Noctis must have fallen asleep in the limousine, as he woke up in his palace bedroom. The great room was decorated fit for a prince, with the main color scheme being royal navy blue. The bed, carpet, chairs, dresser, and desk were all done in an oak and blue style that all matched and fit together. It was elegant but also homely. The enormous room was located in the west wing of the palace, with views that overlooked the vast gardens that covered the south side of the palace. Normally, the garden was full of flowers and green, lush, brushes yet the first frost of the year had dulled the green yard.

Looking around, Noctis decided that he had slept long enough and that it was time to get up. Everything was in order…except for the fact that the entrance to his room was slightly ajar and there was an oddly shaped shadow that lingered on the floor. Concentrating on shadow, he decided to focus on listening.

"Shhh. Shut up. I'm trying to scare Noct."

"Oh, like that'll work today. How many times have you tried this Adrian?"

"At least once every day for the past few years, BUT today's the day. I know it."

Noctis knew exactly who was behind the door: Adrian and Rex, his self appointed body guards and friends. Those two were like brothers with each other, constantly playing, goofing off, and making Quinn's life a living nightmare. Yet the prince always counted on them for being constantly loyal and kind to him.

So to show his love, Noctis decided to play along with their little game.

He tiptoed over to the door, making sure that the two behind the door had no idea he was there, positioning himself with his hand on the ornate brass knob.

"I'm going in Rex on 3.

"1…2…3!"

As Adrian yelled on three, he ran to open the door in an attempt to bust it wide open, screaming at the top of his lungs. But Noctis was prepared and he pulled the door open. Unable to stop himself, Adrian ran full force into the bedroom and into the dark oak foot board of the bed, the impact of which knocked the young mad to the ground. All that the fool could say was a pained, "ooohhhhhhh."

Over that came the deep, laughs of Rex, who was bent over, laughing. "Ah…ah…oh man, that's AMAZING!" Noctis revealed his position from behind the door, and smiled at the blond boy who was lying on the ground.

"Good morning Adrian, Rex," he spoke with a smile on his face.

"Hey Noct!" replied Rex, waving one of his large hands in the air. "Just wanted to say hi! Heard you met some people at the party last night."

The two started to walk out of Noctis' private quarters into the main area of the palace's west wing, completely ignoring Adrian, who was trying to regain his footing. He would eventually catch up with them.

"Yeah, there were a few people."

"Care to name a few."

"Well…" Noctis was going to list off everyone, but decided to tell Rex the only two worth mentioning, "there were two ladies."

"Oh, do tell."

"Princess Stella…"

"That girl, man she is cute isn't she? I swear she's like a little drop of sunshine." Noctis rolled his eyes, as did Rex. "I'm kidding about the sunshine but seriously, she is cute. And the other lady is?"

The echoing sound of running footsteps filled the air. It was then followed by an 'humph' from Rex as Adrian had apparently caught up to the two and was now piggy backing on his friend. "What's this about girls?!"

"Get off me!" Rex playfully groaned as Adrian jumped down off of his friend's back. The blond did that and then squeezed his way in between Noctis and Rex.

"You were saying Noct," Rex spoke as he gestured for Noctis to continue talking about the party.

"The second was a pianist named Lightning."

"That's a dumb name," Adrian pointed out. "What is it with parents and naming there kids after natural things. What, are her brothers named Cloud and Squall?"

Rex laughed and Noctis smirked.

"Can't be as bad as naming a kid Adrian," Rex said.

"Ha, yea…HEY!" Adrian then tried to land a punch on Rex, but he was blocked. He then realized it was pointless to fight against a guy taller than him.

"Is she cute?" Rex asked.

"I thought so," Noctis responded.

"No way she's cuter than Stella!" Adrian said.

The prince looked up to see the large oak doors to the dinning room.

"Sorry guys, I'll fill you in on the details later."

He then walked into the room.

"Bye Noct!"

"See you soon!"

Finally, a moment of peace. The prince walked down to the end of the great maple table and took a seat at the far end. Instantly, a wave of greetings filled the room, as Noctis was served breakfast. Within two minutes, a hearty meal was on the table and the prince dismissed those who were serving him. Shortly after that, a small knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Noctis hoped that it was not Adrian or Rex again, for the sake of his health.

"Good Morning Noctis."

"Hello Quinn," the driver quickly bowed and then walked over to the prince. In his hand was a pale folder, which he handed to Noctis.

"Here is all the information I could find about a Lightning pianist."

"Thank you, Quinn."

At that Quinn left the room, leaving Noctis alone once again. He took a sip of tea, and decided to read the folder over breakfast. Inside it were a few pages, written in the official style of Gibanthra's government.

Name: Lightning*
Height: 5'11
Weight: 157 pounds
Age: 19*
Birth-date: June 3*

Birthplace: Gibanthra
Abilities: Has skill on piano and an incredible short and long term memory despite lack of recollection about childhood. Is agile and nimble, could have been a gymnast.

