A/N

Okay so as always I take forever to update but I did work pretty hard on getting a lot of stuff – like things we have all been wondering about – cleared up so in return I ask that you simply REVIEW. That is all!

Enjoy!

~emma


Tifa's POV

I splashed the cold water from the kitchen sink on my face. I used a fluffy white towel that smelled like Downy to dry my dripping face. I let out a huge sigh as I leaned on the kitchen counter. I was done with useless tears, they weren't helping and they were definitely not fixing anything. I needed a real, legit solution if I wanted to accomplish ANYTHING.

I squared my shoulders slightly as I took on a determined stance. I wasn't going to let this Shinra kid rule my life. No, I was going to live my life freely. Free of Rufus Shinra, that is. BING BING. My ringer for my phone indicating a new text message went off.

I walked slowly over to the kitchen table and clicked the "open" button.

To: Tifa

From: Cloud

19 October 2009

1:12 PM

Subject: how r u?

Hey Tiff! Just checking to see if ur ok! U seemed upset? I just wanted to make sure ur okay…text me when u can

My heart skipped a beat when I read over the text. I just wanted to make sure you're okay…He was …shall I dare say…he was worried about me?

I wasn't sure whether I felt like crying out in joy or doing a happy dance around the kitchen. I am NOT one of those girls who will reread a text eight times to figure out the "secret meanings" behind every word, but this text definitely was saying something.

I think that Cloud might…like me~!! I needed to text Yuffie right away!

To: Yuffie

From: Tifa

19 October 2009

1:14 PM

Subject: BEST NEWS EVER! KYA~!!!!

OMG!!!!!! GUESS WHAT?!?! I THINK CLOUD LIKES ME!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited. This could be JUST the thing I needed. A steady relationship that could help support me through these…bumpy times. I mean, between my dad just suddenly reappearing and all this trouble with Rufus, I really needed a guy in my life to balance everything out!

FOCUS. Okay I need to respond to Cloud…but what should I say? AHHHH guys are such a pain sometimes. I chuckled quietly to myself but was interrupted by the slam of a car door. SHIT. I just realized something very crucial:

I AM AT HOME. I SHOULD BE AT SCHOOL. MY DAD IS HERE. HE'S GOING TO KICK MY ASS.

I silently sprinted up the stairs to my room, panicked in the frenzy of things I hid under the bed more for the sake of the moment than anything else. For an even extra effect I held my breath to hear him better.

I heard my dads thick boots move through the kitchen and thud up the stairs. My heart started pounding as he approached my door. He wouldn't come in my room and snoop around or anything…would he?

The little "faith" I had in my father assuming he would respect my privacy quickly evaporated as my door opened without hesitation. I held my breath again as I realized he was on the phone with someone…

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not like you need to tell me…" he chuckled slightly at something the person on the other line said "yeah well, be sure to tell President Shinra that just cause' I'm working for him doesn't mean he owns me…" more laughter. By this point he was roaming through my drawers and digging through my desk.

President Shinra!?!? Since when did my dad work for Shinra?!?!

"Nah, I don't think so…Not ALL teenager girls have diaries ya' know, then again, I guess you would know better than me, Elena..." Elena? As in one of the top Turks of Shinra, Elena?!?! By now, he had walked over to the bed and seemed to be digging under pillows looking for a non existent diary. I personally find them completely ridiculous. Why would I write down all my secrets so people like my father can read them?!?

Despite feeling surprisingly grateful for not having a diary, I was still pissed. How DARE my dad come search through my room! When he was still around he NEVER did this kind of thing! If he was worried about me, he could approach me! We always had a good kind of relationship! What happened?

My dad sighed in exasperation – he thought he was exasperated now?!?! Wait til' he had my fist in his face! – as he turned on one heel and headed back towards the door "No luck Elena…besides, what does it matter? What's with the interest in this girl? She's nothing special, take it from me. I would know, I've been posing as her dad for a couple of days now. She totally buys it…it's stupid really…"

That's when time stopped. And for a split second I realized I wasn't sad that this man – this imposter – wasn't my father. He didn't have the same kind smile, or gentle eyes as my father. I was comforted by the fact that my father wasn't a lying, sneaking, jerk. I was, however sad that I was tricked and manipulated and that for whatever the reason, Shinra toyed with my number one weakness for their convenience. And for that, they would pay.

