Disclaimer: The characters and FFXII do not belong to me.

Author's note: Hi everyone! Miss Piano speaking! Well I started to write this fic in 2010, in my mother tongue, French. But I... Well... I guess I wanted to share this story with the whole world, by translating it !
Soooo... Well, here it comes!
And... IF someone notices some language mistakes, just and I shall correct my translation.
Or IF someone wanted to translate my stories from French to English, I would be very happy.
Anyway, enjoy!

EDIT: THANK YOU VERY MUCH Adelheid A, for correcting some of my language mistakes and weirdly-speaking Vaan. XD

Warning: shounen-ai for this episode.

The heavy door of the Bur Omisace Temple opened in a long and loud squeaking. Covered with blood, dust and sweat, a small group of people spotted out and walked upon the large stone square of the temple. Princess Ashelia B'Nargin Dalmasca was leading the way in her stiff but confident gait, the Sword of Kings pressed against her chest, Captain Basch stepping aside her. The Viera Fran, sheepish-looking, was looking pensively at Balthier. The same Balthier was gazing grimly at his hands stainted with flesh and blood, his gun almost shivering in its sheath.

A muffled noise made the whole of them jolt, and turn their heads back. Vaan and Penelo, the two Dalmascan orphans, were slowly following them behind. The latter of whom had just collapsed on the marble floor, dazed and obviously schocked. She could hardly stand up, and Vaan was awkwardly trying to pick her up, his sword and shield dropped on the floor. She was almost bursting into tears, hanging upon the blonde's arm and hiccuping a few senseless words. Vaan held her shoulders and Fran came to support her as they went down the large stairs.
All looked grave and were as silent as statues.

_ "How horrible... Such barbarity is absolutely unforgivable, even from the Empire of Archadia..."a voice said with a deep rozzarian accent.

The prince Al-Cid of Rozzaria who had just spoken was standing near the edge of the temple's stone square, overhanging dizzily the valley of Bur-Omisace. Wounded, the noble Rozzarian was supported by his guards. Princess Ashelia stepped forwad and stopped next to him and uttered a deep sigh, captain Basch still standing at her side.

_"His Grace the Great Pontiff Anastasis is now gone... What shall happen next?" she said.

_ "That I can not know, Princess. I must return to Rozzaria to take some rest, and shall try to postpone the preparedness of our troops. You who are leaving now to Archadès, I can but to beg you to hurry, and wish you shall make it in time, so you may prevent this war to begin. Faram, your Highness, and may your journey be safe."

_"Faram, prince Al-Cid. May the gods be with you, and farewell."

The man left, escorted by his guard, and vanished under the heavy rain.

Vaan went down the last steps and beheld the horrible scenery before his eyes. The refugee camp all around the valley was burning piece after piece, the smoke climbing in the sky and obfuscating the sun. The smell of fire and blood was suffocating. The young man had a brutal retch and Balthier tought a second that he was going to topple over the guardrail and fall. He ran and held him back by the shoulders. The blonde was pale and seemed like he was going to faint.

_"Why... Why'd Bergan take it out on the Great Pontiff. Why Bur-Omisace?" he mumured.

_"Bergan had gone insane with the Nethicite's power. He gave his soul to those evil stones and lost his very life for it."Balthier answered.

He thought back to the Judge's awfully dismembered corpse, lying dead inside the Temple, thought back at the moment when the Nethicite inside his chest had exploded like a bomb, and restrained a nauseated quiver. He gazed a moment at Vaan's water-green eyes, the he realized he was still holding him against his chest, and released him. The group stayed a moment in silent, stunt, then Basch broke the silence.

_"We must hurry. Let us go back to Rabanastre and take an airship to Archadès as fast as possible."

_"We can not. If we make it to Archadès by air, the Empire will arrest us in the minute we'll step on the Archadian ground."

_"But if that's so, Balthier, how should we go? There is no way by the sea to Archadès and we can not allow us to wait anymore."

Ashelia inquired.

_"We'll have to go by ourselves, that is the only way to cross the frontier and travel through Archadia unobstrusively. We shall follow the ancient merchant road through the Mosphorian Highwaste and the Salika Woods, then we will muster the Phon Coast, I believe this is the safest way. Once we get there, we shall cut across the Chita Uplands and finally enter the ruins of the Sochen Cave Palace." Balthier explained, watching pensively at the huge rocks floating in the skies above.

