Hojostiltskin
By General Quistis
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and the fairy tale Rumplestiltskin do not belong to me. The name Slate does not belong to me too. It belongs to my cousin (Zhakeena's older brother). It's his character from Ragnarök Online.
Author's Note: This is fic has been created because of getting inspiration from watching Grimm's Fairy Tales on TV. Unfortunately, the King and the Girl in the show reminded me so much of Rufus and Tifa… so here it is. I hope you have fun with this strange version that I composed just for you readers out there… Baaaaah….
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Once upon a time, in a far-away place in the Planet called Midgar, there lived a family who had proven themselves to be the most powerful and the most influential among all. They were called The ShinRas.
They basically own Midgar… and probably the whole Planet itself because of their widespread influence of their power. The family had a father, a mother and a son. However, problems arrived and the mother had to leave home. Among those problems is the misuse of power. The father, President ShinRa, believed that money is power. He used all his funds and resources to gain control the whole of Planet. He wasn't such a good father; in fact he was irresponsible. He just let his one and only son Rufus to grow up on his own, without a father to attend to him. Rufus grew up to be a cold and somewhat ruthless person in the company of his best friends Cloud, who is training to become a Soldier for ShinRa; and Sephiroth, who is the son of Doctor Lucrecia Valentine who works in the ShinRa Laboratory) and one of the Turks guarding Rufus, Vincent Valentine.
One time, tragedy struck when Rufus turned 21. His father, President ShinRa, had been assassinated by terrorists during one of his welcoming parades in Midgar after returning from a conference in Wutai.
Rufus instantly took over as President and once he was seated in the Office, he put a stop to all Mako Reactors. He wanted to find other sources for electricity aside from sucking the life out of the Planet through the reactors all over the Planet. He wanted to be different from his father. He wanted to change everything… to be someone who isn't his father.
Life began to improve for most of the people during his first few months of Presidency. He had appointed Sephiroth as his general, replacing his father's old General, Heidegger. He also turned Vincent into the leader of the Turks, while Cloud became his External Vice-President. As for the other executives and employees of ShinRa, he gave them salary raises.
Despite the many wonderful changes and improvements in President Rufus's kingdom, the people still feared him… so his new personal publicist that Cloud had recommended to him advised him that he has to lighten up a little. Her name is Aerith.
"How do I lighten up?" Rufus asked rather glumly.
"Oh look at you… you're not even smiling!" Aerith said with a cheerful smile on her face while touching his cheeks and stretching them to form a fake smile. He just shoved her hands away from himself and moved away from her, proceeding to encode his marketing plan into his PC. "Don't ever touch my face." Rufus told her with a stiff look on his face.
"Right…" Aerith just said, nodding with a silly smile on her face.
"Mwahaha. His face is the most sacred thing in this Planet that shouldn't be touched by any other person but himself!" Sephiroth blurted out with a sarcastic tone. Aerith giggled. "Is that so? Well at least he should smile… it really makes people afraid of him. It's not good for his image." She pointed out.
"So what if he's constantly frowning all the time? It's his style. He's always been like that ever since we were kids." Cloud explained.
Aerith began to think. "Hmm… if you cannot smile to improve your image, at least try to be… hmm… nicer to people? Say, invite some of them for dinner here at the ShinRa HQ!" she told Rufus with a happy smile on her face.
"Invite some of them? What, I'm going to pick out random names and invite them for dinner here? Wouldn't that be awkward?" Rufus asked in disbelief.
"No, silly! Of course not! All you have to do is invite Sector Representatives!" she pointed out.
"Not such a bad idea, actually." Sephiroth told Rufus. Cloud nodded. But Rufus was not even looking at them. Instead he still kept on typing mindlessly.
"Are you even listening?" Aerith demanded rather impatiently, surprising Rufus… and so that made him look at her. He had known her to be one of the most patient people in ShinRa, but at that moment, she really snapped at him. It really gave him the shivers. "Yes, I'm listening, Aerith." Rufus said plainly, pretending that nothing is wrong. He still appeared so stiff and so cold.
Aerith, Cloud and Sephiroth just stared unbelievably at him. "So what do you think about it?" she asked in confusion. Her tone in speaking to him did not even seem to change his facial expression.
"If it makes you happy. Go ahead and start sending invitations to the Sector Representatives. I'll be expecting them for dinner tomorrow evening at 7:00." Rufus replied with an I-don't-care look on his face.
The three just kept quiet, looking at him with dumbfounded looks on their faces. "Well… alright… I'll have the Turks deliver it to the Sectors." Aerith told him before proceeding out of the 70th floor Office of the President in the ShinRa Tower.
"Help Aerith with the invitations, will you?" Rufus told Cloud, just when he was about to hand him the financial statements from the last quarter. Cloud blinked and placed the folder on top of his desk before shrugging. "Alright. Since it's Aerith…" he said with a slight smile on his face before rushing out of the room.
Sephiroth just laughed, puzzling Rufus. "What's so funny?" Rufus demanded impatiently.
"Mwahahah… Nothing…" Sephiroth responded with a naughty look on his face. Rufus just stared at him glumly before deciding to just look at Cloud's work.
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Meanwhile, in a bar called 7th Heaven in Sector 7, Midgar, Tifa Lockheart was opening the bar already when a bald Turk arrived. She stared curiously at him as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Yes, may I help you?" she asked welcomingly. The bald Turk just blushed at her before handing her a white envelope with the ShinRa seal on its flap. Tifa stared at the envelope for a while before realizing that it was an invitation. "Oh, thank you." She said.
"It's for Mister Wallace." The bald Turk told her rather stiffly. Tifa just nodded, smiling thankfully at the Turk. "Yes. I'll just give it to him once he arrives. He just picked up his daughter in school. Would you like to wait for him here?" she asked before placing the invitation beside the cash register.
The Bald Turk just shook his head. "No thank you, ma'am." He said before leaving.
