Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Riku turned his eyes from Kairi to Sora, and then Roxas and Namine. "I'll give you a minute," he said quietly, referring to them saying goodbye to the girls. Obviously it was going to be personal, and he really didn't want to hang around for it. In the meantime, he'd wait in the entryway.

Kairi stepped toward Riku, but noticing Sora still had her hand, she turned her head to face him. She gave him a weak smile and slipped her hand from his. She then turned back to Riku and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

 

When Kairi slipped her hand out of his, Sora took a step back, running his hand over the back of his hair. We're really leaving, he thought, looking down at the ground as Kairi hugged Riku. He was sad at the thought, but at the same time, he wasn't devastated. He had come to accept his duties as a Keyblade Master, so he was prepared to do what was necessary.

Namine was standing up now, and she gently slipped her hand out of Roxas's when she realized that Riku was saying goodbye right now. She started over towards him, though she stayed back a few feet and gazed at the ground so she wouldn't be rude to Kairi or Riku.

 

Riku had his arms around Kairi but let go after a few seconds. Once they were separated, he saw the blonde girl he'd come to be friends with out of the corner of his eye. He looked to her then, knowing she wanted to say goodbye as well. Of course, this time he wasn't going to leave without it either.

Kairi pulled back and immediately stepped back, seeing Namine now. It was obvious she wanted to say goodbye to Riku as well, so Kairi turned her attention back to Sora. A day or two wasn't that bad, right? She would be okay...and so would the boys.

Roxas saw Namine walk toward Riku and he instantly lowered his sight to the floor, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. The Realm of Darkness, huh? It sounded ugly, and he was sure it wasn't going to be pleasant. It made him kind of nervous, but he knew he couldn't back out.

 

When Kairi politely moved out of the way, Namine took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around Riku in a light embrace. She hoped this wasn't a permanent goodbye, or even one that lasted too long. It had been far too long since she saw Riku last, and she was sure Kairi felt the same way.

Sora looked up, feeling Kairi's gaze on him. He silently opened his arms to her, wanting to hold her closely. He was hopeful he would hold her in his arms again in a few days, but that didn't change the fact that he wanted to hold her at that moment.

 

Riku wrapped his arms around Namine automatically once she did so to him, embracing her in a friendly hug. He was happy she was doing well, and he hoped that wasn't going to change over the next few days. He would drag Sora and Roxas back if he had to, because he didn't want to see either of the girls broken beyond repair.

Kairi didn't hesitate stepping into Sora's arms, her own winding around his lower back. She hated saying goodbye to him especially, for obvious reasons. She loved him more than anything, and seeing him walk off to face something so dangerous frightened her. But she knew in her heart that he would keep his promise to her, just like last time.

 

Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi, one hand on her upper back while the other was on the back of her red hair. He pulled her close, shutting his eyes as he held her. He knew that things would be alright; they had to be. Fate hadn't brought him and Kairi again just so that things could fall apart again so quickly.

After a few seconds, Namine pulled back, somehow knowing that Riku wasn't one who preferred long, drawn-out goodbyes. Besides, she didn't think of this as "goodbye"; it was more like "see you later."

 

Riku looked down at Namine and nodded, then looking to Sora holding Kairi. He figured they would need that minute. He moved his eyes to Roxas then and nodded to him, giving them a few minutes to themselves before they had to leave. He then turned and started out of the room, turning at the doorway to enter the entrance hall.

Kairi took in the feeling of Sora holding her, knowing that she could never forget it. Her relationship with Nathaniel had clearly shown that. Her feelings for him had never died. They were always within her heart, even if they didn't couldn't communicate through them anymore. She knew she shouldn't worry about that as much as she was, though, since having Sora with her alone was more important. She tightened her embrace around him slightly at the thought.

Roxas's arms uncrossed when he met Riku's gaze and he nodded in turn before the silver-haired teen left the room. He watched him go, but then his gaze fell on Namine.

 

Sora exhaled a long breath through his nose, running his hand over Kairi's hair several times. "I love you," he said softly in her ear, continuing with his motion. He had heard a lot of lies during the four months away, but he knew that nothing was truer than his love for Kairi.

Namine instantly turned towards Roxas again, her feet carrying her over to him before she could think about it. She didn't stop and wait for him to embrace her, instead just wrapping her arms around Roxas's lower back when she was close to him. She knew that this wasn't goodbye; it couldn't be. He would be back, just like he promised.

 

Kairi felt herself smile slightly, warmth reaching her heart at the words. "I love you too," she said back, meaning it deeply. She'd tried covering up her feelings toward him with another guy, but even that didn't work out. She and Sora were meant for each other, and she knew that their love was stronger than any imitation.

Roxas's arms wrapped around Namine instantly, pulling her close and holding her to him. He closed his eyes at the embrace, knowing that this was the last one he had until he came back. He had to keep her safe, which meant they had to win this battle. Whatever it was that was causing the Darkness to grow, and no matter how much it made him nervous, they had to defeat it.

