A/N: Hey guys, what's up?

Today, I've got some of your favorite characters here with me to help with the Author's note.

Why, you ask? Well, it's kind of awkward, actually. You see, a few characters are petitioning to remove me from my position as author of this story. Signatories include Groose, Wakka, Phil, Xion, Ganon, Roxas, and Agatha, and Roxas is threatening to join them.

The petition reads as follows:

Samswimmer,

We, the characters of the Kingdom Hearts and Legend of Zelda franchises, express our dissatisfaction with the current state of management of this representation of our lives. Each undersigned party believes that on an individual, personal basis, the addressed has either taken systematic steps to withhold from him or her from their rightful presence and influence within this story or viciously and needlessly slandered his or her name, whether directly or indirectly, to permanent detriment. On these grounds, we resolved that the here-impeached abdicate his office and title, relinquishing all authorities granted thereby.

Groose,

Wakka,

Phi,

Xion,

Ganon,

Agatha,

Groose is mad because he is dead. Wakka is mad because he was cowardly. Phil is mad because he was disrespected. Xion is mad because she had made no appearance while she feels she is entitle to same fate as Roxas regarding Ghirahim's spell. Ganon believes he has unequivocal rights to antagonize Link and his allies as he sees fit. And Roxas is mad that he has been trapped, insane, and/or comatose for every chapter except about one and a half. He threatens to join the petition if I don't give him greater appearance this chapter. As for Agatha… I have no idea what she's doing here. She's not from any of the games I'm using, and she hasn't really said anything. As in literally nothing at all. She just keeps staring. And staring. It's getting rather unnerving.

Being the author, however, I forbade them from protesting any further and banished them to the void of irrelevance (except for Roxas, of course), thus ending the conflict. Whether or not one or more of them might reemerge later is unclear even to me. But just in case somebody feels sorry for them, I would just like to point out that I don't own either franchise and make no profit from the use of their likenesses, nor do I claim them in any way. Thusly, I am immune from suit.

Get it? I just wrote a 400-word disclaimer! I don't really thing they're all that necessary (this is fanfiction-dot-net, people, what do you think is going to be on here?), but one or two throughout the story couldn't hurt anything. Of course, "immune from suit" isn't entirely accurate. The actual owning entities could send me a cease and desist notice and take legal action if I fail to comply. But I am relatively immune by anonymity, at least at this point. I'm too small to matter. Yay?

Whatever, read my story.

Book I: The Open World

§ - Chapter 1: Introductions - §

"Coliseum? As in like gladiators and stuff?" Tidus questioned regarding the name of this new place.

Sora did something with the ship's controls for a moment before answering, "Sorry, just had to put the Gummi in orbit. Anyway, it's more like 'and stuff', but yeah, there's a gladiator."

"Just one?" the neophyte inquired.

"Yeah. I mean, not really any, actually. They pretty much all fight for fun or for the prize money. There's one guy who dresses like a gladiator, but that's about it. His name is Hercules," the brunette answered.

"Huh," responded the blonde.

"Oh, and get ready," said Sora cryptically.

"For wh—" Tidus started.

"—at… never mind," Tidus finished.

"Two words: Welcome Back," greeted a very short, very fat satyr.

Goofy leaned over and spoke in Donald's ear, "Gawrsh, was that really two words?"

"I think it was," agreed Donald, surprise evident in both their faces.

Tidus was, naturally, very confused. "Why wouldn't it have been two words?"

Sora answered him, "Whenever he says 'two words', it usually means it won't be."

"Two words: I can hear you!" stated the irate goat inaccurately.

"I think I get it now," Tidus whispered.

"So how's my second favorite group of heroes been, huh?" asked the fawn.

Said group's leader replied, "It's been pretty rough, but we're doing alright. This is Tidus, by the way."

"Name's Phil," he said, turning to introduce himself to the unfamiliar kid. "So what's a pipsqueak like you doing with a bunch of heroes? You know, I trained these guys. Taught 'em everything they know! And what thanks do I get? They pop by every once in a while and hardly say a word! Listen kid, I gotta get back to set up for the next tournament. You just stick with these guys. They'll take care of you."

