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Ienzo had anticipated it ever since he had found himself lying on a random alleyway a few weeks ago, alive and with a beating heart. This was why when he saw the raven hair ninja march through a pair of glass doors and into the infirmary hoisting two very familiar figures on her shoulders, he wasn't the least bit surprised (at the inhuman strength of the frail looking girl and the identity of the two people she was carrying). In fact, the only indication he gave that suggested he had noticed them was by the twitch of a slender eyebrow, and even that was hidden underneath his silver-blue bangs, which were long enough to cover the entire right half of his face.

It was just as well that both he and his Nobody weren't the type to outright attack people that they held grudges against, or else both Seven and Eight would very well be dead the moment they were lugged through the glass doors. Or rather, the unfortunate, unconscious duo were the Somebodies of what used to be the Organization's seventh and eighth members, but that fact didn't deter Ienzo from his hostile thoughts.

He could still vividly recall the way that Axel had sicced Vexen's failed experiment on his weakened Nobody and watched with something that was almost like amusement, but it wasn't because they were Nobodies and as a result, couldn't feel. Furthermore, Ienzo was very sure of Saix's involvement in the assassination attempt because Eight was hardly the type to see things through to the end unless he was ordered to.

Really, it was a pleasant surprise that the ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi, had decided to bring the two people that Ienzo currently despised the most to the one place where he had a justified excuse to inflict the most bodily harm on them. While physical pain wasn't Ienzo's favorite method of torture (it was too unrefined and messy compared to destroying the enemy through the mind), it was the best way to go about things , what with his current position among other things.

Ienzo had somehow been promoted to an assistant healer in the short time after he was found. Apparently, he could still recall some basic cure spells along with some other useful magic, but wasn't powerful enough to be deemed a threat, and the survivors of the Radiant Gardens had been desperately in need of some healers after the huge war against more than a thousand Heartless (which was later creatively named "Battle of the 1000 Heartless").

The members of the Restoration Committee had been wary of him at first, especially the inapproachable brunette- named Squall, according to Yuffie- who preferred to be called Leon for some unknown reason, and was the de facto leader of the Committee. The were mostly suspicious of the silver-blue haired boy because he used to be a Nobody (they didn't find out because Ienzo admitted the fact, but rather his adopted father, Ansem, had left a few reports that incriminated the six researchers who used to study the heart and eventually ended up as the founding members of the Organization).

Fortunately, Ienzo was a skilled manipulator and within a few days had everyone convinced that he wasn't going to ambush them in their sleep. He wouldn't have done it, either, because there was nothing to gain.

Admittedly, Leon still watched him out of the corners of his sharp, blue eyes, as if daring Ienzo to do something that would condemn him to the grave, but Ienzo wasn't stupid enough to take the bait, what with his weakened state and the fact that the Restoration Committee was filled with strong fighters.

Deciding not to attack any inhabitants of his home world was one thing. Isa and Lea -whether they used to live in the Radiant Gardens or not -were another thing.

No, Ienzo wouldn't kill them off. There would be no enjoyment to be gained if he let them die quick, painless deaths (in their sleep, no less). Instead, he had the option of pleasantly watching as vials of potions were forced down Lea's throat. Or rather, he would be the one to do the forcing.

Oh yes, Ienzo knew that Lea absolutely despised the taste of any kind of medicine, including but not limited to potions, healing herbs and elixirs. After all, didn't the three of them -Ienzo, Isa and Lea - use to hang out and eat sea-salt ice cream all the time before the Heartless invasion? Admittedly, Ienzo used to be quite occupied with his work as a scientist and Lea had been too busy dragging Isa into whatever trouble he planned on stirring up, but occasionally, the three had met to enjoy each others' companies. Ah, the benefits of friendship. Ienzo nearly cracked an evil grin as he thought of ways to torture his so-called friends. He didn't, of course. Crack a grin, that was.

He turned his attention to the ninja girl who appeared to be close to bursting from curiosity. He had left her waiting long enough while he mused, judging from the fact that Yuffie had already managed to set down both Isa and Lea in separate beds in the otherwise empty medical ward and was currently drumming incessantly on the headboard of the bed she was sitting on.

It looked like he would have to humor her. But first, he had to play the role of a caring healer and diagnose the redhead and bluenette's conditions.

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Yuffie had just been making her nightly rounds around the Bailey, checking for signs of any unwelcome Heartless lurking around, when she had come upon what could have been generously described as a fight scene. In the alleyway formed by the building she had been standing on and one other, a boy with hair spiky enough to rival Cloud's and Sora's had been attempting to singlehandedly defend his unconscious friend from a group of Shadows. The boy's emerald eyes stood out prominently when coupled with his red spikes, especially as he launched fireball after fireball at the Heartless.

