Once upon a time, in the distant land of Nohr… Leo was dating a high schooler.

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"You're dating a high schooler?!" a girl asked.

It was just another winter day in the city of Windmire. Snow and slush on the ground, crunching under people's feet, leaking into their socks. The sun still shone through the clouds, as spring would be upon Nohr before long.

In one of Windmire's suburbs, there sat a plain house, with chipped paint on the exterior. Inside that house was a small living room, connected to an even smaller kitchen. Inside that kitchen, three folks sat at the table. A fourth person, a young, blond man in a polo shirt, was in the process of making hot cocoa for himself.

Name: Leo
Status: Awesome

Leo sighed. "Technically, she is an adult." Task completed, Leo sat down to join the others.

A brown-haired young man in a jersey looked over. "Is she hot?"

Name: Hinata
Status: The Talent

"Pffft!" A short young woman with blonde pigtails, wearing all black. "Aren't you, like, 29 years old?"

Name: Elise
Status: Little sister

"I'm 21, Elise."

"In dog years, maybe," Elise taunted. "So you're actually 29."

"That's not even how dog years work."

A tired, younger man with messy hair, wearing a raincoat instead of a winter coat, looked up from playing his 3DS. "So… did you guys, like... make out or something yet?"

Name: 'Young' Dwyer
Status: Living here

"What? No. Nothing like that. I mean, we're not that together," Leo clarified.

Hinata took a drink of his own. "How'd you guys meet?"

"Well…"

…

"Yaaaaay! School's out! Where's the park- WHOA!" Out in the snow, a girl had dashed out of her school's entrance and crashed right into a loitering Leo.

"Ow… Watch where you're going!"

Name: Selkie
Status: Technically an adult

"Hi! Who're you?"

Leo stood up, brushing snow off his coat. "Ow… Is my head bleeding?"

"Oh, uhh… No?"

"Good. Forget this, I'm just gonna go home."

"Can I help you get home?" Selkie asked.

Leo was too focused on the pain in his head. "Huh? Sure, whatever." Then a detail caught his attention- the girl's bushy tail and the ears atop her head. "Oh. You're a Fox."

"You mean a Kitsune?"

"We call them 'Foxes' in Nohr."

…

"…and then on the way home, we agreed to go out," Leo explained. "And that's it."

Elise blinked. "…That's it?"

"What?"

"Well I'm proud of ya, man!" Hinata pumped his fist. "It's about time you got back out there! You can't mope over Lu-"

"Don't!" Leo interrupted. He sighed. "But, yeah. It's kind of nice. Selkie's excitable, but otherwise low-maintenance." He began counting with his free hand's fingers. "She doesn't have too much to say about music, she doesn't start fights, she doesn't-"

"Wait, are you just listing all the things you didn't like about L- about your last girlfriend?" Young Dwyer asked.

Leo looked at him. "Hm? No. I… uh… Well, there's the fact that Selkie appreciates everything that I tell her. That's one of her qualities."

"So she doesn't have any of your ex's traits, and she kisses the ground you walk on," Elise summarized. Leo broke eye contact with his sister.

"So, uh, practice, are we doing that today?"

DING-DONG!

"Oh speak of the devil, Selkie's here right now," Leo got up. "I invited her to listen to us."

Hinata gasped. "Without asking me?! She's gonna find out we suck!"

Leo opened the front door. "Hey, how's it going?"

Selkie attack-hugged him. "Hiiii!"

"Hey. Do you promise to be good?" Leo asked.

"Yes!"

"…No really, do you promise?"

Selkie blinked, still holding onto Leo. "…Yes?"

"Okay, good."

Leo allowed Selkie inside. As the fox girl took off her coat, Hinata and Elise went over to prepare their instruments. Selkie sat next to Young Dwyer on the couch, and Elise commented. "Oh! You didn't say she went to that high school!"

"Wow, cool drums! Can I play on the drums after you?"

Sitting at the drums, Elise shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, but these were real expensive. I can't just let anyone try them."

Leo nodded. "She plays drums. Hinata's the talented one and he plays guitar-"

"Thanks, man!"

"Why aren't I talented? I've been drumming longer than you've been playing bass!" Elise yelled.

"…And I play bass," Leo concluded.

"Wooow." Selkie looked over to Young Dwyer. "And what do you play?"

Young Dwyer did not look up from his 3DS. "Uhh… Right now, Pokemon. Last week it was Planet Robobot… Before that, it was the new Hyrule Warriors… a lotta stuff."

"I've never even heard of those bands!" Selkie exclaimed.

Leo went over and grabbed his bass. "All right, what do we start with, the really loud one? Ignoring that they're all really loud."

"Dude! We're in a rock band! Of course it's gonna be loud!"

Elise triumphantly held up her drumsticks. "Woo! Rockin' Troopas! ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR-"

Thus the Rockin' Troopas began to play their music. In those brief moments, the world disappeared for Selkie, and all that existed were the Rockin' Troopas and their song. Hinata sang into the mic.

"Laminate the spaces! Ma-ma-ma-ma serpentine! I've got a breathalyzer... and my body's clean!"

Selkie felt inspired, she saw all sorts of pictures in her head, vivid and colorful images.

