"It's no use Riku!" The ten year old brunette threw her sword to the sand, "I'm just not any good at sword fighting." Her golden eyes narrowed at the wooden sword, as if it was at fault for her incompetence. Across from her, the silver haired boy sighed at her frustration. While Riku was happy to know that Mari was re-evaluating her desire for sword fighting, he also wanted her to excel in the things she desired to learn.

The boy reached back and scratched his head, racking his brain for ideas to cheer up his long time friend. His aqua eyes wandered farther down the beach of the Play Island, only to spot Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie playing near the dock. Riku caught sight of the weapons Wakka and Selphie were using. A smile formed on his lips as he focused his attention back to Mari, "You may not be good with the sword, so how about a different weapon?" The brunette tilted her head in confusion at first before her golden eyes widened at his implication. A wide smile lit up her face before she jumped on Riku, hugging him around the neck while she squealed in delight, "Riku, you're a genius!" The boy laughed at her excitement as he patted her on the shoulders, "Alright, you can let go." She immediately unwrapped her arms from him, her eyes still shining with joy, "Who should I go to first? Wakka? Selphie?"

Riku began walking toward the trio, "Let's ask Selphie first." The girl walked along beside him, the two quickly reaching the dock. The trio of friends paused in their laughter to turn to Riku and Mari. Wakka, Selphie and Tidus smiled at their arrival; Tidus having directed his smile toward Mari. Riku sent a quick glare his way before turning to the girl of the group, "Hey Selphie, we wanted to know if you'd be willing to teach Mari how to fight like you do, with your jump ropes."

The green eyed girl tilted her head, "Huh? I thought Mari was learning swordplay with you Riku?"

Mari looked down at her feet in slight shame, "I wasn't any good."

Selphie looked over at Wakka and Tidus. The three nodded their heads and turned to the girl, exclaiming at the same time, "We'll help you out Mari!" Wakka laughed as he placed his hands on his hip, "And if you don't do well with Selphie, then I'll help you out with blitzball, ya?"

Mari's golden irises shone with gratitude, "Thank you guys!"

The trio smiled at her sincere words and even Riku had to let a small smile form on his lips at her response. The boys moved away from the two brown haired girls. Selphie produced a second jump rope from her person. "I sometimes get too rough with them, so I bring extra just in case," she responded at Mari's questioning stare. The older girl took the object, preparing herself to absorb all the information she'd need to wield it as a weapon.

Riku winced at the look Mari gave the two pseudo weapons which resided in their owners hands. She had failed to prove herself adept at either of the tools. Her aim with the blitzball was terrible and her ability to catch the returning object was even worse. Adding to that, her feet coordination with the jump ropes proved dangerous for her, as she continuously tripped over the rope after she missed catching one of the ends following her attack. The silver haired boy glared at the sand. He was frustrated on Mari's behalf. He wanted her to get good with a weapon, if only to take part in the duels the pack of friends had every now and then. Not to mention that he hated seeing Mari berate herself for not being good enough to handle any of the weapons. He knew that there was something that she could excel at, fighting-wise; there just had to be.

Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus gave Mari sympathetic glances, before Riku spoke up, "Mari."

The girl turned her sorrowful eyes to her best friend. "Let's head home. It's getting late, we'll come up with something else tomorrow, okay?" Riku held up his hand for her to take.

A tight smile made its way onto her lips as she nodded and took his hand. Riku gripped her hand tightly in his, eyes turning to the band of friends that watched them in silence, "See you guys tomorrow."

Words of farewell were said from the three of them as Riku walked onto the dock, Mari's hand still firmly held in his. The two got into Riku's rowboat, the boy took the oars in his hands and started to row them toward the mainland. Mari looked down at her hands, deep in thought. Riku watched her silently, his mind thinking of different ways to help his friend.

"Do you think I'll ever find something I'm good at, Riku?"

Her question brought him away from his thoughts. Her bright golden eyes looking at him ready to hang on to his every word. Riku's eyes lowered to his knees, the events of today playing through his head.

Having been a spectator this time around, rather than the instructor, he was able to see her fight from an objective point of view. Unlike Wakka and Selphie, who were mostly mid range fighters, Mari always wanted to get up close and personal in a fight. Instead of relying on the weapons in her hands and using them as an extension of herself, she would usually ignore the fact that they were there. Once she was close enough to her opponent she would try to swipe at them with her hands. If that was the case, then perhaps her best choice would be the sword, as it was a weapon used for close range, but even then, as Riku thought back to the times when he gave her sword lessons, she had ignored the sword and as soon as she saw an opening, would clench her hands into fists and strike.

Riku's aqua eyes widened in realization as he jerked his head up, "That's it!"

Mari jumped at his exclamation, her hands holding onto the edge of the boat as it rocked back and forth unsteadily at her movement. "What's it, Riku?"

His eyes were alight with excitement, "I figured out why nothing is working for you!"

The boat bumped into the beach of the mainland. Riku quickly jumped out to secure the boat to the wooden pole, Mari's eyes staring at him curiously, his statement having given her a spark of hope. Once he was done tying the rope for the boat, Riku grabbed her hand and led her to the town's library. It was a small, one floor building that seemed more like a home-y lounge. As the two entered, there were mostly older teenagers, still in their school uniforms, studying and chatting with one another. The librarian, a woman in her early thirties, was also speaking with another man who seemed around the same age as her. She didn't seemed to mind that the library was full of noise.

Riku quickly made his way to one of the back aisles. Mari noted the subject that pertained to the area: Martial Arts. Riku's eyes scanned the books, a wide grin appearing on his face, then turned to her. Mari's eyebrows knit together in confusion, "I don't get it Riku."

He rolled his eyes and picked out one of the books at random, "Weapons aren't your strong point," he flipped through the pages, landed on one and turned the book toward her. On the pages was a drawing of a man, in different positions, his form strong and fists clenched. Aqua eyes peeked out from over the book, "You like to get up close to your opponent. You don't rely on the objects in your hand because you already have the best weapons..." He lowered the book and took her hand in his, pushing down on her fingers so that they immediately formed into fists, "Your hands!"

Mari's eyes widened at the discovery. Her eyes made their way down to the book in Riku's hands then up to the shelf of books on martial arts. A warm smile spread across her face as she looked back to her friend, "Riku, you're a genius!" She launched herself toward him and enveloped him in a tight hug.

The admiration that radiated from her smile made Riku's heart flutter. He was sure his cheeks were flushed as he wrapped his arms around the girl, hoping that she wasn't able to hear how fast his heart was beating at her proximity.

As they parted, he composed himself, a smirk making it's way onto his features, "Yeah you've already said that once today."

Mari grinned back at him, "But it's the truth!"

Riku allowed a small smile to replace his smirk. She was too generous.

Shaking his head as a way of brushing off the compliment, he held up the book in his hand, "So, how many should we take?"

Her eyes lit up at his question, "What's the limit?"