Chapter 10: The Cunning Disguise

A hidden stone door embedded in the wall slid open and one of the cloaked men who had kidnapped Skye stepped out, this time with his hood pulled back. He had grey eyes and a shag of blonde hair. He didn't look much older than 18. Skye, left alone in the stone room after Riku had gone, glared at him.

"Dax had better be happy with this, Rio." She said, defiant of her tears. He nodded.

"Don't worry, he is. You don't look so happy though." He said, as if enjoying her pain. She narrowed her eyes, fighting the urge to sob.

"Did you expect me to be?" She asked, her voice sharp. He took her arm and led her out of the room and into the hallway full of cells. The guard was returning to shut the door. Skye's eyes dropped to the floor again.

"…Is he gone?" She asked. The guard paused, looking at Rio, and then nodded. Skye let out a long breath. "Good." The guard scurried past and Rio tugged on her arm.

"Now, I believe I have my first request of you." He said, grinning maliciously. His eyes raked down her body and she felt naked even though her clothing covered her entirely. Her breath caught.

"No!" She cried, knowing what he wanted. His grip on her upper arm tightened and he glowered at her.

"You said you'd do anything…" He said dangerously. She pulled away from him.

"You know this isn't what I meant! Dax said you can't hurt me!" She said desperately. He caught her arm.

"Then let this be a lesson to you to say what you mean." He muttered darkly, grabbing her roughing and pushing her through on of the heavy wooden doors. It was her own cell, admittedly more comfortable than Riku's, but her prison nonetheless. Rio stepped into the room and Skye back up against the wall. "Besides, it won't hurt if you stop resisting." He said cruelly, shutting the door with a soft snap behind him. She narrowed her eyes at him as he walked towards her.

"Touch me and I'll kill you." She threatened angrily. He laughed.

"Then let's see what you can do." He answered, grabbing both of her shoulders. She let out a growl and kicked him in the groin. He howled in pain, collapsing to his knees. She kneed him in the head to knock him out and shut him up, which apparently worked out very well. He fell flat on floor and she ran for the door. It was locked. She glanced around, afraid of what would happen when Rio came to. Then she realized that he had to have keys, so she searched him, and found what she was looking for. The door swung easily open, and she pocketed the keys, thinking that they might later come in handy. She stepped out onto the metal walkway and looked both ways. The guard was standing at the door and he glared at her suspiciously. She gulped and walked the other way, trying to look confident and innocent. The next wooden door was open slightly, and she peered into it. The room looked like her own: a small bed, a table and a toilet. There was one difference though: there was a window on the opposite wall. She slipped into the room and shut the door. She scrambled through the window, dropping rather gracefully to the ground a few feet below. Night had just fallen, and she was very grateful for the cover of dark. Her eyes scanned her surroundings. There was a cliff in front of her, which dropped off into the water. She knew that the ships were docked in a small cove below, accessible by a set of stone stairs. To her left were a set of buildings which looked like barracks. To her right was the road that led from the imposing stone fortress into a wooded area. All roads lead to somewhere, and chances are, that's where I'll find him. She thought grimly, peering around for any sign of life. There were patrols, she knew, but there was no sign of them. Taking the chance, she ran across the clearing between the Fortress and the woods.

A few minutes later, back inside the Fortress, Dax burst into the room where Rio lay prone, the guard that had been assigned to Skye, the same one who had seen her escape, cowering behind him. Dax, the leader of the group who had kidnapped Skye, spun around, blue eyes burning holes through the guard.

"You just let her escape?" He bellowed. Below, Riku, who had listened to the entire exchange between Rio and Skye, sat up. She gone! He asked silently, growing anxious. Those footsteps then, they were hers, not Rio's, and the cries of pain were his, not Skye's.

"It never occurred to me that lord Rio had lost control of the situation…" The guard stuttered, trying to explain himself.

"I DON'T CARE!" Dax shouted furiously. There was a long silence, and Riku sat as quietly as he could, listening intently. He leaned forward, waiting for the conversation to continue, and in the process, knocked the empty water jug off the cot. It fell with a clatter to the floor. Dax heard the sound and looked down, a smirk crossing his face. The guard looked afraid.

"M-m'lord?"

"Get me that boy." He said. "Bring him to the dungeon." He ordered, sweeping by the guard and walking away. Riku sat very still in his cell. The dungeon? The guard appeared a moment later, once again fumbling with his keys. This time, however, he looked like he almost pitied Riku, which was most definitely a very bad sign.

Crack!

