A/N: First Roxiri, now DemyxNamine. What the heck is wrong with me? Oh, yeah. Bronchitus. Hence this whole ficlet idea.

Good Lord, I'm writing crack pairings. When did this happen? I've only ever written canon. This isn't even canon-ish like Roxiri or Larxel. But I kinda like the idea of NamineDemyx. Even though the age difference makes this borderline pedophilia.

So anyway, just a sweet little oneshot inspired by my own hacking bronchitus. Most of Namine's comments concerning her health is exactly how I feel right now. Bleh. Anyway, I digress. Enjoy this product of my suffering.

Disclaimer: I own neither Kingdom Hearts nor "Beyond the Sea". All I own is a bad case of bronchitus.

Lullaby Syrup

Demyx paused outside of Naminé's door at the sound of a horrid, hacking cough. Poor Naminé wasn't sick, was she?

"…if the melodious nimrod doesn't get here soon, I'm gonna-Demyx!" Larxene exclaimed as she exited the room. Her surprise quickly turned to aggravation. "There you are! It's your turn to watch the brat." Demyx heard the coughing again.

"Is Naminé sick?" He asked.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Yup. Bronchitis. Poor kid's been hacking up her lungs for a couple of days. She's so sick even I feel sorry for her. Anyway, she's contagious, so be careful. Took you long enough getting here, by the way. I'm sick of hearing her coughing."

Demyx frowned. He'd had Bronchitis once in middle school, and he couldn't remember it being any fun. He waved goodbye to Larxene and entered Naminé's room. The tiny girl looked up at him as he entered.

She was lying in bed looking even more frail and pale than she usually did. Her bedside table was hidden under a pile of anti-biotics, cough syrups and cold medicines.

"Hey kiddo," He greeted kindly.

Naminé gave a weak smile. "Hi Demyx," she said hoarsely.

Demyx took a seat in the chair beside her bed. Naminé coughed. "No offense, but you looked like death warmed over."

Naminé coughed again. "I feel like death warmed over." Cue another bronchial burst. "Scratch that. I feel like death warmed over, refrigerated, warmed over again, and then stuck in the freezer to develop freezer burn." Cough.

Demyx chuckled. "Aww, I'm sorry. Has any of the medicine helped?"

The tiny girl shook her head. "No." Cough, hack, coughhack wheeze. "I've coughed so much that my abs hurt." More violent coughing. Demyx frowned. Naminé was such a frail, sweet little kid. Demyx wished he knew how to cheer her up.

"I haven't felt like doing anything. I can't draw, I can't paint…I want to, but I can't…" A fellow artist unable to carry out artistic expression, now this simply would not do!

"Sorry…hey, you know what I was thinking the other day?" the nocturne began, thinking of a way to cheer the small girl up.

"What?" She asked; her question followed by a hacking attack that shook her whole frame.

"Analogy."

"What?"

"Analogy. The word. I was trying to think of a rhyme for analogy." Demyx explained excitedly.

Naminé raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'm delusional, but I couldn't sworn you just said-"

"No, see, I was thinking, isn't analogy such a funny word?"

Naminé thought about this for a second, coughed, and then giggled. "I guess it kind of is."

Demyx smiled. "You know what's funnier about it?"

Naminé sat up a little more in bed, smiling. "What?"

"Doesn't it sound like some sort of disease? Like, I have chronic intestinal analogy."

Naminé let this comment sink in, and then broke out into peals of uncontrollable laughter, occasionally punctured by her dry, hacking coughs. Demyx smiled. She looked so cute when she laughed.

"Demyx," she said, as her laughter died down. "You are such a dork!"

Demyx frowned, "Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not times ten!"

"Are too times one hundred!"

"Am not times infinity forever and ever!"

"…" Naminé opened her mouth to reply, but a pause and a cough was all that came out. Unable to come up with a suitable reply, she simply stuck her tongue out at him. Demyx pretended to be highly insulted, and stuck his tongue out at her.

