a/n: Sorry, it's been a while. Work is crazy, and sometimes I over pick at my own work... Anyway, thanks again for the favs, alerts, and reviews. I really appreciate knowing people actually read this. I hope you enjoy the new chapter:)

Also I don't own this stuff, Bandai Namco does, but I'm sure everybody knows that.


DAY 12

I can't sleep. His Majesty acted rather strangely toward the end of our conversation last night. It's still before dawn, but I'm sure it has been quite a while since lights out. He obviously came up with a new tactic, but did he really imply that I... I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of knocking. It's not coming from the door. No, it's outside the window, not my window...

"Eek! What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Jade's room is the next window over, Pea Brain!"

Aside from the scream, Saphir is speaking in a shrill whisper. I can still hear him clearly, after all, his room is right next to mine, and the walls are awfully thin.

"Actually, I'm here to see you tonight, Buddy."

Tch, the window in the middle of the night? I shouldn't expect anything less from Peony.

"Nice pajamas, by the way."

"First you pin me to the ground with one of your disgusting creatures, and now you're coming to call in the middle of the night, through my window, and making comments about my pajamas?"

"Geez, settle down. You'll wake everybody up. Doesn't Nephry have pajamas like that?"

"Well, actually she sent these to me after she grew out of- Hey! How do you know what Nephry wears to bed?"

Yes, that is a good question. How do you know what Nephry wears at night, Peony?

"That's not important, and stop the squeaking! What if Jade wakes up?"

I rub my temples. The concept of subtlety is a definite nonoccurrence for Peony. I wouldn't be surprised if one could hear him back at the palace.

"What are you doing here!"

Saphir's inquiry was more like a demand. I can hear him seething; clearly, he's embarrassed by Peony coming to his room in the middle of the night. I'm sure Peony doesn't notice or doesn't care.

"I'm still trying to figure out what your deal is. If this doesn't get resolved soon, I think Jade's officially gonna go insane."

"Did he really notice I was avoiding him?"

"Saphir, say you were carrying something really heavy for a real long time. Wouldn't you notice if it disappeared?"

"I meant did he say anything about it, idiot!"

"Have you seen the way Jade has been acting lately?"

For some unknown reason, I got up from my bed and sat against the wall separating our rooms. I'm not purposely listening in, those two are just too damned loud, and I won't get any sleep until they shut up. It doesn't matter that I am the topic of their conversation.

"Oh please, you're just inconveniencing him with your little game. All those cows you're forcing him to see are dulling his senses!"

"If that's really the case, why does he bring you up every time he pulls out some lame excuse about how he's acting?"

"He's been talking about me?"

"It's practically all he talks about."

It is not! I'm sure it has always just come up in passing, hasn't it? Saphir's behavior has been rather puzzling, wouldn't anyone be curious about it? Surely, Peony's exaggerating.

"You, you've, you have got to be exaggerating!"

"Am I? Come on, you know him even better than me, but tell me: Does Jade Curtiss wander into doors?"

"No..."

"Does Jade Curtiss ever let his little mask slip in front of anyone he's not close to?"

"Well, no..."

"And finally, and this is the big one, would you ever see Jade Curtiss running from anyone, let alone a group of girls?"

"Of course not!"

"Then tell me who the hell that was yesterday."

"Well..."

The room fell silent for a couple of minutes. What was Peony hoping to accomplish?

"Seriously Saphir, do you really believe women would have Jade act differently than anyone else he's forced to deal with?"

"It might..."

"How can you be so smart and so dense at the same time?"

More silence. Is there a point to all of this? There must be, at least according to Peony. He has made no motion to exit the room. He's expecting Saphir to answer him. Realizing Saphir will not respond, Peony let's out a frustrated sigh.

"Why are you avoiding him anyway? Jade said you were still talking to Jasper after he left on the day we made the bet. Did he say something that upset you? You know, more than normal."

"Please! How can anything he say bother me?"

Saphir's voice always goes up an octave when he lies. I'm sure he's twitching like mad as well. Saphir is a horrible liar, and even he knows it. When Saphir has a secret, he'll avoid the subject at all costs, because he will always be unable to cover it up in conversation. This said, he must be hiding something, but he's never hid anything from me before...

"Squeaking and twitching; yeah, last time I saw you do that was when you told the Professor that the ice cracked on its own... You're definitely lying to me."

