Disclaimer: I do not own anything Noblesse related. I only own the original character(s).
-The One Time-
"Frankenstein."
"Yes, Master."
"Why did you take this woman in?"
"I...cannot leave her being the witness to the massacre at the hospital. She was the only survivor."
"She...escaped?"
"Yes. She was outside on the roof running away from the culprit. I had caught her after she fell off."
"That is why she is here...The woman is nice to me and the others."
"You do not mind her staying here?"
"No. She is good company."
"Thank you, Master."
Seikatsu was pushing a grocery cart as she was in the produce aisle of the store. She had a list in one hand. Principal Lee and Rai follows her from behind. "Master. This is a place where people purchase food such as vegetables, fruit, and more." Principal Lee explains as they continue to walk. Seikatsu stops by the apples. She grabs a few plastic bags from the small rack. Seikatsu then begins to weigh and feel for the ripeness in the apples using her hand.
"What are you doing Seikatsu?" Rai asks as he watches her carefully. "I am seeing which ones are ripe for us to eat," Seikatsu explains as she stared at the green apples. She places the fruit into the plastic bag. "May...I help?" Rai asks. Seikatsu looks at him. She nods and Rai grabs a random apple from the pile. "What do you think?" She asks. Rai carefully observes the apple as he grasps it. A small smile forms across his lips. "...Yes." He answers as he places the apple in the plastic bag.
"Good! Let's try it out with the other produce." Seikatsu said with a smile. "...Please lead the way." Rai said.
"She's the witness. She was there." A man spoke as he stood on the rooftop of a tall building. He wore a black coat and his gray eyes matched his hair. "Jake complained about some human escaping. Though, IT got wounded by her." The man said. "She's only human. How did she survive that fall?" The taller bald man questions. "I don't know." The other man said as he turns away, "If they find out she survived, Jake will have her head."
Later that evening, Seikatsu was standing outside on the balcony from her bedroom. She stared at the stars until a knock came to her door. "Come in." She said. There was a long moment of silence as Seikatsu was able to guess who it was. "He doesn't know how to open a door. Oh, balls..." She thought before she walks back into her bedroom. Seikatsu opens the door. "Yes, Rai?" Seikatsu addressed him. Rai did not budge and Seikatsu sighs. "Come in." She says inviting him to step into her room.
Rai walks in and he looks around. "Thank you for preparing the meal. It was...good. Can you cook again tomorrow?" Rai spoke. Seikatsu was surprised to hear him say that. She chuckles and nods, "Sure. I will try teaching you new things as much as I can." "You...are different. I will protect you." Rai said as he kept his attention on the human woman. "I can accept that offer." Seikatsu did not expect Rai to do so much since he was unknown to almost everything. He still struggles to try to open a door. "If I may his name really Frankenstein?" Seikatsu asks out of curiosity.
"Yes." Rai answers. "Heh, I'll call him Frank or Franky. I think I will do that...what is your real name?" Seikatsu asks another question. "Cadis Etrama Di Raizel..." Rai answers. "Shit..." She thought. "I'll stick to calling you, Rai. Your name is a mouthful..." Seikatsu said with a nervous chuckle. "You can call me whatever you wish. Frankenstein saved you the other day...May you please tell me what happened?" Rai said wanting to know how this woman got involved.
Seikatsu walks over to her bed and sat down. She looks down at the floor. "I was visiting the hospital. My parents were there to help the doctors. That is when a group of people casually strolled in and the third one...that bastard attacked everyone. My father sensed something was going to happen so he guided my mother and me through the emergency stairs...That beast caught up to him then my mother. I was about to die after he caught me off guard and found me on the roof. Frankenstein caught me once I fell off the roof. I owe him my gratitude." Seikatsu explains her situation.
She could not tell him that she was able to fight the monster off. The woman was a mere human. Nothing special. Her parents were researchers and now they are dead. "You are interesting. You aren't weak." Rai spoke cutting off the woman's trail of thought. "You... are not useless." "Damn, you can read my thoughts too. I think I can believe you. Thank you." Seikatsu felt a hand touch her cheek. She looks up to see Rai staring at her. The two fell silent until Seikatsu realizes how close Rai was to her.
She slowly pulls away and smiles. "We should get some rest." She said with a soft yawn. "I...donot sleep," Rai said. "You should try. It's pretty comfortable." Seikatsu laughs and shakes her head. "Hm...I will try." Rai says before he excuses himself. When he reaches the doorway, Rai turns around to face the young woman. He gives Seikatsu a gentle smile, "Sleep well." Seikatsu nods and she is left alone in the bedroom.
"Okay, he is sort of cute as those girls say. Oh, balls...I'm too old for this."
"I can't believe it." Seikatsu thought as she stares at her textbook. The principal of the high school had saved her and this morning, she had seen him shirtless in his own bedroom. Seikatsu was trying to find Rai and ended up seeing Frankenstein half naked. The car ride was silent and awkward. Seikatsu could not look Frankenstein in the eye.
Not today. She was a grown woman, but to see her so-called "boss" shirtless in the house was just uncomfortable. Mr. Park continues to speak as he read from the textbook. Shinwoo had noticed Seikatsu staring at her textbook. She looked as if she was in a daze. "Hey, Seikatsu...psst," Shinwoo whispers trying to catch her attention. Ikhan and Yuna notice Shinwoo.
Rai stares out the window. Seikatsu could not hear Shinwoo and the boy could only whisper louder. "She looks like she's reading Shinwoo. Maybe you should leave her alone." Ikhan whispers. "No way. She hasn't blinked once." Shinwoo sighs. He suspected something wrong. "Oh come on, she's not sleeping with her eyes open," Ikhan said in a low voice.
