Hello everyone and welcome back! We got another great chapter of this interesting story idea!

Hope you all enjoy!

Ch.5

Sora sat at one of the tables at school, swinging his legs back and forth as he cheerfully hummed to himself. It was freetime in his class and he felt like drawing, though his drawings weren't the best, he still was enjoying his time doodling and everything. It had been a few weeks since Vanitas had joined them and the grouchy boy didn't talk most of the time, but that was alright.

"Hey Ven? Vani? Do you guys remember what you look like?" Sora suddenly asked, keeping his voice a little quieter now.

'Yeah," Ventus said nonchalantly without giving it a second thought. 'Why do you want to know?'

"I wanna draw you guys," Sora replied.

'Thanks Sora. Well I have...uh…' Ventus actually found himself unable to answer. He tried to recall his memories of what he looked like, but nothing came to his mind. He tried to think harder on it, but only grew more frustration at the result of nothing. 'That's odd… I can't… remember…'

'Ventus looks like a spiky golden haired idiot who's always smiling' Vanitas said snidely.

'Wait! How come you can remember what I look like, but I can't…' Ventus asked.

'Of course, it's because I'm better than you.'

Ventus huffed in annoyance, 'Well you have spiky black hair that sticks out everywhere and...' Ventus trailed off as a realization came to mind. 'Wait a minute...how come I didn't see this before?' Ventus hummed as he thought for a moment.

"What? What is it Ven?" Sora asked, getting curious.

'I can't believe I didn't notice it before...but now that I think about it...it makes sense,' Ventus said, unintentionally ignoring Sora's question.

'What are you trying to say?' Vanitas snapped impatiently.

'Vanitas you don't remember what you look like either, right?" Ventus asked.

Vanitas grunted an answer not willing to actually admit that Ventus was correct.

'I remember though what you look like. I remember clearly...I recall when you took off that mask of yours and revealed your face to me. I didn't think of it 'till now, but now that I think about it, your face looked like an older Sora. But you had black hair and golden eyes.'

Ventus didn't hear anything from Vanitas, but he could almost feel Vanitas's confusion. Or maybe he was just reflecting his own confusion onto Vanitas. Either way why did Sora look like Vanitas?

"What?" Sora asked again, trying to get the attention of the two 'brothers'. "I don't understand…"

'I don't really understand either Sora. But maybe...hmm just maybe it has something to do the first time our hearts connected. It's just a guess, but it sounds right,' Ventus replied.

'Are you trying to say… that I got my looks based on this brat?' Vanitas asked his voice changing to a more gravely demonic voice filled with rage and anger.

'I believe so...You don't recall anything about your appearance from before? Nothing at all that could help this thought?" Ventus asked.

'Nothing.' Vanitas hissed, 'I had no appearance… I was a shadow of you… of your darkness. I had nothing to call my own.' He continued his voice filled with rage and hatred yet it was just barely above a whisper. 'And then one day I had a face.. Something I could call my own,' He growled in anger, 'How would you like it if the only thing you could call your own was taken away from you?'

Ventus wanted to say something, but he had no idea what he could even say to that. He never once before had given any thoughts to what Vanitas had gone through, he only knew the trouble he had caused and him wanting to become one again. Ventus actually found himself feeling a little sad for Vanitas. Maybe...maybe if he had known about what had happened to Vanitas before, things could have been different and things wouldn't have had to end the way they did.

"Even if we look alike Vani, you are still you. Ven said you have black hair, and I have brown hair. So that means we are different, and so you are still yourself," Sora chimed in happily.

'The kid is definitely better than you,' Vanitas spoke snidely

Ventus paused for a moment, he still had no idea what he could say to Vanitas after all that. There was so many thoughts and questions formulating now, but it didn't feel like the right time to ask anything. Instead Ventus tried to get things back on topic, 'Well Sora, you heard what we look like, now you can draw us.'

"Yay! Okay!" Sora said as he went back to focusing on his drawings.

