"Zexion."

He felt betrayed. They all went on missions – it was expected – but never assignments that involved completely moving out and going to another environment. No, Demyx thought, this wasn't even close to fair. Stubborn tears clung to his lashes, but he held them there, staring the azure-haired genius down as much as he could.

"Demyx," he began, a note of exasperation tinting his voice. "We've been over this." He was so emotionless.

"It's not fair," he blurted, voice cracking painfully. He had heard the explanation a dozen times, he didn't need it again. He understood it just fine, but rejection didn't require comprehension. "You could die. That's not fair, Zexion!" he shouted, his voice taking on its normal whine.

"Then, when I die," the older nobody said smoothly. "I guess I can really start living. Everyone has a heart when they die – everyone is the same."

Silence fell over the pair, heavy and seemingly without end. Zexion could talk about death so easily; it bothered Demyx, much more optimistic. Did he want to die? Did that mean he really wasn't coming back? He wanted him to come back. When Zexion was there, he felt a little less empty. He didn't need to die to have a heart. "Who says we die before we live?" he mumbled, mostly to himself.

He realized after the words left his lips that he didn't really want Zexion to hear it, but the blue-haired teen's heightened hearing picked it up. If he was shocked, it didn't show, and he turned slowly, looking up at the blonde with apathetic, storm-cloud-gray eyes. "Your optimism is astounding," he remarked, if anything for lack of anything else to remark upon. "Our means of obtaining Kingdom Hearts are present are faulty at best, if that is what your words imply."

"It's not," Demyx admitted, looking down towards his toes and tugging at one sleeve. He felt awkward now and regretted his words. "But I like to think that we'll do it that way, too," he added. Zexion made a small dismissive sound. "I mean… what I mean is…" he started, pausing to collect himself. He didn't know how to put what he was feeling (inappropriately, of course) into words. "I'll miss you," he said.

There was another pause, a more comfortable silence. "I'll miss you, too," Zexion admitted, his own gaze shifting to his feet briefly. "And…" he began, and then thought about what he wanted to say. "I can promise you something."

Their friendship began a while ago, back when Demyx's existence as a nobody had been limited to mere days. He was so insecure as compared to the rest of the Organization, and originally the companionship the veteran offered had been out of pity. After a bit, though, Zexion had decidedly taken a liking to Demyx's innocent and almost child-like attitude. Once he started going on missions and experiencing their occasional horror, he had always been there to offer a shoulder to cry on.

If things turned out with Sora like the Superior was predicting, he analyzed, things would get very bloody for them all. And he really did not want Demyx, of all nobodies, to see that. "I promise you walls," he said cryptically. Demyx need not know of his fond protectiveness.

"Walls?" the blonde asked, half incredulous, half innocently curious. He didn't understand that one at all, but he would in due time.

"Walls of grace," the schemer decided with a nod. "To… carry on," he added after a moment of hesitation. That sounded too cliché and emotional, as defined by the literature he always read.

There was a long pause, and when upon studying Demyx's face and realizing he was blushing a bit, Zexion realized that his own face was beginning to color, so he turned around again, beginning to walk away again to his new home (and last, predictably) at Castle Oblivion.

"That's really sweet of you," Demyx whispered, but this time, his words fell on deaf ears.