All was silent through out the strahl from one gleaming panel to the other. The only thing that could be heard was the rain bouncing off the ships outside panels like bullets hitting it but ricocheted off. Balthier and Vaan sat in silence thinking about the past as well as what had happened to them just lately with Vayne and the mist.
"Why did you let me come with you?" Vaan asked out of the blue making Balthier jump slightly as he wasn't expecting it. "I mean you could have just taken the Magicite right off of me or cut me down where I stood or left the in the Garamysthe Waterways to die. So why did you let me come with you?" He continued.
"To be honest I let you come because I promised a close friend that I'd look after you." Balthier replied with a tone of sadness in his voice.
"What do you mean? Who did you promise this to? I thought it was to do with our friendship."
"I guess I should tell you the truth now. I was very close friends with your brother, we basically grew up together. I had felt feelings for him for a very long time feeling that to start with did make any sense. But I grew to understand what these feelings meant and forever I wondered if he felt the same." He paused for a moment as if to hold back tears then began to speak again "I remember the day he left as if it was yesterday. I remember it most of all when it rains as it rained the day he left."
It was the day that the war with Rozarria and Archadia started. Balthier was standing next to his air ship as if waiting for a close friend, the sound of the rain echoed throughout the aerodrome. Till the unmistakeable sound of the aerodrome door broke the monotonous sound of the rain, Balthier almost jumped for joy as soon as he heard the click of the door and the site of his best friend walk through it. "REKS! Finally your here! I've waited ages for you." Balthier laughed as the platinum blonde haired boy who resembled Vaan so much that you could tell they were brothers walked towards him. But Reks didn't say anything instead he stayed looking at the ground as if he had bad news to tell him.
"Reks... what's wrong?"
"Balthier you're not going to like this." Reks replied with a dull tone.
Balthiers heart sunk he knew what Reks was about to say would hurt but he prepared himself for the worst.
"Balthier ... I-I joined the army."
"WHAT? Why didn't you talk to me to start with?" Balthier was shocked and slightly angered that he didn't come to speak to him about this.
"Look don't try and stop me I've made up my mind and I'm doing this for Vaan. I don't want him to go through this for much longer."
"I can see that you are set on this. I'll wait for you to come back... promise me that you will come back."
"I promise. But I want you to promise something for me. I want you to look after my brother for me."
"I promise."
Reks lent into Balthier, at first he didn't understand what he was doing. But then he realised that Reks was answering his feeling. They pressed their lips together with their eyes shut tight scared to open them and realise its dream. Reks pulled away smiled at him slightly and walked away. Balthier shouted after him "I'LL WAIT FOR YOU I PROMISE!"
"When your brother left to go to war I promised him I'd look after you but I couldn't find you and had to leave Rabanaster. I feel so bad about it. But I guess he didn't keep his promise too."
"Oh I see now." Vaan replied looking sad as if someone just broke his heart. "So when you showed a slight sign of affection or showed that you cared it was because you made a promise or saw my brother in me. I can see that my feelings for you are unrequited." Vaan got up and walked out of the strahl and into the rain where he stood there. Balthier leaned out the strahl and said "come in side Vaan you'll get soaked."
"It's ok Balthier you've full filled your promise I can look after myself now. Hey Balthier do you know what the best bit about the rain?" Vaan turned to face Balthier looking all pathetically. "Is that it hides the tears that I cry."
Balthier stepped out of the strahl, walked up to Vaan and held him tightly with his head against his chest. Then whispered in his ear "No. I love you for you."