Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Nathan nodded, but his eyes lingered on the boy in front of him before he turned and called through the house. "Kairi, there's a guy here for you," he said, voice slightly higher than usual. He heard the clanking of some dishes before registering Kairi's footsteps.

Kairi wiped her hands with a dish towel as she approached the doorway, curious as to who could be at the door for her. Nathan already knew Roxas, so she knew it couldn't have been him. But, who else could it be? Kairi rounded the corner, her eyes falling on the door. It was when her eyes recognized the boy before her that she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening. It couldn't possibly be him. Sora?

 

Sora met Kairi's eyes and felt as frozen as she did, though he was still composed. After all the time he spent with Riku, he learned to deal with life without letting his emotions come out until later. Now as one of those times. "Hi, Kairi," he said, running his hand over the back of his hair before he lowered it back to his side.

 

"...Sora?" Kairi's voice was nothing higher than a whisper, the girl shocked at the sight of the boy. She had forced herself not to think of him for so long, and now he was standing at her doorstep. He looked so different, so...changed. Kairi blinked as her heart skipped a beat, recognizing that Sora looked older, wiser.

Nathan looked at Kairi, and then looked at Sora. His eyes shifted back and forth for a minute, trying to register what was going on here. Who was this kid? Sora? He hadn't heard anything about him.

 

Sora smiled sheepishly, hearing Kairi's whisper. "....Surprise," he said, though he sounded a little unsure himself. He was still standing outside of her home, looking past the boy to the girl he loved. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was shocked to see him, and after four months of being away, he knew that her feelings were logical ones to feel.

 

Kairi took a few steps forward, stopping next to Nathan, only a small foot away from Sora. She wanted to reach out and touch him, make sure she wasn't seeing things, falling victim to an illusion. She wanted to hug him, but something was stopping her, and she knew what it was instantly: Nathan. She glanced at him and back down at Sora, not being able to speak. The brunet was right; this was certainly a surprise. Kairi hadn't been expecting this at all.

Nathan caught Kairi's gaze when she had looked at him, and he arched an eyebrow, his green eyes shifting to the guy still standing just outside the door. Sora, huh? He could tell by what was happening here that there was something beyond what he knew; he didn't know anything, which was bad.

 

"I...uh, guess I should have called first," Sora said sheepishly, fighting the urge to run his hand over his hair again. His eyes went down to the ground for a moment before they went back up to Kairi. They were so close physically, but neither of them were making a move to embrace each other. And though nothing of this other boy had been spoken aloud, Sora knew the truth. He could somehow tell that this fellow wasn't just a friend.

 

"Uh, babe?" Nathan said, looking back to the girl standing beside him. "I remember you mentioning Roxas and Riku, but you never said anything about, er, Sora." Nathan's eyes fell on Sora, his gaze showing his wonder. There was definitely something going on here that he didn't know about.

Kairi's lips parted as if she wanted to speak, the girl looking up at the guy she had been with the past four months, and then her blue eyes fell on the boy she hadn't seen for so long. Nathan, don't do this to me, she pleaded silently. This was already hard enough; he didn't have to make things worse, especially calling her "babe". That had made her heart skip, mostly because Sora... He had no idea.

 

Sora blinked when the boy called Kairi "babe", but that was the only reaction he showed. The pet-name confirmed his suspicions, which he had formed the moment the stranger opened the door. He glanced at Kairi and saw that she was at a loss before he looked back to Nathan. "It's been a long time since we saw each other," he informed Nathan with a light shrug. "She probably just hadn't thought about saying anything." The words left his lips sounding calm, but on the inside, he wondered if what he said was true. Kairi...was with somebody else. How did that happen?

 

Nathan's eyebrows lifted slightly at Sora's words, the boy turning his gaze to Kairi, who was still glued to one spot. Apparently this guy's presence was affecting her, big time.

Kairi felt Nathan's gaze on her, and she met it in silence, Sora's words ringing through her head. She hadn't said anything because just thinking of Sora had been painful, and speaking of him... She hadn't been able to even form the thought while he was gone. "...There are still a lot of things left unsaid," Kairi managed, that only being a slight explanation to what she wanted to say. Her eyes fell on Sora once she finished, that also being directed at him. She had a lot to tell both boys, especially Sora.

 

Sora redirected his gaze to Kairi, nodding faintly. "Yeah." However, by the look in her eye, she wasn't ready to say the things that were left unspoken. And honestly, he wasn't ready to hear them. After a moment's silence, he spoke, taking it as an opportunity. "Speaking of things unspoken, I have to go. I have to tell Roxas something." Maybe that wasn't completely true, but he still was going to pay his friend a visit.

 

Kairi blinked and brought a hand up, tucking back some of her red hair, its length having grown since Sora was gone; he wasn't the only one who looked different, she was sure. But hearing him say he had to go actually hurt her, but she understood. "Oh... Okay," she said softly, glancing down at the porch before bringing her eyes back up to the ocean-blue she had missed for so long. If Sora needed to go, she wouldn't keep him. It wasn't her place.

