boxofsleep | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who: Organization XIII members... new and old
Where: TWTNW
When: Sometime mid-358/2 Days, post-Axel's return from Oblivion
What: Induction for the newbies...
Warnings: Nothing too messy. Possible sob bait.

Thirteen had become eight. Rather, fourteen had become nine, to most of the Organization, but that'd never been the calculation on Xemnas' mind. With their numbers so diminished... it'd been time to recruit. It was so hard to find individuals with the strength of will needed and the sheer potential to survive their new life...

But one world had come up with the goods. Younger, perhaps, than Xemnas had wanted at this stage - but strong enough in mind and body, and that was what was relevant.

Of course, they'd still need training...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Heh..... did your old teacher ever threaten to skewer you to a wall for being mouthy? Or tear you in half if you didn't meet your mission goal?" Demyx pulled a face himself, looking supremely disgruntled. Xaldin and Saïx really were the worst.....

Demyx uncurled to lean back against the crate pile--well, more of an artless flop, really--and groaned aloud, shaking his head and making a dismissive gesture. "Let's start with the bad guys, then. You've probably already met at least one. Saïx is the big guy with the long blue hair and the scar on his face, the one who bosses us all around? He assigns the missions, and he's a real control freak. Most of the time, he's just flat and totally uncool, but sometimes..... well, he's got a crazy temper, so watch out. When he really gets mad and freaks out, he might kill you if you don't get out of there fast. I think it's some kind of weird moon thing, that's his deal."

"Xaldin's the big guy with the hair. You know, all those little braids, and those big sideburns?" Demyx hooked two fingers against his temples, mimicking Xaldin's muttonchops. "He's a capital-A-Asshole, the real tough guy type. I'm not sure who pissed in his oatmeal, but I think he hates the world for some reason--and we're not even supposed to be able to hate, you know? What a pain..... Anyway, he mostly tries to stay out of people's way, so he's not that bad most of the time. If he happens to be around, though, he might hassle you. He's a wind-user, and he's got a ton of lances."

"Next up, the Boss Man! Xemnas is the guy with silver hair, the one who talks. And talks. And talks. All the time. He introduced you when you lot first got here." Demyx gestured with both hands here, big sweeping grandiose motions, and put on his best pretentious expression. "I'm pretty sure nobody actually understands what in the Darkness he's talking about, most of the time, he's kind of a major space case. I guess all the Nothing he controls fills his head--and I mean Capital-N-Nothing, not just nothing. He's not around much for commoners like us, so you probably don't have too much to worry about from him, but his powers are seriously freaky, and not in a good way. Have you seen any Dusks around the Castle yet? Those flimsy-looking white things? He can turn us into those, if you piss him off bad enough, so I'd just steer clear of him."

A wry smile, this time. "Xigbar's his second--the guy with the ponytail and eyepatch. You might see him hanging out on the ceiling; he does weird stuff with gravity and guns. He's..... kind of a mixed bag, really? Xigbar's actually pretty cool, I like him. He's one of the Big Six--the ones that founded this whole Organization--, but he's still fun to hang out with. But he's kinda bipolar, if you know what I mean--some days, he's awesome. Some days, he's just scary, he'll get crazy driven and ride you harder than anyone else, and you can never tell when or why. You take your chances, I guess..... Just remember that he hasn't actually got your back, not many people here would. He really likes to eavesdrop and snoop around, so you can't actually trust him with anything important. But who can you trust around here, really?"

The shrug is so easy and light, the admission so ready and nonchalant, that it looked like Demyx really had resigned himself to suspicion long ago. "Axel's..... Axel, I guess. The guy with the tattoos on his face and the spiky red hair, he uses fire. Hard to tell what he's thinking, right? He's pretty fun, I guess, he's cooler than most of the others. You two might get along--he seems to really like..... well, not kids, but..... newcomers like you, I guess? He took a real shine to Roxas and Xion." Shame Axel hadn't liked him so much, when he'd first arrived..... Roxas and Xion had been the first he'd shown much interest in at all. "He survived the fall of our second headquarters, when the other half of our team bit the dust, so he's pretty hardcore. Never talks about it, though....." Just one more reason not to trust anyone, he guessed; the whole Oblivion affair had 'bad news' written all over it.

