#seifer

You stare uninterested as Rai tries to beat Seifer with a struggle bat once more. This has been going on for what felt like hours, and will continue unless one of you put a stop to it. You look over to Fuu and Vivi, but quickly look away when you realize they were wrapped up in their own little world. 

This is how you spend every day. You sat on the bench watching two teen boys struggle for dominance while the other two pretended you didn’t exist. It was perhaps the worst way you could spend your summer vacation. 

“Come on, Rai, do something, man.” Seifer yells, pushing another attack off like it was nothing. He looked like he barely started to sweat while Rai was making a pool where he stood. You crinkle your nose, not even wanting to know what it smelt like over there. 

Seifer’s comment just fuels Rai as he brings the bat down onto the blonde once more. He jumps back in time completely dodging the attack. Why did these two even spar? Seifer was way more composed and calculated, able to predict every attack his friend threw at him. It also made Rai more and more angry, spending years trying to finally get one up on Seifer. Alas, Seifer always came out on top. 

Honestly, it was boring as hell. 

The only time Seifer even had a challenging matchup was when Hayner and Roxas came around. Though, they stopped doing that a while ago after Seifer broke Hayner’s arm. You couldn’t blame them, he had been rather ruthless in that fight. 

“Yo, squirt.” Seifer called. You hadn’t noticed that they stopped fighting and were looking directly at you. Seifer had this habit of calling you squirt, you doubt he even knew your real name. 

“What do you want, Seifer?” You try to hide the annoyance, knowing it would just make him more pissed than normal. 

“Show Rai how it’s done.” He tosses you the bat that Rai had been using. It lands by your feet with a thunk. You stare at the bat unimpressed. Sometimes, Seifer had you fight instead, this was the only time anything interesting happened. 

You shrug, standing and grabbing the bat. It was light in your hand, familiar. The Sandlot had become a home away from home. Growing up, you spent a lot of time practicing by yourself with the dummies they kept in one of the sheds. 

Until Seifer saw you, then he decided to take you under his wing. He never really told you why he decided to do so, but you had a reason to suspect that it was to have someone to fight that wasn’t his other two friends. 

Well, fight someone who actually managed to keep up with him. 

By the time you reach him, his patience has dwindled. Rai jogs to the sideline, excited to watch you two throw it down once more. 

“Just don’t maim me this time, alright?” You ask, squatting to the floor. You balance on your tiptoes, ready to pounce the moment Rai gave the go. 

Strength wasn’t the reason you were good at fighting. In fact, you were more on the weak side, but what you lacked in muscle you made up in agility. Seifer had compared you to a rabbit at one point, annoyed by how you managed to bounce around the pitch dodging everything he threw at you. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He waves, getting into a stance as well. Rai held up his hand and started to count from three. The moment he said go, you were pushing off the ground, putting your weight in your legs to allow you to angle your jump. 

Swinging from above, you aim a hit towards his shoulder. He counters you easily, pushing his bat onto yours. He manages to push you off of him, but you’re back on him within seconds. Your attacks are fast, barely giving him room to breathe before bringing the bat down on him once more. 

Seifer guards with perfection, but you can see the sweat starting to build up on his upper brow. He pushes you off once more, jumping back this time in order to get away from your clutches. The moment his foot touches the ground, he’s jumping up in the air and shoving his bat down at you. 

You twist your body away, barely dodging the bullet. From experience, you know that it hurt worse than anything else he could throw at you. It’s like he packed the end of his bat with metal, slamming it down on any visible body part before continuously wacking on it afterwards. 

No wonder Hayner got his arm broken. 

During the fight, Seifer threw out quips, trying to anger you into a frenzy. The older teen had done this for years, no longer having any effect on you. He swings once more, but you drop to the floor swinging out a leg directly into his own. 

He topples back, giving you the opportunity you’ve been looking for. You bring your bat around hitting him square in his stomach. He lets out an ‘oof’ but composes himself quickly. 

“That was dirty, brat.” He snarls, glaring at you. 

“I learned from the worst,” you wink at him, smiling. 

The fact that you were making a joke out of this pissed him off more. Fighting was a serious matter to Seifer, sinking his entire being into it. Then here you come, smiles and jokes while moving around like a damn rabbit. You hear him growl before he charges. 

