Note: I know I said that I'd post this Friday and now it's a Saturday so kill me now. Anyway, this may be my last chapter for now until I move. I will update on my twitter, Facebook and Instagram (yeah...I need to work on that too...) and keep anyone following me/friends with me updated on Perplexity. I also have a Tumblr to keep anyone update as well. Now, with that note out of the way: Scene with Lightining and Noctis near the end. I was tired and I couldn't think of anything else. Nuff said. Surprisingly, the chapters aren't as long as I thought. They're at a good length. The story might be longer than I anticipated.

Uncertainty

"Do you like it?" Sarah asked, walking into the room and then turning around. Noctis looked at her and nodded. He was too reserved, or nervous, to talk. He looked at the floor, struggling to find words to start a conversation. Sarah hummed, "Oh, I know someone who can show you around more. Wait here!"

"Okay." Noctis said. Sarah then disappeared out of sight when she sort-of jogged to her destination. Noctis took this time to look around where he was at, glancing at the rather plain home. It wasn't elaborate like how he was used to back at his castle, but homey, comfortable even. He heard Sarah's footfalls accompanied with another person's, his head snapping to the direction of the sound. He saw another pink-haired girl and Sarah was dragging her to him. "This is my sister, Lightning!" she said, introducing the other girl.

Lightning looked at him critically, her frown on her face, "Nice to meet you," she said plainly. Noctis' mind drew a blank for a second, unsure on how to respond to her for a second before he nodded, "Nice to meet you too," he said kindly. Sarah clapped, leaning forward and then straightening out. It was something she did when she was happy or excited. "I hope you guys could be great friends!" Lightning huffed, but gave a small smile anyway. Noctis rubbed his arm and was too shy to think of something to talk about.

"The mistake is thinking that there can be an antidote to the uncertainty."

~David Levithan

The king stepped forward, "Noctis—"

Noctis just shook his head and growled, turning around. He was heading for the door. Lightning got in his way, "I told you not to run." she said. Noctis snarled at her in anger, "You are really difficult, you know that?" Nonetheless, he approached a window at the end of the wall. He ran a hand through his hair angrily. Lightning looked at him as he walked away, her guard dropping a little bit. She looked at Regis who was also looking at his son. "What happened to you?" he asked.

Noctis' hands at his side turned into fists, "Nothing you should know." he said coldly. There was a long, heavy silence that followed, and Lightning stared at him as he was looking out the window. His face was set in a cold, hard expression. His eyes glinted with something that she couldn't tell—confusion, maybe? Lightning saw that there was also a glint of sadness as well. She couldn't help the questions that were spinning around in her head: What happened to him? and What was he thinking? She was just about to open her mouth to softly speak to him, however, the king beat her to it. "Are you hungry? We can have some late dinner."

He realized that he won't get through Noctis, especially since he's stubborn. Noctis said nothing for a while. "I'll eat if you let my friends eat with me." he said.

"Noctis—"

"They're my friends and it's not right that they're kept prisoners here and I'm with all of this luxury. I want them to eat with me too!" Noctis' eyes showed his determination, adamant with his decision. Lightning sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I can release them for the late night dinner. But that's it."

"Then lock me up with them."

"Noctis—"

"Then don't count me in for the dinner."

Lightning let a growl escape her lips, frustrated with how stubborn he was. The irritation was showing on her face and Noctis knew that he was going to win. There was a long silence before she answered, "Fine! Fine, they can roam! Have it your way!" Noctis smiled at his victory. Regis looked over at the prince and opened his mouth to talk once more.

