A.N. - This is my first fanfiction! Be sure to leave a review as they will really help me improve my writing.

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Wal-mart, Nintendo, or anything else besides the characters Tommy and Max (though it'd be rad if I did).


"You will be sent to a new world today to perform recon."

It was early morning in The World That Never Was, although the sky would tell one different. Sunlight never graced the buildings of this cold world. Stars shone in the perpetual night, but they were meager compared to the luster of a certain heart-shaped moon. Kingdom Hearts, a massive crystallized gathering of collected hearts, hung, unwavering, above the world of the Nobodies.

It's soft light filtered through the tall windows of The Grey Area, illuminating the room. It was empty, save for two black-clad figures, wrapped in standard-issue Organization cloaks. The imposing, blue-haired man with hard, uncaring eyes towered over the much younger and innocent-looking ravenette.

"Depart as soon as you are ready," Saix said, monotone. He glared sharply at Xion. "Do not fail us, puppet."


As Xion stepped through the Corridor of Darkness and was whisked away to her destination, something occurred to her. She had left so early that she hadn't gotten to see Roxas and Axel.

Damn, she thought. I really wanted to talk to them this morning.

It wasn't necessarily her fault for leaving so early. She had found that she'd woken up after another odd dream and could not go back to sleep. She'd tried to sneak to Roxas's room to see if he too was afflicted with insomnia, but Saix was already on the prowl. 'If you're already awake, you will make yourself useful,' he had said.

There was little time to reflect, however, because she was soon deposited on a well-lit sidewalk. Xion hadn't thought to ask Saix what world he was sending her too, but it appeared to be rather quiet.

The sun had not yet risen, but the faintest traces of it glowed in the eastern sky. Unfamiliar groups of stars floated overhead, partially obscured by patches of clouds.

Xion found that she had landed in a rather quaint, well-to-do, neighborhood, not unlike one of Twilight Town, but with shorter houses and bigger yards. She made her way down the street, searching the area for any signs of movement. There were none.

With neither Heartless nor residents out and about, Xion took the time to open her mission brief and become acquainted with the information it contained.

The initial report claimed that the Heartless population was surprisingly low and that there were over six billion inhabitants.

So many people! And such an odd name, Xion smirked as she read the world's name. Earth.

She decided that she liked the sound of the word. It rolled off the tongue well, almost as well as Twilight Town, Roxas, or sea-salt ice cream. She looked over the rest of the document.

Xion's job was just made substantially easier. It contained various additional facts collected by the first member to have set foot in the world.

'Inhabitants choose to operate "vehicles" on roads to cover large distances'

'Inhabitants are generally untrusting of strangers, with a few exceptions'

'Munny appears to have great value in this world'

'Organization cloaks appear to draw curious stares from inhabitants. It is best to ignore them.'

'Threatening gestures are heavily frowned upon.'

'A certain shop called "Wal-mart" is a good location to collect observations'

As Xion read the last of the facts, she wondered who it was that discovered this world.

It certainly wasn't Demyx; the notes were too competent. Axel and Roxas would have mentioned a new world to her. Saix and Xemnas didn't go on missions. It wasn't specific enough to be Vexen, and she could assume that the Nobody didn't have any strikingly odd features, eliminating Xigbar, Xaldin, and Marluxia. There weren't constant references to gambling, and the notes weren't angry, so Luxord and Larxene were also out. She figured it was a bit too wordy for it to have been Lexaeus. That left Zexion.

Zexion… I'll have to thank him for the notes. It was a big help during recon to have good information to start with. It made the whole experience feel a little less like wallowing around in the dark.

The glow in the east was rapidly strengthening as Xion closed her mission brief and set out to find this 'Wal-mart.' Most of the town was still asleep, but signs of life began to appear as she wandered the streets.

Xion had covered considerable ground, but she still found herself among the sea of houses that was a typical suburb. How could there be so many people living in one area? It boggled her mind that she had most likely passed by more houses in her short time there than there were in all of Twilight Town. Six billion people lived on this world. How could one even fathom so ma-

VROOOMM!

Xion let out a squeak-gasp and whirled around in alarm at the sudden noise. She was surprised to find a large metal contraption on black wheels passing by on the road. After nearly summoning her Keyblade, she realized that it was simply one of those 'vehicles' that the mission brief had noted.

