Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Kairi nodded in silence, her eyes wandering from Sora to the hold he had on her wrist. She wasn't sure what to think of it; the gesture alone was enough to make her heart skip a beat, the feeling of his touch foreign to her. After all, she had been used to somebody else touching her like this recently, and the thought of it made her skin crawl. The girl frowned from thinking about it, her eyes darting to her lap.

 

Sora saw Kairi's frown and he felt his eyes soften. He didn't like seeing her unhappy. He loosening his grip on her wrist further, making it so that she could move away if she wanted to. He would have understood if she did; he didn't know where he stood with her, and whether he was in a good place or a bad one.

 

Kairi slowly brought her hand out of Sora's grasp, setting it in her lap along with the rag. She just didn't think she could handle that kind of touch right now; it reminded her too much of Nathaniel. She felt bad that that was the case, but it was how things were.

 

Sora nodded faintly, not surprised. Kairi probably wasn't too happy with him, considering what pain he must have caused her by killing somebody she loved. He winced at his physical and emotional pain, leaning forward and setting his elbows on his knees before he folded his hands in front of him.

 

Kairi kept her eyes lowered to her lap, but after a moment she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Sora. It was then that she looked back down. She wished she could say something, anything, but that would require her to somehow think logically through the mess in her head. Unfortunately, Kairi didn't think that was possible.

 

Sora looked over at Kairi, his eyes only showing gentleness. "Would you like to sit on the couch?" he said softly. Surely it was more comfortable than the ground. However, there was a possibility she would say no, since she probably didn't want to be too close to him.

 

Kairi glanced at Sora, seeing the look in his eyes, and then she looked at the couch. She nodded slightly and pushed herself up from her position on the floor. She turned around and sat down beside Sora, leaning forward and setting the damp rag on the table in front of them. Once she did that, she put her hand back in her lap, her gaze falling back down to her pajama pants.

 

Sora felt a little relieved when Kairi sat down next to him, even if they weren't touching at all. He was a little afraid to ask his next question, but it was one that needed to be addressed. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked softly, turning his head to look at the girl beside him.

 

Kairi felt herself sadden at the question, the girl immediately shaking her head. She didn't want to be alone right now, even if she wasn't good company. She didn't think she could handle what being alone could do to her--memories being triggered of when Sora was away the first two weeks, the possibility of her thoughts focusing on Nathaniel again, or yesterday in general. Kairi was a little scared of that, even though she knew it would happen sometime.

 

Sora nodded, relieved that she answered that way. He didn't want to leave her alone; he felt that doing that would be unhealthy for her. Of course, he wasn't in a position where he could say what was and wasn't best for her. He missed out on a lot, he knew that. And like he told Nathaniel, he was willing to accept the consequences of leaving her alone.

 

Kairi saw Sora respond out of the corner of her eye, and she was glad that he wasn't leaving. He might not have known it then, but she felt safer when he was around; she always had. A few months away at least hadn't changed that.

 

Sora knew that Kairi wasn't big on talking right now, but he felt it was necessary for him to ask yet another question. "Do you want to talk?" he asked softly, his voice gentle. He wanted her to know that he was there for her, and if she needed a friend, he would be that friend. If she needed something more than a friend, then he would be that too.

 

Kairi fiddled with her fingers, her focus on them as she swallowed. She couldn't ignore this question, and she wanted to answer truthfully. "I do, but..." she managed, but her thoughts stopped her. The words that were on the tip of her tongue caused a chain of memories in her mind, stopping her. "...I don't know where to start." Kairi composed herself enough to finish, her words nothing but the truth. She was incredibly lost and crushed; she knew this wasn't going to be easy.

 

Sora silently nodded, politely looking away from Kairi and gazing at the wall in front of him instead. He could understand why she would feel that way, and he didn't judge her for it at all. That jerk had broken her heart, leaving her an emotional disaster. He was angry at Nathaniel for that, but he buried that anger deep inside, knowing that it wouldn't help Kairi feel any better.

 

Kairi wasn't sure what to say from there, at a loss for words. What she had spoken triggered many memories to appear in her mind, starting from the two lonely weeks apart from Sora and then to yesterday, when he saved her again. She had no idea where to begin, or even what to say to make her thoughts sound logical; she was a trainwreck.

 

"Take all the time you need," Sora said softly, reassuring Kairi. "I'll stay as long as you need me to." He didn't feel like there was any other place he needed to be except by Kairi's side, being somebody who she could talk to. It was the least he could do after leaving her alone for so long.

 

Thank you, Kairi thought, not being able to speak at that moment. The fact that Sora was there for her after all she had done to him--betraying him and putting him in a position to protect her once again--made Kairi feel a little better. His presence just did that to her, always.

 

Sora sat in the silence, extremely patient. He had always been patient with Kairi, but now it was different. He didn't show any signs of eagerness, and he didn't feel any of that emotion, either. Kairi would open up when she could, so there was no point rushing things along.

 

Kairi took in a breath and then exhaled, knowing that Sora's presence was calming her down. She was still shaken up from everything she had found out yesterday, but he was at least making it a little easier for her. She was grateful for that, even if she didn't know how to express that right now.

 

Sora shut his eyes, using his willpower to dim the headache he had. Now wasn't the time to allow physical pain to distract him; Kairi needed him. He would do everything he could to help her. He was greatly concerned about her, and he would be there for her no matter what.