Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me.

Xethear: Hello everyone, with the recent release of Kingdom Hearts 2.5 and with it my favorite addition of the series – Birth by Sleep, I had the urge of writing about another pairing, putting some of the characters in a different light. Without further ado, I present "Wayfinder."

Note: "D-Links" marks a scene skip in the story.

Chapter I: That One Rainy Day

"What're ya cryin' for?" A young boy with jet black hair as dark as a raven's feathers questioned a lone girl sobbing on the playground swing set. The boy tapped his foot against the ground impatiently getting annoyed at the girl for using up his time. He clicked his tongue and snarled when he felt drips of his freshly bought sea salt ice cream run down his hand. "Darn it! You see what you did?"

"I-I'm *sniff* sorry." The girl managed to say through her sobs. She wiped the small marble like tears that rolled down her cheeks with the sleeves of her blue sweater and hung her head low so that the boy wouldn't see.

The boy scratched his head and sighed, "Here, it looks like you could use this more than me…" He reluctantly handed the girl the melting stick of ice cream with a small frown on his face. The girl slowly raised her head and looked up at the boy and fixed her deep aqua eyes to his vibrant gold irises.

"S-So pretty…" She murmured softly as she saw her reflection with his mystifying golden orbs.

"Well?"

The boy's voice snapped the girl out of her small reverie and she absently responded with a "Huh?"

"Are you gonna take it or not?" He questioned sounding more annoyed with each word that leapt out of his mouth.

"B-But I—"

"Go on, take it!" Without waiting for the girl's answer the boy quickly thrust the light blue hued ice cream into her small hands before sitting in the vacant swing set next to her. "You better eat it before it melts." The boy licked the small amount of ice cream still left on the back of his hand and savored the salty and sweet union.

Little to his knowledge, his small act of kindness actually relieved the girl of a bit of her burden evident to the small smile she hid from him. "Thank you…" She murmured in an almost inaudible voice.

"So, why were you crying in the first place?" The boy asked curiously; it was obvious he didn't hear her thanks. He pushed himself off the ground setting the swing in motion as he waited for yet another answer from the girl.

"Well… it's…" The boy noticed the girl clench the popsicle stick holding her ice cream together with both hands causing them to shake as fresh tears trickled down her face.

"You can tell me. I'll listen." Surprised by the boy's statement she looked at him with hopeful eyes and saw him staring at the sky painted a glowing orange by the sunset.

"My little brother, I have to go to the hospital and—"

"Well lookie here guys, it's the weirdo!" Several kids suddenly approached and surrounded the girl sitting on the swing set.

One of the kids with blond hair wearing a skullcap stepped up and stood in front of the girl. "Hey weirdo! Do. You. Remember. Us?" Several kids behind the "leader" snickered at the man's taunts.

The boy with jet black hair noticed the girl tighten her grip on the ice cream and drop her head low so that her face became masked by her deep blue locks.

"She's so weird huh Seifer?"

"Yeah, the weirdest! I mean check out that hair!"

"She's always here by herself and doesn't even talk much."

"Weird and borin— ack!" The boy wearing the skullcap suddenly found himself facedown onto the floor. The boy with jet black hair had sucker punched the bully and pinned him to the ground. "H-Hey guys! Who is this— mmrrrph!" The boy's face was roughly shoved into the ground muffling his speech. "Gerimoffofme!" He shouted and struggled to get free of the other boys hold.

"B-But Seifer, i-it's Vanitas!"

The sound of the boy's name seemed to instill fire into the other boy. "So that's it huh? Get off me Vanitas and fight me for real! None of this kid surprise attack stuff!"

Surprisingly the boy with jet black hair addressed as Vanitas complied and backed away from the boy allowing him to get up.

"Darn it! Now my new hat is all dirty! Why'd you go and do that you… you chicken wuss!" The boy named Seifer pointed a finger at Vanitas. "You're going to pay for this!"

