She blinked awake and sighed into the silver reflective darkness. The mood spread through the open curtains that floated silently in the gentle but cold midnight wind.
Jana rose, unclenching her stiff fingers from the crimson bed sheets and flexed her naked shoulders, twisting herself over to quell the vague unsound paranoia that forever relentlessly flowed within her soul.
The witch sat up fully, discarding her coverings and stepped onto the firm wooden floorboards with bare warm feet, letting her ruffled nightdress fall with a soft rustle back to its full knee-length reach.
Her mind was a spinning confusion of swelling, conflicting emotions and thoughts. She felt lost and, as her eyes drifted to stare at the lifeless moon, alone. Its grey light gave her sight to see but it was no warmth and what deadened her heart more was the remembrance of her rejection of the fulfilling love offered to her by the man who was forever haunting her dreams, invited or not.
Jana walked the small distance to the window ledge and looked into the impassionate glass, staring through to the reflection caught inside, at the eyes of herself that seemed dark and unforgiving.
She could not read the emotions and raised her hot fingers to trace the outline of her cheek. As they lightly stroked the harsh but beautifully smooth glass, her heat left stains of condensation running in memory where she had let her digits journey.
Jana closed her eyes from her own vision and let her forehead rest slowly onto the solid pane while her other hand drifted to close the source of the breeze as it began to chill her exposed flesh making it tingle delightfully at the beginning but becoming an irritant that had to be exterminated.
Sighing tiredly again, she opened her eyes and let out a startled cry, spinning instantly back to the darkness of her room but there was no one present. Jana held a hand to her wildly beating heart, resting it on her erratically rising breast and calmed herself. It had been a product of imagined and swallowed, walking back to her empty bed, checking the empty room constantly, still remembering the reflection of the dangerous man who loved her, vividly watching her, a hand poised, hovering by her neck.
The silk sheets were overly sensitive to her frightened skin but as Jana forced her fluttering soul to relax, the longings of sleep slowly seeped back to her muscles and tired mind, so she tried in vain to forget Sephiroth and fell into the abyss of dreams.

The morning was fresh, alive, and spring birds called out in the harmony of nature from tall tree territories, warning other birds to keep away while hoping to entrance mates to fulfil their wildly passionate dreams of love.
Jana shook her head, shaking away the strands of raven hair before brushing her hands over it, capturing them all within the tightly twisting material of a band.
She gave it a tug then relaxed and smiled out at the world, at the wild landscape of the old desolate moors she had chosen to train upon.
Life existed as animals and plants here and only in the far unseeingly distance was evidence of humanity’s dominance of the earth. Copses of trees dotted the surrounding low hills but they were few and far between.
Letting out a long breath, the witch nodded her head to the invisible partner and held her small and out to the side of her darkly clad body as a black sword shimmered into reality becoming heavy and solid in her grasping fist. A smirk began to curl her lips and Jana twisted a move in the beginnings of her trance-like dance of sword practice. The autumn eyes looked to nothing, concentrating on the emptiness of her calm mind, falling into a rhythm of dance that was fluid and unfailing.
The blade arced in the sky, a midnight flow of swift metal, deadly and fatal in a battle. Its edge sliced the crisp air, graceful as its owner that stepped and leapt, feral across the ground, through the low purple heathers and verdant mosses. Both swept like a shadow oblivious to nature, but alert, senses alive and tuned to all life, hearing that life live and knowing joy in that knowledge.
As Jana swung the sword and her wrist in a circular arc to end her dance in a vicious twist of swirling weaponry, she breathed heavily and let reality rush back. Cold metal was placed dangerously close to her throat, held from behind. The young woman jumped away turning, and held up her own sword in defence, yet the silver blade was now simply reversed to lay against the other side of her neck, with her assailant in clear view. Jana had known who it was but seeing him again, so close, so beautifully evil, was as if falling into a dream. He was unreal.
Her hand still gripped her sword tightly but it wavered as her defence had been futile and Jana swallowed, staring into the clear jade orbs of soul. "You should go back to playing with your pretty magics, witch."
The tone of his voice washed her senses, it was so cold yet it did nothing but send a thrill of desire through her flesh. She studied him for a moment, at the smirk on his face, the glowing eyes, leather-covered fist that held the still and deadly positioned masamune and the encompassing powerful aura that emanated always from his frame.
Jana tilted her neck away from the blade and gave a tiny smirk of her own then with a sudden fluid movement, swept her sword up as she jumped past and away from him, slicing into his soft cheek, leaving a trail of bright crimson on his pale jaw.
