Author's Note: Sorry everyone I haven't updated in a while. I have the flu which slows everything down like two hundred percent. Regardless, here's the new chapter! I wanna thank all those who read and faved the story and myself. I wanna thank my reviewers fictionalcharacterwish, animechick247, KittyFox1, Catalyna Cullen, ShatterTheHeavens, Kanika Meskhenet, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Frooky90, The Sin Is Red, ventus4ever, and Khaotic Kal. You guys are awesome. And yay for two hundred reviews! Take care everyone, happy reading and tell me what you think of this chapter!

-Skye

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Jasmine. I swear.

"What are your plans for today?" Tifa asked Jasmine as the younger girl slipped on her socks while sitting in the living room.

Jasmine searched for one of her socks and replied, "Nothing today as of yet. I don't have to go into the studio with Demyx. The song is written. I have a break at least until Friday."

Tifa sighed. Jasmine was almost always out of the house nowadays. Whether it was her friends, her studies or her new, slowly building career, Jasmine was gone a good portion of the time and when she was at home, she was asleep. Tifa was happy for her. But she did miss her. "Well, what are you doing on Saturday?"

Jasmine slipped her converse on her feet. "Absolutely nothing!" she cheered.

"I was kind of hoping that maybe we could hang out if you wouldn't be too tired," Tifa mentioned. "If you're busy…"

"No way! Of course we could hang out," Jasmine grinned. "Let's get lunch and go to the movies."

Tifa was shocked that with all that was going on, Jasmine was able to still find the energy for lunch. "Perfect. I can't wait. By the way," Tifa retreated to the den, "I won't be here on Friday night."

"Where are you going?"

There was a brief pause. "Cloud is taking me out to dinner."

Jasmine threw her shoe aside and ran for the den. "WHAT? When did this happen?"

"He came by on Valentine's Day," Tifa said casually.

"That was on FRIDAY! It's Monday of next week! Why didn't you say anything?"

Tifa set aside the remote. "Because you were passed out on the couch whenever you were home. Cloud carried you upstairs last night."

Jasmine reeled back. "He carried me?"

Tifa laughed. "You were knocked out. Poking you couldn't even make you budge."

'And to think I missed being carried up into my room princess style by that gorgeous blond,' Jasmine frowned. "My bad. I guess I was more tired than I knew."

"Listen to me Jasmine," Tifa began slowly and cautiously. Jasmine sensed that a serious conversation was about to take place, "when I signed that contract for you to perform, I had total faith in you that you would keep up your grades." She turned to Jasmine. "You are aware that there's a high chance that your parents will find out."

Jasmine nodded her head. She knew that if she pursued music and that industry, that someone who knew her parents might see. Usually, her mother and father didn't pay attention to things in pop culture so they would be a little slower to find out. But with people like Vanitas roaming around, the chance of them finding out was extremely high. "I'll take care of it when it happens. If I'm not singing and just performing, I might be safe. But if I should sing," Jasmine grabbed her stomach. Every time she pictured singing in front of others in a crowd of more than four, she felt nauseous. Sometimes, Jasmine wondered why she signed the contract so hastily. "I'll deal with it then."

"I'm behind you one hundred percent, know that. I'm just warning you of what might happen."

"I understand," Jasmine said.

Tifa blinked. "By the way, what happened to Riku? I don't see him around anymore."

Just the mention of Riku's name unleashed the butterflies in Jasmine's stomach that she worked so hard to control. She'd come to terms with the fact that she had romantic feelings for him, but she wanted to keep them lock and key so that it doesn't affect the way she works. Despite all that people like Tifa and Demyx had drilled into her head, Jasmine still viewed her feelings as a hindrance.

"He's off with his new girlfriend," she answered blandly. "He can do whatever he wants. I've got enough problems to worry about. He's not one of them."

"Whoa," Tifa cut her off before she could go any further. "This sounds pretty intense. What happened? What's this about a new girlfriend?"

Jasmine headed for the door and grabbed her backpack. "Let's just say that for now, Riku's not going to be around."

