Fragments

Author note: Right, to start, I do not own Final Fantasy XII and will make no profit from this here story. Anyway, this is the closest to hot-off-the press work I've ever published, the story being only two days old. As such, I'm sure this isn't as good as it could be. But at any rate, this is dedicated to Feeny on her birthday. I hope you like it.

Part VI – September 12, 710 OV - Evening

Flicking through the pages of her book, she focused hard on the sound of the paper brushing against her thumb. She didn't dare look at it, instead gazing far away, lost in thought. At this time of night, she wouldn't have been able to make out the pages anyway, if she'd had the strength to read them at all that was.

The pages felt rough with age against the smoothness of her thumb; to some extent, she enjoyed the feeling, though it didn't serve well to keep her from thinking her conflicted feelings. Suddenly, the last of the pages passed on by, leaving her in silence. Without looking, or even thinking, she automatically and delicately moved the pages with a finger and started flicking through them again.

She continued on that way for hours, trying not to think.

Part III – September 9, 710 OV - Morning

The pirates of Balfonheim looked at her as if she'd just suddenly stepped out of a portal through space, rather than off an airship. She supposed even by their standards, she seemed a little over the top, as heavily armed as she was. What seemed to interest them most, to her slight surprise, was not the way she was armed, but rather the book she held clasped in her small, folded arms; close to her heart. Weapons were plenty in the pirate haven, but books were not.

Passing them by without a word, she moved through the town, attracting the occasional odd look (but not many, for armed travellers were a common enough sight here), she swiftly found herself on the town outskirts. Before her, the precipitous pass into the Cerobi Steppe loomed, but she ignored it for the time being. Instead, she turned to the moogle sitting on a bench nearby. He glanced up, startled at the sight of her, but a smile broke out on his face. It was infectious, making her smile for the first time in three days.

"Back so soon, kupo?" he asked rhetorically. She nodded anyway, and without a word from her, he moved away to get her favourite Chocobo.

While he was gone, she settled herself down on the bench and idly opened her book, looking at the title page. By now, she was no longer surprised that it made her want to smile and cry at the same time.

Part V – September 11, 710 OV - Afternoon

She rode across the Cerobi Steppe so fast that she was certain that her steed's feet would burst into flame if she wasn't careful. But she made little effort to stop the bird. The Chocobo warked, trying to tell her some elementary thing she couldn't understand, but she just patted the bird's neck, convincing it to carry on.

There was little, in fact no reason to come this way at all, but her instinct told her that this was the correct way to go. She had no idea where they were, where they were going and she highly doubted finding the way back would be easy either. But finding the way back wasn't really important anyway. There was nothing of value behind her, only before. She would make for Dalmasca if it killed her.

And if she got lost on the way, it didn't matter. She knew for a fact that she wasn't the only traveller in this land.

Part II – September 8, 710 OV - Morning

Without a doubt, her being here like this was wrong. They would worry about her, the Lady Ashe and Captain Basch, or Judge Gabranth as he styled himself nowadays, if they knew where she'd gone. They had come to her only this morning, asking her to stay with them in the palace for a while, but why on Ivalice would she want to go there? There was nothing wrong with her, although they both seemed to think there was. What was it Basch had said only two hours before, "You should not be alone at a time like this."

She had wanted to ask him what she should be doing, but refrained. If she had said one thing, she knew she would shout and scream at him. It wasn't his fault, the way she was acting, none of it was, but neither he nor Ashe seemed to understand how much a sky pirate dislikes being constrained, and despises being grounded.

She hadn't left a note, because they could probably guess where she was going anyway. They might well think that she was beginning to go mad, and who know, maybe she was. Perhaps they might see it as running away, but she thought to truly run away, all she had to do was sit at home and do nothing.

Bearing that thought in mind, she bolstered herself against her guilt and boarded the airship that would take her far and close to those who cared about her

Part IV – September 10, 710 OV - Afternoon

As she walked through the wreckage, shards of broken glass and metal crunched in agony underfoot. The airship was an utter ruin, its fuselage blown to pieces and the basic structure looking just about ready to collapse. The wings were gone and the engines smashed beyond repair. Circling the vessel, she found (to her relief) that the cockpit had suffered only the most minimal amount of damage, though the windows had all shattered, presumably on impact. After climbing into the cockpit, taking especial care not to catch herself on broken glass, she found it empty, though there was a disturbing amount of blood on the controls and floor.

