Miz and Risa story, they're gonna count as one.

"Did you see what I just saw?" I ask Risa, backing away from the window fearfully. "Did you see that?" She nods silently, confirming my worst fear come true. Heartless have never been here before, why are they here now? Well we only saw one, that doesn't mean there's more. "Why was that there Risa?"

"I do not know Mizuki. They do not come individually either," she headed toward the door, with a weird-looking sword in her right hand. Where did that come from? "Like insects they come in swarms." There goes that idea. "Wait Risa, don't just walk outta here, we don't know what we're dealing with!" I frantically cry out. She comes to a stop as if I froze her in time but I know I didn't 'cause she's sighing.

"I do. I know exactly what I am dealing with," she says matter-of-factly. "We need to take them out one by one right now before things go from bad to worse." For thirty seconds, we only hear the lieutenant on TV being interviewed and more screams from outside. "…very important to me. Keeping Graham safe is all I want to do and that's why I followed in my grandfather's footsteps."

"Wasn't your grandfather's brother accused of creating an AHB and for viewers that aren't familiar with the term, it means artificial human being. There was a huge conspiracy about almost seven years ago, how do you feel about that?"

"It's been taken care of thanks to T.A.N.K. and I'd rather you not bring it up." Ignoring the television, I focus on the situation at hand. Risa's like a big sister to me, she's older than me by a couple of months-I'm not sure how she sees me but letting her go out there after not seeing her for such a long time bothers me. After I came from the future I suddenly felt so lonely and I just wanted Risa and Mia to come over, have some ramen noodles and have a sleepover or something like that. And for a while they would've felt like family. But Mia's still being held prisoner and Risa abruptly dropped in here only to disappear into the Heartless-infested streets. While I have this mental debate Risa already takes off, leaving me and the soggy noodles. I bend down to pick up the lukewarm cups and throw both of them in the trash.

That Heartless we saw wasn't like that mutated Heartless from the future, it was a normal Heartless which is a relief. The future that I saw isn't happening now, but what's going on here? Remember what Erick said about Heartless appearing in different worlds-it's because some jackass opened a black door that led the Heartless to this place. I found the door before when I was on that cruise ship but it had already been open when I reopened it-it was Dori that did it, that piece of trash. But he helped Risa to get back, and he did it so willingly too, why? I don't get that guy, he makes my skin crawl but when I'm near him I just want to run my fingers-

"No! No, don't think it. Stop thinking about him," I scold myself, slamming my fists on the bed. The door reopens and Risa's standing in the doorway silently. "What're you doing back here?"

"I heard you scream in the hallway."

"Uh that was-I was just being stupid. You haven't left yet?"

"No. I wanted...to talk to about why I was gone."

"Uh okay."

I was going to have my vendetta against the Heartless for imprisoning me and trapping me in a dark abyss. But that can wait, Mizuki indirectly kept the light of the Master Emerald shard glowing long enough for me to escape. She deserves to know what happened to me and what I saw in the darkness and more, she saved my life after all. But only what happened to me in the darkness, I cannot talk about everything that has happened up until now. "I was on Angel Island…"

"…and that is how I ended up here."

"Okay wait, why was your mom there and what's that have to do with the willow tree?" I sigh exasperatedly and Mizuki raises her hand. "But if you don't wanna tell me-!"

"Fine, one day with Erick…" So I tell her that story of me and Erick going to different worlds, I end up telling her about my mom's true identity and half-sister too, and before I realize it she is passed out on the bed. I fight the urge to fall asleep as I lean against the bedframe. How long has it been since I have had a peaceful sleep? I am so afraid of sleep-as long as I am not fighting them they will try to take me back into the Darkness. But I am so tired, so tired of fighting everything. Why do I fight so much in the first place? "Too much thinking," I mumble as I slump into a pillow and turn away from Mizuki. The television becomes a droning noise as I let myself drift off to sleep. Heartless will have to wait until tomorrow. As the dark of the night overcomes me and Mizuki, the words the Angel Island intruder haunt me, Darkness is coming for you. But it did, it came for me and I escaped, why do I still hear it? "Because Darkness is coming for you," the distorted voice comes from the unmasked Angel Island intruder, Clancy.

"Why Clancy? Why are you doing this?" I mentally ask him in the midst of my slumber.

"Because Darkness is coming for you," repeated Clancy.

"I faced the Darkness already-does this have to do with seeing the Heartless in Metropolis?"

