Bright Seraphim
Eleven

The detectives - themselves now prisoners in the snowbound hotel - questioned Jaz and Katie for an hour and a half. Jaz was the closest thing to a witness they had. But in the end, she and Katie were escorted to their suites. Jamie had already been escorted back to Katie's suite.

Jaz's missing key card was a source of great concern to the police. Two officers thoroughly searched her suite, then stood guard at the suite's door.

Jaz sat in the suite's common room for a long time. She lit up the gas fireplace and watched the flames.

It didn't help. She still felt cold inside.

The gray sweater that she'd gotten for Sephiroth was lying on the far end of the couch. She looked at it, and briefly considered folding it and packing it - but she couldn't bring herself to touch it.

She realized that she was shaking again.

She stood and paced back and forth for a few minutes, rubbing her arms. She felt as though every muscle in her body was knotted tight, and she couldn't relax.

She turned out the fireplace, walked into the bathroom, and began to draw water into the contoured bathtub. She'd booked this suite with luxurious baths in mind, and was determined to keep this "vacation" from being a total fiasco.

She chose a particularly soothing bubble bath scent from those she'd packed and poured in nearly half the bottle.

She realized, as she shoved the bottle back in her luggage and undressed, that she was concentrating on not thinking. She managed to hold off thought a few minutes more, until she had stepped into the warm, scented water and leaned back into the side of the tub. For a few moments, she was able to simply savor her perfect bath.

Then she sat forward again, drew her knees to her chest, and began to cry.



Sephiroth crouched in the kitchen area on the hotel's ground floor. This part of the kitchen had closed for the night, and he'd crept in through the back.

He held his sword over a drain in the floor, allowing the rest of the blood on it to drip away. Masamune was not simply a weapon; it was a prototype Mako-nanotech blade, keyed to his mind so that his fighting would be improved. When he'd been given the sword, he hadn't even been tall enough to carry it. Since that time, he'd rarely been separated from it, and it always found its way back to him. Self-cleaning was apparently the least of Masamune's abilities, and he doubted that even the sword's creators knew the current extent of its powers. He certainly didn't.

He finally noticed the pain in his hand and chest and remembered that he'd been hurt. He pressed a hidden latch and the thin handle of his sword sprang open, revealing a row of small, slightly glowing, smooth gems of varying colors. They were Materia - Mako condensed into a solid form and specialized to enable the bearer to perform certain spells.

So far as he knew, only those from his Mako-Earth could use them, as only that world gave its inhabitants a natural reservoir of "magic" to focus through the stones. He knew that Jenova was attempting to tap his magic and wasn't sure if she had succeeded or not; as it was, he had very little magic left, and hoped that he wouldn't need it.

Sephiroth chose a green stone and clasped it in his wounded hand, then to his chest, allowing the stone's natural power to heal him rather than calling a full-fledged cure spell. Calling a stronger spell would drain his magic further.

He placed the green Materia back in Masamune's handle - then paused. He thoughtfully removed a red gem and held it up to the light. This was a Summon Materia. In his world, it would call a "monster" (though they were sometimes quite beautiful) to attack the enemy or perform some other specific function such as healing or shielding. Rather like specialized djins, he thought. But he doubted that the stone was anything more than a pretty rock here.

He put the Summon Materia back in its slot and closed his sword's handle. He had to keep moving. It wouldn't do to be caught, and if he remained in one place too long, that's what would happen.

Sephiroth pulled the key-card to Jaz's suite from his glove. He'd slipped it into his cuff that morning, thinking that it would be useful should they become separated. He'd sensed that Jenova was up to something, and wanted to be able to keep that something from affecting Jaz.

For a moment, he considered the possibility that Jenova had nothing to do with the gory scene he'd found in the stairwell, and the monstrous creature that had done it and cut him in fleeing. But the dead girl had had red hair, and Jenova had crowed with delight at that. On top of that, it had been Jenova's sudden soft laughter - when he'd drawn too close to Jaz - that had caused him to run from the ballroom, and Jenova had found the short altercation of blades in the stairwell entirely too amusing.

The image of Jaz's terrified face flooded into his mind. She thought that he was the killer.

