The water was quite hot at first. It poured over Isa's skin at near-boiling temperatures, soothing his stiff muscles with its heat. After awhile, the heat ran out and the freezing cold burned his flesh like pure frost. He refused to move. His legs trembled with pain and tension, struggling to bear his weight. The frigid streams burst from the faucet and coated his sore limbs, numbing him just enough to ease the gnawing ache in his calves. Aeleus and Dilan had promised this would improve, but had been over a week and he still found himself nearly bedridden after every morning session he spent with the pair.

After a long while, the cold became too much, and he shut the water off, shivering as he staggered out of the shower. It was a miracle he was able to dry off or slip into any of his clothes. The pain was torturous, and he began to wonder if he might have actually injured himself in his overexertion. He stumbled out of the bathroom to find Lea sitting on the bed, raising an eyebrow when he saw him.

"You okay, man? You're limping."

"I'm fine."

Isa collapsed onto the bed, lying face down and hiding his pained grimace behind the bright blue curtain of his hair. Lea wasn't fooled for an instant. "Yeah, sure you are. What happened?"

"I think I pulled something," Isa barely managed to croak through his gritted teeth. "I thought the shower would help…"

"I told Aeleus and Dilan to go easy on you…"

"And I told them to bring me to tears. What's the point of exercising if it doesn't hurt?"

"Come on, even you know to start small."

Unable to move, Isa reached for his pillow and buried his face in shame. "I needed to know if I still had it in me."

"Isa, being a little rusty doesn't mean you've lost anything."

"I'm not sure I ever had it in the first place. It could have just been Xehanort all along."

"That's not true and you know it. Do you know how many of my bones you've broken just wrestling as kids? That was before we were even training. You were always really strong."

Isa cringed, reliving the first moment he'd injured Lea by accident when they were children. They'd been tossing a frisbee back and forth for a while when Isa threw it too hard and it landed in a tree. Though Lea assured him that he could just get another frisbee, Isa insisted on getting it back. He climbed the tree and retrieved the toy easily, but lost his footing on the way down. He fell out of the tree, landing right on top of his friend. In the collision, Lea's wrist snapped in half. The sound was nauseating. Lea reacted with only stunned silence, shedding not one tear until later on when the doctor was setting it. He clung to Isa's sleeve with a death grip, howling about how beautiful his red cast would be. Isa felt so guilty that he waited on Lea like a servant for weeks afterward.

Lea scooted closer to him on the bed, growing increasingly concerned by his dispirited mood. "You want to stay home today? I can go by myself. Roxas will understand."

"No, I'll go with you. I'm sure walking it off will do me some good."

Isa tried to lift himself from the bed, but every movement sent more searing pain shooting through his muscles. He was effectively stuck. Through with watching his friend suffer, Lea bent down to inspect the offending limb. "Let me see it."

"It's fine, Lea."

"Just let me see it."

Lea picked up Isa's leg and pressed his fingers into the sore spots. He could feel hardened lumps running from his knee to his ankle and a fair bit of swelling spread over the entire area. "Jeez, what the hell did they do to you? You should feel this knot…"

Isa winced as Lea's fingers stabbed into his aching muscles like daggers. "I do feel it."

Lea softened his touch, slowly dragging his thumbs down the surface of Isa's skin, pulling at the muscles until the tension began to release. Isa closed his eyes, willing himself to relax into Lea's hands and allow his friend to relieve his pain. He never did find out where Lea had learned such a skill, but he always had a special knack for rubbing out even the worst kinks in any muscle. Isa had forgotten how pleasurable Lea's massages were, and he quickly sought to put his mind on other things.

"I feel so old…" Isa's lack of confidence was as good a distraction as any.

"Old?! You're not even thirty!"

"I feel at least eighty."

Lea chuckled softly, "Well, maybe it's time to unleash your inner child. Sea salt ice cream, frisbee, swimming…"

"I think you've got enough inner child for the both of us."

Lea giggled some more as he switched to Isa's other leg. The procedure wasn't painless, but Isa had to admit that he felt better whenever Lea was through with him. He let his mind wander, but it only settled back on the sensation of Lea's hands gliding along his skin. He found himself wishing he could turn around and watch, but instead his mind began to draw the images for him. He pictured Lea's fingers caressing him softly and meticulously, planting themselves into his flesh and gently tugging at the knots until they obediently capitulated, leaving only relaxed muscles in their place. He imagined the sight of Lea bearing into his strained limbs with his palms, his scrawny form having to lean imposingly over Isa's body in order to lay his full weight into every stroke.

