Ch.3: Broken
Sage: ehehe. I've seen you've all been good little reviewers. I just got back from a Con, and am in a pretty good mood (aside from being exhausted from overloads of anime and cosplay) I cosplayed Demyx (which I will post a link of my cosplays in the next chapter) and got alot of hugs and pictures taken x3 since I'm so happy, I decided to post soon. :3 You'll soon see why I held Chapter 3 captive...-whispers- it's the only one with drama in it! And it makes things a bit more interesting...
Chapter 3: OMGYES Dx I'm free! -huggles T.O.P- T.T
Sage: Speaking of which, if you guys were curious to know; Zexion is (currently) a Cairn Terrier...and don't give me credit for keeping him IC as a dog; that's FallenLex's work n.n; Don't forget, we both wrote this fic. She writes all the parts for Zexion; I write the ones for Demyx. (The other characters are written by both of us) So if there's anyone to praise for keeping him IC, it's FallenLex n.n Enough of my rambling; enjoy!
Disclaimer: We do not own Demyx or Zexion from KH2/CoM.
The Melodious Nocturne was now seated in the ninth seat; the others transporting their way in to their own seats. The blonde peered three seats to his right, seeing the smaller cloaked figure already there. Perfect... Demyx looked down the inside of his coat from the corner of his eye, giving the dog a wink. "Don't worry about a thing; it's all taken care of." He whispered.
Zexion felt a rise in confidence as Demyx winked at him. Maybe everything would turn out alright...
Within a few moments, as if on cue, the last person missing entered the room; Xemnas. Everyone immediately paid attention, awaiting their leader's orders. "I have urgently gathered you all here for you to report the status of your missions."
Demyx gulped.
"Number IX; did you get rid of the keyblade wielder?"
His head jerked up in response, the blonde now racking with nerves. He still remembered what happened the last time he failed, and was afraid of what his leader would do if he found out he failed again. "N-no...I waited to ambush him, but he never showed up. Maybe he knew of our whereabouts..."
Luckily, Xemnas bought that excuse and carried on. The nocturne let out a sigh of relief. But soon, that sigh turned into a gasp.
"Ah, Number VI...you've decided to join us. Where have you been?"
The waterclone motioned to speak, but Demyx soon cut in. "He can't speak, superior. Zexion was on patrol earlier today and I found him unconscious. I think some of the heartless went berserk and attacked him..since then, he lost his voice...probably from trying to yell out an attack, or, erm...something..."
They all gave him a questionable stare, Xemnas raising a silver brow.
"Heh, it's not surprising he got taken out by a bunch of mindless drones. Pathetic." A feminine voice responded in a mocking tone.
Zexion couldn't keep back a low growl when he heard Larxene speak against him. The moment he noticed he was going it he stopped, however, and no one seemed to have heard him.
"Silence, number XII. He's your superior, show some respect."
"Thank you, number VII." Xemnas finished, Dewy crossing his arms and giving a nod. That waterclone sure was arrogant..."Well, now that everything is clear around here, you may all be dismissed."
One by one, each member teleported out, leaving Demyx, the clone, and a certain redhead nearby.
"...Lost his voice, huh?"
Demyx looked over to the seat next to him, biting his lip. "Yeah.."
"Man, I don't know how the superior fell for that one, but..." Emerald eyes locked their gaze upon the blonde. "...you sure are a bad liar."
"Uh...gotta go!" Demyx quickly left, creating a portal for the clone as well.
"You're hiding something...and I'm gonna find out what." As these words left his lips, Axel disappeared as well.
When Xemnas dismissed them, the Cloaked Schemer thought it was over. However, once eleven of the members left, he heard a certain mischevious voice speak up. Axel... How could Axel of all people notice him when their own Superior hadn't? Before he could think further on this, the blonde whose coat he was still sitting in teleported out of the meeting room.
------
"Phew! That was close!" Demyx threw himself back on his bed, forgetting Zexion was still in his coat. "Gah, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He asked worriedly, unzipping his jacket as he lay down.
