A/N: I put up a picture of Ken and Ayaka on the KH Fanfiction Facebook page. Check it out!
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Follow Me Home
Chapter Twenty-Eight
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Sora and Kairi strolled in the park, keeping a reasonable amount of distance between them. A bitter silence filled the air. It wasn't until they accidentally bumped shoulders that Sora actually said something.
"...whatever happened last night... don't think much of it. It was... a mistake."
"Shut up." Kairi blurted out. Sora gave her a baffled look. "I'm tired of you putting up this cold front. This isn't who you are at all."
"You have no idea how much I changed during my time at my uncle's house. I had a lot of alone time... as well as a lot of time to-" he paused and saw that Kairi had stopped a few feet behind him. Her gaze was locked on the ground. She had never looked so sad before. Sora sighed and relaxed a little. He took a few steps towards her, but stopped midway when he saw that she was crying.
Sure, Kairi had cried in front of him many times, but this time was really painful for Sora to watch and he had no idea why. Weakness overcame him and he completely forgot what they were talking about.
"I'm really, really sorry, Sora... you're one in a million and I screwed that up... I didn't see... what was in front of me..."she sniffled, "...I don't want to lose you... I'm so..." Kairi was shaking, "...so... scared..."
Sora had the urge to hug her, but he did everything in his power to refrain from doing so.
'Maybe... she really is sincere...'
Kairi took a few steps forward, but instead of stopping in front of him, she just kept going. Her feet wobbled beneath her and she struggled to keep a decent posture. She couldn't look Sora in the eyes. It broke her heart.
Sora followed her down the path and listened to her sniffling and crying sounds. 'She wouldn't be trying this hard if she didn't love me...'
'I just want him to accept my apology... Sora hating me is the worst feeling in the world...'
They reached the pier. Kairi sat down and watched the sunset with tears in her eyes. After a few moments of hesitation, Sora sat down next to her.
"This is really hard for me. You know that, right?" he asked her.
"You did nothing wrong. It's all... my fault..."
Well, he didn't disagree with her.
"I know it sounds like I'm just throwing it under the rug or something... but I really want to move on... I want things to go back to the way they were..."
"Kairi, it's not that simple."
"...I know... but I regret everything..."
"Maybe you do... but it doesn't change how terrible I feel."
Sora's words hit her like a ton of bricks.
"I trusted you, Kairi. I trusted both of you... and you both betrayed me."Sora shook his head, "You even accepted my proposal... knowing what you did..." Sora glanced over at Kairi's hand. "What did you do with that ring, anyway?"
Kairi couldn't answer him. Honestly, she had no idea where the ring was.
"It must not have been that important." Sora said finally. "You know... I had a lot of plans for our future. I never imagined that those plans would be shattered in a matter of minutes... and my life would change forever..."
By now, Kairi figured that Sora was just venting. He deserved to, even at the expense of her own feelings.
"I spent half of my life with you. You were the only girl that I ever loved. Deep down, you truly made me happy... back then. I wanted to do the same for you, but I never felt like I was good enough. I was constantly faced with the possibility of you leaving me... and I did whatever I could to keep you. But you were slipping away from me..." Sora let out a small laugh, "...and then you ended up cheating on me..."his fists tightened. "Maybe... I did deserve it."
"Don't say that..."
"No... it was inevitable. You weren't satisfied. You were bored... or whatever. I didn't try hard enough."
"No... you were wonderful... it was me who didn't see-"
"Kairi, stop lying to yourself."
"What...?"
"If we got together again, how could I guarantee that history wouldn't repeat itself?" Sora asked.
"Because... I've learned my lesson... and... I love you... only you... Sora... what can I do to prove that to you...?"
"I don't know."
"Do you... at least want to... try...?" Kairi gave him a hopeful look.
"I don't know what I want, okay?!" Sora raised his voice a little, making her jump. He stood up. "I think I should go."
"N-No..."Kairi grabbed his hand again. She lifted herself up. "Just... tell me... what I have to do..."
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Namine stared at Sora and Kairi from across her kitchen table.
"So... you want me to basically... be your counselor?"
Sora nodded. "You're the most level headed person here and frankly, I can't decide for myself what to do. Sometimes it's nice to get a second opinion."
