This fic is still going! Very slowly. Ugh. From here on out everything should be canon.
Also I've noticed this is becoming more of a general Shinra-centric fic than just a Rufus one… I hope that doesn't bother anyone. There will be a hell of a lot of Rufus once he's old enough to cause trouble, though.
Enjoy!
On The Job
"So... I'm guessing Jet isn't your real name." Tseng dodged a kick at his head and countered with a punch to the abdomen.
Jet dodged easily. "Sure it is. My mom was creative. She had high hopes for me to be the fastest Turk alive," she smirked.
Tseng smirked back. "Right." He dodged as she threw a punch, then another. Tseng now had a lot of time to train and prepare for missions (or prepare for the time when he was finally assigned to one), and he found training with his fellow Turks to be very productive. Half of them were busy, or they ignored him, but a couple were willing to help train and ready him for when he was assigned missions of his own.
"Why did you join the Turks?" he asked his opponent.
Jet gave a short laugh. "Is that even a question? So I could kick ass."
Tseng forced himself to stay focused instead of getting frustrated. She really would kick his ass. "That's really the only reason?" He dodged another kick.
"You want a serious answer? Ask in another century."
Tseng scowled. "Of course, I forgot you can't be serious even for a second," he said with no hidden amount of annoyance.
Jet sighed. "Alright, fine. Most people do stuff like this for the money. The money's great. And maybe they wanna help people a little bit. I don't really care. And the others don't care either. They care about is getting the job done without getting asked stupid questions. So all you gotta worry about is not pissing them off. They'll make your life hell." She'd somehow caught his meaning behind the question-asking for advice on the other Turks. He hadn't even hinted at it yet, but she knew. So she did think ahead sometimes.
Tseng punched and kicked again. "Like they're doing with you?"
Jet attacked with more vigor. "I don't work in teams, and they've got a problem with that. So I'm gonna show them I can do the job alone!" she fumed.
Tseng smirked. She may have worked with the others on more occasions, but he was a better strategist. He could do more with less information on his superiors than she could. He only hoped that when he was finally assigned a mission that he could work well with whomever was chosen to guide him. He would like to say he could do whatever was necessary by himself, but he liked having a model to work from.
The timer on his phone beeped from the bench in the training room. He stopped, panting, and stepped back from his opponent.
Jet grinned cheekily. "Have fun, mister babysitter."
Tseng scowled at her and went off to shower.
The renovations were more extensive than Tseng had previously thought. The top three floors would be completely rearranged, for security purposes it was told. The Turks would be moved to Floor 69.
He still wondered who had designed the building. Sure it put the Turks closer to the executives, but the archives were stored on floor 45, which wasn't even within the restricted area above floor 59. Anybody could walk in there and gain access to all of Shinra's personnel files, budget reports, security passwords-
But it wasn't his job to advise the president on his building layout. Veld had probably been doing that already, without favorable result.
Since his recent change in duties, and the start of the renovations, Tseng had been assigned an apartment in Sector 4, where most of Shinra's employees lived. It was compact and spatially-efficient, designed to fit a lot of one-occupant apartments in as little space as possible. It was good for what he needed it for; he went there to sleep, prepare for the next day, and then didn't return until after nightfall.
So his schedule consisted largely of training, except when he accompanied Rufus to his activities and duties. That, and Rufus seemed reluctant to let Tseng go, and asked to do certain things during free time that required a bodyguard. And of course, Tseng could never say no.
He'd definitely grown attached to the boy. If nothing else, he felt an obligation to help raise Rufus to be strong and independent in an environment that did nothing to foster those qualities. Rufus was encouraged to leave the difficult things to the adults, and nobody paid enough attention to the boy to help nurture him. They were content to let him just... be. Tseng noticed that Lisa the nanny was nice, but she only acted like she cared for Rufus' benefit. He wasn't surprised; Shinra tended to suck the passion and ambition out of people. It especially affected the young boy, and Tseng really noticed one day when they went out for ice cream.
Usually when Rufus got to go outside and do something out in the city, he was overly excited and difficult to control. But that day, Rufus was quiet. Tseng didn't want to press, but he worried for the boy-just a little. "Sir, is something wrong?"
Rufus gave him a noncommittal shrug, but then looked up. "Can we go to the library today?"
Tseng blinked. "For a while, yes. You have your studies later, of course."
Rufus grumbled. "I like the library better. Mr. Felson is stupid."
The corner of Tseng's mouth twitched in amusement. He had to set a good example. "He is an accomplished tutor, and you're lucky to have him. Now finish your ice cream, and you'll have more time in the library, Sir."
Rufus licked so fast he got brain freeze. Tseng hoped that the quiet spell was just that, a spell. He'd be excitable again soon enough.
Though Tseng had hoped that Rufus would snap out of his quiet spell before, he now noticed that the boy had "excitable spells" where he would lighten up and express himself like he had when he was younger. Whereas he had been a mostly sociable and extroverted boy before, Rufus had grown reserved and shy in a very short time, even around Tseng and other people he was familiar with. It hadn't been a quiet spell at all; Rufus' personality had done a complete turnaround.
Tseng supposed it was only natural, with so much being expected of him. The president still spent only minimal amounts of time around his son, and most of the time they were during meetings or boring investor parties. Tseng stood through such functions while Rufus sat quietly watching, not daring to make a fuss, just waiting to be addressed by his father.
