Poor Risa, there's quite a lot of shit on her plate. This is her last individual story and it makes quite a "finale".

If Knuckles had not pulled me away from the edge, I would have jumped into the ocean if that is what it takes to find Clancy. He has kept me away from death ever since I got here, I should repay him one day but not today. Today Clancy is my only priority. With the Master Emerald set back in its proper place, Knuckles turns to me in a huff. He looked so peaceful when he and Clancy fell asleep but his usual visage returned when he came back. "What were you thinking? You knew what would happen if you removed the Master Emerald from the island didn't you?"

"Yes," I answer disappointedly.

"You're supposed to be a guardian, you're not supposed to let every person that comes on this island run away with the Master Emerald," reprimands Knuckles. "It's that friend of yours, isn't it? Where the hell is he?"

"I do not know," I cover my face with my hands, whimpering, "I do not know." He growls, shaking off his anger temporarily. "Why do you have to cry all the time?"

"I have never shed a tear in front of you." We sit there without saying a word, the stirring breeze interrupting the tense stillness. I am the one who officially breaks the silence. "Is that all you have to say to me?"

"Of course not! Tell me what happened here." As I sit in front of him on my knees, I clench my fists while trying to internally rebel against the command. My arm's pulse pounds fiercely and my breathing speeds up. "You're not going to talk to me now? You must be covering up for Clancy then."

"I am not," I fib.

"Then tell me what happened!" The tattoo burns like wildfire, it almost makes me want to scratch my left arm until it falls off. Why can I not open my mouth and tell him, it is not like it was my idea to throw away the huge gemstone. Clancy is not here to validate whatever story I tell Knuckles and honestly I do not care how upset Knuckles is about this. All I care about is finding Clancy. "How do I know that you are not going to undermine my words and not believe me?" I mumble.

"How do you expect me to help you if you don't tell me? I'm starting to-to-worry about you," Knuckles falters towards the end of the sentence.

"Do not waste your time. I did not need help when I was at home and I do not need it now," I snap, replenishing Knuckles' anger. I get up and while succumbing to the horrible pain from the tattoo, I scurry down the steps and dash to the forest. Why am I so upset? Knuckles is trying to be helpful and I will not let him be, why? "What is wrong with me?" I ask aloud as I stop beside one of the trees.

"Clancy's waiting for you," says a boy behind the tree I am on. I peek and catch a glimpse of his dark chestnut hair. "You're going to keep him waiting?"

"You are Seth, the one who put Mia in that miserable state," I remind myself aloud, bringing out the broken Keyblade. He releases a sharp breath as if he has exerted himself for a while. "The Master Emerald keeps people like you out of this world, how are you here?"

"Help from a friend."

"I am surprised you can say you have one," I reply, raising the blade at his haggard face. "You were in my village before it disappeared, am I right?"

"Didn't Clancy tell you already? I bet he's still afraid to admit it, he ran didn't he?" Seth tries laughing but then slumps against the tree for support as he grimaces in obvious pain. "He's trying to stop the inevitable."

"Why are you here?" I ask critically, bringing the broken tip to his Adam's apple. Moaning in pain, he turns away and starts to fade into a deep amethyst portal. "You cannot bear to be in this world for too long, the Light is eating you up inside."

"Clancy called for me, he needed me so I gave him a little help," are his parting words before I can question him. He said Clancy is waiting for me but where could he be? On another part of this island maybe? He was implying that Clancy is waiting for me somewhere around here. Knuckles is probably going to follow after me soon, I have to find Clancy before Knuckles finds him. As more clouds gather in the starless sky, I rush to the other end of Angel Island, whipping my head around looking for any signs of a person. It is getting dark, I can barely see anything. "There are so many memories here," I murmur to myself while sprinting and stumbling over broken pedestals. When the Keyblade appears in my right hand, I stop to stare at the periwinkle blade; everything changed when I found this, I like to think my life changed for the better.

An inflamed circle of dark crimson widens under my feet like a bomb exploding. The fiery circle blankets the ruins in deep red while the firmament above is a thick mauve. As I warily observe the surroundings, I find Clancy sitting on a rock at the bottom of an incline. "Clancy there you are! What is happening to you?" I slide down the slope, stopping directly behind him. "What happened back there? Why did you want to get rid of the Master Emerald?"

"It's draining me."