Isa hadn't noticed that his heart had begun to race, as if he were back with Aeleus and Dilan, accepting their brutal punishment to restore his sense of manhood. The treatment he was accepting now felt equally punishing, but his sense of manhood was certainly no longer in question. Tension built inside his body again. Chills overtook him and he shuddered at every feathery glance of Lea's fingertips. He tried to shut out the fantasies in his mind, but they flooded right back to him every time he managed to distract himself.

The pressure in his body continued to mount at a frightening pace, climbing dangerously near to an unknown peak. His fingers dug into the sheets with anticipation. There was heat. So much heat. It burned his face and neck. It felt strange. It felt good. It was all quite familiar, but completely new at the same time. The sensation quickly grew too intense, and Isa gasped with fright, startled by the sudden shock that bolted through him like a spark of electricity beneath his skin.

"Stop…"

Lea lifted his hands instantly, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Quite the opposite. "I… No. No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Why don't you get up and see if you can walk on it now?"

Because I can't. "I'm quite comfortable here. Give me a moment."

Lea lowered himself onto the bed alongside Isa, hoping to glimpse his face. Isa avoided eye contact, remaining frozen in his spot. If Lea didn't know any better, he'd say the man's face appeared flushed. "Are you alright?"

Isa avoided Lea's prodding like the plague, certain he'd never live down the humiliation if Lea had discovered the true nature of his plight. "That was nice, Lea. Thank you. You can go away now."

Lea smirked, barely suppressing his laughter. "What's the matter, Isa?"

"Nothing's the matter, now would you leave me alone?"

Lea stared at him with a confused look for several seconds. He was hiding something, but it didn't take long for Lea to understand just what had troubled Isa so much. He felt his own cheeks beginning to blush at the thought, flattered to have been the cause of this particular flavor of discomfort in Isa. With a warm smile, unwilling to let on that he knew of Isa's predicament, Lea rose from the bed and headed for the door.

"Your legs are a mess. I'm going to get you some ice. Take a few minutes to stretch out and I'll be right back."

With only a silent nod, Isa waited silently for Lea to leave the room. As soon as the door was closed, he rolled over onto his back, relieved, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't understand why he felt so embarrassed and ashamed — Lea had seen it all countless times and this was tame by comparison. Sure, it had been ten years, but Isa was never so shy about it before. He simply hadn't expected these sorts of feelings to awaken so soon or so strongly. And now that they had, just what was he supposed to do with them?

As he lay there, eyes closed and waiting for the pressure to subside, temptation creeped up on him. It had been so long. As a Nobody, there just wasn't any point to it. He had likely forgotten how it even felt. Ten years. Curiosity gnawed at him. Ten long years. He longed to indulge, if only for just a moment. He clenched his fists as the heat washed over him again. The pressure came back with a vengeance. His skin began to crawl. Ten lonely years…

That's quite enough!

He stopped abruptly, chiding himself for such uncivilized thoughts. He was better than that. He was stronger than that. This was an emotion just like all the rest that had come rushing back to him, and he would have to learn to control it in the same way as the others. He sat upright, combing his fingers contemplatively through his wet hair. He couldn't hide it forever. Sooner or later, Lea would find out. Perhaps he already knew. Were the two of them ready to explore those feelings now?

With a heavy sigh, Isa slowly lifted himself off the bed, wincing as he balanced his weight onto his strained legs. He wasn't surprised in the least that the pain was far less intense than it was earlier, but his worn out muscles remained quite stiff and unyielding, and he still wondered how he'd manage to keep up with Lea. He wondered if he shouldn't take his friend's advice and just stay home. Lea was excited to be going to Twilight Town, more than deserving of the chance to have a good time, unhindered by any undue stress. No matter the cost, Isa was determined not to ruin Lea's day by slowing him down.

To his surprise, Isa also found himself looking forward to seeing Roxas again. It had been some time since they had last talked, and Isa was glad to no longer feel the overbearing weight of guilt whenever he thought of him. As he stood in front of the window, the sunlight peeking through the curtains, he swallowed down his discomfort and focused on his happy anticipation of the day ahead. Twilight Town awaited them, and he could hardly wait to see Lea's face light up when they got there.


Lea seemed to glide down the streets as he strolled through Twilight Town. Memories poured into his mind the moment his feet hit the ground, and he practically glowed as he breathed in the clean city air. The taste of sea salt ice cream, the sound of bells at the clock tower, and the warm radiance of the ever-present sunset made this little village feel like a second home to Lea, and he vowed one day to live here with his friends.

