A/N: Chapter 11 is here~... Please review. I really appreciate it. This is going to be Natalie's first trip to the outside world. First. There will be more. And just because she's never stepped outside the palace doesn't mean she's a total idiot. xD She knows what's going on but not really that much. And in this trip, I think she'll adapt very well. :D Happy reading.

Chapter 11: A Day of Fun

"This is very unlike Princess Natalie..." The queen heaved a heavy sigh, staring at the phone clutched in one hand. And then, turning to Josie: "Do you think she is all right?"

Josie bowed slightly to hide the fact that panic flashed in her eyes. "I hope so, your majesty."

Queen Adriana sighed once more. Natalie could be anywhere in the palace, and she hadn't answered any of the queen's phone calls since three in the afternoon. It was twenty to five already. Well, she dearly hoped that the princess isn't in harm.

"Hmm... Tell me thy opinion, miss. Should I send the palace guards on a ground search—just to make sure my daughter is doing fine?"

Josie bit her lip, hesitating to answer. One wrong move could prove to be a huge slip-up that she, Natalie, and Kadaj would have to pay. But the queen's stormy eyes stared at her, expecting an answer.

"I would recommend that your majesty should resort to such matters if she doesn't return by dinner time. Perhaps her highness desired some self-searching moments," Josie smiled convincingly.

"Perhaps." The queen nodded, and then scowled primly. "I never knew she had such deep thoughts." She mused.

"We never know your majesty. But studies do say that teenagers often desire time alone with themselves," the princess's personal attendant clutched her tab tighter to her chest, hoping the queen would dismiss the despicable idea of doing a search.

"Indeed. She is fifteen, and is to be engaged to Lord Sephiroth by summer's end. Perhaps it is time she had her own moments. But please, do inform me if she returns."

Josie could have slumped to the floor in relief at the lady's answer accompanied with a stately nod of her head. "As you wish, your highness."

With that, the queen made her exit. When the footsteps faded out to nothing, Josie made a mad dash for the restroom located in the receiving office. She had to call Natalie, and tell her. Once inside the comfort of the beige colored walls, she fumbled clumsily for her phone and... Damn it! She wanted to slap herself. How could she forget to take Natalie's number? Having a sudden burst of intuition, she scrolled through her list of contacts and managed to locate Kadaj's number, and with clammy fingers, she pressed the call button, bringing the device to her ear.

"C'mon... Pick up, pick up," she coaxed as if somehow, he would hear.

His phone was ringing for a long time, and she could have fallen on the toilet—yet again when a silky voice purred through the other line.

"Well, hi there..."

She huffed. "If I may your highness, I need to speak to Princess Natalie."

vVvVv

She laughed, happy, no, ecstatic. She'd never felt so free before. Who knew the world outside her shell could be so...colorful. Natalie grinned to herself as she sipped on her soda drink. Kadaj had brought her to the cinema and made her pick out a movie that she found interesting. The film had just finished, and right now, they were standing outside the entrance of the movie house, buying another round of popcorn. Although she had to admit that she had been worried about entering the dark room where they played the movie. Kadaj had informed her that that was what made it enjoyable. He had guided her to their seats, and she never knew that the air conditioning could rise to a near-freezing temperature. Kadaj had ever so graciously helped her keep warm—wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to his side.

She looked up; Kadaj was still standing in line at the concession stand. She was surprised no one ever bothered him. He had explained earlier on the way here that the people were used to his frequent appearances anywhere. Sometimes, having his so-called reputation really helped. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't realized his presence behind her.

"Why are you smiling?" His voice piped up and she flinched; the image of his smug smirk already on his face.

"It's just... It's so different. And I love it," she met his eyes, and he raised an eyebrow, handing her a bag of chips. "Where do we go next?"

"Um... I was thinking-." Sadly, the sound of his phone ringing cut him off. "One sec," he said before bringing the gadget to his ear upon seeing the caller ID. "Well, hi there..." He smiled.

"If I may your highness, I need to speak to Princess Natalie." Josie said on the other line, almost out of breath.

"Of course. Hold on," he handed the phone to the princess. "It's your attendant."

Blinking, Natalie took the phone from him, heart pounding in her chest at the thought of getting caught on such short notice. Had her parents found out? She hoped not. Swallowing hard, she boldly spoke:

"Natalie speaking..."

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your highness, but it's about your parents. Your mother has been searching for you and almost thought of issuing a search on the palace grounds for your whereabouts."

"Oh no..." She mumbled, and she could almost imagine the young woman on the other line nodding her agreement.

"The good news, I've managed to put her line of thinking off. The bad news, your parents will be expecting you for dinner. You and Kadaj..."

