Hi friends!

In the previous chapter, we had Sora making acquaintances with his new friends and we also got to know that he unfortunately cannot remember a thing about himself and what possibly happened that ended with him crash-landing through Riley's roof. /Tense./ We also had Riku and the dad trio already making good speed towards the frontier between universes, and at least he and Goofy got to share some nice time. Today, things are starting to pick up for both parties, as you'll see!

Let me add a content warning, however: this chapter has an explicit scene of bullying based on homophobic motives. I avoided using slurs but the intention is there and is clear. If you feel more comfortable with skipping this part, it's in the chapter's third section and starts in the paragraph "As he was about to hop down that wall" and ends at "Yeah, joke's on you". There is still a content warning for violence from there till the end of the chapter, but no more homophobic remarks. Please take care, stay safe, and skip whatever needs to be skipped. 3

Hopefully you enjoy! ^-^

SETTING: Ashella, Municipal High School; 7:44 am

"Soraaaa! Good morning!"

That same Sora barely had the time to hop down the last step of the bus, before Regina was by his side sporting a smile that shamed the timid morning sun above.

"Morning to you, too," Riley answered first, half-distracted with peering inside his backpack to make sure he'd not forgotten anything needed for the day's classes. Whoever invented school starting at eight o'clock in the damn morning should be exposed and canceled on Tweetmyr, as far as he was concerned. "Hi, Halley."

The twins reacted as expected: Halley by giving back a silent smile and a brief wave of her hand, Regina with far too much sass for such an early hour. "Morning, Riley. There, does your ego feel better? Good, now–" Smiling again, and royally ignoring the eyeroll that Riley just tossed her way, Regina focused her attention back on Sora as the four of them started heading towards the school's entrance gate. "How are you feeling? Anything else you remembered?"

"All good," Sora started, punctuating his words with a sheepish smile and a shrug of his shoulders, "Except, y' know… the obvious. Still pretty much the same." Though, in all fairness, he did feel a lot better than the previous day. Memory might still be a raging black hole, refusing to let out any shred of information, but at least rest had helped with his mind and body.

"You poor sweetie," Regina cooed in response, reaching for Sora's closest hand to give it a reassuring squeeze, "Don't be upset though, I'm sure it's gonna come back to you soon. Did you sleep well, at least?"

"Must have," Riley chimed in, regarding the shorter boy with an amused smirk, "Considering I nearly had to drop a bucket of water on him to wake him up."

"Hey!" Sora gasped in mock outrage, turning to Riley. "It wasn't that bad, I heard you the first time you called!"

"Yeah, you just dozed off again right after."

All of them laughed, Sora included – not really minding the friendly teasing. If one single example was already good for facts, he didn't seem to be a morning person at all. It felt undeniably odd, though… that he had to be learning that kind of thing about himself. What other very basic things had he forgotten about? Things like his favorite color, favorite food, what genre of music he preferred, what was his personality like, his own birthday… everything; all the things that made a person real. Would he eventually start remembering, like his new friends kept reassuring him, or was it all gone for good?

Without meaning to, Sora was falling a little behind as the other three were about to enter the school; vaguely registering their cheerful chatter about some series' new episode coming out that evening, and more consumed by the growing spiral of thoughts. As he was about to go join them again, though, his attention was unexpectedly captured by the most trivial of protagonists. A dog. There was a dog near the school gate, a perfectly common and ordinary dog. Minding its own business, simply enjoying the hustle and bustle of people passing by and the occasional petting from some of the students. What could possibly be so special about that dog, that suddenly had Sora's heart in a frenzy…? Walking closer, he knelt in front of the gentle animal who was regarding him curiously and left a hand on its head, speaking the first idea that came to mind.

"…Goofy!"

That made Riley stop and look behind him, followed by the twins. It took them a moment to spot Sora, looking like he was practically worshiping that friendly dog who belonged to the old lady living by the other side of the road and who always loved to hang out with the students. Frowning in confusion, Riley walked back. "Sora? You okay?"

"Why are you calling goofy to the poor pupper? He's super nice!" Regina had to giggle, going to join them, also not understanding what had gotten into Sora but finding it quite entertaining.

It took Sora a good while to react; as if he was, effectively, hypnotized by the dog somehow. What was happening…? He might not remember a thing about himself but he did know what a dog was and he was also fairly certain he'd petted countless dogs before. So why was he so startled by this one? That wasn't even the right word… rather, why was the dog making him feel so… nostalgic? Heaving a shaky breath, Sora glanced up at his friends. "I– I dunno, but… his name is Goofy!"

