Hey, all. I'm re-entering the fanfiction world because I've been wanting to expand upon the Union Leaders' relationships to each other for...forever, really, but never had the time or energy to do so. And then Union X's finale came out. And I wrote this in a day. So...I guess welcome to Dandelion Seeds, a series of interconnected one-shots focusing on the Union Leaders' relationships to each other, their attempts to manage the Dandelions, and how they deal with the aftermath of the Keyblade War. This is...kind of designed to be a sort of 'breather' for me; a way to relax from novel writing/work writing, aha. This'll range from pretty fluffy to pretty angsty in some chapters, and the stories will loosely be in chronological order; most notes on individual chapters will be at the end, but any specific trigger warnings will be listed at the top of each chapter.

One: The First Task

One-hundred-seventy-five. They were responsible for one-hundred-seventy-five Dandelions, just a fraction of the original Keyblade wielders who had populated Daybreak Town. It was such a small number in comparison.

Ephemer still almost felt like he was going to buckle under the weight.

Stepping into the Clock Tower with the other Union Leaders felt forbidden; he'd wanted to come here for so long, but now that he finally had the opportunity, it felt surreal, and he half-expected the Foretellers to appear at any moment and tell him that he still wasn't allowed in here. He tried not to think too hard about what being here actually meant, because he knew if he did he might not be able to stay strong for the others.

The Foreteller's Chambers were as untouched as any other part of Daybreak Town. Ephemer paused in the interior, staring at the stained glass windows, the clicking gears of the Clock Tower ringing in his ears, and felt a weight settle over his shoulders.

He was here. He was a Union Leader, now, in charge of almost two-hundred other Keyblade wielders after an almost-apocalypse had tried to tear them apart, and he and the other Union Leaders were the only ones who knew the full scope of what was going on.

It was a lot to process.

"So this is the Master's room."

The words started Ephemer from his thoughts, and he hazarded a glance towards Brain, who seemed the least stunned out of all of them, sauntering towards the Master's desk with easy confidence. Ephemer's legs jolted forward almost without his thinking, urging him onward before he became too lost in his own mind. We have things to do, he reminded himself. It's our job to lead the Dandelions, now. Can't be spacing out for too long.

Brain seemed to break some sort of spell by moving; Ven darted forward, nearly over-taking Brain, his eyes wide as he spun to get a better look at everything in the room. Slow, steady footsteps followed; Skuld's voice echoed behind Ephemer, tinged with a faint unease: "Try not to touch anything."

Ven's excitement dimmed a little, his smile faltering as he turned to face them.

Brain settled into the Master's chair, paging aimlessly through a book on the desk. "Why not?" he asked. "It's ours now, isn't it?"

Ephemer tensed, despite himself. "I suppose you're right," he agreed, but it felt so foreign, as if he had stolen one of the Foreteller's masks and tried to put it on when it didn't fit.

Footsteps came from the door as Laurium, finally, stepped fully into the room. He sat in one of the empty chairs; Ephemer had expected him to look uncomfortable, based on his earlier hesitance to enter, but his expression was thoughtful, not worried. "What now?" he asked, eyes sweeping the room and landing on no one in particular.

Skuld suggested, "We should decide on Union Leaders."

Something in Ephemer squirmed. "About that…I don't know if we should be assigning people just yet."

Brain paused in his reading long enough to murmur, "Huh."

Laurium gave him a thoughtful look. "Interesting. But a wise choice."

Ephemer tried not to squirm at the praise, turning away as he tried to figure out the best way to voice his thoughts. "We should keep the five unions as they are for now." (He couldn't handle the thought of trying to split them up now; not yet, not when things were still too fresh, not when he still wasn't sure how any of them were going to fill the Foretellers' shoes.) "As for who goes where, we'll need to discuss it at length."

Skuld nodded, understanding flashing in her eyes. "To avoid repeating history."

Ephemer gave her a relieved smile. "Exactly. I don't want people being loyal to only their own Unions."

Brain asked, "Doesn't the rulebook say we need to assign new leaders?"

"Yes," Laurium said mildly, "but it doesn't say when."

Ephemer half-expected Brain to argue, but he simply shrugged and replied, "Got it. No need to hurry then."

Skuld sighed. "It's an important decision. We'll need to think long and hard."

Laurium, as calm as ever, said, "I agree."

A moment passed. Then Skuld asked, "Ven?"

