Author's Note: Hello, again. I am back with another smutty fan fic for you all. This one was equally as awkward for me to write as its predecessor. Speaking of Body Heat though, if you haven't guessed this is meant to be a continuation of that story. If you haven't read it, no worries because it's not a direct sequel or anything. It simply follows Basch and Ashe's continued affair that began in the previous story.

It's been a little over two years since I last wrote anything video game related but I recently realized it was my ninth anniversary as a fic writer back in December so I decided to celebrate by writing something and ease myself back into it. Words were escaping me left and right, it was bad. That being said please understand if you catch any mistakes and feel more than welcome to point them out to me. I am a big girl and I will not fall to pieces if you point out a mistake... or five. Along with this I would like to thank my friend Kris, penname Ashbear for beta-ing for me. If you like Final Fantasy VIII, I highly recommend her work. So before I start to really ramble, please enjoy and also lemme know what you think, if you would be so kind. It's always nice to have feedback. And as per my usual, I will reply to any and all reviews I get.

City Heat

It was always quite perplexing to her that the streets of Rabanastre were still busy during the hottest days of summer. Sweat covered consumers moved with ease from shop to shop. Elders sat beneath tents playing various card and board games while children ran through the throngs of pedestrians. The young woman wondered if they even felt the unbearable heat as she had or if they had been so used to it at that point that it fazed them not. However, it was this city's immunity to heat that made this trek of hers the easiest and for this she was very thankful. It was no longer easy for her to walk the streets now that her power and status had been restored.

Queen Ashelia moved with blissful anonymity through the crowded streets in, what her most trusted hand maiden Nona had promised her were, the latest styles of the commoner. She, of course, could no longer get away in her outfit from her days in the resistance. Admittedly though, she was glad to be free of those. Nona had provided her with a long earthy green skirt of light fabric coupled with a white shirt that exposed her very pronounced clavicle and thin straps over the shoulder that crossed in the back. Her distinctive pale blonde hair was covered with a navy blue handkerchief as she was told was very helpful on such hot days. Her disguise was not much but it always managed to conceal her noteworthy looks somehow. Perhaps clothes did, in fact, make the man.

As she approached the fountain in the middle of the southern plaza, her stomach filled with excited butterflies and her pace quickened. The sound of children's screams and laughter rang loudly in her ears. She could not help but smile and watch the groups of kids run and splash around in the cool water. However, she stopped dead as she walked into a stray splash of fountain water that soaked the front of her shirt.

Ashe turned quickly to see a small group of eight or nine-year-olds standing looking just as surprised as she was. They all spat out sheepish apologies before running away in fear of retaliation for their accidental actions. With a sigh she looked down at her now wet shirt and did her best to wring out as much water as she could.

Despite the loud sounds of fun being had in the fountain, Ashe could hear a group of low chuckles ahead of her. Snapping her head up, she found the source of the noise to be a group of three teenagers loitering against the wall in the shade. She squinted to see just what it was they were laughing about. To her disbelief they were gawking at her. Slowly she looked down only to realize that one could now see her breasts through the wet fabric of her shirt. Hastily, she covered her modesty with her arms cutting off the teenagers' view of her upper glory; an action to which they protested. With an indignant huff, and vulgar gesture unbefitting of a queen, she continued on into the Westgate; her arms now crossed firmly over her wet chest.

Ashe could never understand how the Dalmascan Aerodome managed to be so cool year round. Of course, it felt even colder now that her shirt was wet. A chill went up her spine causing every hair on her body to stand up and Ashe was not sure if it was from her lowering body temperature or a severe desire to go back and pluck the eyes of those leering teens for having the nerve to look upon her bosom but this would be the last time she wore a white commoner's shirt. She was supposed to be inconspicuous however, now that her shirt was see-through, it seemed like everyone that was attracted to female humes was trying to catch a glimpse of what her slender arms couldn't cover. Not that there was much showing but it seemed to the male gender, regardless of species, that something was better than nothing.

Her pace quickened again and she prayed to the gods that the airship from Archadia had not been delayed for any reason. Her sandaled feet clacked against the stone floor as she jogged to the third gate on the right. A large group of people were passing through just then getting off the large ship. Ashe tried as best she could to maneuver her way through the mini reunions one often has to deal with in Aerodomes without unfolding her arms too much. And then she saw him, the next to last person to exit the airship.