Vanitas remained silent and instead raised his balled fists up to his face causing the kids behind Seifer to cower in fear. Among the well-known kids in Radiant Gardens there was one specific child known as the embodiment of darkness. The abandoned child with jet black hair and golden eyes always seemingly living in the shadows. The notorious delinquent and closet do-gooder Vanitas.

"Think you're so cool?" Seifer puffed out his chest. "I'll take you down! HRRRRAHHHH!" The boy barked his "battle cry" and charged after Vanitas and was almost instantaneously sent back to the ground. Without a call from their leader the other kids joined in on the brawl.

The girl with deep blue hair and gentle aqua eyes watched in complete shock as the bullies and the boy exchanged rough punches shoves and name callings. The aftermath resulted in the bullies running away vowing payback on a battered and exhausted Vanitas in a future brawl. Despite being victorious in battle, Vanitas felt completely drained and fell to the ground and stared up at the sky.

"O-Oh no!" The girl exclaimed and ran to the boy's side. "W-Why did you get into a fight?! Now your hurt and, and—!" The girl began to sob uncontrollably once again showering Vanitas's cheeks with her marble tears.

"Because that face you made was annoying." The girl held back a sob and hiccupped. "Would ya quite crying already?" Vanitas snapped in an aggressive tone.

"B-But I—"

"Carry me to the hospital." Vanitas interrupted in the middle of the girl's apologies.

The girl looked slightly taken aback as she held back another sob. "W-What?"

"You were going there anyways right? Might as well go together." It took a moment for the girl to realize that in addition to taking care of the bullies, the boy had also decided to accompany her to the hospital. "C'mon, I hate the hospital too, let's get it over with."

The girl began to choke up upon realization of the boy's kindness and immediately helped him up to his feet. They hobbled together towards the direction of the hospital near the park; the girl struggling but persevering to hold the boy up.

"Aww… you let it melt! That's the last time I'm giving you any of my ice cream." The boy remarked in a proud and arrogant yet teasing manner. For the first time he was with her the girl finally smiled and laughed at the boy's comment. Vanitas blushed when he saw the girl's smiling face with her cheeks flushed a light red. "D-Don't smile like that." He said shyly and pinched the girl's cheek.

"Owww." The girl puffed out her cheeks and gave the boy a small pout. "What was that for?"

"Y-You were making a weird face!" Vanitas retaliated swiftly by raising his voice. The girl laughed again and almost lost her balance. "There you go again!"

"Aqua" The girl murmured.

"What?" Vanitas responded not sure what the girl had said.

"I-I'm Aqua." She clarified in a soft tone. "Thank you for helping me… umm… Va- Vani?"

The boy's blush grew more vibrant at the embarrassing why the girl tried to recall his name. "TAS! Vani-TAS! Not just Vani! Sheesh, get it right."

"I-I'll remember!" Aqua stuttered nervously.

"Hmph!" Vanitas stuck his head up proudly and walked with Aqua feeling slight warmth in his core from the girl's smile.

The two idly walked to the hospital taking their time as they got used to one another's support and passed the time by getting to know one another more.

"What?! No way, you can't be older than me! I mean you're such a crybaby!" Vanitas blurted out paying little attention to his insensitiveness.

The girl looked up at him with an intense stare and nodded at him. "It's true! I'm eleven!"

Vanitas tossed his head away from the girl, closed his eyes and arrogantly stuck his chest out trying to look tough. "I can't believe you're a year older than me."

Aqua noticed from the tone of Vanitas's voice that it sounded like he was jealous causing her to giggle.

Vanitas cracked one eye open and caught a glimpse of the girl's smile. 'That suits you way more than crying.' He thought to himself discreetly. Just then he felt a drop of rain on his nose and sure enough more began to follow. "Ack! C'mon let's go!"

"Nn!" Aqua agreed with a nod, yet despite being caught in the rain the two were smiling.

-D-Link-

Vanitas groaned as light shimmered through the small opening of the curtains hanging from his window. The small ray of light had conveniently shined against the young man's eyelids causing him to turn opposite his window and bring the covers over his head. His desire for more rest was quickly lost when an alarm clock blared inside the sanctuary that was his room.

