Tying loose ends [o]

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Radiant Garden.

Over the last three years, it was growing by to its former glory like a rose bushed trying to bloom after missing a season due to harsh winters. He wished it was just a frost that overthrown his home, but that was a childish thought to make her sufferings diminutive; it would be cowardly on his part to not openly accept that his ambitions and foolishness alongside his comrades distorted this world. Every now and then he wondered if it would’ve been better if it had fallen into darkness. It would only call for the keyblade to restore it rather than the sweaty backs of men with a bitter reminder. Then again, he must correct himself; many victims of heartless were bitter to them. And yet he wonders how many acknowledged they were human at one point, or so he thought. That idea made his lamenting deeper if he could harness that much sadness and guilt; grabbing deep into that pit only made him sick before he swiftly locked it away. In homage to them, he graciously held on to his Lexcion; sacrifices had to be made in its creation and usage, but this for sure was for good unlike all of those countless hearts he experimented on. There was a sighing relief when he found the lab empty of their tests subjects; although the heartless machine was still there, it hadn’t been used or activated since that incident with Space Paranoids.

“To think that a world resided within a computer, but I suppose anything is possible in this endless universe.”

Ienzo was basking in the gardens that he’d dubiously worked on early. There was fresh soil; the debris was bagged away; the flowers were neatly pruned; the hedges were finely trimmed; and the former scientist was curled up on a bench with The Book of Knowledge to his chest. This was his meditation corner and one of the few places that brought him peace of mind. The labs and castle were out of the question; anyone who thought otherwise was simply naïve to what plagued him. He does slip into the castle walls from time to time, but his stay wasn’t long. Even his old bedroom remained abandoned as he resided elsewhere in town. He hadn’t talked to him comrades recently, but he hoped they understood and gave him space. Some may say it’s been over three years, so get over it; but he personally thought they were people as mentally weaker than he was. Yes, he had issues with his darkness, but he wouldn’t deny its existence.

Darkness was in the palm of his hands right now in the guise of a humble book. He wondered if the heartless insignia was off-putting. At this point people should have more to judge him on than a mere book, but he preferred being an enigma and shadow amongst them. It’s better if they didn’t know.

“They may not know what I’ve done, but they may see the success I strive for, and you will help me,” he wasn’t delusional to talk to himself, but to anyone it would just as odd to talk to a book. “I should apologize for making you a servant, but it wouldn’t be in-vain. When we part ways, I’ll simply relinquish all of you. Fortunately being simple-minded works in my favor; you won’t recall any of this.”

“Before I leave to study your brothers, I should leave this world in good hands. Sure there’s the committee, but they can only do so much.”

In the back of his mind, he was already deducing a few things; he needed to go back in the castle.

[Deleted]

(As promised.)

The sun was up and the sky was blue. A peaceful wind blew through the town known as Radiant Garden. Radiant Garden, like Twilight Town or Traverse Town, was a strange place to visit. It was a place that was a mix of old and new buildings, patched up areas and shops, common day residents and travelers, and strange castles of both Light and Dark.

Yes, this world was definitely strange to anyone new to it. Confusing and yet fascinating at the same time, Garden was a place to explore and discover new things, but it was also a place to be cautious of. For underneath the peaceful mask of this town, the place held many dark secrets that spoke of wars, black magic, science, and deadly shadows. To one new to this place, to stumble upon any of these nasty secrets would probably get said person in a world of trouble for meddling; however, for one particular mercenary meddling did not get him in trouble.

Deshitana, a strange man that was neither new nor a constant to Radiant Garden, had returned to this humble town after being gone almost a year after falling into the Darkness. While the people recognized his name, they unfortunately did not recognize his form and upon first coming back, the quiet mercenary had almost been attack by members from the Committee that protected this place and townsfolk alike; however, after much talking and convincing the townsfolk that he was indeed still the same mercenary from a year ago and not some creature out to get them, the blades, brooms, and other household items that were going to be used against him were slowly put away as the townsfolk allowed him and his foxes to stay in the town.

It took another week or two for the people to relax around the mercenary and actually begin hiring him once more for work, but he did not mind the wait. After all, his current form wasn’t exactly the most pleasant one and while it would’ve been smarter to hide in another form, Deshi was not about hiding things from people. He would either be accepted or shunned. That was all that was to it.

In any case, while it was true that most of the jobs around here did not pay well, Deshitana did not come here hunting for huge rewards. If he had wanted big prizes he would’ve gone to hunting back home, but the mercenary was in no mood for that sort of play. No, he had come to Radiant Garden to dig into its dark secrets.

The mercenary knew from information floating about and experiences that the best way to find out about the strangeness that were the Heartless and the Darkness, one had to dive directly into their strange world or take a safer path and gain information from the secrets that Radiant Garden was rumored to have. And having no desire to revisit the dark world any time soon, Deshi had decided to take the safer route to see if Garden had what he sought; however, as the mercenary moved through the narrow streets of the town on his hunt for information, he had begun to wonder if these rumors he had were lies.

Everywhere he searched in town for his information had led him to one dead end after another. Sure, the people knew of the Heartless, but they only knew them as something that attacked them and so in turn should be destroyed. As for the books he had found thus far, they were pretty much just as useless to the mercenary’s goals as the words spoken by the townsfolk were. Everything was either pointless information or things he already knew and what was already known would simply not do.

If he was going to aid the worlds with this whole Heartless and Darkness issue, then he needed to understand his targets even deeper than the basics…and perhaps in understanding his targets, he would finally understand his own darkness and the even stranger darkness he felt scattered around the world. The mercenary wanted to know… was what he was told to fight really that bad? Could it be destroyed? Or should it be left alone? What happened if it got wiped out completely? Wouldn’t the lack of darkness cause chaos in the world?

He wasn’t sure of the answers to the questions that plagued his mind day and night. Deshi didn’t understand why these questions were so bothersome now, but something had changed within him when he met his Darkness face-to-face within that strange world that had changed his formed, but also his perspective on things. The whole ordeal had made him want something more than what he already knew…and not getting said something was doing nothing to help his mood.

How frustrating, Deshi thought to himself as he rounded the corner and came to a dead end street. Finding the dead an ironic and literal symbol of what his search for information and something more had been like, Deshi sighed to himself as he moved over to the wall and let himself flop against it causing the bells upon him to jingle from the force of his body colliding with the solid substance. Sliding down the wall, Deshi let his body fold into a sitting position on the hard and dirty ground.

With his back against the wall and his legs bent at the knees, Deshi rested his strange arms against his knees as his white claws drummed lightly against his shin. Seeing their owner sitting, the white and black fox that followed the mercenary around quickly took advantage of the situation as they hurried over to jump into his lap.

Allowing the action to happen, Deshi watched as the white fox Rose pushed her brother Snow off of his lap before nodding and stretching out upon her now claimed bed. The little black fox Snow, seemed to be disappointed at first, but then coming up with a better idea, the black fox took a few steps back before making a running leap at Deshi.

Hardly blinking, Deshi took the impact of the fox grabbing his arm not minding the pull of claws against the black fabric along his arm as Snow climbed his way up his arm and onto his shoulder. Leaning forward slightly, Deshi gave the little fox room to stretch himself across both shoulders before he came to a rest and nuzzled his cheek lightly. Deshi returned the love with a nuzzle of his own as he face buried into the black fur with a slight smile.

A bit jealous of her brother, Rose shifted in her spot and pawed at Deshi’s chest for attention. Looking down at her, the mercenary chuckled lightly as he moved his left hand to careful pet the little white fox.

“What would I do without you two, hmm?” he asked the foxes gently as he felt the earlier frustration with his information hunting slowly melting away. These foxes…they knew just what to do to pull him out of a foul mood and in turn, helped the mercenary clear his mind and be calm once more. Their former owner had that special skill too…

Shaking his mentally to stop his mind from going down memory lane, Deshi instead began to focus on his next steps in this information hunting as continued to pet Rose for a while longer.

Perhaps…the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed. While it was true he was no wiser than when he first came to this town in regards to the Heartless and Darkness, it was also true that Deshu hadn’t covered everything in town yet. He still needed to find a way to explore the dark castle a young man called Noctis had told him about. While the young man had indeed pointed the mercenary in the right direction and told him that maybe if he sought the library that was in that castle he could get some answers; however, before the guy could show him how to get into said castle, he had been called away by one of the townsfolk whose matter was more pressing than information finding.

Letting Noctis go, Deshi had hoped to meet the guy again and gain more information the dark castle, but Noctis never did show up again and when he asked the townspeople about the dark haired man a day or two later, they had said he must’ve left to take care of something elsewhere for his gummi ship was no longer in port.

Disappointed with that crumpled plan, Deshi had spent a few hours studying the dark castle and had even attempted to fly over to the imposing structure in a different form; however, upon getting near the strange structure, the beast within started acting up forcing the mercenary to retreat back towards the town lest he lose himself to the Beast.

