Epilogue

It wasn't all sunshine and roses.

The more time passed, the more trickling memories came back. The picture Edym got was never clear , exactly. More like brief flashes of insight. Fighting Heartless with his sister. Getting his ass kicked again and again.

Learning music.

It was their mother that taught him, that suggested maybe he shouldn't follow in Elrena's footsteps. Edym had always heard music in things, found himself gravitating towards it. Once it was well and truly in his life, it was like a hole had been filled.

But the more insight Edym had into Elrena, the angrier and more hurt he felt about how Larxene had treated Demyx. They'd both been amnesiac, but how or why had that relationship mutated to hatred? Had something else happened? Did she just feel that betrayed by him not joining her?

Would he ever know?

For a long while his life fell into a steady-mostly pleasant-rhythm. Work, gardening, time with Ienzo. It was all so painfully ordinary. Not that Edym minded that, at all. Waking up next to him was worth all the pain he'd gone through.

The others gradually got used to his presence, their relationship. The more Edym thought about it, the less he really wanted to find the place that was once home-especially if it meant leaving Ienzo. Maybe someday they would live in their own little house, with a cat or a dog. With or near friends. But for now… what they had was fine as it is. There was no need to rush into anything serious.

Edym and Ienzo… began to grow.

It was hard to leave behind that time in the Organization, especially because so much of Edym's sense of self came from Demyx. And Ienzo had spent the majority of his childhood as a Nobody. Figuring out who they were and what humanity all meant was dazzling and confusing. The more his flickers of memories came back, the stranger Edym felt. He'd been soft, but he'd also been so young . He knew something awful had happened to their home, and, more likely, it had all happened a lot longer ago than anyone thought. But how, or why, Xemnas had found them was anyone's guess.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do to help," Even told him. "Aside from patiently waiting for those memories to come back… we can't look into what happened to your world without knowing what it's called."

Edym knew this was true. It still put a sour seed in his chest. He thought of his sister, of Larxene. Harder still to grieve someone who was likely alive. But where was she? How would she feel seeing him again? Did she even care?

"I know it's easier said than done," Ienzo said softly, one night after they made love. "But you have to stop torturing yourself."

"I know. I'm trying. I just…"

"Want closure."

"Well. Yeah." Don't you ? He almost asked.

"I know. I wish I could… take that pain from you."

"I just have this feeling that she's alive, and I- even if we just… hash things out, I don't know."

"I can't say I relate totally," Ienzo said. "But I know how it is to… lose people to the unknown."

"Your parents?"

He nodded. "I scarcely have any memory of them anymore. My memories used to be so-achingly sharp." He touched his brow. "Now, not so much. To take a page from Ansem's book… if you're meant to find each other again, you will. You have to trust in that."

"You really believe that?"

He sighed, and smiled. "Call me crazy, but I do." Ienzo kissed him. "Want some tea?"

Time passed. Edym kept waiting for the other shoe to drop-for things to get complicated and messy again. But they didn't. Even eventually replaced the other kidney. He grew closer to the members of the restoration committee, became friends with them. When Scrooge offered him the opportunity to manage the post office instead of just work it, he took it. It felt nice to do something that had a positive impact, for once.

He was sweeping up one day after close when he heard the doorbell. They'd recently moved shop away from the strange little bazaar into their own building. "Sorry, we're closed. Drop your mail in the box outside. I'll handle it first thing."

"Look at you, a cog in the machine."

Edym froze. Very slowly, he turned.

"...Don't look at me like that. Whose idea were the glasses? Almost makes you look not stupid."

He made a strange noise. "How did you-when-I-"

Elrena looked tired, her skin sallow. "It's a long and ultimately very boring story," she said. She picked up a book of stamps, looked at it with something like distaste, and set it down. She was still wearing the black coat, he noticed. "Xigbar didn't bite it, you know."

He gripped at his elbow. "Yeah. I know. He almost killed me."

"Really? I thought there was a-I don't know. Rapport, or something, between you two. He was one of the only ones who could stand you."

Edym blinked. Seeing her, he felt something a whole lot more complicated than he thought. Not relief. Not happiness. "So he found you and brought you here?"

"...Something like that. He said this was where you ended up."

Edym shook his head slowly. "You wanted to see me?"

She smirked. "Call me sentimental, but yeah, I did. Was wicked weird when I found out. Lauriam just thought it was hilarious. Marluxia," she clarified.

"So he's around too." Edym set the broom aside. "Well. Good for him, I guess."

There was a pause. Elrena cleared her throat. "You're going to snitch about Xigbar, aren't you?"

"Probably. Yeah."

"...Is it bad I kind of want you to?"

"More pot stirring?"

"More pot stirring." She grinned. "It's what I do best."

"So what are you two doing with him, anyway?"

"Honestly? I'm not completely sure. But I'm helping Lauriam look for someone, and then after that… well. The World is our oyster."

Without ceremony, Edym said, "Stelitzia."

"Oh, you remembered that much?"

Woodenly, he nodded.

"Lauriam thought he remembered someone getting her killed. But considering that nobody in this fucking world seems to stay dead… well." She shrugged.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

She dropped her eyes. "Like I said. All this talk of his sister… had me feeling sentimental. And that's so not cool. I thought if I saw you it'd stop."

"Did it?"

"Don't know."