Natalie glanced at the older boy staring at her with curiosity. "I don't think that would be a problem for Kadaj, but it will be for me. What am I going to do?" She asked desperately, but the answer had come to her quicker than she expected. "Tell my mother I'm not feeling well, and if she feels the need to summon a physician, tell her I just want to be left alone, and I'll see her in the morning."

"Very well, princess. I shall make sure."

That left only one problem. How were they going to sneak back in if this adventure of hers ended at somehow late in the evening? She sighed, tugging her jacket closer, as she handed Kadaj his iPhone. He looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"What seems to be your problem?" He asked, and she heaved a heavy sigh.

"We almost got caught. It's a good thing I have an intelligent attendant. Any other person in her place, we could be in really deep sh-" She cleared her throat. "I mean deep trouble right now."

She coughed, not being able to catch Kadaj's amused smirk. He shook his head slightly. She was about to curse, and frankly, he found it kind of hot that she was really able to control herself. Maybe he should annoy her out of the blue more often. She was actually pretty cute when she's irritated.

"So what were you about to say before we were interrupted?" She asked, breaking his reverie about getting Natalie extremely pissed off.

He cleared his throat. "Right. As I was saying, I think it'd be best if you and I take a happy trip to the arcade."

"Hm?"

He discreetly rolled his eyes. "I forgot you don't have those at home." Kadaj sighed. "Oh well. It's your time to find out. C'mon."

With that said he grabbed her hand and all but hurriedly walked to the parking lot where his car was waiting.

vVvVv

Harsh lights, noisy gaming machines, little kids crying for candy, guys yelling about proposed bets, and loud music in the built-in speakers. The place was a less harmful version of an average bar—minus the gaming systems. And honestly, Natalie was almost reduced to a headache. It was so damn loud; she resisted the urge to storm the manager and demand for a quieter place to be. She stared at Kadaj who was looking at the token purchasing counter, and wondering why he thought this was an amusing place.

"Wanna play a game?" He suggested with a happy lilt in his voice.

"Um...sure. Okay..." She agreed reluctantly, following him close behind so as not to get lost as he weaved his way through the noisy crowd of gamers and stand-bys alike.

They reached the counter and thankfully, only a few people were present at the moment, but definitely not for long. It was Kadaj's turn and he bought a total of sixteen tokens. He gave her half of the silver coins and pocketed the rest.

"Choose a game, and I'll help you with the mechanics." He winked, motioning for her to go ahead.

"Honestly," she mumbled. "I don't know where to start."

Kadaj smiled, shook his head. He grabbed her hand. "C'mon!" He started pulling her towards the noisy sets of arcade machines, and she obliged, confused at the excited expression on Kadaj's youthful face. They stopped at some point in a fighting game, each of the characters taking offensive and defensive poses on the screen. Natalie frowned slightly, unsure of what buttons to press. She was aware of the joystick's use, but not the multi-colored buttons—even if she does have a Play Station in the palace. Biting her lip, she slowly adjusted her sunglasses, and huffed.

"What seems to be your problem?" Came the sound of Kadaj's voice edged with so much amusement.

"Um... What do I do?"

Sighing, he took his position behind her, and reached out one hand across her and grasped her own that was tightly gripping the joystick. The other hand was poised near the buttons after he hurriedly pressed the start button. Natalie was a bit deranged to say the least. She couldn't help herself from feeling a little on edge after feeling his torso pressed against her back slightly. It was really unnecessary, and she could feel a lock of his silver hair tickling the top of her ear. Oblivious to what was really happening, the game had long since started and Kadaj was maneuvering her hand—that was holding the joystick—around. If she had been paying close attention, she might even find the concentrated look on his face to be quite adorable.

As expected, she won...because of the silver-haired teen that had been really playing the game the whole time. They finished until the last boss, and to be honest, she didn't see the point in it.

"So do we get a prize?" She asked curiously once he stepped away from her.

"Nope, I don't think so. Prize here is fulfillment," he grinned mischievously. "Let's get you on a bump car."

vVvVv

She grunted disagreeably at the jarring force that met her when she collided with another 'bump car'. The rider on the play vehicle was a child, looking not more than five years of age, and he stared at her with big blue eyes that had innocence in them. He had a spatter of freckles across his chubby little cheeks and then he grinned somewhat manically and drove his vehicle forward, bumping the thing against hers once more. She groaned, stepping on the big button on her right foot which so happened to be the 'accelerator' and maneuvered herself away from the kid who decided to give chase.

