Author's Note: Wow, I got a review! I know that it's not much but I am a proud mama hen. Look at my little chick of a story, being recognized! Le sigh, they grow up so fast.

{Chapter 4}

Waking up was a chore the next day. After my little break down in front of Anise, I didn't know how to approach the young puppeteer. I didn't mean to react so emotionally when Anise confronted me the other day, but I couldn't help it. When she said those dreaded words, I couldn't control myself. It felt like I was a cornered animal about to be taken away from its home, so I overreacted and cried like a child. On top of that I asked for her help with obtaining Luke's affection. What was I thinking? Never before have I actually sought to gain Luke's attention in a romantic way. Honestly, I was content just being around him. I guess it was a last resort kind of thing, but now I'm stuck with this situation. Calling off the whole thing was out of the question; Anise would never let me back down now.

So here I am, with flushed cheeks and Anise pacing back and forth in the room. We both woke up about an hour ago, and neither of us has yet to speak to the other. I wasn't speaking due to my immense embarrassment from my actions the other day, and Anise…well, I really don't know. After getting dressed, Anise started pacing for some reason, so I sat down and waited for her to finish; that was twenty minutes ago. Finally, she stopped and turned to me, her eyes ablaze with determination.

"I've got it!" She said, while pointing a finger at me.

"G-Got what, Anise?" I said while trying, and failing, not to stutter. I still felt uneasy around her.

"My plan! I call it, Ion's lovey dovey mission!" For a minute I gaped at her, and then shook my head; typical Anise.

"So, what is this plan?"

"First, we need to get Luke to notice you more." I'm surprised, that actually sounds pretty reasonable.

"Then what?"

"I don't know!" Well, at least she's trying.

"It doesn't matter, we're still on part one." She walked to my bed and sat down next to me.

"Now this is going to be hard, Luke's pretty thick headed so we'll probably have to do something drastic." I'm afraid to know what she's planning, but I asked her anyway.

"So, what are we going to do?" I asked nervously. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Cross-dressing!" Oh, dear Yullia!

"Anise, I can't do that! What will the others think?"

"That you're cute?" She snickered a little, but this was far from funny.

"Anise!"

"Alright, we'll tell them that you're trying to help Guy get over his phobia." She can't be serious, cross-dressing? I know I wanted Luke's attention, but this seems like a bit much. Who would ever imagine the Fon master, cross-dressing? But still…

"Do you really think I can get Luke's attention?" I asked, the blush returning full force to my face. Anise grinned and patted my back reassuringly.

"Of course I do. You'll probably get the whole team's attention!" She laughed at her own comment while I hid my head in my knees.

After Anise's laughing fit was over, she took a trip to get us some breakfast. While we ate, we discussed what type of outfit I should wear. Anise seemed to really enjoy talking about this subject, it made me wonder if she has thought of this before. With breakfast finished, we cleaned up and headed out the door. It was brisk outside, but at least it stopped snowing. As we trudged through the snow, Anise examined the windows of each clothes store carefully. She said something about picking out the perfect outfit. We walked until our feet were numb from the snow, when Anise found the perfect store, claiming that it was cute enough.

I was relieved when we stepped into the warm store, and immediately found a comfortable place to sit. Anise flocked to the many racks of clothes, picking up one article of clothing only to put it back in favor of a better one. There were other girls Anise's age and older pouring through the many selections of clothes; I couldn't help thinking of how exhausting that must be. Suddenly, I felt glad that I had a limited wardrobe.

It felt like ages had gone by when Anise finally returned, when really it had probably only been an hour or so. I should have been helping her, but I didn't have a clue when it came to fashion.

She walked up to me with a satisfied smile on her face. Her hands were behind her back, so I am assuming that's where the outfit was; I prayed to Yullia that it wasn't too embarrassing.

"Oh, Ion, look what I got for you!" She sang. I braced myself for the worst.

"Tadaa!" She whipped out the object from behind her back. Hmm, I expected something worse than this. It was a light green sweater with a matching skirt.

"I also have these." She put the clothes on my lap and then walked over to another chair that had the rest of my outfit. When she came back she had a pair of white shoes in her hands and a white pair of thigh high stockings. To top it off, she had a white ribbon.

"Do you like it? I think it would look nice on you and above all, super cute!"

"This looks good, Anise. I don't think I'll mind too much if I have to wear this." I said while I studied the sweater, it felt really soft.

"You'll have to wear a white shirt under that sweater, but I think you already have one, so we're good." Still examining my new clothes, I nodded to show that I was paying attention.

"Alright, do you want me to go pay for these, or do you still want to look around?" I asked.

"I'm done looking, but do you want to change into your new clothes?" I thought for a minute, and nodded. I might as well try to get used to them. We gathered up all of the pieces of my outfit and headed over to the cashier. She was surprised to see me of all people here, but didn't ask any questions. After I paid for the clothes, I asked her if I could use one of her dressing rooms. Once she directed me to the nearest one, I went inside and began the task of…cross-dressing.

When I emerged from the changing room, I had my new attire on and my old clothes in a bag. Anise jumped up from her seat and began circling me.

"Not bad. I've out done myself." I walked over to a mirror to see for myself. Well, this was a little strange, I hardly recognized myself. I looked like, for a lack of better words, a girl, but surprisingly, I didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt like I was wearing my old clothes, but this time I had a really comfy sweater. If I keep any of these clothes I am definitely keeping this sweater.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked Anise as I twirled a little.

"You look like a really cute girl!" She grabbed my hand and started walking towards the front of the store.

"Now let's go win Luke's affection!" Anise cheered as she thrust her fist into the air. I imitated her, although with less gusto.

TBC cliff hanger :3