A rage so fierce I didn't know I could ever hold such strong emotions, gave me strength I never knew I had or more importantly, needed.

"My father" walked through the doorway and out into the hallway. "Yeah well I'll talk to you later…I'm gonna check back in at HQ with you guys later…I need a break from that annoying girl, I hate having to keep up this act, ugh" After a brief goodbye he hung up the phone and continued down the hall to "his" bedroom.

That's when I knew. I was about to tear this guy to shreds and I wasn't going to show mercy. I rolled out from under my bed and walked calmly, and quietly to his room.

I could hear the bathroom sink on through the closed door. I sat down calmly on the edge of his bed after closing the bedroom door with an almost inaudible click. I crossed my legs and waited in eager anticipation for what was to come.

I heard a ruffling of hair as though he was trying to get out a large knot out with a comb. "Damn wig" was all I could make out from through the door.

The door opened and out came a blonder version of my late father. I was going to have fun with this, after all, I need a punching bag to get out all this excess anger. I smiled wickedly "Hello father."

Rufus' POV

School was unexpectedly boring with the knowledge of Tifa's absence. Rufus strummed his fingers on his desk absentmindedly. How to win over Tifa's heart? Her hate for his father's company and his family name was quite apparent. Then again, Rufus had his looks, intelligence, and charm on his side. He smirked slightly.

No girl – and some guys – no matter how stubborn, could resist him for long. He suspected Tifa would be no different. But how to deal with Strife, yes that was the real question. He had made Vincent give him a brief description of Cloud's background and record but he hadn't found anything too out of the ordinary. Which really meant that he hadn't found anything that he could use to manipulate him into doing his bidding. For example, the kid had a pretty clean record. No major crimes. Nothing big enough that could be wielded in the process of driving him away from Tifa. No, Rufus was going to have to win this one the hard way.

Rufus frowned but only slightly as his mind calculated all the different ways to deal with this "problem". His spinning mind was put to a sudden halt when Mr. Harrison – the AP English teacher – turned his evil gaze onto Rufus who despite everything still appeared to be paying attention.

"And what would your interpretation on the poem of The Lady of Shalott be Mr. Shinra?" Mr. Harrison scrutinizing gaze met Rufus' cold glare. Despite not having heard any of the poem that was read aloud or the discussion about it afterwards Rufus' memory was flawless.

He had read the poem before and it was because of this that he was able to without even the slightest bit of hesitation or uncertainty to Mr. Harrison and say "The said 'Lady of Shalott' is a woman who is supposedly locked in a tower. None of the farmers know who she is despite hearing her singing early in the morning before dawn and believe her to be a spirit or 'fairy'. Yet despite being somewhat unknown she is not unhappy. She is 'weaving her picture' which is basically a way of saying that she is an artist—a painter, that depicts her work in bright colors. Yet after painting a picture of a group of people she discovers how lonely her life is and becomes discontent with it. It briefly describes Lancelot who 'flashes' into lady shalott's mirror –the way she sees out the window—which according to her, is a very bright sight compared to the usual dark and dull images on the mirror. Lancelot then begins to sing which leads lady Shalott to look out the window. At that point Tennyson suggests the fullness of life that the Lady cannot avoid any longer. Yet even after giving into the curse mentioned earlier in the poem that will affect her if she looks out the window, she does not actually see Lancelot. The events that are presented as "actually" happening being explained as symbols of what is going on in the Lady's head: in this interpretation, the moment the woman becomes involved in the outside world her sense of self (the mirror) and of her accomplishments (the tapestry) comes apart, as if social interaction is a curse to the ego—"

"That will be enough Mr. Shinra." Mr. Harrison stated curtly. Rufus shrugged but the trademark smirk was spreading across his face.

Murmurs of approval and amusement spread through the class after they realized that Rufus had gotten the better of the infamous Mr. Harrison. Rufus was getting quite the reputation. He hoped that by the end of the week, he would be near, if not at, the top of the school. 'All in a matter of days' he thought arrogantly to himself, smirk still in place.

