DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the story. All rights go to Sega and all associates.

So here is one of my two stories! This thing was requested three years ago, but I had other things going on... then things after that... then more after that... for that, I'm sorry. But here it is! However, this is a lot different to most of the other stories that I write, and it's even different from the original that it's based on by my friend Jerry The Fox. And yes, his OC is the main character in this story. This story which features... well, you'll find out as we go along. I hope you enjoy it.

Marshall the fox sighed as he looked at himself in his school's bathroom mirror. It was early, he was tired, and he'd barely had breakfast, but here he was, waiting in his school's bathroom to avoid the bullies until the next bell rang.

"I thought I'd be safe..." he said to himself. "I mean, my brother is a cop, so you'd think that people would respect that." He looked closer, seeing his left eye still recovering from an encounter a few days prior. "But that doesn't mean a thing, I guess..."

Marshall the fox. 18 years old, brown fur, hazel eyes, tall for a Mobian, Mexican ancestry, and at the moment, wearing a black baseball jersey style shirt with blue jeans and brown combat boots. He sighed again, reaching for a pocket in his jeans and seeing a small bag of weed there.

"I can't risk smoking this here... I almost got suspended last time. Thank god Tails got involved. His police presence works on teachers, but not bullies..."

He looked at himself in the mirror again before pulling out his phone, searching through his contacts to see that he got a message from Cream. Cream was Tails' girlfriend and was like a sister to Marshall in many ways.

"Are you coming home after school?" Cream's text read.

"I have my interview afterwards," Marshall text back. "Then I have my therapy to go to after that. I won't be back home until late."

Almost immediately after, he got a message back. "So, what do you want for food?"

Marshall chuckled. "I'll just have something to snack on, I think." As he hit send, the bell went off, and he turned back to his phone. "Got to go. Next class is starting."

"Bye. Love you!"

The fox gave another smile at that, and quickly washed his face in the sink before leaving the bathroom proper. He was thankful that the lockers were close to the bathrooms for both genders, and quickly went to his own to stash his weed and phone into his bag, only taking out a history book and a pencil case for his next, and last, lesson.

As he turned away from the locker, he was met with a muscular forearm to his throat, pushing him back against the locker as a gruff voice spoke. "Well, if it isn't the fox faggot himself."

Marshall groaned, straining a bit. "Get off of me, Hyder."

The jackal grinned in reply, dressed in typical jock attire with some friends of his. "Or what? Is the widdle pussy fox going to kick my ass? Or would you rather do something else to it?"

"First off, I'm not even gay, I'm bi," Marshall replied. "Secondly, you're not my type."

Hyder pressed his forearm harder against the fox's throat. "You're lucky that you have a class to go to."

"That's never stopped you before," Marshall said. "What? You afraid that you might actually learn something for a change?"

Hyder grunted and growled in Marshall's face before letting him go. "Get the fuck out of here."

Marshall rubbed his throat, turning and walking away and slinging his back over his shoulder. "If only I could discover my power... those guys would be dead meat..." he muttered, thankful that he was out of earshot.

He continued the rest of his way to his history class, entering as the teacher, Shadow, stopped his lesson. "Marshall."

"Sorry I'm late," the fox said, sitting down and letting his shoulders sag. "We're still on WWII, right?"

"We are," Shadow replied. "You know, if not for your tardiness, you'd be a perfect student."

Marshall muttered as he turned to the page from last time. "And if not for you teachers refusing to do anything about bullies, I wouldn't be so tardy..."

"What was that?" Shadow asked.

"Just apologising again, sir."

The black and red hedgehog eyed Marshall coldly as Vector, sat next to the fox, chuckled. "Smooth move."

"One more outburst," Shadow said, not looking back at the students, "and the person who speaks will get detention."

Marshall simply gave another sigh, and after a few moments of silence, Shadow went on with the lesson. In his mind, Marshall saw it as pointless that he was even here since the only reason that he was going to his interview was for an engineering college. He was smart at most things, but he was a whizz at electronics, and that got him noticed, along with some others. But he knew that he had to take this lesson to keep his grades up, otherwise he'd risk losing his opportunity.

Before he knew it, the lesson was over, and Marshall packed up his things as the last bell of the day rang, happy to be over with the school day. As he went to leave the door, Shadow's voice spoke. "Marshall."

The brown fox turned around. "Yes?"

"I heard what you said," Shadow said. "Or rather, muttered. The truth is, that's out of our hands. We can't get directly involved."

"Can't or won't?" Marshall's eyebrows raised, and he pointed to his left eye before pointing to his throat, showing the small mark starting to form. "If you don't get directly involved, this will get a lot worse. And it's not just me that gets this treatment."

"Well, maybe try standing up for yourself more," Shadow said. "Or is that how you get into these predicaments in the first place?"

"There's nothing wrong with helping people," Marshall defended.

