Flowers for the Dead

by Preferably Bitter 52

The chaotic world of Midgard is ruled by Intoners, sisters whose songs unleash vast powers. Riku's search for Sora has him end up in Midgard where he meets the oldest of the Intoners, Zero, and is roped up into her quest of killing her own sisters.

41. This Silence is Mine No 2

Traverse Town

-Fountain Plaza-

With the Fourth District in ruins, One decided a change of scenery was in order, preferably somewhere with less rioters lurking about. Where they ended up was Traverse Town's Fountain Plaza; a vast locale in between districts. While mostly cobblestone paths and rotted walls, the centerpiece of the plaza; a marble fountain, was its main attraction—it drew everyone in, especially One. She could appreciate the fine craftsmanship of the five beautiful women positioned around the fountain's pool, pouring water down from their giant receptacles. It was a small miracle that the fountain was still intact, but One knew it would only be a matter of time before bandits robbed those five women blind. They, too, would have to be gone by then, lest another riot break out.

"Wowie!" Mikhail pointed at the fountain. "That thing over there is so big and pretty! What's it called? What's it called?"

"That structure you see is a fountain, my boy. We have one much like it at Radiant Garden! Though ours may not be quite as lavish, it's certainly a sight to behold," Ansem the Wise said, smiling down at the young dragon boy.

"Cool! I'm gonna go splash around in it! It looks super fun!"

Gabriella snatched Mikhail by the back of his collar before he could run away, holding him up off the ground. "Are you outta your damn mind?! Don't you dare embarrass us like that, you brat!" she growled.

"But it looks so cool! Hey— hey, I know!" Mikhail hung onto Gabriella's arm. "If I can't play in it, then let me sit on your shoulders so I can get a closer look at it!"

"And why the hell would I do that?!" Gabriella tried to shake her arm around to get Mikhail off but he used the long hairs of her fur coat to climb onto her back. "Grrrrr! Get the hell off me you goddamn whelp!"

"'Cause you're super tall, so I can get a really good look at the fountain!" He clung onto the white fleece. "Please Granny Gabby! Pretty please!"

"I told you to stop calling me that! Now get off my back before you break it!" She snapped.

Aqua smiled at the cuteness of the dragon pair. "'Granny Gabby' is an adorable nickname. A child would come up with something like that."

"I'm glad someone else agrees with me. Honestly, Gabriella, you should indulge your 'grandson' and embrace that little epithet he's given you. No need to be so stubborn about it," One said.

For One, the few good things about ending up in Traverse Town was being able to see Gabriella as a human. Not in any abstract sense, she adored Gabriella for who she was, but there was just something so satisfying about getting a peek under the mask she wore. When she was a dragon, One could never tell if her snide remarks would get under her scales, but now with her human skin, she was practically an open book. The sheer frustration in her face, the tenseness in her body, it was all so visible. One could've sworn she even saw her pointy little ears start to burn, but Gabriella spun around before she could get a closer look.

"Oh, screw you! I've just about had it with you stupid, ugly humans!" she peeled Mikhail off her back, then held him up by his ankle. "Fine, you sniveling whelp! I'll let you sit on my shoulders! But after this, I don't wanna spend another second in this disgusting, feeble, human body!"

"Well, that is a shame..." One said to herself. She wheeled around to Ansem the Wise. "So, in regard to modifying our weapons …"

"Yes, shall we get started?" He placed his hand on the large metal contraption he was lugging around. At first blush, it appeared to be nothing more than a large metal box. There were an array of buttons and control panels on one side of the box, while on the opposite side, a logo that read 'X3MN4S-MODEL No. 1'. "It may not look like much presently, but in its activated state…" with the help of his assistants, the box opened itself up. Several mechanisms and levers locked into place until it assumed the form of a compact laser cannon. "This laser is a powerful tool that can be used to extract bone from Mikhail and Gabriella. After we collect enough of our sample, we'll forge new weapons that will provide an excellent countermeasure against the Flower."

"With that being said, you girls will need to take part in this process in order to yield the most effective results." Even paced around the sisters, his sharp stare cutting through them. "We expect detailed blueprints from each of you for your weapon modifications. The more intelligibly you can communicate your specifications, the more seamless the transition will be from the blueprint to the final product."

Five shot her hand up in the air. "Oooh, can it be anything?"

"…Within reason. We do have to take practicality and limited resources into account."

"Okay! What about one of those BDSM whips that goes like—" she extended her arm out, swinging it up and down, "—woosh, wooo! But it's still kinda like a spear, you know?"

"I…don't…" Even cupped his hand over his mouth, trying to make sense of Five's absurdity so he could properly respond to her.

Ienzo stepped in for his colleague, picking up on his discomfort. "…I believe that's best left to an illustration so we can get a clear, concrete idea of what we're working with." He took out several wide sheets of blue paper from his satchel, then began passing them out to the sisters.

—

After the sisters received their blueprints everyone went straight to work to prepare for the final battle. And by 'everyone,' that, of course, excluded Three. Her blueprint went straight on the ground the moment it fell into her hand, disregarding it as more pointless busy work that she couldn't be bothered with. Besides, why should she waste her time with silly little drawings when she could be snapping pictures of the heartless around the Fountain Plaza? She felt that was a better use of her time and found her muse in a Green Requiem heartless drifting around the waterspouts.

'Fascinating. I've seen this species of emblem heartless before, but never of a green variety. This is an important documentation.' Three zoomed in on the Green Requiem with the gummiphone camera, waiting patiently until she could find the perfect—

"—Miss Three! A moment of your time?"

Ienzo's face popped onto the gummiphone screen, blocking the view of the Green Requiem. "No," she muttered, trying to sidestep him.

"Ah, but Miss Three—" he moved in front of her while she was trying to move away, "—It seems that you're the only one who hasn't begun on her weapon modifications and I was wondering why that is."

Three was starting to get agitated, she wanted a picture of the Green Requiem. Not of some weird boy whose face was nearly covered up by his messy hair. "Move," she growled, hoping that would be enough to drive him away.

It wasn't. In fact, he pressed her even further. "I'm sorry, but until you inform me of your proposals for modifying your weapon, then I'll have to keep asking. Unless you'd like to keep everything as is—"

"As is," Three stepped in front of him, trying to relocate her muse. "…Where is it now…?"

"I don't believe that," Ienzo insisted.

"Stop talking."

'I see, I'll have to approach her from a different angle.' "I noticed that heartless you were observing from afar. It's called the 'Green Requiem', in keeping with the theme of the cone-shaped and often magically adept heartless being named for types of musical scores. This one is actually harmless on its own, but it can heal other heartless using Cure magic, making them dangerous allies despite lacking any offensive abilities."

This was a pleasant surprise for Three. Rather than keep annoying her, as most people did, he decided to speak in her language, which got her to open up a bit more than usual. "Really? Cool."

He smiled. "It's very cool, indeed. Now, as for my inquiry…"

"The rain falls whether we wish it to or not, but the next day will come regardless. Do we not appreciate the world for what it has already given us?"

"Well…yes, I suppose, but an attitude like that isn't very well befitting of a scientist."

Three lowered her phone, fully engaged. "…Scientist?"

"Precisely! I was curious about that wheelchair your older sister is using and she told me all about your work!"

"She…did…" she replied cautiously. That conversation could've gone one of two ways depending on One's mood and Three certainly didn't want to hear a lecture from a boy who had more hair in his face than she did. She'd have to play it by ear for now.

"Yes, she did!" He broke out into a wide grin and clasped his hands together. That was a good sign. "I was deeply captivated by all the creations and innovations your sister described to me! As a fellow scientist, I would love to pick your brain for an afternoon!"

She shyly twisted her leg in place and held her hands together. "You…would?"

"Absolutely, Miss Three, but you must indulge me first," Ienzo held the blueprint in front of her. "Perhaps this is something you and I can work together on, hm?"

Three threw her head back, groaning. "…Fine. You win."

—

Two and Aqua were bound to become friends due to shared passions, and a similar case could be made for Three and Ienzo. With Five and Terra, One could definitely see how Five would gravitate toward him, despite his apparent lack of interest. But when it came to Four and Ventus, she was stumped, by all accounts, Ventus was her antithesis. Perhaps there was just more to Four than even she was aware of. For all she knew, losing her powers may have initiated a drastic change in her temperament.

As Four and Ventus were passing her by, she eavesdropped on their conversation to try and unravel this puzzling mystery.

"…Okay, hear me out! You should add a bunch of spikes to your gauntlet! Not only will it pack a bigger punch, but it'll look so cool!" Ventus was rambling on to Four with the giddiness of a child, but to One's surprise, she seemed genuinely amused. Considering Four was the queen of feigning, it was impressive that Ventus managed to bring that side out of her with so much ease.

"Don't be so childish, Ven! The spikes should obviously be placed on the knuckles to maximize the damage output."

"Good point, I didn't think of that!"

They were an unlikely duo, to say the least, but watching them gave way to a feeling that had been gnawing at the back of her mind, 'do they still need me?' It was a quiet thought that grew louder with each passing day. They were far wiser and far more compassionate than they had been even just a year prior. What place did she have in the world if not to lead them?

"Howdy, One!" Mickey walked up to her. "How are things goin' on your end?"

"Fine. I've already finished my work."

"Great! And don't you worry 'bout a thing, One! Midgard will be back in the Realm of Light again before you know it!"

"I'm sure…"

"Hm?" He tilted his head to the side. "Is…somethin' on your mind?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she tried her best to hold out, but there was something so disarming about Mickey's goofy smile and his big, curious eyes. "…Actually… you are a king, aren't you?"

"Yep! King of Disney Castle!"

"Then you also carry the same burden I do as a leader… there has been something plaguing my thoughts as of late," she rested her head in her hand, "my sisters. I used to worry for them so much, but now it seems they've gone so far without me. In some ways, I feel like I'm holding them back."

"Right. I know what you mean; being a leader can be real difficult. You have to strike a balance between knowing when to lead and knowing when to follow. But you've already laid a great foundation for your sisters, and even I can see that you all share the same light. I'm sure—no I'm positive that whatever your sisters do, they'll have a bright future ahead of them! You just gotta have faith in them, that's all!"

"Thank you…I suppose you're right." She couldn't help but chuckle at her own expense. "You know, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I'd be taking advice from a talking mouse, but here I am."

