halfdarkened: (Moonlit smirk)
halfdarkened ([personal profile] halfdarkened) wrote in [community profile] itsjustagamerp2012-09-12 01:54 am
Entry tags:

Fire with Fire

Characters: Riku, Xion, and any onlookers on that level
Content: Xion and Riku spar for the first time in ages for either of them with their weapons of choice!
Location: Rec Deck
Time of Day: Afternoon
Warnings: Onlookers should stay far back. This is live steel, err, key, afterall. (Onlookers may not be replied to.)

Riku stood atop the shorter diving board, waiting for Xion to come in. He could watch for her easily from there, and to be honest, he felt outright empowered. There was a thrill to having his Keyblade back and the distinct comfort of feeling he could take on whatever threatened the satellite this week. ...Well, aside form bad movies. However, if this week super-villains appeared or old nemeses, he had the power to fight for everyone's safety.

It felt good.

But even then he hoped he hadn't grown rusty. That was the best part about this. He enjoyed sparring, but making sure his skills were sharp was important. Way to the Dawn was a reassuring weight in his hand. He couldn't wait to feel the rush of a contest of skill.
skysmirror: (Content)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-12 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Xion herself was glad to have her Keyblade back. Realizing she could use it again was like...was like that day in Beast's Castle, when Roxas had helped her recover it for the first time. Only this was better because she'd been without it so much longer. Much as she'd gotten herself used to the sword she'd found on the weapons deck, her Keyblade was a part of her, and she didn't feel right without it. Even with just the Kingdom Key, though, she felt ready to take on the world.

Entering the Rec Deck, she waved to Riku where he sat on the diving board. Sparring with him as a friend would be interesting after some of their earlier encounters, but she'd long since stopped thinking of him as an enemy. This would be just for fun, testing their skills.
Edited 2012-09-12 15:12 (UTC)
skysmirror: (Default)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-15 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
"Hey, Riku." Xion smiled...then sighed as he jumped down. Really, the ladder would have worked just as well. Experience with Axel having taught her that calling a boy out on showing off would get her nowhere, though, she let it slide and moved to responding to what he said.

"Right, and no pretending that we aren't really as hurt as we think we are if we do get hurt." They both had enough experience to know the difference between a minor bruise/scratch and something more severe."I don't think it matters who wins, but maybe we could say one hit equals a point? First to five points wins?"

She can allow for a little competitiveness; her Original is Sora, after all.
skysmirror: (Default)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-16 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
It hadn't been directed at him so much as stating a potentially needed precaution. They'd both been known to ignore or make light of injuries in the past. Granted, those were in situations more serious than a simple sparring session, but she'd thought something needed to be said.

She considered his suggestion for a moment, then nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. First one to disarm or knock the other down wins.

"I did." She gestured to the pile of protective gear she'd set down as she entered. "I hope I got the right size for you, I kind of had to guess..."

She's not horrible at estimating heights, but there was always a chance for mistakes.
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-18 04:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Or debating over whether or not something counts as a hit." Xion smiled slightly. It definitely would be an interesting match, no matter who won. She was definitely used to keep a taller opponent on the run--though those were usually giant Heartless.

Seeing him strap on his padding, she started on her own. Fortunately, nothing she'd brought for him appeared to be totally unusable. "You're welcome."

It was the work of a moment to summon her own Keyblade and fall into a ready stance at his prompting. "Ready."
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-20 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
When it came to being on the ball, well, Xion had been in the Organization. Even if she'd been kept in the dark about some things, there had been missions every day, and training in recon--a far cry from the peaceful life Sora had led before his adventures.

There probably were a lot of similarities between her and Sora's styles, though mostly unintentional. Considering that she did still have Sora's memories, sparring with Riku would probably feel familiar as well. Those two had grown up sparring and competing with each other, so they knew each others' styles well.

One way she did differ from her Original was that she wasn't quite as competitive...but that didn't mean she was going to turn down Riku's invitation to take the first move. "Okay."

She started with a simple strike, one that would land on his side if he didn't manage to block. He probably could, but best to start small.
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-23 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
Xion was mostly just trying to get warmed up. Sora might prefer to run in swinging, and there were times on missions where she'd done that herself, but she hadn't used her Keyblade in nearly a year. She needed time to get used to it again.

She'd anticipated his block, and moved back out of striking range easily. The commentary should have been expected, too--she knew that Riku's snark tended to turn into goading during a fight, even if was just sparring. After a moment of surprise she managed to come back with, "Says the one who wouldn't make the first move."
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-09-25 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
She decided to merely raise her eyebrows instead of answering verbally this time. She needed to keep her focus on actions rather than words, especially since he was moving now. Not attacking, but...observing. Trying to size her up like she'd used to size up Heartless she hadn't fought before.

The bad thing about him being within striking of her meant that she was back in his strike range. She could try to move, but he'd just adjust his circle for that. So instead of even trying, she kept her stance wide and well-balance, waiting until she could read his movement better. Once she could, she aimed a combo attack where she predicted he would be just at the moment it hit.
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-10-01 01:41 pm (UTC)(link)
In a similar way, Sora knew Riku enough for Xion to know that getting him to take a more direct offense was tough--though how much of that was a result from years of trying to counter Sora's style was anyone's guess. She'd expected the block. What she'd only half-expected was his follow-up.

Not that she'd thought he wouldn't attempt a counterattack at all. She just hadn't known the form it would take. So she was just able to block it, and then moved in for another strike at his side.
Edited 2012-10-01 13:41 (UTC)
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-10-06 12:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, she was a clever girl even if she wasn't a raptor. Fighting Heartless tended to encourage making use of any opening possible. She disengaged at nearly the same time he did, mostly to avoid the very sort of maneuver that might have left her disarmed. Fortunately it left her a moment to gather her bearings and see what his next move would be.

She hadn't expected the charge, managed to move in an attempt to evade at the last moment.
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-10-08 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Xion had fought enough Heartless that liked that method of attack that she'd developed a bit of an evade reflex. Not surprising, particularly since getting knocked down in a fight with one of them was a bad idea. When Riku charged at her again, she evaded a little more neatly.
skysmirror: (Fight)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-10-10 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
The direct approach was fine. It gave Xion a chance to try to get close enough to try to trip him up--it had worked with Axel a few times when they sparred. Not that what worked against Axel would necessarily work against Riku, but at least she knew she could try.

The unusual attack surprised her, though, and she was so busy dodging the slash that she didn't notice his foot. Instead of her tripping him up, it turned out to be the other way around. She stumbled, managing a few steps but never really regaining her balance. Fortunately, she at least remembered how to fall without hurting herself. Bad enough to be tripped and fall to the floor without adding injury to he deal.

Sighing, she picked herself up. "I guess you win."
skysmirror: (Content)

[personal profile] skysmirror 2012-10-17 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
Really there was never a sure technique that always worked. Sometimes what hadn't worked previously did, or vice versa. Fortunately, while annoyed at losing in the way she did, Xion had inherited Sora's inability to mope for long.

"Sure." She returned the smile as she accepted the hand up. "Best two out of three?"