"Welcome back everyone, to The Xros Heart Familiar. Drago3511 is here for the third update! I know it took a lot longer than some of you were hoping, considering the progress I was making before, but summer is here, and happy Fourth of July for all of my American readers!"

Sean: "Don't you think you should work on updating some more of your older stuff?"

"After I upload this chapter and Chapter 3 of The Holy Armored Rider, then yes. I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on, but I'm just in such an updating mood for Digimon stories right now, especially since Xros Heart Familiar is so popular after just 2 chapters."

Sean: "Whatever, I won't tell you how to live your life and update your stories."

"You're damn right you won't!"

Sean: "Anyway..."

"I'M NOT DONE YET!"

Sean: "Of course you aren't..."

"Just so people know, after I get both third chapters done for the Alternate Chronicles that I have up so far, I will be going back to much older stories and giving them the updates that they need. Stories like Fenrir's Soul, The New Uchiha, Aqua in Real Life, etc."

Sean: "Good, those stories are long overdue for updates."

"Now, let's get the disclaimer over with since I got that out of the way."

Sean: "Finally, now-"

"NOT YOU! IT'S NOT YOUR TURN! LOUISE, GET IN HERE!"

Sean: "HOW DID YOU GET LOUISE TO DO THIS?!"

"I have my ways."

Louise: "I can't believe you talked me into doing such a mundane task. Me, a noble!"

"Yeah, yeah. Nobility and all that crap. Please, just do what I asked you."

Louise: "Very well, I guess I have no choice. Drago3511 does NOT own The Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima or Digimon. All he owns are his own OCs and any DigiXros that he comes up with."

"Thank you very much Louise. As promised, a lifetime supply of the finest tea in Halkeginia."

Sean: "How did you even?"

"Like I said, I have my ways. No, let's get on with Chapter 3!"

(Previously, on The Xros Heart Familiar...)

"Young Familiar of Miss Vallière, what is your name?" He asked me.

"My name is Sean Sky. Why do you ask?"

"Mister Sky, do you perhaps think that I could borrow that small device in your hand to study it?" He asked, pointing at my X Loader with a pencil.

"Um..."

Damn, how do I get out of this one? I can't just outright say no to the guy. But I can't let him take apart my X Loader either!

God, Kami, or whoever is up there... I ask of you one thing.

Please give me something to get out of here.

-ting-

"Help... me..."

I widened my eyes and looked out into the distance. What the hell was that?

"Um, Mister Sky?" I heard Colbert's voice.

"Huh, wuh?" I blinked and turned back to faced him, uttering gibberish.

-ting-

"Help... me... please..."

"Do any of you guys hear that?" I asked them. The collected group of students, Digimon, and one teacher looked at me strangely.

"Hear what?" Louise asked, genuinely confused.

"I don't hear anything." Guiche said.

"Darling, are you sure you heard something?" Kirche asked. Ugh, does she HAVE to call me that? It sends chills down my spine, and not the good kind.

"Nothing..." Tabitha muttered as she shook her head.

Shoutmon X2 narrowed his eyes at me, as well as Dorulumon and Cutemon. Maybe I wasn't crazy after all, if they heard something too!

"Sean, we didn't hear anything." X2 said.

Damn, so I AM going crazy!

"But... maybe you really did."

And once again, I have hope for my sanity!

"I'm sorry, but what is going on here? You say that you heard something?" Colbert asked, putting away his notebook and pencil, thankfully.

-ting-

"Someone... please... help..."

"He might be hearing a Melody." X2 stated.

I widened my eyes again, completely shocked at what I just heard. A Melody? But that can't be possible! Only Taiki Kudo had that ability, and there shouldn't be any other Digimon in this world aside from Shoutmon and the rest of Xros Heart!

"A melody? Like a tune or a song?" Louise asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Kind of. A Melody is usually produced by a Digimon who is on the brink of death, and only certain people can hear them. The Melody represents a Digimon's data." Dorulumon explained.

"Does that mean that there's another Digimon nearby that didn't come with Sir Sean and the rest of you? And it's dying?" Guiche asked, actually sounding worried.

Without another second to spare, I turned heel and broke into a sprint.

I wasn't about to let a Digimon die on me! Who knows what would happen to it's data if it isn't in the Digital World!

-ting-

"It's... no use..."

"No! Don't you dare die on me!" I shouted as I ran, turning around a corner.

-tiNg-

"Huh? Who... who's there?"

"Please, you have to hang on! I'm coming to help you!"

-TiNg-

"You... want to... help me? But... I'm out... of time..."

"Like Hell you are! You're not dying without my say-so! And that isn't happening!" The Melody was definitely getting stronger as I got closer to the Academy gate. It must be really close by.

