Author’s Note: I haven’t actually played Final Fantasy XII myself, but after everything I’ve seen and read about it – which is actually quite a lot – I can safely say it’s one of my favorites. And my favorite character is Balthier! So naturally I decided to write about him, and here’s the grand result! There are definitely spoilers in this one, so consider yourself warned. Please read it, and then tell me what you think. I’m looking forward to your reviews! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy or its characters. Oh well.

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Best Be Off

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It felt like it was beginning to get close to that time again… that time with which Balthier himself was altogether too familiar. The Mist was taking its toll on Fran. He could see that even while in the midst of battle! It was too much to ask this of her. She had more endurance than anyone he knew, and they had all come so far together… it seemed like such a shame that he must make his exit now. But…

But they were being faced with yet another twist in this interminable web of plot twists! Who could be expected to keep up? It wasn’t that he wanted to quit. And it wasn’t that he wanted out before this thing was through. After all, he was the hero of the story! Besides, he still had to return Ashe her ring. It wasn’t that at all. If anything, Balthier simply wanted a chance for his companions to get their wits about them. After so many long and tiresome acts, didn’t they deserve a short intermission?

Of course they did. But even then, for the first time, really… Balthier knew that wasn’t an option. They were in the tower now. They were standing in the presence of the Sun-Cryst cocoon now. They were squaring off against Judge Gabranth now. The world itself might as well have been consumed by the radiant streams of energy blanketing both the ancient tower and the surrounding sea. And it was all happening right now. If they were going to destroy the Sun-Cryst… the mother of all Nethicite! If they were going to beat the Occuria at their own game… instead of being manipulated by them to punish the rebel, Venat, while destroying the entire Archadian Empire, they needed to finish this! Now.

Gabranth, fully clad in body armor as he was, including that heavy, rather barbaric helmet identifying him as an Archadian Judge – an occupation Balthier himself knew something about and loathed with every fiber of his soul (was it any wonder he had turned to pirating?) – stumbled towards his brother in defeat. “So… you… too… would leave your debts unpaid?”

Basch stood stoically – or at least was probably attempting to stand stoically. Balthier couldn’t be sure… After all, he could only see the man’s back. But his shoulders were squared and his body rigid. The pirate had spent enough time with the framed captain to know when he was upset. And right now, he was definitely so.

“Enough of this!”

The voice was sharp, biting, and unexpected. Balthier himself cringed inwardly at the sound. How long had it been…? And yet his father could still send chills crawling down his spine! Where the hell had he come from?

Standing beyond Gabranth, who was just as surprised by the man’s arrival as the rest of them were, Dr. Cidolfus Bunansa, in all his glory, stepped forward. He was carrying that damn blue stone in his left hand, as if trying to subtly show it off to the rest of the world! Wasn’t that just fabulously typical? Balthier scowled in disgust at the man’s cocky smile and arrogant stroll.

“You disappoint me, Gabranth.”

“What?” It was a breathless question. The man was obviously close to defeat, and when Cid reached him, despite his physical inferiority, all it took was a simple shove to send the Judge to his knees. Balthier wouldn’t have thought it possible.

“He trusted you,” Cid reminded Gabranth, without even bothering to grace him with a glance. Instead, his gaze swept over the crowd in front of him. Basch… Reddas… Vaan… Ashe… Penelo… Fran… It paused on Balthier for barely even a second before returning to the princess. It was almost as if… the man didn’t recognize his own son! Or didn’t care about him, or didn’t think him worth the attention. Not that it mattered to the sky pirate whatsoever! He had no use for the man himself, and was no stranger to the disregard with which the doctor handled everyone. Including family.

“When you bared steel against the princess, you foreswore your obligations to your emperor! You shame yourself and make mockery of Lord Larsa’s trust.” Cid held up the blue stone and focused his gaze on it, apparently no longer interested in even the princess! After all, when it came to Nethicite, he could only be distracted for so long. The man was simply obsessed! “You are unfit to serve him as sword or shield. And so I release you from that service.”