At almost six years old, he was starting to understand that time would never come. At least, it wouldn't in the way he wanted.
It wasn't Tseng's job. It wasn't his problem. However he couldn't help but think he could steer Rufus in a different direction if he tried. But it wasn't his place. All he could do was watch as Rufus grew up far too quickly for his own good.
It wasn't all uncomfortable, fortunately. Most people simply complimented Rufus on his good behavior when he wouldn't say a word. A quiet child was a good child, to them. And when he received praise, Rufus smiled. Tseng had no place thinking badly of something that made Rufus happy. The boy had even found an interest in memorizing dates. He seemed to be taken with history, always asking how old things were or when things were founded, or who had made something and when. Tseng rarely had any answer for him, and he made it a point to research all he could in order to remedy that.
Tseng's education at home had been exceptional of course, but there were times when he felt less than adequate speaking to his elders. This was made more apparent one day in the library (Rufus had been dismissed from his martial arts class early and begged to go to the Shinra library for a while) when Rufus complained about having to read "kiddy books", and requested something more difficult.
Tseng raised an eyebrow. Rufus had been progressing quickly, and was certainly above the average reading level of an almost-six-year-old, but he wasn't perfect. "Are you sure, sir? This book is already for ages seven to ten."
Rufus frowned, unamused. "It's too easy. Can I pick a different book?"
Tseng didn't bother to remind him that he was still struggling with some of the words. "Alright, go ahead, sir." He figured Rufus would do better if he discovered his own abilities for himself, rather than having someone (like that abysmal tutor of his) telling him what he was or wasn't allowed to study at what times.
He regretted it somewhat when Rufus came back with a literature classic that was probably reserved for university students, or at the very least Senior-level students. He hadn't even studied it yet, since he'd dropped his studies after joining Shinra. He frowned as Rufus opened the book to a random page, hoping he would be able to help the boy at least.
In short, he couldn't. When he saw words like 'prognosticate' and 'salient', he could figure out a meaning for them from the context, but he wasn't sure. He decided he should probably work on his vocabulary if he was going to be taken seriously. Meanwhile, Rufus was not even six years old and he was sounding out those words. He wouldn't understand the meaning no matter how much Tseng explained, of course, but his pronunciation had clearly grown more distinguishable. Adults praised the small boy for speaking clearly, so he paid careful attention to the syllables he struggled through. Still, he was six. He shouldn't have had to worry about pleasing the adults in such a manner.
After about thirty minutes of struggling through the first page, Rufus pushed the book away with a frustrated huff, said it was boring, and went to go get a different one. To Tseng's relief, he went for a book that was still much too difficult for him, but not for Tseng. It was a popular story among young adults, though Tseng hadn't had a chance to read it. He didn't have time for fiction, anymore.
He helped Rufus break apart larger words into smaller ones so he could figure out the meaning, and even if he wouldn't remember them after the day was done it was nice nonetheless. He also showed the boy how to look up words on the computer. It really wasn't his job to help Rufus read, but it was one small thing he could get away with. When they left, he helped Rufus check out a few books that were more catered to his reading level. Rufus was stubborn at first, insisting they were too easy, but he relented when Tseng told him how proud everyone would be when he showed off all the books he could read. He started practicing every day after that, no matter how easy the book was.
Tseng let himself feel proud of his charge. He deserved that, right? The uncomfortable thoughts about how Rufus was growing up too fast left his mind.
For Rufus' sixth birthday, he asked to go to the park they passed by every time they went to the Military Academy for his training class. Again, nothing special had been planned for his birthday, but Rufus remembered that the day had been special the year before. Maybe Lisa would make a cake again? Tseng decided not to ask, just in case it was a surprise.
Rufus stared at the other children on the playground, as if he wanted to join them but he didn't actually know how to do so. Tseng raised an eyebrow, and offered a suggestion, even if he wasn't especially well-versed in playing with other children either. "Do you want to join their game, sir?"
Rufus frowned. "I don't know what they're playing."
Tseng had to bite back an amused smile. "You could ask them, sir. I'm sure you could learn it very quickly."
Rufus frowned, almost pouting, then gave Tseng his jacket and ran over to ask one of the children.
Tseng hoped he was having fun, at least. He'd never played with other children much himself. He understood the appeal, but he was more interested in honing his own skills than playing. That, and he didn't connect with the other children as well as he would have liked.
Sure enough, Rufus came trotting back, a frown on his face after about an hour. Tseng raised an eyebrow. "Did the game end, sir?"
Rufus shook his head. "We were just chasing girls. It was stupid."
Tseng bit back a laugh. It seemed he had another thing in common with his charge. "Would you like to go to the library then, sir?"
Rufus lit up. Tseng supposed that was a yes.
After months of not knowing where they would end up, the Turks finally had an answer. They had known they were being moved to the 69th floor, however, they hadn't known the floor plan at all or what facilities they would still have.
Apparently Floor 69 was still a lobby to the 70th, where executives and their assistants worked. And the Turks were being shoved off in a corner of the floor, in a small office area with a tiny lounge and not enough offices for all the Turks. And the cadets were no longer housed in the building. They were being moved to the Military Academy under the name of the Department of Administrative Research: Secondary Division.