Ephemer had hardly realized the youngest of their group hadn't spoken. Ven had one hand half-covering his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed into an expression that made him look uncertain and worried. "Sure," he said, lifting his head just enough so that his voice wasn't muffled, "if that's what everyone else wants to do."

He looks as uncertain as I feel, Ephemer thought, and it was enough to help him push past his own nerves. He gave Ven an easy smile and approached him, saying gently, "You can speak up if you don't agree."

Ven gave him a wobbly smile. "It's not that," he said, and then his smile dipped, his eyes darting to the side. His voice dropped to an almost-whisper as he admitted, "I'm still not sure about leading my own Union. At least if we put a lot of thought into it, I'll feel more confident about the whole thing."

Brain leaned back in his chair, tossing a lazy look towards Ven. "Grow a backbone, will ya?"

Ven's shoulders hunched, and he bit his lip, still not looking at any of them.

Ephemer frowned, shooting Brain a sharp look, but the other boy had turned back to his book.

Laurium snorted and, with a glance towards Ven's face, offered gently, "You're not weak, Ven. You're kind."

Ven jolted at the sudden praise, head tilting enough to give Laurium a startled look.

Skuld added warmly, "You really are."

The ashamed expression melted into something bashful, and Ven rubbed the back of his head, giving the group a small grin.

"Then it's settled," Ephemer said, something tight unraveling in his chest. Another thought dawned on him, and he added, "Oh, and the avoid any confusion and chaos, let's not say a word about the Foretellers to anyone just yet."

He wondered if one of the others would protest, but Laurium agreed amicably, "That's wise." His voice turned thoughtful as he continued, seemingly more to himself than to the group at large, "As planned, all the Keyblade wielders are undergoing their training again." He flicked Ephemer a side-long glance. "It may be a good time to discuss the issue when that's over with."

Murmured affirmations came from Skuld and Ven, but Ephemer had realized with a start that Laurium was still watching him, as if he were waiting for a confirmation from Ephemer specifically. The attention caused him to falter, and he found he couldn't quite gather himself enough to find the right words.

Brain saved him from having to, sliding out of the chair and saying, "Change of subject." He approached the table with his book, seemingly unbothered by the sudden attention, and flipped pointedly to a specific page. "I think I found our first task."

Well, Ephemer thought, vaguely amused, that's certainly enough to get our attention. He moved closer to the table, leaning forward to get a better look at the page. Images of strange, fantastical animals covered it, patterned with heart-like symbols. Text was scrawled beside each image, but a quick glance told Ephemer that it was mostly magic- or science-jargon that he had no hope of parsing.

"Oh, wow," Ven breathed, eyes wide as he stared at the pictures.

Skuld gave a quiet laugh. "They're adorable."

Ephemer squinted at the text at the top. "Spirits?"

"Yep," Brain said. "What better way to celebrate our own promotion than by granting everyone their own companion?"

"Yeah!" Ven agreed readily, but Ephemer's brain had skittered to a halt at the word 'promotion,' that same tense, uncomfortable feeling coiling in his chest again. Promotion, he thought distantly, uneasily, as if that could really encompass what had happened—

"What do you think?"

Ephemer started at Brain's words, and noticed the other Union Leader's head was tilted his way.

Laurium spoke before Ephemer could, asking, "What do you mean by 'companion'?"

"Someone that'll come along for the ride, like Chirithy. Spirits don't have as many powers as Chirithy, but they can devour Nightmares."

Ephemer jolted upright, and he could practically feel Skuld doing the same. "So they can forget about the past…" he whispered.

"That's right," Brain said, and for a moment, his voice dipped into something a little more thoughtful. Ephemer wondered, suddenly, what he really thought about this whole endeavor; if he was really as unbothered as he seemed, or if he was just very good at hiding his worry. "If every wielder has one of these Spirits," he continued, "the tragedy will be forgotten in no time. Problem solved."

"Sounds like a plan," Ephemer said, giving Brain a faint grin as the others offered their ascent. If he can handle it, he thought, then so can I.

"But do we even know how?" Laurium asked.

Brain flipped a page, frowning. "We can make one using an archetype, but…hmm." He flipped through a few more pages before seeming to find what he was looking for. "I'll need materials. I'll stay here and get things started. You guys are going on a scavenger hunt." He pulled a page out of the book and passed it to Ephemer.

