Everyone seemed very excited to see Hanekoma and Joshua interacting with Vanitas and Sora. Don't expect too much Hanekoma in this fic since he is supposed to be keeping a low profile, but Joshua will be keeping an eye on things. In fact, it is time to check on him again already. Along with a few other characters from the TWEWY games that didn't show up in "Dream Drop Distance."

Also, there is actually an anime version of TWEWY, which is I rather enjoyed watching. Obviously, like any adaptation, there are some differences from the game. But it is pretty good at adapting from a video game format on certain elements. I may draw upon certain aspects, like how the anime allowed them to fight in the same area rather than how the DS split them into two different dimensions (as represented by the two different screens). But I'm absolutely keeping the Light Puck from the video game.

And just so you know, I absolutely had the song "Calling" playing in my head while writing the fight scene in this chapter.

Joshua lounged at the top of a different building than he occupied before Sora and Vanitas decided to crash land in his world. One that looked over the Scramble Crossing as the first tendril of dawn's light crept into the sky. Too early for the Game to begin or for most Reapers to be awake. They enjoyed certain privileges that the Players didn't receive. In addition to their greater power and their ability to be perceived in both the RG and UG, they could also sleep in actual beds instead of dropping wherever they were at the end of the day. And most of the Reapers weren't the early rising types. Especially if they didn't have to be. Not every week had a Game; they had to usually wait until there was a decent number of Players collected.

But the Reaper currently serving as the interim Game Master was driven enough to show up at dawn for special instructions regarding the next Game. Even if she did have her complaints.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" she growled, gritting her teeth. "You expect me to just let Players walk all over me? This is not what I signed on for."

Shrugging, Joshua said, "Orders straight from the Composer. I don't know all the details, but they aren't our usual types of Players. They're here because of special circumstances. Allowing them to participate is a favor to repay a debt. You can still give them some challenges, Uzuki. Just remember that the goal of this week is for them to actually win."

She scowled, crossed her arms, and looked away. Uzuki Yashiro mostly looked like a blue-eyed seventeen-year-old girl with short pink hair. And she'd been seventeen for a little over two years since dying and becoming a Reaper. She wore a black gloved sweater with a high neck and ruffled edges along the bottom that flared out. There was also a white corset with green laces that she wore over her sweater. Her black denim shorts were extremely short and she combined them with a pair of white knee-high heeled boots.

The only thing that revealed that she was a Reaper instead of a regular teenager, discounting what angelic senses could tell him, were her large black wings that resembled something crafted from a wrought-iron fence. Feathered wings were strictly an Angel trait. Reapers had black metal wings that looked more like a framework rather than anything meant for flight. But Reapers could fly when they were fully in the UG. And they could also materialize and dematerialize them from sight once they climbed the ranks high enough to have that much control of their power. Reapers at the Officer rank tended to keep them hidden away. A Reaper's wings housed their power, their Soul that fueled all of their abilities within the UG; there was a reason that messing with each other's wings was one of the unspoken taboos among them. And smaller wings actually signified more power and control than larger wings in most cases. It indicated that the Reaper could rein in their power enough to do assorted things like summoning Noise while keeping their Soul tightly bound and close.

It also provided a smaller target. Players rarely fought Reapers directly outside of specific circumstances and most Noise didn't go after Reapers, but it was wise not to present too large of a target. Especially after their world was lost to darkness for a time and they learned that there were other threats out there that didn't play by their rules.

Uzuki was a decent Reaper and more motivated than her usual partner. Despite only having a couple of years of experience and still technically a Harrier Reaper, the lack of anyone else of a higher rank meant that she was serving as his temporary Game Master in order to keep everything running smoothly. Of course, Joshua couldn't tell her that the Composer. Especially since she remembered him as Neku's partner in the second week of that long Game. His status as the Composer was not something that was meant to be widely shared. And since he was working as the Conductor as well as his normal responsibilities, it was simple enough to claim that he was filling in as an interim Conductor the same way that she was serving as a temporary Game Master until the Reaper ranks were restored.

And it was technically true.