Once he and the water elemental arrived in their---Demyx's room, the blonde fell backwards, his arm squishing the gray creature a little, but the dog was otherwise unharmed. After he crawled out of the boy's coat he looked at the elder for a moment with concerned eyes before turning to his weapon. He barked at the book and a page floated out like it had so many times before.
I'm fine, but I'm worried about Number VIII. He whimpered softly.
Demyx bit his lip. He was just as worried as Zexion was. What would happen if Axel were to discover their whereabouts? It couldn't be that bad...could it? It's not like he'd incinerate Zexion...would he? The blonde stood for a moment, opening the door. Before he could step out, the pyro's voice stopped him from any further action.
"Hey there, squirt."
Demyx tried not to stutter and form a complete sentence. "Oh, uh...Hi, Axel! You're looking lively.." He smiled nervously. "W-what are you doing around here?"
"I was just on my way to my room...It is right next door; remember?"
The nocturne sweatdropped. He had completely forgotten that! Now he really had to be on his toes. "Heh, right...silly me. Well..uh--Bye." He slowly withdrew his head behind the door, then pulled himself back in the room out of haste. Back against the door, he let his body slide down until he was seated, a groan escaping his lips. Oh, what am I going to do now?!
Zexion watched as his blonde companion walked to the door and opened it. Once he had, however, the dog heard a familiar voice beyond the doorway. Resisting the urge to whimper again, the gray creature considered diving under the bed once again. However, he decided against it with the thought that if he did that it would make noise and cause Axel to be further filled with suspicion. Instead, the Cloaked Schemer waited patiently for the door to close again. If he stayed still enough and the fire elemental saw him, maybe he could pass as a stuffed animal.
Once the door had closed, the dog noticed Demyx's actions. They concerned him. The other Nobody was usually a childish, happy sort. Right now he just looked lethargic and stressed... And it was his fault. Feeling guilty, Zexion walked to the Melodious Nocturne. He crawled between the older boy's legs, parted from the way he was sitting, and put his front paws on the other male's chest. He leaned forward and licked the boy's face, just left of his lips.
Come on, Demyx. You aren't acting like your usual, happy self. ...And I care? This is... No, no... I just don't want to deal with a depressed room mate. It would make things easier if he weren't so bothered.
His cheeks flushed automatically. "Ze-Zexion?.." He begun to notice that the dog was licking him closer and closer to his mouth each time. Was this a side effect due to the traits and instincts of a dog; or was he doing it of his own free will? Demyx had to meander at this...did Zexion really like him? The schemer had always told him they don't have hearts, that they can't feel; just like their superior. But the blonde believed otherwise. The real question; was Zexion starting to change his mind on those thoughts, or was his behavior all just in his current canine nature?
So many questions filled the blonde's mind. There was one in particular Demyx wanted to ask, but was too iffy about bringing it up. He spilled out his secret; having a crush on Zexion, but never once got a chance to find out if his feelings were returned. He tried to bite his tongue to prevent anything from slipping out, but couldn't fight the urge to ask. "Zexion...do you...do you love me?" His blush still remained as he placed a hand on his forehead, looking away.
Demyx didn't like feeling so down. He was the enthusiasm of the organization, and no matter what the other members said or how they treated him, his optimism always kept in tact, his spirit never broken. But for the first time, he couldn't pick himself back up. He had fallen into quite the predicament of responsibility and problems. Zexion's fate was in his hands now, and he had no clue what to do with it.
Zexion flinched when he heard the other male ask him a question.
'Do you love me?' The gray dog whimpered and stepped off of Demyx's chest, backing away from the blonde. N-No... No, I can't. I don't have a heart. I can't feel anything, much less... His ears drooped and he lowered his head. He barked at his book, lying near him. A page floated out.
No. It read simply. The Cloaked Schemer turned around and crawled under the bed. He lowered himself to the floor.
I... I can't. I just... can't. Demyx... I'm sorry... I can't, and neither can you. The gray dog put his paws on his snout.
