{the remus}

Terra sat beside Sora, his eyes glued to one of the large, intricate carvings on the far wall. It was a bird, or maybe an angel, or maybe a monster. Whatever it was, it was winged, and white, and beautiful. Sora did not seem to be in such a great mood either. His eyes were on his hands, and he was fidgeting nervously.

Aerith tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she failed. She looked just as uncomfortable as him. "I'm sorry about my husband," she said softly, looking down at the goblet of wine on the table. "He seems to forget how hard an arranged marriage can be."

"Your marriage was arranged?" He didn't know why he was surprised. The only reason he'd been left alone for so long was because his mother had kept his identity secret. If things were different, she'd have married him off long ago to some eastern girl, or a Lord's daughter.

She nodded slowly, and she looked at Sora. The look that crossed his face was strange, and she laughed a little. "Oh, don't fret, Sora, I was one of the lucky ones. I love Cloud very much, and he loves me as well."

He nodded, though Terra knew the boy wasn't convinced. Neither was Terra. "Did you love him before you married?" he asked curiously, wondering if he was prying. Aerith blinked at him, and looked down at her hands.

"No." Her answer was so forward, it surprised him at how comfortable she was talking about it. "I felt something for Cloud before the wedding, but not very much. He was sweet, and timid, but he didn't love me either. It was a sad day for us both, I think."

"Then why did you do it?" Sora sat up straight, and he stared at his mother in confusion. "Why would you put yourself through that? You didn't love each other!"

"Duty," she sighed. "We were a good match, and we were both young, and Cloud needed a Queen. You won't understand now, but when you're older, and you're king, you'll know that your personal qualms… they mean nothing in the face of a dynasty continuing."

"Gods," Terra murmured. "Who would ever want to be king?"

"Mad men," Aerith giggled. "You understand why I'm relating this to you, don't you? I'm sure we'll find your sister, and Cloud seems to believe that Sora is at an age where he should be married."

"I don't!" Sora objected, his lower lip jutting out.

"I agree, you aren't ready for such a commitment." Aerith smiled, her green eyes twinkling in the candlelight. "I'll speak to him about it, and I'm sure he'll change his mind, or at least give it a bit more thought."

"The king," Terra said quietly. "He's aware that if Xion marries Sora, she can't rule the Heartlands."

"Very aware, I'd think." Aerith tilted her head, and her silky brown curls slid against her shoulders. "He must want you in the Heartlands."

"I'd be an awful king."

Sora looked at him, and he laughed abruptly. Aerith laughed as well, and Terra saw a lot of her face in Sora's. "You made peace with a Kingdom that has been warring with yours for centuries!" Aerith gasped, shaking her head.

"That's a super bold move," Sora said with a wide grin. "But it worked, and if it sticks, you've made history. People will remember you as King Terra, the Peacemaker, or something. It'd be easy to follow a king whose first goal was to make peace amongst its neighbors. The only way you'd be remembered more is if you conquered us, which, by the way, won't happen."

"I wasn't planning on it." Terra looked down at his hands. "I wasn't planning on being a king, either. If Xion is ruling the Heartlands, then I can—" He stopped himself, his eyes flashing upwards. He hadn't meant to bring up Aqua. He wasn't sure how they'd react to that.

"What?" Sora smiled. "You can tell us, you know, we can keep secrets."

That was true enough. Sora wouldn't judge because he had met Aqua, and Aerith was much sweeter than his own mother. She seemed like she would understand as well. "A…" He swallowed, his mind forming her face, angry and betrayed. "A friend of mine was kidnapped a few days ago. The same day Xion disappeared, I think. I want to find her."

Sora's eyes widened, and they filled with a sudden understanding. Aerith looked surprised, but she nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be for the best. Do you know who kidnapped her?"

"My mother said…" Terra scowled at the thought of the woman. "I think she was taken by pirates? I'm not sure why, but she wouldn't have gone easily. She knows how to defend herself, better than most men really."

Sora looked at him, something in his face changing. Aerith noticed as well, and she turned to him. "Sora?"

"Pirates…" he murmured. He stood up suddenly, and he smiled politely. "Excuse me, I have to go send a letter!"

Kairi and Neku managed to chat without him really talking about himself, or she really talking. He explained Joshua's court, how the faeries were, and why Rhyme was a special case.

"He keeps her close," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "And he understands that it sets her even further apart from the other fae. He doesn't care that it segregates her, though, and neither does she."

Why does he want to protect her so much? Kairi wondered, thinking about how cruel the king of faeries could be.

