Hi! A New Pencil returns to the desk!

"Underline" is when a character is speaking Japanese, and a lack of one is when the character is speaking English.

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, My Hero Academia, OMORI, or any of its characters.

Chapter 7: Reunions and Meetings

(Play: FF7 Remake OST - On Our Way)

Sora had woken up to the smell of food being cooked. He looked over to where Shimizu was working on a dish. Seeing his mother over the stove again brought back childhood memories. She was wearing a purple shirt this time, but her dress was still underneath. Sora knew from memory that she also had some shorts as well underneath her dress, and for good reason.

"Good morning, Sora." she said without looking, "Sleep well?"

"It wasn't a dream, huh?" he muttered, smiling.

"It's not. Pinched myself twice already."

"Good." Sora kept smiling, stretching and yawning.

"I cleaned up your outfit. Other than the jacket, it's good as new." Shimizu pointed to Sora's outfit, "I patched it up as best I could, but this cloth is different from the other brands I've seen."

"Well… it was made by the Three Good Fairies."

"Fairies? Actual fairies?"

"...Yes."

Shimizu sighed, "Well… considering this being another world… I guess that's understandable." Sora sheepishly scratched his head. Seems like his mother was still having a hard time processing Sora's identity as not only her son but also as a world-hopping warrior.

"I know it's weird…" Sora replied sheepishly, "But I swear it's the truth."

"Regardless." she replied, "We're gonna go shopping for clothes. Magic clothes like yours can go to the depths of the underworld for all I care. It's not going to stop me from getting you new outfits to try on."

"Alright," Sora nodded, gulping. This would be his first full day with his mother in a long time. He'd have to get used to it. Sora quickly went over to the bathroom to wash up and get ready to go, putting on the garb he had for his third journey. It still felt good as it did before the Demon Tide attacked, even smelled better. He had forgotten how well his mother could sew.

"Make sure you eat breakfast. It's right there on the table." Shimizu pointed to said table. Sora nodded, walking over to it, "Been a while since I made this type of food. I hope it isn't undercooked."

Sora looked at it, and his mouth almost watered. Stir fry. He hadn't seen this dish in a very long time. Heck, even San Fransokyo didn't even have it to his knowledge (or he probably didn't bother to look it up). He quickly sat down and took the utensils next to it.

The sounds of someone gobbling up their food like an animal made Shimizu stifle a laugh. Seems like somebody's been running on fumes for a while. It made her wonder just how long Sora had gone without food.

She asked him that question, and he responded by saying, "Since I got here."

"Which is…?"

"Four days, I think. I had water and popcorn from the movie my friends and I watched," Sora added frantically as she walked over with her own food.

"The ones that helped you hold back that mo- I mean, Heartless?" she asked.

"Yeah. Their names are Sunny, Mari, Aubrey, Basil, Kel, and Hero. They're really close friends with one another. I could tell." Sora smiled as he ate his food more slowly.

"That's good to hear you made friends here." Shimizu smiled back, before asking him, "Speaking of friends, how are Riku and Kairi?"

"Well…" Sora said uneasily. Last he saw them was when he faded from his world as punishment for misusing the power of waking. Riku appeared determined to find him while Kairi was trying her best not to cry as he felt himself vanish. "I think they're alright."

"Do they know you're here?"

"...No, they don't,"

"Why not?"

"Mom…" he took a deep breath, "I've never seen this world before. None of us have. Heck, I don't even understand how I got here."

"How did you get here, anyways?"

"I, uh… kissed the dirt." Sora said sheepishly. There was a clatter as his mother dropped her spoon. "You what?"

"I crash landed head first into the ground of a park," Sora clarified, "Fell out of the sky after coming out a magical door." She looked like he had grown a second head, before Sora added, "Like I said, no real understanding of how that happened. Last time I checked I was in a world of ocean and sky."

"...I'm not even going to question what you even did to get to that position." Shimizu sighed, a palm to her forehead, "This whole world-traveling thing really hurts my head."

"Sorry," Sora scratched the back of his head, "I can show you Jiminy's Journal if you're still confused. He's written everything about our adventures up to now."

"I'd love that, sweetie, but I'd prefer to hear it from you personally first." his mother replied, taking a bite out of broccoli, "But not right now. Today's focus is getting you some new clothes."

"Right." Sora said as he finished the last of his food.

"Did you bring anything with you when you came here?" Shimizu asked him.

"Well…" Sora opened his palms, and a treasure chest appeared from it, "I got these letters from my friends from other worlds before I got here."

Shimizu looked unfazed at Sora summoning the chest, and Sora asked her why. She responded, "I've seen Quirks that have done stuff like this, so it doesn't really surprise me."

"So everybody here has superpowers?" Sora asked.

"Not everyone. Take me for example." she pointed to herself, "I would be part of the 20% of this world's population that doesn't have a Quirk. The term for it is 'Quirkless'. It's so rare that it's pretty frowned upon in society, even though this place has laws declaring equal rights," she added with a sigh.

"That's dumb. Regardless of whether they're Quirkless or not, they're still a person, and should deserve the same right as others to exist like those with Quirks. It's not about the strength of the body. It's also strength of heart that counts, too," Sora said, reminded of his Nobody, Roxas.

"On that, we can both agree." she nodded, and stood up, "Now then, let's go. Those new clothes won't get themselves."

"Yes ma'am." Sora replied, standing up as well. After washing their dishes, the two began to walk out the door, Shimizu in front. As they exited, a green blur nearly knocked her over, were it not for Sora reacting quickly and catching her.

(Silence)

"Eep!" she yelped, before Sora caught her.

"You okay, mom?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah. Wasn't that…?"

"Oh dear! Shimizu-chan, are you hurt?"

(Play: KH 3 OST - Afternoon Streets)

Sora turned his head at the new voice, finding a plump woman with green hair rushing over to his mother.

"I-I'm okay, Inko-chan. Was that Izuku?" his mother asked the woman in Japanese.

"Yes, that was. I'm sorry for that, Shimizu-chan. He was heading off in such a hurry this time. I don't know what's gotten to him," the woman named Inko responded, before looking behind her and seeing Sora.

"Uh… hi?" Sora asked in Japanese.

