Chapter 6: It Stays in the Room
"Palmer!" A middle-aged woman with blonde hair walked into a darkened bedroom with a quick stride. "Palmer, wake up you fat tub of lard! It's important!"
A rather chunky man with balding whitish-blonde hair sat up in his bed, still blinking his eyes open. "What on earth is it, Scarlet? It's barely morning."
"The Tyrants that were moving our mako motors were jumped and killed! They took the motors as well... so whoever did this, knew what they were carrying."
Palmer was out of his bed now. Scarlet had gotten his attention within just seconds. "Who did it!"
"No one knows yet, but some of the men were... fried. I don't know who or how he managed to do it. Palmer, we might have a serious problem on our hands."
"No shit we do! Especially now that he's stolen our mako motors!" Palmer wrapped a velvety navy blue robe over his boxers and t-shirt. "Have the corpses and sight searched thoroughly."
"It's already being done, whom do you think you're talking to?" Scarlet left the room and headed back to the spacious living room.
Palmer sat down on the edge of his bed and pondered what Scarlet had just said. He knew this had to be taken very seriously. Their projects that they were working on were too important to be further delayed. "Scarlet, send Hojo to the sight to help inspect the scene!"
Scarlet nodding after some thought. "Hmmm... Wow that's actually a good idea. I'll call him up right now."
"Oh my God... hey you guys, look a this." Tifa peered out the airship window at a scene where the grass was stained red with the blood of the corpses lying all over the ground. Men in uniforms were scattering all over the scene taking pictures and blocking off the area with yellow warning tape.
"Well I can guess what Jazzi was going around Gongaga now." Vincent spoke in a very frank and blunt manner. "I bet she met Sephiroth there and killed them."
"Why would they just kill them? What would be their reasoning?" Cloud peered further towards the window, and shook his head at the gore several feet below. "I wager they aren't around here anymore."
"I wouldn't think so... that would be rather stupid of them. Where to know?" Tifa sat back in her seat, not wanting to witness the bloodshed any longer.
"Isn't it obvious? They went back to their mansion... they both feel like they belong within those walls, but... still they won't stay long so lets go." Vincent turned towards the group with the same solemn look that he always has.
"That makes perfect sense... alright lets head for Nibelheim. You hear that Cid?" Cloud turned his head to the front to look over at the pilot.
"Sure did... to Nibelheim we go!" As he turned the airship northwest he sparked up his lighter and lit up another cigarette.
Cloud sighed softly as he too sat back in his seat, his mind in a deep thought. His sister was now guilty of homicide. It must have been men of importance for the fuse that was being made over them. It would soon be on the news and people would be on the look out for the duo. Not matter what Jazzi had done, he loved her and felt the need to protect her.
Jazzi laid in the bed where she had been asleep for about two hours. Suddenly she began to move quite a bit and her skin began to become damp with perspiration. Her eyelids squeezed shut as if she were in pain. Minutes went by and she began to make vocal noises as well. Grunts, and groans of despair and fear escaped her throat as the torture that was engulfing her dreams seemed to grow worse. A scream busted out of her lungs of pure terror that was loud enough to echo throughout the mansion's walls. Her eyes opened in the instant she sat up, breathing heavily with sweat dripping off her body in some places. Her look of distress did not vanish upon awakening, but continued on as she looked around in bewilderment.
Saul and Sephiroth looked at each other at the sound of a woman's scream. Without a moment's hesitation, Sephiroth began running to the room in which he had left Jazzi alone. Saul followed close behind, one blade in hand. Sephiroth entered the room to see Jazzi holding her face in her hands. "Jazzi are you alright?" He walked further into the room, beside the bed in which she now sat in.
Her head jerked up at the sound of his voice and looked at him with panic in her eyes. He was close enough to her that she was able to grab him. She wraps her arms around him and buried her face in his clothing as she began to talk. Even though it was muffled, Sephiroth could understand, but Saul could not... he just watched in puzzlement to Jazzi's odd behavior. "Oh my god... Sephiroth Hojo's alive... he's trying to find me."
Sephiroth blinked a bit; he had no idea what to say. Jazzi stopped talking, but was now crying. "Jazzi it was just a dream... don't be silly."
She unburied her face and looked up at him with her red eyes and tear soaked face. "No, it was real... I think it was a vision. I have a gut feeling that it will happen... I could see it so clearly. Hojo ambushes us and manages to take me away to his laboratory to experiment on me again. Oh Sephiroth, please I know you don't want to but please hold me. I'm scared..."
