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As sure as he'd ever been. It'd taken so long before he saw Roxas or Xion use anything of that caliber, how couldn't he be?
"Sounds good to me." Axel pondered for a moment, before handing over the Thunder panel. As talented as she seemed to be, he still didn't particularly want to risk being caught by a stray blast of ice. That definitely wouldn't be the best start of things...

"Don't try and hit me with this one, okay?" he said with a spot of a grin, stepping safely behind her now - just to be sure. After all, if she skipped up the power range in the same way this time, it'd likely be hitting more than the one spot. "I just want you to aim into the middle of the lot. It's a lightning bolt: don't throw it out, pull it down."

Xikkuyo took the Thunder panel, feeling a tiny jolt of something almost like static electricity as she did so; her fingers tingled at the touch, and she rubbed a thumb over it thoughtfully, studying the electric blue flicker and wondering how this try would go. It would certainly be different than anything she'd ever done before..... Souji and Kanji had always been the Lightning-users, not her. But she'd watched them use magic, right? Maybe that would help?

The way Axel stepped behind her, like he was hiding..... Xikkuyo raised a hand to cover her mouth as she smiled again, shaking her head. "I won't....." If she hit him now, then she'd probably end up frying herself in the process, anyway. She clutched the panel tight in her hand, concentrating on the way it buzzed against her, trying to picture Souji and Izanagi casting their spells. Souji always looked so cool and confident fighting, like it was effortless, and Kanji always seemed so tough and enthusiastic.....

"Concentrate....." Xikkuyo took a deep breath and raised her fan again, this time holding it poised high overhead, imagining a lightning rod. She didn't know a lot about lightning, but they'd learned a bit in school, like about magnets and positive and negative energy, about attraction..... It was all physics, right? She was usually pretty good at science. Don't bother trying to throw it out. Pull it down..... It didn't come from her, even if she was the one who made it.

It was hard to wrap her mind around the paradigm shift. It took a moment or two, but slowly, buzzing sparks started to crackle through her fan. She bit her lip, grasping the magic as tightly as she could manage and trying to will it towards the center of the lot. "Let this hit!" Her fan came down with a sharp snap of the wrist, and an ominous rumble of thunder followed. A streak of lightning came crashing down immediately after, then another and another, a thin line of bolts snaking forward and scorching the sand as they went.

They petered out into harmless sparks after only a handful of strikes, considerably more in line with the sort of power levels she probably should have been displaying, right from the beginning. A short but respectable Thunder, maybe enough to kill a Shadow if she was lucky.

Axel was just taking precautions. Could he be blamed? It gave him a good enough view, in any case: and yes, far more what he'd been expecting. Good for a beginner, solid, but very much a beginner's attack. What, exactly, had powered up that Fira? Was that going to be a fluke?

He was still sure she had the potential... just, perhaps, she wouldn't be the instant prodigy he'd expected in other fields. Still, if she kept on this way, he was sure she'd be able to handle herself - hardly like he could have a problem with the idea of excelling at fire alone. No worries, nothing to be disappointed with.

He smiled, nodded, put a hand on her shoulder - "Nice. You've got it."

He definitely couldn't be blamed. Xikkuyo's face was lit up as she looked back over her shoulder at Axel, jubilant; she knows exactly how she should be acting, at a time like this. She knows how she would have acted, at least, and that's as good a guide as any other. She even finds herself daring to actually be optimistic, to go with it. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all--maybe she'd do okay with these spells. Maybe she'd be able to do what they expected of her.....

She hadn't known what to expect from the Thunder spell, other than it probably would be less effective than the Fire one. No surprise, there..... But what would the Ice one be like? Would she really be able to manage that, when it was so far opposed to Fire? Hopefully so..... Axel obviously wanted her to know the full complement, if she could learn them. She had to try for him, at least. But what would happen after she'd tried them all? Were they going to make her fight straight away?

"Two for two so far. Let's go for the last one." If Axel could manage it himself, as weak as it might be in his case, he was sure she could do it. Again, he fished for the last of the relevant panels, passing it over - and readying himself to beat a hasty retreat. If she returned to the same form as with the Fire, after all... he'd likely be testing out her healing skills sooner than he'd expected.

"This one's going to work more like the fireball again. Point and shoot in a straight line. Aim for the notice board, okay?" By now, he didn't think he'd probably have to tell her what to do, but - just making sure.

Xikkuyo nodded and took the last panel, shivering a little in spite of herself; she could feel the chill, even through her glove. This one twinkled a frosty blue-white, easily identified. Chie used some ice spells, didn't she? She never seemed like she was much of a fan of being a magic-user, really.....