"There are things I need to discuss to you two as well. Your group"—Regis looked at Noctis—"could help us with the task that I'm going to bestow upon you two." Regis then had authority in his voice when he spoke, approaching the prince. "Noctis, you are to be my successor to the throne and you are to fight for Lucis against the war with the other nations. We are the only kingdom to have crystal powers and advance at technology at this rate. Our kingdom cannot run without you. In case you forgot and perhaps you have forgotten, I will have Lightning accompany you as a bodyguard and have you attend to my council meetings. You channel your powers through the crystal that is in this kingdom." Once close enough, the king placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Ignis is your advisor—he is to provide his opinion on your orders. Gladiolus and Prompto were your friends, still are. Before you disappeared we were under attack by the nation of Neflheim and there were reports of Stella Fleuret being there. Are your loyalties truly to Stella?"

Noctis' eyes looked at Regis dangerously but he didn't voice his denial about Stella, nor did he want to answer the king's perplexing question. He kept silent. He looked at Lightning during his silence and expected her to say something; he was surprised when she said nothing and looked away. He was confused on his feelings and this sudden information. Cloud told him that Stella was in Tenebrae when the invasion happened and that she had nothing to do with it. He looked out of the window again and pondered over his thoughts. "…May I visit my team first?" he asked. Regis looked at Noctis for a moment before responding.

"Why, of course," the old king said. Noctis gave him his thanks and started to leave. He remembered the path to where his friends were being held. Approaching the door to the cell, he saw his friends stirring within on the other side of the glass door. Tifa got up from where she was sitting on the floor as she looked up. She smiled at Noctis in a motherly fashion and the prince returned the smile just as kindly. He saw Cloud looking at him, expecting the dark-haired man to say something. Vincent didn't move from where he was standing, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. He still kept his aloof and nonchalant air around him even if he was captured by the enemy. Noctis learned to get used to it after a while. Cloud took a step forward. "Well?" he asked.

"Disappointing. Nothing much really happened. I persuaded them to invite you guys to dinner and have you roam around." Noctis said, really unsure how to explain the encounter with the king. Cloud hummed, thinking about the answer carefully. Noctis' eyes looked at the ground as he was in his own thoughts. The air was thick until Tifa broke it with a soft voice, "What did…they tell you? You know…when you got there."

Noctis' eyes shot up from the floor to her pale face, looking at her dark eyes. He wanted to hug Tifa and mumble into her shoulder and spill everything Regis said about Stella, voice his confusion too but it should be kept to himself and he thought that it would cause more problems if he ever said anything. Noctis shook his head after a bit of thought and smiled at the black-haired woman. "Nothing, they just tried convincing me that I was the prince of this kingdom. That's all." Tifa smiled at him and approached the transparent barrier between them, pressing her hand against the cold surface. "I hope that you'll be okay, honestly. I don't know what worries me more: you getting into battles or you being alone."

"I'm not that much of a child! You don't need to worry about me as much, Tifa. I'll be fine!" Noctis said, laughing. Tifa let a small chuckle escape her lips, "I know, but I can't help but worry. It's what I do."

Cloud smiled at the two gently. "We're relatively calm about this," he stated.

Tifa shrugged, "There's no point in worrying over something that is already resolved. We'll be out of here in no time, right Noct?" Noctis looked at her and smiled. He looked at Cloud, "Yeah, you'll be out in no time. I promise." The young man received a smile from the older one. There was a moment of peaceful silence between the group before Noctis groaned, "What about Yuffie? We kinda left her behind." Cloud chuckled and shook his head.

"She'll be okay. She's always fine."

"That's what you think," Vincent said from the back of the room, watching them with his red eyes.

Stella sat at her desk, her eyes in thought. She looked at the papers that was strewn all over and hummed. She looked at the headline of the report that was in big, bold letters, Idola Eldercapt: The Man Behind the Invasion of Lucis?

Stella looked at the paper lazily, her hand beneath her chin and her eyes expressing her boredom. She didn't think much of it at first but when she saw the headlines, she grew a little more interested. The Niflheim public didn't like the princess of Tenebrae because of past relations so she knew that they would do anything to tarnish her reputation. She was still looking through the papers when Yuffie came into the room a little noisily. Since it was raining outside the building, the black-haired girl was soaking wet and not too happy. Her cheeks were flushed and she was panting to get to shelter. Her shoes squeaked and from her silent anger she slammed the door shut. The girl placed her hands on her wet hips impatiently, "Are you going to tell me when I can free my friends or not? I can't sit around here! I just want them safe; Chocobo-head, Tifa and Vampcent."

