She was sitting with Miera on a ledge overlooking the canyon when Aeris approached and joined them in watching the preparations below.
"Hey, Aeris," Katrina said, surprised that the Cetra hadn't greeted them first.
Her voice seemed to snap Aeris out of a daze, and she looked at Katrina for the first time. "Oh, hi, Katrina, Miera. How are things going?"
"Good," she replied, studying the Cetra carefully. "Me and Elena were helping out with the preparations a little while ago. She told me about what happened. You guys had quite a time of it, huh?"
Aeris nodded. "Yes, we did." She didn't elaborate, but instead turned to Miera with a smile that did not touch her eyes. "What about you?"
"Fine, fine, especially since you've returned. It will be good to see the Candle lit again and people gathered about it. I've not seen anyone besides Sephiroth sitting there since it went out."
"Sephiroth?" Aeris wondered.
Miera nodded. "Yes. All by himself. I must say, he worries me."
"Mmm," the Cetra agreed absently.
"Did something happen to him while he was at the lab?" Katrina asked.
The question earned her a sharp glance, one she hadn't thought Aeris could give. "He was in a laboratory, a place which he hated immensely, and had to endure days of Hojo treating him as a specimen. You shouldn't have to ask."
"Sorry..."
Aeris shook her head, her expression softening. "No, it's all right. I shouldn't have... I just haven't slept well is all."
"Is there something on your mind?" Miera asked carefully.
"Not really." She turned then and looked over her shoulder as though she'd heard something. Following her gaze, Katrina saw Sephiroth step out onto the landing, his eyes downcast. When he noticed Aeris, he paused, and then turned on his heel and strode back inside.
"What's up with him?" Katrina asked, frowning worriedly.
"He's been avoiding me ever since we got back," Aeris sighed.
"Why?"
She shook her head, offering no answer.
"Maybe you should go after him and ask him," Katrina suggested.
The Cetra shook her head again. "No, I know why. I just..." She got to her feet, abandoning her sentence. "Well... I've got things of my own to do. I just wanted to check up on the two of you."
"Okay. See you."
"Bye," Aeris replied softly, turning to walk back inside.
Katrina shook her head. "She's not looking too great..."
"No," Miera agreed. "And neither is Sephiroth."
"I think those two need to talk."
"Perhaps, but I'm not sure there is anything Aeris can do at this point."
Katrina turned to regard her quizzically. "What do you mean? Why is he running away from her?"
"He is afraid of himself; I can see it in his eyes. I hear he has his memory back now; his memories of killing her must torment him, and he fears that he will do it again. She will not be able to help him until he can be in the same room as her without bolting."
The girl faltered. "You think I should go talk to him?"
"You should try, at the very least." Miera hesitated and then added, "Of course, there is some risk involved if his fears have any truth to them."
Katrina hopped to her feet. "All right," she said. "I'll do my best."
"Be strong, and be brave."
She blinked, eyeing Miera uncertainly, then went to find Sephiroth. She had a pretty good idea where he had gone, and, sure enough, she found him up near the observatory, sitting on the edge of the cliff and looking down at the people below. He wore a simple black T-shirt now, she noticed, instead of his old black trench coat, and she wondered who had convinced him to make the change.
Shaking her head, she walked over to sit down near him, but he did not so much as glance at her. "Hi, Seph," she greeted awkwardly.
He nodded slightly, but said nothing.
"How are you doing?" she asked, knowing exactly how he would answer.
"Fine."
"You don't look fine," she stated.
Sephiroth glanced at her briefly. "I am all right, and anyway, I do not see why you should care."
"I'm not allowed to care about a friend?"
This earned her a raised eyebrow. "Friend?" he echoed.
"Yeah," Katrina answered. "Or would you rather not be?"
He shook his head slightly, looking down at the village below. "I just... doubted anyone would call me that."
She offered him a smile, though he didn't seem to notice. "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. What about Minerva?" she asked, following his gaze to see the girl walking with Reno down below them. "And Aeris?"
"Minerva... is more like a sister. And Aeris..." He trailed off, frowning slightly.
"You've been avoiding her all day. Did something happen between you two?"
Sephiroth turned away. "It does not concern you."
"She's your friend, isn't she?" Katrina went on. "I'm sure she considers you one, anyway. Don't you think she might want to see you?"
"She is a fool if she wishes for my company," he replied bitterly. "I am her murderer; she should want no part of me."
She shook her head. "But you brought her back, didn't you? And she's forgiven you for killing her. You're sane now anyway; it's not like you're going to do it again. She knows all that, and she wants to be with you. It's you who's been staying away from her. Why is that?"