Sephiroth opened up his arms as Jazzi went to bury her face again. He slowly sat down on the bed to let Jazzi sat her head on his shoulder instead. He looked over at Saul with a look of puzzlement, but saw Saul had the same look and would be no help. "Ummm... calm down Jazzi, I promise that will never happen. Hojo will never get a hand on you as long as I'm around."
Jassi pushed away, her sadness was swept away and replaced by anger for a moment. "Why! Why would you promise such a thing? Why would you just say you'd stop Hojo till death...why!"
Sephiroth was taken back by her reaction she was displaying. "What do you mean? I said that so you..."
"Calm down! That's what I thought! You didn't say it because you meant it! You don't care what happens to me!" Her eyes saddened again and her body slumped down a bit. It seemed that she was too tired to even show her anger anymore. "and you never will..."
For some strange reason Jassi's accusations enraged Sephiroth for a brief moment. "I did mean it! I would never let Hojo take you away as long as there was a breath in my body. Do you know why!" Jassi was about to meekly say no, but Sephiroth gave her no time. "Because you have a wild spirit, Jassi, and it needs to continue being wild. If Hojo got a hold of you, he'd break it and you. Then you'd no longer ever be the same Jassi that you are now...that I want to protect, and be around." Sephiroth suddenly stopped speaking, his last words came out of nowhere and he wondered if he really meant them or not.
Jassi was also suddenly very speechless. She thought for a moment that she hadn't heard him right, but by the expression of both Sephiroth and Saul said that he had said those words. Her tears had stopped, as she just looked at him in shock. "Do you mean that?"
Saul was getting disgusted and annoyed by the chemistry we was watching unfold. He walked out of the room and headed to the library, speaking to himself. "So much for his control over the situation..."
Sephiroth looked at Jazzi's face and wondered. What was it about this girl that made his emotions flutter about in such an odd manner? Why her? Why him? He was happy being how he was, and now this woman was making him change. He wanted to be by her side right now, to comfort her, and what drove him nuts was he didn't know why! Maybe it was because she had been the only person in his entire life to have ever helped him out. She knew what he was, but did it anyways. After a moment's of pause he answered her question. "Yes... I meant that. I can't answer why because I don't know myself."
Jazzi glanced towards the door, finding Saul no longer there. "Um... what time is it?"
"Not even noon yet. You haven't slept much... maybe you should try to go back to bed?"
"No I'm okay, that nightmare made me wide awake." Jazzi grabbed at the covers and threw them off of her as she stood up. Her back was now to Sephiroth as she spoke. "So what does this mean now? Will what you just said vanish when we walk out of this room or will it stay?"
He stood up in silence as he thought about his answer carefully. He was changing inside somehow... he could feel it. It was an emotion that he never felt before and he feared it in many ways. "It'll fade away the moment I step out of this room..."
Jazzi kept her face away from his sight as she nodded and held in her emotions long enough to reply. "A typical answer... that I expected."
Sephiroth took his leave and headed towards the library to see where Saul disappeared off too.
Only after he was a ways from the room did Jazzi allow herself to sit down on the bed and let out a gasp of despair. What was wrong with him... or maybe her. He had the feelings there, but he didn't want anything to do with them or her. After a few tears she took in a deep breath and collected herself. "It's not over yet girl... I have the rest of my life to figure out men. But for now I..." Her voice trailed off at the sound of the airship's motors above the mansion's roof. Her neck jerked up as she saw the ceiling light rattle a bit. "Shit... Cloud."
Cloud, Tifa, Red, Bowen, Yuffie, Barrett, and Vincent all jumped down off of the airship while Cid waiting up in the air for them to come back out of the mansion. "Alright... no matter how we do this... we'll have to fight all three. So lets just run in while we have them by surprise." Everyone nodded in agreement as they marched to the two wide doors of the mansion, but before they could burst through, the doors flew open to show Jazzi in the entrance.
"Hello there... brother." She spoke the word with such despise that it made herself flinch. "Ha... Brother, my ass! You are no more a brother to me than I am a chocobo! How could you just go on and let me think that. How could you not tell me the truth! Tell me what I am... a Shin-Ra!"
Everyone stared at either Jazzi or Cloud in puzzlement or shock as Cloud began to speak. "I would have, Jazzi, but I didn't know how. I knew how you would feel... and to be quite honest I didn't know you were from Shin-Ra's family. I just knew mother had found you when I was little. I accepted you as my sister... so I never wanted you to not accept me."
"Well lying to me wasn't the way to prevent that! Now if you're here to battle Sephiroth, then you'll have to get through me... so come on. Less talking and more fighting... I want to let out this inner rage." Jazzi took a step forward so she was out of the mansion's entry room.
