Disclaimer: The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

Notes: Writer's block and pure laziness has been plaguing me, but I finally found the oomph needed to write another chapter. Hopefully it will help spur me to finish some of my other projects too. ^.^

Thanks again to any and all who read, review, and favorite! Hope y'all enjoy. (Also, this is 150% unbeta-ed, all mistakes are from my own carelessness)

Chapter 6: Journey Resumed

"Gabranth, hey," Vaan's voice sounds behind the man, diverting his attention from the downed wolf he had been dissecting for goods to sell. The boy has certainly improved over the journey, to be able to sneak up on the Judge so completely. A feeling close to pride seems into the man's stomach.

"You have obtained enough healing and rest?" He asks, noting the whole yet wan appearance of the boy as he kneels down to help with the wolf.

"Yeah. The main issue was getting knocked in the head a few too many times, and Balthier's Cure spells are perfect for that."

Gabranth gives a grunt of acknowledgement, not bothering to try put words the unease he feels at Vaan's dismissal of what happened to him. Though now, with the boy awake and coherent beside him, perhaps Gabranth can get the answers he's been waiting for. The question of what exactly put Vaan in that state had been hounding the man even as he slaughtered wolf after wolf.

"What happened?"

Vaan's hands still where they'd started to sort through the parts on the ground. Gabranth waits though - through the last few weeks of getting to know each other, both have stopped bothering to dodge answering uncomfortable questions. The perks of getting so accustomed to arguing, Gabranth assumed.

Finally, the tanned boy gives a loud sigh and lets gravity pull him backwards until he's sitting in the dust. Tired eyes look towards the Judge and a small, bitter smile crosses the teen's face. "Dalmasca's an occupied city," he says, quietly. "Homeless war orphans like me are easy pickings for guards or Archadian officials. We can't afford to fight back, so we try to avoid the worst of the lot when we can. Today, I was just unlucky."

The man is unsurprised by the answer - honestly if he had ever spared a second to consider the situation for the native Dalmascans he'd never have even needed to ask. When it comes to war and politics, it is the people least involved that suffer the most. But now that he has a face - Vaan's face - to put over the suffering, well, the man is not pleased. "I'm sorry," Gabranth says, staring at the boy and waiting for a response.

He doesn't have to wait long. The bright and irritated gaze of the desert thief bores into Gabranths apologetic one.

"This is a situation you helped make, Gabranth. You don't regret what you did to my brother so you don't get to regret this either."

The older man feels a frustration build at the teen's dismissal of his apology. In this one, very particular case he does in fact regret his actions. But he also knows that Vaan won't hear it. He won't let his brother's demise be belittled or pushed aside as less important than anything else in the thief's life. Not knowing what to say, Gabranth drops his gaze to the dirt beneath him and scowls.

"I meant what I said before, about wanting to move forwards, not backwards. I don't… I don't really want to talk to you about regrets or anything. But, if you really don't like this, then help us change it once we get Larsa home."

Vaan's voice is quiet, all hint of his earlier temper gone. The words and tone soothw Gabranth's own frustrations and the man finds a small smile gracing his lips. Finally, he lifts his head once more, looking at the boy. "Sounds like an apt plan, Vaan."

…

The party meets early the next morning, just as the pinks and reds of true dawn break over the desert cliffs.

If Vaan was to be totally honest with himself, he'd admit that he's definitely still feeling the after affects of the beating he walked into yesterday. While all visible marks were healed by Balthier, the memory of the aches and pains hasn't quite left the teen yet. It's left him tired and grumpy and not at all excited at the prospect of playing buffer/punching bag between the Archadian and Dalmascan members of the party.

"I'll scout ahead," the thief volunteers before anyone else can. Without waiting for acknowledgement, he jogs ahead and starts scoping out the area. He isn't as familiar with this part of the Dalmascan desert - and by midday they'll likely have left familiar ground altogether - so Vaan keeps his eyes sharp and his blade loose in its sheath.

Slowly the party begins their trek, travelling first through the fringes of the desert towards the Highwaste that will lead them north. The beasts that bother them are few and far between in the desert - between Vaan and Penelo's familiarity with the land and the ranged weaponry of Fran and Balthier, the large party is able to avoid any trying conflicts. Vaan stays ahead of the pack, busying himself with scouting and avoiding standing too close to the still unhappy princess and her knight.

They reach the Highwaste as evening falls on the land. Vaan and Penelo both argue to camp in the desert, where the dangers are known. Ashe is impatient to move just a bit further, but the rest of the party is quick to dissuade impatience. The group is quiet and fragmented that night, too exhausted from walking all day in the burning sun and high heat to do much more than eat a quick meal and collapse on the ground to sleep.

…...