"How can it be-" I recall what I said to Seth earlier, "…the Light is eating you up inside." But that means Clancy has Darkness within him, which does not make sense. "Seth told me that you called for him, do you realize who he is and that he helps no one but himself?" He turns all the way around to me, horrified at the mention of Seth's name and asks, "You saw him? Spoke to him?"

"He said you needed him, what is he talking about? Why was he in the Village of Willow? Clancy you have to tell me these things now, I want nothing more than your utmost honesty." He fiddles with his fingers anxiously until he can finally look at me with his bright hazel eyes.


Miriam was scolding me for acting like a child, so I took off to calm down, you know. No, you said no lies right? Miriam didn't make me mad, it was the fact that you were stronger and better than me. I could barely hit you in a fight and you could knock a sword out of my hands and bring me to my knees in minutes. Your dad, the chief, abused you for a long time because he never wanted you to lose. I guessed that's why you would always beat me. I wanted the strength to protect you from him and when I made that resolve in my heart Seth came to me. I met him outside the village after leaving your house. I asked who he was and he told me he was "a friend who heard my plight." I didn't really get it, he came out nowhere and said, "I'm from this faraway island that you don't know about and I heard your heart call out to me, we have similar hearts. There's also someone precious to me, a friend of mine. Hey, what's your name?"

"C-Clancy," I stammered. First I thought it was a dream and after slapping myself five times, I knew that he was really standing in front of me. "You're one weird kid Clancy," commented Seth. "With a weird name to boot. I have something that can help you get what you want."

Before I could take him up on his offer, I saw you in my peripheral vision running from the house. I had a feeling you and your father got into a fight and I wanted to make sure you were okay, I told him I had to go. "Is that your precious friend?" I nodded and he added mysteriously, "That's what I thought. Go to her, I'll be sure to find you." I went to you to make sure you were okay and I tried to get you to go to that tournament but you were too discouraged. Remember Risa? I had promised to never force you to do anything. Later I went back to my house and there was Seth waiting at my door. "Yo!"

"How did you find me?" I inquired in astonishment.

"Your heart called out to me, remember? I'm always gonna know where you are. Whenever you need me I got your back," exclaimed Seth. He got off the door and got down to business. "Hey, did you think about my offer? You do want to protect your girlfriend don't you?"

"She's more like a big sister always looking out for me." You knew I had many friends in the village, I wasn't a lonely child. I made my friends smile and laugh but you were the only one who actually listened to me. You were more than my closest friend Risa, you were a shoulder to lean on, an arm to support me, and an ear always listening to me. When the chief stole your will to rebel against him, I thought that by obtaining whatever power Seth had would renew your spirit. The words soon became my biggest regret, "I'll take it."

"There's no turning back after this."

"I'll do whatever it takes, just give it to me." He told me about a black door I had to look for in the heart in the Willow Forest next door to me and that once I opened it, I would receive some of the power I needed. When I did open it, Seth's voice told me that I would receive a powerful weapon called the Keyblade that could open doors to anything. "Use the power to protect your dear friend but it comes for a price," Seth told me as I played with the Keyblade, hitting it against a willow tree.

"What's the price?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it now Clancy. Just let the new strength consume you," assured Seth.


"You brought the Heartless to our world?" I have trouble keeping my voice calm. "All to gain power for what? To 'renew my spirit'? Is that why you wanted me to go to the tournament so bad, so you could show off your powers?"

"At first, yes-" I land a rock-hard punch right in his face, knocking him off the rock. "You are no better than Seth," I snap while disappointedly looking at the Seth-to-be on the ground. I will not go down the same road Mia did.

"I'm different from him Risa!" objects Clancy, picking himself up while rubbing the blackening bruise. "When I used some of that power when I was fighting you, I really did a number on you. That's when I snapped out of it and told Seth to take the power he had given me back! He kept telling me that it was too late and there would be no way to get rid of it. After I got sucked into the orb, it brought me to this world that barely had any light-everything was purple and the Heartless were all over the place. Seth said that dark place would be my prison for trying to get rid of the power inside me. I'm sorry Risa, I thought Seth was like me," he explains remorsefully. "He told me he wanted the power to keep his best friend safe and that's how he knew I needed him but he really sensed my desire for power and that was what brought him to our world."