"Jazzi you can't take on all of us. You're strong, but not that strong." Tifa pointed to all of them and shook her head. "There's no way..."
"It's sweet that you care Tifa, but let me worry about my own chances, okay? I think I know my abilities better than anyone one of you... especially now that I know the truth."
Bowen stepped forward, looking at Jazzi. "You haven't changed one bit, but I bet you don't remember me."
Jazzi looked at him with puzzlement for only a moment then smiled. "Oh yes... I gave you my necklace. Do you think you've improved enough to give that back to me?"
"We'll just have to see... but not today, today it seems you have a fight with each of us."
Jazzi smirked at him and nodded slowly. "Yes, you are right... Bowen was it?"
"Yes it was."
"Alright Jazzi, step aside... we came to defeat Sephiroth, not you." Cloud stepped forward one step, sword in hand.
"Well to defeat him you'll have to get through me and you won't get that done by talking." Jazzi took her battle stance, with both daggers in her hands. She was serious, and had no problem with stopping them dead in their tracks here and now... literally.
"Fine if no one else will then it is up to me!" Tifa ran forward, but Cloud was shortly behind her, both rushing at Jazzi like they too meant business.
Jazzi met Cloud's blade with both daggers, trying to push him away as Tifa began kicking and punching Jazzi in the back and sides. Jazzi bit down on her lip and grunted as the pain from Tifa's attacks gave her the furry to throw Cloud back about eight feet. She was about to slice a dagger in Tifa's direction, but as she turned her face met Tifa's fist, which caused her to step back. "You stupid wench!" Jazzi spat bloody spit at Tifa's feet and delivered a sidekick to the chest, knocking her down.
Cloud was up and in Jazzi's face the moment after she kicked Tifa. He pressed his sword to her throat and glared. "You better stop now before you get in so deep we will be forced to kill you along with that murdering piece of filth inside!"
Jazzi smiled as she stared into his mako eyes. "Oh Cloud, you silly little boy. You couldn't even kill him the first time... what makes you think you can accomplish it the second time?"
"This time I will chop his head off to make sure!"
Jazzi's eyes widened than she laughed at him. "How will you do that when you can't even beat me?" Jazzi stabbed one of her daggers into his thigh, and twisted the blade ninety degrees as Cloud let out a scream of torturing pain.
Sephiroth heard the noise and started to walk towards the stairwell. Saul saw him get up and shortly after began to follow.
Cloud grabbed Jazzi up by the shirt, and glared at her, speaking through gritted teeth. "No you are not my sister! So I no longer feel the need to protect you, in fact I don't feel bad for doing this!" Cloud swung Jazzi's body into the mansion. She hit the side of the stairwell, breaking off many wooden rails, then landed on a coffee table. Dust went flying in ever direction, making it impossible to see anything around the stairs from the outside.
As the dust began to clear up, Sephiroth was slowly walking down the stairs with his masamune in hand and Saul by his side. "Here I am Cloud... for some reason I think you came here to fight me, not Jazzi. Are you truly ready to fight me one on one again? That's right, one on one. Saul and Jazzi can battle your yuppies."
From behind him, walked out Jazzi... dust covered and walking with a slight limp, but in one piece still. She leaned on Saul slightly and smirked. "Yeah Saul, we can whoop them."
Everyone stared at Saul with confusion for a few seconds until Sephiroth began to introduce him.
"This is my second partner in crime... Saul, my brother." Sephiroth smirked then glowered at Cloud. "Let's start this!" He lunged forward, masamune thrusting towards Cloud.
His wide sword made it easy to block Sephiroth's first attack. Then the swords were pushing against each other, clangs and sparks flew as they pushed and sliced at each other.
Tifa and Bowen rushed to aid Cloud, but Jazzi and Saul ran in to intercept them. Jazzi kicked Tifa back, as did Saul to Bowen. "Your fight is with us. Come on Tifa, you've always been bragging that you could kick my ass... lets see it."
Tifa ran at Jazzi, fell to the ground and slid in between her legs. Tifa stood up to find Jazzi half turned around and about to deliver another punch to her face. In a quick act, Tifa grabbed Jazzi's crimson locks in her hands and swung Jazzi in a 180 degrees turn than into the ground.
Saul reached to grab Tifa's hair, but Bowen kicked his arm back. "Think again pal." Bowen and Saul began punching, kicking, and blocking each other's attacks until Yuffie threw a Chinese star into Saul's leg which gave Bowen a chance to kick him down to the ground.
