Aqua flushed, and looked away from Vanitas. He was talking so freely about this, it scared her. It was almost like he meant it.

She looked up, and saw Ven's face. It was contorted in confusion. Naminé's was simply blankly staring at Vanitas's. Aqua felt the awkward silence creep up on them as Vanitas jumped off the lab table to tug his skin-suit on.

"Um…" Ven said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you're a friend of Aqua's?"

Vanitas blinked, and looked at him. "You can say that," He smirked. Ven rose an eyebrow, unsure.

Aqua shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Ven." She said, trying to give her younger friend a smile. Instead she felt her mouth twitch into a grimace.

"Uh…" Ven shuffled from foot to foot. "Okay. I'm Ventus." He said, smiling at Vanitas. The dark boy merely snorted.

"I know," he said, looking at Naminé with a bored expression.

Aqua blinked, and glared at the raven haired boy. "This is Vanitas, Ven." She said, giving her friend a kind smile. "Don't take his rudeness personally. He's being kind to you, in his own sense."

"Of course," Vanitas said, his eyebrows raised. "Because I love being nice to spiky haired orphans. Just look at how I treat you." Vanitas's face twisted into some kind of purse. "Oh, yeah. Loving the spiky haired orphans."

"Don't you fit into that category, Vanitas?" Naminé asked innocently, her foggy eyes widening in suggestion.

"Being an orphan, dear Nami," Vanitas said with a smirk, "requires having parents to begin with, doesn't it?"

This made the blonde girl scowl, and look away. Ven looked between the two, his face set in a look of confusion. "All… right…" He said slowly, taking Naminé's hand. "Nice to meet you, Vanitas."

"It's a pleasure," the black haired teen remarked snidely, watching the duo turn and begin to walk away. Naminé turned her head to glare back at him, but that was it. The door slid shut behind them.

Aqua rounded on the boy immediately. "You could've been a tad bit nicer, you know!" She snapped, glaring icily at her 'friend'.

"What good would that have done?" Vanitas asked, waving her off. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, and shrugged. "He's better off not knowing me. In fact, I don't want to know him. So just shut up, mouse."

"I'm tired of this." Aqua said, clenching her fists. "Vanitas, I'm tired of you. I don't know anything about you, and yet…"

"And yet what?" Vanitas asked, throwing a look over his shoulder. "You like me? Please, save me the incongruous details."

"Incongruous?" Aqua hissed under her breath, following the boy out of the lab. He was scratching at his arm as they headed down the slim hallway. Fluorescent lights lined the walls and ceiling, making the passage too bright to bear. Vanitas looked like a dark speck in a sea of light. Fitting, maybe, but Aqua was just plain angry at him right now.

"You're such a self-righteous fool." Aqua muttered, coming up beside him. He didn't even spare her a glance.

"You think I care?" He asked dully. "Because I'll tell you something, mousey, I don't. Not a bit. Is there any real reason why you're here?"

Aqua's hands trembled in anger, and she wanted nothing more then she strangle him. But he'd probably find this act hilarious, and wonderful. Aqua kept her hands at her side. "Yes," she said quietly, glaring up at the raven haired boy. "I want to know what Xehanort did to my sister."

Her voice rung in the hallway, echoing off the bright walls. Vanitas stopped a few feet in front of her. Aqua glared at him, watching his own fists clench in anger. He spun to face her, golden eyes cold.

"Your sister?" Vanitas asked bitterly, spitting the word from his mouth as if it were poison. "How the hell and I supposed to know that? That was before my time."

"She was nine, Vanitas." Aqua said, her voice quivering. "Nine. You're a year older than her. It wasn't before your time."

"I wasn't here when that thing happened," Vanitas growled, the fibers of his suit squelching as he lifted his clenched fists, tightly digging his fingers into the dark suit.

"But you know what happened," Aqua whispered, staring at Vanitas's back. "Please tell me, Vanitas."

Vanitas bowed his head, and scoffed. "I don't need to tell you," he said stiffly.

"You promised you'd tell me something if I asked!" Aqua shouted, gritting her teeth. "You… if you don't tell me, Vanitas, I won't do it!"

Vanitas spun around at this, his eyes flaring with an unknown fire that had caught in his molten eyes. He strode up to the blue haired maiden, and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground. Aqua's eyes widened in shock and pain as Vanitas gave her the most powerful glare he could possibly muster. Aqua shrunk back, feeling his golden gaze pierce her very soul, tainting it with darkness, burning her from the inside out. She squirmed, trying to clawing his hand off her neck. Then, he threw her.

Her scream sounded off the walls as she hit the wall behind them with a sickening crack. Aqua's eyes bulged out of her head for a moment, before they rolled upward, out of sight. Vanitas watched, amused, as she slid down the wall, a trail of deep crimson following her as she slumped on the ground.