_"You seem to know Archadia quite well. You gonna lead the way?" Vaan said innocently.

_"Before we go, we should head up to Jahara and take some rest too." Fran said with her deep slow voice.

They exchanged embarrassed glances, then walked down the Sanctuary's valley, hardly restraining their shivers while they walked through the ruins of the camp under an acid rain. When they reached the entrance, Penelo, whose legs could not support anymore, collapsed again on the ground, and almost begged Vaan to carry her on his back. They immediately decided to rent Chocobos, and Balthier came to spoke with the Moogle Mandoline.

_"Prepare three Chocobos for us, please."

_"It will cost you 600 gils, kupopo!"

the moogle squeaked, pulling three yellow birds out of their paddock.

_"Why only three birds?" Basch asked. "I believe there are six people in this group."

_"We do not jave enough money to rent six chocobos. And if we want to keep some gil for the rest of the jourbey, we must save it and spend it wisely." the pirate answered.

_"Balthier has always been... reluctant to spend his money."Fran said with a faint smile.

_"We can never be too cautious."

And on that note, the sky pirate put his foot on the stirrup and mounted the chocobo. Vaab sat Penelo on a secobd bird and was about to get into the saddle, when Fran's long clawed hand stopped him.

_"I will take care of her."the Viera said slowly, sitting before Penelo and grabbing the reins.

Vaan protested and looked around for an other mount. Basch and Ashelia were already on their chocobo, impatient to leave.

_"What are you waiting for? We must go." the princess muttered to him.

The lad sighed, and walked towards Balthier.

_"C'n I ride too?"

_"Hurry up. We do not have much time left."

The Rabanastrian put his foot on the stirrup and climbed on the chocobo. But when he tried to sit on the bird, the brunette stopped him.

_"What do you think you are doing?"

_"Aw, come on, I wanna ride!"

_"As the leading man of this story, I shall hold the reins. Sit behind me and watch, I will open our path clear." Balthier said, gently teasing the boy.

The teen grumbled an insult between his teeth and sat behind the sky pirate, as far as possible from the man. Once again, he was the second, and that would have been more endurable if it didn't remind him of the ridings he had with Reks as they both were children. Vaan felt his mood darken.

They left Bur-Omisace, riding through the gorges of Paramina into a freezing blizzard. The snow was grinding under the birds' paws and they were all shivering with their small thin clothes.
To top it all off, a strong wind raised, announcing a storm. The chocobos were moving slowly, and Vaan was shivering more and more, refusing to sit closer to Balthier. The brown-haired man heard a muffled sneeze and turned around.

_"Don't you want to come closer? You are freezing."

_"L-L-L-Leave me alone."

Vaan said, his teeth chattering in his mouth.

Balthier shruged off and they continued their journey, Fran and Penelo following the group slowly. The storm rised for real, and, when they passed on the crests, the wind was so violent that Vaan was almost thrown down to the ground. Balthier uttered an exasperated sigh and put his left arm behind his back, grabbed the blond's wrist and pulled him to himself.

_"Hey, whatcha doing!" Vaan said, gliding on the yellow feathers.

_"The role of a leading man is to protect his allies. So stop whining and hold tight to me before you freeze to death or fall into a ravine."

Balthier took the reins back. Against his back, Vaan muffled a second sneeze and resigned. He rised his arms, lying against the brunette's back, his blond hair tickling Balthier's neck. Embracing the pirate's waist, he hesitated again, then huddled up against him, his head on his shoulder blades. Under the shirt and the waistcoat he could feel the soft heat of the muscled body, and he blushed immediately. A freezing gust messed his hair up and he tightened Balthier as far as he could. The sky pirate felt the gloved hands seeking the heat of his skin on his torso, and he smiled. Vaan closed his eyes, thinking back to the blood fest they had just witnessed in the valley, and he grinted his teeth. This despicable war had brought nothing but woe and destruction to Ivalice.
The chocobos continued their slow walk, as silent as tombs in a frozen graveyard...

Chapter 1 END.

Sooo, how was this forst chapter? If you liked it and want the next part to be translated and released, post me a rewiew! . ;)
Or even if you did not like this first chapter... Post me a rewiew anyway, so I can improve my translations! :D