Sether: Hidden, Unseen: Results

Results:

Act 1

By the end of the meal their glasses were empty, their stomachs were full and they were more or less happy.

"…My dad cooks that bad. Mom says there must be something in the 'Jenova treaty' that forbids him to ever cook!"

Sether chuckled, shoulders going up and down with suppressed laughter.

"My father once mistook plaster for flour…"

Katai burst with laughter,

"Oh, I know that story! Dad never misses an opportunity to tell us that…!"

When they left the restaurant, it was mid afternoon.

The two spent the rest of the dusk walking around town.

They ate some ice cream, Katai bought some souvenirs, Sether was dragged into some more ladies clothes shops, and then dragged Katai into a shop he liked.

"A book store?! You like reading books?"

Sether seemed insulted,

"What's wrong with books, Ms. Makologist?"

Katai shook her head, picking a book from a shelf,

"Nothing, nothing. I just… Didn't think you're the reading type…"

"…I'm just one surprise after another, huh?" A hint of sadness crept into his voice, so he quickly said, "Aside from training, I like to read books. Now you know more about me. Happy?"

Katai put down the book. She clasped both hands beside her cheek and opened her eyes wide, making them sparkle in the artificial light of the store.

"Oh, yes! All my dreams are now reality! I can die in bliss where I stand! Can this moment last forever…? " She squeaked, fluttering her eye lashes and then bursting with laughter.

Sether shook his head at her insanity, but couldn't help himself but chuckle as well.

Sether bought himself a book and they continued down the same street they were on.

Katai sighed with content, stretching her hands over her head,

"So what now?"

It was already dark, but that didn't stop plenty of people from being out, in fact, the city seemed even livelier when the night-lights were on.

Sether felt overwhelmed again by the people and the lights.

"We get you packed."

She pouted, and then fluffed her hair,

"Cut it out, baka, I ain't goin' nowhere until we get those results."

"That reminds me-" Sether poked her forehead, "-Isn't it time we got those?"

Katai blinked at him a few minutes, not really understanding what he said. She was so used already to using that as an excuse, she forgot it was real. She glanced at her watch,

"Oh!"

She started running towards the hotel, Sether a step behind.

"Why are you so excited?" Sether huffed by her side.

"If you really got Jenova cells in ya, it could get really interesting for me…!"

Sether looked at her with worry,

"…Interesting…?"

"You know what I mean!" Katai shouted, doubling her speed. For Sether, her top speed was pretty slow, yet prevented him from asking further.

Halfway there drops of rain started falling. A few at first, but slowly harder.

Sether grabbed Katai from around her waist and flung her over his shoulder, dispite her cries of surprise. With one hand he kept her from falling, and with the other he kept his hat from flying with the wind. Sether doubled his speed.

He had promised her parents he'll take care of her, after all.

Sether was drenched while Katai experienced only slight dampness.

Act 2

They reached the hotel room, and Katai immediately rushed to her precious apparatus.

"I can win a prize if I discover anything new in the Jenova subject, you know?!" She was still panting as she started checking everything eagerly. Sether tried to peek over her shoulder, however, since he understood very little of what she was doing, he shrugged and headed towards the shower.

"Aah…" Katai sighed with disappointment, "It still needs another ten minutes…" She pouted and sat on the bed, clasping her hands between her legs and waiting.

She was about to call out to Sether when she heard the water start running.

"What are the results? Can you go home now?" She heard him call above the rush of the water. She came and leaned on the wall near the bathroom's door,

"Nope, ten more minutes. According to the results, I might need some more samples and tests, you know."

"No, you would need no such thing." He said, his voice stern, "You will check your toy and you will go home. I cannot let you be in any risk."

She scoffed. Then she thought he probably didn't hear her. Closing her eyes in irritation, she scoffed again,

"I'll choose where I go and what I do, thank you." Then she added, "Besides, with all your collapsing, I'd think you'd want me with you…!"

"…I desire no such thing." Katai could tell when he became annoyed, because he would start using his most 'fartiest' language.

There was a long pause, in which Katai just leaned there, listening to the water.

"…What are you doing now?" She asked, and chuckled as she heard Sether drop something. His voice was slightly panicked when he replied,

"That is n… none of your b…business!"

Katai laughed and turned her head at the door,

"What would happen if I would walk in right now?"

