"Yes...finally...finally! Ultimate ...power ...awaits..." Maleficent muttered on the ground.
"Power?! You just damned us all!" Gabriella yelled.
If not for your combined efforts,
I would be nothing more than a mere thought.
Now, I am alive, forevermore.
Reborn from the darkness your world gifted me.
The ground beneath their feet fractured like a shattered pane of glass, then a black stem rose from the ground. At first, the Flower wasn't yet in full bloom, its bud was like a crown, lying dormant on top of the stem. However, as it siphoned more of its power back from Riku, Zero, and Three, its petals slowly began to unravel.
I became what you would call this world's "heart" by using my very own core.
Soon, I will become consumed by the darkness once more,
And Midgard will fall along with me.
"What sense does that make?! Why go through all of this just to destroy yourself in the process?!" One demanded.
The darkness is not the end, it is only the beginning.
"You will do no such thing...power like that... belongs to ME!" Maleficent was in denial that the Flower had her in check and so she made a gambit to re-claim the pawns she had lost, stubbornly dragging herself across the ground. But before she could even reach the court of the demonic entity, she got impaled by one of its roots.
This caused Pete to run over to Maleficent and scoop her helpless body up into his arms. "MALEFICENT!"
The Flower was brimming with such evil that not even a sorceress as powerful as Maleficent could contain it. An evil like that was something that had to be destroyed, banished from existence entirely. To make matters worse, as it continued to grow, it summoned Armsiael along with a legion of heartless to further defend itself.
One set her sights on the Flower with unwavering resolve, now that the world was hanging on by a thread, she was determined to drag that demon back to whatever depths of hell it crawled out from. "Gabriella, Mikhail, we'll take on Three's angel. Two, watch after Four. The rest of you, assist these two outsiders in any way that you can—we won't let the world end!"
Five, Octa, and Cent joined Aqua and Mickey's side.
"How can we help?!" Five asked.
"If you can cover Mickey, then I can try freeing our friends!" Aqua said.
"Okay, leave it to us!"
With everyone working together to defeat the horde of enemies the Black Flower threw at them, Aqua was given a window of opportunity to rescue Riku, Zero, and Three. She scaled the stem of the Flower, then when she reached them, slashed the tendrils holding them captive with all her might. However, it was no use, none of her magic fared any better either and she had no choice but to descend back to the ground while the Flower continued to grow.
One watched Aqua's failed attempt at freeing the Flower's captives and decided to switch initiatives. "—Mikhail! Gabriella and I can handle Armisael, I need you to try attacking the Flower instead. You might be the only one who can effectively damage it."
"You got it!" Mikhail flew up to the Flower and while he was able to get a few attacks, it started re-positioning Riku, Zero, and Three, using them as shields. "Wh-What do I do now?! I can't hurt it any more or I'll be hurting my friends too!"
With the situation growing dire by the second, One had to weigh her options. 'What now? It's not like I can ask Mikhail to kill them in cold blood, so perhaps...I should consider killing them for the sake of the world.' She shook her head. 'No, what am I thinking? How awful for me to even have such thoughts. It must be the despair getting to me. There has to be a better way than through senseless violence.'
Though One couldn't escape the fact that she was despairing. Her logical, no-nonsense mind was hardwired to only accept practical, sound solutions as a way forward. Hope was as foreign a concept to her as compassion was for Zero, but time and time again, when everything else had collapsed around her, hope was the one thing that had always persisted.
And so One cast away all her doubts and fears and hoped that something would come to light. By some miracle, something did come to aid them in their darkest hour, but in the worst way possible.
Her own brother, someone who she thought she'd never see again, came out from the darkness and with his dragonbone sword, slashed through tendrils holding Zero, Riku, and Three. It was, however, at the cost of him being taken hostage by the Flower.
The last One saw of her brother was his smile before his body merged into the Flower.
"BROTHER!" She screamed.
And yet despite his sacrifice, the Flower continued to expand, and thousands of thorny protrusions emerged from the stem. The Flower grew to be so massive that it was as if they were standing underneath the midnight sky, defying the light from the sun. Hundreds of hearts were feeding into the Flower as the heartless began to feast, then everything started going black; the skies, the land, the seas; the entirety of Midgard was sinking into eternal darkness.
Meanwhile, the Flower absorbed so much of their power that Riku lost his Intoner abilities altogether, while Zero and Three had just enough to keep them alive, but couldn't expend any more power beyond themselves. This resulted in Zero losing the Flower in her eye and the disciples reverting back into birds.
"We were too late... This world is lost," Mickey said, grimly.
Riku slowly shook his head. "No...no...of course..." He staggered backward. "...After everything...all I can do is repeat the same mistakes ..."
"So...what's gonna happen to us now?" Two asked.
"For now, we'll have to leave. What happens next will be...difficult to accept. Everything you once knew about the world will be challenged, but we won't leave you here to perish in the darkness," Aqua said.
"I'm sure you guys have lots of questions already, we'll explain everything to ya once we get somewhere safer!" Mickey said.
"No...I can't let this happen again." Riku broke away from them and ran back toward the darkness that dwelled within the gate.
"Riku!" Mickey was about to go after him, but Zero had beat him to it, anticipating his reaction.
"What're you doing?!" Zero yelled.
"I- I have to stop the Flower-"
"Riku, for once just listen to me! There's nothing more we can do, so come back with me, we'll figure something out!"
He stopped, then turned back to her. "You don't understand...I hurt you so many times...all of you. And now your home's gone because of me. I have to make things right, or...I can't live with myself. I can't face you and Mikhail knowing that I'm the reason why you lost everything."
"I haven't lost everything just yet!"
"But don't you see the darkness around you?!"
"I'm talking about you, idiot!"
As roots were shooting out of the ground, closing in around them, Zero reached out and grabbed Riku's hand. "Now come on- let's get out of here!"
