It had been so long since One had slept together with her sisters and that night, she was reminded why she always preferred separate sleeping accommodations. Five had the problem of both snoring and moaning in her sleep while Three kept tossing and turning so much that she ended up kicking One in the face.

Two liked to talk in her sleep while Four, ironically, was the only sound sleeper, but neither of them were there. No, she was stuck with a foot in the face and moans in her ear all night.

"Mmmmm...no Terra...my clit's right there sweetie...lemme show you..."

One saw Five's hand hovering above her face and immediately swatted it away, then she sat up and accepted the fact that she wasn't getting any sleep that night. 'If only I could use my legs, then I could simply walk out of here. Maybe I should try dragging myself out of this room and down the steps?' She placed a hand over her face. 'What am I thinking?'

Suddenly the bedroom door flew open and she heard a loud THUD noise followed by a slew of curse words.

"—Gabriella!" It was Two's voice. "Are you okay? Remember you have to bend down under the doorway because you're so tall!"

One turned back to the doorway as Two and Gabriella burst inside the room. "Two...?"

"I'm here too..." Gabriella muttered, rubbing her forehead.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, so it's a good thing you're already up! We need your help to diffuse a situation!" Two said.

"Understood, let's leave at once."

"You're not even gonna ask what the situation is?" Gabriella asked.

"I trust that it's of great importance if you're bringing it to my attention at this time of night." 'In reality, I just want to get out of this room. Hopefully, it's nothing too severe.'

"Great! We'll explain everything to you on the way!" Two said.

All the commotion they were making woke Five up from her sleep. "Wh...What's wrong... s'everything's okay?" She asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"It'll all be fine. I'll sort things out, you go back to sleep," One reassured.

"Mm...if you say so..."

Shortly after, they rushed out of the house with Two pushing One down the cobblestone street and Gabriella ditching her heels so she could run barefoot. When they reached the gate, the soldiers had drawn out their weapons and were about to charge at each other, but fortunately, the presence of two Intoners was enough to de-escalate the conflict from a full-out war.

"—It's Lady Two and Lady One!"

"—Have they come to aid us against Four's army? With two Intoners on our side, we're sure to crush them!"

One motioned to the crowd. "Lower your weapons and cease this violence at once. Four has already surrendered, there's no reason to escalate this conflict any further."

"What do you mean 'no reason'?! The reason's standing right in front of us!" A crazed soldier pointed hysterically at Rosa and the elves. "Those savages and their demons destroyed EVERYTHING! Now we're stuck in this...this purgatory! We have every reason to slaughter them where they stand!"

Rosa squeezed the handle of her bow so tight her knuckles went white. "All of what you see is Four's doing, it has always been her doing! You are either too bigoted, too foolish, or a dangerous mix of both to see it! But I'm tired of repeating myself! I'm tired of defending my existence to people who don't acknowledge it! And I'm at my wit's end!" Her hand trembled as her index finger ran along the edge of the arrow shaft. As she was positioning her arrow into place, she rolled her eyes back to meet One's gaze. "So what'll it be... One? Do you fight for us or will you continue to enable your sister's actions? Your move."

"...For all that Four's done to Midgard, she isn't the one who sunk the world into darkness. The was the Flower, the demon you saw in your last moments on Midgard.

"Ohhhh yeah, GREAT, so that makes everything all hunky-dory now, huh? Hey, did you hear that guys? Four didn't destroy the world herself, she just did everything that led up to it!"

"That wasn't meant to excuse her actions, only to explain the situation. There are bigger forces at play here that led to the world ending than anyone's individual actions. However, with that being said, I completely understand your frustrations."

"If you understand so well then have your sister rightfully executed for her crimes!"

"...I can't do that."

"Tch...of course you can't...your sisters are more important to you than the world itself."

"No, the world is just as important to me! I assure you, Four will be dealt the full brunt of the law; she will lose sovereignty over her nation, serve a lengthy sentence for her crimes, all of her assets will be seized, and-"

"I don't care about any of that, I want Four DEAD! I want her gone from this world! And if you won't help, then I'll burn this entire town down if that means finding her! Maybe then when you watch your sister die a slow, painful death, you can understand a fraction of my pain!"

"—Not over your cold dead elven bodies would you have our Lady Four executed! Stand with us Lady One if you value the life of your sister! We'll protect her until the bitter end!" One of Four's soldiers screamed.

A soldier from the Land of Sands spoke up. "—Oi, you've been awfully quiet Lady Two, don't tell me you'll stand with those mountain scum after everything they've done to you and your people!"

"This is getting bad, One!" Two held onto the arm of One's wheelchair for comfort. "No matter what we do or whose side we take, it'll end in conflict, and if that happens, there won't be a Midgard left to save!"

War and propaganda were dangerous tools that Four played with, and now political destabilization would have a far more devastating and long-lasting impact on the longevity of Midgard than any one act of violence. The weight of the world felt heavy on One's shoulders and she knew whatever words she spoke next would carry with it the fate of countless lives in Midgard, including her own sisters.

"...What Four has done to Midgard is unforgivable, which is why I do not ask for your forgiveness. Not toward her, not toward any of us, because the truth is..." Hesistation caught her throat, never in her life had she been so afraid to simply speak, but never in her life did her words hold as much power as they did in this very moment. Right now, they were on top of the world, but she knew in the next sentence, it would all come crumbling down. "...The truth is that for years now you've known us as the Intoners; infallible, immortal goddesses, but that was not the case. We were closer to demons than saviors."

One of the soldiers slowly shook his head, disillusioned. "What...what are you talking about? The Intoners can't be demons...e-even you Lady Two?!"

"All of us were capable of what Four did, she's just the one who went through with it," One continued. "If you're frightened right now, rest assured, we've already lost our powers, and they will never return again. We're mortals now, no different than the rest of you, and together we can strive for a better—"

"—I've heard enough." Rosa cut off. "We were told that you were Goddesses that descended upon this land and now you're telling us you were demons this entire time?!"

