Xenix was sat on the edge of the couch, looking around curiously at the strangers around her. Riku had stepped out for a moment but Kairi, Ven, Terra, and Axel were still there.

"It's okay, Xenix. You're among friends." Kairi said gently but Xenix seemed scared of them for some reason.

"Who are you? Why am I here? What am I?" She asked, holding the edges of her cloak close together to try and shield herself.

"I'm Kairi. This is Ven, Terra, and Axel." Kairi said, motioning to each of them. Axel grinned and tapped the side of his head.

"Got it memorized?" Axel asked. Xenix looked towards the door.

"What about him? The white haired boy outside?" Xenix asked.

"That's Riku. He's just taking a minute to think. He's alright." Kairi replied, Xenix furrowing her brow curiously at the mention of Riku's name.

"Riku…" she said softly.

"Do you know him by any chance?" Terra asked. Xenix thought for a moment before answering.

"I know him…but I don't know how." She replied. She seemed confused even by her own answer.

"What do you remember, Xenix?" Terra asked as Xenix scratched her head.

"I…I remember...sand." she replied.

"Sand?" Ven asked.

"Water." She added.

"Water?" Terra asked.

"A star…and a crown." She replied.

"Sand, water, a star, and a crown…what do those mean?" Ven asked as the door opened, Riku walking back inside.

"Did I miss anything?" Riku asked.

"We've been trying to help Xenix remember where she came from. So far she seems to remember four things." Ven said as Kairi nodded.

"Yeah. Sand, water, a star, and a crown." Kairi added.

"And she also seems to know you somehow." Terra added as Riku looked at Xenix who was looking at him expectantly.

"I…I'm not sure what I can tell you Xenix. I don't remember meeting you before but that's not to say we haven't met before." Riku said as Xenix gave a nod.

"And I'm not sure how I know you either. I don't know if we've met before or not." Xenix said as Terra furrowed his brow.

"Xenix, do you remember anything about who you were?" Terra asked. Xenix thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"Aside from those four things and Riku…no." she replied as a grim look swept Terra's face.

"I see." He said as he knelt down in front of her, summoning his Keyblade to his hand. The sight of the weapon made Xenix blink in surprise.

"Whoa, a Keyblade." She said in awe. This surprised Terra and the others.

"You know what this is?" he asked as Xenix nodded.

"Yes but…I don't know how." She replied. This made Terra let out a sigh.

"That confirms it." He mumbled.

"Confirms what?" Ven asked as Terra rose to his feet.

"Xenix, I may not be able to tell you who you were but I can tell you what you were. You were a Keyblade wielder." Terra said as the others blinked at him in surprise.

"Whoa-whoa seriously?! She was a Keyblade Wielder?" Axel asked.

"How can you tell?" Ven asked.

"Fuzzy memories of her past life, seemingly genuine emotions, possession of or familiarity of the Keyblades, the fact that she couldn't recall her other's name…sound like someone you know, Axel?" Terra asked as realization dawned on Axel.

"Wait, you mean Roxas?" he asked as Terra nodded.

"Roxas had no memories of Sora, had genuine emotions, had a Keyblade, and couldn't remember Sora's name. Those facts are the hallmarks of a Keyblade Wielder's Nobody." Terra explained as Xenix furrowed her brow.

"Nobody? Is that what I am?" she asked, almost hurt by the concept. Riku quickly moved to kneel in front of her.

"It's not an insult. It's a race. You were born without a heart. Somewhere out there, your heart is waiting for you to reunite with it. All we have to do is find it and you'll be whole again. You will be the person you were before you lost your heart. You feel it don't you? That feeling that there's something missing?" Riku asked as Xenix nodded.

"Yes." She replied.

"That feeling tells you that you are a Nobody, the body of a person who has lost their heart. In your case, your former being, your Other, was a Keyblade Wielder." Riku explained as Xenix seemed hurt by the thought.

"But…why do I feel like I know you?" she asked as Riku shrugged.

"I don't know. I can't say. But we'll help you to reunite with your heart, to bring back the person whose heart was lost to bring you into being." Riku explained as Xenix gave a nod.

"Okay. I trust you." She said.

"We should take her to see Master Yen Sid. He's gonna want to know about her." Kairi said as Xenix looked towards her curiously.

"Who's Yen Sid?" Xenix asked.

"A Keyblade Master, someone who can help you fill that void where your heart should be. He can't fill it himself but he can help you find the way to do it." Riku explained as Xenix thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay." She said, standing up.

"I'll go with you." Riku said as Xenix smiled towards him.

"I'd like that." She replied.

"Alright then. Come on, Nix. We don't want to keep the Master waiting." Riku said, earning a curious look from Xenix.

"What did you call me?" she asked, causing Riku to pause.

"Uh…what did I just call her?" he asked.

"You called her Nix." Ven replied. Riku seemed puzzled by this.

"Nix…huh." Riku said, almost confused.

"If you're worried that I'm upset, I'm not. That name, Nix, feels almost…natural to me." She said as Riku gave an absent nod.

"Yeah. It's probably nothing. Come on, let's not waste any more time." Riku said as they headed out the door, leaving the other four behind.

"I've never met a Nobody before." Ven muttered curiously, Axel immediately clearing his throat.

"You don't count. You had a heart by the time he met you." Terra said.

"Takes me back though. Been a while since a Nobody got born. Especially a Keyblade wielding Nobody. I'm actually kinda jealous." Axel replied.

"I'm more worried than anything. Somebody lost their heart for that Nobody to be born. I'd like to know who it was and how." Terra said as Kairi gave a nod.

