{into the sky}

Aqua slumped against the wall, her fingers trembling as she tried to think of what else to write. She wondered if words could convey her regret, her guilt over the last words she spoke to him. She didn't hate him, and that's why she couldn't deal with the fact that her last conversation with him had ended so badly. He'd kept a secret from her, but she was sure she could have gotten over it.

She folded up the parchment, her vision clouding with tears, and she swallowed her sadness. If she was going to pretend to be a man, then she had to make sure they saw her as one. The last thing she needed was a bunch of her new crewmates getting on her case over tears.

Obviously she knew not to let the letter fall into the wrong hands. Aqua wasn't an idiot. She'd burn it, or ask Roxas where to stash something she didn't want the rest of the crew getting to. They obviously knew some places, considering liquor seemed to be a much-coveted item among the pirates, and Axel seemed to have plenty of it.

She was checking the deck for Axel and Roxas when someone stopped her from behind. She turned fast, slapping away the hand that had grabbed her, and then her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the boy's face molding around the shadows.

"Roxas!" she gasped, stepping back. "Shit, you scared me! Where's Axel?"

The boy stared at her for a long moment, his lips twisting into a grimace, and he looked around. No one seemed to notice him, which he seemed to find a relief. "Aqua," he whispered, grabbing her hand. "I can get you out of here. Right now, actually, you just have to trust me, 'kay?"

Her eyes darted down to his hand, and she felt panic spark in her chest as she searched quickly for one of the sneakier pirates, Xigbar in particular. She looked back at Roxas, pulling her hand from his as quickly as possible. "I don't think we should be talking about this," she said nervously.

"You haven't been here long," Roxas whispered urgently. "He obviously hasn't made you take the blood oath, thank the gods for that. You can get out!"

"Stop." She turned away from him, her skin prickling with a chill when she thought of leaving. "I'm not stupid, okay, I understand that I have to be here."

"But you don't!" Roxas shrunk back at the sound of his own shout. He groaned as one crewman, a younger boy who was close to Aqua's age took notice to them.

Aqua followed his gaze, and she gaped when the boy cried out in an utterly shocked manner. "What's wrong with him?" Aqua whispered, glancing at Roxas as he tried to tip toe away. "Hey! I'm not done talking to you yet!"

There was an onslaught of running and whispering as more people took notice of Roxas's appearance, and they began to babble in confusion. Roxas glared back at Aqua, and he shook his head. "Just come with me!" he hissed at her.

"Not until you explain!"

Roxas rolled his eyes, tearing his arm from her grasp. "Why can't you trust me?" He looked hurt, but he was suddenly gazing at the crowd that had appeared before them, his eyes falling on Naminé. She stood among them, her tiny body crammed between Xigbar, the resident spy, and Luxord, the gaming fiend. She stared at him blankly, her eyes foggy with sleep. Aqua realized she probably had awoken from the racket above her, considering her room's position to the deck above.

"Who are you?" Naminé called, her groggy voice soft against the sounds of water thrashing, and men murmuring.

Roxas smiled at her. "I've been meaning to ask you that for awhile," he said, taking a step back, his hands reaching out toward the rail behind him. He looked at Aqua. "You sure you don't want to come with me?"

"I don't understand," she said, moving back slowly. Roxas shrugged, and he grinned when Vanitas pushed his way to the front of the crew, his dark form seeming to glow eerily against the outlines of the others.

"Wow, I was wondering when you'd appear." He glanced at Naminé, who was now walking toward him, her movements stiff, and Aqua opened her mouth to mention that she was most likely sleep walking.

Vanitas drew a gun before Roxas could so much as blink, and the boy dove away just before a shot was fire. Aqua frowned, noticing Naminé stumble and fall to her knees, the noise jolting her from her sleep. Aqua stared at Vanitas, her confusion growing to a great extent, and for a very long time she contemplated on why Vanitas was doing this, about what reason he could possibly have. It hit her then, and it hit her hard when she spotted the fiddle strapped across his back.

