"Girls Night!" Naminé cheered as she held up two bottles of wine.

Jasmine sheepishly entered Naminé's bedroom on the Destiny Islands, the nostalgia of less chaotic times hitting her like a ton of bricks. She'd spent many a night with Naminé when they were in high school and things were much simpler. It almost seemed like those days were a lifetime ago.

"So," Naminé shut the door behind Jasmine and bounced over to her nightstand where she set the bottles down. "Kairi and the others should be here in a few hours getting food and candy. It'll be like old times."

Jasmine looked down at her pajamas and sighed in relief. It was nice to get away from Radiant Garden and her work team every now and then.

Especially now with all that she had in front of her. A pajama party/sleepover with the girls was just what she needed.

Naminé snatched her fluffy white bathrobe from off her bed and slipped it on. "I'm glad that you came early. I feel that we haven't had the chance to catch up on much of anything."

"I know," Jasmine replied with a rueful smile. "I'm still on a tight leash with work."

"I see why." The blonde hopped on her bed and Jasmine followed suit, just like they did back in high school when they had their weekly sessions. "How are things?"

Jasmine laughed uncomfortably as she sat at the other end of Naminé's enormous bed. She stared at the ring Noctis gave her and felt a heaviness in the pit of her stomach. "Kinda crazy, Nam."

Naminé sat upright against her headboard and listened intently. "I could tell. The other day you sent me that text saying that we needed to talk and I figured that something big must have happened."

"Before anything else," Jasmine cleared her throat loudly. "How are you though? How's school been?"

"It's not that bad," she replied. "I mean, my general ed classes are kind of…"

"Pointless?" Jasmine finished, lifting an eyebrow.

The blonde laughed. "You read my mind. It seems almost unnecessary. We went through four years of high school doing basic GE classes and as soon as we get to college, we had to do it again. And I'm a fine arts major."

Jasmine chuckled and shook her head. "That makes no sense."

"I should have been like you," Naminé lamented. "I should've taken those college classes and AP classes back in high school. Didn't you already graduate with two years of school done?"

"Yup," Jasmine exhaled. She stared up at the ceiling. "That's one of the things I'm grateful my parents made me do in hindsight. At least if I ever go back to school it won't be as hard to get it done."

"Do you wanna go back?"

"Maybe…" Jasmine said distantly, thinking of her parents for the briefest moment. "I know they'd be rolling in their graves if they knew what I was doing now. It would be nice to jump into junior year with you guys – kinda like what I did in high school."

Naminé immediately regretted bringing up the topic, recalling the tragic events that happened while they were in school. "I'm sorry…"

Jasmine reeled back. "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault my parents died. Plus, I asked YOU about school. Don't feel bad about that. Seriously."

Still concerned about possibly stirring up any bad memories for Jasmine, Naminé decided to change the subject. "Well, you let me know if it bothers you. And…speaking of which…what was up with the text? I'm dying to know what's been going on? You can't leave a girl hanging like that!"

Jasmine felt her chest tighten. She didn't know where to start, or what to start on.

"Okay," she exhaled and looked over her shoulder to make sure that the door was closed. "I know this is a heavy topic, and I know it's not fair to ask this, but can you keep a secret?"

Naminé rolled her eyes dramatically. "I can't believe you'd even ask me that. Of course, I can keep a secret. That's what best friends are for!"

Jasmine looked at her feet and her lips pulled into a tight frown. "It's kind of a lot, Nam. It kind of involves your brother."

Naminé's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Please don't tell me that you still like Roxas."

"What? No! Of course not!" Jasmine replied, her head snapping right up. "That's not gonna happen. I know he's happy with Olette and I'd never try to mess up his happiness."

"I know," Naminé teased. "I was just throwing that out there because I don't really know what else it could be."

Jasmine sighed heavily. Now that Axel was in on her secret, it was only a matter of time before word got out in some way, especially with everything that was going on now. "Well, I'm asking you to not tell Roxas. I think it could make things weird and we JUST started getting back to normal again."

Naminé shifted in her seat and studied Jasmine's face. Whatever it was that she was keeping to herself had to be pretty big. "Okay, I won't say anything. Now, …what is it?"

