Copyright infringement not intended. T for language and violence.

Chapter fourr is heree and so is the HEAT! Damn. Excuse me while I go outside and get burnt to a crisp.
Hope youu enjoy! (:

Four; Control.

xlx

Just when you think you're in control,
Just when you think you've got a hold,
Just when you get on a roll.

xlx

Pain.

Every single inch of her body was screaming in pain.

Something cool touched her flesh, but the only thing she could concentrate on was the blinding, searing, white-hot pain that drove every thought out of her head.

She didnt like this one bit. Before, it had been peaceful and relaxing, though she'd been terrified with the knowledge of how much blood she had lost. This was... Hot. Painful. Distracting and disturbing.

She hated it.

A soft material floated across her abdomen, which, Kat realized with a jolt and nearly came to, was bare. When had that happened? The last thing she could remember was getting the katana stuck in the damned hound's bone and it rolling over onto her legs.

Voices filtered in soon after her awareness came back, fuzzy and too loud for a moment before it settled out and became clear and soft.

She really hated it. She just wanted to stay unconscious for months and heal every bruise, wound and broken bone in her body.

That would take years, but she was okay with it.

Especially if it meant Kat wouldn't get yelled at by Genesis for being incredibly stupid and trying to take a hell hound on by herself.

Wasn't her fault.

"Why isn't she awake? Shouldn't she be waking up soon?"

"I don't know. Probably already is, and is just trying to scare us."

Kat grinned inwardly.

"She was soaked with blood when we found her, though.. Could she be dead?"

If only..

Death would be better than the worried Zack and pissed Genesis.

"No. Kat's too stubborn to die that easily. Go and clean the damn sword, do something useful other than hovering."

Her.. sword..?

That was what made her come, reluctantly, into consciousness with a gasp and jerk, eyes flipping open. She swore as her vision blurred and attempted to get to her feet. No one touched her katanas beside her.

Something pinned her down, pressing her good shoulder into the hard and damp ground. Instinctively, Kat struggled against her aggressor, not looking to see who or what held her. Her gaze was dead set on the white katana that was coated with a thin layer of blood.

The hound's and her own.

Her stomach churned nauseatingly.

"She's awake."

Of course, he'd hold her down. No one else.

She turned her eyes away from her precious blade to glare up at her former mentor, eyes narrowed in accusation. He glared back at her, nails digging into her shoulder. Kat didn't notice, though, seeing as her entire body was on fire from pain.

She might've passed out, but she knew she hadn't lost enough blood to make her unstable on her feet. She was a SOLDIER 1st Class, after all.

"Zack," Kat called, not once breaking the glaring match between she and Genesis. "Leave it. I'll clean it once I get up."

Struggling once again, she growled dangerously when his other hand pushed down on her ribs. Her bare ribs.

With a quiet gasp, her struggling ceased suddenly, eyes widening in shock. His eyes were still narrowed and didn't even seem to notice the slightly intimate touch.

Her face was beet red.

"You've lost a lot of blood, Kat."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Not that much. I'm still alive and kickin', aren't I?" Kat groaned and tried to squirm her way out of his holds. She really hated this. A lot. "Gaia, get off me, Genesis!"

With a dark look, he released her. She rolled quickly out of reach, pretending that it didn't nearly send her back into the warmth of unconsciousness, and pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Taking a deep breath and clenching her teeth, Kat glanced down at herself. She nearly threw up, again.

Her long shirt was ripped down the middle, from collar to hem, and the frayed edges were drenched crimson. Two long, thick and deep slices on her stomach still pumped blood furiously, the slash on her leg from her own katana still weeping crimson tears.

She didn't want to know the state of her shoulder. She could feel warm liquid pooling in her collar bone and that was enough for Kat to gag.

She was almost bleeding to death.

Because she forgot the warning signal.

Thanks to Genesis and Zack.

"That was a stupid thing to do, Katelyn." The older man informed her curtly as if she didn't know how stupid her actions had been. "You're too-"

Kat scoffed loudly, cutting him off, and narrowed her eyes at him in anger. "Too what? Too inexperienced? Too young? Too feminine? Too weak? Too cocky? Go on and tell me, Genesis." She hissed, scrambling to her feet.

"That's not what I meant. You just want to make me the bad guy and make yourself look good! You're just like Sephiroth, Katelyn."

She bristled, taking a step toward him. So, it was this, again? He thought she was trying to be a hero, trying to sacrifice her life selflessly.

Would he ever give it up?

"I don't want to be the hero," Kat growled, approaching him with the air of a predator stalking it's prey before the kill. "You know I don't. I'm glad I stayed behind because if I hadn't, you would've and you'd be dead right now."

Genesis glared at her, holding his own, though, not backing down when she continued to approach him. "Are you saying I'm weak?" He snapped.

She arched a brow. "Were you saying I'm weak?" She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively and protectively, halting her advancing.

"I was saying that it seems that you try to be the hero and that you're stupid for going against it by yourself."

In her mind, that meant the same thing as being weak.

He didn't think she could've survived. She didn't think she could, either, but being her old mentor, she expected him to know her abilities more than it seemed he did. She had held her own in that fight, despite what her body said.

Genesis had been right; she was too stubborn to give up and die without a fight.

And she was too stubborn to let things go easily.

If he wanted a fight, he could have a fight.

"No. You're still saying I'm weak! You thought I was going to die, both of you! Admit it!" She cried, eyes darting to the closest weapon. Her dagger. It was at her hip, the sheath damp and heavy from blood, but still there.

"No."

There was a quiet, tense moment between the two whilst the Third looked on with wide eyes, and in a move as fast as lightning, she drew the knife, holding it inbetween them with an incredibly steady hand.

