Sorry for the intense delay. Been having a LOT of Writer's Block, plus I'm on vacation, so... :P But I do hope all this thinking has paid off. Again, thanks for the reviews!

And here's Chapter 5 for you.

It had soon come to my attention that Stella did, in fact, hate me with a passion. Yes, "passion". Nothing else seems to be appropriate, and she does have a passion for Noctis, which I particularly didn't care about.

Then again, who didn't she hate? Oh yeah. Noctis.

And my theory came to be proven correct.

"What do you want?" I hissed, as Stella blocked my way in front of the stairs.

"Isn't it obvious, Lightbulb? Back off from Noctis and there won't be a stiletto in your ass today. Got it?" I rolled my eyes and scoffed at her threat.

"Get your facts right, blondie." I nearly burst out laughing as her face went into a strangle of shock. "I don't stick with Noctis. He sticks with me. I personally don't care for him at all, so I really don't care if he hangs out with me."

Stella's azure eyes turned a sharp, electric blue as they shrunk into sharp slits.

"Listen, bitch. I get my facts straight, alright? I don't need some pink-haired anime freak to tell me what I do and don't know." Cocking an eyebrow, my thoughts were wandering over to the blonde stereotypes, for if she actually noticed, my hair was just a lighter shade of strawberry blonde. I'm virtually the same species as her.

Unfortunately.

"Yeah, whatever. Move it blondie, I gotta get to class." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she sighed deeply and scooted to the side, wearing the most innocent grin I've ever seen.

Apparently, not so innocent.

I definitely knew something was up the moment I tripped over her stiletto-wearing foot and tumbled down the staircase. Dammit.

Good thing Noctis had been socializing with Laris at the bottom of the stairs, or else I'd have left a trail of blood through the hallways limping my way to Nurse Estheim.

So, there I was, clutching my bleeding ankle, probably broken too, when Noctis bounded to my rescue. Oh, the annoyingly sweet corporation heir. Even through all the groaning and gasping, I swore as I was about to smirk at Stella's reaction to her blue-haired...prince at my side.

"What the hell happened to you?" He leapt to my side as fast as a cheetah pouncing its prey, which, I gotta admit, was pretty...cool. His bright, golden eyes widened at the sight of the steady blood flow coming out of my right ankle.

Grinding my teeth together, I smirked and nodded up to Stella, who was still standing at the top of the staircase.

"Why don't you go ask the spawn of the Devil herself?" I huffed and glared up at the annoying blonde, who was smiling down at me with her arms crossed, her demonic heels tapping the floor. It somehow made me feel better that someone like Noctis would be the one to stand up for me, despite the fact that I could do that on my own and that I never really planned to be close friends with him, much less an acquaintance.

"Stella, what the fuck were you thinking?" My eyes widened and I trembled slightly at the ferocity in his voice. Oh damn, that's scary...

Stella just wore an innocent face, faking a shocked expression. "Oh...did I do that? I'm sooooooo sorry...not." The demonspawn went on to do some maniacal laugh which I could only describe as shrill and annoying.

...And I thought Vanille was getting on my nerves.

"Oh you little.." I got up on my feet to try and pull that asshole down with me, but my ankle immediately incapable of doing that, and I stumbled into Noctis' arms.

"Hah. You can't do anything now, freak. See ya later!" And with that, Stella rounded the corner, disappearing from the top of the staircase.

It wasn't until after she left did I realize that Laris was hiding around the turn of the stairs, his own brown eyes trembling with fear.

"Y'know, Laris... I really hate your cousin. Are you sure you two are even related?" I asked him with a pout on my lips, trying to balance myself.

"Sadly, yeah... She is the spawn of the devil...well, not really. Her parents are pretty nice, though..." The blonde replied, scratching his feathery, golden head.

Noctis then walked behind me and stood me up, one hand on mines, while the other rested, awkwardly, on my waist. But it helped...

"Laris, you should probably get to class now. You know how Coach Amodar is with late kids..." He told him, still holding me upright. Even though his method worked effectively, I barely managed to contain the intensifying pain in my ankle.

"Oh shit! I should get going! Yeah, thanks for reminding me, man. You guys are going to be okay though, right?"

