The Kiss

by Threeishere

Larxene kisses Demyx after he saves her life on a mission, leaving them both in a state of shock and confusion. Takes place before Roxas joins the original Organization XIII. One-shot.

"You will be accompanying Demyx as he continues his reconnaissance mission today. Please do not dawdle," Saïx droned, as expressionless as ever.

Green eyes flashed. "Excuse me?" Larxene demanded.

Saïx remained as unfazed as his perfectly arranged blue hair. "For the time being, Demyx is not to go on missions unaccompanied. As a result, every member will have to pick up the slack."

"I am not babysitting that idiot," Larxene said, crossing her arms. "That is not my job."

"These are your orders." Saïx turned his back on Larxene, closing the conversation with a quiet clack of his boots.

Larxene flopped down on one of the gray couches opposite from where Demyx normally strummed his sitar. Why was he even allowed to have that stupid thing? She was convinced that it wasn't even an actual weapon, and he was only trying to pass it off as something he could use to avoid work with. That same work avoidance had gotten him in deep trouble with Saïx. Her insides boiled at the thought that he was now her problem.

Where even was Demyx? It was time for them to leave on the mission. He should have entered this tasteless room by now. Larxene watched as Xigbar stepped in, stretching out his arms as if he'd just woken up for the day. As the older, eye-patched member came by the edge of the couch, she spoke out with an exasperated tone, "Have. You. Seen. Demyx?"

Xigbar openly laughed so much, he had to close his only eye. "As if! He's always late for his missions—if he even goes. I'll bet you fifty Munny that he's still in bed right now. The real question is, why are you so concerned?"

Larxene groaned. They hadn't even gone on the mission yet and Demyx was already giving her trouble. Rubbing her temples, she replied, "I am not. Saïx ordered me to go on a mission with that loser."

Xigbar whistled. "Always so prickly, Number XII. Good luck finding him." He laughed again before opening and walking through a purple dark portal, a transport mechanism that resembled a black hole and was summoned with darkness.

Good riddance. Seriously, was every Nobody on their mission by now? Noticing Saïx's eyes shining in the moonlight, glaring at her from his spot by the glass wall, she sighed and got up. There was no way she was going to be turned into a Dusk for this! Her heels clicked as she wandered through the castle, passing each member's gray room, before standing outside Demyx's.

For a moment, she stood at the door. She'd never gone into another member's room, save once or twice to discuss some potentially treasonous plans with Marluxia. Generally, she hated being alone with a bunch of men all day and had little desire to be with any privately beyond advancing her position in the Organization through plotting and scheming. There was some discussion on perhaps roping in another member to their plans, like Axel or Luxord, but neither Marluxia nor Larxene trusted anybody else at this point.

Demyx, without question, was never considered.

Larxene just had to get this over with. She punched her gloved fist against the door, purposely creating a racket that would wake even the defeated Heartless. She knocked a few more times, her fist clenching tighter with each. She paused, turning her ear to the door. No sound.

"Hey, Larxene!"

The nymph turned her head to the hallway, and her eyes widened slightly as she saw Demyx's goofy grin. In spite of herself, she felt her cheeks warm when she realized that, instead of their customary black cloak, Demyx was wearing nothing but a white towel loosely wrapped around his waist. He must have just returned from the showers. His hair was plastered to his head, sopping wet, as if he were too lazy to take the time to even dry it. Larxene's eyes flicked downwards, and, to her surprise, his bare chest was shapely, though a little scrawny. How was it possible that he was even remotely fit with the amount she saw him just sitting around? She'd never seen him train—ever. Sometimes she couldn't tell if he was a person or a pillow, to be honest.

More to the point, why was she staring at him? She made sure to focus her eyes on Demyx's before responding.

"We, er, Saïx's orders are for me to accompany you on your lame-o recon mission for today."

She barely ever stumbled when she talked. What was wrong with her? It was almost like she felt flustered. But that was silly!

