AN- This'll be my first try at a completely AU Kingdom Hearts story, so bear with me. It'll be Demyx/Namine and Axel/Kairi, just to clarify (more of the former than the latter, because Demyx is the main character, but I'll try to add plenty of the other pair, too). Hope you enjoy chapter one of The Art of Silence!

Disclaimer: I own the plot, but the characters, settings, and everything else is not mine.

Sad Girls and Art Don't Mix

Ever since I first got my sitar, I've wanted to become a musician. I'm determined to one day be famous. My name will go down in history as one of the best musicians of all time. This may sound all fine and good, but when you're living in a huge place like Hollow Bastion, it's not so easy to make it big. Even with great skills at playing an obscure instrument and pretty good vocals, record deals don't just grow on trees. The only way to get to get a good record company behind me is to get some attention on the streets. That's why I've taken to doing some street performances on weekends.

My roommate from Hollow Bastion University (or HBU, as everyone calls it), Axel, calls me an idiot. See, I'm so determined to fulfill my dream, I quit my old job working as a waiter. I'd been about to quit anyway, though, because I kept getting yelled at for either goofing off or messing up orders. The food business is too serious. Musicians are allowed to be a lot more free spirited, which is just what I need. Anyway, Axel thinks I'm dumb because now my only source of income is the tips I get from my performances, which, admittedly, don't amount to much. I believe his exact words are something like, "Demyx, you dumbass, either get your fricking (only Axel, being the completely inappropriate up-yours kind of guy he is, didn't say 'fricking') job back or get a better dream, preferably one you can accomplish, oh, say, now, because I'm not paying for you. Got it memorized?"

Oh yeah, I have his harsh words committed to memory. And one day, when I'm making way more money than he is and getting to live out my dream, I'll make sure to rub it in his pyromaniac face- just a little, though, because he is pretty much my closest friend.

I sigh. Today's Saturday, meaning I'm out here once again, on the cold, hard streets playing and singing to the best of my ability. I've been out here since eight in the morning. Fricking eight in the morning! I'm usually a morning person, but I'm pretty sure all this singing is making me lose my voice. It's starting to sound scratchy and it's kinda painful. It's only 5:30 pm, and I haven't eaten since my late breakfast at ten! I'm starved, my throat hurts, and I've still got another hour and a half before I retire for the day- oh yeah, I've barely made anything today, either. Could things get worse?

"Incoming!" I perk up ever so slightly at the sound, turning to look, and then WHAM! I'm hit in the head with a soccer ball that some brats in the park across the street had been playing with. Great. I grit my teeth to keep from cursing, instead opting to chuck the ball back at the kids, only taking mild satisfaction in the fact that I nail one with it. My head feels like it's throbbing. Just great. What did I do to deserve this?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a young girl, no older than sixteen I'm sure, watching the incident. That girl's been sitting there, by the fountain, drawing in a sketchbook, since noon. I haven't seen her leave since I saw her arrive. She's a bit creepy, actually, what with her whitish blonde hair and haunting blue eyes- I haven't paid her tight-fitting white dress any mind, since I'm not a total perv like Axel. I bet she'd be pretty if she smiled, though.

My head throbs again, and I clamp a hand to it, brought back from my reverie by the pain. The kids are out of earshot. I curse softly to myself. My head hurts like hell.

"Hey, mister goody two-shoes is cussing. Has the world ended?" I freeze. I'd know that sarcastic voice anywhere.

I force a smile and turn around. "Hey Axel! What's up?"

The spiky redhead grinned, emerald eyes glancing at my earnings before riveting back to my own aqua eyes. I frown slightly. He came to make sure I'd made enough to take the subway home, again, despite the fact that I'd told him it wasn't necessary. That's the thing about Axel. Despite all his big tough talk, if he really cares about you, he'll help you out in a bind. His smile seemed a bit tight and forced, just like my own. "Nothing much, dude. Just thought I'd see what you were up to since I was in the area. How'd you do today?"

The smile dropped from my face. "I did fine. I've got enough to make it back via the subway to the dorms, at least. Wish I could've made a little more, but I'm not gonna complain. I asked for this. Beggars can't be choosers, as the saying goes. You can go on and head back. I'll meet up with you later."

