Author's Note: Woot, we're already at the final part of my FF12/FF13 trilogy. I didn't expect to even write out this story, but I felt like Bad Bromance left off at a some-what cliffhanger.

I dedicate this first chapter to Joshua Chung and The Giant Daifuku. You guys are amazingggg!

As I mentioned in the preview Balthier is back to being the main character, and Lightning acts as narrator. So, don't get confused when you see her narrating when she's not actually there...xD

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Chapter One

Cache of Glabados

There's always a time where you begin to doubt yourself, even when you think all will turn out well.

"Okay, so you sent Ashe a letter, telling me to come with you to some place called Bervenia. When are you going to tell me what you're planning, Balthier?"

Balthier sighed heavily, turning around to face Snow's persistent expression. The man had been pestering him non-stop since they were reunited, and since Fran had gone off to gather up last minute supplies she wasn't there to help him out. He was beginning to think that it was the wrong idea to invite Snow along for their journey to Bervenia. But, Fran insisted that it would have been wrong to leave him behind.

"If I told you now, you'd leave," the sky pirate answered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked down the hallway of the Strahl. "As soon as we're off, perhaps I'll rethink telling you of our destination."

Snow followed him, eager as always. "You like your secrets, don't you?"

"And you seem to enjoy asking me pointless questions."

The blond took that as the end of their conversation, and followed Balthier into the cockpit of the Strahl. He took his seat behind the pilot's chair, watching as the sky pirate hesitantly put Lightning's necklace on. For a moment he closed his eyes and touched the charm, sighing quietly when he opened his eyes and looked toward the sky above their heads.

Two years. It had been two years since he had left Cocoon and Pulse, two years since he'd seen Lightning. To be honest, he had spent hours on end thinking of her whenever he had the chance. When she noticed, Fran would often ask him if he missed the female soldier, but never did he answer her. His past in the other world...was a subject he preferred not to speak of.

The past was the past; meant to be cast aside and forgotten. There were times when Balthier would find himself wondering if anything would have changed in the other world if he hadn't been there, much like Snow's presence in Ivalice only changed one thing.

Ragnarok, though it had been tamed by an unknown force, was still in existence. The year he and Fran were 'dead', he noticed that the beast rarely threatened to show through. He'd lost his temper a few times, to be sure, but every time something would hold Ragnarok back; something that Balthier had no control over. Whatever it was, it seemed to be helping.

Having Lightning's necklace again was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Snow had kept it since the day the Bahamut crashed outside Rabanastre, and he had returned it to its 'rightful owner' as soon as he'd arrived in the aerodrome. Balthier was glad to have it back, feeling as if it was the only connection to Lightning he had left.

As well as not making any appearances in Ivalice, Ragnarok seemed to have given up on trying to force the woman to forget Balthier in her dreams. That, or it had succeeded and Balthier was only trying to convince himself otherwise. He preferred the first option, of course.

"You are daydreaming again, my partner," Fran said as she sauntered into the cockpit. She held a small bag in her hands, and nodded once to Snow when she walked past him. "The necklace. It calms you?"

"Did you find everything we're going to need?" Balthier asked her, ignoring her question when he sat down in his seat.

"I did. Penelo asked me to give this to you, as a parting gift." She held out something to him; a pink rose crystal. Automatically he took it in his hands, smirking the slightest bit. How had the dancer known? If he remembered correctly, he never mentioned anything to her about the rose crystal he'd seen many a time in Cocoon...

Snow peered over the seat, fighting back the urge to laugh. "That would be my fault, Balthier," he stated. "I may have told Penelo that Lightning had a crystal just like it. Thought you'd like to have it."

"She found one for you as well, Snow," Fran said, holding out a blue teardrop crystal to him. He took it and looked at it, smiling faintly. "Is there something I do not understand about these crystals?"

"L'Cie used them to summon their Eidolons," Balthier explained, putting the rose crystal in one of the pouches on his belt. "Creatures much like our espers, actually. Their magick is not like our own, unfortunately."

Fran only raised an eyebrow in questioning, then set the pack of supplies in the seat beside Snow. As soon as she was sitting down in her co-pilot seat, Balthier wasted no time in piloting the Strahl out of the aerodrome. His hands grew tense as he looked down at the city one final time before turning his eyes toward the endless sky before him. Behind him, Snow stood up and leaned against the back of the pilot's seat.