"I'm telling you nothing's wrong!"

"You already admitted you were purposely avoiding Jade. Now unless Jade did something so severe that would upset even you, which I would have heard about, Jasper put some kind of weird idea into you head about Jade."

I can hear Saphir whimpering a little bit; he does not want to answer Peony. I'm sure Peony's going to stare at Saphir until he breaks. Sure enough, after thirty-six seconds, Saphir squeaks out a quiet reply.

"Is Jade really using me, or treating me like some kind of pet?"

"Is that what he told you?" Peony pauses for a bit, then, "Well, it's not like Jasper to just say mean things, so he probably just wanted to make sure you weren't letting Jade walk all over you or something..."

"How can you say he's so nice? I swear that's just a cover!"

"Then if he just said it to piss you off, why should it bother you?"

"At first, I wanted to prove him wrong, but... Deep down I thought he might be right. Of course, I would never tell Jasper that."

"So, you stopped following Jade to see if he'd miss you, and you were worried that he wouldn't even care."

"In words you can comprehend, yes, that's what I mean."

"It still doesn't make much sense. You were already constantly at his side when I met you guys, and he didn't get all obsessed until after the Professor's death. If he was using you, he wouldn't have any reason to put up with you before that."

So, Jasper put the idea that I was using Saphir into Saphir's head. Now, I'm not an expert on how friendships work, but that strikes me as a bit, well, mean. He must have a good reason, because, just as Peony mentioned, shooting off rude statements at random isn't something Jasper does on a regular basis. Why do I even care about this anyway? I don't care what others think of me. Besides, the mystery is solved, so I can finally return to my normal routine. It's over and done with. Saphir will crawl back eventually, so I need not concern myself with the issue any further... But I feel I have gone from confused to angry... Angry at Jasper... What is wrong with me? It must be lack of sleep. At least, I'm sure this night can't become any stranger...

"Oh hey, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you; do you prefer guys over girls?"

What, is he going to ask everybody he meets about that now? Honestly! Trust His Majesty to prove me wrong at the worst time... Hopefully, he's just making a bad joke. No, I'm sure he really wants to know. Idiot.

"What?"

"Are you gay?"

"Get out."

"It's an honest question, geez! Jade got pissed about it too, you two are a lot alike sometimes, you know that?"

"Anyone would get upset over an idiot just blurting out a personal question like that!"

"Besides you're wearing Nephry's pajamas, and your face is as red as an apple. It's actually-"

"Get out, dammit! I will not let you continue to ridicule me!"

"Am I laughing?"

After realizing that Peony was dead serious, Saphir sighs in frustration. I hear the sudden grind of springs, he must have plopped down on the bed...

"Moron. What are you playing at anyway?" Saphir draws in a gasp as soon as the question leaves his mouth, "You can't possibly-! I mean are you so desperate that-! Where do you come up with this tripe!"

"I have a few ideas as to how I came to this conclusion, but if you're not interested, I'll just leave you in peace.."

I hear Peony crossing the room, then the window slide open. There's another sharp grind of springs, fast loud footsteps, and then the window being slammed shut.

Saphir's voice comes out in a low hiss, "Fine. I'm listening."

"Well, your reaction has definitely confirmed your side of it..."

"Tell anyone, and I'll dig out your vocal cords with a spoon!"

"Ugh, okay..."

I'm not really sure what just happened there. Frankly, I'm not so sure I want to know. I can't hear them anymore, only muffled whispers. They're finally making an effort to not be overheard. Whatever. At this point, I renew my efforts to get some rest.


It's now morning, and I never did get any sleep. As I drag myself toward the school, the one person I did not want to be near comes trotting up to me.

"Mornin', Jade! Wow, you look terrible."

"Hello Jasper..." My voice was venomous, and I regarded him with one of my infamous death glares.

Jasper stops walking for a moment before resuming his pace, now keeping a safe distance from me, "Okay, now you really are mad at me about something."

I resist the urge to trip him right then and there, and instead I quicken my pace. Jasper matches my speed.

"Come on, Jade. It's not like you to just get pissed off without a good reason. What happened?"

I most certainly do not wish to deal with this right now. It's too early, the sun is bright, and it's giving me a headache. I would also like to regain some self control before I lash out at him. It is not fair to just yell or harm someone before knowing exactly what I'm so cross about. He's still asking about it. Jasper, please just let go for now...

