Demyx's Twin Stars

[melodiouspacifist]

 WHO: Demyx and guests
WHAT: The two memories his star left behind. Demyx can be found at the edge of the Bay, studying the water with a frown.
WHERE: The Bay
WHEN: April 5th
WARNINGS: Implied death. A curse. The start of something truly evil.

*****

Remarkably, Demyx is much younger, a boy maybe just entering his teens with a big smile and carrying an instrument case. His surroundings are a bit blurred, generic seeming because it is a memory and these things have faded in his current mind's eye. He sets the instrument down with his school bag, calling to some other boys. "Ready or not! Here I come!" The child laughs and gives chase.

Demyx has never been good at hide and seek, but it's fun all the same. One of the boys gives a call that dinner time is coming, the sun is beginning to set. He feels a fleeting moment of uncertainty and fear. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up later!" He calls and waves as his friends leave.

He doesn't want to go home. Demyx picks up his things, shoulders his bag and walks up a grassy hill to watch the sunset. He sits and rifles through his bag, pulling out a math textbook, and a note from his teacher. He's going to be in trouble when his parents read it, most likely. He groans, smacking the math text. Why couldn't he just get it?

Too annoyed with this, he pulls out a music player and puts his headphones on. Music is something he loves, something he's always loved and he begins to sing, watching the sun set. He's avoiding facing his parents and the inevitable yelling. He doesn't see the shadow approaching. The shadow moves and slythers in the grass, too low to be seen. When it pops to full size, only then does Demyx notice it.

It's surprisingly cute and small with bright yellow eyes, almost cat-like. He isn't afraid, but curious. What is it?

The wind is knocked out of him and he's suddenly looking at the orange sky, the creature having pounced on him. He opens his mouth to scream, but the last thing he sees is a red ruby heart before he falls into darkness.

*****
"You aren't like them anymore."

The boy is watching people mill about. Something is keeping him from approaching them, but he doesn't know what. He's small, maybe thirteen, much smaller than the man who is standing next to him in a black robe with silver hair. 

"You are a Nobody. You don't have a heart. You aren't who you used to be. Come with me boy, I will give you a purpose."

He shakes his head. "I have to have a heart. I just have to!"

"You don't. It's been taken from you. That anger isn't real. There is nothing to you. You feel nothing. You are not meant to exist. A Nobody. Do you want your heart back?"

The boy's eyes are wide. He can't be that empty. He doesn't feel right, but that's not how it is! He just feels weird. But if his heart is missing...he nods. "I want it."

"Come with me and you'll get it." He pauses and extracts some letters from thin air. They swirl around the child until he thrusts his hand forward, sealing his fate with a curse, an 'X' placed in his name. D-E-M-Y-X. "This will be your name." He opens a black corridor, puts an arm around the bewildered teen and pulls him into the darkness.

The darkness is broken by a well lit doorway. Some time has passed, although how much is unclear. A few days perhaps. Nervous steps make their way into the room. Everything in the room is bright, white on every surface. Thirteen chairs stand, raised around in various heights. There are eight members there in dark robes like the Superior. Two are teenagers slightly older than him, one boy is about his age and the other members are grown men. 

Demyx himself now has the same dark robe on his body, and he stands just in the doorway under everyone's scrutiny. 

Xemnas' voice booms into the room. "I present to you all Demyx. Number Nine, The Melodious Nocturne."

With everyone watching, he offers a nervous smile.

*****
Demyx himself can be found near the Bay. Falling in the hole was disturbing, but he's more interested in what happened to the water here. It isn't like he isn't intimately familiar with his memories. They're both very important, after all. He sits on the shore, playing with the water, forming it into balls and shapes as he thinks about it.

Comments

[littlest_knight]

"....."

Co-workers? Zero had never heard about vampires referring to themselves like that. His answer did little to enlighten him and so he asked point blank:

"Are you a vampire?"

He stayed in place. If he attacked him then he'd have his answer.

[melodiouspacifist]

The question was something of a surprise to him and Demyx looked at him in shock. "I'm not a vampire."

There was a beat and then a slight giggle. It wasn't the light, funny kind. "I can't decide if that would be better or worse than what I am."

[littlest_knight]

"What are you?" He followed up, not at all reassured by that laugh. Everyone laughed. It was usually fake.

[melodiouspacifist]

"Me? I'm a Nobody." Demyx answered after a moment. It was what he was, he couldn't change it, not yet. "A high-ranking Nobody, but a Nobody all the same. Not human...not anything."

