It wasn't like he had anything left- the Darkness, when it had first thundered through Radiant, had made sure of that, even going so far as to bleach the very color from his hair, eyes, and skin. He'd been left with nothing more than a gaping wound and even more painful memories; memories that didn't actually hurt anymore, simply because he no longer had the capacity to be harmed like that.

He sifted through them carefully now, watching in his mind's eye as the Ienzo he had been quietly devoted everything to his studies. The experiments were interesting in the same way that a poorly-written novel was interesting- he could bear with them, they would temporarily satisfy; but he was always craving something… more. More challenging, perhaps, or more suited to his eclectic six-year-old-adult tastes. In the end, though, all that Zexion could tell you for sure about his past was that he was dissatisfied. Oh, he fit in with the other four better than anywhere else, to be sure, but Even could only be tolerated for so long and Aeleus was stifling sometimes with his older-brother tendencies.

Then Ansem found someone else, and it all went sky-high.

All Ienzo's memories of Xehanort's first week were filled with flurries of activity and medical information (they'd had to make sure the man was in good health, considering the way he'd been discovered) and the occasional test to investigate just why the Darkness had been clinging so strongly to him when he'd been found.

…That had piqued Ienzo's curiosity. Darkness? He'd only dealt with science and beakers and chemicals and mixing before. But… Darkness itself? That… That might be an experiment worth looking into. So, Zexion reveled in the memories as Ienzo literally threw himself into the work, eagerly devouring new discoveries and old information alike. He frequently was found at late hours (mostly by Aeleus) squirreled away with hefty tomes in some dusty corner, eyes red with determination and too many words. When let out early, he would leave the lab immediately (a change Even noted with surprise and suspicion) to find the newest Apprentice and inquire all he could about his experiences. It became a quest, really, the only thing he could pursue outside of the everyday drudgery. He treasured, as any small boy would, the stories that his elder gave him and when the request to talk to Ansem was made, he was all-too-eager to please the man that had opened his eyes to a whole new world. Literally.

The construction for the new lab began within the week.

It was another few weeks of stories and secret meetings before the truly interesting (and admittedly dangerous) experiments began, those involving the heart and Darkness and Worlds. They'd started slowly and gradually, eventually admitting Even and Dilan and Aeleus into the fold (Braig had already been there, had been with Xehanort since the beginning) and ramping up the intensity of their tests. That, Zexion would admit, was probably the highlight of Ienzo's short lifetime. Secrecy and science and untested potential- even a frighteningly-mature six-year-old could revel in the moment and pure experimental joy of the next test, the upcoming experiment, the unpredicted results. Even, he remembered, had shared his absolute fascination; Aeleus had been a bit more reserved and reluctant, opting to warn the others about the hazards of a test rather than participate; Braig and Xehanort had always spearheaded the experiments, encouraging the more science-inclined to find exactly what they were looking for (and lo, they did, but that came later); and Dilan was always one step behind, providing the muscle that pushed forward their progress in opposition to Aeleus's mild hindrance.

Ienzo almost listened to Aeleus once. He'd approached the small boy while he was engaged with a puzzle- a sure time to keep him from evading you, if he was focused on another activity as well.

"…Ienzo. This will undo you- all of us- if it continues." And that was all. Aeleus didn't need too many words to convey his concern.

The boy tilted his head towards the guard, and their eyes met. Maybe it was the look that Aeleus was giving him, maybe it was his desperate tone- but whatever it was, it caused Ienzo to pause.

"…What makes you think so?"

"My heart tells me so."

Ienzo didn't know how to reply to that desperation, that conviction. Whatever had convinced Aeleus of their impending doom (his heart?) was tugging at Ienzo's tiny conscience. But- to give up the experiments that had made him so alive!- it was a monumental decision for him. His interests, or his guard's?

In the end, it wasn't a decision he had to make.

The Heartless they'd been testing with- the Darkness they'd made to have form and feelers, claws and (bright yellow piercing searching hollow) eyes- escaped. Ienzo never found out exactly how.

He watched Dilan disappear under a colossal pile of black forms (We didn't have that many, where did they come from, where are Xehanort and Braig and AELEUS, Even, wherewherehowwhere), and the man's shouts chased his echoing thoughts down the hallway as he fled. Even was next, he saw, and his pausing to gape helplessly at his mentor cost him a long and shallow scrape across his back, and one on his calf.

The Shadows were closing in.

Aeleus- his strong, proud, reluctant, faithful guard, was the last he saw. The man's huge back was shoved hard against the closed door, a last flesh-and-blood blockade against the Darkness and its hunger. He'd shouted as the claws cut through the wood and himself, shouted with his last breath as Aeleus for Ienzo to run, run,go! You've got to get away!

And then he was gone.

And so was Ienzo.

Zexion heaved a heavy sigh as his last memories petered out, the mental pictures fading to Darkness (just as Ienzo had), but he did not feel regret. He simply couldn't, not anymore. He tried anyway.

"Aeleus… I'm sorry."

But both the small man (scientist, traitor, child) that whispered the words and the large man (guard, defender, adult) that heard them knew that they meant nothing.