Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Kingdom Hearts: Scattered Fragments (Private RP)

Aiko shielded her eyes from the immediate light as she exited the darkness. Wincing as a small headache set in, she turned her eyes towards the skirmish, curiously peering at the man dispatching each of the Dusks. The girl wasn't a strategist, but she could tell that there was a precise timing to the man's moves. Her eyes wandered about the grey room, it was spacious and provided easy movement, that was something Aiko could get behind. However, a skeptical stare was set on mystery man, moving about the room swiftly, his reflexes didn't seem natural, it seemed more like premonition, as the man moved near two seconds before the slinking creatures actually struck. A slight hum came from her position beside Yuxara, as Aiko considered the possibilities.

Magic was certainly something abundant, although she hadn't known, her world probably didn't know about it. Maybe since the magic existed, a sixth sense actually did exist as well. That premonition was still too out of place, and the girl twitched her neck slightly, obviously annoyed by it. A tangent went off in her mind as she continued to question and hypothesize, she turned to Yuxara to open her mouth and spout out newly surfaced questions but stopped herself as the man stepped over, All in good time, Aiko, all in good time.

Taking a long, hard gaze at the man as he slipped his hood off, the girl took in his features. The eyes scared her, the hair was too out of order, and the face left a slight frown on hers, she felt like she wasn't dark enough now. Aiko lost focus, zoning out now, her gaze staying on Yexuris, her face looked almost aggressive given how intently she was staring... at the wall. In fact, her eyes were on a small area behind the male's ear, where it looked like his hair was defying the laws of physics. Aiko's hand twitched with an intense desire to smooth the lock of hair down, she snapped out of her trance before the hand shot upwards to fix it. She laughed nervously, the man must've had to wait for a few seconds for her to answer, she took his hand and shook it, "Hello, I-I'm Aiko," she cleared her throat, "You're err... a good fighter," She dropped her head, "No, that sounds stupid," then met his gaze again, "Uhm, you're good at ahh... fighting," Aiko nodded, confirming it to herself, "Yeah, that sounds right,"

"This is the one we found last week," Yuxara confirmed with a nod, offering her usual hollow smile. "It's only now that we've been able to catch her up to speed. Raixon and I have been rather busy investigating the upset of the balance, but we won't inform everyone of the specifics until we can solidify the cause and decide our precise course of action." She was calm and calculative as she said this. The two of them, Raixon and Yuxara, were the unofficial head of the Organization, and everyone wearing the hood deferred to them, as they had been the first two. They had shared their vision with new recruits that they brought along, and Yexuris had been no different. The purpose that their vision gave filled a hole where emotion had once been. Although it could not replace a heart, embracing the philosophy of the Organization was so much better than the crushing emptiness Nobodies often felt; it gave the a purpose. Since Aiko had a heart, it had taken more explanation and convincing to show her the rationale behind their beliefs.

"At any rate, I managed to whisk this one away before her world was consumed by the dark," the Nobody gestured to Aiko. "Unfortunately, she has near-zero prior experience with her Keyblade. Since you're already here, I figured that perhaps you could assist me in remedying that. Also because you may be a better teacher than I." She crossed her arms absently. "That is, if you're not too busy doing your own thing."

"Sure, I suppose I can show her the ropes." Yexuris obliged, he was probably the best suited for the job considering he was the only one amongst their rank with formal training in the ways of the Keyblade. "Aiko was it, follow me." He instructed and led the young member into the training ring. As he stood their, facing the apprehensive looking girl, he couldn't help but recall his own first day of training, in a time long since passed, during a life long since lived. He remembered feeling anxious, excited, happy, and proud all at the same time, but now those feelings were just words to him, describing how his pulse raised and palms sweat when he first held Starlight, the traditional training Keyblade for new prospective Wielders. This girl however had a distinct advantage of already having been chosen by the Keyblade, now it was just a matter of teaching her how to use it.

"Alright, let's get started." Yexuris said as he summoned his Keyblade, "Waxing Crescent", and used it to summon a ball of darkness that floated between them. "First, let's get you used to handling your Keyblade, why don't you go ahead and summon it and take a few swings at that ball there." He instructed.

