Disclaimer: I don't own FF12. This fic was made without square-enix's permission, etc.

Winter was his favorite time of the year.

While the older ones preferred to stay at home and away from the cold, his playmates on the other hand were often found outside, garbed in the most colorful winter clothes, carefully crafted by their mothers and grandmothers, as they played all day long.

The neighbors often challenged them into snowball fights, which he and his brother often won nonetheless, but this just pushed them to taunt them even more. More children joined their game, much to the irritation of his brother, and it became harder to take out everyone each time. Yet this game was getting old for him, as he was now a boy of seven winters. His father trusted him enough to use real bows and arrows already, and clearly, hitting targets with snowballs now seemed so mundane. What he preferred to do now was to hunt down hares, especially the white ones that were difficult to find in the snow. He liked the thrill the chase brought him, and he also liked the stew his mother could make from his kill.

His brother often tagged along, though he knew he did not like the hunt as he did. He often told him that he hated rabbit stew, but deep inside he knew that his brother was just too gentle. He's had better opportunities to go for the kill, yet still he purposely missed, causing their target to run off quicker than before. It annoyed him, yet his brother would not allow him to go off alone either. So he just let him come along, though he made it a point to keep his distance. Conversely, this annoyed his brother, for he claimed their mother would get angry should they drift too far apart.

He tried not to let their own annoyances bother him, for he was more intent in catching his first hare. Luck was perhaps on his side that day, he thought, as he saw a plump white hare by a thick snow covered bush. His brother was not around to mess up his aim either so he was sure he can hit it this time. He crouched down silently and took aim, stretching his other hand just enough to send his arrow spiraling towards his target. His final thoughts were on dinner when he let the arrow go and within seconds, he heard the sound of victory.

The hare was still writhing as he approached it, its blood smearing the snow, and for once he understood what his brother might have felt. Yet a hare was a hare, as his father would say, and it was a gift from the heavens. It was meant to be hunted, meant to be eaten. Its life was not for naught for it had served its purpose.

With his guilt completely forgotten, he jumped victoriously and held his catch by its ears.

"Noah!" he called out, hoping his brother would come quickly so he could show it off, "Noah! Come here! I've caught something!"

The sight of blood might upset him, but he knew his brother would still like to see it. They both have never seen a hare up close before and he suddenly wished he already knew how to set up a trap so he can catch live ones next time. Yet his first kill was still quite a sight, with its plump form and smooth pelt. It was dead though it was still kicking reflexively, and he seriously prayed his brother would arrive before its movements ceased completely.

Yet his brother was nowhere to be found.

He twirled around and found himself in the middle of nowhere. As he listened quietly, he realized that he heard nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat. Something was not right, he thought, as he looked at the endless snow around him.

"Noah?" he called out again, still to no avail. He thought he was just behind him, just as he had been minutes before. "It isn't funny Noah."

His heart beat faster and faster, he knew something was not right. He felt it… his brother, he was not all right.

"Noah!" without thinking, he dropped his kill on the ground as he started walking… running … desperately looking for any traces of his brother.

"Noah!"

"Noah"

The soft grumble the Judge Magister made was almost inaudible, yet the small vibrations it made on his metallic helmet were enough to rouse him from his light slumber. He opened his eyes and saw the filtered light and realized he had fallen asleep on the job… once again. Feeling a bit timid, he straightened up on his seat and quickly removed his helmet to wipe away the sweat that had formed in his head. It was a good thing that no one saw the spectacle for it was already early morn and his staff had already left.

He buried his head on his upturned palm as he tried to compose himself. Now that he took his brother's place, memories of their childhood often came back to haunt him. For years he tried to forget his brother's existence just to suppress the pain and anger in his heart. Yet now that all his sins… both their sins, have been forgiven, he welcomed the memories somehow. The memories still brought him pain, but there was some tinge of fondness and nostalgia, for the Gabranth he knew was now gone and he had his brother, Noah, back before he ultimately lost him forever.

He was the Gabranth now, and things would no longer be the same though it was his task to fool everyone else. Adjusting to his new life was still difficult, and after a year he still had so much work to do. Acting like his twin was just one aspect, and it was more complicated than what people expected. He had known Noah all his life, perhaps much better than he knew himself, but Gabranth was a different character altogether. No one ever taught him how to play the part properly – yet he needed to figure it all out on his own, else blow off his cover. Very few people knew of his secret, and it was most certainly not easy to keep it that way.

What he did not know was the old Gabranth had secrets of his own, and it was even more difficult to deal with those.

Frozen

Chapter 1

He finally decided to turn in for the night when he realized he was too tired to continue in the first place. He stood up tiredly and fixed the remaining papers in his desk in a languid manner.

Yet he was suddenly alert when he heard a knock on the door of his office, just when he was about to wear his helmet. He thought it peculiar to get a visitor at such an ungodly hour, for it never happened to him before. But then he figured that it would be even more peculiar for malefactors to have manners, though he did not discount the possibility completely.

He heard nervous coughing from the other end of the door and saw a shadow of a lone man. Cautiously, he turned the knob and faced his visitor while he tried to see if he had any accomplices, and later on realized he had none.

