A/N: Okay, this chap is nearly all convo. So you are warned.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or its characters. I own Loren. No sue. Yay.
Vincent stood stock-still, his gaze locked with Sephiroth's.
"Hello, father."
The two simply stared at each other, trying to see which one would speak first. Cloud broke the silence.
"Father? Vincent, what's going on?"
Sephiroth smiled.
"Yes, father. Why not go ahead and tell them?"
"Stop it, Sephiroth!"
"Do you not like being called 'father'?"
"I…am undeserving of that title."
"Humph. Indeed you are."
Loren stood behind Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth…please…"
"I want to know. He knew all these years but did not do a damn thing about it. You are even worse than I am."
Vincent looked away.
"I…"
"What? Can you not find the words to speak? Are you that ashamed?"
"I was locked away in a coffin in the Shinra mansion your entire life! How could I possibly have done anything, Sephiroth? Explain that to me!"
There was pain in his voice. The smile on Sephiroth's face slowly melted.
"So both of you…were locked away?"
"Yes…I tried to stop Hojo from getting his hands on you, but he shot me and locked me up in the coffin. It was my sin that I let you endure the life you have known and it was my sin that Lucrecia was locked away as well."
"Why are they your sins?"
"Because I let it all happen. If I had been stronger, I could have prevented Lucrecia's plight and yours."
Sephiroth's hand twitched, as if he desired to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but that was all.
"You did not have to be strong. You at least tried. I respect that."
"…"
Loren could not meet the eyes of the group, much less Vincent. Cloud spoke up again.
"Why didn't you two kill us?"
Sephiroth smirked.
"That was her doing. I advised killing you all, but she said otherwise. You are lucky that she was your companion, or I would have surely slain all of you."
Cloud rolled his eyes.
"Well, that's nice to know."
Red padded up to Loren and raised his paw. She took it tentatively.
"I have no idea what your motives are, seeing as that you are quite unpredictable, but you are good at heart. I know you could have easily killed us and we have shunned you before, but you spared us and helped him at the same time. I respect you, Loren."
He pulled his paw away and stood by the group again. Sephiroth stared at the ground. His fist clenched.
"I have to stop this. Jenova has lied to me all this time, using me for her own whims. Has everything I have done been for the wrong reason…?"
Loren shook her head.
"No. Not everything. But anything that you have done was for the right reason at the time, so it is excusable. At least, I think it is. Either way, you can fix it."
Sephiroth nodded.
"Yes…I have to stop her. She will die at the end of my blade."
Tifa stood confused.
"How, if she's inside you?"
"I have a feeling that that can change. She is an Ancient, so---"
"She is not an Ancient!"
Sephiroth turned to his mother. She was nearly trembling with anger.
"Lucrecia…?"
"I researched their files. They were mistaken when they named her an Ancient. The president probably just wanted anything close to an Ancient in his grubby hands and took her without a second thought. They all lied. Jenova is just a creature that fell from the sky 2000 years ago!"
Since they were near the opening of the tunnel, there was a wall Sephiroth could reach, so he punched it. Several bits of stone flew from the impact. He grabbed his head and shook as if he were crying. Cloud shook his head as if trying to get something out. He had seen this once before at the reactor five years ago. That was when Sephiroth had begun to question his creation.
"Jenova…Gast…Hojo…Argh, damn you all!"
Loren was by him instantly, trying to bring him to the center of the cave with the help of Vincent and Lucrecia. He trudged along, still holding his head. No one in the room had ever seen Sephiroth in such a sorry state. Cloud had seen him freak out like this before, but not to the point that he needed help to walk. Sephiroth's eyes were wide with anger and his hair fell in his face (A/N: am I the only one that sees this like an anime?), trembling. He screamed a wordless scream. The group still at the mouth of the cave stood in shock at his sudden change of cold and calm to sad and broken. Loren and Lucrecia held him while Vincent crouched next to him, saying words to calm him down. He even put a light hand on his shoulder. Sephiroth eventually calmed down and pulled away from them, shaking in anger.
"That damn monster…she will die."
Loren nodded in agreement. She whispered something in Sephiroth's ear. He looked at her incredulously.
"Are you serious?"
She nodded.
"This idea is insane. It has been so long since…"
"Make it a first time. It never really happened before. See how it feels."
"…"
He stood and walked over to the group. They got a little nervous, but held their ground. Sephiroth turned his head and held out his hand, his other hand in his pocket. They stared at his hand, as if expecting it to shoot magic at them.
"Help me. Join me and help me be rid of her. I shall cease to attempt killing you all…and I will help you all if you need it."
All jaws nearly fell to the floor. Cloud was the most skeptical.
"Why should I believe you? You should be able to take Jenova yourself, shouldn't you?"
"I should, but I must be cautious. She may take the power she's given me and leave me about as strong as one of you. I am going to need as much help as I can."
"And you're asking for our help?"
Sephiroth pointed to Loren.
"It was her idea."
Tifa stepped forward.
"If you want our help, then you have to apologize for everything you've done to us, like taking our hometown and loved ones."
Loren nodded slightly.
"I…I…am sorry…for killing your loved ones and for wronging you…"
He seemed to be having trouble saying it. Tifa smiled.
"Okay, that's all I need. I'll help you as much as I possibly can."
Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"What about Aeris?"
Sephiroth closed his eyes. He lowered his hand.
"Yes, the Ancient…Jenova had ordered me to kill her. I apologize for that too. She did not deserve death; I could see that as she closed her eyes for the last time. She was innocent, pure. I regret that event."