At least they were moving all the training equipment elsewhere, instead of having it being seized by General Affairs to supplement Heidegger's budget. The cadets got their equipment moved to the Academy, and the rest was moved to Headquarters-the location of which Tseng wasn't privy to, yet. As a very low-level Turk himself, he was one of them that didn't even get an office on the new floor. Not that he needed one; most of his paperwork he did in the lounge anyway, then turned in to the commander. It was the principle of the entire department being shoved off into a corner that rubbed him and the others the wrong way. The Turks were the covert ops of Shinra Company, and they were being treated as a nuisance.
Veld, however, shut down those sentiments quickly. "Our work is of a clandestine nature, and the president thought it would be better for us to have a smaller presence within the building itself," he said.
"Bullshit," Jet muttered to herself and her fellow young Turks.
Tseng wanted to elbow her in the side, but the commander preempted him. "As for the young ones who would be robbed of their training opportunities, you will be given access to Headquarters as soon as everything is finished being moved over. I need not remind you that it is forbidden to speak of Headquarters to anyone who is not already privy to that information, and that transgressors will be dealt with in a swift and efficient manner."
Jet stared in awe and looked to Tseng and Dakota, then back to Veld. Tseng could hardly believe it, either. They all nodded in acknowledgement, unable to find words.
Veld nodded. "Good. You are all dismissed."
Three days later the moving was finished, and they were taken to Headquarters-beneath Shinra's basement. It was a secret floor deep underground that each member needed a special keycard to get to, and even still there were various security checkpoints behind a hidden door. After the final checkpoint, it opened up into a massive surveillance room with feeds coming in from all over the world. Shinra was able to supervise every institution owned by Shinra on the face of the Planet.
Tseng suddenly realized why not even the president knew the location of their headquarters. He didn't want to be connected to this level of surveillance, should the public ever find out about the dirty work his Department of Administrative Research conducted on a daily basis. He'd deny involvement with this branch of the department and throw them all to the wolves. Therefore, it was in all of their best interests to keep this place a secret from anyone and everyone who wasn't in their ranks.
They all accepted this knowledge solemnly, realizing the gravity of what they'd just been granted. There was no turning back, now.
Of course, this meant that in order for the initiated Turks to train, they no longer had their facilities up on the 69th floor where their offices were. They would have to make their way all the way down to the basement if they wanted to get any real work done. Most of the higher level Turks simply accepted missions to keep themselves out of the office, but all of them usually had business on the 69th floor at one time or another. This meant a lot of waiting in a possibly-crowded elevator, or taking the impossibly long flight of stairs up and down.
Going down the first time was easy enough. But the first time Tseng made his way back up, the only thing that kept him from quitting and taking the elevator was the possibility that he might meet Scarlet, alone, and that was not an option. And so, he resolved to become independent of the elevator, even if it killed him. He could barely walk the following day.
He did the math. Each landing had eight steps, and there were two landings between each floor. It took about two big steps to round the corners (those took twice the amount of time), so each flight had an equivalent of twenty-four steps between them. If he took steps at a steady pace, with each step at about 240 beats per minute, he could go between the first floor landing and the 60th floor in exactly six minutes. After that, to get to the floors above, he had to unlock the door using his keycard and make his way over to the executive staircase, so he didn't count that in any of his figures. Six minutes from bottom to top, and that was if he was steady. He began his work.
One day around the 30th floor, he met Jet on her way down. He could tell it was her before she met him because she was impossibly loud, almost jumping over the banisters or taking the flights an entire landing at a time. "Hey," she paused in front of him. "You trying to beat the record, too?"
Tseng paused, panting hard. "Record?" Even if there was a record, he still couldn't make it all the way at a steady pace, so there was no way he would win. His legs were still healing from the abuse he put them through day after day.
Jet grinned. "I'm tied with Dakota at 9:50 up, 5:33 down. One of the older guys has an up record of 7:26 and I'm gonna beat it. Eventually. Once I stop dying." She smirked as if she weren't in constant pain all the time.
Tseng gave her an incredulous look. "I had no idea there was a competition."
"Well there is! What's your time?"
"I haven't been timing it."
Jet scoffed. "Too good for that?"
Tseng frowned, offended. "No, I just haven't been timing because I know I'm not as fast as I want to be."
"So you are competing!"
"With myself, yes." He moved to pass her. He'd already wasted enough time talking, and he had paperwork to do.
"Time it next time, I wanna see how badly we're kicking your ass!" Tseng winced as Jet bounded down the stairs again at her cacophonous volume. He wondered why the people on the other side of the landing doors didn't hear it and complain.
He was curious what his time was, but he worked better not knowing. He decided not to think about it until he could at least climb at a steady pace.
For Tseng's birthday, Shuriken had once again surprised him in the stairway. It was just about the only place she could ever find him, because her business never took her to the actual building anymore, and when Tseng wasn't in the stairwell he was in an office somewhere, or with his charge. She gave him yet another obnoxious card, and claimed it was a tradition. He rolled his eyes-and silently vowed to get her back.
He'd looked up her birthday. He also memorized the schedule she would have on her birthday. He was going to be busy, so he resolved to leave her gift inside her locker at the Academy when he got a break. He'd sneak in and plant it, then get out without anyone seeing him.
It was for training, he told himself.
He had no idea what to get a thirteen-year-old girl, but he hoped that a hairband would be appreciated. She never liked to pull her hair back, but it also got in her face, he'd noticed. She could use it when she trained. He also left her an obnoxious card with screaming cartoon frogs in it. He hoped that it wasn't too obnoxious, because it hurt his ears to listen.