"Seriously, can you drop the 'holier than thou' act for once?" Now Jasper's starting to get angry. "If you don't talk about it, whatever it is, it'll just get worse! Friends are supposed to be able to work stuff out!"

That stuck my last nerve. I stop walking, and turned around to face Jasper, "You do not have the right to tell me what 'friends are able to do'." Jasper responded by giving me a confused and hurt expression. I turned back around, and quickly walked to the school.

I never thought I would initiate any 'school drama' in my tight circle of friends, but it appears that I cannot simply let this go. Why? Perhaps it's the lack of sleep. I stop in the hall and lean against the window to catch my breath... Why am I out of breath? Did I really make an effort out of getting away from Jasper? Okay, stop and think. I'm angry, that much is clear. The anger is directed toward Jasper. Jasper told Saphir it was possible that I was using him. How does that affect me? Why do I even care about this? I begin to feel very warm and a bit dizzy, then I feel a familiar, yet rare as of late, tug on my uniform jacket.

"Jade, if you're sick, you should stay in bed."

I look over my shoulder, and Saphir is tugging at my jacket. I jerk back a pace, and stare at him in disbelief. He's talking to me?

"I was walking by, and I noticed that you did not look well... Um, do you have a fever?"

Saphir tilts his head to the side and brushes his hair out of his face. When did Saphir start to grow out his hair? He begins to fiddle with his bangs while he waits for a response; however, words eluded me, and I started to become nauseous. Maybe I am coming down with something. Saphir touches his forehead, and then feels mine. I start to feel hot and rather uncomfortable.

"You are a little warm. Do you have any other symptoms?" Again I do not have a response, and after a minute of silence, Saphir looks away, then mutters, "A-are, are you angry with me?"

Without thinking I found myself saying, "I could ask you the same question." Saphir flinches and focuses his attention on the floor. Why does this feel so awkward? My stomach continues to churn. Saphir's, apparently longer, hair falls over his face while he continues studying the floor. It looks kind of like falling snow... I shake my head to clear it. How long have we been standing here like this?

"We should get to class." Saphir squeaks out, then escapes down the hall. I instantly feel myself relax, the queasiness fades, and the hallway suddenly feels cooler. That's strange, I felt rather sick just a moment ago. Whatever it was, I guess it passed.


During the morning classes, I decided to organize my thoughts. Dealing with Jasper can wait, first off. If Jasper is up to something strange, his scheme would be far more transparent than anything Peony is able to think up. Therefore, dealing with whatever Peony may throw at me next takes priority. Judging by his behavior at that gala, Peony has all ready decided his next move. This next move required him to get information out of Saphir, and that information is going to lead him to Jasper.

Around lunch, I headed for the roof. With any luck, that is where Peony will manage to corner Jasper. I stop at the door, and slowly open it just a crack. Sure enough, I find Peony and Jasper engaged in another 'private' discussion.

"Damn him, he was listening to us!" Peony slaps his hand on the roof's ledge.

Jasper shrugs, "Why would you think it's a big deal, Your Highness? It's me he's mad at."

Peony chuckles nervously, "Well, depending on when Jade started listening, he may have heard something I may have said about his sister's pajamas... Which, by the way, I can never fantasize about again, because said pajamas now belong to Saphir..."

"Uh..." Jasper gives Peony a confused look, "Well, uh... Sure..."

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, why did you tell Saphir that stuff? You don't seriously think that's what's going on between those two, do you?"

"No, I believe the exact opposite, actually."

"Meaning...?"

"Well it's clear Jade can't see it, but I thought you would have noticed it by now..."

"To tell you the truth, it didn't really dawn on me until last night. I had to go talk to Saphir to confirm my suspicion. If I noticed before now, I would've thought it was one sided."

"When this started, I thought it was one sided too. That's why I said that stuff. I wanted to put it to the test."

Something one sided I can't see? What the hell are they talking about? What was Jasper putting to the test by making Saphir think I was using him? Great, another stupid mystery. Suddenly, Peony just bursts out laughing. Now what?

"Ha, ha. This is rich. All those times Jade would question my intelligence, and he doesn't even know this! Guess they don't teach basic birds and bees here, huh? I bet whatever he's starting to feel, he thinks he's coming down with a flu!" Peony continues laughing.