"Shimizu-chan… who is this?" Inko asked her.

His mother looked between her and Sora, before sighing and replying softly, "It's my son, Inko-chan. The police finally found him."

"They did? That's wonderful!" Inko hugged the taller woman, and she hugged her back in turn. Sora stood there a bit awkwardly, but smiled nonetheless.

"Sora, this is one of my friends here I was talking about. She lives a couple of places away. Her name is Inko Midoriya." Shimizu said in Japanese. Sora took this as a sign that Inko's expertise in English wasn't as good as theirs.

He only saw it right to introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you ma'am. My name is Sora," Sora bowed, "I'm glad to be back with Mom. It's nice to see a familiar face here."

How polite, Inko thought. "Nice to meet you too, Sora."

Sora nodded.

"So, Shimizu-chan. Where are you two going?" Inko asked Shimizu.

"Clothes for this one." she responded, "Can't have him running around wearing that outfit all the time."

Sora puffed his cheeks at her. He knew it was for his own good, but it wasn't all that bad! His own outfit was still comfortable even after days of use. Though, he had no idea if these magical clothes could do anything besides protect its user from darkness. Plus, he probably smelled too before he took a shower. He guessed she had a point.

"Sounds good. He and Izuku should meet up sometime. He could use a friend." Inko replied to Sora's mother.

"That would be wonderful. Sora's always been very friendly and kind. They should get along very well." Shimizu agreed.

"I heard about those strange monsters and how they almost got to you. It must have been scary. I'm really glad you're not hurt."

"I am, too. I owe it to the Pros," Shimizu replied, winking at Sora, who looked like he wanted to interject, but chose not to after that small gesture, "I would have lost my life if it wasn't for them." she cleared her throat, before continuing, "Enough about me, though. How is Izuku doing?"

"Much better! He's working out a lot more this past month. Especially with the deadline for school being 3 months away…"

"Still planning on attending U.A.? Such a determined kid."

Sora put his hands behind his back and leaned back on the wall. This could take a while, but he didn't mind.

(Silence)

After what seemed like hours, Shimizu and Inko had finished their conversation, and she led Sora towards the bus, where they would then head to the nearest shopping center. She apologized to Sora for having that long conversation, but Sora said it was completely okay. In reality, it was only like 10 minutes.

As they said goodbye to Inko and waited at the station, Sora looked to his mother, "You never told me you knew Japanese."

She grinned at him, "Oh, was I not supposed to?"

"No. I was just curious."

"I have a job here for a reason." she explained, "When I arrived here, Japanese was nearly all the people here could speak, so I took a class in the language to help me acclimate to that and find a job here."

"That's great. I hope I'm not causing any problems for you by being here." Sora said.

"Not at all, little Skyguy." Sora laughed a bit when she said that.

"You still use that name?" he asked.

"On special occasions. This is one of them right?" Shimizu smiled.

"I guess this is." Sora agreed. She seemed really happy, and it only made him wonder how long they would take getting clothes for him.

(Play: KH 1.5 Remix OST - Welcome to Wonderland)

However, seeing Shimizu's excited face when she entered the shopping center gave Sora the impression that they were gonna be here for much longer than they were when she and Mrs. Midoriya had been conversing. His impression proved correct, as they spent nearly an hour within each clothing store, with his mother mostly doing the searching for clothing, while Sora looked at other things, including any possible information about the Heartless, since he was the only Keyblade wielder here as far as he knew.

Sora tried on many outfits, but settled for quite a few of them, as to save money and to ensure they could still pay for their home. He didn't want to overburden his mother already, and he stated this. She got a bit embarrassed after seeing the pile of clothes in the cart, a bit too much for Sora to have, so they decided to reduce it little by little.

Sora was worried that others would recognize him after his victory against the Heartless, but surprisingly, after looking at a newspaper, saw that the official stance for those monsters was that Pro Heroes like All Might had stopped the monsters. He was relieved, but knew that a select few knew the truth. Ones that he owed an explanation to.

As they headed towards their last clothing shop for the day before returning for lunch, Sora noticed something strange. On the billboard was a small advertisement, but it wasn't the words that caught his eye. It was a symbol. A symbol very similar to something that Sora once held. He looked up to the signpost, but it was too small for him to read from that distance.

Odd. Where have I seen that symbol before? Sora wondered.

"Sora! Come on! We've got one more store to go to!" Shimizu called out.

"Coming, Mom!"

By noon, Sora found himself leaving the mall with a week's worth of clothes, mainly casual wear, and a pair of clothes that acted as pajamas. He also had one suit for any formal gatherings, not that he saw any reason for it. His favorite attire had been an outfit made by a company called Super Groupies.

This outfit consists of a black jacket over a red sweater with a white shirt underneath, some black shorts, a watch, white shoes, and a backpack to boot. It was also the most expensive attire of the bunch, but was within a manageable budget.

(Silence)

Though they were awesome in themselves, Sora really missed his old outfit. But after careful consideration, he decided that it would be better as a "Hero Costume," since U.A. would be requiring that he use one.

"Wow. Where are we gonna place these?" Sora asked as he examined the clothing they had bought.

"I have room in the closet." Shimizu insisted as she worked on lunch, before she recoiled in surprise and pain, "Ah! Oh, for-!"

"You okay?" Sora went over, seeing that Shimizu had cut herself with a knife. "Oh. Let me get something for that," He rushed over to her room to get some first aid while she rinsed her finger over the sink.

"Thank you, Sora," she said in relief as he wrapped a band-aid around her cut. She moved over to where the knife was, before Sora took it.

(Play: KH 3 OST - The Little Chef)

"Let me help with cooking," he declared.

"You can cook?" she asked, surprised.

"A little. I had help from a Bistro chef." Sora replied.

"A Bistro chef? That's interesting. How'd you get their help?"

"Helped him out with a fruit and Heartless problem. In turn, I did some work as an assistant." Sora explained. It was half-true. Little Chef had mainly pulled the reins while Sora did the labor that Little Chef wanted him to do. Regardless, Sora learned from it and eventually created the recipes all by himself, though he had yet to get it to Little Chef's level.

For now, it didn't seem like the proper time to tell his mother the chef was an actual rat.

