Traveling Hearts {Discontinued}

[Chapter 9] Training Starts

Demyx stared anxiously at the wall waiting for a certain two to return. He continued to pluck pointlessly at his sitar occasionally glancing up. He wouldn't usually worry about a Zexion because of years of dealing with him but these past few days were different.

Today would mark the third day, they had [Name] with them. It was also the third day that the Radiant Garden Guard had been searching for her. From the new, stricter guidelines, Demyx knew that they were getting desperate. He winced as he played a sour note. Returning to the beginning of the song, he thought about positives instead.

"Get it together," he sighed to himself. He then began to list all the positives.

Today would be the first day [Name] was venturing out in her new disguise. He laughed as he remembered her staring at herself in the mirror dressed in a loose shirt and pants. She had to tuck her hair into a newly bought cap. She still looked like herself so Zexion had to use a little of his illusions to help.

After the little incident with Sora and Riku, [Name] hadn't been able to even peek out the window. Being holed up in the house would drive him crazy. He grinned, "At least now, she can go out without a worry."

Demyx continued to smile, happy that [Name] wouldn't have to face this world alone like he had. He knew the anxiety and stress of not knowing where you were. He knew how it felt to be alone without anyone that could understand and help.

His first months on this world weren't a walk in the park. Demyx remembered the only time he used his voice was to sing or pointlessly talk to fish. Zexion says that that's the reason he talks so much to make for all the silent days. Zexion had been lucky. He was quickly found and helped.

The soft click of the door startled him. His instrument nearly fell to the ground before it dissapeared in a cloud of bubbles. He watched as both Zexion and [Name] entered with a few bags.

"We're home," both greeted.

"Welcome back," Demyx leaned his chair back. "Got everything?"

"Yup," [Name] answered, helping put the groceries away. Zexion headed towards the closet, in search of something. Demyx watched as he came back with heavy, wooden sword and a bag.

Today was also the first day of training for [Name]. Demyx could only stare at her with pity.

[Name] stared back with a confused look, "What?"

"You'll find out," he shook his head and stood. "It's strange to see you in regular clothes, Zex." Instead of the usual black coat, Zexion had worn a navy turtleneck with short sleeves and regular jeans.

"The only reason is so I can use less energy with changing my appearance," Zexion answered with a raised eyebrow. "Is it so unusual to see me in casual clothing?"

"Yep," Demyx and [Name] answered, without missing a beat.

[Name] sat down and asked, "So we use up our energy when we use our power?"

"Yes," Zexion began. "That's how I knew that you had ran into trouble. Lexicon borrowed my power to mask it self as a small bird and became a medium for my illusions."

Demyx sighed, "You could have just said Lexicon used your powers to turn everything into an illusion."

"Anyway," Zexion ignored the comment. "Demyx, you're in charge of lunch."

"What?" Demyx shouted. He was about to protest more but Zexion had left.

"Bye, Demyx," [Name] smiled. "Have fun."

"Later," he pouted, sitting back down. He watched the door and continued to glare at the floor. A thought then struck him.

"I'll just go buy some food from the cafe," he grinned and summoned an ukulele. He sat back and began to strum, listening peacefully to the music.

[Name] listened to the music become distant as she walked. She went back to focusing on how to walk remembering Demyx's comment.

'You walk like a girl.'

Zexion had assured her as long as she wore the sleek black whistle around her neck, his power would be helping her disguise. Another function of the whistle is to locate her if they somehow got separated.

[Name] continued to walk in silence with Zexion. At first, the silence felt awkward but she got use to Zexion's silence and Demyx's babblings. The past days still felt a bit like a dream but [Name] still felt a bit of worry. In the back of her mind, she would replay the moment her hand sunk into the mirror. Wriggling her fingers, she remembered it feeling like sticking her hand into a thick syrup.

"What's wrong?"

She nearly jumped at Zexion's voice and snapped out of her daze. Glancing around, [Name] realized that they were past the main plaza and heading towards a tunnel.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Daydreaming."

Zexion gave her a look that showed he knew she was lying and gave a defeated sigh, "We'll need to teach you how to lie along with combat."

[Name] stood there trying to process his words, "What?"

"You might have to lie your way out of a situation to survive," he explained. "Even Demyx can pull off a white lie. Just ask him where he got that necklace he always wears."

"The crystal?"

"He didn't find it randomly at the bottom of the sea," Zexion proceeded forward. [Name] followed and her eyes wandered to the wooden sword. The hilt was crafted out of metal. The rest was just wood carved and sanded without a point. She was curious on how training would begin.

The crystals lit the tunnel with a calm blue. On the sides were small fountains, that the town seem to not lack in. [Name] stared at the light at the end of the tunnel. Shielding her eyes, she stepped out of the tunnel. She could only stare at the colorful garden surrounded by stonewalls. She continued on seeing stairs lead to two other levels.

"Your training starts now," Zexion set down the bag and began to twirl the sword about.

"How do we start?" [Name] glanced around, her eyes falling on the twirling sword. Zexion walked toward her while swinging the sword. He then rushed forward, catching [Name] off guard. Her eyes instinctively shut as she waited for the strike.

Peeking open her eyes, she saw the hilt pointed towards her instead of the dull end. Zexion gave a nod to encourage her to take the sword. [Name] nodded back and gulped. Her training would now begin and she could only hope it wouldn't be too bad.

Gripping the hilt, a sly but small grin appeared on Zexion's face. She could feel her chills causing her skin to crawl. The moment she made eye contact with him, he let go of his end.

"Whoa!"

Her shoulders and arms quaked from trying to keep the sword's tip from slamming into the floor. The tip hovered over the grass but [Name] knew her strength wouldn't last long. Collapsing, she took in a deep breathe and glared up at the smirking Zexion.

"What the heck?" she growled, getting to her feet and leaning on the heavy sword. "Do swords actually weigh this much?"

"No. We all started training with a heavier weapon. So when you use an actual sword, it will be lighter and you can swing it with more strength and speed." he explained them sighed. "That, and why would I risk our safety with a novice waving a sword around."

[Name] couldn't help but roll her eyes before asking, "So what do I have to do?"

Zexion stepped back and extended his hand out. The earth rumbled a bit underneath her before a log emerged. It grew to a considerate height, towering over her slightly.

"What now?" she eyed the log warily.

He gestured towards the log, "Strike until you can raise the sword above your head."

[Name] stared at him for a moment to see if he really was serious. After a moment, she sighed and gripped the hilt with both hands. Her gaze landed on her target and grew determined. She raised the weapon to her waist, feeling her arms begin to shake. Swinging back, [Name] landed a loud blow and continued. The blows echoed through the garden and would continue for awhile.

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