Centurious the Azure: I'm just getting everything out of my system now bc I *already* know I'm not going to release the next chapter for another month. Lol Three's search history would be fucked up, but yeah I think she'd watch those creepy YT kids videos for literal hours on end, but that's assuming kh internet is like irl internet so who knows. The Intoner's savant-like levels of intellect and talent do seem to be somewhat of a manifestation of Zero's inner desires, the side novel implies Zero could've been a lot like Two had she been brought up differently, which is crazy to think about, but there a lot of different interpretations on how the intoners relate to Zero. Nero's not dead-dead, just brain-dead. I'm planning up to Branch D like in the game, but who knows if I'll stick to that.
Oh if it's a two-parter then I just know something's gonna pop off. Looking forward to whenever you upload the next chapter(s), I'll be right there! Happy New year to you as well!
Deeno3p0: I'm so happy you like my stories and I appreciate each of your reviews, and I seriously can't say that enough! The song you picked for N:O was very interesting to say the least, the music is so jpop but the lyrics def fit. Yeah "First Song" def fits for FOTD, especially after this Branch's ending smh.
So glad you like Rosa, I wrote her specifically to be a straight man to balance out all the crazy shit I wrote these last few chapters.
Oh you have nothing to worry about, make as many HCs or theories as you want. Not really influenced by them unless I see a particularly good idea, otherwise I just enjoy reading each of them. As for your own HCs, they're very cute ideas, esp for a spinoff. And here I was thinking of just ending the story with "and all the girls got hung for their crimes" and call it a day XD
1.) no I haven't! I'm sorry, i'm so out of the loop these days when it comes to KH stuff, no one ever tells me these things! I'll def look into it tho, ik, ik I keep using the same 5 moves for Riku im sorry i'll spice it up _
2.) maybe, ik there's a mobile game that features the D3 cast, might do something with that in the future
3.) Oh no, it'll end at CH38, CH40 at the most, and that includes Branch C and D. Both branches are like a couple of chapters each. There's just
4.) Ooooh that's a good question, so I'd personally model it like Riku and Zero can both alternate between being the player while Mikhail's used in certain sections, much like how's he used in D3. Riku plays like how he is KH3, he's most effective against the heartless and can more easily crowd control, Zero plays like a typical hack and slash character and has higher dps plus a variety of attacking styles. Anyone else who joins them is like a NPC or something. I would love fusion/reaction commands between the various characters, that sounds so sick!
Yeah that's what I was going for with N:O, fotd is still that same message just repackaged in blood and skulls.
Phoenix Keyblade: You know this story so well :)
Anon: Omg you say that like Three meeting Chip n Dale's a bad thing. It's not like the world's gonna end or anything lol, lmao. The more I think about the chip n dale movie, the less I like it. I wish they just did an in-universe story than… whatever we got. I modeled Rosa's outfit after the FF4 version, she knows of Cecil and Kaine, and she likes Cecil in this version too.
I watched all the Disney live action shows way back in grade school, when I was in high school I did go back and watch the classics.
The poll I did said otherwise, there was a One hater, um not anymore when ur through reading this fic I'll tell u that much.
I mean yes lol One holds a grudge but she does at this point think this is the best course of action.
Had to make sure Nero got his shit rocked for myself.
Zero let Claudia live simply so she could send her message to Nero and get back at him so to speak, she make a mistake due to her anger.
Ian12091995: Oh you're back!
keybladelight: Lol I think Three'll be like an encyclopedia of kh knowledge. No they didn't have sex. Two isn't dead in Branch B, otherwise Cent wouldn't have been able to summon her angels without him dying. I don't like harems so no, plus I'm more of a fan of the Intoner sisters having a sibling/friend dynamic with Riku rather than vying for a romantic relationship, I think that's more entertaining and less cliche.
Happy New Year to All of You!
"Verklärte Schweigen No. 3"
Verse 1-3
Sleep. I shall give thee death.
Three raised both her hands, her eyes glowed a deep purple color, and a magic ring formed in front of her. "Puppet of the Ancients! Armisael! Invade!" Powerful strings wrapped around the Darkside's arms and Ravus's body, binding the two together, so as Ravus fell backward it took the Darkside down with it.
