Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

"Roxas?!" Sora cried out in alarm, looking at his friend in worry. What was going on here? Something must have triggered this...He turned to face Riku, angered for the sake of his friend. "What'd you do?!" he demanded, eyebrows furrowed over his bright blue eyes. Riku had hardly seen him angry before, so it would probably surprise him just how defensive he was for his Nobody. "Why's this happening?!"

 

Riku's eyes widened, but his surprise at Sora's anger and defensiveness only showed for a short second. His eyebrows furrowed back over his narrowed eyes as he looked from Sora to Roxas, seeing the blond boy struggling. "...He's having another memory," he assumed, realizing this had happened before, when a flashback came to Roxas before. "The truth is coming back to him."

Roxas heard his Somebody's alarmed voice over the painful ring in his ears, as well as Riku's calm, yet harsh tone. The blinding white light behind his eyes faded and he suddenly was in The World That Never Was. It was lightning, ready to storm, and Axel was up ahead. "So your mind's made up?" his friend asked. "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know," he replied. "You can't turn your back on the Organization! They'll destroy you!" Roxas's head turned slightly to look over his shoulder at his friend. "No one would miss me." And then he continued to walk along the streets of the dark world, bringing his hood up to conceal his face once it started to rain. Roxas groaned slightly at the painful memory of his friend, and the intensity of the memory itself.

 

Sora froze at Riku's harshly-spoken words. Roxas...having his memory come back? This was what had been going on the whole time? "...You've known this for a while," he suddenly realized. He looked up at Riku, his voice more stern and angered than shocked. "You knew and you didn't tell me!? Riku, how could you?" He wasn't just ticked...he was outraged that his "best friend" had kept something so important from him. "He's my best friend!!"

 

Riku's eyes suddenly flashed back to Sora with anger. "He's your Nobody, Sora!" he hollered back. "Besides, I didn't realize this was what was happening until a few days ago. You were worried enough; you didn't need something else to drag you down!"

Roxas sucked in a breath through gritted teeth as a sharp pain shot through his head, making him lean forward a little bit as he remained on his knees, still gripping at his head. The memory was providing a picture of him reaching an open area in The World That Never Was, his instincts leading him to sense a dark presence around him. Neoshadows started rising out of the ground and he summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper to his hands before beginning to fight them off. The sounds of the contact to the Heartless sounded so real to Roxas, like he was reliving the memory.

 

Sora suddenly rose to his feet, hands clenched into fists. "Don't you think not knowing made me worry more?" he hollered back, staring down his friend. "I don't care that he's my Nobody; he's my best friend! You honestly think keeping the truth from me was the right thing to do?!" He didn't wait for an answer, steaming now. He couldn't have stopped the words, even if he wanted to. "You've been a bad judge of right and wrong in the past," he said lowly, referring to how Riku turned to Darkness to save Kairi. "I had thought you were smarter than that now."

 

Riku stared up at Sora, but then he slowly rose to his feet. Once he was up, his steely eyes rested on the blue opposite him. "You're right. I did make the wrong decisions, but I'm trying to prevent you from doing the same," he said. "You can't just take everything head on, Sora. If you knew what was happening you would have gotten distracted with Roxas's condition and had a higher chance of hurting yourself in battle. I couldn't let that happen, even if you did risk your own skin to protect Roxas."

Roxas then saw himself looking up a skyscaper, his hood protecting his head from most of the droplets. That was when he saw a figure at the top, and he began to pursue him. He took a few jumps, skipping the steps to the building, before he started running up the structure. The figure at the top then began descending, falling from the top. Roxas chucked Oblivion at the person, only to see him skillfully catch it before they crossed paths. Roxas flipped up to the top of the building, turning around to look down at the ground. The mysterious figure was at the bottom, having landed gracefully. Roxas groaned again, something about seeing the figure striking pain through his head.

 

Sora clenched his fists more tightly, anger coursing through his veins. "It's not your place to decide what mistakes I will or won't make," he spat in outrage. I'll make my own mistakes, and I'll live my own life without people trying to manipulate me. As for Roxas... "And I don't care if I would have gotten hurt worse in battle," he hissed. "Whatever it takes to protect him, that's what I'll do. I'd die for him." I almost did at one point, he thought, remembering back to a few instances with Smith.

