"So you're telling me that Riku is now in SOLDIER?" Ventus asked incredulously while putting on his glasses. He rolled over in his bed with Jasmine at his side, who was covering her naked body with his sheets.

The young woman frowned, pulling her messy black hair over to one shoulder. Following suit to Ventus, she put on her glasses and pulled out her cell phone, tapping intensely along the touch-screen.

"I don't think he's actually in, but I'm almost one hundred percent sure he's training with someone on the inside – probably Cloud or Zack," she replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "He probably wants to join. That's what I'm thinking anyway."

Ventus groaned inwardly. This was the first time in a few days he'd actually gotten to see Jasmine (with her travelling about for work) and now, after finally being able to spend time, she was upset because Riku may or may not be involved with SOLDIER of all places.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, already having an idea of what her answer might be.

Jasmine kept her eyes focused on the screen. "He's definitely been working out more – he's not jacked like Zack or Cloud but he's getting there – and he's been spending a lot of time with Cloud and Tifa. I know he works out, but not to this extent. He looks like a lot of the 2nd class members now."

Ventus mulled the thought over to himself. If that was really what was going on (which isn't that far-fetched to say) it would make sense. In fact, the idea was romantic. But Ventus would like to believe that Riku wouldn't be so foolish to run off and join an organization that has a known track record of – quite literally – kicking the shit out of the recruits.

"If he's actually planning on joining, he's making a huge mistake," Jasmine continued on.

"No kidding," Ventus replied. "Although, I could see the motive behind it I think it would be incredibly stupid on his part. Outside of wanting to protect you, I can't imagine a reason for him to even be there."

"Exactly. What a dumbass." She rolled her eyes and groaned. "This is not exactly what I wanted to deal with."

"You can intervene, can't you?" Ventus asked, once again already knowing the answer.

"Yes and no," she replied. "I can put a freeze on it if I find credible evidence as to why he's doing it…"

"Which you have," Ventus chimed in.

"But I'd rather not start drama when I already have enough of that on my plate," she finished. "I'll ask Tifa what's going on later. I know she probably won't want to say anything, but I'll get the answer from her."

Ventus sighed. On the one hand he felt for Riku. He could imagine how hard it was watching someone he cared for suffer and not be able to protect them. But what Riku was doing wasn't rational, and with how chaotic things were at the moment in SOLDIER, now was not the time rush out and do anything stupid.

"Poor guy," Ventus said with a sigh. "I'll look into it and see if his name pops up in the system. That way you don't get tied up into anything either. I'm sure Tseng would love to rip you a new one for something."

Jasmine rubbed her temples. She'd had a headache for about a day and a half thinking about Riku and his nonsense.

Looking over, she saw Ventus staring off into the distance, his mind clearly fixated on something.

"I'm sorry," she told him, realizing how inappropriate the situation was. Here she was, in bed with her lover (for lack of a gentler term) and they were having a conversation about her ex.

"About what?" Ventus returned his gaze to Jasmine, a look of cluelessness on his face.

"You know what I'm talking about," Jasmine said sternly. "I don't think this is something you and I should be discussing."

Ventus cackled and pulled Jasmine closer to him, resting her head against his chest. He began gently stroking her hair, smoothing it out along her bare back. "I haven't had too many flings, but I will admit that talking about an ex after sex kinda kills the vibe."

"I'm sorry," she apologized once more.

"No," he insisted, thinking back on their conversation before they went to "lay down" in his bed. "I initially asked. Guess it was my fault."

Even though Jasmine still knew that there was something there in regards to Riku, she also had to admit that in this moment, she was more than content being with Ventus. They were great friends who also loved each other dearly, and she enjoyed his company.

Jasmine would never admit this outright, but if certain events were not taking place, she would actually entertain the idea of being with Ventus on a more romantic level.

But there was no time for that now.

"Should we still be doing this?" Jasmine asked after a long silence.

Ventus looked down and gave her shoulder a squeeze, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Should we? Probably not. But I don't want to stop." He paused. "Do you want to stop?"

Jasmine wrapped a free arm around Ventus' torso, pulling him closer. "No," she answered.

"Good." Ventus grinned from ear to ear, kissing the top of her forehead before resting his chin on it. "This feels like a good fit."

Jasmine closed her eyes, finding herself comforted by the sound of Ventus' heart beat. She felt so safe and secure with him and she felt that their bond only continued to grow with time. He truly was her peace during these chaotic times."

"You know?" Ventus said suddenly.

"What?"

"Sometimes, I really do think about us being together," he admitted quietly.

Jasmine felt her heart skip a beat. As usual, they were on the same wavelength.

"I do too," she replied.

"And I feel like it would work, no matter what we did," he continued. "But I do think that we have to lay low for a while. Especially…" Ventus paused and chuckled, prompting a bit of curiosity from Jasmine.

"What's so funny?"

"Your boyfriend Noctis might actually try and kill me in my sleep," he said half-jokingly.

Jasmine groaned again, almost forgetting about Noctis completely. She just remembered that he texted her some time ago asking if she wanted to go to dinner with him. That was half an hour ago and she agreed to meet him in about twenty minutes.