Before the two titans collided against the ground, the Darkside unhinged its jaw and swallowed Ravus's head whole. This proved to be a fatal mistake because seconds later, Ravus shot his charged eye laser point blank at the Darkside, annihilating the mutated heartless clean off the face of Midgard.
"There. The Darkside's defeated...for the time being," Three said. "Rosa, Octa, you can both let go of me now."
"Ehehe, sorry about that." Rosa let go of Three, then shook out all the debris and dirt from her cloak. "You didn't have to scare the crap out of us like that though, that probably took a few hundred years off my life span..."
"I have to agree with Rosa, I fear I may have soiled my trousers due to the stunt you pulled…" Octa mumbled.
"-Nah you guys are just a bunch of pussies 'cause That was fuckin' awesome!" Dito yelled, running up to Three and her team.
Alongside Dito was Decadus who was pathetically crawling beside him.
"Uh, you okay Dec?" Rosa asked.
"Et nolite timere eos qui occidunt corpus animam autem non possunt occidere sed potius eum timete qui potest et animam et corpus perdere in gehennam."
"Eh, he sounds fine to me," Dito said.
Rosa bent down to feel Ravus's flesh, which was already losing its warmth. "Ravus definitely isn't though...I think that might of took everything out of him. What do we do now, Three?"
Three pointed to the sky where the battle against Armaros was still taking place. "We wait."
Under normal circumstances, Mikhail would've already taken down the citadel, especially with Gabriella and One helping him out. However, Armaros attracted a swarm of heartless that buffed up its defensive system tenfold. When he burned through a wave of heartless, a seemingly endless of supply of heartless would simply manifest in its place.
"Arghhh! This isn't working! How can we stop Armaros if we can't even get close to it huh?!" Mikhail said.
Gabriella maneuvered past a swarm of heartless. "Kid's gotta point, she's trying to stall us for as long as she can until we're done in by all these creepy demons."
"I wasn't prepared for her angel to be such a nuisance...we'll just have to keep hitting it with all we got. Eventually, she'll give and that'll be our opening."
"Doesn't sound like much of a plan but whatever you say, One. Hey kid, think you can keep up?"
"Ha-ha! Silly Granny Gabby, you don't hafta worry about me! I'm Midgard's strongest, coolest, fastest, awesome-est and ...uh, strongest dragon ever!"
"Really now? Because your tail's on fire, oh 'Midgard's strongest dragon'."
"What? Oh no, it is! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?! WAHHHH HELP ME! HELP ME!"
"Ugh...dumb kid."
With Armaros standing strong, that left Riku, Zero, Five and Cent in an incredibly vulnerable state and Four was loving every second of it.
"Ugh, you guys don't know how GREAT it feels to be the one in control for a change! Pretty soon my heartless will take care of those pests and then no one will EVER stand in my way again! Oh, but I'll be keeping you guys alive, of course, I mean what horrible host kills their guests before the main event? Ha ha ha ha! Ugh, I truly am a genius! And it's funny because all my life I always thought that I was different from my other sisters but blah blah blah blah blah ..."
As Four was recounting the sad backstory part of her villain monologue, Zero considered this to be her bonafide torture on her end. "God...I wish she'd just kill us..."
"Tell me about it, she's gonna bore us to death at this rate! Still, I have to say, while getting held against our wills once is questionable, twice is kind of kinky don't you think~" Five said.
"Are you seriously getting turned on at a time like this?!"
"Oh, and you're not?! Besides, I have to keep myself entertained somehow because Four and her pancakes certainly aren't!"
"That's it!" Four marched over to Five, then held her chin up. "Five, I-"
"Mmmm yes, right there~"
She moved her hand down to grab Five's neck instead.
"Oooh~ that's even better!"
