Aggin: Yeah, I thought if Zero were to be a heartless, that be like the perfect representation of it. So One's heartless would be Hemera I think
Deeno3p0: thank you so much! I'll implement dark aura then! I thought I did so already but it must have escaped me. Yeah I think cause Sora's so young, he doesn't exactly give off uncle vibes at first but he'd get along with kids so well, you cant change my mind on that.
1) Sure, as soon as I get an idea for the plot structure that is lol
2) I think it depends on what kh4 will entail exactly, the isekai formula lent itself well for kh3, but I might need to do something entirely different based on what they're trying to do for that game.
3) I feel like Sora lives there rent-free and the strelitzia girl pays for everything, but it'd be cute and a nice callback to kh2 if he actually did have to get a job, coffee shop AU here we go.
Phoenix keyblade: Thank you!
Keybladelight: Yeah I might re-design his look a bit, the last one was just a concept, but I've wanted to incorporate some more floral elements. Gonna probably get on that soon
Anon: I had ample time then, not anymore tho:'D I know since the intoners are aspects of Zero, I try to show a little of each Intoner in her. Three's just kind of the odd one out in that regard like erm maybe the laziness ig. It's like Four and Dito both hate Five but they also both hate each other bc they're insufferable, just a never-ending hate train tbh. Starting off the year right with Riku in his villain era, coming full circle.
"Zero?"
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████"Zero!"██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████"Zero, please!" ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████"Zero- ZeroZeroZeroZeroZero- ZEROOOO!"█████
"Mikhail, enough. You can't force her to speak if she doesn't want to. Leave her be."
"But...o-okay..."████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
"Hey, chin up kiddo. She's better like this if you ask me."
"...Zero..." ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD
Part III
"Awakening"
"Mikhail..." Was the first word Zero finally spoke after her long, uninterrupted silence, then her next was; "Take me home."
"But Zero what about R-"
"I'm not repeating myself."
"...Fine."
Before he could take off, One wheeled up to the dragon, "I hope you won't be returning to claim our heads once more."
"I'm not returning. I'm done," Zero said without so much as glancing at her.
Seeing how emotionally wrecked Zero was, One decided to reel it back for once. "...I see. I suppose it's no use pressing the issue any further."
Leaving it at that, Zero had Mikhail set course for the Land of Seas, specifically to a tavern she used to frequent because it was so close to her cottage. By the time they arrived at the tavern, the sun was already beginning to dip below the horizon. Usually dusk was prime time for drunkards to have their fill but when Zero arrived, it was empty.
'Is it closed? No, I see someone behind the counter.' Oblivious, or rather, indifferent to the potentially dangerous situation she was placing herself in, she took a seat at the bar and spoke to who she assumed was the barkeep."Hey, I'll have the usual, and keep 'em coming too...I'll be here for a while."
The barkeep turned back to Zero with a glass in her hand. "Ah, Zero, we meet again! I had a feeling you'd wind up back here."
Zero did a double take when she saw it was Accord behind the counter, and now she knew why the tavern was mysteriously emptied out. Still, she was too exhausted to find another tavern so, against her better judgment, she decided to remain seated. "...Accord," She said with pronounced ire in her voice. "What the hell do you want this time?"
"As things stand now, it doesn't matter what branch you go down— it all ends in disaster. Figured I give you a heads up."
She watched Accord mix her drink carefully, the amber liquid sloshing from glass to glass as she worked her magic. "Thanks, you always know just what to say to make everything better."
"You're welcome!" After she finished mixing the drink, she pushed her concoction towards Zero, then propped her arms on the counter. "Although, I'm curious as to what your thought process is here. Have you...given up?"
Zero slammed her glass on the counter, then got right up in Accord's face. "I don't get what you want out of me! Last time you said my future had already been decided, now you're saying I'm screwed no matter what I do. I don't have any other choice!"
"You always have a choice, Zero. The branches don't all have to end in disaster, you just keep on making the same mistakes over and over again, which results in the same outcome."
"What mistake am I making since you seem to know everything?!"
"Well, it wouldn't be a learning moment if I just gave you all the-" Accord found herself at the opposite end of Zero's blade so she simply pushed it to the side. "You really have to get out of the habit of doing that."
"Then tell me what I'm doing that's so wrong! What about that witch—Malnutrition or whatever she called herself—she's the one behind all of this! Why aren't you giving this doom and gloom shit to her instead?"
"That's not my role to play, besides, she's merely another contributing factor to the world's demise. You and Riku on the other hand—that's another story."
"...What are you talking about?"
Accord picked up her suitcase. "Alas, my shift is over, and I have other business to attend to, but I do hope that helped. My predecessor was invested in the two of you, so much so that she died for it, and I'd like to see why that is just the same. Good luck, Zero."
"You're leaving now at a time like this? You didn't even answer my damn question!"
