Chapter rewritten: 11/15/11.

S o S t a r s t r u c k

Chapter Three

The Pulse fal'Cie

I wanted to believe that by helping them, I could find my way back to Ivalice. But I wondered: what if I was following them into a fate that would consume our lives?

Balthier had never been much of a mage, despite all the good things Fran had told him in the past. She'd convinced him to give magick a try after they had officially become partners, claiming that there wasn't a single sky pirate in Ivalice that didn't know at least one spell.

Oh, how he wanted to thank her for that right then.

Magick was his only weapon for the time being. The Cie'th, he discovered, were weak to fire magick, much like the undead back in Ivalice. Occasionally he sent a curative spell to Snow and Vanille, but other than that he spent most of the battle defending Hope. The boy was still wary, but there was hardly any bite to his glare.

When he wasn't looking, however, one of the Cie'th managed to grab hold of Hope with its claws, nearly choking the poor boy when he tried to escape. Naturally, it was Balthier's job to save those in need… unless, of course, there was someone like Snow who decided to steal the show.

"Outta my way!" the blond man roared, tackling the Cie'th that had latched onto Hope. The fiend loosened its grip enough for Hope to scurry away once Snow had barged in, and he instantly went to Vanille for further protection.

The sky pirate scowled, folding his arms as he watched Snow beat the creature with his own fists. That was the main reason why he despised relying on brute strength; not only did it look barbaric, but it made the fighter look utterly foolish. The tall blond returned to them once he was done, adjusting the black gloves on his hands as if beating his enemies to death was exciting. Vanille, dragging Hope by the arm, ran over as well, her red hair slipping out of her pigtails.

"That was fun!" she cheered, hooking her rod onto her belt. While she fixed her hair, Balthier turned his attention to the other two, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly when he realized Snow was intently staring at him.

"I saw what you did back there, casting—" Snow started, but Balthier rolled his eyes.

"Magick, I know. But I'm no l'Cie," he assured him, tilting his head and smirking. "Magick is a normal occurrence in my world… unlike here, it seems."

To his surprise, Snow merely shrugged and nodded. "All right. I can believe that."

He wandered off, leaving Balthier to stand there without any idea of what just happened. Hope, on the other hand, resumed his solemn aura and followed Snow down the stairs and deeper into the Vestige. Once they were out of sight, Vanille touched Balthier's shoulder and smiled softly.

"Come on, let's go."

As they ventured further, Vanille told him everything she understood about the world's current… events. L'Cie were people chosen by the fal'Cie, the god-like creatures of the world. The l'Cie, then, would be given a task called a Focus, and if they failed that task they would be transformed into the beasts known as Cie'th. But if they somehow found a way to complete their Focus, they would be given 'eternal life' and become a crystal. Neither of those fates were very intriguing, Balthier decided.

The l'Cie weren't well liked in this world. The Sanctum—just a fancy name for the 'Empire', Balthier mused—wanted nothing more than to rid Cocoon of anything impure. And so, the Purge arrived. Vanille told him that people who were suspected as l'Cie had been put onto trains that would go to Gran Pulse, the world above Cocoon.

When he asked who Serah was, Vanille admitted that she wasn't entirely sure. But the way she shifted her gaze to the side and went silent made Balthier wonder if she wasn't being completely honest. He thought about asking Snow, but he didn't want to be forced to hear another word about him being the hero. Balthier wasn't ready to hand off that title just yet.

"She must be important to him," Balthier murmured, "if he's willing to go running about this place to find her."

"I think I remember him saying that Serah was his fiancée…" Vanille pursed her lips, then looped her arm around Balthier's elbow. "After we save Serah, we'll help you find your way home! It's the least we can do, since you're helping us right now."

"There's not much else I can do, lest I want to end up Purged again." He was surprised at how easily the words slipped off his tongue; gods forbid he already understood this place…

They found the other two waiting by an elevator; Hope stood as far away as possible from Snow, who kept pacing across the floor with a worried look on his face. Vanille went to Hope and started chattering away, attempting to cheer up the boy as much as she could. Sighing heavily, Balthier leaned against one of the pillars and closed his eyes.

