Month: January 2020

Ienzo and Demyx in Radiant Garden

Red String of Fate: Zemyx KH Fanfiction

The corridor came out on a wooded path dotted with large rocks and tall grass. Zexion read plenty in the past life and this one, so he had expected as much from The Land of Dragons.

 

“Hey, uh,” Demyx started up with his usual preface of needless words as his mouth caught up to his mind. After instructing him in recon over several assignments, Zexion had grown accustomed to the musical member’s many quirks. “What kinda trees are these? They’re like grass but sticks but trees.”

 

Giving his attention to the woods, Zexion examined them briefly. “I don’t recognize every species,” he explained, knowing there were others than what we would or could mention. Turning to Demyx, he continued. “But I believe you mean the bamboo trees.”

 

And as his gaze turned to the blond, he caught sight of a thin red cord. It was only for a moment, and the thread was gone when he simply looked. And yet… He did see it. Reversing his magic, Zexion tried to look through any illusions in place around Demyx or himself only to have the red string reappear.

 

It hung in a way that betrayed physics, almost appearing to float between its two anchors: one little finger on Demyx and Zexion respectively.

 

“Umm, whatcha looking at?” Demyx interrupted his thoughts. Zexion dropped the magic from his view and the string disappeared. “There’s a big monster behind me, huh?”

 

Zexion smirked. So he couldn’t see it. That made sense, given that his ability didn’t lend itself to seeing what was hidden. That made it all that much easier to mislead him and avoid questions that Zexion had no answers for—yet. “Maybe.”

 

And he turned around to continue down the path. After a small, nervous whine, Demyx followed a few paces behind. He was taller with a longer stride and easily could’ve gone ahead, but that would be work and his laziness was legendary.

 

…perhaps during their reconnaissance, Zexion might gain more information on this thread.

 

 

They gathered their data largely unnoticed, though Demyx was markedly less subtle about it… Zexion couldn’t deny that he at least got results even if he didn’t report on his findings properly.

 

“This world is threatened by war,” Zexion remarked out loud as he retraced their original path with Demyx. Thinking aloud was an old habit from his last life, one he’d yet to shed—to his own chagrin. “Heartless are sure to follow.”

 

Soon, this world would be a prime location for the dark power those creatures could offer the Organization. Xigbar would likely be sent in that case to recruit anything or anyone of value to their efforts. Though this did nothing to solve the red thread mystery, and it was irritating Zexion to even consider that they would RTC with that unresolved. And yet, he would sooner fade away than entrust Xigbar with that information.

 

“Super tough Heartless,” Demyx agreed. “Hope they don’t send me here when stuff goes down.”

 

Zexion sighed. Truthfully, he would be good in the field of he wasn’t… Himself. “What makes you say they would be tough?”

 

“The people,” he answered matter-of-factly. Zexion found that simply asking Demyx what he thought cut out most of the floundering and sputtering other members faced from him. “Gathering up their stuff, you can tell they’re used to fighting, and they got a culture packed with all kindsa gods and beasties.”

 

Glancing to him, Zexion finally started to take visual stock of what Demyx picked up. His arms were full of hastily wrapped up finger foods (entirely useless to the Organization) and some children’s toys and books that added only slightly more credibility to his work today.

 

In that these items were often designed to demonstrate the foundation of a world’s culture in an easily understood format, it would aid the next members assigned here in understanding how to navigate their society. Though this was undoubtedly not Demyx’s intent.

 

And still trailing between them was the mystical thread—almost as a mockery at this point in their mission.

 

“Plenty for Heartless to draw on,” Demyx whined, unaware he was being studied so closely. “So it’s gonna be a huge mess. Here, listen,” was the only warning he gave before jostling everything around in his arms to get to one of the books.

 

“The red string of fate,” he mused aloud. One he hadn’t read yet, then. “Huh. Where destinies meet,” Demyx started reading in a lilting tone reserved for material he actually wanted to look over, “an invisible red cord shall be tied by the gods.”

 

Demyx continued undaunted by the sudden tension in Zexion’s body language. If indeed, he noticed at all. He was a scientist, and Zexion believed in neither gods nor destiny. But he listened intently, incredulous that it would be Demyx who found the answers he was after while still in his training phase.

 

“Those found in the embrace of a single thread shall embrace one another as decided by fate, buh buh buh,” the musician trailed off to skim for something that interested him more. “Destiny shall guide them to unite as they are bound by true love. Whoa.”

 

“Definitely matters of the heart,” Zexion forced himself to answer levelly. And of course it worked—illusion was his specialty in more ways than one.

 

“Whatcha make of it, Zex?”

 

He sighed, turning to Number IX and catching the glimpse of the red string once again. It could not be. Even if it was the case and their match was inevitable…

 

“A meaningless legend, no doubt,” he dismissed. “Though one they must hold in high regard.” He examined Demyx one last time to be certain that, yes, the string between them was truly there. At the castle, it would disappear again and he could eventually forget this… Though he knew he wouldn’t. “Are we ready to return now?”