"Visited the queen as of late, Ice?" Balthier asked. "Of course you must have. How else could she have given you my letter?"

"Ashe was glad to have her ring back," Snow replied, his eyes boredly staring at the clouds as they passed by. "I mean, not as glad as she was to know that you were alive. Why did you disappear for a year, anyway?"

Fran was smirking, or at least that was what it seemed like. "You will understand," she said. "Balthier does not plan to leave you in the dark for much longer."

"Is this some plot to turn me pirate, or something?"

"You'd be a terrible sky pirate," Balthier murmured. "You don't even know how to properly use a gun."

"Just because I almost shot my foot off when I borrowed Sazh's guns that one time doesn't mean I'm a terrible gunner now."

"He denies much," the viera stated, carefully eying something on the map she held.

Balthier shrugged his shoulders. "A common trait among heroes."

After setting the ship on automatic pilot once they'd decided on their coordinates, Snow fell asleep in his chair and snored loudly as he slept. Balthier was tempted to throw something at him to quiet him down, but it was better than having him constantly ask questions that had answers no one was willing to give. And so, he was forced to put up with the blond's snores for the time being.

"You have not told him of how we escaped the Bahamut," Fran said once she was certain that their passenger was fast asleep. She glanced at her partner through the corner of her eye.

"I'd rather not tell him," he quietly answered, resting his head in the palm of his hand when he leaned against the arm of his seat. "Mention that monster's name and Ice goes off on a rant about saving and protecting me from myself. I've just gotten used to not having to deal with his foolish antics, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"Then what we are doing now is your way of getting rid of his...antics?"

"No, I'm just giving him the chance to return to a life where he no longer is held back by Ragnarok."

Fran tilted her head, questioning. Balthier glanced at her once, then scowled.

"You don't believe me, do you? I'm not in this just for my personal gain, mind you," he told her. "This is all for his sake, not mine."

"Are you so certain?" She was almost smiling, trying to hide her amusement. "My partner, you rarely think of one's well being other than your own. You know this to be true. This search for the Cache is about the woman who owns that necklace, is it not?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, dear." Balthier turned his head away, pretending to be interested in watching the stars pass them by. "This search is for Snow's needs and no one else's. As much as I dislike admitting it, I owe him for all he's done for me. He gave up his last chance to return to his girl for me, just to stop Ragnarok from ending not only my life, but the lives of others as well."

She frowned, looking toward the map she held. "You had done the same on the Bahamut. Don't you remember?"

There was an eerie silence upon them, apart from Snow's continuously loud snores. Balthier sighed heavily and slouched in his seat, staring out at the night sky and letting his mind wander. "That which kills you makes you stronger, eh?" He scoffed, turning his gaze to the side. "I thought it always went differently..."

"Another tomb? Okay, I'm done. I'm not going in there, and that's final," Snow stated as he followed the two sky pirates out of the Strahl. In front of them was a ruined temple, surrounded by stone pillars and crumbling cliffs.

"Thought you wanted to be the hero, Ice," Balthier answered, resting his fomalhaut on his shoulders. "That's what your here for, isn't it?"

The blond folded his arms across his chest. "I don't see any damsels in distress here."

"Oh, you'll find her eventually. And this is no tomb, actually. The Glabados Ruins, a common visiting place for pirates like ourselves."

"Let me guess...We're here for treasure, right?"

Fran nodded. "What more does a sky pirate want?" She followed her partner up the stone stairway, leading to the ruins itself, and Snow reluctantly followed them. They entered an hallway with nothing but spider-webs and dust in it, prompting the blond to ask if they were even in the right place. Which, in turn, earned him a rough glare from Balthier.

Eventually they arrived in an open chamber with lit torches along the wall and water flowing beneath the bridge they stood on. On top of an altar across the bridge were two glowing stones; one green and one purple. Snow sent a glance in Balthier's direction and muttered, "Thought you said this wasn't a tomb..."

"Tomb, temple, ruins...All one in the same," Balthier answered, walking across the bridge with Fran following close behind. As soon as he was standing right beside it, he ran his hands over the stone altar. "This is what we came here to find," he murmured. "The Cache of Glabados."

