A/N: Just a random drabble/oneshot that literally came out of nowhere. You know when you start writing something and then you can't stop? This is basically what happened, haha.
Set during the events of 358/2 Days. No major spoilers I guess.
I really love Kingdom Hearts and Disney but I don't own them. I'm just a loving (and slightly obsessed) fan.
Enjoy.
Call Of The Sea.
The sea called to Demyx.
The Melodious Nocturne groaned in his sleep, eyes squeezed shut as he turned to his side and curled up into a ball. Again. He thought. It's here again.
Maybe if he just ignored the feeling it would go away, like it had many times before. He would block out the sound of waves crashing onto a shore, the sound of seagulls as they circled in the sky, the salty smell of the sea, the prickling sand beneath his feet. How many months had it been, since he visited the sea? Work with the Organisation was really taking up all of his time, he realised.
Again he felt it, the call of the sea. If he concentrated hard enough Demyx swore that he heard a disembodied voice, a ghost, a spirit, something, begging him to visit. Demyx did not know who the voice belonged to, or where it came from but he had an idea; it could be his somebody. After all, Roxas was not the only one who didn't have memories of his past life…
Demyx sighed, opening his cyan eyes and staring at the ceiling, shifting his position in bed so that he was lying on his back. No-one else knew that he didn't have many memories of his human life. He could make out the face of his somebody, very similar to his own but that was about it. He couldn't even remember his name; Myde? Demy? Dyme? It made him uncomfortable, not knowing something as simple as that. He could only wonder what his companions would think if he ever mentioned that he had no strong recollections of his past (he shivered at the thought of Vexen, one of his co-workers, trying to experiment on him to find out why).
The only thing he was absolutely certain about, it was that his past life was connected to the ocean; whether he lived in it, around it, loved it, hated it, he didn't know. But he knew that water was a significant part of his Other's life. Demyx blinked a few times at the ceiling, thinking.
He had to go. He needed to go to the ocean. When was the next Organisation vacation? It had been a while since they had had one. Maybe he should approach Saïx about it?
Demyx shivered and shook his head helplessly. Saïx would have his head if he suggested a break from work. According to the blue haired man, and many of the other members in Organisation XIII, Demyx was lazy (to which he told them that he preferred the term 'laid back', thank you very much), weak, a coward and on top of that, didn't do enough work in the first place to be rewarded with a day or two off.
Demyx sat up with a huff, running a hand through his brown mullet before crossing his arms, a forlorn look crossing his face. He missed the ocean. Being sent to The Coliseum almost every day, where it was hot and stuffy and dry, made him long for the water. The only reason he blocked out the call of the ocean was because he knew that he just couldn't go there; he had work, he had a meeting, he had to teach the newbie a few things about fighting… If he let the whispers of the waves get to him, he would just feel sadder. He would miss the ocean even more.
The loud voices of his fellow Organisation members outside his door let Demyx know that it was time to get up. He yawned and stretched, swinging his legs over the bed to stand. The room he stayed in was empty and white, the only other colour being that of his black cloak and his blue sitar, his most prized possession and weapon. Many times he had contemplated on painting the room or adding some colour to the lifeless walls but he never had the chance to do so (and again, Demyx realised as he put on his black coat, that work really had taken over his life if he couldn't find time to redecorate a little). He picked up his sitar and stroked it lovingly before stringing it onto his back. He exited the room and walked off to the Grey Area, or the Round Room, where Saïx would give everyone their jobs for the day.
A person appeared in front of Demyx, falling on his feet from the ceiling. Demyx yelped and jumped back, hand instinctively reaching for his sitar. The person laughed and Demyx pouted when he realised who it was. "Not funny Xigbar!" He exclaimed, releasing his hold on his sitar and shaking his head at the actions of the Organisation's number II.
The man winked (or blinked? Demyx assumed it was a wink. It was hard to tell since Xigbar wore an eye patch over his right eye), his smile never leaving his scarred face as he roughly placed a hand on Demyx's shoulder and began to walk, leading him along.
"It was very funny, if you ask me." Xigbar, the Freeshooter, said with a smile. Demyx gave him an unamused look which had Xigbar chuckling. "You looked so down IX. I thought I'd cheer you up!" The one-eyed man said.
Demyx scoffed. "The only person it cheered up was you Xiggy. I was scared half to death!" He replied.
"Then consider it practise for your reflexes! Which are quite good, by the way. You were just about ready to whack me to death with your guitar!" Xigbar commented.