Tifa's POV

Surprise. Anger. Doubt. Confusion. More anger. All of these were the emotions playing across the intruder's—AKA the man who posed as my father—face. "Surprised? Yeah, I would be to, but then again, you seem like the type of person who would love springing surprises on people. Especially people who you decide to play family with."

"This…it's not…I…uh…it's not like…I mean…" beads of sweat were forming on his forehead as the blonde man stuttered and tried to form a sentence but couldn't find any words.

I raised an eyebrow, keeping my expression creepily calm "That's all you have to say? That was a pretty sad excuse if you ask me. If I had been in your place I would at least have a backup plan or something." My somewhat joking manner was definitely freaking this guy out—just like I had hoped. Not to worry though, in about 30 seconds I would pound him for information and beat his sorry ass until he was no longer recognizable as anything but road kill.

The man backed away until he bumped into the desk which moved slightly but not enough to give him the kind of clearance he was going to need to be in a "safe zone".

I waltzed slowly up, circling him in a clearly dangerous manner. "What's the matter? You wouldn't be afraid of lil' ol' me, would you? After all, I am an annoying, stupid girl anyways, right?"

He swallowed hard "They…they said that if I thought you were onto me, it would be better to pull out quietly because you had …gotten some sort of…training…" by now I could tell his mouth was probably dry because his words were coming out in little gasps and he looked like he was having trouble swallowing.

"OH really? That's interesting…and what sort of training have I had?" I used a sickly sweet tone. I had an even more dangerous gracious smile grace its way across my features as I swayed casually a little closer, closing in on my 'prey'. He flinched back.

He swallowed again, sweat forming on his upper lip. Despite playing the role of a middle aged man, at a closer glance he looked younger, more vulnerable. He lacked experience. He probably could have been 25 give or take a few years. I had to wonder, despite myself, how I had fallen for this lame act.

His breath was becoming ragged; this was clearly not a Turk or even a lowly ranked soldier. He looked pathetic. "They said…um, they said that you were trained in martial arts and ...Something else but I can't remember. All I know is that…I wasn't—"

Ring……ring……ring……ring……

Both of our gazes flickered to my phone that I had forgotten to put on silence where it was glowing in my pocket.

I sighed dramatically. "Hold that thought for just a sec" I said putting up one finger.

I clicked the green button and said "hello?" without once taking my eyes off the intruder who seemed to be getting more and more frantic as the seriousness of the situation sunk in. I was going to kick his ass.

"KYYYAAAAAAA~~~~~!!!! Tifa! This is so exciting! I can't even believe that you and Cloud are a thing!!!!" Yuffie's squealing was practically raping my ears.

With a little more force than I had intended I responded with a simple "I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later." And in that moment that I looked down to end the call, I let my guard down, and I regretted it instantly.

"Blondie" whipped out a gun faster than I thought possible and fired off three simultaneous shots. (Looks like he had the training from Shinra after all. I take it back, looks like he had some balls in the end.)

Unfortunately because of the short distance and little time I had to prepare myself for the attack I wasn't able to dodge affectively or at all really.

I instantly felt the first two bullets' stinging burn spreading. 'Looks like I managed to dodge the third one after all' I thought to myself bitterly, inwardly chuckling at my own ignorance. The world was going fuzzy and all I could understand was that my abdomen and lower left shoulder area felt like they were on fire.

"TIFA?!?!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!!! I'LL BRING HELP OR SOMETHING, JUST HOLD ON!!! ANSWER ME, TIFA!!!! TIFA!!!! TIFA!!!!!" I could hear Yuffie's screaming even as the phone fell from my hand and I hit the floor.

I didn't have time to respond though because I blissfully embraced the black that took me away from the spreading pain.

Rufus' POV

Rufus was on his way to the later lunch period when he passed the door. Through the window he saw the girl who had been texting Tifa in PE screaming desperately into her cellphone.

Through the door he could make out the words "I'll bring help or something, just hold on! Answer me, Tifa!!! Tifa!!! Tifa!!!!"

Within the second, Rufus was out the door and headed for the petite girl. "Miss, is there something wrong?" Rufus asked in his most 'gentleman' like voice trying not to let the panic slip into it.