Snow walked up beside him, not even taking a second to notice the odd glint in his eyes. "Balthier?" he asked, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You all right, Balthier?"

The sky pirate blinked, then nodded his head. "Let's just get the treasure and quit this place. The sooner we leave, the better."

"Which one do we take? There's two."

"You're a terrible pirate, Ice. You don't choose one, you take them both. We require each stone for what we're going to do next." Balthier took the green stone in his hands, while Fran took the purple one. Just as she held it, however, an esper appeared from the glowing glyph at the bottom of the pool behind them. She had long, blue braided hair, and wore nothing more than a translucent cloth over her pale blue skin. It took Snow a few seconds to recognize her, just as he saw his warmth breath in front of him when the chamber turned icy cold.

"One of the Shiva Sisters?" he asked, eyes widening as the esper nodded to him.

Balthier pulled out his fomalhaut, not wasting time. "She's called Shiva in this world," he explained. "An esper much like your Mateus, so don't think summoning her will do us any good."

"She must be guarding the Cache," Fran stated. "To stop us from entering the other realm."

Snow stared at the both. "What?" he exclaimed. "Other realm? You mean we're going to-"

"We'll talk later!" Balthier yelled, smirking. "We have a woman scorned to deal with now!"

Shiva summoned a cold wind much like Mateus, and both Snow and Fran were unable to move any further once their feet were frozen, but it seemed to have no effect on Balthier. After his partner sent a protection spell in his direction, he pulled the diamond sword from his belt and ran forward. He easily dodged the ice-spikes flying toward him as he ran, dashing across the floor almost like a cat. But when he reached the esper she grabbed him by the front of his white blouse and pulled him up from the floor.

"There is naught left for you there, Ragnarok. Why must you return?" she asked, her white eyes blankly staring at his face. "Should you return, there will only be the end."

Balthier ignored her words and pierced the diamond sword into her chest, forcing her to let go of him and throw him into the shallow water below. Shiva pulled out the sword and tossed it aside, raising her arm to summon another cold wind, but Fran aimed her bow and shot an arrow before the esper could harm Balthier. Without a mangled screech, Shiva faded with the ice holding back the viera and Snow.

"I am Shiva, the Diamond Dust. I am in your debt, daughter of the Wood."

Fran paid no attention to the newly formed esper brand on her arm and rushed to her partner's side, helping him get up from the water. Snow uneasily looked to where Shiva once was, but quickly regained his composure and went to the other two.

"Now are you going to tell me the truth?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at the sky pirates. "What was the real reason you brought me along?"

"I'm getting you back to Pulse," Balthier answered, rubbing his sore arm as soon as Fran moved away from him. "And before you go off on some rampage, it would be best for us to leave now before its too late. The Mist will fade from these stones, and our chance of leaving this world with it."

"I can't leave now, not without saying good-bye to Ashe and-"

Fran interrupted, "We make for Ridorana, to the tower on a distant shore. There, we make our leave with the Mist left behind from the Cryst's destruction. Would you rather lose the last chance to see your Serah 'gain?"

Snow hung his head, sighing. "All right. Let's go."

Some things don't end up the way you want.

As soon as the Strahl was in the air again, Balthier felt as if something was wrong. What Shiva had said wasn't what bothered him, though. Snow, though it was certain that he would never intentionally hurt someone, wasn't as loyal to Serah as he used to be. There had been something between him and Ashe during the journey to reclaim her throne, and the kiss they shared once the Undying was killed proved that point.

But the fact that he seemed hesitant to leave her behind...It was unnerving.

He didn't know the girl very well, but from what Balthier had seen of Serah he knew that she would never leave Snow. She trusted and loved that man more than anything else.

Love. Balthier wondered if he'd ever understand it.

"Ridorana is not too far now," he told the other two. "It won't be long until we reach our final destination."

"You sure that those stones will take us to Pulse?" Snow asked, leaning over Balthier's seat. "I mean, it could send us somewhere we don't want to be. It could send us back in time, or even to the future."

