Five years ago the final battle was fought and won. Xehanort and his darkness was defeated by the light and a semblance of peace washed over all the worlds. The Keyblade Masters had won. There were costs, of course, but none too great.
With the end of Xehanort came time for a great decision. The worlds could not be returned to their original states - they could not be made as one - but as long as the lanes between worlds remained open in any fashion darkness would always have a chance to grow. Even if they remained vigilant for the rest of their lives it would only delay the inevitable repeat of Xehanort's actions. Clearly something had to change.
Census
HUMAN
KEYBLADE MASTERS
KEYBLADE APPRENTICES
DREAM EATER
NOBODY
HEARTLESS
Total
Tao spent most of his time at the training grounds, there might have been an issue with it if he didn't so expertly balance his time with that and class. He showed up to his classes on time, was quiet and well behaved, there was nothing special about Tao. Which was probably why no one wanted him as an apprentice and almost no one spoke to him. He sat in the back of the class, smiled when people talked to him, but gave short one worded responses if he could. He avoided social interaction, and if something bothered him he kept himself silent. What good was his opinion anyway? He kept it to himself until he was able to escape to the training grounds.
And then he would pick up one of the wooden blades used for sword training and spend more than enough time practicing, of course it was difficult to train without a partner but it wasn't something he concerned himself with at the moment. In truth Tao hadn't been going to the school for more than a few weeks.
Probably still getting used to things. He thought as he gave the training dummy a jab to the chest, frowning thoughtfully, pausing. There was always the worry that something awful was going to happen while he was away from home though, and he just found himself scowling a bit at that stepping away from the dummy and shaking his head. Now isn't really the time to be thinking about that. Can't I go a day without fretting about them? Tao knew himself well enough to know the answer was no, but that didn't stop him from feeling agitated with himself.
Despite the male's rather poor opinion of himself there had been someone who had noticed Tao. Riku was rather quiet and reserved with his students, choosing to sit back and wait for them to make it clear just how he should judge them, but he was highly observant. It was easy enough to notice how the much effort he put in, and also how he seemed to shy away from any sort of social interaction. I wonder if you really are just that shy. It was possible, though there could have been underlying reasons for Tao's apparent need to distance himself from others.
And he was a teacher. It was Riku's job to find out just which one it was.
Finding him wasn't that hard; Riku knew the layout of the academy like the back of his hand and knew all the likely 'hiding' spots. This one wasn't even really a place to hide, and it wasn't the first time he had seen Tao in the training rooms. He was alone though - unsurprisingly. Training alone wasn't a bad thing, except when there was never any actual sparring. It was also rather clear that, while somewhat skilled, Tao needed a teacher.
Riku didn't say anything as he watched him. He just stood off to the side of the room, watching as he waited to be noticed.
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There were eyes on him and Tao wasn't sure if he found it annoying or not. He knew that when people were training it wasn't exactly the most private place in the world and that was something he was fine with. Still, he found himself uncomfortable under whoever's gaze this was, though his expression never really changed from a painfully neutral slate. A glance to the side would have told him who was watching him and from the corner's of his eyes Tao could see who it was, but he had yet to actually turn his head to look at the other person in the room.
They were waiting for something though and Tao just found his lips twitching ever so slightly before, turning to look at whoever it was. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, in fact he was pretty much running on a blank slate and he just found himself staring at the silver haired male in silence.
He looked familiar, painfully so and Tao was certain that he was a teacher or something here considering he was certain he had seen his face multiple times. For a moment Tao said nothing though, torn between just turning and leaving or actually trying to say anything.
Ah... so you do have a voice. Riku smiled softly when the young man finally addressed him. He hadn't really thought that he couldn't speak, just that he seemed to prefer not to.
"No. Your name is Tao... correct?" Riku began to slowly walk toward him, taking care not to move too quickly and startle him. Now that he finally got his attention and got Tao to address him it seemed like it would be a waste to scare him away now.
"How come you're here by yourself? Don't you have anyone you could train with?"
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Why does my name matter to you? He frowned slowly though and said nothing, nodding ever so slightly in response to the man's question. There wasn't much else he could say in response and it saved him the awkwardness of an introduction. Though when the other male started to approach him Tao's gaze shifted towards his feet for a few moments, watching the silver haired man's steps for a moment before looking back up towards his face. What do you want exactly? He would find out soon enough though, he was certain.
