LexZex- In Silence pt.1

The day was clear again, like usual. Radiant Garden was always a place of sunshine, of light. He squinted as he glanced up at the clear sky, feeling the faint heat from the rays. The parcel of books in his arms felt lighter as he walked. It had been a bit selfish of him to ask for so many but since Even had not refused he assumed it was okay. In fact Even hardly refused anything when Ienzo sought to learn more. Perhaps it was because the blond took learning and knowledge so seriously. Walking through town he saw the gates to the large building where the Keyblade Masters used to take their trials. He wasn't exactly sure, since he had been so young at the time but something had happened that caused a disruption in the Keyblade wielders' training.
Heading up along the path he saw Master Ansem's castle up at the top. He shifted the books in his arms, trying to keep up with Even. Why did the man have to be so tall? He was officially an adult now but he was still so damned short it annoyed him.
The blonde glanced back, smirking a bit. "Did you need any help with those?" He murmured, slowing his gait.
He shook his head, trying to walk faster.
The other made a sound that sounded distinctly like a chuckle but it was too quiet to be definite.
Following along behind they managed to reach the top, heading for the main doors. Since the fall of the Keyblade practice hall the guards that had once watched the door had taken up guarding Master Ansem's castle. Both men were giants compared to him. The one with dark hair was very scary and he felt a chill whenever the man's sharp eyes fell on him. Granted he never said much and he in turn said nothing to them. The other one was even bigger and though he looked like he could look at Ienzo and crush him there was an odd gentleness in his eyes. He found himself fascinated by it and had taken to letting his eyes wander to the man at times. Of course he did this even now. When the big man looked at him he flushed, lowering his gaze and tried to walk faster. He must have been a little too vigorous in his stride since he ended up tripping and dropping half the books.
Turning back Even raised a brow. "I said I would help, Ienzo." He huffed.
"I...I got them." He muttered, kneeling down to grab them.
"You forgot one." Said a voice, deep yet strangely soothing.
He turned, seeing the large red leather bound book and the huge hand that held it. He looked up, seeing the gentle blue eyes of the man he couldn't help but be intrigued in. His throat tightened and any chance he might have had at saying a thing was lost. He hardly talked as it was but this man made it impossible to even summon his voice. Cheeks burning he snatched the book and quickly grabbed the others, rushing past the man.
"What in the…?" Even shook his head. "I apologize for him. He's…shy." He rubbed his temple, turning to the guard.
Smiling he shook his head. "It is no trouble. I can imagine how imposing we seem to a young boy."
"He is hardly a child anymore, Eleaus, still he should know better." Even crossed his arms. "Speaking of which had you both been brought lunch yet?"
"It is not necessary." Dilan muttered, glancing at them. "We will eat when we can." Of course as soon as he spoke there was a very loud rumble from his stomach.
Even raised a brow. "Right….I'll have it brought out shortly." He smirked again and went inside, finding a book here or there on the floor that Ienzo had dropped in his retreat.

Falling on his bed he was sure he might die of embarrassment. How completely shameful, he had failed to thank the man for his kindness and lost half his books in his failed escape attempt. He still had no clue what was wrong with him. He was sure he must be ill. There was no logical reason he should feel so very flustered around one man. He dealt with Braig even and he was as imposing as they came, and nosy too, very, very nosy, and annoying.  He jumped as a tap came on his door. "Y...yes?"
"Ienzo?" A head peaked in, silvery hair bright against the tanned skin. "Am I bothering you?"
"What No, no, did you need something, Xehanort?" he struggled to compose himself.
The man entered. "I was curious if you managed to look over the experiment? Even said he is interested as well so we were thinking of trying out a few experiments soon."
He vaguely recalled the experiments he spoke of. He had to admit he found them slightly off-putting. Messing around with darkness…still if Even believed it was worth checking out. "Um...sure. I would be honored to help."
"Good." Xehanort nodded, his eyes glancing to the stack of books. "More books again?"
"Even bought them for me." He muttered, reaching up to tug at his bangs.
"He certainly spoils you." The man sighed. "Well, I'll leave you be, I've no doubt you want to delve into them."
