The Comfort of a Stranger

Ienzo sobbed quietly on a guest bed in the sympathetic police officer's house. The tears rolled down his pale face, soaking the black collar of his shirt. He pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his nose in his knees. The house was silent, the officer and his wife asleep down the hall. Light filtered from the streetlight outside.

"Oomph!" Ienzo jerked his head up. No one was there, and yet he was certain that he'd heard someone.

"H-hello?" he called uncertainly, sniffing and rubbing his nose. "Who's there?"

"Uh… no one!" Ienzo quirked an eyebrow. Who ever it was, they weren't very intelligent. "Go back to sleep Ze- kid."

"Its no use hiding," Ienzo looked around the room. Was the mysterious man in the closet? "There's a police officer down the hall who will come if I scream so- so show yourself!"

"You can't see me?" came a puzzled response. Ienzo shook his head. "Oh," there was a pause. "I'm a… a musician."

"That's… invisible?" Ienzo snorted. "Whatever." He ran a hand along his face to wipe off some tears. He could still feel some burning behind his eyes.

"Hey Zex- erm… are you… crying?"

"What's it to you?" Ienzo snapped, sharply turning to look at the wall. The room seemed different now that this man was here. Less dark, somehow. And it smelled like rain. Odd.

"Well… why are you crying?" the bed sagged and squeaked.

"My… my parents they're… they died," Ienzo choked out. A gasp came from the invisible man.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Something warm close around Ienzo's hand. Another pressed at his side, pulling him close to an invisible form. The tears burned stronger and threatened to overflow.

"It hurts so bad. I just want it all to stop!" Ienzo whispered. "I don't want to feel anything!"

"Don't wish that," the stranger murmured. Tears ran down the younger boy's face. The musician began to hum, lulling both of them. They didn't sleep, didn't talk. Ienzo didn't want to ruin the calm smog that had settled. He breathed in and out, inhaling the scent of rain. He looked up when the sun shed orange tinted rays. "Uh-oh. I should be go-" the stranger moved, standing. Panic cut through Ienzo's chest and he grasped his hand tighter.

"Please don't go!" he begged.

"I-I-" the voice was shaky and uncertain. "I'm sorry, but I promise we will meet again."

"When?" Ienzo asked.

"Uh… when you lose it all. After fire. Gah," the hand removed itself from Ienzo's grip. "You know what? Just remember IX."

"Nine?" Ienzo was sure that he had misheard. "What does that mean?" but the smell of rain was gone. Ienzo sighed. The stranger was gone. But not forever. He smiled. "Nine… IX…"

…

"Oomph!" Demyx rubbed the back of his head as he landed. Stupid Luxord. Stupid drunk Luxord. Who knew where- or when Demyx was now! He looked around the room, for it was a room. It seemed empty and unused.

"Hello? Who's there?" Crap some kid had seen him. Demyx flipped his hood up. He looked over at the bed where a small boy with lavender- wait a sec. That kid looked like… that kid was Zexion! Just great. Demyx had been spotted by none other than Zexion.

"Uh… no one!" Yeah. Like that would fool Zexion. Or, y'know, his Somebody. "Go back to sleep Ze- kid." Great job, Dem. Go ahead and screw up the space/time continuum.

"Its no use hiding. There's a police officer down the hall who will come if I scream so- so show yourself!" Little-Zexy said defiantly.

Huh? Demyx didn't understand. He looked at the boy and noticed that the familiar-but-not-really eyes were darting around. "You can't see me?" he ventured. The boy shook his head, proving his theory correct. Joy. "Oh," should he tell his friend-in-the-past who he was. ""I'm a-" Nobody? Your bo- no. He wasn't going to scar the kid. "A musician." There. That should suffice.

"That's invisible? Whatever," Demyx shuffled closer and looked at the child some more. He was a whole lot smaller than Zexion. His hair, although styled the same, was shorter. And it looked as though he had been-

"Hey, Ze-erm… Are you crying?"

"What's it to you?" The child turned away from Demyx to stare at the wall. His breathing was noticeably ragged. Demyx felt a pang of understood sorrow.

"Why are you crying?" he crooned as he sat on the bed next to the Somebody.

""My… my parents they're… they died," the sitarist gasped. He knew that Zexy was an orphan but this was different. When Zexion had spoken about his parents it was like he was numb, indifferent. But the pain this child felt was fresh.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Demyx grabbed the mourning boy's hand. Thankfully, he didn't pull away. He used his other hand to position the boy up against his body.

"It hurts so bad. I just want it all to stop! I don't want to feel anything!"

The Nobody winced. Now he knew why Zexion could be so distant. "Don't wish that," it will come true in a few years, anyway. Demyx held the young child until the sun shone through the window. "Uh-oh. I should be go-" Demyx stood up, but little-Zexion held firm onto his hand.

"Please don't go!"

Oh crap. Not those eyes! Demyx couldn't say no to those eyes! "I-I- I'm sorry, but I promise we will meet again."

"When?" Just like Zexy, always wanting to know everything.

"Uh… when you lose it all," No. Don't tell the kid that! "After fire. Gah," Demyx pulled his hand away. That was stupid too. "You know what? Just remember IX."

"Nine?" Demyx could hardly hear the child's voice. He was falling again.

"IX! Thank Xemnas that Luxord was able to get you back from whenever you were!" Axel thumped the dizzy accidental-time-traveler on the back. Luxord groaned and turned around, most likely headed to nurse his hangover.

"Where- when were you?" Roxas asked curiously.

Zexion entered the room, darting around a ill Luxord. The Schemer looked around with his piercing eyes. They softened a bit when they saw Demyx. Dem grinned at him. "Just… visiting a friend."

…

Le End

A/N: I just want to snuggle Ienzo! He's so adorable! *snuggles *

Ahem… anyway. I have no clue where this came from. But I like it, so oh well. If you didn't guess it (because I was sneaky and didn't actually state it) this was present time Zemyx (or Dexion. What ever floats your boat). Does Zexion remember his little visitor? I'll leave that up to your imaginations. Why did Demyx call Ienzo 'the child' etc? Because he forgot Zexy's Somebody's name.

Review if you have any other questions. In fact, review anyway. I still need someone to tell me how I did keeping the characters in… well, in character. Sorry about any Grammar/Spelling errors. I try, I really do.