thenearshore | [Closed]

Entry tags:

[Closed]

Who: Roxas and Kairi
Where: The Near Shore
When: May 28th, May 29th
What: Prayer #2, #23, #6, #24
Warning: Uhm… none yet?

So it was finally time to do some more prayers. Seeing as how gung ho Kairi was about doing them, she’s the first one Roxas thinks of when deciding on what prayers to take. He chooses ones that he hopes won’t be too difficult after their battle with the ayakashi when they saved Donut’s butt.

Except one of these prayers… might not be like the other.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A door... Roxas heads over to it, trying to figure out what it leads to. There was no placard on it, so there was definitely something fishy about it. He tries to see if he can open it only to find it locked. No problem.

He takes a few steps back, summons a Keyblade, and points it at the lock. There's a stream of light and a click before he nods.]

We can get in now. Stay behind me. I don't think it's gonna be a wide hallway.

[Kairi hasn't seen Sora's keyblade yet, so this is her first time.]

... You didn't call them!

[Yes, she thinks it's a shinki in vessel form.]

Do I know them?

[She didn't think this was Raichi or Senri's form from what she'd been told, but then again...]

Huh?

[He looks at his Keyblade before looking at Kairi.]

It's not a shinki. This is a Keyblade.

[Unless you can call a shinki without saying anything out loud.]

[Blink.

Blink blink.]

A Keyblade.

[A weapon he can call that doesn't have a mind of its own, clearly.]

But if you have that... then why...

[Her expression starts to fall a bit.]

Do you really need me?

[He dismisses it as soon as he realizes what she's thinking. He moves so he can grab her hands.]

Keyblades can't do anything against ayakashi. I use them to fight creatures back home with them. [He frowns as he nods.] Of course I need you.

[She does feel bad for... accusing him? Something. It's another one of those rare times when she wonders if memories would help here. She wants to help, so badly, but she doesn't want to be a burden either, so learning he had capabilities beyond what she provided as his shinki... forget Exemplars, she had to wonder if he was a more powerful god than she'd imagined, able to take on creatures like that without his shinki.

But his reassurance helps, a little bit. The 'back home' sticks with her a little still. She nods in response, though.]

Okay.

[That's not a convincing answer and she knows it, so she looks down at where he has her hands - where the gloves she'll never see that her vessel forms always sit. She holds them tighter.]

I guess I just didn't want you to leave me behind...

["Again" almost leaves her mouth but she catches it, knowing that makes no sense to say. This is their second straight day of answering prayers together.]

... Or bring me along when I couldn't keep up with you. All of these things you can do - it's just amazing.

[She says it quietly not because she doesn't firmly believe it, but a little bit of jealousy tinging her voice. She resolves not to dwell on it, though. He told her he needed her and she wants to believe him. He couldn't sense the ayakashi, could he?]

So... thanks, Roxas.

[This was painful to hear and watch. Kairi was doubting herself, possibly doubting him. From Sora's memories, she was never like this. Or at least never in front of Sora. She was always so strong. Was this a side of her she kept hidden?

He sighs and pulls her into a tight hug.]

I do need you. There's a lot of things I'm not good at, and I'm not that amazing. The things I learned back home? I can't even use half of that against the ayakashi. Not the magic, the Keyblades, or even my bow and arrows. [He pulls away enough to squeeze her shoulders.] And I need you for a lot more than your power. You're my friend, Kairi, or like Sora keeps saying, family.

[Oh wow, a hug from Roxas! She feels so lucky right now. Of course she hugs him back! Before he pulls back to her shoulders, of course.]

Yeah, friend and family.

[That feels really good to her.]

Family's not just your blood relatives, after all.

[She smiles then and nods to him.]

I promise to lend you my power anyway - because I care about you.

My friends kept telling me that you can make your own family.

[So he does. His family has been pretty big in both worlds.

He returns the smile with one of his own.]

Thanks. So are you ready to keep going now?

Yeah!

[She nods with a slight blush only because she knows she's been holding them up.]

I want to catch this ayakashi too you know!

[And since she was leading, and the door's open, she pushes forward past him. Thankfully the stairwell down one more level has a few lights to see by.]

So it's a secret basement under a secret basement? How weird!

[She starts walking down the stairs, slowly just in case.]

[He has to try not to sigh as she takes the lead. The smile doesn't falter as he follows her down the stairs. ]

It's not that big a surprise. If you wanna keep things secret, what better way than go down?

[He catches the door before it slams, easing it shut.]

I don't hear any noise down there...

Way up in the air?

[It seems like an equally good option to her.]

No noise, even though we were following those gang guys... and found an ayakashi instead... I hope they're okay.

[Even bad guys don't deserve to get gobbled up by ayakashi.]

If we need to be quiet, do you want me to become the gloves again?

[It's easier than texting.]

Supervillains go up, mob guys go down. Like in the comic books.

[Yes. Sometimes he reads those.

Ayakashi attacks are not something he would wish on anyone.]

Not yet. If you feel uncomfortable, let me take the lead, okay?

Okay, you'll have to show me your favorites sometime.

