Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora exhaled a breath, continuing. "I have this burden because somehow Fate knew I could handle it." No matter how hard it is sometimes, he thought. It was true that because of his burden as a Keyblade Master, he felt the weight of the worlds on his shoulders. And he was only fifteen! Some days, it just didn't feel right, having this burden. His heart often ached for the worlds far off, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to ease the suffering of those oppressed by the dark. Heh, some hero...he thought sadly.

 

Kairi nodded, staying silent. She wasn't sure what to say, her mind and heart both clueless as to what would be the best thing to tell Sora at that moment. But she couldn't find anything within her that would be right enough. He was right--it may have been a burden, but he could also call it a gift. The Keyblade was an extraordinary weapon, and it picked Sora. "You have a strong heart, Sora," she finally told him. "That's why the Keyblade picked you."

 

Sora nodded wordlessly. He wouldn't admit to Kairi that sometimes he thought the Keyblade had made a mistake. There had to be better wielders out there...somewhere. There had to have been somebody somewhere that could do much more good with it than he ever could. It wasn't too often that he allowed himself to dwell on these thoughts, because of his natural optimism he pushed it away before it could really sink in.

 

Kairi went along with Sora's lead and let the silence continue to linger. What could she say? This whole conversation had been touchy, especially the earlier points. No. She was not going to think over those things another time; she wouldn't allow herself to give in to her weaknesses.

 

"The one thing I don't like about the Keyblade," Sora started softly, "is that it seems to attract trouble. And the people closest to me suffer because of it." Whether the trouble was specifically related to his Keyblade or not, bad situations always seemed to start with him. This was partially why he felt like he needed to be the hero--if it started with him, then it should end with him, too.

 

Kairi smiled weakly. "There comes a price when you're a Princess of Heart too," she added softly. Of course, she was talking about all of the mess her title even caused. From the incidents back home on Destiny Islands to Hollow Bastion, and then here in New York.

 

Sora turned his head, sadly looking over at Kairi. Yes, her title. That caused some problems too. But at least they had been able to conquer those problems. Kairi used her light to fight her own battle in her heart, and then when Carter and Smith tried to take her--Sora looked away, furrowing his brows slightly. He hated Carter. Just like he knew Roxas hated Smith. Sora had come to Kairi's rescue when she was held hostage and also when she was with Roxas trying to recover Namine. It really was unfortunate that people in other worlds knew who they were. After all, they just wanted normal lives now...

 

Kairi's weak smile turned into a sad frown, her eyes lowering to her lap before closing. "...That's why Namine was wanted, too. She was discovered through me, and with her being my Nobody, she has powers just as strong as the light in my heart..." It only made sense now that she made the connection--it was Kairi's fault.

 

Sora shook his head slightly. "You can't blame yourself for that," he said softly, knowing what she was thinking. "Those men were evil--they don't care about connections, only their own desire for power. That's why they wanted Namine."

 

Kairi opened her eyes, but avoided Sora's gaze. She nodded once, despite what she was thinking. Then what could they have wanted with me? I don't have any powers... What Kairi didn't know, though, is that those words transferred to her heart, speaking out.

 

Sora blinked, still looking at Kairi. Judging by her expression, she had no clue he had just heard her thoughts through his heart. "You're more powerful than you think," he said softly. "The light inside you was strong enough to defeat the most black darkness. It invaded your heart, but you won. That says something." He was referring to Dark Kairi, though he didn't dare say her name. It was still a very unpleasant topic.

 

Kairi's eyes shot up to Sora's face as he spoke, surprised that he knew what she was talking about. Once he was finished, she smiled faintly, nodding. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but that was all she would acknowledge about that topic; she definitely didn't want to think about her anymore.

 

Sora returned Kairi's small smile with a weak one of his own. He couldn't think of anything else to say now--they had covered a lot of ground with that conversation. First what happened, and then general stuff about their respective identities. Yeah, that was a lot of stuff to cover in one sitting.

 

Kairi adjusted her hand in Sora's, grasping it more tightly. It seemed that after any conversation similar to this one, they grew closer. She figured that wasn't possible at the point they were at before, but today she was proven wrong.

 

Sora's bright blue orbs wandered downward, seeing Kairi's hand holding his a bit mroe tightly. His weak, slightly forced smile from before naturally grew. This time, though the smile was still small, it was real.

 

Kairi followed Sora's gaze, her eyes lowering to fall on the sight of their hands together. She smiled slightly, knowing in her heart that it was meant to be this way--her and Sora, together.

 

"I love you, Kai," Sora said softly. "I promise, I'll always be there with you." Even if something were to happen to him someday--a topic he didn't dwell on--he would still be with her in spirit. They were connected, now and forever.

 

Kairi's smile grew naturally, the girl's eyes finding Sora's. "I love you too," she replied softly, meaning it greatly. By the warmth that had invaded her heart at his words, she knew it was impossible to deny it.

 

Namine, still lying on the couch and still asleep, wasn't feeling the peace she had expected. Her thoughts from the previous day had been extremely chaotic, so deep down inside, she had been hoping for a peaceful slumber. However, there was no peace about this. It was a nightmare...a true, terrifying nightmare.

There was a scene in front of her--A man in a black hood, standing on the walkway to her house. And there she was, standing right by her front door. The Namine in her dreams was speaking, but she couldn't hear anything. Her mouth may have been moving, but no words were coming out. Same for the man who was looking back at her.

But then, suddenly, he moved forward and grabbed onto her, gripping her tightly. Finally, noise could be heard. The Namine in her dreams screamed loudly, but the man didn't release her--he gripped harder. And he laughed

Namine bolted upright on the couch, a scream leaving her lips.

 

Roxas's eyes flashed open, the boy jerking awake at the high-pitched scream. His hands gripping the arm rests, Roxas's eyes darted to the couch, locating the source of the cry: Namine. His facial features immediately represented extreme worry and fear. He pushed himself up from the chair, quickly making his way to the girl's side.