Because what Xemnas is doing is wrong. That was his head's response. Logical, cold, fact. His heart still questioned it. Why was it wrong? He had asked Dilan once and had received a look which had said "you already know why." It had been a wry smile, as if Dilan though Ienzo had been asking in sarcasm. The man had given Ienzo some of Even's old notes and told him to think less and just do what his heart was guiding him to do.

Somehow Ienzo didn't think that Dilan meant "listen to the voice of your Nobody." Ienzo wasn't even sure if Dilan or Aeleaus knew that Zexion's voice was a longing in Ienzo's heart. So Ienzo never raised the question again. He knew what he was supposed to say, and so he said that. His perfect script, hiding the questions and words he wanted to release.

All the while, Ienzo worked and worked, trying to remake Vexen's work from Even's old notes while the man himself was missing. Was he with the Organisation? Why can't I be back with the Organisation? The Organisation needs replicas... I could help... help Lord Xemnas, like I used to.

Swallowing that thought, Ienzo looked at the data yet again. In it's current state he could do nothing. Without a replica, even the data from Ansem the Wise couldn't be used and Ienzo had no way of creating replicas.

"Just summon a dark corridor," Zexion whispered. "Find the replicas you need, go to Castle Oblivion, go to The World That Never Was, get what you need."

Yes... Ienzo wanted to do that. But... He hadn't been able to since becoming a Somebody again. Not for lack of trying either, everyday he tried when he woke up, and when he went to sleep. And once the drowning disappointment came, he continued with his day. In a way, Ienzo was jealous of Lea. He could still open the corridors. The blue-silver haired teen's hand went to grip the binding of the Book of Retribution... but all that his fingers closed around was thin air. Shaking his head, Ienzo brought his hand to his chin.

"We've come a long way to reconstructing Roxas' heart," he murmured to himself, using his voice to centre his thoughts and focus on his task at hand. Helping Roxas. "But a vessel... without that... Yeah, right. Bodies don't grow on trees, Ienzo."

"But they can be created," Zexion's voice whispered again. "Vexen had almost perfected his replicas!"

"It's the back-up plan or nothing now," the teen continued, ignoring the voice of his heart. "But the back-up plan isn't a true solution."

"You know what the solution is," Zexion's voice hissed in frustration. Ienzo pushed his heart aside again. We don't do that anymore, Ienzo. ... but why? Alas his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a dark corridor opening behind him, a sound so normal to him that he didn't react. It was to the voice that spoke that he spun around.

"Finally. 'Bout time."

Demyx. Ienzo stared in shock as the blonde haired Nobody stepped out of the dark portal, a bundle of cloth over his shoulder, looking around with fascination, humming with curiosity and appreciation. Ienzo took a moment to let his mind catch up with his heart which was leaping desperately to beg Demyx to step aside and let him through the corridor. Let me get away from this world.

"Demyx? Is that you?!" He asked instead. That was a safer question. He wasn't a Nobody anymore. He was helping the Guardians of Light. That didn't mean that Zexion didn't cry out to demand answers from a former comrade.

"Hey, Zexion!" Demyx greeted cheerfully, and it was almost refreshing to hear himself being called by his old name. "Long time! How's humanity treatin' ya? I rejoined the Nobodies, but like... I just can't shake the feeling I've been sweet-talked, y'know? We have sooo got to have a chat."

Even that was too much for Zexion to process. Heart and mind trying to catch up with each other, Ienzo pulled away from Demyx with shock.

"Woah, back up. What?"

Why was Demyx even here? Was he here to bring Zexion back to the Organisation? No, they wouldn't get Demyx to do that.

And he wasn't. Demyx was here to bring Master Ansem back. A small part of Ienzo's heart repaired itself as he shook, standing in front of his former Master. With the replica that Demyx had also delivered from Vexen, Ienzo suddenly had work to occupy him mind again, and once again bury his Zexion's heart's voice.

It didn't escape his notice when Dilan pulled Ansem aside an hour later while Ienzo was working on transferring the digital Roxas's heart into the replica. Nor did he miss the appraising look which Ansem gave him when he returned before smiling and moving to help.

