Author's Note: Hey everybody. Thanks for the reviews (I like reviews, they make me feel warm and special!). Special thanks go to Little Debbie, as I use one of your perceptions of Demyx's battle with Larxene. Oh yeah and the first person who says which Disney movie the world Roxas and Demyx visited was based on gets a cookie!

Part 3

It was a field on that fateful day so long ago; the reeds of it blew gently in the breeze. As he waded through the grass, he saw the blossoming and blooming flowers of spring awakening from their winter slumber. Myde walked into a wide meadow, his bare feet gently touching the grass that was pleasant and soft. The youth gently yawned as he turned his head towards her, a wide smile on his face.

"So; you've come again, have you?" Myde asked as he gently sipped a small glass of lemonade.

The rest was a blur.

The next thing he had known, he was running with her. Their frantic footsteps brushed across the soft reeds as they darted back through the chaotic meadow. Pure sweat dribbled down both of their backs as the creatures continued their pursuit, their claws trying to snatch at the two's very essences, hoping to transfigure their victim's souls into additions to their legions.

Myde stared back at the vicious black creatures in utter horror as their pace intensified. Small antennas poked out of their rounded hellish heads, while putrid empty and glowing eyelids stared back at both of them. Though they had childish features throughout all of their bodies, their claws were stained with crimson blood. Were they not being chased, Myde would have laughed at such a creature and its abnormal shape. However, circumstances were different and Myde had learned to fear these creatures.

As they ran throughout the streets, Myde stared around him as he saw the very world around him eclipsing. Darkness was enveloping the now empty cars and stalls, as innocent people were devoured by the oncoming blackness. Practically no one could escape the envelope of darkness that was shrouding the city; as their world (like many) had been tied to the darkness. Completely eclipsed.

Within all of the panic, he fell, his form tripping over a divot in the cement ground. His reaction was terrible and the heartless behind him easily devoured his heart.

The rest was a blur.

Stealing.

Snatching.

Ripping.

Tearing.

Crying.

Her.

Darkness.

0.0.0.0.0.0

It had been a long and stormy night, with the rain pounding down on the hollow streets of the World That Never Was. The very pure water droplets made dry echoes as they drummed upon the black pavement of the empty streets, its fearsome rhythm pounding against the lifeless doors of the shops and stalls. This weather was ceaseless and consistent, thus making it nothing out of the norm. The world was a mere shell after all, just like the Nobodies that inhabited it. It was just the vestiges of several worlds that had been destroyed by the heartless, a lifeless illusion.

Xemnas had created the world because of his bizarre poetic obsession. Apparently it was the 'ultimate metaphor' or something along those lines. Through his great power, he had scoured through the remnants of worlds, searching for random pieces of debris that he could use to sculpt the dark world that would lie beneath his gigantic pallid castle. The entire process was almost like a game to Xemnas and he enjoyed creating his mock town thoroughly, laughing at every iota of space. It was a joke that only those who were extremely perceptive would understand; as it mocked the very essence of human life. Perhaps it was aimed at his old master; DIZ. Still, no Organization member ever asked Xemnas the purpose of the joke, for he only laughed and said nothing else. Fear also attributed to this, as everyone in the Organization had no respect for their leader; they simply feared his power.

Demyx was the same as all of them. Though the power didn't tempt him at all, it was more of a small hatred for Xemnas. The man simply used all of the Organization members as pawns for the completion of Kingdom Hearts. It was as simple as that and he rarely talked to any of them, except for Saïx.

Saïx was completely different from all of the other Organization members as he was Xenmas' right hand man. He was often used as the mouthpiece for the superior and looked down on all of the other members as pawns. Unlike every other member of the Organization, Saïx never received any missions. Rather, he obeyed personal requests from Xenmas and listened to no one but the superior. As a result, he wasn't very popular amongst the other members of the Organization and many people only talked to him if it was absolutely necessary. Demyx still feared him though, as he was the strongest member of the Organization physically.