Riley's frown grew thicker. Maybe Jake had been right, when saying that Sora needed to be checked by a doctor? Amnesia was bad enough but it shouldn't make someone act so weird about a dog. Maybe Sora did also have a concussion or something? Hesitating on what to say, he was for once grateful for Regina's unaffected initiative.

"No, sweetie, his name is Blu. We've known him for years, pretty much since elementary school."

Sora looked so distraught at that comeback, though, that Regina almost regretted pointing it out. And that's when Halley came to the rescue. "What if… what if you have a dog like this one, Sora? And you named him Goofy? Maybe you're about to remember, now?"

That… made some degree of sense. Owning a dog and missing him was the most natural thing, even when the process wasn't entirely conscious. And it wasn't like Sora disagreed but… that wasn't all of it. Maybe, yes, he did have a dog named Goofy, but that was only a portion of it. As he stood back up, however, absently holding the side of his head where a dull headache was threatening to erupt, Sora refrained from adding that it wasn't just a dog – that he also probably had a pet duck. Because that sounded awfully random even to himself, so he wouldn't bother his friends about it.

Thankfully, there would be no time for feeling awkward and soon a cheerful voice was calling out to the group. "Hey guys! Morning!"

Felix waved as he approached them, Gloria right behind him.

"What're you all doing here, still outside? Are you gonna ditch the morning classes – 'cause, if so, count me in."

Riley chuckled, shaking his head. If he hadn't been best friends with Felix for years, he'd be hard pressed to believe that slacker was actually the top of his class and one of the top graders in the entire school. The thing about Felix was that, sometimes, he was too intelligent for school. Sometimes, it was no fun to have to sit through boring lectures about basic topics when he'd much rather be learning on his own about quantum physics or ancient history or human physiology.

It was Gloria who answered, though. "No way! In this house we do not skip PE class." As usual, on the same wavelength as Riley when it came to getting active.

That did leave Riley with a small issue to sort, however. He'd not wanted to leave Sora home, all on his own and probably bored out of his mind, so he'd brought the unlikely guest along for the school day… but was only realizing he'd not properly thought it through. Because he couldn't just smuggle Sora into the class without teachers noticing and asking questions, let alone something like Physical Education. "Sora," he started then, "You wanna go hang out at the library till lunch break?"

…That was just as boring as staying home alone, wasn't it? Good job, Riley. For the second time in ten minutes, he found himself very grateful for Gina's witty spirit – for the most part, anyway. It would have been better without the over-the-top reaction, what with how she clung to Sora's arm before he even had a chance to reply, bright smile back on her face and a tone so determined that it would admit no talking back.

"Nope, he's coming with me!"

Felix raised an eyebrow. "And what're we gonna do, hide him under your desk?" Whereas Riley and Gloria were in the same class, Felix himself was with the twins – and he really wasn't seeing how they were going to make that work.

Needless to say, Regina already had a counter-argument waiting at the tip of her tongue. "Really, Felix? You really expect Miss Gladys, of all people, to notice anything?"

She did have a point, the redhead conceded. Their Myrish Literature teacher was a bit of a scatterbrain, to say it in nice words; the kind who always forgot to go over homework and who didn't keep track if students were present in class or not. More likely than not, if they found Sora an inconspicuous little spot somewhere, she wouldn't even realize he was a completely new "student". Shrugging, Felix admitted defeat.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right!"

Wasting no more time, Regina was already tugging Sora along towards the classroom by that same arm, and her friends knew better than to argue at that point. Gloria and Riley headed to the locker rooms after a catch ya later, and Halley and Felix were soon following after Regina. As they went up the stairway to the next floor, though, a pause had to be made when Sora tripped on one of the steps and nearly went for a faceplant. Even Regina almost stumbled herself in chain reaction, and they got a few odd looks from other students passing by.

"Careful!" Judging from her snickering, though, Gina didn't mind it at all.

"Might be easier if you don't drag him along like he's a sack of potatoes?" Felix rolled his eyes, but they soon reached the top without further incidents.

