Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Smith. He was back! Namine let out a yelp of terror, and this time, a sound was made. But that wasn't the only sound; Smith laughed. He laughed viciously, just like he had done in the past.

"Stupid girl," Smith said, holding her arm and her gaze. "Don't you see how running away is so worthless? You can never escape me."

Namine brought her free hand forward to hit him, but he simply grabbed her wrist and pulled tightly. He twisted her around, her hands behind her back, and her back towards him. She shut her eyes at the pain, fright making her heart beat faster than usual.

"You remember this, don't you?" Smith whispered in Namine's ear, the man bending down to be at her level. He didn't wait for her to respond; He liked to hear himself speak, so he was going to be sure to say as much as possible. "Of course you do; You've never forgotten the impact I've made on you. You live your life in fear because of me."

"N-No," Namine whimpered, feeling some tears reappear. She didn't want to believe a single word he said, and yet...Yet she felt terror creeping into her heart. There was no way to stop it; Not while this man was here terrifying her.

 

Roxas was unaware of anything as he slept, the boy's arm tightening around Namine's shoulders. The movement brought her closer to him in a gentle manner, the boy dreaming blissfully.

 

"Yes, yes," Smith said, repeating the word for emphasis. "You don't walk alone anymore because you fear I'll return. And that day has come, baby girl."

"No," Namine said, tears flowing down her cheeks now. "I don't believe it! This isn't real!" she cried, shutting her eyes tightly. She kept telling herself to snap out of it and wake up, but she still stayed in the woods.

Smith chuckled. "Real enough to change everything again," he said softly, his words almost having a soothing tone behind them. Almost like he wanted her to give into him again. "Come on; It's not that hard. Admit the truth."

"N-No," Namine said, shuddering in the man's grasp. "I won't do it!" She couldn't...But she couldn't understand why not. She was just so scared at that moment, she couldn't think straight.

"Admit that you're afraid," Smith said in a calm tone of voice. "Say it and it'll all go away. Scouts honor," he said, chuckling darkly.

Namine gasped and opened her eyes, a few hushed words leaving her lips. "I'm afraid," she whispered, eyes landing on various objects in the room. Not the woods. She looked over at Roxas beside her, seeing that he was still asleep. A soft whimper left her lips as the tears started flowing freely, terror still in her heart.

 

Roxas vaguely heard something in his sleep, but was too deep into his slumber to acknowledge it. He breathed evenly as his eyes remained closed, the boy unaware that Namine was awake.

 

Namine sniffled without thought, rising from the couch without even thinking about the arm Roxas previously had over her shoulder. The tears kept flowing at a steady pace as she headed into the kitchen, knowing that some tissues were kept in there.

 

When Namine moved, Roxas's arm slipped from her shoulders and to the couch cushion where she sat before. This movement caused him to come out of his slumber a little, the boy taking in a silent breath.

 

Namine headed over to the far side of the kitchen, not seeing any tissues. The light was dim in there, but it was enough for her to see her way around. She brought her hands to her face to try and stop the tears, but they just kept flowing.

 

After a short moment, feelings of sleep began to leave Roxas. He yawned as he squeezed his eyes shut more tightly, opening them a little in the dark living room when he finished. He looked around him, slightly dazed due to his tiredness. But he noticed that something was missing. No, not something--someone. Roxas blinked a few times, his eyes opening a little more when he noticed Namine was gone.

 

Namine inhaled a shaky breath, her face staying in her hands. It was at that moment that she finally allowed herself to think of what had her so terrified. Smith. The name alone made her feel more frightened. The words he said to her in her dream, though, turned that simple fright into terror.

 

Roxas pushed himself up sleepily from the couch, wondering just where she went. And when she had even gotten up. He walked out of the living room, proceeding down the hall. He didn't see that the light under the bathroom door was on, so she wasn't in there. Roxas then decided to try the kitchen, walking through the doorway. His quiet footsteps stopped as he looked around, and then he spotted someone on the far side of the room. "...Namine?" he called softly, his voice representing his confusion, concern, and grogginess all at once.

 

Namine lowered her hands, folding them in front of her without thought when the intrusion interrupted her few moments of silence. She turned around and saw Roxas standing in the doorway. The only thing she could do was look at him while the tears continued flowing down her cheeks, the girl not able to control them at all.

 

When Namine's face was visible, Roxas registered what he was seeing and all of his grogginess went away. "Nam?" he said, his eyes widening as he became more awake. "What's wrong?" He started toward her, his socks making soft thumps against the wooden floor.

 

Namine shook her head softly, unable to find the words to speak. She just couldn't....Not yet. Not while his words kept ringing through her head. She brought up a hand to wipe at some tears, but it made no difference, since they just kept falling.

 

Roxas didn't say anything else as he approached Namine. Instead, when he was standing right in front of her, he lifted a hand and gently slid his fingers over her skin, trying to wipe away her tears. No words needed to be said, for she was clearly upset about something. He didn't know what it was, and she didn't seem like she was ready to talk about it right now. Roxas accepted that.

 

Namine exhaled a silent breath through her nose, her head lowering slightly at Roxas' light touch. It was soothing, and it distracted her from the other things that she didn't want to think about. Her eyes shut partway as she gazed blankly at the ground, a few more tears sliding down her cheeks.

 

It was saddening for Roxas to see that he wasn't doing a very good job at ridding her tears on her cheeks. They were only replaced by more. He frowned slightly, both in worry and sadness. He took his hand back and instead pushed some of Namine's long blonde hair out of her face, noticing that some of it was wet due to her tears.

 

Namine lifted her head at the movement, her eyes opening. She bit her lip lightly and met Roxas' eyes, another tear leaving her eye the moment she made eye contact with him. She wanted to stop the tears, but at that moment, she couldn't remember how to do that.

 

Roxas's hand stopped next to Namine's ear when he made eye-contact with her. By the look in her eyes, he could see that she was scared...but even worse than that--terrified. But of what? The look itself made him upset, and he couldn't help what happened next. "Namine... Come here," he said softly, simultaneously opening his arms to her with a sad look on his face.

 

Namine stepped forward the moment Roxas opened his arms, the girl wrapping her arms around his back as she returned the embrace. She leaned her head on his shoulder, a long breath leaving her. She finally felt the tears start to disappear, no longer falling due to the safety she felt in Roxas' hug.

 

"It's okay," Roxas muttered softly, his arms wrapping securely around the girl he loved. Whatever happened, he was sure she would open up eventually. He and Namine had a very open relationship. Regardless, he was going to be patient, for her sake. Whatever she experienced had a big effect on her.