"Ha-ha. Why would I tell you something you already know?" She walked behind the counter, then seemingly vanished into thin air.
Accord's cryptic answer left Zero even more upset and confused than she already was, but there was no one else to yell at, no one else to take her anger out on, but herself. She slumped down in her seat, staring into her glass, as if it would provide her with some sort of answer, but all she could see was a reflection of herself. "...What's wrong with me?"
"You're asking yourself that now? Wayyy too late for that."
"Tch, I thought you left alr..." When Zero lifted her head, she saw a younger version of herself mixing another drink for her. Based on the absence of the Flower in her right eye and the look of pure callousness on her face, she estimated it was her about a year or so before she ever encountered the Flower and met Michael for the first time. This didn't sit well with her because now she felt like she was on the verge of insanity."...Shit, and now the Flower's finally gotten to me too..."
"The Flower didn't get to you yet, dumbass. Calm the hell down."
"Then what is this?! Why am I talking to myself?!"
"-You're probably just seeing things after that drink that weirdo gave you," Said a child version of Zero, who sat herself down on the counter. "Gotta say. It's kinda pathetic I ended up becoming some washed-up, gross alcoholic who takes booze from anyone!"
"Well, at least she's not sleeping for money anymore, right?" Barkeep-Zero said.
"Ugh, rude! At least I'm not choosing to sleep with random men for validation!"
"Validation?! Is that what you think this all is? Stupid brat!"
"Enough squabbling, both of you are whores anyways," Zero said.
"Which makes you one too by default, idiot!"
"I'm not a whore!"
"I mean if you prefer the term 'slut' or 'harlot'-"
"I'm not either of those things! At least...not anymore."
"'Not anymore' she says. But you willingly sleep with ugly old men and sick depraved freaks- I'm sorry 'disciples', which is a totally different thing," Child-Zero said.
"Shut up! I'm better now than I was back then!"
She clapped mockingly in response. "Oh my bad, virgin mary. Congrats on your grand total of...two weeks of celibacy. Should I call up the church and get you ordained?"
"I'm not just talking about sex, I think I'm getting better as a person...or I'm trying to be."
"Who the hell told you that? You got Michael killed, and you're about to get Riku killed again. You haven't changed one bit, you'll always hurt people, especially the ones closest to you." Barkeep-Zero poured golden, effervescent liquid into her glass, careful not to let the bubbly white foam spill over down the side. She glanced over to her older counterpart, pushing the glass in her direction, but she wouldn't pick up the drink. "...You've always liked ice-cold beer the best, it makes you feel at home. Why deprive yourself of that?"
"No...I should try something different," Zero said.
"Why? This is how it's always been...and this is how you've always liked it."
"I've never liked this! I just thought I never deserved anything better...but..."
["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..."]
["It's not too late for that- to have a normal life I mean. When the Flower's finally defeated and all of this is finally over, you'll have your whole life ahead of you."]
["Who cares? An unexamined life is not one worth living, darling. There is something...or should I say someone driving you towards an end goal.."]
["Well I wanna be with you, and-and Riku too and I want us to eat all the meat in the world and have lots of fun adventures together without someone dying!"]
Zero rose from her seat so fast that she knocked the stool over. "But I want something better in life than this shit! I'm not asking for a fucking castle and fancy wine...I just want to live! I want to live without having to fight for it every single day! I deserve that much!" She slammed her hands on the counter, spilling the beer over. "So I'm not going to stop fighting for that life until I die! I'm saving Riku, defeating the Flower, and making damn sure my sisters don't fuck anything up along the way!"
"And what makes you think you can do anything about it? You saw how hopeless the situation was."
"Everyone thought the Flower was a death sentence too, but Riku flipped that on its head! He's already saved me so many times, in more ways than one...what shitty girlfriend would I be if I didn't at least try to save my own boyfriend?"
"Oh, so what, that means you can too now? Are you hearing yourself talk right now?! You sound sick in the head."
Child-Zero snickered. "Aw but it's so adorable that she wants a happy little fairy tale ending now. Do you want your prince charming to whisk you away to a pretty castle too? Cut the crap and wake the fuck up already, Rose."
"Why don't you wake the fuck up!" Zero threw the bar stool at her child counterpart, knocking her off the counter.
"OW! What the hell's wrong with you?!"
Barkeep-Zero snatched a bottle of liquor off the back wall, smashed it on the countertop, then brandished the broken bottle at Zero. "Back the fuck off you psycho bitch! You're not playing that with me!"
Zero pulled out her trusty dagger and was about to go for the neck when—
"—Zero? Zero! You keep talking to yourself and I'm getting really worried!" Mikhail yelled out.
Mikhail's voice snapped her back to reality and she realized she was literally fighting against nothing. 'This is embarrassing. I guess I owe Riku an apology, maybe I'm the one who belongs in a madhouse.' She promptly got herself off the floor and left the tavern to meet her dragon outside.
