Disclaimer: due to this being influenced from the relationships of characters from a role-play I am involved with, there are strong reference to the character of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7(including the name, since that was upon who he was heavily based) and the character of Holly belongs to a friend who has let me use her for the work. Please enjoy reading and do not let this influence your reviews and criticisms.

A Quartet For A Trinity
By Holly Johnson

Discovery

The sun slowly kissed the horizon, as Jana Stormraven stood transfixed by the rays of light that came from the source of all life. Her eyes were pure midnight elements of the Power that coursed through her blood as her soul flew free in the azure skies.
She stood in the centre of copse of trees hidden within the forests surrounding her cottage home, her head raised to the heavens, arms held out slightly at the sides, oblivious and impervious to all life.
Her mind was connected to the weaves of the threads of life that connected every one and everything and enabled her to soar through the world, unseen as a spirit, searching for humans, for spells, for anything she wished to find.
There was a rustle of leaves, and branches moved effortlessly out of the way as a man walked silently, into the clearing. His long silver hair flowed as he strode to her, his towering frame imperialistic, while emerald eyes surveyed, taking all of her in.
Black, leather-gloved hands rested on the woman’s shirt-covered shoulders and a soft but commanding voice whispered into her ear.
“Come back to life, Jana. Come back to me.”
Her body gasped into movement and her irises slowly faded through to an autumn brown. She turned and moved from his grasp, a smile growing on her face, lightening her stoic features.
“Afternoon Seph.”
The man tilted his head and studied her.
“My name is Sephiroth.” His voice was cold, impassionate. As if it was a statement that had to be acknowledged.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, brows creasing, and her smile faltered. Jana did not know, but there was something different about her friend. There was something chilling in the way that he stared at her. “I know…are you all right?”
A slow smirk spread over his face, curling his lips upward, malicious and hungry.
“I am fine, Jana, except for one thing.”
“And that is?”
His gloved hand rose and stroked down her warm cheek, pressing into her skin harshly.
“I do not have you.”
She blinked and laughed at him. “Ok Seph, now you are just freaking me out.”
She took his hand off her face and let it drop, a grin spreading over her features again, thinking this was a game, or an unusual trick that he was playing. It certainly was not his usual self.
Sephiroth didn’t smile. His mouth tightened, and his jade eyes glowed a shade brighter, staring into her brown ones.
“I am the General Sephiroth. I want you, you will be mine.”
She took a step away and frowned. “Um, General? I guess you got a promotion then.” She chuckled slightly, trying to make light of the conversation that was growing too serious, yet he simply smirked and stepped closer to her.
“I am the most powerful man on Gaia. There is no other position worthy of my strength.” She could feel the dangerous power emanating from him, and felt drawn to it, a part of her craving for him deep inside, but she pushed it down. Jana smiled. “That’s true, I guess there’s not.”
“There is not.” There was no humour in his voice, no warmth in his tone. It was cold, definite, and final.
Jana shook her head and her hands found her hips in a frustrated manner. “Ok, why are you acting so peculiar Sephiroth? I thought this was a joke, but maybe not.”
His eyes narrowed to slits and the air about them grew cold, and deathly still. “This is no joke. I am sick of waiting. I want you. I want you now. And I will have you. You are the only one worthy enough of me. And I know you want me.”
The young witch suddenly didn’t know what to do. She licked her lips nervously and her fingers curled into her palms, taking half a step back.
“Sephiroth, I don’t know what’s got into you, but it’s got to stop, ok?” Jana felt a tremble run through her. She didn’t know what to think, whether this was reality, or some living dream.
A moment passed as she fell into the depths of his mesmerizing eyes then he grabbed her arm, squeezing the flesh, pulling her to him with savage strength. There was a feral nature to him, a wildness in his face and he pressed lips to her own, his hand finding the back of her hair, gripping it painfully, and crushing their faces together.
Jana felt the heat of his lips, felt his tongue try to push into her mouth, trying to invade her, but she held her lips firmly together, keeping herself as stone, not wanting to give into whatever had possessed her friend.

Sephiroth drew himself away from her slowly; his breath angry and he shook her once, sending strands of her black hair floating down her face. She shivered in his grip and he felt it, but did not let her free.
“I know you love me. I can see it in how you stare at me. I can feel it pulsating inside of you. Why did you not return my love?”
It was not a pleasant questioning. He growled the words out at her, the lust within him swelling each moment that he was within her presence. Jana blinked, out of shock and the hard truth of the situation. This was happening. He had kissed her. She was in no dream; she was not trapped in a deception. It was real. It was so very real.
She opened her mouth to speak but a slender finger lay over it, hushing her to stay silent. He drew his face closer to her own again and spoke, his hot breath sending a fire of desire over her skin, but making it crawl with a fear of her own passions.
“No. No Jana, do not speak. I do not need to hear your excuses. Just kiss me. Let me feel your love as it should be.”
This time he cradled her cheek in his palm, staring at her with a fierce love that she could feel twinned within her own heart. She could not deny him this time, not when he knew the truth, not when she had wanted this moment for so long.
The General stroked her with a soft, tender finger and Jana smelt the strong scent of the leather. Where he had touched tingled from the contact and as he moved on down her chin to gently, slowly, tilt her head up, she could not do anything but stare at him with a sense of dream-like confusion.
He saw the gaze and laughed quietly, a laugh of faint amusement merged with faint triumph.
“Kiss me.” The command was not escapable. It compelled her into action; it struck her heart with such desire that she pressed her mouth up to his instantly. He aided her, his palm encompassing her face, holding it to his own and their lips connected with a violent ardour.

