Author's Note: I'm hoping that this writing streak of mine doesn't end too soon! Thank goodness I planned out most of these scenes a while ago, or else I'd be stuck watching more cut scenes (not that I'd mind).

My thanks go to Joshua Chung and niconugget for reviewing chapter 5! You guys are the best. :D I'd totally say that I would marry you, but then I'd sound like a creeper...Ahaha.

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

Chapter Six

He Never Dies

"Balthier, do you understand what exactly it is you're doing?"

"Ah, princess! No need to worry. I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what the say about the leading man? He never dies."

Balthier turned over onto his side, laying on the floor of the cell he and Snow were sent to once they arrived on the airship. The corner of his mouth twitched weakly as he slept, his dream becoming more vivid with each passing moment.

"Please, Balthier! You mustn't die!"

Someone was shaking him by the shoulder, but he ignored them. He could still hear her voice in his ears, calling out to him from a far away distance.

"Please, Balthier...Come back."

"Princess...?" he whispered, his voice cracking. Again, someone shook his shoulder to wake him up. But he didn't want to wake up - she was still calling for him.

"Balthier...!"

Balthier's eyes shot open as he sat up from the floor, raising his arm to hit whoever had been trying to wake him up. Snow grabbed the sky pirate's wrist before the hand could hit his face, staring with surprised eyes at him. "Woah!" he exclaimed, watching as Balthier moved away from him. "It's okay! No need to have a fit."

The sky pirate leaned his head back against the wall of the cell, rubbing his temple as he closed his eyes.

"You were talking in your sleep. Something about a...a princess, or something." Snow paused, watching the other man's expression suddenly turn cold. "Wanna talk about it?"

"...No."

"Uh...Okay, then." The blond l'Cie awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, glancing in the other direction. "Sorry I asked?"

I knew that he was only trying to help me, trying to understand what I was feeling at that time. No one would be able to understand how I felt. This was their world, not mine. As far as I was concerned, Ivalice was naught but the past.

"I was just going to tell you that Fang wants to talk with you," Snow explained, standing up from the floor. "Said we're almost there, or something. You seem to know her better than I do, with you being the Sanctum's new aid in capturing l'Cie."

"I am not their aid," Balthier answered, glaring at the other man as he moved his hand away from his eyes. "Nor am I your ally. I'm still on my own in this mess, despite what you may think."

"You think you're alone?"

Smiling sarcastically, he nodded. "Yes, I do. What did you think of me when we first met? When I casted magick in front of you?"

Snow blinked slowly. "I, uh...thought you were a l'Cie. Only l'Cie can cast magick."

"That's what the boy thought, too...And Lightning, after she recognized me. Said I was as damned as the rest of you." Balthier sighed, standing up. He was bothered by the fact how even though he was tall himself, Snow towered over him by five inches, at least. "And then, those bloody soldiers have called me a l'Cie multiple times. Everyone thinks I am one of you, just because I am not from this world."

"What's so bad about that? I mean, that just means you'll get to stay with us-"

"The only reason I followed the lot of you around is because of what your girl told me," he answered, folding his arms across his chest.

"Wait, what? You...you talked to Serah?"

Balthier sighed again and nodded. "After all of you were turned into l'Cie, she spoke with me." He glanced to the side for a moment, then back to Snow. "Tell me, what exactly is your Focus? What task did that fal'Cie give you?"

"You heard us talking about it before: Serah told us to save Cocoon. I'll bet my life that's what we're meant to do."

"Hm. And that's exactly what she told me, as well. She said I'm here to save your world...Once I do that, I'm free to go."

Snow suspiciously raised an eyebrow. "So, that's why you're still with us. Because you've got a task of your own to follow. Are you...sure you're not a l'Cie, like us?"

Balthier rolled his eyes, turning away from the taller man. "I'm whole-heartedly certain that I'm still hume. Even Serah told me that." He knocked on the door of the cell, and one of the soldiers opened it for him. Fang was impatiently waiting for him out there, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she leaned against the wall.

"Wait, Balthier! Tell me one more thing before you go," Snow said to him, stepping forward. When the sky pirate boredly looked back at him, he asked, "Why were you in this cell with me when you're not even their prisoner? You're helping them, not me! So why were you in here?"

"You talk too much, Ice," Balthier stated in a monotone voice, walking out of the cell. The door was closed behind him just as he heard Snow yelling to call him by his actual name. Fang smirked, stepping away from the wall and toward the sky pirate.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked, walking with him out of the prison-room.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not particularly, no...Those cells aren't very comfortable. You may want to change things around, since you'll be capturing more l'Cie, eventually."

"That's only if you and your friend don't give us the information we need. If you're not useful to us, you'll be executed once we find those other rogue l'Cie."

"Executed? Tch. That's not the way for the leading man to leave..."

