Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine opened her eyes a crack, looking down at the keys as she played. She was so frustrated with the circumstances that surrounded her. Roxas was home, but things weren't perfect. Of course, she hadn't expected them to be that way; she knew the presence of one person couldn't take away all the pain and sorrow she held. And she didn't hold it against him--she loved him, and she would never hold a grudge against him for anything he couldn't control.

 

Roxas let the music fill his ears. To him, it sounded like a song that he would write to soothe himself. The notes were calming when pieced together, something he could easily see Namine playing, much like she was now. It somehow fit, but he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

 

Namine finished playing the last few notes, the music becoming softer as she reached the end. As soon as it was done, she lifted a hand and wiped at the trail the tear had left on her cheek, the girl wanting to get rid of that sign of sadness right away.

 

Roxas stayed in his spot once the song finished, still leaning his shoulder against the wall. He simply gazed at Namine, his eyes holding no judgement. The song was beautiful, and he hadn't heard it before now. It seemed as if she played it more than a few times, especially if she closed her eyes during the song. He only did that if he was very into the song, or knew it by heart. He wasn't sure which one it was for her.

 

Namine exhaled a breath and lowered her head, feeling her eyes become moist behind her closed eyes. But she wouldn't allow herself to cry; she hadn't allowed herself to cry for a long time, considering it a weakness now. She didn't know if it really did show weakness or not, but it didn't' matter, because she wouldn't let herself cry no matter what.

 

Roxas pushed himself away from the wall and silently started toward Namine, his eyes moving from her to the piano. He looked at it for a brief moment as he approached it and the girl sitting at the bench, Roxas's eyes finding Namine once more. He moved to stand next to her and stopped, bringing one hand up and lightly setting it on her shoulder.

 

Namine kept her head lowered, not jumping at the touch despite the fact that she hadn't heard Roxas come over. She lifted her opposite hand and lightly set it over Roxas' on her shoulder, keeping her eyes shut as she forced a few tears to stay inside her.

 

Roxas gently squeezed Namine's shoulder in the silence, looking down on her softly. There wasn't much he could say, so he didn't speak at all. It seemed only music could be the language at the moment in front of him and Namine, and he was willing to accept that. Music spoke a language everyone could understand, and it spoke words from the soul.

 

Namine waited until the moistness in her eyes disappeared before she opened her eyes, her gaze landing on the piano keys in front of her. After a moment, though, she turned her head and gazed up at Roxas, feeling that he had been watching her for a while.

 

Roxas didn't say anything, but simply nodded. It was obvious that Namine had been channeling her emotions into the keys of the piano, and he could relate. He remembered doing that a lot when he was home alone, with either the same instrument or his guitar.

 

Namine smiled weakly, understanding what Roxas' nod meant. She looked down at his hand on her shoulder and her hand on top of it as she lightly ran a finger over his skin, her soft blue eyes following the motion.

 

Roxas closed his eyes for a brief moment at the touch, though he gazed back at Namine after a few seconds. The motion felt nice. It was something he hadn't experienced in a long while.

 

Namine lightly ran her thumb over his fingers, silent as she performed the gentle rubbing. She couldn't say why for sure she was doing what she was doing, but it felt natural, so she continued. It had felt like things hadn't been flowing naturally earlier, and she felt better now that things were more peaceful.

 

Roxas let his eyes linger on Namine before following her smaller fingers along his larger hand. He wasn't sure what it was that caught him in a daze, whether it was the touch, the feeling along with it, or the moment itself. He missed it, though he felt it wasn't really fair. Did he deserve this kind treatment?

 

Namine exhaled a soft breath and looked down at the bench she was on, though she continued the light stroking. Things were more peaceful, yes, but there was a certain sadness lingering in the air. She felt it was from her, because of all the emotions playing the song had unleashed.

 

Roxas closed his eyes for a small moment, willing himself silently to forget his question for now and keep the mask on. He opened his eyes after a soft breath and squeezed Namine's shoulder. He needed to play music; it was his escape.

 

Namine stopped her light movement when she felt Roxas squeeze her shoulder again, the girl taking it as a signal that she could stop now. She lifted her head and gazed up at Roxas, her sky blue eyes immediately finding his ocean blue orbs.

 

Roxas stayed silent, his eyes gazing down at Namine before moving to the piano. He stared at it for a short time before looking back at Namine, lightly motioning with his head toward the piano. He forced a small smile on his face, that and his eyes silently asking her if he could sit down and play something.

 

Namine smiled softly, seeing the request in Roxas' eyes. She silently gave her approval by sliding over to the opposite edge of the bench, giving Roxas enough room to sit down and play the instrument.

 

Roxas sat himself down quietly, his smile seeming to naturally widen as he looked at the keys in front of him, just waiting to be played. He didn't have to think of what he wanted to play, because he only played a few songs when he felt down like this. Roxas's smile faded slowly as he set his fingers on the proper keys and set his foot on the pedal, getting ready to play.