Tifa watched him as he left the bar. She wondered why that guy always acts weird around her… and he's really very quiet. It wasn't the first time she had met Rude, in fact it was the nth time. He and his fellow Turk, Reno, were frequent visitors of the Bar.
A few moments later, Barret Wallace arrived. He is very good friends with Tifa and had also treated her like she is a daughter of his aside from Marlene. Barret is the Sector Representative for Sector 7, the poorest Sector in Midgar.
Marlene tagged along with her father and ran to Tifa, greeting her happily. "Hey, Tifa! I got an A in my math test today!" she announced happily.
"That's splendid, Marlene!" Tifa said happily, hugging the little girl.
Barret saw the invitation by the cash register. "What's this?" he asked, picking it up and seeing his name printed on the back. He instantly opened it and got the card inside.
Tifa watched as he read it silently, "Oh… it has the Presidential Seal… so I think it's from the President." She told him.
Barret frowned slightly before reading it out loud, "Mister Wallace, you are cordially invited for dinner tomorrow evening at the ShinRa Tower, 7:00 sharp. Please be on time. Your presence will be greatly appreciated. Signed, President Rufus ShinRa."
Silence.
Marlene cheered happily. "You're invited for dinner at the house of the beautiful people?" she asked happily.
"What beautiful people?" Barret asked in surprise.
"The ShinRas! They're rich and famous and they look good on TV! Heehee!" Marlene replied.
"Well I think your daughter thinks that all rich people are beautiful," Yuffie pointed out as she emerged from the kitchen with a cookbook. "Hey, Tifa, I need a hand in here." She told Tifa as she handed the cookbook to her. Tifa stared at the cookbook. "Why are you using that?! It's written in Wutaian! I can't even understand it!" she said.
"GAWDS! I am Wutaian!" Yuffie pointed out. "Besides, the ingredients say that I need some green onions but you don't have any more green onions!" Yuffie pointed out.
"I… didn't buy them because they're pretty expensive nowadays…" Tifa explained with a sheepish look on her face. Barret just shook his head. He doesn't really like talking about financial problems in their household although he accepts the fact that they are poor. "Foo's forget about those green onions. Just cook another food for our dinner! At least we'll have somethin' to eat, we'll all be happy, even if it's not as grand as the meals being eaten by those damn filthy rich foo's in Sector 1!" he told them before taking a seat.
"Aren't you guys tired of being poor?" Yuffie asked stubbornly. Yuffie came from Wutai, another country made poor by the past regime of Old Man ShinRa, Rufus's father.
"Okay, okay, enough already. I'm going to ShinRa tomorrow evening and talk to the President about Sector 7's problem." Barret told them just to make Yuffie shut up, because basically, she is a Princess from the country where she came from and she can really get very spoiled and bratty and all chatty, and she ends up nagging their heads off. Wutai became poor and so she had to leave home to find a way to earn money. She met her current friends when she tried to steal Materia from them one time. Materia has been considered as one of the most expensive commodities in the Planet and only a few exist at that period.
Tifa agreed to pay Yuffie if she would work for her at the bar; and since Yuffie had nowhere else to go, they also let her stay with them in their small two-storey house just behind the bar.
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And so the dinner pushed through, with all the Sector Representatives dining with the President, his executives and his general.
Tifa went along with Barret because she also wanted to make sure that he keeps his word and attends the dinner and not ditch it to go someplace else that wouldn't bore him, since she knows that he doesn't really like talking to snotty rich people from the upper sectors. She even escorted him up to the dining area where the other guests and the President were already waiting. "And behave like a gentleman, Barret." She advised.
"Wha?! Ya think I'm no gentleman!?" Barret demanded from her. She just giggled and adjusted his tie. "Knock 'em dead. Be yourself. And respect the President even though I know how much you despise his family. Heehee!" and gave him a slight shove towards the door of the dining area.
Rufus was staring at them curiously.
Aerith approached them and smiled happily at them. "Hello. Is she your daughter, Mister Wallace?" she asked.
"Well… I'd like to think that she is. Har har!" Barret laughed gaily and proudly while patting Tifa's head. Tifa caught the President staring at her, but she just turned away, pretending not to have seen anything. Aerith took her hand. "Come join us," she said. Tifa shook her head. "No thank you. I have to go to the night market and do some errands for Barret." She said before moving away from them. "Have fun, Barret," she said before running off.
Aerith led Barret to his seat.
The food was great and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, except for Barret who was beginning to think of ways to bring up his concern to the President. "This could be my only chance to talk to him…" he thought silently. So he waited for the other representatives to bring up topics regarding their concerns, but the topics didn't seem to land there. Instead, they were talking about what makes them feel rich.
Rufus does not seem to be interested about the other representatives' lives. He just wants to go to bed and rest because he has had a tiring day. However, he has to sit there and endure the boring conversation. He could not even relate even though he was listening. "Oh well… Old Man's gatherings were much more boring than this one. At least the Sector 7 Representative arrived. Old Man never really bothered inviting him before…" he was thinking silently before Aerith piped in, "So, Mister Wallace, what about you? You're too quiet in your place." She said, interrupting Rufus's thoughts and Barret's own thoughts as well.
Barret just blinked. "Huh?" he asked.
"What makes you feel rich?" Vincent elaborated for him.
Barret thought for a while, turning to the President with a bored look on his face. He answered sarcastically, "Well… what I consider my family makes me feel like the richest guy in the planet. Especially Tifa? Well, that girl can turn champagne into material! Heh heh."
Silence.
Rufus stared curiously at him. "Really now?" he asked.
"Yeah." Barret replied. The others just stared unbelievably at him. Rufus was in awe. "She can turn champagne into that rare commodity called Materia?" he asked, wanting to verify.
"Don't make me repeat myself…" Barret was thinking silently with an impatient look on his face before realizing that everyone had taken it literally… while he really meant it to be some kind of figure of speech… something that explains the fact that through her 7th Heaven Bar and her skills in Bartending, she can earn some cash and with enough of those, it could cost to one materia. He was about to explain that he was being sarcastic but Rufus just got up. "Bring her to me tomorrow evening, same time. I would like to talk to her." He told him before proceeding to the door.