"For the love of—!" The man violently flailed in his bed kicking the covers off his body and quickly slammed his hand down on the alarm clock silencing its shrill voice. Vanitas scratched the back of his head irritably and clicked his tongue. "Tch… so much for sleeping in today…" The exasperated man let out a loud yawn and headed to the restroom at a still half asleep. His drowsy reflection stared back at him in the mirror showing how much of a restless night he had. His hair was a mess of jet black spikes and the faint dark marks under his eyes told him he indeed needed more sleep. "What a pain…"

As he released another yawn Vanitas opened the medicine cabinet and automatically reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste on the second shelf. Still half asleep he lazily brushed his teeth as he began to nod off over the sink.

"I'm sorry, we just can't take him."

"We know he doesn't get along with the other kids but please reconsider!"

"We're really sorry but I don't think it'll work out."

'That's what they all say… I'll never leave this place.' A young Vanitas thought to himself as he stared out the window of the orphanage. The dark clouds appearing in the bleak and dreary sky became the harbinger of another storm. 'Why…' Vanitas press his small balled fists against the cold glass and felt tears trickle down his face. 'Why doesn't anyone want me?'

Vanitas shook his head and doused his face with a splash of cold water, washing the memory down the drain. After a quick shower the man exited the bath, wiped the remaining drops of water off his body, put on a fresh pair of pants and hung a towel around his neck before entering the kitchen. The small space didn't contain much: a stove, refrigerator, a few cabinets, a sink and a trash bin all sharing one particular feature – a monotone grey color. Despite its simplicity it was enough to satisfy Vanitas.

The man grabbed a bowl and spoon from one of the cabinets and opened another to retrieve a box of cereal. He crammed the items under one arm before opening the fridge to get the milk – an easy task to accomplish since it was one of the few items inside the storage container. After grabbing the gallon with his free hand Vanitas shut the refrigerator door with a light kick and spread out the makings for his breakfast out on the small coffee table in the living room of his apartment. The bleak cloudy sky seen from the window only enhanced the dreary colors of the monotone room, yet it didn't seem to bother Vanitas.

After pouring a complimenting amount of cereal and milk into his bowl, Vanitas turned the tv on and took ate a spoonful of his breakfast, sighing at the plain taste of the cardboard like bits. The perky weather girl named Selphie bounced on screen with excitement which was an ironic contrast to the cloudy weather she was talking about. "There's a 75% chance of precipitation today so don't forget to bring an umbrella with you if you leave the house!"

"Rain never really bothered me." He said in a matter-of-fact tone to himself as if striking up a conversation with an imaginary companion. "What does bother me though is when weather gets bipolar. First waking me up with some sun and then turning cloudy." The spoon clinked against Vanitas's empty bowl once he had finished his cereal and he immediately dumped the dishes in the kitchen sink. He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall and read it to be 7:30 a.m. "Just about time to head out."

Vanitas made his way back to his room at a leisurely pace and grunted as he kicked the door open. Walls void of posters or pictures welcomed the man with silence. Just like the other rooms in the apartment, there wasn't much inside his sanctuary save for the man's bed, dreaded alarm clock, carpet, desk, lamp, chair, closet and window. Vanitas slid his closet door open and retrieved his signature bistre colored shirt and black and red jacket emblazoned with a jagged heart of the same color scheme on the back. Once he equipped both articles of clothing, Vanitas slipped on his socks followed by his black boots and tapped his foot against the floor making sure they were fit. He grabbed his bag resting at the bottom of the closet and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing his motorcycle helmet. He stared into the large, pitch black visor and lost himself for a moment as memories replayed in his mind.

"Oof!" The young Vanitas fell flat on his bottom against the cold slick surface of ice and slowly slid across the rink. "This is impossi—" Vanitas's temper tantrum was interrupted when he saw Aqua gracefully skate a full circle around him before stopping and offering her hand out with a warm smile. The young boy pouted and stubbornly refused and tried getting up himself only to fall back down. Aqua giggled and continued to hold out her gloved hand. After several more failed attempts the embarrassed Vanitas reluctantly took hold of Aqua's hand and was back on his feet. His legs wobbled as he tried to maintain balance and he held onto Aqua tightly for support.

