Chapter 1:

The Start of an Interesting Summer.

I sighed, much to my relief, as I shut my now empty locker for the last time this year. It was finally here. The beginning of summer. My friends and I had been slaving the year away, drowning in piles of homework and doing unruly group projects and drooling on fresh paper whenever we napped in class. At long last, we could put that routine to rest for a few months. The only catch was, I had a single project to do over the summer. Luckily, it was group work, and I wouldn't be the only miserable person.

'The only bit of work I have to do now is a report.' Lifting my strap over my shoulder, I heaved another sigh. 'Which of course, I would most likely procrastinate until, I dunno, maybe a week before school started up again? I mean, really. Who wanted to do some lame, time consuming report/essay at the beginning of summer?'

Pushing people to do reports and homework was only something my best friend, the shop crazy, school smart Olette, would be completely into. And she and I were fire and ice, which would make me the ultimate procrastinator.

"Ellie!" Someone, a familiar someone, called my name through the crowd. My brother, the only person I knew who could be both annoying and charming at once, came through the crowd, shoving by people to get to me. I sighed, turning to greet him with annoyance, like any sister would when her brother talks to her in school.

"Hayner. Hi. What do you want?" I asked my obnoxious, minute older brother as I dumped a few sheets of paper into a nearby trash can.

He tried to ruffle my hair, proceeding to shoot me a grin when I leaned away and gave him a look of disgust. "You can drop the 'I Really Hate My Brother' act. No one cares, El."

I broke into a grin, nodding. "I know, I know."

With a laughed, we began walking towards the entrance of the school. I cocked my head at him as we blended into the rest of the crowd,"So whats up, Hayner?"

"Whats up? What do you mean? You don't just casually ask, in the mist of excitement, 'Whats up?' It's the beginning of summer, the season of the Struggles, that's what's up! I can't wait! The Struggle Matches are at the end of next month, and we need to wipe the floor with Seifer and his goons."

To this, I gave a roll of my eyes. There was no stopping Hayner when it came to rants like this one. Even if they were hopeful in meaning, Hayner always found away to mention Seifer or crushing the competition. Personally, I had never given it much thought. Seifer didnt mess with me, and I ignored him in return. Whatever issues he and my brother have, stays between them.

Still, its nice that Hayner has a reason to be so passionate about a sport.

Struggle matches are about the only excitement that happens in Twilight Town. Its where kids who around the ages of twelve and up pick up blue club like bats and beat each other for two minutes to determine the winner.

Don't get me wrong, I love the struggles. Just because Hayner gives it more thought than I do doesn't mean that I've never competed. I've made finals every year since I was twelve, only losing to Seifer, who in turn would lose to Setzer.

"Please Hayner; bore me with anything but that. You've talked about the tournament and beating Seifer down every year since we were kids! I can Struggle rings around you any day, and I still cant beat him. What makes you think you can?" I asked him, switching my extremely heavy backpack to my other shoulder, the entrance inching closer.

"Because I have a plan. We need to train, and train hard. Maybe even pick up another Struggler. Think Olette would be into that?"

At that, I scoffed. Hayner couldnt be serious-Olette, a Struggle champion? She'd rather stick to the sideline.

Hayner proceeded to shake his head, as if realizing what he had suggested. "Anyways, we'll think of something, and we'll work hard. And when we win, we can rub it in Seifer's face for weeks!" Hayner, ladies and gents, the optimist ever more.

And me, the opposite of optimist in every single way, shook my head. "Sounds tempting, but where are you gonna find someone who can actually beat Setzer, or whatever that one guys name was? The undefeated champ? Who, by the way, is completely bogus." I asked with a roll of my eyes. "Give up, Hayner. Just enjoy the game, stop letting Seifer get to you.

He scoffed, muttering. "Kill joy…"

I rolled my eyes. "You know I have a point here, Hayner. Don't argue about it."

He heaved a sigh. "Whatever."

Before I could tell him to cheer up and wait, we were both shoved to the side, by none other than the jerk himself.

"Watch it, Blondie, and you too, Ellie. You should really keep a leash on your little brother," Seifer huffed at us as he shoved by with his two minions in tow.