"But sir, I…" Barret began. "No questions asked, otherwise I'll have you punished in Junon. What the President wants, the President gets." Heidegger snapped at him.
Rufus just rolled his eyes before leaving the room.
Barret began to feel nervous. "Shit… Damn foo'… now how do I explain this to Tifa…" he thought with a frantic look on his face.
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"I beg your pardon?!" Tifa exclaimed in disbelief after Barret had informed her of the news.
"That's… what I told him… and everyone thinks it's true… Now Rufus wants to see you tomorrow evening…" he replied rather weakly.
"Gee, Tifa, I never knew you could do something like that!" Yuffie pointed out.
"I can't, dammit! Barret, why did you lie to him!?" Tifa demanded in disbelief, feeling so nervous. "You know I can't turn champagne into Materia! Nobody can do that!!! It'd have to take some magic before I can do something as bizarre as that!" she pointed out in panic.
"I know but I was being sarcastic and those foo's took it seriously! I meant it to be like you earning cash through your bartending that could amount to one materia!" he explained.
Tifa wanted to cry. "And if I don't come to ShinRa tomorrow, they'll have you punished... and Lord knows what they're going to do to me, Yuffie and Marlene! Barret, this is an outrage!!!" she wailed before covering her face in annoyance as she plopped down on a sitting position on a stool in her bar.
"Oh come on, it wouldn't be that bad! Maybe President Rufus would just like to talk to you. You can explain to him!" Yuffie explained.
"As if he'll listen to someone like me! I'm just a nobody!" Tifa pointed out.
Barret just shook his head. "Sorry, Teef… but we'll get you out of this mess somehow…" he said with an apologetic look on his face.
Tifa sniffed and wiped her tears away. "Well… I think he is a skeptical person… and he wouldn't believe in such things like a girl like me being able to make materia out of champagne, right? Maybe he'll just ask me some questions and then let me go… yeah, I think he will…" she was thinking to herself as she decided to just go to her room and lock herself up in there until tomorrow evening. She would like to have time for herself to think about how she could get out of her current situation.
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The next evening, Tifa arrived in the 70th floor two minutes before 7:00. Rufus was already there, seated on his Presidential chair with Cloud Strife standing by his right and Sephiroth standing by his left. Aerith Gainsborough was standing next to Cloud Strife, while Vincent Valentine was standing next to Sephiroth. The other Turks and a Soldier named Zack were lined up in one corner of the room. Tifa nervously swallowed hard and kept a straight face as she stared back at the President who was staring back at her in return.
"So I've heard from Mister Wallace about your unbelievable skill?" Rufus asked coolly.
She scanned the looks on the other people's faces before turning back to Rufus. "Sir, let me explain…" she began, but he cut her off, "What is your name?" he asked.
She was quiet for a while. He repeated the question. She answered rather shakily, "T…Ti…Tifa…Lockheart."
"And how old are you?" he asked.
"I just turned 20 last May, sir." She replied.
Rufus took a quick glance at his desk calendar, seeing that it was already November. "I see…" and turned to the Turks and to Zack. "Take her to the room where she is to stay." He instructed.
Tifa's eyes widened. "Wh…what?" she asked in disbelief.
Rufus turned to her with a cold look in his blue eyes. "You are to stay here overnight and you will make materia out of the champagne that I have ordered just for you. Tomorrow morning, I will check your work. If you are not able to finish the champagne, I would have to take you to Junon for execution… together with your friends." He told her. Aerith gasped slightly at what he just said while Cloud, Sephiroth and Vincent just looked at Rufus with surprised looks on their faces. Cloud was about to apprehend him but Rufus raised his right hand to him as if he knew that his friend is going to contradict what he had just said. "Go." He told the Turks.
Tifa just stood still, thinking whether she should fight back or not. Zack grabbed her hands and placed them behind her back. "Just follow his orders and you'll be okay," he whispered to her. One of the Turks, Elena, smiled reassuringly at her that everything will be alright. Rude, on the other hand, could not even get near her. Tifa took one last look at Rufus, hoping he would pity her. "Who am I kidding… this person knows no mercy." She thought in despair before bowing down her head and looked away from him. "Besides, if I struggle against them, they'll just harm Barret and the others…" she thought to herself.
As soon as Tifa had left the room with Zack and the Turks, Aerith instantly began to nag him about his decision. "What did you just do?! Are you aware that that is the most unbelievable thing you've ever done?!" she cried out in panic while shaking him violently.
Rufus just remained cool about the situation as he flipped his hair. "As unbelievable as what her friend had claimed she could do: turn champagne into Materia." He told her haughtily.
She let go of him and began to pace across the room. "Rufus, you know very well that what you have just done could ruin your reputation." She told him.
"She's right. You know that the girl cannot do such a thing! You're just looking for a way to put someone in death row." Vincent pointed out.
Rufus began to shut off his listening and comprehension from his friends as he just sat there, listening to the constant nagging of all his friends. Heidegger, Scarlet, Lucrecia, Reeve and Palmer were just standing there listening and watching them. Rufus waved his hand to them to signal that he wants them out of the room. They bowed and left instantly. Once the executives had left the room, Rufus just spoke up with a stiff tone, "Are you finished yet?" he asked.
Silence.
"Good. Now would you like to hear my side?" he asked.
Vincent, Sephiroth, Cloud and Aerith just stood still for a moment, waiting for him to speak again. Rufus ShinRa flipped his hair. "I never knew she's going to be that lovely for my tastes… I'd like to keep her here for a while… to get to know her better. If she is not able to do what I want her to do, then fine. I will release her from that room where she would be staying but I'll be seeing her more often." He explained rather arrogantly.
Silence.
"How the hell are you going to get to know her better when you're up here in your office and she's in that prison room downstairs?" Sephiroth asked with a sarcastic smile on his face.
"Shut up, I'm still thinking…" Rufus muttered with a straight face. Cloud shook his head in disbelief. "We can never really understand what's going on in that mind of yours, ShinRa." He muttered.