He left it while he knew Shuriken would be in a lesson in the early evening. About an hour later, while he was delivering paperwork to various departments, his phone vibrated. It wouldn't have been from Veld, since he had no further orders for the day, but it could have been from any of his old classmates, or that one senior Turk who thought it funny to tease him occasionally. He figured it was Shuriken.
From: Shuriken
OH MY GOSH you remembered my birthday! nobody else did, this is the best gift ever, thank you! 333
Tseng blinked at the heart with too many 3's in it, and replied with a simple "You're welcome. Any time, Shuriken". He was met with about fifty emotion icons that he couldn't understand in response. She asked how he had planted it into her locker and he just smirked.
From: Jet
I hear you planted a gift in Shuriken's locker.
To: Jet
You still talk to her?
From: Jet
Hey, gotta keep tabs on everyone! Anyway, I won't lose to you.
Tseng blinked at the ambiguous reply, again, then frowned in disbelief. He hadn't meant to make it a contest, but apparently he couldn't do anything without Jet challenging him to do it better. He supposed that was a good thing, in a way.
Goran, the quirky senior Turk with an equal penchant for knives and jokes, sent him a pun later. It must have been a slow day in the office for there to be so much chatter, he thought with no small amount of exasperation. He looked forward to a quiet day with his charge the next day.
A week later, Katana was promoted to the Turks, and fully initiated. Tseng learned this when he saw his former classmate in the training room down in Headquarters. He stared in surprise as Katana smirked back at him.
Katana decided to keep his code name, but he explicitly stated he'd tell his real name to anyone that he trusted. Tseng had a suspicion that Katana already trusted him, but he just wanted to seem mysterious for as long as possible.
The biggest surprise was when Shuriken was promoted.
She was thirteen and two months old when she'd been promoted, even younger than Tseng had been. She was the youngest member to ever be initiated in the entire history of the Turks, and Tseng didn't think they'd take anyone any younger that that ever. She'd grown up with Shinra however, so he attributed her success to that. She'd worked hard, and she'd been rewarded for her efforts and accomplishments. Immediately after the deed was done, Tseng received a message from her.
From: Shuriken
I'm coming down to headquarters in a bit. You can call me Cissnei from now on :)
To: Cissnei
I'm not down there presently, but I can congratulate you in person later. Congratulations!
Tseng felt that the message didn't quite convey his shock and acclamation. He changed her name in his phone immediately.
Having two new members meant that Tseng had more teammates of his level. The older Turks were on a completely different level than him, so they usually kept to themselves or they were paired with each other. Jet and Dakota were usually paired together (Dakota was the only one Jet could work with), and that had left him without a partner until Katana and Cissnei had been initiated. He dearly hoped for a mission alongside one of the senior Turks, though.
There were five senior-level Turks, not including the commander. Three of them looked to be around Veld's age, remnants of the first generation of Turks. The other two looked to be in their mid to late twenties, but had no shortage of skill compared to the others. So it seemed that there were three different generations of Turks in one place. Tseng was curious what he could learn from this environment.
He was curious what had happened to the rest of the Turks, however. There had to have been more; the company could never get the amount of work done that they needed with only six Turks. It was never explicitly stated, and Tseng surmised that it was something the seniors didn't like to discuss, especially with a rookie. All that Tseng knew for sure was that if a member disobeyed severely enough, they could be terminated for being a threat to company security. And if that wasn't the case, there was always the danger of falling in combat.
There was also the Valentine case, where the man had gone missing from an assignment in Nibelheim almost twelve years before. Speculation had it that he'd either run off and they just couldn't find him, or something up in that accursed area had wiped him off the face of the Planet.
Tseng wondered if there was a way to "retire" from the Turks. If they were to run off they would be deemed a security risk, but what if they simply got too old for the job, or they were injured too badly to keep working, and they retired? Shinra would have to keep an eye on them of course, but Tseng didn't see any reason why this couldn't be an option.
Perhaps they never solidified a retirement plan for the Turks because none of them had ever lived that long.
Tseng didn't plan on dying in battle, but nevertheless he decided not to think about retirement until he was old enough to consider it. It was also a long way off from his near seventeen years of age, and he had other things to worry about.
One week, Tseng was delivering paperwork to various offices inside the Shinra building, essentially being a delivery boy. The next, he was being sent to other cities, on actual, dare he say "bona fide" missions.
Veld called him into his office one day and absently handed him a mission portfolio as he always did, and when Tseng opened it and saw that he was being sent to Junon, then proceeded to stare at Veld with disbelief, he swore he saw a glint of amusement in his commander's eyes. It was a simple mission, but it was genuine-not just some busy work that someone's secretary could have completed. He was to fly to Junon and receive a confidential report from a former Turk member who was being used as a spy, then bring it to Veld to be processed.
Well. His idea about retirement had been at least a little correct, it seemed.
What's more, this was Tseng's first mission with a senior Turk. Goran offered to fly him there, since Tseng hadn't had any practical experience flying a helicopter anyway. As much as Tseng was exasperated by Goran's jokes, he was grateful for the opportunity to speak to him privately.
"This guy is a real piece of work," Goran explained at the made their way around the mountain range separating Midgar from Junon. "Do you know anything about your target?"
