Title: This Sacrifice of Mine
Chapter 1: Drowning and Dying
Author: Harper Hisoka
Warning: Shonen Ai/Yaoi, incest, rape/dark themes, fluff and I don't own the series (Game or Manga).
Series: Final Fantasy XII
Pairing: Baltheir x Larsa, Vayne + Larsa, ReksxVaanxRasler (don't ask)
Summary: No matter how smart you are, love isn't something that can be taught in books. Larsa thinks Vayne's love for him is real, yet when he meets Balthier his mind starts to open to new possibilities. Yet Vayne is the possessive type, unwilling to lose in the games he deems "important". Plus, Reks and Vaan are a couple as well, but when Rasler comes into the picture things really start to heat up! In a business of Sky Pirating, sometimes things aren't as easy as they seem. Who has time for treasure hunts when love is being difficult enough to deal with?
Notes: This story was a request from user Kikai on the Aarinfantasy forums. She had asked for a Baltheir and Larsa pairing, with Vayne making an appearance as well. This is only the first chapter but already I'm exhausted. FFXII ended up being harder then I had originally expected to write for - it's more realistic then anime, so I think it caught me off guard. XD Oops.
Beta Check: My beta will be out for the rest of this week, so please manage with me until then! Gomen-Sorry for the inconvenience.
"Come on, Larsa. You know I've only ever had eyes for you." Vayne's voice echoed a sweet tone, despite whether Larsa found it to have a ring of falseness towards it or not. Like how you can always pick out the guys who practice their lines in the mirror, and proceed to use them on every breathing semi-attractive or more living body. In Vayne's case, Larsa.
"Are your lines always so fake, brother?" He used his own soothing tone to reply, his own echoing that of sarcasm. "I would expect that after 18 years of practice on me, you would have gotten slightly better then that. Those eyes of yours wander everywhere and I know exactly where they lie. What you see is fake you know. Your own self-created, self-delusional imagery of a relationship that doesn't exist between us."
Vayne backed Larsa into a corner of the bedroom. It wasn't any sort of surprise that in no matter where Vayne went, the people there would already have one of the most grandeur bedrooms available for his personal use. Vayne had initially called Larsa up under the pretenses of work, given the situation in which Vayne was going to present himself to the public of Rabanastre in a couple of days. Yet, even in knowing his brother better then anyone, he still had sometimes had trouble being able to tell what Vayne would really be up to.
Larsa felt his back press against the corner of the stone brick wall. He couldn't look get away this time; since not only was he short, but Vayne was naturally (abnormally, if you asked him) tall to begin with. The older man towered over Larsa and prevented him from escaping. He lifted Larsa's chin gently so they made eye contact. "I think that maybe you are in your own imagined relationship then, as I was deemed to be. My Larsa," Vayne slid his other hand down Larsa's back, proceeding to imitate calming massage effects. Larsa couldn't resist this time as Vayne's own skills in knowing exactly what to do and where overpowered any resistance Larsa still held.
Vayne leaned inwards, his lips moving towards Larsa's hesitant ones. "You're as sensitive as always, I see."
Larsa scoffed, "And you do not change either, brother." Yet he felt his body start to move under Vayne's power, responding to his advances no matter what his mind wanted to do. Most of the time Larsa found himself unable to resist Vayne in this aspect. Although in considering his noticeable lack of romantic engagements outside of his royal and political duties, Larsa decided that that was the main cause of any confusion he felt in matters of relation towards romance and the heart.
Vayne's hands found their way around Larsa white dress shirt, taking no time in getting straight to the point of the matter. Larsa looked away, his eyes finding their way towards the glass windows beside him. Outside he could see the clear blue sky; the airships that rode through the air sent a pang of longing across his mind. He unconsciously leaned his neck to the side, taking cues from Vayne on what he wanted his body to do next. Lips made their way around and yet he only found himself able to focus on the airships outside. "Is this… are we doing the right thing?"
The lack of response led Larsa to believe that his brother either didn't hear him, or actively chose not to answer. Sometimes he felt this entire relationship was built upon a cage, never able to evolve into something more. Having to experience the same things over and over again; always in a constant motion of familiarity and soft comfort. He felt Vayne's hands move across his pants. The long, dark green set (comeplete with white fancy dress shirt) he would often wear 'around the castle' when he wasn't expecting to go out. Warm, strong yet gentle fingers that made their way across and down. Their last stop being towards the front of his body. Larsa couldn't help but release the gasp of air he had been unknowingly holding in.