Cynthiera's face lit up as soon as they returned to accept her. Her anxiety died out and she relaxed, so much so that she ran up to Ritsuka and gave him a short hug. "Thank you!" She exclaimed. "I promise to stay close." She nodded.

Moguri then approached her to give her the fire spell. She was confused at first, until the Crystal flame dissipated in her hands, just as the blizzard spell did. "Uh-? Oh! Just as the other one." She spoke in amazement. "Thank you, Moguri!" Cynthiera smiled as she pat his head.

"Now now, don't thank me just yet, kupo." Moguri said as he shook off her hand.

"That's right, this isn't a ride along, we're going to be training you the whole time; making sure you're able to stand on your own two feet out there." Ritsuka explained in a somewhat stern manner.

"And since you're obviously more comfortable at a distance, that means a lot of one-on-one time with yours truly, one of the best mages around, kupo." Moguri stated with a haughty puff of his chest. "And fair warning, my training wasn't easy, so yours won't be either, kupo." He added, floating inches away from her face for much needed intimidation. Ritsuka let out an amused chuckle.

"Well, if you're still up for it, I think it's about time we get going." He said before summoning his Keyblade, giving it a quick twirl before pointing it skyward, teeth facing down. A beam of light shot out from the tip of the weapon and collided with an invisible barrier in the sky, opening a neon colored portal that crackled with otherworldly energy. With the pathway open, Ritsuka tossed his weapon into the air and in a bright flash of light, the Keyblade transformed into a unique looking hovercraft, a Keyblade Glider. The vehicle was colored black and sharply angled near the front tip and had a transparent "cockpit" for the driver to sit. Extending from the tip was a gold crescent, its tips acting as the engines with blue flames propelling it forward. Moguri summoned his casting sword and tossed in the air as well, the weapon transforming into a flying saucer like hovercraft. The two vehicles floated down and settled near the trio, the cockpits opening to allow Ritsuka and Moguri to take hop in.

"Well, hop on." Ritsuka said, patting the remaining space on the glider's seat, just enough for a passenger.

A raised eyebrow came silently from Aiko as she followed Yexuris to the middle of the spacious room. She questioned her fighting ability and the previous reluctance to do the training returned. The girl wanted to try to stall but the chance had already been missed as Yexuris summoned the dark orb. With another twitch of her neck, Aiko took place in front of the orb, tracing patterns of swirling darkness across its surface. The keyblade appeared in her hand and she took its features once more, it struck her as odd, that the only noticeable part of the blade was the spinning sphere near the hilt. With a small huff, the girl took stance in front of the orb. She cocked her head at it and gave it an experimental poke.

With a shrug Aiko took her stance again and sent a few blows its way, they were quick, but unsteady and highly inaccurate, and each attack left her unbalanced and vulnerable to counter strikes. Fortunately, due notice was given to these factors and her stance adjusted accordingly. Through a few more of these trial and error bouts with the shadowball, Aiko had seemingly gotten in a place where she could strike without her guard being completely open, or her attacks being to weak. Errors were made abundantly however, making the trial and error rounds seem more like a process of elimination, and so down the list she went, trying to make up for what she lacked and by the end of it she came up short in just a small amount of three minutes. Gasping for air, Aiko nodded, taking in her own information, nervousness set in as she realized Yexuris's surveillance.

What had been built up was a stance and collection of experimental attacks. The stance usually begun with a reverse-handed grip due to the shorter blade of her key, with follow-up strikes being made for a normal one handed stance. It was designed with a chain of attacks in mind, small quick strikes meant to weaken the enemy for more devastating hits and an interweaving overlay of magic casting, though Aiko had yet to properly get to that part. She was surprisingly agile and well versed in swordsmanship and the footwork necessary for her fighting style, she guessed that her trips for private schooling in Europe weren't as bad as she thought them to be. Though still a novice, it seemed she had good potential, with a bit of cardio at least.

Now with steady breaths, Aiko began to look at her remaining errors, such as defense, although she could manage a few parries and some guards, without a proper sparring partner she wouldn't be able to train that aspect of her fighting. Her strength was lacking, but she made up for it in speed at least, and last, magic. The thing that had eluded her brain so much since she had arrived. Of course she interrupted her thoughts to look at Yexuris and ask shyly, "I wasn't supposed to take that long was I?"