"Aw, man, you mean I can't go alone anymore? I thought he was just joking when he told me that!"

By now, Larxene was about ready to burst from frustration. "You idiot!" she bellowed. "Hurry up and get dressed. We need to go. NOW!"

Demyx held his hands up. "Alright, alright. Relax."

"GO!" Larxene insisted, her confusion at her actions adding to her rage.

Demyx shrugged, before opening the door to his room. "I'll be out soon."

As his door shut, Larxene crossed her arms. What was going on with her? Her entire face was burning. She was sure she felt the puttering of something in her chest. Nobodies didn't have hearts, so it couldn't possibly be that. It must be the memory of having her emotions haunting her again. Not that Demyx would have triggered a memory of that kind of emotion. Maybe someone clever like Marluxia, but certainly never that idiot musician! She absolutely refused to even let her mind go there.

After a few moments of trying to decipher her thoughts with no success, she banged on the door again. "Hurry up!"

"I'm almost ready," he called back.

Larxene considered kicking down the door, but the thought that he might be indecent stopped her. Maybe she should just go back and tell Saïx that she couldn't find Demyx. Perhaps the lazy member would be turned into a Dusk. In that case, she wouldn't have to deal with him!

Demyx emerged a moment later, dressed in his usual cloak. His hair was now perfectly arranged into his signature hairstyle, with the usual tendrils hanging loosely over his forehead. Larxene had to cross her arms tightly to avoid slapping her mission partner.

Through gritted teeth, Larxene hissed, "Why would you take the time to do your hair? Nobody cares! You are so stupid and irresponsible. I can't stand you!"

Demyx deflated slightly. "Why are you such a witch all the time? Seriously, everyone here does their hair. Even you."

"Don't bring me into this! I am not late. I am not in danger of being turned into a Dusk from pure laziness."

She watched as Demyx nervously adjusted the zipper at the top of his cloak. For a moment, she remembered his state of undress earlier, again causing her breath to disappear.

Demyx, however, spoke, his head tilted towards the ground. "Do you really think they'll turn me into one?"

"I don't care. This isn't a pity party and I am not here to make you feel better. Let's go!"

Larxene's teeth clenched tightly as she stalked down the hall to the Gray Area, where Saïx could see them depart on their mission. She heard the footsteps of Demyx following behind. Good, she must have scared him into listening. Maybe they'd spend the rest of the mission in silence and it'd be over before they knew it.

Entering the Gray Area, she crossed her arms as she noticed Saïx approaching them. If he was going to reprimand her because of this bonehead… her blood boiled.

Thankfully, the superior member ignored her and looked directly at Demyx. "You have caused a major inconvenience for the Organization. We are reconsidering your membership status."

"No pressure, amirite?" Demyx's smile dropped at the unamused glares from Saïx and Larxene.

"Your success or failure with Number XII today will be taken into consideration. Do not take this lightly," Saïx warned. "It will be best for you to depart immediately. I have made note of your lack of punctuality. For both of you."

Larxene immediately protested, "Don't you dare put this on me. You saw me in here earlier this morning. I'm only late because of this moron."

Demyx frowned. "I'm standing right here."

Saïx set his empty eyes on Larxene."You are the Organization's newest member and will be evaluated accordingly."

Seriously? Larxene bit her tongue, having no desire to get on Saïx's bad side. Whatever. She would just have to make sure that today went smoothly, and hopefully, Demyx would be passed along to another member. She was just one dark portal away from taking all of her anger out on the dimwitted musician without having to worry about Saïx's annoyingly perceptive gaze.

Larxene stretched out her hand, opening a dark portal. With one final glare at the mission manager, she stepped through the portal into the darkness, then through to the mission world. Demyx hopped through it to follow her at the last second.

He scratched the back of his head. "Whoa, you almost left me behind."

