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Number Nine had been acting strangely ever since he'd got back from his last mission. Many of the other members had taken notice but just chalked it up to the normally lazy Nobody being tired from actually doing some work.
Xigbar wasn't so sure that was it , though. The way the normally loud and happy blonde walked through the halls of the castle, body tense, hands clenching and unclenching. If he didn't know Demyx so well, he'd say he was looking for a fight.
Currently, his one good eye was watching Demyx sit quietly in the grey room. He looked relaxed, having claimed the entire couch in the corner. This was, again, pretty normal for Demyx . Maybe he was truly just tired. It was just Dem after all. How big of a threat could he be ? Give the other members a cold?
Shaking his head slightly, Xigbar chuckled to himself. Maybe he was the one losing it. A thousand years of solitude was finally starting to get to him. But it’d all be done with soon enough, the old guy would lose, and his master would return. One side of his mouth quirked just thinking about that. It’d be a job well done.
Glancing back over at the blonde, he was surprised when his golden eye was met with shining aquamarine. Demyx grinned at him, waggling his fingers in a mock wave.
Xigbar raised an eyebrow in return , n ot sure what the Nocturne wanted. He found out exactly what only a moment later , as he watched the blonde run a hand down his clothed leg, his mouth slightly open for added effect.
Never breaking eye contact with the sharpshooter, Demyx sat up, making a point to slowly get his coat in order, before standing. He brushed past Xigbar on his way out, no longer bothering to look at him.
Xigbar watched the blonde disappear down the white hall. “The hell?” he muttered under his breath. That was very unlike Demyx. The part of his brain that’d kept him alive for all these long centuries told him not to follow the blonde. Nothing good could come of it. But a larger, louder part, located much further down, informed him to never look a gift horse in the mouth, maybe Dem was just in the mood? That’s not a crime.
Xigbar let out a low whistle as he stood, the logical part of his brain having been beaten into suitable submission. He leisurely made his way towards IV’s room, making no effort to hurry. He knew the blonde would wait. He would’ve come back if he was impatient.
He knocked on Demyx’s door, mostly out of politeness than any need to be let in. Summoning a Dark Corridor past i t easily a moment later.
Demyx was sitting on his bed, idly swinging his legs over the side, but jumped up at Xigbar’s sudden appearance.
“H-hey, I didn’t know if you got my hint.”
“It wasn’t very subtle.” The older answered, raising a single dark brow. “Are you okay? You’re never this-” He trailed off, waving a hand at Demyx to illustrate what he was trying to say.
Demyx giggled , a slightly off-kilter giggle that rang in Xigbar’s ears almost painfully. Wrong , something was very wrong here.
“You know what Dem ? I just remembered The Superior asked me to do something. Raincheck?” he turned back towards the door, hoping for a quick escape and a plan to find Vexen .
Crack
He whipped back ‘round to face the other man, left hand still holding firm to the doorknob. What the fuck was that sound?
“Aw e, come on , Luxu , let's have some fun .” Demyx grinned, stretching his face far too wide.
Xigbar took a step back, single remaining eye wide, much more shocked by that name than the hundreds of sharp , serrated teeth crammed into Demyx’s smile.
“ What did you just say?” Xigbar tried to keep his voice steady, hoping Demyx didn’t notice.
“I said we should have some fun, or am I not good enough anymore?”
“ No ! What did you call me? How do you know that name?” Xigbar could feel a cold sweat beading down his neck, his breathing coming in shorter and shorter breaths.
“ Oh , my sweet Luxu , you always did ask so many questions.” The voice that left the younger man's lips sounded so perfect to Xigbar’s ears, but it stung because he knew it couldn’t be real.
His Master wasn’t here, he wouldn’t be for a long while yet. His task wasn’t complete.
“What are you?” He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but Demyx definitely wasn’t a normal Nobody anymore.
“ hehehehehe ” Demyx took a step forward. “You really wanna know?”
Crack .
Xigbar pushed himself against the door, too stunned to call forth a portal.
Crack .
Demyx tilted his head, grin only growing wider.
Crack , crack, crack .
Xigbar’s eye went wide, watching the Nocturne’s neck snap and distort. Distending beyond what should be possible.
His head was forced upside down, like a sick mimic of an owl. Dirty blonde hair hung down towards the ground, no longer trying to defy gravity.
A crunching noise made Xigbar wince, watching in horror as the bones in Demyx’s right shoulder seemed to pop harshly out of shape.
He watched in silent terror as the musician's arms were given the same treatment his neck already had. The room was filled with the grotesque sounds of bones snapping and joints crackling . If he hadn’t seen it happen, Xigbar wouldn't have recognized the mangled and jagged thing as an arm, let alone a hand and fingers.
In the back of his mind, a small voice told him he needed to do something. Knew that whatever this creature was, it wasn’t Demyx .
