Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora held back a wince, Kairi's feelings making him physically hurt. He started to run a hand over the back of her red hair, feeling his own eyes get a bit moist. He couldn't believe he was leaving her...willingly, in a way. He was being forced in a way, but if he desperately wanted to, he could refuse. But at the same time, he couldn't. He couldn't run away from the troubles in other worlds just to make his life better. He wasn't that kind of person.

Namine heard a sound leave her lips, an orphan sob, one that managed to somehow leave her lips. She clenched her eyes shut tightly and buried her face in Roxas' chest, one of her hands coming up to grab the fabric of his shirt.

 

Kairi kept her crying quiet, clutching onto Sora as if her life depended on it. And in a way, it did--if he left her, and never came back... Her life would be over if that happened, because he mattered too much to her. She loved him so much.

Roxas instantly brought his other arm around Namine's form, closing his eyes as he hugged her tightly, close. He could feel the tips of her long blonde hair against the top of his hand as it rested against her back. Her sob made him clench his teeth, but not in anger toward her. Not in anger at all, but in sorrow. Pain.

 

Sora felt the tears on his shirt, and it made him hold Kairi a little more tightly. He wanted so badly to make the tears go away, but at that moment, he had no clue how to do that. It frustrated him almost as much as it saddened him.

Namine felt as if the tears would leave right away, but she tried one last time to keep them inside. She couldn't break down now, she had to keep quiet. For the sake of Roxas and the other two people in the room, she couldn't start sobbing.

 

Kairi exhaled a quiet, shaky breath, blinking once and releasing a few more tears. She hated feeling so vulnerable but she couldn't keep it inside. She was sure that before she went to bed tonight she would cry, and probably not sleep at all in fear for the boy she loved.

Roxas let his chin rest atop Namine's blonde head, taking in a deep breath. He didn't know what to think anymore, his thoughts too jumbled and messy. All he wanted to focus on was the girl he held securely, knowing he wouldn't be able to do that in a few days...

 

Sora continued running a hand over Kairi's hair, his eyes shut tightly. He wouldn't release her anytime soon...He wanted to hold onto that beautiful girl as long as possible.

Finally, the tears left Namine's eyes. She clenched his shirt more tightly as a sob shook her body, though no sounds were made. She couldn't hold it in anymore, not even if she wanted to.

 

Kairi blinked her vision clear, her tears slowly streaming down her slightly flushed cheeks. She loosened her grip on Sora's shirt a little, but it was still tight. All of this... It was so sudden, and so wrong.

Roxas squeezed Namine tighter, simultaneously bringing her even closer to him. He lifted his chin and instead buried his face in the top of her head. She was crying, and there was nothing he could do about it.

 

Sora let his hand stay still on the back of Kairi's head, his head lowering in turn to get closer to her. He couldn't bear to see her so sad...It pained him to no end.

Namine shed a lot more tears, her head buried in his chest and her hand in a fist holding his shirt. The tears came out of nowhere...She was so shocked that all this was happening in the first place. Hurt, and upset.

 

Kairi closed her eyes when she felt Sora move a little, knowing he was closer. She wanted to take this in for as long as she could. She was going to miss it.

Roxas found himself clutching the back of Namine's shirt, but not the way she was grabbing his. His fingers were pressing into her back with desperation, but gently at the same time. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her more than he already had.

 

Sora leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against Kairi's head, giving her a kiss. He couldn't shake the feelings in his heart, but he could at least act like they weren't there for Kairi's sake. And for Roxas and Namine, as well; being strong would probably help things out.

Namine bit her lip hard, her hand momentarily losing its tight grip on Roxas' shirt. The tears just kept flowing and flowing, being absorbed into his shirt. Her body had been tense before, but now it was pretty much limp due to her lack of the will to fight and sorrow.

 

Kairi's heart was overflowing with emotions, and they weren't just her own. Sora's were impacting her as well, and she was almost positive that his heart had the same effect. She wished this didn't have to happen to them, but she knew it was impossible to just brush away.

Roxas had his eyes squeezed closed, feeling the dampness of his shirt from Namine's tears. That feeling, along with the overall emotions within him, was enough to cause him to want to cry. But he wasn't going to do that, not when he was in front of people. It didn't matter if they were his friends; he only expressed that kind of sorrow when he was alone.

