Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Roxas didn't know if what was going on was anything personal between Sora and Kairi, but he was sure there were other reasons for it. "She's probably really upset," he told the boy on the other line. "That jerk used her. I wouldn't be surprised if she was in shock." It seemed reasonable, after all that he had been told.

Kairi bolted upright in bed, gasping as her eyes shot open. She breathed heavily as she tried to register that she was no longer asleep, having just seen an awful sight of Nathaniel coming toward her and then giving into the darkness, turning into the humongous silver dragon she had seen him as the night before. The girl tucked back some of her red hair, seeing that the sun was shining brightly through her windows, no trace of darkness in sight.

 

"She's definitely in shock," Sora said, agreeing with what Roxas said. She had gone through a lot, and he could tell by the dazed look in her eyes that she was in a state of shock. "...But it's more than that." He couldn't say what that was, exactly, because he had been far away from Kairi too long to read her as well as he used to. That realization made him sad, and he shut his eyes as his frown deepened.

 

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked, staring down at his bedsheets. It was no surprise to him to hear that Kairi was stunned by all this; he was just as shocked hearing it. He knew witnessing it, especially when you cared for a person the way Kairi cared for Nathaniel, was just as hard to comprehend. But when Sora told him it may have been more than that, he wasn't sure what he meant.

Kairi looked down, seeing that she was clutching her covers. She felt like she could cry again, so she quickly pushed herself up from bed to try and keep that from happening. That jerk... He didn't deserve her tears. But, even as she opened her door and walked out into the hall, she saw her sight blurring before her.

 

Sora opened his eyes, staring at the ground as he spoke. "She's probably mad at me," he said softly. "After all, I killed somebody that she really cared about." He had a hard time saying what he was about to say next, but he had to say it. "She loved him."

 

Roxas didn't say anything, the last words putting him into silence. They were true, after all. If Sora had actually caught any interaction between Kairi and Nathaniel before the chaos ensued, he would have seen that she indeed loved him. Roxas didn't like to think about it, mostly because he knew that she and Sora were meant to be together, but that was the reality of the situation. "...She's heartbroken, isn't she?" Roxas finally managed, his voice still serious but quieter at the realization.

Kairi turned the corner and started down the rest of the hallway to reach the kitchen, but she could have sworn that she heard a muffled voice. She stopped for a second, wondering if she could hear more.

 

"Completely heartbroken," Sora confirmed softly, sadness coming through in his voice. That stupid Prince had broken Kairi's heart, all for his own gain. And he was gone, now in Oblivion for the rest of time. Kairi, though, still had a life to live. And seeing how shattered she appeared last night, Sora wasn't sure what to expect in the future. Would she be able to recover from this?

 

Roxas closed his eyes at the words, sighing. He should have been prepared for that answer, because he had asked the question having a hunch anyway. But it was still hard to hear.

Kairi heard the same voice again and she silently made her way toward the living room, having caught onto one word: heartbroken. She stood just outside the living room doorway, pressed against the wall so she could listen more; she had a feeling this conversation was about her.

 

"I'm so...sad," Sora said softly, bringing a hand to his forehead. "I'm so sad that I was right about his darkness." He and Roxas had known that he was evil, but after everything, Sora wished that this was a genuinely good guy. Even if Kairi and a good person would have been together forever, Sora would have been content as long as Kairi was safe and happy.

 

"But you have to understand that it's a good thing you were," Roxas assured Sora, hearing the pain in his friend's voice. "If you didn't, Kairi would have been out of your reach and it would have been too late to save her." Roxas had been having an odd feeling about the guy for the longest time, but it was Sora who noticed immediately who he really was. He wasn't sure whether to call it luck or destiny, but it worked out in everyone's favor. Well, everyone but Kairi's.

Kairi's eyes lowered to the ground at the words she heard, aware that Sora was speaking to somebody on the phone. She wasn't sure who, but she could only assume Roxas or Namine. Regardless, the tears remained in her eyes at the words, which only made things worse. His darkness. Nathaniel's darkness...

 

"....What if she would have been happy?" Sora asked, furrowing his eyebrows at the thought. "I know she was deceived, but what if she could have lived her life in Glassice in ignorance? Would she have been happy to rule beside Prince Nathaniel?" They were haunting questions, but they were serious ones that Sora needed answers to.