"Where…"

Crack!

"…is…"

Crack!

"…she!"

Crack! Darkness was eating away at the corners of Riku's vision as he collapsed to his knees, or tried to. His wrists were shackled above his head, holding him on his feet. His back was covered in burning welts. Dax was standing in front of him, and there were two guards standing on either side and just behind him. Dax was holding a chain whip, which he cracked absently against the floor, in time with the crack of the guard's own whips against his back. Riku cringed.

"I already told you! I don't know!" He barked in reply. Dax rolled his eyes.

"And I've already told you that you do." He answered. Crack, crack. Riku groaned.

"How am I supposed to know where she is? I was in my cell the whole time! I didn't even know she'd left!" He answered desperately. "I don't know why she'd even want to leave, if this guys she loves so much is here." He said, his breath coming short. Dax paused.

"I see." He said, putting his whip down on a table. Riku relaxed visibly. Dax smirked.

"Every word that issues from the lovely Skye's mouth is the highest truth…" He said mockingly. Riku would have glared at him, but didn't have the strength. Dax turned on his heel and walked towards the door. "Let this sickeningly gullible boy down. Clean out the welts and take him back to the cell." He ordered before disappearing through the doorway. The two guards bowed and stepped back out of Riku's field of vision for a moment. There was the sound of wood on wood, and then water. Then, scalding salt water was dumped over his back. He cried out in surprise and pain. Then next thing he knew, his hands were freed and he fell to the ground, his chaffed wrists throbbing. Sweat made his silver hair stick to his face. He couldn't remember being in so much pain before; not even when he was fighting Sora did he feel like he did now. And all of this for a girl who doesn't love me anymore… was his last thought before he finally blacked out.

The next day, when Riku finally came to again, he found a guard standing at his cell door. This one was tall and lanky, with greasy brown hair.

"I been told to let ya know that yer to be hanged in two days time." He stated, trying to sound official. Riku sat up suddenly, ignoring the fact that it made the room spin.

"What? Why?" He asked desperately. The guard looked around.

"Te clear out some of these here cells. Dax says we're gettin' too full up." He answered. Riku got to his feet.

"But I'm the only one here!" He nearly shouted, getting angry. The guard shook his head.

"There're other prison wings. You and two thieves'll be getting a short drop and a quick stop at dawn. Have a good day, sir." The guard gave him a toothy, spiteful grin. Riku sat back down on his cot, head in his hands. He was going to die in 48 hours…and still, all he could think about is that he wasn't going to see Skye again.

The girl in question was sitting alone in a small tavern in a small port called only Cove Town. When she first arrived, she marveled at the lack of creativity of the people who named the town. She decided to stay at the little inn there, called the Headless Chameleon. Despite the unsavoury name, it was actually a very pleasant little inn, though Skye didn't take much happiness from it. There was a terrible feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. A few of the sailors said that the next nearest settlement was a good two days ride from Cove Town by horseback, and to make the journey on foot was a fool's errand. They also said that no one got on or off the ships without express permission from Lord Dax. So, she found herself wondering; where is Riku? It had been two days since her escape, and the evening was rolling around. She knew already that he wasn't at the Chameleon, but where else could he be? There was no where else to stay. Skye sighed, and was about to head to her room when she overheard a few older men talking.

"They say one of the unlucky ones is brand new!"

"Oh, he must have been real trouble if they're getting rid of him that fast."

"I heard he's young, too."

"Really? Don't they usually get put to work?"

"That's why I said he must have been trouble." Skye stopped and took a seat at the bar. The men were a little ways away and so she couldn't hear their words anymore. Clara, the barkeeper, was washing glasses and smiled at her.

"Evening." She greeted. Skye tried to smile at her.

"Evening." She said, knowing her upset seeped into her voice. Clara tilted her head.

"You okay?" She asked kindly. Skye shrugged.

"Did you hear anything about any executions at the Fortress or anything?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

"I did. Three men tomorrow morning. You going to watch?" Clara asked. Skye was momentarily revolted at the idea, but hid it fairly well.

"Maybe." She answered after a moment. Clara nodded.

"Everyone's going, or so I hear. It's because one of the men being executed doesn't have any crimes against him, they say. Everyone wants to know who he is that he's done something so bad that Lord Dax won't tell us what crime he committed." She said, sounding interested. The sinking feeling in Skye's stomach got worse. Just then, a man sitting a little ways down at the bar leaned towards them.

"I hear he's a demon!" He announced. He was dressed in ragged clothes and had a lazy eye. Clara rolled her eyes.

