Author's Note: Shoutout to Rynxenvy for letting me know that the story file was all in code! You are so very much appreciated :)

Anyway, onto the story!

Noctis pulled out Jasmine's chair for her once they reached their table and sat when she was situated.

Jasmine shook off her denim jacket and glanced around the restaurant. It was a small mom and pop spot in the middle of the downtown area of Radiant Garden. While they both had been living in this part of town for over a year now, Jasmine had to admit that she'd never heard of this place before. But with them both being done at the "office" for the day and neither of them (mainly Jasmine) wanting to cook, Jasmine took Noctis up on his offer for dinner.

Since Ventus moved into their apartment building, Jasmine and Noctis had been hanging out noticeably less as time went on (for obvious reasons). However, Jasmine herself had to admit that she missed his company, despite them being roommates, and eagerly agreed to spend time with the prince.

"Where did you find this place?" Jasmine asked Noctis as she turned her phone on silent mode.

"Prompto said that Gladiolus took him here one time for lunch after they went to the gym," Noctis explained casually, looking over the menu as he did so. "He said it was good."

Jasmine picked up the menu and slowly began looking over the dishes. Everything looked amazing. Then again, Jasmine knew that Prompto was such a foodie and could be quite picky. If he recommended something, it would probably be good.

"I don't think we've had dinner once this past week," Noctis commented quietly, keeping his eyes glued to the menu he held in hand.

Jasmine immediately felt more than a little guilty. It was true that she was spending more time with Ven lately – excited that one of her closest friends was now living nearby. But she had to admit that she had been neglecting her partner/roommate and their other team members. Even Tifa pointed that out.

"I know," she said quietly after she set the menu down on the small table.

"Believe it or not," Noctis began slowly after there was a brief pause between them. "I do miss it when we all hung out. It just feels…different now."

Jasmine sat on Noctis' statement and mulled over her own thoughts. Immediately, she pinpointed the moment when their relationship had shifted downwards and stifled a sigh. Even though it had been some time since she landed in the hospital, things still felt strained between everyone, especially between her and Noctis.

"I know," Jasmine stated plainly. She stared into the bottom of the glass of water the waitress had set in front of her. "Ever since I ended up in the hospital, things never quite went back to normal."

Noctis frowned inwardly. He knew that incident was still the cause for the strain on their relationship. Ever since then, he tried to be more open and attentive to Jasmine in order to prove his dedication to her. But even though so much time had passed, it was still a sore spot for the two of them.

"I know you're trying," Jasmine told him. "And you have been for a while…"

"But," Noctis interrupted her, feeling a bit more than frustrated with how this conversation was going.

Jasmine looked up and locked eyes with Noctis, trying to keep her expression as neutral as possible. "But…it'll take some time." She glanced down at the ring he'd given her before she went off on her solo journey. "I also don't know what message you're trying to convey to me. The flowers, the offers for dinner…it's a little confusing…and even the ring…"

Noctis lifted an eyebrow. "What about the ring? It's not an engagement ring."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Of course, it's not. But I shouldn't have it. It belongs to you," she lowered her voice as if she were afraid others would hear her. "It belongs to the royal family."

Taking Jasmine's que, he lowered his voice as well. "As a member of the royal family, and the crown prince, I can do what I want with it. Besides," Noctis leaned forward in his chair and brushed back his blue/black hair. "I gave it to you because I can trust you with it. That ring you're wearing," he pointed to the finger on her right hand where the ring sat, "is priceless. I know a ton of people who would kill to get it. That's huge part of why my country is war-torn. If they see me with two of those rings, they'd kill me. But I also know that one, no one would suspect you of having it which would guarantee its safety. Also…"

Noctis trailed off and stared at her intensely, the gravity of the situation as a whole weighing heavy on him. He thought about sharing with her thoughts he'd had for some time. Ever since Jasmine had saved his life months ago, he and Prompto mulled over something…no, an opportunity for Jasmine.

However, with their current state, he decided against it thinking that perhaps later on down the line, once their…friendship healed itself, he would present the proposal to her.

"There's not another person on the planet I trust more to have something that valuable," Noctis concluded. "When the time comes, I'll get it back. But for now, I know it's in good hands."

Jasmine fell silent, unable to find the words to express how she felt. Of course, she was flattered (first and foremost) that Noctis felt confident enough in her to give her this sort of responsibility. And even though she believed deep down that there was another reason for him giving her the ring, Jasmine knew that Noctis did have the "greater good" idea in mind when he did it.

She stared at the ring once more, feeling a slight surge of energy flow through her when she did so.

Jasmine couldn't place her finger on it, but there was something special about the ring. It wasn't normal (simply by way of the gems that decorated it) but it didn't appear to be anything extraordinary. One of these days, Jasmine intended on asking Noctis why the Caelum crystals were so precious.

"Jasmine?"

The girl snapped out of her daze and turned to the familiar voice. Approaching her in the distance was Naminé and Roxas. She waved to the pair and motioned for them to come over, noticing Noctis immediately stiffen when they were standing at their table.