He swings once more, aiming directly for your left shoulder. He hits his mark, pain exploding in your shoulder and down your spine. A strangled cry escapes your body as you drop the bat involuntarily and grab your shoulder. 

“Too hard.” You hear Fuu yell before you hear her start jogging towards you. You can’t even look at her, too busy trying to blink away the tears that threaten to fall. You have never cried in front of them and you plan to keep it that way. 

“Yeah, way outta line, y’know.” Rai agrees. He had appeared on your other side without you noticing. Vivi surely was nearby as well. 

“Tch, whatever.” He drops the bat in front of you before walking away. The other three are confused, not really knowing what to do. You don’t blame them when they start to follow their leader, their footsteps echoing around your head. 

You’re able to finally look without bursting into tears, only to see the backsides of those you dared to call friends. Hell, they weren’t even that. 

Seifer had left the premises entirely, the only thing you can see is his white coat disappearing behind a corner. Fuu, Rai, and Vivi are on the other side of the Sandlot, crowded around the billboard. 

You don’t know why they haven’t left as well, but you notice that all of them refuse to look at you. How cowardly. You grit your teeth as you stand, your hand still clutching your shoulder. Looks like your mom is going to receive yet another medical bill in the next few days. 

Not wanting to see them any longer for today, you turn your back and start towards the opposite exit. The way spat you out towards Market Street and even farther from your home, but you just couldn’t go past them. 

Just as you start to go down the path, four teens stop in front of you. 

Hayner sniffs out your name, eyeing you curiously. You don’t fail to notice the way his eyes widen when they finally see your hand clutching your shoulder. If only the floor could open up and swallow you right now. 

“Hey, did Sei-, “ Pence was about to comment before your glare cut him off. Last thing you wanted them to do was butt into your little friendly spat with Seifer. Gods know that will only bite you back in your ass. 

“I’m fine.” It’s half-ass, but it warns them to back off. They all exchange looks before nodding. You hated when they did that, the whole synchronized nodding. It was like all four of them were able to tell what the other was thinking instantly. 

It also flared your envy, but you didn’t have the capacity to truly wallow in that. Maybe later when you have ice on your shoulder and could finally think a coherent thought that didn’t end with ‘fuck Seifer.’ 

“Alright, if you say so.” Hayner knows better than anyone what this feels like. You meet his eyes, a quiet understanding passing between you. You nod in thanks before pushing past them, not bothering to question why they were even heading towards the Sandlot in the first place. 

You faintly remember Seifer mentioning something about them stealing something this morning, but you barely paid any attention once it turned more rant-y. A Seifer rant was the worst type of torture outside of maybe getting your fingernails torn off one by one. 

A shiver went through you at that thought, but you quickly wiped it from your head. You exit the small pathway, opening up to a bigger area. Apartments and houses lined the street, the sunset showering them in a hue of oranges and yellows. 

Twilight Town’s sky still confused you. Growing up here, you kind of accepted the answer that it was always sunset, but when you sometimes when you dream, you stand underneath a dark sky covered in stars. Sometimes you'd catch the silhouette of a large being, spiraling like a castle.

As you walked, houses and apartments began to turn into shops and restaurants. Noise began to blossom everywhere as more and more people came into view. Market Street was the hub for all things you ever needed. You could spend hours here and not even begin to uncover all the secrets it had to offer. 

It even had a movie theater tucked away in an alcove. You used to spend a lot of your time tucked away in the corner seat and watching anything that came on the screen. It was a reprieve from everyday life, that is until Seifer decided to come into the picture. 

You remember it clearly. 

It was a few years ago now, you were about to head into your last year of middle school. The people at school sucked, always making fun of you for one thing or another. It got to the point where you were debating on asking your mom to homeschool you. 

The only places you felt safe in were either the movie theater or the Sandlot when no one else was around. You had always wanted to learn how to fight, hoping that one day you could teach a lesson to those who belittle you. 

You had gone to the Sandlot that day after school. You had a routine and that day the pitch was for sure going to be empty. You set up the practice dummies in a row. There were three of them and the paint on them was beginning to stretch and tear off in places. Years of abuse evident on each bump littered throughout them. 

You thought of them as your friends. You even named them, though you couldn’t remember what the names were. You were pretty sure one of them started with a V, but beyond that you were lost. 