Sea-green eyes widened upon seeing the one-word response. The dog disappeared under his bed shortly after giving him the answer. Demyx lowered his gaze towards the ground, pushing himself off the door to stand up. A pained look struck his features, eyes closing for a moment.
"Call me stubborn, but..." his hands fell to his sides, a bit tense. "No matter what the superior says, we do have emotions. Everyone's too blinded by filling their minds with this 'lacking a heart' nonsense to see it..I may not be the brightest guy around here, but I'm smart enough to know that it doesn't take a heart to feel. The heart's just an organ that pumps blood throughout the body to keep it alive; nothing more. It's your soul that holds emotions. Last time I checked, no one said anything about us lacking one of those."
The nocturne now found himself trembling slightly, fists beginning to clench. "I mean, look at Axel and Roxas. They're best friends! They enjoy each other's company and share a bond...they feel happiness when they're together..." His eyes opened, casting a glance towards his bed. "You too! When you woke up in the middle of nowhere and saw what happened to your body, you panicked! You were scared and concerned for your own safety...fear and worry are feelings, aren't they?!" He hadn't noticed how much his voice began to rise as he spoke, but it couldn't be helped; Demyx was tired of hearing the same record over and over. It was just an excuse to set the matter aside. It was about time he had his own say in this.
"Even the superior himself.." The blonde choked out. He was now on the verge of tears. "When we don't complete our missions or others interfere with our plans, he gets angry...anger's an emotion; isn't it?!" Demyx turned on his heel, dashing out the door. Halfway down the hall, he saw a spec of red through his blurred eyes, not even stopping to listen to what the redhead had to say.
"Demyx! Where are you off to in such a--" For that split second the nocturne brushed past him, Axel could've sworn he saw something glisten from the corner of his eye. The pyro blinked before trailing off his sentence. "Hurry.." With hesitance, he curiously followed after the blonde.
It sounded like Demyx was standing up. The gray dog under the bed stood as well. The blonde wasn't planing on leaving, was he? Zexion listened as his companion began to speak. With every hurt word that left the boy's mouth, the Cloaked Schemer felt more weighed down by something. This was... Guilt. Not something like guilt, but honest, pure guilt. Maybe the other was right. Maybe they could feel.
Just when the Melodious Nocturne started talking about the Superior's anger, the gray creature began to crawl out from underneath the bed. However, by the time he made it completely out, he only saw the older boy's back as he dashed from the room. Zexion... Hesitated.
I... I should follow him.
B-But what if someone sees me?
...It doesn't matter. I've got to make sure he doesn't do something stupid.
The dog ran into the hallway with one goal in mind: Find Demyx. Even though he was in plain sight, even if he was discovered and thrown into the streets or killed, even though he saw Axel trailing the blonde as well... None of it mattered to Zexion. All that mattered was that Demyx was alright.
He saw the blonde further down the hallway and barked as loudly as he could. He didn't seem to notice or care that he was right next to Number XI's door. The creature sped up, going as fast as possible to try and gain on the older boy.
"Oi! Demyx, wait up!" Axel called after the blonde, only to find himself falling behind. Damn, that kid's fast. He continued to run after him, determined to catch up with hopes that the other would eventually get tired and slow down.
"Go away!"
Well that sounded welcoming. It wasn't in the boy's character though...usually it was other members that shooed him for his hyper-activeness. What could've happened to make him so upset? He blinked in surprise when Demyx tripped and stumbled onto the floor, causing the redhead to sweatdrop. The echo of their footsteps soon ceased as Axel came to a halt, kneeling over the blonde. The other boy had sat up on his knees and pulled his hood over his head, looking away at the floor.
The redhead offered him a hand to stand up. "Hey man, you okay?" Axel gave him a quizzical look when the other chose to hide his face, slowly lowering his hand. "What's wrong?..."
Unluckily, a small sniff escaped him, and his voice still broken from trying to fight back tears. "Nothing." He stood up by himself, wiping his eyes with the back of his fist.