Th sky pirate half-laughed. "Wouldn't that be something? Perhaps we could stop any of this from happening, and then I wouldn't be forced to deal with you." He turned toward Fran, handing her the green crystal. "You know what to do," he told her, and she left the cockpit without another word. Snow took the time to take her seat, eagerly looking out at the sky.

"So you're really going to leave this place behind, aren't you?" he asked. "Ivalice's your home, and you're just tossing it aside like its nothing."

"It's time I found a new sky to explore."

"And you miss Lightning."

"Ice, be silent."

Snow grinned. "What? Don't think it's not obvious. The only reason you're going along is to see her again and apologize for leaving her behind. At least I didn't have to force you to leave your home like I'd originally planned." He leaned back in the chair. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You like to keep everything a secret from me."

"With good reason."

"How exactly will those stones help us, anyway? They look like nethicite to me. I thought anything related to that stuff died out once we destroyed the Sun-Cryst."

Balthier smirked. "Sometimes it pays to have a mad god under your control. Mist seems to follow me around wherever I go nowadays. Fran can't stay near me for too long, lest she wants to lose her mind again."

"Good thing my l'Cie brand is gone, too. Always hated it when it would get all twitchy whenever there was a high amount of Mist around."

"It's gone?" he asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Why?"

The blond shrugged. "Don't know, actually. I had thought it was because you died in the Bahamut's destruction, but...I guess not, since you're here now. My so-called Focus was to destroy Ragnarok, the task given to me by the Occuria. But my brand didn't disappear once they were banished...It disappeared after you and Fran supposedly died."

Balthier looked down for a moment, then moved his gaze back toward the sky. "Snow, your Focus was completed. On the Bahamut, I-"

The Strahl suddenly jerked from an explosion in the back, nearly knocking the two of them out of their seats. An alarm sounded, signaling that the engines were failing. Balthier cursed loudly and stood up, only the slightest hint of worry on his face.

"Snow, make sure my girl doesn't fall out of the sky," he commanded, heading toward the back of the ship. "Ridorana is just ahead, so don't let this chance slip from our fingers."

Snow nodded, and Balthier briskly walked to the engine room out back. Smoke filled his senses, and he could barely see through the thick clouds leaking out of the doorway. As soon as he walked into the room, he was greeted with a sight he was expecting: Fran was shaking dust and oil from her hair as she attempted to slide the two stones in the engine, surrounded by flames.

"The Mist," she coughed, squinting her eyes weakly. She was anxiously glancing in all directions, biting her lip slightly. "Tis far too strong for her!"

"And you, it seems," Balthier murmured, kneeling down at her side. "I should have known this would happen. Damn gods and their magicite."

Fran slid the violet stone into the engine's skystone slot, but kept the green one in her hand. "We need not use the other. One stone must be enough."

He wasn't listening. As soon as the stone was in the engine, something seemed to be holding him in place; binding him. Fran grabbed his hand, bringing him back to his senses, just as the Strahl jerked to the side and tilted in the air. Balthier fell into his partner's arms, and the two of them slid across the floor and against the wall. He let out another loud curse.

"Snow!" he yelled, pushing himself up from the floor. He shook the oil from his hands, his lip quirking upward in disgust. "Hold her steady, will you? I can't work on these damn engines with you messing around!"

The ship straightened out, and Balthier was beginning to wish that he had taught Snow had to fly an airship instead of Vaan. Fran was back at the engines, looking for what was causing the oil leaks. The flames were growing stronger around them, and with it the smoke became thicker. He could barely see her hurriedly working on the damage done to the engines, let alone what was going on around them.

"Fran! Just leave the damn thing be!" he called out to her, attempting to walk to where she was. The ship took another rough turn, and that time he caught his partner before she could fall. "It's no use. The engine's lost, and soon the glossair rings will fall, too." She looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with worry. Balthier turned toward what he thought was the front of the ship and yelled, "Snow! Once you see the tower, fly toward it!"

"What?" he heard Snow yell in return. "You're insane, Balthier! That'll kill us!"

"Just do it, you damn oaf!"

The Strahl tilted upward and picked up speed, and all Balthier could do as his world faded from sight was hold onto Fran and hoped that the gods wouldn't fail him.

:o Long first chapter, huh?

Anywhoo...um...Review and stuff. :D Go ahead and tell me that Snow needs to take driving lessons, or something!