"There is if you wind up getting hurt." Shadow paused. "I like you, Marshall. You know that. You're a bright kid, you're kind, you're caring. But you need to stop getting involved in this stuff, no matter who Tails is to you. He can't protect you forever."

"Well then, it's a good thing that I take kickboxing classes," Marshall said drily. "I need to go for my interview."

"I won't keep you," Shadow nodded in understanding.

Marshall stayed silent in reply as he left the classroom. He yawned again, still being tired, but he knew that he had to put a lid on it for his interview. He walked across the school, seeing others leaving and seeing Hyder flip a middle finger at Marshall before he and his cronies left. The fox shook his head and soon reached the head office.

"Ah, Marshall!" said Sally. "You must be here for the interview, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Marshall said politely.

The squirrel pointed to her right. "He's right through there. Knock 'em dead."

"I hope it doesn't have to come to that," Marshall smirked, heading to the door in question.

It was slightly cracked open as someone on the opposite side was finishing talking to the interviewer, sounding happy that she'd done well and thanking him. She left the room and bumped into Marshall, looking up at his hazel eyes.

"S-Sorry!" she said.

"Mina?" Marshall replied. "I didn't know you were applying too."

"Yeah, trying for a botany class," Cosmo smiled. "It went really well."

"You've been acing your tests lately, right?" Marshall said. "I'm impressed."

"Well, I have a good study buddy," Cosmo shrugged, hugging the tall fox, who hugged back. "Thank you..."

"No problem."

The door next to them opened, and the interviewer smiled at the two. "Marshall, is it? You're up next."

Marshall turned to Cosmo. "Got to go."

"Good luck!" Cosmo said, her parting words before taking her leave.

"Sorry about that, Mr... Mighty?" Marshall guessed.

"Yep!" Mighty replied, taking his seat. "Please, grab a seat."

Marshall sat on the opposite side. "So, how'd it go?"

"Well, we've given your letter some thought," Mighty started, offering Marshall a drink of water. "And... well, besides some grades and some dealings with other students... we want you in."

"Really?"

"Yes," Mighty nodded. "All we need from you is an interview with your parents or guardians on the weekend to sort some things out with them."

"This... this is incredible!" Marshall smiled widely. "You won't regret this!"

"I hope not," Mighty said. "But I will ask, what's with that small mark on your neck there?"

Marshall subconsciously rubbed his throat. "Just... got caught on my way to history class by some jerks who I've been dealing with." He pointed to his left eye. "That's my present from last week."

"How'd that one happen?"

"I fell. Well, technically, they tripped me over during gym class, but I fell."

Mighty sighed. "You should tell more people."

"I do tell people," said Marshall. "They don't listen."

"Well... not to fret," Mighty said. "Our college has a very low bullying rate."

"And a low chance of people like me getting in rate," Marshall sighed. "You usually accept people with abilities. I... I don't know what mine is yet."

"Well, you might be able to find out in due time," Mighty said.

"You can't just give me that chance," Marshall said. "I haven't earned that."

"You don't need your powers to have earned this chance," said Mighty. "You got here through hard work and studying and perseverance. I'd hate to think that I came all the way down here and wasted my time."

"N-No, you didn't," Marshall stammered. "I... just want to prove myself."

"You want to prove yourself? Turn up again on Friday with your parents or legal guardians," Mighty smiled. "And make sure you're on time. That's all that I ask."

Marshall sat back in his seat, letting his body sag for a moment before nodding. "All right... all right. I'll come back here on Friday. With my guardians."

Mighty smiled. "Good." He extended a hand forward, and the brown fox opposite him accepted the handshake. "Good luck out there."

Marshall smiled, nodding and standing up. "Thank you, sir. This... it really means a lot to me."

"Well, like I said, you've earned it," Mighty smiled.

Marshall smiled widely before nodding once more. "I... um... thank you. I'll... I'll see you on Friday."

"I sure hope so," Mighty said.

The tall fox chuckled and left the room, minding his way as another person went in for their interview. He shared a fist bump with Sally, who returned it with a smile of her own, looking up at the fox.

"You got it?" she asked.

"I got it," he nodded.

Sally smiled. "Well, good luck on Friday."

"I'll need it," Marshall smiled, checking his phone for the time. "I got to go. I have my appointment soon."

"Take care!" Sally called as Marshall left.

"Thanks!" he called back in reply.

Later, Marshall was waiting at the bus stop to take him to the northern part of the city. Mobius City itself was a huge place, with different segments, neighbourhoods, and feelings all around, but without any segregation. Humans and Mobians lived in harmony for the most part.

Soon, he reached his destination, hopping off the bus and thanking the driver whilst also thanking himself for having gotten a day saver so that the trip back home would be free. He looked back over the highway as the bus left down it before turning and making his way to his appointment.