As his pants fell towards the floor, he found himself unable to stop the tear that ran slowly down his face. It always happened this way and he always thought, "I should be used to it by now," even if it wasn't true. There had to be something more other then this incestuous yet secretive relationship they had behind the curtains of the public. Yet despite everything he now felt, all the feelings he kept waving through Larsa still found he loved Vayne more then anyone else in the world. His brother had always been there for him, always is there for him and that valued pretty high on his list of "things to keep forever".
xxx
Larsa couldn't help but sigh as he stared at the stone ceiling of his room. Actively deciding upon retiring for a while instead of heading directly out to the Lhusu Mines near the city of Bhujerba. He had counted the stones too many times to count, his ability to sleep usually ended up disappearing directly after Vayne was finished with whatever it was he wanted to do. "I should be lucky he doesn't go any further then that, I suppose." He had retired to his room soon after his brother's cravings were satisfied. Still, every time he got down to business, Vayne would always say to him, "You'll be 18 this month, Larsa. My birthday present to you will be the greatest pleasure you'll ever receive. After that, you won't be able to see or feel anyone else but me."
Was it cheesy? Romantic? Over-the-top annoying and slightly clichéd? He didn't know and somewhere deep down the closer his birthday became the more he had found himself not particularly wanting to find out more in-depth about Vayne's plans. It never matter what he said to his brother, the results were the same – Vayne never backed down and Larsa would give in to his seductions about eighty-five to ninety percent of the time.
The noise of the airships outside provided a welcome distraction from his problems at hand. Almost an hour later of spacing out while staring out the window from his somewhat awkward position on the bed made him finally decide to head out. Maybe something good would come of his investigation in the mines; if anything, it got him away from Vayne and his cling-to-Larsa hands. Of which, by the way, spent most of their time with a lighter version of the death grip to the underside of whatever pants Larsa decided to wear that day. Willingly or not, that area was one place Larsa knew that he couldn't control with his mind; must to his dismay and very much so towards Vayne's own satisfaction.
Larsa rolled over and jumped off the bed. Distractions were good sometimes; especially in matters which he didn't really understand and problems that wouldn't – or couldn't be solved by reading books or simply mulling over the matter until a solution had reached itself. Throwing on his normal set of clothes (the ones for general outings) he started towards the door. Being that he was under watch right now, if he timed it right escaping shouldn't be a problem. He knew the guard schedules, routes, all secret and normal passage ways to all the castles Larsa knew he would be staying at for any sort of extended period of time. A soft 'click' later and the door to his room locked; also being a somewhat subtle warning for the guards that he shouldn't be disturbed.
A breeze through the halls almost made Larsa stop in his tracks, the scent carried upon the wind smelled familiar… In the end, he shrugged it off. Vayne was already downstairs somewhere practicing for his speech to the people of Rabanastre. As he turned down another hall towards the exit to a lower floor, a tall man stepped out from the shadows, laughter escaping his lips. "Forever mine, Larsa. I do promise that you'll never be able to forget me, once I'm done with you."
xxx
My life before I met Vaan or his friends was pretty normal. As a sky pirate with my Viera partner, Fran, our duties were to look for treasures, attend to the obligation of all around thievery with being suave enough to pick up unsuspecting, good-looking prospects for a one-night stand (or two) a bonus. If anything, our life was as peaceful as a sky pirates life could be; escaping if the dangers became too great, or relaxing in a night or week, if we were lucky, of luxury around town before moving on. Sure, we had to deal with a few hunters on our tail a time or two but that never stopped us from having a good time. That's what this was all about – freedom within the skies, freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted to do it. Nothing to hold us back.
Yet, as they say, 'things that don't change' and all that. I suppose it had to happen eventually, if it had to happen at all. What better time then the present? Not that we can change our circumstances once they've happened. This happened shortly after I met Vaan and his brother, Reks, after we escaped from the waterways after Vayne's attack on the palace. The two seemed to be quarreling about something immature, though I couldn't tell you why. Frankly, I didn't care at the time. I still don't, but it still comes up.
You see, down in the sewers, we met up with this guy named Rasler, never mind the fact that he claimed to have forgotten part of his past memories. He mentioned something about his wife dying, though the circumstances were sketchy at best. I'm not entirely sure I trust him, but something tells me that he's probably not a bad person. Reks, however, found the new guy to be a threat towards him and Vaan's relationship, founding an immediate disliking and a chance for a constant state of argument with him. It's never my place to meddle with the internal affairs of others, be it straight or otherwise, it always ends up being a hassle to deal with. Yet, I don't feel any way around this one other than ignorance as long as humanly possible.
If Reks wants to fight Rasler for Vaan and vise versa, it's not my place to interfere; though I dare say that Fran has taken quite a liking to the newcomer. I sometimes find her watching them intently from amidst the shadows, whatever her intentions are; somehow I seem a bit weary of what they could be.
