Someone Told Me... (Finished)

Ienzo sighed to nobody in particular, his back against the crystals that made up this odd fissure. Radiant Garden was a place of Light, yes, but the world around the Castle had been decimated a long time ago, left as empty ruins and destroyed landscape. The pale sky hung above it, grayed by the mutilations that held it to the horizon. That was too close. The Heartless that had attacked Kairi, if that was indeed who that girl was, had gone too far. He never had a chance for success. That is, until the little bottom-feeder jumped into the fray.

Ienzo disappeared soon after his intervention in order to prevent the wild accusations and hateful glares that would have gone his way if Ruold would have stayed. He's making things hard... The schemer thought as he looked out over the fissure. It honestly doesn't matter, I guess. I'll be here for good soon enough.

A voice echoed out over the ruins and Ienzo closed his eyes. His vision delved into the shadows, and as he traced out the shadows of the ruins, his perspectives multiplied. Even as a Heartless, something beyond human, he couldn't watch from every perspective at once. Instead, he viewed every angle differently, switching his attention through them, looking for colors and shapes that didn't belong where they were. Eventually, his mind came to rest on a girl and a silvery-white creature. She was close-by.

The Heartless dived into the shadows, making his way backwards, and reformed at a wall, his arms crossed, in front of her. He didn't plan on getting too close- that beast would maul his ass. Instead, he just wanted to talk. Explain. Attempt to reason. He lifted his hands up in the air in a show of peace, the Heartless in the area immediately backing off. They wouldn't hurt her as long as he was here- if they so much as moved he'd kill them. The creatures disappeared quite fast.

"I want to explain." The man with silver eyes wondered if this would go at all as planned.

The Heartless watched the girl and her stag, fully alert. This was a dangerous position for him...

"I have to correct you on that-" he said, crossing his arms. "As unbelievable as it may seem, I'm on your side." He sighed. If only this girl understood how powerful she was. The Organization might not have any trouble in her presence, but the Heartless weren't so lucky. if she knew that she could banish his body with a single burst of energy, maybe she would see how he was making a sacrifice here. "That man who just left, he was a fool and should have died back there, along with his lackey. I would have helped you if not for the fool who stood in my way."

He eyed the stag nervously as Kairi started to turn away. Reporting him would do no good. Tifa was out and about with Squall and the rest of the RGRUC, and if Kairi told her they would simply have a talk. "Kairi, you should know not all Heartless are bad. If they were, then why did you stick around to save Sora?" Honestly, the stereotypes were getting on Ienzo's nerves. But while Kairi was powerful, she was still young. Perhaps, in time, she could understand that Darkness was just the other side of the coin. And Ienzo was still a person, for the most part. If anything, he felt pain better than any emotion, considering its dark nature. "If you want to know my reason to join you, it's just as Dark as I am. Nonetheless, I still choose you over the Darkness."

"My name is Ienzo. It's nice to finally meet you, for however much that is worth."

Ienzo grinned. "If I answer your questions... Will you listen? Or just stomp away again?" The Heartless hadn't quite expected this vehement fury from a Princess, but he welcomed it. Might as well get it all out of the way now. He threw his black hair to the side slightly, his Heart sinking when he realized that he looked just like Zexion now. How boring... The schemer never seemed that fun. From what his data showed, the man only experimented on things with Vexen.

Creepy.

Needless to say, Ienzo preferred to work alone. The few times he did work with Even, he didn't really say much more than the work required. The memories were static and boring... Luckily, the missions assigned by the all-glorified Seeker were done for him now. Or at least he hoped. He listened to her rant, keeping a respectful "hands down" approach. He had nothing to hide, and was here only to talk. He honestly didn't worry about her talking to the RGRUC. If she were to tell Yuffie, the ninja might flip shit a little, but Tifa or Merlin could explain the dealio. At the time, Ienzo was pretty sure Squall was absent for his arrival, but the Heartless was sure that he had a word of trust within Radiant Garden.

"To be honest, I don't know your Sora personally. We've never met, and not for bad reasons; I've never crossed his path. But I know a lot. I study the World and the people in them. And that's why I'm here to help you guys. I can tell you everything, no problem from me, if you'll just relax a bit. I understand that honesty is plausible here and I offer no deal- I will tell you anything you need to know, in the event that it's within my knowledge or experience." His silver eyes closed, but his eyes in the shadow were watching the ethereal creature at her side for movement, ready to disappear in a moment provided it rushed him.

Damn, that thing was scary.

"And I can leave if that's what you truly want. But in your place, to grow stronger and fight the Heartless, wouldn't it do you well to learn more about them? Or at least know what's been happening. You may be able to understand what your friend Riku does... I've talked to him a little about it as well. Unfortunately, one of the Organization members cut our conversation short." He bowed his head. "I'm here, and I have answers you may seek. I don't expect you to trust me, but at least take them into options as a show of my gratitude for being allowed to live here?"

