5 Years Time

The sun shone brightly in the vacant blue sky. Zexion shielded his eyes with his hand. Even with the protective shade of the tree, he could barely see the scene around him. But he could imagine by the sounds – families, young children and school groups chattering excitedly all around and the faint sound of animals. This added up to one thing: the zoo. How the heck did I get here…? Zexion thought to himself. The memories of just a few hours ago slowly came back to him…

A Few Hours Earlier, in the Castle That Never Was –

Zexion stretched his arms high over his head. After a long day of analyzing new information on the heartless, he was taking a much-needed break in his favorite place: the library. Hidden away with a copy of his favorite book, sitting in his favorite chair, he sighed in content. 'If I had a heart, it would be filled with happiness.'

"Teehee."

His head snapped up from the book. 'What?' But all was silent. The air in the room had changed, faintly smelling like the ocean and something sweet… He shook his head a few times. 'I'm just imagining things.'

But Zexion wasn't imagining things. Not this time.

Because Demyx suddenly sprung up from behind the chair and tackled the other Nobody. "Zexy!" The two Nobodies tumbled to the ground, Zexion's book flying across the room. Demyx landed right on top of his supposed "friend" in a…suggestive position.

Zexion gasped and struggled under the larger Nobody. His face turned a light shade of pink. "Number XI," he hissed, "get off of me. Now!"

"Oh!" Demyx rolled away. "I'm so sorry, Zexy!"

The slate-haired boy took a few deep breaths. "It's fine. Now, is there something you wanted to say? Or was all of that for nothing?"

The musician's face brightened. "Oh yeah! I have a huge favor to ask of you."

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yes?"

Demyx pulled out a pamphlet and two tickets and held them out. "Would you go with me to the zoo?"

Zexion blinked. "You're joking."

He shook his head, eyes brimming with innocence. "Nope."

The other Nobody sighed. "Demyx, we don't have time for something as trifling as the zoo. We should be working on our mission to collect more hearts for the Superior. Can't you try to act like a normal Nobody?" After a moment of silence, he looked up.

Demyx had hung his head, tears replacing the joy in his eyes. His dirty blonde hair fell over his face and his shoulders were sagging. Guilt gnawed at Zexion, and finally, with a reluctant sigh, he picked up the pamphlet. "So where to first? The giraffes or the dolphins?"

He lifted his face, instantly cheerful. "Yay! Thank you Zexion!" He threw his arms around the other in a big hug and laughed.

Zexion sighed. If only he had said no. But just one glimpse from those puppy-dog eyes and he was pulled in. Now that I think about it… Where IS Demyx? When the two Nobodies had entered the Twilight Town Zoo – disguised as two normal teenagers, of course – Demyx had run off.

He scanned the map, looking for possible places. After minutes of hard thinking, he randomly chose a point on the map and went in search of the mullet-haired Nobody.

A quick look around told him which exhibit this was – the elephants. The massive creatures stood around and waved their trunks in the air. Little kids pointed at the animals and laughed. And among those children, standing right at the railing, was Demyx, looking up in awe.

Zexion stood behind his friend. "Demyx."

He didn't move a muscle.

"Demyx!"

Still no response.

Sighing, Zexion reached around and covered Demyx's eyes with his hands. The blonde yelped in surprise. "Guess who?" Zexion said.

Demyx peeked through his fingers and whirled around. "Zexy! You finally caught up!" He pointed at the animals. "Did you see how big those elephants were?"

"Yes, yes I did," He sighed. "Demyx, you can't run off like that. I cannot afford to lose you in this crowd. So no going off on your own. Okay?"

The blonde nodded. "Okay."

"So…where to next?"

A grin spread across his face as he grabbed Zexion's hand. "This way!"

They spent the entire day running around the zoo. The sun beat down in malicious waves, but they hardly noticed. As the afternoon wore on, they soon had only one exhibit left: the aquatic animals.

The entrance led into a dark corridor. The two Nobodies stood at the entrance side-by-side. Zexion looked up at Demyx. His eyes danced with panic. "You okay?"

He jumped, and quickly gave a small smile. "O-Of course. Well, let's go."

Zexion scrutinized his face and, in an impulsive gesture, reached out and took the other's hand. "Zexion!" Demyx sputtered as they started down the hall. "What're you–"

"Don't lie to me." The blonde flinched at the accusation. "You should never lie to your friends, right? If you're scared, just tell me." Zexion turned around and gave one of his rare smiles in the semi-darkness. "I'll always be here to hold your hand." He glanced ahead. "Look, we're almost there."

Demyx blinked in surprise at the faint blue light growing as they moved forward. As they stepped into the room, he looked around, eyes wide. The walls of the corridor were see-through glass. And, inside these walls, were thousands of different kinds of fish. "W-Wow," he breathed. He placed his hand against the cool glass. A clown fish swam up and stared at his hand. He laughed. "I love this!" Demyx skipped down the hall in absolute joy.

Zexion shook his head, but couldn't help but smile. He followed his annoying yet cute friend down the dim blue corridor.

"Thanks again for going to the zoo with me, Zexy," Demyx said wearily. After a long day, they were finally taking a train back to the main part of Twilight Town. Demyx clutched a dolphin plushie while Zexion had a killer whale plushie, both of which they bought at the zoo gift shop.

"No problem," Zexion sighed in reply.

The blonde slouched in his seat and softly laid his head on Zexion's shoulder. "You're my best friend, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Silence settled over the two Nobodies. Zexion took a deep breath. "You are…my best friend too, Demyx."

He glanced down at the musician. He had fallen fast asleep, cuddling the plushie. Zexion sighed and lightly ruffled the blonde's hair. Then, with a strange gentleness, he kissed the other's forehead. Demyx stirred ever so slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. I'll tell him later, I guess, Zexion thought to himself. He sat back and lost himself in false feelings of love and happiness. And for the first time in his non-existent life, he wished the feelings were true.