"Start slow, one foot after the other." Aqua directed and demonstrated her graceful footwork for the boy to follow. The chilly winter air gave Vanitas's breath a misty appearance as he persevered to skate and his efforts were being rewarded. He soon found that he was slowly sliding across the ice on his feet. The elation earned from his accomplished brought a bright laugh to escape his mouth.

"Yes! T-This isn't so hard." Vanitas spread his arms out in order to help his balance and continued to slide across the ice when a thought occurred to him brought about by the closing distance to a wall of snow. "A-Aqua?! H-How do I stop?!"

"Oh no! I forgot!" Aqua quickly dashed towards Vanitas in order to show him how to stop, but ended up colliding with the boy instead sending them both toppling over the snow pile. Aqua pushed herself up and shook her head clearing the small tufts of snow out of her hair. "Van?" She looked around for a sign of the boy in the white blanketed wonderland but found no sign of him. "Van?!" She repeated.

"Hrrrmph!" The sound of the boy's voice muffled by snow caused Aqua to look down and yelp.

"I'm sorry!" She apologized quickly and rolled off the boy who had been face down in the snow.

Vanitas emerged from the pile and gasped for air. He narrowed his eyes at Aqua who held her hands over her mouth; she was trying to keep from giggling at his messy appearance.

"Funny huh?" Vanitas gathered some snow into his hands and compacted the soft substance into a ball and hurled it at Aqua's face causing her to shriek as she fell back into the snow. "Hahaha!" Vanitas clutched his side when Aqua rose up revealing her snow covered face.

"Hey…" She pouted and threw a larger snowball at the boy and before they knew it, they were caught in a battle of snow and laughs.

Vanitas shook his head and walked out the room and shut the door. He leaned against the door and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before grabbing the keys to his motorcycle and exited the apartment. The man sat on the seat of his motorcycle before putting on his helmet and jammed the key inside the vehicle's ignition. The motorcycle roared with life once Vanitas turned the key causing it to spew smoke out the exhaust pipe. He revved the engine causing the motorcycle to growl before taking off onto the road at a steady pace. The cold wind felt refreshing against his body and the dark foreboding clouds overhead didn't worry him in the slightest. He was like a shadow on the vacant roads only becoming visible to townsfolk on the sidewalk at traffic lights.

He could feel the eyes of the townsfolk fall on him whenever a red light would halt his progress. He could almost hear the muffled murmurs and the suspicious comments. He wasn't seen as a do-gooder nor as an upstanding member of society in the city of Radiant Gardens, rather he was judged as a delinquent for the frequent brawls he would get himself into; though despite his rough exterior, there were some who acknowledged his helpful efforts to those in need.

Vanitas rounded a corner of the street and entered Radiant Garden's central plaza which was a hub of activity. The job request board that freelancers swarmed was located next to the candy shop which was run by an elderly woman who lived with her cat. It wasn't hard to miss thanks to its vibrant color scheme (which bothered Vanitas at times) and that it was the only small shop amongst a sea of other buildings. Vanitas pulled up next to the shop and removed his helmet; he couldn't believe his eyes, a swarm of freelancers had crowded over the request board and tore down any job requests they could get their hands on before taking off. 'How did they get here so fast? Didn't I leave early?!'

Vanitas ran towards the crowd and saw everyone reaching for the last board request. He figured that if he shoved his way through he'd be able to get to it first but just as he was about set to the plan of action he noticed the elderly woman timidly calling out to the crowd hoping to get someone's attention. Vanitas looked at the job request and then to the old lady. With a reluctant sigh he gave up on the request and strolled over to the old woman with his hands in his pockets. "What happened granny?"

The old woman looked up and smiled, "Ohh, Vanitas! I'm sorry, but Mr. Tabby has gone missing again. Ever since we moved here from Twilight Town he's been very restless." The worried frown appeared on the old woman's face once again. "I tried to ask someone for help but they all seem too busy."