Gabranth grunted, and, despite everything, even Basch felt ire on his brother’s behalf.

“Your presence,” Cid continued, glancing quite suddenly at Balthier. “Is neither required nor welcome.” They were harsh words, to be sure, and Gabranth was literally trembling in fury because of them. But, again, Cid’s attention had landed elsewhere, and would not be restored. He was walking towards his son now, much to the pirate’s astonishment. Two seconds ago, it was as if he hadn’t even existed! And now this!

It might have to do with the cocoon, he found himself reasoning. You’re standing directly between it and him.

“Gabranth!” Basch shouted. Balthier had been so intently fixed on his father that he hadn’t even noticed the Judge lift up his sword and strike out in rage. But then there was a flash. The Occuria, Venat, appeared for half a second, encased in shell-like armor. It had no face, but merely two golden eyes that radiated menacingly. Balthier’s insane father was coated in darkness, through which Gabranth’s blade sliced harmlessly. A moment later, the man was at the Judge’s side, smiling almost fondly.

The smile faded, however, when Gabranth was propelled backwards. He flew through the air, crashing heavily against the stone archway that led out to the tower’s highest balcony. The force of such a collision knocked the Judge out cleanly, and he slid to the ground unconscious.

Basch caught his breath and turned his head. He was being torn asunder, Balthier could tell. No matter what his brother put him through… he was still his brother. The fon Ronsenburg family had its share of problems, there was no doubt, but Balthier could see the two absolving them a lot quicker than he ever would with his father. That had to count for something, didn’t it?

He shook his head, staring at Cid and the Occuria towering behind him. “You were only a tool of this Venat.”

Cid eyed the pirate in amusement, gracing him with yet another one of his smug smiles. “How quaint.” Balthier stiffened at the jibe. “We are allies! The Occuria give men power as a master feeds his dog: it is meant to tame us.” Once again, the bastard focused on Ashe. Balthier had half a mind to reposition himself between the two – a sentiment he was certain Vaan shared. But absolutely none of them seemed capable of moving.

Cid practically beamed at the princess. “How well you’ve resisted their wile. By turning your back on their stones, you give us free hand to write our own history.”

“And at what price?” Ashe demanded, never at a loss for words. She was strong… and men had a way of underestimating her. Cid was no different. Hell, not even Balthier himself could claim to be! “Dalmasca’s freedom for your Nethicite? I shall not suffer you to have it. The Sun-Cryst be damned!”

Cid laughed, vanishing only to reappear behind them all, standing before the cocoon. Ashe spun around in alarm, as they all did, while Cid reached his arm up towards it hungrily. “Oh, be sure that it is! For what other purpose do you think you’ve brought us here?” He looked back at her condescendingly. “But, my Lady, I would have you stay your Occurian sword! The Sun-Cryst is glutted with Mist, and so precious a thing must not be squandered!” He turned towards them and held up his Nethicite. “Let us use the stone!” It began to glow at his command. “Finish this, Venat!” He threw it into the air, and the Occuria followed.

The entire chamber was suddenly illuminated with the power of the Nethicite. The energy was bright and golden – like fire. It shook the very foundations of the tower, nearly knocking the children – Vaan, Ashe, and Penelo – to their knees. It was too strong… too bright… They were all forced to shield their eyes with their arms. And Cid was laughing with his arms raised up towards the sky.

“Shards of Nethicite! Cocoon of the Sun-Cryst! Spill forth your Mist upon this Ivalice! Let sea and sky be awash in it, that Bahamut may come and drink his fill!”

There was an energy ball where once there had just been a stone. It was radiating steadily, casting down an fierce wave of power that was quickly growing to be too much for Balthier’s friends. Especially for Fran. Balthier wrapped an arm around her, summoning up the strength to support her weight as well as his own. Nothing would harm her! Especially not his good-for-nothing bastard of a parent! He would see to it.