As anticipated, Miss Gladys didn't bat an eye at Sora's presence, merely taking him for one of the usual students. A few of said students did notice the new face, tossing Sora curious glances, but in the end no one really bothered to pry – so he could take the seat by Regina's side without hassle. However, it wasn't long before Sora started realizing he likely had not been a brilliant student, before. The teacher did have a pleasant voice and articulate speech, the kind that made it easy to follow along and learn from what was being said, but Sora found himself disconnecting from it within the first ten minutes. Erudite authors and poetry samples might hold their own sort of interest, he wouldn't deny, but… how was any of that going to be useful to him?

Roses are red

Violets are blue

My head is a mess

What should I do?

There, he just made poetry of his own. Smiling at the silly thought, Sora let his gaze wander to the window nearby. What should he do, indeed? He couldn't just impose on Riley and Jake and freeload for the rest of his life, but what other options were available? Go around town knocking on every door and asking if somebody knew who he was? Jake had mentioned going to the police station and reporting the case, because surely Sora's family must be looking for him… but.

But what if they weren't? What if his family lived far away, or what if he didn't have any family even? In theory, he looked like he was about the same age as Riley and the others, but what if he wasn't? He didn't even remember that for sure. What if he was in his fifties and simply still had a baby face? Everything about his situation was so unusual, so weird; Sora wasn't oblivious to the fact. Who the heck came crashing down through a roof? Maybe he was an eccentric celebrity with questionable hobbies… or maybe he was a wanted criminal desperately running away from authorities. Maybe he was a terrible person altogether. Who could tell? Sighing, he rested his chin on the palm of a hand as his other fingers started absently playing with one of Regina's pens, for having nothing better to do.

It didn't go unnoticed by Regina, either. She'd been mostly distracted herself, simply taking vague notes on whatever Miss Gladys would write on the blackboard – but, for the most part, far more interested in Sora. Maybe the others were curious about his whereabouts and story, especially Felix, being the unapologetic nerd that he was, but Gina? Gina really couldn't care less about those details. What mattered to her was that Sora was the cutest boy she'd seen in a long time, and the only thing about his forgotten past that might be relevant to her, at least marginally, was whether he'd been dating somebody before. Call her selfish and shallow, she'd much rather describe herself as a girl who knew her priorities; a girl who knew what she wanted and who had no qualms about going for it. If people had a problem with that, then that was their problem – not hers. Nudging at Sora's shoulder with her own, Regina winked playfully and whispered.

"Kinda boring, huh?"

Sora glanced back at her from the window, smiling that sweet smile that she was getting so into. "…Yeah. I got no idea 'bout half the things she's talking of."

"Trust me, you're not missing out on much." Saying so, Regina carefully teared a page off her spiral notebook and handed it over. "Maybe this will help? Least you'll have something to do." The poor boy already looked ready to fall asleep out of boredom, and there was still over an hour of class torture to endure.

Sora accepted the paper with a thanks, looking at it for a moment as he grabbed the same pen he'd been fidgeting with. He could do something useful and take notes… but, again, what was that gonna do for him? Too much effort to be dedicated to something his heart wasn't vibing with. Instead, then, he began absently doodling on one of the corners of the page. Some random squiggles and shapes, at first, but eventually they came together to form the semblance of a dog. A representation of the one outside, that'd nearly made Sora's brain short-circuit for some reason. Goofy. Goofy was that dog's name, no one could tell Sora otherwise. Not even the dog's actual owner. Entertained with the new task at hand, he continued on and added the figure of a duck by the dog's side – because they were friends. Also, the duck had a blue hat on its head, because… because that felt right, somehow.

And what to draw next?

Tapping absently at his cheek with the top of the pen, Sora tried to reach into the void of his mind. Maybe none of that meant anything, maybe it simply meant that he was someone who liked animals, but it was better than nothing. Anything was better than the nothing in his memory. Letting his subconscious carry him, Sora then sketched something in the semblance of a heart – and added some posterior details so that it looked like a heart in the night sky. Kind of like a moon, but heart-shaped. Geez, that was even more random than the dog and duck, wasn't it? And random became random-er the moment he drew a keyhole in that sky, beside the heart-moon. Not questioning it, Sora continued and shifted over to the bottom of the page, where he started drawing a shoreline and the vast ocean. Was that his homeland? It did feel a little… familiar. It felt right, the same way the duck hat did. Next, he added a tree by the shore – a sort of palm tree but not really, bent and winding trunk, with stars hanging from the branches. Why was he adding stars to a tree…? Again, because it felt right, and so did to add a little sketch of himself nearby with one of the stars in hand. But then…

