Chapter I
The Heart of Nothing

(Kingdom Hearts Zack)

Well, that could have gone better. With my parents, I mean. First off, I was apparently gone for three years while I was away. Second, my mom actually fainted when I mentioned "mortal peril." Half an hour later, I introduced her to Xion and Rex, and she almost lost it when she saw the Lucario. Instead of describing it, well…

"What… is… that..?" my mom said.

{Hey, I have a gender, lady. I'm not a 'that.'} Rex complained. I'm glad the translator's power only works for Xion and I.

"It growled, I don't want it near me…"

"Mom, he's not going to hurt you. Rex is a good friend, he saved my life." I said. Xion was busy scribbling on her pad, and showed it to my mom.

"If it wasn't for Zack, this world would still be trapped in Darkness."

"Why couldn't you just say that, umm… Xion, right?"

"Mom, she's kind of mute. And it wasn't just me, Xion; Sora and Riku helped me out." I said.

"Who are these other people? And what do you mean by 'Darkness'?" My mom seemed on the verge of a panic attack. Luckily, that's when my dad got home from work. He'd be able to help.

He managed to calm her down, and eventually, they believed me. It wasn't until Xion and I summoned our Keyblades that they did, though. That's when my mom cried more; she was scared for me the entire time I was gone, thinking I was dead- when in reality, I was just almost dead. I assured her I was fine, but she walked to her room, distressed.

Meanwhile, my dad inched over and whispered in my ear, "You were gone for three years, and you show up with a mythical creature and a girl?" he put his hand on my shoulder. "Impressive."

"What, the Pokémon?"

"No, the girl."

(five months later…)

Xion and Rex had been accepted in my house, my parents letting them stay. Rex slept on the couch in our basement; he didn't mind, he was glad to have a place to stay. I took the top bunk in my brother's room, since Xion moved into mine. I didn't mind, and she really shouldn't have bunked with my brother. He still didn't get the fact that she couldn't talk.

Xion was used to Earth life now. She often went out with my mother, shopping or whatever. My mom referred to her as "the daughter she never had." Although it sounds mean, I understand; with me and my brother as her only kids, she had no "shopping buddy" as she called it. With Xion, she finally had one.

However, we still didn't tell them that she was a Nobody. I thought the whole "no heart" thing would creep everybody out. Xion agreed. However, five months after I came home, the strangest thing happened. A bottle fell from the sky, straight into my pool. I stopped swimming to grab it, and I was surprised to see a note inside. With my name on it.

"What is it, honey?" my mom said from the deck.

"Nothing, mom." I lied. "I'm just going to go in for a bit." Xion followed me inside, where I uncorked the bottle, after drying myself off, of course.

Who's it from? Xion wrote.

"Let's find out." I rolled the note out, and it was written in a script on the parchment. From the scratching on the letters, I could tell it was from a feather pen and inkwell.

To: The Keyblade Meister Zack

It has come to my attention that you are accompanied by the Nobody known as Xion. I have uncovered a great deal of information about her, and wish to share this with her, including her inability to speak. If you would be so kind as to use the train tickets located in the bottle and meet me in person, I would be grateful indeed.

Yours truly,
Master Yen-Sid

I looked at the bottle again, and saw three tickets for a special train. "Redeemable at any train stop." I read off the top. "What am I going to tell my parents?" I turned to Xion, who shrugged.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" my mom screamed a few hours later. She grabbed my arms shaking me. "I LOST YOU ONCE ALREADY AND I WILL NOT DO THAT AGAIN!" My dad put his hand on her shoulder, and talked to her quietly. My mom nodded, and changed her mind almost instantly. "Well, I guess you'd have to pack…" I could tell she never wanted me to go.

My dad was the one to drive us to the train station. Rex wore a long overcoat and a hat, disguising his true form to other humans. My dad took me to the side, and said, "Now, whatever you do, get back home. Your mother would go crazy if you didn't." I could tell he would too. He didn't have to say it, I could just tell- it's the kind of man he is.

"Your train's here," the teller said. "Please, it's a secret track, so it's down here…" she led us down a tunnel I've never seen before. At the bottom was a single, blue and gold train with a wizard's cap on top. As ridiculous as it was, I was also simply amazed by it. The interior was the same coloration, and plush. This was a luxury train, I could tell.

The ride was smooth, and we were silent, all contemplating who this "Yen-Sid" was. I held my bow in my hand as a precaution, just in case. When we arrived, we were in an alternate world entirely, as I could tell from the floating island the train stopped at. As soon as the three of us got out, the train vanished.

"How convenient." I muttered. "Be on guard, who knows what's here…" Rex and Xion nodded, the latter summoning her Keyblade. We entered the lone tower up on the island, and climbed up. It was the only dwelling here, so I believed Yen-Sid to live there.

(An hour or five later…)

"So… many… stairs!" I complained at the top.

{Yeah, even I'm exhausted…} Rex said. Xion flopped over onto the ground, her Keyblade clattering and disappearing on the floor. The room had a desk in it, and various shelves as well, all filled with magical items and potions. The chair behind the desk swiveled around, to reveal a man in a blue robe and pointed hat, with a long, silver beard he stroked as he started to speak.

"You are Zack, Xion, and Rex I presume?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm Zack…" I was still tired from the climb, but I pulled Xion up and stood her next to me, Rex supporting her from the other side. "You are Yen-Sid, I take it?"

"Master Yen-Sid, if you will. Yes, I have called you three here to discuss her predicament." He pointed to Xion, who stood up on her own and approached him. "I know who and what you are, Xion."

"Well, then please explain what you know. I've been trying to help her too."

"I know this, Keyblade Meister Zack. But do you even know what she is?"

"Yeah, she's a Nobody. One who has no heart. I'm trying to help her in any way I can."

"FOOL!" he yelled. "Xion here, is not a Nobody." I was shocked, and apparently, so was Xion. "I have dug up the journals of Organization XIII's number IV, Vexen. He was the one who created Xion, from the memories of Sora, Roxas, and Kiari."

"Then what is she?" I asked. I'd still help her, that bit doesn't change. But I needed to know how.

"I do not know. She is not a Nobody, but she is, well… nothing, in its entirety. How she can exist, let alone wield a Keyblade, is beyond me." He stood up, and paced over to me. "But, I believe I have found a solution. Every being, even Xion has, or once had, a heart. I believe that Xion's heart is out there somewhere, unaffected by the Heartless by her unique creation."

"Where could her heart be, then?" Xion looked around a bit, unsure of what to do. "I mean, if it's out there, we should go get it!"

"My point exactly. However, I'd believe it to be on a distant world, one that is not connected to us like the ones you have visited already. Thus, I must give you the power to connect these new worlds…" he handed me a small, copper badge. It was shaped like a heart. "I now give you the powers and prestige of a Keyblade Knight. With this power, you may enter worlds that are not connected by the process of a Dream Drop."

"But, Master Yen-Sid, how will I know which one is the location of Xion's Heart?" However, at that moment, Rex reeled back from a magical item he was examining, knocking me down. My bag opened, and the two fused pink gems I had found earlier in my adventures tumbled out.

"I believe now that it would be a little harder than that." Yen-Sid said. He picked up the gem, and carried it towards Xion. Two strange things happened:

Xion froze up, and wouldn't move.

The gem was shining.

(A/N: how'd ya like that? Two updates in one day! Also, for those of you expecting to see the Pokémon Zack, please be patient- he'll appear soon enough. For now, hang on for the ride, and enjoy! ~Nano)