For Yukihikari99 and Loves Ironic Tragedy! :D

Chapter 14: Can't Believe in What Never Was

"Hey, I know where we are!" Lea exclaimed and glanced around, "Halloween Town! This is cool! What do you think, Isa? …Hey, bud? Are you listening to me?"

"What? Oh, yeah. It's cool…" Isa kept his glare lowered to the overturned ground, "It seems like there was a Heartless problem here recently."

"Are you alright? Ever since we found out we didn't have hearts you've been acting really strange."

"I'm fine…" He let his golden gaze wander onto the full moon hanging overhead, "I just feel weird… Especially when it comes to the moon…" He let a sigh spill from his lips, "I can't feel anything, Lea, unless I can see the moon. What's wrong with me?"

Lea scratched the back of his flaming head, "Well, you've been different. You don't talk as much, and you seem much more secluded."

Isa stared down at his hand, "I don't know… I just… Don't know…"

Lea's arm came up and around Isa's shoulders, "Look, it doesn't matter if you have or don't have a heart. We don't need those to be friends, so you'll always be Isa and I'll always be Lea—we'll always be friends, I don't care what happens or what people say!"

The golden-eyed boy admired his best friend's courage, "Lea… always is a long time."

"So?"

"…Will always be forever?"

"Yep!"

"…"

"What?"

"…That is a long time."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. I wouldn't think so." Isa started for the entrance of the town, Lea close behind. "Did you hear that?" He hesitated and glanced around for the same strange rumbling sound that had just gotten his attention so suddenly.

Lea quirked an eyebrow, "Hear what?"

The rumbling grew louder and the ground began to vibrate; then shake furiously. Isa's senses suddenly sparked and he shoved Lea to the ground, "Watch out!" A black figure sprouted from the tattered earth like a plant and snagged Isa in its clawed grip. It waved him in the air for a moment like a rag doll and cast him aside limply.

Isa hit the stone-armored wall and he slid to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Isa!" Lea screamed and sprinted for his friend.

"No! Don't Lea!" Isa called back, but it was too late. Another tentacle-claw shot up and grabbed Lea by his waist. It slammed him into the ground like a spasming shark, kicking up debris in every which direction.

Isa forced himself to his feet, feeling a power surge through his being that was so sudden he lost consciousness for a brief moment.

"I thought we don't feel?" Roxas interrupted.

Saix glanced at him, and the Key of Destiny thought for a moment that he was going to be scolded for being so rude. Instead, the Luna Diviner calmly replied, "We don't feel as in emotions, such as joy and love. The kind of feeling here is something physically related, like how you can feel pain from a burn."

"Axel told me you can also feel pain from losing someone you love."

"That's a different kind of pain. You need a heart to begin with in order to feel love in the first place."

Roxas bit another chunk out of his pop, "Oh, OK. I get it now… I think."

Saix cleared his throat and continued.

The darkness cleared from his vision, and he knew he was a different person. Someone he hadn't wanted to see. His crystallizing blue hair stood on end and his eyes were ablaze. A weapon appeared in his hand, no… It was a Claymore.

He lunged for the tenta-claw that held his friend and sliced it apart with a swift blow. Lea dropped to the ground but landed gracefully on his feet, "Isa! Are you alright?"

Lea froze. He was no longer at Isa, but at a beast, a monster… That thing wasn't Isa. It wasn't his best friend.

Nearby, the demented body of what is now known as a Leechgrave rose from the dirt, and even more tentacle claws ascended with it. "Lea!" Isa elbowed his chest and the tried to move both of them back, but one of the claws lashed at them. It struck Isa but he barely managed a yelp.

Lea hit the ground, gasping for the air the monster had just knocked out of him. "Isa!" He was desperate as he glanced up. Blood spilled like a crimson stream, and Isa's head snapped forward.

There were two bloody scars crossing his face like an X, but his claymore only grew in size. With a mighty roar he leapt forward and slashed mercilessly at the Heartless.

Lea knew he should've been helping, but his body refused to move. He couldn't comprehend the scene fast enough to acknowledge his own existence. This monster wasn't Isa. It was a power that was so frightening it could've put the Grim Reaper to shame.

He did only what he could do at that moment—and he ran.

"Why'd he run?" Roxas questioned, "Not that I enjoy interrupting, but Axel never took me to be the kind to run away from something scary."

Saix was caught in disbelief, "He was a coward. I know he was scared of me, but I was his best friend for crying out loud! Why didn't he just stay and try to help me…" His voice trailed off, "I lost control again when I saw him fleeing…"

The crimson was blurring Isa's vision, but his only instinct was to swing. Attack, and defend Lea—who was running away. It was possibly out of fear of Isa's monster, or maybe just because he knew he stood no chance in the fight.

It was still no reason to run and leave Isa alone to fight that… thing!

Lea's betrayal sent Isa into a downward spiral. He was overwhelmed by claws and was pinned to the ground effortlessly. His fangs were barred and he was crying out like a savage animal. He thrashed beneath the weight of the creature above him, but to no avail.