Background: Subject somehow has suffered from a loss of memory. Though the cause is unknown, we believe that she suffered either trauma on her head or lost her memory due to a stress disorder. Relatives are unknown at this time. Doubtable if they are alive. Found in a refugee camp at the age of ten. Has been raised by multiple families in Gibanthra state. Employed in a musician job and is currently gaining a following as a pianist.
*Information was assumed by officials after a thorough examination of person.

The other papers were mostly filled with rewrites of the same information, pictures of Lightning at different ages, doctor reports, x-rays of her skull, and various a DNA profile. From what Noctis saw, Lightning was clean. Gibanthra had been a known ally of Tenebrae, though the kingdom had failed to protect its people during a particular battle.

Still, there was no reason to assume Lightning was completely innocent. The information about her was scant and there was nothing wrong in keeping her separate from his personal life. Noctis would certainly see her again, but he hoped that his intrigue and curiosity about her would be kept at bay.

The following morning, Lightning had decided to practice on the instrument at a club not too far from her apartment. She liked the feel of the club's piano, its timber and sound. It was an old piano, worn down from much use, but that is what made the piano sound so lovely.

Lightning had decided to practice some Bach for the morning. She would play for the club later in the evening with mostly jazz and smooth, soft rock type pieces. Those were fun to perform, but not her taste. The classics suited her much more.

Without even blinking, Lightning began to play random pieces from the Well-Tempered Clavicle. She loved the way that music demanded the player to run his or her fingers up and down the key board. It forced the musician to be both nimble and precise in the performing of these pieces. One misplaced finger, and the piece would be destroyed. So to keep her focus, Lightning put everything into trying to remember each note, each fingering, each accidental.

She had been so engrossed in the playing that she did not notice the soft sound of footsteps. Lightning continued without the knowledge that she was being watched. That was until she finished the piece and the sound of clapping crossed her ears. Confused, she looked out into the audience to see a familiar face from the previous night. Stella!

"That was incredible Lightning," the princess praised with a kind smile on her face.

Lightning slightly blushed. She was happy to see Stella dressed in a more relaxed outfit. Her attire consisted of well cut indigo dyed jean plants, a simple white spaghetti strap top, and black high-heeled shoes. A simple silver necklace and matching charm bracelet accented her neck and wrist.

"How did you find me again, princess?" Lightning asked.

"Please, just call me Stella." Stella pulled a chair from the ground floor up onto the stage and placed it next to the piano's bench. "I just in town and I heard the music and decided to see who it was. Turns out it was you!"

Lightning nodded. "Lucky you."

"Yeah. So what happened after I left last night?"

"What?"

"You know. I left the ballroom and you and Noctis seemed to hit it off."

"Oh, him. It wouldn't call it that. We just talked."

"About…"

"About music, the city, nothing really that interesting Stella."

"Still, to get that from Prince Noctis is impressive. He rarely talks."

"In comparison to you, yes, he's quite."

Stella blushed at that comment.

"I didn't mean to insult you…" Lightning began apologetically.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot. I talk too much for my own good."

"I think I listen too much for my own good."

"Well, you should be very proud of yourself: you've gotten Noctis to speak for an extended period of time. You should get a medal for that."

Lightning smiled. Stella was not much of a listener, but she had a cheery personality.

"Stella, did something happen with Noctis to make him be so introverted?"

Stella's face softened. "To be honest, I think it's a lot of factors. The war is one. I've also heard that his father, King Giovanni Caelum, is very demanding of his only son. It doesn't help that he's responsible…" Stella bit her tongue then. She almost said 'crystal'. It was a highly guarded secret that only a few well informed circle of people knew who actually guarded the gem. Though Stella's family was a rival of Noctis', they both lived in Tenebrae and if anything happened to the crystal, the city and kingdom would suffer greatly.

"Responsible for what?" Lightning was now curious.

"Responsible for…his people's well being. It's too much for anyone to deal with."

"Oh, of course."

There was a moment of silence as the two were unsure of what to say next.

"Lightning, would you like to have lunch with me?"

"Lunch. When?"

"Now, come on." Summoning some sort of supernatural strength, the princess pulled Lightning out of her seat and off the stage.

"I…I…really shouldn't Stella."

"Nonsense, it will be fun. Just the two of us girls."

Lightning sighed and decided to just go with it as Stella dragged her out of the club.

Author's Note: I got a review in chapter 1 that claimed I was the first person to write with Lightning and Stella being friends. I find that surprising because it would follow that if Lightning was in the FFVXIII universe, she should have interactions with the other characters as well.

Stella intrigues me because she is the conceptual opposite of Noctis and it is interesting to see the protective and private Lightning interact with someone more extroverted, like Sazh, Vanille or Stella, in this case.

The music used here is The Well Tempered Clavicle by Bach.

Also, the names of Adrian – shot-gun guy – and Rex - scar guy - are my own names.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed the previous chapters: flower on thewind, Dawn, Lonely Moon Luna Sola, LadyInPurple, and SunflowerWielder. Thanks guys! You're all so awesome!

Also, everything is owned by Square Enix.