She laughed inwardly at her own reaction before continuing her journey in search of valuable information.

Not long after, she came upon a rather large building on the horizon. It stretched rather far to each side and had multiple entrances. In front stood a vast expanse of concrete painted with colorful lines. A few vehicles were parked here, and people could be seen walking to and from them. Above the largest, and most certainly the main, entrance hung a huge, lighted sign that proudly said 'Wal-mart.' Xion found her target.

As she cautiously moved about the store, hoping not to draw too much attention, she was constantly surprised by her surroundings. Colorful packages and boxes lined the endless rows of shelves. She saw foods that she never knew existed and various clothing that made her grateful that she wore the Coat. They were far too bright and - she'd go so far as to say - thin for her taste.

Zexion (she'd settled on the idea that he was the one who wrote the notes) was right about Wal-mart being a great place to observe the local population.. Xion observed some very interesting characters that included but were not limited to a man who wore shorts that were far too short for his own good and a woman who suspiciously milled about, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she inspected electronics.

In one corner of the store she had almost summoned her Keyblade when she heard a small child scream. She rushed to the source only to find that the child was throwing a tantrum over a toy, not being mauled by Heartless.

This is going to be one hell of a report, she thought before closing her eyes, lowering her head, and smiling to herself. With this much information, Saix can't possibly complain .

Xion looked up and was about to make her way out of the store when she noticed something odd. Frankly, it was more than odd because it was a large poster of herself. More specifically, it was a poster of herself, Roxas, Axel, the imposter, and some human-mouse thing in an Organization cloak.

She let out a gasp and staggered backwards, eyes widening substantially. What...is this? How does this even exist?! She scanned the poster, seeking answers. The one line of text it contained served only to deepen her confusion.

'Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days only available on Nintendo DS'

Xion didn't know what that meant. How could she know what it meant? It said Kingdom Hearts, that much she knew...but what did 358/2 Days mean? What was a Nintendo DS?

She stood there, staring at this impossible rendition of the sea-salt trio, for a long time, attempting to unravel its mysteries. Whether it was because of her striking resemblance to herself or the fact that she'd been standing there far too long, someone took notice of her.

"Well then, another KH fan I presume?"

Xion jumped at the sudden voice before turning to see who it was that just addressed her. Next to her, but not uncomfortably close to her, stood a kid with messy brown hair who was not much younger or smaller than she was. His light brown eyes seemed to glow with amusement at her startled reaction.

"Wha? I.." was all she managed to get out. The situation was simply too strange for her to have any sort of coherent response.

"Ah ah, say no more. Of course you are. Why else would you be cosplaying? And with such attention to detail too," he mused as he looked her over. "Great use of material for the coat."

"Uh, thanks?" she hazarded, still oblivious to what he was talking about.

He forged on with the conversation, not noticing her complete confusion. "So, who's your favorite Organization member?"

How? How did this unassuming kid know about the Organization? "Um...Roxas?"

"Oh, he's cool. A bit too zombie-like for me though. I prefer the more expressive ones like Vexen or Demyx." He stuck out his hand. "My name's Tommy, what's yours?"

She hesitantly met his handshake. "My name…" Should I tell him the truth or should I lie? On one hand, she didn't like to lie to people, but on the other, the Organization members had to remain covert. What's the harm?

"I'm Xion," she replied, forcing a small smile.

The boy simply laughed. "I knew that!" Then, he sighed contently. "Such a good cosplay." His mind seemed to wander for a moment before immediately returning. "Oh I know what you'll like since Roxas is your favorite member!"

He gestured to the poster that had dumbfounded Xion previously. "This is the new Kingdom Hearts game that came out recently. You get to play as Roxas through the whole game since it's about him in the Organization." He beamed as he told her this, excited about the new game. Then, his face fell slightly. "But you can only play it on the DS. You know, that video game system? I don't have enough money to buy one yet."

Well that explained a lot. At least Xion knew what the poster was about. It was still extremely weird to think that she and her closest friends could be in a video game in this world. Maybe she'd have to try it…

"Well, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you!" With that, Tommy ran off, no doubt in search of his parents.

Alone with her thoughts again, Xion's eyes wandered back over the poster. A whole game about Roxas and the Organization huh? She decided then and there that she must play this game. It should be...interesting.

