Author's Note: Hey you guys! I hope everyone has been well. Thank you all so so so much for the reviews and reads and faves and alerts for the last chapter/story. I really really appreciate it. This chapter will be considerably shorter than the others unfortunately but I had to make way for and start working on *drum roll please* the third and final story for this series.

To everyone wondering what's going on with Noctis (like "why is he here in the story?", "what's his background?" and "how does he fit with the story?") I will definitely start working more on him. My thoughts early on when I introduced his character was that Final Fantasy Versus XIII would be out by now and I could incorporate more of that story into this one. However, since Square Enix (who I could drop kick right now for deciding to make a sequel to Final Fantasy XII-2 when Versus has been in production seven years) hasn't released the game yet I had to make some alterations.

In addition, the poll has been closed and the votes have been counted. Expect at least two to three new stories for 2013 and one premiere on December 11th. I'll respond to all reviews at the bottom of the page.

Take care everyone and enjoy the chapter!

Selphie slapped down a magazine on top of Kairi's living room coffee table. "I just KNEW I've seen that guy before!"

Kairi, Sora, Naminé and Roxas were at Selphie's house on a windy Sunday afternoon. There was only one week left before the rest of year and they decided to spend as much time with each other as humanly possible.

Kairi and Naminé stared at each other in confusion. The redhead spoke up first. "Uh, Selphie," she trailed off, tapping the cover which only showed an actress, "this isn't Jasmine or the guy."

The green eyed girl sighed dramatically before pointing to the neon yellow sticky note wedged between the pages. "Look there," she instructed.

Naminé did so and sure enough, there was a photograph in the gossip section containing a picture of Jasmine and the unknown, black/blue haired gentleman dancing together at her art showcase. The pair seemed to be so enthralled in one another that they didn't notice their picture being taken.

"He's so good looking…" Selphie's eyes were practically twinkling, "why does Jasmine get all the hot ones?" She then asked indignantly.

Kairi shook her head and replied, "She's just lucky, in any case," she cleared her throat and read the short paragraph written under the photograph. "Rising starlet Faye Silva has been M.I.A. for the past year. Sources say that Miss Silva has been flying low under the radar to attend university. However at a charity event on the Destiny Islands the pop star has been spotted! And she isn't alone either. The mysterious gentleman she's with is none other than Prince Noctis Caelum!"

Naminé's eyes widened and she rushed to get a good look at the photograph. "Holy….it's him…"

Sora stared at Naminé. "Do you know him from somewhere?"

Roxas nodded and answered in the place of his sister. "Our parents told us about their family a long time ago."

Sora, Kairi and Selphie listened in while Roxas began explaining.

"Their family is royalty. They rule a country not too far from Hollow Bastion. Their family has a long line of kings who rose to wealth because of the Caelum Crystals," Roxas explained.

Selphie's eyes lit up. "The diamonds? Right?"

Roxas nodded. "The same ones. Supposedly they're the most flawless diamonds in the world and that family has them…well…most of them."

Kairi's curiosity was peaked. "What happened then?"

"There's this story that another country was looking to take power from the Caelum family and they engaged in a way a long time ago. Unfortunately, there are very few of those diamonds left. The Caelum family is still very powerful, but they kind of operate like some shady business. I heard that some family members act like some type of mafia. Let's just say this: don't cross a Caelum. They may be wealthy, but from what I've heard they have no problem disposing of threats."

Sora whistled. "Whoa. Those guys sound intense."

Roxas stared at the picture in Selphie's magazine. "And this guy named Noctis, he's the prince. He's next in line for the throne. Although I don't get why he's here on the Destiny Islands honestly."

"Yeah," Selphie added, finding herself drooling at the sight of the enigmatic, handsome prince. "Shouldn't he be off ruling his country?"

Naminé shrugged her shoulders. "Your guess is as good as ours."

"All we know is that he and Jasmine are working together," Roxas said to the group.

Selphie eyed the picture carefully. "They seem a little closer than that…" she trailed off softly.

Roxas rolled his eyes at the comment while Kairi pinched Selphie's arm. Everyone in the room knew that Jasmine's relations with other men were almost a taboo topic now.

