A Flower's Touch - Chapter 4 - Crescent Truths

Aerith loosely fiddled with the pieces of the Zirconiade matera in her pocket that she had extracted from Felecia, nervously watching the monitor display of a conference room. Tseng was standing behind her chair, watching quietly. This was it... in truth, she had no idea how this was honestly going to play out. How would they handle the truth? Peaceful and acceptable? Rage and revenge? Somewhere in between? She was... a bit afraid. One by one, the trio entered the room. Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewely and...

Him.

Sephiroth.

She reflexively gripped the arms of the chair she was in, unable to help herself from growing even more nervous and afraid. Even if she was in another part of the building, watching through a camera, it was still nerve wracking.

Genesis flopped down in a chair and put his feet up on the table, his voice crackling through the microphones hidden in the room, "So, think they're still mad about the last time we broke the VR room? I can't think of any other reason we'd be pulled in here."

Angeal rolled his eyes. "We broke it? I'd readily admit any guilt I had IF I had any. I'm fairly certain that was all on you."

Genesis smirked. "You hurt me Angeal. The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess."

There was a bizarre sound all of the sudden. Something she had never heard before. She turned her eyes to a different monitor display, sighting Sephiroth... chuckling softly?! There was the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. It... was so strange to see. And his eyes... they didn't show any hints of the power hungry genocidal madness she had so often seen there. She had known he had been a man once, but... this... it was so strange to her to see it.

"You seem startled?" asked Tseng with curiosity.

She turned her head. "He... never laughed or smiled like that in the visions. He was just..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it, to bring up those awful memories. She looked on the monitors again, staring at the man the monster of the future had once been. Her body slowly relaxed. She felt her own curiosity become aroused, she wanted to learn more, see more, of the man Sephiroth had once been.

"Somehow, I feel that whatever we are here for is not related to so simple an issue as the breaking of equipment," mused Angeal.

Genesis scratched his head. "What did we DO then? I can't think of a reason they'd haul us up here."

"You assume we are in trouble," said Sephiroth, his voice smooth, his words to the point.

Angeal nodded. "It could be a mission, an important one if it includes all three of us."

Genesis smirked. "You think they could create a mission worthy of all our efforts? Wutai wouldn't last more than a month if they sent all three of us at once. What else is there?"

A slow creak entered the room, causing the trio to pause and turn their heads to the door. Slowly, Lucrecia Crescent, in her normal scientist work attire, walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She sadly swept her gaze across the room. Her eyes tightening, her face scrunching up a bit, as she laid her eyes on Sephiroth. Aerith wasn't anywhere near the room and she could practically feel the guilt radiating from the woman.

"Hmm, this is a new one," mused Genesis, "Looks like a fresh assistant of Hojo's. By chance my lady do we have a task from the Science Department?"

There was notable distaste in those last two words, enough to make Lucrecia flinch. Her eyes wavered to Genesis for a moment before returning to staring at her son, seeming to be unable to speak.

Angeal's gaze passed back and forth between the two for a few moments before his eyes widened. "Gen... look."

Genesis raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you tell me not to ogle the favored gender during briefings?"

Aerith resisted the urge to snort and laugh despite the situation.

Angeal slapped the back of Genesis's head. "Look."

Genesis did as instructed, frowning for a moment before it apparently dawned on him. "Oh."

Aerith nodded absentmindedly to herself. The similarities between Lucrecia and Sephiroth were unmistakable. The shape of their hair, their eyes, their nose, their face... it all matched. Sephiroth looked one-hundred percent more like her than he did Hojo, to be frank, he shared almost no similarities with his father.

Sephiroth's face was a perfect mask, no, it was too perfect. Aerith could see faint recognition in his eyes, he knew who stood before him, and he was taking extra care to keep his thoughts and feelings bottled up. It pained Aerith to see this, perhaps she was deluding herself into thinking they'd be hugging and crying over one another after being re-united.

Sephiroth's tone was crisp, calm, and collected. "You are my mother."

Lucrecia nodded. "Y-yes."

Genesis and Angeal's eyes were turning back and forth between Mother and Son. Both were perfectly silent.