 

Sora's eyes softened at the look Kairi gave him, but he couldn't back out of his excuse now. "See you around," he said softly, though he wasn't sure if he meant it or not. He would be willing to see her, but he wasn't sure if she would feel the same way. She had continued on with her life, and he understood if she wanted nothing to do with him. He looked into her eyes for on more second before he turned around, walking away from Kairi's home.

 

Nathan lifted an arm and waved slightly. "See ya," he said, though he wasn't sure he meant it. There was something about that kid that made him uneasy. Regardless, Nathan moved his arm in Kairi's direction to guide her into the house.

Kairi could only stare, watching Sora walk away from her, yet again on another bad note. The last time she had seen him it had been the same. She didn't even care about the cold weather pinching her skin, but she only moved to go inside when Nathan started to turn her around. Kairi tore her eyes away from Sora's retreating figure and stepped out of the way, Nathan shutting the door and blocking out the cold air.

 

Sora kept walking, blankly staring at the city in front of him. He couldn't believe it. He had been replaced. As badly as he wanted to allow himself to feel pain, he just couldn't do it. He had been away four months; of course things were different. Kairi had moved on. She was probably very happy with this guy, too. Sora, though, he knew that he himself would be miserable without her. He turned on the sidewalk, heading in the direction of Roxas' home. He needed some answers.

 

Kairi leaned against the wall, her form sinking until she was sitting on the wooden floor of the foyer. She just couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that just happened. Sora had come home, come back to her, and she couldn't think of anything to say to make it seem like she was glad to see him. She was, but her shock had gotten the best of her. When Nathan knelt down in front of her, Kairi gazed into his eyes, a part of her feeling empty and guilty.

"What's the matter?" Nathan asked, his green eyes looking into Kairi's unique shade. "Did that Sora kid hurt you or something?" It had certainly seemed that way by the way she reacted at the sight of him; after all, they hadn't seen each other in a while, from what the guy said.

Kairi swallowed the lump in her throat, tryingto think. "That Sora kid"... Hearing Nathan refer to him that way made Kairi feel a small stab of hurt, but there was nothing she could do. If she said anything, she would set Nathan off. Over the past four months, she learned he had a pretty short temper. "He didn't mean to," Kairi answered softly, and when she saw Nathan's expression, she wished she hadn't said anything.

 

Sora could only hope that Roxas was at his home when he got there; he needed to know what happened. Though he didn't want to find out anything about Kairi being with another boy, that was the reality. He was home now, and he needed to try and adapt to life again, no matter how painful it was.

 

"So he did hurt you?" Nathan said, his eyebrows pulling together as his tone grew very serious. Nobody hurt his Princess. Not right now, not to affect the plans he had worked so hard to complete.

Kairi shook her head, sitting up. "It's all just a big misunderstanding," she insisted frantically, not wanting Nathan to freak out, or do something irrational. "If anyone hurt anybody, it was me." When Nathan opened his mouth to speak, that curious glint in his eyes coming back again, Kairi closed her eyes and exhaled to calm herself. "Nathan, I'm sorry, but I think you should go."

"What? Why?" Nathan frowned, not wanting to leave until he found out what was going on here. Something was interfering with his plans, and messing with Kairi's head. He didn't like either.

Kairi's eyes opened and found the boy kneeling in front of her. "Please. I just need some time alone," she said softly, her gaze falling to the floor at the look in Nathan's eyes. She couldn't be near him right now, because looking at him just reminded her of how awful a thing she had done, and the look on Sora's face when Nathan made it obvious what was going on.

Nathan pressed his lips together, but didn't retort. He simply nodded. "Alright. I'll call you later," he said. He leaned forward and kissed Kairi on the lips before standing and grabbing his coat. He then left her in the silence, shutting the door behind him.

 

Sora was on Roxas' street now, and he recognized his friend's house immediately. He brought his hands out of his jean pockets and approached the home, stepping up to the door and ringing the doorbell when he was there. If Roxas wasn't home, then he would have to go to Namine's, because if Roxas wasn't at his home, then he was probably at Namine's.

 

Once Nathan was out of her house, Kairi leaned forward and rested her forehead against her knees. She sighed, feeling a stinging in her eyes. She knew that there was a good reason to be upset here, but she also was aware that she brought this on herself. Crying would help with the pain for now, but it wouldn't take the problem away.

Roxas looked toward the living room doorway at the doorbell, pausing his game and setting the controller down on the arm of the chair as he pushed himself up, walking through the room and toward the front door. He approached it and opened it, not having expected any visitors. Roxas was caught off guard, however, at the sight of the person before him. "Sora?" he said, surprised.

 

Sora nodded solemnly, his friend appearing the way that he remembered him two months ago. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but he wasn't going to ask about it. He was at a loss for words anyway, considering that he just saw the love of his life with another guy.