Yay! Another chapter for the dear fans! I'm glad you guys like this one! It's got the highest hits and alerts, and has the third-highest amount of reviews and favs. It makes me happy, thank you, guys!

Now, Comments!
...Mina The Forgotten Memory: Wow. I'm still surprised you've never had ramen.
...Ranchdressing: Teehee, yep! Axel seems like a little scandal-creator, Zexion would probably be forced to kill him...
...Anonymous Saru: Man, that yesterday drove me crazy. Ah well, stick to the fic, ya whornesh.
...Metal Chocobo: But it's fun to suddenly appear and wreak havoc on poor widdle Zexion. Provides great entertainment! ...it could be because it seems like Xigbar that it's entertaining, who knows.
...hanakitsunechan7: I wish everyone were that good at lying. I can do it, but my poker face sucks sometimes... What I meant about "shy" was that Zexion's not shy, but he gave the impression that he was so people would leave him alone (since most of my shy friends usually let that facade keep them from meeting people. It works!). --Zexion still has a nosebleed--
...ShadowAili: Yay! You make me happy, it so didn't suck as much as I thought it did. I needed that reassurance, being the insecure, feeble, hopeless romantic I am. Teehee, I love an infatuated Demyx.
...benji's lover iz a cowfree: Man... chocolate is sexy.
...Novelist Pup: Fresh meat! I mean... I'm glad the Zemyx is making you happy! I love figurative crack... hope this feeds your itch.

Whispered Melody
.vi.
Ignorance'll Make You More

Saturday.

Demyx was a fidgety individual. He bounced on either leg as Zexion answered the door, smiling brightly when he noticed Zexion wasn't going to feign illness and slam the door in his face. Zexion had no clue as to what sort of date this would be, and he found himself feeling a bit glad he didn't seem over- or underdressed--dark jeans, long-sleeved black top with a collar, and a light blue tie, black converses laced tightly on his feet--but it seemed to grab Demyx's attention, for the taller one's eyes traveled across his frame for a moment.

"Man... Zexy, you sure are small..."

Zexion frowned and almost stepped back inside, but Demyx quickly apologized and hurried to tug him out. Soon, Demyx was bouncing by the elevator, looking at Zexion with a slight smile.

"Axel said you liked rock music," he started mild conversation. "Well, actually, he called you 'impartial', but I figured that didn't really mean you hated it. You like it, right?"

Zexion had to tear his eyes from the unlit arrow above the doors. "You talked to Axel?" he asked quickly, worry almost escaping his lips.

Demyx grinned. "He doesn't know. It was a random question I asked when he wanted me to burn some CDs. But back then, you were just 'that emo boy' who liked hanging out on that bench in the park every Saturday."

Zexion almost forgot about that. The bench and his weekly trips to the park after therapy. The therapy might've been what had made him much more patient and less emotional, and was definitely the reason he had gone to the park once a week. To get his mind off things, to just relax and watch something calm. But then Axel started interfering and he just stopped going, missing his appointments due to unscheduled activity from spontaneous group activity.

Demyx had seen him?

Demyx merely continued talking about he used to walk past the park and meet Axel and Larxene for Pizza Fridays and a house party afterwards, and how they had some of the best music, and how he wanted to be great at music and was going to show Zexion what he meant, and then went back to asking if he liked rock.

"Yes, I do." Short reply.

"Great! Then I hope you'll love tonight..." And Demyx was back to his plans, leaving out quite a bit of detail as he continued talking about a nice restaurant he found, and then started talking about how he wanted to try raving. Zexion couldn't figure out what baby back ribs and glowsticks had in common, but he decided not to question, merely watching as Demyx drove and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the radio.

Zexion was a bit surprised as this hyperactive, talkative boy was able to hold a conversation and drive and keep tempo without crashing into anything or fumbling in his words. Of course, the boy seemed automatically scheduled to merely ramble; maybe he was tied to the car electronically. Who knew, nowadays, with people inserting microchips into their arms as wedding presents and whatnots... The car slowed to a stop, and Demyx smiled, looking out the window.

"It's a club called Fate," he said with a bright grin. "See, every Friday and Saturday, they get bands to play here, and tonight... well, it's pretty special. You'll see when we get in, okay?"

