Disclaimer: Same as the last chapter and the next chapters have the same disclaimer as the first.

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'We're sorry young sir, but there was nothing we could do to save her.'

Rufus stood quietly in the hallway, in front of the door to the room of his now deceased mother. His eyes were blurred with tears, but he did not let them fall.

The young Turk next to him was unsure of what to do to console the boy. Having run away at a young age, he was never very close with his parents but he knew that the blue eyed boy beside him was as close as a son could be to their mother. To have the person that he depended on die without warning, must be hard for the young Shinra.

'Sir? Would you like to leave or visit your mother one last time?'

The young boy didn't answer him for a while. Finally a small, tired voice answered him. 'I want to see her before I go.'

'Very well sir, would you like to go in alone?'

'Yes. Wait out here until I'm ready to go.'

The Turk nodded and quietly opened the door for the boy. He silently watched Rufus hesitantly enter the room, and watched as Rufus tried to hide his sadness behind a false mask of bravery and indifference. He was thankful that he had glasses hiding his eyes; watching the boy trying to cope with the loss was trying his will to not shed a tear for him. He was sure that was the last thing Rufus wanted to see was a Turk getting teary eyed on his behalf.

Once Rufus was in the room, he shut the door behind him. Now that no one was able to see him, he wanted to act like the 10 year old he was and cry over his loss. He couldn't; he refused. As much as he wanted to, he remembered one of the last conversations that he had with his mother.

'Rufus honey, I promise I'll always protect you, whether you know it or not. But, I'm not going to be around you forever. One day you'll be on your own and I won't be able to comfort you or help you with the things I do now. Promise me though that you will be strong when I'm gone. I know you can do it. I know you can stand on your own two feet and handle yourself. Prove me right and prove your father wrong. You know what your father will do to you if he thinks you're weak.

Proving his father wrong to him meant to stare death in the face and not show that it affected him. He made his way to his mother's body on the bed poking her gently; a childish way of proving to himself that she was really gone. Realizing that she truly wasn't coming back, he sat on the bed next to her and gave her a final kiss and a hug.

'Mom? I promise I'll make you proud. I promise that I'll be strong for you and I'll never give him any reason to think that I'm weak. I know you'll keep your promise to me too even if you're not here beside me anymore. I know you'll help me when things get bad around here. I love you.'

That would be the last time he would speak to anyone for a long time.

He got off the bed and stared at her for a few more minutes before turning away and finding the Turk. Seeing the young boy come out of the room, he quickly put his glasses back on and stood next to him.

'Are you ready to go, sir?'

Rufus looked up at the man and saw his reflection in the other's glasses. You look weak! Stand up straight and quit sulking. You know you shouldn't look like that. Casting an evil glare at his reflection, he instinctively straighten up, rubbed his eyes dry and wore a perfect mask of cold indifference; one that was too perfect for a 10 year old boy.

Rude noted the sad, detatched state that the boy was in when he left his mother's room. He also noticed the look he gave himself when he saw his reflection. The Turk wanted to tell the boy that it was alright to feel this way, that people expected him to be torn apart but he wasn't able to find the right words to tell him that.

He was rather concerned with the youth's actions following his mother's death; most children would be crying at this point, especially after seeing that parent dead in a hospital bed. Rufus however was keeping his feelings hidden; refusing to show anyone how much his mother's death was truly affecting him. Rude concluded that if the boy was slowly closing himself off from the world, it was definately affecting him more then what was healthy.

'Sir? Are you alright?'

Rufus stopped staring at himself and stared into the Turk's eyes instead. He didn't know what to say to him, or if he even wanted to say anything to him. In the end, he simply nodded his head, telling Rude that yes, he was alright.

'Would you like to stop anywhere before we return to headquarters, sir?'

Rufus gently shook his head no.

The absense of answers was beginning to aggravate Rude. 'Would you perhaps like to stop for dinner at the restaurant that you like?'

Again, Rufus shook his head no.

Sighing, Rude looked down at the young boy. He had a feeling that these type of answers were going to be the norm for a while. He hoped that the decision to not talk was only because of the initial shock of the situation and not something that would last a long time.

'Very well, sir. Shall we make our way out? We should have notification about the date of your mother's funeral by tomorrow.'

Slowly, Rufus made his way to the doors of the building that he went into with his mother and is now exiting without her. Standing on the threshold of the building, he re-affirmed his promise.

I won't be weak mother. I promise I'll make you proud.