(P.T. Piranha presents…)

LEO VS. THE WORLD

Selkie saw a tree growing and withering…
(Starring Leo as 'Scott Pilgrim')

A crystal ball exploding, revealing a blooming flower…
(****** as 'Ramona Flowers')

A flying arrow with a dirty grin forming in its wake…
(***** as 'Wallace Wells')

A skull and cross-bones with the bones falling and skull smiling…
(***** as 'Lucas Lee')

Black and white stars overlapping…
(****** as 'Stacey Pilgrim')

A heart appearing and ripping in half…
(****** as 'Envy Adams')

Drumsticks beating on a violin…
(Elise as 'Kim Pine')

Angry eyes rapidly looking around…
(***** as 'Julie Powers')

Five stars in a row, appearing in order…
(****** as 'Todd Ingram')

Another crystal ball, this one catches fire…
(***** as 'Gideon Graves')

Four tires, and a fifth appearing in the center…
(Dwyer as 'Young Neil')

A guitar exploding…
(Hinata as 'Stephen Stills')

A flower getting cut in half…
(**** as 'Roxy Richter')

Nine fox tails…
(Selkie as 'Knives Chau')

A giant X under a spotlight…
(**** as 'Matthew Patel')

And two ninja stars.
(**** & ***** as 'Kyle & Ken Katayanagi')

(Based on the Scott Pilgrim comic series and the film, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World)

(Starring characters from Fire Emblem: Fates)

(All OOC changes made in good fun)

(Please enjoy)

Chapter 1: Leo's Precious Little Life

The band finished, and Selkie was back to reality. Out of breath, Hinata looked to her. "So… What'd you think?"

Young Dwyer remained lost in his video game, but Selkie was absolutely stunned.

"That was…"

Hinata looked nervous. Elise appeared curious. Leo seemed indifferent.

"…so cooooooool…"

The guitarist turned over to Leo, saying, "I like her. She's nice." Elise nodded in agreement.

Month: (Mid-Late) March

That night, Leo walked up to a concrete wall in between two urban houses. The only decoration was a small, rundown mailbox, and two spits of grass on each side of the path leading to the door. Leo entered.

"Hey. I'm just gonna say it. Yes I am dating a high schooler, no it's not creepy, she is technically an adult," Leo announced.

The apartment was incredibly small. The living room and kitchen were as one, divided by a counter. The bathroom was the only other room. Apart from a TV on a bookshelf, the only furniture consisted of a mattress, an armchair, and a refrigerator. In the armchair sat a dark-skinned blond in pajamas. He had one eye closed as he looked up from reading a newspaper.

"Aww, Leo and the high schooler. Is he cute?"

Name: Niles
Status: A solid 7/10

Leo rolled his eyes, setting his coat on the hanger. But his roommate was not done. "So I guess we don't get to sleep together anymore."

"You know that mattress was originally mine, right?" Leo walked into the bathroom.

Niles returned to browsing the paper. "Yeah. That and not much else."

Leo Ownership: Mattress, Coat, Books (4), Toothbrush, Laptop
Niles Ownership: Blanket, Pillows (2), Better Coat, Mini Fridge (+ food), Coat Hanger, Armchair, Toothbrush, TV, Bookshelf, Wall Lamp, Video Games (14), SNES

"Ah. How's that for irony? The bigshot know-it-all, and he owns less than half of a run-down hole in the wall," Niles commented. "How the mighty have fallen."

By that time, Leo exited the bathroom and plopped down on the mattress. "Whatever. I had a long day, Hinata started freaking out." His eyes shifted toward Niles. "Hey, could you not mention Selkie to my older sisters?"

"Aw Leo. You know me."

"That's why I'm asking."

Niles chuckled. "Well I'm sure Elise will post about it anyway."

Leo shot right back up. "Oh gods you're right." HERE I COME, ROUGHER THAN THE REST OF THEM- "Aah!" Leo answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Leo, are you serious?" a feminine voice asked on the other line.

Leo sighed. "Hi, Corrin. To what do I owe this call?"

"Ugh! Are you really dating a high schooler?"

The boy's eyes shifted. "…Where might you have heard that? Elise?"

"Niles texted me, duh!" Leo turned to glare at Niles, but the man just kept reading his newspaper with a dark grin. Ultimately, the younger shook his head. "Look, Leo, I guess it's legal, but… I have to ask, did you-"

"H-hey! No, we haven't… She likes to hug me by surprise, but that's it. I barely hold hands with her." He laid back down. "Now, I'm very tired. Is the interrogation over?"

For a few seconds, the phone was silent. But then… "Leo, are you over it? Over L-" Corrin cut herself off and sighed- "over your last girlfriend? Or is this some weird thing you're doing?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Goodnight."

He could hear Corrin sigh again. "All right. Goodnight. I love you."

"Yeah…" Leo hung up and shut his eyes. "I hate you, Niles."

"I love you too."

"I hate you, Leo."

Leo smirked. "What's the matter, Niles? I thought you liked animal boys."

The two stood outside Selkie's school, as several students exited. All had animal traits, and some required less winter protection than others. Notably, Niles had donned sunglasses since he was in public. It could not be seen, but he glared at Leo. "This is shady, even for me. I'd think twice about dating an innocent high schooler... Although-"

"Hiiii!" Selkie recognized Leo and got him with another attack hug. "Hi Leo!"

"Good afternoon." Leo had Selkie let go of him so he could gesture to Niles. "Selkie, this is my roommate Niles. He once had a dream about wolf men."

"I'm not ashamed of it, but why is that always the first thing you say about me?" Niles asked. He then shook his head and grabbed Selkie's hands. "You're too good for this man. Run away from him."

"Okay that's enough."

"Run far away from him."

"Enough, Niles!"

Niles let go and walked off. "Whatever. So I'm gonna drive us to the mall? Like I'm the captain of this sinking ship?"

Leo and Selkie browsed the mall's music store. "Wow, I didn't even know there were so many bands! This is fun!"

"Yes, there are a lot of bands."

Selkie perked up when she saw a nearby employee, a cranky-looking woman with dark blue hair. "Hey! Hey! Do you have anything by River City Random?"

The employee glared. "You mean River City Ransom? Check the R section. Stupid…"

Name: Oboro
Status: Begrudgingly saving for her own shop

Leo winced and called after Selkie, herself already heading off. "Uh, don't listen to them, Selkie. They're not that good. Their singer is a heartless-"

"So Leo. Robbing cradles now?" Oboro asked.

"…Nice to see you too, Oboro."

"So are you and the rest of Hinata's band coming to my party tomorrow night or what?"

Leo tilted his head. "Didn't you break up?"

"And then we got back together. Pay attention!"