He listened to music to help pass the time, reminding himself to charge his phone when he got back home. He arrived at the bus stop nearest to his therapist, left the bus with a thank you, then made his way to the office.

Marshall had been going there for a few years now, and every Wednesday after school, he's never missed a session. He entered the building proper, the secretary smiling at him and telling him that the doctor was ready, which Marshall returned with a word of thanks and a nod, heading to the office in question and knocking the door.

"Come in!" said the man on the other side.

Marshall sighed and past the door, smiling. "Good to see you again, Espio."

"We only saw each other last week," Espio smiled. "So, sit down and tell me about your day. Or your week, as it were."

"Not a lot to tell," Marshall shrugged as he sat.

"Well, let's go through what happened after your last visit."

Marshall nodded, sighing before clearing his throat and recounting the events of the previous week, focusing on the important things, like his black eye, getting a new video-game, Tails' birthday. For each topic, Espio spoke with Marshall, not patronising him and wanting the fox to express how he felt with those events as they occurred.

Soon, Marshall had reached today. "So, I was in the bathroom before my last class, which was history. I told my guardians that I would be late because of my job interview and then my session with you." He breathed and sighed. "Then, on my way to class, I got cornered by Hyder and his gang again..."

"Hyder gave you the black eye," Espio noted. "Did he give you that mark on your throat too?"

Marshall nodded. "Yes. He cornered me, laughed, and called me that word that I hate so much."

"And what did you do?"

"I made a joke about him not being my type," Marshall chuckled. "Then he pressed his arm harder on my throat, and that probably made the mark."

"Does it hurt?"

Marshall shook his head. "Not a lot. If anything, the left eye hurts more still."

"I see," Espio nodded. "Well, how about the job interview? Did it go well?"

"It did," Marshall smiled. "Surprisingly so. I, uh... I didn't really expect that."

"Did you make it in?"

"I did. They want another interview on Friday with me, Tails, and Cream to iron some stuff out," Marshall smiled. "Besides that, I'm good to go."

"Did anything happen?" Espio asked. "Are you nervous?"

Marshall nodded. "Honestly, I am. But I still have my doubts. Usually, Mobians only get into those colleges if they know their powers. I mean, I'm glad that I got in, but it feels like special treatment. I don't want to be the only guy there who doesn't have powers."

"Well, the chances are that they hired you based on your work ethic. Powers might not matter."

"You... you think so?" Marshall sighed. "What if I get thrown to the wolves? Maybe literal wolves?"

"You won't," said Espio. "You just keep working hard, fighting back against the bad, and you'll be fine. My point is, don't be so nervous. You got this chance, so go and prove your worth."

Marshall's shoulders sagged, and he nodded, more in agreement than in defeat. "I will."

Espio smiled. "Anything else?"

Marshall chuckled, and they filled the rest of the day talking about other things, mostly the fox's home life since he went over his school day already. Soon, their time was up, and Espio looked at his watch before it beeped.

"Well, it looks like our time is over for this week," he said.

"Sorry if I bored you with anything," Marshall chuckled.

"It's my job to be bored by you," Espio joked. "I'm kidding. But before you go, how are you coming with your medication?"

"Still struggling with it," Marshall said. "I remembered to take it today, but I was still worried about those bullies."

"And for good reason," Espio nodded. "I understand why, and even for as tall as you are, it may seem like they tower over you. But if I can give you a piece of advice that you haven't heard before, it might just be this: Don't be afraid to bite back. Sometimes, it's worth the risk to take a swing back at those who keep hitting you."

"Are you kidding?" Marshall said. "I'd get kicked out of school. It happened to me before, and I'm very lucky to be where I am now. And, more importantly, I have a job interview on Friday which could change the course of my life."

Espio smiled. "And just like that, you passed the test."

Marshall grinned, but shook his head. "I hate it when you do that."

"I know. But you know that I need to do it."

"Yeah, I get it," Marshall smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you next week."

"You too!" Espio replied.

Marshall checked his watch, surprised at how much time had passed, and he hurried to the bus stop. He waited for a few minutes before the bus back home came, and he hopped on, showing his day saver, to which the driver nodded. Marshall smiled and went to the back of the bus to sit down, thinking about listening to music before he realised that his phone was low on power. He almost put it back in his pocket when it started ringing, and he smiled as he answered it.

"Hey, Cream."

"Hey, Marshall! Just wanted to check that you made it to your session on time," Cream replied.

"I just finished, actually," Marshall replied. "I'm on my way back now."

"Ah, right," Cream giggled. "Oh, how did the interview go?"

"Surprisingly well. I'll tell you more when Tails comes back," Marshall said.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Cream smiled. "Since you're back soon, and since Tails won't be back until late, maybe you'd like to share this lasagne with me?"

"Yeah," Marshall smiled. "My interview was over quick, and the session was a breeze."