"I have not the confidence in myself that either of you has. I cannot control myself as well as you seem to think."
"You've been all right so far," the girl argued.
Sephiroth looked at her sharply. "How do you know? And what good is 'so far' anyway? It guarantees nothing."
"If you're that unstable, what good is staying away from everyone going to do?"
"I am protecting them," he answered, then frowned slightly at his words.
"But you're more likely to snap if you go through this alone," Katrina reasoned. "If you have people to help you, like Aeris, maybe you'll regain your control. Right now you're just putting the lid on your feelings and letting them simmer."
"What else am I supposed to do with them?" he demanded harshly. "I cannot take them out on anyone."
"You mean your anger?" She thought for a moment, wondering what words to use. "Well... It'd probably help if you let yourself relax and have a little fun," she said. "If you're happy, the anger tends to fade."
Sephiroth scoffed. "And since when have I ever been happy?"
"Well, you're really not going to be if you keep isolating yourself, now are you?"
"Most people hate me," he said dryly. "I will only find more anger in their company. And do not tell me that Aeris does not hate me, because her friends certainly do, and the worse for it when I am with her. In any case, she would prefer to be with them, no doubt."
"I wouldn't say that," Katrina said. "She hasn't been smiling much at all today, even though she's got a lot to smile about. Why do you think that is?"
"Perhaps it is because she plans on leaving her friends soon to fight Jenova with me," he considered. "I doubt that is anything to be glad about."
"No," she said, "I'll bet she just wants to hang out with you. Maybe she even feels like she did something wrong for you to avoid her like this."
"But I was..." he began, then glanced at her and shook his head. "She did nothing. And she should know it."
"Maybe she doesn't," Katrina persisted.
Sephiroth shook his head again. "No matter. It is not safe for her to be near me."
"What do you mean, 'it's not safe'? You haven't hurt her in this life. You haven't hurt anyone that didn't deserve it."
"How do you know?" he repeated. "Perhaps I will try to kill her again. Perhaps I will snap when I am with her. I do not want that to happen."
"You're fine around me," she pointed out. "Why should it be so much harder with her? She's a lot more important to you, isn't she? So wouldn't it be harder to hurt her, not easier?"
"You do not understand," Sephiroth clipped. "Stop pretending that you do."
"Then explain it to me!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "I've been asking you, but you aren't giving me very good answers."
He stood abruptly and glared down at her accusingly. "What do you want from me? You want me to face her again, after what I did? I cannot. I will not."
Katrina climbed to her feet. "What do you mean, 'after what you did'?"
"It is none of your business," he answered harshly, turning his back on her.
"But you're the one who brought it up!"
"You are the one demanding that I go back to Aeris when you know nothing of what has happened between us and what might happen yet. You have not the knowledge or wisdom necessary to make such judgments. Now leave me be, and take your words of 'reassurance' elsewhere. I do not need them."
"You need them," she insisted, "but not from me. You need Aeris to help you. She's better at it."
He turned back to face her, his eyes a violent emerald. "I don't want to be near her! Haven't you heard my words? It is dangerous for her to be near me, and it is dangerous for you now as well. Go, before something lamentable befalls you."
"It's not going to be any safer for her if you stay away now," Katrina persisted desperately, not willing to abandon him, whatever fear those eyes awoke in her. "If she's going with you to kill Jenova, you have to be able to control yourself around her. And you won't be able to do it if you avoid her all the time!"
Sephiroth stepped forward and grasped her forcefully by the shoulders. "You do not understand," he growled, "so you had best shut your mouth before it gets you into trouble."
"What trouble?" she managed, trying to keep her voice from quaking. "You wouldn't hurt me. I know you wouldn't."
"Those are foolish words indeed. I've killed before; why should it be any harder now? Just behind you is the edge of the cliff. All I have to do is push you, and you will fall to your death."
"But you won't," Katrina stated, her voice a bit firmer though her heart was racing, its beats thumping in her ears.
"How can you be so sure?" Sephiroth demanded, eyes narrowing.
Oh, gods, she hoped she was right. "You're not a murderer. Not now." She took a deep breath. "You think you can do it? Go ahead. Try."
He stared at her, his emerald eyes filled with both anger and amazement. "You must have a death wish," he said.
"I'm trying to prove something to you," she answered, unable to tear her gaze away from his. She dared not look behind her, for fear of seeing just how far she had to fall...