He remained silent and Xehanort seemed to take that as a goodbye. He was never good with words. Only over the last couple years had he managed to speak more regularly. At first it was only to Even or master Ansem but slowly he was able to converse with Xehanort, and manage a snide comment to Braig. Still he couldn't bring himself to even look at Dilan, the man frightening to him. Then there was Eleaus. Why couldn't he managed a single sentence, especially when he so dearly wished to converse with him? Sighing he fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Maybe he was a giant coward. He was an adult now; he shouldn't be such a child about it.
"Ienzo?" Even stood in the door, a pile of books in hand. "You dropped these."
"Oh." Sitting up he went red, quickly getting off the bed and rushing over. "Sorry, I was in a hurry…"
"I noticed. You left a smoke trail behind you." He handed the books over, a curious look in his green eyes. "Why such a rush?"
"I…." He honestly had no excuse and bit his lip.
Even seemed to understand and nodded. "Never mind then. Still you should take care with these; I bought them since you seemed so adamant to have them."
"I…know, thank you." He set the books down.
"Well, in any case I am going to see about getting Dilan and Eleaus some lunch, did you want anything?"
He heard him but his mind was stuck on it, causing him to forget he was hungry as well. They were getting lunch…lunch… "E…even?" he turned to the man. "I…can I take their lunch to them?" he blurted.
The blonde blinked, confused by this sudden turn of events. "I suppose…"
"As an apology." He added, feeling confident in his excuse.
"Oh…well, then yes, that is a fine idea." He smiled. "Of course the real lesson is that next time you show proper manners. I know we taught you better than that." He tried to sound stern but in the end Even really was the worst when it came to coddling Ienzo.
"Yes, sir." He smiled, nodding.
"Right then, I shall leave it to you. I have a few things I need to discuss with Xehanort so if you need me I'll be in the lab."
Ienzo nodded, watching the man leave before he hurried off to the kitchen. This was a brilliant plan. In fact he was surprised he had managed to think of it, there was just one tiny issue. Would he be able to say anything to them, to him?


"Do you think he hates me?" Eleaus muttered staring out at the path, half wishing the sun would go away or at least move faster so they would be in the shade.
"Who?" Dilan glanced at him.
"Ienzo." Looking at the man he sighed. "I…am not that scary, am I?"
"It's a good trait to have, given your profession." The darker man snorted. "Why are you concerned about it anyways? You don't have to be liked by everyone in the castle to guard it."
"I know, still, I feel as though sometimes he wants to say something but then…well, then I scare him." He shifted his feet, looking at the ground. He had never much been worried about his size before. As a guard, a warrior he was accustomed to people being intimidated, but something about that boy, the way he looked at him…
Dilan saw the man in deep thought and shook his head. "Don't think too hard don it. The boy is shy anyway. He only just started speaking to most people frequently. Why are you so worried about him now, anyways? We've been here five years and you never paid him much attention before."
That was true, but it was only recently he noticed the stares. At times he would catch Ienzo staring at him, but when he tried to smile and even gesture a greeting the boy would flee. Perhaps it was his imagination. Maybe the boy wasn't even looking at him, just staring into space. He sighed heavily.
Dilan rolled his eyes, feeling his stomach growl again and a mild discomfort come over him. He was rather hungry.
"U…um…." A small whisper sounded. Ienzo held the two parcels of lunch for the men and yet he couldn't get his voice to work. Come on, this was his chance. "Excuse me." He squeaked.
Eleaus heard it and turned, seeing the boy there.
He held up the lunches, shaking. This was terrifying; he must look like such a fool.
He noticed Ienzo's trembling body and frowned before leaning down. "Did you bring us lunch today Thank you." He managed a smile, trying to reach for them, plucking them from the boy's hands.
Instinctively he looked up, seeing the man's smile and his cheeks went pink. Somehow he mustered enough courage. "I…wanted to apologize for earlier."
Dilan raised a brow, having never heard more than two words from the kid's mouth.
Eleaus nodded. "Oh?" He had never really gotten to look at him much, the boy's eyes covered by that thick mop of dusty blue-violet hair. He was actually very…
"I am sorry for earlier." He looked away, chewing at his lips as he tried to gather his words. "I…um...thank you for helping me."