What was on her mind? Frantic thoughts? Jumbles of options? Ienzo couldn't tell from her eyes. Her attitude was too erratic right now to read anything from her, so he could only expect the worst to happen. If she sent him off, that was understandable. Perhaps the RGRUC could explain it to her. Riku had only a passing conversation with him, so he was surely still a little suspicious. Thus was the fate of a Heartless, it seemed.

Ienzo nodded as she spoke. The Keyblade brandished at him gave a moment of fear, but he quickly realized that he could avoid it if necessary. I hope to hell that isn't necessary, he couldn't help but think. Kairi attacking him meant a lot of mixed emotions with the Keybladers. And the RGRUC wouldn't be happy with the mess. The stag creature was watching him, he could feel it. Even when he was attempting to ignore it. Needless to say, the Heartless didn't sweat.

If I tell her what I want she'll just blow it off and toast my ass... The Heartless thought. This was a sticky situation, but it was necessary. It provided at least some tie to Kairi. Giving her information of his existence was key- it showed that he wasn't hiding anything, first off.

"I tried to help you as much as possible, but the Heartless that ran away- Ruold- if he felt something was suspicious he would tell the one you know as Ansem. The one who watches us all. And that would be bad for both me and the RGRUC. Doesn't matter how many portals I throw up to try and help, if Ansem interferes, we might both die." As bad as that sounded, it was unfortunately true. The Heartless was skirting on the edge of disaster right now in far more ways than one; such was his nature. Ienzo wanted Ansem-

His eyes widened as he realized what he wanted her to know might be that which saves him. The thing he wanted most. Maybe she would understand. Hopefully, she might agree with him.

"With all due respect, what I am about to say will sound very heartless," he warned, no pun intended. "But the reason I want your help is because I want Ansem dead, just as much as the RGRUC does." The cold words left his lips and he felt a little embarrassment. Had he ever told anybody that before? That he was so inferior to Ansem he needed help getting rid of him? "That man stripped me of my body, my family, and my home over ten years ago. Ansem the Wise died at his hands, or rather, was banished. I was torn from my body and have since been used as his puppet. I am here for a more personal reason, not to be a spy for a dictator who's already fallen once. Why else would I be here, in Radiant Garden? For safety? No, I can disappear. I need no haven. I came here because this is the one true place I felt I belonged. And I was right. Tifa gave me the benefit of a doubt and since, I've been a resourceful data-collector." His silver eyes betrayed a flicker of something. Maybe memories of happiness. Memories were all he had anymore.

"We don't choose to be Heartless," he continued. "Maybe Ansem, but not the rest of us. Some accepted it as fate. Some died. I hated him for what he did to us." To Elaeus. To the rest of the Apprentices that watched over him like family. Those kids who always played outside the front gates. Ten years ago was a long time, and Ienzo, to this day, still erupted at the thought of what he did. How Ansem tricked him into beguiling his father. No, not Ansem, that wasn't his name. Ienzo used to call him...

Xehanort.

"I came here to at least meet you, hopefully to speak words of peace. My ulterior motives are the same as the RGRUC's, aside from different personal reasons. If these are the answers you seek then I lay them out before you, and I can only hope you don't ridicule me for my mistakes. I'm doing my best to learn from them."

Ienzo felt the heat raging within his chest subside as Kairi didn't shoot him to hell and back. Or maybe... He was just angry to admit his faults. In the end, they all got played. How did Xehanort know exactly what they would find? He was intelligent, but so much more than they had anticipated. That plot, wherever it came from, was ready to ensnare them from the beginning. And it ended with Ansem dying and Ienzo's fall into Darkness.

The last Apprentice was the one who got hit the most by it. He was a child back then, after all. But the Darkness had taught him well.

But- back to the subject. Ienzo wasn't dead. Kairi was hearing him out. He breathed a mental sigh of relief. Damn... The feeling of life suddenly seemed a lot more enticing as it flooded through his body, to the tips of his fingertips. The raven-haired Heartless could taste the fear though, and did his best to explain. Why did he want her approval? He honestly didn't know. He just needed to talk to her.

"My data was actually on the Dark XII. The most recent, anyways. I have data ranging from over a year ago to now on various worlds, persons, and powers, which was a duty assigned to me when I awoke. For the RGRUC, I have collected data on my peers- which is difficult to do because a Heartless can change in nature and ability."

The old data... Involved her too. The fact that she reigned from Radiant Garden. That she was one of the Princesses, or the fact that she was the closest to Sora than any other person, save his own Nobody. Sora had a vast collection of data that Ienzo had seen to personally. Why? He had the ability to hide in shadow. To watch, without scent or sight. Just like a Neo-Shadow, the creatures that seemed to flock to him.