Sephiroth tilted his head, eyes washing over her entire body, appearing to burn her into his memory. "I was told you died in childbirth, Jenova."

Lucrecia flinched. "My name isn't Jenova."

Sephiroth grew visibly annoyed. "So I was lied to even about your name?"

Lucrecia nodded. "My name is Lucrecia Crescent."

Sephiroth tasted it. "Crescent."

His lips twitched upward a bit. "Preferable to the last name of that walking mass of complexes."

Genesis gave a snort at that. Angeal turned and gave Genesis a look, wanting him to keep quiet. Lucrecia seemed a bit relieved at those words, at least, until Sephiroth's eyes narrowed at her.

"I am almost twenty years old, where have you been this entire time?" asked Sephiroth, his voice calm, too calm, a forced calm, a deadly calm.

Lucrecia bowed her head. "I... I've been in a self-imposed exile over my involvement in Project S."

Sephiroth's hands tightened into fists. "Project S?"

"A sub-project of the Jenova project," answered Lucrecia, her voice quiet.

Sephiroth appeared confused. "Jenova is what I was told your name was."

Lucrecia shook her head. "Jenova is a several thousand year old corpse that we believed was an ancient that we dug out of the Northern Crater. The purpose of the project was to use her cells to create Human-Ancient hybrids."

Sephiroth pondered it for a moment. "I see. I assume then, that I am the result of Project S."

Lucrecia nodded. "Y-yes..."

Sephiroth brought a hand up to massage the side of his head. "..."

Angeal reached over and put a hesitant hand on his shoulder before squeezing. Sephiroth's eyes briefly turned to him, a head tilt of thanks, before returning to Lucrecia.

"So, Hojo told me Jenova was my mother because I have her cells and you left me?" he clarified, accusation in his voice.

Lucrecia shook her head. "I... never wanted to leave, but... I..."

Sephiroth cleared his throat, a dangerous tone in his voice. "Speak clearly and plainly. I am in no mood for lies as of the moment."

Aerith tensed. He was mad, he was very mad.

Lucrecia met his gaze. "I was never allowed to see you or hold you after you were born. Hojo wanted the 'human' element removed from your upbringing. After he shot a... friend of mine who tried to interfere, I ran."

Sephiroth leaned forward, studying her intensely, hunting for lies. "..."

Slowly, he sat back in his chair and sighed, appearing to believe her. "Yes, that would be just like Hojo, wouldn't it?"

He crossed his arms and stared at her. "So then, why are you here?"

"To tell you the truth about Project Jenova," she answered grimly.

Sephiroth frowned. "Why would the company suddenly bring you back, and reveal what I imagine is beyond top secret information to me?"

Lucrecia smiled faintly. "The President and Board of Directors don't know I'm here doing this, save for Veld."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at that, a rather pleased look crossing his face for a moment before he hid it. "I see."

He tilted his head, curious. "Why would the Director of the Turks, the most loyal to Shinra, betray the company by doing this?"

Lucrecia's eyes briefly flickered to a camera before gulping. "W-well..."

She sighed. "An Ancient asked them too."

"As in a real, living one? interrupted Genesis, his voice coated with disbelief.

"The last one, a true half-human half-ancient hybrid," answered Lucrecia.

Sephiroth turned his head, staring at a camera. "I see. I assume that the ancient is the odd presence I have felt for the last week in the building. Who I imagine is watching us right now if I had to guess."

Aerith gave a startled hiccup and nearly jumped from her seat. It was like he was looking right through the camera into her eyes, into her soul. He had KNOWN she was here the entire time?! She felt shaken, her body trembling...

"Why?" asked Sephiroth, turning his head back to Lucrecia, "Even if this 'Ancient' asked them to, why would they listen?"

"She helped the director rescue his daughter and his thought-to-be dead partner," she answered.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment. "Vincent Valentine?"

Lucrecia nodded. "Yes, he... was the one who tried to interfere on my behalf. He was locked in... a prison of sorts after being experimented on by Hojo. The Ancient pointed Veld in the right direction and he brought them back here."