Agitated with the failed attempt, Deshi had been forced to wander the town once more looking for more options as the Beast within continued to toss uncomfortably within. Wandering that was getting him nowhere.

Sighing inwardly, Deshi looked blankly down at the foxes now that both had agreed to share the space on his lap and were resting peacefully side-by-side.

“So with the dark castle out of way for the moment, where does that put us?” Deshi muttered to foxes as he moved his leg a bit, shifting the cradle created by his bent legs and arms curled around his knees.

Unphased by the movement, the pair just blinked at up at him silently not giving him an answer this time around. Sighing lightly out loud, Deshi shook his head as he leaned his head back against the wall and looked up at the sky with crimson colored eyes. His tail curled this way and that way on the ground as continued to ponder his next steps; however, his thoughts were cut short when his sensitive ears caught the sound of someone talking on the other side of the wall.

“Hm?” Deshi said quietly as his foxes became alert and hopped off his lap as he shifted his weight and stood up with a light jingling of bells. Tilting his head back a bit more, Deshi looked towards the top of the high wall he had been leaning against and took note that there were some tree limbs peeking just above it. Taking the trees as a sign of someone’s personal property, Deshi crouched down for a second allowing the two foxes to climb up to his shoulders before he was pushing off the ground…and reaching out with his claws for the wall before him.

Illogical and as silly as it was to a normal person, like a cat, Deshi climbed the side of the concrete wall, his claws digging easily into the wall’s material as he moved upward. Within seconds, Deshi had reached the top of the wall and after sniffing the air and peeking over the edge of the wall, he did indeed find that he was looking over into someone’s garden and if his nose wasn’t lying to him, then there was a something within said garden that was not plant, bug, or creature.

A resident then? Deshi wondered to himself as he pulled himself onto the thin ledge balancing easily with the use of his white tipped tail. Carefully, he reached out for one of the tree branches and pulled himself into the trees as his foxes clung to him to keep from falling. Moving relatively quiet despite his bells, Deshi continued to move through the tree tops until he found the source of the odd smell from earlier.

The source was a young man with silver colored hair who rested on a bench below within the more open space of the garden. As Deshi observed the other quietly from his hidden position within the tree, he took notes on the man’s appearance and way of speaking.

This one seemed like a scholar type, but there was an air about the guy that set him apart from others. The air that was hanging around the area was dark and a bit heavy; however, Deshi wasn’t sure if it was caused from the guy’s mood or something else, but in the end this matter was trivial to the mercenary who watched him. Dark air or not, Deshi was not phased as he instead listen to the man speak to the strange book in his hands.

The man was speaking of people seeing his success and saying that the book would help him before turning around and apologizing to the book for making it a servant? How strange. How could a book be a serv--?

?!

The confused frown on Deshi’s face shifted into one of mild shock as he took notice of the symbol on the book and upon the man’s gloves. That strange dark heart that Deshi learned quickly to associate with particular Heartless…they rested on these two, but why?

Curious…or perhaps too curious, Deshi unconsciously shifted on the branch and moved forward forgetting for the moment that he was still in the tree and supposed to be hiding when this new knowledge caught his fancy. As a result of not being cautious enough, the low moan and sudden snap of his perch breaking under his weight was enough of a warning to snap to the mercenary back to reality; however, the tree’s warning was too late.

In a whoosh of fabrics and jingle bells, mercenary and foxes fell out of the tree and towards the ground. Letting instinct take over, Deshi shifted his weight in the air so that when he landed shortly after the large branch crashed to the ground with a loud thunk and clunk, he was in a low crouch. The weaker part of the ground cracked slightly under his weight, but the being that had fallen did not seem to notice this as he kept his body low to the ground and his head bowed as his black and white tail flick the air for balance. His right arm was bent at the elbow and the clawed hand pressed heavily to the ground while his left arm was held close to his chest. If one looked hard enough, they could see two little fox heads poking just above the curve the arm that had caught and protected them from damage when they had fell off their owner’s shoulder when the fall began.

Staying in his lowered position and looking for all the world like some form of strange creature about to attack, Deshi took a moment to recover from the fall and settle the Beast that was wide awake and fussing at him for waking it up with his stupidity.

Doing his best to not give into the creature’s taunts knowing full well that trouble would follow if he did, Deshi remained in his crouched position only vaguely aware of the world around him as he struggled with the beast. The struggle left him open to attack should one come from the man if he had been startled enough to attack, like some in town were prone to do.

Attacked or not, Deshi was able to push the beast down after a moment allowing the mercenary to finally unfreeze as he carefully lower the arm that held the foxes allowing them to hop to the ground and stay under him as they watched the silver headed man cautiously.

Glancing from the ground, Deshi lifted serious crimson eyes to where the man had been, half expecting the guy to be gone. Regardless of if the man had moved or not, Deshi’s crimson eyes would eventually find him again and narrow as he watched he watched the silver haired man from his crouched position. Flicking his tail lightly, Deshi let one question escape his lips in calm, quiet tones.

“Heartless?”

[Deleted]

His fingers began drumming on the book in contemplation, “Or perhaps entrusting too much responsibility on another would be too unfair. I can however visit other worlds and return here. I can be punctual and not neglect this world.”

In the midst of his thought, he smelled it; it wasn’t someone he was familiar with, which was still good in his book. They have yet to recover Xehanort as he was; instead there were many like him carrying the same smells. To think someone would go out of their way to grab former selves of different time streams to emerge and wreak havoc on the present. It didn’t feel like Saix or Xigbar either; he hadn’t cross either of them yet and preferred to keep it that way. To this day, he was unsure how Xemnas would respond to his current existence. Was he just a pawn to walk by and casually knock over? Would he be a knight to slowly drag back into darkness, or would he be another piece in the way to eliminate?

A cold shudder ran down his back thinking about the dull grasp of death, while his mind panicked before he went numb and simply faded. Whoever it was wasn’t either of them, and Ienzo’s pent up tension slackened. His eyes narrowed at the thought of someone spying on him. He kept his eyes on his book to not make his realization noticeable. Petting the cover, his mind reflected on which spells to use first if an ambushed was intended.

Fate had momentarily favored him. With a creak and a snap, Ienzo smirked hearing it fall; a brow quirked hearing bells. How odd. His lips twitched back placid not hearing a pair of rough landings. Turning his head, he stared; he didn’t care to play along, feign innocence, and look surprised. He was too busy looking the creature over. He looked like an animal crouching on the floor; the clawed hands only made him look feral and unsophisticated; there was even a tail. To Ienzo’s dismay, outsiders were making themselves more apparent in other worlds. He lamented how the future would turn out after the worlds’ have been polluted by one another’s presence. He’d prefer a divide with only a few individuals as bridges, mainly the keyblade bearers. Complicated souls like this one would be secluded to its realm and world.

A complicated soul he may have, but he wasn’t a complete savage. A brow arched once seeing a pair of kits in his cradled in his arms.

How maternal

He couldn’t be as unruly as he looked; the kits made him soft, and the researcher was sure those who tried to use them as leverage probably underestimated him. That was on the premise in how unkind the world can be and how many have to fight their way through these ages of darkness and heartless. Ienzo was thinking in the right direction as the other muttered the dark parasites name.

“You have a keen eye. Marvelous, you can see the symbol from there, but not a weak branch under your nose,” although he looked calm, Ienzo’s brain was churning; so he was watching him. His mind calculated what he could be thinking. “Stalking and spying isn’t a favored custom in Radiant Garden. People would naturally get the wrong idea. If you were trying to get into the garden, there is a path leading this way. You’d only need patience and feet to find it.”

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Deshi remained in his crouched position for a moment longer as his tail swayed in the air lazily and calmly. Under him Rose and Snow watched the man on the bench, who thankfully did not have the typical reaction that most people around this place would’ve had to the mercenary’s crash. Keeping his serious expression and narrowed eyes upon the man, Deshi took in the man before him.

His clothing were simple enough suggesting that even with the Heartless symbol upon his gloves and the book he held that perhaps this one was a civilian or perhaps even a researcher of some type. If he was the latter, Deshi wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about that. After all, researchers weren’t the best of company in his books. No. They were much more eager to dive into some of the most…uncomfortable and inhuman holes just for the sake of getting data....and after being the victim of said things, researchers just rubbed him the mercenary in a bad way. Perhaps not all researchers were like this, but the idea still left a bitter taste in the quiet mercenary’s mouth. Even so, the emotion or thoughts never crossed his face as he watched the other take in his appearance.

Unlike others in Garden, this man did not freak out at his appearance. Just as he had not freaked out when he came crashing into the garden unexpectedly. No, all the man had done thus far was calmly turn towards him and begin to observe him from his position on the bench. It was a sign that this guy was either naturally calm or that he had seen and experienced much to not be phased by all the unexpected events that had just unfolded. It was hard to say which it was as crimson eyes locked on the colder blue ones of the silver headed man.

