{tell no secrets}

Roxas fell to the deck with a wet smack. His blood pooled around him, and his body convulsed for a short moment as he bled out, before he went limp. Aqua tore her hand from the captain's, her heart pounding hard. She'd known that one day she'd have to kill someone, but Roxas had been incredibly kind for a pirate, and if Aqua didn't know any better she'd say he was completely innocent.

She should've fought Vanitas's guiding hand, but the fear of death had caught her in a stupor. She closed her eyes as the crew began to laugh, and she knew her life would never be simple again. The small girl who had thrown her the sword was quiet now, her eyes sadly on Roxas's bloody face. Aqua spun to face Vanitas.

"You're awful," she said, her voice darkened by her guilt. "He didn't need to die!"

Vanitas laughed along with the crew, and Aqua felt her heart sink. She'd stepped into a hell worse than anything she could have imagined. At least being a soldier had meaning. Being a pirate was all selfishness and dishonor. She breathed in hope to calm her nerves, bending down in front of Roxas. His eyes had opened at the last moment, and they stared at her glassily. She reached forward to slide his lids over his foggy gaze, but a hand caught her wrist.

She clamped her own hand over her mouth to stifle a scream as the dead boy sat up, blood pouring from the slit in his throat. His eyes were still foggy with death, despite the fact that the were moving inside his eye sockets, flickering blindly.

"Oh gods," Aqua gasped, watching numbly as the blood around her rippled and rose into the air, pulling itself back into Roxas's wound. She wanted to scream, or retch. "What kind of magic is this…?"

"Blood magic," a soft voice breathed. Aqua jumped, the voice of the small girl startling her. She was standing right beside her, her eyes wide.

"How?" Aqua jumped to her feet. "How can he still be alive?"

"Should've warned you," Roxas croaked, the light returning to his eyes at last. He rubbed his throat and glared up at Vanitas. "We can't die."

"'We'?" Her eyes flickered to Vanitas, and then around the ship. "You're kidding."

"It's true," a man said with a sly grin. He stepped up beside Vanitas, his ponytail swinging behind him. "Nothing can kill us, green boy." Aqua gave him a long look, wondering if he could sense her irritation. This man had the look of a guy you just wanted to whack in the jaw, with a smile so arrogant it made her stepsisters look modest. His one eye followed her movements as she backed away carefully, the hue of it reminding her of the fae, Larxene.

"Nothing?" She wanted to doubt it, say that no one was invincible, but what she had just witnessed was too much. "So all of you… you're not only pirates, but monsters as well?" She shook her head. "What value am I to the undead?"

"You're a pretty good swordsman," Roxas admitted with a short laugh, rubbing his neck with a wince. "But you knew that when we took you, obviously."

Aqua turned to the captain, who had his arms folded across his chest. His helmet would not betray his expression, so she glowered at him and snarled, "What do you wish to do with me?"

She expected him to laugh again, to taunt her, call her names, or maybe beat her. He did nothing for a while, his body still as stone for the length of a minute. Then he said calmly, "Work you until you wish to die. And when you wish to die, make it so you never will." He then turned and made his way to the wheel of the ship.

It was a promise, she realized as Axel dragged her away from the crowd. She felt ready to throw the contents of her stomach overboard.

The sting of betrayal was more like a spike driven through her stomach and left there to fester. She thought she could outrun it, and for a short time she did. The fear of death kept her legs moving for hours, and though she grew tired enough to lose consciousness, she continued until her knees gave beneath her. She could not muster tears for her pain, internal or external, but she found that she could scream.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been there, or how she'd fallen asleep, but when she awoke the sun was in the middle of the sky, and there was a supremely large insect on her arm.

Xion attempted to scream, but her throat was too raw, and her tongue was heavy in her mouth. She settled for swatting the insect away, and its wings made a soft tinkling sound as it pushed away from her arm and suspended itself beside her. Xion stared at it for a long time, awe coming over her when she realized its face was vaguely humanoid. It stared back at her with curious black eyes, and when it smiled its tiny teeth appeared to be crooked black thorns.