His panic died and his pace slowed, and Lea found himself staring back at his helpless friend. Why had he run off like that? That was still Isa, and nothing could change that!

"Leave him alone!" Dual chakrams, alight with flames, spiraled in the Leechgrave's direction and sliced the claws away from Isa. Isa, in turn, jumped right back up and sprang into the air.

Lea was beside him as the chakrams returned to his grasp. With two battle cries they brought their weapons down upon the beast and obliterated it in a barrage of moonlight and fire. The flames died and the smoke cleared, and the heart lifted into the air as the body faded into darkness.

Isa was heaving, his senses dying out. He grabbed a fistful of Lea's shirt and slammed him up against the wall, "You left me you son of a bitch!"

"No, Isa!" Lea struggled against his surprisingly strong grasp, "No, I was just scared of you! What the hell was that?"

Isa was only focused on what had just happened, his mind still fogged, "I thought… We were friends… forever…" He hit the floor, barely conscious.

"What happened after that?" Roxas asked, noticing Saix's momentary pause.

"Xemnas had apparently been watching us," The Luna Diviner studied his bone clean stick, "When I awoke I was in the infirmary, and I was so pissed off at Lea I refused to talk to him. I can only remember cursing him for being such a coward and giving me such false hopes… But we didn't have hearts. And I want my back so I might understand what true friendship really is again… Anyway, I can recall Xemnas telling both of us, 'Welcome to the Organization, numbers VII the Luna Diviner and VIII the Flurry of Dancing Flames.' Then our names spun around and the letter rearranged themselves into new titles, with an X. Thus, I am Saix and he is Axel."

Roxas glanced at Saix, "So… Axel left you?"

"But I came back!" The Flurry of Dancing Flames appeared from around the corner with a sneer plastered on his face, "and I wasn't scared of that damned Heartless! Don't you get it? You're the one who scared me!"

"Then why did you leave? I wasn't going to hurt you."

"You elbowed me! That's what set it off! I had a bruise that literally spread across my whole chest for a week—from a single elbow strike!"

Saix blinked and slid off the ledge so he could face the Nobody, "Why do you hate me now?"

"Maybe because I don't want to deal with you when you loose it!" Axel raked his fingers through his blazing red hair with frustration, "I can't deal with you when you go Berserk! I can't deal with you when you're so cold and distant all the time!"

Saix tilted his head, "Isn't that what friends are for? To deal with each other?"

"Not when one if afraid of the other! You aren't Isa anymore, you're just a damn monster and I can't deal with it! I broke our friendship because you became too big of an asshole to even be considered a friend!"

Saix shrugged and jabbed Axel's chest with one finger. "Well, then I guess there's nothing left to talk about. You left me because you're a coward, so I guess I don't need a friend like that. If that truly is friendship, then I'm better off alone."

He dropped something into Axel's palm and left casually, his head slightly lower than usual.

Roxas stood and faced Axel, "Why did you go back for him if you really were afraid?"

Axel shook his head, "I wanted to save Isa… But look at him now. He's so startling he strikes a feeling into my soul. It's fear. And that's one thing we're especially not supposed to feel…" His voice trailed off, "I think I could've handled that better, though…"

He stared down at his stick. There was a crown, and it said winner in bolded typeface.

"You're not Isa. If you were, I wouldn't be running."

"Demyx!" I called and cupped my hands to my mouth, "Demyx? Where are you, pal?" The waves crashed up against the coast and slapped at the island's borders. "Demyx? It's Scout! Answer me so I know you're still alive!"

"You're kidding right?" The familiar voice rang out, "You just woke me up! I'm trying to catch some Z's! Ever since Xion's been out of it I've been piled up with her work!"

I smirked and approached the Melodious Nocturne. He was reclined against the nearest palm tree, his sitar rested on his lap.

"I don't think it helps if you sleep the day away."

"Meh, I'm not cut out for this stuff," He grinned up at me, "What's new?"

I made myself comfortable beside him, "Dem… How come you never talked about your past?" He arched an eyebrow at me. "Every time I ask you change the subject. I even asked Xigbar, and he said to come find you."

Demyx shrugged and plucked a tune on Arpeggio, "I don't like to talk about it. Did you ever think of that?"

"Kind of…" I tucked my silver bangs behind my ear.

"Look, I appreciate the concern but… I'd rather not say," He let his tidal blue eyes shut and his head pressed against the rough bark of the tree. "It's nothing worth remembering. Honestly, I want a heart so I can change it."

I frowned, "You can't change what's already happened, but you can try for a brighter future."

"Not without a heart."

"Please tell me, Dem. You shouldn't keep a secret from your best friend." Look who's talking, I thought vaguely, Try taking your own advice for once. You still haven't told him you slept with Saix, the one guy the whole Organization resents more than that Sora kid.

He dared to look at me, "Fine. Since you badly insist, I'll sum it up for you. I was a child, my parents died, I was adopted by an abusive alcoholic uncle, I spent my life growing up with a sitar because I felt music was the only thing that understood me, I had no friends, and I had a tendency to steal so I could feed myself because I didn't see my uncle lifting a finger to keep me healthy."

