After this I don't expect to have much time to write until about mid-April when Spring Break comes around since the first half of the next semester will require my almost constant regulation of ROTC business and I'll be busy with college work for the majority of my free time.
Chapter 10: Fashion Shopping and Laser Tag
The next morning Xion, Jessica, and I got up with Xion's alarm at 8:00. I called Roxas early that morning and we agreed to meet at the laser tag arena at noon instead of in front of the school so that Xion and I could take Jessica shopping on Market Street before we met up with the others. Jessica seemed reluctant to let us take her shopping, but we wouldn't take no for an answer. Once all three of us were dressed we practically had to drag her off campus.
"I already told you, I don't want to go shopping!" Jessica shouted.
"You'll need to learn your way around town at some point." Xion said. "What better way than by going on a shopping adventure?"
"Why shopping? Why can't we just walk around and you show me the sights?"
"Because you need a new wardrobe. You said so yourself. And I'm friends with the owner of one of the local clothing stores, so we'll get a good discount."
"Still, why shopping?"
"Because you need to look good for Xeno." I replied. Jessica shot a surprised glance at me.
"What does Xeno have to do with anything?" Xion and I exchanged knowing glances.
"Well, you obviously like him, so naturally you should make a good impression on him."
"I do not like Xeno!"
"Don't deny it, Jess. We saw the way you were looking at him yesterday."
"With Namine's fashion sense combined with my best-friend knowledge of Xeno, we'll make you an absolute magnet for his affections." Xion added.
"I don't want to be a magnet for anyone's affections!" Jessica said. "I want to be myself, and that probably means not wearing whatever you two think is appropriate."
"Exactly what someone who has no sense of fashion would say." I said.
"Who'd you quote that from?" Xion asked.
"Kairi. She's got all kinds of cracks like that. I've always wanted to use one of them. Ooh, here's a good place." We stopped in front of a small, quiet-looking store called The Faeries' Fashion Shop. It was never overly busy, but according to Kairi the owners can work wonders with fabric and wake an outfit for almost anyone. I led the way inside and heard a bell tinkling somewhere further back in the shop. The building may have looked small on the outside, but it was absolutely giant on the inside. There were shelves from wall to wall with all kinds of designer jeans, skirts, shirts, and any other kind of clothing one could possibly imagine. Three short, old women walked quickly out of the back of the store. Well, not really walked, as much as glided. They moved so gracefully, it seemed like their feet never touched the floor. Each woman was dressed in a different color, red, blue, or green, from head to toe.
"Hello, dearies." the woman dressed in red greeted. "It's so nice to see such bright and smiling faces so early this morning. Welcome to the Fairies' Fashion Shop. How may we help you?"
"We were hoping you could help our friend here out with a little fashion magic." Xion said, indicating Jessica.
"Really?" the green-dressed woman asked, more in surprise than as an actual question. "She seems quite comfortable in what she's wearing right now."
"She's got a thing for one of our other friends, and we're getting her ready for a sort of group date with him" I explained. "She doesn't have much in the form of date clothes, so we decided to take her shopping. My cousin said you might be able to help us in the right direction."
"Say no more, we'll get to work right away." the woman in red said. "Come, come, dear. Let's have a look at you." Xion nudged Jessica forward a bit and she hesitantly stepped closer to stand right in front of the women. "What do you think, dears?"
"She's got a good natural beauty to her." the woman in blue said. "I don't think too much makeup will be necessary. Just a bit to make her facial features pop a bit. I've got just the thing. Let me go get it." The woman disappeared back into the back of the store.
"It may be a date, but we want her to feel comfortable in what she's wearing." the green woman said. "Is this your normal style, dear?" Jessica nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." The woman giggled.
"Oh, there won't be any need for any of that nonsense. Please, call me Fauna."
"And you can call me Flora." the woman in red added. "Our sister is Merryweather. Now, we'll need to do something with your hair. It's nice and long, but I think we can style it a bit and make it look nicer. What sort of date is this, dears?"
"We're playing Laser Tag with some friends." Xion answered. Flora nodded.
