Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine giggled, kneeling down by Roxas and Ty. The moment she was at his level, Ty turned to her and started liking her face without mercy. "Ty!" she laughed, gently pushing him away. But a smile stayed on her lips the entire time.

 

Roxas chuckled, letting one of his arms come back to rest against his knee. He glanced at Namine, a cheesy grin on his face, until his gaze fell on the hand rubbing Ty's back, following the movement.

 

Namine set her hands in her lap, watching Ty turn from her to Roxas. His back was to her and his tail was wagging so quickly that it constantly hit against her knees. The blond girl smiled, staring lovingly at her loyal companion.

 

Roxas chuckled, looking the dog in the eyes. "How've you been, boy? I see you're still as lovable as ever," he said, a smile on his face. He scratched Ty's ears gently, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked at him. A memory was coming back to him, one from earlier that Spring.

 

Namine looked down at her pet, her smile softening. Ty really liked Roxas. Like, a lot. But maybe that was because he had shown up to take Ty's place when Namine was in trouble a few minutes ago. The girl's smile softened further as she started thinking again. Things could have ended really badly there. She wasn't only dwelling on that, but she was trying to remember something else from her past. It felt like it was on the tip of her tongue...

 

"Reminds me of Toby," Roxas softly said, a smile on his lips. He let his eyes find Namine, the boy turning his head slightly to look at her as he continued to stroke Ty's back. The dog didn't only act like him, what with the lovable and playful nature, but also looked like him; he was the same breed. How ironic was that?

 

"Mmm," Namine hummed softly, looking briefly at Roxas before looking down at her dog again. Toby...wasn't that the dog Kairi and Sora told her about earlier? That's right! He had toppled her and gave her a ton of kisses. She smiled faintly; she could see why Ty would remind Roxas of something like that.

 

Roxas returned his gaze to Ty, patting him on the back before his arm came back to rest on his knee, beside the other. Ty seemed very happy, and he could only imagine it was because of the way his owner treated him; she was kind, gentle, and very loving. He knew that from experience.

 

Namine looked at Ty, watching as he stared at Roxas for a few more moments before turning back to Namine. He stuck his nose under her arm, sniffing at her stomach before withdrawing slightly and sniffing her lower arm. Namine quickly realized why he was so interested in that; that's where Jeff had gripped her. Ty licked it once, brown eyes sadly looking up at Namine. She smiled weakly at her pet, setting her other hand lightly on his head.

 

It wasn't hard to decipher the look in Namine's pet's eyes. Dogs' emotions were always pretty easy to read, and this one didn't surprise Roxas at all. It saddened him, mostly because he was aware of what caused that. Jeff, of course. Ty had been pretty protective of Namine before Roxas had to step in. The boy watched the two in silence, a sad but warm smile on his face.

 

Namine slid her hand to Ty's ear, not noticing Roxas watching the two. She gave his ear a light scratch before bending her head down slightly, giving her pooch a light kiss on the head. When she back away, Ty licked the fabric of her jeans, the action rousing a smile out of Namine.

 

Roxas's smile grew slightly. The two had a very close relationship, just between pet and owner. It was strange how a person could grow so close to an animal, but the saying "man's best friend" really did apply to Ty. Roxas could see that just by watching the two interact. "He really loves you," he told Namine softly. But not as much as I do.

 

Namine set her hand on top of Ty's head, looking from the dog to the boy beside her. She smiled softly at Roxas's comment. "He's a good dog," she said quietly. He was kind, loyal, gentle...a little insane, but that was a good thing. It was what she needed at this point in her life. She stiffled a laugh as a memory appeared in her head. "I remember...when my parents got him for me, he jumped up and set his front paws on my shoulders. Like he wanted to be as tall as me or something," she said, releasing a giggle.

 

Roxas felt himself smile a little more, loving to hear Namine giggle after so much had happened. And because she actually remembered something that happened recently. "That was a good day," he started. "Your birthday, I mean." He rubbed the back of his head, glancing down at the dog. He couldn't help but remember the time they had spent together on that day, or the small surprise party he, Sora, and Kairi had thrown for Namine. She wasn't very fond of surprises, but she loved that one.

 

"Mmmm," Namine hummed softly, eyes wandered back down to the dog who had his chin rested on her knees. She rubbed his head lightly, a small smile on her lips. Truthfully, though, she was sad she couldn't remember anything else about that day. She remembered Ty--that was it.

 

Roxas tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes softening in concern. He leaned a little toward Namine, hands on his knees as he remained squatted down. "...Namine? You okay?" Though she may not have realized it, her eyes showed her emotions within. She used to hide it, sometimes. But now that she didn't remember much, she probably forgot how she used to cover up her emotions. And now, well, she was pretty easy to read.

 

Namine looked up at Roxas's inquiry, the girl not realizing that she was that easy to read. "I'm alright," she said softly, lying. She wouldn't be alright until she got her memories back again, and she was sure Roxas knew that. Her soft blue eyes met his and immediately she noticed how bright they were. She didn't even feel awkward looking into them despite the fact that he was practically a stranger to her. Or was he...?

 

Roxas let his eyes stay connected with Namine's. Just the eye-contact alone made his chest fill with warmth, his "nonexistant" heart trying to tell him something. He was sure he knew what it was, but... The boy felt his eyes grow sad at the thought of Namine not remembering what they used to be. Used to be... Roxas fought back his emotions, trying not to let them show through in his expression. He wasn't sure if he was doing a good job, but he just focused on Namine's sky-blue gaze on his own ocean-blue.

 

Namine noticed a change in Roxas's expression. It was subtle, so she couldn't really read it. She silently exhaled a breath, trying really hard to remember what Roxas was to her. Obviously he was a close friend, but she wanted to remember everything. And then the moment was ruined when Ty moved off her lap and stuck his nose directly between Namine and Roxas. The girl felt a smile reappear on her lips, her eyes wandering to the pet. "Ty," she said, not sure if she was scolding him or thanking him for getting in the way.

 

As soon as Ty intervened, Roxas turned his head away. He looked out across the park, rubbing his head nervously. Well, that was...different. Something even felt different... He just couldn't put his finger on it. He bit his lip before releasing it, running his fingers back and forth through his hair. He was actually kind of happy for the interruption; it meant he could try and get rid of this sadness washing over him so suddenly.