"Judge Magister Gabranth?"

The middle-aged man looked timid as he gripped his own gloves tightly. His round spectacles almost fell off the bridge of his nose and his uniform was crumpled slightly. He was dressed as a scientist from the Draklor Laboratory, and his bearing looked natural enough to exude he was not pretending to be someone else.

"What is it that you need that you seemed to have come here so clandestinely," Basch spoke finally after concluding his assessment of the man. "State your name and purpose immediately."

"Yes sir!" the man stuttered as he suddenly stood in attention. "I've come to report on the …" he stopped as he looked behind him, seeming to check once more if no one eavesdropped in their conversation, "I came to report on the matter you have specifically entrusted to me over a year ago."

A year ago? He knew of no dealings Gabranth made with any personnel of the Draklor Laboratory and he considered the possibility that the man was merely mistaken, or worse, trying to trap him. Yet he also considered the possibility that the man was telling the truth, and he knew a wrong move could reveal his guise instantly.

"Which matter do you speak of?" he replied as he pulled the man in his office and closed the door once more.

The man paced back and forth for a while as he glanced at him nervously from time to time. Basch was about to repeat his question when finally the man spoke once more.

"You seem to have forgotten Judge Magister, and I understand it might have been because of the number of issues you've had to deal with everyday," he said, nervousness still in his voice. "It is I, Wells, from Draklor's Cryonics department."

Cryonics? It was a word he never heard before. He remained silent as he tried to remember all those documents he had read, or anything that could possibly give him a clue as to what it was.

"What then do you have to report regarding that … matter," Basch finally asked, praying it would not be too obvious that he was merely fishing for answers.

"I believe I've come across a breakthrough Judge Magister," his features brightened up, despite continuing to look timid, "I've found a way to restore her heart."

Restore her heart? Basch became even more confused. Restore her heart? Whose heart? Who was she? He tried to think of all the female personalities the 9th bureau had handled within the past year and yet he was still at a loss. Could it have been a personal affair then? And what did restore mean exactly?

"Judge Magister, you have not visited even once since you last brought her to my laboratory, and for a while I thought you've lost hope… or even interest," Wells then got a handkerchief and wiped his brow, "but after all that you have done for me, after you backed my project and gave me my own laboratory and all, I thought that at the very least, I owed you enough to let you know that I have discovered something … Something quite… important."

"Stop talking in riddles Doctor Wells; please get to the point immediately," Basch muttered in frustration as he still had no clue as to what was going on.

"Yes sir!" the man jumped in surprise once more as he faced him, "Judge Magister, with all due respect, I do not know how else to say this without … well… surprising you too much but…I do not know if this news would be pleasant to you or not … or if…"

"Just get on with it!"

"Y…yes sir…" Wells looked up and with his eyes unwavering he finally said, "Judge Magister, she is carrying a child, and with all due respect… I believe it might be yours."

Never in his life had he been in a situation such as this one, and like many other things in his life, he was not prepared for it all. Just when he thought he had been through it all, this scenario unfolded before him. Then again, he realized that he was not exactly the subject in this case, but Gabranth, yet he was him now, and that made things all the more complicated.

Noah fathered a bastard child? His mind still reeled at the thought as he followed Wells through the dark corridors of the Draklor Laboratory. He would not believe it until he saw it himself. After all, this might all be just a joke, a trap, or worse. Yet if it had been true, he did not know how to deal with this particular secret the old Gabranth had up his sleeve.

He noticed that the temperature decreased significantly when they reached the end of the corridor. The scientist quickly entered a sequence on the security panel and the thick metallic doors of the room opened quickly. He walked in the new room cautiously, still preparing for the worst as he glanced from side to side. Yet when the lights were opened, his gaze froze on what was at the center of the room and for a moment he forgot everything else.

She was like a goddess, encapsulated in glass. He suddenly remembered stories from his childhood – those that talked about a queen… the snow queen that lived in a castle, far far away, waiting for a valiant knight that sought to melt her frozen heart. Her long white hair floated around her, forming a cocoon that gracefully coated her porcelain skin. He thought it looked like angel wings, and it was quite fitting, for the sleeping goddess surpassed anything that he had seen on this earth. She was perfect in her nakedness, almost ethereal, as she floated in the contraption she was in. Perhaps her only flaw was a small scar, just above her breast, one that seemed to have pierced her heart… the frozen heart of the snow queen.

"Restore her heart…" Basch mumbled the words as if in a daze, as he yearned to touch her scar, to see if he had the power to mend her wounds himself.

"She remained the same as that day you left her in my care Judge Magister," Wells finally spoke, "Due to the freezing process, all her functions have been halted, from her metabolism to her gestation. It was only when I did a final check on her that I found another life in her womb." He idly looked at his charts at the table as he continued, "the only change perhaps is her hair. It continued to grow at a faster rate despite her homeostasis. It is a known side-effect of one of the drugs I have used to preserve her. But worry not, all her functions would slowly revert back to normal should she be restored successfully."

Basch found it hard to concentrate on what Wells was telling him when his mind was still fully captured by the goddess before him. Who… who was she, he asked the question over and over again, until Wells's earlier words finally registered – she was left to his care, Noah left her there – she was Noah's goddess.

