Unexpected Changes
An Organization XIII Story
By Arethene

"Demyx, what are you doing?"

Demyx looked up with wide eyes, his cheeks bulging, his hand halfway to his mouth with another handful of potato chips. Crumbs hung around his mouth and were scattered across his black cloak.

"...oh hi, Zexion!" Demyx laughed nervously around the half-chewed chips crammed in his mouth.

"Aren't those Roxas' chips?"

"...no! No, no, these are mine!"

"..."

With a sigh, Zexion turned away and continued through the castle. Only two rooms later, he encountered Marluxia and Luxord having tea. He tried to get away but Marluxia, unfortunately, chose that moment to flip his rosy hair back and noticed the boy out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, hey there, Zexion! Won't you join us? The tea's still hot!" The man asked with what he thought was an inviting smile.

Luxord didn't say anything, sitting in his armchair, resting his cheek on his fist and looking bored out of his mind.

"Er...no thanks, Marluxia."

"What?" Marluxia snapped, his eyes narrowing.

"I mean, I'd love to! But you see, I have...um...studies!" Zexion stammered, lifting his lexicon and tapping it with the other hand.

Suddenly, Xigbar burst into the room through the double doors to Zexion's left, his cloak completely unzipped, showing off his manhood.

"Heeeeere's Xiggy!"

The statement was met with absolute silence and three wide stares. The grin on Xigbar's face was replaced with an expression of stunned surprise, and he went pale and then very red. He did not close his cloak.

"...oh my!" Marluxia exclaimed, holding a hand up over his mouth to hide his coy smile and giggling quietly.

"...uh...crap. Wrong room...my bad!" Xigbar grinned at them all again, then turned on his heel and marched back from whence he came, shutting the doors behind him.

The silence stretched on for a moment.

"Did he have a heart shaved into his-"

"WELL THEN." Marluxia announced over Luxord's question.

"Ironic, that is. Considering we haven't got hearts-"

"I guess we'll just have to get together another time, Zexion!" Marluxia said, standing and going over to Zexion, turning him about by his shoulders and propelling him toward the exit.

"Oh-um-I guess..."

Zexion then found the door to the parlor shut in his face. From behind it he heard Marluxia exclaim, "Now where were we?"

"Larxene's a lesbian," came Luxord's monotone reply.

"Oh, yes!"

Zexion continued on his way.

After accidentally walking in on Axel and Roxas doing unmentionable acts, tripping over Xaldin (who had decided it was ok to do push-ups in front of a door), and glimpsing Larxene looking through a magazine focusing on crew cuts ("Maybe she is a lesbian..." thought Zexion.), Zexion finally made it to Vexen's quarters.

"Jeez!" He exclaimed after Vexen's vague greeting.

"You'd think in such a large castle you'd never run into anyone, but nooooo, I have to meet half the Organization just to get down here!"

Vexen muttered in response.

Dropping his lexicon on one of the tables, Zexion stepped over to Vexen's refrigerator, pulling open the door casually and having a look inside.

"Whatcha been working on, Vex?" He asked.

Vexen didn't reply.

"...busy, huh?"

"...shut up..."

Zexion walked over to a corner of the room where a little wooden chair waited. He picked up the paperback book beside it and opened it to the page he had left off at, sitting down in the chair, which creaked at him in protest.

About a half hour later, Vexen stalked out of the room, muttering something about "alchemical properties." Shortly after that, Demyx flounced into the room, traces of Roxas' potato chips still evident around his cluelessly smiling mouth. He looked around and caught sight of Zexion, who ineffectively raised his book over his eyes and tried to disappear into his corner.

"Hey there, Zexy! You wanna play a game with me? We could play tic tac toe!"

"No."

"What about hangman?"

"No, go away."

"Yahtzee?"

"No."

"Checkers?"

"No."

"Hide n' Go Seek?"

"...ok. You hide."

"Yaaaaay! You're my new best friend!"

And so, Demyx skipped off to hide and left Zexion to his reading.

...

Aaaaaaand twenty minutes later, he was back.

"Hey Zexy, whatcha doin?"

Zexion looked up at him incredulously.

"Did you actually forget that we were playing Hide n' Go Seek?"

"Oh my gosh, we were? I mean, of course we were, I knew that! ...Found you!"

"...hey Demyx, let's play the Find the Shiny Shiny Objects game."

"Oooh! That sounds fun! How do you play?"

"Well, you have to go and find 100 shiny objects in the castle, then show Axel each one, then run and put it back where you found it so Saix doesn't kill me. K?"

"Ok!" Demyx replied, eyes bright.

Zexion went back to his book, ignoring Demyx as he scurried all over, looking for shiny shiny objects.

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn't know how potent that part might be- that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

"Zexion, does this count as a shiny object?"

Zexion looked up in irritation, and gasped.

"Demyx be careful!"

Demyx jumped at Zexion's exclamation, and the silvery orb slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor. A thick white mist poured from the broken container, and Zexion yelped.

"Demyx, what have you done?"

The next thing he knew, he was on the floor beside the sitarist, losing conciousness...