Saul screamed in pain as he ripped out the star, and then threw it back at Yuffie, landing it right in her shoulder. She fell backwards in a scream of surprise and pain, but stopped as the wind was knocked out of her by hitting the ground. As soon as the star left his hand, Saul then kicked Bowen's legs out from under him. As he got to his feet, he stepped back just in time to miss Barrett's bullets start to fly towards him. Saul jumped up into the air, and started a marathon of dodging bullets.
Jazzi was up now with Tifa's throat underneath her boot. "This is the last thing you'll ever see." She reached down to Tifa and ripped out a chunk of her hair. "Now we're even." Jazzi began to apply pressure to her enemy's slender throat, and grinning as Tifa's face began to grow redder. "Any last words? Oops my bad... I forgot you can't talk if you can't breath." She laughed a bit, but her celebration was cut short as Red leaped across the air and tackled Jazzi off of Tifa and into the dirt.
"Have you gone mad Jazzi!" Red growled as he spoke at her as he pinned her to the ground.
Jazzi shook her head then sighed heavily. Red cocked his head to the side and was about to ask if she was okay... afraid he might have hurt her, but didn't have the time. She kicked him off of her and through the air. Jazzi jumped to her feet and watched Red land back on the ground. "Get use to being down there Red if you keep getting in my way, but you're my friend... so that's all I will ever do to you." She turned her back and charged herself upon the only man who wasn't charging into battle, Vincent.
Sephiroth had Cloud against the mansion's outside wall with only their swords in between them. "Face it Cloud, you are just a pathetic copy of me... you can't beat the original bad ass of this world. Why bother... you're just bringing yourself to a even bigger fall." Sephiroth pushed his masamune even closer towards Cloud, until he had his face only six inches from Cloud's. "You don't really believe you can win, do you?"
Cloud gritted his teeth as he tried to continue pushing against Sephiroth, refusing to give up so easily. His biceps, triceps, and every other muscle near his arms began to ache with the effort. "I will never give up until one of us are dead!"
Saul was beginning to tire of dodging bullets, so he did a back flip off of a wall, and into Barrett. With Barrett on the ground, Saul pulled out his one handed sword and cut threw Barrett's machine gun like it was butter. Sparks flew for a few seconds while Saul stood up and looked down at Barrett, holding his arm in disbelief. "Not so tough now are you big man?" Saul kicked him in the chest with a smirk, but stopped as he heard another scream among the fight.
Jazzi had a Chinese star in her back as she fought with Vincent. Now with every movement causing her pain, she was loosing the battle fast. Vincent was kicking the shit out of her. Saul ran to her aid, and took over Vincent's priority as Jazzi fell to all fours, and reaching for her back to yank out the star. Before she could, Yuffie ripped it out herself. "Jazzi you need to get your priorities straight... and I'm going to make sure you do." Yuffie pulled out her own version of a giant Chinese star, and aimed it at Sephiroth's back. "Kiss your man goodbye."
Jazzi's eyes widened, even though she didn't see what Yuffie was doing, she knew she was serious. She ignored the pain stabbing through her and got to her feet in an instant. "Yuffie don't you do it!"
"Well Jazzi if you don't want to see your man lying on the ground with this in his back... than you better stop me. We are enemies now! So you better prove it to me."
"Yuffie... don't do this. If you step away no one has to die. Don't think I won't stop you... I will!"
"Than you better do it... because if I make it to ten... your man is dead... 1, 2, 3..."
"Yuffie don't you even think about!"
"6, 7, 8, 9..."
Jazzi screamed at the top of her lungs then fell to her knees with a saddened look as she softly spoke "10".
Yuffie gasped a bit as she looked down... she saw one of Jazzi's daggers standing out of her right lung. It was a direct hit, and she knew it was fatal, and she... smiled! "You always were a woman of your word. I may die your enemy... but I will remember you as a friend. I don't bare you any ill will."
Jazzi covered her mouth as a tear fell down her face. "I'm so sorry Yuffie... you wouldn't quit!"
Yuffie fell to the ground... dead.
Jazzi grabbed her hair and pulled on it a bit in frustration, as a tear trickled down her face. "I'm so sorry Yuffie... I too will always remember you as a friend." She slowly stood up, and saw that no one even noticed... everyone was fighting or looking at something else fighting. Jazzi wasn't in the mood to fight anymore at that precise moment... so she was determined to make it stop. Her attention turned to the skies as clouds began to roll in, and began to turn a dark gray. Her eyes traveled than about the town, trying to find a building of non-importance. Soon she found it, and it only took a few seconds for an almighty bolt to leap down from the sky and strike it. The well in the middle of the town exploded in fire and a wall of wood splinters.