Besides, it was fun interacting with those who didn't know what he truly was. He could have Uzuki's respect as her superior, but she did not revere him the way that his previous Conductor did. It was harder to connect to people when he was stuck on a pedestal. And he already had a hard time connecting without that added complication.

"Try thinking about it as a challenge," he suggested casually. "You adapted when the Reapers shifted from most of their points coming from Erasing large numbers of Players to ensure their own survival, giving subtler and more supportive roles greater importance instead. Not to mention being rewarded for dealing with the more dangerous Noise before it becomes a problem for Shibuya."

And keeping an eye out for other threats. There was standing orders to report anything strange that might be from another world immediately. Protecting Shibuya from outside threats took highest priority. If Heartless or something similar showed back up in Shibuya, they needed to know. They couldn't afford to let them get a foothold again. Joshua refused to watch everything vanish a second time.

Her scowl relaxing slightly, she muttered, "I miss it, but you're right. It does make things better for the rest of the Reapers. A lot of them like the 'tough love' approach better. And they aren't being used as pawns by the higher-ups anymore either. The old system caused some real jerks to end up at the top of the ladder."

"Hopefully when we have enough new Reapers around to fill the ranks, we'll end up with some more reasonable Officers. The point system won't be prioritizing only the most ruthless. We should end up with some who will actually look out for the other Reapers and Shibuya in general. That's what the Composer is trying to achieve."

Pushing the Players and Shibuya to improve, grow, and hone their Soul, but without encouraging overt cruelty. He would need to select a Composer from the ranks eventually and Joshua knew by now that he needed someone to balance him out with a bit more humanity if he wanted to avoid repeating his past mistakes.

Granted, most Players were still Erased and the Reapers could still send Noise after them to make it happen, but it was at least possible to climb the ranks now without needing to be that brutal if they preferred to contribute in other ways. It gave less aggressive Reapers a chance to survive and thrive as well.

More of her temper melted away and some of the tension eased out of her shoulders. She reluctantly looked back towards Joshua.

"I suppose I can come up with a few idiot-proof missions for them," said Uzuki. "And a light week of work won't kill anyone." Laughing briefly, she corrected in singsong voice, "At least, no one who isn't already dead."

While the Scramble Crossing never emptied completely, there was a new energy to the people shuffling around down there as more light painted the sky. Moving from the gray of pre-dawn towards the hints of pink that suggested that morning was inevitable. The crowds were hurrying around as the new day began. Heading to work, to school, and to everywhere else that might call to them. Joshua could sense the underlying pulse of the city. The Music of Shibuya was picking up the tempo and volume as the world woke up.

"I'm afraid that with everything that needed to be sorted out regarding our pair of unusual Players, they didn't actually get the full welcoming speech and explanation about how the Game works," he continued. "They might require some assistance. Information only. Nothing that would be considered truly helping them."

"I'm not babysitting a couple of Players so that they don't get Erased on the first day. I have better things to do." Hesitating a moment, she said, "But I might know someone for the job."

Smiling, Joshua said, "If its who I'm thinking, then he should be perfect."

"I still don't get it," said Uzuki after a moment, shaking her head. "How did you go from some run-of-the-mill Player to the Conductor so fast?"

"Neku and the others cleared out the Officers during those three weeks and the Composer needed to fill in the posts with whoever was left standing," he said, flipping his hair back. "It isn't permanent, but I'm stuck with the job until the Composer finds a better option. And the sooner, the better. Hard work and sweating is not my thing."

Pushing herself to her feet, Uzuki said, "You're worse than Kariya. I better go then. One of us around here needs to have an actual work ethic."

With that final comment, she let herself fall over the edge of the building. Her wings should have been too small to support her or provide lift, especially with the way the iron-wrought shape was more of a framework than anything solid, but she flew just the same. Invisible to the living people of the RG, she glided over the streets as she headed off to make her final preparations for the Game.

Joshua pulled out his cellphone and flipped it open. Typing out a message didn't take long. But his thumb hovered over the button to send the text. Hesitating to take that final step and push it. He might be the most powerful entity within all of Shibuya, but the idea of sending that message felt more intimidating than even the weakest Angel should experience.

