Whee! School is finally over! And somehow since it's conclusion I've found myself more busy than usual. I'm teaching dance every other day pretty much with the new summer session of dance classes, and taking classes on weekends, as well as juggling friend time which has totally taken all opportunities to sleep in. I'm not complaining though! It's been fun and now here I am with a new chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Unavoidable

Cannon fire sent waves of terror down Roxas' spine as he sat below deck, curled up tightly under the sheets of the bed and keeping his eyes shut tight. He could feel the ship twisting and turning, shaking with each cannon fired, shouts and cries of agony and triumph, clanging metal and firing pistols. It was enough to scare him out of his wits. Never had he been so close to such a bloody massacre and he found himself holding his breath while waiting for it to be over.

And then, all of a sudden, everything went quiet. Deathly silent and he quivered with hope that it was all over. It must have been hours since this had started and the silence was nearly as frightening as the noise of the brawl up on deck. Had the pirates won? Or was it the merchant ship from Halloween Town? Would they be able to save him from this prison on the water? So many questions and he couldn't answer any of them. Minutes passed and there was still no noise, no cheers of victory from either crew and slowly he climbed out of his safe shelter, peering out the window to see what was going on.

The other ship was still right alongside them but neither ship was moving. It was eerie and Roxas found himself torn between what to do. If he stayed here then he'd be taking his chances with the pirates, but if the merchant ship had won and they were up on deck now, this could be his chance to get away. Taking a deep breath he pulled himself together and left the safety of the room. The hall was empty, all the doors were shut and he followed the stairs all the way up to deck.

He could still smell gunpowder in the air and there were bloodstains on the floor as well as foreign corpses, but he tried not to look at them. There wasn't a living soul in sight and he stepped out onto the deck, walking carefully along the boards and waiting for any sign of life. Suddenly there was the distinct noise of a door opening behind him and he turned around, ready to run, but froze to the floor when he saw the captain.

When he saw Roxas he looked mildly amused, and made Roxas squirm with the cold stare. He'd felt that stare on him before, and he couldn't stop himself from pulling his eyes away. He quickly looked back though when he heard footsteps coming toward him, but he was too petrified to move from where he stood. The captain grabbed a fistful of his hair though and jerked his stare up to his, knowing it horrified the boy. Roxas felt sick, he couldn't do this again, he couldn't!

"Captain."

Roxas was still too scared to move, let alone see who was there. Xemnas looked over though and scowled, "What?"

"I just thought you should know that the boy's been marked."

Xemnas looked back at Roxas and roughly pushed his head back further to see the mark on his neck, "So he has…" was all he said before shoving Roxas away and continuing on his way casually. Roxas, still shaken, had little to no balance and fell back to the deck.

"You okay?" Roxas looked up when he heard the same voice again and he saw a face he didn't recognize. Despite his help, Roxas still didn't like the idea of meeting another pirate and he scooted away. "No, no, no, it's okay," assured the pirate, "I'm a friend of Axel's."

Roxas was a bit relieved to hear that, but he still wasn't thrilled at the thought of meeting another pirate, especially considering the fact that he had bloodstains on his clothing and a knife tucked into a sheath strap around his upper arm. "Roxas right?" asked the pirate, pulling him up to his feet. He nodded and the pirate introduced himself, "Riku." He seemed oddly familiar, and he could remember Axel mentioning his name once or twice as well, "What happened up here? Did you guys win?"

He hadn't expected the pirate to laugh, "Ofcourse! We never lose!" Riku informed him, "The silence driving you insane?"

"Is it that obvious?" Roxas asked.

"Surprises you for the first few months but you get used to it," Riku assured him. Roxas hoped he wasn't there long enough to get used to it, but who knew what would happen. "We're just searching the ship for survivors and doing some transferring of goods, shouldn't take much longer if we just take the ship with us."

Roxas didn't really understand but he instead found himself preoccupied looking around their surroundings. Other than the blood and foreign corpses on deck there was nothing. Nothing on the horizon and he sighed heavily, wondering how long they'd be at sea and how the pirates could put up with it for so long.

"You look like your brother you know."

When Roxas heard that he immediately realized where he knew him from, "You're that-"

"Yup."

"And you and my brother are-"

"Yup."

"So he used Kairi to cover up his-"

"Yup."

"And you attacked the-"

"Yup."