"Zero! A- Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"That's good! So what were you talking to yourself about?"
"Don't worry about it...and don't say I was talking to myself." She muttered, getting embarrassed again at the thought of it. "...you make it sound like I'm crazy."
"Uh, okay."
"...But I guess I did manage to figure something out in there."
"What's that?"
"I know what to do now. We're going to find Riku and bring him back one way or another. No more running away."
"Seriously?!"
"Seriously. It's about damn time I start looking ahead, right?"
"Wow, I think I get it now! All you had to do was talk to yourself because you don't like listening to anybody else!"
—
Although Zero managed to find a way forward, back in the Land of Forests, everyone was still trying to come to grips with the shitshow of events that transpired before them. It was a foreboding feeling, not knowing what would happen next, or an even worse thought, what would happen next. Which presented a heavy, tense atmosphere, but Cent seemed not to get the memo, in fact, his inability to read the room was impeccable.
"Alright, so what happened just now was kind of a downer, I get it, I get it. But I just want to let everyone know I bought this belt recently-" Cent showed off his new accessory. "Ah, ahh? So what do you guys think? Lady One, I see you eyeing it!"
"No...that's definitely a death stare," Gabriella said.
"Ah, because she's dying to know where the leather came from! Get this; it's camel's hide! Fun fact about camels, their humps are where they store their milk!"
"Cent," One said.
"Yeeess?"
"Please refrain from speaking for the remainder of the day."
"Oh..."
One wheeled herself to the steps leading up to the helm. "Also- make yourself useful and carry me up to the helm. For now, I believe our best course of action is to rendezvous with Three and the others to debrief them on the situation."
"What about you-know-who?" Gabriella asked.
"You have to be more specific, Gabriella. My traitorous younger sister or my equally terrible twin brother? I honestly can't decide."
"Well damn, when you put it like that, how could I choose?"
"To answer your question, both of them can be left be for now. Four's playing dead, my brother's in pieces, hardly a pressing matter."
It wasn't in One's nature to fly off the handle, but she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't on the verge of it by now. Unbeknownst to Four, One always saw her as the most responsible, second to only her. Five and Three had no problem shirking off their duties and Two had her head in the clouds, it was once Four she could always count on to follow her word by the letter. But after everything that happened between them, she found it damn near impossible to even look at her sister without being filled with murderous thoughts.
One was always reluctant to trust people, a sentiment that ran deep enough to even affect her relationship with her sisters. She knew what they were capable of as Intoners, but her love for them always triumphed in the end. So she trusted them, not only to rule, but to confide in her as their sister because that's what sisters do. That's why she felt especially hurt by all of this, it wasn't just Four breaking her legs, no, it was her running to Maleficent in the first place when she was right there. It might've been petty of her to feel that way, downright selfish, but she couldn't help it.
And for her own brother, her literal flesh and blood, to dig the proverbial knife in her back even deeper was just unbearable for her to think about, but she knew better than to get wrapped up in her own guilt. She still had 3 other siblings that didn't completely and utterly betray her, and of course she always had Gabriella, they would just have to be enough. Maybe Five and Two were gone, but Three was there, ironically, the only member of her family present that One could reliably count on, Flower be damned.
When she docked Four's airship on the remains of Elfheim, Three and the others boarded the airship to touch bases.
"How goes it?" Three asked.
"Please tell us this brutal conflict has finally come to an end," Decadus said.
"...Judging off the looks on all of your guys' faces, something tells me we're in for some really bad news," Rosa said.
"In that case, I'll start off with the good news. Four no longer poses a threat, and the Land of Forests has effectively been freed from her control."
"But she's still alive," Three pointed out.
"That she is, and regrettably, she will be kept alive."
Rosa crossed her arms. "Look, I'm all for forgiveness and everything but she was just trying to kill everyone! She's in-sane!"
"Yeah, I'm with her on this one," Dito said. "And not even because I care about any of this stuff, I just don't like her."
"Believe me, this was not an act of kindness on my end. The situation has changed considerably, Riku is under the control of the Flower and currently has Five in his possession. There's also the issue of Maleficent, when she catches wind of Riku's condition, she'll almost certainly make a move. To that end, Four's knowledge of Maleficent will become vital in disposing of her."
"What of him who was led astray? One bad apple can spoil the bunch," Three said.
"Yes. As far as Riku's concerned, we have no choice but to kill him," One said.
"Oh, what a poor fate to befall upon such a young lad..." Octa said.
"It is very gruesome! Please allow me to take his place!" Decadus begged.
"Best news I heard all day," Dito said.
"Who is this 'Riku' fellow? Is that the disease I've been hearing about..." Cent wondered aloud.
Three pressed her lips together, frowning. "I disagree, sister. It is unwise to deprive ourselves of water when Midgard has been lit ablaze with an all-consuming fire."