[littlest_knight]

Not-human?! That had red-lights flashing in his mind. But he couldn't sense a vampire at all. Then...

"What's a Nobody?"

[melodiouspacifist]

"Something that shouldn't exist. My Somebody lost his heart and I was born from that. In my world there are creatures that steal hearts." Demyx answered. "I lost my heart and became this. It was years ago...it was what I was remembering in fact."

[littlest_knight]

..... lost his heart? Zero didn't understand at all.

"How many years?"

[melodiouspacifist]

"I'm not really sure. Seven? Eight? Something like that."

[littlest_knight]

He stares at him. "Does that mean you have a seven or eight year old twin brother?"

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx arched his eyebrow, confused. "I don't think so. I think...okay, so when the thing comes and takes your heart you die, I think. I mean, of course you do, you don't have a heart. And when you have a strong heart, you appear as a Nobody. Exactly the same as yourself only...only a creature without a heart, and with powers."

[littlest_knight]

His brows furrowed, the worry having slowly dissipated by then.

"You don't look eight." Let alone seven.

[melodiouspacifist]

"I don't consider myself eight. It's kinda complicated and makes my head hurt if I think too hard, but I've aged just like I normally would have. We consider this to be the same life. I'm still me, in a way." Demyx sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm around twenty, maybe twenty-one. There's no days in my world."

[littlest_knight]

So, he didn't have a twin.

"Can all Nobody's control water like that?" he pointed at the shoreline where he'd dropped the ball of water.

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx shook his head. "Everyone controls different things. Axel controlled fire. Zexion illusions. Xiggy could warp around everywhere and Roxie had light."

[littlest_knight]

The same as Vampires. He wondered if they had the same physical enhancements like them.

"Are they here too?"

[melodiouspacifist]

"No, just me as far as I know." He paused a moment. "Zexion is dead." Demyx shrugged lightly. "It's probably not a bad thing that they aren't here. Gives me a break."

[littlest_knight]

"..."

He didn't know what to say to that. His only point of reference was the other Hunters and they didn't really talk about their fallen comrades, at least not in front of him.

"Whose Zexion?"

[melodiouspacifist]

"Zexion is...was the kind of guy with a stick up his ass. I'd be like, hey Zexy! And he'd glare at me, you know, over his book and scold me. Only he'd just say my name and you'd get it through tone. He was really smart, but kept his distance. Always 'Nine' this, or 'Number Nine' if he was pissed off. I didn't mind him too much." Demyx recalled thoughtfully. "He was fun to tease."

[littlest_knight]

He looked at him. He didn't like people who did that. They way they would make fun of someone else who couldn't help how they were.... the way they teased Ichiru because he wasn't as strong as them.... Zero didn't like it.

"Maybe he scowled because he didn't like being teased."

[melodiouspacifist]

Perhaps that was meant to make Demyx feel guilty, but he didn't, simply because he couldn't.

"He didn't seem to like much of anything, least of all being interrupted. Sometimes I wished he'd have a little fun. He seemed like he could be a cool guy. I thought he would be, but he was real focused. Not much time for anything but his books, or anyone."

Demyx really didn't mean it that way. If anyone got picked on like that, it was him.

"I don't think he liked me. None of us were friends or anything."

[littlest_knight]

"You don't have to be friends to work together," he knew that well.

[melodiouspacifist]

"No, I guess not. At one time I hoped I would make friends but..."

Demyx shook his head a little. He couldn't really call any of them his friends. It was the nature of everything.

"Back then I didn't understand anything. Axel and Roxas managed to be friends though. That was...pretty amazing, even though Ax is doing stupid stuff now."

[littlest_knight]

"Whose Axel and Roxas?"

[melodiouspacifist]

"Axel's a guy who's a little older than me, fiery red hair...suits him, since his element is fire. He can be a real hothead. Roxas is his friend, the newest one. Sweet kid, I guess, if you like traitors. I always liked him well enough, he liked my music...or at least he was the only one interested. Axel was more interested in telling me to shut up. Roxas though..it's a shame he deserted." Demyx wouldn't care except it was his mission to track him down. "Roxas is strong." He swallowed. That seemed to worry him.

[littlest_knight]

Zero looked at him. "He betrayed you?" He couldn't imagine that. A hunter betraying the Association.... he couldn't even fathom it. "Why?"