"Long time no see! It's so good to see you," Naminé exclaimed cheerfully as she hugged Jasmine from behind.

Jasmine returned the hug as best she could (as she was still sitting in her chair) waved to Roxas, who also offered her a kind smile.

Naminé immediately straightened when she saw the prince and her face turned a bright red. She folded her hands and gave her best bow. "It's g-good to see you too, Your Highness!" The young girl, while she was still in her bow, slapped Roxas' midsection and he took gave a quick bow and greeted the prince. Begrudgingly though.

Noctis muttered a short "hello" and the two blondes returned to an upright position.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"We were picking up lunch," Roxas explained, holding up a plastic bag full of Styrofoam take-out containers. "We're going to head back to hang out with Olette and a few others from school.

At the mention of Olette, Jasmine felt her heart sink just a little. While she hadn't given it much thought, she didn't necessarily think that she'd be hearing that name for some time. It would appear that Olette and Roxas were, at the bare minimum, still friends and quite possibly in a romantic relationship still.

Even though Jasmine and Roxas had broken up a long time ago, it was still hard for her to imagine him with another girl. She was happy for him that he found someone to love him (possibly better than she ever could) but it was still a cruel reminder of the past and the life she used to live.

"She's still asking to see you," Roxas added with a soft smile. "You should come hang out with us sometime. It would be fun."

While on the inside Jasmine was extremely hesitant, she didn't let it show in her expression. Her face soft, she gave him a smile of her own. "Sure. I'll call you and we'll work something out."

Naminé tugged on Roxas' shirt sleeve. "We'd better go before the food gets cold. You know how Hayner gets when he's hungry."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah…don't I know it."

"I'll call you later, Jasmine!" Naminé called as she and Roxas headed for the exit. "Bye, Your Highness!"

Roxas waved on his way out, his eyes and Jasmine's locking for the briefest moment. It was as if they both acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation and they both smiled ruefully at one another.

Once they were gone, Jasmine turned her attention back to the table, her mood making an obvious, darker shift.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see your friends?" Noctis asked innocently, not understanding why she had such an open, somber expression on her face.

Jasmine fell silent as the waitress returned with their meal. She thanked the waitress and immediately started poking at her chicken.

"It's still hard," she admitted softly, "seeing them after all this time. Especially Roxas."

Noctis was stumped. He hadn't seen her so visibly upset in a while. Not like this anyway. "What's the deal with Roxas? Isn't he Ven's cousin?"

Jasmine nodded, twirling her fork in her right hand while looking down at her food as she spoke. "Yeah. That's Roxas."

"So, what gives? Isn't he one of your friends too?"

The black-haired girl hesitated. She hadn't explained to her roommate and partner that she was once in a relationship with Roxas, especially given his distrust of Ventus. But what did she have to lose at this point?

"Roxas and I used to be in a relationship back in high school," she revealed.

Noctis leaned back and his eyes widened in shock. While Jasmine had been upfront about her relationship with Riku and Vanitas, she had never mentioned anything about Roxas. He knew that he was Naminé's brother, but that was about it. In fact, Jasmine almost seemed to take great care in avoiding Roxas whenever the talk of Ventus and Naminé came up.

And almost immediately, Noctis' thoughts shifted to Ventus again. Could that also be why she and Ven are so close? Because he resembled Roxas so much? Someone she used to be close to in the past?

Jasmine sighed heavily and her mood shifted to something darker, almost sadder. "I used to be such a mess back then. I didn't know how to handle my own emotions and think rationally. And even after I came back, I hurt Roxas. It's something I've always been ashamed of. Sometimes I wish I could take it back and have just left him be. He was a great friend to me and I ruined it..."

"Take back the whole relationship?" Noctis asked, his hesitation and discomfort with the topic quite apparent.

She set her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands, her eyes straying away from Noctis and onto some unknown item. "Perhaps. I did like him. I genuinely did. But when I came back after high school, I should have left him be. I don't think I should have stirred the pot and maybe confused the situation. But I can't do anything about it now."

It was in this moment that Jasmine thought back on her relationship with Ventus. While she tried to not think about the cons, Roxas finding out was definitely one of them. Even though it was clear that he moved on, Jasmine knew that Roxas might be a bit more than uncomfortable with the idea. Especially with the complexity of her relationship with Ventus.

Sometimes she had to question whether or not what she was doing was right. After all, Roxas and Ventus were cousins. And her gut told her that there might be some turbulence if their secret was discovered.

"You can't," Noctis said casually.

His indifference towards the subject was actually a bit jarring at first and snapped Jasmine out of her thoughts. She had honestly expected more from him.

"I know that, Noctis," Jasmine began, feeling slightly irritated with her partner. Here she was trying to open up to him and yet, when she needed more than a short reply, all he could do was give her the absolute least in terms of the conversation.

Noctis cleared his throat and, as if on cue, their food arrived. Once he thanked their waiter, he picked up his fork and pointed it at Jasmine's face.