Demyx sighed. "Sitar." He corrected. He was pretty sure that his fellow workers referred to his weapon as a 'guitar' just to annoy him. Also, they always assumed Demyx was ready to smash his sitar, swinging it around like it was a sword. He would never! That would destroy his weapon! No, he fought by playing it, by plucking the strings and strumming chords and letting sweet music fill his ears and summon water clones, not smashing it into things like some Neanderthal.
Xigbar continued talking until they reached the Round Room. Only a few other members were there; Saïx, Roxas, Axel, Larxene and Xaldin. Xigbar walked to stand next to Xaldin, who nodded curtly to him while Demyx sat down on an empty couch, placing his sitar on his lap. Larxene was sprawled over the couch opposite him, flicking through a book while she waited for Saïx to allocate work for her to do. Axel sat next to Demyx and flashed him a smile.
"Morning Demyx." He greeted. Demyx smiled at his companion. Funny; Demyx had the power of water and Axel had the power of fire. The elements they possessed dictated that the two should not have gotten along as well as they do. Axel, number IIX of the Organisation, had bright, spikey red hair that matched his fiery personality and was one of Demyx's close friends. He considered Axel, The Flurry of Dancing Flames, and Zexion, number VI, The Cloaked Schemer, his closest companions (Xigbar was on and off that list, depending on the unpredictable man's actions which varied from hilarious to annoying).
"Morning Axel." Demyx replied with a pathetic attempt of a smile. He could feel the voice of the ocean gnawing at him to listen to its ghostly words.
Axel made a concerned face. "Why the long face?" He asked.
Larxene scoffed, turning a page from her book. "He probably just wants to laze around all day playing his guitar." She commented, eyes not leaving the page she was on. "Although I can't blame him. I feel overworked myself."
Demyx rolled his eyes. "Sitar." He corrected for the second time that day (not even an hour had passed since he got out of bed. How many more corrections must I make? Demyx thought sadly.)
Axel opened his mouth to ask whether Demyx was alright when Saïx walked over to them. Number VII of the Organisation and the boss's right-hand-man, the intimidating blue haired man was in charge of assigning missions and work to his companions.
"Did I hear the word 'overwork'?" He asked in annoyance. Roxas was behind him, silent as a stone and listening intently as Saïx continued. "The only one overworked here is me. I have to pick up the slack when missions aren't satisfactorily completed." He glared at an innocent looking Demyx.
"How about we have a vacation day?" Axel suggested. "We haven't had one in months." Demyx's shone at the thought of vacation day.
Saïx contemplated the idea. Larxene closed her book and looked up at him. "I know I want a vacation before I get sent off to Castle Oblivion." She commented, shrugging.
Demyx nodded enthusiastically and jumped out of his seat. "It would be good for all of us." He spoke up.
Saïx crossed his arms and was silent for a while. Then he nodded his head. "Yes. I think that would do us very well indeed." He murmured to himself.
Axel stood up and placed his arm around Saïx's shoulder, a large grin on his face. "You need a rest too, ya know? Remember last time? When you overworked yourself and went berserk? You almost tore down the castle. Didn't bossman say he did not want a repeat of that?" Axel looked smug as a look of annoyance and slight fear crossed Saïx's face. Larxene laughed evilly and Demyx shivered the memory. Roxas merely looked confused. Poor kid. He had no idea what was going on.
"First," Saïx said, lifting a hand to remove Axel's arm off his shoulders. "Do not touch me." He frowned at the grinning red-head and glared at the chuckling Demyx. "Secondly, yes. I will organise a vacation day for the end of this week."
Axel and Demyx cheered while Larxene sat back down on the couch, a smirk on her face. Roxas tilted his head. "What's a vacation day?" He asked. Axel immediately was at the newbie's side, an arm around his shoulder as he tried to explain what it meant.
"Now that everyone is settled, I'll assign your missions for the day." Saïx told them. "Larxene, accompany Roxas on his work for the day." The blonde haired girl made a face and mumbled something about how she was not a babysitter as she stood up to go to Roxas, leaving her book on the couch. "Axel, that blasted Marluxia is late again. Go and find him and continue the search for the imposter that's been hanging around." Axel nodded and walked off, a spring in his step. Saïx looked at Demyx. "You are to go to The Coliseum, as usual." He told him.
Demyx sighed but stood up, ready to get to work. "What a bore…" He commented to himself, watching Saïx walk off. He lifted his arm in front of him and a long black blob appeared in front of him. A Portal or Corridor of Darkness, which could be used as a quick means of transportation for the Organisation members to get to different worlds. Demyx walked into the portal, the entrance behind him sucking up and closing into nothingness as he walked off, sitar in hand. He smiled. Yes, today he'd have to work. He'd have to put up with the heat and the dryness and the scary monsters that Hades, Lord of the Underworld, would set loose upon the public in world of The Coliseum. But that was only for today.