"What are you referring to exactly? Is the Flower not already the 'all-consuming fire'?" One asked.
"—Uh, guys, forget whatever you're talking about ... I think you're going to want to take a look at this," Gabriella said, who was peering off the edge of the airship.
Everyone rushed to the airship's railing where they saw a web of fissures develop on the grounds of Elfheim. The ground rumbled and wailed as the land broke apart, then an enormous, black mass emerged from the cracks, its width spanning the length of a greater Gigantes.
"What in the world is that?!" Rosa yelled.
"I'm not sure. Gabriella, bring me down so that I can take a closer look at it," One said.
"Sure thing."
The mysterious black mass garnered the attention of the now-displaced elves, who were very fearful of it, a reasonable anxiety considering the ruin that befell upon their village. One made her way through the crowd and upon closer inspection, she realized what they were dealing with. "It's... a root."
Octa stroked his beard. "I suppose a plant root isn't out of place in the Land of Forests, but even so, a member this large is still quite the anomaly."
One saw Three draw dangerously close to the root, "Three, what are you doing?!"
"It's...calling me." She placed her hand on the root, then suddenly, her hair rapidly grew all the way down to her feet. "...The Flower."
"I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing," Cent said.
"This is...very concerning. Gabriella, retrieve Four off the airship, I believe she'll be able to shed some light on this situation," One said.
"Yeah, yeah."
Gabriella dropped Four down in front of them.
"Ow...you didn't have to be so rough..." Brushing the dirt off the folds of her skirt, she picked herself up off the ground, then became very conscious of the fact that all eyes were on her. "Uh...ha-ha, what's everyone looking at me for?"
"Four, what exactly do you know about the condition of Mercurius gate?" One asked.
"...By the time I joined forces with Maleficent, the gate was already put back together. Although, I did suspect the heartless had something to do with it."
"Elaborate."
"It's as if...how do I put it?" She held out her hands. "There was a Midgard before and after the heartless came, like... they caused an irreversible change. My guess is that the Flower behind Mercurius Gate used the heartless in some way to reform itself and we're seeing it slowly begin to manifest in a much more powerful form than it was prior."
"...I see, I think I understand your metaphor now, Three. It's not just the Flower we have to worry about destroying everything, but the heartless as well. In other words, even if we do kill Riku, we're still in an impossible situation," One said.
"Precisely."
"Wonderful." That was it. That was One's last straw. In a fit of rage, she threw herself out of her wheelchair and lunged at Four. She firmly grabbed her by the neck and strangled her on the ground. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT FOUR! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON AND AN EVEN WORSE SISTER! I SHOULD KILL YOU!"
"I-I'm sorry One...I'm sorry...I- I didn't mean for...any of this to happen! I messed up!"
"MESSED UP?! The world is about to fucking end and this is all you have to say for yourself?!"
"Lady One!" Decadus dragged One off of Four while she was going absolutely hysterical. "Please, Lady One, have mercy upon Lady Four."
Four held onto her neck, gasping for breath. When she finally steadied her breathing, she looked up at One, who was seething with rage. It terrified her to see this side of One; messy, disheveled hair, beet-red face, the most intense glare she'd ever seen before. Yet, in a sick, twisted way, as much as it scared her, it was strangely comforting to see One wasn't the epitome of grace and perfection she always presented herself to be, at least in Four's eyes.
Maybe it was because she pushed One so far off the edge, she was now in the same boat as her. But it was those same resentful emotions that led her down the path to darkness and right into Maleficent's embrace in the first place. She had to make a change in herself, even if the road ahead would be long, and it started with being honest to not only herself, but everyone else.
"I...I just wanted your praise One...that's what this all started as...I just wanted you to acknowledge me so I could have value in myself. I know how pathetic that sounds, but it's true... then all those thoughts got evil and twisted up in my head, and that's when Maleficent found me. I'm so sorry for all this pain I caused, I'll do everything I can to fix it, anything I can...I promise."
One started to relax her body, the anger dissipating into a feeling she knew all too well at this point. "What is there to fix? Intoners have damned this world and everyone in it and now..." She could feel hot, stinging tears welling up in her eyes, so she covered them with her hand. "...Now we're all going to die."
As soon as One said those damning words, panic spread amongst the elven villagers like wildfire. Everyone was either running around, screaming, crying or a combination of all three because if One had given up, that meant they truly were in a hopeless situation.
"-Oi! Did everybody hear that? Lady One says we're all gonna die and it's all Four's fault!"
"-All the more reason to hang and quarter the cunt!"
A group of elves tried to attack Four, but Decadus stood in their way.
"I know Lady Four has caused a great deal of pain and misery but if we could-"
"Outta the way you limp dick bastard unless you want to die alongside her!"
"Ohh it would be an h-hon- I mean, absolutely not!"
