{dreams of another}

When she stood in the long corridor again, the doors on either side, and the hearts thumping loudly around her, she made herself sit down. She breathed heavily, her fingers trembling as the wolf pup nuzzled her hand.

"Roxas," she said, staring at him confusedly. "Why didn't you tell me it was you?"

He whimpered, and pawed at her dress. His red tears made his eyes glow in the fog, blue and bloody. She dragged herself to her feet and moved forward, leaving the younger Roxas behind. She knew where she was going now.

The bloody hearts beat in a steady rhythm, and she began to feel nervous, her fingers reaching for a red door handle. Beside her, the younger Roxas howled.

Will you look, then? he asked. Will you see what you have done?

She did not want to. Deep inside her, there was a knot of hatred and confusion that would not disperse, and she grew worried. Whatever she'd done, it was enough to leave an imprint on her memory. Horrible, horrible, her mind told her, and a wave of self-loathing hit her hard.

She pushed open the door, her fingers slick with blood, and she wiped it on her the front of her dress as she stepped into the din.

It was bright, as if it was midday on the brink of summer, and all around her feet were flowers, daisies and hyacinths and tulips and roses and forget-me-nots… Roxas stood beside her, no longer a wolf, but a child, seven or eight, with the same sad eyes, and red tears on his cheeks.

"Do you see?" he asked, his voice soft, but crisp, as if he was irritated with her.

"No," she replied, "I don't see any—"

The noise around her that was incomprehensible when she'd entered became louder, sharper, and she felt her stomach twist. She looked down at Roxas, but he was gone now, and where he had stood all the flowers had turned brown, and withered. She turned, her legs moving forward to follow the sound, the screams, the cries, and pleading little voices.

"Ar mhullach an tí tá síodha geala
Faol chaoin re an Earra ag imirt is spoirt
Seo iad aniar iad le glaoch ar mo leanbh
Le mian é tharraingt isteach san lios mór…"

She shuddered at the sound of the lullaby, the words archaic and familiar. Yes, she knew that song… of dancing white fairies, and their playful nature, and their tempting of children. Yes, she knew the song well, though she didn't know where from. Her mind told her that she used to sing it all the time, but her heart told her that it was evil, and that she'd never uttered a word of it.

She spun around when a laughed pierced through the sobs and screams, and she stared at Vanitas's marred face.

"Why are they crying?" she shouted at him, lifting her hands to her head. She was getting frightened.

"Don't you remember?" he spat, his grin even more unnerving on cracking black lips. "You killed them all!"

She stared at him, feeling even sicker than before. No you didn't. No you didn't. "No I didn't," she whispered, but he laughed, and stepped toward her. He was so close that she could see his black flesh flaking. He smelled of rot and ash.

"Oh, my lady," he sighed, grabbing her chin. She was overwhelmed by her own feeling of sorrow, and she stared as the flaking burnt skin fell away to reveal the boy he really was, so young, and yet so full of hatred. "You are so much worse than you could possibly believe."

"No." She stepped back, but his grip on her face was too strong, and suddenly her feet felt too heavy to move. "You're wrong! I'm… I'm better than you've been your entire existence! You can't tell me I murdered children, because I didn't!"

He pulled her very close, his nose bumping against hers, and she stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. Familiar, familiar, oh gods, he's never gotten so close before…

"You," Vanitas murmured, his voice softer than she thought could ever be possible, "are so stupid. You think that you're perfect, that you can do whatever you want, but you can't! Why don't you ever listen to me?"

"Because you're selfish!" she screamed, pushing him away. "Because all you do is hate, and look at me like I'm beneath you, but I'm not!" She felt a quivering deep in her stomach, and she realized her words didn't match her emotions. "I'm not perfect, and I never will be, but at least I know where to draw the line between duty and pleasure! You kill people because you enjoy it, Vanitas!"

He rolled his eyes, and he sneered at her. Her mind was fogging up, and she wanted to go home, but she had to speak to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her knight leaning against a tree, his head bowed, and his eyes averted. "You shouldn't be lecturing me about duty and pleasure," Vanitas hissed. "You really can't seem to differentiate one from the other anymore, can you?"

