Alive: Well, looks like I'm back. After reading through all of Black Orchid, I decided to pick it up again and finish it, maybe. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I don't know how many of my old readers are still on here though.


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"Ah, so you found me" murmured Tresian mildly. He stood calmly in the new morning light as Arc came running into the square with Orchid and Montblanc not far behind. In one arm he held a struggling Melina, and in his other three he held nunchaku.

"Let her go" growled Arc, glaring at the clockwork Shadowless.

"I think not" replied Tresian, blurring out in a fading blue. He reappeared on the roof of a low building. "Come and get her if you want."

"Fine" spat Arc, blurring out as Tresian did. Orchid and Montblanc were left with only a wake of air to follow.

The world was hazed in blue around him as he chased Tresian. Clocks moved with agonizing slowness in the frozen world as Arc ran past. Only he and Tresian moved normally in this sliced time.

"Is this the best you can do" mocked the clockwork. As he ran, the air around him blurred a deeper blue, then he was gone, having sliced time even thinner around him. Arc cursed, then stepped it up and the world turned darker around him. Soon, Tresian was back in sight as he jumped up various ledges on a tower, finally coming upon an enormous clock hand which extended like an incomplete bridge into thin air. Arc jumped onto the hand at its base and saw that Tresian had resumed normal time and stood at its tip. Arc followed suit and slowed himself until the world around him had resumed color and motion.

"I've had enough. Let her go" demaded Arc, striding forwards.

"Ni-kun! Behind you" shouted Melina, pointing one arm above and behind Arc as she struggled with Tresian.

"What" Arc pivoted on his heel and turned to see two forms land lightly at the other end of the clock hand. One was a pale young woman, dressed all in black robes and had short black hair. She carried a scythe, and as far as Arc could tell, she had no legs, as her feet nor robes never touched the ground when she landed. The other figure was a little girl, with blonde hair tied up in two childish ponytails, wearing an overly cutesy little dress. She danced about, throwing around and catching several juggling clubs of the spiky metal variety. Looking at their shadows, he saw the first had a clockwork lower torso, what he assumed allowed her to float, while the other had clockwork arms and upper torso. He also knew that these two could slice time.

"Ah" said Tresian mildly. He nodded to the floating woman in black, then to the girl. "Shisan. Fivare. I see that Lord Mousseux has sent you."

"Yup yup" said Fivare enthusiastically. "We're supposed to deliver a message too"
Shisan merely nodded.

"And what would that be" growled Arc impatiently, swinging about Sequence in his left hand.

"You will come to the Tower" hissed Shisan. Her voice sounded like the whisper of the grave. "You will come, or he shall shutdown the Clockwork Heart."

"He wouldn't dare" shouted Arc. "That'd stop all of Adonis"

"And effectively kill everyone, more or less" murmured Tresian.

"He would dare" assured Shisan.

"It's not like having no time would bother him at all" grinned Fivare.

"So will you come with us peacefully" asked Tresian.

"Never."

"So be it."

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"Hurry up! Arc could be in trouble" shouted Orchid.

"And we aren't, kupo" asked Montblanc as he cast Fira on a gearfreak that got too close. "Besides, how do you know where he went"

"I just do." Orchid scrambled up the ladder, quickly followed by an airborne Montblanc. Pooling shadows in front of her turned into Heartless, easily dispatched by the Clockwork Grape. Orchid hastily bashed her way through a knot of gearfreaks, ignoring their shrieking protests. She looked around, then stopped and pointed. "Up there"

They could see a large clock hand extending like a jutting cliff fall from a tower, and on it they could see figures moving. As they ran towards it, they watced as the figures blurred out of sight, except for one, hunched on the ground.

"How do we get up there" cried Orchid frantically, seeing no quick way up. If they took the spiraling stairs, they might never arrive in time, but the network of ledges up the side of the tower started about fifteen feet above her head.

