Sether, Part 9: Difference
Difference:

Act 1

After an hour of asking around, Sether entered 'The Fat Idiot', and spotted the fat idiot he was looking for.

The bar was mostly crowded, filled with people from all over the world who had gathered in this city to celebrate the coming Holy Day. The place was brightly lit. A few dozen round tables encircled a heightened dancing stage. Several booths with connected cushioned chairs rimmed the establishment's walls. To the left of the entrance were the drinks and, inseparably, the barman.

Sether quickly spotted Katai in one of the side booths, happily tapping her feet to the rhythm of a Jukebox near the stage.

"Hi." He said in a neutral tone, testing the waters as he wondered what state of drunkenness he would find her in.

She looked up at him with a surprised expression, then smiled,

"Heya, Seth! I'm glad you came- come on!" She made room for him by her side. The tip of her nose was a tad red.

"Are you drunk yet?"

She shook her head,

"Not as much as I plan to be- What about you? Do you plan to get 'smashed'?"

He frowned at her pestering, but said,

"If you don't mind me joining. I would not mind a drink or two myself."

He ordered a large tequila for himself from the cute waitress that passed by.

"You don't seem like the kind that drinks…" Katai was definitely on the tipsy side of the world.

Sether grinned his lopsided grin,

"You do not really know me." He thanked the woman when she brought his drink, "Try not to drink too much, please…?"

She pouted, and then much to Sether's surprise, leaned her shoulder on his. The unexpected contact confused him, but he indulged her since she was drunk.

"Since you are returning to your family tomorrow, I would not like to face your parents' (especially your Father's) wrath when I return you with a hangover. He would… Hang me over."

"Lousy joke, Seth."

"I know, sorry."

"Ya think I'm some kind of furniture?" She suddenly burst, "'Returning' me to my owners??" Her face went all red.

He smiled,

"You may have the wit of one, but no- I simply do not wish to be mauled by the good Mr. Highwind."

She leaned closely to his face and asked,

"You afraid of my Dad?" She flourished her hair in a stuck up manner.

Sether simply nodded, "Certainly." He gulped in spite of himself, "He's the only man who can best my D-- Father in unarmed combat…!"

She pushed herself even closer, and Sether withdrew his head with fright.

Poking him in the chest repeatedly she shouted,

"You were gonna say 'Dad'! You were gonna say 'Dad'! You don't really talk all that farty stuff!"

"'Farty stuff'…?" He repeated meekly, his throat suddenly very dry. Some of the blond strands that dangled in front of her face tickled his cheek, and he could feel her breath on his face.

He gulped hard and noticed with some wonderment that his breaths were short.

She stayed like that a long while. Or, at least, it seemed to Sether like a long while.

Then she slumped back to her drink as if nothing happened.

She was more drunk than Sether imagined.

It frightened him.

"Why do you talk like a fart?" She inquired politely after they both downed another glass or two.

Sether was only slightly light headed (Although being very much bigger than Katai, alcohol works much faster on an empty stomach.), but Katai seemed very much in seventh heaven.

One thing that was certain, the drinks loosened both their tongues a great deal.

"I'm not very good with people." Sether nodded his head, taking another gulp of his third tequila, "Talking like this… always gives me a safe distance from the people I talk to." Then he added with while shaking his head, "I can't really help it."

He carefully lifted his hat and let his bangs out. It wasn't comfortable for him to press them down like that, and they might also get crumpled.

Crumpled bangs make a crumpled person.

He then realized that he himself was getting slightly more drunk than he had intended to.

Katai, in turn, did the next logical thing; she reached up and yanked his bangs hard.

This resulted in Sether's head being banged face first against the table. The glasses rattled.

He stayed that way a short while, listening to Katai's hysterical laughter.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself…" He mumbled, rubbing his nose, "Your parents are going to kill me if I return you with a hangover worse than what you're already going to have…!" He tried to grab her glass of beer, but she snatched it away and waved her hand,

"No biggy, I'll just return the day after tomorrow."

"But.. But.." Sether tried to snatch the glass again, "But.."