What happened next felt like time had slowed down to a crawl, even though it only took a matter of seconds. All the roots that had been growing created another wall of separation between them. They heard One shout from the other side, then the roots were soon engulfed in flames. If only they had more time, they would've been reunited with their friends, if only Riku hadn't run away if only the gate was never opened if only-if only-if only, but this was their reality. A tidal wave of heartless came rushing toward them, sweeping Riku and Zero into the darkness, just as the roots finally burnt down.
"ZEROOOO! RIKUUUU!" Mikhail screamed.
.
.
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Update
At its current state, it's dangerous to keep Branch C open due to the worst-case scenario of the Flower escaping the confines of its world and posing an unacceptable amount of risk to the integrity of other worlds in this universe.
Most would recommend it get sealed off, however, I believe it's still worth recording. As recorders, we bare witness to an infinite number of singularities with an infinite number of timelines, but this timeline and this version of them in particular, I have something like faith I guess you could say. Perhaps that's misguided, but if this timeline should prove to be unsalvageable then I will personally terminate this Branch.
Since this is an unprecedented situation, I've elected to do things a little ...unorthodox. Please note the request I've sent detailing my involvement in timeline EID_M3211.
.
.
.
"They're...they're gone! What happened to them?!" Aqua yelled.
Mickey raised his Keyblade, there were countless heartless, and their numbers were growing by the second. He could wipe them all out and run into the darkness for Riku and Zero, but with Midgard falling apart by the seams and at least one person in critical health, as king, he had to prioritize saving as many people as he could rather than run a fool's errand. 'Riku, you won't have to wait long, we'll find you again. I promise.' "Aqua, we'll just have to trust that they will be okay. Riku's a Keyblade Master, if anyone can brave the darkness, it's him."
Aqua stared longingly into the void. "...you're right. That would be the best course of action."
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Land of Seas
-Formouth-
Sister Alice was in Five's old bedroom, finally getting around to packing away her stuff and tidying up the space. Underneath the bed, she found yet another sex toy that Alice discarded into a growing collection. 'That was the 32nd one I found yet...oh Five, you were certainly a slave to your desires, but I do hope you return soon. I've heard about all the good things you've done in Crestholm, I'll whip you up the most delicious meal so you won't be inclined to do so yourself!'
knock-knock
"Come in, just please watch your step!"
Mother Weiss, the head nun of the convent, burst into the bedroom.
"Hm, Mother Weiss? What's wrong?! Did- Did Sister Aerith finally awake?!"
"No, I'm afraid not, I have much worse news! Everyone is being turned into demons one by one, we must evacu-" A shadow came up from behind her and stole her heart away mid-sentence, turning her into a heartless right before Alice's eyes.
Land of Mountains
-Lindblum-
At a popular tavern in Lindblum, two patrons were chatting at the bar over drinks.
"So there I was at the frontlines, up to my neck in those demons, and all I had to fight with was my trust dagger-" Zidane pulled out a dagger from his person, then twirled it around in his hand to show it off. "Ah, but they don't call me Zidane the quick for nothing! I gave those demons a one and a two and then a fwooosh! Hiyaaaa! And then they all died just like that! Pretty awesome, right?"
The girl across from him, Garnet, smiled back at him. "I'll admit, standing up against those demons is quite impressive. We could definitely use more strength like that in this country..." She drew an anxious finger around the rim of her glass. "...It feels like I hear about another village getting destroyed each day. I'm worried that something might happen to Lindblum too before long."
He thumped his chest. "Bah, don't even worry about that! Me and the guys'll stomp out every last one of those freaks before they even reach the gate!"
"I suppose protection from 'Zidane the quick' puts me a little bit at ease...still..." She stared down into her drink. "I just wonder when this will all be over, living in fear like this I mean. Lady Four promised she'd see to the eradication of those demons, but she hasn't returned since the war."
"Oh yeah, rumor has it that Lady Four's been captured by Three and the elves a while back and they've been taking her airship 'round on a joyride. Doubt we'll be seeing her anytime soon."
"How awful..."
"Right, but I'm pretty sure Lady Four's gonna figure something out soon, knowing her. So let's just sit back, relax, and I'll treat you to another drink. What do you say?"
Before she could open her mouth, blood-curdling screams echoed into the tavern. Next thing they knew, heartless flooded inside, devouring hearts one by one.
Land of Forests
-Damcyan-
Due to Rosa's involvement in the war and her ties with Three, she was seen as the de facto leader of the elves. So after Elfheim was destroyed, everyone was looking to her on where to go next. Luckily, Rosa already had an idea in mind and led the village to Damcyan.
In turn for refuge in Damcyan, she promised to help rebuild their village and provide security. This arrangement proved to be beneficial for both parties, although it left Rosa quite busy on most days; coordinating supplies, maintaining diplomacy, and whatnot, all while taking care of her family. Regardless of the workload, she enjoyed the responsibility because it gave her a renewed sense of purpose and agency in her own life, rare in a world where gods walked freely among them.
Today started off as a relatively normal day for Rosa, she was once again tasked with keeping track of shipment supplies, but out of the blue, she ran into someone from her past.
"-Rosie! Rosie, is that you, lass?"
Rosa nearly dropped the crate she was holding when she saw Cecil running up to her.
"Ah...it is you! Hardly recognized you with all that armor you're wearing! Guess I should fancy calling you 'General Rosa' from now on, eh?"
"Oh no, I like Rosie just fine."
"But it doesn't seem befitting of your status to call you by a mere nickname."
"Please, enough already. I may be a leader now, but I'm still the same old Rosa, and I'm happy to see that you've returned safe and sound from your post. How was it, by the way? Servicing the Land of Sands."
"To be honest, it was rather boring. I only wish I could've been on the front lines, but I've heard all the rumors about you fighting alongside Lady Three and some type of... exorcist was it? The tales of how you all fell a demon the size of a titan and ended Four's tyranny have been spreading 'round like wildfire."
"I wouldn't say I was 'fighting alongside' them perse, more like I was there for... emotional support."
