Flawed But Perfect
By Pinoko K

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XII, its characters and locations are all Square Enix. The only thing I get from this little story is the review. No profits are made.

Summary: Consider it a prequel to "Balthier's Nightmare". If you want the characters to be perfect, look elsewhere. In this story, Balthier's and Ashe's imperfections will be magnified for all to see, because no one is perfect, neither are any of the characters. Their flaws make them perfectly Hume. Let's follow the group through their adventures in Ivalice and watch closely as a budding friendship between a flamboyant sky pirate and a solemn princess bloomed, or perhaps it'd be killed prematurely by their crushing personalities. And yes, it's under humor category because it's certainly not a drama and you're not supposed to take it too seriously.

A/N (01/26/07): This story has morphed into something unexpected as I continue to write. Originally the first chapter was the only chapter with Balthier and Ashe's interaction. And I didn't think I could write romance, simply because I'm romantically-challenged and also the most unromantic person in the world. But the response from the readers on the first version of this chapter was surprisingly good. So now, this story has become a self-challenge: to write a non-mushy, subtle, barely-there, blink-and-you-will-miss-the-hint romance story following their paths in the game to the end, and perhaps beyond, all while staying perfectly in character. Wish me luck.

A/N: I've got addicted to writing about Balthier's diry mind ever since I finished "Balthier's Nightmare", so here it is again – Balthier's dirty mind. Try not to blame him, he is but a normal 22 year-old young man. Enjoy.

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Chapter One – Dashing Pirate from the Sky

Balthier was cool, clever, and certainly charming. He never stilled his silver tongue on jabbing idiots who deserved a verbal smack upside their heads, nor did he hesitate to use it on coaxing the ladies should he feel playful. Above all, Balthier did everything with style, be it fighting, treasure hunting, verbal jabbing, or flirting.

And if his style alone wasn't enough to catch one's attention, one look from his gorgeous face would stop most women on their track. If being devastatingly handsome and painfully witty were a sin, Balthier would be guilty as charged. Thankfully, there was no such law in Ivalice to punish the genetically blessed few. The sky pirate's impressive amount of bounty on his head would have sky rocketed had there been such unjust discrimination.

Of course, with a face as handsome as his, one would expect a lot of attention from the ladies, as well as jealousy from the men. Balthier welcomed those attentions, be it positive or negative. Because, for a leading man, any attention was certainly better than none. And Balthier was undoubtedly one of the best leading men who had ever graced Ivalice.

So, was he perfect? No, not quite. Even a man like Balthier was not perfect. Imperfections made us all Hume. Then what would be the flaws of our leading man? Men would point at the sky pirate's enormous ego; women would complain about his unattainable heart. They were both true, to some degrees. But if you'd asked the man himself, and should he ever decide to reveal his one major flaw, he would've told you it's his age.

Not that there was anything wrong with being twenty-two. Far from it. Strong, agile, and ever alert, Balthier had just reached his physical peak that would last for the next few years, both physiologically and sexually. Normally the sky pirate would enjoy every single moment of his prime, as he should. But the Fates had willed him to travel with two attractive grown females; both scantily clad, both were untouchable.

Sure, he and his ever-so loyal partner Fran had more than a fair share of "encounters". Who could really blame the sky pirate for his attempt when he constantly had to share a small living space with the lovely Fran on his beloved Strahl? With the amount of time they spent together, it would take a gay man not to make a move on the beautiful viera. Beautiful, yes, but deadly. Balthier wholeheartedly respected Fran for her strength, and even more so for her wisdom. On his foolish part when his hands had decided to have a life of their own, Fran had found it in herself to forgive him. More than once. The sky pirate would never speak of it, but those several incidents had increased his respect for her tenfold.

To Balthier, Fran would always be his best friend, or even soul mate if there were such thing. He knew there would never be a woman who could ever take her place in his heart, even should he, god forbid, marry. Women might come and go and share his bed, but there would always be Fran to save his neck.