At the same time everyone was collectively losing their minds, Three was barely paying attention, absentmindedly tapping away on Riku's gummiphone after resigning herself from the conversation. She would've been perfectly content scrolling through his photos and reading through text messages while people were crying and throwing up around her if a red icon didn't pop up on the screen that read: 'LOW BATTERY: 20% REMAINING'.
That was it. That was Three's last straw. She let out the most blood-curdling scream anyone had ever heard from her before.
"L-Lady Three are you okay?!" Decadus asked.
"Oh Lady Three, it's even gotten to you too," Octa said.
Three furiously tapped on the gummiphone screen. "The battery is about to die and Riku has the charger! We have to save him!" She dialed a number at the speed of light.
"Wh-What're you doing, Three?" Four asked.
"Getting help!"
Mickey picked up Three's call. "Gosh Riku is that- oh no...it's you again. Three, for the last time I'm not-"
Four snatched the gummiphone out of Three's hands. "OH MY GOD PLEASE HELP US! PLEASE I BEG YOU! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEEEE! GET US OUT OF HERE!"
"There-there, miss, just calm down and explain to me what's going on, slowly. Whatever problem you have, I betcha we can find a way to solve it together!"
"Okay-okay..." Four managed to slow down her hyperventilating. "So Riku's been possessed by the Flower, which means he's eventually going to kill everyone. And on top of that, the Flower's using the heartless to slowly but surely destroy the world."
"The...Flower?"
"Oh that's right, apologies, you wouldn't know what the Flower is since you're a...wait, wh-what are you?"
"I'm Mickey Mouse! Nice to meetcha!"
"...Nice to meet you too? A-Anyways, the Flower is basically a parasitic demon."
"A parasitic demon?! And Riku's been possessed by it?! Gosh, I thought he at least would've mentioned this to me...oh, he must have been way in over his head. He should know by now not to shoulder these things on his own." Mickey thought for a moment, then nodded his head. "Yep. Don't you worry about Riku, as long as there's a light, it'll be able to reach him! I'll find you guys and together we'll save Riku and stop this Flower demon no problem!"
"So...it's not over?"
"Ha-ha! Of course not, not even close! Even in the depths of darkness, there's always a way to find the light, you just have to be willing to fight for it! I'll find a way to you guys, just hold on tight! In the meantime, keep in touch, and fill me in on Riku's situation!" Mickey waved them goodbye. "...Alright, I'll see ya guys soon!"
"This is an amazing development, we don't have to kill Riku anymore! Thank goodness," Four said.
"What great luck to befall upon such a young lad!" Octa said.
"It is very fortunate! I shudder at the thought of ever taking his place!" Decadus said.
"Worst news I heard all day," Dito said.
"And I finally know who this Riku person is!" Cent said.
"You guys seriously need to make your minds up," Rosa said.
"Damn, so that kid really wasn't kidding about the whole talking animal thing, huh," Gabriella turned to One, who was mysteriously quiet, given the circumstances. "Well, what do you think, firecracker? Surely you have something to say about what that weird-looking rat told us."
"I'm...more confused than anything."
"You have to be more specific than that, girl."
"...That mouse kept on referring to the 'light', what did he mean by that?"
"Exactly, if I'm not mistaken, there's plenty of light around us," Cent said.
"No. 'Light' is an innate power that can give you strength and combat the 'darkness'. The reverse is true for the darkness as well, although it feeds off negative emotions," Three explained.
"So light, in this context, is like a power that you can wield?"
"Yes, I suppose it can also be a state of being."
One massaged her temples, visibly confused and agitated. "I've never heard of something more ridiculous than what you're talking about right now. 'Light', 'darkness'? Since when have we ever been able to use that as a power?"
"That's what I meant before by saying that Midgard's been irreversibly changed. The rules, the way this world works, even the way we approach things are different now," Four said.
"All of this sounds completely and utterly insane. So now we're supposed to take the word of a talking mouse at face value and have faith that something as nebulous as the 'light' can defeat an ancient, parasitic demon?"
"...I know it's not my place to speak on any of this, but I think we should do everything we can to save him, even if it's a shot in the dark," Four said.
"I know you, of all people, are not telling me to believe in you right now. I feel like I'm on the verge of losing my mind..."
"It's not about believing in me, it's about believing in Riku. I've seen the impact he's made, and you've seen it too. Just look at the way our sisters carry themselves now; Three's leadership, Five's selflessness. I mean gosh...even Zero's changed, and I didn't think that was possible." She dared to take a step closer to One. "We were all supposed to die, but we're still here, that means something, One!"
"Yes, by pure happenstance we all managed to avoid the death traps you've laid out."
"Of course, I'm deeply ashamed of what I did, but I can't take any of that back, I can only move forward. We're all here now and we're all alive because of him—let's not waste this second chance we've been given!" When One still appeared to be reluctant, she tried once more, pouring her heart out to her. "Please One...you say this world's been damned, but that's not true at all. You can create a better Midgard, no, a better world, one where horrible people like me won't ever get a chance to ruin it, you just have to believe in that possibility!"