Then, it was like pressing the switch in his brain labeled Instant Headache. Because, all of a sudden, Sora felt as though someone was poking at the side of his head with a tiny but relentless bunch of sewing needles heated to the point of scorching. Was he about to remember something, like it had almost happened with the dog outside…? No, it wasn't exactly that – more like, something about what he'd just sketched was bothering him at a very fundamental level. Something was horribly wrong, something was missing. Someone was missing. That's it, someone was missing. There should be someone else beside his own drawn figure, sharing that star with him. And what sense did that make? Zero. Trees didn't bear stars and people didn't pluck stars out of trees to eat and share. And yet, the more Sora looked at the drawing, the more he was convinced that it couldn't be any other way. He then sketched another figure next to his own but didn't add any distinctive features for the simple fact he couldn't recall them. Face, clothes, colors… all of it was hidden by the dark veil that smothered the rest of his memories. But that person needed to be there, Sora had no doubt; that person was important. Incredibly important.

Who are you…?

Being so lost in his musings, Sora almost jumped when Regina's hand came to rest on his shoulder and startled him out of that arduous struggle to remember. Glancing up from the sheet of paper with wide eyes, he found her standing beside him alongside Halley, as the rest of the students cheerfully rushed to leave the classroom.

"Finally! Was starting to wonder if you'd turned to stone," Regina said with a smile, leaving that hand where it was.

Sora pursed his lips sheepishly in response. "Sorry! I– …guess I spaced out."

"Oh, we noticed! Guess you're really into drawing, huh?"

"Maybe you were studying arts, in your old school?" Halley asked, quiet and gentle tone, as she glanced down at Sora's improvised masterpiece and smiled. "These look very nice."

"Not really… just random stuff. It's not really that good." I have a friend who's amazing at drawing, you should see what she makes, Sora wanted to add, but didn't. Even if he did have a friend who was good at drawing, he presently couldn't remember a thing about her. …Her. So that friend was a girl, apparently. Small victories.

"Aw, don't say that!" Regina immediately cut in, grabbing the paper to better examine it. "I think it's super cute, can I keep it?"

Sora hesitated. It was, indeed, just a bunch of random doodles and it wasn't like he'd need it… but, for some reason, his heart wasn't happy about the idea of parting with the drawing of that mystery person. Reckoning he was being unnecessarily mushy about it, though, he eventually nodded his approval. "Sure."

Regina beamed at that, and the reaction convinced Sora that he probably made the right choice in offering her the drawing. The twins then started heading outside, already talking of the next class, and Sora followed after them. As they walked along the corridor, though, a small annoying sensation caught his attention. A small sort of… stinging? Glancing at his right arm, Sora had to frown when noticing what it was about: a couple paper cuts by the inner portion of his forearm, near the wrist. Nothing serious at all, but how did he even manage to do that? He was offered a paper for, like, five minutes and already hurt himself with it like a small child.

Between that and the tripping over the steps, had he always been that clumsy?

SETTING: Yggdrasil, main hall; 3:31 pm

"Gawrsh… I really dunno what could be wrong, fellas."

Goofy's frown spoke for itself, as the knight stared helplessly at the ship's power board. Not that he was an expert at Gummi building and maintenance, but he did have his fair share of experience and, among the four companions, was definitely the one more credited to fix any potential defects. Problem was… nothing, indeed, seemed to be wrong. Goofy had examined the board at least five times and he'd been unable to spot any broken pieces, disconnected cables, anything at all that might explain the major power outage that'd taken over the Yggdrasil about an hour prior. More confusing, even, was the fact that the ship hadn't stopped. They continued on, venturing onwards and leaving behind the frontier they'd finally crossed, but everything was plunged into darkness save from the light coming in from the cosmos outside – which wasn't much at all. That and the small emergency lights scattered a bit all over the ceiling, that covered the interior of the ship in slightly nauseating shades of red.

"Ah, phooey!"

The way Donald ruffled his feathers in annoyance could have been funny to watch, if it wasn't for the situation at hand. In fact, he did look like he was about to hit the board with a Thundaga spell to see if that would help, and perhaps that was why Mickey hurried with taking a more constructive hold on the matter.

"It might not be clever if we try to guess at what's happening, friends. Unfortunately, not much is known about how this ship operates… so maybe the problem is something very basic that we just don't know about. We should think before we act."

