Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

When Riku jumped back, Sora did as well, performing a back flip as he recovered from the powerful attack he had just failed to complete. He would have charged forward if he could have, but then he would have had a better chance of being put in a bad position. This wasn't only a fight of might--it also was about strategy.

 

Riku straightened, his breathing slightly irregular from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He took in a deep breath and it calmed, his eyes set on his friend across the area. He smirked, Way to Dawn at his side. "Heh, I'm impressed," he admitted finally.

 

Sora grinned at the remark, his Keyblade lowering slightly at the comment. Hearing that from Riku meant a lot to him, and it showed. "Does that mean you're willing to accept our help?" he asked seriously, recalling the whole reason he and Riku were fighting a battle.

 

Riku's smirk grew a little at his friend's expression. "Well, I see you've been working on some things lately," he commented, his grip on Way to Dawn still tight. "Footwork and aerial ability are good... Agility is in top form..." Riku shrugged. "The only thing I need to question now is your defense."

Roxas remained in his spot, foot still propped against the wall and arms still crossed. From what he was saying, Riku seemed to have a lot of knowledge about fighting. He briefly recalled something Sora had said before, about training. Clearly, by the way Riku was commenting on Sora's abilities, he had indeed trained Sora in the art of fighting.

 

Sora's grin turned into a smirk, the brunet lifting his Keyblade in front of him as a defensive position. "Bring it," he said, confidence coming through in his voice. It was true that defense had never been his best asset, but overall, he was decent at blocking any blows. Or at least recovering from them, anyway. that had to count for something.

 

Riku got into his stance instantly, his smirk growing into a cocky smile. "My turn," he simply said, then immediately charged forward to engage into battle. It wasn't necessarily a battle, but more-so a test he was giving Sora. If his friend believed he could help him, Riku needed to make sure he was right.

 

Sora listened for the beats of his friend's footsteps, his eyes trained on the blade and Riku's arms. He could judge what attack was coming due to those simple things and plan to defend himself accordingly. Now all he had to do was prepare himself for whatever it was Riku would dish out.

 

Riku approached Sora quickly, though he didn't have the speed of his best friend. When he had three steps left until he reached him, he pulled a three-sixty turn, swiping at Sora with a cry leaving his throat.

Roxas watched with interest, wondering just what Riku had in store for Sora. He hadn't gotten the chance to watch him earlier when they were all engaged in the battle with the Heartless, but he had it now.

 

Sora turned his blade to be more vertical, seeing that Riku's blade was coming in the opposite way. He grunted when Riku's attack impacted him, sliding his feet back about a foot. But other than that, he kept his Keyblade up, prepared for something more.

 

Riku didn't let up. With a grunt he pushed back on Sora's blade, at the same time shoving himself backward. He pushed his left arm out, shooting blue fireballs in Sora's direction, already planning out his next move.

Roxas's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Riku, taking in his footwork and strategy. He shook his head slightly, suddenly feeling like he got the sense of deja vu. But what for?

 

Sora brought up his blade and deflected the first fireball back at Riku, but then was impacted by the second. He winced faintly and cast a protection spell, a shield appearing around him. The translucent shield deflected the rest of the energy blasts, giving Sora a second to recover from that one that had hurt him.

 

Riku smirked slightly in secret approval of his friend's shield. However, he continued on, racing toward Sora. He pulled a fast turn, using the wall as momentum as he ran a few steps along it before jumping at the brunet, Keyblade raised in the air and being brought down in an arc.

Roxas blinked hard, but the sensation was stronger than he thought. He couldn't imagine why he would be having such a feeling, but he briefly remembered that a flashback had occurred earlier. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because one suddenly occurred to him again as his eyes trailed Riku.

 

Sora spun around and planted his feet, lifting his Keyblade above his head. He set one hand underneath the end of the blade and held it horizontally so that it was level with the hand he gripped the hilt with. He bent his knees slightly, prepared to take the impact of the oncoming blow.

 

Riku used his strength to bring the Keyblade down hard, a roar escaping his mouth as he did. The blade finally came in contact with Sora's, the sound of clashing metal reaching Riku's ears.

Roxas stood there, completely still as a picture came to him. But it was unclear, fuzzy and filled with what seemed like static. What he could make out of it, though, was that it was dark and it had been storming. A building was nearby, pale green lights blurry to him in the memory. But there was someone there, two people really. But no matter how much Roxas tried to focus, the flashback wouldn't come clear; he couldn't make out who the two people were.

 

Sora grunted softly at the contact, his knees bending further as the force of the blade forced him closer to the ground. However, he kept the Keyblade up int he same position as he stood more upright again, his eyes staying on Riku as he prepared for whatever else was thrown at him.

 

Riku pulled back immediately, swinging his blade horizontally. He already had his combo planned out. The question was if Sora was ready for it. Regardless, Riku was about to find out, and so was Sora.

Roxas planted his other foot down on the sandy ground, his hands pressed against the wall at his sides as he tried to balance himself, feeling a little lightheaded. His vision came back to him, but he wasn't seeing the memory anymore; instead he was seeing the fight that continued in front of him.

 

Sora's eyes widened in shock, the teen not expecting that move at all. And he couldn't bring his Keyblade back down in time to block it! He raised his left hand in defense and shut his eyes tightly, knowing this next blow would put him in a lot of pain. Suddenly, though, he felt something materialize in that hand. Oathkeeper. Instinct took over and he gripped it tightly, trusting it would diffuse the energy or completely block the incoming attack.

 

Riku felt the sudden force of his blow being blocked and he didn't waste any time putting in his next move. He swung again, this time up to see how well the attack would be blocked, aware that it was two weapons against one now.

Roxas blinked in shock. What was that? And what actually triggered that to even happen? The blond shook his head and closed his eyes briefly, opening them again as he stared down at the floor. Maybe he was just really tired... Maybe that would explain the hallucinations.

 

Sora spun around 360 degrees, taking a step away from Riku with the spin move. The Keyblade in his right hand impacted Riku's blade, knocking it back before it could hit him. He grunted softly and set his footing again, Keyblades raised as he prepared himself for the next attack.

 

Riku cried out again, swiping horizontally at his friend. He wasn't going to let off, putting all his strength into his rapid attacks. Sora needed to get used to this, if he wasn't already. Multiple enemies attacked you constantly, and you couldn't provide a weakness.