Sether: Hidden, Unseen; Changes

Changes

Act 1

The way back to the hotel was painstakingly slow.

Katai encouraged Sether on, while he acted as a zombie; letting her lead him with no signs of consciousness beside his open eyes and leg movement.

He would loose balance many times, and if not for Katai, would simply fall like a rock to the ground.

"…Seth… Try to stay up…!" she huffed. His weight was relatively crushing, because, although being very lean, he was also very muscular.

This strange slalom continued for another few blocks.

Sether's eyes were constantly cast downwards. His face showed no emotion, no recognition of his surroundings.

What frightened Katai the most right now were not the hurts or wounds he had all across his body, but those eyes of his.

Usually, when he was not on the verge of exploding or scorning her, his eyes would be infinitely sad. There was always tenderness in them, a hidden spark that tried to shine through some deep pain. They were always shining that wonderful light when he looked at her.

His eyes now were… Dead.

Katai found herself more frightened at this than from the cat-like slits of before.

He almost tripped again, and she tried her best to keep him standing,

"Come on, Seth… It's not far now…! Only a few more steps, now…"

She was saying that for the last few blocks.

It seemed to keep him walking.

Fighting back her welling tears, she used her entire petit weight to balance him from falling away from her again.

At this point it started raining. The tiny drops were apparently all that was needed to break Sether's will to continue; He stopped.

"Ah!"

Sether began to slowly grow heavier along with the rain, and Katai realized just how much of his own weight he was supporting until now in his battered state. Now, however, he gave up, and Katai could not even begin to support him.

He plopped to a sitting position on his knees, and moved no farther.

"Seth!" tried to pull him up to no avail, "Seth! Get… Get up! We're really close!" She kneeled beside him, and pointed, "See? The hotel's just over there…! Come on, you can do it!"

He didn't reply, didn't react, hardly even blinked. Water dripped from his dirty bangs and trickled down his chin. It washed some of the blood from his limbs.

Katai again swallowed her tears and settled in front of him. She sighed heavily, looking at him with sorrow in her blue eyes,

"… S… Sorry." She muttered finally, "…About what I said before." She seemed too distraught to be embarrassed.

No reply.

The rain chased away all the people, so Katai and Sether were relatively safe as they sat in the rain.

She gave his face a long look, then, much Sether's surprise, licked her already drenched thumb and started cleaning his cheeks. Sether was slightly startled by this.

Katai grabbed his jaw with her other hand so he wouldn't move.

"There…" She was cleaning him up in the pouring rain, "You… Ahh… You had some dirt on your face…" She blushed slightly.

He actually smiled at her. A smile that had such an innocent sweetness in it. The light in his eyes returned somewhat, filling with all that hurt again.

Unable to hold on any longer, Katai burst into a terrible crying fit. She hurled herself at Sether, hugging him as tight as she could and wailed over his shoulder.

He, obviously, did not expect this and stayed static a long moment.

"…Why…" He uttered finally. Katai suppressed herself slightly so she could hear him. "…Are you crying…?"

His voice was soft and whispered.

Katai was crying her eyes out, but was considerate enough not to yell in his ear,

"…I'm sorry…" She sobbed, "…About everything…! About the way I treated you and those people… Those…"

"…It wasn't your fault. It was mine."

Katai shook her head into his shoulder, breathing erratically,

"No… Nonononono… Those people were so cruel… How could they be so…"

Sether straightened himself slightly, suspecting the true reason behind her distress,

"You… Didn't think people could do that." It wasn't a question. She cried harder, trying to muffle her cries with his shoulder. He continued in that steady and tender tone of his,

"…It is against what you believe, isn't it…?"

Her forehead still pressed against him, she sobbed,

"I never believed people are so cruel! I don't want things to be like this!" She renewed her hold of him, and cried some more.

Sether could think of nothing to do, so he did nothing but let her take out her anguish on his poor shoulder.

It wasn't like it was dry before.

"Why did you come…?" He asked in a weak voice after she seemed to calm down. Katai repressed her distress, not knowing what he meant. He continued,

"I… Could have killed you at the hotel, you should know. I can kill you at any given moment… I'm… I…" The pain in his voice was so strong; Katai felt it reaching all the way to her. She forced her voice to calm as she replied,

"…But you didn't."

He gave her a surprised look.

"You didn't. I'm sure you could- I believe you- but you didn't, so I'm sure that at any given moment you won't."

She couldn't repress some more sobs. Sether felt sorry for her; living her life in pacifism, only to have it all tore away by some stupid people.

…Because of him.

Funny, huh? He ran away from the hotel to save her physically, only to cause the death of what she believed people were like. He had to help somehow…

"People aren't always like that. Not all the time and not all of them, only when they are afraid. Humans lash out at what they fear, driving it away or killing it. That is their way to fight for what they hold dear; their lives."

She hesitantly glanced up at Sether, finding him looking right back at her at zero distance. His eyes were serious and calm. He continued softly,

"Most people are weak as individuals, that's why they seek communities and relationships. When something frightening strikes, the only way a physically or mentally weak people can cope with that is to form a group… an army… and so they find strength in numbers and can preserve themselves."