"It's Rufus. I don't like being associated with my Old Man so stop calling me by my surname." Rufus snapped.
Silence.
"So you like the girl but you don't know how to let her know so you're doing this, huh? Is that it?" Vincent asked.
Rufus did not answer. Sephiroth smiled maliciously at him before nudging his arm with an elbow. "Mwahahaha! Look at you! You're blushing!!!" he teased.
Silence.
"Please stop that. You're hurting my arm." Rufus said glumly with a stiff look on his face. Sephiroth moved away from him. "You are not going to get the girl to like you if you keep on with that kind of attitude," he warned.
"Could you at least let me handle this in my own liking?" Rufus asked them with an annoyed look on his face.
"Whatever pleases you…" Aerith said, rolling her eyes.
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Tifa had imagined the room where she is supposed to stay as a prison cell with steel walls, steel doors and a creaky old steel bed with springs in the mattress. But it wasn't. Instead, it was a bedroom-like place with a four-post canopy bed with red curtains, a floor with a red carpet and a mini bar in one corner. However, there were no windows in the room where she could escape. She just sat still on a chair facing the mini bar and then decided to check out the contents of the refrigerator. When she opened it, she saw 50 bottles of pink champagne. Her eyes widened and she felt so disheartened about her fate. "I'm going to die!" she said hoarsely, feeling so sorry for herself and for her friends. She began to cry as she fell on a sitting position on the floor while staring helplessly at the 50 bottles of pink champagne. "What am I going to do?! I cannot make Materia out of these! I don't even know how to make Materia and where the hell do they come from!" she wailed in annoyance.
Then, she heard some rattling from the ceiling. She looked up and saw that there was a vent and the grills were shaking… as if someone is trying to remove it. She noticed that she could just easily climb out from there, but it was very high from the ground. The chair wasn't enough for her to use as footing to climb up there… and her somersaults cannot reach that high too. "Who's there?" she called out, thinking that maybe someone is there to rescue her. The grills came off and a person with black hair wearing a white laboratory jacket and glasses magically flew down. And when we say magically, we mean it in a sarcastic sense… because he just literally fell off from the vent and landed on the bed, scattering feathers all over the place that came from the pillows. Tifa fanned the feathers away from herself. "What the--?" she began in shock, staring unbelievably at the man.
The man looked like a scientist… but a mad one. Tifa shuddered as she moved away. "Who are you?" she asked.
The man looked around and got out of bed, dusting himself. "Hmm… looks like I'm in the wrong room… this isn't the laboratory, isn't it?" he asked.
Tifa was stunned as she shook her head in confusion. "N…no. I don't think it is… I…" she stammered. The Scientist just shrugged and proceeded to the door and tried to open it but it was locked. "The door's locked! You stuck here or something, young lady?" he asked, turning back to her in a casual manner.
"Well… I'm actually… a prisoner here… until I can make Materia out of these champagne…" she explained rather miserably, referring to the open refrigerator and showing to him the bottles. The Scientist's eyes widened. "Oh…" and turned to look at her miserable-looking face again. "So that's why you look so miserable, huh?" he asked, and then smiling rather sinisterly.
Tifa just sighed heavily. "I cannot really make Materia out of champagne but my friend had to brag about it… and the President took it literally! Now he wants me to make Materia out of champagne otherwise he'll have me shipped to Junon and imprisoned there… and then I'll die…" she explained sadly with a shaky tone. She began to cry again. The Scientist laughed at her, "Hahahahaha! Stop crying young lady. There's no use crying… but I can help you if you want to." He told her.
She sniffed and wiped her tears of confusion from her eyes. "Huh? Wh…what can you do? Can you get me out of here?" she asked.
"No, but I am a scientist and I know the composition of Materia. It's a good thing that I brought along enough of my test tubes here with the other ingredients. Heh heh heh." He removed his laboratory coat and showed her the test tubes. She was awe-struck. "Wh…what?!" she asked in disbelief.
"On one condition." He told her. Tifa stared unbelievably at him. "I guess… I can take risks. After all, it's for the sake of my friends…" she thought before saying, "What?"
He pointed at her gloves. "I would like to have your fighting gloves." He told her. She felt her heart sink. She had those gloves ever since she started training in Midgar… and they were quite expensive too. But she needed to give them away to the scientist if she wants to live… So she removed them with a solemn look on her face and handed them to the scientist. He eagerly took them and chuckled. "That's a good girl. Now sit back and relax over there and just rest. You look like you need it." He told her before he began to work. Tifa just kept quiet by the bed, watching him as he worked. In two minutes, a pink-colored materia was produced. Tifa wanted to see if it could work, but she could not equip it because her slotted gloves are not with her anymore. Time passed and more materia were being created, but she was beginning to feel tired. Slowly, she rested herself upon the bed and just fell asleep.
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Tifa opened her eyes when she felt someone shaking her lightly on the shoulder. "Tifa,"
It was Aerith, smiling cheerfully at her. Tifa sat up and swallowed hard, looking at the empty champagne bottles on the floor and several pink-colored materia beside her on the bed. She gasped and jumped out of bed, accidentally elbowing The President. "Oh… I'm sorry…" she said apologetically before stepping away in shame. She blushed slightly.
Rufus and the others were looking at the materia in awe.
Tifa was amazed as well. It seemed like the Scientist was able to make over 500 Materia… It could amount to more than 500 million Gil if sold!
"This is amazing…" Sephiroth began.
Tifa stepped forward to Rufus. "Now that I've granted your request, will you let me go now?" she asked.
Rufus kept a straight face even as he looked at her from head to toe, then turned to Cloud. "Test one of those." He told him.
Cloud got his Buster Sword and equipped a Materia into one of its slots. While Cloud was demonstrating, Rufus turned back to Tifa, "No. You'll stay here for another night." He told her.
Aerith and the others were surprised to hear that. "Rufus, I think you should…" she began, but Rufus ignored her and just turned to Cloud. "Well, what can it do?" he asked.