"If only Namine were here. She could unlock all of those memories inside of her or at least take a look at them and tell us what we needed to know to help her." Kairi said as Terra scowled towards the door.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to believe there was more to her kidnapping than we first believed. We may not know what's going on in the Forgotten Worlds but the fact that there are things happening here in our worlds where memories are involved, memories being the very thing that Namine has control over, and that Namine should be kidnapped is very suspicious to me." Terra said as Ven gave a grim nod.

"First Riku's memories are proven to have been manipulated by some kind of magic spell and then this girl Nobody shows up without her memories. It kills me that Master Yen Sid won't let us go and help." Ven said as Terra sighed.

"Give it up, Ven. He's not going to let us go." Terra said.

"So what do we do now?" Kairi asked.

"Whatever we can." Terra replied simply.

In Yen Sid's Tower…

Riku and Xenix stood before Yen Sid who was quietly stroking his beard in thought. Xenix was fidgeting quietly in place, nervous of the elder Keyblade Master.

"Don't be afraid, young one. I mean only to help you." He said as Xenix swallowed and gave a nod.

"We found her in the World that Never Was. The Heartless seemed to have been drawn towards her for some reason." Riku said as Yen Sid's piercing gaze continued to study the girl.

"Riku, summon your Keyblade." Yen Sid said finally. Riku did as ordered, stretching his hand forward and summoning Way to Dawn to his hand.

"Now what?" Riku asked.

"Perform a Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony with Xenix. This will confirm whether or not she is as you believe her to be." Yen Sid said as Riku gave a nod. He then turned towards Xenix who turned towards him curiously.

"Don't worry. No one is going to harm you." Riku said, flipping the Keyblade around so he was holding it in a reversed grip and then holding the handle out towards Xenix.

"In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend, no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love." Riku recited. Xenix looked at the Keyblade for a moment and then reached out to grab it, but before she could touch it, there was a flash of light in her hand, a Keyblade forming. It was similar to the Keyblade, Star Seeker. The blade was curved like Star Seeker's but colored blue with streaks of yellow running across it. The blade seemed to spiral around a single yellow star to form the tooth. The blade and tooth gave the impression that it was a shooting star. The guard was similar in shape to the guard on Kairi's Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, but had a single yellow star at the spot where the two sides of the guard and the base of the blade met like a linchpin. The guard was colored in a faded blue and the keychain was a yellow shooting star with blue trail. Riku and Xenix were equally surprised but Yen Sid merely smiled.

"How did I do that?" Xenix asked, marveling at the Keyblade in her hand.

"Xenix…" Yen Sid said, catching her attention.

"Sir?"

"Go downstairs for a moment. I'd like to speak with Riku alone. He will join you shortly." Yen Sid instructed. Xenix gave a quiet nod and headed for the door. Riku watched her leave until the door to Yen Sid's chamber was closed behind her. He then turned towards the Keyblade Master who was looking squarely at him.

"Riku, I have an assignment for you. I am assigning you to train Xenix to wield a Keyblade." Yen Sid said, startling Riku.

"Me? But Master, I'm not qualified!" he replied but Yen Sid gave him a dismissive wave.

"You are the most qualified at present. Of your fellow apprentices, you stand as the most likely to become the next Keyblade Master. This is not a declaration I make lightly. You've the bearing of a Master and your dedication to your friends despite your past adversities has revealed an unbreakable resolve. You have wisely guided Terra down the road to dawn, to help him overcome and accept the darkness within him. You may not be a true Keyblade Master yet, but your time is fast approaching. This will be a test to see whether you truly have what it takes to become a Keyblade Master." Yen Sid said as Riku took a deep cleansing breath before bowing.

"I will do everything in my power to train her." Riku said as Yen Sid gave him a nod.

"There is one more thing, Riku. This training will serve a dual purpose. As Xenix's skill with the Keyblade grows, she will unknowingly draw out those who her heart was closest to. Anyone who knew her as she was before her heart was lost, may come for her. This may include those who stole her heart in the first place. You will need to protect her." Yen Sid said as Riku gave a nod.

"You can count on us." Riku said. Yen Sid then gave Riku a dismissive wave, Riku turning and heading for the door. As Riku left, Yen Sid quietly looked at the book on his desk, the Master's Tome with the golden letter L on it.

"Twenty years of silence, my old Apprentice. Now you return in the most unexpected of forms. Is she the legacy you left behind?" Yen Sid pondered, looking at the book before falling silent in deep thought.

On the train back to Twilight Town…

Riku and Xenix were sitting across from each other in the empty train car. Xenix was quietly examining her Keyblade.

"Xenix…do you want to know how to wield that thing?" Riku asked as Xenix blinked curiously.

"Can I?" she asked, Riku nodding.

"Master Yen Sid has instructed me to train you. I'm not a Keyblade Master and I don't pretend to be one, but I will do everything I can to train you." Riku said as Xenix smiled at him.

"I trust you. If anyone can teach me anything it's you, Riku." She said before pausing, blinking curiously.

"What did you just say?" he asked, curiously.

"I…I don't really know. It just-, it just came out." She replied. Riku sat back in his seat.

"Sort of like how I called you 'Nix' earlier, right?" he asked as she nodded slowly.

"Riku, do we know each other somehow?" she asked as Riku took a breath.

"I'm beginning to wonder." Riku mumbled as the train continued on towards Twilight Town.

End Chapter 31

Yes, Xenix is wielding Nixe's Keyblade 'Wandering Star.' If you didn't realize it before, Xenix is indeed Nixe's Nobody. If you're confused as to how this is, simply reread chapter 22.