Sephiroth shifted his grip on her shoulders, as though to push her away, and stood frozen thus for a long moment. Her heart thudded loudly in the thick silence. Would he do it? Would he really kill her? She didn't want to die. Oh, gods, she didn't want to die. What are you thinking? she chided herself. He wouldn't kill you... would he?
He tensed, his hands moved forward ever so slightly, and then he shook his head. "What am I doing?" he asked himself, releasing her and stumbling backwards.
Katrina felt her legs give way beneath her, and she dropped to the ground and sat motionless, her eyes wide as what had almost happened hit her full force. When she finally managed to look up, she saw Sephiroth standing several paces away from her, looking ready to bolt. She struggled to her feet.
"Sephiroth, wait."
"But I almost..." he began, his voice hardly above a whisper.
She took a step towards him, wishing she could steady her own voice. "But you didn't. I knew you wouldn't."
"But I..."
She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm fine. And you know now, that you can't kill anyone as easy as before." Her voice was still shaking, and she scolded herself for it.
Sephiroth took another step back. "I... If I had... you would have..."
"But you didn't, and I'm still alive," she went on, half to reassure him, half to reassure herself. "And if you couldn't kill me, then there's no way you could kill Aeris, right?"
His head dropped, and his silver hair fell forward to hide his face. "But I came so close..."
"And you stopped yourself."
"But what if next time, I...?"
Katrina shook her head, not wanting to consider it but knowing she had to. "There shouldn't be a next time. What would Aeris say to make you so angry? And anyway, you care a lot more about her."
He nodded slowly, but did not reply.
She laughed nervously, sheepishly. "I was being pretty stupid anyway, provoking you like that."
"Yes, you were," he agreed softly, then added, "but brave also. I thank you."
She smiled. "Does that mean I've accomplished something? Are you going to stop avoiding Aeris?"
Sephiroth hesitated. "I will not avoid her, but I will not seek her out either."
"I guess that's better than nothing," she decided. "I guess I'll head back down now, unless... Will you be all right by yourself?"
He nodded jerkily and went back to the ledge, sitting down heavily. Katrina watched him carefully, and after a moment he said, "Could you...? Never mind."
"...sure, I'll stay." She made her way back over to him and took up her seat beside him. "At least for a little while."
"Elena?"
"Yeah?"
"Who am I?"
She turned to look at him as though he'd lost his head. "What, have you got amnesia or something? You're Reno, that's who."
"But who exactly is 'Reno'?"
"Okay, you're officially scaring me."
He sighed. "Never mind. Hey, you know a good place to eat around here?"
"Why don't you try the inn?" she suggested. "I hear they've got pretty good drinks there, too."
Reno stared at her. Here she had been the one to scold him and Rude for wasting all their money on alcohol and forcibly drag them away from bars until she'd gotten it into their heads that if they ever came home drunk she'd kill them. And now she was casually suggesting that he go have a beer, as though she'd never done any of that.
"What?" she asked.
"Since when did you decide it was okay for me to drink again?" he asked, almost suspiciously.
Elena shrugged. "One or two won't matter, I guess. You look like you need one, and I guess you deserve something for your efforts."
"Just hearing you say that I deserve something makes me feel a lot better."
"Oh, come on," she said, "you did just help kill Hojo and save that girl and stuff, didn't you? Isn't that worth something?"
Reno held up his hands. "Yeah, sure. I just never thought you'd acknowledge it."
"Well, you did something right for once, and I'll make note of it, even though maybe your motives weren't so great."
"What's that supposed to mean? There somethin' wrong with hating Hojo?"
She turned to him with her hands on her hips. "Don't play dumb. You like that Minerva girl, don't you?"
"So what if I do?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"It's always about girls."
He shook his head. "It's different this time."
Elena regarded him skeptically. "What do you mean, different?"
He shrugged. "I'm not after her for my usual reasons. There's something... special about her."
At this she burst into laughter. "No way! Don't tell me that you, of all people, are falling in love! You've gotta be kidding me. You are, aren't you?"
Reno frowned. "Elena, you should understand, unless your thing for Tseng was just a silly crush."
"How dare you--" she began angrily, but he cut her off.
"I didn't think so. So don't laugh about Min."
"But Reno, you--"
"I know," he interrupted again. "I know I've never been serious about anyone before, but... There's gotta be a first, right?"
"I guess," Elena conceded irritably. "I just don't understand why you picked her. I mean, what do you see in her that's so special?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he answered, walking off without waiting for a reply. Talking with Elena wasn't helping at all. He needed to be alone. Right now, though, there weren't many secluded places since everyone was bustling about getting ready for their celebration--both of the relighting of the Candle, and the victory over Hojo.
