep it clean! The time limit is a minute and thirty seconds!" informed the ref.

Once again, the pistol was aimed for the sky.

"Three!"

Sora glanced at the crowd, seeing Mima's red eyes focused intensely on them.

"Two!"

His blue eyes then side-glanced at Kairi, who was clasping her hands together and looking worriedly upon the two.

"One!"

His focus went back to Erol, who stood there rigidly like a statue. Yet that smile formed way too fast on his face.

BANG!

Erol's pivoting began, pumping blood into his legs and enabling a faster transition from one spot to the next. Sora held his bat with both hands while having his legs spread out. This enabled Sora more leg-room to move and run, yet not as fast as Erol. The two waited a few seconds, before charging at each other simultaneously. The limited time they had demanded quick actions, or else Kairi and the trophy will be handed over to the other. Well, neither couldn't care less about the trophy. The auburn-headed girl was the real prize worth fighting for.

The loud bangs of the bats were heard, almost like a large, solid ball dropping to the ground from a skyscraper. Everyone watched with excitement, betting on who will win in their minds. Kairi hoped with all of her heart that Sora would come out victorious, not matter how mean that sounded on Erol's part. After telling herself no more denial, she would stick to it. Riku stood by the meaty referee, keeping his aquamarine eyes glued on Sora and Erol.

Erol pushed back Sora's downward strike with his one hand, yet with great difficulty. It seems he didn't realize how much strength the brunette had. His appearance certainly didn't look at all intimidating, at least to him. Sora skidded against the dirt, leaving a trail of dust to rise above him and dissipate instantly as he charged again, putting more power into his feet. Erol took an immediate step forward, thrusting his bat toward his stomach. The brunette swapped his opponent's bat away and taking a daring high-sweep slash to Erol's head. Instead, he was met with air as Erol quickly ducked. Sora back-flipped and quickly got into his stance, just in case Erol would pull a fast one. He didn't, fortunately, and instead his pivoting became for rapid and quick. Blue eyes clashed with lavender eyes as their owners charged for each other again.

"Goodness! What a spectacular match! Both opponents have not received any orbs yet! Hurry fellas! You've got fifty seconds!" the referee informed loudly. The crowd stayed silent, not wanting to miss a second of this exciting match. The sound of bat impacting bat resonated through the festival, drawing more and more attention. Soon people were tip-toeing just to see what was going on while the nearest of the crowd simply gawked.

BAP! BAPBAP! BAP!!!

Sora growled as he maintained his strength in trying to push Erol back, yet it seemed futile since Erol was now using both hands to do the same. The two were face-to-face, as though ready to bite each other's nose if one spoke.

"Heh, you're better than I expected..."Erol somewhat complimented. Okay, so maybe they weren't going to bite each other's noses off.

"Am I supposed to say thank you for calling me weak in the first place?" Sora snarled, exerting more force on his end.

A smile appeared on the dark umber-haired boy's face. "Why, yes actually. You were lucky to even be CALLED something by me in the first place."

In an instant, Erol was sent skidding back, staggering as he regained his posture. Sora charged at him three times his normal speed and high-jumped, bringing his bat down with power. Erol's hesitation left an open spot on his arm, and that's where Sora struck exactly. His steps failing, Erol quickly retreated away from Sora, who was collecting a small bit of the orbs he dropped.

"You'll regret that," Erol seethed, quickly charging after he regained focus. Sora merely growled as he charged head on also, grasping his bat tightly. Another thunderous clash of bats was sent booming in the air as the crowd gasped, whistled, and woo'ed altogether. Kairi's face was a bright smile. Seeing Sora at least gather a few more orbs than Erol did was a relief. Riku, on the other hand, wasn't impressed. He wasn't about to let his guard down, especially when it came to a new opponent like Erol.

"Thirty seconds fellas!" the referee warned, his beady eyes trying to keep up with them.

The brunette was now panting, feeling the tension in his hands as he just finished another clash of bats with Erol. The lavender eyes which were calm and determined now looked agitated and annoyed.

Sora scoffed. "This is what you get for underestimating me."

