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

"And I guess that's our cue to call it a day." Yexuris said as he lifted himself off of the wall and walked over to the unconscious girl in the ring. Yexuris wasn't surprised, just like with her magic, Aiko bit off more than she can chew with that Keyblade Transformation, a technique so powerful that it drained her of mental and physical energy. But really, it was her heart that was exhausted, a Keyblade Wielder drew all of their power from their heart, and she was going through some obvious emotional strain during the fight, combing that with such an exhausting technique and it was no wonder she couldn't keep it up for much longer.

Yuxara alternated at a whim between dodging and parrying, but as Aiko’s blows seemed to become heavier, less coordinated and less frequent, the Nobody kept herself towards mere sidestepping, using even less effort to avoid a landing blow. Her amethyst eyes pored over Aiko, searching for telltale signs that the fatigue was feigned, but saw nothing of note. The conclusion was further confirmed when the novice Wielder stumbled and fell. As Aiko’s reserve of energy depleted, the stiletto and estoc shone in a brief white light. The light of the stiletto vanished while the estoc shifted shape, and once the light had faded, Daybreak Cascade was held in Aiko’s hand once more, and once she had fallen unconscious, the Keyblade vanished entirely until the next time it would be summoned again.

It was only at this time when Yuxara eased her stance to a more comfortable one, lowering SoulRunner and allowing it to vanish from her grasp in a swirl of dark tendrils and light sparks as she looked down at the unconscious Aiko. “It seems so,” she acknowledged absently in response to Yexuris’ sentiment. She studied Aiko’s form absently, pondering the well-executed skill that the girl had exhibited during the battle, and drew a conclusion that the girl and the blade had found their balance very quickly, a feat often achieved usually after long years of practice. She herself had not found this perfect balance with SoulRunner yet, and she contemplated how powerful she could grow once she had found it, as well as how powerful Aiko could grow if she practiced her control. Her expression had transitioned into a detached thoughtfulness.

With an absent sigh, she bent down and hoisted the sleeping girl up, putting her arm over her shoulder. “I’ll take her back to her room,” she mused to Yexuris. "Carry on as you were.” The dark corridor appeared before Yuxara and she was about to walk in with Aiko before she paused to glance over at him. “The balance is once again favoring darkness. Raixon and I are yet still investigating why and what can be done of it, but I would ask you to train well, and pass it along to the others. We may be gearing up for something that requires full mobilization.”

"Understood." Yexuris replied simply as he watched Yuxara take the unconscious girl through the Dark Corridor and had it disappear behind her. Yexuris then let himself be engulfed by his darkness, disappearing from the empty training room and reappearing on his personal throne in the Room Where Nothing Gathers. There were a number of empty white thrones of varying heights all surrounding a circular platform with the Nobody emblem emblazoned on it. Yexuris mentally ordered his throne to grow taller until it was the second tallest of the bunch, and not a moment later four other identically robed figures all appeared in a burst of darkness on their own respective thrones.

"What's this, a meeting without the King and Queen, we wouldn't happen to be planning a coup, now are we?" One of the hooded figures said in an overly sarcastic voice.

"Yuxara is tending to our newest member," Yexuris calmly replied. "It seems that her first training session was a bit too much for her. As for Raixon, last I heard he was out recruiting another wielder to wear to coat." He explained, glancing at the one seat that was higher than all the rest.

"I must say, Raixon is rather amiable." A different figure stated. "To think that a man of his position would still take the time to go out and recruit prospective wielders himself."

"He and Yuxara are the ones who established the purpose for this organization, it is only fitting that his vigor for the cause is the greatest among us." A third chimed in.

"Well put, and that cause is actually why I called this meeting." Yexuris said, regaining their attention. "As I'm sure you have all been made aware of, the balance has begun to tip a little to heavily onto the side darkness recently. I don't know all the details myself, but Yuxara has felt it necessary to warn you all to be ready for a full mobilization at a moment's notice." He announced, the members all exchanging surprised glances behind their hoods, though only one of them was genuine.

"Full mobilization?" The fourth and most feminine sounding member said quizzically.

"Are things really so dire?" Another member asked.

"I don't know, but Raixon and Yuxara have always had a better sense for these things then we ever had, so I think it's best to trust their judgement." Yexuirs replied, though it did little ease the other members' worries, if that is even what they could be called.

"If it's so important, then why aren't our great and noble leaders here telling us all this?" The disrespectful member complained. "I don't appreciate being ordered around by someone just barely a rank above me."

