Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed angrily over his eyes, but he didn't move his arm away from Kairi. Sora's words infuriated him; it wasn't supposed to happen this way. This guy wasn't supposed to come and ruin everything.

Kairi glanced at Sora at the words, the girl feeling herself becoming more confused. Her eyes fell back on her boyfriend, her hand grabbing his arm again. "Nathan?" she asked, her voice suddenly becoming suspicious and uneasy. "...What's going on?"

 

"Why don't you tell Kairi who you really are?" Sora asked, arching a brow. He didn't know the specifics of who Nathan was himself, but he was sure he would find out soon enough. Nathan was in a bad position now that his plan failed, whatever he had been doing in the first place. He had nothing to do now but tell the truth.

 

Nathan growled faintly at Sora, finally lowering his arm as his hands balled into fists. It was no use now; Sora had outsmarted him, however he figured it out.

Kairi took a small step forward, that way she was right next to her current boyfriend. She looked up at him with pure wonderment. "Nathan, what is Sora talking about?" she demanded, her voice light but at the same time firm. She had just been chased by a group of men who were equipped with weapons, and Sora managed to follow. Now Nathan's identity wasn't true?

"That's Prince Nathaniel," Nathan corrected, turning his head to look down at Kairi. "Future king and ruler of Glassice." That was his true identity, his home world revealed. His secret was out in the open now, and there was no use in trying to cover it any longer.

 

Sora adjusted his grip on his Keyblades, holding them both more tightly as he glared at the boy across from him. "This was a set-up, Kairi," he said, speaking to the girl he loved but still staring at the Prince. "He had his own men chasing the two of you to this location. The question is...Why?" He directed the question towards Nathaniel, his eyes showing that he expected an answer.

 

Kairi's lips parted in shock, her gaze slowly lowering from Nathaniel to the hard ground beneath her feet. Prince? Set-up? His own men? No... She couldn't have been tricked...

Nathaniel ground his teeth together and looked over at Sora, amazed that he knew so much. "Those men were my Royal Guard, who were idiots to begin with. It's no surprise they lost to you," he said, voice tight and turning dark. "My father believes I can't take care of myself, so he sends fools to protect me. Obviously they were no match for a Keyblade wielder such as yourself." He smirked slightly, despite his situation. "But I am surprised how quickly you figured this out. This plan has been set in motion for quite some time."

 

Sora ground his teeth together, twirling a Keyblade in his hand as he glared at the Prince. "It wasn't hard to figure out. As soon as I saw you, I knew you had evil intentions; you reek of darkness," he growled, blue eyes bright with anger. Nathaniel had made a grave mistake, allowing himself to come in contact with Sora. Especially after being away for four months, he couldn't have been more in tune with the way the Darkness worked. However, he did notice that Nathaniel didn't answer his question.

 

"Light or Darkness?" Nathaniel simply shrugged. "It's impossible to have one without the other, so it calls for equal balance." He turned his sharp green eyes to the redhead standing next to him. "That is why I longed for the Princess."

Kairi simply blinked in silent shock, listening to the...Prince speak his reasons for all of this. The truth was hurting her; she had been tricked immensely. All for her title...

"With her, my Kingdom would be the strongest, with both the power of Darkness and the power of Pure Light," Nathaniel continued. He lifted a hand and set it on Kairi's shoulder, noticing her flinch away from him at his touch. "For the last ten years, my father dreampt of the day his son brought a Princess to his land and called her his future queen."

 

Sora growled under his breath, holding his Keyblades even more tightly when Nathaniel put a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Nathaniel, get your hand off Kairi's shoulder," he said in a low tone of voice, the threat coming through. But just in case it wasn't clear enough, he continued. "Leave her alone or I swear, I'll come over there right now and kill you before you can take in another breath." He was infuriated that this person planned on using Kairi for his own gain, and he wasn't going to keep that anger buried inside him. He was holding it back so that he wasn't acting illogical, but his voice and eyes showed his fury.

 

Kairi opened her eyes at the sound of Sora's voice, the tone foreign to her. It was then she saw his eyes, the girl slightly alarmed at the fury evident in his blue orbs and in his strong voice. She couldn't take violence, not after all of this trickery. "Sora, please--!" she tried, but was interrupted.

"I would like to see you try, Keyblader," Nathaniel said then. "I have been trained since the day I was informed of my responsibility to take my father's place at the throne of Glassice. I'm not an amateur." He smirked pridefully. "But before you fight me, would you like to know what triggered your absence?" Nathaniel knew this was a piece of information Sora wouldn't want to miss out on. It was very important as to what events were taking place.

 

Sora's eyes widened faintly, his grips on his Keyblades tightening further in surprise. What was Nathaniel talking about? The way he spoke, it seemed like he knew where Sora was and what he was doing. But how was that possible? He locked his jaw in place, sensing that Nathaniel would give him an answer whether he wanted it or not.

