6All right, so I know it has been a long time since I posted something here. I wrote this recently since I finally got my muse back for writing for Zexion. I'm going to dedicate this little one-shot to Silver Tears11 since they have been waiting far too long for a fic from me.
WARNING: CONTAINS BIRTH BY SLEEP SPOILERS
Fear
He was far too young for this sort of thing.
This was the thought of the old, gossiping women that stood on the street corner; or at least, that's what Ienzo surmised when he saw them. He could almost shear their whispers, their nowhere-near-educated guesses about the events that were taking place.
"His parents… boy all alone."
"Never took care… ran the streets rampant."
"Maybe he…"
His striking blue eyes caught their gaze, leaving their words hanging in the air. Startling truth stared back at them, harsh and unforgiving silently. His mouth moved, the ladies having to strain to hear exactly what he said.
"You're wrong." His voice was hoarse and broken, though it was determined. He had seen the fate of his parents, seen their lifeless bodies lay on the floor of his home. He could do nothing to prevent what happened, only able to stand there and watch through what had once been innocent eyes. His innocence had instantly faded when his parents died.
"You're wrong!" He wasn't sure where this came from, this sudden fury that had just taken over that caused him to get into a defensive stance. Tears fell out of his eyes before he could stop them, following the same tracks they had before. No, he didn't want to show those tears; no, he had to be strong. There were people watching, all of them giving him strange and startled looks as the atmosphere remained almost frozen.
"Ienzo."
One stern voice broke the silence, the small boy recognizing it; Even from Ansem's Castle. He felt a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to be an attempt to soothe him. He felt the urge to push it away but, alas, he didn't have the heart to fight with Even at the moment. The hand was pushing him away, out of the street corner and away from his house. Ienzo lowered his head and let it, looking back one last time. His house was surrounded with people, some of them law enforcers but most of them nosy bystanders. He bit his lip as he turned his head back, letting Even's hand push him away.
/_\
"I brought him here, just as you asked Master Ansem."
Even's voice seemed tepid as he told Ansem the Wise this. Both he and Ienzo were in his office, the former standing while the other curled up in a chair. The emotional ups and downs he experienced during the course of the day were enough to exhaust him, though he committed himself to listening to the conversation. Even, whom he had met previously on occasion, had brought him here for a specific reason. He wanted to know what that reason was.
"Thank you." Ansem's voice was strong and dignified. "How was he when you found him?"
"Distraught, confused; all of the classic side-effects of loss." Even's voice held little sympathy, his tone remaining composed. "What do you want to do with him now that you have him here?"
"He can't be left alone on the streets." The king, however, differed from him. His voice carried what Ienzo mistook as pity. "Someone has to take him in."
Even paused for a second, taking this thought in and processing it. His eyes widened. "Are you suggesting that I be the one to do that? Absolutely not!"
Ienzo glanced up at him in mild curiosity, the exclamation startling him out of his daze. The scientist did not seem to notice, his gaze focused on Ansem, who did not seem to be fazed.
"He needs a guardian Even, and you are the most suitable," Ansem went on to say in a matter-of-fact tone. "I can't take care of him, not with everything going on-"
"And you expect me to be able to? Ludicrous!"
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Well, we… we should…" He chose at that particular moment to look back at Ienzo, the child still staring at him with interest. The tear stains were gone now and his hair was ruffled from trying to sleep in the chair. To any other person, he resembled an ordinary child. However, that was not the case here. He knew Ienzo, what happened to him. Sighing, he looked back to Ansem.
"Fine, but don't expect me to do anymore favors. Come on Ienzo, let's go."
Even went to leave the room, Ienzo scooting out of his chair and landing his black sneakers on the floor. The king watched as they both left the room, one more hurriedly than the next. He reclined in his chair, shaking his head.
"The world is changing…"
/_\
"Sweetheart, run along now. You don't need to see this."
His mother's words, soft as the lace she wore.
"Ienzo, please. I don't want to see anything happen to you."
His father's words, his voice strong yet breaking. Ienzo couldn't move, petrified with fear. He could only watch.
"Your parents are gone little un'. Whatcha gonna do now? You gonna cry?"
He couldn't see the man's face but his voice was frightening enough without it. He wept, and he ran.
