Kairi thought Fait would be an easy opponent to defeat at first. That much, she wasn't afraid to admit to herself. "Fait was too aggressive" is what she thought. "Maleficent's apprentice was uncontrollable, emotional, and too riddled with darkness." Master Yen Sid voiced this out in the beginning, especially with the trial Fait had for her first test. No one knew Fait was so young with a keyblade in hand. Sora and Riku may have been chosen to wield one at young ages, but they didn't have a weaponized form of light yet. It was only when Maleficent herself had personally requested that Fait be trained in the way of the keyblade that forced Master Yen Sid to hold his tongue for only a moment. When Sora also pitched in for Fait's new training, the master reconsidered his previous evaluation of the blonde warrior. As Kairi rowed her boat to the Play Island, she could see Fait alone on the beach. No, she wasn't alone actually. There was an old man walking around near the waterfall, filling canteens up with fresh water. As she docked her boat, Kairi climbed up onto the docks and watched the two people with some confusion. They seemed to be in sync with each other somehow. When the wind blew, they both took a deep breath and let the gust caress their faces before returning to their tasks. Of course, only the old man was busying himself. Fait was doing something else entirely. Kairi didn't expect this.
As she walked from the docks of the Play Island, she kept her eyes on Fait as the blonde was seated with her legs folded, posture straightened and arms extended in a relaxed position. It looked like her breathing matched the symphony of Destiny Islands as a whole. Inhale, the waves of the sea danced up to her, exhale, the waves left sea foam and sea weed as gifts before drifting away. Inhale, the birds sang a song, exhale, the birds were silent. Inhale, the wind picked up, exhale, the wind died down. Inhale, specks of light danced around Fait's torso, exhale, the lights were rising up to flutter like bugs. When the old man completely filled his two canteens, he walked over to Fait's side and set up a small table next to her. Fait never broke her concentration but nodded and whispered a soft "thank you" to the older gent. The man nodded and placed one of the canteens of water on the table. Fait broke her meditation stance by moving her arms in delicate motions and reached into her shirt for a handkerchief. The perfume from her handkerchief was sweet-smelling and blended well with the scents of the beach. The elegance of placing the handkerchief underneath the canteen was enviable. Fait never even opened her eyes! She returned to her meditative stance with ease and was able to synchronize her breathing with the sounds of the sea! The man smirked at Fait's actions and softly chuckled at her before walking away from her to simply enjoy the peace of the Play Island.
Fait wasn't kidding when she said she had visited Destiny Islands before, Kairi thought. I don't recall ever seeing that old man before, but he seems to know her better than us. They both listened to the wind at the same time.
Remembering that Kairi had been looking for Fait for a reason, she nodded to herself and walked away from the dock to the beach sands. She was supposed to wait for Riku while Sora was out on a mission to follow Pete and Maleficent. One of the Princesses of Heart had gone missing and another world had fallen to darkness. Since Fait was undergoing training from Master Yen Sid, who reluctantly agreed in the hopes of learning what Maleficent was up to, the rest of the masters had to take turns trying to train Fait for the Mark of Mastery Exam. Of all the masters, Riku was the only one who Master Yen Sid trusted to keep a close eye on her, but Kairi wanted to prove that she was capable of watching Fait while she was training, too. According to everyone else, Fait was pretty much cooperative and dared not to cross the line if it meant angering Maleficent. So, that made this job easier, but Riku was persistent in helping Kairi with this seemingly mundane task.
Kairi got closer to the girl and took notice to Fait's change in attire. She wasn't dressed in her athletic tee and leggings today, so that meant no strenuous combat, Kairi assumed. The last time she saw Fait train was in Prydain and Fait was not a pushover by any means. This girl could fight with her bare hands and fight well. It looked like Fait was just meditating for the day. Fait instead wore baggier pants but a cropped, long sleeved top with a decorative high collar. Her midriff was instead covered with a sheer undershirt that had curvy patterns on the fabric similar to the collar and cuffs of the shirt. This was probably the blonde's most elegant training garb. Her hair was tied in that high bun she normally donned for training, so Kairi could now see that Fait's right side was shaved into a fade. The blonde's jewelry set was different this time, it seemed. Her ear cuffs were silver but styled like the gust of a strong wind was passing by her. A small silver ribbon was at the base of the earring and a small marble wrapped in a metal spring-like orb was connected to the ribbon. While the entire wardrobe was white, a decorative sash with silver and black patterns stretching along the fabric was stretched out on either side of Fait's body.