After wincing a bit, I choked out a few words. "Y-Yeah. We can take it from here. Now go run to the gym. Don't want you getting physical punishment again..." I rolled my eyes, considering how much he complained the last time he got in trouble with Coach Amodar... And with that, Laris bounded off, and I thought I heard something about his arms hurting the last time.

"...You still hanging in there, Lightning?" Noctis gave me a worried glance as Laris beelined down the rest of the staircase.

"Y-Yeah. Let's get going." I managed to sputter out, still barely holding in my pain.

"Alright. If that's what you say, we'll get moving now. Just...bear with me, okay?" I nodded and stifled a cry as we took a step, my left arm slung around his neck while his right arm was wrapped around my back.

I guess somewhere along the way he noticed the way I was gritting my teeth and fiercely growling, and now we were standing still, his amber eyes glaring down at me.

...And we were only a few steps ahead of where we were previously. How embarrassing.

"That's it. I'm carrying you." His voice came out rough, as if he was mad.

"Wait, wha-" Before I even finished what I was saying, he had already swept me off my feet and into his arms like a...blushing bride. And no, I do not mean like that.

"What are you doing? Put me down!" Sadly, I knew my protests were futile, considering Noctis is the biggest gentleman I've ever met. As if I've ever met a gentleman around here.

"Nope, no way in hell. Why would I put you down if I knew it would hurt your already bleeding ankle?" He glared at me with piercing, gold irises. It was one of those moments where I didn't feel as independent as I was used to. Even if I did feel that way, his logic overpowered mine.

Quietly, I settled into his arms, my cheeks heating up with blood.

I grumbled slightly, frustrated to be man-handled like this. If my ankle hadn't been bleeding, I'd have easily given him another black eye and limped off. Then of course, I'd have to limp back to him and help him up...out of pure conscience.

...Dammit.

I felt a bit bad for forcing her to follow my directions. I knew she wouldn't make it far if I let her go on by herself, and since she did make an agreement to our little deal, I thought it should stick to that and hand her what I owe.

...Heh, a little bit of the gentleman in me.

"Lightning...I'm sorry." I smiled weakly as she swiftly turned her head towards me, her face littered with confusion and disbelief.

"...What for? You're not the one who tripped me with five inch heels, y'know." She crossed her arms and looked away, which made me smile wider considering how cute that looked here in my arms.

"Well, I know you're not used to being given treatment, but I really can't have you dragging a bloody ankle to the nurse while I'm in Calculus with those annoying girls..."

"No, no. It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I admit I was being very...stubborn." She stopped with a grunt which made me smile lightly.

"But you didn't look like it."

She hung her head a bit, a warm pink color coating her cheeks. "...That's exactly why I'm thanking you, Noctis. For helping me even though I'm too much of an ass to accept it." The blush faded and her face hardened, with the edges of her lips tugging at a smile. I chuckled at her lightly.

"Does this mean I can still carry you to the nurse?" I grinned down at her, and her expression seemed to have dissipated any signs of pain or discomfort. Either I was really getting to her, or there had been way too much blood loss in her ankle, enough to get it numb.

I'm hoping for the former.

"Suuuure. Why not?" She rolled her eyes, and we made our way to Nurse Estheim.

"...You two again?" We both nodded shyly at Nora, the school nurse, as I set Lightning down on the bed, carefully stretching out her leg. That wasn't any bit successful, as I earned myself some sharp hisses and brief yelps.

"Last time you were in here...Mr. Caelum had the black eye, yes?" Nora said as she examined Lightning's wound. "You two having problems, or something? I could easily send you out to the counselor right now." Nora crossed her arms and gazed at us with a raised eyebrow.

I blushed slightly, then looked at Lightning, who was quite red too. We shook it off and smiled sheepishly at her.

"Uh huh." Nora rolled her eyes playfully and then stepped over to Lightning's ankle.. "Okay, honey, I'm just going to remove your shoe and your sock to get a better look. I'll try and be very gentle." The pink-headed terror nodded before trying to relax on the semi-comfortable bed.

It took Lightning a few hisses and gasps to get the black sneaker off, then the sock was easier, though her knuckles were turning white from her iron grip on the bed.

"So what exactly happened?" Nora asked, not bothering to look up from deep cut in front of her.

"Well... Let's just say...someone got jealous." I scratched my head sheepishly, knowing that Stella would've done something like that, yet I wasn't with Lightning at the time...