Coincidently, Yuffie had been deciding when would have been a good time to step into the fray when she had noted that Red -she had come up with that nickname on the spot -had run out of ammunition and was currently slumped to the ground, still holding the blue haired boy. A long story made short, Yuffie took that as a cue to enter the scene, what with a Shadow reaching claw-outstretched for the two teenagers' hearts and nobody else around to help.

She had swiftly thrown her giant shuriken at the Heartless and erased it before quickly making her entrance as the boys' savior. The least that Red could have done was to play along. Instead, he had the nerve to faint while Yuffie declared that she was the "Great Ninja Yuffie."

As annoyed as she should have been for having her self introduction ignored, Yuffie had understood. After all, she had figured that it must have been quite tiring for a civilian to fight off a group of Heartless, even if they were Shadows.

The thoughtful side of her had decided to bring the two males to the medical wards, where Aerith or some other healer would be able to patch them up, not that the two had any visible wounds. Yuffie had then effortlessly hefted the two unconscious bodies onto each of her shoulders and proceeded to dash the infirmary at her super ninja speed, marveling slightly at the wonders that her recent physical training with Leon had yielded.

This was the reason why Yuffie was currently found sitting on an otherwise empty hospital bed in the infirmary she had been heading to, impatiently tapping the bed's headboard as her curiosity threatened to overflow.

Just who were Red and Blue? She was sure that she had never seen them before the events in the alleyway. Were they similar to Ienzo…?

Just when Yuffie thought she couldn't take anymore of being left in the dark, a polite voice spoke up.

"I'm finished, Yuffie."

Yuffie's attention focused itself on the silver-blue haired boy who had spoken, before she burst into speech. "How are they? Is there anything wrong with them? Or are they just tired? I mean, I seriously doubt that they are fighters, because Red was doing poorly when he fought the Shadows. And where'd they come from? I don't think I've seen them before. They are fine, right?" She had said it all in one breath, although she had considerately lowered her voice so as to not disturb the resting males.

Ienzo, true to his nature, was not the least perturbed by Yuffie's talkative ways, or even if he was, he didn't show it on his constantly impassive face, aside from a small eyebrow raise at Yuffie's nickname for the redhead. Instead, he patiently answered all of her questions. "No, I do not believe there is anything particularly worrisome about their state. They are merely resting. As for the rest of your questions, I believe that the two of them are more suited to answering them."

Right on cue, the redhead shifted in the bed as he struggled to awaken.

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He couldn't sense anyone around him.

There was nothing but darkness in his surroundings.

It was cold.

So very cold…

Where was he?

In a void of darkness...

He was wandering.

Why?

Because...

He was… looking for something.

...Something very important to him.

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Lea woke up with a gasp and rose into a sitting position with a start as his hands clutched tightly to his bed sheets. He was tensed and ready to fight off the Heartless and to protect Isa.

Speaking of which, where the hell was the bluenette?

He did a double take when he realized that he wasn't in the dark alleyway anymore. He groggily noted the soft sheets covering the bottom half of his body and the cushiony material he was sitting on as his eyes recovered enough to do a sweep of his current surroundings. They wandered over to the bed next to him and he noticed with no small amount of relief that Isa was tucked into a similar bed to his, although he was still unconscious.

They were in what appeared to be a hospital, what with all the medical equipment and glass cabinets stocked full of potions. At the latter observation, he grimaced.

Just how did they get there?

He must have asked that question aloud, because a voice spoke up with a low volume, cautious to not disturb the bluenette from his slumber. "I'm quite pleased to see that you have regained conscious, Lea. I suppose I will leave the two of you to get better acquainted. I wouldn't wish to offend Aerith by not eating the meal that she kindheartedly prepared."

Lea's orbs traveled from the potions that he was disdainfully ogling to the slowly retreating lab coat covered back of a boy with silver-blue hair. He followed the figure until the mysterious child who had spoken had left the room through a set of glass doors, still curious as to just how he had missed the youth in his initial sweep of the room and of what the fellow had meant by "leaving the two of them to get better acquainted."

The second object of inquisition was immediately answered in the form of a black blur that had bounced over to his side the second the silver-blue haired boy had fully disappeared from Lea's view.

Lea barely had time to blink at the friendly violet orbs that curiously stared back at him before the owner of the pair of violet eyes' mouth opened and a stream of words poured out.

"Your name's Lea? Nice to meet you! I'm Kisaragi Yuffie! Call me Great Ninja Yuffie!"

The speed at which she had said the words had been so quick that Lea's brain had little time to wrap itself around them. He ended up nodding slowly in affirmation at the question regarding his name. After all, he did suppose that he was Lea now. He wasn't Axel anymore because he had a heart, right? To confirm that last thought, he brought a hand to his chest and found comfort in the slow thrumming of his heart.

"Yeah, I'm Lea. Got it memorized?" His and Axel's catchphrase had slipped out solely by habit. It was beside the point, though. He was pretty sure that the girl had introduced herself, but he had missed her name.