 

Sora allowed his hand to stop moving over Kairi's hair after a minute, the teen cupping the back of her head. He would come back to her, just like he always did. Just like he promised.

Namine shut her eyes in Roxas's embrace, feeling him hold her securely. She was glad for that, because she actually felt a little dizzy once again. She had been feeling that a lot in the past few days, for some reason that she didn't know. But it didn't matter now; she wouldn't let it ruin her goodbye with Roxas.

 

Kairi hoped the boys would come back sooner rather than later, never liking to see them go off to combat. It made her scared, even if she was confident in them. It was something she couldn't really help. As long as they came back in once piece... That was all she wanted.

Roxas turned his head toward Namine's, the side of his face against her blonde hair. "Be careful while I'm gone," he told her gently, not wanting anything severe to happen to her, like last time. A trip to the hospital was definitely not what he wanted to hear about when he got back this time. He had a feeling, though, that there wouldn't be any problems. Roxas was just taking precautions.

 

"I'll come back," Sora promised Kairi, though he had already said the words earlier. He trusted her not to make the mistake she had made before, when she went to somebody else for support. He was coming back, and then things would go back to normal eventually. Everything would be fine.

Namine nodded faintly to Roxas's request, though she wanted to give him verbal confirmation as well. "I will," she said softly. She would be careful for both their sakes; neither of them could handle another tragedy right now. If something awful happened, she didn't know if they would survive it.

 

"I believe you." Kairi couldn't do anything but. She trusted Sora with all her heart, with her life. She clearly showed that when she decided to stay here instead of going to her home world. One mission couldn't completely separate them, like the last few had come close to doing, right?

Roxas squeezed Namine lightly at the words, taking in a deep breath and then releasing it. It was always hard to leave, he realized. Sometimes he even had trouble leaving Namine's house for a night. It was silly, but he couldn't help it really. Now the circumstances were extreme, so he knew he wasn't acting silly for this one.

 

Sora nodded slightly, running his hand over Kairi's hair one more time before he used his other arm to give her a gentle squeeze. "....We have to go," he said softly, knowing that if he and Roxas didn't end things now, Riku would come back in and get them.

Namine heard Sora's words, which were loud enough for everybody in the room to hear. She opened her eyes and looked up at Roxas, immediately saying what she was thinking and feeling. "I love you."

 

Kairi pulled back slightly as she nodded. "Okay," she replied softly, her eyes finding Sora. She didn't want to let him leave, even if it was only for a few days, but she knew she had to. There was no way out of this. It was far too important.

Roxas looked down at Namine, bringing a hand up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "I love you too," he said, his ocean-blue eyes finding her sky-blues. He didn't hesitate leaning forward and kissing her on the lips, his hand near her ear moving to cup her face in his palm.

 

Sora loosened his hold on Kairi, though he didn't take his hand off the back of her head. He kept it there as he lifted his chin a little, giving Kairi a kiss on her forehead for reassurance. He was sure that they were both scared over him leaving again, but they would both have to be brave for a little while.

Namine shut her eyes when Roxas's lips met hers, the girl instantly kissing him back. It was a soft, gentle kiss, and that showed that neither of them believed that it would be their last one. Once the boys were done with this mission, they would be together again. She just knew it.

 

Kairi moved her hands to rest on Sora's chest at the kiss, her eyes closing for a few seconds. It was enough to provide her with some comfort, which she was grateful for. She was scared, but it was time to have courage and faith. They would come back, all three of them.

Roxas pulled back after a few seconds, knowing that this goodbye couldn't be as long as he would have liked. He opened his eyes and looked at Namine, his hand still against her cheek. He lightly rubbed his thumb over her skin, knowing in just moments he would be walking out her door and facing Darkness, when his Light was here. It was her. He just had to remember that...

 

After a few moments, Sora had no choice but to pull back, bringing his lips off of Kairi's forehead. He also released her, taking his hand off her upper back but allowing his other hand to run over her hair once before that hand also returned to his side. He looked at the girl in front of him, nodding faintly one time. It really was time to go.

Namine opened her eyes when the kiss ended, her eyes finding Roxas's immediately. She didn't like the idea that he was leaving, but at the same time, she had faith in him. And surely that faith showed in her sky-blue eyes.

 

Kairi's hands linked behind her back, the girl finding the habit old but hard to break. She smiled weakly at Sora and nodded faintly. He would come back. He promised.

Roxas offered Namine a soft, reassuring smile. But he didn't think it was that needed, recognizing the look in her eyes. He was grateful for that; he felt he needed to see that kind of support and faith. He rubbed his thumb over her skin once more before he pulled his hand back and his other did the same. They had to go take care of this, and quickly.

 

Namine smiled faintly, also releasing Roxas. Whether she liked it or not, they did need to leave to face whatever problem was in the Realm of Darkness. The name of the place caused a lot of unrest in her, though she didn't see why she should feel so uneasy about it. Oh well; she wasn't going to think about it.