But Sora was right. He would never know unless he reached out. Joshua needed to take that chance outside of a dream. And maybe it was a small gesture, but he needed to take that step. Even if he knew that it would never amount to anything.

Joshua pressed the button.

"And now I wait… Partner."

Even buried deep in his bundle of blankets, he could hear the cheerful chirp from where his cellphone was plugged into his nightstand. He groaned quietly as his head reluctantly poked its way out and he glared at the window. It was barely light enough to qualify as day. His bleary eyes shifted towards a clock, which only proved that it was worse than he thought.

Who in the world was texting him at five in the morning?

Neku Sakuraba sat up and dragged a hand through his ginger hair. He was already awake. He might as well go ahead and find out what they might want at that uncivilized hour. He tugged his phone off the side table and flipped it open. Neku read the message, blinked, and read it again.

Bring clothing in your size to the Hachiko statue. Further mission details upon arrival. You have six hours. No consequences for failure.

-Unknown Number

Neku half expected to feel the sharp sting on his palm from a timer. Even after escaping the Game and resuming his life in the RG, the familiarity of it immediately brought him back to those three weeks. Each day's mission arriving by text from the mysterious Game Master for that round of the Game.

Except this time, Neku knew exactly who was sending him a message. One of the few whose cellphone could contact people in the RG.

"Really? After all this time without a word, you finally contact me?" he muttered. "And the first time that I hear from you is because you want a favor?" Neku shook his head. "Yeah, that seems about right. At least you gave me plenty of time for breakfast first."

And to find some clothing. Neku could just go through his closet, but he had a feeling that would lead to comments about his fashion or lack thereof. He'd improved somewhat about considering his wardrobe, but most of his closet was still filled with things from before fashion became vital to his survival.

But he did know someone who could put together a decent outfit. And if he was going to contact her for help, he might as well contact the others too.

Neku typed out a quick invitation to his friends to meet him at the Hachiko statue around ten-thirty and asking if Shiki could bring some of her and Eri's recent designs for someone to borrow. But he didn't immediately send the message. Unlike a certain Composer, Neku was considerate enough to wait for a more civilized hour to contact them.

Sora slowly opened his eyes, staring up at a bright blue sky and skyscrapers that reminded him of San Fransokyo. He heard the rumble of vehicles and the chatter from crowds of people. Sora blinked blearily and turned his head slightly, letting him glimpse the people walking by. Wandering past him apparently sleeping on the asphalt without sparing Sora a second glance. Though he vaguely noticed that the oblivious crowds seemed strangely washed out and dull.

He slowly sat up as he tried to take in everything: the large number of people navigating the numerous crosswalks around him, the towering buildings, and the screens flashing advertisements about things called Lapin Angelique, Dragon Couture, and Jupiter of the Monkey. While similar, Sora felt more and more certain that it wasn't actually San Fransokyo. Nor was it the empty, bright whiteness where he spoke to someone called Joshua.

It must be Shibuya. Sora remembered being invited to visit by… by… by someone.

Sora closed his eyes and swallowed against the forming lump in his throat. They were gone. All of them were gone. He couldn't feel his friends. He couldn't even remember them. It was strange and wrong not to have anyone. There had always been someone with him. If not physically, then at least in his heart.

His friends from Destiny Island. The ones that traveled with him to other worlds and fought alongside him against powerful enemies. The friends that he made on those different worlds. Even the other guardians of light. They were all gone. Even from his memories.

He was alone. In a way that Sora had never been before. Even when he didn't know it, there had been… someone in his heart for most of his life. There was nothing now.

His friends were his power. But now his friends were gone.

Sora didn't regret severing all of those connections. He wanted to protect them from being dragged down with him. He did remember that. And he didn't regret risking himself for his friends, dooming himself in the process of saving them. Even without remembering those people, he knew that they were all important and mattered dearly to him.

He missed his friends. A sharp aching emptiness in his chest where they should be. His heart had shattered apart under the strain of misusing the Power of Waking and was now restored, but Sora couldn't call himself fully healed. Not until he had his memories back and those broken connections were restored.

