Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts II is copyright Square Enix, as are Demyx and Xigbar and Axel and Roxas and ya know those people. I cannot own them, but maybe one day I will join them, eh? Eh? XD

ALSO : the title is unceremoniously stolen from Depeche Mode, so I apologize, but it was too good not to use and come on, how could I not?

Authors Notes:

HEY LOOK!
ANOTHER CHAPTER!
OMGWTF?!?!

In other words, damn I'm good. XD No, no, I'm not.

Anyways, yeah, this one was fun to write. Blah. Also, do not eat Lunchables while typing, your stomach'll get confused and you'll end up wanting to throw up. Bad. XX

Background Music: My Chemical Romance "MAMA"

We're damned after all

Through fortune and flame we fall

And if you can stay then I'll show you the way

Back to the ashes you call

We'll all carry on

When our brothers in arms are gone

So raise your glass high

For tomorrow we die

And return from the ashes you call

x

Title: Music for the Masses

Author: Zoshi the Confused
Rating: PG-13 to M (eventually)
Category: Kingdom Hearts II

Genre: Adventure/Angst

Contains: (or will contain) Shonen-Ai/Yaoi, Violence, Adult Situations, and Swearing

Sentences or phrases done in Italics thoughts

Select words done in italics emphasis

Demyx had done it.

He'd really done it.

He'd done the one thing he'd never thought he'd do. The one thing that he'd promised himself he'd never do unless absolutely necessary.

Demyx had killed.

Oh, it didn't matter that it was really an accident, that it wasn't as much premeditated as merely an act of negligence. That didn't change the fact that it was all his fault.

Tears gathered in his wide, shocked eyes. Disbelief flooded his mind. His shoulders were shaking from the nerves. His eyes were focused on the water ball that had, during the night, rolled off the top of his desk.

The water ball that had landed on the lampshade of a lamp he had oh-so-conveniently forgotten to turn off as he'd rushed off to the Organization meeting the night before.

The water ball that contained the now lifeless body of, in his mind, the bestest friend he'd ever had.

"I… I boiled him."

Zexion hummed as he set the journals containing experiment notes on the bookshelves in the lab. Humming wasn't exactly something Zexion did very often, but here, down on the lower levels of Castle Oblivion, surrounded by Nobodies he actually knew, he felt just a little more relaxed. Just a little.

Vexen, on the other side of the lab, was muttering something as he contained to toy around with a few things on the table. Really, he wished Zexion would just finish putting those journals on the shelves already and come back to help him take more notes. He'd asked Lexeaus to help once, but the man had spent more time doodling in the margins than he had taken notes. Sighing, Vexen picked up a beaker, looking at it closely.

The lab door slamming into the wall made both of them jump. Zexion juggled with the journals he was holding, while Vexen cursed as the liquid in the beaker spilled over his gloved hands.

"Who in oblivion's name?" Vexen exclaimed, setting down the beaker and turning to the door.

Zexion paused, puzzled, then leaned out from behind the bookcase.

"Demyx?"

The blond stood in the doorway, hands cupped in front of him, a look of dumb shock on his face. He staggered over to Vexen, holding his hands up to the older man's face.

"Fix him." Demyx said, his voice shaking.

Vexen pulled his goggles up onto his head, and raised an eyebrow. In Demyx's hands lay the body of the late, and great, Reqiuem the betta. In all truth, this was the first Vexen had ever seen the fish, but he was more surprised that Demyx, a member who spent most of his time in the upper levels, had invaded his laboratory.

"Its just a fish." Vexen gave Demyx a long look, then turned back to his table, reaching up to pull his goggles down over his eyes. Before he could, a hand took his shoulder in an iron grip and spun him back around to face the blond.

Demyx's eyes had darkened to the deep blue-gray-green of a storm tossed sea. His face had turned hard, and his jaw was set rigidly. Vexen paled slightly; he'd never imagined the musician could ever look so… furious?

"He is not 'just a fish'. " Demyx growled. "He is Requiem, and he is my best friend. He is my bestest friend in all the worlds."

No one noticed Zexion twitch a little over where he still stood by the bookcase. The hand gripping Vexen's shoulder tightened slightly, uncomfortably, as Demyx continued.

"He was my best friend, and I boiled him, and now you will fix him." Demyx said. Vexen, annoyed by the way Demyx was just demanding his help, no respect at all, thank you, was ready to brush the blond's hand off his shoulder. The shaking shoulders, however, and the telltale signs of tears in his eyes changed his mind. Heart or no heart, emotions or no emotions, turning him away at this moment would just lead to more trouble later on.

"Hello Vexen, how are you Vexen?" The older man said, exaggerating his tone slightly. He pried Demyx's hand off his shoulder, then picked up the recently deceased 'bestest friend', grimacing slightly. Picking up a random beaker full of greenish liquid off the table, he dropped the fish into it. "Please help me. My pet died and you're the only one who can save him."

Demyx squatted down to look into the beaker, normal and nervous and distraught boy once again. He reached out a shaky hand to touch the side of the beaker, while Vexen frowned. He never could get through to these young whippersnappers. Vexen grimaced; when had he become old enough to use the word 'whippersnappers'? Or maybe they all just made him feel old, considering he was one of the more mature members of the Organization. Yes, that was it.

"Will it work?" Demyx asked, eyes on the still form floating in the beaker. The green liquid was bubbling, causing the body of the fish to waft around, dancing almost, like some sort of macabre puppet show.

"Hnf, who knows," Vexen shrugged, pulling his goggles back down over his eyes. Behind them, Zexion had drawn close, and now he leaned over to peer over Demyx's shoulder at the beaker.

"So… your best friend?" Zexion asked. He didn't know why, but his lip quirked slightly (angrily?) at the words.

"Yeah, my best friend ever," Demyx said sadly. It was probably a good thing he couldn't see Zexion, as the other man had twitched again.

What, was he developing a tic? Zexion frowned, and made his way back to the bookcase. He was slightly surprised, and annoyed, to see that the last few journals he'd put back on the bookcase were, not only in the wrong order, but also upside down. He got back to work fixing the books, sighing slightly.

Vexen turned around to check something on the other side of the table, and almost ran into the teary-eyed blond. He sighed loudly, and when that didn't work, cleared his throat. Demyx was oblivious to the older man, and continued to stare dejectedly at the beaker.

"Excuse me, Demyx, but you are in the way." Vexen said finally. The blond blinked, and looked up at him. After a second, he muttered an "oh" and stood up, giving Vexen more room.

"You may leave, Demyx," Vexen said, putting a few strange looking utensils on the table. Demyx stared at the man's back blankly for a moment.

"Oh, right, yeah…" He grinned half-heartedly. "Don't wanna get in the way…"

"I'll let you know if anything works out." Vexen continued, more absorbed in whatever he was doing on the table.

"Right… yeah…Thanks." Demyx said, and, after another moment of looking sadly at the beaker, he shuffled his way out the door, closing it softly behind him. Zexion watched him leave with a frown,

"Best friend. Hmph." He muttered, slamming a book onto the shelf. "Best friend…"

Endnotes: You know, while pairings were going to pop up whether I wanted them to or not, there were certain things I wasn't planning on writing. But…

Zoshi: SMACKS ZEXION x10! smack
Zexion: Ow
Zoshi: DAMN YOU! RAWR!

And, the next chap is going to be sadness, but to make it all up the chap after that will be filled with silliness and you'll all be happy so yay.