Jasmine twiddled her fingers together and felt her face turn red. "You know Ven…"

"Yeah, my cousin," Naminé stated, anxious to hear what Jasmine had to tell her.

Jasmine licked her lips and felt her heart race. She almost couldn't believe that she was admitting this out loud to Naminé. "I've been…sleeping with Ven for months. No one knew about it until Axel found out."

Naminé's eyes nearly popped out of her skull and her jaw dropped. "You've been what?" She asked in disbelief.

Jasmine nodded her head. "Yeah…Ven and I have been hooking up for months."

The blonde reeled back, the shock clear as day on her face. "How did this happen!?"

"We were on a mission," she explained bashfully, "and one night we were flirting and it just happened."

Naminé's smile grew from ear to ear, becoming quite mischievous in nature. "Jasmine, I would've never thought! I knew you two were close, but not THAT close. Are you guys dating? Is that why you and Riku haven't got back together? I have so many questions!"

Jasmine shook her head. "We've just been hooking up. Nothing else. No dating involved."

That's when Naminé became quite confused. "Why not? You guys seem like you're really close...not to downplay your situation with Riku at all," she added almost immediately.

Like usual when asked this question, Jasmine didn't have an answer. "I think we just avoid talking about us dating altogether because we might not be in the same headspace. It's kind of weird because people around us automatically assume we're dating but that's not it. Honestly, I think in part it's because he knows about my history with Riku."

"Do you think he likes you?"

"I have no idea. I don't know if he'd actually tell me if he did."

"Ven doesn't really strike me as the kind of guy to just hook up with someone casually if it means nothing. But then again, you know him better than the rest of us. You guys are really close, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Jasmine mumbled.

Naminé nodded her head in understanding. "It's complicated," she concluded. "Although I don't think Roxas would freak out if that's something you ever thought about. He's moved on."

"That's what Axel told me," Jasmine added. "If this were happening when I first came back to the group, he might have freaked out."

Naminé reached out for Jasmine's hand, giving it a tight squeeze in an effort to comfort her clearly troubled friend. "Roxas and I just want you to be happy. I know Ven does too."

"I know." Jasmine scratched the back of her head, feeling a weight lifted after having finally revealed the secret. "I know Riku would flip out if he knew this was happening."

"Does he think you guys are getting back together?"

"The last time we hung out he told me he wanted me to be happy whether he we end up together or not."

Naminé rolled her eyes and smiled. "I know he meant that, but he definitely still wants to be with you. I think he wanted to put the ball in your court."

"And I feel bad because I've been with Ven."

Naminé sighed heavily, realizing how heavy this must be for Jasmine to carry. "I know he'd probably be mad, but let's be real: you guys aren't together. And while you're on friendly terms, you're technically still single. You can sleep with whoever you want. Riku was sleeping with Aria when you two broke up and I'm pretty sure he hooked up with another girl before that. I get that you feel guilty but you're not a couple. You can do what you want. Even if you still love Riku, which I know you do, it doesn't change facts."

While the idea had crossed her mind before, Jasmine hadn't really thought of it like that. She was still thinking as if she and Riku were dating – which they weren't.

"You both still love each other," Naminé continued gently. "It's obvious to everyone. Even if Riku dates someone else – which he isn't – you're still the one he wants to be with."

Jasmine sighed as well, a thought she'd often pondered surfacing again. "I love him a lot, I know I do. But occasionally I have to wonder if either of us should commit. After all, he proposed when we were in high school. We're still so young – I'm not even twenty."

"Do you want to see other people?"

"I don't think so. But I do want something that makes sense."

Naminé pursed her lips. This was quite an interesting predicament. "I get it. You probably don't want any drama with everything else going on. How are things with the prince?"

Jasmine let out a loud groan and threw her head back.

"Seriously? What's going on with him?" Naminé asked in astonishment.

"The only reason why the prince is here is because he's been looking for his dad," Jasmine revealed. "Once he does, he plans on going back to reclaim his kingdom, which was taken over by some other country."

"Why was his country taken over in the first place?"

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "Some political stuff," she held out her hand for Naminé to see the ring Noctis gave her.

Naminé stared at the ring. "What is that?"