"Promise me you'll tell me about this later, okay?"

"I will. Let's just hope this day goes smoothly."

'FML. Of course I'd end up spending the day with my favorite person ever,' Jasmine cringed as she walked into the attendance office to find Vanitas standing at the counter in his business suit.

Vanitas smiled and took the slip from the woman working in the office. He smiled kindly to Jasmine and led her out of the office.

"Okay," she started once she was sure they were out of earshot, "why the hell are you here? Don't you have stuff to do?"

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders and the kind smiled faded into one of mischief and dark intensions. "Most girls would love to get out of school before lunchtime for the day. Guess you're an exception to a lot of things, aren't you?"

"Don't talk to me," she spat, speeding up down the hall to put some distance between herself and Vanitas. "I'd rather sit in school for the next two weeks straight than be with you."

Vanitas, as usual, seemed completely unaffected by Jasmine's words and continued on his way. "Ha, I think you're overreacting just a tad." He paused in the hallway before he reached the door and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm not such a terrible person. I think that you and I could have a good time together."

Jasmine rolled her eyes dramatically and stepped out of the school, followed by Vanitas. Unfortunately she couldn't make an escape and take off like she would have wanted. Reno and Rude were standing in front of a sleek black limousine. If Jasmine tried anything both of them would be able to catch up with ease and restrain her. Vanitas had her and he knew it.

"What's wrong with me taking you to lunch? Even though this school is for the wealthy, I'm sure you get tired of eating here every day." Vanitas now stood beside her and held the door open. He then whispered, "You're not getting away so you might as well do as I say and get in."

The threat in his voice was strong and Jasmine, not wanting to fight with him, did as she was told. Once Vanitas slid in behind Jasmine, the doors slammed shut and Jasmine sat as far away from Vanitas as possible. The limo took off and Jasmine rested her head against the window, staring out and watching the buildings fly by in a blur.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," Vanitas pointed out, flipping through a legal pad mindlessly while glancing up at her with a sly, half-lidded stare.

"Yeah, and the guy kissing up to my father isn't helping either."

Vanitas flipped the pad shut. He reached off to the side and slid a pink box with a bright white bow her way. Jasmine caught it and stared at it cautiously. "It's not a bomb," he reassured her. "You can't honestly think I'm ignorant enough to give you something that would cause you harm while I'm still in the area, could you?"

She narrowed her eyes. It was something she'd say to Riku on many occasions. It was funny how the situations paralled each other but differed so much. "So you've pondered the idea of causing me harm?" She remembered when he grabbed her by her hair and how much it hurt.

Vanitas laughed and lowered his voice. "Not that kind of harm anyway," he whispered. "Change out of your uniform when we get to the restaurant. Your shoes are in the back."

"Look," Jasmine held up the box, "I'm tired of you guys playing dress up with me. I'm not some doll who can be manipulated and tossed and turned every which way you want. Get it through your heads now."

"Jasmine calm down," Vanitas told her sternly, "I just don't want you walking around in your uniform all day."

"My father won't be there? He can just claim me if anyone asks questions about whether I'm truant or not," Jasmine said.

"Your parents won't be there until after we eat," Vanitas told her. "It's just lunch between you and me."

"Aren't I blessed?"

Vanitas chuckled. "Divinely," he smirked.

'I'm not dealing with this well,' Riku thought as he stared at Jasmine's empty seat in the classroom during their fifth period. He saw her leave before noon and (even before then stemming from Valentine's Day) Riku began to notice something. Whenever Jasmine wasn't near or away, he felt almost a physical pain and heaviness that weighed him down. He'd never been in love before and from what he'd been told, it was excruciatingly painful. Well, if that was the case then Riku figured that he was beyond head-over-heels.

She even affected him when he was at home when he should be thinking about other things. Last night Riku fell asleep and had one of the most troubling nightmares he'd ever had in his life.

Flashback

Riku was standing on the docks of the islet he and his friends used to play on when they were little. It was still the same as when they were all four and five years old. The tree house was still perfectly intact, the sheds around the waterfall stood tall and everything was at peace just as it had always been.

