The Anti-Zemyx Day Fourteen
Title: A Date For The Dance
Genre: Humour, Friendship, Romance
Rating: T
Summary: The irony here is just sickening.
A/N: Enjoy! (Wooo! It's the last chapter! Will there be real, romantic Zemyx? Even I don't know yet! Read on!) MOSTLY SAME UNIVERSE as Chapter One :)
Warnings: Eh, normal stuff, but there is some Final Fantasy crossover elements. The category STAYS.
"Sora, will you please calm down?"
Riku Remnant, a young man with shoulder-length silver hair and stunningly sharp aquamarine eyes, grinned at his best friend, who was chattering excitedly to his companion, while simultaneously scribbling on a paper-laden clipboard. They were second- and third-in-command of the Dance Committee (with Kairi being first), and Sora Strife was absolutely determined to make it the best party ever. The dance was coming up in less than a week, and everyone was busy getting ready for the big gala. Sora smiled apologetically at his classmate.
"Sorry, Riku," he said, running a hand through his chocolate-brown spikes. "It's just... we have so much to do! There's the menu to make and the band and the decorations we have to fix; we have helpers but not enough chaperons... Hayner got the tickets, right? So we need to fix a price for that, and Zack said he'd be the photographer––"
Riku clamped his hand over Sora's mouth to quit his rambling. He grinned at Sora's nervous excitement, but knew that they would get little done if he remained so high-strung.
"Breathe. Take a deep breath and relax," the silveret instructed, removing his hand from Sora's face. Sora gave him a playful glare, but followed Riku's advice and sighed deeply. His expression softened, and his posture also visibly relaxed, showing proof that Riku's advice was indeed helping the young man.
"Alright..." he sighed, and smiled. "Thanks, Riku. I feel a little better..." He propped his face up on his hands, placing his elbows on the blue-and-white checker-clothed tabletop, and glanced over at his blond older brother, who was busy playing Interdiction with Xion and Axel, and smiled wistfully. "Y'know, Riku, you're so lucky to have all three of your brothers helping out on the team. Wish Roxas would offer to help too..." Riku laughed in good humour, smiling greatly and winding down his mirth to a chuckle after a few seconds.
"Kadaj and Loz barely do anything; it's mostly Yazoo and me who works in our family. Besides, I'm sure Roxas would offer to help if we had something he could do well, or had an interest in. What if you ask him to help us put up the decorations? After all, this year's theme is A Final Fantasy, so it's mostly abstract: misty swirls, constellation-filled night skies, stars, destinies, darkness and light, feathers and magic; sort of what World That Never Was is about, right? Roxas could have some ideas..." Sora cocked his head to the side and watched his brother play a blond character against Axel's redhead and Xion's one-winged angel on the TV screen in a dark land full of keys stuck in the ground. The blond was a customizable character, something Roxas had unlocked, and had equipped a black sword called Oblivion, and was currently fighting recklessly against Axel's avatar: his health bar had gone from green to yellow, and Axel still had three lives left. Of course, Xion was helping him at times as well, but being a neutral third-party player, also aided Roxas in his battle. Sora smiled.
"Yeah... maybe. But!" he exclaimed, snapping back to his nearly hyper, energetic attitude, "We need to get back to work! We have exactly six days left until the dance, counting today, and we have to get started! We haven't even begun on the couples' list!"
"Before we check off the couples who plan to attend, maybe we should work on other things with a higher priority, Sora. That can wait, but we need to book entertainment and chefs first; also, we should check out budget and focus on souvenirs, and then recruit chaperons, and as for the price of the tickets, we'll make them ten dollars each, since it's a fancy-pants party. After we get through all of that, we'll take a break, okay?" Sora nodded vigorously at Riku's words, and the silveret, laughing, had to force Sora's head to stop moving by clamping his hand down on his soft spikes and lock his arm.
The two worked at the table for an hour or two more, adding this, and fixing that, when Kairi, Naminé, and Xion walked down the stairs from their rooms and came over to the dining table. The youngest Remnant brother looked up at the three girls, and raised an eyebrow in question. Sora remained on his cell phone, calling up possible chaperons; Cid was on the line.
"Yes, can we help you?" Kairi and Naminé giggled behind their hands as Xion blushed and walked closer to the table, placing her hand near the fruit bowl.
"Um, Riku... We were... That is, I was wondering..." her blush darkened, and Riku graced her with a friendly smirk. "Do you... Will..." she sighed exasperatedly, before glancing back at her friends. They nodded encouragingly, and dissolved into a fit of giggles when the dark-haired girl turned around. "Would you like to go to the dance with me?" she asked, in a clear and firm voice, but with all the air of a shy and embarrassed person. Riku's smirk remained on his face.