"Unh, I love this town! Come on, Isa! Roxas said to meet him in front of the bistro!"

"Right behind you…"

Lea turned around to find Isa looking pale and sickly, walking slightly hunched over at the waist. "Yikes, are you okay? Do you want to sit down?"

"Just… don't make me ride in that thing again…"

"How are we supposed to get back?"

"I'll walk."

Isa was beginning to wonder which almighty deity he had offended today to be delivered such endless punishment. The pain in his legs had dissipated, only for him to now develop motion sickness from the ride to Twilight Town. He had never ridden in a Gummi ship before — in fact he hadn't even heard of one until Lea explained it to him. Supposedly, some friends of Sora's had invented a vessel that could travel between worlds, and now Master Ansem had one of his own. Isa was at least glad to know that Ansem had hired some highly-trained Moogles to operate it. There wasn't enough munny in all the worlds that would have convinced him to climb into any vehicle with Lea behind the wheel.

Biting back the nausea, Isa followed Lea to the center of town where the bistro was located. Roxas was seated at a table on the front patio, and Lea rushed to him, smiling widely as he greeted his friend.

"Heya, Roxas! How've ya been?"

Roxas rose from his seat, beaming at the men who had come to visit. He and Lea shared a few handshakes so elaborate that they appeared to be a choreographed routine. "Great! I've been practicing with my skateboard a bunch, I can't wait to show you!"

"Awesome! So, uh, Xion couldn't come?"

Roxas' face fell, "She, uh… she wasn't feeling so good today."

Roxas continued to avoid eye contact, absentmindedly brushing his fingertips over the rim of an empty water glass on the table beside him. Lea could tell that something was wrong, but seeing how upset his friend was, he set aside his disappointment and refused to press Roxas for any more information. "I see. Well, next time, then! Let's take a walk, you gotta tell me what you've been up to."

The three of them walked all over town, window shopping and chatting about everything and nothing. Roxas and Xion had moved into a communal apartment with a few other kids from town. Roxas talked about joining them in their endeavors to further their education, having never been to school before in his life. Roxas also revealed that he had been working for Scrooge McDuck at the bistro, doing whatever odd jobs were required of him. He'd practiced with his skateboard to optimize his performance and improve his efficiency. Because it was so easy for him to complete more work in less time, Scrooge considered Roxas one of his top employees.

They took a short ride on the tram, carrying them to the other side of town where a larger shopping district was located. They sauntered up and down every street, peeking into windows and ogling the products they saw. The group soon approached a small curiosity shop with gaudy antiques, fancy ornaments, and other miscellaneous tchotchkes on display. They were about to pass it by and continue their trek when Roxas spotted a large conch shell on a high shelf in the back corner.

"Look at that! Xion would love it!"

Before anyone could respond, Roxas darted inside for a closer look. By the time Lea and Isa had managed to follow him, he disappeared into the back of the store. Lea casually meandered along the aisles, glancing up and down the shelves of decorations and trinkets. He peered closely at a small wicker basket that appeared to just be full of rocks. Beside the basket was a small bowl filled with water and a stack of cards. Following the bold instructions written on the top of every card, Lea picked up one of the rocks and dropped it into the water, watching in awe as the stone's plain appearance instantly developed an elaborate pattern of connecting hexagons.

"Isa, look at this!"

As his friend neared him, he demonstrated the effect on a second rock, delighted to see the intriguing transformation again. "This is so cool! How does this work? What kind of rocks are these?"

Impressed, Isa picked up one of the cards explaining the stones. "It says they aren't rocks at all. They're fossils."

"This is insane… I could do this all day…" Lea kept picking up stones and dropping them into the water just to see the hexagons appear again and again. The way his smile widened every time he witnessed the effect was endearing, and Isa couldn't help but chuckle in appreciation of Lea's enthusiasm.

"They're apparently called 'Petoskey Stones,'" Isa continued to read the card, fascinated by the history of the strange rocks. "The name roughly translates to 'rising sun,' 'rays of dawn,' or 'sunbeams of promise.' No wonder you're drawn to them."

Closely inspecting the fossils, Lea could see that the hexagons each had a tiny, dark nucleus in the center, from which shot several lines reaching to the edges of every shape. "Sunbeams of promise, eh? They do look like little suns. What a neat quirk that you have to use water to make them really shine. I love these things! This will never get old."