"That's Hykee, he's half crazy." She murmured. Skye nodded and Hykee continued.

"I heard he was a terrible demon! With strange powers too! No one's ever seen him before, and there's rumor he came from another world!" He shouted. Skye paled. Hykee didn't notice. "The silver haired demon boy!" He cried. Skye's eyes went wide. No…she thought desperately. She looked like she was going to be sick. Clara looked worried.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Skye nodded.

"Drank too much." She said, before hurrying off to her room. Clara blinked. It wasn't her place to ask questions, so there would be no questions asked, but she knew that Skye hadn't been drinking anything except for water all evening.

About an hour later, Skye was standing in the street. No one else was about, as it was quite late. She knew exactly what was going on. The rumors of Riku were being circulated purposely. They wanted her to show up in the morning and give herself up to save him. And she would play right into their hands, only they wouldn't know it. She stood in front of a clothing shop, with a pin in hand. Stealing is wrong…but it's not stealing if I pay them back later, right? She thought carefully, before pushing the pin into the lock and wiggling it around until there was a faint click. The door swung open and she smiled. Her adrenaline pumped through her, making her nearly tremble. Her plan was in motion.

Dawn rolled around much too fast for Riku's liking. He spent the night trying to come to terms with what was going to happen. The lanky guard showed up at his cell just before daybreak and bound his hands behind his back with thick rope before leading him down the hall. The front door of the Fortress opened into an enclosed courtyard, where a mass of people were standing and waiting. Two other men were already outside. They were led up onto a wooden platform, where the infamous noose hung. Dax appeared a few moments later.

"Now, before we begin, is there any evidence of these men's innocence yet unconsidered?" He asked the crowd. It was merely a formality; no one ever said anything. He paused for a moment and was about to speak again when a voice rang out.

"I have!" Heads turned from every direction to about the center of the crowd, which parted to allow the speaker through. Dax crossed his arms, looking unimpressed. It was a cabin boy from some merchant ship, no older than 14. He wore loose fitting clothes and a wide three cornered hat. Dax narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"What evidence?" He asked, sounding bored. He was still angry that Skye had yet to show up. The boy grinned sheepishly, the expression barely visible under the hat. In fact, most of the face was hidden.

"It's not actually evidence, m'lord…but I have a…uh…proposition." He stated slowly.

"What proposition is that?" Dax asked, now looking amused and curious. The boy pulled out a small bag and shook it. There were coins inside.

"I was wondering how much it would cost for you to free those three men and allow them to join the Javelin's crew." He answered. The Javelin was a sailing ship that came and went extremely often from Cove Town. Dax sighed.

"How much are you offering?"

"I'd say that the three of 'em would be worth…3000 coins" There was a hush over the crowd. That was a lot of money. Dax paused.

"1500 for these two." He said, pointing to the thieves. Riku was too valuable in returning Skye to give him up. The cabin boy shook his head.

"4000 for all of them. I want all of them." He answered firmly. There was another hush. The silence stayed for a long while. The cabin boy crossed his arms. "Deal or no deal." There was another pause. Dax was infamous for living in luxury, and 4000 coins was not an amount to be passed up easily. However, he maintained that he needed Skye, and therefore Riku, and no amount of money could replace the blood sacrifice.

"No deal." He said bluntly. With that he spun around and motioned to the guard standing behind Riku. He pushed the teen forward, towards the noose. He gulped. The cabin boy looked unimpressed.

"5000." He said. Dax shook his head.

"I said no deal." He replied. The noose was fitting around Riku's head, and he shut his aqua eyes. The boards beneath his feet dropped out from under him, but even before the rope ran out, there was a whistling sound and then the swish of metal cutting through cloth. The cabin boy had thrown a small knife as Riku dropped, cutting the rope and letting him fall mostly unharmed to the ground. Riku hit the ground with a thud, on his feet, and stumbled forward, trying to keep his balance. The cabin boy caught him and Riku flushed, the contact making him suddenly aware of the body that this boy possessed: He has breasts! was the first thought to rush through his head. But, as he righted himself, he realized that it didn't make any sense, and so the cabin boy must be, in reality, a cabin girl. The clothes she had on were loose enough to hide her body shape. Meanwhile, Dax was looking back and forth from the cabin girl to the small knife embedded in the wooden post that held up the noose. He'd only ever seen a knife thrown like that once before. He feigned a smile.