"Luxord's the guy with the goatee and earring, you'll probably see him with dice or cards a lot. I'd say he's probably the nicest one here--least likely to screw you over somehow, too. He runs a great poker game, and he's always happy to have new players--just don't expect to actually win; his thing is luck and time. Doesn't really talk about himself at all, but then, nobody here really does....." Not even Demyx, for that matter. "Anyhow, he's pretty solid. Doesn't get too involved in much, though, so I'm not sure how dependable he is in a pinch."

"That just leaves Roxas and Xion..... they were the new kids, until you lot came along. You'll see them together a lot; Roxas is the boy, the one with the spiky blond hair, and Xion's the only other girl around besides your friends. They seem like decent sorts, I guess; they haven't been here too long, and I haven't gotten much chance to get to know them. The two of them are really tight with Axel. Hard workers, too--they've got Keyblades, so they're the only ones who can actually harvest hearts from the Heartless to help make Kingdom Hearts. You and your friends might have stuff in common with them?"

And that just left little old him..... but he wasn't going to just sit around and babble about himself. He'd answer questions, if Kousyxe asked, but otherwise the kid would just have to learn from experience, since they'd be seeing so much of each other.

"He would if he could get away with it," Kousyxe remarked, before settling down to listen to the rest of Demyx's explanation.

Saïx - yes. There was one of them he remembered, at least. Hard to forget that test. The closest thing he could come to fear, and he'd thought he was going to die, so soon into this new life... but the world had felt like it'd exploded around him, a scream that'd been enough to even break through that ferocious rush... it'd worked, that was for sure.

Xaldin's description seemed like a good place for a grin, especially at Demyx's little imitation. Xemnas, however... he straightened up, looking serious. Turned into... no. He recoiled slightly at the suggestion, a decent attempt at a look of alarm on his face. That shouldn't even be possible!

The others, though, he nodded through. They sounded alright, at least, though the thought crossed his mind: who could he trust? He could trust the other four, he was sure. Always would be able to. After all, they were a team, even now - weren't they?

And as Demyx got to the part about the other kids around the place... well. "I guess I'll talk to them sometime soon. But - thanks, man." He rubbed his head. "I get the picture, I think."

Edited 2014-01-25 00:32 (UTC)

Would if he could? Sheesh! He guessed some things really were the same on all worlds; most teachers sucked. Good thing Kousyxe's teacher probably wouldn't have been able to follow through on those threats, the way Saïx and Xaldin could. Demyx grimaced in agreement, shaking his head. Xemnas was definitely bad news, that was for sure..... As clueless as the man seemed, sometimes, he was terrifying in the sheer scope of his abilities.

Still, he smiled encouragingly at Kousyxe. Demyx may have never been able to trust anyone in the Organization--and he might not trust Kousyxe now, to be perfectly honest--, but he wouldn't begrudge the kid having his posse at all. "No problem! Anything for my rising star, huh? Not the prettiest picture in the world, I'll admit, but..... well, it's definitely worth knowing, so you can decide what all you want to do about it."

Finally, he sighed, running a hand through his hair himself. "Okay, I guess it's time we see how you're gonna fit into that picture. What do you know about your element and weapon so far, Kou? Anything?"

Right. Time to get to work. It'd been nice taking that break - well, insofar as he could call anything 'nice' right now - but he'd known this was coming. "Weapons. Okay... we went through this."

This was going to be the hard bit. Kousyxe held his hands out in front of him, focusing. If summoning his Persona had been like a walk up a grassy hill, this was like scaling a sheer cliff. Moving in the same direction, but one so different, he hardly knew where to begin...

Reach inside. Reach past the void that shouldn't be there, that he'd been trying to ignore but which this was bringing screaming back into being. Past the hole that his Persona had filled, past all that he was, nerves screeching at the wrongness - and yet what was wrong here? Reaching out to his self, the same as it'd ever been...
And there. Something sharp, so hard to catch, but - he had it. Kousyxe mentally grabbed onto whatever it was and pulled.

A flash, a brief noise - and in his hands, a pair of long daggers. He wasn't sure if he should have been surprised or not. But now they were there, they seemed right.