"It… increases attack speed and dexterity… and adds luck." Cloud said before trying it out on Sephiroth. Sephiroth instantly blocked Cloud's attack with his Masamune. "Whoa… when did you learn how to move fast like that?!" he exclaimed.
"It's the work of the Materia." Vincent pointed out.
Rufus turned to Tifa with a slight smile on his face, "Would you like to join me for breakfast, Miss Lockheart?" he asked.
She was surprised by his invitation. "Oh… alright…" she said softly. She did feel hungry after all. Before leaving the room, Rufus instructed Cloud and Sephiroth to take all the Materia out of the room and put 100 bottles of champagne inside the refrigerator again.
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For the rest of the day, Tifa was forced to spend time with the President because she was not allowed to go home yet. She was not really sure how she would perceive him… because at first he seemed so stiff and so cold, but now he was slowly warming up to her. She also found out that they have a lot of similar interests, including those strange favorites such as preferring to eat peanut butter straight from the jar with a garlic sticks and eating oysters and other seafoods for breakfast.
However, Tifa still wanted to go home. She had to admit, she felt rather uncomfortable because she still knows that as long as she is in ShinRa, her friends' lives and even her own life is at risk.
Moments passed by so quickly and it was already nighttime. She was sent back to the room where she spent her first night and was locked up in there again. She has to perform the same task: to make materia out of champagne.
"Barret really got me into such a big mess…" she muttered to herself as she opened a bottle for herself, deciding to just make herself drunk so that she could forget her troubles… but she ended up crying again because she was desperate to get out of that horrid place already.
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"So… you've spent the whole day with Miss Lockheart, huh? And you left your paperwork to Cloud, I observed, when I visited him in his office today to inquire if I could have a day off tomorrow because you are not in your office the whole day." Sephiroth told Rufus during dinner time.
Rufus was just quietly eating his dinner, not bothering to even look at Sephiroth or Cloud or Aerith or Vincent.
"So, can I have the day-off?" Sephiroth asked.
"No." was all Rufus had said.
Sephiroth made a face and just snorted before eating again.
"I see you're warming up to Tifa, Rufus. So, when are you going to release her?" Aerith asked sweetly.
"I don't think he even has plans to release her." Sephiroth told her with a silly smile on his face.
Rufus stared blankly at them and they all just bowed down their heads and continued to eat. He took a sip of pink champagne and sniffed it afterwards. The smell reminded him so much of Tifa, but he still fought the urge to smile.
"I wonder what's going on in his head…" Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth and Vincent were all thinking silently at the same time while secretly taking glances at the President.
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Tifa had fallen asleep on the floor while holding a bottle of champagne and she just woke up when she heard the same grills up on the vent rattling. She hoped that it was the scientist again to help her.
Moments later, the Scientist arrived from up the vent, landing on the bed again. "Darn… when will I reach the lab?!" he thought in annoyance when he saw that he's in the same room again. He smiled at the girl and saw the bottles. "You need help?" he asked.
She just nodded sadly, feeling her head aching because of too much champagne.
He reached out a hand to her. "What can you give me this time?" he asked.
She thought for a while before removing her teardrop earrings. "They're real pearls. I've had them since I was 10. It's a gift from my late father…" she said sadly as she handed him the teardrop earrings. He smiled victoriously. "Very well, stand aside. I shall take care of this…" he told her…
And the next day, 5,000 Materia had been made, surprising everyone again. Tifa asked again whether she could go home already but the President still insisted her to stay for one more night… but this time, there was a deal. "If you could stay for one more night in here and make more Materia, you shall be my wife."
Silence.
"You're kidding?!" Aerith exclaimed in shock for Tifa who was too speechless to react.
"Aren't you rushing things, Rufus?" Cloud asked in surprise.
"Tifa shall be my First Lady if she is able to accomplish her task." Rufus told them.
Tifa fainted, surprising everyone.
"I think the news shocked her. Rufus, let the poor girl go." Vincent told him with a pleading look on his face.
Rufus just went over to the fainted young lady who was being supported by Aerith so that she wouldn't fall to the ground and hit her head on the floor. She got Tifa and carried her onto the bed. "Get all the Materia out of here and fill the refrigerator with 150 bottles." He instructed the others.
"Are you sure it would fit the ref?" Sephiroth asked.
"You can just put the rest on top of it." Rufus told him.
Sephiroth turned to his father, Vincent. "This is going to be a long day…" he muttered. Vincent just sighed and followed after his son who was heading out of the room to get bottles of champagne.
Cloud stayed behind with Aerith and they were gathering all the Materia to be sold.
Rufus attended to Tifa, making sure she was alright. Aerith glanced at them and smiled excitedly. "I'm so happy for you, Rufus," she said.
Rufus just kept quiet, staring at Tifa with the same expressionless look on his face and the same coldness in his blue eyes.
"What made you decide so, Rufus?" Cloud asked.
But the President just kept quiet, admiring Tifa silently. "Because I have fallen in-love with her…" he thought silently to himself, not wanting to let anybody else know how he really felt deep inside.
"Rufus, don't you think you've had enough Materia for the past few days?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah. We have to open a new bank account for all the money that's rolling in because of the Materia!" Aerith told him.
"Look, Tifa could really be such a gold mine to you but… she needs to be free, you know?" Cloud insisted to Rufus.
Rufus swallowed hard, bowing down his head as he brushed off stray strands of hair from Tifa's face with his hand. "I'm not after the Materia or the money from her…" he admitted in between clenched teeth, feeling uncomfortable that he is revealing part of his thoughts and feelings to his friends. The two stared unbelievably at him as he continued, "I just want her to be with me…"
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It was evening already when Tifa finally regained full consciousness and had recovered from the shock, but she found herself alone in the same room… and when she looked at the refrigerator again, there were bottles of champagne in there again and also on top of it… and also surrounding it. "Oh maaan!!!!!" she wailed in despair.
She began to think of the consequences if is not able to do anything: either she dies or she marries the President.
