Burning Bridges ((Axel, Closed))

[sagefirefox]

Sage fell out in Sunset Terrace. Yet again Axel had teleported them and she felt something when she was whisked away somewhere else. It was darkness, like icy fingers wrapping around her shoulders. It made her feel alone, terrible, cold. It made her feel odd inside, almost distant. Her sense was off slightly and she fell to the ground on her knees as she tried to gain her composure. She found herself after what seemed like hours, really only being seconds. Was this what those people felt when their hearts were taken right from their bodies? She shuddered as she stood up.

Her eyes avoided Axel's. She didn't want to see what his expression was after her little 'episode'. Not only that, but she was mad that he ended the match so soon. She tightened her grip on her weapon and clenched her jaw as she replayed the last few seconds in her mind. Wasn't he here to help her? Why did he quit their little training session so soon? Under her breath she let out an annoyed growl. She kept staring off into the distance though, despite how much she wanted to give an annoyed expression. The cold shoulder got her point across much better.

[Era]

The Flurry crossed his arms, eyeing his opponent. The expression in his sharp jade eyes shifted quickly from dissatisfaction to contentment, and he paced out by a handful of yards. "You plan to fight like that?" He looked her over once, a smug confidence playing across his face, tilting his nose up a tad. So the match wasn't over... but being in the middle of a suburb, he'd have to eliminate his fire techniques from the equation.

(Thanks for starting this, by the way.)

[sagefirefox]

((No problem. Karm--*SHOT*))

What did he mean, fight like that? Fighting by making the fire get out of control, or fighting by gasping on the ground? She brushed both aside and looked at hiim finally, "So did I win or what?" She held onto her poison blad still, in case the answer was no. Just what was she going to have to do to show him that she really deserved this blade? He may have strength, but Sage had smarts, which helped her out in tough situations. Smarts helped her stay alive, helped her steal, and helped her learn to trust no one. Smarts for this red-headed Nobody probably got him killed, but strength probably allowed him to have a second life. Sage slightly wished her people had that kind of strenght, maybe then she wouldn't be the only Firefox.

[Era]

Apparently the Fire user wasn't frightened in the slightest, still peering down at her from the top of his long, slender stature. "If by 'win', you meant to kill yourself in the meantime." He shook his head, fiery hair swaying to the sudden motion. "I mean sure, you drew a brutal attack, but at what cost? The only thing you'd have won was death." That was Axel's stand on things, anyway.

"And if you think about pulling a fatal draw against an opponent from the real world..." The Nobody snapped his arms up and to the side, summoning forth his loyal spike-wheels. Silvery thorns danced up his arms, then faded away as the weapons clinked into his grip. "...Then I don't expect you'll keep that gift!" Of course, he was referring to her weapon. He wasn't about to have a suicidal soldier amongst his ranks...

How ironic.

[sagefirefox]

"Hah!" she scoffed as she slowly walked around him in a circle. "You think that just because my world was destroyed by the Heartless means that I'm suicidal?" She scraped her sword along the ground as she walked, turning her face down and smirking. "You think that just because I'm the only Firefox left means that I'm suicidal?" She looked up at him as she completed her circle and narrowed her eyes as they met his. "Well Axel," she practically spat, "You are so wrong it's not even funny." It was one of the few times she actually spoke his name, and she hoped he would understand just how serious she was.

How could he even think that? Sage would never kill herself to be with the Firefoxes, she would live to survive for the Firefoxes. Did he not realize that she was using a smart maneuver to try and win the battle? She would have tried to provoke him, point out: 'Is there something wrong with me dying? After all, aren't you dead?' Would have, meaning she decided against it. One glimpse at how serious a look he was giving made her think twice about provoking him, and more about impressing him. The Nobody couldn't possibly go all out right in the middle of the square, people could get hurt. This way, Sage had an advantage. She smirked, but inside, she was trying to show Axel how serious she was and smirking at this point in the conversation would mess that all up.

[Era]

The Nobody watched her circle, and stepped to the side as she danced around him, hopping easily to another end of the narrow streets. He didn't bother to turn his back on her; moreso out of the inconvenient possibility of losing sight of her than lack of trust, though in this sort of battle, anything was possible.

The spark in his eyes lit an inner, competitive flame, and he gave off a haughty chuckle. Inwardly, he was hoping this battle would end soon, but he knew he couldn't leave until he was comfortable with her abilities. So, what would come next? That would probably depend on how Sage acted and reacted... those two decisions were ultimately what made a battle, after all.

