Crystal: Well, I'm back.

Anna: About time. You've been busy with life, school, and remaking that we all thought you were dead.

Nihil: Yeah, so many silent months.

Belle: When are you going to finish my story? It's shorter than this one.

Grace: what about me?!

Crystal: all in due time everyone. Let's just get this remake out. And yes, this is the remake version of my Hearts series. I've changed a lot of things and really, it needed to happen. Reading my old version made me pick out the plot holes. But anyway, here is chapter one of Shooting Stars. Disclaimer time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If you like the original Hearts Series, I still have it up. Also, please no flames. If you do not like this story, you can always leave.

When thinking about the world…

Can you tell what is real and what is not?

When you can't see, feel, or be in things they're not real….

Right?

Chapter 1: A Happy New Year

"No! Don't use fire! The batons will catch fire!"

"He's gonna use the stove anyway!"

"Look out! Fireballs!"

"Damn it! I lost Goofy!"

I sat beside my friend and tutor, Edward, as I watched him play the first Kingdom Hearts game. He was battling the boss of Wonderland, the Trickmaster, and we were shouting at each other, but we didn't mind. We had known each other since I was a freshman in high school and even though he was two years older than me; he was so much fun to be around. He doesn't view himself as high and mighty all the time like some of the seniors, no. Edward, or Eddie as he likes to be called (he'd rather be called a cartoon than a sparkly fairy vampire any day), is head of the anime club and can actually stand some girly animes that most guys avoid.

Me? I'm a sophomore, kind of small for my age, but I love RPGs. Pokémon and Kingdom Hearts being my first games, and they still have a tender spot in my heart. My name is Anna, Anna Daang, and I'm part Vietnamese, Chinese, and maybe a bit French. I'm not sure about the last one since I don't look fully Asian. My eyes are a little bigger than most Asians; I don't even feel fully Asian since I don't know Vietnamese well... Unless it's for food.

Today, we were hanging out at Eddie's house, playing the new final mix versions of the Kingdom Hearts games on Eddie's PS3. We switched playing when one of us got a game over, and we'd cheer each other. It was the day before New Years Eve and today was the only day we would be able to play together. Tomorrow, I'll be with my family and celebrating the New Years together. Eddie will be doing the same and honestly, we're glad to have at least have one day together during the winter break.

"I hate this boss." Eddie said, putting the controller down and letting the scene start. He had finished beating the Trickmaster, and I don't blame him for feeling relieved.

"Still, you did a good job." I admitted, leaning back on the couch I was sitting on. "Besides, there are harder bosses in this game, like the Phantom in Neverland." Eddie nodded, pressing the buttons as the text scrolled before us. He didn't say much as we read the text though now and then he'd try to do a new voice for characters, like the Cheshire Cat. I guess that's one of the things I liked most about Eddie. Still, I want to talk more to him before I had to go home.

"Hey, Eddie? What are you planning to do after high school?" That made Eddie stop pressing buttons, and he went silent.

"I guess I'll go into graphic design or something." Eddie said, shrugging. He then looked to me, and I wasn't sure what expression he was using. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're graduating this year and well… I don't know what I want to do with my life." I admitted.

"You don't need to decide now." My friend pointed out, leaning back to lay on the carpeted floor. "I'm not even fully sure if I want to do graphic design. There are so many options."

"Not for me… I'm probably going to get stuck somewhere." I said, feeling a little disheartened. I'm not the best student, I get easily distracted, I hate having to do a lot of work (which is normal for any student), and school just annoys me. None of the teachers seem to care what they teach, and most don't even do their jobs right. One teacher blamed me for my failing grade in math class but all that teacher talks about is his son and his time in the army.

Eddie looked like he wanted to say something to cheer me up but I heard my phone ring, and I looked to see it was my dad calling me. The ringing stopped, but I got a text saying to come home and that it had been three hours. I was needed at home to get ready for the party tomorrow, which I was kind of looking forward to. At least at the house I can play Kingdom Hearts with my cousins though they'll be more likely to be making fun of Sora's fashion choice than actually playing the game.

"Time to go." I said, getting up from my seat. "I'll see you at school."

"You going to be okay walking home?" Eddie asked, getting up as well. "I can walk you to the McDonalds if you'd like."

"Yeah. I'd like that." I appreciate Eddie coming with me, sometimes I feel okay with walking by myself but with Eddie around, I do feel a little safer. Besides, it gives me more time to talk to him. Still, when I got home, it was total work. Cleaning, setting up, cooking, my entire family was busy. Well… except my older sister, Maggie. She was sleeping in her bed with her boyfriend, and I was a little annoyed with them. Still, they are 'guests' since they came all the way from Nevada to see us.

The next day, I needed a break. Seeing the large amount of people in the house wasn't so bad, it was just so loud. What was worse, my younger cousins broke into my room while I was helping out, and they started drawing on my walls. While the adults were scolding them, I snuck out of the house, quickly texting Mom where I was going and honestly, at this point, I didn't care if Mom was mad. I needed peace and quiet. I walked to the McDonalds down the street and stood in line waiting for my turn to order. It was then I noticed a young man, maybe in high school but I've never seen him before.

He had dark hair, yellow eyes, a jacket with fake fur lining the hood, a black shirt, and dark blue jeans. I know for a fact I've never seen him before, his eyes were the big give away. He also had this face that didn't rub me the right way, the way he looked at people. That's another thing! He had a perfectly good set of chicken nuggets, but he just sat there watching people as they ordered food from his seat at the counter. He had this smirk on his face that kind of worried me; it was like looking at a child who was planning to do something very mean. His eyes flitted to me, and I was surprised when he gave me a slight wave.

