Chapter 13: The Truth of Sephiroth's Parents

There was something that Haruka didn't trust about Sephiroth's parents. He told her he only had a mother named Jenova but Jenova was a space alien that fell from the sky a long time ago. She got curious one day so she went to the Shinra building and snuck in. She went down to the science area but saw that it was crowded with a lot of people in coats so she had to hide in the shadows. It took a while but eventually the coats left for lunch yet only one stayed. The guy with dark ponytail was bent over a project and was mumbling to himself. He wasn't likely to break concentration so Haruka silently slid out of the shadows and over the filing cabinet that held the files of all the soldiers.

She quietly opened the cabinet and looked over the files. They were alphabetized so it wasn't hard to find Sephiroth's. She took the file in her hands and opened it quietly. There were many scientific pages but she found one that intrigued her. The page was about his birth and parents. Her mouth dropped open when she saw that the mother was named Lucrecia Crescent and the father was Hojo. Sephiroth's mother was never Jenova, it was Lucrecia, a female scientist with a pretty face and a winning smile. Knowing Sephiroth would never believe her words, she took the page and put in her purse. Once she was done, she replaced the file, shut the drawer quietly, and walked off casually.

Just as soon as she was about to walk out, she heard the dark-haired scientist speak to her.

"You," he said in a shrill yet crazy-sounding voice. "Girl, what are you doing here? You do not work here."

Haruka kept a strong look but her knees began shaking. "Um, I was just leaving," she replied softly, shuffling her feet. "See you later." More like never, she mentally added as she walked off.

"You can't save him," said the scientist, staring at her. "Sephiroth was meant to be Jenova's legacy."

"You're wrong," denied Haruka coldly, shaking her head. "Sephiroth would never stoop so low."

The scientist just shrugged and walked back to his work. Haruka took that as her cue to leave so she turned on her heel and walked straight out of the area. When she reached the lobby of the building, she realized she was holding her breath the whole time and she let out a sigh of relief that she got the paper with success. She walked out of the building casually and took a running head-start for the slums.

…

"It's missing," mumbling Hojo, looking over the file of Sephiroth.

The page of Sephiroth's birth and genetic origins was missing. That little girl must have taken it out. That little troublemaker. Hojo sneered, wanting nothing more than shooting the girl through her temple. He wanted her to drop dead on the floor with blood dripping from her head but he couldn't get to her himself. The Turks would do a good job in elimination. He would have to drop them a call. He smirked, knowing that the death of his lover would send Sephiroth over the edge.

…

Sephiroth walked into his apartment and saw Haruka lounging on his bed reading a paper. She looked really disturbed and unhappy, which made Sephiroth want to give her some lovemaking. He walked over to her, gave her a kiss on the head, sat down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. He peered over her shoulder and read the words. Suddenly, he caught a picture of a brown haired woman that looked a bit like him and Professor Hojo.

"Rukie," he said softly, "what is this?"

Tears welled up in Haruka's eyes and she looked at him sadly. "Sephiroth…" she whispered pitifully, "you know how you told me your mother was named Jenova?"

"Yes," replied Sephiroth, nodding, "and that she died before I was born. What about it?"

Haruka's eyes connected with his. "Your mother," she said as slowly and gently as she could, "is not Jenova. Jenova is an alien from a long time ago. Shinra uses her cells to make you into superhumans. Your real mother, your biological mother, is named Lucrecia Crescent. She was a scientist that assisted in the Jenova Project. They injected you with Jenova cells when you were in the fetus and that's how you are who you are."

When he fell silent, Haruka began crying. "Sephiroth, I'm so sorry," she breathed, shaking her head sadly. "I didn't know until now…"

"No," replied Sephiroth numbly, shaking his head. "It all makes sense. No wonder there were any pictures of her or any words of my father. It's just…who am I, really? A man, or a soldier? Who am I?"

"The man I love," answered Haruka, smiling gently. "No matter who you think you are, Seph, I love you for who you are."

"And I really like your body," he added teasingly with a smirk on his face.

Haruka began laughing and let him sweep her up in a gentle embrace. "Why do you always have to joke?" she asked before he pressed his lips to hers.

