Here's the next chapter! Kalika has quite a turnaround here…not so much like her mother anymore, eh? Anyways…

The next morning, as the sunlight began to pour into her room, Kalika awoke. She looked down and stared at Zidane for a moment; for once in quite a while, he was breathing deeply and easily; he actually looked peaceful.

Kylima's going to be here within the hour, she thought, staring down at the peaceful genome on her bed, He's going to have to be shackled again.

Kalika watched as a ray of sunlight his Zidane's face, lighting it up. His long lashes parted and his azure-emerald eyes focused on her. Her face must have betrayed the thought; Zidane stood up and walked over to the place he had been bound the last night. Kalika quietly walked over to him and, against his ear, whispered, "I wouldn't do it if it weren't necessary," Zidane gave a half-hearted smile. "I know," he whispered back.

She bound him, giving him as much slack as she could without making it look like he was free. She kissed his forehead; there were tears in her eyes. "What's the matter?" Zidane asked softly. "Nothing," Kalika whispered.

She slipped out of the room.

I0I0I0I0I

Kalika went down to the dungeon, to find Kylima. She was at the grindstone, sharpening her knives. Kalika stared for a moment at the gleaming metal before quietly saying, "He's going to be executed at Alexandria, is he not?" Kylima smiled and nodded. "I have a proposition for you, then." Kalika said, softly, sitting down next to Kylima.

"Go on," Kylima said with a gleam in her eye.

"What if we leave Zidane out to die, for three days, and if he's not dead within those three days, you may kill him as you please." A look of confusion crossed Kylima's face.

"You don't want him to suffer?" she asked, looking slightly concerned. "Oh," she whispered at length, "He's gotten to you, hasn't he?" Kalika turned away. "Look, I'm giving him a chance to die peacefully, and I'm also giving you a change to kill him as you please."

"But you know he won't last the three days, don't you?" Kylima retorted. "I'm hoping he won't, yes." Kalika said softly.

Kylima set down her knife for a moment and turned her full attention to Kalika. "If I agree to this, and he does survive the three day period, you can't back down. I'll need blood. I'll want guards posted near him for those three days, to be sure that no one rescues him or that animals don't kill him. If he dies in that time, it'll be from natural causes, understand?" Kalika nodded.

"Now, why the change of heart? You seemed to be enjoying him at your wedding…" Kalika shook her head. "Perhaps it was the blood. I really don't know. It just seems to me that he's been through too much over the past few months of his life…he's already been killed once, you know."

"I know. And that's why we're killing him again." Kylima picked up the gleaming knife and stared at it for a moment, running a finger along the edge. "He doesn't deserve to live; you know that."

"Still I…"

"Listen," Kylima said, gently placing a hand on Kalika's shoulder, "I'll take care of it, alright? I'll tie him in a tree outside Alexandria. I'll set everything up, so you don't have to…how does that sound?"

Kalika nodded softly. "Hey," Kylima said, gently rubbing her shoulder, "You have to remember, he deserves everything he's getting. Shall I show you?"

Kalika nodded. Curiosity overwhelmed her sense of fear, and she followed Kylima to her own quarters. She watched as Kylima went over to where Zidane was bound and lifted his head. Zidane gave a soft moan; Kalika knew he was exhausted, thirsty, hungry, and in excruciating pain. She watched in quiet horror as Kylima turned him around and showed Kalika his back. The genome, to his credit, was amazingly quiet, saying nothing and staying as still as he could be. His back was brutally striped; it hurt Kalika to know that she helped contribute to that. "How is that a reason? It just shows cruelty," she asked, staring at Zidane. He didn't know what Kylima wanted; but he was very afraid…it showed.

"Forget it." Kylima said softly. "I'm taking him to Alexandria." She unbound the now confused genome and took him down to the dungeon, Kalika following. "Alexandria?" Zidane asked softly, a look of slight hopefulness in his face. Kalika shook her head, sadly as Kylima set him in a pair of cruel shackles. "She's taking you there to be executed." Kalika said, gently touching the side of his face. A look of pure helplessness crossed Zidane's features. "How am I to die?" Kylima, evidently, had had enough. With one cruel slap, she cried, "Silence!"

Kylima led Zidane up to the horse stable, where she had a horse prepared. She lifted a collar up and over Zidane's head, fixing it firmly along his throat. She brought the chain forward, where she tied it to the saddle. Zidane, in his weakness, was going to have to walk.

Kalika swung up onto her own horse. They set off.

I0I0I0I0I

It wasn't long before Zidane was utterly exhausted. He couldn't lag behind, lest he get dragged by the throat, which was not something he wanted to do.

Kylima, all of a sudden, dug he heels into her horse's sides. The horse broke into a full-out gallop, dragging Zidane behind. Kalika darted forward on her horse and grabbed Kylima's horse's reins before she killed Zidane. Not stopping to ask, Kalika went over to Zidane and cut him free, before gently lifting him up and into her saddle. Without a word she swung up again.

Gentle as a lover, Kalika pulled the collar off of him. She tenderly ran her fingers along his throat. As she had feared, the collar had cut him a bit. He seemed fine; he was leaning against her for fear, but his breathing was miraculously normal.

Their journey continued. Kylima said nothing, and neither did Kalika. Zidane rested against her a lot. She didn't do much for him, besides being there. She didn't baby him, nor did she simply ignore him. Zidane had a feeling it was because she was taking him out to his death.

At length, they came to the familiar forest of Alexandria. Upon picking a tree, Kylima lifted him up, binding his wrists around a branch. She let him hang there for a little while, enjoying watching him struggle in acute pain.

Kalika ordered the guards to watch him, not to let anything touch him, and to let him alone.

AN/ Yes, I'm evil. GL's are gonna love the next chapter…and Blank is actually going to BE in the next chapter! YAY! Someone else from ff9! Every one dance! Sorry…