"If I may...?" began Angeal.

Sephiroth titled his head slightly towards his friend in acknowledgement.

"How did the Ancient know where they were if both were presumed dead?" asked Angeal.

Aerith rubbed her head, ho boy. "Here we go... lets see if they have an imagination or not."

Tseng gave a brief chuckle at that, but remained silent.

"Do you know... what is said to be the abilities of an Ancient?" asked Lucrecia.

"If I recall, it's said that the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients are manifested in Materia, tapping into this knowledge lets us wield the power of the planet as magic," said Angeal.

Lucrecia slowly shook her head. "What I'm referring to has nothing to do with materia and magic."

"Come now Angeal, surely you had to have read somewhat about them? The obvious answer is that they are said to be able to commune with the planet," said Genesis dryly.

Lucrecia nodded. "That is correct. The Ancient received a vision from the planet, of the future."

Genesis turned from smug to scoffing. "A vision of the future? Please."

Sephiroth held up a hand for silence. "Continue... mother."

Lucrecia froze at that word, a pure blissful expression on her face, before she recovered. "I... well... she... the Ancient, she knew things that she couldn't possibly have known of before, that were impossible to know. She wasn't even born at the time, and has had no access to it, yet, she knew about the Jenova Project. She also knew the location of Veld's daughter, of Vincent, and of my location of exile, and as you can see, her knowledge proved true."

"That's a tough pill to swallow," said Angeal, a look mixed between incredulous and awe on his face.

"I know," said Lucrecia, "I was in a bit of disbelief myself for a bit."

"And this, Ancient, wants us to know about the Jenova Project? About Project S? Why? What happened in this 'vision' she saw of the future that could possibly give a reason?" asked Sephiroth, his eyes narrowing.

Lucrecia nervously began to wring her hands together. "Its not just Project S... but... Project G as well..."

Genesis stiffened instantly, his eyes going wide. "G? As in Genesis? Me?"

"No," she said, her voice growing hoarse, "While your part of it, Project G stands for Project Gillian."

An utterly mortified expression crossed Angeal's face. "What?!"

A very dark look crossed Sephiroth's face. "Mother, from the beginning."

Lucrecia cleared her throat. "As I said, the purpose of the project of the Jenova project was to use her cells to create Human-Ancient hybrids. There were two different methods used, well, three if you count that Angeal and Genesis weren't... seeded with her cells the same way."

She turned to Sephiroth. "You were directly injected with her cells while in my womb, as such, you were the purest result of the project."

She turned to Angeal, who seemed very distraught at the moment. "Your mother was injected with Jenova cells, and you inherited those cells from her."

She turned to Genesis. "You were injected with Gillan's Jenova laced cells after you were born."

The room was utterly silent.

"She knew? She agreed to being some kind of science experiment, using ME as an experiment before I was even born?" said Angeal with disbelief.

"As did you for me," said Sephiroth icily.

Lucrecia bowed her head. "I'm sorry... I..."

Sephiroth held up a hand. "Save your apologies."

Lucrecia looked crushed. "..."

Sephiroth slowly shook his head. "I wish to hear everything before I pass judgment."

Lucrecia nodded slowly. "Of course..."

"We were 'made' to be Ancient hybrids then?" asked Angeal bitterly.

Lucrecia looked uncomfortable. "T-thats what we thought, only... we were wrong, we were so wrong."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this all of the sudden?" muttered Angeal.

"Jenova... she wasn't an Ancient," said Lucrecia.

"What was she then?" demanded Genesis, "What the hell did you damn scientists inject us with?!"

"Jenova... was the thing that killed the Ancients, an alien that crashed on the planet and came close to nearly wiping them off the face of the planet," explained Lucrecia.

Sephiroth slowly shook his head. "Hmph. Shinra wanted super soldiers, what better way then to use the thing that killed the Ancients. Somehow, I'm not as surprised as I should be."

"An alien?" said Genesis, "Are you screwing with us?"

Lucrecia shook her head. "I wish I was."

"Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul, pride is lost, wings stripped away, the end is nigh," said Genesis, "Were part 'alien'. Absolutely marvelous."

