Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora opened the door and a bright light blinded him. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes, but then he headed inside, ready for whatever was in store for him. He wanted to know the truth about this place, and how it affected him. He needed to find out what the man meant when he spoke of claiming and losing. It was an obsession now, but a reasonable one, considering the darkness he felt in this place. Something was up. Whether it was a current or past threat, he was going to find out what it was. He summoned his blade and walked into the world of his memory: Traverse Town.

 

"...Just like he did with the rest of Organization XIII," Roxas finished, his voice somewhat sad. He looked down at the floor of the ship. So it had been Sora that killed off the members...

"Not entirely," Riku objected, still facing forward. "Sora was on the top floors. I was in the basement." He remembered all he had experienced there, having to deal with Zexion and Lexaeus, as well as Vexen. There were also other things, like the copy of himself, Repliku. And then everything with DiZ, who he had trouble trusting then. "Now, the place is empty. The only thing endangering Sora is his own pursuit of his memories."

Roxas was silent, focusing on what he was hearing. So both Sora and Riku were in the Castle. And together they wiped out the five other Organization members. And now Sora was after the memories he had lost. "There's one thing I still don't get," he started. "How did Sora lose his memories in the first place? Was the Organization responsible for that?"

"The others were using special power to take away Sora's memories, and they replaced them." Riku already knew what Roxas was going to ask next: why? "They were plotting to overthrow your leader, and to do that they needed Sora. So they started getting rid of his memories, that way they could use him as their own little puppet." Riku's voice had grown harsh throughout the last bit, and he pushed himself from his chair to stand up. He paced toward one of the windows on the side, hands balled into fists.

 

Sora stood in the doorway for a moment, mouth agape with surprise. How was he in Traverse Town?! Obviously he wasn't really there, but how did it look like it? He took a few steps forward and winced when another memory came to him. The man again, explaining to him that this place was made from the memories in his heart. That makes sense, he thought to himself, looking around in case anybody popped up. When nobody did, he allowed his thoughts to continue. But, what's the point of this? I don't understand what's going on here...

 

"What 'special power' are you talking about?" Roxas asked, his voice growing more stern as this conversation continued. He was getting a bad vibe from all of this, and he wasn't liking it.

Riku's frown deepened as he sighed softly. "They had to use a person, someone very special with an unusual but extraordinary power," he began. He turned his head to face Roxas, and somewhere within him, he felt bad that he had to break the news to the Nobody. "She was a witch, someone who could control Sora's memories and affect the ones of those connected to him." When he said "witch", Roxas had paid extra attention, and Riku knew he was connecting the dots. "They were using Namine."

Roxas instantly stiffened, eyes widening. "N-Namine?" he repeated in shock. He shook his head. "No, they couldn't have. She was in Twilight Town, in the mansion."

"That was after the events in Castle Oblivion," Riku corrected, watching Roxas. "She was forced to replace Sora's memories with fake ones she created under Marluxia's rule. She put herself in Kairi's position, making it so Sora felt for Namine the way he naturally felt for Kairi."

Roxas leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as his hands found his hair. He closed his eyes tightly, hating what he was hearing. Not Namine... he thought. Not Namine.

 

Sora took a few steps into this "Traverse Town," Keyblade still in his hand. He trusted his instincts, even if he hadn't been listening to them lately. There was something dangerous nearby, though it had nothing to do with his memories. He turned to the left and then to the right, tightening the grip on his blade. Then, it appeared. Right in front of the door he needed to use to progress further into the castle, a Behemoth appeared. His already-present frown deepened, but he didn't cower away. He had the strength to fight this thing. Now that he had gotten a taste of getting the memories back, he had found the power to fight. He set his feet and then charged forward, a battle cry leaving his lips.

 

Riku hesitated before beginning, realizing how much Roxas was hurting from this. Hard to believe a Nobody could feel anything at all. "I know what you're thinking, and it involves Namine, no doubt," he said. "The reason why she put herself in Kairi's place was to draw Sora further into the Castle, so he would pursue her and rescue her. He did, but your Organization friends hadn't planned on that." He looked back out the window. "Little did they know that she was released by Axel, who probably did it for you."

Roxas opened his eyes, pain evident inside their blue irises. He stared at the floor, thinking of Axel and how long he had been gone. He'd known all of that the whole time? "Axel..." he said, his voice as soft as a whisper. That's why he had been gone so long, because he was wrapped up in the Castle Oblivion mess. "What happened after that?" he asked, wanting to know the rest. Nothing could be as bad as what he just heard.

