Chapter Seven: Encounter

-Three Weeks Later-

The weeks of training passed and Karen responded well. She was fast and flexible, good attributes for a warrior. Those weeks, Sora and Riku slept on the roof of the school. They accompianied Karen and Emi to their various activites and every Sunday, they all attended chapel.

Before they knew it, the Struggle had arrived. Emi was gone before anyone else was even awake. She had to be at the Sandlot early for one last practice, and to pick up her uniform. Karen and Sora sparred one last time. When they were done, they couldn't help but smile. They walked to the Sandlot. They could hear the crowd before the could see it, and the tournament hadn't even begun. They walked in, Sora, Riku and Karen. "Okay," said Karen. "You know the deal. We have to go listen to the rules and wait for our match." Sora and Riku nodded.

They got the rules out of the way and went to go stand with the rest of the competitors. Hayner and Seifer were there of course, and the rest of the Disciplinary Commitee. And, Setzer. Karen rolled her eyes at a group of girls crowded around him, giggling.

The announcer had to scream despite the megaphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Twilight Town Marching Band." No one screamed louder than Karen as the upbeat music started and the red and gold clad members marched out.Emi was easy to spot, whaling on her quads.

Sora laughed. "What's with the funny hats?"he yelled over the crowd to Karen. She just laughed. The band members took their spot and the tournament itseld began. It was Fuu versus Vivi first. Fuu had no qualms about beating one of her own and did so, so fast it was blinding. Vivi never had a chance and probably never saw it coming.

Next up was Karen versus Hayner. Karen was unsure of herself as the ref started to stick the orbs on her body. She didn't want to fight Hayner. Sora reassured her with a pat on the back. She smiled at him and picked up one of the blue and yellow clubs. Hayner was waiting for her in the ring.

He chuckled. "Hey, no offense," he called. "But, you are going to be a breeze to beat." Karen chuckled to herself and assumed the battle stance Sora taught her, the same one he used. She didn't say anything, but when the buzzer sounded, she proceeded to prove Hayner wrong.

His first mistake was to rush her. She skipped out of the way, and momentum carried him on, leaving him stumbling and vulnerable. She leapt over, so light on her feet from years of dance lessons, and struck his back. The orbs seemed to explode off him. She gathered them quickly and skipped backwards, heading for the far end of the ring.

Hayner recovered from the blow and started running towards her. He kept his club low and swung up when he got close. Karen raised her own club, supporting it with two hands, and blocked his attack from above. She pushed, sending him flying and stumbling backwards. She brought her club down hard onto his head, sending orbs flying.

The buzzer sounded just as Hayner was swinging sideways for a chest shot. He yelled in frustration and threw his club down. Karen gasped, the blow knocking the breath from her chest. She'd won...she'd won! Sora, Riku and especially Emi screamed. The ref ran up and grabbed Karen's wrist, pulling it up as a sign of victory. Karen and Hayner stepped out of the ring to make room for Riku and Seifer. Hayner shook Karen's hand and walked off. Karen walked over to Sora to watch Riku's match.

Emi grimaced when she saw Riku was up against Seifer. There was a fued just waiting to happen between them. As much as Emi would've like to get in the ring and beat Seifer up (again) she would just have to hope Riku could do it for her. Riku's face was totally passive. He looked to Sora, wondering if he should use his Keyblade. Sora wasn't able to help, and Riku turned to face Seifer.

Seifer's face was still sore from his encounter with Emi. He sneered at Riku, the boy he still thought was keeping him from Emi. He was akready covered in orbs, taking slightly away from his intimadation factor but Riku was still worried. The ref stuck the orbs to his clothes and smacked an orb covered helmet over his fine silver hair. Riku took the club from him gingerly, staring at it. Seifer was still glaring.

Riku almost jumped when the buzzer sounded, the shrill noise bringing him out of his deep thought. Seifer rushed him before he had a chance to move, so his only choice was to block the attack. WIth a flash of light, the club in Riku's hand turned into his Keyblade, The Way to Dawn. Seifer gawked at the blade that was stopping his club. The crowd went wild as Riku pushed Seifer backwards. The fight was fast, Seifer and Riku circling each other. The clang of weapons was hardly audible over the crowd.