With a smile on her face she began to browse the selection of DS systems that were in stock. After a minute of searching and contemplating, she decided on one that was as black as her cloak. DS in hand, along with a copy of the game, she wandered off to find a cashier.


Man, I hate working mornings, Max thought as he rubbed his tired eyes. Even with coffee, he was still groggy at best. It's always soooo dull. I could still be asleep right now.

He looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone in the electronics section at the moment besides two kids who were talking about some poster. With nothing to do, it would be easy to get some shut-eye. What's the worst that could happen.

He laid his head down on his arms, allowing sleep to rush at him like a tidal wave. If there was one advantage about working early mornings in Wal-mart, it was that he hardly had to do any real work.

No more than a few minutes passed before a small voice and a gentle poke woke him up.

"Uh, excuse me…" the delicate voice said.

Somewhat annoyed that he couldn't catch any more proverbial Zs than he did, he groaned and looked up at what was sure to be a customer. His gaze was met by a young girl who was the absolute spitting image of the girl that was on the box of the video game she was holding.

It was a bit surprising, seeing how closely they resembled each other, but he rationalized it in a way he found amusing. Oh, a cosplayer. Bless her heart.

She was looking a bit uncertainly at him, as if she was nervous about talking to him. It was a sight that made him realize how very unprofessional he was being.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," he apologized as he straightened up. "I'm very tired, forgive my behavior." Max glanced at the items she was holding. A knowing smile crossed his face. "Ahhh, another fan of Kingdom Hearts eh?"

"Yes, it's very important to our Organization so we can get hearts of our own." She then visibly flinched, as if she said something that she was never supposed to say. The girl looked down as she set a Nintendo DS and a copy of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days on the check-out counter.

Oh god cosplayers are adorable. So into character… He chuckled as he scanned the items and put them into a plastic bag. "So, are you excited about playing as Roxas and getting to know the Organization better?"

That brightened her up. "Yeah! It'll be really fun to play as my best friend, but I think I already know the Organization as well as I'd like." She sounded so sincere.

He laughed again. "Oh, you're so dedicated. Tell me, what's your name?"

"It's Xion." She looked a bit confused as to why he was laughing.

He only laughed louder. "Haha! Of course you are!" He took a moment to compose himself. "Okay, your total will be $198.76."

The girl rummaged around in her coat pockets until she pulled out a huge freaking chunk of gold and handed it to Max. "Is this enough? I don't know how much Munny I need in this world."

He couldn't believe his eyes. He was just a lowly cashier at a typical Wal-mart in a quiet town, but he had just been handed a huge ball of polished gold by a young teenage girl. He could see his reflection in it. He felt faint. "Yeah...that's...enough," he managed.

"Thank you," the girl replied with a smile. "You seem nice. I'll tell Roxas and Axel about you."

With that, she grabbed the plastic bag with her purchases in it and took a few steps away before pausing. Max watched in complete disbelief as she conjured a huge swirling portal of darkness and walked through it.

"Wha..?" He rubbed his eyes with one hand and looked down at the other.. The ball of gold was still there. "H-how? Xion?"


It was still early by the time Xion RTC'd. Every other member had already left for their missions, but none had returned. Even Saix was nowhere to be found.

It'll be a while before the others return. She looked down at her bag. I've got plenty of time.

As she made her way to her room, questions swirled in her mind. Sure, she'd played video games before, but none from other worlds and certainly none with this kind of relevance. How will the Organization members be portrayed? What role will each have? Will the events happen exactly as they have in this world? Why does Roxas get his own game? How does this game even exi-

She was brought out of her reverie when she noticed that she was simply standing in front of her door. 'XIV' stood boldly on it's surface.

Once she was inside, she made sure to turn around and lock her door, lest another member decide to drop in on her unannounced. This was one thing that she was determined to keep a secret...for now.

Xion plopped onto her bed with her new items and proceeded to read the entirety of both instruction manuals before she moved to turn the DS on. After she finished setting the system up, as well as deciding on her username (KeyofXi), she started the video game up.

The title screen greeted her, nearly the same as the poster in the store earlier, along with music. She enjoyed the peaceful sounds of the newly arranged title theme although she could also detect an edge of sadness.

Here goes nothing, she thought as she chose to start the game. She got comfy as the opening movie began to play.

"Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts…"