AHHH!!! I just held my baby hamster today!! it was so cute!! -cries- It kept falling over lol! XD But I'm not here to tell you about my baby hamster! ... Oh right, I am. XD Just kidding. BUT IT WAS SO CUTE!!!

I think I made it paranoid too... =.= Oh well.

So! I'm being nice (as usual XD) and updating earlier than given date! :D I expect reviews in return...

Check out my new M-rated story - Rise of the Guardians. :) I know it says adventure and fantasy, but yeah! There may be lemons hidden within it... nyehehe... :) Review that one too! -big grin-

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Reviews are appreciated and needed in order for you guys to get the little sneak peek! :)

.:Chapter Fourteen:.
Truth, Lies, and Bedtime Stories

-Lightning-

The next morning, Lightning woke up to someone knocking on her door. Without moving, she called, "It's open."

Noctis entered, frowning. She blinked at him, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't leave your door open like that. The men here aren't as refined as my own soldiers. They won't hesitate to... do that to you," he scolded, and locked the door behind himself. Lightning rolled her eyes from her meditating position.

"I'd hear them long before they touch my door."

"Even so, I'll feel better if you start locking your room. Or at least stay with me where I can look after you," the Prince answered, and sat next to her.

Lightning shrugged. "How would I know you wouldn't do the same thing they did?" she answered, raising her eyebrows. Noctis smiled.

"Because I'm a Prince," he answered, and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. She stiffened slightly as he tugged her onto his lap, and remained as thus.

The soldier ran her fingers through his soft, wonderfully black hair, seemingly as though her fingers had a mind of their own. "Princes are men too. Are you telling me you're still a virgin?" she asked him teasingly, half-smiling as she looked down at him.

Noctis coughed, and the back of his neck turned red.

"You are!" she laughed, the sound ringing and joyful, beautiful and bell-like. Noctis froze at the sound, and glanced up at her. She stopped laughing, and her face resumed her usual expression. She looked chagrined. "Sorry," she muttered, and started to get off his lap.

His arms tightened around her. "Stay," he bid her.

"I'm not your dog," she grumbled, but stayed where she was. His hand rose and stroked her hair.

"I haven't heard you laugh in so long," he said quietly, his voice turning slightly wistful and sad. "It came off a bit as a shock. I'm sorry about that." He rested his forehead against her arm, and sighed. "I think it just sunk in that you're here with me, and you're not dead."

Lightning wrapped her arms around him; the movement was familiar, but she was sure she'd never done it to anyone before. She ducked her head and pressed her face into his soft, spiky hair. It smelled nice, very masculine. What soap does he use? She wondered, then kissed his head. Again, the movement seemed to come itself. She hated that. "Did I have any siblings?" she asked him, to hide her annoyance.

He shook his head, and tickled her with his hair. She jumped, and he caught her before she tumbled off his lap. "Steady," he said, now amused with her predicament. She scowled at him, and his lips twisted slightly into another smile. "No, you were an only child, which was why you kept hanging around Laris, Marcus and I. Your mother swore that's where you learned to become so wild." He laughed dryly, and sighed. His mind was full of the memories of those days. His heart ached for the peace that had once ruled the both of them, the conviction that they were going to be together.

"Shall we go up?" she suggested, sensing the change in his mood, and he nodded. He drew her to her feet and they walked up together.

--

Team Nora Base

-Vanille-

Vanille stared out the window, hands clasped over her chest. Her tears had long dried out now, and she could only look out and hope her friend – her sister, almost – still lived.

She closed her eyes and pictured the stuffy commander who had taught her to wield the bow and sniper rifle properly and made her one of the most irreplaceable archers and sharpshooters in the whole of Team Nora.

I miss her...

Someone knocked on her door.

"Enter," she bid the person without turning around.

She heard Snow's heavy footfalls behind her before the blond man draped an arm around the young girl's shoulder and said gently, "She'll come back. She always does. Just like a bad penny." Snow laughed, although the sound lacked mirth. The laughter died away as Vanille looked up at him. "I miss her too, you know," he murmured.

Vanille looked out the window, carefully thinking. Then, she said cautiously, "Snow?"

"What is it, Vanny?" Snow asked.

"You love Lightning, don't you?"

Snow stiffened for a second before he relaxed and laughed dryly. "All of us love her, Vanille. She's our commander, but more than that, she's our friend."

Vanille chanced a shy glance up at him, and said in a small voice, "No, I mean really, really love her. Like you're in love with her. Like you want to marry her, and kiss her and-"

"Yes, I understand, Vanille," Snow interrupted her tightly. He felt panicky, but didn't show it. "I know what you mean. And that's my business, not yours."

The redhead lifted her shoulders and let them drop. "But do you?"

Snow hesitated, then sighed. "Yes, I do." His arm tightened around Vanille, and he murmured again, "I really do."

"It wasn't Cid, then?"