Hearing that, Donald completely got the memo and shot the king with a glare, arms folded and foot tapping at the floor, but Riku didn't let it escalate and promptly continued the line of thought. He did learn from His Majesty himself, after all.

"Maybe there's some sort of instructions, somewhere? You know, like a manual?"

"That's a great idea, Riku!" Mickey smiled, glancing at his friends in turn. "Donald and Goofy, you two wait here and keep an eye on the board. I'll go with Riku to the engine room and see if we can find anything to help us."

Which was a nice, covert way of asking Donald please don't break anything and make matters worse, and it did work. Knight and magician saluted and got ready to fulfill their mini-mission, Mickey grabbed one of the lanterns to bring along, and he and Riku started towards the back end of the Yggdrasil. Not being oblivious to the tension winding up Riku's shoulders, though, and understanding very well what it was about, Mickey wanted to offer some words of reassurance.

"Don't worry, Riku, I'm sure we'll get this fixed in no time. And then we can resume our search."

The teen smiled at that, very much appreciating how the king could read him like an open book without the need for words. Riku might be keeping his usual collected exterior but, inside, he was boiling as much as Donald. It figured, it was just his luck, that something like that would happen soon after they crossed the frontier… Riku had been eager for it for days, only to get stuck because of some stupid electric malfunction. When they finally could start making use of the Yggdrasil's computer and data system to look for clues of Sora's whereabouts, the whole thing had decided to crash. If there was some sort of god out there, it had to be one heck of a sadistic bastard.

"We can get it started, more like."

"Right!" Mickey agreed, illuminating the corner of the corridor they were about to cross. "And the first step is always the hardest."

"Mickey, how is it going to work?" Since Riku couldn't do much, at the moment, he might as well educate himself. It made him feel less useless, if nothing else. "Do we just ask the computer where Sora is and that's it? It's gonna find him?" Nah… that sounded too good to be true, didn't it?

Mickey promptly clarified. "I'm not sure myself, we'll have to do some trial and error." Fair enough, Riku admitted, since no one had used that computer in Merlin knew how many years. "However, I remember Master Yen Sid speaking of the paths of Anima Mundi and how they could be opened and traversed based on the connections between souls. Your soul and Sora's are connected in a very strong way, surely the computer won't have much trouble to spot the correct path between the two of you. Then we'll just have to follow it to Sora."

May your heart be your guiding key, huh? It usually came down to that and Riku did not doubt it at all. He just… after such an awful year, he really just wanted something concrete, more than any hopeful words and the need for ethereal faith. He just wanted something real and palpable that he wouldn't mistake for a dream; a screen that he could touch, showing him a message in big, flashing letters saying This Way To Sora. Was that so much to ask for?

What clearly was too much to ask for, apparently, was for that day to become anything resembling a regular one. Because, yes, the power supply was currently shut down, which meant everything from lights to door mechanisms had gone inactive, and yet… the moment Mickey entered the engine room, the automated door, which had been open and immobile, closed shut behind him so fast that Riku had to worry if his poor friend's tail might have been caught and chopped off.

"…Mickey! Mickey, what happened?" Frowning, Riku pressed his palms to the door and pushed. Nothing. It didn't even budge. The lantern had passed with the mouse to the other side, so he couldn't really see much, either. "Are you all right?"

"Riku?" Thankfully, Mickey's voice promptly answered back, seemingly okay other than muffled by the thick panel separating the two of them. "Lemme check, not sure what happened."

The king was frowning in puzzlement, as well. Not only the slam of the door had nearly scared the round ears off his head, it did come absolutely out of nowhere. Mickey was certain he'd not touched anything in accident and he reckoned he could say the same for Riku, considering how cautious and deliberate the silver-haired teen always was. And if the power was down, how come that one door decided to work on its own and in that very specific moment? Maybe it was something that Goofy and Donald provoked? Nothing else had changed, however… how odd! Hopping atop the nearby circuit box, Mickey illuminated the door from top to bottom and gave a try at pressing every switch and button he could see, to no avail. The stubborn thing refused to reopen.

"Gosh…" Shaking his head, Mickey knocked a couple times on the door. "Riku, see if you can find anything to activate on your side. Nothing's working for me."

A few seconds passed, and only more nothing ensued.

"Riku?"