It sat on her arm, its head tilted back. "Do you fear me?" it asked, it's voice vacant, almost as if the wind's whistle had a voice.

"What are you?" she croaked. She wanted to keep her mind off Terra's betrayal and focus on the creature, but she knew she sounded distant and scared. Perhaps that's what the creature wanted.

"A pixie." It frowned and stood on her arm. "I can make myself appear larger if you'd like. Human, even."

"Human," she whispered. "Please."

The pixie shrugged and jumped off her arm. It settled amongst the leaves beside her, its little green toes wiggling against the dirt, and the shadow beneath it rose up and devoured the pixie in one sweeping motion. Xion stared, aghast, and she scrambled away from the shadow as quickly as she could manage. When she looked back, there was a girl standing where the tiny pixie had stood, no older than Xion herself. She wore a dress of thistles, and they swayed gently when the wind picked up.

Xion sat up straight, and her eyes widened considerably as she took in the pixie girl. She looked plainly human now, tinier than Xion, with a slim face and large blue eyes. Her hair was blonde, the same length as Xion's, and her smile was still on her lips. Though it was far less frightening now.

"You're… magical," she breathed, pushing herself to her knees. She ached all over, and she was still tired and jolted from Terra's attack, but she was so amazed by the fact that something that seemed to fly out of one of her storybooks was here. "What are you doing here?"

"Protecting you." The girl giggled. "At least until someone else shows up. I'm not entirely made for combat." She tilted her head, and a little bell clanged on her neck. "What's your name?"

"Xion," she said. The pixie walked toward her, her bare feet scraping across the forest floor. Her smile was kind, and she looked more like a child when she wore it.

"You're very special, Xion," the pixie said, extending her hand to Xion.

"What do you mean?" she asked weakly, letting the girl pull her to her feet.

The wind rustled the forest around them, just as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Xion blinked as the girl patted her head and began to lead her forward. "I'm not really sure myself," she admitted, looking up. "But we're going to make sure nothing happens to you."

"What about my brother?"

The girl stiffened at this, though she kept her gaze ahead of her. "I…" She bit her lip. "I don't know, he's… not anything I've ever seen before. You can ask Riku."

"Who is that?" Xion stopped, yanking on the pixie's arm to still her as well. "Who are you?"

She winced at that, and she nodded. She was sad now, her entire face falling into dismay. "Sorry," she sighed. "You can call me Rhyme. I'm a servant. Your servant, if you'd like."

"I don't need a servant." Xion thought Rhyme was sweet, but she wanted to believe she could take care of herself.

"That's fine." Rhyme smiled. "A friend, then?"

Xion nodded eagerly, the thought of making her own friend too irresistible. She let Rhyme drag her off, not sure about the direction or the destination, and only focusing on the fact that she was moving, and that she would be okay. Rhyme had a tiny hand, and the silence was often cut by the sound of the wind rustling leaves, or her tiny bell ringing around her neck.

When Xion was brought before a cottage of black stone, she felt herself pull back from fear. Rhyme turned to look at her, and she smiled gently. "Don't worry," she said softly. "You're safe here."

There was something about her voice that was overwhelmingly soothing, and immediately Xion was moving again. She did not ask anymore questions, and she hung on every word as Rhyme explained the where everything was in the cottage. When she sat down at a small table, Xion felt exhaustion hit her, and she sat across from her.

"I want to go home," Xion whispered, staring at her hands.

Rhyme's face was unreadable, her gaze moving from Xion's face to another part of the room, and back again. She looked like she was struggling to keep her emotions in check, her lips twitching as if she had something she wanted to say, but she couldn't.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "I think… everybody wants to go home. But home is where you make it, Xion."

She was quiet for a short time, her eyes finding Rhyme's across the table. The cottage was small, but it was warm, and it had a charm to it. Xion had no friend but Terra, but she knew there was a certain sadness in Rhyme's face, something she'd seen in the eyes of some servants. Xion was certain she had that look about her now as well.

"You've lost someone too." Xion didn't say it to be mean, or to see the girl's face fall. She'd only observed the fact that the girl was like her, and that she was obviously trying not to think about it.