He headed for the inn and plopped himself down at a corner table below the stairs. A waitress came over, and he ordered whatever was cheapest and settled down to think.
Why did he like Minerva?
A number of reasons came readily, but he wasn't sure they were enough. She had bothered to ask his name. She had begged him not to fight a suicide battle. She had continued to take him seriously despite his joking. Had anyone ever done that before? Not really. He was just Reno--a womanizer, a drunk, a lazy bum, a Turk who had only worked for the money. But Minerva didn't think so. She hadn't labeled him.
Instead she seemed to think that he was--or could be--just as good as anyone else. She was so used to people lying to her and being cruel to her that even Reno seemed honest and gentle. And, he realized, he was. To her. Somehow he felt more comfortable around her, maybe because he had sensed that she wouldn't laugh at his opinions or tease him if he tried to express something even the slightest bit personal.
Not like Elena at all; she would laugh, and she would tease. Not like Aeris, who seemed oddly beyond his reach, who he couldn't talk to, even if she did care. Minerva, too, put up a sort of front, but it seemed more because she didn't know how else to act than because she didn't want anyone to really know her.
With Aeris, though, it was different. She kept a lot of secrets because of what she was, and no matter how much she trusted someone, she never told him. He'd never understood that, and that was probably what had kept him from falling for her. She was really nice, and she knew how to listen, and she always insisted on helping people, but... who was Aeris, really? He certainly didn't know.
Who was Minerva? A girl who had suffered a lot, and wanted desperately to be strong. She probably hated herself for being unable to disobey her orders, and called that a weakness. But she was strong because she had chosen pain over succumbing to Professor Hojo. And now, now that she was free of all that, her innocence was what struck him. That and her ignorance of so many simple things, like how to deal with other people. She was so awkward in this world, and at the same time confident that she could get through it.
But he still wasn't sure who Reno was. He'd always hidden the answer behind jokes and a haze of alcohol, not understanding what real pleasure was and seeking it in all the wrong places. He hadn't thought anyone would ever want to know what was beneath that. His friends only knew that there was something there, but he'd never let them know what it was, really. He himself didn't know anymore.
Helping his friends, and helping Minerva, over the last few days had felt... well, pretty damn good. It had made him feel like maybe he was actually good for something. He'd found out that he could be genuinely nice, and that, although sometimes it was harder to tell the truth, in the end it was a relief not to have to remember what lies he'd spouted.
Who was he? He wasn't sure yet. But he was finding out, and that would have to do for now.
Making her way up to the observatory, Minerva found Sephiroth sitting alone on the ledge, as she knew she would. He was always there, it seemed. As she approached him, she wondered what he was thinking about. Aeris? Jenova? She hoped that he was not fighting with Jenova again, because she did not know whether he would win.
"Sephiroth?" she asked hesitantly.
He glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the village below.
She moved closer and sat down beside him, wondering with a frown if he was the one to ask. Of course, who else did she have? "What is a kiss?" she asked finally.
He started and looked back at her. "Why do you ask?" he queried guardedly.
"Reno mentioned it while we were talking," she replied, watching him uncertainly, "but I did not think to ask him then. It did not seem important."
Her words seemed to relieve him, and Sephiroth nodded to himself. "A kiss is... when you touch your lips to someone else's, or perhaps to their cheek or hand..."
"Oh," she said. Was that what he had...? "Is it a sign of affection? Like a hug?"
He nodded again, shifting uncomfortably. "More or less."
Minerva leaned back on her hands, regarding him thoughtfully. "It is stronger though, is it not?"
"Yes..."
"Aeris cares for you, too, you know," she told him, still watching him from behind.
Turning to meet her gaze, he shook his head with something pained in his eyes. "Not... like that. She cannot... How could anyone care about me that much, abomination that I am?"
"You are not an abomination. The you that killed thousands and attempted ascent to godhood--that is not the you that is here now. Perhaps it is still within you, and you have not killed it yet, but you have control over it."
He turned away. "Even you agree with Aeris."
"Because she is right." Minerva sat up and followed his gaze to the village below, where the late afternoon sun painted the canyon and its people in a warm yellow. "If you are avoiding her because you kissed her, you should not. She did not seem to mind; she only seemed worried about you. She knew you would blame yourself for doing something 'wrong.'"
"I should not have made my feelings clear," he insisted. "Already she must reject a man's feelings and hold her own in check. She does not need me to complicate things further."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"She loves Cloud, and he returns her feelings, but he married Tifa after she died."