Saïx, like Larxene, Xaldin and Roxas would often taunt Demyx about his inferiority. The taunts from all of them were the same, though Larxene had been the only one to actually take something from him. The very feeling of being robbed was extremely horrible, but to Demyx; it was more than just petty theft. It was his soul.

Being a musician, to Demyx; music was his passion: his heart. It was practically the only thing that gave him the very will to continue his charade of emotions. Though he was but a shell, his music gave him real emotion and filled his empty body full of expression and devotion. It was a portal for his thoughts and by playing his music, the thoughts that he conjured up came to life in front of his eyes; in the form of water clones.

Demyx hardly remembered his birth as a Nobody. All he could remember was the darkness tearing at his body and ripping at his soul. Then there was darkness. The next thing he remembered, he was in a black cloak and could control water. His memories from his past life had been practically erased, and he could only remember small snippets of it. However, surprisingly, these memories were slowly flooding back into his mind, though Demyx had no idea why.

Why had he even been strong enough? What had motivated him to cling back onto life, even though his heart, his very soul, had been stolen? All Nobodies had that will to exist and live, but they needed a purpose to retain their human form; a desperate cling to life. It was a simple will that had to astound death and continue from that point. Demyx wondered if he had ever possessed a will for life that strong in the first place.

For the entire night, Demyx idly sat at the karoke stage, his body not moving at all. Nobodies did not require sleep, due to the fact that they were just shells. Usually, Demyx would continue to play his sitar all night, composing new songs to incorporate his emotions into. He would enjoy watching the small water clones dance around in circles to his gentle sitar pluckings, their grace illuminated in the moonlight. It was a peaceful feeling and it reminded him of his life as a human, under the stars with his guitar. It reminded him of home. But mostly; it encouraged him to keep working for the Organization, so he could reclaim his heart and stop his charade.

But with no muse, he was useless. All the motivation within his usually optimistic and perky attitude was destroyed and a sense of numbness overcame his soul. This was the first time that he had felt nothing in his entire life. He felt like a weak dusk, who couldn't even fight properly. He was now exactly as Larxene had stated he was: plastic.

When she had called him that, he had felt great rage. He had been trying so hard, with mastering his little charade, and he had put so much work into composing his music; all for the sake of being normal. Though he was a nobody, he wanted to be treated just like everyone else; like a human being. He wanted to fit in so desperately.

But without his sitar; he was nothing. His muse for emotion and life had been stolen from him, as had his passion and his soul. He was nothing more than a limp rag doll, simply accepting orders and carrying them out. However, without his very essence for life; what was the point of even obeying the missions? Was it fear of the other members, or was the fact that he was simply a follower, that would drive him to continue working for Organization XIII? If those were all to be true, he would simply work back into Larxene's hands and become the plastic mannequin that she had described him as.

Being called plastic was worse than being called useless to Demyx. She had been directly insulting all of his efforts; his efforts to try and have emotions. By saying that he was plastic, she was clearly stating that he felt nothing and reacted to nothing. She said that he was fake and had the same value as a plastic toy, completely void of any human action and worth. Her sharp words had pierced deeply into his heart (lest he even had one) and tore his optimism to shreds.

Throughout the entire night, Demyx thought these repeated thoughts over and over again. For once, he wished that he actually trained with the others, instead of shirking work. If he had, he might have even been able to prevent his sitar from being stolen. As the eternal moonlight from the forever black sky loomed over Demyx, the Nobody feebly had tried to conjure his water clones. However, there was no passion behind any of his calls and he eventually gave up, his shattered soul linking to the omni-present darkness that swirled around him.

0.0.0.0.0.0

Demyx slowly walked to the towering pallid castle many hours later, the full moon still looming overhead of him. Time was non-existant in the World that Never Was and an eternal night blanketed the dim streets. It was yet another part of the 'multiple step metaphor' that Xemnas had created in his world. As a result of this never ending darkness, most of the Organization members didn't bother counting the days and nights, save for the intellects: Zexion and Vexen.