It was such a close fight. When the buzzer rang, Riku had only three more orbs than Seiger. Riku put his arm down and stopped immedietly. The Keyblade in his hand flashed and turned into a club again. Seifer wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and bent over, putting his hands on his knees. The club fell from his hands and rolled around in a weak circle.

The ref ran up and raised Riku's wrist in victory. Seifer just sneered. The crowd cheered and Riku walked up to Seifer. He stood slowly, taking the hand Riku outstretched gingerly. They shook hands grudgingly. "Thanks for a good fight,
said Riku. Seifer was silent. When they dropped their hands, Riku reared back and punched Seifer square in the nose.Seifer stumbled back, his hands flying to his face. Riku yelled over the crowd "THAT WAS FOR HER!"

He walked off to stand with Sora and Karen, leaving Seifer to sit in the dirt and wipe away the blood pouring from his nose.

Emi, still sitting in the band section, stood up, alarmed. Her jaw dropped when Riku punched Seifer, but she a got a certain satisfaction from it. She felt to shame about being happy to see Seifer in pain. He deserved it for messing with her. She caught Riku's eyes as he walked down and she mouthed "Thanks." He smirked and gave a gentle nod. Emi sat down feeling...relieved. She allowed herself a small smile and leaned back, satisfied.

Sora and Karen rushed up to Riku yelling things like "What did you do that for?!" Riku ignored them and leaned against the wall, eyes low. Sora shook his head and chuckled. "Show off," he muttered. The referee called his name and the brunette looked over and grinned. His turn.

He almost bounced over, ready to unleash the power of the Keyblade all over Rai's backside. He bounded up into the ring and grinned as the ref wrestled the helmet on over his spiky hair. Rai looked absolutely ridiculous covered in little red balls. Sora snickered and took the club offered to him absently. If Riku could use his keyblad, then so could Sora. Rai didn't stand a chance...

...twenty seconds before the buzzer sounded, Sora knocked off and gathered the last of Rai's orbs. He stepped back and grinned, knowing he'd won. The Kingdom Key dissenigrated in a flash with a metallic shing. Rai collapsed comically onto his back and Sora realized something. He spun around and looked at the leader board. After thinking for a moment, he realized...he was fighting Riku next! He frowned at first, but then smiled. Ah, sparring with Riku... that brought back some old, happy memories. He walked away, ignoring the ref that had run up to announce his victory.

~

There was a short break so the competitors could rest. Emi went over to thank Riku for socking Seifer. Sora sat on the ground, deep in though. Everyone figured he was planning his strategy, but Riku knew there was something up. In truth, Sora was thinking of Kairi. Wondering where she was, what she was doing. If she was still alive.... he missed her terribly and it broke his heart to think of her dead.

Emi tapped Riku's shouder and he looked up. She shifted her weight nervously and said "Thanks. For...Seifer." Riku nodded. "You're welcome. He deserved it. Does he always act like that around girls?" Emi shooked her head. "Nope. Just me. Apparently my rebellion is attractive. You don't meet people... like me... around here much, so Seifer singled me out."

"Well, that sucks," remarked Riku. They both chuckled. Riku's eyes flickered up to Emi's funny looking hat. It was red with old accents, including a golden feather. And a chin strap. "I like your hat," he remarked. Emi's lips quirked. "Ha ha," she said sarcastically, leaning against the wall, similar to Riku. She crossed her arms over her chest. Riku straightened up. "No, really. I've always liked to watch marching bands on television. We don't have one at home." He chuckled. "Heck, we don't even have a football team. We have a blitzball team. My friends Wakka and Tidus play."

Emi looked at him intently with fierce green eyes. "I've never heard of blitzball. We don't have a football team either. I'd like to hear more about your home sometime, though," she said. Riku nodded."Okay, yeah. Sure, sometime," he said, smiling. Emi smiled back and said "You know, you aren't so bad.Sorry for tackling you that one time." The band director called Emi back and she walked away. She lifted and jerked her hand in the air in a short wave.

Riku looked down at Sora, sitting on the ground. He was staring up at the sky. "What are you thinking about?" asked Riku, grinning mischiveously. Sora looked up and he looked really... sad. Riku frowed. He crouched down next to his friend and asked "What's the matter?" Sora sighed heavily. "I miss her. I miss her so...so much."