She was enraged at that. Enraged, and ashamed. She stomped forward and backhanded him, surprised at how her strength sent him stumbling. "Do you feel anything?" she asked, her voice dead. "Is there anything inside that dark little heart of yours, aside from loathing?"

He smirked at her, nursing his cheek with one hand. His eyes were dancing with amusement, and that told her that yes, he did feel, but it was not enough. Then he stepped toward her, moving close again, and he said, "Do you want proof of my emotions?" he whispered, and she blinked confusedly. His head moved, and she felt his lips crush hers for a moment, a moment that made her head spin in confusion before—

"No!" she screamed, bolting up straight. She saw his face immediately, and she scrambled away from him, her legs tangling in a blanket. "No, no, no!"

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice… worried. That startled her, and she clutched her chest, feeling it rise and fall heavily. "You've been tossing and turning all night."

The light changed then, and she saw not Vanitas, as she'd first assumed, but Roxas's look-a-like… Ventus? She wasn't sure. Her heart was pounding, and her stomach lurched when she realized she'd lost control of her dream. That last part hadn't felt right. Roxas had said that he wanted her to see what she had done, but she had no idea what that meant.

"I—" she choked. "I don't know, I don't…" But why had he talked to her so freely? Vanitas never spoke to her, not really. She wondered if Roxas had messed it all up, if that had been something else, and then she wondered if it was someone else's memory.

She stiffened when Ventus wrapped his arms around her shoulders, patting her head, and gently rocking her to and fro. She was alarmed by the warm sensation, the strange foreign feeling of being comforted. "What… what're you…?"

"When Sora was little, he had nightmares too," Ventus said, his voice soft. "So did Roxas, come to think of it. But it was always Cloud who tried to lull him back to sleep. I just watched."

"Sora?" she whispered. "Cloud?"

"My friend." Ventus continued to rock her back and forth, and her mind was growing hazy again. She recalled she was in the tree now, which was hollow, and it lead to a small underground alcove. "And... well, my other brother, actually."

"Another brother…?" she murmured, before she drifted back into slumber. Her dreams turned from Vanitas, and focused on a man who was crowned the ruler of the sky.

Xion spent her days restlessly. Riku stayed with her, to her surprise and joy, but he didn't talk much. She spent the first day exploring, which turned out to be successful, as she found a creek near by. Riku watched her from a distance, but he never tried to get very close, and whenever she struck up a conversation, it was short, and he ended up walking away in the middle of it.

The second day she spent cleaning the cottage. Riku explained that it had once belonged to a family of three, and that it had been empty for decades. When she asked what happened to the family, he did not answer.

The third day was spent wading in the creek, laughing and splashing, enjoying the freedom she'd never felt. She asked Riku if he could take her to the beach, remembering her seashell collection from Terra, but Riku denied it. He said it was too far away, and they had to be careful.

On the fourth day it rained. Xion sat at the window, letting the wind splash the rain onto her face. Riku was cooking her something, and when he noticed the water coming in, he quickly closed the shutters.

She turned towards him, pressing her lips together as he walked away from her. She wished he'd just talk to her instead of keeping to himself so much. She decided earlier, the day before, that he'd lost someone, just as Rhyme had, and just as she had… sort of. She was scared to bring it up, though.

"Why don't you ever eat?" she asked when he set a bowl soup in front of her. "How do you even know how to cook?" Why are you protecting me...?

He answered, as he usually did, but it was too obligatory, too cold. "I don't need to," he said. "And it's just something I learned when I was younger."

He moved away from her after that, but Xion couldn't stand it. She had so many more questions. "Did you cook a lot?" she asked innocently.

"No." He frowned at her, and he looked away, as if looking at her made him uncomfortable.

"Why don't you need to eat?"

His eyes narrowed at her. "Why are you asking so many questions? Eat."

"I will!" Xion glanced at the soup, which did smell good, if she had to admit it. "But I… I'm just curious. I've never met someone other than my brother before."

This made him pause, and look at her for a long time. That was different. He often tried not to make long eye contact.

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly, moving closer to one of the chairs. Xion grew excited, wondering if he'd sit down to actually speak with her.

"Well, my stepmother never allowed me to go out." Xion smiled sadly, and shrugged. "Terra always brought me stuff, though, like books and seashells and things. He… was the only one who really cared about me."