"Ha-ha, well I never expected Riku to get mixed up in somethin' like this, but I sure am glad he did! This is just what he needed to put his abilities as a Keyblade Master to the ultimate test! I know he'll come out of this stronger, wiser, and able to tackle anything the world throws at him!"

"Mm. Riku's not the only one who's learned from this experience. If it's not too much of a bother, I do have one more small request…"

"Sure thing! Whatever it is you need, I'll be happy to help you out!"

One's gaze fell on her legs, sometimes she forgot she had any because she lost all feeling in them. It had been like this for quite some time now, first her legs were prickly, then numb, then she felt nothing. She told no one of her worsening condition, not even Gabriella. There was enough going on as is, and she didn't want to pile onto it. Still, it was painful to watch her sisters walk ahead of her when she so desperately wanted to walk alongside them. Even with Gabriella by her side, she wasn't sure if she could live with that reality.

…But, then again, perhaps she didn't have to.

"Mouse," she said, "how… reliable is your healing magic?"

"—OOOOOOOOOONE!"

Two, Three, Four, and Five all came up to One, arguing and scowling at each other.

'Oh, here we go.' "Is there something the matter, sisters? You all seem vexed."

Two was the first to speak up, ever the peacekeeper amongst her sisters. "I'm sorry to bother you, One, but we can't figure out who's going to be on Mikhail versus Gabriella! It's just that, Mikhail smells really, really bad!"

"Like baby vomit," Three pointed out.

"Yes, exactly!"

"So why didn't you bathe him?" One asked.

"We did! Me and Aqua gave him, like, a hundred baths, but as soon as we were done he immediately got dirty again! I swear he did it on purpose!"

"Well, there's your problem right there! Mikhail was getting pampered and given loads of attention by the two sweetest girls in the world; it's no wonder he wanted to keep getting in the bath, it's not like Zero ever gave him any. Let Gabriella bathe him and he'd never get a speck of dirt on him again," Four said.

"Yeah, you got me there." She scratched the back of her head. "Still, there's not much we can do about his 'flying.' All the loops and turns he does are kind of nauseating."

"And I have such terrible motion sickness! If I have to ride on top of Mikhail I'll simply die!" Five said.

"Stop it, you won't die, Five! You're being overdramatic and playing up your illness to give yourself an excuse!" Four argued.

"Am not! This is serious!"

"Oh please! It's about as 'serious' as you breaking a nail!"

"Oh my God—" Five anxiously checked her manicured nails to make sure they were all still intact. "Phew! Don't say those things, Four! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she pouted.

"And this is why I should be on Gabriella! I have a medical condition that's actually serious!"

"How is it that serious when you're the one who insists on not getting a prosthetic arm? You're going out of your way to make your life that much more difficult!" Five said.

"I already told you it's to properly atone for my sins! Not to mention, the less I resemble Zero, the better!"

"I mean…you can 'properly atone for your sins' just fine on Mikhail's back," she mumbled.

"Five, you can stand to be a little bit more considerate of Four," Two said.

"Then why don't you take Four's place on Mikhail if it's that much of an issue for you, darling?"

"Sure I'm…okay with that…" she said through gritted teeth. "Super okay, totally okay! Because that's what being nice is all about, right? Making sacrifices for others!"

Five blinked a few times, oblivious to the point Two was trying to get across, "yes, you're sooo right, Two!" She patted her on the shoulder. "And I'm so happy you're making this sacrifice for us! Care to join her, Three?"

"Hell no."

She put her hands on her hips. "Tsk-tsk, then I hate to be the bearer of bad news Four, but it looks like you're out of luck."

One's patience with the girls was wearing thin and she knew that Four was a tenth of a second away from yanking Five's hair, so she cut in before tensions could boil over. "Girls, that is enough!" she roared, sitting up from her wheelchair. "You should be grateful that Mikhail is here at all and allowing you to ride on top of him! Need I remind you…" She numbered off with her fingers: "Our world is in complete shambles, we are still enemies of the state, and the Flower grows ever stronger! So, tell me, where did you find the time to dissolve into petty quarrels? Right now, we have to be stronger and more unified than ever to defeat the Flower, so cut this foolishness out! You girls are entirely too old to be acting this way…"

One almost had to laugh at her irony there. Chronologically, the girls were only two years of age, even if they had over fifteen years of memories. Still, since they insisted on acting as young adults, she reasoned they ought to behave that way as well. After all, there was a chance she might die before them, certainly not now, but she wanted to ensure that they could live and function in a world without her. Even if that meant giving her sisters frequent tongue-lashings, which was only out of a place of love. Although, if their reactions were anything to go by, then she may have missed the mark on that front.

Mickey looked taken aback. 'Gosh, One's scary when she's angry! Wouldn't want to step on her toes!'

But the girls were already used to this side of her by now and were all hanging their heads down in shame. "Yes…One…" they mumbled.

Hopefully, they would come to appreciate her tough love one day, though she was afraid that hell would be frozen over by then. At any rate, she eased herself back down into her chair, "Good. As far as flying accommodations go, Ventus has expressed to me that he wanted to ride on Mikhail, and that will be arranged. The rest of you will have to draw sticks, and if anyone has any complaints whatsoever then you're welcome to walk the rest of the way."

"Some of us could certainly use the exercise…" Four muttered under her breath.

"Um, what's that supposed to mean?" Five asked.

"No need to get so apprehensive. I wasn't referring to anyone in particular..."

"But you were looking right at me!"

"Well, if the shoe fits," she let out a giggle, "or corset in this case!"

Of course, this sparked an intense argument between Four and Five that began with insults and ended with them brawling on the ground. Eventually, Two and Three were able to pry the girls off of each other but by then, One had already sunken into her seat.

'Never mind. They desperately still need me.'

—

After their encounter with Ansem the Wise, his apprentices, and the three fairies, everyone was geared up and ready to face the Flower. Mikhail welcomed Ventus, Two and Five aboard (the girls weren't nearly as thrilled as he was), while Gabriella took on One, Three, Four, and Mickey as her passengers. As for Aqua and Terra, they elected to use their Keyblade Gliders to traverse through the…

Realm of Darkness

-M̷̜̣Í̵̯̬̤͖̽D̶̨̼̤̿͗̚G̵̰̾̽̄Ạ̶̢̦̗͠Ṟ̸̀͌͆͝͝D̶̼͆

Even in such a short amount of time, the Flower had made substantial progress in eroding Midgard. The Land of Seas had all but rotted away; chunks of land and shore were floating around in endless darkness. What was left of the ocean had twisted itself into a corkscrew shape, allowing Mikhail and Gabriella to fly through the Land of Seas as if it were a tunnel.

While Mikhail was somewhat caught up to speed about what happened to Midgard — something-something darkness, something-something Flower — he wasn't sure what to make of it either. At first Mikhail was awe-struck by the novelty of it all; how could he not be? The water was twisting around in funny ways and there were a bunch of strange creatures swimming by. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and he couldn't help but share his excitement with the others. "Whoa! Do you guys see all those little fishies?!"

"Those aren't fish, they're heartless... Hundreds of them," Aqua said.

Aqua sounded serious, and now that Mikhail was thinking about it, everyone else was quiet too, but it was a scary kind of quiet. Like everyone was waiting for something big and nasty to come their way. That made him want to be quiet too. 'I guess everyone's really worried about the Flower, but we'll be okay, right? Wait, what if we DO lose? No, that would never, ever, ever happen…But what if something like that DID happen then what? Would we move back to Traverse Town? That wouldn't be so bad if I could stay with Zero, Riku, and all my new friends, but what if the Flower finds us there too?'

He looked over to Aqua. He wanted to ask her about some of the stuff that was on in his mind. She knew pretty much everything about everything, but her face was so still, and her eyes…it was like she wasn't there. Mikhail knew those eyes from anywhere because, for a long time, that was the only way Zero would look at him. He didn't want Aqua to get lost the same way Zero did, so he asked her, "…are you okay, Aqua?"

"Huh?" She blinked a few times, then shook her head. "M-Mikhail, is something the matter?"

"No…you just looked kind of sad, that's all."

"I…did?" Now her eyes were going all big, like she was surprised, maybe she didn't realize it either. "Nothing…it was nothing. I was lost in thought."

"Are you sure?" Ventus asked.

"I'm sure, Ven. You don't have to worry about me."

"If you say so…"

"Aqua…you don't think Midgard will actually stay like this, do you?" Five asked.

"Oh, no, not at all. Once light restores this world, it will return back to what it used to be. What you're seeing now is the sheer destruction of the darkness. When a world falls, it gets torn apart and appears almost unrecognizable from what it once was. That's why we do everything in our power to make sure a world never loses its light like this."

There was a tinge of sadness in her voice that Mikhail sensed. Two must have noticed it too because she said, softly, "It must have been horrific for you to be trapped in a place like this. Especially for so long…"

Aqua's face was still again, but her eyes lit up. "You girls are fortunate to have each other. Never lose that."

With how serious everyone looked, Mikhail thought now would be as good a time as any to break up the tension. "Hey-hey-hey! I know what'll cheer you guys up! Wanna hear the brand-new team name I thought up for us, wanna hear it? Huh? Huh?"

"Umm, m-maybe we can hear about it later, Mikhail?" Two suggested.

"Aw, don't be like that, Two! I'm all ears, Mik! Lay it on us!" Ventus said.

"I'm curious about it myself!" Aqua said.

Two's voice grew frantic. "N-No you guys don't know what you're signing up for! It's not what you think!"

"Save your breath, they'll find out soon enough…" Five said.

"Hmph!" Mikhail turned his head to the side to glare at Five and Two. "You guys are being a bunch of big fat meanies, but Aqua and Ven are gonna love the new team name! I just know it! Okay …here goes nothing…"

Mikhail felt Ventus pat his hands against the back of his neck and say; 'bada-dum-bada-dum-bada-dum' so he could have a proper introduction. And with support like that from his fans, how could Mikhail NOT share his new team name with the world? "Okay guys…IIIIIntroducing the new, the improved, the grammatically correct: Dragon-Intoner-Keyblade-Squad! Or DIKS if we're in a hurry and we need to keep it short, y'know?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Uhhh, guys, helloooo? This is the part where you say something! Like, like 'oooh wow Mikhail, great team name, you're so smart and cool'!"

"That's not 'dicks' you said, was it?" Five asked.

