So anyway I know this took a long time to get updated but things have been hectic with the holidays and all, but I promise the next chapter won't take so long to get out. I've been in a rather foul mood today so I thought it a perfect time to write this little chapter about Basch being really pissed off. Please review if you'd like updates, and enjoy.

Chapter 10: Simmer

Basch wasn't angry. He was so pissed that Ashe couldn't help but notice the slight trembling of his hands as they walked through the desert, just the two of them, on their way back to Rabanastre. He hadn't said a word since they had turned their backs on the others and walked away without looking back. Ashe wasn't sure when exactly things had changed between Basch and Balthier, but ever since that day when the pirate had disappeared things had been different. First Basch had acted as if he and Balthier were extremely close, and from his reaction when they had found the pirate, Ashe had begun to think that perhaps he and Balthier were more than just close. Now, the knight had made another 180 degree turn out of the middle of nowhere, and she supposed something had happened between the two men that had made Balthier abandon them in the desert. She didn't bother to ask him about it, partially because he looked as if he were too angry to try and speak of it, and secondly because it was hot and she was tired, and she really didn't want to deal with problems that didn't really concern her right now.

Balthier's mind had gone back and forth for some time now, and for the thousandth time he thought of turning the ship around and going back to get the others. Fran, he knew, would understand. She knew him well enough to know that he would eventually come sauntering into an inn where she was staying, and the two of them would go on as if nothing had ever happened. But Basch… Basch was the one he worried about. He doubted he would understand. He knew however, that their relationship was doomed unless he did this for himself, and Basch would just have to get over it sooner or later.

Time went on, as time often does, and days turned into weeks…weeks into a month. Fran, Vaan, and Penelo had long given up their search for the pirate, and no word had been heard on his whereabouts. Even Fran feared him dead. They kept their ears open, asked every newcomer in Rabanastre…but no one had seen him, and no one had heard tell of his whereabouts. They knew he'd gone to Archades, but neither he nor the Strahl had been seen since.

As one month turned to two, one could often find Basch at the Sandsea. His face, now bearded and wrinkled with lines of grief and guilt, always carried a look of deep sadness. Vaan and Penelo took care to avoid him; it was too hard to see him like he was, and every time they did see him he had gotten worse, so eventually they just stayed away. Fran often visited him though, maybe because she was equally lost without Balthier around. Taking care of Basch kept her busy, and she welcomed the distraction.

It had been seven months since that day when they had awoken in the desert, and Fran was off to the Sandsea to collect Basch. She knew he would be too drunk to find his way back to the small apartment they now shared; after all, this was a trip she made nearly every day. It was raining that day, raining hard, which was strange for the small desert town, but welcome. Even in the rain; however, the streets were crowded and bustling. She pushed her way through the streams of people, and nearly tripped over a small stone in the street…that's when she saw him. Plain as day, not ten feet in front of her and staring right at her was Balthier. He had a small brown cloak over him that shielded part of his face, but it was him, that she knew.

He looked at her a moment, unspoken words lingering in the air between them. He looked sad, and older. She didn't dare approach him, perhaps because she was too afraid that he wouldn't really be there when she reached him. She couldn't tell if she was crying because of the rain, but she knew that if she wasn't yet she wouldn't be able to keep her composure much longer. He made no move to speak to her only stared, a myriad of emotions she couldn't read passing his face before he turned around and limped slowly away.

The limp caught her eye at once, and like a flash she was after him, the only thought in her mind that Balthier was hurt…and she had to help him. Somehow he had disappeared into the crowd. The rain blurred her vision and she couldn't spot him, she searched and searched, but still there was no sign of him. She knew he was hiding from her, making sure she wouldn't find him, and finally she had no choice but to give up and walk brokenheartedly to the Sandsea to collect Basch.

Balthier hid in an alley and watched his best friend and partner search for him. He hated himself as he watched her search…hated himself for the obvious heartbreak he'd caused her, but he couldn't go back into their lives, no…too much had happened for that. In only a few months' things had changed…and there was no going back. But he just had to see Basch one more time, one more time before he left the people he loved…and never came back.

TO Be Continued…

Don't worry, you'll find out what happened. Hope you enjoyed, please review.