Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Roxas let his eyes linger on Namine for a second before he glanced at Sora. Seeing the look in his friend's eyes, he turned around and started toward the door. It was time to go, and try to find the person that was so skillfully messing with their heads.

Kairi pressed her lips together, watching the boys go. She never liked to see them walk away in those clothes, knowing exactly where they were going and what they intended to do.

 

A few hours later...

Namine sat in the backyard of Kairi's house, her two friends also with her. Since they had been cooped up in the house yesterday, Kairi had suggested that they sit outside and enjoy some fresh air, since it was a nice day. Riku had agreed that they could do it, so now they were all outside by a tree, Namine sitting with a sketchpad she borrowed from Kairi as she drew a flower that had managed to bloom despite the recent snowfall. .

 

Kairi looked over Namine's shoulder as she stood slightly beside her friend. She had her hands behind her back, admiring Namine's art. She wasn't sure how a lone flower managed to bloom so perfectly in this weather, but Spring was right around the corner. There wasn't anymore snow in her backyard either, which was why Namine was able to sit by the tree in the first place.

Riku leaned against the trunk of the tree in silence, eyes lowered to the ground. No thoughts were necessarily running through his mind; he was just being quiet as the girls did their own thing. He was here to protect them, and half of that was to be sure they were able to act normal without worrying about anything. The last few hours nothing had happened, so he wasn't too worried. However, he didn't let his guard down.

 

Namine continued to sketch the flower, aware that Kairi was looking at the picture but not really caring. It was just a doodle, so she wasn't overly concerned with how good or bad her drawing was. After a minute or two, though, she lost focus, blinking when she felt dizzy. She set down her pencil and brought up a hand, lightly holding it to her head as she gazed down at the ground. She hadn't felt dizzy most of the morning, but it was getting kind of bad now.

 

Kairi's eyes moved from Namine's drawing to the girl herself. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern, her head tilting a little. "You alright?" she asked softly. She was worried, of course, whenever Namine seemed to be out of sorts. It was Smith, obviously, which made her concern worsen.

Riku turned his head sharply to the side at the words, his eyes finding the girls immediately. His trained ears had picked up Kairi's soft whisper, which only made his defenses kick in. He tried to use his senses, wondering if perhaps there was some threat around them that he could "smell".

 

Namine kept her fingers in her hair, the girl not responding directly to Kairi's question. "It's really bad this time," she said softly, shutting her eyes without thought. She hadn't felt this dizzy since yesterday morning, before the boys had even returned. She never did find out why she got so dizzy at that random time...

 

Kairi didn't hesitate lowering a hand to Namine's shoulder in support. "Riku..." she said as she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. She wasn't sure why she called to him, but figured it was because he could probably help in some way.

Riku pushed himself off the tree trunk at his name, meeting Kairi's eyes. He walked forward a few steps to stand next to her and Namine, looking down at the blonde. She didn't look good, reflecting what she had said. He focused on his senses. Whenever he was around her yesterday, he could feel a hint of Darkness when she got this way. Now that it was really bad, he could feel more of it, but then he tensed up. Riku could smell it. He actually smelled the Darkness.

 

"Hello, everyone."

Namine opened her eyes, a soft gasp leaving her at the voice. She instantly looked around, but she couldn't see the source of the voice anywhere. She knew that she hadn't imagined it, and she hadn't just heard it in her head. Where was he?

"Over here," Smith said, appearing several yards ahead of the three teens and standing between them and the house. "Out enjoying the nice weather, I see." It was a decent temperature, not that he bothered with that. He looked to the Nobody first before his gaze shifted to Riku, who was standing near to her and the princess.

 

Riku summoned Way to Dawn instantly, in his stance in less than a second after stepping in front of the girls. The Darkness pouring from this guy was overwhelming, which only made Riku curl his lip back in disgust. "What do you want?" he said lowly, his grip on his blade tightening as a reflex. Smith finally decided to show his face, but here. Why?

Kairi stood up straight now, her eyes wide as she looked at Smith from behind Riku. Even if her friend was here to protect them, she still felt frightened. It was instinct around this man. But then she thought about Sora and Roxas... They were out looking for him, but he was here!

 

Namine set her sketch pad on the ground, not caring about it as she rose to her feet behind Riku. She could still see Smith, though, which made her uncomfortable. Why was he here? What did he want with them...?

