Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy XII nor its characters.

A/N: I want to express my profound gratitute for my beta, BlueTrillium, without which this story would certainly be lacking. This is A/U and completely disregards Revenant Wings.

Desert Bloom: Prologue

The snow was coming down in blankets now, and he could barely see an inch in front of his face. This didn't bode well for their lost companion. Vaan had insisted Penelo was right behind him the entire time, and when they finally found the refugee camp everyone was shocked to find no sight of her.

Basch had offered an hour ago to go back out and search for her, as her highness and the young lord would be quite safe and warm in the company of the Kilteas and refugees. Balthier and Fran would keep them safe. Vaan had asked to accompany him, but the boy's lips were turning an uncomely shade of blue and the last thing Basch needed was to be slowed by the freezing boy.

Basch simply reassured the young man that he would find Penelo and bring her back safely. Vaan accepted with a nod and went to huddle with Larsa by the fire of one of the refugees. Wrapped in the warm nana hide gifted from the Garif, Basch made his way out of the camp and began back-tracking the fading trail they had left.

An hour later found him still wandering the rift and the trail had long since vanished under the unrelenting fall of snow. His warm hide was now showing signs of distress, as he had encountered a few wolves intent on making him supper. Thankfully he came out the victor, but he was slowly beginning to feel lethargic from the cold.

His fingers were numb and he knew that if he didn't find shelter for himself soon, he wasn't going to last much longer. He was reluctant to give up on finding the girl, but he would be of little use to her frozen solid. He scanned the surrounding area and his heart sank. Everything now looked the same: frozen and white.

As his teeth began to chatter, he made his way towards what he hoped would be a rock wall and not the edge of a cliff. His feet began to slip as his legs grew stiff with cold. He arrived at a short wall of rock and looked on dismayed. He would find no shelter here. He scanned the area again hoping to see something, anything. His squinted his eyes and was certain they were playing tricks on him as he swore he saw a small figure making its way towards him. His mind was becoming heavily clouded with cold, but the thought that it might be a fiend came to him as he attempted to grab at the sword at his side. It was to no avail though; he could no longer feel his fingers to get a grasp around the weapon and the shape was moving ever closer.

Basch found he couldn't even drop to his knees in defeat as his legs appeared to be frozen to the spot. The shape was beginning to take a more definite form and Basch cocked his head in curiosity. It looked like a Hume. As it grew closer still, Basch was now certain it was Hume and it was a she.

"Basch, is that you?" A soft, sweet voice called out in concern.

He would have responded had he the voice to do such, but he could only nod his head in reply as the form of Penelo was now at his side. He looked at her and was relieved to see she was unharmed.

"What are you doing standing still? It's freezing out here; come on." She berated him and grabbed onto his arm to guide him back the way she came from.

He was amazed that his legs could now move as he trudged along with her. She placed her arm about his waist and draped his arm around her shoulders, and he realized that he was relying on her strength more than his own. He felt guilt grab at him as he tried to right himself.

"Stop that," she chided him gently. "It'll only take us longer to get there if you try to walk on your own."

He reluctantly followed her order and they soon came to a narrow crevice in the face of a seemingly endless wall of rock. She looked up at him with a bright smile as his teeth continued to chatter.

"We're here. It's a bit of a squeeze going in, but it's really warm inside," she reassured him as she pointed to a narrow crack in the wall.

Penelo urged him forward and helped him make his way into the crevice. Once he was through his body was struck with a wave of heat from a small fire inside and he at once felt relief and immense pain. Penelo pushed him forward to get through herself then placed her arm about his waist again and pulled his arm around her shoulders. She dragged him along awkwardly towards the back end of the shallow cavern, closer to the small fire.

"You're really lucky I was getting water when I did otherwise I would have never seen you," she chatted on as she maneuvered him to lean against the cavern wall.

Basch simply nodded as his teeth made it impossible to speak.

"I was just going to make some soup and then I saw someone wandering by. I thought I was imagining it at first, but I took a second look and there you were," she said as she picked up her own nana hide and spread it out on the ground near the fire.

Penelo made her way back over to Basch and kneeled down gingerly as she began to unbuckle the straps that held his boots on. He was beginning to regain feeling and was still shivering furiously.

"Wh-wh-at…" He chattered.

"You need to get these off so you can sit on the hide. It's really warm and the fire will help too. You really should take off anything wet too, otherwise you won't get warm fast enough," she explained as she went to work on his second boot.