"More like were monsters," muttered Angeal darkly.

Aerith watched grimly through the monitors. Genesis looked like he was going to blow a gasket. Angeal was brooding and muttering to himself, and Sephiroth was rubbing his temples. Lucrecia couldn't bring herself to look at any of them, guilt on her face.

After a few minutes of silence, Sephiroth spoke up, "I'll ask again: For what reason did the Ancient want the truth revealed?"

Lucrecia hesitated for a moment before gulping and clearing her throat, wringing her hands the entire time. "Jenova... isn't as dead as we thought."

All three of them just stared at her.

"The reason the Ancient wanted you to know is because Jenova can... control the minds and bodies of those with her cells and...," began Lucrecia.

"WHAT?!" exploded Genesis.

Angeal looked ghastly. "The thing that killed the Ancients is still alive, and it can use us to finish what it started?!"

Sephiroth looked positively murderous. "..."

Lucrecia held her hands defensively. "Please! Let me finish! According to the Ancient, Jenova is alive, but inactive for the moment. When she is active, she can only control you if your will's and mind's are weakened or unbalanced!"

Sephiroth thought for a moment before scowling intently. "Like we would be if we had just discovered the horrific truth of our existences, I see the purpose of this 'session' now."

Sephiroth began to tap the table with his fingers, impatience, irritation, and aggravation clearly showing through his normally controlled face. "I want the Ancient brought to us, now. I will not accept no for an answer. I will tear apart the floor if I have to if she is not here within the next five minutes."

Aerith froze, losing the color in her face. Oh... oh dear... he was really mad. She didn't understand it, while she knew the truth would be very upsetting, he was actually angry over being told it? Why?

Lucrecia hesitated before leaving the room. "I... will ask for her to come..."

Tseng put a tense hand on Aerith's shoulder. "What do you wish to do?"

Aerith fidgeted. "I... well..."

She sighed. "I'm going to have to see them on a regular basis anyway when I become a SOLDIER, I might as well go, and I'd really rather not get you and the other Turks killed. He is mad, he's really mad. I can practically feel it from here. This is not a good time to make him more angry than he already is. I've seen what happens when he goes off the deep end, trust me on that. I'll talk to them, alone."

Tseng merely raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and made for the door. Aerith followed him to the conference room, meeting Lucrecia along the way. Aerith began feeling a bit of dread in her stomach. She had to to remind herself that she was actually a fully grown woman trapped in her younger body and was not actually a timid fourteen year old girl. This was a situation she could handle, she was going to find a way to calmly pacify them. Sephiroth WASN'T going to drive Masamune through her back this time around...

She hoped...

*gulp*

Aerith walked up to the conference room door, pausing briefly. She could feel them, their presences pulsating through the door. It wasn't doing her confidence a whole lot of good to feel the collective sense of anger, hate, and betrayal emanating from the trio. Not that they didn't have the right to feel those very emotions. It was... well... now that she thought about it, it was a GOOD sign that Lucrecia was still alive, and the three of them hadn't already burned down the building and killed everyone in it, all things considered. She knew what Sephiroth was capable of, and by extension, the other two were also capable of monstrous destruction as well...

Or so she thought...

Until she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Her eyes turned on upon them, and she threw away her thoughts of them committing monstrous act. To her, they just looked so hurt, frustrated, and lost, like the entire world had betrayed and stabbed them in the back. It made her heart ache.

The three of them stared at her silently for a moment.

Genesis broke it with a snort. "The Ancient is a teenage girl of all things? Pathetic..."

Aerith huffed, losing her pity for that one rather quickly. "Excuse me? Is there a problem with that?"

Angeal shot Genesis a look before muttering, "Forgive him, he's not in a good mood, none of us are."

They grew quiet as Sephiroth slowly rose to his feet and started walking towards Aerith. She stared at him, willing herself to remain calm with everything she had. He stopped in front of her and looked her dead in the eye.

Sephiroth's voice was ice cold. "Your purpose was to tell us the truth only to prevent a catastrophe."

