Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora stood partially behind Roxas, his hands in his pockets. He didn't know how this was going to play out...He was nervous. Roxas obviously was, too. He wondered if he would be the one talking or if Roxas would. We'll find out soon enough.

Namine immediately picked herself up off the couch, straightening her clothes as she headed over. She exit the living room and went into the entrance hall, her small hand finding the door handle. She opened the door and saw the two boys outside, neither of them looking happy. "Hi, Roxas. Sora," she greeted softly. Her voice sounded a bit tired, matching her appearance. Otherwise, though, there were no signs that anything was wrong. No happiness, but no sorrow, either.

 

Roxas eyes flickered to Namine and he smiled slightly, though it felt weak. It was half-forced, because he naturally smiled when he saw Namine. "Hi," he greeted, though he couldn't really identify his voice.

Kairi stayed in the same position, her arms wrapped around her legs as she stayed curled against the couch. She could barely hear her friend's voices from where she was, but it didn't matter. They were finally here, so that was good.

 

Namine stepped to the side, holding the door open. "Come in," she encouraged, her eyes moving from Roxas to Sora and then back to her boyfriend again. Something's not right...

 

Roxas nodded, his small smile dimming as he took a step in the house. He walked forward, providing room for Sora to come in as well.

 

When he came in, Sora offered Namine a weak smile, which she returned faintly. He stepped inside and walked a little past Roxas, turning around just in time to see Namine shut the door.

Namine softly shut the door and then turned around to face the two boys. She couldn't decipher either of their expressions, and she started to feel a little concerned. What was going on? She wanted to ask what was wrong, but at the same time, she didn't.

 

Roxas turned around slightly to look at Namine, seeing her standing there, oblivious to what he and Sora were about to inform both her and Kairi about. "...Is Kairi here?" he asked at the thought of the girl. He was sure she was, for she lived closer.

Kairi heard her name spoken, recognizing that it was Roxas speaking. He didn't sound like he normally did, which made her grow more curious at just what was wrong... Ever since she got that call from Sora, the feeling in her heart intensified. She wondered if he felt it too.

 

Namine nodded faintly in response to Roxas' question. "In the living room," she said simply. She bit down on her lip lightly to keep herself from asking what was going on; whatever it was, she had a feeling she wanted to be oblivious for as long as possible.

Sora felt his heart ache, the teen lifting a fist and placing it in front of his heart. Just the thought of telling her what was going to happen...It was a terrible, terrible feeling. What was worse, though, was that he would have to leave her. That was something he never wanted to do, ever.

 

Roxas nodded, turning his head to look to the living room. He then glanced at Sora before looking back to Namine. "We should join her," he suggested, motioning toward that direction with his head. Whether they were ready or not, or even wanting to, he and Sora had to tell them what was going on. He just wished he could stall a little; he didn't want to hurt Namine...

 

Sora wordlessly turned around, lowering his hand before going through the doorway into the living room, hearing Roxas' suggestion. It was time, whether he liked it or not. And he didn't just dislike it; he hated it.

Namine folded her hands in front of her, nodding faintly. Whatever was up, she was sure she was going to find out soon. She took a few steps forward, heading in the direction Sora went.

 

As Namine passed him, Roxas lifted a hand to rub the side of his head. He didn't like this one bit, and he hated that there was going to be more hurt by the news. As he followed Namine and Sora into the living room, he could feel the letter in his pocket, as if it was taunting him. It made him feel frustrated, and he knew the frown was back on his face.

Kairi's eyes were already lingering on the living room entrance, and when she saw Sora, she felt a weak smile appear on her face. She smiled every time she saw him, but by the expression held against his features, that smile faded. Instantly she knew the feeling in her heart wasn't fake; it was as realistic as it could get.

 

Sora didn't even try to put on a smile for Kairi; he just couldn't bring himself to. He silently sat down on the couch beside her, but he didn't reach for her hand or wrap an around her like he usually would do. Instead he sat leaning forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped.

Namine tried to ignore Sora's posture as she headed toward a separate love-seat right near her two friends, knowing that not all of them could fit on her couch. She assumed that Roxas would sit next to her there and allow Sora and Kairi to have the sofa to themselves.

 

Kairi's eyes widened slightly at Sora's actions, mostly in worry. No greeting or smile... Nothing. Without thought she turned her head to gaze at Namine, becoming scared by the way Sora was sitting and acting.