You grabbed the bat with the guarded handle, liking that at least one of your hands was protected. It was heavy and took a lot to swing, but you managed to hit each dummy over and over again. You even began to come up with combos and name those as well. 

“What’re doing in my Sandlot, squirt?” A voice from behind scared you. You scream, losing the bat mid-swing. The voice laughed deeply and you turned around to see an older blonde teen. You had seen him here before, but always stayed out of his way due to the constant frown he wore. 

“O-oh, sorry, I was just, uh…” you blank. His stare bore into you, causing you to shrink smaller. He was about sixteen from what you could tell. His other three friends stood a ways off, talking among themselves. High school kids were so scary.

“Speak up.” He orders, his eyes somehow becoming more intense. 

“I was just practicing to fight, sir!” You practically shout, terrified at what this guy was going to do to you if you didn’t answer right then. He arches an eyebrow. 

“Oh yeah? Hey, guys, the squirt is practicing how to fight. How cute is that!” You flinch when he says cute. You know it’s an insult, even though he had a smile on his face when he said it. He reminded you of your bullies at school, except he was ten feet taller than any of them. 

His friends then crowd you two. They looked at you unimpressed. 

“Perform.” The purple-haired girl said. Her voice was completely devoid of emotion, but it sounded like she was urging you to show her your skills. 

“Show us what you got, y’know!” The other big teen confirmed your suspicions. The small boy with a hat so big it covered his face just gave you a nod. You never noticed how odd this group looked. 

The blonde didn’t say anything more, just staring at you intensely. Slowly, you grab the bat once more, trying to ignore how sweaty your hands were. One slip and surely they’ll laugh at you. You move to stand in front of the middle dummy. Awkwardly, you get in a stance, your legs wobbling from unfamiliarity. 

You grip the bat tighter before striking the dummy. It was a lame hit, barely even making a sound. White heat filled your core, making you want to just run and hide from everyone. You couldn’t though. 

You swing again, this time deciding to hit and then follow with a kick. It was something you were work-shopping before, so it didn’t feel that weird. You hit your mark, the dummy actually moving this time from the impact. 

After showing them a few more moves, Seifer signaled you to stop. 

“Come back to me when you want to spar.” Then he turned around and walked off. That meant he was impressed, right? His friends followed him, but the big man was giving you a thumbs up and a smile. 

Two months later is when you approached Seifer again. The two of you fought and you lost horribly, but Seifer had invited you back out the next day to do it again. Ever since then, you were in the Sandlot everyday with them. That didn’t mean you were friends, perse. 

It always felt like you were the odd man out in the group. They seemed to go everywhere together meanwhile you only hung out with them in the Sandlot. Still, they never told you to go away, so you took the win for what you wanted it to be. 

That was until now. 

Somehow, you had managed to walk yourself through the entirety of Market Street in the direction to the clinic. Pain throbbed from your shoulder, a reminder that you did need to get it checked. Sighing, you head towards the clinic hoping it was going to be cheaper than the last time you were here. 

The next day, you found yourself at a loss. For the first time in two years, you don’t go to the Sandlot. Instead, you decide to just explore the rest of Twilight Town. Maybe find something new. 

The doctor had put your arm into a sling, advising to not do anything excessive for the next few days. You only had the choice of listening because you needed your arm to get better in time for the struggle tournament. 

You exit out of your house way later than normal, having to actually take time to get ready and not upset your arm. At one point, you even had to call your mom to help. She was understandably upset at the situation, but tried her best to not take it out on you. She understood that this was a big deal and didn’t want to further isolate you. She was perhaps the one good constant thing in your life. 

Sunset sky welcomed you as you walked down a pathway. It was gorgeous, but sometimes you ached for something else. Like the night sky from your dreams. Sadly, all you knew was an unending stream of purple, orange, and yellows.

Before you know it, you’re about to hit Market Street once more. Instead, you veer right, going down a different path that had a few shops, but was way less busy. A few people milled about, quiet voices in conversation as you walked by. 

“Roxas?” You asked when you see the blonde staring intently at a billboard. He pivots to face you, eyes widened. Once he realizes it was you, his brows furrow. 

“What are you doing here?” His voice isn’t friendly as he says your name. Instead there was a subtle warning in it, like if you got too close he’ll bite. You can’t really blame him, his bully was someone you hung out with everyday. 

