Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts II (Lost Chapters) ❯ Chapter 31 ( Chapter 31 )

Chapter 31

So far it's four votes for the lemon to nothing. Looking good for the lemon.

Soooo… Sometimes when I'm writing, I get bored and entertain myself with fairly random things. Can you guess when that happened?

 

Just so you know, Figment does weird crap like that on the ride all the time.

For about the last two chapters I've been trying to accomplish the task of sending Figment and Aether home, which is a vital step to moving onward with the story… Why are they still here?! (oh well, better luck next chapter, when things brighten up again)

 

`How on earth did you come up with the "Burdened" concept? It blows my mind.' Quote

I know I'm pretty freakin' proud of my Burdened guys. The Shifters bring me endless joy. I'm not actually sure how I came up with it, but it was the first thing I thought of when I said, `Hey! I need to do a fanfic of this totally awesome game!' I didn't want there just to be Nobodies and Heartless, so I needed a new league of enemies similar to the ones in the two games I'd played before (I'm playing Chain of Memories right now).

It was probably along the lines that I wanted all Nobodies to have hearts (I felt awful killing of Xemnas and Saix, DEAR GOD HIS SCREAMING WAS AWFUL!!!!). This is how the concept of the `Lost' came into play, Nobodies who achieved their goal and became whole again. Since they could never be Somebodies again, their memories would be wiped to create a clean slate for all to start with. *note: I've not mentioned the Lost much yet but I did mention them* But decidedly, not all Nobodies would succeed in their set task, so some remain Nobodies elsewhere in the world while others obtain hearts and taint them, thus my Burdened were born. At least that's my theory of what happened.

 

 

PS: `(How the hell did you only get 3 reviews? That's retarded yo.)'

LOL I know! What's up with that?! *laughs some more* Yo… What's funny is that I was reading some Reno captions before I read the review… Reno says `Yo' a lot at the end of the sentences. Ha ha ha… Seriously, though, I've got a lot more attention on FF with 133 reviews and I have 47 alerts! So maybe 50 people at least read it! It makes me happy… Happy like the Shifters make me happy. :]

 

 

Kingdom Hearts II (Lost Chapters):

 

The World That Never Will Be-

Forest of Antiquity

 

Falling back on his ass once again, Demyx let out a hurt whimper. His head still ached from that morning and his rear hadn't been feeling too good since then either. Still, he'd decided to push all that aside and go through with some practice. They'd traveled well into the afternoon before settling down because of the sweltering heat. The area they'd stopped at had sparse vegetation because of fallen leaves and needles, leaving only trees to hinder him movement. Still, there seemed to be an unfair advantage on the other team. Axel, Roxas, Figment, and Aether had decided to gang up on him. They were being lenient, he could tell, but in defending against them without a weapon… Well, there wasn't any way to put it, he failed miserably.

From the sidelines, Luxord watched and giggled with glee at the entertainment, and Zexion sat in the shade with a moody look on his face. Demyx wondered vaguely if his head hurt as much as his own did, Zexion had been sort of sulky all day, head down and ears back. As well as that, he also wondered if Zexion could remember what happened last night. He could remember clearly up to the point where they'd started eating but everything after that was sort of a haze. Bits and pieces of memory led him to believe, however, his night hadn't been filled with much sleep at all. Perhaps that was why his backside stung so much; it certainly didn't come from just sitting too long.

“Up on your feet.” Axel encouraged him, holding out a hand to help him to his feet. Demyx took his hand gratefully, hauling himself up before brushing off the dirt, “You all right?”

“'Course I'm fine. Um… Don't you think you could lend me something to use?” He added hesitantly. Falling and getting humiliated time after time wasn't really the most enjoyable thing to do in the world. Of course he appreciated the help, but couldn't they at least make it a little more fair?

“Nuh uh. You wanted to learn to fight so you didn't have to rely on us. Now if we gave you something to fight with that wasn't yours, wouldn't you still be depending on us? Besides, in a battle, neither Roxas nor I can spare our weapons.” Axel informed firmly as he folded his arms, “Toughen up, got it memorized?”