"Ven?" she whispered, staring at him worriedly. He glanced at her, and he winked, jumping to his feet and grabbing Naminé by the arm. Aqua clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a shout as he drew a sword, pressing the blade against her neck. She seemed to be too confused to understand his movements, but her strangled gasps were enough for Aqua.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked, stumbling toward him. Ven shook his head, backing up farther against the rail.

He jerked his head at Vanitas. "It's been a while, huh?" he laughed. Aqua felt a crushing feeling in her chest, wondering how she'd misjudged the boy. Then, he winked at her, and tilted his head. "Need her, right?" He pointed to Naminé, who was stuttering to form words.

"Ven, stop," Aqua gasped, stepping toward him. She stopped when Vanitas jerked the gun at her. "This is ridiculous!"

"What's going on?" Naminé asked weakly. Her fingers were against the blade, and her eyes were wide with confusion and fear.

There was a silence around the deck, and Aqua pulled herself back to inspect the scene. Ven was still smiling widely, as if someone had just presented him with a pocket-sized star. He held the trembling Naminé with one hand against her head, and Vanitas seemed to be debating his own chances of shooting Ven without getting the girl instead.

Aqua moved closer to Vanitas, hissing to him, "Where's Roxas?"

Vanitas's head tilted toward her, and he laughed without a reply. "Ventus," he spat. "I honestly never thought I'd see you here again, let alone here to threaten a little girl, please, do continue. You'll do me a favor."

"If you wanted her dead you'd have shot already." Ven's smirk was unnerving, and Aqua pushed herself back against the mast. She didn't like the look of this, and she wasn't sure if she trusted Ven not to slit the girl's throat. She wanted to believe in him, truly, but it was hard when his fist was closed around the grip of a sword that was pressed to a poor girl's neck.

"Now that you have her," Vanitas said calmly. "What will you do with her? You're not the type to kill an innocent girl, and don't spout nonsense about changing, because I know you better than anyone."

"Wrong." Ven smiled easily, his eyes fluttering shut. "Roxas knows me the best. Maybe you should ask him whether I'll kill her or not!"

Aqua felt sick to her stomach. She searched the crowd for a sign of Roxas, but all she found was a glimpse of Axel near one of the hatches that lead deep below. She pushed her way to him, her eyes wide with fear. "Get Roxas," she hissed, grabbing him by the arm. "He can stop Ven!"

"No," Axel said, his lips twisting into a grimace. "He can't."

"Why?" Aqua spun around as Ven landed a few feet before her, his grip still on Naminé. She stared at him, and took a step forward, her fingers brushing against the side of the blade facing her, and she pulled back when she felt it slice through her skin. He'd pressed the blunt edge of the sword to her neck. She wasn't in much danger, it was just a show.

"Did you not give this one the basic knowledge about the ship?" Ven rolled his head back at Vanitas. "Aw, that's not nice, he has no idea what's going on."

"Ven," Aqua breathed. "Leave. Now, before he kills you!"

Ven began to laugh, and he spun to face Vanitas, who still had him at gunpoint. Aqua wasn't sure why he hadn't shot yet. Maybe he just really did not want to risk it. "Want to shoot me, Van? I ain't letting her go, but you're a good shot, I think you can put one in my brain easy."

"Shut up." Vanitas's fingers tightened around the gun, and Aqua was awed by the realization that he might be pausing to shoot Ven because of a possible attachment to him. She'd never thought of it. "What are you going to do, then? Carry her off? I'll find you."

"Maybe." Ven licked his lips and grinned. "But most likely not."

"I need her."

"For what?" Ven sounded honestly curious, and Aqua stared as Vanitas dropped his arm to his side, silence enveloping them. She realized she was still clutching at Axel's arm, and she let go, her eyes growing wide enough for the salty air to sting the insides of her eyelids.

"She's the reason why we all suffer," Vanitas spat. "If you truly want her dead, have a bit of patience, and I'll give you her head as a prize for being compliant."

It was an awful suggestion, but Aqua was amazed that Vanitas would reward someone who was trying to ruin everything for him. Perhaps Vanitas had feelings after all. Aqua hated the smile that turned at Ven's lips, and he looked down at Naminé's face.

"Do you wish to die, my lady?"