She drew away.

"I'm… Sorry…" She started to wipe her tears away, breathing between upset hiccups.

He smiled at her,

"Are you okay now?"

She half laughed- half sobbed, feeling quite embarrassed with her latest scene,

"…Ya…" She then looked him over, "You're asking me? I should be asking you!!"

His smile remained as he said,

"I guess I deserved it."

Katai got up to her shaky legs,

"Don't say dreadful things like that! They were pretty close to killing you! Lets get you to the hotel- I got to take care of those wounds of yours before they finish the job…"

"You'll have to help me up." He said in a dejected tone, smile fading, "I… Don't think I can… by myself."

He accepted the hand she offered him to help him up.

Forgetting that he was twice her weight; instead of Katai helping Sether up, she fell right onto him.

Muttering something about not slapping already beaten-up people and blushing to her ears, she got up from his lap, ignored his lopsided, if somewhat pained, grin, and they tried again.

They managed to get him to his feet eventually.

Act 2

Sephiroth watched them go by with sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said with a voice full of pain, though he knew Sether was too far to hear.

He sighed heavily. He was dead, and so could not help his little brother when he needed him the most. He couldn't even protect his little brother when the later was beaten because of him.

He looked up to the sky, and saw lightning and heard thunder. The current wash was only a prologue for the storm to come.

It would start any moment now.

"The time is now." He said, but was so depressed; he found little comfort in the phrase.

When the storm started at full might, Sether and Katai were only a few steps from the hotel.

Katai gave a start and then produced her Store materia, Sether's arm still around her shoulders. From it she took out Sether's trenchcoat and hat. She gave them to him, but he didn't seem to have enough strength to do something about it.

She draped the coat around his shoulders carefully, and tried to place his hat on him as well, but he shook his head.

She plopped it on her own head instead, only to discover that it's dreadfully big on her- she had to pull it back a mile to actually see something. A look at Sether revealed that he was vaguely amused by this.

Katai also noticed with some wonder that although it was raining very hard now, very few drops reached them.

Sether, with what little strength he had remaining in him, raised his throbbing head to see Sephiroth beside them, holding that revolver with a blade above Sether and Katai's head as an umbrella. Sether gave his older, deceased brother a smile before passing out on the doorstep of the inn.

Sether woke up in their inn's room, in the bed. He was just laying on the sheets, his legs sticking over the end of the bed and the pillow a short distance yet above his head.

"Now you wake up?" Katai's voice was surprisingly lacking its usual sting. Her previous tears and current concern were obvious in it even to the groggy and-mostly-out-of-it Sether.

"…?" He struggled to get his two eyes to open at the same time. He then noticed that Katai was taking off his shoes. He concluded that she had dragged him all the way here, and only now dropped him on the bed.

"Couldn't wake up a little sooner, huh?" She sighed with much sadness even if her tone tried to be light, "Good thing no-one was at the reception…"

Even though he tried, he could not move a muscle. Not a limb agreed to cooperate with his brain. He gave up after two tries to lift his arm and just stared at the ceiling.

"Why are you still here…?" He breathed out, his head was pounding and his whole body throbbed with immense pain.

"You think I'll leave you alone in a time like this, you baka?! What kind of woman do you think I am?"

"Stubborn." He smiled his crooked smile. She actually smiled at this and managed to peel off his right shoe.

She looked at his left one, scratching the back of her head,

"How do you manage to tie these things? They're so heavy… Almost military like…"

Sether inhaled and exhaled heavily, trying his best to stay conscious,

"…They were Sephiroth's." Katai stared at him a moment with amazement before shaking her head and starting on the left shoe.

"You're half dead, you know." She shook her head and pushed her wet hair from her face, "Slashes and bruises all over your body, possibility for internal bleedings, your left arm is fractured, I think. Blood loss…" She sighed again, "The only place that's not hurt is your face." Here her worried smile widened, "But it's hard to tell if it was hit and your general ugliness just hides it or not…"

The left shoe came off without stirring his leg too much. She didn't want to aggravate his situation.

Poor thing.

He was silent a long moment. Just blinking at the ceiling and trying to breath properly.

Katai came by his side with a deeply troubled expression,

"How are you feeling?" She pressed her backhand to his cheek lightly, then his forehead, "Where does it hurt the most…?" Her voice was soft.

Sether opened his mouth, but it took a few moments until voice actually came out,

"…My head." If he could have moved at all, he would be in a miserable ball on the floor, whimpering with pain and clutching his head. Fortunately for him, his near lethal injuries prevented him from making a fool of himself. He chuckled with the thought and passed out again.

Act 3

Sether was surprised to see that he wasn't in that place with no place in it again. Instead, he was inside his Mother's waterfall. Actually, it wasn't really her waterfall; she never bought the property, but everyone who knew about the place considered it 'Lucrecia's waterfall' and stayed away.

It was different than he remembered it… Emptier, sadder.

The mental him looked around, trying to understand why his dreams would take him there. Then he spotted Sephiroth.