The closer Kairi got to Fait, the slower she walked. She didn't want to disturb the seemingly older girl but she was also curious about this new form of training she was doing. She barely noticed the blonde's coral-colored lipstick until Kairi heard Fait talking. At first, Kairi thought the blonde was talking to her without focusing her violet eyes on her, but Fait was almost whispering so quietly that she was practically inaudible. It sounded like a raspy mantra at first but there were clear recitations of words coming from her lips. When Kairi crept a little closer to Fait, she heard words being spoken as the blonde's lips formed sounds and bows to show emphasis here and there.
"Light, show thy way. Darkness, hold thine truth. Birthed from a noble tree lies the fruit and the plague. I am the hand that labors to separate the impurities from peace. I am the gourd that holds wicked flesh from eternal abundance. I am the tender of the earth who gives new purpose to dying spirits. Darkness be conscious. Use my light to guide you to the planes of enlightenment," Fait voiced in a trance.
Kairi heard the girl repeat these same words about two more times before she decided to creep a little closer. When she did, she felt something pull at her feet. It was a heart-stopping feeling. The amount of power that pulsed outwards to another realm was intense! What frightened Kairi the most, however, was the glyph forming underneath Fait's body. It was encompassing and almost in perfect balance! Every element surrounding them was reaching out to Fait. The winds, waves of the sea, and the healing powers of nature all became cultivated and fluttered about the blonde. Suddenly, everything stopped and the blonde started floating! She never opened her eyes once. She merely hovered above her initial seating place and unfolded her legs to stand on the ground. When she gently placed her arms down at her sides, all her magic ceased and the calmness of the island returned.
"Are you thirsty, Kairi?" Fait asked in a gentle voice.
"Huh?" Kairi responded, surprised that the girl was aware of her presence. "Oh! I - "
"Are you okay, Kairi?" a familiar voice called.
Kairi turned around and saw Riku walking up to them from the docks. He looked at Fait suspiciously for a brief moment before returning his attention to Kairi. Said girl merely responded, "Of course! I just got here."
"What's she doing?" Riku asked, narrowing his eyes at Fait.
Kairi turned to the blonde, seeing that she hadn't moved from her position but was chanting very quietly again, and said, "I think this is her other training. She was meditating earlier. I think she still might be."
"You're almost right," Fait added, finally opening her eyes. "This training is a bit more intense since it uses a different kind of power. Should I do this elsewhere? Sage said it was okay."
"Sage?" Riku questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Oh! You mean that old man?" Kairi asked, earning a nod from Fait. "So he is from here."
"Who else knows about you on the island?" Riku asked out of genuine curiosity.
"Other kids about our age," Fait said with a smirk. Her smirk then changed to a joyous giggle and she continued, "They're pretty fun to be around. They gave me a tour of the Main Island on one of my last visits here. We went sailing and everything! No wonder Sora loves it here so much. Your island is full of surprises!"
"You've been to other worlds before, though," Riku said, folding his arms. "What makes this island so different?"
"Well, for starters, the giant sea monster that nearly drowned us," Fait said with a matter-of-fact tone. This surprised Riku and Kairi, however, so Fait continued, "You all have quite the Heartless living in the depths. And... you have probably the most beautiful and romantic aquatic life I've ever seen. I've never seen stars twinkling in the sea before. It's like... you're watching the sea and sky become one."
A bird suddenly caught everyone's attention and Fait turned to it knowing which bird makes the collection of chirps. She laughed and bent over to pick up a small bag of feed. When she reached out with a stick of seeds, a gorgeous red, long-tailed bird came to her to take the stick and land on the paopu fruit tree.
"What was that?" Riku questioned, only managing to see a red blur go passed him before seeing the creature on their tree.
"She's a long-tailed Fenu," Fait answered, waving at the bird and earning a chirp in return. "An omnivorous bird native to your island. Some locals call the mating pair, passion birds, because of the red and rose coloring of the male and female. That particular bird eats the seeds of the paopu fruit. Judging by your question, you've never seen this bird a day in your life."