"It's one of the rings of the kings," Jasmine explained. "These red crystals are what triggered the war. The legend is that it holds the knowledge of kings past and they have magic powers."

"Wait," Naminé seized Jasmine's hand and stared at the ring. "Is this one of the rings? Did he give this to you?"

"Uh-huh. He gave it to me before I went off on that solo mission."

"Jasmine! That's a really big deal!" Naminé exclaimed. "He really trusts you if he'd be willing to give you one of these."

"I can't keep it forever. But he wants me to hold onto it for now."

Naminé was practically bursting at the seams. "So, what's the situation with that?"

"That's where things get really tricky. Probably more than the issue with Riku or Ventus. I found Noctis' dad and helped him find a way to get to him – which means that he'd probably be leaving soon."

"That's amazing! But...does that mean you guys won't be partners anymore? Is he moving out?"

"He'd have to, especially if he leaves SOLDIER. And I can't stay there in that apartment all by myself."

"Why not? I'd move in," Naminé joked. "Your place is definitely nicer than my dorm."

"But there's another problem…" Jasmine pulled her hand back and closed her eyes. "He wants me to come with him."

"I think it's a good thing he wants you to come! It means he trusts you."

"It doesn't feel like that's it though, Nam," Jasmine said sadly. "I think that if he leaves SOLDIER he's never coming back. And from what I heard his country is really far away. I think that if he leaves, it'll be the last time I see him. For some reason, when I first became his partner and heard about his situation, it always seemed like there was this big secret they all kept, and I wasn't allowed to come along if they found what they were looking for."

"You're gonna miss him," Naminé realized.

Jasmine nodded her head and recalled the night of his party.

"I will," she said certainly. "He's really important to me. And I really feel for his cause. If I can, I'd want to help. But everything with him seems so final – almost like I couldn't come back if I went with him."

Naminé fell silent, stunned by what Jasmine had said to her. "That's crazy. I'm sure you could always come back home."

"I don't know. Something just feels different about this. No one will tell me why it's so definite but that seems to be the general consensus."

Naminé felt her heart drop. Would this mean that Jasmine would move away and they'd never see her again?

"That's asking a lot of you," she stated plainly, fully understanding why Jasmine wasn't on board with the prince's plan. "And he wants you to give up everything, to go out there and fight a war that doesn't have anything to do with you, for what?"

"I don't know!" Jasmine exclaimed. "That's the hard part." She hesitated a bit but continued on with her story. "When I gave him the tracker, I already told him that I was anticipating that his birthday party would be one of the last times we saw each other because I knew he'd need to go and find his dad. I got really emotional, Nam. I didn't think it would affect me as much as it did."

"And then what happened?"

"He told me he'd give me a week. A-and…" She stammered.

"And what?"

"He kissed me on the cheek."

Naminé's hands flew to her mouth to stifle her squeals. "Jasmine! He likes you!"

"No, he doesn't," she argued.

"Really? You CANNOT be this naïve."

"He's never said anything about wanting to pursue something romantic with me," Jasmine argued, realizing just how ridiculous she sounded.

"Jasmine, please. From what I know of the prince, he's not that good at expressing himself. And him kissing you on the cheek was the best he could do. But it was still a move nonetheless. The reason why he probably wants you to come along is that he wants to be with you."

"He did say he can't imagine life without me there," Jasmine recalled.

"See? That's almost a proposal!" Naminé shrieked in excitement. "Oh my God, what if he wants you to be his queen?"

"Absolutely not!" Jasmine's face turned bright red. "That would never happen!"

"Of course it could," Naminé countered. "Noctis is an actual, full-blown prince, first in line to inherit a kingdom. It's not that far-fetched."

"I don't want to leave if I can't come back," she protested. "I have friends and family here. Plus, I'm not sure how much Noctis even cares for me. I don't want to make a life-changing decision for a guy that I still don't even fully understand. If Noctis just wanted me to help him and then I could come back home, and maybe see him every now and then, I would agree without a question."

"I see what you mean," Naminé agreed finally. "Just give it some thought. And ask him questions. You should figure out why it seems so final and tell him your concerns. He seems to be aware that he's asking a lot of you. I think he'll understand if you just talk to him."