Riku clasped Sora's shoulder. "We'll see her again. Don't worry about it." "I know, I know. It's just that..." Sora sighed again, rubbing his face. "I think... I know... I love her. My heart aches when I can be with her, can't see her." Riku patted Sora's shoulder."I love her too. We'll go back. We'll find her. You can tell her how you feel one day when all of this is over with." Sora nodded. He was still sad, but Riku's words cheered him a little.

~

And then it was time for the semi-finals. It was Karen versus Fuu and Riku versus Sora. Karen's match was up first and she knew Fuu was more likely than not a tougher opponent than Hayner. She was just a tiny bit worried.Sora, standing next to her, gave her a small reassuring smile. "You'll do fine."

Karen took a deep breath, walking up to the ring, taking long confident strides. She held her chin high. Fuu stood on the other side, glaring at her silently. All of her friends had been defeated and she wasn't about to give in. The orbs were stuck on and clubs passed out. Karen's hands shook as she took the blue and yellow weapon. Her heart pounded as the officials cleared the ring. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, both from the heat and the tension in the air. The air was heavy and humid. Fuu seemed totally calm.

Karen looked over her shoulder at Sora, wondering if she should just quit now. But, Sora was cheering for her. Riku was clapping, and Emi was cheering, too. She couldn't quit! She needed to win, to prove herself stron enough to save the world. Sora was counting on her to help him and Riku. Emi was counting on her to get her out of this sleepy town before her anger tore her apart. And she was counting on herself to find out about her family, the family she never knew. Maybe even find them, her mom and dad.

Something rose up in Karen and everyting and everything seemed to slow down. She didn't hear the buzzer, she could only hear her own breathing and heart beat. She knew it was time to go when Fuu started running towards her. Then, reality exploded back and everything sped up. She spun away from Fuu's first strike, a pent up breath exploding from her. She cried out and skipped backwards, ducking low to avoid another swing. She lashed out, striking Fuu in the knees. Hard. Fuu stumbled sideways, almost losing balance. Karen took advantage of Fuu's stumble.

Strike, strike, strike. Back and forth, circling, striking. Parry, block. Karen was winning, by a lot. She grinned when the buzzer sounded. Fuu crouched, breathless. "No...fair..."she gasped. Karen looked over her shoulder, the spun around, throwing her arms in the air and shrieking with delight.

She ran down the steps, ignoring the ref. She and Sora hopped around, laughing. Riku looked on anc chuckled, shaking his head. Emi stood up and almost smacked her fellow drummers when she flung out her arms. Karen hugged Sora then stood next to him. They watched the ref write her name in the bracket for the final match. Sora looked over and realized her was fighting Riku next. He grinned. Piece of cake.

Riku studied the leader board for himself and immedietly thought back to all those years ago, sparring with Sora on the beach. Funny how stuff like that can change your life, the outcome of certain events, and prepare you for things ahead. Riku thought "What would've happened, had we not gotten that training from sparring each other? Our skills certainly wouldn't be where they are now, not with out the extra push in the beginning."

Karen slapped them both on the back, wishing them luck and pulling Riku out of his deep thoughts. "I'm rooting for both of you," she screamed. The loud, rowdy crowd drowned her out. Riku and Sora walked to the ring together. The shook hands jokingly before taking the clubs offered to them. The ref chastised them. "I don't know what all those flashy lights were, and I don't know how you switched weapons. But, if you do it again, you're disqualified. Got it, boys?"

Both boys nodded, bored with this and fully ready to beat the crap out of each other. The boys went to their sides of the ring. Emi gripped her drum sticks, intrigued. She wasn't sure who to root for. Overly eager Sora or arrogant sarcastic Riku? She decided to just sit back and watched what happened.

When the buzzer rang, Sora hung back for a moment. Riku circled around, his club held low. Sora hopped backwards, swing up with one hand to block Riku's rapid blows. He jumped into it, up and bringing his club down on to Riku's helmet, knocking all the orbs off of it. Riku stumled forward with a small cry, leaving his back vulnerable. As fast as he recovered, Sora didn't have much time. He jumped over Riku's back, gaining a collective "Ooooo!" from the crowd.

Out of the ring, Karen watched, enthralled. Both of them fought with such grace. She wanted so badly to seem them in an actual battle. To see that grave that was earned only through hard work and practice. In the face of danger, it was the test of a true warrior.

