Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

The Picture

Even though it was really early in the morning and they were supposed to be leaving, Demyx couldn't sleep. He tried to close his eyes and relax, but insomnia had always been an issue, and he kept tossing and turning until finally the light outside of his window turned gray. That was one of the reasons he was so lazy- half of the time he was so exhausted he could barely think himself straight.

Ever since he'd gotten here, he hadn't really had that problem, mostly because he'd been working so hard all day long that he passed out as soon as he lay down. Well, at least nobody accused him of slacking off now.

For a long time Demyx lay and stared at the ceiling- he counted the different smudges in the plaster and let his eyes unfocus and wondered if he could fall asleep again, lying so still. But as the time passed, he could feel every part of his body with a brutal clarity. Finally, he conceded defeat and figured he might as well pack and save himself the effort later.

He didn't have that many things anymore- most of them had been lost when he left the castle and was killed. But that was a long story, one he didn't feel much like thinking about. He found a bag and started piling in the things that she'd recommended, his mind wandering out the window. It would be a lovely day. Too bad they'd be traveling the whole time.

Being human wasn't something he'd anticipated; then again, neither was fighting this war.

As he went through the small trunk of stuff that he did have, he found something in the pockets of his old pants. He figured it was a mission card at first, but when he unfolded it, Demyx wasn't prepared for the jackhammer of surprise.

A photo. He couldn't remember clearly who had taken it, but he remembered the photo, the only one he had not only of himself, but also of his friends. Or, as close to friends as he'd had in those days.

They were clustered in the Grey Area. Demyx was in the middle, with an arm around Axel and Roxas. They all looked like they were mid-laugh. It was a good picture, but the prickle that he felt in his spine was something else.

Roxas. Axel.

He hadn't been close to him like they'd been close to each other, but they had been the closest thing he had to best friends. They had actually tolerated him when the others couldn't. They told him he was talented and should pursue music. He remembered the way they communicated in sighs at the meetings- exasperated and bored and sleepy.

They were both still alive, but in a different way. Roxas was a part of Sora. And Lea… Lea wasn't the same. He was too serious, too snarky at times. He held his role as a good guy in highest esteem, while Demyx was just in it because he liked the people. And because they saved his life. But that wasn't important.

He continued to stare at the photo as the light poured into the room. While Axel had been recompleted, and still existed as Lea, Roxas was just… gone. And Sora wasn't the same person at all, especially since Demyx was still a bit terrified of him. It was impossible not to be; Sora had killed him, after all, despite fervent claims that he didn't mean it and if he'd known that Demyx wasn't evil…

"Roxas," he whispered out loud. "Why did you leave? It would have been fine if you'd stayed. And why… why did you let him kill me?"

Had they really hated him so much? True, Lea was a good friend, but he didn't have time to stop and talk and have ice cream anymore. He was too busy wandering the World, becoming the next messiah. While Demyx's job was important, too- working alongside Yuffie to gather intelligence in different worlds- he still felt distant from it all, and especially from his old friends.

"No, we can't just go back to those days, can we?" He continued. The Organization had been corrupt, sending them all on suicide missions of a sort. He should have been grateful for this second chance of being alive, for being free of Xemnas and Saïx and everyone else who had considered his existence to be of so little value. And he was. He really was. But even though he had good friends in the members of the Restoration Committee, it didn't feel quite… right, leaving his other friends behind.

There was a knock on the door. Demyx set the picture aside. "It's open."

In blazed Lea, as always. "I didn't think you'd be up. I just wanted to tell you good luck before you got going."

He stood. "I couldn't sleep."

Lea sighed. "I don't blame you. I would be nervous too. It's pretty crazy out there."

There was an awkward silence. Demyx couldn't think of anything to say. Lea's eyes wandered around the room before the rested on the lid of the trunk that Demyx had been searching in. "What's that?"

"Oh, that?" He tried to be casual. Tried harder not to act on his bizarre urge to cry. "I… I found it in the pocket of my Organization clothes." He picked up the picture- it was brittle and worn, probably from being washed accidentally- and passed it to the redhead.

"Oh man, this is weird." Lea blinked. "Some days, that feels like it never happened, you know? And then it hits me."

"Tell me about it. I don't even feel like that person anymore."

"'Cause you're not." Lea pointed at Demyx's chest. "You just have the same name. And it's not you're fault that you can't remember your true name."

Demyx nodded. "But… Roxas…"

"I know. I miss him, too." Lea looked past him, out the window. "I should be going. Demyx… take care of yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Demyx smiled, feeling the lump forming in his throat. "You do the same, buddy." He wanted to hug him, just to make sure that he was real. Lea did hesitate, his hand halfway towards Demyx. "Try to stay alive," Demyx added, his eyes watering in earnest now. "I don't think we get another do over."

Lea smiled. "Of course not. Don't enjoy yourself too much. I hear you're with Yuffie. That should be interesting."

He laughed. "She's nice once you get to know her."

"I'll be seeing you."

"Yeah. Be seeing you."

"Hey Demyx. It's Sora. I figured I'd see you guys off."

"Sure. Come on in."

"Are you almost ready?"

"I just need to get one more thing."

"Take your time."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Hey, is that a picture?"

"Oh, it's just something I found. Not important."

"It looks important."

"I'm ready to go. Did you check on Yuffie yet?"

"Is that… him?"

"Roxas, it's just some of my friends from the old days. That's all."

"…Demyx?"

"…Yeah?"

"…You called me Roxas."

"Oh. …Sorry."

Wow, I've been gone longer from this site than I thought... even though this is short and choppy and might not make a whole lot of sense, I really wanted to write something for Trio day, it being 8/9/2013. It turned out being more melancholic than I originally intended.

This is set in the same world as a story I'm working on, a major clean up of one of my other fanfictions. In it, Demyx has been recompleted like the other members (save remembering his name, as it hasn't been released), and ends up helping the Restoration Committee/Resistance undermine Xehanort. I don't know if it'll ever see this site.

I hope you enjoyed!