Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora's eyes widened at Roxas' words, his eyebrows moving up to reveal his big blue eyes. "Huh? My name?" he repeated, surprise apparent in his expression. He hadn't realized that before, or made the connection. But why was Roxas so against them having similar names? They were best friends, closer than brothers. Did Roxas wish he had nothing to do with his Somebody?

 

"Yeah," Roxas said, nodding once. "I'm your Nobody, Sora. The Keyblade Master's Nobody, who could wield the same weapon. That's why the Organization wanted me, why Xemnas and Saix wanted me. They were using me to collect hearts, just like they used you." Roxas had been within Sora at that time, after their fight in The World That Never Was.

 

Sora shifted his position on the ground, putting one knee down instead of just bending down. He understood what Roxas was saying; the Organization had used both of them to try and acquire what they wanted. "You're right," he started quietly. "They did use you. Us. But you're your own person now, free to be yourself and live your own life." Roxas was his Nobody, but that didn't mean much to him except for their close friendship. Why did Roxas made it sound like a bad thing?

 

"But how can I live my own life after all that?" Roxas said then, his tone representing his confusion, sadness, shame, and anger at himself. "How could I have done that for the past few months, when I didn't know myself at all?" He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, still staring at Sora. "I had forgotten everything about my life in the Organization, and now I can't help but think about it. I know they used both of us, because each time they had one but not the other. Except I actually trusted them, trusted all of them to help me fit in and feel like one of them..." Roxas sighed, his head lowering somewhat. "It was the one place I felt like I belonged..."

 

Sora's lips parted at the Roxas' confusion and sadness, the brunet feeling it in his heart as well. "You belong with us," he said, his voice practically begging Roxas to not say he belonged best with the dark group. "You belong with me. And Kairi. And Namine," he said, emphasizing her name without thinking about it. "You're our best friend..."

 

Roxas tensed slightly at the last name, closing his eyes. "I know," he admitted, his voice tight. "And I want to believe you. But these memories came back for a reason, and now I'm not sure what to think about anything anymore..." He shook his head. "And Axel... He was my best friend, too..."

 

Sora didn't know what to say; Roxas did have a close relationship with Axel in the past, but that was a while ago. It must have felt strange, just realizing something like that after so long. "...He was a good guy," Sora said softly, meaning it. Axel had sacrificed himself to help him, and he had given him a way to get to Kairi. That meant more to him than words could express.

 

Roxas's fingers suddenly curled into fists, even as his weight remained on them against the ground. He was tense with anger, shame, and sorrow, thinking about his best friend. "And I forgot about him, just like that..." he said tightly, his emotions showing through his voice.

 

Sora looked down at his friend, sadness in his eyes as well. He couldn't say anything about that; he had actually wondered for quite some time about why Roxas couldn't remember his life in the Organization. But now that it was being brought up, Sora had a feeling some things were better left alone.

 

"He...he tried so hard to make me remember," Roxas said, his voice more full of sorrow as he lifted his head a little, staring sadly down at the ground. "He wanted me to remember who I really was, and thinking about it now, I realize that he wanted me to go back to the Organization with him."

"You couldn't," Riku intervened then, after a while of silence. "Sora couldn't wake up without you. You know that." He remembered watching from the shadows as things fell apart in Twilight Town, DiZ's plans having backfired a little bit back then.

 

Sora briefly looked over his shoulder at Riku when his friend mentioned him, but then Sora looked back down at the ground. Everything about his...awakening, was a bit fuzzy to him. He hadn't really thought about it, considering how quickly things had unfolded from there. Even though things had calmed down since then, Sora had never swelled on that. Now he wondered exactly why he did need Roxas....Was it simply because he was his Nobody? But, then why was Kairi able to function without Namine? Nothing made sense...

