Hiya! A New Pencil returns to the desk!

I received your reviews on the font, and I've come to a decision: The underline will return, but with a twist. It will be for the language(s) that aren't usually spoken for that chapter. It'll be confusing, even for me, so please bear with me as I try and make it easier to read for everyone.

Underline is Japanese or other language.

Italics is either thoughts, a flashback, or a song/poem.

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

Chapter 16: Aftermath and Rest

The truth can baffle many, as the truth always does.

What will you do when faced with the truth?

(Play: MHA OST - Hero's Shadow)

Everybody in Class A was in the nurse's office, all of them being checked for any sort of injuries from the first and second wave of attacks at the U.S.J. Midoriya and All Might were there beforehand, but the latter had already recovered and left to handle the second wave of the Villain attack before the rest of the students arrived. Izuku was still there, however, and had made a full recovery, and was waiting for his friends outside.

They waited one at a time to be checked in. The first two people were Toru and Kyoka, who had the most injuries out of the entire class due to being dogpiled and mauled respectively by the black creatures Sora had called Heartless. Recovery Girl did her magic, and the two were thankfully healed thanks to her Quirk, with no scars.

Next up were Momo and Mashirao, who still had the bites and scratches unattended to, despite how little they were bothered by it, the former of which was due to Sora's little concoction from Mogway. Recovery Girl was astounded by how the bite Yaoyarozu had gotten from the Darkball wasn't as severe as she thought, but she healed it regardless, so the marks completely disappeared.

Eijiro and Katsuki also went up, due to having dealt with the Heartless up front for so long with the help of the staff. While they were being treated, Kirishima looked up to where the explosive boy was.

"Hey," he asked him.

"What do you want?" was the reply.

"You think Sora's alright?"

"Hell if I know." Bakugo snorted without a care.

"Dude, he got swallowed up by a dome before we were dragged out of U.S.J., by himself!" Kirishima recalled, "Not to mention some thirty or forty foot tall monster was in there with him! Aren't you the least bit worried about that?"

"Why should I be? I doubt Spiky's gonna roll over and die just like that," said the boy, "You heard the teach when he said the bastard was holding back during Battle Trial, and I'm pissed off that Spiky's been pulling his punches. Not to mention he pulled out a new toy sword when those fucking bugs showed up. So if those small fry we've dealt with earlier are like that giant-ass monster, then Spiky will be fine."

Kirishima looked down for a bit, before perking up, "Hold up… did you just… compliment Sora?"

"Ha! Like hell I did!" Katsuki barked, "I just said those black-skinned bugs were just weak! Only a weakling would die to those things!"

"Geez, Bakugo, calm down, kay?" Kirishima chuckled, "I get it. Sora's gonna be fine. Glad to see you're not worried."

"I was never worried about him, dumbass!"

Eijiro couldn't help but chuckle and relax, taking in Bakugo's words. He had a point. Sora was stronger than he let on, and if those smaller monsters weren't much of a challenge, then their classmate would be just fine. The two walked out, Eijiro standing next to Izuku, while Bakugo leaned on the wall away from everyone else.

(Silence)

Initially, the class was confused as to why Bakugo of all people was staying behind with them, and he only told them that he simply wanted to ask "Spiky", who they interpreted as his nickname for Sora, what the hell happened in that dome.

Others had their reasons for staying as well. Tenya, as class rep, wanted to ensure Sora's safety as he felt it was part of his responsibility; Kyoka and Toru, to thank Sora for rescuing them; Eijiro and Izuku, to check on Sora and make sure he was alright when he came back due to being his friends; and Momo, whose reasons were a mix of both Iida's, Kirishima's, and Midoriya's.

(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Roxas)

"Everyone, clear a path!" Midnight's voice caused everyone to look up and see her, with Sora in her arms.

When they saw him, they were shocked. Sora looked like he'd taken a dip into the deep end: His face was slightly blackened, with a couple of cuts decorating his cheeks. Traces of blood were visible on his clothing, and his costume was more damaged than any of Class 1-A's own.

The worst injuries seemed to be on his arms. Said arms were clearly burned, and his right gauntlet was nearly unrecognizable, due to likely fighting with his right hand against those monsters. But what had caused them to be burnt like that?

Midoriya, Kirishima, Hagakure, and Ashido were horrified at Sora's condition as he was clearly in even worse shape than the rest of the class combined. Katsuki, Momo, and Kyoka had similar reactions, but were more confused due to the fact that Sora had proven to handle himself in a fight. How in the world did those creatures damage him that badly? The rest of the class were wondering how he was still breathing.

Despite their concerns, Class A complied, clearing a path for Midnight to escort the injured Sora to Recovery Girl's office to receive immediate care. Nobody dared to move after that. They just stood there, waiting for their fellow classmate to emerge from the office. Midnight waited there as well, but only to get him back to Nezu once he recovered.

Sora had been trying to tell her something on the ride back to U.A., and Midnight had told him countless times to wait until later, and now, here in the recovery room, she would let him have his say.

"If the class asks what happened back there…" Sora stated in Japanese, though a bit weakly, "Just tell them you broke through the dome and saved me."

"You're asking me to give the staff credit for something you did?" Midnight asked astonished, "I'm surprised. I should be the one saying that."

"I know…" Sora nodded, "But if the class was told the truth… and if their parents found out the staff couldn't even save one of their students in a time when it mattered, then most of my classmates would drop out."

"Not to mention the backlash the school would have because of it." she added, "Very well. I'll let the principal know of your request, so he'll tell the rest of the faculty."

"Thank you…" Sora smiled, before falling asleep.

Half an hour later, he woke up disoriented, but fully healed from his injuries. He looked about and saw Recovery Girl writing on some paper. He wanted to wave her over, but he winced as his arms suddenly started to sting. Looks like the attack from the Dark Follower had done more than just a number on him.

"You're awake." Recovery Girl turned around, walking over to check on him, "How are you feeling?"

"Little sleepy, but otherwise I'm fine." Sora confirmed.

"That's nice to know, dear," she smiled, "When Nezu called and told me what had happened with you, I was surprised to see you weren't in a worse condition."

"Yeah…" Sora laughed nervously, "Anyways, is everyone else alright? From my class, at least?"

"Everybody's all healed up, dear." Recovery Girl answered.

"That's a relief…" Sora nodded.

Recovery Girl then lectured Sora on how he had to be more careful, and Sora did listen, but knew he did the right thing. His friends were protected and safe now, and the Heartless threat was neutralized.

Well… except for that Dark Follower.

He berated himself inwardly for letting it escape a second time. If it wasn't for that chest pain, it would be long gone by now. But that wasn't all. The voice he heard. Its warning echoed through Sora's mind.

Do not think you are pure... because of how close you stand to light...

What did the voice mean? That he wasn't innocent because of how much happiness he spread or saw? That his power wasn't as strong as he thought it was? He shook his head. It wasn't the time to think on that.

Right now though, he had to reassure his friends he was alright.

(Silence)

Recovery Girl finished her lecture, and told him to head over to the principal's office as he left. He thanked her for helping him heal, before he opened the door to greet his classmates.

(Play: FF7 Remake OST - Main Theme of FF7 - Nightfall in the Undercity)

As he opened the door, some of his classmates and Midnight were there. Upon seeing him with a tired smile on his face, they all ran up to him, relieved he was still alive and kicking.

"Holy crap, dude." Kirishima started, "What the heck happened to you back there?"

"We thought you died, Sora-kun," Tenya added.

"Did those monsters jump you?" Kaminari asked, now no longer in dumb mode.

"How bad was it?" Ochaco asked him.

"Guys, guys! Wait a second!" Sora waved his hands, "It's alright. A giant monster was leading those guys. I just got unlucky and became its target. I held it back for as long as I could before the teachers busted through and saved me."