He had to protect her. She and her friends were the closest thing to a haven that he had on this world - something he needed, since Jenova didn't seem inclined to provide one for him without a high price, now.

If he could find this murderer, he could put a stop to this, and Jaz would realize that it hadn't been him at all...

"~~You are perceptive, I'll grant you that,~~" Jenova said. She was suddenly sitting next to him, not looking at him; she seemed to be very tired. "~~You needn't fear, child. I will allow no one to harm you.~~"

"~~Only because you'll die if I die,~~" Sephiroth muttered back.

"~~As I said. Perceptive.~~" She paused, then looked at him. "~~What will you do next, boy?~~" She asked with venomous concern. "~~This one who kills is mad, that much is obvious. Do you intend to destroy him? Or perhaps take up with him, and use him to subjugate these people? It's a start...~~"

"~~I intend to do nothing,~~" Sephiroth lied. "~~I intend to leave this place.~~"

"~~But you cannot leave,~~" Jenova smiled. "~~Think of the snow. It's still coming down, you've seen it. No one can safely leave.~~" She narrowed her eyes to gleaming slits. "~~Besides... You have your woman to attend to.~~"

Sephiroth gritted his teeth, lowering his head, eyes shut. He'd been wondering when she'd get around to that. "~~She is not 'my woman', Mother,~~" he said, knowing that Jenova would be distracted by his calling her by that name.

"~~No, boy. You do not belong to me. When will you accept your failure?~~"

"~~I already have. I have accepted you.~~"

Jenova made a hissing noise and was silent for a little while. Sephiroth wondered if she'd retreat, and if anyone would hear his voice here in the kitchen - he was fairly certain that only he could hear Jenova.

Jenova did not retreat. "~~If she's not your woman, then what is she to you?~~" she suddenly snapped, picking up her thread of conversation again.

Sephiroth cursed himself; Jenova would not be swayed so easily. "~~An ally,~~" he responded.

"~~You desire her company.~~"

"~~I desire company out of loneliness, no more. I'm simply sick of being with you alone.~~" Sephiroth stood. He had to move on; he'd been in one place too long.

"~~You wish to mate with her.~~" Jenova grinned nastily. She'd been saving that for last. "~~Weak male thing.~~"

Sephiroth turned his back on her. "~~No more, Jenova.~~"

"~~The woman killed on the stairs,~~" Jenova called after him as he walked cautiously away. "~~She had red hair, too, did you notice? And she was wearing a black gown as well...~~"

He'd noticed. "~~So?~~"

He instantly regretted snapping up the bait so quickly - but at least now he was absolutely certain of Jenova's involvement.

"~~Perhaps this one who kills had another target in mind?~~"

"~~The thought had occurred to me, Mother.~~" He pushed lightly on one of the swinging doors at the front of the kitchen. It creaked a little, but not much.

"~~You think that I had something to do with it?~~" Jenova sounded indignant, but was obviously gloating. "~~You flatter me. You should know that I cannot control minds in this world.~~"

There was a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. "~~You... you found a way.~~" It was an unfamiliar sensation, but he'd experienced it before. It signaled fear. Exerting control over someone in this world, however indirectly, would certainly account for her apparent exhaustion...

"~~Did I?~~" Jenova smiled, tilting her head innocently. "~~Perhaps you had better go and protect your woman, then.~~"

Stalling. She'd been stalling the entire time.

Sephiroth quickly slipped through the door. He had to find a way back upstairs, quickly.

Jenova's vicious laughter followed him.


Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, its story, and characters (particularly Sephiroth) are the property, copyright and trademark of Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., and no ownership or claim on said property, copyright or trademark is made or implied by their use in the work(s) of fan fiction presented here. This fan fiction constitutes a personal comment on the aforesaid properties pursuant to doctrines of fair use and fair comment. This fan fiction is non-commercial, not for sale or profit, and may not be sold or reproduced for commercial purposes. The same goes for Clock Tower, Tekken 2, Soul Blade, Star Trek, Dark Shadows, Lost in Space, Pepsi, and any other games, television shows, movies, etc. mentioned in this fanfic: all belong to their respective owners. Clock Tower, its story, and characters (particularly Scissorman) are the property, copyright, and trademark of Ascii Entertainment.