"I haven't been here since I was like, fifteen…" Riku trailed off, staring at the little island. He could still hear the echoes of the laughter of his friends from back when they were young and he smiled. Some of his fondest memories were of his time spent on the island. Things were a lot simpler then and Riku sometimes found himself wishing that he could turn back time to when he was a child.

Amidst the sound of crashing waves, Riku heard the distant sound of footsteps in the sands and he looked to his right, spotting Jasmine walking to the other side of the island. Riku paused before he called out to her.

'I wonder if she's still angry with me,' he thought grimly. 'I wouldn't blame her.' Riku began to follow her anyway just before she disappeared from sight. 'Still, it can't get any worse.'

"Jasmine," Riku called out, running towards her. No matter how fast he run, she was always a good twenty steps ahead of him. Eventually she crossed the bridge to the smaller islet where an upturned tree branch was with yellow, star-shaped paopu fruit hung from the leaves. She took as seat on the branch and stared into the ocean, her face hidden by her long, dark hair.

He slowly walked along the bridge and stared at the back of her head. "What are you doing here?" Riku was now standing maybe three feet away from Jasmine. However the air around her was thin and for some reason it was hard for him to breathe.

"You don't own this island, do you?" She asked flatly.

Truth be told, his parents did own that island, but he didn't feel the need to talk about his parent's property. "You can be here whenever you want."

"Why did you follow me?" Jasmine asked finally, balling her fists against the tree.

"Because I wanted to talk to you," Riku confessed. "You could probably do a lot better without me in your life. I'm not the best person to be around and I've offended you on multiple occasions."

Jasmine tapped her fingers against the wood. "What are you getting at?"

"Faye, I'm sorry I've treated you so poorly and you've done nothing to earn what I've done to you. If anything," Riku breathed deeply. He'd never admitted this openly and didn't think his pride would let him admit this to Jasmine, "my jealousy over everyone surrounding you screwed up my head and that's only because I have feelings for you. I'm sorry, Faye. I know you probably won't forgive me, but I at least had to tell you why I was acting like this and that I'm really sorry for everything."

Jasmine jumped from the tree branch and faced Riku, eyes closed. "So you're saying that this is my fault?"

"No!" He shouted. "That's not it! You've done nothing wrong. I—"

Riku was stopped short when Jasmine grabbed his elbows and rested her head on his chest, still keeping some distance between the two. What Riku found troubling though with all this, is that her body was icy cold.

"You're terrible at explaining yourself," she chuckled. "Quit while you're ahead."

"Faye…"

Jasmine sighed. "I hate you, Riku."

Riku looked up and cried out in pain. In one swift motion, Jasmine had managed to stab him with a rusty switchblade right where his heart was supposed to be. He staggered back and she held onto him, pushing him back towards the edge where the ocean awaited. Riku stared at Jasmine incredulously and felt himself overwhelmed with pain from all angles but most of all the pain from the wound near his heart and probably moreso, Jasmine's words.

"I wish I'd never met you," Jasmine finally looked up and although her face was relatively calm, her eyes were smoldering with dark hatred that could shake someone to the core. She frowned, removed the blade and pushed him back into the ocean.

The ocean continued to push and pull Riku down deeper until soon the light was no more and Jasmine vanished from sight.

End of Flashback

As soon as the bell rang Riku cleared his head and gathered his belongings. 'She's never going to want to speak to me again.'

Jasmine brushed off her short sleeved white blazer jacket of the all white, tailored, fitted suit her father had purchased for her. 'Damn him for this,' she reached for the glass of red wine sitting in front of her and glared at Vanitas. He'd brought her to the same restaurant that her mother always took her too when she started coming to her new school. She half expected for either her mother or father to pop up at any time. If someone were to pass by the pair and not look at their faces, it would appear as though Jasmine and Vanitas were on a lunch date.

"Well," he commented as he stared back at her, "you can handle your liquor, I'll give you that much."