"It was like that now?" He moved closer to her. "Then perhaps sometime you can tell me all the adventures you've had over lunch and you can set the record straight yourself. If you would be so inclined to spend the afternoon with me."
"YES! Yes, of course! That sounds awes- I mean, ahem- that sounds very ... pleasant. I look forward to our...future... endeavor." But her cheeks were already flushing, which made Cecil laugh.
"Right, ha-ha, I suppose you're definitely still the same Rosie underneath it all!"
"See? Told you so." Rosa smiled at her old friend, but it quickly faded away when she noticed the Black Flower extending into the sky. It blotted out the sun, casting the village and the rest of the land into a darkness unlike any they'd ever known before.
As the village dissented into chaos, Rosa's dear siblings came running up to her with tears in their eyes. "Big sis! Big sis!"
"Porom, Palom!" She caught them both in her arms, then picked them up. "Don't cry, it's okay-it's okay. Your sister will protect you...somehow."
Land of Sands
-Besaid-
"And that'll be 50 G for a pound of rice, ma'am!"
"Thank you." Yuna exchanged her gold for the rice, then went about her way through the bazaar, accompanied by her friend Rikku.
"Geez, is it just me or are there more soldiers than people in Besaid lately?" Rikku commented.
"You haven't heard? Lady Two was kidnapped by a mercenary wielding a key-shaped sword. He nearly wiped out her personal guard, so the army's really been on edge as of late."
"Oh my gosh, seriously?! Poor girl can't catch a break, huh? She just woke up out of her coma, and now this, what would anyone even want with her?!"
"Apparently the mercenary was hired by Four, but I can't wrap my head around it either. You think as sisters they would want to take care of each other, right? I know I would."
Rikku shrugged. "Beats me. The Intoners are, like, the weirdest group of sisters. Four's probably just acting out in a fit of jealousy or something, but it's 10 times worse because they have the power to kill everyone."
"Do you think it's possible Four's in league with Zero?"
"Eh, who knows, but I wouldn't be surprised. Hopefully, she doesn't make her way to the Land of Sands anytime soon."
"It'll be a field day for the mercs and bounty hunters if she does."
"Pshttt, what do a bunch of crooks have on an Intoner?"
"Those pirates were able to capture Zero a few weeks ago so it's not entirely impossible..." Yuna trailed off.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Rikku looked up to the sky to figure out what Yuna was looking at and there she saw the Black Flower. "Wh- What is that thing?!"
"I'm not sure, but something tells me we have to leave immediately!"
As Yuna and Rikku were leaving Besaid to return to Djose, however, they soon found themselves surrounded by
A/N I: First off, thank you all for checking out the April Fool's chapter. It's just the King's Game from P4, but I changed the name for fun.
ScruffinMcguffin: :)
Centurious the Azure: Oh word? I love Aqua, but my favorite KH girl is 100% Xion. I haven't got to write a story for her in years though. Yeah the darkness, but mainly because he wasn't killed by a dragon the same way Five was so I think anything goes bar that exception.
Riku and Three would probably be interesting in like a slow-burn, Three opening up to him type of way. Personally, if I had to seriously ship Three with someone, it'd be like Roxas, or Xion they would have the best chemistry with her I think.
So yeah as to why Two wasn't going gaga for Cent after they escaped the shrine, it's because Two had already woken up and reunited with Cent long before they rescued her. So she's prioritizing her sisters rn since she hasn't seen them in like a year.
Anon: That's right, One did use part of rib, that slipped my mind completely. Yeah Dito's so awful, but he compliments Five's personality who's awful in a different kind of way. As for Two's eyes getting gouged out, it seems like there's some confusion so I'll clear things up.
Basically, Four's eyes turned yellow from getting corrupted by the darkness, so she gouged out Two's eyes and took them for her own. This is why she has blue eyes starting off from Branch B. Sorry if that wasn't clear, a lot of it happened 'off-screen' bc it was unnecessarily padding out the story.
Thanks for catching that mistake, not sure if I said that already.
Intoners playing Uno def sounds fun, even though it would 100% end up in a fight breaking out. Yeahh Yoko Taro meets Disney meets Square Enix all in one place.
Keybladelight: You'll see Terra and Ven later on in the chapter, lol Five would need parental guidance if she was around the other guardians of light.
"End of the World II"
Realm of Darkness
-Depths of Darkness-
"I think that should be everyone!" Mickey closed the dark portal, then turned back to the others. "How are you guys holding up?"
"Hell, I'm still in one piece..." Gabriella looked around. "How'd you all get so big though...and, where's Mikhail?"
A small boy with white hair and rose-colored eyes was wildly waving his arms around to Gabriella, who she didn't immediately recognize. "Huh? Where the hell did this brat come from?!"
"I'm not a brat, it's me Gabby! You look weird too!"
"Wait, if you look like...that... then am I..." Gabriella took one look at her 'hands', then fainted on the spot.
"So how did Gabriella and Mikhail become humans?" One asked.
"Sorry, I had to use some of my magic to change their appearance so they would have an easier time moving around in our world. Don't worry, it's only temporary, it'll wear off as soon as we return to your guys' world again," Mickey reassured.
"Oh...so THAT'S what happened to Cent and Octa! That's a relief, 'cause I was totally freaking out when Cent turned into a bird!" Two kept the bird that Cent became, and he remained perched on her shoulder. "Hm, Three, I don't see Octa's bird anywhere."
"He flew away."
"Well, either way, this is some weird magic, that's for sure."
"Hm? It wasn't my magic that did that," Mickey said.
"Wh-What? Then..then why is he like this?!"
"Because that's his original form," One said, matter-of-factly.
"Um- you could've told us this before One!" Five said.
"I thought all of you were aware. A disciple's human form cannot be maintained without the Power of Song."
"...S...So ...this dove is ...everything I have left of him?"
"Yes. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
"Hmm...well maybe I can use some of my magic to turn him back into a human?" Mickey suggested.