"As expected from the staff of U.A." Iida nodded, "I knew they'd be quick to respond, seeing as they had with the first wave, but even so, I was worried about you Sora-kun."

"We all were." Izuku added, "I'm glad you're okay now."

"I appreciate that, Tenya and Izuku. That means a lot." Sora nodded to both, before looking around, "But what about Toru and Kyoka? Are they…?"

"We're okay," Jiro came into Sora's view, "Thanks for the save, by the way. Tifa made sure me and Kaminari were home safe."

"I heard." he replied.

"And thank you and Ojiro-kun for helping me." Hagakure added, hugging Sora, "I'd be a goner if it wasn't for you two."

"It's no trouble. I'm just glad you're all safe and sound," Sora smiled, keeping eye contact with the majority of his class to respect Toru's privacy, "I've seen what those things can do. I didn't want you guys to go through what I had seen. That's why I jumped in."

"What were they?" Izuku asked him, "They looked just like the creatures that appeared out of nowhere and attacked Mustafu three months ago. The ones All Might defeated."

"Heartless," Sora answered, "Monsters that will do anything and everything to take the hearts of others."

"And that is exactly why Nezu wishes to speak with you right now." Midnight finally interjected, while some of the students looked terrified at Sora's explanation of those creatures, "We've never seen those things before, and since you and the other two who helped have, the staff is going to need your knowledge on the matter, so we don't have another incident like that happen here again."

"Got it," Sora nodded, "Where to?"

"Teacher's lounge, Nakajima," Midnight answered, "I'll escort you there, and we'll wait for the rest of the faculty and your two friends, then you can explain everything."

"Lead the way."

"Hold on a damn second." Katsuki spoke up, which turned Sora's head, "You and I are gonna have a talk after that meeting, Spiky."

"That's Sora," the Hero of Light corrected.

"Whatever. Just meet me in front of campus after that stupid meeting."

Sora looked confused as to why Katsuki of all people wanted to talk to him, but he nodded in silent confirmation, before waving to his classmates and friends before heading back to the teacher's lounge. When he could no longer see them, Sora finally relaxed, before suddenly coughing a bit, catching Midnight's attention.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Just a cough," Sora reassured her.

When they arrived, Sora saw that Cloud and Tifa were already there, sitting down. Sora picked the empty spot next to Cloud, and relaxed his body.

"How're the arms, kid?" Cloud asked him.

"Doing better. Still stings." Sora answered. The SOLDIER nodded silently.

After that exchange, it was rather silent. It was weird, and a bit awkward, but overall it was nice. Not even Midnight was making him uncomfortable like she did during classes.

(Play: MHA OST - I'll Become a Hero!)

The door suddenly opened and the staff came in. First it was the teachers, then Recovery Girl, then Lunch Rush, then a dog-like Hero Sora deduced was Hound Dog, Power Loader, and then Nezu and a skinny dude with blonde hair. To make things surprising, even Detective Naomasa was there as well. He also saw that Aizawa and Thirteen, while not physically present, were there through a call on the computer.

All Might wasn't present, so Sora assumed he was still recovering elsewhere and couldn't make it.

"Alright," Nezu said, "All the faculty who could make it are here," Nezu told Sora.

Sora got up from his chair, as did Cloud and Tifa, and offered some of the members their seats. Nezu politely declined, and the skinny man took Sora's instead, while Vlad and Cementoss took Cloud and Tifa's. Recovery Girl took a spot on the couch, and Nezu and Tsukauchi followed suit. Tifa took a seat next to Midnight, while Cloud stuck to leaning on the wall, as did many other staff members. Sora chose to sit on the floor to rest his legs, which were still awkward even after being healed.

(Play: MHA OST - Mystery)

"Now then. Shall we begin debriefing?" Nezu asked, looking over to Tsukauchi. He and the rest of the staff nodded.

"Good to see you again, Sora. I'm glad to see you unharmed." Naomasa smiled as he spoke in Sora's preferred language.

"Right back at ya, detective." he nodded, "I'm just glad it isn't in that interrogation room again."

"As am I." he stated, before looking serious, "So those Heartless appeared again, didn't they? Even the one that escaped you the first time?"

"They did…" Sora frowned, "It's gonna be like that for a while until… you know."

Naomasa nodded in confirmation, "Still, you can confirm that you are who you say? This is just for safety reasons so we know you're not actually someone else."

"Yeah. My name is Sora Nakajima, Detective, and I'm a Guardian of Light tasked to protect the worlds from darkness." Sora confirmed, "So where do we start?"

"Those creatures, Sora," Ectoplasm questioned, and Sora was thankful that they were speaking English. It would make explaining things much more easier, "Detective Naomasa and you have called them Heartless. What exactly is that?"

Sora took a deep breath before explaining, "The Heartless are creatures that seek out people who have darkness in their hearts, and to those who have Keyblades, which is what I have right now." Sora replied, as Cloud and Tifa gave confirming nods, "Their only purpose is to take the hearts of people and animals, but not the ones that you know. Either way, anything with a heart is a target of the Heartless. They will either have a symbol on their body that Nezu-sensei has a picture of, or will look completely pitch-black. Either way, they'll both have glowing yellow eyes. The only thing that can truly eliminate them is a Keyblade."

"Which is that weapon you summon." Power Loader deduced.

"Yep." Sora nodded, standing up and summoning his Kingdom Key, placing it on the table for them to see. "But there's not a lot of people who can wield a Keyblade like me that are around anymore. They were wiped out in a war that happened a long time ago. There's only ten others that I know who are alive who can use them."

"Would you mind naming them, if you can?" Cementoss asked him.

"There's me first off. Then there's Riku Mizushima and Kairi Yoshino, who are my two childhood friends," Sora began, adding Riku and Kairi's surnames, which he learned from his mother a while back, to further cement their trust in his claims, "Then there's Mickey, who is a king I serve with. My Nobody, Roxas, who has two, and his friends, Axel and Xion, who both have one apiece. The final three are Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, three Keyblade wielders who went missing ten years ago, but were eventually found again. That's all the Keyblade wielders I know."

"This Roxas." Vlad began, "You said he was your 'Nobody'. What is that?"

"Oh yeah." Sora perked up, "Nobodies are the empty shells of those who become Heartless. They need to have strong hearts that allow their body to persist in order to form the Nobodies, though."

"Waitwaitwaitwait, run it back. You've lost your heart before?" Present Mic gawked.

"Once. It was only for a short time before Kairi found my Heartless and helped me come back in human form. Roxas was still created because I still technically lost my heart for that short period of time."

"Should we be worried about these Nobodies?" Snipe added.

(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Sacred Moon)

"Some are friends. Some are enemies." Sora answered, "The ones I can trust are Axel, Namine, Roxas, and maybe Saix."

"And enemies?" Lunch Rush asked.

"Nearly all the bad ones are silver and have rubbery skin. They also have a different symbol." Sora said, "And since Nobodies are empty shells left behind when a strong-hearted person loses their heart, there's a good chance that they'll show up given time."

"Here. I have another picture for this symbol." Nezu explained, grabbing a folder and finding what he was looking for. He pulled out the picture and passed it along to the other staff members.

"Alright." Naomasa looked at Sora, "If you wouldn't mind explaining the other symbols to the rest of the staff, Sora?"

"Sure. The third one comes from an enemy called the Unversed. I've only recently faced them a while ago." Sora told the staff, "They are formed from negative emotions, and according to Ventus, they are led by a person called Vanitas."

"And is Vanitas a threat?"

"He was." Sora corrected, "Ventus made sure he stayed down. Even then, I don't have much knowledge about the Unversed. The experts for that are Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and King Mickey, since they've fought them for longer than I have."