"Ahhh. Well, Lightning, it looks like you broke a bone. Let me patch you up first then I'll see if you really did or not." I watched sternly as she just nodded with a straight face while Nurse Estheim went around looking for a washcloth.

Hearing her shallow breaths, I looked back at her, her eyebrows furrowed down at her bleeding foot. Boldly, I slipped my hand over hers, gaining her attention.

"Lightning. Breathe." I told her quietly. Her cheeks reddened, and she turned away, but took my advice and slowed her erratic breathing pattern.

Soon after the nurse wiped away the excess blood, she dabbed a light gel over the sharp cut, then wrapped over it with some medical tape and gauze.

"So... Let's see if you're able to walk." Nora held a hand out and Lightning grabbed it, carefully landing on the tiled floor. She winced a little as her ankle trembled. Before she could manage to take another step, she lurched forward, before I managed to hold my arms out and grab her.

"That...was obvious. Let me get you casted up."

So, the rest of the day ended up with a drag. Literally. Since I had only a cast on, Noctis had to help me limp around the school. Sure, it wasn't as painful, but it made our situation just a little worse, more or less.

Good thing it was a Friday, so right after school, Noctis drove me to the doctor to get some crutches...which I have yet to use properly. Heh.

My weekend could only get worse.

Let's see. I woke up on my usual time. ...Around 11 A.M. Nothing bad seems to be going on. I check Serah's room. Note on the door.

Hey Light. Staying with Snow for the day. I'll see you at dinner.

Love, Serah. Xoxo

Oh, great. First thing gone wrong. I wake up on my time, but I'm lonely for most of the day. Just great.

Knowing nothing else better to do, I stepped into our kitchen to make myself some breakfast, making sure to hold my crutches properly so I don't fall and bleed while no one's home. Ugh.

Carefully sifting through our boxes of colorful, sugary cereal- Serah had a habit of munching on several at a time if she ever was bored -I finally managed to find my plain, honey-flavored cereal behind all those boxes of...what? Commander Crunchy? Fal'Cie Flakes? You've got to be kidding me.

After finally setting my breakfast, a bowl of the aforementioned cereal with milk and topped with cut strawberries, the doorbell jingle rang through the house. My eyes went wide with disbelief. And right when I finished preparing my food...

"Hello, who is it-"

...What? Noctis stood at the doorstep with a blushing expression on, the pink tint of his cheek contrasting with his usual blue-black clothing, this time being a plaid, buttoned shirt, some sagging, slim, dark gray jeans, and then some black deck shoes.

"...Lightning. I didn't think you'd be up. I'd thought your sister would answer or..."

"Nah. She's with her boyfriend for the day. Now what are you doing here?" I grumbled as I leaned onto the door frame, holding the crutch in my hand firmly.

He shifted uncomfortably, scratching his neck in the process. "Well... I just came by to check on you and your ankle, but I thought you'd be properly dressed by now."

My head blanked out for a split second, then I realized I hadn't bothered to put on any decent clothing, and was just standing there in my tank top and...my panties. My cheeks reddened as, on instinct, I let go of my crutches to cover myself, instantly forgetting that I had a broken ankle and can't stand by myself.

Before I could faceplant onto my porch, I fell right into Noctis' arms, making both of us turn even redder, I'm sure.

"...Umm...I'll just go put on some shorts. Y-You can come in." I managed to murmur, as he softly placed me back on the floor, allowing to grab my crutches and limp to my room before he saw more of me.

I blushed to myself as she hurriedly limped away, her barely clothed backside swaying as she...

No, don't stare, Noctis.

I mentally slapped myself for keeping my eyes on her. I'm not supposed to be here to stare at her, am I?

Trying to find something to occupy my mind while she was somewhere making herself look decent, I wandered into her kitchen, where a bowl of soggy cereal filled with strawberries and milk was sitting, completely unharmed.

"Did I interrupt her...ummm...brunch or something?" I thought to myself as I stared at the chrome wall clock ticking on the wall. 12:47 A.M. Huh.

I was snapped out of my reverie when I heard light thuds on the tiled floor. Lightning walked in, her cheeks pink and a glare on her face while I observed what she'd done to make herself look more...presentable.

I raised an eyebrow as I noticed she was only wearing flimsy romper shorts over her underwear. It was if nothing had changed.

