Seifer carried a heavy black satchel back to the ship with him after the sun was well over the horizon. The crew wasn't pleased that he took his sweet time getting back, but they weren't in charge of his schedule, unfortunately. Riku didn't get a chance to stop and question him sense he went straight to his cabin and locked the doors immediately. They captain didn't even give any orders to leave.

The blonde pirate flopped down at his chair that sat in the far corner of his cabin next to his desk with the maps laid out in front of him. His eyes scrolled over them quickly and he sighed. Soon. It'll all be over soon. He reached into a drawer on the right side and pulled out a small scroll and traced his fingers across the signature at the bottom. So soon.

"So, you know where you're meeting him at then, aye?"

"Three day journey to Port Royal, then another three to Twilight Town." Seifer spoke to the man who kept his hood down over his face.

"Back to where it all started? He sure knows how to pick 'em."

The man handed him a list of supplies that he needed to get before the sun completely rose from a small shop on the other side of town that didn't serve just any commoner. According to the man, the store owner was expecting Seifer.

Seifer jumped when he heard a knock at the door and slammed the scroll back into the drawer along with the satchel. The knock came again and the captain forcefully slid the chair back and stomped over to his cabin's door. He wasn't expecting the harsh knocking to come from Riku. The silver haired pirate was breathing heavily and his face was twisted in what seemed to be anger. With a bit of confusion, Seifer stepped to the side and motioned for Riku to come in.

The pirate stepped through the doors and turned around the second he heard the door click shut.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Seifer said unamused.

"Are you still going through with it?"

~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~

A blonde distraught boy ran aimlessly through out the busy streets of Twilight Town trying to find his best friend. It was nearly impossible to see with the rain pounding against his face, or with his eyes being blurred with tears, but he searched none the less.

"Axel! Axel, where are you!?" The boy fell with a splash. His knee bounced off the ground, but he didn't think that he had time to deal with a bruise or blood. He needed to find Axel.

Within his view, he saw the fiery red hair hidden beneath a black hood. He stood up and shook the pain away as he ran for the other boy.

"Axel!"

"Woah! Seifer, what's wrong?" Axel put his hands on the boys shoulders and tried to shake some sense into him. He was crying hysterically. Another red head, identical to Axel, turned around and also tried to calm the young boy down.

"It's mom and dad. The boat. The fire. Gone. Dead. Help please!"

That's all they could make out through the hysterics, but Axel's older brother Reno knew just what the boy was talking about.

Earlier that day, a band of misfit Pirates jumped aboard the ship that Seifer's parents were on and burned it while it was still at sea. Only three people from the ship returned alive. The captain, and two people who swam for their lives. Seifer had only just found out about the ship when the Sheriff (?)came to his door at his families home to tell him of the unfortunate news.

"What am I gonna do Axel?" Axel hugged his friend tightly as he looked up at his brother, asking for answers to give his only friend. Reno only nodded his head, confirming whatever it was that Axel needed to tell Seifer.

"You're gonna stay with us now." Axel told Seifer, "I'll take care of you."

~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~

"It'll be over before you know it." Seifer said, confirming the questions that Riku had lingering in the back of his head.

"He's only a kid." The held his head down with regret.

"So, let me get this straight; you lead the crew into the city, helped pillage the entire town, killed innocent people, knocked his brother unconscious, wanted him dead the whole time he was here, and...now you feel pity? Now all of a sudden you feel guilt?" The entire time the captain spoke his voice raised higher and higher until he said the last bit.

Riku lifted his head and stared his captain straight in the eye, "Yes."

Seifer laughed out loud. "You are indeed foolish, my friend."

The silver haired pirate walked to the door as if to leave, but stopped when his hand gripped the handle.

"Have you ever felt guilty for anything before?"

~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~

The teens ran across the deck of the newly bought ship and knocked over members of the crew as they fought against each other. They kept their swords sheathed, as they didn't want to actually stab one another, but that didn't stop them from swinging, punching or knocking each other to the ground.

Reno stood at the wheel of the ship with his first mate, Rude. They had been friends their whole lives and now they stood, watching the two friends below on the deck, acting just as they did when they were young teenagers.

Axel and Seifer ran off the ship and back into the city streets where they played a fun game of pretend pirates. They shouted "args" and "hi yahs!" as they swung their swords side to side, trying to dislodge the opponents sword from his hands. Twilight Town was like a giant maze, so once the boys split apart, it was a mystery as to who would find the other person next.

Seifer rounded a corner and was running too fast, so he couldn't stop himself whenever he ran straight into an elderly man, knocking them both to the ground.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you!" Seifer held out his left hand and tried to help the man up, but when the man grabbed his hand, he felt a jolt of electricity and was brought back down to his knees.

"You should learn to respect your elders, boy." His rip tightened, and Seifer's teeth clenched. He didn't dare scream out, refusing to make himself sound like a wuss. Instead, he fought back. Seifer drew his sword with his right hand and swung on the man, making him release Seifer's left.

"Very smart, what else can you do?" The elderly man asked. Seifer didn't run away, because now he wanted to show the older man just how great he was with a sword.

The man dodged every swing and when Seifer swung near the man's face, he grabbed the blade with two fingers and again zapped Seifer.

"How are you doing that?"

"Would you like me to show you?"

Over the next few weeks, Seifer was practicing the dark magic that the elder man taught him. He wasn having trouble getting the techniques down, so instead of hanging out with Axel every day like he was used to, he was ditching him so he could search for the old man.

Axel noticed that Seifer wasn't acting like himself. His eyes were growing dark circles beneath them, his hands looked as if they were burnt, and he wasn't eating or sleeping. His attitude had changed especially. He was constantly on edge and was also irritated easily.

When the moon was full, the red head followed Seifer to the beach in the middle of the night and saw Seifer talking to the old man. Axel witnessed Seifer throwing flames and Axel didn't know whether to be impressed, or scared. He'd never seen such a thing. He knew how to do fire like tricks with the torches and the rum, but never anything so intense.

"You have to be careful Seifer, you're going to hurt yourself!"Axel had confronted him later and Seifer wasn't pleased.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You're just jealous. You all are."

"I just want you to be safe."

"No you don't. You are just mad because I can do it and you can't."

"That's so not true. Stop being so hot headed."

The elderly man met with Seifer again and told him things, "He just wants to use you Seifer. He wants to be able to do the things you can, but he can't and he's jealous. He doesn't want you to do it anymore. But, I can teach you so many things. They want you to listen to them. Be like them. They don't want you to be yourself. Come with me. I can show you the world. I can teach you things that they can never understand."

"Axel's my best friend though. He cares about me."

"He only said those things because he had no one else. He used you Seifer. He doesn't love you. No of them do. But, I do."

That night, Seifer went to Reno's ship while they all slept peacefully in their cozy homes and set it ablaze. Axel hadn't been sleeping. In fact, he was on the ship.

"Seifer! What are you doing!?"

"What I should have done a long time ago."

They never saw each other again after that night.

~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~

"Well, have you?" Riku asked again after the long pause.

The captain's eyes glanced up from the floor boards that he was so intent on staring at and when his glare met his first mate's, he replied, "No."

~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~