"Can we speak to them right now?" Midnight asked him.

"If I could reach them." Sora admitted, "I haven't been able to contact any of my fellow Keyblade Wielders since I came here."

"Why's that?"

"I've already tried calling them when I first arrived here, but it didn't work. I don't have a signal." Sora explained, "I can use it to call anybody here in this world, but other than that, I can't do anything else with it."

The skinny blonde dude whispered something over to Nezu's ear, and the principal nodded in affirmation.

"That would explain why you have been unable to call for assistance, but if you're a world traveler, why can't you leave by yourself?" Recovery Girl asked him.

"I'd need a vessel that can travel the Oceans Between worlds to do that," Sora explained, "Without it, I'm stuck."

"So like a spaceship?" Present Mic asked.

"Yes and no. What I need is a Gummi Ship."

"A candy ship?"

"Not a candy. A gummi is the material used to make the Gummi Ship. Problem is, they're pretty rare. Even finding just one isn't enough to guarantee safe travel."

"Okay, we get it, you're stranded here." he heard Aizawa say from the computer. His voice held skepticism as he continued, "Now going back to the important information. What's this final enemy we need to keep an eye and ear out for?"

"Well, Mr. Aizawa," Sora pulled out the Dream Heartbinder as he began, "The last group of enemies to look out for are called Nightmares. They're basically the dark versions of Dream Eaters."

"Dream Eater… you said this before, Nakajima. Didn't you call your pet your Dream Eater?"

"Yes, he is," Sora nodded, raising the Heartbinder and summoning Meow Wow in front of everyone again. The blue cat-dog hybrid appeared in the center of the room, shocking almost everyone. Sora continued before they could do anything, "But my Dream Eater is a Spirit, which combats and consumes the bad Dream Eaters, so you don't have to worry about him."

Meow Wow looked confused as to why it was surrounded yet again, this time by adults, but Sora told it, "Don't worry. There's no bad guys here." It yipped gleefully when it saw Sora, bouncing around joyfully.

"Going back to the Nightmares, Nakajima?" Aizawa asked.

"Oh yeah. Sorry," Sora said, before lifting Meow Wow up, "Regarding the Nightmares, they only appear if this world is a sleeping world. Meaning that it has fallen to darkness before, but was brought back partially to the light. I think it might be similar to what you guys call a limbo state."

"So if you screw up your job of protecting worlds, these guys show up when you pick up the slack." Aizawa deduced, "And I assume that the symbol on your Dream Eater's chest is what most of these guys bear?"

"Yeah. Except the Nightmare's symbol is more jagged than the Spirit Dream Eaters." Sora clarified, "Other than that, those are the only enemies I know about."

"But if you can summon your Dream Eater here, wouldn't it make this world a Sleeping World?" Snipe thought aloud.

"No. If it was, Nightmares would've shown up at U.S.J. instead of the Heartless. The Heartless can't enter the Sleeping Worlds, so I know for a fact this isn't one. The reason I'm only able to summon it is thanks to the Heartbinder," Sora gave the charm to Nezu for examination, "It's a magical charm my master, Yen Sid, gave me before I went off on my third trip across the worlds."

"Good. Now with that out of the way," Nezu said, "I must ask, considering you never said so, how did you come across our world?"

(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Kairi)

Sora sighed, "Well… I had this power, called the power of waking, which I used to save my friend Kairi from being killed by Xehanort, who was our enemy at the time. But by doing so, it was meant to be a one-way trip, because another friend of mine told me that by using that power to rescue Kairi, I'd lose my powers and vanish."

"You were prepared to die for her?" Hound Dog spoke up curiously.

Sora nodded, "I did once before, when I stabbed myself in the heart." The staff, minus Cloud and Tifa, looked at him as if he had sprouted two heads, "And I also made a promise to our other friend Riku, that I would take care of her and make sure she was safe. I also made a promise to her that I'd give her lucky charm back when we returned home," Sora then presented Kairi's good luck charm to the Pros to prove his point, "And I will not break my promises."

"That's a good trait to have, Nakajima," Ectoplasm praised.

"Thanks."

"Hold on… can we rewind it back to the part where you said you stabbed yourself?" Present Mic asked, clearly confused.

"I can't properly explain it, but her heart was trapped in my body, so I freed it by doing that and it went back to her."

"That makes zero sense,"

"Mic, we're all people with wacky superpowers, living in a world where we can do anything with the right amount of Quirks, and you're asking a question like that?" Snipe stated.

"...That's true."

(Play: MHA OST - Analysis)

"Let's get back to the point, people." Aizawa groaned, "Is there anything else that we need to know, Nezu?"

"Yes. The staff should know who the other two individuals we have here are, and why Sora chose to enroll here at U.A." Nezu told them.

"Indeed. Why not another school?" Ectoplasm asked.

"Well… Yours was the best one out there, and not to mention the last time I tried to take out Heartless, I was arrested because I lacked a Hero License," Sora explained sheepishly, glancing to Naomasa, who nodded to the staff in confirmation, "So I decided to enroll here at U.A., so that I could get that license and ensure that the Heartless are no longer a threat to this world,"

"So you enrolled here, so you could get a license and do your job, without needing to deal with legal issues and any Heroes that'd hunt you down if you didn't." The skinny blonde staff member concluded.

"Exactly." Sora nodded. Strange... why did he seem so familiar?

"Got it." he said.

"Now then," Aizawa said, "What about the other two that came with All Might to help the kids at U.S.J.?"

"Ah, yes," Nezu said, looking to both Cloud and Tifa, "Would you like to introduce yourselves?"

"I'll do it," Tifa stood up, "My name is Tifa Lockhart, and my friend over there is Cloud Strife."

"Hey," Cloud waved simply.

"To answer your questions on why we came here, it was actually because of Sora." Tifa explained, "We also know about the Heartless and Sora's identity as a Keyblade wielder, so after they attacked Mustafu three months ago, Mr. Nezu called us, since he learned that Sora had actually been the one who stopped the attack instead of All Might."

"But why call them?" Present Mic asked.

"It's simple," Nezu said, "Not only were they also from another world and knew of the mystery hero who beat the shadow creatures, I wanted to offer a position here as a teacher for either one of them. Speaking of…" He glanced at Cloud.

(Play: FF7 Remake OST - Avalanche's Theme)

"I'm still thinking about it, sir," Cloud said, "I know I said I would consider the position, but I need a little more time to think before I make the choice."

"Very well, then." Nezu nodded, "Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks."

"So you two are also where Sora is from?" Midnight asked Tifa.

"Not exactly, but we can also travel to other worlds… at least until several months back." Tifa admitted, "Now, we're just as stranded as Sora is."

"How come?"

Cloud's face darkened, "Because an old enemy of mine forced us here."

Sora's blood ran cold. He couldn't mean…!

"His name is Sephiroth." Cloud said the name, "He caught us by surprise, and when we fought, he cast me, Tifa, and several others into this world."

"And where are these other people?" Vlad asked.

"Somewhere safe." Cloud said, "But I'd… prefer not to disclose the location."

"And this Sephiroth?" Aizawa questioned, "Is he still around?"

"Maybe. If he is around, I will know. He is my dark side, after all." Cloud explained.

"Dark side?"

"He's basically a manifestation of Cloud's evil side," Tifa clarified, "It would take too long to explain in detail."

"Fine." Aizawa said, "So you guys are just here because Sora is, too?"

"That, and in case Sephiroth is around, too." Cloud noted, "If worst comes to worse, let me deal with him. I know him best, so I'll handle him if he decides to make a move."