"… okay?" Tidus said, looking to Sora for guidance.

The keyblade-wielder just shrugged as Phil walked off, saying, "I kind of just go with it. Some people you'll meet have weird ideas about you, and you can't really set them straight without telling them about other worlds, which are supposed to be a secret."

"They are? Then why'd you tell us?" the rookie inquired, curious.

"We got tired of not being able to talk to anybody about it. Although if we had just waited a few minutes, it wouldn't have mattered," the veteran answered. Growing a taunting smile, he went on, "it's too bad too, 'cause now we have to babysit you."

"Come on, that's not fair!" returned Tidus.

"Let's go. We should really go get ready for the games," said Sora, deflecting the accusation.

The shorter boy* swiveled his head to face his new mentor. "Wait, we're going to be in the games?" he asked nervously. Despite his typical bravado, he wasn't really sure he was ready to fight in the Coliseum. Of course, he still had an image in his mind of bloody death-matches with lions and tigers, so he was naturally somewhat anxious.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, trust me. And we'll reserve some time in the arena before the games start to do a little team practice. You'll be fine," encouraged Sora.

"Okay…"

Riku stepped out of the darkness and into that perpetually perplexing puzzle of a place, the one and only Wonderland. With its convoluted motifs of symbols, games and nonsense and its disjointed, Escheresque structure, this particular world held a certain unique status. The consensus among those members of the group who had had the misfortune of traveling there was that this particular land was the most confusing, annoying, and generally unpleasant world in all existence. This opinion was held unanimously, save only Goofy's vote. For his two cents, he had said it didn't seem any more confusing than all the other worlds they had visited. At first, some thought this was impressive. Soon after, however, their realized the depressing truth of the matter.

While either one of the key-wielding friends would have happily put their trip to this world off as long as they could, it unfortunately had to be first. Alice was the least defended among the Princesses of Heart, and so was most susceptible to attack. Where Belle had her Beast and a Genie guarded Jasmine, Alice had no real protectors. The other princesses at least had able princes. She had a doorknob, a madman, and a cat. Sometimes. Another convenient fact: Riku had had no part in kidnapping Alice, so it would certainly be easier start off with her than, say, Jasmine.

These were the reasons that had them marching down the labyrinthine hedges toward a person that they despised. After all, as bad as the Red Queen could be, everyone knew how bad a search for a moving target in Wonderland could be. Any hints they could get would save significant amounts of time.

"And who are you!?" snapped a disagreeable voice belonging to an equally disagreeable face.

Taking the initiative, one of them began the introductions, "I'm Riku, Your Majesty, and this King Mickey, and we're here to—"

"King!? King!? I don't see a king! I see a mouse! I'm the only royalty around here! This is treason! Off with his head!" ranted the unsavory woman.

Mickey and Riku shared a brief annoyed look before the former attempted to assuage her fury, "Your Highness, please! I am not the king of these lands, and I do not wish to steal your title. I'm sure I could never do as wonderful a job ruling this kingdom as you obviously do."

"Hmph. I do do quite an excellent job, don't I? Fine, you may live for now. What business do you have here?" she narcissistically approved.

Barely holding back the contempt from his voice, the unroyal spoke, "We are here to look for a young girl by the name of Alice. Have you seen her?"

"Alice? No, I haven't seen her," the Queen replied. "Why? What has she done now?"

"She hasn't done anything, Your Grace, we just—" interrupted again, Riku failed to hide his scowl.

"I'll decide whether she's innocent or not!" exclaimed the witch.

A moment of silence. "Innocent of what?" asked Mickey tentatively.

"That's 'Your Highness' to you!" barked the hag. "Yes, she's most certainly guilty. I'm sure of it. All the evidence points to her!"

"But what has she done, Milady?" retried the boy.

"Guards! Go to the Bizarre Room and bring Alice to me! Off wither her head, I say! Off with her head!" screamed the Queen of Hearts.

"So much for not having seen her," muttered Riku. "Do you know where this 'Bizarre Room' is?"

"Yeah, but we'd better hurry. It's not that far, and the guards had a head start," the real royalty responded.