"In the meanwhile…" She suddenly smiled evilly, "I can have some fun…" Noticing her expression, Sether froze in his place- hand still stretched out for her drink. Again he gulped hard.

He must be imagining things. She was talking about shopping or… or… all that other 'girly fun' stuff he had heard about. He slowly withdrew his hand.

She was staring at him intensely, that vicious smile still on her pretty lips.

Don't think. Maybe you'll be saved.

He leaned back, mild panic etched on his face.

She leaned forward.

"K… Katai…" He stuttered, his racing heart beats so loud he could hardly hear himself, or the soft music, or the other people, "Please remember that you hate me… O… Okey?"

She kept leaning forward as he kept leaning back. Each inch he withdrew back he became more panicked.

Eventually Sether placed his hands behind his back and started edging away. Relentlessly, she continued to approach.

When Sether was at the edge of the connected chairs and leaning as far as he could from her, she gave up, mumbling "…Baka" And returning to her spot.

Sether straightened himself and wiped the sweat from his forehead,

"Phew-"

Of course, the attack came then.

Katai grabbed his cheeks, turned his head aggressively towards hers and kissed him passionately before he had time to react.

They remained thus a while.

Sether's eyes were open wide as far as they could, staring somewhere ahead blindly.

Then he blinked a couple of times.

Her lips felt hot against his, and that warmth was spreading from her lips to his, and from there to his entire body.

Looking around only with his eyes, he wondered how to react.

All in all, it felt… Good.

Then Katai broke the kiss as violently as it began.

That instant, Sether noticed that he was panting, for he had forgotten to breath.

"…Now your Dad is really going to kill me…" He said breathlessly, his eyes still wide, his expression that of a frightened child.

She didn't seem to hear him. Or if she did hear him, her response was to throw her hands around his neck and pulled him into another kiss.

This time it took him less time to react, and he grabbed Katai's shoulders and pushed her away. He would not take advantage of her drunken state. She would be angry enough in the morning as it is.

She struck him as particularly pretty at that moment, her eyes sparkled their morning- sky blue, and her hair flowed like gold over one shoulder. Sether shuddered and withdrew his hands from her shoulders, not trusting himself.

In loss for words or breath, Sether said nothing, stared at nothing and thought nothing.

What brought him back to reality were some loud wolf whistles and cheering noises. Darting his eyes to one corner, he spotted Sephiroth standing there, whistling and doing circular motions with his fist in a 'way to go' kind of way.

Sether was shocked, flabbergasted, surprised and shocked again.

He was certain that his face was redder than Katai's when he had refused to explain seeing Sephiroth to her.

After a while, as his senses fully returned and the black sparks disappeared from his vision, the first logical thought that buzzed through his head was:

"You're dead, Sether."

His heart was thumping, his ears were buzzing. What had she done to him? He had no time for these kind of things!

"CUTE!" A shriek pierced his ears. He found that Katai was cuddled against him, looking at his face with a smile.

"C… Cute?" He repeated, trying to regain some of his manly composer and failing miserably.

"I knew it!" Katai poked his chest, "I knew that beneath all that 'I'm-so-cool-and-can't-be-bothered-by-you-mortal' attitude there's a lot of insecurity!"

"What the Meteor are you talking about?" He demanded quietly, noting to himself that it is a fine mess he had gotten himself into.

"You can know a lot about a man through the way he kisses." She fingered his silver bang absently.

Sether frowned, still very much red,

"You have much experience in this??"

Why was his chest still pounding? Why was his throat so dry? And why did he feel like such a fool?

She shook her head, looking across the room with far away eyes,

"No. Only one boyfriend. Nothing serious. He died a few years ago."

"I am sorry to hear." He said automatically, "What happened?"

She looked away, scanning the room through her drunken haze,

"It was an accident. I never really heard the details. I couldn't bare to ask his parents, and nobody really wanted to talk about it."

Sether looked at her with thoughtful eyes. She wasn't really that stuck up girl he had with him only a day ago. She, as everybody, also had her burdens, past hurts and past secrets.