Did he enjoy these abilities? Ienzo didn't care about them. They weren't good or bad, but another part of life, just like a person's eye color or temperament. Genetics, in a Heartless way. He couldn't change himself so he tended to just use them without thinking about the ends they entrailed.

"I've made mistakes. I won't use "youthful innocence" an excuse," he said. He stared at her, realizing something. It had been ten or eleven years since that day... He grinned. The grin wasn't out of happiness or sarcasm, but it help a more sorrowful touch. "I just now realized that if the Darkness hadn't consumed me- I would be around the same age as you." Instead, the Darkness tainted his body and time became a flux inside of the Darkness. Like Ansem the Wise once said, Darkness in Zero. In whatever realm he became a part of, time affected his body differently, and he came older than what was meant to be.

Back to the subject, damnit. You're talking to much, Ienzo. He caught himself wasting time and valuable words- note, she hadn't lowered her weapon yet. "I don't really get it all myself. I don't know why I was driven to talk to you. Maybe it's where I felt an apology was most in order."

"After all, I'm part of the reason this all came to happen in the first place."
Wasn't her home destroyed when his was? Or could she remember that far back?

Ienzo could feel whatever emotional walls he had breached begin to replace themselves. At that moment he was reminded of Demyx, for some odd reason. Despite his lack of emotions, the creature couldn't stop his artificial ones from showing. Ever.

Disgusting... The Heartless needed to compose himself better in the future.

An alarming chain of events.
The beast. It spoke to him! Ienzo's eyes widened as he stared at the creature. It was... Radiant Garden? First off, the Light was sentient. That was terrifying. Secondly, it was derived from this very World. Holy... Ienzo held his breath as the creature spoke. Naturally, it was telling him what Tifa was too polite to say. 'Don't start problems here and you're good, Ienzo.' The Heartless' steely eyes flashed. No problem, he had the Dark XII under control.

Kairi then lowered her Keyblade finally, allowing Ienzo a moment's reprieve. What did it matter that she was bluffing if he had two Light beings very unhappy with him? Ienzo was far more vulnerable to Light than his comrades, meaning that her abilities could be fatal if he wasn't careful. The Heartless listened to her words and shrugged. "I don't remember if we ever met, unfortunately. And I didn't want to fabricate anything." Saying that they had met before might have been true, but Ienzo honestly couldn't remember anything but being with Ansem... And Xehanort, of course.

Ienzo didn't know what to say about Ruold. There wasn't much to say about that man. He was here against Ansem's will, that much was certain. "The Heartless you met earlier was doing his own thing. Most likely looking for brownie points with the head honcho." The dark-haired one was feeling much more relaxed without the threat of impending doom lingering above his head. "And he's probably going to keep that kid human- they use the humans as spies because we Dark XII are easy to distinguish by the Claymores or magically-inclined beings." Except for me, of course. My jacket does well to make me at least seem human. "At the moment the Dark XII are moving, and I'm doing my best to prevent any long-term damage," he added, tapping his fingers together. "But it's not something that can be done in an instant, I've been playing this game for a long time. I can't tell what outcome may happen."

Oh comet, come down

Ienzo stopped. What was the movement? This was the moment that Ienzo had been hoping wouldn't come. Telling her exactly what was about to be set in motion. This is where his job became difficult. They can't know too much; that's the general rule. If they do, Ansem loses a battle and gets suspicious. And begins to question the loyalty of his subjects.

Or the good guys know too little and end up hurt.

Kamikaze over me

So... Ienzo sighed and dropped his voice, looking at the bull. "At the moment I'm having difficulties reaching the RGRUC," he said calmly. "So maybe it's best that I tell you. You at least have a Keyblade." His silver eyes flashed. Telling Tifa would be safer, but she was nowhere to be found. It was a hopeless feeling. This time his thoughts were directed at the bull. It seemed to have some form of psychic power, so perhaps it could share the message without any chance of interception. "My organization will be at Twilight Town soon, to take the magician's tower on the outskirts of the World. There they will attempt to subdue the powerful sorcerer known as Yen Sid."

The walls... He could feel their eyes on his back. He wondered if Ruold was still in the area. If the Heartless was expecting him to act, even after his departure. In that event, he would be sorely disappointed- Ienzo had eyes waiting in the shadows waiting for the slightest scent.

And I come alive

The next part he said directly to Kairi, not an attempt to speak to her ethereal creature. "But I don't think we'll have enough time to plan anything. This is entirely on me." He clenched his fists at the thought. Multiple members were attempting this mission; he was there when Ansem assigned it. The objective was to separate them, then take them on one by one... Or let Yen Sid do it for him. Worst case scenario, Ansem appeared and Ienzo died. "I've decided to retire from their ranks during this mission. Sadly, I can't promise I'll be any help. At least I can be some form of distraction."

My midnight melody