“Exploring?” You question lamely, cringing as such a half-baked answer. Honestly, you had no clue what you were doing. Your routine had been completely thrown off, there was nothing else in Twilight Town that you could think of doing.

He gives you a look that says ‘don’t bullshit me.’ Idly, you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet. 

“What about you, huh? You’re just staring at that billboard.” At a quick glance you could see the words ‘Help Wanted’ lighted in neon. 

“I’m looking at odd jobs.” You take a step closer to see that a few people have posted listings. Odd jobs were something you heard of, but you’ve never done one personally. It was a good way for a teen to get money quickly though. 

Slowly, you’re realizing that you’ve kind of spent your entire life in a bubble. 

“Your arm looks pretty busted, by the way.” You look at your arm, frowning. 

“Yeah, Seifer went a little overboard.” His eyes widened at that. You thought it was obvious when you saw them yesterday. Hayner had gotten it straight away, which made sense since he had been in a similar situation. 

“Wait, Seifer did that to you?” The hardness in voice had completely dropped. You shift your weight from one foot to another, not liking the sudden attention. 

“Uh, yeah. We were sparring and I guess he got mad and,” you pause, not wanting to really think about the pain again. “Anyway, yeah. He got me pretty good.” Roxas sucks on his teeth for a moment, eyes shifting from your face to your arm. 

“Fuck that guy.” You gasp in shock, not really expecting to hear him talk like that. “Seriously, that guy needs to be knocked down a peg or two.” Why haven’t you talked to this guy before? He seemed like a really cool kid. 

“That’s why I’m going to beat his ass in the struggle tournament.” 

“Don’t worry about it, I kicked it pretty well yesterday after you left.” He smirks, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Oh man, I wish I stayed then.” You sigh almost dreamily. It’s been a long time since you’ve beaten Seifer yourself. It would’ve been amazing to see him land on his ass for once. 

“Hayner and I are signing up for the tournament too, so at least one of us has to beat him.” It’s not a surprise that they’re participating. The two blondes were an electrifying duo, especially when they fought against each other. 

You really hope your arm is good enough to fight. It would destroy you if you had to sit out after everything that happened. 

“Good luck then!” The two of you smile at each other before Roxas draws his attention back to the board. “Do you know which one you’re doing?” There were three options: mail delivery, cargo climber, and a grandstander. You had no idea what the last two even meant, but mail delivery seemed like an easy job. Roxas must’ve thought so too because he takes the posting off the board. 

“The fastest one, easily.” He turns the paper around, reading the instructions. You wanted to lean over his shoulder and read as well, but knew that would be creepy. This is like your first official conversation with the guy. 

The two of you had always been aware of the other, but it did surprise you that he knew your name. 

“This is actually insane. He wants me to cross Twilight Town within ten minutes.” You don’t know if he’s continuing the conversation or just talking out loud to himself. It was always hard to tell with most people. Fuu’s blunt way of speaking was a godsend to you, she never said anything she didn’t mean and in way less words. 

“That’s impossible.” You respond anyway, fearing that he was actually speaking to you and then you ignore him. It’s something that has happened before but the other person didn’t react too well. For some reason, it’s something you never want to do again. 

Roxas agrees, lulling the conversation. Feeling awkward, you scramble to think of anything that could help. 

“Well, it’s impossible unless you have something that could get you there. Does the trolley run that far?” You hum, but it seemed to hit Roxas hard. 

“Oh! My skateboard! I can just use that.” He pounds a fist into his hand, nodding. He sends you a small smile. “Good idea." He says your name making you blush from the compliment, but nod in appreciation. 

After that, Roxas decided it was his time to go. He waved goodbye as he walked in the opposite direction from you, paper in hand still. You felt like your heart could beat right out your chest. For now, it felt like it was a good thing you were forced out of your protective bubble. 

You hum all the way back home to rest. Seifer might’ve lit the fire to win that tournament, but Roxas stoked it, making it burn a bit brighter. Even if you didn’t win, it would all be worth it. Your mom is confused when you’re all smiles for the rest of the day, but doesn’t question it. Happiness looked really good on you. 

The next day you decided you wanted to go explore the woods that surrounded one of the walls or Twilight Town. Nothing but a lone mansion sat out there, but it had been somewhere that always interested you. In middle school, you were too scared to venture out there, but now you felt more than confident that you could handle yourself. 