Roxas soon appeared from around the corner of the next aisle, carrying a small paper bag. "She's going to love this. What did you find?"

Lea wasted no time demonstrating the trick with the Petoskey Stones again, eliciting a gasp from Roxas. "That's amazing! You just have to get it wet?"

"Yeah! Otherwise it just looks like a totally normal rock!"

The two admired the Petoskey Stones for several more minutes. Isa stepped away to examine some other rocks and jewels nearby. He found a collection of gems labeled "moonstones" which claimed to house some sort of mystical powers. He never believed in any of that pseudo-spiritual nonsense, but when he learned that magic was a real force that even he could wield, he set aside his skepticism. It was because of Xehanort that the moon's forces were tangible to him at one time, able to lend him their power, and in small doses the effect was exhilarating. Longing for just a taste of that euphoria once more, Isa began to wonder if he might one day relearn how to draw energy from the moon with the aid of such stones.

Having spent enough time with the rocks, the group finally left the store, vowing to come back another time and browse for more hidden gems and interesting baubles. They continued their conversation as they traveled along the streets at a moderate pace, only half paying attention to the sights around them.

"I was thinking I might join the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee," Axel revealed, making small talk with Roxas as they walked. "It's a construction job, mostly, but I think they'd be putting me on Heartless extermination, assuming any new infestations pop up."

"That sounds pretty cool. I bet Radiant Garden is really beautiful underneath all that rubble."

"Oh believe me, Roxas, that town's name didn't come out of nowhere. I wish you could have seen it before."

Lea had only met the Restoration Committee members a couple of times, but they were quite nice and had a noble objective. Radiant Garden was Lea's hometown as well, and he wanted to see it restored to its original, magnificent state just as the others did. He wondered to himself if Isa might consider joining along with him.

"Leon is the guy running the operation now. I heard he's going back to being called Squall, though, so we won't have any confusion with our names."

"I'm always going to call you Axel."

Lea looked down and smiled brightly at his young friend. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

They rounded another corner to explore another side street lined with shadier and more mysterious-looking shops. They passed by a fortune teller, an apothecary, a tattoo parlor, and a strange bookstore that displayed skulls and grotesque-looking effigies in the window. As they wandered the loosely-populated street, they could hear the faintest sound of live music. Roxas paused, tilting his head with an eyebrow raised. "You guys hear that?"

Axel averted his attention toward the sound. The style of the music was rather avant-garde, a bit on the modern side for the average listener. It sounded like a stringed instrument, played by a very skilled musician. "Yeah, must be a street performer."

"No, I mean… it sounds familiar…"

They headed in the direction of the music, able to see a figure in the distance sitting on a rug and strumming on a sitar. The closer they came to the figure, the more easily-recognizable it became. Isa's heart stopped as it became clear who it was they had happened upon.

"Oh no…"

"Demyx?!"

The figure lifted his head, squinting. "Huh?" The musician's eyes quickly widened as he beamed at his visitors. "Roxas! Axel! Small world!"

"Demyx, what are you doing here?"

"Working! Trying to get my music career off the ground…"

He returned to plucking the strings of his instrument, pausing to turn the tuning pegs every so often. He no longer wore the leather Organization coat, now dressed in a tattered gray sweatshirt with a zipper and a faded, holey pair of cutoff jeans. He was barefoot, and his hair was disheveled, but he otherwise appeared to be in good spirits. Residents of the town strolled by, pausing to listen before dropping small change into a soup can Demyx had set beside him.

"How did you get to Twilight Town?" Roxas asked, curious about how he could have missed Demyx in all the time he'd lived there since the showdown with Xehanort. The town was large, but Roxas had been all over it and couldn't imagine having never once passed by the musician if he also lived in it.

Demyx thought for a moment, as if trying to remember. "I woke up here. By that old mansion."

Roxas and Lea shared an incredulous look. "Seriously? So where are you living now?"

"Oh, you know… around…" Demyx appeared uncomfortable and quickly returned his attention to his playing. "What do you think of this song? It seems like more people stop to listen when I play this one, but then when I play this other one, more people just toss munny into the can and walk away…"

Lea, with a suspicious tone, pressed Demyx for a more specific response. "Demyx, where is your house?"

Demyx stopped playing. He was silent for a few seconds, refusing to look up at his old friends. Finally, he sighed heavily, "You're looking at it, dude. I'm homeless."

Roxas, failing to understand the type of poverty Demyx was suffering, questioned him further. "But… where do you sleep?"