"It was my pleasure, Ienzo." He said gently.
Blinking he forced himself to look up, realizing he had never been so close to the man. "I…um…enjoy your lunch and thank you for…working so hard…" he had to admit he hadn't thought this through much. He had wanted to try and secure time with the man, to talk and get to know him but how to do that was beyond him.
"It is our job. No thanks required." Dilan said taking his lunch from Eleaus since the man was too busy gawking at the boy.
Ienzo stiffened his train of thought gone. Looking down he couldn't seem to think. "I...well…g...goodbye." Spinning on his heels he bolted back inside.
"Wait….uh…." Eleaus had finally been able to talk with him and now the moment was over. "Dilan." He shot the man a glare.
"What?' he took a bite from the sandwich. "It was painful to watch on an empty stomach."
"Painful to…what was?" The other snapped, confused.
"You're sad attempt at flirting, or whatever you call it. If you two batted your eyes anymore at each other I might have thrown up."
"Wha…we…I was not….?"
"Weren't what?" A lively voice called. Braig came up beside them, on his way back from rounds. "Are we gossiping?"
"No." Both men snorted, trying to ignore the other. Braig was just….trouble. The man was always the fool but never the loser if that made sense. He joked and laughed but always had a trick up his sleeve. It was unnerving.
Eleaus was significantly flustered and grabbed his lunch. "Braig, it's your turn, I'm going to go eat my lunch in peace." Turning he headed off to the eastern courtyard, hoping to get some quiet so he could think. He had not been flirting. He was merely trying to coax a conversation from Ienzo. The boy had finally talked to him. Of course his mind went back to when he finally got a clear look at his face. His thoughts came back to him and if his cheeks reddened a little he hardly noticed. Ienzo had grown up quite a bit and the boy was now a very grown up, very beautiful, man.


Fleeing back inside, Ienzo had to take a moment to steady his breathing. He had spoken to him, sort of. He had at least made progress and for that he was happy. Heading down the hall he sought out Even, curious if he could help with preparing for this next set of experiments. He was still uneasy about it but if Even believed it safe enough he would trust him. Xehanort on the other hand tended to let his curiosity override his logic and was almost driven by some unseen force. He couldn't figure out what it was though. He found the pair in the lab discuss and paused, seeing that furrow on Even's brow.
"I don't like it, Xehanort. Master Ansem specifically expressed that he did not want us delving further into this." The blond crossed his arms.
"It's because he is afraid, but he need not be. If we can understand this then the possibilities are limitless. Think of it, Even." Xehanort looked at his colleague pleadingly.
"Limitless, perhaps, but still dangerous. The tests thus far have proved unstable. One slip and there's no telling what could happen. If we must proceed I suggest gathering more data."
"Of course you'd say that. If we dally too long then Master Ansem will stop us before we have had a chance to discover anything but what we already know." The dark skinned man paced, resting his hands behind his back. "Even, the power we have learned of thus far can be a great advantage to us. It might be able to unlock the mysteries behind the powers the Keyblade wielders once held."
"That may be so, but you are being foolish if you want to rush right in." Even argued. "I will not blindly push ahead, especially with something of this magnitude. If you wish to proceed I will gladly help for the sake of science but I will not do so without proper testing."
Ienzo crept in, listening to them. This had been common the past couple weeks. Xehanort had come up with a crazy method to extract the darkness from things, animals, possibly people. It was frightening. He was glad Even wanted to start smaller and not rush in.
"You are incredibly stubborn." Xehanort pouted but sighed, conceding. "Fine, have it your way. We shall do the preliminary tests."
The other nodded, glancing at Ienzo. "Did you apologize?" he asked.
Ienzo nodded. "Yes, thank you for letting me do that." He smiled faintly but his eyes went to Xehanort with a slight uneasiness.
Even seemed to take note of that and walked over. "Since you are eager to help shall we prepare the layout for our tests so that we can begin first thing tomorrow? Master Ansem will be away so it will be perfect to start." He winked, walking to his desk.