"Yep!"

"…Are you serious?" Aqua asked.

"Yep!"

"Was…was that the only name you came up with?" Two asked.

"Yep!"

"Uh, Mikhail…I don't wanna be called that."

"Although I wouldn't mind having a few of them stuffed down my throat~" Five said.

"Five!" Aqua shrieked.

"Whaaat? It was a joke! You do know what that is, don't you? And it's been such a long time for me, too."

"Jokes or not, children are highly impressionable."

"Aqua, you worry too much! This is Mikhail we're talking about! Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Mikhail laughed. "Yeah! Besides, why would you want DIKS stuff—"

Aqua whipped her head over to Mikhail, shooting him a glare that could have burned holes through his skull.

"Aw, come on guys, you just gotta put some enthusiasm into it!" Ventus said. "Let's goooo! We're team DIII—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Ventus!" Aqua's next victim was Ventus and the glare she gave him must have been ten times worse because his entire mood changed.

"…Aqua is right. Mikhail, you need to go with something else," he said in a flat tone.

"I don't see what the big deal is," the dragon complained, "I bet if I told Zero, she would like it!"

"No, she wouldn't," Two and Five shot down.

"No way! Zero's gonna love it! I just know it!"

"Zero has horrible taste, but she's not a total lost cause!"

"There's that name again. Zero…she's another sister of yours, right? What is she like?" Ventus asked.

"Hmm…how to describe Zero? 'I hate you and myself and I want you to die'." Credit to where it was due, Five did a spot-on impression of Zero, voice and all. Although, Mikhail had a feeling Zero wouldn't be anywhere near as impressed as he was.

"Okay, sure, Zero can be mean sometimes. Really, really mean. And yell a lot, and say bad words, but deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep down she cares a whole lot about her friends!" Mikhail said.

"Mikhail's right! She just has a…unique way of showing it!" Two said.

"And what way would that be?" Aqua asked.

"Frankly, she doesn't," Five said.

"…You guys are kind of making me nervous about meeting her…" Ventus croaked.

"Hey guys…wait a sec! I think I see something over there!" Mikhail pushed forward to get a closer look. "It looks like… Uh oh… it looks like a dragon…"

In the far distance, Mikhail could see a colossal dragon looming in the sky like a rolling storm cloud. The dragon's black scales melded into the darkness and the glowing streaks of purple tattooing its body were like flashes of lightning that lit up the sky. Its eyes glowed with lurid violet light, illuminating the twisted horns curling around the sides of its armored face. Its tail was an engorged, deformed thing, growing fatter instead of thinner at its tip, and was decorated with spiked rings. As for the wings, they were tattered and worn away after eons of life, but still capable of keeping it aloft. Mikhail's mouth hung wide open, "That's a…that's an ancient dragon!"

Gabriella flew beside Mikhail. "And someone turned him into a daemon from the looks of it."

"But who would do that?"

"My brother," One said. "It has to be him. I've felt his presence ever since we entered the Realm of Darkness."

"What a nuisance…I'm guessing Riku and Zero must be down there fighting against them. They don't stand a chance against a Wyrm," Gabriella said.

"Why not? What's so special about a Wyrm?" Ventus asked.

"They're living myths, even to us dragons. It's taboo for us to attack them, not to mention incredibly stupid!"

"There are things in this world even dragons fear…" Three mused.

She scoffed, "Yeah, dragons that don't have a death wish."

"So, what are you saying? That you won't fight him?! Riku and Zero are somewhere down there waiting for us, even if it is taboo, we can't just turn our back on them!" Ventus argued.

"And what place does a human like you have to question a dragon?! You're a damn fool if you think I'd so much as lift a claw to help Zero's sorry ass! Especially against a Wyrm! You're with me on this, aren't you Mikhail?!"

Mikhail closed his eyes to think, reflecting on his entire adventure across Midgard so far. 'We fought pirates, elves, bounty hunters, evil witches, and lots of heartless, would fighting a Wyrm really be so bad? I mean...it can't be worse than the dragon-turning-witch lady...or losing our friends.' That settled it. He would save his friends no matter what, now all he had to do was convince Gabriella! Somehow. He turned to her. "Granny Gabby! I—"

"Hell no!"

"What? But you didn't even let me finish!"

"Oh please! It doesn't take a freakin' genius to figure out what you're thinking! And in case I didn't make myself clear the first time, the answer's NO! Even a foolish dragon like you should know that fighting a Wyrm is straight-up insanity!"

"But that's why we need to be brave right now! If Riku and Zero's lives are in danger, I don't care if I have to fight a big, scary Wyrm! I don't care if I have to fight a hundred of them if that's what it takes to save them! Besides, if we can't even fight a Wyrm, how can we stop the Flower?! It's gotta be, like, a hundred, no, a million times stronger!"

"Tch, and since when did you grow a spine, Mikhail? I can't believe I'm getting a pep-talk from a blubbering whelp like you…"

"Gabriella, you may be hesitant to face off against an ancient dragon, but look around you, you're not in this fight alone. We will defeat this so-called living myth and we will save Riku and Zero," One said.

"I can't tell if you guys are suicidal or just insane." Gabriella blew hot air from her nostrils. "…I guess I'll have to find out."

"That's the spirit, Gabby!" Mikhail steeled his nerves, psyching himself up for the upcoming battle. "Alright…TEAM DRAGON-INTONER-KEYBLADE-SQUAD! ASSEMBLE! AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

---

J Geil: oh don't worry, I appreciate that you're reading at all, whether you comment or not. This chapter took a while bc it was super freakin long and so I had to structure it in a different way than what I normally do, leading to a lot of issues behind the scenes. But it's done now and I hope this beast of a chapter is everything you've been waiting for and more :D

Phoenix Keyblade: I made doubly sure there was a lot of Riku and Zero content this chapter don't worry

Centurious the Azure: Yeah the little mini arc of the girls in TT was a lot of fun, especially to explore certain character dynamics and it was great set up for the endgame of the series. Anywho, I hope you've been doing a lot better since July, last time you made that comment was the dead of summer, and now it's early fall, I have no idea where the time went. Thank you for leaving a comment even though you weren't feeling unwell, I really appreciate it and I'll be there for the rest of your story no matter what.

Keybladelight: lol it would be lovely if I could, but for now just AI voices. Though I see AI's been getting really good lately which is kind of scary to think about lol. If not for the surrounding circumstances, One would've liked to not tell everyone either, but it was either that or have to sacrifice Four, which she was unwilling to do. Lol Zero would tear Naminé up, don't set up my good sis like that.

MicCheck2121: Oh 100% everyone is going to want to kill the Intoners, so they'll have to deal with that, happily ever after I suppose? Lol it's Branch Z and Riku's still talking about defeating the Flower and Zero's gone and fucked off at this point. At this point, you would've read the little Three and Ienzo interaction so you tell me if that's a functioning relationship or not. Midgard and her family are the two most important things to One at any given moment so I went out of my way to put her situations that would constantly put her at odds with both. Four had to read the room and still her tongue, but she was already thinking of slurs for the moogles smh.

A/N: Btw I have art up on DA and more Intoner voice lines posted on my youtube, check it out :D

---

"This Silence is Mine No. 2"

PENULTIMATE ACT

*An Hour Earlier*

Tucked away within a small forest was an even smaller brick forge, furnished with everything a blacksmith would need to craft his tools. At the front was a hearth that emitted a warm, orange glow, giving the forge structure amongst the endless shadows.

Across the hearth was an anvil, and sitting on top of its surface was a rose emblem. At the back of the forge was a worktable with an assortment of tools and materials scattered about. And beside the worktable was a bench where Riku and Zero sat facing each other.

There was silence between them. Though, not intentionally.

When Riku was focused, conversation tended to fall on the backburner. And right now, nothing was more important to him than tending to the gash running down Zero's torso. Plus, it's not like Zero was being her usual trash-talking self either, matter of fact, she was unusually quiet. Suspiciously so.

Not that Zero was especially talkative, but considering that she was in her undergarments, he would've at least expected her to crack a sex joke or two. Throw in a few innuendos to spice it up while she was at it. Granted, Zero was only stripped down so Riku could properly tend to her wound, but since when did context ever stop her?

Now that he was thinking about it, Zero had been acting strange ever since their encounter with Galgaliel. She'd gotten wounded and yet covered it up until the evidence was literally rolling down her legs. And when he noticed the pool of blood collecting at her feet, she shrugged it off like it was nothing. It was such a deep gash too that Riku wondered how she was still conscious. Let alone be able to run her mouth about why he was making such a big fuss about a 'flesh wound'. Why did she do this? He'd never know. Just another aspect of Zero to add to the growing list of things he didn't get about her.

But as Riku kept staring at Zero's stony face, and noticing subtle changes in her body language, he started to get worried. 'Why is her face turning so red? And her breathing's getting short too. Is she getting sick? But it couldn't have been more than an hour since she got wounded. Maybe she's in severe pain instead? I guess I won't know until I ask.' "Hey…I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Not nearly enough," she replied.

"That's not really an answer."

"Because the question you asked was stupid."

"…I thought it was perfectly reasonable," he muttered, stretching out a roll of gauze. "But that's not your style, is it?"

"It's sure as hell not yours."

"Let me guess, you're getting bored, right?" He leaned forward so he could begin bandaging her wound. "That's usually when you like to start arguments."

"I don't—" she stopped to rephrase herself, "—Okay, maybe I do! But I wouldn't be so damn bored if we were doing something else right about now!"

"We would've been on our way to Cathedral City if you told me about this sooner! I could've patched you up right then and there."

"And I told you it was fine! You're the one who insisted on playing doctor!"

"What about a deep gash screams it's fine to you?! You're not an Intoner anymore, you can't throw yourself around like you used to! It's dangerous!"

"Well, if you didn't use your keyblade like a cane and actually killed those fuckers I wouldn't have to 'throw' myself around!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't fight at my full capacity! I had to check every five seconds to make sure you weren't about to get yourself killed!"

"Oh!" She thumped her hand against her forehead. "My mistake! I didn't know you were my fucking babysitter!"

"So, are you just physically incapable of admitting when you're wrong?!"

"Yeah, when it annoys you."

"…Why are you like this?" He tightened the bandage around her stomach and she let out a sharp exhale. "There, I'm done, it should heal up in no time. So…how do you feel?"