Sora continued to work on his drawings, trying his best to draw what he thought Ventus and Vanitas looked like, based on all the info the two could give him. He was just drawing stick figure bodies with overly large heads, but he tried to add all the detail he could. He was trying his best and enjoying every moment of it. And even though his artistic skills were not the greatest, Ventus could tell that Sora was putting all his heart into the drawing. Vanitas on the other hand, had the urge to make some rude or snarky comment at Sora's poor attempt at drawing them, he just didn't have the proper incentive...yet.

'Your doing a really good job Sora!' Ventus encouraged cheerfully.

"What do you think Vani?" Sora asked pointing at his rendition of Vanitas.

Vanitas was sorely tempted to insult the crude piece of work, but he could feel that Ventus was going to rant at him if he did so and so biting back the first remark he finally settled on, 'It… is not the worst thing I have seen.'

Sora's smiled his usually bright smile, "Thanks Vani."

"Who's Vani?" A rude voice interrupted.

Sora turned to see none other than Rin standing next to the table. All that cheerful happiness went away and Sora felt that same pain in his chest again. Almost immediately he covered up the drawing he had been working so hard on. He knew Rin was here to insult him again… To bully him again… He just had a feeling Rin would insult his drawing, he didn't want Rin to see it.

Finally he looked up at Rin and asked wearily, "What do you want Rin?"

"I want to know who this 'Vani' you mentioned is… another one of your imaginary friends? Cause everyone here knows you have no real friends."

Sora fidgeted in his chair, but he didn't say a word. Sora only looked away from Rin while the stinging pain in his heart grew again.

'Are you just going to take this? Like some kind of wimp?!' Vanitas demanded in a snarl, 'If he was saying this to me I would-'

'LALALALALALALALALALALALA' Ventus started chanting really loudly until Vanitas stopped talking, 'Don't listen to Vanitas, you wouldn't want to be a grouch like him right? Just ignore them, that makes you the better person.'

"Hey freak! Your not even listening to me are you? Your gonna pay for that after class," Rin hissed as the teacher came in and he went to his seat, which thankfully was on the other side of the classroom.

Sora had tensed up from Rin's words again. It really hurt him, it felt as if his heart was burning and being twisted. He didn't like his feeling at all. He knew though that the teacher would be starting their next lesson or activity soon, so he couldn't ask Ventus for help on what to do. The pain lingered throughout the rest of the day, but at the end when Sora was packing up his stuff he took a look at his drawing again. His drawing of Ventus and Vanitas. Seeing his drawing brought a smile to his face once more.

He walked out of the school with his drawing, clutching it protectively to his chest. He was on cloud nine as he started walking quickly to where Riku's house was. He could wait there for his best friend to show up and then he could show him the drawing he did. He had made a plan with Riku to meet up with him there after school from now on, that way Sora wouldn't have to wait at school and have the chance of Rin or anyone else bothering him.

Sora looked up as a shadow came in front of him and his heart skipped a beat as he saw Rin standing in front of him, before Sora was fully aware of what was going on, his drawing was ripped out of his hands and Rin standing in front an ugly smirk on his face as he held it in his hand.

"Is this what you were drawing this morning this pathetic artwork… are these supposed to be your imaginary friends? A black haired idiot where a stupid looking suit, and a blonde haired thing that looks like its more girl than guy with a stupid looking grin on her face"

"Give it back Rin! It's mine!" Sora shouted as he tried to snatch the drawing back from Rin, but Rin just stepped away.

'I can honestly say I'm conflicted' Vanitas stated with a chuckle, 'I want to skin this guy alive, but I also want to thank him for this wonderful insult, and I can just see it now you do look quite feminine Ventus.'

'This is not the time for that Vanitas," Ventus hissed. He was concerned, frustrated, and who knows what else. This was not a good situation right now with Sora being half way from school and Riku's house. It would still be a little bit before Riku would even show up, and Ventus knew that Rin wasn't going to leave Sora alone. He tried to think of words to say, but everything was just a blur, everything was happening to fast for him to say anything helpful.

"You really are pathetic, having to make up imaginary friends because no one wants to be around you, I bet even your own parents don't want you that they think your just mistake."

