Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

"Alright!" Sora hollered back in response to Riku's words. He spun around and headed through the next door, leaving Roxas and Riku to their fights. The moment he went through, he noticed that the room was empty of Nobodies. He breathed a sigh of relief, though that relief didn't last long. His head began to spin, and he felt as if another memory was coming.

 

Roxas continued to battle the swarm of Nobodies around him, surrounded by what he believed was about fifteen of them. He still had some work to do, even if he'd gotten rid of a majority of them.

Riku spun and attacked two Dusks that were nearby, a battle cry leaving his lips as one disappeared and the other was pushed back. He continued his assault on that single target, whacking and swiping at it until it disappeared. One down, many more to go.

 

Sora made it a few more steps into the room, forcing himself too look around one more time before he let the memory overtake him. With no Nobodies in sight, he let him drop his guard, a memory appearing before him.

Sora, Donald and Goofy ran forward to meet Marluxia, who stated the obvious fact that they had defeated Axel. Namine was next to him, still his captive. Once Marluxia was done babbling about how badly he wanted the Keyblade's power, Sora intervened. "Let Namine go!"

"You have no chance of winning," Marluxia informed Sora, his tone almost sounding bored. He turned to the girl standing beside him, his unwilling captive. "Namine, destroy Sora's heart."

Namine gasped, her eyes widening just as much as Sora's, Donald's, and Goofy's did at that moment. But out of the four of them, she was the only one who really knew what that meant. "But if I do that...?!"

"That's right. Sora's heart will be destroyed," Marluxia confirmed, voice showing how cunning and devious he was. "I'd rather have preferred him unmarred, but he can be rebuilt, more to my liking with time." If he had any emotions, he probably would have smiled at that time. After all, the Keyblade wielder was about to be his slave. "Namine, do it."

Sora groaned at the memory, falling to his knees as his hands came up to clutch his head. Is this...is this how I lost my memories? But, then, what does that mean for my heart? Is it...really in me, anymore? Or was it destroyed? Have I been living a lie?

 

Roxas proceeded to take down the Nobodies in his way. He was enraged, fueled by the anger Sora's memory had sprung on him. It wasn't because of Sora, but because of Marluxia. He had his hands on Namine in the memory, and Roxas hadn't known that she was in so much danger while being held captive here. It only angered him, making his attacks and cries harsher as he swiped at enemies.

 

"No," Namine said defiantly, surprising everyone in the room. When Marluxia gave her a questioning look, she continued. "Sora forgave me, even when I deceived him. So how could I destroy his heart? There's no way! I don't care what happens to me. I won't hurt Sora, I won't do it!

"Then you will..."

"Do it, Namine!" Sora cried out. His fists were clenched at his side, the teen forcing himself through the next words. "I don't care, destroy my memory! Who will I look after if I don't have...Namine?! So just do it! Erase my memories, destroy my heart! I promise, I'll always protect you. You have to believe me!" He was desperate now, desperate to protect the girl he had the illusion of falling in love with. If anything happened to her, he couldn't forgive himself.

"Sora..." Namine started softly, her tone unreadable. Sora didn't understand what it meant to destroy his heart...the consequences would be much more serious than he could possibly imagine.

"You see?" Sora started, not waiting for Namine to answer the rhetorical question. "I'll have my friends memories so I can piece together my own again!" Beside him, Donald and Goofy agreed, following Sora's gaze to Namine and giving her looks filled with determination. Determination, and ignorance.

"You ignorant fool," Marluxia remarked, frowning at the stupidity of Sora. "If Namine uses her powers to erase your memory, you'll be nothing but an empty shell. Your heart will no longer be able to feel or care, just like...Vexen's pathetic imitation of your Riku."

Sora felt his blood boil at the memory of the imitation of Riku, a growl leaving his lips as he sat on his knees on the cold castle floor. He had a feeling he would never have fond memories of him, but then again, he could be proven wrong.

