Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

In a few more moments, Ty calmed down and sat himself down by Namine's side. Apparently he knew that her playfulness would only last for so long, so he composed himself and became the peaceful companion she needed at that moment. Namine smiled, admiring the dog's strange wisdom. She stroked his back, her eyes wandering from him to the fire.

 

After a few moments of silence, Roxas could feel sleep approaching, his eyelids--though already closed--still heavy. He pushed himself away from the archway, his arms falling to his sides as he approached the recliner by the window. He sat himself down, eyes half-open and focusing on the floor. He slowly leaned back, propping his elbow up on the armrest and resting his face in his palm. Sleep sounded wonderful, and with the sound of the rain just outside, Roxas was sure unconsciousness was going to find him soon.

 

Namine turned herself to face the same direction as Ty, which was toward the fire. She leaned her head on his furry body slightly, staring into the flickering flames.

 

Roxas felt his eyelids fall closed, but he didn't fight it. He let the tiredness win, the crackling of the firewood and the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the window at his side be his lullaby for tonight. He felt the sounds fading after several minutes, going in and out of his hearing, before he finally lost the battle with his consciousness, and slipped under.

 

Namine heard a soft rumble of thunder outside, but it didn't bother her this time. In fact, she felt a bit...content. Happy, almost. She stared into the fire, the flickering flames suddenly transforming into something else before her eyes--a memory. She saw herself, bundled up in winter clothes, standing by Roxas. And Sora was chasing Kairi through the snow, a snowball in his hand. And then, in a few moments, he ambushed her. Even though Namine was a kinda far away from it all, she could still hear the laughter from the couple.

 

Roxas slept soundly, his face being supported by his palm. The firelight flickered across his face as he sat in the chair, motionless.

 

Namine blinked, the memory disappearing. She tried to remember more, but nothing came to her. Not a single thing. The only thing she could really remember clearly, other than what she saw just moments ago, was how happy she was at that moment. And for now, that was good enough for her. She felt more at peace now that she remembered something like that. The girl yawned tiredly, rising from in front of the fire before heading to the couch. Ty followed her and sat in front of the couch while his master laid down behind him, head resting on a pillow by the armrest.

 

The only movement Roxas made in the glowing living room was the rising and falling of his chest, his breathing even as he slept.

 

"Goodnight, Ty," Namine whispered, turning on her side so she could more easily set a hand on her pet's head. Her eyes flickered shut, and in a matter of minutes, the soft cackling of the fire lured her to sleep.

 

Kairi watched the credits roll on the screen, the girl lifting her head off of Sora's shoulder. It was a good show, no doubt. It kept her attention the whole time. Thank goodness, because she was still worried about her friends, having been thinking of them all day.

 

Sora blinked, bringing himself out of the movie. It was a good flick, and he never got tired of watching it. Just like he never got tired of being the the girl beside him, Kairi. However, things weren't completely alright. He was alright emotionally, but his body ached. And he hadn't taken any medicine all day, so he figured maybe getting one now would help him. "Be right back," he said softly, looking to Kairi before he pulled back the arm that was around her. He rose to his feet slowly, careful not to show how badly his side ached.

 

Kairi let her eyes lock with Sora's before she trailed his movements, watching him as he got up. She blinked in curiosity, but knew there was nothing to worry about. Because there wasn't, as far as she was concerned. Well...there was the events that unfolded yesterday still haunting her mind. There were still some questions she needed answered.

 

Sora started walking away from the couch, showing no visible signs of pain. But when he was two steps away from exiting the room, he couldn't help but lightly wrap an arm around his waist. And then he entered the hallway, which led straight to the bathroom, where he learned to always keep aspirin. After the physical battles that had happened at the start of the new year, Sora had always made sure to keep some pain medication in his home--just in case there would be any need for them.

 

Kairi's gaze immediately fell to the window when Sora left the room, having caught his movements but convincing herself not to think anything of them. Ever since he had gone on his adventures she had been very concerned for him, but now that she was actually with him, and loved him even more, she cared for him at a greater degree. As she watched the rain hit the window pane, Kairi began to wonder what all had happened the day before.

 

Sora dumped a pill into his hand and swallowed it without a problem, not even needing water to get it down. He closed the bottle and then put it back in the medicine cabinet before he looked at himself in the mirror. Yeah, he looked alright. His eyes looked a little tired, but that was the most he could see. And maybe he was a little bit tenser than usual...The brunette shook his head, chasing away the criticisms. It really didn't matter--he looked alright. He turned around and headed back through the hall.

 

As the girl continued wondering what happened, she got up from her seat. Kairi approached the television, kneeling down in front of the DVD player and ejected the disk, placing it back in its case. She proceeded to turn off the DVD player and change the channel back to a scheduled program on Sora's cable.

 

Sora rubbed the back of his head, brushing over the spikes but not messing them up. As he reentered the living room, he lowered his hand to his side and looked over to see that Kairi was back on the couch, and apparently she had turned off the DVD player. He approached her softly, calm.

 

Kairi looked away from watching the show on the screen, her eyes locating Sora coming near her. She smiled softly at the sight of him, his eyes catching her attention almost immediately because of their color.

 

Sora softly returned Kairi's smile as he approached her, holding her gaze until he turned and sat himself down on the couch beside her.

 

The thoughts in Kairi's mind pushed her, and she couldn't help but give in to her overwhelming curiosity. "Sora?" she called softly, her eyes moving from her capris to his face. There were just some things she needed to know, or felt she deserved to know.