Chapter 8

Author's Note: The next two chapters run through events from KH 358/2 Days and KHII. I didn't feel the need to rewrite the entire cutscenes to avoid being redundant, so if you need a refresher I recommend looking up all Demyx scenes on YouTube. I focus on adding Demyx' thoughts/emotions into the scenes, so I hope you enjoy! Also, thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing.

A few days after the C.O. crew left, Demyx approached Xigbar and Xion, the newest member, in the Gray Area. He ignored the pain he felt when he noticed Larxene was no longer around, when he remembered the terms they had parted on, or the fact that they never got along to begin with. Larxene was the worst. He needed to move on.

"This place is like, a hundred times better minus all the bossy coworkers, am I right?" he asked, trying to get Xion to talk. The kid was just silent all the time, it kind of creeped him out.

Xion didn't say anything, but he turned around, surprised to hear Roxas approach from behind. "Bossy coworkers?" the keyblade wielder asked.

"Yeah, the 'dream team' that got shipped off to Castle Oblivion. Dreamy for me, because they're gone!" It was mostly the boring members who had left, anyway. Besides, he finally felt like he could relax without Larxene around all the time. Maybe it was for the better. Forget his heart.

He turned away as Xigbar chatted with Xion and Roxas. Man, Roxas didn't seem to like the old man! Trying to forget about Larxene, Demyx sat down on one of the couches in the Grey Area, playing his sitar. Roxas approached him again.

Demyx said, "I love days when Larxene is out. I can sit around playing sitar instead of gopher!" Might as well convince everyone else he was happy with Larxene being gone, even if he couldn't quite convince himself.

Roxas just nodded before heading back off, probably to do work or something. Overachiever.

Only a few days later, Demyx overheard Saïx and Xemnas mention something about a terminated member at C.O. Who was gone? Could it be Larxene? No, there were loads of people there. It probably wasn't her. Maybe it was Marluxia, if he was lucky. Or Vexen, or Zexion, or Lexaeus. They were all too boring for his tastes. He'd rather not see Axel go since he could actually hold a conversation, but, whatever. As long as it wasn't Larxene. No, it probably wasn't. He decided to get his mind off determining who it was, and focusing on gossiping about it. After all, the more time he spent gossiping, the less time he spent working! It was the perfect system. He began to tell what he heard to Xaldin.

"Then what in blazes did happen?" Xaldin demanded.

"Don't look at me, man! I just found out minutes ago!" Demyx replied.

Thankfully, Xaldin left him alone after that. Unfortunately, the more he heard the others gossip about it, the more his heart seemed to squeeze in his chest. More than anything he hoped it wasn't Larxene...

A number of days passed again before he heard the news. The C.O. crew had been annihilated? It took him a moment to process after Xigbar told him. He didn't even follow the old man into the Gray Area, overcome with emotion. He initially felt relieved that he hadn't been sent on that project, then felt sadness. He didn't like hearing anybody was destroyed, especially since it made him think about his own mortality. He definitely would miss pranking with Axel, even though lately the fiery comrade had been occupied with Roxas.

Even more deeply etched into his heart was the thought that he'd never see Larxene again. Despite their tumultuous relationship, he'd hoped he'd win her over, somehow, when she got back. Which, really, ridiculous. She was right, he was stupid. A complete idiot. He'd only hoped that she'd also realize that she, too, had a heart, and that it felt for him. Although, maybe it was Marluxia, really, and not him. It was possible he was imagining all of it. But what did she see in that flower boy that he didn't have?

It didn't matter. They were both gone. Annihilated. Terminated. K.O.'d.

The other members wouldn't understand. They would make fun of him for thinking he had a heart. He took in a deep breath, then pushed down all his feelings, entering the Gray Area to see Xigbar talking with Roxas, probably just messing with the kid.

"Hey, Roxas, man, did you hear? No survivors! Everybody at C.O. got K.O.'d! Heavy stuff."

Roxas kind of turned his head down, for a split second seeming to react the way Demyx wanted to, shocked and hurt. No, he couldn't mirror Roxas' emotions. He needed to push them away. "Gone with the wind-right, Xiggy? Whew, I really dodged a bullet there."

"Lucky you," Xiggy said back, before chuckling. "Now you get to double your hours to pick up the slack."

"Blegh! Roger that. Remind me to underachieve twice as hard from now on."

Xigbar laughed with him as Roxas seemed to wander away. Demyx soon departed on his mission, doing recon or something, whatever, completed it, then went back to his room in the Castle that Never Was. As the door shut, all he could think about was Larxene. Gone. Forever. They never…

Tears escaped his eyes. The emotions he'd been repressing all day had finally caught up to him. He sat on his bed and cried, stronger than he ever had before in his life. All that was left was emptiness.