"That...can't be true can it?" Basch asked.

One nodded solemnly.

"So everything the Partition has written about the Intoners, were those lies?"

"Whatever I felt was necessary to spread the gospel of the Intoners, the Partition put into words."

Rosa pivoted to One, aiming her bow and arrow at her head. "To think... I thought you liberated us, HA! How foolish am I? This entire time...we were under the thumb of demons..." In one breath, Rosa's voice was fragile, as if it were about to break at any moment. In the next, she snapped, firing an arrow at One's head so they would be caught off guard when she unsheathed a hidden dagger, and lunged at One.

Her strategy, while sound, didn't take into account that Gabriella would catch the arrow in her mouth, so she could use both hands to restrain Rosa before she could make an attempt on One's life. As Rosa struggled to break free from her hold, she continued to scream and spit at One. "You're disgusting! Just as foul as your hellspawn of a sister! You fed us all those lies and had us die on behalf of monsters! You belong in hell!"

"If you think my death will bring you satisfaction, then go ahead and kill me but I assure you it won't," One said.

"...You're right...it won't. Nothing in this life will ever make me happy again, but knowing that someone else is suffering alongside me might make this pain more bearable. That's satisfaction enough!"

One stared down Rosa. "...I know the eyes of a killer when I see one, but when I look into yours...all I see is fear and sadness. Listen to me, you don't have to suffer alone. If you allow me to, I can help you."

"You're wrong! I AM a killer. D- D- Don't you see?!" Her breathing became erratic. "...I killed them...my little bro and sis...I killed them with my bare hands when they became demons..." She swung her head down. "I killed them...I killed them...I killed them..."

While Rosa's mental state spiraled into insanity, shock and terror spread rampantly amongst the soldiers like an infectious disease.

"—Unbelievable, so we've been livin' under the thumb of demons this whole time?!" A soldier hollered.

"—But they've been so kind to us, how could they possibly be-"

"—Kind?! They're prolly the reason why we're stuck in this town!"

One expected as much, after all, the world both figuratively and literally got turned upside down. She was even prepared for the entirety of Midgard to turn on them, but what she didn't anticipate was for an ominous, dark haze to swirl above their heads.

"—LOOK! It's those demon sisters attacking us again!"

"Wha...What the hell's going on?!" Out of nowhere, Gabriella felt Rosa's body go limp in her arms, then her head snapped backward. This freaked Gabriella enough to drop her on the ground where she started violently convulsing and frothing at the mouth.

And it wasn't just Rosa who was displaying abnormal behavior but dozens of other soldiers who had seemingly lost control of their own bodies.

"This is a shitshow! One, we gotta get out of here!" Before Gabriella could reach One, Rosa snatched her ankle, causing her to fall forward. When she looked back, she saw the elf now had strange markings all over her body and sunken, yellow 'heartless' eyes.

"Huh?! Get the fuck away from me!" She kept kicking Rosa in the head until a gaseous heartless, aptly named the Possessor, seeped out of her mouth. "Ew, yuck! That's just plain nasty!"

"Nice going Gabs, we can take this small fry!" Two unsheathed her sword then swung it at the Possessor only for it to vanish into thin air. "Ugh, so it's a slippery little guy! Where did it go now?!"

"Two! Pay attention!" Gabriella yanked Two down before her head got cleaved by One's flying chakram. Then she gestured to One, who, through sheer force of the heartless possessing her body, could finally stand on two legs again and was dragging her twisted feet toward them. "Looks like it can take control of just about anyone."

"Oh no...I don't want to have to hurt One to save her..." Two used her sword to block another chakram and was afraid she would have to turn on her sister next, but then a keyblade came crashing from the sky like a bolt of lightning that gave Two hope they could save One without worry.

"—LOOK OUT!" When the keyblade struck the ground, it generated a thunderous earthquake that knocked everyone down and forced the Possessor heartless out of their hosts. Moments later, Terra landed down beside his keyblade, then threw it at the heartless strike-raid style, eliminating them in one go.

Terra caught his keyblade as it came flying back to him then turned to One, Two, and Gabriella. "Hey, you guys okay?"

"Hell no! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Gabriella sat herself up, rubbing her lower back. "Almost broke my damn spine with that stunt..."

"Sorry, that was just the first thing that came to mind." Terra offered his hand to Gabriella. "Here, take my han-"

"What makes you think I want your help?! Ohhhh I get it, I'm just some old crone, huh?!"

"Wh-What? No, of course not!"

Two waved her hand. "Aw, don't mind Gabs, she's just a little grumpy. We're fine, promise!"

"Good. Oh, but your sister One she probably needs help getting back into her..." He trailed off when he saw One help herself back up into her wheelchair. "...Nevermind. You girls are tough."

"You could say that, still, you came at just the right time. I rather not have been on the receiving end of one of Gabriella's punches," One said.

"How'd you know we would be here anyway?" Two asked.

Terra crossed his arms. "Your sister Five was worried about you guys being gone for so long so she asked me to check up on you. Didn't take long for me to locate you guys either because I heard a bunch of commotion coming from here and figured it was some type of heartless attack."

"When is it not the goddamn heartless?! Sick and tired of those freaks," Gabriella mumbled.

"I know it's frustrating dealing with them constantly, but you're safe now so try not to worry about them."

"I'm afraid it's not the heartless we should be worried about, but the target I've painted on our backs. We should leave before our soldiers gather their bearings," One said.

"If you're in danger then let's head back to the house and we can figure out where to go from there," Terra said.

"That's not necessary. It's late out so we should retire for the night." She placed a hand on her forehead. "Dear God...how am I going to break the news to Three and Five that I upended their lives for good?"

"Don't look at it like that! If these last few months have taught us anything, it's that what we did as Intoners ended up having a lot of repercussions for Midgard. We'll have to rethink how we approach things in the future or the world's just gonna get destroyed again," Two said.

