Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

"You?" Kairi's eyes darted up to Sora, confusion in them. What did that mean? How did Nathaniel manipulate Sora? She could barely remember much of the conversation the three had, since she had been in so much shock.

 

Sora set his jaw, gazing at the wall so that Kairi wouldn't see the hardness in his eyes. "The Heartless were summoned by his father to force me into leaving you alone, unprotected and lonely, so that Nathaniel could get you on the rebound." He shut his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing at saying it verbally. He hated that he hadn't seen this coming, but really, nobody could have predicted anything of the sort happening.

 

Kairi frowned slightly, but nodded. "Oh... That's right. He did say that, didn't he?" She had been so surprised at how easily she had been fooled that she had almost blocked out everything at the time. But now that Sora said something, she did remember those details. It was a shame; both she and Sora were in the same boat here. He was tricked into leaving her, and she was tricked into falling in love. Kairi wasn't sure which was worse.

 

Sora nodded wordlessly, keeping his eyebrows furrowed. After a moment, though, a voice came into his head. Chill out, Sora; emotions are bad. Get rid of them. He exhaled a heavy breath through his nose, the teen burying the anger deep inside his heart in hopes that he wouldn't feel it again. It was an unpleasant emotion, even if he deserved to feel it.

 

"I'm sorry he did that," Kairi said without thought. "Nathaniel was never that way until a few days ago... I mean, I saw how Roxas acted around him, and Namine too sometimes, but I didn't really understand until you showed up." She bit her lip slightly, exhaling a soft breath. "I guess it makes sense. Nathaniel saw you as a threat."

 

Sora nodded once again, opening his eyes and looking at the wall in front of him. "As he should have," he said, referring to Nathaniel viewing him as a threat. "He made a lot of errors and seriously underestimated me. That proves that he obviously wasn't the person who came up with this elaborate plan of deception." Judging from what the dying Prince told him, it had been his father who came up with everything.

 

Kairi nodded in agreement. Nathaniel obviously hadn't expected Sora to return so soon; she remembered how surprised he was when Sora arrived on her doorstep. She had a feeling she had been more shocked than him, however.

 

Sora tightened his embrace around Kairi, remembering how Nathaniel implied his father would get revenge for his son's murder. The brunet had argued back that he himself would be the target and not Kairi, but still, the thought of dealing with any more people from Glassice made him uneasy.

 

Kairi looked up at Sora when she felt him embrace her a little more, and she felt that she needed to say something. "Sora?" she called softly, at the same time trying to think of words that could sum up what she wanted to say in whole.

 

Sora blinked, leaving his awful thoughts behind. He then realized that he was holding Kairi very close to him, and he wondered if she was about to tell him that. "Too tight?" he asked immediately, loosening his embrace a little as he shifted his gaze to the girl in his arms. "Sorry!" He had gotten so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't thought about Kairi's comfort. .

 

Kairi felt the faintest smile turn up on her face, but she shook her head. "No, it isn't that," she admitted gently. Actually, that hadn't even crossed her mind; she had been very comfortable there, but it didn't matter anymore. What she wanted to say to Sora was completely different.

 

Sora felt a sheepish smile appear on his lips, the teen embarrassed that he had misjudged Kairi's tone. He supposed that after being away for so long, that he couldn't expect everything to be crystal clear like it used to. No matter how badly he wanted that, he knew that the easiness of life wouldn't come back for a long time.

 

Kairi shyly looked down from Sora's gaze, pressing her lips together. "Um..." she started hesitantly. How was she going to say this? She had so much to say to him, but she wasn't sure how to put it. It didn't matter; she already started. She had to come up with a way to finish.

 

"Yes, Kairi?" Sora encouraged patiently, keeping Kairi in his arms as he looked down at her. Whatever she had to say seemed pretty important, judging by how she had diverted her gaze. He wasn't sure what to expect, so instead of pondering it, he would just wait patiently for her to say what she needed to say.

 

Kairi's eyes lifted to connect with Sora's again, and she could see the patience within them. That was enough encouragement, so she continued. "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did," she started softly, referring to how she apologized earlier for her actions, "but I do want you to know that I appreciate what you did yesterday. Even if things have...changed between us, I'm still grateful." She felt very shy at her statements, the girl letting her eyes fall to her lap as she continued to be held by the boy next to her. "Um... I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Kairi bit her lip and then looked back up at Sora, taking in a breath and calming herself. "...Thank you," she finished softly, nodding to him slightly.

 

Sora smiled softly, looking down at the girl he was still holding in his arms. "You're welcome," he said quietly, his bright blue eyes staying on Kairi's. But you don't need to thank me, he added mentally. I rescued you because I wanted to, not because of an obligation to protect you because of your title. He would have done it all again in a heartbeat if he needed to.

 

Kairi felt her lips turn up at the warm response Sora spoke, and his own expression; his eyes were bright and kind, as well as the smile he was wearing. At the same time, though, she felt odd. How could she be smiling at a time like this? The thought affected Kairi's expression, her smile faltering and her eyes lowering again.

 

Sora's smile faded away, the teen seeing Kairi's expression. "Kairi," he murmured, pulling her closer to him again. He shut his eyes and lowered his head, resting his cheek on top of her red hair. He had missed holding her...so much. He couldn't help but keep her close to him now.

 

Kairi didn't say anything, simply letting Sora hold her. Someone she loved... They died. She knew that was one of the reasons behind her heartbreak, and it hurt a little more now that she finally realized it.

 

Sora exhaled a softly breath, shutting his eyes and running his hand over Kairi's back. He wasn't just doing it for her sake; he was doing it for himself, too. He had been wanting to hold her in his arms for the longest time, and now that he was, he wasn't going to let this time go to waste.