"It...would only be temporary though, right? Until we get back to Midgard."
"I wish I could do more, but I can't go around breakin' the rules of your world either or that may lead to even more consequences."
"That's fine...at least that gives me time to say goodbye."
Mickey used his magic to morph the dove back into the man Two knew and loved. However, even though Cent looked the part, handsome and dashing as ever, there was something deeply wrong with him.
When Two held Cent's hands and stared into his eyes, she saw nothing in them. Not his love, his warmth, or his charm, which always brightened her day. Nothing at all. "Cent?" She tried to squeeze his hands, hoping he was in a daze, but they slipped away from her grasp. "CENT! Please, talk to me! Please!"
"It looks like he's human only in appearance. Without the Power of Song, he can't be much more than that it seems," One said.
Two looked and sounded like she was on the verge of bursting out into tears and One's bluntness wasn't helping, so Five wrapped her hand around Two's and gave it a tight, reassuring squeeze. "You'll be alright, maybe he's just like...broken right now?"
"...In any case, I have to ask, where are we in the first place?" One asked.
"Right, we do owe you guys an explanation for everything that's happened, that's the least we can do for ya," Mickey said.
"Mickey, I think we should take this conversation elsewhere...at least somewhere less dangerous. Gabriella is unconscious-" Aqua gestured to Four. "And Four is in need of medical attention."
"Good thinking, Aqua! We'll head to Traverse Town and explain everything there."
Just then, Terra and Ventus finally caught up to them at the Depths of Darkness.
Aqua smiled, relieved to see them. "Terra, Ven!"
"Hey, sorry we were late! That lady from before had to step in and help us out again," Ventus said.
"It looks like you need a few extra hands," Terra said.
"Yes, please. The girl in green is badly injured while the older woman lost consciousness," Aqua explained.
"Got it. I'll carry both of them."
"Then let's depart."
Traverse Town
-First District-
Traverse Town was a welcoming, cozy little world, even though it was cast into eternal nightfall, it was always 'bright'. The moon and the stars lit up the sky and the streets glowed under the warm light from the shop windows and street lamps. A far cry from the seedy, rat-infested streets the sisters were so used to.
"Excuse me, mouse, where are you taking us anyway?" One asked as they turned around a corner.
"You'll see!" Mickey led them down to the residential area where he stopped at a large house at the end of the block. "And here we are! This is where you guys'll be stayin' until we get things sorted out for you guys. Feel free to make yourselves at home!"
The inside of the house was nothing particularly special, it had a standard floor plan with the first floor divided between the kitchen and living room while upstairs were the bedrooms and bathrooms. It had the usual furnishings; a fireplace, fridge, couch, dining table, and bookcase, but to a bunch of people from a medieval-era society, it was like walking into a world within a world.
While the girls explored their fascinating new environment, Terra dropped Gabriella off inside the guest room, then left to take Four to the clinic.
Mickey also went to the door. "I'll be back, I'm going to get you guys some food and supplies!"
"That's fine." Aqua closed the door behind Mickey, then did a mental headcount of everyone. "Just to make sure I have everyone's names down, we have One, Two, Three, Five, and Mikhail. Four's in the clinic and Gabriella's upstairs. That should be everyone here, correct?"
One nodded.
"I know all of you want answers right now, and I'm more than happy to share with you everything that I know about this world." Aqua went to the dining table, then took a seat, all eyes were on her, full of anticipation. "...I'm going to put this as delicately as I can, but everything you once knew—your home, your way of life—no longer exists, it's lost to the darkness."
"Geez Aqua, how was that delicate?!" Ventus said.
"I-I'm sorry, I suppose I was being a little heavy-handed. Maybe I'm not the best at explaining these types of things."
"No, I appreciate your bluntness, better we receive the truth than live in denial," One said. "So...when you say our 'world' no longer exists, that seems to imply that there are many others?"
"Yes, as many as there are stars in the sky."
"That must have been what the Flower was referring to earlier."
"Wait, I'm not sure I really get it so... there's like a ton of Midgards out there just like ours?" Two asked.
"Not necessarily. Each world in our sky is different, some may indeed resemble Midgard, but others are unlike anything you've ever seen before."
"Yeah, like a world full of talking toys or scary monsters!" Ventus added.
"And a world filled with hot, sexy men?!" Five asked.
"Uh, I mean, probably?"
"I take not many people are privy to this information?" One asked.
"That's an astute observation and you're correct. We, as keyblade wielders, are strongly advised not to reveal the existence of other worlds. As you can imagine, information like that is dangerous in the wrong hands," Aqua said.
"I completely understand. The Flower should never be allowed free range to terrorize other worlds."
"Absolutely...you know, you are all taking this surprisingly well, all things considered."
"That's likely because it still hasn't sunken in yet."
"But this can only be a good thing though, right? It's like... thinking you were just sleeping with one person your entire life, only to find out you were in a gigantic orgy the whole time! The possibilities are endless!" Five said.
Aqua's eyebrows knitted together. "Oh, that's not-"
"Wait, Aqua, what's an...'orgy'?" Ventus asked.
"I-I don't know."
"Yes you do, your face's getting all red!"
"It must be because of the fireplace." Aqua let out a nervous cough, then cleared her throat. "A- Anyway, I'm sure you're all wondering about the world we're in right now. We're in a place called Traverse Town, it's a unique world in that it consists of the remnants of worlds that have been lost to darkness. Since Midgard recently fell, it won't be long before you see an influx of people arriving who also managed to survive the heartless."
"That's a relief, so not everyone is gone," One said.
"No, and neither is your world."
"You mean there's a way to save it?"
"Of course. Many worlds that have fallen into darkness were also able to be brought back into the light."
"How so?"
"To be honest...I'm not entirely confident about what I know, so you'll have to ask Mickey. He's the expert when it comes to bringing back worlds. But if you have any other questions, please, feel free to ask any of us and we'll be happy to help."