"We'll need to get it out of the way, then. A ponytail will do nicely. What do you say, dear?"
"O-oh, s-sure." Jessica stuttered. It was obvious she wasn't very comfortable, but it would be worth it to see her and Xeno get together today.
Later
"Ugh, get this stuff off me." Jessica complained, trying for the umpteenth time to wipe the makeup off her face. We hadn't really applied that much, but it was obvious she wasn't used to wearing any at all. In place of the jeans and plain black t-shirt she was wearing earlier, Jessica was now garbed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a white shirt. Her sneakers had been replaced with a pair of silver sandals and most of her hair was pulled up into a neat pony tail while some shorter strands were left to hang at the sides of her face. Her other clothes were stored in a duffel bag held in Xion's hand.
"There they are." I said, pointing to a group of seven people. Now that I saw them together, I could see the family resemblance between Roxas and Sora. Besides their hair color, they looked almost like twins.
"Hey, guys." Xion called. The others turned toward us. Xeno took one look at Jessica and I noticed the smile on his face falter slightly, but I couldn't tell if it was from surprise or disappointment.
"There you are." Roxas said. "Are you guys ready to play?"
"Sure." I said.
"Okay. The ref says we need to divide into two teams. Who's where?"
"Obviously you, Xion, and I are going to be together." Xeno said. Roxas smirked.
"Obviously. The dream team needs to stick together."
"Kairi and I will be on the other team." Sora added.
"We need to have Namine and Jessica on our side, too." Xion said.
"Sure." Roxas agreed, barely letting Xion finish her sentence. "That means Hayner, Olette, and Riku are with Sora and Kairi."
"Okay." Kairi said. She grabbed Sora and Olette's hands and turned to head into one of the waiting rooms. "See you guys on the inside!" Kairi pulled the two unlucky teens behind her as she dashed off, Riku and Hayner walking at their own pace and shaking their heads at her eagerness.
"I'm gonna go to the restroom before we get started." Xion said. "I'll meet you guys in the lobby." Xion walked off towards the large neon 'BATHROOMS' sign, leaving the bag with Jessica's clothes on the floor.
"What do you say we go get our team signed up, Namine?" Roxas asked. I looked at him and smiled.
"Sure." Roxas and I walked over to the ref who was waiting by the waiting lobby, leaving Xeno and Jessica alone. I figured they could use a little time so Xeno could get acquainted with the new Jessica.
-Xeno P.O.V-
"Are you okay?" I asked almost immediately after Roxas and Namine left.
"Of course I am." Jessica said. She smiled, but I could see the hesitation in her eyes. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You don't look comfortable. I've only known you for one day, but I can tell you aren't used to wearing something that..." I hesitated, trying to think of a suitable word. "...girly." Jessica sighed.
"You're right, I'm not. I can't remember a day of my life I've worn something other than jeans or sweats."
"Then why wear that?" Jessica scowled.
"Namine and Xion have some stupid idea that I have feelings for...someone, and they think this'll catch his attention."
"Well, it's certainly caught my attention, but not in a good way. You should wear what you're comfortable wearing, especially at something like this. You'll need to be able to move freely, and I can guarantee you that second skin of yours isn't going to allow that. Plus, if you do have feelings for this guy and he feels the same, he won't care if you wear something comfortable. He'd want you to be you."
"That's what I think too, but those two are persistent. They literally dragged me shopping with them this morning." Jessica groaned. "Man, I wish I could just put my other clothes back on, but Xion's not letting me have them."
"You mean these?" I held up a bag that Xion had left when she left to use the restroom. "Here, go change. There's another restroom in our waiting room over there." I handed her the bag and pointed to where Namine and Roxas had gone inside with the ref. Jessica took the bag and smiled.
"Thanks. You have no idea how happy I'll be to get out of these things." Her smile suddenly turned upside down. "But what about Namine? She'll never let me in there."
"Let me take care of her." I said. "When she turns her back, go as quietly as you can to the restroom."
"Okay." I turned and walked inside, leaving the door open behind me so Jessica could see me, and struck up a conversation with Roxas and Namine.