"If I didn't have this sitting in front of me," she sat the glass back down and set her polished index finger on the table authoritatively, "I'd probably throw this plate of food clear into your face and storm off. But the alcohol is cooling me down considerably so you're a lucky man."

Vanitas finished his meal. "Isn't that a bit dramatic?"

Jasmine balled her fists. "I haven't been in the best of moods lately and haven't been able to let all this tension out," she whispered darkly. She then smiled viciously. "You're in the line of fire."

The apprentice reached across the table and grabbed her hand, knowing full well she wouldn't react when he did for fear of causing a scene at the restaurant her father frequents. "There are much more productive ways to release your tension. If you continue to bottle all this up, you'll surely lose the rest of your mind."

"Do not question my sanity or my mental state," Jasmine snapped.

"Oh?" Vanitas grinned and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I thought we were becoming friends."

"Now you're just pissing me off," she hissed.

Vanitas gripped her hand tight enough to possibly sprain it. "As a lady, I'd suggest you watch your language. Just because you can get away with it around me, doesn't mean you can do the same in public."

Jasmine quickly snatched her hand away, noticing how red it was. Vanitas was a lot stronger than he appeared. If he wanted to do some serious harm to her, he could do so effortlessly. "If my father finds out you keep physically abusing me, I don't think you'll be in his inner circle for very long."

It was then that Vanitas laughed and there were serious, dark undertones laced inside that were almost impossible to miss. "Now, let's talk about insanity for a minute. When I was in my first year of undergraduate, I took a great deal of time out to study psychology of the human mind. Do you know what I have concluded?" He continued as Jasmine seemed a bit too stunned to speak. "We're all a bit insane. It just varies on different levels."

"Oh god," Jasmine groaned, watching patiently as a couple passed them by before she opened her mouth to speak again. "You're not putting me on the couch."

Vanitas closed his eyes. "Let's take someone like your father: he will push himself to destroying his family, well moreso you than anything, all in hopes of reaching the upper-class status. He doesn't see that it's going to eventually lead to his downfall and in a way, that's his insanity driving him to reach heights that he'll never reach."

"You talk about insanity like you're an expert," Jasmine replied harshly, reaching for her glass of wine. "Aren't you one of my father's lackeys? You seem to have such a grim opinion of him."

"I'm merely stating the absolute truth," Vanitas crossed his arms in his seat. "Think about it: you're his daughter. You can't say that he didn't destroy his relationship with you by relentlessly pursuing his goals."

Jasmine rested the hand holding the glass against the side of her forehead. As much as it pained her to admit it, Vanitas had a point and he knew what he was talking about. She wasn't sure how long he'd been in her father's life, but he was able to see in a short amount of time the damage her father had caused and how eventually it would all backfire.

"I'll be frank with you," she opened up to him just the slightest, "he has put a strain on our family's relationship."

"It's obvious," he then stated matter-of-factly, "the hatred you have for your father is pretty clear in your eyes. I do feel sorry for you in a way, but it's made you the woman you are now. You don't need anyone and are strong enough to stand on your own two feet."

"Should I thank you? Is that a complement?"

"It is so take it, I don't give them out," Vanitas told her.

Jasmine finished the glass and laughed. "Then what's up with you showering my father with complements? Isn't that a bit backwards?"

"Now let's talk about your sanity…" Vanitas blatantly ignored her in favor of his own thoughts. Jasmine tensed up. She dreaded hearing what he had to say on the subject and she didn't know how she'd react if he stepped out of line. "I haven't completely figured you out yet, I'll be honest with you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that why you keep bothering me? I'm not an experiment."

Vanitas looked up through the glass ceiling. "You're so much like your father and yet you're the complete opposite of him at the same time. Luckily, save for some of the physical traits, you're nothing like your mother. I can't figure you out completely and it bothers me. You try so hard in school to put yourself in a better place and I'll wager that you put up a front before others so that way you don't get hurt."

Jasmine cursed herself when an image of Riku popped into her mind. 'I've got to get past this thing I feel for him. It can't be healthy.'

