Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in my stories, if I did, trust me, they would not be gay!! I'm totally crazy about them both!!
Some Things Are Meant To Be: Musician to the Royal Court
Demyx was on a planet that only he could reach, and having planted his flag, (in this case an official looking letter, on an occasional table, in the middle of the room), he proceeded to do a one-man conga around his living room.
"I am going to pla-ay, at the king's big da-ay, lalah la la, lalah la la! Deedee deedee, dah dah..."
This inane activity carried on for several minutes, with every staccato note punctuated by a hand or hip movement, and was just beginning to annoy some of his neighbours when the sound of Abba's 'Dancing Queen' cut in over his vocals, indicating that the phone was ringing. Eager to announce his news to the world, he bounded over to the window seat and grabbed it, as he looked down at the stirrings of morning activity in Twilight Town.
"Musician to the Royal Court , how can I help?" the blue-eyed blond, declared in a slightly breathy voice.
"Uh, Dem?! Is that you?" Roxas asked in a less than certain voice.
"Most definitely. It is I, Demyx, Sitar-player extraordinaire, and a mean hand at the Hawaiian guitar."
Demyx couldn't see down the phone line, since it had no video link, but his younger and more golden-blond friend had rolled his eyes, and was making strange and scary motions to his girlfriend. "OK, Dem, spill. You haven't been like this since you were brought back into the world of humanity, and played at Donald's wedding!"
"Well, that's just it! Encore! Repeat performance! I'm doing it again!"
"Donald's getting married again? To whom? Where's Daisy? Why don't I know about this? Is polygamy legal in Disney Castle? Does Minnie....."
"No, you moron!" cut in Demyx, before his friend could go any further, "No Donald, no wedding, and definitely, no polygamy! I'm headlining at the King's jubilee luau on the Destiny Islands, next month, AND, it's on my 21st!"
"Hell, Dem, I knew it was your birthday soon, but I didn't realise you were that old!", joked his younger friend. "Good on you for getting the gig, though. As it just so happens, I'll be there! We all will! The whole reason for the luau is that it's three years, three peaceful years, since Riku and my alter ego returned, we were retransmawhattied out of limbo into good little humans and the whole fiasco that Xehanort started was finally put to rest. So, the king's invited EVERYONE who was involved and who now bats for the good guys, to a big beach shindig in the Destinies, seeing as that is kind of where it started and ended!
Demyx hadn't caught most of the last sentence , and his major concert coup had also faded into the background. "Rox...When you say EVERYONE..."
"Yeah, Dem, everyone," interjected Roxas in a very gentle tone, quite different from the boyish enthusiasm he had just been exhibiting. "The King doesn't play favourites, you know that. I'm on the security detail, so my invite came with an itinerary and a full list of invitees, staff, etc who will be present. That was the other reason I was ringing you, I thought you ought to know. But it's just a straight alphabetical list of people, so I had no idea you'd been given the honour of performing, not something you can, or would want, to get out of, huh?"
"Daisy's just been appointed in charge of court entertainment," said Demyx, as if it explained everything, which it did to Roxas, at least, as he knew that the Daisy's seven little ones idolised the blond with the duck mullet, especially since their Christmas panto of 'Demyx and the Seven Ducklings', the previous year!
"Are you sure he'll go? All you've got is a list of invitees, not acceptances."
"Dem, I'm positive. Lux rang me last night to ask if I was involved with the security for a medal presentation being held the SAME day, in the square outside his casino, because you-know-who had just rung to ask if he could stay at Lux's while he's there, and this morning, there it is on my itinerary – morning, medal presentations in square, town walkabout, open new maternity wing of hospital, watch local children's dance troup, beach luau, afternoon, concert on the beach – that's you, I presume – freetime and swimming, evening, dinner with the mayor – haha, wonder if Riku knows yet – and dancing at the casino nightclub. Pretty full day, but definitely includes medals AND concerts!" finished up Roxas, suddenly feeling very old and tired, despite the early hour and his youth.
Roxas heard a very,long, deep sigh at the other end of the phone, a couple of slight hiccups, and a gulp.
When Demyx finally spoke, his voice was somewhat higher and smaller, as if someone was squeezing part of his anatomy uncomfortably. "It'll be fine! I don't have to see him or speak to him. There'll be tons of our other friends there, anyway, and it's going to be my biggest concert AND birthday yet, and I refuse to allow some red-headed, green-eyed, psychotic, cheating freak to ruin it for me!"