“I am tough.” Demyx grumbled before raising a hand to his head. Boy, did his head hurt though. With the constant ache, he hadn't even been able to use his water against them.

“Not giving up already, are you Demyx?” Inquired Roxas as he crept around, under Axel's arm to get a look at the musician. The other two were hiding in the trees somewhere, waiting to launch a surprise attack when the training kicked up again. At least Roxas had refrained from using his magic and keyblades. Axel and Aether were being real hard asses, they didn't hold back a bit.

“I'm not giving up; I'm just catching my breath.” Replied Demyx stubbornly.

“My poor pooped wittle baby.” Cooed Axel tauntingly as he leaned down and rubbed the bridge of Demyx's nose with a finger. Roxas stifled a laugh.

Wrinkling his nose in a vicious scowl, Demyx swatted his hand away, “You're askin' for it now.” He snarled, trying to sound intimidating despite the fact he really wasn't feeling up to backing his own words.

“Am I? Maybe you should teach me a lesson, kid.” Axel continued to taunt.

“Ah, Axel, stop being mean to Demyx. You're being really hard on him.” Roxas cut in to defend the musician.

“I'm only being hard so he'll learn; you think Xemnas was easy on my hide? Just look how I turned out.” Replied Axel with a lecturing tone before grinning wildly at Demyx, “Come on, I'm growin' old waiting for ya, punk.” He mocked holding out both arms and gesturing him to bring it on.

“You're already old.” Snorted Demyx smugly.

“Ouch. He's gotcha there!” Laughed Luxord from the sidelines.

“Look who's talking! You already have a beard!” Snapped Axel as he pointed an accusing finger at the gambler.

“It's not a beard! It's a goatee and it makes me look damn good and you know it!” Luxord barked back defensively. Well he did look pretty lame without it, Demyx couldn't argue that, but that was beside the point. Somehow, his argument with Axel had completely turned away from him, and now he was being ignored by the accused.

Remembering that he was supposed to be training, Demyx grinned; this was his chance. Without a second thought, he attacked. Caught off guard, he landed a solid kick in Axel's gut sending the pyro to the ground. There was a surprised look on his face for a split second before it turned to delight. Demyx only saw the expression for a second though, because Axel was on his feet in a flash to dodge a second hit.

“All right, now we're talkin'!” Exclaimed Axel in glee before springing forward with a counter attack.

Both arms up, Demyx blocked the punch and thrust his hands down to open Axel's side for another attack. As he brought his leg up to kick, the Flurry of Dancing Flames caught his other leg by the ankle and sent him to the ground. The musician landed with a hard thud. Choosing to take a second hit to his gut, Demyx made time to set up his next move. This time he'd get Axel for sure.

“Ah shi-“ He heard Axel begin, but lucky for him he quickly snapped his mouth shut before Demyx pushed himself up off the ground landing a hard uppercut under Axel's jaw with both boots. As his opponent stumbled back, holding his mouth in pain, Demyx landed on his feet beside him and thrust his elbow back, hard into Axel's side. Still in the fluid movement after the attack Demyx shoved Axel face first into the ground. Then he quickly jumped back to avoid Axel's leg sweep, avoiding another collision with the ground.

“Damn, that's smarts.” Hissed Axel rubbing his jaw, still crouched near the ground. Demyx tossed him a smug grin, before it was swiped away in an unexpected attack from Roxas. Doubling over from the pain in his gut, Roxas's clamped hands came down hard on the back of his neck. Demyx was down on the ground before his mind could even register the second wave of pain.

His eyes flashed over, instantly seeing another opening and he leapt at the chance. Grasping the hem of Roxas's pants he immobilized him for an instant, allowing him to spring to his feet and tackle the other blonde to the ground. Forcing Roxas onto his chest, he wretched his arm back and gave him a good shove, “Out!” Demyx called in triumph before jumping away from his first victory, Axel was on his heels again.

“One down, three to go punk!” Axel laughed.

If only he could find a place to hide for a second, so he could catch his breath. He was worn out from his earlier attacks, soon he was sure his legs just wouldn't go anymore and he'd collapse.

