Chapter 7

A well-built man passed behind him for a moment. “Aeleus, whatever’s between you and Roxas, it’s in the past,” Ienzo called over his shoulder, laughing. “Sora, the reason we’re here is because you and your friends defeated our Nobodies, thereby ‘recompleting’ us. We cast off our hearts by choice, make no mistake, but we didn’t know that Xemnas—or rather, Xehanort—was deceiving us,” Ienzo explained softly. “Huh? Xemnas?” As Sora tried to figure out what Xemnas would have to do with this, Goofy shouted, “Aw, he’s with them!” Ienzo’s name while he was a Nobody in Organization XIII was Zexion. His Nobody was destroyed in Castle Oblivion, which enabled him to later revive as a human. Ansem the Wise had also cared for him as a child. “Not anymore. Xemnas and Xehanort have no hold over us now. We’re students of the heart, exactly the same as we were before all of this began,” Ienzo told them in a calm voice, trying to dispel everyone’s fears. Donald’s trust wasn’t so easily won. “Yeah, right.” “But ya know, now that I think about it, Axel’s on our side now,” Goofy reminded him. Donald mulled over that. True, Axel had become their ally. “We have friends we want to bring back to this world, just the same as you,” said Ienzo. “To do that, we have to work together.” Thinking about it more, it did seem worth giving Ienzo the benefit of the doubt. But what had happened to the other members of Organization XIII? “In that spirit, Sora…,” Ienzo continued, “we found some intriguing data in the bit of code we deciphered.” “Is it about me?” “Yes. In order to piece your memories back together, our teacher, Ansem the Wise, took a close look at your heart. And what he found…is that your heart doesn’t belong just to you.” Everyone was shocked by this revelation—everyone except Sora, rather. “Gawrsh, you don’t seem surprised.” “Yeah.” Sora nodded at Goofy, then softly placed a hand on his own chest. “Honestly, I suspected as much. There’s another heart inside mine. I think it’s Roxas’s. Just like Naminé’s is still inside Kairi’s.” “Interesting… Well, no one knows your heart better than you,” Ienzo acknowledged, then continued: “To be honest, we still have a plethora of questions on our side, but…the idea has merit. It’s incredible enough that you and your Nobody are able to coexist. If you share a heart…no wonder someone as remarkable as you caught Ansem the Wise’s eye. We’ll keep investigating based on your hypothesis. I’ll be in touch.” The screen switched back from Ienzo to Chip and Dale. “Okeydokey, we’ll give you fellas a ring if there’s anything else. Remember, me and Chip, the guys at Radiant Garden, and King Mickey and everybody are never far away,” Dale said, and then the screen of the Gummiphone went blank. “I have to find Roxas and save him,” Sora whispered to himself, staring at his phone. He raised his head to face whatever was coming next. “The others are following Aqua’s heart, so I’ll follow Roxas’s heart!” Donald and the others nodded enthusiastically at the idea. “Trust the guidance that your heart gives ya, Sora. That’s what Master Yen Sid said,” Goofy agreed with a smile. “Where to?” asked Donald. In answer, Sora summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the Ocean Between. “Oh, that’s easy.” After the call was over, Ienzo drew a deep breath and smiled. Sora was always good at that. He was in the laboratory of Radiant Garden where he had awoken alongside Lea, Aeleus, Even, and Dilan—or, as they had been known during their time in Organization XIII, Axel, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Xaldin. When a stolen heart returned, the person to whom it belonged would revive where they had first lost it. Five people had awakened here—but more than five had been lost in this lab. Isa—Saïx—was unaccounted for. Lea had headed out straightaway, and Even, who had taken longer to awaken, had also vanished at some point. Ienzo wasn’t sure what either of them intended to do; all he knew was that he wanted to carry on the mission of his teacher, Ansem the Wise. Aeleus and Dilan were still here, but they weren’t apprentices. Even was, and as a researcher, he was a man worthy of great respect. To Ienzo, he was also like a father, as much as Ansem the Wise had been. He let out a sigh and walked out of the lab.