"Like I'm about to lose my fucking mind." She took his hand, wrapping her fingers around his. "Riku, you're driving me insane."

"I'm driving you insane? You're the one brushing off a very serious injury!"

"Why are you acting like you're the one who got stabbed here?!" With her free hand, she pushed Riku down on his back, then crawled on top of his body. "You're so damn annoying…"

"You're no walk in the park either," he mumbled.

"No walk in the park? That's the best you could come up with?" The tension in Zero's face eased up and her lips curled into a smirk. This was like a giant 'WARNING' sign for Riku because he knew what would come next. If he let her, that bench would become her operating table. Word by word, she would cut him open and pick him apart, poking and prodding at him just enough for him to lose his cool. That seemed to be her favorite game to play with him because she knew she'd always be the winner.

Sure, Riku wasn't anywhere near the expert that she was, but he was determined not to let her 'win' this round. "That's because my best work takes time," he said, eyes focused on hers.

"Really?" She traced a finger around his chest. "…And how long do you expect me to wait for your 'best work'?"

"Not long at all." He cupped her face into his hands, bringing her closer and closer to him until he pressed his lips onto hers. They had kissed before, this was nothing groundbreaking, but Riku wanted this kiss to mean something different. To feel something different.

When he finally pulled away, Zero was breathless, flushed from her face down to her neck. "Where did that come from?"

"Picked it up here and there," he said coolly. He didn't want to give Zero a chance to collect herself, so he leaned in again, showering her neck and collarbone with more kisses. Daring himself to go a little further, he put his hands on her shoulders, then moved them down to her breasts, massaging his fingers into her soft skin. By following each tremor and groan, he learned what was turning Zero on until he was able to get a whimper out of her.

Virgin or not, Riku considered that a win in his playbook and he was going to ride that high for as long as he could. Or, rather, as long as Zero let him, though she seemed to really be getting into it, judging off her half-lidded eyes, so he went even further. He let his hands slide down her stomach, fingers treading lightly over her bandages, careful not to reach past her belly button.

"…You love taking your time, don't you?" she said between breaths.

"Gotta save the best for last, right?" Riku rubbed his hands along her inner thigh, pinching and squeezing at the skin until her hips started to buckle as she stifled another moan. He held her hand again, now clammy and sticky from the sweat, and squeezed it tight. "…Sounds to me like you're ready to admit defeat."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "We're just getting started."

"Yeah," he couldn't stop himself from smirking, "and you're already losing."

"You had a head start," she growled. "Don't get cocky."

Riku could tell from the smugness on Zero's face that she was about to take this game they were playing very seriously. After all, if it only took a few kisses here and a few touches there to get her worked up, then this awkward virgin boy would never let her live it down. He figured Zero knew as much and was already scheming her countermove.

"That's it…now it's my turn." As close as they were, they weren't on top of each other. Not yet anyway. She closed the distance between them, pressing her body against his, and stealing that smirk right off his face.

"Wh— What do you—" His words crawled back into his throat as he became transfixed by Zero; her soft skin, her wet lips, and her eyes, god, daunting and yet so mesmerizing. So much of what he loved about her in just one look. It drove him crazy.

"Do you…"

Riku was on the cusp of saying it, he knew when it was time to admit defeat, but before he could get another word out, Zero suddenly sprung up from his body. She sat up on the bench then hunched over and broke out into a severe coughing fit.

"H— Hey… you okay?" Riku asked, his eyes going wide.

Zero's cough was only getting worse and there were no signs of it stopping, so she threw her clothes back on, rushing out of the forge.

—

Once Zero was outside, she leaned back against the forge wall, coughing and hacking until a warm substance rose from her throat and spilled into her mouth. Blood. She knew that bitter taste from anywhere.

Blood…

She grabbed her hand with her prosthetic to stop it from trembling. But what was she freaking out so much for? She was Zero, Witch with Eyes of Rose, the woman who washed her hands with the blood of her enemies. The woman who nonchalantly brushed off a stab wound only a few minutes ago.

But this wasn't just blood, was it? It was a reminder. Before Michael, before the Intoners, before ever encountering the Flower, she had an illness that withered her life away. A scourge was what they called it back then, and had she not been executed, she would've died anyway from it.

Foolishly, she thought by cheating death the first time, the scourge was nothing more than a distant memory. She, of course, was wrong. This was yet another reminder that the chains of hell were tightening around her ankles by the day. Soon, she'd have nowhere left to run, nowhere but her own grave. Zero slid down against the wall, trying not to fucking lose it. 'I can't live with the Flower and I sure as hell can't live without it.' It was such a cruel joke. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry.

Zero heard a knock, she turned to see Riku poking his head out the doorway.

"Rose…is everything okay? You've been out here for a while; I'm worried about you."

Zero's thoughts were running laps around in her head, 'I'm contagious, I shouldn't be— no, it's already too late, isn't it?' She was afraid he'd somehow read her mind if she stared at him too long, so she turned away, focusing on the ground instead.

"What's wrong?" he kept pressing her. "Whatever's bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right?"

Riku sat beside Zero against the wall, by then, she had already made her mind up. 'I can't tell him. I mean, how would a conversation like that even go? Should I say; oh, by the way Riku, you're going to die soon and it's my fault, sorry?' She gazed out into the surrounding forest; rows of black trees as far as the eye could see. It would be easy to lose him in that darkness if she ran fast enough. She snuck a glance back at him. 'Maybe I should just…'

"Rose…something's been on my mind lately."

She froze. 'Shit.'

"So …I was thinking that maybe you and Mikhail would want to come back with me to Destiny Islands." His eyes kept darting back at her, presumably to gauge her reaction, but Zero was so blind-sighted that she'd forgive Riku if he thought half her brain had shriveled up and died on the spot. "Uh, I— I mean, it would only be a couple of days, n-nothing serious or anything! Just to show you guys around Destiny Islands, meet my friends and family, that type of stuff. If that's cool with you…"

Zero couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. She was losing her mind, seriously thinking about leaving him, and here he was offering her the world. She couldn't take it anymore, "Riku. I can't."

"Can't what?"

"It's…" Everything that she was keeping bottled up inside — her fear, her guilt, her pain — spewed out all over his lap. "It's this disease I have… it's a death sentence." She held her head in her hands, "And now I probably gave it to you so…"

He shrugged, "…So?"

Zero whipped her head over to him, "Didn't you hear what I just said?!"

"Yeah, you have a disease, ri—"

She snatched him by the collar, "So what, is this a fucking joke to you?!"

"Rose, I have magic, remember? That heals pretty much everything, and if that doesn't work, then we'll get you some medicine," he said matter-of-factly. "Actually, I'm kind of surprised that you're getting so worked up over a bacterial infection when you have a demonic entity sealed inside of you…"

"Don't try to brush this off! How can you even be so sure?!"

"Because we've gone through worse before, and last time I checked, we're still here. Besides, I already told you that you're going to be fine. Nothing will happen to you while I'm here, okay? Just watch," he summoned his keyblade to cast a spell on her.

Purifying white light enveloped Zero's body, healing her of the scourge that, at one point, whittled away what little life she had, at one point, chained her to death. For the first time since that day, she breathed without having to count down how many she had left.

"Feel better now?" he reassured her with a big smile, the one that warmed his face and brightened his eyes.

Riku's smile was a rare treat for Zero amidst his usual angst, each time she saw his face light up, it reminded her of everything she loved about him. He had given so much to her already, it was a crime that all she could give back was a small smile in return. "Guess I should take the professional darkness-sniffer more seriously, huh?"

Riku elbowed her, "Hey, don't try to play it off! But now that you mention it, that reminds me…" He slipped his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a chain made up of several round, purple orbs. "I almost forgot to give this to you earlier."

She let go of him so she could hold the chain in her hand, "What the hell is this?"

"It's a Dark Chain. It'll protect your heart against the darkness."

She scoffed, "I don't need this."

"You can be stubborn about a lot of things, but not this. Being in the Realm of Darkness for a prolonged period of time can leave your heart vulnerable to the darkness."

"Oh…and here I thought I had something better than…" she twirled the Dark Chain around in her fingers, thinking of a good description for it until she finally settled on one, "…anal beads."

"They're not— h— how do you even think up of stuff like that?! The Dark Chain isn't some toy! It's a priceless, highly coveted piece of armor that offers the single best resistance against the darkness besides—"

Zero climbed onto his lap, taking pleasure in watching his face lose that irritating smugness and go completely blank.

"Besides you?" she kissed him, like they had done many times before, but this time it meant something different. Felt something different. "…Take me with you," she whispered, pulling away from him. "I've had enough of Midgard."

"Rose, I'll take you wherever you want to go."

"What about…" she eyed the forge.

His eyes followed hers, "Yeah, there too."

Finally. Zero had been patiently waiting for this moment since the day they met, and now, three timelines later, it was here. Maybe there was a God after all.

— BOOOOM —

A spiteful, petty, bastard God that had it out for Zero because not one minute later the entire forge burst into flames, taking out the last bit of her sanity along with it. Riku had to deploy a shield at the last second to save them from the fire, but all she could think about was how such a golden opportunity literally blew up in her face.

"God-DAMNIT! Who the hell did I piss off to deserve this?!" Zero yelled.

"You okay, Rose?" Riku asked.

"No! What kind of shitty old forge just blows up by itself?!"

"I don't think it was the forge that did this!" Riku took the rose emblem out of his pocket. "It's a good thing I grabbed this before I left!"

Riku slashed at the spreading fire, and a tidal wave rushed out from his keyblade, dousing the flames. As the steam dissipated, they saw an ominous, black dragon in the sky.

"Whoa, that's a dragon!" Riku said.

"Yeah, no shit! Now get down!"

The dragon shot a fire blast that incinerated the trees and burned through the ground, leaving a crater in its wake. Zero and Riku were fortunate enough not to get swept up in the initial destruction, but the worst of it had yet to come...

—

After the fallout, the dragon flew down from the skies to the now charred wasteland. As it descended upon them, they shielded themselves from the strong gale its wings produced as it flapped its wings.

"We're always fated to cross paths in the end." Standing on top of the dragon was Brother One. He jumped off, landing in front of them. "I suppose that old saying rings true. No matter where you go…there you are."

From the looks of his desolate, yellow eyes, Riku could see the darkness had already twisted his heart. Now he stood before them, his presence cold and vile, like a snake slithering around him.