"Ugh…"

Oboro smirked to herself as she began to place CDs on the shelf. "Maybe if Selkie listens to enough River City Ransom, she'll get the right idea and leave you behind. Just like Lu-"

"Nice to see you, Oboro, time to go!" Leo began to escape. "Selkie, we're leaving!"

Leo lied in the center of a snow field, flat on his back. He stared dully at the snowfall. "Ugh… I can't do anything right… I'm going to die alone…"

A short, pink-haired woman roller-skated past the troubled young man. She wore a white coat, red skirt and white leggings. "Sorry! I just had to come through, don't mind me!"

Leo sat up. "Wait, what? What's going on? And how are you skating in the snow?"

"Aah! I'm sorry! You're dreaming, I d-didn't mean to interrupt it!"

"That's okay, I hate this dream," Leo assured. "Wait, are you part of my dream? Can you stay?"

"Aaah!" Leo woke with a fright. "Ugh… Crazy dream."

Right next to him on the mattress, Niles woke up, sans sunglasses. "Something wrong, Leo?"

"No… Just…"

"Can you guys keep it down?" A plain-looking man woke up on Niles' other side. Niles turned to him.

"Something wrong, Other Leo?"

Name: Other Leo
Status: A Leo who is not our Leo

"Yeah, you and your boyfriend are keeping me awake," Other Leo complained.

"Pffft. He wishes he was mine," Niles said. "I'm afraid we're stuck together."

The main Leo merely blinked. "Something felt… different about that dream…"

"Heels & Wheels?" Leo asked. "Is this a shoe store?" He and Selkie stood outside a building on Main Street, on another bright winter morning.

"Uh-huh! I need new shoes!" said Selkie. Leo hung his head back.

"Shoes… and wheels… You know, I think I had a dream last night about someone skating-"

"Let's go!" Selkie cried, dragging Leo by the arm.

"Hey!"

As Leo was brought into the store against his will, he noticed a girl passing him on the way out. Leo's eyes widened, recognizing her as the girl from his dreams. But before Leo could say anything, she had left.

"What are we doing again?" Leo asked, following Hinata, Elise and Young Dwyer on the sidewalk that night.

"Oboro's party, man!" Hinata explained. "If we play our cards right, Oboro can get us into the Battle of the Bands at Emery's!"

Elise looked over. "Emery's? That old cupcake place? Ooh! I hope they still have the giant cupcakes!"

"I forgot, how does Oboro have any pull at Emery's?" Leo asked.

"She works there," Young Dwyer answered immediately. "Keep up."

…

Oboro's apartment was crowded, everyone waited around and mingled amongst themselves. Leo and Young Dwyer had gravitated toward the back of the living room, each with their own cups. Leo sighed. "This party's a waste of time."

"Mmm."

The blond looked at his phone for time. "I'm bored. I'm going to find the restroom."

As Leo left, Young Dwyer just blinked. "…I gotta pee."

But while Leo made his way to the restroom, his peripheral vision picked up on a certain shade of pink. Nearly passing her, Leo stopped and observed the mystery girl from his dreams. She stood in the corner, eyes darting about the room, quickly taking sips from her cup. Quickly, Leo cleared his throat, checked his hair, and made sure his shoes were on the right feet. All set, he slunk over to the wall beside the girl.

"Um… Good evening."

"Huh?!" She looked over. "O-oh. Hi…"

"Um…" Leo took a drink. His cup was empty, but she did not need to know. "The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. And I'm in a band."

Achievement Unlocked: Worst Pickup Line

"O-oh…"

Leo blinked. "Uh! I meant…"

"Um… I-I'm sorry, but… your shirt…"

"Hm?"

The girl avoided eye contact with Leo. "Your shirt. It's… I think it's inside-out…"

He gasped and began examining himself to be sure. Leo's shirt was indeed inside-out, but the girl took this chance regardless. She quietly left him alone to sort himself out.

…

"Young Dwyer!"

"Aah!" the boy screamed, moments away from sleeping while standing. "What?"

"She's real!"

"Huh?"

"The girl from my dream!"

"Wait, what?"

"Is my sister here?"

Young Dwyer rolled his eyes. "Elise came with us. Stupid."

"No, my… Augh!"

Leo abandoned Young Dwyer and began the hunt. He searched the entire party for his sister, until he finally found her.

The first things people noticed about Corrin were her unusual hair and eyes. The second would be that black and white striped sweater she wore every day, to the point where Leo suspected she had copies. She almost looked like a prisoner. The third thing would be her flipflops, worn even into the winter.

Name: Corrin
Status: Everyone's mutual friend

"Corrin!"

Leo's sister looked away from her conversation. "Huh? Oh hey Leo."

The bassist held a drawing of the mystery girl, though it was more of a scribble atop a wonky circle. "Do you know who this girl is?"

"Oh! It's Sakura! She's a real nice girl, she moved here from Hoshido."

"She's Hoshidan?"

"Is that surprising? There are a lot of Hoshidan-Nohrians in this neighborhood. But yeah. I think she and Oboro know each other. But why-"

"Okay thanks, bye!" Leo ran off, leaving Corrin confused. The last thing he wanted was his older sister doting about him showing feelings for a girl. So it went, Leo once again searched the party for a certain someone. He figured it would be easy to find Oboro with Hinata, with how loud Hinata tended to be.

"Oboro, do you know anything about a girl named Sakura?"

Oboro and Hinata stood together, both holding cups. The blue-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah I know her. She works at the shoe store. Sometimes she comes into my work to brainstorm ideas I can use for my designs."

"The CD store?" Hinata asked.

"No, the coffee shop!" She then turned to Leo, giving him an evil glare. "Leo, I'm warning you. I forbid you to go after Sakura. She doesn't need you to hurt her, and I don't care if it's been a year since your last date!"

Hinata put a comforting arm around Oboro. "Whoa there! No need to worry, Oboro! Leo's dating a pretty young, pretty foxy, pretty lady! He's good!"