"What are you looking at?"

My eyes widened as she noticed this time and I immediately averted my gaze to something else...like the bowl of cereal.

I sat down with her as she quietly spooned the crunchy flakes in her mouth. I guess she must've noticed since she let go of the spoon.

"...Do you want some? I mean, we have lots of cereal. I'd rather you just eat some instead of staring at me like some hungry street kid." She nonchalantly told me as she continued to spoon the rest of the stuff into her mouth.

"Nah, I think I'll pass. I already ate breakfast this morning anyway." I smirked at her as I leaned back into the chair.

"...Hmph." She was just about to spoon another heaping of the golden brown flakes into her mouth when a loud knocking was at the door. What the hell could be so important...?

"Wha-"

"I'll get it." Without the slightest hesitation, she stood up from her chair and walked her way to the front door, and my eyes found themselves staring at her scarcely clothed ass-

Uh...um. Well...nevermind.

Before I could fully even open the door, a mass of bright orange had crashed into me and I was looking straight into the evenly bright green eyes of my best friend, Vanille. Would it really kill her to have some patience? Sheesh.

"Light! Light! I heard about your leg last night, and I know just the right thing to make you feel better!" The smaller teenager was skipping on the spot while I just leaned back on the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noctis getting up from his chair and peeking around the bend.

I rolled my eyes at the finicky girl. "Well...do tell." Let's just hope this isn't one of her harebrained ideas again...

"Well... Last night, Laris called me and told me he got a day off at the putt-putt place, and also got free admission for four people. I was thinking you can go with us, with a special you-know-who, if you know what I mean." She grinned at me, smoothing down her pink miniskirt.

I gave her a concentrated glare, before slightly glancing to the corner, briefly spotting that same mass of spiky blue hair. "Um... Vanille. How do you think I'll be able to play golf with a sprained ankle?"

Her smile didn't falter at all, and I knew something was up. "Excellent question you asked... Well, I was thinking you should bring Noctis along, and it'd be some huge double date!"

My eyes widened and I felt myself heat up at the idea of going on a double date with Noctis.

"Oh, I'd be happy to go on a double date with my pal!" I sprang out with false excitement. I could only chuckle with absolute happiness with the way Lightning stared at me. "Oh, I think this'll be a good way to get you back on your feet, eh, Lightning?"

She growled at me enthusiastically, and I gotta say, it looked...cute?

"...So, we'll see you down at the minigolf place later?"

Before Lightning could even try to counter, my hand was already up and called on. "Yeah. Tell Laris we'll get ready."

I stared in awe as the orange-haired girl did a little dance and squealed. "This is going to be so much fun! You guys looks so cute together!" She twirled a bit like an excited toddler then headed for the door. "Bye! I'll see you guys later!"

All it took was the click of the door for her to pin me to the ground. For someone with a handicap, she's incredibly determined...which I like.

...Not that I actually like her. Just saying.

I sat in the kitchen, whistling to myself nonchalantly as I waited for Lightning to finish dressing up. She told me she'd needed some alone time, and some more time to get ready, so I decided to go back home and make for a quick clothing change before she finished. I tapped my fingers on my dark indigo jeans, the slim denim resting snugly on my legs.

Waiting just a bit more, I tapped my clean, black shoes on the tiled floor, the thin, rough, canvas material clashing with its thick white trim. I didn't notice it, but the sound of light steps joined my chorus, and I looked up to see Lightning, looking rather beautiful...unusually.

"...What? Do I look weird?" I resisted her glare as I studied her closely. Same slightly messy yet damp pink hair, a light pink sweater with thick black stripes, another miniskirt- yet this time, it was ruffled -and a pair of black, velvet boots on her feet.

"...N-No, not at all." I mumbled, my eyes visibly scanning her up and down. She cleans up nice. For a moment there, I had completely forgotten that she was still on crutches.

She must've realized I was still staring when she snapped a finger in front of my face. "Hey, are we going yet?" I shook my head and stood up, dusting off my pants.

I twitched when I passed her to go open the door, hearing her murmur "pervert". My face forms a smirk at the remark and I just shake my head, opening the chrome-framed door for the damsel in distress. Eyes rolling at me as she limps across the threshold, I close the door behind us with a lock, and we head over to my sedan, too fancy even for this neighborhood.