I wish I could. Larxene ignored him, and instead looked at the scenery in front of her. Twilight Town always looked so serene, with its rosy streets matching the sunset above. In another life, she may have liked this world, but right now she found it almost as irritating as Demyx. Seriously, this world was no fun beyond its aesthetic. Not to mention she was stuck on a recon mission. Ugh. She would much rather prefer a combat mission so she could take her fury out on just about whatever she wanted.

Demyx suddenly quickened his pace and stepped in front of her. "Hey, Larxene, wait a sec. I'm sorry. For whatever it is I did."

Her steely eyes met his. "Move out of the way."

"So you forgive me?"

Larxene's fingers sparked through her black gloves. "If you don't know what you did, then don't apologize, stupid!"

"Uhhh, well, okay. But can you, like, tell me what I did? You know whatever it was that made you so, so…" the musician trailed off, cocking his head slightly.

"So what?"

Demyx stepped aside, rubbing his shoulder as if it were sore."So, uh, you know, unpleasant."

Larxene felt her muscles tensing. "At least I'm not dimwitted and annoying."

"Hey, that was uncalled for." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "I'm just trying to make up."

Larxene pushed past him, lightly shocking him with her lightning powers and ignoring his cry of pain before continuing down the streets. The nerve of that piece of trash! How was she supposed to survive the entire mission with him tagging along? And even worse, Saïx was going to be unnecessarily hard on her. She needed to make sure this mission was a success.

Wait, what even was the mission? She inwardly groaned, realizing she hadn't examined the mission orders at all before leaving. She'd been too concerned about finding Demyx just so they could get started. Saïx had mentioned it was recon, but usually, that meant there was something more specific to keep an eye out for. Supposedly, it was a continuation of a mission Demyx was already assigned to, so he certainly should know. Her pace subconsciously quickened as she passed many connected buildings lining the street. She just needed to get this over with. Of course, she wouldn't admit to him that she'd overlooked the mission details.

Larxene stopped suddenly and turned back to Demyx, catching a whiff of burning hair as he got closer. She put a hand on her hip. "Let me guess, you haven't met any of the mission objectives yet the other days you were here."

"Psht, of course, I have. Well... almost," Demyx muttered.

"I don't know why the Organization even bothers with you. You're so lazy."

"No, no. Lazy is such an ugly word. It's actually called 'selective participation.'"

Larxene grabbed Demyx's cloak by the collar, raising her knives to his throat. "Tell me what you've done so far so we can get this over with." When she felt her pulse quicken and her face go hot, she let go of him suddenly.

Demyx frowned. "Uhhhh…"

"Spit it out or say goodbye to your eyebrows, numbskull."

"Okay, okay! I haven't spotted it yet. Or tracked it. But that Heartless has seriously got to be good at hiding or something. I swear anyone in the Organization would have issues, it's not just me! Besides, I'm not the best at, like, y'know... doing things."

Despite being exasperated with his rambling, Larxene realized that the mission must be to observe and take inventory of a new breed of Heartless that had appeared. But Demyx hadn't found any evidence of it? He had to have been skipping out on this mission, hence why Saïx was forcing her to babysit. This entire thing was such a waste of time.

The good news was that all they had to do was find the Heartless and observe its habits. Larxene was confident that she'd be able to find it amongst these tranquil townhouses.

Rubbing her temples, she muttered, "Where have you gone so far?"

"The ice cream stand. A couple of times. To keep watch in case it showed up there. Uh, and ice cream is protein, which keeps my energy up in case of attacks. Some solid thinking goin' on in here." Demyx pointed to his head for dramatic effect.

Larxene was positive she had just lost a few IQ points. "So we still have to scout out all locations. Fantastic."

"Maybe we should check out the ice cream stand one more time."

That was it. Larxene was going to murder him and be kicked out of the Organization. She just couldn't take it. She raised her hand to summon a powerful lightning spell, then froze when she made eye contact with Demyx. Her stomach flipped and she turned around. Her reactions… they felt so much like the feelings of infatuation she'd experienced from when she was fully human.

