Disclaimer: Jak III and all characters in the game belong to Naughty Dog Inc., not me.

There was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Try as she might, the feelings were always there, even when he wasn't. The best she could do was cover up any outward appearance that might give her away when he was there. For starters, she might try to control her slightly panicked breathing at having him only 3 feet away from her. It sounds like a reasonable distance, but sometimes even a desert's width of space between them isn't enough to make her comfortable.

"...Seem? You okay?"

Concern. It's an emotion that does not make its way into his voice for anyone except his close friends. She supposes she should feel honored to be in that circle so near him. She does feel honored. But it is an extreme hassle at this moment, to be the person he's concerned about.

"I am fine, hero," she says plainly, careful to conceal the waver that was about to come at the last word she spoke. She dares not speak his name, and when she does she will say "Mar", not "Jak". "Jak" is too personal a word. It sends the most inexplicable rush of heat up her face.

"You don't look okay, though."

Now he's closer, giving her face such a thorough look-over that she almost backs away immediately. She thanks the Precursors furiously for the white face paint she wears that conceals every facial color change. "Orange Lightening" is rattling off about whatever he pleases on Jak's shoulder, but she doesn't have time for him because she's trying to conceal her flustered feeling as he dips his head lower and looks her in the eye. She looks down, trying badly to scowl and mumble "I am perfectly alright", but neither the scowl nor the words come because he is still studying her. She wishes he would stop. And then he stands straight up again, and she wishes he hadn't.

"Yup, just like I thought."

She jumps a little at this, not knowing what he means. "Huh?"

The strange look that Jak and Daxter exchange does not go unnoticed; an obvious product of her not so typical response. "You're a bit traumatized," Jak says simply.

She blinks a few times, then sets her expression back to its usual sternness. But a feeling in her eyes makes them hard to adjust; her eyelids feel heavy, and her face droopy. "What do you mean," she states rather than questions, making up for what she lacks in expression through her voice.

Jak crosses his arms, looking at her in a way that suggested he is about to state the obvious. "You're pupils are dilated, and you look like you've just attended a funeral. Seem, we just went into a camp of Marauders, and you used a gun for the first time in your life," he says, pointing plainly at the device in her hands.

She looks down at the gun numbly, and everything begins coming back. Yes, they had gone to a Marauder camp in hopes of finding a captured monk. It turned out that the Marauders who had captured the monk in the first place had traveled west for provisions. And in place of these Marauders was another group of them who were not altogether pleased at having their day interrupted by a head monk of the temple, a loud orange rat, and a green-haired man who just so happened to crash his Sand Shark through a series of Marauder tents.

Needless to say, they had had their hands full for a good 20 minutes, if not more.

His deep voice jar's her back to reality. "Not only that," he says, referring to the gun, "but you shot people for the first time today. You told me before that monks train with knives, but attacking with a knife is one thing. Attack with a gun is something entirely different."

Before she can speak, he takes the confounded piece of metal from her hand and walks over to the Sand Shark, tossing both their guns into the back seat before walking back to her. "Come on. We're going back to Spargus."

She wants to object, saying they should go after the other Marauders, but she realizes their trail has gone cold, that a sandstorm is coming from the east, and that his hand on her shoulder feels too secure to get away from as he leads her to the car.

Her mind blanks out on and off as they ride to Spargus. For once, she is not gripping the metal frame of the Sand Shark as he hopes over dunes and broken bridges, and he is not grinning wickedly as he does daring jumps. The fight had been a terrible one, and she wonders if this was what every fight Jak had ever gone through was like. She shivered at thought, glancing at him for a moment as if she'd find her answer by doing so.

She recalls that he'd told her the mission would be dangerous; there was a reason Sig had asked only him to go, no one else. But she said that it was her duty, not just as a head monk but also as the captured monk's friend, to go and rescue him. If she were the type to overthink actions, she would have interpreted Jak's hesitance as concern for her well-being on a more personal level. But she knew better. Though he was worried because she'd never been in the middle of a lot of action, the bottom line was that she had never killed anyone or handled a gun. And this was a mission that most definitely called for both. If she were to come, she would need to train in order to prove she could keep her head in action.

Monks did not learn a great deal of self-defense with man-weapons, as their usual defense was through eco-channeling. The only other things they used were knives, which at least gave her good aim. When she took up a gun, it surprised her that she wasn't too shabby. It almost scares her, even. But if this is what it takes to save her comrade, she will do it. The monks were changing with the times, and a comfort to her was that she would not be the first monk to take up a gun to defend someone.

...And the feeling she gets when he gives her a smirk and congratulates her is not half bad either.

"I'm sorry, Seem," he says over the engine, making a hard left and bringing her thoughts back once again. "I shouldn't have dragged you out for this."

"The fault is not yours, Mar," she says, carefully arranging her words to sound formal. "I was the one who asked."

