Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine took in a breath and shifted her seating position, bringing up her knees. She wrapped her arms around them and lightly set her chin on her knees, all while keeping her eyes on the fire. The soft cackling...the heat...all of it just reminded her of something. But what?

 

Roxas grabbed another towel out of the bathroom closet, making his way quietly through the house until he reached the front door. While passing the living room he had seen Namine seeming to be in peace, and he didn't want to disturb that. So he discreetly opened the door, making sure to shut it behind him once he was outdoors. Immediately, Roxas spotted Ty on the porch, and a smile reached his lips.

 

Namine blinked, suddenly releasing her legs with her right arm. She put her right hand on her shoulder, feeling if there was a blanket there. There wasn't. A wave of confusion swept over her. She could have sworn she felt a blanket there, but apparently not. Unless...unless she was recalling something from before. A small smile appeared on her lips, but it immediately disappeared when a loud rumble of thunder disturbed her peace.

 

Ty was waving his tail wildly at the sight of Roxas, and the boy chuckled as he approached the dog. "Hey, buddy," he greeted softly, kneeling down beside Ty. "You wanna come inside and see Namine?" The dog had been sitting before, but it stood and wagged its tail even more at the sound of its owner's name. Roxas unfolded the towel in his hands and grinned. "That's what I thought..." He began to wipe Ty down, trying to get him as dry as possible so he wouldn't track water or dirt through his home.

 

Namine gasped at a bright lightning bolt. She turned her head to the window, but no thunder followed. And then she realized something she had hypothesized before--her mind was randomly flickering back and forth between the past and present. There was no lightning bolt within the past minute, the one she had seen was a memory. She wasn't sure if she should have been alarmed or happy that her memories were starting to come back. Actually, she was a bit alarmed. She could hardly tell the difference between the two, and that was a bit scary.

 

Roxas finished wiping down Ty's coat and stood up, bending over and lifting one of the dog's legs. He used his other hand to clean off Ty's paw, and once he cleaned up one he moved to the other. Ty panted in Roxas's face as he did the front paws, making Roxas laugh slightly. But soon the boy got the job done.

 

Namine sighed, shutting her eyes. Going through this wasn't easy on her--in fact, it was pretty tiring. And if it weren't for the storm outside scaring her, she might have considered a nap. But she knew that she was too tense to actually sleep. So she stayed at her place in front of the fire.

 

Roxas pet Ty on the head, smiling slightly. "Ready to go inside, boy?" The dog barked in response and Roxas unhooked him from his leash, knowing Ty would follow him inside--where his owner was. The blond boy pushed the door open, dirty towel in his grasp as he followed Ty into the foyer. The dog's nails clicked against the wooden floor as Roxas closed the door, thunder roaring just as he did so. It was much louder than he thought outside, the walls of his home muffling the rumbles of thunder earlier. After Roxas locked the door, he turned to see Ty lingering in the foyer, sniffing the floor.

 

Namine pulled her legs in a little more closely, arms still wrapped around them. Her eyes were still closed, not only from the dryness of the fire, but also because she was tired. Tired physically, mentally, and emotionally. She just wanted it to be over...the storm and the memory loss. She wanted to be happy again.

 

Roxas slipped his shoes off and passed Ty, looking down at the dog and clicking his tongue to get his attention. The dog looked up and Roxas patted his leg. "Come on, boy," he encouraged, and the dog followed him to the entrance of the living room. Roxas stopped in the archway to the room, looking down at the dog at his side, who was sniffing the floor again. "Over there, buddy," he whispered, pointing at the girl sitting in front of the fire. Ty's ears instantly perked up, the dog quickly trotting over to his master.

 

Namine was still unaware of her dog's presence. That is, until he came up right behind her and hovered over her shoulder, sniffing her face with his wet nose. Namine's eyes opened and she turned her face, just in time to get a lick on the face. "Aww, Ty!" she whined playfully, a giggle leaving her lips. She released her legs and brought up an arm, wrapping it around her happy pet.

 

Roxas leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms in contempt. A small smile spread across his face, the boy watching the scene unfold in silence. He could only see the darker sides of the two forms, the fire in front of them both. It didn't matter, because he could tell by just Namine's voice that she was happier to see Ty. That was enough for him.

 

Namine smiled, turning to face her dog. "Come here," she cooed, whispering. Ty excitedly wagged his tail and got all up in her face, his nose, on hers. The blond girl but couldn't help but smile at how adorable her dog was. He was acting more like a lover than an actual pet. She lifted a hand and grabbed onto his ear, giving him a rub in his favorite spot.

 

It was times like this that Roxas was grateful Namine had Ty. A dog could have such a bigger impact on a person than another human being could. Canines didn't even have to say anything or have an expression and could instantly brighten someone's mood. Maybe that was it... People were easy to read, and all that was needed was silence, which some couldn't handle; they had to say something, or felt they did, and that in turn didn't help the person in trouble. Roxas's smile faded slightly at the thought, his focus falling on his socks.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Namine saw the boy responsible for reuniting her with her dog. She turned her face away from Ty to look at Roxas. "Thank you, Roxas," she said, a smile on her face. She realized Roxas probably couldn't see it now since the fire was behind her, but the smile was there all the same.

 

The boy's eyes widened slightly, darting up at the sound of his name. When he saw Namine looking back at him, he nodded in response, smiling faintly. "Sure," he replied softly. He kept his arms crossed, shoulder leaning against the doorway.

 

Namine's smile softened slightly for a moment, her eyes staying on Roxas. And then her dog regained her attention, sniffing her ear of all places. She giggled softly, bringing up a hand to gently push away the dog's curious nose. His whiskers tickled her, and he seemed to know it. That was why he was always sniffing her. It never failed to get a giggle out of her.

 

Roxas let his eyes close at Namine's soft laughter, the sound music to his ears. Gosh, he loved her so much. And yet, she didn't even know it. One of these days, though, he had faith that she would remember him--who he truly was to her, deep down in her heart. That was what kept his faint smile on his face, even though the situation wasn't the brightest.

 

Namine leaned toward her dog, giving him a light kiss on his head. "I love you," she whispered, rubbing his ear once more. The dog wagged his tail again, trembling with joy. He lived to please Namine, and it was obvious that she was feeling better now than she had earlier at the park.

 

Roxas kept his stance, still. He didn't know what it was, but something inside him wouldn't let him move for a moment. Was it sadness? Guilt? Anger? He couldn't pick it out, which upset him. He just couldn't understand things these days--these past two days. It felt so much longer than that to him, but Roxas couldn't let that drag him down...not like everything else.