It was more a statement than a question, but... there was something else lurking in his words. Only? The way he had said it, with such venom. Why? She thought back to when he had understood why they were being told the truth...

Oh... she understood all of the sudden, and it made her heart ache at the accusatory thought that had to be running through his head.

"I wanted you three told the truth to avert a catastrophe, yes, but, that's not the only reason. It's a truth you should have been told from the beginning, not just because the truth was forced to be revealed," she said sadly, "I'm not trying to use you, use any of you. If I had known and been in a position to tell you earlier, I would have. I'm sorry..."

And it was the goddess damn truth too. If she had known in the original timeline, she would have wanted to give them the truth and closure too. Even without knowing the madness that was going to happen. Just... it all could have been prevented if someone had just told them the truth!

Sephiroth held her gaze intently. She felt the beginnings of shiver start in her spine. It was like when he looked through the monitors all over again, it was like he was looking right into her soul with those piercing green catlike eyes of his, as if he had the ability to sense and rip a lie right out of her. She crushed the urge to shiver, determined to show no fear, only truth.

Finally, his eyes and face softened and he spoke two words she had never heard him say nor ever expected him to say, "Thank you."

He turned back around, and made to retake his seat. Aerith watched the graceful motions, his hair sweeping behind him as if blown by the wind. Her heart skipped a beat at that.

"So, we know the truth, that we were all experimented on without our consent, two before we were even born, most likely with Shinra's approval. What happens now?" said Angeal hoarsely.

"Yes, what happens now, and what happened before?" demanded Genesis, "The scientist said you saw a vision of the future?"

"That scientist is your friend's mother! Show a little respect," she chided.

"I haven't decided if I accept her in that role or not as of the moment," said Sephiroth calmly.

Aerith turned a sad gaze on him. "You know she's sorry."

"Being sorry does not undo what was done nor make up for years spent away," said Sephiroth, his voice thin.

"I have no right to ask it of you, but please, give her a chance, she's suffered too," said Aerith quietly.

Sephiroth merely made a motion with his hands. "I belive Genesis asked you a question. What happened to us in the future?"

She closed her eyes, her voice growing pained. "Do you truly wish to know?"

"No more lies, no more secrecy," warned Sephiroth.

"I'll... go in order then," she whispered.

She turned to Genesis. "Because of the way you were given Jenova's cells, your body will begin to degrade, if it hasn't already."

Genesis coughed. "What?!"

"Slowly losing your strength, mental instability, your wounds wont heal, your hair will eventually turn gray. In less than a year, you'd get injured in a training accident. When your wound never healed, you went to Hollander, who fed you half-truths and lies, which led to you abandoning Shinra and turning against the company. You... used Jenova's powers to do unspeakable things to those who trusted you," she said, not willing to go into detail.

She had gleaned enough partial memories to understand that telling him about him creating copies was a bad idea.

She turned to Angeal and spoke coldly, "You followed him eventually, and came to believe you were a monster, you abandoned your honor and pride and forced Zack to kill you."

Angeal looked like he had been struck, hard, across his face. "I... what... I would never force Zack to do such a thing!"

Aerith narrowed her eyes, she remembered the pain Zack had felt, remembered how much it hurt her to see him like that, it tore at her, fed her anger and bled into her words, "You did, and you have no idea how much it would hurt him. If you ever hurt him like that, I will kill you myself."

The words felt so alien coming out of her mouth, but she didn't take them back. She... the memories were just... it hurt so much. She didn't want the pain of the original timeline to happen again, to EVER happen again in any way shape or form.

"Not if I do it first," said Sephiroth icily, a hard look in his eyes as he glared full force at Angeal, "That act is of a coward, even if you haven't done it yet, I will reprimand you for it now."

Angeal bowed his head, saying nothing. "..."

"And me?" asked Sephiroth, turning back to Aerith.

"After Angeal dies, and Genesis is presumed dead from a battle with Zack, you are eventually sent on a mission to Nibelheim. There, Hojo planted half-truths and lies about you in the Shinra Mansion's basement. Coupled with discovering some of Hojo's experiments in the reactor, questioning your origin, and your proximity to Jenova, you go insane and she influences you. You destroy Nibelheim, and go on to try and destroy the world," she answered, her voice heavy as memories of her journey with AVALANCHE filled her mind.