Tseng didn't like using the word "target" in that context, even if the former Turk was the objective of his mission. "No, I only know I'm to receive a report from him."
Goran let out a wistful chuckle. "Well, this guy's been retired for about twelve years, ever since our last commander died. He didn't wanna take over for his old pal, so he retired and became a stationary worker for Shinra. He spies, and he does consultations, and other things. He's also not a very happy guy."
Tseng nodded in acknowledgement. It was good to know that Shinra looked after its employees, and didn't literally run them into the ground. The rest of the trip was spent listening to Goran's odd tales and jokes and trying to sound interested, and trying to determine when the correct moment to laugh was. He was getting better at it, though.
They arrived in Junon a few hours later after a leisurely flight, and Goran announced that he wasn't going anywhere near the target's shop because it would be "too damn awkward", and that he would stay and watch the chopper. Tseng agreed, for once not because he would rather be without the senior's company, but because he felt the need to do this mission on his own. It was simple, after all. Even a rookie could do it.
Tseng made his way down the beach to the village. Junon was a port town that grew ever bigger as time went on. There were the village huts, and then there were the huge warehouses and silos used for storing goods and shipping them out to every part of the three continents. There were small tourist attractions, though not as many as Costa del Sol; the small, rocky beach wasn't as suited to tourism as the wide, sandy coastline that the western continent offered. The final industry that Junon offered was fishing, and one of the shops that sold equipment was Tseng's destination. He made his way through the town with a determined pace, ignoring the few long stares he got because of his uniform, then pushed open the door to the shop.
"You're late," said the man behind the counter. He looked to be on the older side, maybe around his late forties or early fifties. He was weathered, with graying, salt-and-pepper hair and leathery skin, but his frame was still built like a tank. Tseng had no doubt that even after being retired for twelve years as Goran had said, this former Turk could still defend himself and Shinra's secrets.
Tseng blinked at the man's comment. He hadn't known there was a time limit. Even then, he and Goran had left right away after Tseng received the mission. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to respond, but he did anyway. "I came immediately after receiving the mission, sir."
"None of that, I don't work for Shinra anymore." The man finally took a good look at the young man in front of him and frowned. "They let 'em in a lot younger now. Got no idea what you've stepped into, you don't." He sifted through some papers behind the counter, presumably looking for the report to give to Tseng.
Tseng shifted uncomfortably. This man was the patronizing type, it seemed. He supposed a retired, jaded Turk would be, considering what he had probably experienced. He didn't like that the man assumed Tseng didn't know what he was doing, however. He kept his feelings to himself and let the man speak.
"Half of the new recruits die within the first year. The next forty percent are killed in battle. A few of them either defect or screw up real badly and get shot for it. The really lucky ones like me get to live in luxury while Shinra watches their every move. How long have you been initiated, kid?"
Tseng blinked, put off by the sudden question. "Three years, sir."
"Well at least you've survived this long," he said with no shortage of sarcasm. "Just keep your nose clean, and don't go looking for difficult missions. If you're lucky, the president won't start a damn war and have you sent over to die because some natives don't wanna change their lifestyle."
Tseng didn't have anything to say to that. He was grateful for the opportunity to speak with a former high-ranking member of the Turks, but he didn't feel comfortable with the man's vast amount of pessimism. He didn't have to justify himself to this man, and he didn't plan on dying any time soon.
He was suddenly glad that Jet hadn't received this mission, because she'd probably get into trouble for making a fuss and arguing publicly with the man.
The former Turk handed his report over and waved him away. "Go and tell the commander that things are find here, and that he should take some of his cameras and shove them up his ass because I'm not going anywhere. I've got nowhere to go, anyway."
Tseng bowed in response, in spite of not intending to do the second thing in the slightest, and turned and left.
###
He returned to Veld with the report without incident and was met with praise. It was refreshing to hear it, but he didn't count on hearing any more. After that, Tseng had more and more "bona fide" missions that tested his skills and kept him busy.
It was hard to believe that just a little more than four years before, he had been at home, dreaming of seeing the world and helping others. Maybe he could help cultivate relations between Wutai and the rest of the world. He just wanted to do something. Now, that seemed like a different life, someone else's. Shinra was his life now, and he didn't regret it for a moment. It was difficult, and global tensions were rising, but Tseng felt he had made the right choice by going off and committing himself to a cause. No matter where one was in the world, this was a time of strife and chaos, and the best one could do was work to make it better.
His life was now training and bettering himself as a member of Shinra Company's security force, studying foreign policy and relations, and protecting the son of the president of Shinra Company. He felt that he was finally in a routine that he could live with for his entire career, something that brought him fulfillment. He was finally in a position where he could do some good.
And, of course some of that good was towards the boy he cared for. He'd accepted that it was unlikely that Rufus would grow up like most other boys. For one, he was incredibly intelligent, and had a focus unlike any other child Tseng had seen. Two, the lack of parental affection shown towards Rufus had made him withdraw into himself. As he'd thought before however, it wasn't all detrimental; Rufus was, for the most part, emotionally independent, and his thirst for knowledge put him ahead of anyone his age.
He frowned when Rufus asked him about his job, finally. The boy hadn't ever been given the details of what the Turks did, but he seemed to know an awful lot about it. Tseng wondered where he'd gotten the information. "I can't give you details, sir, but I'll answer as best as I can."
