Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

stumbling over words unsaid

x

Saltwater rippled gently with her movements as she peered around a small rock formation, fanning out from her half submerged body. Her head of red hair was sopping and dripping, the small trickling noises no doubt alerting him to her presence. But Ariel didn't bother to hide herself from this human, and was instead content to stay - plainly in his line of sight - and watch the symphony he had created.

The perfect, orchestral dance of his water forms moving smoothly across the surface of the ocean and sometimes the sand, their strange liquid-but-not limbs swaying and undulating. Their non-faces upturned, as if in ecstasy. All in time to the whirling melody his hands coaxed out of his sitar, fingers caressing the neck and strings in a dance of their own.

No matter how many times she arrived to this sight, it was never less breathtaking, never less beautiful than the time before. And he teased her about it, said it figured that a fish would fall in love with water.

As if they were really the ones who held so much appeal for her.

"Back again?" Demyx didn't pause and didn't look up, but his voice was a friendly and welcoming singsong.

"I should be asking you that question. I happen to live here, remember?" She tried to seem coy, a little older maybe, and failed. So instead she let her eyes linger on the smooth planes of his face, the bright blue of his eyes as she gave him a sideways glance.

"What, up here on the beach?" He finally turned his eyes fully towards her, music not slowing but a few of the water forms tapering off into nothingness so that the dance shrunk, became something more intimate. His eyes were wide in an innocent stare, though the laughing, mischievous quality in his voice was obvious.

Ariel's cheeks reddened in a blush and she averted her gaze quickly, eyes flicking back to his water forms so she could pretend to watch them step and twirl. She thought quickly for a way to jump away from the implication of her fish-like qualities.

The reminder, however unconscious, was probably for her own good. But that didn't mean she liked it.

"You came late today." The mermaid mumbled the almost-accusation, resisting a wince at how childish she probably sounded.

But Demyx smiled, sparing a glance up at the sky to see it streaked with warm colors. His eyes suddenly seemed far off, and a small line formed between his eyes, as it often did when he was thinking about things he didn't want to tell her.

Ariel could not help but admire, for a moment, that although his mind seemed to be elsewhere, his music and water forms still danced along seamlessly.

"An errand ran a little long today."

"An errand?"

"Mm."

The sigh she breathed was frustrated, and though she decided to press further, Ariel knew she would not be able to coax anything else out of him. "What kind of errand?"

"The important kind." He smiled brightly, the kind of grin that would usually leave her breathless, but there was an edge to it.

Ariel's voice took on a decidedly sullen tone, making her sound a bit more like a petulant child than she would have liked. "I'm really not trying to be nosy." Affecting a relaxed pose, she moved easily into a back float. "But I don't know anything about you. And you've asked plenty of questions about the things I do." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and fought a triumphant smile when she saw that he looked a little guilty.

"Alright then," he began slowly. "It was a mission."

The mermaid perked in surprise, moving closer to the shore with a quick flick of her tail.

"A mission?"

"Mm."

Ariel waited for more, peered expectantly at him as his eyes and attention seemed to move back to his sitar. Several moments of silence passed between them, and when nothing else was forthcoming, she clenched her teeth and struggled for patience. "What kind of mission?"

"The important kind."

"Demyx!" Ariel wailed despairingly, fisting her hands in her thick hair and pulling in a display of frustration. She scowled at the blond, whose face was painted with an unashamed grin.

When he did nothing but continue to smile, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're never going to tell me anything, are you?"

"Probably not!"

"Not even why you're always wearing that weird looking coat?"

Ariel blinked in surprise when his hands - such beautiful hands - stilled on the strings of his sitar. The water forms faltered and then faded in splashes of mist. For a moment she thought she had made him angry, but when he turned his face towards her again she saw that it was still relaxed and smiling.

He beckoned her closer with a wave of his hand, and bemusedly, she complied. Another stroke of her tail and she was in the shallowest waters, within arms reach of him and almost laying in the wet sand.

"How about this?" Demyx extended an arm, index finger reaching out to tap the tip of her nose. The contact sent another blush running across her cheeks. "Keep me company every day like a good little fish. Maybe when you're old enough I'll tell you."

The glare returned to her face full force. She batted away his hand in a show of temper and tried to ignore him as he laughed and started up his melody again, two water forms rising up from the waves around her to spin joyfully onto the beach at his bidding.

She imagined that they were laughing at her too.

x

A/N: Thank you for reading! Any feedback is appreciated.