”Don't you have anyone you could train with”
Tao found himself smiling a bit at the question, the expression looked a bit awkward and strained on his face and he just shook his head a bit. ”No,” he said quietly in response. There was no point in him explaining why he was here alone as far as he could see and it just seemed like a lot of unnecessary information, information that the stranger probably didn't care about.
Riku wouldn't have been that surprised if Tao hard tried to lie and claim that he was just waiting for someone. The Master wasn't entirely certain what he would have done then - would he have stuck around to wait for this so-called friend or would he have left? He was glad he didn't have to find out though and he found himself smiling some what the young man grudgingly admitted that he was just there alone.
"I can't imagine you're getting far on your own." He spoke lightly as he headed over to one of the racks of training weapons. Riku could have easily summoned his keyblade but the way Tao was looking at him made it clear that he wasn't entirely sure just who he was. Way to the Dawn would have been a dead giveaway and the small amount of comfort that Tao seemed to have around him for disappear. Not only that, but a sword really wasn't a match for a keyblade. This would, at least, put them on somewhat even ground.
He picked one out before tossing it slightly between his hands to test its weight. It was lighter than his keyblade but felt clumsier. Where Way to the Dawn was sharp and cut easily through the air this sword was blunt and chipped, causing it to catch and stumble through swings that should have been smooth. This'll be interesting..."I can spar with you," Riku said lightly as he turned to face Tao.
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Tao couldn't help but snort a bit, of course he wasn't getting very far on his own. What good was fighting against something that didn't fight back? It was like having a political debate with a rock. Testing your speeches against something that couldn't come up with a retort was exactly what he was doing, just with a blade. Naturally he wasn't going to get much better but it was good to give his muscles the work out, if he just sat around and did nothing there wouldn't be any sort of prepardness when he actually did need to hold his own in a real fight.
Blue eyes watched curiously as the man made his way over to the rack of sparring weapons, picking one before turning back towards him. Oh huh. This was an interesting turn of events. This was the first time in awhile that someone had actually wanted to spar him and Tao found himself torn between feeling pleased and suspicious. Do you know you can beat me? It seemed like a probable option. Pick someone who he knew he could beat just because.
Or maybe he genuinely wanted to spar and Tao read too deeply into the silver haired man's previous act of observation and now his willingness to spar. There wasn't really anything competitive about his tone.
Again his gaze shifted to scan over the other male thoughtfully before nodding slowly, it wasn't like he had any intentions of saying no, even if he lost he would be able to walk away with new knowledge.
The slack posture he had taken on not too long ago shifted, wooden sword held firmly in his hands. He was certain his opponent was ready, and Tao shifted forward, moving lightly on his feet, he brought the wooden blade up before moving to slash across Riku's chest.
He had no intention of 'besting' the student, but it was clear - to Riku, at least - who the better swordsman was. Tao was good but he didn't have years of experience born from fighting heartless and the like. He also didn't seem to know how to hide his movements and intentions at all, making it clear just what he was planning on doing before he even moved his arm.
He brought his own sword up as he took a step back, parrying every blow that Tao made. Never once did Riku try to attack him but he didn't allow for the young man to land a single strike on him.
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Being beaten and being unable to land any blows were two vastly different things. Frankly Tao would have preferred to first one to the second. At least the first one would have given him a little more to walk away with, but as it was he was doing nothing but trying to land at least one blow, and in the back of his mind he knew why he wasn't able to do that. His movements were too obvious, he was probably too slow. He was sure there was a grocery list of reasons and he would probably finish making it once the actual 'match' was over.
Not a single blow had been landed and eventually Tao realized he probably wasn't going to get one, giving up wasn't exactly the word he wanted to use... but that might as well have been. The pink haired male had stepped away from Riku and had yet to say anything again, the wooden sword he had used set gently on the ground. He was worn out and tired and he had at least gotten that much out of the endeavor.
I'll need to do better. He needed to try harder. He needed to be better. The self deprecating didn't show on his face, his expression remained a neutral line as he undid the messy braid in his hair before running his fingers back through pink strands, ”you're a teacher aren't you?” he asked idly as he began to re-braid his hair.
Tao seemed to catch on faster than Riku had thought - or would have liked - that this wasn't really a fair fight. He didn't swear or curse or glare or get angry, but rather abruptly he halted before placing the practice sword on the ground. The teacher could only grimace, though he swallowed the expression back before the student could really see it.
"You're a teacher, aren't you?"