"Yes, maybe it is," Erol snarled. He lunged at Sora in the blink of an eye, using his footwork to its maximum capacity. His arm quickly shot up, pointing his weapon in the middle of Sora's chest, sending him back a bit. Erol quickly regained a few orbs while the hit brunette quickly and painfully stood back up.

"And that is what you get for letting your guard down," Erol snickered.

Kairi gasped audibly, clasping her hands over her mouth as she watched Sora clutch his injured chest, where his heart was. He let out another growl, tightening his grip on the bat's handle. No way was he going to loose to this guy!

"Twenty seconds!"

His breathing became profound and his strength began to give away as his arm clutching the bat shook. Sora's strength was slowly depleting while as Erol was pivoting again, keeping himself from looking vulnerable. Great, just great. He really needed more stamina, because right now, he was extremely vulnerable to Erol's agility. Raising his bat again to his other hand, which was previously clutching his heart, he faced his opponent again, sweating a bit.

I'm not giving up yet...

He was not giving up yet, and he'll be damned if Kairi saw him give up without a proper fight.

With his mind made up, he charged forward again, hearing the referee signal the ten second time limit. Erol's pivots stopped and charged at him a few seconds after. He expected one of Sora's typical slash blows, yet instead, he got a powerful thrust to the shoulder. Quickly after, a series of slashes, slices, and a final upper thrust landed squarely on Erol's body, sending him crashing to the ground as well as quite a few of his orbs. The brunette landed on his feet, shaking a little as he steadied himself and quickly went around, gathering the orbs. Many gasps were heard while the referee counted down the last remaining seconds. Erol managed to get up on his knees and hands.

"Three!"

Sora stopped, satisfied that he successfully collected the dropped spheres and got into position for whatever Erol would launch at him.

"Two!"

Erol just crouched there, breathing heavily and looking at the ground starkly.

"One!"

It was over. Sora had won this round. Now he could advance to Riku.

"Time! The winner is Sora!!!"

The crowd boomed, clapping and whistling as Sora panted, looking around at the people cheering him on.

"Excellent! That was an excellent match! Thank you Erol for your amazing display of the rapier!" the referee commented, clapping against the mic to show his gratitude.

Erol slowly got to his feet, swiping at the loose yukata to rid of any dirt.

"I just bought this yukata too," sighed Erol. "Oh well, my fault for participating anyway."

Sora didn't move from his position. Instead, his eyes decided for something pleasant to look at and turned to the beaming Kairi. A very pleasing smile was plastered on her face. Sora didn't remember a time when he had seen her look so happy. He couldn't help but smile too. After all, he had just gotten closer to his prize. Erol made his way back into the audience area to meet with a bummed-out Mima.

Riku unwound his arms and stalked to the other end of the arena. Turning slowly to face his brunette best friend, an anticipating smile crept on his face.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, if you couldn't get enough of THAT, then get a good load of this! This is the final match of the tournament, deciding on the winner of the Struggle tournament! We have our champion, Riku!" the referee informed.

As usual, cheers erupted.

"And his opponent, the new underdog, Sora!"

Another cheer erupted.

"Again, this will be the final match! Riku vs. Sora! You both have a minute and thirty seconds! Make this one count and you will receive the trophy and a kiss from the chosen maiden!" the referee announced.

Sora was still a little out of breath, but he was still willing to fight. Riku calmly got into his stance, his aquamarine eyes narrowing under the silver bangs of his hair.

"Show me what you got," Riku mouthed.

Sora grinned and nodded. "You got it."

The pistol was pointed to the sky.

"Three!"

Sora slowed his breath down and regained his composure. Maintaining focus was an essential key to winning

"Two!"

He looked to Kairi, who was staring straight at him with that contagious smile of hers, yet she mouthed three words. In that instant, Sora learned his purpose for fighting.

"One!"

Do your best.

Kairi.

BANG!