 

“Uhh, guess so. I’m all set, anyway.”

 

“Let’s see it, then.” Demyx was nearly done his supervised training and would soon go on recon alone. All the better for Zexion. He did not believe in fate. “You won’t always have someone to call on a corridor for you,” he teased as a distraction from the situation in his mind.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” the musician sighed, reaching out to help himself focus and amazingly dropping nothing. After a few seconds, the corridor swirled open. “Ha! Got it.”

 

“Not bad,” Zexion conceded. “But you will want to improve your speed. In an emergency, a hasty retreat may be your only option.” Without waiting, he went ahead to the castle to the fading sound of Demyx spluttering about what kind of emergency that might be.

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Riku, Sora, Kairi from left to right

Destined to Be: Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction

They had a rare free day, and Kairi suggested they take a break with it. Sora didn’t miss a beat and suggested San Fransokyo immediately. And who was Riku to argue? There were plenty of places Sora went that they hadn’t even heard of, never mind seen. He wanted a chance to see everywhere Sora had been and for Kairi to be at their side.

“Riku,” Sora broke through his thoughts, tugging on Riku’s sleeve and making the bags in his hand crinkle together. “Check it out!”

“What is it, Sora?” He didn’t explain, of course, just ran off into a massive toy store full of giant stuffed animals, blinking robots, and other things Riku didn’t recognize. He smiled, shaking his head, and waited behind. Kairi would be back any minute—someone should be here.

“He’s at it again?” Riku turned to Kairi’s smile, two bags in her hand from the shop behind her. Just putting together some outfits not made from fairies made her feel more at home, she said. Now that she’d thought of it, Riku was sure he’d do the same soon enough.

“Yep. You know him,” he answered warmly, nodding to the game store. Sora wouldn’t go far, he knew that without even looking yet.

And sure enough, Sora looked up from the toy train track just long enough to wave to Kairi with a big, boyish grin.

To both of them, actually. Sometimes it was so hard to believe they are all in the same space at last. Ready to face Xehanort together once and for all… But first, some time just… Together.

Kairi waved back, a broad wave with a bright smile in return. “I missed this.”

Years ago, back on the islands, he might’ve teased her. Expressing what he thought and felt seemed so impossible then. They’d all come so far since their childhood… “I know how you feel. It’s been way too long.” There was so much more to say, but none of it seemed to fit into words the way he wanted it to.

So he held out his hand, offering to take her bags too. Kairi just shook her head. “Oh, it’s alright! You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know.”

Teasingly, she nudged his shoulder and they both laughed—for a moment. Kairi trailed off into a sigh, turning to look out the large windows overseeing the city. Nothing like the islands he felt so trapped on, and so much more than he could ever have imagined. How weird was it that now, sometimes he wished he could go back?

“Being kids,” Kairi thought out loud, “We’re here doing what other people our age do all the time…” Finally turning to him again, her smile was steady.

But there was a trace of remorse in the ocean of her eyes. All those years, she waited without a complaint and only now did Riku realize she’d never talked to him about how that must’ve felt. “And together at last. Thank you, Riku.”

Caught off guard, his eyes widened. “Huh?” What did he do to earn that?

Kairi just giggled, leading him toward the toy store. “You helped him find his way back.”

Thinking back, she had a point… But they were the reason he had the strength to do that for Sora. Riku learned his lesson about being too prideful. “And you helped him see through to me when my face wasn’t my own.” He smiled her way, moving closer to keep together through the crowd. “We all fought for this, Kairi.”

Her smile softened, the sorrow vanishing from her gaze. Riku knew well that it just retreated to greater depths, still there and waiting for her to talk about it—when she was ready. He nodded to her. He would be patient, then.

“C’mon, you guys!” Sora rushed out of the store to meet them, practically bouncing with excitement. “You gotta see what they have!”

Riku had to chuckle at the sight. Sora really was incredible—he’d seen so many places, achieved so much, and that did nothing at all to his natural curiosity. To him, there really was beauty in everything. “Coming, Sora.”

Breaking out into a grin, Kairi matched his energy. “I haven’t gotten a toy in years! I wanna see all the best ones.”

Sora lit up, both of them feeding into each other. “You got it!” And he took her by the arm in a second, the two running ahead of Riku trailing with most of the bags.

“Right behind you!” He would catch up, that much was sure. In more ways than one. After all this time, Riku finally had the strength to protect what mattered.

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A New Ally: Luxord Fanfic (Kingdom Hearts)

After he’d emerged from his comatose-esque state, Luxord tried his luck with poker against the second member of the Organization several times. Of course, they were both cheating, though Luxord still won more often than not… But Xigbar was simply not good for his debts.

 

The scarred Number II offered neither munny nor precious information about the secretive group Luxord found himself in. Only cheeky grins and partial might-be-truths. So Luxord simply stepped down a rung. Before him now sat Xaldin in a rare moment in the castle, not on some world seeking leverage for their shared cult. If Xaldin was aware he was being manipulated by “Lord” Xemnas, he had an excellent poker face. Everything he did, he carried out with the resolution and fervor of a true believer.