"Here comes this asshole again." Zero's fingers hovered above the handle of her katana. "How many times do you have to die before you finally stay dead?!"

He rolled his head around his shoulders. "About as many times as you, I suppose."

She grinded her teeth. "Then why don't I finally put you out of your misery?"

"I welcome you to try," he said without a flicker of emotion in his voice.

Riku held his arm out in front of Zero before she could make good on her threat. "Wait, tell us why exactly you came here. I don't have the Flower or anything else Maleficent would want."

"You're mistaken. This is no longer about Maleficent. The only master I serve," he locked his gaze onto Zero's, "is our Father."

"Our Father? Are you actually claiming that thing?!"

"And why would I not? Father is the one that's given us life. If not for him, we wouldn't be standing here today."

"I don't owe shit to that overgrown weed! I only started to live after it couldn't control me anymore!"

"Tsk-tsk, why are Father's children so insolent? You need to be reminded of what happens when you eat from the forbidden fruit and stray from Father's light." Black tendrils slithered out of the ground, snaking around Brother One's body until he was cocooned inside a mass of darkness. They held him in place for a moment, then the tendrils loosened their hold on his body all at once. When he emerged, he had taken on a new form. One that Riku knew all too well.

After his transformation, Brother One wore a form-fitting suit with synthetic musculature running along the arms, legs, and torso. The base of the suit was pure white, with black accenting his extremities and outlining the heartless insignia on his chest. Around his waist was a scabbard and a tattered black kilt that flared out behind him.

Aside from color, it was identical to the suit Riku wore all those years ago, which was deeply disturbing to him. It seemed that no matter how far he went, there he was. Standing across from himself like a reflection in a mirror.

"Are you here just to kill us?!" Riku demanded.

"Doubt he's here to throw us a party," Zero sarcastically remarked.

"…Father tells me you seek to destroy him. That won't do. That won't do at all. So yes, both of you will have to die." He unsheathed his sword; a blade as black as the shadows that dwelled within him. "Redeem thyself, Ezrael."

In an instant, they were enclosed within a wall of flames; in the next, Brother One was gone. Riku took a quick scan of their surroundings: most of the trees were demolished, making the terrain flat and barren. 'He's using the fire as a cover. I could use Waterga again, but with that dragon around, it'd be a waste of magic. If he wants to fight on his terms, fine, I'll figure him out soon enough.' For now, he would have to be patient until he could come up with a viable strategy.

Zero put her back against his. "Are my eyes playing tricks on me or do you actually look nervous?"

"I think you need glasses."

"Screw you, too."

Brother One shot out of the flames, blade drawn. His ferocious speed caught Riku off guard, but he was able to react in time for their blades to meet with a screeching howl. "You're One's brother, aren't you? Listen to me! I know what you're going through, trust me, but you have to fight it off! The darkness in your heart, and the Flower—they're both getting in your head and warping your mind! I know this isn't what you really want, it doesn't have to end like this!"

He pushed back on Riku. "And how could you possibly understand how I feel?"

"Because I've been there before! I know exactly how you feel—all the lies, the whispers in your ear—it makes you see the world differently! But you can't let them take your life away from you! Your life is yours to live, nobody else's!"

"My life has never been mine!" he roared. "I have nothing beyond the Flower, nothing beyond being an Intoner! This is all I have! And I won't let you take that away from me!" Brother One pulled back, retreating into the flames.

Riku heard footsteps racing around them, they were too fast for him to get a good read on his location, so he tried to search for him instead, but every time he caught a glimpse of him, his silhouette melted into the wall of flames. 'This is getting nowhere, he's just taunting us now.' Suddenly, Brother One was above him, his sword about to cleave his head in two. He only had an instant to react; either move or guard— 'Wait, what about Rose? Should I use Reflect instead to cover us both? But that'll use up the last of my magic, and what if—'

Zero's katana arched over his head, intercepting Brother One's sword. "Riku, get your head out of your ass and stay focused!" She held the handle of her katana in one hand, and the end of her blade in the other so she could bear the full weight Brother One was pushing down on her.

"I know, sorry! It's just—"

"Just what?!" Through sheer grit, Zero forced Brother One off her katana, tossing him up into the air. "If this is about me, then you can knock it off. I told you I can handle myself!" She pulled out a lance from her arsenal; silver and gold entwined the blade, with metal wings extending out from its guard. Considering Zero's usual tools of her trade, it was remarkable by comparison, but Riku knew she only judged her weapons by how fast they could kill a man, not how pretty they looked. She threw her arm back, then launched the lance at Brother One while he was flailing around. As fast as that lance cut through the sky, he managed to evade her attack by teleporting away.

"Damn it! Since when did that motherfucker get so fast?!"

"It's the darkness, it's giving him a boost in speed and power!" Riku airstepped to Zero's lance before it flew too far away then threw it back to her. "And I know you can handle yourself, I just don't want you to get stabbed again!"

Zero caught the lance in her hand. "Riku, we have to focus on winning the fight! Who cares about a few scratches!"

"Ohhh right, I forgot. You're Rose, the woman who fears no blade, but don't cough near her or she'll freak out!"

"Don't be such a fucking smartass! Besides, if I do get stabbed," she winked at him, "You can always patch me up later~"

"But I'm the one who needs to stay focused?!"

When Brother One reappeared, he was behind them this time. He slammed his blade on the ground, generating a shockwave upon impact. Tall spires of dark energy radiated away from him in all directions, but his rampage didn't stop there. He kept slamming his sword on the ground, sending shockwaves tearing through every inch of the battlefield.

While Zero vaulted over the shockwaves with her lance, Riku opted for a head-on approach; using Braveheart to simply guard against the attacks. He did so with the intention of studying Brother One's movements until the pieces finally began to fall into place. 'His attacks, his fighting style…I've seen this all before, haven't I? How can I let someone copying my own moves get the better of me?'

Now that Riku had a clear strategy in mind, he could take it easy and leave the rest to his keyblade. "Rose, we're ending this."

"About time. I was starting to get bored."

"Sorry to keep you waiting." He fastened the rose emblem to Braveheart, transforming it into Fallen Rose; the sleek, metal sword with the roar of a dragon melded into its blade.

…

FALLEN ROSE

Strength: 4

Magic: 6

Special Ability:

-Bloodlust

-combo boost plus

Weapon History Lv. 1

There's something that I'm still afraid to ask

Because

I always know the answer

…

Following his slew of shockwaves, Brother One once again retreated into the fire, but this time around, Riku knew when and where he would strike next. The second Brother One rushed out from the fire, Riku was already in front of him. He swung Fallen Rose, slashing him from his chest up to his collarbone. Then Riku stabbed him in the shoulder and dragged his blade down to his waist, spilling blood all over that white suit of his.

Riku ripped Fallen Rose out of Brother One's body, he tried to go in for another slash, but he teleported away before he could. Now, Riku would've assumed he'd run off and hide in the fire again, but instead, Brother One immediately appeared right behind him, likely in a vain attempt to stab him in the back. That was a bad play. Zero caught him with her lance, shoving the blade into his spine.

"You…deplorable…blasphemous… HEATHENS! How dare you try to impede me from carrying out Father's will! AHHHHHHHH!"

Zero grabbed onto the handle of her lance, slashing it upward through flesh and bone to sever the upper half of his body in two. "He's all yours, Riku."

"You don't think that was overkill?!"

"He's an Intoner." She gestured to the connective tissue in his body already beginning to fuse back together. "…But if you're going to exorcize him, do it now. We probably only have a few minutes left before we have to deal with him again."

"Rose, he'll die like this if I use the Power of Waking on him right now."

"And that's such a bad thing because…?" He shot her a look.

She crossed her arms, "Yeah, yeah. I know. Still, you sure saving him is a good idea?"

"Of course, everyone deserves a second chance. I'll just use the last of my magic to put him to sleep, it'll be fine."

"Tch, famous last words." Zero took out a long chain from her person, then wrapped it around his body. "There. That should do…something, right?"

"…Where do you carry around all this stuff anyway?"

"In here." Zero showed him the leather satchel she carried around. Sure, it was big enough to hold a few books or whatever, but a whole sword? A lance?

"How do you carry around all of your weapons in that?!"

"Over my shoulder?"

"No, that's obviously not what I— ugh…never mind."

"— Ah…aahh…"

Riku and Zero turned their heads to Brother One. For some reason, he was making low, short guttural sounds, "Ah ahh…ah…ahrea - ahreaw- ah- reaw…"

"What the… hell?"

"Ah- ree- uhh…" he trashed his body around, "AH- REE- UHH!"

"Wait-" Zero's eyes went wide. "Riku, do it now! Exorcize him before his dragon—"

Another fire blast exploded in front of them that swept up the land in a raging torrent of flames. Riku was quick to deploy another shield in front of him and Zero, but by the time they gathered their bearings, Brother One was already gone.

"Shit!" Zero's first impulse was to search the sky for Ezrael. "…Look! That's where that fucker scurried off to!"

Despite being in chains and his head split so wide open that each side rested on his shoulders, Brother One was still able to stand on top of Ezrael's neck. And though he could make few other sounds, let alone speak, he could laugh.

And so he laughed.

"Ha ha…"

And laughed.

"HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then he sang.

ǝɯoʇƃuᴉɥʇou uɐǝɯllᴉʍǝɯᴉ

'ʎɐʍɐǝɯsdǝǝʍs ssǝupɐs ǝɥʇǝɔuO

Ɩ-ƖǝsɹǝΛ

Brother One was veiled in a crimson light that fused his body together. Now that he was whole again, he could clearly enunciate his words; "As punishment… for DEFYING Father…you will know nothing but darkness within darkness for the rest of your miserable existence in this world!"

"—AAAAAAHHHHHHH DIIIIIIIKS!"

Riku knew that voice from anywhere and sure enough, Mikhail shot out from the sky like a comet, sinking his fangs sinking his fangs into Ezrael's throat. After an incredible opener like that, Mikhail blasted fire directly at him, encasing the front of his neck in flames. As much of a fight Mikhail put up against Ezrael, he was tiny compared to the goliath dragon, and it didn't take much effort for Ezrael to thrash his head down and send Mikhail crashing into the ground.