"I think I'd love option number two…" she thought silently to herself while blushing. She bit her lower lip in an effort not to smile excitedly. She had to admit, Rufus was adorable and she found herself liking him already despite the fact that he seems very cold towards others…
But it wasn't the right time to smile.
"No… this is so wrong!!!" she cried.
"What is so wrong?" she heard the Scientist's voice from the vent again… and soon, he fell from it again, down onto the bed. She had to dive off the bed to avoid him landing on her. "Eeeps!" she cried out in surprise. She landed on the floor on her butt and it hurt a lot. "Ow…" she muttered, rubbing her buttocks.
The Scientist laughed sheepishly at her. "Sorry, ma'am. I was looking for the lab again when I passed by your room again… and I couldn't help but overhear…" he told her.
She just stared miserably at him.
He smiled. "What can you give me this time?" he asked in a singsong voice.
She shook her head. "Looks like you cannot help me this time, Mister. I have nothing else to give you. I guess I'll just have to face bad fate and just die tomorrow in Junon…" she said with a sad look on her face while trying to fight back the tears in her eyes.
The Scientist just smiled. "Hmm… I can still do you a favor even if you cannot give anything to me now…" he told her as he got off the bed and approached her with a sly look on his face. He knelt down before her and leaned forward. "I've heard the news about you and the President. Now here's the deal… I'll get you out of this mess for now and make more Materia, on one condition." He told her.
She blinked.
He moved away from her and got up, crossing his arms. "When your first child is born, you'll have to give him or her to me. Is that understood?" he asked.
Her eyes widened. "Wh…what?!" she asked in disbelief.
"Take it or leave it, madame." He said with a low voice that made her shudder in sudden fear…
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Tifa wasn't able to sleep all night, feeling so nervous and afraid for her own life because of the decision that she had just made. She stared at all the Materia on her bed as she remained seated on the floor in fetal position and rocking back and forth.
Around dawn, the Scientist left her. He passed through the door! The guy could pick locks and he was able to do so for the past nights that he was doing her supposedly work… and then he just locks her again in the same room once he gets outside. Feeling more miserable than before, Tifa just remained there in one corner of the room, sulking.
Around six in the morning, she heard someone unlocking the door, and soon, there was Rufus with Aerith and Cloud. They entered the room with awe-struck looks on their faces upon seeing all the Materia. They estimated it to be over 7,000 in number. Aerith went over to Tifa, "Are you alright there? You seem so tired," she said softly. Tifa just smiled weakly at her and turned to Rufus with a weary look on her face.
His facial expression softened and he smiled softly at her, surprising Aerith and Cloud because it was the first time they saw him smile like that. He approached Tifa and helped her up, "Come on, let's get you out of here. You look like you could use some rest. You weren't able to sleep last night, huh?" he asked as he led her out of the room, leaving Cloud and Aerith there all puzzled.
And so a wedding took place seven days later and it was one of the biggest celebrations in the history of Midgar…
And nine months after the wedding, Tifa gave birth to a baby boy. She and Rufus named him Slate. The little boy possesses his father's features: strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. They were very happy to have such a healthy and handsome baby and they made sure that he will have a very bright and promising future.
But one night, while Rufus was away in a conference in Junon and Tifa was alone in the Nursery with Slate, making sure he is asleep, she heard some rattling from the vent. She shivered and she instantly got her baby from the cradle and held him close to her.
The Scientist used a rope to climb down from the vent to the floor, smiling at Tifa with a proud smile on his face. "Well, well, well… if it isn't the First Lady with her bouncing baby boy!" he greeted.
Tifa frowned at him and moved away.
He reached out his hands to her. "Be a good girl and fulfill your promise, Mrs. ShinRa." He told her with an evil smile on his face.
"Can't we just forget about our deal and I'll just give you all the money you would like to have and just leave me and my family alone?!" she asked.
"Nope. A deal's a deal, Mrs. ShinRa. Now give me your son." he sneered as he took a step forward.
"No!" she cried out in protest as she went over to the door. "Get out of here or I'll call the Turks!" she snapped angrily.
He just stood still and smiled evilly at her. "Okay… since you're stubborn… I'll make you another deal…" he said.
She froze and slowly turned to face him again with an angry look on her face. "What is it?" she asked. She would do anything to save her son.
The Scientist smiled at her. "I'll come back here for three consecutive nights. If by the third night you are not able to guess what my name is, you're going to have to give me your son. Is that understood?" he asked slyly.
Her eyes widened. "Wh…what?!" she asked in shock.
"You heard me right, Mrs. ShinRa. You'd better guess my name right or else your son is mine! Hahahahaha!" he laughed gaily before using some smoke screen, throwing it on the floor just before his feet, making it explode. Tifa gasped and instantly opened the door to step out, wanting to avoid the smoke to protect her child. Smoke seeped through the spaces between the door and the doorway and she stepped further away from it.
"Tifa, what are you doing out here?" Rufus asked her. He had just returned from the conference. He saw the frightened look on her face. "Tifa? You look so frightened. Are you alright?" he asked her as he approached her. He noticed the smoke coming out from the room and his eyes widened. "Is there fire inside?!" he asked as he went to the door and opened it. He coughed, struggling to breathe as he made his way to the windows and opened them. There was no fire but the smoke alarm began to sound. The smoke slowly cleared just when Cloud and Aerith arrived. "Tifa! Rufus!" Aerith called out in utmost worry.
Tifa hugged Slate closer to herself as a few tears streamed down from her eyes, surprising everyone. Rufus went over to her with a worried look on her face. "Tifa, what is going on? Why are you weeping?" he asked.
But before she could answer, she just fainted. Rufus instantly caught her, while Cloud supported Slate to prevent him from falling to the ground.
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When Tifa had regained consciousness, Rufus was just seated on the bed beside her while Cloud, Aerith, Sephiroth and Vincent were seated around Slate's cradle, guarding it.
Tifa began to explain to Rufus what happened and told him the truth about the Materia and the deal with the Scientist.