"How kind of him to repay you like that," Mrs. Nakajima smiled.

"It was the least I could do." Sora grinned, "Now let's finish making lunch."

"Take the lead, Chef Sora."

"I'm not quite there yet. You take point, Mom."

"You're the one who was taught by a chef. A Bistro chef, to be specific,"

"I'm not that good."

"Sure you are."

The two of them laughed before proceeding to work together to make their lunch. By the end of the next half-hour, Sora and his mother had made, in their opinion, a three-star meal for themselves.

"Mmm… this is delicious." Sora said, taking a bite out of his food.

"You can say that again. You've got exceptional cooking skills. That chef must've taught you well." his mother smiled as she smacked her lips together.

"He sure did." he smiled, reminiscing on how he first encountered Little Chef. He wondered how he was doing now. Perhaps Roxas and the crew back at Twilight Town had applied for a job there now that they were settling in to their new lives.

"Was this chef from another world?" she asked him.

"Yeah. A place called Twilight Town." Sora explained, "He owns a Bistro there."

"I'd love to visit there and meet him,"

"Heh heh… sure." Sora said, trying and failing to hide his uneasiness. His mother, however, took no notice of it.

"This Twilight Town," Shimizu wondered, "What's it like there?"

"Oh!" Sora perked up, happy that his mother was curious about that, "It's a world where the sun never rises or sets. It's always the afternoon there."

"Really? Do the people in that world even sleep?"

"Uhh… I'm not sure. Seems like they do." Sora guessed. Otherwise, Hayner, Pence, and Olette would be sleep-deprived during all their encounters, "It's still a great place to relax. There's even a clock tower that has a great view of the town and sunset when you reach the top."

"Sounds exciting! What were you doing the first time you went there, anyways?"

"...I was asleep in a pod."

"...What?"

(Silence)

"Yeah. Heh heh. I didn't know why I was there either." Sora said sheepishly as he took another bite. "But apparently, I took a trip to another world after we beat Ansem and went off to look for Riku and King Mickey."

Shimizu took a bite out of her food as Sora continued, "It was a place called Castle Oblivion. Unfortunately, I don't have any memory of it."

"Because of…?"

"People who tried to alter my memories. I'd rather talk about that later. Anyways, I woke up in Twilight Town with Donald and Goofy, and we realized we've been sleeping for over a year, and I apparently grew out of my old clothing."

"Really? I would've taken a picture of that if I was there."

"Mom…" Sora whined, embarrassed.

"Sorry. Please continue."

Once they were finished with their meal and Sora's history with Twilight Town, Sora decided to put on the outfit from Super Groupies, minus his backpack. "I'm gonna head out, Mom. Is that okay?"

"Where are you heading?" Shimizu asked him.

"Faraway Library. Mari works there. And her other friends gather around there too. I'm going to go check in to see if they're all okay."

"Alright. Let me know when you get there."

"Oh, right! Let me share my number." Sora pulled out his Gummiphone.

After exchanging numbers, Sora was out the door, before Shimizu walked up to him. "Off on another adventure, aren't you?"

"Heh heh… yeah."

She sighed, "You've grown up so fast, Sora. If your father could see you now…"

"Yeah… if only," Sora's smile faltered, before Shimizu pulled him into a hug, one he returned gratefully.

"See you later, little hero. Stay safe out there."

"Ditto."

They broke apart, and Sora raced down the stairs, his mother watching him leave towards the bus towards the deeper parts of town.

(Play: OMORI OST - See You Tomorrow)

It took a while, but Sora managed to make it to Faraway Library. There were wooden planks where the red hands had broken through the other day, but otherwise, the store on the outside looked relatively unharmed.

The inside told a different story. The place still looked messy, but it looked like there were people fixing it up as it was less dirty than it was before. However, it seemed that books were still misaligned and things were still out of place. Strangely, Mari wasn't at the front desk.

He texted his mother to assure he made it there in one piece. His mother replied with a smiley face. Sora chuckled.

A rustling alerted Sora of someone's presence, and he went off to find its source. After searching through some sections, he found it.

It was Mari, Sunny, and Aubrey. They were trying to move a bookshelf back into place, but seemed to be having a hard time. A pile of books were next to the fallen shelf.

"Hey. Let me help!" Sora called out, grabbing onto the shelf and pushing it back into its place with relative ease.

"Sora!" Mari said surprised, "You're okay?"

"Yep. Police exern- er, exin, I mean, exonerated, me. I'm a free bird now." Sora grinned, before adding, "At least… until I screw up again."

"That wasn't a screw-up," Aubrey said, "You saved all of us back there."

Sora nodded, "But that doesn't excuse me from breaking the law. Running away wouldn't have made it better."

Aubrey grunted. It was clear she thought that it was messed up, and he couldn't blame her for thinking that way. She went over to drink a cup of water.

"Anyways," Sora said, "Thanks for helping me save my mom."

Aubrey spat out her drink in shock, accidentally nailing Sunny in the face, who had to blink twice to process what happened, before shaking his head and glaring at Aubrey for spitting her water on him. Mari stood there stunned, "That woman was your mother?"

"Yeah. I was surprised, too." Sora said sheepishly, "I didn't think she was also here."

"Wasn't your mother back on your island?" Sunny asked.

"No." Sora sighed, "I'll explain later. Right now, let's try and reorganize this shelf. It was already enough to know my mom's here."

They all nodded, and got to work. Sora lifted a good portion of the books and moved around while Mari took them and placed them in the proper places while on the mobile ladder. Sunny and Aubrey were there for support in case Mari fell.

"Where's Kel, Hero, and Basil, by the way?"

"They're coming over later." Aubrey explained, "Hero's got more of a job to do after that little Heartless mishap. That's what you called them, right?"

"Yes." Sora responded, "They're very dangerous. I'm just relieved that the threat is mostly gone."

"You've got a new outfit. When did that happen?"

"Today. Mom and I went shopping. You should've seen her." Sora grinned, as Sunny grabbed a large book from the pile Sora was carrying, "First time I've seen her this excited in a long time."

"That's nice to hear. She must have been worried once you got arrested," Mari called out as she replaced another book.

