Chapter 13: Bittersweet Return

Skye, Riku, Lodi, Jade and Ace got off the ship in a small port on the northern side of Gova; the Rebel City was walking distance from the port. The mountain range towered above the port town. The group walked through the small town and along a dirt path that weaved through the tough bushes that could survive in the cracks between the rock at the base of the mountain. There were a few short hardy trees scattered along either side of the path. The mountain, called North Point, was covered in small openings to caves that disappeared into darkness within the mountain's core. They passed the first handful and then walked into one of the larger ones. There was a stake in the ground, and the remnants of a few campfires. It looked like a favored resting spot for travelers who didn't want to stay in town. It wasn't a very deep cave; you could see to the back just with the growing sunlight shining in from the horizon. There wasn't any Rebel City there. Riku leaned against the wall.

"So, I take it we'll rest here and then move on to the City later?" He asked, sounding unsure. Ace shot him a glare that said 'are you stupid?', while Skye grinned at him and walked up to the back wall, inspecting it carefully. He blinked, confused, and walked up behind her, trying to figure out what she was looking for. Her hand caught a small indent, and she traced a shape in the web of cracks in the rock that fanned out from the indent. She traced a small lock, one that no one would see if you didn't know it was there. Then she looked around, seemingly waiting for something that didn't come. Then, she let out a growl and kicked the stone wall, and apparently kicked it harder than she meant to because she fell back from it, swearing loudly and falling into Riku. He laughed helplessly. She pouted.

"Don't laugh. That hurt." She muttered. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling.

"Maybe you shouldn't kick a mountain." He answered, amused.

"Well if Venus would hurry up and open the door…" She said loudly, as if someone other than their small group was supposed to here. And indeed, a moment later, a small portal opened in the wall and a girl with a sheepish expression stepped out.

"Sorry! I wasn't paying attention." She said, blushing. "Phoenix! You're okay!" She cried upon noticing the extra two people, pouncing on Skye. Once the pair of girls were finished giggling and hugging each other, the girl who had come through the portal, peered at Riku from under her bangs. She had long, light brown hair which was tied back into a pair of braids, and matching brown eyes. She was wearing a habit like Jade's, except that hers was green and she wore a black sash tied around her middle. She didn't say anything, so Riku introduced himself.

"Hi. I'm Riku."

"Pleased to meet you. Were you another prisoner at the Fortress?" She asked, trying to guess where he was from.

"Well, I was being held at the Fortress, but only because Dax wanted Skye to do what he said." He answered slowly. The girl looked confused. Riku just shrugged. "Long story." He said simply. She nodded, her expression telling them that she'd want to hear everything later.

"I'm Avani by the way, but everybody calls me Venus. Come on, we should go inside." She said, waving for them to follow her as she stepped through the doorway. They stepped into a stone passageway lit by mysterious glowing orbs of fire held inside little lanterns. The hall was empty but for the lanterns and a hooded figure just taller than Venus, wearing the same green cloak and black sash. He nodded to them as they walked by. Once they were out of earshot, Riku leaned over to Skye.

"Who was that?" He asked in a whisper.

"Mars. His real name is Soren, but that's what everyone calls him. He's Venus' twin brother. You'd never know it by the way they act though. She's hyper and a little bit air headed, and he's really mellow and philosophical." As she spoke, they passed out of the passageway and into the City. Riku couldn't help but gape; he'd never imagined anything like it before. The entire core of the mountain was hollowed out, creating a massive cone-shaped cavern. There was a wide spiral ramp that ran all the way around the outside, with balconies jutting out of it at even intervals. High above, a huge spherical flame is held at the peak with huge stone claws. The massive floor of the cavern, nearly a perfect circle with at least a mile radius, was covered in a lush garden, full of fruit bearing trees, many coloured flowers, berry bushes and vegetable patches scattered throughout. The huge ramp stared just to their right, and to their left, there was a set of four large archways. The two closest had doors, while the other two were left open, leading to a pair of tunnels that sloped gently downward into the ground. Venus led them to the first door as a pair of farmers with a cart full of produce emerged from the farthest tunnel. They approached the second door and opened it. Beyond both doors were areas that looked mostly the same: a wooden platform with chains attached to all four corners that hung down from shaft that ran up into darkness high above, and with all four sides roped off. The only difference was that the second platform was covered in crates, while the first was simply flat. One of the farmers caught sight of Skye and murmured something to his companion. Venus led them inside and unhooked one of the ropes, motioning for them to get on the platform. They obliged, and she smiled, replacing the rope.

"This is where I leave you guys. See you all this evening!" She waved and walked away, tugging on a small rope dangling in a corner as she went. The sound of a bell echoed down to them a moment later, and then with a jolt, the platform began to rise. Riku looked mildly surprised. Skye grinned smugly.