For a moment, I find myself staring up at the sky, the colors of afternoon twilight making it look like something Lightning would paint. My eyes scan the dark violet span of sky as they focus on a light twinkle. "The first star of the night", I think to myself. "Let's hope tonight will be a good one."

My eyes flicker at the sight of the small building, the triangular, black and red roof drowned out by the neon sign in front of it.

Bodhum Putt Putt Palace. Great. Just great.

"We are here, your majesty." His annoying voice snaps me out and I realize he's made a pun with the place's name.

"Tch."

By the time I open my side of the car's door, he's already standing outside with a huge grin, holding my crutches that he put away in the trunk. "Your...umm...stilts, your majesty." I glared as he gave me a clean smirk.

"Oh shut up- Oof!" I stumbled out of the car and landed face first into his chest, where he seemed hard as rock under the thin material of his v-neck. Does he work out or something...?

"Whoa there, princess. Slow down. Don't want you going limp again." Even with the slight humor in the words, his voice sounded serious. I settled quietly as he stood me up on the crutches, and we slowly walked our way to the front steps of the majestic golf arcade.

We went through the double doors and was greeted by a dark hall filled with flashing, noisy arcade games, each one complete with its own theme and set of unique neon colors and lights. To one side of the arcade also lay the food area, where there were tables and booths set up under a row of fluorescent lights. Off beside it was a snack counter, where there was a popcorn machine and some employees dressed in tacky striped uniforms, boringly waiting for some idiot to go buy their expensive, greasy pizza slices and their all-ice-barely-anything sodas. Beside that was the prize booth, where some familiar looking guy was waiting in front of an array of cheap, plastic toys.

...Basically it's a nightclub for kids. If only my hands were free, then I'd win myself a pair of sunglasses and some earphones to block out this mess.

A sudden shaking and tightening around my body woke me up.

"Lightning! You came!" I shook open my eyes and see Vanille hugging me, while Laris is over to the side talking it up with Noctis. Heh.

This is going to be a long night.

We sat outside in the mini golf course, an array of neon lights blocking out the darkness of the chilly night. I sat quietly on a blue bench, clicking my shoes together while pop music softly plays in the background. I glance over to Lightning and she's just sitting quietly with her arms crossed and her face showing an expression of dislike. She must not really like mini-golf...or golf itself for that matter.

My eyes focus out of the neon brightness and into the stars for a moment, and all the loud noises at the golf course sort of drown themselves out. ...That is, until I hear giggles and fits, and I look up to see Vanille and Laris with hooked arms and holding four golf clubs. One pink, one yellow, one orange, and one black...which I presume is supposed to be for me.

"So we got the clubs and the golf-balls- by the way, here are yours." Laris handed the black club to me, so I was pretty content, but Vanille just giggled at the way Lightning scowled at her clearly feminine club, complete with a pink handle and head.

"Aww, come on! It matches your hair!"

"But I hate pink..." I snickered inwardly at the way she's bickering until she shoots me a deadly glare.

"...I'll stop."

We'd only been at our second hole- which, by the way, is a mini replica of Nautilus, complete with functional mobile cars, waterworks, and guess what: neon lights -when Lightning was about ready to give up. With all this stress about her ankle and also the fact that she was literally dragged here to this neon fire hazard, I can't exactly blame her. But, I do think she should relax and at least try to act like a civilized human being before she up and breaks something. I only have enough money to buy all four of us some food and some arcade tokens...

"Your turn, guys!" I shake my head in surprise as I nearly forget that Vanille came up with the idea of teams. At the sound of the word, Lightning almost gripped the little redhead to death in desperation, until she said that she'd be going with Laris. I swore I heard her head creak when she turned to glare at me.

"Hey, daydreamer! Hit the ball!" I blushed in embarrassment as this time it was Lightning who told me to go hit the golfball, a plastic ball decorated with blue and red swirls. It's as if Vanille and Laris actually intended for us to be together...

Swing, hit, roll. We all watched as the plastic ball rolled over a mini-bridge, into a slot, and shot out of a fountain, landing in a little island hole in the middle of the bright replica. I again turned red- this time, in surprise -as holographic fireworks shot out of the model and tacky cheering sounds emitted from a hidden speaker.

