Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora's hand moved up a little bit, lightly running over the bottom of Kairi's red hair. He wanted to look at her...to see her face, but at the same time, he was afraid of what he would see in her eyes. It couldn't have been much worse than what he was feeling in his heart, but it would be bad enough.

Namine exhaled a trembling breath, releasing Roxas' shirt. No, she would never get angry at her friend (or boyfriend) for doing what was necessary. The world was bigger than just the four of them, after all. She'd deal with it.

 

Kairi moved her hand across Sora's chest, instead wrapping her arm around his front. How long would it be before she could do this again? A few weeks? Months? She dreaded years; she'd gone through that once already. She didn't want to do it again.

It doesn't matter, Roxas thought. The reason as to why he was chosen seemed clear--he could fight Heartless in the Realm of Light, simple as that. He would be fighting to save the worlds, many of them. But the real, true reason Roxas would be fighting was for her, the girl in his arms.

 

"Do you care if we move somewhere else?" Sora asked Kairi gently, using his heart to communicate the words. He wanted to speak to her aloud and get a general idea of what was going on inside of her head. He knew what was going on in her heart, but that didn't cover everything.

Namine inhaled and then exhaled, trying to compose herself. It was a meaningless effort for the most part, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. That was one thing she could be thankful for.

 

At the words she felt in her heart, Kairi lifted her head to look up at Sora. "No," she said, liking the idea of being in a separate room. It not only gave them some privacy, but Namine and Roxas as well.

Roxas let one his hands roam over the uncovered skin of Namine's arm, the boy continuing to glare at the floor. It was unfair for the girls to have to go through this; they didn't deserve it.

 

Sora nodded slightly and opened his eyes. He gently released Kairi with one of his arms, but kept the other around her back. He looked down and saw that her feet were on the ground, so that made her legs in a reachable place. He brought his arm down and gently slid them under Kairi's knees, preparing to lift her.

Namine lifted her hand and set it on Roxas' shoulder instead of his chest, where it had previously been. They had been sitting like that for a long while now, and she was starting to feel stiff. Of course, that was the least of her worries at the moment.

 

Kairi looked down at the movements, recognizing what Sora was doing. She would have smiled if the current situation wasn't among them. She wound her other arm around the back of Sora's shoulders and neck, ready for him to pick her up so they could go into another room.

Roxas noticed some movement within his vision, but he didn't look up. He was too focused on him and Namine now, and what would happen between them while he was away. Would they hold the same limitless love for each other, or would that flame dim?

 

Once Sora was sure his grip on Kairi was secure, he stood up, bringing the red haired girl with him. He looked down at her for a brief moment before he turned and headed out of the living room, remembering Namine had a den at the other side of the house. She had always said it was available, but they never used it much because the living room suited them just fine. Now, though, the distance and privacy the den would provide them would be useful.

Namine wasn't aware that Sora and Kairi left, since her eyes were shut and her head was still in Roxas' chest. She felt the heavy silence hovering over them, but she was sure nothing much could be done about that.

 

Kairi wasn't exactly sure where they were going, but that was the least of her worries. She had plenty to be concerned about now, regarding Sora most of all. As he carried her, she could feel her eyes stinging as a result from her tears, and she knew they were probably a little puffy. They always were once she was finished. But...was she really done crying?

Roxas continued to rub Namine's shoulder, aware that Sora and Kairi left the room. He wasn't sure where to, and wasn't all that interested; he was sure that they left because they wanted some privacy. He was somewhat happy about that, because it gave him and Namine a little time to themselves. He wasn't sure how that time would be spent, but he was with her nonetheless. That was enough for him.

 

Sora walked down the hall, the teen feeling as if the walk were taking forever. Even Kairi felt heavy in his arms. He had no trouble holding onto her, though, so he knew that the feelings of fatigue were only in his mind.

Namine sighed softly and turned her head, her cheek lightly resting where her face had been before. She opened her eyes about halfway and she realized without much thought that Sora and Kairi were gone. She had no clue when that had happened, but it didn't matter.

 

Kairi let her eyes fall from the path Sora was taking to the white shirt covering her torso. The fear and sorrow were too strong for her now, and she desperately wished this problem would just go away.

Roxas turned his head at the small movement, gazing down at Namine with big blue eyes. He wanted to say something to her, anything to make her feel better. But what could he tell her? He was coming up blank, and it made him feel even more frustrated than he was.

