Xethear: Hello everyone, and sorry! I've been a way for quite some time without any information as to why which was very irresponsible of me. I've been busy with school, a part time job and actually trying to run a YouTube channel for games. I figured it was another way to connect and share stories with people. I will attempt to be more attentive with this story along with updates on how future chapters are coming along in a new section of my author page labeled "Fic Status." My thanks to Zak123456789022 for sending me a pm about the story. My apologies once again everyone and thanks for your support. Without further ado, let's dive back into it!

Note: Though I know in the English localization of the game she is called "Cindy," I decided to keep her name as "Cidney" with the Japanese translation because it made more sense as she is the granddaughter of Cid. And because I thought it sounded better.

Chapter 5: Duality

Noctis closed his eyes and felt the lingering warmth of the sun against his face while as he rested his head on the Regalia's window. It was sunset and the prince and his friends had made their way through Leide - the desert outskirts of Insomnia - where an old acquaintance of the king resided in a place called Hammerhead.

Noctis could hear Prompto chatting away with Gladiolus and Ignis while a gentle tune played on the radio and he had a small lapse of déjà vu. The only thing missing from the recollection was Lightning's soft voice complaining about noise followed by her cuddling up against the prince's neck as she continued on with her slumber. He couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. She hadn't picked up any of his calls nor any of his messages. He concluded it was either that she was busy or there was no service where she was. Hotspots were pretty spotty in the desert after all and Leide was no exception.

Noctis was just about to doze off when the engine began to sputter and steam started to leak from the corners of the hood. "Whoa, what's going on?" Noctis grabbed the back of the driver's seat and pulled himself forward to get a look at the dashboard and hear Ignis's diagnosis.

The confidant sighed and gave a disappointed stare at Prompto who feigned innocence by examining his camera. It was painfully obvious to the prince that the photographer had played a hand to get them in their current circumstance.

"Alright, it seems as though we must push." Ignis said as he began to remove and fold his jacket.

Noctis stared at the digital clock on the Regalia in silence for several seconds. "Push? Did I hear that right Ignis?" Noctis couldn't believe how his day was going.

"Indeed Noct." The man said as he stepped out of the car.

"Just when I got to the good part." Gladiolus shut the book he was reading closed and placed it down on the seat as he followed Ignis's example.

Noctis had time to glare at a guilty Prompto before he too exited the Regalia to join on the unexpected manual labor. "Alright so… someone has to stay in the driver's seat to steer right?"

"Right!" Prompto answered with a similar intonation.

"The usual gentlemen's accord I presume?" Ignis said as he looked at each one of his companions.

"Rock, paper, scissors." Gladiolus clarified as he winded up his arm.

Noctis nodded, "On the count of three then."

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

"Go!"

"Scissors beats paper." Lightning motioned her fingers together as a defeated Fang groaned.

"Alright, take it." The young woman growled spitefully as she tossed Lightning some chocolate food rations – one of the better pieces of food for the cadets, or rather pleasurable. "I prefer meat anyways."

Lightning shrugged and took a bite of the sweet treat and leaned back in her seat to take time to gaze out the window of the airship. The desert blanket of Leide was far behind them and was instead replaced by the vast ocean. Lightning was immediately reminded of her old home since Bodhum was a town that resided on the coast. The sun had already begun to set in the horizon casting a golden glow over the water. It was the familiar glow of dusk that Lightning was so accustomed to seeing out Noctis and her apartment window.

She looked at Hope who was sitting across from her. He had his eyes fixated on the glowing laptop screen resting on his lap while his fingers danced across the keyboard. He was well immersed in his work and was probably the most prep oriented member of the group. Fang was the most instinctual and Lightning was well rounded in various departments as she was the spearhead leading the group.

"How are things looking Wedge?" Lightning asked Hope using his alias. She waited in silence for a few seconds but the only response she got was the rapid tapping sounds of Hope's fingers pressing down on keys. "Hope?"

At the sound of his actual name the young man looked up, "Hm? Did you say something Light?"

Lightning chuckled. "It's Aranea remember?"

