I am so sorry for taking so long! Not only did it take several goes at this to find a scenario that flowed for me, but I also recently discovered the Haikyuu! fandom and fell in love. Thanks for sticking up with me! I'll try and be much quicker next time!

Disclaimer: I don't own LL.


Six and One

Final Quest - The Grand King rules on the dark throne, and in the ruins of this broken world two lonely stragglers meet.


One meets Six by almost dying.

This shouldn't be a surprise.

000

One is the type of girl when, handed a sword and told not to stab someone with it, she will do exactly what she has been told not to do.

This isn't what happens, exactly, but it's eerily similar – Hilde, her Cepan and teacher, gives her a sword, one that glows with power and magic and practically radiates strength, and tells One that she has been given this sword for protection, and nothing else.

"You may use it to defend yourself," Hilde informs, her calm posture not matching the cloudy grey storm in her eyes. "But do not…" She trails off and One shrinks a little at the harsh tone. Her Cepan takes a deep breath before continuing. "Do not use this sword to attempt to fight the Grand King's forces."

One nods and smiles innocently.

"I promise not to," she says sweetly, crossing her fingers behind her back.

000

Of course, in typical One fashion, she waits until Hilde is busy and goes gallivanting off.

She has been told not to fight the Grand King's forces.

She decides to go and fight the Grand King's forces.

000

The Grand King lives in the corners of the land, One knows this, and so that is the first place she goes to. She's been looking forward to this for a while now, but Hilde has never before let her go – something to do with One being fully trained and having to practice more, which the younger female has always snorted at.

Now she's here, about to complete her destiny, and she thinks that there should be more fireworks.

(She feels a little bad for going against Hilde's orders, but then imagines how proud her Cepan will be when she finds out that One has defeated the Grand King and decides that it will be worth it.)

So One grins and decides to storm the castle.

000

Of course, it doesn't go as well as she first thought it would.

Initially, she manages to get in through sheer brute strength alone, but after that she is faced with a problem – there's one of her and about two million of them, or at least it seems like it. They swarm her, and a brand-spanking-new sword is nothing compared to an entire army of evil people.

A sword is in front of One's face and about to go straight through her head, and oh, oh shit this was a bad idea –

000

"What part of you thought that this was a good idea?"

One blinks up at the figure standing over her, someone covered head to toe in black holding a glowing sword of their own. And One has no idea who this person is, but they did just kinda ninja their way in here and save her life, so there's that.

"I… I don't know," she sheepishly admits, and she hates admitting that she's wrong but unfortunately it's true this time.

"You're lucky you weren't killed," the person informs. Then, "I'm Six."

One perks up at that.

"You have a number name, too?" she asks, because this is decidedly good news, considering that it's taken a lot of glaring to make the people all shut up about having such an odd name.

"Yes," is all the person tensely says, before they pick One up despite her protests, as though the blonde weighs nothing. "Where do you live?"

000

Hilde is decidedly furious, but she has private words with One about 'other stuff' anyway.

"Don't fall in love with Six," she says stonily, making One snort.

"Like I'd fall in love with them," she comments, leaning against the table easily. "I haven't even seen their face. And I'll probably never see them again."

"This is important, One," Hilde snaps, making said girl shut her gob, and fast. "You cannot fall in love with Six."

"I won't," One promises, and this time she doesn't even have her fingers crossed behind her back.

Honestly, if she's going to fall in love with anyone, it'll be that Maren from down the road.

000

Maren is lovely, there's no doubt about it. She's sweet when talking to One, yet fierce, bold and strong at the same time. She knows her stuff, and she's small yet firm, and every inch of her is a juxtaposition.

One might just be in love with her already.

000

"Katarina said you tried to fight the Grand King," Maren comments as the two of them sit on the bridge, the smaller girl's legs swinging back and forth. "Said you had to get rescued."

"I wasn't rescued, I was aided," One corrects, though she's deluding herself and both of them know it. "And besides, why does Katarina care?"

Maren frowns slightly and traces a crack in the bridge with her finger. One follows the movement with her eyes, loving every inch of this girl beside her.

"She doesn't care so much," Maren mutters quietly, eyes clouded and troubled. "But I do."

One doesn't hesitate before smiling.

000

A couple days later, the Grand King's forces invade her village and wipe everyone out.

000

One stands over the remains of her home, now only ash, as she grips her sword tightly in her hand.

"I will kill him," she vows, and she really, truly means it this time. "If it's the last thing I do, I will kill the Grand King."

"I approve," a voice comments, and One turns to see Six standing by her. They cock their head. "I'll help."

000

"They wiped everyone out," One comments quietly. She shudders at the thought, of Hilde and Katarina and Maren… "All of them. I'm the only one left."

"How did you survive?" Six asks, and One just puts her head in her hands.

000

(She'd survived because she was in the woods at the time, slacking off her training. She'd heard the screams and ran; but by the time she got back, it was too late.)

000

"There was a girl called Maren in that village," One informs Six darkly after they've slaughtered some more of the Grand King's army – the two of them are working themselves up o killing him. "… I think I might have loved her."

Six nods and looks out at the wreckage, looking mournful.

"How come you never show your face?" One asks abruptly, and Six shrugs slightly, twirling their sword in their hand.

"I just don't," is the simple answer, and that is that.

000

The Grand King has another fortress – it's nothing on the one where he lives, but it's still pretty big. More of a tower than anything, stretching high above One's head as she gazes up in slight fear and awe.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Six asks, managing to sound both confident and hesitant at the same time. They lean on their sword as it pulses, drilling into the ground slightly. One turns her eyes to focus on that, on the metal surrounded by little clumps of earth, and forces herself to nod.

"Yeah," she states boldly, dredging up every ounce of courage to look back up at the tower she will soon be inside.

Think of Maren, her mind whispers. And Hilde, too. And Marina, Joseph, Stanley. Adam.

It's enough to give her the motivation to stride in and start fighting.

000

She gets all the way to the top before she is locked in a fight with someone far, far stronger than her. Six got separated from her somewhere along the line, and One doesn't know where her companion is.

She doesn't really care.

The person she is fighting is brutal, but she refuses to give in; then they give her one big, massive shove (the window is behind her) and suddenly she is

f

a

l

l

i

n

g

.

000

One hits the ground, looks up and sees Maren leaning over her.

"So I'm dead," she states, feeling decidedly more calm about that then she probably should. "Well, that sucks."

"It does," Maren agrees, the edges of her lips curling up slightly. "Except you're not dead."

One blinks, because what?

Then she notices Maren's outfit, Maren's sword, Maren's whole posture, and wonders how she never noticed before.

"Six?" she asks, and isn't even surprised when Maren nods yes.

So that's why Six never showed their face.

000

One was… injured in the fall. She's broken something, god knows what, but her body is numb and she can't even feel the pain that's supposed to be registering.

"I'm going to try and heal you," Maren – Six – One's companion informs, chewing her – their – (whatever) lip and looking nervous. "I learned some from Katarina. I'm not the best, but I suppose it will have to do."

It does do – One is healed, she stands up and kisses Maren smack on the mouth.

000

They end up storming the Grand King's home, and on the way in, a swarm of guards catch them outnumbered.

Maren goes with a sword through the skull, and One goes with a knife thrust into her gut.

And then it's other, just like that.

000

Hilde told One not to fall in love with Six.

One has never really been the smartest girl in the world.


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