Leo blinked. "…I am?" He swore internally, remembering Selkie's existence. "Oh yeah… Yep, doing fine there… Not… interested in… Sakura at all."

Leo would proceed to stalk Sakura from a distance until she left the party.

The lights came on as Niles (with shades) entered the apartment. "Guess who's drunk!"

Leo moaned, half asleep. "Ugh… Is it you?"

"Got that right!" Niles plopped down on the mattress… sideways.

"My legs, aah! Niles!"

"Zzzz…"

He let out a sigh. "Great… Not like I was getting up anyway. I'll just think about that girl from the party…" He yawned. "That'll help me doze off…" HERE I COME, ROUGHER THAN THE REST OF THEM- "Aah! I have to change that ringtone!" Leo answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Leo, are you thinking about juggling two girls?" Corrin accused.

"Uh, no! Did you get that impression when I asked about Sakura?"

"No, Niles texted me!"

Leo looked, noticing that Niles had his phone open, even though he was asleep on Leo's legs. "That doesn't… But… How-"

"Look. From what I've heard, Sakura's a nice girl. But if you want to date her, you should at least break up with that high school Fox! You really want to be like Dad?"

He winced. "Uh… No. Look, I have a lot on my mind, can we pick this up later? Good, love you, bye." Leo hung up and glared at Niles. After that, he shook his head and began to reclaim his sleep.

"Niles!"

"Aah!" Niles startled awake, lying in the same position he had been the night before. Leo had gotten dressed and moved to the armchair, browsing his laptop. "Ugh… What do you want?"

"What was the name of that store that sells the heels that have wheels in them?"

"…Heels & Wheels?"

"Okay, says here it normally opens at 10:30. C'mon, I need you to drive me."

Niles clutched his own head. "Leo, I'm feeling kind of-"

The two sat in Niles' car, waiting in a parking lot across the street from Heels & Wheels. Leo turned to him. "So how are you able to drive with sunglasses and only one good eye?"

"We've been friends for years, and you only just now ask? I have a better question: what are we doing here?"

Leo returned to focusing on the shoe store. "Well the store's gonna open any minute now. That girl Sakura will show up. Then, say, fifteen minutes after she comes in to work, I'll come in, claiming I'm looking for some new shoes. We'll get to talking and it'll be smooth sailing. That's how the ancestors did it. Have three conversations, then fall in love."

Niles blinked/winked under his sunglasses. "You… do know that it's 11:00 right now, right?"

"What?! I wonder what-" Ping! Leo fished his phone from his pocket. "I wonder why no one's come… Huh, I don't recognize this address." Shrugging, he skimmed the email out loud. "Dear Mr. Leo… woman of interest… League infraction… challenge you… Oh gods this is some kind of game advertisement, isn't it? I thought I unsubscribed." Niles shrugged as Leo deleted the email and got out of the car. "I'm gonna go see what the deal is."

Leo looked both ways, then crossed the street. Leo tried to open the door, but a message window appeared right in front of him.

[It seems this door is locked. You'll need a key to open it.]

"Locked? But shouldn't it be open today?" His eyes widened. "Wait…" He strafed over to one of the store's windows and saw a sign. "Closed on Mondays?! Who closes on Monday?!"

At band practice, Hinata clapped his hands, facing his band mates and Selkie, all sitting on the couch. "Okay, guys! Big announcement!"

"What is it?!" Elise and Selkie excitedly asked at once.

"Yeah. What?" Young Dwyer emotionlessly asked.

"We're gonna play the Battle of the Bands against Double Dragon! The Double Dragon!"

Selkie inhaled more than necessary. "Double Dragon! Those guys are so cool! I like to work out to their songs!"

"Wait, aren't we little known compared to Double Dragon?" Leo asked. "How'd this even happen?"

Hinata palmed his face. "Leo, stop zoning out! It's the gig at Emery's! I got Oboro to have us replace the other band! It was at the party, while you were standing in the corner with Young Dwyer!"

"I'm Young Dwyer," the boy greeted. He then opened his 3DS to the tune of the TM jingle from Pokemon. "Oh hey, new TM."

"Okay, then. What time?" Leo returned to the subject at hand.

"Tomorrow night!"

"Tomorrow night?!" Elise repeated. "We have to rehearse! We can't let Double Dragon beat us! ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!" Elise ran over to the drums and began, though neither Hinata nor Leo had their guitars. Selkie nodded resolutely.

"I'll cheer you guys on!"

The next day, Leo finally made it back to Heels & Wheels, but this time Niles refused to take him. He had to take the bus, then walk down five blocks to get to the shoe store. He walked inside and began searching for Sakura.

To Leo's surprise, she was actually behind the counter. She appeared to be reading something. Leo accepted that, it allowed him time to find some shoes. "Okay… Size 9, Size 9… Good!" Leo grabbed the first Size 9 shoes he could find, bright purple ones. They did not match any of his clothes, but he had claimed them, holding them above his head.

[You found Size 9 Shoes! Equip them with X, Y or Z to dash like the wind!]

Quickly, the boy made it to the counter. "Yes hello my name is Leo and I would like to purchase these shoes."

"Huh?!" Sakura looked up from her book. "O-oh! I'm sorry, I… I didn't hear you come in!"

Name: Sakura
Status: Unknown

He nodded, not really paying attention. "Oh, yeah, it's fine, no problem, I just want the shoes, my name is Leo, do you want to meet later?"

She blinked. "I… What was that last part?"

The blond winced. "Ah. I just realized how forward that sounded. Ahem… But really though, would you like to?"

"You seem familiar…" Sakura whispered. She gasped. "You were at Oboro's party! Uh… Sorry, but which one were you again?"

Leo began to sweat. "Uh, it's not quite important. But, uh, I think I've been here before and I might've seen you. And then the night before that you appeared in my dream and you were skating, but it was snowing in the dream, but we hadn't met yet- Oh gods I sound insane."

