a really random drabble that i had a sudden urge to write, i know i still have The Lightning Strike going on and i shouldn't have more chapter stories up... but this is more of a side story to work on as a break from the main, especially something that won't have a serious plot.

updates vary, but you can probably say a week to a month, but don't expect too much, might update more often or later.

either way, enjoy and reviews are greatly appreciated ^^

I.

Lightning sighed as she slowly crept up the steps, grimacing darkly at the weight of the boxes she was carrying. It's only been a few hours since she was moved here and already she was missing Cocoon and its advanced technology. There, she wouldn't have to deal with heavy lifting like this. There, she wouldn't have to move at all.

But these days, that wasn't the case.

A few days ago, she was issued to leave Cocoon entirely and move to Lucis to help improve the military system. Usually, a PSICOM soldier would have been chosen for this, but Lightning was surprised when they came to the GC and had her come. She played with the idea that she was suggested by Rygdea, but brushed it off. It was already decided for her to be here. No reason to ponder why and how. All that she needed to know was that she was going to be here for a while, Lucis did need help, she would admit that.

Lightning hummed in relief when she reached the top of the apartment stairs, the boxes were stacked high enough to block her vision so she had to go slowly up the steps. Now that she was at the top, she wouldn't have to go slowly anymore. Nothing for her to worry about now.

Or so she thought.

She didn't even take a step yet when somebody walked right into her. For a moment, Lightning went stiff as she realized that she was leaning back, back to the metal steps that would prove to be quite bruising. Before she could fall though, hands hurriedly grabbed her wrists, sharply tugging her forward and bouncing the boxes in her arms slightly.

"I'm so sorry," came the immediate stutter, telling Lightning that he really wasn't aware of her being there either. Not taking it personally, Lightning uttered, "Its fine," and tried weaving around him and out to find her apartment number.

She didn't expect the man to still cling. "Let me help," he insisted.

"It's fine," she repeated, her patience starting to thin.

"Please, just to make it up," he went on, grabbing a couple of boxes from her cardboard tower and allowing them both to get a good look at each other.

The first thing Lightning thought when she saw him was that his hair looked like a chocobo's rear end. She wondered how much gel he used to bring out those spikes, she really doubted that it was natural. Looking past the hair, she saw that he was roughly her height, if not a little taller. She went up to his nose and maybe to his brow if she stood on her tippy toes.

Not that she had any plans too any time soon.

She noticed that his eyes were blue, almost pure cobalt, and that he wore a lot of black that matched his hair... a lot of black. She almost raised a brow at that but didn't say anything. If he liked the color, that's fine, she doubted she'd ever see him again after this anyway.

"So," he asks, blinking his eyes a few times, looking like he just saw something bright and was recovering from the shine, "just moving in?"

"Yep," she found herself saying, letting him help and moving around him and walking down the hall, searching for her number.

"How long you staying?" he asked her when she didn't say anything else. "Any idea?"

"A while," she said distantly, stopping before her found number.

XIII.

The man behind her looked quite surprised. "This is your room?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," she said slowly, glancing at him curiously as she balanced a box at her side while she dug for her keys. "Is there a problem?" she asked him, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh no!" the man said immediately, a small, light smirk tugging at his lips as he looked at the door's number then her. "It's just a little surprising is all."

"Oh?" she pressed, unlocking the apartment.

"Yeah, my friend used to live here and we had a lot of good times, but he moved out. I was saying goodbye to the place."

Lightning wasn't sure how to feel with how he said was... she shrugged it off though. She wasn't going to waste her day trying to figure out a stranger. She was going to get moved in, settled, then see what she was dealing with security wise... then maybe pass out on the bed or couch, which ever was available first.

"So what's your name?" he asked her as she opened the door with her weight, leaving it open for him to slip in.

"Lightning," she murmured automatically, looking around the apartment. She had boxes scattered everywhere, but she was sure that once she had everything put away, it'd look better. This apartment was a little smaller than what she had back at home, but it was good enough.

"I'm Noctis," he voiced, setting his boxes down and stretching out his hand, his eyes bright and sure of themselves, almost eager.

Lightning turned to him, staring down at his hand silently, before taking it, giving him a hard, firm grip. Silently making him aware that she was strong, stronger than she might have looked.

His eyes glinted though, looking curious, excited, and intrigued. Looking up and meeting her pale, icy stare, he smirked at her. "Pleasure to meet you Lightning," he bid pleasantly, silently sealing and promising to her that this wasn't their last meeting.

i've thought about putting all 13 drabbles in just one chapter, but too lazy and impatient to write them all out like that, so it'll be another chapter story. just like it explains above, this will be 13 chapters long in honor of the time that both games had FF13 in their title, though now Versus has become FF15

anyway, 13 chapters long and not really a real story, just a ramble, though they will have a bit of a story...ish.