 

Roxas blinked, arching an eyebrow at one of the things Sora said. "Wait a minute. What do you mean 'in ignorance'?" he asked. There was something he was missing here, he was sure. He had an answer to Sora's question, which was an honest "I don't know", but now he wasn't so sure. Kairi would have lived in Glassice in ignorance of what?

Kairi's suspicions were confirmed, and this conversation was indeed about her...and Nathaniel. She continued to stare at the floor, hearing Sora's words and trying to process them. She knew the answers, to every single question. She just couldn't say anything and let her presence be known.

 

"I mean if she didn't know about his darkness," Sora clarified. Nathaniel had put on a good charade on Earth, and Sora had a feeling that the charade would have continued even after he and Kairi were rulers of Glassice. After all, Sora doubted that Kairi would be a very happy Princess if she realized Nathaniel wasn't the person she thought he was.

 

"You'd think that the two of them ruling together would be...different," Roxas said, thinking things through. "I mean, Nathaniel was a Prince of Darkness, and Kairi is a Princess of Heart with nothing but Pure Light inside her. She wouldn't have belonged there." Roxas would have thought the Prince would've thought the plan through, but maybe he did...and that was another reason he wanted Kairi. For her Light.

Kairi felt the tears overrun her eyes as Sora continued to speak. The thing was, she was ignorant of Nathaniel's darkness. Completely. That was one of the things that frightened her; she had no idea until Sora forced it out of Nathaniel.

 

Sora exhaled a breath in relief, liking the way that Roxas put it. "You're right," he said softly. "Kairi's smart; she would have figured it out eventually. His darkness would have been too strong for her to ignore after too long." He paused for a second, setting his hand on his knee as he gazed at the wall in front of him. "I did the right thing saving her, didn't I?"

 

"Of course you did," Roxas answered seriously, not missing a beat. He was sure that Kairi would have been miserable in Glassice, being forced to rule beside somebody as deceitful as Nathaniel. Sora must have known that as well. "Why do you even have to ask?"

Kairi wiped at the tears that silently ran down her face, the girl remaining quiet and hidden just outside the living room. As painful as yesterday was to endure, Sora had absolutely done the right thing; she could see that through everything else she was feeling. Even if seeing him defeat Nathaniel had been more than painful for her, it was right. But...she had been with Nathaniel for four months and hadn't noticed anything but how odd her friends had acted around him, and she thought that was because he wasn't Sora. Kairi was a fool, and tricking her must have been incredibly easy.

 

"...There are a lot of things I don't know, these days," Sora said softly. "I'm proven wrong a lot, and I can't help but doubt my actions sometimes." At that moment, he was thinking about how when he first connected with Riku in Agrabah, Riku insisted he needed to be on Earth to protect Kairi. Sora argued back that he was keeping her safe by staying away. He couldn't have been more wrong.

 

Roxas frowned slightly, his eyebrows furrowing as he held the phone to his ear. "You shouldn't. Four months with Riku should have made you more confident in your abilities, not the other way around." He had to admit that Riku could be blunt when he wanted to be, but Sora stayed for a reason, and so Roxas ended up having to go home. The blond was still a little ticked about that and the fact that Sora didn't think that time had really given him an advantage. Of course, he wasn't going to get mad at Sora about that now; they were focusing on Kairi right now.

 

"It did help," Sora said with a nod. "But I just wish I knew what to do now. Kairi's hurting, and there's nothing I can do to take away her pain." He felt so helpless; all he knew how to do anymore was fight physical battles. He didn't know if he could comfort Kairi in any way, or if she would want him to.

 

"She's gonna need her friends, and that includes you," Roxas replied into the phone, already trying to think of ways that they could make this easier on Kairi. "Even if it doesn't seem like it right now, I'm sure your support means the most to her, Sora." Roxas knew that Kairi still had feelings for Sora, somewhere inside her. The fact that she had a broken heart and was in shock was just going to make it a little more difficult to get to.

When Kairi heard Sora's words, she sank down to the floor, keeping her back against the wall. Everything she was hearing just seemed to confuse her more. She wasn't sure what to think about anything, afraid she would be fooled again. The girl impatiently brushed away the tears that streamed down her face, knowing that things between her and Sora were even worse now.

 

"I hope you're right, Roxas," Sora said quietly. But he wasn't sure how Kairi would react to him; so far, it didn't appear too good. But he had just gotten done telling Roxas how often he was proven wrong, so maybe this was one of those cases. He hoped that it was.