The sunset rested across the clock tower and sloping rooftops. At the same time, cooled shadows nestled in alleys and in-between the cobblestone streets. The whistle and rumble of a distant train lazily traveled through the yellow skies, which steadily faded into pink and ember. But those listening to the sleeping afternoon may not have heard the lowered voices exchanged under the veil of darkness.
"Despite their bestial behavior, Heartless can be very picky about where they congregate. It is more likely to locate Heartless in areas that most lack any form of light, whether natural or artificial. Can you think of an area within this town that best fits that description?" prompted a young man with periwinkle hair covering the right side of his face. His sharp blue gaze observed the younger, blond boy standing in front of him.
The other boy shifted his own blue gaze towards the ground, and he responded after a long moment, "The shopping district is pretty dark because it's closed at this hour."
"Very good. And?"
Roxas blinked in surprise. His eyes shifted searchingly as he made a longer pause. He answered unsurely, "There's…the woods in front of the old mansion."
"As well as the Underground Concourse and pockets of back alleys much like the one we are currently situated in," Zexion added, tipping up his chin. He continued, "You must be thorough when tracking Heartless, especially those that are stronger and more unique. You do have an advantage in that Heartless will be naturally attracted to the power of your Keyblade. However, that is not to say that you should rely on that factor alone."
"I understand…" Roxas replied, eyes dropping to the ground.
"Now, regarding the strategy for hunting Heartless, there are numerous ways, but I would of course recommend the most efficient one. This will involve scouting around areas appealing to Heartless, dispatching any as you find them, while bearing in…mind…" Zexion trailed off, catching a scent. He was struck by sweet salt. A familiar voice filled his head.
Come now, Ienzo. What is a lover of science without a sense of curiosity?
The older Organization member turned, eyes towards the street. Roxas watched in puzzlement and followed his gaze. There seemed to be no one until a mother and child walked by, each holding light blue popsicles.
You are free to dislike it if you may, but I believe one earns their opinion through experience. Even when it comes to ice cream.
Zexion slowly blinked, as if waking up. He turned back to Roxas, clearing his throat and speaking coolly, "Please excuse the interruption. I had taken notice of something…"
"Should we investigate?" Roxas suggested.
"The mission at hand remains a priority," Zexion answered briskly. He paused and added slowly, "Though I suppose…it would work just as well for you to proceed with the mission as you were and so I…may be able to pursue the matter without putting the objective at risk."
"So I should…act as if I'm on a solo-mission?" Roxas inquired.
"Yes, only for now. I will regroup with you once the investigation is complete," Zexion stated. Roxas was unnerved by the young man's sense of urgency but said nothing. The boy nodded, and Zexion added, pulling up his hood, "Before you go, remember to be thorough with hunting Heartless, even after your objective is complete."
"Understood," Roxas replied.
When the two separated, the boy thought to himself, I've never seen Zexion like this. It's weird like something's…making him nervous.
With a flash of light, he summoned his key-shaped blade, with twitching shadows and their glowing, beady eyes gathering in front of him. Maybe I should just get this mission over with quick, then I won't need to think about it anymore.
The shop owner paused from wiping off the counter as a boy approached him. The teenager was stout, with a red shirt reading 'DOGSTREET' and had a black hairband holding up his brown hair. The shop owner smiled as he greeted, "Well, what can I do you for, Pence?"
"Just one sea-salt ice cream, please," the boy responded, returning the smile. He also drew out a handful of golden munny.
"Sure thing! Nothing better to beat back the heat." Moments later, the boy accepted the cooled stick of blue ice cream.
"Thank you very much," the boy stated.
"Always a pleasure. You take care now!"
"Have a nice day!" he called over his shoulder as he walked off with the ice cream. He proceeded around the corner of a closed jewelry shop before his smile dropped.
The boy leaned against the shaded wall, and sighed, "What am I doing?"
His appearance reverted to a taller figure in a hooded, black coat. Zexion looked over the ice cream in his gloved hand, and its sugary odor lifted into his nostrils. His mind started to drift.
He held a pen in his small hand, with carefully and surprisingly dexterous sentences scrawled out on the journal before him. A warm voice rung behind him, "Ienzo, there you are."