She had not heard the term 'marry' before, but she thought she could guess at its meaning. "Then what should you worry for?" she asked. "I should think that you would solve that problem, rather than complicate it." When he only looked at her in confusion, she elaborated, "If Cloud has Tifa, then Aeris can now turn to you, yes?"
Sephiroth shook his head. "She will not, and no one would ever approve of it."
"How do you know she won't, and why should the opinions of others matter?"
"Did no one tell you what I did to her? I was the one who killed her, Minerva. How could anyone who knows this stand to see her with me? They fear for her safety every time she is out of their sight. Fear that I may murder her again. And so do I. Gods, I don't want her to die again..."
"I know you killed her," Minerva said quietly, her eyes lowered. "Jenova let me see that memory of yours... No, she forced me to watch it, through your eyes. I do not know what you were thinking then, but I know what you did."
He stared at her. "You know... you saw... and yet, you still believe that... that we could be together?"
She looked up to meet his gaze steadily. "Yes. You are not the same as you were then. Even should you lose your grip, I would not worry. You were nearly gone in the lab, I know, and it was Aeris who brought you back to sanity. No doubt it was her absence, as well as Jenova's voice, that brought you to the edge. So logically, the closer you are to her, the safer she will be from you."
For a long moment he was silent, studying her, and at last he turned away. "You know a great deal more than anyone thinks you do."
"Indeed," she replied. "But I keep it to myself. Most of it, no one should ever know, so the knowledge will die with me should I ever die."
"If Jenova can be killed, then there is death--real death--for us as well, isn't there?"
Minerva nodded. "But how does one kill Jenova?"
You cannot, Jenova spat suddenly. You are both fools to think that you can. My offer still stands, daughter. Take it while you can.
And what offer might that be? she scoffed. I am free now. You've nothing to give me.
Sephiroth glanced at her, and she wondered if he had heard the brief exchange. "There must be a way," he said. "Why else does she sound so desperate?"
Minerva nodded, choosing not to voice her doubts, and a long silence passed between them. Below them was a bustle of activity as villagers moved about setting up tables and chairs, making last minute decisions on how the night would play out and running such odd errands as were needed.
"...Minerva?"
"Yes?"
"What happens if... if she does return my feelings?"
"You are asking the wrong person. I do not know such things."
Sephiroth sighed. "I suppose not. But I cannot speak of them to anyone else."
"Have you no other friends here, besides Aeris?" she asked with some surprise. Even if he was hated and feared, with good reason, he seemed kind enough to her.
Frowning, he shook his head slightly. "There is one who calls me her friend, and she has done much for my sake, but... she is too naïve for such talk. I suppose," he went on, "that I could talk to my mother. But I have only just met her, and I am not certain what to make of her..."
"I did not know your mother was here," she remarked.
"She had died, but Aeris brought her back, for Vincent's sake."
Minerva studied him carefully. "It seems there is a long story behind this."
"There is," he replied, avoiding her gaze, "but I am not the one to tell it."
She slowly got to her feet, still watching him. "I should like to meet your mother. What does she look like?"
"She was standing with Vincent by the gate," he said. "I am sure you noticed her."
She remembered; the woman had shared their eyes. She glanced briefly at the preparations below. "Their celebration is tonight, you know. Do you plan on attending?"
He hesitated. "Yes, I suppose. At the very least I shall watch, but I do not intend to enjoy myself."
"I did not think you would," she replied, turning to go. He gave no reply, and she had not expected one.
She made her way down from the observatory, keeping an eye out for Sephiroth's mother. The woman's name was Lucrecia, she thought. She had seen it mentioned once or twice in Hojo's files, never in any important context. On her way down, she saw Reno sitting with Elena and their tall friend--Rude?--on one of the landings, but she continued on without catching his attention. She would speak with him later.
Minerva slowed to a stop on the last staircase, looking out over the dead Candle and the sort of square that surrounded it. People milled about aimlessly; most of the preparations had been completed, and they could only wait for the celebration to begin. A small group had gathered on the far side of the Candle, playing a haphazard sort of music with instruments that she could not name. It seemed they were practicing, but nevertheless she stood poised on the last step for a long moment, listening, before she went on.
Walking along the line of shops, she finally turned her attention upward, to where a few more shops stood braced against the canyon wall, connected by a wooden walk with a railing. There she spotted Lucrecia leaning against the rail with Vincent beside her, no longer wearing his red cloak.
