Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Nathan, the guy she knew... He was actually gone. Kairi's fingers curled around the fabric of Sora's shirt as she sat there, finding it hard to comprehend. The last four months had been great for her, because he helped take her pain away. But he'd also brought pain upon her, by lying and tricking her into liking him, which actually turned into more. It was devastating, to know that somebody she loved had actually fooled her.

 

What Kairi had done with Nathaniel had been completely out of character for her. When Sora saw Kairi, she saw who she really was, not who she was on the surface. He saw the good things in her, as well as the bad. But in the end, the good things greatly outweighed the bad, which was why he continued to love her, even if he wasn't sure if she still loved him back.

 

Somebody she loved was just killed...and by the boy that was holding her. She knew that it had to be done, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if that was okay. "Sora," she said, her voice showing her sorrow. Kairi needed the comfort, she knew that. But somehow...it just seemed wrong.

 

Sora stopped running his hand over Kairi's back, lifting his cheek of her head when she spoke. "Yes?" he said softly, though his own thoughts kept trying to haunt him. Think about it later, Sora, he told himself. You're not nearly as important as Kairi is right now.

 

Kairi looked up at the boy next to her, biting her lip in uncertainty. "I appreciate you being here and everything, but..." She shook her head slightly, bringing her arms back from Sora and starting to pull away. "...This just doesn't seem right."

 

Sora pulled back when Kairi did, a hint of sadness appearing in his bright blue eyes. He was doing his best to cover it up, though with patience and understanding, and he felt he was doing alright. He nodded and faced forward, leaning in that direction and setting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands. "I understand," he said simply. Really, he did. He wasn't surprised that Kairi pulled away. But he was sad about it.

 

"I'm sorry," Kairi apologized quickly, seeing Sora's reaction. "But... Things between us have changed. We can't pretend like our relationship is the same anymore." She felt like she wanted to cry again at the truth behind her words, but she continued. "And a person that I've fallen in love with... He's gone. It doesn't feel right to smile and act like everything's going to be okay. Even if it was a result of a lie, my feelings are still real." Kairi looked at Sora sadly, pressing her lips together once she was finished. There was no other way to really put it; she felt...guilty.

 

At first, when Kairi said that a person that she feel in lovew with was gone, Sora thought she was referring to him. He had changed a lot, though he wasn't sure if that was clear to Kairi or not. But when she continued, he understood that she was referring to Nathaniel. "I know," Sora said quietly, keeping his gaze at the wall. "Don't worry about it; I comprehend that things can't just go back to being alright again so quickly."

 

"...If they ever do," Kairi murmured to herself, lowering her head to stare at her hands. What she didn't know, however, was that the words were loud enough for Sora to hear as well. She missed him, she really did, and she missed the person Nathaniel used to be as well. One left, so the other showed up. And then the other left her for good, and then the first boy came back. Kairi was afraid this was going to turn into a pattern, but she didn't want that. She wanted one boy, and one boy only; someone who wouldn't break her heart and trick her into something against her will. That was cruel, and Kairi despised anyone that had such darkness within them. But how did she fall in love with somebody just like that?

 

Sora heard Kairi's words, and he frowned. He lifted a hand, wanting to comfort her. But then he realized that she didn't want him touching her. That hurt him deeply, but he recovered by lifting his hand and running it over the back of his hair right away. "Someday, it'll be alright again," he said softly, shutting his eyes. Not only were things messed up on Kairi's side of things, but Sora was having a hard time as well. Actually, he felt like getting up and running out of the room right away. But he couldn't move his legs, and he knew deep down inside that leaving abruptly would have been a bad move, anyway.

 

Kairi looked up at Sora at his words. "Maybe for you. You always overcome whatever's in your way, Sora," she said softly. "But...I don't know how I can move on from this. I've never felt so... I've never felt this way before." Kairi couldn't say the words broken or shattered, knowing they were too close to expressing how she felt. She didn't want Sora worrying about her, but what was with her letting him hold her then? Kairi tucked her hair behind her ear, her eyes falling to her lap again. You're confused, she decided. And that's okay...

 

Sora shook his head, disagreeing. He had overcome a lot, but there were still some major obstacles that he was facing, even now. He had lost the person he once was, and he knew that he wasn't coming back. If he were that person, then he would have known what to say to Kairi right now. He would have known what to say to make her feel better, or at lesat give her hope. Unfortunately, though, he didn't have a clue what to do now. So instead of saying something stupid, he decided to stay silent.

 

Kairi wasn't surprised when she was answered with silence; she didn't know what to say either. Things were difficult now, more than they have been before. She was just going to have to accept and deal, as hard as that was going to be.

 

"You know something, Kairi?" Sora stared softly, looking down at the ground in front of him. "I..." What was he going to say? There was no way he was going to hint that anything bad happened over the last four months for him; neither of them could handle that. He pushed those thoughts behind him, saying what was on his mind. "...I always viewed you as the stronger one of the two of us. You were...always so sure, about who you were, what you wanted out of life...everything."

 

Kairi's eyes rested on Sora as he spoke, and once he was done, she frowned. She wasn't that person anymore, she knew she wasn't. She had no idea where to go from here, or what she wanted anymore.

 

"And I know, things have changed," Sora said quickly, only listening to the silence for a second or two before he continued. "But...maybe some things, they never change." He wasn't only speaking to Kairi; he was speaking to himself. He needed to know that he wasn't a completely different person than he used to be. He needed to know if the "old" Sora was still inside him, somehwere.

 

"...Like what?" Kairi asked softly, not sure what he meant by that. To her, everything had changed, so it was hard for her to comprehend that things were still the same somehow.

 

"Maybe...the core being of a person is never really changed that much," Sora said, looking up at the ceiling. He was speaking more for his own sake then Kairi's, the brunet trying to sort everything out. "Different circumstances bring out different aspects of a person, but perhaps deep inside their heart, they've never really changed."

 

Kairi nodded slightly, understanding that. Right now, she could see that Sora was different than when he left, but somewhere he was the same guy. Like when he was comforting her, that was the same guy she had grown up with and been best friends with...and loved. She wasn't sure where they stood now, but she knew he was different in some ways, but at the same time he was still the same old Sora.

 

Sora shut his eyes, exhaling a breath when he only heard silence. He believed what he said...when it applied to Kairi. As for himself, he wasn't sure. His old self was so out of reach that he didn't believe he would ever make contact with him again. Even if at his core, he was the same person, he couldn't ever see himself looking at things with the childish, naive eyes he had been seeing life through a mere four months ago.