He does not speak for a few moments because they both know it is true. And yet, as her friend (the word strikes painfully at her heart for a few moments), he would rather inform her of some other corner of the dilemma, as most friends would. The want to share the blame for any pain the other endures, because that's what it's like to be familiar with one another.

"Still, I know battle better than you. The least I could have done was told you that you weren't ready."

She can say much more, both to justify her actions as well as excuse him, but she says nothing more because she feels no need. A moment of the fight flashes back into her mind, and her stomach knots up violently. From nausea or tears she cannot tell, but she conceals her discomfort with the strongest resolve she can manage. She's had enough troubles for today and the last thing she needs is a worried Jak within proximity of her. A worried Jak was more difficult to deal with (and comprehend) than a concerned Jak.

When they get back to Spargus, she climbs out of the car numbly, and again he puts a hand on her shoulder and leads her to the door where a medic happens to be standing.

"This woman needs medical attention," he says, and Seem doesn't bother interpreting his words in any other way than what they are. "She's got a bit of trauma; a run-in with the Marauders out in the wasteland."

The medic nods once and indicates her kindly to follow him. She nods numbly, not responding when Jak says to the medic that he will be back later to see how she's doing. Before the door to the car hold closes, she hears the roar of the Sand Shark, and then the tearing of its tires against the sand. He's got unfinished business, and although she knows he's not going just because of her, she is glad that he is going at least somewhat because of her. It's her monk after all.

He does keep his promise to come and see her later. Although he has returned empty-handed and with a few scratches, he says that he's found a trail to follow that won't dissipate by morning, and he can afford to come back to Spargus for rest. They do not talk for long, nor do they talk about anything of consequence, but she can appreciate the visit.

The next day she wakes up early to send him off on his search. She will not be going this time, but she does have a small box of green eco to give him, should he run into any emergencies. She reassures herself that it is only out of common concern; it's her duty to keep after all of those she meets, because that it her job.

When she enters the car hold, she is surprised to find that Jak is not alone. He's fixing up his car with what appeared to be a teal-haired woman, both laughing every so often, most likely from some joke or amusing anecdote. Seem freezes in her walk, suddenly unaware of what she's supposed to do or why she's even down her with this stupid canister of green e –

"Seem!"

It is too late to run because the woman with teal hair, Keira, has come toward her with a smile.

"Hi! How are you doing? Jak told me about what had happened."

For a moment Seem felt angry at the young woman for various reasons she could not pinpoint immediately. But, she reminded herself that thinking like that was unfair. The young woman before her showed genuine concern and had always been a sweet girl to those around her.

She says that yes, she is well, and Keira smiles and says she's glad. It was really brave what Seem had done, she continues, stating that she's not sure she herself could have done such a thing.

It turns out that Keira had come to deliver a part for Jak's Sand Shark, which was mandatory if they were ever going to rescue that monk. The way the couple teases each other as they continue repairs is endearing, and Seem is unable to hide at least one smile when she observes how both the people before her are acting. But it makes her feel out of place all the same.

Before she has the chance to speak once again, Jak spots the canister in Seem's hands and asks what it is. She states, very matter-of-factly, that it is green eco for emergencies. He says he doesn't need it, although he clearly knows that she will say otherwise. She almost shoves the canister into his hands before turning heel and walking away, telling him that dying would be bad for his health. She tries her best not to make a memory of how his hands felt against her fingertips.

"Hey, Seem!"

She turns around again, offering him what she hopes is an even expression instead of a hopeful one.

"Thanks," he says, giving her a lopsided grin that has probably made many a girl swoon. She notes that the only time he smiles like this is when he is truly grateful.

Seem just bows and then leaves, and hears Jak say from behind her that this is just how she acts, an explanation most likely offered to Keira who is inexperienced in "the ways of Seem". It is somewhat...nice, that he knows her well enough to be able to explain who she is to another person. The rest of the way back to her room she wears a neutral face, but inside she smiles.

It is foolish that she should feel all of this, for she will never be his, and she is sure that these emotions will eventually pass to make room for who she needs to be. But for now, she can pretend she has something to offer him that he will accept, and can relish the warmth that echoes in her chest whenever he is near.

A/N: Wow, what have I done?

This really has nothing to do with canon (obviously), and is really no more than an experiment, but this was kind of based on that sort of "bad boy" phase most girls go through in their lives. Girl meets boy who acts unlike other respectable young man (rides fast vehicles, is a daredevil, has unruly hair, etc. whatever), girl develops an attraction, girl eventually gets over it.

I just found the concept of Seem going through this as a source of hilarity. Obviously it would come to nothing, and thus we have the one-sided affection!

...Seriously though. Jak's one of the most exciting things in her life, and is the source of getting to try something new, so there's a possibility that things wouldn't go over smoothly in Seem's head for some time.

And with that, I ask you to please ignore all the above and comment on how ridiculous this story was! At least tell me if it made you laugh. 8D

Thank you for wasting your time on this page of complete silliness.