"I wouldn't mind..." he said with a wink, making Xion blush still further, and causing her hands to fly to her face in an attempt to hide her apple-red cheeks; "but..." He paused for a dramatic effect, and smiled. "You'll have to give us your opinion on these designs," he said, pushing some papers towards her. Xion's face broke out into a smile as well, and she looked over her shoulder at her two best friends and gave them an air-high-five, before glancing down at the papers and gasping.
"Riku, they're gorgeous! I think the ball will be spectacular! But maybe you should change the colours here from gold to silver, to pair with the white, to give it a better feel if the ceiling's going to be a night sky."
"There won't be a ceiling on the patio, and since half of it will be inside Hollow Bastion, that's where I thought we'd put the gold chairs, but I guess silver outside works as well." She voiced her opinions and Riku answered as she showed him what she thought by drawing imaginary lines on the paper with her finger, smiling all the while, thrilled that Riku had accepted her invitation, and he countered by debating their ideas and modifying what the two young men had originally thought up.
A few minutes later, the silveret took the clipboard from his brunet friend, and checked off Decorations on the list, and replaced it, just as Sora finished his call.
"Uh-huh. Great! Yeah, that'll be awesome. No, we won't. Yes, I promise. Of course. Thank you so much!" He sighed and slumped back down in his seat as he pressed the End Call button on his phone. "I just got off the line with Auron: he said he'd be a chaperon as long as there wasn't any drug-dealing or vandalism." Riku's eyebrow raised again.
"What did he say about alcohol?"
"He said he was cool with it as long as we didn't puke on his shoes. Oh, and I also got Cid, Rude, and Sephiroth to supervise!" His friend's mouth opened slightly.
"You called my dad to chaperon the dance?" he asked incredulously. It wasn't that he was upset that his father would come to the party or anything, but he was deeply surprised that his father had even answered the phone. Sephiroth Remnant was one of the busiest members of the government, and was rarely even home at all; but at least at the dance, he would be able to talk to his father. He missed him greatly. Sora nodded gleefully.
"Yepp! Now you can meet him and do... whatever dads and their youngest kids do. After, of course, you dance with your partner. Hey, Xion!" he added, waving to the Japanese girl. Xion smiled, and tilted her head.
"Hello, Sora," she waved back. "You look like you deserve a break." Sora nodded, feigning weakness as he feebly checked off Chaperons one the clipboard, and grinned.
"I feel like I deserve a break. Riku, also. C'mon, let's get a snack and watch Double Edge!"
"Again?"
"Why not?"
Larxene sighed as she flopped down onto her bed and hugged her white pillow close to her chest.
"Hey Marly?" she asked, as she stared at the ceiling. There was a crack forming, and she imagined a spider crawling out and scuttling along the top of the room along to a corner, to build itself a web and catch dreams and flies withing the sticky silk. Marluxia, who was sitting on the wooden floor and leaning against her bed, did not look up from his book.
"Yes?" Larxene abandoned her pillow and rolled over onto her stomach, so she could just barely rest her hands on his head. Gently, she began tugging on his rose-coloured strands of hair as she mulled over things in her mind.
"Are you going to the dance?" The green-thumbed pink-haired blue-jeans-wearing man shrugged as he turned a yellowed page.
"I suppose. Are you?" Larxene shook her head, and began running her hands through Marluxia's silky tresses.
"No. I guess. Maybe. I don't really feel like going, but maybe I will. Not with you, though. No offense." She scooted closer to the edge of her bed, and kissed the tips of her fingers, lowering them to Marluxia's lips, and touching them lightly, to transfer the kiss. His lips remained on her fingers for perhaps a second longer than either of them expected. The blonde woman rested her chin on his head and smiled. "I want to go with someone else."
Marluxia memorized the page he was on and set down the thick book, and attempted to look up at his girlfriend.
"May I ask why?" His voice held no resentment or anger in it, just curiosity. Larxene Foudre shrugged, and kissed the top of his head.
"Just because. We're always together, we're dating, we're pretty close, and we have sex a lot and all that, but for this dance, I want to go with some guy who asks me out, just as friends." She looked down at him, tucking her chin slightly underneath. "Is that a problem?"
Marluxia smiled softly as he shook his head, purposely dislodging Larxene's perch upon his hair (earning him a light slap to his shoulder), and snaked his hand up to rest in her slicked back, blonde locks.
"No. Of course not. I guess I'll be going with Naminé, then." He leaned his head further back, and looked into her eyes with a mischievous glint. Larxene glared huffily at him, but lowered her lips to his until they were but a centimeter apart.
"Don't you dare do anything to her. Or with her." Marluxia shook his head once more, and whispered just before their lips met:
"Not a thing, I swear."
Axel and Saïx sat in Axel's room, and were chatting pleasantly and reading when there was a knock on the door.