"I've got these. Element... Saïx said it looked like it's sound." Air waves... so similar to what he'd done in the past, what Jiraiya had done for him, and yet so different. Just another way his life had changed. "You're a musician, right? I guess that's why they put me with you..."

"Ha, no wonder! Sounds like we should get along just fine, then." Demyx grins, half because he thought he'd been pretty clever, there, and half in approval at finally getting someone he can really work with closely. Yeah, Kousyxe was exactly right. There was nobody better to teach him tricks than Demyx. Even Xaldin couldn't hold a candle to him here, wind or none.

Demyx flashed a thumbs up, before hopping onto his feet and thrusting his hand into the air, striking a dramatic pose. There was a rush of blue-green light that sprayed from it, like a dome of water cascading down from a fountain..... And suddenly, Arpeggio was there, shimmering into existence in his hand like light rippling along the surface of the water. He gave it a flashy twirl, ever the showman; if Kousyxe needed a musician, then a musician he'd have. Strange, though, that his weapons were knives, if he manipulated sound.....

Well, that probably just meant that the kid would have to practice his knifesmanship on his own, more than anything, because he didn't know much about that. Just thinking about knives gave him bad memories of Larxene. Maybe his Dancers could help with that, or water clones? Either way, he sure as Darkness wasn't volunteering himself up to get stabbed. Interesting wavy design, though..... What was that good for?

Edited 2014-01-25 01:22 (UTC)

Okay, that little show definitely deserved a grin, even if the pun had been up to Teddie's standards - and the thought of the mascot came and went through Kousyxe's mind with no impact at all. Just another cast-off part of his life. He hadn't even thought about the bear since they'd - since it'd happened.

Kousyxe hopped off his own perch to get a better look. "So that's your actual weapon?" he asked. Then again, not like they hadn't all improvised when they were finding their feet, not like Kanji hadn't brought a chair into the TV to fight on that day... why not a musical instrument? If it did the job, it did the job...

Demyx took his chance to bow, grinning himself; it was always nice to have a little appreciation. But soon enough, the sitar was back in position, held ready to be played. "You got it! Not everyone in this Organization is a muscle-man, thankfully. I specialize in magic; if I actually have to start swinging, something's gone wrong. Good job you've got a normal weapon, huh? You'll be right on the front lines if something goes that wrong, until I can pull out something to give you more back up."

Better to get that out of the way right now; he'll need Kousyxe protecting him, if they get that deep in trouble. Demyx glanced at the distant bazaar, shaking his head a little. "If your thing is sound, then we can't help but be conspicuous. We'll have to leave the city proper to work on this stuff. And hey, maybe if we finish early, we can look around a little, huh? Agrabah's not a bad place to be, if you don't mind the heat. It's your first chance on another world, you ought to get to explore some."

"I'm surprised no-one's spotted us already after what we just did," Kousyxe admitted. The noise he'd made with his own weapons, the light-show from Demyx's... he'd have thought that was a little conspicuous in the first place. And with how they were dressed on top of that (these coats were certainly cooler than they looked)...

Still. What Demyx was saying was making sense. And he definitely thought he'd gotten the better deal as far as weaponry went, as much as he wasn't going to say a thing on that count... if he was going to be on the front lines, it was going to be that way.

"But, sure, let's go," he said instead. "You're the boss, right?"

Demyx couldn't help but laugh, pleased in spite of himself; that's got to be the first time anyone in this group has really given him any respect..... Even Roxas never really had any for him. "Yeah, sure. I'm the boss while we're out here. While we're back at the Castle, though, we keep our heads down and try not to let the head honchos bite them off for whatever reason they're focusing on that day."

A quick beckoning gesture, and he led Kousyxe towards the gates, just as nonchalant as you please; as long as they're casual about it, they shouldn't draw too much suspicion, even with their outfits. "Lesson number two, though--if you're going to do something conspicuous, take precautions!" He waggled a finger at his companion. "The buildings in Agrabah are all pretty tall, aren't they? And you could hear the market from where we were sitting, easy. In any other part of the city, a noise like yours would have drawn attention, but that close? Probably nobody would be able to distinguish it from the normal noise of the market. And we were far enough out of the way that my lights were pretty well contained; there would've had to be someone passing by to see them, and we could've seen them, first."