"...Man, that was awesome! Who knew you were good at golf?" I scratched my head sheepishly, hoping the glowing saucer lights illuminating the course path wasn't enough to show the obvious tint on my cheeks. Laris was grinning widely at, Vanille was clapping, but Lightning looked like she was about to break the club in half...

Next hole. A large one this time. A ramp that lead to a hole in the wall- if you miss, into a crevice underneath it -that goes into this even larger glass tank filled with tubes and switches that lead the ball into the finishing hole.

"Oops! Haha!" I watched as the pigtailed redhead laughed at her 'fatal' mistake, having hit the ball and making it roll off the platform and fall into the crevice, surfacing a foot away from the hole at the bottom of the bright contraption.

After a fit of laughing from both Vanille and Laris, we all turned to Lightning, since it was her turn to go hit our ball. I just noticed how evil she looks when the footlights on the rubber floor illuminate the bottom half of her face. It doesn't exactly help that she's already irritated either.

"Fine, I'll go now..." She grumbled slightly and picked up her pink club, setting our bipolar ball on the starting mat. It was starting to look well...until she batted at the poor thing and the plastic ball bounded off the wall.

...And then it ricocheted and hit her in the forehead, making her fall down on the rubber.

"Dammit!"

I rubbed my forehead, sure that a red circle the size of a golfball was permanently stamped onto it. I opened my eyes...and there was Noctis, a slightly angry and all-the-way concerned look on his face. I have no idea why, but my cheeks burned at the look he gave me. Especially with the way his amber eyes seem to glow...

"...You really need to be careful. I don't want you walking around school with a hole in your forehead." Dammit, there he goes again. Him and his gentlemanly attitude. If only I had enough strength to get up by myself, he would've gotten this pink club to his forehead.

"Awww, that's so sweet of you Noctis!" Vanille squeals at us like it's some cheesy chick flick and I simply roll my eyes as my "date" helps me up.

"Lightning, you have to hit the ball gentler." As I was about to open my mouth and say something, the taller boy wrapped his arms around me and put his hands on my own gently. "Loosen your grip. It'll help you flow better." He said as he intertwined his fingers with mine. I did absolutely nothing but bite my lip, and my cheeks started to warm up. The way his body was pressed against me...I just felt like dying. What is wrong with me?

"Dang, Noctis has moves..." I frowned inwardly as Laris whispered to Vanille, who in turn just smiled and covered her mouth. Feeling embarrassed, I shot her a glare and she only grinned and gave me two thumbs up. Her blonde boyfriend also gave me the same expression, though not as convincing.

"After that, all you do is swing gently." Noctis slowly swung our hands, the club along with it, and the ball rolled right into the hole in the wall. I was mentally jumping for joy, when he slowly led me down the stairs surrounding the glass contraption, where we watched our blue and red ball go through a series of tubes and lifts, then emerging out of the bottom and heading straight into the hole. "There you go." Noctis said calmly, smiling as he picked the ball out of the glowing hole.

"Umm... Thanks Noctis." I said shyly, hoping Vanille and Laris wouldn't hear. I managed to crack out a mediocre smile, to which he only chuckled.

"No problem." He shot me a killer grin, and the same queasy feeling returned, the same one when he had his arms around me. Ah, dammit, why does he have to be so...charming?

"Alright! So Team Larille ends the game with...45." I laughed as my best friend scratched his head and frowned at the scorecard.

"Awww, don't worry Laris! It's not your fault I looked at you instead of the ball..." Lightning's friend embraced him tightly and kissed his cheek, making the guy turn red under the neon lighting.

"Oh shucks, Vanille..." He chuckled lightly and I gave him a thumbs up, and glanced back at Lightning...who didn't seem angry anymore, but wasn't paying attention either. "So, how about Team Lightis, next?"

Wait, what? I thought only they get a couple name... A cheesy smile escapes me when the two look at me hopefully, and I look beside me to see Lightning starting give all three of us heavy stares. "Oh, ummm...carry on?"

"I'll take this one!" Vanille chirped as Laris handed her the scorecard. "And Team Lightis scores...22! Wow, you guys won!"

Before I could say anything, I hear a little gasp. "..We won?" Lightning had a look of disbelief on her face, which I gotta say was pretty cute considering how innocent she looked. Hey, I can't blame her. She's not exactly the biggest golfing fan.