"MIKHAIL!" Riku and Zero rushed over to the flattened pile of trees Mikhail was helplessly lying on, but before they could reach him, Ezrael landed in front of them and snatched Mikhail up by the tail/

"Fuck! Riku, do something!" Zero screamed.

"Way ahead of you!" Riku drew upon Fallen Rose's magic to cast Meteor; summoning a giant hunk of flaming rock that smashed into Ezrael's head, exploding upon impact. The eruption of fire and molten rock stunned the dragon long enough for Mikhail to wiggle his tail out from its maw and take flight.

"Whew, thanks, Riku! That was a close one! Now it's my turn!" Mikhail took advantage of the opening Riku gave him and shot a round of fireballs at Ezrael until he lifted himself off the ground and backed away. "Grrrr! I'm not done with you yet! Take this!" He gave chase to Ezrael, leaving Riku and Zero to try and run after him, but he had flown so fast and so far, that they lost track of him within the darkness.

"That damn idiot! Come on Riku, we can't lose them!"

"Wait, don't run off just yet. There's a faster way to get to them." He looked over to Zero. "If you're up for it."

"Up for what?"

"Airstep." Riku motioned to the fragmented debris and rubble floating around in space. Even though Ezrael's fire claimed most of the trees, there were plenty of other means for traversal. "You know, that spell I use to make precision jumps. The 'crazy fast stuff I do in the air'."

"I guess if that's the fastest way." She glared at him. "And we'll go whenever you wipe that shit-eating grin off your face!"

Riku chuckled, the weirdest things set her off sometimes, but it was cute. "Rose, you'll be fine." He offered his hand to her which she reluctantly took, "Just hold on tight."

In a flash, Riku moved from one floating piece of debris to the next while Zero held onto him for dear life. When they reached the edge of the forest, they saw Mikhail flying above Ezrael, readying for another slew of attacks.

"Now you're mine!" he snarled.

Then, just like that, Ezrael vanished. "Wha-hey! Where'd he go?" Mikhail craned his neck, swinging his head from side to side before finally spotting the dragon above him with a mouth full of fire ready to incinerate him whole. "Uh-oh…"

"Mikhail!" Just as Riku was about to rush in front of Mikhail, Gabriella swooped down from above and crashed into Ezrael's head, knocking the blast off course and carving a glassed trench into the ground. When the light faded, Riku saw One stand on top of Gabriella and shout so loud that he could hear her hundreds of feet below on the ground.

"My own brother—who I created from my very own flesh, and yet has betrayed me at every turn! Why?! Why have you trampled over my heart so many times? Have I not given you the world?!"

"What world have you given me, but the one behind your shadow?!" Ezrael teleported once more, now Brother One flew above his sister. "There was a time when I couldn't fathom an existence without you! The mere thought would make me sick to my stomach!" he shook his head from side to side as if he were throwing a tantrum, "Because I loved you! I loved every part of you! You say I betrayed you?! No, sister! You were the one who left me at the first sign of danger! YOU. LEFT. ME!"

"So, are these the lies that witch has been feeding you in my absence? I know you're suffering right now, but it won't be much longer. If you could just—"

"If I could just what? Go back to being your brother? Or perhaps you rather I be your 'ace-in-the-hole'…or maybe…maybe you even want me to return to being your shadow! But what meaning do any of those things have without the Flower? Tell me, sister, what place do I have in this world without Intoners?!"

"Your existence is not tied to the Flower any more than a human's existence is not tied to the inevitability of death! I created you with a sole purpose in mind, yes, but you've clearly outgrown that and become a person in your own right! That is something I would never take away from you!"

"You don't know what you're talking about! You've severed your connection from Father and now you speak blasphemy! I will bring this world down to its knees and force everyone to bask in Father's radiance!"

"Brother, you are suffering from a deteriorating mental state and now you've begun espousing the whims of the Flower. I will save you from the darkness that poisons your mind, mark my words."

"Oh sister…dear sister. You would say that wouldn't you? When there's pride, disgrace is sure to follow. Fine. Go ahead and save me like you so desperately want to, but that would mean saving yourself too, wouldn't it?" A manic giggle escaped from his lips. "ABDIEL, SING FOR ME!"

A trio of golems emerged out of massive portals; they were gigantic, towering beasts, with bell-shaped bodies made out of clay and detached arms hovering by their sides.

"Oh great! As if a Wyrm wasn't enough, now we gotta deal with these guys!" Gabriella grumbled.

"Gabriella, we can face my brother alone!" One turned to the others. "The rest of you should all have little difficulty defeating Abdiel! As long as you—" She was cut off due to Ezrael ramming its head into Gabriella, sending her and her rider careening through the air in an uncontrolled spin.

"As long as we what?" Mikhail pushed himself off the ground. "Grrrh! Why'd they have to attack right as she was about to help us?!"

"Mikhail!" Zero called out.

"Ah! Zero, Riku!" Mikhail turned his head back to them.

"No! Pay attention, dummy!"

While One's brother pursued Gabriella atop Ezrael, Abdiel had leveled its arms at Mikhail in a gesture that looked suspiciously like a cannon being prepped to fire, and Zero's warning had only distracted her dragon. Riku didn't think, he just moved, making up a plan on the fly. With Fallen Rose in hand, he used airstep to shoot himself past Mikhail, right into the line of fire, then cast Reflega. A large, spherical barrier manifested around Riku, countering Abdiel's arms and sending them flying right back at the golems.

"Nice! Alright, I'm up next!" Ventus came from behind Riku and hurled his keyblade at another incoming arm, knocking it to the ground. "Gotcha!"

"Good aim," Riku said.

"Heh, can't let you have all the fun!"

"Hey, let me have some fun too, guys!" Mikhail shot one last round of fireballs that shattered the golem, revealing a magic core hidden inside it.

"Ooooh! What's that?"

"Probably its weak spot! That's where we should be attacking!" Riku said.

"—Already on it!" Terra sprang into action, taking aim at the magic core with Ends of the Earth. Once he locked onto his target, his keyblade blew up in size and transformed itself into a heavy artillery unit. "Say goodbye!" he fired off large spheres of energy at the magic core, obliterating it in one shot and reducing Abdiel to a pile of golem chunks.

"Oh…that's it? Kind of thought that would take a lot longer," Ventus said.

"I wouldn't speak too soon," Riku said.

Riku and Ventus regrouped with the others back on the ground.

"Good to see you're still in top form, Riku," Terra said, winding his arm around.

Aqua nodded. "It looks like there was no reason for us to worry about you, Master Riku."

"Nah, it wasn't all that impressive, besides…" He trailed off when he saw a mob of Shadows snake around the remnants of Abdiel. "Doesn't look like we're out of the woods just yet."

"Time for round two, huh?" Terra said.

Bit by bit, the Shadows rebuilt the golems into an amalgamation of clay and darkness. Three heads spanned around the torso while arms and legs haphazardly stuck out of its loosely connected body.

"So, what's the plan this time?" Ventus asked.

"Hit 'em with our best shot, work out the rest later!" Terra scaled up one of the few trees withstanding so he could gather some height on the massive creature. He launched Earthshaker with the firing power of a cannon and it pierced through Zombie-Abdiel. After Terra's brazen attack, Zombie-Abdiel shot out one of its arms at him, but he smashed it without breaking a sweat. Another arm came out right behind the last one and Terra destroyed it too in a similar fashion. "That's right! Keep 'em coming!" As much as Riku admired Terra, he probably should've held off on that last remark because this time the creature shot three of its arms at him, all at once, all coming from different directions.

Not that Terra couldn't handle it, in fact, he was already getting his shotlock ready, but the Intoner sisters didn't know he was basically a one-man army. Riku saw Five whip her spear out in a hurry, he wasn't going to stop her from helping out a friend, but at the same time, he wondered what she could do with a spear in this situation. Throw it, maybe, but that's not what she did. Rather, she swung it down as if it were a sword and the blade extended itself several times its own length. She swung it again in a twirling motion so that the blade, now segmented and connected by a long wire, would wrap itself around one of Zombie-Abdiel's arms.

Now that Five had an arm coiled into her spear-whip, she spun it around and used it to knock the other arms out of the sky. To finish it off, she thrust her spear forward, launching the arm right back at Zombie-Abdiel with twice as much momentum. This attack scattered the Shadows holding the creature's body together and the golem once again collapsed into pieces.

"Hey, not bad! Nice shot, Five," Terra said.

Once Five returned her whip back into its spear form, she clasped her hands together. "Ohhhhhh! You think so?! It was pretty arousing, wasn't it? I can give you another demonstration if you'd like~"

"Hold on. Right now's not the time, but I wouldn't mind sparring with you in the future. It's always good to get more practice in, no matter where it's from."

"Mmm, then I can't wait to spend an evening with you in the bedroom!"

Terra raised an eyebrow. "Why would we spar in a bedroom? That doesn't make any sense. We have training grounds for that."

"Oh…so you like to take things outside of the bedroom?" She chewed on her fingernail. "I didn't know you were so…adventurous, Terra. Tell me…what other places do you like to 'spar'?"

"Not many other places besides that…" He turned to Aqua and Ventus. "Unless you guys know anywhere."

"…Terra." Aqua was pinching the bridge of her nose. "How have you not realized yet that you're having a completely different conversation from her?"

"I don't think Five realizes it either," Two said.

"I'm sure they'll figure it out one day," Zero said.

"Hey, by the way, Five," Riku said.

"Hmmmmm?" She tore her attention away from Terra to focus on him. "Yes, Riku?"

"Question, so have you always had that spear-whip or is this a new thing?"

"Darling, if I had this all along, I would've whipped this baby out a looong time ago!"

"Back in Traverse Town, we all got upgrades for our weapons," Two said.

"So what's with the tacky new get-up then? Did you guys also go shopping in Traverse Town?" Zero asked.

"Oh my Zero, I'm afraid I've misheard you, because you couldn't possibly be referring to our new jackets as tacky! They're only the latest in fashion and they're quite a catch!"

"Plus, they're enchanted with magic that protects against the darkness! You gotta love it now, don't you?" Two added, popping out the collar of her jacket.

Five immediately fixed her collar. "Leave it down, sweetheart."

Zero crossed her arms. "Where did you get something like that anyway? The garbage?"

"These three wonderful fairies gifted them to us! And those ladies were such a pleasure too, not at all nasty and rude like our world's variant," Five said.