"Maybe, maybe not," she said.

"What do you mean maybe? Dude doesn't like me."

Jasmine shifted around so she could meet Ventus' stare. "It's not that he doesn't like you as a person – "

"But he doesn't like me with you," Ventus cut her off, knowing that she was going to be much gentler than she needed to. "I don't think he likes competition, in ANY capacity."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "There IS no competition." She leaned back and propped herself up on her elbows. "Even if for some reason Noctis DID feel that way – in which I feel like you'd have a greater chance of hell freezing over first – I think we all know where I'd be."

Ventus' face flushed pink and he turned over to hide it. "Aww shucks! I'm honored!"

"Oh shut up," Jasmine said playfully. She looked around on the floor for her clothes and slowly began dressing herself. "It's not like you didn't already know this, Ven."

"Yeah, maybe." Once the initial embarrassment went away, he turned back around, watching her get dressed. "Still, it's nice to hear that you'd be chosen first. No matter what it is."

"Ven, you and Naminé are my closest friends. And you've been there for me every step of the way. You've done things for me that go above and beyond. You're important to me. I don't know what I would do without you." Jasmine, now fully clothed walked over to Ventus' side of the bed and crouched down so that they were face-to-face. "You know that, right?"

Ventus felt his heart swell. He felt the same way about Jasmine. They hadn't been friends for very long, but he knew that he could count on her for anything. He knew that she would go to the ends of the earth and beyond for him without a question. He would do the same for her. They had a bond that was unlike anything he'd ever experienced or seen before in others.

He felt blessed to have a person like her in his life.

"I know that." Ventus reached forward and playfully ruffled the hair on the top of her head before swiftly kissing her on the lips.

"You should get out of here though. Otherwise the prince might come looking for you."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

"Hurry up!" He yelled as she headed for the exit. Ventus picked up his cell phone and gave her a mischievous grin. "If you're not out in two minutes, I'll have to text him and tell him all the things you did to me today."

Jasmine's face immediately flushed red and she threw a pillow directly at his face, hitting him dead on and knocking the phone out of his hand.

"I take it all back. You're the absolute worst," she groaned as she slammed the door behind her.

"Love you too, Jaz!"


Sora groaned when he got out the shower. As he dressed himself, he noted how brutal his workouts with Yuffie had been. It was like the girl was a beast. She didn't slow down, not even once, even as the other guys were gasping for breath.

'But then again,' Sora realized as he put on an old tee shirt and walked out of the bathroom. 'That's probably how she does so well in SOLDIER.'

The spiky-haired boy yawned, thinking about all that had been going on recently. Jasmine was back, he and the others were in school, and he was getting really intense training from a top member of SOLDIER. To say that he had a lot on his plate would be an understatement.

Sora spotted his bed and yawned once more. He prepared himself to take a full-on dive into his bed in his childhood home when he was stopped dead in his tracks by a chilling, familiar voice.

"Jeez, Sora. It's only three in the afternoon and you're already going to sleep? You really are lazy."

Sora immediately whipped around, and his eyes widened in horror as he took in the figure standing in front of him. Standing right beside his open window was none other than Vanitas himself with his trademark haughty grin.

"Vanitas, what the hell are you doing here?" Sora asked, immediately going on the defensive.

"Calm down," Vanitas said with a sigh.

"You do know that I could make a call and have you in jail, right?" Sora threatened.

Vanitas lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "And YOU know that I could knock you out before you even get to your cell phone, right? Face it, cousin, you still can't beat me even if you tried."

Realizing that Vanitas was right, he lowered his defenses, albeit slightly.

"I'll ask you again, what the hell are you doing here?"

Taking a look around Sora's room, Vanitas walked over to the bench near his bed and took a seat. "I can't visit family?"

Sora rolled his eyes dramatically and crossed his arms over his chest. "Give me a break. You never show up for a random visit."

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders, conceding in the fact that Sora was right. "That is true. You're not quite the dope I thought you to be."

Trying to hold in his frustration, Sora stepped to Vanitas once more. "So, what is it this time?"

In that moment, Sora saw Vanitas soften his expression to something that was almost…human. "How is Jasmine?"

A bit thrown, Sora didn't exactly know how to reply. He didn't know if he should be giving out information on her in any fashion, especially not to someone like Vanitas.

"Why? I really don't think that you really have any business knowing about her," Sora said cautiously.

Vanitas pursed his lips. He knew he would get a bit of kickback. "I already know that."

"Then why bother coming here? It's not like I'm gonna tell you anything."

"Sora," Vanitas said testily, rising out of his seat. Being mindful of his surroundings (and knowing that his uncle was in the house), Vanitas lowered his voice. "I need to know where she is and if she's okay. This is important."

It was then that Sora actually felt that Vanitas was telling the truth. He'd known his cousin to be a first-rate liar, but in this moment, he knew that he was being genuine. And the fact that he seemed so pressed made Sora uneasy.

"What's going on?" Sora asked. "Is someone after her again?"

Vanitas shook his head and rubbed his temples, cursing under his breath. "Just answer the question, Sora. Is she okay and where is she?"

