KH - Fast Food Madness! V2

Roxas gazed into Namine's light blue eyes, seeing a new light in them. Was it confirmation to his own words? Agreement? Realization as well? Thinking back to what he had seen at the park that day, Roxas knew that Jeff was responsible for all of their troubles; it was his fault that Brian had wanted revenge. Jeff had brought it upon himself.

 

No...she couldn't have done something wrong! Jeff was saying awful things about Roxas, as well as implying that she herself could easily be manipulated. When he had grabbed her wrist, saying that he would take her back to his house to get rid of her nasty temper...Namine blinked twice at the memory, chasing it away. Defending herself had been the only choice she had, and she realized that now.

 

Roxas kept his eyes locked with Namine's. It couldn't have been him or Namine; Jeff had started it all. He had caused the fight in the alley; he had welcomed the black eye from Roxas with his own actions; he had brought the uneasy relationship between him and his brother upon himself. Jeff, he was the source of all of this.

 

"...I think you're right," Namine said softly after a moment, bringing herself out of her thoughts and back to reality. She hadn't asked for any of this, and neither had Roxas. Jeff was the one who started all this trouble, and the chain reactions that occured because of it.

 

Roxas nodded, blinking once as his bright eyes stayed on Namine's. "All of our grief was for nothing," he said quietly. "We didn't even do anything wrong..." Of course they didn't! They were only doing what was right, and that was protecting themselves, as well as each other.

 

Namine nodded slightly in agreement, her gaze not leaving Roxas' eyes. She saw a different appearance in them now--one that looked much lighter than before. But there was still something else, deep in his eyes...

 

Roxas gazed at Namine. They had figured out and solved that problem together, just like the last one. He was glad to know that they had solved the problems...well...two of the three problems anyway.

 

Namine continued to look at Roxas without realizing it, thinking again. Roxas had said earlier that there had been another problem, other than the ones that involved Smith, Jeff, or Brian. She had no idea what that was, and she had no way to know until Roxas explained it to her. She had a feeling that this one was pretty complicated, too complex for her to decyfer just by looking into Roxas' eyes. Things weren't that simple in this case.

 

Roxas felt discomfort in the silence between him and Namine, and he was about to break it. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it, turning his head a little in uneasiness. He bit his lip a little, not sure how to start this new conversation. He knew it was going to be one of the most uncomfortable ones for him, especially since it revolved around his inability to fully protect the love of his life.

 

Namine blinked when she saw Roxas turning away, the movement bringing her out of her thoughts. She bit her lip lightly as she turned away, her eyes on the fire again.

 

Roxas shifted a little, using his hand to pull the blanket off of him. With the tension and the fire, he was already warm enough. He put it on the ground next to him, moving his hand back to his leg as he moved them a little. He still sat Indian-style on the floor, putting his hands on his knees. How was he going to explain this to Namine? Would she understand?

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Namine noticed Roxas' movements, seeing the teen take the blanket off his shoulders. Apparently he was warming up, and she was thankful for that.

 

Roxas took in a breath and released it out of his mouth, feeling the silence grow more uncomfortable. He bit his lip for a moment, thinking of the right words to try and explain this to Namine. When he finally found them, he spoke softly. "While I was outside with Brian..." he started slowly. "I think I found something that I've been trying to deny for a while."

 

Namine turned her head at the words, her soft eyes gazing at Roxas. She had no idea what he was talking about yet, of course. He had only said one sentence, after all. She stayed silent, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

 

Roxas bit his lip a little before speaking, his eyes glued to the flames that licked at the wood. "Lately I've realized that you've been hurt a lot, Namine; not just physically, but mentally too. And while I was fighting Brian outside, he told me a few things that may have angered me...but they prove a point," Roxas explained, his voice soft in the darkened room, the rain from the storm still beating against the house.

 

Namine blinked two times, her eyes feeling dry because of the fire. So Roxas was upset about something that Brian had said... Namine bit her lip slightly, hoping it wasn't too major. Brian was a jerk, and she figured that whatever he says shouldn't be taken too seriously. But by the look of things, Roxas was taking it seriously. Very seriously.

 

"With Smith, you were hurt pretty badly. And the same thing with Jeff, but worse..." Roxas blinked once as he kept his eyes on the fire. "And earlier with Brian, how he held you with a...knife at your throat..." Roxas paused for a moment, closing his eyes as he tried to dismiss that image. "When I was with Brian outside, he told me how you're always in danger." The blond lifted his head, looking at Namine next to him. "And I can't deny that...because you have been lately..."

 

Namine kept a soft gaze on Roxas, hearing his slow spoken words. What he said was absolutely true; she was in a lot of danger lately, and she hated that. But she had a feeling that the problem was much deeper than that, so she stayed silent, patiently waiting for Roxas to say more.

 

"Well...Brian blamed it on me, saying that he wasn't surprised to find you in dangerous situations, and that I couldn't protect you," Roxas continued, just then turning his head away from Namine, tearing his eyes away from hers. He lowered his head a little, moving his hands. "He said, 'Once I'm done with you, maybe I'll go back inside and tell Namine what a failure her boyfriend is.' That alone hurt, but I knew that I couldn't really deny it." Roxas bit his lip for a second before taking in a breath. "Brian said he should take you for himself, since I didn't care very much about you if I was letting you get into trouble like you were..."

 

"And you believe him?" Namine said softly, her gentle gaze staying on Roxas. Brian...what an idiotic jerk! Of course she saw that none of what he said was true; Roxas loved her dearly, and he was always protecting her. Roxas had to see that was true...didn't he?