Nicer LUNARBLADE Z. VALENTINE LUNARBLADE Z. VALENTINE 1 0 2001-11-07T10:41:00Z 2001-11-07T10:41:00Z 3 1594 9089 Mega Bored Inc. 75 18 11161 9.2720

Nicer

Act 1

She noticed that she was in the bed. She had been tucked in carefully. Katai slowly raised her head and noticed Sether on the couch, flipping channels on the Television with 'Mute' on.

She stared at his profile a long moment. He was frowning deeply.

He was older than Seth-kun, and his hair was longer. His eyes were narrowed compared to those he had in the pond of her vision.

She opened her mouth to speak, but could think of nothing to say to him.

She had no idea that his story was like this. She hadn't a clue that behind that mask of apathy was all this pain. She didn't dream that he would be so beautiful on the inside.

…Not that she thought he was beautiful, Holy forbid, but…

"I really cannot watch Television while you are staring at me like that." His tone was tired and had much sadness in it. He tuned his head to look at her, his face neutral and his eyes hurt.

Katai opened and closed her mouth some more times, but still didn't know what to say.

"I guess… I'll have to tell you about Ryuto…" He mumbled miserably.

Katai sat up,

"You don't need to, it's okay." She shook her head. He gave her a genuinely surprised look.

"Did… Did Sephiroth show-"

"No." She lied. She didn't know why, but she just felt that Sether wouldn't like to know that she saw… "You don't need to," She repeated, "Whatever you did, I'm sure it wasn't your fault. You're not Sephiroth, right? So I guess no matter what you did, it can't be that terrible." Her words sounded awkward even to herself, and she wondered if Sether believed her or not.

He returned back to the TV and continued to switch channels. Katai got out of the bed, deep in thought and frowning. She had no idea how to take his reaction. Should she even be surprised that he reacted with apathy? It was Sether she was talking about here…

"Aah…!" Sether suddenly straitened up in the couch, expression changing to alarm.

Katai was still brooding, and ignored him.

"Aah!" Sether raised the volume of the Television, but still Katai would not listen.

"Katai!" He called, pointing at the Television.

Not really concentrating, she sat on the couch beside him and watched the flashing screen. Slowly the visions sunk in and her eyes grew increasingly wider,

"Aah!" She yelped, "That's…! That's…!"

After exchanging a worried glance, both of them looked back at the screen, raising the volume some more.

A reporter was standing and shouting from amidst much rubble, civilians, rescue teams and firefighters scuttled panicky in the background.

"…We continue our report of the destruction in Rocket City! For those of you who just tuned in, we are standing beside what remains of the Captain's house! As a third of the city was destroyed, the rescue teams are now struggling to find survivors of those who did not evacuate!"

Katai covered her mouth with her hands, eyes filling with tears at the sight of the wreckage. Sether's alarmed look was darting from Katai to the screen, not knowing if he should be more worried about the report or Katai. The reporter continued relentlessly,

"As we assured before; Emerald had been seen coming, and an all-out evacuation has taken place yesterday morning. However, the Captain and his family are missing, and the rescue team is searching for survivors or bodies as we speak…!"

"This is ridiculous…" Sether shook his head with disbelief, "Too much…" He swallowed hard, "Too much is happening too fast…!"

The screen changed to a map of the area,

"As you can see," The reporter said, "Emerald had got straight through the city's core." A red line appeared from the east and pierced the city, "Experts assume that the Weapon's intention was not destruction, but rather it is attempting to cross the continent." The diagram showed another line of Weapon's presumed course, showing the estimated course from its current location; a bit after Rocket City, through the mountains and to the other shore. They also showed the path it has already walked, coming from the sea near Gongaga, it trudged near Cosmo Canyon and toppled a peak or two near Nibelheim. The screen returned to showing the wreckage and the reporter, "We were following it as it grazed Gongaga three days ago, and therefore were able to warn the good people of Rocket Town! However, we will trust the scientists who support the cross continent theory from here on, since the rocky terrain ahead prevents our crews from moving farther! We will be awaiting him on the other side of the mountains to keep following it! Stay tuned! Now! A word from our sponsors!"

Sether pressed the Mute button and turned to see how Katai was doing.

She was crying, obviously.

"They might be okay. They probably evacuated." Sether quietly said, thinking about the kind Highwinds.

"Shut up…" She sobbed.

Her quiet sobs were the only sound as both of them sat on the couch.

Sether didn't know what to say to make her feel better. There was nothing you could say in situations like this.

"I…" Katai rose from the sofa, not looking at Sether, "I think I'll go for a walk."

Sether nodded,

"Be careful." He said in a solemn voice.

"I… I need to… Think… About things…" She took her white trenchcoat from its hanger and closed the door silently after her.

Sether sighed and realized that it was up to him to change his own bandages.

"What a week…" He sighed, starting to unwrap his gauze from around his chest.

Act 2

Katai kicked pebbles out of her way as she sauntered through the city streets.