"Sora eventually found Namine and defeated Marluxia. Once that was over, Namine promised to restore Sora, Donald, and Goofy's memories," Riku continued to explain. "Sora took the oppurtunity, obviously. And then she asked me of the same, if I wanted my memories of the Castle to be erased. I said no. I needed to make sure everything was alright while Sora slept, and then I had to find you." Riku strode over to the pilot's seat, aware they were very close now. "The rest is what you experienced in Twilight Town."

 

Sora slid under the beast when he was right in front of it, sliding his sharp blade along the Behemoth's underside. He came out towards the rear and then jumped up while it was distracted, now onto it's back. He grunted and set himself up on the Heartless' head, striking the horn multiple times. That was the weakest point, for some reason. If he kept striking at that spot, the Behemoth would be defeated.

 

Roxas leaned back in his seat, exhaling softly as he looked out the window ahead of him. No wonder Namine didn't go into detail about that year, he thought to himself, recalling when he asked who Namine was. She had explained she was a witch, and then explained Sora's memories. Why didn't he find the connection before? It all made sense now... But one thing he couldn't get out of his head was one of the thoughts he never wanted to have. What if Namine actually did have feelings for Sora back then?

Riku buckled himself back up and took hold of the controls, aware that Castle Oblivion was just ahead of them. He hated this place, and never wanted to return. But now he had to, whether he liked it or not.

 

A harsh battle cry left Sora's lips as he repeated swung at the Behemoth. He was so frustrated! Not only was he upset with the beast, who was now trying to throw him off its back, but he was also upset with the circumstances. He had been forced to alienate himself from Roxas and Riku, and despite his recent apathy, he wasn't happy leaving on such a sour note. He hoped that when he returned to them and had his memories, they would understand why he took the action he did. Then, maybe they could forgive him. And he could forgive himself, too. Lately, he hadn't liked who he was. Now was the time to change that.

 

Riku began to land the ship, steering manually around the world until he found Sora's ship. As if by instinct, he descended the ship right next to his old one, bringing it to a halt. He unbuckled himself and pushed one of the buttons on the control panel to open the doors.

Roxas followed Riku out of the ship silently, that is until they stood in front of the Castle. "Whoa..." he said without thought, looking up at the uniquely shaped building. He'd only seen the white room inside; he'd never actually caught what the outside looked like. "How many floors are there?" he asked as they headed to the door. Thinking back to what Riku had explained and taking in the height of the structure, they would probably be chasing Sora down for a while.

"Too many," Riku said simply. He grabbed onto the door handle, feeling hatred come to him at the sight of this place, and even being near it. He pushed the door open and stepped in, telling Roxas to shut it behind him. Riku walked forward a few steps, eyes dancing across the plain room until they landed on the small set of stairs leading to the door. He exhaled a heavy breath. Back in this place again, he thought. Not getting a good feeling about it either.

 

Sora finally defeated the Heartless, relief overpowering him for a moment. He hadn't been fighting well lately, but considering he just defeated a Behemoth on his own, he wasn't too bad off. Yeah, he could take care of himself in this place. He turned his head and looked toward the door he had entered through--the one that was connected to the entrance of Castle Oblivion. Seeing nothing there, he opened the door in front of him and continued onward.

 

Roxas took his hand off the door, having shut it. He walked forward a few steps and prepared for the pain that would invade his mind, just like last time. He closed his eyes tightly, stiff. However, nothing happened; he was fine.

Riku had caught onto Roxas's movements, and instantly recognized what was happening. "Don't worry. You won't faint this time," he said, smirking slightly. He took a few steps forward. "That only happened when you weren't completely connected with Sora. You know of him now, just as he knows about you. You're fine." He turned around, eyes landing on the attentive blond a few feet away. "Besides, if the same were to happen, you wouldn't have been able to be within miles of each other in New York."

Roxas sighed softly, relieved. Good, one last thing he had to worry about. He nodded once to Riku. "So, what's the plan?" he asked. "Climb each floor until we find Sora?"

"That's pretty much it," Riku confirmed, turning and starting toward the stairs. "Be prepared. Even if the members who used to be in charge here are gone, that doesn't mean the power of this place is." He knew Roxas was behind him as he climbed the stairs, and Riku hesitated slightly before going through the door.

 

Floor Seven

Sora released a harsh battle cry, knocking out the last of the Dusks that had ambushed him. He panted and looked around, Keyblade at the ready in case anything else jumped out at him. When nothing else appeared, he released a breath of relief. He had travelled very far on his own, regaining memories with each floor. Now that he knew what this place was about, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the end of the story. But not knowing would be far worse.