Four decided to simply keep her hands on her hips. "Ughh, this is exactly why I hate you Five! I mean- I made sure Faris took everything away from you, literally! I thought the heartless would do you in, or at the very least you'd just kill yourself out of despair! But no- of course not! Here you fucking are! Ruining my life and getting in my way when all I'm doing is just trying to destroy the world! You just hate seeing me be the one to finally win for once, don't you?!"
"I'M ruining YOUR life?! You've tried to kill me how many times now?!"
"Alllll you've ever done is make me hate myself!" Four clasped her hands together, mocking Five's sultry voice and mannerisms, "'Mmm Four look at those pancakes~~~', 'ohhh Four you're going with that outfit today? Ew'!"
"Well you have to admit that outfit was pretty unflattering for your figure," Five said.
"See you're doing it again! You think you're sooooo fucking hot! Well guess what?! Once you get turned into a heartless, you're gonna be the one who looks hideous and unflattering! How do you like that?!"
Five took in a deep breath. "Okay...perhaps I said some things in the past that may have caused deep-seated insecurities... and I'm sorry for making you feel that way, I am. Even though I gave you a hard time...I've always loved you more than anything else in the world."
"Oh...wait are you serious?"
"...Yes?"
"Ha ha ha HA HA HA HA HA! God, you really don't get it, do you? I didn't say all of that because I wanted your lousy apology! I just wanted to let you know how horrible of a person you are before you fucking die!" Four brutally beat Five until she was vomiting out blood, then she once again held Five up by her chin, who couldn't muster the strength to fight back. "Much better. Black and red are definitely your colors Five, you should wear them more often! In fact-" She snapped her fingers together, summoning several mutated heartless. "Let's just do a whole makeover!"
Four returned to stand beside her generals where she could relish in her suffering from afar.
"Five, you okay?!" Riku asked.
"...I don't know Riku, what do you think?!"
"Well, don't give up! We'll get out of here and defeat those heartless!"
"...Hah...who said anything about giving up?! I've come too far just to die here because my sister's having the world's biggest meltdown!" In a desperate bid to preserve her life, Five burst out into song in hopes of counteracting Four's magic.
Verse 2-5
These fangs, black as night, roam the streets,
Searching for the Flower's scent, it's sickeningly sweet.
I hear its song, carried by the wind,
But soon, its melody will come to an end.
By activating her own Intoner powers, Five was able to overpower Armaros and break free from its rings.
"Damn, that's embarrassing...I can't believe she thought of that before we did," Zero said.
"No time to sulk about it, let's get out of here too and help Five out!"
"Heh, then you know what that means~"
"Yeah-yeah...I know."
"Don't worry, I'll lead, all you have to do is not mess it up!"
Duet Verse II
A demon and her lover, fated to destroy one another
But they won't cause they trust in each other!
As the day fades into night, will they ever see that light?
Yeah 'cause we'll never give up the fight!
Stop ruining the flow of the lyrics!
Then stop making it so pessimistic!
Despite the disharmony of the duo's clashing vocals, the Intoner song did end up activating, and their combined magic allowed them to break out of Armaros and escape from its rings.
"Um, Riku, quick question..." Five said.
"Yeah?"
"SINCE WHEN COULD YOU USE INTONER MAGIC?!"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you after we beat Four!"
"Ugh, you're such a tease. Well, let's make this quick then, I have got to know the story behind this!"
Four's smug confidence fizzled out into sheer terror at the realization that three Intoners were about to tear her apart limb from limb. So she imbued her generals, her last line of defense, with her magic so they could stand a chance against them. "Steiner, Beatrix! What're you standing there for? D- Do something NOW!"
Surging with Intoner magic, Steiner led the charge against the Intoners, targeting Riku first. The blade of his broadsword sparked with lightning magic, then he jumped high in the air and yelled out; "Sword Art: Thunder slash!"
Riku dodged his initial sweeping attack, but Steiner changed the direction of his broadsword on a dime, going for an upper slash instead that Riku blocked with his keyblade. The power and weight of Steiner's Thunder Slash pushed Riku down the citadel, but he was able to remain on his feet by sticking his keyblade into the ground to steady himself.