"Little isolated stuff like that, you can get away with it as long as you're careful; that's just peanuts. But bigger stuff like figuring out how to fight and use those powers of yours..... Nobody'll bother us out in the sand dunes."

Ah. That all made sense - Kousyxe nodded along with what Demyx was saying. He was used to the idea of being careful, of course: hard not to be with what his group had done in the past. But... even he'd admit that they perhaps hadn't been the best at it. Demyx had experience, he could tell, looking around and taking in the details that were being pointed out.

"Sand dunes? Where are we, in a desert or something?" It'd fit with the architecture, anyway, the whole look of the place... not that he was an expert, mind.

"Oh, yeah, didn't you see all the sand around the boxes? And look, check out over by that scaffolding--and there, with all that lumber and rope? That's not just construction material. That's real desert sand. Looks like they had a nasty sandstorm, or something--you shouldn't see so much of it in the city, that's what the big walls are for. You'll see those in a minute or two. Agrabah is a desert city, the capitol of the kingdom. Kinda hard to see the palace, with the way the city is built, but it's really nice."

Demyx gestured easily around as they walked, almost like a tour guide as he pointed out things to take note of. He had experience, that was for sure; he might've even been able to give the group some pointers, even if Junes was a tough place to practice stealth in. The looming outer walls of the city that he'd mentioned were coming up fast. There was one token guard by the gate, already looking bored out of his mind and overheating in the desert sun; they hardly needed to worry.

"I saw the sand. I guess I didn't ... really register it," Kousyxe remarked with a shrug. Not like he'd been registering much, really, without it being pointed out to him. What was supposed to matter? What wasn't? It was all blending into a whole. About time he started paying attention, really, though... "Get what you're saying, though. I'd like to see the palace sometime..."

He didn't really want to meet the guard's eyes, all the same, though. Even if the man wasn't paying them any attention, he really didn't want to cause trouble on his first day.

Demyx offered a friendly but clearly perfunctory greeting without even breaking his stride, as though there weren't a thing in the world he expected he could be stopped for; the guard mumbled a response more for the sake of being polite than anything else, hardly looking up as they passed. It was the very picture of casual neglect; ignorance was bliss. What the man didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

He didn't even bother waiting until they were out of earshot to begin speaking again, or to lower his voice. A little calculated brazenness, after all, was important to avoid attention of the wrong sort for being too meek. "We should probably be able to see it sometime later today, I'll bet. More incentive to get things out of the way fast, right?" Demyx laughed; better to work smarter, not harder. Then Kousyxe could have his fun, and he wouldn't have to stand over him in the heat watching him practice, when chances were he could do a lot of it himself.

Once they were a little farther out, though, he picked up their previous subject. "We're only out here to learn the basics today, so you technically don't need to start paying attention to that sort of thing just yet. But I think I like you, so I'll let you in on a little secret that most of the older guys don't always seem to remember, alright?" He let go of Arpeggio with one hand to gesture around in a wide sweep. The harsh golden glare of the mid-morning sun, the crunch of sand underfoot, the breeze blowing through the endless expanse of dunes stretching around them, the bright blue sky.....

"You don't have to care about any of this, okay? It doesn't need to matter to you. Love or hate it as much as you want, it doesn't make any difference. What's important is that you realize it's there, and understand what it means. That way, you know what to do about it, even if that's nothing at all. That's just as important in the Castle as it is out on missions--probably even more so, because you can't just run away from things getting dangerous when you RTC; you've got to actually live with these people. Even if you disregard 95% of what you see, you've got to get good at reading people and situations, for your own safety."

Seeing the previously casual Demyx turn serious pulled Kousyxe up from his idle gazing around the sandy vista - he stopped and listened even more carefully than before.

Understand what it means.

That was the problem, when it came down to it. Right now, what could mean anything to him? Love or hate... strange words for Demyx to use, too, for someone who'd lived this half-life so much longer. Only the concept of existing itself was worth it, as far as he could cling to that idea... but what Demyx was saying had enough impact there.
This wasn't going to be a safe, comfortable life. This wasn't going to be the day to day grind of Yosuke's existence. He'd have to learn to adapt.