And yet… while all the others were compelled to hold their arms up, to look away, to concentrate only on keeping up on their feet, Balthier himself felt something strange and unfamiliar churning his stomach. It wasn’t the Mist. It wasn’t the power. It was… worry? Of course he had every right in the world to be worried right now! But not like this…

He lowered the arm that had been protecting his face, and actually brought himself to glance up. Forget the blinding pain! He had to locate his father! Something wasn’t…

“And, lo!” Cid proclaimed, lifting himself up off the ground. It was as if he could fly, hovering as he was in the air. Balthier felt his heart lurching as the energy continued to sweep around them all. Cid seemed to have become the focal point. “How brightly burned their Lanthorn! Casts it back the shadow of Occurian design! Testament that man’s history shall be his alone!”

Balthier tightened his hold on Fran. She was his… She was his anchor as realization struck him. She kept him anchored, even as he was her greatest support in the midst of all this chaos. “You made your Nethicite for this?” Cid glanced at his son. Their gazes met. And at that moment, not even the strongest anchor in the world could have held Balthier firm. His father had crossed so many lines already… he didn’t know why this one felt any different!

Releasing Fran, trying to push past her look of surprised concern, Balthier strode forward angrily. He could practically sense the Viera stumbling backwards in pain, but for once in his life… he was drawn towards the man who had fathered him. “You mimic the Occuria’s stone for what? To become a God yourself?” It was simply outrageous!

But Cid was beyond reason. “On whose shoulders better to stand than those of the would-be Gods?” Balthier scowled, but the man hadn’t even started yet. “Such high hopes I once had… But you ran and ran, and they with you!” Biting words. They brought back memories and opened olds wounds Balthier had barely even begun to treat. After all this time… they hurt more than he would have cared to admit… even to himself. “Alas,” Cid shook his head. “The hour of your return is late!”

Return? Is that what I’m doing? Returning to him? The doctor obviously thought so, anyway, much to Balthier’s unsettlement. How long had it been since his vow never to let his father treat him thus ever again? And yet here they all were… Balthier felt the man’s disappointment… felt his contempt… and felt as helpless as he had when forced to Judge once upon a time… He wanted nothing more than to run, as he always did. He wanted to… but he couldn’t bring himself to look away from his father. What was it he was feeling?

“Come, Ffamran!” Cid called to his son, using a name Balthier had long ago cast aside. He hadn’t heard it spoken in so long… and the sound of it was enough to squeeze his heart. He had left his past behind him! Why did this hurt so much? A part of him almost wished… it had been different.

Such thoughts and desires, however, were completely pointless. Cid did not share them. In fact, he seemed to hunger for his only child’s blood. “Revel in the glory of my triumph!” He swept towards the pirate tauntingly, his focus for once locked on him and him alone. He didn’t just seek to oppose Balthier, as Gabranth had opposed Basch. No. Cid wanted to utterly wipe him out of existence!

The pirate braced himself, but none were prepared for what happened next. It was as it had been when they made their escape from Judge Ghis. Shrieking, as if possessed by a demon or some other such monster, Fran lunged past Balthier and ran straight for Cid. They practically crashed into each other, exchanging blows, seeking to tear the other apart.

“Fran!” Balthier shouted. The Viera seemed to have gone berserk, but despite that, she barely even managed to faze her opponent slightly. He was by far stronger than he should have been, and without even breaking a sweat, he flung her towards the Sun-Cryst as one might fling a rag doll to the ground. Advancing on her, there was unmistakable blood in his eyes.

No! Balthier charged, and he wasn’t the only one. Penelo was on the run as well, for Fran was her friend, and she would protect her. Balthier’s eyes widened. “Stay back!” If Fran couldn’t fight Cid, there wasn’t anyway in the world Penelo would be able to!

“Fran!” the girl screamed, paying the pirate no attention whatsoever. Cid heard her cry, and temporarily forgot all about Fran as he turned his gaze in her direction. Drawing one of his two guns, the doctor aimed it directly at the young Rabanastren.

“Penelo!” Vaan shouted.

Balthier dove towards her and, wrapping his arms around her protectively, forced her to the ground right as Cid fired his weapon. The two rolled across the dusty, ragged stone floor, tearing their clothes and scraping their skin in the process. Balthier was definitely going to require a long bath once this was over with!

