Rufus silently let Tifa lead him upstairs to the familiar wooden door. Even from his angle, he could still see Tifa's breast bounce in the firelight as it faded behind them with each step. It was almost comical to him that both of them were without their tops with only their pants on in the cold place. But all he could think about was the beautiful woman in front of him, leading to a place unexplored. Rufus felt his cheeks get hotter with each step, his heart thundering in his chest.
In his life he had never really thought about being with woman, especially in this way. He'd seen Reno with countless women leaving the Shinra building, and even Rude on occasion with women in similar appearance to Tifa. But not once had he paid any of them a passing thought. He was not ignorant to these things. On occasion he would follow one of his Turks into the Honeybee Inn to fetch Heidegger, and would see various instances of fantasy play out. Then of course there were the occasional novels he glimpsed Elena reading he would thumb through at her desk.
Tifa opened her bedroom door in front of her without hesitation and quickly shut the door behind them. It was an amusing thought, as if she were afraid someone would walk by. She took a small candle and illuminated the otherwise dark room. Against the firelight, Rufus could see the soft light outline the curve of her perfect body. He let out a low groan, fighting the urge to rip her pants off.
Tifa turned to face Rufus and took a deep breath. She hooked her thumbs into her pants and slipped them off, standing completely nude in front of him. Rufus, with no poise or grace, fumbled with his white trousers, tying to undo them and pull them off at the same time. Tifa smiled, enjoying the show. When Rufus finally got his pants off, he stood up straight, realizing he was trembling too. He looked up at Tifa, hoping she would like what she saw.
Tifa eyed him up and down, drinking in the sight. This wasn't the first time she'd seen a naked man, she'd seen Cloud undress and take a shower, but never with him knowing. Tifa took his hand and led him to her bed. Rufus sat beside her and began to kiss her again. Tifa fell backward on her back, her dark hair splayed beneath her, and let Rufus climb on top of her. He kissed her fiercely and passionately. Letting himself get lost to instinct his hands again wandered around her body. He played with her breast, kissed her cheeks, ran his hands on the inside of her thighs.
Tifa lay there with her eyes closed, a dryness settling at the back of her throat. "She's so quiet," thought Rufus. He tenderly went up to kiss Tifa's mouth again. "Tifa…" he said quietly. "Look at me…." Tifa's eyelids slowly opened and could see Rufus' face in the dim light cast behind him. She smiled slowly. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she said breathily. "Everything is perfect." No more words. Rufus would take this all the way. Tifa tilted her head back, craning her neck toward Rufus, who hungrily accepted the invitation, splaying heated kisses on her. Tifa pushed all apprehension from her mind about her teammates, about her hostage's situation and mostly Cloud. She put her hands on Rufus' back, pulling him closer towards her. Rufus' head dipped down and mouthed at her nipple, causing Tifa to gasp. Through heavy lids she saw his gaze look right her as he did so, causing her heart to beat faster. She felt so exposed and hot.
Rufus continued his ministrations on the other side before he dipped down between her legs. Tifa, unsure of what he was doing, propped herself up on her elbows too look and immediately threw her head back when Rufus devoured at her at her core. Tifa began to shake, feeling every deliciously obscene movement Rufus made with his mouth. Tifa squirmed and a fought the moans that tried to escape. She didn't want to appear too needy or green at such things. But with every stroke of his tongue and graze of his teeth against her, she couldn't contain them.
Her breath became ragged and her moans turned into whimpers. She didn't realize it until Rufus held into her place that she was squirming shamelessly trying to gain friction against him. Rufus grunted and held her into place, determined to make her feel this on his own. His tongue stabbed inside and Tifa drew in a deep breath, and slowly saw her vision flash white as a wave of bliss hit slowly, creeping up her abdomen and then exploding in a crash of ecstasy as she let out a desperate cry of adulation for Rufus. She came down, then back up again, suddenly. The second climax was shorter than the previous, but she still rode it out with a moan. Then again, once more, each time she felt something release in a pool beneath them.
Afterward, Tifa felt Rufus' mouth burn against her. She was spent as she jerked up. Rufus purred as he lifted himself up to look at the flushed form before him, panting and satiated. Tifa glimpsed at him again, seeing something she hadn't before. His eyes were intent and his face was fierce with satisfaction. He positioned himself between Tifa's legs and thrust home, causing her to cry out. He withdrew only to drive into her again, faster this time. It was her first time and he was being too rough. For a moment, Rufus repeated his motions, each time Tifa fighting the pain. He went faster and faster until Tifa held him still. Rufus looked down to see Tifa's grimaced face, realizing he was going too fast.