She strode to the ladder leading up to this walkway and climbed it swiftly. Ladders and suspended platforms were quite familiar to her; those here reminded her of the reactor's maze of them, though here they held the warmth of reds and browns, and they were not nearly so lonely.
Upon reaching the top, she hesitated. She did not know exactly how to address this woman, a stranger, let alone ask her anything of consequence. But while she stood there in uncertainty, Sephiroth's mother glanced in her direction and smiled warmly, beckoning with one hand. Vincent noticed the motion and turned to look.
Though the woman's friendliness surprised her, Minerva went to join them as invited.
"Hello," Lucrecia greeted. "I thought you looked a little lost, even more so than Vincent or Sephiroth when it comes to people."
The girl nodded. "I am very awkward that way," she admitted.
"So what brings you up here?"
"You are Sephiroth's mother, yes? He mentioned you, and I wanted to meet you." She glanced uncertainly at Vincent. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."
Lucrecia smiled and shook her head. "Vincent has just been telling me about all that I've missed for one reason or another. It can wait; I wanted to talk to you, too. You look an awful lot like my son."
"Is there somewhere more... private?" Minerva asked, glancing uncomfortably at the open shop behind them.
"Yes," the woman answered. "I have a room at the inn. Is that all right?"
Minerva nodded silently.
Straightening, Lucrecia gestured for her to follow and headed back along the walk to the ladder. With a glance at the mute Vincent that told him she did not mind his presence, Minerva followed. Sephiroth's mother led the both of them into the inn and down the hall to her room. Lucrecia and Vincent sat down on one of the beds, and after a moment, Minerva chose to sit opposite them.
Noting the girl's hesitance, Lucrecia offered, "Why don't I answer your questions first?"
She nodded gratefully. "To be honest, I know little about you. I've read many of Hojo's files, but they detail experimental results, not histories, and consequently they don't say much about you."
The woman sighed, as though this would make her task very difficult. "How much do you know about the Jenova Project?" she asked.
"Only how it was performed, not why."
Lucrecia nodded. "It's hard, finding a way to begin this story. I suppose I should tell you that I was a scientist working alongside Hojo on the Project. It wasn't an easy position for a woman to get, especially a slums woman like me, but I worked hard and refused to be ignored, and eventually I was promoted to assistant to Professor Gast. That was also the day I met Vincent. He had been promoted as well--to the Turks.
"A lot of things happened between then and the time that the Jenova Project truly began, but I need not go into detail. Vincent and I grew close, but then... Hojo was also a good friend of mine. He was human back then. Many didn't like him because of his temper, and he was fiercely possessive, but he was always kind to me.
"Eventually, Shinra dispatched a team of scientists, myself included, to Nibelheim for the Jenova Project, and Vincent came with us as our guard. Professor Gast was the project leader, a gentle, forgetful man. Hojo and I were his assistants."
Here she paused for a moment and shook her head. "Gast was to go down in the history books as the greatest scientist ever. Hojo would spend his entire life trying to outdo him and only end up remembered as a madman by a few dozen people. And me? I was all but forgotten. I don't even know what Shinra told what few friends and family I had..."
Minerva knew not what to say to this, so she waited until Lucrecia took up her story again.
"For a number of months, the Project had nothing to do with human experimentation. During that time, I grew closer both to Hojo and to Vincent, and after a time, Vincent asked me to marry him. I... I didn't know what to say, so I ran to Hojo." She lowered her head, and her lashes hid her eyes. "It was a harsher blow to Vincent than I ever would have wished, but he didn't let on. He stayed away from me, as though that was what I wanted, and maybe it was, for how could I face him again after that?
"Everything seemed unreal... So when Hojo asked the same of me, I accepted. I thought, because we were both scientists and because he understood my dreams, he would be a better man for me. So I married him instead, became his wife, though I'm sure he could tell my heart was torn."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "Only a few weeks after the wedding, we got word from President Shinra that it was all right to go ahead with human testing as soon as we found a willing subject. Hojo persuaded me that he and I could contribute to the experiment, so I..."
Her head sank lower as she trailed off. Beside her, Vincent put his flesh arm around her, and she glanced up at him with an appreciative smile, finding then the strength to complete her tale.
"So I gave up my unborn child to the Jenova Project," she said. "Hojo grew more and more obsessed with the Project, and harsher towards me. I saw then that I'd made a terrible mistake, but I thought that I couldn't go back, so I resigned myself to it, and my health failed as the child within me grew. When I gave birth to Sephiroth, they took him away from me, and from that day, my life ended."
Lucrecia looked at Vincent with a smile and added, "Until now."