 

Roxas had felt strange vibes around the pink-haired Organization member back when he was a part of it. True, he hadn't seen very much of him, but that didn't stop the moments of awkwardness to overcome him. Roxas slashed angrily at a Dusk, making it disappear. He was glad that Sora had defeated Marluxia; Namine was completely out of harm's way because of it. At least from this place.

 

"Take another guess."

Namine was the first to see where the dark voice came from. Her eyes widened when a dark mass of energy became forming above the heads of Sora, Donald and Goofy. A portal and Repliku came out of it, slashing right at Marluxia next to her. A scream left her lips on impulse, the blade coming close to striking her. But Marluxia had jumped back, so neither of them were hit. But Repliku, who just saved her, now stood beside her.

"Riku!" Sora cried out, not sure if he should be relieved or concerned. Where had he even come from?! Last time he had seen him, he had been crashed on the floor, his memories smashed. But he was up and fighting again?

"No," Repliku said, extending his arm with the blade as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Sora. "Just an imitation."

Marluxia growled in frustration, a distance away from the group. "You're a shell! A shell who has had everything taken. Everything!" He was visibly upset, probably because he had more enemies now. That, and Namine was no longer his hostage.

"What can you possible think I ever had?" Repliku countered, his tone one of defeat. "Both my body and my heart are fake. But...there is one memory I'll keep, even if it's just a lie. Whether it was a phantom promise or not, I will protect Namine!"

"...Imbeciles," Marluxia said, a darkness behind his tone of voice Sora had never heard before. He summoned his weapon and then slashed it through the air, petals surrounding him at the action.0" You would knowingly shackle your hearts with a chain of memories born of lies? You would be one who has a heart yet cast aside your heart's freedom? You turn from the truth because your heart is weak. You will never defeat me!"

 

Riku swiped at the Nobodies, growing aggravated at how long they have been around. He was down to only a few now, and he slashed at them relentlessly. During his assaults he glanced over in Roxas's direction, seeing that he had more Dusks surrounding him. Riku instantly knew that it was because the Nobodies saw him as more of a threat, not only because he turned his back on the Organization, but because he was stronger.

 

A fight followed that conversation, Repliku staying out of it with Namine to make sure that she would be completely safe. Sora defeated Marluxia without a problem, but then it was revealed that he was just an imitation. He groaned at the thought of it, his eyes opening when he heard a noise unrelated to his memory. Dusks starting to appear in the room. He couldn't fight, not with the memory starting to overtake him again. Roxas...Riku...he thought weakly, the memory continuing.

The group was right in front of the door at this point, sullen. "He's really...in there?" he asked, some hesitation coming through in his voice.

"Yes," Namine responded softly, her eyes staying on the door. He was waiting in there, waiting to draw Sora in and fight him. He would either win or die trying, and Namine knew that Marluxia wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"...I knew it," Sora said, his voice soft. "I can feel his power. It's trying to destroy my heart." The strength of the feeling in the memory triggered the feelings in Sora's heart, making him cry out in pain. He felt himself go onto his side, curled up slightly as he gripped his head. Stop it! he thought to nobody in particular, the pain unbearable.

After some encouraging words from Donald and Goofy, Sora turned to Repliku. He didn't feel anger for the imitation anymore; he felt bad that this...clone, was dragged into all this nasty business. "Riku...protect Namine."

Repliku gasped, startled by the words. "You mean...you don't...mind?" All this time, they had been fighting over the right to protect Namine. And now, Sora was just handing it over? He was grateful and all, but still a bit suspicious.

Sora chuckled once, a smile appearing on his lips. "Should I?" he asked, still friendly. As long as Namine was taken care of, he didn't mind. Repliku could protect her just as well as he could. And besides, he had to take care of Marluxia. He couldn't handle two tasks at once.

"Alright," Repliku said, his voice showing a bit of his joy. Finally, he could do what he was living for. He would protect Namine at all costs. He was very grateful Sora gave him the opportunity to do that.

Sora nodded to his friends, the smile fading as he looked to the door. It was time. After Namine and Repliku backed up, he opened the door and ran inside, prepared to face Marluxia. This evil man had to die...and Sora wouldn't stop attacking until he was sure that was a reality.