The viera was more than his partner, or even his lover; she was beyond any of those. The amount of trust, faith, and understanding between the sky pirate and his partner surpassed those of any friends or lovers could share. Fran was his family; she was all he really had. And if lust was added to it, it would forever taint their bond with inevitable jealousy, from his part as least. Balthier simply couldn't afford that.

So the lovely viera was not to be touched. And that left him with the other beautiful woman in their group: the princess. Her Royal Highness. Her royal status never intimidated him, nor did her one-tracked mind on reclaiming her country really impress him. Balthier could care less about her birthright or any political conflict. It was her obliviousness of her own allure, especially sexual appeal, that had intrigued him and initially caught his attention. And when the sky pirate had found out his smug expression or clever words could easily infuriate the princess, he'd made "provoking the princess" an occasional choice for his entertainment. Didn't she notice the way her lips pursed to a small pout whenever she's frustrated was rather... stimulating?

Balthier glanced nonchalantly at the blonde woman next to him; her delicate features were tainted by a scowl.

"Why should I use a gun?" She glanced pointedly at the weapon in his hand.

"Because…" He started his explanation with a not-so hidden sigh and paused to add to the dramatic effect. The sky pirate leaned slightly toward the princess before continuing with a condescending tone which he knew would infuriate her. "You cannot strike a flying foe with your sword, Princess."

"I know that!" She snapped right on cue.

Balthier didn't reply; but rather he just raised one eyebrow at her with a smirk. She had walked right into his trap, and he was letting her know that. Ashe narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at him, all while unconsciously puckering her lips in a faint pout out of aggravation.

Those lips…

The sky pirate let his eyes wandered from her blue ones to her soft pink lips. His mind began to wonder what those lips would feel like on his-

"I was asking why I should use a gun instead of a bow?"

Balthier's reverie was interrupted and he let out an audible sigh. The princess probably thought his sigh was another way of patronizing her, because now her fine eyebrows were further tightened and her lips pressed into a frown.

"Princess," the sky pirate rolled his eyes slightly, all while making sure the woman next to him caught his expression. "Fran and Basch have the bows. We have no more to spare. Vaan and his girl use the two crossbows. So…"

"So I am left with no choice but the remaining gun," Ashe concluded with a deadpan tone.

Yes, you are stuck with the gun AND me. "Brilliant deduction, Princess. Most impressive." Balthier drawled with teasing smile on his lips. Once again, he ignored the livid look Her Royal Highness was bestowing him, secretly enjoying every moment of their little banter.

"Now, let's go over the basic, shall we?" He began quickly before Her Majesty decided to match away. The sky pirate held up his weapon with practiced ease, pointing its tip up in the air at an angle with one hand. A not so faint "hmph" was heard from the princess.

"Should you feel the gun too heavy for your slender arm," Balthier hid a smirk while disregarding her glare. "Hold it like so…" He supported the barrel of the gun with his free hand as a demonstration before passing the gun to Ashe.

He watched as she took the weapon in her much smaller hands. Her hands were strangely delicate for a swordswoman. Perhaps she'd not taken up on swords or fighting in general until two years ago. But Balthier wasn't interested in knowing any of those details. Right now his attention was on the princess' hands holding his weapon.

Ashe tried to lift up the gun with one hand, mimicking Balthier's usual stance. He was sufficiently impressed by her almost perfect imitation, and left to wonder just how long she had been observing him to be able to pull his pose down to near perfection. The sheer notion of Ashe secretly watching him brought a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

And his smirk grew wider as the princess couldn't support the weight of the gun further and had to use her other hand to support it. Balthier shot her a look that spoke louder than words: What did I tell you? Just as he predicted, the princess narrowed her eyes on him with another of her barely noticeably pout, one Balthier had excelled in spotting. Again, his eyes were briefly drawn to her lips.

"Your gun, what type of metal was it made of?" Ashe asked with her best professional tone and studied the gun intently, probably to mask her embarrassment. Her supporting hand unconsciously stroked the barrel of the gun as nothing but an indication of her subject matter; she didn't seem to think too much of her gesture.