Roxas just stared, wondering just what drove his brother into such an odd relationship and how the pirate could grin and answer so casually. He knew he'd seen him around the palace before! And sure he'd had his suspicions about what his brother was doing with such and odd outsider in the palace, but this?!

"Don't get me wrong, I love him and everything but orders are orders," Riku said with a shrug, "If the captains orders we attack then we attack, regardless of any feelings we have for the victims." Roxas glared at him, disgusted by how casually he tossed around the world love, and how he could put orders about that, "If you loved him then you wouldn't have hurt him!"

"I didn't! In fact I kept him and his name clean for the entire mess," he said, explaining what had transpired in the throne room when sure there were no other members on deck. Even after hearing what he'd done though Roxas still wasn't satisfied.

"You don't get it. We don't have a choice here. We obey him no matter what," Riku said, and Roxas noted an edge in his voice he hadn't expected, "And I can guarantee you, if he orders Axel to he'll kill you without second thought."

Those words struck an odd chord in Roxas' head…Axel wouldn't hurt him. He knew that and he shook his head without a word, but Riku just grinned, making it clear he knew something Roxas didn't. "You don't get it," Riku laughed and Roxas felt very uncomfortable around him now, turning and heading for the stairs leading below deck. Riku watched him go, still grinning even after he was gone from sight and he checked the mark on his wrist before heading back to the foreign ship.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Riku stopped and looked up to the higher deck, spotting Luxord. There was no telling how long he'd been there but Riku knew what he was talking about, "He's going to learn about Dra Huputeac eventually. I think dropping a few hints now and then will do him some good," Riku said and almost as if it were a reflex, Luxord put a hand over his side and looked away. "At least if we warn him there's less chance he'll get sucked into it," Riku said, sounding hopeful, "And I know you're thinking the same thing."

Luxord said nothing for a few minutes before making his way down to the same level as him, "…Just be careful. Don't let Saix or Xemnas catch on," was all he said before heading back over to the other ship, Riku following behind him.

"What the hell did you-" Axel silenced his shout when he saw Roxas sleeping on the floor, his nose literally in a book and several others open around him on the floor. The room was tidy and Axel didn't know how to take it, let alone what Roxas had found, though it was clear he was more than engulfed in the books he'd found. Axel would have moved him to bed but he was filthy, clothes stained with sweat and blood from others, so he left to wash off before doing anything.

Roxas stirred when he heard running water, slowly prying him from his sleep. Carefully he peeled his cheek off the page he'd fallen asleep on and sat up, rubbing the red splotch on the side of his face. Was Axel back? He stood up and went over to the bathroom door, pushing it open and peeking inside. From this angle he could see into the angled mirror and through that he saw Axel sunk into the bathtub with his arms hung over the sides and his head back against the wall. He hadn't realized he was staring until he heard Axel say, "So, you going to stand there and keep staring or come in?"

Despite his laugh, Roxas jumped a bit and looked around as if expecting some snide comment. After a few seconds though he pushed open the door and came in, sitting down on the other side of the room. Axel looked a bit surprised by his entrance though, "…You do know I was just kidding right?" Roxas looked down at the floor immediately but didn't move anyway, figuring it would be more embarrassing to leave now.

"So, what did you think of the noise today?"

Roxas thought for a moment, trying to remember just what noise he was talking about. Must have been the fight, duh, "It made sleeping impossible."

"That's why you went up on deck?" Axel's question made it clear he'd found out about Roxas' trip and he didn't seem all that happy about it, "You're lucky Riku stopped the captain."

Roxas knew this and he was grateful but he still didn't like the encounter with the pirate who'd helped him, "…So you guys were part of the circus that came to town?"

"Yup, guess he let that one slip," Axel sighed, not expecting this bit of knowledge to get about so quickly to him. Plus, if he remembered who they were then he had pieced together the goings on of their other visits, "Bet you weren't expecting that one."

"Not really…most of the men in our family turn out gay. We marry women though and keep our sexuality under wrap to prevent political riot," Roxas said, still not looking up, "Our Island is very narrow minded and would rebel if they knew they were being led by what they hated."

When Roxas heard no reply for quite some time he looked up to see if Axel was just ignoring him, but he wasn't. He was staring with a surprised and inquiring look, "So are you following that little family quirk?"

"Well…I really don't know yet," Roxas admitted with a smile, "Personally I think it's ridiculous to think a person's sexuality is genetic, and this 'little family quirk' as you put it is just a coincidence."

Axel was curious though, "Wait, what do you mean you don't know?"

