Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

When Roxas loosened his grip on her, Namine allowed her embrace to soften. She slowly opened her eyes, moving herself away from Roxas.

 

Roxas kept his hands in place on Namine's sides, looking down at her with brightened eyes. Things were better now, and they would only continue to get better as time went on. He could be sure of that--it was this feeling he had, and he had learned to trust those feelings.

 

Namine caught the look in Roxas' eyes and couldn't help but let her smile widen. He looked happy, and she couldn't have been more glad. Both of them deserved this moment they were having, and she knew things could only go uphill from here.

 

Roxas gazed into the girl's eyes, smile widening somewhat. "...I love you, Nam," he told her softly, his heart skipping a beat as he said it. It felt good to say it again, even if it hadn't been that long.

 

Namine smiled softly, holding Roxas' gaze. "I love you too," she said quietly. And she meant it. She meant it even more than she could fully know, since some of her memories were missing. At that moment, looking into Roxas' eyes, she knew that everything was going to be alright.

A week later...

Things were far from perfect for Namine, who had expected everything to come easily once things were resolved with Roxas. So much had happened in that week, but none of that involved fully regaining her memory. Sure, she was regaining her memories, but not in a way that she wanted. Each night she would go to bed, and each night, she would wake up screaming or crying because of a nightmare. A nightmare that was really a memory, of course. For the past week, Namine had been lucky if she got three hours of sleep a night. The lack of sleep was making her sick to her stomach and feeling all-around terrible.

 

It was nearly nine-thirty that night, and Roxas was at home, lounging on the couch as he watched some TV. He was watching a sitcom, sports not on this late. It didn't matter, mostly because he didn't care; he was entertained, and that was what mattered to him. Roxas had been pretty good lately, over this past week. Ever since that day at the park, things had been better between him and Namine. And then the day after, when he played his song for her once more, that was even better. Altogether, things had been pretty positive between everyone, including Sora and Kairi. Roxas and Namine had hung out with them multiple times within the last seven days, and actually had fun.

 

The highlights of Namine's week had all been when she was with Roxas. Whether it was in the park, at her home when he sang the song for her, or when they tried to give Ty a bath together, Namine knew all the times were her best moments of the week. During those times, she had been happy, and although no more significant memories about Roxas or her friends came back to her, she was still able to enjoy herself. At night, though, that was another story...waking up screaming wasn't fun at all. She had recalled so much...about an evil man named Smith, that jerk Jeff and his brother Brian, and...her grandfather, who had passed away last winter. One day over the past week, Namine went alone to his grave and just cried because she hadn't believed her dream was a real memory. Obviously it was.

 

Roxas was lying down on the couch, body spread out at its length. His ankles were crossed, resting on the armrest at the other end as he kept his head on a couch pillow. He had one arm on his stomach, the other hanging loosely up by his head. He stared at the screen, a smile coming to his face at funny parts. Nothing could make Roxas smile more than his time with Namine, though. The past week had been really fun, but one day had been a challenge: when he had to help give Ty a bath. He felt his smile widen at the memory, wanting to laugh at just how soaked he and Namine had gotten from that.

 

Namine moved to the couch, sitting down tiredly. Roxas didn't know most of what she had faced during that week...she only told him what was necessary. She told him she was having nightmares about things, and they were possibly memories being called up. She never went too in depth, because it obviously made Roxas uncomfortable. One important thing he didnt know, though, was how little sleep she was getting. She put on makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes, and it worked with hiding her deep level of sleep deprivation.

 

Despite the happy moments, Roxas was still worried. Namine confessed that she had been having nightmares every night. He had expressed his concern for her, and did every day before he left her home. She knew to call him if she needed him because he was never that far away. But he hadn't gotten a call all week unless it was to hang out, either with her, or Sora and Kairi too. Roxas was still concerned, but guessed she was handling it. Of course, he didn't want her going through it alone, but he wasn't going to meddle where he wasn't needed. If Namine ever needed anything, she knew who to call.

 

Namine blinked, seeing Ty come to the couch and stop in front of her. "Hey boy," she cooed tiredly. "You need something?" The dog didn't respond, only wagging his tail excitedly. Namine smiled faintly. "Come on, Ty, I'll get you some treats, 'kay?" The blond girl slowly rose from the couch, Ty anxiously pacing around her. She took a step away from the couch and then stopped, feeling off balance. I...what's....She saw her vision cloud up, and then everything went completely black, the girl fainting on the carpet in front of the couch.

 

Roxas sighed softly, continuing to watch TV. He wasn't necessarily bored, but just a little tired. At the same time, though, he didn't want to sleep. He was just...relaxing, really. He laughed a little at the comical moment on the screen, still lounging on the couch.

 

Ty stopped pacing and sniffed at Namine's face, trying to wake her. When that failed, he started barking. Still nothing. The dog hurried to the kitchen and tugged at the phone cord, bringing the whole machine off the counter. The phone laid on the ground as the dog randomly nudged a button--the speed-dial for Roxas. He whimpered, his eyes wandering from the phone to Namine about ten feet away.

 

Roxas heard his phone ringing from its place on the endtable by his head. He looked up and behind him slightly, reaching over the armrest to grab it. He looked at the caller ID and recognized it was Namine. He opened his phone and brought it to his ear, eyes on the screen. "Hello?"

 

Ty turned back to the phone, barking twice when he heard a voice on the other end. His tone (if it were possible for dog's to have a certain tone) wasn't one of anger or pain. It just sounded frantic and, in a way, worried. Ty barked again, standing over the phone.

 

Roxas's eyebrows instantly furrowed. Was that... "Ty?" He pushed himself up, confused. Why was Ty on the other line and not Namine...? The boy found himself begin to tense as the pieces started to connect, his eyes immediately finding the doorway from the living room and to the foyer.

 

Ty barked a few more times, the dog looking from the phone to Namine, who still hadn't moved since her fall. He whimpered softly and then barked once more into the phone.

 

Roxas pushed himself up from the couch and immediately darted for the door. "Hold on, boy," he said before snapping the phone shut. Roxas pulled his shoes on before rushing out the door, picking up his pace as he ran across the yard.

 

Ty let out one more whine, the dog understanding enough of the situation to know barking wouldn't do him any good now. He slunk over to Namine, sniffing her still body with his nose.

 

Roxas ran along the sidewalk, taking a turn as soon as he had the chance. Namine's house was a few blocks away. Despite that, he still needed to hurry. The boy picked up his pace a little, moving into a sprint.