She stood silently, her eyes on Vanitas, and Aqua saw fear shuddering in the depths of them, but she was keeping herself upright, and utterly still, without a scream or cry. Her cheeks were dry, and her lips were pressed together thinly, but all the same she stared.

"No," she said finally, her voice nearing a quiver. "But if death now is a gift in comparison to what awaits me on another day, then please, do me the favor…"

That seemed to have struck a nerve within Ventus, because once her voice trailed off, he dropped the sword at Aqua's feet. "It's yours," he said with a sheepish laugh, and before anyone could make a grab for him, he was gone. Aqua stared as his body soared through the air, and Naminé's veil fell to the ground, and her long, lovely hair billowed in the wind as she screamed and clutched at Ventus's chest for dear life.

She was gaping, and she turned to look up at Axel. He was watching Ven soar away with a mixture of admiration and jealousy. "I wish I could friggin' fly," he whistled, scooping up the sword from the deck floor. "At least she went with him. I thought I was going to slip up any day now, by telling her and then strangling her. Poor kid."

"Do you have any idea how strange that sounded?" Aqua breathed, squinting into the sky. She was more awed by the fact that Vanitas had let them go than by the flying. Honestly, she'd seen enough of the ship to know magic was about.

"It's not the lass's fault," Axel sighed, glaring at the sky. "I hate her, but whenever I was around her I felt that I couldn't blame her. She was too innocent. If I told her, and she remembered, then I could kill her without guilt. But she's just a kid. A little girl, and I really hate getting my hands dirty."

"What did she do?"

Axel handed the sword to her, his eyes trailing over the glossed blue and white pummel, which was carved into an intricate swirl of a breaking wave. "She made a monster of us," he said. "And a human of herself."

Terra stepped into the throne room, feeling many eyes fall on his face. The ride to the capital of the Skyland had been shorter than expected, though they had made a few detours to search for Xion. They'd come up with nothing. Now he felt nervous to stand before such a man, a man he knew to be a fierce leader, warrior, and king.

He felt no shame bending the knee. He was no king, and he had no plan on becoming one. He did not lift his head until he was bid, and when he did he noticed the confusion in the king's long features. He was a blond man, and spikes seemed to erupt from his very scalp. He watched Terra with cold blue eyes before he looked to his wife.

"I've never seen a king kneel before another," he said, his voice hinting at humor, but his face so serious that Terra couldn't quite tell.

"Nor have I!" The queen's voice was much more chipper, her smile a token of admiration. She was very comely, a brunette beauty who kept her hair in a tight braid, though a bit of it curled at her ears and rested at her shoulders. There was a pink ribbon in her hair, delicately wrapped into a bow.

Terra smiled back at her, though he was not sure how it appeared on his face. Aqua had always told him that his smiles were rare, but when they appeared they made him look like a knight a young girl might imagine in tales and songs. Rare and stunning, like a pearl, she'd said. Was that true? Did his smile make much of a difference on his face?

"I'm no king, your grace," he said, rising to his feet.

The king seemed to frown at this. "You are ruling the Heartlands, aren't you?"

"Only for a short while, I hope." Terra wondered how he should phrase his plea, and he wished he knew more about the king of the sky. "You see, I am not a rightful heir to the throne by any means, and I do not think I'd be suitable for it. When I told my mother as a forewarning that I was sending her away to keep my stepsister, Xion, safe, she jumped at the chance to get rid of her as quickly as possibly."

"That's awful," the queen murmured, glancing at her son, who was staring at Terra strangely. Terra remembered him quite clearly, and he didn't let his gaze linger longer than it needed to on the boy.

"I lost her in the forest," Terra admitted. He was embarrassed to say those words, because they weren't true. He'd driven her off in hopes of saving her. If his father had completely taken over… Terra understood everyone was better off this way. "Days ago. I believe that she went north, and if she did, she's bound to be in the Skylands."

"If she's alive."

Terra swallowed his mind still trying to swerve around that one. "Yes," he said thickly. "If she's alive."

"You ask for our permission?" The king seemed to grow more and more curious by the moment.

"I'm asking for your allegiance." Terra couldn't help but roll his eyes at the eruption of murmurs across the court. "I honestly don't like the idea of having a sizeable, fairly amicable country being the enemy of my sister's. I want to sort that out before we find her, so she doesn't have to deal with any large political issues first thing."