-TiNG-

"Why... why do you... want... to help me?"

"Because I just can't turn my back on someone in need! That's not what we, of Xros Heart, do!" Just a bit further, I'm almost to the gate.

-TING-

"Xros... Heart?"

I ran past the gate and stopped when I looked down the road. The image was faint, but I saw a pale glow, and it was distorted. Almost like it was breaking apart into static.

I ran closer to the glow, and stopped again as I got close to it. I could definitely make out an animalistic figure. It had quills on it's back, it had large paws, and I think I could make out the crest of Friendship in it's front legs! I recognized the Digimon now that I got a closer look at it! It's Togemogumon!

"Hey, are you alright? Come on, speak to me!" I got down on my knees and reached a hand down to the fallen porcupine-like Digimon.

He cracked open an eye and looked up at me, looking weary and almost dazed.

"A... human? Why would... a human... come help me?"

"Easy there, little guy. I can help you, but I'm going to need your cooperation." I told him as I pulled out my X Loader, at which he widened his eyes.

"A... X Loader? Then... you really can..."

"Please, help me help you. If you go inside the X Loader, you can heal your wounds. Then you can tell me everything."

He seemed to stare at it for a moment, before slowly nodding his head. I smiled and held it close to his fading figure, determined to save him.

"Download, Togemogumon!"

The distorted Digimon turned into a beam of light and shot into the X Loader, securing his life. I let out a breath I didn't know that I was holding in. I was relieved that I managed to save him in time.

I turned the device towards me, and Wisemon's face appeared on the screen, just like I had hoped it would.

"Wisemon, see what you can do to speed up Togemogumon's recovery."

*I will do all that I can with the resources available. Lucky for him, you managed to reach him just in time. He seemed to be on the brink of deletion as it was.*

"Thanks Wisemon, I owe you one."

Then, the screen went blank once more.

I sighed and let my shoulders slump. I was so glad that I was able to make it in time.

After a minute or two passed, I got back up to my feet and dusted off my pants. Then I turned around and started making my way back to the Academy. Although, before I could step two feet past the gate, Louise and the others were already running up to me. I had a small smile on my face, but that suddenly disappeared when I saw the fury in Louise's eyes.

"Um, hey guys." I managed out.

"Don't you 'hey guys' me! What was that all about? Taking off all of a sudden!" Louise practically screamed at me.

"Louise, didn't we just get through explaining to you?" Dorulumon asked her.

"I didn't ask you!" She yelled back and pulled out her wand. Uh oh, this is bad.

"Louise, wait!" I tried to get over to her and stop what was about to come next, but...

BOOM!

Next came the darkness...

Huh... I feel... warm.

Like all of the pain... just disappeared.

I cracked open my eyes, but was almost blinded by the sunlight. Once my eyes got adjusted, I looked to my left and saw Cutemon with his hands over me.

"All better, kyu." He smiled at me, lowering his hands. I sat upright and stretched out my back and arms. Man, so that's what it's like to have a Wound Healing be used on you. I feel great!

"Thanks a lot, Cutemon." I smiled and pat his little head, causing him to giggle.

"It was nothing, kyu."

I looked around and saw that everyone else was still laying on the ground, minus the Digimon, who were nowhere to be found, and Tabitha, who was next to the Academy wall and looking at me.

"Dorulumon and the others went back into the X Loader, kyu."

I nodded to him and got up to my feet once again. Looking around, even Louise was knocked out by her own explosion. Kirche, Guiche, and Professor Colbert were all knocked out as well. Seriously, Louise needs to control herself better.

"Cutemon, think you can fix up everyone else?"

"Just leave it to me, kyu!" And so, Cutemon got to work by running over to the person closest to me, which was Professor Colbert.

So while he was healing the others, I walked over to Tabitha. I didn't really know the blue haired girl, so I figured this might be a good time to get acquainted.

"Hi there."

She looked up at me with a blank look on her face and nodded. Okay, so she acknowledged that I'm here. That's a start.

"I'm Sean Sky. You're Tabitha, right?"

"Yes." She softly spoke.

I sweatdropped and scratched the back of my head.

"I take it you aren't much of a talker."

"Only when necessary." She then turned her head back to look at Kirche.

I noticed that her eyes softened when she did, if only a tiny unnoticeable bit.

"I take it you and Kirche are good friends?" I asked her.

She turned back to me and looked me right in the eye. Behind those red half-frame glasses, she had these nice pale blue eyes that looked distant... but at the same time, they also seemed caring.

"Friends." She replied with a nod.

I chuckled a bit and she tilted her head slightly.