"Aero" cast Montblanc in response. Gusts of wind formed around them, soon picking the two of them up and off the ground. They landed lightly on the lowest ledge.

"Good thinking" thanked Orchid. She started climbing her way up, as quickly as she could. "Let's go"

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Arc blocked, parried, swung and countered in the slow world around him. Each of his opponents gradually started to slice time thinner, but he was able to match them. Even so, three against one was not a fight he could win.

A blow to his back from one of Fivare's clubs sent him flying off the edge of the clock hand on which they stood. Acting quickly, he stabbed Sequence into the side of it, preventing his fall, then quickly swung up and back onto the precarious ground. He swung a punch with his right, shield in hand, and it caught Tresian in the jaw. Ducking low to avoid Shisan's scythe, he kicked out and knocked Tresian's legs out from under him, buying Arc a little more time. He jumped over the fallen form of Tresian to avoid the scythe again, but only to land in the way of a flying metal club. Fivare giggled delightedly as Arc stumbled back, now cornered at the end of the clock hand.

"Fine..." muttered Arc grimly. He coiled his leg muscles, then jumped high into the air as the three clockwork Shadowless watched. "Planet Diver"
Unnatural flames burst out around him as he shot downwards. Arc sliced time as thin as he could in an attempt to strike before his enemies could dodge. He had almost hit, when a shout pierced the timeless air.

"Slow"

The blue haze of the time-sliced world ripped away like a torn veil around the four combatents, Arc slammed down with a resounding crash on nothing but metal; the three clockworks had moved quickly out of range.

"Arc" shouted Orchid as she ran up along the clock hand, keyblade at the ready. "Is Melina okay"

"Orchid, look out" he shouted.

Orchid turned, then dodged out of the way of Shisan's attack. Montblanc had similarly just missed being struck by one of Fivare's clubs. They quickly dodged several more attacks, then ran to the huddled form of Melina, where Arc had already gone. The three of them faced outwards against the three clockwork Shadowless.

"Our quarrel is not with you, Keyblade Master" spat Tresian. He edged forwards, then dodged back as Arc tried to maul him with his shield.

"It is if you want to harm Arc" replied Orchid.

"Then prepare for your death" hissed Shisan. As one, the three clockworks lunged at the group.

"Aero" shouted Montblanc, momentarily throwing them back with his barrier.

"Thundara" shouted Orchid. Bolts of lightning fell down among them, striking the clockworks.

Tresian jumped at Arc, barely dodging the thrust of his sword. Arc reeled as several nunchaku hit him about the head and shoulders, his shield arm coming up too slow. Tresian swung again, but before he could strike, he was sent flying back by a blast of icy wind sent by Montblanc.

"Arc, grab Melina and get out of here! We'll hold them off for now, and meet back later" shouted Orchid as she parried a scythe blow from Shisan, who dodged out of the way. Shisan hung safely out of range, floating in the air beyond the clock hand. Above one of the clockwork's hand, a ball of shrieking darkness formed, a spell in the making. Orchid readied her keyblade. "Oh, no you don't! Shooting Star"

As Orchid unleashed the special attack she had recieved from Hercules, throwing her keyblade with unerring accuracy, and Montblanc let off a full salvo of magic on the other two, Arc ran over the the frightened, huddled girl.

"Melina, come on, let's go" urged Arc, pulling at her sleeve. "We have to get out of here"

The girl cried out and only curled up smaller as an attack rocked the whole structure on which they stood. She began crying frantically. "Help me Dar'ck-sempai, help me Dar'ck-sempai, I don't want to be here"

"My brother" questioned Arc, his voice tinged with envy and anger at who she chose to call on. "Why are you calling my brother"

"Dar'ck-sempai, Dar'ck-sempai, Dar'ck-sempai..."

"I'm the one who's here" shouted Arc, as chaos rained down around him. "I'm the one who's gonna save you"

He raised his sword skyward, and shimmered briefly red.

