Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora looked down at the ground slightly as he walked, aware that Riku was keeping pace with him. One of the only reasons he made it through that fight was because of all the rage he had built up inside him. His anger having that kind of power over him wasn't an easy feeling. In fact, it was a dizzying one. He didn't want to have his emotions rule over his life, especially not on the battlefield. He winced faintly at the thoughts and brought up a hand, setting it on his forehead as he tried to chase the thoughts away.

 

Roxas was still ahead of Sora and Riku when he approached Merlin's house. He didn't really notice, having been lost in his thoughts up until this point. He stepped up to Merlin's house and pushed the door open, walking in to see that Merlin, Leon, and Yuffie were already inside.

Riku walked beside Sora, glad that he and Roxas had cast the Cure spell. Without it, he didn't think Sora could have made it this far; his friend looked exhausted now. His pace slowed as they reached Merlin's place, the older teen allowing his best friend to walk in ahead of him.

 

Sora looked down at the steps that led up to the house, taking them at a calm paced. He noticed slightly that Riku had slowed down to let him go first, and Sora acknowledged him with a faint nod. He couldn't think of anything to say; he was tired, irritable, upset, and really missing home. There wasn't anything anybody could say to make him feel better. But there was plenty they could say to make it worse, which was why Sora was prepared to keep his mouth shut unless he was spoken to.

Leon sat at the table where he had been at earlier, able to see from his spot that Roxas was the first one to come in. He kept his eyes on the door after that, waiting for the two other teens to enter. He was sure they made it up alright; Sora had been cured before the walk over, so it should have given him the energy to make it.

 

Roxas blankly looked at everybody and nodded his greetings, moving over and out of the way of the door. He made his way over to the closest wall and leaned against it, waiting for Sora and Riku to show up.

Riku walked behind Sora now, letting him lead the way into the house. He noticed the door was open, so Roxas was already there. No surprise; he had been walking a few yards ahead of them the whole time.

 

Sora walked in and immediately looked over at the table, expecting to see some people over there. Sure enough, there were Yuffie and Leon. He gave them a nod, also frowning faintly at Leon. He had set him up for a nearly impossible fight, and Sora didn't appreciate it. It didn't make sense to him why Leon would do something so ridiculous, but he knew he was too tired to try and figure it out. He headed over toward the wall where Roxas was and leaned himself up against it, getting some of the weight off his feet.

Leon frowned slightly as well, seeing Sora's expression. He didn't understand why he needed to do the fight alone. But Leon was sure that the kid would see things more clearly when he stopped to think about it.

 

Roxas turned his head to look at Sora, noticing how quiet it was in the room even when he and Riku walked in. The boy turned his attention to the ground, his hands in his pockets.

Riku walked in and shut the door, that being the only sound in the silent room. He let his eyes fall on the people at the table. "Leon. Yuffie," he greeted gently, nodding at them both. He wasn't sure why it was so quiet in the room, but he could only assume it was because of the battle that just took place.

 

"Riku," Leon said, nodding in greeting. The air in the room somehow felt tense, and he could only imagine that Sora was a bit...peeved at him for sending him down to fight alone. But he couldn't change the past, and he wouldn't, anyway. It was the best thing for him, whether he realized it or not.

Sora looked up at Riku and then over to Leon at the brief exchange, the teen having had his head lowered before. He looked down at the ground again wanting to sit down. But he didn't want anybody concerned about him. Ah, who cares, the brunet thought, chasing those thoughts away. He lowered himself down against the wall, sitting down on the floor as he faced the table.

 

Yuffie nodded to Riku before looking at Sora at the movement and noticing how drained he appeared. She smiled warmly at him, concerned underneath. "How you holdin' up, champ?" she asked, leaning forward on her arms as she gazed at him.

Riku followed Yuffie's gaze to his best friend on the floor. He blinked in question, narrowing his eyes slightly, but walked across the room to sit in a chair.

 

Sora blinked, looking up at the question. "Fine," he said. "No thanks to Leon." He shifted his gaze slightly to the man sitting beside Yuffie, the brunet a bit surprised that the words had left his lips. He must have been worn down, for he had made a vow to himself not to unleash his anger. But he had just released a little bit, and now the rest just wanted to come out.

"Sora," Leon sighed, shaking his head. He really doesn't get it, does he? It wasn't a physical challenge; he was supposed to have looked down deep into himself and conquered the obstacles that had him stuck at a roadblock. He held Sora's gaze, which wasn't a terribly piercing glare, but it still wasn't a kind look.

 

Riku sat himself down in one of the chairs at the table, sitting a seat from Leon and closest to Sora and Roxas. He looked at Sora with a calm expression, though inside he wanted to tell Sora to calm down. He knew Sora; he was just starting to get angry.

