~*Not A Monster*~

She refused to think this might all be a misunderstanding—that he might be misunderstood.

Musical Inspiration: Aqua's Theme

A q u a was alone. In almost every sense of the word.

She drew her legs up to her chest and stared at the fire, crackling and popping as it snapped against its invisible tether. The magic flames were bewitched to stay a foot off the ground and to float indefinitely, until she or some other magic-user ended its "life".

Idly, the girl extended a hand and let its heat tickle her skin. She supposed she would leave the Dwarf Woodlands in the morning. No need to rush off now, in the middle of the night. If she was tired later on, it could effectively cost her the ultimate price: her life.

She wasn't hungry. The dwarves had given her more than enough to eat earlier as they celebrated the proposal of the Prince to Snow White. Recalling the tender kiss of true love that had awakened the slumbering Princess, Aqua smiled to herself.

She had never been the romantic type, but still, even Terra would have felt the urge to say aw.

Now I'm just imagining things.

The meadow she was in, dappled as it were with tiny flowers of a half dozen colors, seemed to be almost cut off from the rest of the world. The wind rustled the branches on the trees, sending a few leaves her way, betraying the direction of the breeze.

And something else, too, that Aqua wouldn't have heard if the gentle gale hadn't blown it straight towards her.

A faint scuffle. The sound of someone approaching.

Or something.

She stiffened, tilting her head and straining her senses to locate the disturbance. The Dwarf Woodlands were full of tiny animals—the creatures practically worshipped Snow White after all—it could just be a deer or fox or rabbit.

Moon and star light gleamed off of a dark surface, momentarily blinding her.

Aqua hissed and sprang to her feet, summoning her Keyblade in a heartbeat. She flicked her fingers, causing the embers to flare brightly, illuminating everything for a good ten feet around with a tawny radiance.

Nothing was in front of her but trees and bushes, with one startled owl soaring into the sky silently.

Instinct seized her muscles, and Aqua cartwheeled to the side an instant before tendrils of Darkness closed around her form. The girl nimbly twisted, calling the fire to her and lighting another that split into six small globes.

Unable to duck back into the shadows, her attacker straightened up, clenching his fists and glowering at her through his glossy, tinted helmet. She couldn't see his sneer, but she could sure sense it.

"Pity," the masked youth commented airily, as casual as you please. It was almost as if he were discussing a bit of bad luck involving the weather.

Aqua narrowed her eyes and spat, "What do you want, Vanitas?" She didn't really intend to hear him out, but she was trying to assess their surroundings for the best areas to fight without tripping over anything. Luckily, the plain was relatively rock free.

The muscles underneath his black-and-red body suit coiled and shifted noticeably below the organic-looking material, uncomfortably close to the movement of writhing snakes as he stepped closer. He laughed, and the sound sent chills racing up and down her spine.

"What do I want? What do you want?" Vanitas challenged, clenching one fist tightly at his side.

She came the closest to snarling that she ever had at that moment, his tone was so patronizing after all. Usually it was Terra that growled when he was cross. "I want to know why you're here." Aqua tensed, preparing for an attack.

He hadn't even summoned his weapon. Instead, Vanitas dipped his head against his chest, staring at the ground, looking like some demonic bird brooding over his problems. After a handful of edgy seconds, he stated mildly, "Fair enough. I want you to understand."

"What?" Aqua snapped. "What do you want me to understand?"

"That you know less than you think."

"Straighten your tongue for once and speak to me without twisting your words." The Keyblade Master's tone was scathing, and if words were weapons, it would have removed the flesh from a bull in an instant.

Starlight glittered against Vanitas's shielded face, the only part of him that seemed affected by the heavenly light overhead. In that hidden meadow, devoid of any inhabitants besides the two Keybearers, the tension was equivalent to a thunder storm.

"I'm being very straightforward," remarked the black-clad apprentice. "Whether or not you understand is the question."

"Get out," Aqua warned, brandishing her Keyblade. She wasn't afraid of this shadowy enigma that stalked her dreams, her thoughts. She wasn't afraid of him at all. Still, that didn't mean she wanted to fight him, she'd rather he just leave.

Vanitas pretended to study his fingernails. "Well, it seems to me that you don't." He chuckled, obviously hearing the angry growl threatening to escape past her clenched teeth. "May I ask you something?"

Now this was startling. Aqua's body relaxed temporarily as her mind processed two things in her shock. One, Vanitas of all people had said "May I", and two, he wanted to ask her something?

Hesitantly, she nodded.

With an almost visible smirk, Vanitas queried nonchalantly, "What do you think of me?"

Well, she wanted him to be straightforward. That was a rather simple question.

"You're volatile, a pragmatist in everything but your words. Deadly." Aqua replied once she had collected her thoughts.