"I haven't seen it before," Kairi admitted, shaking her head.
"They're at the lower end of the food chain, unfortunately," Fait said, returning her bag of feed to its original spot. "You won't typically see them unless you're in their territory. They pretty much live close to areas where the foliage matches their feathers."
"How do you know all of this?" Riku asked, turning to Fait for her answer.
"I went to your library," Fait replied, retrieving her canteen of water to drink. "Some of the locals knew about the bird, too, and asked me for a picture of the one that I saw. I think your people are trying to preserve her species. It must be extremely rare. I found a couple of animals that must endangered. Some townsfolk kept buying my pictures. Selphie's been helping make copies."
"You met Selphie?" Kairi shouted rather than questioned. When Fait nodded, she said, "That means you met Tidus and Wakka. So, you know our friends! But what about the old man? I never met him before."
"He found me first and decided to help me," Fait replied. "Sage knew I wasn't from here and decided to test me to see if I was trustworthy. I think I passed his test. Don't think just because he's old that he's weak, too, though. He will put a hurtin' on you."
"Hiding in plain sight," Riku mumbled under his breath.
That's what Master Yen Sid meant. Riku shook his head to snap out of his thinking and took note to Fait walking to the beach. It looked like she was waiting for something. She took a similar stance in Prydain when she disappeared into the Realm of Darkness to train. Obviously, she's about to fight some group of Heartless or some other kind of enemy, but her behavior and attire was different. She looked... more... beautiful this time. While Riku wasn't romantically interested in Fait in the slightest because he knew the extent of her dark powers, he wasn't going to lie to himself and say she was an ugly teen. By no means was she ugly at all; in fact, she almost looked like she belonged on Destiny Islands. If not on his home world, then she must belong to a different island. She didn't have pale skin and seemed unbothered by the tropical climate. She was adventurous from the sound of it and seemed to be fond of discovering new worlds. Why destroy them then? That's what confused Riku to no end. Unlike everyone else, he watched Fait crush a world bare-handed. She wasn't even ordered to do it! She was lost in her own rage. The girl he was seeing now was completely different.
"I have some time before training begins," Fait started, collecting some pearlescent seashells from the shores. "Did Master Yen Sid send you here for questioning?"
"Actually, we're supposed to be watching you," Kairi answered. "You're kind of have a red flag on your head."
"Ah, you think I'm too dangerous unsupervised," Fait clarified, tossing a purple shell back in the water. She was set on finding smaller shells. She continued, "I figured that would happen so I understand."
"Why are you on Maleficent's side anyway?" Riku asked. "You seem to be strong enough with a keyblade. I know you could fight her back with some ease."
"I've always been with Maleficent," Fait replied, turning to Riku but evaluating the shells in her hand. She tossed away another shell, seemingly too large for the shells in her hand, and surprised herself when a hermit crab opened its claws at her. She chuckled at it and knelt down to the shore to place the crab back. She then said, "She found me when I was little. She was never really unkind to me unless it was necessary. With Pete, it was kind of the same thing. He's my friend in a way. They both did what you're doing now, just watching me. Making sure I'm okay or that I'm not using my powers for something else. I lived my life as a normal little girl until I was ready to use the keyblade at will. I had a harder time learning how to fight back then."
Seeing a stray fish swimming towards her, Fait looked up at it and saw it circling a shiny object. Curious herself, she crept over to it and picked it up. It was a gemstone! It almost looked like tourmaline, a gemstone not typically found in water. Since the gem matched the size of her shells, Fait collected it and some other colorful shells nearby. Needing a container to hold all of her shells, she rose to stand and opened her sash to make it into a satchel of sorts. It was wide enough to form a cup and she proceeded to speak when neither keyblade master said a word.
"Heartless were scarier," Fait continued, picking up a blue and yellow shell. "Villains were harsher to me. Missions took ages because I didn't know where to go. Maleficent finally decided that I was too young to fight so she let me grow up some more. I learned how to read, write, and navigate. Once I came of age, she let me go on missions and helped me learn magic. The better I got, the more I wanted to learn to fight. Soon, I found other teachers along the way who helped me overcome a lot of hurdles Maleficent simply couldn't guide me through. When Maleficent was pleased with me, she tested my strength and named me a master. She let me live for a few years in peace as a normal girl again. Oh! I'm sorry. I'm saying all of this and it's completely unnecessary. Simply put, she didn't give me a reason not to be by her side. She raised me."