"Darkness is coming for you. Fight for the Light." I wake up at the edge of the bed, slowly turning over to see Mizuki. She is out of bed, sitting quietly at the other edge of the bed. Adjusting my hood, I sit up and yawn. "Good morning."

"Sorry I fell asleep in the middle of your story," she says groggily. I did not know she was capable of being so calm and relaxed, I always see her high-strung and excited. "I had a pretty rough day yesterday, like you did and I was exhausted. But about last night, you shouldn't beat yourself up for going along with that strange guy, I would've done the same thing in a heartbeat."

I can't believe she's actually opening up to me and so early in the morning too. Ohmygod I just realized that we kinda had a sleepover, she didn't just get up and leave. Maybe she actually sees me as one of her pals now, after all she told me about her mother and crazy sister. "Guess I'm not the only one with a screwed up family," I chuckle, glancing at the infomercial on TV. I forgot to turn it on last night but I was just too tired, exhausted, and more tired synonyms. "Well get ready for mine because it is just as crazy…"

"Dori sounds a man infatuated with you," she says after hearing me out. "Oh and may I use your bathroom?"

"Sure. But I don't know, Dori's weird." With the water running from the bathroom faucet, she keeps talking. "You must like him on some level."

"No I don't, don't say stuff like that."

"I am only telling you my opinion based on what I am hearing." She comes out of the bathroom and examines her clothes with a generous amount of tears in the huge sleeves. It's hard to tell her facial expression but I would assume she's not happy about the tears in her clothes. "I had a dream last night about my friend Clancy."

"And?" I take the straightener from on top of the dresser and plug it in. Sulkily, she folds her arms and watches the odd cooking utensils infomercial on TV. "He spoke in a distorted voice. Darkness is coming for you-and he kept repeating it over and over until I asked him why it was coming. He said I had to 'fight for the light'," says Risa in a hushed tone. "But you said it came already," I remind her.

"Apparently I was wrong. There is still more fighting I have to do."

"Do you like Clancy? You know, as in more than a friend?"

"No, he is a little brother to me. That is why I will fight anything that is making him do these things," she says determinedly as she keeps her attention on the finishing infomercial.

"What is there to fight really-?" Answering my question is the alarm signal on TV that always interrupts my shows at past midnight-only this message doesn't say, this is a test-and a red banner streams across the bottom of the screen. Red warning. I pick up the remote and raise the volume of the already blaring TV.

"This is not a test, I repeat, this is not a test. Moments ago, the President has declared a state of emergency. We encourage every one of you to stay indoors until further notice," says the reporter sternly. "I repeat, this is not a test. Creatures of varying sizes have been reported murdering people on the streets of Metropolis. We have received footage of what's going on in Metropolis and I warn you, this is graphic."

"Aaaaaagh! These damn things are everywhere!" the cheap camera phone has pretty crystal clear audio but the visual quality is pretty bad. The man is running along a street, it's hard to tell with the blurred screen. But HD isn't needed when we see a pair of yellow eyes flying towards the cameraman. When the camera falls and the man recording it screams agonizingly, two purple-reddish wyverns fly over him, followed by more Heartless that look too weird to properly describe. "Mizuki!" Risa shoves me on the bed and the weird-shaped sword vaporizes into her hand. She swings at the floor and then chucks the blue sword into the floor.

"Risa, I gotta pay for that-" a pink heart hovers above where Risa put the sword and quickly disappears. "Oh shit there was a Heartless. Right?"

"We have to go," she pulls her sword from the carpet easily. She's just as strong as I constantly exaggerate. "Right now, I do not know where we can go but it has to out of here."

"But they said on the news-no, you're right. We've gotta head out right now-turn your head, I've gotta change." I snatch the first shirt and pants in my dresser and throw off my pajamas. No time for a shower and definitely no time for straightening my hair, the world is at stake. Quickly I put my hair in a ponytail to hide the frizzy part of it then pull up my pants. "Do you think that somebody really opened the black door like Erick said?"

"Yes," she agrees. "That means that this world is starting to fall towards Darkness. Are you done yet?"

"Almost! Ok, got the shirt on, let's move-oh wait."

"What now?"

I bend down from under the bed and grab the chunk of stone I found yesterday before Risa crashed into me. Something sharp pinches me and I grab the big chunk of rock as I spot a pair of Heartless eyes staring at me. "Crap, they're under the bed too." I pick up the broken stone and follow Risa out the door.

J.G.P.