With a quick flick of his wrist, Xigbar summoned his arrow-guns, “Where’s the real Demyx ?” He demanded, pointing both barrels at ‘ Demyx’s ’ head.
“Oh, he’s right here ,” came the distorted reply.
Xigbar clenched his fingers around the triggers, not believing this monster for a second. “I’m not going to ask again.” He muttered through gritted teeth.
A manic laugh echoed through the room, seeming to bounce off the walls and ceiling, creating the effect that a great crowd were mocking him.
“You sure you want me to prove it?” The thing with Dem's face took a step forward, grinning wildly.
Squaring his shoulders, Xigbar glared at the distorted face, determined he wouldn’t let it get the better of him. He nearly jumped out of his skin however, when a disembodied voice whispered into the ear on his blind side.
“ Sssay hello to your boyfriend for me .” It laughed
He whipped his head to the side, unsurprised when he saw only empty air. Xigbar tried getting his breathing under control , but was interrupted by a quiet, and all too familiar whimper coming from the monster.
If he’d had a heart, it would have broken at the sight before him. Tears welled up in those deep , aquamarine eyes he loved so much. He could see how they struggled to focus, unsure why the world was turned on its head.
“X-Xiggy?” Demyx sniffled, “What’s happening?” He looked down at his still unaffected left hand, furrowing his brows in confusion.
“Remember, your need for proof is why this is going to happen.” The voice to Xigbar’s right sneered .
The older N obody wasn’t allowed even a second to figure out what that could mean before Demyx started screaming.
He’d b r ought his remaining hand up to his face, only able to watch in horror as each of his long musician fingers were bent and broken. The snapping sounds created as bones splintered were almost covered up by the blonde ’ s cries of pain.
“ XIGGY, ! XIGGY , IT HURTS! ” His wailing b urrowe d into Xigbar’s ears, completely rooting him in place. He didn’t know if there was anything he could do to stop it. All he could do was watch, as one of only two people he’d ever cared about was torn apart.
“Please, oh g od! L- Luxu ! Why does everything hurt ? ”
Xigbar went stock still. This wasn’t the monster talking this time. It was Dem, he could see it in the man's pained eyes. Then how ?
“Surprise!” The whisper mocked. “How’d you think I’d know otherwise?”
“ M-Master? ” He rushed towards the monster, unconcerned for his safety. “Master!” He was so focused on reaching his lost master, he didn’t hear the quiet hiss of ‘ oh , I don’t think so ’ , nor did he notice the jagged blade that his Master's right arm had become, as it swung down and sent hi m crashing into the far wall.
He groaned, holding his head where it’d smashed into the unforgiving concrete wall. Rolling onto his side, Xigbar made to stand , but was pushed down by the blade piercing through his knee-cap. He couldn’t help it, he screamed. The feeling of shards o f his knee splintering out from the wound and into the surrounding flesh.
“Now then,” The monster began, “let me finish before you leave.” It grinned down at Xigbar , the joints of both legs snapping and engorging rapidly, the skin of the ankles tearing as the feet were forced backwards. It was over in less than a minute and reminded Xigbar of a demented cricket's legs.
The creature stretched, popping its spine out as it did so. “Ah , much better.” It said, grinning with its stolen face.
Xigbar sucked in a few shaky breaths, hoping his brain would somehow create a plan. “Where are they?”
“Oh? Your boys? They’re still right here of course.” It replied , tapping next to its left eye. “Don't want them to miss the show.”
Xigbar’s single eye went wide in horror as he gazed into that eye. It was different from the other one, where the right was a dirty green, glowing almost in the low light of the room, the left was almost unchanged. That same , beautiful colour as always. The only difference was the sadness he could see within it, the pain of wanting to look away but being unable too.
“But enough with the dilly-dallying! Let's get down to business, shall we?” It tapped a mangled finger against its chin. “I really want to know what’s under that eyepatch of yours. Sounds like a good a place as any to start . ”
He tried to scurry away, hissing as it caused the blade pinning him to tear more at his flesh. His back hit the cold wall ; there was nowhere to go. In a last-ditch effort, he re-summoned his guns, only to have them carelessly tossed aside by the creature. The y hit the floor and shattered, not dematerializing as they should. Xigbar grunted, curling his body around his midsection as a wave of pain hit him. It felt like a limb had been wrenched from its socket. His weapons were gone .
“Now, now. Don’t be like that . This’ll be fun .” Broken fingers gripped the sharpshooter's neck, slamming his head back into the wall. The world spun for Xigbar , but was bought back to sharp focus as the blade in his leg was yanked out.
Bringing the bastardized finger up to Xigbars face, ‘ Demyx ’ snapped the cord holding his eyepatch in place. The scrap of fabric fluttered harmlessly down to the floor, revealing the scar r ed lid beneath.
Xigbar knew it couldn’t shut properly, the milky bottom of the useless eye left peeking out between the sealed eyelids.