A chilling howl echoes down the hill as Penelo finishes off yet another Worgen with her heavy staff. She's had more than enough of these crazy wolves - it seems ever since they set foot in the Highwaste they've had to fight through pack after pack of these creatures. But that howl… that was a lot bigger than any howls they've heard from the local packs. Mere moments later a wolf - much larger than the Worgen's they'd been encountering - bounds down the rocky slope and rushes the party.

It feels like it happens in the blink of an eye - so fast that Penelo barely catches what happens. Even before Ashe calls out the order to ready for battle, Vaan has cast off what seems to be two simultaneous spells. One hits the giant wolf, Disabling it and causing it to crash into the ground near Gabranth. The other spells settle on Vaan and Gabranth, a Haste that speeds the sword and knife work of the two into a furious blur.

The wolf is defeated in seconds, thanks to a stunning display of coordination between her Vaan and this strange Archadian. And they hadn't exchanged a single word. Even after fighting and travelling together for months, Penelo has never seen Vaan work so easily with the others. Hell, Penelo has known Vaan for most of their lives and she wasn't sure she could have read Vaan's intentions that well that quickly.

The others seem just as shocked - Ashe's mouth is slightly open and Basch is sporting that special pained look he's been wearing often since Vaan returned with an Archadian retinue. She's the first to admit she has her reservations about Gabranth as well, but… Penelo's honestly starting to be very worried by the knight's reactions around the two. And she knows her stupid thief well enough to be sure that he's more than aware of how upset Basch and Ashe still are about things.

"Why, Vaan, it seems you've been holding out on us," Balthier breaks the silence with a sarcastic clap of his hands. Penelo sees Fran shake her head behind the pirate and some of her tension fades. "

Vaan gives one of his familiar nervous laughs and cleans his blade before stowing it back in its sheath. "Well, I think that's the last of them for now," He says, in an obvious attempt to change the topic. Quickly he retakes the lead of the party, once again citing a desire to scout ahead.

….

"There you are, Vaan," Balthier's voice brings Vaan out of the quiet reverie he'd fallen into since settling on his perch above the clearing to watch the sunset over the ravine cliffs. "Hiding from your fans?"

The joke is weak and the thief barely manages to crack a smile at it. Baltheir would have needed to be deaf, dumb and blind to miss the tension that had settled over the party since setting out from Rabanastre - or to miss the continued ire heaped on the boy by the princess and her knight whenever Vaan strayed too close to the duo.

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?" Vaan asks, a seriousness to his tone that Balthier has rarely borne witness to.

"Surely," Balthier admits, truthfully. "It's easy to be mad at you, because your actions in the end are forgivable. While they focus on you, they don't have to face their deeper furies."

Vaan squints at the man, quietly running over the words in his mind before giving a pained grin. "It's weird hearing you say something so thoughtful and deep. Must be Fran rubbing off on you."

Balthier snorts and quirks an eyebrow at the boy, "A leading man is always wise."

"Uh-huh, sure."

The two fall into a companionable silence for the next few minutes. Vaan stares thoughtfully down over the edge of the ledge he's perched on - Penelo and Larsa are practicing using the new weapons they picked up, Gabranth is sharpening his blade and keeping a wary eye on the prince as he is repeatedly knocked down by Penelo's overpowering pole swings, and Ashe and Basch are preparing dinner and ignoring the Archadian party members entirely.

"Where's Fran?" Vaan finally asks.

"There's a pair of Viera camped not far from here. Fran is seeing if there is any news worth hearing, as we are heading in the direction they have just travelled from."

"So she's gossiping," Vaan laughs, tickled by the mental image of Fran braiding her fellow Viera's hair and trading lewd stories about the silly humes they have seen.

Balthier smiles, probably thinking something very similar. "Yes, is you wish to simplify things, she is gossiping."

Vaan just cackles once more, happy to imagine the severe yet caring Fran relaxing with friends the way he's seen Penelo do on the rarer and rarer occasions that she and some other local girls would go out into the desert together. He enjoys the image a bit longer before he looks back towards Balthier, slightly concerned by the older man's quiet stillness. Vaan is definitely not used to seeing the pirate looking so reserved. So he asks, "Is something wrong?"

Bathier chuckles and shakes his head. "Nothing of the sort." He then turns towards Vaan, who hearts the soft tinkle of the man's earrings moving. "Rather, I am finding myself feeling rather thoughtful this evening."

"You have thoughts?" Vaan laughs, attempting to lighten the mood. But when he glances back at the pirate, the man's gaze is still steady and serious.

"You and Gabranth. I admit I am surprised how well the two of you seem to get along."

Vaan opens his mouth, instinctively readying an explanation before the yelling and disproving glares can get started again. But he doesn't get a single word out before Balthier nudges the boy's shoulder and continues on.