 

"You'd die for a Nobody, a person who was never even meant to exist?!" Riku suddenly yelled in fury, finally losing his cool after a very long time. He'd always been pretty collected, but this was the first time he had yelled at Sora since the time before they left the islands years ago. He didn't like to hear that his friend would die for someone he didn't think deserved it.

That was when Roxas jumped from the top of the building as well, landing gracefully on his feet once he met the earth. He looked at the figure with the cloth covering his eyes before he jumped into battle, destroying the Heartless surrounding both of them with his help. Roxas clutched at his hair even more at the memory, even as it continued. He saw himself finally face the person who fought alongside him, before they jumped away and began battling each other.

 

Sora took one step back with his foot, but then he brought it forward again, holding his ground. Riku's raw anger surprised him, but it didn't frighten him. "The point is, he does exist," he said firmly, anger coming through in his voice. "And stop calling him a Nobody! He's not that to me...He's my best friend!" He hated that Roxas was a Nobody, but he couldn't change that. Titles had never mattered to him, anyway; it was more about personal connections. And in this case, the connection was indestructible friendship.

 

"Even if he's not that to you, that's what he is, regardless of what you think!" Riku hollered back, taking a step toward Sora. "Do you honestly think his opinion of himself hasn't changed since he even got his memories back? Haven't you noticed that he's been acting more like a Nobody and less like your friend since he realized what was happening?"

Roxas and the figure slashed at each other for a while, until Roxas forced him to collapse on the ground. "Why?! Why do you have the Keyblade?" he inquired angrily. Roxas merely looked at the blade in his hand before screaming, "Shut up!" He slashed at the mysterious person before he was suddenly sent flying back, his hood falling from his head as he landed on the ground. His vision was spinning slightly as he watched the silver-haired person get up and stalk toward him. Roxas blacked out for a moment, and when he awoke--realizing it had only been seconds--he forced himself up, grabbing onto Oblivion, which had been pierced into the ground beside him. He swung it at the enemy, gritting his teeth in anger when he managed to dodge the attack. Roxas moved his feet, sprinting toward him when suddenly blue fireballs were launched at him. He knocked them away and jumped into the air, bringing his Keyblade down onto the cloaked figure. The guy managed to dodge him, but Roxas swung without hesitation, making him jump back.

 

"So what if it has changed!?" Sora challenged, not intimidated by Riku's death glare. Riku had lost his calmness for this conversation, but Sora realized he was acting out of character as well. Yelling was something he hardly did, let alone to somebody so close to him. "He's confused, Riku! He's discovering a life he had completely forgotten. Of course it's going to affect him! But I know...this is temporary! He's still the same Roxas I'm friends with, deep down. I know it!"

 

Riku furrowed his eyebrows angrily at his best friend. "The darkness that resides within him is resurfacing!" he bellowed, jabbing a finger in Roxas's direction. "So what if he's the same person deep down? That version of Roxas is going to be buried by the time all of his memories return to him! Don't you think I know?!" His voice was much louder than before, echoing throughout the area. He could hear the lions nearby growl softly in caution.

"Why don't you quit?" Roxas yelled at the person yards from him, swinging his weapon to his side in frustration. The figure only stood there calmly. "Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that," he said simply. Roxas blinked in question. "Get real," he said, leaning forward slightly with furrowed eyebrows. "Look which one of us is winning." He then gasped softly, bringing a hand to his mouth before looking up at the person across from him. The silver-haired figure then said, "So it's true. You really are his Nobody. Guess DiZ was right after all." The brief mention of the name in the memory made the pounding of Roxas's head increase, the memory intense.

 

Sora was grinding his teeth as Riku spoke, the teen fighting the trembling of his fists. Oh, he just wanted to shut Riku up so badly! It seemed like even the lions wanted things to quiet down. He was about ready to call them over and get this to end, but even now in his rage he couldn't lift a hand to strike his friend. "What I know is that he's my best friend!" he shouted. "The Roxas I know won't be conquered by darkness...never!" He took a small step forward, his glare staying on Riku. "You act like you know it all," he started lowly, "but if you think Roxas will ever be like them, then you're sadly mistaken!"

 

"I guess you weren't listening," Riku said in a calmer but darker tone, "when I told Roxas what I witnessed during my time acting like I was part of the Organization. Even if he was fooled into their plan, he was still one of them, Sora." He stared down at Sora, wishing his friend would just realize what he was saying. "I'm sorry to say it, but he's been living on a false personality this whole time. Roxas even said so himself."