Demyx began to pluck at his sitar more intensely than before, letting the notes fall out of tune as he over-stretched the strings. "There's a nice alley where the rain can't get in."

"You just sleep out here on the ground?"

"I've got a nice collection of rugs. It's not so bad."

"But what do you do for food?"

Demyx sighed again, growing annoyed with the interrogation. "I do this, and you're distracting me while I'm on the job. Now if you're not going to put anything in the can, clear out of here. I've got a living to make."

Having heard quite enough of such tragedy, Isa approached the young musician and knelt in front of him without a word. Getting a closer look at the man, he could see that Demyx was quite thin — more so than he had ever been. His skin was pale and dirty. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion. His hands seemed to tremble as he tried to steady them on the neck of his instrument. Isa could barely mask the pity in his eyes as he looked upon the poor kid who had been left behind. Demyx flinched with fright before glaring at him with disgust and scorn.

"You? Ugh, come to kick me while I'm down? It must be pretty funny to see what a loser I turned out to be."

Isa winced slightly, aware that he deserved every ounce of disdain Demyx could throw at him. "Demyx… come back with us. Ansem the Wise has more than enough space. You don't have to sleep on the streets."

Demyx blinked, unable to mask his confusion and disbelief. "Huh?"

Isa extended his hand, offering to help him off the ground. "Please. Come with us."

Demyx hesitated, staring at him with a doubtful look. He shied away from Isa's hand, backing further into the brick wall behind him with anxious distrust. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. I'm only sorry we didn't find you sooner. I had no idea you'd turn up here alone."

Still unwilling to let himself be fooled, Demyx crossed his arms indignantly. "Saïx, what's got into you?"

"Saïx is dead. My name is Isa. Now, are you coming?"

Demyx froze uncomfortably in Isa's unyielding stare. He was perplexed by the jarring sight of his former antagonist's haunting face combined with the friendly gesture of his outstretched hand. Apprehension crept into his brows as Demyx battled with himself over whether or not to trust the man who had treated him with contempt for so many years. He longed to escape this encounter and run as far away as he could, but trapped in place and forced to give him a second look, he could see how Isa had softened. His composure began to crumble immediately and his eyes welled up with tears. Former foe or not, Demyx was tired of the cold, hard pavement, and this man was offering to help him out, expecting nothing in return. Demyx was touched by his old comrade's uncharacteristic show of support. He took Isa's hand and was no sooner lifted to his feet than he threw his arms around Isa's shoulders, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm so happy to see you guys…!"

Isa stood motionless, initially startled by the hug and unprepared for the sudden emotional outburst and resulting show of affection. Though Demyx was in dire straits, Isa was glad to see that he was was safe. He reciprocated the embrace, gently patting the young man on the back. "It's good to see you, Demyx."

Several minutes of softly weeping into Isa's neck passed before Demyx let go of him, sniffling and dragging his sleeves across his face. Lea, smiling warmly, laid a hand on his shoulder, gently nudging him to join them. "Come on, Demyx, grab your stuff and let's go! When was the last time you ate something?"

Demyx closed his eyes, contorting his face in concentration. "Uh… good question…"

Roxas chimed in, "Let's take him to the bistro! I'm sure I can get an employee discount."

Demyx pumped his fists with excitement, "Aw yeah, the bistro! I've been eating scraps from there for weeks! Always wondered what the food was like when it came fresh out of the kitchen."

The group shared a collective look of pity at hearing that their friend had been forced to eat what was essentially garbage. Uncomfortable with the depressing atmosphere, Lea put an arm around the young man and guided him back toward the center of town. "Demyx, you're making me sad. Let's go."


It was clear that Scrooge McDuck's bistro had earned all five of its stars. The food was some of the best that any of the group had ever tasted. Roxas pulled some strings in the kitchen to get the chef to come up with something unique just to celebrate Demyx's rescue from homelessness. The group happened to notice that the musician's plate was slow to empty, but Demyx insisted that he was trying to savor every bite, thrilled to be eating fresh food for the first time in weeks.

"Demyx, I'm sorry, we should be calling you by your human name." Lea wasn't sure how he would manage to address Demyx as anything other than Demyx, but if he was going to insist on being referred to as both Lea and Axel, dependent upon who was speaking, then he could surely afford the same courtesy to his former comrades.

"No need. I don't remember it."

The group all turned to face him, their eyes wide with surprise. "What? You… don't remember your name?"

Demyx shrugged, "I don't remember anything before the Organization."