Rhyme nodded slowly, her fingers rising to her neck, to the bell on the strap. "It was a very long time ago," she said, shaking her head. She smiled suddenly. "You shouldn't worry about it, it's not your problem at all."

"How do you expect me not to care?" Xion leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. "I think right now I can understand better than anyone how you feel. You can tell me."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Rhyme bit her lip and turned away. She stood up and walked to the window, her fingers fiddling with the bell. "I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"Why not?" Speaking to someone made feel less pain from Terra's betrayal, and she wanted to know how Rhyme dealt with it.

"He said I shouldn't bother you with stuff like that." Rhyme shrugged. "I don't think you'd want to know anyway."

"I do want to know." She smiled a little and stood up. "We're friends now, right? You can tell me anything if you want."

Rhyme glanced back at Xion, her fingers still on the bell, and she smiled as well. Nodding, she leaned her back against the window. "I was separated from my brother," she said quietly. "He was the only person in the world who made me feel normal, even if he wasn't… really my brother. He didn't care about that."

"Why were you separated?" Xion felt a surge of empathy, knowing that they seemed to be in the same boat at this point.

Rhyme took a deep breath. "I was sick," she said. "Too sick to keep pretending I was human. At that point I began reacting to anti-faerie things like iron, and eventually I was so close to dying that I got taken away."

"So you when you were younger you were human?" Xion frowned. "Who saved you?"

Rhyme tilted her head. "You ask a lot of questions," she laughed. "I was never human. I just looked like one to keep my human family from shoving an iron rod down my throat. Also, I was saved by—"

"That's enough, Rhyme."

Xion spun around. Her eyes widened as the faerie man stepped into the cottage, shutting the door behind him, and Xion looked back at the blonde girl. She had grown pale, but she kept her smile.

"Yes, I'm sorry." She shook her head. "Give up the smallest part of a secret, and the rest is no longer in your power."

The silver haired faerie rose an eyebrow. "Uh, I guess. Just be careful what you say, alright? I don't want you to get into any trouble."

"That's kind of you." She pushed off from the window with a short ring of her bell. "Xion, this is Riku. He's here to protect you."

Xion glanced up at him. She squinted at his face, noting a certain familiarity to it. "Do I know you?"

Riku glanced at her, nodding slowly. "We met last night I believe," he said, his eyes on Rhyme as she moved toward the door. "Hey, can you get me in touch with your telepathic friend?"

She looked up at him, surprised. Xion stood still, her grip on the table as Rhyme nodded. "Sure," she said. "What for, exactly? He won't meet with you if it's not worth his time, sorry to say."

He rolled his eyes at this. "A newly mute friend of mine is having trouble adjusting. I was hoping he might translate for a bit."

Rhyme smiled. "He's not that nice," she said sadly. "But I'll see what he says, he might see some good in it to protect her from Joshua."

"Speaking of," Riku said, catching her arm as she attempted to leave. "I get the human thing, almost, but I don't see why he keeps a pixie around him so closely. You've known him for a while, haven't you?"

Rhyme blinked at him, her smile softening, and she winked at him as she slipped from his grasp as easily as a snake. "Give up the smallest part of a secret, and the rest is no longer in your power," she echoed as she stepped out the door.

Riku wrinkled his nose. "Pixies," he muttered, shaking his head. "Can't resist being tricky, can they?"

"She's nice," Xion said, watching him warily. "Really nice."

Riku eyed her for a few moments. "You trust too easily," he sighed, plopping down in a chair.

Kairi spent the first few days adjusting to legs with Sora at her side. He chatted often to her, never really caring that she was mute, and Kairi nodded along with him. He mentioned his reservations about his parents finding out about her, and she grew nervous. What if they didn't allow her to see Sora anymore? She didn't know what she'd do, and being newly human, she was growing mad with fear.

"I wish I had something to call you," he was saying, leading her by the arm. She was still struggling with walking, but she was much better than she been a few days before. "Are you sure you can't remember anything?"