Emi watched the fight, her eyes serious and her thin lips set in a straight line. One of the other drummers elbowed her in the ribs and said "You look like you have some money riding on this, huh, DesCoteaux?" Emi gave him a blank stare that actually held quite a bit of meaning. The snare player backed off. Emi returned her attention to the playing field.

She felt something.

She wasn't sure what, but something was [i]there[\i], nagging her. What WAS it? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the annoying sensation.

Back in the ring, both Sora and Riku were enjoying themselves immensely. Persperation made their hands slippery. Their muscles ached, but it was a good, deep ache. Both had learned to accept that sensation as an affirmation of life, a sign they were still living to fight on.

Perhaps a little melodramatic for such a small event, but it seemed like forever had passed since they last felt the exhilaration of a good fight. Pillow fights with Kairi just weren't the same, didn't give the same buzz as an epic battle against hordes of heart-thirsty Heartless.

They both backed away from each other. Sora dived to one side to avoid a thrusting attack. Riku threw himself into it a little too much and momentum carried him sliding forward. Sora wiped the sweat from his head, wiping his hands on his baggy shorts, Riku blew out and sucked in breath. He smirked,loving every moment. He looked up and saw Emi staring right at him.

She looked so...serious.For the first time, he noticed the sadness in her eyes, the darkness under them from too many sleepless nights, lying awake wondering about the family she'd never know. Her thin lips carried potential for a beautiflu smile, but seemd to perpetually frown. Riku still wondered why she seemed so familiar to him. It was like he'd seen her somewhere, in a photo or crossing a street, a long time ago.

It [i]almost[\i] clicked. Just before Riku remembered, Sora leapt up behind him with a playful cry, blue eyes wild and smiling. Riku lost the remainder of his orbs with five seconds to spare. He fell to his knees, shaking his head and laughing. Sora helped him up and said "You left yourself wide open for that one, Riku."

Riku chuckled. "Yeah, I know," he said, standing up. The ref ran over and announced Sora's victory. Emi clapped but felt disspointed. She'd kinda wanted Riku to win, she decided after the fact. Maybe he wasn't as arrogant and annoying as she thought. But her cynical side stayed closed.

Karen clapped, but felt her nerves get up again. She'd won against Sora a few times, but he was...experienced. This was a real fight, not practice, even if it was just for entertainment. And Sora had the kind of experience you could get from three weeks of sparring with wooden swords.

Sora and Riku stepped down. Another break before the final match. Of course, either Karen or Sora would go on to fight Setzer, but that was purely in fun. Sora gave Karen a high five and said "I'll go easy on you, okay?" Karen grinned and punched him in the arm. "Don't hold back! Unless you don't have anything to give. you chicken wuss."

"Stealing phrases from Seifer, now are we? Such big talk coming from such an itty, bitty girl," said Emi in her distinctivley Emi voice, from behind. Karen spun around and punched Emi lightly in the ribs. "You're just jealous because you know you couldn't get this far if you competed," she retorted. She chuckled and they hugged.

Emi looked at Riku. It was refreshing to be able to look directly into someone's eyes rather than down into them. She smirked. "You should pay more attention. I was watching you. You were wrapped up in something, not paying attention." Riku smirked as well, wondering why she didn't notice he had been staring right at her. "Yeah, I know. Listen, can I ask you a question?" "Um... I guess," said Emi. "Have we...met somewhere before?" asked Riku. Emi looked at him, puzzled. "Uh, no. I've never seen you before in my entire life, before three weeks ago. Why?" Riku laughed nervously. "Oh, no reason. You just seemed familiar, that's all." "All right, whatever," said Emi with an absent shrug.

It was late afternoon now, almost time for the tournament to end. The crowd had settlled down quite a bit, tension in the air as they waited for the final match.

~

Karen felt something.

Something buzzing in her head.

An expectation.

She perked up, looking around. It was like someone had called her name. Sora felt it, too. He placed a hand on Karen's shoulder. "What... what...is that?" she mumurmed.

And then... everything just stopped. The crowd, the noise. Even the air itself seemed to stop. Time had ceased to be.

Karen cried out when she looked down and saw three black creatures. They seemed to spring out of nowhere at her feet, materializing from dark puddles. As more and more of them appeared, Karen became more and more alarmed. She stopped with the short cries and started a long, keening scream.

She felt something in her hand, a kind of energy. Sora and Riku had both withdrawn their Keyblades, so Karen deducted these creatures must be Heartless. The energy in her hand felt stronger, oh so strong. Pulling every bit of strength from her body. She looked down, slowly, at her hand.