"And I think that one day, if you're not careful, when things don't go as planned, everything's going to crumble before you and you'll lose it. Mark my words. For a girl your age to be so detached from her feelings, it's a bit startling. But…" he paused at the same time, "it's a strength as well as your curse. Not many women can do this."

Jasmine was torn between telling Vanitas to jump off a cliff and walking out. The fact that she was so much of an open book to him was more than a bit concerning. She tried to calm herself down. "Now I'm a woman?"

"You always were at least in my eyes. You're not like the rest. Your maturity level is way higher than those in your age group, you're vicious when called for, not easy to read," Vanitas once again stared at her as if she were his prey, "and definitely someone I find attractive in a dark sort of way."

"You must have had too much to drink," Jasmine concluded, looking for the door and not wanting to stick around for the rest of this. "Have Reno and Rude take you home. I'll catch a cab." She stood up and started for the door when Vanitas grabbed her wrist tightly. He took rose from his seat and pulled her close enough so she could hear him as he whispered.

"Jasmine, let's get this straight: you and I WILL be interacting for a while so you might want to get used to my presence. The longer you reject me, the worse it's going to be for you in the long run. While I do appreciate your personality, I'd tone it down. Understand?"

Jasmine snatched her hand away and ran off out the door and to the exit where just outside the limo was waiting. "Take me back to school," she asked Rude as she hopped back in the backseat.

"What about Mr. Vanitas?" Rude asked curiously.

"It'll only take ten minutes to get me back to school and then to get back here," she said hastily. "He'll be done with his drink by then."

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me, Kid. I never liked that cocky punk anyway."

Riku had finished changing and was now in a pair of baggy gray sweats, a tank top, sneakers and his gloves. He was exhausted. Because their first game was coming up in the next two weeks, the coach had added another conditioning practice and someone just so happened to be late. This punishment was five miles and two hundred crunches. Riku pulled his backpack from his locker and shut the door just in time to hear Mako laughing on the other side.

"Dude, you should've waited a bit. Now she's not coming back," he said to another player on the team.

"Trust me, they always come back," the other guy replied.

Riku shrugged his shoulders. This conversation was of no importance to him. He would rather be back at his home sleeping off his soon to be aching muscles.

"By the way," the second guy said, "have you gone out with Jasmine yet?"

Riku paused to hear more.

"No man," Mako replied, sighing as he did so. "She's so busy. It's hard to get a hold of her."

"I'd love to get a hold of her," the other guy chuckled.

'Relax,' Riku told himself as he sat down on a bench. 'She'd never approach a guy like that in a million years.'

The sound of shuffling echoed off the walls. "Sorry dude, find someone else," Mako told him. "I've already called her. Besides, I'm going to try and get her to go out with me after our first blitzball game."

"Dude, who would've thought that the little poor girl could be so hot? I only watch that video for her," his friend replied.

Mako then said, "Just because you don't have any class, doesn't mean that you can't be sexy. I was a little shocked though; I didn't expect her to fly above the radar. I'm glad I was wrong."

Riku knew that if he stayed any longer, he'd probably end up strangling Mako. He was fake. One minute, when he was in front of Jasmine, he would put up this façade that he was a genuine, caring guy. But as most of the guys on the team knew, Mako was a womanizer who got what he wanted and dumped the girl flat on their faces after he was through with them. Quiet as it was kept, he wasn't very well liked on the team because his cockiness was beyond even the senior boys who were being scouted for professional blitzball teams. And to think that someone like that was pursuing Jasmine? Riku would rather see her dating Sora than Mako.

He left the locker room and planned to meet up with Sora after to get a late lunch. However as Riku walked out, Mako called out to him. Stifling his irritation, Riku smiled.

"What's up man?" Mako asked cheerfully. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Yup, just waiting on someone," Riku told him.

"By the way," Mako tossed his duffel bag over one shoulder, "have you seen Jasmine or talked to her? I haven't gotten in touch with her since she left early today. I wanted to ask her something."

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "We don't really talk as of lately. She's busy. Just because she hangs with our friends, doesn't mean I keep tabs on her 24/7."