"Patience, Yuffie." Stella said calmly, her eyes still on the paper. "It's not just your friends that's captured, mine too."

"What makes you think that Noctis has any connection to that kingdom anyway?" Yuffie asked, not too happy about Stella's reaction. She started questioning why Stella wasn't angry. Stella calmly looked up from her paper and smiled gently, putting the paper on her desk as she did so. "Why, he's the prince of Lucis. With that being said, his father won't have him locked up and he'll be free to roam. When he attends the council meetings, I can simply tell him to release Cloud and the others."

"What if he denies?" Yuffie asked.

Stella hummed, "We'll see when we get there, no? I'm sure that your friends will be okay especially since Noctis is prince. He'll do anything to keep them safe. He's an honest guy." Yuffie hummed, thinking about what Stella said and sighed. She walked a couple of steps, her boots squeaking as she did so.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" she said. Her chocolate eyes reflected her lingering worry for a moment before she looked at Stella and nodded. "You're right. I shouldn't worry because Noctis is an honest guy. It's just that he's so new and all it's kinda hard to trust him at first, you know?" Stella kindly smiled and nodded, understanding. She looked at another document and reached out for it. She dragged it across the desk to have it in front of her and looked at the page.

"As for the gateway to your world, I'm also finding out how to reopen it. There's very little progress going on." Stella's eyes showed her disappointment as she read the report, "I'm afraid it's going to have to be a little longer until you go home…I'm sorry." She looked at Yuffie and the girl sighed. The Wutai princess missed her homeland and her father. She missed Cait Sith, Reeve, and regrettably Cid. Numbly, Yuffie nodded, "We…we can deal with that." she said. Stella gave a small huff. She got up, "How about something warm to drink and some warm clothes? You're soak and you must be cold." Yuffie gave a sheepish smile and nodded. Soon, the two girls were chatting and smiling.

It was evening and the stars were already out. Noctis placed his hand on the railing of the balcony. Lately he found himself deep in thought and staring at the stars. It gave him some kind of calmness around him whenever he looked up at the stars. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, a small smile gracing upon his elegant features.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you do that," a voice from behind said, footsteps approaching the prince from behind. Noctis frowned and half-turned, opening his eyes quickly. He gave a look of "oh" and turned his back to her fully once more. Lightning walked beside him and placed her hands on the railing as she looked at the floor and he looked up at the sky. "It's okay to have doubts." she said softly. She looked at him and he didn't look at her. He focused on the sky and tried resisting talking to her. She took in another breath before talking once more, trying to attempt to start a conversation between them.

"So how's the country of Tenebrae?" she asked. Noctis stiffened and then turned to leave, "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be here," he said, his voice just as stiff. Lightning turned quickly enough to grab his wrist to prevent him from leaving. "No," she blurted, scolding herself as soon as she said it. She knew she couldn't back away from it now. Noctis looked at her questioningly, "Why? I'm your enemy. Enemies hate each other; fight. Why don't you want me to go?" His voice laced with impatience and she bit the bottom of her lip, thinking about her answer before replying.

"I…I don't know. I don't want you to go though. I want to talk to you, I want to know you…" She desperately tried to not let the memories of the past get to her and the struggle to find words were becoming more and more obvious, "I-I…" She felt Noctis pry her hands off of his wrist and she looked up at him. He held her hand in his, looking at the smaller hand nestled into the larger one. He said nothing for a moment or two and during those moments, Lightning let the warmth of his hand sink into her skin. Her hand was upturned so that her palm showed; he was holding her hand in his palm delicately.