"...You're right, Two. Midgard will rise again, and when we return to our home, we will rebuild it a new."


keybladelight: Yeah they'll be getting new-ish outfits soon, I'm not an outfit designer by any stretch of the imagination so if I do make something it'll probably be a bit basic. Oh yes I do plan on having Accord meet Riku and Zero so don't worry about that.

Centurious the Azure: Well I had everyone live then so I could kill them off later one by one obv XD Lol I think Zero would kill Two before ever sharing her man with her. Yeah funny that you mention not going back to Midgard bc the rest of the chapter explores the consequences and blowback from the rest of Midgard reacts to being cast into Traverse Town. Ohh idk maybe the Intoner weapons are made from dragonbone too but then you'd think Zero would comment on that since that would make dealing with her sisters that much more deadly.

Thank you so much, it means a lot to me and I'm glad I've kept you entertained just as you have with your story which I'm wondering when the next chapter's gonna get released, like ik I take forever to release a chapter but you're leaving me in a drought here lol

ian12091995: I'm really sorry to hear that, I hope you're doing better now!

Phoenix keyblade: I'll be honest, the thought never even occurred to me so it's not their fault. I went back and re-edited the chapter though because I felt like that was kind of an oversight, thanks for pointing that out.

Anon: lol not even an issue, you got the best version of the chapter since I ended up making 2 major edits post-release. "It's been a minute since Armsiael was used in this story." omg I could've sworn it was in the previous chapter but it's been a minute. Oh no not 39 chapters straight of failing omg

Riku: I'm stopping the Flower this time I swear

you: Ok grandpa time for bed

I thought about it a bit longer and I thought Ienzo and Three would probably make an interesting pair like he's really talkative, she's not, both into science, both antagonists I honestly can't believe I didn't think of it until now. There was just so much content that I didn't necessarily have the time to flesh out so Two's plot kinda had to be sidelined a bit and I hoped the dialogue would've been enough for people to put two and two together. Yes def looking forward to everyone meeting back up with Riku and Zero again for hijinks to ensue

J Geil: Yeah, pacing was one of my biggest criticisms for the previous story. Even though it was meant to be more fast paced and plot driven, clearly what resonated with people the most were the characters. If I could go back, I would've liked to add more character interactions.

That's a good question! So to clear things up, there's N:O, then immediately after is N:O2 and some time later is FFTD.

Omg what type of raunchy story do you think this is? But to answer your question, I feel like you'd be putting yourself in danger from doing so. Maybe Zero wouldn't care but Riku would do there's that

Imo Zero's whole backstory reads as very French, especially with all the rebels and lords stuff. But I can see Germany or Denmark too. Can't see any British in Zero tho I'm sorry. As for the KH characters, your guess is as good as mine. Anime characters are difficult to determine nationality-wise. At least Eraqus is 100% JP and Ansem is 100% white British guy. Everyone else I'm sure Nomura designed them in the image of JP people but idek

I'm so happy that you enjoy it, it makes writing so much more worth it!

ScruffinMcguffin: Lol my chapters haven't been that short in some years, but I'd say that's a yes.


"This Silence is Mine No. 1"

Opening Act

Morning came, or some approximation of it, and One realized she hadn't slept a wink because she'd spent all night worrying about the state of Midgard and her sisters. She waited and waited for a blazing fire and a mob of soldiers to come marching up and down the streets but neither came. She even drafted a peace treaty in response to what she thought would be the inevitable backlash but there was none.

In sharp contrast to One's neuroticism, Three and Five were as carefree as ever. After a long rest, the odd pair were up and about, exploring the house and finding amusement in the most mundane things. They were particularly fascinated by the idea of running water and kept turning the sink and shower on and off, shocked by the seemingly endless supply of clean, temperature-controlled water.

With all the commotion they were making, it didn't take long for Terra, Ventus, and Aqua to wake up, and for Aqua to give them a long scolding about 'wasting water' before it became relatively quiet again, save for the usual banter and laughter.

At least Two was attentive enough to ask how One was doing, but all One could do was robotically nod her head up and down, too exhausted for words. Eventually, she wandered downstairs to find Three and Five.

Surprisingly, despite all the noise everyone was making, Gabriella and Mikhail didn't actually wake up until the delicious smell of greasy bacon and runny eggs drifted upstairs into the guest room, kicking their feral instincts into high gear and stirring them awake.

"What's that yummy smell?!" Mikhail asked, already drooling.

"It smells like pork," Gabriella took another whiff of the aroma, then added, "...and eggs."

There was a knock at the door, then Ventus poked his through the doorway. "Hey guys, breakfast is ready! Get it while it's hot!"

"Yayayayaya! Break-FAST! Break-FAST! Break-FAST!" Mikhail zoomed out of the guest room like a hyperactive puppy, but Gabriella had enough restraint to check up on One when she noticed she was making no moves to leave the desk.

Gabriella peered over her shoulder to take a look at everything she was working on for the past few hours. "Eh? That's a whole lotta paper."

"Yes...it's 77 pages long. This is my 44th draft so far. It contains everything..." She yawned mid-sentence. "...updated policy, economic and legislative changes, new land delegation, reparations as per section 8 of the-"

"Girl, if you don't give it a rest already! You already told everyone you guys are demons. it's not like you can dress that up in fancy words or walk back on it. I thought you were sure about your decision-"

"I am!" One insisted. "I am...I just don't want Midgard to regress back to being under the thumb of corrupt lords. That's all."

"One. Listen to yourself."

"This is important!"

"You're stressing out about things that MIGHT happen 10 years down the line. Right now, Midgard doesn't exist, and people just found out what happens when you rely on a bunch of moody teenagers to lead their country. The only thing most people are concerned about now is surviving the next day in a place that doesn't even have a goddamn sun. So our priority is bringing Midgard from the darkness, nothing else."

"You're...straight to the point as always Gabriella."

"Tch, only to stop you from getting in your head so damn much!" Gabriella lifted One up, holding her in her arms. "Look at you, you look awful. Get something in your belly first or you'll pass out before long." She brought One down to her wheelchair at the bottom of the steps then forced her to join everyone at the dining table.