Riku smiled wryly at that. "Guilty as charged," he said lightly. He leaned down to pick up the sword that Tao had placed on the ground, carrying it back over to the rack to put both of the swords away. "Master Riku... you take one of my classes but... I'm not sure you look up long enough to really see who's teaching it." It was meant to just be a joking statement but after he started speaking Riku became aware of just how mean it sounded.
"... Why are you here alone Tao? You don't... seem to really talk with anyone around the academy."
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Tao should have been pleased to hear that he had no chance of winning from the start but he still found himself feeling less than pleased with himself. Still, he felt a little better knowing that Riku was a teacher and it was unlikely that any of the students would have really been much better off than he had been.
Master Riku... Hearing the name and the face was enough to confirm what he was suspecting and Tao found himself nodding when Riku said that he was in one of the master's classes. A tiny smirk stretched at the corner's of his lips, it was true that he never really paid any attention to who was in the class, or who was teaching it for that matter. He wasn't offended though he could see he might have had the right to be.
'...Why are you here alone Tao?”
He wasn't sure why the question surprised him. If anything he expected some sort of scolding. Maybe his grades or something were slipping without his knowing? That would have been truly surprising but still.
”I'm not here to socialize Master Riku,” Tao said slowly.
Well. That was a forward and blunt enough answer to his question, and one that Riku really couldn't argue with. Tao was right; none of the students of the academy were really there to socialize, or at least they shouldn't have been. Everyone who came here had their own personal reasons for doing so but it all boiled down to a desire to study and train and maybe, one day, be trusted enough to wield a keyblade. The number of candidates for that over the past four years could have been counted easily on one hand but that didn't mean that couldn't change in the future.
But still. Riku knew just how lonely and how hard it was when you felt like you could only rely on yourself. It had made him into a bitter and cruel person for a stretch before he had ended up tripping to the opposite side of the scale and became almost suicidally depressed. Sora and Kairi had helped to drag him back into the middle and he never wanted to deal with that emotional roller-coaster again.
"You're only going to be holding yourself back if you insist on keeping to yourself." Riku kept his tone gentle as he spoke to Tao. "I'm not sure why you're here but just because you didn't come here to make friends doesn't mean you can't wind up doing so. It's... better to have people you can rely on instead of just having to rely only on yourself."
Tao wished the conversation could be over. He wasn't sure if Riku was going to start trying to pry into his life and if he did Tao wasn't entirely sure how he would deal with the situation other than silence and he wasn't sure there was a way to go about that without coming off as disrespectful, and that wasn't what he wanted.
The pink haired male only found himself frowning ever so slightly towards Riku as he spoke. Naturally the power of many is greater than the power of one. That's always people's response. It was a logical response. And it was based in truth, but he made no inclination that he intended to speak for a moment before he just shook his head.
”If I can't protect those close to me then I have no intention of endangering them.” Tao spoke with quiet finality before glancing towards Riku again, blue eyes soft. He slipped into silence though, shaking his head slowly. I have to be better. Tao couldn't rely on others when he had the weight of two younger siblings leaning on him depending on him to take care of them. He couldn't be holding onto someone else, he couldn't be depending on someone else why they clung to him. He needed to stand on his own and he needed to be strong.
Riku pressed his lips together into a firm frown as Tao continued to deftly dodge giving any real response to his attempts to get him to open up. He wasn't not giving answers, but he was clearly trying to only reveal as little as possible. What are you hiding? he doubted it was anything truly life threatening - except maybe it was to Tao.
Prying wasn't going to get him far though. The more he pushed the more Tao would pull away - or at least that was how it seemed. It was better to take this slow and try to get him to open up naturally.
"If you don't have a sparring partner I can help. I've been slacking off too much with keeping in shape anyways." That wasn't true at all but there was no reason to make Tao feel like he was just another responsibility.
Tao honestly wasn't sure if he believed that Riku was slacking off when it came to training but he didn't plan on pointing that out. It wasn't that he wanted to shove everyone away. So if he could catch himself building the walls for building to climb over he could stop himself, or at least try to. It might be half built but it would at least be a little less work for both parties.
He smiled a bit hesitantly towards Riku and nodded slowly, ”...That would be very appreciated,” he said softly. At least having one sparring partner would do him good, and having that sparring partner be a teacher would do him better. He was sure it wouldn't last that long though, considering there was bound to be other things that came up but Tao was certain he would get something out of it and a lesson, no matter how small, was still a lesson in the end.
