Copyright infringement not intended. T for language and violence. Thanks for the review/s and alert/s.

Alrighty, chapter eight! Getting closer to ten and I'm trying to pick up the pace, a bit, or else I could get to fifty and the plot still wouldn't be in place. Just a load of fluff.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyy! :D

Eight; Love, Lust and Hate.

xlx

She fucking hates me
And I love it.

xlx

"I hate you."

He gave Kat a look, putting down the damned book.

It had been only a few hours since she had called her father and she had reverted back to old self, before she had found out about Nathan. It was easier that way if they thought she could handle the death maturely instead of sitting in a corner and crying.

So, she had begun to torment Genesis every single time he picked up LOVELESS, disrupting his reading by making him look at her.

"That's not what you said two hours ago." He said, smirking at her smugly. Her face went tomato red and she ground her teeth together. It wasn't her fault. She was terrified of being alone, had threatened that either he'd stay or she'd follow him back to his rooms.

Of course, he had quickly agreed on the first without any teasing or sarcasm or anything.

Or, he would have. If it had been a perfect world. Which it wasn't.

He had agreed with her following him back, but she had slammed on the brakes and used effective blackmail to sway him.

Two hours later, here they were. Annoyed, tired and pissed at each other while trying to get under their skin. He was as good at it as she, though getting at her in different ways.

Ways that had her face red and heart pounding from their meaning.

"Yes, it was," Kat snapped at him, rolling her eyes in aggravation. "Well, I never said I love you. So, the hate part was already there."

Genesis gave her another look. "If you hate me so much, then why did you beg me to stay?" He retorted, just as cruel as she knew he was capable of being. He knew why. She knew why and she really didn't want to say it.

She didn't, just a rose a brow in question and shook her head, turning away from him with a huff of boredom. It was very late, but she couldn't get to sleep. Not with him there and not with the knowledge in her head, swirling and unable to calm itself.

Someone was targeting her family, still trying to make her quit SOLDIER, even though she was a respected First. Her father or sister was next and she wanted them in Midgar as soon as possible or her in Gongaga until this settled down.

But, there was no way she was going to back down and quit her dream. No way in hell.

"Fine. You win this round, Rhapsodos," she grumbled, backing down for now. She was tired and worried, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep and forget this day ever happened. But, she couldn't.

And it was killing her. Slowly.

Like sitting here with Genesis and LOVELESS was slowly making her want to die. No, not slowly. Very quickly. After an hour of silence, she nearly sent him away. She would have, too, if she hadn't been so afraid of him not coming back.

He smirked. "And every other round."

Kat glared at him, though he didn't seem to care much.

Damn him and damn LOVELESS.

After several minutes - twenty, to be precise - Kat was positive of her theory. Someone was targeting her family. She turned to the older man, frowning with this new found information, expecting to have to draw him away from his book and found he was watching her.

Her frown deepened to a scowl, brows knitting together. Was there something on her face or something? Why was he looking at her so intently like that? "What?" She asked, sharper and bitterly than intended.

He shook his head, but was silent, waiting for her to go on. Kat shrugged to herself, shifting slightly. "I was thinking - don't say a word- and I realized something," she began, biting her lip anxiously. "Alright. When I was sixteen, or just a month or so younger, my mother and brother were targeted. I was with them, as you know, and no harm came to me, which I found stupid since I was the one they wanted, I think."

She shook her head, clearing herself of the confusing thought. "Anyway, then my brother was killed by somebody. Not randomly died or got in accident. Murder," Kat took a deep breath, realizing she had gained Genesis' full attention with a jolt. "I was thinking that maybe, and this may sound really crazy, but.. Maybe my family is being targeted? Like, blackmailing or kidnapping or something.

"They may just be trying to get me all freaked out, though, and think this way. They know I'll try to get Damien and Lyndsay here or go to them. It could very well be a trap," she murmured, more to herself than to her superior. She hadn't thought of that before.

