On The Edge is Your Hope
Disclaimer: Square is my idol, but sadly I'm not actually apart of it. I'm just writing what was always intended between Balthier and Vaan, anyway.
Summary: Vaan Camui has always wanted to be a Sky Pirate. For his 17th birthday, his brother Reks allows him to finally attend the local Sky Academy. When he meets his legendary teacher Balthier Lhusu, things get a little complicated.
Warnings: Homosexuality, teacher/student relations, swear words, blood, drama, politics, all that good stuff that makes a good yaoi story.
A/N: Balthier makes his appearance, yay! And a double update, so you're not disappointed at the end of this one, yay! And thank you for the reviews! :D I'm going back and editing the first chapter, since I don't know how, but after going back and reading through I discovered that I had uploaded my first draft D:
Regarding one review- yes. Balthier's and Vaan are going to dislike each other. Immensely. Why? Because I enjoy the thrill of the chase.
...
Vaan stared at the little square of paper in his hands, licking his lips and swallowing for the umpteenth time. He hadn't been this nervous since three years ago, when Penelo had decided she needed a boyfriend and had started giving Vaan very long looks, all narrowed eyes and smirks.
At least then Vaan could hide in his room and beg Reks to tell her he wasn't there, or better yet, that he was already married, every time Penelo came to call. Now, however…as nervous as Vaan was, he didn't want to hide. He could not believe that he was going to school to be a Sky Pirate.
He was currently seated on a wrought iron bench in the middle of a beautifully decorated courtyard outside of the Dalmasca Sky Academy, trying desperately to look like he fit in with all the other blue uniformed students.
He could tell by the accents of the people holding conversations around him that at least 90 of the new student group he was apart of was definitely not from Lowtown. In Lowtown, there was no time to squander words- too much work to be done, and too many different races to try and communicate with.
Half the time, Lowtowners would grunt, nod or shake their heads, and when they did talk, it was short and to the point. But here, the conversations were drawled out in bored tones, with pretentious sounding light laughter.
That was another thing Lowtown didn't see a lot of; laughter.
Vaan swallowed again, dragging his eyes up from the paper to peer cautiously around from under his bangs.
"This is so exciting, Vaan! I can't believe it- we're actually going to be sky pirates!" Penelo had apparently finished with her quick run about the courtyard, meeting new faces and making new friends. Penelo had gained a lot of confidence since she had started dancing on the streets for some extra gil when Migelo's shop hadn't been doing so well, and now everyone was a potential friend to Penelo.
She sat down flush against his side, pressing her knees together and tapping her fingers on her thighs in an excited tattoo. Her outfit was similar to Vaan's, the only difference being the cut, which was tailored more for feminine curves.
"What's up?" She asked cheerfully, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Aren't you excited? This is what we've been waiting for, and now Migelo and Reks can finally afford it. So why are you looking down?"
"I am excited," he admitted, swallowing again. And he was. He was very excited. But all of these people…
"Then what's the problem?" She asked, genuinely confused. She leaned back against the bench and tugged on one of her new hair ribbons, staring at Vaan's back.
"It's just, Penelo," he said softly, so as not to be easily overheard. "Don't you feel really out of place here? I mean…half these people don't even sound like they're from Dalmasca, let alone Rabanstre. That kid," he nodded his head to a boy twenty feet away from them sipping from a cup at the refreshment table. "He's wearing a Bhujerban flag on his bag. To come all this way to go to school…that had to have cost some money."
Penelo untied and retied her hair braids, smoothing down her shirt as she considered.
"Hmmm. No, I can't say that I agree, Vaan. Everyone's here to learn to be in the sky. Who cares about money now! We all have to do our best here. Work hard, learn all that we can, and not. steal."She finished, practically growling, glaring at Vaan, who bristled immediately.
"Hey! I haven't done anything yet, I don't deserve-"his defense was cut off, however, by the arrival of 10 erratically dressed characters on the large stage built directly to the side of the front doors of the academy.