"She never did anything to make you question her intentions?" Riku questioned, waving a hand for emphasis. "Nothing evil comes to mind?"
"If she did, it wasn't anything memorable," Fait said, counting the number of shells in her sash. She then giggled at one particular memory and said, "Actually, there is one thing that she made me question."
"What?" Kairi questioned, wondering why Fait would laugh at something evil Maleficent had done.
"Her ability to cook!" Fait said with a stronger laugh. "I remember when I first started living with her and Pete. I was too young to cook so she ordered Pete to make me something. I was losing my baby teeth at the time and he made me a bunch of meat dishes that were too tough to chew. Maleficent got so mad at him that she shocked him and summoned a cookbook for toddlers. He made this one dish with eggs and just couldn't get it to stop burning, so Maleficent tried to show him how to do it. But she got so frustrated that the eggs wound up coming to life when she used her magic to make it easier! I was so busy running away from the egg monster that I bumped into Pete's spices and some salt had fallen on it and turned it into porridge. It wasn't a hard recipe at all. They just forgot to add salt. Pete and I basically became cooking partners until I could do the cooking on my own. I never forgot that! If nothing else, now you know Maleficent's weakness. She can't cook!"
Fait laughed lightly, remembering the event of her past, and soon Kairi joined her in that laughter. While Riku didn't laugh as strongly as the girls, he did smirk a little until he saw a joining of lights. He gasped quietly when he saw Kairi and Fait's lights sort of dancing around each other. They shared some joy in this subtle memory and for a moment became friends through the power of their lights. In that same moment, Fait had become beautiful and seemed perfectly innocent of any crime. Her smile and laugh were contagious and magnetic. In a way, she was like Sora. Happy just being herself. Kairi turned to look at Riku, noticing that he was oddly quiet, and saw a look in his eyes that was unreadable at first. The more she observed, though, the more she started to see it. There was a different kind of light appearing from him. It was like a spark - only lighting when something struck the surface in rapid motions.
"Oh! I think it's time," Fait said, walking over to her meditation spot and placing her shells on her mat.
Riku blinked for a second, watching Fait return to her alerted stance once she returned to the middle of the beach. Kairi looked at Fait for a brief moment before returning her gaze to Riku. The look in his eyes might have disappeared in exchange for a curious frown, but she could still see that spark emanating from him. It was only a few notches fainter than before. When Fait made a hissing noise, Kairi returned her attention to the blonde girl.
She punched the air about four times before changing to an open palm set of strikes. Her eyes were closed, she synchronized with the wind gusts. A pulse of power spanned out and gave Kairi that heart-stopping feeling again. Fait changed to a more defensive style, only blocking and guarding in between punches and high kicks. Another pulse echoed. With ease, the blonde moved to mid-kicks and low kicks and her open palms became knife hands. Another pulse echoed. Her arms swung in windmill motions and she was bent down low enough to the sands. Another pulse echoed. She pivoted on one foot until she balanced all of her weight on the sole of her foot. The other leg was outstretched and her arms stretched out in slow, open palm movements. Another pulse echoed. When she pivoted again, she performed a high kick and transitioned to a mid kick until she landed her final punches. Another pulse echoed. Hearing the waves crash against each other in the distance, Fait performed what looked like a dance mixed a flurry of punches and kicks until she returned to her original stance. The final pulse spanned out and returned to her in full force seven times until a Corridor to Light had peeled open and an orb was summoned.
Fait immediately went into a defensive stance and let the orb split into seven entities. Riku and Kairi simply watched with amazement at how easily Fait was able to defend herself against her ethereal opponents. Some of the entities were more aggressive than others. Two seemed to be using more magic spells against Fait and looked like they were dancing the way she was earlier. The sheer strength of the blizzard spells being thrown at her would have frozen a normal Heartless or at least did some real damage. Her opponents were pairing up now with exception to one of them. This particular one was on standby the entire time. Fait was in constant defense against the other six. A thunder spell sounded in the middle of the battle and one of the figures was zipping past. Fait was able to guard a few of that entity's attacks but not all of them. When she got hit for a fifth time, she changed her stance to an offensive and angry stance. Fait took a deep breath and changed her hands to a balled fist and knife hand. When one of the entities came at her again with Thunder magic, Fait was able to surprise it by using Thunder to up her speed. She attacked in a flurry of punches and kicks until two of the entities disappeared. The last entity on standby had begun to elongate and form limbs like a proper molding of a body.