Sakura covered her mouth. "Ohhhh! Oh gods I'm so sorry!"

"What?"

The pink-haired girl hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry! See, I travel in and out of the Astral Plane, a-and I use that to get to work faster! B-but it's sort of connected to people's minds… and I must've passed through yours."

That was some new information for Leo. "The Astral Plane?"

"Y-yes. The Astral Dragons used to occupy that realm, b-but now regular people can, if they learn how. I must've messed up…" She scrunched her face in shame before taking a deep breath. "S-so you wanted some new shoes!"

"Uh… Sure. But if I buy them, we won't get to speak anymore."

Sakura nervously looked out the window. "Well… that's how it works."

Leo had to think of something. He scratched the back of his head. "Well… Hmm… Oh! I heard from my sister that you're not from around here. Hoshidan, right?" He nodded. "Yeah, I remember now. I know a lot of people in this neighborhood, and you're not one of them, so you couldn't have been here very long. I could… show you around…" He looked back and forth between Sakura and the window. "There are… reasons. To hang out. With me."

The clerk sat in silence for a few minutes. If a pin were dropped, one could hear it. After a solid two minutes, she spoke. "Well… you have a point. D-did you have a time in mind?"

"How about… 8:00, in the park?"

Windmire Dusk Park – 8:00PM

Sakura sat on a bench, in full winter gear. She looked over and caught Leo walking up to her. "Oh. You actually showed up. I… wasn't sure you would."

"Well, you were going to help me… help me get familiar with town, right?" Her eyebrows lowered. "I-I have Freeze Spray if I need to use it."

"Ah! No, no, that's what we agreed on." Leo rapidly nodded. "Let's start with the park."

…

Dusk Park was rather large. On the tour, Leo would explain little landmarks and some nearby buildings, while Sakura would nod attentively. Eventually, Sakura's questions became less about Windmire and more about her talkative companion.

"So what do you do for a living?" Sakura asked.

Leo looked over at her. "That? Well I… used to work at the convenience store near my apartment, before it got shut down. A wyvern wrecked the place, and apparently it was already on the verge of closing, so they never bothered to reopen. Now… I perform in a band…."

She smiled. "Y-you were the one with the inside-out shirt, weren't you?"

Leo looked back ahead. "Oh look, a different topic! So here's a here statue of the Dusk Dragon. In ancient times, it's believed the dragon created Nohr. Now it just looks cool."

"You don't still honor the dragons in Nohr?" Sakura asked.

"Depends on the family." He narrowed his eyes. "After that wyvern incident, I'm not real big on dragons." Leo winced. "Uh, unless you are, of course. I'm sure dragons are… decent. My older sisters really like them. Uh, how'd you end up here?"

Sakura frowned. "I… didn't want to stay in Hoshido anymore. S-so I reached out to my pen pal, and she talked about a place here in your country and a job."

"Ah. I see," Leo said. "Is there a problem in Hoshido? Didn't you guys have a volcano incident lately?"

She gave him a look. "What? N-no, nothing like that. It's just… It was personal." Sakura saw a swing set and immediately made her way toward one of the unoccupied seats. "By the way I'm sorry, again… You know, about… appearing in your dream."

Leo walked over by the swing set. He looked around, shrugged, and sat on the other swing. "No worries. It's not like you saw my innermost thoughts." Sakura blushed, and Leo's eyebrows shot up. "Okay, bad sign." His expression became an apprehensive wince. "What did you see?"

"N-not a lot! I just…" Though her head faced forward, Sakura's eyes turned to meet Leo's. "Is… there a reason you were sharing a bed with… with two other men? I-I don't mean to judge you, it's just…"

"Ugh…" Leo let go of the chains and rested both palms on his face. "Yes, I know how that looks. We only have space for one mattress, and Niles… doesn't have many reservations."

Then, it began to snow, and Sakura smiled. "Oh! Snow! It's snowing!" She held out her hand, wishing to catch a snowflake.

"Hm? Yeah. It's almost April, but it's not unreasonable."

"Well, we didn't… we didn't get a lot of snow back in my hometown." She turned her eyes to the ground. "I don't even know if I've seen it or not."

Leo turned his head. "Really? Well, hope you enjoy it."

Leo and Sakura sat on a couch, shivering intensely, with blankets around both their shoulders. The Nohrian turned to the Hoshidan. "S-s-sorry ab-about the blizzard… D-didn't expect it…"

"I…I know…"

Leo & Sakura – Status Ailment: Freezing (may not attack this turn due to shivering)

"I'll… get us some tea…" Sakura stood up to find the kitchen.

Leo took the time to examine Sakura's house. It was a nice place, Leo thought. Smallish, but still larger than his apartment. There were some distinctly Hoshidan decorations; he observed a bonsai tree beside the television, and some paper fans on the wall. But other than those, the place resembled an average Windmire home.

The young man yawned, and felt his eyes grow heavy. Leo barely registered Sakura announcing the tea before sleep took hold.

…

Ping!

"Aaah!"

"Eek!"

Leo and Sakura woke with a fright. It took a moment for Leo to recognize that he was not in his apartment. No, there was more space, he was on a couch, there were decorations, and someone's head was on his shoulder. Sakura quickly sat up. "O-oh! S-sorry! I… must've d-dozed off…"

Leo looked out the window. "It's... daytime? Oh… yeah… I remember. We were going to have tea, but I suppose I dozed off first."

Sakura nodded. "Y-you still seemed cold, so I put another blanket on you, and then… I got tired, and…"

"I see." Leo smiled. "You know, that… that was nice. Last night. Even with the blizzard. Or because of it- I mean… We should meet up again sometime."

The pink-haired young woman had already gotten up to fetch the cups of cold tea, but she called out to Leo. "Well, we never did finish our… our tour. Did you have any ideas?"