"Doesn't sound like nothing. You've been acting weird lately...is there something I've missed here?"
Demyx shook his head, walking away from him.
"What's going on?" Vexen had heard the commotion along with a thud outside his door, feeling slightly annoyed that the ruckus was ruining his concentration.
"Don't worry about it; he just tripped. Was an accident."
"Well, keep it down!"
SLAM
Axel cringed slightly at the sound of the door shutting, then walked after Demyx, placing a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, Dem. Let's talk." He pushed the blonde forward, leading them both outside.
-----
"So what's troubling you?
He was silent for a moment, staring at the ground. Then finally, he spoke. "...Axel, you think we can feel without hearts..don't you?"
"Is that was this is all about?" the redhead chuckled. "Of course, Dem. You do too, ne?" Ever since he met Roxas, he felt like he had a heart; as if their friendship gave him the ability to feel.
Demyx nodded in response. "It's just...I've had it with everyone saying that we don't have emotions..." It was like having the same lie fed to you a hundred times over; only coated with a different flavor of details each time.
"Well, you've never listened to them before, so why does it bother you now?"
Again, he grew silent. Before he could respond, an explosion in the distance interrupted their conversation.
"NUMBER VIII!!!!" Vexen hollered.
"Yikes...I better go."
Demyx raised an eyebrow. "What didja do?"
"Ah, nothing...I just wanted to give him a little...assistance, so I 'helped' him light one of his beakers." he grinned, flicking his wrist.
"JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON Y--AAAHHH!!"
Just when he thought it might have been another chemical igniting, the blonde stared down the hall, eyes wide. He spotted a small gray creature running towards him. Crap!!
Fortunately for him, Vexen didn't spot the dog scurrying about; he had tripped around the same area he tripped on earlier, face-first. Ouch. Suddenly, Axel's voice cut into his thoughts.
"I gotta get outta here before the old fart catches up to me." He gave Demyx a pat on the back. "..and look, don't worry too much, okay?" He summoned a portal and was gone in an instant. "See ya!"
Once the dog caught up to him, Demyx knelt in front of him, hoping no one would see. "What're you doing out here?" he hissed. His tone wasn't angry; more along the lines of freaking out.
Zexion could have sighed in relief once he finally caught up to the blonde. However, once he was there, he was asked a question... More demanded, actually. The gray dog gave his owner a look that presented his thoughts rather well.
You have got to be kidding me. You run out of your own room crying and you think I won't be concerned, even a little bit? The gray creature leaned up and put his paws on the older boy's chest, beginning to lick away the tears that had been running down his cheeks. Maybe... Maybe I do love you. He felt heat rush to his cheeks. But... I think it would be better to wait until I'm in my right body before I tell you. The Cloaked Schemer resumed his place with all four legs on the floor and bit his sleeve, tugging it as if to say "Come on, let's go back to your room." He let go of the blonde, hesitantly looking to Vexen on the far side of the hallway.
Demyx sighed. A lick seemed to be his answer for everything now...perhaps it wasn't from developing a likeness. He still felt hurt, but none the less, he couldn't turn his back on Zexion. He loved him too much to not help him; even if the schemer might not feel the same way. The blonde sniffled a little as his tears were licked away by the dog, his eyes still reddened from crying. However, he couldn't help but noticed for a brief moment that there was something odd about Zexion...
Was it possible for dogs to blush? Because he could've sworn...
Nah. Demyx shrugged it off and opened a portal behind the dog, stepping in and expecting the dog to follow. There was going to be an awkward tension between them now; starting with the fact that the nocturne didn't pick up the small dog this time and let him walk on his own. He'd feel strange being touchy and friendly with him now, especially after being turned down. Even still, what bothered him was that Zexion showed slight signs of affection, such as licking, but didn't seem to mean any of it...it felt like he was being messed with or teased; and that's what pained him most. Why did he chase after him?
Why does he even care?...