Four were left to fight now. Fait reeled back a fist to her side and let the other fist reach outward. She waited for the entities to attack and they did. They attacked with greater fervor and more advanced spells. Fait took another deep breath and attacked in windmill motions. This time she was releasing a flurry of attacks at once and guarding more frequently. An entity left an opening and Fait took that opportunity to grab the entity and throw it another before elbowing both. Two more entities disappeared. Two were left to fight. The last entity on standby had begun to form stronger limbs. It had fingers and toes. A head was forming and becoming a little more solid. The last two entities had merged into each other and became far more aggressive than before. Their magic spells became even more advanced. Fait had to call out to the magic that Destiny Islands had bestowed upon her before. She was only equipped to use the power of wind, water, and healing. While there was another element she could call out to, it would have to wait until much later.
While Kairi noticed that the fight was getting more intense, Riku took notice to other things like the fact that Fait's hair was coming out of the bun. Normally, Riku would kick himself about that kind of detail but there were others that were beginning to bother him. For example, the way Fait kissed her fingers to unleash her magic and twirled about to form a sort of magical barrier similar to his and Aqua's Barrier. Fait's barrier was a bit different somehow. Usually, the barrier was a key factor in determining whether or not someone could use magic, but, in Fait's case, the barrier acted as a magic holder. It was like her magic was acting as the shells that rested in her satchel when she was collecting them but the actual aura surrounding her was the satchel itself. When Fait placed a hand on her hip, she stomped her right foot and formed an actual defensive barrier underneath the magic-holding barrier. That got Riku's instant attention. When Kairi noticed Riku being more attentive to Fait, she observed him again and caught that spark from before but it was slowly flashing this time. The rapid flashing was beginning to slow down.
When the two returned to the fight at hand, Fait was practically destroying her opponent with the open-palm approach and her use of Cure was timed practically flawlessly. She power-punched the merged entity and was finally face to face with the last one. It took the surrounding sands, winds, and waters to form a complete body that looked exactly like Fait but maybe a couple of years younger and with shorter hair. This final version of Fait used an open-palm stance and balanced on one foot in a low position. Fait used a knife-hand stance but instead stood on one foot only to elevate herself further on her tip toes. This was a stance neither Riku or Kairi saw her use when she summoned these entities to fight. Both opponents took a deep breath. This time, the real Fait went on the offensive and attacked first. While Riku was focused on the fight, Kairi noticed another onlooker at the docks and smiled. When Fait screamed from a hard hit, Kairi looked back and watched Fait get knocked back a couple of feet. The girl responded quickly and backflipped to dodge more hits from her shadow form. Fait managed to high kick her opponent and knock her back.
"These beings that she's fighting..." Riku whispered to himself. "Were they all just copies of herself?"
"I don't know," Kairi responded, shaking her head. "This last one looks like her and fights like her, but the others didn't look like her at all. They didn't have real bodies, but... they all had real magic and strength and speed. They were able to find openings to attack. Maybe they're copies of herself at different times. Remember how she said she found other teachers in her past? Maybe these copies are taking powers from those times."
"Fighting herself at different levels of mastery?" Riku asked to himself, folding his arms with some thought. "Maybe that's why she's having a harder time defending herself now. She's getting closer to her current level."
With a final battle cry, Fait summoned the power of thunder and unleashed a hellish attack on her final copy, finally defeating her. A burst of sand, water, wind, and light exploded in Fait's face and she kneeled down to catch her breath. She noticed that she was struggling to keep up with her final form. It was time to create a new entity. Her powers had grown since her hiatus; meaning, she wasn't at total equilibrium with her light and darkness just yet. Rising to stand, Fait took some deep breaths and calmed her heart beat until she was synchronized with the world again. She closed her eyes, lifted her arms, and called out to the seven entities to reform them. The first two entities she defeated returned to Fait's heart and the other five returned to the Corridor of Light. Once the corridor closed, Fait dipped low into a defensive stance and performed her routine once again. She released breaths in between her punches and kicks this time. When she completed her routine, a new entity leapt from her chest and formed limbs to copy her movements until they were mirrored exactly. When the two completed their routine, they faced each other and waved in respect of the other. Fait blew specks of her light at the entity to surround it and watched it disappear into the sky. She smiled happily, stretched her arms above her head, and flopped onto her back in the sands. Fait heard footsteps approach her but didn't respond to them. Instead she sort of cuddled into the sands until it got comfortable for her and let the sun rest on her face. When a fully realized blanket of shade covered her face, she looked up to see the Destiny Island trio hovering above her.