Wordlessly, Tifa pulled away from Rufus and made him lay down on the bed, his head near the footboard. Lying still, Rufus watched Tifa as she mounted him, slowly letting Rufus enter her again. Rufus felt a heat rise in him as this angle deepened his penetration. Tifa moved up and down, splaying her hands on Rufus' chest. She moved ground back and forth and then hopped up and down. She was surprised she wasn't shy about this; she was just focused on more, more, more!
Rufus held her hips in place as he thrust home once again. The new angle allowed Tifa to feel every inch of Rufus inside of her. As he slid back and forth, Tifa looked down at Rufus. His face was calm, almost mesmerized at the sensations that the sensations he was feeling. He looked up at the goddess before him and slowly picked up his pace. He was primal, wanting nothing more than to take Tifa as his own. Soon Tifa matched his rhythm as he pumped mercilessly into her, causing her to pant and moan with each stab.
Tifa looked upward, mouth open, the soft candle firelight upon her. Soon, there was no rhyme or reason to Rufus' movement as he jerked wildly into Tifa, until he let out a guttural moan of Tifa's name. It hit Tifa as well as she felt Rufus spill inside of her, digging her nails into his chest. The moments afterward seem to stretch on forever as both tried to catch their breath. Tifa slipped herself off Rufus and lay on her side next to him. Her feet burrowed beneath the pillows at the other side of the bed.
Rufus stared up at the ceiling, slowly piecing his conscious together and wrapping his arm around Tifa, pulling her close. He swirled his tongue around his mouth, still tasting Tifa on him. Tifa rested on his chest, trying not to let the guilt get to her so soon after her coupling with Rufus. She kept her gaze on his glistening chest as it rose and fell. "Tifa…" he said softly.
"Yes?" she replied.
"Would you consider coming back to Junon with me?" he asked. "When I leave this place?"
Tifa's eyes shot open. She wasn't expecting that. "I…I can't…" she said warily.
Rufus pursed his lips together. "I know. I know you can't." He tightened his arm around her. He knew the reality but it still pained him that she didn't say yes. What was it about this woman that made him behave this way? He hadn't felt this happy in years and he just copulated with one of his captors. None of this made sense to him, but perhaps it didn't need to; not when he felt so content just to be laying there with Tifa.
"Rufus…you'll be safe when you go back, won't you?"
Rufus furrowed his brow and looked down at Tifa. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…won't your father's assailant try to kill you too?"
Rufus shook his head. "He was probably careless. I won't be done in that way. Not in any way."
Tifa hugged Rufus close and rested in the crook of his neck, holding back a sob. "It's just…I saw it. I saw it in my dream. You were killed in the same way…by Sephiroth."
Rufus nearly jumped at the name. So Tifa saw Sephiroth as well? Was she near him when Nibelheim was razed to the ground by him? How close did she come to death that day? Rufus remembered Tifa waking up in such a scared state just after they received news of his father's death. "Tifa…is that what you were dreaming about the other day? When you woke up shaking?"
Tifa further buried herself into his neck. "It seemed so real. You were right there, cut down, just like my father." She sobbed lightly. "I don't want to lose any more people I care about. I've seen so much death and sadness, bad things happening to good people. When will it end?"
Rufus tilted Tifa's head up and lightly kissed her. He recalled Tifa repeating how she hated them all. Now it all made sense. Who else in the world was responsible for Sephiroth and the planet's demise but his company? "It ends with me," he said simply, suppressing a yawn.
Tifa almost wanted to believe him. He seemed so sincere and so unlike his father. Did he truly care for her cause? Did he truly care for her?
Rufus' outdoor excursions and indoor romp with Tifa had exhausted him as he kissed Tifa on the forehead. "Good night," he whispered, mist veiling his eyes. Sleep hit him hard as Tifa saw his breathing instantly become slow and deep. Not wanting to move him from atop her own bed, Tifa rose to get the comforter in Cloud's room and draped it atop both of them. Tifa fell asleep atop Rufus' chest and let the post coupling bliss take her into sleep.