"Are you both licensed Pros?" Cementoss questioned

"We've already gotten our licenses in America," Tifa explained to the staff, "Just in case we needed to fight any threats from home. And we'll tell you our Hero Names later, since that isn't the current topic at hand right now."

"Got it." Midnight nodded, looking between the two young aliens. She had a funny feeling the two were more close than they let on.

(Play: KH DDD OST - Link to All)

"So, I guess that leaves one last thing." Nezu told Sora, "Though I know you've already showed it to me and Detective Tsukauchi, but to be official, do you have proof that your's, Cloud's, and Tifa's words are all true?"

Cloud and Tifa looked at each other, wondering what they needed to give them as proof, but Sora walked towards Nezu with a smile, whipping out his Gummiphone and opening up Jiminy's Journal, "Just look through the journal, principal, and let the staff see it too. It should explain everything you need to know."

It took the rest of the staff nearly twenty to thirty minutes to all get through the journal, as well as the phone's history, pictures, and memory files to validate Sora's story, as well as Cloud and Tifa's.

During said examination, Nezu looked through a specific segment of the Memory files, mainly on a place within a world called Radiant Garden, which was where Sora had seen Cloud and Tifa last before vanishing. He was thinking deeply about something he had noticed, but soon returned to the main topic.

"With all that's been given to us, It's rather impossible to think that their stories are fake." Cementoss concluded.

"Has anybody even noticed that the kid keeps losing his powers every time he starts a new journey?" Present Mic asked.

Sora immediately turned red. Honestly, he was very embarrassed of that fact, considering it has now happened three times already. At least this time, he hadn't lost a significant amount like last time, though he was still a far cry from his old self.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Cloud noted with a sigh, "He always seems to bounce back from these things like it's nothing, and frankly, it's kind of annoying."

Sora's smile at Cloud's "compliment" faded when he said that it was annoying, turning into a pout.

"So he's here to stay, Principal?" Midnight asked.

"Considering what he's done for all of us, as well as the validation of his story, and his positive effect on his own classmates, I don't see a reason to even kick him out of this school," Nezu smiled, "It's why I wrote him in last-minute."

With that, each of the staff nodded and took their leave, with the skinny blonde being the last one. Sora still couldn't help but feel like he'd seen him somewhere before. Naomasa went out as well, wanting to investigate further about events related to the incident, leaving Sora alone with Cloud and Tifa.

Sora then thought about the reactions to his claim. Many of them didn't believe him at first, but the fact they were willing to hear him out meant that they were giving him a chance, and the Heartless's existence would help solidify that claim, hopefully. He did notice, however, that Aizawa looked unconvinced even after he had shown the proof. He wondered how his homeroom teacher was going to deal with him now.

He'll have to think on it later.

"Thanks for the help, guys." Sora smiled to the two that were with them.

"It was the least we could do." Tifa replied, "I'm just relieved that your classmates aren't goners."

"So what are you gonna do now?"

"Stick around, I guess. Nothing better to do now that those Heartless are gone. Might go out again if they show up elsewhere and cause havoc," Cloud remarked, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Oh yeah." Sora recalled, "So I'll be seeing you?"

"Maybe," Cloud smirked.

"...Say, still up for that rematch?"

"...I'll get back to you on that."

Sora smiled, rubbing his nose and waving the two off before leaving the lounge. However, Cloud looked to where Sora had been with concern.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, noticing his expression.

"I dunno." Cloud admitted, "But the kid's different from the last time we saw him. Call me crazy, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something… off with him."

(Silence)

Sora went to the locker to take off his Hero Costume, putting on his school uniform before finally reaching his destination, which was the front of the campus. It was already nighttime, so he wanted to make sure he was quick about this.

"You're late, Spiky." Bakugo's voice called out in English. Sora looked surprised, but it was dispelled immediately. Katsuki had never spoken English unless it was during English class, and that was rarely.

"Didn't know there was a deadline." Sora commented, "So what is it?"

"Tell me the goddamn truth," Bakugo glared at him, "What actually happened to you when you were fighting that giant thing?"

"Didn't Midnight already tell you?"

"Bullshit." Katsuki scoffed, "That sorry excuse of a story doesn't really add up with your current track record."

"Since when have you been paying attention to me? Thought you were only focused on Izuku."

"The moment you showed up with the tail kid with a new toy sword," Katsuki answered, "So tell me what really happened when you got swallowed up."

"And why do you want to know so badly?" Sora asked.

"Becauses I want to know why the hell you're holding back." Katsuki snarled, "What makes you so sure about yourself that you don't feel the need to go all out around us? You think you're better than me?!"

Sora looked at him surprised. That was what he wanted out of this?

"Seriously?" he said.

"Answer the question, dammit!"

"Fine." Sora sighed, "The reason I hold back is to make sure that my classmates and friends don't get hurt by accident."

"And you're gonna hide that strength behind a story that the teachers saved your ass?" Bakugo pressed, "How about those two new toy swords? Where were they during the Battle Trial?"

"Hey! I'd just gotten them!" Sora exclaimed.

"Really?" Katsuki scoffed, "And you think you're too good to use them on us?"

Sora just stood there. Did he not just listen to what he said earlier? "Those weapons I carry are dangerous. If I use them on any of you, and you accidentally get severely hurt, that's on me!"

"Who fucking cares!" Katsuki shouted, "You're still holding back either way!"

Sora's eye twitched. This was all he cared about? That Sora was pulling his punches?

"How the hell did you even get those toys anyway?" Katsuki snarled, before adding sarcastically, "What kind of 'terrible situation' happened to you that made you summon an oversized car key?"

(Play: MHA OST - Anguish of the Quirkless)

Sora clenched his fists in rage. Now he'd crossed a line. Not only was Katsuki insulting the Keyblade and its wielders, but he was also insulting his own strength and why he held it back, the very strength he had worked time and again to claim, even when it was lost. Sora summoned Hero's Origin, slamming its tip to the ground and making large cracks in the pavement, leaving a loud thunderclap in his wake.

"You really wanna know?!" he shouted, making the bully shut up at the complete 180 of his attitude, "FINE! How about when the Heartless completely destroyed my home? Or when I stabbed myself to save the girl I promised to protect? Or when my best friend got possessed by a Villain and tried to kill me? Does that work for your 'terrible situations?!'"

He would admit that he was really really angry with Katsuki now. Almost as angry as he had been when Xehanort had… He shook the thought as he continued to look up at the person in front of him, taking deep breaths to calm down.

"Look, I don't know why you want to be a Hero, but I want to be one so that I can make people smile and feel safe." Sora glared at Katsuki, his tone having leveled down, "If I chose to stop pulling my punches, I'd be just like you and Shoto. Too strong for my own good. Wanna know why I hold back? So that our classmates, who aren't as strong as me, get their chance to shine. To build their confidence and help them grow stronger so that we can fight together! They deserve to be here just like you and me, and I don't want to break their spirits and make them give up on their dreams by cutting myself loose! If that means I've got to cover my story, then so be it!"

"What do you mean about that?" Katsuki questioned, "'Giving up on their dreams?' What kinda crap are you yammering about?"

"If I told our classmates that I was the one who dealt with all the Heartless, then how do you think their parents would react?" Sora told him, "They'd think the school isn't safe, and they'll make our classmates drop out, without even giving them a say. I don't want that to happen to them."

"So what? You're worried for those weaklings?" Bakugo jeered.

"They're not weaklings, for pete's sake!" Sora exclaimed, "They're strong in their own ways, and you haven't seen it yet! Just like your Battle Trial with Izuku. You underestimated him and didn't see his strength, and that's why you lost!"

"Don't make me laugh! Shitty Deku only got lucky!" Katsuki snarled, "That doesn't make him better, or change who he is!"