In fact, she didn't seem to notice Balthier's odd stare at her hand. Nor did she hear his rather uncomfortable cough. And of course, there was no way for her to feel the strange stir he was having inside; his fancy collar suddenly felt a little hot around his neck, his leather pants a little bit too tight... The sky pirate forced himself to look away from her hand on his weapon and focused on the ground as though it were paved with gold leaves.

But the visual image seared in his mind…

Her hand on his weapon…

"Balthier?" The princess stepped over and peered at his face. "Are you quite all right?"

"Ah… Yes. Quite." The sky pirate collected his wits rather quickly and returned her concern look with his usual smirk. Once more his expression seemed to have successfully infuriated her, just as he had hoped. She turned and walked away from him to practice holding the gun once more. Balthier's face turned from slightly smug to guilty when the princess wasn't looking. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to try his best to erase a certain perverted image lingering in his mind.

How could a previously married woman be so sexually oblivious? Balthier couldn't find an answer to that; nor could he really think clearly at this moment. Right now, he felt strangely guilty because of his own dirty mind, as though he had taken advantage of an innocent girl. The sky pirate let out a sigh and approached the princess hesitantly.

"May I?" He asked in a low and gentle voice. Perhaps Ashe had noticed the difference in his tone, for she turned to him with a questioning gaze. But Balthier ignored her look and stood directly behind her. Both of his long arms reached over her shoulders, enveloping her small frame in his. He felt her body froze at the sudden closeness and wondered briefly how long it had been since she'd let someone stay this close to her.

"W-what are you doing?!"

He couldn't see her face directly but he was more than certain that her fine eyebrows were knotted tightly in a frown of confusion. With a chuckle, he covered her hands on the gun with his own larger ones and lowered his head on her shoulder, not quite touching her.

"Relax, princess," he purred by her ear and felt her shivered lightly in his arms. He liked that reaction from her… "Now aim at the tree behind Vaan, and concentrate."

Yes, concentrate, I doubt any of us can right now…

The sky pirate allowed himself to turn his head slightly to hers, and quietly smelled the soft blonde hair. Faint floral scent filled his senses; both calming him and stirring unnamed emotions in him.

"Behind Vaan? But that's too dangerous!" Ashe protested, turning her head back to look at the sky pirate. It caught Balthier by surprised when he suddenly saw her blue eyes inches from his hazel green ones, the tips of their nose touching, their lips almost…

"Hey! Stop aiming your gun at me!" Vaan called out, while Penelo gasping with her hands over her mouth in horror.

Both Ashe and Balthier couldn't put a distance between each other's face fast enough. Though the sky pirate wasn't about to let his chance slip by because of that damned noisy kid. His grip on her hands tightened as he felt her pulling away from him.

"Vaan! I was just telling you to look at them, not to yell at them!" Penelo smacked the arm of her obvious friend.

"What?" Vaan shrugged and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. Their banter continued but Balthier paid them no heed.

"Don't mind them, concentrate on your lesson." He felt her pausing hesitantly before giving him a small nod. His grip on her relaxed into a gentle one when he made sure she'd not flee from him. The sky pirate leaned forward once more, though this time, careful not to touch any part of her except her arms and hands. "Now aim at Vaan."

"The tree behind Vaan." Ashe corrected with a smile in her voice. Balthier chuckled under his breath and felt the princess suppressing her own snickers through her shaking shoulders. Somehow the idea of bring a smile on her face had lightened his heart more than he would imagine.

"Miss and you will hit Vaan, it matters not," he commented offhandedly.

Balthier faked an innocent look when Ashe turned and glared at him, feigning stern in her part. Both saw through each other's feign in jest, neither seemed to mind the sudden proximity.

Though soon reality set in and the princess turned her face away from him, flushing hard from her cheeks to ears. The sky pirate sighed in silent frustration. His hands on hers felt hotter, yet she made no moves to withdraw from his. A very brief moment of silence hung between the sky pirate and the princess, cooling off their heads somewhat before either of them collected their wits to continue with their lesson.