The red haired adolescent closed his eyes sadly as he stared at the looming building that he called home. What was he going to tell Saïx, now that his only weapon had been stolen? He knew that the older man wouldn't listen to him, as he despised Demyx and viewed him as an inferior ant that could be crushed easily. Demyx sighed slightly as he waited for the ivory moat of the castle to lower. It was going to be an extremely long day (or at least an estimate of one.).

A lone Dusk was charged with operating the gate. All it had to do was step onto a pressurized pad and the moat would extend to the ground, allowing any Nobody to enter the castle. However, this Dusk could easily detect friends from foes and as a result, it would only step on the pressurized pad if it did not sense light, nor darkness. Vexen had trained the creature himself, by baiting it with a cookie. Of course, Vexen later found out, after many attempts, that Dusks could be quite lethal if one let their guard down. He sported a rather nasty crack across his face.

Nobodies didn't bleed, as they had no substance inside of their shells. It was merely a small soul that was confided to a human shape. However, the shell could easily crack and dent, thus making no Nobody invincible. Unbeknownst to every member in the Organziation, the keyblade masters would prove this theory gladly as they would cut through each member with a disturbing glee, savagely destroying them for the purpose of 'light.' Demyx's fate would be the same, and all of desires would die with his body, all of his hopes and dreams linked to it. After all, Nobodies were destined to fade into the darkness of whence they came.

The Dusk at the watch post noticed Demyx and slid its body towards the pressurized pad, its slippery form almost tripping over the crisp and shiny glowing pad that was inscribed with the symbol of the Organization. The symbol shone down upon Demyx, as it pierced through the night sky. The youth squinted at the light as he heard the crashing sound of the moat falling from the sky, bridging the gap between the flying castle and the cold pavement that lay below it.

Demyx slowly walked up the cold white platform, his hands shaking slightly in their nervousness. The Nobody slowly moved throughout the pure white halls, his eyes darting back and forth in slight panic. It was far too quiet in the castle, but then again, it was never extremely noisy. The Nobodies often kept to themselves, or were on elaborate missions composed by Xemnas for the good and pride of the Organization.

As Demyx continued his walk, he finally came to an outdoor path. He usually enjoyed walking through this area, as he could clearly see the stars that had accumulated overhead. The castle was a large structure and it easily pierced the skyline of the World that Never Was. However, this was not without a purpose, as it shielded Kingdom Hearts from the view of any non-Nobody that happened to travel through to Xemnas' world.

The youthful Nobody idly stared to the night sky as he felt the warm glow of the heart shaped moon. Kingdom Hearts was its name and its very presence brought joy to every Nobody. A strange purple radiance emitted from it, displaying all of the captive hearts that were used in its creation. It was indeed a labor of love and showed one thing that surpassed the truth of the world below it; teamwork. All of the Organization members had been working together, despite their differences and hatreds for each other. They shared a common desire and a dream: to be whole again and reclaim what had been stolen from them.

It seemed like a harmless endeavor at first. The members of the Organization would extract hearts from various heartless around the many worlds. They would simply destroy the creatures by use of their self constructed weapons (which had all been tweaked by Vexen to allow them to destroy the heartless.). However, such a task had been extremely tedious, as the hearts that the heartless consumed were extremely weak and were useless in the creation of Kingdom Hearts. The various members were slightly discouraged as they cut through thousands of heartless, attempting to harvest their hearts that they had stolen from countless amounts of people.

But this task had become easier as of late. Recently, the key bearer had been discovered on Destiny Islands and had been evicted from his home. The group that was said to be controlling the heartless (Xemnas called them mere pawns) had been vanquished by the key bearer. But still, the key bearer was continuing his quest to seal all of the keyholes, evicting thousands of heartless of their hearts. His whereabouts now were unknown, as he was last seen on the long road to Castle Oblivion. Xemnas had told Marluxia not to meddle with the key bearer, but Demyx doubted that #11 would listen.

Sora was doing the task that many Organization members could not. He was gathering the hearts of many souls with his keyblade, releasing them to be attached to Kingdom Hearts. Vexen had made Kingdom Hearts a magnet for stray hearts, which made their job a little easier.