"Why don't you? And hey, Im the eldest here!" Hayner shot back.

"Not when maturity is involved," I muttered. He glared at me and stepped on my foot to shut me up, before turning back to Seifer, "And how come you call me 'blondie' and Ellie by her name?"

I watched from the sideline, hopping lightly on one foot until the pain subsided.

"Because even though she's a loser and your sister, she's at least a better opponent than you are," Seifer told him smoothly, eyeing me as I rolled my eyes at the two of them.

I gave Hayner an icy glare for stomping on my foot, ignoring Seifers remark. While I dont have an always-lit fuse, nor do I have a constant urge to battle someone, I still have rights as a sister to defend myself. So instead of involving myself in the ever-heated feud, I kicked Hayner in the shin. "Come on, Hayner."

Before he could protest, I managed to drag my brother down the hallway, bursting through the doors and into the sunlight. I resisted the urge to scream 'freedom!' like an idiot as we hurried down the stairs.

"How come he never tried to get on your bad side?" Hayner frowned in irritation.

"Because I'm not stupid."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" He glared at me defiantly.

"It means, he knows I'm not gonna pick some fight with him over something as low as a struggle match. He sees you as easier pickings, so he targets you because you have a short temper. Its harder to bother me, so he just shrugs me off instead." And in the weirdest way, he also respects me. Which is definitely a rarity with him, and something that I don't understand but I wont take for granted.

"Hey, wait up!" An ever so familiar female voice called out. We turned around as the brunette haired Olette ran up, a pudged and grinning Pence in tow.

Pence, our friendly neighborhood photographer, held up something for the two of us to see. "If this doesn't scream 'Summers Here!', I dunno what will."

Hayner and me gathered close to inspect the flyer. Auditions for competitors in the upcoming Struggle would be held this weekend, and those who make it would be given a month and a half before the competition to prepare and practice. Hayner shot me a grin, and I returned it with fierce pride. This was the part of the Struggle that I would love forever. The intensity of the beginning of the season, the whoops and crows of the victors and the glittering rewards. Olette and Pence were both avid supporters of Hayner and myself, so the event was never without joy and icecream.

After a quick update on the upcoming tryouts, Olette took no time to dive right into another topic. "Another moving truck came in today! I haven't officially met my new neighbors yet, but it wont be long now, I just know it!"

She shined with excitement. Fire and ice. While I thrived on the fight and the thrill, Olette gleamed for the safety and the sociability.

"I bet they're really nice people," she shimmered at the thought.

"And I bet, that you're hoping for some entertainment," Hayner rolled his eyes. "I get the feeling you're really hoping for a shot with a new guy before he gets snatched up elsewhere."

Olette gave him a shocked look. "What? How'd you know there was a guy our age there?"

"Because you wouldn't be gushing like a petty girl about it."

I pretended to sighed and picked at my nails, but Hayner had a point. If there was one downfall to being friends with Olette, its that attractive guys are a weakness of hers. I don't care much about it, unless she tries to involve me in her ventures. Olette had been bugging me since sixth grade that I needed to find some kind of love interest, because in her book I was lonely. Personally, I see myself as practical. There isn't any use in chasing a guy when you're still in grade school, so what was the point? On several occasions, when I denied wanting to get into relationships, she had claimed I was a nun and was no fun. Whatever.

"What are you thinking about, Ellie?" Pence asked, obviously glad the subject at hand didn't really concern him as an active and needed member.

"Not of much, just mourning for Olette," I replied.

"What do you mean?" she gave me a discerned look.

"The usual- You already know my stand on your habit of relying on affection."

I've always had a difficult time lying about anything, so of course I told her the truth. Back when we first met, It was hard for her to accept my straight forward nature as anything but ridicule or criticism. We've grown a lot since then, even if the beginning was rocky. So now, when I make a comment on her desires, she doesn't seem to think twice.

Shrugging, Olette grins at me. "Ah, but the effort is worth it if I succeed."

the conversation began to disperse, mutterings becoming nonchalant and quiet as we walked along the road to the the place we always met up at in the evenings. Pausing a moment, I looked towards the clock tower. "Hey guys? I'll meet you at the tower, alright? I've gotta go do something."

