July Catch All - OPEN

[carriedbylight]

characters: Kairi (carriedbylight) and YOU!
location: Different places around Beacon.
date/time: Various times throughout the month of July.
content: Various shenanigans (This will be a catch all for everything for July.)
warnings: None as of yet, but I'll update as they come!

Comments

[carriedbylight]

( Kairi can't help herself but to laugh a little at his reaction. It's so very Riku, and yet, not her Riku. She's seen him using the air of indifference with others, yet the softness is still there. After all, hadn't he been the one to reach out to her first? There's goodness within him, yet she's not so blind that she can't see the darkness, as well. But all of that, the struggle and the ability to overcome, that's what makes him who he is. She won't try to change him, but she can be there for him.

His sudden approach yanks her out of her thoughts and pushes her into the moment, lifting the keyblade to try and block his vicious attacks, immediately on the defensive. It's different than Riku's style of fighting and certainly more rough than anything he would try with her, but it's exactly what she needs. Someone who won't pull their punches just because they're afraid of breaking her. Kairi defends until she sees an opening, lunging in closer to him with a swing of the keyblade. This sort of back and forth happens a few times, with her managing to slip through his defenses a couple of times, making her heart swell with pride.

...And then he delivers a couple of punishing blows that quickly remind her that she hasn't won. Real battle won't stop long enough for her to feel proud of herself. And while he isn't going easy on her, he is giving her the opportunity to learn. He repeats his movements in order for her to get the hang of what she's focusing on, with the gentle reminder of how her stance affects the way she fights. )

Wow...You're tough...

( Kairi huffs out, flashing him a little grin. She speaks again, a little breathlessly. )

I'm lucky...to have found a good partner!

[replicates]

[ they're afraid of breaking her, but that's his secret: he's been beaten and broken too many times to count, and each time he's had to pick himself up and put himself back together again. sometimes, he isn't the one doing so. he's hardened to pain, made tougher from fighting to survive his whole life, and he wonders had he been the real riku he so desperately believed he was, would he be the same now? he'd be gentler, maybe, slower and more patient rather than this sort of trial by fire he's pushing her towards. but beacon isn't a place where anyone can afford to be gentle and this is the only method he knows. ]

Say that to me again when we're done.

[ he swings way to dawn around his fingers as he gives kairi a moment to catch her breath, feels it thrum in the air in much the same way soul eater did, and it shouldn't feel so familiar. but maybe it should — soul eater is still present in the blade, an intermediary, the in-between state; he'd been there as well, left in the void of darkness, stuck in limbo between his broken body and mind.

his whole life he'd been made to break, because that's what it meant to survive: he'd take and take so nothing more could be taken from him. but way to dawn had been broken when riku left it for him and he'd taken it still, made it whole again.

it's more than just a hand-me-down. like his memories, like his heart, it's his now. ]

[carriedbylight]

( Ever since Kairi washed up on the islands, Sora and Riku have treated her as if she were precious. If they walked too quickly for her to keep up, they would slow their pace to match hers, without ever commenting on the fact that they were doing so. They did the protecting while Kairi stood back. It just seemed to be the way of things back then. It was recently, when everything was set into motion, that Kairi realized that waiting by the sidelines wasn't good enough. Her desire to protect the people she cares about was her main motivation throughout her training. But desire alone isn't enough. That was proven when she was so easily taken by Xemnas when her guard was down.

So she's thankful for this sort of training. He has a skill similar to Riku, yet none of the hesitance to go all out due to the risk of potentially harming her. But Dawn sees what Riku and Sora cannot. She isn't glass. She won't break so easily. She can take a beating and still keep going, just as they can. Really, she's incredibly lucky that he's reached out to her, the desire to not disappoint him lingering within the corners of her heart.

The comment earns him a little laugh, the sound soft and full of light as it leaves her lips. She's positive that she'll be able to say the same thing after they're done, even if she ends up bruised and sore. But while they're taking a small break, Kairi reaches into one of the pockets of her dress and pulls out a small black band. The other hand props the keyblade against her leg for a moment as she gathers up the longer pieces of her red hair, pulling them back away from her face and into a small ponytail behind her head. The band is pulled around her ponytail, securing her hair in place.

She looks at him thoughtfully for a moment before reaching back into her pocket and producing a second band, offering it out to him. Having pockets is so incredibly useful! )

Do you want one? Your hair is longer than Riku's, so I thought you might want to get it out of the way.

[replicates]

[ she isn't glass, nor is she so fragile like everyone treats her as. he's known few women in his life, but all of them have proven to be stronger than him in some way or another — naminé was no different from larxene, shattering his heart with a single thought. for as much as he wanted to protect her, sometimes he wondered if she really needed to be protected at all.

but that was then and this is now. kairi is different from naminé, but there are some parts of kairi that remind him of her: the soft laugh, the gleam and determination in her eyes, the set of her shoulders. he knows he'll never see naminé again, but maybe this is enough. knowing he was able to do something like this, helping kairi grow stronger because he wanted to, because he felt that it was right — maybe it's enough. ]

... Okay.

[ he takes the second band, looking down at it for a moment before he pulls his hair up in a high ponytail. he doesn't remember riku ever doing the same during his time at the castle or before that, and the thought leaves something indescribable behind. something lighter. ]

[carriedbylight]

( Kairi can't help but watch him as he pulls up his hair and secures it in place with the band. She admired the silvery hair when it belonged to Riku, and Dawn is no different. It's lovely, and seems to suit him even more now that he's pulled it up into a ponytail. Maybe, if she plays her cards right, she'll be able to talk Dawn into letting her braid his hair. Then again, it might be a strange request, seeing as they've only recently met.

Oh well. She'll just have to work up to it.

There's a fondness for him that warms her heart, which leaves her wondering if it's a lingering sentiment of Namine's or if the feeling is her own. There's a part of her that knows that it isn't due to his connection to Riku. His face has the features of Riku's from years passed, but his personality is his own. His kindness is his own, becoming apparent in the way he approached her and offered to help. He certainly doesn't need Kairi's protection, yet there's a part of her that wants to keep him close and protect him, just as she wants to protect Sora and Riku through her own abilities. The heart truly is a mysterious thing.

Bending at the waist, Kairi reaches down and picks up the ornate keyblade once again, lifting it in her hand and slashing through the air in front of her in the form of a practice swing. Her gaze then shifts to Dawn, a little grin tugging at the corners of her lips. )

Okay. I'm ready when you are.