"You learn quickly, considering." The absent remark came from Yuxara, who was leaning with her back against the wall, her arms crossed. Although her stance was thoughtful, it didn't seem to match the detached expression she always seemed to carry. She had been observing the way Aiko had been consistently refining her movements to accommodate for her mistakes, until by the end of the routine she had been fleshed out in terms of a set fighting style and habit. "It's a good skill to have. The longer you practice with it, the greater skill you can acquire. Then the better you will be able to defend herself."

She glanced over at Yexuris. "Aiko also has a great potential, perhaps more on her magic even if she doesn't realize it yet," she told him smoothly. "Within ten to fifteen seconds of her summoning her Keyblade in her first combat encounter with Shadows, she'd cast Stopga successfully."

Yexuris silently watched as Aiko hit the orb, observing her every move as well as trying to deduce her thought process. At first her strikes were abysmal, the way she clumsily swung the blade in wide arcs with absolutely no power behind them, but just as his master did with him, he let her just keep swinging, trying to get a feel for how the girls body naturally moved, what was comfortable for her and such. Eventually, she managed to correct herself, she seemed aware of her shortcomings and did her best to address them with each new swing in a way that made it obvious that she had prior knowledge of swordsmanship. By the time she stopped, she had developed a clear fighting style, as basic as it was, but it still required some refining, not to mention there was more to wielding a Keyblade than just swordplay.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Yexuris praised. "You seem to have a good grasp of the basics, but your movements are still a bit... unrefined, of course that's to be expected since you're just starting out. You seem to have your style figured out, now you just need to work on your execution, things like developing a proper stance and footwork to get the most out of what you want your body to do." Yexuris critiqued. He couldn't help but notice how much he sounded like an actual Keyblade Master, much like his own did while teaching him. It was strange, he felt like his original self wouldn't have the patience to teach a student, that he would be more concerned with improving himself than taking the time to figure out how to help someone else improve. One could say that was the advantage to being a Nobody, you could choose what parts of your previous personality you kept and what you didn't, after all, it was all just an act anyway. Yexuris was brought out of his thoughts by Yuxara's comment on Aiko's potential, piquing his interest.

"Wow, really, the third tier of an advanced spell on your first try, now that's impressive." Yexuris praised, an echo of actual amazement bouncing around in the void where his heart should be. "Of course, that only matters if you're consistent with it." He added as he retreated to the edge of the arena. Yexuris waved his Keyblade and the orb of darkness split into four identical orbs, moving about randomly across the arena. "Now, let's see if you can do that again, try and stop the orbs from moving by casting Stopga on them, if you can't manage that, then try Stop on just one of them and work your way up." He instructed, resting himself against the wall next to Yuxara.

Aiko let out an awkward laugh and flushed slightly at their comments, she shook her head towards them, disagreeing. She briefly considered asking if she work more on the physical aspect of her fighting, but the magic part of it was unavoidable she supposed, taking up a position in the approximate center of the orbs' movements. She lifted her keyblade, edge facing the floor and attempted to remember the feeling when she cast Stopga. It was indescribable, her mind said stop, her body went rigid but didn't at the same time. It was peculiar and continued to elude her at this point, but the spell hadn't been cast. Aiko looked about, taking another breath, she reinstated her position. Everything in her mind went, quiet, as did everything around her. Eyes clutched tight, Aiko tried to cast again, instead what broke the silence was the howl of wind, fast winds. They buffeted her, and nearly sent the girl flying backwards, had she not stabbed her keyblade into the ground and crouched. Instead of Stopga it seemed she had cast Aeroga, a whirlwind grew and wildly flew around the training room, sweeping the shadowballs up and into the vortex.

Keeping her grip on the hilt of her blade like iron, the whirlwind passed over, threatening to pull Aiko up into the air and send her body spinning. Luckily by the time she felt the strength in her arms close to giving out, the wind died down and soon came to a total stop. Aiko fell to the ground, exhausted, shaking her head, "I-it wasn't Stopga, but... y'kn-know, I-I don't th-" She took a breath and attempted to calm her nerves, "I don't think I want to do that again," A weak cough escaped her as she lay there, shaky breaths jetting quivering lips. Maybe the magic thing would have to wait, although she could cast strong spells, they were dangerous and unpredictable, but maybe there was a small chance she could learn to control it, doubt seemed to physically emanate from Aiko, she definitely couldn't do the magic thing and wasn't planning on trying again anytime soon. Better to keep her feet on the ground where the belonged.