As the mercenary gazed at him emotionlessly, keeping his thoughts and heart sealed from those that would try to pry, his sensitive nose caught a different sort of scent from the man that did not match the one that had drawn him towards this spot in the garden in the first place.

The scent was faint underneath the scents of plants and living things. It was a scent that was bitter and sweet. A scent similar to the scent or aurora that lingered upon himself. It was Darkness. It lingered upon the thing that Deshi thought was a man.
The silver headed man appeared human and behaved like a human. The guy was much too calm to be a Heartless and if Deshi tried hard enough, he could barely make out the scent of human on him; however, the Darkness that surrounded the guy made it hard to be certain of exactly what he was. So wanting to get to the bottom of the problem in a efficient manner, the mercenary had asked his simple question for a confirmation and as that question slipped from his lips, the other answered him in a peculiar way.

As the mercenary listened, his ears twitched slightly at the words as a faint smile crossed his lips and his body that had been slightly tensed up until that point relaxed.

“I suppose your sharp tongue has a point. I should’ve been more careful, but sometimes that is hard to do when something more interesting than safety is before me,” the mercenary said in soft, calm tones that held neither friendliness or hostility to them as he shifted his weight and pulled himself into a strange sitting position that mimicked a cat's despite his human like form. As soon as he moved, the small foxes that were under him were revealed.

Scared of the new comer, Snow turned tail and managed to wiggle his way between Deshi’s arms before turning and peeking out with caution at the man on the bench. Not seeming to mind the behavior, Deshi stayed in his position, his arms naturally moving slightly closer to the scared creature to guard and comfort the black fox. The white fox on the other hand stayed where she was not bothered that she was exposed as she took a cautious step forward and sniffed at the stranger trying to figure him out.

Not seeming concerned about harm coming to Rose, Deshi’s eyes drifted from the white fox back to the man who seemed to be watching him carefully. Not minding the study, Deshi remained relaxed and gave away nothing as his tail swished slightly against the garden path beneath it as he listened to the next set of words that the man spoke and shrugged.

“Ah, how right you are. I typically am better mannered than this, so please forgive me if you can. You see, your words from earlier were intriguing enough to draw my attention and the Heartless symbol only made you more appealing to investigate, so I came and kind of forgot my manners and awareness along the way,” he said with the light smile still in place; however, the smile faded as he tilted his head slightly causing the bell around his neck to jingle lightly as he heard the rest of the words the man spoke.

“Hmmm? Why waste energy finding a path when the quickest way into the garden from where I was up and over?” Deshi asked truly curious as to the logic behind walking all the way around something to enter, the “normal” way when clearly there was a better and quicker path.

[Deleted]

Something interesting he said.

“I hardly doubt that.” He replied nonchalantly, while his fingers lightly tapped on the book’s cover. “A book is merely a book and a resourceful servant to the reader and/ or author. I suppose you expected too much, or curiosity is what curiosity does.”

His gaze dropped down to the fox watching it watch him; he never had a pet, nor does he recall a desire for one. Then again, Ienzo was particular about his company; in his later years, he didn’t have the heart to keep a companion like that. It probably would’ve been resourceful; it can help recall a sense of humanity that dwindled day by day. Still it could be deemed foolish amongst the Organization, especially those he shared Castle Oblivion with, mainly one sadistic female. She would find a sick enjoyment to skin the foxes even for a Nobody standard. It always brought the question if they did the unspeakable just to see if they’ll feel anything afterwards.

“I doubt a walk would be wasteful; it’s quite soothing actually in comparison to climbing,” his focus shifted towards the garden reminding himself to put the tools away, “it would've been worth it to end it here; it’s generally silent. But hopefully I won’t be the only visitor; I can’t say I nurtured it for my health.”

The garden has become a baby for him, which felt so out of character; at one point the labs were his sanctuary. He turned up the land, raked fresh soil, and used the hole for hilling and drilling. Early he had finished planting a patterned trail of hyacinth; Ienzo carelessly dabbled into Radiant Garden’s funds for research. It hadn’t been touched for years, and he doubted Even would have a rebuttal against it. Despite his labor, he hands were clean of dirt including under his nails. He’s quite anal and meticulous with anything he does, and he personally can’t stand messes. Even the bags of debris and tools were arranged neatly, while the floor was swept of excess dirt.

Still the gardens was merely a distraction from finding his way back into the Castle, and it was a resourceful excuse to be too busy to roam her and not run into him. He may not have pets, but he has a family of sorts, who he stepped away from for space. On that stream of thought, he doubted he had the heart to bind, fix, and continue those relationships either. He found it implausible to fix what’s broken with broken people. The garden was a distraction from his life, but a gift to give back to the world itself. Until more people mindlessly wander and peruse through it, it was his escape, and already it was being disturbed, ironically over a heartless symbol given his hidden involvement.

What precisely did he find so interesting? With an animal senses and the darkness over him, he wondered if he had the sense of one or similar to his. He’ll crack that barrier for now until he’s bold enough to outright speak what’s on his mind.

“But you weren’t coming here for the gardens, so why are you in Radiant Garden?” The worlds weren’t separate anymore, and his hands were partially involved. It bothered him to see the universe a mess, while people are scattered and sprinkled after their worlds were destroyed. He swore all the data said that stray hearts would find their way to Traverse Town, but it seemed people were migrating from the hub worlds looking for answers and opportunities to retake what were theirs. This man probably wasn’t any different; many shared the same story, and Ienzo have yet to hear otherwise. In the crevice of his heart, he wondered why he inquire such questions in the first place; it’s as if he’d set himself to fulfill a masochist desire of guilt.

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Deshi remained in his sitting position as the wind blew with it the scent of flowers, trees, fresh dirt, and the citizens beyond the walls that now surrounded himself and the strange silver head man. Breathing in and out calmly, Deshi would appear like a statue with the only hints that he was actually living being the constant yet gentle pat of his tail upon the clean ground, the slight twitch of his ears as he picked up various sounds, and the occassional slow blink of his crimson eyes that watched the world with an almost bored expression.

Despite how laid back the sitting mercenary appeared to be, there was not much he missed as he took in this and that about the garden without truly turning to face what he looked at. This garden was still young, but cared for enough that it flourished within a place of many buildings and few springs and patches of earth. The paths that led throughout the place were small for now, but enough for the casual wanderer to enjoy a good walk about if one so choose to do so. In time, these carefully placed and cleaned paths would grow, probably as either the silver headed fellow or someone else built upon it. Some trees that were just saplings now would grow to tower and join the other trees that already gave the area a feeling of seclusion and shade.

The flowers would become a bright carpet of color and in time more than just the few birds and insects that visited it now would come to enjoy this place. It was certainly an impressive start, so it made Deshi wonder what it would like in 10 years or so. Would it still be humble or would it transform into a wild paradise? It was hard to say, so for now Deshi let his mind play with the what-ifs as he spotted tools and bags neatly lined up along the path from the corner of his eye.

Between the neatness of items and the cleanliness of the man before him, Deshi assumed that not only was this one a researcher, but one that took a lot of care with their work. He wasn’t the sloppy type or the one to laugh and play in the messes created. No, this was the quiet and often times serious or stern researcher type that Deshi hated to see wonder into his prison in the past. It was the kind of researcher that could rip out someone’s heart and not show anything as he or she watched the subject bleed out to their death.

A morbid and perhaps not practical comparison in this case, but that was simply the vibe that Deshi got from the guy even if it was perhaps not true. The guy was a bit uncomfortable to be around, but even so Deshi stayed where he was as his interest in the Heartless symbol overrode most of his discomfort, allowing him to be mostly at ease despite the odd meeting.

As far as he was concerned, this man was not a threat until he did something to suggest he was one. Even when the other spoke and then looked down at Rose who was cautiously moving forward before becoming distracted by a butterfly and moving off to the left to play with it, Deshi’s laid back expression never changed to suggest he was watching everything the man did with the utmost attention.

Blinking sleepily, Deshi stretched lightly before letting himself fall to the side with a light jingle of bells. As he fell, the small black fox that was hiding under him moved out of the way as the mercenary flopped to the ground and tilted his head to look over at the silver head man as he rested quite contently on the ground like a cat would.

“Books are indeed powerful resources; however, I know books well enough to know that none I’ve encountered bare the mark of the Heartless like you or your book does. Still as you said, maybe I was expecting something more, or maybe I was simply curious, or maybe I was simply feeling lonely and used the whole ordeal to just have someone to talk to. You know it is not everyday, I find someone who doesn’t run the first time they meet me,” the mercenary said as he rolled on his back and looked over at the man with a small fangy grin that made it hard to tell if the mercenary was simply playing around or being sarcastic.

