Vagaries of Fate

Good News?

Chapter 12 

The next morning was hectic for all of them. The Firsts all had to deal with the things that had piled up that only they could handle, although there wasn't too much, it was still enough to keep them all busy. It was after 10:00 before Sephiroth even had the time to get Clarissa's report. She had used the time to clean up the worst of her loose ends as well since she planned on taking the afternoon off. She didn't get the chance to ask, since Sephiroth preempted her request. "I have already been asked if you can have the afternoon off. I will allow at, as you have been cooped up here for too long, but Genesis can only afford to be gone for a few hours at most."

She gave him a nod. "That should be plenty of time. Besides, part of my reason for going is official business. Reeve had something he wanted me to talk to her about."

Sephiroth was curious, but he knew neither of them had the time to waste today, especially since they would all be off for at least half a day soon. Even though he wanted to be irritated at Genesis for his poor timing, he couldn't bring himself to be upset. He was happy that two of the people he considered friends had found a special kind of happiness together. He shook off those thoughts as well. He still had a mountain of paperwork to clear off his desk. The sight of the stacks was giving him a headache.

He was getting ready to dismiss her, but she spoke up again before he could. "Oh! I almost forgot. While I was here, I wanted to ask you a favor."

He raised a brow at her nervous tone, but he motioned for her to continue. She suddenly had to look away, and he found he was extremely curious about what her question was. He didn't have to wait long to find out. "Well, you see, I don't have any family here on Gaia. You and Angeal are the closest thing to it, and I was wondering, well- would you be okay with giving me away? Please?"

Sephiroth was dumbfounded at the request. It was the last thing in the world that he had expected, so it took him several moments to find the words to respond. "Wouldn't that be the role of a father figure?"

Clarissa hadn't been sure how the request would go over, but he hadn't said no, so she managed to press on. "Or a brother, if there is no father figure. You are the closest thing I have ever had to a brother. Even if we aren't related by blood, I would be grateful if you would at least think about it."

He sat back in stunned silence. Angeal and Genesis had been the first people that he had ever opened up to, and even then, at first, it had been difficult for all of them. Now that he thought about it, Clarissa had managed to work her way into that small circle as well. He had never known what a family was like, but as dysfunctional as their relationships were sometimes, he realized she was right. They were family of a sort. He finally gave her a smile. "It would be my honor."

Clarissa jumped up at his answer and gave him a brief, tight hug. When she stepped back, she was grinning. "You have no idea what this means to me."

His smile widened slightly at her evident joy, but he didn't let the moment linger. "I think I might, but that is irrelevant right now. If you don't let me get back to work, I won't have time to even worry about it."

She gave him another big smile as she headed to the door. "Thank you! You call me if you need anything else, I won't be too far." He waved her away without a response and turned to pull one more of the piles to himself once the door closed behind her.

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After she met with Sephiroth, Clarissa went to Genesis' office to see if he was ready. She wasn't surprised to hear his raised voice from behind the closed door. She only knocked once before she let herself in. He gave her a slight glare as he quickly finished his conversation and hung up. Once he was off the phone, he relaxed slightly, but he still wore a frown. "There are no dreams, no honor remains. You would think that at least some things would go right even if I wasn't there to ensure it personally."

Clarissa raised a questioning brow at his statement, but he waved it off as he stood. "It is of little importance for now. Since you are here, does that mean you are free?"

She gave him a nod as she walked over and took one of his hands and gave it a squeeze. "Yes, but I was told you only had a few hours. If that's the case, then we should go." His frown grew, but she leaned up and kissed him to stop him from another tirade. He gave her a glare for her audacity, but she just smiled and pulled on his hand. He finally gave up and shook his head before he followed her out of his office and down to the sector 5 slums.

The closer they got to the church, the slower his steps became, but Clarissa didn't push him. She knew this was going to be a momentous occasion for both of them, so she gave him time to gather his thoughts. When they finally reached the church, Clarissa was happy to see that Aerith was already there, and they wouldn't have to wait for her.

Once they were through the doors, Aerith ran to Clarissa and gave her a hug. "It seems like it's been forever! Zack has passed on your messages, but it's great to see you again!"

Clarissa laughed at her exuberance. "I've missed you too, and there are a couple of things that I really need to talk to you about, but-" She paused and pulled Genesis forward slightly before she continued. "I believe this might be more important."

Clarissa was unsurprised when Aerith gave her a sly smile, but neither of them said anything. Instead, they both turned to Genesis. It wouldn't have surprised her to find out that the planet had given Aerith a heads up, but the girl was obviously content to wait for him to bring it up. He looked at her nervously for a moment before he found his voice. "Clarissa is correct. There is something important that I would like to speak with you about. Would you mind if we took a seat?"

Aerith gave him a grin before she motioned to one of the nearby pews. He followed her over, and Clarissa took a seat on his other side. She was there for moral support only. Once they were seated, Genesis still couldn't seem to find the words, and she could tell that he was as tense as she had ever seen him. She rubbed her hand between his shoulder blades to help him relax as well as to remind him that he wasn't alone. That motion seemed to do the trick, as he finally started to speak. "I am unsure of where I should start, but I can try to piece this together."

He paused, and Aerith only gave him a polite nod for him to continue. "I only recently found out that I had been adopted as a small child. My adoptive parents had no idea who my birth parents were, and I could find no information on them, at least not until recently."

He paused to swallow again, and this time it was Aerith that put her hand over one of his. He gave her a quizzical look at the action, but she just smiled and motioned for him to continue. He tried not to second guess his decision and pushed himself to keep going. "I was only able to find out a little bit about the circumstances surrounding my birth, but the one thing that I was able to verify was that my mother's name was Ifalna. When I spoke to Clarissa about it, she told me that Ifalna was your mother. I know that we are practically strangers, and these circumstances are confusing at best, but I felt it relevant to at least share with you."

Once he had it all out, he was sitting so stiffly, Clarissa was sure he would have a hard time standing if he didn't relax. To their surprise, Aerith didn't say anything for a moment. Instead, she gave him an evaluating look before she spoke. "Is that all?"

Genesis quickly worked his face back into a blank mask, but not before Clarissa noted the confusion and anxiety. It didn't show when he spoke. "I'm not sure what else you are looking for. I simply thought you should know."

Aerith shook her head and gave him a smile. "You wanted me to know, because you think I am entitled, or because you know that we were both adopted, and although we love our adopted families as much as we ever could have our blood, you still would like to have a real relationship with your only surviving relative?"

Genesis was dumbstruck. That was precisely what he wanted, even if he had refused to admit it to himself. He tentatively turned his hand over and gently squeezed Aerith's before he spoke. "I did not even realize that was what I wanted until you stated it. If you would be willing, I would like to try."