The buckles on the lapels of his red leather vest were farther apart than when he first began donning the outfit, exposing more of his hard chest, and his toned arms now barely fit in the sleeve holes. As she checked him over, the butterflies in her stomach began to heat up and spread throughout her body, causing her to blush. Basch fon Ronsenberg finally stood before her once again.

He approached her with a smile and the very slightest of bows; he knew not to make it too apparent, but his sense of duty made him show even the slightest bit of respect to his queen.

"You are looking even more beautiful, my lady Ashe," he said in a low tone that only she could hear.

She had long ago learned to accept the fact that he was never going to refer to her on familiar terms outside of their passionate embraces and even gone as far as letting his subservience turn her on a little.

Unable to control her excitement, Ashe leapt up and wrapped both her arms and legs around his much thicker frame. He chuckled slightly, before pulling her in for a very welcoming kiss. She remember back to days when she was forced to respect his wishes not to partake in such a private gesture out in the open; she was more than happy to be rid of his prudishness. Although their clandestine affair was plenty thrilling for her, she could not help upping that ante with some affectionate public displays.

Only moments ago she was shielding her breasts from the leering men, and whoever else wanted to have a look, in an attempt to maintain some modesty. Now not even a minute later she was fully wrapped around her lover in the middle of the Aerodome with her tongue in his mouth. Suddenly, Basch pulled away but Ashe was nowhere near ready to stop their kiss and pushed her lips back into his for a lingering peck.

"We... We must... stop," he said breathlessly trying to avoid her relentless advances.

"I have missed you, Basch," she said huskily trying to kiss whatever part of him she could.

"As have I but... My lady, please," he begged louder and more forceful than he intended.

She stopped and quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard him refer to her in such a manner. The crowd from earlier had dissipated and no one who may have been in earshot when the words left his mouth seemed not to take any note of them. Although it seemed as though their cover remained in tact, her face still contorted into that of displeasure and unhooked herself from him, dropping her feet to the floor. And like a spoiled child having her favorite toy taken away, Ashe crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him. She hated having him tell her no.

Basch slowly pulled her into him and enveloping her in his arms. He then placed his lips close enough to her left ear so that she could feel every moment of his mouth.

"I, too have missed you greatly yet I fear if we do not stop now I will not be able to stop at all and we will find ourselves in irons for lewd behavior."

With that Basch gently pressed his hips forward against her lower back so she could feel just what her earlier greeting had done to him. A wicked grin spread across her royal face. Ashe turned around slowly and carefully so as not to create any space between them. Seductively, she ran her dominate hand down his exposed chest, dipping dangerously low to his most sensitive and turned on area before heading back the way it came; this extracted a most pleasurable purr from his bass like vocal chords that she felt as well as heard.

"Then we must get you to the waterways and out of the crowds before you do something naughty," she teased kissing him quickly. Basch held fast to her and again put his mouth to her ear.

"My resolve fades quickly, my lady. Your wet shirt entices me," he told her in a tone just above a whisper.

Ashe could feel her cheeks get hot but was not about to be undone by him.

"Worry not, dear knight," she said leaning to his ear. "I won't be wearing my enticing wet shirt much longer."

Ashe grabbed Basch's hand in one swift motion and led him out of the Aerodome before he could even think another word.

When Ashe reached the outside, the wet cloth against her chest became a relief rather than a cold burden. She slowed her pace and allowed her lover to catch up with her when she reentered the South Plaza. She looked to see if those teens were still there, but their place had been vacated. It was too bad too, she thought. She would have loved to have had her knight defend her honor. Oh well.

Though she could not wait to get to the underground love-nest she and Basch had built beyond the Garamsythe Waterway, beneath her castle, she enjoyed the time she could spend with him under the sun. Strolling hand-in-hand with the man she loved through the streets of her city. She even cared not that her shirt was still a little see-through at that point but much to her relief it was drying quickly in the desert heat.

Wordlessly, they walked through the East End and passed all the shops they had been very frequent visitors to during their fight against Vayne. She made a mental note to stop by Migelo's before resuming her role as queen, in hopes to see Vaan and Penelo again or at least get an update on them. It had been such a long time since she had last seen the two orphans. Perhaps she should invite them to dinner some night soon as she still regarded them as younger siblings and had missed them a great deal. Her thoughts of the two amateur skypirates were broken as she felt Basch tug her towards the entrance to Lowtown's North Sprawl.

"I wish to go though Muthru," she said pulling Basch's hand in the other direction.