Roxas easily related to the phenomenon. Born the way he was, Roxas didn't remember anything before the Organization either. Though it was typical for a Nobody to be born with the memories of their human past, Roxas had no human past to remember. He was born with a completely empty mind, and spent his first weeks as a Nobody silently staring into space like the blank slate that he was. He had thought his experience was unique, but now began to wonder if Demyx's existence was the result of a similar effect. Perhaps Demyx had a Somebody out there who lived blissfully unaware of the Nobody he had unwittingly created, just as Roxas and Sora had been for so long. Roxas contemplated to himself what else he and Demyx might have in common.

"Maybe Even and Ienzo can help you get your memories back?" Lea had been stroking his chin in thought. "We can ask them when we take you back."

Demyx smiled bashfully, still taken aback by the kindness of his companions. "You guys have been so nice to me. How could I ever repay you?"

"Demyx, don't worry about it. Master Ansem would be happy to have you as a guest in his home. You can have my room!"

"What? Axel, you don't have to—"

"It's all yours, Demyx."

"But where are you gonna sleep?"

There was a sudden pause as Lea and Isa locked eyes, unsure whether or not this was something they wanted to reveal. Their reasons for sharing a bed were purely platonic — Isa's night terrors could be so intense that he would wake up in a panic with no idea where he was. Though he had experienced some improvement as time went on, he still hated the idea of being left alone all night. As far as both men were concerned, they could pass the behavior off as a safety precaution, even if it was more for Isa's comfort than his actual well-being. It wasn't like anything else was going on. Not outside of their minds, anyway.

They were silent for too long, and their eye contact was noticed by the rest of the table. Demyx began to squeal with delight, excitedly clapping his hands with an enormous grin on his face. "Aaahh! I'm so happy for you! You guys are so cute together!"

"Wait, what?!"

"Together?!"

"No, no, Demyx, it's not like that—"

"Oh please, you think we didn't all know? We were taking bets on when you were gonna quit bickering and get busy already. Right, Roxas?"

Roxas, who had been wearing a confused expression through the entire exchange, responded with mild frustration in his voice. "You never explained to me what 'getting busy' meant."

Demyx cringed, "Oh yeah, you're right…"

Roxas crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair with an air of confidence about him. "But whatever it was, it didn't happen, so I won."

Lea and Isa braved another look, swallowing down their bashful embarrassment. Lea couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of it all. "Saïx would probably have been a hell of a lot less uptight if we had."

Isa shared in the humor of the moment, countering Lea's remark with a perfectly deadpan tone. "And Axel would have been a lot more humble."

Demyx's face began to twist with repulsion, but his smile did not falter in the slightest. "I love you two. You're grossing me out, but I love you two."

"I am so confused…" Roxas sighed, exasperated.

Demyx patted the boy on the shoulder in a brotherly manner, leaning in and lowering his voice slyly. "You see, Roxas—"

"Okay, Roxas, show me those skateboard moves!" Lea interrupted Demyx with a forceful elbow nudge and abruptly rose from the table, changing the subject. Demyx barely suppressed his laughter behind his palms, bewildering Roxas even further.

Giving up on trying to understand the shared secret among his adult friends, Roxas dropped the issue, eager to show off his new skills anyway. "Uh, all right! Let's go up to the train station!"

He grabbed his skateboard from under the table and tossed it onto its wheels, quickly hopping on and riding away. Turning back for one last playful smirk to Demyx and Isa, Lea quickly took off after him on foot. Chuckling to himself, Isa shook his head and turned back to his companion, showing him what was likely the first genuine smile Demyx had ever seen coming from what used to be such a frightening and expressionless face.

"You did well, Demyx."

"Huh?"

Isa leaned across the table with warmth in his eyes, "You delivered the replica to Ienzo and protected Even and Ansem the Wise, ensuring that our plan went off without a hitch. Thanks to you, that happy child lives again."

Demyx's jaw dropped so quickly it could have hit the table. Lost for words, he could only stare at Isa in disbelief. Isa continued to shower his well-deserved praise over the musician. He had wished he could say all of this back when they were in the Real Organization together, but he couldn't risk blowing their cover while operating right under Xehanort's nose.

"Roxas helped defeat Xehanort once and for all, which means you had a hand in preventing the apocalypse and restoring peace to the worlds. He also defeated me almost single-handedly, allowing me to be recompleted. So… thank you, Demyx. That was very brave."

