Hey guys! I would say 'Blobtu's back for yet another fanfiction!', but I won't since I don't really have that many and don't feel like it anyway.

Ok, moving on. This is the 1st in the '26 Ways' series which I have just started (yay me!). 26 Ways is a whole bunch (coughcough26coughcough) of one-shots that are either Zemyx, or centered around Demyx and/or Zexion. The thing they all have in common is that they're all about/based on/has something to do with a proverb of some sort, and it's what the chapter title is named after. Of course, I could just put them all together, but I won't because that's my way of cheating.

And just in case I don't have the proverb included in the story itself, I type it down at the bottom. And even if it in it, I still put it there coz it's another way of cheating...

Anyway, here is the 1st story of 26 Ways

(A/N: AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! Another fic about the Sora & Demyx fight!! AAAAHHHH!!)

Disclaimer: No matter how hard I beg or plead or cry, Kingdom Hearts will never ever belong to me. In my dreams, maybe... The only thing I own is a friend who has a HUGE crush on one of the characters... :P

"A"ccomplice

It was a suicide mission. He knew it. Xemnas knew it. Hell, they all knew it! So why's they send him; lil ol' Demmy, afraid of his own water clones? Not that he was scared of them. After all, to fear you need to be able to 'feel'. To feel, you need a heart. And Nobodies don't have hearts; right?

He looked at the small keyblade master, his lackeys - the duck and that dog-thing - backing him up. He could see Roxas buried carefully under those eyes, just deep enough to make it seem accidental. But Demyx knew better.

He knew why they chose him. They all knew how desperate he was to prove himself, especially after the catastrophe in the Underworld. He jumped at the chance, grasping at the mission as if it were his only hope for 'survival'. Which, in a way, it was.

Demyx stared down at the three, trying his best not to show the 'fear' on his face, even though he knew he wore his 'emotions' on his sleeve. "Hey, you guys are looking lively!" God, how he was sure his voice would fail him there and then.

The duck – Donald? – scowled. "Scram!" Despite the circumstances – or maybe because of them – Demyx had to hold back to urge to snigger every time he heard Donald talk. What a seriously munted voice. He was surprised Sora even put up with him!

Speaking of Sora, the brunette relaxed a bit, lowering his keyblade and looking at Demyx as if he had just realized something. "Didn't we catch you messing around in the Underworld? How'd a wimp like you get into Organization XIII?"

Demyx winced. It was bad enough for him to get constantly teased about his status in the Castle That Never Was without random strangers casting their verdict as well; be they old beggars or Keyblade Masters. What did he know? As for the Underworld; he knew he had done an extremely bad job, but couldn't they just let bygones be bygones?

Sora scoffed, continuing on with his 'marvelous' speech. He was on a roll now, seeming intent on fully injuring Demyx's 'feelings'. "I bet you can't even fight!"

"Yeah, but we can!" Donald backed him up. Geez, couldn't they let the dog speak for a moment? He was actually genuinely 'interested' with what he might have to say. Besides, they all knew he was the smartest of the group.

But they were right on one account. Demyx was a lousy fighter. He preferred to use his Sitar to perform on than as a weapon. The melodies and tunes he played calmed him and – even if they wouldn't admit it – the other Organization members as well. Then again, the only one that would say something close to admitting was Zexion, and that was because he always spoke his mind – when he did speak at all, that is.

"You shouldn't judge anyone by appearance," Demyx called, wagging his finger like one would to a child. Inwardly, he marveled at how he managed to keep his voice from breaking and crumbling in front of his 'audience'.

The three of them simultaneously went back into their offensive positions, and Demyx staggered backwards, half mocking Sora and half genuinely 'afraid'. Woah… it's creepy how they do that. It's like their minds are all one, or something… He thought.

He spun around, no longer able to cope with Sora's glare, and Roxas' mocking laugh, plain and clear as day, even though Sora himself didn't notice it. Let's not get started on the other two. "I told them they were sending the wrong guy…" He mused, trying to buy himself more time before his inevitable defeat.

Who was he kidding? No one had fought against Sora and his lackeys and come out of it 'alive'. Not even Zexion. Even though, technically, Sora didn't kill him, but it was someone who was close to him. Or someone who thought he was, anyway.

Sora and his pals relaxed again. "Who is this kook?"

"Remember, the Organization's made up of Nobodies," the dog – Goofy – cryptically answered him. Demyx could tell that he meant that because I'm a Nobody, to find my 'identity', they would have to find my Somebody and rearrange his name and put in an 'X' to get mine.