She raised an eyebrow at him, then pushed open the door to the stairway, leading up to the main control room of the airship. The soldiers in the room left as soon as they walked in, and she turned toward him once they were alone. She leaned against one of the large chairs, eying him carefully. Balthier looked about the room, taking notice that the controls for the airship were much like the ones back in Ivalice. If he were to hijack them and take control of the ship, he could probably find the others before they got into too much trouble and were executed. But, then again, that would only get him killed even faster.

"You wanted to speak with me about something?" he asked, turning his attention back to Fang.

"About what you told me before. How you're from some weird world that isn't this one," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "The only reason the idiotic soldiers aren't making sure you're in a cell like your friend is because I haven't said a thing about who you really are."

"So you want more information about my world, then?"

She smirked again, almost mirroring his own. "There's gotta be some reason you're here with the rest of us mad folk. I'm only curious, that's all."

"Don't you know what curiosity killed?"

"Yeah, yeah, it killed the cat - I know." She tilted her head to the side, watching him walk around looking at things. "What's the last thing you remember in your world, before you came here?"

Balthier stopped walking, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember. But the thing was...he couldn't remember. "I...It seems to have slipped my mind," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "We were...in a battle? No - going to a battle...Why can't I remember?"

"Got a case of amnesia? You did hit your head a lot turning that battle against the Eidolons..."

"No...It's not that," he told her, frowning. Something didn't feel right. Why was that part in his memory blank? "We, my comrades and I, were on our way to fight the man who threatened to destroy the princess' city...I remember piloting the Strahl there, and then getting ready for the battle. But...The rest is blank. It's just..." he sighed, "Gone."

Fang studied him for a moment, then turned her attention toward the windows of the air ship. "Hm, looks like we're ready to go. We'll talk more later 'bout your memory problems, pirate. For now, we've got more things to worry about."

The Sanctum soldiers had brought Snow, once again in handcuffs, up to the observation deck of the air ship, and as soon as he was beside Balthier, he made a point of whispering to him "my name is Snow, not Ice". The sky pirate merely smirked, and walked over to Fang, who was watching the much larger air ship come closer to them. Balthier whistled, admiring it.

"What's she called?" he asked, glancing over at Fang.

"The Lindblum," she answered, "That's Cid Raines' ship, and his pride and joy." She looked back at Snow as he approached the two of them. "Couldn't run if you wanted to."

He grinned, looking at the air ship, too. "Well, look at you! Wonder what's under the hood of that thing?"

Fang folded her arms across her chest, giving him an annoyed look. "Keep your pants on. You'll get a peek soon enough. Just try and behave."

"I'm not gonna make any promises..."

"Cheeky boy, aren't ya? We'll see how long that lasts." She looked back over to Balthier, and asked, "You'll be on your best behavior, I take it? Being the gentleman that you are, and all."

Balthier raised an eyebrow. "As long as you're not lying to me about that man you're taking us to see..." he said.

She grinned at him, lightly hitting his chin with her fist. "Would I lie to a pretty face like yours?" she teased, winking at him once.

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. What sort of mess had he gotten himself into now?

Once they were on the Lindblum, Snow was led ahead of Balthier and Fang by a line of soldiers. When Balthier uneasily asked if anything bad was going to happen to the blond l'Cie, she told him that they don't kill l'Cie. He found that hard to believe, seeing how the Sanctum soldiers had brutally treated him during the Purge. But, he had no choice but to believe her. For now.

A soldier approached Fang, and said to her, "He's come to meet you." She only nodded in response, and the man fell back in line with the others.

A man dressed in military armor walked toward them, and Balthier guessed that he was Cid Raines, they one they were there to meet. Raines extended his hand to Snow, and greeted him. "You must be Snow. Cid Raines. Brigadier general of the fleet."

Snow only scowled at him. "Hi, Cid. Thanks for the escort," he sarcastically said.

Raines merely laughed weakly, lowering his hand back down to his side. "Apologies. I just had a few questions to ask you."

As Fang walked up beside the general, Balthier stepped closer to Snow, eyes narrowed. Something caught his eye, and when he turned around he saw a small group of soldiers leading Serah's crystal down the hall, away from them. Raines saw this, too.

"If it works like they tell us, that means she must have completed her Focus," he stated, watching the soldiers leave.

Snow immediately stepped forward, yelling out Serah's name, but Fang held him back by resting her forearm against his neck. She shook her head, as if she was telling him to stay put. Balthier touched Snow's arm as the taller man stepped back, and warned him, "Easy."

"Fulfilled her Focus as a tainted Pulse l'Cie, that is," Raines continued, ignoring all that had just happened.

"You think she was out to hurt Cocoon?" Snow demanded, growling.

"I'd hardly be alone if I did. When it comes to Pulse, and any other world..." He glanced toward Balthier, then back to Snow. "Who can claim to know anything? I need the truth, for the sake of Cocoon."