"That... would be for the best," One admitted. "...Still, if and that's a big IF, I'm to buy whatever this mouse is talking about, we still can't just sit here and wait for him to arrive. Riku has to be stopped from unlocking the doors of Mercurius Gate as soon as possible. He has Five, and I'm almost positive he'll be heading to Two next, that's where we'll find and detain him until the mouse can get to Midgard."
"How? A freed bird would not return to the cage it's escaped," Three said.
"I'll figure something out. It'll be a risky bid regardless since only one of us has powers, but we cannot let that deter us." One faced the black root. "As for the Flower, hopefully, with the mouse and Riku's 'light', we can use that to defeat this new incarnation of the Flower, just as we did before."
"And what about Zero? Do you think she'll come after us?" Four asked.
"I wouldn't know, and I rather not wait to find out the answer."
"...So you guys are heading to the Land of Sands, right?" Rosa asked.
"Yes. We'll spend the rest of the day recuperating and gathering our bearings, then first thing tomorrow, we'll be setting off to the Land of Sands. I imagine you won't be accompanying us on this venture?"
"Uh no, I'm sorry, but all this talk about the world ending and stuff's got me spooked. If these truly are our last days on Midgard, I rather spend the rest of my time with my family. Especially now since the whole village's been destroyed, if we don't find somewhere to relocate soon, it's only a matter of time before those demons pick us off."
"Understood. It would do you good to get as far away from this root as possible...if there's anything I can do to assist you-"
"No-no, you've done plenty, seriously, and it sounds like you're already booked so I wouldn't want to pile on top of it."
"It's my duty to serve the people of Midgard."
She rubbed the back of her head. "Just...don't let the world end or anything, if you can help it. That's all I can ask for."
"Then I suppose this is goodbye for now, Rosa?" Octa said.
"Yeah...I guess it is. Feels weird to say goodbye so abruptly after everything we've been through, but thank you guys!"
"Thank...you?" Three asked.
"Yes. Thank you for well...everything! You totally revamped the elven resistance and turned it into a formidable force against Four. Without you, we would've never made it this far."
"Ho ho ho, that was all Lady Three if I'm not mistaken. Although she was primarily driven by her love for dolls, she truly threw herself into her role as commander," Octa said.
"Three's always been interested in military science, so I'm glad she was able to channel it into something constructive," One chimed in.
"It honestly took me by surprise, we all just kind of assumed Three was this mysterious recluse, come to find she was this super obsessive nerd. Definitely helped us out in a pinch though," Rosa said.
Three crossed her arms, her cheeks burning.
"Oh? Do my eyes deceive me, are you actually getting embarrassed?" Grinning, Rosa playfully poked at Three's cheek. "So you are capable of more than like two emotions, hmmm?"
"...Stop pestering me." Three put her helmet over her head, then left in a hurry.
"Aw, well there she goes! I should get going too, I've been worried sick about my siblings. So good luck, yeah?"
"Ahem- one more thing before you depart Rosa," Octa said.
"Hm? What's up?"
"Nah, I'd actually keep walking if I were you," Dito said.
"My, my, how presumptuous! I was simply going to ask Rosa if she'd like to wet the old grindstone, or rather make the beast with two backs as one would say!"
"Presumptuous my ass! I read you like a friggin' book!"
Rosa's face recoiled in disgust. "Ew, no! Are you crazy?! W- Wait, actually, don't answer that."
"Ah but it would be quite the parting gift, would it not? And if Three were to join, well then we'd have a fine threesome! Ho ho ho!"
"Oh I think I know this game! If Four were to join, then that would be a foursome, right? And Five would make it a fivesome," Cent said.
"Cent, dude...please tell me you're talking about the actual number of people and not the Intoners," Dito said.
"I rather not be the subject of this conversation at all," Four groaned.
"...I'm starting to think the world really is doomed," Rosa said, shaking her head.
"Rest assured Rosa, neither you nor your people should feel the need to count your days. We will save Midgard from its destruction, that I'm sure of," One said.
—
Land of Sands
-Two's Shrine-
"Ugh...where am I?" Five woke up to the blistering hot climate of the Land of Sands, not only that, but she was being carried over the shoulder by Riku. "Riku...what...what happened?"
"You're up." Riku threw Five off his shoulder and dumped her on the sand. "We've arrived."
Five lifted her head up and saw they were in the shadow cast by Two's enormous shrine. "...Arrived? What the- why?" She sat up, then rubbed her head. "I could've sworn we were on Four's airship...I feel like I missed out on a lot."