Riku didn't notice it at first until Zero made a big deal about it, but both sisters were wearing black, cropped leather jackets with plaid trimmings all around the bottom edge and at the sleeves. Stitched on the back and on each shoulder were their respective insignias as Intoners, those symbols were in white to contrast with the black. Besides their jackets, they also wore black versions of their original outfits, accented with their signature color. From the style alone, Riku already knew those jackets were an original piece out of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather's collection. He just wished they could've paid him a visit so he wouldn't be stuck in his farmer-boy duds.

"We even thought to bring you one, Zero!" Two took out a spare jacket from her belongings. "When we told the fairies that you guys were in the Realm of Darkness, they wanted to make sure you were protected against the darkness too!" She flipped the leather jacket around to show off the delicately crafted rose embroidery. "We thought a rose would be the most fitting for you…you know, thorns and all!"

"And by 'we' it was actually just Two and I. The others weren't that interested in making sure you didn't stick out like a sore thumb in your usual rags," Five said.

"Wow. That was pretty cool of you guys," Riku said.

Zero cupped her hand over her mouth, then said, "I guess I can take it off your hands since it's not completely useless."

"She's way too grouchy to admit it but she totally loves it!" Two said.

"I know right? I'll take this as a personal win for fashion!" Five pivoted around to Riku. "Oh! And don't think we forgot about you! Four was super adamant about getting a new jacket made for you because she said you looked like a homeless street beggar. We'd give it to you now but, alas, Four insisted she'd hold onto it."

"Five!" Two waved her hand over her neck, shaking her head. "Not a good time!"

"What's wrong?" Five turned back to Riku. "Oh…"

Riku was floored. 'I know I'm not wearing the latest fashion but it can't be THAT bad, can it?' He looked over to Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. "Y-You guys don't think that's true, do you?"

"…You've seen better days, man," Terra said.

"Ventus, Aqua?"

Ventus and Aqua diverted their eyes away from him, but they might as well as just shot him in the chest instead. At least that would've been less painful.

The only one left in his corner was Zero, who he turned to in a desperate bid to deny his homeless-street-beggar allegations. "You bought this outfit for me so obviously you don't think it looks that awful, right?"

"No, it does, but who cares about any of that? What matters is what's underneath…" she said, eyeing him up and down.

"Well put, Zero," Aqua put her hands on her chest. "Riku, it doesn't matter if you're in rags, we care most about what's in your heart."

"Sure, that too," Zero said.

That was it. The final nail in the coffin. Riku wanted to be put out of his misery right then and there. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long because the Shadows possessing Abdiel came back with a vengeance, clustered together into a Demon Tower.

—

Meanwhile, up in the sky, Ezrael and Gabriella were engaged in a high-speed chase. Between the constant teleportation and the magic-infused blasts of fire, One understood why Gabriella was so apprehensive about challenging the Wyrm. It truly did live up to the myth amongst dragons, but Gabriella wasn't in this fight alone, and One was trying her best to aid her in battle. Even if that meant flying Gabriella away from Ezrael until she could come up with a strategy to combat them.

However, this was becoming impractical, Gabriella could only maneuver around so much, and Ezrael was quickly gaining on them. She had to come up with something, and fast, that would take the ancient dragon down.

"Look at how you run from me, sister! What are you so afraid of? Face me already!" Brother One screeched.

"One, this dragon's been on our tail for far too long, we gotta fight back!" Mickey said.

"In order to maximize our likelihood of success we can't confront the Wyrm without exploiting any possible weaknesses that will leverage us…" One let herself drone on, not noticing the strange looks she was getting from Mickey and her sisters.

"Mickey, One tends to get in her head whenever she's stressed out like this. So whatever you need to do, just go for it, otherwise I'm afraid we won't get very far ahead on the Wyrm at this rate," Four said.

One turned back to the others. "By all means, I'm certainly open to an alternative strategy. I agree, we can't keep running like this forever."

"You got it" Mickey spun back, raising his keyblade in the air, "Light!"

Pillars of light rained from the heavens, penetrating through Ezrael's scales and searing his flesh. It appeared as though Mickey's magic was effective against the Wyrm, because it was no longer teleporting, or moving at all for that matter. One had to hand it to the royal rodent; if nothing else, he could fight well for such a small creature, and now that they had an opening to strike, it was their turn to fight back.

As Gabriella pivoted around in the sky to face Ezrael, she filled her throat up with fire. "Here goes nothing!" She shot a round of fireballs at Ezrael, each more intense than the last, and thoroughly torched the dragon. But, when she charged up for another round, Ezrael let out a thunderous roar, then vanished. "Damn it, not this charade again!"

When Ezrael reappeared again, his head was hanging a dozen or so feet above Gabriella's and a purple glow was rising out of his throat.

"Gabriella! Hold on, we're-a-comin'!" Mickey raised his keyblade in the air, then yelled, "Stopza!" A vortex expanded around Ezrael and Brother One that stopped them from moving; almost as if they were illustrations in a children's book at the will of a page-turn. With each new trick the mouse pulled out of his sleeve, One became more assured that they would be the ones victorious in this battle.

"Alright! Now that the hard part's outta the way, let's go teach this dragon a lesson! Four, Three, who's with me?"

Four vigorously shook her head. "No thanks, you can leave me out of this!"

One expected an apathetic 'no' out of Three in response to Mickey's request, but to her surprise, she broke out into a wide grin. "…Time to play!" She stretched her arms out, strapped to each forearm were metal guards, shielding her elbow down to her knuckles. They were black in color and studded with razor-sharp spikes. When she pulled at a mechanism connected around her hands, a set of claws extended out from the wrist-end of the guards. Since the blades of each claw were modified from her scissors, they curved to a point, but were every bit as deadly.

And to think, Three initially didn't want to upgrade her weapons for reasons that One assumed was out of sheer laziness. She saw the way Three carelessly tossed her blueprints on the ground, and now she was chomping at the bits to try her new toy out. Though, One always did like to see this side of her.

Four swayed her head back to avoid an untimely beheading. "Ugh, be careful with those things, Three!"

"Three, come on! Time's runnin' out!" Mickey said.

She nodded. "I am your shadow."

Three followed Mickey up Gabriella's back, then they crossed over to Ezrael. At the same time, Gabriella flew away to a safe distance. "…I guess that mouse ain't half bad," she huffed out.

"Gabriella, how severe are your wounds? Should I ask the mouse to heal you?" One asked.

"Bah! These wounds are nothing and I doubt that puny mouse magic will be effective on a dragon! I'll tell you whether I'm fine or not!" she grumbled.

"Duly noted, but let's stay on our guard. It's only a matter of time before that spell wears off."

"Yeah, then it'll be time for round two."

"Not with the way they're fighting…" Four said.

"That mouse has certainly exceeded my expectations. I can see why they crowned him as king," One said, observing Mickey and Three as they teamed up against the Wyrm.

Whereas Mickey was fast with his keyblade, tearing through Ezrael's wings in quick succession; Three took a far more calculated approach, crawling into his agape mouth.

"THREE!" Four screamed.

"What the hell?! See, I told you that girl's got a few screws loose!" Gabriella said.

"Have more faith in her. I'm sure there's a method to all that madness." True, Three was rather…elusive at times, but she had a penchant for experiments, and this was simply her latest one. Three used her claws to poke and prod inside the Wyrm's mouth before narrowly escaping from its jaws as the Stopza spell was losing its effect.

Once their time had run out, Mickey and Three stood on top of Ezrael's head.

"Gabriella! Over here!" Mickey called out.

"I'm coming! Give me a minute…" Gabriella swooped around to pick up Mickey and Three. As they were flying away, the damage they accumulated hit Ezrael all at once and it writhed around in pain.

Now that Mickey and Three were back, safe and sound, Four turned around to grab onto Three's shoulder. "Oh my gosh, that was crazy, Three! You had me so worried!"

"No need." She grinned again. "I was having the time of my life!"

"Of course you were..." she let out a sigh. "So why did you climb into that dragon's mouth? Even you should've known how dangerous that was!"

"Wanted to calculate the lethal dose for a Wyrm."

"L- Lethal dose? Don't tell me you have poison on you…"

Three tapped on her forearm guards. "Poison magic. Ienzo's idea."

"Oh? I'm surprised that wasn't a Three original."

"I'm cooperative... At times."

"Well, thanks to your guys' collaboration, it looks like you really did a number on 'em!" Mickey said.

"Then if we can push the Wyrm just a little bit further we can claim victory. Gabriella!" One shouted.

"Yeah, yeah!" Gabriella breathed out a powerful blast of fire.

"And I'll help out too with everything I got! Mega Flare!" Mickey yelled.

With Gabriella and Mickey's combined firepower, they smothered Ezrael in flames, then watched as he fell from the sky, blazing like a torch.

"Excellent work from all of you. Now all that remains is my brother…" One said.

"All of us sans Four," Three said.

Four swiveled her head around. "What do you mean sans Four?!"

"You sat idly like a captured pawn."

"So?! I still contributed my fair share!"

"Of screaming…"

"That's not true! I can't believe you're gloating about doing one thing after like…I don't even know how long it's been!"

"And yet, still more than you."

"Urrghhhhhhh!"

"Girls, enough. Something's…off," One said. "Gabriella, could you bring us down?"

Once Gabriella set foot on the ground, One hopped off her back so she could investigate Ezrael's burning corpse. "Just as I suspected…my brother escaped."

"One, what are you doing?!"

One heard Four's voice, but she kept her eyes on the fire. 'You're close by…I can feel you skulking around. Don't think I won't find you, brother.' She turned her attention to the outskirts of the forest where the ground crumbled away into small chunks of land. 'There. That's where you are.' Right when she was about to run off, she felt Four's gauntlet hand on her shoulder.

"One." Four communicated everything One needed to know just by the tone of her voice, she didn't have to say any more beyond her name.

"Four, it'll be okay," One reassured. "I'm going to find my brother and face him alone. That would be for the best."

"I don't think that's a good idea. The darkness changed something in him…he's not the same person he used to be anymore."

"I know my brother, I created him from my own flesh and blood, and I won't let him destroy himself like this."

"At least let me come with you."

"No. I started this, so it's only right that I finish this too. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of him. So please, respect my wishes." After a long while, the weight of Four's gauntlet lifted from her shoulder.

"…Sure. You always know what's best, after all."