But, she couldn't just sit there and be pretty and safe in Midgar while her family was slaughtered. Not that Damien would go down with a fight. She had gotten her stubborn nature from him, after all.

"Oh, Gaia, Genesis. I don't what to think anymore," Kat said softly, glancing up to the azure eyes. Everything was so much more confusing than it had been before she went to Gongaga. Thing had been finally going back to normal and then she left and now it was all..

Confusing.

Disorientating.

Odd.

Befuddling.

Any word would fit, really.

"Go to sleep, Kat. You've been through so much today and you woke up too early today. You have to be exhausted," he instructed, placing a hand on her shoulder. He was right. She was exhausted, but she couldn't get to sleep, not with all of this buzzing in her mind.

That was it!

Her family was being targeted in a blackmail fashion and they - the killer - had to have someone in the house, or someone following her, to have known she was going back to Gongaga and when she had left.

Or the killer was here or back in Gongaga.

Either way, if she went back, it would be potentionally fatal.

This was beginning to be too much. Even though that was the honest truth, she would never regret staying in SOLDIER. Not once.

This was her old dream and she'd be damned if she let anything stop her.

xlx

She groaned, light filtering through some damned window in the damned room.

Damn, was she not a morning person.

Shifting in her surprisingly comfortable bed, she smiled softly when the light was blocked out. That was more-

Wait.

Bed?

She hadn't gone to her rooms last night.. She couldn't even remember falling asleep. Slowly, Kat opened her eyes, fearing the worst. The lounge greeted her, bright and way too cheery for this early in the morning.

Even if it looked to be about ten o'clock, it was still too early for her standards. But, once she was up, she was up and there was no going back to sleep until ten o'clock at night or later.

The last thing she could remember was moving down to the floor to sit with Genesis and the popcorn, after the movie they had been watching was over. They had talked for what felt like hours about anything in general. Childhood, parents, betrayal and her theory.

They had came to the final decision.

Kat was not going anywhere without either him, Angeal or Sephiroth. It would be better if she had had at least two of them, but, life didn't work out that, sadly.

Now, here she was, on the couch in the lounge.

"The hell?" She grumbled, slinging her legs out in front of her. It was colder than it had been the day before. Great. Just what she needed, cold weather.

"Feeling better?"

Kat started, wide eyes flashing upward and toward the dark haired man and his silver haired companion. Angeal had been the one that had spoke, but it was doubtless that Sephiroth knew also.

"As good as one can feel after sleeping on the damn couch," she answered, pushing off the couch and stumbling for a moment on her feet while her vision went black dizzyingly. "I take it Genesis told you about our theories?"

Both men exchanged a look and nodded. She frowned. There was something there, something they were hiding from her. Why they thought they had something to hide was beyond her, if they were trying to protect her from something then they would be stupid.

It wasn't as if she couldn't take it, even if they thought she couldn't. That the news of her brother's death made her impaired and weak.

It hadn't, though.

Quite the opposite. It had made her want to find the bastard that killed nearly her whole family and make him pay.

"Yes, he told us about your theories," Sephiroth answered, sounding cool and formal as usual, his ever-present scowl on his otherworldly features. "We think you might be correct, Kat."

Her brows shot up, then down as her eyes narrowed. "I see," she commented, almost accusingly. "What are we going to do about it? Genesis and I though it would just be better if I stayed her until we were positive and even then I wasn't going alone-."

Angeal cut her off, which was a shock itself as he usually waited until someone was finished to speak. "We're sending two Thirds and infantrymen to your father's house. They'll report back if there's a disturbance," he informed her.

Kat's breath caught. Thirds? They could very well send Zack, seeing as he was native to Gongaga and knew what the remaining members of her family looked like. She'd go back before she let him go to Gongaga.

"You don't have to worry about Fair, either," a voice drawled from the doorway. She looked over, recognizing the tone and pitch immeaditately. Beside Genesis stood a grinning, nearly dying-from-excitement Zack. "He's just been promoted to Second."