Tifa was the first to wake. She saw the slats of light filter into her eyes as she faced her window. Why was she sleeping the wrong way on the bed? She looked down and saw her feet entangled in the pillows along with another set of feet. Her heart raced but she managed not to rise right away. So it was true. She slept with the enemy. She wanted to feel dirty and awful. But she didn't. She felt more content than she had in years and relieved that her meticulous panning of contraception didn't go to waste. She looked up to see Rufus' chest rise and fall. The bruise on his cheek was still there, but he was still devastatingly handsome. This distinguished man needed her; he admitted it the previous night. She laid her head back on his chest and lightly kissed him there. She wanted to forget everything for a short moment until she heard a static, tinny voice calling her name from the other room.
Tifa shot up, immediately covering herself. She grabbed a smaller blanket and wrapped it about her and stumbled into the other room. Rufus, now awake from the movement, remained in bed and listened to Tifa speak from a distance.
"This is Tifa, I'm right here," she said, clutching the blanket close to her.
"Tifa, it's Cloud, we'll be coming back now. We negotiated rich boy in exchange for a research specimen from Cosmo Canyon. He supposedly has a connection to the planet. He will probably help us. Shrina will also join in the hunt for Sephiroth, but will back down if we get to him first," Cloud said. "That was the deal."
"That's good. So you'll be back in a day and a half or so?" said Cloud.
"Two days. Aerith wants me to make good on a date promise from a few weeks ago. When we retrieve him, we're going to drop him off at an undisclosed location where we'll trade off the specimen."
"Good to know." Tifa searched her head for something else to say, but couldn't find any words. So Cloud indeed was going to be with Aerith. How predictable.
"Well….we'll be seeing you soon, Tifa."
"Yes….bye, Cloud."
Tifa switched off the communicator and turned to get up. She stopped and jumped when she saw Rufus standing next to her, still with no clothing on despite the morning chill. Tifa moved her mouth to speak, but Rufus took her lips to his again. "Two days, huh?" he breathed. Tifa wanted to say something in retort about him listening in, but lost all sense when Rufus peeled the blanket from her. "So I only have two more days to enjoy my time with you."
Tifa stood to meet Rufus' height and guided him over to Cloud's bed. This time they made love fast, hard and relentlessly. There was something incredibly liberating and wicked about having sex with Rufus on Cloud's bed. She let him take her, indulge in her, whisper things in her ear. Tifa moved against him, lifting herself up to match his rhythm and speed, relishing the feeling that Rufus wanted her badly as she gave herself to him.
When they finished, Rufus lay spent on top of her. They both caught their breath as the sun rose higher. She stroked Rufus' hair as he rolled off of her. Tifa got up from the bed and walked toward her room. "I'm going to take a shower," she said breathlessly, suddenly conscious of her sweating body. She turned on the hot water and soon saw Rufus join her, where he took her again. He was becoming addicted to the feeling of being inside of Tifa.
In the late morning, Tifa and Rufus went downstairs donning their normal attire. Tifa started another fire while Rufus sat at the table. "I could go for a nice brunch," he said.
"Ah brunch, a fancy word for rich folks that are too hung over to make it to normal breakfast time," Tifa giggled.
Tifa looked over her shoulder at Rufus who held a somber smile. He looked so content and relaxed but anxious as well. There was no doubting that they were thinking the same thing. Did their coupling make them lovers? Should they be holding hands or sharing thoughts about the future? No. Tifa knew their futures were uncertain now, and that they both had a responsibility more so to their peers than to each other.
Tifa set their plates in front of them. Rufus was happy that he didn't have to eat his food in chains anymore. "How did you know our secret?"
"It's no secret. Poor people like me just call it early lunch."
Rufus sighed at the phrase. Knowing Tifa would return to a life of destitution and danger after he was released put a damper on his mood. "Tifa…" he looked up to face her, eyes meeting hers. "What are your plans after this? Are you going to pursue Sephiroth as well, if he's back, with your group?"
Tifa let out a trembling sigh. She didn't like the subject. "Yes. I must."
"He's dangerous though. What if he tries to kill you?"
"He will try to kill me! He'll try to kill everyone."
"So you'll chase madman around the world with your small team? Then what? Do you know what he's capable of? Don't be so rash. Let me and my company stop him, let me protect you!" Tifa bit back tears. "Come back to Junon with me. Or follow me to Midgar. Let me be your protector."
Tifa shook her head. "I don't need a protector," she smiled wryly.
Rufus was silent for a moment. "Maybe not….But I still want to be."
Tifa stood from her chair and got on her knees next to Rufus' sitting body. She hugged him close. "Let me protect you too. We can fight Sephiroth together, but in our own ways."