As Demyx stared up at the large moon, he smiled to himself grimly. How much longer would he have to wait for it to be complete? Perhaps though, it would never be completed at all, due to Marluxia's intended interference. That pessimistic thought pounded through Demyx's head as he opened the pallid white door to the room known as 'Proof of Existance'.

The room acted as a portal towards all of Organization member's rooms. The place was named by Xenmas, as it was 'metaphorically apt', in his own vocabulary. It was possibly the most disturbing place in the entire building, as every portal had a strange aura coming from it, seeming to entice the unwary into it.

Demyx slowly closed his eyes as he walked towards Saïx's door, the moonlight of the veranda shining onto him. He loathed this room with all of his heart, but was forced to enter it due to the mission reports that he had to submit. Saïx handled all of the paperwork that came in from each member and delivered it to Xemnas, who usually stayed in his room, monitoring the growth of Kingdom Hearts. As Demyx slowly walked into Saïx's room, the man greeted Demyx with unusual zeal.

"Hello!" said Saix in a disturbingly bright tone.

"….Um, hi," said Demyx slowly.

"Come on in and take a seat," said Saïx in his disturbing happy tone.

As the moonlight shone into the reflective veranda, a seat was conjured up from one of its beams of light. Demyx uneasily sat down, his hands fidgeting.

"It's good to see you again," said Saïx in his bright tone.

"It's…good to see…you too," stammered Demyx.

"That's great!" shouted Saïx extremely loudly. "I heard about your mission with number 13 and I'll say; that's the first mission you've ever completed!"

Demyx had an obscure moment with himself as nervous sweat began to pour down his back. If Saïx had found out that Roxas had done everything, he would only be prone to more criticism and physical abuse.

"Of course," said Saïx with a small smile. "That's what I would say; if you had actually completed the mission by yourself."

Demyx froze as Saïx said those words. How had the elder Nobody known?

"Do you honestly think that I would believe that you completed a mission without help?" snarled Saïx. "Of course I wouldn't!"

Demyx flinched as he heard Saïx's words.

"So; what shall your punishment be, for filling out a false report?" he asked as he opened a book of paperwork.

"B-but, the report said that I completed the mission with-''

"That was your report. Roxas handed me a more precise report that described each and every one of your failures. Now which one do you think I believed?" asked Saïx with a sarcastic smile.

"That little rat!"

Demyx stared at Saïx in dull shock as he had heard those words. Roxas had gone out of his way to ruin Demyx's positive mission report. What kind of person did something like that? The teen bit his lip as he heard these words, unaware of Saïx's next action.

There was a small silence, in which Saïx eyed Demyx with disturbingly excited eyes. As the moonlight shone onto the veranda, Saïx's disturbing cat-like smile intensified as the X shaped scar across his face glowed with the power of the moon. At that very second, he punched Demyx with all of his might, the moon beams in his scar amplifying the hit.

Demyx went staggering to the ground, clutching the large crack that now extended from his cheek to his eye. The punch had caught if off guard and his sense of distortion was messed up as he feebly attempted to get back onto his feet. However, the after effects of the moonlight shone on Demyx, halting his movement in an instant. Saïx walked beside his crippled associate, spitting on Demyx's body as he did so.

"No water shield?" he asked dryly. "Usually, you at least try to fend off my attacks."

That had been quite true. Usually when this happened, Demyx would conjure up a water shield at the last second to engulf his entire body. However, this didn't usually last very long and Saïx could easily break through it, sending the accumulated water clones flying in all directions. But Demyx's general lack of effort today seemed bizarre to Saïx. The elder Nobody stared at his cohort in disgust as he stepped on Demyx's chest.

"You're not even trying to fight back?" he asked in a bored tone as he saw Demyx wince in pain. "How astute."

As Saïx continued to crush Demyx he began to ponder unformed thoughts within his head, their wispy tails covering his brain in a bizarre mélange. The elder Nobody eyed Demyx with a wry smile as he looked at the boy's helpless form. There was practically no emotion within the boy at all, no soul or any visible signs of pain. Hurting someone like this….just wasn't fun.