 

Sora pulled back after a moment, his eyes opening a crack. It was so surprising how he could be happy and content living his life one day and then so sorrowful today. But he supposed that things changed quickly sometimes, whether they liked it or not.

Namine gripped Roxas' shirt more tightly again, forcing herself to swallow instead of releasing a sob. She had to compose herself...Her crying wasn't helping anyone here. Maybe herself, in a way, but not Roxas. For his sake, she had to be strong.

 

Kairi felt her tears slowing, but that didn't mean she was losing her sadness. Not even close. This whole thing was too soon and too shocking, and the boys would be gone too long for her liking. The fact that they were with Riku was good, because she cared about his safety as well, but there was also the possibility that one of them wouldn't be coming back...

Roxas let his hands relax against Namine's back, the boy exhaling softly into her hair. What was going to happen to them? To him and Namine? Would things change, and be different?

 

Sora exhaled softly and brought his hand off the back of Kairi's head in case she wanted to pull away or not. He gently set it on her back, his dazed blue eyes following the movement. It all felt so unreal, but it was undoubtedly reality.

Namine took in a breath, and it was a little bit shaky. But that was alright with her, since she was holding back things that would have been much worse than that. Sobbing. Screaming. She just wanted to do something, anything, that could make this whole situation go away.

 

Kairi still clung to Sora, not wanting to let go. She realized she would have to very soon, but it didn't mean she liked the thought. Her tears clearly showed that.

Roxas squeezed Namine lightly, an impulse he couldn't control. He just wanted to stay with her, to protect her from things like this. But it was painful to know that he was causing it, not preventing it.

 

Sora repositioned his arms around Kairi a bit, making the hold a little less forceful than it had been before. He had grabbed her on an impulse, and his tight embrace probably had shown that. The loosening didn't mean that he wanted to let go, it just meant he didn't want to hurt her.

Namine nestled her head into Roxas' chest a little more deeply, not that she could go much further than she already was. Her face was still hidden by the way that she faced, and the blond hair that further sheltered her from other eyes in the room.

 

Kairi opened her eyes to stare at Sora's chest, where her hand rested, no longer in a fist; it was simply pressed against the black fabric. She released a slightly shaky breath, her tears lessening as the minutes went by. She couldn't cry right now... She had to spend time with Sora while she still could. Roxas, too--he was a close friend of hers. She was going to be sad to see him go too.

Roxas lifted a hand to run over Namine's long hair, raising his head so he could stare at the floor. He was already fearing his and Sora's departure. He knew it was going to be harder than this.

 

Sora shut his eyes again, not wanting to let them wander to anything that could make him more distressed, if that were possible. He wanted to hold on as long as he could, because there was no telling when he would be able to hold Kairi in his arms again.

Namine stayed in her position, not ready to face the world yet. Or her friends, for that matter. She could only imagine that Kairi was taking it as hard as she was, and that thought made her sad. Kairi was her best friend, and she hated it whenever she was sad.

 

Kairi took in a deep breath and let it back out, trying to calm herself. She wanted to say something, anything to break this uncomfortable, sorrowful silence. It was tense, and she hated feeling that on top of everything else swimming inside her right now. But she wasn't sure what to say, and even more, if there was anything to say. This situation was hard on everyone, and they were all affected in a similar way.

Roxas stared at the carpet flooring of Namine's living room, having forgotten that he was even here for a little while. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't remember that he was in Namine's home, and that Sora and Kairi were on the other couch. Things never really hit him that hard, or affected him that deeply. It was...scary.

 

Sora inhaled a breath as he started to run a hand over Kairi's back again. He wasn't thinking at all, his mind just felt absolutely numb.

Not only did Namine think of Kairi, but she thought of Sora, too. He must have felt terrible about this...After all, he was the true Keyblade wielder, and that's why he had gotten called away. If he wasn't friends with Roxas at the current time, then maybe her boyfriend wouldn't have been called away. But she didn't blame Sora, not one bit. How could she direct such anger and sorrow at someone who had constantly acted as a true friend? There was no way.

 

Kairi decided to just take in Sora's touch and feel, his voice and heart beat. She wouldn't be able to hear or feel them soon, and that thought scared her a little.

Roxas realized he had a duty, just as Sora did. But why was he called? Was it because he was Sora's Nobody? Because he had some power as well? Or was it because he wielded the Keyblade too, something that could defeat the Heartless?