Minutes passed as my friend contemplated, and I grew more and more frustrated. Just before my patience snapped and I yelled at him, a faint ripping sound coming from the park attracted my attention. The odd girl was still there, now sitting on the fountain's edge, slowly ripping pages out of her sketchbook that she'd spent hours drawing, crumpling them up and throwing them in the water. She was trying to be quiet and inconspicuous about it, but my sensitive hearing had picked the noise up.

Axel, noticing I wasn't paying attention to him anymore, followed my gaze and frowned. "The hell's she think she's doing?"

My frown matched his quickly deepening scowl. Axel hated things he couldn't understand. He was a closed-minded person as a result. I could agree that seeing a girl ripping up papers and throwing them in the water was an odd sight, however. "…I don't know." I turned to Axel, but kept one eye trained on the girl, afraid of what she might do next. "That girl's been here like all day, drawing away in that sketchbook. Even if she didn't like her work, why would she rip it up and throw it away in the water? That's littering." Normally, when I talk to someone, I try to keep eye contact with them, as a common courtesy, but I couldn't keep my eye off of the odd girl who was steadily filling the fountain with her art. Her sluggish movements made her seem… sad somehow. My brow furrowed. Was she sad?

Axel realized that my attention wasn't going anywhere for a while and sighed. "Alright, Demyx, if you think you can make it on your own, then whatever. Make sure you've got enough money and then get back before curfew. It wouldn't do to get in trouble, now would it? Oh, and commit this to memory… the best way to start a relationship is to get the girl to like you. Go comfort that weirdo chick, and maybe you'll get something…" The feral expression on my friend's face appalled me, and I gave him a slap on the arm. He just snickered and walked towards the train station, waving goodbye.

I sighed and began making my way over to the girl. She was turned away from me, and I wondered whether or not I should make some sort of noise to alert her to my presence. Once I got close enough, however, I noticed she was murmuring softly to herself whilst filling the fountain. Curiosity won me over, and I approached her silently, tall enough to see what she was doing over her shoulder. It was now just after six, and the sun was setting, so she probably thought nothing of the shadow that fell over her. Either that, or she just had no sense of self-preservation.

The girl sighed after throwing one of many pictures into the water. I caught a quick glimpse of it before it vanished beneath the ripples and other soggy papers. It was a picture of a boy with spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes holding hands with a blonde girl. The girl, I assumed was her. "Loves me…" I froze at the words. What? "Loves me not…" She proceeded to rip out another page, this one showing the boy from before, only with his arms wrapped lovingly around a girl with pretty red hair.

"Loves me…" A picture of a boy with long, styled silver hair and sea green eyes giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Loves me not…" The same boy looking longingly at the redheaded girl from before.

The girl paused at the next picture, and her breathing hitched oddly. Glancing over her shoulder I could see the sketch showed a young man with long pink hair towering over her on a bed, a smirk plastered on his face. It was hard to tell from the picture, but I'm pretty sure her expression was one of terror. I blinked at the picture. This was getting a bit weird, and I was more than a little creeped. If these pictures had any sort of hidden meaning, I sure as hell didn't wanna know about 'em. Besides, this guy seems way too old for her!

The girl gazed at the picture for a moment as if in a trance before slowly ripping it out and adding to her collection in the fountain. "…Loves me… Loves me not…" The next picture, as expected, showed the pink guy with some freak show girl with blonde hair and… two antennae for bangs playing what could only be described as 'tonsil hockey'. Oh, and the girl was the one shoving him into the wall, not the other way around. I shuddered. I'd never told anyone, but dominatrices kinda freaked me out. The girl ripped the page out.

Before I could see whatever freaky image awaited me on the next page, I cleared my throat. No way was I watching this transpire any longer, cause I was getting seriously creeped- and worried about this girl's health. "…Why are you tearing up all your art when you spent all day working on it?"

The girl froze before hunching over, looking all the more vulnerable. I had a sudden epiphany: if she stayed here, looking like that, then she'd be the next victim of one of the local gangs. Before I could calmly tell her to Get the hell out of here, she stood up and stepped away from me. Before I could reprimand her for her complete and total rudeness, she tripped over a branch, and her sketchbook went flying… right into the fountain, where all her other art had been waiting for it. I quickly snatched the book out of harm's way, shaking it a bit in a feeble attempt to salvage the remaining art, before rushing over to the girl trying weakly to stand. I offered her a hand up, but she waved me away, clutching her right ankle tightly. She'd twisted it, it seemed.