"Maybe we should take her somewhere after the day is over..." Shinwoo suggests. "Like what? We don't even know where Seikatsu would like to go." Ikhan whispers. Shinwoo cheerfully grins, "An arcade."
Yuna overhears the two boys have a conversation and smiles. She did not want Seikatsu to feel down. Later in the afternoon as the school day ended, Shinwoo took everyone to the arcade. Seikatsu was silent during the whole school day and the walk. Something was on her mind until Ikhan waves his hand in front of her face.
"Hey Seikatsu, let's play a few games together." He said. "I'm...okay. I will try. I remember playing video games when I was younger." Seikatsu said with a hint of embarrassment. "Then you can teach Yuna and Rai how to play," Ikhan says with a hint of determination in his voice. His eyes flashed with excitement. "What? I'm not a good teacher?" Shin questions his short best friend. "No. You're a jerk." Ikhan replies. Yuna laughs and Seikatsu shakes her head.
Rai watches them in silence. Everyone soon enters the building. Seikatsu stood in front of the music rhythm arcade machine. She stares at the arcade machine to figure out the controls. Seikatsu nods and places a coin into the coin slot in order to start the game. The machine lit up with the sounds coming out. Seikatsu sets the difficulty and selects the song to play.
She begins to hit the buttons in sync with the keys being displayed on the monitor. The taps were steady until the music continued. Yuna sees Seikatsu playing the game. Ikhan and Shinwoo along with Rai stop playing in the middle of their shooting game to see Seikatsu enjoying her time. This enjoyment, however, was something similar to what she had to do as a training regiment.
Seikatsu hits every key perfectly without making any mistakes. Without realizing it, Seikatsu was humming along to the music.
"My life was stolen..."
"Please keep trying..."
"No one found a way..."
The woman was amused by the memories of her childhood. As a girl, Seikatsu would practice tapping the keys to see how accurate her reflexes were. She was surrounded by simulators for over seven years. Once the song ended, Seikatsu could hear someone cheering from behind. Yuna was clapping her hands. Ikhan and Shinwoo nod in approval. Rai smiles as Seikatsu was not worried anymore.
The woman was happy. "Can you teach me how to play this game? You're great at it!" Yuna says. "Huh? Ah, sure...I can show you." Seikatsu nods as she selects another song to play. "To think a transfer student can play a video game with skill," Shinwoo spoke. "Seikatsu, I bet you can beat Shinwoo at his favorite game." Ikhan teases.
"Your training...This game is similar to it?"
"It was HIS idea. My parents...had no choice but to train me. One way or another..."
"One way or another...?"
"I...was experimented on. At an early age, HE made me have the nightmares of changing. I am a vessel for that nightmare."
"Then at the hospital..."
"I wounded the killer. I know that it wanted to kill me too. I know I am next..."
"I won't let anyone harm you. I promise..."
"Okay. I believe you..."
Yuna taps the buttons to a slow and easy song. Seikatsu instructs Yuna on the timing and rhythm. Yuna nods and listens to her new teacher. The girl was enjoying the opportunity in learning something new. Shinwoo, then Ikhan decided to join in the fun. Seikatsu told her friends stories about arcades from her country. The fun only lasted for a few hours and the students left the arcade. Everything was fine until Seikatsu and Shinwoo noticed the two men standing not far from them.
Both men stared down at them, wearing trench coats and looking suspicious. "Let's go home. It is getting late." Shinwoo said as he walks past them. Seikatsu and the others follow him. Seikatsu's irises met with the man's gray ones.
"Your eyes are pretty," Seikatsu said catching the man's attention. The man immediately whips his body around to watch the woman walk away. "Is that her?" The bald man asks. "Yes, and the rest are witnesses from the other day. Tch...she has some nerve to speak to me." The gray-haired man said as he glares at her, "She's not a kid anymore."
Frankenstein welcomes Rai and Seikatsu home. Rai nods and Seikatsu looks away. Rai sees Seikatsu's flushed expression and then looks at Frankenstein. "What is going on?" He asks his servant. Seikatsu slips away from the two men and heads towards the kitchen. Frankenstein has a drop of sweat rolling down his face. He did not want to make anything else more awkward between him and Seikatsu.
The blond man sighs and he allows Rai to walk into the living room. He shuts the front door behind him and heads into the kitchen. He sees Seikatsu who was busy chopping vegetables. "Seikatsu..." Frankenstein says her name. "Yes," Seikatsu responds. Frankenstein grabs the tea packets out of the cabinet and then he searches for the teapot.
"Why can't you look at me?" He asks. Seikatsu's body stiffens. "Is it because of this morning? I hope I did not offend you." Frankenstein said as he sets the teapot on the stove. Seikatsu blushed in embarrassment and she hesitates to look at him in the eye. "I...I'm not used to seeing your body. Okay, I did not expect you to look like THAT." Seikatsu admits. Frankenstein blinks in somewhat surprise. "Well, I must say that I am flattered." Frankenstein politely spoke.
"Son of a...Now I did not mean it like that." Seikatsu scoffs. "I can say your petite form is charming. You are an attractive woman." Frankenstein compliments her. Seikatsu drops her knife on the floor, but she catches it by the blade. Her fingers had a single cut on each digit.
"Shit." Seikatsu hisses in pain. Frankenstein hurries over to Seikatsu and he gently takes the knife out of her hand. "Here." He guides her to stand in front of the sink. Frankenstein turns the faucet on and cold water washes the blood off Seikatsu's fingers. Frankenstein carefully rubs Seikatsu's fingers using his own.
"That better not be a damn joke," Seikatsu said as she lets Frankenstein help her. "I'm not telling a lie. You are attractive." He said. "...You are too. Just warn me about getting dressed next time." Seikatsu said as this moment did not protect her from the embarrassment. Frankenstein smiles and looks down at her, "I promise."