"You two are the same," I deduce sadly, turning away from him and hurrying up the slope. "Two brothers of the Darkness. So tell me, why did you come to the island?" The Keyblade appears in his hand and I catch a glimpse of regret in his eyes. "Seth said he would release me forever and bring me to you unless I did him a favor. He told me my fear of the Darkness inside me suppressed my power and because of that I could break through the Master Emerald's barrier." Like a ghost, he appears in front of me and his Keyblade's tip pointed at me. I quickly knock it out of my face and he charges at me with great speed. "I have to extinguish the Light in this world and you're in my way Risa."

"Stop fighting me Clancy!" I attempt to foot sweep him but he evades it and continuously strikes at me. I can only deflect his attacks for so long, soon he will get me with a quick blow. "Try to fight the Darkness." In response, while trying to assault my face, purple energy outlines his body and he screams as if the Darkness is tearing his skin off and breaking every bone in him. While he is distracted by the pain, I distance myself away from him and thrust my palm into the ground. Thick vines protrude from the dry earth and trap Clancy in the air as he struggles to handle the Darkness that wants to burst out.

"If you can't hurt me Risa-!" shouts Clancy as violet steam arises from my vines. "I'll make you do it!"

"You promised you would never give me an order," I cry out while cringing. I try to cover my ears but it does not work, I hear his brutal command loud and clear, "Risa kill me now!"

"No!" I thrust my hand back in the ground, engulfing him head-to-toe in more spiky vines. Damn it, he is forcing me to do this to him, how can I save him if he wants me to kill him? The vines all snap as Clancy lands on the ground, Darkness seeping from him and his Keyblade. In a flash, he nearly gets me in my side. I roll swiftly enough to only get a tear in my blue and pink kimono and a scratch mark on my hip. It could have been a lot worst if I was not paying attention. "Clancy you can be saved, do not give up. I know you can fight it." My sword hand trembles uncontrollably, craving to shed Clancy's blood.

"End it already Risa, you can't die for me!" his voice is changing, it sounds like there are two Clancys speaking at once, one lower pitched and the other his normal tone. "I don't want to turn into Seth!" He recklessly brandishes his willow tree Keyblade towards me. Every time I block, the Darkness radiating from him become small daggers, cutting my face and more of my clothes. Pieces of cloth flutter in the night breeze. "Clancy if your heart was strong enough to wield the Keyblade, you are strong enough to stop the Darkness. Seth's heart already succumbed but there is still hope for you," I insist, deflecting and dodging most of his blows. This must be how Mia felt when she fought Seth, I understand why you were so desperate Mia. Suddenly Clancy's assault comes to a stop, giving me hope that even thought the Darkness completely covers him, he is winning the fight against it. "You can do it, you have to keep fighting it," I encouragingly urge.

"You really won't do it-then fine…I'll prove that I don't always need you to save me!" Holding the blade part of the sword, he brings the Keyblade's tip to his chest despite his body's obvious protest. Wincing and grimacing, he tries stabbing himself but the Darkness seeping from his hand pulls the Keyblade back. I hurry over to him, grab the handle, and wrestle for his blade. "Clancy stop! Please Clancy…"

"I'm not a child Risa, you can't watch over me forever!" Darkness expels from his Keyblade and I am thrown on my back. He plunges the Keyblade so far into his chest that it juts out from his back. I am too horrified to scream, too afraid to call out his name, too dumb for words. His Keyblade disappears, leaving him with a sizeable blood-drenched wound in his chest. My arm throbs horribly as I watch him drop to the ground; the crimson and violet background fades away as the circle that colored the ruins retracts back to Clancy's body.

"Do not be dead," I murmur as I force my shaking legs to move. "Clancy get up right now." I crawl over to him hastily and cradle him in my arms while pushing his untamed curls out of his eyes. "Please Clancy, open your eyes for me. You idiot, I am supposed to bring us back home alive, I made a promise to myself. How can I break my own promise? Clancy listen to me, Clancy get up! I cannot lose you, I cannot lose you!" His eyes open. "Clancy?" The wound in his chest shines a pink light and a rose crystallized heart rises from him. Inside of the heart is a diminishing flame that glows brighter the higher it ascends. "I have to bring us back home, I will not let you die!"

Crack. It spreads along his face and travels to his arms and legs. His raw sienna eyes are wide open when the cracks cover it and then he breaks into black particles. All that is left of him is the blood on my hands. I desperately try to gather the hovering particles but they blow away towards the night sky. A raindrop plops on my hand and then the rest precipitates on me and the blood stains on the ground. I can hear his laughter reverberate off each raindrop and his voice with every splatter.

J.G.P.