"Yep! You guys were amazing tonight!" Vanille ran up to both of us and squeezed together until our faces turned pink. "Heh, I'll let go now!"

I smiled at the girl with pigtails and got behind Lightning to lead her back into the building. "Let's get some food now, shall we? I'm getting kinda hungry."

"For the last time... The big tiger is 30,000 tickets. You have eleven. It's either the pack of fruity gum or the slappy hand. Take...your...pick."

"...I want the tiger!"

I made my way over to the prize booth with Noctis, where I saw a familiar silver-haired friend of mines arguing with a kid about a few inches shorter than him, but probably five years younger.

"Kid! You can only get the gum and the slappy hand!"

"Fine! I'll take the slappy hand!"

Noctis and I exchanged awkward looks as Hope bickered with the kid.

"Here!" We watched as Hope handed the kid a jelly hand suspended on a jelly rope. He seemed content with 'winning' the battle, that is, until the kid unwrapped the cheap toy and swung the sticky jelly limb onto Hope's face.

"Jerk!" The kid left the booth with a proud huff, leaving the poor boy with a small, red, hand-shaped mark on his face. We just scooted closer to the counter while Hope sighed and peeled the jelly off.

"...Hey there, Hope." The silver-haired teen looked up and saw us, lightly waving his hand.

"Hi guys. Didn't think you guys would be here." He told us, seeming like he was tired.

"Yeah... I didn't think I'd be here either..." I quickly shot a glare to Noctis, who simply grinned and held our receipt in his hands.

"So...you guys have tickets or anything?" He asked dully, leaning over the glass counter and adjusting his employee hat.

We had tickets alright. Lots of them. It wasn't me, but rather Noctis, a coin slot machine, and extremely good luck.

Before I could say anything, Noctis had already slammed down the receipt onto the counter, almost breaking the glass.

"50,500 tickets here." He smirked wickedly at Hope, whose eyes widened incredibly and his mouth gaped open. I had nearly the same expression when he showed me himself. Man, this guy is incredible...it's almost hard to believe I can consider myself one of his close friends...

"...I-I...uh...umm... W-We have the, um, giant teddy bear for exactly that price-"

"I'll take it!"

"What?" I glared at him as the seemingly gentleman-like teen reached over the counter for a teddy bear a yard tall and wide. "Why the teddy bear? Why?" It wasn't like me to get angry over such a stupid thing, but I don't know why...

He simply grinned at me and gave me his signature stare. "It's not for me. I can't be seen with something so...fluffy. So...I got it for you."

It was like I just died on the spot. It certainly didn't help that Vanille and Laris were walking towards us, with the girl squealing over the giant ball of light pink fur.

"That's adorable! Noctis, did you win that?" The girl jumped up and down and clapped her hands, and I swore her bright orange skirt was gonna fall off.

"Yeah...and it's Lightning's, actually."

Her eyes enlarged and the quirkiest smile crept onto her face. "Oh...my...God! That's so romantic! Laris, isn't that so romantic?" My best friend kept tugging on his shirt, making him grin awkwardly.

"Man, Noct, you just kept owning tonight... I'm kinda jealous!" The blonde fidgeted in his spot while Vanille poked the stuffed animal. "Well, we'll see you guys on Monday. Vanille has a tight curfew so...gotta go!"

"Bye, you lovebirds!" Vanille called as Laris dragged her off of the bear. I mentally slapped myself while Noctis simply waved, holding the large animal under one arm.

I sighed and absently smoothed down my black miniskirt, when my escort suddenly hooked his arm around mine. "...Now that the night is ending...shall we ride off into the sunset?"

Rolling my eyes playfully at his fancy choice of words, I answered him. "The sun set hours ago, dumbass. But yeah, let's go. I'm tired."

"Gladly." He smiled at me, and the same butterfly feeling came back to my stomach.

I will not be sleeping well tonight with that bear sitting next to me.

...So that concludes Chapter 5! I'm terribly sorry for such the long wait. Too much stuff happening.

Buuuut, if you think the wait was worth it (yes it is, this is like 6,000 words), then please drop by and comment. Thank you for your time, and this is Fatal Exodus, signing out. :D

(...Also, kudos to you if you notice the pairing references, lol.)