Title: Scattered Memories
Author: Apatheia
Pairing: Demyx/Sora
Rating: PG-13/Teen
Summary: Lost was his memory, and still gone was his heart, yet Demyx was sure that the boy with the strange weapon could help him. Common sense dictated that he follow the boy, but it seemed Sora was not at all fond of the new arrangement.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Square Enix and Disney. Please don't sue; the only thing you would get is a few dollars in change and some Kingdom Hearts tee-shirts.

Scattered Memories

Chapter One

Sora impatiently brushed several strands of hair from his eyes before he launched himself at another heartless, his keyblade coming down on the tiny black creature mercilessly. His attack caused the Shadow to spontaneously burst into a black powder-like substance that quickly permeated the air and he could not contain a small inner cheer of triumph as he allowed his keyblade to disappear.

The battle had been by no means easy, especially considering the Shadow had been accompanied by several dozen other heartless. Yet in the end, he felt that the feeling of a job well done afterwards was well worth the trouble. He was proud that his strength and skills had improved and that he was able to hold his own in a battle now. In the beginning, he had relied heavily on his companions. Now, instead of them busting him out of a tight spot, he was often saving them. It was a nice change.

The strands of hair from earlier stubbornly fell back in his blue eyes again, causing the fifteen-year-old boy to give a pained sigh. He really needed a haircut one of these days, he decided as he brushed the strands of hair away once more. He cast a quick glance around him in search of any hidden heartless or other enemies and was pleased to find that he was alone.

There had been rumors that some suspicious, living people were hanging around the Underworld; the rumors passed on to him and his friends by Hercules. Donald, Goofy, and he had split up at the entrance to the Underworld, each in search of clues pertaining to their missing friends or the Organization that was stirring up trouble. Sora hoped that he would find even the tiniest hint as to where Riku was, yet, knowing his luck, he would run into an Organization member or two. After all, they did fit the (admittedly vague) given description quite well.

Hadn't he encountered one of their own down here before? At the thought, his blue eyes narrowed and seemed to darken into a deep sapphire under the growing shadows that filled the tunnel. He walked down what he felt was one of the creepier paths in the Underworld absently, his mind wandering.

He could not help but feel the small tug at his heart at the thought of the group of hooded Nobodies. He really didn't understand what their goal was, though he was certain that it wasn't something he'd particularly enjoy. Despite the fact that they were his enemy, he pitied them. Existing when one was not meant to, dragging on day after day without the comfort of a heart, could not be an easy way of living. However, while he did feel pity for them, he also could not condone the methods they employed to achieve their goal.

"Wonder where Donald and Goofy are?" Sora suddenly mumbled to himself, his voice echoing clearly throughout the tunnel despite its softness. He ran his hand through his hair in an anxious gesture, blue eyes darting to the shadows around him.

The Underworld was a place that even the bravest of men feared to tread and with good reason. Heartless and Nobodies were the least of a person's concern when in the realm of Hades and his three headed dog Cerberus. The brunet could not suppress the small shiver that ran down his spine at the mere thought of the powerful hell hound; he had faced Cerberus only a few times before and each battle had been extremely difficult.

"Sora."

Sora jumped at the sound of his name, his keyblade materializing in his hand as he spun around. He instinctively raised the weapon in preparation to attack before he realized whom it was who had called him. His body relaxed – although he had never noticed it had tensed - as his face softened into a large, carefree smile.

"Hey, Auron," he greeted cheerfully, giving a small wave to the silent warrior.

Auron merely gave him a curt nod in acknowledgement, his lips set in their usual frown. An awkward silence filled the air, at least awkward on Sora's part, as the two stared each other down. Sora shifted his feet uneasily as he gave a slightly nervous laugh.

"So…d'ya need something?" He asked, his blue eyes peering up curiously at his friend.

"Another story is unfolding," the older male said cryptically.

The confused look on Sora's face was quite humorous, nearly causing Auron to chuckle. Keyword being 'nearly'. He settled for an arched brow towards the teen before his dark eyes moved further ahead. Getting over his initial confusion, Sora followed the man's dark gaze to the end of the path. His brow furrowed slightly in a frown as he turned completely around and took a step forward. A strange feeling flooded his entire being as he took another step.