"I find it funny. Kirche is very... to the point. She's loud and prideful, and she doesn't hide what she's feeling. She also talks quite a bit. You, on the other hand, you're more reserved. Keep to yourself, usually in a book from what I've noticed, and you only really speak when spoken to."

There was a bit of silence after than, but then Tabitha nodded her head again and turned back to watch Cutemon finish healing Professor Colbert.

"Curious."

I looked back to her with a raised brow.

"About what?"

She pointed to Cutemon, who now started working on Guiche, and then to the X Loader, which was still in my left hand.

"Oh, about the Digimon?"

Again, she nodded her head.

"Well, it's a long story, if you're willing to listen."

"Be here a while." She responded.

I nodded my head and we both sat down on the ground. So, I told her everything that I knew about the Digimon while Cutemon was healing the others. I didn't give out any information about the seasons prior to Xros Wars, or the fact that it is a work of fiction where I come from. We were the for a while, since the others took their time regaining consciousness.

Tabitha was a good listener. I stopped every now and then to make sure that she was following what I was saying, or if she stopped me to clear something up.

I assumed we were there for an hour or so, because the sun was already beginning to set.

By the time I finished, Louise and the others started to wake up.

"Interesting." Tabitha remarked.

Louise got up first, followed by Guiche, Colbert, and then Kirche.

"My, what happened?" Guiche asked.

"We were hit by the Zero's temper tantrum, that's what happened." Kirche groaned out as she stretched. I'm glad her back was facing me, otherwise she would have jumped me to moment she got up.

"Oh, shut it Zerbst." Louise muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh dear, the sun is already starting to set. I need to get back to the Headmaster right away!" Professor Colbert panicked as he picked himself up, making sure that all of his things were in order, right before taking off into the Academy structure.

I got up to my feet and offered Tabitha my hand, which she took and I lifted her to her feet as well.

"It's getting late. Come on, Louise." I called over to the pink haired girl.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't tell me what to do." She walked over to me, looking exhausted, even though she was unconscious for well over an hour.

"You too, Cutemon." I held up my X Loader for the small pink Digimon.

"I'm coming, kyu." He then beamed himself back into the device.

I smiled and motioned Louise back to the Girl's Dorm, which she did trudge over to. I then turned back to Tabitha, who was next to Kirche by this point. Guiche had already disappeard, either he went back to the Boy's Dorm, or he went off skirt chasing. I really hope that it was the former of the two.

Kirche was running her mouth again and making crazy hand gestures, and Tabitha was just standing there. Those two balance each other out pretty well.

"It was nice talking to you." I muttered, then followed after Louise.

The very next day, I woke up to find that Louise was already dressed. That was surprising, considering that the last couple days she was making me dress her and do her laundry.

"Hey, you're already dressed. That's new. What's the occasion?" I asked her, sitting up in my hay stack. Yeah, I decided to sleep inside tonight. It's the least I could do for her. But that didn't make it any less itchy and uncomfortable.

"It's the Day of The Void." She replied nonchalantly.

"Okay... and what is that? Some kind of holiday?"

"It's a day where we don't have classes, we're basically free to do what we want." She explained.

Ah, so it's like a weekend. That clears it up for me.

"If that's the case, what do you have planned for the day?" I asked her, picking myself up dusting myself off, looking for any stray pieces of straw sticking to my clothes.

"We're going into town today to get you a sword."

I stopped picking straw off of my clothes and looked at her dumbly. Did I just hear her right?

We were going into town today?

And it was to get ME something?

But wait, there's one flaw in what she said.

"A sword? No offense Louise, but I can always just DigiXros Starmon and the Pickmons to make the Star Sword."

"But what if there is ever a time where you don't have the X Loader, or if Starmon and the Pickmons are hurt?" She argued back.

Damn, she actually had a good point. I can't just always assume that I'll have the X Loader on hand.

Eventually, I sighed and gave in.

"Alright, we'll do it your way."

"That's what I thought. Now get ready and escort me down to the stables. We need to prepare a horse." She said, brushing her hair.

After I picked off the last piece of straw from my shirt, I froze.

A horse?

As in, horseback riding?

I'm suddenly not feeling comfortable about this. And that might be the feeling of the upcoming saddle sores.

"Louise, mind if I' ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Um, how long does it take to get to town on horseback?" I inquired.

"Only a couple of hours. Why do you ask?"

A COUPLE OF HOURS?!

NO WAY IN HELL AM I RIDING A HORSE FOR TWO OR MORE HOURS!

Okay, calm down... You can think of a solution.

What could possibly be faster and yet more comfortable than riding a horse at your disposal?

...

...

...

That's it!