"Because she's special." Neku shrugged. "Because she's important, or maybe because he actually cares for her. He doesn't let me see into any of that, so I couldn't tell you, and it's not my business anyway. But a changeling who lived to be thirteen, long enough for the glamour to melt away, that caught his interest."

So she's like a dying breed of fae that he wants to keep safe. Do others pick on her?

Neku stared at the rock beneath his feet, and he sighed. "They don't say it out loud, because they know better, but they hate her."

That's awful. Kairi could imagine how isolated Rhyme felt. It hurt being the one who was different, but Kairi never had her own kind hate her. She hoped Joshua was at least kind to her, else Neku could be the girl's only friend.

"He's as gentle as Joshua knows how to be." Neku laughed bitterly. "So, he's pretty much just slightly less of a jerk than usual. The only reason he tries so hard to keep her happy is because he knows she could leave at any time."

Why doesn't she?

Neku was quiet for a few moments, and the soft pattering of the water around them was the only sound they could hear. If Kairi was right about the surreal look on Neku's face, he enjoyed it here. He seemed to be much more relaxed than when she last saw him, and his eyes looked less hollow.

"She's scared of what she'll find out if she leaves," he murmured, his face growing dark.

Kairi felt a deep sorrow for the little changeling, wondering how anyone's existence could be so tragic. She'd thought her problems were aching, but it seemed being part of Joshua's court was harsh physically and mentally. He kept the peace between imps and pixies and regals, but it was still savage. Neku explained that faeries couldn't help their nature, and Kairi felt a pang of shame as she recalled Ven telling her the same thing.

Do you have anyone? she asked, jerking her chin at him. Besides Joshua and Rhyme, I mean. Do you remember your family?

"No," he answered immediately, sharply, and he stood up. "My life is my pledge."

She might have believed him, but then she remembered that he was human. He could lie as easily as he breathed. She began forming another question when a voice piped up from behind her.

"Hey! What'cha doin' out here?" Sora bent down beside her, his eyes flashing confusedly to Neku, then back at her. She smiled brightly at him, and leaned toward Neku's face, placing her finger against his forehead, and then dragging it back to her own.

Sora blinked at her, his smile still in place. "Okay, that's cool." He sat beside her, a piece of paper in his hand. "Do you know how to read or write?"

She shook her head, and Sora smiled larger. "Do you want me to teach you?"

Kairi thought about it, wondering if it was something that she could use, before Neku spoke up.

"Do it," he urged. "If you figured how to write, you won't need me, which will be a relief."

Kairi scowled at him. If you don't want to help, why are you here? You know Riku even less than I do, you owe him nothing.

"I'm not doing this because I owe anyone." Neku rolled his eyes, and he ignored Sora's dubious expression. "I just… want to make a difference, for once."

"That's nice." Sora smiled at Neku and rubbed his nose. "Hey, I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

Neku sighed, his eyes narrowing at Sora. Kairi smiled at him and nodded, mentally nudging him to answer. "Neku Sakuraba," he said, his voice dull. "Your Grace," he added as an afterthought.

"Don't bother with that title stuff," Sora laughed, waving his hand dismissively. "I hate it. You can just call me Sora. Hey, Sakuraba's a funny name. Are you from around here?"

"No."

"Where are you from, then?" Kairi knew that Sora's curiosity was genuine, but that didn't mean it irritated Neku any less.

"The Isles," Neku said. His teeth were gritted, and she wondered if he was telling the truth.

"Wow, really! Are you an Arcanumite?"

"Not really."

"So you don't visit the mainland too often, huh?" Sora nodded. "Yeah, I get that. The Isles are calmer anyway."

"Right." Neku's voice was disinterested, and he pulled his collar up around his mouth. "I'm gonna go, Kairi. I've got shit that needs to be done, and like I said, I'm here on my own free time. Still have duties."

Kairi nodded, understanding, but Sora's soft gasp startled her. "Your name is Kairi?" he asked, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him. She stared, her mouth agape, but she nodded again anyway, a smile on her lips. She had no way of telling him her name before, and Riku had been no help. It was nice to hear him say it.

"Did you not know that?" Neku's eyebrows rose. "Sweet, I think I just about filled my helpfulness quota for the day. Now I'm going to go see what inhuman task I'll be sent out to do next." He stood and waved half-heartedly at them, before sticking his hands in his pockets and crossing the pool with ease.

Kairi watched him leave with a bit of sorrow welling in her heart. Neku probably felt as trapped as she had before she made the deal with Joshua, maybe even more so because he really wasn't a faerie.