The young man's cheeks grew a hint of pink as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "R-Right. Sorry Li— I-I mean Aranea. Just not used to the aliases yet."

"It does take some getting used to." Lightning said with a sigh as she stared at the silver locks that cascaded down her left shoulder.

"You're telling me. I'm supposed to be called Biggs is that right Sunshine?" Fang shot a glance at Hope. "Biggs and Wedge aye? Who thought that one up while Sunshine here gets Aranea?" Fang took extra special care to pronounce Lightning's alias with a bit of sarcastic flair.

Lightning raised her brow with amusement. "Why don't we give Sazh an alias too?"

At the sound of his name, the pilot looked up to his mirror and stared at his passengers. "Now don't bring me into this ruckus."

"I can't really think of one." Hope admitted as he rubbed his chin.

"Neither can I." Lightning said with a shrug. "Sazh is Sazh."

Noctis leaned against the trunk of the regalia and watched as Gladiolus attempted to signal a passing car for help only to have it whizz by without a passing glance. "Give it up. That's the third one today." The sun beat down feverishly above the four friends. They all had removed their jackets hoping it would relieve them of the burn, but the sweat creeping down their faces said otherwise.

"You can only go so far off the kindness of strangers." Ignis murmured as he pressed his face against the steering wheel.

"Damn heat…" Noctis groaned as he leaned against the back of the car.

"I think I've already pushed myself… to the brink of death." Prompto said as he sprawled himself on the ground.

"Enough complaining." Gladio grunted as he kicked the end of Prompto's boot softly, "Car ain't gonna move itself."

Noctis and Prompto both shared a frown and begrudgingly pushed themselves up and pressed their hands against the car.

"This is why we never let Prompto take the wheel." Gladiolus said with a grunt as he pushed against the trunk of the Regalia to keep the vehicle moving.

"Gladio, do us a favor…" Noctis said with an exhausted huff as he pushed on the left side of the car. "Push this by yourself."

Gladiolus scoffed, "All by myself?"

"You won't even notice if we just let go." Prompto muttered snidely.

"Prompto, don't even think about it." Gladiolus said with a scowl.

Ignis sighed as he turned the wheel to keep the car from running off the road. "Save some breath for pushing."

The four continued their uncomfortable task of trucking through the desert for half an hour longer until the Hammerhead Station was finally visible in the distance. The only other sound apart from the occasional car passing through to break the four's complaints was the soft melody of "Stand by Me" playing on the radio.

Noctis thought he was going to pass out from heat exhaustion as the car pulled into the garage and he quickly slumped to the ground.

"Well I'll be!" An upbeat voice called out followed by footsteps. "The Regalia in all its royal glory. Now which one of ya'll's the Prince?"

'I have to stand again?' Noctis pushed himself up once more and spun around to meet the voice. There before him was a young woman with short, blond, curly hair and bright olive eyes. The red cap on her head donned the words "Hammer Head" which was an eye popping contrast along with the orange bikini top peeking out from her half zipped yellow jacket. Noctis quickly averted his gaze from the woman's revealing appearance as he could practically feel Lightning's cold gaze creeping up from the depths of the back of his mind.

"That'd be me." He said as he raised his hand sheepishly. The prince momentarily glanced to his side and narrowed his gaze when he saw Gladiolus with a sultry grin on his face and Prompto practically head over heels for the woman. Ignis on the other hand kept his air of sophistication and kept things professional.

"Prince Noctis, congrats on the wedding!"

Noctis pursed his lips remembering the task he had momentarily forgotten about. "Not hitched just yet. And you are?"

"Cidney. Mechanic and grease monkey granddaughter of Cid." As soon as she had finished her sentence Noctis felt a sharp blow to his back.

"Ack!" He recoiled and spun around as an old man retracted his fist.

"Stand up straight boy!" Noctis recognized the man from the photo albums in his father's study.

"Hey Cid." He said with a smile.

The old man returned the gesture and sighed. "Look at you boy. All grown up now aye?"