"I'm impressed." He stated, jumping down to ground level next to Riku. The girl had a knife up both her sleeves, apparently, because the rope that bound Riku's hands together was cut, followed by a murmured instruction to act as if he was still bound unless he absolutely had to do otherwise. Meanwhile, Dax approached them, still trying to look nice. "Shall we discuss prices?" He asked, tilting his head.

"I thought you said no deal." The girl answered cuttingly. Dax shrugged, still moving towards them. He and the girl were an arm's length apart now. With a flurry of movement, Dax knocked the hat off the girl's head and her identity became very apparent. He drew his sword, pointing it at Skye.

"I'm not the only one to go back on my word. You broke your promise." He said. Skye glared at him.

"You never kept your end of the bargain in the first place!" She answered furiously. She still held her knife, but it was no use against a full sword, not to mention the endless number of guards that would follow if she attacked. Riku looked from Skye to Dax and back again.

"You said you wanted me executed, so do it, but leave her out of it!" He demanded, stepping between them. Skye's eyes went wide. SHIT! He's going to get himself killed! She thought desperately. She threw the knife, and it caught Dax's sword arm. He froze, surprised and in pain. She grabbed Riku's arm and dragged him rather forcefully behind her as she ran towards the doors of the Fortress.

"AFTER THEM!" A furious roar rang out behind them.

"Run!" Skye cried, racing inside. They took endless twists and turns, getting themselves totally lost, until they burst into the hallway where Riku's cell had been.

"Great." He muttered. She paused, getting an idea. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along behind her as she ran up the stairs towards the room she'd escaped through last time. She pulled the door shut behind them and turned on him.

"And just what was that you pulled?" She asked angrily. He blinked, confused.

"What?"

"You could have gotten yourself killed! Dax needs me alive so he wouldn't have done anything to me yet, but you, he would have killed out without a second thought!" She shouted, pacing. He caught her arm, making her stand still.

"I did it because whether or not you feel the same, I still love you. Love makes you do crazy things." He said. She lowered her eyes and there was a long silence.

"Crazy things like making a deal with Dax that I'll do whatever he tells me to in exchange for him letting you go." She said bluntly. Riku's eyes went wide.

"You did what?"

"When I found out he had you captive, I told him I'd do whatever he asked me to if he let you go. He agreed on the condition that I tell you I loved someone else so that you wouldn't come back for me." She looked up at him. "I lied. All of it was false. I still don't remember. There never has been anyone else." She said before her gaze hardened. "And he lied too. He never had any intention of letting you go free." She added angrily. Riku looked speechless, but a loud slam from somewhere in the hallway drew their attention.

"What was that?" He asked. She glanced around.

"Guards probably. And to make matters worse…" She pointed at the window. It was barred. "Looks like they blocked the escape route. You run. I'll keep them distracted until you escape."

"What? No!" Riku argued. She shook her head.

"There's no way we'll both be able to escape now, and if we try, we'll both be captured. You can't help me if you're captured too! Hurry!" She opened the door slightly. A group of guards was standing at the doorway, and it looked like there commander was giving them instructions for the search. She motioned for him to go, but he tilted her face up to his and kissed her gently.

"To tide me over until I'm allowed to see you again." He whispered. Her hard expression melted into a smile, and he stepped out into the hallway. One of the guards caught sight of him and ran after him, shouting. Skye stumbled out of the room a moment later and ran across the pathways bridging the cell-lined hallway below. All attentions were transferred to her and they chased after her, forgetting completely about Riku. It took them only moments to trap her on the bridge. She looked over her shoulder on time to see Riku disappear around a corner. Hurry, I'm going to need every little bit of help I can get once this all explodes in my face she thought. She knew Dax would find some way to turn the tables on her. She just hoped that she could be gone before he could figure that part of the plan out. There were ten guards completely surrounding her.

"Don't try to escape now." One of them warned. She looked at him incredulously.

"Did you honestly think I'd try to run when the odds are against me ten to one?" She asked, arms crossed. The guard who'd spoken muttered something foul and ordered the others to bind her arms and take her to Dax.

A day or so had passed since Riku's escape, and the conversation between Dax and Skye that had followed was most unpleasant. Skye found out that while she was gone, Dax had ordered his scholars to find anything at all that would help convince Skye to do as they said. And not only that, but they actually managed to find something too. He'd refused to speak any more of it. It was mid afternoon and the sun was hidden by clouds. Skye was standing on the top of the highest tower of the Fortress next to a pyre soaked in the foul smelling oil that had caught on the wind on her last night on the Islands, and wearing a dress very similar to the one she'd been wearing when she'd first arrived. She hadn't thought of the Islands much since her kidnapping, and the memory rather made her want to cry. Dax's appearance pulled her abruptly from her reverie.