Zexion expected to see the moment he entered, and almost frowned when he didn't. A band known as Melodious Nocturne was advertised to play tonight, and a few people were gathered about. Tables had been pushed back from the small stage, curtains were still drawn, and a few people were playing pool in the back. Some people stood in the open space, talking or drinking, and Zexion soon recognized one person as Larxene, talking animatedly on a cell phone with a hand on her hip. He couldn't help but pull himself a bit closer to Demyx, unsure if he was trying to state his presence with the male or trying to hide from Larxene.

Demyx grinned and merely led him towards the bar, leaning on the counter. "Hey, Xaldin!" he called to the bartender, waving a hand. "Luxord in?"

Zexion chose to keep close to Demyx as he noticed a drunk eyeing him conspicuously. Demyx seemed to fit in perfectly in this place, oddly, as he talked to the dark-haired man wiping a dish. The bartender--Xaldin--kept looking over at Zexion with a quirked eyebrow, but after only a few seconds of listening to Demyx's inquiry on the band members, interrupted with a calm, blunt--

"New boyfriend?"

Zexion flushed. He rarely ever came near blushing, but to be considered as someone's boyfriend brought heat immediately to his cheeks. Demyx only grinned in response, draping an arm over his shoulders and pulling him in close. Zexion couldn't help but finally breathe in.

Sweet...

"Yep. So keep your eyes off him, okay?" Demyx replied with a grin. "Ya can't scare this one away, he's got one hell of a mean streak." With that, Demyx calmly walked him away with a slight wave. "Tell Lux I'm in the back when he gets here, okay?"

"Sure thing, Demyx," Xaldin called after his retreating back.

Two steps later, and Zexion roughly shoved Demyx's arm from him. The blond smiled sympathetically. "Sorry, Zexy, but it's the only way Xaldin leaves the cute ones alone. Just play along, okay?"

Zexion gave him an annoyed glare, but kept quiet. After hearing 'Zexy' for the ninth time, his patience was wearing thin, but correcting Demyx proved itself futile around the second time of explaining the third syllable of his name. It could've been because Demyx was dense as a boulder; it could've been because Zexion didn't want to waste his breath; it could've been because Demyx was growing on Zexion, like mold.

He didn't smell like mold. Some sort of unknown fragrance, something uncommonly sweet, but not unnaturally nice to smell.

"Zexy, did you just sniff me?"

Yes.

"No."

Demyx looked unsure.

Zexion finally let his patience leave and quickly asked, "Why are we here?"

Demyx grinned as he tugged him backstage. "For the music!" he cried out in joy. "For the love of music, Zexion, that's why we're here! Now come on, we have to head backstage. I have to make sure nobody messed with my baby."

"Baby?" Zexion inquired.

The blond didn't seem to hear him, pulling him to a stairwell in the back. His arm had somehow snaked around Zexion's shoulders again and he continued to lead him up the steps, and finally to a small room adjacent to what Zexion realized was the stage.

"Zex, remember the CD?" Demyx asked, spinning around to face him. When he received a short nod in reply, he grinned. "It's the band. Melodious Nocturne. Want to meet some of the members?"

He didn't have much of a choice, but he didn't mind so much. Demyx seemed excited, introducing him to one of the guitarists, the keyboardist and the drummer, explaining the purpose of the sitar in fond detail, and telling him that his sister came up with some lyrics. "She can be a bitch, a lot," he said, "but she's got wicked rhyming skills."

Soon, the keyboardist, Riku walked over, shoving a sheet of paper into Demyx's hands as he frowned. "Demyx, check the time," he said calmly.

Demyx looked up and gasped. "Oh... ohhh... Zexy, c'mon, let's go find the seats!" Translation: let me drag you somewhere else now.

Commotion had grown immensely during Zexion's time backstage. More people had gathered, forming a nice, large grouping in front of the stage, no space seemingly visible in the front. As if completely used to this sort of thing, Demyx dragged Zexion through the crowd to a place somewhat near the stage. He grinned, saying loudly over the chatter that he'd love it. Though Zexion wasn't so sure, he nodded and looked away.