Immediately shoving off, Riku's incredible speed led him to Sora's front, who immediately blocked his quick slashes. Sora was pushed back a bit, yet he still kept his bat up in defense. He was no push-over when it came to Riku's fighting skills. The guys was incredibly good at doing a chain of slashes and with quick feet-work even Erol couldn't match. The brunette managed to shove Riku's bat off of his face as he back-flipped. His opponent smirked, charging after him again. Sora didn't even have time to blink when he found himself on the floor and a couple of his orbs scattered around him. Like picking flowers in a field, Riku quickly gather them with ease. The brunette picked himself up, reforming his stance. Geez! The match had just started and Riku was already in the lead!

"Yeah! Go Riku!"

Kairi quickly whirled her head in the direction of the voice. If it was Ka, then it would be understandable that she would be cheering for her good friend. She thought it WAS Ka, but her eyes were a fierce red and not a soft pink. Mima looked as though she would fly away if she didn't clutch onto the fencing tight enough. It took a lot of restraint to not slide off her slipper and chuck it at the annoying girl. Besides, it would create too much of a distraction to the competitors anyhow. She directed her blue-violet orbs back to the melee. Their past battles always ended with Sora defeated and sprawled across the shore. How will this one end up?

BAP! BAP! BAPBAPBAPBAPBAP!!! BAP!

Riku accomplished his chain of slashes again and made a daring round-a-bout dash near Sora. Said brunette instantly retreated from him. It was almost like a dance around a large circle.

"A minute left fellas!" the referee informed.

Erol's eyes widened a bit. He had never witnessed a fast opponent like Riku. "Perhaps when I get back to Hallow Bastion, training with father would be appropriate."

The never-ending clash of bat against bat resonated throughout yet again, drawing an even bigger crowd. Perhaps if they were loud enough, the sound could travel to even the Shopping Districts.

Sora was pushed back, having his bat shield himself again. How was he going to attack if Riku gave him no time to think or act properly? Oh, right. There was also another thing Riku taught him.

Don't give your opponent a chance.

Great thing to remember, the thing was, how WAS he supposed to take Riku's chance away if the silver-haired boy kept taking HIS chances away?

"Fifty seconds!"

The brunette snapped out of it and berated himself for letting his mind slip. He disciplined himself never to do that, especially on a battlefield. He made up his mind and decided to stay on the defense until figuring something out. Riku's horizontal slash to Sora's back was barely unsuccessful as Sora twisted his body to face Riku properly. Blocking again, Sora pushed Riku off, getting into his stance.

Sora could always strike Riku's back, but how would he do that? He couldn't match Riku's speed to save his life, and he certainly couldn't dodge roll in between his locomotion legs.

"Forty seconds!"

BAP!

Riku grinned as he forced for power upon his bat. Sora's weapon shook against his best friend's mighty strength.

"C'mon. I thought I taught you better than this," Riku whispered.

Sora was able to match his strength. "I thought you did too."

With a final push against each other, the two were skidding back in opposite directions.

The chosen maiden stood there, watching helplessly. Riku was having the upper-hand while Sora was constantly bombarded with complex slashes enforced by her silver-haired best friend. She knew she could not interrupt a fight, whether is be spar or competition, she knew better than to ruin her best friends' prides. Silently, yet impatiently, she stood on the sidelines, not straying her worried eyes.

"Thirty seconds!"

Crap! I'm running out of time, I gotta think of something quick!

Quick was right. And speaking OF quick, Riku had just decided to make another round-about dash. Sora's eyes were glued onto him, as if he was a destructive time-bomb. His bat clenched and ready for another strike, he concentrated on keeping his position.

BAPBAPBAPBAPBAPBAP!

Kairi gasped as she witnessed her brunette friend falling backwards, loosing another five orbs. As those orbs disappeared into the hands of Riku, the referee announced the twenty-second time limit. Her eyes hopelessly looked upon Sora, who struggled to get back up on his feet with a staggering bat. The crowd was a low rumble as they watched behind the know leaned-on wooden fence.

His brunette spikes swayed as he breathed heavily. His strength was almost gone, and Riku was again on the other side of the area in a matter of seconds. He did not look exhausted nor beaten. Sora had not landed a single shot on his body.

Crap! I'm going to lose!

"You can do it, Sora!"