In a blinding flash of light, that energy materialized. Karen screamed again, stumbling backwards. She threw her arms out in front of her,as if she were blocking sunlight with her hands. In her hands...she was gripping a sword of some kind or another. As she fell, she saw Sora turn to her, eyes wide. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion.

The Heartless were surrounding her, but the only thing she could even understand was the blade in her hand. It was an iradescent white, marbled and streaked with sky blue. The handle was heart shaped, crafted from what looked like twisted wrought iron, with a rod through the middle for gripping. At the end of the cylindrical, three foot long shaft, sticking out on the side, was a peary blue heart shaped part. There was a keyhole shaped hole through the middle.

"What the..." she breathed, turning the mysterious weapon in her hands. Sora blasted through Shadow after Shadow to get to her. He helped her up, both of them staring at the shiny white hunk of metal in her hands. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Sora grabbed her shoulders. "It's a... Keyblade."

Karen's eyes got even wider.

"Sora!" cried two voices simultaneously.

A few moments earlier, Emi had stood. She's ripped off her feather hat, trying to grasp what the heck was going on. She was holding a drumstick in either hand. Her hands... they felt strange, and heavy. She glanced down at them. So, heavy, a strange draining sensation.

In a flash of numbers, letters, symbols... data... a Keyblade appeared in both of her hands. She screamed, throwing them down. She screamed for Sora then, the flash of data coming again. The two blades reappeared in her calloused hands. Again, she threw them, as hard and far as she could. Before they could even hit the ground, they burst back into her hands.

At the same time, Shadows seemed to flood fluidly around Riku's ankles.Usually, Shadows were no big deal, but they kept coming and coming, no matter how many he defeated. They kept coming until he couldn't even see his feet. He called to Sora, and looked up and saw him with Karen. Saw the Keyblade in her hands. He heard Emi yell for Sora as well, the same time he did. He glanced over.

She was holding a Keyblade, as well... two of them! Oblivion in her left hand and Oathkeeper in the other. Double-wielding. She looked distressed and was trying to rid herself of them. "Help him," screamed Sora to Emi. Emi moved, not really sure to use the abnormally weighty blades in her hand. Not that she knew they were unusally heavy. She ran to Riku, the blades dragging behind her. Sparks erupted from the grinding of metal against the ground. A few Heartless were defeated in the dragging, but not enough to make a dent.

She kicked another Heartless out of the way, and slapped a few aside with her left blade. She and Riku were back to back now, as he turned to survey what was behind him. He spoke to her over his shoulder. "Just pretend they're Seifer. The only way to get rid of them for good is with the blade. Go!"

Riku leapt off , knocking Heartless left and right. Emi shifted her weight, and took a deep breath. She moved, swinging the heavy blades.It wasn't quite as easy as it looked... she was surprised by the number of Heartless left over when she was too tired to continue.

She dropped to one knee, the blades clattering down onto the ground from her hands. They didn't flash black like they had before. In a flurry of data, they returned to drumsticks. She must have fought non-stop for fifteen minutes, putting every ounce of strength she had into it.

"What happened to that amazing stamina?" asked Riku haughtily from behind her.In a flash, all of the Heartless were gone. He helped her up, offering her a hand which she gingerly, hesitantly took. The both looked around. Sora was standing, looking very tired. He waved to them.

Karen finished off the last Heartless. The four of them watched the faint, pink heart float up and away. It was like watching a balloon. Karen looked to Sora, breathing hard. She sunk to her knees, then slumped over, lying on her stomach. Sora's Keyblade, as well as Riku and Emi's, dissapeared as time resumed.

Emi and Riku were standing near the band, at the exit to the Back Alley. Emi looked down and realized... she was still grasping Riku's hand. She snatched her hand away, blushing deeply. Riku's face pinkened just a little, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Time was back to normal, and as far as the ref was concerned, the battle had been fought and the tournament was over. He declared Sora the winner, unawares as to the real reason Karen lay unconscious in the ring. Sora declined the fight was Setzer. Emi ran up to help carry Karen back to the dorm room, refusing medical help. "I'll get my quads later," she said, lifting Karen to her shoulder.

Sora looked at her sadly. "No need. You won't need them. We're leaving as soon as it gets dark."

~