 

It took some time, but the numbers were dwindling. Roxas swung his Keyblades at the enemies before him, his breathing hard as he used his strength to take them down. There had been so many, but he knew he could take down the rest of them. There weren't that many left. He just had to keep going...

 

Sora groaned, gripping his head tightly as he laid on his side on the floor of Castle Oblivion. The Dusks hadn't moved in, apparently set off by the weakness of their opponent. Sora was fortunate for that; maybe Roxas and Riku would sense something was wrong in time and come...

The thoughts of his subconsciousness were drowned out as the memory kept playing inside Sora's head. He had just defeated Marluxia in a great fight, and then he ran out of the room, Donald and Goofy hurriedly shutting the door behind him. When he was a distance away, he pulled out his Keyblade, the tip shining with magic. A beam of light shot towards the door, locking it permanently. Once the task was done, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then, however, he remembered something else that had to be taken care of. He turned around to face a person he had mistaken as his best friend earlier. "You okay, Riku?"

"I'm not Riku," Repliku responded simply. "I'm a fake. I can't remember why I was created or where or when. All that's inside of me is time with you and Namine. But I know those memories are not real." He paused for a moment though, acting much like the real Riku in the sense that he didn't want pity. "It's alright; I'll deal." He started walking away from the group, leaving before he could get any of their sad feeling attached to him.

"Wait!" Sora called, making Repliku stop in his tracks. When he was standing still, Sora continued with his thoughts. "Who cares if someone created you? You're you, and nobody else! You have your own heart inside you. Those feelings and memories are yours, and yours alone. They're special." He meant the words deeply, wanting to comfort somebody who actually turned out pretty decent in the end. He had saved Namine, too, so that helped Sora like him more.

"Sora, you're a good guy," Repliku said, a small smile on his face. He spoke over his shoulder to the brunet, still facing the exit. Before he left, though, he wanted to finish this thought, for it seemed important to him. "I don't have to be real to see how real your feelings are. That's good enough." He felt such certainty on the issue that he faced forward and walked away, not giving anyone a chance to respond.

"Riku!" Sora called, reaching a hand after the person who looked and felt so much like his best friend. His eyes saddened when he didn't turn around, but he didn't chase after the replica. He would have his own life now, and he would live it whichever way he chose.

 

Finally, Roxas was down to the last one. He struck it once, twice, and then a third time before it completely disappeared out of existence. He stood up, though he was beginning to feel the exhaustion. But that wasn't all he was feeling; there was a twisting sense in his gut, making him stop short. "...Something's wrong," he yelled across the room, to where he knew Riku was waiting.

Riku didn't need to ask, because he already knew the answer. "Sora," he said instantly, his eyes darting toward the door. "C'mon!" He motioned for Roxas to move, running for the door. Roxas was Sora's Nobody; even though Riku thought he knew Sora better than anybody (but Kairi), he was obviously mistaken.

 

After Repliku faded from Sora's sight, he turned his attention to Namine, Donald and Goofy, who were discussing the return of their memories. He headed over toward the group, silently listening in without interupiting.

"When you remember one thing, that leads to remembering another. And then another, and then another," Namine was saying, a small smile on her lips as she encouraged the people she had befriended. "Our memories are connected. Many pieces are linked together, like they're in a chain, that makes up each of us." Namine spoke the next sentence as if in confession, saying something that went against what they had originally thought. "I don't actually erase any memories, just take apart the links and rearrange them. You still have all your memories."

Sora silently smiled, relieved to hear those words. He hadn't' really lost anything, just forgotten. And when you forgot something, most of the time it could be remembered again. With Namine's help, he was sure that would be the case with his memories.

"Before I put them together, I have to undo the chains of memories I did on my own," Namine continued, explaining the process. "After that, I have to gather up the memories scattered across each of your hearts and reconnect them. It might take some time...but I think it'll work." She paused for one second, but then spoke with more confidence and determination. "No, it will work. I'm sure. It's my turn to look after you." She smiled at the end, looking directly at Sora. He had protected her the most, and she was grateful for that. But she had started this whole thing, and now it really was time for her to make them right.