Leo merely shrugged. "Uhh… Oh! My band is going to perform at Emery's tonight. It's a… Well, it's a cupcake place. But there'll be-"

"Cupcakes?" Leo picked up a slight tinge of excitement in Sakura's voice. "I… That is… Your band?" He could not see her, but he figured she was blushing. Leo nodded.

"Yeah, the Rockin' Troopas. The name wasn't my idea. We're doing a Battle of the Bands against these guys, Double Dragon. It's tonight, but if you're unavailable-"

"I actually have today off," Sakura's voice carried. "I-I'd love to go. I've heard some Nohrian music, it sounds e-exciting."

Leo internally fist pumped. "All right then." He opened his phone. The phone message that had woken him was yet another spam, telling him of an imminent battle and a point of no return. Leo promptly deleted it before going over to his contacts. "How about we add each other on our phones?"

Emery's Cupcakes
Featured Event: Battle of the Bands (Double Dragon vs. The Rockin' Troopas)
Treasures: Cupcake, Giant Cupcake, Mythril Cupcake (rare)
Random Encounters: None

Emery's was a two-story cupcake store. The first floor had the stage and a counter where a clerk vended cupcakes. There were a few small tables, suitable for two or maybe three guests. Leo and several friends had gathered on the second floor balcony, with similar tables and no clerk.

"Niles, thanks for being here," Leo said. His friend nodded.

"Leo, hi!" Corrin greeted. Leo turned to find his sister walking hand-in-hand with a young man. "See Silas? I told you we'd make it. Besides, Double Dragon's on first."

"Silas?" Leo asked.

"Oh, this is my boyfriend Silas."

Name: Silas
Status: Corrin's BF

Silas nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Niles grinned. "Silas, eh? So Corrin, you know what they say about men with cowlicks, right?"

"Niles don't," the siblings said at once.

Sakura walked up to the group, munching on a giant cupcake. "I'm back. Oh, hi Corrin." She nodded instead of waving, her hands busy with the giant snack. "This place has good food…"

"Oh, Sakura, I didn't know you'd be here!" Corrin said with a smile. "Wait, are you here for Double Dragon or-"

"LEO!"

The bassist tensed up as Selkie appeared at the top of the steps. She tackle-hugged Leo and pecked him on the cheek. Corrin stared toward Leo with suspicion. Sakura glanced curiously at Corrin. Leo looked nervously toward Sakura. Niles watched an inattentive Silas with anticipation.

"Well…" Leo lightly pushed Selkie off him. "…Gotta go!" With that, Leo hurried down the stairs, almost tripping twice.

In the greenroom, Hinata paced, while Elise and Young Dwyer sat on the couch. Young Dwyer was, once more, playing a video game. Elise raised her hand. "Did you ever learn anything about Double Dragon?"

"No!" Hinata responded. "I don't get it! How'd they get so popular without anybody knowing anything?"

Elise looked over at Leo. Her brother was busy creeping his head onto the stage, eyes fixed on the balcony. "Leo? Are you with us? Did you see something?" On the balcony, he observed Corrin and Sakura talking to each other. Selkie was sitting too close to Corrin for Leo's own comfort. "Leo? Hello?"

"All righty, ladies and gentlemen," a relaxed voice announced. "Please give it up for Double Dragon. Yeah."

Two young men walked onto the stage, while a wyvern flew in and rested behind the drums. Hinata and Elise both bore witness to this.

"They have a wyvern for a drummer?!" Elise shrieked.

Hinata began to hyperventilate. "That's it, we're over!"

Onstage, one of the human bandmates grabbed the mic. "Good evening. We're Double Dragon."

In the balcony, Niles cupped his hands around his mouth. "THEN HOW COME THERE'S ONLY ONE DRAGON?"

The guitarist glared. "Because up yours. That's why."

Niles smirked. "AT LEAST TAKE ME TO DINNER FIRST!" He looked over. "You'd do that, right Silas?"

"…What?"

"Don't listen to him," Corrin warned.

Then the guitarist regained his composure. "Our first song is called, Ask Me Why I Mourn. Ahem…"

The wyvern began to play, and the guitarists soon followed.

"None of your business!"

That was it, the song ended. The guitarist nodded. "Thank you."

One person clapped, while Niles… "I SNEEZED, CAN YOU DO THE SONG AGAIN?"

The guitarist glared. "All right, this next song is for the guy with sunglasses in the balcony. It's called, You're Ugly And I Hope You Die."

Niles grinned. "Aww, they shouldn't have."

The song began.

"My own little world!"
"Mutual sight, mutual sound. Mutual struggle- for shared ground."

The bassist joined in.

"It's safe to say, they'll try to take from me-"

Then the lead returned.

"I'm just another one for them to break down."
"Steeped in denial, the daily grind- dream of a world for me and my kind."

Bassist returned.

"It's safe in the… alternate reality."

Lead nodded pointed at Niles.

"So stick your standards where the sun doesn't SHINE!"
"THEY'RE FOR THEMSELVES, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEY SAY! PROMISE THE WORLD, THEN TAKE IT FROM YOU ANYWAY!"
"THEY'LL BREAK YOU DOWN, MAKING YOUR VISION FADE AWAY! IT'S TIME TO GO! Get outta my space!"
"Welcome to a world where the air I breathe is mine-"

Backstage, Hinata resumed pacing, his voice barely audible. He was saying something along the lines of, 'No, it's all over now! We can't possibly win! Listen to these guys! I should've stuck to just fencing! That's all I'm good at! Why did I think I could play guitar?! Elise, I'm sorry! Leo, I'm- Leo, stop just standing there! C'mon man, you're freaking me out! Leo for the love of the gods, say something would ya?!' or something like that.

"-We will never die! …Thank you."

The audience cheered, and Leo gasped. Selkie was beginning to talk to Sakura. "Hi! Are you one of Leo's friends? I'm Selkie!"

Sakura had already finished her cupcake. A few crumbs were on her mouth. "Oh. Hi. M-my name is Sakura."

