Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

Kairi flipped her phone open when it chimed, signaling a text message. She read it, eyes widening slightly at the news. Namine was going to Hawaii? She had to text Roxas, knowing that he had seemed very urgent before hanging up. He was probably on his way to Namine's now.

Roxas ran his hand back and forth through his blond hair, lowering his sight to the ground. Stop hesitating, you idiot! She deserves an apology. Give it to her. It was then that his phone rang in his pocket, making him sigh. Who wanted to talk to him now? When he realized it was Kairi, he arched an eyebrow and brought the phone to his ear. "Kairi, if you're really that concerned, I'm already at Namine's," he said. "I'm about to go talk to her, okay?"

"Roxas, you can't do that anymore," Kairi said softly. "Namine just texted me. She just left for a vacation to Hawaii." The girl tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, hating to give him this news. "She'll be gone for a week."

 

Namine looked down at the phone in her hand and then looked to the window, the girl desiring to chuck the thing out the window so she wouldn't feel bad about willingly missing phone calls for the next week. But with her mother sitting right beside her, she doubt that was a wise move. She exhaled a silent breath and put the device back into her purse, trying to focus on the music playing in her headphones.

 

Roxas's eyes darted to the house at the words, noting how empty it looked now that he knew what was going on. He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he responded. "Right... I guess I'll try calling her later then. Thanks, Kairi."

Kairi found herself frowning at the sadness and disappointment in Roxas's tone. "I'm sorry, Roxas," she said softly. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" She didn't want him moping in his room for a week; that would be terrible.

"'Kay. Bye." Roxas flipped his phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket, looking up at the house. His shoulders slumped as he exhaled heavily, turning back to head home. There was nothing he could do; Namine was gone.

 

Namine noticed out of the corner of her eye that her mom was speaking on her cell phone, making yet another business call. The blond felt bad over this; her parents had gone through a lot of trouble with getting out of work just so that she could get away from home. It was a testament of their concern, and she knew that she was deeply loved by them. That warmed her heart a little bit, but not enough to make her feel anything close to the joyfulness she had felt with Roxas on Christmas Eve.

 

Roxas finally made it home, but instead of explaining to his worried mother as to why he ran out so fast, he quick-stepped up the stairs and went straight to his room. He shut the door behind him and collapsed on his bed, face hitting his pillow. There was no other choice he had. The only way he could reach Namine now was through her cell. Hopefully she would pick up.

 

Namine looked through her mp3 player for a new song to play when a romantic song came on. She wasn't in the mood for that. She wasn't in the mood for anything, really, but the noise the music created was enough to keep her from thinking too deeply.

 

Roxas groaned in frustration. He knew why he was upset, because he had started this. It was his fault that things were so messed up; he made the mistake, so this was his punishment. Roxas didn't want to deal with it now; he just wanted to escape from it. He looked at his guitar and decided that wasn't good enough right now. Instead, he closed his eyes, willing sleep to come to him. Darkness in his mind would be good; nothing would bother him.

 

Namine gazed out the window, seeing the city around her. She had gotten so used to the traffic and the people that she hardly noticed it anymore, but now that she was leaving, she couldn't help but think about how quiet and empty Hawaii would seem. It would be a change, and she wasn't sure if she wanted that. She was afraid of change, even if it had the potential to turn out good.

 

Riku toppled through the portal from Halloween Town, entering Christmas Town right behind Sora. He cried out and grunted when he impacted something cold and wet and rolled, and when he finally came to a stop, he opened his eyes, seeing that it was snow that now surrounded him. Christmas Town, only fitting.

 

Sora stood upright a few feet in front of Riku, the teen not being thrown around like Riku had been. "It's rocky the first time, huh?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as he smirked teasingly at his friend. Not only had his friend toppled out of the portal, but he also had been quite surprised by the snow. It was funny to see Riku caught off guard.

 

Riku looked up at Sora, rolling his eyes at his friend's smirk. "Just a bit," he replied coolly, pushing himself up. Once he was standing, he brushed off his pants, not yet used to his Halloween Town clothing. He looked creepy, but Sora's outfit was just as strange as his. Whatever, he'd get over it eventually; it was just clothing after all. The mission mattered more than his outfit.

 

Sora smirked and turned to face forward, looking at the workshop down the hill. Santa was surely in there; Christmas was yesterday, so the man was probably already making plans for next year. However, Sora wasn't here to catch up with a friend--he was here to defeat Heartless, nothing more. "Ready?" he asked his friend seriously, keeping his gaze forward as he returned to the matter at hand.

 

Riku nodded strictly, his expression now serious as he looked at Sora. "Let's go." The Heartless were probably infesting this place. He hadn't known about Christmas Town until now, when Sora showed him the door in the woods. That meant the Heartless were probably in greater numbers here than anywhere else.

 

Sora nodded wordlessly and started down the hill, hands empty for the time being. He wasn't sensing any darkness in the area, so he would wait to summon his blades until that time came. He looked around the area, walking down the hill. No signs of life, but that wasn't unusual for this place.

 

Riku was a beat behind Sora as he descended down the hill, the place quiet and peaceful. He knew that wasn't the case, though. Sora had fought Heartless here in the past; just because there weren't signs didn't mean they couldn't appear here again.

 

Sora stopped when they reached the bottom of the hill, looking over the area one last time. There were no Heartless, and there was no threat hanging above them in the air. "This is...strange," he said slowly, eyebrows furrowed slightly. The Heartless often ambushed people here, yes, but there wasn't a sense of impending doom now. So where were the enemies?

 

Riku stopped next to Sora, eyes scanning the area. "Be on your guard," he ordered strictly. "Heartless don't take Holiday breaks." He glanced down at his friend before walking forward. True, there wasn't a sense of threat right now, but things still felt uneasy. Riku knew this from his time in the Realm of Darkness. Nothing fooled him anymore.

 

Sora nodded, taking a few quick steps so that he was walking by Riku's side. Of course he would be on his guard; he wasn't an idiot. Heartless had ambushed them many times, but...but somehow, this felt different. He wasn't feeling a threat. He looked over things one more time, the teen by the carousel. His eyes widened and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of Santa's workshop. Kairi?!

 

Riku let his eyes scan the top of the rooftop of the workshop, but he didn't see anything. He brought his sight back to level ground, his gaze examining the area before he recognized a stench. Heartless. His aquamarine eyes darted to the area in front of the workshop, seeing the enemy hovering just in front of the door.

 

Sora felt a smile tug at his lips despite his original disbelief. Kairi! Kairi was here, in front of him! He didn't know why that was, but he wasn't about to complain. He started towards her, anxious to see the girl he had been missing so much for over two months.