Namine was very surprised that Sora even brought Kairi here. Riku had already left for work for the night and Ken was asleep. She didn't expect to be in this situation, but she rolled with it.
"W-Well..." she glanced over at Kairi, who couldn't take her eyes off of the table. "First of all... you two being here... together like this... makes me think that you want to work it out."
"Maybe." Sora shrugged.
"Of course I do..." Kairi pleaded.
"In... that case..." Namine got up and went into the kitchen. She poured two wine glasses and set them down in front of them. "Drink up."
"Oh no. I'm not doing that again." Sora said.
"I don't think I can have that while I'm on this medication..." Kairi said in a low tone.
"DO IT!" Namine yelled, rattling the table in the process. Sora and Kairi exchanged nervous looks and then gulped down the wine. Namine grinned. "Perfect. I want all of the honest feelings to come out. Don't worry, I won't give you more than two drinks."
"Namine, when I said I wanted your help that didn't mean-"
"Sora," Namine said in a calm but creepy voice, "you are in my house, you will do what I say."
"Y-Yes m'am..."
Namine smiled sweetly. "Now then... we're going to do a few exercises. Hmm... I want you two to face each other and stare into each other's eyes."
Sora and Kairi blinked a few times at her. Kairi nervously glanced over at Sora, but he couldn't make eye contact with her. Namine's patience was wearing thin, so she slammed her hand on the table.
"You're so violent..." Sora said.
"Sora, look at her."
Sora's face turned red as he slowly placed his eyes on Kairi.
"Now say that you love each other."
"What?!" they both yelled in unison.
"Can't do it?"
"I... can say it all day... but... if Sora doesn't say it back... what's the point?" Kairi sighed. Sora looked away.
Namine poured them one more glass of wine.
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Thirty minutes later, Sora was bawling on the couch while Kairi passed out at the table.
"She hurt me so much! I don't know how to forgive her!" Sora cried. Namine almost felt sorry for him.
"Man up!" she slapped his shoulder. "If you want Kairi, you have to just let it go! The past is not going to change no matter how much you want it to! I can see it, Sora... you're obviously miserable without her! You look pathetic!"
"You're mean..." Sora whined.
"Tough love. Now take her downstairs. If Ken woke up and saw her, I don't know what he would think."
"How am I supposed to get her down the stairs when I'm like this?" Sora tried to stand, but just fell back on the couch. Namine crossed her arms and shook her head.
"You're such a lightweight... I guess I overdid it a little."
"Yeah, you did!"
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It was kind of hard for Namine to explain to Riku why Kairi was there when he came home around four in the morning.
"You see... Sora asked me for help... so..."
"Is my opinion meaningless to you? I don't want to see her!"
"Riku-"
"If it happens again, Sora is moving out."
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Sora and Kairi lay in his bed together, but he kept his space. Kairi hadn't woken up since the wine knocked her out. How Sora managed to get her downstairs was a mystery. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.
'How am I going to get past these feelings...?'
'I do want to be with her... but I don't know how to trust her again...'
Kairi started to snore. Sora glanced over at her and couldn't help but chuckle. She was out.
'I used to have to wear earplugs because she was so loud...'
'Three, two... one...'
Kairi positioned herself on her side, squirmed around for a bit and then became quiet again.
'In many ways... she hasn't changed at all...'
Sora could feel his face getting hot. He tried to rid of the lump in his throat as he fought the tears. He felt like a complete jerk.
'Kairi's right... this... isn't me...'
'I have to let these feelings go...'
Sora scooted closer to her and hoped that he didn't wake her. Shaking, he placed his arm around her stomach and pressed his body against her back. He didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it, but to him... it felt right. Sora made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. Her hair smelled like cherry blossoms—just like it used to. He was surprised at how relaxed he felt when he held her.
And maybe—just maybe, it was the start of something new.
He didn't know how he would feel tomorrow, but right now, he wanted to stay right here—in this moment...
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A/N: Pure SoKai chapter for ya! Don't worry, there's plenty of drama left. =D
I'm thinking about putting a link to the story playlist in my profile. Would you guys like to see that?
Review and have a great day!