"You can come in if you have a beer!" called out Axel with a grin on his face, somehow making the two purple, inverted-teardrop tattoos under his eyes seem more slanted. The knocker faltered, and Saïx gave Axel a Look. The redhead sighed and flipped his position on the bed so he was lying on his stomach, and shouted out to the knocker once more.
"I was joking, got it memorized? You can come in, ya know." There was a pause, and Sora opened the door hesitantly, though inside he was full of nervous anticipation. Axel grinned wider as he saw who it was.
"Hey, So-ra," he said in his drawling voice. "What brings you up here?" Sora gained a bit more confidence and walked in, bowing his head slightly to Saïx, who remained sitting on the floor with an Omega Trinity comic in his hands.
"You know how to cook, right?" Axel raised a thin eyebrow.
"Yeah, but I don't do it often anymore... Why?"
"We need cooks and chefs for the upcoming Dance, would you help us please?" Sora put on his very best Puppy-Dog-Face, the one he reserved for special cases only. Axel gave the young brunet an amused look.
"Maybe. What's on the menu so far?" Sora smiled, but reminded himself that Axel had neither said 'yes' nor 'no' yet.
"Um. We have Rainbow Croissants, Round Corn Soup, and Star Carrots among other appetizers; Marluxia's bringing salads and Larxene said she'd bring some spicy food; we've also planned Baked Gourd Potatoes and Bannock Bread, as well as 'Assorted Fish and Meats'; Aerith told us she was bringing drinks, and Zexion said he'd make the first course, but then you'd have to do the second and third... and we've planned Cherry Clusters and Striped Apple Pies for dessert."
There was a moment of silence after Sora's little speech. Axel looked thoughtfully at Saïx, and nodded.
"Alright. It sounds like you do need our help for your little par-tey, so we'll agree. Sure. Axel and Saïx are gonna cook the rest of the stuff, got it memorized?" The redhead smiled as he tapped the side of his head with a long, pale finger. Sora grinned widely and jumped on Axel, hugging the taller man.
"Thank you so much!" he said, before dashing off and leaving the two alone in the room with their Omega Trinity comic books. Saïx raised a blue eyebrow.
"We?" Axel glared at him.
"Yes. WE."
"Why?"
"We wouldn't break the kid's heart, would we? That would make us heartless!"
"You're quite capable of being heartless already yourself," Saïx muttered under his breath, but smirked and ducked as Axel threw his pillow at him.
Hayner and Olette sat with their classmates Seifer, Rai, and Pence over by the clocktower uptown of the House, and were also discussing the Dance amongst themselves.
"...so now I'm in charge of the tickets!" boasted Hayner proudly. Olette gave him a you-shouldn't-boast kind of look, and the boy blushed slightly, but sheepishly. Seifer grinned and checked his phone.
"Well, check this. Fuu said she's driving the girls over to the dance as guests. The Gullwings aren't gonna sing tonight––"
"Thank goodness!" interrupted Pence through half of a cookie. Rai gave him a high five and Olette laughed, but Seifer merely narrowed his eyes at him.
"Anyways... so Fuu said she would be bringing Yuna, Rikku, and Paine over, but first they'd hang with us, and then go to that dance. They'll be staying at the Merlin Motel, so they can stay 'incognito', but anyways, they're asking around for dates! Bet that beats your little ticket-selling story, huh?" Seifer added, unable to resist from adding a snide remark. His and Hayner's rivalry had grown somewhat over the years, and each was keeping a vague tally on who was in the lead. Both reckoned that it was themselves, much to the amusement of the others.
"Wait, Fuu said?" Seifer rolled his eyes at the crumb-mouthed youth.
"Alright, alright, Pence, so she texted. It's basically the same thing. But still." His mouth curled into a grin, and he replaced his cell phone into his pocket. Hayner looked at Olette and hugged her with one arm.
"Well, don't suggest my name to the girls; I'm going with Olette!"
"Really? Because that's the first time I've heard of it. What if I said no?" She gave him a playful shove, but Hayner grinned.
"Oh, come on. Everyone knows you won't say no. But alright, I'm sorry. Oh, dearest Olette, more beautiful than the moon and stars, would you like to go to the dance with me?"
Olette giggled and blushed behind her hand, and nodded.
"Oh, of course, Sir Knight. I'd love to, provided that you pay." Hayner grinned.
"Pay? No, we get a free discount 'coz I work there!"
Seifer and Rai shook their heads, and Pence merely smiled at his two friends.
"I don't think I'll go," he said thoughtfully. "I don't like anyone, but... is the food free?"
"All you can eat." Hayner's four words changed Pence's mind immediately.
"I'm going!"