Wordlessly, I grabbed her free arm and slung it around my shoulder (which was a bit difficult, since I'm a good foot taller), hoisting her up. Her head snapped up, and when she met my gaze, her look could only be described as that of a deer caught in headlights. She whimpered, and I pouted. Was I really that scary? I tried to placate her. "Hey, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just trying to help you. I'm a nice guy, really."

Her face lost its fearful visage, and instead went blank. She spoke, her voice as monotonous as she could make it, despite the fact that she was slightly shaking. "Then why are you even here? You've got no reason to be at the park at this time of day."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you haven't noticed, since you've been glued to your work since you got here, but I've been here. I'm here every Saturday and Sunday, playing my music across the street." I unstrapped my sitar from behind my back and showed it to her. "See? I was here before you were, girl, and I usually leave at seven or so. I've got more reason to be here than you do." Then I blinked. It was true. I've been routinely coming here every weekend for almost a year now, and knew the face of almost everyone in the vicinity by heart. This girl, I realized, was not from around here. I'd never seen her before in my life. "Why… are you here?"

The girl gazed somberly at me, not saying a word. She still didn't protest when I began moving us towards a bench so she could sit. She remained completely quiet. I scowled. I hate silence. I handed over her soggy sketchbook, waiting for a reply, and gritted my teeth when I received nothing but silence and haunted eyes staring at me. "Hey! Say something, already!" The girl flinched, and I regretted losing my temper so easily. "Uh… sorry! I'm not trying to be mean or anything, it's just that I really don't like silence! So… will you please say something…?"

She stared at me a moment longer, eyes trying to judge me. I tried my best to stay still and quiet. Finally, she spoke softly. "…Thanks…"

I resisted the urge to yell at her again. I'd expected some sort of conversation, but apparently, that was expecting to much. This girl unnerved me. I'd never met someone quite like her. I struggled to find something to say. "Um… my name's Demyx, by the way. It's nice to meet you…?" I trailed off, waiting for her to tell me her name, but she stared blankly at me instead. I sighed. "…Okay, so you don't want to tell me your name. I'm okay with that." No, I'm not. "…You new here? I know everyone around, but you're a new face."

She glanced away, a far-off look in her crystalline blue eyes. "I arrived here last night on the subway."

I raised an eyebrow. "O-kay, so you're not from here. You're new. Where are you from, then?"

Her gaze asked me why I cared. I gulped and looked away. This girl really unnerved me. "…I'm from lots of places. I lived in Destiny Islands for a long time, but until now I've been staying in Twilight Town."

I frowned, trying to remember exactly where these two places were. Destiny Islands, I remember, is a far-off resort place. Those who actually live there are considered extremely lucky. From here, it's about… a seven-hour drive away.

Then, there's Twilight Town. It's about four hours away, but me and Axel went there once to visit a good friend of his, Roxas. Roxas was this short blonde fireball who was, I'm guessing, about this girl's age. Messing with him meant you'd get your ass whooped- trust me, I know. Him and Axel wreaked havoc on Twilight Town for the short time they were together. Anyways…

"Wait. Did you come from Twilight Town to here all by yourself?" She nodded. "On the subway?" Again, she nodded. I blinked. It took four hours just driving here from there, but taking the subway probably took at least an extra hour because of all the stops. "Didn't that take forever? And cost a lot of money?"

She nodded before standing up. She seemed to have recovered some of her strength from her temporary resting. "Thank you for the help, but I have to be going. I've got to find a place to stay tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why not just stay where you did last night? Could you not reserve a hotel room for more than one day?"

She turned to look at me, an unreadable expression on her face. "I didn't stay at a hotel last night."

My jaw dropped. "Don't tell me. You didn't stay here at the park,did you?!"

She frowned, face looking guarded. "No. A nearby fast food place that was open all twenty-four hours allowed me to stay the night because they took pity on me."

I got off the bench and walked over to her. "Well, if you need a place to stay, there's plenty of room in the dorms. You'd have to deal with staying with two guys, but-"

"No."