"He's pleasant," Sora chirped. Kairi smiled and nodded, though she didn't fully agree. Being around Neku and Rhyme made her very sad. "How'd he know your name?"

Kairi bit her lip, and she pressed her finger to his forehead, and then back to hers, just as she'd done before. He still didn't seem to understand. She shook her head, and she leaned forward, her hands grasping at his face, and she continued to move her finger between their foreheads until he got it.

"He…" Sora frowned. "He read your mind?"

Kairi nodded, and her hands slid from his face. She expected him to be skeptical, but he just laughed again. "Oh!" he cried, folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah, that makes sense."

He was very strange. In some ways he reminded Kairi of Ven, but he lacked that mischief and sadness that lay beneath the sweet surface. Kairi felt something strange as he took her hand and brought her to her feet. It was a dizzy feeling, and she nearly lost her footing on the roots that made a path across the water.

"Wait," cried a young boy's voice, and Kairi stopped, her eyes adjusting to the sudden haze that fell across the wind garden. The trees turned black, and the water was grey, and there were children around her. Small, blond boys, stumbling after each other. "Wait, Cloud! I can't get across!"

Cloud, she thought dazedly. The King. And yet she looked at the boy's face, and he was no king. Just a boy. She squinted as another child dropped himself into the river, wading to the spot the other boy had gotten stuck at.

"Hey, quit screechin'!" the boy hissed. "We'll get caught!"

"No we won't." When the boy turned, he looked straight at Kairi. She would have gasped if she could have.

Ven…?

No one was sleeping that night. They were drinking, and grumbling on and on about Ventus, and Aqua simply sat in the corner while Luxord played dice, and downed his liquor like a pro. He was playing against Xigbar, and the man with the eye-patch would lose, undoubtedly. So Aqua found herself standing up, and pushing her way to the middle of the room, where the two men were playing. She grabbed the bottle from Luxord's hand, and she stepped back when he looked sharply up at her.

"Huh?" Xigbar tilted his head. "Heey, the green boy is taking an interest! Wanna play, bluebird?"

"No." Aqua was tired, and she was scared, and she was confused. She intended to get answers, and these men were already drunk. "I want to know about Ven."

Xigbar took the bottle from her and shrugged. "Ain't much to tell," he said, tipping the bottle back and taking a swig. "That little wind storm's been gone for… what, twenty years? Thirty?"

"I believe it's close to twenty, yes," Luxord said, observing Aqua's face. "What do you want to know? His origins? Vanitas stumbled upon the boys during his more vengeful days, and he took them under his wing when they were quite young. They'd been wronged similarly to the way we had… but to a lesser extreme."

"Twenty years?" Aqua blurted, her eyes flashing between the two of them. "Gods, how long have you been on this ship?"

"Depends on the person!" Axel startled her from behind, clapping her on the shoulder. "Want a drink now, Calder? After witnessing the psycho twin brigade? Wait until you see Roxas on a rampage, whoo, that's a doozy."

"I'll drink if I feel the need to," Aqua said smoothly. "Right now I just want to know what's happening. How long have you been on the ship, Axel?"

Axel's jaw moved rigidly, and brought his flagon to his lips. "Ah, probably… thirty years? Maybe closer to forty, I couldn't tell you the exact number."

"So you all… you're immortal." Aqua licked her lips, wondering if she'd need that booze. "Okay, so how does that work?"

"Blood oath," Xigbar laughed. "Gods, blue, you ain't got a clue what's happening here, do ya?"

"No, that's why I'm askin'." She rolled her eyes. "How does this blood oath work?"

Axel sat down, and he motioned her to do the same. "Well." He wrinkled his nose. "It's pretty simple. Basically you swear your life and blood to Vanitas on this ship, willingly spill a bit of your blood on her, and boom, immortal life. It'd be pretty cool if we weren't confined to this ship most of the time."

It did sound simple. She hoped it wasn't something they could trick her into doing. "But Ven got away?"

"Obviously," Luxord said. "The cards were right, and he played them fairly. He got off the ship without consequence. He couldn't take his brother, though, which I am positive still haunts him."

"Roxas never talks about it." Speaking of Roxas, he was nowhere to be found. She didn't question it, but it was suspicious. "Why would they take the oath if they didn't want to be here?"

"Oath or death," Xigbar said. "Most choose oath. Those munchkins… they were made of something tougher." Xigbar gulped at the liquor, and he looked down at the bottle. "Damn, I like this, where'd you find it?"

