I bounced around the bar, straightening menus and wiping down tables I'd cleaned six previous times. Nervous energy buzzed through the air around me and I shook like a Chihuahua. My stomach turned and flipped, but none of that mattered. Sora was coming home today.
"You missed a spot," Riku drawled, walking over to me. I jumped, flipping around to inspect the glossy wooden surface.
"Did I? Where?" I started scrubbing again, and Riku reached his hand out to stop me.
"I was kidding. Seriously, are you that nervous? I thought you said you'd know you liked Sora for around a month or so, how is knowing you're in love with him any different?" Riku questioned, a mask of confusion covering his normally neutral face. I turned away.
"That's not it…" I trailed off.
"Then why…?" Riku began, a small gasp cutting him off. He smirked at me. "You never went back to the hospital, did you?"
I glared up at him, sizing him up, before my shoulders slumped in defeat. "I just…couldn't face him. Not after what I did…" I sighed, tipping my head to the side, shrugging. "I got busy with school and work. What are you gonna do, you know?" Riku gave me an incredulous look.
"Kairi, that was three days ago! Are you telling me you haven't spoken to Sora since then? Not once?
"I told you, I got busy!" I snapped defensively.
"Didn't he try to call you?" Riku crossed his arms.
"My phone died—no really, it did!" I pulled my new phone out of my pocket. "I dropped it in the fountain at school—don't ask."
He sighed and shook his head. "Sora's a worrier, you know. He's gonna wanna make sure you're okay."
The front door opened and my witty comeback died on my lips. Speak of the devil, there was Sora, flanked by his brother, Roxas. He was laughing, looking around the bar with affectionate eyes. My face heated up when those beautiful eyes fell on me. Embarrassed, I shoved the menu I'd been holding into Riku's chest, claimed I needed to get ready for tonight, and rushed off to my dressing room. I faintly heard Sora call my name, but I didn't turn around. I felt so stupid, having kissed him so nonchalantly. With the butterfly rave going on in me, I couldn't decide if I was going to take off and fly or throw up the burger I'd had for lunch. I just couldn't focus with Sora around.
The whole night went on like that. If I was taking someone's order and had to pass him to get to the kitchen, I would take the long way around. Whenever I was on stage, I deliberately didn't look at him, especially when other girls were talking to him. The whirlwind of emotions I was feeling was almost too much—I just couldn't handle it. By the end of the night, Sora was looking flustered and frustrated and I could bet I felt just as bad as he looked. Staying away from your favorite person is hard.
"He's pissed, you know," Riku remarked, appearing out of nowhere. I screamed and grabbed my chest to keep my heart from escaping.
"What?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath.
"Sora. He's pissed. You shouldn't ignore him like that. Out of all the people he wanted to see coming home from the hospital, you were the one he wanted to see the most." Just as I was about to heatedly explain myself Sora found me, and Riku was right: he was livid.
He wasted no time looking around, his furious blue eyes meeting mine from across the room. Without a word, he shoved his bag into Roxas's hand and made a beeline for me.
"Told you so," Riku muttered into my ear before diving out of the line of fire. I reached out to grab him but Sora put himself between us, sealing off my exit. I gulped under his fierce gaze.
"What happened?" Sora demanded, his voice shaking slightly. It was the first time I'd ever seen him like this. "You never came back to the hospital, and when I called your phone was off. Look, I get that what happened was embarrassing, but—!" I clamped my hands over his mouth, stopping him mid-sentence and practically knocking up both over.
"Can we talk about this later?" I begged, flushing darkly. He reached up and pulled my hand away from his face.
"No, we need to talk about this now. You've been avoiding me all night. Why? Is there something you need to tell me?" I noticed Yuffie begin to round the corner, but someone yanked her back. Great, we were being watched. When I turned my attention back to Sora, we was waiting for my explanation, tapping his foot impatiently. The pout on his face, his arms crossed, foot tapping…he looked so adorable. Like a child getting angry at a grown up. I lifted my hand to my mouth, hiding my growing smile. Deep breaths. Get ahold of yourself.
