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“So why can't I just wing it like Sora?” Kairi yawned as she finished talking, stretching her arms above her head.
“Because as much as it drives me up a wall, Sora has one heck of a knack for it, and you don't.” Riku pulled a pair of practice blades from his bag, “And trust me, he's good, great really. But he can't explain or teach how he does it. I've tried to get him too.”
Kairi yawned again, “but why so early?”
“Because you're going to want to relax for a bit after this, and probably get cleaned up before you help Sora with his magic.”
Kairi sighed, “fine, so where do we start?”
“Show me how you hold it” he said tossing one of the blades her way.
“Ummm like this?” She had hand on the grip as she held it loosely.
Riku shook his head and looked at his feet, “Think about your keyblade. Think about how the guard rests, how the weight of it is balanced. Most of the weight of yours is at the end, mine is balanced pretty evenly at the middle. Sora's is more like yours, weight all at the end.”
“Yeah? I know that, I'm inexperienced, not incompetent.” she yawned again.
“I know, just when you have a weapon balanced like that you need to adjust for it. I guess I wasn't clear, show me how you would hold it if I was a threat” he brough t his own practice blade up, gripping the longer hilt in both hands holding it parallel to his neck. “Ready?”
Kairi stepped back with one foot, extending the blade in front of her. Forming a 'V' with her arm and the blade. “Ready.”
Riku moved quickly stepping to her side and swinging his blade low near he legs. She turned her arm, letting her practice blade drop into its path. Riku then stepped closer dragging his own up across her arm and chest.
“When your blade is weighted like that you need to move more, foot work is what we'll start with.”
“How did you know I was gonna do that?” She handed the blade to him when he held out his hand.
“Based on how you were standing, you kept yourself separate from your weapon. You held it in a way that made it clear it was your only offense and defense, so I put my blade were it would move yours out of place. I could have followed that with magic or just an open-handed strike in a real fight depending on if I was trying to kill or capture you.”
“You're really good at reading people aren't you?”
“Only in a fight. You and Sora both know how bad I am at dealing with real people.” he smirked and glanced down before looking back to her, “But this I can do.” He readied himself again, “This time just focus on keeping your feet straight.”
“Wait don't I get one?” She looked at his practice blade.
“Not yet. We're gonna start with awareness and footwork. From there we'll get more into handling a blade. But basics first. Ready?”
Kairi nodded. “Ready.” almost as soon as she finished he attacked, his blade coming in a clean line from his shoulder about at her head height. She stepped back, barely dodging it, but before she could regain her footing he brought it back across, rapping her on the shoulder. “ow..”
“When you give up ground make sure to do it decisively.” he tossed the blade to her. “Strike at me so I must move back.”
“ready?” She asked, the blade awkwardly too long for her.
“Ready.” Riku nodded and as she stepped forward he exaggerated stepping back, pivoting his hips and stretching his strides. She took a second swing closing the distance as quickly as she could. And he stepped back again, same exaggerated motion, shoulders and head still up. “When you backed up you kept you eyes on me, which was good. That is important. But you didn't step back in a way that let you take another step easily.”
“So that's why you stepped back like that? You kinda looked like a dancer for a second.”
Riku nodded, “They're always ready to take the next step aren't they?” he smiled, “Now I'll step back like you did, watch my legs as you do”
Kairi sighed, “So how long are we going to be doing the I get hit in the shoulder thing?”
Riku gave her a toothy smile, “Until you don't get hit in the shoulder.”
“I thought that was what you were going to say. I did alright though before didn't I? Why can't I just use magic in a fight and call it a day.”
“Why can't Sora just use his keyblade and call it a day?”
She sighed, “I know. But this just feels sooo.. I mean I have been in a few fights and I've held my own. So why can't I just leave it at that?”
“Most people won't expect much of a fight from you. So we want to make sure that you have a trick up your sleeve just in case. I know we don't need to protect you, but everyone needs to be ready to protect someone else. What if I were injured and you had exhausted all of your magic healing my wounds? What would you do then? You might be able to keep yourself safe with what you know, but knowing more makes it so you can keep others safe.”
“I know, I just..”
“Just what?”
“I feel like an idiot. This really really isn't my thing.”
“I know that, that's why I'm teaching you and not Sora. This afternoon, watch how we fight. We were planning on sparing after magic so just stick with us. Try watching just me for the first round. Then just him. Honestly somewhere between us is where you're going to end up. You're a lot like him in how you throw yourself into everything you do, but like me in how you try to control it. I see it in your magic. Its part of why you're so much better than me at it.”
“No I'm not, I always overdo everything. Like when I burned more or less all of the grass out of the courtyard. Or when I flooded the basement. or-”
“Control comes with time. That much I know. Having that much raw potential, that's something that I will never have. This is just like that. You just need practice.”
She sighed, “Fine. Lets keep going then.”
Riku smiled as she tossed the blade back to him, “Ready?”
Kairi nodded, “Ready.”