Saïx's sighed as stepped off of Demyx's body, leaving the younger Nobody to gasp for the air that rapidly entered his lungs. The elder Nobody sighed as he opened a small cabinet, revealing a large stack of paperwork. He smiled at Demyx from behind his desk as he opened a folder of neatly arranged manila papers that were all stamped with the Organization's seal.

"Get yourself up," snarled Saïx as he glared at Demyx. "For your punishment, I think I'll give you a mission."

Demyx slowly staggered to his feet, clutching his wounded head. He regarded Saïx's words with a simple nod and staggered towards him, grimacing with each step.

"Normally, I wouldn't have to," began Saïx, "seeing as its break week, but you're an exception."

After a long mission, all of the Nobodies were given 1 week off to do whatever they wanted. It was some sort of stress relief that was supposed to raise morale. Demyx had remembered that meeting clearly, but he still didn't know what any of those words meant and was often confused over the purpose of the break week. He usually looked forward to the week with some optimism, but due to recent events he wasn't looking forward to anything.

"So, what do you want me to do about it?" asked Demyx passively.

"Wait outside," said Saïx. "I'll call you when I've got a mission prepared."

Demyx slowly nodded as he limped back through the dark portal, his new wound slowly healing as the darkness mingled about his face. The portals rejuvenated the Nobodies that passed through them and manipulated the power of darkness to heal any exterior damage that happened to their shells.

It was yet another creation of Vexen's and the man prided every addition to his massive collection of inventions. Such an obsession was often mocked by other members of the Organization, but Vexen didn't mind, as he kept to himself mostly: hiding in the basement of Castle Oblivion, while tinkering with his various inventions. Most considered him a genius, as he had such dedication to his work. However, Demyx considered the man a complete lunatic, as he was extremely anti-social and seldom saw daylight from the windowless basements.

Demyx had rarely spoken to the man, as he often used holographic projections at the meetings to display himself, rather than being there in person. A look of annoyance and pressure seemed to be etched onto his clean shaven face, simply masking the mind of a genius. On the rare occasions in which Demyx saw him in person, he was wandering the halls aimlessly, muttering something about 'scientist's block' whatever that meant. Whenever Demyx tried to engage in a conversation with 'Vex' (Vexen hated that name, stating that it was extremely juvenile, but Demyx ignored him; unsure of what juvenile meant.) the man simply dismissed Demyx as an annoyance, telling him to go away.

As the adolescent walked out of the portal, shaking off the feeling of darkness that had overwhelmed him, he viewed the familiar hallway that he had traversed on mere minutes before. The stars high above him twinkled gently, their forms shimmering under Kingdom Hearts' radiance. Demyx found himself looking at the heart shaped moon again, in dull awe of its graceful form. It glowed a mysterious tint of mauve now, as the keybearer was continually slicing through heartless in his battles with Ansem's heartless.

"It won't be long now."

The single thought warmed Demyx's heart as he looked out at the moon. Through all of his depression and worry, Kingdom Hearts still existed for him to remember. Even if he had lost all of his emotions and hope, he could still rely on Kingdom Hearts to warm him. It was something to shoot for.

"Hey sexy," said a lusty voice.

The voice was easily recognized by Demyx as he turned around slowly, his eyes reduced to slits. Usually, these little games amused him slightly or made him extremely angry. But not today. Today, he was completely out of his character and was cynical about practically everything.

"I'm not in the mood," he said as he eyed the girl in front of him.

She was an extremely beautiful young woman that was wearing nothing but a black bra, a thong and fishnet tights. She had bright pink hair that was tied into two frizzy ponytails that extended from the sides of her head. Her eyes were a small shade of blue that seemed both friendly and perky at the same time. A small pouty expression was etched onto her face.

"Sure you aren't," she said in her happy tone. "Come on! We can hit the town and-''

"You're getting worse," said Demyx absent mindedly. "You and I both know that the town below is abandoned. There's not a soul living down there."

