FINALLY got chapter 2 up! Took me long enough ey? sorry about that

I've been annoyingly busy and filled with writer's block, except for my new Jack Frost(Rise of the Guardians) fic that just seems to flow so easily...ugh

Sorry, I'll stop now, enjoy.

Chapter 2

The Warning

I heard Vanitas behind me fall off the edge of my desk from pure shock. Honestly I would've laughed could he had actually been seen by people other than myself. That and I think he'd haunt me even more just for letting out a chuckle.

The blonde now known as Roxas shot me an irritated look that clearly said "What the hell are you doing here?" I merely rolled my eyes when Mrs. Gainsborough wasn't looking.

He went about his own business after she gave him a desk and a nameplate while I was attempting to ignore my vanitas' cold breath down my neck.

"Will you cut that out already?" I whispered to the walking death, all he did was smile and I felt one of those anger vein-things popping on my forehead.

"All I'm doing is observing. Is that so wrong?" Gods, I hated it when he acted innocent. I just sighed.

"Well it is when it's you." I began to fill my paint pallet when I heard a grunt and paused.

Roxas was standing at the foot of my desk with his arms crossed. Great, now what? I set my paints down and faced him.

"Can I help you?" I sarcastically began.

"Why are you here?"

"Uh, well I do kinda work here, for one. Why? Plan on taking my desk now too?"

Roxas sighed. "Whatever. You got any extra paint?"

I raised a brow. "I guess so. But why should I lend my paints to you?"

"Look if you're gonna get bitchy about it, I'll ask someone else. Whatever."

An exacto knife seemed to dart off my desk and landed blade-first right where Roxas' foot had been moments before.

"If you could've just kept that brat there a bit longer…" Vanitas muttered irritably. I glared at those cursed yellow eyes from over my shoulder.

"And what? Let you have your way and get rid of a new employee?" He just shrugged.

"Of course. He's nothing but interference, after all," He leaned back on the desk, his eyes seeming to cast a flash of anger. "And interference needs to gotten rid of."

The walk home that night was a quiet one with Vanitas having gone back into his canvas for the time being. Whenever he wasn't bothering me, he'd go back into whatever world rests inside the painting that created him.

What he had said before was still swarming my mind. Interference? Like when a TV gets static or something? How is Roxas interference? But…

"There's definitely something about him that affects Vanitas. But what could it be…?" I trailed off in thought, remembering the sparking sensation of when Roxas touched my shoulder and that flash of pain across Vanitas' features. That's never happened with anyone else before, so why is Roxas so different?

I could do nothing but sigh in frustration as I swung open the door and laid my coat and scarf on the hooks by the door.

"Frustrated about something my little Fearling?" Vanitas' voice rang like Hell's bells throughout my home. I raised a brow at him.

"Fearling?" He shook his head at me.

"Never mind that. So what's the issue?" he asked, trying to appear innocent and not like the death in the hidden canvas. I shook my head in turn.

"'It's nothing, just some drawing ideas."

He was on me in moments and sent me sliding to the ground as he pinned me to the tiled floor with his arms and legs. I stared at him hatefully, hoping to hide my fear. He leaned down close to my face, his golden eyes gleaming with hatred.

"Those 'drawing ideas' wouldn't happen to be about that new blonde brat at your work, now would they?" I widened my eyes at him and he frowned. "I thought so, if you even think about getting any closer with that prick, I'll make sure you never walk out that front door again." He grinned evilly at the thoughts swimming through his head of what he could do to me. I gulped and turned my head away when he got in close and nipped at my neck.

"Are we clear, little Nami?" He tightened his grip on my arms; a strangled cry escaped my lips for fear he'd break my wrists- or worse. I nodded silently and he finally let me go after letting out a small laugh.

"Good." He stepped away, back into the canvas he called home.

I couldn't help but cough slightly and curl up into a fetal position when I reached my bed, not even bothering changing my clothes or getting under the covers. I hated this, I hated that monster that won't leave me be. I cried silently into the night until they stopped and I let sleep consume me.

In times like this, a shower feels like what some would call heavenly light.

The steam and water seemed to ease the bruises on my wrists caused by Vanitas the night before. Whatever got him so angry…? I hope he wouldn't do it again. At least not soon, knowing him.

My mind wandered back to my new blonde coworker, Roxas, and I frowned. "Why does he hate him so much?" I sighed and turned off the water and got ready for work.

"Hey Blondie."

Was I supposed to actually respond to that? I shrugged it off and continued to smear the paint across the canvas before me.

A sigh. "Crazy girl who talks to herself?"

I felt myself flinch at that one. Great, he saw me talking to Vanitas- well not really, but still- and not I've been dubbed crazy.