Noctis had few memories of Cid along with his father's other companions as a child which is why he had no recollection of Cid's granddaughter Cidney, but the memories he did possess were of fond times. He never was quite sure why Cid never visited Insomnia, his father refused to talk about it which Noctis assumed as he got older, was a sort of falling out between them. "Think you can fix her up Cid?"

"These old bones don't work like they used to, but Cidney here's your girl."

Noctis followed Cid's direction towards his granddaughter and saw a flash in her eyes as she gazed at the Regalia. "I'll get her up to speed good as new!" She shouted eagerly and brought out a myriad of tools from the garage.

"W-Wow…" Prompto gasped as he watched Cidney work.

Even Ignis was impressed. "At the rate she works at, we'll be back on the road in no time."

Noctis smiled and walked off to the diner to grab a bite to eat while they waited for the vehicle. He sat down in a booth after ordering some fries and opened up his phone to find no new alerts. He browsed through the saved messages in his phone and read the subjects as he waited for the arrival of his meal.

"Prompto: At Gladio's, Iris made ste…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Did you eat my ice cream?! I'm gonna…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Want me to pick anything up for dinner to…"

"Ignis: I've come up with a new reci…"

"Gladio: Sword practice today at 4:00…"

"Serah: Did you really eat her ice cream?! Oh Noc…"

"Iris: Don't forget to season the ste…"

"Prompto: New raid boss tonight! Get re…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Don't forget about the raid boss toni…"

"Ignis: Needed more salt…"

"Ms. Bedhead: Just got off work, dinner and movie toni…"

"Gladio: Just got a 5 star character! Eat it Prince Charmle…"

"Prompto: Gonna steal Gladio's phone. You in?"

"Ms. Bedhead: Just finished showering, I'm borrowing your shirt…"

The prince's cheeks grew red as he decided to open the last message his eyes had quickly scanned.

"Ms. Bedhead: I'm borrowing your shirt, no objections, right? Oh! Also your chocobo boxers, they're soft and comfortable. I see why you like them. Mind picking up some garula sandwiches at the mart on your way home? Thanks Noct. And hurry up! The movie's gonna start soon and there's a vacant seat right next to me on the couch you big idiot."

He continued reading for a while with a goofy smile on his face as he recollected each of the messages when a plate clattered before him. "Got some fries for ya!"

Noctis smiled up at the owner of the diner and gave a thanks before munching on one of the fries. His thumb glided over the "Compose" prompt on his screen and automatically pressed on "Ms. Bedhead."

Hey Light, you alright? Hope you're not bored out of your mind with that business trip. Did you eat lunch yet? I'm having fries myself. I know, your gonna nag me about vegetables. Does ketchup count?

Lightning bit the bottom of her lip as she stared at the bar less meter on the upper corner of her phone screen. Ever since she had entered the Niflheim base in Duscae her phone had been acting up. She suspected it was due to the giant Magitek Generator emitting a red pulsing field of energy.

Hope, Fang and Sazh were inside the airship because she was to meet the commander of the base alone as she was the acting representative supposedly from Niflheim's main army. She sat inside the commander's vacant office in silence for about fifteen minutes when the sound of multiple footsteps came echoing down the hall. The doorknob turned with a faint squeak and a middle-aged man of medium height with his black hair slicked back entered the room followed by an entourage of two helmed soldiers. He glanced at Lightning with contempt and sat down at his desk and folded his hands together in front of his face. "So, you're the one they sent, are they?"

Lightning would have decked the man in the face if she hadn't been undercover. She suppressed her feelings of frustration and rose from her seat. "Aranea Highwind. Pleased to meet you despite your obvious insecurities." She resolved that even if she was to play a character it didn't mean she couldn't be curt about it. The look of indignation that spread across the man's brow gave Lightning all the satisfaction she needed.

"Hey! You watch your tongue around General Caligo you—!"

Lightning leapt towards the guardsman that had just begun to scold her, swatted his gun into the air whilst simultaneously sweeping one leg behind the guard knocking him on his backside and finished by catching the firearm and aimed it directly over his visor. "If you all were skilled enough to do your job, or he was strong enough to hold down the fort, I wouldn't be here. So! I suggest you picking your words wisely when talking to me."

