Once Sora made it to his dorm hall he catapulted himself forward with the last of his strength until he bashed chest first into his room door. He shoved his hands in his pockets in search of his keys. Thundering footsteps echoed from the stairwell at the end of the hall. When Sora looked towards it he shrieked. A head of black hair with downcast yellow eyes was making its way towards the exit to his floor. In terror Sora turned and raised his fists to bang them against his door. Instead, he trundled forward into Joshua's outstretched arms.
In confusion Sora jumped up and glanced around him. The door was open and Joshua was standing near it in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt, asking what was wrong. Instead of responding Sora slammed the door shut and dived beneath the covers of his bed. When he popped an eye from beneath the folds, Joshua bent close with an expression of curiosity.
"If he comes, say I've been sleeping for hours," Sora whispered. Joshua furrowed his brows but nodded. There was a loud bang on the door.
"Yo, yo, yo," snarled Vanitas's voice from outside. Joshua's eyes shone as he glanced from Sora's terrified, half hidden visage to the door handle. "Should I open it?" he chirped. Sora shook his head. Then there was a softer wrapping. A new voice wafted from outside, one gentler and more familiar.
"Hey, Sora, this is Ventus," the voice called. "I have a message for you from Roxas."
"Sora, you can't ignore Roxas," Joshua purred. Sora shook his head faster. "If you let in the guppy, the shark follows," he blubbered. Joshua furrowed his brows in confusion. The knock returned.
"Is Sora in there?" Ventus called coolly. Joshua glanced to Sora once more. He told Sora to take off his shoes, jacket, and belt to make it seem like he had been sleeping. Then he winked and answered the door. The minute the latch undid, Vanitas burst through and nearly knocked Joshua into the study desk at his side. Ventus shuffled after with a look of apology, as Vanitas swept around like a hurricane, upturning every cover and slipping between every crevice. Joshua examined the bronze muscles of Vanitas' searching arms with glee. Ventus asked if Sora was around.
"I imagine your friend will find out soon enough," Joshua replied. As Vanitas's hand wrenched the covers from Sora's bed, Joshua asked where he worked out. Vanitas' hands fell against Sora's bare shoulders. Sora yelped and opened his eyes.
"Were you in the fucking library?" Vanitas roared. Sora cowered in terror. Behind, Ventus thundered for him to stop, making the darker boy snarl and shove Sora against the wall. When Ventus swept towards him Sora tried not to shrink.
"What's wrong, Ventus?" Sora croaked. Ventus grinned and asked if Sora had been in the library. Before Sora could respond, Joshua snorted. When Vanitas and Ventus glanced towards him in expectation, he murmured that Sora had been sleeping since the time he got back from class.
"When did he get back?" Vanitas asked.
"At lunch," Sora whimpered.
"Why do you want to know so bad?" asked Joshua. Vanitas opened and closed his mouth. Behind him Ventus chirped that he had to pass on a message from Roxas. When Joshua folded his arms in expectation, Ventus flashed another impossibly white grin.
"He wanted me to tell you not to answer any questions about him in your probation meeting," he announced. Then he said goodbye to Sora and lead Vanitas out, shutting the door behind him with a click. As their voices receded, Sora groaned and threw himself back on his bed. Before long Joshua hunkered at his side and asked what had happened.
"I overheard them talking in the library," Sora sighed.
"What were they talking about?" asked Joshua. Sora glanced through his dorm window with his head set on his folded arms. When Joshua persisted, he muttered, "me."
"Ouch," responded Joshua. "Nothing bad, I hope."
"They were talking about getting me kicked out of the school," Sora said. He tried biting his lip, but it was no use. Tears were coming. He could feel their sting around the corners of his eyes. Soon they would tumble down his cheeks. To hide them he feigned a cough and rubbed his face against his forearms. Then in a muffled voice he added, "they said it would be easy because I'll never summon a key blade." After that he hiccupped. As Joshua rubbed his back Sora broke into a feverish round of sobs. When he turned around he met Joshua's glance and sniffed, "do you think I've got talent?"
"For what?" responded Joshua. When Sora replied, "being a hero," Joshua bit his lip and glanced at his watch. Then he muttered that he needed to get ready for class, patted Sora's back, and left for the bathroom.