Well, I decided to rewrite this chapter because I really couldn't see how to end her sickness nice and fast! Sorry if it confuses you.

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In case you haven't noticed.

I'm double-updating as an apology... plus, I promised the other chapter ages ago! So I feel bad. So I'm writing two chapters. So you guys should review. Lots. Comprehende?

Go to my profile page for the announcement.

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-Chapter Seven-

Someone was shaking my shoulder. My back was... aching? ... What the hell happened to me?

Hang on, I know. I fell off the bed. Again.

Curse my tendency to sleepwalk and my lack of balance. Those two things were never meant to be combined together, but God decided that He needed a laugh and put them in me. Of all people.

The shaking intensified.

I groaned. "Go 'way Mom."

There was a short chuckle, and I frowned, my eyes still closed. "Did Vanille let you in, Snow?"

"Mm. Open your eyes."

Wait a second.

That's not Snow's voice...

My eyes shot open.

"How the hell did you get in my room?!" I shrieked. Noctis flinched at the pitch my voice rose to. "Ow."

"Sorry. But... but..."

"Look around, Lightning."

I did.

And guess where I was?

Yep. In the nurse's room.

"What the he-"

"I'd warn you not to finish that sentence," Noctis told me, smiling slightly. Oh God, his lips looked so soft. "Nurse Higgins is somewhere outside, and you know what a tattletale she is."

I tried to wrench my gaze from his lips, but failed. What happened to my willpower?! Good God Lightning! This guy is messing with your though processes. That leaves only one solution: Run, bitch, run!

"You passed out earlier," he offered when I opened my mouth to ask what happened.

Oh.

"Why?"

"Did you forget to breathe or something?"

Yes. But I'm not going to feed your overlarge ego.

"No."

"Are you sure? I could've sworn you weren't sucking in air..."

Bastard.

"I'm sure."

"Okay then." He sat back and kept his gaze on me. I stared back, feeling heat rise up my neck. No, bad Lightning!

I felt like knocking myself out.

Or better yet, putting a bullet through my brain. That way I wouldn't need to deal with this. I heaved a sigh, and crossed my legs underneath me. Noctis raised an eyebrow at me, so I returned the favour, then winced.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I ignored him, and reached up to feel my forehead. There was a tender spot... shit. Not a frickin' bruise!

"Your fringe can cover that, don't worry."

"Who said I was worrying?" I shot back.

He smirked. "I can tell. You get this little ridge in between your eyebrows when-" He stopped himself, and looked away.

My eyebrows shot up; this time, I ignored the sting of the bruise. "Have you been watching me?"

He mumbled something incomprehensibly and ran a hand through his dark hair. "There's a painkiller on the desk next to you, and school's almost over." I recognized his attempt to change the subject, but I didn't comment on it because I realized that...

"I've been sleeping for almost three hours?!"

"Yeah."

"What?!"

"I said, yeah!"

"No, what?"

"... yeah!"

"... what?"

"... Screw you." He sat back and scowled, looking like a sulky child. I grinned widely.

"I don't think that's anatomically possible." I reached for the painkillers and downed them. Almost immediately, the pain faded away from my forehead.

"If you weren't a girl, I'd hit you right now."

"And if you haven't been secretly watching me."

Noctis groaned. "I knew I should've kept my eyes to myself. Looking at any girl boost her ego, whether they care for clothes and make-up or not."

I smirked. "A little too late for that, hm, Princey?"

"What did you just call me?" He looked up at me with his amber eyes. They were narrowed. If I was in my right mind, I'd take it as a hint to shut the hell up. But who said anything about a right mind, if I even had one?

"I just called you Princey," I answered innocently, then squealed when he lunged forward and pinned me to the bed. "Hey! Help, help!"

"Shush!"

I quietened down, and noticed how close we were to each other. I could feel his breath on my face, smell the aftershave he used, and his clean, sharp, Noctis smell that I associated with him and him only. What was it about that scent that seemed to make my breath hitch and my heart stop?

His amber eyes locked with mine, and I was aware that I was starting to breathe faster. He seemed to draw closer... closer... and then...

"What are you two doing?!"

Noctis shot up, letting me go, as Nurse Higgins burst in. Bradley was behind her, his eyes wide as he assessed the situation: a hyperventilating pink-headed freak, and a wide-eyed, guilty-looking hottie. Not that Bradley'll say that he was a hottie... because that'll be gay. And he's not.

"Nothing, ma'am," Noctis said, having recovered himself. "I was just..." his voice faded, and he seemed to be trying to think up an excuse.

"Pushing me back in because I was trying to get out," I saved him. "A girl can't use the toilet, Caelum?"

Noctis flushed slightly. "You didn't say you wanted to use the toilet."

"Well, you know now." I swung my legs out and tried to stand up. Bradley's eyes moved back and forth between us as we bantered on like old friends. A smirk twitched his lips before he controlled his expression.

Nurse Higgins frowned at us, then came over to me. "How're you feeling?" she asked abruptly.

I shrugged. "Normal. Just a little spacey, thanks to the painkillers."

"It'll pass. You can go home now."

"I'll take her home, driving when you're drunk is prohibited," Noctis offered.

"I'm not drunk!"

"Spacey works."

I scowled.

Bradley cleared his throat. "Actually... I'm taking her home. I'm going to see Vanille anyways."

"I'll take you both there." His tone left no room for argument, so Bradley and I exchanged glances, and sighed.