Mickey's frown was quickly blooming into a fully fledged scowl. Had Riku gone back to check on the other two? There had been no footstep noises though, and it wasn't like Riku to just up and leave without a word. Was the door, somehow, also starting to block sound? Mickey knocked again, called again, got no response again, and was about ready to just summon his Keyblade and blow the whole thing off its metaphorical hinges – when said problematic door opened on its own, once more, suddenly very docile. Not only that, but the lights returned to the entire ship and made it seem like nothing had been amiss at all.

…What in Chernabog's name was going on?

Deciding that logic could wait, Mickey ran back outside.

"Riku!"

Still the same nothing. No Riku anywhere, as far as Mickey could see, no Riku by the other side of the corridor corner, when Mickey went to check, and no Riku even by Goofy and Donald, when Mickey ran all the way back there next.

"Your Majesty!" Donald beamed, confident that everything was solved, "You did it!"

The king's troubled expression, however, didn't need long to cut through. "Pals! Where did Riku go?"

Goofy frowned in confusion, approaching the other two. "But… wasn't he with ya, just now?"

"He was…" Mickey frowned back.

That's exactly the problem. He was. Not anymore.

SETTING: Ashella, Municipal High School; 2:05 pm

Observing people coming and going was as good a way to pass time as any other, Sora figured. Perhaps not the most exciting one, but what else could he do? Not every teacher was like Miss Gladys and would be oblivious to an extra student sneaking into their class, so he couldn't really tag along his friends throughout the whole school day. Between visiting the library and the cafeteria, glancing at the posters on the walls and passing by the rows of lockers a few times, he'd eventually found a decent spot outside and sat on a wall, waiting and watching the rest of the world unfold.

It was ironic, Sora mused – most of those students likely wished they had nothing to do as well, much like himself at the moment, that they could simply sit on a wall and enjoy the afternoon sun, rather than to have to stress about homework and group projects and tests and studying. Yet there he was, instead jealous of their purpose. That they knew what to do, where to go; that they knew who they were and what they wanted. Part of Sora yearned to go and make himself part of that world somehow, just strike up a random conversation with somebody and immerse himself in it rather than to watch from the outside. But would that even work? And what would he even have to talk about?

Sighing to himself, Sora continued with the fleeting observing. One of the library ladies he'd seen in the morning had just passed by, carrying an armful of rolled up maps. Some younger students were shouting and laughing by the other end of the courtyard, playing a mash-up of football and volleyball. Outside, beyond the gate, traffic was mostly tranquil and only a handful of cars would go up and down the road. The dog – Goofy – must have gone somewhere else, probably back home, since he wasn't around anymore. On the other hand, there was a cat lazily napping atop the front porch of one of the neighboring houses, tail swishing happily back and forth. Again, everyone knew exactly where to be and what to do, even the cat. Only Sora remained an outsider, waiting for some spark of inspiration to tell him where to lead his own life.

As he was about to hop down that wall, then, to possibly take a walk around the school road while waiting for the last class of the day to finish and for his friends to be free, a growing ruckus interrupted the otherwise tranquil ambiance. Sora glanced behind him to find a small group of students engaging in some sort of conflict – or, to be accurate, three of them cowardly teaming up against a single other one. And that immediately made Sora frown. He didn't even know what it was about, but the power imbalance was enough to make something unpleasant twist in his chest. How could anyone think that three against one was fair, especially when they were taller and bigger?

Needless to say, as Sora approached the scene and understood what it was about, that sentiment only grew tenfold. Those three idiots were not only berating the other one for his choice of clothing, which apparently they had the right to judge even though they dressed like slobs themselves, but they were also demanding the boy gave up his money because that's what pretty boys deserve if they don't wanna get hurt. Well, not on Sora's watch. No way he would just watch idly and do nothing to help.

"Hey! Don't you guys have anything better to do?"

The tallest of the three bullies turned around first, seemingly taken aback that someone dared to talk to his squad in such a tone – and let alone a pipsqueak he'd never seen before.

"The hell's your problem, kid? Get the hell outta here if you don't want any trouble."

Sora couldn't say what it was, maybe it was that person's attitude as a whole, maybe he'd met someone like that before, but a name came to him the same way that'd happened with that dog – Pete. This guy was officially Pete. Either way, he didn't back off and certainly wasn't intimidated.

"You stop this if you don't want any trouble. What did this guy even do to you?"

Just like that, the trio's attention shifted. Indeed, they weren't used to being confronted about their shitty doings, mainly because most other students knew of their aggressive reputation and would rather steer clear. Yet there was this twerp, about half their size, daring to openly call them out in the middle of the yard. The kid had guts, they had to admit, but that didn't make them any less annoyed that their dominance was being contested. And the leader, again, was the one who spoke.