"Tree."

"Vaan."

Both broke the silence simultaneously. Both chuckled in amusement.

"Do as you please, Princess," Balthier whispered by her ear gently as he lowered his head over her shoulder to help her with her aim. Again, he sensed her light shiver and felt immensely pleased with himself for being able to bring such reaction from her.

Balthier heard the princess taking a deep breath before lifting the gun higher to aim at the tree. He squeezed her hands gently as a form of encouragement and braced himself for the kick from the feedback of the gun - something he had conveniently forgotten to warn the princess.

She pulled the trigger and hit the tree.

The force from the gun pushed her back unexpectedly and the princess fell back on the sky pirate's waiting body. He immediately released one hand from hers and enclosed her tiny waist, steadying her on her feet while letting her lean back on him. He couldn't quite wipe a smile of satisfaction off his face.

"Watch it!" The barely missed target, otherwise known as Vaan, screamed animatedly. Penelo laughed hard with a "serves you right" between her breaths. Though neither the sky pirate nor the princess appeared to hear them.

Ashe, still quite shock from the kick, quickly turned to Balthier an explanation. Unaware that she had been leaning on him for support for a brief second, the princess was in for another shock to feel her body pressed against his as she turned to face the sky pirate. His arm was still around her waist with no immediate intention of letting it drop; his face lowered to her with his smirk of satisfaction he didn't bother to hide from her.

Ashe observed him with her narrowed eyes for a few seconds, too infuriated to be bothered by the closeness.

"You failed to warn me!" She hissed with narrowed eyes.

"You fired too soon." He countered with a shrug.

"I could have fallen from the… the…" Ashe searched for the proper term. She didn't make any move to step back from him.

"The kick. Recoil from the gun. But you didn't." Balthier provided and countered. He didn't make any move to step back from her either. "I was here to catch you, was I not?" His arm around her waist tightened a bit to make his point across.

Perhaps it was because of her frustration had subsided, or perhaps it was the squeeze of his arm around her waist, whatever it was, Ashe seemed to have finally noticed their proximity, as it was shown on her now flushing face. Yet, somehow, she didn't retract from him. Balthier certainly wasn't about to complain.

"The point is," the princess put on her best regal tone and lifted her chin up, unintentionally offering her face even closer to the sky pirate's. "I did accidentally fall onto you. I cannot expect you to be behind me in every fight."

"No, you cannot." He responded quietly. The disappointed in her eyes were painfully obviously no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "You do not need me, Princess. You are strong. And one day, you will be a fine queen."

Then there was a long pause. Neither of them recoiled from the other's gaze, as though both were sizing up each other's sincerity through the eyes.

"You really think I'm strong enough?" She broke the silence and asked as she unconsciously leaning closer to his face, searching for his approval.

And she found it in a nod and a sincere smile.

"And you would be even stronger should you learn how to use a gun. A queen with a gun. No assassin could ever come close. " He added a wink in jest, causing her to chuckle despite herself. Reluctantly, he released his arm around her and took a step back.

"Balthier, I…" She looked up at him with one hesitated look. Her lips parted and pressed for few second, seemingly unsure of how to express herself. The sky pirate glanced down at her with one eyebrow raised, waiting patiently for her to collect her thoughts. "I… thank you."

"I know." The sky pirate replied ever so coolly with a teasing smirk on his lips. Though this time, the princess didn't seem to be infuriated by his arrogance at all. A soft chuckle replaced her expected frown.

Their little game of banter was on a timeout as they reached an understanding for a moment. Two weary hearts lightened by a shared chuckle, comforted by each other's presence. A quiet bond had been formed, an unlikely friendship between a flamboyant sky pirate and a solemn princess was budding. Although neither would ever admit to it.

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A/N: There's a teeny tiny reference of Star Wars and Japanese ending of FFX (Yuna's line) near the end. See if you can spot those two lines.

Originally written on 12/29/06

Last edit: 02/16/07