She helped him strip off his armor and jerkin and then helped him sit down onto the blanket. Modesty was the only reason his shorts remained on. She hobbled over to her pack and pulled out another thinner blanket and made her way to his side. She wrapped it around his shoulders and tucked it gently about his neck to keep it snug. He attempted a smile at her which looked more like a painful grimace. She giggled in return as she stood and patted his head affectionately.

"You'll be okay now," she reassured him and went about draping his hide, boots and jerkin over a rope that was strung across two short poles stuck in the cave floor before removing her own boots and doing the same.

As Basch finally began to feel the warmth permeate his skin, he took the time to take in his surroundings. The cave that had appeared shallow at first was anything but. He looked up and found he could not see the ceiling, which explained the lack of smoke despite the fire. He examined the cavern walls and could see no openings save the crevice they came in, so they would be safe from large fiends. Relieved, he finally began to relax as he continued to shiver.

He watched Penelo fuss about with a cooking pot that she placed various herbs into. The smell was comforting and Basch found he was hungry. He continued to shiver as she set the pot, now covered, beside the fire to warm. His eyes followed her as she came to his side again.

"You're still cold," she said with concern as her warm hand rested on his cheek.

"Ittt…w-was-s...c-c-cc-old-dd...out-tt," he chattered with a grin.

She giggled and shook her head at him and eased down to her knees. She made her way to his back and pressed her small form against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his arms. Penelo rested her chin on his shoulder and tilted her head to rest against his. She felt him shudder and she held him tighter.

"Don't worry; we'll get you warm again," she said in a soft motherly tone.

Basch chuckled at the sentiment. He had only ever heard her use that tone with Vaan or Larsa when either had gotten hurt. Vaan would oft roll his eyes, but Larsa had picked up on the fact that Penelo enjoyed mothering and the boy allowed it, if only to monopolize her attentions. Basch knew the young lord was smitten with the girl and it was no wonder why. She made it very easy to like her. She was friendly to a fault and her positive outlook on life was almost contagious. But his father had taught him well enough that even the most beautiful of roses always had their thorns, and he had certainly seen Penelo's.

As his shivering began to abate, he sighed contentedly. She was so warm he did not wish her to ever let go, but she did and he looked at her as she made her way slowly to the other hide to check if it was dry. She glanced at him and laughed making him even more puzzled.

"What is so amusing?" Basch managed to get out without stuttering this time.

"Your face; you looked like you lost your favorite toy." She giggled at him as she pulled a bowl and spoon out of her knapsack.

"Warmth is not a toy," he stated gruffly as he shifted his weight and pulled the blanket around him tighter.

"Here, this will warm you up too," she said with a smile as she handed him the spoon and then dipped the bowl carefully into the soup pot.

Basch accepted the spoon as Penelo carefully made her way back to him with the bowl of soup. She handed it to him and sat down beside him on the nana hide. He let the blanket fall open and began to eat. It was rather bland, but he had certainly had worse and would never tell her it was horrible.

"It is very good, you have my thanks." He nodded to her as she smirked at him.

"Liar," she teased and grinned. "At least it's better than nothing."

"So how is it that you had gotten lost?" Basch asked curiously as he ate.

"I slipped on some ice and I tried to keep up, but I hurt my ankle." She admitted sheepishly.

"Why did you say nothing?" He asked, mildly outraged and realizing now that the girl had been favoring her right foot.

"Well everyone was in a big hurry and I didn't want to slow you down. I told Vaan that I'd be right behind him and I just followed your tracks but I lost the trail. I guess I fell behind faster than I thought I would," Penelo explained and shrugged.

"Penelo, that was very unwise of you," Basch berated her sternly.

"And what would you have done?" She narrowed her eyes at him accusingly.

Basch thought for a moment and frowned, realizing he would have done the exact same thing. He looked at her and she glanced away quickly. Basch felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. He had not meant to make her upset.

"My apologies Penelo, you had done nothing wrong," he intoned as he set the soup down, his bowl now empty.

Penelo nodded silently and continued looking away from him. Basch sighed as he studied the side of her face. Here she had just saved his life and he had called her a fool. He didn't think he could possibly feel any worse as he went to grab a stick to poke at the fire. His hand grazed her right calf and she winced and suddenly he knew exactly what it felt like to feel worse. She was still in pain.

"Let me see your ankle," Basch ordered as softly as he could.