"Is it a long list?" Ven asked, crowding close.

Skuld flinched as she peered over Ephemer's shoulder. "This might take a while."

Ephemer agreed, but he found he didn't mind; it would give him something to do besides worry over how best to keep the Dandelions intact.

(One-hundred-seventy-five wielders. One-hundred-seventy-five wielders was both too many and too little, and thinking about it too much made his head spin.)

"I'm sorry," Laurium said, "but I'll have to pass."

Ephemer jolted, surprised, but Laurium seemed as calm as he'd been when he first stepped into the room.

"Then help me out with this," Brain ordered. He began picking up books and supplies, dragging them over to the Master's desk.

"That I can do," Laurium agreed, moving to help.

Ephemer released a slow breath and tried to relax. It might take a while to figure things out and get to know each other—they still had so much they needed to organize and do, so much they needed to get in order to make sure that the Dandelions could move confidently into the future—but he supposed this, at least, was a good start.


-Ven had never felt less prepared to lead a Union.

"Look out!" Skuld was shouting, but Ven knew he wasn't fast enough, even as he kicked backwards to try and avoid the massive hand reaching out to him—

(Too slow, too slow, too slow, no matter how much his mother had lamented that he was always moving, how much his aunt complained that he couldn't slow down and spend time with them for just a second—)

Light flashed. A burst of fire speared the Darkside; black smoke flooded across the field, and Ven coughed, gagging on the stench of darkness.

"Are you alright?" Skuld asked breathlessly, hurrying through the smoke as if it wasn't there.

"Y-yeah," Ven stammered, trying for a shaky grin he wasn't quite sure he managed.

Skuld frowned and checked him over, one hand running over a cut on his cheek.

"I'm fine. Really."

Green magic flickered in Skuld's fingertips; the stinging on his cheek faded, replaced with a cool tingling sensation. "Now you're fine," Skuld declared, pulling back.

Ven rubbed his cheek, not quite meeting Skuld's gaze in case he saw disappointment there. "Thanks," he said, because he was grateful, he just—

(He hadn't been fast enough to block that attack, or stop that Heartless before it injured someone, or to react when—when—something happened, and his new companions didn't hate him now, but they might if he didn't manage to step up—)

"So," he said, trying for a grin, "did we find anything?"

"Not for that one," Ephemer called. He sighed, running a hand through sweaty hair. "We should probably head back," he said. "It's getting late, and we've been at this for hours."

"I can keep going!"

Skuld huffed a short laugh and poked his shoulder.

Ven wobbled, Missing Ache disappearing as he struggled to catch himself.

Skuld said, "I think we're all tired enough for one day."

"But Brain still needs us—"

"If he needed us to do everything in a day," Skuld interrupted, "he wouldn't have given us such a long list."

Something must have showed in Ven's expression, because Ephemer gave him a gentle smile. "I don't think he needs everything immediately," he said. "And besides, we aren't going home completely empty-handed." He lifted a bag, materials clacking inside.

"Right," Ven said, though he couldn't quite help feeling like it wasn't enough.

They returned to Daybreak Town with little fanfare, few Dandelions even noticing their arrival as they approached the Clock Tower. Ven wasn't sure he was ever going to lose his sense of awe and wonder at stepping into the interior; he was walking in the footsteps of the Foretellers, the greatest Keyblade wielders ever, people he'd admired since he'd been old enough to walk.

(It made actually trying to fill their shoes all the more intimidating.)

"Hey," Ephemer called as they stepped into the meeting room, "we're back for the night."

Laurium and Brain were hovering over something on the desk, talking quietly amongst themselves. Laurium lifted his head to give them an easy smile, and Ven found he could return it. He liked Laurium well enough; he seemed nice, if distant, but Ven was used to that, and it meant he was less worried about repercussions should he slip up.

"Did you get everything?" Brain asked without looking up, and Ven tensed, all his nerves returning ten-fold and making his shoulders seize.

"We got some of it," Ephemer said, unworried, as he tossed the bag of materials to Brain.

"We'll go out again tomorrow," Skuld added. "See if we can find any more."

Brain sorted through the materials, muttering something under his breath.

Ven watched him warily, wondering what the judgment would be.

"How have things been here?" Skuld asked.

"We didn't get much further," Laurium admitted with a laugh. "We're still trying to decipher everything written in the Master's book."

"So it might take you a little bit, too," Skuld said.