"Nerves getting the best of you?" he asked. He heard Snow's footsteps come to a distinct halt. Ah, so he was paying attention. "Heroes ought to be ready for anything. Expect the unexpected." A smirk crept across his lips. "Isn't that how the stories go?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Snow took a deep breath. "What about expecting the expected?"

Balthier snorted, opening his eyes and walking past the blond. "Now you're not making any sense at all."

"You just said—"

"Who listens to strangers these days?" Balthier wondered, resting a hand on his chin. "Really, with all that's going on, one would think listening to strangers would be the last thing on anyone's mind."

Snow rubbed his forehead. "Let's just go, okay?" he called to the other two. "We've wasted enough time."

Balthier followed the blond onto a platform, careful not to trip over the numerous cracks in the old brick, and stood between him and Vanille. She met the pirate's eyes for a moment, and he could have sworn he saw something akin to sadness there, despite her warm smile.

The platform lowered them down deep into the Vestige where there was hardly any light at all. Hope looked over the edge, standing on his toes until Balthier pulled him back by the neck of his shirt. The boy scowled and moved closer to Vanille, tentatively wrapping his fingers around her wrist and avoiding making eye contact with anyone.

"Serah!"

Snow's pained voice was like a gun shot in the dead of night: unexpected and fierce. He jumped off the platform before it reached the lowest level and rushed over to a woman with pink hair and a stern glare, who held a smaller girl in her arms. Vanille and Hope stood by a black man with an afro and overcoat, while Balthier stood off on his own.

The girl—who he figured was Serah—smiled at Snow when he took her hand. "Is that… my hero?" she asked in a faint voice.

"Let's get you out of here," Snow urged, but the woman holding Serah shook her head.

Balthier didn't bother to pay much attention to the banter between Serah's older sister and Snow (though it was something on the lines of Snow being too much of an oaf to protect his fiancée, much to Balthier's amusement). It wasn't until Serah spoke up that he really paid attention to what was going on.

"You can save us… Protect us all… Save Cocoon…"

And that was it. Serah began to glow and disappear within a bright blue light, and before Balthier could understand what was going on, she was gone. In her place, drifting a few inches above the floor, was a crystal figure.

"She's… a crystal?" Balthier murmured, stepping forward, but he stopped himself and turned his eyes away.

"L'Cie who complete their Focus are transformed into crystal and gain eternal life," Hope said. The blue light from Serah's crystal reflected on his face, too, leaving an almost angelic presence in the air.

"Just like the stories say," the black man added in.

Stories. A mere fairy tale used to escape reality. The leading man never let the damsel in distress die, but… I had.

Snow bowed his head and shut his eyes. "Sweet dreams, Serah," he whispered, barely audible.

"Sweet dreams?" Serah's sister spat, grabbing the front of Snow's shirt. "She's not sleeping! Serah… she's—"

"She's alive, Lightning. The legend! Remember the legend!" He seemed confident, but even Balthier could hear his doubt. "L'Cie who fulfill their Focus turn to crystal and gain eternal life. It's the same with Serah! Eternal life! She's not dead!" He looked back down at Serah's crystal. "Serah's my bride to be. I promised to be hers forever, and I don't care how long I have to wait—"

Lightning's fist came crashing against his face, sending him flying to the floor.

"It's over!" she shouted, clenching her fingers as she took a step back from him. "Open your eyes and face reality!"

As if her furious cries were enough to make the whole building collapse, everything began to violently quake and tremble, pillars collapsing and walls tumbling from above. Balthier grabbed Vanille before she was crushed by a falling pillar and pulled her close. She stared at him with wide green eyes, biting her lower lip. "What's happening?" she called out. "What's going on?"

"Must be a Sanctum strike," the black man, Sazh, concluded. "Bring down the Vestige and the fal'Cie right with it!"

"Can't they just send it back to Pulse? That's what the Purge to for, right?"

"All they care about is getting everything from Pulse off Cocoon. Dead or alive—it's all the same."