Yuxara watched patiently from the sidelines as Aiko took her time in casting the spell. The Nobody didn't quite believe that she would be able to cast Stopga once again if she'd only done it once. It was likely that Aiko had tapped into some sort of hidden potential that manifested itself when she was in danger. But training would unlock that potential and bring out that power to serve for more common use. Such was the way of all potential, not merely that of the Keyblade. She wasn't bothered with the length of time, and expected a mere Stop, or even another basic spell like Fire or Blizzard.

The Nobody's eyebrows rose a fraction with the sudden casting of the whirlwind, as the vaguest echo of surprise echoed and yet failed to properly root itself, with no heart to anchor upon. There was hardly another reaction as she watched Aiko struggle to keep herself on the ground. But the fact that she had cast Aeroga piqued some mild form of interest, and she tilted her head almost curiously. "Well, well. You haven't ceased to surprise me yet," she mused, the praise still there despite her ever-flat, detached tone. "With practice, we'll make a strong fighter out of you yet." She nodded with approval. "But for now, I agree. At this level of your experience, I hardly think you have the magic reserves to carry out another attack like that. Until you have certainty in body and mind, which will come with the physical aspect, casting magic is a mere waste of energy.

"Perhaps, let us try something different." Getting off the wall, she stepped forward towards where Aiko stood, banishing any of the remaining shadow balls with a mere flick of her hand. "The shadows hardly have any resistance to them. But what if you're up against an enemy who has a little more substance?" Summoning her Keyblade SoulRunner in a swirl of dark tendrils and light sparks, she began to step towards Aiko calmly, but with a focused determination that Yexuris would recognize. Shifting into a hostile stance, she bared her blade at the ready. "I will only block, dodge, and defend. This will be blades only. Now attack."

Despite the surprising display, Yexuris could only call the attempt a failure. Not only did she fail to cast the appropriate spell, but she completely blew her "MP" on a spell that was much too powerful for somebody of her limited experience to utilize. Thus, Yexuris had to disagree with Yuxara, the girl didn't have the talent for being a mage any more than a person with strong muscles had any talent for boxing. It would be a different story if she had any sort of consistency with her casting, but as it stood she just had an excess amount of power with no idea how to use it.

Regardless, the fact that Aiko even had such an excess amount of power in the first place was a mystery to Yexuris. Ordinarily one would have to receive the power of an element in order to be able to cast just the base tier of a spell and work their way up, he had never heard of anyone starting from the high tier and having to work their way down, this was uncharted territory. However, Yexuris decided to keep any harsh criticisms to himself, Aiko certainly seemed to have problems with self-esteem, so it would be best to play to her strengths for the moment. Luckily, Yuxara seemed to think the same thing and stepped in to help Aiko change gears.

"A basic, one-sided sparring match huh, that's exactly what I had in mind Yuxara, maybe you're a little better at this teaching thing than you give yourself credit for." Yexuris commented in a slightly playful tone with a teasing smirk on his face. "Anyway, don't be nervous Aiko, just get into your stance and strike wherever you think you see an opening. But remember, just because she won't be retaliating, doesn't mean you shouldn't be aware of how your strikes would leave you open for counterattacks." He instructed from the sidelines before reaching into his coat and pulling out an Ether. "Here, this should help with the exhaustion, casting spells causing some mental fatigue, so make sure manage your magic reserves." He explained before using the Either on Aiko, restoring her casting power and relieving her fatigue.

Oddly enough, the girl nodded from her position on the ground to Yuxara's comments, she decided not to try to argue, be it passively or directly. Of course, as she attempted to wrap her hands around the hilt of her blade, she found her fingers not moving but a fraction, her legs did the same. Aiko's body seemed to be doing a number of voluntary twitches, but as Yexuris stepped forward and gave her the Ether, the mental fog cast over the girl's brain had disappeared. She stood, slightly shaky but with more control than previously. The spell's ferocity had rattled Aiko, she took a few deep breaths to rid herself of her quavering hands.