"IFRIT"

A giant ball of fire came crashing out of the heavens at his call, slamming down with uncontrollable force behind Arc. In its wake, the fiery demon god stood, flaming fur, horns and all. Arc stared angrily down at the Melina, who sat in stunned silence.

"Now, listen" shouted Arc, swinging his arm at her as he stepped onto Ifrit's back. "My name is Arc, don't you ever call me Ni-kun again"

Meanwhile, Orchid had just sent Shisan flying out and away from the battle temporarily with her final strike and had joined Montblanc in holding back the other two clockwork shadowless.

"They're" started Orchid, pausing as she blocked a blow"getting faster"

"The spell's wearing off" shouted the moogle as he cast Cure on them.

"I'm all out of power, though" cried Orchid as she was struck by a metal club.

"So die" roared Tresian, leaping at them for the kill.

He never made it.

Great fiery claws of flame tore through the clockwork as if he were nothing more than a discarded ragdoll. Ifrit flew by, trailing fire with Arc on his back. They were the embodiment of fury.

"Don't touch them" shouted Arc, as he sliced through the still fighting upper half of Tresian. The Shadowless dispersed, his clockwork remains falling to the ground far below. He turned to his next target.

Fivare let out a scream and ran, but not fast enough. She disappeared as Ifrit and Arc tore through her, her inner workings shattering in the face of such destructive power.

The man and demon turned, just in time for Arc to raise his shield to block the returned Shisan's strike. Sequence lashed out, Ifrit charge forwards, and the clockwork Shadowless was no more.

"Arc" shouted Orchid as he shot by overhead. She turned to Montblanc. "Where's he going"

"It looks like he's headed for..." started the moogle as he made sure Melina was okay"that tower"

Following the pointing rod, Orchid caught sight of the tower at the center of the city. Sure enough, that was where the Ifrit-borne warrior was flying.

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"So...he's finally coming back."

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The two of them, demon and man, tore at the outer gates with little success. Cursing in frustration, Arc leapt back out of the way and yelled at Ifrit.

"Do it"

"HELLFIRE" intoned the demon. Raising a single clawed hand, a pillar of fire erupted under the gate, engulfing it in the inferno. Swinging his arms at it, he swung two monstrous balls of fire at the barrier. There was an enormous explosion, and when the smoke and flames cleared, the gate wasn't there.

"You can go now" said Arc through gritted teeth as he strode forwards into the destruction. Behind him, Ifrit discarnated, becoming nothing more than a red glow which soon disappeared.

He walked down familiar paths towards the tower, ignoring the well kept gardens and vineyards. He only stopped when he reached the Thorn Gate. Here stood two clockworks on each side of the opening, holding a thorny metal rope between them. He took a step forwards. The clockworks moved.

"Only those of the royal house shall pass beyond our eye,

If you cannot slice time that thin, then leave or you shall die."

As they finished the age-old rhyme, their arms swung, and the air blurred blue as the guardians sliced time, the thorny lines becoming a blur. Arc stepped forwards, then stopped at a familiar voice.

"Arcanis"

Jenine came running up behind him.

"What are you doing here, Jenine" he asked coldly.

"I'm here to stop you" she said. "I can't let you go in there. Vins will kill you"

"I'm sure he will."

"Then why are you here" Jenine demanded.

"Because I'm finishing this" said Arc. Then softly, so that Jenine could barely hear it"Because I'm going home."

Jenine cried out with tears in her eyes as he stepped forwards and blurred out into the onslaught of the Thorn Gate guardians. Running forwards, she sliced time around her and jumped in after him just as Orchid and Montblanc came running up.

"Jenine" shouted Orchid as the girl came flying back at them, bruised, battered and cut.

"But...only the royal house can..." she said, stunned.
"Jenine, what happened" asked Orchid. "Where's Arc"

"He...he's in there..." she said quietly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "And he told me to give you a message..."

"What? What message"

"He says...'Goodbye, Orchid'."