"She was." Sora nodded, before a book fell on his head unceremoniously.

"Oops! Sorry!" he heard Mari say.

It took them some time, but they finally managed to replace everything that had fallen from the shelf after the Heartless attack. It was almost as if it had never happened. The four of them looked at the library with satisfaction.

"Good job, team." Mari said, "We did it,"

"You can say that again." Sora smiled, looking at the library.

"And look at that, just in time for the rest of the party to arrive," Mari looked to the door, where Sora saw Hero, Basil, and Kel looking surprised at Sora's appearance.

(Silence)

"Sora!" Kel reacted first, and tackled the poor kid before he could react. He didn't mind, as he laughed along with Kel. "Good to see you, Kel."

"Dude, you nearly died, and then got arrested. And you're acting like nothing happened!" Kel exclaimed, "Are you like some kind of super-soldier?"

(Play: OMORI OST - 100 Sunny)

Sora chuckled. That was a wild question, but it wasn't far off from being completely crazy. He was an exceptional swordsman, self-taught, no less, but he never thought of himself as a soldier. Underneath the Keyblade, and the powers, he was still Sora, a regular person who is willing to lend as much help as possible to anyone he considers his friends.

"Nah. I'm just me." he replied, "I'm just an ordinary person underneath all that,"

"If you say so," Kel shrugged, "I still think you're some super-soldier."

"His Quirk isn't a power type. It's an emitter, most likely. But it's not out of the question," Hero noted, "But I'm not gonna pry if you don't want to talk about it."

"Nah. I think I owe you all a bit of an explanation about those Heartless and how my Quirk manifested," Sora confessed, "Don't want you guys to be left in the dark especially after you all saved my life."

The six of them looked at him with surprise, and Sora replied, "If Sunny hadn't jumped in to help when he did, I probably would've died. So would my mom… and who knows how many others… That Heartless was one of the strongest I've seen, so you guys being there helped more than you realized. Thanks for that."

Sora bowed his head to Sunny, who looked even more surprised than the others. It took him a couple seconds before he bowed back.

"I-It was nothing. I couldn't just watch as someone I cared about got hurt again."

"I know the feeling." Sora smiled, his head now up, "I heard things have been hectic with the hospital, Hero. How've you been holding up?"

"Fine," Hero replied, "Didn't have to use my Quirk, thankfully. There were many injured, a couple of deaths… but other than that, everything's gonna be alright."

"Oh… so I wasn't able to save them," Sora sighed, "But… that's a hard lesson I had to learn back then. Heroes can't always save everybody."

(Play: MHA OST - Mystery)

"I hate to be rude, Sora," Basil chimed in, "But I'm guessing that's related to how you got your Quirk?". Sora silently nodded.

"I think it's better we sit down for this." Sora suggested, "Hero's looking like he's gonna collapse, and Mari looks like she's no different."

The two were grateful for Sora's suggestion, so they all sat down at the table. Sora sat at the edge of the table so they could all see him. He didn't like being the center of attention, but for this one time, he felt like he had to. They deserved to know.

"So… about the Heartless…" Sora began, "Remember what I told you about them?"

"A mad scientist created them. You got your Quirk because of them. They fear you now because you've produced a countermeasure to their regenerative abilities, which is that Keyblade, for some reason or another." Mari recited immediately after Sora asked, making many of her friends gawk at her. "What? I just said what you guys told me about them in a way I could understand."

"That was… quick." Hero replied.

"I live with her, and I still don't understand how she does that," Sunny replied.

"Practice?" she asked awkwardly.

"We're getting a bit off topic." Sora sighed, "Yeah. Mari got the gist of it. But there's more to these things than that."

The six of them looked at Sora as he spoke, "The Heartless were created by a guy named Xehanort, who took up his master's name after he… cast him out of their research facility. The master's name was Ansem the Wise."

"Ansem the Wise…" Aubrey muttered, "Never heard of him,"

"Isolated islands, remember?" Sora reminded her, "Now, Xehanort took Ansem's name, and continued on with Ansem's own research about the heart. Now what exactly the heart is, is not the one that pumps blood. Not exactly. From what I found out from Ansem's research, the heart was connected to a person's emotions, and consisted of light and darkness."

"And I'm guessing light is connected to positive emotion. Darkness is connected to negative ones," Hero concluded.

"Right on the bat. The heart is what made the person who they are. It grows with each new experience, and becomes stronger or weaker with each one, if Ansem's research is anything to go by," Sora explained, "Going on, Xehanort became fascinated with the darker aspects of the heart, and believed that light was well… that there was way too much of it. He used Ansem's research and… started experimenting on other people."

There. He dropped the bomb, and the results showed. Basil was looking away, while Kel stood open-mouthed. Aubrey looked shocked, while Sunny expressed disbelief and fear. Mari and Hero were the most composed, but they too shared equally disgusted looks.

"Yeah." Sora sighed, "Xehanort began to use human test subjects to further his knowledge about the darkness in one's heart. That's how the Heartless came to be."

"How did you figure it out?" Aubrey asked weakly.

"Remember when I said I was using Ansem's research as a basis? I got the information by reading these 'Ansem Reports', which were reports Xehanort had written under the guise of Ansem, and figured out what Xehanort was doing with his research. "

"So the Heartless… were they… human?" Sunny asked the question.

(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Dive to the Heart - Destati)

"Some of them, yes." Sora confessed, "There's two types. Emblem and Pureblood. Xehanort was the one who discovered the Pureblood Heartless and created the Emblem Heartless. Emblem Heartless are the hearts of anything, may they be animal or person, entrapped and enshrouded by darkness, may they be an outside force or their own. Purebloods are Heartless made of pure darkness from the hearts of people. Emblems have a symbol of which they can be identified." Sora pulled out his Gummiphone, showing them the Heartless's sigil. They took a good look before Sora put it away.

"So going back to the story. Xehanort then spread these Heartless across our Island, as a test of their abilities. My hometown… was one of the first to be attacked."

Mari put a hand to her mouth in shock. Sunny, Basil, and Hero audibly gasped.

"The Heartless were merciless. They ripped out as many hearts from people as they could, making them become one of them. I got separated from my mother, and found myself surrounded by the Heartless." Sora explained, wincing.