"And Tails could be working overtime," Cream sighed.

"Hey, he's a busy guy," Marshall said. "Police work isn't easy."

"I know..." Cream said. "I just hate eating without him. And he's been trying to get into this new case lately, but he won't tell me anything about it."

Marshall nodded and was about to reply when he saw what appeared to be a body hung between two trees by its arms. There were pegs in the ground that kept their legs spread apart, almost looking like an X. There was some movement, and it looked like the body was lurching forward. Said body was only wearing a pair of jeans, and blood appeared to be seeping from its back.

"Marshall?" Cream spoke, interrupting the tall fox. "Are you okay?"

Marshall shook his head, looking again only to see the two trees and nothing else. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Sorry. Some car just whizzed past and honked its horn at us. He sounded kind of angry. Anyway, I'll be back home soon, okay?"

"Okay. See you when I see you!"

"Love you."

"Love you too!"

They both hung up, and Marshall saw his low battery life, cringing a bit. Soon, he had made it to the closest bus stop home, hopping off and heading for his house. He knocked on the door, and Cream opened it, smiling.

"Oh, there he is!" the rabbit said, giving the fox a hug, which was returned. "You made it just in time! The food's almost done!"

"All right, let me go take my shoes off and put my phone on charge, and I'll be right with you," Marshall smiled as the hug broke.

He kicked his shoes off and put them into the shoe box, also taking his hoodie and bag off to take upstairs with him, thankful that he didn't have any homework. He put his phone on a charger and came over to the kitchen to see Cream serving up the lasagne.

"I put some extra Parmesan on it," Cream giggled. "Hope that's okay."

"Yeah, that's fine," Marshall smiled. The food was all served, and he sat down, about to eat when Cream spoke.

"What happened there?" she asked, seeing his neck.

"Oh, just that Hyder jerk again..." Marshall said.

"I told you to avoid him," said Cream. "You didn't fight him, did you?"

"Made a couple of snide comments, but no, no actual fighting," said Marshall. "I tried to avoid him all day, but he caught me outside the bathroom."

"Just because he has his powers, he can't insult or belittle you like that," said Cream. "And besides, he has them, but is he on his way to a fancy college? No. That honour belongs to you."

Marshall blushed. "Cream..." He looked down at his food before looking back up at her. "Thank you. But that does remind me, I still have one last interview for college on Friday. You guys need to come with me just to sort out the smaller details and such."

"No problem," Cream smiled. "Now, let's eat. Whatever's left over, we can save for Tails when he gets home."

"Yeah, good thinking," Marshall chuckled.

The two then ate with little else in the way of conversation, and after they were done, Marshall cleaned the dishes, seeing the pan full of lasagne that was meant to be Tails' portion. After Marshall was finished, he cleaned his hands, got his phone from the charger, and headed upstairs.

"I'll be in my room if you need my help with anything!" he called.

"Okay!" Cream replied.

Marshall entered his room, looking around at the mess that it was and shaking his head. He put his phone on his bed and went over to his laptop, opening a writing program and starting to type.

"Keepsake number 87," it began. "Today was a pretty average day for me until the last few moments of school. It was before my last lesson, and I didn't eat at school because I wanted to avoid bumping into Hyder. I hid in the bathroom, but it was like he was waiting for me when I left. He pressed me up against my locker, calling me that word again that I hate... anyway, he left a mark on my neck."

Marshall took a pause, checking in his drawer for a bottle of water, thankful that there was one there. He took a drink from it and then continued. "Anyway, after that, I had my last class, and then my job interview with Mighty. Surprisingly, even though I don't have my powers yet, I got in. I just need to revisit Mighty at school with my guardians to iron out some small things."

The fox then paused again, debating whether or not to add the most recent thing on this list. He thought over it and shrugged, typing again. "This last part is probably nothing. After my therapy session, which was more the normal stuff combined with Espio knowing more, I was on the bus back home. Cream called me, and as we were talking, I saw... something. It looked like a Mobian hung up between two trees, and he was in some weird X shape. He looked... broken, for lack of a better word. When I snapped out of it, it wasn't there any more. Maybe I'm just seeing things. Maybe the excitement of getting into college is getting to my head. Can't say that I know for sure." He took a breath. "I... I can't wait for the school year to be over. I worked my butt off, studied hard, and now, I have a shot. This is it for me. My name is Marshall, and this is my keepsake."

He finished, saving the file and placing it into folder marked "Keepsakes". He was satisfied, soon switching to his Internet browser and looking for a music playlist, kicking away from his desk on his swivel chair as he looked around at his room.

"Well, I'd best get a start on this," he said to himself.

And here's chapter one! I know that it's not how it seems on the tin so far, especially if you read the original, but trust me, it'll get there. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this one, and I'll see you all soon for the first chapter of Love And War. Take care, and stay tuned.