"S- So ...are Zero and Riku gonna be okay? I really, really, really miss them," Mikhail said, his voice trembling.
"Aw, it's okay, little guy!" Ventus went over to Mikhail, who was sitting on the couch, then bent down to his level. "Riku's super strong, there's no darkness he can't overcome! And as long as Zero's with Riku, she'll be safe too! You got nothing to worry about, promise!"
"Ven is right, there's no doubt in my mind that they're okay," Aqua said.
He sniffled. "O-okay..."
"Hey, I know what'll turn that frown upside down! You used to be a dragon, right? How cool is that! You gotta show me all your sick dragon moves!" Ventus grinned with an infectious smile that lit Mikhail's face up.
"Okay!" He puffed out his chest. "-So first I spit out a bunch of fireballs like wooooooosh!"
"Nice, Mik! I bet you got all the bad guys running like babies!"
"Ha ha of course I do! How'd you guess?! Let me show you what else I do!" Mikhail climbed on top of the sofa, then stretched his arms out. "I flap my wings and I fly suuuuuper high up in the air!"
"Mikhail, get off the furniture!" One snapped.
"But whyyyy? I wanna show Ven all my cool dragon moves!" He pouted.
"You'll hurt yourself," Aqua said.
"No, I won't! Watch this!" Mikhail jumped off the sofa, but Ventus caught him mid-air and carried him around the living room so he could fly for real. Soon, Five wanted to join in on the fun to play the role of one of Mikhail's bad guys, and was even able to drag Two along into the game so she wouldn't mope around in the corner with Cent. Though, she had little success with Three, and One flat-out declined the offer.
While the others were playing around and being silly, One realized that Three hadn't said more than few words from the time Midgard fell to the darkness to now. "By the by, Three, you've been unusually quiet. I thought you of all people would have more to say."
Three, who had been hanging upside down on the sofa, flipped herself right side up, then sat back straight on the couch. "Oh, that's right..." she pulled out Riku's dead gummiphone. "I need a charger."
"I have one you can borrow," Aqua offered. "But if you don't mind me asking, how were you able to get a gummiphone in the first place?"
"Riku...uh...trusted it to me."
"Did he now? Gummiphones contain sensitive information about the world, it doesn't seem like him to be so irresponsible. Not that I blame you in any way, this is just ...unexpected of him, that's all."
"To be fair, he was coerced into giving away that device," One said. "And I'm sure he had some safeguards put into place to prevent any unlawful entry."
"Evidently not since you were able to contact us in the first place."
Three suddenly got very nervous and stood there like a statue in front of Aqua. 'Crap. If she figures out I had to lie about being Riku's girlfriend then Five's definitely going to run her mouth to Zero and get me killed. I have to think of another lie to get me out of this...'
Fortunately, the tenseness in Aqua's face disappeared, replaced by a soft smile. "...But I suppose if you hadn't called us that day, we would've never met all of you!"
"We're the ones fortunate to have met you. All of us would've lost our lives to that demon if you and that mouse hadn't arrived to save us when you did," One said.
"Then perhaps it was fate for us to meet after all."
*knock-knock
Aqua opened the door, then Mickey and Terra came inside the house each carrying a crate full of supplies.
"We're back! Sorry if we took too long," Mickey said, setting the crate down. "We got you guys enough food and supplies at least to last the next day, but if there's anything else you need let me know."
"No, this is more than enough. How is Four by the way?" One asked.
"She was in pretty bad shape, but the doc said she'll be fine, she just needs some rest," Terra said, closing the door behind him.
"Is that all? That's a relief, then we'll see her first thing tomorrow morning."
"Sounds good, and she'll pull through, don't worry." As Terra was setting his crate down, he noticed Ventus running around with Mikhail on his shoulders. "Looks like you guys are having fun, what game is that?"
"Mikhail's super-awesome-adventure through Midgard! Right now we're at the part where we hafta save Zero from the evil pirate lady!"
"Hey, you should join us, Terra! We're gonna need all the help we can get against the evil pirate lady!" Ventus said.
"Yeah, he can be one of the prostitutes!" Mikhail said.
"I- I could be the what?!"
"You certainly got the looks for it~" Five said.
"Thanks...hey wait a minute!"
"Mikhail, where did you even learn a word like that from?" Aqua asked.
"From Zero!"
"Of course she did..." Aqua crossed her arms, then shook her head like a disappointed parent. "And to have a child repeat such awful things."
"Zero's a little..." Mickey paused to search for the right description. "...rough around the edges, but she is Riku's pal and any pal of his is a pal of mine too!"
"Well I think he had a lapse in judgment this time around," She muttered under her breath.
Five leaned in to whisper into Two's ear. "...She's going to freak out when she finds out they're dating."
"I know right? Should we tell her?"
"She might collapse if we do. Let Riku figure out that mess."
"Now that we're all here, what I would like to discuss is our next plan of action," One said.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you all about as well. Aqua already explained world order to you, right?" Mickey asked.
She nodded.
"Great! So what's next is figurin' out where Midgard is now that it's in the darkness. Believe it or not, we've been in a similar situation like this a few years ago with a world called 'Destiny Islands'."
One snapped her fingers together. "I think I understand the connection now. Riku destroyed 'Destiny Islands', casting it off into the darkness and forcing the survivors to stay in Traverse Town, is that right?"
"You betcha, you're a fast learner! As far as where our friends are hmm...the simplest explanation is that they're all in the Realm of Darkness. Whatever means the Flower used to become the 'heart' of Midgard, it was no doubt through using the darkness. If that's the case, then we should be able to defeat the darkness within it and seal it away. That should return Midgard back to normal."
"And this 'Realm of Daknress' was the place we were at prior, right?" One asked.
"Sure is! I think we should begin looking for the remnants of Midgard in the Depths of Darkness since that's where we first saw the Flower."
"Then we need to prepare for the battle ahead. That demon's dangerous, we need to take proper measures," Terra said.
"The only thing that can severely damage the Flower is the power of a dragon," One said.