Rufus looked up from his workbook, frowning concernedly. "You make sure nobody hurts Father's company. Do you have to hurt people?"
It was just like the boy to think of defending against someone as possibly having to hurt them. Tseng chose his words carefully. "I've never had to hurt anyone, sir. If someone were to wish you harm, however, it would be my duty to stop them by any means necessary."
Rufus frowned deeper. "Father doesn't care about me, he only cares about 'company secrets'. If someone wants the secrets, you have to hurt them, right?"
Tseng frowned. That was in his job description, of course. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. "I am trained to do the least amount of damage, sir. Shinra doesn't enjoy hurting people." He chose not to comment on how the boy felt about his father-that was getting too close. It was unfortunate, but the boy would learn the president's true intentions one day when he was older.
Rufus looked back down at his work and messed with his pencil absently, still frowning. "Father says nobody will hurt us. But he won't talk about how they hurt Mother. He says Shinra is too powerful now, and everyone is scared of us."
He continued messing with his pencil as Tseng stood there, unable to find words. What he said was probably true, and there was no need to comment on it. Rufus suddenly looked up at him again, still troubled. "If Father hates Wutai so much, will he hurt you? You're from Wutai."
Tseng blinked at the unexpected question, but quickly answered with confidence. "No, sir. I've proven my loyalty."
Rufus looked away again. "I won't let him hurt you. I'll protect you from everybody."
Tseng was taken aback by the comment. He was confused as to why the boy felt he needed to protect his bodyguard. Tseng hoped it was only his desire to keep from losing anyone else, and not because Tseng had failed somehow in his eyes. "I can assure you that I don't need protecting, sir." He hesitated before adding, "But I'm grateful for the sentiment, sir."
Rufus looked up at him, practically beaming compared to his usual countenance. Tseng's chest clenched every time Rufus showed happiness. The boy didn't have enough of it.
Another part of getting actually missions was the possibility of being sent out with a partner. Katana smirked when he stopped Tseng on the way to report to the commander and handed him a file. "It's you're lucky day, rookie. You're stuck with me."
Tseng felt a slight rush of excitement, but he didn't show it for fear that it would go to the older youth's head. "I'm not the rookie here. Where are we going?" He opened up the file even after asking.
"Costa del Sol," Katana smirked again. "Time to get your party pants on, stiff!"
"This isn't a vacation, Katana." Tseng read the mission brief quickly, then folded it shut again with a disapproving look at his counterpart.
Katana deadpanned. "I can already tell you're going to be no fun. Ever. You're doomed to a life of… un-fun."
"That isn't a word. Get ready to go."
"Alright, stick-in-the-mud, the commander is more fun than you are."
That thought actually resonated with Tseng. It didn't make him want to change his behavior, though. He went to prepare for the simple recon mission.
###
Though he was becoming notorious for his serious manner and lack of expression, Tseng did get along with the other new recruits exceedingly well. When it came time for it, all of his comrades took their jobs seriously and got them done without incident. He was proud to be associated with them. He may have even called them friends. He quickly got into the routine of partnering up with Katana for dual missions, since that's how Jet liked it, and Jet always got what she wanted.
He surprised himself with feeling disappointed when Katana declined to go on a mission with him once. He was forced to go with the only senior Turk who wasn't busy, and she didn't enjoy being stuck with "noobs". It was an unpleasant mission to say the least, and the humid weather of Gongaga didn't help. Tseng was almost glad for the hot uniform they wore to fend off the mosquitos.
When he returned, he found Katana training. He felt he was owed an explanation, and apparently Katana felt the same way because he stopped what he was doing when he saw Tseng enter the room. "Hey," he began. "I figure you're a little miffed I didn't go with you."
Tseng was miffed, but he'd get over it. He shook his head. "I was concerned. You never turn down a mission."
Katana held up a finger. "Now, it wasn't technically turning it down! It was your mission, and you needed a partner, and, well. I wasn't the partner for the job, this time. Veld's orders."
Tseng frowned, and Katana sighed. "Normally, I would have gone with you. I don't care what other people think of me. But the commander says it's too early for me to go home after the shitstorm I caused. Some things happened, I got recruited to the Turks because of it, and I apparently made life harder for a lot of the villagers. They wouldn't cooperate with me if I showed up there." He frowned, looking annoyed. "If you ask me, they should be thanking me. I was the only one who stood up to…" He cut himself off, then looked up at Tseng's reaction.
Tseng nodded, realizing Katana's situation. He could only imagine what he'd done to cause so much trouble, though. "I see. I understand. Will you ever be able to go back?"
Katana sighed again. "Maybe in a few years, we don't know. Maybe they'll forget I exist. They seemed pretty ready to once they realized what I did." He glanced back and Tseng and smirked. "You wanna know, don't you?"
Tseng gave him an annoyed look. "Not when you put it like that. You can keep your mysterious past a secret." He then turned and went to the training room.
Katana called after him, "Come on, you're not even a little curious?"
Tseng smirked where he wouldn't see. It was worth not knowing certain things if it meant Katana had his ego challenged once in a while.
Father had started having women over. Rufus could never remember their names. It used to be really quiet at dinner and he and his father wouldn't speak, but now Father would ignore him and talk to the lady. That was okay he supposed.
As long as she didn't try to act like a mother, it was fine. He wasn't interested in a mother if Father liked her. He wasn't the same anymore. But father rarely had the same lady so they never talked to him and it was okay.