The woods carried a very different vibe than Twilight Town’s warmth. They were dark and confusing, the trees sprawling high into the sky. The tree seems to watch your every move and honestly it makes your skin crawl. 

It took fifteen minutes, but finally you found the Old Mansion. It was in the only clearing the woods had to offer, taking as much space as it could. Trees brushed against the cobblestone fence, in some places it had even begun to break it down.

There was a gate that blocked you from getting onto the grounds, but you can see that the grass was freshly cut and the hedges were nicely trimmed. Did someone live here? From what you could remember, it had always been abandoned. Maybe someone decided to take pity on the building and helped clean it up. Though, they missed a few spots on the actual building where ivy was slowly making its way to the top. 

You could probably climb the gate and mosey on over with no issue, but something about the mansion warned you to stay away.  Like something bad would happen the moment you stepped a single foot past the gate. Deciding to listen to the warning, you stay put. 

Watching the building for a few more minutes, you noticed that on the second floor, one of the windows had been completely blocked by a curtain. It felt out of place, another air of mystery being stacked on top.

“Hey, lemme go!” You hear a voice yell from the way you came. Abandoning the building, you rush back into the forest. 

Roxas was crowded by three…things. They had long, grey bodies. On the top, they had what resembled a head, but no eyes and a zipper-like contraption for a mouth. On the top of its head was an emblem, you’ve never seen it before but it struck an odd cord deep within you. These things were dangerous. 

One of the creatures had grabbed Roxas with one of its too-long fingers. He struggled to get out of its grasp, using his other hand to try and pry it off. He yells again, pulling even harder as the other two begin to loom closer to him. 

“Watch out!” You yell before you even thought about it, moving towards the one that had grabbed Roxas. You jump in the air, kicking at its arms. The moment you make contact, it lets go of Roxas, slithering back. It seemed to eye you, assess you. 

Your name falls from his mouth as he looks at you bewildered. You don’t have time to respond before the creature is making another move to grab Roxas. The blond grabs onto your non-injured arm, dragging you towards the exit to Twilight Town. “Come on, we can’t fight them.” 

You don’t need to be told twice! He keeps a hand on your arm as he leads the two of you out of the woods. Even when you make it back, he’s pulling you through streets and alleys. The creatures are chasing you the entire time. They slither back and forth buildings and if you strained your ear you could swear they were hissing . It sounded like a word, but you couldn’t make it out. 

Thankfully, an alleyway spits you into the Sandlot. Roxas continues to run, showing now signs of stopping. In horror, you noticed that he was leading you directly to Seifer. 

“Hey, chicken wuss.” The tall blonde calls, his eyes hardening as he realizes it wasn’t just Roxas. “And traitor.” He adds, looking directly at you as you come to a stop. You were about to cower, but the sound of hissing fills the pace. The creatures come flying out of the alleyway, zoning in on Roxas. 

“Who’s that?” 

“I dunno, but they’ve already crossed the line!” The older teens seem to realize how serious this was. Vivi, the semi-pacifist, just moves behind the others, letting them fight for him. “Find a weapon!” Seifer orders the two of you. There were a few struggle bats scattered across the pitch. Roxas and you both pick one up just in time for the creatures to make their move. 

They separate all of you. Rai and Fuu were off fighting one while another cornered Roxas. The last one had pushed you to Seifer, the blonde gave you a scowl as you stood next to him. The creature didn’t have time for the weird history between you two, jumping straight at Seifer. 

It fell to the floor, dropping onto its head and kicking its leg out towards the blonde. He dodges in time, swinging his bat down. The creature does a backflip backwards, escaping the hit. You grit your teeth as it slithers back but towards you. 

You swing at it, but miss entirely. Instead, the creature plants its hand onto the floor, bringing its feet to its chest. It kicks out both legs in opposite directions, causing distance once more. Standing up right, it seems to elongate its body as it once again jumps towards the two of you.

Dodge.

A voice commands from deep within your head. You roll out of the way as the Dusk's leg swings where exactly where your head would've been. You didn't have time to stop and ponder what the voice was because the Dusk was back on you.

You jump to the side, another hit missed. You swung at it, missing even though you should've contacted the creature. You really wish you could use your other arm, if you managed to land anything your strength is severely lacking to do any damage.

