Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine laid on the bed, unresponsive to Roxas' calls. Her skin was paler than usual, but other than that, there was no visible sign that something was wrong.

Sora grunted, dragging the third guard. That guy was heavy! But he still moved him as quickly as he could, not wanting to be caught in that hallway. That would be just his luck...

 

There was no response, not a single movement. Roxas gazed down at the girl, his eyes turning confused. "Nam?" he tried again, using his nickname for her. He stared at her, waiting for another response.

Kairi suddenly became very worried, her expression matching that emotion. There was something wrong...

Ross traveled down one of the halls, leaving the meeting to see how the witch was doing. Pistol on his belt, the man walked quietly.

 

Namine's breathing was slow, completely unaffected by Roxas's calls. She had no idea that anybody was with her, her coma was so deep. In fact, she had no clue what anything was. Everything was just....black.

Sora pulled harder at the guard, almost to the corner. In a few moments, he'd join Roxas and Kairi with Namine. Then he could study the device he had in his pocket and find an escape route.

 

The adrenaline inside Roxas began to pick up, but this time in panic. "Namine," he said, his voice louder, expressing his fear. His hands found her shoulders, gently placing them against the fabric of her shirt. "Namine, wake up," he tried again, his voice gentle but firm, also full of worry. Roxas shook her gently, trying to wake her from her sleep.

There still wasn't a response, and Kairi felt that fear she sensed from Roxas begin to affect her. Why wasn't she responding? Kairi blinked her frightened eyes before she located the necklace that was resting atop the girl's shirt. It was...glowing slightly, a small amount of gold color emitting from the crystal.

Ross's footing faltered slightly when he heard a rustle. What the...? He walked a little slower, hand resting against the gun hooked to his belt.

 

Namine's limp body moved to Roxas's shakes without resistance. None of his actions were bringing her out of her deep slumber.

Sora finished with the thug, giving him one last tug to get him around the corner. He exhaled quietly, wiping his hands on his pants. He hoped keeping the fallen guards there would be good enough and nobody would search the area to find them.

 

Roxas let his hands relax against his girlfriend's shoulders, his expression changing from scared to sad. "...No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No..." He wasn't upset because he thought she was gone, but because he knew she was gone in another way.

Kairi glanced at Roxas before eyeing the necklace again. "Roxas," she called softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look... The crystal..."

Roxas arched an eyebrow. "The what...?" He turned his head back toward Namine, his sight landing on the accessory around her neck. A glowing crystal?

Ross spotted the intruder--a young boy with spiky brown hair near the corner. And...dragging his men? The man didn't hesitate with his next actions. He quickly but quietly rushed toward the boy, removing his gun from its holder as he grabbed Sora. He wrapped one arm around Sora's shoulders, pointing the gun to the boy's head with the other.

 

Sora's eyes widened at the arm that went around his shoulders. For the first second, he tried to break free, but then he felt the cool end of the gun against his head. It was at that moment he stopped, mentally screaming at himself for not paying more attention to the area around him.

 

"...What is it?" Roxas wondered aloud, his gaze stuck on the necklace.

Kairi shook her head. "I don't know, but I get this feeling that it has something to do with Namine's condition," she told him. "The way it's glowing is too...magical." There was no other way to put it; the golden glow, she noticed, had gotten a tiny bit stronger since they had been there.

Ross exhaled through his nose, glaring down at Sora. "What do you think you're doing with my men, boy?" he said gruffly, keeping the gun pointed to Sora's head. He wasn't expecting an answer, though. His hold tightened more than it had before when Sora struggled, the man trying to get his point across--he was not to be taken lightly.

 

Sora furrowed his eyebrows, not responding to the man's question. He recognized his voice from the store back home, but he had no clue what his face was like. Or what his name was, actually. But at that moment, with the gun pointed at his head, the formalities really didn't matter.

 

Roxas turned his attention to Kairi. "You mean she's in a coma?" he asked, his expression transforming into one of surprise.

Kairi nodded silently, her lips forming a frown. "I'm afraid so," she said. "It's just this feeling I have... I can't really explain it."

Roxas found Namine again, not countering Kairi's statement. Namine was part of her, so the connection between them was undeniable. All he could do was believe her, while at the same time worry over the love of his life. A coma...? Really?