Sora's eyes went wide as he felt his hands tremble, "N-No….stop it Rin. S-Stop...just give me back my drawing!" He was trying his very best to hold back his tears, but they already had started to fall.

"What can you do about it, cry baby, your just a pathetic loser whose destined to end up lying in a ditch on the side of the road amounting to nothing," The boy, who was the eldest of the Sora's kindergarten class, taunted.

"I am NOT a cry baby!" Sora shouted as the tears continued to fall down his face.

"Oh yeah than why are you crying, freak?"

Sora balled up his hands into fists, "Stop it! Stop it! You're so mean! Just stop! I just want my drawing back! Please!"

"N. O. Can you even spell yet, you're probably too dumb to even know how to spell properly, I just spelled out no," Rin said viciously as he started shredding the drawings into tiny pieces.

"NO!" Sora shouted as he felt his heart burning again. It felt so much worse than any of the other times from before. Sora want to grab the scraps, he wanted to hurt Rin for destroying his drawing, but he just couldn't. All the strength in his legs gave out as he drop to the ground and cried. He was sobbing and sobbing, not even noticing the sound of running footsteps getting closer.

'How could someone so young be so cruel…?' Ventus whispered out before sending out as many comforting feelings as he could to the distraught boy.

"Sora!" an incoming voice yelled. Sora turned slightly and through his blurry tear-filled eyes he could see that it was Riku. "Sora! Are you okay?" Riku looked over and saw Rin standing just a few feet away, dropping the paper scraps to the ground. "Hey! What did you do to Sora?!"

Rin didn't bother answering, he instead took off running. Riku looked at Rin running off before turning his attention back to Sora, "Sora? Come on Sora, are you okay?" Riku kneeled down next to Sora, who was still sobbing uncontrollably.

Sora slowly shook his head between his his sobs, the tears wouldn't stop coming and his heart wouldn't stop hurting. He didn't want any of this, but it wouldn't leave him. Without warning he felt himself being pulling into an embrace.

"Whatever Rin said to you, he's lying. He is just a mean bully," Riku said trying to comfort his best friend.

"B-But…" Sora started to say between his heavy and rapid breaths,"he r-ruined my d-drawing...he said mean things…"

"Sora we should tell your mom or dad about this, they'll know what to do."

"B-But…." Sora started again, but he didn't want to try to finish his thoughts.

"We don't have to tell them about Ventus and Vanitas okay? We just tell them that Rin is bothering you." Riku said as he slowly pulled back from his hug and tried to help Sora stand up.

Sora slowly nodded, but he still feared what would happen. Rin always went around telling the other kids that Sora was crazy. He would totally tell the adults if he asked why he was bullying Sora, right? Sora could feel his heart rate increase again, he was hating every moment of this. All of Rin's words still lingered deep in his head. As he slowly stood up he caught a glimpse of the shreds of his drawing, blowing away in the wind.

"I… I hate being d-different…" Sora muttered out loud.

Riku looked at Sora with surprise, "What… Sora… Why would you say that?"

"I'm different…'cause I am different everything thinks I am weird or crazy…"

"Don't listen to them Sora," Riku answered as they slowly started to walk.

"But Rin says it all the t-time," Sora said as he sniffled. The tears were still coming down his face, but he had stopped sobbing at least. "He calls me...a freak."

Rik frowned, "I'm sorry he says that to you, but you aren't a freak. You're my best friend."

"Thanks Riku…" Sora said, trying to smile a little. It did comfort him to know Riku was still his friend. It made his heart feel a little better inside, but it didn't completely remove all that horrid pain.

"That's what friends are for, I'll always be here for you Sora, no matter what." Riku said giving Sora another hug.

'Riku is a great friend… he reminds me of one of my friends…'

"Will telling my parents really help? Won't they just worry more…?" Sora asked out loud not knowing who he meant to ask, Riku… or Ven.

"Parents always seem to know what to do with this kinda stuff," Riku answered.

Woo, so that was a longer chapter than usually, but I hope you all enjoyed it. We're building a lot up here and have so much more for this story.

See you guys next chapter!