She heard some muffled noises, and could only imagine Sether's reaction at this.

"You would not dare…!" His voice was still frightened. Really, he could be such a little boy sometimes.

"Didn't you lock the door?"

"I… I thought you would be busy with your thing-a-bub, so I… forgot."

"Really," She smiled, "What are you doing?"

Sether could be heard shuffling things again. Katai gathered that he returned to place things he took to cover himself if she would have chosen to realize her threat. She laughed some more.

"If you must know," he said in a petty tone, "I'm putting hair conditioner."

Katai was silent a long moment, staring at the floor in a daydream, she then shook her head furiously, blushing heavily.

"Wha… Oh, Hair conditioner." She was smiling again, blush subsiding, "So that's why your hair's so fluffy…!"

He could be heard sighing in exasperation, "What's wrong with taking care of one's hair…?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just didn't expect a though-guy like you to be doing it."

Again he sighed,

"Even 'tough-guys' need to wash, or you'll only have stinky-tough-guys, and no one really wants that, do they?"

Katai laughed,

"Was that an attempt at humor?" He didn't answer. After a moment Katai was pouting again,

"I need to use the bathroom." She said and heard something fall again.

"You will have to wait!" He barked, "You are the one who chose this room- Live with it!"

Katai was a person used to having her way. So she opened the door and entered.

Indeed, he did not lock the door. Katai's fun was destroyed by the shower curtain, though, which was drawn.

She did her business there, and waited.

The water kept running a while then stopped. There were some noises.

"Are you coming out or what?" She asked, now leaning on the door from the inside.

There was a long pause.

His voice was very, very strained when he asked in return,

"Are you… Inside… the bathroom?"

"Yup!"

Katai could only imagine the amount of things that fell after her statement, but gathered that a considerable amount of them fell on Sether's tows by his reactions to the commotion.

He did not notice her enter the bathroom.

He sneezed, then said in a small voice,

"…Could you please pass me the towel…?"

A wet hand appeared from behind the curtain and pointed towards a heap beside Katai. Sether's clothes and towel rested there.

"Nope." She was smiling deviously, "You'll have to get out and take it yourself, I presume."

The pointing hand disappeared.

"I was afraid you would say that." He mumbled miserably.

Katai chuckled, how was he going to get out this one? She will give him his towel… eventually.

It was his turn to squirm a little for all the things he had put her through these two days.

"…If I were to ask you really nicely, would you give it to me?" he asked. Actually, he was getting pretty annoyed, but tried to suppress it at the moment until he was decent.

"You can try." She sweetly tilted her head, waiting for him to beg.

"Katai," he started, "Would you pretty please give me my towel?"

She considered this a moment until her smile widened,

"Nope!"

Sighing in final defeat, Sether opened the curtain and stepped out of the shower.

He stepped up to Katai, his face in annoyed defiance. He was but a foot from her.

Katai stared at him with wide eyes filled with surprise.

Water was dripping to a puddle by his feet. Their eyes met. One pair annoyed, the other shocked.

Taking his towel, he wrapped it firmly around his waist with a defiant swish.

"Do. Not. Annoy. Me." He hissed.

She stared at him a full minute, frozen in her place.

After a short while of this, Sether's face was getting very red with embarrassment.

He used the fact that she was totally out-of-it to grab her shoulders and shove her gently but firmly out of the bathroom.

He shut the door after her and was sure to lock it this time.

She stared into space a while after that, just gaping at somewhere in dreamland.

"Baka." She mumbled eventually, holding a hand to her forehead.

"…" Was his reply.

She shook her head and breathed deeply.

"Maybe that'll teach you not to annoy me." He muttered, still vexed.

"Actually," She was smiling again, "That was fun!"

She started laughing as she heard things fall again.

Act 3

The door of the bathroom flung open, and a Sether came out, still blushing up to his ears. He was wearing his pants now, though.

"You are the most annoying person I have ever met in my entire life!" He growled, taking a seat on the sofa and trying to put a shirt on his still damp body. The result was that he was tangled hopelessly in it.

Katai ignored him and went to check her apparatus.

The results were… Unbelievable.

She checked again.

And again.

Again.

The same.

Of course, this could mean only one thing…!

"…Oh… My… Holy…" She breathed, placing one delicate hand over her heart, to quite its furious beatings.