As they took off running, the mouse heard his companion whispering to himself, "I hate this place."

A crotchety old man disembarked from a kaleidoscopic swirl of black and purple into a world of blue and sharp edges. The blue walls constantly shifted upward, blue pulses running up the sides. The jagged blue floors were covered with jagged blue lines. The man walked to the edge of the platform on which he appeared, golden eyes gazing at a smear of black against the blue. Odd markings pulsated various colors as the massive shadow growled its fury to new arrival. The great beast reached a thick arm out, and darkness enveloped the one who had dared to come into its presence.

Seconds later, the concealing cocoon burst outward and there, where before had stood an elderly man, now stood two younger men in dark coats. Each had long silver hair and piercing amber stares. Turning to each other confidently, they simultaneously dissolved, disembarking from a world of blue and sharp edges into identical kaleidoscopic swirls of black and purple.

And the colossal heartless took note that corridors did not shut.

There has been a shift in Nothing.

…

One like I've never seen.

How so?

It feels as though it has departed the worlds.

All the worlds?

Somewhere beyond our reach.

But no longer so?

Correct. I will follow the Nothing.

And?

Hold the corridor open.

Why would you need that?

I know not whether we will be able to communicate once I am through.

And you may be unable to return?

Correct. Do not allow the path to close.

There is danger in that.

We have little choice in the matter.

"So what are we doing here, exactly?" Kairi inquired of her partner as they walked the dim streets of the dark city. While Lea sauntered quite casually in the direction of the gray fortress, she constantly looked about her, rotating as she went as if creatures were waiting at every corner to pounce. Which was actually fairly likely, all things considered.

"Relax, Princess, nothing's here. This place has been empty since Sora took down Xemnas." said her protector, using a new nickname she wasn't altogether happy with. "Well, except for that little thing during the mark of mastery exam. Anyway, we're here because we have no reason to be anywhere else. I figured this place is one of the most likely to be connected to mysterious things involving nobodies and hearts."

Still pivoting despite his assurance, his ward asked, "So we're just going to walk around looking for clues?"

"Pretty much," he responded. "If this place doesn't turn up anything, it's off to Castle Oblivion. Then Twilight Town."

"What's with the broken buildings lying around," Kairi question as they climbed over the wreckage of a skyscraper.

Without looking back, as usual, Lea told her, "Umm, I think Xemnas threw them at Sora. So Sora cut them in to pieces. Nobody's really been here since, no pun intended, so I guess they're just still sitting here from the battle."

"Xemnas can do that!?" she gasped. "Sora can do that!?"

"That reminds me, we need to get moving with your training. I know you got some basics out of the way while we were waiting around at your home world, but we need to step it up if you're going to be good enough to fight with people like us," Lea declared.

Ghirahim sat on his throne at the Demon Palace, a gleeful smile painted across his face. In front of him, squirming in typical form, stood a large number of Dusks. Scattered among them were few other lesser nobodies, including a handful of dragoons, gamblers, creepers, and the like.

And they listened to him! They obeyed him! He had an army at his disposal, and these several gathered in his court were just a fraction.

He had rested for a time and since had begun to explore his acquired powers. As he became somewhat proficient, they started to collect. Watching and waiting. Waiting for orders. His orders. This development was simply exquisite. He couldn't wait to have his revenge on that miserable hero and the pathetic boy who had dared to defy his authority. It was all so exciting!

"Where am I?" the boy asked, still half asleep.

"Kakariko Village," a Zelda answered him.

"Hero! Hero!" came a call from outside.

"Why are they calling me that?" asked Link, more to himself than anything.

Zelda whispered to him, "I think that was Daddy's idea, actually."

The boy didn't acknowledge the exchange. Link assumed he was still fighting to wake up.

"Hero!" said a rather generic knight. "There are monsters in the village!"

"Can't you deal with one stupid Keese!? I'm kind of busy," said the hero.

The knight seemed to care little, responding, "I'm afraid it's going to have to wait, Link. We've never seen anything like these before. You've got to help!"