This one lady, Annette, she was nice though. She actually tried talking to him, and she got him a new action figure for his birthday. She'd actually remembered his birthday. Father said she was his secretary, so she remembered all the dates. She was nice. But she wasn't Mother.
He didn't want a mother if it was going to make him weak again.
Three years passed quickly. The Turks were kept busy with all the political and economic upheaval and hardly had time for a break, and Rufus grew quickly in the solitary environment he made for himself. That was to say he quickly grew at his own pace and with little supervision regarding which direction in which he grew. Both Tseng and the president soon realized if the boy wanted to know something, he would find the answer whether or not he was supposed to know, and there would be no way to tell.
There was that, and then there was the declaration of the Wutai War.
Everyone had seen it coming for years, but Tseng still felt his stomach drop when he heard the news in one of the executive hallways. The president was making a formal announcement to be broadcast to the whole world, and especially Wutai. Negotiations were over. Shinra would have what it wanted.
Tseng's home was going to be decimated.
He pushed the thought away, though it wouldn't leave the foreground of his mind for quite some time. There wasn't anything he could do except follow his orders and hope this war ended quickly. He remembered the words that the retired Turk in the fishing shop and Junon had told him, that he'd better hope Shinra didn't start a war and throw them all onto the battlefield. The Turks were covert ops, but that was part of war. They'd be sent to fight as well. Tseng would be sent to kill his own people.
"Father started a war."
Tseng shook himself out of his thoughts. There was no point in dwelling on it. He then realized that Rufus knew the news before it had even broadcast. He frowned. "How did you know, sir?"
Rufus frowned back at him. "It's not a secret, everyone's talking about it. Father is making an announcement today."
Well, there wasn't any point in hiding it. "That's correct, sir."
"Why?" Rufus asked, almost demanding. "People are gonna die now."
Tseng frowned slightly. Rufus had a tendency to disregard the reasoning behind destructive actions in favor of his own arguments. Nothing was worth fighting and killing for. It was naive of him, but Tseng almost felt the same way. "The president is doing what is necessary to protect his company's interests and those of his investors, sir."
Rufus quickly grew upset. "He could just talk to them! Now people will die when they don't need to!" He huffed angrily, then looked up at Tseng with determination. "I want to see him. I want to talk to him."
Tseng blinked. Was the boy going to try to convince his father otherwise? Tseng didn't comment on how futile the action was because Rufus wouldn't listen to him anyway. "The president is very busy with preparations, sir-"
"I'm sure he can spare a few moments for his son," Rufus spat. He turned and headed for the elevator that led to the top floor. Tseng followed close behind, feeling very uncomfortable about what he suspected was about to happen.
Rufus stepped out of the elevator on the 69th floor and didn't waste any time heading up the stairs to his father's office. Tseng didn't have any trouble keeping up, but he was surprised Rufus' short legs could carry him that quickly. The boy's white coat billowed behind him slightly as the air rushed around him. He'd taken to wearing white lately, explaining to Tseng that it required a certain grace and dexterity to avoid getting it dirty, and as such it made him look impressive. And the boy did enjoy looking impressive.
Rufus stepped over the threshold at the top of the stairs and viewed the room full of executives and their secretaries. There was Heidegger and his massive form, Palmer and his unpleasant smell, Scarlet and her overbearing nature, and the newly-appointed Urban Development executive whom Tseng hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before. His name was Reeve, and from both his countenance and the way he held himself in front of the others Tseng could already tell he would be different. He made a note in his head to greet the man formally later. Rufus gestured him forward and Tseng stepped into the room, waiting to announce Rufus' presence.
The president noticed, but didn't address them until he was finished with his thought on Scarlet's new weapons idea. "What is it, Turk? I'm clearly busy."
"Your son requested to speak with you immediately, sir." Tseng had eventually gotten over his nervousness resulting from being in front of the president. Thankfully. He could focus on merely doing his job, and not worry about if his actions would get him fired. Or killed.
Rufus didn't give anyone else a chance to speak before stepping forward and cutting in. "It will only be a moment. I wished to speak with you alone, sir." In front of others, Rufus made sure to speak clearly and concisely, and rarely used contractions. Tseng was pleased to know that Rufus only ever let his guard down when the two of them were alone.
The president gave a gruff response. "I don't have time for that, just say it here. What do you want?"
Rufus clearly wasn't expecting that, and he blanched a little. Tseng felt for the boy as he quickly gathered his thoughts. "I… I think starting this war with Wutai is foolish. I hope to change your mind before you give the address."
The president actually laughed. "Of course you would think that, being only a boy. I have people that advise me on these matters, and they have advised that I put a stop to that infernal country's foolishness."
Rufus wouldn't give up, not even in front of the other executives, who by this time were practically snickering at the boy's naivete (though not Reeve, Tseng noted). "If you just talk to them, I'm sure we can think of something-"
"We've been talking for years, boy! It's time to put down those violent dogs and put Wutai in its place. I don't need a ten-year-old boy, who has no experience mind you, telling me how to run my company, Now, go before I have the Turk drag you out. You, Turk, don't let him up here without my approval first in the future."
"Yes sir," Tseng said without hesitation. He didn't like the order, but he didn't dare question an order directly from the president himself.
Rufus visibly huffed, but turned and left without another word. They could clearly hear chuckles coming from above as they headed back to the elevator.