 

“It can still go either way,” he commented, breaking up the typical near-complete silence of their games. To Luxord’s surprise, he got a smirk in return this time.

 

More fascinating still, he did not cheat even once. Three games had transpired already and all with fair play. Considering that Xaldin had proven himself willing to sink to any low in service of the Organization, Luxord certainly wasn’t expecting morality of him. Not even among so-called allies.

 

“And here Xigbar told me you were a dirty cheat,” he answered, or maybe mocked was the more fitting term.

 

Luxord chuckled at the mental image of how Xigbar, of all people, might call someone ‘a dirty cheat’. “And did he catch fire on the spot?”

 

“Not yet,” he scoffed, and was that a smile? Be still his nonexistent heart, the man did know how to have fun after all.

 

They ended the game in silence, Xaldin leaving his payment behind for having lost—or rather, upon recounting, Luxord realized it was only half this time. He glanced up to Number III with an inquisitive smirk.

 

“When’s the next game?” Ah. The implication was he would get the remainder then, was it? Luxord sat back and nodded amicably.

 

“Next week, same time. Invite who you like.” He lied in that he had no plans for a next game until he was asked. But for his very first companion here, shall he say, it was well worth the small deception.

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That’s My Secret: Demyx Fanfic (Kingdom Hearts)

Another day at the castle, another day bored to death. Undeath? Second death? He didn’t even wanna think about that. Demyx flopped his limbs out on the couch, whining. “Man, I’m bored!”

Axel say across from him, toying with the dangle on his cloak pull. “Tell me about it. Even getting a nap in isn’t doing it for me.”

“Engh.” And they sat in the Grey Room in silence, no one coming around and neither of them budging.

And then Ax perked up, a devilish grin lighting up his face… Which was gonna be good news or bad news, he never really could tell ’til it was too late. “Y’know what? I got an idea.”

“Like, uh,” he started, sitting up too. “An awesome idea, or…?” The worry was all over his face, Demyx knew it, but that didn’t change a thing for Axel.

“Sure thing! Trust me,” he said the least trust-inspiring thing ever, grabbing Demyx by the arm and pulling him through a dark corridor to the rush of warm, dry air and the smell of… was that goats? Sweat? Nothing good.

“The Coliseum?” Demyx questioned, drooping at Axel’s side already. “Ah, all they do here is fight.” He really wanted to believe Ax had an idea that wasn’t that. Somehow.

“Yeah, and winners get munny,” he answered, putting one hand on his hip and making a rolling gesture with the other to imply… Something.

“Yeah. Aaaand?” Demyx squinted against the sun and remained doubtful that Axel’s idea was really any good.

“Can’t go out and have fun without munny, right, Dem?” He draped an arm lazily around Demyx’s shoulders, drawing him towards the entrance to the arena. Ugh, there just wasn’t any telling Axel no when he got his mind set on something. “C’mon, I wanna see that sitar of yours in action.”

The arena was already not his favorite place, and with Axel and Demyx fighting side by side, now it was even worse. Fire and water clashed into misty humidity, clinging to him like sweat as if the cloak wasn’t even there. And Demyx hated that, like a lot. Where’d they even get this many Heartless?

Demyx glided across the field on water while Axel zipped around, and their friendship meant they were already pretty good at reading each other’s movements before they made ’em. So they were good, but fighting really sucked no matter what. He was tired, damp, and he wanted to go home for snacks and a nap. Ax was having a blast, anyway, flinging those disks around and dodging with a boast. But he was winded too… Maybe he’d finally be tired of this? Demyx reeeaaally hoped so. Then of course one of those big guys showed up, slamming his belly and rushing at Axel outta nowhere.

“Aww, crap,” Demyx whined, calling up pillars of water to topple the creature before it hit Axel. Right behind it was Demyx, water in his wake, and he summoned another cluster of pillars beneath the Heartless to finish it off. They were tough, and if Demyx was feeling spent magic-wise, Axel was definitely done.

But hey, he did it! The Heartless faded, not a creepy reminder of his own nonexistence at all. Demyx dropped back on his butt, flopping to lie down in the empty arena with a groan.

Axel started laughing, leaning over to offer a hand up. “Hey, you really had it in you! Nice save.” Reluctantly, Demyx took the offered hand, basically letting Axel do most of the work getting him on his feet. Everything was sore, and he had work tomorrow! Ewwww…

“Ugh, don’t tell anybody. Especially X-face,” he added on in a hurry, waving his hands frantically. Just the thought of Saïx knowing he’d been holding back scared him. Think of the extra work!

“Sure, sure,” Axel answered, brushing it off casually and turning back to the door they came from. Demyx was way too happy to follow knowing this nightmare was finally over. “Maybe you’ll teach me a thing or two in return, Dem.”

“Ennnhhh,” he whined, and Axel just laughed again.

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