"At least his heart's in the right place." Sora said, "Why are you even talking down to Izuku? You used to be friends!"

"We were never friends!" Bakugo shouted, "I'd never be friends with a weakling like him!"

"Say what you want." The Keyblade wielder shook his head, "I'm not going to pry, but you'd better leave him alone. He never did anything to you, so drop it."

"What's between me and Deku is none of your damn business!"

"He's my friend, Katsuki. It will become any of his friends' business sooner or later. I'll do anything for a friend," Sora remarked, before pulling out Hero's Origin from the ground and walking past Katsuki, "And a good friend sees you for who you are, whether you have a powerful Quirk or not."

He was tired, but also very angry. Yelling at Katsuki had drained him. He needed to get out of here. Go home.

In the background leaning on a pillar of the entrance, a spiky blonde was watching the two walk away from one another, one with a look of fury in his eyes, the other a mix of that and exhaustion. The blonde only shook his head as he watched Sora head onto the train back home.

Looks like somebody finally pushed his buttons. he thought, Something really has gotten to the kid. All the more reason to keep an eye on him. He looked up into the air, I won't let that heartless bastard use that to his advantage.

With that, he walked back inside, where a young woman with long black hair was waiting. Without a word, the two walked away together.

(Play: KH OST - Treasured Memories)

It took a while, but Sora managed to make it home. He checked the window of Midoriya's house, seeing Inko hug Izuku with tears in her eyes, and Sora smiled, seeing the scene, before heading over to his own house. He knocked on the door.

It burst open, revealing his mother in a purple shirt and navy blue pants. When she saw Sora, she immediately pulled him into a hug. "I thought I lost you…" she muttered as a tear fell from her cheek, "I heard from Izuku what happened…"

"I know." Sora returned the hug, "But it's gonna be alright. The staff saved me, and Recovery Girl managed to heal my wounds."

"That's a relief." she sighed, still holding her son like he was going to disappear any moment, "But are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

"I will be." Sora yawned, releasing himself from his mother's grip, "I just need to shower."

"And eat," she added, "You're dinner's cold. Again."

Sora winced, before chuckling, "Sorry."

"Given what happened, I'll let you off the hook this time," Shimizu smiled, "Come on, now. Let's get you fixed up."

Sora nodded, and the two entered their home, and Sora noticed that there was a new picture on the table next to the couch he slept in. When he looked closer, his heart jumped to his throat. It was a picture of him, his mom, and his dad all smiling at the camera with a pile of fish behind them. It was taken during one of his father's most successful fishing trips.

"Hey." he said, taking the photo frame, "Where'd you find this?"

"It was a photo I held on to for a long time, especially when your father died." Shimizu explained, "It was like keeping you and your father close when I first arrived here all alone, to remind me of the times we shared. Now that we have a home again, I thought it would be better to keep it out here, so we can share those memories with others."

"That makes sense," Sora nodded, "I got confused for a second,"

"How so?"

"Well… remember when I told you about the day before I went to war?" Sora asked, "When I came to our old home, and didn't find you there, only to realize nobody had been in the house for a long time?"

Shimizu nodded her head in affirmation, feeling a little guilty for her son.

"I searched our home, and I noticed that the photo book was still there," Sora explained, "So that's why I was confused."

"It makes sense." she nodded, "But I can tell you're glad I saved that one."

"I am. I'm just surprised," Sora then looked at the photo, smiled sadly, "Sometimes, I wish we had more time with him. I really want to talk with him about my adventures."

"Me too, son." she sighed, "But even so, I know that wherever he is, he's proud of you, just like I am."

"Right. I know he is too." Sora said, wiping a tear away.

With that, he went over to eat his dinner. It was cold, but Sora cast a small Fire to warm it up, thankful that he could use his powers in private. After eating dinner and narrowly avoiding causing a small fire in the dining room, Sora climbed into the shower to ease up the tension in his body.

Tomorrow was another day at school after all.

(Play: KH BBS OST - Innocent Times)

…Or so he thought.

"Classes are canceled today?" Sora asked Izuku in English while they were mulling over some Mathematics problems Sora was having trouble with. He was currently staying with Izuku and Inko while his mother went off to work. It might be a day off for Izuku and Sora, but his mother didn't have that luxury.

"Apparently. Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen still need to recover, remember?" Izuku reminded him.

"Oh right. That is true," Sora nodded, wincing as he remembered how badly Aizawa was injured yesterday, "Hope they're doing better."

"Me too." Izuku said, before looking at the problem Sora was having trouble with, "So you're having trouble with this problem?"

"Yeah," Sora said, getting back on topic, "How does this 'derivative' thing work?

"Well, you see…" Izuku began, before going on a muttering spree that Sora could barely keep up with about what the derivative was and how it worked. He sighed, before snapping his fingers to snap Izuku out of his train of thought.

"C'mon, mutter-mouth." Sora teased, "It's kinda hard to follow when you're in that state."

"O-Oh. I'm sorry." Izuku frantically apologized.

"It's no worry." he shrugged, "It's not like I'm gonna die of boredom. The only casualty would probably be my brain,"

"...I'm not laughing…" Izuku grumbled.

Sora simply chuckled, "So going back to derivatives… how does it work?"

After a lengthy, but not completely muddled, explanation, Sora had a better grasp at what exactly a derivative was. He had slumped to the floor in mental exhaustion after finally solving the problems. Math was never his strong suit. Especially since he hadn't been in school for almost a year and a half.

(Silence)

"Ugh…" Sora groaned, "I need a break…"

Midoriya rubbed his eyes, "Honestly, I do too… especially with what happened."

Sora nodded, "Getting attacked by villains and it's only week one. I never did ask if you were holding up fine after that, Izuku. You looked kinda down there after All Might punched Nomu to next week."

"Oh… yeah." Izuku laughed nervously, before looking down, "I-It's just… I didn't feel like I really did anything special there. All I did was punch Nomu, and that didn't do anything, and I tried and failed to save All Might."

"Oh…" Sora nodded in understanding. Izuku had looked that way back at U.S.J because he felt powerless in the grand scheme of things.

"But All Might reassured me… and told me that with that blonde swordsman… I bought him a few final seconds. He told me that I did save him."

"I think you did." Sora smiled, "Especially since he was reaching a limit."

To his surprise, Midoriya froze. "L-Limit? Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Everybody does, right? I mean, people say I'm pretty strong, but even I have my off days." Sora cocked his head, confused, "What's got you so worked up with that, anyways?"

"H-Huh?" Izuku looked more worried, "I-I dunno wha-"

"Izuku, I might act like an airhead at times, but I'm not stupid," Sora smiled, "Every time you and All Might are bundled together in one of our friends' conversation, you always get nervous like somebody would figure out some dark secret. I mean, look at it this way. Tsu told you the other day your Quirk was similar to All Might's, and you panicked for a second." Izuku flinched, and Sora pointed at him, "See?"

The green-haired student slumped in his seat. Sora couldn't help but wonder what was bothering him.

"Look, Izuku. There's nothing wrong with having a similar power to your idol." Sora explained, "Your power is similar to All Might's, yeah, and it's good to base off your attacks like his, but you don't have to be like him."

"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.

"I mean, that Quirk is powerful, just like his, but you always seem to use it to its fullest, like you're trying to match All Might in power, but using all of that at once breaks your body. Your arms, at least. If that's the case, you'll always be breaking your arms, possibly beyond any way of repair," Sora clarified.

"B-But I can't control my Quirk, remember?" Izuku reminded him, "I can only go from 0 or 100, no in-between."

"You sure?" Sora asked, "Haven't you-?"

"Izuku! Sora! Lunch is ready!" Inko's voice caused both of them to look up from their work.

"Oh right. We'll be right there, Mom!" Izuku called out, "You coming, Sora?"