Link look to the enigma he had rescued from Ghirahim and flown all the way to the village, who by now was clearly awake. As much as he wanted to talk to the youth, to learn who he was and what he was like, he knew he needed to go defend his people. With a hesitant glance toward Zelda, he ran out the door, led by the academy graduate to these foreign monsters.

What he saw when he arrived was alarming to say the least.

Six monochrome figures swayed in place, standing in formation around a tall being donning the same black coat as the boy he had just abandoned. The hood-obscured head turned to face him, and on some silent cue the writhing creatures attacked in unison.

"My name is Zelda," the girl in front of him informed him gently.

The way she spoke was calming and nonthreatening, which both relieved and confused the Roxas. He thought he'd been captured, so what was he doing here?

"How did I get here?" he asked, hoping to alleviate his bewilderment.

"My friend Link, the one who was in here a moment ago, rescued you from a Demon named Ghirahim, but you passed out right away. He carried you back here where we live," she told him.

That can't be right… assuming Ghirahim is that nobody… what happened next? I remember a bird… maybe Ghirahim was the bird? he pondered. Roxas need more information, so he probed, "He carried me here?"

"Well, technically," she acknowledged, "his loftwing did the actual carrying."

He asked her, "What's a loftwing?"

"It's a kind of large bird we ride on," Zelda explained.

So Ghirahim was the white guy. And this guy—Link?—was on the bird? I guess that makes some sense.

"Would you mind telling us who it is he rescued," she prompted.

Roxas replied "My name is—"

"Somebody just attacked the village," Link announced accusingly, "he brought a bunch of white monsters with him, and he was dressed just like you. Know anything about that?"

Xemnas, the name immediately entered his mind. Obviously. Who else could it be? Wait… does that mean he's looking for me? I should be able to hide… I don't think he's been to this world. Oh no. The Recusant's Sigil. It's in my name. They told Sora they could track him because he had that symbol. I can't use my name! "It's probably Xemnas, and he's no friend of mine!" hostility entering his own tone as he panicked, trying to determine what he should do.

"Link, calm down. I said you were right when you thought we could trust him, and I still think you were right," she scolded him.

"That's not exactly what I said, you know," he muttered.

"Now, you were about to tell me your name," she urged.

Uh oh, he though. "My name is," crap, "Sora," he said, with only the slightest of pauses.

Tear him apart! a voice spoke to Mayabi's thoughts directly.

Now is not the time, he replied to it calmly.

Kill him! it insisted, hatred and aggression unbridled, Make him suffer!

No. It was simple, but definitive. We have much preparation to do before we can complete our mission.

And then we'll take everything he has! Everything he loves! We'll torture him and destroy him! the voice raved.

Yes. It was simple, but definitive.

*So, I think Sora is taller. It's really hard to tell by their onscreen representations because one or both of them is crouching (well, like a fighting stance that's not perfectly upright) in every shot I could find. That said, even if someone could show me otherwise, I'm not going to change it. They've both aged about two years since they were last shown on screen together (1 year between KH1 and KH2, a bit of time for the events of 3D, and a few months waiting on Destiny Islands as per the prologue), so I think I have the liberty to just decide. Therefore, Tidus is the shorter boy. Also, in regard to his awareness of what a coliseum is: Sora seemed familiar with dogs when he woke up to Pluto in KH1, even though there appears not to be any dogs on Destiny islands from what we've seen. Basically, we don't have complete knowledge on what they know about, so I took another creative liberty here.

A/N:I know this isn't what you were expecting, and probably not what you wanted either. Well, it was on purpose! I'll say a bit more after I reply to the reviews.

But first, thanks so much to Miyu Mizuki, this story's newest fav/follow combo! You're awesome.

unicron1000: Ok… here you go.

TheLegendaryBladeFalchion: I'll keep that in mind and try not to die, ok?

Ami: Are you the same person as Miyu Mizuki? Anyway, here's the update you wanted. I'm glad you've liked it so far and I hope you still do!