"Heat powered. We wouldn't want to let my sun go to waste." She said simply. He blinked.

"You made that thing?" He asked, surprised.

"Duh. Who else d'you think it might have been?" Ace asked coldly. Riku glared at him.

"I wasn't talking to you." He answered just as coldly. Skye rolled her eyes. The elevator lifted through a hole in the floor and when the platform was even with the floor, it stopped. Riku made to get out, but Skye caught his hand.

"We're only half way up yet." She said simply, leaning over the ropes and grabbing the thin rope that dangled a little distance away, tugging on it. Again, the little bell sounded from above, and again the elevator jolted and began to rise. They reached the top, a platform similar to the one below, and a very strange looking machine above them. This time the group stepped out of the elevator shaft and onto the wide platform. At the top level, the spiraling ramp flattened out and ran all the way around the outside. Directly across from the elevator was a huge set of wooden double doors, with smaller wooden doors placed at even intervals along the outside. They all started around the platform towards the double doors.

"Ace, you'll show Riku to the guest quarters. I need to speak with Skye." Lodi ordered. Ace nodded reluctantly. Skye shook her head.

"Riku can stay with me. I don't mind." She said, a grin creeping onto her lips. Jade smiled in reply.

"I'm sure you don't." She teased. Ace looked outraged, motioning stiffly for Riku to follow him. The two turned around and walked the other way around the ramp, toward Skye's room. The larger group disappeared through the double doors a moment later, and Ace shot an icy glare at Riku, who was taken aback. Ace led him silently to Skye's room, and opened the door slowly, stepping through and not waiting for Riku to follow.

"Bedroom. Bathroom. Living room. There's a pullout couch. Not that you'd care." He said, his voice like a growl. Riku hid his involuntary smile at the last comment. The rooms really were beautiful. Despite being carved out of living rock, the walls were all painted, and the floors all carpeted, so that it looked like he was living in any house on the Islands, rather than inside a mountain. The bedroom was surprisingly large, with a closet along one wall, a big canopied bed, a dresser and a small desk. There was a window on the wall opposite the closet. In the living room was a circle of a couch and three chairs, all looking wonderfully comfortable, with full length windows running along the back wall, opposite the door. The bedroom was to your right when you walked through the front door, and the bathroom was on the same side. One the left was a glass door that led out onto a balcony. The pair started to walk back out, but when they reach the door, instead of reaching for the doorknob, Ace spun around, grabbing Riku roughly by the shoulder and pushing him back against the wall. Riku started to resist, so Ace pressed his forearm against Riku's throat. Riku froze, his face red with anger. If looks could kill, Ace would have killed Riku on the spot.

"Hurt her and you won't live out the week. Got it?" He asked fiercely. Riku shoved him away.

"What makes you think I'd hurt her? I love her. I don't even know why you care, if you hate her so much." He replied cuttingly.

"I've known her for my whole life! You've known her for what, a couple of months? You don't have the right." Ace was on the verge of shouting.

"The right? The right to what?" Riku asked incredulously. Ace didn't answer; he'd already gone, slamming the door behind him. With a groan, Riku collapsed onto the couch, rubbing his temple with his hand and rolling the shoulder that had been slammed into the wall. That's going to be bruised…he thought angrily. What had he done to deserve that? He'd never done anything to illicit that, especially since that the first thing out of his mouth when he met Ace was 'help me find Skye!'. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Skye appeared at the door a few minutes later.

"Hi." She said quietly. He looked up. She looked like she'd been planning to say more, but whatever it was had been pushed aside by worry. "Are you okay?" She asked, walking cautiously into the room.

"I'm fine." He lied.

"You're a bad liar." She noted. He sighed.

"I think you've told me that before." He answered, sounding semi-amused. She smiled half-heartedly in reply. He took a deep breath. "So, what did Lodi want to talk to you about?"

"Oh, he just wanted to iron out the facts about what happened." She answered offhandedly. There was a long silence. "I saw Ace leaving." She said after a minute. Riku let out a long breath and he felt like he was deflating.

"I guess he doesn't like me too well." He answered vaguely. Skye sat down next to him.

"There's more to it than that. He's never gotten that mad so quickly, not even at me." She said, prodding him to continue. Riku sighed again.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal." He said, wrapping one arm around her waist and kissing the crown of her head. She smiled slightly, pulling gently away from him and standing up.

"I'm going to have a bath." She stated, stepping into the bathroom. Then, with a coy grin, she added. "The tub is more than roomy enough for two…"

……………………………………………………

Skye emerged from the bedroom to find Riku stretched lazily out across the couch, wearing only jeans. He looked mildly surprised at her clothes, specifically her Magic User's habit.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked, waving a hand at her.