Ven wondered if Laurium would take that as a criticism, but the older boy just nodded with a smile. "But most things worth-while don't come easily."

They lapsed into silence, the only sound Brain's quiet muttering as he pulled materials out of the bag and placed them on the table. Ven fidgeted, a little, trying not to feel too awkward. "So," he said, "uh. The Spirits. Do you guys think you'd like one?"

Brain scoffed before anyone could answer. "They're designed to help the other Dandelions forget about the war. We need to remember if we want to make sure we're leading them right."

Ven flinched, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Right. I just—you know. Thought I'd ask."

A beat of silence passed before Ephemer said, "The otter's pretty cute."

Ven gave him a surprised look.

He shrugged. "Hey, there's no harm in imagining, right? Just because we can't have them doesn't mean we can't talk about them." He nudged Skuld. "How about you?"

"I didn't look at the book long enough!" Skuld protested.

"But you still saw one you wanted. Come on, I know that look."

Skuld shoved him, but she was grinning. "There was a dog on there," she said. "I'd probably go with that one."

"How about you, Ven?" Ephemer asked.

"I—uh—" He wasn't sure he'd actually expected to speak, and now that the others' attention was on him, he floundered to come up with an answer. "All of them?"

He expected strange stares and awkward, polite agreement, but instead Skuld laughed. He was nervous for half a second until she said, "That's perfect! I should've gone with that answer. Why choose when you can surround yourself with them?"

Brain said, "You can only have one Spirit at a time, you know."

"Lighten up," Skuld said. "This is just for fun."

Laurium said, "Brain would take the Chameleon."

Brain shot him a betrayed look.

"What?" Laurium asked. "You seemed eager to make it. I figured it had to be your favorite."

Brain shook his head and pulled his fedora lower. "That's what I get for taking an assistant."

Ven found himself laughing with the others and thought maybe—maybe—this could work out, after all.


-Laurium couldn't help but feel antsy the entire time he was working with Brain. The anxiety built over the course of the next few days, until Brain had finally huffed and waved him off. "Come back when you've worked off some of your energy."

"Of course," Laurium said with a grateful smile, practically bolting out of the Clock Tower.

There was something inherently comforting about stepping back into the streets of Daybreak Town. It wasn't that he didn't like the Clock Tower; it was where the Foretellers had once lived, and so it was a rather comfortable place to stay. But it wasn't home in the same way that Daybreak Town proper was.

Besides, he still had to try and figure out where Strelitzia had gone to.

Just under two-hundred Dandelions. He didn't know the exact number, and didn't have any idea what all their names were, but he knew Strelitizia had to be among them somewhere, if only he could figure out what happened to her.

(He didn't dare entertain the thought that she hadn't joined up with the Dandelions in time.)

The streets felt strangely empty, but Laurium tried to not to think too hard about that, instead flagging down the first person he could find. "Hey!" he said. "Hello. My name's Laurium. I just have some questions—"

"Are you wondering about the lack of missions, too?" the Keyblade wielder asked, causing Laurium to stall. "Because I don't know anything about that either."

"I—no, but—I'm actually looking for—what's this about missions?"

The other Keyblade wielder gave him a puzzled look. "Haven't you noticed? We haven't gotten any new ones recently."

"But new missions are always put out—" Oh. By the Foretellers.

The other Keyblade wielder was nodding. "I know, right? But the Foretellers haven't made an appearance, like—at all. I wonder if they're busy with something."

Laurium managed to rearrange his features into what he hoped was a charming smile. "I'm sure," he agreed. "What's your name?"

"Alex."

"Right. Alex. Well, I might be able to get in touch with them and find out what's going on."

Alex furrowed their eyebrows. "What, you friends with them or something?"

"Something like that," he agreed, and hurried off before Alex had a chance to question him further. I didn't even ask them about Strelitzia, he thought ruefully. Well. There are others to ask, and Ephemer and his group won't be getting back until later in the day. I might as well collect what information I can.

Hunting down other Keyblader wielders was surprisingly easy—though he guessed without missions, it wouldn't be much of a problem. He didn't find out much of anything about Strelitzia, but he did get more information on what the other Dandelions had been doing: namely, either wandering around town, or giving themselves self-appointed missions until the Foretellers provided something more concrete. Hard to do without the Foretellers around, he thought as he hurried back to the Clock Tower.