Jasmine fell back on Naminé's bed and stared at the ceiling overhead. "Why is everything so complicated? I just wanna go to school, graduate with my friends, and go through normal stuff."

Naminé reached for the bottle of wine and popped it open. She poured Jasmine a glass and held it out to her. "I know it's not easy, but you'll figure it out. I'd hate to see you go, but it would be cool to say that my best friend is a queen."

"Ugh, don't say it Naminé." Jasmine propped herself up on her elbows and took the glass. "I don't even know if I like Noctis like that."

"You have to admit, he is really handsome though," Naminé noted.

Jasmine casually shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing what to say. "I just have too much going on. Riku, Ven, and now Noctis…"

"If you think about it, you really don't," Naminé disagreed as she poured her own glass.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Ventus aren't dating and neither of you seem to have romantic feelings for each other, at least from what you're telling me. But then again, neither of you will even entertain the idea so technically, that's not a thing. With Riku, you guys love each other, but you won't get back together. You guys might need to do more healing on your own before you think about dating again. Keep in mind, you were both hurtful to each other whether it was intended or not."

As usual, Naminé was right.

Jasmine thought back to their high school days and recalled that one incident where she thought Riku cheated on her. Though it hadn't been addressed, since right after that she discovered that she was engaged to Vanitas, she never apologized for that. And even though she was regretful for how she left Riku, she recognized that it was still a very traumatic incident for him.

"It's weird," Jasmine began, "when I'm not near Riku, I still think about him and I miss him, but I just drown myself in work and it gets easier over time. But when I'm with him, or even near him, I can't seem to think of anything or anyone else. Maybe we just need to try to be friends and if something happens, it'll happen."

"That's probably for the best. Besides, it doesn't mean that you love each other any less," Naminé said with a warm smile. "You're just friends and if something further develops in a natural way, then it does. But…"

"But what?"

"I still think he'll freak out if you tell him you're sleeping with Ven." Naminé took a sip from her own glass. "He's kind of territorial when it comes to you."

"One day he's gonna find out," Jasmine said, inwardly dreading that conversation. "At some point I'll have to tell him."

"I think you should talk to Ven too. Does he know about what Noctis said?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No. We're supposed to hang out tomorrow."

Naminé chucked. "Oh. Hang out. I'm not sure how much talking you guys will be doing…"

"Nam!" Jasmine shouted, blushing red from embarrassment.

"Hey, you're the one sleeping with him. Don't be bashful now."

"Just wait till I find out who you're dating," Jasmine said coyly.

Naminé finished off her glass and immediately poured another. "When it gets to that point, you'll be the first to know. There aren't a lot of guys in my program. Besides, your love life is way more entertaining than mine will ever be."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Prompto yelled in shock as he jumped to his feet.

Noctis, who was sitting across from him leaned back into his couch and sighed heavily. He knew that telling Prompto about his talk with Jasmine would be a doozy, but he didn't think it would be this intense.

"You heard me the first time," Noctis reached for the remote on the coffee table in front of him and muted the volume on the TV. "I asked Jasmine to come with us when we go find the king."

Prompto was hit with a lot of information tonight. First, the announcement that the king had been found, and now, Noctis asking Jasmine to come along with them? It was almost too much to handle.

"I'm gonna tell Ignis and Gladiolus tomorrow," Noctis announced. "Then we can start making arrangements."

"I KNEW there was a reason why you guys were gone for so long!" Prompto teased while pointing a finger at the prince, who seemed very much unaffected by his excitement. "I thought maybe you finally made a move on Miss Valentine. I guess I wasn't that far off."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "I didn't do anything crazy if that's what you're thinking."

"Did you guys kiss?" Prompto leaned forward and smiled from ear to ear. After all this time of back and forth between Noctis and Jasmine, something finally seemed to give in.

"Prompto, please," Noctis groaned, almost regretting telling the overexcited blond anything.

"Come on! Were you at least a gentleman?"

Noctis lifted an eyebrow. "You're asking ME if I was a gentleman? Remember when she first moved in and you kept trying to get in her pants for weeks?"

Prompto laughed awkwardly at the memory and blushed. "To be fair," he began, "I just like women in general. Miss Valentine is no exception. But! I'd much rather see the two of you together! Perhaps I should start calling her princess."