He had discovered a few things through his regained memories. One was that this place made you forget things. He currently wasn't forgetting anything (he kept taking out Kairi's good luck charm to make sure he remembered everything there was to remember, and he hadn't lost a thing). Another thing he remembered was that Namine was in this place, being held by the Organization. But what he used to feel for her...it was very strong. Similar to what he felt for Kairi today. Why was that? And why did he believe that Namine was with him on the Islands? Clearly she hadn't been, considering that she was Kairi's Nobody. She hadn't existed when they were children, and yet in his memories, he fully believed she was one of his best friends. He sighed and shook his head, going up the stairs to the eighth floor. The sooner he reached the top, the sooner he would have answers to all his questions.

 

Roxas swung at the creatures that attacked him in the world they had encountered after reaching the sixth floor. They'd been doing this for hours ever since they entered, and yet he wasn't completely worn out. He could only blame that on the power his memories had granted him. For situations like this, he was grateful for it.

Riku slashed through the last Heartless in the area before turning to Roxas. "Let's go," he demanded, marching to the door that waited for them just ahead. He ran through the light, aware that Roxas was right behind him. He was panting slightly, mostly due to the adrenaline pumping through his body and causing him to breathe faster. Once Riku reached the other side of the door, transported back into the white walls of Floor 6, he walked forward a few steps and sighed. He hated this place, immensely.

 

Sora breathed uneasily at the top of the stairs, his eyes darting around for any more Nobodies. In the parts of the Castle that actually were not a part of the imaginary worlds, Nobodies appeared. But in the made-up worlds, Heartless came to fight him. He didn't question it; it was simply an observation he made. When he saw to threat, he moved over to the side and leaned against the wall. Then he lowered himself down to the ground, panting as another memory blocked his sight. There he was at the doorway, waving for Donald and Goofy to pick up the pace. Why? Because the Organization had Namine, and he wanted to save her. No, not just "want"...He needed to save her. It was his obsession at the time, clouding his mind. Hadn't he come here originally seeking Riku and the King? How had things changed so quickly?

 

Roxas came through the door and instantly gripped both of his Keyblades in his hands. "Not done yet," he told Riku, looking ahead of the them and seeing Nobodies materialize. Even if he was one, he held hatred for them. Roxas gripped his blades tightly before running into the group of them, a mad cry leaving his throat.

Riku pulled his arm back in his stance and waited patiently for one of the Dusks to come to him. Two came at him and he smirked before swinging at them professionally. Grunts left his throat, as well as cries, both mixing with the sounds of Roxas's. This fighting was getting old.

 

Sora shook his head when he heard some noise enter his ears. He lifted his head and saw Dusks appearing once more. He sat for a moment longer, knowing that it wasn't often that the Nobodies charged straightforwardly. He stabbed his blade into the ground and rose to his feet, getting into a battle stance. "I can't keep doing this," he mumbled to himself, staring at the Nobodies. He didn't know how many floors remained, but he couldn't handle all the fighting. They were getting stronger with each level, and it angered him. He needed answers, and they were hindering him.

 

Roxas swung at the Dusks, his energy powered by his anger and the thoughts causing his distress. Namine... She had been used just as he was. But he still couldn't believe what he had heard from Riku. The way it had sounded...and the things that had occurred. He couldn't forget that he sensed Namine actually had feelings for Sora. That angered him a little bit more than it should have.

 

Sora threw his Keyblade at the Dusk closest to him and then made a run for it, fleeing into the next world. The Heartless were easier to deal with; he could go a little more slowly in this world and then be okay for whatever was left of the castle. That's what he hoped, anyway.

 

Once the chaos came to a close, Roxas looked over at Riku, who was breathing heavily from the fight. "Next floor," the older teen said, and Roxas nodded without question, racing forward and up the stairs and into the next world. As soon as he walked through the door he gained a sense of fright, and when the light finally dimmed, he took in his surroundings; the feeling only fit.

"Halloween Town," Riku stated. He already knew that his clothes had altered, but that was the least of his concerns. He glanced at Roxas, aware that he too wore a new outfit, and gestured to the blond. "Let's move. Quickly." He got the firm nod from the Nobody before moving forward smoothly, approaching a dark area and instantly being invaded by Heartless. No surprise there, he thought. Regardless, he kept fighting, aware that his best friend was alone in this bizarre Castle.