"I… what…?" The musician hadn't gotten used to Isa's drastic change in demeanor, still dumbstruck by his sudden kindness toward him. In the Organization, Demyx remembered Saïx being cold and sinister most of the time, his only laughter being that of the more menacing quality. To see Isa's light hearted banter and subtle wit now was shocking in how natural it appeared to be. To add to his surprise, Isa had paid Demyx a series of heartfelt compliments, where he used to fling insults and disparagement every chance he got. Demyx was a well-known coward, and now this man was praising him for his courage. It was enough to make Demyx's eyes well up again.

"I suppose I was wrong about you," Isa concluded. "You can accomplish great things when you set your mind to them."

"Am I dreaming?" Demyx pinched himself, expecting to wake up back on the rigid, filthy ground he called his bed. "Where is all this coming from?"

"From the heart," Isa's next apology had been reserved for Xion, but after unexpectedly running into Demyx, he had to rearrange his schedule, knowing how much Demyx deserved a prompt and sincere apology of his own. Saïx never missed an opportunity to give Demyx a hard time, and Isa had to answer for that behavior now. "Saïx was a bastard. He was a miserable wretch and he took it out on anyone within arm's reach. Isa… is sorry about all that."

Demyx sniffled again, fighting the onslaught of tears threatening to erupt from his eyes. "This might just be the happiest day of my life…"

"I hope not. I'd like to think this can be topped."

Demyx picked at the contents of his plate while he thought back over the events that transpired during his mission to bring Roxas back to life. When he heard that Saïx was the one who had initiated the operation, he didn't want to believe a word of it. He was certain Vexen must have been crazy to take such a risk with what was obviously bad information. But he was finally being offered the opportunity to find a way out of the mess he'd gotten himself into. He was afraid, but he couldn't pass it up.

"I was kind of relieved that Xehanort didn't want to use me… the thought of having to just be a copy of him… totally gross…"

Isa winced, reminded of the hell he had spent a decade living in. "Quite."

"Even that little tiny bit he stuck in me to claim me… I felt so sick all the time, it was awful… I can't imagine what you had to go through…"

Isa turned to face him, appreciative of his comrade's sympathy, but feeling guilty that Demyx had to endure even a fraction of what Isa had. "I'm glad that you suffered no lasting damage from it. But all the same, it shouldn't have happened to you. I hoped that by 'benching' you and Even, you could both have been saved from such a fate. But Xehanort was too clever…"

"That was you who benched us?"

"I needed you. I needed people Xehanort wouldn't be keeping tabs on. I tried to save Larxene and Luxord and Marluxia as well, but Xehanort needed vessels… It was one of the hardest choices I ever had to make."

Remorse began to overtake Isa yet again. He could never have predicted that he was choosing the eventual fates of his comrades when he decided who would be benched. Even had to be saved regardless — he would provide the replica. Beyond that, he required one delivery boy, and ultimately, Demyx was the only one of the remaining members who Xemnas would never suspect of treachery. Marluxia and Larxene had committed treason in the past, and Luxord was a cunning individual who excelled at concealing his true thoughts and motives. Demyx was considered an incompetent fool by the highest ranking members of the Real Organization XIII, never to be taken seriously and largely left to his own devices and ignored. He was an open book and had never rocked any boats in all his years with the Organization, making him the only man that could be trusted for such a risky task. At the end of the day, Saïx was able to spare Demyx and Even, and they had returned as humans. The others didn't make it back, and Isa couldn't help but wonder if they'd be sitting at this table with the two of them had he been able to rescue them as well. He tried to put the thought from his mind.

Demyx continued to nudge bits of food back and forth, his fork scraping against the ceramic plate. He kept his head down, his face beginning to appear forlorn. "You think… all the other guys got a happy ending, too…?"

Isa's brow furrowed as he endured another pang of regret. "We've not heard from Braig, Marluxia, Larxene, or Luxord."

"Luxord… I hope he's alright…"

Isa stared intently at the ground, informing his companion with an apologetic tone. "We haven't been able to find him anywhere. I'm sorry, Demyx, I wish I could put you at ease."

"It's okay… he's a tough guy… I'm sure he's fine…"

Demyx was good friends with Luxord. Numbers IX and X had bonded over their mutual disdain for being on the 'bottom rung' and left out of all the important discussions about the goings on in the Organization. As he reminisced, a particularly sentimental memory burst into his mind of the last time he saw Luxord before taking off for his last fateful battle with Sora.

You were going to leave without saying goodbye?

I, uh… I wasn't sure what to say…

He had hoped to take off without having to put himself through this, but Luxord was a clever man. Demyx knew it was he who had burst into his room unannounced before even turning around to face him.