"Please don't get angry at me… I… I was so… afraid back then… I thought that you would kill me if I'm not able to make Materia out of champagne just like what Barret had told you… it's impossible to do and I don't have the skills to do it! But I don't want to die and I don't want to put my friends in danger if I fail…" she pleaded as she embraced him tightly as tears streamed down from her eyes. She rested her head on his chest, hiding her face on it as she sobbed helplessly. She was so afraid and so confused about her situation already… and she was concerned about her son's safety.
Rufus swallowed hard and embraced her back. "Hush now… it's alright… I'm not angry at you…" he told her as he stroked her hair. "I didn't care about the materia or the money. I just asked you to stay in the room and told you to make materia out of champagne even though I deem it impossible because I wanted you to… always be with me…" he explained with an embarrassed look on his face. Sephiroth was fighting the urge to laugh because Rufus sounded so out-of-character and he looked funny too when he's suppressing his smiles. Vincent and Aerith just stared warningly at Sephiroth so that he wouldn't burst out laughing in front of the First Couple and end up ruining the tender moment between them.
Rufus, noticing his friends' reactions, just stiffened his facial expression again and turned to them. "Get out of here and get to work! I want you to list down all the male names you can find and think of. Give the list to me by tomorrow afternoon, is that understood? No one will stop researching for names until the third day. If we fail, I'm gonna have to shoot all your brains out, is that clear?" he snapped impatiently.
Silence.
Cloud, Aerith, Vincent and Sephiroth instantly stood up and left the room, ready to work. It was the first time that Rufus had threatened them that way… and he meant it.
Rufus went over to the cradle and carried Slate in his arms, going back to Tifa with him. "I won't let that weasel get my son." He was thinking to himself as he handed the sleeping child to Tifa.
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The next evening, around 11:30, the Scientist arrived in the nursery where Tifa was waiting for him. "So, are you ready to make your guesses?" he asked slyly.
She began stiffly, "Is your name Mark?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Martin?"
Nope.
She mentioned other names such as Orlando, Peter, Samuel, Vladimir, Xavier, Jason, Jerome, Jericho, Nelson, Cornelio, Amadeus, Amando, Bert, Bob… it was an endless list… but nothing seemed right.
Around dawn, the Scientist left using the same method of smoke screen and disappearing out of nowhere.
Tifa was beginning to get impatient and annoyed at that Scientist. "Who the hell is he?!" she was thinking in anger.
When morning came, she was escorted by Zack and Vincent to Sector 7 to visit her friends. She told them about what happened and they were surprised about the situation.
"GAWDS!!! He uses smokescreen to escape?" Yuffie asked in awe. Tifa nodded. Yuffie thought for a while before saying, "Well, I'm a ninja and I know how to move around even with thick smoke around me. Maybe I could help. I could try following him for you and who knows, I could get his name too if he accidentally mentions it or it's written in the place where he lives."
Tifa agreed to her friend's idea, so she went back to ShinRa with her.
When evening came, Yuffie camouflaged herself within the shadows behind the curtains on the window and waited for the Scientist to arrive. Tifa just sat still beside the cradle while Zack hid inside the closet, since Rufus instructed him to stay guard too and make sure that the guest (Yuffie) is alright.
Finally, the Scientist came and with a new list in Tifa's hands, she began to cite names: Zidane, Riku, Ansem, Sora, Squall, Seifer, Cid, Zachary, Edgar, Tidus, Auron, Wakka, Nooj, Gippal, Baralai, Uno, Sano, Richard, Claudio, Steiner, Tristan, Paul, Laguna, Ward, Wedge, Biggs, Zell, Irvine, Rudolf, Rudon, Rufino, Harold, Harry, Draco, Ron, Ronald, Reynold…
The Scientist kept on saying no or just laughed at the names or just shook his head in disagreement. When it was already 3 in the morning, he used the same method to escape. Yuffie instantly got out of her hiding place discreetly and followed after the Scientist. Zack trailed behind her, leaving Tifa in the Nursery with Slate. She was hoping that there would be good news the following day when Yuffie and Zack would return from spying.
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"Quit shovin', Hedgehog!" Yuffie snapped impatiently at Zack as they remained hiding behind some bushes in a forest near Midgar and Kalm.
"But I might get seen if you don't move that way!" Zack told her.
Yuffie saw the Scientist turn to their direction and she instantly shoved Zack's head down to the ground. "Duck!" she whispered hoarsely.
Silence.
She watched as the Scientist sat down for a while by a stream and began to drink some water. He then looked up at the full moon. "Soon… I'll have the ShinRa child and I can experiment the effects of JENOVA cells on him! Hahahahaha!" he said out loud with a sinister tone.
Zack frowned slightly. "JENOVA?" he thought. Now where did he hear that before?
Yuffie swallowed hard.
The Scientist brought out some syringes from his pockets. "Hahahahaha. I finally got the JENOVA cells from the ShinRa Lab. Lucrecia isn't really good in hiding them away from me…" he sneered. "…and I suppose I'll be successful this time… because the gullible First Lady will never know that my name is Hojo. Hahahahaha!"
"Bingo!" Yuffie thought victoriously before letting go of Zack.
Slowly, they crept away from the area to return to ShinRa HQ in Midgar.
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"Hojo, huh?" Rufus asked, his eyebrows meeting to form a very deep frown. Tifa blinked. "Why?" she asked.
Rufus turned to Vincent, Sephiroth and Cloud. "So that damn guy is still alive? I thought I fired him already when Old Man died?" he asked.
"He escaped prison, remember? And he still wants to steal some JENOVA cells to continue his JENOVA project." Vincent explained.
Rufus nodded and turned back to Zack and Yuffie. "Well done, you two. Looks like I'll have to promote you to a much higher position, Zack." He told him. Zack smiled proudly. "Gee… thanks, sir!" he said happily. Rufus turned to Yuffie. "As for you, Miss Kisaragi… what would you like as a reward?" he asked.