His eyes snapped open as he quickly brought himself into a sitting position. With lips quivering, he looked around the room. He did not recognize it yet, even though he had been sleeping in it for at least a week or so. It was difficult getting used to living with Even. Sure, the studies he did with Ansem were absolutely fascinating and he wanted to know more about them with each passing day. Still, his mind refused to call this place home.
The wooden floor felt cold under his bare feet as he eased himself out of bed. He didn't want to go back to sleep, not now. He wanted to get out of this empty and dark room. His lips continued to quiver with fear as he stood, his arms crossing protectively across his chest with his hands on either shoulder. Eyes were squeezed shut for a couple of milliseconds; no, it was nothing like his mother's embrace, but there was nothing he could change about that.
The door creaked as he opened it. Ienzo hoped that Even wouldn't hear that—he wasn't sure what the blonde's reaction would be if he found him out of bed. Even was nothing like his father, who always seemed to be around no matter what. The scientist seemed absorbed in whatever he was doing for Ansem, which led him to want to stray away…
The lights seemed to be on in Even's study; not a surprise since he seemed so incredibly focused in his work for Master Ansem. Ienzo couldn't keep his curiosity at bay this time. Within mere seconds, he was looking through the crack in the door to see what Even could possibly be doing in the middle of the night. The man's back was to him, so it wasn't easy to see. Maybe if he snuck his head in a little more, he could see something.
The door creaked. Ienzo froze, his head sticking into the room as Even put down whatever he was doing. He turned around, his acid green eyes looking straight at Ienzo's blue ones. It was a mix of surprise, frustration, and tiredness that was conveyed through that single glance. Even did not move, only watching as the other shyly came in. His arms were still enclosed around himself, a look of fear etched on his face.
"Ienzo, what are you doing out of bed?" The question felt awkward for him to ask. It was a question that a parent would normally ask of their child, which was normal. However, he was not Ienzo's parent. He may be his guardian, but that didn't make the feeling any less odd. Two days ago, he looked at Ienzo as just another child, one that was eager to learn and would most likely due to become an apprentice of Ansem with how his mind worked. Now, he was supposed to look at him as his own and act as a parent toward him. It was obvious that he didn't have that part quite down yet.
Ienzo didn't answer, merely gazing back at him. Though, this seemed to be the trend that they were setting with one another. The blond would speak while the other would just stare at him, saying nothing. The child hadn't spoken a word since he was whisked away from his home and it was beginning to infuriate him.
"Can you at least answer me when I'm talking to you?" Silence and a blank stare was all he received for an answer, Ienzo not moving from his current position. Even sighed; this wasn't getting anywhere.
"Get back to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning."He waved his hand toward the door in impatience, knowing that none of that would happen in the morning. The child gazed at him for a moment or two, almost as if he was trying to find something in the scientist's eyes. Fear was still in his own blue ones. Even couldn't see that though, or at least Ienzo didn't want him to. He took away that chance as he slinked away from the door slowly and went out of sight, his short footsteps making their way back to a dark and empty room he was supposed to call his own.
A tired hand made its way to Even's tired face, holding it in place for a second or two before dropping back down to his side. Science could wait until tomorrow, or later on today at this rate. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the sleep as well. He shut off the light to his small lab and closed the door behind him. The door still creaked; something he would probably have to fix later.
He made his way down the hall, his bedroom across from Ienzo's. With slight curiosity, he peeked into the other's room. There was a small lump in the bed and a mess of blue-gray hair coming out from under the sheets—that was all he could really see. Ienzo was facing the wall, away from him. His eyes were still open, blinking occasionally. Even didn't know that, though he could most likely surmise it. The child was often somewhat lethargic in the mornings and it was easy to tell he couldn't sleep much.
"I'll have to talk to Ansem," he mused aloud, "There's got to be a way to make it easier for the both of us."
He brought the door to a near close, leaving just a crack open before going to his own room. Ienzo listened to his footsteps as he left. He couldn't hear all of what Even said, only something about 'Ansem' and 'easier'. He wasn't going to try and figure out what that meant; he had already deduced that he wasn't going to try and understand all of Even's mannerisms. For now, he was supposed to be sleeping… in the dark. Sure, it was below his age to be afraid of the dark. But now, everything had changed on him. His parents were gone and they weren't going to come back.
He couldn't help but be afraid.