Something warm flowed through him and made him breathe in. Somehow, he knew that the Ancient had accepted his apology and gave her agreement to help during the fight with Jenova. Everything left his mind at the moment; he was enjoying the warmth that coursed through him and he smiled a genuine smile. He suddenly knew her name.
"She's…accepted me…thank you…Aeris…"
Everyone's eyes bugged out. Cloud whispered.
"He hasn't spoken like that since five years ago…"
Loren spoke into Sephiroth's ear.
"They all have accepted you. Just relax a bit. They won't kill you if you speak like a normal person."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Then you have to speak normally as well."
"Okay."
"I'm simply talking normally. What is so wrong about that?"
Yuffie stammered.
"Well…it's just that…"
"You've never heard me speak like this before. It's understandable."
Barret snorted.
"I guess even though you were tryin' to destroy the planet an' all, you ain't so bad. I'll give ya all the ass-kicking power I have, as long as we save Marlene an' the planet."
Loren suddenly remembered.
"Sephiroth?"
"What?"
"What about Meteor?"
Everyone's eyes were on him as he contemplated the situation. He nodded slightly.
"It will be a simple process. All we have to do is destroy the Black Materia."
Everyone started slightly.
"Well, come on, let's get this over with!"
"Jenova won't let me summon the Black Materia forth."
The group grunted their disappointment in unison.
"Damn Jenova!" one of them yelled.
As the group conversed amongst themselves, Loren pulled Vincent away and began talking with him. Sephiroth donned his armor and the rest of his clothing and held his sword at his side, always wary of what she and Vincent were doing. He almost started for them when he gave her a hug and she returned it, but stopped when he saw her leave him and begin walking towards him. Vincent had turned for Lucrecia. Loren stopped in front of Sephiroth, a knowing smile on her face.
"Now, now, no need to be jealous. I was just telling him that I was sorry and that I would always be by his son's side."
Sephiroth averted his eyes.
"Okay…"
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright. I have made up my mind, remember? I love you. I do not believe anything can change that."
He nodded quietly. He looked toward the old lovers.
"Those people are my father and mother…I find it hard to believe."
"Still?"
"Yes…"
"Well, now that everyone knows, there's no way that they could so simply abandon you."
"It's happened before…"
"Professor Gast does not count. He's just a scientist."
"A scientist I greatly respected."
"Okay, you win on that part. But he didn't leave you intentionally. The Lifestream was ready for him, so he was taken."
"That sounds like something that pure-hearted Ancient Aeris would say."
"Yeah, I know. But it's the truth."
His small smile fell back to a frown.
"It is time. She must die. We should leave for the Northern Crater soon."
Loren agreed solemnly. Sephiroth, knowing he hadn't gained their full trust and respect yet, paused in front of them, getting their attention with a simple wave of his hand.
"If I may so request, can we leave for Northern Crater soon? Jenova's tie to me is lessened there for some reason and I can make her leave my body so we can end her. Afterwards, we can destroy the Black Materia. Do you all agree with me?"
After a few glances, everyone nodded and turned to leave. Sephiroth looked back at his mother. He drew his sword.
"Hold on."
He went to the end of the tunnel and stopped, focusing his energies. Turning to the side suddenly, he shoved his sword into the stone. Sparks flew and even after the sword had finished going through the stone, a slight crackle was still heard. Smiling, he took his sword out of the wall and began walking back to Lucrecia. Cloud gave him a befuddled look.
"What was that all about?"
Sephiroth gave no reply and kept walking. He offered his hand to Lucrecia. Blinking several times, she took it and let him lead her to the end of the tunnel. He nodded toward the entrance.
"Go on. Touch it."
She extended her hand slowly, still knowing that she would be repelled. To her shock, her hand passed right through and felt the water on her hands. Tears filled her eyes. Sephiroth's smile strengthened.
"You're free now…mother."
Lucrecia burst into tears and held him close. He slowly returned the affectionate gesture, still smiling.
"You're free…"
"Free…oh, Sephiroth, thank you!"
Cloud and co. were astonished.
"Wow…that has to be the nicest thing you've ever done."
"She's my mother. It is expected."
He looked back to her.
"I would like it if you stayed here just a little longer, at least until my fight with Jenova is over."
She nodded, smiling tearfully. Loren grabbed his arm.
"Hey, this isn't just your fight. It's our fight, too."
She waved her arm across the group behind her.
"We'll finish this together."
Everyone agreed with her and left the cave, getting on their chocobos and to the airship away from the water. This would all end at Northern Crater. Sephiroth tightened his fist with determination as he flew across the water. He'd end it all…
A/N: Okay, I admit Seph has strayed from his original attitude and now it may seem kinda cheesy with the whole 'yay mommy' thing, but meh, I'm a girl, what can I say? I like drastic changes in stories and motherly love. Lol. It goes back to action after this and then…yeah. I'm writing another fanfic but that one's a secret and there's another secret coming along with this story. If I've bored you so far, have no worry that is soon to be fixed. Not much more conversations after this, though I think there's still some room for one or two. Hey, thanks for reading this far, I'm surprised how long this thing really is, somewhere near 80-90 or even near 100 pages. Total über yayness! That's like the size of a small book! Hee, hee! (Does victory dance) I feel special! Please inform me KINDLY if you are displeased with the changes I have made in the personalities of any of the characters or the story in general. But don't rant on about why is this wrong and this and this and this and ms. High and Mighty and blah blah blah. I don't care for criticism. Just tell me if you don't like the change or not and try to explain why without being all mean. So yeah, thanks for bein' there and blah blah blah. Lol, I'm just feelin' lazy. Please review! BLAH!