The chattering around Vaan lowered considerably, and everyone turned towards the stage as one of the new arrivals stepped towards the front.
The man was dark-skinned and bald, and Vaan would bet even he wasn't from Dalmasca.
"Greetings, students!" His deep voice rang out over the crowd, sounding very cultured and foreign, and Vaan nodded his head absently. Definitely not from Dalmasca. "I am Foris Zecht. However, to many of you, I will soon be known as Professor Reddas." He turned his head slowly, surveying the crowd, and Vaan wondered if he was mentally picking out who looked to be prime material for his class, before sitting up straighter.
A real sky pirate was talking to them, to him.
"As you can see," he boomed, waving his arm back to encompass the nine other people behind him, and they all stepped forward. "We have ten professors at this school. Only 100 students are allowed in each year. You will be sorted first by your study- Sky Pirate, or CoPilot- and then by your family name. We will begin now."
Vaan licked his lips excitedly.
"Future sky pirates, please congregate at the left side of the courtyard; future copilots, at the right."
Vaan stood up, turning to say goodbye and wish good luck to Penelo, but she was already trotting off to the right side of the courtyard. Vaan glared briefly at her back.
"Yeah, good luck," he muttered, before turning and heading off to the left, hyper-aware of the people following suit. He wondered who would be in his class, and which teacher he got.
Five of the people on the stage walked down the stairs to the right, and five to the left. The only woman who came down the left side stood in front of the students, looking very commanding.
"Alright," she called. "I'll be calling out groups of letters and assigning them to one of the professors here. If your family name falls within the group I call, you will follow the directions and head to the professor. Any questions?" She sounded very firm and of little humor. Vaan bet she was an excellent teacher. He drew himself up, hoping she might be his professor.
"Alright," she said again. "Allow me to introduce your professors."
The woman introduced herself as Professor Drace , and her associates, Professors Rasler, Basch, and Reddas from earlier. Vaan's gaze lingered over each one, wondering what they could teach him, until she introduced Professor Balthier Lhusu, and Vaan decided immediately that he didn't want to know anything that he could teach him.
His light brown hair was styled short and his bangs were combed back in a way that was very popular among young boys in Dalmasca. His skin looked smooth, unmarred and firm, showing no signs of battle scars, along with his straight nose, which had obviously never been broken. His hazel eyes were as playful as his smile, nothing like the unyielding authority the professors wore about them.
He wore tailored clothing that looked better fit for Vayne himself, save for the bright bracelets and rings, which Vaan failed to understand the purpose of. Surely those gaudy items weren't worth a single gil!
And anyway, Vaan groused to himself, exactly how young was this guy? He shifted his weight away from the man, hoping he didn't get stuck with that bozo. He guessed that he was a recent graduate himself, maybe, and they'd needed to fill in for another professor.
"Those with a family name ending in A through E," Vaan perked up, swallowing excitedly. He was still nervous as hell, but he was finally on his way to being a sky pirate. Finally, FINALLY.
"Please accompany Professor Lhusu to the back training grounds," Drace finished, and Vaan's eyes widened impossibly as he felt his face twist into a look of horror.
Disappointment settled in his stomach, and he gripped the piece of paper in his hands, the little slip of parchment certifying his acceptance to Sky Academy, tight enough to permanently crease it.
A/n: Tsk, tsk, Vaan. Thou shalt not judge the leading man
A couple things to mention: This story will focus mainly only on Vaan's class, and maybe a few side chapters about Penelo's, and we'll be seeing very little of the other instructors. Say bye-bye to all that testosterone for now.
Also, about Balthier's eyes- now, apparently, they're supposed to be gray, or light blue, according to the character sketches and descriptions. However, in the game, I saw hazel, and on my beautiful poster right next to my bed, I see hazel. So we're sticking with hazel, if no one objects.
Onto the next chapter, but please review this chapter, hmm?