The dining table was lively and vibrant, that's what first stuck out to One. Three and Five were hovering above Ventus' shoulders as he showed them something on the gummiphone, Terra was leaning back in his chair drinking black coffee, and Mikhail was bouncing up and down in his seat. Although no one was quite as happy as Two, who cooked breakfast together with Aqua in the kitchen, they even wore adorable matching aprons. One couldn't remember the last time she saw a bigger grin on her younger sister's face and wished she could capture that smile forever.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Ooooone! You won't believe what this kitchen has! There's no fire in this oven, but it still gets really hot!" Two ran over to the fridge next. "And this thing is called a re... fridge-something, I don't really know, but it gets suuuuuper cold without any magic! And- And-" She pulled out a carton of milk and a block of cheese. "Look at this! MILK! CHEESE! No cows in sight! They get all their food from a 'grocery store'! Eeeek- I feel like I died and went to food heaven!"

"Yes, Two. It's nice."

"Oh, lighten up One! Just admit this world is amazing and take it easy for once! Here, I bet this will bring a smile to your face~" Five turned the gummiphone to One and it put a bunny filter on her face.

"Five, get that thing away from me. Need I remind you that this is only a temporary arrangement?"

Five rolled her eyes, then stuck out her tongue. "Boooo. Would it kill you to relax a little? The world's already over, I mean...honestly, what more do we have to lose at this point?"

"Our lives and the population of Midgard.

"What are you talking about, One? Or are you just being paranoid again? You know, those masturbation techniques I showed you have worked wonders on relieving my stress, just saying."

"Let's have appropriate conversations at the table please," Aqua said.

One took a bite of her eggs and drank some of the orange juice before answering Five. "This is surprisingly good. Well done." She set her utensils down, then looked back up at Five. "As for you, we'll talk about it when we visit Four at the clinic. All of you need to hear this."

"Ooo! This is about what happened last night, isn't it? Two's been awfully tight-lipped about it and I've been dying to know why you ladies were up at such ungodly hours. Wait let me guess-" Five leaned across the table, whispering, "...Was it an orgy?" to One so Aqua wouldn't hear but she had sharp ears and shot a look at Five.

One, thankful that Aqua was equally as level-headed as her, simply shook her head at Five. "It was a political conflict, so nothing of that... nature, but I had to make a critical decision for the sake of Midgard."

"It sounds like you girls were pretty important people back in this Midgard place," Terra said.

"Of course, back when we had our powers, we were goddesses."

Ventus nearly spit his milk out. "G-Goddesses?! Like crazy power mythical being type goddesses?!"

"Yes. Though we are mere mortals now, back in our prime, we were formidable leaders of several countries." One shook her head. "But that was in our past... a story for another day."

"You girls are all so young, it must have been a heavy burden to lead a country," Aqua said.

"It was, especially with the Flower. Many mistakes were made, and so much unnecessary blood was shed. We are long overdue to face the consequences of our actions."

After breakfast, they made their way to the clinic and came to the receptionist's desk where Moogle greeted them. "Hello! You must be here to see Four, kupo! You came just in time, Dr. Mog's seeing her right now!"

One nodded slowly, confused as to what exactly she was looking at, but she decided to just go along with it for the sake of her sanity.

On the other hand, Three was captivated by the Moogle's overwhelming cuteness and felt compelled to touch him only for him to swerve away from her hand.

"Yeah, Moogles don't really like to be touched like that," Ventus pointed to his head. "Especially not their pom-poms."

"...Annoying."

After getting everyone checked in, the receptionist Moogle showed them to the room where Four was staying. She was lying propped up in a white patient bed, stripped down into a blue medical gown. There was an IV hooked up in one arm, while the other was almost entirely gone, save a few inches down from her shoulder.

By her bedside was a Moogle in a white lab coat and a mini stethoscope around his neck. "Greetings, my name is Dr. Mog, kupo," He spoke in a deep, sophisticated voice, contrary to his adorable appearance. "I'm happy to report that Four has made an excellent recovery since she was presented to the clinic."

"That's good to hear. How are you feeling?" One asked.

Four smiled at her sisters. "I feel great, especially now that you're all here!"

"Aw, that's sweet of you!" Two set down a basket of food on the nightstand. "We thought you might be hungry, so we brought you some breakfast too!"

"This is far too kind...thank you."

"How's your..." Two moved her arm up and down. "...you know?"

"I'm ...still getting used to it, but I think I can adjust fairly quickly! Anyway, how have you all been? I've missed my sisters dearly."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's an urgent matter we need to discuss," One said.

Dr. Mog hopped off the stool he was standing on, then went to the door. "In that case, I'll excuse myself so you can all have some privacy. Let me know if you have any questions in regards to our treatment plan, kupo."

"We should leave too. Meet us in the waiting room whenever you're ready," Aqua said.

With that, everyone left the sisters, Gabriella and Mikhail in the patient room.

"So...what is it, One?" Four asked.

"Last night..." One took in a deep breath. "A conflict that most likely would've escalated into a full-out war nearly broke out due to your actions. Your propaganda split the Land of Mountains against the rest of Midgard and the only way out of it without bloodshed, at least the only way I saw, was to tell everyone the true nature of our existence."

"What does that mean?" Five asked.

"It means that to the people of Midgard, we're demons who've wreaked havoc on the world."

"Mmm hmm, but...isn't that what they already thought of us before we killed all the dissenters and brainwashed the rest with our Power of Song?"

"Hardly news," Three added.

"Yes, but..." She dragged her hand over her mouth, wracking her brain for any plausible argument to counter Five's, only to come up short. "...When you put it like that, I see how much of a complete and utter fool I've been... I let my pride get the best of me and cloud my judgment."

"You weren't a fool, One! Your dream was to bring peace to Midgard and you did that, we just couldn't sustain it for very long because of the Flower." Four sat herself up from the bed. "But now we all have a chance to start over and even if the whole world's against us, that's never stopped you before so why should it now?"