He glared at her, and bent forward, hovering over her unconscious body. He crouched down, rocking on the balls of his feet. His nose brushed against hers. He squinted at her, and slowly placed a hand on her neck, testing a pulse.

He smirked suddenly, and dropped his hand to his side. "You let your guard down around me, mousey." Vanitas whispered, tilting his head at her. "You really thought I wouldn't hurt you just because we made a deal?" The raven haired boy chuckled, and stood up. "You're such a pathetic little creature, aren't you?"

Darkness had spread over the Dark Region. Snow fell in light fluffy clumps, sticking to the ground. A small girl stood in her room, staring out her large, long window. A messenger bag hung at her side, and a knee length white coat would signal to anyone who saw her that she was about to go outside. Her blue eyes were narrowed, whether in exhaustion or in annoyance, it was not clear. She wore white tights, and boots to match. It really would seem she was planning to go outside.

Her usual companion, the happy-go-lucky blond boy, was nowhere to be seen. One might've been confused, to see her in her room, so calm without him by her side.

But no one would've noticed the difference in her. No one except for him. That was why he was not with her.

She sent him to his room immediately, and he had been hurt, of course. She did not care at the moment. She'd make something up in the morning. She felt like she was going to hurt him, and that was why she sent him away, or something of the sort.

She stood, nearly frozen in front of the frosted window, staring onto her balcony. Shadows were cast all around the room, the white clashing with the black. Her face was a mesh of light and shadows, as was her entire body. It was strange. Everything about it was.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance, before spinning on her heel abruptly, and stalking toward the table. She grabbed her sketchbook and stuffed it into her messenger bag, smashing a white vase as she did so. She walked forward, ignoring the crunch of glass, or squeak of boots against water, as she made her way toward the door. She looked around the room, and brushed the flaxen blonde hair from her eyes. She blinked slowly, before turning and striding out the door.

The corridor was dark, but she did not care. She simply strutted down the steps, giving off an air of almost irritation. The darkness did not bother her, nor did she take to it. She was simply bothered by the whole ordeal. She hated this. She felt empty.

Walking down the hallway, she stopped in front of a doorway. She reached forward, and opened the door, tossing her bag onto the nearest chair, and sitting down, waiting.

Vanitas had to finish his check up eventually, and his arm had finally stopped itching. He reminded himself that he would never walk out in the middle of a check up again. The itching was crazy.

He yawned as he headed to his room, turning the doorknob, and stepping into it. The door shut behind him, and he glared at his bed, where, of course, Aqua was laying, fast asleep. He would've brought her to her room, but he knew her roommate would ask questions, and plus it would make an awkward situation for her later when the roommate asked why she hadn't come back to her room.

Vanitas unbuttoned his shirt (he was wearing normal clothes more and more often), and carelessly tossed it aside. He wasn't going to sleep in his bed, obviously. But, whatever.

"Don't go do anything dirty, Vanitas," a soft voice said with a hint of monotony.

Vanitas's head snapped to the side, his eyes widening. He made a small shocked noise in the back of his throat, and he stepped back. How had he not noticed she had been there? Was he losing his touch?

His eyes narrowed at the young girl, and he turned to face her. "Naminé," he said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The blonde was sitting upside-down on one of his chairs, a plain white messenger back sitting beside her. She rolled her eyes, the light from outside shining upon her face, making her look alert, and impish.

She flipped off the chair, landing carefully on her feet. She spun to face him, her boots squeaking as she did so. Vanitas's eyes narrowed at her, and he gave her a once over, raising an eyebrow at her attire. It seemed she was planning on going out.

"I was simply curious," Naminé said softly, peering up at Vanitas's face, "about you and Aqua. I assumed right, it seems." She glanced at the bed where Aqua laid, and playfully smiled up at Vanitas.

Vanitas clenched his fists, trying to control his anger toward the younger girl. She seemed… extremely different. He couldn't place his finger on it though. She just seemed entirely different.

"Is that you, Xion?" Vanitas asked, glaring at the back of the girl's head as she turned from him.

Naminé scoffed, and leaned her head back to look at him. "Of course not." She said, her eyelids sliding a little farther over her irises. "Are you Sora?"

Vanitas felt the anger bubble up inside his chest, and he lashed out at her immediately, spinning her around and slapping her across the face. She fell to the floor, a small white heap that should be disposed of. Vanitas gritted his teeth, and pulled her up by the hair.

He stood, forcing her to look him in the eyes for a moment, before freezing in place.

Naminé smiled sweetly at him. "So you noticed after all?" She simpered, her eyes sparkling.

Vanitas let go of her, and stepped back. "How is this possible?" He whispered, staring at the small blonde with a mixture of shock and anger.

