"Selphie," Kairi watched the brunette carefully as she poured herself another full glass of white wine, "don't you think you should eat a little something before you keep drinking?"

"What? I've only had one glass!" The brunette argued. "Besides, Naminé and Jasmine are late with the pizza. I'm trying to get this girl's night started!"

The redhead gave an exhausted sigh and before doing a once over of her and Selphie's shared dorm room at Radiant Garden University.

They had everything they needed for a proper girl's night: wine, chocolate, popcorn, a plethora of movies. All that was missing was the pizza, Naminé, and Jasmine. But other than that, everything was set for a great evening.

"Did you get Naminé and Roxas' birthday gifts yet?" Kairi asked Selphie as she tied her hair in a low-hanging ponytail.

"Not yet," Selphie replied. She set the bottle of wine down on her nightstand before taking another steady sip from her glass. "Actually….I was thinking of asking Jasmine to come with me. I haven't spent any time with her…not since her party. She's good at picking out gifts."

Kairi smiled and checked her text messages. The most recent one was from Naminé.

'We'll be there in 5. Sorry for running late!'

"They'll be here in a bit," Kairi informed her friend as she scrolled through the rest of her messages. "But that's a good idea. Bring Jasmine with you."

Selphie's grinned from ear to ear. "Perfect! We can go shopping and catch up like old times! Plus, I need some advice."

"On what?"

The brunette plopped down into her desk chair and stared listlessly at the ceiling with her bright green eyes. "Boy stuff. Jasmine always has something going on."

"Hey," Kairi cried indignantly, "I can help out too, you know!"

Selphie rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes and no. See, you've basically married Sora. You don't have to struggle like the rest of us poor unfortunate souls."

Kairi conceded. "Fair enough. But you know I'm always here if you need me."

"Oh!" Selphie sprang up from her seat and practically flung herself onto Kairi's bed. "Speaking of Jasmine, what's going on with her and Riku?"

Kairi stared at Selphie curiously. "What do you mean?"

Selphie kicked up her feet and sat cross-legged in front of Kairi. Her eyes darted around the room as if to check if anyone else was within earshot. She then lowered her voice so that it was practically a whisper. "I ran into Riku the other day in front of the science library and he was on the phone with Jasmine."

Kairi laughed good-naturedly and gave her friend a rueful smile. "Because they had to talk about something? It's nothing out of the ordinary, Selph."

"It's not just that," Selphie continued. "I asked Riku about it and he said they've been talking every single day since he went to her apartment."

"Jasmine and Riku have been trying to work on their friendship for a while now," Kairi told her curious friend. "Now that she can hang out with us more, I think they're figuring it out. Besides, before they dated, Jasmine and Riku were really good friends."

Selphie gave another exasperated sigh and held her chin in her hands. "Come on now, Kai. You know they still care about each other. Even a blind person could see that."

"Of course." Kairi reached for the bag of caramel popcorn and tore open the bag. "Even when things were bad, it was obvious that they never stopped caring – even if Riku didn't want to admit it."

"Do you think they're gonna try and get back together?"

Kairi shrugged her shoulders as she scooped up a handful of popcorn from the bag. "Maybe one day, but I'm positive nothing can happen while Jasmine is at her job."

"And…" Selphie drew out. "It doesn't help that Riku hooked up with another girl."

Kairi's bright blue eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "What? Who?"

"Some girl from my earth science class," Selphie revealed. "We were partnered up for an assignment and I saw her phone go off."

"How do you know it was Riku?" Kairi asked, anxious to get answers. "When was this?"

From what she knew, Riku had stopped talking to other girls after he'd went to see Jasmine…and that was only about four or five days ago.

"Last night," the brunette deadpanned, earning a look of shock from the redhead. "She came to class today and Riku's name popped up on her screen. I played dumb and asked her if it was her boyfriend and she said no. Then, after I asked her a few more questions, she said that she met up with some silver-haired boy that she saw in the courtyard and went home with him."

Kairi's jaw hung open.

She was shocked.

Floored even.

"Sora said Riku was done with other girls," Kairi whispered.

"That's what I thought too, but you know how Riku is," Selphie began slowly as she reached into Kairi's bag of popcorn and picked out a few pieces for herself. "He loves the attention."

Kairi inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, fuming. Riku told her a few days ago how much he missed Jasmine and wanted to eventually re-build their relationship. Well, if what Selphie said was true (which Kairi believed – because even though Selphie loved to gossip, she never was wrong about the info she brought back with her), Riku was not acting like he wanted her back.

"Just don't let Jasmine find out," Kairi warned.

"I don't want ANY part of that blow-up," Selphie said as she held up her hands in defense. "I remember Jasmine and Riku's fights. I just wanted to ask you about it because it made no sense to me."

Kairi tried to calm herself down long enough to play devil's advocate. "If I have to take up for Riku, he and Jasmine aren't dating. Technically, he can still sleep with whoever he wants. Now, if he and Jasmine were serious, then we'd have a problem."

Selphie nodded her head as she thought harder about the situation.

"If Jasmine and Riku were dating or at least close to it, I don't think he'd risk it over some girl he barely knew. Even so, Riku really likes playing the field."