"You're coming with me," Ross demanded, roughly pulling Sora back, his hold still strong. An intruder was among them, and there was only one way to deal with this.

 

Sora grunted, being forced back. He absolutely HATED that he had allowed himself to be taken like this. He swore he would try and break free the moment he had a chance, but he knew that chance wasn't going to come; this man was a professional.

 

Roxas wasn't sure what to do. Namine wasn't responding to him, so what could he do to wake her? His eyes automatically landed on the necklace, the boy staring at the crystal. Was it the necklace doing this?

Ross continued to pull Sora with him, all the while holding the gun at the boy's head. He was heading back toward the meeting room, knowing Black would love to see this.

 

Sora kept his head as still as he could, slightly afraid that the man would pull the trigger the second he thought his captive was trying to escape. He kept walking, knowing that he couldn't break free of this man's strong grasp even if his life depended on it. And it did depend on it.

 

"You think it's the necklace causing her coma?" Roxas asked suddenly, his eyes flashing to Kairi. He watched her lean a little closer, inspecting the crystal.

"It would seem that way," Kairi started. "You know how I said it seemed magical?" She watched Roxas nod. "Well, maybe it has casted a spell on her... There's just something giving me that hunch." And she knew what it was--her heart. It never failed to help her when she or her friends needed the guidance most.

Ross moved down the hallways, turning a few corners with the boy in his grasp. He saw the door to the meeting room just up ahead, pulling Sora a little rougher toward it.

 

Sora grunted when Ross pulled him more roughly. He stumbled over his feet for one step before regaining his balance. The boy gritted his teeth in frustration. Where was he being taken?

 

Roxas watched Namine lay there silently, his pulse pumping through his veins. That had to be it; there was no other explanation for it, unless the men knocked her out... Roxas's hand formed a fist. No, he wouldn't think of that. He couldn't, or he would lose himself to his fury. With a quiet exhale, Roxas reached forward, wrapping his hand around the glowing crystal with a little hesitance. Then, with a light tug, snapped the magical jewelry from Namine's neck.

Ross approached the door, coming to a stop. He tightened his grip on his hostage as he removed the gun from Sora's head temporarily, pounding against the door. "Hey! Open up!" he ordered, bringing the gun back to Sora's head. In no more than a few seconds was he allowed in, dragging Sora along with him.

 

Namine exhaled a breath right as the jewelry came off, the spell being broken. The color slowly started to return to her skin, her cheeks starting to get a pink hue.

Sora clenched a hand in a fist, feeling himself being dragged into a new room. He was afraid now--not of physical torture, but death for his friends. He had been captured; he had failed them...

Black turned away from his conversation to face the man who had just come in the door. Oh, and he brought a present! "Oh?" he breathed, a surprised yet eager smirk appearing on his lips. "What do we have here? Has the Keyblade bearer decided to grace us with his presence?" he sneered.

 

Roxas watched Namine silently, waiting for a response of some kind. Placing the crystal in his pocket, he paid attention to her face, seeing it begin to regain its natural color.

Ross kept his grip on Sora, gun still pointed at his head. He knew this kid from the way he was with Carter; he wouldn't go down without a fight, which was exactly why Ross wasn't letting his guard down. "Found him wandering the halls," he explained. "I guess he got to a few of our men--he knocked 'em out cold."

 

Namine inhaled and then exhaled, starting to come out of it. Since she had been in her coma for a little while, it would take a few minutes for her to fully regain consciousness. But, in her mind, things had started to change. Her senses were starting to return, and she couldn't help but shake the feeling that somebody nearby was concerned for her.

Sora fought the urge to smirk. Heh, you thought I only got a FEW of your men...he thought. At least he had that going for him.

Black "hmphed" before turning to two of his men. "This is a perfect opportunity to test out new toy," he said with a wink. Strap him to it." The man gave a faint nod to Ross, giving him permission to knock the boy over the head with the butt of his gun. Of course, he wouldn't do it hard enough to knock him out; they just needed him dazed and weak while they hooked him up.

 

Roxas leaned down a little closer, his concern for Namine growing. He brought a hand up, letting it rest against the top of her head, his fingers touching her blonde hair. "...Namine?" he called softly, his voice worried.

Ross chuckled before bringing his gun back and swinging it at Sora's head, a soft thud resounding from the impact.