I quickly looked away. 'Do not make eye contact with the weirdo.' I thought, and went up to order my apple pie and hot chocolate. It wasn't crowded today, since it was New Years Eve so I got to sit at a really good booth and took out my 3DS to play Dream, Drop, Distance. Placing my headphones in, I instantly got sucked into the game. Thankfully I wasn't too deep into it because I would've been yelling at my game for the horrible boss in the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"What are you doing?" I nearly jumped out of my skin; my hot chocolate thankfully not spilling all over me. Someone had talked right into my ear, and I turned to see the creepy guy from earlier. He smiled brightly at me, but I wasn't sure if it was a good smile or not.

"Um… what?" I asked, pulling out one of my headphones.

"What are you playing?" He repeated his hands on his hips. "It seems like a fun game if you keep glaring so intensely." I blushed a little at this; I didn't know I was glaring at the game this whole time.

"Um… it's Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance…." I said, showing him my game.

"Kingdom Hearts?" The guy asked; his eyebrows raised in interest. His voice seemed to get lighter, and before I could stop him, he moved to sit across from me and didn't look like he was going to move. "Can you tell me more about the game?"

I was seriously ready to call for security or even punch him, but this guy just looked at me with an earnest expression. That and if I did punch him, I might end up getting thrown out or the police may come, so I just told him what I knew about the Kingdom Hearts series, which happened to be a lot of facts. I've played all the Kingdom Hearts games since I was little, and I'm never bored of it. I think I may have been talking for thirty minutes, telling him in great detail about the storyline of the games. He didn't interrupt me, seeming to be engrossed in what I had to say and nodding now and then.

"Well, this is strange…" The guy said, his arms crossed, but his smile never leaving his face.

"What do you mean by strange?" I asked, but the guy looked at me right in the eyes. A sudden chill went down my spine, but I thought that was from the door suddenly opening and letting some chilly air enter the place.

"It's strange that even this world is connected…."

"Um… what are you talking about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In a theoretical sense, everything is connected." He said, closing his eyes and letting his head tilt back. "I mean, it does seem like a game but you have to admit there are some realistic stuff in it." Okay, I'm sitting with a crazy person.

"Um… are you nuts or high? In both cases, I should really get you help." I said, and I jumped when he just started laughing. Okay, I am sitting with a guy who is a dozen fries short of a happy meal. "Um… I'm gonna go now. I'm needed at home." I said quickly getting out of my seat and leaving the half-eaten apple pie and hot chocolate behind.

"Yes… it has been very educational talking to you." The guy said, grinning cat like at me. "I hope to see you again. If you make it…" That last part he had muttered but I could hear it as clear as day. That made me sprint out of the store without looking back. What the hell did he mean by that? That was too freaky for words.

When I got home, I tried to forget my encounter. The world is full of crazy people; surely the one I met was just among that group. I fell into the chaos at home, hearing the adults cheering, my cousins laughing as they play board games, me talking to my younger cousins as we played video games, and so much more. I was starting to forget what had happened a McDonalds, when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Anna! You need to see the news! You won't believe this!" It was Eddie, and he sounded between panic and excitement.

"Anna, what's going on?" My cousin, Madison asked as I switched channels to the news channel. At what I saw, I dropped the remote in pure shock and horror: black ant-like creatures with glowing yellow eyes were attacking people. My younger cousin, who was five years old, clung to me, and I knew why. We had just seen those monsters on TV. I was fighting them in my game. They were the heartless… but….

"Anna? Are you still there?" I heard Eddie's voice through the phone, and it was an effort to speak.

"I… I'm here. Are you family safe?"

"We've locked ourselves in the house." He said, his voice shaky but okay. "We don't know how long we're going to be safe. No one knows if…." He stopped as I heard a scream on his end of the phone.

"Eddie?" I got no response, and the phone had hung itself up. "Eddie? Eddie!" My cousins looked at me with terrified eyes. I probably looked scared out of my mind too, I looked back at the TV and screamed. Among the people fading away and the heartless attacking and killing people, was the same guy I had met hours before. He had that evil grin on his face, and I felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. The worst part, none of the Heartless seemed to notice him. They just scurried right past him, not even looking up at him.

My world was dying; that was clear. I didn't even move as the ground shook beneath me. The cheers and laughter turned into screams of terror, and all I could do was stand there, shell-shocked. The game was real, Kingdom Hearts was real, and now my world was ending before my eyes. We had nothing to defend ourselves. Even people who had been planning for the end of the world couldn't survive this without getting blasted into another world. My legs gave way as I sank to the ground. My cousins had locked the door and were huddling close to each other. Some cried out to me, and I could barely keep myself from shaking.

"It's going to be all right." I said, but my voice was weak from fear. I tried to sooth my cousins but then the roof was ripped above us, and we were caught in a wind. I tumbled about, holding onto my iPhone since it was the only thing I had left. I couldn't see my cousins, it was so dark, so cold. Am I dying? I turned on my phone to check the time. It was midnight. 'Happy New Year… the world has ended.' I thought, sinking into the darkness.

Anna:... so you destroyed my home? HOW IS THAT BETTER THAN THE EMOTIONAL TROUBLE YOU MADE ME GO THROUGH?!

Crystal: Sorry, Sorry, but hey, you're not a savior any more.

Belle: Welcome to the group of normals.

Nihil: Says the one who has a Gray Stu for a lover.

Belle: / Shut up!

Crystal: ANYWAY! Chapter 2: Rising Back, will be up shortly. I will also try to draw pictures of the changes to my characters for this series. Some characters turned into males.

Nihil: Oh, so you're giving more love to the sausage.

Crystal: Shut up, Nihil.