She nodded, fiddling with the skirt of the dress he'd given her. She stepped carefully, watching her feet move against the cobble. The imperial city of the Skylands was pretty with its high arches, and large buildings with expansive windows. Everything seemed to be bathed in a blue hue, and the more she looked around, the more she noticed how the architecture seemed to bring light to everything.

Kairi stopped, her eyes falling on the boy who sat only a few yards away. He did not see her, too absorbed in whatever he was doing. She squinted, noticing he was leaning over a fire. Sora seemed to spot him at the same time she did.

"Oh, hey!" he gasped, waving his arms. "Ven!" Kairi winced when he ran forward, beckoning her to come with him. She followed slowly, her mind leaping to conclusions before she could stop it. Ven had to still be angry with her, and he definitely would not be happy. But maybe once he realized that she was human now…

"Ven!" Sora stopped before the fire, and he glanced around. "Wow, this is weird. You're all out in the open, working like a normal person!"

Ven looked up at him and laugh. "Well, believe it or not I do work sometimes! Just not usually. Also, this is a personal project."

"When did you learn how to smith?" Sora leaned forward to examine the sword in Ven's grasp, but he set it aside quickly.

"Years ago." Ven shrugged, his eyes falling on Kairi. She looked away when his face fell, and he stepped back in shock. "What…?"

"Oh!" Sora clapped Kairi on the shoulder, his eyes wide with excitement. "This is a friend of mine! Riku and I found her on the beach, and we're taking care of her until she can find her family."

Ven looked as if he was trying to speak, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Sora seemed to be oblivious to this as he reached for the sword Ven had been tending to. "Who's this for, then?"

He tore his eyes from Kairi's face, and she felt guilt swarm her once again. At least she was human now, she told herself. "Uh, that girl from the ball," Ven said cautiously, pushing Sora's hand away. "I told her I'd make her one."

"Oh, right!" Sora nodded. "The girl with blue hair, right? Gods, I wonder how she got that."

"Maybe she's descended from the Isles," Ven murmured. "Who knows."

"I thought you hated the Skylands." Sora tilted his head, looking around as a few people passed the forge. No one took much notice to him, which Kairi thought odd. "You always preferred the isles."

"Who wouldn't prefer the Isles?" Ven laughed, sheathing the sword. "I don't hate the Skylands, I just… don't like coming here."

"Fair enough," Sora hummed as Ven brushed past him. "Do you know where Riku is? I haven't seen him in a few days."

"I'm the wrong person to ask, Sora," Ven said, smiling. "He's probably busy with something."

"Busy?" Sora grumbled. "When did Riku get a life?"

Kairi giggled silently, and Ven laughed beside her. "I'm not going to answer that." Ven shrugged on a jacket and glanced at Kairi, his eyes questioning her without really saying it. She gave him a weak smile, and watched as he walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sora shouted after him.

"Got a delivery to make!"

Naminé sat across from Calder, her hair pooling around her feet. She observed the way Axel treated her, the odd look that crossed his face when he realized Naminé was there, and he stopped teasing Calder. The blue haired boy looked at her, his eyes curious.

"So why are you here?" he asked, pushing the flagon of gin away when Axel offered it to him. "I mean, Vanitas doesn't seem the type to keep you out of the goodness of his heart."

Roxas looked up at this, the look that crossed his face dark. "Don't be so sure," he said, grabbing the flagon from Axel. Calder looked surprised, but Axel simply stared ahead with a blank expression as Roxas took a long swig.

"I don't know," Naminé admitted, staring at Roxas as he fought off Axel for the gin. "He keeps me around for his own reasons. No one tells me why."

"You're better off not knowing, princess," Axel laughed, pushing Roxas's head playfully. Calder watched her with a sad expression, and he pulled his knees to his chest.

"Why did he want me?" he murmured. He fiddled with the cuff of his trousers, ignoring Axel as he scooted closer to her.

"That's something he's keeping under wraps, which I honestly don't get, but hey." Axel shrugged. "You know, you're taking all of this in a stride. The immortality thing."

"I'm just angry with myself for not fighting Vanitas off," Calder sighed, looking at Roxas. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know why I let him kill you."