The five laughed good-naturedly, when a black Sedan rolled up beside them, the tinted windows slightly reflecting the twilight sun. Seifer stood up.
"Hey, that's Fuu's car..."
Sure enough, it was. A tall woman with lilac hair opened her car door and walked around, opening the
car doors for the three teen girls inside: Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, the Gullwings. The five friends looked on interestedly as the four females walked over to them. Fuu gave Seifer a rare smile; brief, but sweet.
"Hey." With a sweep of her arm, she introduced the three girls by pointing to each and saying their names. Rikku, the smallest and the only brunet, was the first to speak.
"Hey, guys! It's so nice to meet you! Fuu's told us a lot about you five!" Hayner, Pence, Olette, Seifer, and Rai exchanged bewildered and awkward looks. Fuu never talked enough for anyone to say that.
Yuna, a blonde girl with incredibly long hair, stepped forward and tapped her forehead, tilting her head, and smiling in apology.
"Sorry about Rikku. Fuu's quiet, but she's a good friend. She has a lot of photos of you, and each has a caption, so that's why Rikku said what she did." She extended her hand to the five, and quickly shook their hands. Paine, young but with steely hair, remained standing with her arms crossed and a bored expression on her doll-like face. Olette smiled at her.
"Miss Paine, if your posture remains like that, I'm afraid the guys won't ask you out..." Paine looked at her before shrugging, and walked away, leaving Yuna embarrassed once again.
"Sorry about her too! She gets like that sometimes; she doesn't like new people and likes having time alone for herself. I don't know why she stays in the band, but she's the greatest dancer we have!" Rikku pouted childishly at this.
"I thought I was."
Zexion walked back into his room with a sigh, tired after a particularly long talk with Aerith, Leon, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua, and Yazoo about the dance. They still had five days left, but everyone was getting everything ready and just right for the special night. The slate-haired young man shook his head and sat down on his bed, before curling up under the covers and trying to fall asleep.
He could've sworn there was a plot against him, as Roxas, Naminé, Axel, and Demyx knocked on his door; Roxas and Axel entered his room, without so much as waiting for a reply, and the other two remained standing outside the door. Zexion flung off the covers and glared at the smiling boys and nodded at the blond(e)s. Naminé closed the door, and sat down cross-legged on the floor beside Zexion's bed.
"So, how was the meeting?" He looked at Naminé in question.
"You couldn't hear?" She and Demyx shook their heads. "Why didn't you join the meeting?"
"Yazoo... kind of... kicked us out," admitted Roxas sheepishly. Demyx grinned as Zexion rolled his clear aqua eyes at the blond.
"Do I want to know why?"
"No. But we'll tell you anyways. We started a water fight and got some water on the papers Sora and Riku were working on..." Naminé glared at Roxas.
"Honestly! Sora's your brother; just because he's a little younger than you doesn't mean you have to be mean to him!" Roxas's hands went up in defense; Axel took his opportunity to wrap his arms around Roxas to hug him, but the older Strife brother grinned and slipped out before Axel could tighten the hold. He turned around to stick his tongue out at Axel––
"I'll do something you won't like if you don't stick your tongue back in your mouth..."
––and turned again to face Naminé, with his hands still up.
"I didn't mean to get the papers wet! It was just that Axel was right behind the table and I had a clear shot at him!"
"But those papers are important! It's got all the dance info on there!" Demyx protested, noting how Zexion was shaking his head at the chaos. "Which, speaking of, brings us back to our original topic. How was the meeting, Zexion?" Zexion, too, crossed his legs like Naminé, on his bed, and shrugged.
"It was rather boring, actually. Riku was talking about the decorations; Roxas, you're to help them with that. Sora was a little upset, but was talking about how they got chaperons; Terra and Aqua were fussing over souvenirs, which are going to be little keychains of keys, with each guest's name inscribed on the key, by the way..." Demyx's hands flew to his mouth in a comical display of shock.
"What? You ruined the surprise! Noooo!" He fell to his knees, and looked so silly, Zexion couldn't help but smile, along with the others. However, he soon regained his impassive expression and shrugged.
"You asked. Anyways, Axel, you and Saïx are going to help Aerith cook for the dinner. Marluxia's bringing salads, and––"
The redhead shook his head, his spikes bouncing slightly with the movement.
"Yeah, I know, So-ra told me. Give us news," he grinned. Naminé had her hands on Zexion's bed now, and had nestled her head in her arms, looking up at the slate-haired junior. Zexion looked down.
"There really isn't much else. Kairi was talking about how Zack Fair will be going to act as our official photographer, and how her godfather was going to bring some of his office members down to the dance as well. 'The entire city's going to show up!' she said excitedly. I think she's exaggerating quite a lot, because if she isn't, we're in a lot of trouble." Naminé giggled quietly, but stifled them quickly.