“YIPE!” Demyx yelped in surprise as Aether came barreling down from the branches and trampled the ground before him like a wild beast. Bringing his legs out from under himself, Demyx skidded beneath the towering mass of black fur and got to his feet behind the Pegasus. Quickly, before Aether could turn, Demyx scrambled onto the stallions back, “Out!” Aether let out a terrible cry, rearing up again, this time strangling a startled cry from Axel, who had to fall back on his ass to avoid the swinging black hooves.

Up and over the head of the steed, Demyx made to jump Axel. As he came down though, Axel brought both legs up and caught the musician by the chest before propelling him up into the air and a yard or so away.

Struggling to his feet, Demyx panted for breathe. To his right, Aether retreated to the sidelines with Roxas. That was good. Only two left now, but he didn't even know what Figment would do to him, or even could do. Then there was Axel, who was pulling out his toys to play now. Chakrams were in both hands, and flames licked the pyro's fingers.

Like a jack rabbit, Demyx rushed for the nearest tree for cover. As he reached the plant he could feel the heat burst forth, catching it on fire. At least it wasn't his own skin. When the heat dissipated, Demyx whirled around the trunk unleashing a wave of water to extinguish the rest of the flames and knock Axel back on the defense. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Out of nowhere a wall of cards piled up. The force behind them from the fire launched them at Demyx and he found himself back on the ground again.

For a moment he thought perhaps Luxord had joined in, but a quick glance the gambler's way told him otherwise, he was just as surprised as Demyx.

A cluster of bushes nearby, he ducked for cover and hid. For a moment everything was still and he was allowed to breath easy. It didn't last long though, as the plants around him came to life. Slithering serpents seethed and hissed where the brush once was and Demyx lit out of there like a bat out of hell.

Dashing back into the open, he brought his arms up around his face. The snakes were still slithering all over him, sending chills down his spine. Energy built in the pit of his stomach, a layer of icy water formed over his skin. Then, releasing the stored force, he let out a wave of thrust that turned the water into deadly blades, slicing the leafy snakes into pieces.

Free of his ailments, Demyx looked up. Axel had locked onto him again and was closing the space between the quickly. It gave Demyx no time to react; all he could do was dodge to keep from getting his limbs cut off. The blows were relentless and face paced, one slip and he'd be struck hard. Fire was already scorching his shirt.

Desperate for an escape, he suddenly lurched forward and caught Axel's arm. With his sparing partner frozen temporarily in shock, Demyx summoned a spout of water, which came up and swallowed them both in the cold liquid before spitting them out. Demyx landed squarely on his feet and jumped Axel who was already flat on the ground.

Axel, who was apparently not just going to surrender, fought back pushing Demyx off to try and gain ground again. Luckily, his coat restricted some movement, slowing his ascent. Throwing his arms around Axel, Demyx caught him around the neck and chest. With a good heave, the musician pulled Axel back to the ground and pinned him. An arm across Axel's neck, Demyx grinned.

“Out.” He panted breathlessly, giving a weak laugh.

“All right, I'm out.” Breathed Axel back, his own chest heaving. His voice was strained and tight from the pressure on his neck.

Pleased beyond all reason, Demyx pushed himself back and sat on the green-eyed Nobody's stomach. God, it had taken long enough to get him there, he wasn't about to give up being on top so soon.

“Good job,” Grinned Axel, propping himself up on his elbows, “But you still have got one more guy to take out.”

“Wha- Ack!” A rope slipped around Demyx's neck, yanking him back onto his rump. Surprised, his gaze followed the rope to the tiny dragon. Figment stood on a small rock, dressed in cowboy attire.

Tipping his hat, Figment spoke, “Well, whoo wee! Looks like I've got some wranglin' to do here, boys!” Whooped the dragon in his false western accent, “We've got a wild one here!”

Were they being serious? He was supposed to fight a tiny dragon in a cowboy outfit. Looking back at Roxas, it sure seemed that they really did expect him to tag the purple reptile out too.

Tugging the rope off, he tossed it contemptibly to the ground. He really just wanted this to be over with already.

“You sure look tired, buckaroo! How `bout a quick draw, ol' west style? First shot wins the match!” Yipped and hollowed Figment.