"I'm not the one doing the ordering, Yuxara is, I'm just the messenger." Yexuris rebuked, his tone shifting to what he believed was one of annoyance. "So if you have a problem with these orders, then your problem is with "her highness", not me. So, do you have a problem?" He inquired almost tauntingly. The member just sneered, crossing his arms and looking away in what Yexuris could only assume was a sour look.

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say, just stay on your toes and return to your assignments. Meeting adjourned." Yexuris stated, the members all teleporting away as soon as they were dismissed. Yexuris leaned back in his throne and let out a heavy sigh, it was reflexive rather then his usual intentional gesture to suggest exhaustion or worry, the faintest echo of genuine concern. This wasn't the first time Yexuris had felt this ghost of an emotion, it came about whenever Yexuris thought of the situation at hand, of this particular shifting of the balance. At first it was faint, but now with Yuxara's warnings, he couldn't shake it, this "bad feeling" he had. It was almost welcome, something to fill the void that his heart had left, but it was emotions like these that made him thankful that he didn't have such a thing with which to feel the full impact of such concern. Yexuris clenched his hand over his chest as a memory flashed into his mind, of a young boy looking at him in awe as he recounted the events of his latest lesson at the hands of his Keyblade Master.

"Ritsuka... just how long has it been... since I truly thought of you." He mused as he continued to replay memories of that young boy whose life he had torn asunder.

Aiko, after a fitful sleep with quite a bit of rolling around, woke up. She was still exhausted, pushed past the limit of her endurance, she had recovered just enough to open her eyes and sit up. Slowly, very slowly, the world came into view around her. She was back in the room, her room, the barren pale place it was. Oh, how she hadn't missed this place, except for the bed of course, which was oddly comfortable. Lying back down on her stomach, Aiko assumed the "Champion" sleeping position, extending one bent arm above her, hand curled into a fist and bending her knee slightly. From any top-down viewpoint, it looked like she was jumping upwards in victory, perpetually.

She groaned into her pillow, muffled, and stretched like a cat, letting out a sigh as she returned to her position sitting up. Staring at walls, ceilings and floors, Aiko found no change in scenery as before, it puzzled her, she remembered being recruited, and fighting Yuxara. Was it a dream? No, the memories were too vivid, Aiko sat cross-legged now, elbows on knees as she contemplated slowly what occurred. Her brain lagged far behind, it was still in the waking-up mode, making her thoughts fuzzy and impossible to discern.

Yuxara was idly tossing a crescent-shaped Mythril Shard in her hand as she sat on the chair in Aiko's room, an action that she often found herself doing when she thought no one was looking. SoulRunner sat on her lap, and the Nobody held the Keyblade comfortably. She had been wondering about the incredible power that Aiko had exhibited during their practice match, and couldn't seem to get the idea out of her head. It was stunning that someone who had so little experience could tap into their potential in such a little time; maybe it had something to so with a concentration factor. Aiko had completely transformed during battle from the a timid mouse to a raging whirlwind in a gradual window of time which was when she was using her Keyblade. Again the Nobody found herself reflecting that visiting that world just as the darkness had arrived had been a good choice.

Her thoughts wandering elsewhere, she lost her rhythm and the shard clattered to the ground, the sound perhaps drawing Aiko's attention. For several moments Yuxara didn't bother picking it up, but after some unspoken point the Nobody sighed and relented, doing so. She had brought back Aiko's discarded cloak and had draped it in the back of the chair she currently sat on.

Raixon watched with the barest trace of disappointment as Kas soon buckled under the onslaught of Dusks that he had sent before her. It was too simple of a test; it seemed that if even such a weak enemy could not be killed, then she was not worthy of the weapon that she held. It was only suitable then, that she fade away into the darkness, unworthy of the true purpose of the blade she wielded and the role in the World and to Kingdom Hearts.

"It is not every day that I am wrong," he mused mostly to himself as the dark shadow that was once the Nobody Kas faded away into nothing, and the remaining Dusks pranced about, occasionally looking at Raixon as they awaited his order. "Come now. Let us return." And with that, the Dusks vanished into the darkness, before the strongly-built, hooded Nobody followed them through his own dark corridor.

Starting at the sound of the clattering crystal, Aiko flinched slightly, focusing on Yuxara. She moved from her cross-legged position and stood from the bed, sitting back down as a wave of vertigo hit her. The world spun around her, and Aiko felt she might puke, but swallowed heavily, fighting the feeling. With a groan she looked to Yuxara and waved weakly, "Hello there my faithful sparring companion. How are you this..." Aiko took a look around, sighing now, "...this fine day?" The walls didn't disclose much upon what time it was, so instead of asking, the girl simply pressed her head between her legs.