"What did Leon say?" she inquired curiously. Zexion looked into her blue eyes as he answered.
"He was talking about security, and how we should not, Axel and Roxas, under any circumstances, draw the attention of the police. Especially because some Topside guests were going to attend, such as Luxord Fate and Setzer Gabbiani."
The two best friends grinned innocently as Zexion called out their names, and paused in their wresting game to salute Zexion arrogantly. Demyx frowned.
"But what about the music? The bands? The entertainment? Did they discuss those?" Naminé and Roxas smiled at Demyx's pleading voice. Zexion rocked slightly on his bed, and tilted his head, so that his layered, messy slate-coloured bands fell into his face, shielding his eyes.
"I suppose..." he said lightly, teasing Demyx by not elaborating. He took a little enjoyment in seeing Demyx pout and protest, and relented after a few minutes.
"Yes, Demyx, they did discuss music and such, but only barely. We do know that the first song will be for the opening dance, and will be Passion; a traditional ball dance, to open the dance. Three special guests will be attending the dance as well, but won't be singing, and are just attending as normal people. Rude may act as a DJ, but if he doesn't, Sora's working on getting Cloud's help on booking some bands like Interlude, Power Chord, Birth By Sleep, and The Keyblade. There will also be plenty of games for everyone, including a dunking booth, and several dance games." Axel gave him a strange look.
"Zex... this is a formal dance. A dunking booth would look a little outta place, don't ya think? All the chicks will be in fancy dresses, and the guys will be in tuxes."
"Sora insisted..." Everyone else nodded, especially Roxas, at those two words.
Silence followed, and the pause became increasingly awkward, until Naminé burst into laughter from the inelegant pause. The laughter was contagious, and it was not long until everyone else began laughing as well.
Axel, who had been leaning against the wall the whole time, stood up straight, and stretched, yawning loudly, before tossing Zexion a two-fingered salute and leaving the room, muttering, "Well, if that's all..."
The remaining four began talking casually amongst themselves, when suddenly Naminé looked up from her conversation with Demyx (who lay on his stomach, on the floor, as he did not want to get knocked off by a pillow from Zexion for asking to lay on his bed) and asked Zexion:
"Where's Vanitas? I haven't seen him all day!"
Roxas and Zexion looked at each other before shrugging at the blonde girl.
"I'm sorry. I don't know."
"Maybe he went out, y'know? For a walk? With that creepy-as-hell mannequin he has?"
"Why would he go out for a walk with such a creepy doll?" Demyx asked innocently. Roxas shrugged.
"I dunno. But I haven't quite put it past him yet."
It was sunset when Vanitas climbed on top of the clocktower (whereas Seifer and his gang were standing beside it), and gazed out at the sky, his black leather jacket remaining strangely cool inside. Vanitas's legs dangled off the edge of the banister, the late afternoon breeze fluttering his black, torn jeans slightly. He enjoyed his orange-bathed silence for several minutes, when a slight scuffling sound alerted him of his unexpected company.
Leisurely, casually, he turned around, and saw a girl standing uncomfortably a little ways behind him. Her right hand was on her left elbow, and she alternated between looking at him and looking at the ground. She had steel-silver hair, and wore a black half-tanktop with a black vest, paired with black shorts, black longstockings, and black boots. She had ornamental wings on her back, and had a bright red belt around her waist, matching the red colour of her irises. Vanitas gave her a once over and looked at her in her eyes.
"Yeah?" The girl looked away, perhaps she was angry at being talked to as such? But after a few seconds, she walked over to the boy and sat down next to him, swinging her long legs over the banister. Vanitas stared at her, surprised at her actions, but said nothing. They sat like that, enjoying the view of the shrinking sunset, for a long time, until the sun had completely disappeared, before they spoke.
"My name's... Paine," she said, not looking at him. Vanitas shrugged.
"Cool. Vanitas." Paine paused for a moment, and, hesitantly, leaned her head against his shoulder, resting it lightly on his bony deltoid.
"You're one of the Gullwings."
She nodded.
"I don't really care for your music."
She shrugged.
"Will you be in town for the dance?"
She nodded. Vanitas did as well.
"Well, if you want, I'll take you."
In response, Paine snuggled just a bit closer to the dark-haired, amber-eyed young man.
The House's doorbell rang twice, causing a murmur among its tenants as to who it could possibly be, because everyone they knew either usually just walked right in, or knocked. Aqua and Terra walked up to the door and opened it, revealing eight smiling minors standing outside.
"Er... Not to be rude, but who are you guys?" asked Terra, his loose brown pants fluttering slightly in the breeze. The frontmost minor walked up and took off his hat, revealing short, blond hair. Aqua gasped slightly in recognition.