Ephemer, Ven, and Skuld had made it back before him, and were already in the Foreteller's room, talking to Brain. "…gone the whole day," Brain was saying. "I'm not sure what's gotten under his skin, but—"

Laurium cleared his throat.

The others whipped towards him.

"So," he said, "we may have a bit of a problem."


-Skuld hadn't really realized just how much the Foretellers had done to keep Daybreak Town running until they were gone.

Case in point: missions. Sitting at the meeting room table with the others and trying to figure out how to assign missions seemed like it'd be simple enough, but they'd spent the last several hours talking about it, going back and forth on how best to organize things. Her eyes were drooping, now, and she scrubbed at them furiously, trying in vain to keep herself awake. Ven had already dozed off, head propped on his arms.

Brain said, "I still say the best thing to do is just assign a world. The other Dandelions can take care of things from there."

"Yeah," Ephemer said tiredly, "but we don't want to send them into something too dangerous—especially since there aren't as many of us as before." He gave Skuld a helpless look. "Do you remember if there were any particularly dangerous Heartless in Dwarf Woodlands?"

Skuld furrowed her eyebrows. It felt like it'd been a long time since she'd really had to think about it; she'd been focused more on the Dandelions, and getting everyone safely away from the Keyblade War, and helping Brain—she groaned and rubbed the heels of her palms into her eyes. "There might be," she said, "but do we really need missions anymore? The Keyblade War was averted."

"The rulebook said—"

"And it wouldn't be the first rule we've tossed." Exhaustion made her snippier than she'd intended, and she sighed, trying to reign in her frustration. "Sorry, Ephemer. It's just—this is what caused problems the last time. Do we really want to be encouraging it again?"

A troubled look crossed Ephemer's face.

Laurium said, "Well, if we're trying to keep the Foretellers' disappearance a secret, we're going to have to. Everyone will know something's up if we just tell them there aren't any more missions."

"Which means we also have to do them exactly like the Foretellers did them," Ephemer said with a tired groan.

Skuld wasn't sure she agreed—the Foretellers weren't here now, were they? (Why should they have to adhere to their rules—the rules that caused the war in the first place—if they were just going to leave them?) She opened her mouth, then saw the exhausted look on Ephemer's face and closed it again.

Brain prodded Ven. "Hey. Got any ideas, Sleeping Beauty?"

Ven jolted, bolting upright so quickly that his seat toppled backwards, sparks flickering around his fingertips.

Skuld just barely kept herself from calling her Keyblade; out of the corner of her eye she saw Ephemer tense, eyes blown too-wide, like he was just as prepared to jump into action.

Ven took a few steadying breathes, seeming to come back to himself slowly. "Sorry," he breathed. "Sorry, I—forgot where I was."

"It's okay," Skuld said, even if it didn't really feel okay. "We're just talking about how we should handle missions."

"A conversation that all of us need to be a part of," Brain added.

Ephemer sighed. "Come on, Brain. We're all tired. You can't blame him for falling asleep."

"None of the rest of us did."

Ven righted his chair, shoulders hunched near his ears.

Skuld wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so she shifted things back to the topic at hand. "We could have them fight specific Heartless," she said. "The other Dandelions. Pick low level Heartless and just have the others hunt for them in each world."

Ephemer chewed his lip, then sighed. "That might be easiest, for now. At least until tomorrow, when we've enough of a chance to think things through." He gave an apologetic look to Brain. "We might have to put off finding materials for a bit, though."

"Noted," Brain said. "I suppose we don't have much choice, if we want to keep things running smoothly." He sounded vaguely frustrated, and Skuld wondered if it was because his work was being put off, or because making Spirits had been his idea and it wasn't going as smoothly as he would've liked.

"What if," Ven started, and then paused.

When he didn't continue, Laurium prompted, "'What if?"

Ven worried his lip, then continued, "What if we give out quests for collecting materials. It would, uh—it would help get everything collected faster. And it would take care of the mission problem for a while. So, you know. Problem solved."

Ven still looked like he wanted to sink into himself, but Skuld beamed at him, some of her frustrated tension fading. "Ven, that's brilliant."

Brain said, "Told you you should've been awake," but he sounded pleased, too.

Ven turned red, and he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Skuld turned to Ephemer, asking, "We can assign them to the worlds we've been going to, right?"

"Yeah," Ephemer said. "I'll get the mission reports written up. Now that we've got a plan, it shouldn't be too bad. You guys go ahead and get some sleep."