-Namine POV-
"Are we okay to go?" Xeno asked as he joined Roxas and I in the waiting room.
"Yup." Roxas answered. "We're just waiting for the game before us to finish. The referee needs to tell us the rules after that and we're good to go."
"Where's Jessica?" I asked, having noticed she wasn't with us.
"She said she needed to use the restroom." Xeno said. "Hey, Roxas, you think we should start fitting Namine with her equipment while we wait for the girls?"
"Yeah, that's fine." Roxas agreed. "We'll get Jessica when she gets back, and Xion already knows what she needs."
"Alright. C'mon, let's start with the body armor." Xeno and Roxas led me to one of the walls, where sets of armor were mounted from one end of the room to the other. Although they were in order of size, it took us several minutes to find something that wasn't too loose or too tight. Xion soon joined us and grabbed a set of armor mounted a few feet away.
"Where's Jessica?" She asked.
"She wasn't in the bathroom with you?" Roxas asked. "Xeno said she needed to go."
"She's probably using the other one." Xeno said. He nodded at the bathroom that was attached to their waiting room.
"I guess." Xion said. "She'd better not be skipping out on laser tag. We didn't get her all prettied up for nothing." Xion suddenly gasped and we all turned to look at her. "I just realized, I left her stuff out in the lobby. I'd better go grab it."
"Don't bother." Jessica said. I turned and saw her walking toward us from the bathrooms. She had changed back into her black shirt, jeans, and sneakers, but her hair remained in a ponytail. "I'm guessing you're looking for this." Jessica tossed the bag to Xion.
"Jessica!" I whined. "You're supposed to be dressed up, remember?" Jessica narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
"I am dressed up. For laser tag. All that crap you two had me wearing wasn't exactly easy to maneuver in. Though I like the ponytail. It keeps my hair out of the way really well."
"But what about your crush?" Xion asked. Jessica turned her glare to the raven-haired girl.
"No crush is worth dropping so far out of my comfort zone that I can't even recognize myself."
"I agree." Xeno added. "Just like I told her earlier, if this guy she's got a crush on likes her, he'd want her to be herself."
"Really?" Xion asked. "What about that girl you dated a year or two back? What was her name, Melissa?" Xeno shrugged.
"Melissa enjoyed doing all that stuff. I'm not going to get in the way of something someone enjoys, so long as it isn't harming them in the process. Plus, this isn't about me and my ex. It's about Jessica and this mystery guy."
"Speaking of which, would someone like to fill us in?" Roxas asked. "Who's this guy she's got such a dig for?" Jessica blushed and turned away.
"We can't tell." I said. "She'll just have to tell you herself, as soon as she's ready." A slightly overweight man in a red polo and jeans entered the room.
"Are you all ready to begin?" he asked. "The other team is done with preparations."
"Give us a couple more minutes." Xeno said. "We need to get Ms. Tardy Pants here geared up." He nodded at Jessica. The referee nodded and left. "So what do you think, Roxas? 19? 20?"
"I'd go with a 19." Roxas agreed. "She's a bit taller than Xion and Namine, so she'll need a bit larger."
"Alright." Xeno grabbed a set of gear from the racks and gave it to Jessica. With a little help from Xeno and Xion they got her strapped in and ready to go. A minute later the referee returned to brief us on the rules.
"Okay, everyone. Listen up." The referee said. "This'll be a standard team deathmatch. All you've got to do is aim your gun at the lit targets on your opponents' armor and pull the trigger to shoot. It'll be dark in there, so make sure you keep track of who's who. You all are the red team, and you're facing off against the blue team. If the player's lights are blue, they're hostile. Red is friendly. If you're shot, you're out. Shoot your teammate and they're out. Last team left alive or the team with the most players remaining after ten minutes wins. Everyone understand?" We all nodded. "Okay. Now get in there, and remember to aim for the blue." An automatic door opened into a dimly lit tunnel and we stepped in. The door closed behind us and the lights lowered, leaving us in almost complete darkness. I squeaked when I realized this, but Roxas, who'd stepped in behind me, took my hand in his.