One turned back to smile at her. "I'll be right back once I settle this. I promise."

With nothing else to hold her back, neither her legs nor her sisters, One ran off into the abyss in search of her brother. It didn't take long for her to reach the ends of the forest, but she couldn't see her brother anywhere; not in between the thin, black trees nor on the fragments of ground floating in space. But she knew he was there. She could feel him practically breathing down her neck.

Maybe he was hiding somewhere in the shadows, maybe he was even hiding in hers… she spun around. There he was. "Brother!" While she was stunned at first, she quickly collected herself. With his form-fitting white suit, he looked less like someone she once knew and more like a phantom haunting her. "…Brother. I'm giving you one last opportunity to surrender. I don't wish to fight you, but if you don't stop this, then you'll leave me with no other choice."

"Do you really think that after all this time I would come crawling back to you, sister?" He drew his blade. "The fact that I even have to call you that is sickening."

"Then you've made your choice… and I'm sorry for what I'll have to do to you." One took out her chakram. Appearance-wise, it was nigh identical to what it was before. The only major difference was the added twin chakram that sat above the original, connected by a single axis. Its design was subtle because its intricacies lay below the surface, One believed there was beauty in that. She swung her arm back, then let the blade glide past her fingers.

While the chakram was still spinning toward her brother, she yanked at the chain connected to the axis, engaging its mechanism. Curved spikes jut out from along the rim of each chakram, then both blades rapidly spun around the axis. Ienzo described her modified weapon as a 'buzzsaw', which, after he showed her a picture of one, she understood its destructive power. Her brother did not. He held his sword in front of him to guard, and her chakram sawed straight through the blade, nearly cutting into his body if One didn't redirect her chakram.

"You spare me?" he hissed, clenching the remains of his sword in hand.

"All I want is to take you away from the Flower so I don't lose you forever! You don't have to call me your sister anymore, you don't have to call me anything at all if you no longer desire to do so!"

"Then you take away the ONLY thing in this world that gives my life purpose!" The handle of his sword was cloaked in darkness, then the blade reformed itself right before One's eyes.

Her brother reeled his arm back, then jabbed his sword at her, but she caught his blade in between the gap of her twin chakrams. "Brother, you have a life beyond what the Flower has given you! But right now, you seek to destroy what little we have left of the world, that's why I must stop you!" One used both hands to flip her chakram around, forcing the sword out of his grasp.

"And how is what I'm doing any different than what you did to bring your 'peace' to Midgard?!" he snarled.

"It's not!" she admitted in an exasperated breath. "I was wrong! What I did was wrong, and that's why I couldn't sustain the peace I achieved!"

"So…so was I wrong too?" He pressed his fingers deep into his chest. "Am I a mistake?"

"No! Never! Not since the day I first created you has that thought ever crossed my mind! You were the best thing I ever brought to Midgard!"

"Do you…" he dropped his shoulders down, "…do you really mean that?"

"Of course. I've always cherished the time we spent together."

"Sister!" He ran up to pull her in for a tight hug, practically squeezing her. "I didn't see it before, but now it's so clear to me. You do love me…and I hope this will change your mind."

One felt a sharp pain in her chest, her eyes shot downward, and she saw her brother pushing a dagger into her. "How could you…" She didn't even register what was happening at first, her world was spinning out of control. She watched him pull the dagger out and stab her, pull the dagger out and stab her, again and again, until the initial shock finally wore off and her survival instincts kicked in. Fueled by a sudden rush of energy, she pushed her brother back, then ran away from him as fast as she could. "I have to…Gabriella…please…hear me…"

"…Sister."

One swerved her head around.

He was nowhere to be found; neither hiding within the forest nor in the winding path in front of her. 'I must be letting paranoia get the best of me.' One had to suppress her inner feelings so she could push herself forward into the darkness. 'As long as I reach her, then it'll all be fine. That's all that matters.'

"Sister." He stood in front of her now.

"…you…"

"Worry not. You won't die here." He offered her his hand. "Allow me to take you to your final resting place."

"Gabriella…" One tried to move past him, but was immobilized by a severe, punishing cough. It wrung out her lungs like an old rag and caused her to hunch over, grasping at her neck. "Gab—" A hard jab in the stomach made her choke down on that name as she felt a tightness squeezing her abdomen. It was already a fight just to get a single breath in and it took everything in her power not to collapse on the spot.

"…You waste your breath calling out her name. No one is coming for you. No one."

One heard a loud, metallic rattle and watched as her brother's head suddenly jerked forward. He grasped at the back of his head, screeching out in pain. As for the assailant, she saw Four standing several feet away with her gauntlet hand disengaged. Her weapon was simple in design like hers: a gauntlet with fists that could shoot out with the pull of a lever and was attached to a chain which allowed it to extend up to twenty feet. Four made a point to belabor her with this information, but now she was grateful that she had the privilege to see it in action.

Four snapped her gauntlet hand back into place. "One! Don't worry, I'm coming!"

One watched in horror as her brother spun around to throw himself at Four. It was just like before when they were up against that hellhound, and now her worst fears were playing out in front of her all over again. "Four…I…told you…not to." She clenched her chest, another wave of pain shot through her abdomen. There wasn't much time left. She started to reach for her chakram but then she paused, gazing at Four as she maneuvered around each swing from her brother's dagger. Once Four found an opening, she grabbed him by the neck and launched her gauntlet again to send him flying through one of the trees.

It was remarkable, especially since Four was fighting against her own balance due to her lopsided body, yet she managed to pull it off with such grace. 'Good. Playing to your strengths to make up for your weaknesses.' One could feel her legs start to give so she stuck her chakram in the ground for added support. 'No. I won't die here, not until I get to Gabriella.' She dragged her body forward while Four dropped everything to rush over to her.

"One! Oh my gosh, you're covered in blood!" she cried.

"And why…are you…here?"

"I got worried after Gabriella started acting strange, she said she was in a lot of pain, and that's when I knew something was wrong! So, while Mickey and Three went to get the others, I went to get you! Now hold onto me so I can take you back!"

"Four…" For the love of God, One had more stab wounds than she could count and blood spluttered out from her chest with each breath she took. Nothing could have painted a more vivid image of someone who was standing on their last legs. And yet Four still stared at her with that glimmer of hope in her eyes, as if that alone could somehow change reality. One grimaced and Four held onto her tighter. "Four…please…bring… me …to… Gabri…ella."

"What?! You need medical attention! You are done fighting!"

"Please…Four…please…please." Her time was running out, and so was Gabriella's as long as they were bound. "She can't…can't die…"

"Neither can you!"

"—You're not going ANYWHERE!" Brother One emerged from the forest, his black sword reformed once more, and his eyes set on them.

"Four…leave me here…" One begged.

"I will never leave you! We'll stand together!" Four aimed her gauntlet at her brother. "Full disclosure, this was 100% Ven's idea, so you can thank him later for this!" She engaged another mechanism in her gauntlet that blasted out a whirlwind, launching him into the sky. "There! That should buy us some time!" she pulled One into her chest then heaved her arm over her shoulder. "I'm not letting you die here One, grab onto me so I don't drop you!"

In spite of Four's best efforts, her brother was standing right in front of them with his sword drawn. "…I will slaughter you where you stand."

'This can't be it…' One felt hot tears prick at her eyes, life could be so relentlessly cruel, but at the very least, she wanted to suffer this fate alone. 'No. I have to keep fighting until the bitter end. Just one more time.' "Ga…Gabriella…"

"I told you," he reeled his sword back, "calling for her is futile!"

A deafening roar thundered out from above, and a large shadow overcast them. When One lifted her head up, she could finally see Gabriella in the sky. Not only that, but the rest of her sisters and her friends were all running toward them.

"Gabriella…Thank God…"

Gabriella sped toward her brother with her maw wide open, ready to devour him, but he backed away into the darkness before her fangs could reach him, snapping at the air instead.

"Shit! Slippery son of a bitch…" Gabriella focused her attention back on One. "I heard you…got here as fast as I could…guess I'm a little late…"

"No…you're…just in time." One could hardly contain her smile at seeing her beloved companion once more. "Thank you."

"There. Keep your face just like that…you have a nice smile."

"…Flattery… from you?" She hacked up more blood. "You …must be in …high spirits."

"One, enough! You're exerting too much energy! Gabriella, help me bring her to the others so they can heal her!" Four said.

"Four…it's too late…"

"Wh— What are you talking about?! You're still here! You're talking to me right now!"

"I'm… dying."

"No, you're not! You're NOT dying One, don't say those things!"

'I wish I could tell you otherwise, Four.' One felt her brother's presence again, like a cold shiver running down her spine. She grappled at Four's back, trying to push her sister away. "My …brother…leave …"

"What? Who cares about him?! Just save your energy!"

It wasn't a matter of where anymore, One knew he was here. Right here. It was just a matter of when he would—STAB—another pain shot through her spine.

Gabriella recoiled alongside One. "Damn, you little…"

"I'm aware of the pact you and my sister share. If you're so ready to die, Gabriella, then I can end both of your lives right here," Brother One said in a low voice.

"No…you won't take her away." A white light shined from One and the symbol of the pact she made with Gabriella, projected from her body.

"ONE! DON'T YOU DARE!" Gabriella cried out.

"Gabriella…live for me." When One broke the pact between her and Gabriella, her body rapidly grew into adulthood, granting her a boost in strength that allowed her to swing her chakram from behind and … miss. He was gone again, lurking somewhere in the darkness. A coward, through and through.

One had focused all of her energy on breaking the pact with Gabriella. Now that it was gone, she had no energy left to drive her, so she staggered into Four, her head falling onto her shoulder. "I…I'm so…sorry…"

"One! No…nononono…stop it! You're not going to…"

"—ONE!" she heard the voices of her sisters and the clamor of their footsteps.

Then everything started to go blurry; her sister's faces, the sky, the ground—they all merged together into one colorful blob. Her hearing was fading too, it was as if an ever-growing chasm was pulling her away from her sisters. She had to speak now before that chasm separated them forever. "Girls…you have… nothing to prove …to me. Everything that you are … all that you've accomplished… is enough…and I couldn't be…prouder. Take care of each other…move forward. Most importantly…I…I love you…all."

Sister's light flickers out,

So they all scream and shout.

Death reaps upon a soul,

Soon, Father will be in control

Flowers for the Dead