Edym let out a slow breath. "How long are you in town?"

"Not long." She took another few steps towards him. "If you want, you can come with us."

He laughed. "No. No way in hell. Sorry."

"Worth a shot."

"Why would you want me anyway?"

"You could see her again."

Edym put his hands in his pockets. "I don't want to leave what I have here. I… I'm happy, you know? I feel like I'm… starting to finally do more good things than bad. My life is here. Whatever we had before, as kids. I don't think it was a life."

Her eyes darkened. "No," she said in a low voice. "It wasn't."

"You could have a life here too," he said. "Or… not here, anywhere you want. You don't have to go along with Lauriam and Xigbar. You could choose." He offered his hand, and for a breath thought she might take it.

Elrena smirked. Shook her head. "Nah," she said. "I've got things to do. People to see."

"And undermine?"

"With any luck."

Edym nodded. His heart settled in his chest. "Just don't get yourself killed again," he said. "And slug Xigbar good for me, okay?"

"Maybe. He does always seem to be asking for it."

There was a pause, longer than the last. "You'll be okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I really will."

"Well, okay. Then I'll stop worrying."

"You were worrying ?"

"Come on, Edym. We all know you're not great at planning for the long term."

"Maybe I've changed."

She waved a hand dismissively. "I should go. My ride's waiting." She headed towards the door.

"Wait-Elrena-"

She turned, her lips pursed.

"Why did our Nobodies hate each other so much? Cause I don't think I hate you now."

She thought about it for a moment, her teal eyes flashing. "The last time we saw each other, we fought," she said. "Can't tell you for my life about what."

"About the cult," he said, with clarity.

"The Dandelions," she corrected.

"I didn't want you to leave me."

"And I didn't want to have to baby my brother." She shook her head. "Well. Turns out that never happened. You were stuck with me. Maybe I resented that."

Edym nodded.

"And being a Nobody makes you angry for no reason anyway ," she said, more lightly. "Does that answer your question?"

"I think so."

"Then I should go." For a second, it seemed like she might touch him.

"You have a phone?" he asked.

"What, one of those dumb things? What kinda budget do you think we're working with?" A grin.

"...Right. Well." He took a deep breath. "I guess… if I see you, I see you. And if I don't…"

"Yep." She put her hand on her hip. "Don't do anything stupid."

"You, either."

"And hey. If I really need something, I'll just write." She winked. "Bye, Edym."

"Bye, Elrena."

When she left, she didn't look back.

Edym sat heavily on the blanket. His joints hurt from a long day of work. It was his turn to bring the picnic, but instead of cooking, he'd been too tired, so he'd just gotten takeout from Ienzo's favorite place. He hoped that would suffice.

"I know I'm late," Ienzo called. "Even was being very-" He cut himself off, his eyes wide. He looked around the courtyard slowly. "When did you have the time-"

"I've been here almost all day." His face flushed.

Ienzo walked around slowly, touching the new plants in their pots. The orchids. The lanterns Edym had hung around the peripherals of the property. He'd tried to repair some of the stonework in the floor, too, but accepted that he was a terrible mason. Ienzo turned to look at him. "Why did you-"

"We've been spending a lot of time here. I wanted to… make it nice." He stood, wincing at the ache in his hips. "Aeleus helped me with this." He reached over behind the old fountain to turn on the pump.

"This must've taken hours-days," he said. He shook his head. "Edym, I-" He touched one of the orchids. "You even remembered these."

"I wanted to do something nice for you. It is your birthday," he pointed out.

Ienzo jerked.

"Did you forget?"

"I did entirely," he admitted. "Time doesn't pass in that cursed lab." He wrinkled his nose. "Thank you." He leaned in to kiss him. "Really. Thank you."

He shrugged, the blush in his face getting hotter. "I… liked doing it. Let's eat, okay?"

They did.

"...You know, you don't have to work in that lab," Edym said.

"It has been wearing on me lately," Ienzo admitted. "But I have to be able to… do good work. Good things. It's the only way I can sleep at night."

Edym squeezed his hand. "No need for you to suffer doing something you hate."

Ienzo shook his head. "I don't hate it," he said. "Knowing that I'm doing something worthwhile does feel good."

"But it's the coworkers that suck?"

Ienzo grimaced. "Quite. At least Even is at least partially distracted by the research work you've given him. He's been criticizing my coding like his doesn't look two or three languages behind."

Edym chuckled.

Ienzo set down his bowl. "You know…" he began. "This life is no longer feeling quite so strange."

"Isn't that good?"

"I think so." He put a hand to his chest. "I was worried that humanity would never feel quite right. Everything still overwhelms me. But… at least that sensation isn't always negative anymore."

Edym kissed him. They rested there together for a while longer.

"I mean, this whole mess only began because of my poor self-control," Ienzo continued.

" Hey. I don't think we're messy ."

"We're a little messy," Ienzo said.

"Well. I'm glad that it all happened. I feel like you've… helped me."

"The feeling is mutual," he said. He sighed. "Hopefully our next mistakes are equally fruitful."

"Har har."

Ienzo leaned back against him. For a while, neither of them said anything; they didn't have to. "Shall we head back?" Ienzo asked. "I could use some-ah-stress relief."

Edym smirked. "You got it." He kissed him, longer this time. "Let's go home."