 

Roxas reached the other side of the door just before Riku, feeling like he was experiencing deja vu. Sora was lying on the floor again, but instead of Berserkers waiting for them in the room, it was Dusks.

Riku stood beside Roxas, looking at the Nobodies in the room. Not this again, he thought. He looked to Roxas, giving a command. "Move Sora," he said. "I'll distract them." When he received Roxas's nod, he ran forward, Way to Dawn still in his grasp.

Roxas busied himself as soon as Riku ran off. His cry and sounds of battle reached his ears as he went over to Sora. He turned his friend a little, picking him up from under his arms. He was going to drag him to a corner of the room so he was out of the line of fire.

 

"Alright!" Sora said with a smile. "We all really trust you." The feelings of trust were real, unlike the other feelings and memories he had in his heart. He didn't question that trust, for Namine proved to him that she was a real friend.

"Oh, wait a second!" Jiminy said, connecting the dots before anybody else in his group did. He spoke to Namine the words coming out rushed. "You said you'd have to undo the links of the memories you made. But that means..."

"Yes," Namine said softly, finishing Jiminy's thought even though the rest went unspoken. For the sake of everybody else in the room, she said his thoughts aloud. "You won't be able to remember anything about what happened here.

"Not even you?!" Sora cried out in surprise, emotion coming through in his voice. Namine...Namine...how could he forget her? She was so important to him! Even if it was a relationship built off of lies, he felt as if he really could love her. But if he didn't remember her, there was no way he could no how sweet and kind and brave she was. Sora groaned at the memory, his eyebrows furrowed and his hands gripping his head in pain as a bead of sweat trailed down his temple. He couldn't believe this was happening...

"I'm sorry, it's the only way, I'm afraid," Namine said, sadness apparent in her voice. She knew what Sora was feeling, for she was feeling the same things in her heart. She turned away from her new friends and took a few steps forward before stopping, a few words leaving her lips. "Sora, you have a choice," she said softly. "You can lose the memories of this castle and regain your old ones or keep your memories here and give up the memories you lost."

"Do I have to...to choose?" Sora asked quietly, distraught at the idea of choosing between two very important things. It would require some thought, and he almost wished that Namine would choose for him so he wouldn't have to make the choice.

"Yes," Namine confirmed, not looking at him.

Sora thought things over, looking over at Donald and Goofy briefly. They had lost a lot in this place, and though they gained a friendship, everything else was lies. Whatever they had before, it must have been greater than just one friendship. "...Make me like I was."

Namine tensed at the words, silent for a brief moment before she turned around to her friends. "Oh, okay," she said, putting on a fake smile as she recovered from her feelings of hurt. "Nobody needs to keep a bunch of memories that aren't real, right? You want to remember the people who are really important to you, right? Anybody...would choose that." Of course. They had lives before. They couldn't trade it all away for her.

 

Roxas looked behind him slightly as he started backing toward the wall, holding Sora under his arms. After a second he glanced down at his friend, aware that he was clutching his head as if in pain. Memories again. Roxas carefully moved around and placed Sora against the corner so he was no longer threatened by the Dusks. When he glanced up, the blond saw that Riku was handling them. There weren't many to begin with, but they were disappearing one after the other. The Nobody summoned his blades to him, glanced at Sora one more time to make sure he was alright (even though he knew he really wasn't), and then ran forward to join the fight. The sooner this ended, the better.

 

Sora winced, feeling himself being positioned in the corner of the room. That was the only part of reality that he was able to comprehend, though, the memory too extreme for him to snap out of. Behind his closed eyes,the scene had changed, and he now saw his younger self near a pod with Namine, the brunet just about to get in when the blond girl behind him began to speak.

"All of this may have started with a lie, but I really am glad that I could meet you, Sora," Namine said, her voice showing that she was smiling. Sora had proven to be such a good friend, and she would be sure to do everything she could to help him regain what he had lost. That, and lose the false memories he had gained. Nobody should have had to go through the pain he did to acquire those; it had been very unfair to him.