She grinned back at the beaming spiky haired boy, remembering how excited and proud she had been when she had made Second Class. That much closer to her dream.

Three years ago, when she still had her family and had so many dreams.

Now, she was older and knew dreams were harder to achieve.

Especially when you lost nearly everyone you held close.

"That's great! Wow. Second Class," she shook her head, still grinning. She was proud of him and hoped that he could deal with the extra pressures of being Second. Only a chosen few got a mentor and it was completely based on strengths and skills gathered from one's time in Third.

Kat was sure Zack would get a mentor.

"If you'll excuse us now, Kat, Genesis. Angeal, Zachary and I have business to attend to," Sephiroth announced, nodding curtly to Kat and her elder respectively before leaving the room in a flourish of black leather.

Zack grinned at her while he passed and the dark haired Angeal nodded, his apparent anxiety showing. Kat frowned. If they had just came to tell her their plans, couldn't it have waited until later? She wasn't that busy and there was missions important enough for the Firsts to get involved.

It made no sense at all.

Unless they did know something she didn't.

Her eyes darted curiously to Genesis, who was watching her with the same curiosity. So it wasn't anything about him.

"That was-."

"Strange?"

"I was going to say fucking weird, but that works, too, I guess," she huffed, moving back to the couch on which she fell backward onto. "What are they plotting, I wonder?"

He shrugged, leaning against the wall coolly, still watching her curiously. It was unnerving and beginning to creep her out a bit. "Nothing good," he answered. Kat nodded her agreement, pursing her lips in boredom.

Silence swallowed the room whole.

"It was you, wasn't it? You requested Zack for Second and he got it.." She shook her head, again, a soft smile on her face. "Guess you're not that bad of a guy, Rhapsodos. Still an ass, mind you." She nodded importantly, laughing when he rolled his eyes.

He moved off the wall, approaching the couch casually. Kat watched his progress with polite disinterest, having nothing to say nor anything to do. It was exciting as the day before and the night she had forced him to stay.

Yes.

That exciting.

She groaned, flopping back onto the cushions and staring blankly at the high ceiling. When there was nothing to do in SOLDIER and when you were practically under house arrest, staring at ceilings was the only thing slightly entertaining. "Gaia, what did I do to deserve this?" She cried, thumping her head and fists in a fit of deadly boredom.

Genesis sighed, reaching down from his position in front of the couch to ruffle her hair. Kat shrieked in protest, quickly trying to fix the now incredibly messy chocolate looks. She groaned, again, glaring up at the redhead.

He just liked to piss her off.

It must have been really fun for him.

Made his sad and pathetic life every time she glared at him, which would make his life not really sad and pathetic seeing as she was nearly always glaring at him.

"Go to hell."

He rolled his eyes.

She huffed in annoyance, unconsciously pouting, looking up at him as innocently as she was capable of - not very innocently - and pushed herself into a sitting position, still watching him carefully.

"I feel like I'm going to explode or something. I'm just so damn nervous," she murmured, demeanor changing completely. Her head fell into her hands, fingers curling into her hair tightly, pulling slightly to remind herself that this was real, she was still alive in this hell of waiting.

Waiting for the Thirds and infantry men to go to Gongaga.

Waiting for the bastard to make a move.

Waiting for her to stop waiting.

She was just.. waiting.

"There's no reason to be nervous, Kat. Everything's going to work out just fine, you'll see." Genesis said softly, kneeling down in front of her and placing his forefinger and middle finger on her own hands.

She glanced up, brows knitted together and front teeth pulling back at her chapped bottom lip. It was a bad habit of hers. She'd have to stop soon. If she bought chapstick, the others wouldn't leave it lie.

"I doubt it," she muttered. "Gaia knows I'll have to get my ass over there and kick the idiot's ass to Wutai and back." Kat snorted and sighed, glancing away from the azure eyes that had bored into her own. "Sorry, I'm just really anxious. I mean, he's my father and she's my sister." She looked back to him, corners of her lips dragging down in a frown. "They're the only family I have left, Gen."