He searched his memory once more to look for a clue as to who she could possibly be. If Noah had gone so far as to ask a man of science to preserve…

Preserve?

Was she all right? The scar… could the wound have possibly killed her?

Who is she, Noah? He muttered in his head, wishing he could still communicate with his twin though he was in the afterlife. Give me a clue Noah.

As if on cue, thoughts of his brother on his death bed suddenly entered his mind.

"Your words put me at ease brother…I'm sorry to leave you."

Those were his final words to him as he clutched his hand. He still felt the pain in his heart as he remembered it all too vividly. Noah looked up as tears fell down from his eyes. He went closer to wipe them away, unable to stop himself from pressing his forehead to that of his own brother's. Then he closed his eyes as he finally breathed his last.

"Drace"

And then he was gone.

Drace

That was the name he last uttered.

It was the name used by the Judge Magister of the fourth bureau, an expert on the Archadian political machinery. She was the only daughter of the fifth generation of House Dufaure, a prominent family that originated from Ordalia. She was distinguished for her academic honors and her strong military background despite her gender. She took charge of Lord Larsa's education and training once he reached the age of six. A little over a year ago, her impeccable record was tarnished when she was cited for contempt of the ruling autocrat and was sentenced to death…

…She was then executed by… Judge Magister Gabranth.

He staggered backwards as he remembered all the information he had gathered about her. He leaned on the cold wall as he looked at her once more and realized the gravity of the situation. Judge Magister Drace was a woman killed through his brother's hands, a woman who now possibly carried his child. The data stored in the ninth bureau's archives said nothing of this affair. Yet his brother's mere mention of her name in his dying breath was enough proof that there was more to her… to them that world would never know.

His brother brought her there to try to save her life. Could he have known…? Could he have done it not merely out of remorse?

"I've tested the procedure on a bangaa, and it worked. She would be the first hume subjected to the treatment," Wells approached the capsule that held her as he looked upon her as well, "it would still be a gamble Judge Magister, that is why I've come to ask for your permission. Now that there is another life involved, surely the stakes are higher."

It was a gamble he never wanted to take in the first place, and yet he had no choice but to deal with it now. He did not feel as though he had the right to meddle, for this particular unfinished affair no longer involved Gabranth but Noah as well. This affair stemmed from his brother's heart, and it was not something he could take over for. Yet this woman was inadvertently his family now, and that child was his own flesh and blood. The ties that bound them may not be as strong as he or they would have wanted. Yet he was left with no choice. Blood was thicker than water, and that at least amounted to something.

"Judge Magister… you must understand that the procedure is still risky. At this stage, I am confident enough to promise success… but that is just one aspect. She has been erased in the civil registry's records. To her family, to Archadia, she is dead. I could mend her wounds and give her life, yet I do not have the power to make her live again."

To have life without living – it was a feeling he knew all too well. Perhaps he was pretty much like the undead, but with only one major difference.

He had a reason to stay alive. His life was not for naught.

Could she have one as well? The child in her womb seemed to be reason enough. Surely, the child deserved a chance at life; the child deserved to live.

"They must both live," he said with finality, "that is the only acceptable outcome."

He ran, shouting his brother's name all the while. His fear made him feel colder, but he did not stop, he could not stop running. He had to reach his brother no matter what.

"Noah!" he shouted, his voice already hoarse, "Noah, where are you?"

He needed to find him, not just because his mother would kill him if he didn't, not just because it was his duty as the older twin. He needed to find Noah for he could never be the same without him. No matter how much they bickered or how much they annoyed each other, they were still brothers; and even in his young mind, he knew that brothers stuck together no matter what.

"Basch!" he suddenly heard the faint voice and he froze on his tracks.

"Noah!" he walked desperately, as he sought his brother's voice. "Where are you?"

"Why did you leave me Basch?" he heard the despair in his voice and that pushed him harder than before. "I am scared Basch! It's so dark in here."

Noah was not scared easily. In some respects, he was braver than he was, at least when they were together. Now that he thought about it, they never really were apart. It was scary to be alone, and he felt so scared now. That only made him more desperate to find his twin.

He knelt down on the ground, ignoring the cold, as he swept away the snow, looking for a crevice or a hole where his brother might have fallen into.

"Hang in there Noah," he said firmly, as he tried to keep his voice from shaking to avoid scaring his brother even more, "I did not leave you, and I will not stop until I find you."

For a while his brother did not reply, and he panicked, thinking something bad might have happened to him. He only started breathing again when he heard him shout once more.

"I believe you Basch," he stopped to cough loudly, "So hurry up and find me already."

"Help me out then!" he replied, as he pulled off his gloves to enable him to move the snow faster, "don't stop calling out for me!"

Author's Notes: Cryogenic freezing is usually done on fruits… and some human cells, but then it's a common sci-fi theme I suppose. Just think… er… Austin Powers, Han Solo or even Spike Spiegel. I think, with Dr. Cid researching on nethcites, espers, and making airships and all that, cryogenic freezing won't be that too farfetched. But that's just my opinion.