The blond l'Cie's scowl tightened. "The sake of Cocoon," he repeated, "We're from Cocoon! Shipping us out, Purging innocent people..." When he said that, Balthier looked at him, feeling as if it were about him, now. "That's how you lend a hand?"

"Those are the Sanctum's methods. The public fears what it doesn't know. It's grown tired of living in constant terror of these threats from the world below." He sighed, "So, the Sanctum devised a plan for you l'Cie, and the outsider."

Balthier raised an eyebrow. So, he was called the 'outsider', now? Better than being named a l'Cie...

"I'll bet," Snow scoffed.

"A public execution," Raines replied, keeping his expression calm and collected. Snow flinched, and Balthier touched his arm again, keeping his eyes on the general. "The people don't know any better. Strike down the phantoms before their eyes, and they sleep like babes."

"No!" Snow yelled, breaking free from the soldiers. He began to charge toward Raines, but before he could reach him Fang stepped forward and knocked him down to the floor with one kick. Glaring at her, Balthier took a step forward and stood in front of Snow, but she only smirked at him.

"The Sanctum has intelligence on the other l'Cie already," Raines said with the smallest of smirks. "It's only a matter of time."

The blond l'Cie glared up at him. "You'll never catch them..."

The general nodded. "I see. We'll need your help them, won't we?" And he left, turning his back on them and walking away in silence. On the floor, Snow cast his eyes downward and murmured something under his breath that Balthier couldn't hear clearly.

Fang walked over to them, and nudged the fallen man with her foot. "Get up," she commanded, her voice stern and cold. When Snow didn't answer her, she waved a hand to the soldiers standing around them. They instantly raised their guns on command and aimed them at Balthier, who flinched once he realized what was happening. "If you don't do as Raines says," she continued, "we'll end your friend's life, too. He's not from here, so he must be a danger to us all. Sent by the fal'Cie to destroy Cocoon."

Snow stood as quickly as he could, and snarled at her, "Leave him alone! Balthier has done nothing!"

"No," Balthier stated, and everyone turned to look at him. "She's right, actually. The fal'Cie are the ones who sent me to this world, to aid their pitiful pets, the l'Cie. Wherever Snow is taken, take me there, as well. I'm just as damned as he."

Fang smiled darkly. "That so?" She waved her hand again, and the soldiers back away and lowered their guns. "Take them to the brig. I need to talk with Raines about all this madness."

As she turned away and left, a soldier came over to Balthier and put handcuffs on him, careful to avoid the glare coming from Snow. Then, while they were being led away, Snow looked at the sky pirate with a confused expression. But, the other man only smirked, a hidden agenda in the making in his mind.

What I had told them was not the truth. I knew that the fal'Cie weren't the ones who had brought me there to Cocoon, but that didn't mean I would admit my lie to any one. I could trust no one.

Snow sat down on the bench in their small cell, keeping his eyes focused on the floor while Balthier leaned up against the cell bars. "So, you really are another one of the fal'Cie pets," he murmured, glancing up at the sky pirate. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Revealing my task to all those soldiers and Fang was the only way I could guarantee that we wouldn't be separated," Balthier explained, only telling more lies. "If I hadn't said a thing, surely they would have executed me with a single hint of resistance."

"You...You're a real surprise sometimes, you know?" The blond looked down slightly, frowning. "Do you know where they're taking Serah?"

"I doubt they'll do anything to harm her." He looked toward the soldiers guarding the door to the main hall. "Raines seems like he's on your side."

"How can you tell?"

Balthier sighed, casting his eyes downward. "I used to know a man named Cid in my world. My father, though he allied himself with the wrong people, was a good man. Foolish and mad, but a damn good man." He straightened his standing position and looked over to Snow for the first time since arriving in the cell. "If we stay on Raines' good side, we'll be able to make our escape and get you back to the others."

Snow smirked. "Got a plan already?"

"That woman - Fang. She seems to be after more than 'hunting l'Cie'. When I told her that I wasn't one, she said that I was free to go. Now, what kind of loyal ally to the Sanctum would allow a man not of their world run free?"

"This group isn't part of the Sanctum, though. They're the Guardian Corps, the same group that Lightning was a part of."

Balthier nodded. "Exactly. We might be able to convince Fang to help us. She's looking for someone - another l'Cie, by the sound of it."

"The only l'Cie we know are me, Lightning, Sazh, Hope and Vanille." Snow paused, thinking for a moment. He perked up and grinned weakly when he realized something. "Balthier, earlier you said that you weren't on either side. Now, you're saying that we're going to be working together to get out of this mess."

"If you're going after the same thing as I, there's no point in being solitary." The sky pirate smirked in return. "Looks like you and I have ourselves a new partnership."