Leo winced, then turned back to Hinata, grabbing his shoulders. "Hinata! We need to perform right now and really loud!"

"You're right!"

With lightning speed, Leo, Elise and Hinata all took their positions on the stage. Young Dwyer had joined them, though he mainly stood to the side and contributed nothing. The calm voice returned to announce, "And now our second act of the evening, the Rockin' Troopas."

"So I ran into him outside school and-" Selkie gasped. "ROCKIN' TROOPAS! YAY! This is so exciting, I think I'll-" Selkie fainted before she could finish. Sakura frowned.

"Oh. Oh dear… Should we-"

"Don't worry about it," Niles told her.

"C'mon Leo and Elise! …And Hinata!" Corrin cheered.

"WOO! WE'RE THE ROCKIN' TROOPAS!" screamed Elise. "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!"

The three began playing, and Hinata wasted no time with the lyrics.

"ALL ABOOOOOOARD! Hahahaha!"

Hinata, Leo and Elise began playing in earnest, and Hinata returned with more lyrics.

"Crazy… but that's how it goes!"
"Millions of people… living as foes!"
"Maybe… it's not too late…"
"To learn how to love, and forget how to hate!"
"Mental wounds not healing! Life's a bit-ter shame!"
"I'm going off the rails on a crazy train!"
"I'm going off the rails-"

CRASH!

A man in yellow spandex with a cape crashed through the ceiling. "A FALLEN HERO ARRIVES!"

He landed dramatically on the first floor, a few meters from the stage. Slowly, the intruder stood up. From the balcony, Sakura gasped. The man held his arm dramatically toward the Troopas. "Mr. Leo! I hope fate finds you prepared! I… am Odin Dark!"

Name: Odin Dark
Status: Edgy/10

"Now we engage in our duel to the death! Prepare for… ELDRITCH SMACKDOWN!"

Odin leapt into the air, fists glowing and ready to pound Leo. In that moment, all eyes were on the bassist, and time slowed to a crawl.

"Whaaat diiid I doooo?"

Niles shook his head and called out to Leo. "JUUST FIIIIIGHT HIIIIIIM!"

Time resumed. Leo quickly unplugged the bass and threw it to the nearest person (Young Dwyer), and clapped his hands. They were coated in magic and Leo put his fists up to block the incoming opponent. Leo then stepped back and swung his arms, creating tree roots to push Odin off the stage and onto the floor. "Aaaah!"

Leo dusted his palms and went over to the edge of the stage. Elise giggled. "Heehee! He should know better than to fight Leo. He's the toughest guy in Windmire!"

"Yep, that Odin guy is screwed," Hinata said.

Up in the balcony, Niles nodded. "Leo's been favoring the Brynhildr spell. Hope he's not getting too lazy."

Corrin just looked horrified. "Am… Am I missing something? How does Leo know this guy?!"

On the floor, Odin stuck his legs in the air, leading into a dramatic flip, bringing himself back onto his feet. He dusted off his costume. "Well, well, well. You were prepared indeed!"

BOSS: ODIN DARK

Niles called down to Leo again. "HEY LEO. I BET THIS HAS TO DO WITH THAT EMAIL YOU GOT."

Leo winced. "Oh yeah… that… Probably should've read it."

"What?! You didn't read it?! But… but I put so much work into that email!" Odin whined.

"Well, I kinda thought it was spam… Look, I didn't recognize the address. Would you answer that email?"

Odin folded his arms. "Uh… Yes! Heartless miscreation… How dare you! HYA!"

The man suddenly hurled a giant fireball in Leo's direction. The boy jumped over it in time, and Elise ducked behind the drums. Leo's dodging brought him down to the floor. Before Odin could attack again, Leo ran toward him and slid on the ground. When he was close enough, Leo threw an uppercut punch, sending Odin skyward. But before he could hit the ground, Leo upper-punched him again, keeping the mage airborne. +100pts! This went on for a few minutes.

+200pts!

+300pts!

+400pts!

"What's he doing?" Silas asked.

Before Corrin could explain, Niles leaned closer to the man. "Leo's juggling him. It's one of his favorite ways of whittling the other guy's health down."

"What's with that guy's outfit?" Young Dwyer asked, still holding Leo's bass.

Finally, Leo got bored and allowed Odin to crash to the floor. "Gaaaah!" But even then, Odin got back up and struck a pose. "I… I underestimated you! Now our fight begins in earnest!"

"Why are we fighting again?" Leo asked.

Odin dropped the stance. "Uh… Y'know, the emai- Oh yeah you ignored that. Ahem!" The boisterous man resumed his pose. "I am Odin Dark! And I am Sakura's first! Evil! Ex! Boyfriend! Haha!"

"Her what?" Leo looked up at Sakura, as did everyone else. "What's he talking about?!"

Sakura moaned in embarrassment. "Well…" She stood up, placing her hands on the rails. "H-he and I used to go out… back in Grade Seven. Th-there were these guys who kept trying to flirt with me. But I told them I wasn't interested. They wouldn't listen, though, so Owain appeared and beat them up… w-with his magic. Then I learned how to fight, a-and we got revenge later."

Corrin gave her a confused look.

"After that, Owain and I dated f-for a week," Sakura explained. "But it just didn't work out. And I guess he just sort of changed his name later."

Leo blinked. "…Well… That's interesting."

"Enough!" Odin interrupted. "Didn't work out? You feared me and left without another word! But no matter." The mage cleared his throat. "It is time for me to finish this!" He began to dance, snapping his fingers. "If you want to fight me…!" Corrin shook her head. "Ha! Then come and get it! You thought you could beat me, but now you'll regreeeeeeet it!"

Odin began to levitate as he sang, summoning phantoms of young women in similar clothing to him. Hinata gasped.

"Here is my greatest spell! And, oh, my blood, it aches!"

"Kill him, Daddy!" the phantoms whispered. Odin nodded.

"Now take your last bow, before your spine breaks!"

"B-R-eaks!"