When this is over, I'm going to have to come up with an extra cruel revenge plan for His Majesty. And what does he know about my current state of health? Lack of sleep can have some strange side affects!

"So, what are you going to do now, Your Highness?"

"Hmm, not sure. I'd share our theory with Saphir, but he'd think we're messing with him. Even if he did believe us, he wouldn't help us, because he wants Jade to win the bet. To make things even more difficult, he'll probably start hanging around Jade again as if nothing happened."

"What makes you say that?"

"Saphir and Jade may be alike in book smarts, but Saphir has an advantage over Jade when it comes to emotional stuff. Now that he sees Jade's been thrown off his game, because of him, he's going to do everything he can to get Jade to act normally again."

"Because it would upset Jade if he lost?"

"Exactly. Saphir will always put Jade's feelings before his own. It doesn't matter if Jade feels that way. Forget Saphir's own feelings; if Jade's happy, Saphir's happy."

"So, you think tomorrow he'll go back to following Jade?"

"I'm pretty sure he all ready started. We'll just have to be a little more aggressive with our tactics..."

"We, Your Highness?"

"Hell yeah!" Peony slaps Jasper in the back, "Since we're both on the same page, it would be more effective if we work together. Especially now that Saphir has ideas about stoppin' us."

"R-right..."

Well, being dragged into one of His Majesty's grand schemes seems to be payback enough. My anger has ebbed, and I breathe a sigh of relief. As I was debating on whether to go up to them or leave, I felt someone tugging at my arm...

"Ja~ade! Are you feeling any better?"

Saphir took me completely by surprise. I jerked back out of reflex, and since Saphir was still clinging to my arm, lost my balance, and fell against the open door, spilling both of us to the ground. Instantly, I felt warm, dizzy , and nauseous again. I put my hand to my head and groan. I look up to see Saphir's surprised expression, and as soon as our eyes meet, he squeaks and hurries to get off me.

"I'm sorry!"

I stand up and brush myself off, "Just be more more careful next time..."

"What the hell, Jade? Have you decided to take up eavesdropping as a hobby, or something?"

His Majesty puts his hand on his hips, and gives me a stern glare. I push up my glasses to hide my embarrassment. "I'm just trying to figure out your stupid riddles. You have been muttering nonsense since right before you left last night. Also, I'm sure the entire dorm could hear your tete a tete last night."

Saphir lets out another squeak. His Majesty narrows his eyes, "Riddles, huh? You seriously don't know what were talking about?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, the only thing I took away from that conversation was that you apparently used to spy on my sister, and Saphir wears her pajamas. I was half asleep, and those two facts alone brought my mind to a screeching halt." Of course, about ten ideas concerning last night and this afternoon have come to mind, but I never believe anything until I'm 100% sure I have the correct one. His Majesty relaxes a little.

Jasper decides to take this moment to explain himself, "I didn't mean any harm by it... Most of what I say to him goes in one ear and out the other anyway..."

Jasper prattles on. Since I feel his predicament with His Majesty is adequate punishment, I tune him out and instead turn to look at Saphir. He's still sitting on the ground, and is now glaring at Peony. Even though he himself didn't not keep his voice down either last night, he's still blaming Peony for being overheard.

"Please don't kill me." Now Jasper is pleading for his life. This is getting ridiculous.

"Jasper, it's not a big deal. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and if Saphir doesn't realize that I don't mind his presence, then that's his problem, not yours." I pause for a moment, then I look up at Jasper with a wicked grin, "Besides, getting involved in one of Peony's hair-brained schemes is more than enough punishment."

"What?"

"I believe that came out quite clear, Your Majesty."

Peony frowns and I hear him mutter 'you'll eat those words soon'. Saphir snickers at Peony, and Jasper slumps to the ground as if he was just saved from a monster attack. I'm still uncertain about what Peony is trying to accomplish, but at least the matter with Jasper is closed. I turn to face Saphir. He stiffens and bites his lip.

"Jade, um, I..."

"Don't worry about it; I'm not mad."

"Really?" Saphir beams, relieved.

I turn and head for the stairs, "Of course, you will be punished for not trusting me..." I hear Saphir gulp and whimper. I smile; for some reason, I really enjoy making Saphir squirm.