Zexion quickly padded into the portal behind Demyx, not even stopping to make sure Vexen hadn't seen him.
Demyx... I really hurt him. He whimpered, paying attention to the dejected actions of his companion. The Melodious Nocturne barely even looked at him. He emerged from the portal behind the blonde and immediately got as close to the other male as possible. He pressed his body against the elder's leg and looked up at his face, aquiring the stereotypical puppy-dog eyes.
Demyx... I'm really sorry. He whined, his ears drooping. The guilt he had been feeling before hit him as hard as ever upon seeing the way that his owner reacted to him. Please... Look at me... Laugh... Smile... Something. I don't want to see you like this. If he had a heart, it would have sunk. Did his rejection really hurt the Nocturne this much? How much would he have loved him to be this depressed? He wondered silently if Axel said anything to him to make him worse than he was. No, Axel was a selfish person when it came to everything but Roxas, but he wouldn't deliberately hurt someone... At least, not emotionally. It wasn't in his nature. So... This really was all his fault.
Demyx let out a sigh as they entered his room. He was walking over to his bed when he felt something against his leg, and looked down to see Zexion pouting. Don't look at me like that.. He hung his head, turning away and heading towards the small bathroom in his room, turning on the sink and splashing water on his face. Never had he cried like that; in fact, that was probably the first time he ever did. His eyes were stinging from irritation, but the redness had worn down a bit. After burying his face in a towel, he went to his closet, unzipping his coat. He tossed it carelessly inside, sat down on his bed, (which he didn't bother to fix since this morning) and pulled off his boots. With another sigh, the blonde lay back, hands behind his head.
Today had been quite exhausting for him. Failing a mission, finding one of his superiors as a dog, dealing with mayhem, being rejected, and having an emotional breakdown wasn't what one would call 'fun'. Demyx turned to his side, sweeping away a few dog hairs absentmindedly with the back of his hand. He was tired, but not too sleepy. He glanced towards the floor, spotting the dog sitting nearby. Although his frown remained, he really wanted to get on good terms with Zexion. He disliked pushing each other away, and could never hold a grudge against the schemer either way. Not only that, but the blonde felt bad for making his sleep on the floor; even if he was a dog.
Demyx pat the space next to him, motioning for Zexion to jump up. "C'mere, Zex.." he whispered tiredly.
Zexion watched in guilt and concern as Demyx made his way to the bathroom, splashing his face with cool water to wash the tears (and, most likely, dog slobber) off of his face. When he removed his coat and tiredly lay back on his bed, the dog's ears drooped. Certainly they wouldn't be sharing a bed after what happened. However, much to his surprise, the older male patted the space beside his bed, allowing the dog to join him.
Eagerly, the creature jumped onto the bed and rested next to Demyx, pressing his body against the elder's stomach and chest as much as possible. He tilted his head up a bit and licked his owner's chin.
Thank you, Demyx... You're still helping me, even though I... He closed his eyes. Maybe he should tell the Nocturne that he loves him right now. No... No, right now he's still hurt from rejection. If I tell him right now, it would probably make him angry rather than cheer him up.
The gray dog opened his eyes again and stared at Number IX's innocent, childish face. Oh, how he wished that a smile would grace it's features once more... Maybe one would, if he was patient enough. If this is what happened when the boy was rejected, maybe he would be really happy after being accepted. Zexion certainly hoped so.
Demyx managed a little smile, wrapping an arm around the small dog. Maybe things would turn up for the better...he didn't know if he could still win Zexion's affection some way; but for now, he'd take being his friend. As long as he could still be with him, that's all he needed. Slowly, his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted off to sleep.
Sage: -sighs- ah...a boy and his dog. Isn't that sweet? x3 Review, people!
Chapter 4: -tries to saw off the prison bars of it's cage-
Sage: Oi! e.e -snatches saw away- you can't be set free till we get our reviews!
Chapter 4: DDDx
Sage: -hides saw behind her back- I'mnotcrazy. -shifty eyes-