A blinding white light caused Vanitas to stir, slowly drawing him back to the world of the wake. Still, he fought his urge to awake from his slumber, clinging to the quickly fading memory of his latest dream.

An image of Jasmine smiling at him (a true, genuine, and loving smile) from the dream filled his heart with a treacherous warmth. As this was only an image he created within his own mind, for he never experienced her giving him such a look, Vanitas began to feel a familiar pain swell within his chest.

Just like that, the crushing guilt from events past crept in and he fully awoke to the blinding sun, the image of Jasmine smiling on him disappearing in an instant.

Vanitas rolled over in bed, looking at the pillow next to his own.

How he wished that he were waking up to her.

Vanitas closed his eyes again, fondly remembering the last time he held her in his arms. It was almost as if her body was made to fit his. He allowed himself for just a moment to let the memory go one step further, recalling the feeling of elation when he last kissed her. Even in his madness back then, Vanitas knew that what he felt was love.

But then, just as quickly, the memory began to fade and he was thrown back into the present.

Even in his dream (or even fantasies for that matter), Vanitas could never hold onto those few pleasant moments for long. And, as usual, he was abruptly snapped back to the cruel reality that was his life.

His phone began to shake violently against his nightstand. With a groan, he picked up the phone and answered the call without even looking at the caller ID. It was only eight in the morning and he could count on one hand the few people who would attempt to reach out to him at such an ungodly hour.

"What?" He greeted not so pleasantly.

"Boss Man! Time to rise and shine! Your uncle has a mission for us! We have to leave in half an hour to meet up with him." The person on the other end of the call said much too cheerfully.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. Only Xigbar could be awake at this hour and have energy to spare. Vanitas was starting to regret giving the sharpshooter his personal phone number. "Can't it wait until, I don't know…our regular scheduled meeting time at noon?"

"Nah," Xigbar replied. "The old man wants us to meet him at 8:30. Said it was important."

"Crazy bastard," Vanitas mumbled. "He could have mentioned that when I talked to him last night."

Xigbar chuckled. "You know your uncle. The guy likes to keep us on our toes. See ya in 30 minutes boss!"

Vanitas hung up the phone without saying goodbye and chucked it across the room into his desk chair. He sighed heavily and fell back against his bed, cursing his uncle's name. They'd just gone over mission details last night.

'What the hell did that crazy old man come up with now? He always changes plans up at the last possible minute when it doesn't make any sense. Dammit.'


Once Jasmine skimmed over the last sentences on the page, she sighed heavily, closing the book that Naminé had gifted her not long ago.

Peering up for what felt like ages, Jasmine took in the sight of the Destiny Islands from the café she and her friends used to visit while they were in high school. She'd just come back from a meeting with SOLDIER and wanted to see Tifa and the others. With her status as a 1st Class SOLDIER, she found that her workload had nearly doubled which meant less time for leisurely activities.

Shoving the book into her purse, Jasmine took another sip of her iced tea, smiling when she turned and got a clear view of the ocean.

'To think that I could find peace again here,' she thought with a sense of warmth she hadn't experienced in a while. 'I miss this place so much.'

However, Jasmine did not allow herself to journey down the rabbit hole of memories from her high school years. Even though there was a bit of time since all the drama that took place on the island years ago, she found that if she thought on it for too long, it would ruin her mood. After all, the painful memories of her time here were still too great. Perhaps one day, if she were fortunate, time would heal those wounds and she would be unaffected. Until then, Jasmine thought it best to protect her mental state and just brush past those thoughts.

After paying for her meal, Jasmine packed away her wallet and keys. As she put her phone away, she saw that she had a text message from Noctis. Upon reading the preview, she found that he was done training for the day and would be heading back to their apartment.

With another heavy sigh, she quickly replied while telling him that she would be there in the evening. Sticking the phone into the pocket of her shorts, she felt the phone vibrate again. However, she already knew what he had said.

Knowing Noctis at this point, he had probably asked where she was and what time would she be back. But she refused to reply for now and decided to respond once she got to Tifa's house. She still wanted a little more peace from her work life – at least for now.

A shrill horn of a car caused Jasmine to jump. When she turned to her left to see who had made the noise, she was surprised to see a very familiar luxury car pulled up next to her at the sidewalk. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw not only Angela, Riku's mother in the driver's seat, but Riku as well in the passenger's seat.

"Well hello there, stranger!" Angela called out, her gorgeous smile stretching from ear to ear.

A bit flustered but still wanting to remain respectful, Jasmine quickly regained her composure and greeted both Riku and his mother. "Hi Angela! Hey Riku!"

Angela put the car into park and immediately hopped out, rushing over to the sidewalk to give Jasmine a hug. "It's so good to see you," she said as she warmly embraced the young girl. She held Jasmine's face in her hands and her smile widened. "It's like you get more and more gorgeous each day."