While Steiner was still bearing down on his keyblade, Riku swung his body around and landed a kick on Steiner's head, but this did much more harm to Riku than Steiner, due to his bulky iron armor protecting him. Before Steiner could swing his sword again, Riku backflipped out of the blade's reach, then called his keyblade back.
'Gotta think of something else to break through his defense.'
Zero and Five, on the other hand, were doing poorly against Beatrix, not having landed a single blow on her since their bout began. Partly because Zero's rage was causing her to attack haphazardly, and partly because Five couldn't synergize well with Zero. Five was so used to fighting with the smaller, more nimble Dito who knew how to maneuver around her whereas Zero only seemed to get in her way.
"Ha! I got you now!" Thinking Beatrix was backed into a corner, Five thrust her spear at the general only for her to dodge at the last second and run into Zero instead.
"Fuck! That was my ass, you dumb bitch!"
"Well maybe if your flat butt wasn't in the way of my spear, it wouldn't have gotten stabbed! Ever think about that, huh?!"
Zero got so fed up with Five's incompetency that she picked her sister up by the collar and just hurled her straight at Beatrix. Like a scared cat, once Five slammed into Beatrix, she clung onto her, then began clawing and scratching at her as they fell down on the citadel together.
"-Beatrix!" Seeing his partner in trouble caused Steiner to break away from Riku—a critical mistake. The second his back was turned, Riku cast Blizzaga on him, forcing him to be frozen in place while he watched Five quickly dominate Beatrix on the ground, then stab her in the chest repeatedly. "NO! BEATRIX!"
"-You're next." Steiner saw Zero approach him, her sword dragging across the citadel. Rather than let those few moments be his last, however, he found the strength he needed to surpass his limits and power up into his ultimate form.
Now much stronger than ever before, Steiner was able to break out of his ice-encased prison, then he held his broadsword upright. "General Beatrix, your sacrifice in the name of Lady Four shall not go unpunished! I shall avenge you and honor your legacy, Sword Art: Stock Break!" He initiated an insanely powerful sword technique that slashed Riku, Zero and Five all at once, but Five suffered the brunt of the blow. Her torso was completely severed in half, while Zero and Riku got away with mere flesh wounds.
After the top half of Five's body slid off from her waist, it was safe to say she was out for the remainder of the fight, leaving Steiner to face Zero and Riku. "Fear not my lady, I shall put a stop to these fiends! General Beatrix has given me the strength to keep fighting for the glory of the Land of Mountains! All hail the Fourth Intoner!"
"All of this goddamn talking is giving me a headache, just die already!" Zero charged at Steiner while Riku ran behind her.
Unlike Zero and Five, Zero and Riku had excellent synergy from fighting side by side with each other for so long. When Steiner slashed his sword at Zero, she ducked under the blade while Riku jumped over her and swung his keyblade at Steiner's head. In an instant, Steiner redirected his momentum to an upward slash at Riku. Which was exactly what Riku was hoping for so he could parry Steiner with counter aura. At the same time, Zero pulled out her combat bracers to punch a hole through Steiner's impenetrable armor.
"Now die!" Just as Zero was about to stab Steiner, he suddenly grabbed onto her sword and flipped her body up into the air with his free hand.
"I won't die here! You're the ones who will perish!" Steiner launched Zero's sword at her while she was in mid-air, but Riku threw his keyblade circle-raid style at the sword to knock it off its trajectory. "Ha! I knew you would do that, boy!"
Steiner slashed Riku across the chest now that he was vulnerable, not knowing that his keyblade was circling back around and he got knocked in the head so hard that his helmet flew off. Then, after Zero retrieved her sword, his head flew off next.
Zero swung her bloodied sword over her shoulder, glaring directly at Four. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to with that death stare she sent her way and Four seemed to get the memo because she immediately tried running away. Zero anticipated this, and had preemptively tied her chain to her sword so she could throw it straight at Four's back
If Four had no more tricks up her sleeve, she would've been killed on the spot just like that. However, she still had her final ace in the hole, who came down to her aid in the nick of time and deflected Zero's sword from piercing her heart.
Zero yanked her sword chain back. "What the- who the hell are you?!"