"...I get the picture," he said, quietly.

The ones who called the shots around here..... they weren't joking around. They were in a bad, bad way, the two of them--the whole lot of them, really--, and not just because they'd lost their hearts. Coming back 'home' in a lot of ways was more dangerous than being sent out on missions to begin with--at least, the ones that Demyx preferred to go on. Kousyxe had to understand that, if he was going to last very long here: he couldn't just sleep through this like he might have with classes. That was the fast track to getting killed or turned into a Dusk. Even if they couldn't feel, it was just a basic fact: the place they lived and the company they kept was terrifying.

Even lazy, goofy Demyx could bare a side that was ice-cold and razor sharp, when he was pushed into it. He'd been forced to learn how to develop one, because he didn't have anyone to protect him. Kousyxe needed to learn that skill too, for his own sake--because realistically, if it came right down to it, Demyx knew that he probably wouldn't be protecting the kid, either. Everyone here had to save themselves, or there'd be no salvation at all, if there was ever any to begin with.

"Good." Demyx rested his hand on Kousyxe's shoulder--maybe in sympathy, or commiseration, or just reassurance. Either way, it only took a moment for the light switch to be flipped again; once more, Demyx was all easy smiles and lazy cheer, giving Yosuke an encouraging clap. "Lucky for you, you're with the expert! I'm the reconnaissance guy around here. It's not too hard, once you get the hang of it and figure out some rules of thumb."

He smiled as they walk, sly and mischievous. "Take our own crew, for example. Xaldin's smart as a whip, and he's good at talking people into doing things; he's probably one of the most persuasive guys we've got now. But the way he pushes his opinion on people and tries to break them down..... he's too aggressive about it to not have some personal stake in what he's talking about. He probably had some kind of bad experience while he had a heart. He's so stuck in what he thinks that he just can't see any other possibilities."

"So I'm calling it now--one of these days, him being that stubborn means he's going to ignore something important, and it's gonna come back and bite him in the ass. He's gonna deny that love and hearts could ever actually be good for anything, and he'll get his ass kicked or something by some lovers, or maybe siblings, or parents and children. Or maybe just best friends, I dunno; love can take weird shapes sometimes."

And that, right there, was one reason Demyx was so reluctant to actually believe in anything himself. Committing too strongly to anything, delving too deeply into any one viewpoint..... that blinded you to everything else. That chained you down. You had to be ready to flow and move, to be touched by and accept everything around you. That kind of commitment might give you power, but it sure as anything didn't give you safety, or perspective, or freedom.

What was safe, right now? What was free? All things that Kousyxe would have to learn the meaning of all over again, as they applied to the Organization's life. An alien thought, but - what choice would he have?

Again, he nodded along as he listened. "I ... guess. You know him, after all," he said, with a little bit of a shrug. Even with everything that Demyx's said, Xaldin was just a scowling figure in the vague background of these past few days. Not that he didn't appreciate the advice, of course... perhaps it'd all make more sense in time, he thought. Perhaps he'd see what Demyx was talking about.

It was at least clear enough that he was going to have to really watch his back around a lot of these people.

"Heh, yeah..... You'll either see what I mean, or if you're lucky, you won't have to get to know him even that well. Here's hoping, right?" Demyx shook his head, offering something between a wince and a grin. He wouldn't wish most of their co-workers on almost anyone. For that matter, he wouldn't wish almost any of this on anyone, not that it mattered. Kousyxe would just have to deal with it and figure things out for himself, whether he wanted to or deserved it or not. He'd say it was good for him, but really, all it was good for was making sure he either sank or swam.

Soon enough, Demyx stopped, turning to glance behind them; the walls of Agrabah loomed in the distance, rough and dusty and imposing. Nowhere near enough to hear a normal shout..... They'd be able to tell that someone was coming long before anyone got close enough to tell what they were doing, given that they didn't need that much detail. Even if someone came to investigate, they ought to be able to run away before anything came of it. That should probably be plenty of breathing room. "Okay, I think we're good to go. I'll provide the targets, and you can show off some while we figure out what's what."