The child turned towards the doorway, occupied by a broad-shouldered man with blond hair and a red scarf over his lab coat. He held up a pair of blue ice creams, prompting, "I see you're hard at work writing your reports as Even asked. I don't mean to interrupt, but I've a bit of a dilemma. I seem to have acquired one too many of an ice cream that you just so happen to like and there's no one to share it with. Perhaps you may be able to assist, and I can in turn lend an ear to a verbal rendition of your report?" Ansem paused, his mouth flicking up in a knowing smile framed by his goatee.
The child set down his pen and hopped from his chair. He accepted the sea-salt ice cream and then slipped his hand into the man's now freed grasp. Ansem gave a gentle squeeze as they proceeded down the hall together.
"A laboratory? Here?" Ansem repeated, concern etched in his ember eyes.
The child nodded. The man closed his mouth, and he furrowed his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair. He put a hand to his chin, murmuring, "I suppose that building it beneath the castle would be the best way to ensure that whatever is conducted there would be contained. But would such a thing really be necessary? I'm aware of how the other apprentices have wished for a greater space to work in, but I worry that increasing the magnitude of the workspace may allow for more ambitious and more unstable experiments-"
Ansem cut himself off, feeling a pair of small hands over his own. The child stood by his side and looked up at him wordlessly. The man stared back until his expression melted into a bittersweet smile. Ansem sighed and patted the child's hands, "Perhaps I have become more easily panicked as of late. Especially since the tests on Xehanort's heart. Still, I acknowledge that risks come with the pursuit of knowledge."
The man looked to the window, stating definitively, "Very well then. I will allow this decision, so long as boundaries are set in place. Thinking of it, I have always wanted to ensure creative freedom, in the hopes that you all would be able to find solutions to problems that I would have never considered. I trust my apprentices to do what they believe is good for all."
"Come on, kid. You're not gonna back out of this now, are you?" a man with an eyepatch questioned they stood in front of a mechanical capsule.
The child looked to the ground, but his gaze snapped up when Braig dropped a hand on his shoulders, continuing, "You've seen what we've been able to accomplish so far, and we've barely scratched the surface. Just imagine how much more there is to discover. But if Ansem learns about this, he'll pull the plug, and then our work'll never be complete! He's scared of the darkness, as he should be. But here's the thing…if you wanna control the darkness, you can't fear it. You have to embrace it, learn from it…Doesn't that sound about right?"
The child shifted his gaze to the side. A long moment later, he finally stepped forward with the other apprentices.
"W-what is the meaning of this?" a man with blond hair past his shoulders nervously faltered. He stood in the middle of the computer room, behind the child. The latter stared at the white-haired man in a lab coat standing silently in the doorway. Even went on unsteadily, "Apprentice Xehanort, there's still more tests left to be done. Surely it isn't time for us to skip to as drastic of measures as you've proposed. Th-there simply must be another way to access the darkness-"
He was cut off as Xehanort summoned a dark, key-shaped blade and dashed forward. Even cried out in terror as the weapon stabbed into the child's chest, connecting with light and smoking blackness.
Rrrmrrrmrrmrrm
An empty, automated tram rumble past Zexion. He was still in Twilight Town. The young man exhaled, becoming aware of the tension in his body. Zexion looked to the stick of sea-salt ice cream still in his hand. The sweet and salty smell clumped into the back of his throat. He pursed his lips and tossed the ice cream into a trash can, muttering, "This was pointless. I have work to attend to."
"Ienzo, have you managed to find the remaining pages concerning Experiment C52?" Even inquired, standing before a disorganized bookshelf.
The young man paused sorting Ansem's desk. How peculiar of a feeling, he thought to himself, looking over the lab coat that replaced his black coat. Hearing my true name after so long. Ienzo answered, "I would recommend checking the second folder drawer."
Aeleus, a broad-shouldered man in a blue uniform, stated by the drawer, "Here they are." He paused, inquiring, "Do you think that we'll be able to find the answers to how our hearts were restored?"
"Surely," Even responded, pulling out another set of papers, "At the very least, we may be able to determine whether or not Xehanort knew that restoration would result from the destruction of one's Nobody and Heartless through our research or perhaps a source beyond us."