Riku's eyebrows rose at that. "He attacked you," he said with a sharp laugh. "Doesn't sound caring to me."

"That wasn't him!" Xion scowled. "At least… I don't think it was. He told me to run. I think there was… something else inside him."

Riku seemed to ponder this, and he sighed, submitting to the inevitable. He sat down beside her, and nodded. "That's possible," he said. "I haven't seen a possession case in decades, but they exist. Though the possessing spirit has to be very immersed in dark magic, as well as having a severe physical and spiritual connection with the host. It takes years to develop."

Xion ignored his comment about decades, and focused on the explanation he was giving. "So…" she said. "The person who did this has to know Terra?"

Riku laughed again, this time with less cruelty. "Knowing? For a strong mage, knowing will get you to influence a person's thoughts slightly. You need to mix blood to get a better effect."

She stared down at her hands, trying to make sense of his words. Blood… "So… like family?" she asked, looking up at him. She noticed at this face was long and angular. When he nodded, she found herself slumping. "Could it have been his mother?"

"Maybe. If she's powerful enough." Riku sighed and stood up. "Okay, will you eat now?"

"Yes…" She looked down at her soup, and she picked up her spoon. "Hey, Riku?"

He turned to look at her, his lips twitching upward. "What is it now?"

Xion swished the potatoes around the bowl, and she looked up at him. "Who was she?"

The smiled fell, and she saw his shoulders tense up. He kept his gaze on her face, however. "Who?" he asked, his voice carefully emotionless.

"The girl I remind you of." Xion smiled at his bewildered expression. "Don't act so surprised, I've read romance novels, I pick up these things."

"That isn't your business." He looked angry for a moment, before his expression turned to defeat. "I can't believe it was that obvious."

Xion shrugged. "I'm observant." She smiled at him, and watched as he closed his eyes, looking uncomfortable.

"She was…" He opened his eyes and turned away. "She was someone very special to me. That's all you need to know."

"Joshua."

He looked up, a smirk rising on his lips, and he flicked his hair from his eyes. "Rhyme," he laughed. "What do I owe this pleasure? You rarely come when I don't call for you."

Rhyme smiled uneasily, her fingers twisting with the skirt of the dress he had given her once. It was the nicest she owned, and she wore it today only to fulfill the glamouring effect. "I just wanted to know some things." She shrugged. "I was hoping you'd give me answers."

"Well we both know it depends on the question."

She stared at him, and she kept her smile on her face, despite her irritation. "Joshua," she said, laughing a little. "I've known you longer than I knew my brother. Don't you think you owe me one round of free answers?"

"Not particularly." He peered at her, cupping his chin in his hand. "Though, I'm curious now. If I told you the answers you seem to be seeking oh-so-desperately, would you act on it? If so, how then can I trust you?"

"I promise I won't do anything with the information you give me." Rhyme understood the weight of a faerie's word, and she knew that Joshua would exploit that. "Can I ask my questions now?"

"I'm not stopping you."

Rhyme nodded, her smile falling away. "Promise you'll answer everything I ask," she said. Her stomach fluttering nervously. "I need to know before I start."

"Yes, fine," he sighed. "I swear. Now talk, Rhyme."

She swallowed, her head bowing. She was too invested in her own thoughts. "Do you know if Beat is alive?" she asked.

"He is." Joshua smiled, as if he knew she'd ask that. It was predictable.

"Is he doing okay?" Rhyme stared at Joshua with wide eyes, and she stepped forward. "Does he have a family now? Is he healthy?"

"One at a time, now, Rhyme," Joshua simpered, waggling a finger at her. "You do realize I don't keep tabs on him, don't you? I just sneak a peek every now and again for your sake."

"Thank you, your grace—"

"I would very much appreciate it if you called me by my name."

"Joshua," Rhyme corrected herself, swearing internally at her folly. "It's… kind of you to care so much."

"I wouldn't call it kind." He smiled, and though Rhyme knew that smile was poisonous, she returned it with a genuine one of her own. "Now, is he alright? Yes, he's fine. No, he has not started a family, and I would say yes, he's very healthy."