"First thing's first, though....." Demyx planted Arpeggio on the ground and scrounged around in his pockets with his free hand, pulling out a pair of earplugs. With any of the older members, he probably would've gotten smacked for it, or at least been eyerolled at; why else would he carry around earplugs, after all, except to better ignore people like Xemnas or Saïx? In this case, though, it was just a practical matter; thanks to wanting to avoid lectures, he'd be able to at least partly protect himself from Kousyxe's powers.

Edited 2014-02-02 22:45 (UTC)

Here's hoping, indeed. Demyx's first comment got a "Right," in reply. Who in the group would he even need to know? Thirteen of them, all on their own paths, their own missions... including the - group he'd arrived with. Man, he was going to have some stories to tell them later, he was sure.

At Demyx's rummaging, he peered over - what was he up to? How was that going to help anything? But - alright, good thinking! Although it did bring up the question of why Demyx even had them when he hadn't known what powers he was going to be dealing with... "Shame they took my headphones. I'd have let you borrow them," Kousyxe said with a smile. ... Assuming, of course, Demyx was careful. Not that it exactly mattered, any more.

He stretched his hands out, flicked a knife up in his hand to catch it - man, that trick went a lot more smoothly than the last time he'd tried to do it! "So what's up first?"

Hey, hey, he was always careful with sound equipment! He understood how precious things like those could be. Kousyxe didn't have a thing to worry about there. For a moment, he left Arpeggio set where she was, taking a moment to fit the earplugs in snugly. That done, he grabbed the sitar again, giving it an expert twirl before striking a pose.

"Alright! For our first number, some good old-fashioned freestyle! Time to work out some kinks and see what you can do. Give me anything you've got, whatever magic you can manage to pull out, those knives, whatever. You're on offense first, so no time limit yet, and no need to hang back and cover yourself--just destroy the clones."

After all, pushing him to use magic before he's given any panels? That ought to force him to tap into his affinity early, just out of necessity. Demyx strummed his sitar, a deep rippling note, before starting to play. It was a strong, driving rhythm, upbeat and fast and crackling with energy--a dance beat, if there ever was one. Suddenly, the air was alive with shimmering iridescent bubbles, swirling around him and Kousyxe both.

They soon congregated into three swirling masses, popping and releasing a flood of water that definitely hadn't been there a minute ago. The water shaped itself into..... well, him. Hims? Three identical Demyxes appeared, easily distinguished by the fact that Demyx hadn't bothered to make them look realistic in the slightest; they looked more like water that had been poured into person-shaped glasses than actual people. They sprang into action immediately regardless, scattering into quick evasive maneuvers as the music played.

Now, how cool was that? How many people got to fight to soundtracks?

"...Wait, clones?" Kousyxe glanced around at the sudden surge of bubbles, and at the forming figures, his eyes widening.
If they'd looked any more like real people, it might have brought up images of the past. But ... as it was, without any gut feelings on the matter, without any feelings - they were just shapes. Targets. As for the rest of the scenario...

He realised that this was the first music he'd heard since ... since then. Almost involuntarily, he found himself tapping his foot to the beat - feeling the rhythm...
Battles didn't usually come with their own soundtracks, true, but he'd often brought his own along. It'd helped him focus, helped get him in the mood. And now, the melody was doing more than even that... it felt like it was going right through him in ways it hadn't before. It couldn't fill the void within him - what would be able to? - but just for a moment, it didn't matter...

"Got it."

Kousyxe dashed after the first of the clones. Not going to try anything fancy yet, just plain old knife strikes, the same as he'd have done with any weapons he'd had to hand. He wasn't sure how well it would affect water, but... first try, right? Unconsciously, he found himself matching his blows to the beat he was hearing - that he was feeling.
If they weren't going to strike back, this wasn't going to be a problem.

Unsurprising, given his element--after all, Demyx moved his creations with sound. How much more could he do with--or to?--Kouxyxe, given his affinity? The entire battle would play out to the sound of the beat he was laying out, from Kousyxe's slashes and stabs to the way the clones ran.

They weren't striking back just yet, but it still wasn't going to be that easy; Demyx was adopting a dance beat for a reason, after all. The clones were fast, and tricky, prone to weaving in confusing and unpredictable patterns. Still, Kousyxe was a fast guy himself, and those knives were no ordinary knives.