"I think you forget to whom you preach, General."
She held her head and shoulders high before turning her eyes to look at him. The man stood frozen for a moment and the blood that stained his angular features dried in its slow trail down.
A chuckle rose from the recesses of his throat and the low laugh echoed in the vast emptiness of their surroundings.
"Is that a challenge?"
Jana turned at his words, and raised her weapon, eyes narrowing in a slight anger.
"Why not?" Her voice was light, taunting, but almost not playful. The laughter ended, dying out after her answer and his empty fist clenched the innocent air.
"Foolish woman."
The whisper barely reached Jana's ears and as it did, Sephiroth flowed into movement, spinning with perfected precision to slash his blade into her. She parried with a firm blow and their swords met, the violent clash striking as a thunderous ringing of metal. For a moment the brown and green gazes locked until Jana gave in and flicked her sword away and then back again at his figure.
The General easily blocked each strike the witch tried to attack with then fiercely began a flurry of blows of his own.
They were virtually un-blockable and Jana found her shirt ripped and slashed precariously open before he added more of his relentless strength to his attack and knocked the blade out of her hot and tiring fist.
The woman blinked from the power of his hit then moved lightning fast to retrieve her black weapon but Sephiroth was faster still and she found herself with a masamune of unforgettable uniqueness across the front of her throat touching her flesh with a viciously sharp edge.
Jana stopped dead then slowly began to rise and straighten, the sword staying against her skin the entire time. Her eyes focused on her own blade that lay metres from her feet and considered magicking it into her hand then with a flash of insight understood that her old friends harsh and intense training would ensure her instant death the moment it flickered out of existence.
"Foolish, foolish woman."
The drawling voice whispered into her exposed ear and sent a shiver down Jana's spine. Her autumn stare flowed black to match her weapon, hair, clothing and magic for a moment in response to the insult and the echoing chuckle resounded again.
"Even now you still wish to fight."
The masamune was pressed tighter, nearly breaking her skin the she found an arm encircling her waist and Sephiroth caught her further, pulling her back against his firm naked chest and she could feel the thumping of his hear mirror and twin with her own as a singular beating rhythm of wild passion.
Jana could not speak for fear of slicing her throat and strived to keep herself statuesque against him. He breathed harshly, hotly, tingling all the hairs on her neck and she felt his lips brush her skin for the briefest of forbidden moments.
Emotions rippled through her in a wave of pleasure and yet as her eyes found the discarded sword, an evil smile spread over her face and the darkness of her vision began to seep through her soul.
Jana's mind joined with her Power and she slowly raised her hand to stroke the soft skin of Sephiroth's wrist as it held the deadly blade that threatened to cut her thread of life.
Her fingers crept under the edge of the glove then gripped lightly to guide the masamune away. The General let her move him gently and she turned in his possessive hold, smiling up into the passionate face, her other hand reaching to stroke down his jaw, over the shallow cut that scarred his cheek.
"Of course." She spoke quietly and his eyes began a descent to narrowed slits yet Jana simply smirked and released a powerful ice spell through the connection of their flesh. He took a step back in shock and it was the moment of freedom that the witch had needed.
Her poised reflexes uncoiled into motion and she ran back, bending down to regain possession of her sword. As she let her head rise again to discover the reaction of Sephiroth, a gasp of shock thudded from her chest and a hand pressed down on her midnight hair, forcing her to stay kneeling.
Sephiroth flickered fully into reality with angry eyes blazing down at his capture and she swallowed both fearful and infuriated by her inability to conquer him. She registered the lack of his weapon then watched as her own faded from view. The grip on her skull tightened and pulled her gaze up to him. She was a weaving mass of confusion and desire, a desire that grew as he spoke.
"I think it is time to stop playing with swords."
The look in his emerald eyes was violently passionate and after seconds of unfathomable silence Jana decided to rise, her mind unsure as his hand still held her head within a powerful grip and her own soul cascaded down to the fiercest of emotions - of desire, lust and wild love. Everything about him screamed to her and she felt drugged by his mere presence.
She registered his wide smirk and he stroked down her cheek, removing his hand from her head.
They stood as twins pillars of a singular passion, both yearning inside for the other, staring at each other with sharp focuses while reality and its harsh landscape was discarded for the visions of love and hope of completion, of their souls entwining.
She watched him watch her, his eyes flickering between her lips, breasts and eyes, and did the same, taking in the chest veiled thinly with sheen of sweat, his lonely hungry lips and glowing eyes.
