Title: This Sacrifice of Mine
Chapter 2: Time Stands Still for Me

Author: Harper Hisoka
Warning: Shonen Ai/Yaoi, incest, rape/dark themes, fluff and I don't own the series (Game or Manga).

Series: Final Fantasy XII
Pairing: Baltheir x Larsa, Vayne + Larsa, Reks x Vaan x Rasler (don't ask)

Beta: Not yet

"If you have a plan, Balthier, I suggest we get to it." Fran voiced in concern. "They will not wait for us to come and rescue the boy." Balthier walked towards the mines, pausing momentarily before walking down the stairs. "We should hurry then, hm?"

The rescue of Larsa started as a private hunt, believe it or not. Apparently Vaan heard from Rek's who heard from a friend of a friend that Larsa was last seen in the Lhusu mines with a pack of hunters particularly known for their... unique interests, shall we say. Now, normally this kind of hunt would at best be considered under the category of 'desperate for work' but Vaan's pleading, puppy dog whining (and the promise of a rather valuable stone) ended up working wonders. If anything to get Balthier to say yes just to get Vaan to shut up about it. Since it was hard to get him to stop once he had his mind set on something.

Fran pulled her double handed sword from its holster on her back. "It looks like we might get a workout after all." They had just barely entered the actual mines before being stopped by what was probably that 'group of guys' Vaan was talking about.

"You know, what every happened to 'mind your own business' these days?" Balthier in turn pulled his gun out of its holster. Apparently it was common place to accusing before asking questions. And despite all the noises the other hunters made while fighting, it only took Fran one combination of sword forms, and three bullets to take care of the problem all together.

Fran kicked one of the hunters with her heels, rolling the man over to see if he was still breathing. Whatever the answer had been, she didn't particularly care, "It's a pity they didn't get a chance to tell us what they wanted with the boy."

Balthier laugh at her words, "I don't think we could have trusted these buffoons anyways. Now all that's left is to find this 'Larsa' Vaan was soon keen on having me save."

(flashback) "Please Balthier, the guy said that if you help save Larsa a huge cash reward would be in it for you!"

A short sigh from Balthier followed, along with, "Now why can't you go and save him yourself by yourself again?"

"Um.... Well, I never said I wouldn't help you out in the mines and we do need your airship, so..." (end flashback)

With his mind in a flurry from what just occurred, thinking calmly had gone out the window long ago. The only thing Larsa knew right now, was that the men were gone. He picked himself up slowly from the hard rocky floor. It didn't long to realized either that they had destroyed his clothing albeit slowly and with, he knew, too much fun. The cold rocks had hurt his side and left small imprints embedded in his skin.

No sword, no weapon, alone in the minds. His mind wasn't thinking, just acting on basic survival instinct. It was all he had left, the only thing keeping him going now. On unsteady and shaking legs he managed to stand himself up with the help of a near by pillar. "I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here." He repeated those words over and over again, as if saying them might take him instantly back to a safer place. A place where none of this could happen again.

Elsewhere, Fran and Balthier were getting closer to finding their target. Fran's ears twitched, in which she instantly pause to listen. "Hold it. I hear someone."

"Is it our boy?" Balthier asked somewhat casually. "Because they sure didn't' take time to hide their activities this close to the entrance." No sooner had those words left his mouth Larsa stumbled around the corner of a long, poorly lite hallway. He stopped immediately at seeing the two strangers before him. It also didn't take long for the panic to begin showing in his features. Everything happened quickly, which meant that it took Balthier and Fran a moment to recover before racing to Larsa's side.

"Stay back! I- I'm warning you!" Those words stopped the pair dead in their tracks. The frantic, scared, panicked voice shot a twang of pain though Balthier's heart. Larsa only continued to stumble back against the far wall as Fran and Balthier advanced very slowly towards the boys location.

"We will not hurt you, Larsa. We are friends." Fran said calmly.

"I swear your not! You stay away from me! Away away away!" Larsa screamed out at them with everything he could think of. They were enemies. they were more strangers here for him. He needed to be alone, alone. All alone with no one near by. He had to be alone. Safe was alone, safe was not in pain, not forced to do things like that.

Larsa couldn't walk straight, let alone run which left him stumbling along sporadically over the hallway. The two sky pirates just gave a quick glace towards one another. He had left them no choice. It looks like they would have to bring Larsa in by force, which at this point looked necessary. He would let him complain all he wanted to later as long as they weren't in danger from the spawning of undead monsters in the mines.

"I have to get away. Away from them, deeper-" his thoughts began running into his voice, the random, scared thoughts that raced though his mind. The voice in his head was talking. It was telling him to run, run away fast. As fast as he could. The adrenalin from the fear gave him the energy he needed to follow his bodies orders. "Can't think. Must run. Run away, from the strangers, from what they did. It can't happen to me again. It can't-"

"No! Please Larsa! Do not run away from us! I beg of you, it is not safe!" Fran's voice wasn't getting through and nothing that Balthier said had stopped the boy either. Balthier couldn't help but notice that for such a small kid, he sure was in shape. He was giving him quite a workout, not something he had really expected from someone like him. This went under the file of 'do not underestimate again' in his mind.

Two shots. Three swings of a giant blade. The undead skeleton didn't stand a chance but they had come five seconds too late. I huge bastard sword struck through Larsa's side, piercing its way to the other side of his small, naked body.

The last thing he remembered was the two strangers, a tall man and a viera looking at him, running towards him as he fell. His body was caught in mid air, almost like floating. Being so light, his eyes lost their focus.

"Hang on, Larsa... please... don't die. Don't die."

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