The girl gave Demyx a sharp glare her pouty face continuing.

"Don't be like dat Dem-Dem," she said in a pouty tone, her voice growing childish and small. "I hate when Dem-Dem's like dat."

Demyx remained silent, eying the girl with a slight annoyance. Usually, he would have tolerated her presence and perhaps played her a song, but now was different. He wanted to be left alone. The girl seemed to notice Demyx's change in character and stopped talking, her perky eyes looking into his morose ones.

"You're upset about something," she said in a normal tone, all of the perkiness fading from her face.

"You noticed?" asked Demyx dryly. "It took you a while, for someone of your intelligence."

"Hey; you're hard to read sometimes," snapped the girl. "Besides, even people like me make mistakes."

"Easy there," said Demyx, backing away from the girl's scowl. "I didn't mean any offense."

"You should hope you didn't," said the girl impassively. "So; what's eating you?"

Demyx raised his hands in mild surprise.

"This is new," he remarked with a sarcastic laugh. "You're actually showing some sympathy. What's the catch?"

"Catch?" asked the girl. "There is no catch. It's just no fun to practice temptation on someone as naïve as yourself, if they aren't in a happy mood. It's bad for me and you."

"What's naïve mean?" asked Demyx slowly, his mind unable to comprehend the words of the girl that stood in front of him.

The girl sighed and shook her head.

"Never mind," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "So; what's wrong with you anyways?"

Demyx merely let out an emotionless laugh.

"Zexion, I'm not telling you; unless you change back to your natural form. I don't want to keep on talking to a prostitute with the personality of a nine year old."

Zexion looked at Demyx in shock as a black mist went over the girl's body.

"This is new," she remarked from the black mist. "You actually addressed me as my name, as opposed to one of your twisted nicknames."

Zexion was the only member of the Organization that could change his shape and voice. His role was to manipulate people and he rarely did any fighting of his own (though Demyx had been told that he was a feared force on the battlefield). Hence; the role of a shapeshifter was essential for him to accomplish several of his assassination tasks that he was entrusted in. Additionally, Zexion often used different personas during his missions. He was a protégé of Vexen, but was fascinated with the human mind, instead of the heart. Being one of Ansem the Wise's students added onto his massive intelligence.

Xenmas hadn't trusted Marluxia at all when the man had received his beloved Castle Oblivion. He had feared that Marluxia, Larxene and Axel would tamper with the keyblade user and try to exploit him for their own personal use. As a result, he had sent Vexen, Zexion and Leaxeus to "chaperone" the neophytes of the Organization. Unfortunately, the older members loathed this idea; as they viewed the 'reckless neophytes' as inferior. The younger members didn't take too kindly to this either and hence; the castle was divided. Zexion and Leaxeus stayed in the massive basement of the castle, while Larxene and Marluxia stayed in the castle's heights. Out of all of them, only Axel and Vexen ventured throughout the castle; as they believed that this war of prejudice was futile in the Organization's manipulation of the keybearer.

Still, throughout his escapades at Castle Oblivion, Zexion loathed the place and he rarely spent any time there, lest it was completely necessary. He often wandered the hallways of the World that Never Was and practiced his transformation skill, training his acting skills on Demyx in the form of a young scantily dressed girl. Demyx would often shamelessly flirt with her, always never knowing that it was Zexion on the other side, who was enduring all of his advances. However, this time Demyx had easily recognized Zexion, which usually never happened.

Demyx was on relatively good terms with Zexion, although the older teenager thought that he was a nuisance at times. They didn't gravely dislike each other, nor would they give their lives for each other. They were simple comrades; acquaintances if you will.

The small girl transformed back into the navy blue haired man, his long thick hair swaggering back and forth, along with a look of discomfort on his face. He looked at Demyx, his voice deep and dark.

"So; what's wrong with you?" he asked.

"It's…about number 12," said Demyx.

Zexion sighed as he knelt over the balcony, gazing at the town below the castle.