She turned to Genesis. "The Goddess had healed you of your degradation and held you back as a last resort. At the final battle, after everyone else had died, she sent you to fight him. He killed you, and that was the end of the vision. There was no one left to stop him afterwards."

"So, in the end, you could say I became the hero after all, blessed by the goddess, only to fail," said Genesis bitterly.

He slowly shook his head. "This degradation you speak of must be affecting me already if I'm insane enough to believe all of this."

Sephiroth stared into Aerith's eyes again before speaking. "She's telling the truth in what she believes happened."

Goddess... she just wished he would STOP staring into her eyes, her soul, like that.

Sephiroth sighed and massaged his forehead. "So that was my fate. To become a mindless puppet."

Puppet...

Oh...

He had no idea the weight of that word, how he and Jenova had used it against Cloud. Yet... it was oddly a truthful statement.

"What of you?" asked Sephiroth.

Aerith hesitated. "You..."

She sighed. "You killed me."

Sephiroth stared at her quietly for a time before speaking, "It takes a certain kind of character to be willing to help someone who would come to murder you not only to try to prevent the destruction of the world, but to help that person as well."

She smiled sadly. "I don't hold it against you."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Against the monster you became? Against Jenova? Yes. But not you, your not him, your not the One-Winged Angel," she said with conviction, forcefully confirming it in her mind.

Sephiroth gave her a puzzled look. "That... is a strange tittle."

Oh, right...

"Umm... I might have forgotten to mention that you all will most likely grow a single wing each at some point. Please don't freak out when that happens," she explained.

There was a collective cough and exclamations of 'what?!'

Sephiroth sighed again before asking, "What happens now then? Lucrecia... my mother... said Jenova was not active as of the moment. That implies she eventually will be. Destroying her should be our highest priority."

"I don't really know what awakened Jenova to begin with, but, it might have been your proximity, or might have been something Hojo did, I don't really know," she said, "But yes, counteracting, finding, and destroying Jenova is my ultimate goal. Hojo is the only one who knows where she is, so we need..."

"To kill him. Slowly," said Sephiroth, his voice holding pure and utter malice.

"Hollander too," added in Genesis with equal deadliness.

"I'll be... discussing this with my own mother after this," muttered Angeal.

"Uh... we need Hojo to find Jenova!" said Aerith.

"Then I will torture the information out of him, but he is not living through the end of this day," said Sephiroth, rising to his feet.

"Angeal, Genesis, with me," ordered Sephiroth.

"W-wait!" tried Aerith.

They walked past her and left the room without another word.

Ut oh... situation NOT defused, this could get ugly...

Veld, Vincent, and Lucrecia walked into the room, she sighted Tseng trailing down the hollway after the trio, keeping a safe distance.

Veld glanced at Vincent. "Not interested in joining in?"

Vincent shook his head. "Hojo harmed them more than he harmed me. They deserve it."

They all sat at the table and waited in silence as time passed. Aerith half expected explosions and gunfire to ring through the building... but... nothing happened.

Ring Ring.

Veld flipped open his phone and listened for a moment before his face contorted and he exclaimed. "What do you mean Hojo's MISSING?!"

Author's Notes:

Dun dun dun, best way to end the chapter, ever! Can't have everything go Aerith's way, can we?

The chapter title is a two-fold meaning:

A Crescent is like a sickle, sharp. This, a sharp and painful truth.

A Crescent is also like a half moon, incomplete. Based on Aerith lying about Visions VS Time Travel.

Thought I'd try to be creative.

Review Responses:

Lady Yomi: I appreciate any reviews, and yes, Lucrecia is back too. Though, she is justifiably feeling guilty as hell. Aerith... is going to slowly change from the way people remember her. Having existed through and seen the end of the world can change a person and harden them. Old Aerith sure as hell wouldn't make a death threat. It might be sad at times, but, she'll grow stronger for it.

Anonymous: JINXED! Hojo is what goes wrong!