Roxas glanced up under his lashes at Leon, frowning slightly. "Told you it was a bad idea," he murmured loud enough for the man to hear. His eyes darted to the ground again, off to the side toward the computer.

 

Sora looked up slightly at the blond beside him, not too surprised to hear that Roxas was on his side. They agreed on most everything, and considering the connection they had with their hearts, Roxas could probably sense he was in bad shape, mentally and physically.

"You need to look at the big picture, Sora," Leon said calmly, ignored Roxas' mumbled words. He was still sure it was a good idea, and Sora would see that as long as he stopped letting his emotions cloud his judgment.

"Yeah? What 'picture' is that?" Sora asked, turning his gaze back toward Leon. His voice was tight, the teen trying to keep most of his anger and frustration bottled up inside. He had previously thought he used up all his emotion in battle, but apparently he was wrong.

 

Riku stared at Sora with slightly narrowed eyes, watching him closely. Don't lose your temper, Sora, he thought silently, though he knew that his friend had a reason to be angry. However, he didn't normally take it out on other people like this.

Roxas wanted to smirk mockingly when his comment went unnoticed. Typical. No one pays attention to the Nobody; after all, they didn't exist. Roxas's frown deepened.

 

"You just defeated a thousand Heartless, Sora," Leon stated calmly, ignoring the tenseness in Sora's voice. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" That was a great task, especially considering the physical condition Sora was in. But the brunet still didn't get that it was more than a physical fight. Leon wanted to point it out, but at the same time, he wanted Sora to figure it out himself.

Sora shrugged slightly, considering the question. Did it mean anything to him? "Not really," he answered honestly. "I've done it before, after all."

 

Riku leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, letting his eyes rest on his knees. He wasn't sure where this conversation was going, so he didn't interrupt, letting it run its own course.

 

"But not under these circumstances," Leon pointed out. "C'mon, Sora, I saw the way you fought. It wasn't just about defeating the Heartless, was it?"

Sora shifted uncomfortably, Leon's words hitting a sore spot. "Maybe not," he confessed, voice tense. "So what?" He knew "what" he was getting at, but he wasn't prepared to admit it. It wasn't about holding a grudge against Leon; he was more upset with himself that his emotions had greatly influenced him on the battlefield. He was ashamed of it, and he wanted to avoid that part of the topic as long as possible.

 

Roxas continued to glare at the floor, listening to the conversation. They had all watched Sora on the battlefield; he had been furious. It wasn't hard to see that. Sora obviously knew that, and it was evident he was trying to avoid talking about it. Roxas knew that not only because the turn in conversation but because of his connections with Sora. He was his Nobody and was the closest to him.

 

Leon furrowed his brows slightly, seeing that Sora was being difficult now. "So what was it about?" he asked, staring down Sora. He knew the teen had the answer, but he wasn't sure how easily it would be brought out into the open.

Sora winced slightly, hands clenched into fists on the floor beside him. He furrowed his brows and looked down, refusing to answer the question. It's none of your business, he thought tensely, gritting his teeth together to keep himself from speaking the words.

 

Riku lifted an eyebrow slightly, glancing over at Sora. His friend looked tense about the conversation but seemed aware that the conversation wasn't going to end. Riku wanted to say something, but didn't. He had no place to interfere. Riku lifted his gaze to the person beside Sora, seeing how Roxas seemed to be struggling.

Roxas fought the urge to say what was on his mind. Can't you see he doesn't want to talk about it?! he wanted to scream, but he knew it wouldn't matter. Nobody paid attention to him; he didn't matter right now.

 

"C'mon, kid, what's eating at you?" Leon pressed, not letting up at Sora's silence. Eventually he would figure it out; it's not like Sora would just get up and leave. That wasn't the Sora he knew. However, he didn't know that Sora wasn't exactly the same person he had been before.

Sora furrowed his brows further, still gazing at the ground. "Back off, Leon," he mumbled, though it wasn't loud enough for anybody at the table to hear. Roxas may have heard it, though. At this point, Sora didn't care; he just wanted to get out of this conversation.

"Spill it, Sora," Leon said, his voice more forceful now. Sora wasn't doing himself any favors by keeping it bottled up inside. He needed to let go and just share what was going on. He had friends who wanted to help, but he wasn't letting them in. That was a serious problem in Leon's eyes.

 

Roxas glanced briefly at Sora when he mumbled, but then he looked back up at Leon. His glare was still strong as he looked at the brunet across the room. He didn't have anything against him, but was just annoyed by all of the unanswered questions and constant conflicts. "He obviously doesn't want to talk about it," he said, voice low. "I don't see why you keep ordering him to do things when he obviously doesn't want to do them."