I was dismissed with curious glances a few 'byes' as I walked down the side walk, headed for the Usual Spot, which was really an indented, square space large enough for a few crates and couches, touched up by old struggle posters and a dart board.

As I walked off, I could faintly hear Olette turn to Hayner and ask: "Hayner, you're her brother. Any idea why she always heads that way?"

"Don't know. She's a thinker. Likes to have some kind of quiet," Hayner told her, most likely with a shrug.

"Come on Olette, she might actually be tired or something,"-I can picture the other girls concerned look in my mind-"Lets go get some sea salt ice cream and leave her be for now. We'll see her later on tonight." Pence said, dragging them away in the opposite direction, toward the town square.

I sighed. That's why I appreciated being Pence's friend. He didn't dilly-dally on dull subjects like my mental state of health on a particular day. This, I was thankful for.

I made my way for the Usual Spot, and when I got there I sat on a torn couch and tossed darts at the wall, sighing. Another summer was upon us, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Something itched me the wrong way, in the back of my head, somewhere in my sub-conscience. This summer had to be the best one. My throat closed tightly, and I swallowed hard, tossing another dart. This feeling of contortion wasn't healthy, but I couldn't explain it, either. Sometime later, I pulled myself to my feet and stuck the darts I hadn't thrown yet to the board, not bothering to count my score.

()()()()()

It was still bright and early when my blaring cell phone scared me into falling off the bed, hitting myself in the back of the head. Sighing, I reached out into the semi dark and shut the alarm off. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up. My eyelids still felt heavy, but I only had a half hour before Hayner and me would have to leave and get to the arena for auditions.

I spent a few moments, staring at the wallpaper of my phone before heaving a sigh. Of course, I would be the only one who would actually wake up. Hayner was still passed out on the top bunk.

He mumbled for a few seconds, still caught up in some random dream. One that probably involved ice-cream, cars, and females dressed in bikini tops. Or all three, girls dressed scantily and eating ice cream and washing cars. I rolled my eyes at his idiocy. More than anything, I didn't want to have to share a room with a pubescent teen who fought me to hang up calenders of girls at the beach on his side of the room, but there isn't much I can do about it. Our mother is our sole provider, on an already fixed income, so Hayner and I have had to share a room since we were kids.

"Hayner!" I pulled him out of the top bunk and watched him fall to the floor at my feet. "Wake up, you pansy."

He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, looking up at me with a sigh.

"I'm up, I'm up! Geez, woman!" He complained.

"Oh shut it. If you would wake up when an alarm goes off, you wouldn't have to worry about me," I informed him, ignoring the death glare he gave me as he stood.

"Why'd you have an alarm on, anyways?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head some more.

"You cant be serious?" I sighed.

"I am serious, its a Saturday El, do you really think I-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence, because I shoved a flyer to his face, cutting him off.

"Auditions, Hayner. Don't be stupid."

That put him in a frenzy. We fell into quick routine, one of us using the bathroom and the other using our room to change, and then switching off for teeth brushing and whatnot.

A short while after getting dressed, grabbing granola bars, and running down the street, we found ourselves in Twilight Towns Town Square, greeted by a surprisingly large crowd.

I pushed through the throng of people, dragging Hayner along with me as we struggled through the crowds to meet up with Olette. She stood with Pence, near the edge of the stage by the bat rack.

"Who's winning as of now?" I asked curiously, eyes still not leaving her. The matches had already begun, and names for combatants were being added to a list on the blackboard as winners were selected. In a sense, this was all just the Struggle preliminaries. Olette didn't reply-she was busy watching the match.

Sighing, I looked up to see Seifer, who was busy dodging attacks left and right. His opponent was surprisingly fast, faster than him, and dealt out blows easily. This was someone I had never seen before, but I cocked my head curiously. His movements were familiar, and his face was guarded in a way that I had seen before as well.

And then I managed to actually look at him through and through, he took my breath away.

He's blonde hair, spiked and untamed, swayed to the left. He had a careful look in his cerulean eyes, like he planned and saw every move to be executed. His expression was serious, his eyes penetrating, realistic, and so capturing, my mind went blank I actually had to think a moment before I turned back to her.