Slowly, her head turned to Sether.

Who was still struggling with his shirt. His hair was damp and clung to his back, even though his bangs defied gravity. Katai's thoughts were elsewhere as she looked at him, her expression was that of disbelief.

Finally he managed to unroll the shirt and wear it properly, not caring if it clung to him in its dampness.

He got up angrily,

"Listen, missy," He hissed, stepping up to her and holding his finger in front of her face, "I do not need your help, I do not need your annoyingness, I do not need you to distract me, understand?"

She blinked at him. In her distracted state, it took a moment for his words to sink in.

She too got up in irritation,

"I'm…" She gulped hard, "…just trying to help you, you jerk!"
"Help?!" He threw his hands in the air, "Help? You want to help me? Get yourself out of this mess, that will help me. Go back home and live your pacifistic life away from me, that will help me. Stop annoying me, that will help to no end!"

Her face getting red, she held her finger in front of his face,

"You've got no &*@ right to order me around! I can do whatever I &!#%$ want!"

He shook his head in agitation, bringing a hand to his forehead,

"No you don't, don't you get it? I promised your parents I'll protect you, that I did do, but I have things to do! I have goals and fights to fight, I can't just be your…" he waved his hands vaguely in the air, anger making finding the right words harder, "…your bloody plaything, here for your amusement!"

"Plaything?! I was just playing a prank on you, you jerk! You don't need to get all angry about it! I would have given you your &*#!@$ towel if-"

"That's not what I meant!" He barked, "You're playing with my heart- and I don't have bloody time for stupid games!"

She shook her head,

"What are you talking about?"

Again Sether held his finger in front of her face,

"I'm talking about you ruining my first kiss, that's what I'm talking about! About teasing me…! You're playing with my heart, and I want you to stop it!"

She stared at him, then slapped him,

"How dare you claim I kissed you? How ^&#%$ing dare you?!" She was shivering with anger.

He rolled his eyes,

"Yesterday, in the bar, you were drunk and you kissed me, you bloody idiot! Do I look like a toy that you can play with and throw aside? That you can tease and tease to no end?! I'm walking towards what might be my last fight, I have Sephiroth to deal with, my whole body hurts all the bloody time, Jenova's out to kill me, the Sephiroth clan is probably after me, my Dad's in a coma, I've never been in love before and all you're interested is playing around! I. Can't. Deal. With. That. Right. Now! I'm dying for a some peace and quite!"

"You are dying, jerk!" Her tears chocked her, "And I didn't kiss anyone since Ryuto died, you…!"

Her hand flew to slap him again, but this time he caught it half way and held her wrist. Something twitched in his face for less than a split-second. Katai gasped as between one blink and the other, his pupils became cat-like.

The look he gave her was far from nice.

It was much more scary than the one he had after the fight with the Rokadilo. Back then, he was still human-looking.

This was… Stone-cold and razor sharp…

In her fright, she yelped.

His pupils returned to normal with another blink, the terrifying look in them gone and replaced by fear.

"You… You're hurting me..!" She sobbed, trying to tug her hand from his grip.

He let her go and stumbled back,

"…What did you say?"

"I said you were hurting me..." She then realized the weight of her previous statement and added "T…The results… You… You're dying."

He blinked at her.

"…Ryuto…?" He mumbled, confusion and shock etched on his face,

"My first boyfriend. He died. I told you about him… Didn't I?"

Silence.

Katai stared at Sether. He kept backing away. His lower lip trembled, trying to form words. His eyes were lost in the sea of his distress, darting across the floor.

He could have killed her a moment ago; he was an inch from doing so.

Ryuto… She was… She was his girlfriend… And he…

Dying.

He was dying.

The collapses had a reason. The pain in his body. It was because he was ill. Terminally ill. It made sense, really… Jenova, she said it was so…

Dying…

Ryuto…

An accident… It was an accident…

He raised his head slowly to look at Katai.

She was looking at him with fear. Again.

He did not see the worry underneath.

After taking in a few more shallow, fast breaths, he left.

He didn't look back when she called his name.

He just walked and walked and walked.


Be sure to tell me what you think of this dramaric turn of events!
Don't miss the exciting next episode of Sether: Hidden, Unseen!

Next chapter: Ryuto (Soon)
LunarBlade@comicsfan.net