Roxas gripped his blond spikes as a painful shock shot through him, making him groan again. "What are you talking about? I am me," he said in the memory, summoning his other weapon to his side. "Nobody else!" He then launched himself at the guy across from him, swinging and making a direct hit. The guy was pushed back and cried out in pain before collapsing back to the ground. "How many times do I have to beat you?" Roxas demanded angrily. "All right," the mysterious person said. "You've left me with no other choice." Roxas felt the shock of confusion run through him in the memory. "What?" he asked. The silver-haired person then straightened up as he rose from the ground. "I have to release the power in my heart--the dark power I've been holding back," the strange guy continued, before he took off his blindfold. That was when Roxas's sight fell on his eyes. In reality, as Roxas continued to grip his head, he let out an agonizing cry at the strength of the memory. The sight of the person's whole face cleared everything up with so much intensity that it made him lean forward a little. Riku.

 

"I don't believe you!" Sora hollered, hands clenched as tightly as possible. He didn't care what Riku saw or observed; he hadn't been around Roxas the past year. And Sora refused to believe that everything was a lie. He couldn't! Roxas' cry interrupted his thoughts, making him turn around. His eyes softened at the sight of his friend, his fists coming undone immediately. He opened his mouth to cry out to his friend in worry, but nothing left his lips, the brunet too agonized over what was occurring here. Everything was falling apart.

 

Riku turned his attention to Roxas as well at the shout, recognizing it as one of pain. He lowered his eyes to the ground for a moment, knowing that he couldn't convince Sora anymore of what was bound to happen. His sight rested on Roxas again. "...Fine," he finally said, his voice back to its calm tone once more. "I guess you'll have to find out for yourself."

"Even...if it changes me forever," Riku declared in the memory. Darkness suddenly pooled out in front of Roxas in tubes as he took his battle stance, heart beating rapidly. The darkness disappeared to reveal a man with long silver hair, different than Riku's, floating in the air, what appeared to be a creature much like a Heartless behind him. "Riku" suddenly disappeared and wound up in front of Roxas, making him gasp in surprise. Suddenly he was being clutched by the creature's large claws, the blond boy groaning and writhing as he struggled to get out of the painful grasp. After a few seconds it was too much for him, and his Keyblades fell from his grasp. The memory suddenly began to cloud over, growing fuzzy and staticky behind Roxas's closed eyelids. Roxas remained on his knees, his head lowered as his hands still clutched at it. It was then that his eyes flashed open, the blond gasping.

 

Sora gave Riku a dirty look, but he didn't say anything. Riku was stubborn, as always. He turned back to his blond friend, hearing him gasp. His gaze turned from angered to concerned as he knelt down by his best friend. He set a hand on Roxas' shoulder, worried blue eyes staying on him. Whatever Roxas had just remembered was really bad, and he was even more concerned for him than he had been before, if that was even possible.

 

Roxas panted heavily, his eyes wide as he stared down at the rocky terrain beneath his knees. Riku... It had been Riku all along. He was the one that captured him, stopped him from pursuing everything on his own. His thoughts sent off another chain reaction, something flashing before his eyes: words. "Who are you?" "What does it matter? I'm here for you." "Why are you trying to stop me?" "Because I want back the rest of Sora's memories." ...It was him, and Riku. The conversation was flying around in his mind, the words appearing and disappearing just as he registered them. Roxas blinked hard to try and focus, but the words were confusing him even more.

 

Sora stayed where he was, keeping a hand on Roxas' shoulder as he caught his breath. His lips parted as if he were going to say something, but his mouth was suddenly too dry for him to utter even one word. His hand trembled faintly, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe Riku's words had instilled some fear in him after all.

 

"Sora, Sora, Sora! Enough about Sora!" "Do you have some kind of plan?" The words flew by, becoming blurry so that Roxas only caught a quick glance. They were so fast that he blinked to try and clear the dizziness. "I'm going to set Kingdom Hearts free! Then everything can go back to the way it was! Me, and Axel...can go on having ice cream together..." "...Either way, I can't let you go doing anything crazy." Roxas gasped as he clutched at his head still, stunned at what was occurring. "I have to find this Sora person, and freeing Kingdom Hearts is the only way! ...I want my life back!" "If you try and make contact with Kingdom Hearts, the last thing you'll get is your life back. The Organization will destroy you." "Shut up!"