"Wait… is that why you said you were surprised to see your mother?" Mari asked.

"Yeah… I thought she was lost as well." Sora confessed, "I was glad when I found out she was alive,"

"That's good." Mari smiled, "Please continue,"

"Thanks, Mari." Sora nodded, and continued on with his tale, "My friend, Riku, had disappeared right in front of me, not by Heartless, but by an unknown dark portal. The Heartless around me were about to rip me to shreds. They almost did.

"But just as they were, I wished that there was something I could use that could make them go away forever. And in a flash of light…" Sora summoned his Keyblade, staring at it solemnly, "This appeared. My Quirk manifested right then and there. From that, I started to beat back the Heartless." Sora scowled, "But it wasn't enough. I got sucked into a black portal, and found myself stranded in a faraway town on a different island, lost and alone."

His friends all stared at him in pity, but Sora also saw… sympathy? Strange. Had they had a similar experience?

He ignored this as he continued, "Eventually, I was found by those two fellows you saw earlier when I was fighting the Demon Tide Heartless. Donald and Goofy. They helped me find my way back to my island, while using their connections to other people to help me learn how to fight. In this way, I learned how to fight those Heartless, made new friends, and eventually brought the fight up to the man who started it all.

"He had experimented on others, even himself, by the time me and my friends got up to him." Sora replied, "He became a human-Heartless hybrid, and we engaged one another. If it wasn't for my friends, I would've lost."

"But you beat him, right?" Kel asked him, "You said you helped take him down."

"Yes. But it wasn't me that dealt the… finishing blow. It was the light from so many other people that eventually took him down." Sora said cryptically, leaving them confused, "He vanished, without a trace. And I returned to my hometown, which was slowly beginning to rebuild, parting ways with Donald and Goofy, and promising to meet them again someday soon."

(Silence)

"And you did." Sunny replied, "They came to help us when we were holding back that Heartless swarm."

"Well… technically… a manifestation of them came to help. I think… I summoned those manifestations with my Quirk."

(Play: KH 3 OST - Guardians of Light)

That got their attention. "A Quirk Awakening?" Hero questioned.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Oh yeah. You wouldn't know." Hero explained, "It's when one awakens something of their Quirk that they initially thought was not possible. Normally happens later in a person's life in extremely emotional or stressful situations. Just… like… back then." That's when it hit everybody, even Sora (sort of).

"WHOA! You did that by yourself? So cool!" Kel gushed, making Sora scratch his head bashfully.

"So this would technically be our first time seeing a Quirk Awakening. That's pretty neat." Aubrey replied, "Score for all of us, I'd say. Now we know what to expect if we ever get ours."

"Agreed." Sunny nodded.

Sora, still confused, but slightly seeing sense, replied, "So… you think I can summon other things with my Quirk now?"

"That depends on the nature of said Quirk, I think," Hero replied, "Quirks like yours are always tricky to find the limit to. Perhaps something in your body changed."

Sora unconsciously touched himself at the thought, before looking to his blade. He knew that a Quirk was a genetic thing. The Keyblade itself didn't come from him physically. He was never meant to wield it in the first place, and yet it saw him as worthy. So in a way, the Keyblade could not be considered his Quirk, and neither could his magic.

But they didn't need to know that.

"So…" Kel asked, curious, "What drove you to come here then? Was it still that desire to go see the world outside?"

"Yep." Sora nodded, "After what I've seen… I couldn't just return to normal life like that. My heart wanted to see what was out there, and I followed it. With enough money, I took the next ship off-wor- I mean, off the island, and here I am."

Hero noticed the slip-up, but said nothing about it.

"I have a question about the Keyblade," Aubrey said, "You said it could override the regeneration of the Heartless. Are there any other functions to it?"

"Well… I'll keep some of that a secret for now," Sora grinned, "But I can tell you that it does have the power to free a trapped heart from Emblem Heartless."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that whenever I defeat an Emblem Heartless, the Keyblade releases the heart trapped inside the Heartless, and it returns to its owner, restoring them to their previous form." Sora said, "In a way… the Keyblade is like… what's the word?"

"A medicine. A cure for the Heartless problem." Hero clarified, "Is that what you were looking for?"

"No… but that doesn't sound wrong," Sora said thoughtfully, "I guess that would make this Quirk a blessing in disguise for all of us."

"That explains how people suddenly started appearing after you beat that tornado-like Heartless." Aubrey noted.

"Yeah…" Sora sighed.

"Sora…" Mari spoke up, causing him to look at her, "I'm really sorry about how you got your Quirk, however strong or helpful it might be, but I'm really glad that you're still able to push through, smile, and help others despite all that."

"It's better than frowning," Sora admitted, "I learned that from Donald."

"Still… it's really rare to see someone like that nowadays."

"What do you mean?"

"A person who wants to help others despite everything that's been thrown at them." Sunny spoke up this time, "The only people I've seen do that are people like All Might."

That's… a bit concerning, Sora thought.

"You remind me of him a bit," Basil added, "Except you're more… calm about yourself, not as boisterous and loud as All Might is, but you have the same kindness as he does."

"But how else do I remind you of him?"

"You guys both radiate the same aura of safety around you. I had that feeling around All Might before," Basil continued, "But when you went on your way to head out and fight that giant Heartless for our… no… everybody's sake, I felt just as safe as I did when All Might was around. Even if for a moment. Not a lot of Heroes I know have that, or their presence is not exactly at the same level."

Kel made a coughing sound that sounded oddly like "Sweetheart!"

"Wow… that means a lot, Basil. I don't normally see it like that," Sora said in awe, "I just help out people in any way I can. I'm not looking for any praise or fame… I just genuinely want to help others."

Basil smiled at his words, but Sora wasn't done.

"But helping others is only part of who I am. A major part of myself I owe to my friends. That includes you guys." They looked at him oddly. "What? I said it before about the heart. It grows with every new experience, and makes a home wherever it finds companionship, and my heart's done just that. I've become a part of your hearts, just as you've become a part of mine. You guys… have become more than just my friends. You're a part of something bigger. You… my friends… are a part of what makes me strong."