"I'm going to seal the Flower inside of her and reclaim what is rightfully mine. I've already sealed yours so-"
"Wait you what?!" Five patted her chest down, relieved to find her boobs had not decreased in size. "Oh thank GOD! Still- you could've at least given me a heads up or something, I thought we at least had that basic level of trust but-"
She had to stop mid-sentence because Riku broke away from her to head towards the door. "Um RUDE! Don't just walk away from me!"
Two sentry guards held their spears in front of the door. "You must be Lady Five's retainer. Apologies, but we're not allowing any outsiders to visit Lady Two's shrine at this time."
Five ran up to Riku. "Hah hah- I'll deal with you later- more importantly, why isn't Two allowing any visitors? Not even her own sisters?"
"Especially not her own sisters. Four attacked our lady some time ago so we've bolstered our security ten-fold and barred entry to any outsiders."
"...Then you leave me no other choice." Riku summoned his keyblade, then cut down the sentry guards in an instant. "You will not impede the Flower's forthcoming."
"Riku...are you okay? This isn't-" Once again, Riku walked away from Five without any further explanation, forcing her to catch up with him.
"Ugh, seriously! You have got to stop doing that. I mean, where are your manners, you used to be such a gentleman!" She crossed her arms, then thought for a moment. "...Wait, no, I see what's happening here. The kidnapping, you being so rough and demanding...this is because you're trying to seduce me aren't you?!"
"..."
"Oh Riku, if you wanted to get a taste of me you only had to-"
"I have no interest in indulging in your fantasies. I must re-claim the rest of the second Intoner's power so that I can serve the Flower and aid in the destruction of this world."
"Erm...run that by me again."
"The Flower will cleanse this world of all its impurities by wiping it away from existence and then it will simply move onto the next, and the next, until all is gone."
"That ...doesn't sound seductive."
They heard the steady sound of soldiers' footsteps drumming throughout the main hall until they were surrounded on all sides. "—Halt! Lady Five, we must respectfully ask that you and your retainer remove yourselves from the premise! Lady Two is disallowing any visitors for the time being, so please leave at once for the sake of our lady!"
"You're in the way," Was all Riku said before charging at them.
There were about 70 soldiers in the main hall and Five watched Riku single-handedly devastate every last one of them. He cast magic as ferocious as a dragon's fire and struck as cold as an assassin—a sharp departure from the restraint Riku usually showed when fighting against soldiers. He fought—and killed—more like Zero. 'He's completely gone off the deep end. One warned us about something like this happening to us if we weren't careful but she never told us how to stop it. What to do? What to do? Come on, think Five with your huge, sexy brain.' Five was too busy in her head to notice the main hall was becoming increasingly dangerous due to the battle raging on. Chunks of stone from the ceiling and tall columns were raining down throughout the main hall, and she herself happened to be standing right beside a column that was ready to collapse on top of her.
"—Five!"
Right before she could be crushed by her own obliviousness, Riku swooped down and pushed her out of the way of the falling debris. It was but a brief moment of confusion that flickered across Riku's face, before he immediately tried to conceal it, but that was all Five needed to give her hope.
'Five, you sly fox, you did it again! I don't know why my sisters think I'm not smart, I just came up with such a big-brained plan. Riku, don't worry, I'm going to- wait where is he anyways?' Five realized Riku was heading toward the opening leading to Two's inner chambers and so she followed after him. That was, up until the point where he jumped down into the wide gaping hole that was at least a 30ft drop down the bottom. "Ugh, no way I'm dropping down that height! I'll just take the stairs."
After landing harshly on the bottom platform, Riku looked up to see Two sitting on a lofty altar above him. "Intoner, relinquish your power to me and return it to-"
*click-clack
Five's voice echoed from the upper level as she made her way down the staircase. "—Oh don't mind me~ continue with your big, fancy speech! Pretend like I'm not even here!"
"...Return it to-"
*CLICK-clack
"What's rightfully-"
*click-CLACK
"—Ugh, these steps are horrendously small! It's so easy to-"
*THUD-THUD-THUD
"...owwwwwww..."
Riku let out a long sigh before continuing. "Intoner, I'll repeat myself once more. Relinquish your power and return it to me. It is what's rightfully mine."
Two slowly lifted her head from her resting on her chest. "Is that...what you're here for?"
Hearing Two speak, a voice she thought she'd never hear again, made Five jump up from where she was pathetically lying on the ground and run to the center of Two's inner chamber. "T-Two! You spoke just now!"
"...Five..." Two craned her neck to meet with Five. "Your face...did I startle you?"
"O-Of course you did! We all thought you were never coming back!"
"I think I was asleep...or maybe I lost my mind. I'm not really sure..."
"So how or-or maybe why did you, you know... wake up?"
"It was when Four came and attacked me...I ...I know this will sound strange of me to say, but I felt all of her pain in that moment...like a cry for help. I think I wanted to save her from herself, and that gave me the strength to 'wake up' again. That's when I asked Cent to write all those letters to you guys."