"Amicable?" The king's frowned deepened. "I don't think I've ever been called amicable before. Aerith?"

"No," she said with a bright smile. "Oh, no, never amicable. Angry, angst-ridden, perhaps?"

Sora laughed beside his mother, covering his mouth to hide it. The king managed to crack a smile, and he nodded. "Yes, that sounds about right." He straightened in his chair. "So you want our countries to finally put aside our differences? I must admit, I never thought this day would come."

"The Heartlands are not war crazed as they once were." Terra shook his head, and he looked to Zack, who was standing at the far end of the hall. His helm hid his face, and Terra felt a sudden weight of loneliness. He might ask about Aqua as well, but later, when there were less people. "I don't see why two neighboring countries can't get along, especially if Xion is ruling as Queen. She bears little contempt for anyone."

The king watched Terra for a very long time, as if he needed to judge his facial expression to see if he was speaking the truth. Then, he nodded. "I see no trouble in helping to find a child." His jaw moved, and he looked to Sora. "However, if we want this alliance to last, I think we should bind it properly."

Terra shifted uneasily. He'd been expecting this, perhaps over any other scenario, and still he could not bear to do it. "I cannot promise anything on my sister's behalf," he said, looking up at the king. "It is not my decision to make."

Sora looked confused, while Queen Aerith seemed to become fearful. "Cloud," she said in a soft voice. "You don't mean a marriage contract, do you?"

Sora perked up. "A wedding?" he piped, his grin wide. "Oh, I love weddings! Who's getting married?"

Terra suppressed a groan, knowing that the boy wasn't as court savvy as he should be. The king seemed to have a similar response. "You, Sora," King Cloud said. "If we find the girl."

"And if she agrees," Terra added, his tone dark. He didn't want Xion to be forced into an arranged marriage, and he knew that if she did agree to marry Sora, she would be giving up the throne to Terra, which was the worst idea possible.

"Me…?" Sora looked up at his father fearfully, his mouth falling open. He looked rather like a fish.

"Perhaps we should talk this over more," Aerith urged, her large green eyes flashing to Cloud's face. "Over dinner?"

Cloud stood without a word, and he picked up the crown from his head and rested it on the seat of the throne. He brushed past Terra, leaving the room in silence.

Kairi felt confusion when the king left. She looked at Sora, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and then she looked at Aerith, whose eyes fell on her. Sora had introduced her to Aerith the day before, pleading for her to stay until her voice and memory returned. Aerith did not need much convincing, and she quickly took to Kairi, fretting with her hair, and babbling about so many things that Kairi did not understand. In short, Kairi truly adored the queen, and the queen seemed to like her too.

She wasn't sure about marriage. It seemed familiar, but she didn't know of it, not really. It was not a word that Ven tended to speak, and the prospect of it seemed to make everyone uncomfortable. Was it so horrible?

They were dismissed, but Kairi fell back when she felt a familiar tickle in her mind, a voice murmuring in her head. Meet me in the wind gardens. Kairi spun around, her eyes wide as she searched for Neku's face in the crowd of courtiers, but there was no shock of orange hair, no hollow blue eyes, not even a hint of his biting voice among the higher born folk.

She pushed past them all, her feet moving easily now. She could move in the heeled shoes Aerith had given her, which was an improvement, and she never tripped on the hem of her skirt. Her hair tangled against the low hanging branches of pale trees with dark leaves, and she clawed to get the red strands to fall against her back again. She stumbled, her feet unsure of the tangled roots that formed stepping-stones across the flow of water.

The wind gardens were a vast network of small natural springs that dotted the castle. There was always water, and trees, and large arching stones. The water pattered lazily as the leaves rustled, and the wind whispered softly, surely, singing a tune or whistling a warning. The water was clear enough for rays of sun to catch the shimmering bottom of the pool, and sometimes she'd spot a coin or two.

Kairi stopped when she spotted them, their feet dipped in the swirling water. She was surprised to see Rhyme, who was wearing a frock that put Kairi's to shame. The silvery fabric pooled behind her, fluttering against the wind, and the laces that ran along her back looked as if they were strands of pure gold, woven against a pale georgette.