Everybody present… felt moved and warmed by Sora's statement. They had rarely heard words so… heartfelt… from other people. Sora was different from them though. He genuinely meant what he said right then and there. Unlike All Might, he was one of those blink-and-you-miss kind of guys that make a big impact on your life, and you don't realize it until much later. Hearing it from a guy like that… It felt good.

"You really are something else." Hero commented.

"A good kind of something?" Sora asked.

"The best kind."

Sora laughed good-naturedly, and in a few seconds, everybody else did too. The laughter lasted for a good while, before Mari broke it.

"Sora," she said, "I'm really glad you're our friend,"

"Me too," Sunny smiled.

"Me three!" Kel added.

"All of us." Hero nodded.

Sora smiled back warmly, "Yeah. And thank you for being mine."

They looked at one another, happy for each other, before Aubrey said, "Okay… I hate to break this heartfelt conversation, but I'd like to talk about something else before one of us starts crying. I'd rather not make a mess in the library we just fixed."

"Fair point," Mari giggled, "What shall we talk about?"

"Hero Schools!" Kel declared.

(Silence)

For the next hour, the seven of them spoke about the hero schools they planned on going to (well, at least Kel, Sunny, Aubrey, and Basil), with Sora still insistent on heading to U.A.. Like before, his friends all wished him luck, and Sora returned it with words of encouragement.

Among the sounds of laughter, Sora, for the first time in a long time, felt at home.

"Bye guys! See ya soon!" Sora called out to his friends as he left Faraway Library.

"See ya, super-soldier-hero!" Kel yelled back. Sora chuckled at the nickname. He sighed, looking at his Gummiphone. He felt like going to check on the beach now. The one filled with trash. He wanted to see if the mystery person had made any progress.

Heading to Takoba Beach, Mom. Be back soon. Sora texted his mother, before getting on the bus once again. He wasn't planning on using Flowmotion to trek towards his destination. He was going to keep his promise to Detective Naomasa and not end up in that interrogation room again.

Missing the waves already? His mom replied back.

Yeah.

Sora exited the bus as he neared his destination. He wandered down a path towards the beach, going through the autumn trees within the park. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body. He felt at ease.

He looked through his back pocket, finding something hidden within. He brought it up to examine it. It was a keychain with a gold coin at the end, and on it was etched a thunderbolt falling from the clouds. Sora knew this Keychain well. It had come along with his new Heartbinder as well, hidden underneath the charm. Though… it wasn't the Keychain Sora expected to see, but it pleased him nonetheless.

There had been another. One that Sora knew was on him before he had arrived. He must have dropped it somewhere. Hopefully he could find it before it fell into the wrong hands.

(Play: MHA OST - You Can Be A Hero)

Suddenly, as he walked down a road with trees on both sides, he heard voices.

"That fighting spirit is what I like about you, fanboy! It serves you well!" a familiar booming voice shouted out in Japanese, as Sora saw a very familiar figure holding up a green-haired kid by his jacket several yards away, "I understand your concerns. That said, now is not the time to go and rush progress!"

It was All Might in a trench coat… and… was that the boy who nearly crashed into his mother? Izuku Midoriya, was it? He looked like he had run a marathon. Sora stood there with surprise.

"Fear not! I can get you back on track! Leave it to this old man to adjust your plans!" All Might said the boy Sora presumed to be Izuku as he slung him over his back.

"You're not an old man… All Might…" Izuku the Fanboy replied weakly, to which All Might laughed out loud in response.

(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Laughter and Merriment)

"Heeeey! All Might!"

A voice caught both of their attention, though Izuku's seemed more groggy, as Sora ran up to them happily. Though neither of them had expected this, All Might was happy to see him again.

"Ah-ha! Young Sora!" All Might proclaimed in English, "Glad to see you walking about all fine and dandy!"

"Yep. Glad to see you too." Sora replied, "I think you're aware of... well..."

"I completely understand the police arresting you. But the fact you're here means that they've set you free," All Might nodded, "And I think I can understand that as well. You did a noble thing out there, Young Sora."

"Thanks for understanding, All Might," Sora bowed, "And to top it off, I even found a place to stay."

"Wonderful!" All Might laughed, "Happy to hear that you've been faring better lately."

"Yeah. It's been great." Sora smiled, before glancing to see if Izuku was listening. When he was proven otherwise, he turned to All Might and asked cautiously, "No… monsters since the last incident?"

"None at all, Young Sora. No need to worry." All Might reassured him, "I'm certain you'll know when they show up."

"Yeah. But it doesn't hurt to have a second pair of eyes out." Sora replied, and All Might nodded in agreement, before looking to a passed out Izuku, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Oh, Young Izuku Midoriya?" All Might asked, before explaining to him "He's been working out, and I've been giving him some advice on what to do. He's just really pooped out."

"He seems quite dedicated." Sora grinned, "I do hope he doesn't overdo it, though."

"Seems to me like he already has,"

"...Oh." Sora looked at Izuku's unconscious form, before looking behind him to see a safe on the ground. It seemed to be covered a bit in… sand?

Wait a minute…

"All Might… has Izuku been the guy who's been trying to clear out the trash in Takoba Beach?" Sora questioned.

The Number One Hero looked at him, before sighing, "He has. Young Midoriya is training his body so that he can be prepared for U.A.'s Entrance Exam in 3 months. He's made considerable progress in the last 7 months."

"Wait… he's done this for 7 months already?! And you're letting him do that by himself?!" Sora exclaimed, surprised, "Just how committed is this guy?"

"...Very committed, actually. He's a huge fan of mine." All Might explained.

"I… guess that makes sense." Sora sighed, "But are you sure he's gonna clear all that trash out before the Entrance Exam? There's still a lot of trash there, and Izuku looks really drained."

"I'm positive Young Midoriya can do it, Young Sora," The Symbol of Peace grinned, "You said it himself. He is committed to this goal, and will see it through to the end. Though I will admit his idolization… does concern me quite a bit."

Sora sighed again, before asking, "Were you planning to take him home after he got that safe put away?"

"Well… this was after he ran out of steam," All Might looked over to the green-haired boy, "I thought he would be fine to head home himself, but now…"

"I'll take him home. His place is close to mine's, actually," Sora suggested, "You probably have somewhere else to be, right?"