"I'll give you the same choice I gave you last time." He said, inspecting the knife he was holding. "You can do this the easy way and do what I tell you to, or you can do this the hard way."

"I think you know the answer already." She answered coldly. Dax looked at her.

"Fine. In order to cleanse you of the impurities that come with you being unwilling, you will be burned at the stake. Alright with you?" He asked mockingly. She glared at him.

"Exactly what is this sacrifice for?" She asked in reply. "If I'm to sacrifice myself, I need to know what it's for." She explained. Of course, she had no intention of doing anything he told her to, she was just stalling for time until she figured out what she could do next. Dax looked almost pleased.

"Why, for our father of course."

"Our?" She asked, obviously not believing him.

"Indeed. I need his blood to revive him, which is flowing through your veins. Now all I need is to kill you for it." He answered, tossing her the knife.

"Fine, if we really are siblings, what's my father's name?" She asked, catching the knife. She acted as if it was some test to prove his honesty, but of course she actually had no idea. What she really wanted was to know what kind of man would be important enough to Dax for him to go to this much trouble to revive him. Dax smirked.

"Of course you wouldn't know. I'm not surprised that Mother never had the heart to tell you who he was. From what I've heard of her, she was a weak woman. No backbone at all." He said, sounding disgusted. "But if you really must know your hertitage, your mother was a whore and your father was Ansem." Her eyes narrowed. She tossed the knife into the air and then whipped it back at him. Her mind was reeling. Ansem? He's lying, right? Dax barely sidestepped the attack and it soared off the edge of the tower, falling to the ground below. He frowned. "Alright then, we do it the hard way." He signaled to the guards, and two of them grabbed her by the arms and dragged her to the pyre, tying her wrists together behind the stake.

"You're oil smells terrible. The least you could do if give me the honour of a death that doesn't smell like rotting logs." She said, her voice cutting. She sounded cool and collected. Inside, she was confused and terrified, but there was no way she was going to allow Dax the pleasure of seeing her true feelings. Dax smiled cruelly, nodding to one of the guards.

"I thought you might say that." He told her. Then, without warning, some oily liquid was poured over her head. "I took the liberty of bringing you perfume."

"V-very flammable." Skye answered with a noticeable stutter. Dax nodded and signaled to the same two guards that had tied her to the pyre. They struck a pair of matches and dropped them on the wood at her feet. Flames burst up and spread quickly. There was a ring all the way around her within moments, and it was creeping slowly towards her. She gulped. Dax crossed his arms.

"Getting warm?" He asked cruelly. She shot a glare at him and the ring of fire around her flared up. It made her jump. He started laughing, but she didn't hear it. All she could hear was the crackling. It was making her inexplicably tired, and it was kind of giving her a headache. It crept closer to her still, and she began to hear whispers. She couldn't understand them, but among the crackle of the flames, it was still there. She became vaguely aware that the bottom of her white dress was singed and black, but she still wasn't feeling any heat. The fire was all around her now, licking at her feet and calves, but it wasn't burning. It felt like strips of silk floating around her legs. The fire rose up behind her, and her attention was pulled back into reality when she heard a desperate shout.

"Skye!" Riku had arrived, and was followed by three others that she vaguely recognized, but from where she didn't know. The whispers were growing distractingly loud, and she felt like she was going to fall asleep standing up. Meanwhile, Riku was desperately searching for a way to get her out of the flames before it was too late, if it wasn't already. She found herself yawning, and then the fire caught the rope binding her wrists, burning it to a crisp in a matter of moments. The support lost, she stumbled forward and out of the flames, struggling to stay awake. The three who had followed Riku, two men and a woman, killed the two guards ruthlessly and Dax was gone before anyone got the chance to see where he had disappeared to. Riku caught Skye, worried, but also amazed that she was unscathed. She snuggled against him, almost delirious with exhaustion.

"I'm tired…" She murmured. His arms tightened around her.

"It's okay, you can go to sleep now. You're safe." He whispered into her hair. An instant later, the whispering, crackling fire had lulled her into the deepest dream she'd ever in her life experienced.

…………………………………

Hurray! Long chappie! And the next chappie's working title is Life of Skye…haha let's all laugh at my brilliant play on words…Get it? Pi, Skye, they rhyme… okay I'm going to shut up now and you are all going to review now, m'kay?