"Vengeance, of course," Smith replied with a light shrug, his weapon appearing in his hand. "I had thought you would have figured that out by now." Apparently Riku wasn't as smart as he had been led to believe; it was pretty obvious that he was here to steal the girls of the boys that had entrapped him in the Realm of Darkness.

 

"I know," Riku replied calmly, though his heart was racing inside his chest. "I just don't understand why you're seeking it here." Of course, he was trying to stall and provide a distraction. He knew Smith had a sour past with Namine and Kairi, since he had been filled in on things for obvious reasons. "You're not getting past me."

 

"You think you can kill me, Riku?" Smith asked, arching a brow. "Good luck. You think I've been lazing around for the past day or two since I escaped the Realm of Darkness?" Of course, he had been growing in power, also getting a charm from his home world that gave him a very special ability.

 

"I know you've been hiding your face, and only show it when you know the person that killed you once isn't here," Riku responded without missing a beat. His grip tightened on his blade as he frowned at Smith. "And he will do it again." Of course he was talking about Roxas, who would surely sense something was wrong and get back here quickly if Riku could stall long enough. He wasn't a fool; he knew he couldn't defeat Smith on his own.

 

"Highly unlikely," Smith said, gripping his blade more tightly by his side. "He'll be too stricken with grief when I take away his precious Nobody again." He had gotten his hands on her two times in the past, one of those times as his captive for hours. That plan had almost worked, too, only failing because Sora was stronger than he had anticipated.

Namine bit down on her lip, lowering her gaze to the ground when she was brought into this conversation. Of course the memories came back to her, not that they had really left in the first place. Please don't let him get to me...she mentally pleaded to Riku, not wanting anything that bad to happen again.

 

Kairi glanced at Namine and then looked back to Smith with a worried look in her eyes. Riku wouldn't let that happen, would he?

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Riku said, voice harsher now at the threat. "He's not the same person you fought in the past, and you won't be taking anyone away from him. Not on my watch." He narrowed his eyes behind his silver bangs, glaring at Smith. He wouldn't land a hand on either of the girls as long as he was here.

 

"Hmph," Smith said, pointing his blade at Riku as a challenge. "If you're so determined, then you won't mind fighting me until Roxas and Sora return. That's why you're stalling, after all." Smith wasn't a fool; Riku was expecting Sora and Roxas to sense trouble and then return in time to help. But Smith was going to make this quick, so he didn't fear any interference.

 

Riku simply smirked, finding some amusement in Smith's words. This guy didn't know him at all, even if he could tell what he was doing. "You want some practice then? Fine. You're gonna need it," he said. He stared at the tip of Smith's blade and then his smirk turned into a snarl, the boy pulling his hand back and shooting Dark Aura immediately with a cry.

Kairi instantly grabbed Namine's arm and stepped back once she saw Riku's attack, eyes wide in fear and surprise. Sora... Roxas... Hurry back, she silently wished. Smith seemed very powerful, and as strong as Riku was, she knew he couldn't hold him off forever.

 

Smith rolled off to the side, seeing the orbs hit the ground where he had been standing. He rushed forward, his gunblade in his grip as he charged at Riku. This would be a quick battle, especially since Riku just gave him an unknown advantage.

Namine stepped back with Kairi as well, feeling her friend grip her arm. The blond kept an eye on things, praying that Riku would be able to hold off Smith. She didn't want to go with him; it was bad enough that he was here now, even if he wasn't directly affecting her at the moment. He was fighting a friend of hers, and that was enough to make her feel uneasy.

 

Riku's eyes followed Smith with experienced swiftness, the boy gripping his blade tightly as he too ran forward. He ground his teeth together, prepared to handle this kind of Darkness.

Roxas walked with Sora through a low-key area of the city, searching another area that could possibly be occupied by Darkness. They hadn't come up with anything yet, but he wasn't tired yet, not after the last few hours. He was still determined to find Smith.

 

Smith felt his and Riku's blades come in contact, a soft grunt leaving his lips at the force. He put pressure against the teen's Keyblade, knowing that he could overcome him with brute force.

"Roxas, hold up a sec," Sora said, stopping in his tracks and looking down at the ground. Something changed in the air...Smith was in the city. That was the only explanation Sora could think of, and it fit, since that change he caught onto was darkness in the air.