"Did anyone else you knew ever died?" He didn't think before asking, and was surprised when she answered,

"Yes. My little brother."

"What?" Sether drew back so he could look at her face.

"We were kids." She began, her eyes hard, "We were just playing in the back yard. Then a wolf pushed himself through the fence and… Just like that… It ate him. Hardly needed to chew; he was so small. His blood even reached me."

Sether stared at her. He totally didn't expect this.

"I saw it all, and was screaming my head off. That's what brought Mom and Dad."

A tear strolled down her cheek even though her face was calm,

"One blow with my Dad's spear and the wolf was dead, adding a lot of blood to the mess."

Sether frowned,

"That's why you're afraid of blood and monsters. I apologize."

He recalled her panic when her jacket was soiled. He had to unbutton it for her back then, she had been so hysterical.

"It's strange, really," Sether mused out loud, "The way every person deals with loss and blood differently."

She turned up at him, wiping her eyes,

"What do you mean?"

He snapped out of his brooding and frowned,

"Nothing. It matters not."

It was an accident.

They ate dinner there and left. Katai kept drinking while dinner. Sether knew that at least one of them had to be sober enough to make it back to the inn.

In fact, Katai turned out to be so drunk, Sether had to carry her on his back. Not to mention she was way too drunk to pay the bill.

Sether grumbled. He nearly stumbled again as Katai swung her hands wildly, singing a song.

She snatched his hat from his head and placed it on hers. It was slightly too big on her, and the effect amused Sether.

Sether's hair again flowed over his shoulders. Katai giggled pointlessly and buried her face in the mass of soft locks.

Some distance away, Sephiroth walked with them towards the inn. He said nothing to Sether, and Sether said nothing to him.

"…Did ya ever know…? That I had mine on yooooouuuu…!!!"

"What are you 'singing'?" Sether chuckled in spite of himself at her merry disposition.

"A song from a video game I played once. Called 'Penultimate Fantasy'."

Sether grinned,

"I used to like those games too."

She leaned over his shoulder to look at his face,

"You don't anymore?"

He shook his head, ignoring how his cheeks went red as he could feel her breath on his jaw,

"Not anymore- Be serious; Drawing magic? Espers? 'Atomic energy'? People riding on huge 'horses', which look like giant dogs? Give me a break. Those things are just to imaginative for me."

Katai nodded her head with understanding, but said,

"Ya, well, but its nice to get out of the ordinary world for a change." She watched a chocobo with some Materia pass the street.

Since it was almost midnight, there weren't many people out.

The two and a half people slowly made their way towards the hotel.

Act 2

Sephiroth then approached them, and Sether understood that he wanted to talk.

"Hi." He greeted his older brother. Katai gave him a surprised look before noticing the glowing green eyes.

"Kombanwa, otouto!" Good evening, little brother!

Sether sighed,

"What is it this time?"

Katai was staring intently at those glowing eyes, feeling that same freezing sensation.

Sephiroth smiled,

"Except the time being now, I wanted to talk to you about helping me."

Sether smiled, starting to walk again alongside Sephiroth,

"O- genki desu ka, boukei?" How are you, deceased older brother?

Sephiroth's smile widened with the nickname,

"Genki desu… More or less." I'm well… "How's your shoulder?"

Sether gave him a resentful glare,

"Fine, considering that I still have a hole through my flesh."

To Katai, to whom certain angles made the green eyes disappear, it seemed as though Sether was talking to himself.

"Gomene…" Sorry… He scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. Then he started,

"Got any ideas how to free me?"

Sether stumbled, very much surprised,

"Ideas? I thought that you'd just tell me what to do or something."

Sephiroth shook his head,

"You played too much 'Penultimate Fantasy', otouto. It doesn't work like that in real life."

Sether was worried, he thought Sephiroth would tell him something like 'go get that' or 'destroy this' and that would be it. He probably did play too much Penultimate Fantasy.

"What can I do then?"

Sephiroth shrugged,

"I don't know. All I know is that it has something to do with the fact that everybody hates me and I'm too dead to be alive and too alive to be dead."