You fight for several minutes, neither Seifer or you able to make contact once. It doesn’t damage you either, instead it seems to do its best to create constant distance. It was fast, way faster than anything you’ve ever seen. 

It pushes you towards the pitch where Roxas was fighting one by himself. He seemed to be having the same struggle as you. Not a single hit is able to land on these things. 

“They’re too slippery!” You yell as Fuu, Rai, and even Vivi get pushed back by their own creature. 

“We gotta do something.” Seifer mumbles, glaring darkly at the beings. All three of them began to surround you. Their mouths open and ready to sink the hidden teeth into your flesh. You feel panic shoot down your spine as you lose more and more space between them. 

“No good…” He tried his best to create space, but it wasn’t enough. Just as they closed in, they switched tactics. Instead of walking closer, then begin to walk around the small group. It was terrifying how they were in unison, like a singular mind was shared between the three of them. 

It was like time had stopped all around you. You watched as Seifer and his gang all stopped moving and even breathing. 

“What the hell is going on?!” You nearly scream, the confusion and weight of everything finally crashing into you. There was no way this was possible. It was like magic, except you were pretty sure that didn’t exist. 

The creatures stop their synchronized walking, their eyes set on something just beyond you. You turn around to see Roxas standing outside the circle they created. The creatures bypass you, closing in on the blonde. You couldn’t really understand, but the creatures seem to only have eyes for him. 

“R-” you’re about to call out to him but someone beats you to it. 

“Roxas! Use the Keyblade!” A voice from one of the nearby roofs calls. A girl stood there leaning over a railing. She was blonde with most of her hair going over one shoulder and a set of deep blue eyes. She was dressed very basic wearing nothing but a mid-length white dress. 

“Keyblade?” You ask, the name familiar on your lips. She looks at you with wide eyes. It was like she wasn’t expecting you to be the one to answer her. Her lips move, about to say something, but instead she turns around and runs off. 

At the same time, the creatures descend on Roxas. He yells the moment the girl leaves. You turn to him quickly, only to see the creatures jump onto him and knock him to the ground. Once again, like magic, the moment his body hits the ground then the creatures disappear from sight. The blonde himself is knocked totally unconscious from a quick glance.  

“Roxas!” You yell, rushing to him and crouching down by his head. You don’t touch him, but instead just make sure he was at least okay. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, actually he looked pretty peaceful. 

“Well, guess the twerp couldn’t handle the heat.” Seifer’s voice cut through the sound of your beating heart. It seemed like whatever time spell they were under wore off when the creatures left. “Left the traitor here sobbing after him. Get a grip.” 

He’s on you within moments, putting a hand on your bad shoulder. He doesn’t press down so you’re not in pain, but you know he would if you even dared to move. You just try your best to look at him, but he’s staying out of your sight. 

“Pretty bold of you to go running to the enemy the moment things heated up.” He nearly spits. Fear is coursing through you, the fight and now this is becoming too much to handle. He puts a bit of pressure onto your arm, causing you to groan. 

“I- I ran into him by accident,” you get out, the pressure diminishing now that he had gotten you to speak. “Let go, please. ” You beg. He lets out a ‘tsk’ before removing his hand. 

“It’s not like it matters why. We’re done with you.” You can hear him walking off, tears once again threatening to fall from your eyes. They weren’t really your friends, but you still found comfort in hanging out around them. For once, you weren’t alone, you had found something worth fighting for, and yet, they threw you out the moment trouble came brewing. 

“Seifer, strike a pose, y’know?” Rai calls. You whirl around seeing Fuu holding a camera and Seifer standing a few feet away from Roxas and you. You stand, anger replacing the fear. 

“How’s this?” Seifer puts a hand on his waist, a smug smile resting on his lips. Fuu clicks the camera. 

“Are you seriously taking a picture of Roxas unconscious?!” You knew Seifer was a dick, but this was extremely low even for him. The sadness you felt prior diminished instantly, maybe this falling out was a blessing in disguise.

“So what if I am? The idiot deserves it for getting knocked out.” That smug grin widens as he looks at you. You take a step towards him, the bat still in your hand. One swift hit to the head should set him straight. 

A groan from Roxas stops you, he moves an inch as he begins to come to. 

“How ‘bout one more, y’know?” Rai calls out once more as Fuu takes another picture. As he slowly gets up, Roxas is able to piece the situation together. You try to help him up, but he just shrugs you off, anger already fueling him. 