Minerva considered this for a long moment, knowing that some reaction was expected of her. "It is not my place to pass judgment here," she said at last, "but I do not think either of you can be blamed."
"Where do you fit into this, then, if you can't judge us?"
The girl shifted, averting her gaze. "I am very much like your son, as you said. Hojo considered me his clone, but you need not know the details."
"Well," Lucrecia said, looking her over, "you may be very similar, but I know I would prefer to think of you as siblings. And in a way, I suppose that makes you my daughter."
"That would be fine with me," Minerva replied, bowing her head, though in truth it made her a little uneasy. She knew who her mother was. She did not need a false one.
"If you don't mind my asking, why did Hojo... create you?"
"To keep Sephiroth under control should he ever reacquire him."
"Is that all?"
"No," the girl answered, avoiding her gaze, "but I do not wish to mention the other reasons."
Lucrecia nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Then we won't ask them of you."
Minerva got to her feet. "Thank you."
"Are you leaving?" Sephiroth's mother asked uncertainly.
"Yes. I learned what I came for, and I have taken up enough of your time."
"You can stay if you like," the woman offered.
The girl shook her head. "No. There is... someone else I wish to speak to."
Lucrecia nodded as though she understood, and Minerva left without another word. She stood in the hallway for a moment before she headed back to where she had seen Reno and his friends earlier, and she found them still there, talking amongst themselves. This time she did not walk past them but instead came to stand just inside the archway, not sure how one went about requesting another's company.
Elena noticed her first and poked Reno in the side.
He glared at her sharply. "What?"
"Your girlfriend's here," she said coolly. "Just thought you oughta know."
"She's not my girlfriend," he muttered, sounding as though he'd argued this point before. "That's an insult to her." At last he twisted to look at her. "Hey, Min. What's up?"
She faltered. "I wanted to speak with you, if you do not mind the interruption."
"Oh, sure," he replied, hopping to his feet. "It's not like we were talking about anything important."
Minerva nodded, glancing briefly at his friends, who sat watching them.
"See you guys later," Reno said to them.
"Bye," Elena replied with an amusement that the redhead chose to ignore.
Instead he grinned at Minerva and started past her and inside. She followed. Once they were out of his friends' hearing range, he stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So what's on your mind?"
She avoided his gaze and began walking again. She felt more at ease in motion, as though without it she was trapped. "I was curious about Lucrecia and Vincent," she said carefully, "so I went to talk to them."
"So, was it really just curiosity, or was there something else?" Reno asked, walking along at her side.
"I only wanted to see what Sephiroth's mother was like."
"As opposed to yours?"
"Both of us had Talya," Minerva stated. "Only recently did we meet Lucrecia, so it does not matter. And anyway... She told me that she would consider me her daughter."
"I guess that's cool. You still have a mom that way."
"Nn," she said, frowning. She glanced at him. "What was your mother like?"
Reno shrugged. "She was a slums woman, and I was just another mouth to feed, so she was more than happy to kick me out of her house when I was old enough, meaning about ten. Can't say I blame her."
"Good mothers seem in short supply," Minerva commented dryly.
By this time they had reached the bottom of the stairs, and a few paces away were the crates where they had sat early that afternoon. "Why don't we sit down?" he suggested.
"Of course," she agreed, and he led her to the crates, where they sat down. "Did you find an answer to my question?" she asked of him.
He started, then nodded, not looking at her. "I think so." She waited, and after a moment he said, "I like you 'cause you don't label me. I know a lot of the time I'm just a womanizing bastard, but you've figured out that that's not all there is to it. I try to be serious with anyone else, and they laugh, but I know you won't. And then... for some reason, you seem to trust me, too. It's... a nice change."
Minerva nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I think I understand. But, you must be aware that it is not in my nature to take things lightly."
"I know," he replied, "but a lot of people who are like that don't put up with me. You don't seem to mind."
She scoffed a little, but made no other response, and for a while Reno said nothing either.
"I was wondering," he began awkwardly into the silence, "about your song--"
"It meant nothing," she interrupted curtly, shooting him a look of warning.
He frowned and put an arm around her shoulders, and though her muscles tensed in anticipation of a blow, there was something strangely comforting in the contact. "No, it meant something," he said. "And you know that. You felt like you'd hit bottom, didn't you? Come to a dead end and had nowhere else to go? I know what that feels like." He studied her face, and though her gaze was fixed on the ground, he seemed to see something. "You ever cry from it?" he asked.