Mako wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Hmm, oh well. I'll try texting her again later. I'm tryin' to figure out if she wants to hang out with me after the game."

"What are your plans? Gonna take her out?" Riku asked innocently.

"Yeah, probably some dinner, then I wanna take her back to my place," Mako grinned mischievously.

Riku, struggling to keep control, continued on. "Tryin to hook up or something?"

"You could say that," Mako began, "to be honest, when I first met her, I thought she was a studious welfare case who was too afraid to try anything. I'm telling you though, ever since the video, I've wanted her."

Riku wanted to give Mako one last chance before he totally lost it. "So, you're just gonna screw her?"

"Wouldn't you?" Mako asked. "And if it's any good, and she's down, it could go on longer than a one night thing."

Riku backed up. "I think you should stay away from Jasmine. She's not that kind of girl. You'd be wasting your time," he snapped.

Mako felt the area tense up. "You don't think it's possible?"

Riku chuckled and eyed Mako dangerously. "She's out of your league. You wouldn't get far."

"Why are you defending her? Are YOU messing around with her?"

Riku headed for where Sora was supposed to meet him. "Definitely not. But she wouldn't go for a guy like you. She's too smart for that."

Mako watched Riku walk away and his anger rose. "She'll get a taste for me once I bend her over and she can't do anything about it."

And Riku finally lost it. Faster than Mako could imagine, Riku came back and punched Mako square in the jaw, causing him to fall to the floor. "Listen," Riku warned, "you're not going to approach any of my friends. Not Selphie, Kairi, Jasmine or Naminé. Do you hear me?"

Mako pulled himself to his feet and wiped the blood that trickled from a cut on the side of his mouth. "It's not like you're gonna be able to do anything about it."

Riku began to advance on Mako once more but he stopped when Jasmine ran in front of him and held him back as best she could.

"Riku," she told him, staring him in the eye, "calm down! Don't do anything stupid."

Riku calmed down within a matter of seconds on seeing the deeply-routed concern in Jasmine's face. Although his fists were still balled, his shoulders relaxed and his breathing began to steady. It was amazing how just one touch from her could chill him out even in his anger.

"Good," Mako spat, "maybe you could control this psycho."

Jasmine turned around and held Riku off. "I heard everything you basic idiot," she said darkly, making Mako stop dead in his tracks. "I knew something was wrong with you. I'm just sad you think I'm stupid enough to actually sleep with a whore like you. Trust me, just because I'm quiet, doesn't mean I don't hear the rumors."

Mako began approaching Jasmine but Tidus and Sora ran up to the scene and restrained him before he could get his hands on her.

"I'd be cautious about the things you say," Sora told him, pushing him back into the lockers. "We have most of the conversation on camera and all we have to do is turn this into the coach and you'll be off the team for good and possibly suspended."

Tidus held up an iPhone. "Wanna risk it? Frankly I don't mind showing it."

Jasmine continued to hold back Riku. Once again, she was caught off guard by his strength. "If you ever so much as look my way," she said to Mako, "we'll make sure that the administration gets the recording. I hate little boys like you. You're not worth my time."

"Neither are you, you useless b—" Before Mako could finish Riku began to charge him again and Jasmine wrapped her arms around Riku to restrain him.

Tidus called out, "Jasmine get him out of here now!"

Jasmine nodded and with all the strength she could manage, grabbed his hand and pulled him far away from the scene until they came to a bench on the east side of the school. Riku was forced down by Jasmine who seemed more tired than usual.

"Am I relevant enough to get you to go off on someone, or do you just hate Mako otherwise because frankly," Jasmine began, "I'm a little confused so clear things up for me."

Riku took deep, slow breaths. He looked up and noticed that she was out of uniform. "Where did you go after you left class?"

"Just answer the question," she commanded. "What's going on with you, huh? Do you know you could have gotten expelled for punching a fellow student? What would you have done then? Huh?" She threw her arms out in exasperation. "You've been acting like a total jerk! Now you're fighting? I don't care what kind of money your parents have; you could still get kicked out."