Noctis rested his elbow on the arm of the couch and crossed on leg over the other. Sighing, He rested his chin against his fist and closed his eyes. "She hasn't decided if she wants to come or not."

"Why wouldn't she come? I'm sure she said she wants to help. If I know Miss Valentine, she's always willing to help out people who need it."

"We wouldn't be coming back, Prompto," Noctis reminded him. "Once we reclaim the kingdom, we won't be leaving. Remember? We have to rebuild."

Prompto was confused by Noctis' statement. While he knew that he and the others would have to stay, it made no sense for Jasmine to not be able to come back home.

"Don't you think that's a pretty heavy thing to ask of her?" Prompto asked gently, sympathizing with what Jasmine was probably feeling. "I mean, the kingdom is FAR but I'm more than sure that we could arrange for Miss Valentine to come back home."

"You're missing the point," Noctis stated plainly. "I was asking if she would stay with us, permanently."

Prompto's jaw dropped to the floor. "Wait…"

Noctis said nothing but he nodded his head.

"Hold on," Prompto had to process this thoroughly. While he'd imagined this before, he never thought that the day would come. "Are you thinking of what I'm thinking?"

"If Jasmine agrees, I was going to ask her to be a Queen's Candidate," Noctis finished, sounding much more sure and confident than Prompto expected.

"WHAT? That's incredible!" Prompto jumped from his couch and wrapped an arm around the prince's shoulders. "Way to go, Noc! I knew you had it in you! Did you tell her how you feel about her? Did she say 'I love you' back? I'm dying over here!"

Noctis stared at Prompto incredulously. "What are you talking about? I never said I loved her."

Prompto's cheer came to a screeching halt and he pulled back from the prince. "Wait, what?"

"I never said that I loved Jasmine," Noctis repeated.

"I don't understand," Prompto said slowly. "I thought that maybe…"

Noctis exhaled, realizing how difficult this conversation was going to be from this point forward. "I do like her, but I'm not in love with her. She's strong, she's kind, she's a capable fighter, and she's extremely intelligent and hard-working. Since Lunafreya is gone, Jasmine is the next best choice."

While it sounded cold and heartless when he said it, Prompto understood where Noctis was coming from.

After all, with Noctis' previous fiancé gone and the king soon to be rescued, everything would go back to normal. Noctis needed to find a suitable partner to take the throne with him when the time came and the only person who seemed fit for the job was Jasmine.

"Think about it," Noctis continued. "Now that the king is within reach, we have to prepare for the future."

Prompto knew that even though they were currently living in a society where this sort of arrangement wasn't the norm, this was the reality of their homeland. Love wasn't something that existed immediately between the nobles and royalty. More often than not, they married for wealth and status – not love. Noctis' family was no different. While King Regis was fortunate enough to have loved Noctis' mother, it wasn't something immediate. It was a bond that grew over time through their sense of duty and love of country.

"Does Miss Valentine know how you feel? Does she even know that you want her to be a Queen's Candidate? Because that would change a lot of things. I don't think she knows exactly what she's signing up for," Prompto explained, hoping to get the prince to see things from another perspective.

"Prompto, I do like her," Noctis insisted. "At the time, I didn't think of bringing her on for the purpose of her potentially being a queen. She's become such a valuable member of this team and I think she should stay."

"So do I," Prompto agreed. "But I don't think it's fair to ask so much of her, especially when she doesn't know exactly what you really want. You need to tell her everything. Plus, she has her own mission. Remember? She was dealing with one of the highest-ranking members of SHINRA who tried to kill her a few years ago – the same man who successfully killed her parents. She has a lot on her plate."

Noctis casually shrugged his shoulders. "She wouldn't need SOLDIER if she came with us. Between the four of us, we could protect her and finish off Vanitas. The only reason we joined is because we needed their resources. It was a trade remember? We help them in exchange for information on the king. She has the same type of arrangement."

Prompto became visibly frustrated. While he was sure that Noctis was indeed fond of Jasmine, he failed to see the big picture and how this could easily go sour.