Lightning glared at the soldier and discarded the weapon to the ground before making an exit from the office. 'I need to get paid extra for this. They never told me in the brief that I'd be working with such pains.'

Lightning entered the airship rubbing her temples and was met with applause.

"Way to go Sunshine!" Fang roared with laughter and leapt up to pat Lightning on the back. "You really stuck it to 'em!"

Lightning sighed and removed the hidden camera on her jacket and tossed it to Hope. "Did you get a clear image of Caligo's face?"

The young man flipped his laptop around with a clear profiling of the disgruntled Caligo's face and background information on his standing in the Niflheim army.

Lightning slumped down in her seat and pressed her fingers to her forehead. "I can't believe that I have to work with them for who knows how long. Any word on their next point of action and how it is back in Insomnia?"

Fang handed Lightning a beverage and sat opposite to her friend. "Vanille's been giving me status updates, but nothing really new so far." Fang informed Lightning.

"Great…" Lightning muttered feeling profusely annoyed. "Hey Hope, is there anything you can do about that Magitek field? My phone hasn't been acting properly since we entered the base's vicinity."

Hope perked up and rifled through his bag. "Right! I've actually been working on that while you explored the place. Ah! Here it is." Lightning watched as the man produced a small palm sized capsule and opened it up with a press of a button. He tipped it over his open hand causing a small device about the size of a peppercorn to roll out. "It's a sort of jamming device. Just attach it to your phone and you should be good to go." He explained as he placed the device on the table.

"Wow." Lighting picked the piece of technology between her fingers and did as instructed, placing it on a corner of her phone. She watched as it began to glow a bright blue simultaneously bringing her phone to life. The screen read:

Five missed calls: Noct

10 new messages:

'Oh no…' She thought to herself feeling a slight twinge of guilt. She opened up her messages to see some from her sister, friends and from Noctis with the last message being from him. She quickly opened it and giggled. "Lunch huh…" Her thumb quickly darted to the image of a phone, but right before she initiated her call Sazh called her attention.

"Sorry, missy, looks like they want to see you in base again." Sazh motioned to the monitor in the airship displaying a direct summons from Caligo.

Lightning sighed and instead decided to send a message before heading out.

"Wooooo! The ocean!" Prompto leaned over rails of the outer rim of the bungalow hotel Galdin Quay and called out to the vast sea. Whilst Ignis was busy sorting out lodging options and Gladiolus was speaking to the chef, Noctis was eyeing the fishing shack.

The sun had just set below the horizon which brought the lanterns to life setting the whole place aglow in golden light which caused Noctis to gasp. "I think I'll take Light here sometime…" He whispered in awe as he took in the scenery. He thought about taking some pictures, but instead decided to have Lightning see the scenery for herself in person the next time they went on vacation together.

Noctis sighed as he watched the rippling of water reflecting the moon above. The side conversations of various diners brought a relaxing ambience to the place along with the sound of sizzling food atop the hob. He fetched his phone from his pocket which coincidentally wriggled with life as the alert of one message appeared on screen. He almost dropped the phone in the water and eagerly opened the message up.

Hey Noct, sorry but my phone has been acting up here, service is really bad. Just found out the people I'm going to be working with are complete numbskulls. We just introduced ourselves and they're driving me up the wall. I wanna lie down on the couch already and sleep. Anyways aside from that, doing good. And no, ketchup does not count. Eat something proper. I'm gonna check in with Ignis too to make sure you aren't weaseling out of this. Augh… they want to see me again. I'll message you when I can.

It was to the point and sounded like Lightning which gave Noctis some relief to his anxiety. He had just started composing a new message when Ignis called him over to check out the rooms. He left just as the radio in his vicinity sounded: "Crown city attacked Nifl—" before cutting off in a bluster of static.

End Chapter

Xethear: Thank you all again for waiting for the story updates so patiently. Find updates on future chapters on my profile page. 'Til next chapter!