Hope grabbed Balthier's arm, the one that wasn't wrapped around Vanille, and shook his head. "We can't stay here," he whimpered. "They'll—they'll kill us!"

As soon as the chaos slowed, dust clouding the room like a fog, Balthier looked up and squinted. A strange red marking appeared on the door at the top of the stairs, glowing for a moment before opening. Snow bent down on one knee and held Serah's crystallized hand.

"I'll be right back. Hold on," he told her, as if he believed she could hear him. He stood and met Balthier's eyes, smirking. "Watch over her for me, will you, Balthier?"

"And where do you think you're going?" the sky pirate asked, releasing his firm hold on Vanille. She squirmed, blushing furiously.

"Date with the fal'Cie. Got some things to talk about."

Sazh gaped at him. "What? You're gonna ask it for help? Are you out of your mind, kid? That thing wants to chew us up and spit us out!"

Gritting his teeth, Snow turned away. "Well, what do you want me to do? Huh? I'm not just gonna stand here and wait around!"

Lightning seemed to recover a semblance of control and brushed past him, only glancing once in Balthier's direction. She went right to the door and walked through, never looking back. Snow, just as surprised as everyone else, turned around and shrugged. His eyes met Balthier's again, and the sky pirate wondered if all the people of this world were either insane, or just madly stubborn.

"I'll watch your girl," Balthier answered. "Go on, Ice."

"It's Snow, but thanks." And with that, Snow left as swiftly as Lightning. Soon after him, Hope ran through the door, followed by Sazh and surprisingly Vanille as well. She winked at Balthier, waved to him, and then left.

Sighing deeply, Balthier relaxed his shoulders and looked over to the crystal a short distance away. "Why is it I must do all the dirty work around here?" he asked, approaching the crystal and sitting down beside it. "Not that you would even understand—you're a crystal now." Slowly, he lifted his hand and entwined it with Serah's shimmering ones, only to shake his head in disappointment when she remained unmoving.

"I must be going mad, thinking I can cure the dead with a mere touch…" With a chuckle, he glanced toward the large door. "Though I wonder: are they the mad ones, and I am the only sane one here?"

He wanted nothing more than to understand what had happened since he somehow left Ivalice and ended up in this mad world. Something wasn't right, and now that the rest of them had decided to go up against a god—well, things seemed like they would only get worse.

I could just hear Basch commenting on my situation at the time. "The Fates jest, Balthier. I would advise you to take caution, and trust only those who genuinely offer their assistance."

If only there was someone left he could trust. Hadn't he once said that he despised being left behind? Fran shook her head whenever he had complained about the times when she would go off on her own for a while. Call him 'clingy', as many would, but Balthier preferred to be in the company of others at all times, lest he chose to leave.

Balthier opened his eyes, casting his gaze upon Serah's peaceful expression. His hand found its way to hers again, but as soon as he touched the crystal the entire place began to quake yet again. He instantly stood, shielding his eyes from the bright light erupting from the door. Cursing under his breath, he cast a protection spell upon both himself and Serah's crystal before the light covered them both.

Balthier found himself standing in the middle of a field of flowers, a light shining down upon his surroundings with a strange glow. Once he regained focus, his squinted when a small figure stood not too far. She turned around, smiling once their eyes met.

"Serah…"

She nodded and held out her head. He stared at her for a moment until he reached forward and took her hand in his own. It was cold—much like it was when she was crystal.

"You don't have to be afraid," she told him. "You'll understand everything soon enough. Things like this take time, you know?"

"Tell me why I'm here, Serah. The others…" He frowned. "They do not seem to understand what's going on or why I came to this world in the first place."

Serah released his hand and turned, looking toward the bright light in the sky. "Do you see that, up there? That's Cocoon, my home. And this is Pulse. Gran Pulse."

"Vanille mentioned this place, if I recall. She said this is where those declared as l'Cie were Purged… this was where they almost took me, isn't it?" He let out a heavy sigh. "I need to return to Ivalice, Serah. I know you and your lot might believe I'm some deity destined to save your world, but trust me: I am far from that."

"Like I said, don't worry. Just wait, and you'll see."