"Stop doing that!"

Sora's eyes snapped open just in time to see Vanitas, still in his skin-tight outfit from before despite the loss of his helmet, leaping to his feet and swinging a new Keyblade immediately upon regaining consciousness. Waking up fighting. Except his Keyblade passed straight through the crowds like they were a bunch of ghosts.

Or like Vanitas was a ghost instead.

Glaring at the new surroundings and probably frustrated not seeing the person he intended to attack, Vanitas muttered, "That's it. I'm finding that idiot and killing him. I don't care if he's helping."

"Why are you here?" asked Sora, standing up carefully while watching Vanitas in case his doppelganger decided to attack. "How are you here? Shouldn't you be back in your own time after we beat you in the Keyblade War?"

He still looked the same as he did by the end of the battle, though he'd completely ditched the damaged helmet by now. Though there was something off about him. Some difference that nagged at Sora that he couldn't quite identify. It was a different-looking Keyblade than before, slimmer and less bulky. And he thought he glimpsed a small circle attached to the ragged fabric attached to Vanitas like a partial skirt. But it wasn't those small differences. It was something else. Sora just couldn't figure it out. What had changed?

"I did get sent back. Then Ventus absolutely shattered our combined hearts and hid inside you for over a decade," he sneered. "But he dragged in a few extra pieces with him. I've been stuck in your heart like him, lurking in your tiny shadows. Not really aware enough to even think until you were stupid enough to stab yourself with that Keyblade and not really fully myself until that failed Mark of Mastery exam. But I couldn't get out until you messed up and broke yourself saving everyone." Banishing his Keyblade and crossing his arms, Vanitas said, "I'm here because I owe you. Even if it was an accident, your stupid heart saved me. And I'm also here because that annoying friend of yours with the dumb hair needs his face smashed in."

Sora tried to take that all in. Vanitas had been in his heart this entire time. Which was probably the least surprising part since several people had taken refuge there over time. And Sora had a name now for one of them: Ventus. He didn't have a face or much to connect to that name, but it was better than nothing. The tiniest scrap of information about a forgotten friend.

Looking around suspiciously, Vanitas continued, "He doesn't seem to be here and most of the people don't seem to be paying attention to the two of us. But have you noticed the red symbols floating around? Sort of looks like weird animal heads?"

He followed Vanitas's gaze. It was exactly like he described them. A flat floating symbol that vaguely resembled a stylized animal or the face of a monster. They reminded him of the Heartless, Nobody, and Unversed emblems. Sora immediately didn't trust them. Especially when he saw several of them and they started drifting in their direction.

"Noise tends to be interested in Players without partners. Easy targets," commented an unknown voice casually. "I'd make a Pact to protect yourselves before they Erase you."

Vanitas immediately summoned his Keyblade back to his hand as his head snapped around, trying to spot who in the oblivious crowd was speaking. Sora wanted to do the same, but he also paid attention to the warning. Apparently both of them agreeing to join the Reapers' Game wasn't enough to make them partners. He didn't know how to make it official. But Sora was used to working off instinct.

He saw the floating symbols. He saw something crawling out of one. Like a giant green frog, but with lines along its back and the blue hindlegs seemed more two-dimensional and stylized like living paint. Like the artwork on the walls in that new district of the sleeping Traverse Town. The "Noise," he assumed. Sora called his Keyblade to one hand.

Reaching out his other hand and trusting the impulse, Sora called, "Vanitas!"

He glanced over, saw what Sora was doing, rolled his eyes, and tried to shove the offered hand away. Except Sora latched onto his wrist before he could get out of reach. Light flashed around them, supporting sora's instinctive decision as being the right one.

Immediately the symbols stopped drawing closer. But the ones that had already emerged didn't retreat.

"A good start," said the voice from the crowd, "but you should run until you learn how to use your pins."

"Forget that," snapped Vanitas as he dashed forward, quickly followed by Sora.

No matter how strange he might feel after his destruction and restoration, Sora had plenty of experience at needing to rebuild his fighting capabilities back from the ground up. He'd done it before. After his yearlong sleep, during the Mark of Mastery exam, and the fallout after that exam went wrong. He could adapt and recover quickly from such setbacks by now.