Whatever the case was, the mercenary’s grin wouldn’t last long before it disappeared and the strange man closed his eyes. He was quiet for a moment and seemed to be enjoying the sun that trickled through the trees above. He would remain that way even as Snow climb on top of him before deciding to hop to the other side and began to walk cautiously towards a red flower to explore.

The mercenary would let the time and silence tick on until finally it was broken by the silver headed man with him. As the other spoke, Deshi would open his crimson eyes once more and look at him with a blank expression.

“I never said a walk was wasteful. I simply wanted to know the logic of going all the way around something is all. If I had wanted to sure, I might’ve taken the leisurely route, but when it comes to getting things done, I find the quickest route is often the better one even when others would argue that point. Still long or short route, I will agree it was worth crashing/entering in here. This place is quite nice and comforting. I for one would come back again, so I am quite sure in time even more people will stumble upon the paradise and visit it too. And if not, I’ll find a way to get people to come to it. I would hate to see art so lovingly crafted go to waste,” Deshi said ending the chat with a light smile and a wink showing that he wasn’t lying about what he said. If the researcher wanted the place advertised, so more would come, then all he would have to do is cut a deal with the mercenary... or in this case because Deshi was feeling generous, the guy could just ask for the help without a charge. The place could be popular if the guy wanted it to be; however, Deshi would do nothing more to push his offer as his eyes wandered from the man before him on the bench and over to his foxes.

Rose was now sitting by a tall flower watching a bee hover around it with a hypnotized expression as her mouth hung open a bit revealing the small little fangs in her mouth as she moved her head a bit to follow the bee's movements. Snow on the other hand was moving cautiously towards a small rack like tool. Out of curiosity, he tapped the tool on its upraised edge and when said item shot up from the pressure. The little fox made a strange sound as he dashed away from the tool as it flipped over and fell in his direction. As it landed with a light thud, the small black fox stared at a bit frightened and shaken. Shaking his head lightly as an amused smile cross his face, the mercenary’s eyes drifted from the foxes and back to the skies peeking through the green canopy.

Would you not agree this small place of peace is worth bring others to? Worth protecting? Deshi wondered as his mind created an image of her. She sat there next to him with her legs folded under her as she stared up at the trees and enjoy the beauty of the area with a smile on her face. Still smiling, she looked down at Deshi who was now watching her with silent admiration.

Giving a silent giggle, she nodded as she vanished from sight causing the mercenary to frown slightly as she disappeared. He had wanted her to stay. Even if she was simply a figment of his memory. He wanted the only one he had taken a chance to love to stay, but as always she faded from his grasp.

Arianna....

Frowning slightly, anyone who watched the mercenary would simply think a puzzling thought had caused the frown for the man did not show hurt or annoyance at what he saw as he continued to watch the leaves dance in silence. Deshi might’ve continued to sit and ponder things that crossed his mind; however, the calm voice of the man drew the mercenary from his memories causing the frown to sink into a blank expression as Deshi tilted his head back and looked at the silver head man as he asked him his question.

Blinking sleepily at the other, Deshi remained silent for a while longer as he felt a shift in the air around the man and took note that he seemed to be struggling with something despite how calm he appeared to be on the surface. Even so, the study only lasted for a few seconds before the mercenary looked away from the other and rolled to his hands and knees. Getting up and stretching slightly, the mercenary went back to slouching as he relaxed and spoke.

“I am a wanderer with no place to truly call home anymore, so I guess the reason I come to this place or another is to seek peaceful respite from all my wandering. Even if it is brief, I still enjoy every moment of it,” Deshi told the other calmly as he moved from his spot and drifted towards the man on the bench.

He kept moving until he was within in a few feet of the guy before he stopped and leaned towards the other slightly intruding within the personal space bubble with his action, but the mercenary did not seem to be aware of this as he leveled his eyes with the other.

“However, I would only be speaking a half truth if I left it there, wouldn’t I?” the mercenary said as his voice lowered slightly and a smile that did not reach his eyes crossed his lips before they were parting and he said in the softest of tones.

“Darkness. That is what I seek.”

[Deleted]

“I’m afraid I have to correct you,” he raised his arm to show his gloved hand, while holding his book up, “these insignias are not identical. The heart on the glove is actually an old symbol of this kingdom. Recognize the differences.”

As the words drifted from his mouth, his mind reeled back to several memories, the time before Radiant Garden lost her name and became polluted with Xehanort’s furthered explorations. He didn’t have a typical family; instead of a mother and father, he had a foster parent and a bunch of men as guardians until he became old enough to see them as companions. Mainly the guards including Dilan, Aleus, and Braig bared the symbol visibly. The world and their priorities were so different then, and it all started with the best intentions. He subconsciously thought to backtrack and grab the old garments as if to revive the notion to protect Radiant Garden whether it’s from dangers within the world and those that were predestined to come.

The Heartless symbol wasn’t his creation even though he was present during its declaration. Not wanting to delve too deep on that day, Ienzo placed the book on his lap; his arms rested on it to secure it as if anyone would run up and snatch it away.

With his poor judgment, Ienzo contemplated in what he wanted or what he thought he would discover.

…none I’ve encountered bare the make of the heartless like you or your book…

While he talked of useless chatter, Ienzo’s mind ticked behind a bland mask. With each passing thought, he was becoming restless and irate. They were just waltzing around a subject, the true center of attention, and it had something to deal with the heartless. What only concerned him was what the stranger expected to gain. He can deal with the lazy assumption of his ‘position’ amongst the world be it light or dark with the mere connotation from a book, but it bothered him if he wanted more. Ienzo was too straight-forward of a man to do an intricate tango. He can twist and bend his tongue to play a battle of wits, a game of chess with words, to corner and pin the other to admit whatever he liked. But he wasn’t seeking anything out or wanted anything; he was actually content where he was. Now the stranger had disturbed his peace in multiple ways.

The cards were laid out, and the other couldn’t hide from side-stepping even if his bored disposition was hard to crap.

Darkness. It had to be darkness, and it felt it would always be darkness, the insatiable forbidden fruit everyone would eventually seek out and chase after. They’ll run hard for the admirable lure only to have their life and heart sucked away into the void and spat out lesser and more hallow than before. He resisted from empathizing with his personal experiences; he didn’t feel warmth to warn him. His heart didn’t have room to care; he just felt too cold; darkness was a distant ghostly sister of death, since once graciously led him to another. In death, he was shrouded in fear and drowned in darkness before a lot blinded him into restoration. Still, he felt too chilled to even recall his awakening.

“And how is that going for you,” his tone altered after figuring things out. He didn’t play with semantics, nor talked in distancing riddles. His voice cut to the core as he was officially done with child’s play. “I thought seeking such thing was hazardous. Why are you looking for it, and what do you assume I can answer?”

[Deleted]

Despite how laid back and bored Deshi appeared to be as his twin foxes continued to play and explore the garden at their own pace, the mercenary was quite perceptive in reading energies around him.

For example, while he relaxed in the sun and spoke to the man on the bench, he could already feel the tensions and annoyance the man was giving off, letting the mercenary know the other was either very impatient with idleness or perhaps could read his intention better than most. It was true, the mercenary kept himself locked up tight letting words and actions show what he wanted the world to see of him; however, on the rare occasion he got folk like the silver headed man that could somewhat see through his act and understood that his idleness was a cover for something much deeper.

While it was true that the other was indeed the sort of researcher that would rub Deshi the wrong way in a different setting, the strange mercenary was able to let the discomfort go as he became mildly impressed by the guy's skills. Oh yes. It was quite good that he had fallen into this situation. His curiosity led him to the right place; however, it would look like he would have to do some work to get what he wanted. After all, as he looked over at the man as he held up his arm and the book, it would seem this one would be a bit more stubborn to gain information from.

He was clever, but that attitude and heavy energy around the other made Deshi think that maybe his presence and the topic he was poking at might've been sore ground for the guy. While it was true the other continued to speak calmly, there was still a small bite underneath it all that suggested the other may be hiding something he didn't want to share.

No matter. Deshi would continue to play his role until he got what he wanted. This was his first real lead he had gotten in a long while, so perhaps this would lead to something more than just a few dead ends. Maybe just maybe, if he could work with this guy, he could find his answers to the questions that plagued him... Or perhaps make himself a new enemy. He wasn't quite sure, but whatever the ending was Deshi would continued to play until this all ended, not caring what judgments the other drew about him as he kept his mind and heart sealed to the world.

In any case, Deshi smirked sleepily at the explanation the man gave him in regards to the symbols, shrugging lightly from his position on the ground.

"Mmm. They are different now that I can see them clearly, but at the same time similar. It makes me wonder if the ones who created the designs had the same idea in mind and then the darker of the pair twisted the original design to their liking. Kind of like a way of standing out or rebelling you know?" Deshi said as he watched the other with crimson eyes that were hard to read.

