Lady in White

alone and broken

Lucrecia's feelings were much more abstract than Vincent's. Whereas Vincent's love was straightforward and pure, whatever Lucrecia felt for him was either vaguely demonstrated or in conflict with her own personal problems. Discrepancies between FFVII and DoC only further complicated any efforts to discern her emotions. Personally, I like to believe that she did love him, and I don't think my claims are entirely inaccurate.

In the beginning, Lucrecia was somewhat uncertain about Vincent. He was, after all, a living reminder of the event that plagued her peace of mind. His resemblance to Grimoire certainly didn't help. Despite this, she found herself befriending him. It was inevitable: Vincent was pleasant and polite, and his company was an easy escape from the stress of her work. She could smile, laugh and relax in his presence, and was rewarded with his endearing mannerisms. She came to value him as a friend and... something more?

Perhaps it was for that reason that she tried even harder to avoid telling him the truth. Revealing her mistake would undoubtedly put their valued friendship at risk -- there would be no reason for her fear if she didn't cherish Vincent in some way. The last thing she wanted was for him to know, get angry with her, and break off ties. Vincent was Grimoire's son -- if anyone would get angry, it'd be him. What she wasn't aware of was just how much Vincent loved her, and how he wouldn't turn on her no matter what. This was just one of the many misunderstandings that would ultimately wreck their relationship.

Unsurprisingly, the whole situation bombed when he found out. Vincent reacted predictably, hitting Lucrecia with double the bite. She was so ashamed of herself, she couldn't even look him in the eye. It was more than she could bear, so she pushed him away. She didn't want the pain of being near him, especially when she believed that he hated her for what she did.

By marrying Hojo and participating in the Jenova Project, Lucrecia made sure that Vincent couldn't get too close to her. She angrily told him to stop worrying about her when he protested the experiment; she didn't want him involved with her, at all, even if it meant rejecting his concern. However, she did so with obvious strain in her voice. She didn't want to push him away -- deep down inside, she wanted to accept his protection -- but at the same time, she didn't want to be reminded of Grimoire.

Then, when things didn't seem like they could get any worse, Hojo shot Vincent during their second confrontation. This deeply shocked Lucrecia, and not just because Vincent died -- if that wasn't enough, he died almost exactly like his father. Like Grimoire, Vincent gave his life protecting Lucrecia. The two situations were near-identical, down to the look they had in their eyes before death.

This was too much for Lucrecia to bear. She knew she had to do something. Though her body was severely weakened by the Jenova treatment, she desperately worked to save Vincent. She even attempted to stand up to Hojo when he mocked her. In her desperation, she turned to her Chaos research and the stagnated Mako she collected with Grimoire. Although this ended up saving Vincent's life, she was deeply disgusted with herself for turning such a good man into a monster. Only then, when it was far too late, did she realize that she never wanted to lose him. This, combined with her sorrow over losing Sephiroth, pushed her to her breaking point.

Yet, she did not forget about Vincent, even when she went to lock herself away. She thought about him to the end, preserving her data so that it could help him in the future.

Though she could not be with him physically, Lucrecia continued to aid Vincent in spirit (much in the way Aeris aided Cloud after her death). She never explicitly told him that she loved him , but she showed him that she cared through her actions. Whenever Chaos took over his body, she appeared to support him and ease him back into control. Through Shelke, she helped him just as he helped her so many decades ago.

Lucrecia appeared one last time to Vincent before he fought Omega-Weiss. She wanted to make it clear to him what her feelings were, but her words remained vague. She wanted to tell Vincent that she loved him, but was trapped by her emotions. In the end, she managed to express just how sorry she was, and how she was glad -- in spite of all that had happened to her -- that he survived. Ultimately, it was his living that mattered to her, and by saying this, she was finally able to demonstrate her love.

site index