In all caution, she decided to avoid getting mixed with the child's definition of 'fun'. She didn't exactly want this whole scene to end up with a crying kid, an agitated mother, and risk herself by revealing her true identity—which at the moment was not an option. The play-car moved backwards and yet again, she was met with another jarring force. This bump car thing was really giving her a headache. This time though, the owner of the vehicle who 'bumped' her proved to be...kind of sadistic—considering how he managed to nearly drive her forward and collide with the fake kiddy dashboard. In all truth, she braced herself against her outstretched hands that were pressed against the giant speakers on the dashboard to keep herself from committing a face-plant with the useless windshield.

There was the sound of whirring coming to her right, and then a very audible yet mischievous voice spoke. Opening her eyes, she got a good look of his face.

"What's the matter, princess? Can't handle a 'little' bump?" Kadaj mocked in a whisper that only she could hear.

She had a split second to figure out that Kadaj was the one who caused the accident that had her almost executing a face plant. Her eyes narrowed at the back of his bump car as he sped off into another direction in the arena before she decided to give chase. Stepping harder on the accelerator, she managed to catch up with him, unnoticed it seemed, but she was wrong. He saw her coming through his peripheral vision and just as she was about to smack her bumper against his, he evaded her assault and made a swift u-turn and repeated the same thing he did earlier—kept doing it until he had her isolated from the other bump cars, and he kept pushing against the corner of the mini-arena.

"Stop it, already." She screeched through fits of laughter.

"I." Bump. "Won't." Bump. "Stop." Bump. Bump, bump, bump, bump.

He completed the childish fit with the immature move of obnoxiously sticking out his tongue in her direction before speeding off to give her time to recover. Her sunglasses were nearly falling from her face, and he was mindful of the consequences if they were found out. He planned to take her to the pizza parlor nearby after this amusing afternoon to at least lie low a bit. Kadaj was lost in thought and was severely lurched forward after a hard bump at his vehicle.

"What the-?"

"Gotcha..." She grinned, steering wheel gripped tightly in her hands.

"Race you to the exit!" He called out before zooming off.

"Hey! No fair!" She screamed, stepping on the accelerator and earning a few confused and weirded out stares from the other riders and the stand-bys.

vVvVv

A few more games followed after that. There was the shooting game which left the scoreboard looking like this: Natalie – 0, Kadaj – off the charts. What the hell? She didn't know he was that good at shooting. He must have had some practice. Being a prince had its benefits, after all. There was also the 'Grab Stuff' game. She couldn't even get herself a cute little white teddy bear. Kadaj got a stuffed-monkey and couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculous prize he got. He caught her pouting after her failed attempts and held it out to her, offering the object it seemed. She stared at him, and he smiled slightly, thrusting the monkey into her arms.

"You need it more than I do," he had said.

"Thanks..." She replied, holding the stuffed animal at arm's length. Oh well, at least she got a souvenir...from Kadaj.

The last thing they tried was the mini horror booth. Virtual reality screen that left our princess screaming her lungs out. And Kadaj was, well...Kadaj. He looked bored at the beginning and ended up amusing himself with Natalie's facial expressions and so ended up laughing like a maniac the whole time.

Now, the two sat alone in a booth in a pizza parlor, waiting for their orders and chatting up a quiet storm in their table. The place was a bit noisy considering the number of people but it wasn't too much that it would give Natalie a headache.

"So how's your day so far?" Kadaj asked with a smirk her way.

"I honestly had fun." She declared proudly, happy that she didn't regret this decision of hers.

"Well, that's good to know. Where do you want to go next after this?" He inquired, twirling the bottle of hot sauce in his hand.

Tilting her head slightly, she unconsciously fumbled with a lock of blonde hair that hung across her shoulder from her side-ponytail. "You decide. You'll tour me," she smiled.

He just shook his head. "Actually, I have...a bit of a small agenda. You see, I have this habit of keeping a stash of food under my bed, whether I'm in my home or in someone else's." He paused, picking up his glass of water and taking a sip. "So far, I got nothing... Would you mind going to a grocery store?"

"No, I wouldn't mind," she smiled yet again, reaching into her shoulder bag for the handkerchief.

It was at this moment that the pizzas arrived, and they ate in animated conversation of other whatnot. It was a good early dinner, to say the least. The pizza was sumptuous. Meanwhile...

"You! Have you any news of the princess's whereabouts?" The queen blurted out upon catching Josie walking hurriedly down one of the many palace hallways.

Josie turned back, trying her best to hide her uncertainty. "I have no news, your highness," she answered immediately, bowing slightly.

The queen looked positively anxious, forehead creased with worry. "Supper hasn't come yet. I should expect her there, please do leave her a message in her voice mail."