 

Roxas briefly went back to his time in Twilight Town, when the only person that really helped him throughout everything was Namine. She explained Sora to him, when he had no idea who he even was. And she also revealed the truth to him, that he was part of the Organization and that he and Axel were best friends. He had laughed at the thought, but now he only wanted to sulk. "I remember," he said after a short silence, not looking up at Riku. He had been selfish back then, wanting nothing more than to wake up from the bad dream. "My heart belongs to me!" He remembered saying that, because he finally remembered most things he had forgotten. But it couldn't compare to what he knew now.

 

Sora briefly wondered if he would have been able to wield the Keyblade if Roxas was apart from him and he was awake. That thought made his head spin. What was the real reason Roxas had to have a part in waking him up? There were too many unknown factors here, like why he was asleep in the first place. He really should have asked somebody about that by now, but he hadn't, maybe because he was afraid of the answer he could get.

 

"There wasn't any way that you could have gone with him," Riku said sternly, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Roxas. "Your fate was already planned out for you." DiZ had made sure that things went according to plan, even if some things were difficult to control.

Roxas lifted his eyes, staring at Riku now. "I don't care what fate had in store for me," he replied, his voice suddenly showing tension and anger now more than sadness. "Just because my fate was already mapped out doesn't mean I have to like it, not when I lose the memories of all I had ever known...and my best friend."

 

Sora turned his body slightly, so that he could turn his head to look at either of his friends. He looked back and forth between them, but in the end, his eyes landed on the ground again. He had no place to speak here; Roxas was upset because he was forced to awaken him and sacrifice his life for it. Even if it was necessary, Sora could see why his best friend was upset. If he were in Roxas' position, he would probably be disturbed too.

 

"...So you regret what happened? All of it," Riku assumed, getting a negative vibe from Roxas. "You regret waking Sora up, for your own benefit." He had been there, seeing what Roxas was doing as he had to work for DiZ. Roxas had been angry that things weren't going his way, that he wasn't who he thought he was. Heh, looks like the cycle is repeating itself, he thought.

"No," Roxas said through gritted teeth. Where did Riku come off saying anything? He hadn't exactly been an angel in the past, either. "That's not what I mean." Sora was his best friend too, and just because he was mad that he didn't live the life he thought he did back in Twilight Town didn't mean he regretted waking him up.

 

Sora's lips parted as if he were about to say something, but then he realized that he didn't have anything to say. In a way, he was glad to hear Roxas say he didn't regret waking him. He knew it in his heart that his best friend wouldn't regret that, but he did sound awfully negative about everything. He could hardly blame Roxas for his behavior though; these were shocking things they were discussing. In fact, Sora was a bit upset that Riku sounded so bold and...harsh, in a way. Judging his tone of voice, Riku felt he knew something that he didn't. Sora had no clue what that could have been, but he didn't dare ask.

 

"Then what do you mean?" Riku challenged calmly. "What's so bad about your life now, that you're being so pessimistic about it?" He had been there; he had seen how angry Roxas had gotten at DiZ. It was no surprise to him that he was angry about Sora's awakening, even if Roxas said that wasn't it. He didn't really believe the Nobody.

"Because it's all been a lie!" Roxas suddenly yelled, glaring at Riku with sharp blue eyes. His life now... The person he was... It didn't seem real to him anymore. Everything seemed fake, like an alternate reality of some kind. He couldn't think of a way to explain it the way he wanted to at the moment, his anger washing all reasonable thoughts out of his mind.

 

Sora turned to Roxas, hearing him scream in his ear. It hadn't all been a lie...not his most recent life. Not what he had with Namine, not his friendship with Sora...It was all true and genuine. But Roxas seemed so blinded by the rage of living a lie before with the Organization that he couldn't see the truth.

 

Riku jerked back a little bit at Roxas's scream, the volume having caught him off guard. "...A lie?" Riku wasn't challenging him to anything this time; he was actually interested.

"Yes. Everything--everything has been a lie!" Roxas cried, his voice higher in volume now as his patience finally faded. "After seeing all of this, remembering my past... Nothing seems right now! I don't even know who I am anymore! It's like...like the person I seem like now is only an act, and the real me is when I was with the Organization!"