Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora's eyes softened at Kairi's short response, and he started to wonder if he said something wrong. "Hey," he said softly, trying to get her attention. He took his hand off her shoulder and lightly set it under her chin, lifting her face gently so he could look into her eyes again.

 

Kairi's eyes lifted as soon as Sora's fingers made contact with the bottom of her chin. She gazed at the bright blue eyes she had grown to adore, listening politely for what Sora had to say.

 

Sora lightly held Kairi's gaze, keeping his hand under her chin. "I don't know exactly what's going to happen," he started softly. "But I can promise you this: Things'll be alright. Someday. Somehow. It'll be okay."

 

Kairi took in Sora's words, feeling them rush to her heart. She nodded in acknowledgement. She knew he meant was he said, and absorbing all of what was happening made her eyes sting. Kairi believed that Sora was being truthful about what he said, and trusted his promise. With Roxas nearby on their journey, she didn't doubt that he'd be okay. But the fact that he even had a journey--that returning realization made her feel sorrow again.

 

Sora smiled weakly at Kairi's nod, but the smile faded almost as quickly as it had appeared. He moved his hand from under her chin to her cheek, his eyes tempted to follow the movement. But he didn't dare let himself look away from Kairi now, since she needed some reassurance.

 

Kairi exhaled softly at the touch, her eyes closing for a second as she tried to compose herself. She didn't want to cry in front of Sora anymore, but as time went on, it got harder. As she took in a breath she opened her eyes, her periwinkle gazing into the deep blue so familiar to her. What scared her, though, was if she would ever see them again.

 

Sora gently ran his thumb over Kairi's cheek, his eyes staying on her despite the fact that she was no longer looking at him. Gosh, she looked so down. He wanted to lift her off her feet, swing her around, and kiss her in a way that told her he would never leave her. But he did have to leave her in the very near future.

 

"...Are you scared?" Kairi asked without thought, glancing down from Sora's gaze. She wasn't sure what emotions she was getting from him through her heart anymore, too scatter-brained herself. She knew one thing for sure though, and that was that she was very afraid for him. And Roxas too.

 

Sora was startled by the question. He hadn't expected Kairi to be so bold or ask something that haunted him so much. "...Yes," he confessed softly. The word "scared" seemed like an understatement in a lot of ways. Not only was he afraid for himself, but he was terrified of what could happen with Kairi or Namine while he was gone.

 

Kairi nodded weakly, her eyes glued to Sora's shirt. She moved her hand from Sora's shoulder, letting it fall slightly down his arm. She wasn't sure what she could say to that. Sora surely already knew that she was afraid as well, so there was no real point to announcing that when it was so obvious.

 

Sora continued to run his thumb over Kairi's cheek, somehow hoping that the movement would distract both of them. It didn't do much for him, but at least he felt like he wasn't just standing idly by the sidelines while Kairi was upset.

 

Kairi breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself before she lost control of her emotions again. Right now, she just needed to relax. Sora was trying to help her while he still could, and she needed to accept it without restriction. Kairi wanted to enjoy the next few days she had with Sora, while she still had the opportunity.

 

Sora stepped a little closer to Kairi, less than a foot between them now. He silently wrapped his arms around her and held her close, one of his hands staying lightly on the back of her red hair. He would hold onto her as long as was necessary, for both of their sakes. It was going to be hard in the future, but he had faith that things would work out.

 

Kairi buried her face in Sora's shoulder, her arms naturally winding around his lower back as she accepted his embrace. A few days...that was all she had left. She was going to have to make them great, so then she could create memories she could hold onto. Those memories would help her keep Sora within her even longer after he was gone.

 

Sora released a breath, silently holding Kairi in his arms. He set his chin on top of her head lightly, his eyes falling shut. He'd be there with her for the next few days. And he'd be sure that the days were as great as they possibly could have been.

 

The next day...

Roxas walked leisurely down the sidewalks of New York city, actually taking the time to acknowledge the things he usually ignored--the traffic, the people, the buildings. It was all going to be gone soon, and he had grown used to it over the duration he had lived on Earth. But he was leaving what he knew here behind for an unknown amount of time. That was why he was on his way to Central Park, so he could be with his friends...and Namine.

Kairi closed her eyes as the breeze sifted through her red hair, blowing her bangs out of her face. It was a beautiful day out, and they were all meeting at the park today so they could get some time in together before the boys left. Sora was with her, and he had been since early this morning. Ever since the news, they decided they would get together as soon as they woke up.

 

Namine stood about two feet away from a tree and about two feet away from a rolling hill that fell into the pond. Until Roxas arrived at the park, she had decided she would stand alone to give Sora and Kairi some privacy. After all, if she were in their position, she may have desired that. But they were only about ten feet away, so if they wanted her to join them, they could call for her.

Sora sat next to Kairi on a bench, his arm around her as they gazed at the pond. He had noticed Namine off a little bit, but he figured that she was just thinking about something deeply, and he didn't want to interrupt her. So he stayed where he was with Kairi, giving the blond girl some privacy.

 

Namine... Roxas took a turn at one of the streetcorners, continuing down the sidewalk. She was going to be the hardest part of all this. He was going to have to leave her behind, something he never once thought he would have to do. It was something he didn't even want. But the worlds were calling out for Sora, and requested he come along with.

Kairi's eyes opened after the breeze lessened, her sight falling back on the pond. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Namine standing nearby, but she wasn't too worried about her; she seemed pretty content with her privacy. So Kairi just relaxed next to Sora, taking in his presence while it was still with her.

 

Sora lightly ran his fingers over Kairi's shoulder, his eyes staying forward. He would hate leaving her, but he had promised himself that he wouldn't dwell on those thoughts. No, he was going to work as hard as he could to make these last few days special.

Namine clasped her hands together behind her back, blankly gazing at the water. Roxas would be there soon, she was sure. She had talked to him not too long ago on the phone, and at that point, he had just been leaving his home.

As Namine was pondering Roxas' whereabouts, a group of guys walked down the park pathway. "Come on, Jeff, I dare ya," one guy said with a smile. "You're not chicken, are you?"

"What?! Since when have I ever been chicken?" Jeff asked, pride coming through in his voice. He may have fled from a fight or two, but that was wisdom, not fright. There were some things he didn't want to get wrapped up in, and he felt as if the situation he was being forced into would be a bad one. But he was far too cocky to walk away from a challenge.

 

However, one thing that Roxas did realize was this: in order to protect Namine, he had to protect the worlds from Heartless. They were already appearing around the universe. Who was to say that Earth wouldn't be next? And since a Princess of Heart was located on this world, and Namine would most likely be with said girl, the enemies would have a higher probability of going for them first. In order to save Namine from that, he had to leave her...and fight the Heartless.

Kairi smiled slightly at the light graze she felt against her shoulder, knowing it was Sora's touch she was feeling. Yesterday had been very hard for her, for all of them really. And once Sora walked her home, she'd gone to bed and cried herself to sleep. It had hurt her to be so helpless and vulnerable, but it was something she had been holding in once she and Sora reached Namine's den. Sora, of course, didn't know about Kairi's night, and she wasn't going to tell him. It would only make things worse.