 

Nathaniel smirked at the brunet, his hand remaining on Kairi's shoulder. He moved it slightly and was able to feel her tense at his touch. "Five months ago my father finally realized just where the Princess was hiding," he said, his eyes glancing down at Kairi as he spoke. "It was then that he used his power to weild Darkness, summoning Heartless all across the worlds." Nathaniel's prideful green eyes found Sora's blue once more. "He knew it'd be too much for your friend and your King to handle alone, and it was easy to assume that the mouse would call for help." Nathaniel had more to explain, his story not done yet.

 

Sora felt his face get a little paler, the teen unable to believe what he was hearing. Nathaniel's father...he was responsible for the Heartless becoming more powerful. He was responsible for putting Riku in more danger and forcing the King into the difficult position of calling for help. He furrowed his brows, a soft growl of anger and frustration leaving his lips.

 

"And who knew that not only you would be called, but your pathetic Nobody too?" Prince Nathaniel continued, laughing slightly. "It was the perfect plan. Not only would the true Keyblade wielder be gone, but his Keyblade bearing Nobody as well. My father was truly a terrific man for making it all come together so smoothly." Nathaniel stepped closer to Kairi, seeing the girl flinch away from his touch once more. "So I came to New York and successfully blended in, and then I met Kairi. I was given her description and once I saw her I knew that she wasn't originally from this world either, which only meant one thing: she was the Princess of Heart I was looking for."

Kairi closed her eyes, head lowering slightly in sadness. This trickery... It was so cruel. She couldn't believe how easily she had been fooled.

 

Sora ground his teeth together, shutting his eyes and furrowing his brows in anger. No...this can't be happening, he thought, anger and disbelief raging in his heart. He had been drawn away from Kairi on purpose; he had fallen into a trap. He had left Kairi alone, defenseless against this evil Prince. How could I have let this happen?!

 

"And what do you know? The two of us ended up dating, just like how it was planned to be," Nathaniel declared, his arm moving to wrap around Kairi's shoulders. This time, however, she didn't move away. "The only thing that was left to do was whisk her away to my world, where she would be Light that covered my Kingdom and helped me to rule the worlds." Nathaniel's eyes then narrowed. "And then you showed up, and I had to take desperate measures. My Royal Guard acted as a threat, meant to kidnap us and take us to my world. Of course, things changed."

Kairi lifted her head, her gaze finding Sora a few feet in front of her. She knew her eyes said it all: how sorry she was, how ashamed she was for falling for something so low and degrading, and how heartbroken she felt, thinking the guy who had been with her for the past four months was a fake. Their relationship had been a lie, and in turn, she ruined the one she had created with Sora. All of it, for trickery.

 

Sora gritted his teeth, his hands so tightly around his Keyblades that his knuckles were white. He kept his eyes shut for a moment, forcing himself to remember what Riku taught him: Emotions cloud your judgment, keeping you from fighting and thinking when you need to be at the top of your game. Take a breath and focus. He took in a deep breath and then released it, opening his eyes and looking up at Nathaniel calmly. "So what now?" he asked evenly. "Obviously I'm not allowing you to take Kairi away, and I've already defeated your henchmen. Plan on fighting alone?" he asked, arching a brow at the Prince.

 

"Is that a challenge?" Nathaniel asked, arching an eyebrow. He slid his hand from Kairi's shoulders, causing the girl to close her eyes in discomfort. He held his hands up and the air near his hands blurred. In mere seconds, Nathaniel held a sword and shield in his grasp, traditional weaponry for the warriors of his world. "Because if it is, I don't think I can decline," he said slyly, his eyes on Sora now.

Kairi's eyes widened, the girl taking a step back at the weapon and armor that appeared on Nathaniel's form. She then looked to Sora, her eyes pleading. She couldn't let this happen; no violence. She couldn't handle it. "No, please don't..." she begged softly as her gaze shifted to Nathaniel, her head shaking.

 

Sora heard what Nathaniel said, but then he heard Kairi's pleas. He turned his head toward her, seeing that she was still standing dangerously close to Nathaniel. "Kairi, I want you to come over here now," he said, his voice gentle with her but very firm at the same time. Whether she liked it or not, this was a battle that had to be fought. Sora turned his head toward Nathaniel again, eyebrows furrowed as he glared at him. "And yes, that was a challenge. But I don't want to only fight; let's make it worth something, shall we?"

 

Kairi looked to Sora and started toward him wordlessly, but then a huge shield blocked her path. She turned her head to see Nathaniel keeping her from moving toward Sora, again.

"A prize?" Nathaniel said, smiling as he held his shield out in front of the Princess. "Okay, name your price." Terms were always interesting, and he couldn't deny those.

 

Sora stared at Nathaniel evenly, not even blinking as he glared at him. "If I lose, then Kairi goes with you. I win and you rot in Oblivion for the rest of time. Sound good to you? Or are you too cowardly to accept my challenge?" he asked, arching a brow. The taunts were meant to urge Nathaniel to fight under those terms. Sora had no intention of losing today, so there was no danger to Kairi.