Rufus pursed his lips. He had hoped Tifa would take him up on his offer this time around to return with him, but she was too aware of the reality as well. How could he harbor a known criminal in secret? It was a ludicrous idea. He would have to pretend he never saw her before for her own safety from his company.
Another thought came to his mind as well. What if they came across another hostage and Tifa let her guard down again? They may not treat Tifa's generosity the same way. What if they were to overpower her? Hold her down and force her legs apart….
Instantly Rufus held her head close to his torso, her lowered height allowed her to bury her face in his coat. "Be cautious, Tifa," was all he managed to say. "Don't let anyone hurt you." Tifa nodded against him. She knew that their time together couldn't last, but she loved the feeling of him against her. The security and the overwhelming feeling of him near her.
"Let's not worry," Tifa said as she stood. "We'll find each other again."
Tifa and Rufus finished eating their pancakes and toast. "Thank you, Tifa," Rufus said.
Tifa stood up next to Rufus and reluctantly kissed his forehead. She had given her innocence to this man; her sworn enemy. She had spent the entire morning letting it sink in, the pleasant soreness between her legs acting as a constant reminder. Rufus looked up at her and smiled while he remained seated. Despite still having the dark circles under his eyes and the slightly present bruise on his face, he looked…happy.
"Rufus…I'm sorry about all of this. Bringing you here and subjecting you to this prison."
Rufus shook his head. "Don't think about it. For all we know if you hadn't brought me I could be the dead one instead of my old man."
Tifa nodded slowly. There was some truth in that, but what would change when he returned? He would be in even more danger if he assumed the role as the new president.
"Rufus…once you leave here, our paths might cross again."
"I hope they do." He smiled faintly.
"No I mean…we may meet again when we're still on different sides… We may have to fight each other."
Rufus chewed his lip. "You're right," he said flatly. The two looked at each other. Tifa stood over Rufus as he sat in the chair and put her hand on his shoulder. Rufus placed his hand atop hers. "I may see you in action after all." He winked.
Tifa couldn't help but giggle again. It seemed to her that Rufus loosened up a bit from the rigid business man to a laid back magnate.
"Until that time comes though, why don't you tell me more about your early life in Nibelheim?" he asked.
"I'm afraid there's not much to tell. There was this one time years ago when I was a kid. My mother had just passed and I was convinced I would be able to see her on the other side of Mount Nibel. Cloud went with me and I fell down… I was in a coma for seven days they tell me. My dad was really mad at Cloud. He blamed him for my injury but it wasn't his fault." Rufus stayed silent. "Afterwards, he went off to join Shinra. He said he wanted to prove to me how brave and strong he could be. I guess it's partly my fault too."
"Your fault? The man's a first class SOLDIER, it's hardly an underachievement."
Tifa scoffed. "But he isn't though….otherwise he would have…" She shook her head. Rufus suddenly began thinking of that as the reason why she put up with Cloud's behavior. "That's enough of that. What about you? What do you do at the office?"
Rufus' mouth went into a hard line. He couldn't admit that his own role in the company was akin to being a prisoner of his father's. "I'm afraid that's classified."
Tifa laughed. "Of course it is."
"It wouldn't interest you anyway. I work sixteen hours a day. Every day. There's nothing glamorous about paperwork."
"You seem to be in pretty good shape for spending all your time at a desk."
"I find the time to exercise. It's usually in the office. I'll take phone meetings I'm listening in on as I do some simple movements."
Tifa laughed. "Fit it in while you can I guess."
Rufus stood up, sliding the chair out from behind him. "You're right. I don't get to go outside much. Will you like to join me outside once again?" He held his hand out to her.
Tifa nodded and smiled. "Yes… and when you get back, I'll teach you how to cook." Rufus chuckled and returned the smile.
Two days later…
Tifa saw the buggy approaching from a distance. She pulled Rufus back into his room and chained him back to the wall. "It's only for a few minutes," Tifa told him.
Rufus nodded and began to assume the position of a downtrodden hostage. Tifa turned to leave and greet Cloud but stopped before she reached the door. She looked back at Rufus for a moment and walked over to kiss him one last time. She held his face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his, just like she did four nights ago when she awoke from her nightmare. "I'll see you again," she whispered.
Rufus didn't get a chance to respond until Tifa was gone. He could see a faint glint of tears in her eyes. He would miss Tifa greatly, he knew. When was the last time someone cried for him? It had to be his mother years ago.