"The latter is certainly possible, as his plan seems to run deeper than any of us could have imagined," Ienzo replied.
Even gritted his teeth, glaring into the research papers, muttering, "And that's all we ever were. Pawns in his grand game."
Before either Ienzo or Aeleus could respond to him, polite knocking sounded at the door. A woman in pink and white skirts with red ribbons in her brown hair entered. She smiled and held up a tray with tea and a white box, offering, "Refreshments?"
"Oh certainly," answered Even.
"That is very kind of you," Aeleus added as she set the tray onto a cleared space.
"It's no trouble. You three have been in here so long, I assumed that you needed something to drink," she responded, pouring the cups.
Ienzo stared at the white box, inquiring after a long moment, "If I may ask…what is that in addition to the tea?"
She paused and opened the box, explaining, "Oh, right. Yuffie brought them."
The woman drew out sticks of sea-salt ice cream, stating, "She wanted me to bring them, saying that 'it'd be easy to dehydrate from all the dust'."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Even argued, as Ienzo accepted an ice cream. The man added more to himself, "Though I do agree it can grow a bit stuffy in here."
Ienzo stared at the ice cream's soft blue form. After a thoughtful moment, he took a bite with an icy crinkle.
Even took a sip of his tea and made a noise of approval. He sighed, "This does take me back. The tea seems just as good as it was."
"That's good to hear. Heartless invasions made cultivation very difficult," the woman responded.
"Understandably so. Perhaps a system could be-" Even paused, hearing watery hiccups. He glanced over to Ienzo, whose face was covered in tears. Even blinked and asked, "Ienzo! Are you alright?"
"F-forgive me, I just-" the young man's voice cracked. He covered his mouth, continuing shakily, "I r-remember having ice cream with him. Ansem. I remember, he was…was so happy. So kind. And then—we went behind his back. To do those…wretched experiments. He looked s-so…hurt."
Ienzo leaned against the desk, gripping his head, "I regret everything I did. All that happened. Because now, I'll never-" His throat closed, and he harshly swallowed to breathe. Tears dripped onto the ice cream as he finished hoarsely, "Now I'll never be able to share this with him again."
His chest ached and deep chills cut through his body. He trembled, and his breathing shuddered. Ienzo felt a heavy hand on his shoulders. Wordlessly, Aeleus had wrapped an arm around him.
Even, after a moment, spoke up, "There is something of note considering Ansem's departure."
He put a hand to his chin, continuing, "When his encoding machine self-destructed, breaking apart Kingdom Hearts and purifying Riku back to his original form, Ansem himself could be assumed to have been obliterated, yes, but that may not be the only possibility. Before the encoder exploded, Ansem stated, 'Anything could happen,' according to King Mickey. It is because of this that the king holds onto the belief that Ansem is still out there, somewhere."
Ienzo regarded them with reddened eyes, and his breathing mostly evened out. He felt the ice cream drip on his hand. The young man finally responded, "…We've always searched for answers, haven't we? The secret to hearts, the workings of darkness, and so forth. But, perhaps this time…" he wiped the ice cream from his wrist, finishing, "I want our search to mean something. To feel that we've truly contributed to the good of others. I suppose the best place to start is finding the answers to help repair the damage we've done."
His cohorts agreed. After some time to gather their bearings, the tray was cleared out and they resumed shuffling through papers and combing through notes. When Ienzo drew out a stack of papers from Ansem's desk, he heard a wooden clatter on the floor. It was a cleaned ice cream stick with 'WINNER' printed on the side. He must've saved it so as to it exchange it for a free ice cream later, Ienzo reasoned. He drew up the stick and pocketed it, promising to return it to him in person.
Moon's Meow: I can't seem to get enough of characters crying over past mistakes. Perhaps it was a bit overrated of me to make sea-salt ice cream the central theme, but it seems to be synonymous with friendship and loss in KH. Either way, this was a fun piece to write, because I was able to explore the events of post-Birth By Sleep to Dream Drop Distance from Zexion/Ienzo's perspective.
The cover image is by 悠香 from pixiv.
Hope you guys enjoyed!