When Sephiroth had reached the age of eighteen, Lucrecia and Hojo agreed that their son would live separately from them. For Lucrecia, it meant to remove him from the harmful influence of his father. For Hojo, it meant to make a man out of him.

But the bond between a mother and child could never be easily disrupted. Lucrecia visited her son to talk about the family business. After being abroad for the past four months, she decided to visit his bachelor's pad, only to be greeted with an unpleasant sight.

"Stop!"

Sephiroth froze.

His raised hand was about the land on the delicate brown-haired woman's battered face. Lucrecia had never seen her before, she very well knew the signs of the beaten woman when their eyes met.

Would she play a hero for this little one whose name she didn't even know?

"That is not the proper way to treat a guest."

"She is not a guest, mother."

She arched a brow. "Then who is she?

Sephiroth's mouth formed a grim line.

"You never bring women to your pad." said Lucrecia.

She turned to the frightened woman and brushed away the tendrils of hair from her face. The bruises didn't surprise her. "What is your name, young lady?"

"A-Aerith." She stammered.

"Aerith." She repeated.

Ah, so she was the Flower Lady who cultivated the Tulips Sephiroth brought her months ago. How she ended in his bachelor's pad was a mystery she would solve later.

"That's a lovely name. My name is Lucrecia, Sephiroth's mother."

Aerith's eyes widened like two round saucers as she covered her mouth with surprise. "You're his mother?"

Lucrecia's lip curled. "I gave birth to him when I was eighteen."

With an astonished look, Aerith gasped. "You do not look your age."

Lucrecia gave a short, husky laugh. "I'm beginning to like our guest, son."

Sephiroth frowned. "She is not a guest mother." He repeated.

"Then tell who she is." She challenged him. "Is she one of them?"

Aerith was surprised to see him wince. She never saw him behave this way before. Despite the cruelty he inflicted on her, the man respected his mother.

He respected his mother, but not the woman that Aerith was. What a joke.

"Yes." He gritted.

Lucrecia did not blink at his son's admission. "Then I want to buy her from you."

To her horror, Aerith realized that this beautiful and elegant woman was also involved in the dirty trade that snatched her freedom.

His mother's offer alarmed Sephiroth. "I bought her for one million Gil. She is not for sale."

"But I insist." She persisted. "I have never asked a lot from you, my son. Surely you cannot refuse me this simple request. I'll pay two million Gil and give you 2% of my shares."

He didn't care about the money, but the shares mattered. Defeated, he released a breath. "Very well. Let me draft a contract to complete the transaction."

Sephiroth went to his office to retrieve the necessary documents. He produced several papers later, which Lucrecia signed. Contented, she hugged her son. "Thank you."

Aerith saw frustration burn in his eyes.

With a snap of her new master's fingers, another figure appeared in sight. Tall, brooding, with a shocking pair of red eyes, he reminded her of the two figures who accompanied Sephiroth in Nibelheim.

"Vincent, take her to the car. I have other matters to discuss with my son."

Gratefully, Vincent knew how to deliver a blow without the person knowing it. A mere touch to her temples sent a current of electricity through her body. Seconds later, she lost consciousness.

"Why, mother?" Sephiroth asked. "Why the interest in her?"

"She's the one who cultivated the flowers you gave me, yes?"

He nodded.

"She's perfect for my plans."

"And that's…?"

"That only concerns me, my darling boy."

Since she was kidnapped, Aerith received numerous blows that knocked her, or worse, made her lose her consciousness. Aerith hated receiving the end of Sephiroth's punches. She despised her inability to fight or protect herself. If she had only taken boxing lessons from Tifa, she could have boxed that snake who turned her into a living punching bag.

When she woke up this time, she felt refreshed. Her eyes adjusted to the room, and she smelled a trace of lavender inside the room.

"You're finally awake."

Lucrecia appeared, carrying a tray of hot beverage and biscuits. The red-eyed man also stood in the room, his eyes looking straight, ignoring the two of them. Looking at her, Aerith recalled what Sephiroth had told her about his mother.

I inherited my looks from my mother. But she tells me I inherited my father's cruelty.

Her face was so like Sephiroth's, almost ephemeral in beauty. Her voice held a sternness that her son could only respect.

But how could she have married that average and mean-looking man? Aerith mused how the unfair the world could be.

"Don't mind Vincent." She told her. "He's my bodyguard."

"Is he like Reno and Tseng?"

Immediately, Vincent's gaze was on hers. "How do you know them?"

"They accompanied Sephiroth when I was working in Nibelheim."

"I see." Then he ignored her again and pretended to be an inanimate object.

Lucrecia sat beside her and waved her arms. "Welcome to my humble abode."

"It smells Lavender."

Lucrecia smiled. "Ah, yes. I forgot, you know plants very much. You were the one who raised the Tulips, yes?"

Aerith nodded. "You… know me."

"Only that you planted them. But I never knew that my son had the guts to take, sell and ultimately, purchase you for himself. He's a brilliant man. He takes after his father. Hojo is a scientist you see. But my son can be stupid sometimes. I wonder if he inherited that from me."

"He told me that all the women he capture is fair game—"

"Preposterous." Lucrecia snapped. "He could have branded and taken you home for himself, but no. He had to put you through an auction. There was no need for that. I truly wonder what was running inside his head."

Disbelief and confusion enveloped the young Flower Lady.

Sephiroth had purposely auctioned Aerith to simply humiliate her.

Lucrecia sat down beside to comfort her and patted the young woman's back. "There, there." and she wiped the tears running from her eyes.

Her action only made it worse. She strongly reminded Aerith of Elvira, who probably thought the worse of her.