 

Sora made it to the den at the end of the hall, the room simply made up of three small couches, a fireplace, and family pictures covering the walls. The first thing that he did was make his way over to the nearest couch and lightly set Kairi down, his gentle gaze staying on her the whole time.

Namine let her hand fall off of Roxas' shoulder after a few minutes, her arm too tired for her to keep it there any longer. Everything about her was expressing her exhaustion. Unfortunately, it wasn't only physical exhaustion, but emotional and mental exhaustion as well.

 

Kairi looked up at Sora finally, meeting his gaze when she felt the couch cushions underneath her. Recognizing that she didn't need to hold on any longer, she slid her arms from around his neck and shoulders. She had a feeling Sora wanted to talk about something, and that was the reason why he brought her here.

Roxas ran the tips of his fingers over Namine's exposed arm again, his eyes resting on her. "...Namine?" he said, his voice showing his emotions and the wonder within him. "Are you okay?" He knew it was a silly thing to ask, because she had barely spoken when he got here, and hadn't said anything since he broke the news.

 

Once he was sure it was alright to release Kairi, Sora took a step back slightly, facing towards her. He knelt down in front of the couch, sitting on his knees in front of her. Without hesitation, he lifted his hands and lightly set them on her knees, wanting to feel close to her but look her in the eye at the same time.

Namine blinked when she heard the question. Obviously she wasn't alright, so she wouldn't lie and say that she was. "Not really," she answered softly. The words were followed by a light shrug as she spoke again. "But that's to be expected, I suppose."

 

Kairi set her hands in her lap, a few of her fingertips barely touching Sora's hands. She looked up from her capris, her eyes meeting the bright blue she loved, and was surely going to miss.

Roxas's hand stopped moving against Namine's arm. "Right..." He had already expected an answer like that, so it didn't disappoint him too much. It was obvious by the thickness of the air and the way she spoke and looked that she wasn't okay. He wasn't either.

 

Upon seeing the look in Kairi's eyes, Sora opened his mouth to say something. But there were no words that came out, because none were presently running through his head that he could say to her.

"...Are you alright, Roxas?" Namine asked after a few moments of silence, the pulling away a little bit so that she could see his face.

 

Kairi gazed into Sora's eyes thoughtfully, wondering what exactly he was thinking. Ever since he and Roxas had spilled the news, he had been quiet. But so had she, so they both hadn't really spoken to each other for quite a few minutes.

Roxas shook his head slowly, his eyes glued to Namine's. He wasn't okay with a lot of things, the most important being that he was leaving her behind. Here. Unprotected. True, he had taught her a few things about self-defense, but it still didn't seem like enough. At least not to convince him she would be okay by herself.

 

"...Will you be okay?" Sora finally asked, the words leaving him without much thought. He knew that things weren't alright now, but once he was gone, would things get worse? Or would Kairi be strong enough to handle life on her own for an unknown period of time? He needed to know.

Namine nodded faintly her eyes lowering from Roxas' for a moment. "Of course," she said softly, knowing that would be his answer. She exhaled a soft breath and moved back to her position from much earlier, sitting by Roxas' side without clinging to him.

 

Kairi pressed her lips together as she took in a breath, exhaling softly as she shook her head a little. "I don't know..." she admitted softly, keeping her eyes locked with Sora's. She really couldn't be sure on whether she would be alright without him. Right now, it seemed like a no.

Roxas took his arms back, letting them fall, his hands resting against his jeans. He could tell that she wasn't happy with his answer, and he wasn't okay with it either. "...I'm sorry about this," he confessed softly, though his voice was louder than it had been before, when Sora and Kairi were still in the room. "You know I would never want this for you."

 

Sora nodded slightly, locking his jaw. He was hoping for a different answer, but he couldn't expect her to rebound from the news that quickly. He was having a hard time himself, after all. He was already worried about her and he hadn't even left yet.

Namine shook her head softly, looking down at the ground. "There's nothing to apologize for," she stated softly. This was beyond any of their control, and she accepted that.

 

Kairi's eyes instantly settled on Sora's hands against her knees. She knew that was probably something he didn't want to hear, but she wasn't going to lie to him--not when he was leaving so soon. She didn't want Sora and her to say goodbye on untruthful terms.

"Maybe not," Roxas acknowledged, his eyes on his shoes. "But I can't help but say it anyway." He felt responsible because he brought the news upon her, brought this sorrow and pain. It was written all over her face, and surely his too. Even if it wasn't his fault, Roxas didn't want Namine to suffer.