Five excitedly jumped up and down. "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! I have something smart to say!"
"Yes, Five?"
"They can use the 'dragonbone keyblade'!"
"Pardon?"
"Riku and Zero were talking about it a while ago, apparently it's super effective against the Flower!"
"If it's super effective then we should all get our hands on it," Terra said.
"Mm hm. All you need is the bones of a dragon!"
"Eh, dragons aren't exactly easy to come by, especially not their bones."
"But me and Gabby are dragons! So you can use our bones!" Mikhail said.
"...not sure if I feel comfortable taking your guys's bones..."
"Then you can use our teeth!"
"That's ...not any better."
"Hmm, well if we go somewhere with a little more open space and turn you back into dragons, then I could probably take a sample without hurting you guys! How does that sound?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah, sure thing!"
"And mouse, if I may, I insist that you allow all of us to accompany you to the Realm of Darkness. It wouldn't be here right now if not for Riku, I owe him everything," One said.
"Hm..."
"Please, if you're worried about our safety. We'll be fine, we made it this far didn't we?"
"Oh alright, but there's no need to do everything right now or you'll tire yourself out. Besides, I still have to get you guys some gear so you'll be protected from the darkness." Mickey turned to Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. "I'm going to Yen Sid's place, he'll want to hear about all of this himself anyways. Do you all mind watchin' over them while I'm gone?"
Aqua nodded. "Not an issue."
"Yeah, that gives us some time to breathe and plan out our next move," Terra said.
"Thanks! If you need anything, you know where to find me!"
"-W-Wait a second please, if could ask another favor-" Two ran back to the corner where Cent was standing and drooling, then dragged him over to Mickey. "Could you please just... turn him back into a bird? It's too painful for me to see him like this and be reminded that I can never have him the way I want to..."
Mikey rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble."
"No, you did nothing wrong. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to at least see his face again, but ...I can't force him to be like this anymore..." Two held Cent's face in her hands, then gave him a deep, passionate kiss that she put everything into because she knew he could give nothing back to her. "Goodbye, Cent." When she finally parted her lips from his, she turned away from him entirely. "You can go ahead and do it now..." She said quietly.
"A-Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, please," She insisted. "...It's the only way I can move on."
Mickey respected Two's wish and reverted Cent back into a dove. The dove circled around the room a few times before landing on Two's shoulder.
"Two..." Aqua took Two by her trembling hands, then led her back to the sofa where she let the Intoner rest her head on her chest. "It's okay...you'll be fine..."
Five nodded. "Aw, don't be upset Two, you're a catch! Someone like you will find love again in no time! You're way more than your disciple!"
"Five's right, you will only ever go up from here," One said.
Ventus set Mikhail back on the ground, then plopped down on the sofa along with them. "So uh, is there anything you guys like to do for fun? We could...play a board game, maybe? Or we could explore the town!"
"Maybe we should save that for tomorrow, I'm sure they must be exhausted from today," Aqua said.
"I second that notion. Today's been far too taxing on the mind," One said.
As everyone settled down for the night, the only one who couldn't fall asleep was Two. When she was alone with her thoughts, all she could think about was Cent and when she tried to close her eyes, all she could see was Cent. Eventually, Two gave up on trying to sleep altogether and decided to get up and head to the balcony, hoping some fresh air would help clear her head a little.
Two was careful not to wake up her sisters as she made her way down the stairs and to the back door. At first, she thought she was alone and had the balcony all to herself, but then she noticed an older woman leaning against the guard railing. She was tall, though that might have been more so attributed to her heels, and thin, but her figure was buried under the lavish, silky-white fur coat she wore draped over her shoulders. It made her seem far more imposing than she actually was. Paired with the coat was an evening gown that ran from deep purple to black, she also wore golden bracelets around her neck, wrists, and ankles that shone under the moonlight.
When the older woman realized Two was standing there, she grunted at her presence.
"O-Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know someone else was out here. I should-"
"Go ahead and stay, you're already here."
"W-Wait, I know that voice...Gabriella?! That must be you right?"
Gabriella stepped out of the shadows, even though she was mostly a human now, her slitted, icy-blue eyes and the red horns protruding out of her purple hair were dead giveaways that she was born with dragon blood.
"I'm sorry..." She rubbed the back of her head. "I keep forgetting you and Mikhail are like us now. It looks like you're doing better now though!"
"Not really. I see now why you humans keep on dying or killing yourselves though. This blows."
"It can't be that bad-"
"I couldn't figure out how to walk in these goddamn heels without falling on my ass, and I couldn't take 'em off either because of all these straps so I ended up climbing out the window and I fell down here."
"Why did you do all of that when you could've just asked one of us for help, we would've been happy to-"
"Are you out of your mind?! It's bad enough being a human, you want me to play the role of helpless, elderly grandma too? I still don't know how I'm going to face One like this."
"Gabriella, you're not elderly, you don't look a day over 35! Besides, One adores you, dragon or not, and she'll dote on you even more now that you're our size!"
"And that's the problem! Bah, what am I even confiding in YOU for? You wouldn't get it."
"I- I guess not...I won't bother you anymore then."
Gabriella could tell something was weighing on Two's mind and so, against her better judgment, didn't shut her out completely. "Hold on. So, uh, what're you doing up anyway?"
"I... I couldn't sleep ...I have a lot of really mixed feelings right now."
"Let me guess, you're still upset about Cent, right?"
"Did I...did I make it that obvious?"
"You don't have to make it obvious. You were the one tongue-kissing your disciple every moment you were together. Figured you'd be the most hung up about losing him."
"Of course I'm upset about losing him! He was my boyfriend, I loved him, but..."
"Buuuut?"
She rubbed her arm. "At the same time, and this is going to sound so awful for me to say, I'm actually kind of... glad. If being with him means having to be an Intoner and hurt so many people...then maybe it wasn't meant to be. I think Cent would want me to be happy more than anything, even if we could never truly be together."