"Just an old friend." A cloaked figure stood in front of Four, they slowly pulled back their hood, revealing a familiar face.
"...Sora." Riku stepped forward, squeezing the handle of his keyblade. "Is this some sick joke?! How the hell do you even know about him?!"
"I know more about you than you know, Riku. I know he's the reason why you came to Midgard in the first place and I know how much he's done for you. What a pity that you've quite simply replaced him with some new companions," Claudia said.
"Shut up! I didn't abandon him! I- I never stop looking for him!" Riku air-stepped to Claudia to get the jump on her only to miss her entirely, slamming his keyblade down on the ground beside her.
"Don't be so delusional, you've all but deserted that boy!" Claudia ducked under his keyblade. "Is that whore really so important to you that you're willing to risk your life to save a world you're not even a part of?! Is she more important than your old friend? Instead of worrying about her, shouldn't you be looking for him?"
"I'm a keyblade master! My job is to protect people from the darkness, I won't ever turn my back on anyone who needs my help!"
"Help? Protect? You've done nothing but push this world further to the brink of destruction. I mean, don't you remember, Riku?"
["...Riku would be quite familiar with killing someone, so I can't say I'd be the least bit shocked."]
"Remember ...?" Riku's head started pounding so hard that he couldn't even lift up his keyblade anymore. "What are you... talking about?"
"Are you finally starting to get it? You're a monster, just like-" Claudia's head rolled off her shoulders, dropping to the ground. Her body fell forward next, revealing Zero behind her.
But despite Zero's best efforts, the seeds of doubt Claudia planted had already begun to take root in his heart. "Zero...there was something that happened after you died. Something horrible I...just...I can't re-"
.
.
.
"Be quiet. If you're going to be a part of me, from now on, I'm gonna use every bit of your power so I can protect my friends!"
"Of course, you have more power than you know and I suggest you learn how to use it well because this path you're currently taking, as admirable as it is, will only end in your death."
"I'm disappointed in you Riku...if you can't handle the madness of this world, then how in the hell did you expect to save it?!"
.
.
.
The memories of his past venture in Midgard flooded into his head all at once, slowly forming an ocean that drowned out his emotions. His entire body felt as heavy as lead and before he knew it, he dropped down to his knees.
"Riku, fuck whatever she was talking about!"
"Mm, she's actually kind of right though," Four said. "He should totally be despairing right now about what a horrible person he was- and honestly still is! Hehehe, but murder makes a man all the more attractive!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Zero broke away from Riku to murder Four, but as she was gunning down her sister, Claudia's limp body got thrown at her. Those few seconds Zero had to waste cleaving her body in two allowed Four to escape into yet another dark portal.
"-So sorry bestie, your life was but a small, small, practically nonexistent price to pay to save mine!"
"You goddamn coward! The moment I find you again, you'll be waking up in hell!"
"-Oh then I'm so glad you finally admit you're the literal devil! Ta-ta for now, sister!"
The current state of the effort against Four was grim. Five was still recovering from Steiner's attack, One and the dragons were still fighting against Armaros, and Cent was still trapped, and worst of all, Riku was spiraling into despair. God knows where Four scurried off to, so the only thing Zero could do at that moment was try her best at bringing Riku back, like he had done for her so many times.
Zero grabbed onto Riku's shoulders, lowering herself to his level. She met her gaze with his, and she saw the washed-out, desolate expression that consumed his once vivid eyes. Those same eyes she used to get lost in were now staring into a void. It hurt her so much to see him this way, but she was determined to snap him out of it. "Riku, don't let what she said get to you. You're not some damn murderer, hell you're the one who's always been against-"
"No, you're wrong. I'm not the person you thought I was."
"Riku, you know that's not true!"