Between, half sobs, half gasps the girl managed to spit out "Tifa…my friend…she…the gun shots…she wasn't…responding."

Rufus' eyes narrowed, though only slightly. Someone had dared to shoot one of Rufus' 'targets' -- AKA a girl he was after, but whatever --? 'Someone has got a hell of a whole lot of nerve touching my girl' he thought already fuming at the thought.

Despite his raging thoughts, he kept a calm exterior expression. "Where does she live? Is she even at home?" Rufus asked with a little more impatience than he had intending for but still.

"I…I think she's home! I can take you there, d-do you have a c-c-ca-car?" the girl stuttered through her sentence though by the end of it, Rufus had already grabbed her wrist and was towing her towards the parking lot.

"Yeah, come on, we've got only a little time before whoever potentially shot her will get away, and that is not an option. By the way, what did you say your name was?" The dark beginning of his sentence was quiet, eerily so, but lit up and hidden by the bright, and friendly question at the end.

"Y-Yuffie."

"Alright then Yuffie, hop in." Rufus said as he climbed in a brand new (not even fricken available to the public, supposedly) black 2012 Lamborghini Murcielago.

They sped down the road making record time—4 minutes and 58 seconds—to Tifa's home. (Top speed recorded was 156 miles per hour, just as a side note of course.) Rufus handled the car with grace and eloquence and when he stepped out the car, he seemed completely unaffected by the fact that he had been going over 100 miles per hour over the speed limit on most of the roads.

"Wait in the car." It was clearly not a debatable topic and his low, but serious voice made it apparent that Rufus was not going to be argued with.

Yuffie nodded and locked her car door. Rufus wasted no time getting in the house. He walked in silently but waited to pull out his own weapon of choice – a sawed of shotgun, of course – until out of sight of Yuffie.

He glanced around the corner but didn't have to check any of the main floor's room when he heard a low, quick pace voice coming from an upstairs room. Rufus followed the panicked voice coming from up the stairs. He could barely make out the muffled voice but managed to confirm that he was in fact the shooter by the conversation the man seemed to be having with someone over the phone.

"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!!?? I mean…….yes I know!! She was going to kill….—well not really…I just…I know I shouldn't have shot her but what did you want me to do?!?! She figured it out!! ……..Wait…I think I hear something…hold on." There was a sound of a phone clunking on the table and Rufus cursed inwardly for stepping on the creaky stair.

Not wanting to be found, but rather the finder, Rufus immediately raced up the remaining stairs and swiftly knocked the man out as he came slinking around the corner by hitting a pressure point on the back of the neck with his gun.

"Scum." Rufus muttered distastefully under his breath. Stepping into the master bedroom, Rufus did not find a pleasant sight. Tifa was lying in a pool of her own blood, her white shirt soaked thoroughly in the crimson liquid. Her breathing was ragged and shallow. From what Rufus could tell, there were at least two shots.

While lifting up Tifa gently, he picked up the phone sitting on the table and put it to his ear. "Hello?" He said imitating the man's voice as much as possible.

"OH hey, Jonathon, what was it?" An all too familiar voice questioned on the other line.

"Elena." Rufus hissed in a very deadly, flat tone.

There was a pause on the other line "…Mr. Shinra?" she squeaked.

"We'll discuss this later." Rufus was seething as he hung up the phone but now wasn't the time. Tifa was unnaturally pale and the bleeding wasn't stopping.

Rufus quickly shed his jacket and applied pressure to both of the wounds hoping there weren't any others that he wasn't aware of. With his other hand he dialed 911. An ambulance was on the way, Rufus only hoped it would get there soon…


A/N

Alright, alright, I'll fess up. Even though I was whining about 'how hard I worked on this chapter' I actually had a lot of fun writing it. Please let me know what your thoughts are. If you don't like it, TELL ME WHY. If you loved it, EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT YOU LOVE. Lol, I like reading your reviews! You like reading my chapters and to be totally honest, when I don't get a lot of reviews, it doesn't exactly motivate me to write anytime soon, so yeah…

Review like it was one of the ten commandments, people!

Lol, seriously, do it!

~Emma