"But, my lady-" he began but stopped when he saw her glare. "We must get out of crowd in case you are-"

"I need to pick something up for Nona," she said easily.

"Besides," she added when he was close. "I like being out with you like this. It makes our relationship seem more conventional."

Basch could not help but feel a little bad about having to keep their relationship a secret from the world. He stopped her suddenly.

"I apologize I cannot offer you a more normal relationship than this, my lady," he told her in his melancholy tone.

She turned to him and placed a hand on his stubble covered cheek and kissed him gently.

"If I wanted a conventional relationship then I would have one. But I want you and I will do whatever I have to, to be with you. Even if that means bi-monthly weekend trysts in the underground of my castle," she said to him not caring if anyone around them heard.

"But do you not-"

"No," she cut him off not wanting to hear him ask her another of his insecure questions. "Listen and listen well, Basch. All I want right now is you. Nothing more, nothing less. You and only you. And I will continue to want you so long as you want me."

The blond man placed his hand over hers still on his cheek and spoke, "Always and forever."

"I know," she replied and with a mischievous smile, grabbed the hand over hers and dragged him into the bazaar.

If anyone had ever bothered to ask Ashe what her favorite place in the Royal City of Rabanastre was, she would, without hesitation, answer the Muthru Bazaar; it was how markets were supposed to be, in her eyes. Not in closed off buildings, like the East End, but out in the open. A culmination of different species of merchants hawking their various "world goods" to anyone willing to listen to their sales pitch. The different smells of the food vendors selling the delicacies of their kind. The radiance of rare goods and weapons that only the high ranking clan hunters could wield and afford.

But the reason Ashe loved this area most of all was because it was always crowded, always noisy and always provided plenty of nooks and crannies to "get lost" in.

"I'll be back," Ashe yelled to Basch but did not turn to him before mixing herself into the crowd of shoppers. Basch stood unsure of what to do or where to go. Did she mean for him to stay put? He scanned the crowd carefully to see if he could spot her. However, there were too many people to pick her solely out so awkwardly he stood.

As the minutes passed by without Ashe's return, the older man began to feel bored and antsy. He looked around again to in an attempt to locate her. When again did not get a visual on her, Basch decided he would just have to go and find her as their time together was so short. After looking around one more time, he reluctantly leapt in the traffic of Muthru.

There were hundreds of other games that Basch could think to play at that moment, but hide and seek was not one of them. In fact, this was his least favorite game of all time. However, even as a child Ashe seemed to love it. He remembered whenever there was a big important event, no matter where they were, he and Vossler constantly had to find her and bring her to the function of that day. To make matters worse, she was a champion hider. He was only ever thankful for this skill of hers when he had heard the Archadian Empire had invaded the castle.

"Hey, you look like a man who could use a good sword," said a red bangaa trader in a gruff voice. He placed his scaly hand on Basch's arm and pulled him over to his stand before the hume could do or say anything.

"You look real strong my big friend. Blood sword," said the bangaa holding the red blade out for Basch to look at. "six-thousand gil."

"Six-thousand?" Basch asked, turning the blade over.

"Best price in town," said the trader looking at everything but his customer.

Basch looked over the sword again, Larsa's birthday was coming up and the boy was getting too skilled for his iron sword.

"It is a deal," said Basch pulling out his gil bag and began counting the coins. He had just handed the first thousand coins to the trader when someone bumped into the muscular male hume and ran off with his gil.

"Hey. Hey," Basch yelled then looking to the merchant now holding the thousand coins. Deciding he could come back when his purse was recovered, he ran after the slender figure in dark clothes now in possession of his gil. "Stop! Thief!"

Why today? he thought bumping into people as he attempted to track the pickpocket. People shouted at him for running into them but no one made any attempt to stop the criminal. Basch cursed the city he once thought to be more civilized than Archades.

Stopping to catch his breath, his youthful energy no longer present, he scanned the crowd; unable to see the figure he was chasing. Finally, he saw his dark clothed assailant turn to face him before ducking down a small alley just between two stands. With a renewed vigor, he gave chase.

Slowly, Basch approached the alleyway so as not to let the thief get a jump on him. This one must have either thought he gave Basch the slip or was very stupid, these alleys more often than not led nowhere and now Basch had him cornered. His fists were clenched, ready to give whoever it was a severe beating. Suddenly, there was someone upon him. Basch turned, ready to attack when his mugger's lips met with his. Confused, he pulled whoever it was off of him.

