Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

When Kairi met Sora's gaze, she could tell instantly that he was indeed very serious. His tone of voice also gave her that impression. She nodded wordlessly, aware that there was no way for her to try and get Sora to talk about it. If it was that bad, she didn't really want to hear it.

 

Sora kept his eyes on Kairi, seeing her nod. Still, that wasn't enough assurance for him--he needed to know that she would never bring any of this up again. "I need you to do something for me," he started softly, his eyes showing his seriousness. "I need you to promise me that you will never ask me about what happened while I was gone." If she or Roxas or even Namine found out more about what happened and how severely it changed him, he didn't know what he would do.

 

Kairi's hand stopped in the middle of Sora's back, the girl staring at him. "Sora, you're starting to scare me," she confessed quietly. Even more than she already was. She had been scared before, when she heard what was happening at Roxas's. Now she wasn't sure what to think about any of this.

 

Sora shook his head, turning his gaze forward when he heard Kairi's confession. "I'm not trying to scare you, Kai," he said softly, his voice gentler now. "I'm trying to protect you." She didn't need to know about Castle Oblivion or the part of the Christmas Town story that he hadn't told. It was better that she was kept in the dark on all the serious stuff that occurred.

 

Kairi didn't say anything, not sure what she could come up with as a response. If things were that serious, she wasn't sure what was best for her. If Sora was trying to protect her, would keeping these things from her really do that? Or would it just be worse for her in the long run?

 

"There are times when I wish I didn't know what I went through in the past four months," Sora confessed, looking down at the ground. "Trust me; it's better if you don't know." Even if this meant that he could never open up to her about what happened, it was worth it as long as she was happy. When it came to the two of them, she was always more important.

 

Kairi's eyes stayed on Sora, and she silently nodded. "...Alright. I promise I won't ask you anything about your mission," she said softly. Kairi did trust Sora; that's why she was taking his word for it. If he thought she shouldn't know, it was probably within her best interest to listen to him.

 

Sora nodded, exhaling a breath of relief when Kairi made that promise to him. Promises used to be very important to the two of them, and he hoped that hadn't changed over the past few months. He had a feeling that Kairi would keep this promise, though, so that made him become less tense at that moment.

 

Kairi let her eyes rest back on her hand, which she kept pressed against Sora's back in the small silence that surrounded the two of them. She wasn't sure what to say now. The promise seemed to be enough, since she could tell that he was less tense by her hand remaining where it was.

 

Sora turned his head to look over at Kairi again, the brunet seeing that she was looking at her hand on his back. He felt like he needed to say something, to reassure her that he was fine with what happened in Christmas Town. But he wasn't, and he doubted that he ever would be.

 

Kairi exhaled a small breath and let her hand move along Sora's back once more, her eyes falling on him then. She had felt his gaze on her only seconds before, and now that she met his eyes, she could see that he still seemed very serious. She doubted that was going to change anytime soon, so she knew she would have to get used to it. He wasn't her carefree Sora anymore; he'd grown up while he was gone.

 

Sora saw the look in Kairi's eyes, and he knew that she had seen how serious and troubled he was by what occurred in the past four months. He lowered his gaze to the couch, weariness in his blue eyes. "Sorry," he said, though he wasn't sure what he was sorry for. "I just..." Just what? He didn't even know what he was saying anymore; he was a mess.

 

"Don't apologize," Kairi softly insisted, shaking her head. If Sora thought that he was in the wrong for not filling her in on the dangerous encounters he had, he was mistaken. If anybody deserved an apology, it was him. And she had offered them a few times, but it didn't matter how many times she said sorry; it was just important that he heard it...right?

 

Sora nodded slightly, glancing up at Kairi before looking downwards again. Snap out of this, Sora, he told himself. You can't have a mental breakdown in front of Kairi. Obviously she saw he was upset over everything that had happened, but that didn't mean he had to lose it completely.

 

Even at that small glance, Kairi saw the look in Sora's eyes. She tilted her head slightly in concern. "...Do you need anything? A drink? Something to eat?" She didn't mind getting him something he wanted. If he wanted to watch the tv, that was fine. Or if he wanted to go home, that was okay too. As long as he was comfortable; Sora appeared a little uneasy.

 

"Um," Sora blinked, trying to find the words to answer Kairi's questions. "I'll just take a water." He really wasn't hungry; he actually felt a little sick to his stomach because of how quickly reality set in on him. Hopefully the water would help him get rid of that feeling, though.

 

Kairi nodded once and removed her hand from Sora's back, pushing herself up from the couch. She started out of the room in silence, going to get his water. It was the least she could do, after all.

 

When Kairi was out of his sight, Sora leaned forward more on the couch, his elbows on his knees and a hand on his forehead. He exhaled a silent breath, shutting his eyes. This is weakness, you know, he told himself harshly. You need to put this behind you so that Kairi isn't worried. You saw the look in her eyes; she's concerned for you. It shouldn't be that way.

 

Kairi entered the kitchen after a small trip down the hallway, heading straight for the fridge. She opened the door and reached in, grabbing one of the water bottles out in the open. She then started back toward the living room to the deliver the beverage.

 

You're supposed to be the strong one right now, Sora reminded himself, having been thinking about that for a while. Kairi was surely recovering from Nathaniel, and he was supposed to be fully devoted to helping her with that. Instead, now he had to deal with everything that Roxas had forced him to recall. Terrific.