"Combat skills and being 'pragmatist', as you say, does not a bad person make." Vanitas's voice sounded infuriatingly smug.

"You're evil," she countered. "In Radiant Garden, I—"

"Haven't you been here already?" Vanitas interrupted, gazing around at the Dwarf Woodlands.

Aqua clenched her teeth and huffed, barely controlling her temper. Yes, she had. She had come back to pick up something—and to check on Snow White, in case the Unversed returned. She had been a little worried about the gullible Princess. Nice as she was, the young woman was easy to fool.

"You didn't even try to deny it. I answered your question, now leave." Last warning. She'd spring on him if he even looked at her wrong now.

Vanitas sighed dramatically. "Come now, I've got something to add."

She glared, but he was undeterred.

"What is your definition of 'evil'?"

Blinking, Aqua tried to get her words out. "I…People that abuse their powers to hurt others, to take what isn't theirs." She added pointedly, "Darkness users, I've noticed, are likely to do this."

"Oh, I'm wounded now," Vanitas moaned theatrically. He pretended that his knees buckled from under him, straightening at the last moment before hitting the ground.

Despite herself, Aqua felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Remembering that this was Vanitas playing coy—attempting to psyche her out, no doubt—and succeeding, she said impatiently, "Will you just go?"

"Not until I change your mind. You still don't understand." He became serious then, crossing his arms. "What, will you force me?"

"I will if you don't leave in ten seconds," Aqua threatened. She did not want to reconsider her opinion on Vanitas. He was evil, simple as that. Master Eraqus always had a distrust of the Darkness, and it was a concept well rooted in her mind.

"Ten…nine…" Vanitas studied a nonexistent watch on his wrist.

"You're pushing your luck!"

"Six…five…"

"I'm warning you!"

A pause.

"Two…one…"

Aqua pounced, swinging her Keyblade deftly, aiming to injure but not to kill. Vanitas was fast, retreating speedily, summoning his own wicked weapon to counter hers. She chased him across the clearing, Rain Fall's teeth colliding with Vanitas's in a shower of orange sparks. Her flaming globes circled them so they both wouldn't blunder like idiots into the shadowy trees.

With their luck, they'd probably trip and fall into a mound of brambles.

"Will you listen?" Vanitas hissed, sounding irritated. "I just want to talk, nothing more."

"I don't, so leave!"

"No. Not until you hear me out, my stubborn little warrior."

She blinked in shock for a second, and then fury surged through her. It was only through sheer willpower that Aqua didn't lose control and end up setting the forest ablaze. "Your little warrior?"

Increasing her attack speed and strength, the Keyblade Master battered his defenses viciously, azure eyes glinting like blue hellfire. Vanitas's voice became dangerously quiet as he once again blocked one of her arcing blows, though he was only just in time.

"Will. You. Stop? Now look which one of us is violent."

At least he's talking straight!

Aqua back-flipped, landing neatly on her feet a few Keyblade-lengths away from her would-be adversary. She scowled at him. "Okay. Leave. I don't want anything to do with you."

Vanitas dismissed his weapon, breathing hard, clenching and unclenching his fists. "You're as stubborn as Terra," he said bitingly.

"What about Terra?" Every single word he spoke was infuriating.

"And as lost as Ventus," the masked youth continued. He was silent as she trembled with rage at his comments.

"You're stubborn too, apparently."

The firelight cast odd, flickering forms across Vanitas's body, emphasizing some spots and shrouding others in mystery. No matter how she spun her arcane spheres, his helmet succeeded in hiding his face.

Dipping his head, Vanitas shrugged. "True," he conceded. "What if I don't leave? Will you attack me for simply standing here and talking?"

You being you is enough for me to—an obvious idea occurred to the Keybearer at that instant.

"I'll leave," Aqua declared. "And if you ever give me reason to attack you again, I'll—"

Vanitas twitched. That was the only warning she got, and she was too late to run or even evade. Ven might have been able to avoid them when they came, but Aqua was too worn out from the day's events to flee quickly enough.

A horde of Unversed dropped out of heaving black-red portals on two sides of her, and more swarmed out from behind Vanitas. They were all Floods, twitchy, malformed, blue creatures with abrupt, jerky movements and glowing red eyes. They latched on to her and forced her to her knees, and no matter how hard she struggled, they didn't move more than their normal jolting allowed.

Aqua's flame spheres went out as Vanitas doused them with Darkness that he flicked from his fingers. The night rushed back in to claim what was rightfully its, and the girl's eyes slowly began to adjust to the gloom as she squinted past the Unversed and their awful scarlet eyes, trying to pick out the black-clad apprentice's shape in the oppressive oblivion that was now present.