"My lady?" he asked breathlessly looking over his lover dressed in black from the waist up.

"It took you long enough," she giggled and drew him in once more for a long kiss. But again he pushed her off.

"By the gods, what is the meaning of this?" he asked, angry and out of breath.

"I knew there was no way I could get you to come down here with me willingly to do this so I had to come up with an alternative method," she said kissing at his neck.

Despite how good it felt to have her lips on his body, the older man's humility got the best of him.

"We cannot do this here, my lady," he said making no real effort to stop her.

"Why not?" she asked pushing his vest and white chemise off his shoulders granting more access to his torso.

"B-b-because we cannot do this in public. W-w-we will get c-caught," he have said, half moaned as she bit gently onto his earlobe.

"Trust me," she said moving her hot mouth across his face. "No one will see us here." She pulled his face to hers. Unable and unwilling to fight back, he allowed her to passionately deepen the kiss.

Taking control, Basch leaned Ashe into the wall behind her, pushing his body wantonly against hers. After shrugging off the clothes covering his torso, Basch moved his hands up her shirt to tenderly grip her breasts; rolling them beneath his calloused hands. Pulling away from him she grabbed the hem of her shirt and made quick work of it. Bending his large frame over, Basch took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked it gently causing her to moan loudly.

"Shh. We do not want anyone to hear us," he said to her quietly.

"Relax, no one can hear us down here. This I am sure of," Ashe panted and urged him to continue. Feeling more brave knowing that no one would hear them, Basch moved his left hand up her skirt. To his surprise, and pleasure, he found no underclothes separating her from the skirt.

"You are wicked, my lady Ashe," he said moving his mouth to kiss her and his hand in to please her.

"Oh gods, Basch do not stop," the queen cried clinging to her knight as his hand began to move within her.

Throwing her head back in intense pleasure, Ashe let out a moan or whimper with every stroke of his hand. She allowed herself a few more moments of selfish indulgence before moving her own hand to reciprocate some of the pleasure she was receiving. Desperately, she unbuttoned the front of his pants, where he was already straining, and they instantly pooled around his ankles. Basch grunted as she pulled down the front of his underwear enough to free his manhood. He buried his head in her neck as she began to stroke him. He bit down gently onto her neck, leaving a faint mark, before begging her to cease.

"I-I-" he panted into her sweat coated neck.

"Do it," she urged pressing herself against his still digits. Removing his fingers, Basch bunched up her skirt and urgently thrusting himself into her. The now connected pair let out matching guttural groans that the occupants of the bazaar had in fact heard but none could place and so dismissed.

Basch picked up his queen for a better angle and held her hips tightly as he began to drive his hardness into her. Ashe in turn, wrapped her legs around his body much like she had earlier in the Aerodome. She grabbed his face and pulled him in for a much needed kiss. Their tongues dueled while their groins slapped together in ultimate passion.

"I- I am. I am almost-" Basch gasp his mouth millimeters away from hers.

"Oh gods, me too," she cried. Their voices and throaty cries filled the narrow alleyway but were swallowed up by the world outside of it.

She climaxed first with a scream of his name followed shortly after by him pulling her in as close as he could crying out only the first syllable of her name. He stayed inside her through the finish, learning earlier that if he did not, there would be consequences. After a few more finishing strokes, he let her down easily. Both of them adjusted their lower halves to their pre-coital states. Before attempting to locate their shirts, Basch leaned his tired body against the wall above her. After regaining her senses, she slowly reached up and ran her open palm across his cheek.

"I love you," she whispered to him.

"And I you," he replied moving in for a soft lingering kiss. He then held her tightly to him.

"I miss you when you are not here," she said sadly into his chest.

"I know."

"I wish for you to come back to me soon?" she asked pulling away from him.

"I shall return when I am no longer needed in Archadia. This I promise," he said holding her hand to his heart.

"You had better. Or I shall have to bring you back by force."

Basch laughed humorlessly; he knew she was serious. Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca never joked about reclaiming things that were hers. Never had and he knew she never would.

"I promise on the graves of my parents, I will return to you as soon as I am able," he said matching her seriousness.

"Good," she replied with a pleased smile. "Let us take our leave now. I prepared a bath for us before leaving to meet you."

With a smile Basch bent over to retrieve their shirts. Once redressed completely, the couple rejoined the oblivious Muthru crowd hand-in-hand.