A migraine was coming on, Aiko could feel it, rising from the base of her neck and pain beginning to flow into her skull. With a slight hum she sat up again, looking back at Yuxara. The expected change from her fighting attitude came late due to the girl being so out of it, so without timidity she reached behind the Nobody and snatched her cloak from the chair, arm brushing the woman's cheek. Pulling the cloak on and zipping it, Aiko felt the pain in her head subside, instead going to rest at the base of her neck where it formed. The girl worked her neck, a series of quiet pops and cracks coming from her as she rolled her head, side to side, forward and to the back, and in a circle. With a relieved sigh Aiko brought her eyes back to Yuxara's.

As Yuxara straightened back up from picking up the Mythril Shard she glanced over at Aiko absently with her amethyst hues as she snagged her cloak, only blinking in response to the brush against her cheek. "I was wondering when you would wake," the Nobody remarked absently. "I imagine you're possibly quite sore at the moment, or at least a little nauseated. You will become used to the feeling, as here we learn to push our limits." She tucked the Shard back into her sleeve, glancing down at the Keyblade in her lap, which he still held in a comfortable grip.

"There were many curious things about your first training a few hours ago," the Nobody noted, her thoughts elsewhere for a moment. Only then did she look Aiko directly in the eyes. "It is not every day that the Keyblade chooses a wielder. Raixon and I have our Keyblades because we had them bestowed upon ourselves from another. I hope that you will use that blessing well." She paused, closing her eyes for a few moments, possibly to recall or compose herself, or some combination of both.

"I would like to ask you how you believe that session went."

Aiko frowned at that, beginning to wonder if she would pass out every time they sparred. She dreaded the idea frankly, the vertigo and the headache and the aching in her muscles as she moved. Looking to her hands, she opened her mouth to question, about the Keyblade, what it was. However as her new mentor continued Aiko silenced herself. Searching the woman's eyes as she spoke, the girl in front of her attempted to find emotion, even a speck. She was quite perplexed as to why the Nobodies didn't show emotion, or why they faked it as Yexuris did.

Bringing her attention back to focus, she caught Yuxara's last sentence. With a hum she brought her legs up to her knees, beginning to muse upon her performance. Sure, she had unlocked a large amount of potential, however, she didn't quite know what to do, or how to utilize it properly. The fact that she couldn't land anything on Yuxara was also running through her mind, making her believe her match against the Nobody to be a failure. Once again her rational side spoke, however Aiko silenced it, looking back into those amethyst eyes. Her face was straight and neutral, "I believe my performance during the sparring match to have been mediocre and largely substandard. I apologize,"

Cynthiera was amazed at how pretty the lanes between had been. It gave her a bright smile. "Hehe- that's so pretty!" She giggled. The time spent here made Cynthiera very jaunt; it was glorious.

This of course was short-lived. Soon after entering this place, Cynthiera was supprised by the extraordinary speed in which the group began to travel. Perhaps if she had been listening, she would be alright. That was not the case, and Cynthiera squealed in supprise.

Cynthiera quickly grabbed onto something. "Where is this leading too?" She asked skeptically. Never being to another world, she was prepared for anything, hoping for a place that was greatly pretty.

"Beats me, I've never used this pathway before." Ritsuka admitted as they sped through the space. Eventually, they exited through another gate and suddenly came to a halt, now floating over another little planet with a large cathedral surrounded by a town, La Cite Des Cloches.

"There it is, a completely different world, kupo." Moguri said before he began to drive his glider down towards the surface.

"Hey, wait up!" Ritsuka pleaded as he followed his eager companion. As they approached the threshold of what could be considered the planet's atmosphere, a portal appeared right in their path and the two gliders entered. Suddenly, they were flying over a large, vibrant city with countless people out and about in the streets below, all converging to the courtyard of the large cathedral at the heart of the city. The two gliders made a smooth landing and then disappeared in a bright flash of light, leaving the three travelers safely standing on the new world's surface.

Cynthiera gazed around in awe. This place was new; unique. It was difficult to believe she was seeing such a thing. The event became that much more graceful once her feet touched the ground. Surely, this is real.

Cynthiera's excitement could be seen in her eyes and on her face. She locked her eyes on the unique architecture and different persons, all of which were both the same and completely different from her norm. "Have I gone mad?" Cynthiera giggled with a wide smile.