“What’s that for!?” 

“Keepsake.” Fuu smiles, putting the camera away. 

“Those freaks in the white jumpsuits are gone, y’know?”

“Cakewalk.” You were tired of these two. That fight was not a cakewalk; in fact, all of you would have almost lost if the white creatures didn’t disappear on their own. Did they not remember that they had even stopped time?

“Wait a secon-” you begin, but Roxas gives you a look that shuts you up. It was a glare, but something in it told you that it would be better to keep it between the two of you. 

“What were those things anyway?” He asks, bringing the attention back to him. 

“Outsiders, that’s what.” Roxas shakes his head, not believing Seifer’s words. Outsiders didn’t even begin to describe them. “And if they don’t wise up to the rules around here, I might have to take ‘disciplinary measures.’” 

No way did these guys fight the same creatures you did. No one could even land a hit, how would he be able to stop something that strong? Rai was quick to back up Seifer though, unwavering loyalty to his leader. 

“Oh yeah, Seifer’s always lookin’ after the town, y’know?” You roll your eyes at that one. Seifer is the reason most of the problems even happen. He’s always picking fights with those weaker than him, though you probably were at fault for that too since you never stopped him once. 

Just then, three more people entered the Sandlot. The rest of Roxas’ friends stared at the five of you. You could feel Hayner’s glare from across the pitch, knowing it was solely aimed at his so-called best friend. It looked like Roxas was just hanging out with you guys out of his own free will. Another traitor among the lot of you. 

Nothing is said as Hayner lets out a breath before turning and walking off in the direction he came. Olette and Pence follow him, both not knowing what to say or do. 

“Wait up,” Roxas calls, running after them. Seifer calls after him about the tournament tomorrow, but you don’t really pay attention. These last few days have been really weird, something wasn’t adding up. 

“I swear, if he manages to win tomorrow, I might just blow a gasket.” Seifer lets out before turning away from you as well. The rest of them filter out of the Sandlot, leaving you there by yourself. 

What just happened? And who was that girl who showed up earlier?

That night, you were curled up in your bed thinking the day over. So much happened that you couldn’t even create a proper timeline of it all. The weird white things, the girl, the word Keyblade, everything was so confusing. 

You let out a groan, shifting to stare at the ceiling. 

Roxas didn't seem to be as confused as you, going through everything in stride. In fact, it felt like you were the only one who was lost. Seifer and his gang just accepted the white creatures with open arms, that is if they stayed in their lane. 

Why were they so obsessed with Roxas too? You had noticed that they went for the blonde only, ignoring everyone else. They were also hissing something, you could've sworn at one point you managed to make out 'Roxas.'

And then the voice. You couldn't even begin to explain how you heard it from within. You want to chalk it up to pure instincts, but you couldn't shake the feeling that it was something bigger. It was all so strange, you wish you knew where to start to even begin to unravel it all.

You eventually close your eyes, the heaviness of sleep undertaking you to a dream that you've seen way too many times.

A night sky covered in stars sprawled as far as you could see. It was later in the night than you were used to being outside, but your father has finally began to loosen the chains he kept around your throat.

"Hey, kid, are you falling asleep on us?" A voice laughs from your left, you turn but their face glitches out of existence. A void staring at you, but it didn't scare you. You knew this person, felt safe in their presence.

"Just taking it all in," you breathe, the words escaping you subconsciously. "This is my first time outside this late, y'know."

"Surprised you haven't snuck out before, knowing you." Another voice, the face once again out of reach.

"Now that you say it, you are kind of a goody-two shoes, huh." The first responded, laughter still on the edge of his voice

"You know that I have to be, you don't have my father to go back home to," you sniff, trying your best to act indifferent. The other two don't comment, a pause hung in the air.

"Well, to celebrate this first, I got the best new thing to hit this dull place," The first held up three bars of pale blue icecream. Your mouth instantly watered. "The old quack finally perfected his recipe," he holds out one of the bars to you.

You take hold of the popsicle, the bottom already beginning to drip down the stick. Taking a lick, you exhale blissfully. It was the perfect mixture of sweet and salty, the hints of coconut just melding it all together. It was the best thing you've ever tasted.

You wish this moment could last forever, but the moment you go for another lick, it goes dark.