Not appreciating the lack of sun, Fait heaved out a sigh and asked, "Mind not blocking the sun? It felt nice."
"Where'd you learn to train like that?" Kairi asked, crouching next to the girl.
"Maleficent taught me how to control shadows. I sort of taught myself how to make shadows of myself," Fait said, turning to Kairi to speak. She returned to looking up at the sky but still saw Sora and Riku staring at her. She then said with a sigh, "You're still blocking the sun."
"How come you don't use your keyblade to train? Seems like you'd be good at it," Sora said, completely blocking out the sun.
"Thanks, Blue, but the purpose of this particular training is to fight without a keyblade," Fait responded, looking at Sora. "I'm trying to reach equilibrium with my powers. Looks like I haven't reached it yet. Both my light and darkness have gotten stronger than the entities I created so far."
"What happens when you meet in the middle with your power?" Sora asked.
"Then, I can start using my weapons to train," Fait answered simply, looking at her hands before placing them behind her head. "I started this kind of training because I wanted to be balanced, but it seems like every time I complete a session I reach a new point instead and not a middle ground. I'm not supposed to be able to defeat my shadows without a weapon. Even though I struggled a little bit this time, I'm supposed to struggle a whole lot more. That's the way it works."
"Did one of your teachers tell you that?" Riku asked, earning a nod from Fait.
"If you don't mind, can you please stop blocking the sun?" Fait asked with a fake cry.
"One more question and then I'll move," Riku said defiantly, watching Sora lie down on his back while Kairi simply sat in between them.
"How did Maleficent test you after your training with another teacher?" Riku asked. "Was she looking for balance?"
Fait shook her head in response and responded, "She was looking for power. She needed to know my limits and knowledge. If I hadn't gained a new power or a new skill or a new way to travel to different worlds, she closed off any gates I could escape through until I learned something of interest. Sometimes, if I failed to do so, she would strip away my power and force me to relearn everything up until that point."
"But that's crazy!" Riku argued, earning his friends' attention. "That's the evil thing you should've questioned in the beginning!"
"What would you have done differently if I failed a mission that you gave me, Master Riku?" Fait asked, looking directly at the boy with an unearthly seriousness. "If you gave me a mission to save someone from the clutches of darkness and I instead let that person be taken away, what would you do?"
"You expect me to believe that Maleficent would give you a mission like that?" Riku questioned, gritting his teeth out of anger and a hint of regret because he knew he probably would've punished Fait harshly for such a betrayal.
Fait looked back up to the sky and said quietly, "From the sound of it, I don't think any of you would. I should tell Master Yen Sid to forget the test. You all have bad blood among you and Maleficent. Why bother with the title? It's obvious I don't deserve it, even with the training I did to avoid relying on the keyblade so much and to avoid using it for evil."
"To be honest," Sora started, interrupting the argument, "I think... I would've been angry at you. I know what it looks like now when someone is taken over by darkness. So many terrible things can be done to a person. They can be manipulated, abused, even tortured. If I told you to save someone and you openly chose not to, I would've taken away your keyblade for sure and made you fight only with your hands. If you failed, you failed. You'll either have to start from the beginning or not at all..."
"Sora..." Kairi whispered, seeing the conflict in Sora's face. He really would've been heartbroken if his apprentice had chosen another path.
"But I also believe in second chances, too," Sora said, smiling brightly. "I don't think I could've stayed mad at you forever. If it was an honest mistake or if you were too weak to fight against a powerful darkness, I know you didn't mean to so I'd forgive you but train you a little better. That's a better way to handle a failure!"
Fait turned to look at Sora and then back to the sky. She smirked and said, "That's definitely different."