Helping Rufus into his matching, white jacket I couldn't help but notice that his entire appearance reflected the persona he wished for everyone to see. Strong, powerful, cool, a seemingly cold-hearted man in the body of teenager. It wasn't the first time I'd noticed, but his ruthless business man persona still caught me off guard sometimes. A manipulative politician. That persona is the result of President Shinra raising Rufus as his successor, not as his son. Besides his interactions with me, his entire social and emotional existence is pretty solitary. He has a reputation of being deceitful, emotionless, heartless, and uncaring. Those perceptions aren't too far either.
"Well, how do I look?" Rufus asked, uncharacteristic apprehension accompanying the tone of his voice.
"You look fine, sir."
"Elena, there is no need to address me so formally," He replied sharply. "It was not necessary before and is not necessary now."
"Ruf- sir," Hesitant to mention that his father had stressed the importance of this alliance to me during our telephone brief early this morning, I flimsily attempted for my own explanation. He would rebel if I repeated his father's orders. "We are meeting with a foreign leader. I believe it is important that we both make a good impression. You are well aware of your place, and I know mine. Keeping to formalities seems wise to me, sir."
"Yes, of course. You are right." Rufus shrugged before reaching for the glass of whiskey on the table next to him, taking a moment to enjoy the aroma before taking a small sip. A rare, playful smirk reached his lips as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "Wouldn't you agree that it would be wise of me to pursue marriage with someone with wisdom? Someone of intellect and strength, much like you."
"Yes." I replied quietly, the warmth of a blush climbing up to my cheeks. "Yet, I feel creating a political alliance with this courtship of Ms. Kisaragi would be the wisest option available to us… sir."
"Fair enough. Keep your formalities, if you must." Clearly amused, Rufus looked over towards me with a smile. "But I can't do this alone, Elena. There will still be danger present with so many of those Wutai soldiers here. There are still rebel groups who wish us harm. You won't be able to properly safeguard me if you're too preoccupied with being formal and bowing down to our enemy just because it's the proper procedure."
"Oh, Rufus." I sighed in defeat.
"There's the Elena I know."
Although serving Rufus is my appointed mission, over the last few years our relationship has grown into something the almost resembles a friendship. Despite any emotions, I never forget that he is my boss, or the son of my boss, depending on how you choose to perceive my employment and duties. Most importantly, his safety and well-being are my responsibility.
I was born into a family that has always been subservient to the Shinra organization in Midgar. I am the daughter of an instructor at the Shinra's Military Academy. To further my misfortune, I was born the second daughter. Thus, I was raised in my sister's shadow. Early in life I attempted to follow in her footsteps, but eventually I resented my sister for excelling in everything she did at the Military Academy. Instead of training in firearms like her, I pursued and attained a recognized specialty in martial arts when I was a very young teenager.
Because of my elite skills in both weapons and martial arts, I was approached by the recruitment team for Shinra's intelligence agency. I remember sitting in an office at the Shinra building with my father, sister, and Tseng of the Turks. Still a rebellious teenager in the very beginning of my adolescence, I vowed never to join the Turks simply because my sister was a member. I refused the position and fled the meeting. In my family's eyes, my refusal had been the biggest mistake. Yet, somehow fate would have it be my biggest opportunity.
Upon fleeing from the office, I collided with a blonde boy in the hallway. He was only a few years younger than me, maybe thirteen at the oldest. But lying on the tiled floor he seemed so small and fragile. His breath was heavy and his face was streaked with tears. Once I'd caught sight of the Shinra guards at the end of the hall, I realized they were in pursuit of this frightened little boy. Grabbing his trembling hands, I pulled him to his feet and we ran… we ran through the hallways, past the front lobby, through the city on the upper plate. We kept running, past the slums, through the city's sewer system, and were eventually caught in the outskirts of Midgar. Five guards pulled him away from me, his screams and cries flooding the calm air outside the city. I fought hard, even breaking one of guard's arms. Even then, I tried to protect him.
If I had known then that the blonde boy was Rufus, son of President Shinra, I might have reconsidered my actions. Upon capture and our arrival at the Shinra building, my father was horrified with me. He would have disowned me, left me homeless to defend for myself in the slums. Thankfully, Tseng saw things differently. Although I refused to join the Turks, he saw the usefulness of my skills. He saw someone who could keep an eye on Rufus, someone who could keep him out of trouble, someone who could help mold him for his position.
Thus, I was offered the position as the attendant of the young Vice President. I was to be his companion, his maid, his servant, his baby-sitter, his nurse, his guardian, his assistant, his protector, his advisor, his trustee, his vigilante, his spy. Anything he needed me to be, I would be that. It may seem like an unpleasant role, but for the first time in my life, someone needed me.
So I accepted the challenge. I have watched Rufus grow from the cowardly little boy who would flee from his responsibilities, into an admirably powerful young man. Now, Rufus rarely showed weakness, he is never hurt, he never feels or shows anything. The power has come with a price; emotional suppression, an extremely damaged psyche, and a tendency to self-medicate with alcohol. Just as he has grown, I have grown and evolved for him as well. For Rufus – I have studied, I have trained, I have spied, I have fought, I have gone against my own morals, I have betrayed loved ones, I have bled, I have killed. And if necessary, I will give my own life for his.
That is my duty... to be forever loyal to him.
Now that Rufus is reaching adulthood, he is expected to find a bride. President Shinra has concocted an arrangement with our new 'ally', Godo Kisaragi, who is the leader of the nation of Wutai. The Kisaragi family and a few dozen Wutai soldiers will be visiting us here in Junon. The President hopes Godo's daughter and Rufus can come together to form an alliance – this will serve to strengthen control over Wutai's land, giving us more influence over their politics and resources. If Rufus is successful, he would be next in line as leader over the Wutai territory.
"This entire ordeal is pointless." Rufus continued his complaints as he stood out on the balcony of his room. I joined him outside to look out at the ocean, noticing a ship in the distance on course to dock at the port here in Junon. "From what I've heard, Ms. Kisaragi is still quite young. I'm also certain that her father is in no hurry to marry her off to the son of the man that just defeated him in war."
"Enough whining," I scolded him playfully. "Are you ready? Their ship should be arriving shortly, sir."
"Elena?"
"Yes?" I looked towards Rufus to address him, to find his gaze already upon me.
"I need you to know how much I appreciate everything that you do for me and for my future as President of this company. "
"I know, sir." I reply before standing up, a gesture for him to do the same. His kind words had shocked me, but I didn't let it show. "Now, stop wasting time."
"Well, I suppose you're right, as usual." Rufus let out a slow breath and shook his head as he rose to his feet. "Shall we go?"
Author's Note: What do you think so far? I wanted to create an unusual pairing that wasn't completely unrealistic. I rarely see Rufus and Elena fics, so here you go! I'm trying hard to keep things canon and not stray too far from the original story plots. I only played Before Crisis and Crisis Core briefly, but I'm aware that both Elena and Rufus' pasts are described to some degree in both. From what I've gathered about Elena's past, it's pretty vague and up for some interpretation... she supposedly doesn't join the Turks until mid-game in the FFVII after Reno's injured, so I wanted to eventually lead up to that. And not much is mentioned about Rufus's house arrest in Junon. So I wanted to play around with that point in time. Of course some deviations will be inevitable and intentional since I would like to make the story my own, but please don't hesitate to let me know me know if you notice something super out of place. Any and all feedback will be appreciated!