The moon once again aided her efforts, sparkling off of Vanitas's domed mask.

She tensed, waiting for him to call his weapon. She'd release what little magic and power that she had into a surprise attack to throw off his misshapen minions.

One of them scratched her cheek in its…eagerness? It left a long, thin scratch on her face that began to bleed, and Aqua involuntarily flinched.

Vanitas lashed out, quick as lightning, knocking the Flood on the side of its head and sending it to the ground. She shifted, but the remaining Unversed were still clinging to her, a heavy and very much unwelcome blanket.

"I said don't harm her," Vanitas snarled. "Do you want me to end your pitiful existence?"

He…said don't harm her?

She hadn't heard him say anything.

The Flood struggled to its wiry feet as it recovered from its master's blow, and Vanitas kicked it contemptuously aside, flinging it into the trees. Aqua heard the familiar hiss as its form broke apart, vanishing.

For some reason, horror washed over her as she realized Vanitas had just killed one of his own minions.

Is there no end to his cruelty?

Noticing her icy stare, Vanitas sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you, else I would have them," he gestured to the Unversed. "Tear you apart. Or attempt to. The Floods aren't enough to do in a Keyblade Master."

"You would know," Aqua growled in lack of a better response.

"I would."

One of the Unversed trembled visibly and poked one of its sharp antennae against her shoulder. It comically froze in fear, but Vanitas either didn't notice—(unlikely)—or ignored it, as the action didn't leave a mark on her skin.

"Now, Aqua…What can I do to get you to trust me?" Vanitas suddenly put one of his hands up. "Wait, what can I do for you to talk to me?"

"Three things," Aqua sighed, cursing her luck to be in her current position. She wasn't well-rested enough to fight the Floods and Vanitas. Vanitas was a tiring handful on a good day, when she had plenty of energy and healing items. She didn't have a prayer of reaching her Ethers or Potions without one of the Unversed intercepting her. If she could even get into her bag.

"Which would be…?" Vanitas inquired.

"Don't talk in riddles to me."

"Go on."

"Remove your helmet."

Vanitas visibly tensed at that, and then, reluctantly, he nodded. "And?"

"Get your monsters off of me."

"Of course," he soothed in a reassuring tone. "But you have to give me your word you won't run off."

I won't run, but one wrong move and you're—"You have my word as a Keyblade Master that I will hear you out."

Satisfied, Vanitas snapped his fingers sharply. The Floods drew away without question, and if they had tails, Aqua imagined that they'd be between their legs. The blue creatures zipped off, flattening themselves to the ground and disappearing, insubstantial as smoke. Here one moment, gone the next.

Aqua rose, rubbing her cheek and grimacing as she felt the blood. She dragged out some of her healing magic and cast a quick Cure spell without taking her eyes from her impromptu companion. She was about to light another fire, but Vanitas beat her to it.

The large cluster of flames burned brightly over their heads, interlaced with tendrils of Darkness that occasionally dampened the light.

They stared at one another, two Keyblade-lengths apart, the black apprentice and Eraqus's star student.

Sensing he was about to speak, Aqua reminded him sharply to remove his helmet.

"Must I?"

"Knowing your face would be the first step on the way to me even listening to anything you have to say." Aqua's normal politeness didn't apply to the likes of Vanitas.

Heaving another sigh, he slowly reached up and slipped off his mask. She didn't know what to expect next.

It certainly wasn't this.

Vanitas had a pale, astonishingly young face. He couldn't be much older than her, if not the same age. His features were surrounded on all sides by an untamed mane of black spikes, golden eyes glowing in the dreary light, unfamiliar and alien.

Aqua gasped, then relaxed, trying to assess him. "Okay…What do you want, besides my 'understanding'?"

"Can't you try to see things my way?"

"Speak straight, I said."

"I am," Vanitas seethed.

"You act like I should be sympathetic for you and your monsters."

"It's not about them," his reply was dagger-edged.

She scoffed quietly. "What am I trying to understand?"

Vanitas was silent, his facial expression unreadable. She found it hard not to look away from his eyes now that she could see them, not once moving her own gaze from his, even when he wasn't focused on her.

At long last, he spoke again. Slowly. "I want you to understand that I am not a monster."

Stunned yet again, Aqua clenched her hand into a fist over her heart. "What…?"

"How is that hard to understand?" Vanitas speared her with his steady stare, and his eyes seemed to sear into her mind. Even when she blinked, the darkness bore his yellow mark.

"You don't deserve my sympathy."

"Don't I?" Vanitas dared. He approached her until a foot of space separated them. "I'm pure Darkness. Does that mean I'm pure evil? I was raised this way. I'm an apprentice as much as Terra or Ventus."

Aqua's mouth dried, and she found herself unable to answer.

