Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora furrowed his brows and looked down at the ground, silence surrounding him. He and Riku both knew that he was going to be sticking around for a while now. He didn't know how long he needed to get his act together. That would possibly be harder to do than fight off the Heartless. But he was prepared; he had to face this problem head on. No more running away.

 

The next day...

Roxas had his hands tucked in his pockets, the familiar buzz of the city surrounding him as he walked down the sidewalk. He looked at it in a different perspective, one of doubt and question. This place used to feel like home, but now he felt a little empty here. Everything that happened here, it was all based on a lie, somebody that wasn't real at all.

 

It was early evening in New York City as Namine left a friend's home, heading for her own house. There had been a party there, but it hadn't been much fun for Namine; she was having a hard day for some reason, so she decided to leave early and just go home. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Life had been far from easy, especially recently. But that was something she didn't want to think about.

 

Roxas's face was empty of any emotion as he left the busy streets of New York City and moved on to the suburban areas. He was just letting his feet carry him, though he knew what direction he was heading in. Namine's house. In just a few minutes he would be there. The thought of seeing her made his stomach twist, both in a good way and a bad way.

 

Namine kept her chin up as she walked, eyes wandering. She had gotten used to being alone in the city, so the things she saw hardly ever frightened her. Even seeing men in sunglasses didn't scare her anymore. If anything good thing had come out of the past two months, it was that she was braver and more self-reliant. Maybe the second thing wasn't that good, but it had helped her survive. So she viewed it as a beneficial quality.

 

Roxas was still in shock at the way things had changed. He viewed Namine differently now, ever since his experience with Sora and Riku in Castle Oblivion. She had never mentioned that place, or what happened there. Especially what happened between her and Sora. He sighed and kept his eyes down as he went down the sidewalk, almost to Namine's house.

 

Namine looked up at the sky, seeing the sun disapear behind a dark cloud. It looks like it's going to rain, she realized, shivering at the thought. The whether was already cool, considering that it was December. There wasn't any snow on the ground despite the fact that Christmas was only a few days away, but that was fine. The snow would only remind her of what she couldn't have this Holiday season: snowball fights with her boyfriend and her best friend.

 

Roxas turned a corner and stopped without thought, looking up at the street sign. He couldn't say what washed over him then, but it was a sinking, sad feeling mixed with the realization that he was back. He just stared at the sign for a moment before looking down the street, seeing the familiar house just down the road. He started toward it in silence, a sigh escaping him.

 

Namine sighed softly and walked in silence, hearing thunder over head. She hated storms, but she had grown to not be afraid of them. After all, they couldn't really hurt her. That was a lesson Roxas had taught her, just by him being there during storms. She blinked and looked down at the ground, a sad feeling in her heart. Roxas...I miss you.

 

As Roxas traveled down the street, certain thoughts invaded his mind. He still couldn't believe that he had been forced to go home. It still made him angry that he couldn't stay. He still had things to sort out as well, and he couldn't really find the answers here, not in this city. But he guessed he was going to have to figure something out, whether he liked it or not.

 

Namine was about five minutes from home, but it didn't look like the storm would hold off long enough for her to reach her safe haven. That's just my luck, she thought, looking down briefly as she walked. Things really hadn't been going her way lately, in more ways that one. She supposed that she had been on a downward spiral ever since Roxas left. She couldn't say if she was better or worse than she had been when he left, things weren't that easily deciphered.

 

Roxas looked up from his feet and stopped. He stood in front of the house now, just at the end of the pathway leading to the front door. It looked just as he remembered, nothing having really changed. Roxas felt goosebumps rise over his skin at the coldness of the weather. The only thing that was really different about the appearance was that the leaves had fallen off the trees and everything looked bare, but that didn't stop the emotions that ran over him.

 

Namine felt a drop of rain land on her nose, snapping her out of her thoughts. Before she could fully comprehend it, the rain started falling very hard, suddenly pouring down. "Oh!" she groaned softly, quickening her pace to a jog. She could already feel herself getting wetter and wetter each second, a feeling she hated.

 

Roxas blinked, looking up at the pouring rain. He just stood there though, not really minding. The negative weather matched his pessimistic personality these days. He stared back at the house, feeling all of the strange emotions whirling around inside him. But he marched forward, going along the path and up the steps until he reached Namine's porch.

 

Namine crossed the street, blond hair being matted to her head as she hurried home. She felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket and she grabbed it, slowing her pace instinctively as she answered it. She saw the caller ID and she groaned; it was her aunt Sue. She was always over zealous about everything, and a big gossip. She had probably just heard about what had happened that made Namine's life more complicated last week. Despite that, she answered the phone anyway, saying a polite "hello" even though the rain was still pouring down on her.

 

Roxas was about to knock on the door, but then he realized that the house looked empty. It was too cold to stand out here, so it was either use the spare key or go home. He chose the former, finding Namine's key above the door and used it to unlock it. He stepped in, no verbal greeting coming to him. But he felt the power of familiarity wash over him as soon as he stepped inside. Roxas sighed at the feeling, missing it, even though it still didn't feel right to him. This may have been home once, but he wasn't sure what it was anymore.

 

In a matter of minutes, Namine found herself nearing home, the rain still coming down as hard as it had been before. She looked up as she spoke on her cell phone, seeing the path to her house only a few yards away. She reached into her left jean pocket, shivering at the cold as she clumsily grabbed her key. Aunt Sue babbled on in her ear, saying things that didn't really capture Namine's attention.

 

Roxas walked through the entryway to look in the living room. It was just as he remembered, but empty. Same went with the kitchen. He already knew that nobody was home, but he felt he needed to look anyway. The boy ran his fingers through his hair and went back to sit in the living room, waiting until Namine got home. She probably wasn't expecting him. He hadn't even been expecting this, but it just happened.

 

Namine reached the front door and inserted her key in there, holding her cell phone to her ear by pressing it against her shoulder. Her aunt prattled on about how concerned she was about Namine, and how she didn't like her being alone at Christmas time. "I'm fine," she insisted to her aunt as she pushed her front door open. "Really, don't worry." She stepped inside, ignoring her drenched clothing as she pulled the key out of the doorknob. She then shut the door behind her and locked it.

 

Roxas's head jerked in the direction of the front door, the familiar voice making his heart pound rapidly. She was here now...with him, even if she didn't know it yet. The boy found himself on his feet without really remembering pushing himself from the couch, staring at the doorway.