Everyone that was fighting, stopped. They turned around to see nothing but a smoking stump in the middle of town and Jazzi standing over Yuffie's dead body. She slowly pulled her dagger from Yuffie's body and stood to find Sephiroth staring at her in surprise... as well as everyone else.
Cloud got up from the ground and dusted himself off. He had a cut running down his arm, but it was now covered in dirt. He looked down at Yuffie than up at his sister and walked forward. "How could you? Jassi... she was your friend!"
"Don't you think I know that! She left me no choice... it's like she wanted me to! She was going to kill Sephiroth, and I had to stop her!" Jazzi wiped the bloody dagger on Yuffie's shorts than put it back in her boot.
Cloud glared at her and shook his head. "You have changed Jazzi. I would have never even thought you'd do something like this."
"Well I did... and you know what!"
"What?"
"If you don't shut up... I might do it again." Jazzi flickered a few sparks of lightning in her eyes at her so-called brother, then looked over at Sephiroth. He was unharmed... which didn't surprise her. She soon found Saul... he was bleeding from a few places... didn't surprise her either. The odds were slightly better now... two to one, but Jazzi still didn't feel like fighting any more.
Cloud sighed a bit than held his sword tightly. "You know what Jazzi? I want to see it."
Jazzi's eyes widened in shock as she looked over at the spiky-haired man. "You want to see what?"
"I want to see you try and do it again... right here right now... you and me!"
"Cloud... you've gone completely mad." Jazzi smirked and went to walk by him, but he swung his blade at her. She jumped back just in time and looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you insane?"
"Maybe I am! Let's find out!" Cloud had his sword gripped tightly in both hands with a very odd expression on his face.
Everyone looked at one another then finally Tifa walked up to Cloud and put one hand on his shoulder. "Cloud lets go... the others are carrying Yuffie to the airship. We're taking her home to be buried there... come on Cloud."
His eyes slowly left Jazzi's and his odd expression of madness went away as he nodded. "Yeah... let's go Tifa."
Everyone left in a solemn pace out of town and towards the airship. The only person who spoke was Saul. "Three to seven... I think we did very well for ourselves. Well six now thanks to Jazzi." Saul placed a hand on her shoulder, but it was immediately brushed off.
In silence, Jazzi walked back into the mansion, grabbed her dagger lying on the floor and then headed into the room in which she had slept for a while.
Saul looked over at Sephiroth. "She's moody. I think it's a bad idea to keep her around. Women are usually trouble when they're normal... imagine how dangerous she can be."
Sephiroth looked over at the mansion, then Saul... then back at the mansion. He too left Saul standing there as he went in silence after Jazzi.
"What is with every body? We won the fight didn't we?" Saul was unanswered... not like an expected a reply, but he shrugged it off. "Fine then, I'll go and be the one doing all the work..." Saul headed into the building, but took a right turn at the top of the stairs instead of following. He planned on continuing the study on what the mysterious mako motors could be used for.
Jazzi was sitting on the bed, facing away from the door when Sephiroth entered after her. No words were spoken as he sat down beside her, and looked at her. It took her a few moments to even look upon him. Once she did, her chin was held by his thumb and index finger. He slowly pulled her to him, and pressed his lips to hers. Jazzi's eyes widened... did he even know what he was doing?
When Sephiroth pulled away he lowered his hand and spoke, with a still smile-less face. "I know how you care for me... I've always known it, but it is only now I can see just how much. And there is but one thing I must ask... why?"
Jazzi looked deep into his eyes for a few moments then sighed. "The reason I care for you so much is because I know why you did the things you did. In fact I know most were done by Jenova and not you."
"But here I am today... doing the same things, and you are too with out any signs of Jenova... why?"
"Because I just do. Ever since I met you that day years ago... I don't know why. My heart just melted of the sight of you and you alone. You can't choose you who fall in love with it just happens, and I believe you know that too. Because I know you would never have chosen to fall for any one. It would get in the way of your masterful plan. See I know how you are, but still I feel this uncontrollable feeling for you. It's painful, because I doubt you will return my affection in full any day soon."
Sephiroth put his hand around her neck and pulled her close, kissing her deeply another time. This time it took longer for him to pull away, but he did. He stood up and walked towards the door, went to speak but soon found there was no need.
"Stays in this room, doesn't it?" Jazzi had her head turned to him, body still facing away. Even though she knew the answer, her face was lit up with a smile.
Sephiroth nodded in silence than left the room.