Lucrecia allowed her to cry. To grieve.

Aerith would never see Nibelheim again... Never see her mother... Never see the flowers… and Never see Cloud.

"Please free me." pleaded Aerith. "My mother believes I left her and I don't want her to think horribly of me. I know you're my… master, but you're a mother as well. You do understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. It's impossible." Lucrecia stood up and walked around the room. "I can only make things better for you. But even if I did help you escape, they can still track you down."

Her answer dashed Aerith's hopes to the ground. "But why?"

"You're a special slave."

"What do you mean?"

"Slaves are branded and left like that." explained Lucrecia. "But it seems that my son took a special liking to you. Not only did he inject an untested Jenova drug into your system, he treated you like a Shinra Employee."

Aerith understood the concept of the Jenova Drug. Every often, men in white would inject the violet fluid in her body. But the Shinra employee? No.

"Once you work for Shinra, the company owns you. Every Employee is marked and numbered at the nape. I don't know if you can see it, but your mark is 197011. A chip is implanted into your body and it serves two purposes. It tracks your whereabouts and detonates the bomb inside your body." She raised a small black device. "It can also send electric shocks in your body, just in case you do something that displeases me."

Aerith's eyes latched on the small black remote. "Can't you remove the bomb and the chip from me?"

Lucrecia shook her head. "Proper protocols are observed in surgically removing the chip. Every protocol involve's my husband's supervision. Given how my husband likes to… torment me, if he discovers I've bought you from Sephiroth, I'm sure he wouldn't grant any request from me."

"How could you marry that cruel person?"

"Arranged marriage." Lucrecia explained. "I'm sure my father regrets that decision, now that he's lying in his grave. You've met him, yes? He's a wretched person, and I can't believe I slept with him. When I knew he was drugging me, I had to do something…. But that's another story."

Lucrecia merely shrugged and chuckled. However, Aerith felt that it was an uncomfortable topic for her. Even the wallflower ornament, Vincent, clenched his jaw.

"I hope you understand why I can't free you, even if I want to. I don't know what you've done to make my son do this…. I don't know how to say it. He's usually gentle with the women he captures."

"Are you also involved in this trade….?"

Lucrecia smiled at her pityingly. "I was born in this trade." She admitted. "You can say that this trade supported my lifestyle." I don't approve the practice, but it's what I grew up with. It was my father's business, who later turned it over to my husband."

"Who turned it to your son."

"I'm afraid so." She nodded. "My father was one of the founders of Shinra Corporation. Running a corporation isn't easy and the human trade became another source of income. Like I said, I'm not proud of it, but it's what I grew up with."

"But you can always leave, can't you?

The older woman's body trembled and she exploded into laughter. Carefully, she folded folded the hem of her dress, revealing a fair arm with a familiar mark. The same mark on her chest.

Her palms covered her mouth to cover the horror. "No, not even you. You are his mother!"

"Not my son." she clarified. "Hojo did this." With a bitter smile, Lucrecia remembered the sad memories behind the scar. "My monstrous husband did the same thing to me."

The family revelations were too much for Aerith to handle. This was one twisted family relationship.

"Did he give you that Jenova drug too?"

"I was his first guinea pig." She said with disgust.

"But why?"

"So I couldn't leave him after our marriage." She recalled. "Knowing how much I hate him, Hojo has done his best to make my life miserable. His first first example was our son."

Aerith's brows arched. "What happened?"

"His father wanted to destroy every chance of happiness I had, and in turn, changed our son into a monster like him.I'm only glad he didn't take Vincent from me. Mr. Shinra ensured that."

"Is Hojo the only one who knows the antidote?"

"There is no antidote." said Lucrecia. "Hojo didn't bother in creating one."

What? There was no hope?

"Sephiroth told me if I don't receive my daily dose, I would experience an excruciating pain."

Lucrecia shuddered. "I almost died and miscarried my child when I didn't receive my dose. "

Another revelation. Aerith would have wanted to hear more, but the disapproving glance Vincent shot her told her to stop asking questions.

Lucrecia merely laughed. "Don't listen to Vincent. Feel free to ask my questions. My life is an open book, except for the secrets I choose to keep."

"Why are you nice to me, Mrs. Lucrecia?"

Lucrecia leaned closer to her. Tenderly, as a mother would, she held Aerith's face between her hands. "Because you are the person who will help me."

What?

A mere flower Lady who was turned a slave, help the mother of her captor and enslavor?

How strange the world could be.

"I have my secrets, Aerith. I don't trust anybody, but my gut tells me to trust you. Will you promise me that you will obey me, as your master, and do my every bidding?"

"Yes."

"Will you put your faith and trust in me despite what I tell you to do?"

"Yes."

"Good!" and Lucrecia softly pinched Aerith's cheeks. "Listen up. I survived this long because of my ability to mask my emotions and deceive people. Now, will you put your faith and trust in me and endure the hardships I can put you through?"

Aerith almost faltered. What if Lucrecia, like her son, proved to be a treacherous snake? But…she had nothing to lose.

"Yes."

"Marvelous!" Lucrecia clapped. "From this day onward, I shall put you Administrative Research Division. Turks for short!."

"T-Turks?"

"They're the fancy people who were black suits, take Vincent for example." She pointed to the inanimate object. "Reno and Tseng are Turks too, but they serve different people."

"What happens when I'm a Turk?"

"You can defend yourself, and my son can't beat you ever again."

Aerith didn't want to be beaten. She wanted to stand for herself. "Teach me what I must do to survive."

Lucrecia saw the determination in her eyes. "Don't worry. I'll do everything that I can. As long as you follow what I command you to do."

"