“All right.” Demyx replied slowly, unsure if he wanted to do so or not. A weight came to his hand and he looked down. A genuine old western pistol was placed firmly in his hand. How in the world did you even shoot the thing? It was ancient? Looked like it wouldn't even fire if you managed to figure it out.

“On the count o' three!”

“Ah, wai-“

“ONE!”

“I don't know h-“

“TWO!!”

Demyx cringed seeing Figment raise his own pistol, recoiling in defense.

“THREE!!!” There was a loud bang, that nearly made Demyx jump out of his skin. When he felt a light spray hit his face, his eyes flashed open. Colorful confetti had been spewed out into the air and it was now raining paper. Figment bounced up and down in the air before his face, dressed in a red-spotted, white frilled, yellow clown suit. There was a red foam ball on his nose and a goofy red and white smile painted on his face.

“Why you-!” Clapping his hands around the tiny clown he glared angrily, “I was scared out of my wits!” He cried before releasing the dragon and collapsing onto the ground. A soft laugh of relief escaped him as he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. That was it, he was done for today. Standing wasn't even an option now. All he wanted to do was watch the day go by.

Zexion ran up to him letting out a soft whine as he nuzzled Demyx's cheek with his nose. The others followed, laughing all the while. Demyx cracked open his eyes to watch them come.

“You all right, Demyx? You look like you damn near pissed yourself when he shot off that confetti!” Exclaimed Luxord, crouching down next to him. He was smiling good-naturedly, amused by the antics.

Plopping down onto his chest, Figment laughed, now dressed in a little black coat to look like an organization member, “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you so bad! Forgive me?” He pleaded on his little hands and knees.

“Yeah, yeah… I forgive ya.” Mumbled Demyx closing his eyes again.

“Well, I've got to admit; you did a good job today, Demyx.” Came Axel's voice, “I'm going to say this once and only once so listen good.” Demyx opened his eyes in question, staring up at the Nobody towering over him, “I'm pretty damn proud of you, got it memorized?” A smile touched Demyx's lips, eyes slipping shut again.

“Yeah? That means a lot to me.” He murmured quietly before rolling over and capturing Zexion in his arms. Burying his face in his fur, Demyx slowly began to fall into a dream-filled sleep, “All of you… You really are the best Somebodies a Nobody like me could have.”

There was a soft rustle of fabric and a warm hand gave him a soft pat on the arm, “You make a pretty good Somebody too.” Roxas murmured softly, before Demyx was left to rest.

“We have an announcement to make!” Figment piped up near the end of breakfast the next day. Demyx had slept through dinner the day before so he was still munching on the various food items available to him. The others, however, had been done for a while and had been talking about various things from the weather to the strange screaming they'd heard the other day. Demyx hadn't really been too interested in the whole ordeal, food was pretty much all he could think about at the moment.

“What is it Figment?” Roxas inquired leaning back on his hands to look over at the dragon, who was perched on Aether's back.

“Aether and I are going back home today, this afternoon.” Stated Figment making Demyx choke a little. Swallowing the last bit of food, he looked up at them in surprise. It wasn't as if he'd expected them to stay forever, but he'd never really thought about them leaving either.

“Leaving…?” Demyx's heart dropped with Roxas's weak repetition of the news. The other Nobody had been all smiles this morning, like everyone else, but the words had instantly erased all signs of joy.

“Yup!” Replied Figment cheerfully, “Aether's got to get back to work for the king and I've been away for so long, I think it's time I head home.”

“How are you going to get back?” Asked Axel curiously.

“That's easy! All I need to do is think up a door, I'm pretty sure I'll imagine the door that leads to the guest room of King Mickey's castle. I can remember that door pretty well, so we should be able to get through just fine. Then we'll be back into the world of existence, where Aether and I belong.” Stated the dragon, “If you want… you guys could come too.”

“No way! We can't!” Demyx objected, “We've died in that world, wouldn't that be breaking some sort of law? And anyways, we've got somewhere to be, and that's just over these mountains, am I right?”

“I'm game for anywhere you go.” Luxord agreed. Zexion nodded too, to show his affirmation.