"We're heading to the mansion first. Come on." She refused to let herself examine her thoughts; she didn't trust herself to.

"Sure, sure. Uh, Larx, are you alright?"

Larxene was humiliated. Even this halfwit could sense that something wasn't quite right with her, that something was going on. She would never consider speaking with him about these feelings, ever. She wouldn't trust him with anything.

But she couldn't trust anyone else, either. If she claimed that perhaps the forming Kingdom Hearts was giving her heart back early, the other members would think she was just a stupid newbie who was mixing up the memories of emotions with actual emotions. But that must be the only explanation for how she felt. She wasn't dumb and could recognize that what she felt now, with Demyx, was different than all her time so far as a Nobody. She'd have plenty of memories of emotions when acting constantly irritated with... well, everyone, but her thoughts now were very different.

No, she couldn't tell anyone. She had a solid plan with Marluxia and couldn't risk drawing attention to herself from the other members. They had to be placed on a mission that involved the keyblade wielder, and the only way to do it was to succeed. If she talked through her complicated thoughts with Marluxia himself, there was a chance he would drop her from his plans.

Perhaps she was going too far. Nobodies didn't have hearts, and Kingdom Hearts wasn't even close to being completed, especially not without the help of a keyblade wielder. Not to mention she would never in a million years actually have feelings for a waste of time like that musician. She was probably tired, or perhaps some old memories were just settling into her Nobody form. Yes, that must be it.

She turned back to Demyx's look of concern, her expression unreadable. "This mission should have been completed the day it was assigned to you. I could've been on my own mission today, but instead, I'm stuck with a loser."

Demyx quickened his pace, forcing her to follow. "I know this looks bad, but dude, there's zero evidence of this thing, I swear! Saïx is just hard on me for no reason. Recon is my specialty; if this was a normal mission I would've found it a long time ago! If you don't believe me, ask Axel! I found the location of a Heartless nest once that he couldn't. I mean, Axel fought it and did all that work, but I found it."

Larxene's patience was wearing thin, more with her own emotions than actual irritation with Demyx, but she would never let him realize that. "Whatever. You're just making excuses."

She noticed Demyx look down at his feet as they continued on in silence. As they passed the townhouses bathed in the waning sunlight, she forced herself to ignore him and focus on the mission. She glanced at the mountain and the evergreens just at the edge of the line of sight in this world. Perhaps the Heartless was hiding out there, at the edge of town. She made a mental note to suggest checking that out after exploring the woods by the mansion.

Once the houses started tapering off into the idyllic forest path, Larxene put her guard up. This was the most logical place for a Heartless to hide out, somewhere in these trees. They would have to look for tracks and other evidence throughout the woods until they reached the mansion. It was very possible this was going to take all day, especially since Demyx had made no progress. She actually was planning on meeting up with Marluxia after the mission today and hoped that this wouldn't complicate that too.

Everything today was just so complicated.

Larxene tensed again when she heard Demyx speak. "Watch out!"

Before she could even fully turn around, she was knocked to the ground by Demyx. Her heart fluttered as she realized he was accidentally straddling her. His face reddened as he made eye contact with her.

A flash of some long, pink thing going directly over their heads snapped her out of any other thoughts on the matter. What was that? It almost looked like… a tongue?

Without a word, both she and Demyx jumped to their feet, summoning their respective weapons. They turned their backs to each other, examining their surroundings for any clue of where the attack had come from.

Demyx spoke. "Hey, isn't that—ahhh!"

She whipped around, seeing the somewhat comical image of what she thought was Demyx hanging from a tree, dropping his stupid sitar in the process. Normally, Larxene would be thrilled to see him separated from the instrument, but the apparent danger had removed any sense of satisfaction from her. He appeared to be upside down, but to her shock, he was suddenly transported to another tree. Looking more closely, she could see a few obscured shapes around him. Something was holding him!