Said boy was putting a hand to his chin. He was thinking about who else could help Izuku with his plight. "Sora!" Izuku's voice made him snap out of his trance, before he called back that he was coming.

Strange. So Izuku can only use 0% or 100%? That doesn't make any sense… Sora thought, It's like he's trying to cast Grand Magic when his body can only handle casting 1st tier magic. He laughed softly as he remembered trying the exact same thing the last time the Heartless showed up.

I wonder… has he tried to reduce that power? I rarely see it in action. Sora thought, If only there was somebody who knew more about Quirks that was here to help us… someone who could explain how he could handle it better.

Wait…

"That's it!" The Keyblade wielder said, standing up, "I know where we have to go."

After a very delicious lunch, Sora asked Izuku if they could go out somewhere. Midoriya had asked where, and Sora told him that it was a secret, and after waving Inko goodbye, Sora led Izuku on a walk, with their backpacks tagging along with them.

"Couldn't we just take the bus?" Izuku asked.

"Nope. Where we're going is a place where the bus can't reach." Sora explained, "You'll find out when you see it."

After 10 minutes of walking, they had reached their destination.

"Whoa… a library?" Izuku said, "I've never seen this one before! And it's been here this whole time?"

"Yep." Sora nodded, "First place I went to when I arrived here."

"Before you reunited with your mother, right?"

"Uh-huh." Sora said, "And I met some friends there that might probably help you."

"You think so?"

"Well…" he scratched his cheek, "Assuming that the person I'm looking for is done with his shift." With that, Sora opened the door into Faraway Library.

(Play: KH 3 OST - You've Got a Friend in Me - KH III ver.)

It wasn't crowded, but the aisles were definitely busier than usual. Sora counted at least 10-15 people wandering about the library, minus one that was already exiting the library. This was a good sign, so Mari wasn't all that lonely.

Speaking of, as he and Izuku walked towards the desktop, Sora was glad to see that she was there, her nose stuck in a book.

"Hello. Can I help…" Mari looked up from her book to see who had just walked in, and her eyes fell upon a familiar bush of spiky brown hair, "You?"

"Hey, Mari." Sora grinned in English, "I'm not dead."

"Sora!" Mari said, putting the book down, "I can't believe it! I heard what happened, and-!"

"Shhh!" Sora covered her mouth in a panic, noticing a couple of weird glances pointed towards them, "Not right now. Maybe when it's a little less crowded."

She gave him a nod, before he released his hands on her mouth. "Anyways," Sora said, "I'd like you to meet some-" Sora turned around, only to find that his green-haired friend wasn't there, "-one…"

He looked around, eventually finding Izuku immersed in a book on a shelf nearby. Not surprisingly, the front of the cover had All Might on it. Sora sweatdropped as Izuku's eyes darted over the pages.

"Oi! Izuku!" Sora called out in Japanese, causing Midoriya to look up in surprise.

"O-Oh! Sorry!" he ran up to Sora with the book in hand, "I-Is this the friend you've been t-talking about?"

"She's one of them." Sora nodded, "This is Mari Hidaka. She works here. Mari, this is Izuku Midoriya. He's one of my classmates."

"Your Japanese is improving." she commented to Sora, before looking to Izuku, "It's nice to meet you, Midoriya-san."

"L-Likewise, Hidaka-san." Izuku stammered. Mari giggled. She couldn't help it. Even now, Izuku was slowly starting to remind her of her little brother and Basil.

"Is Hero here, Mari?" Sora asked her.

"Not yet. He, Aubery, and Kel are coming over later, when it's not so loud." Mari explained, "But I'm happy that there are more people than usual here."

"Good on you, Mari," Sora smiled, "How's Sunny, by the way?"

"Still being his old self. He and Basil are studying at our place." she laughed, "He's doing well, a little more confident than usual."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Enough about me though," Mari looked over to Izuku, "How about you guys? I heard your teacher's very strict."

"U-Uh…" Izuku looked to Sora, who just shrugged, wanting to let him do the talking. "Y-Yeah. I guess Sora told you about Aizawa-sensei. He's harsh, but he looks out for us, especially after what happened."

"I believe you." she nodded, "Hold on. I'm seeing another customer."

"Okay. Anywhere we can sit until it gets a little quieter?" Sora asked.

"Right there." Mari pointed to a table, and Sora and Izuku went over there while Mari continued helping the customer.

(Silence)

Sora told Izuku to wait there, as he went over to grab the two books he had loved reading here in Faraway Library: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Winnie the Pooh.

(Play: KH 2 OST - Winnie the Pooh - KH II ver.)

Sora placed the Fellowship book down and opened up Pooh's book. He hadn't read it since before the Heartless attack three months ago. Now that he did, he saw that this version of Pooh was hanging out with a different boy. A young man by the name of Christopher Robin.

The adventures the two had with Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore, Owl, Tigger, and many others were surprisingly similar to the adventures he himself had gone on with the Pooh he knew. Reading them to himself was like looking through a mirror, except instead of Christopher Robin, he saw himself, adventuring with Pooh once again, even though technically he wasn't.

It was a good feeling. He felt warm, almost like a child.

Izuku was still immersed in the magazine regarding All Might before looking up, seeing that Sora was still reading the Pooh book.

"Sora… why are you reading a children's book?" Izuku whispered as the people around them bustled about, with a few of them staring at Sora oddly.

"It's a book I have a very strong connection with," The Keyblade wielder looked up and grinned. "Is there a problem?"

"N-No… it's just kind of odd given we're teenagers." Midoriya explained.

"Coming from the fanboy who mutters like no tomorrow?" Sora countered playfully, "That would make us both oddballs." Izuku tensed up, but sighed good-naturedly, "I guess."

He then looked around the place and asked, "You know why you brought me here?"

"I'll tell you when Hero and the others come along." Sora explained.

"Hero? There's a guy actually named Hero?"

"I don't question it." Sora shrugged.

(Silence)

It was about 45 minutes later that the library was close to empty, and by that time, Hero, Kel, and Aubrey entered the library, greeting Mari.

"That's our cue," Sora told Izuku, placing Pooh's book down, before patting Izuku's shoulder and walking up to his friends.

(Play: OMORI OST - Lost Library)

"Look who decided to show up," Sora smiled as he spoke in English, walking up to Hero.

"And look who it is who just came back from an ambush," Aubery said with a smirk.

"Hail the conquering hero!" Kel saluted.

"Likewise, Kel," Sora saluted back as Izuku walked up to them, unsure of whether or not to interrupt.

"Oh yeah. Guys, this is one of my classmates. Izuku Midoriya." Sora introduced him.

"Oh. Hello, Midoriya-san." Hero immediately switched to Japanese, "It's nice to meet you."

"U-Uh, you too, Mister…" Izuku started, "Uh… I hate to be rude, but what are your guys' names?"

"I'm Henry Diaz, but my friends call me Hero." Hero explained, "I work at a nearby hospital here as an intern."

Sora perked up. Hero wasn't actually his name? Huh.

"Call me Kel!" Kel chimed in.

"He and Hero are brothers." Aubrey commented, "I'm Aubrey Howard."

"Nice to meet you." Izuku said, his voice steadying.

"Ditto, Midoriya-san." Kel nodded, before earning an elbow from Aubrey, "Ow!"

"At least try to act formal, Kel." she warned.

"Didn't have to harm my gut." he retorted.

"Wanna make it two?"

"Calm down, both of you," Hero pried the two of them from causing a tragedy, before switching back to Japanese, "Sorry, Midoriya-san. These two can get a little out of hand at times."

"N-No problem."

"So," Hero turned to Sora, "We saw what happened yesterday on TV."

"News travels fast, doesn't it?" Sora commented.

