Yup, another oneshot from me. I know, I should be working on my ongoing fictions right now, but meh. Got this idea last night before falling asleep. Rufus may seem a bit insane here, but can you blame him? oh well, enjoy!
Disclaimer: All characters are belong to Square
His footsteps cracked the eerie silence that drifted through the dimmed hallways. The kind of footsteps that came quietly, from much experience in stepping light to avoid any noise at all, but somehow echoed off the walls. Just by hearing those footsteps you could sense his confident stride, and dignified posture. Since the building was close to emptyand deathly quiet this late at night, the sound seemed to carry far.
Rufus Shinra heard it from his office, as the sound became subtly louder as the noisemaker came closer. The vice president merely ignored it and continued with what he was doing- packing up his office. He did so with care, but with less patience than usual, much thanks to his foul mood. His laptop computer was thrown into his almost equally expensive briefcase, along with all the essential wires and plugs. from the frustrated look on his face, he looked like he wanted to take one of those computer wires and strangle someone- like his father. He fell back into his chair, the wheels causing it to roll back a couple feet. He let out a soft curse and ran a hand over his reddened face.
Sensing someone in the doorway, his blonde head snapped up to see Tseng, arms straight and parallel to his body, in a professional, respectful pose. Rufus straightened up and looked at the Turk.
"What?" the young man snapped before standing up. Tseng didn't even bat an eyelid at that.
"Sir, the helicopter is due to arrive in ten minutes." he told his superior, his smooth, subtle wutaiian accent tinted with a slight gentleness to it. The Turk was aware of Rufus' frustration and how upset the other man was. He couldn't blame him under these circumstances.
Rufus was being sent away, for one reason only. His father -wanted- him out of his way. The two clashed swords when it came to the way to control the people, and how to run the company. The president, having the authority, decided to send his son away on an 'extended business' trip. One could only guess the anger, and possibly hurt that Rufus felt. But it was part of his reputation that nobody never saw him cry or bleed, so showing any emotion was the last thing he wanted to do. The only feeling that leaked through his emotional armour was anger.
"Thank you." the V.P. mumbled quietly, as he started to sort through more of his belongings in an attempt to get ready to leave. He tossed some papers into the open briefcase on his desk and slammed it shut. He noticed Tseng still standing in the doorway. "Shouldn't you be at home now?" he asked, his question sounding more like an order to leave than an honest inquiry.
"I've been asked to escort you to the helicopter when it arrives, sir." Tseng responded in monotone. Rufus picked up his case and walked over to the couch that sat in the corner of the darkened office. He tossed the luggage beside the other suitcase, containing his clothes. The two toppled over, and Rufus sank into the black leather couch.
"So, my father doesn't think I'm capable of walking up a couple floors up the landing pad either." He growled, mako blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Tseng sighed and walked over to the other man. He straightened up the fallen luggage.
"Your father may not have executed it the right way, but he has good intentions." he told the blonde man, who merely sifted his eyes to look at him.
"He's only sending me away because he knows I'm the only one with the balls to say I know better than he does. He's used to spineless 'yes men' who feed his ego like a fat child." In the darkness, Tseng saw him wave a hand in his direction. "No offence."
Tseng gave a light snort. "None taken." he paused as he looked at the vice president. The blonde was staring at the ground, eyes still narrowed. He sighed and sat down beside his superior. "Rufus," the said man looked at the Turk, taken by surprise that he had been referred to by his real name. "Your father sees the methods you want to carry out when you inherit the role as president of the company. Perhaps he has the better ideas, perhaps you do. I don't know, nor am I in power to say so. But perhaps he stands by his own methods of control over the people so strongly that he feels you aren't mature enough to see things the 'right' way."
"Don't try the whole shrink routine on me, the old man tried that when I was fourteen." Rufus snarled, looking back down at his feet. "He's a fool. He controls the people with empty promises and money. He doesn't think that one day they will strike back at him."
"Sir?"
"People can only be fooled so much. Soon they'll see how much he's fucked them over and they'll rebel against the company." Rufus straightened up and reached under his white coat, pulling out a small switchblade. The blade popped out from the handle, and the man started testing the point on his finger.
"And how do you think the masses should be controlled?" Tseng inquired, raising one eyebrow at the younger Shinra.
"Fear." a smirk played over Rufus' lips. "People will respect me out of fear. And if they don't…" he dragged the point of the knife along the leather of the couch between him and Tseng, causing the Turk to tense up slightly. "They'll fear me because of what I can do, and what I'm not afraid to do." The knife cut cleanly through the material, leaving a long thin slit in the couch.
"Sir," Tseng started after a deep breath. "How can you expect people to respect you if they are afraid?"
"Simple, Tseng." the smirk that pulled at his mouth was still there. His mako stained eyes seemed to dance with a flickering flame as he looked at the Turk. "Respect is derived from knowing what one is capable of. I am capable of anything I wish to do." He waved the knife blade inches from Tseng's face. "And why is that?"
"Because you're the president." Tseng answered him, his calm exterior making him seem unafraid of the sharp object moving near his face. Inside, however, he wondered about the young man's sanity.
"Not yet, but sooner or later someone will do the old man in, and I will be. And the masses will respect me, and more importantly, fear me." he still held the blade close to Tseng's face. "And when people are afraid, they wont rebel."
"Sir, what if there's someone who isn't afraid, and they do start a revolution of sorts?"" Tseng asked in a calm manner, raising one eyebrow. "What if your fear drives them to fight?"
Rufus suddenly got a light in his eyes, like the little flame in them grew into a raging fire. His smirk grew into a venom smile. With a sudden flick of the wrist, the blade licked across Tseng's skin, leaving a shallow cut across the joint of his jaw, just below the ear. The dark haired man pulled back, lifting a hand to his right cheek to catch the bleeding. The sting was sharp, like any thin, shallow cut felt. He looked at his superior with wide, confused eyes, with almost a tint of anger on his face. The amused vice president lowered his knife.
"I think that says enough, don't you?" he asked in a light, conversational voice that revealed no regret for cutting the skin of his fellow man. Tseng swore under his breath and stood up. The Turk stepped back and swallowed hard, wiping his bloody hand on his dark suit jacket.
The blonde stood up as well, retracting the blade and replacing the knife in his inner coat pocket. "Things will change for the better when my old man gets what's coming to him." He told the Turk, picking up his luggage. His earlier sour mood had faded into a sort of subtly insane amusement. "Can I count on your loyalty?"
"If it means I don't have to worry about my own safety around you." Tseng responded, taking the vice president's suitcase for him. His voice was in monotone. Rufus smiled again.
"Ah, you've been listening."
"The blade opened my ears. Now, I'm sure your ride is waiting." the Turk said with a smile accompanying his first sentence. The two started walking down the hall towards the elevator, in complete silence. Two sets of footsteps in complete sync as the faded town the hallway, almost sounding like one person walking.
"You're a cruel, frighteningman, sir." Tseng's voice was smooth again, betraying the silence that floated over them.
"That's the nicest thing any soul had said to me." Rufus' smile showed his honesty. Tseng smiled back.
"And you're going to make one hell of a president."
Yup, I'm a loser. I didn't know where the idea of the knife came from, it just seemed like a good way for Rufus to get his point across, and at the same time show Tseng an example of the fear the people will have for him. Tseng seemed right for this because he's so calm and collected, and looks like he could take crap from a superior without snapping back. He's also mature, and the Turk leader, so it would be a fitting responsibility for him.
Anywhoo, Reveiw, please! I'll love you! And give cookies!