"Four's right, and hello! Did you forget about Gabs? No one's gonna kill us as long as we have a giant dragon by our side!" Two said.

Mikhail raised his hands. "Oh-oh! Don't forget me too!"

Two ruffled his hair. "Of course not, sweetie!" She lifted her head back up to One. "See? We'll be fine, we're with you no matter what! Right girls?"

Four and Five shared a smile with each other while Three grunted, which was about as much acknowledgment as they were going to get from her.

Finally, One let herself smile. "Then I should count myself lucky to have all of you as my sisters!"

"If that's all you wanted to discuss, then I was hoping you girls could fill me in on where ...or maybe what exactly this place is? Dr. Mog fed me bits and pieces, and I at least know we're at 'Traverse Town' but I'm afraid that's the extent of my knowledge," Four said.

"A world that never sleeps dwells in an endless abyss," Three said.

"Pardon?"

"You're better off asking Terra, Ventus, and Aqua for a more thorough explanation," One said.

"I take it those were the three people with you, right? They said they would be in the waiting room so let's not keep them 'waiting' any longer." Using her IV pole for support, she scooted off the bed, then stood up on her feet.

"Uh, Four...should you really be up like that?" Two asked.

"Oh, don't you worry about me! Dr. Mog gave me this medicine called a 'panacea' that made me stop feeling the excruciating pain in my arm and I feel better than ever!"

"That's great, Four!"

"And I only stopped blinking for a few hours!"

"That's...not so great. Are you sure that was medicine he gave you and not ...something else?"

"I want some," Three said.

"Me too!" Mikhail said.

One pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is exactly why we need to leave this world as soon as possible. Four, if you're able to walk then follow us to the waiting room.

Once Aqua saw everyone pouring out of the door, she went up to them with her gummiphone in hand. "Mickey just texted me and said he'll be returning soon so it shouldn't be long now before we can return to Midgard."

"I'm sorry if this is a redundant question, but how long is 'soon'?" Four asked. "Perhaps this is me just losing track of time here, but it's odd that it feels like I've been here forever and yet it's still the dead of night."

"Aw, that's just a weird quirk of Traverse Town, and this place isn't even the weirdest world out there, trust me!" Ventus said. "But I guess since each world is so different, that's why time flows differently too, right?"

"It's a possibility. Each world is effectively on its own axis so the passage of time differs from world to world," Terra said.

"Then it could be days before Mickey returns..." One said.

"Nah, it won't be that long! Mickey's our king, it's basically his job to be on top of the flow of time between different worlds," Ventus said.

"...You admitting to being ruled by a talking mouse doesn't exactly bode well with my consciousness...but you've given me no reason to doubt you so if you say he'll be here soon then I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Nice! Then since we got time to kill, why don't we check out the Fourth District together? There's a lot of cool stuff down there and I feel like I'd be doing you guys a disservice if I can't even show you the best parts of town!"

"Ven, I'm not sure that's a good idea. They've already been through so much, let's try not to pile so many things on them at once," Aqua said.

Terra ruffled Ventus's hair. "You'll have to excuse Ven. He doesn't know how to act around girls his age."

"Shut up!" Ventus slapped Terra's hand away, then sheepishly stared at the ground. "...Sorry, I just thought seeing the Fourth District might take your guy's mind off of everything that's happened. I didn't mean any harm."

"Well, perhaps taking a break and...'relaxing' is in order after all that we've been through," One said.

"Do my ears deceive me or did I actually hear One say she wants to relax? Are you sure you're our dear older sister and not an imposter?" Five asked.

One rolled her eyes. "Yes, Five, I think we can afford to take a short break as long as everyone's on the same page..." She turned back to Four who smiled in response.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, One! We'll probably never see this world again, so we might as well take advantage of being here while it lasts," Four said.

"—Absolutely not!" Dr. Mog butt in. "Your condition's only just stabilized, you shouldn't even be up on your feet right now!"

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine!" Four insisted. "Besides, losing limbs is a very common occurrence in Midgard!"

"I don't know what absurd claims you're making, but as a doctor, I cannot, in good conscience, let you of this clinic. You may feel fine but losing a limb is a very traumatic experience that requires extensive therapy and counseling, kupo."

"I understand your concerns as her doctor but believe me, it's far safer for her to be with us than in this clinic alone. If even one soldier finds out she's staying here then she would be in great danger," One said.

"Bah! We have patient confidentiality here, no need to worry about some solider!"

"But I'm telling you that her staying here poses an unacceptable amount of risk, not only to the patient but to the doctor which is why I suggest..."

'Is she seriously going back and forth with this thing? I think I'll have to step in soon, even though she won't like it.' One may have been the type to want to reason with people first before resorting to drastic measures, but as someone who was firmly in the let's-get-shit-done camp, Gabriella was ready to march over to Dr. Mog and begin rolling out the threats.

However, before Gabriella could give Dr. Mog a piece of her mind, Three beat her to it. She plucked up the Moogle off the ground, then held his plush body in her hand like a doll. "Let me down, girl! I'm not a plaything, kupo!"

"You look like a stuffed animal. I wonder if it's stuffing inside of you...or guts. I'm afraid there's only one way to find out-" She snapped her scissor together, terrifying the poor creature.

"I-I-I assure you my body composition is no different than yours, k-k-kupo!"

"Hm. Let's run tests first." Three caressed Dr. Mog's head in an attempt to soothe him. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

"That's it!" Dr. Mog pulled himself out of Three's grip, then flew out of the waiting room.

"Three! That was mean! You're supposed to be nice to little guys, not scare them!" Mikhail said.

She shrugged. "I was on my best behavior."

"Whatever the hell that was, your creepy girl antics saved us a lot of trouble. So are we leaving now or what?" Gabriella asked.

"Sure, let's just pay the b..." Aqua trailed off, realizing the receptionist had fled the scene long ago. "I'll leave the munny on the counter..."