“ Oh~ ! you’ve still got the eye. How fun ! I do need it out of the way though.”
Xigbar watch ed in horror as the jagged finger slowly inched towards his blind side. His hands uselessly scrap ed at the wrist and hand holding his neck. He’d lost sight of the other hand, only able to see a faint shape from the corner of his good eye.
All at once , a gurgling scream passed his lips as the monster laughed. The thin tip of sharpened bone had pushed in beside his eye. Nerves he hadn’t realized still worked shot pained signals to his brain. He felt the ‘ blade ’ shift, pushing on the back of his eye ball . With a sickening pop , he felt it land on his cheek, hanging limply by the still - intact optic nerve.
The feeling of it swinging like that was overwhelming ; Xigbar felt like he may pass out. He was quickly denied such a luxury as the monster sliced straight through the nerve holding his eye, using its stubs of fingers to bring it up to its face.
“Wow! This eye ’ s still brown! Does that mean you’re only half as important?”
Not caring for an answer, the creature lifted the eye to its mouth, snaking its tongue out to lick around the iris. “The eyes are always the best you know. But , I have to save one so you can watch. I get this one as a n appetizer though.” It g r inned, popping the abused eye into its mouth.
Xigbar couldn’t look away as sharp teeth pierced into his eye, bursting it like a perfectly ripe grape. Liquid dribbled down, ( up? ), it’s face, staining Demyx’s cheeks.
Xigbar couldn’t bring himself to look at where he knew Demyx was being forced to watc h. H e wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt he’d see reflected there.
Abruptly , the monster released his throat, causing Xigbar to tip sideways, unable to hold himself upright.
Using the last of his willpower, he rolled onto his front, dragging his body along with his shaking hands. If he could just get to the door, get a few seconds to calm, he’d be able to summon a portal. Get the others in here.
His desperate scrambling quickened as he heard scraping behind him. He didn’t dare look back, not wanting to know if he was being hunted. Better to believe he had a chance.
“I do so love it when they run. He thinks he’s got a chance, how sweet.” The bladed arm swung down, missing Xigbar ’ s head by mere centimetres .
Flinching away out of instinct, Xigbar cracked his injured knee hard into the ground, crying out in shock. Wicked laughter followed him from behind, the blade swinging down again moments later.
Xigbar recoiled in horror, unable to process what had happened. The bade, now covered in his blood, had cut right through his left hand, severing everything above the knuckle. His remaining thumb swivelled uselessly as blood began to pool around the wound.
He tried pushing off the ground with his remaining good hand and leg, inching ever closer to the door. He could feel blood welling up inside his glove as he dragged the now useless limb. Ignoring the warm liquid as it began to trickle down his arm, causing the sleeve of his coat to stick uncomfortably to his skin .
This time , he managed to get over halfway to the door before the creature once again struck. Slamming its mangled foot down onto the back of Xigbar ’ s already shattered knee. The scream that escaped the older man's lips was loud enough that someone had to have heard it.
Wr etched, unwelcome sobs poured from Xigbar ’ s mouth ; the pain was immense but worse than that, he knew he’d failed. Failed his Master , failed to protect the only man he’d ever loved. Two men he’d realized , much too late , were apparently one and the same. If this thing was to be trusted.
“Have I broken you so soon? What a shame. I had so much more planned.” The creature grabbed Xigbar ’ s right arm, pulling it back with a sickening snap . Dropping the appendage, it grabbed his ponytail and yank ed him back towards the wall. “It’ll still be fun though. I promise .”
In one , swift movement, Xigbar was shoved against cold brick once more. He was held up by his throat, legs dangling helplessly. The creature grinned before plunging the sharpened bone of its hand into his shoulder, pinning him in place.
He didn’t even cry out, almost numb to the pain by now. Instead, he just gazed silently at the face he’d adored so much, now distorted into a cruel joke of what it once was.
“ Naw , you really have given up . G uess I’ll just get on with it , then.” Grabbing Xigbars free arm, the monster began to twist, tearing the shoulder joints and ripping flesh. As the last sinews were pulled apart, Xigbar felt himself slip into blackness. He didn’t know if he screamed in his final seconds, but he heard the monster clear as day , speak just before his world went black.
“I can’t wait to eat that other eye.”
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It wasn’t until three days later that anyone noticed that II and IV were missing. Upon further searching, it became clear that both N obodies were dead. Not a single member of the Organiza t ion could come up with a plausible theory as to how.
Xemnas brushed it off, saying they needed to return to collecting hearts ; the deaths of two of their own unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
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Everything was normal in the worlds for a few months, until a certain brunette entered the mysterious tower after a long mission. He walked silently through the halls, not even glancing at the silver-haired boy as he was welcomed home.
Concerned, the keyblade master went to the resident wizard for help.
“Master Yen Sid, I think something’s wrong with Sora.”