Cheating Destiny

Reno Sinclair

[ONE YEAR LATER]

"Ugh, you're still cooking?"

You glance over your shoulder, a small smile growing when you spot a groggy redhead standing behind you, yawning dramatically.

"Someone has to make dinner," you point out, turning your attention back to the skillet.

A chin rests on your shoulder as two arms wind around your middle, holding you against a firm chest. With a sigh you relax into his touch, momentarily forgetting about the task at hand.

"Why are we still taking care of these guys?" Reno asks, an impatient tone to his voice. "Aren't they, like, 15 years older than us?"

You roll your eyes, giving the sizzling veggies a stir. For the past year, you and Reno had stayed at Headquarters along with Ven, Terra, and Aqua. He wasn't necessarily a fan of having them around, but you loved it. The three of them had done a great job of continuing your training – and really, what could be better than being trained by three masters?

"Hush. They've been awesome housemates, all things considered," you remind him.

He shoots you a look before shrugging a shoulder, reaching down to grab a potato from the skillet.

"At least they don't hit on you like the others," he mutters bitterly before popping the chopping vegetable in his mouth. He makes a face before spitting it out in the sink. "Ew, that tastes terrible!"

You can't help but laugh as you turn around in his arms, patting a hand on the top of his head.

"That's why you wait for food to cook before eating it, Reno."

He rolls his eyes but quickly starts to chuckle, shaking his head.

"Got ahead of myself I guess," he jokes, leaning down to kiss the top of your head. "Go on, relax a bit. I got it from here."

He gently nudges you aside, taking your place by the stove.

"You sure?" you ask, resting a hand on his back. "Thanks, I wouldn't mind a night off."

He merely smiles widely up at you, and part of you wonders just what he's planning. But, the thought of taking a nap draws your attention much more than his suspiciously helpful actions, so you instead wrap your arms around his neck in a quick hug.

"You just have to keep stirring. It'll cook itself," you tell him before giving him a quick kiss.

A hand wrapping around your waist holds you against him as he deepens the kiss with a tilt of his head. It's rough, almost demanding, as his free hand winds through your hair. Even though you've grown used to random bouts of passion from the male, they never became less enjoyable.

"Keep that up and dinner's gonna burn," you tease as you playfully push him away.

"Wouldn't want to ruin dinner for the moochers," Reno jokes, laughing as you lightly pull at his hair.

"Sh. You love them."

He merely shrugs, pressing his lips to your temple in a quick kiss before shooing you out of the kitchen again.

"Okay okay, I can take a hint," you laugh, holding your hands up in the air as you head out of the kitchen and into the living room.

With a happy groan you collapse face first on the couch, snuggling into the cushions. The TV is lightly blaring in the background, probably from Terra and Ven watching a soccer match earlier. The noise provides the perfect background for a quick catnap.

Your eyes snap open second later, however, when you feel someone staring at you. Glancing up, you burst out laughing when you spot Ven standing there wearing a wig of dark hair. He had found it ages ago for Halloween when he dressed up as Harry Potter, and it never got less funny to see him in it.

"Take that stupid thing off, Ven, I'm trying to sleep," you finally say, hugging the pillow closer to you.

"What?!" he snaps, eyes narrowing in anger. "You think I'm Ventus??"

You quickly push yourself up to a half-seated position, glaring at the man. His voice is different than Ven's, as is his body. He's not as lean, and a bit taller.

"Well, if you're not Ven, than who are you and how did you get in here?" you ask.

The man's lips curl up into a smirk, and if you weren't sitting down you'd probably have collapsed right then and there. You'd recognize it anywhere. As fast as you can you crawl backwards on the couch as Vanitas starts to move towards you.

"I know it's been a year, but it kind of hurts you forgot about me," Vanitas mocks as he stands in front of you.

"Back off!" you snap, kicking out a leg at him.

Part of you wonders if this is just a dream, until he roughly grabs you by the ankle and pulls you closer to him. No, the pain is real. This is real.

"Hey, what was... Oh my God, Ven, I thought you got rid of that damn wig?"

You glance over the top of the couch to see Reno heading into the room from the kitchen.

"No, Reno, it's not –"

"Did I hear my name?" Ven interrupts, cheerfully whistling as he walks into the room from the computer room.

He comes to a stop when he spots Vanitas standing over you on the couch, who looks so annoyed that he's about ready to burn the house down.

"Why am I staring at myself manhandling [Name]?" Ven asks dryly, glancing between you and Reno.

"You idiots!" you yell, pointing at Vanitas. "Do you not see who this is?!"

They both exchange confused looks before their heads snap to Vanitas, eyes widening as he starts to laugh.

"Man, [Name]... I used to kind of respect you but now I dunno," he mutters, shaking his head. "It's almost embarrassing how stupid they are."

"Hey!" Ven argues as Vanitas pulls you to your feet by your wrist.

"Let her go," Reno adds, venom dripping from his voice.

"Or what?" Vanitas mocks before a cloud of gray smoke surrounds the two of you.

The last thing you see is Reno charging towards you before your world goes black and silent.