I mustered all my control to keep my brush steady and not snap it in a fit of rage when I could tell Roxas was still here. He grunted and shuffled his feet and I sighed heavily, placing my brush in a cup of water.

"First of all, I'm not crazy, and for Pete's sake, you're blonde too if you haven't noticed!" I gestured to his blonde hair and he frowned. "And second, my name is Namine. You'd know that already if you actually had the good manners necessary for a conversation. Now what do you want?"

"I came to apologize."

I must've been making a strange face because then Roxas cleared his throat and looked away as if to keep from laughing.

"S-Say what? Why?" I cursed myself for stuttering. I could hear Vanitas in the corner seething in anger and muttering what could've been his version of chants and curses that would never work.

"For being… Well, a prick yesterday." I frowned when Vanitas decided to chuckled at his own term for the boy being used by himself of all people.

I stood shocked for a moment. This guy didn't seem like the type to just up and apologize out of nowhere and just insult himself on the spot. I composed myself as best I could.

I switched my palette to my less dominant hand and reached on top of my easel for some brushes I placed on top. "Well that's real nice of you and all, but trust me, you don't have to bother apologizing to-" I flinched when he grabbed my wrist in a flash, he seemed to ignore the actual flash that followed as Vanitas yelped in pain and fell out of his chair.

"What is this from?" he asked- well more like demanded. I followed his gaze to my arm where the sleeve had pulled up, one of the bruises Vanitas gave me last night were showing. I gulped nervously. Uh oh.

The blonde just shook my wrist in his grip and didn't bother softening when I winced.

"What happened?"

I jerked away from him with a yelp in what felt like fear and anger. I didn't want Vanitas to think this was me and Roxas attempting at making friends with each other.

"Why the hell do you care?! Just go away alright, I don't need your apology or your sympathy." We were lucky not many people seemed to be paying attention and that Mrs. Gainsborough wasn't in the room or else we'd never head the end of it.

I didn't bother looking at Roxas as he sighed heavily and stomped away.

I didn't care if still looked at me or not, I set my paints down with what little control I had left in my shaking hands. I kept them steady by grasping the easel as tightly as I could without pushing down on the contraption, the only shaking being in my shoulders and tears threatening to fall from my sapphire eyes.

"He's not supposed to care…" I breathed. Vanitas stood beside me with his arms crossed.

I could barely make out the blonde head a few yards away as my dark-haired reminder of death took an exacto knife to the back of my hand and let the blade slide swiftly across my skin as the red flowers of blood seeped out of the wound.

Roxas

I couldn't help but stare in confusion from a distance as Namine walked away from her work, a freshly bleeding cut on the back of her hand. She was hurrying to the restroom to hopefully clean it and get a band aid on.

There were tears brimming her eyes, I wasn't sure if I should feel bad for scaring her or just being downright annoyed at what a drama queen that blonde brat was.

I went to return to my own work and sighed as I let the paintbrush guide me along.

Suddenly an unbearably heavy pressure came upon me and I kept myself from dropping the brush as the pressure became more intense as time passed. My eyes darted back and forth to fid those around me were unaffected- no one else was feeling this?! How?!

It soon became hard to breathe and I dropped my brush in the water and I squeezed my eyes tightly, inwardly praying that the feeling would go away soon. My hands struggled with the great force to grasp my throat in hopes of breathing once more. My eyes almost numbly glanced down to find my hands shaking uncontrollably.

What's happening?!

With a jolt of movement my hands grasped my hair and I held my head tightly to ease an oncoming headache. Then, a breeze slowly made its way around me; it was cold- deathly cold.

"Stay away…" I felt cold hands like claws gripping my neck as a warning of what this thing might do if I went against its wishes.

And just like that, the pressure dissipated in a flash. I felt myself drop to my knees as I gasped for air with my own warm hands around my neck. A nearby coworker noticed this and came to my side and asking if I was okay.

I nodded numbly and noticed that Namine suddenly came back into the room, wiping her eyes with a bandaged hand and she went back to work. She shot me a fearful glance- a knowing glance- and darted away after glaring at something behind her.

My eyes followed her as my breathing slowed to a normal pace.

Was it her doing?

In case some don't get it, the last part was Roxas' point of view...but I doubt there's anyone who won't get it so we're good.

Sorry it's shorter than the previous chapter, I just had to get this down right away as soon as I figured it all out- for now anyway.

Btw for those of you who are reading my story Rite of Passage, yeah uh...don't be expecting anything more from that...I kinda lost motivation and have n idea where the fuck I was going with that one, so I'm probably just gonna delete it or something, sorry.

Please review BEFORE you fave/follow! I can't stress enough how annoyed I get when people don't say anything after they do everything but talk to me.

Anyway, since I KNOW I won't be on again before Christmas, happy holidays, merry christmas and all that jazz. Onto my Frost fic!