Penelo silently complied and the blanket fell from his shoulders as Basch examined the bruised flesh carefully. He hoped he was not causing her much pain, but knew with each stifled hiss that was not the truth. He mused at how small her feet were compared to her boots as he probed and bent. After a few minutes of examining, he felt certain that nothing was broken, but it would never heal if she continued to walk on it.

"No more walking tonight, understood?" he said in a gentle command as he caught her gaze.

She nodded at him slowly and then lowered her eyes. He noticed a faint blush rise on her cheeks. It made her look quite lovely. Basch shook himself out of his thoughts when he realized he had been staring at her longer than he should have.

"How is it you found this place?" He asked, hoping she had not noticed him stare.

"Oh!" She startled slightly and Basch wondered why. "I almost fell into it actually." She giggled and Basch smiled. "I was using the rock wall to help me walk because my staff is rather useless now." She pointed over to the two lengths of wood that made the makeshift clothesline.

At least Basch now knew where she had gotten the sticks, but that meant she was without a weapon. He would have to see about that when they got to the refugee camp.

"I just squeezed in the rest of the way when I felt it was warm. There was already wood stacked in here so I guess I'm not the first person to find it." Penelo grinned and pointed to one of the cavern walls where a few cords of wood were stacked.

"You certainly are a very lucky individual," Basch said thoughtfully as he looked around again.

"Yeah," she giggled sheepishly and blushed again.

Basch chuckled in spite of himself. It had been some time since he had ever made anyone blush, much less a beautiful young girl nearly half his age.

"I did not think you would be so prepared for such adverse conditions," Basch said seriously, deciding to engage his thoughts in other directions before matters got out of hand.

"I just listened to the Garif." Penelo shrugged. "They said it would be cold so I figured we could all use one of the nana hides and…"

"They were not gifts?" Basch's head snapped towards her in shock.

"Well no," she said puzzled at his reaction. "You can't expect people to make a living if they keep giving things away for free."

"I had assumed…we all assumed they were gifts from the Garif," Basch said, slightly embarrassed.

"No, but I did get a really good deal on them so it was worth it. Besides I wanted to make sure everyone kept warm," Penelo said in her don't-argue-with-me tone.

"Then again I owe you my thanks," Basch said as he stood and moved to put more wood on the fire.

"It was nothing." Penelo shrugged with a smile.

But to Basch it was something. She had saved the life of every party member because of her kind heart. Basch again felt guilty that he had not even given a thought to the cold of Mt Bur-Omisace. A fine job he was doing as a protector if he ignored the simple fact of nature and her ability to cause just as much damage as any fiend.

As he placed the wood on the fire he noticed movement from the corner of his eye and turned his head towards Penelo who was crawling towards the cooking pot.

"What are you doing?" he demanded gently.

"I'm hungry and I'm not walking," she defended herself hastily.

"Apologies for not asking you earlier," he said in his gruff voice. "I shall serve you."

"Thank you," she replied timidly and settled herself back on the hide.

Basch went to her knapsack and looked inside but there was no other bowl. She cocked her head curiously at him.

"There is no other bowl or spoon I take it," he said.

Penelo shook her head. "No, but I've been out of the cootie phase for a long time now."

Basch laughed as she grinned at him. He picked up his bowl from earlier and got her some soup. He handed her the bowl and spoon as he picked up the blanket that fell from his shoulders earlier and draped it back around himself.

Penelo ate her soup and Basch made his way to the crevice and looked outside. The snowstorm had finally abated and he looked up at the sky to see a few stars shine through the black of the clouded night sky. He looked around and was relieved to neither see nor hear any hint of fiends in the area. He suspected the snowstorm could be thanked for that as even fiends would know to take cover from the elements – well, other than hungry wolves.

He walked back to the fire and checked to see if the hanging nana hide was now dry. He was grateful to find that it was and carefully pulled it off the line. He tossed the hide over his shoulder and went back to sit down next to Penelo.

"We should get some sleep," he informed her as she placed her empty soup bowl on the ground.

"Okay," she agreed with a firm nod of her head.

Basch made to spread the other nana hide on the floor and Penelo stopped him.

"It would make a lot more sense if we both slept on one and used the other as a blanket," she reasoned with a blush.