Naminé didn't answer. She simply flattened out her hair, and walked toward the bed, tilting her head curiously at Aqua. "We are really pitiful, aren't we?" She asked, looking sadly up at the ceiling. "Us monsters falling in love with those who don't deserve us. Everything going to turn into a tragedy, you know."

"I'm not in love with her," Vanitas snapped at the girl, glaring at Aqua.

"Liar," Naminé said softly.

"I do not love her," Vanitas hissed, striding to the blonde's side. "I hate her."

"Love and hate," Naminé said with a haughty grin, "are two sides of the same coin. There is one thin line between the two. That line is obscured for you. You hated her so much, you began to love her." She giggled slightly. "Befitting, I think."

"Shut up," Vanitas growled. "Just… just shut up, you little witch!" He pushed her into the wall with such force the lamp on his bedside fell to the ground and shattered. "You know nothing."

"I know everything," Naminé whispered back, her eyes dancing in the shadows. "And one of these days, I might just let it all slip…" She glanced to Aqua's slumbering form, then back at Vanitas. She was much shorter than him, being eyelevel with his bare chest. Her arms were pinned above her, but she still retained the haughty attitude she had entered the room with.

Vanitas was worse for wear. His hands were shaking in something like fear. He glared down at her, his breathing becoming ragged. This was nothing to Naminé. She could tell why he was getting worked up.

"If you tell anyone," Vanitas snarled, his grip on her wrists tightening, "I'll kill Ventus and hang him with ribbon above your bed. I'll write with his blood on your walls. I'll wrap him like a fucking birthday present if I have to to get the message across."

"If you do that I'll kill myself."

Vanitas's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before they narrowing into golden slits. She smiled widely, and pulled her hands down, until he released them.

"I've out-fiended you." She whispered, pushing him away. He stumbled back, looking annoyed, and shocked.

He stared at her for a few moments, before he began to laugh. A perfectly Vanitas laugh came ripping from his throat, echoing in the still air. Naminé rose a perfect pale eyebrow, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Maybe Vexen is right," the boy gasped when his laughing ceased. "We're perfect for each other."

"That's where you're wrong." Naminé said with a cold glare. "You see, while we share very, very much in common, I can tell the difference between love and hate."

"So what?" Vanitas asked, stepping toward her. "I don't want to be in love with that damned mouse." He took another step toward her, and grabbed her chin, staring into her eyes. They were cold, just as cold as his, if not colder.

"You're pathetic." She hissed, pushing him away. "You can't choose who you want to love, Vanitas. It doesn't work like that."

"Then explain to me!" Vanitas shouted. He placed his hands on his chest. "I want to know. What will it take for me to get rid of this feeling?"

Naminé stared at him. Her bright blue eyes softened slightly, and she shook her head, walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Vanitas growled. She stopped in the doorway, and looked back at him. Her tow-colored hair curled softly against her pale face.

"I'm going to a funeral."

Vanitas's eyes flickered over her face, as he tried to figure out what she meant. A funeral so late at night, Vanitas could not guess what she meant. She was insane.

Well, not so much anymore.

He stared at her, his golden eyes burning intensely against her ice cold blue ones. It was the staring contest that burned.

The sun against dry ice. Burning, burning, and burning some more.

The gold was harsh.

The blue was harsher.

Vanitas stepped forward, fiery eyes blazing.

She stood still, clear blue gaze icy.

Vanitas decided to humor her.

"Funeral?" He asked, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Who for?"

Her eyes glistened a bit, dancing with an amusement he usually found only in his own. She tilted her head at him, a smile tugging at her own pale pink lips.

"Mine."

Author's Rant

Dun dun dun.

Ironic how THIS is the chapter I upload on Christmas...

Anyway, um, Namine has split personalities. Dead serious, she has four in all so far. Very interesting. This one is her sadistic personality. It meshes with her normal personality next chapter. Which is where the VanNami comes in. Oh yes.

SOOOOOOOO MERRY CHRISTMAS! *Dances* LAAAAAAAAAAAA MERRY CHRISTMAS, I GOT A NEW POCKET WATCH, NAMED HIM VENTUS, EEEEEEEEE! Yeah, I've got a Terra (a gold one that's smallish, but a lot bigger than Aqua and Ventus), Aqua (a small silver one that has a greek goddess on it), and Ventus, (one that is the same size as Aqua, and a goldish green color with a cool swirl design on it).

I know how to name Pocket Watches. I mean, look at Behemoth. That's the giant clock my sister got me shaped like a pocket watch. :D *Has a pocket watch fetish*

Sorry, AquaStorm. I know you hate Vanitas. But he's crucial to the story. :/

ANYWAY, MERRY CHRISTMAS! LUFF YOU GUYS! Especially you reviewers. O.O OVER 300? THAT'S INSANE!

Next Chapter: Monsters in the Night

(I warned you guys about the swear ahead of time. Don't blame me if you don't read Author's Notes XD)