"I didn't mean to upset you or anything," I began carefully. I stepped lightly over eggshells, not wanting to say anything I'd regret later. "I dropped my phone in the fountain at school a few days ago, and only got the new one today. And I got busy, and wasn't able to come back to the hospital. You were a Communications major, you understand," I coaxed. Sora looked entirely unconvinced. I began wringing my hands before wiping them on my pants. They were sweaty and gross, and Sora's piercing gaze was only making it worse. He opened his mouth, but his argument was cut short by Riku's voice coming from down the hall.
"Sora, we have a very special guest. I require your assistance."
Sora heaved a huge sigh. Turning back to me, he said, "We aren't done talking about this." Almost as an afterthought, he leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead before letting his hand slide off my shoulder and walking down the hall.
"What was that for?" I called, one hand in a fist at my chest, holding the other up to the tingling area on my face.
"Payback," he smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets with a proud look on his face, his head held high. All I could do was stand there in shock. The moment the door shut, the girls were on me like ugly on an ape.
"Oh my god! He just kissed you! That's so cute!" they cooed, pawing at me. I let myself be jostled and closed my eyes, a huge smile tugging at my lips. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried hard to keep my inner girly-girl in, but she broke through my barriers, letting out a victorious squeal. The four of us jumped around, trying to keep out giddy excitement down to a dull roar, when a shout from the main area of the bar shattered our happy aura.
"Like hell!" we heard Sora bellow. My blood ran cold and I shivered. It wasn't very often that Sora got truly angry, but when he did, you better hope to god you weren't the one to piss him off. I ripped myself away from Yuffie, Selphie, and Aerith and threw open the door. Before me stood Sora, Riku, and I man I didn't know. He had tan skin, white hair that fell down to the middle of his back, and his eyes were a deep orange. He wore a black and white suit, a maroon tie hanging around his neck. He sniffed at me, smiling cruelly. Sora glanced between us uncomprehendingly for a moment before a look of pure horror crossed his face.
"Ansem, she has nothing to do with this," he almost pleaded. Ansem's orange eyes traveled up and down my body slowly, very much like Sephiroth's had. I clenched my fists at my sides, feeling dirty.
"You must be Sora's new pet," he purred, his voice slow and deep. He took a step toward me, and to my credit, I didn't back down. "You're a pretty one." He reached a hand out to me before lowering it and turning back to Sora. "You two wouldn't want anything…bad to happen to this innocent, young girl, would you? Give in. No amount of sheer force of will from a weak heart can save everyone."
Riku took a step toward us, a heated reply at the ready, but Sora stopped him.
"The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out," Sora stated passionately, his eyes blazing. Ansem took a step back.
"Believe what you want, you will never win. I only pray you don't live to regret this decision." He cast one more look at me before making his dramatic exit. The moment he was out the door, my knees began to give out. I caught myself on one of the tables, only to be scooped into Sora's arms. He held me tight, as if trying to shield me from the world and all of the evil things in it. I wrapped him into a warm embrace of my own, comforting him as best I could.
"It's gonna be okay," I soothed, tightening my grip a little. Sora nodded before taking a deep breath and releasing me. I rested my hand on his cheek for a moment before going to collect my things from the dressing room. I bid my friends goodbye and walked out the door to head home. I knew that as long as I had my friends by my side, I could do anything. Nothing could ever tear us apart.
Another chapter out! I'm on a roll, man! So, I've been taking this week long, all day math class over at the university I attend and it is kicking my butt. Math is my worst subject, but this class is worth 3 credits, and that's all I need for my graduation requirement. Which means after Friday, I never have to take another icky math class again! But anyway, writing is a way to unwind after a very long day, so I've decided to put out a new chapter every day after I finish my homework. This way I don't have math-induced nightmares. Haha. Anyway, so that's why I've been updating so much this week. Unfortunately it'll probably slow down after Friday, but I'll try and keep up the quick work!
Notes:
My Sora's sexy, admit it. "Payback." Ah god!
Yes, I did in fact add in one of the most famous quotes in Kingdom Hearts history. The occasion called for it.
Finally, thank you to codeninjathe, MadlyPurple, Suenyo Deeberteedo, and Jamesfrickinbond for reviewing, favoriting, and following. I just have to say, you guys have the best usernames ever. Just saying. Now I'm off the complete the next chapter!