Basch nodded in agreement as he could find no fault in her logic. He had thought the same himself, but was concerned that she would think him improper. He waited for her to lie down and took the blanket from around his shoulders and laid it over her. He then gently placed the nana hide on top of that and knelt down to stoke the fire one last time. He crawled in beside her and turned so his back faced her.

He felt her petite frame snuggle up against his back. She was warm, he reasoned to himself, and said nothing. He heard her sigh pleasantly as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Basch woke feeling both stiff and well rested. He inhaled deeply and caught the scent of something he could only associate with the desert, but he wasn't in the desert. He opened his eyes and found himself almost face to face with Penelo. This was not how he fell asleep last night.

She was nestled securely within his arms that had managed to wrap themselves about her sometime during the night. Her one hand was gently resting against his chest and the other was draped about his waist. He shifted slightly to find that even her legs were entwined with his own. His heartbeat quickened as he worried what she might think. He had thought to break their intimate embrace, but she stirred slightly and gave a soft snore. Any coherent thought he had quickly left his brain.

The fates could indeed be kind he thought as he began to memorize the contours of her face. She really was beautiful. She looked so fragile and precious asleep in his arms, but underneath the façade was her true beauty. Her kind, giving heart and her relentless spirit that never gave up. He knew in that instant his heart had never stood a chance against her, but he also knew he had a duty to perform first. If the fates were willing, he would gain his chance for happiness after he saw her highness back to the throne. Yet for now he would simply hold his newfound heart's desire until she woke. He smiled at the thought as he closed his eyes again and let himself drift back to sleep.

The next time he awoke he found himself being studied by a pair of light blue eyes. He had not moved and still had her ensconced within his embrace and he stared back at her nervously, gauging her reaction. Penelo made no effort to move and just continued to gaze at him openly.

"Good morning," he said in an unsure voice and watched as her eyes grow wide with shock.

His own eyes widened in response as her face turn a vivid shade of red and he then felt her bury her face against her hands which were now both against his chest. He could feel the heat on his own face and thought perhaps he should either release her or say something at the very least. He opted to speak as he was reluctant to let go despite his embarrassment.

"I believe we must have been colder than we thought to end up thus," he offered awkwardly in an effort to put her at ease.

"Yeah," she whispered softly, still refusing to look up.

"How is your ankle?" he asked tensely as he realized he could be hurting her in their current position.

"It's fine; well, I mean you're not hurting it," she explained quietly as he felt her head turn towards the side.

"I should check it," he said and felt Penelo begin to shift.

Basch reluctantly released her and they both sat up. He knew his face was as flushed as hers and was grateful that she didn't say anything. He gingerly examined her ankle again to find it still bruised but not nearly as swollen as it was last night.

"I still believe you should not walk on it," he voiced with a frown, both their embarrassment fading.

"I kind of have to. I don't want everyone thinking we're both hurt, or worse," Penelo argued gently.

"No, I can carry you," Basch stated as he stood and went to view the weather outside.

"What about fiends?" Penelo said dubiously. "I think I would just be getting in the way if you…"

"I will carry you on my back, and you could never get in the way. I owe you my life, do not forget it," Basch said seriously, glancing her way.

"You don't owe me anything, Basch," Penelo said lightheartedly as she began fidgeting with the hide.

"Will you at least accept friendship and my trust?" he asked apprehensively, feeling the need to offer her something in return as he caught her gaze again.

"On one condition," she said as he watched the blush rise on her cheeks again causing his own face to heat up.

"Anything," he agreed and realized he truly meant it.

"You have to do the same," she finished, staring him determinedly in the eye despite the red that threatened to engulf her face.

"Agreed." He nodded with a smile.

Penelo simply beamed at him in return and Basch felt his heart pick up its pace. He turned to re-inspect the weather outside if only to bring some manner of reason back to his brain and found it was still clear and sunny. He knew they shouldn't delay any longer if he wanted to keep his wits about him and he made his way back to her side.

Penelo had already folded the thin blanket, and she handed it to him as he came near. He picked up the bowl and spoon from the previous night, and then placed the three items into her knapsack. He retrieved his clothes, armor, and boots from the makeshift clothesline and dressed himself then fastened his sword back at his waist. He gathered her boots and brought them to her.

Silently he assisted her in placing them on her feet, and he carefully and loosely strapped her right boot on. Once she was set he went about with the cooking pot and emptied the remaining contents outside and then strung the pot on her knapsack with the rope from the clothesline. He glanced around once more to ensure nothing was left behind.