"We're right here, Namine." he said. "Just keep walking forward. I'll guide you from there."
"Why is it so dark?" I heard Jessica ask.
"Sets the atmosphere." Xeno answered. "The darkness makes people a little more jumpy. Screws up their thinking pattern."
"Why?"
"It makes the game more interesting. Players are more likely to shoot at the first thing that moves. It's easier to shoot your team."
"We'll just have to keep ourselves straight then." Xion said. "When we get into the arena we should split up. I'll head for the tower and take a sniping position. Namine and Roxas can cover me. Xeno, you think you can do your thing with Jessica in tow?"
"No problem."
"That's the Silent Vanguard I've come to know." We finally exited the tunnel and came into a darkened circular room. "Okay, the others should be in the arena by now. Let's move out. Namine, Roxas, follow me." Roxas led me towards an offshoot leading deeper into the arena. As we entered the hall the lighting began to brighten so I could see in front of me again. Despite this, Roxas didn't let go of my hand. Not that I was complaining.
'What are you thinking?' I thought to myself. 'You and Roxas are just friends! You aren't supposed to be enjoying this!' Soon we reached a staircase that spiraled up several stories and let off into a room with several large open windows cut into the wall.
"I'll set up here." Xion gestured to the room. "You guys go back down a bit and watch the stairs. I don't want anyone taking me by surprise while I'm shooting." Roxas and I descended the stairs about halfway and positioned ourselves in alcoves on opposite sides of the stairs. The alcoves were far enough apart for us to shoot into the stairs without getting in each other's way, but still close enough for us to communicate in our normal voices.
"RED TEAM! FIRST BLOOD!" A loudspeaker boomed through the room. I jumped at the sudden shout.
"That must've been Xeno at work." Roxas said. "He's probably found where the others holed up. Now they'll start coming our way."
"What makes you say that?"
"Everyone on our team has a role to play." Roxas explained. "Our normal team is a lot bigger, usually seven or eight of the Organization. Xigbar, Xion, Axel, Xeno, and I are the most regular. Xigbar is our normal sniper, who just stands back and shoots from long distances to get points, but he's trained Xion to take over when he can't make it to games. Axel and I usually take this position to guard his back while he's sniping. We call this a Sentinel position. Xeno and Xion are what's called Vanguards. They get in close to the other team quietly and guide them into the sniper's range by constantly shooting at them from concealed positions without actually hitting them. Of course, sometimes it takes a couple of kills to get them moving."
"Wow. That's a lot to keep track of." Roxas shrugged.
"I guess for a beginner it can be. Xion did a good job splitting us up. One experienced player teamed with an inexperienced one balances the positions pretty well."
"Riku and Hayner are trying to circle around the back!" Xion shouted down.
"We got 'em!" Roxas shouted back. He smiled at me. "Time for some action. Just aim for the lit up circles and shoot." I peeked around the corner and caught glimpses of two masses trying to sneak around the base of the tower. They'd reached the base of the stairs and were completely exposed. I raised my gun and shot at the left, while Roxas shot the right figure less than a second later. Unfortunately, both shots missed by mere inches. Both figures looked around in surprise, trying to figure out where the shots had come from. The figure Roxas shot at looked up and caught sight of us. He gestured in our direction and began climbing, followed by the other figure. No sooner had they mounted the steps than Roxas shot over the front person's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. I attempted another shot, but it went wide, hitting the wall next to the front player. "Stay in cover." Roxas said. "Let them come to us. I'll signal you and we'll both shoot them down." I nodded agreement. He held up three fingers. A second later he let one fall, then another a second after that. Then the last finger fell and he nodded. We both jumped out of our concealed positions and shot at the now very close targets. Both our shots hit dead center and I heard a faint buzzing. Now that the two figures were close enough to be seen, I could make out their faces. Hayner and Sora.
"Agh, I guess you guys got us." Hayner pouted.
'Wait...didn't Xion say-' I thought.