"O-Of course, your majesty." Josie wanted to kick herself for stuttering and almost giving herself away—not to mention Kadaj and Natalie.

The princess had no idea how much trouble she was going to be in if her parents ever found out. What's more? Kadaj would seriously get hell from Sephiroth if he knew about it as well. Josie sighed worriedly, staring at the phone clutched in her hand. They had a plan and it needed to be kicked into action later tonight at the monarchs' supper. She hoped Kadaj and Natalie would come back soon.

vVvVv

Kadaj sighed, picking up a bunch of snacks and bottled drinks, plunking them into the mini-cart he and Natalie brought with them when they entered the food store. She was patiently sticking to him, afraid to get lost, and secretly enjoying the moment of grocery shopping with him. She stared at him as he examined a label on one of the food packages, comparing it with the other one it seemed. Natalie couldn't help but find it cute. It was kind of a contrast to his usual attitude. A smile crept to her pink lips, seeing him in a different angle. He may be a bit confused on concepts of love, but...he seemed sweet if you knew what buttons to push.

"Am I that sexy that it requires ogling?" A smug voice piped up, and she snapped out of her reverie only to realize that she had been staring at Kadaj for a long time and he noticed.

Okay, that was very embarrassing, and he was staring at her with an undecipherable gleam in his serpentine eyes. He dumped a package in the cart and took control of it, pushing it to the checkout counter. Then again, she found it peculiar to see him push a cart through grocery aisles. She followed briskly behind his quick steps, wanting to defend her actions.

"I wasn't ogling," she insisted, walking next to the cart, trying her best to match his stride.

"Oh really?" He raised an amused eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twisting up into a smirk. "I think it's rather cute that you stared at me like that." Oh yes, make her blush.

Natalie's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red at his comment. He knew the words that could make her fluster. She discreetly placed a hand against her flaming cheek, averting her gaze. This action didn't go unnoticed by Kadaj, and he smiled inwardly but left it alone nonetheless. He could always turn on those flush hormones; and in case she hadn't noticed, he knew his very presence was turning her to goop. He hated to admit it, but she really was growing on him.

On the way out of the grocery store, Natalie spotted a photo booth—the kind that has dark curtains and takes five shots of the individual and prints it immediately. All she needed was some change, and it really wasn't a bad idea. It was yet another addition to her memorabilia.

"Hey Kadaj," she spoke lowly, and he paused from carrying the small bag of groceries and turned to her. "Can we go to the photo booth? Take pictures?"

"I don't know, princess. I'm not photogenic," he remarked, pulling off a slight smile and shake of his head.

"Come on... This is my first experience outside. I need a remembrance. You'd be doing me a huge favor," she grinned, and pouted slightly—hoping to convince him if he chanced to notice.

He sighed heavily, and stared at the girl. She pointed at the booth with her thumb and let a sheepish smile grace her features. "Please?"

Kadaj groaned, most likely in defeat. "You have no idea what you're doing to me," he mumbled.

How could he resist when she was looking at him like that?! Even if he wanted his own way, he couldn't find it in himself to deny such a request. What was the big deal? It was just a few camera flashes; it wouldn't kill him. He sighed heavily in defeat, not even realizing that she had a gentle grasp on his arm. She looked up at him.

"Alright..." He relented, and she grinned, beginning to drag him to the curtained booth.

Once inside, she dropped a few coins and then took her place next to Kadaj.

"C'mon Kadaj. It wouldn't kill you to smile," she grinned at him.

He sighed and forced a slight smile to his lips, aware of a firm clutch Natalie had on his lower arm. The first flash came. Natalie posed with two of her fingers held up in a 'peace' sign, and grinning at the picture and the second camera flash brightened the area. He wasn't really taken aback but he honestly liked it when she wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking herself to his side, his arm instinctively wrapping around her shoulders in return. The third flash came and went. Kadaj was lost in thought and before he knew it, the next expected two flashes were done and she pulled away from him.

She beamed at him happily, after taking the pictures that escaped the thin slot. She offered two of them to him but he refused with a gracious shake of his head.

"Thank you," she murmured sincerely.

"No problem," he smiled back, still lost in thought.

He couldn't believe it. Did she actually embrace him? It wasn't exactly the first time around.

A/N: Real fun is on its way on chapter 14. Oh hell, I spoiled it but it hardly matters. This isn't her only trip to the outside world. Kadaj is going to give her one hell of a spin. And I'm thinking a bar episode would be nice. Please be honest with regards to reviewing this chapter. I'm terribly sorry if I didn't meet your expectations. I tried my best and I was feeling so down when I wrote this. Oh well. I should know better, right? Anyways chapter 12 is on its way once I get my hands on the computer again. Till then... :)