Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Kairi's small smile dimmed at the tone of Sora's voice, the girl glancing up at him from under her thick lashes. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly. If he did, she was there of course. But if not, then she would leave him be. She promised not to talk about the mission, and if there was something else that he didn't want her to talk about, she would comply. It was better for Sora that way.

 

By now, Sora's smile had faded away, the brunet feeling seriousness coming on. "...Yeah, I think it's important to get it out in the open," he confessed, though he wouldn't look at Kairi just yet. It was important, but he wasn't sure how this discussion would go. No matter what, though, he had to knock down this wall he had built between him and Kairi. It was the only way for them to grow in their relationship.

 

"...Okay," Kairi said. She wasn't sure she liked the way this was going, but she somehow knew she and Sora would overcome it. They were strong as people, but even stronger as a couple. Surely if this was something that had to deal with their relationship, they could overcome it. Right?

 

"I...made a mistake," Sora said, having a hard time confessing it. As Smith had put it, he liked acting like he had it all together. But he didn't want to act like that anymore, shutting out his friends and hurting himself in the process. He was sick of being a perfect person, because he only felt like a failure when things started to fall apart.

 

A mistake? Kairi wasn't sure what to make of this news. What mistake could Sora be talking about? She continued to look up at him, silently encouraging him to continue so her confusion could be cleared.

 

Sora glanced at Kairi before he looked down at the bed again, having seen the look in her eyes. "When I got home after four months, I was...unaccustomed, to living a normal life," he elaborated, though he had much more to say than that. "I'm sure I came across as pretty awkward sometimes. Actually, I probably still do." It was hard to break old habits, one of which was being a loner. He wasn't used to communicating with people, he was was sure that it showed sometimes.

 

Kairi wasn't sure what to say. She knew that he was right with some things he was saying, though she couldn't really let him take the blame for the way things were when he got here. Nathaniel was a perfect example as to why it was hard for him to adjust, but surely he knew that. It wasn't all his fault... But the girl stayed silent, listening for more.

 

"And I know that it couldn't have been helped," Sora said quickly. "Four months away will do that to a person, right?" He shifted his gaze to Kairi, seeing her still gazing up at him. A long time ago, Kairi had said that the four months had given him a lot of time to think. He responded by saying that the time changes a lot of things...including him. He wasn't the person that he used to be.

 

"Yeah," Kairi responded immediately, meeting Sora's gaze. "Of course it will." Four months had changed a lot of things, between them and around them. They weren't the only ones affected by the long duration because Namine and Roxas were too, even if the blond was only away two months compared to Sora's four. They all were affected by this, but it seemed that Sora had more problems to face than Kairi thought.

 

Sora nodded slightly, shifting his gaze to the wall that was in front of him. "I just wish that, even with these changes, I had known better how to live life," he said, though he felt as if he was awkward again. To push that feeling off, he just kept speaking. "I feel like there were some things that I could have handled better."

 

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked, her eyebrows furrowing slightly in curiosity. Sora was beginning to concern her with this talk, and she wasn't sure what to think of any of it.

 

Just say it, Sora told himself, realizing that Kairi was getting more concerned as this conversation went on. "I wish I hadn't shut you out," he confessed. "I wish I wouldn't have built a wall between us like I did when I told you never to ask me about the four months away," he finally said, looking down at Kairi when he finished that sentence.

 

A wall? Kairi thought immediately, her mind also moving to the mission she promised not to speak of. Now that she thought about it, she realized that there had been a wall between the two of them; she just never made herself realize it before. But now that it was out in the open, it was hard to ignore. Kairi believed there were good reasons not to speak of the mission, however. "...You just needed time to adjust," she said first. "Talking about the mission would've only made it more difficult for you. After things with...Nathaniel, I didn't want any more pressure on you, Sora."

 

"I was under a lot of pressure," Sora said, agreeing with what Kairi was saying. Things were very difficult during that time, with things like Nathaniel, getting adjusted to home, butting heads with Roxas... "But I shouldn't have shut you out," he said, chasing his thoughts away. "It was a selfish thing for me to do. Those four months away affect you too." He was a different person, and this new Sora was dating Kairi. Obviously she had a right to know about things that happened, since they were in a relationship.

 

Kairi lowered her sight from Sora's eyes at his words, looking down at her hand that was still resting on his shirt. There wasn't much she could do to deny what he said. Those months really did affect her, and in more ways than one. She didn't really want to think about the emotional rollercoaster she had been on, but it was inevitable now.

 

"I guess...What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry I ever told you not to ask me about what happened on my side of things," Sora said, lowering his gaze to the bed as he spoke. "And...if you want to know anything, you can ask me. I don't want there to be any stress between us because you feel like you can't talk to me about absolutely everything."

 

"...I see," Kairi said, not knowing how else to respond. She had forgotten about the four months away because she knew she wasn't going to get any details. But she wasn't sure what to even ask anymore; all of the questions had been built up at the time, but now they were gone. She would have to try and remember what they were if she wanted to know anything specific.

 

When Sora heard Kairi's simple response, he wasn't sure what to think. Was she angry? Upset with him for just now realizing that she had a right to know about his life? Those were questions he didn't really want answers to, so he asked the one question he did want an answer to out loud. "Can you forgive me for being selfish and not opening up to you?"

 

Kairi glanced up at Sora at the question, and hesitated a moment before answering. "I can," she said softly. "And I will." She didn't completely agree that he had been selfish, but she was hurt that he couldn't be open and honest with her. Things really had changed while they were apart.

 

Sora nodded faintly, stealing a glance at Kairi before he looked down at the bed again. He knew that she meant that; Kairi wasn't one to lie, especially not when they were having an open discussion like this. It had been a while, since they were this open with each other. It made him sad to think about it, but he knew that he was responsible for it.