She tried her best to ignore the thumping feeling coming from her chest, but she couldn't help but worry that Demyx was going to be seriously hurt or worse by whatever this thing was.

Thinking quickly, Larxene used her magic, being sure to strike the creature and carefully miss Demyx. As soon as the lightning struck it, Demyx was dropped back onto the ground like a ragdoll. Was he alright? No, she didn't have time to worry about that yet, especially since she knew that she would be crushed inside if he wasn't okay. Her eyes skirted upwards to see a greenish, lizard-like creature. A glance of the red χ-heart symbol on his chest confirmed that it was indeed a Heartless, but unlike any other creature she'd ever seen before. A second later, it turned invisible again. Larxene tensed as she saw the branches and leaves moving in the trees and realized that it appeared to be circling her.

Suddenly, an object hit her out of nowhere and she collapsed to the ground, the wind completely knocked out of her. Instinctively, she attempted to stand up. Again, something hit her head and she saw stars.

She thought she felt the object coming again, but then was surprised to see a tower of water in front of her, blocking it. It was the same pink tongue that had surprised them earlier. Her head was throbbing and she couldn't quite think straight enough to summon her knives again. The water dissipated and she watched Demyx, still on the ground like the lazy bum he was, summon water clones of himself, some even complete with a sitar.

For a moment she worried that, even though he was more than a few feet away, he heard her sigh of relief at seeing him alive and well.

Thankfully, she had no time to dwell it; A loud thump indicated the creature had jumped out of the trees. With barely a thought, she struck it again with her lightning powers, causing it to change into a crazy red striped pattern. She watched Demyx's water clones begin to attack it, which confused the creature.

"Dance, water, dance!" she heard Demyx shout as she forced herself to stand up. If she could strike it just as the clones were attacking, the water would create an extra current for her electricity, making it more potent for the Heartless.

Before she could strike, she saw Demyx himself jump up onto the back of the creature and raised his sitar to strike it. To her horror, the creature flung Demyx off of it and into a nearby tree trunk, where she heard an extremely loud cracking noise. She froze at the sight of Demyx's crumpled body lying on the ground.

Forcing herself to breathe, she summoned another strike of lightning, purposely hitting a tree near the Heartless and setting it on fire. The lizard-like creature inched back, eying the flames with trepidation, before jumping away and disappearing again into the woods.

Larxene rushed to Demyx's side, immediately feeling his bruised neck for a pulse. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized she didn't feel one. His body appeared to be somewhat twisted by the tree. Something was seriously wrong.

"Heal!" she said immediately—almost desperately.

Some of his bruises disappeared, and she felt for a pulse again.

There was none.

Only a few moments ago, her blood had been boiling at his insufferable, lazy nature. What she wouldn't give to see that stupid grin on his face one more time. Yet Demyx remained expressionless.

To her surprise, a tear escaped her eye. Was he about to start to fade away? She could scarcely breathe. She allowed herself to remember her first day in the Organization when she had immediately hardened to the other members. First, she had been introduced to Lord Xemnas, then Saïx, Vexen, and Marluxia, members who were either unfeeling or just thoroughly unpleasant. She didn't have feelings, yet the memory of loneliness stood at the forefront of her mind. A moment later, she met Demyx, goofy smile plastered across his face, immediately starting a conversation, as if they weren't Nobodies at all. He was the only one that seemed really human; the only one that let her remember what it was like. And that was why she lashed out at him, why she was convinced she hated him, simply because he allowed her to feel. What she wouldn't give for another moment with him to set things right!

His eyes suddenly opened. He immediately rubbed the back of his head. "Ouch."

Relief rushed through her. "You're alive!" she exclaimed, and unable to contain herself, immediately kissed him.