"The furball again huh?" Vanitas sighed and began to walk away from the old woman. "I think I know where he is, I'll be back granny."

The old woman's face brightened, "Thank you Vanitas! Such a good boy."

Vanitas waved his hand, "Yeah yeah…" The man walked across the street to a fish market run by a man named Wakka and rounded the back of the building. Numerous boxes and trash bins emitted the metallic smell of fish which was a popular perfume for a certain cat. Vanitas noticed a thin grey tail disappear inside one of the trash bins which confirmed his suspicions. "I saw you. Get out here Tabby."

A lazy meow echoed off the walls of the trash bin before a grey furry head with glowing green eyes appeared over the container's rim. The cat had been gnawing on the remains of a discarded fish. "Alright furball…" Vanitas picked the cat up by the scruff of its neck and glared at him with his glowing golden irises, "Granny's been worried about you. Quit scouting for food off on your own."

Trying to keep positive that there were still more requests available, Vanitas hurried back to the candy shop with Mr. Tabby in hand and placed him on the shop counter as soon as he got to the store window. "Here he is granny."

"Mr. Tabby!" The old woman coddled the cat and thanked Vanitas with small bows. "Thank you Vanitas. Oh! Here a little something for you." The old woman turned around and disappeared behind another door.

"That's alright granny, I need to check something out." Vanitas called out to the old woman but didn't receive a response. The man sighed and ran to the request board, but just as he feared it was completely empty. "Tch…" Vanitas kicked the post in frustration and returned to the front of the candy shop feeling frustrated.

"Here you go Vanitas." The old woman beckoned the man over and thrust a small, neatly wrapped gift box into his gloved hands.

Vanitas shook his head, "It's alright granny. I found the ol' furball cause I wanted to. No pay necessary."

Despite the man's rejection the old woman shook her head. "Nonsense! You helped me more times than I can count. Go on and take it. This is my job request!"

Vanitas couldn't believe what he was hearing. He paced around for a moment and let out a sudden laugh, "I guess I'll accept then." The old woman smiled and nodded. "Alright, thanks granny. Off to shop for some grub. I'm getting tired of cereal for breakfast."

"I'll see you some other time then; Mr. Tabby too!" The cat responded with a small yawn before curling into a ball.

Vanitas scoffed and narrowed his eyes at the cat. "No more wandering off." He said to the lazy feline before walking back to his motorcycle. After putting his helmet back on Vanitas brought his motorcycle back to life and sped away to the marketplace.

Street signs hanging off the branching beams of traffic lights were reflected off Vanitas's visor as he came to another halt at a red light. "Great…" Vanitas clicked his tongue in frustration; the traffic light he was currently suspended by was notorious for taking at least five minutes before shifting lights. The young man drummed his fingers against the dashboard impatiently and kicked loose pieces of gravel on the road. He dug one hand in his coat pocket and was surprised to come into contact with something. He grasped the item of interest in his hand and withdrew his hand to find the gift box he was given just a few minutes ago. "Oh right… can't believe I forgot already." The small pale pink box wrapped in a sea blue ribbon suddenly sent Vanitas on another journey to the past.

"Happy Birthday Van!" Aqua cheered and blew a party blower into the young boy's face. "Fourteen years old!" Vanitas pouted and leaned against the wooden walls of the tree house he lived in earning a curious look from Aqua. "What's wrong?"

Vanitas scowled and leaned against the window as his feelings of bitterness continued to grow. His best friend was leaving the city on his fourteenth birthday. Despite knowing that the reason was related to her father's job, he couldn't help but feel selfish. Unfortunately for the stubborn boy the wooden window sill was large enough to accommodate a view for two so Aqua leaned against the window right next to him. Ironically since the time they met their roles slowly switched to where Aqua became the guardian figure to Vanitas. She was even several inches taller than the boy.

Vanitas buried his face in his arms not wanting to look at his friend. "Why do you have to go?" His voice was slightly muffled.

"You already know the answer to that Van, it's a family thing." She ruffled the boy's hair and gave him a smile when his gold irises poked out from under his arms. "Now look who's the crybaby." She said with teasing sarcasm.