"Mako needed to be put in his place."

Jasmine brushed her hair behind her ear. Trying to retrain Riku actually tired her out. Blitzball players were supposed to be strong, but Jasmine felt like she was being pummeled by a train. "And to be honest Riku, so do you!"

Riku rose up to Jasmine. "I'm NOT going to let him stand there and talk about you like you're worthless!"

Jasmine would not back down. She didn't know how mad Riku still was but she knew that he wouldn't put his hands on her ever. He did a lot of things, but striking a woman wasn't one of them. "You treated me just the same! The only difference between you and Mako is that you actually treated me like crap to my face in front of everyone!"

"Don't compare me to him!" Riku shouted.

She took one step closer to him. "You act like you've always treated me with respect and face it: you haven't! I don't know what you thought, but me and Roxas aren't dating and won't! For you to have had a fit over that is disgusting. I know he's your friend and all but we kissed! It happened," she began to wave her arms madly with gestures, "but it's over! WHAT the hell do you want from me? Tell me now otherwise I swear I'll never speak to you again!"

Riku knew that she wasn't joking. With all that was going on in her life, she could easily let him go and continue on as if he never existed. Jasmine had proved it multiple times and either he got over himself, or he'd have to watch her walk away.

"I want you to forgive me," Riku said quietly.

Jasmine did not hear him. "What?"

"I want you to forgive me," He said stronger this time.

Jasmine did not expect that and so she fell silent, confused but interested to see where this was going.

"I'm not used to having someone like you around. I get out of hand, I say things I don't mean and I can be a jerk. You don't deserve any of what I've done and I recognize that. If you want me to leave you alone, I can do that. What happened with Mako was only me wanting to protect you. It doesn't seem like it, but I really do care about you."

Once again Jasmine was stunned. Riku's sincerity was so clear that it couldn't be mistaken for anything else. He meant everything he said and she could detect a bit of sadness. Riku would leave her if she asked him to, but desperation she never knew she had kicked in. "I'm not asking for you to leave," she held up her hands and placed them on his chest, "I'm asking for a bit of consistence and for you to treat me the way I deserve to be treated. If I have done something wrong, then check me. I don't care. But if I haven't done anything wrong, don't treat me the way everyone else around here treats me. Do you hear me, Riku?"

It was as if all the frustration, tension and anger he had bottled up inside him for the past few days had faded away instantly. Finally, there was a bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, he had a chance to show her how much he really loved her. "I do, Faye. Now do you forgive me?"

Feeling exhausted, Jasmine rested her head against his chest. "Yes, Riku, I forgive you. But you're going to have to seriously let me get over all of this. You were beyond a jerk on so many levels. I didn't appreciate it at all how you talked to me and treated me. Like I said, I forgive you but you'll still be on thin ice for a while."

"I anticipated that. It's not like I don't deserve it. But you forgiving me is worth it. I'll take it."

Riku sat down on the bench and pulled her down with him. Jasmine leaned against his shoulder and looked at his left hand.

"You're a mess," she commented, gently grabbing the hand that struck Mako. She set it in her palm and ran over it gently with her index finger. "I hope you didn't break or sprain anything." Riku flinched when she touched his thumb. "I'm sure Mako will have to look at his jaw."

"He's lucky all he probably escaped with was a messed up jaw." Even though Riku's hand was sore, he didn't mind it at all when Jasmine held it. "And you're a mess too. Don't count yourself out," he joked lightly.

Vanitas' words came alive in Jasmine's head and she sighed heavily. It was true. Jasmine was not completely normal (whatever that really meant in today's world) and she was a bit unstable. Vanitas was right but she'd allow herself to get through this day and celebrate the hurdle she had gone over with Riku. For now, she'd let Vanitas once again slip to the recesses of her mind. Jasmine rested her head on Riku's shoulder. "Fair enough. I guess we can be a mess together."

Now that he was comfortable with Jasmine and was certain that they were over everything they had been though, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I think that's not a bad idea."