And more importantly, just because he had setbacks didn't mean he didn't learn from those years of fighting countless enemies. Noise may not be Heartless, but he suspected that they would go down all the same.

The closest frog-like creature leapt at him, but Sora slid under it. He rolled back to his feet and spun around to face it. A quick, but simple combo knocked it back. He dodge-rolled to avoid a second one before knocking it into the air. Grinning, Sora leapt up and hit it several more times, sending it flying into the first. Sora dove forward to strike them both with another swift combo.

Both of the Noise dissolved into a cloud of static. Quite different from how Heartless, Nobodies, or Unversed looked when they were destroyed. But he didn't have time to contemplate the details of how they broke apart because he spotted a third frog creature looking in his direction.

"Thunder!" he shouted, raising his Keyblade and sending a small bolt down to fry it into more static.

"What's wrong, Sora? I expected better from you. Or at least more impressive than a Thunder," sneered Vanitas, dashing forward to slice through a few more in a cloud of static.

Pausing briefly, he called back, "Hey, I'm just a little rusty. Give me a chance to warm up."

"You better. I'm not carrying your weight all week."

Sora spun to face Vanitas with a bit of snark of his own already on the tip of his tongue, but the words fled as his eyes widened. He threw his Keyblade. His Strike Raid flew right by Vanitas's head close enough to nearly brush his cheek before taking out the Noise trying to leap at him from behind. Apparently not all of Sora's skills were forgotten.

Vanitas barely glanced at the near miss before turning away. Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of a "thanks."

As soon as Kingdom Key returned to his hand, Sora turned to handle the next threat. Except there didn't seem to be anymore Noise jumping around. He and Vanitas had apparently finished them off. Both of them held their Keyblades a moment longer in case they were wrong, but they eventually let their weapons disappear.

"Well, they told me that you would be different Players than normal. If those work better for you than pins, who am I to judge?"

Sora finally spotted who was talking to them, a lanky figure that wasn't washed out and dull like everyone else. White shoes, brown study pants, a white v-neck shirt under a sleeveless black hoodie vest with a white ribcage printed on it. He'd left it partially unzipped. A wallet chain hung from his pants and yellow-tinted sunglasses were perched on his face. Most of his wavy hair seemed to be combed back and held down with crossed hairpins, but the rest seemed to be left in a thick bush on the back of his head. He pulled a green sucker out of his mouth as he shrugged at them.

And he seemed to have a pair of small, metallic, and spiked black wings. There were holes through them to the point that they seemed more like a framework of wings instead of real ones. But they still reminded Sora of the batwings that he gained when he visited Halloween Town.

Though he was fairly certain that new arrival wasn't a vampire.

"Who are you?" asked Vanitas, suspicious and demanding. "What do you want?"

Pointing the sucker in his direction, he said, "You're right to the point, aren't you? You can call me 'Kariya.' And since someone forgot to give you the normal orientation speech when you signed on, I'm supposed to give you a quick tutorial. Mostly the basics. Enough to give you a clue how to do things. Though you clearly already know how to fight."

"Nice to meet you," said Sora before his doppelganger could snap again. "Why can you see us when no one else does?"

"Because they are still alive in the RG. The Realground. Us, on the other hand," he gestured at the three of them with the end of his sucker, "are in the UG. The Underground. A completely different plane for Players like you or Reapers like me. We can see them, but they can't see you. And since you're the only Players in this week's Game, you'll mostly be dealing with Reapers and Noise."

Kariya gestured towards his wings. Sora assumed that was a sign that someone was a Reaper. He did appreciate the clarification on that. Though he absolutely had more questions about everything.

"So you're dead too then? If you're in this place?"

As did Vanitas. And he clearly had no issue with being direct.

Smirking, Kariya said, "Quick on the uptake. Sometimes Players survive without winning, don't think that they can win, or don't want to return to life for whatever reason. To avoid being Erased, they can join the Reapers instead if they want. If they're good enough. Or sometimes they'll catch someone's eye and get an offering instead of the other way around. But yeah, I've been dead for a while. Reapers help run the Game and weed out the people who don't have what it takes to make it through."