Rhyme looked up when she approached, and she smiled brightly. Kairi was startled by how pretty she looked, the tiny faerie girl, whose face was thin, and her chopped blonde hair was mussed about. She couldn't be sure if it was intentional.

"It's nice to see you again," she said, her voice sweet as honey. Kairi stared at her. She wondered why her head was buzzing. Neku laughed her out of her confusion.

"Joshua glamoured her so anyone who looks at her too long gets enchanted." Neku shrugged. "It was the only way we could get in here. The Skylands hate faeries more than most."

Kairi wondered why it didn't make Neku's head spin, and he answered almost instantly. "Magic like that doesn't affect me. Telepaths' minds work differently than normal beings."

She nodded slowly. It made sense, and she had no time to deny anything. She sat beside him, and she bit her lip. She motioned to them, hoping to mime her question. She'd forgotten she didn't need to.

"We're here because Riku asked me to help you." Neku rolled the cuffs of his trousers up to the knee, and he pushed his feet deeper into the pool. "I wanted to check on you. You shouldn't have made a deal with Joshua."

I had to. She knew it was weak, but she felt so much better as a human. She felt freer, and happier, and her emotions weren't poisoning any longer. She loved it.

"But you basically sold your soul to him," Neku spat, glaring at one of the low arching trees. "A soul is worth more than you give it credit. You're throwing away something precious."

"Neku," Rhyme sighed. "Don't. She made a choice, and now she will face the consequences. Don't belittle her, she understands her own actions."

"No she doesn't." Neku hid his eyes from view, his lips disappearing behind his collar. "You've never seen Joshua take a soul, Rhyme, don't think you can understand this."

The small girl shrunk at his tone, and she closed her eyes. Kairi felt a rush of pity, and she wondered what her story was. She was a changeling, so her humanity seemed to be natural. She was a human stuck inside a fae's body. Her mind and heart were stuck with knowing the differences between right and wrong, and she had none of the cruelty other faeries seemed to glorify.

"I'm here to translate," Neku said. "Not chat. I don't know how it will help, but magic isn't too reviled here. Just faeries."

Would they hurt Rhyme then? Kairi stared at her, and she wondered why she would risk it. Neku, as expected, answered immediately. "If they catch her, she's dead. King Cloud has no tolerance for faeries, nor did his father, or his father's father. The Court of Summer liked the pluck off the princes, since the royal family tended to show promise for sacrificing."

"But the queen's dead now," Rhyme said quickly. "And she stopped picking at the princes, sticking to common folk, like me and Neku."

"It seemed she succeeded with you," he said glumly. "I pity the poor sucker that got stuck in my crib."

Rhyme said nothing in response. She pulled her feet from the water and stood, her bell swinging at her breast. Her sadness was palpable, written across her face, and when she moved it was with a heaviness to her steps. She crossed the pool with ease, and then she was gone without a word.

The muscle in Neku's cheek jumped, and she wondered if he was angry with himself.

His eyes moved to hers, and she saw guilt and frustration. He flopped himself onto his back, his hollow eyes following the clouds. Then he spat, "You're not my own sweet baby, oh." That was her song. Her fairy song. She stared at him, surprised that he'd picked that up from her mind, considering she hadn't thought about it in days.

For a moment, she felt a crippling sorrow for all the changelings, and the people who awoke to find that the child in the cradle was not their own.

Bluh, good, she's off the ship. Finally. I'm really trying to do everything I can not to make this story long. If pacing has to pay for it, fuck it, I don't care. I have too many ideas, and as much as I like this story, I don't want to get sick of it like I did with White Knight. Finishing it is my goal.

Not that it's close to being finished, but if I can squish ten paged chapters into here, maybe I'll put a dent in the story.

I cannot imagine Neku saying that last line. Usually I can hear Jesse Corti's voice pretty clearly in my head when I write Neku's lines, BUT NOPE, I CAN'T HEAR HIM SAYING THAT. Also, Jesse Corti is super attractive, like holy shit.

I'm hoping to get one or two more updates in before school starts. We'll see.