Blue eyes met soft violet ones. Kairi's hands were cupped around her mouth as she spoke out to him.

"If you give up now, I'll never forgive you!" she shouted.

New energy began to run through his body. How could he forget his purpose for fighting for a mere minute?

Kairi lowered her hands and smiled at him warmly. She said all she could, and now it was up to him to decide whether to keep fighting or not. He looked to Riku, who was also smiling, but not in a malicious way. It was a smile that said "I agree with her, so do your best."

"Ten seconds!"

Sora instantly rose from his feet, getting into his stance while Riku did the same. Now, three were smiling, for Sora was determined to keep going. The two boys charged at the same time, Sora's speed enhancing as much as Riku's. When the two bats met, Sora quickly dared to perform a round swipe, following an upper swipe. Riku barely blocked this when he stepped back a bit and was surprised to come in contact with a bat straight on with his back. He had no time to turn around, for he was sent stumbling forward by the force as his orbs fell to the ground. Aquamarine eyes quickly whirled in the direction of Sora, who was SUPPOSED to be behind him. Instead, he was met with a swing to his side and sent cart-wheeling torwards the referee, who quickly skedaddled away. More orbs fell, and Sora was quick to collect them as he made patterns with his enhanced footwork around the area.

"Three!"

Sora and Riku's bats clashed, but only for a second.

"Two!"

The blue bat swung. Silver and brunette hair fluttered swiftly. Orbs were dropping to the ground.

"One!"

The champion quickly found himself a champion no more.

"TIME!"

Cheering erupted as Riku collapsed on the ground. Sora panted loudly, his knees shaking and arms throbbing from extensive use. He had just beaten the champion, Riku. It was now he who stood standing and not collapsed on the ground. But still, Riku is still his best friend, and that's the very reason Sora dropped his bat and ran to his side. Coming to an abrupt halt, he kneeled by the fallen Riku's side.

"Hey! Riku, you alright?" he questioned in panic.

His response was met with the silver-haired boy propping himself up on his elbows. His smile was that of proud-ness.

"Better than ever. Good job man," Riku complimented.

Sora exhaled loudly, drooping his head and letting his arms and knees take a break for once. Too bad that wouldn't happen yet.

"Congratulations Sora!" cried the referee.

Said boy cringed. He now noticed how loud it was, with all the cheering and stuff.

"Thank you, Riku, for this excellent, once-in-a-life-time match! You boys were spectacular!" added the large referee.

Before Sora could even muster the strength to get up, Kairi was quickly by his side, kneeling by Riku.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worry-stricken.

Riku chuckled. "Yes yes mom, I'm alright. Besides, you should be asking dad that."

The auburn-headed girl quickly turned to Sora, ignoring the joke unconsciously.

"You're not severely hurt anywhere, are you?" she asked eying his body up and down.

Sora scratched his head, which took tremendous effort to do.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little sore," he reassured.

Kairi lightened up a bit, but began to tense again when the referee spoke into the mic.

"Sora is now the new champion of Struggle! Come and claim your prizes!"

Laughing was heard from Riku as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"You heard him champ. Go and claim your prizes."

Before Sora could even glare at Riku for his antics, he was being pulled by Kairi over to where the trophy brilliantly stood. Stopping abruptly in front of it, it glimmered marvelously. The multi-colored orbs gleamed as if congratulating their new-found owner themselves. Kairi stared too, but was nudged on the arm by the referee. His mic was lowered.

"Well? Are you going to kiss him?" he whispered.

Her shoulders immediately went up to her ears. Red instantly dominated her face color as she gulped. How could she forget about that?! Sora looked over to her, noticing her unnatural shade of color.

"Kairi? What's wrong?" he asked. He crossed his arms and frowned at her. "Don't tell me you got sick instead."

Kairi shook her head feverishly. "N-No, it's not that..."

She turned to him, her hands clasped tightly behind her back.

"It's just that... um," she drawled.

Sora lifted a brow. Why was she acting Wei-

... She's kissing me.

Really, how could he ALSO forget that Kairi's kiss came with the trophy package? Just a minute ago, he was battling against Riku for it!

