Chapter 11: who's gonna be smiling? (me, at all of you)

The time: somewhen on a Saturday afternoon. The place: a mall in San Fransokyo. The people: dear light so many.

This is the setting Naminé and Repliku find themselves in, after agreeing to meet up with their newest friends.

Said newest friends appear out of the ether called crowds as Naminé almost jumps a meter high into the air.

"Hi, guys!" says the absolute rascal.

"Hello," adds the complete menace.

Naminé reaches into her bag to pet the ball of coarse fluff inside. She remembers that there is no meteor about to strike her dead on the spot. Probably.

"So, where are we going?" says Repliku, the reason they are all gathered here today. He will get cool clothing by the end of this. It's time to reinvent her best friend's style and not to worry about impending doom via implosion.

Taivas, in a manner she has quickly grown to expect, swings his arms outwards and bellows, "Anywhere you want! Wherever looks coolest!" Leaning away barely an inch to dodge, it seems Himoyachi also anticipated Taivas' gesture. Naminé's hair wooshes in the conjured wind.

Vanilla's fur has a very nice texture. It's good he's here. Even if he probably just wants blackmail. She might've told him You can come if you behave, but she doubts he'll listen. "That's right, we're here for you, so you pick first!"

Repliku pretends to contemplate for a grand total of five seconds before pointing at the store he obviously wanted to go to the entire time. Naminé doesn't call him out on it just yet. Instead, she says, "Let's go, then."

Unknown to everyone currently gathered and happily chatting, a certain someone snuck inside Naminé's bag some time ago. Well, unknown to everyone except Naminé, since she is the one who offered. She would notice if her almost empty bag suddenly weighed one shadow creature more, even if he's barely heavier than a couple of grapes. Shadows do not have a lot of mass.

Anyway, most people don't know he's here, and Vanitas will use that. You can come if you behave, yeah, as if.

The two idiots he came with have let their guards down, time to show them the error of their ways. And cause havoc. Because it's fun. People haven't screamed in fear at Vanitas in so long, he's starting to miss it. Or maybe it's respect.

Somewhere during his extended monologue, the group of four plus one already walked inside a store, and Naminé's bag landed on the floor of a changing room.

He crawls out of the shoulder bag. Even if he would like to explore this strange store known as Spicy Theme, there is chaos to be wrought!

The doors, his sworn enemy, magically open. Someone of his cultural background (a big desert) cannot distinguish advanced technology (motion sensors) from magic, so he prides himself on his intimidating aura. Surely, the doors have heard of his crushing victory against Destiny Island's school doors. Or perhaps the people of this world are wizards and their doors are enchanted? Wouldn't be the first time.

He walks out into the busy mall, scanning the main hub for the perfect place to conduct his games. After a bit of walking between people's feet (and tripping one or two unsuspecting shoppers), he hits the jackpot.

A dark, barely lit hallway in the middle of the bright building. And at the end, the most evil place of all: public restrooms.

Meanwhile, back with the people Vanitas just left to cause problems on purpose, deliberation is happening. Together they agreed to help find Repliku a new aesthetic that does not scream fisherboy hand-me-downs, and this store is first on the list.

When Repliku picked it, Taivas squealed in approval, saying it's where he got his horrible neon clothing from.

Naminé asks Repliku, this time in person instead of text, "You just want a leather jacket, don't you."

Yes. The answer is yes. Repliku greatly admires the style of clothing that looks like somebody got run over by a bulldozer made of sawblades. "They're cool," he cooly says, taking one such jacket of the rack.

When he tries it on and poses cooly in the mirror, his friends clap. Naminé hollers in approval. The store clerk glares at them. Repliku, in his best attempt not to blush, can't supress a grin at his new look.

Just look at him! Riku wouldn't be caught dead wearing any of this. Like ripped tanktops with weird patterns. Or leather jackets. Or ripped shorts.

"You know," says Himoyachi, staring at the pile of clothing behind him, "it's cheaper if we buy whole clothing and rip it ourselves."

"Why would it be cheaper to buy whole clothes than ripped ones?" Coolness factor, maybe?

"Capitalism."

"What's capitalism?"

Nobody answers. Between a Nobody and a Replica who used to live in a magic castle together and two AI, none of them are entirely sure what exactly capitalism is. It sounds vaguely bad though.

Despite that, Repliku makes a most astute observation. "Are you telling me you want to spar sometime."

"Sure." Himoyachi shrugs. He doesn't like being punched by suprise, but even he likes throwing down now and again.

Said throwing down starts as Repliku wraps his cousin in a bone-crushing hug. "I won't go easy on you," he whispers, ominously.