"Everyone else who uses magic gets a habit, why shouldn't I?"

"Because yours doesn't make you look like a monk." He answered bluntly. This was true. The other three did rather look like monks. Skye, on the other hand, had one that was more like a cloak, opening down the front to reveal her usual clothes. It was deep red, with bright orange and red embroidery on the sleeves and hem of flames, in addition to the gold embroidery on the sleeves like Jade had, that showed she was a master. She looked much more like a Rebel than they did, in any case. Skye tilted her head to one side, contemplating his words.

"Thanks…I think…" She said slowly. He grinned and stood up. She clapped her hands together. "So! Shall we pay a visit to Sora and Kairi?"

"I think we've left them in the dark far too long. It's about time we see how they've been fairing without us." He agreed. She crossed her arms.

"Go put some clothes on first." She ordered, grinning from ear to ear. He shrugged and wandered into the bedroom, searching for his shirt. When he returned, Skye was waiting for him with a six foot high flame in the middle of the room.

"We're going through that?" He asked uncertainly.

"Yep! Come on, it won't bit." She said, taking his hand. He was rather reluctant, but let her lead him anyways. Together they stepped through the fiery portal. It felt like he was stepping through a doorway, where the floors were uneven on either side and he hadn't been expecting the step down. There was a strange feeling of disorientation, which lasted much longer than it should have, but when he finally figured out which way was up again, he found himself standing outside Grandma Rose's in the dead of night. Skye was sitting on the front steps, looking worn. Riku looked worried.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, but taking someone with me across the worlds is a tiring ordeal. Just needed a minute to catch my breath." She said, standing and smiling at him. Then, her expression saddened just a little, though she still wore her smile. She pulled him into a hug. "I'll miss you." She murmured.

"What?" He asked suddenly, looking her in the eyes.

"I said, I'll miss you." She repeated uncertainly. Understanding suddenly came to him.

"You're not leaving me here."

"I thought you understood that this was the plan!" She answered, sounding pained.

"You're not going back there alone!" He stated.

"I won't be alone. I'll have Lodi and Jade and Ace and…" Riku interrupted her.

"No! I'm coming with you!"

"Riku, this is my world, and I have to fight to protect it! You don't have to fight, and you're not going to get hurt any more because of me!"

"But you're my world and I have to fight to protect you!"

"I can take care of myself!"

"I didn't say you couldn't, but I want to help!"

"Riku! Don't make this any harder than it has to be!"

"I'm not making it any harder than it has to be, if you'd just let me come back with you, we wouldn't be having this argument!"

"But this is your world! This is where you belong!"

"You were the one who told me to go somewhere else! You were the one who said you'd travel the worlds with me! Now you want to lock me back up here?"

"Traveling the worlds didn't mean fighting Dax!"

"You don't have to face him alone!"

"I won't be!"

"How much help is a pirate, a thief and a healer going to be? I can help you, I've fought people like him before!"

"This isn't your fight!"

"Yes it is!"

"He took me prisoner, he tried to sacrifice me, he was after me! This is my fight!"

"He took me prisoner too! He tortured me to try to get me to tell him where you were!" Riku was nearly shouting now. He turned around and pulled his shirt off over his head, revealing the scars crisscrossing his back from the whips. She felt silent for a moment, and then spoke in barely a whisper.

"That's why you can't go back. I don't want him to hurt you again."

"Do you think I want to sit around helpless while he hurts you?"

"Of course not, but that doesn't mean…"

"Fine! I get it. Go back to your real family. This is why you didn't want to remember, but there's nothing we can do about that now. Maybe in time you'll forget me and then you can go back to normal. Hell, you even have Ace to replace me!" He shouted, turning on his heel and walking away. He didn't want to look like he was running from her (which he was, not that he'd admit it to himself). She stared after him, fighting tears, unaware that the noise from their argument had woken Grandma Rose.

"Skye? Skye! Oh dear, you're alright! We we're worried sick! Where's Riku? Is he okay?" She asked, running out of the house. Skye wasn't listening. She was on the verge of tears and all she could hear was the ringing left in her ears from Riku's voice. She was frozen in place until Grandma Rose touched her shoulder.

"I…" She tried to speak, but no words would come out. Grandma Rose looked concerned.

"Dear? Are you alright?" She asked. Skye nodded. Grandma Rose looked around. "Where's Riku? Is he alright?" She repeated. Skye looked up at her.

"I, well…I mean, he was…I have to go find him." She said suddenly, running off down the road.

………………………………………

ouch, that didn't go over so well did it? See what happens next chappie and review!

PS: so sorry it took so long to update! WoW swallowed my soul, I hate Hamlet, and my social life has proceeded to explode in the midst of summatives and exams… so sorry! The next one will come sooner!