Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora stopped holding his hands together and wiped them on his jeans before lifting the hand opposite of the shoulder Kairi had her hand on. He brought it up and sat it lightly on hers, his head staying down.

 

After a moment of stillness, Kairi mustered up the strength to ask one more question. "...Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice near a whisper. She was scared to find out, but her concern was too great to hide; she needed to know.

 

Sora felt himself become even more tense, which he didn't even know was possible. He slowly took in a breath, trying to keep himself apathetic for Kairi's sake. "Mostly just sore," he said softly, honestly. "I have a nasty burn on my side though...probably has a scar by now," his voice was softer for the last bit, but he still said it clearly and loudly enough for Kairi to hear it. There was no point in hiding the truth from her--she was great at seeing through lies.

 

Kairi squeezed her eyes shut tighter at the injury, fighting the urge to suck in a breath. "Oh," she simply said, not knowing what else to say. How else could you respond with news like that?

 

Sora kept his head down, unmoving. Kairi obviously had nothing to say to that, and honestly, neither did he. He wouldn't add anything more to this conversation unless Kairi asked him something--he wouldn't just come out and say how painful the whole experience was. That would only make Kairi feel more concerned.

 

Kairi pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to do something she would regret--cry. She hated doing that in front of Sora; she would come off as weak and vulnerable. And she hated feeling that way. "I'm...so sorry, Sora," she whispered without thought. Kairi couldn't help but feel bad for what had happened to him.

 

Sora turned his head, finally looking at Kairi. "There's nothing to be sorry for," he said softly. "Stuff happens." People are bound to get hurt in dangerous situations like that, he thought. I'm just glad it was me, because I know that I can handle it. He was sure Roxas could tolerate pain too, but that didn't change Sora's feelings--if it had to happen to anyone, he wanted it to be him and not his friends.

 

Kairi lifted her eyelids, her gaze immediately locking with Sora's. "I know..." she said, smiling weakly, that smile disappearing as fast as it appeared. Still, even if she knew that, it didn't necessarily mean it had to happen to him. It had always been him, which was what she despised most.

 

Sora frowned slightly, turning his hand on Kairi's so that he held hers. He lowered it slightly, letting their hands sit between them. "Hey," he said softly, forcing a small smile. "It's alright."

 

Kairi shook her head, swallowing hard. "No, it's not," she said, fighting her emotions. She didn't want to appear weak, but she guessed that wasn't working out so well. "It's always you, Sora. Or always Namine..."

 

Sora shook his head slightly, his smile disappearing. "No, Kairi..." he said softly. "We've all been through rough times. You're just thinking of me and Namine because of what happened yesterday." Alright, so maybe that was a bit of stretch. After all, Sora had been hit the hardest last winter, and then Namine soon after him. But just because they were the ones directly targeted didn't mean that Kairi and Roxas didn't have it hard too.

 

Kairi lowered her eyes, staying silent. She wasn't sure what to say, but she could argue that. Out of all the things that have happened to them all, she had it the easiest. And she hated it. She knew Sora wouldn't approve of that kind of talk, but she couldn't deny it. And neither could he. He might have been grateful for it, but Kairi wasn't; she wished she could take some of the pain from her friends and put it on herself--it would make her feel better, and make her feel like she was on the same page as them. But at this point, she was a few chapters behind.

 

"...I know you don't agree with me..." Sora said softly, looking away. "But I've been with you for a long time, Kai. And whenever I go through something rough, you always carry the burden yourself. So don't think you have it too easy, because unfortunately, you don't." Of course he wished Kairi had an easy life. But because of the trouble that seemed to be attracted to him, he knew that wasn't going to happen. When he felt sorrow, Kairi felt sorrow. They were connected.

 

Kairi's hand instantly tightened around Sora's at his words. "Maybe..." she said slowly. "But that's only the mental pain, which is far less worse than your physical pain, Sora. I just wish I could take it from you..." There were so many things she wished she could do, but she was capable of so little.

 

Sora stayed silent. He couldn't argue with Kairi's latest point, because she was right--he was the one who always took the fall in battle to protect his friends. But he purposely put himself in that position so Roxas wouldn't have to. After all, Roxas was like a brother to him, and Sora always would protect him as if he were really a blood relative. Same for the girls. If they ever would get in the way of danger, he would be ready to sacrifice himself for them. Like what happened when Roxas and the girls were going to the gummi ship yesterday.

 

Kairi kept her eyes downcast, staring at her lap. She didn't know what to say now; she'd stated her point. It was always hard to argue with Sora on these kind of subjects, because he was so passionate determine to protect the ones he loved. But...so was she. Couldn't Kairi take the pain for some of her friends once in a while?

 

"Kairi," Sora started softly, knowing that he needed to say what was on his mind. "I'm always the one physically hurt because I purposely set myself up so that if anyone has to take the fall, it's me. It's what I need to do to protect you guys." And by "guys", he meant Kairi, Namine and Roxas.

 

Kairi looked up at Sora's face once he spoke. "I know, Sora," she replied softly. After a brief pause, she continued, "But you don't always have to be the hero. You know that, right? All of us care far too much to let the other get hurt, but when we see you always taking the damage for us, we wish we could take it back from you." Her periwinkle eyes gazed into his, gentle but stern at the same time. "Especially me and Roxas. The people we love the most are always dealing with pain, and sometimes we just wish we could switch places with you and Namine for a while."

 

Sora shook his head, looking down at his lap. "You're wrong," he said softly. "I do have to be the hero." After everything he had been through, he was used to his friends depending on him. With all the worlds he visited, he knew his friends couldn't have made it very far without his help. Like helping to defeat super villains and Organization XIII. He knew Donald and Goofy couldn't have done it without him. He wasn't being cocky thinking that way; it was a fact. And, thinking of recent situations, he knew that he hadn't had a choice yesterday. If anybody was going to stay back and be a sacrifice so the rest could get away, it had to have been him. That's just how most of the situations worked out.

 

Kairi's hold on Sora's hand loosened a little at his words, her eyes falling to her lap again. She wasn't sure how to respond. It was impossible to forget that Sora was the Keyblade Master, destined to save all worlds from darkness. It was what Fate had had in store for him over the years, and he had done that. But there was always going to be darkness unless everybody had a heart of pure light, like her. So, Kairi knew that she couldn't fight Sora about this subject, because in the long run, she would be wrong.