Soon, he would see the ocean.
It was more beautiful than he remembered.
The blue waves crashed onto the white sand, droplets of water landing on the bottom of Demyx's black coat. He smiled. If he had a heart it would probably be bursting with happiness right now. The call of the ocean that Demyx would always hear was silent, content that Demyx was finally visiting.
Demyx walked up the sand and began to shed his clothing. He quickly unzipped his coat and threw it in a heap on the ground, his naked and sculpted chest glinting in the sunlight. He tugged off his boots and pants and gloves, throwing them on top of the coat. Standing in his swim trunks, Demyx curled his toes in the sand, loving the feeling. He set his sitar gently on top of his clothes and walked back towards the water. The warm wind seemed to be caressing and leading him towards the ocean and Demyx's smile was so wide his cheeks had started to hurt. He stepped into the sparkling water, a pleasant chill filling him as he walked deeper and deeper.
Demyx was shoulder-deep in the water before lowering himself so that his head was underneath the surface. He breathed easily under the water and was still, watching strands of his hair float in front of him for a while. Engulfed in the clear water and wishing that he could stay there forever, Demyx had never felt more at home.
Demyx broke the surface and spread out like a star on his back, letting the sea drift him further away from the shore. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him, breathing deeply, completely content with letting go of work and stress and fear. Happy. He thought. My somebody was happy when he was in the water.
Time passed slowly. Demyx stayed in the water the entire day, watching the sun make its journey from east to west and feeling its rays on his wet skin. He swam to the sea floor, observing the assortment of fish and coral and picking up shells, examining the colours and designs. He swam towards Atlantica, watching the mermaids from behind a large rock and wondering whether his somebody had been one of them instead of being a human. He hummed along to his own melody, wishing that he could laze on the sand under the ocean and strum his sitar for the rest of his life.
When the sun was setting, Demyx went back up to the surface. He was really far from the shore and so swam to get back. Water glistened from his hair and body as he walked up the still-warm sand towards his clothes, picking up his sitar and walking back down to the sea. He collapsed on the sand as close as he could to the water without fearing large waves that would ruin his sitar. He looked down at his instrument-slash-weapon and tested out the strings, making sure that each one was in tune. He began to play, watching as the sun set and gave the world the last of its light for the day. He could play without looking down, his fingers instinctively curling to make and change chords while his other hand strummed in different patterns to create beautiful music.
The melodic sounds caught the attention of a red-haired mermaid who watched Demyx play from a rock that stuck out in the ocean. She smiled at the sound, leaning on her hands and humming along to the familiar tune. Demyx caught her eye and smiled at her. The mermaid swam closer to him, reaching the sand and lying on her stomach and propping her elbows up so she could rest her head on her hands.
"It's been a long time since you came here last." She had a lovely soft voice. Demyx had almost forgotten about visiting her today; he promised her that he would see her every vacation he had.
"I've been busy. And I thought that you weren't allowed on the surface." Demyx teased. The red-head pouted and looked away.
"My father just doesn't understand. Not every human is bad." She said, sitting up. Her green tail flickered, water droplets and sand flying everywhere.
Demyx smiled sadly. "You forgot that I'm not technically a human, Ariel." He reminded her.
Ariel sighed and brought her tail to her chest. The two were silent for a while before Demyx began to play his sitar again. Ariel recognised the song and smiled, singing along. Her soft voice rang through Demyx's ears and seemed to suit the sounds coming out of his sitar perfectly. they played and sang Tfor the remainder of the day, stopping only when the sun had fully set and there was no more light. The weather was cooler and the wind colder and heavier.
"I've got to get back." Ariel said unhappily, glancing towards the ocean.
"Don't be so sad about it." Demyx commented. "You're lucky. You have a family who loves you to go back to."
Demyx watched as Ariel nodded and looked back towards the sea. She smiled at him. "I am lucky." She echoed. Demyx grinned as he watched her wiggle back to the water and swim off. She turned to wave at him. "Oh Demyx!" She called. "You'll be the lucky one when you're whole again!" Then she disappeared under the sea and swam away.
Demyx chuckled, shaking his head. He hoped she was right. He reluctantly turned away from the ocean and walked back up to his warm, dry, clothes, putting them on. He opened a portal and took a final look at the ocean before stepping into it, the sound of the waves moving and crashing following him as he walked towards the Castle That Never Was.
He was settled. He was content. He may not know much about his somebody, he may be considered lazy and a slacker amongst his co-workers, he may not possess feelings… But none of that mattered. As long as he had his sitar and the ocean, he felt like nothing could touch him. He felt invincible. He felt alive.
He felt whole.