"Oh. It's okay, Terra, it's just Hayner and his friends." The two opened the door wider, and watched as the eight of them walked past, introducing themselves as they entered the living room.
They were Hayner, Olette, Pence, Seifer, Rai, Fuu, Yuna, and Rikku, and Hayner and Seifer were there to see how the dance preparations were coming along, with the rest of the gang only coming to hang out with the tenants. Yuna and Rikku, though, were only there to get some dates.
Aerith, Leon, Aqua, Terra, Yazoo, Sora, and Riku looked at each other somewhat awkwardly, and smiled at the guests and told them to take a seat, as they figured out what to do with their unexpected company. The seven remained in the kitchen as the eight turned on the TV, and whispered quietly to each other.
"Aren't those... the chicks from that one band Kairi likes?"
"Yeah... well, two of them anyways. The goth-looking one isn't there."
"Good, well, if Yuna and Rikku just want dates, then we can just pair them up with whoever's single," Aqua said. "I just don't want them to see our special surprises!" Terra laughed at Aqua's words and hugged her tightly, kissing her behind her ear.
"Well, neither do we, but we also don't want to be rude and just kick them out."
"But you're part French."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"You guys!" hissed Aerith. "We should just put everything away and be good hosts; we still have four days and some hours left before the dance."
"We're keeping track of hours now, too?"
"Sora!"
"Sorry!"
Yazoo remained quiet during the entire conversation, but agreed with Aerith's idea and helped them all hide away the plans and ideas.
In the living room, the eight friends were shortly joined by Roxas, who had come downstairs from Zexion's room to get a drink of water. At the sight of his friends from college, he grinned and ran over, forgetting about the drink.
"Hayner! Pence! Olette! Why're you guys here?" Seifer rolled his eyes and smiled, draping an arm over Fuu's shoulders.
"I see, ignore the rest of us and carry on like we don't exist..." Olette giggled behind her hand and hugged Roxas.
"We just dropped by to hang around a bit, since it was getting late, and to get Yuna and Rikku acquainted with some new friends. They'll be staying for the dance, and we didn't want them to be wallflowers!" A girl wearing a bright yellow shirt and shorts, with a red-and-orange scarf around her neck, waved to him cheerfully, bringing a faint memory to Roxas's mind, giving him the impression that he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place where. He hesitantly waved back, though he smiled as well, and she walked over to him. Rikku, the girl on her right with brown hair and a blue outfit, squealed behind her hands and grinned at the yellow-girl, before engaging everyone around her in a random conversation to give the two people 'alone time', like in the romantic movies she enjoyed watching.
"Hi! I'm Yuna!" she introduced her self, as she extended a hand for him to shake. Roxas took it, and smiled with more confidence at her. She seemed younger than him, like a high-school student, but didn't seem at all ditzy or bubbleheaded.
"R-Roxas." Why did I stutter? I should know my own name by now, I've had it for nineteen years... Yuna smiled at Roxas's little stutter, and engaged him in a quite interesting conversation, when suddenly, at the word 'Teenybopper', he remembered where he had seen her before.
"You're Yuna from The Gullwings!" he said suddenly, snapping his fingers. Yuna blushed deeply, though from flattery or embarrassment, he could not tell.
"Y-yeah. I know," she said shyly. "Do you listen to our music?"
Roxas fiercely bit back the sarcastic remark the cynical part of his brain desperately wished to say, and shook his head instead.
"No, but one of my friends, her name is Kairi, and she likes you guys a lot. Like, it's not even funny, a lot."
Regardless, Yuna laughed anyways.
"You're really funny, Roxas," she said softly. "Would you mind going with me to the dance?"
Roxas was taken aback for a moment, but nodded after a moment's reprieve.
"Sure! Since you're new around here, I could take you out tomorrow, to see the town." Yuna paused for a moment, uncertain, and Roxas saw that she thought he was asking her out. "Just as, y'know, friends," he added quickly, before laughing. "It's just a bit too soon for us to be dating." Yuna's face brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! That sounds like fun!" The two rejoined the conversation in the living room, and Yuna passed her friend a quick wink.
"Thanks," she whispered. Rikku giggled and nodded.
"Anytime."
While the nine people in the living room conversed with one another, being joined by Aerith, Aqua, and Terra moments later, Yazoo pulled aside his younger brother and whispered into his ear.
"Go tell your blonde friend to keep that fangirl away from the singers. We don't need drama." Riku nodded and quickly exited the kitchen and jumped the stairs two at a time to quickly get to the third landing. He quickly checked the rooms, but did not see Naminé in any of them. The silveret quickly ran down to the second floor, and immediately checked Zexion's room.
He found Naminé using Zexion's laptop, showing him something apparently funny online, and smiled a little at their cuteness. He cleared his throat and knocked on the door at the same time to get their attention, and bowed his head at Zexion.