TPXIII: It seems you review all over the place, but I can't seem to find a profile for you. Do you have one? That aside… I left it there for just that reason! First, it keeps you interested. If I end my chapters where you don't want me to end them, you start reading the next chapter if it's out, or you wait for it if it's not. Also, I want to make sure the interaction goes smoothly, writing-wise. It needs to be decently in-character, believable, and also enjoyable. Their interaction will be a key feature of the story, obviously, so I need to get it right from the beginning. The importance of this is part of why I teased it and then backed off again on this chapter, only showing one line from Link and two from Roxas in their interaction. As for where you're at, I don't think there will be many spoilers beyond what you've already seen by getting this far. Thanks again for the compliments. And you know, my review count is recently starting to pick up thanks to people like you. I appreciate it.

So have you figured out the pattern? Longer/more relevant review means longer/more relevant response (in general).

Since this is the first chapter of the first book (everything prior can be considered Book 0: Prologue), I felt it appropriate to scan across every point of view we'll be working with, both to establish where we are and to remind you (and me) of who we need to keep track of. And regarding Roxas calling himself Sora, I promise there is a reason!

Also, I'm handing out virtual cookies to anyone who can tell me (in a PM) the two Zelda games I've intentionally referenced so far (obviously aside from Skyward Sword). Why? I'm encouraging responses. I'm trying to get you invested in the story so you feel more emotional connection to it. There you go, I'm may be called manipulative, but now you can't accuse me of being dishonest. It's your own fault if you fall for it! Also, there are cookies for anyone who can PM me a list (by name) of all the villains that have made appearances so far. The reason these should be PM's is because it takes some thought to work out, and I don't want you to spoil it for anyone else who decides to try. Ok?

One more thing worth noting: I'm going to start adding bonus junk at the end of each chapter, following the southern AN. The intent is that it'll be mostly comic relief stuff. Think along the lines of a short comic strip, but novelized. Here's the first one!

Things that Didn't Happen

Volume 1: Things my Sword Says

§ - Episode 1: Center the Cursor - §

I looked over to Roxas and held out a slingshot.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" inquired the young nobody.

I tossed it at my companion, forcing him to catch it reflexively. Next, I got out a handful of deku seeds, saying, "You use that to launch these. It's really pretty useful."

Roxas took the ammunition somewhat hesitantly, "Umm, okay, I guess, but… how exactly do I use it?"

Just then, Fi popped out of my sword. Roxas jumped at this, which was kind of weird. Most people didn't react at all, almost like she had frozen time or something, but he didn't seem to be affected like that.

"Who're you, exactly?" he inquired.

"You go the Slingshot! Use this projectile-shooting weapon to fling deku seeds at your foes! The hard seeds will stun your enemies," Fi announced.

Roxas looked at her, somewhat annoyed, and stated, "Link already said that, but how do I—"

The sword spirit interrupted him, continuing her preprogrammed speech, "You can press ↓ any time you want to center the cursor."

"Wait, wait, what?" he questioned, confused by her statement.

"I said, 'You go the Slingshot! Use this projectile-shooting weapon to fling deku seeds at your foes! The hard seeds will stun your enemies,'" she repeated.

Roxas shouted back at her, "No, not that part! The part about—"

Yet again, Fi did not wait for him to finish, "'You can press ↓ any time you want to center the cursor.' Will that be all, master?" she concluded, turning to me.

"Hold on, what did you mean when you said 'center the cursor'? What cursor? And how do I 'press down', or whatever it is you said?" Roxas yelled, increasingly frustrated.

"'Press ↓' refers to the down direction on your Wii Remote's direction pad. This action will reregister the current aim of your Wii Motion Plus, symbolized by the cursor, to the center of the screen."

Roxas stared at her blankly for a few silent beats before uttering a single word, "What?"

"'You go the Slingshot!'" she began once more.

"AGH! I Give up!" he said, storming off, muttering furiously about insane purple fairies.

"'Use this projectile-shooting weapon to fling deku seeds at your foes! The hard seeds will stun your enemies,'" Fi went on, undeterred.

"Stop it!" he screamed back toward her.

"'You can press ↓ any time you want to center the cursor,'" she called after him.

She continued to explain the intricacies of controlling the slingshot, speaking louder and louder as he walked away. Meanwhile, as his exclamations became more and more colorful, I couldn't help but laugh.