"I don't hate you." Sether replied instantly.

Even though Katai understood that he said that to Sephiroth, she blinked in wonderment.

"Thank you. It means the world to me." Sephiroth sincerely said. Sether could swear he saw a tear in his brother's eye, but Sephiroth turned to look across the street before he could check.

Sether shrugged,

"I do not know how to help you. How can we make the world stop hating you?"

Sephiroth patted Sether's shoulder. His hand went through Katai and only stopped on Sether's back.

"I'm sure you'll think of something; you're much smarter than I ever was."

Sether chuckled bitterly,

"Ya, right. You know that I am nothing compared to The Great General Sephiroth."

Sephiroth drew back, giving Sether a look of 'you don't know better?'. He shook his head,

"No, Otouto, that's not true. You're much stronger and smarter than I ever was or ever will be- no matter how long I'll stay like this. You have something that I never had." Sephiroth withdrew his hand from Sether's shoulder, "You'll have to realize this on your own, I guess."

Sether lowered his head, a frown between his brows,

"What is it that I have, boukei?"

But Sephiroth was already gone.

"Dammit." Sether mumbled.

Katai was staring at him. It annoyed him,

"Stop it."

"You know what's really strange?" She asked. He wanted to say 'Beside my dead brother talking to me, and having strange headaches that make me pass out and that are growing stronger each day, and becoming too strong, and becoming too quick, and seeing Jenova…?' but kept silent.

"There're two Sethers!" She exclaimed. He rolled his eyes; she was probably seeing double.

"I mean," Here she leant over his left shoulder, looking at his profile with the silver bang, "like this, you're the Sad Sether. You're stiff and reticent and cold. From here," Here she leant her head over Sether's right shoulder, looking at his black bang, "you're a happier Sether. You tease and chuckle and annoy and smirk. What happened to make you this way?"

He raised his brows. She was a totally different person while drunk.

Was what she said true? In a way, Sether presumed, she was right; every time he tried to be happy and goof around he would remember his left hand… and Ryotu…, and then he just wanted to jump off the nearest cliff.

It was an accident.

She threw her hands tightly around Sether's neck, choking him with a hug,

"It doesn't matter since: from now on, I only wanna see the Happy Sether! He's much cuter!"

Sether chuckled, removing an arm from holding Katai to loosen her death-grip.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." He hushed her. It was non of her business, anyway.

Act 3

Until they reached the hotel Katai had already fallen asleep on Sether's shoulders. While Sether liked to stay late at night and sleep into the morning, Katai liked to sleep early and wake early.

He placed her gently in the bed and took off her shoes. After pulling her to the pillow, he carefully tucked her in. She was going to wake up feeling bad enough as it was, at least let her sleep well before.

Her words bothered him, though, and he walked up to the window and opened it, letting the night's chill air enter.

It was completely black outside. This window faced a building. Not even the stars were visible. It was like opening a window into a black hole. Not the lights of the room nor the moon was able to penetrate that dark cream. Sether felt himself being sucked into it and clutched the window sill to feel his legs still on the ground. He couldn't tare his eyes away from that darkness, though. It beckoned him with it's nothingness.

'Guilt doesn't exist here.' It seemed to whisper.

'Pain can't be found here.'

'Torment? What's that?'

'There are no nightmares here.'

…It was an accident…

It was an accident!

He felt surrounded by it as he stared into its depths.

…Third rate Sephiroth clone…

…zero…

…Insane…

In the last second did Sether snap out of his hallucinations to realize that he was loosing balance from a fourth story building. His body was dangerously leaning over nothingness. After some short panic, Sether was back in the room, panting hard and on his behind on the room floor.

The room spun around him and he felt his headache return.

Exhausted, Sether simply spread out on the floor and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly.

He had bad dreams. But that was nothing new.

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The next chapters will be here in a while, so this is your chance to tell me what you'd like to see, what you don't like and what you think about the story!
Please? If you like this story, it will help me keep it lovable, and if you don't like it, tell me, and maybe I could write better!
Talk to me, people!