Jasmine blushed fiercely and kept her eyes to the floor. Though Angela had always given the her a million compliments, it was still a bit embarrassing and – admittedly – flattering, especially coming from someone as beautiful as Riku's mother.

Another slamming car door snapped Jasmine out of her fangirling and she saw Riku now standing beside Angela with an equally dazzling smile on his face. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, it has been a while." Jasmine tried her best to steady her nerves and cursed herself inwardly. Even though she and Riku were no longer together, it never failed that her stomach would immediately churn when she laid eyes on him. And for the life of her, Jasmine couldn't figure out why.

She had long ago accepted that the likelihood of her and Riku rekindling their relationship was slim to none. Even though they had both openly admitted that they still had love for one another, Jasmine knew that it was foolish at this time to entertain such a thought – especially with how chaotic her life had become in the last few years.

"I didn't think we'd see you here," Angela said, noticing the clear tension between the pair. "What are you doing on the island?"

"I came to visit Tifa," Jasmine replied casually, secretly thankful that Angela had broken the silence between her and Riku. "I have today and tomorrow off so I wanted to come back and see everyone."

"Where are you off to?"

"Tifa's restaurant," Jasmine answered.

"We're heading that way now. Do you want a ride?" Angela asked, nodding her head towards the car.

Jasmine felt her stomach drop and politely declined. "You don't have to. Besides, I don't want to hold you guys up."

Angela wouldn't take no for an answer and grabbed Jasmine's hand. "Nonsense. We were just heading home. It's not like we had plans. Come on. How often is it that I get to see my favorite girl?"

Swearing inwardly at the awkwardness of the situation, Jasmine opened her mouth to make one last protest when Riku placed a hand on her shoulder.

He leaned over and whispered, "You won't be getting out of this. She always gets what she wants."

Realizing that Riku was probably right, Jasmine stifled her sigh and managed a small smile.


Fully dressed with the same irritability that he had when he first received Xigbar's phone call, Vanitas entered the car his uncle had sent for him with Saix and Stella at his side. The driver of course was Xigbar, who seemed more chipper than he was on the phone.

"Mornin' everyone!" He greeted.

Saix and Vanitas grumbled while Stella cordially returned the morning greeting. She opened the door for Vanitas while Saix took the front seat of the tinted black sedan. Once everyone was strapped in, Xigbar took off down the road leading away from Vanitas' mansion.

"So, are we meeting at the office?" Saix asked.

"Nope," Xigbar replied with a grin. "We're headed to the port. The old man wants us to meet him in Traverse Town."

Stella and Saix exchanged confused glances while Vanitas appeared unbothered (at least on the surface).

"Why Traverse Town?" Stella asked curiously. "It's almost two hours away."

Xigbar shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. All I know is that he wanted us on Traverse Town. Said he found something that he wanted us all to see."

"And he couldn't just tell us in a phone call because…?" Vanitas asked dryly.

"Who knows? He called me this morning when I was out at the shooting range and told me to get you guys together. He hasn't said a word about what it is that he wants us to see," Xigbar replied.

'That's probably a sign that he's got something big planned,' Vanitas mused.

For the sake of their operations, they never shared any details over email. It was much too risky. And even telephones can be bugged nowadays with technology (though Master Xehanort had almost always found a way to make sure that the lines were secure), so a good portion of the time all their meetings were done in person.

But the fact that everyone was now involved and heading over to a site meant that Master Xehanort had something special up his sleeve.

And even though Vanitas himself had seen his fair share of missions (even taking part in doing his uncle's dirty work), he couldn't shake the feeling that this would be something he didn't want to be part of.


Even though Angela was merely keeping Jasmine and Riku entertained with light conversation, Jasmine couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in the backseat of the car. Angela asked her questions about her day and her job, but Jasmine couldn't shake the heaviness that seemed to almost consume her when she was around Riku.

It wasn't like in the past where there was a great deal of negative energy between her and her ex. They were far beyond the days of anger and hatred towards one another. But now the tension was different.

As Jasmine did her best to not look at Riku (who was sitting in the seat in front of her), she still struggled with keeping a mental image of him out of her head. And, like always when they were in the same space, she replayed their interactions from day one till now. Even though it had been years since they had been well, much of anything other than acquaintances, Jasmine couldn't help but let her mind take her down the rabbit hole again.

'If it weren't for Vanitas, what would have happened between us?' she quietly asked herself.

But before she could allow herself to continue with her train of thought, Angela's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"When do you go back to work, Jasmine?" Angela asked.

"Tomorrow," Jasmine replied, thankful for the distraction from her thoughts of Riku. "Today was my rest day."