The man made no move to disarm her, eyes flickering from the dagger to her eyes. Kat was determined, heated emotions terrifying her.

Her patience had never been exceptional.

Neither had been her self control.

"C'mon, if you wanna see how weak I am, go ahead and fight me." She instructed.

He still made no move. Anger boiled her blood, nearly suffocating her, tossing all rational thought from her mind.

She didn't want to be the hero.

She wanted to be normal.

Kat swung at him, majority of her strength put into the punch. He grabbed her wrist, snatching her ankle when she tried to kick him instead. For a moment, she hobbled, swaying and jumping on one foot in attempts to gain her balance.

It was an awkward position, the worse she'd ever been in. She was hopping on her free foot, clutching his shoulder with the other, desperately trying to keep her balance.

Genesis lowered his head, soft hair brushing against her own soaked-with-sweat-and-blood locks, eyes boring into hers.

"You're right. I thought you were going to die. You scared the shit out of me, Kat," he murmured, breath stirring stray chocolate strands of her hair. Kat's breath caught and her heart raced from the proximity.

His eyes drifted, slowly and flickering to her own often, to her lips then quickly back to her own, azure darkened with something that had her panicking and heart racing faster and faster until she was expecting it to come bursting out of her chest.

Kat tried to remind herself that this was Genesis, the arrogant prick who was in love with LOVELESS, but with him so close and her heart beating so fast, her mind was muddled.

Not muddled enough, however, to impair her judgement.

When he leaned towards her, coming closer and closer still, until there was barely two inches that seperated their faces, she let go of his shoulder and leaned back, planting her free hand on the ground firmly.

Her torn shirt fluttered around her head and her face turned the exact shade of crimson that dripped down to the ground. Though her world was upside down, she still met Zack's eyes and rolled her own.

He had the decency to look away with a red face.

She had the indecency to snort at his innocent reaction and pull her wrist and ankle free, eyeing her mentor before marching to the Third's side with a smirk, whirling on both men.

"When are we leaving? I have a bone to pick with Lazard."

Zack blinked when Kat snorted when she got no answer from Genesis, who looked to be in some sort of pain. "I take it that means as soon as we get back to the helicopter. Alright." She nodded, more to herself than the others. "Let's get going!"

xlx

She was not weak.

She would not give up.

Even if she sorely wanted to.

Her glazed eyes flickered to the her male companions, narrowing in digust when they walked smoothly and flawlessly. Like Gods compared to her.

Kat was staggering, body screaming at her to stop and escape into sleep, where it was warm and loving and she wouldn't have to feel like she had been tossed around viciously and violently. Which she had been.

But, still.

She groaned aggrativingly, glaring at the two slightly innocent men. "I hate you." She informed them, wishing the statement was true.

Honestly, she was incredibly pleased it was her that was in this condition.

If it was Genesis, she and Zack would have likely ended up carrying him to the helicopter or he would've let himself bleed to death because he was trying to pretend he was fine.

If it was Zack, well... Zack would have likely died during the fight. If she was this beaten by the damned thing, she didn't want to think about the outcome if it had been the young man.

It was too gruesome for her liking.

"No, you don't." Genesis replied smugly, glancing over to her. Kat scowled back at him, looking away quickly. She hated him. She swore she did.

She especially hated the fluttery, knee-weakening feeling his proxmitiy had caused.

"Asshole. Shut up. Let me pretend I hate you for a bit. It'll explain why I risked my life for you two." She snapped, folding her arms as she stumbled over a stray pebble, her face glowing red - redder when she realised her top was still torn down the middle, giving the two men a view of her chest.

What did it say that she had just noticed this?

Not anything good.

"You hate me?" Zack pouted a few feet ahead of her, waiting by the helicopter. She sighed and shook her head. How could she hate someone so adorable as him? Even if she resented this, because if she hated him it wouldn't hurt as much as if something happened to him.

Because something would. She knew it.

"Of course not. Genesis, get your ass in there before I do it for you."

He sent a look but complied, hesitating in the entryway. She scowled, approaching the craft and preparing to shove him.

He always had be so damn difficult, waiting for her when she didn't want him to and not waiting for her when she needed him to.

It was always one or the other.

He bent down, a smirk growing on his face when her scowl deepened. Of course, he had to play up the height difference, nearly doubling over. Kat wasn't that short. She was perfectly average for a woman her age.

If she ever told him that, he'd call her old and she'd punch him.

She almost hoped he would. It would be a good excuse to hit him..

"What do you want, Rhapsodos?" Kat growled, trying in vain to push past him. Genesis wouldn't budge. She growled, again, a low and dangerous sound. "Move, would you? Gaia, I want to get on before it takes off!"

He moved, slightly, giving her barely enough room to suck in and squeeze through. Her body brushed against him and she could feel him stiffen. It would've been unnoticable if she hadn't been practically pressed up against him.

Suffice to say, he gave her more room, quickly finding his place behind the giddy-but-tired Zack. Kat sank down in the seat across from the Third, noting how her former mentor wouldn't meet her eyes.

She smirked wickedly before letting her own flutter shut, embracing the bliss of sleep with open arms.

xlx

It starts out easy,
Something simple,
Something sleazy,
Something inching past the edge of reserve.

xlx

So..? (:
I'm not sure what I think, besides I'm most likely about to die from heat stroke. No joke. It's the hottest it's been here in YEARS. Like, not two years.. Try three or four.
It's too hot.
Anyway, what did you think? (:
Revieww! :D They keep me nice and cold during these blistering nights and boring days of school.

Until next time,

xWhiteRainx