"Alright, let's go." I smirked as I straightened out my clothes.

"What's with that look on your face?" Louise asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

I just kept smirking as I took her hand and we left the room.

"Hey! Unhand me this instant! Familiars aren't supposed to lead their masters, it's the other way around!"

"Just come on!" I pulled her through the corridors and down into the fields of the Academy grounds.

We eventually found our way to the stables, due to me being clueless as to where they were in the first place. Sometimes, I can be a bit eccentric. But hey, we found the stables.

"Would you let me go now?" Louise asked, panting slightly since we ran all over the place.

"Yeah, sorry."

I let go of her hand, and she bent over to catch her breath. Maybe I went a little over the top...

It was then that I felt a pulsing come from my back pouch. So I pulled out my X Loader to see what was going on. Unsurprisingly, Wisemon's face popped up on the screen. He's really the only one who communicates like this through the X Loader anyway.

"Hey Wisemon, how's Togemogumon?" I asked him with a hint of worry. It's not like I doubted Wisemon's skills, but Togemogumon was in serious critical condition.

*Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Togemogumon has made a complete recovery in the past 18 hours.*

My eyes widened at the good news, and I was smiling like crazy!

"Really? That's great!"

*Unfortunately, he is still unconscious... most likely just asleep. Give him a couple more hours, and he should be awake.*

"Alright, thanks Wisemon."

His face then disappeared from the screen again.

"So why did you drag me down here near the stables? You looked a bit terrified to ride a horse a few minutes ago." Louise eyed me suspiciously.

"Well, what if I told you I had a faster, and overall more comfortable way to get to town?"

Now Louise was really looking at me funnily.

"Maybe it'll be easier if I just show you." I raised my X Loader once more. "Reload, Sparrowmon!"

The green ray of light shot out of the device and this time, took the form of the large yellow and white flying Digimon. However... Louise seemed a bit skeptical.

"Ah, Sean. I'm glad to see you finally called me out here. What do you need me for?" She hovered over to me and tilted her head.

"Sparrowmon, think you could fly us over to the nearest town? Louise said sh-"

"Wait, you want me to ride on THAT!?" She cut me off abruptly, screaming in my ear.

I rubbed my ear a bit and then picked at it with my pinky.

"Think you could yell any louder? I can still hear out of this one! And yes, I do." I stopped picking my ear and put a hand on Sparrowmon's head, causing her to giggle a bit. "Sparrowmon is completely safe."

"I guarantee a safe trip, Miss Vallière. Trust me."

Louise still seemed a bit uneasy about the whole thing, but she eventually gave in.

"Alright. If it will get us there, I'll ride on the back of this... Sparrowmon."

"Perfect."

I climbed on Sparrowmon's back and sat down cross-legged. Then, I motioned for her to sit down behind me. She had a little difficult climbing on since Sparrowmon wasn't on solid ground, so she landed and we had Louise sit down that way instead.

"Now put your arms around my waist. Cause this may get a little hectic." I told her, which she did so.

"What do you mean? Haven't you done this before?"

"Nope! This is my first time riding Sparrowmon too!"

"WHAT?!"

"Sparrowmon, take off!"

"Now wait just a minute here!"

"Taking off!" Sparrowmon declared, rising high into the air, with Louise screaming so much she didn't have any time to yell at me.

Then, Sparrowmon started to fly away from the Academy at a pretty decent speed. The screams of Louise could be heard half-way to town.

"Done! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've been free of school for a bit more than a week now, but I was trying to find a job and was starting my summer work. I almost had a guaranteed spot, but the guys who originally needed me cut me off before I got a chance to work because they had another guy to do the same work. So, back to hitting the pavement for me."

"Sad stuff aside, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, considering how long I took to put it out. We will start getting into some more actual plot, such as the entrance of Derflinger, the talking magical sword! For any of you who are Digimon fans but not so familiar with Familiar of Zero / Zero no Tsukaima, either watch the series, read the manga, or just look up plot points. But I AM thinking of you Digimon fans out there, because the next chapter, which may sadly not be out for a while, will also introduce more Digimon, not just from Xros Heart, to the story. As well as give an explanation of WHY they're in the world of Halkeginia."

"So, as you have all done before, read and review, recommend it to your friends who like Digimon or Familiar of Zero / Zero no Tsukaima, or even both. You can even go fill a swimming pool with Jell-O if that makes you happy... I don't know. You probably shouldn't do that last one."

"Well, I'm off to work on the third chapter for The Holy Armored Rider! If you have been reading that, I changed the design of Apollo's Pre-Arms suit in chapter one. If you haven't read it and you like Kamen Rider, especially Gaim, then give that a read too! Later, taters!"