"So you kill most of them," he said bluntly, eyeing the lanky young man suspiciously.

"Not directly. There are rules about that. Besides, the Players are dead to begin with, remember?" Kariya shrugged. "We don't have to give people another chance to live. No one is owed another life. For most people, dead is final. Anything else is bonus. And if they don't fight for that chance, do they really deserve it? Would they even appreciate it?" Glancing away, he continued, "Look, there are rules for both us and the Players. And I promise that our current Game Master will at least give people a fair week as long as they put in the effort. Neither of us approved of how Konishi handled things or the lines she crossed."

Sora looked away as well, no knowing what to say. He didn't like the idea of having to decide who lived and who died. Or rather, who would get to live again after dying and who would have to remain dead. But if they couldn't bring everyone back, maybe this was the only way that they could manage that type of decision. A competition to give them the opportunity to prove that they would fight to live and wouldn't squander that chance.

A cheerful and bright chirp pulled Sora out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to recognize the sound. Then he started digging in his pocket for his Gummiphone.

Who was it? One of his friends? Maybe he could call them and let them know that he was all right.

As soon as he pulled it out, Sora found a message waiting. One that he doubted was from any of his forgotten friends.

Defeat the large Noise near Hachiko statue in three hours or face Erasure.

-The Reapers

The moment that he finished reading the instructions out loud, a sharp pain flashed through his palm. A surprised hiss from Vanitas suggested that he felt the same thing. Glowing numbers burned brightly on his skin. A timer counting down. Sora had seen one before, but he couldn't remember on who.

"A bit more combative than our normal first day missions, but a decent amount of time and not that far away," remarked Kariya raising an eyebrow. "Looks like Uzuki knows that you're up a challenge of fighting, but is still taking it easy on you on the rest. I guess one of the others sent her a message about how you handled the Dixiefrogs"

Hands tucking behind his head as he tilted it, Sora asked, "Uzuki?"

"You'll meet her eventually. She's been my partner for a few years, though most Reapers don't bother with Pacts since it isn't as necessary as it is for Players. We just like working together. After some… complicated issues, she ended up as a temporary Game Master. She'll be arranging most of your missions this week." Gesturing, Kariya asked, "Want to get moving or do you feel like hanging around Scramble Crossing a while longer? I like people-watching as much as the next guy, but I can't spend all day standing around here. I still have a few things to explain to you too."

"It's not like you're that busy. What else would you be doing?" asked Vanitas, crossing his arms. "We're the only Players in this Game, remember?"

Kariya smirked and gave a short nod of acknowledgement, returning the candy to his mouth. Sora took the opportunity to look around for any sign of where or what a Hachiko statue might be. He had experience with finding all of a world's secrets and treasures. And he absolutely loved exploring. Given time, he knew he would find what he was looking for. But he would prefer at least a hint to get them started since there was a time limit involved.

Most directions seemed to have only tall buildings or streets that led deeper into the strange city. None of the paths seemed more likely than the others. But in one direction, Sora could see a patch of green among the concrete.

"We've never been here before," said Sora. "Could you at least point us in the right direction? Or tell us what the statue looks like so we can recognize it when we find it?"

"First time in the city? Welcome to Shibuya then," said Kariya, taking the candy back out. "I won't tell you where everything is in the city. That would make it too easy and I'm not paid to play tour guide. But just this once, I'll point you and your twin brother towards the statue to get you started."

"We're not brothers," he said. "We're…" Sora shrugged. "I don't know what we are. Vanitas tried to destroy me not long ago. Now he's trying to help me?"

"I don't like owing people," snapped Vanitas automatically.

"Well, whatever you were before," said Kariya, giving them a contemplative look, "you're partners now. Better hope that you can work together and trust each other or you won't last even with them going easy on you."

I know that this entire chapter was very heavy on TWEWY stuff, but Sora and Vanitas have a lot to learn. But don't worry. Next chapter will have some Lea and Kairi. I know you're looking forward to seeing how they are doing.