Sephiroth was wearing the gear people learned to associate with him; the black leather one, only he was wearing Sether's trenchcoat.

"I thought Jenova wanted to kick me around too," Sether tilted his head, feigning disappointment, "Everyone seems to want to do that, lately." He shrugged, "Not that I blame them."

Sephiroth shook his head. His eyes were sad, and without their usual insane glint,

"Jenova's missing." Sether gave him a surprised look. Sephiroth continued, "When you rejected her, she had to look for a new host. When dad killed her physical form, she had to find new hosts all the time. People who had Jenova cells in them."

"So where is she now?" Sether was slightly worried, "Who is her host now?"

Sephiroth shrugged,

"I have nooo idea. But that's not why I called you here."

"Then why did you?"

Sephiroth raised his arms, indicating the cave around them, "This is where you and I were conceived, did you know?"

Sether smiled his lopsided grin, "Yes. This is our parents' favorite place in the world. They wanted to live here after they met again." Sether continued in a musing tone, looking around, "But they wanted me to grow up around people…" There was some resentment in his voice, "I don't like people any better now. And I don't think they like me any better either."

Sephiroth smiled, "You… Should let Katai help you, you know."

Sether raised his brows with slight surprise,

"There is no reason for me to take her along. Neither do I want her help, nor do I want her to get killed on my account."

Sephiroth laughed. For every normal human who heard it when he lived, there was only evilness in that laugh, but Sether knew to detect the undertones. He knew Sephiroth just laughed like that, it wasn't that he was really evil.

Not anymore, anyway.

"What's so funny?" He crossed his hands over his chest, and tapped his foot.

"Nothing… Nothing…" The dead demi-god wiped his tears of laughter from his eyes, "Everybody knows you're in love with her, except her." At Sether's shocked expression, Sephiroth's smile widened, "Maybe you don't know it yet, either."

Sether's face turned bright red,

"Just because a woman and a man travel together doesn't mean that they're in any romantic relationship! I can't… I mean, I'm not… We're not…She isn't…!"

This just caused Sephiroth to start laughing again.

"Just let her help you, okay? She can help, no matter what you think. And do you think she, the daughter of Cid Highwind, would really care for a few near death experiences?"

Sether was still pretty flustered when he replied,

"It's the 'death' part that bothers me…" Then he grew sadder, "I don't want… Any more blood on my hands…"

Sephiroth was silent a few moments after that, looking at his younger brother with compassionate eyes. Then he thought of changing the subject,

"Is it really comfortable for you to wear my trenchcoat without the cross on the chest or the shoulder shields? I find it annoying."

Sether looked up from his brooding, giving Sephiroth his lopsided grin again,

"You go around naked, what do you care what I do with your clothes? Besides, you know that those are the only ones who fit me properly."

Here Sephiroth fidgeted uncomfortably in his spot,

"I know this is probably a bad time to be saying this…"

Sether narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. What now?

"…But…?"

"But I found a way for me to be released."

Sether gave him a surprised look, "Really?"

His older brother nodded happily,

"Yes…! This really nice person suggested it- Man, did she have a body…!" Sephiroth's face got a far off, dreamy look, "She was just my type, you know? Long silver hair, cool make up, a knack for poetry…"

Sether blinked at his brother several times, not really knowing what to say.

"But then I discovered she was actually a he with tail and more complexes than me when I was alive!"

Sether rubbed his temples to sooth his nerves, even though his nerves were with his body, and his body wasn't really here.

"…How can you find peace, boukei…?" Sether's voice was tired.

His 'boukei' snapped out of his dreamy nostalgia of other dimensions' females and smiled widely at the younger man in front of him,

"Remember how Aeris activated the White materia?"

Sether nodded,

"A spirit wanting to use the White materia had to reach the planet and ask it."

Here Sephiroth nodded,

"So that's what has to happen with me."

"Does Aeris have to die again?"

"No…! Someone that knows what I did, but doesn't hate me for it even the least must reach Aeris, who is the representative of the planet's will, and ask her nicely to release me."

Sether scratched his chin thoughtfully,

"I'm not sure I know anyone who both knows what you did and doesn't resent you a little bit… Do you?"

Sephiroth grew sad,

"No… I was hoping you would know someone…"

Sether saw how sad it made Sephiroth and said,

"Don't worry!" He tried to put as much confidence as he could into the sentence, "I'm sure I'll come up with someone! I'm sure there's someone out there who doesn't hate you!"

Sephiroth was smiling again, and prepared to leave,

"Remember what I said, eh, Otouto? You should trust her more and be nicer to her- you'd be surprised to see that she'll be nicer too."

Sether scoffed, his cheeks getting that red shade again,

"I doubt she'll ever be vaguely civil…" He then remembered her gentle voice… Her caring hand on his cheek… "…But I'll try to be nicer to her… For you."

He looked up to see Sephiroth smiling approvingly. The last thought he had before everything turned black and he woke up was; 'Man, these are the worst three days I had in my life, and I have a feeling it's just starting.'

He would probably start crying if he knew just how right he was.