Roxas gave a short laugh, and he shook his head. "I wanted you to kill me," he said. "Next time just do what he says. Don't question it."

"But I don't want to kill anyone!" Calder looked angry, his fists clenching in his lap.

"You should've thought of that earlier." Axel tipped back the flagon, and Naminé watched as he downed the whole of it in a few gulps. She stared at him, her thoughts moving onward to the fact that he hated her for some unexplained reason. She thought about the wolf, and her dreams, and she wished she had paint to keep the memory of it all fresh in her mind. She knew vaguely some of the contents of her dreams, but as time went on she was forgetting the details.

"I have to go," Roxas said suddenly, jumping to his feet. Axel looked up, startled. Calder sat up straight and stared at him curiously.

"Are you turning in?" Calder's eyes widened. "It's still so early. Don't you have any nighttime chores?"

"That's actually what we have to do," Axel said slowly, pushing himself to his feet. "Chores. Vanitas needs us."

"Well see if you can get some information out of him," Calder said, frowning as Roxas moved fast across the room. "I'd like to know my purpose here!"

"Sure!" he called back, Axel right behind him. They left Calder and Naminé to themselves, and the girl began to play with the hem of her veil. Calder watched her for a while, his eyes seeming to soften with pity.

"How old are you?"

Naminé shifted uncomfortably. "Fourteen," she said quietly. "And you?"

"Seventeen." He pressed his lips together when she gave him a look of shock. "Yes, I know I don't look my age."

"Sorry," she blurted. "I was just surprised."

Calder shook his head and smiled. "It's not a problem. How long have you been here?"

She looked around the cabin, trying to recall the amount of time she'd been aboard the ship. But she couldn't not the exact time anyway. "A few weeks, I think," she said. "I wish I knew why I was here, though. It might make things easier."

"I can agree with you there." Calder stood up, stretching his arms up above his head. "When I figure out what that monster wants with me, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he doesn't get what he wants."

Naminé looked up, surprised at the older boy's words. "What if he hurts you?" she murmured.

"Don't worry about that." Calder smiled at her, and he turned to the window. "Gods, they said we're heading towards the Isles, yeah?"

"Yes, I believe so." She squinted at the horizon, noting the deep red sun as it sunk into the sea. "I don't know why."

"I don't expect you to," he sighed, rubbing his face. "I think I'm going to head out. There's a letter I need to write."

"He won't let you send it," Naminé said. Her fingers tightened around her veil, and she wondered about this boy as well, and his role in the grand scheme of things. She thought about the wolf again, and the silver haired boy, and her own connection to Vanitas. She wished she could understand her dreams, or at the very least remember them.

"I know," Calder whispered. "But writing it will make me feel better."

Terra was more than distraught. From the moment he'd gotten control of his body again, he'd spent hours looking for Xion, losing himself in the expanse of the forest. The heat had gotten the better of him, and a few hours into his search he'd blacked out, awakening when the darkness was so thick, he could not see anything around him, and with his head buzzing from dehydration

They found him a day later, and he still wasn't sure what had happened between waking up that first night, and being force fed berries by a knight almost the next afternoon. Apparently he'd gone half insane, begging them to find Xion, but they insisted they could not locate her. He refused to speak to anyone when he returned to the castle, and for a while he kept himself in his room.

He never meant to hurt Xion. He imagined her corpse, laying in that coffin of glass, rotting slowly as her skin paled and sagged. The more he tried to push the idea out of his head, the more he panicked. This was all his fault, and he had to accept that fact. He feared for her life, and he felt sick when he thought about what was going through her mind, how betrayed she had looked in those last moments.

He ordered a search for her, but everyone he sent turned up empty handed. They had no idea where Xion had gone, and all they could come up with was that she was dead, and Terra could not accept it.

It was a few days after the ball when he went to his mother, whose voyage was delayed because of the sudden disappearance of the princess. He stood in the doorway as she played with one of the glass shoes on the table. She looked up at him, a poisonous smile on her lips, and she leaned back.

