Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora didn't understand. Why did it feel like Kairi was giving him a cold shoulder? "Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice holding a bit of weariness behind it. He didn't realize it, though, since he was still a bit groggy.

 

"...Yeah," Kairi finally admitted, looking at Sora with concerned eyes, but at the same time they showed her frustration. It was strange mix, but it got the point across just through looking at him. "Why did you give me the pillow, Sora?" she asked.

 

Sora blinked in surprise; he hadn't expected Kairi to bring up something so trivial. "So you would be more comfortable," he said. He couldn't decipher the look in Kairi's eyes, it was something strange he hadn't seen before. That, and his grogginess wasn't completely gone yet.

 

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," Kairi insisted, her voice stern as she looked at Sora. As sweet as the gesture was, he needed to start worrying more about himself than her. Especially now, when she was perfectly fine and he was injured.

 

Sora frowned slightly at the tone of her voice, confusion in his eyes. He didn't quite get what she was saying; was there somebody he had to worry about? Roxas, maybe? Did his friend get injured during the fight and not tell him?

 

Kairi pressed her lips together, looking down at her lap for a moment. "You need to stop putting others before yourself," she said softly, lifting her head to meet Sora's gaze. "It's not about being the hero anymore, Sora. You need to start worrying more about yourself." She hated being so blunt about it, but it was the only way she could think of getting it across.

 

Sora blinked, shocked by Kairi's accusations. Did she really feel like he was trying to be strong and mighty? He was only trying to show the people around him how much her cherished them! And Kairi was offended by that? "You think I'm trying to be a hero?" he asked, his tone showing his surprise.

 

Kairi shrugged. "It appears that way," she admitted. With the way he constantly put himself before others gave her that impression. Heroes never put themselves before others, even in the worse of times. It was acceptable when there was actually danger, but when things were like this--comfortable and peaceful, there was no need for it.

 

"I'm just trying to show I care," Sora said, eyes wandering down to the couch. But there was more, wasn't there? He felt something nagging at him--It was the possibility that Kairi had spoken a bit of truth. Was he really trying to make himself seem invincible?

 

"I know, and there's nothing wrong with that," Kairi assured him, her violet eyes watching him. She felt a pang of hurt inside her, but it wasn't something he caused--it was her; she felt guilty for what she was doing to him, but it was truth. And she and Sora had promised a long time ago that they would be honest with each other. "But you have to realize that you need to put yourself first now, especially in your condition."

 

"I'm fine, though," Sora said, waving off her concerns. Just like he always did. He never let people see him when he was weak because he hated being seen that way. Somebody needed to be strong and immovable in his group of friends, and he fulfilled the position because he didn't wish the stress upon any of his other friends.

 

Kairi couldn't help but shake her head. She wasn't only disagreeing with Sora's words, but his intentions. He did this a lot, and she didn't like it. He was hurt, and pretty badly, but he brushed it off. Didn't he remember how he was at the end of that battle? Even during it? She had seen the vulnerability, which showed that he was wrong here, at least in her eyes.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Sora noticed Kairi shaking her head. He wasn't surprised, not at all. He had pulled this card enough in the past that it was clear Kairi wouldn't buy it anymore. Whenever he was hurt or upset, he always pushed it off, and Kairi finally caught onto that. It made things a lot more complicated.

 

"Please try and look at it from a different perspective," Kairi requested softly, her hands tucked in her lap. "What if I was hurt all the time, and I never stopped to think about myself? What if I just pushed away your concerns for me, Sora? Wouldn't that bother you?" She tilted her head to the side, feeling her ruby-red hair fall off her shoulder.

 

Sora abruptly turned his head to look at Kairi, a pained expression flashing in his eyes at the thought of Kairi in pain. "That's completely different," he said without thought. Why in the world would she even think like that? he wondered, concerned.

 

"How?" Kairi asked seriously, arching an eyebrow. She didn't see the difference, really. She cared for Sora as much as he cared for her, and switching the situation around didn't seem so different to her.

 

"Because..." Sora started, trailing off. He had an answer...sort of. It was a thought that sort of related to the question, but he didn't want to say it, afraid he would offend Kairi. Then again though, thinking back to the question, it wouldn't be an answer at all. What did it have to do with things, anyway? Surprisingly nothing. He dropped the thoughts, trying to come up with a real answer for Kairi.

 

Kairi sat beside Sora, waiting patiently for his answer. He seemed to be thinking, and she didn't know what that meant exactly. But she would like to know what he was thinking of. However, she didn't ask. She kept her blue eyes on the boy beside her in silence.

 

"...It just is," Sora said, using the simplest, most illogical answer he could think of. He couldn't come up with any real reasons, and that pained him. Was he really like that--pushing away his own needs and worrying his friends even mroe? It seemed like it was a jerky thing to do now; at least, Kairi made it sound that way.

 

Kairi let her eyes lower at his answer, the girl biting her lip as her gaze dropped to the floor beneath her feet. That answer disappointed her, and surely it showed. That meant, however, that she was most likely correct in this situation.