Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with FFVII or Squaresoft, the characters, storyline, feelings, plots, emotions, weapons, monsters, ages, swords, flowers, guns, hair, eyes, clothes, etc. Everything read here comes from the brain of a teenage girl.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Sephiroth froze, the sword just a hair's breadth from her face. She gasped; and a breath of relief escaped her mouth. "Sephiroth, your mother is Lucrecia, and your father is…..Hojo." she said. Sephiroth's eyes widened then, unable to hide the surprise.

"You are lying!" he yelled, raising the sword once more. Aeris screamed, and grabbed his arm in a futile attempt to stop him. But as she grabbed him, a shock ran through both of them, and Sephiroth became rigid.

It was like he was in a dream. He was in Hojo's lab again. Not again. Never again in that lab. But there he was. But Hojo looked younger than the last time he saw him. A lot younger. He looked around, and saw Hojo in the far corner, talking to woman. The woman was small, but her stomach was protruding out, as if she were 4 months pregnant. He could just barely hear what they were saying.

"Pregnant! This is perfect! The child will be a perfect specimen for my research. I will inject it with Jenova cells, and raise it to be a warrior!!! Then no one will be able to stop me!" Hojo said. Then, the girl spoke up.

"No Hojo! I will not allow you to use my… our child for your experiments!! I won't have it!" she said. Hojo then slapped her along the face knocking her to the ground. She hit the floor with a thud. Sephiroth bit his lip hard, as a reality began forming in his head.

Why was he seeing all of these things? Why was he here? How did he get here? Before the answers revealed themselves, Hojo began to speak again.

"He will be the beginning of a new set of specimens. He will be named….Sephiroth…."

The scene faded and suddenly he was back down to Earth, and Aeris had let go of his arm. She was staring up at him in horror until he dropped his sword.

Sephiroth flew into a flurry of anger and resentment. Those were Aeris' memories from when she was locked up when she was a child. He was a human. Everything Jenova had said was a lie. He was not her son. He was Lucrecia's son. He was human. And Hojo was his father. Sephiroth seethed at the very thought of it. Everything he had been told was a lie.

"Sephiroth?" Aeris asked. Sephiroth heard her voice but never acknowledged her. He was too busy in his own world of thoughts to respond. It was time to confront the liar he never saw coming.

Just as he was about to engage Jenova in conversation, he felt a soft hand on his arm. His first instinct was to whip around and break the arm that dared to enter his personal space. But something caught him. He knew it was her, the girl, and he knew she meant him no harm. But why all of a sudden did that care so much to him?

He turned to look at her, and she held his gaze with a look of pity. "I know you are going through a lot right now. But I am here to help you if you need it. I just thought you ought to know. It is your right. I just want to help." She said.

"But why help me? Why would you want to help me?" Sephiroth asked. Aeris just smiled softly, removed her hand from his arm.

"Because I believe there is good in everyone. And I just want to help you bring out the good in you." She said. He looked at her suspiciously, but gave a nod.

"There is something I must do." He said, and turned to walk away.

"Sephiroth!" she called after him. He turned and looked at her.

"You don't have to do this alone. You don't have to face your demons alone you know." She said softly. Sephiroth just watched her for a moment.

"This I must do alone." He said. Aeris nodded, sensing his determination. She just smiled, and watched as he turned away from her.

"I'll be here if you need anything." she called out just before he left her sight. He walked away from her, feeling a bit detached, as if he was leaving a big part of his life. But there was something he had to do. And he had to do it as soon as possible.

'Jenova!' Sephiroth called out in his mind, his anger and hatred seeping through in his voice.

Yes, my son?

'Do not call me that. I am no son of yours.' His hate emanated from him now, filling the air around him.

What is this? Who had poisoned your mind against me?

'There is no poison. Only truth. You are the poison, and it is time I got rid of you.'

Who has lied their way into your heart now my son? Who is it that could make you forget of your own mother and her wishes? There was once a time when you were a good son and would help me to fulfill my plans. Where has that son gone off to?

'I was never your son. I was just a puppet, one you used to do your bidding. Well no more. It is over. I am done with you and your lies.'

My son. You are being misled. You are my child, as you always have been. Since you were born. I don't forgive treachery, so I suggest you rethink this before you make another move. If you walk away, I will never take you back. If you walk away, I will kill you.

'I am done with you. And I give it all to Aeris. She allowed me to see through your web of lies, to see the monster you really are. I am done.'

Aeris!! The Cetra you killed! You have allowed that insolent witch to come into your heart and feed you all the lies! You are weaker than I thought, my son, if she can feed you lies that you believe.

'Enough. You will never lie to me again. You will never have the chance. Once I find you, mother, you will cease to exist.'

You will never have the chance to find me. I will kill you now for your treachery, and then I will bring death upon the Ancient as well!!!

It was then a pain that Sephiroth had never felt before racked his entire body. The pain seared from the Jenova cells in his body, bringing him to his knees and causing him to yell out in pain. He tried to fight it, but it endured, getting stronger and more painful with ever passing second.

He cried out, unable to take it much longer. He thought to give in, to not fight her and go back to the way it was, but he couldn't. No longer would he comply with such lies. He was done, and even if it killed him he would be free of her for good.

Aeris was standing in the clearing, waiting for any sign of Sephiroth. Minutes went by, and nothing happened. She was about to sit down when she heard him cry out in pain. She froze, unsure of what to do. Should she let him face this alone, or run to him and try to help him?

When he cried out again, she made her decision. She was going to go help him. She took off in the general direction that his yelp came from. She started off into the forest, following his cries. He yelled every few seconds, and she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was going through something so painful that it was unbearable, even for him.

She ran even quicker when his yells got louder and almost tripped twice. Finally, when she got close, she stopped. She didn't want to pass him up. Then, his yells seemed to be right beside her. She turned and in a clearing a few feet away, he lay there, doubled over on the ground, pain ripping lines across his face.

She gasped and ran to his side, dropping to her knees and putting a hand on his shoulder. Why was she doing this? He was a cold blooded killer. Her killer. He killed her and here she was helping him. Why? Because she was an Ancient. Because above all she would forgive and forget. But how could she bring herself to get past the fact that he killed her once. Though suddenly none of that mattered to her. She was focused on one thing. Saving him.

---------------------------------------------------
Note from the Author: I know this is a short chapter, but I thought this would be a good spot to cut it off. Please review, I would really like to know what you all think! Thank you for reading!