"It did. Like a wildfire." Mari nodded, switching to Japanese to make Midoriya comfortable, "Are you two alright?"

"H-Hai. We're all okay. A-A few injuries here and there, but some of our teachers were injured from this." Midoriya answered, "Aizawa-sensei still needs to recover, so we had a day off."

"Seriously? Lucky…" Kel grumbled.

"They were attacked by two waves of villains, Kel, one after another. Cut them some slack." Aubrey berated him, "We don't know how badly they've been affected psychologically, since they had to face them head-on."

"It's a lot to take in." Sora nodded in English, "Our classmates are still trying to cope with what happened, but we'll pull through."

"Not surprised that you aren't affected." Kel smirked.

"It has affected me actually. But right now I'm just glad we're all alive. If it hadn't been for the staff, we'd probably be goners," Sora noted, "Especially since the Heartless attacked too."

"Right… them." Hero said, remembering what happened three months earlier, "Find anything suspicious? A lead on their leader?"

"Well… one of them talked. I've never seen that before." Sora confessed, making them look at him with surprise, "They didn't give me any important information, just a warning. I don't know if it means anything, but I'd keep my guard up just in case."

"And the staff saved you?" Aubrey asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.

"They did." Sora said with finality. She remained unconvinced, but she let it slide. Sora however, could tell she wanted the truth, just like Bakugo did. Not right now though, not while Izuku was here. Hopefully, she wouldn't be as demanding as his explosive classmate.

(Play: MHA OST - U.A. Session)

"Anyways, incidents aside, I actually came for another reason," Sora explained, "Hero, remember when you told me about my Quirk Awakening?"

"Wait… what?!" Izuku was shocked. Sora had gone through an Awakening before they met?

"Long story," Sora told him.

"I do. Have you gone through another?" Hero asked jokingly.

"Nope." Sora shook his head, "But I need some help with a friend's Quirk, namely Izuku's. It's why I brought him here. I was hoping you could help him out and give him some advice."

"Midoriya-san's?" Mari asked, glancing at the young man with green hair. Izuku however, was looking at Sora with surprise. Was he that willing to help him with his Quirk? Enough to ask others about it?

"Yeah. His Quirk's a power type, but it also breaks his bones every time he uses it." Sora explained, "But I think you should talk with him more about it. He knows about it better than I do."

Hero looked over to Izuku for a moment, before asking in Japanese, "Is it okay if we discuss your Quirk, Midoriya-kun? I don't want to be rude about it."

"Uh, yeah, it's fine," Izuku said, "M-my Quirk is Super Power. It's super strong, enough to create gusts of wind with my fists. B-But every time I use it, it causes my bones to break, like Sora-kun said."

Hero put a hand on his chin, deep in thought, before saying, "Activate it."

"W-What?" Izuku stammered in surprise. Sora himself was stunned too, wondering what Hero was trying to accomplish.

"Activate it. I can't give you my thoughts unless I've seen it firsthand. Don't try and attack. Just show it to us."

"B-But… what if I hurt somebody?"

"Like I said, you don't have to attack anybody, Midoriya-kun." Hero replied gently, "Just show me what it looks like before you attack."

Midoriya looked nervous, but with an encouraging look from Sora, he complied. Here goes.

Concentrating on his arm, he let his power course through it. Sora, Hero, Mari, Aubrey, and Kel watched as red arcs of lightning looking like veins course through Izuku's arm. Said boy was straining as he was doing so, deathly afraid of even moving it as his bones began creaking.

Hero seemed aware of this too, and told Midoriya to stop. The boy relaxed as the veins disappeared.

"Strange…" Hero muttered, looking to Izuku's arm, then to Izuku himself.

"What's the verdict, Hero?" Mari and Kel asked.

"It definitely is powerful. There was a lot of pressure that was released into the air when Midoriya-kun used it." Hero noted, "But I only noticed that the veins only appeared on his arm."

Sora perked up. Now that he thought about it, Izuku only seemed to use his super power through his limbs only, and only once with his legs.

"I'm guessing you only use your arm because you're afraid of breaking your other limbs, right?" Hero asked Izuku.

"Y-Yeah. I can only go from 0 to 100." Izuku explained.

"Can't you reduce the intensity of your power?"

"I can't."

"Have you tried?"

"...No."

"Then that's a good place to start." Hero nodded, before asking, "Say, Midoriya-kun. What normally goes through your mind when you activate your Quirk?"

Izuku looked down, before looking up, "Well… I think the best way to describe it is like an egg about to explode in a microwave,"

"Cool!" Kel commented.

Lame. Aubrey thought.

"I guess that works." Sora simply shrugged good-naturedly.

Hero began to think, before looking back at Izuku, "Okay… that's not a bad example. But I have a different suggestion. Instead of an egg exploding in a microwave when you think about your Quirk… think of it like turning on the water in your shower."

"Huh?" Izuku asked, confused about that image.

(Play: MHA OST - Lunch Song)

"Look at it this way. If you turn the water on extra hot, your body will react negatively to that on the slightest touch if it's unprepared," Hero explained, "So instead of doing that right away, try to keep the water at a heat your body can tolerate, and let that heat spread over your entire body. Do it a couple of times until your body is used to that heat enough that you feel comfortable with it. I hope that helps."

Kel looked at his brother confused, "You lost me."

"Simply put, Kel. In order for Midoriya to reduce the intensity of his Quirk, his mind must also think that way," Hero explained.

"Ohhh... Yeah, I knew that."

"Sure you did," Aubrey sighed.

"And that's why riddles aren't your strong suit, Kel." Hero teased.

"Hey! It was one time! One time, I say!"

As the group laughed, Izuku looked down for a bit, thinking about it, before looking up at Hero with a smile, "I… think I get it. I'll come back to you on that later. Thanks, Hero-san."

"No problem. I'm glad I could help." Hero nodded, shaking Izuku's hand.

"So you have your answer, Izuku?" Sora asked.

"Maybe… I need to test it out to be sure." he replied.

"Got it." Sora nodded, looking to his other friends, "So I know Mari, Sunny, and Basil are okay, but what about you guys?"

"Boring as ever," Kel sighed, "But it's getting better. Not to mention your special event that's happening soon. We're gonna be watching."

"'Special event?'" Sora looked to Izuku, who shrugged in confusion.

"Ohhh, you don't know do you, super-soldier?" Kel grinned mischievously, "Then I won't tell."

"Mari?" Sora turned to the young woman.

"Sorry, Sora. My lips are sealed." she giggled.

"As are mine," Hero agreed.

Aubrey sighed, "Same here."

"You're no fun…" Sora grumbled.

"Oh! We should get going." Izuku looked at the time. It was evening, "Mom needs me home right now."

"And my mother should be back from work soon."

"Got it. We'll be seeing you!" Kel grinned, giving Izuku a fistbump.

"You're always welcome here. Come back and visit once in a while," Mari waved to the two as they walked out.

"Arigato, Mari-san!" Izuku waved to them as Sora saluted. With that, the two left Faraway Library and returned home.

"They're really nice people, Sora-kun," Izuku commented, "I can see why you guys are friends."

"Hey, you're getting there, too." Sora replied, "A few more visits, and more lessons on communication, and you're set."

"Communication?"

"Face it. Even though you've made some new friends in our classmates, you're still a far cry from being sociable," Sora smirked, "Being a mutter mouth is fine, but you also gotta know how to talk to others."

"But I have!"

"Only hello and goodbye." Sora corrected, "But it gets easier over time. Trust me."

"Hmm… I hope so." Izuku said, then perked up as he remembered something, "Sora… you said you knew those monsters… Heartless, right?"

Sora's smile dropped, "Yeah… I do."