Crouching down, she picked up a piece of what had once been the cockpit window. Looking into her reflection, she stared at herself in shock. These four sleepless nights were already beginning to take their toll on her looks, with her eyes becoming bloodshot and heavy bags growing beneath them. However her looks were irrelevant, so she placed the glass back where she found it with incredible delicacy. This was a grave after all, one she mourned for. It felt like losing a mother, one who had protected her for many years against the harshness of the world, never failing once until now.

Following the trail of blood out into the corridor and the open hatch, she found the ship's plaque, giving her a one word confirmation of what she knew already: Galbana.

Part I – September 7, 710 OV - Evening

"Please sit down," Basch said, gesturing to the only chair in the bedroom.

Though curious, she acquiesced, carefully regarding Basch's impassive face. He kept his emotions as well checked as ever, but she couldn't help but think something was very wrong with him. For a start, he wasn't looking directly at her, but at something over her shoulder.

"I am sorry to have to tell you this, Penelo, but Vaan's airship was shot down by Archadian forces two days ago. I fear that he may be dead."

Her first thought was that that explained why Basch hadn't been looking at her, though now he sadly met her eyes. Perhaps it was that eye contact that hammered home the meaning of his words, making her feel like she'd taken a heavy blow to the chest. Something went cold inside her, something indescribable. From somewhere, she found the energy to shake her head, something which seemed to take a lot more effort than it had a moment ago.

"No, I think you're wrong," Penelo replied, placing a hand on the book in her lap to stop it from shaking. "You see, if he was, I would already know. I would be crying. I would know…"

The truth of the matter was that she was too frozen to cry.

Part VII – September 13, 710 OV - Midnight

Flipping through the pages of her book, Penelo barely noticed in time that the fire, burning low, was in dire need of stoking. Placing the book down, she encouraged the flames to dance again, poking the embers gently with a stick. It was slow work, but eventually the fire flared to life again.

But when she looked up again, she found a silhouette staring at her on the other side of the fire. Her heart jumped in her chest, though she managed to repress a leap of fright. The shadowy figure was impossible to make out, for he stood on the edge of the firelight. Her shotgun, borrowed from Balthier some time before all this, rested at her feet. However, she picked up her book instead, and now by the light of the fire, she was able to make out the title page again. She traced her fingers lovingly across it.

"Won't you come and sit?" she asked the stranger.

He didn't answer, but when she looked up again, she found that whoever it was had gone. However, just as she was about to move over to investigate, a phantom pair of arms encircled her waist and held her close.

"I'd much rather kiss you actually," said a voice she instantly recognised.

Turning in his arms, she found Vaan smiling at her, about as alive and well as had been before. Like she had for many days, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She settled for hitting him. "What did you do that was worth being shot down for, flying solo no less?"

Before he could answer, she leaned in and kissed him passionately. After the long separation, made longer by the thought she might never see him again, she knew happiness in his arms most potent. Her desperation to find him, coupled with her loneliness in the wilds of Valendia sent her a little crazy. Her hands touched Vaan wherever they could reach, with neither shame nor restraint. After some time, she let him go, breaking into a huge yawn as she pulled away an inch or two.

"Tired?' he asked with a smile on his face.

She nodded lazily. "You have yourself to blame for that."

Saying nothing else, she broke away and run her eyes up and down him. Surprisingly, after the Galbana's crash, he didn't seem to be injured at all, save for a few cuts and bruises. "How..?"

"I was flying low when they got me," he explained. "And they had guys waiting for me on the ground too."

That explained where the blood came from, if the short sword at his belt gave any clue. But it didn't matter. She was just so, so glad to find him alive. She was unable to resist hugging him close to her and peppering his cheek with kisses. The sound of his laughter was like music, all the sweeter after thinking she might not hear it again. Penelo laughed along with him, releasing him after a time and sitting back down in the grass. Vaan sat at her side, picking up the book that had been left abandoned on the ground.

"Have you written anything in this yet?" Vaan asked.

She turned to look at him, unable to contain her smile. "Why would I want to write in such a beautiful present?"

Plucking the book from Vaan's hand, she replaced it with her other hand, which he seemed content enough with. Opening it again to the title page, she couldn't rest smiling. "It's already the sincerest declaration of love I've ever known."

The page was blank, as were the rest.