"Well I've never been in love and I figure when it happens I'll just have to accept it," Roxas said, not seeming bothered by this discussion. In fact it seemed like he'd been putting quite a lot of thought into this matter.

"Spent some time thinking up that one eh?" Axel laughed a bit before sinking under the water for several minutes. Just as Roxas considered leaving though Axel came back up for air, so he stayed still. Something was odd though that he hadn't noticed before, "What's that?"

Axel saw him pointing at the black design on his chest and he put a hand over it, "A present," he said vaguely before reaching for the towel and getting out of the tub. Roxas left the room as he got out and dried off, curious about the mark but not curious enough to stay and watch him.

"We're about two days out of Halloween Town," Axel informed him as he came out of the bathroom to grab clothes with the towel wrapped around his waist. Roxas looked out the window as he dressed and that was when he spotted something that made him stand up and go to the window for a better look. They were sailing towards something. It was small and could have easily been overlooked if he hadn't been waiting to see it for so long. Land. There was an island on the horizon, roughly the size of a quarter from here but he knew it was larger and held opportunities for him to finally get off this ship, "That's it?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

Axel finished dressing and came over to get a look as he ruffled his hair dry with another towel, "Yup, good eye." Roxas couldn't help but smile at the thought of what awaited them at the island, but was a bit intrigued when Axel informed him, "The effects of the island should take place by tomorrow morning."

"Effects?" Roxas didn't know how to take that, but he scowled a bit when Axel dropped his wet towel on the floor. It looked like it would be harder to keep the room clean than it was to clean it and Axel would be the same slob.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" Axel seemed a bit surprised, "Most islands have special effects that take hold when you're in their vicinity. Your island was pretty normal though I guess. Halloween Town has a few tricks that'll surprise you."

Roxas was rather interested, "Like what?" he asked, looking from the island to Axel for an answer.

Axel grinned and shook his finger though, "You know what, I think I'll just let you be surprised, it'll be more fun that way." Roxas' interest immediately went from a lot to 0. 'Fun'? He wasn't having any fun on this ship and if Axel was enjoying his misery then that only proved his theory about pirates true, "Jerk."

Axel seemed a bit surprised to hear that and he looked at Roxas oddly, "What was that for?"

"For being a pirate," Roxas scowled before going over and getting into bed without another word. Axel was still confused but shrugged it off and followed him into bed with a slightly amused grin as he said, "See you in the morning."

Riku paced from one end to the other, looking flustered and somewhat of a mess. As soon as he saw Luxord come up onto deck he hurried over and eagerly took the collar from him, "Took you long enough," he said quickly putting it on and immediately looking relieved.

Luxord laughed at him, "Poor mutt." Riku growled unintentionally and Luxord laughed more, "I hate this island!" Riku spat, leaving Luxord's side without thanking him. Luxord followed though, "Aw, I'm just kidding. It's not your fault."

"We'd better not stay here long," Riku huffed, heading for the bow to resume his lookout shift.

"I like this island," Luxord said, "So many odd people."

"You like it because you get to make fun of me," Riku corrected him with a glare.

Luxord nodded, "That's another perk," he laughed before petting Riku on the head. Out of the entire crew Riku had the roughest effect from this island and after their first visit several years ago Luxord had to figure out a way to take the edge off, and just to mock his transformation he enchanted a collar for him.

Only a few minutes later they crossed the invisible border and Riku and Luxord changed first since they were at the front of the ship. Luxord could immediately feel the bandages wrapping and sealing themselves around his entire body and stopping at the top of his neck, and his clothes turned into an old very tattered suit which was torn in numerous areas. The constriction of the bandages would take a while to get used to even if it wouldn't restrict his movement. Riku hunched over and grabbed the guardrail, cringing as he changed for several moments but when it was all over he stood back up seeming to feel perfectly fine. Ofcouse there were a few notable differences. For starters: the wolfish ears and tail, also the fur on his clawed hands and feet. Like Luxord his clothes hand changed into straight leg black pants and a fitted long sleeved white and black vest top, more fur around his neck and covering half of the front of his shirt and shoulders as well as a few bits coming over the top of his collar; the rest of his body was furless though, including his torso, face, arms, and legs though the fur he did have matched his natural hair color.

"All better?" Luxord asked, wondering if it was over and Riku nodded before readjusting his collar, some of the fur bent uncomfortably around it. If it weren't for the collar though this could have been a lot worse and he wasn't going to go through that again.