It felt bittersweet as Kairi's retreating lips left his red-stained cheek. A bit of gloss was left over.

Biting her lower lip, she smiled. "Congratulations."

Great, how was he supposed to react to that?

He reached for the cheek she touched, feeling the sticky lip-gloss she left and stuck out his palm to glance at it.

Kairi chuckled. "Sorry. I think I put too much on."

"Whatever. I don't care," he shrugged and wiped the gloss on his pants.

All I know is that I'm never touching this cheek again.

The two were bombarded with Ka and Riku, who congratulated Sora to no end and finally reminded Sora and Kairi that a crowd was watching this whole thing. Oh great, this night couldn't get even more embarrassing! The referee quickly thanked and waved to the retreating four as they made their way around the fencing. Sora, unfortunately, got more praise for his "outstanding skill in the sword" and a couple of handshakes. Kairi chuckled at her champion's annoyance as he shoved through the dissipating audience. Now that the last event was coming up, the people around the festival grew large enough for a small village! It was so crowded you would have to walk in a line if you were accompanying anybody.

"Okay, next is the Wishing Bells!" Kairi cheerily announced, clutching to Sora's sleeve in the process.

"Question is, where is that being held at?" Sora asked loud enough for Kairi, Riku and Ka to hear. Unfortunately, Riku and Ka were way ahead, and it would be quite difficult to catch up with them, especially in such a busy area. He looked back to Kairi, who was doing her best to dodge and move to people could easily walk past her. They needed to get out of there quickly or else they'd be separated, but it seems luck wasn't on their side with this one.

"Excuse me," said a passersby.

"Pardon," said another.

"Oops! Sorry!" said a female passersby.

Kairi had to let go of Sora's hand to let her pass through. Sora waited on that spot for Kairi, but the auburn-headed girl was constantly being covered by moving people. He was also being pushed back as he was being told to move. After growling and making his way rudely out of the crowd with his new Struggle trophy, he found a secluded wall to lean against.

"Kairi!!!" he called loudly. The crowd was obnoxiously loud and busy that he didn't know if she responded or not. Before he could call again, someone had called his name, adding a pet-name at the end.

"Sora-poo!"

He turned to Mima running torwards him. What surprised him was that her face was worry-stricken and not head-over-heels.

"Sora-poo, have you seen Erol?" she asked desperately.

He shook his head. "No. I thought you were with him when he went out of the Struggle arena."

Mima pouted and slumped. "Oh, this is bad... Will you help me look for him?"

Sora scratched his head. SHOULD he even help her?

"Well, I'm kind of looking for Kairi too. She got lost in the crowd," Sora informed, looking back into the mass sea of people.

Mima smiled. "Then we can look for both Erol and Kairi together!"

The brunette looked at her again, uncertain if going with this girl was even safe.

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"Sora!!!" Kairi called next to a bare tree. She had finally gotten out of that mess, but without her brunette friend. She heard no response and was prepared to call again when her name called back out to her. The voice was definitely not Sora-ish.

"Kairi!"

Her head swirled in Erol's direction, who abruptly stopped in front of her panting.

"Kairi, have you seen Mima anywhere at all?" he asked as soon as he regained his breath.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't. I thought she was with you during the Struggle tournament."

Erol copied her gesture. "She was, but then we separated because of the growing crowd. Perhaps you could help me look for her?"

The auburn-headed girl looked down guiltily. She wanted to help Erol, she really did, especially after that defeat in the Struggle tournament. Erol was probably seeking comfort from Mima.

"Um, I'm looking for Sora too," Kairi hesitantly said, pointing her index fingers together.

Erol smiled and shook his head. "Then why don't we look for them together?"

Kairi looked up hopefully, but that smile was a bit unnerving.

She silently nodded.

End Chapter 36

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A/N: HOW WAS IT? Did it somehow cool your anger at me for not updating sooner? xD;; Probably not. Well, even if that was the case, thank you for still bothering to read this spur of the moment story. 8D I love you guys! Again, thanks for reading and a review or two would be nice! C8