"Er, Naminé. I need you for a bit..." The young blonde nodded, smiled, and hugged the slate-haired young man before leaving his room, taking care to close the door behind her as she left.
"Yes, Riku?" she asked. Riku looked both ways as he led her up the stairs.
"Long story short, we've got company, and Gullwings singers Yuna and Rikku are downstairs: your job is to keep Kairi and Xion from going downstairs until they leave, okay? Please?" Naminé sighed, but then nodded and put on a cheerful face again, fist pumping the air.
"Okay! I'll do it, and I won't let you down!" Riku hugged her briefly in thanks, and ran back downstairs, taking care to not trip and fall like Demyx had earlier.
Speaking of him, where is he?
Riku peered into the slightly open door of Axel's and Demyx's room, and immediately wished he hadn't. The floor was strewn about with Omega Trinity comics and action figures (along with the sleeping figure of Saïx), and, put simply, the room was a mess. He chuckled to himself while shaking his head, and returned downstairs to help his brother.
Naminé sighed as she leaned against the wall in front of Kairi's and Xion's shared room, hoping (then later regretting the hope as it was rude) that Yuna and Rikku would leave soon. She hummed lightly to herself, but jumped when Larxene's door opened slightly, and Larxene walked out. The tall, blonde woman did not seem to have noticed Naminé, and ignored her as she went down the narrow staircase. Soon after, Marluxia walked out of Larxene's room, but, instead of going downstairs, walked over to Naminé.
She wondered for a moment why he wasn't following her, but snapped her attention back to reality when he began speaking to her.
"Good evening, Naminé," he said in his drawling voice. It was cold, but there was a large, gentle warmth behind it. Naminé nodded meekly.
"Good evening, Marluxia. How are you?"
"Fine, thank you. I trust you are as well?" Naminé nodded.
"Yes..." Marluxia smirked, and leaned against the wall with her, copying her position.
"Will you be going to the dance?" he asked softly. Naminé's heart began beating a tiny bit faster, but she had no idea why: it wasn't as though she liked Marluxia in that way; he was Larxene's.
"I had thought... that I may go. Will you?"
"Yes, I will. I was wondering, Naminé, if you already had someone to go with? Because if you did not, I would like to ask you to accompany me to the gala."
Naminé froze. Even her blood stopped in her veins, and her brain seemed as though it had died,
Did Marluxia just... ask me... out?
"Er... Well, I..." Marluxia grinned.
"If you want, you could ask Larxene if she's okay with this. She told me that it would be alright, as long as I didn't do anything to you or with you, besides things people only friends do." He smiled; a strand of pink hair fell into his face. "So, are you interested?"
Naminé weighed her choices for a moment, then nodded.
"Of course, Marluxia," she said graciously. "Thank you, I'd love to go."
Marluxia smirked to himself, and quickly pulled her into a hug, content that she had not turned him down. Naminé could smell the scent of roses on him strongly, and wondered if Larxene smelled of roses as well, for being so close to him for so long. After a minute or so, Marluxia released her, and winked, before heading downstairs and leaving a stunned, breathless Naminé to continue standing watch over Kairi's and Xion's room.
We're just friends; he has Larxene. We're just friends; he has Larxene. We're just friends...
Back in the living room, the atmosphere had grown friendlier, and Hayner and his friends were just about to leave, when the front door opened once again, and Vanitas walked in with Paine, linked arm in arm. Everyone turned to look at who had entered, and stared at the couple. Vanitas's cold, golden eyes surveyed the room with impassiveness, and he took her to the kitchen to grab a drink.
Larxene and Marluxia, who had regrouped downstairs, watched with shock at the two gothic minors grabbed a soda each.
"...Wow," Larxene Foudre managed after a moment. "They really... look good together."
"Yeah..."
"Like us." Marluxia awoke from his slight daze and gave Larxene a devious smirk.
"We're better." Larxene smiled, and gave him a quick kiss before walking into the kitchen to talk to the two.
"Vani? Who's your friend?" The two continued talking, not aware that Larxene was talking to them, and inadvertently getting her irritated. After two more tries, she sighed loudly and stood quite close to them. "Hey, Gothic and Gothica! Pay attention!"
That caught their attention, and the two turned to look at Larxene. She smirked.
"You two are cute together. But don't get cocky. And Vanitas, sorry, but she can't stay the night tonight. Go to her place if you want to have some fun." She winked at them, and a faint blush painted Paine's cheeks. Vanitas gave her an even glare, complete with an almost-half-smile, and watched as Larxene walked away and back to Marluxia, whispering in his ear and smiling as he laughed out loud.
Paine gave him a questioning look, and Vanitas shook his head.