"No, Cid was covering for me." Snow's lips turned upwards into a smile, then it fell from his face as fast as an overweight chocobo falling over the cliff. "I daren't ask her. I'm afraid she won't have me," he said a little sadly, sighing.

"I'm sure she will," Vanille said kindly. "You're a great guy."

"She's got that Prince Noctis of hers now." Now Snow sounded a little disgusted. "I can bet you anything that they love each other, even though she might not know it herself."

Vanille laughed quietly. "That's our Lightning for you."

--

On board the ship

-Lightning-

"Are you ready?" Noctis called to Ace. The boy held a wooden sword – given to him by Weha – and Noctis held its twin. Lightning leaned against a wooden wall, watching them with amusement on her face. Around them, sailors paused in their work to watch the pair.

"I'm just going to put you through your paces, see how much you know," Noctis had told him when he'd shown up in front of Noctis, ready and alert. "I won't hit hard, though."

To which Ace had replied, proudly, "You hit as hard as you want. I'm not gonna get hurt."

Noctis had grinned. "We'll see about that."

Now, the boy nodded tightly, his frame stiff in the first-position striking pose Noctis had shown him earlier. Noctis spun the sword in his hand, and called, "Okay, attack me."

"Wh-what?" Ace asked, clearly surprised. He'd probably thought that Noctis would leap at him.

"Take a shot."

Ace started to step forward hesitantly when Lightning rolled her eyes and declared, "Oh, this is hopeless," then drew her gun-blade and lunged at Noctis.

Noctis caught her movement in time and summoned his sword to parry her blow. She whipped around and came at him on the other side, but he deflected the attempt easily enough. He grinned at her, and when she rolled her eyes in return, he teleported into the air, and landed behind her.

At the same time, she leaped into the air and snapped her fingers, flipping in a sequence so complicated one had to squint to see what she was doing, and even then it was a chore. She landed lightly on her toes three feet away from Noctis.

He knitted his brows together. "Show off," he said to her.

She merely grinned, and changed her sword into a gun, and shot at him in rapid succession. He deflected the shots with his sword, although her shots sometimes forced him to duck so he didn't get hit. At last, he teleported until he was behind her, and he wrapped his arms around her, dropping Somnus, the sword he had wielded. It fell with a clang.

"This is supposed to be a friendly match," he murmured in her ear.

Lightning squirmed slightly, then grumbled, "Let me go and we can continue. I won't use my gun this time, I promise," she added sweetly, and when he kept his hold on her, she added in a softer, pleading tone, "Let me go please?"

He grinned. "I can't trust you when you use that tone," he complained quietly in her ear. "You make me do whatever you want me to do with that, all the time." He let her go, and picked up the sword, then inspected it quickly. It was still clear of scratches.

"Thanks," Lightning told him. "I'll remember that." He grimaced, then raised his sword.

"Shall we?" he suggested, and lunged at her.

She parried the blow. Sparks flew out as metal grated against metal, and Lightning's hand slipped, but Noctis didn't press his advantage; instead, he whirled and came at her from the other back-flipped to avoid the blow, and landed neatly five feet away from him. Noctis disappeared and reappeared in front of her, and the dance began.

Blades swished, coming as close as an inch to their targets before being stopped and retreating. Their bodies twirled and twined, the weapons being the place they joined for moments and returning back before going again. Lightning's hair flew around her like an aura of strawberry-gold, the sun reflecting the colours into the sky, making the Prince to often wonder what it would feel like if he could twine his fingers into her hair and kiss the strands. His own eyes burned a beautiful amber, often causing Lightning to lose her train of thought as she stared into them. But still, they moved.

She flicked her leg up, aiming for his head, but he stopped it, dropped it, and slashed at her. She dodged neatly, and crouched.

He ducked as she leaped up, flipping neatly over him, her blade almost touching his hair. His figure blurred and he appeared in the sky, flipping also, and landing on his feet in front of Lightning as she flicked her switch and her sword became a gun. Metal touched her neck and his forehead, and the two of them, breathing slightly heavily, stared at each other for a long time before she stepped back and bowed.

"Seems like we're as good as each other," were her only words before everyone on board hooted and cheered at the performance. Lightning turned around, and beckoned to Ace, who trotted forward, his face overawed and his jaw slack with shock. She picked up the wooden sword Noctis had dropped to defend himself from her, and began to show him different forms of attacking and defending. Noctis took his place with Weha at the wheel, and watched as Lightning parried a blow from Ace easily.

Weha chuckled as he watched them. "Eh, you've got some competition now. The boy's never gonna let her go."

Noctis lifted his shoulders into a shrug, and dropped them. "I don't think she goes for younger guys," he answered quietly, and wrapped his gloved hands on the railing, his dark blue eyes on her slim, strong form.

At that very moment, she glanced up, and gave him a slow, sexy smile – albeit a small one - that caused his insides to flutter. Her eyes sparkled from the fight and the sun, so brightly that it came as a surprise to him that she wasn't blinding everyone in sight.