"Aww, ya trying to defend your pretty boyfriend here, that's what it is? Maybe you can pay for our snacks, then. Whaddya say, bros? Pretty boy and spiky boy, what a lovely couple!"

The other two laughed in a nasty, mocking tone, but the remark only perplexed Sora. What did any of that have to do with a boyfriend…? Why would people bully someone because of a boyfriend to start with? It made zero sense to him. On the bright side, anyway, all attentions being focused on him allowed the other boy to scamper away safely. Good. Sora could focus on getting the job done without innocents getting caught up in the mess.

"Yeah, joke's on you," Sora shot back with a smirk, hands on his hips, "Got no money and, if I did, I certainly wouldn't give it to jerks like you."

Shock. Complete shock, that's what took over the trio's faces, and even a couple other students quickly passing by, to not be sucked into whatever was going on, couldn't hold back quiet gasps of surprise. Shock that promptly turned to rage and the leader lunged for Sora, all but ready to hit him.

"Why, you little shit–"

And maybe Sora should have been worried about it. If disproportion in size was to dictate outcome, he was about to be turned to pulp by those three. But, somehow, he wasn't scared in the slightest. Did it mean he used to be someone who'd get into fights all the time and was used to it? Whatever the reason, Sora could easily avoid the incoming blow by rolling over on the floor and popping back up behind the taller student, before the guy could process what had happened. In fact, it caught him so off guard that he stumbled forward and nearly lost his balance, as Sora watched in amusement.

"Gonna have to do better than that!"

The angry growls from behind him indicated that the other two bullies were about to join the dance but, again, Sora had no issues. As they charged for him, one after the other like the brutes they were, he nimbly somersaulted out of the way and they ended up crashing against their leader instead.

"GET OFF ME, YOU CLOWNS," said leader shouted, pushing his supposed friends away not so gently, as the two babbled excuses and tried to compose themselves – turning then to Sora with anger and humiliation reddening his face and darkening his glare.

"Learned your lesson yet?" Sora, who remained just as unimpressed. Might be he still couldn't remember a thing about himself, yet it was clear as rainwater that he had no patience for cowards who tried to take advantage of others. "'Cause if I know you're bullying people again, I'm not gonna be happy."

Looked like the message wasn't going to get through so easily, however. Again they lunged for him in blind rage, the three of them that time. And, good that Sora was at dodging, evading one hit and then another and even a third in a row, there were some laws of physics that just couldn't be bent – like the presence of so many bodies in such close quarters and the inevitability of them eventually touching. A hand grabbed fiercely at his arm and refused to let go, and Sora realized that fighting back in self-defense would be unavoidable. He would have preferred to settle the matter with words only, but… oh well. So he positioned his free hand and–

…And wasn't sure what he was waiting for, honestly. For something to, somehow, materialize in that hand…? Unsurprisingly, nothing happened; things weren't just summoned out of thin air, imagine that. What the heck had he been counting on, then, and why? Why had it felt so natural to try and materialize some sort of weapon to defend himself with? It was also unsurprising that being in the middle of a struggle really wasn't the best time to be distracted, and soon Sora was gasping as a blow to his stomach robbed the air off his lungs and caused a sharp pain to immediately start spreading. Definitely, not the best time to be distracted at all, and it was about to cost him – as the two stooges caught him each by an arm and forced him in place in front of the bully leader. Sora might have had the clear advantage in speedy dodging and evading, but physical strength was another story entirely.

"Well, well, well," The nasty grin was back to the leader's face, as he cracked his knuckles and looked eager to avenge the damage his pride had taken. Even if it had looped back to the cowardly circumstances of harassing someone who was outnumbered. "Not so tough now, are ya, spiky boy?"

In his defense, Sora was stubbornly holding his ground and refused to be intimidated by the idiot's antics, despite odds being certainly not in his favor. He struggled again and tried to break free, but that only resulted in the other two tightening their hold. …Well. It was about to get painful, wasn't it? At least, he'd succeeded in rescuing the other poor boy from such a mess. Steeling his jaw, then, Sora braced himself for what was to come.

Annnnd here we go.
Our boys getting themselves into trouble.
In their defense, they managed to behave for almost three whole chapters. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you so much for reading!
Theia