Skuld frowned at him.

Ephemer just gave her a smile and shook his head.

Brain pushed away from the table. "Well," he said, "I'll leave you to it, Leader."

"Leader?" Ephemer spluttered, but Brain had already left.

Laurium stood, stifling a yawn. "I'll check and see how things are going tomorrow," he promised, leaving.

Ven slipped off with a quiet, "Night," and then it was just Skuld and Ephemer left in the room.

Skuld dragged her chair closer. "So," she asked, "how do you plan on doing this?"

"You can go to bed, Skuld. I've got this handled."

"Sure," she said, "but you're just as tired as the rest of us. We're a team, which means we're supposed to share the load. So I'll help you write these out, and we'll have Laurium or Ven put them up tomorrow. Sound good?"

Ephemer gave her a grateful smile, then turned back to the papers. "So if I'm remembering right, the Foretellers wrote things out like this…"


-Brain knew he should've expected problems when they'd made the plan last night. None of them had really been awake, and while Ven's plan had been a decent one, there were bound to be hiccups—especially when none of them were really prepared to step into the vacancy the Foretellers had left behind.

(He was still angry at himself—he had a better idea than most what the Foreteller's jobs entailed. He should've known that they'd have to take over their other responsibilities, but he'd been too caught up on how he could fix things, too wrapped up in the grand plan Ava had made to really think about the fact that he couldn't just leave day-to-day tasks behind.)

"Brain?" Laurium asked. "Hate to interrupt, but the Dandelions are coming back from their missions."

"Yeah?" Brain stared at the Master's book, frowning as he glanced between it and the collection of materials nearby. Do I have the right amount? he wondered. The Master wasn't particularly clear about how much of this to add…

"So," Laurium said, "we need to go and sort through the materials."

Brain paused at the 'we', and then cursed silently. Of course. No one knew what would be needed better than he did; he'd need to actually be present to help sort through things.

(He didn't want to be taken away from his work; he had so much to do, and Ava was counting on him to make sure that things turned out okay.)

He stood with a sigh, following Laurium to the elevator. "The drop boxes are in the same place, right?"

"Right," Laurium said, hurrying after him. The elevator jolted as it moved, and Laurium flung out a hand to catch himself. "But—well. There's quite a bit to sort through."

Brain frowned at him, but didn't press.

Missions were posted on boards throughout Daybreak Town, but the drop boxes, for convenience's sake, had always been at the Moogle Shop. A few Keyblade wielders still lingered around the shop at this point in the day, quietly talking to each other or sorting through wares. The Moogle greeted them with a cheerful, "Good afternoon, kupo! How can I help you?"

Laurium said, "We're here to pick up everything in the drop boxes."

A few of the Keyblade wielders shot them strange looks.

"You?" the shopkeeper asked. They fluttered from behind the desk, giving them a scrutinizing once-over.

"We're helping the Foretellers," Laurium said.

Brain just pushed his way past, shaking his head. "Come on," he said. "Better to get the materials and get moving before it gets too late."

Brain could hear the whispers: "Who are they? Why aren't the Foretellers doing this? Is the Moogle really going to let them go there?" Brain gritted his teeth and ignored them. They'll know who we are soon enough, he thought. For now, we just have to focus on getting things done.

They reached the drop boxes, and Brain stalled. Most of them were already filled; it'd take ages to sort through everything and cart it back to the Clock Tower. He said numbly, "We might need help from the others."

"Well," Laurium said, "they're still out collecting materials, too. I'll sure they'll be back to help soon, though?"

Brain bit back a groan. "Right. Let's get started, then."


-Ephemer stood on the lip of the fountain, trying not to feel too self-conscious as countless eyes trained themselves on him. The other Union Leaders stood on either side of him; Ven was tugging on his sleeves and not quite looking at him, Laurium focusing more on scanning the crowd as if searching for someone, Brain watching the crowd as if he wasn't really seeing them. Skuld nudged him, giving him a smile; he smiled back, trying not to let her see how nervous he felt.

One-hundred-seventy-five Dandelions. One-hundred-seventy-five people who were about to be told they were getting orders from fellow Union members, with no Foretellers to back up the claim.

(One-hundred-seventy-five people who were now going to be explicitly under their care. It was their job, now, to make sure that they grew and survived—that a tragedy like the Keyblade War never happened again.