Rufus didn't speak until they had reached the public elevator on the 59th floor. They got inside, and Tseng pressed the button for the floor with the building's library, since that's where he had been about to escort the boy before. He looked down at the boy, who had arms his arms crossed and a deep frown on his face.
"They laughed at me. They won't take me seriously," Rufus said with distaste.
Tseng was quiet. That was completely true, unfortunately.
Rufus continued, venting. "Now Father's going to start a war, and lots of people will die. I bet he didn't even try to talk to them. None of his stupid advisers would dare think of a peaceful solution, either."
Tseng felt compelled to give at least a little counsel on this matter. "Perhaps you should let the executives worry about this matter, sir. It is their job, and the president trusts them."
Rufus gave him a disapproving glare. "That's the stupidest thing that's ever come out of your mouth, Tseng."
Tseng felt a pang of offense at that. Rufus was upset, but he'd never insulted him before. Apparently he didn't care, either, because he went on without another word. "Father won't take me seriously because I have no experience. Then I'll just have to get some experience. Then he'll listen to me. Maybe by then he won't have destroyed an entire country for a stupid reason."
Tseng frowned. He shouldn't have taken it personally, since his feelings were irrelevant to the job, but coming from Rufus it hurt. The boy had formed very strong opinions, and now he didn't care whom he had to fight to have his views heard.
Tseng chalked it up to the boy's close proximity to the age of thirteen. Maybe he was ahead of his age in more than just intelligence, and his "angry teenager" phase was starting. Tseng dreaded the years to come once he realized this. Rufus was going to be a fearsomely intelligent, angry teenager.
Rufus had given his father the benefit of the doubt until that moment. Now, he was sure the president would never take him seriously, not even if he measured up to the impossible expectations the man had for him.
Rufus decided then that he would not only exceed expectations, but he would surpass his father and his advisers in intelligence and experience. Perhaps then, if not out of acclamation then only because it would be foolish not to do so, the president would give him a position within the company. Rufus would make sure Shinra Company remained the most powerful force on the Planet, and through that he would bring peace to all regions.
He had already cracked into his father's financial accounts, and could access them at any time no matter how many times the security protocols were changed. The next step was gaining control of the entire company's security. That would prove challenging to learn how to do without any of the Turks finding out.
He would have to learn to lie, even to the man who knew him best. He supposed if he could do that, he could manage anything.
DELETED SCENE 1:
Tseng sat with his charge and watched as the six-year-old ate his meal, and blinked. "You're eating your vegetables, sir."
Rufus tried to act like it was no big deal, but Tseng could easily tell he was pleased that Tseng noticed. "I wanna be strong like you."
Tseng felt his heart melt a little. "Well, eating good food will certainly help you achieve that."
Rufus looked up and beamed at him, and Tseng couldn't help but smile back.
DELETED SCENE 2:
Tseng struggled to control his breathing so that he would last until he got to the top. He had been steady for months now, but the pressure of the contest had caused him to move a little faster than usual in the beginning. He'd slowed down and calmed himself eventually, but he feared it would cost him valuable time. He supposed it wasn't a big deal, and that Jet would quit bugging him if she beat him.
He hadn't timed himself for two years. Just getting to a steady pace had taken many months of training, and even then he knew he wasn't anywhere near the record time. He put it out of his mind until Jet began pestering him incessantly, and he agreed to have her time him one day.
He turned off his brain and didn't pay attention to anything but making it up the stairs, and before he knew it he saw Jet in front of him on the final landing. He jumped up the last flight and landed at the top, then doubled over to catch his breath. His legs were shaking, which probably meant he'd overdone it. Hopefully it made up for his mistake at the beginning.
"I don't fucking believe it," Jet said, holding her phone with the timer on it.
Tseng rested his hands on his thighs and looked up, panting. "What is it?"
Jet looked at him with-was that outrage? "Six minutes!"
Tseng panted some more, then narrowed his eyes. "What?" There was no way he was that fast. That was practically the fastest one could physically move up that many stairs. He'd done the math.
"Six minutes. You have the new record, not even the seniors are that fast! I don't fucking believe it!" Jet turned and threw her arms up in the air as Cissnei hid a smile behind her hand.
Tseng frowned in disbelief. "Huh," he breathed. He was the fastest Turk. Cool.
A/N: Yes I put 33 Screaming Frogs in there. I apologize. It was the most annoying thing I could think of 8)
Rufus is officially a little shit! I'm so proud of him :) I have so many plans for him, this is gonna be great.
Things that gotta be fixed!
1) In chapter 2 Veld thinks about how Vincent went missing "12 years before". In order for Rufus' age to line up with the canon now, I have to change that to 9 years before (there's no canon SOLDIER parade thing so I can just change the date that happened, so now Ruf will be 25 at the start of FFVII). And when it's mentioned in this chapter it's been more than 2 years since then, and now at the end of this chapter Vincent has been missing for around 15 years. I'll go back and change it eventually!
2) Sephiroth's age is off! And if the wiki page is anything to go off of, it doesn't make any sense! The wiki page says he's around 20 at the beginning of Crisis Core, but… Vincent "died" around the time he was born, right? And that was 23 years before Crisis Core.
Either way, it's gonna be off, but whatever. Sephiroth is gonna be like 28 at the beginning of Crisis Core. He's gonna look 25 for his entire life so it's fine.