"I'm not crying!" Vanitas shouted. He turned his back from Aqua causing her face to become sullen. "If you're gonna go, just go then!"

"Van…"

"J-Just go!" Vanitas sniffled and huddled by the wall of the tree house trying to drown out his sobs inside the barrier he created for himself with his arms. The gentle embrace of his friend only racked his body with shivers as he felt the rare sensation of tears return to his eyes. The rain beating down against the roof muffled his outburst of wails for his friend.

The sound of a horn blaring behind him caused Vanitas to snap out of his journey to his past; the light had turned green.

"Hey c'mon! Get a move on!" The anonymous driver barked.

"Tch…" Vanitas's fingers twitched with frustration causing a shadowy aura to swirl around his hand. 'No!' Vanitas shook his hand and revved up the bike and sped away leaving a plume of dust in front of the car behind him. 'What are you thinking?! That weapon is only to be used during jobs.'

The large sign above the market framed by images of various food items soon came into view – Farm Fresh Produce from the Hundred Acre Wood. Thankfully Vanitas found a parking spot close to the entrance of the store – he didn't feel like walking a long distance to and from his motorcycle after shopping.

Once Vanitas had entered the store he instinctively grabbed a grocery basket by the automatic sliding doors and made his way down the packed lunch aisle which was usually always vacant as the other shoppers desired to purchase fresh produce as advertised by the market. He browsed the two packed lunches available to him: cold chicken with a salad and the last pack of seafood special decorated with a sticker of the silhouette of a honey pot – the icon of the marketplace. Needless to say, Vanitas grabbed the seafood special. The sound of the container dropping into his basket produced a feeling of satisfaction in the man only enhanced by the thought that it was the last special of the day.

Vanitas rounded the corner of the aisle after grabbing a bottle of Rocket Soda when a piercing scream cut through the air.

"HEARTLESS!"

A stampede of people ran passed Vanitas in a panic as the loud sound of a crash came from another aisle; a shelf had just been toppled over. The disoriented crowd paid little attention to the lone shopper causing them to knock the basket out of his hands and stomp all over his food.

Another loud crash followed the first drawing the store's attention to the intruder. Yellow beady eyes sitting atop a large jagged mouth appeared over another shelf as the beast planned its next chaotic action. Three tendrils highlighted magenta branched from its spherical body knocking packs of merchandise off of shelves.

"I-It's a Darkball!" One of the shoppers shouted in a panic.

The clamping sound of the monster's jaws opening and closing caused an infant sitting in a shopping cart shielded by his mother to wail and cry. "Shh, shh, shh! It'll be okay."

The Heartless immediately jerked its head towards the direction of the mother and child causing the parent to freeze. The monster uttered a gargling cry only causing more fear to manifest inside the shoppers. Their fear was only fueled further when two magenta stars emitting a ghastly black smoke appeared beside the Heartless giving way for two more Darkballs to emerge.

The mother let out a shriek and hugged her child protectively.

"Someone do something!" A bystander cried out.

"We can't! We don't have the equipment to combat that thing!"

"Hey! Don't push me towards it you jerk!"

"Coward!"

A vein pulsed across Vanitas's forehead as he reached his breaking point. "SHUT UP!" The man commanded with a growl. In a flash of monochrome, the man materialized the bane of Heartless into his hand, the Keyblade.

Vanitas was one of the unique individuals with the capabilities to dispatch Heartless giving him opportunities to earn lots of munny given the opportunities.

Obsidian chains wrapped around the weapon's silver blade and black and red prongs decorated the "key's" teeth. A gem colored pale aqua was embedded into the weapon's hilt becoming one of the blade's most defining features. Its ominous appearance was only complimented by the dark air it emitted.

Vanitas stabbed his keyblade against the floor and ran towards the Darkball centered amongst the three carving a scar into the laminate tile showering sparks behind his path to vent out his frustration. As soon as he closed the distance between the monster and himself he brought his weapon up in an arc over his head cleaving the beast in two causing it to vanish into a heap of black smoke. "You… you ruined my lunch."