So much for the good old days of when sky pirating meant two people on a treasure hunt, adventure, romance, luxury! It doesn't quite seem the same anymore, and I can't quite recall the last time we found any good treasure on a hunt (that I didn't have to split). Hopefully our little trip to the Lhusu Mines will at least prove entertaining, since I don't hold that much hope for any sort of treasure or reward.
xxx
Of course Larsa's escape from the city of Rabanastre had been a success; in planning ahead, one can do many things that might not seem possible, particularly if the Empire's guards a placed in every corner of the city. The great sky city of Bhujerba, as it sounds, the city was actually located in the sky. Larsa looked over the side of the bridge leading from the airship port to the city. The sights were absolutely marvelous, and he made a mental note to come back here if, indeed, he ever had time to relax and 'sight see'.
Entering the mines was going to be dangerous, no two ways about it. By himself, he had known he probably wouldn't be able to make it that far alone; yet standing just outside the building housing the lounge for those whom had come from the airships seemed to be the perfect place to start. Under the pretense of exploring the sights, he could quietly scout for a party which looked strong enough to take on the mines and possibly live long enough to still make it out alive. Most of the citizens here were either on vacation or some sort of personal reasons; the few here on business were the ones to look out for. Sometimes, hiding in plain sight was the best way to get the answers needed to continue on.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Larsa found the party he had been looking for quite readily. He first heard the name of the Lhusu mines, the group having stopped near his location to talk about it. They mentioned something about monsters and rewards, more then likely being on some sort of hunt. Well, that means they probably wouldn't mind a little extra help, if he didn't ask for any of the physical rewards in the end. "Are you headed to the Lhusu Mines, then?"
The men were tall, having an atmosphere of a mix of shady, ruggedly strong and greedy. Typical sky pirates, Larsa thought in the back of his mind. They stopped their conversation to look down at Larsa. They had to be tall… well, no matter. Height makes no difference in certain skills and scholarly knowledge.
"You have… business there, boy?" One of the older men asked him. He looked dangerous, but another thing about the man had bothered Larsa. A certain look in his eyes…
"I do. I just need accompaniment into the mines; I have an errand to attend. I can help you out any way you need until our goals are complete. I'm quite good with alchemy and healing." Larsa responded calmly, his manner straightforward. He didn't necessarily hide things, but he didn't straight up lie about it either. A balanced truth, to be sure.
The smiles the men gave were slightly unnerving, yet his offer to help seemed to be accepted. Larsa knew his abilities were not to be judged based up his looks, however young or inexperienced he seemed on the outside.
Quite frankly, the trip to the mines was unsettling to say the least. He almost began to regret his decision to ask these particular people to… 'Help' him out. Yet, before he could say anything he found himself upon the entrance to the mines.
The cold, dark feeling of the mines sent a chill down his spine. His feelings of foreboding were getting stronger and he didn't know why. They were just hunters, looking for some monster that just happened to be located in the mines. Hunters came in all sorts of packaging; personalities didn't always fit with how the outside appeared.
In the end, Larsa realized his mistake too late. As they turned into a dead end, arms and hands slammed his small body against the wall. "It's been a while since we've let someone like you into our little 'group'."
"We'll take what you have now, strip you of…" the man moved in close, his voice a purr in Larsa's ear. "Everything you have left."
Larsa's head was still throbbing with pain after hitting the cold stone wall. He was thankful, at least, that this part of the mine had been built with people in mind. As for the pain he might have felt, be it against the harsh, uneven stone of the actually mine shafts he didn't want to think about. What they did, how their hands moved reminded him of Vayne's own actions earlier, despite the distinct difference that these guys didn't care about his welfare as much as his brother did.
He wanted them to stop except no sounds came out. He felt like he was in a trance, unable to control his actions. A trance…. Trance? The abrupt realization that he was under a magick spell came about too late, he realized. He never noticed them place it upon him in the first place, as it was either under the category of a holding or controlling spell. At this point, he really didn't care which one, the matter of him unable to move frighten him more than anything.
"Help… please." His voice whispered out the words, but his mind screamed over and over with what will power he had left under his control.
xxx
Balthier looked towards the entrance to the mines. "So these are the Lhusu Mines, huh? Looks like this just might turn out to be an interesting adventure after all." He smiled privately, the grin spreading across his face. Looks like I might even get lucky.
Fran turned towards him, her voice both honest and straight to the point, as always. "If you have a plan in mind, Balthier, I suggest you hurry. Those men will not wait around long enough for a rescue party to come and find the boy. He is in danger."
+Continue+