Racing With Your Heart
By Sephiroth
(An FF7 alternate universe fusion)
-----------------------------------------

"You should settle down, Seph'." His mother was saying for the hundredth time. "I know I've told you this many times before, but..." she sighed as she finished setting the table. "I suppose I shall die before I become a grandmother."

"There's still time." Sephiroth smiled at her. "And the doctor did say that my rapid aging was only temporary."

"Yes, there is that, thankfully." Lucrecia kissed the top of her son's head. At the age of five, he had the body, mind, and spirit of person in their mid-to-late thirties. One of the side-efffects of the
Jenova injections he'd been given in utero.

"So you've got plenty of time before you die."

"I could be eaten by a monster tonight!"

"I will protect you, mother." Sephiroth promised.

"Oh my son." Lucrecia sighed. "I suppose you could use that telepathic power you got from that stuff they did to you. But you really aren't very good at it. " she smiled, warmly, at him. "Or were
you planning to come racing along on one of our prized chocobos, reach out, and pluck me from harm's reach?"

Sephiroth shrugged.

"That reminds me, how'd you do at the races today?"

"Angel and I came in first as usual." He smiled. "Teioh came in second place. Some guy named Cloud was riding him this time. He's good. I only took the second race by one beak-length."

"Before you forget, why don't you go and feed the chocobos while I set the table for dinner?"

"Okay." he sighed. "Mom, about Ginger. She's very old now and I think her breeding time has pretty much gone by. I know she means a great deal to you. But..."

Lucrecia nodded. "Yes. We're using feed on her that could go to the younger, healthier chocobos. Very well, you may release her tonight if you wish."

"Why don't you come out to the stables and say goodbye to her?" Sephiroth offered. "It'll make you feel better if you do."

"After supper then." Lucrecia nodded.

"Okay." Sephiroth agreed. "After supper."


Chapter Two

"Sephi-chan, would you please pass me the salt?"

Sephiroth handed the salt and pepper to his mother who sprinkled them liberally onto her food.

"You shouldn't use so much." He told her. "Its not healthy for you."

Lucrecia smiled. "And here I thought I was the mother."

"I just want to make sure you'll be my mother for a long time to come." Sephiroth told her. He took a bite of his steak. "Perfect as always." he told her. "You know, you really should consider that idea I told you."

"The restaurant." Lucrecia shook her head. "I wouldn't be there to cook for you when you got home."

"So, I'll eat at the restaurant." Sephiroth shrugged. "Mom, you're a great cook. You really should try."

"Okay, I will." Lucrecia said, after swallowing a bit of food.

"Great." Sephiroth grinned, leaning foward in interest. "When?"

"The day after you get married." Lucrecia added, with a twinkle in her eye.

Sephiroth slumped back into his chair and let out a long sigh. Having finished his meal, he took his dishes into the kitchen, then returned for those his mother was finished with. By the time he was done with the few dishes that were alredy in the kitchen, his mom was finished and she brought in her remaining few, insisting that she dry them.

When mother and son were finished with the dishes, they went out to the stables.

Sephiroth fed the other chocobos while his mother said her last goodbyes to the oldest one there. Once the others were all seen to, Sephiroth and Lucrecia led Ginger out to the edge of the farmland, and relased her. They watched as she happily trotted off in search of some tasty greens.

Then Sephiroth held his mom while she wept in his arms.

"Did I tell you Shin broke his leg in the last race?" Sephiroth asked an hour later, while they were relaxing in the livingroom. There was a commercial on TV which didn't interst eiither of them.

"No you didn't." Lucrecia replied. "How badly?"

"They say he'll be out of the race for a few weeks at least." Sephiroth replied. "They're supposed to have a replacement in tomorrow. But I don' know who it'll be."

"We'll just have to see.." Lucrecia told him. "Well, I'm going to bed. Its going to be a long day tomorrow. I've got the monthly shopping to do and I want to get to work on painting the outside of the house."

"I told you I'd do that this weekend." Sephiroth reminded her. "But good night all the same."

"Good night, Sephiroth." Lucrecia replied as she left the living room, pausing to kiss the top of her son's head..


Chapter Three

As Sephiroth was grooming Angel for the first race of the day, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Sephiroth turned. "Yes? How can..." he fell silent. "Um... Hi." He said, nervously running a hand through his long silver-grey hair. "Sephiroth." he extended his hand. He looked over at his chocobo. "And this is Angel."

The young woman took Sephiroth's hand and shook it, cheerfully.

"Aeris." She replied. "I can't seem to find the greens."

"I'll show you where they are." Sephiroth smiled. "I have to get some for Angel anyhow. Right 'ol girl?"

The chocobo wark'ed, happily.

"So, you're filling in for Shin?" Sephiroth asked as they walked over to the feed bins.

"That''s right." Aeris replied. "Our mom's were old school pals."

"So you're not um... you know..."

"Involved?" Aeris smiled. "No. I really haven't had time. My mom's been ill and I've had to help her out."

"I'm sorry." Sephiroth frowned. "If I can help..."

"Thank you." Aeris smiled, sadly. "But I'm afraid what my mom wants has nothing to do with money."

"Let me guess. She wants grandkids before she's too old to enjoy them."

"Yours too?" Aeries blinked.

They both laughed.

Chapter Four

Sephiroth helped Aeris get her chocobo ready for the race.

"How many chocobos have you raised?"

"Well, I just started three years ago." Sephiroth explained, "When I was fourteen."

Aeris blinked. "How old are you now?" She asked.

"Thirty five." Sephiroth replied.

"How is that possible?"

"Some creep named Hojo gave me something called a Jenova injection before I was born. I'll actually be thirty six next weekend, so it seems to have tapered off."

"That's good." Aeris decided. "So you're..." she did some calculations, "... five?"

"I was born five years ago. But I am generally accepted as an adult."

"And your mom?"

Sephiroth smiled. "Mom says that raising me is like raising a cat."

"I hope she likes cats."

"I had a cat once." Sephiroth sighed, wistfully. "When I was seven... or a year old. I named it Jenova. I didn't know what the name meant, but I thought it sounded neat. She got out, just before my second/fourteenth birthday and a monster ate her."

"I'm sorry." Aeris told him. "I really am. I was never allowed to have a cat. My mom's allergic."

The bell sounded.

"Well," Sephiroth said, as he made his way back to his own chocobo, "good luck in the race."

"You, too!" Aeris called after him.


It was a long-track race, the chocobos making their way through a Virtual obstacle course of farmside roads, stormy mountain passes, the depths of the ocean and the reaches of distant space.

Finally, after crossing an ice floe, Sephiroth's crossed the finish line on Angel with Aeris and her chocobo coming in second

"Not bad for your first race."

"I'm friends with this chocobo, " Aeris explained.

Sephiroth nodded. "That helps a lot." he admitted.

Neither of them noticed Lucrecia, who'd come to ask her son to come to lunch with her.

As Sephiroth and Aeris talked, Lucrecia smiled. It was clear that the girl, Aeris, had fallen in love with him at first sight.

END PART 4