Within a few minutes Cloud burst into the room and unchained Rufus himself. He lifted the young vice president onto his shoulder and brought him outside. "I won't be at all sad to leave this place," said Cloud to Tifa as he loaded Rufus into the buggy, this time in the back seat, albeit with a blindfold on and hands tied behind his back again.
Barrett sat in the back with Rufus while Cloud and Tifa sat in the front. The vehicle made its way down the mountain in a relatively smooth ride. From the front seat, Cloud and Tifa could hear Barrett's light snoring, which was surprising as she could recall hearing it from the other room during some nights. Rufus didn't make any noise either, and he appeared to be asleep as well.
"He's tired," said Cloud. "He drove all night to the Junon port to get here sooner. He figured the sooner we get back, the sooner he'd get to see Marlene again."
"Quite the drive," Tifa replied absentmindedly as she eyed Rufus in the rearview mirror.
"How was he? He didn't give you any trouble did he?"
"No, Cloud, not at all."
"Good." Cloud paused. "So the date thing didn't go to well." Tifa's eyebrows went up and back down again in acknowledgement. "Yeah so, I kind of threw up on her after we ate a restaurant in Kalm."
Tifa briefly wondered why Cloud brought up the date unprompted but soon realized that Cloud would want to share such a thing with his friend. "Oh no!" she said, suppressing a giggle. "I hope the poor girl wasn't too upset."
"She was very understanding but…I don't think we'll be going on any more dates."
Tifa shrugged. "Well you kept your word, that's all that matters." Tifa forced a smile. It was hard to say those words with such sincerity despite the fact she herself did not keep her own word of not speaking to Rufus. In fact she spent the past two days with him, teaching him how to cook, though not very well, walking out in the snow, and coupling with him a good six times, before he told she must be a machine. She even invited him to sleep in bed with her those nights.
"Yeah…" Cloud paused again. "Anyway….you look nice, Tifa."
Tifa's heart began to race. "What? What makes you say that?"
"Nothing, it's just you look good…in that coat," he answered meekly.
Tifa started to blush and looked down at her bundled up self. This was unexpected behavior. Was his date with Aerith really that bad? Was he trying to save face with the other female in the group? "Well thank you, Cloud. I've only been wearing it since we got here," she chuckled.
Cloud shrugged and smirked. "Well it looks even better now." Tifa smiled and nodded in response. "So, um…when we get back, do you want to do something? Maybe go for a walk? I know there's some scenic terrain outside of Cosmo Canyon," Cloud made sure to lower his voice so as to not let their passenger pick up on their next planned location.
Tifa went completely still, trying to digest Cloud's words. Was he asking her out on a date? After he just got through telling her about a date with another woman? Tifa kept a sigh from coming out and heard Rufus stir uncomfortably. "So he was listening…and he's jealous…" Tifa thought. "Well Cloud, that sounds lovely but…I think there are more important things we need to worry about now."
"Oh yeah, you're right, sure thing," Cloud fumbled nervously through his words.
The rest of the trip to the village was a silent one. Rufus sat in the uncomfortable mute vehicle while he tried to keep his temper under control. This SOLDIER had the audacity to use Tifa as his back up girl? He clenched his fists behind him. Tifa wasn't made to be someone's back up. Rufus knew she deserved someone that would treat her well and with respect. "Someone like me," Rufus thought. When this madness was at an end, would Tifa come find him again? He could only wonder. He didn't want Tifa to fall for this man's empty lust.
Rufus was loaded into another vessel and felt the familiar sensation of being lifted off of the ground in flight. Tifa and Cloud's voice could not be heard but he was held in place by someone. He assumed it was the large black man. Rufus let sleep take him, knowing this would likely be his last chance at rest before he returned to work.
When Rufus awoke again he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Tifa?" he said quietly.
"Shh," she hissed. "We're here. Your Turk is here alone. We're about to make the exchange."
Rufus still had his blindfold on but could feel Tifa's warmth. He felt groggy, having felt a fatigue he could only associate with Sleep materia. Not a bad idea, really. He didn't want to hear anymore words between the SOLDIER and Tifa. He wriggled his shoulders, and confirmed that his hands were still behind his back. "Sir! Are you okay?" Tseng's voice was called from a distance.
"Yes!" Rufus called back. "Let's get this over with."
The blindfold was ripped roughly from Rufus' head and he was greeted with the view of a large, uninhabited field. In such an empty place it would be difficult for any kind of ambush. These AVALANCE folk weren't as dumb as he thought. In the distance he could see the outline of Tseng with a red animal on a leash to his left. Near him was a motorcycle with a crate attached, probably for the research specimen.