From this last squeak of a sentence, which from Demyx was about as calm and mature as you could hope for on the subject of Axel, Roxas realised he was going to have a very busy few weeks, if they wanted the King's jubilee celebration to be a success. He considered calling the king and suggesting that maybe the medal could be presented at a different time, or that Demyx should get a straight invite he could politely refuse, instead of a command performance, but knowing the king as well as he did, he wasn't altogether sure that His Majesty had not engineered the situation deliberately. He had to be aware of the situation, as even in the relative seclusion of Disney Castle, people knew better than to mention Axel in Demyx's presence, or vice versa, unless a doctor was handy.
After putting down the phone to Demyx, and a quick discussion with Namine, they both got busy on their cellphones. One thing everyone asked, agreed upon was, that their two friends should be kept as far away from each other as possible, and 'minders' were appointed to keep them occupied, with frequent changes, so it didn't look too obvious. Straight security was not an option since Axel outranked just about everyone else, as head of the joint worlds' intelligence task force. It was even more vital to keep them apart, if either of them had a drink. If Dem was playing it was unlikely he'd indulge, but Axel on a day off, medal ceremony or not, was likely to get wasted.
The big day was less than a week away, the next time that Roxas rang Demyx. Demyx had entered the phase his close friends referred to as 'the flap'. It was half-way between the euphoria of landing a major gig, and the abject panic he usually felt before actually going on stage. The self-doubt was just beginning to creep in, usually remedied with a lot of alcohol and random casual sex, interspersed with god moments when he'd play his latest composition at full volume, often totally naked, and on his balcony which would seriously tick off the neighbours, and all of which activities frequently got him an overnight stay in a cell.
"Hey, Dem, how's it going?" ventured Roxas tentatively, when Demyx actually picked up the phone, after just a couple of rings.
To Roxas utter shock, Demyx appeared to be both calm and sober. "Fine. Just putting together a few finishing touches to the music, inspired by Daisy's youngest, who wanted it more 'dancey'. I should be ready to ship out in a couple of days!"
"You're going so early?" queried Roxas, suddenly worried that all his and Sora's careful plans were about to fall apart.
"Well, I need to get some location rehearsals with the backing group, to check the acoustics, and stuff. It's always more difficult outdoors especially when it's breezy, and it's always breezy in the Destinies." Damn, damn, damn, thought Roxas, why hadn't that occurred to him – probably because you're not a musician, his little voice of reason told him. He improvised, something which he was good at!
"Well, suits me to come down a bit early, too. A little extra security recon can't hurt, even though it's hardly needed down there. We can audit your rehearsals for you, as well, and I know that Namine wants to know every last detail of Kairi's pregnancy to date, hell knows why she finds morning sickness, water retension, and sore boobs so interesting, but that's girls for you! Where are you staying, by the way?" He already knew, but wanted to make sure there were no more last minute surprises.
"Oh, I'm staying at the mayoral residence - Riku and Olette's, to you. They rang me almost straight after you on the day the invite came, beat Sora by a full half hour! I take it that that's where you and Nami will be bunking?"
"Yep! Wouldn't be the same without our weird semi-telepathic conversations! Let's face it Sora and Kairi are more than just twins to me and Nami, we virtually share a heart and we miss them horribly when we're not together. Getting older hasn't changed that at all! Well, we'll come by and get you on Thursday then, say about lunchtime?"
"Thanks, Rox. Now I'll get back to that score. See ya!"
Roxas put the phone down, with a sigh of relief. Disaster averted, again. Yet, he still had a feeling of foreboding about the whole event. He decided to make another quick call.
"Sora, s'me! Do you have any idea when Ax is expected down your end?"
"Yes and no. According to Riku, he'll only be here for the ceremony, but then Mr Mayor is always the last to know anything! According to Hayner, who as his deputy, ought to know, he's taking the week off and coming in on Friday, and according to Luxord, who they are supposed to be staying with, its Wednesday till Sunday! Why, what's up?"
"Our one and only musician to the Royal Court, has decided to head down on Thursday, to get in rehearsals. Why didn't we see that one coming? I'm bringing him down, so you've got us from Thursday afternoon. You'd better let, Mayor Rikulette, know as well, 'cos Demyx probably hasn't bothered with the details!"