She thought for a while, but Tifa instantly chimed in, "Oh, Rufus, it would be greatly appreciated if you could help out Wutai in their development and improvement."
Yuffie smiled at Tifa, thankful that her friend is concerned about her and her people's welfare after all. Rufus nodded. "Very well, it shall be done." Rufus told them before turning to Vincent. "Please summon Reeve into my office. I need to talk to him about Urban Development in Wutai." He said before turning back to Yuffie. "Do you have any idea on how I could contact your father so that I can discuss with him the projects?" he asked. Vincent left the office while Yuffie and Rufus continued to discuss.
Tifa just smiled; contented that she finally knows the name of the Scientist. "If you'll excuse me…" she said before proceeding to leave. "I'll see you later, Tifa," Rufus said with a solemn look on his face as he watched her leave and then turned to Aerith. "Please escort my wife and make sure she's safe. I don't want anything bad happening to her." He instructed. Aerith nodded. "Yes, your Excellency." She said with a wink before going after Tifa.
Rufus turned to Sephiroth. "The Turks and some SOLDIERs should be standing guard inside and outside the Nursery. Arrest the Scientist and make sure he is gassed in Junon immediately. I wouldn't want him causing any more trouble." He instructed.
Sephiroth smiled slyly. "Sure." He said before proceeding to leave the Office, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw his mother on her way to the Office. "Oh. Hello, mommy." He greeted. She looked frantic even as she gave a quick smile and hello to her son and then rushed to the President's desk, "President Rufus, sir, something bad has happened in the Laboratory," she told him.
"Is it the JENOVA cells?" Rufus asked.
Lucrecia blinked. "Y…yes sir, how do you know?" she asked.
Rufus just smiled slyly and flipped his hair. "It will be taken care of, Lucrecia, not to worry." He told her reassuringly.
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Tifa stayed in the Nursery with Aerith, making sure that Slate is alright and safe. They were also anticipating the arrival of The Scientist for the evening.
At long last, after waiting for several hours, the vent began to rattle. Tifa braced herself and motioned for Aerith to take the baby out of the cradle and just hold on to him while she talked to the Scientist.
Finally, the Scientist got to the floor and smiled slyly at Tifa. "So, give up?" he asked.
"Not yet. Not ever." Tifa told him as she clenched her fists. "Let me make a deal with you too…" she began.
"Okay… what is it?" he asked.
Aerith moved away from them, making sure that the baby is out of reach from the Scientist.
"If I am able to guess your name right, you will leave us alone, right?" Tifa asked. The Scientist nodded. She proceeded, "But before you do that, you are going to tell me where my earrings are and where my gloves are."
He just smiled. "Okay." He told her calmly. He was confident that he would win.
Tifa paced around the room. "Is your name Eric?" she asked.
He shook his head.
She mentioned other names: Earnest, Taylor, Isaac, Theodore, Dante, Skurai, Loki, Chaos, Loz, Yazoo, Kadaj… just to make him think that she is still unsure.
But he just laughed, mocked, and disagreed with the names. "Face it, Mrs. ShinRa. You can never guess my name!" he told her haughtily.
She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. She had a stern look on her face. "Well then… is your name… Hojo?" she asked coolly.
He froze. "What?" he asked.
"Hojo. That is your name, right?" she asked as she approached him. He just stared wide-eyed at her. "You are one of the Scientists here in ShinRa from way back when my late father-in-law was in charge of ShinRa." She continued. Then from the shadows, Rufus stepped forward with Sephiroth, Vincent and the other Turks and Soldiers. "It's so nice to see you again, Professor Hojo. Trying to steal JENOVA cells, huh?" Rufus asked with a mocking smile on his face. Hojo was confused, wanting to escape. He got a hold of one of his smokescreen bombs, but Yuffie instantly jumped out from another shadowy area and grabbed it before he could throw it to the floor.
The Turks instantly apprehended him, putting him in handcuffs.
"This is an outrage!!! You know you want the JENOVA Project to take place! If your father is still alive, he would want the project to push through!!!" Hojo snapped angrily at Rufus.
"Oh. Is that so? But the problem is, I am not my Old Man. And I wouldn't allow you to experiment on my son the way Old Man allowed you to experiment on me…" Rufus sneered.
Everyone was surprised when they heard those words from Rufus. Tifa was shocked. "Ru…Rufus…" she said softly, feeling sorry for him.
Rufus just turned away from Hojo with a cold look on his face. "Take him away. Have him executed in the gas chamber tomorrow morning in Junon." He commanded.
"Yes, sir," the Turks and the SOLDIERs replied before leaving the room with a hysterical mad scientist in their mercy.
"Rufus, did… your father do that?" Cloud asked in awe.
Sephiroth bowed down his head. "Actually, there were two of us… Rufus and I… we were part of the JENOVA Project. My parents do not even know it at first but then when they found out about it, they were really angry at Hojo." He explained.
Slate began to cry. Aerith smiled softly at the baby and turned to Tifa and Rufus, approaching them. She handed the baby to Tifa. "What's important now is that the heir of ShinRa is safe and that Rufus is way different from his dad." She told them. She chuckled. "Which means, he is a better President." She continued before patting the baby's head gently. "And I hope that it passes on to this handsome baby boy over here." She told them.
Rufus placed his arm around Tifa's shoulder, a gesture to let her know that everything will be alright and that he would do anything to protect her and their child. She looked up at him with a sweet smile on her face. "Thank you, Rufus," she said softly.
He just nodded with a slight smile on his face as he gazed into her eyes.
"So, now that we're all safe and sound and we'll all live happily ever after… let's celebrate with pink champagne! Mwahahahahahah!" Sephiroth announced.
Tifa reacted in annoyance. "Oh no! I've had enough of those for the rest of my life!" she said in protest. They laughed at her reaction.
And so the City of Midgar lived more prosperously in the hands of ShinRa.
Bah.
The end.
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Author's Notes: This is not really a one-shot because I was typing this for three consecutive nights. I didn't divide it into chapters anymore because I'm too lazy to do so for this fic. Oo'