"Alright, like we discussed. Meet halfway and then back again," Cloud called to him.
"Yes. Let's march."
Tseng began to walk forward with the specimen next to him. Cloud reached for Rufus. Tifa light placed her hand on his shoulder as he did so. "I love you…" she whispered.
Rufus did a double take back to her, eyes wide, as he felt Cloud drag him back in front of him. Why did she wait until now to tell him? Was she afraid of how he'd react? Rufus bit his tongue, not wanting to jeopardize her safety by responding with a similar sentiment.
Cloud shoved Rufus toward the approaching Turk and dog-like experiment. Rufus hoped Tseng wouldn't try something to disarm the SOLDIER. If he was alone, he may not pull through against these opponents. Thankfully, when each party of two drew near one another, Tseng held out the leash handle to Cloud, who in turn shoved Rufus to the Turk.
"Now get in your vehicle and leave," Cloud said.
"Gladly," said Rufus. He moved with Tseng to the distant motorcycle. When the two are out of earshot, Tseng spoke to him.
"Shall I release a kill bounty on them, sir? Or shall my men and I take them out?" he asked as he untied Rufus' hands.
"Bounty yes, kill no," Rufus responded as he rubbed his wrists. "They're going to look for Sephiroth as well. They may have information. But you must report directly to me if they are found."
"Understood," Tseng replied as he mounted the motorcycle. Rufus climbed on behind him and saw Tifa and her group enter the buggy and drive off.
"She loves me…" Rufus thought to himself, not quite understanding fully what the word truly meant.
"What is the first action, sir?"
"First things first. I'm the president now and we have a new mission: to hunt Sephiroth."
Back in Midgar, Rufus settled into his father's former office and overlooked the city. "Has the insubordination been put to rest?" Rufus asked.
"Yes sir. We also gathered more intel on your abductors," Tseng replied from the other side of the desk. "Turns out that cottage is used once a year for a couple of weeks by a research group to study the indigenous chocobos there. Owner says they had no knowledge someone was living there, though he could be lying."
Rufus shrugged. That hardly mattered now. Tifa and her group were long gone by now. "Anything else? What is the progress of determining Sephiroth's whereabouts?"
"We have forces all over the world trying to track him down. Nothing has been reported back yet."
Rufus nodded. "We must make finding him our top priority."
"Yes sir. By the way, you'll probably want this back " Tseng placed Rufus' beloved double barrel shotgun on the desk in front of him. "They brought it to prove it was really you."
Rufus nodded and placed his weapon in his coat where it belonged.
Many weeks later…
Tifa awoke on a cold metal table. She turned her head to see Barrett sitting on the floor in the dark, chrome plated room. The last thing she remembered was Cloud had given Sephiroth the black materia and summoned meteor and then there was a bright flash of white... Then nothing. "Barrett…" she said softly. "Cloud…is he okay?"
"You don't remember do ya?" Barret replied. Barrett explained that since she was asleep these past seven days, a barrier surrounded the North Crater, large WEAPONS had emerged from the earth on a rampage and they were now holed up in Junon. "Right now, Rufus' if fightin' it. I hate to say it, but he's got guts. But there just isn't enough time left."
"Yeah…" Tifa bit her lower lip. Junon? So Rufus was here. She'd get to see him again. The rest of Barrett's came to her mind. "What do you mean by time?"
Barrett walked over to the window and lifted the blinds, showing the red monstrosity careening towards Gaia at an agonizingly slow but steady pace. Tifa breathed heavily. Were they out of time?
Suddenly, the two heard the automatic door open and emerged was her former blond lover in his blindingly white coat. She wanted to leap into his arms and kiss him. But there was something different about him. He was rigid, cold, and imposing. Had his return back at work turned him into a shell of his former self in such a short time? "I had thought Cloud would come to rescue you all. Professor Hojo wanted to check up on Cloud too," he said.
Tifa huffed. "What are you going to do to Cloud?" she asked. Rufus looked at her as if he'd never seen her before.
"With Meteor summoned, essentially it's all but over now. So there's no longer any need for you. But perhaps you two could still serve a purpose." Tifa stiffened. Did he intend to harm her? The same man that wanted to be her protector?
Just then, a large, bearded man in a green suit entered. "President, preparations for the public execution are complete," he bellowed.
EXECUTION? Tifa felt the blood drain from her face as she looked toward Rufus, hoping it was for someone else. Rufus' expression remained unchanged.