But the more and more Zero tried to talk to him the less and less he listened until her words no longer r̸e̴a̶c̴h̷e̶d̴ ̷h̷i̶m̶ ̵a̷l̵l̵ ̴t̴o̷g̸e̵t̸h̵e̴r̶
"̸R̶i̵k̶u̵!̶"̴
"̵R̶i̶k̸u̴!̷ ̷L̸i̴s̶t̸e̷n̵ ̴t̴o̸ ̵m̷e̸ ̸d̷a̶m̸n̷ ̸i̴t̷!̴ ̶I̴t̶ ̵d̸o̵e̸s̴n̴'̶t̷ ̸m̶a̶t̵t̶e̵r̵ ̷i̶f̸ ̷w̶h̷a̵t̸ ̸F̴o̷u̴r̸ ̷s̸a̴i̴d̸ ̸i̶s̵ ̸t̵r̶u̶e̶ ̴o̵r̴ ̴n̸o̶t̸!̵ ̷Y̵o̸u̴'̸r̷e̸ ̷t̶h̶e̸ ̷b̴e̷s̴t̴ ̴t̴h̶i̴n̷g̶ ̵t̷h̸a̴t̷'̵s̵ ̵e̷v̶e̸r̷ ̸h̴a̵p̷p̸e̷n̷e̶d̴ ̶t̴o̶ ̸m̴e̸—̵h̸e̶l̷l̴ ̶y̶o̵u̷'̷r̵e̶ ̵t̶h̸e̸ ̴b̶e̷s̷t̵ ̷t̷h̴i̶n̵g̷ ̷t̷h̴a̸t̷'̷s̵ ̸e̴v̵e̸r̶ ̸h̷a̶p̴p̶e̶n̵e̵d̶ ̶t̸o̸ ̵M̷i̴d̸g̶a̵r̸d̸!̶"̷
̷"̸I̵t̴'̴s̵ ̸s̶t̴u̵p̷i̴d̷ ̸b̴u̶t̷…̸w̸h̷e̷n̶ ̸I̷ ̵l̴o̴o̴k̸ ̵t̸o̵ ̸y̷o̴u̵,̸ ̷I̷ ̷ ̴t̶h̶i̴n̵k̸ ̴a̵n̸y̴t̶h̷i̵n̴g̸'̵s̷ ̴p̴o̵s̸s̵i̷b̵l̸e̴ ̸b̴e̸c̶a̸u̸s̶e̷ ̵y̶o̷u̸'̷v̸e̵ ̷p̶r̷o̷v̵e̴d̵ ̸t̶o̴ ̷m̷e̶ ̶t̴h̷a̴t̶ ̴i̷t̸ ̷w̸a̴s̸.̸ ̷"̵
Riku.
There is redemption for you yet.
Save the Intoners from their curse
Is that not what you set out to do?
"..."
"...it is."
So serve me, and I will grant you the power to change this world.
Unexpectedly, Four reappeared from a dark portal behind Riku with her hand on his head. "Checkmate~" Without further ado, she used her song to place Riku under her spell and finally execute her plan.
Verse 2-4
So I stand and I wait in the darkness for you,
Where no one can see me and no one can see you.
Come to me in the shadows, my love
For these painted red nails, you shall be my glove.
"Okay... now stand up," Four said.
Riku rose to his feet.
"Oh my gosh...my plan actually- erm well OF COURSE it did, um hello, this is me we're talking about!" Four came up from behind and draped her arms over Riku's shoulders. "Now that you're my willing slave, I want you to eliminate my dear older sister!"
Rather than following Four's command, however, he slashed her across the chest and watched her fall to the ground in shock.
"B-But h...how?" Blood stained her emerald green dress, soaking into the silk fabric. "M-My plan..i-it was...p-perfect..."
"Your first mistake was thinking you had any power over me."
Zero thought this was a sign that Riku had returned to form, but this was not the case, because he cast a spell to heal her wound, then another to put her to Sleep.
"Riku, what're you doing?!" Zero yelled.
"What I should've done from the start. The least I can do...is save you guys from the Flower."
"No, you need to save yourself first! Don't just throw your life away!"
"My life's over, Rose." He raised his keybl—
Zero held Riku's arm back. "I told you I'm not losing you, Riku!"
"—Let him go," Said a voice from behind them.
She turned around to see someone who looked like the spitting image of One, but the different attire and golden eyes cued her into their true identity. "...You're One's twin brother, aren't you? What the hell do you want?!"