"Four's been... deeply troubled to say the least, but I believe she's in a much better place now."
"Really? That's such a relief to hear...I can finally rest now."
"Rest? Surely you've gotten more than your fair share of beauty sleep by now."
"No, not like that Five...I meant...um..." Her eyes shifted downward. "I want to ask for a small favor. Just this one time."
"Of course, anything for you Two."
"Please...before you leave my chamber...please just end my life." She begged.
"I'm sorry- this is the favor?! How could you ask me for something so horrible like that?!"
"Because of this power...!" She exclaimed. "I can't live with myself for as long as I have it. Not for another second. So please just kill me! I'm still in a weakened state, it shouldn't be too hard to accomplish."
Riku stepped forward. "Worry not Intoner. You will no longer be burdened by the heavy toll the Flower bears upon you."
"Thank you...truly."
"No, Riku don't you dare! I just found out my dear older sister is back, and you would kill her right in front of me?!" Five screamed.
"Five...I know this isn't fair to you, but I don't want anyone to be hurt by my power anymore. I love you Five, I do, and I'm so, so happy I got to see you again this one last time! It means the world to me."
Five shook her head in denial. "You liar! If I meant so much to you, you wouldn't want to die and leave me like this! If you're so hung up about your powers, mine apparently got sealed away 30 minutes ago and I'm perfectly fine! We can figure something out together! So don't you even think about dying on me, Two!"
"Wh...What? What are you talking about?"
"She's talking about me." Suddenly Riku was right behind Two, standing on top of her altar. "Fall into a deep sleep. When you awake, you will no longer be an Intoner."
Today's events reminded me of a quote I once heard before:
"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories"
I often pondered its meaning, but now I understand it clearly now.
And hopefully...they will too.
Flowers for the Dead
A/N: First off, big thanks to everyone who read and reviewed Flowers in Oblivion! And big thank you to everyone's who stayed with me these last 3 years, I'm looking forward to finishing up this long-ass story in these last few chapters!
Land of Forests
-Unknown-
Pete was lounging about in the secret lair, thankful he had nothing to do for once since Brother One was taking up that role. It would be a time for him to relax, but Maleficent's faerie subjects made it nigh impossible for that to happen.
Typically, the faeries treated Pete with relentless cruelty, but there was one particular faerie that was an oddball, to say the least, and came buzzing around Pete's ears with an earful to say, "Hey, how big's that hole, boy, so I can slide right in~"
"Oh for the love of- scram!" Pete took out a spray bottle and spritzed it at the faerie. "Go on- shoo shoo! Lousy good for nuthin'...oooh that's it! I can't take another dang second here! I've been in this dirty-stinkin'-crummy world all for some power she ain't ever gonna get at this rate!"
"-Gasp! How dare you, a filthy, disgusting fat monkey, defy our Queen? You should be thankful her highness took pity on you!" One of the faeries said.
"Agreed. Mangy mutts like you ought to be euthanized," Another added.
He sprayed down both of those faerie too. "Shut yer trap! I'm just sayin' what we're all thinkin', see?"
"-And what are we all thinking, Pete, pray tell?"
"That this whole-" Pete slapped his hands over his mouth when he realized it was Maleficent who asked that question. "Err- uhhh...forget I said anything."
"No, you were bold enough to speak out of turn in the first place. I implore you to finish that thought."
"-He defies your authority and dares suggest a flaw in your way of thinking!"
Pete shook his fist at the faeries. "Those gnats are lyin' on me Maleficent! See, all I was sayin' was that maybe, just maybe, we should try our luck someplace else. Those two girlies were our best bet, but they lost their marbles and jumped ship. And to make matters worse, it's almost been a month, so if the timeline's gonna reset and junk, then we're gonna be right back in the exact same situation we were in last time."
"For once, you are not...entirely wrong."
"Now I know what yer gonna say- but- w-wait, I'm not wrong?! Am I hearin' you right or do I got somethin' in my ears?"
"You heard correctly. I suggest you relish in this moment because it will rarely, if ever, happen again." Maleficent sauntered around Pete. "I received word back from Diablo that not only has my most prized pupil become incapacitated, but that Riku has been acting independently. It is as I expected. The Flower has a mind of its own and won't allow itself to be subjugated so easily. It was a fool's errand to entrust those imbeciles to carry out my wishes, therefore I, alone, will harvest the fruits of my labor and tame the Flower dwelling inside Riku myself."
"Yeah-yeah, and by alone you mean-"
"Why, with you doing the heavy lifting, naturally."
"Of course..." He muttered.
"Hm. That is why you are my most faithful henchman, Pete. The denizens of this world are disturbed and sick in the head, they need me to rule over them, just as these faeries have."
"Alright, so first we gotta find where that keyblade bozo is right? How you figurin' we do that?"
"Oh, we don't need to...because he'll be the one finding us."