"What a week…" She sighed.

'They might be okay…'

That's right, they might still be alive! They probably evacuated to somewhere and didn't tell anyone, that's all! She had to believe that they were still alive.

It would just be too cruel if… If…

If they died, she'll have no one in the world except Sether.

'Funny.' She wondered, 'when did I start thinking about him this way?'

Him.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought of him. Poor thing.

He was having a hard time too, she realized. He was dying. Dying a slow death.

He also is Sephiroth's brother, the killer of her former boyfriend and he almost killed her.

Still all Katai felt for him was just…

Ever after she knew all these terrible facts, she still just…

Seeing Ryuto again hurt. Hurt bad.

She almost forgot how much she missed him.

It was easier to think of him than it was to think of her parents, though.

As she dwelled on Ryuto, she started remembering all sorts of things he said,

'If I don't wash the dishes good, someone might get sick.'

'If you kick the ball too hard, it might hit someone.'

'Even if all you do is good deeds, it's still might be bad if the one you help feels bad about it…'

'If you're too nice, if you're too… too… kind and heroic, it might be hard on your friends.'

Katai's eyes widened as she remembered that sentence. He had said it one day after she had told him that she wouldn't mind helping him with his homework again. She was always trying her best to help him. Ryuto was always a busy boy around the house. He always had to clear dishes or do the laundry or help Sakura with one thing or another.

Her eyes widened some more as something in the back of her mind did the logic.

It was very hard for her to understand why had driven Ryuto to act so mean. Now it all made sense.

Ryuto hated what Sether was.

Katai noticed that thing about Sether too, although she saw it as a positive thing:

Sether had a compulsive need to help others. It wasn't something he was aware of, probably, but he could never see someone in need and not help.

Katai tapped her chin, now looking at the cloudy sky above. The wind flapped her trenchcoat around her feet as she recalled her psychology lessons.

Sether's behavior might come from a need to prove himself to himself or to others. At some further thought, it might be to prove himself to his parents, who have suffered much from Sephiroth's evil ways. It might be something genetic, but Katai couldn't really confirm that until she would meet Mr. Valentine.

Sether would sacrifice himself before others in a heartbeat. He was the type of guy who would take a bullet for you just because he thought he deserved to suffer. Even before the whole incident.

Ryuto couldn't stand Sether being always the better man; the one to jump into ice water without thought, the one to stand up against the bullies, the faster, kinder, taller, handsomer, stronger man…

Katai, too- she had to admit- she, too, wanted to find flaws in him. Find something that made him more human. That was before… Now she knew some of his various flaws…

His mask of apathy and 'coolness' was almost always perfect…

She knew Ryuto, and she knew that he was… Well… He used to be a little weak willed… Not in a bad way, no. He just didn't like confrontations much. Not when he was alone, anyway. Ryuto always thought he was worthless, weak and dumb. Katai thought that he was just being a teenager, and having problems with self-esteem is a part of being one.

Someone like the 'mighty' Sether would be a good friend, as well as a hated proof of Ryuto's own limitations. Sether; always happy to help, always the first to be there when it gets tough, always there to 'save the day'.

She assumed that the moment Sether was out of the picture, Ryuto was easy pry to the bullies. And he probably grew more popular by hanging out with them and not with the 'freak'.

Sether, with his Sephiroth-esque look was not popular, she saw. Sure, his kind nature makes it impossible not to like him, but popularity is something else entirely… And it was especially important to Ryuto, who always sought acceptance…

Her mom got so angry when she called Sether a freak… She…

Katai started sobbing again.

Suddenly feeling unbearably lonely, she turned around and started quickly towards the inn.

She felt like she would just die of loneliness where she stood, and well… She would be with someone even if it had to be Sether.

Besides… Maybe…

She should just try a little harder…

To…

Be nicer to him?

Act 3

Sether was in pain. He had spread himself on the bed and tried to nap a little, but the pain wouldn't let him.

His whole body hurt, and he wasn't happy. The events of the last few days passing through his head without any real order.

He had a vague plan; Go around and look for someone who doesn't hate Sephiroth until he drops dead.

Good plan:

Precise.

He grunted out a pained sound when as he moved to a better position. His dad, with all respect, was beyond his reach to help. Sether had set out on this stupid thing in the first place just because he couldn't stand being at home without his father around. He had to give his anger an outlet.

As the clock ticked, cutting with each second a piece from Sether's life, Sether had gotten pretty much convinced that Katai took the opportunity to run away.

Sighing in defeat, he got up from the bed. The pain in his heart and his body was too much for him to take lying down;

He dragged himself into the shower.

One promise he made to himself, and to Sephiroth;

If from some twisted turn of fate, she return to him, he…

He would…

Try and treat her nicer…


Hey, tell me what you think, eh?
You're welcomed to visit my site anytime and to look at some of the fanart I drew of Sether and Katai. ^_^ Thanks for reading my stuff- more is soon to come!