"Oh? Guess you're not as much of an airhead as I took you for."
"There's just so much out there in the world, beyond even our wildest dreams, and all I've ever known was Cent. Maybe when we do go back to Midgard, I can start all over, you know? Have a normal relationship where I don't have to worry about stuff like this anymore."
"Can't start over with you walking around with that bird on your shoulder like a pirate."
After a long silence, Two finally spoke again,"...Yeah...you're right Gabriella. I have to let him go if I want to completely move on." She guided Cent from her shoulder to her hand. "Cent, despite everything, I'm still happy you were in my life. I'll cherish those memories I had with you forever."
Two raised her hands to the sky. "Now fly free!" The bird looked back at her with its beady black eyes and she had to look away. "Don't look at me like that, just leave already Cent! Go, shoo, before I change my mind!"
There was a sudden loud noise that startled the bird and made him fly away, but he ended up crashing into a window and plummeting to the ground.
"CENT!" Two screamed. "Oh my gosh, we have to help him!"
"Girl that bird's dead! We should be more concerned about that loud noise we just heard, it sounded like something's going down!" Gabriella perched on top of the balcony rail, stretched her arms out, then jumped.
Worried that Gabriella would meet the same end as Cent, Two jumped off the balcony after her, then caught her in her arms so she could descend safely to the ground. "Gabriella, what were you thinking?! You're not a dragon anymore, you can't just-"
As thanks for saving her life, Gabriella angrily swatted Two in the face in an attempt to break away from her grasp. "Put me down already you heifer! Who do you think I am?"
Two let Gabriella go and she tumbled onto the ground. At first, she was on all fours until Two reminded her how ridiculous she looked.
"Gabriella, I don't think you'll get very far walking around like a cat! Oh, and you can't just drop from those tall heights like one either!"
"I will drop from wherever I damn well please!" She hissed, standing back up.
"But you'll break your bones and then we'll have to -" Two abruptly grabbed Gabriella, then hid them behind a dumpster. She motioned to the intersecting street where a group of soldiers ran by with weapons in their hands. "Those people...it's a mix of soldiers from the Land of Sands and Forests. We should follow them, I have a really bad feeling about this."
When Two turned back to Gabriella to signal for them to leave, she saw all the blood and feathers smeared across her mouth because she was chewing on the head of a dead bird like a candy bar.
"Wh-What's that in your mouth?" She asked with a horrified look on her face. "Oh my god! Th-That's Cent, isn't it?!"
Gabriella responded by shoving the entire bird in her mouth.
"GABRIELLA! How could you do that?! Especially right in front of me!"
"Because I was hungry! Besides he was dead anyway."
Two clenched her stomach. "Ughhh I think I'm gonna be sick..."
"You can blow chunks later, we need to track those soldiers down before we lose them!"
"Okay..." She whimpered.
They followed the soldiers all the way to the gates of Traverse Town where several clusters of soldiers and civilians alike from all across Midgard were gathered, divided into two factions. On one side, what was left of Four's ex-army, and on the other, the rest of the Intoner sister's armies and the elves.
One of Four's soldiers was at the forefront, yelling and screaming at the opposing side. "Lady Four was RIGHT! You elves and your dark magic are the reason why we lost everything! You pitted those demons on the world and now it's gone!"
Rosa stood at the forefront of the elven faction. "What sense does that make for us to destroy our own home and kill so many of our people?!"
"Since when have you elves ever made sense?! All your kind do is commit senseless acts of murder and violence for the sake of it!"
Tears of frustration were welling up in Rosa's eyes. "Enough, I'm sick of this!" She cried. "You hate us so much that you even deny our own pain, as if we don't bleed the same as you?! I lost EVERYTHING...ALL that I care about, ALL that I am, and you think I WANTED this?!"
"General Rosa, don't let these mindless sheep from the Mountains rile you up, you'll only be giving them what they want." General Basch, a young man from the Land of Seas, stepped forward. "Their people have been getting fed lies for years. Of course all they know is how to bark and whine for their Intoner."
"Don't make me laugh! That whore you call an Intoner was so incompetent that she let her countrymen get ran through by a bunch of rowdy pirates! Who, might I add, was led by an elf!"
"Ay, so one bad elf means you throw away the whole lot? What do you make of that Beatrix and Steiner then? Your lot may fashion them as decorative war heroes, but those monsters seized much of the Lands of Sands in Four's name and devastated the lives of countless civilians."
"What do I make of it? Ha, that's just the business of war, lad. If the Land of Sands didn't align themselves with the elves, we wouldn't have to seize their territory."
"Ugh all you guys can come up with are excuses! Just like your wretched Intoner!" Rosa screamed.
"If that's how you feel, then why don't we speak your language and settle this debt in blood rather than words, savage?!"
Two shook Gabriella's arm back and forth and the impending conflict. "-Gabriella, what do we do now? We can't just let them fight! Especially not on our behalf!"
"We should get One, she's the diplomat between you guys. If anyone can settle this, it's her."
—
Realm of Darkness
-Midgard-
After Midgard sunk into the darkness, Riku and Zero were cast into the far reaches of what remained of the world.
Riku woke up on the shore of the Land of Seas. Parts of the land were disconnected from the ground entirely, floating in space, while the sea twisted around in unnatural ways.
"-Thought you'd never wake up."
He turned to see Zero sitting right beside him, holding her legs close to her chest. "By the way…I'm sorry for dragging you down here with me. I'll bear the brunt of whatever punishment Satan has in store for us."
"What ...satan?"
"We're obviously in hell, right?"
"No...this is still Midgard."
"Well, what the fuck happened to it?"
"It... fell into darkness."
"So we're not dead yet?"
"No, we're still alive."
"Are...we the only ones? I looked around but I haven't seen Mikhail yet, or anyone else for that matter."
"...Mikhail and the rest of your sisters should be with Aqua and Mickey. As long as they're with them, they'll be safe."
"So...what now?"
"..."