"Isle of Sleep," Luxord reached over the table and brought the bottle back to his side. "Aptly named for the fact that most people never seem to stay awake long during their festivals."

"Tougher." Aqua looked at Axel. "What does that mean?"

Axel's face grew dark. "It's not my place to tell you," he said, turning away from her. "Roxas should tell ya, not me."

"Roxas isn't here." Aqua grabbed the bottle from Luxord again, despite the displeasured expression on his face. "Tell me."

"It's one of the sadder tales of the crew," Luxord sighed, gesturing to the liquor bottle. "Perhaps the saddest."

"I dunno, Lux." Xigbar winked. "Little Beatie's heartwrenchin' speech about finding his little sis, that's deep."

"At least he joined the crew for a valid reason," Axel chuckled. "Better than the rest of us, I'd say."

"Okay." Aqua brought the bottle to her lips and let the sharp tang of the liquor hit her taste buds. It was thick going down her throat, and she resisted the urge to spit it up. She shook her head, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. She looked up at them, noting their surprised expressions. "Tell me about Roxas and Ventus."

"Why is everyone drinking my alcohol?" Luxord frowned. "I see no fairness in this game."

"It ain't a game, bud, this is us moochin' off your booze, got it memorized?"

Aqua licked her lips, her nose scrunching at the after-taste of the liquor. "Axel," she said. "I'd really appreciate some answers right about now."

"Yeah, yeah." Axel ruffled his spiky red hair, and his eyes flashed to her face. "See, those poor suckers grew up on the ship, so they knew what they'd be getting into beforehand. Took them a bit to decide, but they agreed that immortality wasn't worth the pain they'd go through."

Aqua stared around at the three men, and she frowned. "I don't understand," she soft quietly. "They… didn't take the oath, then?"

"Oh, they did!" Xigbar bellowed, smirking. "They just didn't mean to."

She turned to Axel, and she found that he was staring quietly at his hands, his face somber. "They slit each other's throats," Axel hissed. "If they'd told me what they were planning, I could have told them that it wouldn't have worked, but they wanted to keep it quiet. Told me afterwards that they wanted to die together, and I told them they were idiots."

"Which they were!" Xigbar's lips twisted. "Brave idiots, but gods be good, you'd think they'd have known."

Aqua sat in silence then, her head reeling at the sudden vision of Roxas and Ven, sitting across from each other in a cramped lower cell, daggers against each other's throats, and murmuring a countdown until they ended their brother's life. She felt bile rising in her throat, and she closed her eyes, telling herself that she'd wanted to know.

She wished, not for the first time, that Terra was beside her, poking fun at her fear and sadness. She wondered if she'd ever see him again, and then she brought the bottle to her lips once more, savoring the numbness it brought to her mind.

Naminé would have fought him immediately if it wasn't for the threat of the sea below her. Instead, she screamed, and clutched at his chest, and she prayed that he'd let her down on dry land. She did not want to die, and she did not plan on it. She did not respond to him when he asked her questions, and she kept her eyes closed until a few hours later, when the wind slowed.

He let her down gently, and the moment she felt sand against her toes, she pushed him away as hard as she could. The force had sent them both sprawled on their backs, and Naminé struggled to her feet. Her legs moved before she could even think, and she was running faster than she thought possible. Sand was flying in her eyes, and but it was too dark to see anyway.

He caught her easily by the arm and dragged her back, his voice pleading. "Stop running, I'm not going to hurt you!"

She was tired, and frightened, and she did not believe him. Her fingers were clawing at his bare arm, and she could hear his rasping breath as he tried to keep her in his arms.

"Let me go," she breathed, her heart battering against her ribs. "Gods, let me go, please!"

"I will if you swear you won't run away!"

She nodded, feeling herself slump when his arms unwound. She stood with defeat weighing heavily in her heart, and her eyes were cast toward the ground. She was useless at defending herself.

His finger slid under her chin, and she raised her head to meet his gaze. It was too dark to see him clearly, but she could tell that he was identical to Roxas in every way, even the old sadness that seemed to gleam in his eyes. She didn't realize she was quivering until he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Chin up," he laughed. The cheer in his voice seemed to take the weight off her, and she stared at him in awe. Somehow, that made her less scared.

"Okay," she whispered, nodding slowly. "You… won't hurt me? Was all of that just a show?"

His lips twisted into a grimace, but he nodded all the same. "Yeah, sorry." He gave another laugh, this one drenched in guilt. "I wanted to get Aqua out of there, but she didn't understand. And then I saw you."