"No, just… let me speak for a moment Vaan. This isn't about him. Not really. Rather, it is…" Balthier trails off for a moment, looking over the ridge at the others for a moment as he gathers himself. "I'm a sky pirate, as you know. But before I was Balthier, sky pirate extraordinaire and leading man, I was Ffamran mied Bunansa, son of the imperial scientist Cidolfus and employed as an Archadian Judge."

"You were…" Vaan trails off, eyes wide and looking at the man in shock. He'd never really thought about who Balthier was, never thinking about the man in terms of someone with family, with a past, with… Archadian blood in him. His initial reaction is anger, and for a long moment, the scream of Zeromus echoes through the boy's mind. The esper cries for blood, for justice, and Vaan's hands clench from effort to regain his reasoning.

He looks at Balthier, and in an instant Zeromus falls quiet once again. It's clear from the haunted expression on the man's face that whatever sins of his past he carries, they have already been paid for in full. And besides, if Vaan won't condemn Gabranth than he surely won't condemn this man either.

His fingers relax at his sides and Vaan takes a long, slow breath.

"Ffamran is a ridiculous name."

Balthier blinks once, twice, then suddenly the haunted expression is gone and the cocky sky pirate is back. "Why do you think I shed it?"

…..

The next morning, Vaan allows himself to fall behind the others, until he's next to the stoic, Archadian rearguard. Once he's confidently out of earshot of all the humes around - he isn't even going to begin to guess what Fran can and can't hear - he glances over to Gabranth. "You recognized him, didn't you? Balthier?"

Gabranth makes eye contact before rolling his eyes and gently elbowing the grinning thief to the side.

"Come on, Gabranth. Don't be an asshole. Did you?"

"Not him, specifically. But he is the spitting image of his father," the Judge admits, reluctant as ever to even think about Dr. Cidolfus. Sanity and loyalty were two words that couldn't really be used to describe the researcher.

"It's hard to imagine Balthier with a father."

"It's hard to imagine Cidolfus as a father," Gabranth retorts quickly. "The man is … not someone I would wish you to ever cross paths with."

There's a stutter in Vaan's stride as the teen glances up at Gabranth. Their eyes catch each other's and Gabranth notices a faint pink tinge form on Vaan's face. Then the boy spits out a fake laugh. "He hate blondes or something?"

The lightness of the words suddenly has Gabranth feeling a frustrated rage. "Dr. Cid is not someone to take lightly," he hisses at the boy, begging the foolish thief to heed his warning and not go looking for trouble once they reach Archades.

"I'm sure we could take him. You and me against an old man? Where's the worry there."

Gabranth's hand shoots out, roughly grabbing Vaan's arm and yanking the boy around. Barely avoiding the urge to try and shake the cocky stupidity out of the young man before him, Gabranth instead reaches out and holds the boys face with his free hand and forces eye contact. "Vaan," he begins, voice nearly a growl. Even as he tries to form words he struggles with how to explain the sick dread that fills him at the mere thought of Vaan and that demented doctor ever meeting. "Do not be a fool. There are people, people like Balthier's father, who are not to be trifled with. They are monsters in hume flesh and I would not wish their company on anyone."

Vaan's eyes are wide as he stares into Gabranth's own heated gaze. The Judge expected anger out of the thief in retaliation to the harsh treatment, but he can't see any of the signs of building fury he has learned to identify in Vaan's face. Instead, he is still and seemingly calm.

A heartbeat longer without the teen speaking, and Gabranth pushes further. "Vaan, promise me… I will tell you who to be wary of in Archadia, should you ever encounter them. Just promise me that if I do so you will not do anything foolish with the names."

He can feel his face softening at the response. Vaan is young and naive in many ways, but Gabranth trusts the boy's word and his good sense when he stops to think things through. He lets out a relieved sigh and loosens his hold on the body before him. "It is my duty to keep Lord Larsa safe, to serve him and Archadia to the best of my ability. But I would also protect you as much as possible," the words are whispered into the space between Gabranth and Vaan, from one man to the other. "I ask you allow that."

Vaan shakes his arm out of Gabranth's grasp and brings his freed hand up to rest on the man's shoulder, where it meets the neck. The boy blushes, but his expression is fierce and certain as he says, "We'll take care of each other. And Larsa. And Penelo. And any others we want to. But each other too."

Something in Gabranth's chest swells at the clumsy response. Forcing calm, he nods at the boy and releases his hold on the thief. As his fingers leave warm flesh, Gabranth steps away and resumes walking. His steps echo quietly on the rough stone below his feet - a single pair walking back towards the party. Then it's joined by a scratching sound and a scamper of quick footsteps as Vaan trots to catch up. The teen elbows past Gabranth with a laugh then jogs ahead and around the curve. Gabranth doesn't bother to suppress the upturn of his lips at the sight.

…