"Riku?"
"...I destroyed...everything." Out on the horizon, Riku could see dozens of houses from a small village torn asunder by the darkness, the wreckage was suspended in stasis. So many lives were destroyed in an instant and all Riku could do was stare at the horizon until he broke down into tears.
Zero moved closer to Riku so she could put her hand on his back. "You know that's not true. You didn't do any of this."
"No, you don't get it...this has already happened before and I promised myself I would never let this happen again, but of course it did. I'm just a sham after all… I'm not cut out for this, I'm not meant to be a Keyblade Master." Riku stood up, then walked to the edge of the shoreline where the tides fell at his feet. "And now I've dragged you down here with me...at least I can get you somewhere safe if I -"
Zero marched over to Riku. "What're you even talking about?! What about the Flower?!"
"What about it?! You saw me, I can't beat it because I'm not strong enough. No matter how many times I try, it always wins in the end. There's just no point anymore."
"I don't know who this loser is," Zero grasped Riku by the collar, twisting and wrestling the fabric around her fist. "but this isn't the Riku I know. Don't you realize how much better the world is now because of you?!"
"How could you say that when it's destroyed?!"
"So find a way to bring it back! You've done it before with that backwater island you're from, haven't you?!"
"H-How do you even know about that?"
"I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am! Look, Midgard got wrecked, but that doesn't mean we throw our hands up. We'll just have to rebuild it, right? Who knows, maybe we won't fuck up so badly next time around."
For the first time in what felt like forever, Riku finally smiled again.
"There's that smile! I must've said something right."
"...Because you're right Rose. It's not over yet and I owe it to everyone that I stop the Flower- no, that we stop the Flower. We'll bring this world back to the light and rebuild it together."
"Heh. That's more like it."
"Our priority is forging the dragonbone keyblade. Even though Midgard is destroyed, we should still be able to find a forge in the ruins somewhere- no wait, I destroyed your sword, didn't I?"
"No, I still kept some of it. That can be the base."
"Right. Then we just need to find the Flower again, I don't know how it turned itself into a heart exactly, but if it got consumed by darkness, that also means it's kind of like a heartless. So if we defeat the Flower, that should restore Midgard."
"I'm guessing the Flower's still in whatever Cathedral City became."
"Yeah, and if we're in the Land of Seas, then we have a long way to go. So let's start moving." Riku started to walk and so did Zero, but she was noticeably lagging a few steps behind, staring off into the distance with an expression he knew all too well. There was something on her mind, and something not so obvious that she would've pointed it out by now, he knew that much. Although he had a few ideas, he wasn't entirely sure, so he stopped abruptly and was going to attempt to navigate the minefield that was Zero's psyche. "Rose..." This time when he said her name, he was reminded of the promise he made to her. "...I'm sorry, I've been calling you 'Rose' this entire time, but I didn't ask if that was okay with you."
"It's not like I'm much of an Intoner now anyways...and neither are you."
"So you lost your powers?"
"Yeah, pretty anticlimactic, huh? But I am kind of relieved you didn't have to perform that weird exorcism shit on me...what was it called again? It sounded kind of stup- I mean, uh... unique."
"You mean the Power of Waking?"
"Oh, right. That's what it was."
There was another silence and Zero still looked distracted, like there were a million things she wanted to say, but she was intentionally holding her tongue. It's not like Zero was the world's most open book either, she deliberately left her true feelings unsaid. Perhaps Rose was different in this regard, but if 'Rose' was like her petals, gentle and fragile, then 'Zero' was like her thorns, meant to protect her, and she was almost always Zero. Even now, she was Zero, it was probably subconscious to her at this point, which further complicated things for Riku.
But Riku was persistent, he wanted to get to know every part of her, and if that meant having to jump through mental hoop after mental hoop, so be it, she was worth it. As Riku analyzed her facial expression, something so obvious dawned upon him; she no longer had the Flower blooming in her eye.
It was such a small difference, but it reminded him of her beauty all over again. The same way the moon was as beautiful as both the first and thousandth time he saw it, a sight he could never grow tired of. But then with this realization came another; they were dating. And then another; he was being a terrible boyfriend.
Maybe that's what Zero was thinking about, or maybe it wasn't, but he could certainly do better for her. So he went up to her and held her cold hands, warming them up. "... I've been so caught up with everything that I forgot to thank you. Even when I gave up on myself and caused you so much pain, you never gave up on me. I'm lucky to have you in my life...I love you."
Zero smiled at Riku, but there was such profound sadness in her eyes.
"D-Did I say something wrong?"
"No," She said quickly, blushing. "No...it's just weird hearing someone say that out loud for the first time."
"Oh..." Riku went quiet for a moment then smirked. "Well, that's not gonna fly. I'll just have to tell you all the time now to make up for it!" He gently pulled her body to his chest so he could caress the back of her head. "As many times as you need to hear it."
For a moment, it was so quiet that they almost forgot they were in the Realm of Darkness, Zero certainly did. But then Riku had to move away from her suddenly because they were attacked by an undead army of soldiers. Dozens of heads were emerging from the ocean, dragging, and stumbling themselves toward them like zombies.
"What's this? They don't look like heartless," Riku said.
"That's because they're not," Zero unsheathed her sword. "They're Galgaliel, another one Five's angels. Come on, let's kill those fuckers!"
And so the worst has come to pass,
Ughhh...I have to put in so much overtime just to get this under control.
Even so, I hope they'll come to a solution soon or this branch will have to be closed indefinitely.
Flowers for the Dead
A/N II: So a couple of things, if you're interested in my concept art of human Gabriella, I already have it posted on Ao3 and Deviantart.
And I can fiiiiiiiiiinally say there are 2-3 chapters left until the story is complete. I'm going to take a short break to update N:O 2 and then finish off with the finale. Other than that, have a great one :D
Edit: Added an extra scene I thought was funny, thanks Centurious!
Edit 2: Added yet another scene that expands on Cent's bird situation