As soon as she felt his mouth soften and his arms wrap around her, she came to her senses and pulled away. What was she thinking? She sat there, so completely perplexed with herself that she was unable to come up with some biting or insulting remark to her mission partner.

Demyx raised his finger as if he were going to say something, but put it down and shut his mouth again. Larxene closed her eyes, not wanting to believe this nightmare was real.

Demyx must've finally decided what to say. "Y—you didn't have to stop," he managed.

Larxene slapped him, then gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. It was like she had no control! Glancing at him again, she noticed that his entire face had turned red. He gave a lopsided smile when she made eye contact again, so she forced herself to look away.

"We're done here," she muttered, her tone icy.

Demyx frowned. "I... I feel like you're giving me mixed signals here. Did we not just have a moment?"

Larxene considered opening a dark corridor and staying there until the darkness consumed her, but making eye contact with Demyx changed her mind. Despite being irritated with him all the time, despite all her confusing feelings, she could see his expression mirrored her own. Gone was the usual carefree, grinning Nobody. Instead, facing her was someone capable of having very deep and real thoughts.

She feared that something wasn't quite right. The Organization hinged on their existence, or nonexistence, as Nobodies. Nobodies who didn't have a heart, didn't feel, and didn't even exist. If they were feeling... if they'd had a moment, then everything they knew about their existence was wrong. The Organization was wrong. That meant all the awful and complicated feelings she'd been trying to leave behind were still here.

"We have hearts... don't we?"

Larxene's train of thoughts broke at Demyx's words. No, no, no no no! She put her head in her hands. This couldn't be! She had gone through so much to ensure that she would never, ever feel again! She felt herself starting to shake, literal electricity running through her and sparking from her arms. She couldn't possibly have a heart. No, she refused to have one. She wouldn't allow it!

However, Larxene found herself overcome with tears, unable to process any more of her thoughts. She was just... feeling.

Feeling pain.

In her peripheral vision, she noticed Demyx standing next to her with his mouth open, staring at her for a good moment as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then she suddenly felt his embrace, and this time, she didn't pull away. Her sobs began to slowly soften. As they dissipated, she felt Demyx lightly kiss her forehead. She blinked, then took a step back.

"We don't have hearts. We're Nobodies. We shouldn't even exist!"

Demyx's face fell. "But we do."

"Why does it matter so much to you that we have hearts?" Larxene demanded, eyes flashing. Her mood swung around more than their weapons in a battle.

"Isn't that why we're all in the Organization? Just to get our hearts back? I just miss having friends." He cringed. "Wow, that sounds lame saying it out loud, but yeah, I guess that is what I mean."

Larxene felt the familiar pang in her chest, remembering the feeling of pity. Demyx wanted exactly what she was trying to run away from, and it was all because he was lonely. She could relate to that, more deeply than he knew. And more deeply than he would ever be allowed to know.

"Look, Demyx, I'm sorry. But this... this isn't going to happen." She took in a breath. "We have enough information on that Heartless to complete our mission report. Let's RTC."

She was surprised to see Demyx's eyes widen and his head immediately shake.

"No, not yet," he insisted.

Why did this have to be so hard? This was exactly why she didn't want a heart, just so situations like this would be easy—so that making the right decision wouldn't be hard like this. She forced an icy tone. "I'm going. You can do as you like."

Larxene opened a dark portal.

"Hey, wait a sec. Larxene!" Demyx begged. But he was too late.

Larxene breathed in the dank smell of darkness, letting it wash over her, consume her. The only thing strong enough to take away her complicated thoughts was the overwhelming sense of power she felt when traveling through these portals. She grabbed the collar of her cloak, realizing that it was the only thing protecting her from being consumed by the darkness forever. Maybe she should give completely into the darkness so she wouldn't have to feel anything ever again. Her instinct for survival, however, overpowered everything else. She forced herself to move on, before stepping back into the Organization's castle.