Just a few days after that, Even was back, they were recreating Naminé's body so that her heart could go from Kairi to the replica. It was easy to keep Zexion buried. Isa returned, Xion as well, even Lauriam and Elrena, Somebodies of Marluxia and Larxene, had dropped into Radiant Garden.

But Xehanort, the apprentice, never returned. Braig was still missing too. Xehanort's failure to return hurt more though, because Terra visited Radiant Garden often enough with Ventus and Aqua... But Terra always avoided Ansem and the Apprentices, a fear flashing into his blue eyes.

"Xemnas... why are you ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?"

It was clear that the Keyblade wielder remembered fragments of time as Xemnas and the apprentice Xehanort. That knowledge hurt Ienzo the most. In his mind, he knew that it wasn't fair to Terra. Xemnas was his Nobody from the time he was possessed after all, however, in his heart, Ienzo still felt betrayed. Slowly over the next months, the young scientist started to retreat further and further into himself, silently listening to instructions, not understanding why things weren't done as they used to be done.

No one ever explained. And he never raised the question again.

In his mind, Zexion cried out. Suddenly everything was different. Nothing was the way it used to be. When he became Zexion, it was almost a natural progression in their studies. Yes, the change itself was a shock, but it was a result of their research. Now that he was a Somebody again though all he ever heard anymore was "we don't do that anymore, Ienzo, you know this."

Why?

But he knew not that he had to keep that question buried deep. He must never ask that question. The others never understood. And so the question stayed with the part of him that was Zexion.... ten years, that was the majority of his life.

It was difficult to suppress that much of his life. He was eighteen, not eight... and his memories from Radiant Garden before becoming a Nobody were starting to fade. It was only a matter of time before he snapped.

If only he had snapped when he was alone and not in front of Even. They were just reading through Xion's files, checking data to make sure the girl was fine, that her replica body was still holding up. Ienzo hadn't even meant to ask the question out loud, it just slipped out as Even was musing to himself about wishing he knew how the extraction of Xehanort's heart was affecting Xion.

"Well why don't we extract her heart and examine it, instead of poking her body?"

It was under his breath, and somewhat sarcastic, tone reflecting that of his time as a Nobody. It was not the time for such sarcasm however, Even was already stressed over maintaining the replica bodies of Roxas, Xion and Naminé as well as monitoring the sleeping Kairi. The blonde man's temper fueled by stress flared.

"Grow up Ienzo," Even snapped in irritation, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he tried to dismiss his headache. "We aren't in the Organization anymore. Don't ask foolish questions, you know why we do it this way."

Ienzo froze in place, realising he had accidentally let his question slip. Had Even said it differently however... the teen may have forgiven him for his stress. But his tone, and his words. Aren't in the Organization anymore? Does he think Ienzo doesn't know that?! And those words again... you know why we do it this way. It took but a moment for these thoughts to wash over Ienzo before he finally let go of the walls he put around Zexion's, around his, heart.

"... No, I don't know," Ienzo said quietly, harshly, voice dripping with the sarcasm and anger that Zexion had kept in his heart. "You've never explained this to me... stop telling me stuff and assuming I already know why!! Why don't we do it that way anymore?? Why was that way wrong?!? You tell me constantly to grow up, act my age; well guess what?!?! I GREW UP AS ZEXION, AS A NOBODY!!!"

His voice had raised to a yell, he was breathing heavily, and he had thrown his hand to the side in his anger. Ienzo glared at Even, no longer pushing Zexion down into his subconscious. He was Zexion, and he wanted to know why everything was suddenly different to how he had grown up. It took a few moments for Ienzo to calm down enough to realise that Even had gone pale and was staring at a point where his hand was gesturing. Ienzo looked to his side and saw a swirling Corridor of Darkness... clearly summoned by his own desire.

It was then that Ienzo realised what he had said and to who. He had just laid out his deepest, darkest thoughts, to a teacher who didn't even realise what had been going on in Ienzo's head. In his heart. The teenager's mouth ran dry before he backed up a few steps. He glanced between his mentor and the portal before he ran into the darkness.

"Wait! Ienzo!!"