After a moment, there was silence as the pair fell into their own thoughts and the foxes continued their play; however, when the silver headed man asked what the mercenary truly wanted and Deshi rose to give his answer, the relaxing air changed as the Beast stood with his eyes leveled and locked upon the other that he had so rudely disturbed with his entrance.

This man...he didn't want to face the darkness, but being a creature formed out of the very material that this man was trying to avoid, Deshi had no choice, but to pester him about what he sought. Besides, just by vibes alone the man had already confirmed to the mercenary that he was indeed hiding things connected to what he sought.

After giving his answer, the mercenary kept watching the other with those blank eyes as the small smile remained on his lips. He did not care if he was making the man uncomfortable by the subject matter or his actions, he wanted information and found the best way to get what he sought now was to be direct as it seemed that he and the man had decided that idle chat was no longer valid in the situation. So now the pair stood on opposites ends of the board, watching each other carefully as they played a dangerous balancing game as the air chilled between the pair.

The two foxes playing ceased when they sensed the change in the air. The twins became still as they collected together and watched their master and the silver headed man uneasily. It was one thing for their owner to be odd, but for someone to match his oddness with coldness made them concerned if the actions would bring about a negative result. Still as they watched the mercenary dressed in black flicked his tail lightly as he watched the other, they were relieved to find their master still had control of himself despite the change in the atmosphere.

When the silver head spoke in response to the mercenary's reply, the black cat's eyes narrowed as the small smile upon his face widened slightly.

"Oh, the search is quite annoying to be honest with you. I have found nothing, but dead ends and things I already know," Deshi responded in quiet and soft tones, a sign that he too was no longer playing the game of formalities as he continued to watch the other. "Darkness is all around and yet nothing seems to have the key that will open the door that will lead me closer to what I seek to understand," the mercenary paused as he leaned away and folded his arms as his smile faded and he looked at the other with emotionless eyes.

"I told you before I was drawn to the symbols on yourself and your book. It made me think you were associated with the Heartless and in turn the Darkness; however after speaking with you, I see I was only half wrong. You are something far more interesting than a Heartless. I could be wrong, but I think you know more about the Darkness than you care to admit. A silly assumption considering I know you not, but that is simply the vibe you give off. And I already know it is a dangerous path seeking the darkness; however, I want clarity that can only found if I dive deeper into the very thing that twists and eats things alive. I thought maybe you could be a guide or at least point me to someone who could help me get further into Darkness to find answers that elude me in the Light," Deshi told him honestly as he gave him a light shrug and a sigh.

[Deleted]

The pettiness of rebellion and the childish desire to be ‘different’…

Ienzo couldn’t disagree more, but like everything else he kept it to himself. Instead he merely encouraged the folly with a rise of his brows and, “possibly. A lot of things crumble under the banners of rebels.”

There wasn’t intent to rebel against Ansem the Wise, but to continue the work he was strong enough to carry. It wasn’t some squabble and battle of wills to vandalize their home and icon like wasteful graffiti. From where he stood, they were passed on the torch to themselves when Ansem couldn’t walk anymore. He was fearful, and they were fearless and knew that risks maybe necessary for the cause. Being mentored and watched over by a scientist, Ienzo pursued his inquisitive nature; even if it led him to the brink of darkness and back, it all started with good intentions to protect his world, while uncovering and understanding the mysteries of hearts.

Ienzo knew his intentions and downfalls, while the other’s not yet. He learned through years that curiosity can be the nail to the coffin. It would be to ideal to push him into the abyss and hope it would eat him out for his curiosity and existence would be sated. But no, the worlds don’t unfold or unravel so gently. Everything was erratic with darkness’ turbulence; such brashness would surely haunt him later. With the ‘will’ he so called had, getting rid of him through simplistic means was irresponsible. Oh well, with darkness being illusive yet all around maybe it will be his forbidden fruit and bring forth his demise. It would be suitable, and Ienzo’s hands would be clean. Plus, it wasn’t like him to handle the messy jobs.

Hearing him talk again, Ienzo’s gaze turned to watch him. The researcher preferred that he was ambiguous to the point he can’t tell how right or wrong he was. After all it was known of his damned business. The fact he was trying to read him agitating; people should simple accept that others would only unveil what they want. Ienzo just may be crafty enough to keep himself wrapped up and confined, while dissecting others effortlessly.

“People are always far more interesting; they’re more complex than mere drones who lacks a sense of individuality,” he gave him a taste, “what you say is generalized child’s play. You see that I have a book with a heartless insignia. Naturally I would be versed in darkness to an extent. So again, what did you assume I can answer, specifically?”

Opening his book, he flipped through the pages, images, and notes, “Although people are interesting as people are, I study heartless. Of-course people are as diverse as people are, but thus far only they have wormed through worlds and devoured its heart hole. With that said what riddle do you think you can solve with darkness and not be twisted and eat alive in the process? It must be worth it.”

Or you have absolutely nothing to lose…

[Deleted]

Deshi’s expression remained neutral as he watched the other raise an eyebrow when he had mentioned the designs and their differences. He listened to the words that slipped out of the other’s mouth with a quiet smile that gave nothing away as to what the mercenary thought as he watched the story the silver headed man’s blue eyes told him.

The guy was hiding something and that something was probably connected to very thing he sought. Why else play word games and pretend one was oblivious to facts when the eyes betrayed such surface games and suggested one knew something more than what was being shown or said? The play amused the mercenary and only made his desire to stay before the other grow as the mercenary felt more and more confident that his little fall had landed him in the right spot.

Regardless of how he felt, the mercenary’s words were a soft whisper as he nodded in agreement to the other.

“Aye. I can agree with that.”

Was all the mercenary said before he had made his approach and exchange words with the other that seemed to be quite agitated with him in a subtle way. Sure, the other did not show any agitation or say anything to suggest such a thing; however, Deshi’s senses were sharp enough to pick out the energies around him. He could sense the garden’s peaceful ways, the agitation the man before him tried to hide, and the nervousness the encounter was causing his foxes to endure; however, not really one to understand where boundaries rested or when one was pushing another too much, Deshi did not let up on his study as he remained where he was and even sat down on the ground before the man on the bench, saying without words that he was not about to leave any time soon.

As soon as the mercenary was grounded, Rose moved from her spot to hop into his lap as her brother remained at a safe distance from the scene. Absently petting the white fox that curled into his lap with a gentle stroke, Deshi’s free arm rested upon his left knee as it bent at the elbow and the strange hand came up to cup the mercenary’s head as he leaned his face into it. His tail swept under him and came to a rest at his right side as the tip gently patted the ground. The whole time these actions happened, the mercenary watched the other with that small yet amused grin as crimson eyes remained locked upon the other.

When the other began to speak in regards to Deshi’s words, the mercenary’s eyes closed as the grin became a smirk. There it was. The verbal confirmation of what he thought was going on with the silver headed man. While he spoke of people and complexities, Deshi could pick out the hidden secret under the words and it was to this secret that he responded.

“I did not come here to study people. If I had wanted to do that, I could’ve easily plopped myself inside of a square or somewhere else where more than you and I gather,” the mercenary said and then opening one eye he glanced at the other with a grin. “I am glad you’ve noticed how much I am lacking in regards to information regarding the darkness, thus why your book and the symbol on your gloves drew me to you. I assumed you were as you say “versed in darkness” in some fashion. After all, Heartless are creatures of darkness and so to hold something with their symbol upon it, I assumed you’d be quite comfortable with the matter in which they are born from. I saw you as a pathway to what I sought more so than a direct answer to anything,” Deshi told him honestly before he was opening both eyes to look at the other fully once more as the other opened the book and began to flip through it the pages showing images and notes scrawled upon each page.

As the man flipped through the pages of that book, the other spoke telling the mercenary what it was that he studied before making a comment about the little creatures that made the mercenary smirk as he shifted in his spot to allow Rose to roll off him before getting to his feet. Closing the small distance between himself and the man, Deshi invaded the other’s personal space as he lifted his left hand and rested the strange clawed hand upon the book stopping it on a page of odd pictures and scribble notes; however the mercenary was not looking at the book itself, but rather than man before him. His eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits and he gave off a strange aura that reeked of Darkness and something more underneath; however, despite how hostile the mercenary seemed to be, he did not strike out at the other as he gave the other a small dose of exactly what he was.

“Darkness has already broken me and dragged me across so many coals that I cannot begin to count the scars it has left behind. It has taken everything it could from me, so one would assume that I seek the Darkness for power or revenge. After all, what does a broken creature such as myself have to lose when everything worth fighting for is lost?” Deshi asked in a quiet voice before he fell silent as the grin upon his face became quite malicious as he spoke once more. His eyes flickered with a strange light that was not the same calm light the mercenary was observing the silver head with before. There was a change in him...he wasn't quite the same anymore.