A question had formed as to who else was in the band and why Demyx liked them so much. Zexion calmly turned to question Demyx, but found himself alone, very confused. Had he gotten lost in the group? Demyx had fallen silence almost immediately, but it was droned out by the noise, and he didn't quite understand where the blond would've gone. Briefly, he checked the floor to see if he had possibly been trampled. He hadn't.

"Heeey..." a voice drawled out through the microphone.

Girls began squealing, some cheering began. Zexion blinked and raised an eyebrow, glancing around. The concert was beginning, and Demyx had vanished. But Zexion knew that voice... the microphone wasn't working too well.

"Man, Lux, this mike sucks!" a whiny complaint followed through the system.

Laughter echoed over an older man's voice yelling, "Shut up and stop standing on the chord!"

But Zexion recognized the whine. He just didn't want to believe it until he saw it.

Then the curtains rose and there stood Demyx, in front of the band, fist in the air as he bobbed his head to the group, before grabbing the microphone in front of him again. Zexion was staring in shock. Demyx, the chatty, fidgety kid who begged for a date... was lead singer a rock band? The CD, music... it all seemed to connect, now.

"Hey, everybody!" Demyx said, after making sure he wasn't squishing the chord. "Welcome to Fate. We're Melodious Nocturne!"

There was more screaming. When it finally died down, a voice shouted to the stage, and Zexion was almost certain it was Axel. "Aw, shut up and play a song already!"

Demyx stuck his tongue out, but nonetheless waved an arm. The drum began a steady beat and Demyx grinned, nodding his head as they began. Soon, he struck a chord, and Zexion stared with wide eyes. The music was amazing. Melodies floated through the room at a high volume, but it shook him to the core, causing a small blush to rise to his cheeks as he listened to the music, perfectly harmonized, float through the room.

When the blond opened his mouth to speak, Zexion almost melted.

"Sick, sweet, feeling
Of your skin on my skin
Sends you reeling
On what it's like to win

Want you to know what it's like,
Want you to know what it's like...
To have me... to love me...
Just need you to want me..."

.vi...ix.

His mind was lost in some sort of cosmic wonderland. The music was still pounding in his head from his front-row space near the amplifier, but Demyx's voice was still dancing around him. Whether through the music still playing through his thoughts or from the boy's chatter going on in the Applebee's right next to him, he couldn't help but enjoy it. It was nice to his ears, distracting him from the scent of more unhealthy greased-up food in front of him as he stared towards the floor.

"It's so weird, he hasn't really said a thing since I found him again..." Demyx murmured, and Zexion felt the blond poke him in the side. He barely moved in response.

Axel's laughter came out weak and a tad confused. "I haven't seen his zone-out phase last this long... maybe you literally rocked his mind."

Demyx laughed at that joke. "I hope not. I hear his mind's pretty cool."

"Yeah, for an emo," Larxene added, leaning back. "Look, let's just start the feasting. I'm hungry and I told Marluxia I'm meeting him down at the Garden."

"Wait, Marluxia's a he?"

Conversation strayed already, as Larxene tried pointing out 'obvious' facts of her friend Marluxia that proved his manliness. Demyx's band mates were there also, the keyboardist distracted by his text messages--Axel had mentioned earlier something about Roxas's brother--Luxord in a quick game of poker with the other two. Demyx had gone back to poking Zexion in the side, quietly whispering questions into his ear discretely through the obvious motion of grabbing a french fry. Larxene and Axel didn't seem to care, too much into their argument--"No, Larx, I've seen him in a dress, for goodness sakes!"--so Demyx slumped in his chair.

"You didn't like the concert?" the blond asked.

Zexion blinked, finally looking up. "I did..." he whispered. He couldn't manage to say much else, unsure what it was that had him so silent. Demyx had just blown out some eardrums, most likely, yet he couldn't manage to say how much he loved it. He wanted to do something, besides sitting here for another hour and a half listening to Larxene and Axel bicker--"I've known him a lot longer than you have, Axel; he's a guy!"--he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but he wanted to, and fast.

Demyx presented him with a french fry. "Here. Eat something?" he offered.

Zexion gave it a skeptical look, finally glancing up from his brief reverie as he allowed himself to take the fry. He wasn't a large fan of grease, and he doubted the bubbling sensation in his stomach would allow him to keep much in, but Demyx just handed him a fry and he felt somewhat obliged to eat. For a moment, he stared at the snack again, but soon shoved it into his mouth, chewing quietly.

Demyx grinned at him. "See, the food's not that bad, plus, cost is on Larx, so eat all you want."

He didn't want to eat much, he wanted to somewhat keep himself from gaining too much weight from one night's worth of greasy foods. Self-conscious... plus, he didn't want Larxene to spend too much money on his part. When he hadn't reached for anything else, Demyx handed him another fry, and he found himself eating it.

He then frowned slightly. "They need salt."

Axel, not paying much attention, slid the salt over when Demyx stretched his arm out again for the small basket of appetizer fries, and shifted in his seat. He and Larxene soon began to play Paper Rock Scissors, five out of seven, to see if Marluxia was male. Zexion merely ignored them to take the salt and sprinkle it about the fries, and he and Demyx snacked until the actual meals came. Demyx talked and ate, an easy distraction for Zexion to pay close attention to while ignoring Larxene and Axel's next debate on if the Garden was on Eleventh street or not, and Zexion sat quietly while he munched.

It seemed like a pretty good evening. Demyx's voice was still floating through his mind and he felt the odd urge to hum Empty, a song in which Demyx used his sitar, but he merely listened as Demyx's chattery voice spoke to the others on every topic they could think of, from Luxord's gambling addiction to a fashion magazine. Zexion didn't seem to care; he was fine just listening.

Just so... musical. Sweet and even, even as he bit into his sandwich and spoke with a cheek puffed out.

Only a few seconds passed before he wished he hadn't been listening at all. "Hey, Zexion," Tidus called out, leaning over the table. "Are you Dem's new lover?"

He almost choked on a chicken finger--Demyx wouldn't let him order a salad alone--and in a split second, he connected with Demyx's eyes to see that the blond was as shocked as he was. He could only shrug, and Zexion blinked, looking over at Tidus. "No, I really just came for the music," he responded.

The group laughed at that. It was never truly about the music. There was always a meaning behind everything, from the lyrics to the notes to the reasons the songs were sung. There had to be a reason they affected Zexion as they had, how they tugged at his heart, rid him of his calm composure and sent his brain spiraling into some sort of feeling. No logic, no sight, just a feeling...

He didn't even realize he had zoned out again until he realized he had dropped his hand into the ketchup on his plate and hadn't tugged it out. By that time, Demyx seemed to be feeling a tad worried, handing him a napkin and pondering in a whisper, "I wonder if I shouldn't take you tonight..."

But it hadn't even been an actual date. Though Zexion hadn't even wanted to go on the date, he wanted it to be an actual date. It was just how he felt, strangely, and he bit his bottom lip while wiping the ketchup from his pale digits. They had been in groups for most of the while, from meeting the band to dinner with a load of friends... impersonal, just as Zexion liked it.

Liked. Liked. Then how come he wanted Demyx to start singing again where it there only was the voice of his singing echoing through the walls of a room occupied by two? It was uncommon for Zexion to feel this way. He wasn't in love, couldn't even be in like. Demyx was supposed to be at the tolerate stage, where he would maybe, maybe receive an answer to a phone call and perhaps even a lunch meeting on the weekend. He had done something with Zexion's entire system when Zexion woke to him in his bed.

Zexion's system was completely ruined.

Might as well. He turned to Demyx and calmly whispered, "Show me what you have planned later."

Demyx grinned and two hours later, Zexion was successfully turned into a Glowstick Raver at a local nightclub. The blond had gotten excited when he agreed to be decorated with the plastic rings, and after throwing more caution to the wind and Demyx's squealing over his song being aired and remixed into a techno beat, he was dancing on the wooden floor with his taller friend. Lost in the darkness and the neon lights, nobody could stop him. And he was glad.

.vi. end .vi.

Okay, and there we go! Another chappy for my adoring readers. I'm squealing so much, and I don't know why!... might be because I found more FAKE? lyrics and songs. Recommended music: Lemontune; it's for anyone having a bad day, it makes me happy.

:Darkness Princess.