"Be careful. Not all stories will have happy endings," Auron warned gravely, his words as enigmatic as ever. He seemed to be very good at being mysterious. He seemed to be even better at puzzling people because Sora had that amusing look on his face again.

'Not all stories have happy endings? What does he mean by that?' Sora cast a glance over his shoulder at Auron, a bewildered expression still on his face.

"Auron? Is some--?"

"Come. It begins."

Auron strode forwards briskly, sword propped up on his shoulder as his empty sleeve fluttered behind him slightly. Sora had to struggle to keep up with the older male's pace and it caused the chain of his keyblade to slap against his legs roughly. The pain, while practically nonexistent, was still an annoyance that he really could do without.

"So Auron, what begins?" The boy questioned, regarding his older friend curiously. He was pretty sure that the warrior spoke of the 'unfolding story' he mentioned earlier, but he had to ask. When he didn't receive an answer, he really wasn't surprised. Auron was not one for many words.

--

Pain rushed through his body in waves as he regained consciousness, the sudden onslaught making him feel as though the world around him was spinning uncontrollably. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and return to the comforting darkness of sleep.

Reluctantly, he forced his eyes open. At first, it was difficult to see; the pain was so strong it was making his vision blur. It was only with sheer willpower and relentless determination that he was able to eventually clear up his vision and finally make out his surroundings.

His aqua blue-green eyes took note of the roughly carved walls that stood quite a distance away from him, adorned with torches. Each torch carried a flickering blue flame, its light casting abstract shadows. He lay in the middle of a stone path that wound up at a slight angle. Not too far away was a large fracture in the wall more than big enough for even a very large man to pass through.

He forced himself to sit up with a slight groan of protest, muscles shaking from the effort. It was a simple enough task yet he felt completely drained. Once he had made himself comfortable - or as comfortable as one could get sitting on cold stone- he was pleased to find that his pain had lessened considerably.

Now that he didn't hurt so much, he found it easier to concentrate. Of course, that was when the voices started.

They were soft at first, gradually growing louder as the seconds passed. All of his senses instantly went on high alert and any lingering pain was pushed aside as he scanned the room quickly. There was no one around to make the voices, yet he knew they were there. And he doubted that he was going crazy, although he had no memory of ever arriving in this strange place. Granted, he didn't have memory of much; only brief images that seemed faded around the edges and the whisper of voices from his past remained in his head. He didn't even know his name, for crying out loud!

The sound of footsteps echoed in the somewhat large tunnel, overpowering the voices and reaching his ears just as a boy a few years or so younger than his self and a man toting a sword walked through the fracture in the wall.

The boy had unkempt brown hair that seemed to stick just about everywhere, giving him an 'out of bed' look. Whether he forgot to take a brush to his hair or this look was intentional was uncertain. Strands of his hair fell stubbornly in his eyes, partially hiding bright blue orbs that peered out from under long, dark lashes. His face was still slightly rounded, as most youths' were, but his skin looked surprisingly soft and a tad pale, although that could be contributed to the lighting. Something about the boy seemed strangely familiar, and he could not help but wonder if he was a friend.

The boy's eyes landed on him and instantly widened in surprise before he raised his strange key-like weapon.

"You," he hissed the venom in his voice cutting through the air.

Well, that ruled out the friend theory. He glanced worriedly at the strange weapon before looking away. Of course, his gaze landed on the boy's strange companion and he could not help but flinch under the man's intense stare. Obviously, he was not friends with either of them.

The boy pointed the strange key-like weapon at him, and it was in that instant that he knew there was a fairly high possibility that he was going to die. The realization should have worried him, perhaps even saddened him, but all he felt was a slight annoyance. He was not just going to sit around and allow this boy to take his life. It was as if a switch had been flipped; instinct and the desire to survive kicked in and he felt a strange, albeit familiar, power shift within his body and pool to his hand.