"What if I had been raised differently? What if this was Ventus standing here with creatures even he doesn't exactly know why he can summon trying to…get you…to understand…what then?" Vanitas just looked at her, and she shook her head from side to side in denial.

"You're trying to trick me," she mumbled.

It was close to working. She didn't want to feel sympathetic for the masked leader of the Unversed. She didn't want to listen to him. He was proud and conceited and cunning. It was a trap, a deception.

Her heart said otherwise, the foolish thing.

"Am I? Everything I'm doing…is so I can be whole again. That's the truth without a twist to it." Vanitas, without removing his eyes from hers, placed his hand on her shoulder. His touch was warm against her skin, surprisingly so.

Aqua found herself saying, "I believe you. But I still don't trust you."

"I haven't given you any reason to."

She placed her hand over his, and she ignored how he blinked, stunned. She wasn't sure why she was doing this either. "No, you haven't. It's what you're going to do after that worries me, that makes me unhappy and anxious for everyone that I care for."

Silence.

"What are you doing after?" Aqua insisted.

"Whatever the Master says to do."

"Don't you have your own life? What do you want to do?" She grudgingly found herself feeling sympathetic after all. Maybe, if he had been raised differently, this not-so monstrous monster could be as humane as Terra and Ventus…and her.

He smiled then, revealing prominent canines. It was the first smile she had ever seen from him, naturally, since his helmet usually covered his face.

"You know what? I don't know."

Aqua's heart reacted to their proximity, slamming against her ribcage. But the side of her that wasn't totally absorbed by his golden gaze whispered loudly.

Liar.

"Then come with me," she said suddenly.

Vanitas inclined his head to the side in a questioning manner.

"We can take you to Master Eraqus. Tell him what's going on, about your problems. You're the apprentice of your Master, not his slave. We can get you out of your situation, if you want."

"'We'?" He repeated, skeptical now.

"Terra and Ven! You don't have to…do what you're doing. The first step would be to stop using your Unversed to…" Aqua gestured vaguely around the Dwarf Woodlands, concentrating on the direction of the dwarves' cottage in the woods to emphasize her point.

His eyes became shadowy. "But they're my…"

My what? Aqua found herself wondering. What are they besides monsters? If he cared for them, then he wouldn't have killed that Flood, or send those others after us. The idea of him "caring" for the beasts was ludicrous.

Vanitas shook his head. Aqua touched her fingertips to his face, and he ceased all movement at that second. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and returned his gaze fiercely, summoning all of her various emotions for the black-clad apprentice and layering them on top of her next word.

"Please?"

He flinched as if she had hit him, and Aqua tightened her hold on his hand, the one still lightly clutching her shoulder in an oddly gentle manner. Not at all like his monsters.

"I want you to understand that I am not a monster."

His eyes slipped closed, and for a moment he leaned into her touch, and Aqua was struck dumb by the feeling of…rightness, for lack of a better word, that pervaded her entire being. Then he pulled away, and she let him, uncomfortable with the warring sensations that jarred her mind and heart.

"I can't. I have to, this is the only way. No one else will understand, least of all Eraqus."

Aqua bristled at how he said her Master's name, like some kind of swear word, but she let it pass unchallenged. "That's not true. Someone else does understand. I think I do."

"Then you come with me," Vanitas proposed, twirling his helmet in his hands.

She followed its swift revolutions with an absent interest. "I can't, not if…you and your Master are intent on harming my friends."

Vanitas sighed, and placed his helmet back on. Aqua managed to catch his gaze before the mask once more hid his face from view. "Then I'm glad you at least understand. Or you think you do."

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question.

"I have to. He's calling."

Aqua knew he meant his mysterious master. She could ask who his master was, but he wasn't going to answer, most likely. "If you threaten my friends, for whatever reason, I will fight you," she reminded him, surprised by how hurt she was that he might…betray her after such a shocking discussion between them.

Vanitas stared at her, and then he nodded wordlessly.

Aqua didn't say good bye, and neither did he.

Aqua didn't light a fire, because his Dark flame didn't go out.

Aqua didn't go to sleep right away, and he didn't start his new mission immediately.

Aqua didn't pretend to care for him, and neither did he for her.

Who was pretending?

This story is dedicated to WasabiWhipCream! I hope you enjoyed it! You requested a VanitasxAqua one-shot, and as much as I love those two, it's difficult to write in-universe. It was a welcome challenge though! I was going to add a kiss scene but I felt it seemed sort of…forced when I tried. Maybe the length makes up for it? It's hard to keep these two in-character due to the sheer nature of the pairing.

If not, I owe you another one-shot of your choice.

Reviews are welcome and appreciated!

Edit: Darn FF and it's meddling with my format...