"You're having girl troubles?" he asked in his mellow voice. "Then why tell me? I'm a man of strategy, not a-"

"It's not that," interrupted Demyx angrily.

"Then what is it?" asked Zexion placidly, absent mindedly playing with a black flame that had emerged from his gloved hands. "She's quite a handful down at Castle Oblivion. Frankly, I think that she can't stay still. She always locks herself in that library of hers, reading all of those pulpy murder novels, laughing her little butt off."

"She's a…" began Demyx, searching for the word. "Sayist?" he asked Zexion, who sighed.

"Sadist," corrected Zexion.

"Yeah, that's the one!" said Demyx. "Axel told me that too…"

Demyx's sentence trailed off into nothingness as Zexion eyed him with dull amusement.

"A sadist is a person who enjoys inflicting pain on others," said Zexion. "Is that what you were wondering?"

"…Yeah," said Demyx. "How'd you know?"

"I have my ways," said Zexion. "I'm pretty good at reading people's thoughts once I know them well enough."

There was a small silence.

"She stole something from you," said Zexion. "Something precious."

"How..?" began Demyx.

"Well, let's put your feelings into account. You're drifting through our conversation, trying to stop the subject. You're not speaking either, unless I bring up a point. You're also acting abnormal, as though someone has taken a large chunk of your soul and displaced it. Hence; with those basic facts, I can easily determine what you're thinking," said Zexion in a matter-of-factly tone. "Besides, I'm the manipulator; you're not. There's no one who understands the human mind as well as I do."

"You're quite perceptive," remarked Demyx.

"It's my job," said Zexion simply.

There was another small silence. Zexion looked at Demyx with a small smile on his face. He then aimed a punch towards the teen's stomach, managing to stop the punch right before the touched Demyx's cloaked form.

"She stole your sitar," said Zexion simply.

"But…how did you…?" began Demyx.

"It's the one thing that you value most," said Zexion. "Don't argue with me Demyx, you know it's true."

"Aren't you going to reprimand me?" asked Demyx gloomily.

"No," said Zexion, with a small smile on his face

"Really?" asked Demyx, growing anxious. "W-why?"

"Well, usually I would reprimand you and tell you that it was for the best that you lost that sitar, but I have a thing against Larxene. She acts like she's the boss of everyone and thing in Castle Oblivion. Apparently, she's Marluxia's Saïx," said Zexion angrily.

"Well, I guess that's reassuring," mumbled Demyx.

"That's your problem right there," said Zexion. "You're too passive."

"Passive?" asked Demyx, obviously not understanding the word.

"Okay," sighed Zexion, "Let's dumb this down for you. There are three main traits of people in this world. There are passive people who accept everything around them and bend like paper to people's whims and there are aggressive people who bully other people to get their points across."

"So; I should be aggressive with Larxene?" asked Demyx.

Zexion closed his eyes and counted to ten extremely slowly. He was rapidly losing his patience with Demyx.

"No," said Zexion flatly. "Aggressive people are brutes. You don't want to be a brute."

"A…brute?" asked Demyx.

"Yes," said Zexion. "What you want to be is a balance between aggressive and passive. That balance is known as being assertive."

"…How do I do that?" pondered Demyx.

"Well, simply state that the sitar belongs to you. Appeal to her…good side," said Zexion.

"Does she even have a good side?" asked Demyx.

"Probably not," said Zexion. "Oh well, scratch that idea."

"Well, she did say that she was going to give me back the sitar if I could beat her in a fight," said Demyx.

"Are you actually intending on fighting her?" demanded Zexion. "She's one of the fastest fighters I've ever seen. She'll make you into a pin cushion."

"Well, what's my other option?" asked Demyx.

"Good point," said Zexion with a sigh. "Why does everything revolve around pain for that woman?"

"B-because she's a say…say…."

"Sadist."

"That's the one!"

Zexion smiled slightly.

"Listen Demyx, I have to go. Sorry I couldn't have been much help, but I don't want Xenmas catching me out of Castle Oblivion. After all, I've got kids to chaperone."