Although Four had swore up and down that she was ready to get back on her feet, that was nothing more than a front. Guilt squeezed her throat every time she so much as felt down on herself, and it wasn't something she could casually bring up to her sisters either. After all, who was she to go run to One about her arm after breaking her legs? She might as well be asking to break her arms too at that point.

With that in mind, she decided she would keep all of her problems to herself, so as not to burden her sisters any more than she already had. Maybe that could work if she didn't immediately stumble after walking more than a few steps outside, and of course Two wasn't going to let her sister struggle if she could do anything about it.

Two ran in front of Four, holding her hands out. "-Here, Four, I got you!"

Four steadied herself the best she could, then waved her hand down. "Oh no it's fine, really, thank you, Two! Besides I have to learn how to be independent, I can't rely on my sisters for everything, you know?"

"Yeah, maybe in a few months down the line, but definitely not right now! Let me help you so you don't feel like you're on your own!"

It's not as if Four didn't consider taking Two's offer, she wanted to more than anything, but her desire for affection was always overridden by her guilt. She couldn't even look directly at Two, let alone hold her hand because all she would see was her sister's gouged eyes and her face wet with blood. Then she would feel worse for looking away at all because it was her hands that inflicted so much pain and she couldn't even confront it. It was an ugly, self-perpetuating cycle that she felt was best if she disengaged from her sisters entirely. So she closed herself off from Two, then in a strained voice said, "No. I'm okay."

Two studied her face for the longest time before smiling back at her. "That's okay too! Just let me know if you need anything, I'm always here for you!"

While Four watched Two leave to chat with Aqua, she tried to grab her own arm, remembered she couldn't, then settled with squeezing her fist instead to relieve the tension building inside of her. 'Two's always so quick to forgive. If I was nicer like her then maybe—no stop getting in your head Four! Stuff like this is why I fell into the darkness in the first place. Maybe it would be better for everyone if I just—'

She was getting so lost in her own head that she didn't realize there was a curb right in front of her and nearly tripped again, but Ventus caught her before she could fall.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you." She walked away from him but Ventus caught up to her.

"Hey, wait a sec!"

She kept walking ahead but still spoke to him out of common courtesy. "What is it?"

"How come you don't want anyone to help you out? You clearly need it!"

"...I don't see how that's any of your concern."

"Aqua told me about how you lost your arm and it's been on my mind ever since. I can't imagine how that felt...it... must've been terrifying," He said quietly.

"I-It was... I thought I was going to-" She caught herself. "Ugh, why am I telling you any of this? I've said enough."

"No, that was good! That was good! You shouldn't keep your feelings bottled up like that!"

'He is so annoying, how do I get him to stop pestering me? Well, Five always said the best way for me to drive a man away is to just be myself so maybe that'll work.' Slowing her brisk walking pace down, she gave her fullattention to Ventus. "Remind me of your name again, Ventus, right?"

"Yeah, but my friends call me Ven!"

"Then I'll call you Ventus."

His face flickered with annoyance, but he wasn't going to back down so easily. "And your name's Four, right? Orrr do you go by 'for'? Hey, maybe you like 'fore' better?"

"What are you..." She thought for a moment then rolled her eyes. "Oh, I see what you're playing at. You must be the fool amongst your friends."

"Aw come on, even you have the admit that was a pretty good joke!"

"Maybe for someone of your intelligence."

"Guess you're not a fan of puns, huh? Well, I think they're the pun-nacle of humor, ha ha!"

"..."

"Hey don't give me that look! Okay, okay, I'm done. I don't wanna pun-ish you with any more lame jokes!"

"You really are the court jest—"

In the middle of their conversation, a bright white light flashed in their faces.

"Ah!" After Four was done rubbing her eyes, she saw Five holding the gummiphone with a mischievous grin on her face. "Five? Wha...what in the world was that?!"

"It's called a picture! Ven showed it to us, you just push this button right here and it makes a super detailed painting of the real world!" Five squeezed in between Four and Ventus to show off the picture she took. "See? Amazing, right?"

"Whoa...I've never seen anything like it before it's like looking at a mirror!"

"Take any more pictures?" Ventus asked.

"Mm hm! Let me show you!" Five went to the photo gallery where she proudly showed off the other photos she took.

Four's eyebrows scrunched up. "Um...Five?"

"Wow, you, uh, really, really, really like Terra, huh?" Ventus said. "So how did we get the honor of being a part of Terra's butt gallery?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Five playfully pinched Four's cheek. "You see, my dear older sister Four never talks to guys her own age. Honestly, I thought she was into sugar daddies for the longest time, so imagine my surprise when I see you two together! I just had to save the moment, it may never happen again!"

"Ugh, that's not true Five! You're lying!" She whipped her head back to Ventus. "She's ly-ing!"

"Sorry, I'm a little lost here. What's a... sugar daddy?" Ventus asked.

Five raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? Aww, you poor, sweet innocent boy! Remind me how old you are again... 12?"

He went red. "...17."

"Oh...Oh..."

"Five, that's rude!" Four hissed. "And for the record, I've never had a sugar daddy! The only older guy I've ever talked to before was..." She went quiet and her face become sullen. "... never mind."

Five, realizing what she did, immediately apologized. "On no Four, I didn't mean to-"

"No, Five, don't apologize. Seriously, it's fine!"

"...Okay, but you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

"Of course!" She lied.

As they were nearing the end of the Third District, Terra stopped all of a sudden, holding his hand out in front of the others.

"Terra, what's wrong?" Aqua asked.

"You don't smell that?"

"...Now that you mention it, it does smell like something is burning."

"Something's not right, hold on-" Terra scaled up the side of a building so he could have a better view of Traverse Town. There, he saw thick, black smoke billowing from the Fourth District.

Terra jumped back down with his keyblade in hand. "There's trouble, probably heartless. Let's go."