Basch picked up where Balthier had left off. Holding up his sword, he lunged towards Cid. The man continually fired his gun, and to avoid any lethal bullets, Basch vaulted into the sky. He descended down on the man without mercy, but Cid evaded his attack as easily as he had Gabranth’s! There just wasn’t any stopping him!

After making sure Penelo was unharmed, Balthier got to his feet – but he wasn’t quick enough! Cid had made his way over to the pirate, and now stood directly in front of him. Before Balthier could so much as simply widen his eyes, his father had him tightly by the throat.

The pirate gasped, but was unable to breathe in. With one hand, he struggled to pry loose his father’s grip; with the other, he lashed out at the man. Both efforts were for naught. Cid was uncannily powerful, and he easily blocked the pirate’s punch.

Basch was helping Fran to her feet. Vaan and Ashe were both racing to Balthier’s aid. Before they were even remotely close to the pirate’s would-be killer, however, a burst of green energy lashed out from Cid and sent them both sprawling to the ground. It wasn’t their fight anyway…

Balthier was choking. The hand around his neck was like iron. He attempted to kick Cid away; the man had grabbed his wrist and couldn’t possibly block his feet as well. But it was exactly like kicking a marble statue! No wonder Fran had been so easily tossed aside!

The pirate could feel his heart racing. Cid was leering at him, his expression filled with scorn, disappointment, and resent. The Occurian had taken everything from the man. They had taken his sanity. They had taken his humanity. They had taken his own affection for the only family he had. Seeing Cid now, as life began to ebb away from him, Balthier was suddenly struck by the realization that it wasn’t his father… it wasn’t Cidolfus Bunansa… that he hated. It wasn’t! It was… It was the Nethicite with which the man was so terribly obsessed. There was only one chance in the world left now. One chance to free him… if even that…

Balthier released the hand that was clenched so painfully around his neck. He reached for the knife hanging on his belt. Closing his eyes, he pulled it free and forcefully slammed it into his father’s stomach.

Cid released him immediately, gasping for breath as he stumbled backwards. Basch and Fran both turned their heads in surprise. Penelo, still sitting on the pebbly floor, covered her mouth as blood spilled to the ground. Reddas took several steps forward, and as Vaan helped Ashe back up to her feet, the two of them seemed paler than they ever had been before. Balthier… had just… His own father…!

Cid turned towards the cocoon of the Sun-Cryst. Dropping his weapons, he stumbled towards it weakly, pulling the knife from his flesh and tenderly pressing both hands against his wound. He started wheezing… and the sound was so human… so… so painfully pathetic… that Balthier’s heart wrenched tightly. He had to do it… Cid hadn’t hesitated to attempt taking his life! He had no choice! And yet… Balthier could not remember a time when he had so longed to throw up in self-disgust.

Run! Run! !

Cid reached out towards the cocoon hungrily… thirstily… and then he collapsed.

! Run! RUN!

Balthier ran.

But he ran in the wrong direction.

He ran towards his father.

Before he reached him, however, Venat appeared out of yet another blanket of darkness, blocking his path. He stopped short, knowing better than to fight the Occurian, but hardly caring. This was the monster that had taken his father from him! Balthier stared up at it in absolute hate. Like hell he’d allow the thing stand between them now!

“Let him by, Venat,” Cid whispered, and the Occurian, much to Balthier’s amazement, heeded his words. The doctor was on his hands and knees, struggling to regain his footing. “It is done. Ah…” He looked up at Venat, once again seeming to completely ignore his son’s very existence. “How I have enjoyed these six years.”

Venat was watching him carefully, but it was as he had said. Done. “The pleasure was all mine.” It’s voice echoed… and strangely enough… it echoed sincerely. Cid sighed as the Occurian swept away from them, and turned towards his boy. Slowly, warily, Balthier approached the man. After all this time… six years? They would never get them back. And it struck the pirate as strangely ironic that he even wanted them to.