In the same heartbeat, the pair could not bear the parting of their selves for any longer and grabbed each other, forcing lips together in an ardent kiss, their tongues battling, exploring, joining, revelling, in the released joy of their love.

Life became nothing but Sephiroth for Jana and she held onto his shoulder and neck tightly, leaning up and into his strong embrace, pressing herself against him, needing him, craving him like no other being ever experienced.
The General's hands ran over her sliced shirt, his fingers stroking the bare flesh through the cuts and then held her back, keeping her to his chest.
Jana's body flooded with desire, tingling from the sensual caresses of his cold hands and as he drew away from their meeting of mouths, biting on her lower lip, she felt his hot breath panting onto her skin and hungered for more of him, for him to touch her, hold her, be with her.
Everything became nothing as the reality drifted further into dream through emerald eyes, the crescendos of love building within, yet as she fell, as Jana let her soul be swept away into his own, a foreboding darkness grew. It was suffocating, the flames of love turning to anger, to hate, her soul trapped within his own, suffering as he suffered inside.
The witch did not understand. She was confused, in pain from the horrors of the burning flames within his self, and lost, struggling to find his previously unbidden and unleashed desire for her that lay under the chaotic surface of his consciousness. The swarming mass of tortured emotion engulfed her senses and she heard the faint echo of reality as she gasped, grabbing onto him unseeing in the daylight. Images scarred her retina, forcing themselves into her mind, the overwhelming furious and sadistic nature of his soul sending fear through her own soul and shivers of terror through her flesh.
Jana struggled to be free of his mind and his grip, but he held her tighter, not understanding her resistance or her panic. His voice was a distant hollow noise from the bedlam she was within and as she strived to reach it, to call out for him to help her, she knew it was futile. The flow of his emotional turbulence was dragging her into oblivion.
She fell, falling ever faster, caught in the maelstrom of Sephiroth’s soul, yet suddenly a flash of light burnt her vision, breaking into the darkness with ferocity and an angelic sense.
The light enveloped her, smothering her in immense passion and warmth. The darkness faded and died in its presence. She sighed into it, and felt the joining of lips, only knowing that this was the Sephiroth that she wanted to love, that knew love.
Released swiftly from the terrors, Jana opened her eyes to life, pulling away slowly from his kiss, the kiss that had shown her the truth of his love, and saved her.
His hand held her cheek, and he stared into her eyes, searching them for signs of soul and smiled.
“You are safe.”
His voice echoed with depths of tenderness and the woman looked up at him slowly, the revelation of his heart and soul subduing her desires. She touched the beating rhythm of his physical heart, pressing her hand into the hot flesh and her eyes saddened, in the sorrow of her knowledge.
“It was so dark Sephiroth, filled with hate and anger.”
There was silence for a moment, and then he sighed, holding her close, stroking her raven hair with raven hands.
“I know. It is how I feel, about everything. Except you, my love is stronger than my hate.”
The witch did not know how to react. She remembered the images and never wished to recall them again. They haunted her memory and her knowledge. Yet she knew he spoke the truth that his love for her was more powerful than his depth of hatred and it consumed her. She had felt his hate. She had felt his love. His love had survived.
Staring up into the emerald orbs, their darkness hidden away, locked inside the cold frame of his body, Jana felt everything she needed within the arms of Sephiroth and slowly pressed herself closer still, moving his hands to hold her waist and wrapped her arms about his neck.
“And my love for you, is stronger still.” She whispered into his flesh and felt his responding kiss as all the answer she would ever need in the world of their twinned souls of desire and love.

Far distances from the isolated moors, a woman of unimaginable strength sat contemplating her future of loneliness, away from the sickeningly loving relationship of her friends, and let out a sigh of depression.
The world was a cold place for Holly and even within the sweltering depths of her new Garden’s training centre, to which she had been unwillingly transferred, she could find no peace, no settling of mind that would calm her senses.
As she killed for a final time, deciding firmly to find a source of decently warm food, a movement caught her keen eyesight and she stilled, wary of company. Flickering her sight about, she moved to hide behind a large tree, not wanting to be acknowledged by any humans in her present state.
A man walked into her vision and she tilted her head, recognising him to be one of the higher SeeDs and the man that had caught her heart earlier that day when he had taken her on a tour of Balamb.
He crouched, waiting for battle and as a monster struck, began to fight. She breathed out, savouring the sight of such a powerful human in the midst of the weakness she had sensed elsewhere and felt herself wanting him to be with her.
A revelation of understanding began to unfold within her mind and a smirk curled on her lips, all thoughts of hatred forgotten as the game of love had finally begun in true style for herself.

The End