Sora paused, his concern intensifying. Vanitas was bold, but he was still very wary about showing himself on the Destiny Islands, especially when he was a wanted criminal. If he was willing to risk getting caught by the police (and possibly SOLDIER as well) then something must be wrong.

"I talked to her earlier today," Sora said finally. "She's doing okay. However, I don't know where she is exactly. Though I think she's on Radiant Garden. I can't be sure."

Vanitas opened his eyes, feeling a new sense of urgency. He was relieved to know that Jasmine was okay, but he now had to figure out where she was, even though Sora was able to give him a few clues.

"Looks like you're not completely useless after all," he said with a dark chuckle. "Thanks, cousin."

"Vanitas, wait!" Sora called out before Vanitas made his way to the window.

"What is it?" Vanitas asked coldly. "I don't have time for a family reunion right now."

Trying to brush aside the coldness, Sora pressed on. "What's wrong? Is Jasmine in danger? Tell me, please."

Vanitas froze as if he were mulling the thought over. After what seemed like ages, he decided to give Sora a reply that was less than reassuring.

"I don't know. That's the problem. Gotta go!"

"Wait! That doesn't tell me anything. Vanitas!"

Vanitas paused when he got a grip on the windowsill. "By the way, Sora," he began quietly. "I was never here."

Sora gasped when he saw Vanitas jump out the second-story window. He rushed to see when he saw Vanitas land stealthily on the roof and then slide down to the ground level. Just as quickly, Vanitas took off running down the side of the house, and most likely to the backyard of his neighbor behind him.

Still startled by Vanitas' clear lack of regard for his own life, he had to admit that his cousin was pretty tough. For the briefest moment, he stood in awe of Vanitas' agility when he was immediately snapped back to reality by the buzzing of his cell phone.

"What a psycho," He mumbled, recalling the moment his cousin threw himself out the window without an ounce of hesitation.

Sora glanced at the caller ID – it was Riku.

He wondered if he should tell his best friend what happened. After all, Vanitas had shown up in his bedroom of all places and broke into his house. That alone was cause for alarm. But the fact that Vanitas showed up looking for Jasmine was even more unnerving.

Feeling bad for ignoring his friend, Sora allowed the call to go to voicemail. Instead, he immediately dialed Jasmine's phone number, anxiously waiting for her to pick up.

As if it was karma for ignoring Riku, her phone went directly to voicemail.

'Crap. Jasmine, I need you to answer,' he thought, dialing her number again, only for him to get the same result as before.

Sora paced around the room, trying to figure out a plan on what to do. If Vanitas was here, it meant that things were bad. Real bad. And he needed someone to get in contact with who might be able to help.

Immediately, an idea popped into Sora's head and he scrolled through is contacts list until he came across the number he needed. He waited impatiently for the person to answer, exhaling in relief once the person on the other end of the line picked up.

"Roxas! Hey it's Sora!"

"I know that," the blond replied with a chuckle. "Caller ID cuts out the mystery. What's up?"

"Hey…uhhhh….I need a favor from you," Sora began, trying his best to remain calm.

"Yeah," Roxas replied. "What do you need?"

"Can I get Ventus' phone number? I need to talk to him."

"Sure. I'll text it to you," Roxas said casually. However, shortly after, there was an uncomfortable pause. "Is everything okay, Sora? You sound a little out of it."

Sora laughed in an attempt to ease the tension in the air. He paced around his room, scratching his head. "Yeah I'm fine. I just wanted to ask him a few things! I've been training a lot with Yuffie and I heard that he was pretty good too. I wanted to see if he and I could hang out and spar one of these days."

"Ah I see. I'll send it to you right now." All suspicion was gone from Roxas' voice and immediately Sora felt guilty.

He'd never lied to Roxas before and he had this horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. But Sora figured that he could come clean about this on another day when they were face to face. He didn't feel comfortable having this conversation over the phone, especially knowing that Vanitas was still somewhat nearby and could sneak up on him.

"Thanks, Roxas! Am I gonna see you tomorrow still for Kairi's birthday dinner?"

"Yeah. Me and Olette are still going. We'll let you know when we're on the way."

Sora felt his phone vibrate and saw that Roxas had sent him Ventus' phone number. He breathed a sigh of relief, his nerves steadying ever so slightly.

"Cool! I'll see you guys tomorrow! Bye!"

Roxas barely had the change to say "later" before Sora quickly hung up.

He quickly dialed Ventus' number and (impatiently) waited for him to pick up.

"Come on, Ven. Jasmine needs you," Sora whispered.


Author's Note: Hey guys! So I was gonna release this chapter over the weekend but I've been sitting on it for a while so I figured, why not? In any case, what do you think so far? What do you think Vanitas is up to? What do you think about Ventus' and Jasmine's "situation"? I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on the story so far!

As usual I'd like to thank all the readers and the reviewers (Sarah K.R, Amaya-vamp, Rynxenvy, and hopefuldreamer1991). You guys are amazing!

I'd like to get another chapter up by Sunday because I'll be traveling for the next week, but at the very latest, it'll be up by Tuesday.

See you guys at the next chapter!