The two lovers laid on his bed and kissed intensely before going off in their own little world once more.

…

"Legions of monsters have spawned near a regional mako reactor," explained Sephiroth to the Zack as they stood in Lazard's old office. "Local workers have all gone missing. Local SOLDIER operatives have also vanished. The company is dispatching addition operatives to investigate the matter. You and I, that is."

"Roger that…" replied Zack dully, arms crossed over her chest.

Sephiroth noticed the change in Zack's attitude and gave him a concerned look. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Well, you know…" said Zack softly, referring to Aerith and Angeal. "I thought you found something out about that…other matter."

"The missing operatives were the ones tracking Lazard," informed Sephiroth. "Also they had reported a strange podlike device in the area."

"Is that…Hollander's?" asked Zack, stepping towards Sephiroth a bit.

"Probably the same device that was stolen in Modeoheim," replied Sephiroth, pacing away from Lazard's old desk. "Lazard, Hollander…"

"And Genesis," finished Zack, looking away sadly.

"We'll have to go see them," said Sephiroth, turning to face Zack.

"Mm…" hummed Zack, nodding. "Let's go."

"First," instructed Sephiroth, "go to the Soldier floor. We'll depart as soon as you and the rest of the men are ready to go."

"Understood," responded Zack, turning to walk off enthusiastically.

"Our orders are to investigate the reactor," said Sephiroth, stopping Zack in his tracks. "They mentioned nothing of…old friends. Depending on what happens," he closed his eyes painfully, "I may abandon Shinra. Until then, I'll remain loyal to Soldier." He looked and gave Zack a soft smile.

…

Sephiroth immediately went to the slums to bid Haruka farewell. When he got to her home, he found her sitting outside and gave her a big hug farewell. She clung to him like she didn't want to let him go. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks and she held onto him tightly. She didn't want him to leave. She loved him.

"Don't forget me," she sniffled, holding onto him. "I love you so much. Please, come back to me."

"I will," he replied softly, kissing her forehead gently. "I will always return to you, always. Never doubt that, my love. I'll be home in three days tops. Investigating a reactor will be easy. We'll be going to Nibelheim so it's not too far off."

"I'll miss you so much," whispered Haruka, hugging him tightly.

"I'll miss you too," he said gently. "I already do. I will be back soon, though, you'll see. Can I get a kiss for the road?"

Haruka giggled and pressed her lips to his, twining her arms around his neck tightly. The two lovers felt like they were floating through heaven and they were happy. As long as they had each other in the other's heart, they would never be alone. Love would keep them together until the end of time.

…

As soon as Sephiroth got on to the Soldier floor, he saw Zack and the three infantrymen standing at the ready. He approached the four young men officially and stood in front of them as straight as a pillar. The men looked at Sephiroth respectfully as he stood there, inspecting them. Zack walked close to Sephiroth's side to ask.

"By the way, where are we going?" asked the boy curiously.

"To Nibelheim," replied Sephiroth, missing the look of shock the blond infantryman's face.

There was something that the blond was hiding that no one knew and the something was that it was his hometown.

…

The ride over there was long but it was worth it because they arrived there at record time. Sephiroth, of course, led the infantrymen and Zack to the entrance of the small town and peered around curiously. Despite being a First Class, Sephiroth had never been to Nibelheim before but it felt…familiar somehow. He then turned to talk to Cloud, who stood at his right.

"So, how does it feel?" he asked the blond kid. "To be home after all this time? I have no hometown. I wouldn't know."

"Uh…what about family?" asked Zack, coming up from behind him.

Sephiroth turned to face him. "My mother's name is Lucrecia," he replied casually. "Her current whereabouts are unknown. My father…" Suddenly, he broke off and began laughing at the thought of Hojo being his father. "Why am I talking about this?" He put a hand to his forehead and shook his head dismissively.

"Come on," he said, turning back to the entrance of town, "let's go." With that, all five of the men walked into the town that would change everything forever.

A/N: I left it at a cliffy because I'm evil like that! I changed the story a bit! Sephiroth now knows Lucrecia is his real mother so there won't be a Nibelheim Massacre but it will involve something about betraying Shinra! Well, R&R!