My Lightning.

--

Three days later...

-Noctis-

He was bored.

Noctis stifled a yawn, and put his hands behind his head, blinking sleepily. It was night time, and everyone else on board the Beaura, the ship, was sleeping. Everyone but him. For the first time in his life, he wished that he had Marcus, Laris and Bradley with him. They, at least, could joke around and make him feel... not bored.

The Prince turned his head as someone knocked on his door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and Lightning stepped in, looking faintly embarrassed. Noctis eyes took in her attire, and he raised his eyebrows.

"You still love to wear your war suit, don't you?" he asked wryly. She shrugged amiably.

"You'll never know when someone will attack," she answered, and shut the door behind her. Her hair was still damp from the bath she had taken earlier, and her cheeks flushed from – obviously – being above in the cold night air. Noctis sighed.

"You should stop sneaking up, Light. It's not safe."

"I think I've proved that I can take care of myself, thank you very much," she answered, rolling her eyes. "You have to stop being so protective, Noctis."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I have every right to be protective of you," was his answering snarl. She rolled her eyes again, and played with the edge of her cape. "Why are you here?" he asked, changing the subject, and looking at her hand. She hid it behind her back, and looked away.

"I... couldn't sleep," she said reluctantly. He suppressed laughter, and sat up. "I just thought we could keep each other company," she added.

"How did you know I was awake?" He raised his eyebrows.

"If you weren't, I probably would've waken you up."

"You'd better be kidding."

"I am. I was just going to watch you sleep."

He smiled, and patted the space beside him. He scooted over as she came nearer and sat down. He noticed that she was barefoot. She followed his gaze, and smiled a little sheepishly.

"My shoes were wet."

He grinned. "I can imagine." Noctis wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, then leaned back onto the pillow. "So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked her, fingering a strand of her silky hair.

She shrugged. "Anything." Then she paused. "No, wait. Tell me how it happened." He looked at her. She looked back at him, her eyes emotionless. "Tell me about the day you thought I died," she clarified.

He hesitated. "It's not... It's not something I like to talk about," he muttered.

"But I have a right to know," she told him, discreetly breathing in his scent. Then, she realized that he was half-naked. She shot up, eyes wide.

He sat up after her. "What's wrong?" he murmured, surprised at her reaction, then he followed her gaze. "... Oh." A small smile graced his full, soft lips and he said, "Sorry, but I kind of like to sleep without any shirt on."

Lightning grimaced.

Noctis grinned at her expression, and slipped an arm around her slightly hesitantly. "Come on, lean back, it's comfortable." She rolled her eyes, but allowed him to drag her back. He kissed her forehead. "Do you really want to know?" he asked, extracting his arm from around her and rose up on one elbow, his amber eyes on her.

She nodded.

With a sigh, he recounted the events of the day he sometimes still had nightmares of, the day he lost everything he had cared for, in a voice that was bleak and lacked happiness or anything positive. And together after that, Lightning wrapped her arms around the older man and murmured soothing words to him as he cried silently into her shoulder, his own arms tight around her slim form.

At last, the two of them dropped off to sleep in that position.

--

-Stella-

She tapped her long fingers against the windowsill, wondering when her Noctis would return with the woman who was once his childhood friend.

How had she escaped? Stella wondered, and sighed. The fugitive was better than she'd thought. She must've had someone who is stupid enough to help her, because there are no Resistance members amongst us, she reasoned.

"My Lady, there's someone here to see you." It was the voice of her trusty handmaiden. Without turning around, she said, "Let him in."

The door shut, and heavy footsteps sounded, and paused. Then, the man said, in a gruff voice, "M'lady, I've got some news abou' t'redheaded lass yeh and yer Prince are lookin' fer."

"Give it to me, and you will be rewarded."

"The lass was at the bar four nights ago. I remember 'er now. Saw a picture of 'er posted up, good likeness 'tis." The man chuckled. "She was with a man, dark-haired terror with blue eyes. Wore all black, he did. Looked mighty much like 'Is 'Ighness."

Stella frowned. "Yes, that's Noctis. He was searching for her."

"Nay, m'lady, had 'is arm 'round the girl, he did."

The blond woman knitted her brows together. "Noctis would never do that." He must have been just pretending – we couldn't have people knowing that our only prisoner had escaped from us. And she must've escaped as soon as they were out of sight, and he had tried to catch her... which means they are... where? "Be gone with you. I have no patience to hear your lies," she told the man sharply, then reached into her pocket and took out a small sack of gil. "But here's your reward for your trouble."

The man caught the sack, and stumbled away. Stella wrinkled her nose; he had left behind a stench of alcohol.

I hope to dear Etro that Noctis isn't an alcoholic.

Please review to get the sneak peek!

Reminder: Read 'Rise of the Guardians' and vote on my profile page! Thanks everyone!

Dawn -- out!

Love ya!