"Er… yes, I do." All Might replied hastily, "Very well. Once we deliver this safe to the pile, I leave Young Midoriya in your capable hands, Young Sora. I trust you will bring him home safely."

"Count on it, All Might," Sora gave him a thumbs up, before going over to pick up the safe with relative ease. It wasn't as heavy as the refrigerator, but it mattered little. "Now let's go!"

"AWAY!" All Might rushed on ahead, Sora haring after him with his natural speed, now feeling just as fast as he was when he used Flowmotion the other day. Good. More of his strength could be accessed.

It didn't take long, but then, after placing the safe into the pile, All Might had dropped a dazed Izuku down next to Sora, and declared that he must be off, before leaping into the air and out of sight, leaving Izuku and Sora together.

(Silence)

Sora looked around, and spoke in Japanese, "Well… it's just you and me now, Izuku."

"Mmmm…" It was clear the greenhead was still trying to stay conscious, so Sora put his arm over his neck, and led him towards the bus stop, which was nearby. He sat down with Izuku, waiting patiently.

It took some time, but Izuku was able to regain full consciousness.

"Ah! All Might! Where-?" Izuku looked around, before seeing the boy he had seen running up to All Might before losing consciousness.

"Hey." the boy replied, "All Might went off, but I think your workout's gonna be altered a bit after your little burnout,"

"Huh?" Izuku looked confused, then remembered how he had passed out and dropped the safe he was carrying, "Oh…"

"Don't worry. It's not like strength's built in a day," the boy laughed heartily, "But your commitment to your goal's admirable, Izuku. You're gonna go far with that strong commitment, trust me."

Midoriya looked at the stranger, before asking, "Who are you?"

The stranger looked back, before facepalming, "Aw nuts! Where are my manners? Sorry. My name is Sora. Sora Nakajima." The boy now named Sora extended his hand out.

"Wait. Nakajima… like Shimizu-san? The lady my mom's friends with and who lives pretty close to us?" Izuku asked surprised.

"Yep! I'm her son."

"What?!" Izuku was so confused, but looking at him further, Sora appeared to look a lot like Ms. Shimizu. Same color hair. Same blue eyes. The resemblance was almost obvious. "You're the son she said was missing?"

"Yeah." Sora said happily, "I'm really glad to see her again. It's been a while."

"But where've you been all this time?" Izuku asked him, "It's been two years since you last seen her. Haven't you been looking for her?"

"It's a very long story, Izuku," Sora replied, "Anyways, you're going to U.A., too?"

"U-U.A.? Yeah! I am Nakajima-san!" Midoriya smiled, "Wait, you're going as well?!"

"Sure am!" Sora smiled proudly, "That means we'll be taking the Entrance Exam together!"

"W-Wow… Uh… that's great!" Midoriya stuttered, "I-I-I really hope I can make it, though. They say t-the exam's v-very difficult."

"I'm eager to face the challenge." Sora grinned.

"You seem pretty confident, Nakajima-san,"

"Well… not entirely." Sora looked to Midoriya, "But I'm more confident for you after what All Might just told me. You've got a lot of heart, Izuku, and I like that about you. I heard about the workout All Might's got planned for you, and though it seems like a lot, he thinks you can do it. If he believes in you, then so will I."

Sora continued, "Your strong heart gives you potential, Izuku, and I'm sure it will help you through all of these trials ahead of you. After you pass this exam, I think you're gonna become an amazing Hero."

Sora looked up to the sky. Indeed, with a strong heart, a person could do amazing feats. As he himself had proven he had a strong heart worthy enough to wield the Keyblade, he was sure Izuku's strong heart would help him on his own path to be a Hero.

(Play: MHA OST - Symbol of Peace)

However, his reassuring words got the opposite reaction of what Sora wanted. Instead of thanking him, Izuku's eyes suddenly began to water, before he burst into tears. Like, literally. His eyes began spilling them out like geysers as he bawled his heart out.

"AH!" Sora shouted in English, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

Oh… right. Midoriya was Japanese. He probably didn't understand English unless he was like Momo, and that was pretty unlikely. Sora was about to switch to Japanese before Izuku managed to calm down. He rubbed his eyes.

"Th-That was the second time in my life that s-someone's told me those words." he sniffled, "That despite me being Quirkless… I could still become a great Hero."

"Quirkless?"

Midoriya froze, but Sora continued on, dispelling his fears of being ostracized by the boy.

"So what if you're Quirkless? It's not the Quirk that defines the Hero in my book." Sora replied earnestly, "It's their heart that really matters. The ones who have the desire to help others wholeheartedly, make them smile, and make themselves better than they were in the past, are true heroes, even if they aren't Heroes by name." Sora looked at Izuku, "And I can honestly say you definitely belong in that category, Izuku."

Izuku looked ready to tear up again, had it not been for a reassuring pat from Sora, "Your heart is strong. I'll say that as many times as it takes. You must have been through a lot of hurt if you look like that and were bullied for your Quirklessness, but hey, despite that, you persevered. You let your desire to be a hero push through that hurt, and look at you now, training with the best Hero out there. That should be proof enough that you have what it takes to be a true hero."

"Y-Yeah… You're right, Nakajima-san." Midoriya smiled again, "B-But…"

"You've got this, Izuku." Sora assured him, "All Might believes in you, and I do, too."

"Wait… speaking of All Might." Izuku asked him, "How do you know him?"

"We met." Sora smiled, before looking up to the bus, "Oh hey! Our ride's here."

"Hey. Nakajima-san,"

Sora looked to Izuku, who was standing next to him smiling, "Thanks for saying all that. That means a lot to me."

"It's what I do." Sora smiled, "And please, just call me Sora. I don't normally use my surname formally."

Izuku's smile brightened, "Alright, Sora-san."

"So, what do you say? Wanna study together when we get the chance?" Sora asked, "I think I'll have the hardest time if there's a written exam. I'd really appreciate it if you'll help me with that."