"...What happened?"

"Well… you could say they're the reason I want to be a Hero." Sora explained, "I know what they can do because I've seen it firsthand, so I want to be a Hero to make sure nobody has to go through what happened at U.S.J."

"...I see… I'm sorry, Sora." Izuku sighed.

"It's fine. I've made my peace with it." Sora's smile returned, "Now we just have to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else, and help out as many people as we can."

"Yeah… you're right!" Midoriya nodded, reinvigorated.

"So," Sora said as they returned to their residence, "You figured out what Hero was trying to tell you?"

Izuku pondered it for a moment, and grinned, "I think so… but I'll have to practice it in a safer place… maybe the beach?"

"You'll have to be careful then. Specially for suckers of the law." Sora warned.

"Got it! See you around, Sora!" Izuku waved as Sora returned home.

(Silence)

He sighed, having enjoyed the day off, and looked up at his door. He wondered if his mother had returned, and turned the doorknob.

"Hey, Mom are you-" Sora looked inside, only to stop cold, "-home…?"

(Play: OMORI OST - SOMETHING)

He looked at the place shocked. It looked like a hurricane had come and went through their home. The walls had claw marks like a creature had come through on a rampage, and shattered dishes were everywhere. The couch was torn to shreds, and the table holding the photo of him, his mother, and father, had broken in half. The photo itself was miraculously intact, but Sora didn't care about that now.

His breathing had quickened, as he saw the devastation. The dining table was ripped apart, and several of the cupboards were opened and torn from their places. His heart stopped when he saw blood.

"Mom?" he whispered, "Mom, are you there?"

He looked over to where her room was, and rushed in, his breathing growing faster and faster. Please be okay, please be okay… Sora prayed.

He burst into the room, looking around frantically.

And that's when he saw her.

She was on the ground, a multitude of cuts tearing through her clothes and skin, lying in a small pool of her own blood. Her yellow dress was also cut as well, and the tie to her ponytail was gone, leaving her hair mangled. Even worse, there was a gaping hole in her side, almost like someone had buried their fist there. She was barely stirring.

"No! Mom!" Sora rushed in horrified, gently picking her up so that her face was visible. Said face was cut as well, but she was still breathing.

"Heal!" he said frantically, casting the Cure spell on his mother. The green aura surrounded her, closing some of the more shallow cuts, but the deeper wounds remained. She began to relax, though her body was still numb.

"S…Sora…?" she whispered weakly, opening her good eye.

"Mom…" Sora said in relief, "Please, hang on. Please…"

"I…" Shimizu tried to speak, but suddenly began coughing. Sora shushed her, cradling her body and holding her close.

"D-Don't talk… s-save your strength…" Sora told her, "I'm going to get help…"

"I…I'm sorry…" She got out, a tear falling down her eye, "T-They *cough*, came…"

"Who? Who did?"

"Who else?"

(Play: Majorlink: Gerudo Valley: Ganon's Theme [Ocarina of Time ver.])

Sora turned his head around at the voice. Someone was at the front door. Lowering Shimizu into a comfortable spot, she weakly watched Sora go out with Keyblade in hand, ready to face the danger.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Sora demanded.

"Why should I?" said the voice. "You already… know who I am,"

"You…!" Sora snarled, before something manifested in front of him. The next thing he knew, he was staring at his worst nightmare.

It was him, but completely jet-black. And to make it worse, it had no visible mouth. And the eyes… they were no different from the Heartless.

He knew who this was… but how?

"Don't say… I didn't warn you…" his dark double replied, its voice distorted no thanks to the darkness.

"How did you come out?" Sora demanded, "And why did you attack Mom?!"

"Are you… that blind?" His double pondered, "Then… you really haven't… learned a thing…"

Sora was done hearing riddles for one day, as he swung the Keyblade down on it, only for it to dissipate into nothing but wisps of darkness. His breathing became akin to a wild animal as his eyes darted from side to side. Laughter echoed in his ears as he looked around. It was then remembered that his mother was still gravely injured.

He rushed back to her, seeing that she was still conscious, and tried to cast another Cure spell, only to find that his magic wasn't recharged. Slowly, he lifted her up bridal style, before walking out of his damaged home to avoid cutting his feet, his ears ringing and his eyes glazed with tears of sadness and fury.

"That's right, Sora…" a voice said in his ear, though there was no one there as the Keyblade Wielder rushed over to Izuku's home, hoping that his mother would be okay, "Yet another person's blood... On your own hands."

"Shut up..." he muttered through his tears, his anger growing as more voices joined in the laughter. Whoever you are... I'm going to make you pay!

"Good... very good..." the voice laughed, as Sora was now standing at Izuku's door, his and Shimizu's breathing deep in his ears.

"Hold on to that hatred… until we meet again…"

...

...

...

...Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh...

AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Fools... did you really think this story was all sunshine and rainbows? Remember...

The closer you get to light... the greater your shadow becomes...

Chapter 16 has reached its end. The U.S.J. conflict is gone and past. Some may still be haunted by the incident, but others get over it quickly. Some may not care any less, while others hope for the best.

And there are those who return... only to find more tragedy... as we see with Sora.

Who was that mysterious doppleganger? Why has he appeared to Sora now?

Shimizu is hurt... broken... will Sora make it before it's too late?

So many questions. So few answers...

Now... to reviews.

Gamelover41592: Indeed they have. How is that possible?

PittBullBytes: Nope. Momo, Kirishima, and Bakugo were the last ones out, so other than the staff, none of the students were present when Kairi showed up.

Kirisuma: Thank you! Hope you enjoy Cloud and Tifa in this story!

blueassassin996: No rest for the Heroes, it seems. It only gets even worse from here... or does it?

MK: Just wait and see, MK. Wait and see...

Shadow Tiger24: I see. Thank you for your feedback on the underline.

fireclaw239: You don't always have full control of your darkness. Look at Riku. He doesn't let darkness dictate all his actions, but that is not complete control. Xehanort says that Riku has gained a "resistance" to darkness, not an immunity. The same can be said for Sora. Though he hasn't succumbed to the darkness himself, he has exposed himself to it, in DDD by burying himself in a second sleep, and in 3 by misusing the power of waking (recall Young Xehanort's warning in KH3).

Cujo: Patience, Cujo. We haven't gotten there yet.

The OC Maniac: Thanks for correcting me, OC. I didn't know how to best describe Cloud in one word, and for some reason, edgelord came up, and clearly, that wasn't the best word to describe him. It doesn't matter now though, since I know that "edgy" isn't the word I would use to describe Cloud. As for him being "edgy" in Advent Children, I'd say that the dude was severely depressed out of guilt for being unable to save Zack and Aerith, not to mention that he contracted a disease with no cure as well, so he distances himself from others so they won't have to suffer when he kicks the bucket. To put it simply, he was really depressed in AC, no thanks to good old trauma from the Nibelheim crisis and the events in FF7. That's my take on it though, and I could be completely wrong. Either way, thanks for your feedback, OC.

Guest: Yes. This certain Dark Follower is suspicious. I wonder why it's shown up to Sora and can talk? Was it really it talking? And yeah, expect Oblivion to pop up soon, but not too soon. Stay safe out there!

Terkoish: Don't worry. You might be able to see Riku more sooner than you think...

lzyhllw: That's an interesting idea. I'll think about it.

ZeroOrHero: Disney references? Hmmm... And as for Kairi and Riku's parents... you'll have to see.

PUBLISH: Perhaps... they are a bit doubtful this chapter.

What are your thoughts to this chapter? I'm happy if you liked it. If not, I apologize for not meeting expectations.

Many thanks for reading this story, and until our paths cross once more...

May your heart be your guiding key?

We shall see...

Very soon...

(Silence)