"All right, Princey, you win."

"Princey?" Bradley raised his eyebrows at me.

Noctis cleared his throat, and said, under his breath, to him, "Don't ask."

Bradley nodded, but when Noctis escaped the room, he mouthed, "Tell me later."

I grinned in acknowledgement and agreement.

--

Back home, Mom had a... not so wonderful surprise for me.

I knew something was up she opened the door before I could get my keys out. "Hi sweetie." Then, she saw Noctis and Bradley. "Hey, Noctis, Bradley." They both smiled; Noctis waved at her, then stuck his hands in the pocket of his dark jeans while Bradley said hi.

"Mom, you can step aside now." I tried to go in, but she barred my way. "You look kinda harassed. Something wrong?"

"Er, sweetheart, I know you don't-" she started to say, but another voice caught my attention.

"ONEE-SAN!!"

And in a flurry of pink, white, and pain, I was bowled over and tightly squeezed in a hug. Serah pulled back and beamed brightly at me, her pinky hair pulled back in a braid as usual. I used to be jealous of her straight, sleek hair, but now I couldn't care less. Then, she hugged me again, tighter than before.

Did I mention that I have another sister?

Probably not.

I coughed. "Serah, you're choking me."

She loosened her grip slightly. "I'm so glad to see you!"

And if Serah's here...

"Lightning."

I sat up, and glared at my older twin by a less than a few seconds. "Cloud."

The blond boy looked at me with slight contempt. Despite being twins, we weren't all that close – I stuck to my mom while he played football with dad. We were fraternal twins, meaning we didn't look alike. We didn't have that psychic connection other twins talk about as well. But that probably came from the fact that we weren't close, as I said.

I got up, still glaring into the strangely glowing blue eyes of my twin. Mom said that it was because of this strange radiation he was exposed to when he was a kid... I said that it was because he was such a bastard that he had to be marked in such a way. And that he was a freak.

Like me.

Only in a more literal sense.

Cloud had grown kinda hot, actually, with his lean build and handsome face. He was about as tall as Noctis now, but his hair was still the same: spiky and chocobo-like. I took comfort in that; I could still tease him about that then.

I haven't seen him since... well... two, three years ago? That time he was still a little runty and childish.

But now...

I crossed my arms, mimicking his stance. "How's Tifa?" I asked.

"Better than you."

"Obviously." I curled my lip in distaste. Not that I didn't like Tifa – no one could dislike the happy, enthusiastic, caring brunette – but because I knew it irked him when I did it. I'd talked to Tifa at New Year two or three years ago, and we'd hit it off immediately. I asked her what she saw in my twin, and when she started to go on and on, I groaned and mimed puking, much to her amusement. "I take it you two aren't close?" she'd asked.

"Understatement of the millennium," I'd answered.

"You still single?" When I didn't reply, he smirked. "I can see why."

Someone shifted slightly behind me. I thought it was Bradley.

"I prefer to keep my options open," I said through gritted teeth.

Yep, Cloud and I hated each other with a passion.

Serah nibbled on the end of her braid, looking back and forth between us. I automatically brushed her braid from her mouth. "Don't do that." How I missed her.

Mom cleared her throat. "Well. Noctis, Bradley, would you like to stay over for dinner?"

"Is Dad here?" I asked. Noctis looked at me in confusion - I remembered that Mom told him that Dad died. Oh well. I'll explain it to him later. I'll have to ignore his look for now... if I could

My mother looked uncomfortable. I took in her appearance; she was wearing her suit still. No wonder.

"Yes, sweetie, I sent him out to get us more potatoes," she said.

Serah giggled at that. "He'll mistake radishes for potatoes, I swear."

"Which is why I said 'radishes' instead of potatoes, Princess." Everyone loves Serah, just like everyone loves Vanille. It's a must-do in our family... and our circle of friends. She's just the cutest, sweetest thing anyone will ever see. Vanille was next, with her natural happiness and sweetness. And there was the cute factor.

Noctis looked slightly overwhelmed (I don't think he knew I had two more siblings, or that my Dad was actually alive), but he nodded in answer to my mother's question. "Yeah... sure. I'll just ring my parents."

Bradley nodded. He didn't have to ring his parents. He was already going to stay here for dinner today.

"Dad might take sweet potatoes instead," Serah piped up.

My mom smiled at Serah and kissed the top of her head. "Then I hope his companions know what potatoes look like, then, hm? Go get Vanille, please sweetie?"

My youngest sister nodded, and bounded off.

I waited until she was out of earshot, then blurted, "Mom, what the fuck?"

"Language," Cloud muttered under his breath, throwing me a smirk.

"Look who's talking."

Mom sighed and rubbed my arm. She knew how I hated my dad and Cloud. She also knew how I hated having to dress up in my best every time Daddy darling came over. "It's only for a week."

"A week!?" my voice rose into a super-high pitch.

Fortunately, Vanille came down then, sniffling slightly. Her nose was red. My lips twitched; she looked cute like that. In a slightly clogged up voice, she went, "I wanted to warn you, Light, but Mom wouldn't let me. She said you'd run away like last time."

Then, she caught sight of Bradley, froze, spun around and fled to her room screaming. All eyes went to her boyfriend, who looked kind of surprised and amused.

"I didn't know I was that hideous."

That's it! I'll be posting the other one sometime later, I promise! I just gotta change it a little. :) Ciao all! Please review!

Wow I missed writing this one!