The two foxes in the area shudder slightly as they huddled next to each other watching with concern as their master gave off the aura that was associated with the beast. The air around the mercenary was thick with hostility; however, he did not attack as he continued to watch the other.

“Heartless are like little rabbits to us because of how freely they can traverse the worlds and devour the very thing that keeps one steady. Hearts. Tricky and complicated contraptions that we don’t quite understand; however, Hearts and curses are what we seek. They hold truths about our nature, but also other secrets that plague both the past and the present, but these things we seek are buried so far in the Darkness that they are hard to grasp. This grasping is made harder if one knows not where to go and lost we are. We need a new rabbit to find what we seek and you, have just become it,” the mercenary said before his face became quite blank as he blinked at the other, his head tilting to the left in a strange fashion to almost rest on his shoulder.

“Of course we cannot force anyone to anything, especially when all one will gain for aiding us is suffering and perhaps an unwanted death. We understand that the gain is more worth it to us than to the one that actually ends up helping us. Still, it would be quite frustrating to have to search the worlds for something quite as unique as you, Mr. Scholar of the Heartless,” the mercenary stepped back as his hand slipped off the book and he became silent once more.

Remaining in his strange state of mind, the mercenary turned away from the other, folding his arms behind his back as he took a few steps forward as his tail whapped the ground with heavy swipes that did not damage anything, but instead cleared away any loose rubble or dirt that the silver head might’ve missed.

While it was still uncertain what it was that had triggered the beast to rise, it was clear that wherever this conversation was going had caught its interest and so instead of remaining quiet it took over part of the mercenary so it too could speak directly to the interesting scholar that could help them…or could not help them. Whatever the case was, both the mercenary and the beast agreed that chatting with this guy would be a win either way, so the pair that were one lingered in the garden awaiting to see what the other may say.

[Deleted]

A pathway…

It left a bad taste in his mouth. Even his tongue rolled to rid the bitterness; his jaws clenched and relaxed. He should study people more or at least be considerate of the signs; Ienzo didn’t care to be helpful or resourceful let alone a pathway. Invading his personal space was an indication; the other didn’t care either.

Selfish little bastard.

Ienzo was particular about a lot of things including his property, his research, and his space. When his claw touched the book, it flexed with a twitch of Ienzo’s fingers before snapping shut on it. Call it reflexes if one will or a warning of its own. He just sat there, while the other stood over him, and Ienzo didn’t even look at him to respectfully acknowledge his presence. He didn’t care for their current position as the other literally looked down to him.

He’d always loathed that, the alpha dog syndrome. As a nobody he was able to ignore and overlook Vexen’s squawking about his position. Yet when he stood in comparison to Xaldin and Lexaeus, it used to agitate him how their size, girth, and stance could emphasize control. Fortunately Lexaeus never let such things get to his head or stomped around with a superiority complex. Despite how silent he was and how Ienzo spent enough of his human life in the labs, they were able to form a unique friendship without hearts. Personally he wish either Aleus was here, or he was Zexion again to be brash and lash out as the stranger emitted his aura.

But the researcher bit his tongue from emitting his inner darkness. He wasn’t a threatened animal needing to carve his space in the world to hold his keep. He’d come too far to resort to that, especially after keeping a tight lid on his for so long. Zexion would’ve been too proud to stoop that low, and probably would’ve mocked the display just to state he had issues, darkness issues. Who hadn’t been poisoned by darkness? There were countless victims, and Zexion would’ve simply asked what made him any different to even care to help. To his ears, the strange man needed him not the other way around.

Ienzo on the other hand doesn’t care for the stench of it all; it reeked of trouble, and if the man was going to descend into darkness it would be by his damn self. With his sharp sense, he already knew the other was in a pit. He could feel it just as clear and day. Messes like these was why he avoided people in the first place; he’d rather not lure those “types” to him, while expose others to his own. Zexion may not be a separate living entity berating him in his mind, but the darkness still lingered. It’s just as part of him as his heart.


The only response he gave to indicate he was listening was a curt hum. Hypothetically people like this cat man where dangerous; with nothing to lose, one lacked boundaries. He was limitless. Ienzo had that luxury of being unbound, but he yearned for the weight of a heart all the same. The former Organization member toyed with hearts and fabricated people to meet his ends. What would the other do to tie up loose ones?

Little did he foresee that the more he talked the more he would lose his sensibility. He doesn’t seek for hearts anymore, which cursed him for years. The truths the Cat spoke of sounded familiar; it was a sick sense of déjà vu unless time was repeating itself. Was he talking to a past alternate version of himself? Was the worlds that cyclical that another can spiral into similar fates and paths? Ienzo couldn’t decide whether to find the conversation hilarious for irony or infuriating for bitter memories. He couldn’t cope or decide how to respond to his heart’s buzzing.

He was always an odd duck at that; even in his youth, he could get flustered easily to the point he’s awkwardly babbling. Zexion had hardened him to simply frown; he was hardly allowed himself to get caught off guard. Still some members found it amusing when he just walks away unamused and obviously irate. But this awkwardness self responded differently as if he was still find his footing to reintegrate with others. His chest tickled; he was holding it back for a little while longer. 

Suffering                          

Unwanted death
                            
                    An uneven gain

This was either a set-up of a cliché and horrid joke or the story of his life.

“Still, it would be quite frustrating to have to search the worlds for something quite as unique as you.” He can feel the strain; his teeth dug into his lower lip.

“Mister Scholar of the Heartless,” each word where broken down in his mind with emphasis in a sultry manner that he cracked. It started as a hiss, wavered into a heave, and then he shattered. He dropped into fits of laughter.

His head tossed back, while his hand clutched his book into his stomach. It was louder than crows and hefty to the point his abs ached. He tried so hard to regain composure, but Ienzo only managed in a snicker hiss suited for a snake before breaking again.

Damn it feels so good to laugh again…

He curled up with his left foot propped on the bench, his knee tucked to his chest securing the book to himself. His left arm laid on his propped knew to rest his warm face, while the spare combed through his hair. Finally he looked towards the cat man; his smile tilted in an uneven smirk before sighing to calm. The storm had passed.

Slowly sitting up, he felt like a lush, “I’m not a pathway, and I’m no rabbit.”

He didn’t even chase him properly to be prey, a slinky rabbit. Rocking back, he pushed himself off the bench; his muscles stretched the stiffness.

“I don’t think you’ve searched enough for me to be one,” he was on the move through the gardens. When did he became playful, or was it even Ienzo to begin with?

[Deleted]

(Thank you for your patience.)

The mercenary that was now sharing a space with the beast within had been quite upfront with the man before him about what he sought. He needed to find a way back into the darkness that had swallowed him when he had been helping Zidane. Needed to go back to that strange place where he was reborn and where Arianna was there to lead him to safety again. If he could find that spot again, then he was quite certain that the answers to his bad luck up until and the truth behind the beast and even the twin foxes would be revealed to him…and with that truth in hand he’d be able to end his torn existence and finally reach the place of peace he sought. The place that allowed him to let go of everything and be reborn into a new a life with purpose once more. This goal was the true purpose of all the trouble Deshi had been going through to defeat the Beast within and become free once more to live.

It was a truth buried deep within the mercenary that drove him forward with silent whispers even if he didn’t realize the that this desire was the true cause of his determination. He hunted the worlds for answers. Had met many people, many shadows, many shells; however, all of these things when followed or allied up with were quite useless to the mercenary. All they could do was lead him slightly into the darkness, but not far enough where he could reach that strange area once again to explore and discover.

He had found books and road blocks. Frustration upon frustration and yet he would not give up. He kept driving forward stepping over failure as he always searched for his next lead….a dull track up until now. Here before the silver headed man, Deshi found himself with a complicated catch indeed. It was a catch that tried the Beast’s patience and yet was allowed to live for how amusing it was proving to be. This strange silver headed man that studied the Heartless, he claimed he knew nothing, but due to reactions and other unsaid things the man did, both Deshi and the Beast saw the other had much tell, but for one reason or another was highly unwilling to tell what he knew.

Instead, the silver head was playing a game of mouse with the hunter…a dangerous game made only fair in the fact that despite allowing the Beast to share his space, Deshi remained in control as he “watched” the other in more than one way as the events unfolded.

He took in every small bit of displeasure from the man when he had mentioned pathways or even invaded his space. He took in the way the jaw clenched and relaxed and the way the air around the silver head changed to an agitated one when his space was invaded and yet for all the warning signs given the mercenary didn’t care at all as he did what he wanted as he always did. It wasn’t that he was trying to be rude, he simply didn’t understand boundaries or particularities of other. He was never trained to respect them and so when he ended upsetting another for doing what he did not know not to do, the mercenary simply let the hostilities and anger roll off of him although he was always curious in the end why such things made people upset, but most were too flustered or offended to explain should he question the action they performed towards him. In any case, that was neither here or now, so the mercenary remained unreadable as he spoke and watched the judgemnet calls being thrown out by the other. Watched and did not care.

