The moment of truth—Namine's DATE! Uh-oh…

Please read until the end, my commentary will show how I feel about Vanitas romancing Namine.

And thanks to all of you guys, reviewers!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS OR ANY OF ITS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES AND CHARACTERS!

I just own this story. Enjoy!

Thursday went by like a flash, and in what seemed like seconds it was Friday afternoon, 4:30 PM.

I was currently in my closet, doing something I had never voluntarily done in my entire life—I was dressing up.

Okay, to be honest I refused to use for makeup anything more than a layer of lip gloss, but really, dressing up? Something fundamental about me had been altered by Vanitas.

But right now I couldn't brood; I had to get a three-foot high pile of fallen clothing off of me. Mom always bought new clothes for me in the hopes that I'd actually decide to wear them.

Who did she think I was, some preppy? All I did with my clothes was shove them into my closet and pray they wouldn't flood out. My luck ran out this afternoon.

Eventually, I managed to free myself.

"What to wear, what to wear," I muttered, surveying the mess. I decided on a pair of light blue jeans, and a V-neck, the same one I'd worn on Sunday when we went to the movies.

Now normally I didn't show off a lot of skin, as I would die before being labeled a slut. But today I needed to dress to impress.

I was about to close the closet light and leave to wait for Vanitas, but at the last second I decided to see how I'd look with detached bell sleeves. It took me the better part of half an hour to locate my only set.

The bell sleeves were made of a silk colored an ethereally light green. I could remember saving up and mowing lawns for months to get them, and the minute I did I put them on. They looked ridiculous then, and Aqua had told me as much. I didn't listen and got mocked for them.

Now though, they went nicely with me. My arms were long enough that the accessories didn't look like overblown kimono sleeves, and their color went nicely with the blue jeans and white tank top.

I walked away from the mirror, satisfied with my look—and then remembered I had a pair of jade earrings. Then I looked at the clock.

"Oh my god! It's 5:30 ALREADY?"

Aqua was waiting for me in the foyer.

"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked me with a curious smile.

"Because, ummm…" I struggled to find a viable excuse. Then I remembered.

A flash of blue hair…

"You knew!" I cried in embarrassment.

Aqua smirked. "Yep," she sighed. "You're a lucky girl. That guy Vanitas is so dreamy…"

"Hey!" I shouted angrily.

She snickered. "Have fun! And remember, be back by 12:00, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, stepping out onto the porch. "See ya…"

The door closed behind me. I sighed, composed myself, and headed over to Vanitas's waiting car.

The first thing I noticed was that it was an Aston Martin V12. Those cars were as expensive as my house! They were beautiful to boot; this was the first time I'd ever laid eyes on a real one.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle," Vanitas declared in a passable French accent, taking my hand and kissing it.

"Hi, Vanitas," I replied absently while looking at his Martin V12. The slate-blue finish looked like an ocean beneath sunlight.

He followed where I was looking and groaned pathetically. "Oh come on, my date gets stolen by my own car? That's not fair!" he whined jokingly.

I laughed. "Okay then, Vanitas. Hello," I snorted, this time looking into my date's unique golden eyes.

"That's better," he smiled. "You look great! I like the sleeves. They suit you."

"Thanks," I said, blushing. "You look amazing too."

And he did. He had on a pair of dark blue, almost black, jeans, along with a black T-shirt and a white jacket. They conformed nicely to his build.

"You do," I murmured.

"What?" Vanitas said, confused.

"I said, can I get into that gorgeous car of yours now?"

He chuckled. "Why not. Hop in!"

As we drove along, I asked Vanitas where we were going. "Souplantation!" he replied.

Yes! I loved that restaurant. "When'll we be back?" I asked, remembering my curfew on weekends.

Vanitas shrugged. "Eh. We'll get back by 10:30, trust me," he responded, and then popped a CD into the player.

The opening tune of Linkin Park's smash hit, Numb,wafted from the speakers.

"You like this stuff?" I said in surprise. I'd always thought Linkin Park was only listened to by a select audience that precluded popular people.

"Yeah," Vanitas grinned. "Now quiet, the lyrics are starting."

"Tired of being what you want me to be," Chester Bennington sang. "Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface..."

I sat back, enjoying the song and the smooth ride. Eventually Numb came to a close.

"Vanitas…" I began.

"Yeah?"

"I-I-I—" I hesitated. "I heard you got dumped by your girlfriend. Am I a…"

"Hell no!" he growled. I winced at his angry tone.

"Sorry if I scared you," Vanitas said in a softer voice. He scratched his head. "Namine, that dumping, it happened years ago. It turns out my girlfriend was only interested in me because I had a rich background."

"Oh," I whispered. I twisted around to face him. "But since then, have you…?"

He took his eyes off the road for a moment to look deep into mine. I felt as if the deepest, darkest corners of my soul were being searched by that gaze.

"Namine, you're the first girl since her I've asked out," Vanitas said gently. "I really got hurt by my ex."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. I felt sincere sympathy towards him. "But you know, you're the first guy who's ever asked me out."

He laughed. "Lemme guess…Xion scared everyone away?" he chuckled.