Water swirled around his slight form, creating a large bubble-like dome that encased him completely. With a cold look of determination he stretched his arm up to the pinnacle of the dome. The dome shrank into a bubble that rested in the palm of his hand, though it soon exploded and formed a blue and white weapon roughly in the shape of a sitar. With a somewhat fancy spin of his newly found weapon, he pointed one end at the boy with a slight frown on his face.

"Now tell me who you are, and why you are pointing that thing at me," he ordered in a no-nonsense tone.

The boy gripped his keyblade tightly, body tense. However, the question directed at him caused much confusion on his part. Surely he was not so daft that he forgot their encounter in this very world mere weeks ago. Still wary of his opponent but sensing no immediate threat, he relaxed slightly.

"I'm Sora, and this is Auron," Sora said with slight hesitation, nodding at his previously forgotten companion.

"Sora."

The name fell easily from his lips, and the sitar wielding man could not help but say it again. Instantly, a vision of another boy with striking similarity to this one flashed in his mind. Dirty blond hair, but the same blue eyes. The image came freely, but despite his efforts he could not place a name to the face. A name did come to mind after several seconds, though not the one he was looking for. It was his own, which had eluded him until now.

"I'm Demyx," he introduced with an almost child-like smile of glee on his face.

Sora, even more confused by the blond's change of moods, could do nothing but lower his keyblade. It was obvious that Demyx had forgotten about their battle, if you could call it that, and Sora sensed very little threat from him now. Demyx, however, did not cease pointing his sitar at Sora.

"Why were you pointing that thing at me?" Demyx demanded once again, though it seemed that the annoyance from earlier had faded away into nothingness.

"Because you're a member of Organization XIII," Sora answered, with a look that clearly said that such information was virtually common knowledge.

Demyx frowned in thought, wracking his brain for any clues as to what this Organization XIII was. This time he was not met with any images, or names, or even a voice. He was drawing up a blank, and it was beginning to eat at him now. The fact that he was unable to recall anything - his past, his ties with this Organization XIII, Sora, or even how he got here - was starting to create that same annoyance from earlier.

He glanced at Sora, who was staring at him in puzzlement, and a light bulb suddenly turned on in his head. Sora obviously knew who he was and he knew about the Organization. By the way he treated Demyx, it was clear that the boy was not friendly with Organization XIII's members. So it was inevitable that he would eventually meet up with a member to do battle (since they were obviously not going to meet for tea), right?

The Organization would surely have more answers about Demyx's past than Sora since he was apparently a member. Therefore, if he went with Sora he would eventually have to run into members of the Organization, too. The entire thing made perfect sense to Demyx, and he could not help the lopsided grin that stretched across his face.

"Hey, I've got an idea," the blond announced as he allowed his instrument-turned-weapon disappear. He took several steps forward until he was standing directly before the Keyblade wielder. "I'll join your party!"

"What? No way! You're the enemy!" Sora protested loudly. So loudly, in fact, that Demyx was sure that his ears wouldn't quit ringing for hours.

"That's true, I suppose," Demyx conceded with only a hint of reluctance, "But if I travel with you, then I'll surely run into the Organization."

"Can't you just go through your portal of darkness?"

Demyx blinked in surprise. He had the power to create a portal of darkness? It was a shame, then, that he could not remember how to do so. The ability sure would be useful, particularly if he got into a nasty situation. Demyx didn't remember much, but he did remember that he didn't care for fighting or much other forms of confrontation.

"Allow him to join you," Auron told Sora, earning a startled glace from both boys.

"You can't be serious, Auron!" The look Auron gave him was enough to silence the boy, and Demyx was glad that he was not on the receiving end of that look. An unspoken message passed between the two, one that Demyx had no way of understanding. Sora eventually sighed in defeat and turned his attention back to the blond.

Demyx wasn't really paying attention after that. He was too focused on the fact that his plan was actually working; he would be able to go with Sora and meet the Organization! Only then would he be able to truly find out who he was. He vaguely recalled Sora and Auron tensing, both drawing their weapons. Something warm and wet suddenly fell on his head and trickled down the back of his neck slowly. Then, all he knew was a pain so sharp that his vision blurred much as it had earlier and his knees buckled beneath his weight.