"I wasn't done," he said as he cocked his head to the side, silencing Jasmine immediately. "All I was saying is that you can't be bothered with worrying about what you can't change. The past is the past and it's done. End of story. But I think Roxas would get over it in time – if he was still holding a grudge against you which I doubt – but you have to move on too. Just focus on what you need to do and be a good friend to him when you can. It might take time, but I'm sure it'll be okay one day."

Jasmine was stunned at how simple, yet insightful, Noctis' advice was. Of course, she'd been told things like this before from others, but Noctis' explanation for how to proceed forward with this dilemma seemed to resonate with her more so than with anyone else.

When Jasmine blinked, she saw Noctis eating his meal casually as if nothing of substance had happened.

She smiled warmly and reached out, putting her hand on top of his free hand, causing him to jump slightly.

"Thank you, Noctis," Jasmine said graciously. "I appreciate that."

Noctis felt the hair on his arms stand up the moment he felt Jasmine's touch. Despite all that they'd been through, he still wasn't used to these moments of intimacy…no matter how small or subtle. What's more, he still wasn't accustomed to her being so open and warm…at least not with him.

"You're welcome," he managed as he leaned back and stuffed his mouth full of food. "Any time."

Jasmine exited the coffee shop that was a few blocks away from her apartment. After she had dinner with Noctis and caught up with Ven, she wanted a little time to herself after the events of the day.

She stuffed her free hand in the pocket of her cardigan and took a casual stroll back towards her apartment.

'I have so much work to do when I go back to the office tomorrow,' she lamented. 'That's what I get for letting it pile up.'

In the back of Jasmine's mind, she breathed a sigh of relief. 'Oh well,' she thought distantly, 'at least it's not as demanding as school.'

The harsh vibration of her cell phone disrupted her thoughts. After she pulled the phone from her back pocket, her eyes sharpened when she saw the caller ID. There was no number shown…which would not have been a big deal had this not have been her personal phone and that it was past ten o'clock at night. No one should have been reaching out to her on this new number save for her teammates, friends or job, and she'd just had a conference call with Tseng a few hours prior.

Jasmine leaned against the brick wall of the coffee shop, making sure that no one would hear her.

She inhaled sharply and tried to steady her nerves. Once she had regained a bit of composure, she put on an emotionless expression and watched her surroundings carefully.

"This is Ms. Valentine," she said cordially. "How may I help you?"

"Jasmine? This is Stella. Vanitas' assistant," the familiar blonde-haired woman said urgently.

Jasmine's blood ran cold and she felt her stomach drop. "How the hell did you get this number?"

"Does it matter?" Stella asked, immediately lowering her voice. "You need to meet me. Tomorrow. Alone."

Jasmine reeled back, her guard shooting all the way up. "That seems like a big request, especially from someone I really shouldn't be dealing with."

"I know it is," Stella agreed. "But I think you know I wouldn't be asking this of you unless it was really important."

Despite Jasmine's initial irritation, she had to agree that Stella was right. The only reason why she would be reaching out to Jasmine would be if something was wrong.

Seriously wrong.

"What's going on?" Jasmine asked calmly. While she retained her composure over the phone, deep down Jasmine was a nervous wreck. Something must have happened for her to be reaching out, and in the back of Jasmine's mind, she knew it had something to do with Vanitas.

"I can't tell you here," Stella whispered. "But it is important that I see you. Can you meet me in Hollow Bastion tomorrow at noon?"

"Hollow Bastion?" Jasmine hissed. "Why there of all places? You do realize that it's crawling with people who'd be glad to rip me to shreds right? That place isn't the safest for me if you weren't aware."

Stella sighed, a new sense of urgency clear in her tone. "It's probably a lot safer here than where you are now."

Jasmine's face immediately turned white and her heart began to pound against her chest. Instinctively, she walked back into the well-lit coffee shop (at a quick pace) and took a seat near the front registers where people were loitering about.

"What are you talking about, Stella? What the hell is going on?"

"Meet me in Hollow Bastion tomorrow, at noon, in the old town square," she instructed carefully. "And make sure that you're alone. Tell no one."

While Jasmine was able to not draw attention to herself in the coffee shop and alert any of the patrons of her distress, she definitely felt uneasy. Something bad must have happened and she was under the impression that she was being watched. By who? She had no idea. But she was more than positive that whoever was watching was not a friend to her in the slightest.

"Where's Vanitas?" Jasmine whispered. "Is he okay?"

"I don't have time to explain. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Jasmine could get another word in, the line went dead.

Jasmine shoved the phone into the pocket of her jeans and sank into her seat, her senses going into overdrive to keep mind of her surroundings.

Somehow, Vanitas' warning replayed over in her mind and she couldn't help but feel that something dark was on its way.

If it weren't already here and waiting for her...

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Long time no see! I hope you all have been well. I've been in a huge writer's funk as of late and writing just hasn't been as fun for me anymore. But I am happy to say that I am back and I plan on uploading WAY more frequently.

Thank you guys for sticking around with this story (and me). You guys really are the light of my life.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, and everything in between.

Until next time, take care!