She lifted her fan again, finding herself clutching the Blizzard panel even tighter than she had the others. It felt..... slippery, to her mind, like trying to get a good solid grip on an icicle, or climbing up a hill covered in slush with no traction. It wasn't as strange as the Thunder had been, but it still felt like it wanted to be elusive, like the magic was only reluctantly submitting to being awakened.

"Go!" A quick swish of her fan, and the spell was released--maybe a little too soon, but she didn't want to risk letting it slip away and fizzle before it could be cast. A gust of cold wind blew flurries of sparkling snowflakes back at her--at them both, most likely--, magic she hadn't quite been able to keep properly shaped with the rest of the spell. But a fair-sized ice crystal flew straight at the notice board regardless, hitting home with a solid crack and knocking the thing askew.

Probably not her best effort, she had to admit; a passable Blizzard, if a weak one. But at least it hadn't fallen to pieces like a snowball that wouldn't stick, right? It would hit, and it would probably hurt; if she really did take best to Fire, the way Axel did, that was probably more or less to be expected. Xikkuyo smiled uncertainly, brushing away some of the snow as she looked back to Axel. Was that..... okay? Should she try again, if it wasn't good enough?

It earned a smile from Axel, at the very least. Honestly, yes, he'd admit that that wasn't as good... but it wouldn't do to discourage her. After all, it was still better than a lot of what he'd seen, especially for a first time.

He wandered over to the sign, smiling, pushing it back into place. "Nice shot," he remarked. "Alright, you've got the basics down. I don't think there's really any need for me to stand here and school you on how to use them - you just need to practice. And you're going to need better targets before you can do that."

Axel spread his hands open, and with a flicker of flame, his chakrams appeared. "How about we go look for some?"

No, it wouldn't do at all, would it? Xikkuyo was already perfectly good at discouraging herself, thank you all the same. Her shoulders dropped with a hint of relief, tension starting to bleed out; it wasn't bad enough for him to be angry or disappointed in her, at least..... Or rather, as close as he could get. Regardless, she'd still apparently have other chances to prove herself.

The chakrams being summoned caught her by surprise; Xikkuyo stared for a moment in something like wonder, distracted. She'd never seen weapons like those before..... they looked pretty fierce. Axel must be a pretty good fighter, then, huh? Next to something like those, her fan seems so..... ineffectual, so inadequate..... Then again, when had it ever compared to the others' weapons, even in the TV world?

She wasn't afraid that Axel would let her get too badly hurt, but..... in a place like this..... "Won't people see us if we go fighting, though?" What would they even fight? How had people not noticed them using magic like this just yet?

Twilight's citizens had never been the most observant bunch, Axel thought. Everything the Organization'd done around town, ignored so readily - was it because they were keeping the Heartless under control? Or were they just that apathetic, just that used to it all?

As for Xikkuyo's enquiry, though, he shrugged. "The locals don't usually bother with where we're going." With a wave of his hand, the portal re-opened. "I'm going to have to show you how these work soon enough, but for now, it's darkness manipulation - just another short hop."

This time, they'd be taking one lot of corridors to reach another - a more mundane set, underground.

Xikkuyo just couldn't understand that. Not noticing strangers sneaking around, or strange lightning bolts from a clear blue sky? Inaba would have been buzzing about things like that! People would have investigated--kids like her would have, if nothing else. People would have gotten curious, and started rumors circulating. Was then keeping the Heartless population under control really worth not being curious?

Another one of those portals again..... This time, Xikkuyo doesn't hesitate to follow Axel into it, drifting close to his side as they go. "Darkness manipulation..... is that another spell from those crystals?" Where are they, even? She can tell it's some kind of tunnel, but other than that..... Maybe it'll be easier once her eyes adjust.

Axel shook his head. "Nope. It's something that you'll pick up soon enough, though." Especially if she kept doing as well as she has so far.

The Twilight Town tram corridors were a bit flickery, today: now this was interesting. Heartless or a mundane explanation? Worth a quick look around, after all, now they were here... Axel gestured around. "No-one ever comes down here. Well, the odd maintenance guy, but we see them once in a blue moon...

What we do get down here is Heartless. Have you been told about them? We're going on a little hunt."

"Oh, like the shrine....." Xikkuyo murmured to herself, rubbing her eyes. That had been basically abandoned, too, even in a place like Inaba..... It still seemed a little odd that a place right in the middle of town would have nobody but maintenance visiting it, but she supposed she couldn't argue. It was convenient for them, at least..... What was it even supposed to be used for, though? Was it abandoned because of these Heartless?