"Namine, go get Xion." Roxas said suddenly. He seemed to be following the same line of logic I was. I nodded and ran up the stairs. As soon as I got up to the circular room, I found Xion in the center of the room, hands held up in surrender. Her gun was hanging at her side. Riku was standing in front of her, his back to me, gun poised to fire. Xion caught sight of me, and as I raised my gun to shoot his back target, she shook her head faintly.
"Looks like I've got a prisoner of war." Riku said. "Now what to do with her..."
"Xeno will be here any second. He'll take you down." Xion said.
"I doubt that. He's gonna be a little busy keeping Olette, Kairi, and 'Sora' busy."
"One of them is already down, Riku. And Sora's helping Hayner keep Roxas and Namine distracted. Xeno will figure out the trick soon."
"Not soon enough. Hayner and Sora are taking care of your little guard detail for the time being. All I need to do is pull this trigger and you're down. Then I can go hit the other two from behind. The new girl won't be a problem for us to take out, and then we'll outnumber Xeno."
"Don't bet on it. We aren't losing this, Riku."
"We'll see." Riku raised his gun to shoot Xion's chest. From that three foot range there was no way he'd miss. "You remember our agreement?"
"You win, you get to choose where we go for dinner. I win and I choose."
"Yep. Looks like I get the choice."
"Think again, honey. Namine! Now!" Xion quickly rolled to the side, away from Riku's raised gun. I took a fast aim and fired strait at Riku's back and hit head on.
"Wha-" he started as his gun started to buzz. "Crap, I should have seen that coming."
"You'll be able to one day, so long as you keep going out with me." Xion got up and patted her boyfriend on the shoulder. She turned to me. "How's Roxas?"
"Good to go." I said. "Hayner and Sora are both out."
"That leaves Olette then. Let's get Roxas and find Xeno and Jessica." Leaving Riku to make his way out of the arena, Xion and I headed down the stairs and found Roxas alone.
"Hayner and Sora are on their way back out." he said, answering our unasked question. "Any word on Xeno and Jessica?" Xion shook her head.
"Nothing. I was a bit busy dealing with Riku. He came up the secret path near the east wall. They're around here somewhere."
"RED TEAM! VICTORY!" the loudspeaker shouted.
"There they are." Xion led us back to the chamber where we entered, finding Xeno and Jessica waiting for us.
"Sharp shooting." Roxas said, slapping Xeno on the shoulder.
"Don't look at me." Xeno said, rubbing his shoulder. "I got the first kill on Kairi, but Jessica got Olette when she tried to sneak behind us. She would have taken me down, too. I wasn't paying any attention." Jessica blushed and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. She had removed her hair from its ponytail so it fell to the middle of her back once again.
"I didn't do anything. I was just watching out for my friends." Xion shot a sly look at her.
"Sure you were." she said. Jessica's blush deepened, and I decided it was time to give her a small life line.
"We should get out of here." I suggested. "The others are probably waiting for us." Everyone agreed and we proceeded through the tunnel back into the waiting room. A worker waiting there help us out of our gear and placed them back on the racks for the next group to use.
"Congratulations." He said, and he showed us back into the lobby. Riku, Sora, Kairi, Olette, and Hayner were waiting there for us.
"Good game guys." Sora said, holding his hand out. Roxas took it and they shook hands.
"You guys weren't half bad yourself. That was a nice plan you had going."
"Not good enough if you guys saw through it." Hayner pouted. Sore loser.
"Hayner, stop whining." Olette said, taking his hand. "Who's up for pizza at Machiavelli's?" Machiavelli's was a pizza shop a few minutes' walk from the school that had some of the best pizza around for really good prices. What's more, Riku's uncle owned it, so we got family discounts every time we went.
"Yeah, let's go!" Kairi cheered.
"Sounds good to me." Sora said immediately after. I giggled. Of course Sora would agree with Kairi. We were in unanimous agreement, so we left the laser tag building to go to our favorite pizza store.
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I tried to add as much fluff as I could. Soon I'll be doing a lot more with furthering individual relationships, so if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Also, tell me what you think of the chapter, of course.