Cynthiera pivoted to face Ritsuka as she placed her hands behind her back and she proceeded to ask "Well? What do we do from here?"

"Simple, we go looking for the Heartless, kupo." Moguri replied matter-of-factly. "Where there's Heartless, there is darkness, and it's our job to make sure that darkness doesn't get out of hand, like it did back in your world, kupo."

"We also have to protect the people of this world from the Heartless, just like you people here probably wouldn't even know that there are other worlds, or what the Heartless are and how to fight them, so it's out job to do the fighting for them." Ritsuka explained. Suddenly, a group of people came rushing by, all screaming with looks of horror on their faces.

"Run for your lives, there are monsters in the square!" One frightened villager warns the group before running off with the rest.

"Looks like we've got trouble already, come on!" Ritsuka instructed as he led his companions into the square, the group was immediately met with the sight of Solider Heartless chasing people out of the square, and up on a makeshift stage was was a finely robed man with a sou look on his face as he gazed at a pair of villagers, one a beautiful woman with dark skin and hair, and the other an odd looking hunchbacked man whose clothes were torn and stained.

"Do you see now what this accursed festival has brought upon us!" The robed man declared from his perch. "This festivity of debauchery and sin has brought demons into our mist, no doubt under the orders of this gypsy witch!" He accused, pointing at the woman.

"These monsters are not my doing Frollo, if anything it must have been your cruelty towards this poor creature that attracted them here!" She rebuked furiously as she stood protectively over the frightened hunchbacked man. Frollo simply sneered at the accusation and not a moment later one of the Heartless turned its attention to the duo, lunging forward with its claws brandished.

"L-Look out!" The hunchback cried as he pushed the woman out of the way and braced himself for the attack. However, Ritsuka quickly summoned his Keyblade and slashed straight through the creature, killing it.

"Get out of here, quick, we'll handle this!" Ritsuka declared as he lowered into his fighting stance.

"Th-thank you..." The hunchback replied before helping his companion up and sprinting for the cathedral.

"Stop them!" Frollo bellowed, a separate group of Heartless chasing after the escaping duo.

"Cynthiera, Moguri, go help them, I'll handle things here!" Ritsuka instructed before striking down another Soldier.

Yuxara tilted her head and opened her eyes. Interesting, how Aiko seemed to think so lowly of herself, leading to the timidity that she usually exhibited. It was not so potent now as it had been when she had been captured, and perhaps that was a good thing. It was possible that with the continued training and the blossoming of her talent, she would be able to gain a greater confidence in her own ability and her worth. But for the time being, the mistake would have to be rectified as much as it could be.

“I will tell you now that I don’t believe the same,” the Nobody mused, rolling the wrist of her free hand. “Bear in mind that you have only gained your Keyblade yesterday. Considering that, even if you had some rudimentary grasp of swordplay before, your reaction time was swift and your technique was much finer than that which would be expected of a first-timer. Though the Keyblade may resemble a sword in shape and use, I assure you that there are differences.” She paused to offer the barest of a smile. “I would suggest that you not fret about not being able to hit me. Not many can; even Yexuris can barely give me a tap if I’m truly making the effort. You came close a few times, and that is enough.”

She shifted her gaze downward as a small smile formed from her lips, perhaps wistful. Aiko didn't believe Yuxara was actually telling the truth, the Nobody should've been talking down to her at this point, not praising her. Even if everything she was exposed to she could believe, there was one thing Aiko could never come to believe in, which was herself. The root of this self-loathing and deprecation was still a mystery to the girl, but she didn't care much where it came from, only that it was there. Of all the emotions whirling around inside of her, pride was of the smallest amount.

With her eyes still pointed to the floor, Aiko nodded, quietly whispered, "Okay," and scooted backwards towards the wall. She still had so many questions, but she felt like Yuxara was one of those 'In due time' kind of people. Aiko didn't want to pry, at this point, she felt like being left alone with her thoughts. So she could process them and try to make sense of what had happened yesterday and the days before. Not once did the girl return her gaze to Yuxara's as she curled up, bringing her knees to her face. She preferred it to stay that way for the time being.

Yuxara tilted her head, uncertain if anything was needed to be said. She had spoken her piece, and it was not in her nature to force opinions. The facts were facts. Even amongst humanoid Nobodies, she was not average. If Aiko had been in a sparring match with someone other than herself or Raixon, assuming that the same level of proficiency and concentration would be achieved, the result could have been vastly different. If Aiko’s measure of success was so narrow-minded, the Nobody wondered how far she would get. Aiko would have to earn her own self-respect, and although the Nobody could attempt to frame situations in which the confidence could possibly rise, it would be up to Aiko to make any improvement.