Once, the Fourth District was a beautiful, lively part of town that was emblematic of the world its citizens took refuge in. Once, there were strip lights and neon signs that shone brightly against the moonlit night. Now, it was in flames, and the buildings were looted and plundered by the soldiers rioting in the streets.

Four covered her mouth with her hand, slowly shaking her head back and forth in horror. "Oh no...this is all of my fault."

"No, it was mine. It was a tactical error to reveal the truth and exacerbate an already precarious situation," One said.

"No time to worry about that. Right now, we need to focus on stopping this fire and saving as many people as we can," Terra said.

However, just as they were about to mobilize an effort to save the Fourth District, something enormous crashed down in front of them. They heard bone-chilling screams for a moment and then a lull of silence. Whatever it was that landed in front of them, lifted itself back into the air, leaving behind a massive blood spatter on the ground.

"Wait...was that thing that attacked us just now?! All of this blood...no way it could've been a heartless!" Ventus said.

Terra's eyes were fixated on the blood-soaked ground. "If it's not a heartless, then I don't know what else it could be."

Then they saw it.

The creature that had attacked them looked like something out of a nightmare, its entire 'body' was composed of hundreds of human bodies, some still alive, most not. A horde of Possessor heartless held the bodies together and they moved in a unit, creating the Homunculus heartless.

All it took was a few minutes for One to analyze the heartless and formulate a plan that would both stop it and the fire from spreading throughout Traverse Town. "This monster is slow and unintelligent, it shouldn't take much to lure it into the fire. Aqua, Ventus, if you could both use some of the magic you have to create a thick sheet of ice, then Terra generates another earthquake, that should be enough force to make it fall over. In the meantime, the rest of us can evacuate as many people as we can."

"But what about everyone stuck in that weird heartless creature? We can't just let them all die!" Ventus argued.

"...With the rate at which the district is burning, we need to prioritize saving the civilians first. Besides, they'd most likely all die anyway, even if we put all of our efforts into saving them."

"No, I'm not accepting that! There has to be a better way! There always is! Right, Terra, Aqua?!"

"Ven's right. We should exhaust all of our options first before we go to extremes," Terra said.

Aqua nodded. "We have a vast array of magic and other techniques to use at our disposal. We should be able to reach a solution that doesn't end in the loss of countless lives."

In the past, One's first instinct would've been to keep arguing because she naturally saw her solution as the most pragmatic, but the past few weeks have been nothing but one humbling experience after the next for her. Even though she had her own reservations, she knew that somehow, someway, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua would find a solution that she previously thought was impossible. "...So be it. You have my full attention and cooperation for whichever alternative plan you have."

"...I'm not sure if this is useful information or not, but I think whatever's making that monster move is from the same heartless I defeated earlier that took control of your body," Terra said.

"I suspected as much."

"Possessor heartless," Aqua said.

He snapped his fingers. "That's it. That's what they were called."

"Typically, they only take control of inanimate objects, but this is a special case...it'll be difficult drawing the heartless out from its host without also hurting those people trapped."

"Yeah, Quake probably won't have much of an effect on it either due to the sheer size of it."

"Oh! How about we cast a bunch of Magnet spells and it can draw all the heartless out? That way no one has to get hurt and we can knock them all out in one go!" Ventus suggested.

"Actually...that may just work. Without the heartless, it'll collapse and all those people will fall, so we can use Aero to cushion their landing," Aqua said.

"Removing the immediate threat and immobilizing the enemy is a sound plan that we can work with. In the meantime, my sisters and I can help evacuate the district," One said.

Ventus gave her a thumbs up. "Awesome! Then let's not waste another second!"

"Ven, why don't you lead the attack against the heartless? Terra and I can put out the fire," Aqua said.

"Seriously?! But your magic's way stronger than mine!"

"Which is why I rather focus on putting out the fire since it'll be harder to contain, but you're a formidable keyblade wielder in your own right and I trust in your abilities," Aqua said.

"Plus it's your plan, so you should take charge," Terra said.

Ventus's face lit up. "Alright! I won't let you guys down!" He suited up in his keyblade armor, then used his keyblade glider to fly down to the Homunculus. Meanwhile, Aqua and Terra headed for the fire.

Lastly, One led her sisters, Gabriella, and Mikhail into the destruction to rescue the people they could out from the fire. Eventually, the sisters split up into smaller groups so they could cover more ground, and against her better judgment, Four decided she would go ahead on her own. She was downright terrified, not by the fire or even the Homunculus, rather it was all the effigies and anti-Four posters that seemed to follow her every step. 'This is horrible, and to think I made all those elves feel the exact same way because of my silly insecurities. Ugh, no Four! This is not the time for me to feel bad for myself, I need to focus on saving people and fixing this mess I caused!'

After a while of running through the district, Four finally found someone with their legs caught under a pile of burning rubble and went toward them.

"-Ugh you're Four, aren't you?! I bet you're only saving me so you can kill me later!"

"No, I'm only here to help you, I swear!" Due to losing her dominant arm, something that she used to easily push aside felt heavy as lead. "...Ugh...just a little more!"

"Just leave me here to die...I don't want your help anyway."

"I'm helping you whether you like it or not!"

As Four was pushing the rubble out of the way, she heard a chorus of screams and wails behind her.

"Bah! What the hell is that thing?!" The soldier cried out.

Four was afraid to look, but she did it anyway and saw the Homunculus's hand reaching out for her. The closer the hand got, the more she could see of each individual face that comprised the hand. Some of them were still intact, others horribly disfigured and partially scarped off from constantly being smacked around against the buildings and walls. It was a sight so ghastly that it made Four drop down to her knees in despair because she was sure those faces would be the last she ever saw.

Even though the soldiers in the palm of the Homunculus's hand were dead, in Four's mind they were alive, moaning her name and reaching out for her so they could drag her into the same hellscape they were suffering in.

"F...our...k...i...ll...y...ou...ki...l...l...Fo...ur..."

And at that moment, she wanted them to take her.

'It would be better for everyone if I just didn't exist.'