Rhyme sighed, relieved to hear news about her brother, relieved to know that he was still alive and well… though the fact that he had not settled down yet worried her. "Is he… is he still looking for me?"

Joshua rolled his eyes at this, and he sighed. "He never stopped," he said, waving his hand. "He's quite foolish."

Part of her rejoiced at the idea that Beat still cared, the faerie side of her, but the practical, human Rhyme was deeply saddened by the fact that Beat was throwing his life away searching for the sister he'd never find. "I agree," she said softly. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

His eyebrows shot up, and he laughed genuinely this time. "I always forget your words of wisdom," he said, his eyes glinting with approval. "Now continue, what else did you wish to ask me?"

"Why do you keep me here?" It was her curiosity that fueled her now, not her worry. Joshua did not seem surprised at this question either.

"You amuse me," he said, shrugging. "Also, I don't want to waste a surviving changeling. I'd rather keep you in my sight, where I know you're out of harm's way."

"I'm in harm's way when I'm around you as well, though," Rhyme said, pushing her hair from her eyes.

"I don't think that's true. Next question?"

"Do you care about Neku and I?" she asked. "Truly?"

That caught him a little off guard, and his smile fell. He was silent for a few moments, as if he wasn't sure how to answer the question. He could not lie, he was not capable of it.

"Yes," he said finally, frowning a little. "I care for everyone in my court."

Rhyme smiled, and she shook her head. This was Joshua. He tended not to show his real feelings often. "Of course," she giggled. "A good king cares for his people. He shouldn't pick favorites."

"Oh, I'm not a good king," he sighed. "My love for little oddities like you and Neku… and Riku as well, when he still obeyed me, seems to get the better of me."

"Aw," Rhyme said brightly. "Joshua, you do have a heart!"

"Do I?"

Rhyme tilted her head. "Well, perhaps. I don't think it's been proven quite yet, but we're getting there."

Joshua giggled, his eyes narrowing a little. "Perhaps," he agreed. "But it'd be best not to pry. Is that all?"

"No." Rhyme frowned, and she took a step toward the throne. He did not seem surprised, though he watched her with a more interested gaze. "What do you plan to do with Kairi?"

Joshua blinked at that, and he smiled placidly. "I don't believe I know exactly what you're asking."

She took another step toward his throne, her smile still perfectly pleasant. "You know," she said. "You have a plan for her. I want to know what it is."

"Rhyme, I enjoy you, but even if you were correct in assuming I had a gambit on the mermaid, you realize I would not tell you, don't you?"

"Of course!" She stood eyelevel with him now, only a yard or so away. She felt this was all going to get out of hand soon, but she had to know. "But, you swore. So, Joshua, I believe you must tell me."

His eyes widened a little, and he no longer seemed to be amused by her antics. She knew he'd only swore because he hadn't expected her to pry into something like that, something separate from her usual emotional interests.

He smirked again, though he looked a little bitter now. "I underestimated your wit, Rhyme," he said. "I would apologize, but to be honest, you were obviously expecting it."

"I don't believe I know exactly what you mean," she said, feigning her surprise. Rhyme didn't show her tricky side often to Joshua, mostly for occasions such as this one, where he had forgotten that she was well aware of who she appeared to be to others, and took full advantage of it.

Joshua stood, and she stepped back in response. "If you wish to know so badly," he said, his voice on the edge of a giggle. "I plan on taking the Skyland heir as a sacrifice, and using the mermaid to do so."

Rhyme stared at him, her mind working out what he was saying quite quickly. She took a step back. "You want to end the line of succession with the prince," she gasped, her stomach churning with nausea. "Joshua, for a self-proclaimed humanitarian, you really know how to screw things up!"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," he sighed. "I figured out something… odd about the heir. It will serve a greater good if he dies."

"How?" Rhyme tried not to sound angry, but she couldn't help it. "How could that possibly help anyone?"

"Without a sacrifice, this world will be thrown into Darkness and ruin." Joshua looked frighteningly serious, and he moved beside her. "As a faerie monarch, it's my job to make sure that does not happen. That's why sacrifices must be made, and the young prince's blood will slate the higher power's thirst longer than any child would, even if the child was like Neku."