"Woo! Almost to land!"

Both pirates cringed when they heard the delighted voice, both too tired to put up with the explosion of energy approaching them. Demyx didn't know that though and he immediately jumped onto Riku's back, hugging him and looking ahead at the island, "Excited?" Demyx asked, playing with the fur around his neck.

"Meh, we were only at sea for a month this time so it wasn't that bad," Luxord said as he pried Demyx off of Riku, who looked ready to bite his head off.

Demyx had changed already and was now dressed in plaid pants with a long sleeved green top, straw protruding out of his shirt sleeves and collar, gloves, as well at around his ankles and shoes. He wasn't a very scary scarecrow and he looked and acted just as childish in it, "You guys heard the plans yet?"

"No not…Wait, how does he know before us?" Riku asked, looking to Luxord for council, whom seemed just as shocked.

"Xiggy told me!" Demyx boasted and the other two weren't surprised but instead asked, "What're we doing?"

"Remember how the king owes us one?" Demyx asked with a grin and they nodded before he informed them, "Well someone from the island is offering us twice as much for information proving he got into office illegally!"

"And that's what we're going to be responsible for I suppose," Luxord sighed, not thrilled by the concept, "We're pirates, not spies."

"There's more," Demyx added, gaining their attention, "He's having some of us go under cover at the palace and while they're there we're going to rob the king blind!"

"That's more like it!" Riku liked that idea, "Whose getting sent in?"

"Not sure, but we'll probably find out when we dock tomorrow night and the captain announces this plan," Demyx figured with a shrug.

Luxord seemed satisfied but something bothered him, "You figure after that heist at Destiny Island the captain would have something grander planned."

"I'm sure he does," Riku nodded, "We just wont find out about it until it's too late, as usual." Luxord shot him a look, understanding the hidden meaning unlike Demyx, who just didn't seem to care, "Oh well," Demyx said with a grin as he stood up, "Whatever we run into we'll just bitch slap in the face!" and with that said he hurried across deck to find another soul to converse with and spread the latest news about the plan.

"Watch your tongue," Luxord warned him, "You're saying too much lately."

"It's not too late for him though Luxord," Riku said but Luxord shook his head, "Yes it is, so stop trying to warn him. It happens to us all and I'm sure you've noticed the way the captain's been treating him. It's already started and there's no escaping it now."

"But Demyx is-"

"One of us! And it's time he joined us!" Luxord snarled, temper flaring and Riku retaliated, "When he signed into the crew nobody warned him of the cost!"

"None of us were warned," Luxord said, calming down a bit and adding in, "It's easier that way." Riku said nothing for several minutes, unable to believe they were doing nothing to warn him. "It's too late for him to escape Riku. Even if you did warn him now the captain would make sure you end up at the bottom of the ocean."

Riku gave up and sat down on the guard rail and Luxord joined him with a sigh, "…It's a curse and we all have to endure it." His words of wisdom seemed to help little and Luxord cleared his throat before adding, "And if you're trying to spare that new boy the curse, then I recommend talking to Axel about your plans. He seems rather interested in the boy's fate." Riku had noticed that too and wasn't sure what to make of it, but when they finally got to land and could venture off the ship there would be plenty of opportunities to figure out what he planned to do. Maybe they could figure out a surefire way to make sure the newest person on the ship didn't befall the same fate as the rest of them.

Riku nodded and took out his watch to check the time, "Right… well my shifts over. Have fun," he said, getting up and heading for the stairs.

"Be careful," Luxord warned, making Riku stop and turn back, "If you plan on being a martyr then you can plan on enduring the consequences that come with the title." Luxord could understand why he was doing this though. He too wanted to spare Roxas from this fate as well but he knew what would happen if he got caught and, unlike Riku, that consequence outweighed his desire to do good.

"Goodnight Luxord," was all Riku said in response and Luxord couldn't help but smile a bit, "Good night mutt."

So incase people are wondering what the pirates look like Halloween-o-fied keep your eyes on my DA (Linked through my profile here. My DA is my homepage) I'm doing rough sketches of a few and plan to post them as I get finished. Riku's is done and it'll be up tonight, but that aside, what did you guys think? A bit of mystery surrounding this curse but it'll be delved into more detail later on in the story. Until next time though I ask you all to review and I thank you for taking the time to read! Wishing you all the best in all the world!

Your loving bohemian, Mad-TopHat-Ter