If they had been, this probably would have been a doomed strategy right from the start--the clones were nothing but water, after all, and he probably would've just fallen right through them, flailing and splashing. But those weapons were special, magical enough to strike solid and true. There was a violent splash, a spray of water hitting Kousyxe's face--probably not such a bad thing, in the heat of the desert sun--as one slash arced straight through the clone's chest, and it promptly collapsed.....

.....into a shimmering watery music note, a target that was far smaller, and far more of a headache to catch than the clones were, zipping erratically through the air like some kind of bizarre hummingbird. Just stabbing them might not cut it, unless Kousyxe wanted to try and run himself ragged and hope he got lucky.

Kousyxe spluttered a little as the splash hit him, before seeing what his target had been reduced to - oh, that was just rubbing it in!

...Was it, though? Was this a taunt or a hint? As he ducked and dived, trying to get a hit out on the tiny target, his mind was racing. Demyx wouldn't be setting him an impossible challenge, would he? And Demyx was manipulating these things, they couldn't think, they were just constructs of water...

No. Water and music.

And if he couldn't hit one of those...

He stopped, listening to Demyx's rhythm for a moment - feeling it... and... there. With a lightning-quick motion, he stabbed at the air, at the music itself - catching it on his blade, and redirecting the force into a shockwave, a harsh scream that he sent rocketing towards the little note fluttering past. Little waves of light outlined his attack, faint phantasmal notes shone for a second - but would it do any good?

To be fair, it was what his clones almost always reduced to by default, when they hit--but sure, it could be a taunt or a hint! Why not? It fit, didn't it? As long as Kousyxe thought so, and as long as it motivated him, Demyx was perfectly happy to let that idea stand.

His challenges were hard, yes, but rarely impossible, especially not now that he was training someone he actually liked. The music note flit around, only inches from where Kousyxe slashed one moment, high overhead the next, skimming the sand by his feet the next. It swooped and dove without any regard for the laws of physics.....

Until Yosuke figured it out.

It was like someone tearing an object out of his hands, yanking away a blanket he'd been in the middle of trying to fold. Demyx's fingers stuttered on his sitar strings in surprise, and for a moment, the music faltered; so too did the way the clones and music note moved, suddenly coasting along in a straight line as their own momentum carried them.

The scream was enough to make him wince, but on the other hand, the shockwave was actually pretty impressive; the little note shattered the moment the shockwave hit, dissolving into a spray of water that rained down on Kousyxe and the sand alike. One down, two to go.....

That'd worked? It'd worked! Kousyxe paused briefly, pumping a hand in the air as best he could with it still clutching the blade, before sighting in in his next target. Not going to go after it close-up, this time: perhaps he could pull something like that again?

Okay, that one there. He pulled a second chord out of the air, folding it up, launching it screeching in the first clone's direction in the same way as the last shockwave had gone. The next one, though - okay, he couldn't really do the same thing for a third time. Maybe if he just... what could he do, what was in here-

"Ah!"

There. Weaker than pulling at the melodies he could actively hear, but it'd work - he slashed at the air, his knife singing, a wholly self-generated sonic shockwave rushing towards the last of the clones.

Demyx didn't stop playing, this time. Now that he was prepared for it, it was easier to hear the music twist and warp, break into a screech like the sound of feedback from a microphone and speaker brought too close together. It was kind of painful, but thankfully, the earplugs took the worst of the edge off. The self-generated one wasn't quite as bad, at least.....

Then again, maybe making his sitar make those kinds of noises was just painful in and of itself. Arpeggio was his baby!

"Bravo!" Still, painful noises or not, he'd gotten it! He was totally getting it down! Talk about a fast learner, this was awesome. Now, the question was, could Kousyxe use other sound waves besides instruments? The two clones he'd struck had been reduced to flitting music notes, each with their own respective showers of water as they collapsed in on themselves.

Well, no time like the present; time for a sound test! Demyx stopped playing his sitar, and started singing instead, picking the melody back up in wordless notes. For such an easy-going, comparatively soft-spoken guy, he's got a shockingly powerful singing voice..... then again, given his abilities, was that really so surprising? If he could use this, then Kousyxe could back himself up and provide a power boost just by producing his own sound to manipulate.....