"He's a looker," I commented, besides myself with how out of character I was being.

"Isnt he though?" Olette said excitedly, nudging me. "So what do you say? How's a little friendly competition?"

I was about to snap at her and tell her that, number one, I'm not into dating, and number two, she should focus on the mental signals people who were actually interested in her sent her, when Seifer pulled something you don't do in Struggle. Another player. One of his goons, Rai, stepped into the arena, making the match uneven.

Shouts from the crowd behind me showed peoples protests, and Seifer began taunting New Guy.

"Got any one to fight with you?" He smirked. "No? Looks like I win."

Of course, this didn't fly with me. Rules were rules, and Seifer was neglecting to follow them.

In Struggle, you can only bring in another player if your registered as a tag team, and the Team Struggles weren't until next winter. It was a cheap trick, on his part, one that any true struggler wouldn't take lightly. Hayner and I exchanged a glance, him shaking his head at me, telling me not to get involved.

But I wanted to get involved. Struggle should be taken seriously, and it wouldn't be fair to pull in another fighter when this newcomer had no one to back him up.

Despite Hayners protest to lie low, I grabbed an extra bat near the rack and hopped onto the platform.

I ignored the cheers from the crowd as the excitement of new events rattled everyone. I took my place if This were a team match, bat at ready.

"Seifer! Two on one in struggle matches are both unfair and illegal. If we were in the tournament, you would have been disqualified. But we arnt, so I guess you think its perfectly legal, huh?"

Seifer only scoffed at me. "Ellie, don't you have something better to do? Like, I don't know, babysit your brother?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I do that on a daily basis, I think I can take a break to fight you."

Seifer sighed exasperatedly. "And just when things were starting to get interesting."

"I can handle myself."

I looked to my left with a start. The newcomers eyes were guarded, almost nervous, and I gave him a grin. "No doubt about it-but even if this is only the preliminaries and they don't count towards our actual scores for the real Struggle, rules are still rules."

He hesitated, but then gave me a nod.

It was on.

Respectfully, I let the new guy continue pummeling Seifer like he had before, and I worked to block Rais access to my partner.

Rai came at me, sweeping his bat upward and catching me in the hip. Wincing, I retaliated swiftly, jumping to the side and hitting downward, whacking him in the collar bone. He leaped back and charged at me again, letting go of a string of moves almost too fast for me to comprehend. Almost.

I managed to avoid most of his more critical hits, but I didnt have a steady footing and he swiped my feet from under me with his bat. I blocked his downward strike, and tried to push him away from me. One of the lousy things about being a girl is the fact that you're definitely not as strong as a guy is, even if you are more agile. I was kept in place, pushing up with my bat as he tried to crash his down on me. If it were allowed, I would have kicked him where it counted.

I never got a real opening to get on my feet again, and Newcomer didn't beat Seifer down like I was so hoping he would, but the results were close and we both got our names on the black board. Hayner and the other shoved through the crowd to help me down from the stands, and I turned to my makeshift team mate. "That was fun-you're a great fighter."

He gave me a hesitant grin, and thanked me for it. I waved the thanks away, and began to point at my friends surrounding us. "This is my annoying brother, Hayner, and our friends Pence and Olette!"

He grinned at us, and I could see his reserves slowly evaporating. I grinned at him, and elbowed Hayner. "Think we've got room for one more?"

I nodded, indicating the direction of the clock tower.

Everyones voices rose in agreement, and in no time we had dragged him off the stage. He introduced himself to us as 'Roxas', and as we all walked to the ice cream shoppe, we chattered excitedly. Before the day was through, Roxas had agreed to work with us for the Stuggles and we had introduced him to the mystifying flavors of sea salt. Apparently, where he came from they didn't have that.

He never said where he was from, and no one bothered to ask. But a little voice in the back of my head gave it thought, and uncertainty settled there with the rest of my doubt.

(Everything after Chapter 2 is shit and has yet to be updated. Ill get to work ASAP, promise. Everything that's to come? Definitely not the same adventure I had planned 4 years ago.)