Axel hesitated, glancing at the look on Roxas's face. Demyx knew he didn't want to hurt Roxas's feelings, but Axel also knew that going back just wasn't an option. All of them had broken ties with that world and accepted they'd lost it forever. However, Roxas had spent more time there and was still tied to his Somebody Sora; he had friends waiting for him back there.

After a long pause Axel spoke, “Demyx is right. This is where we belong; it's the place for us Nobodies to exist in.” He spoke; his voice was tender, trying to break it to Roxas as gently as he could.

Roxas bowed his head, “Yeah… You're right.” He confirmed in a hauntingly lost voice.

Visibly, Figment wilted in sorrow, “Don't worry Roxas.” Hummed the dragon, fluttering over to sit on his shoulder, “You'll always be with us and everyone you touched.” Comforted Figment, stroking Roxas's cheek, “If you want, I can go home and tell everyone that you've found your own special place… How does that sound, hm?”

“That'd be nice…”

“Hey… Roxas… It's all right.” Demyx leaned over to give him a comforting rub on the arm, “You'll still have all of us… And… You'll have the memories of all the people you miss, isn't that enough?”

“Demyx, I…” Roxas shrugged Demyx's hand away, “I'm sorry… Everyone.” Roxas whispered something to Figment and a book appeared in his hands, “I… Have a confession to make.” He stated, swallowing hard as he set the book down before him and pushed it over for the others to see. Figment was already trying to console him for the information he was about to give, “I… I know… I'm so sorry. This book… When I came to find Axel, I took it from a magician's study… It says… Everything about this world, about why we're here, and where we go…”

“Roxas… What is it… Why are you apologizing?” Axel's brows furrowed in confusion and insecurity, “What haven't you told us?”

Roxas's eyes came up and he gazed sorrowfully at them. Demyx could see the tears threatening to spill over. Something was terribly wrong and the musician wasn't sure if he wanted to hear was Roxas had to say. After all, he was fine just going wherever it was they were going blindly. The end of the road wasn't anything he ever had looked at before. It was something he'd always avoided because the end of the road, well that's what it was… The end and he didn't want anything to end.

“When we get there… Everything you know… All the precious memories you have of each other and everything that's happened… You'll all… Just forget it… All of it. You'll never remember what your name was, or who you used to be… Or who you used to love…” Roxas's head fell again, unable to look at them.

For a moment, Demyx wasn't sure whether or not he'd heard correctly. No, he had heard correctly, he just didn't want to admit he had. His hand flew to his side, clutching the fur on the back of Zexion's neck as if the Nobody would disappear without his touch. Sure, everything before they'd come hadn't been perfect and he hadn't known too many people, but his memories were the things that told him he really had been something. And just now… His memories of this world were some of the best he'd ever had, with Axel and Luxord… How could he forget what he'd shared with Zexion?

“Roxas… How… How could you not have told me? And after-“ Axel was speechless, as horrorstruck and Demyx was at loosing such intimate and precious memories. It was hard for either one to take. Inside, Demyx felt like he was crumbling.

“I'm sorry, Axel. I-I should've told you.” Roxas voiced, visibly shaking.

“I… It's all right.” Axel said after a short pause to gather his composure. Leaning over he put his arms around Roxas and held him, doing his best to comfort his heartbroken lover. For once, Demyx sorely wished Zexion wasn't hiding because that was what he needed right now, to be held.

So lost in his own pit of despair, Demyx didn't notice Luxord rise solemnly and come up from behind him, “Hey, lad.” He voiced softly as he sat down beside them. Demyx didn't even look up, only pulled Zexion further onto his lap. The Cloaked Schemer obliged gratefully, pressing his muzzle up against Demyx's neck, “Come here you two.” With that both of them were pulled close, held tightly under an arm while he stroked them with the other, “Go ahead, you're both young, cry.”

Not needing anymore prompting, Demyx pulled Luxord's open coat over himself and choked back the sobs as he let the tears run down his face. Stronger than him and looking like an animal that can't cry no less, Zexion just silently licked the droplets of water from Demyx's chin. One of them had to be strong, and as the cold hearted scientist, Zexion had elected himself the natural choice.

“I don't want to forget.”

 

 

Save Game: to be continued…