Brother One drew his sword. "Him. He's coming with me."
"Like hell! If you take one more step, I'll kill you!"
"Hmph. If I were you, I wouldn't bother with him. He's been in a losing battle ever since he met you, this outcome was always—" Brother One blocked an incoming attack from Zero, holding his sword just over his neck.
At the same time Zero and Brother One were deadlocked with each other, suddenly, Armaros crumbled away brick by brick. The once formidable citadel soon faded away into nothingness until they were all standing back on Four's airship
"Did- Did they defeat Armaros already?" Cent asked, finally free from his prison.
'Shit. Is it too late already?' At the very least Zero wanted to finish Brother One off, but he pulled away from her abruptly as a timer popped up above his head.
"The...hell?"
"What is this? I feel...so much pain..."
Zero watched Brother One's body inflate rapidly until it exploded altogether, shooting out his blood, guts, and dismembered body parts across the deck.
"—You're right, it does get easier the more you do it."
Behind her was Riku with his hands in his pockets, she could feel her stomach twist into knots from his presence alone. He may have been standing beside her, but the man she once knew and loved was not.
Before Zero could even begin to figure out what to do now, she heard the whooshing sound the air made when it got pushed down by the mighty flap of a dragon's wings. One, Gabriella and Mikhail were returning to Four's airship, believing the worst was past them, not realizing the battle was nowhere close to being over.
Gabriella set One down on the deck with her wheelchair and despite One's heightened senses having long since dulled, her intuition, sharp as it's ever been, told her something was amiss. "...I thought we agreed to kill Four," She said, rolling over to them
"I changed my mind," Riku said.
"What for?"
"Realized what I'm here for; to save the Intoners. That's all. Everything else is your problem."
One turned to Zero. "And you went along with this foolishness, Zero?!"
"..."
"...Zero?"
"It doesn't matter what she wants! Nothing's getting in the way of me saving the Intoners."
"What sense does it make to save the Intoners if you'll lose your mind in the process?! The Flower is making you destroy yourself Riku, don't you understand?!"
Do not listen to her meaningless words.
She does not appreciate the gift you've given her.
"...You should be grateful you're even alive." Riku walked towards Five, but Zero stood in front of him. "...You're in the way. Move."
"I'm not going anywhere! All that damn talk about believing in yourself and having strength...why don't you practice what you fucking preach?! Don't just become the Flower's bitch willingly! Come on Riku, I thought you were stronger than that!"
"..."
"—Yeah! Zero's right, you're super strong Riku, don't give up!" Mikhail cheered, even though he had no clue what was going on.
Those few, but powerful words of encouragement seemed to be enough to temporarily loosen the tight grip the Flower held on his heart, enough for Riku to fight back, so it responded by forcing him to go into Intoner mode.
Verse 0
The Black Flower
Is the end
Riku drew his keyblade against Zero. "Move."
When Zero made it clear she would not heed Riku's verbal warning, he gave her a physical warning next. With the power he gained, he was not only able to break through Zero's defense but shatter her dragonbone sword into pieces. He then zipped across the deck, slashing her body multiple times, and spilling copious amounts of blood each time his blade tore through her flesh. He finished off his combo by appearing above her head, but she rolled away in time before he could slice her down the middle.
That dodge roll was seemingly all Zero had left in her, however, because she collapsed into a pool of blood soon after.
"—ZEROOO!" Mikhail screamed.
Thinking that was the last of her, Riku proceeded to bind the two halves of Five's body together and carry her in his arms. "Soon you'll be free." He manifested a dark portal in front of him, but just as he was about to leave, he felt something grab his ankle. When he looked down, he saw Zero. "...you can still move?"
When Riku tried to move his leg, he realized Zero didn't just grab his ankle out of an act of desperation, but did so to tie her chain around his ankle, which was already connected to the ship's railing. "When did you-"
Zero yanked at the chain, causing him to fall backward due to Five's additional weight making him imbalanced. In the short window of time Zero had before Riku could counter-attack, she positioned herself on top of him and held the blade of Brother One's sword over his neck.