"No," she clipped, angry that he had seen into her like that, and yet at the same time, she... She could think of no word for it. It was a feeling that made her want to tell him things, secrets, but she could not do that, so she kept her mouth shut save for that one word.
"Well," he said, releasing her. He sounded disappointed. "You're stronger than I'll ever be."
"...you tried to defend me," she reminded him softly, keeping her eyes downcast.
Reno snorted. "That, was sheer stupidity."
"Does it not take strength to cast aside logic to defend someone who has fallen, even though you cannot fight her foe any better than she?"
He stared at her for a long moment, but still she avoided his gaze. "Well, you stopped me. So I still owe you."
Minerva looked up. "Owe me?" she wondered. "If you mean what little I did to ease your escape, you owe me nothing for that. I imprisoned you, and I created those obstacles. It is I who owes you. You..." Here she hesitated, then forged on. "You helped me to defy the Professor."
"How did I help you with that?" he asked. "I just had a nightstick, that's all."
She shook her head, frowning. "If you had not been there, I may have submitted."
Reno ran a hand through his hair. "Could you explain that for me?"
The girl lowered her gaze, not knowing why she found this hard to confess. "I knew that if I gave in then, that I would have to hurt you, and that was something I did not want to do because... because you were not afraid to show me kindness, as all those before you were."
"...wow," he managed, grinning in embarrassment. "I mean... Hell, you make me sound nice."
"You are," she told him earnestly.
"And that," he declared triumphantly, "is why I like you."
Music started abruptly, as if to punctuate this statement, and Minerva started in spite of herself, glancing towards its source. She could not see beyond the shop wall, but now she recalled the musicians who had been practicing earlier.
"Looks like the party's starting," Reno commented, getting up to head over that way. Minerva stood to follow him, but her steps slowed when they stepped into the light of the setting sun. Noticing her distraction, Reno said, "You wanna watch it before we join in?"
She nodded mutely, and he led her to the western edge of the canyon, where they sat down with their feet dangling over the edge. Though she had seen the sun set a handful of times before, the sight and the color still amazed her, and she could not help but stare.
"Have you figured out how you felt about your mom?" Reno asked, startling her.
She spared him the briefest of glances, then shook her head. "I... I need to speak to Sephiroth about her. He knows--knew--her much better than I ever did. I have realized, though, that there were a few things she did for me, but I never appreciated her 'kindness.'"
"Things? Like what?"
"She lied to me, thinking that I would prefer the pretense that I could leave the lab when I wished to knowing that I could not."
"How long did you believe it?"
"Until I attempted escape when I was six."
"...hurt like a bitch?"
Minerva nodded.
Reno grimaced for her. "What else did she do?"
"...she left me alone when she thought I wanted to be left alone."
"But you didn't," he stated.
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"Do not apologize for things that are not your fault," she told him harshly, and he did not reply. She watched the sun sink, red and swollen, behind another rise of the canyon, now silhouetted in black. The sky above was clear and empty, and the sun's color streaked upwards, still trying vainly to light the vastness even as it fell. But this was not its time. Its time was over, and soon the moon would come shyly to take its place, modest in its pale glory, accompanied by an array of stars.
She climbed to her feet, and Reno stood with her. "Ready?" he asked. When she nodded, he led her towards the celebration. "Looks like Rude an' Elena've already staked out a table. Wanna go join 'em?"
"If you wish," she replied indifferently.
"All right then!" Reno exclaimed with a grin, and he started towards his friends, waving one arm in an overly-conspicuous greeting. Minerva followed a few paces behind him, shaking her head at his immaturity. But then, was that really something to scoff at?
Author's Notes
And at long last, Katrina fulfills her purpose! Even before I knew this would become an AeriSeph, I knew that Katrina would have to help Seph after he got back from Hojo's lab. Weird, huh? In the original version of this scene, Katrina did leave him alone after he nearly killed her, but I felt it reflected better on her if she stayed, so I changed that.
I also have to say that I really like the way Sephiroth and Minerva interact with one another, how they each ask advice of the other. I guess it sort of reminds me of me and my brother. We were never really close, but sometimes he'd confide in me rather than in anyone else.
Anywho, in the original scene where Minerva meets Lucrecia, she ends up bringing Reno into it, essentially just to tie up a few loose ends, most notably the circumstances surrounding the death of Vincent's father. >> Yyyeah, very minor stuff, so I decided to take it out and shorten the scene in general. If anyone's curious, I had it so that Vinny's dad died because he was Wutai's strongest supporter among the Shinra execs, obviously not something that was appreciated. But as I said, very minor detail.