Title: Love and Memory
Pairing: Leon/Sora/Cloud
Summary: Sora gets sent to the Coliseum where he meets up with a few old friends. The only problem is that they don't remember him.
Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Square Enix or Disney. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein.

Chapter 2

Sora woke up in the equipment room and this time he was sore. His head had slipped off of the mat and had been hanging at an awkward angle for most of the night. He groaned as he stood up and rotated his head, hearing several pops and cracks in his neck. It felt better but it was still sore when he turned his neck. He groaned again as he realized that Phil was going to test his aptitude today and having a massive crick in his neck could do nothing but hinder him. He tried to straighten his wrinkled clothes out but failed and after deciding it was a lost cause, called the Keyblade into his hand.

- - - - - - - - -

Phil seemed to be waiting for him at the front of the arena. He didn't have a smile on his face, but that wasn't unusual.

"Kid, I've got some bad news. I've checked in the handbook and you have to be 18 to fight in the arena and you look about ten years too young. I can give you the test but it ain't gonna do you any good."

Sora sighed. He had had a feeling that things were going to be a lot harder now that everyone had forgotten him and he didn't have the heartless to fight. There was nothing for him to prove himself with.

"If you want though you can work for me as my errand boy. You can watch the fights during the day for free when I'm not having you running to get something for me. The pay isn't great but it's good for an allowance I guess. 10 to 20 munny for every errand you run and you can keep any tips you get."

"Yeah Phil. That sounds pretty good. I'll take it," Sora lied. It wasn't good at all. There was no way he was going to be able to live off of - on average - 15 munny per errand. He hadn't eaten in two days and he knew how expensive things were here. And to top it all off, he was going to have to save up to buy at least one other article of clothing so that he could have something clean to wear. He guessed that he wouldn't be eating for a few more days.

"Oh. The uniforms are in the room off of the first hallway. You get three pairs. Don't lose them." Phil paused for a second, looking him up and down. "You're a little on the small side so you might have to look in the girl's sizes."

Sora was surprised. He hadn't remembered anything about uniforms the last time he was here. Of course, now that he thought about it, he had never actually seen anyone who worked at the Coliseum besides Phil. And Phil seemed to be the manager, so maybe he didn't have to wear one.

"What are you waiting for? Get a move on! I have a package that needs to be delivered soon!"

Sora jumped in surprise but then hurried toward the room that Phil described, hoping to find a size that fit him quickly.

- - - - - - - - -

Phil was right. Sora had had to get a girl's uniform. There wasn't much difference between the two except that the top was longer than they guys uniform and it sported flared out legs and arms. Both were a deep blue gray with a dark red sash that tied around the waist and bore a broach with the coliseums logo. It was a little too short for him but he didn't mind. He hadn't seen anyone around who would know the difference between them except for maybe Hercules, and Sora couldn't see the demi - god teasing him about it all that much. Sora quickly picked up his clothes and two more pairs of the uniform and hurried back to his room, pleased that he remembered where it was. He carefully folded them so they wouldn't wrinkle and put them at the foot of the mat he had slept on before running back out to see Phil, who was waiting for him at the entrance to the arena.

"Here you go kid," he said and tossed the package at Sora. He caught it awkwardly. It was a lot heavier than it looked. "I need you to take this down to the bookshop. I borrowed it from Miss Gainsborough. Go straight when you leave the Coliseum. Take a left on the third street then an immediate right. Go straight and then take another left on the fourth street. It's a dead end. The bookshop is to the right of the hotel. She should have something else for you to bring back to me. You got all that?"

Sora nodded even though he was totally confused but he figured that if he got lost he could always ask someone. Thankfully Sora didn't have to ask directions. He somehow recalled the ones that Phil had given him.

When he opened the door to the bookshop he was surprised to see Aerith. She was behind the counter talking politely with a man who was buying books. Sora sat down to wait. He didn't want to interrupt them. A few minutes later the man thanked Aerith and left.

"Can I help you?" Aerith asked him. Sora inwardly sighed. Aerith seemed to have no recollection of him either.

"Um, yes Miss Gainsborough," Sora said, remembering the name that Phil had called her. "My name is Sora and Phil sent me to bring this to you. He says that you have something for me to take back to him."

"Oh yes, thank you," she said with a smile as she took the package out of Sora's hands and placed it underneath the counter before heading into the back. She came back with another package, smaller than the last, and passed it across the counter along with three munny from her apron.

"Thank you Miss Gainsborough," Sora said before turning to go.