Naminé finally gave up and slumped back down into her blankets. This action brought on another fit of hacking and wheezing. Naminé sat up and groaned.

"I'm so sleepy…" she moaned, rubbing at her eyes.

Demyx frowned in sympathy for the ailing nobody. "Why don't you just go to sleep then?"

Naminé looked like she might cry. "I can't! Every time I try to sleep, whether I'm laying down flat, or propped up on pillows, I start coughing so much that it keeps me awake! I can't sleep, and it's killing me! I'm so tired! But I just can't get to sleep!"

Demyx rushed forward and wrapped a comforting arm around the tiny girl's shoulders. "There, there. It'll get better soon! I promise."

Naminé sniffled. She looked pleadingly up at Demyx. "Will you play me a lullaby?" Demyx was taken aback by her request, but smiled nonetheless.

"Sure. I know one I bet you'll like. It's called 'Beyond the Sea.' Do you know it?" He said kindly, summoning his sitar.

She nodded. "It's a song about a sailor who wants to get home to his lover."

Demyx nodded. He strummed his sitar.

"..."

Naminé was already getting drowsy. Demyx smiled. "You sing."

Naminé shook her head violently. "I'm sick. I sound horrible just talking. I'd sound absolutely atrocious if I tried to sing."

Demyx chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I don't care. Come on, just a little." He gave her a huge grin.

Naminé giggled. "Okay."

Demyx played the opening chords on his sitar, and Naminé joined in.

"Somewhere,

Beyond the sea,"

Her voice was small and shaky, and cracked constantly, especially on the higher notes. And yet, there was something strangely beautiful about her singing. Demyx guessed that she would have a beautiful voice if she wasn't sick.

"Somewhere, waiting for me.

My lover stands on golden sands,

And watches the ships that go sailing."

She coughed. "That's all I know." She coughed again. "I sounded horrible."

Demyx laughed. "I think you sounded pretty."

Naminé shook her head and punched his arm. "You're lying. But thank you anyway." She had another minute or two of hacking, but after recovering she scrutinized him. "Isn't this supposed to be a lullaby? You're supposed to be singing to me."

Demyx frowned playfully. "Busted! Alright then! I'll throw some magic in to this lullaby to insure that you sleep well and sound!"

Naminé snuggled into her covers and smiled.

Demyx smiled back at her before he began playing.

"Somewhere, beyond the sea,

Somewhere, waiting for me.

My lover stands on, golden sands,

And watches the ships that go sailin."

Naminé's eyelids were drooping, and she was breathing more slowly.

"Somewhere, she's watching for me.

If I could fly like birds on high,

Then straight to her arms, I'll go sailin.

It's far, beyond the stars. It's near, beyond the moon.

I know, beyond a doubt, my heart, will lead me there soon."

Naminé was quickly slipping into slumber, but Demyx kept playing; feeling more and more at peace the further into sleep that the tiny pale nobody fell.

"We'll meet, beyond the shore.

We'll kiss just like before.

Happy we'll be, beyond the sea.

And never again, I'll go sailin."

She was already almost fully, asleep, but just to make sure his young friend slept well, Demyx added one final verse.

"Somewhere,

Beyond the sea,

Somewhere, waiting for me.

My lover stands on, golden sands,

And watches the ships that go sailin."

Naminé was fast asleep now; her dreams carrying her far away to sandy beaches and crashing waves.

Demyx smiled and leaned down; gently placing a kiss on Naminé's cheek.

"Night, Naminé."

She smiled in her sleep and burrowed deeper into her pillow, her coughing temporarily eased.

Demyx smiled once more, and turned the lights off, still humming to himself.

"Oh yes, she's there, waiting for me…"

FINI

This pairing needs more love. One page, that's just sad. Reviews, please. It'll make me forget that I just hacked up my right lung.