She hated how she sounded.

So broken, so empty, so helpless and hopeless.

There was still hope and she wasn't helpless. She was Kat Harmon, SOLDIER First Class, for Gaia's sake!

She shook her head. "Sorry. Again. I just can't go throught that again, y'know? I can't keep losing these people I love!" Her voice broke and she swore inwardly, but couldn't help it or stop it. As much as she tried to be, Kat wasn't invincible. She couldn't expect herself to take every blow, every wound and every traumatic experience or death with a grain of salt.

That just didn't happen.

His hand left her own, cupping her cheek.

She frowned at him, confusion burning every other emotion out of her body and mind. "Wha-?"

Her words were forgotten the moment his lips met her own, moving slowly against hers at first, gentle and sweet. Her eyes widened for a moment, confusion and bewilderment sweeping through her until his hand left her face and travelled to her waist.

It had been a while since she'd last been involved with anyone, almost two months - it was a long time for her - and her skills and knowledge were covered with a metaphorical layer of dust.

All it took was his lips on hers, his hands on her body, to swiftly clean them off and present them to her mind cheerfully.

Kat's hands left her lap, fingers finding his hair and curling around the auburn locks, bringing him closer and closer. She wrapped her legs around his hips, crossing her feet at her ankles, locking him to her body.

Her lips, having stayed still until her body had reacted properly, moved hungrily, passionately, with his, parting when he begged for entrance. The heat between them nearly had her shedding her layers, but she remembered at last minute that they were in the lounge and she only had a pair of shorts and a thin, shrunken t-shirt on.

His hands bunched up the fine silk material of her shirt, fingers brushing against her bare hipbone, leaning forward and effectively making her press into the back of the couch, his body flush against hers. Her head was spinning, pounding and lulling as if she had had too much to drink. Kat was drunk on his kiss.

Suddenly, her entire body froze. Her legs loosened their tightening grip around him and she pulled away, turning her head quickly and scrambling from his hold, shirt pulling down. He still held onto the silk, but she was far enough away to think straight.

She had just been kissing..

Genesis Rhapsodos.

Her former mentor.

Her fellow First Class.

Her friend - or so she'd like to think.

What the hell had she been thinking? Two months wasn't long enough to make her act like that with someone like him.

"I'm sorry," she said, breathing quickly and quietly, eyes wide with shock and confusion. "I have to go. I'll, uh... See you at supper."

He frowned at her, releasing her t-shirt though the look in his darkened eyes told her he wanted nothing more than to take it off her. Kat crawled backwards, nearly falling off the couch, and stumbled to her feet.

"It's only eleven o'clock in the morning."

She shook her head, not being able to think as clearly as she'd like with his eyes on her. "Lunch, then. I'm sorry, I just really have to go. I, uh, gotta talk to Sephiroth," she lied, missing the disbelieving tint in his azure eyes.

Without looking back once, Kat ran from the lounge, eyes still as wide as saucers.

What the hell just happened?

She barely knew, the feel of his lips on hers and hands moving up and down her body lingering, making it difficult to think of anything else.

Gaia, it hadn't been that long since she had any action, had it?

Kat hadn't thought so. Two months wasn't that long, hardly long enough to impair her judgement and senses.

Behavior like that could get her thrown out of SOLDIER.

She'd die before she let that happen.

Besides, it was lust that had driven them on, not love. Kat was attractive - or so she'd like to think and had heard from too many men in her life who meant not a thing to her and too few by those who did that she was beautiful - and Genesis, well...

He knew he was good looking.

It was only lust.

Definitely not love.

Kat couldn't afford to be in love with anyone. Especially Genesis.

xlx

I can't tell you what it really is,
I can only tell you what it feels like.

xlx

So...?
What did you think?
How was the kiss? :S
Wellsss, tell me whatcha think in a review. :D
Until next time,

xWhiteRainx