Kairi sighed. "Because he knows he's attractive. Remember when he was little and super shy around girls?"

Selphie's eyes lit up when she recalled the memory of their elementary school days. "Of course I do! Riku could hardly look a girl in the eye! Now he can't keep his hands to himself."

Kairi broke into a fit of laughter. "I'll say," she said between breaths.

"Maybe Jasmine should hook up with someone," Selphie suggested mischievously. "That would level the playing field."

Kairi playfully smacked Selphie's thigh. "No way! You just want the drama!"

Selphie shrugged her shoulders. "Oh come on, Kairi. Jasmine's so pretty. She could probably get more guys than Riku could get girls if she wanted! And she was a singer too? Honestly, she's my hero. I think she should teach Riku a lesson."

Kairi shook her head and hopped off the bed. She'd just received another text from Naminé saying that her and Jasmine were walking up and the last thing she wanted was Selphie spilling the beans about Riku's latest fling. She grabbed Selphie's now empty glass and the wine bottle.

"You're cut off," she told the brunette sternly, only to be met with groans. "The last thing we need is you getting drunk and telling Jasmine about Riku's flings. Remember? She's in SOLDIER. I don't want her to shoot Riku. That's still my best friend."

Axel kicked his feet up on his desk and yawned. Today had been a long day. He'd visited Jasmine, talked to his brother, and now he had to deal with a call that he'd been dreading since he made the arrangement.

'What in the hell made me wanna be the peacekeeper?' he thought darkly to himself. 'I got soft after I left SHINRA.'

He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Once he found the right person, he clicked their name and initiated the call. Axel ran a hand through is flaming red hair and sighed, mentally preparing himself for the rough interaction he was about to have.

"Hey, Axel. What's up?" The other person on the line asked.

"Not much, Your Highness," Axel replied casually. "How's everything going back at the kingdom? Your dad doin' okay?"

"He's good, thanks for asking."

Axel stifled another groan.

He didn't want to have this conversation.

"You know, Jaz tells me that you guys were thinking of staying an extra week out there. Not that I can tell a future king what to do, but shouldn't you guys head back to Radiant Garden?"

"Trust me," Noctis said with a heavy sigh, "I've been trying. He keeps talking as if he's not going to Radiant Garden. I'm gonna have to talk to him tomorrow."

"Given that he was a prisoner not long ago, I'd feel better if you guys got him back into SOLDIER protection. At least for a while," Axel advised. "But you already know that. Just let me know what's up so SOLDIER can prepare for him."

Axel could hear Noctis shifting around in the background.

"Are you by yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah," Noctis replied. A door was heard in the distance. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about? You told me something happened with Jasmine?"

Axel closed his eyes.

He hated being the bearer of bad news.

But this had to be done.

"She's okay," Axel began. "She's still recovering but I think she's getting better."

Noctis sighed on the other end. "That's good. Where is she now? I tried calling but she didn't answer."

"I think Tifa said she was hanging out with some of her girlfriends and that Jasmine was coming home later tonight. Frankly, I think she needs the break from everyone at SOLDIER."

"Well…I'm glad she's having fun," Noctis said, seemingly pleased with Axel's update.

Axel pursed his lips and closed his eyes. "Listen, I'm about to give you bad news but you can't lose your shit. It's about Ven."

"Did you guys find him and Terra?" Noctis asked curiously.

"No," Axel replied. "Not yet. It's like they disappeared clean off the planet."

"Then…what is it?" Noctis was silent for a good ten seconds. "Is this related to Traverse Town?"

"Not exactly…remember when we talked about Ven liking Jasmine? It went further than that."

"…than what?"

"Friendship," Axel said bluntly. "Jasmine and Ven slept together."

And just like that, Noctis fell silent and the air between them became thick.

Suffocating even.

Axel allowed the silence to play out, knowing that he had to let the truth sink in with the prince.

It was a painful truth, but one he had to hear.

"I-I…" the prince stammered, unable to comprehend what he just heard. "So, you mean to tell me they had sex?"

Axel rolled his eyes.

The prince was either completely blindsided or in denial.

Probably both.

"Yes, Your Highness," he said as gently as he could. "They were friends with benefits."

Noctis mumbled something under his breath. "When did this happen?"

"From what I know…the first time it happened when she was away on that mission through the worlds."

"FIRST time?" He shouted. "How many times have they slept together?"

"See…that's more of a Jasmine question…" Axel drew out, wondering how to tactfully go about this. He could practically feel the prince seething from all the way on Radiant Garden. And even though Noctis was trying to hold it together, there was no denying the prince's obvious anger and frustration at hearing the news that the girl he pined for had been involved intimately with another man. His rival at that.

"So, they had feelings for each other…is that right?" Noctis asked finally after what felt like an eternity.

"No," Axel snapped, having almost lost all his patience. "Jasmine didn't have feelings for Ven – he had feelings for her. He just didn't say anything. To be honest, she's the one who broke it off. Don't know if that makes any difference with you."

"Interesting…" the prince mused.

