Say My Name

1: Vanitas, the Savior of her Name

I walked beside Vanitas, tempted to rest my arm on his head. His dark hair was flicking lights around my eyes and annoying me.

"Noe."

I peered down at him.

"Noe."

"What?!" Why the hell didn't he just say what he had to say?

He didn't say anything. He didn't even change his stride or look at me. I wondered if he was still thinking about what happened with Misha. Or was he worried about Domi? Or perhaps Jeanne..?

"Noe." He said again, "I-"

He stopped

"Vanitas, what the-"

"Noe, I need to be without you for a bit."

My eyes the color of embers widened even though the sun was bright and burning. I stared holes in his dark sleek hair covered head, confused. I was searching out those blue pools of eyes but he wouldn't meet my eyes. I even watched his eyes flicker up to check that I was staring at him.  "I have something I need to do. Don't worry, Jeanne will be with me."

I felt a harsh pang in my chest and my head grow hot. "Oh, so you're romancing." I meant to say as a question.

"Noe." He said with irritation.

I pulled my eyes forward and gave up with my interrogation. I pulled at my white dress coat and pulled my pocket watch out. Noting the time being eighteen-hundred hours, I knew it'd almost be time to retire. Without saying a word we continued forward and made our way to an inn we both knew we'd be content with.

I don't understand why Vanitas finds Jeanne so fascinating. Was it her original abhorrent sense of righteousness? Her initial distaste for Vanitas? She was a beautiful, golden vampire but Vanitas seemingly was beyond everyone's reach.

Vanitas had long dark sleek hair, crystal blue eyes that were bottomless, a lean physique that allowed agility beyond belief, a sense of mysterious justice that remained unanswered and uninhibited. His voice was usually the same sound of a Corinthian wind chime and his charisma was unrivaled. Vanitas was so out of our reach. Perhaps that's why I could not stop but follow him everywhere. He's tried to get rid of me numerous times before the Misha incident. At that time it seemed he realized my company wasn't so bad.

I glanced down at his hand and it was clutched in a fist.

What's that about?

Before I could ask or reach out to him he pivoted onto his bed in the inn and laid his arm over his eyes. He seemed exhausted but today wasn't very climactic. We went to eat, saw an opera, did some research on our potential next location, then came here.

"Vanitas." I said uncontrollably, "come sit beside me." I sat and patted the bed next to me. I wasn't sure what I was saying but he seemed in distress.

His ears shed pink and I cocked my head confused.

"Noe! Go to sleep!" He ripped the blankets on his bed over his head and stayed unmoving.

I said nothing else but did feel a queasy feeling in my head and stomach. Nodding to myself to accept his reaction, I stood to take myself to the bathhouse a while away.

•••

This bathhouse wasn't terrible. The stones lined neatly, the steam raising into the fall weather here in London, my clothes were taken to be cleaned by the manager. It was rare to find something like this here in London. It was pleasant.

I laid my head back and let my skin absorb the minerals in heat.

Before I knew it, I drifted off into a dream with just the image of a blue bottomless pool around me.

•••

"NOE!!! NOE!!!!!"

"NOE!!! GOD DAMN IT ALL!! IF YOU DIE FROM A DAMNED BATH!!!!!!!"

I felt my head rolling and my body felt similar to melted iron. "NOE CAN YOU HEAR ME."

My voice betrayed me and only came out in a cracking sound.

"Noe.." he said quiet this time, flooded with relief.

God if this is what it take for him to care, I swear on the blue moon I'll die of heat stroke everyday.

My eyes finally peeled open and I saw the blue pools I had fallen asleep to staring at me.

"Ooo" I croaked out, fascinated. My hand moved if it's own volition towards the pools before me and I grabbed onto the world around them.

The pools widened at me.

I placed my other hand beneath my to help raise me towards the pools. That color was so beautiful. It was so pure, but yet so tumultuous.

I was so close to them now. Staring at them.

Suddenly a cricket jumped near and screamed on a perched rock nearby and it jolted me. Not more than it jolted the pools apparently as I felt my body roughly returned to the ground. My head hit something softer and I winced as my shoulder blades slammed against the stone.

I opened my eyes and saw Vanitas, red faced, panting and staring down at me. I rolled my head and realized my head lay in his lap as I lay naked and drenched in sweat.

"What..." I began but not before he stood up and helped me to my feet. He wouldn't meet my eyes. Peering down at myself I covered myself embarrassed.

"Sorry to worry you."

"I wasn't worried!" Red faced Vanitas stormed away. With him, went those that color blue.

Was the blue pools him?

I felt my head cock to the side again.

That blue was so much more stark than anything I'd ever seen before...

Maybe this is why I follow him.

•••

The next day.

I woke up slowly, stretching like a cat. The sun was warming my muscles from sleeping on this inn bed.

My head fell to the side and I glanced at Vanitas' bed. I found him staring back.

He quickly stood, flushed likely from standing too quickly, and stormed out of the door.

Assuming he was going to leave me once more I collected myself and my belongings and followed after him.

"I told you, I needed to be out of your presence for a bit." He said through clenched teeth. His ponytail dancing behind him.

I stopped in my tracks and felt another hurtful pang, "alright," I said. "I'll go back to Dominique's." I didn't say anything else. I turned away and began striding towards the major avenue.

"Noe", Vanitas grabbed my arm which clutched my hat. Looking down at him pissed me off. Yet again he wouldn't look at me. "This is for the best, trust me."

My eyes softened. I nodded and extended my hand to pat him on the head, "whatever's going on, I can help."

"Leave it alone." He said before turning away. Soon he disappeared from sight.

•••