But, of course, being the dumb person he was, Sora didn't take it that way. He would have to think to get that one figured out. Something he obviously didn't do very often anymore, so obsessed with finding Riku and Kairi was he – even though the first of the pair didn't want to be found.

After all, if Sora would just stop and think for a moment, he would realize Roxas within him. But, even more importantly, he would be able to break through Demyx's pretences and realize he didn't want to fight him. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to fade into darkness…

"Right – no hearts!"

Sora's conclusion brought Demyx back to solid ground. Oh, how he wanted to smash that boy's head in for making such a comment. He didn't understand! They did so have hearts, they were only buried a little deeper than everyone else's. After all, to want for a goal is a 'feeling'. And they're all wanting for hearts. Yet, if feelings come from the heart, and they are all pursuing after it, didn't that mean they could 'feel' desire? And if they could feel desire, didn't that mean that they could feel other things too?

Demyx was confused, but he knew he had to do something with the three staring expectantly at him. He spun back around. "Oh, we do too have hearts!" His voice was soft now, almost pleading with Sora not to fight him. But, of course, Roxas seemed to replace his shields against Demyx, and refueled his need to find Riku. After all, who would side with one of the enemy? "Don't be mad…"

It was his last attempt to make them see, and it obviously didn't work as Donald yelled out: "You can't trick us!"

Sighing, Demyx knew he couldn't drag this fight out any longer. He turned to Sora, his voice solemn for once, and he pointed at him – no, at Roxas, hidden below. "Silence, traitor."

Demyx summoned up his Sitar – oh, precious thing – and smirked at Sora as they engaged in battle. However, his smirk slipped as the battle wore on. It was obviously taking a toll on Demyx's being, as his attacks grew weaker and weaker. Sora, acting like a leech, was getting stronger with every blow he landed.

Pretty soon, the battle was over as Demyx kneeled before them, unable to take any more. His Sitar disappeared in a flurry of bubbles and he whimpered. "No… Please, don't kill me! I don't wanna die yet!"

That was it. This was the last straw. He was actually pleading the Keyblade Master not to kill him. Pshaw. As if! Sora would kill him, there was no questioning it. He was a goner.

Sora snorted. "You're destined to fade back into darkness anyway. Why do you care?" He raised his keyblade, ready to strike down hard on the Sitarist. The blade came down… Down… And imbedded itself into the concrete. Demyx had dodged out of the way. And was now standing, albeit very dizzily and unstable.

"You wanna know why? You wanna know why?! Well, I'll tell you why; but first, let me ask of you something. Just for a moment, if you can lower yourself down to my level, imagine you are me. Imagine you are a Nobody who only wants his heart back. Now imagine being so close to having it back, only to be sent on a suicide mission against some kid and his two lackeys. Still with me? Well, now imagine you've just lost that battle, and the aforementioned kid is ready to kill you with one swing of that blade of his. Imagine, for one goddamn moment, that you had felt that you finally got your heart back, only to have it ripped away from you minutes later! Imagine that for once!"

Sora's eyes widened. He hadn't expected such an outburst, especially since the Nobody was obviously close to fading away. "I can't…" he whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.

But Demyx heard. Oh, he heard all right. He cackled maniacally. "Of course you can't, oh mighty Keyblade Master! It's too much for your puny brain to comprehend! Well, let me put it in three simple words for you;" Demyx stumbled forward, awkwardly kneeling down in front of the brunette, who jumped back suspiciously. Demyx looked up, a feral grin on his face; "I'm in love, god dammit!"

His laugh echoed through Hollow Bastian, as it was still called, and was soon joined with Sora's. "Don't fool yourself, Number IX. A Nobody can't love."

Demyx looked up into Sora's eyes, and saw Roxas there instead. He was grinning triumphantly as he brought the keyblade crashing down on Demyx. The impact knocked him sprawling onto the ground, and he felt himself being pulled into the Darkness. Yet somehow, he managed to grin. "You haven't seen the last of me, Number XIII."

It was then that Sora returned, slightly dumb-struck. "It's Sora!"

"Of course, Sora."

It was then, as Demyx faded back into the Darkness, that he remembered the age-old proverb that had been handed down the through his family when he had still been whole. It fit the scene perfectly.

"The accomplice is as bad as the thief."

Roxas had stolen his 'life'.

Sora had been with him all the way.

Oh, how he hated them both.

"The accomplice is as bad as the thief."