Then she closed her eyes.

1.00 sec

I know I'm on the verge of losing my life so let's just get this over with already. I guess I'll start with Zero since I have the least to say for her. I never thought in a million years that I'd ever admit to this but she was right about everything. She was right about me, the Intoners, the fate of the world...and rather than accept what she had to say for what it was I-

"Four!"

What was that? Anyway...rather than accept what she had to say I...I ...lost my train of thought. Crap. I was going to say something just now but then that voice-

"Four I'm coming for you!"

Is that God speaking to me already?! No, it definitely has to be Satan, but since when did his voice sound so comforting? I guess I'll have to get used to it for all eternity huh?

"—FOUR!" Bursting through a pile of debris, Ventus swooped down, scooped Four up into his arms, then flung his keyblade at the rubble to free the soldier.

After that, Ventus popped his helmet off so he could grin at Four. "Came right on time, didn't I?"

"I... suppose I can't deny that."

"Anyway, this heartless isn't as easy to take down as I thought. I was able to use Magnet on its left arm but I guess it started to adapt or something because every time I try to use Magnet on it again, all the heartless start rushing from one side of the main body to the other. That causes a ton of people to fall from the main body so I have to stop to save them." He shuddered. "Plus it keeps using its hands to attack and it freaks me out whenever they scream...I don't wanna hurt anyone but they're in so much pain already."

"...I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help to you."

"Nah, don't sweat it, I was just venting to you...but now that I think about it, all I need is someone to distract the heartless and I can focus on using Magnet. Maybe I can-"

Before Ventus could make another move, the Homunculus heartless suddenly shifted its attention away from him and toward the gummiship flying around in the sky.

"Ah! That must be the King! Perfect timing! Now here's my chance!" While the Homunculus was distracted, Ventus flew his keyblade glider around, alternating between casting Magnet and Aero, whittling its main body down until all that was left was its head where the last concentration of Possessor heartless remained. As he was closing in on the heartless, it sprouted arms from its head and swung them back at Ventus to swat him away.

After maneuvering around its arms a couple of times, he found an opening through the crevices of its fingers where he did a sideways frontside flip with his glider to finally the head. "Okay, Four hold on right!" Holding Four in one arm, he jumped off his glider, transforming it back into its regular keyblade form. Then he cast Magnega and manifested a giant purple sphere that sucked the last of the Possessor heartless out from the soldier's bodies like a vacuum.

With the Possessor heartless no longer controlling the Homunculus, the creature fell apart altogether and the rest of the soldiers fell down one by one. While Ventus and Four were still mid-air, he cast Aero one last time so everyone could safely land back down on the ground.

"Yes, we did it!" Ventus threw his keyblade down below so it could transform back into its glider form, then landed on the board with Four still in his arms. "And it looks like Aqua and Terra have put out most of the fire so I think we're in the clear! Let's regroup with the others!" He flew them back down to the ground where a large crowd of all the people they saved had amassed.

When One spotted Ventus amongst the crowd, she rolled up to him. "I have to admit Ventus, initially, I was skeptical of your plan. I thought it was far too optimistic and ineffectual, but you proved to me otherwise so...thank you."

Ventus rubbed the back of his head. "Aw no problem, just doin' my job!"

A short while after Terra, Aqua, and Mickey's gummiship joined the Intoners.

"—Ven!" Aqua ran up to Ventus with Terra following behind. "That was incredible! Nicely done!"

"Yeah, not bad Ven," Terra said.

"Heh, you guys think I should take the Mark of Mastery Exam soon?"

"Don't push it."

"—Oh, there they are! Hey, we made it!" Mickey, along with a group of researchers and fairies, emerged from the crowd.

An older man with long blonde hair and hands neatly folded behind his back was the first to approach them. "Why, hello, It's always a pleasure to be re-acquainted with the late Master Eraqus's most prized pupils; Aqua, Ventus, and Terra!"

They each bowed down to him.

"Likewise, it's a pleasure to see you again, Master Ansem!" Aqua said.

He nodded happily, then turned to the Intoner sisters and the dragons. "Ah, and you must be the enigmatic Intoners I've heard so much about. My name is Ansem and these are my apprentices; Even and Ienzo. You see, this Flower entity has been on our radar for quite some time now. We've been quite intrigued by it and we would like to assist you in destroying that demon."

"And we're the Three Fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather! The Realm of Darkness is a most frightening place, so our magic will give you the proper attire in order to face it without fear," Flora said.

"Hm? Faeries that actually want to help and not ridicule or mock us? Maybe we are in good hands," Five said.

"Yes, because we are good fairies! We only want to assist you in your travels!"

"Thank you... we will need all the help we can get," One said. "As far as introductions go, my name is One and these are my sisters; Two, Three, Four, and Five. We also have Gabriella and Mikhail; our dragon friends who have been turned human."

"Great, now that we've all gotten to know each other, we can get down to business!" Mickey said. "When I told Master Ansem about the dragonbone keyblade, he thought it would be a good idea to take it a step further and re-design dragonbone weapons for all you girls!"

"New...weapons?" One asked.

"Yes. Admittedly, we did not know much about the civilization of 'Midgard'. However, we've been given a few ideas on how to proceed," Ienzo said.

"We accept your offer. I can't see any downsides to having our weapons upgraded."

"Excellent." Ansem pulled out a giant contraption. "Then we'll get started right away!"

Remarkably, a time of peace,

A 'lull before the storm'.

But soon they will all be deceased,

And their bodies reformed.

Flowers for the Dead


A/N: HELLOOOOOOOO

I'm so sorry this took several months to get out but I've been working on a few side projects in the meantime.

First things first, I have some new art posted on my DeviantArt and I'll have more to come to celebrate the end of FFTD so check it out!"

Next up, if y'all are interested in voiced dialogue of some of the scenes in this fanfic , J Geil made some really good AI generated voice lines that y'all can check out on my YouTube channel! The channel name is Catch358, see ya there :D