Vanitas had been drained thoroughly and completely.

But as Master Xehanort's nephew and successor to the SHINRA operations, he had to put on his best - and most terrifying – face.

He and Stella were sitting in the helicopter as they hovered over the heart of Hollow Bastion's oldest landmark: the castle. It sat empty for centuries as many of the locals thought it was haunted. The story was that a witch from long ago tried to kill the princess from a nearby kingdom. However, the prince had intervened and killed her, her body falling from the highest room in the tallest tower. Now it is said that her spirit still haunts the castle halls and you can still hear her laughter and see her raven.

While Vanitas thought it was a load of crap, he was thankful that the locals steered clear of the place. It just made his job as the head of arms and weaponry so much easier.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Vanitas asked Stella.

The blonde already knew what Vanitas was talking about. She crossed her legs and shook her head. "No. No one from the estate has seen Miss Valentine. She hasn't been there."

Vanitas' heart sank. He knew that he was wasting his time. Even though he had extended the offer to Jasmine a long time ago to stay at the mansion, he knew that she would more likely than not stay away at all costs.

"If I may speak freely," Stella began, shifting around in her seat. "Perhaps it is a good thing that she hasn't been there. I don't think she would go there unless things were very wrong. Maybe this means that she is doing alright out there."

Not long ago, Vanitas had gotten word that Prince Noctis and his group had been spotted on some of the other worlds. However, all the reports say that Jasmine was not present. In addition to that it would appear that she had left Radiant Garden and was not even enrolled in her university at the time, that she had taken a break.

And while Vanitas knew that he had no right to know where she was or even be in her business, he was still very worried for her.

"I'm sure," he laughed hollowly, "we are talking about Jasmine Silva here, aka Miss Valentine."

Stella's expression saddened. "Vanitas…"

He glanced in her direction once before looking back out the window. "Yes?"

"I know you've thought about this," Stella said cautiously, "and I know it's been troubling you greatly. But with the way things are headed I have to be frank: if we do see Miss Valentine and if she poses a threat to our mission – "

Vanitas held his hand up to stop Stella from going any further. "I know but I won't do it. Just like you're under my orders to not harm her either."

"Yes, I know that," Stella replied. "But it's not us that you need to think about. It's the other agents that have her on their hit list like Yazoo and Loz."

It wasn't as though Vanitas was completely blind to what was going on and how dangerous this situation had become. No matter what, he and Jasmine were on opposing sides of this battle. They were enemies.

The thought of it caused Vanitas' chest to tighten. He hated the way their story had taken such a dark turn and, no matter how many sessions he had with Stella and no amount of drugs to ease him would make him forget how poorly he treated her.

It actually caused him physical pain.

But ultimately he knew he had no right to feel this way. After all, if he hadn't of come back into her life, none of this would have happened.

She would be free.

"Vanitas," Stella leaned forward and tried to look into Vanitas' eyes. The young man was lost in thought, clearly and very visibly upset. He'd lost his hard edge. He had to be thinking about Jasmine. "I know that you love her greatly, and I know that you're feeling hurt. It's understandable." She looked behind her and carefully watched the pilot, who was completely oblivious to their conversation. Still, Stella lowered her voice as much as she could in the helicopter. "The only thing you can do, is be there for her now as best you can. It will be challenging, given your positions and with Master Xehanort watching you closely, but I have no doubt that the two of you will find some way to work around each other."

Even though the thought was always in the back of Vanitas' mind, he was reminded of his uncle.

Not long after Jasmine had left, Master Xehanort had told Vanitas about his encounter with her.

Flashback

"That little girl," Master Xehanort began, leaning back in a large reclining sofa in the middle of his study. He crossed his legs one over the other and looked up at his nephew who leaned against a desk facing the large floor to ceiling window, "I ran into her the other day."

Vanitas snapped to attention, his eyes widening in shock. "You what?"

Master Xehanort smirked wickedly, amused by how the mere mention of the Silva girl could strike a chord in his nephew. "We ran into each other in the elevator when I was on my way out. I had just come from a meeting and she caught the door for me. Such a polite, pretty girl."

Vanitas immediately went on the offensive, trying his hardest to suppress his anger. "What did you do to her?"

Master Xehanort waved his hand dismissively in Vanitas' face and closed his eyes, appearing quite disinterested. "We simply had a conversation, nothing to get too excited about."

Vanitas was livid. He didn't want his uncle to go anywhere near Jasmine.

"I did deliver a warning," the older SHINRA head continued, "that she should get as far away from SOLDIER as possible so that she doesn't end up like her parents. But she's stubborn and didn't heed my warning. She's just as foolish as her father was and unfortunately, she's going to pay the price for it."

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," Vanitas growled viciously. "Leave her out of it."

Master Xehanort laughed heartily and stroked his goatee. "How can I? She's inserted herself into this. SHINRA and SOLDIER have been battling each other for a long time. She should understand that there are consequences for her actions."

End of Flashback

"I wish she would have chosen to align with SHINRA," Vanitas lamented, his concern growing. "At least then I could have protected her."

Stella was gentle with her approach and met Vanitas' gaze with an apologetic stare. "You know she would have never sided with SHINRA. Not after everything. You know this."

Vanitas groaned out loud. "I know, I know." He realized how ridiculous he sounded. Jasmine had no reason in the world to join SHINRA. They murdered her parents, destroyed her childhood home and almost killed her on several occasions. "I just wish…that there was a way I could protect her better."

"Jasmine Silva, er…Valentine," Stella quickly corrected herself, "is not helpless in the slightest."

"I know, but she's not like the rest of us," Vanitas added, lowering his voice. Truth be told, Vanitas knew full well that while Jasmine was a threat to SHINRA, she would still not drag herself down to the depths like the rest of them would. The idea of Jasmine taking a life was unthinkable. He knew that she would never pull the trigger, even if her life depended on it.

That was her one weakness in their world.

And that weakness would cost her dearly.


Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait you guys. I've been having a bit of writer's block as of late. But I think I've finally snapped out of it and so I'm going to continue with the "Bridge" series.

This story (timeline wise) is the second to last one before the next story gets started and "Agrabah Nights" is the second one. I promise, there's a reason as to why I purposely wrote them out of order.

In any case, I know this was a short chapter but the action is going to get started soon. Let me know what you guys think so far about the chapter, what you think might happen, all that good stuff.

Take care all!