I studied him, and the pain that welled his once gentle eyes with tears, "Dem, it's alright. You don't need to go any further. I get the picture."

"No, you don't… You didn't have anyone, remember? I highly doubt you were raised by a drunk."

I bit my lip, "I know… But now I have you. We have each other. We have the Organization! And all we need now are our hearts."

He shook his head, "We both know that's never going to happen. We're not going to complete Kingdom Hearts… None of us are worthy enough to get our hearts back. Sora's going to take us all out one by one, but… Maybe there's a chance Kingdom Hearts will take pity on us."

Point taken. "I guess. For now, let's just make the best of things." If I ever decide to tell you. I let my head fall onto his shoulder.

A breeze whistled by, and I fell fast asleep.

"You're plans are falling apart! It's all because of that damned Axel!"

"Cool it already. Don't go around blowing off fumes when you haven't even heard my solution yet!"

"What solution? That's it, I'm dealing with this myself!"

"Larxene, stop! You're going to do something really stupid, and you know it!"

"Shut up, Marluxia! It's just a stupid brat! I can handle this now and you can thank me later!"

Marluxia smirked into flashbacks. That damned Larxene, never listening to a word people had to say…

The darkness was claiming him, but he refused to loose. Especially not to the same Sora brat who had killed Larxene off so easily.

This was it. Lexaeus was dead, Zexion had long since faded, Vexen was picked off by Axel, Larxene was defeated… and now it was his turn.

No. He couldn't loose! He reached for the Key Blade bearer, but the power of the blackness around him was too overwhelming. His body faded into a twister of flower petals, mainly the ones from roses, and the darkness claimed his being.

Dammit, Larxene. Why didn't you listen to me?

The Grey Room was silent and lifeless except for Skittles who was in the corner, counting his munny. I exited the rift of swirling darkness just as another Nobody entered the room. He seemed oddly ticked off about something.

"Good evening, Scout, I trust you're feeling better?"

"Why are you so concerned, Saix?" A smirk spread across my face, "Did Roxas kick your ass? Or did Xion wake up so they both kicked your ass? Or perhaps Axel jumped in as well?"

"Wouldn't that make you're day." He asked as more of a fact than a question.

I almost laughed. Almost. "It would. To be frank, I want to know why you seem so agitated."

Saix rolled his eyes, "Agitation is a feeling. Anyway, I apologized to Roxas and Xion—who is still unconscious—but Axel is still being an asshole. I told him the honest truth and he can't seem to consider the fact he's wrong."

"What is he wrong about?"

"It's nothing important." Saix inclined his head and pecked my lips with a kiss, "And I'm sorry for being such a jerk."

"Sorry is a feeling, but that's alright," I slipped my arms around his neck, "I forgive you, even if it is a feeling as well." Instead of kissing him like I had thought I would, I buried my face in his neck. I would've nuked Pluto at that moment just to have Demyx walk in on us and spare me the pain of telling him about my relationship with Saix.

A Nobody cleared his throat I quickly parted from the Luna Diviner. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Uh, Dad…" I scratched the back of my head, "Hi! No, you're not intruding at all…"

Xigbar folded his arms back against his chest, "Well, good. Xion woke up while you were gone, Scout. I just thought you should know…" His golden glare narrowed dangerously on Saix, "Saix, get her pregnant and I swear I'll slice off your manhood with a spatula."

"DAD!" I snapped, a blush spreading across my face.

Saix held up his hands defensively, "Xigbar, just try not to leak the wrong information to the Superior's ears. The last thing I need is to loose my head to a spatula."

"Wrong information? As if!" The Freeshooter had a smirk dancing on his lips like wild fire, "That doesn't matter. You know I'd do anything to protect my daughter, but she is old enough to take care of herself. So if you two want to make your status known, then by all means go ahead! I, on the other hand, don't exactly care what you two do. As long as you, Saix, don't hurt her, I'll keep my lips sealed."

"Touching," Saix quipped.

I rolled my eyes and made myself comfortable on the nearest couch.

"So you're not mad?"

"Anger is a feeling, Xigbar," Xemnas glared down at the single-eyed Nobody, "But we are to keep this between us. Why are you so worried, anyway?"

Xigbar barked a crude laugh, "Worry? Never! I wasn't going to tell you, but we all know how Saix can get. Even Axel doesn't want to get close to him when the moon is out," He stared around the empty room, "I just don't want him to hurt her."

"I know what happened to Saix the night we recruited him, but he's learned to control his Berserk state of mind. I doubt he's going to hurt her."

"I guess…" The Freeshooter threw his arms behind his head, "So what are we supposed to do about that Sora brat?"

"Stop him anyway we can. For now, we can only wait."

Xigbar cast his golden glazed vision to the floor, and then he silently fled the room in the abyss of darkness. If that was all they could do, then so be it. After all, that's really all they, as an Organization, have ever done.

They could afford to wait a little longer.

END of this chapter. NEXT TIME: In the not so far away future (let's say... maybe less than a year? lol) the Organization starts to fall apart, Scout meets the keyblade bearer Sora, and a certain Nobody fades into darkness.