[sagefirefox]

His chakrams had to be a sort of long-ranged weapon she figured. His fire would be used to push the enemy back so that he could hit them with the chakrams. Sage wasn't going to let him attack first anymore. She had swung at him in the underground and hit one the of the metal chains on his cloak. Surely she could do it again, all she needed was the confidence to do so. When she believed she could do so it seemed she did fine, so maybe that was it. But she would have trouble believing that she could beat Axel. He looked like he had when she first met him, cocky, clean, perfect hair. Sage now looked like she had fallen into a mud puddle full of glass. Her clothes were dirty looking and there were numerous cuts around her body.

But wait, she couldn't look at her injuries. These were the kind of things that were going to make her lose the battle. If she focused on her injuries, she was bound to fail. She needed to put the injuries behind her and pretend like they didn't even exist. Sage closed her eyes and calmed her heart down. The pain somewhat subsided. By the time she had opened her eyes and locked onto to where Axel was standing, she had gained some confidence to help her win this battle. She held the katana with two hands now and charged at him. Her first attack was one aimed at his shoulder, but she quickly let go of the katana with one hand and aimed a punch for his stomach. She had never really thrown a punch before and wondered if it would affect him at all.

[Era]

A new light gleamed out of Sage's eyes as she bolted for him, evidence of a perseverant spark that struck a forest fire within the small Firefox. This new vivacity that she had suddenly taken up was exactly what Axel was looking for: the inner zeal that would provoke many victories to come.

His smirk shifted, in line with its changing motivation. Sage's confidence awakened a kin sense of confidence within her teacher, and he reacted to her sudden outburst. One Chakram shot up, diverting the bite of the sword to move of a rough nip in his shoulder. However, it still connected.

He only had time to flex his stomach muscles before the impact of her haymaker collided with his gaunt stomach, and instead of stopping the punch and standing his ground, he followed its momentum. His spiked weapons were temporarily disregarded to the ground at his sides. Having lost immediate contact with their master, the Chakrams burst into silver dust and faded away, only to be re-summoned within seconds. He had to utilize his hands to flip backward on the pavement, then his weapons re-materialized, hugging his black leather gloves.

Arcing around Sage, the Nobody threw out a counter-attack, confiding in his speed and the reach of his weapons to toss some obstacles into Sage's path. He fully enjoyed awakening her zeal. A little longer, and she'd be seasoned enough to impress him in the heat of a battle.

[sagefirefox]

Her sword connected with his shoulder and she was mildly surprised. She turned and charged at him again, only to have objects fall and block her path. A flowerpot shattered at her feet and a couple of crates tumbles down in front of her. She jumped on a crate and launched forward. Axel was in her sights as she landed, ran for him, and lifted her blade. Her eyes were fixed on his chakrams in case he decided to throw one at her. His weapons were tricky to figure out, and they were sharp as could be. If he threw one at her, she would have to block it with her sword and her attack would be useless. Then again, there was always another method... she smirked and continued running at him.

[Era]

A wicked, joker-like smirk played back on his face in response to her chosen action. The more aggressively she fought, the happier he was. She was improving very well. But, being the Flurry he was, he had to make this fun.

Tossing his weapons straight past Sage's sides, the Nobody blinked out of sight, re-appearing behind her with a smirk, tamed weapons back in his hands. Okay, now he was just showing off.

Fun? Yeah right. Fun for who?

[sagefirefox]

He disappeared right before her eyes as she came at him. Where would he be now? The only place that came to her mind almost instantly was the spot she was most vulnerable at. Her sides were open, as was her back, but from her peripheral vision she couldn't see him attacking from either side. That left her back, which meant he would attack now before she had the chance to act. If she turned to block, she probably wouldn't make it in time, meaning she had to do something quick. Her mind forced her to act on instincts like it normally did and suddenly a fox was running away from the red-head.

Her katana was dropped seconds before she shifted and instead of shifting with her, it dropped to the ground and out of Sage's reach. The Firefox remained in her animal form, now that she was weaponless she had to count on speed to help her out. Axel would take advantage of this opportunity and most likely attack mercilessly. Sage looked at the distance between her and the sword and then at the distance between Axel and the sword. One of them was closer to it and it wasn't Sage.