When he had touched the book with his clawed hand, the other slammed the book shut as the mercenary slid his hand off, but as that book pinched the side of his hand with its force, the mercenary did not let out any yelps of pain as the pages within gave him a little cut thanks to the move made. In fact, the mercenary’s face never really changed from its semi-calm state when the action had happened. There was no signs the creature had registered the warning or instinctual snap at all.

There was just a calm stare back at the other for a moment as he continued to studied the man not with arrogance, but simple curiosity as his foxes watched nervously from the side of the garden. There was a tense silence as the energy the silver headed man released shifted and changed to mingle with the calm yet chaotic of energies of the beast and the man before him. The mix was enough to cause an explosion if the wrong moves were made; however, Deshi did not seemed concerned by it at all as he continued to move along whatever path had been set in motion.

He didn’t react to the glare of the other as he stood over him. Didn’t understand the action had offended the man in another way and so the mercenary simply continued to studied the man with his strange eyes as he lett his uncomfortable energy flow throughout the peaceful garden they were in, but despite the chill and the dangerous air between the pair, nothing terrible unfolded between them.

The silver head only made sounds to show he was listening to the cat and for the most part this did nothing to set off the beast who kept on with his strange speech and then when he had nothing more to say, he turned his back on the other and gave him a choice to help or not. When he was done, the mercenary kept walking down the path with his tail brushing away loose dirt as he felt the air around him shift with uncertainity no doubt caused from something going on within the silver headed man; however, still being in the dark when it came to emotions the mercenary remained unreactive to the changes as he came to a stop on the path and he tilted his head upward slightly to watch the trees for a moment. As he watched the trees expressionless, his mind flipped between his own self and the beast who was slowly losing his patience with the silver head’s silence.

The creature wanted answer, but so did the man and so with great effort the man was able to calm the beast and make it submit enough not to want to attack as it was forced to wait for some form of answer. Time ticked on slowly and then –

Deshi’s ears twitched at the sound of the hiss, the snort, the snicker, the laughter that came from the man after a few seconds of silence had gone by. Turning partially to look over at the man that was literally falling to pieces as he continued to laugh, a puzzled frown came over Deshi’s face as he tilted his head to the left.

“What?” he asked in an emotionless voice truly not understanding what was so funny about the situation. Inwardly, the beast was sighing and telling him that the man was a nut case (as if he had room to say that) and should simply be left alone; however, the man shooed the beast into a corner as he continued to watch the laughing man quite preplexed.

Snow, who had been sitting quietly by the shovel, glanced at the laughing man worriedly before getting up to dash across the garden to Deshi. The small black fox hide behind his owner and peeked around one leg to watch the man who continued to laugh while his sister sat in the space between them, her tilting left and right with each sound the man released as she watched silver headed man curiously, probably trying to figure out what the huge joke was about this situation.

Deshi didn’t think he said anything halirous and yet…this guy was laughing. Shaking his head lightly to clear it as he continued to watch, a set of soft words came from his mouth.

“So strange…” he said before he was shaking off the confusion as the man before him finally moved into an odd position that somehow calmed him down and allowed the other to stop the laughter as he looked over at the mercenary with a smirk. In response to the smirk, the merceneary gave the other a blank and unreadable stare.

As the other began to sit up again, he spoke and the mercenary listened. The words that came out of the other’s mouth should’ve gotten some response from the mercenary. A sneer, a snappy comment, or even growl, but instead of any of that happening, Deshi's head remained tilted as a small lopsided smile appeared on his face.

“You have no idea how many rabbits we have caught and devoured in our life time," the mercenary with a light chuckle as he watched the other begin to walk away. He didn’t move to follow. Instead, his head rotated a few times before going back into the upright position as the mercenary’s crimson eyes closed for a moment. With his eyes still closed, the mercenary lifted his arms above his head as he shifted forward on his tiptoes and stretched.

“Granted most of the devouring was accidental in the past and thankfully something I don’t do much anymore,” Deshi said as he continued to stretch for a bit and then sighing lightly the dangerous aura from earlier evoporated as Deshi let his arms drop back to his side and slouched forward a bit as he locked his crimson eyes on the retreating man. He was relaxed and seemed to be have gone back to the peaceful being he was when he first arrived; however, despite that the mercenary’s smile did not fade as his eyes narrowed in amusement.

“You say you are no pathway and yet you claim to study Heartless. That is not an ordinary job and the few that aren’t dead from studying the shadows are often broken by the darkness they seek to be so near to study their prey. They are unreasonable folk, shells really and too insane to pull information from. You on the other hand are still in one piece. Can’t be that way if you don’t know how to flow in an out of Darkness without losing yourself fully to it,” the mercenary paused as he turned and picked up Snow from the ground as he turned his back on the man.

Holding the little black fox up before him his smile turned into a grin causing Snow to tilt his head lightly at the look.

“He also claims not to be a rabbit, kid and yet he flees at the very mention of Darkness. Just like the other more human rabbits,” Deshi told Snow out loud before he was snugging the confused fox close to him. Keeping Snow in his snug, the mercenary began to walk down the opposite path from the man.

“Come on Rose. It appears that we are going to have to figure out castles and maybe even go back to the mansion with the shells in it to find what we want,” the mercenary said to the white fox who only blinked at his odd behavior not quite believing her owner was giving up, but then seeing he was indeed continuing his walk away, the white fox got up and hurried after her owner only casting one last look back at the silver man before she moved to trot by Deshi’s side.

Was he truly going to leave after saying all that? Was he really giving up on this man that seemed to be the best lead they had in a long while to the pathway to the truth within the Darkness? As Rose looked up at the humming mercenary, she wasn’t really sure what he was thinking, but he had to have a plan right? Why else give the other a taste of how much he knew of Heartless, shells, and rabbits?

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His gait hastened, while he flipped through his Lexicon searching for something in particular. He mulled over some things the stranger said to sharply correct. He merely observed heartless now; technically he harvested them after knocking them down until they’re weak and vulnerable. The book does the rest. The darkness he faced is minor compared to the darkness brought forth from his previous unordinary job, studying hearts. They were mysterious labyrinths, and it was troublesome to understand them to prevent darkness from over-taking his world. Unfortunately someone on the inside had another plan. Although his decent into darkness or how he put it “broken by the darkness” wasn’t by his own violation, Ienzo couldn’t ignore the factor that it would’ve happened eventually. With how far they have gone, they were dancing and kissing with darkness; it wouldn’t be long until the temptation was too great for her to greedily claim them all.

With a plunged of a keyblade, darkness was released into his heart, and naturally he created a “shell”. He didn’t care of the idea of being insane; Zexion was pretty sane due to his clinginess to logic and rationality. Still lacking a heart and feels to anchor one’s morale can lead them to do unspeakable things. Sometimes the look Vexen gave him did scream insanity. In a twisted way being a Nobody could’ve been a liberation and prison for him. He wouldn’t know how Even felt about it now. Ienzo had abandoned his stay in the castle and hardly spoke to denizens in there since he helped the keyblade wielders. He needed a personal rehabilitation.

He hung his lab coat and abandoned the labs and his room; he cut himself off from his friends and family to become a studious hermit in Radiant Garden. In his walk for retribution, he wanted him to trek back merely on a hunch from this old book, The Book of Knowledge.

It was rightly named, a bless and a curse. He could coat it with an illusion, but thought of illusionary magic left a bad taste in his mouth. Why be a step closer to Zexion after so long? This was only the first time the book had brought unwanted attention. Fortunately the mercenary hadn’t come unto him maliciously; he’d rather not be pressured to tip the scales. Perhaps he believed he can catch more bees with honey than vinegar. Regardless his plight wasn’t enough to sway a former Nobody.

The pages halted once finding it.

B L A C K   B A L L A D This one too hits close to home. I don't recall how I felt when I encountered it; I know now it's rather eerie to find one that reflects a part of me, Zexion. Fortunately through them, I can tap or mimic one of Zexion's skills without falling deep into darkness to obtain it. It's better for everyone that way. I wouldn't have the heart to care about the world's well-being as him. That other seems like one who will watch the world burns if it means obtaining the objective. Black Ballad: A spell that create three clones of me. I've tested it out, but my replicas are exponentially inferior to me. HP: 20 MP Limits: Can cast 4 spells consecutively with a 5 post regeneration. No matter what I do, it seems like nothing can be helped to remedy that. I can accept that fate; the last TRUE replica made under my watch was more problematic than I'd like. It was literally my demise. I hope that damned thing has faded into the darkness.