Her face was so close to his that her long, white hair veiled both of their heads, shutting away the rest of the world. She could only see him, and he could only see her.
Why do you allow yourself to be so weak for her?
Your destiny awaits-
"...Shut up." Riku looked up at Zero, and the face she made was unbearable for him to look at because she was trying so, so hard not to cry in front of him. For what he said next, he had to close his eyes, "Rose...just kill me."
Even though Riku couldn't see her face, he felt her hands shaking as the blade hovered above his neck, and heard the pain in her voice with each word she spoke, "No...not you, Riku. Please...please..."
"Come on. Go ahead and do it. All you do is kill people anyways, what's one more?"
"I ...I can't do that to you..."
"It'll be okay...do it now before the Flower takes over again. Please...I just want this to end."
As you can imagine, a split in time occurs with this fatal decision, one where Zero ends Riku's life...
Zero made a deep cut into his neck, watching him choke and gasp hysterically as blood filled his throat.
Something inside Zero snapped at that moment, and she lost it, grabbing Riku by the head and slamming him against the ground while she cursed him over and over again. It wasn't long after when Zero collapsed on top of him, the darkness taking over her heart.
Date: March 16th, 1000
Time: 12:38:55 P.M.
Zero's Heartless "NYX" manifests in the Land of Forests, and immediately activates its ability, the details of which are unknown. I was neither able to record its abilities nor its appearance due to NYX snuffing out all of the light in Midgard, blanketing the world into eternal darkness. I had no choice but to escape and decided to close the branch at once. All I can say is that it's imperative NYX never resurfaces in Midgard again or the consequences will be cataclysmic.
Flowers for the Dead
Branch B end
But, there was an alternative ending where Zero spared Riku's life...
Divergence: Branch C
This will be the branch I observe from here on; divergence Branch C, and study the phenomenon of "memories" as the previous recorder described. If memories are key to breaking this cycle Midgard experiences then it is worth exploring this branch to hopefully find an end to the Flower.
It is now March 16th, 1000 AD
M3211_E0020_DM: Begin Recording
"Come on. Go ahead and do it. All you do is kill people anyways, what's one more?"
"No...not ...again..."
"It'll be okay...do it now before the Flower takes over again. Please...I just want this to end."
["If that's how it is, then... fine. As long as you don't get in my way, I'll travel with you until Five's defeated."]
["...I stuck around because I saw there was a light inside of you as much as you tried to hide it, but I guess I was wrong about that too."]
["So what do you say? We can keep fighting and you can die full of regrets or we can find a new path together."]
["When I come back here with my friends, I want you to at least be there. I can't tell you how to live your life, but maybe I can show you a little bit of mine and, you can see what you've been missing out on all these years."]
["Rose, I will always be here for you, I promise. You're my light."]
"...I can't kill you, Riku...I love you."
Riku felt her tears fall down onto his face.
"So please...come back to me Riku. Please...please...please..."
"Rose...I'm sorry."
Verse 0
The Black Flower
Is the beginning
Riku impaled Zero with his keyblade, then tossed her body to the side. After that, he picked up Five again, but before he could leave via dark portal, he heard One's voice call Gabriella to execute him. This was not at all surprising, considering One had contingency upon contingency plan for every possible outcome, ready to switch initiatives at any given moment. She was calculated in that way, but so was the Flower, and it exploited her one and only weakness.
Just as Gabriella was getting ready to devour Riku, he held Five's body up as a shield, daring One to see how'd far she go.
'This bastard. For the sake of the world, sacrificing her would be the best course of action...but for my sake, I can't, and he knows it.' One clenched the armrest on her wheelchair so hard that a piece of it snapped off. 'Damn it. Damn it all!' "Gabriella...hold."
"What?! So you're just gonna let this psychopath get away?!"
"Gabriella, we will stop him, but not like this. Not on their terms."
Gabriella relented and they watched as Riku and Five disappeared into the darkness. "Hmph... I really hope you know what you're doing, One."
Flowers for the Dead
To be Continued in Part III