"I wonder," he started, using his other hand and running his index finger along her palm as if he was experimenting with her skin, "how do you keep your hands soft and not calloused?" Lightning had to remind herself that she was letting her guard down too much before she took her hand away. She opened her mouth slightly for a moment with no sound coming out of her mouth, but she did eventually say something. "I wear gloves." she said simply. He nodded, giving a small "ah" as he registered the information. He then let go of her hand.

"Well then, that's nice to know. Now, what was I doing? Oh, yeah, leaving." He started to turn but stopped when he heard Lightning scoff.

"You were distracted?" Lightning said, shocked. Noctis looked at her, a look of "duh" on his face. Lightning gave a chuckle, not out of laughter but of annoyance. "I thought you were starting a conversation!"

"What?" Now, Noctis looked confused. "Why did you think that?"

"You seemed so…so…augh!"

"I was about to leave and then you grabbed my wrist. I still wanna leave, so I'll just—"

"Sto—"

He started to leave again but Lightning walked in front of him angrily and unfortunately bumped into him. Out of reflex, Noctis wrapped his arms around her so the woman won't fall and she placed her hands on his chest. Lightning didn't think as he embraced her and he looked down at her.

"Nice chest." She wasn't thinking and Noctis internally screamed.

Instinctively, Noctis let go of her and blushed, turning away from her and coughing into his hand. Lightning rubbed her arm and bit the bottom of her lip out of embarrassment, her pale face becoming pink. Noctis turned around just when she decided to talk. Both ended up talking at the same time.

"Look, I'm—" They stopped and looked at each other's eyes. Both of them were flustered and blushing still. Noctis shook his head, rubbing the back of his head shyly as he looked at the marble ground. "Y-you go first." he said and Lightning shook her head, looking at the ground as well, "No," she said. "You go first."

He looked at her, his midnight blue eyes reflecting how flustered he was, "I'm sorry," he said. Lightning looked at him and shook her head. "I was in your way. I'm also sorry I snapped."

"Um…"

"Forget about that entire scene?"

"Yeah, that's best." He gave a sheepish smile, "I mean, it's kinda awkward and all…" Lightning laughed, agreeing with the prince. There was a small silence that was in the sky and Noctis looked at the stars. Lightning looked up as well, thinking.

"I feel so comfortable when I look at the stars," Noctis started. "I don't know why…"

Lightning swallowed before responding, "Maybe…it has something to do with your past?" she suggested. Noctis thought about it and nodded, "Yeah, maybe but I'm not sure…I feel as if I'm forgetting something important…"

Lightning nodded and looked down at her hands which were folded in front of her. She pondered her question for a moment before looking up at the sky again. Then she looked at Noctis. "Do…you think that you'll ever remember your past?"

Noctis didn't respond for a bit as he processed the question and hummed thoughtfully, "I don't think so," he said. "there's so many gaps. I just remember being rescued. Everything is a blur to me." Lightning nodded mutely, numbly.

"But, don't you think that trying to be with the people like your father could answer those unanswered questions you might have?"

"Yeah, I know that," Noctis said, "but I have loyal friends and I can start new from whatever previous life I had before my memories were gone."

"So you're willing to abandon everyone and everything you knew before?"

At that question, Noctis bit his bottom lip and looked a little unsure about the answer. Lightning sighed at his silence, seeing that he didn't have an answer. "I think you're unsure about it." she said after quite a while. "You're obviously torn. Do you just follow orders or do you follow your heart and what you think is right?"

She looked at him, the stars' light shining upon his pale face and the moonlight illuminated everything like a dream. She wanted to keep looking at him but she forced herself to tear her eyes away from the sight of the man. She looked as if she was going to say something else before she left, leaving Noctis to his own thoughts and conclusions. Noctis started to doubt everything he encountered, ever since he met Lightning and his supposed father, Regis. He sighed, running his hands through his hair. He had so many questions he would much rather not have and would like to have that simple, cozy life he had in Tenebrae for years. He never asked for anything as complex as this, and Hell, even his own feelings were chaotic. He didn't know what he was truly feeling. He sighed in complete and utter mystification.