He couldn’t meet his father’s gaze. Trying to suddenly hurt. Instead… he found himself staring at the stone Cid still held in his hand. The… the goddamned Nethicite… It was responsible for all this and still Cid clung to it! For that, Balthier hated him.

“Was there no other way?” he asked, closing his eyes against the pain. Cid chuckled in bleak amusement.

“Spend your pity elsewhere,” he suggested, and Balthier looked up at him in resent. But the man who had just tried to kill him was gone now. In his place… there was a man that… even if just slightly… finally resembled the father Balthier had once so greatly admired. Why had it been like this? He wanted that father back!

“If you are so set on running,” Cid spoke quietly, and almost cajolingly. Balthier flinched at the painful reminder. Despite everything, the man knew him about as well as anyone. He knew that, at that moment, the only thing his son truly wanted to do was run. But… he couldn’t bring himself to… and so his father encouraged him… remorsefully. “Hadn’t you best be off? Fool of a pirate.” It was the closest thing to an apology Balthier would ever receive.

The Nethicite he was holding had begun to glow. The light of its energy wrapped around the doctor, blanketing him with golden glitter. And as his son watched, fighting to remain strong and impassive – while failing miserably, for how could he? His heart was breaking! – the energy of the stone took its irresistible toll. Cid wasted away within its bright embrace, and the Nethicite was drawn towards the Sun-Cryst, where it embedded itself in the cocoon.

He’s gone… It’s over… None of the feelings washing through the pirate’s body made any sense at all. He should have at least been relieved! But all he could feel… was unbelievable, unendurable sorrow. It shouldn’t have been like this…

“Fran?”

Penelo?

Balthier turned in time to watch the girl scurrying towards the Viera… who had once again landed in a heap on the ground. The pirate’s heart stopped utterly and completely as Basch, in a loss of what to do, stepped away from her, making room for Penelo. The girl was calling out to the Viera desperately, and fell to the ground at her side. What was wrong with her?

“The Mist burns,” Fran informed them weakly, her voice, barely even a whisper, nevertheless overflowing with agony. “To bursting… it beats…” Her face twisted in alarm. “The cocoon!”

It was glowing brightly. None could fail to sense its power. But Balthier… He had just lost his father… Was he destined to lose her as well? The gods weren’t on his side. Once he had preferred it that way. He still did, really… But he couldn’t help… wishing for something to protect those whom he could not. His father… Fran… He felt so painfully alone.

Gazing at the Viera, terrified he would lose her, he gingerly approached. Penelo heard him coming, glanced over her shoulder, and then hastened to make room for him. He carefully knelt down beside the only person who, at that moment, truly mattered to him. He cared so much about her… Pulling her into his arms, he felt the tears burning in his eyes.

She looked up at him in despair. “The Sun-Cryst bursts.” I love you. “You must run. As far as you can.” I’m not going anywhere.

“Easy, Fran,” he told her quietly. He wouldn’t leave her. He had left his father. He wouldn’t leave her.

She watched him forlornly, and reached her hand up to stroke his face. Her touch… was like an angel’s. “Hadn’t you best be off?”

Hadn’t you best be off? Cid’s exact words. Had Fran heard him? Or did everyone truly expect that from him? Did Vaan? Did Ashe? No… Because only those who really knew him expected as much. Balthier knew… he would never run from anything ever again.

“That’s what a Sky Pirate does,” Fran persisted weakly, watching him in bewilderment. Why was he still here? “You fly, don’t you?” Why didn’t he leave? She wanted him to be free… and he was so close to freedom now.

The tears in his eyes were blurring his vision. He reached for her hand and held it tightly in his own. Closing his eyes, he wished this moment would never end. For the second that it did… he might never be with her again. They were so close… They were together… And he never wanted to leave her side. If he was going to run… If he was going to run, he would carry her with him! “I suppose you’d better hang on, then.” I’ll never let you go.

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A/N: Admit it! You all love Balthier! So don’t even think about lying! Just send me a review and tell me what you think, ‘cause I always love getting reviews! Thanks so much!