I blinked. She'd seemed quite determined in that one word. This was the most emotion she'd shown yet. "No?"

"No. I don't want you or anyone else taking pity on me. I don't… need it." She was showing some spine here, being stubborn, but somehow… she seemed all the more sad.

I sighed. I couldn't force her to stay at the dorm, but I wasn't going to leave her to be taken by some creeps. "At least let me take you to a nearby hotel so I know you have a place to stay."

She glared, and I glared back right. We silently fought for what we wanted, before she finally averted her eyes, now scowling at the ground instead. "…Fine."

I smiled. "Great! There's one just a couple blocks from here, I think. Let's go before the gangs start coming out." She glanced at me curiously, but didn't respond. We started towards said hotel. She was hobbling, so I helped her when she needed it. We walked in silence, but it was a more comfortable one, so I let it slide. When we arrived at the hotel and I walked in with her, she glared at me again. "I can pay for myself."

I nodded. "That's good, because I need my money to take the subway back. I was just making sure you got checked in."

The clerk watched our squabble, not really giving a damn. He turned to the girl. "How will you be paying?"

"Cash."

"How many nights will you be staying?"

She suddenly looked unsure. "I… I'm not sure. Two for now, please."

"And… your name?" I leaned forward, anxiously waiting.

She looked panicked. "Well, I, um… is this completely necessary?"

The clerk gave her a patented, Are you retarded? look. "You have to be checked in under a name, miss. It's the rules."

I looked between the girl's distressed visage and the clerk's bored face a few times before finally caving. "Uh, does it have to be her name she's checked in under?"

The clerk stared at me. "Pardon?" The girl was staring, too. I gave her my best smile.

"I said, "Does it have to be her name she's checked in under?" Like, if I gave you my name and phone number, she could be checked in under my name, and if there are any troubles, you could just call me?"

The clerk frowned. "Well, I suppose that would work…"

I grinned and nodded, grabbing the offered paper and writing down my cell number quickly. "Great. I'm Demyx Nerio. I'm nineteen, and go to HBU. Anything else you need?"

The clerk sighed and handed the awestruck girl a key. "Nope, that'll be all. Your room is number twenty-six on floor two, okay miss?"

The girl nodded, but was gazing at me as if she couldn't comprehend what I'd done. I smiled down at her. "Well, I really gotta go. Make sure you get that ankle checked out, alright?" She nodded slowly, clutching the key and her sketchbook tightly to her chest. "It was nice meeting you! Next time, and there will be a next time, make sure to tell me your name!" That said, I waved and walked out the door, not looking back. At least, I wasn't going to look back until I hear her call.

"Wait!" Despite her hurt ankle, she rushed back out to me on the street, blonde hair flying.

I turned to her again, genuinely confused. "Yeah?"

She took a moment to catch her breath before looking up at me, face tinted red. "Uh… your last name, Nerio, means 'wet one', right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes…"

She cocked her head to the side, smiling lightly. I was awestruck. It's the first time she's smiled since I saw her, but I was certainly right. When she smiles, she's beautiful. "Do you like water, Demyx?"

I nodded, grinning lightly myself. "I love it, actually. But really, c'mon, that can't be what you came out to ask or tell me."

She smiled lightly again, and for a moment, I couldn't see any sadness in her eyes. "You're right. You said we'll meet again, right?"

I nodded, and her smile got a fraction wider. She turned around and began walking away. I was stunned. "Wha? Hey! What're you doing?"

"Going back inside. It's cold out here. But just so you know for when we meet again…" She turned a bit and locked eyes with me. I froze. Looking deep into her gaze, I could see what I'd missed before. The sadness was still there, and she was just trying hard to hide it and play happy with me, probably as a way to thank me for my kindness. She giggled, and a lump grew in my throat. Her laugh sounded so real, so genuine, so damn melodic, but her eyes were not smiling. Really, if she wanted to thank me, she was going about this the wrong way. I'd have preferred to see the real her, no matter what she was like. I think I lost the will to speak because of the number her act did on my brain.

"My name… is Namine."

AN- And… that's the first chapter! Whatcha all think? Tell me about anything and everything you liked and disliked about it. Constructive criticism helps. It really does. Oh, and please tell me if the characters are okay. I've got this thing about trying to not be OOC. Reviews are appreciated!