Snow stood up, pounding his fists together and smiling. "Guess I'm stuck with you now."

The leading man and the Hero. What a pair we were...

The two of them heard a noise outside of the cell bars, and turned to see Fang casually leaning against them. She greeted them with a smirk, and then stated, "Come with me."

"Do you know them?"

They were brought to Raines, up in the command deck of the air ship, and as soon as they walked over to him he turned on the large screen. It was a surviellence taping of an area that neither Balthier or Snow recognized, but they knew who the two people were on the tape. Lightning was standing nearby an elevator, while Hope was sitting on the ground. They appeared to be talking about something, by the looks of it.

"Lightning!" Snow exclaimed, flinching.

"The Sanctum has ordered that they are to be executed immediately, once they set foot into Palumpolum." Raines turned off the television, turning toward the three standing behind him. "So, it's now your turn to save them, before they're killed."

"They must have left Sazh and Vanille behind," Balthier murmured, resting a hand on the wall beside him and leaning against it. "Knowing Lightning, she must have been going at a quicker pace than they wanted."

Fang narrowed her eyes in curiosity, staring at the sky pirate. "...Did you say Vanille?" she asked, her voice surprisingly quiet.

Snow blinked in confusion. "You know her?"

The sky pirate returned her gaze. "She's the one you're looking for." When Fang nodded, he answered, "Then we'll take you to her. All you have to do, then, it help us save Lightning and Hope."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she agreed, a sudden look relief about her.

Raines looked back toward the blank screen, his eyes some-what focused on nothing. "You don't have much time until they launch the attack. Rest up, and Fang will come find you when it's time."

Balthier and Snow were brought to a large hangar room, and Fang had gone off to finalize the plan with Raines and his second-in-command, Rygdea. While they waited by the smaller air ships, Balthier dozed off without even knowing it, and when he opened his eyes not too long later, he found himself using Snow's shoulder as a pillow. He quickly moved away once he had completely woken up, hearing Fang speaking to the two of them.

"Okay!" she excitedly exclaimed, "Time to hunt some l'Cie!"

Snow stood up from the bench he and Balthier had been sitting on, the sky pirate standing up not too long after him. "So what, we just find 'em and that's that?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Don't get all hot and bothered."

Fang turned away to talk with one of the soldiers that had approached her, and while she was distracted Snow pulled out a tear drop crystal from his pocket, staring at it with a longing expression on his face. His curiosity getting the best of him, Balthier tilted his head slightly and walked over to him. "Snow," he said, and the other man looked at him in surprise. "Remind me why you were trying to make peace with the fal'Cie, like you told me earlier. Serah was as damned as you are now, so why go back to the thing that changed her?"

"I...I went to the fal'Cie hoping to help her. But, I was too late," he replied, somberly.

Fang came up behind him all of the sudden, slapping him on the back as if to snap him back to reality. She winced and shook her hand, cursing quietly. "I knew you were hard-headed, but..."

"That was - ow!" Snow rubbed the back of his neck, narrowing his eyes as Balthier stifled a laugh.

"Snap to it! We're rolling out, now."

The sky pirate recovered from his short fit of laughter and folded his arms across his chest. "'Hunting l'Cie', right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

The loud speaker over-head answered his question for her. "This is our chance! Do not let the l'Cie escape! Move out!"

After the announcement, two soldiers that wore different uniforms than the Guardian Corps approached Fang and saluted her. She suspiciously raised an eyebrow, turning her attention fully to them as Snow looked at the guns they were holding. Balthier noticed how tense he had suddenly become, and nudged the blond in the side.

"We have orders to arrest the outsider," one of the men told Fang.

She stared at them in disbelief, scowling. "What?" she nearly yelled, "Who the hell ordered-"

The other soldier answered her, "Lieutenant Colonel Yaag Rosch of the PSICOM division."

Hearing that name, Snow stepped between the two soldiers and Balthier, as if to protect the other man. Fang poked a finger at one of the soldier's chests, snarling, "Tell Rosch he can look elsewhere and shove his orders where the sun don't shine! This man knows nothing!"

"On the contrary," Balthier interrupted, walking past Snow. "If his master wants to know about Ivalice, then who else to call for other than the leading man?"

"They'll kill you!" Snow yelled as he tried to stop his comrade, but Fang held him back by grabbing his arm. He watched as Balthier was handcuffed, not even wincing when the metal cuffs were tightly placed on his wrists. Without another word, he was led away by the two soldiers down the stairs and to another air ship. "Balthier-"

Fang hissed at him, "Quiet! We'll rescue him later. Right now we need to get those l'Cie, got it?"

Snow pushed past her angrily, heading toward the hover-car they were to take to the city. She shook her head, muttering something under her breath before joining him.

Uh oh. What does Yaag Rosch want with Balthier? This cannot be good...