Axel knew the prince was having a hard time wrapping his head around the reality of Jasmine being with Ven, if only for a physical relationship.

But he knew the prince wasn't a complete fool to these types of things. After all, his friend Prompto was notorious for having various relations with women he didn't have any emotional attraction to. Noctis probably just didn't think this sort of thing would happen to him.

Especially not when it involved the girl he wanted for himself.

"Why did you tell me this?" Noctis asked finally, sounding beyond drained and irritated. "If Jasmine was gonna tell me, which I'm sure you knew would happen, why didn't you just let her come to me first?"

"Because I didn't want you freaking out on her," Axel told him plainly. "Plus, I figured I could reach you better than she could…man to man if that makes sense. I'm trying to save you from yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Noctis asked indignantly. "I don't need your help."

Axel stopped the prince before he could go off on a tangent. "Not from my vantage point. Because had you freaked out on Jasmine like you JUST did me, you would've already shot yourself in the foot."

"What do you mean?"

Axel held his head in his free hand. "You can't sit there and tell me that you would've been calm and understanding with Jasmine had she told you about Ven. Can you?"

Noctis was quiet.

"Jasmine doesn't need you freaking out on her - period. She's done a hell of a job trying to be there for you and even found the king. And, as I said before, she's the one who broke it off with him…because she told me outright that she wanted to make it work with you. And let's be real: you and Jasmine might be further along if you guys didn't pull that stunt and play her out before the Twilight Town incident."

"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

"You and Ignis made it out as if she didn't mean anything to you. Twilight Town happened and you didn't even show up for her while she was in the hospital. Ven, who at that point was only trying to be a good friend, was one of the only people who took care of her. Believe it or not, you helped push them closer together. I can't even blame Ven: he knew what he wanted and went after it. You're just jealous he got to her first."

When Noctis couldn't come up with an excuse, Axel knew that he had the prince right where he wanted him.

Though Noctis had tried his best to forget about it, the incident on Twilight Town put a massive strain on his and Jasmine's relationship. She couldn't trust him which created a divide between herself and her team. And, what Noctis also seemed to conveniently forget, was that even though he and the others went off to take care of Vanitas (which they never followed through on), the damage had already been done.

And while Axel wasn't a hundred percent sure that Jasmine and Noctis would've pursued each other, he knew for a fact that had he been there for her the way he was after the massacre on Traverse Town, Ventus would've never had the opportunity to get as close to her as he did.

"I've already apologized for that," Noctis countered distantly. "I'm not proud of how that went down."

"I know." Axel shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "But you have to also understand that you and Jasmine were never in a relationship, so she had every right to be with whoever she wanted. At the time, even though it was just physical, that person was Ven."

It was clear that this conversation had taken the wind out of Noctis.

He'd often had his suspicions about the nature of Ven and Jasmine's friendship, but he had no idea that any of this was going on.

"And before you go asking her why she didn't tell you," Axel said, sensing where the prince's head was at, "she didn't have to. Her wanting to tell you now is literally just out of respect for you guys' new situation."

"Tell me again, why are you going out of your way to talk to me about this?"

"Because I don't want you blowing this," Axel snapped, irritated that he was rehashing the same nonsense from earlier. "And it's what Ven wanted. But now I have to ask you something else…"

Noctis swore. "Go on…"

"Do you feel any different about Jasmine now that you know this?"

"No…not exactly. Why would I?"

"Just making sure…have you ever even been with a woman?"

"What do you mean?"

Axel narrowed his eyes. The prince sure was clueless. He was confident he already had his answer, but he pressed on anyway. "Let me spell it out for you: have you ever had sex with a girl? No judgment if you haven't, I'm just asking…"

"For what?"

"Just so I can better figure out how to help you," Axel replied calmly.

"…no. I haven't," Noctis admitted quietly.

"Like I said," Axel began slowly, the wheels in his head turning, "that's no big deal. In fact, that'll probably help."

"How does that help me at all?"

Axel cracked his knuckles loudly as the plan started coming to him. "It will. Now listen: I'm going to tell you step-by-step what to say when you guys talk. I know you don't like being given orders, but I know Jasmine and I know how women work. Shit, I know how people work. If you do exactly as I say, you'll get what you want. You just have to trust me."

"And why should I trust you with this?"

Axel lifted an eyebrow. "When have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

"…never…"

Axel's mood lifted. "There you go! Now, here's what you're gonna say…"

Author's Note: Gonna keep it short here guys! I wanna say thank you to all the new and returning readers on all my stories across the board. I'm glad that you guys have been enjoying the story. Hopefully, I can keep some sort of consistency going forward.

rawrrbreee: You're very welcome! I'm trying to do a lot better and have a semblance of a schedule. Your support is always appreciated too and I hope you're well I'm trying to add a bit more "fun" back into the story. After having gone through "Sins" I realized that aspect has been missing for a while. Plus, I need to do a lot better about being fairer and showcasing the other characters. As for Ven, he's not too far off…I don't want to share too much here as your questions/speculations will definitely be answered soon. Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter!

Alright guys that's all I have for now! Look out early next week for the new chapter. Let me know your thoughts and I'll see you soon! Take care!