"You can call me Aerith, Sora," she called out to him before he shut the door behind him.

Sora pushed his way through the bustling street, sure that it was much more crowded than it was earlier. He tried to avoid bumping people but couldn't help it in the high traffic areas of the bazaar. He even got somewhat lost down a side street once, but quickly recovered the right path with the help of an older woman and eventually made it back to the Coliseum. Phil was setting up some of the training dummies.

"Here you go, Phil," Sora said as he gave the package to the satyr, all the while looking longingly at the dummies.

Phil seemed to get the hint. "You can practice on these if you want once the actual trainees are done. The only condition is that you have to put them up. Do you know where they go?"

Sora nodded and grinned. "Thanks Phil! I was worried I wouldn't be able to stay in shape."

Phil gave him a funny look, obviously wondering how "in shape" a 16 year old who seemed to have no battle experience could be. "Follow me and I'll get you a sword for later and some money for right now so that you can go and eat…"

"I don't need a sword. I have one already," Sora broke in as they approached a small door in the wall of the Coliseum that Sora had never noticed before.

"Whatever you say kid. Anyway, there's a place to eat right outside the Coliseum walls. A lot of the contestants eat there. Heck, I even go there myself sometimes. The food ain't half bad."

Sora nodded as he looked around what could only be called the satyr's office and watched as Phil rummaged around in his desk, finally coming out with some money. "Be back by sunset if you want to practice on the dummies."

Sora nodded and headed out the door. He did stop at the place Phil was talking about but it was way too expensive. It was almost all of his money. He looked at the food with a growling stomach, debating in his mind whether or not it was worth it (even though he already knew it wasn't). The smell alone though was enough to tempt him, let alone the sight of the savory meat roasting over several spits. He turned away quickly, knowing that if he looked at the food much longer he would buy it. Sora had to make what little money he had last. He wasn't naïve. He knew that he wouldn't have a delivery every day so he couldn't count on a steady 15 munny plus tips everyday.

He sighed as he moved on, figuring that the farther away from the Coliseum he got the les expensive things would become. He was right and by the time he was on the outskirts of the town that was built around the Coliseum he could buy two meat pies for half the price of one wild turkey leg at the first vendor he had stopped at. He bought three and decided that he would eat one now, half on one later, the other half of that one fro breakfast and a whole one for dinner the next day. They were given to him in a small burlap sack which he used to carry them back to the Coliseum. He took them back to his room and after devouring one, cleared off one of the shelves for the bag with the rest of the meat pies to sit on. He figured it would be harder for rats to get to them there.

After a last longing sniff of the meat pies he hid the rest of his pay underneath the mat he had been using for a mattress and headed outside to watch the trainees practice. After than he would get in some of his own.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Sora watched as Hercules and Phil paired off the trainees. They hacked at each other as if they had never held a sword before in their life but even though they weren't that great, just watching them made Sora's sword arm itch. It had only been a few days since he had used the Keyblade last but he missed the feel of it in his hands, the sound it made as it cut through the air. He couldn't wait to use it again, even if it was only on training dummies.

Finally everyone was gone and Sora jumped down from the stands and into the arena. There was a thrill of excitement in his belly as he called the Keyblade into his hand. The familiar weight comforted him as he flew at the first training dummy. He was careful to hit them with the dull side of the Keyblade so that he wouldn't cut them in half. The dull "thwack" sound his blade made as it met against the wood was satisfying, though not as much as the "whoosh" of slicing through a heartless in one swipe. He missed it. He guessed that he would have to deal with it though. At least the worlds were safe, and that was all that really mattered. Wanting an exciting life was selfish, and why should he wish for it when all he wanted when he actually had one was for it to end?

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Hades narrowed his eyes as, through a portal, he watched the Keyblade boy practicing in the Coliseum arena. He had gotten better since the last time Hades fought him. "So, that little brat is back…" Hades muttered under his breath as he tapped his fingers on his desk.

"Did he think that I would forget?" Hades wondered aloud. His temper suddenly flared as he remembered everything that the boy had put him through. A mere boy was the bane of the god of the Underworld. It was laughable. Laughable but true. "Pain, Panic!" He yelled.

The bumbling fools were before him in a moment. "Yes master, what would you have us…"

"Find the fates. Invite them… to dinner," Hades ordered. "And on second though, bring me Cloud Strife"

The minions slowly backed out. "Now!" he screamed at them.

The boy would have to die. He was even more of a liability than Hercules because Hades had no leverage over the boy.