"Didn't expect you to, but-" Himoyachi wheezes, "-thanks."

"I've had enough of fighting you for a lifetime," says Taivas, who once had to fight Data-Repliku on max difficulty, thirty times and dying repeatedly, "But naturally ripped clothes sound way cooler."

"We're doing that then." Repliku vibrates with excitement. He just might destroy something.

Eventually, they all leave with a load of the raddest clothing Repliku has ever laid eyes on and a new promise to absolutely throw down tomorrow (with mutual intent to fight included. Naminé has been practicing her magic and thinks she can keep them both from seriously hurting each other.)

Later, they walk into a store called Noel's, the pure opposite of Spicy Theme.

Namine takes one good look at the merchandise and gasps. "Look at these!" she says, pointing at a bunch of hairbands. "And these!" she says, gesturing at a pile of buttons.

"Hey, wait," Himoyachi says, "and check these out." He reveals a row of ribbons of varying color behind him with a flourish or something.

"They're so cute!" A glint appears in her eyes, her expression rivaling Vanilla about to eat someone's candy. "Hey, Repliku. You should try some on!"

In a rare display of boldness, she pulls him forward toward the accesoires rack. Somebody giggled at him, so he glares at each person present in turn, just to be sure. Namine doesn't falter the slightest bit. Instead, she pulls out several bangles.

"Wouldn't those match your new palette?"

Oh boy.

What follows is, of course, a montage of Naminé stuffing as many ribbons as humanly possible into Repliku's hair. He is not pleased. His pleas for mercy go unheard.

"Oh, come on, you look cute." Taivas, the bastard, takes a picture on his phone. He's wearing cat ears.

"Yeah, you look wonderful!" says Naminé, the most adorbale traitor. It's very much fun to watch Repliku fume at some ribbons.

After a very long while of people braiding his hair, Repliku gets the most devious idea. An idea so devious, not only will everyone cease bothering him at once, he will also get to see his frenemy in a state of complete embarrasment.

"What if," -he pulls a ribbon out of his hair,- "we put a ribbon on Vanilla?"

Naminé lights up. "He'd look so cute!"

"I don't know what he looks like but I agree!" Taivas agrees.

The most sceptical, Himoyachi considers the ribbon Repliku holds. "Personally, my favourite shade of red is #900018, but #b3140c also looks very nice."

"I'm going to assume that's carmine," replies Namine, silently thanking her history of art and her observation skills. Most people would just say red. Neither of them is most people. "It matches his eyes very well."

She reaches into her bag where Vanilla is located. She keeps reaching into her bag until she's up to her elbow. Also there is no Vanilla inside.

Whoops. "Repliku." A grave expression crosses her face.

"Did you bring Vanilla with you."

"Yes."

"Did you lose him."

"Maybe."

"Is he running around a populated mall unsupervised."

"Probably?" Insert laugh track here, she thinks and rushes to the counter to pay as fast as possible.

Two people, a rather nervous couple, walk to the public restrooms in search of their friend. Creepy, they think, about the dimly lit hallway. Why does this mall have such a weird path to the toilet? It's not like the owners don't have the money to install a few more lights, the cheapskates.

"He has to be here. This is the only place we haven't checked," says the braver of the two. Their mutual friend sure is taking his time. One of the few lamps flickers and the less brave one shudders.

The less brave rubs her arms. "Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me." She'd feel better calling this whole thing off. If they wants to use the weird bathrooms for so long, why should that be his problem?

Something shifts. "Hello! Is anyone here?" the she calls again. She's had enough of this, it's just some hallway! An old, dusty hallway that's seen better days for sure, but just a hallway in the end!

Something flashes. "Hello?"

"I guess I was wrong," the second one speaks again. Maybe their friend is somewhere else. Somewhere not here.

After the braver peeks inside the bathroom to find it empty, he turns to leave. "Well, it was worth a shot. I'll head back to the fountain."

"Okay, I'll keep searching," the other replies, glancing side to side. The implication of not here though rings clear.

Just then, the bathroom door slams shut behind them both, thereby extinguishing one of the few lights the hallway claimed.

The shade left behind shines dark, almost pitch black.

"What?"

It swirls on the floor and stretches upon the wall into the twisted visage, the shadow growing taller than the both of them combined. The lights flicker once more, until an invisible hand douses them one by one.

The fearful one shakes, hides behind her companion. Even the braver cannot shake his shiver, yet he stare the shadow straight in the eyes.

Oh, yes, the shadow had eyes.

"It's a monster!"

AN: I have discovered the horizontal lines. behold! also hot topic and claire's because obviously. yeah i spent like 15 minutes picking out the best hexademicals.