"Aqua?" Naminé watched him curiously, and he nudged her forward.

"She was pretending to be a boy." He shrugged. "I don't know what name she was using. She was the one who kept yelling at me."

She paused, and her eyes widened. "Calder?" She felt a giggle bubbling in her chest. "Calder's a girl?"

"Trust me, I don't know how she does it." He smiled as he led her across the beach. "If you saw her at the ball, you'd think it impossible to mistake her for a boy."

"She was at the ball…?" Naminé murmured. She looked up at him sharply. "You were at the ball?"

He laughed again, and he took her by the arm and pulled her gingerly onto a path of sand that lead up hill. "Guilty," he admitted. "You thought you were talking to Roxas, and I never corrected you. I knew you'd talk to me easier if you thought you knew me."

"That was you?" She was aghast, and confused. "But… how could you know about… the wolf and me?"

He sighed and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, that's a little complicated." He pulled her towards a large tree, and he stopped his face illuminated in the moonlight. "I'll tell you about it after you get some sleep. You had a pretty rough night."

She stepped away from him, looking up at his face again. "I don't trust you," she said, her voice harsh. "I don't want to go anywhere with you until you explain."

He winced at that. He looked around a little before sighing, and nodding. "Alright, alright." He shot her a wane smile. "Can't blame you. Okay, so the wolf? I was there that night, only I was on the other ship."

"Why were you on the other ship?" He sat down on a boulder, and motioned for her to sit beside him. She gathered up her hair in her arms and obeyed without a word.

"My friend was on it," he explained with a shrug. "I was visiting him."

She picked at the strands of golden hair in her lap, and she frowned. "So why were you so fascinated by the wolf? And me, for that matter."

This caught him. He stared at her, his silence making her aware of the sounds around them; the chirping of crickets, and the soft croaking of a nearby frog. Leaves rustled around them as a breeze picked up from the ocean, which sighed softly with every breaking wave.

"I…" He swallowed, and he seemed to ponder over his words. "I've never seen anyone speak to the wolf like that before. He used to only really respond to me, and even that was rare."

"Do you know him then?" She sat up eagerly, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Do you know what his name is?"

"He doesn't have a name," he answered automatically, though she could sense that the words were ushered too quickly. It was an obvious lie.

"He does." She moved onto her knees, and she grabbed his hand. "If you tell me, I'll go with you. Wherever you want to go, I'll go, for as long as you want me. I promise."

His mouth opened, and he stared at her hand for a moment before blurting, "Why does it matter so much to you?"

Naminé pressed her lips together. The truth was, she didn't know why it was so important. She thought perhaps if she knew his name, the dream wolf would respond. But she didn't know how to tell him that, so she grabbed his other hand and begged.

"Please tell me," she whispered, ignoring the strange sensation of his calloused fingers wrapping around her own. "It's… something I need to know."

He tilted his head, and his lip quirked as he contemplated the risks of telling her. "Okay…" He pulled his hands from hers, chewing his lip nervously. "But after I tell you, you need to go to sleep. I can't explain everything tonight."

"That's fine."

Ventus took a deep breath, and he looked up at the sky. "You might have noticed… at night, you never see my brother." He looked at her face to see her reaction, but she just looked confused. "That's because it's him. The wolf is Roxas."

Dun dun dun. Yeah, someone called that in an earlier chapter. I forget who. And I was like, LOL NO THAT WAS NOT A SECRET I WAS TELLING NOPE. I actually was surprised with myself. I thought I'd be revealing this much later on. Well, now you know. Enjoy.

I disagree with Aerith and Sora completely. Terra would be a horrible king. SHUT UP. HE WOULD BE AWFUL. "Oooh, you want to bring your army into my castle? Okay. Would you like some biscuits as well? Perhaps the my head served cleaning on a platter? You can do the tar dipping and spiking, I'll be a BIT TOO DEAD FOR THAT. Also, please be good to that throne, it served my ass well."

no seriously guys he'd be a really shitty king

This might be the last update until after school starts. But then again, maybe not. I don't know. This chapter was pretty exciting, actually, I like it.

lol guys before i forget to mention it, how about the twewy2 countdown? I haven't checked it in a few days. Also I'm pissed it ends at midnight the day I go back to school. It's really unfair.

As for the name of the chapter, pretty simple. Remus was the brother of Romulus, founder of Rome in mythology, and they were suckled by a she-wolf. Romulus kills Remus. Remus and a certain other name sound a lot alike.