You know, we're both dead men walking. If Roxas was going to explode out of that kid's body, he would have likely done so by now. You and I haven't a prayer.

Yeah… damn shame I never got to beat you at poker…

The men smiled at each other to conceal their melancholy, quietly accepting their mutual fates. Luxord gripped the younger man's shoulder affectionately with sorrow in his eyes.

I think I'm going to miss the sound of your sitar.

Don't do that. This is hard enough as is.

You can't win them all. A true gentleman accepts defeat with dignity and grace.

I don't want to be a true gentleman…

It didn't matter anymore than Xemnas had ordered them both to their deaths. Demyx gave up trying to hide his fear and sadness. If he was going to be eliminated, he was going to let himself feel every second of it, dignity and grace be damned. Luxord, being the good friend he had always been, didn't flinch at the sight of Demyx's tears.

Don't fret, my friend. I'll see you on the other side.

How do you know there's an other side?

I don't. But the fun is in not knowing, isn't it? What's the point of betting on something if you already know the outcome?

The next thing he remembered after his defeat at Sora's hands was waking up in his bed, shocked to be alive. He wondered if it was all a dream, but the aches he felt in his body were certainly real. He rushed to the mirror half expecting to see his own ghost, and he gasped in horror when he looked into his new, yellow eyes. Almost immediately, he heard a blood-curdling scream from the next room. Larxene's room. The sound made his skin crawl, but he had no time to react before his door opened behind him.

"Are you feeling alright, Demyx?" Isa had taken notice of the shift in Demyx's expression. He stared into space with a subdued grimace. Though he had been excited to be fed, Isa had also noted that the food on the musician's plate had been largely untouched.

Jolted from his spiral, Demyx shifted uncomfortably in his seat, embarrassed by his unexpected flashback. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine. I guess when you aren't used to eating much, your stomach shrinks, right?"

Isa was not convinced, "Right."

The longer he watched the kid fidget with his silverware, the clearer the symptoms shone. It was a warm day, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead, but Demyx was shivering violently. His eyes were outlined with dark circles in sharp contrast to the pale skin of his face. Small sores and red patches seemed to peek out from beneath his jacket, spreading over his neck and hands. Isa grew wary with each new observation. This looked painfully familiar. He knew the signs when he saw them.

"It's none of my business, Demyx. But if there's anything else going on, you can tell me."

"Is your head all foggy, too?"

"Foggy?"

Demyx pressed his fingers to his temples, sighing with his eyes closed and appearing to be in pain. "My mind feels so blank. Full of holes. My brain hurts trying to remember. I don't remember my past. I don't remember how I got stuck back with the Organization after Sora finished me off. I don't even know how I ended up human again after I brought Zexion the replica. One minute I'm in Master Ansem's research lab, watching them put Roxas together, next minute I'm face down in the grass in front of that Mansion with nothing. I was totally alone and I had no idea what happened. I can't even open dark corridors anymore so I couldn't leave. I've just been stuck here. This is my rock bottom. I feel totally lost."

Isa switched chairs to sit closer to the young man, leaning in and speaking softly. "Hey, relax. You don't have to figure all that out now. You need to take the time to adjust. It's a difficult process. But you're not alone. You're surrounded by friends now."

Demyx lifted his eyes to Isa, "Friends? Really?"

Mimicking a gesture of support he'd been on the receiving end of many times since his recompletion, Isa laid a hand on Demyx's back. "Of course. The only reason I can sit here today is because I have the support of my friends to carry me through the adjustment. I'm happy to count you among them."

Demyx's eyes began to glisten yet again. "Dude, I'm gonna cry."

"Don't start now or I will too."

With tears falling down his cheeks, Demyx burst out of his chair, pulling at Isa's sleeves. "Get up, bro! We're hugging it out!"

Damn it, Demyx…

Demyx was an odd fellow. About that there was no doubt. Isa had always known him as a man of few words. Not to mean that the kid didn't talk up a storm when he got excited, but that his vocabulary was simple, and he often found alternative ways to communicate his intentions when he couldn't find the right words. It only made sense that instead of a grandiose speech followed by hours of grueling discussion, Demyx preferred to settle their past differences with a friendly embrace. It was foreign to Isa, who could often be rather poetic in his speech when he got carried away, but the simplicity of this particular gesture had a warmth to it that clearly accentuated its appeal. For Demyx, words weren't necessary. A hug was as good a reconciliation as any, and today, that was just fine for Isa.