Roxas sat down next to Namine, but didn't say anything right away. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but didn't do anything more than that. Instead, he sat the same way Sora did, but his hands were intwined and covering his mouth as he stared at the floor.

 

Namine looked over and met Kairi's eyes, feeling the same concern her friend did. Something was terribly wrong here. She didn't know what it was, but it was very bad.

Sora looked down at his hands, not daring to look up at anybody else in the room. Since the letter had been addressed to him, and because he was the true Keyblade hero, it felt like it was his duty to explain what was going on. "I got a letter in the mail this morning," he started softly. "From the King."

 

Kairi's eyes darted to Sora at the name. "King Mickey?" she asked, though it was quite clear who Sora was talking about. "Why?" That was a natural reaction to that kind of information, to ask why the letter was sent to him. By the looks of it, the reason was bad. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear.

Roxas's eyes flicked across the room to Sora. He released one of his hands, sitting up slightly as he reached into his back pocket to grab the item. He pulled out the folded letter, staring at it as he held it in his hands. He was going to have to say something sometime, but Sora seemed to have control over the situation right now, so he would let him take the lead for now.

 

Namine looked over at Roxas through the corner of her eye, seeing him holding a folded piece of paper. That was probably the letter Sora was referring to. And if Roxas was holding it, that probably meant that this directly involved him, too. I don't like this...

"...He needs me to leave for another adventure," Sora said softly, shutting his eyes as he broke the news. "Roxas, too." He hated that his friend had to be involved in this. In fact, he felt like saying that just he and Riku would journey. But he knew that Roxas would refuse and tag along anyway. Any arguing now would only make things worse than they already were.

Namine felt as if time stood still. It was as if there was nothing now; no noise, no movement, no air to breathe. The blond girl blinked and forced herself to inhale after a little while, feeling dizzy because of the momentary lack of oxygen.

 

"B-both of you?" Kairi asked, pressing her lips together when she noticed she stuttered. She was surprised she could even speak, because the rest of her body was stiff. Sora...he was leaving. And Roxas was going with him? No. This wasn't happening...

Roxas nodded. "The King asked that we both go, to be sure that things are taken care of," he explained, his voice without much emotion. He was just as shocked as the girls were. "He wants us to leave soon. A Gummi ship will be here to pick us up in a few days." Saying that struck a nerve inside him, literally making his heart skip a beat. The news affected him so much more now that he said it aloud, instead of reading it from the piece of paper.

 

"...A few days?" Namine repeated, her voice just a whisper. No...This isn't happening...she thought, staring at the carpet. Roxas had always been with her. Well, sort of. Even when he was just a few blocks away from her home, bad things managed to happen. And now he was going to be a few worlds away. That was a huge difference.

Sora didn't respond to Namine, having not heard her at all. "I don't know how long we'll be gone," he confessed softly, opening his eyes partway as he stared across the room. "I guess...we'll be able to come back when we find Riku and help get rid of the rising heartless problems."

 

Kairi felt her eyes begin to sting, already feeling that familiar sensation rise within her. The feeling she had had in her heart was ten-times worse than before, and she was sure Sora could feel that. This wasn't happening... It couldn't be happening... Not to the boys. Not to her and Namine.

Roxas bit his lip, silent. Sora finished off the rest of the letter from what he remembered. There was nothing they could really do about it. They couldn't exactly refuse; the worlds were depending on all three of them. As much as he hated it, he couldn't do anything to stop it.

 

Sora winced at the wave that impacted his heart. Kairi's emotions. He reacted without thought, coming out his current position. He wrapped both arms around Kairi and brought her to him, holding her almost too tightly.

Namine silently sat there, staring at the carpet beneath her feet with dazed eyes. Like her dream a few nights, she kept telling herself that this wasn't real. But unlike that nightmare, she knew that this indeed was reality. Whether she wanted it to be true or not, it wasn't a lie.

 

Kairi didn't do anything to resist Sora's hold, her legs uncurling from her chest when she was brought to his. She gripped the front of his black t-shirt, closing her eyes as she burrowed her head between his neck and shoulder. The sensation that was impacting her now was the urge to cry, and she hated crying in front of Sora.

Roxas sighed softly, leaning his elbows against his knees. He brought one hand up, rubbing his forehead as he stared at the letter. How could this happen so suddenly? He couldn't leave Namine...