"She's crazy, but she's also just being Larxene. If she likes you, you're lucky. If she doesn't like you, your life can get very miserable, very quickly." Paine gave him a small smile, and gave him a tiny kiss on his cheekbone. In shock, Vanitas touched the spot where her lips touched him lightly, and smiled as his cold heart melted a little bit more.
The next day found Sora and the Committee a bit more stressed, but luckily, no guests were there to interrupt their plans. Everyone was downstairs (including Kairi, who was, fortunately, still unaware of just who had visited their house last night; Naminé had done her job well), and there were three days left.
Sora had finished his breakfast and was busy looking over the checklist once again, and began asking everyone who they knew would be going as a couple. He managed to accumulate an extensive list, and, being quite proud of himself, posted a copy of the paper on the wall. It read:
Confirmed Couples for the Dance
Sora and Kairi
Vanitas and Paine
Marluxia and Naminé
Tifa and Cloud
Leon and Aerith
Terra and Aqua
Xion and Riku
Roxas and Yuna
Hayner and Olette
Seifer and Fuu
Alice and Peter
Zack and Ariel
Axel and Saïx examined the note, and the latter sighed as the former grinned.
"Hey, Sai, let's go together. No homo. But as buds, ya know?" Saïx looked over at his friend, and furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, exaggerating his scar by accident.
"I don't suppose I have a choice..." Axel grinned and shook his head.
"Damn right." Xion giggled behind her hand as she passed by the two friends and accidentally overheard the details of their talk.
"There is no need to swear," she said sweetly. Axel gave her a look and smiled between a smirk and a grin.
"There's no need, but that doesn't mean I won't. Besides, if I hadn't asked Sai here to go with me to the dance, he'd probably go to that office where Xemnas works and just go all crazy about cardiac research. Sound SO interesting," he teased. The three laughed in good humour, when the door opened again and Reno walked in. He was greeted by a ton of cheers and hugs, as he was quite popular among the 'family', and hugged Axel in greeting. The two brothers conversed with each other for a while, when Reno asked Axel who he was going with.
"Sai," he shrugged. "If I hadn't asked, he wouldn't've gone, and would've missed all the fun!"
"Oh really?" asked Reno slyly. "Are you sure you just haven't switched tracks for good this time?" Axel gave his brother a glare (Reno merely laughed good-naturedly) and punched him lightly in the arm.
"Who're you going with, then?" he asked his older sibling. Reno smirked.
"Larxene. Tifa's going with Strife."
"You asked Larxene already?" Reno grinned.
"Good point. HEY, LARXENE!"
Larxene, who had been eating yogurt with the girls, looked up at the taller redhead and gave him a questioning glance.
"WHAT?"
"DO YOU WANT TO GO TO THE DANCE WITH ME?" he asked quite loudly. The room went still, and Larxene almost blushed. She shrugged and willed the blush away.
"SURE."
Axel stared at his brother with a new kind of admiration and respect.
It was an hour before the dance, and several people were still inside the apartment, getting ready to leave for the gala, when Naminé knocked quietly on Zexion's door.
"Come in," he said, saving his documents and closing his laptop. Naminé opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her, and sat down on Zexion's bed.
"You should take Demyx to the dance," she said simply, without hesitation, without preamble. Zexion stared at her incredulously.
"What?"
"You should take Demyx to the dance," she repeated. "He really likes you, you know. Why not take him? It'll make him better." She smiled at her slate-haired friend as she excused herself and left the room to Zexion and his thoughts.
Ten minutes later (600 seconds used to prepare himself for the inevitable embarrassment and come to terms with the fact that he was about to ask out a guy), Zexion found himself outside of Demyx's room, knocking on the wood.
"Yes? Just a minute!"
This is for Demyx. To make him happy. Yeah. But only because Namine suggested it.
"You can come in now!"
Zexion swallowed and opened the door, to find Demyx sitting on his bed and strumming his sitar.
"Er..." Zexion straightened up a bit more and sighed. "Would you care to accompany me to the dance tonight, Demyx?" he asked with a bow and an outstretched hand. Demyx gave him an amused look.
"Hmm, what was that?"
"I asked you out to the dance. Would you like to go with me?"
Demyx grinned deviously as he thought up the perfect response, just to bother Zexion, who he knew wouldn't go if he didn't have to.
"No, thank you," he replied. "I think I'll stay home tonight."
Zexion stood in shock as his brain recognized that Demyx had just turned down a date.
The irony of this is just sickening.
A/N: Wait for the fifteenth chapter guys! Some previous chapters will be edited, I know one or two will be rewritten, especially Thirteen, and all loose ends and questions will be answered in the Epilogue! Thank you guys so much! I'm going to miss working on this! (Really? Yeah.) I love you all! Goodnight/morning (it's two thirty O.o )