"Rox, stop worrying. One thing I've learned is that the king knows what he's doing. He'd never have arranged it if he thought it was going to be a problem. He doesn't want the biggest celebration in years ruined, trust me. It will be fine. Anyway, their paths won't cross, even for an instant, even with a broader timescale we've got enough 'minders'. Rest easy, bro!"
"I wish I had your optimism, kid, but they are two loose cannons, and just SLIGHTLY unpredictable. How's Kairi doing?" asked Roxas, feeling the need to think of less stressful things. "When is my godchild supposed to be making its entrance?"
"Well, Kairi's getting tired and a bit impatient, and she really has the biggest belly I have ever seen," he fielded a cushion that had been lobbed at his head, "but she looks beeyootiful," he said quickly recovering himself, in her estimation. "As for the debut, you can never be too sure about these things but the doctor has finally reckoned that her due date is this Sunday! First babies are often late though...just so long as it's not early...who'm I kidding, I can't wait, even if early might be a wee bit more problematic, with all this going on!"
"Sunday would be perfect timing! We could stay on for the rest of the week to help as I start vacation time once the king leaves. I know Nami would love it. She's been so excited by every detail Kairi gives her recently, and she's even started knitting for the little one, not that anythings anywhere near finished yet."
"Well, she's still got a few months to go, bro, before anything needs to be ready."
"You just said, maybe Sunday!"
"Not our little bundle of fun, you moron, YOURS! Oops! Ow, that hurt!" stated Sora to Kairi who was looking daggers, had lobbed a vase at him, and was now looking for another missile.
"Did you say MINE?"
In the absence of convenient lobbable items, Kairi settled for yanking the phone out of Sora's grasp. "Nami was saving it! She was going to tell you after I'd delivered, kind of your special present, like the baby will be for Sora! And now the numbskull has ruined it. He just earned the himself the first month of nappy changes and night feeds! We're really happy for you both, and before you go thinking that Nami told us first, she didn't. It's that whole bond thing, I knew as soon as she did, like she knew with me!"
Roxas, who had collapsed onto the floor in shock, actually took very little of Kairi's speech in, but got the apologetic but happy for him tone, which was enough. When he had recovered enough, to talk, he had a broad grin on his face. "Listen, I don't know. OK? I want her to give me that surprise. So you tell balls-for-brains, to keep it shut, and if this is a sample of how he manages a delicate situation, I have serious fears for this weekend!"
"S'OK Rox, I'll keep my personal idiot in order, we'll see you Thursday, and in the meantime, he owes me a lot of foot massaging and back rubbing. Bye!"
On another phone, not a million miles from where a very pregnant lady was using a lot of less than ladylike language towards the guy who had got her that way, Luxord was being regaled with anecdotes from Axel's latest mission.
"...then, Hayner, the doofus, fell off, still with the peace pipe in his mouth, which amused the locals no end, and did more for good will than the whole of the rest of the mission! I swear I only keep him on 'cos he's such a clown!"
"Ah, so his uncanny knack of mastering any spoken language within minutes, has nothing to do with it! I tell you what, you ever fire him, I could sorely use him here at the casino! Anyway, when am I supposed to expect you, Mister Medal of Honour!"
"Well, we've cleared this mission now, so we're headed for Twilight to see Hayner's mum, and then it's straight sailing down to you, should be there Thursday morning, latest."
"What? You're not portalling? You're allowed, it's official business, isn't it? Anyhow, I thought that was your trademark! I half expected you to portal straight onto the stage!"
"I decided that was too naff, and anyway, since there's no mad rush, this is a great craft to cruise on. We just don't usually have the luxury of doing that!"
"True, true. Well, I'll lay in the booze and the food, and I'll leave the key in the usual place, if you get in before midday don't wake me, just let yourself in, and help yourself!"
"Lux, just one thing before I go, everyone's giving me the run around about Saturday, my own staff haven't been informed, it's all been handed over to Rox and Sora's security division, on a need to know basis, and they've decided, little squirts, that, since I have the day off, technically, I don't need to know. The king just told me to keep the whole day free as I'll be in his party, but all his office will tell me is that I get a medal, spend the day with the king – town tour, oversized beach barbecue with entertainment, and then dinner and dancing at your place with Mr Silverblond and wife. Occasion being celebrated, the final end of the whole Kingdom Hearts catastrophe, etc. Usually, I vet everything, caterers, entertainers, performing monkeys, even the pot washers. It's my job, and now for some reason I'm being kept completely in the dark. Do you know anything more? At all?" Axel finished, sounding wound up, even for a red-head with a short fuse.