"Regardless," Naminé stepped in to keep her brother from having to discuss the subject further, "we have to go through other routes to figure out what's going on. Clearly Jasmine isn't going to let us get close—she's done this before which means that something else really big is coming."

The chestnut-haired girl sighed, her good cheer fading fast. "What else could go wrong?" Selphie's voice was soft. "She just buried her parents a little while ago. Jasmine doesn't need anything else going wrong."

"I know," Naminé replied in agreement, "but clearly something else is going on. Jasmine distances herself from others when she's got something planned and honestly, we haven't done a very good job at finding her. So…"

Kairi caught on shortly after Naminé trailed off. "We need to find out more about this Noctis guy instead. He's probably the best lead we have to Jasmine considering the fact that every time we see her, she's with him."

"I wonder how the two of them met anyway," Sora trailed off.

Naminé and Roxas gave each other knowing glances, the two of them knowing full well that Jasmine's meeting with the prince was no mere accident or coincidence.

Vanitas hung up the phone and frowned. Ever since the Silva family funeral he'd been under a great deal of pressure as of late. With him being the prime suspect of the murders, he had to be even more careful with how he moved about. His ability to go out into the public sphere had been hindered greatly, he had to work through his subordinates and he was confined to his penthouse apartment on Hollow Bastion.

All of this because of one man who had been a ghost for so long.

Vanitas reached into his desk and pulled out a business card with writing on the back and began dialing the number scrawled out in messy black ink.

The phone rang once before the person on the other end answered.

"I knew you'd call me," the elder man from before said, a dark smile in his voice as he spoke.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. "I didn't call you to chat. You sure have screwed things up for me."

"Oh? My nephew can't handle what's laid out before him? That's shocking."

Vanitas' eyes hardened and he slammed the drawer shut, taking a seat in the armchair near the window overlooking the city. "You could drop the condescending tone, Uncle. I really don't have the patience for it at the moment," he warned.

"Yes, because I'm sure you've gone underground to avoid the authorities…not like that's a big deal. Our family has plenty of strongholds all over the islands." A menacing laugh escaped Vanitas' uncle's voice. "Perhaps if you had been able to hold onto that Silva girl when you had her, you wouldn't be in this position."

Vanitas' lips pulled into an even tighter frown. To this day, he could not fully get over how Jasmine had been able to outsmart him.

"Would you have killed her parents if I would have managed to leave the island with her?" Vanitas asked after a brief period of silence.

Another chuckle. "Her father and I had a bit of unfinished business to settle. Her parents were always supposed to meet their demise at my hands."

Vanitas paused and tapped his finger against the armrest of his chair. The next question came out quite cautious. "And what of her?"

"The Silva girl? What of it, Vanitas?"

"You know what I'm getting at," Vanitas barked, "were you going to kill her as well?"

Vanitas' uncle sighed heavily. "Don't tell me that you actually have feelings for her," his uncle said with disgust. "Although…she is quite beautiful. And from what I've come to understand, she's quite cunning and genius. More so than her parents, that much is for sure."

"I didn't think you'd approve of my fiancée, Uncle," Vanitas' concern was raised now. Never in his twenty three years of life had he heard his uncle give such great praise to anyone that wasn't in the family. On top of that, this was the same woman whose parents he'd murdered.

His uncle scoffed. "Ha! I am not sure the feelings are mutual. Besides, she's not at our level. And the fact still stands that she is still a Silva."

Vanitas smirked. "Oh I see," he trailed off, "you're still upset at the fact that it was Jasmine's father who put you in your current predicament."

Vanitas' uncle was unaffected. "But I have almost completed my revenge. Look at where the Silva family is now. There's nothing that her father or mother can do to touch us."

"Almost?" Vanitas repeated, shifting in his seat. "What else is left? Her parents are dead—by either your hands or a henchman's hands. What else is there left for you to do?"

Vanitas' uncle's smile was all too visible despite them having this conversation by phone. "If you recall, Vanitas, there is still one major Silva left." And with that he hung up the phone.

Vanitas' eyes widened, the threat of his uncle very much real.

He got up from his seat and walked over to his desk. He picked up his office phone and dialed Stella, impatiently waiting for her to pick up.