“Having a mindset for improvement, and never tiring of learning are good things in moderation,” the Nobody sighed. “Though if it becomes too much, it actually serves to hinder rather than help. There is a difference between humility and beating down, and the latter is somewhat unadvisable, as it is only counterproductive.” She paused for several moments. People with hearts were so troublesome to deal with. It was inconvenient to have to tread carefully with words and not just go straight to the point. “Practice swinging your blade on your own. The more you are used to it, the more that your familiarity will make you even better.” Although her expression remained neutral, the statement was something of an encouragement.

A door faded in existence on the far side of the room, where there had been no entrance or exit before. “Should you ever need anything, feel free to let anyone know. I will see you soon.” Instead of vanishing from the corridor of darkness, she took the door this time.

Aiko silently sat, still and strangely contemplative. Her eyes conveyed a completely blank slate as she stared forward. With a breath she stood, pulling the hood of her cloak from her head and looking at the hair that she had singed yesterday. Guess it was time to cut it again, although she really liked the length it was at. Nonetheless, the blackened locks of hair had to go, so she stepped towards the supposed exit and went to seek out a pair of scissors. She caught Yuxara before the woman got too far and asked, "Is there any way to get my hair cut, or find a pair of scissors so I can cut it myself?" Aiko smiled slightly, presenting her hair.

Yuxara’s thoughts were already elsewhere by the time she made it out the door. The balance was being tested once again, and supposedly it was their own fault this time. The remnants abandoned. There was a way to banish them, she was sure of it. Only, they would have to find those dark hearts first...

The Nobody glanced back at the sound of Aiko calling after her, and her amethyst eyes blinked as she considered Aiko’s request. “Of course. I’m sure I have one in my own room, but I can check the nearest washroom just in case there’s another, more easily accessible pair.” She moved aside in an unmistakable gesture for Aiko to walk with her, before heading down the high-ceilinged, grey and blue hallway. A few seconds passed before the Nobody spoke once again. “Raixon is likely to call an Organization meeting soon, as he always does to introduce the newest member. In the meantime, do you have any questions? I will do what I can to answer them.”

Everyone was made aware the moment Raixon returned to the castle, or most anyway. The Nobodies whose very senses were constantly bathed in darkness could easily pick up their leader's scent, it shifted the air in a way that only Raixon's overwhelming presence could. The scent was also "fresh", like he had just been "flexing his muscles" as it were, and the power that he had exerted still lingered in the air around him, amplifying his scent to a certain degree. His presence was always commanding, but it was down right intimidating when he was fresh off the battle field, and very few were brave enough to approach him in this state.

"Welcome back, boss man!" Xantek was one of those few. The tall Nobody was propped up against the wall of the hallway Raixon had appeared in, he gave his leader a playful wave before approaching him. "We missed you at the Yexuris' meeting, but I get it, finding new blood takes priority over some silly orders that can be given by anyone, right?" He said in his typical sarcastic manner that even Raixon didn't seem safe from. "So, where is this promising new recruit, huh?" He inquired as he playfully looked over Raixon's shoulder, his hand over where his eyes would be that would some how increase his vision.

Raixon never quite deigned to glance at Xantek, not even the gesture of turning his head towards him. It was difficult to ever really say what Raixon was thinking; his stoic nature hardly gave much, and even with his hood down as it currently was, his blindfolded eyes gave away even less, oft leaving others to speculate. Of course, the one who was believed to have known him the best was Yuxara, but without her stature and presence to soften his, the leader of the Organization was downright intimidating. Xantek was tall, but Raixon nearly matched his height and also had that bulk that more than compensated what little height difference there was.

"Our newest member is in fact, with Yuxara, settling themselves in," he mused absently. "She will be introduced in the Round Room fairly soon, as you all were. Now that I have returned, such a meeting will convene rather soon. There is news that you all must know, and soon, for it concerns our next course of action." His steps were heavy with his authority despite them making little sound against the floor.

Xantek was always a nosy one, seeming to be everywhere and nowhere at once. Raixon was always wary around him, although no such distinction ever showed outwardly. He remained as stoic as ever. "Is there something that you're looking for, Xantek?" Such a simple statement was made as he continued to walk down the halls without looking at the other Nobody.