He voiced out his question, to receive a slightly annoyed twitch from the girl before she proudly stomped a boot covered foot on his bed and with arms akimbo, proudly declared that she was the "Great Ninja Yuffie."

"So… Yuffie?"

The girl pouted and removed her foot from the bed before crossing her wristband wearing arms over the unzipped, dark grey vest she wore atop a floral patterned navy blue top. "No..." she muttered. "It's Great Ninja Yuffie."

"Yuffie."

Lea didn't know why, but he enjoyed seeing the pout on the girl's face. It had been so long since he had last annoyed someone and had fun doing it. As a Nobody, he had no heart, which meant that he couldn't gain any satisfaction from seeing the pissed off visage of whoever he was antagonizing.

However, he needed some answers from the girl, and he figured that the best way to get them was to comply with her wishes.

He sighed and threw his arms up in defeat before correcting himself. "Okay, Great Ninja Yuffie. Do you mind telling me why we're here?"

The black haired girl smiled brightly at the usage of her preferred name and, upon deciding that there was no way the redhead could be a threat to the Radiant Gardens (his "battle" against the Shadows was definitely taken into consideration), she seated herself comfortably on an empty spot on Lea's mattress and broke into a large explanation of the situation.

Lea anticipated a very detailed list of events from the talkative girl, so he rested his back against the headboard of the bed and listened intently as the girl spoke.

"I found you two on an alleyway somewhere near the Bailey, and saw that Blue was unconscious and you were trying to fight off a bunch of Shadows. No offense, but you were doing pretty badly. Maybe you could ask Merlin to teach you something other than level one fire spells? So anyways, you two were in the alley and..."

Being the slightly competitive idiot that he was, Lea was slightly offended by Yuffie's recount of things and made a mental note to find out who this "Merlin" was and request for some help with his magic before his attention settled back on the girl.

"…and then I introduced myself and you fainted and then I lugged you two all the way to the medical wings here. Then you woke up and 'zo left for dinner and Blue's still asleep."

Even with all of his attention focused on what she was saying, Lea barely managed to catch half of her story. He was sure that he had gotten the gist of it, so he returned to the more pressing matter on hand.

"Why'd you save us?" She wasn't planning on boiling the two in a pot of stew, was she?

"Why not?" she countered with her own question. The friendly glint was still found in her amethyst orbs, but her tone of voice had turned a lot more serious. "I can't just leave someone to become a Heartless. I just want to see our world rebuilt." The self-proclaimed ninja mumbled the last few words and had a brooding look on her face.

Lea didn't want to interrupt her reminiscing session, but her answer had brought up a very interesting point. "Which world it this?"

The girl's expression changed into one of slight shock. Yuffie had sort of been expecting that the boy had been to other worlds before judging by the fact that she had never seen him before.

"Radiant Gardens."

Now it was the redhead's turn to be shocked. He and Isa had somehow been returned to their home world! Things were happening too quickly for Lea's brain to fully comprehend. His thinking process immediately went into overdrive and he didn't even realize what he was doing unconsciously.

Lea made to rise from his bed, only to be quickly pushed back down by Yuffie who was confused by the odd behavior of the redhead but knew at the same time that he needed to rest.

"Is something wrong?" the black haired girl worriedly asked after Lea seemed to have regained his senses.

"No, it's..." Lea slowly began before changing what he was going to say."You're rebuilding this world at the moment?" he blurted out. "Can I…help?"

Yuffie's worried expression was immediately replaced by one of joy. "Of course!" she immediately replied.

Sure, she had just met the redhead and had only talked to him for about fifteen minutes, but she was quite certain that Radiant Gardens held some meaning to Lea, if his strange reaction at the mention of the place was anything to go by. Anyways, he seemed to be a friendly, but lost, person in their world, so it was helpful for her to give him a job, right?

"But for now, I'll leave you so you can rest up!"

Lea didn't have much time to reply to that statement. By the time he had processed the fact that Yuffie had accepted his request, she had walked to the doors.

The black haired ninja girl paused before crossing the glass entryway and turned around to face him, smiling brightly.

"Before I forget… Would you like some dinner?"

It wasn't until Yuffie had left that Lea realized that he hadn't told the silvery-blue haired boy his name.

ACQUAINTING-END

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Thank you for reading, and thanks to all reviewers!

Characterization was a difficult task for me when I wrote this chapter. For Ienzo, I purposely made his thoughts nothing like his outward character because it was more fun that way (okay, truth be told, I'm pretty sure his thoughts are creepier than what I wrote, but…). Yuffie was just… difficult. I tried to make her perky and friendly without being overly stupid and trusting.

Also, here's a question. Do people normally think in present or past tense? I think in both tenses, so I'm not really sure. So… if the fact that I write the characters' thoughts in past tense is odd, please tell me. OTL

The next chapter will come out… eventually. School is taking up the majority of my writing time. I'm very sorry.

Next chapter:

"Who are you?"