"You have fun with that Zexy," said Demyx with a smirk.

"For once, I'm happy to hear you say that," said Zexion as a black mist came over his body.

As Demyx was about to leave, the girl from before shouted.

"Show that wench who's boss!" she shouted as she vanished.

Demyx smiled as he heard Zexion's words. A common enemy had given him an ally.

0.0.0.0.0.0

Within a few seconds, Saïx called a rather lively Demyx back into his room. To Saïx's dismay and/or joy, Demyx was back to his cheery and carefree nature, determined to get his sitar back. Usually, Zexion would taunt him, but the encouragement he had received from the higher ranked Nobody had warmed his heart. He was going to get his sitar back, as soon as the mission was complete.

"I've got a mission for you," said Saïx.

"Where is it?" asked Demyx.

"You're to chart out and map a new world that we have discovered," said Saïx.

"What's it called?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Saïx with a wry smile. "But you'd better watch your back."

"Why?" asked Demyx.

"I doubt there's any life there," smiled Saïx. "It's a dead world."

Demyx looked at Saïx in shock.

"A….dead world?"

"You heard me. One that was consumed by the darkness," smiled Saïx.

"If it's destroyed, then why do you want me to go there?" asked Demyx fearfully.

"Oh, its not busy work," smirked the older Nobody. "Be assured that its not. This is an extremely important mission Demyx, and if you screw this one up; I don't think you'll come back alive."

"Why?" asked Demyx, his voice beginning to rise with panic. "Y-you've got the wrong guy!"

"No," said Saïx with a smile. "I've got the epic hero who survived a dangerous mission with Roxas. I've got the right guy."

"B-but," stammered Demyx.

"You want the briefing, or not?" asked Saïx.

Demyx shut his mouth as he stared at a small sheet of paper. He couldn't make out any of the large words on the paper and the briefing looked like a large blure of text to Demyx.

"Basically all you have to do is shut that world down for good," said Saïx. "There's way too much darkness flowing out of there and it could easily hinder both keybearers."

"How do I do that?" asked Demyx.

At that moment, Saïx handed Demyx a small white orb that glowed dangerously. Demyx recognized the large IV logo on the side, stating that the orb had been made by Vexen.

"I want you to take this bomb wait for it to detonate," said Saïx. "Don't worry, it won't kill you. It'll just envelop the entire world in nothingness, causing every little speck of darkness there to be destroyed."

"How long will the detonation take?" asked Demyx.

"Three days," said Saïx. "But be warned, there are much fouler things than heartless on that world. These things can cut through our shells and will seek you in the night, waiting for their chance to strike."

"Will they intend to do harm to the bomb?" asked Demyx, his voice filled with worry.

"If they get to the bomb, they'll probably have killed you first," said Saïx with a sadistic smile. "Usually, I would assign someone like Xaldin for this job, but he's busy on an extended mission. So; I guess it's your mission."

A large black portal appeared beside Demyx as he pocketed the bomb within his cloak. Demyx slowly walked towards the portal, gazing into the endless void that lay inside of it.

"Wait," said Saïx.

"Hmm?" asked Demyx as he turned around.

"I forgot to tell you about your partner for this job. It's not that I value your life, but I want this mission to be completed successfully, so you're going to be partnered with one of the most lethal warriors the Organization has. You'll need all the help that you can get, as you won't be able to summon Dusks there."

"W-why not?" asked Demyx.

"The world itself is too unstable for Nobodies. That's why we sent you. You're expendable," said Saïx.

"Thanks," said Demyx sarcastically.

"He's right you know," said a familiar voice.

Demyx turned around as he saw the familiar smirking face of a lithe girl with short blond hair. She smiled at Demyx menacingly, as she dangled his sitar from one of her fingers.

"That's your partner," said Saïx. "I'm sure she'll do a good job."

"I plan to," said Larxene, her voice full of confidence.

Demyx smiled slightly as he stared at his sitar that dangled loosely in front of him. It wouldn't be long now.

They stepped into the portal, completely unaware that this mission would change everything.