[She remembers comic books in general enough to get his joke, but still nothing specific.

She shakes her head for now though.]

It's still faint enough I'm not feeling all that sick. Just kind of butterfly sort of feeling.

[She wants to be brave for as long as she can, which is much easier with Roxas at her back. Together they can keep moving down the stairs until there's another door. She stops at the landing above that last floor where the door is.]

That one's probably locked too, huh? ... And maybe trapped and guarded on the other side? Which is why it's quiet in here?

My favorites? I can do that.

[It used to be shoujo manga, but part of moving on from his girlfriend he left behind was to stop reading those. They were making him sad.

He's trying to see if he feels anything close to that... nope. She really was more sensitive than he was.]

Let me open it. Stay back. If there is a trap, I can move a lot faster than you.

[Which means it's time for the Keyblade again.]

Got it.

[Not the time to argue. Having seen the keyblade at work, she agrees with his assessment.

She walks back up another step, until she can lean against the far wall that's going back upstairs. Not so far away that he can't call her though.]

[He gets as close as he dares to the door, using his weapon to open it. He makes the blade disappear before gently pulling the handle. There wasn't any resistance. Just to make sure, he moves backwards with the door till it was fully open.]

So far so good...

[There doesn't seem to be anyone in the hall... it was way too quiet.] Let's get you changed. Who knows what's in there. Gouki.

Ready.

[It feels a little repetitive to keep saying that one word over and over, but on the other... it feels appropriate. A good shorthand for confirmation considering how much they're trying to communicate through a delicate, dangerous situation. It keeps her thinking seriously about what's going on around them.]

'I still can't believe there's no guards in a place like this. Or better locks, no offense to your cool master key.'

[An ambush any minute by something that's NOT an ayakashi isn't something she can sense, she doesn't think...]

'The ayakashi's definitely on this floor though. That door opening confirmed it.'

[Ready... unless there's a different word, then this would be on repeat for a while.

He carefully walks down the short hall, looking at the floor and ceiling. He stops at the end of the hallway and listens.]

I can hear laughing... doesn't sound like happy laughing...

[There's more noises, making Roxas tense up, kneeling down and peeking around the corner.]

Are they fighting for fun...? This could be bad... I think I see the ayakashi.

'Oh boy...'

[She swallows hard and tries to breathe - which is weird when she's inside the vessel space, but there's not much else to be done about it.]

'Normally fighting for fun wouldn't be strange for a gang like this, right? But if they aren't happy about what's going on...'

[She really hopes they aren't lost to the ayakashi - yet. Just a little further and they can try to stop this.]

'Give me just another second and I think I'll be ready to take them on.'

[Kairi just keeps reminding herself that this is about her and Roxas against the ayakashi, together, this feeling will surely go away if she just remembers that... the darkness she senses can't overwhelm the both of them as a team!]

No... it's like an initiation or boredom thing... at least it is in movies and comics...

[He nods even if he's not sure she can see it. This could be bad. He might have to actually fight some of these guys.]

Hey... if I get into a fistfight with any of these guys, don't tell Sora. He'll get mad at me. [He sighs.] It's not my fault this is a lot more dangerous than we thought...

[That takes her mind off her queasiness immediately.]

'Because it's a fistfight specifically?'

[She starts to say 'I'm sure he'd understand' but that's what got her in trouble with Roxas when she'd said that to Sora.]

'We've got each other's back, though - I believe in us!'

[Which strangely stirs something in her that feels kind of like when she gives someone a hug.]

[Because it's a fistfight involving you. is what what he wants to say.]

Because I might get hit by the ayakashi...

[He takes a deep breath, holding it in for a few moments. Letting it out slowly, he waits till the dizzy feeling passes, then steps out of his hiding place.]

We need to get the ayakashi off of them before we can rend the things.

[Here goes. He takes off at a dead run towards the closest guy, tackling the man from behind. The confusion is enough to make the others scramble for a moment as Roxas grabs the ayakashi and tosses the thing at the wall.]

One down!

'I won't let that happen!'

[She looks very determined ... inside of her vessel space where he can't see.]

'If it gets that bad, just turn me back and I'll put up a Borderline instead!'

[Because she doesn't know that shinki can cast Borderlines while a vessel]

'Or... or something!'

[But hey, at least he gets the first guy easily enough.]

'Sorry I'll focus now. Like I said, no ayakashi's touching you!'

Right! After- [He yelps in surprise, close to getting decked by one of the guys who is far from startled now. Okay, what now... Wait! He nods and brings his arms up into a boxers defensive position.]

I can't use my Keyblade on these guys, but I can use what Fang taught me!

[One thing about being friends with a badass lady is that you learn things from her. The next few hits are blocked when Roxas jumps back and summons a Keyblade. With a flick of his wrist, he uses a Thunder spell to startle the men. It works a little too well as some of them are knocked to the ground, the others feeling with screeches. At least the ayakashi stick around and looked ready to throw down.]

D-Don't tell Sora about that, okay?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Closed]

#24

Re: #24

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

12/20

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject