Ch.2 Operation: Disguise

Sage: Y'know what's funny? We now have enough for about another ten chapters, yet I keep putting them up as if we were still writing them. :P

Disclaimer: we do not own Zexion or Demyx from KH2/Com.

Zexion nodded frantically and his tail started to wag. Finally... He allowed the pages to return to the book from whence they came and stepped forward, putting his front paws on the older boy's legs.

It took you long enough, Number IX. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever understand. The gray creature allowed his paws to fall back to the floor, but didn't break eye-contact with the blonde. Of course, no one is going to believe you... This is rather farfetched. He realized, whimpering a little. But, at least someone knows who I am. He barked, showing a spark of relief... And maybe a little happiness. Though, he would never admit it.

Now, as long as the Melodious Nocturne didn't second-guess himself, and Zexion prayed he didn't, then this might turn out alright.

Demyx poked his fingers together. Now he really felt the guilt trip coming on. All this time, Zexion had been trying to give him clues, and he was too oblivious to them to figure anything out. He felt like a total idiot.

To make matters worse, he played the Sitar...and Zexion heard what he said.

A blush crept across his cheeks. Now that he knew Zexion had been with him all along, he couldn't help but be embarrassed. Now that he thought about it, Demyx had been quite affectionate with the dog since he found him. Nuzzling, petting, hugging...heat rose to the nocturne's cheeks again, his blush only deepening.

Zexion's tail stopped wagging when he saw the blush appear on the Melodious Nocturne's face.

Oh... Right... He confessed that he had a crush on me... The dog whimpered. I'm sure he must regret that.

"Demyx..." He made a squeaky whining noise as he forgot that he couldn't speak. His head drooped. The one time he actually wanted to comfort someone, and he lacked the ability. There was a part of him that hated to see the blonde look so bothered. His head raised to look the older boy in the eye and he put one paw on his leg.

That compelling need to comfort the other was strange and new to the gray creature, but not quite so much as the feeling that he wanted to be held by the other again. It was... comfortable, in a way... A way that he didn't really understand.

The nocturne glanced at the dog again, slightly iffy about making eye contact. Once he heard him let out a whimper, it cause Demyx to look straight at him. He really wished he could understand what Zexion was saying. From the looks of his pawing, he seemed to want to be picked up. But why? None the less, Demyx picked him up, walking over to his bed and sitting down.

He didn't know where to begin. Perhaps since he had already discovered his song earlier, might as well spill it. With a gentle sigh, Demyx spoke up. "This is awkward..talking to you like this, I mean. But...you heard my song, and..I just wanted to let you know, that's how I feel." he paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "..I've liked you for a while, but I've been too timid to confront you. You're always turning the other cheek and getting annoyed by me...but no matter how much you turn away, I can't help the way I feel.." he found himself blushing again, idly scratching his canine superior's ear again.

"I'm sorry for being so dense..and not being able to help you sooner.." he finished.

Zexion leaned up and licked Demyx's face after he confessed his attraction to the stoic boy. After the lick there was a soft whimper.

But.. Demyx... We don't have feelings. How can we be in love if we can't so much as feel real anger or real sadness? He thought, feeling sorry for the older male. He silently wondered how the other would like him of all people, anyway. He was so excitable and chipper... The gray-haired boy was boring and silent, even when he could speak.When he felt the other boy's hand scratching his ear, he squeaked, looking back at the blonde. Oooh, yes. Yes, he did like that. When the Melodious Nocturne apologized for being dense, Zexion shook his head.

Don't worry about it. He thought. He was frustrated earlier, but realized that he wouldn't have been able to figure it out himself. He would have been too stubborn and would have thought it impossible for someone to suddenly be a different species.

Demyx blushed deeply from having his face licked, laughing lightly from his ticklish senses. Did this mean Zexion was returning his feelings? At least he knew he was being forgiven for his clueless behavior earlier. Studying the dog's features again, he couldn't help but smile. "You're even cuter as a dog." He chuckled as Zexion leaned in to his hand while scratching his ear.

Though, he wanted to find a way to change him back...he had no problems taking care of him in this situation; but it'd help a little if Demyx could understand him. Glancing at the book again, he got an idea. "Hey, Zexy...you can make clones of yourself, right?" His smile turned into a grin. "You can clone yourself, and your clone can replace you so the others won't notice. In the meantime, we'll try to find a way to get you back to normal. The clone can also speak for you, so I'll know what you're trying to tell me."

Egads! Was that a bright idea he just came up with? Things were starting to turn up for the better.

Zexion felt blood rush to his face as the Melodious Nocturne called said that he was cute as a dog.

Cute? ...Me? That wasn't really... Expected. Though, what he said earlier about a crush, I suppose I should have expected it.When the blonde suggested that he should make a clone, the dog shook its head rapidly and jumped to his book.

If only it were that convenient. Sorry, Demyx. It doesn't work that way. He barked at his weapon and two perfect copies of him appeared... Though they were also dogs. All three looked at the water elemental with a sympathetic look before the two clones disappeared.

The Cloaked Schemer's ears perked up when he thought of an idea, himself. The gray creature ran to his computer and pressed the power button on the tower with his nose. As the computer booted up, the dog hopped onto his chair at pawed at the screen, around the point where the word processor was on his desktop. If he could type.. Albeit slowly without the luxury of fingers... He might be able to talk to Demyx, at least.

Demyx frowned upon seeing his idea fail to work. Gah, no dice. Now he was going to have to find another way to cover up his absence while they took care of this mess. The blonde blinked curiously when Zexion jumped onto his chair, attempting to type something on the computer. It was going to be arduous for him in his current state; seeing as how he lacked opposable thumbs.

"Y'know, Zexy...you could always try spelling out things with your book. I don't think this'll work out for you." It was true; besides, it's not like they'd have a computer at hand everywhere they go.

Zexion turned to look at Demyx and his eyes widened.

Well, that was rather obvious, Zexion. Why couldn't you think of that? The dog jumped off of his chair and back down to his book. After staring at the weapon for a moment, he realized that there was something he'd never tried before. The creature barked at the piece of literature and it opened, a page floated out with something written on it.

Thanks.

The Cloaked Schemer stared proudly at the floating piece of paper for a moment longer before turning to his book and barking twice. The already airborne piece of paper returned to whence it came and another page floated out.

You aren't as dumb as you look.

If it were possible, the dog would have smirked.

Demyx grinned but then frowned on the 'dumb' comment. "Hey!" He pouted.

Crossing his arms, he looked at Zexion quizzically. "Now that you can talk...how are we gonna keep the others at bay while we figure this out?" Like Zexion, he too could create clones; only, they were made up of water. The real question was, could he make clones of people other than himself? The blonde scratched his head for a moment pondering over it, then decided to give it a shot.

"Zexy...I think I've got another idea." He found himself grinning again, proud of how many good suggestions he had come up with so far. At least now he knew he wasn't useless (well, to Zexion at the moment). Taking the book and picking him up as if it had become some sort of routine, they warped to Demyx's room.

-----

Once there, Zexoin was put down on the bed, and his pulled his Sitar out of the corner. "Dance, water, dance!" A large mass of liquid was summoned into the center of the room, twisting and forming around, trying to capture a definite shape. Now, Demyx was no artist, or sculptor at that, but tried his best to mold it around. With a turn of the wrist, it was complete; a replica of Zexion. Same height, bangs falling over one eye and all. Only thing is...it was made of water.

"Hmm..." Demyx crossed his arms and tapped his foot again, thinking of how to fix this. They would need some kind of disguise so that it didn't look like it was made of water...not only that, but the clone was incapable of human speech...

Zexion watched intently as Demyx created a water clone and shaped it to look like the Cloaked Schemer. The gray creature whimpered. He wasn't supposed to feel, but he felt something akin to... Jealousy? Psht. How petty. Just because the blonde has the ability to change the look of his "clones," it wasn't something to be jealous over. It was just a difference.

It was, however, a very good likeness, he had to admit... If not for the part about it being made of water.

The dog stared at it for a moment before coming up with an idea. It barked at its book and it opened, a page floating out of it.

Can it wear one of my uniforms? The page asked, Zexion tilting his head to the side. He wondered if the water was tangible enough for the cloak not to slip through.

"I guess.." Demyx left for a brief moment, re-entering with one of Zexion's coats from his room. He instructed the waterclone to spread out it's arms, sliding a sleeve into each one. After pulling up the zipper, the clone looked down at it's new wardrobe, then gave Demyx a sideways glance. "Good. The water's solid enough to hold it up. Still...we need to hide your face." He reached out and pulled the hood over it's head, pulling the strings to make it tighter around the face. "That should do it."

Many organization members often walked around with their hoods on, so it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary if the clone was seen doing the same. "One more finishing touch.." The nocturne dug through his closet to pull out a pair of boots, setting them in front of the clone. "They're kinda big, since they're mine, but put them on. If you don't, you'll just leave a trail of water everywhere you go." The clone did as it was told, stepping into the large footwear.

"Now you just have to learn to talk, then you'll be all set." He grinned confidently.

The dog watched intently as Demyx dressed the clone. When he mentioned needing the watery humanoid to talk, Zexion whimpered. He thought hard for a moment before barking at his book. A page floated out with words written on it.

Demyx... I honestly have no clue what to do about the voice. Can you think of something? You were clever enough to think up all of those other ideas. He whimpered again, not realizing that he had used the name of the blonde and not his number for once. His head drooped and he allowed his body to lie on the floor, his head between his front paws. He had given the other another compliment... This time out loud (sort of...) He winced inwardly and looked away, trying not to embarrass himself further.

"Hmm...I guess I can make up an excuse to the others; say you have a sore throat or lost your voic--hey...wait a sec.." Sea-green eyes laid their gaze on the small canine, who whimpered. "You called me 'Demyx'.." A wide grin spread across his lips as the blonde crouched down in front of Zexion, chuckling. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were warming up to me."

Seeing him sitting in that position, head between his paws; it was too adorable. Demyx picked him up, resting the dog on his back and nuzzling his furry chest. "You're so cute!!" He exclaimed gleefully, a light blush crossing his cheeks. His superior wasn't going to remain this form forever, so might as well make the best of it and take advantage of temporarily having him as a pet.

The dog made a high-pitched whining sound when the other boy pointed out that he had called him by his name. He looked at the paper, still floating above the book from whence it came. Indeed, it did say "Demyx." He called him by his name and used a compliment at the same time. Maybe the other was right... Maybe he was becoming closer to him.

However, being picked up and turned on his back was a bit strange... And not quite as strange as Demyx nuzzling his chest.

Demyx, if you drop me, I swear... His train of thoughts was broken when he realized that he couldn't really do anything. The gray creature found himself actually licking the blonde's cheek again.

Why do I keep doing that?!

Demyx giggled again from receiving another lick. Ah, if only Zexion were this affectionate as a human...The blonde sat up, scratching the dog's tummy. Though he could get use to having him as a pet. Of course, the nocturne wouldn't be so selfish as to keep him this way. The waterclone curiously tilted it's head to the side, observing the strange behavior of the two. Not that it could understand; it was water, afterall.

At least, that's what everyone thought. See, it was true his clones were just a mass of H2O and nothing more, but this clone in particular had smarts. Sometimes Demyx brought himself to believe it somehow took a piece of his brain (which anyone would believe with his level of intelligence). He liked to call this clone 'Dewy'. Now, Dewy was a trickster. He liked to play pranks on his master and disobey him, but when obliged, he could be very useful. It seemed to be highly amused with Demyx's plan, so from the looks of it, Dewy would be cooperating this time.

Still scratching Zexion's stomach, Demyx turned to his liquefied ally and grinned. "Don't worry about talking, kay? I'll make up an excuse. Good luck!" He summoned up a dark portal, since the clone was incapable of conjuring his own.

With that said, Dewy confirmed his command with a nod and stepped into the portal.

Zexion silently wondered what would happen if he still had the remnants of his canine instincts when he turned back into a human and licked Demyx's cheek when he turned back. The gray dog shook its head, trying to discard that thought.

He watched with mild interest as the Melodious Nocturne spoke to his clone as if he were talking to a human rather than a mass of water. When the watery creation disappeared into the portal, the Cloaked Schemer jumped from his owner's arms and onto the bed. He barked twice at his book and the remaining page disappeared, being replaced by another.

Thank you for helping me.

The dog stared up at his companion and wagged his tail.

"No problem." He grinned.

Standing up, he picked up his Sitar and headed towards the door. "Now..I just have to get to the other members before Dewy does.." He had sent his waterclone to the meeting room, so he was probably sitting in one of the high chairs as they spoke. The meeting was going to commence soon, and Xemnas would be asking Demyx why he hadn't completed his mission.

Again, everything came with perfect timing and a plan. Not like Demyx at all, but heck, who was complaining?

"I gotta go for a while. You wanna stay put, or come with?"

Zexion listened as Demyx asked him whether he was coming or not and didn't hesitate to bark at his book. The floating page disappeared and was replaced by another.

I'm coming with you, of course. The page said, with the dog looking rather determined.

Honestly, how could he think otherwise? I'm not leaving his side until I get out of this body. The Cloaked Schemer thought, deciding to keep with the usual stereotype that dogs are loyal creatures. Even if he wasn't born a dog, he had most of the instincts.

The creature wagged its tail as it watched the other boy hopefully. If he dared to leave him there, he would follow.

"Okay..." Demyx said hesitantly, kneeling and pulling down the zipper of his coat halfway. "Unfortunately, this is the only way I can hide you. I can wear the hood over my head and you can try perching on my shoulder or something."

Footsteps were soon heard from outside his door; probably other members on their way to the meeting room. The blonde glanced back at Zexion, a bit more hurried this time. "Come on! We don't have much time!"

Pfft, you're telling me to hurry? Who's the higher rank here? The dog glanced at the door before hastily jumping into the older boy's coat. He licked the water elemental's cheek and glanced at the door again as if to say "hurry up."

The creature looked at his book, realizing there was still a page floating in mid-air. He barked as quietly as he could because of the people walking in the hall. The floating piece of parchment returned to the book from whence it came and Zexion looked around to see if there was anything else suspicious in the room. Nothing other than a few pieces of dog hair on the bed, and he probably only noticed them because of his sense of smell. Any other Organization member would have trouble seeing them.

Demyx zipped up his jacket and slipped the hood over his head, summoning a portal and heading towards the meeting room.

Sage: I've run out of things to say (Already? jeeze.) So toodles for now! The more you review, the faster the update!

Chapter 3: update me! DD:

Sage: NO! e.e Not until we get our reviewssss -hisses-

Chapter 3: meep oo;