Turning he followed the man. "Yes." Since he was a child he had looked up to Even and Master Ansem. The two had raised him, taught him all he needed to know and were supportive. It seemed odd given Even's general quiet and stern nature but he was kind under that sharp gaze and he valued people who sought to learn. It had been a little after they had taken him in that Xehanort showed up. At first the man was quiet, hardly talked to anyone but eventually became more vigorous about studying and experiments. Still Ienzo never truly connected to him. He gave off a strange sensation, and almost a familiar one but he could not understand why.
Working a few hours they managed to set up a list of tests for tomorrow, double checking the numbers and formulas. Stretching he looked at the clock. It was getting late but he didn't much feel like dinner. He felt like reading.
"Don't even think about it." Even said, finishing up one last note. "If you must run off to some hidden nook to throw yourself into a book at least take something of substance with you to eat." He looked up.
Flushing a bit he sighed. "Yes, sir." How did he always know? Spinning on his heels he went off to the kitchen, grabbing some bread and cheese and a little fruit before treading off to the courtyard. The garden area was quiet at night and it was a bit stuffy in the castle. Wandering around near the outer wall he sat on a small stone bench near the shrubs and opened his book, nibbling food a little here and there. He must have sat there for hours before he realized the time, staring up at the stars.  For all his genius he couldn't really managed being around people. In fact, he didn't truly remember what had happened when he lost his parents. That part of his memory was a blank, he just knew fear and the desire to never get close to people, yet he didn't want to be alone. Even once told him that his parents had died and that it was terrible but didn't say more. He was grateful to that. Some things he did not want to learn.
He yawned, stretching his arms before grabbing his things and heading back inside. Passing by the side entrance he felt a pang of curiosity. From here you could see the front doors, right? Was Eleaus still on duty? He didn't try to talk himself out of the idea very well and set the book down, grabbing for the vines along the wall and climbing up a little clumsily. By some miracle he reached the top, peeking over the edge. He saw them, standing there. How they managed to remain so diligent was amazing. He could even clearly see Eleaus from here.
He still could not fathom his fascination with the man or why he reacted so to him. Perhaps if they got to know each other better he could find out. Watching him for a while he got a strange feeling in his chest.
Feeling eyes on him Eleaus glanced over, seeing a familiar head of dusty blue hair and his eyes went wide. Seeing the boy suddenly when, for some reason, his thoughts were full of him made his face feel hot.
Ienzo realized he'd been discovered and in his surprise let go of the vines, falling down into the grass with a yelp. Ow.
When he saw the boy fall concern took over and Eleaus rushed over, going into the side entrance and into the inner courtyard. "Are you alright?' he asked seeing the rumbled figure.
Why was he such a klutz when it was the worst time to be? He asked himself. Sighing he bit his lip, focusing on something to say to cover it up. "Yes, I'm…just enjoying the feel of the grass." He muttered and realized how stupid that sounded.
Eleaus had to laugh. "Well, I am sure your backside didn't enjoy the rough landing." He chuckle and reached out a hand to him. "Here."
Slowly glancing up he could see the man through his bangs and thanked his lucky stars that it was dark and his red face wasn't as visible. Reaching out he took the big hand, holding on weakly. A strange shiver ran though him, and he felt the heat of the other against his skin where their hands were joined.
Eleaus pulled the younger man up, not as willing to let his hand go once the other was on his feet. His hand was small but there was something about it that made him want to hold it tighter.
Ienzo stared up at him, his mind blank. Standing here with him, alone, it was like a dream and that startled him. Should he feel so excited about such a thing, with another man, and an older one at that? "Um…I…I should get inside." He said flustered.
"Oh, right, probably." He smiled, slowly pulling his hand away. "Did you need help inside?"
"No!" he sputtered and bit his lip. "I mean, no. I will be fine. Thank you…for…um…helping me."
"Any time. It was my pleasure." He nodded his head, watching him. He was pretty but more than that was how much seeing the various expressions cross his face thrilled him. He wanted to learn them all, understand them, and delve into the complexity of him.
Throat dry he struggled to remember how to walk before turning. "Um, good night."
"Good night." He called, seeing how the other tried to make a hasty retreat. Was Ienzo scared of him or did people just make him nervous? Surely he could try to get to know him better and maybe someday they could talk normally. Maybe.