The weight was heavy on Ephemer's shoulders, but he would stand under it.)

"Hey," he said, and tried not to wince at the awkward start. "I know some of you are wondering where the Foretellers have been. They've been—well, they've been busy. Running Unions takes a lot of work, and it's hard for just five people to manage them alone."

A low murmur went through the crowd. Ephemer wasn't surprised; the Union Leaders had decided on the speech together, and they'd practiced it, looking for holes, but all of them knew no amount of practice would ever make something that was perfect. They just had to get the other Dandelions to trust them; they could prove themselves from there.

"To help them out," Ephemer continued, "Lady Ava appointed the five of us as Union Leaders. We'll be helping with the day-to-day responsibilities of running the Unions." He gave the crowd a self-conscious smile. "We're still learning, so please be patient with us."

The murmuring grew louder, but didn't quite break into something angry. Well, Ephemer thought, the Dandelions were chosen for their resistance to darkness.

"Why you?" someone called.

"Presumably," Laurium said, "because we're good at managing paperwork."

A couple of people laughed, though most of the crowd was still deafeningly quiet.

"We don't know exactly," Ephemer admitted, "but we'll do our best to help out. I'm not asking you to trust us right away. Just give us time, and we'll do everything we can to earn it."

The other Dandelions still looked skeptical, murmuring to each other and shooting the Union Leaders uncertain looks.

Chirithies flashed into existence, some landing on their Keyblade wielders' shoulders, others in their arms, talking quietly to them. The Dream Eaters knew; they would help to smooth the transition out, Ephemer was sure.

(He tried not to think about how guilty he was about lying to them, but if they could move into the future without the burden of the Keyblade War, then shouldn't they be given the chance?

…Were they really making the right choice?)

"We have a gift," Ephemer said loudly, as if he could drown out his own thoughts. "It's kind of our first step in that."

He almost winced, questioning whether that has been the right thing to say, but Brain took over easily, producing the first of the Spirits in the palm of his hand. The Dandelions dissolved into delighted coos, clustering closer to the fountain to try and get a better look.

Laurium smirked at Ephemer, then nudged Brain into the crowd. The other Union Leader fumbled to stay upright, the Spirit leaping out of his hands in the process. The Dandelions laughed, and Ephemer found himself laughing helplessly along.

Brain huffed and righted himself, then launched into a spiel about the Spirits and what they were supposed to do. It was decidedly less effective with most of the Dandelions focused on the Spirit currently twining between their legs.

Ven fidgeted a little, looking longingly at the Spirit.

Skuld whispered, "You can go see it too, if you want."

Ephemer stared at the crowd—at the Dandelions dancing out of the way of the Spirit, at Brain trying to reel the conversation in, at the laughter and chatter—and said, "Why don't we all go? Best way earn trust is to interact with people, right?"

Ven didn't need to be told twice, leaping off the fountain and hurrying towards the Spirit.

Skuld went to rescue Brain, trying to help him explain things and engage others with conversations about the Spirits. Laurium didn't exactly merge with the crowd, but he did stop to talk to some of the other Dandelions; he seemed more at ease, here, less like he was searching for something beyond his reach.

Ephemer stepped off the fountain, into the crowd of Dandelions, and for a moment almost felt like he would be washed away. One-hundred-seventy-five.

"Ephemer!" Ven shouted. "It's coming your way!"

Ephemer barely had time to react as the Spirit leapt, landing on his chest and scrambling to make its way up his shoulders. "Hey, hey, easy!" he said, smiling despite himself.

The Spirit purred, curling into his scarf.

Ven pouted. "Aw," he said. "Does that mean you get that one?"

Some of the nearby Dandelions laughed, and Ephemer laughed with them. It'll be okay, he thought. We're only just getting started. We have time to figure things out.


Notes on the chapter: So, uh...I didn't originally plan on starting this with a recreation of one of Union X's actual scenes? That just kind of...happened when I realized I wanted to start them off by entering the Clock Tower. (This'll probably be the only chapter this'll happen for; most of the other ideas I have for one-shots don't actually touch on the canon scenes.) Most of what I wanted to do with this first story was introduce the Union Leaders attempting to get used to their roles, and give each of them an individual point of view.

If you want to come yell at me about Kingdom Hearts or writing or other nonsense, then feel free to poke me over on Tumblr! Username's also CoriShadowfang.