All she had to do was dart forward and snatch it up in her jaws. The Nobody would probably attack, but only with chakrams. This meant she would need to not only run fast but also dodge quickly in order to get back her weapon. It was now or never. Sage chose the latter and sprinted forward, her four paws barely touching the ground as she darted toward the katana. Once she got her poison blade back she would shift, roll, and then jab up wards at Axel. She would not only get her sword back, but add in an attack as well. Would the Nobody see it coming?

((Bleh, it's late and I'm tired. Sorry the quality of this post sucks.))

[Era]

((It's okay. It's the attack process I've been tracking. =D This is longer in coming than it should be. Sorry for the wait.))


Shift, weapon fumble, shift, reclaim... There was an aggressive pattern, even in Sage's mistake, and what was coming didn't look as though it was going to be good. The Nobody had to use a split-second defense if he wanted to avoid what ever she was going to throw next. With a backward leap, he left her sword bloodless. She would not take him down, but that didn't mean she would lose.

So, what was next? Another assault by way of those large, spiked wheels? A few sonic-speed moves that would leave her hanging? Something to lure her back into the tunnel, where again he'd have the upper hand? No. What came next was...

Clapping?

Yes, clapping. Axel was actually applauding the Firefox. The exponential development of her fighting style was impressive. She was gaining speed, gaining aggression, and gaining wisdom.

"Bravo." He pridefully watched her, back upright and hands on his hips, admiring how far she'd come under his wing.

The Chakrams bounced off of the ground, dissipating in clouds of silvery-white sparkles. So then, this was it. There was nothing more to learn. Sage was ready to fight. Fight, and win.

[sagefirefox]

Clap...clap...clap

Sage shifted into a human and tilted her head to the side. Why was Axel clapping in the middle of the fight? No, it seemed the fight was over. His chakrams fell to the ground and disappeared before they could even hit the cobblestone. She narrowed her eyes as he offered a 'Bravo' for the fight. Sage walked slowly over to him, shaking her head as she did so. "If I ever see you again..." she began to say, then paused as she held her katana up to his throat, "You better come at me with more force. Then you can see just how far I've come." She brought down her sword and walked past him.

A stone wall was nicely set up to prevent people from falling and also providing those who wanted to watch the sunset with a nice resting place. Sage set her elbows on this wall and put her weight on them. She wondered where she would go now that she had a katana to defend herself with. What would she do with it? Would she possibly take a life if she had to? The questions just kept coming and the answers could not be found. You could always hand someone a weapon and show them how to use it, but could you teach them what to do with it? Axel didn't seem like the best of people, just what did he do with his chakrams? Surely they had taken some lives. Sage looked over her shoulder back at him and felt sick at the thought. Her eyes then turned back to the sunset in front of her. 'Don't think about it...' she told herself, 'Don't think about it...'

[Era]

The lithe Nobody managed a smirk. "I look forward to our next encounter," the reply was gentle, with an underlying spicy tone. Even his gentle phrases were coated with a spark. That's how he rolled. And Sage had almost as much spunk as he did. But was he really ready to leave his minion?

The answer was a resounding yes. Of course, he wouldn't turn his back on her. She was an essential trump-card... and those were the sort you never turned your back on. However, it was time for him to step back and send her off to fight her own battles. Next time he'd come across her, a little welcoming duel was in order. It would be one of those playful things, and a gauging experience all rolled into one.

Crossing his arms, his impish persona chose to manifest, showing itself as a half-smile on his delicate features, and his head tilted a little. One hand lifted in a three-fingered farewell gesture, and he blinked out. And just like that, he was gone.

[Exit Axel.]

[sagefirefox]

His reply was short and to the point, and Sage turned her head to see what expression was on his face. She couldn't quite tell if he was being serious or sarcastic, but the look on his face explained it all. He seemed proud of what he had done, and Sage resented it. She felt someone like a little apprentice, someone to do all the dirty work while one looked on. Though she was thankful for a sword and the skills for fighting, she was a little dismayed that she now owed Axel a favor or two.

As he left she picked up her katana. Its blade was coated with dirt and soot from her battles and she cleaned it off on her already dirty coat. She had to be off now to search for Firefoxes, after all, she couldn't just abandon her mission because of Axel. There was a world where the inhabitants were all animals, that seemed like a good place to try. Little did Sage know that she was about to face an even bigger challenge than fighting Axel.

((This thread took place before Sage became a wolf))