Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Ty barked twice besides Namine, the loyal dog rising to his feet as he stared anxiously at his master. Namine, however, didn't notice. She bit her lip to hush the scream, the cry turning into a whimper. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, the girl sobbing into her knees.

 

Roxas, standing next to Namine beside the couch, bent over slightly, looking at her with worried eyes. His expression saddened at her muffled sobs, his heart aching at the noise. "...Nam?" His tone showed his concern and fear for her, the boy wondering what was wrong. Roxas lifted a hand and set it lightly on the girl's shoulder, feeling it shake with her sobs.

 

Namine released her legs, Roxas's touch not even disturbing or surprising her. Sure, it hadn't been expected, but nothing could have shaken her up more than her dream already had. The blond girl looked up at the boy beside her, a few tears running down her cheeks. She sniffed and took in a breath, trying to regain control of herself.

 

Roxas felt his expression change at the sight of her. His eyes grew wide before softening in deep sadness and concern, his lips parting. "Namine," he said sadly, his hand moving to rest against the side of her head, his fingers in her hair slightly. Roxas couldn't figure out any other emotion in him other than fear. He was afraid for her, and what was causing her to be so upset.

 

Namine blinked, a few more tears sliding down her cheeks. She felt herself calm down at Roxas' touch, and she finally felt like she found words to say. She just hoped that unlike her dream, the words would be audible. "N-nightmare," she said, sniffling. "I'm o-okay." Honestly, she wasn't sure if either were true. Was it a nightmare or was it a memory? And was she okay, or was she losing it?

 

Roxas gazed at her, sad. He knew that she wasn't okay, not if she woke up screaming like this. The nightmare had to have been terrible to cause that. He let his hand glide down a couple inches of her hair, lifting it and setting it back where it had been before. Roxas's blue eyes had followed the movement, but now they rested back on Namine's face.

 

Namine looked at Roxas with round blue eyes, her innocence lost. She didn't know such terrible things could happen to a girl like her...apparently she had been assaulted before. Or maybe it was even worse than that. And that scared her, because she knew what she had seen wasn't a dream--it was a memory. She held Roxas' gaze even as she brought up a hand, wiping at a tear that had just fallen from her eye.

 

Roxas lifted his hand off of Namine's head and brought it forward, brushing her bangs out of her watery eyes. The tips of his fingers trailed across her forehead gently, the boy following the movement with his eyes. He blinked once, trying to mask the pain in his eyes at the sight of Namine's tears. It upset him to see her this frightened; he only wished there was something he could do...

 

Namine lowered her eyes at Roxas' movement, a soft breath leaving her lips. Things were alright now...Roxas was there with her. She didn't know why it was so reassuring for her to have him there with her, but it was. She heard Ty wimper softly, the dog sitting next to where Roxas was. Namine didn't bother looking at her pet, too busy trying to compose herself.

 

"She'll be okay," Roxas said softly, directing the statement toward Ty. But at the same time he was convincing himself. He let his hand linger on Namine's forehead for a moment before letting it fall. Roxas set his hand on his knee, just like his other, as he remained bent over, eyes still on Namine.

 

Namine nodded faintly, eyes opening up again as she looked at Roxas. "I'm okay," she said softly. "Really, I'm fine." She brought up a hand, tucking back a strand of blond hair. "Sorry for waking you, Roxas."

 

Roxas shook his head, gazing at Namine. "Don't apologize," he insisted gently. If he hadn't woken up, he would have felt even worse that she had to go through this alone. But, he wasn't sure if he was really doing much in the first place.

 

Namine smiled weakly, one last tear slowly sliding down her cheek. She didn't move to wipe it away, and she acted like she didn't even know it was there. The blond kept telling herself that things would be alright. She didn't find this comfort from herself, but from the look in Roxas' eyes. There was just something about those bright blue eyes that made her feel safe...

 

A faint smile found its way across Roxas's lips at the sight of Namine's, the boy lifting a hand and bringing it to the girl's face. He gently wiped away the tear that had been trailing down her cheek with his finger, his eyes glancing up into Namine's. Unintentionally, Roxas let his finger linger on Namine's skin. After a moment, he brought his hand back, all the while keeping eye-contact with the girl he still loved.

 

Namine's faint smile widened slightly, her heart skipping a beat. She held Roxas' gaze, feeling much better than she had a few minutes ago. A soft rumble of thunder interrupted the moment, and the girl turning her head slightly to the window. It was still very dark out, and still raining. She figured it must have been the middle of the night. That would explain why she still felt so tired.

 

Roxas followed Namine's line of sight, his eyes focusing on the window. There was a flash of lightning, illuminating the room for a moment. That was when Roxas turned his attention to the fireplace. He hadn't noticed until now that the fire had dimmed significantly for the hours the two had been asleep. How long ago had that been anyway? He couldn't tell by looking outside, because it had been dark when he'd fallen asleep, and that was in the afternoon. Roxas could only assume it was the middle of the night.

 

Namine blinked twice, bringing up a hand to rub her eye. The storm outside wasn't so intimidating now, even thought he power was still out. The nightmare--no, the memory--had startled her, but she felt better with Roxas nearby. It was an unexplainable feeling. Sadness mixed with peace. Fright mixed with hope.

 

Roxas stood up straight before making his way over to the fireplace. He reached on top of the mantle and grabbed the matches before kneeling down in front of the firewood. He striked another match before tossing it into the fireplace, watching the already small flames grow with the addition of heat.

 

Namine softly exhaled a breath, her tired eyes wandering to Ty. Ty had been quiet for a while now, and Namine saw now that he was lying down again, his eyes shut. He was probably still tired from everything that happened before...or maybe he was just relaxing. Namine couldn't tell, but she wished that she were asleep again. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

 

Roxas stood up from his place by the fire, lifting his arms above his head and stretching, a yawn escaping him. He shook his head as his arms fell back down to his sides, the boy turning around to look at the girl on the couch. Namine looked just as tired as he was, but he was still concerned. "...Are you going to be able to fall back asleep?" he asked softly.