Noctis didn't see this as a chance to fall in love and marry his dream woman. He was looking for a wife that "made sense" that would get the approval of the king. Not love.

At least not immediately.

While Jasmine was probably looking for a life of stability and traditional love, Noctis wanted a wife to take the mantle of queen and eventually bear his children – all within the span of a few years. Even though Prompto was rooting for Jasmine and Noctis to fall in love, the prince was setting this up for disaster.

"Miss Valentine isn't from the same world as us," Prompto began, hoping to reason with his friend. "While everything you're saying to me makes sense, I don't know if she would be comfortable with one, not being able to really see her family and two, not knowing that you have these big plans for her. I know she cares about you, but I don't know if she would marry you if she wasn't in love with you or vice versa. After all, you guys have never even been on a date. There's a pretty strong chance that Miss Valentine might say no – to the proposal and to coming along with us."

"To be fair, I didn't think about marrying her until the next day," Noctis said finally. He had to admit it, Prompto made some very strong points.

"With Miss Valentine, you have to come to her with facts, information and a little bit of sincerity. She's younger than us but she's very intelligent. She's not going to make a decision that would uproot her life any more than it already has been. If I were positive that she was in love with you, she would go without question. But we don't know how she feels. I know she cares for you deeply, but this might be a bit much. If you are certain that you want Miss Valentine as your Queen's Candidate, you need to be honest and find a way to convince her to take that leap of faith. If you approach this from the standpoint of 'I want you to be my wife for the sole purpose of stabilizing the kingdom and giving me children', she's going to run for the hills. I'd bet my left hand on it."

Noctis tapped his foot impatiently.

Prompto was right yet again.

"What do you think I should do then?" Noctis asked finally. If Jasmine didn't accept either proposal, not only would he lose someone he cared about, but he'd also lose out on the chance for a potential wife.

"You need to shift her perception of you," Prompto instructed.

"How so?"

"Ugh," Prompto shook his head. "You may be the strongest in the kingdom, but you're completely ignorant when it comes to women, Your Highness."

Noctis grumbled but bit his tongue. After all, Prompto had much more experience with women than he did.

"Right now, Miss Valentine sees you as a comrade. She knows you like her to an extent but that's not enough." Prompto stood up and began pacing around the coffee table, trying to devise a plan. "You have to court her, make her see you in a different light – like a life partner."

"How do I go about that? You haven't exactly come up with a plan here."

Prompto grinned. "You've got six days. Leave it to me! I'll come up with something."

"Don't you think I should be in on this plan?"

Prompto whipped around to face Noctis. "You need to approach this tactfully. No woman wants to be proposed to with a 'please marry me even though I'm not in love with you' EVER – which I'm honestly afraid you might do. She'd probably walk out on you."

"…good point."

"You need to tweak it around the idea that you both can continue to grow and love each other. She has to go from seeing you as a friend to a lover. Trust me; by tomorrow I'll have a surefire plan with a proposal that Miss Valentine won't be able to refuse!"

Reluctantly, Noctis agreed. "Alright, Prompto. I'm trusting you."

"Don't worry, Noctis!" Prompto cheered. "I'll get you your princess. You can count on me!"

Author's Note: Hello everyone! As usual, I hope you're staying safe and healthy.

I was actually able to get this chapter written up relatively quickly and didn't feel like waiting to release it. Besides, I have a lot of catching up to do!

Hopefuldreamer1991: I can completely see what you mean in regard to Ven. We'll just have to see what happens – but I can assure you that this will come to a head very soon. As for Noctis, his situation with Jasmine is a bit different. But it would be a stretch for her to agree to something so permanent. Thank you for the review!

ME: Thank you for the review!

Meyoume: Right? Honestly, I wish I had used more of Axel in previous stories. He's one of my favorite KH characters of all time. I do feel bad for both guys but I have something in store for everyone. I'll say this: there's more to Noctis' situation with Jasmine than meets the eye. As usual, thank you for the support and the review.

As usual, let me know what you guys thought of the chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts. With Noctis' intentions revealed, how do you think it'll affect his relationship with Jasmine going forward? Do you agree with his logic and mindset?

Stay safe everyone and I'll see you next time! Hopefully, I can get another chapter up quickly.

Take care!