I laughed too. "Pretty much," I admitted.

After that we drove in silence to Souplantation.

I made to pay, bringing out my wallet, but Vanitas pushed my hand back down and drew out his own wallet.

"I invited you, remember?" he said to my surprised expression. "It's only fair if I pay!"

After our dinner we staggered back to the car, absolutely stuffed.

"Man…" I moaned. "Haven't eaten this much since Thanksgiving!"

"Neither have I," Vanitas mumbled. "My stomach's about to explode."

Vanitas backed the Martin out of the parking lot and drove towards the main road.

"So where to now?" I questioned. "It's only 7:00."

Vanitas leaned over and whispered something into my ear. My eyes bugged out.

"Really? You're kidding me!" I yelped.

He cackled at my shock. "Nope!" he smiled.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" I whooped repeatedly as we headed off. "YES!"

Thirty minutes later Vanitas pulled into the parking lot of the arcade. I absolutely loved going there as a kid, and I still do.

I was cackling like an idiot as we headed for the arcade's double doors. I was still laughing as we walked in, drawing a few stares from waiting parents.

"What do you wanna play first?" Vanitas inquired, gesturing towards the two floors packed with machines.

I preferred shooter-style arcade games, like sniping or rail shooters. Especially if they included zombies.

I grabbed his hand and led him to a game titled "House of Horror". He looked more than a little unnerved by my choice.

"Are-are you sure?" he asked nervously. "I don't really handle zombies all that well…"

I sighed. "Okay, scaredy-cat," I grouched.

He immediately puffed up with outrage. "Are you insulting my courage?" he demanded.

I could barely match his display, but I still tried to look intimidating. "Of course I am!" I snarled back.

"Fine! I'll show you!"

"Bring it!"

Vanitas and I each slid a quarter into the slot, and picked up the controller handguns. The controls were simple; pulling the trigger fired, pushing the button on the bottom of the handle reloaded, and stepping on the pedal made you take cover.

As I coolly blazed away at the unending waves of undead, I noticed that Vanitas's reticule was getting a little jittery. He was missing shots he shouldn't have, with rounds flying above zombies or skipping off the ground. Even sprays of buckshot from the shotgun were chewing up nothing but empty air.

A look at the man himself showed that his eyes were wide, his skin was pale, and he was hyperventilating. I immediately pulled him away from the game.

"What was that for!" he protested, turning back to the screen.

I jerked him away and placed a hand on his cheek. "Vanitas, I won't have my date suffering a heart attack," I stated sternly. "Now let's go play something less terrifying, like Gran Turismo."

In the old days I never would have done that. I'd have to literally be peeled off the game by Mom and Aqua to make me stop playing; I had a near obsessive-compulsive desire to finish every game I started.

Not this time. This time I had someone with me, and I would not see him hurt out of such a petty impulse.

Vanitas reacted much better to the driving game, even besting me on the last lap.

Next we played a few rounds of Dance Dance Revolution. That game was an old classic, and both of us were good at it. Our match ended in a tie.

By that time it was close to 10:00. I tugged at Vanitas's sleeve. "We gotta go, it's nearly ten," I shouted over the song currently playing.

He nodded and led me back to the Martin.

I think I fell asleep on the ride home, because Vanitas shook me awake when we were back.

"Namine, wake up," he whispered.

"Uhhh…" I groaned. Groggily I stepped out of the Martin, before shaking my head to clear it.

I turned to Vanitas and said, "Thanks for a great night. You floored me."

He grinned. "You impressed me more!" he chuckled.

I wordlessly thanked him with a smooch on his cheek. Then I ran away giggling, thinking, I just kissed a guy! I just kissed a guy! Yippee!

Vanitas, though, seized my wrist and lassoed me back in for a real kiss.

His hand brushed through my hair, and another wrapped around my waist. I threw my arms around his neck as I leaned up into the kiss. He broke off for a moment.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he said, even more nervously than when we'd played the zombie shooter. "I-I mean, I don't know if you want to—"

"Shut up," I retorted, annoyed by the interruption, and gave him my answer by re-planting my lips on his.

After a few minutes we mutually broke off the kiss. I don't know about him, but it felt as if my lips had been nailed down and I'd ripped them away from his.

As I skipped up to my porch, giggling, I noticed something important.

Vanitas was the first person besides my family and friends that I actually cared about.

GODDAMMIT, the romance is SUCCEEDING?

Alright guys, time to take DRASTIC action…

I'm opening a poll—how should Vanitas be punished for interrupting NamineXRoxas?

I have a few ideas (and other ideas to set those ideas up):

Have Roxas kick his ass for going too far with Namine (My #1 choice, to set the stage for a romance).

Have Namine kick his ass for going too far with her.

Have him beaten up by an enraged mob for going too far with Namine.

Don't get me wrong, Vanitas is my favorite villain, but I don't like where he's going with Namine.

I also don't like how this chapter went, purely for the reason that VanitasXNamine is thriving. That's against the natural order! DX

So how'd you like it? I want your opinions! And ideas for how to beat up Vanitas!

Eight reviews, YES! Almost to my goal…