"BLOOD FLAMES, GO!" Odin threw a fireball at Leo and the audience near him. Most of them ducked, except for Double Dragon's members. "Burn him to a crisp! (Crisp!) Now he'll know that, we're not all just talk!"

Leo glared. "That doesn't even rhyme!" He grabbed a plate off a table and hurled it at Odin's head. "HA!"

"Gaaah!" Odin clutched his head and spun in pain as his backup dancers evaporated. Leo leapt into the air, fist pulled back. He threw his punch, connecting with Odin's face, sending him flying back, onto the ground.

KO!

+1000 pts!

Defeated at last, Odin became a pile of coins. Leo landed nearby and pocketed some. "Don't mind if I do…"

Up in the balcony, Sakura quickly made her exit. "Uh, I have to go! It was nice meeting all of you. C-Corrin, tell Niles and his boyfriend I said goodbye please!"

In confusion, Corrin turned her head and caught Niles and Silas smooching. The red-eyed woman groaned. "Really, Niles?! Again?!"

Downstairs, Sakura ran up to Leo and dragged him by the arm. "What? Hey, where are we going?"

"We need to talk!"

On an otherwise passenger-free bus, Leo and Sakura sat somewhere close to the back. Leo tapped his fingers together repeatedly in anxiety. "…Sakura, what was that all about?"

Sakura merely sighed, and turned to face Leo. "Well… I didn't think this would happen, but… I guess… if we w-want to see each other, you have to… you have defeat my seven Evil Exes."

Leo blinked. "…Your… seven evil ex-boyfri-"

"Exes. Yes."

"And… I have to fight them?" he asked.

"Y-you have to defeat them," Sakura corrected

"Oh. And, they're all evil? Are they all in town now? What's going to happen?"

She merely ducked her head down in shame. "I-I don't know! I didn't think it would actually happen! I'm sorry about this, I didn't mean to put you in danger!"

Leo thought he could see a faint purple glow around Sakura's head, but dismissed it as exhaustion and a trick of the light. "It's not really so bad. They'll come, I'll defend myself, they'll leave, and it'll all be over. And I'll get some money out of this, if that Odin guy is an example. Besides, you said you didn't know this would happen. But…" Leo folded his arms. "I have a question."

Sakura looked up at Leo. "Y-yes?"

"…Does this mean we're a couple now?"

"I… I guess so?"

"Do… do you want to be a couple?"

"…Yes."

[CHAPTER 1 CLEAR! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE?]

Post-Script A/N:

So have you noticed a lot of people writing fics about Leo and Sakura yesterday? Yeah it's this thing called "LeoSaku Week". Eh, I'm down with that pairing and a few of my author friends are too, so I thought I'd join in. But... what do I do? I thought about a slice of life modern thing like Lavender's Girl Next Door (which I believe rebooted yesterday). But then I thought "what if there were boss fights?" Then I realized it would just be Scott Pilgrim. But hey I like Scott Pilgrim, so why not?

So how would I divide this up? The movie doesn't neatly divide the story arcs like the comics do. But I hadn't read the comics. So guess what? I spent a good chunk of my dwindling money to buy the comic box set, so I can read them and write this fic. This is now the most expensive fic I've ever written. You know I'm taking this seriously now.

(Also I wanted the comics for a few years now, so it worked out.)

That said, this will actually blend comic and movie elements, so it won't just be restricted to one.

Here's another thing: most Modern AUs of Fates do not take advantage of the fact that it's Fates. They just put the characters in a modern setting and call it a day. And that's fine, the plot is serviced. But I wanted to take it a step further. There are wyverns, they are in Nohr, magic exists, etc. But it's also modern times. And for a Scott Pilgrim-based story, I think that helps hold everything together.

Now, about the casting:

I do not resent any non-Leo/Sakura pairings. To be honest, I'm not one of those fans who gets up in arms. I don't even ship much outside of Fates. But like I said, all character personality changes are done just for fun. I don't hold anything against these characters. Now, one detail I did was that I tried to emulate the movie's casting sequence where actor names are shown with little drawings that represent an aspect of their characters. If you look, you can probably figure out who's who by counting the asterisks. Anyway, I'll describe the casting reasons:

Leo and Sakura as Scott and Ramona are obvious. It's the whole point. But they do sort of resemble their characters in the right light... Niles as Wallace was too perfect to pass up. It is a cliche in Modern!Leo fics to have him hanging out with Niles, but it was too perfect. Elise is Leo's sister, but Kim is not Scott's sister, so that changes their dynamic. I did that because it gave me a few ideas. Corrin is both Stacey and Comeau, because I wanted more of Corrin being a sister to Leo (not a lover) and she knows everyone. Selkie is Knives because she's young, a little hyper, and has highlights in her hair. Dwyer is young and kinda quiet, so he's Young Neil. While Julie is a meaner character than Oboro, I just wanted to write cranky Oboro. And Odin was showy enough that he suited Patel's role. ...There's no special reason for Hinata being Stephen Stills.

The band name, "Rockin' Troopas" was improvised. I wanted (something) Troopas, but I had trouble finding another word. So I just went with Rockin'. It's apt. Also, the songs are a little different. The Battle of the Bands songs are both different songs. Double Dragon sings Own Little World by Celldweller. I know it from Dead Rising 2. The Troopas sing Crazy Train, by Ozzy. In a way, they kind of fit. Odin's song is the same as Patel's song, but with new words. Last note, the name of the shoe store is a reference to the Discord server a lot of us Leo/Sakura folk are part of. "Heals on Wheels".

Guys. I've never written a long-going romantic thing before, so working the Scott Pilgrim angle is how I bring my own spin to the table. All the same, I put a lot of time and effort into this fic and I hope that you enjoy it.

(Oh yeah, I'm going to update this every day until it's finished. All 6 chapters. Because I've already written them all. This is the dedicated week, you know.)

(And if you're following Gray Whirlpool, don't worry. That won't be affected.)