Now fully functional, Aiko unzipped her robe and folded it, sitting it on the ground near the wall. She was surprised to find that her underclothes had magically changed to a pair of black pants and a black vest. She took solace in the fact that she wouldn't have to be fighting in her dirty school uniform, however the method in which her clothing items were changed somehow made her needlessly wary. Aiko took up her stance two metres away from Yuxara, chewing on her lip enough to make it bleed. She tasted the salt in her mouth as the keyblade in her hands was flipped around for a second or two before landing in the reverse-handed grip she had started her stance with. Right foot in the front with the left in the back, and the same with her hands, the left being a few centimetres below her chin and the right in extended in front of her, the cross-dominant stance would seem slightly irregular to anyone who had seen her write before, at least these two hadn't.

Aiko took another breath, eyes flitting from Yuxara's feet to her face, then to her arms, legs, torso. Anyone could tell she was identifying weaknesses in the woman's seemingly impenetrable posture. The openings were small, and anytime Yuxara shifted, one would close and another would spring forward. If she were to land any attacks on the woman she would have to think on her toes, not only that, but think detailed along with it. Focus and speed didn't mix, and Aiko began to get nervous just visualizing all the ways she could screw up the match and embarrass herself. Trying to drive the thoughts out of her mind, the girl simply stepped forward and threw a haphazard swing towards Yuxara, to test.

Yuxara showed mild interest in the fact that Aiko had decided to discard the cloak. "You're eventually going to have to learn to fight with it on," she pointed out mildly, but otherwise did not offer any other resistance to the decision. The two of then stared each other down for several moments, each following the movements of the other. Aiko's stance was wide open, but of course the Nobody didn't expect much from the first session.

When Aiko shifted to attack, Yuxara's focus sharpened with her amethyst eyes. She watched the arc of the haphazard swing, estimated where it would land, and allowed herself to deflect Daybreak Cascade with SoulRunner at the last possible moment before melting backwards to avoid any subsequent strike, settling into a near-motionless, relaxed ready stance once more as she gauged Aiko's reaction to her sharp reflexes.

Yexuris had to admit, despite Aiko's inexperience and low self-esteem, she certainly had a good head on her shoulders. Most other beginners would have probably just started swinging wildly, but Aiko had the sense to air on the side of caution and truly attempt to analyze her opponent before attacking. However, she was still clearly a beginner, her swing clumsy and easily evaded, not to mention her reaction time was rather slow. Regardless, it was only her first time, he will see what she had to offer before casting any judgment.

Aiko's neck twitched, this wasn't going to be easy, but she had expected it to be harder. With the experimental attack out of the way, the girl took up her stance once more, it was more closed however, a slight bit defensive, even if no one had been sending strikes her way, she seemed ready. The nervousness she had previously felt slowly floated away, and Aiko, now clear-headed, twitched. It was a feint, of sorts, hoping the movement would be enough to draw Yuxara's eyes and for her to assume she was going to move from the front, striking from the upper left and downward, aiming for her head. However, the novice instead ran to the right, flanking Yuxara, expectations were that the woman would turn and come to meet her in an attempt to block.

Aiko's plan was the feint, slide, and slash, a simple dance anyone could learn, to the music of her heartbeat, the steps upon the floor and the blade's song as they met, keen edges and keener minds. In slowed time, the girl's eyes flitted towards Yexuris, then Yuxara, around the room, her blade and the sparks falling to the ground from her previous attack. It struck her as peculiar, how one moment in a conversation she was silent and passive, and how another during a battle she was assertive, singing with her blade as though she knew each and every note. Everything seemed to disappear in this room, the white melding with the black, muted grey walls, spacious and open. With a shake of her head she cleared the speculation from her mind, attention back on Yuxara's next movement.