"And you plan on using Kairi for this?" Rhyme turned from him, pressing her hands to her mouth to keep herself from saying something she might regret.

"She's an easy pawn." Joshua smiled, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now, you realize you can't tell anyone about this, don't you?"

"Yes." But Neku will know, she thought. And I can't promise he'll sit by quietly.

Aqua was surprised when Vanitas came for her, the day after they had arrived on the Isle of Sleep. He beckoned her to follow him, and after hesitating for a few moments, she did.

"What's going on?" she asked quickly, her hand falling on the pommel of her sword. He led her onto the deck, brushing past anyone who was still on the ship. Most of the crew had gone out for the hell of it, Axel included. Roxas had stayed behind, mentioning feeling sick, and Aqua spotted him sitting near the stern, slumped forward in slumber.

"Do you want to know why you're on this ship?" Vanitas asked in a dull voice, stepping onto the pier. Aqua glanced at him, and she nodded. Truthfully, it had been the only answer she was seeking for days.

"Yes…" Aqua said slowly. She moved forward, her fingers tracing the waves on the pommel of her sword. "Though I wish you'd have told me sooner."

"I had no reason to." Vanitas stalked out in front of her, pushing his way through the thickly populated streets of Dreamfall, the port city of the Isle of Sleep. Fishermen and market dwellers bustled around them, shouting in an unfamiliar tongue. The scent of charred meat wafted toward them, and Aqua's mouth watered, recalling that she hadn't had a proper meal in nearly a week.

As they moved deeper into the streets of Dreamfall, the smells turned rather unexpectedly. Incense and a thick, musky odor reached Aqua as they passed an ornate building of worship. Aqua saw men cloaked in blue shrouds, and one of them looked at her. She stared for a moment, her eyes falling on the X-shaped scar between his eyes, and quickly she ushered herself toward Vanitas.

The buildings were wide, and sort of flat, the architecture never rising too high into the skyline. The market was still visible, and the roads kept on a straight path. The buildings weren't very plan, just small, and they were shockingly colorful in some areas, bold reds and purples splashed on shingles and shutters.

Finally they stopped, and Aqua looked around, feeling uncomfortable suddenly. The hair on her arms stood on end, and despite the inexplicably warm temperature of the island, she felt a chill. Before them stood an archway, and vines and flowers braided into each other to form a long canopy. She turned to Vanitas the moment she realized it was a bridge.

"Where are we going?"

"In here," he said, stepping through the arch, and disappearing into the shaded area. Aqua stood for a moment, rubbing her arms to calm herself. Quickly, she followed after him. The bridge was darker than she expected, and she blinked at the slivers of light that peered through the cracks in the braids of plants above her.

Minutes ticked by, and she could not see Vanitas in front of her. Eventually the sunlight of the exit became clear, and she hurried her pace, her fingers brushing against the side of the bridge, and she hissed when a thorn stabbed her finger. She stumbled into the light, blinded for a moment, and she squinted through the glare at Vanitas, who was sitting on a platform. All around the platform was water, a river running underneath the ground. A dome arched overhead, and flowers hung down from it, brushing the top of his head.

"This is the girl?" a deep, rasping voice asked. Aqua turned immediately, her stomach twisting, and she saw a old, tanned man standing a few feet from her.

"Yes," Vanitas said, folding his arms across his chest. "Shall we start, then?"

"Start?" Aqua asked faintly. The man's lips curled unpleasantly, and Aqua felt herself taking a step back into the darkness.

I updated because today (like seven hours from now) is my first day of school, and updates might not happen as usual. Don't worry, I fully intend on completing this story, even if I have to try and rush it.

I'd like to ask for some reviews this time around if that's okay? The reviews for this story have been getting kind of sparse, and I'm curious to know who's still reading.

The first part of this chapter was a dream. Don't take too much of it seriously, and try to look at is like you would Dream Drop Distance. AS IN DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU SEE.

And Rhyme gets a point of view! I got bored with Kairi, and I thought Rhyme might push the plot a long a little more. I was right.

Google translate won't translate the song correctly so I went through the trouble of finding it again.

On top of the house there are white fairies
Playing and frolicking under the gentle moonlight
Here they come calling my baby
To draw him into their great fairy mound.