"I'd love to!" Izuku replied as they headed inside the bus, before, to Sora's surprise, he began to mutter, "Though that depends on how long it takes for me to finish up with tomorrow's workout with All Might and not to mention that webarelyevenknoweachotherbutstill…"

Sora looked to his new friend in surprise. This was new. Especially amongst his circle of friends anywhere in the worlds, he had never met one as… quirky… as Izuku Midoriya. But that made his friendship with this young boy all the more worthwhile.

Sora smiled as the bus took off towards the apartment complexes, listening to Izuku's mutter without thought. This was quite the day, another to add to his list of memories.

(Play: FF 7 Remake OST - The Star of Seventh Heaven)

Meanwhile, in a place far away from Japan, a young woman paces the room. She sighs, looking to the clock, then to the entrance of the room she was in. As she goes to make a drink for herself, she hears her phone ring. She picks it up.

"...Hello?"

"Yes,"

"Well… he's out delivering something right now… but he should be back soon… ah! There he is. Hold on."

As she says that, the door opens and a young man walks in, exhausted, but doing very well to hide it. The woman walks up to him, phone in hand.

"Welcome back. How was today?" she asked him kindly.

"Not too bad. Nothing special besides a few small-time crooks that tried to attack our client. Wasn't too much of a hassle."

"I see. Should've expected that. I'm glad to see you're safe," she replied, before her tone got serious, "Did you hear about the Heartless?"

"...I did. What about them?"

"Someone wants to speak to you regarding them."

The young man perked up, before taking the phone in his hand, placing it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Yes. Who else would it be?"

"...Is that right?"

"I'll think about it. But yes, I think I know who you're talking about. I'll come over soon. If it's who I think it is, then I'll put more consideration on it."

"Alright. Later,"

The young man hung up, giving it back to the young woman. "Well?"

"I think I figured out who really managed to take down those Heartless. But I'm gonna make sure my assumption is correct." the man replied, "Pack up. We're heading to Japan."

"Right now? Are you sure? We can't just leave the others here."

"They can manage a couple days without us. Not like business has been booming a lot recently. Besides, we won't be flying there till after the Entrance Exam, so there's no need to get hasty."

"I guess I'm gonna have to call him to look after them."

"Fine by me." the man shrugged, "Come on. We should at least get some stuff ready. It's time we pay a visit to an old friend,"

(Silence)

And there's Chapter 7. Another peaceful moment with Sora reconnecting with his mother through some smalltalk and a shopping spree, and a conversation with the Omori gang to make sure they're holding up okay after the Heartless attack, as well as solidifying their bond together as friends.

Also, we finally get Izuku and Sora meeting up for the first time and becoming study buddies! And whaddya know, Sora knows Izuku's Quirkless. But since it's Sora, he doesn't give a care about that. With the two finally meeting, we finally start to dive into the story of My Hero Academia!

Now I wonder who those two people at the end were? Take as many guesses as to who they might be. It might just surprise you!

And another note, I know the Super Groupies outfit along with their accessories in reality is super expensive, but my guess as to why is that because Sora is well-known to all of us, and is popular as well. For Mustafu, it's just another brand and Sora isn't known at all, so I would assume his outfit costs less there. You can correct me if I'm wrong, though.

Now, onto reviews!

Captain Imaginat: Yeah, I can understand that viewpoint, and others would likely agree with you. Sora's mom didn't really have much of an impact in KH (from what we have seen from that one line). Though, I did find it interesting if we did bring her back into the story and how it would affect Sora on his travels. You might find it unnecessary, and I don't have anything against it, but this is a plot point that is going to stay. On a lighter note, I totally agree that a Destiny Trio adventure with Sora, Riku, and Kairi living their childhood dream of visiting other worlds is long overdue in the KH series, and I hope the Lost Master's Arc can give us that. Who knows. It might happen here, too.

Gamelover41592: Thank you. And given Jiminy's Journal was already copied into the Gummiphone, I'm sure data on the Nobodies was present as well.

blueassassin996: Wow... I didn't expect anybody to comment on how the music I suggested listening to affected their take on the story. Thank you. And remember, this story is inspired by The OC Maniac's story, so there will be some elements from it that will follow onto here.

Xerayn: I'm glad you're liking my take on Sora's mom! Since she doesn't have much dialogue and screentime besides "Dinner's Ready!" It gives us a lot of free reign on what to do about her personality. I do hope I deliver on Shimizu's character later in the story.

The OC Maniac: Thanks a lot, OC. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And if you're interested, OMORI is a game with a very emotional story, especially when you dive deep into it and begin understanding what's going on. Thanks for the tips, and good luck to you with your own stories!

Wizardwolf 1020: I get it that you're annoyed for Sora having to tell Naomasa, and there are many others who'd agree with you. But trust between the two was key in that chapter. Had Sora continued to lie to the detective the way he had, I don't think he'd be as free as a bird as he is now. Lying doesn't always end well, and it only makes a bigger mess depending on the situation. Honestly, Naomasa could've lied to the Chief about Sora's situation, but doing so would risk losing his job as a detective and police officer for withholding that information. Plus, Sora was never too keen on upholding the world order (Especially in KH3), and Donald and Goofy almost always had to reel him in beforehand. I get you're frustrated, and honestly, I don't blame you or hold it against you, as everyone will have their gripes on any story. If you have a way for Sora to leave without telling Naomasa about the other worlds, that's great! I'd like to hear it. If it gives you any comfort, Sora's gonna be more secretive on the world order, especially later in the story.

mastergamer14: That's a big if, since Sora hasn't dropped the bomb to them at all (They haven't all met him, first off). We're still way before any sort of major conflict in MHA arises, so that will have to wait. As for a Nobody of Shigaraki and AFO, they would still retain their memories (unless you're Roxas and Namine), so I don't think they'd be any different, except that Shigaraki would be more unfeeling about killing. They'll remember the pleasure, but cannot feel it.

The Avenging Titan: I totally agree with you on the prospect of the Destiny Trio's parents worried about them even after Namine's meddling. It would make sense if they were dead, but I wanted to put a new twist into it and have Sora's mom have some relevance, hence why she's alive here.

Any thoughts on this particular chapter? Feel free to tell me what you think! If you liked it, I'm happy with that, and if not, then I apologize for not meeting your expectations.

Thanks for reading this chapter, and until our paths cross again.