"Yeah, me too," Sora said, smiling himself. He kept his eyes on the pod as he spoke, not feeling the need to look at Namine. She knew how he felt, since she created those feelings. But that didn't matter to Sora. "When I found you," he said, though he changed his mind mid-sentence, "even when I remembered your name, I felt happy. The way I felt then wasn't a lie."

Namine smiled more widely, the words flattering. Even if that were true, nothing could be done now. Sora would forget about her--his life would be back to normal, and he would go back to loving Kairi. Strangely, she was okay with that. She knew they were meant to be. "Goodbye," she said, accepting fate.

"No, not goodbye," Sora protested, shaking his head. He turned around to face her, a smile still present on his lips. "When I wake up, I'll find you. Then there'll be...no lies. We're gonna be friends for real. Promise me, Namine."

"You're going to forget, making that promise," Namine pointed out, being realistic.

"If the chain of memories come apart, the links will still be there, right? So the memory of our promise will always be inside me somewhere. I'm sure of it." Sora spoke with the same confidence he felt, meaning to assure both himself and Namine. He refused to lose the friendship he gained; simple as that. It was an unrealistic goal, but he would do his best to keep his promise.

"Yeah, you're right. Okay, it's a promise," Namine said, feeling as if Sora's confidence was contagious. It would be alright...someday, they really could be friends. She felt it in the depths of her heart that they would meet again.

"Good," Sora said, still wearing a smile. "Until later." He walked over towards Namine, his hand raised and pinky apart from the rest of his fingers. Right then and there, they made a pinky-promise, agreeing that they would be friends someday. Sora released a cry at the memory, gripping his head more tightly. How could he have forgotten?! The promise may have been fulfilled, but still, how could he have not remembered something so significant?

 

Roxas whirled around at the sound, having been in the middle of battle. He suddenly winced at a sharp pain in his back. He turned back around and swung at the same time, angrily wiping out the enemy with that single strike. They had to finish this quickly.

Riku slashed at an enemy before looking over at Sora at the cry, seeing his friend in the far corner and looking very much in pain. They were almost done with the Dusks now; there were only a few left. Riku swung at one of them, continuing the battle so he could tend to his best friend sooner.

 

After the pinky promise was over and Sora released her hand, she stood there for a moment, looking at her pinky. "A promise...hm." The idea fascinated her, for she had a feeling that promises were something that was very significant between true friends. The thought made her happy. She looked up and saw Sora climb into the pod, her eyes staying on him. "Sora, some of your memories are deep int he shadows of your heart, and I won't be able to find them. but don't worry, you made another promise to someone you could never replace. She is your light. The light within he darkness. Remember her, and the memories lost in the shadows of your heart will come into the light.

"Another promise..." Sora said solemnly, holding Namine's gaze. She said it was made to somebody he could never forget, and yet he couldn't remember her. It frustrated him at that moment, though he didn't let it show.

"Look at the good luck charm. I changed its shape when I changed your memory. But when you thought of her just once, it went back to the way it was!" Namine said excitedly, a smile on her face. This proved to her that true love couldn't be conquered by lies. For bot her sake and for Sora's, she was glad that was the truth.

Sora looked down at the charm he held in his hand, silent as he gazed at it. He needed to remember...he needed to see her face again. His light. The pod closed around him, leaving him standing in the darkness. But he kept his eyes on the charm, recalling a lost life. Images of faded friends flashed before him, one in particular catching his attention. "Kairi!" he cried. She nodded at him as if to signify that everything was alright, and then all his other memories became lit up.

 

Roxas attacked the Dusks around him, no more than eight left in the room. He cut through two of them quickly, three more by him. He vaguely paid attention to Riku's action to his right, aware that his friend had some to take care of as well.

It only took a few minutes, but Riku noticed it became quiet as he slashed through the Dusk in front of him. It disappeared and as he turned, prepared for another to attack him, he realized that it was the last one. His eyes found Roxas's, who instantly looked over in the far corner of the room. The two thought the same thing at the same time, both running toward his position.