Angela sighed. "That's a shame. I was hoping to have lunch with you soon. You know? Like old times."

Jasmine's heart sank immediately. She wished more than anything that she could have the freedom that she had before SOLDIER, before that nightmare with Vanitas, before her world fell apart.

Angela pulled up to Tifa's restaurant and parked the car. She looked over her shoulder and gave Jasmine a kind smile. "It was great seeing you again, Jasmine. Please let me know when you're free. I'd really love to be able to take you out sometime."

As Jasmine unbuckled her seatbelt, she tried to figure out a way to answer. While she would like to be able to visit Angela, she didn't know how appropriate it would be for the two of them to spend time together. Even though Jasmine and Angela had their own relationship, she didn't know how to feel about spending time with her ex-boyfriend's mother.

Even so, Jasmine still greatly cared for Angela and did enjoy the time she spent with her.

"I can call you tomorrow and see what my schedule looks like," Jasmine said as she moved to open the car door. "I don't know off the top of my head what the next few weeks will look like, but I'll make time. I promise."

Angela placed her hand on Jasmine's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'd like that very much. Give me a call. My number hasn't changed."

Nodding her head, Jasmine then exited the car. Strangely, Riku followed suit and now stood face to face with her, offering to walk her up to the door.

"You don't have to," Jasmine told him gently, not wanting to offend him.

Riku shifted and stuffed his hands into his pockets, his gaze softening a bit. "I know this is awkward," he began quietly.

The elephant in the room now made public, Jasmine let out a sigh. At least she knew he felt it too. "Yeah, a little. I guess…" she sighed again, this time breaking eye contact. "I'm still trying to navigate through it all still."

"Me too," he agreed.

"We can walk though," she said after a long pause. "It's not that big of a deal."

So, they continued up the steps in silence, a heaviness weighing over the pair. Jasmine wondered what they could possibly talk about? Something shallow to fill the space? Something of meaning to clear the air between them? Jasmine had nothing.

"Even though things are a bit weird," Riku said finally once they reached the door to the restaurant, "I'm still glad that I got to see you."

Jasmine exhaled after what seemed like hours, glad that he had been the one to speak first. "It's still weird," she began slowly. She lifted her face and allowed her eyes to meet his gaze. "But it's not bad like it used to be. I'm happy about that." She smiled, albeit ruefully, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah," Riku replied with a small of his own, thinking on how glad he was that things weren't as tense as they once were – at least not in the chaotic, angry fashion. "I'm happy that we can kinda sorta talk, even though it's still tough."

Shifting her gaze, Jasmine couldn't help but notice Riku's arms. They were always strong (as he used to be an athlete and maintained an active lifestyle), but they seemed to be even more muscular than before. Without realizing it, Jasmine reached out and ran her hand over his left bicep, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you," she noted verbally, now shifting her eyes from his arms to his chest, which was also slightly more muscular and toned.

Riku remained his composure on the outside, but on the inside he felt a bit of nervousness. A bit of it was from her unexpected touch, but the remainder of it was from her observation. "Probably," he replied casually. "I work out a lot more now. It keeps me calm."

Despite his very valid response, Jasmine couldn't help but feel that there was more to the situation than that. She couldn't explain why she felt that way, but her intuition was telling her that it went be just a simple workout regimen. It was even in the way that he was carrying himself. He seemed a lot stronger on the outside, but on the inside too.

Still, Jasmine decided to let the issue slide.

For now anyway.

"You look really good," she said simply, trying her hardest to not blush. "Then again, I don't recall a time when you didn't look good."

"Thank you," he replied with a chuckle. "I try." While she turned her head, Riku took a glance at her as well, noticing the changes in her physique as well. She didn't look as childlike as she did when they were in high school. Now she was starting to look more mature. While she was still on the slender side, Riku could definitely make out her more pronounced curves and even the muscles in her arms and legs. Upon looking closer, he even spotted the slight definition in her lower abdominal area.

However, to avoid making it too obvious that he was staring, he gave her shoulder a pat before turning and heading off.

"I'll see you later, Faye," he called out. Before he was back to the car, he flashed a smile. "Take care of yourself."

"You too!"

Jasmine waved to both Riku and Angela as they drove off, letting out a minor sigh of relief. Even though she did enjoy the brief time spent with loved ones from the past, Jasmine couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't right of her to be with them in any capacity. At least not now anyway.

'Maybe when this ends,' she thought to herself as she opened the door to the restaurant, 'just maybe I can entertain the idea.'


Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you guys are doing well. I haven't been feeling the best in the last few months (hence my absence) but I'm really glad to be back! I wanted to thank my readers and reviewers (hopefuldreamer1991, Skeleus, Meyoume, and Rynxenvy). You guys are amazing! I hope to get a new chapter up this week (Saturday most likely). I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you next time!