Xikkuyo nodded, a little uncertainly. If nothing else, she'd at least heard the name before. She was sure she'd learn more, if they were going hunting for the things. "Saïx and Xemnas mentioned them. They said those aer what we're supposed to fight." Among other things. She'd tried to listen, really she had, but so much of it had gone over her head..... She'd barely understood any of Xemnas' explanations, and Saïx hadn't been exactly forthcoming with help.

"Bingo," Axel remarked. "You're not going to be fighting them front and centre, I don't think - not like any of you kids came in swinging Keyblades. But it's an important part of what we do, so we're going to have to start somewhere."

He looked around for any obvious signs of Heartless presence. Usually some around here, somewhere... and as overhead the lights flickered, another flicker caught his eye. He gestured again, pointing around a corner, his voice lowered in tone.

"You see that thing there? We've found our first one. Shouldn't be a problem - it's just a Shadow."

Xikkuyo nodded, following the gesture with her eyes to see the glimmer of gold eyes and a small dark figure scuttling along the floor. She couldn't quite bring herself to say anything just yet--she felt sick at just the sight, throat tight and rooted to the spot. If she could have felt fear or horror, or even true revulsion, she would have; she recognized that creature. So the Heartless were what had attacked Inaba.....

She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to touch one of those things. She doesn't even want to look at it. Xikkuyo clutches her fan tighter; it's not good to freeze up like this, not when he obviously wants her to hunt it, but..... Her own voice is soft, not quite a whisper. "Wh-what do I do.....?"

Damn. That was a pretty convincing show of being scared, that was for sure... even if he knew he technically wasn't going to be stopping any feelings on her part, this called for some reassurance. No use making this any more stressful than it had to be. Still, they didn't have all day.

Steadily, softly, as comfortingly as he could manage, Axel spoke on. "In your own time, in whatever way you feel's most appropriate, I'd like you to try and fight it. You can use your magic, or try and attack it physically: how's not the point. The point is that you show me what you can do.

Because I know you can do this, Xikkuyo."

Edited 2014-01-26 21:00 (UTC)

She couldn't tear her gaze away from those blank, inhuman, monstrous eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about the way even their Personas hadn't been able to hold them all off, the way they all had screamed..... How was he supposed to face them now, when even her Persona hadn't been able to do anything--when all of them together hadn't been able to do anything? How could she, after.....?

Xikkuyo nodded in understanding, breathing deep to try and steady herself, hands shaking. A few petal fell from the trembling fan to drift down to her feet; a pale blue glow licked at them both, soft and warm and reasuring, accompanied by the faint smell of sakura blossoms. Axel was right..... she could do this. She had to do this. That was what she was here for, what the Organization was here for. Things would be different from now on. She just had to treat this like going into the TV. These things were no worse than normal Shadows.....

.....No. No. They're much worse than normal Shadows. Normal Shadows didn't endanger people who aren't supposed to be in there! They didn't attack ordinary people! It's creatures like these that had endangered Inaba and hurt her friends. Creatures like these--!

"The hell with you!" Maybe she couldn't properly be angry, but she could look it. She could remember it. And once he was over her fear and hesitation, she was over it, completely. She dashed at the Shadow without any of the hesitation a normal civilian ought to have, went on the offensive with a grace and certainty that there really wasn't normally any use for. A flurry of vicious slashes with her fan, far harder than simple feathers ought to be capable of, and the Shadow went up in a burst of flames, leaving behind a haze of smoke and Darkness.

...Where did that come from? Axel didn't even have to think to act shocked. His instincts kicked in before he could even really register what she was doing: she'd just switched. Gone from the sweetest person he'd ever seen wear the coat to...

To as ferocious a fighter as he could have expect at this stage. Far more competent than he'd expected, that was for sure: he'd expected her to be holding back, maybe using magic, not this...

He folded his arms and gave a knowing smile as she finished up. Well, now.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to tear the thing to pieces with her bare hands, burn it to the ground and scatter the ashes so that there wouldn't be any of them left. These things shouldn't exist, shouldn't be able to hurt people anymore. She'd been angry before, but this..... turning all that pain and emptiness outward and lashing out with it..... it may be the closest she'd ever gotten to true hatred.

Funny how it took losing her heart to reach the depths of such black sentiments.....

Xikkuyo took a moment to catch her breath once the Shadow was gone, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she straightened and staring wordlessly down where it had been. A long, shaky sigh, and she turned to retreat back to Axel's side, once more as muted as though nothing had happened. Was that enough? Would he want her to fight more things? Was killing those creatures going to be her job from now on? She'd never liked conflict, or making a scene, but.....

If it meant exterminating those once and for all, she could definitely make an exception.

As she returned, Axel gave her a nod, and reached out to give her a pat on the shoulder. Heck, she deserved it. "Very nice," he said, the grin still playing across his lips, entirely sincere. "I knew you could do it..." Perhaps not quite in the way she had, perhaps not as aggressively...