The fire had long since died out sometime during the night and Basch stomped on the embers to ensure it would not flare up. Penelo simply sat quietly on the hide watching him work.

"I believe we are ready," Basch stated.

"Before we leave, can I have my knapsack?" Penelo asked with a smile.

Basch looked at her quizzically as she rummaged through the sack. He watched as she pulled out her coin purse and took out a few coins. She set them down by the fireside and with her finger she wrote out 'thank you' in the dirt.

Basch found himself chuckling once again at her antics and yet he made his way to her side and spelt out 'very much' under her 'thank you' with his own finger and added a couple of Gil from himself as well.

She smiled at him brilliantly and he shook his head with a lopsided-grin. How he had managed to keep from under her spell before was completely beyond him now.

He sighed as he rose and assisted her up. He scooped her up in his arms and watched as she blushed yet again and he only hoped he wasn't doing the same. He carried her to the crevice and gently set her down so she was resting against the wall supported by her left foot. He went back and gathered the nana hides and knapsack and then squeezed his way out of the crevice with the items in hand.

Once Basch was on the other side, he placed an arm back through and felt Penelo's small hand clasp his own. He berated himself silently for the skip in his heartbeat at her touch and began pulling her out. His other hand went immediately to her waist when she was in view and he helped her through.

It was just as cold today as yesterday even though there was no wind. Basch picked up a nana hide and wrapped it around Penelo. He turned so his back faced her and squatted down. He felt one arm wrap around his neck and he eased his arm under her knee and hefted her onto his back. He had been right in his assumption; she barely weighed more than the hide.

He maneuvered and picked up the knapsack and the other hide. Penelo took the knapsack from him and he wrapped his hide about his front which Penelo secured with her arm. His other arm went under her other knee and the two began their trek to the refugee camp.

A lack of blowing snow made the journey far easier than the previous day. There were no fiends in sight and he could see the smoke from the camp clearly. Penelo contented herself by snuggling her face into his neck and Basch silently thanked the fates that she couldn't see the color of his face that could rival the very red of a galbana lily.

When they came in sight of the refugee camp, Basch nudged his head slightly and Penelo peeked up. They were greeted by their remaining party members who were just about to start a search party.

Basch eased Penelo down where she was immediately picked up by Vaan and spun around. He had managed to forget how close the two were and inwardly frowned. Perhaps the fates were not as kind as he had first thought. The boy let her go and Penelo wobbled unsteadily and would have fallen if Basch hadn't scooped her back up into his arms. Basch masked the emotion on his face as Vaan glared at him hotly.

"Her ankle is hurt," he stated plainly hoping they would mistake the red on his face for cold and not embarrassment, and Vaan's eyes went wide as he looked at Penelo.

"Why didn't you say something?" Vaan demanded of her as he inspected her ankle. "I would've stayed with you!"

"Vaan you would have frozen to death." Penelo rolled her eyes at him and kicked at him with her good foot.

"You shouldn't have been alone, I mean what if…" Vaan started as he furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.

"Vaan it's not your fault," Penelo said gently with a smile and Basch felt his heart constrict.

In the course of one night alone with her, Basch had managed to forget that the rest of the world existed. He had somehow forgotten the platinum haired, blue eyed, young man held her heart even if he didn't realize it yet. Basch's situation was now no different than the young lord's. He was smitten and knew deep down he was completely ruined all because of the young woman who saw peace in perseverance. The fates were not kind; they were cruel, very cruel.

Basch's musings were cut short as he heard her highness speak.

"Will you at least accept our apologies?" Princess Ashe asked softly.

"Only if we can go inside," Penelo quipped. "I'm cold."

Immediately the party led the way to the tent offered to them by the refugees. Basch walked with her cradled in his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder.

Once inside the tent Basch knelt down and placed her carefully on the ground. Her arms went about his neck and she hugged him tightly as his eyes went wide. He knew he would not be able to return her embrace without damaging his heart further and settled for a gentle pat on the back.

"I never did say thank you," she said gratefully.

He simply nodded his head and whispered so only she could hear, "Yes, you did."

He stood and made his way over to her highness and the young lord and he was briefed about their upcoming meeting with the High Kilteas. He would do his duty and guard his princess to ensure she could take back her throne, but he would also ensure that nothing happened to Penelo or Vaan. His honor demanded that much. But once this was all over, perhaps the fates would be more willing to contrive a happier ending for him; one where he got the girl in the end.