"Hello Vanitas," she greeted politely. "What can I-?"

Vanitas cut her off before she could finish asking her question. "I want you to contact Saix and Xigbar. I also want you to get ahold of Xaldin as well. Meet me at the mansion."

"What's going on, Sir?" Stella was quite taken back by Vanitas' unease.

"I need you to meet me in half an hour. I don't care where you all are."

Stella was quiet for a moment. "Is this another mission?"

"Yes," Vanitas replied impatiently, putting the phone on speaker so that he could get dressed. Once he had his leather jacket he went back to his desk and searched for a handgun. "The three of you are going to find Jasmine and bring her to me. I don't even care if you have to incapacitate her. With Xaldin, this should be an easy task. His strength should prove difficult in itself."

"And what of that man she's always with?" Stella was trying to gather as many details as humanly possible.

"If he's with her, I want him dead. He's proved to be a bit of a nuisance."

Stella felt a lump in her throat but shook the feeling.

"Understood, Sir."

Vanitas glanced at the picture of Jasmine he had on his desk. "Do not fail me this time."

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you liked the chapter!

Sayonara Yasashii Akumu: I have never read Black Butler but I'm going to look it up now because you made the reference! Ah yes, I feel bad for Vanitas (mildly) as well for what's coming his way. In the very near future there will be a very heated interaction with Aria and Jasmine (while she's in her "Miss Silva" state). I'm so looking forward to that conflict. Thank you for the review!

Sarah K.R: Yes, this is actually not the first time Riku has admitted it to the audience but it is the first time he's admitted it to himself while he was sober. And yes, hahaha, you all are going to see a much darker side of Jasmine, worse than in the first story by far. I kinda want her to be almost on par with Vanitas. But there is a reason why this will be. I promise I'm not making her crazy just for the sake of being crazy. I actually miss the simpler times as well. I reread Heartbreakers and the reviews last night and was like "oh wow this story has taken quite a turn". Thanks for the review!

Skeleus: I'm glad you like where the story is going despite it being so dark. Thanks for the review!

hopefuldreamer1991: Oh yes. Riku will not be over Jasmine. Thanks for the review!

BelowtheFire: Aww thank you! I'm so glad that you don't think it's just a really basic story. That's such a great complement! I miss Riku and Jasmine too honestly (even though as a couple they got less screen time than her and Roxas). Thanks for the review!

Frooky90: I almost forgot too. It's almost like I have to go back to old notes because her mannerisms when she goes through these "stages" are so radically different. I miss the original her as well. Maybe the old her will be coming back sooner than expected *hint hint*. Thanks for the review!

LouFF13Kh2: Haha Jasmine has been smoking "paopu" since the beginning of the story. And yes, she does seem like she'll explode one way or another. You almost teared up? Aww that really does make me sad Thanks for the review!

Guest: Sora is really catching hell for what his cousin is doing. I feel bad for him. Although, Sora will definitely be able to clear his family name soon; let's just say that an unstable Jasmine is definitely not what Riku needs to see at the moment. Although it would make things interesting. Thanks for the review!

Sookdeo: Aww I'm glad that you're happy whenever I get the chance to update. Demyx will definitely make more appearances as the story progresses. In fact, he'll become very important to Jasmine later on but you're so very right. Talking to her won't make any difference at this point in time. I think it's safe to say that she suffered a sort of psychotic break or something along those lines. There will be more of Noctis' past too. I had to add a little bit in this chapter as well haha. Thanks for the review!

UnwrittenMemory: Yeah this was definitely a first for me. I've never directly killed off a character in a drama story before. Horror? Oh yeah. But I wanted this story to be more intense and with this story and it's sequel, you'll definitely see a lot more gritty moments like this. Not unnecessary of course (I hate senseless violence) but unfortunately it'll be way more intense than the first. Really? When I write this story I feel like there's a gray overtone too! Yes that means I'm doing my job hahaha. There will be more Riku as well down the road. Perhaps even a few one on one scenes with Jasmine? *hint hint* I hate funerals too and thanks for the review!

Thanks everyone! Tell me what you think in a review and I'll try to work on the next chapter tonight. Plus there's a new poll up for the next story. Take care!