A/N: Thanks: flurried, HawkRider, Slenderyoda, Shepard, piyo-nii, and Amulet Misty. :)

~ "Did you find what you were looking for or shall I help you find the message in which I promised to assassinate the president?" ~

58) Phone

It was quiet in the apartment, save for the sound of the TV.

"How old is your son, the one living with you?" the attorney asked the woman.

"Twenty-eight or twenty-five, I can't remember which."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow in disbelief after hearing that.

"How long has he lived with you?" the attorney asked once again.

"Thirty-five years."

Vanitas let out a laugh. Aqua was watching him quietly from the corner of her eyes, but Vanitas didn't seem to notice the pair of eyes that were fixed on him (or if he was, he was simply ignoring the attention); he was far too engrossed with the television programme about some mock trial. Aqua couldn't help it; her eyes would automatically travel to her friend every few minutes. If she would tell him that, though, he would probably tease her by saying that he knew how rare it was for her to see someone as srikingly handsome as him.

Well, he wasn't entirely wrong about that, even if it was something only a cocky bastard would say.

Aqua was more than glad that she had managed to make it up to him earlier today; she had missed being around him, despite his foul mouth. He could be nice if he wanted. It was a pity that that hardly was the case, although she had noticed how different she seemed to treat her compared to everyone else. It was clear that he respected her more than most of the people he knew. She could only wonder why.

She willed herself to pay more attention to the programme, just in case Vanitas would ask her questions to see if she was paying attention. She saw that the son who was somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five years was now called as a witness.

The barrister said, "All your responses must be oral, okay?"

The man nodded, showing that he understood.

"What school did you go to?"

"...Oral."

"Ugh, some people really are stupid after all," Vanitas sneered, grabbed the remote from the table. "'Were you present when your picture was taken'? Are you serious? I wouldn't want to be defended by a lousy lawyer like that. Let's watch a movie instead, before I decide to smash the TV… Or did you actually like this show?"

Aqua shook her head. "No, I only watched it because I thought that you liked this."

"Oh please! I'd rather forge a key-shaped weapon using nothing but my body with an idiot as my partner than watch this stupidity."

Aqua binked. "…You have a weird sense of humor."

"You don't even know half of it. Must be because of my dark and corrupted past, huh?" When she didn't laugh, he rolled his eyes and said, "I was just joking. Geez, lighten up a little; you suck up all the happiness in the room."

"Like a dementor?"

"A what now?" Vanitas said, giving her a strange look.

Aqua sighed. "Nevermind."

"Of course she's a Potter-head," the dark-haired man muttered under his breath before getting up from the sofa and going to the open kitchen.

Next, he came back to the room again and went straight to the peg to get his coat.

"Where are you going?" Aqua asked, a little confused.

"Seems like we're out of snacks. Give me eight minutes to fix that," he replied, while grabbing a matching scarf to wrap around his neck.

"What? No, it's okay. I don't mind."

"Tch, so you can accuse me of how much of a horrible host I am next time you're here? I don't think so. Be right back. You can pick out a movie in the mean time."

Before she could protest, he was out the door already.

Aqua sighed. "Very well then. Suit yourself."

As long as it wasn't too scary or romantic, anything would do. It didn't take Aqua too long to find a suitable movie. She went for a psychological thriller starring her favorite actor that had somehow never managed to win an oscar, because there was usually the kind of movie that wouldn't surprise her with some cutesy cliché plot.

The sound of an incoming text message interrupted her train of thought. At first, she thought that it was her own mobile phone, but then she spotted Vanitas' black phone on the coffee table. He'd forgotten to bring it with him. The screen lit up shortly, and from this distance, she couldn't read the text message. Aqua came closer to the phone curiously.

The message said: 'It's done. 3 more left.'

What is done? Three more of what? Aqua wondered, frowning.

Was he seeing shady people? Perhaps he had refered to something sketchy that was going on right now in his life when he'd made that comment about his dark and unknown past...

It was then that the pretty bluenette decided to go for it; she would look through his contacts and messages quickly, without him ever having to find out. She knew how wrong it was, but she had to do this if she wanted to trust him completely. Aqua just hoped that she would not regret this...

Suddenly, the owner of the phone said in an icy tone, "Did you find what you were looking for or shall I help you find the message in which I promised to assassinate the president?"

Aqua's eyes widened in pure panic, and she nearly dropped the phone after hearing his voice. Save for Xehanort, Vanitas was the only person she knew who could scare you shitless by lowering his voice.

She swiveled around, guilt written on her face. "Vanitas! I-I uh… That wasn't why I was-"

"Don't give me that utter crap, I know what you were looking for." The more he talked the louder his voice became. "Look through it."

Aqua shook her head, getting redder and redder. "No, I-"

"No, I insist." He crossed his arms over his chest for good measure. "You're not leaving until you've read every little message I've sent this past month."

Eventually, she saw that she had no choice. Her hands were shaking even after she was done.

"…I'm sorry Vanitas."

"Get out."

Aqua's mouth dropped open. "But-"

"Please. I need some time to think. I'll call you if I want to see you again."

He'd said "if" instead of "when." That detail didn't go unnoticed by her.

Way to go, Aqua, you just pissed him off for the second time this week.

Lowering her gaze, she said softly, "Okay. Bye."

Vanitas did not even reply; he was messaging the bridge of his nose, as if he was trying to stop an upcoming headache.

Not looking at him anymore, she left. How was she supposed to solve this one?

A/N: Next chapter: "If I asked you what you think of pretending to be my girlfriend for a while, what would you say?"