Jana kissed him. She kissed him for what seemed like forever but as his hand pressed into her flesh, keeping her close to him, keeping her for him, she could feel no love. She felt nothing but a crazed lust. This was not her Sephiroth; this was not the man that she knew she truly loved.
With a cry she flung herself away and stumbled away, her eyes pricked with tears.
“Who are you?” Jana’s voice cracked in a whisper and she held a hand up to press against the hot lips that had been burned with his desire, staring up at the jade orbs that had changed from the eyes she had known before. Her chest pounded hard, from the loss of breath and the passion of their embrace. She was confused, inflamed and finding herself wildly in love.
His response was a breathless chuckle that ran her blood to ice before he truly answered her question.
“I am the General Sephiroth, Highest Commander of Shin-Ra Army, Lord of the Soldiers of Gaia. Created from madness and the dark perversion of nature, I am truly the strongest, most powerful man ever known to walk this planet.” He held her autumn stare. “Does that give you your answer?”
There was silence. Jana was spellbound by the power in his voice, the power in his eyes and found she could not do anything but watch in enchantment the man she had known as her friend. Her chest rose and fell in erratic breaths and she swallowed, trying to find her voice, trying to say something, anything.
“Why…did you…?” She shook, finding herself, and straightened slightly, folding her arms in a sense of vain security and tried to silently quell her desires.
The man did nothing to help her, but stayed still, watching her in an intense mirror of the turbulence within his soul. “Why did I what? Why did I kiss you, Jana?” His tone was lanced with a barbed humour, taunting her at the inability of her speech.
The witch nodded, swallowing, not trusting herself to speak.
“I love you.”
His words hit her ears like lightning strikes of destruction. They tore into her soul and ripped its barriers apart; destroying the walls she had created to keep her love inside. She could not believe his simple words. She could not let herself believe them. She knew this was the man that she loved, but he was not. Somehow he had changed. His eyes glowed with power, with fierce intelligence that had not been apparent before. He had matured in the fast hours of a single day, and it had altered him in an unspeakable, unknowable way. His emerald eyes were tormented with the reflecting visions that they had witnessed and she knew they were secrets she would not know for a long, long time, secrets that would send him into a hell of despair. He was the not warm friend she had held in her heart, but a cold warrior who desired her like a conquest.
“No.” Her denial struck the air in a hard breath that thudded out in the gap between them. “You do not.”
“I do. I never spoke before, but I do now. I love you Jana, no other woman on this earth. I will not accept your refusal of the emotions that at this very moment consume your soul like nothing you have ever felt before.”
Jana closed her eyes, letting the dying rays of sun that filtered through the forest try and warm her, but it was to no avail. His words stripped her bare, giving her no defence. She had no lies to fight against, no lies to fight with, and was trapped by a love that was not going to be denied.
“…Holly…”
The change in Sephiroth’s posture was immediate, and he flowed into action like a graceful animal of the wild, moving swiftly to hold her head within his darkly gloved hands, his head shaking vehemently, his eyes glowing with an anger that did not die.
“What are you saying? Why do you speak her name? Do you not listen to what I say? Jana, do not tell me you think that I love her. You are so wrong, so very wrong. Why do you whisper such a name to me?”
Jana swallowed. She had not expected such a reaction. He seemed violently opposed to let her think even that slightest thought. He was so filled with such a vigorous denial that it seemed fantasy.
She found her strength, at the thoughts she had always thought and spoke them aloud, into the face of the man who said he loved her, that she wished really did love her.
“I always thought that you loved her. That she loved you. You are more suited, you should be with her.”
She spoke quietly, calmly, all the emotion pent-up within suddenly fading into an unknown void deep inside.
Sephiroth stared into her eyes, his own flickering over her face with a rush of urgency.
“No, Jana! Do not hide from me. Come back. Come back to me. You know the truth.”
The witch simply shook her head, wondering at his passionate nature. He growled and pressed his hands against her face, seizing her head with a possessive grasp.
“I do not love Holly. I never have, not like I love you. She is not what I need, not what I want. I cannot love a woman such as her.”
The world moved in a slow motion as Jana ducked out of Sephiroth’s grip and held his hand away from her, keeping him at bay, before shaking her head, not wanting to let the tears of hope fall freely down her face. She watched him reach for her but she simply disappeared, vanishing in the oncoming night, running away from her emotions, from her love, needing to hide, to stop the risk of pain ever reaching her. She did not understand what was resounding within her soul and needed the solace of the night to calm her fears and calm her desires. She would face the General another day; there were other hearts to destroy yet.