Saïx, as typical, stood in the Gray Area upon her arrival. She evenly met his gaze before sitting on the couch, beginning to fill out the mission report paperwork. The quicker she finished the sooner she could wash her hands of her mission with Demyx. Her internal struggle was beginning to form into an even rage that this day had even happened to begin with. This was all because of Demyx's stupidity.

As soon as she stood up to file the report with Saïx, Demyx entered the Gray Area through a dark portal. She bristled when he made eye contact, saw his furrowed brow, and knew it was because of her. Demyx was an idiot and could absolutely give her away. She'd been dumb to let her guard down with him, but she had no intentions of ever letting any of the other members know that she had possibly felt something. As Saïx silently read the report, she couldn't help but think how horrible it would be if anyone else found out. They would either make fun of her for ever daring to think she could feel or… perhaps the higher ranking members would terminate her for knowing too much. She and Demyx had brushed on the possibility of the entire Organization being a sham, and it was just… a lot to think about.

Suddenly, Larxene felt very tired. She barely processed Saïx as he accepted her report, and Demyx approached from behind them.

"See? I accomplished something today," he said, grinning at Saïx.

The musician glanced again at Larxene, showing that his grin didn't quite meet his eyes. Larxene pushed past him, ignoring his stare, and intended on returning to her room where she could process everything in peace.

Saïx said, "You've proven that you are only capable when accompanied on a mission. Your membership is a great hindrance to the Organization. I've already discussed your membership status with our Superior, and it seems that your services may not be necessary."

"No!" Demyx said, his voice raised. "What was I supposed to do today, fail the mission? We found the Heartless!"

Saïx didn't react. "You only found it with Number XII. She completed the mission report. It seems she has proven her worth. Now, please wait in the throne room for a discussion Lord Xemnas."

The sitar player quivered. "You can't do this!"

Larxene couldn't help but stand there. Would they turn Demyx into a Dusk? Thinking again, why wouldn't they? He was stupid and lazy. He wasn't capable, or likable, or attractive. Really, he was just a waste of space.

And yet she couldn't ignore the way her heart twisted in her chest at the thought of him losing more of his humanity. But she had to let it go. She was going to meet Marluxia soon to discuss their plans. She couldn't possibly draw attention to herself. She watched as Saïx followed Demyx out of the Gray Area to meet Lord Xemnas.

Demyx stopped in front of her, his eyes pleading. "Larxene, you saw me on the mission. Please, you have to tell them!"

She shook her head and turned around, crossing her arms. She was the newest member and couldn't possibly risk her own position. Not to mention, it hurt her plot with Marluxia on eventually overtaking the Organization. Those plans would be jeopardized if anyone thought that she may be suspicious of the leadership's real agendas. Certainly, it wasn't to gain hearts if she and Demyx still had them. She just had to ignore Demyx's fate and move on, for her own good.

So, she didn't dare move until she heard his footsteps, knowing that he wouldn't risk making Xemnas upset from forcing him to wait.

Despite having her plans with Marluxia, she couldn't bring herself to leave the silence of the empty Gray Area. She looked out the glass at the stars, recalling the events from the day and recalling the moments before she came to the Organization, before she supposedly lost her heart. Her heart was only pain, anyway. Surely, if she ignored her feelings now, they would just go away and she'd feel nothing again. She ran the thought through her mind perhaps a thousand times, desperately trying to convince herself.

"It seems you managed to find that lazy bum."

Larxene turned to see Xigbar approaching her. He was Number II in the Organization, and the only member besides Saïx who had any influence on Xemnas and his decisions. Despite the force of her inner monologue, the back of her mind had also been running this entire time, unable to forget Demyx and wondering if there was anything she could do to save him.

"Saïx implied that Demyx was going to be turned into a Dusk." She was careful to only state the objective facts.

Xigbar raised an eyebrow. "You didn't complete your mission?"

"We did. But Saïx still assumed Demyx didn't do his part."

