Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora followed Roxas' gaze to the top of the rock, feeling dizziness from the height of it. I fell that far? he thought, surprised but now shocked. The pain had already told him it was pretty far. He set his hands on the ground beside him, preparing to try and sit up.

 

Riku put his hands out instictively. "Easy," he instructed wisely, aware of how far Sora had actually fallen. It was obvious that he was doing so hot, even with the help of Roxas's potion. He should have expected Roxas to dodge his fireballs; it would only be an obvious reaction.

 

Sora felt the pain intensify right after Riku spoke, and the brunet wisely obeyed. He let his arms relax and he stayed on his back, avoiding the risk of further injuring himself. He shut his eyes and took in a breath, trying to get the pain to fade away.

 

Roxas let his hand fall from his head, landing on his knee again. "As much as I would hate to make you get up," he started, looking down at Sora, "we should probably move you so you can recover. It's almost nightfall." As he said this he glanced up, seeing that sunset was among them, and it was only growing darker the longer they stayed out here.

 

Sora briefly wondered why they should move; there was no threat here with the lionesses. But then he realized that not only could there be unknown Heartless in the area at night, but it would also get pretty chilly. "So help me up," he said, looking from Roxas to Riku.

 

Riku looked at Roxas, just as the blond looked at him. They nodded to each other and immediately started to help Sora up. Riku took one side while Roxas took the other, the two being careful not to hurt their friend.

 

Sora winced at the pain; Roxas was on his left side, so that he was taking the injured side. He was glad for that. After all, it would put less strain on it since they were the same height. He clenched his eyes shut and hung his head, the pain becoming more intense again.

 

Roxas and Riku rose slowly, their grips on Sora's wrists, his arms over their shoulders. "Easy now," Riku instructed, and Roxas followed the orders obediently. They started to walk steadily, planning to take Sora to one of the caves.

 

Sora walked with them, limping because of his left leg. It felt as if there were a spear in it or something; that was probably one of his worst injuries. He released a long breath, his eyes opening and looking at the ground. The pain was starting to cloud his senses again, but he knew he couldn't allow that to take control of him.

 

After a few minutes, Roxas turned with Riku and they approached a cave nearby. It was the smaller one of the two on Pride Rock, but it was closest, so he settled for it. Roxas matched Riku's pace as he held Sora up, glancing sidelong at him before focusing back on where he was heading.

Riku was aware that Sora needed to be cured, but he wasn't sure if a Cure spell would do the trick. He knew the spell, but the potion didn't seem to have that much of an effect. He could only question his magic as well. One thing was for sure, though: they needed to get Sora somewhere comfortable so he could recover faster.

 

As the walk progressed, Sora had eventually stopped trying so hard to walk. He let his feet drag slightly, though he still moved his right foot to try and move. He leaned more heavily into Roxas as they moved, since his left leg was virtually useless for the time being.

 

Roxas held Sora's weight the best he could, aware that he had gotten more of it as the walk continued. They approached the cave closest and walked inside, carefully guiding along in the dimness with Sora.

 

Sora looked up when he felt the atmosphere change, no longer feeling the cool breeze the evening had brought. His eyes scanned the area and he immediately recognized it as one of the places he had been in the past. Some things never change, he mused, almost smiling despite the circumstances.

 

"Over there," Riku instructed softly, his voice echoing in the small cave. He saw Roxas nod out of the corner of his eye and the two started toward one corner of the rocky area. Once they were there, Riku and Roxas started to slowly lower Sora. "Careful..." he warned, knowing how weak Sora was.

 

Sora focused on the issue at hand, hearing Riku's voice enter his ear. He felt himself being lowered and he braced himself for pain, which gradually grew as he changed his position from the upright one he had been in the past few minutes. He needed to cure himself, but at that moment, he couldn't find the energy to. Given another minute, though, he would hopefully be able to do it.

 

Roxas gently set Sora down alongside Riku, the boy backing up once his friend was safely on the ground. He stood up straight and looked around the cave, seeing a few figures on the walls, but immediately looked back to Sora. He obviously was in a lot of pain. "I wish I knew a cure spell..." he muttered, scratching the side of his head. Even though he may have known one regarding his past, he couldn't think of how to do one now. It was unfortunate, considering Sora appeared to need it; the potion hadn't really been enough.

 

Sora shut his eyes tiredly, feeling his fingers twitch slightly as he focused his energy. He heard a soft twinkling sound, leaves appearing above his head as he cast a cure spell. The aches diminished further, though he still felt pretty bad. He exhaled a soft breath and slouched against the wall, his eyes staying shut.

 

Roxas's hand fell from his head, gazing down at Sora. Never mind then, he thought, seeing that his friend had already casted the spell. The blond lowered himself to the ground where he stood, sitting on the cold rock. He drew his knees up to his chest, letting his hands hook together leisurely around them. He wasn't quite sure what they were going to do now.

Riku leaned against the wall beside him. He had one foot propped up, his arms crossed and his head lowered. He still felt pretty guilty over what he had caused, toward Sora. The thing with Roxas... He sighed. That would have to wait until later. He didn't want to think about it.

 

Sora kept his head lowered, though he did decide that he needed to open his eyes. He opened them partway, his sight immediately landing on his legs in front of him. He winced faintly when he accidentally moved his leg slightly, his hand coming to that leg as a result of the pain. A cure spell and a potion should have cured this, but then again, it was a pretty big fall. It would take multiple spells to recover from this, but his magic was taking a very long time to return to him. For a while, he'd just have to deal with the pain. And he'd do it without complaining; he could tell by Riku's silence that he felt guilty over the misfire.

 

As concerned as Roxas was for Sora, his mind instantly focused back on his memories as he stared at his intwined hands. So much had happened within three-hundred fifty-eight days; he had counted while he was in the Organization, he remembered. All of the events that had taken place, and he had encountered them all again within just a month and a half.

Riku closed his eyes, breathing calmly despite his racing thoughts. I should have been more careful. Why didn't I notice that Sora was right there? Or realize that Roxas would dodge something that fast? He released a soft breath, wishing he could take it back. He would have much rather hurt Roxas over Sora.