The book flared maroon. A wave emitted from Ienzo before spreading duplicates. They exited down a trail that swings towards the Marketplace, where they’ll divide and spread out amongst the crowd.

[Deleted]

The mercenary walked on at a casual pace as he held Snow close to him and kept his head bowed. Rose followed along at his side confused as to what was going on. The silver head man was their source of information right? So why was it that her master was seemingly giving up on questioning said inforamtion booth and walking away? Should they not follow their escaping target and make it talk? What was her master thinking?

The white fox wondered all this as she looked up at Deshi with curious and questioning eyes while her brother looked back at the retreating man as he rested his head upon Deshi’s shoulder. Like his sister, the black fox was confused and seemed even a bit depressed that they were indeed seeming to be giving up on a good lead; however, as the little fox watched the man get away, Snow found himself looking back at his master as he felt the mercenary’s body tense and began to shake. Was he crying? No…no he was silently laughing as he moved around a bend and off the path!

Being as quiet as a cat, the mercenary would eventually pull himself to a stop in a thick collection of trees that kept him from view. Setting Snow down on the ground, the mercenary would remain crouch down as he reached out and began to pet both foxes. His ears twitched and listened to something in the world around them. Something the foxes could not pick up since they had no clue what the man was focusing on until with a smirk and a shake of his head the mercenary looked down at them from his crouched position.

“I can hear the other moving quicker. He seeks escape…an odd thing for someone who is not a rabbit wouldn’t agree, my loves?” the mercenary said in soft tones that would not carry to anyone outside of his foxes. The two foxes looked up at their owner and tilted their heads questioning him as the other glanced up at the trees with a smirk.

“I think we should follow the rabbit a bit to see what he does. Let’s spread out shall we?” the mercenary said as he crouched lower to the ground…and began to shift his form. As the foxes watched their owner go from a semi-human being to a pure black cat wearing a white ribbon on around its neck with one bell upon it, the two foxes began to understand that their owner was not giving up on the tight lipped silver headed man.

Oh no. One would be quite wrong to assume that of the mercenary who glanced at his foxes in his new form and gave them a nod that caused the pair to move from the garden in different directions on a mission to try and keep an eye on the man that was trying to make his escape. Once alone, the black cat easily climbed a tree barely making a sound despite wearing a bell. Climbing along the branches with ease, the cat would move like a shadow above the ground until it spotted the man up ahead. Jumping from its branch and to the ground, the black cat had planned to follow the man from a distance as they began to make the path he was going on took him closer and closer to the market where many people gathered; however, the man that had that odd book did a strange thing as he walked.

He was looking through the book for something and then finding said something, Deshi caught a hint of light coming from the book suggesting the man perhaps casted a spell. An interesting discovery indeed. He didn't know he had been dealing with a mage. How fun.

However, interest soon faded into mild shock as the black cat paused in his walking and watched as the man before him split into four beings and said four beings began to move in different directions and sink into the vast crowds of the market. Looking one direction then the other, Deshi began to move once more slipping easily enough between the humans and creatures that filled the market to the brim. So the man wanted to play a game of hide and seek did he? Well the mercenary could play that game easily enough. After all, he was not playing this game on his own.

His two foxes had seen the split too and after carefully watching which way each copy went, Snow had gone after the one heading to the left and Rose had gone after one going forward leaving two for Deshi to figure out. Any of the four could be real, but why leave one room to escape with ease?

Looking around the crowds from his position low the ground, Deshi’s eyes would land on prime targets for the next steps in his plans. To his right was a little kid playing with a ball and furhter up the street another child selling bread. Nodding inwardly, Deshi would move from his spot in the crowd and make a beeline for the a vendor selling birds and other small animals. Remaining hidden in the shadows, Deshi would wait until the vendor had moved away from his cart to speak with a child eyeing some rats.

With the owner distracted, Deshi quickly moved from his spot and hopped on the counter using the cover of the cooing birds to muffle the sounds of his bell. Using his paws to swipe the cage heavily, the mercenary sent said cage to the ground causing it to rattle loudly and break open when it hit the hard earth. In a chaotic symphony of curses and cooing, the birds were set free as the owner turned around to see what all the noise was about. Upon seeing the birds were flying free the man tried to catch some of the fleeing birds, but in his hurry to recapture his goods, he ended up knocking some other cages over that just like the first busted open to free their prisoners. With animals scurrying all over the place, the owner of the cart was scurrying everywhere to catch the creatures, so naturally the helpful people of the Garden moved in to help including the two children he had seen earlier. Slipping from the counter and into the chaos, Deshi only added onto the mess as he scared some fleeing mice in the direction of the bread carrying child who had unfortuantely been trying to use said bread to lure some of the animals to him.

Running for their lives, the mice scurried up and over the boy causing the human to do a rather odd dance and bump into the little girl who had the ball. As she was bumped her toy was knocked from her grasp and so in distress, the child tried to get the ball back as people shoved and moved about in the chaotic mass they were in; however, Deshi was not about to let her have the ball so easily. Moving through the crowds with ease, he beat the human child to the ball and knocked it away and towards an alley that slopped downward and in turn caused the run away ball to roll even faster from the little girl that went after it. Watching as the child went crying after her ball, the black cat would run to the opposite alley before hopping up on a dumpster and then using its not so natural claws, it would climb up a drain pipe to the roof. Moving along the roof, the black cat would watch the chaos below as his eyes scanned the city watching each spot one of those silver headed men had gone. With all the chaos he had caused one should react to the noise and turn make it clear it was real; however, if one did not react to the chaos, then it would soon encounter either one of Deshi's foxes or a very upset child looking for her ball.

With eyes on three of the four, Deshi began to glid along the rooftops in cat form as his eyes hunted down the fourth and final clone. He had seen it heading north, but after causing all that chaos to ensure he had another tracker, he didn’t see where in the town the quick creature had slipped off to. Still, this didn’t matter to the mercenary as he kept moving in hunt mode along the smooth roof of buildings. Even if the one, he had was fake, he hoped that the foxes and child would be enough of a distraction for the other three clones to keep other possible real ones around long enough for Deshi to find the real rabbit that sought to run from the dark.
______________________________________________________________

ABILITIES USED: Deshi has used shapeshift and has shifted into the form of a black cat.

[Deleted]

Four Ienzos walked throughout the market; one by one they went their way under the orders of their master. It was typical for the market to be busy, but the atypical chaos wasn’t hard to deduce. To Ienzos’ advantage, they can detect wherever he went; despite how small he shrank, the amount of darkness in his heart remained the same.

Neither of the clones responded to the chaos sensing the sly mercenary darting throughout the market to create the elaborate mess. Feeling him move about without spotting him, Ienzo wondered how. Anyone would’ve noticed the tall lanky man frolicking about. Was he truly that dexterous and flexible? It was an open question he preferred not to jump conclusion, but feeling him above him, he wouldn’t surprise him if he diminished himself.

I wonder if his pets are about…

For lacking a heart majority of his life, Ienzo never had the care for pets, so the foxes would be little concern. With his life of retribution, would he cause harm to a small animal? Would the simple game become taxing?

An Ienzo maneuvered left towards an alley being stalked by a black fox. They’d take another route to the Borough, the residential area of Radiant Garden. The world still has remanents of both its former glory and Hallow Bastion. This route however led to a lower sub-level where the houses dimmed to few and none. It was never suitable after that point; Tron’s security never covered all of Radiant Garden. It was clear divide when the cobblestone ceased into just rocky geography descending to what was the western gardens that divided other residential districts. It was the gorgeous view from the Bailey, but it was never recovered. It was just as vacant, cold, and rustic, especially with that hideous Villain’s Vale as a center piece.

Before even reaching that far, the Ienzo stopped, “So, I’ve lost him…”

Was the game over so soon?

A ball rolled and bumped into an Ienzo in the marketplace follow suited by a shrieking girl. A fellow Ienzo tailed by a white fox walked from behind the anxious girl. It didn’t take notice of the girl, but his reflection. The glance was a quick one before turning towards the stairs entering the Borough where the pathway were narrower as it walked closer to an old wizard’s house. Either way it would be better to keep the distance from her. Plus he wasn’t too far from his own living quarters. The girl didn’t need to notice twins, and with her not noticing to end the charade, he would be free from this ploy.

Ienzo wasn’t great with kids; given his history it would be self-explanatory. Looking down at the impact, Ienzo looked at the ball non chalantly. When the upset child asked for it, he looked at her blankly before his foot reached for the ball ready to kick it pass her to get her out of his way. The point was to get far enough to disappear.

Ienzo moved discreetly circling around the crowd; he noticed Ienzos exiting, but followed only one, the one tailed by the white fox. Keeping his head low, he moved slower to avoid the little girl keeping an Ienzo busy. Without making any eye contacted, he stalked towards the residency.