"Can you blame him?"

Larxene turned away slightly, feeling lightheaded. "No. But Demyx he... he saved my life."

Why was she telling this to Xigbar? She was too, too close to revealing that she had feelings. Maybe she already had! Her head began to pound as she desperately tried to push back the wave of emotions. She turned back, not wanting him to detect anything was amiss.

To her surprise, Xigbar merely shrugged. "Xemnas won't turn him into a Dusk if that's the case. As if."

"But he doesn't know…"

She noticed Xigbar's eyes slighted. "I think you need to go to the throne room, in that case."

Larxene paused. "I'm a lower-ranking member. I don't have the authority to crash the meeting."

Xigbar's expression was hard to read. Larxene could figure out what was happening, that he was also interested in keeping Demyx in their ranks, but couldn't figure out why. And she had no desire to pry, surely expecting that he would pry back and uncover something she wanted to keep secret. Her secret.

Xigbar waved his hand. "A higher-ranking member ordered you to."

That was all she needed. She departed immediately, using a dark portal to transport her to her tall, white throne in the room. The back of her mind wondered why Xigbar could possibly be interested in helping Demyx, of all people. When she appeared sitting on her throne, she was met with the confused stares of Xemnas, Saïx, and Demyx. Demyx's eyes were wider than Kingdom Hearts itself.

Saïx glared at her. "This does not concern you."

"Excuse me, but I didn't complete my mission report. We fought the creature. And Demyx... he saved my life. His combat skills are exceptional, when he uses them. From what I've seen today, removing him from the mission would be, like... a grave mistake. He's dumber than a doornail but would make a great backup plan when you're desperate for combat."

To her surprise, the whooshing sound of another portal interrupted them, Xigbar himself appearing on his own throne. "She's right. I mean, I'm the one that recruited the guy, so I'm almost offended you wouldn't include me here. Saïx just has his knickers in a twist because he doesn't fill out his reports correctly."

Demyx turned his head hopefully towards Xemnas, their leader closing his eyes briefly. "It appears Demyx has proven his worthiness in our Organization. Saïx, you may discipline him as necessary for not completing his duties, but there is no doubt of his status. Demyx and Larxene, you are both dismissed. Saïx, Xigbar, stay here for another discussion."

Larxene, with one last curious glance at Xigbar, immediately transported herself out and back to her room. Finally, she was alone to process her thoughts. It wasn't a moment later when she heard a knock. She considered ignoring it, but she didn't want to get into more trouble with the Organization. Or, perhaps Marluxia had come to search for her, especially since she was likely late for their conspiracy meeting, and she would simply have to push her thoughts aside so that he was reassured in her allegiance to their plans. She opened it to see Demyx instead.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"No."

Demyx's face fell. "I just... I just wanted to thank you."

"Don't be stupid." She was sure to keep her demeanor stiff.

Demyx glanced down the hall as if he were checking to see if the coast was clear. "Look, you didn't have to... you were looking out for me. I thought you hated me before today…"

Larxene looked down. "Leave. We are never having this discussion. Cross me again and I will make you wish that Saïx himself turns you into a Dusk."

Demyx held his hands up. "Okay, okay! I get it. I never stood a chance with you anyway."

"No, you didn't." She hesitated before shutting the door, feeling her chest thump. Why couldn't she close the door? She stood in awkward silence, not making eye contact with her former mission partner.

Demyx cocked his head. Really quickly, before she could turn away, he kissed her suddenly on the cheek. "Thank you, Larxene. I really mean it."

Blushing, she slammed the door in his face. She collapsed on her bed, ignoring the moisture in her eyes. How she wanted to be with him! But it couldn't be that way. Not for her, or for him. Besides, it wasn't like it would work out even if they could be together. It would only cause them both more pain. She set her jaw, determined to ensure that he would never, ever suspect that she liked him ever again, even if it meant being cruel.