"I heard you recovered alright," she said, patting the seat beside her. Terra stared at her, his anger spiking suddenly. He pushed away from the entrance, and in a few strides he had his mother's slender neck in his hands. The surprise in her eyes was satisfying, but he could not contain his wrath, not with the thought of Xion's starvation plaguing him.

"Why?" he growled, his fingers tightening. She spluttered, her voice rasping as she tried to compose herself. "Why would you even risk contacting him? I didn't think you were that desperate!"

"Obviously not," she spat. She turned her head, her face filling with disgust. "I really don't know why you didn't expect this."

Angry tears prickled at his eyes, and he slammed her head against the back of the couch. "You told him how to get to me!" He spun away from her, feeling like a child again. The tears on his cheeks were a mixture of rage and fear, and he despised that she could see his weakness.

"He knew how to get to you before I contacted him." She rubbed her neck and scowled. "I was just giving him a reason to do so."

Terra covered his face with his hands, his body going rigid as a wizened face was pulled from his memory. "He used me to try and kill Xion," Terra whispered. "You let him take my body from me."

"Oh please!" His mother's eyes were alight with malice. "Did you expect him to leave you be forever? Terra, be smart."

"I thought we cut ties with him," Terra said, glaring back at her. "A long time ago!"

Her laugh was hoarse, but it struck a cord all the same. What a fool he was to think his father would be out of his life for good. Terra turned and walked to the door, beckoning for a guard to step in. He did, a serious expression on his pale face. Terra recognized him as the knight who had saved him, and a good friend of his.

"Zack," Terra said, his voice quivering with rage. "I want her gone before morning."

Zack's eyes widened for a moment, but he nodded without hesitation. "Of course, sir," he said curtly. "Is that all?"

Terra's jaw slackened as he began to think about the forest, and the area it was in. It took up much of the Northen parts of the Heartlands, stretching into the Skylands and wrapping around its western coast, up into the Wastelands. If Xion was anywhere, it was sure to be the Skylands at this point. And now he had to make a choice.

"I need you to contact the king of the Skylands," Terra said, looking at Zack's face and noting his surprise. "Tell him I want to meet with him as soon as possible."

"Terra, the last time the kings of the Heartlands and Skylands were in the same room, they started a war." Terra smiled at the confusion in Zack's features, and he shook his head.

"Good thing I'm not a king, then," he said, moving past his friend.

"Oh, Terra," his mother called. "I do hope you're not too broken up over your… friend's disappearance."

Terra paused, glancing at Zack, who merely shrugged. He turned back to his mother, who was examining the glass slippers again. "What?" Terra asked flatly.

"Your friend," she yawned. "The one who I presume wore these abominations? Sad, I heard she was taken to be some sort of slave to a pirate." She hid a giggle in her hand, and it hit Terra suddenly what she was implying.

"You…?" he gasped, backing away, and his shoulder bumped against Zack's. "Was Xion not enough? You had to take Aqua away as well!" He spun around, terror and guilt enveloping him. This was all his fault. Everything he'd done to help them had ended up putting them in more danger than he could have possibly imagined.

"Was that her name?" The queen set down the slipper, her lips twisting into a sneer. "Pity that. She was such a pretty little thing."

I still count Roxas as my first kill. Shanna, if you skipped to the author's note again, go up and read the first bit.

So... less to say than last time. Not as much happened. Time skip of a few days. Also a bit of Rhyme's past is revealed, that's nice. She was fun this chapter.

Except it's really easy to forget her quirk with the proverbs. Like, damn, I have to remind myself to go look up proverbs for her lines. The secret one worked pretty well. I'm glad I found it.

Surprise! Quick update. Shanna actually reviewed really quickly, and I finished the chapter I was working on, so I was like, "Well, shit. Now I better actually update before I'm five chapters ahead again."

Also I changed the summary again. I wanted something shorter and more eye-catching.

Terra's mom is really fun to write. It's a shame I'm taking her away from him, I'd like to see him kill her. Hmm. Maybe later, if someone else doesn't first.

This is the last you see of Xion for like, two chapters. I know. I'll fix that with the next chapter I write.