And that was the issue, here. There was something going on, here. A quiet little flower petal - hah, that said it all, didn't it? Innocent powers, vicious potential. Sliding on into Marluxia's seat...
...hopefully, none of these kids would cause those sort of problems. Once was enough. But there was definitely more here than met the eye...

"...Didn't think you were going to do it like that, though."

Xikkuyo smiled again as Axel patted her shoulder, wan and shy, and ducked her head in clear apology; if nothing else, she at least had the grace to look embarrassed. She had overstepped her bounds; that wasn't the point of this whole exercise at all, was it? He wouldn't have been showing her magic if he'd wanted her to fight physically..... She was just wasting his time, at that point.

Next time, she'd remember. She'd do better, and take the test the way he wanted her to. She should've asked more questions, but she hadn't been thinking. "I'm sorry..... I should have been using the spells, like you showed me."

Maybe, if they only had trained Marluxia properly, if they'd kept him reigned in and focused on what they wanted..... maybe he wouldn't have caused so much trouble, either. Perhaps Marluxia could have even been gentle and faithful, too, with the right attention paid to him..... Had Axel ever even paid any attention to the man, when he'd first been recruited?

He hadn't so much, that was true. Marluxia had seemed to be solid enough, worthy enough: not like these kids, not someone who'd need schooling. How could they have suspected such a thing could have been lurking in his mind?

No more. It wasn't going to happen again. They were going to do this right.

Axel shook his head softly at Xikkuyo's apology. Why was she acting all bashful? "Not a problem. I said show me what you can do." He laughed for a moment, throwing a hand in the air - "Man, did you do just that..."

Enough, now. His expression turned more serious.

"So where did you learn to do it?"

So he wasn't..... upset with her? It seemed like maybe it was some kind of big deal, after all, but--not a bad one. He was surprised, but happy? He was laughing..... She wasn't quite sure what to think of that, but he was right; he'd said to show him what she could do, not specifically to demonstrate the spells. But hadn't that been what he'd really meant? (Could Thunder even be used underground?)

She'd pulled back again, right back to her initial reserve and restraint in some effort to salvage the lesson from her apparent mistake, even in the face of Axel's mirth. The question had her faltering, though; had any of the others told the older Organization members about the TV world? Possibly..... but possibly not. Would they want her to? If anyone would believe them, then it seemed like the Organization members might, but.....

They weren't here to ask, and she didn't want to get anyone in trouble, just in case. Yukiko fingered her fan, thumb smoothing along one of the quills. "I--well..... my family owned--owns a traditional Inn where I'm from. So..... I would dance for our guests sometimes, to entertain them during dinner." It had looked a bit like a dance, hadn't it? Maybe one that was too aggressive and violent to be normally performed, but.....

Well, now. An explanation - but a partial explanation, he couldn't help but think. Still... it was her first day, after all. Not the time to press for the details. Flexibility and manoueverability, weapon control: it explained that, at least, how she was handling the things so well. Explained her overall demeanour, too.
All the same, Axel doubted many traditional inns tended to go in for violent war dances as their after dinner entertainment.

Everyone had their secrets, though. He knew that. He'd have to work on finding out what the story was, but - he wasn't going to push her right now. Not when it'd risk spoiling how well things were going.

So once more, Axel smiled, as the lights briefly flickered around them.
"Hey, if it taught you to do that, works for me. How about we keep looking around?"

Her own smile was wan and distracted, as Xikkuyo nodded her agreement and fell back into place at Axel's side. She kept an eye out for the Shadows as she followed him, but her mind was wandering regardless, circling back to the Inn she had mentioned--back to her family, her friends, their workers, the people who she had known and loved and lived with and worked alongside her entire life.

Were they okay? Was everyone alive? Was the Inn still standing? Had anyone else been..... changed, the way the five of them had been? She had always wanted to throw away that certain and suffocating destiny, to be saved and taken far away, to a place where she could make her own choices and live her own life however she pleased, to a place where nobody knew her name.....

It seemed her wish had been granted.

So why couldn't she be happy?

Happiness... something to be pretended at, now. Something to be approximated. But to be felt? No. That wasn't an option for them.

Concern, though - Axel could manage that, right now. He kept glancing over at Xikkuyo as the pair moved through the corridors. Definitely going to have to keep an eye on her, here... but - ah. A couple of patches of darkness in the corner of his vision seemed to be shifting.

"Two this time. Handle them how you want, but I want you to use magic at least once. If you can't, it's alright... we'll keep working on it."

They'd get there, he was sure. But this was going to be the critical test.