As if ignoring Vanitas's existence completely the two remaining Heartless charged after the woman and child with their mouths wide open displaying their rows of shadowy dark teeth. "Don't ignore me!" Vanitas shouted and threw his keyblade at the Heartless dispatching both monsters simultaneously. The man's keyblade struck the wall inches away from the woman's traumatized face before vanishing in an ironic explosion of light sparks.

Vanitas scratched his head and clicked his tongue. "You okay?" He reached his hand out to the woman but she quickly smacked it away.

"G-Get away from us!" Her voice was shaky. "I-It's because of you that those things are here weren't they?!"

Vanitas's lip twitched with annoyance as he retracted his hand.

"H-Hey, that's Vanitas."

"Don't Heartless appear wherever he goes?!"

"Yeah! This is his fault!"

"Get out of here!"

"You put us all in danger!"

Vanitas stood up straight and faced the crowd with boredom plastered across his face as they pelted him with groceries. He was bombarded with packages of chips, boxes and a myriad of fruits and vegetables which stained his clothes and face, yet he simply walked away back to the packed lunch aisle. "What a waste of food."

Vanitas stared at the cold chicken and salad in the freezer which mocked him saying that now he didn't have a choice but to select it to become his lunch. "Damn it…" He muttered and kicked the bottom of the freezer in frustration.

"I'll just take this." Vanitas said bluntly and slammed the container down onto the conveyer belt. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, but before he could pay for his food the cashier simply stuffed the container in a plastic bag and handed it to Vanitas.

"Just take it." She said without looking at the man.

Vanitas shrugged and took the bag from the woman's hands before exiting the store. "Just great…" He murmured to himself as he watched rain shower down from the skies. "And me without an umbrella." He commented to himself with a sarcastic laugh. The man tightened his grip around the flimsy holes of the plastic bag and walked back to his motorcycle. He groaned when he sat on the soaked seat and decided it was just his unfortunate luck. As soon as his food was secure in the motorcycles back compartment Vanitas left the parking lot leaving the store behind him. As he sped down the road he had a gnawing feeling in the back of his head to go to the park so he did just that.

The black motorcycle pulled up to the park gates and sighed when Vanitas cut the engine. His boots tossed water into the air as he walked through puddles carelessly and almost instinctively he found himself at the swing set. Disregarding the wet seats he sat down on one of the swings and plopped his cold chicken and salad on his lap. He tapped a sealed plastic fork against the rough material of his pants freeing the utensil inside and poked at the bland looking chicken inside. He was just about to take a bite when he saw Mr. Tabby looking up at him. "What the heck are you doing here furball?"

The cat simply mewed and rubbed it's face before returning its attention back at the chicken on Vanitas's fork. The man shook his head and sneered at the cat, "No. This is mine. Now beat it you wet sack of fur." Vanitas brought the fork back to his mouth but couldn't bring himself to eat. "Would you quit staring at me?!" He barked at the cat who had inched closer to the man. Mr. Tabby continued to stare at Vanitas with his forest green eyes until finally Vanitas tossed the container to the ground. "Go on! Take it then! I wasn't hungry anyways."

The cat mewed once more before approaching the container and feasted on the food. "Stupid cat." Vanitas muttered and threw his jacket over the cat. "You're getting wet from the rain." Vanitas shook his head and sighed. He brought his elbows to his knees and hung his head low feeling the cold drops of rain bombard the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes feeling somewhat relaxed when all of a sudden, the cold rake of drops stopped. "What the—" Vanitas looked up and saw he was faced to face with an alluring shade of blue sea salt ice cream hovering in front of a pair of gentle aqua eyes.

"It looks like you can use this more than me…" The familiar voice spoke out causing Vanitas eyes to widen. He simply watched as the woman standing in front of him thrust the ice cream into his hands with one hand while the other held an umbrella over him. "Seven years huh? How did I know you were going to be here? You look like a mess."

End Chapter

Xethear: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and like always with the start of a new fanfic, feedback, reviews and thoughts are very much appreciated.