Yuxara's amethyst eyes seemed to glint with a muted satisfaction as she watched Aiko's calculating ones. She could tell that she was seeming to settle into her own body, and that from here on would be the real beginning of the combat. Despite her blubbering countenance on a casual level, this was certainly someone who was intelligent, as well as had the potential for power. The Keyblade, Yuxara reflected, always seemed to do well with those it chose without the Ceremony, regardless if the end result was for better or for worse. The chosen were always ones with great potential and Aiko, it seemed, was no exception. The Nobody vaguely looked forward to see what the girl would try.

Aiko suddenly moved, and the Nobody was ready. Even before she had lost her heart and gained the Keyblade, she had been a formidable force, and she used her agility to her advantage. Th feint was ignored completely, as it was a strategy that she was well-acquainted with, although her eyes had glanced in the direction for the barest fraction of a second. Her blade went up mostly on instinct as she sidestepped into a spin, deflecting Daybreak Cascade and dancing away to lie in wait in her stance once more. Yuxara had to mentally coach herself not to retaliate and attack, as she had said that she would not. But there was a small smile on her face now as her usually flat expression seemed to gain some semblance of vitality. But of course, being a Nobody, it was a farce only.

Soft brown eyes met an amethyst pair, heading each other off in a middle of a staring contest, only lasting one second. Aiko's searched Yuxara's, attempting to find emotion. As their stare broke however, she caught something, it was small but it was there. That small glint in her opponent's eyes, it wasn't the mock contentment, but instead something of... well, she didn't know what to call it. She only knew that whatever small emotion she had that was genuine seemed to be alluring, and it seemed that this unprovoked speculation was only native to Aiko's train of thought. Her eyes began to widen slowly as she started to go off on a tangent in her mind but looked back to the battle instead, expression going mute.

The girl's face stayed set, and as Yuxara spun away in preparation for her blow, Aiko leaped to the side towards her. In a split-second, she struck with her keyblade, lashing outward from the bottom up, and with a great jerk from her torso she spun mid-air and struck from the opposite side. As Aiko landed she had a curious look flash across her face, asking herself questions as to how and when she had gotten that kind of jump height. Letting out a small, "Huh," to discard the topic for later questioning, Aiko stared her opponent down, everything had happened so quickly she hadn't been able to tell whether or not her strikes landed.

Now things were getting interesting, where her casting ability left a lot to be desired, she showed real talent for swordplay that became more and more apparent with each strike she made. However, she still had a long way to go, sure she had the mindset of a swordsman, but what she lacked was instinct, after all in a real battle Aiko would not have the luxury of her opponent willing to wait for her as she stared them down to think of a strategy. But of course, this was something the girl would learn over time, for now it was important for her to just get used to moving her body, and it seems she was getting that part down rather well. Yexuris smirked at the girl's bewildered reaction to her own leap, the Keyblade granted its wielder enhanced physical abilities, and getting accustomed to her new stats would take time.

Immediately after Yuxara spun, she inhaled a small breath as she shied away to the side, narrowly avoiding Aiko's upstroke and whipping her blade to clash against Aiko's subsequent slash on the other side. Her eyes and smile were alight, more than Aiko had ever seen from her before. "Good," she nodded, perhaps a more genuine approval written upon her face. The rush of the fight never failed to exhilarate her, and that, along with her general battle strategy, was likely the only things she had ever retained from her previous self.

Her eyes combed over Aiko as the other girl's body began to move again, shifting sideways with a surprising agility as she fought for space, quietly baiting Aiko who would have to get closer to launch another attack. The Nobody was trying to get her to move around more, and so far it was working. So far as she could tell, Aiko seemed to be a rather stationary fighter, but that was normal considering this was the first time. It would develop to accommodate a more flowing, continuous approach, which was ultimately more useful.

What's that? A vehicle? The whole concept for what stood before her was baffling; however Cynthiera decided to not question the scenero and began moved towards it. Climbing on the vehicle was a tad spooky, but Cynthiera was not expressing fright.

Just as many people in the town, Cynthiera hadn't much experience with vehicles. Sure, they had the train, but that was just about all that there was. Naturally, Cynthiera was curious "Alright, I'm ready. How does this thing work?"
"Oh- I do hope it doesn't go super fast. Such a thrill would take the life out of me." She expressed her fear of the forces with a somewhat nervous laugh.

"We're going to leave this world? I never would think of such to be possible." Cynthiera reflected. "This will be fun- I hope."