Ruby and Reno spent most of the day after their drunken afternoon recuperating from their severe hangovers and trying to pretend they hadn't had any reason to connect on an emotional level. Subsequently, they also spent a large portion of the day bickering with one another.

They ran into Rude that evening when they went to get dinner and he was quick to dismiss them and avoid spending more time with them than necessary, which they both agreed was very rude of him, after which Reno said 'no pun intended' and the two of them laughed until their hangovers made their heads ache.

The following day was the day of the meeting and they spent most of the morning in the vicinity of the Shinra corporate offices building adjacent to the mako cannon. Just before noon, after a meager breakfast of eggs and toast at a greasy spoon near their hotel, Reno made Ruby sit on a bench overlooking the ocean while he went to run an errand.

"You can't run off," he growled. "If you do I'll find you and tear your head off, I swear."

"I'm not running anywhere with this leg," she assured him. "Just go on. This is a nice view. It reminds me of better days. Go on."

"Fine. I'll be right back."

While Reno took off to run his errand, Ruby stayed on the bench admiring the beautiful view of the sun and the city reflected on the water. It brought to mind her childhood, before she had run away, when her father had taken her and her brother with him on business to the port city to see the ocean, so much cleaner than the one outside Midgar.

"Better days," she said softly to herself.

Reno returned after a very short time with a small plastic bag from a nearby shop. He sat down next to Ruby and handed the bag to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it, you idiot."

She sighed and opened the bag and withdrew a shimmering, polished pistol with a lion's head engraved into the side. A pack of ammunition sat in the bottom of the bag. She stared at the gun in awe. "What's this for?"

Reno shrugged. "I thought maybe if I can convince Tseng you could just stick with me and Rude for a bit, you know? It would be keeping you from doing any damage to Shinra, but you wouldn't have to sit in a cell. But then I thought, if I'm going to have you sticking around you better make yourself useful." He grabbed the pistol and shoved it back in the bag and took it from her. "But you can't have it until after the meeting once I've talked to Tseng."

"Reno…" Ruby stared at him with an odd look in her eyes. "You shouldn't have…"

"Don't tell me I'm soft," he warned sternly. "I'm only thinking in practical terms and I only like you because you hate Rufus so much. Otherwise I think you're thoroughly irritating and you drive me insane."

Ruby laughed and wiped her eyes.

"You're not crying are you?" Reno looked taken aback.

"I really should tell you something…" she sighed. "I really need to tell you after you've bought that for me and everything, but I think you'll probably hate me more than you already do and…"

"Shut up," he stood up. "I couldn't hate you more than I already do, you smelly rebel. Now come on. Whatever it is can wait until after the meeting."

"That's the thing, Reno…"

"I can't be late to this thing, all right?" he grabbed her arm. "Tseng will kill me."

She sighed and let him drag her away into the Shinra building and into the elevator that led to the conference room on the penultimate floor. She was breathing heavily as she followed him out of the elevator and down the hall. He opened the conference room door and she took a deep breath.

Inside were all the heads of offices for Shinra Electric Power Company as well as some other high-ranking officials including Tseng and Rude and the other Turk, Elena. Reno seemed to be the last to arrive and he scurried to his seat, leaving Ruby open to view for the whole table. The President was in his chair with his back to the table, staring out the window that gave a view of the ocean.

"Ruby?" A middle-aged man seated close to the President spoke. "That's not Ruby is it?" The other officials around the table began whispering excitedly.

"How does Reeve know her?" Reno asked.

Tseng shook his head. "Brace yourself, Reno."

"What?"

"What's the matter, Rufus? You don't want to greet your sister? I haven't seen you in ten years," Ruby spoke up.

The President's chair spun around to reveal a young, tall man with slick blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a sharp white suit and looked every bit the role he was meant to be playing.

"What in God's name are you doing here?" he stared at Ruby in disbelief.

"What the fuck is going on?" Reno demanded.

"You sent your spies after rebels and guess who they caught?" Ruby shrugged.

Rufus turned his icy gaze on Tseng. "What is this?"

Tseng looked between the two of them. "Reno found her at headquarters and took her hostage. The official report is that she was seeking revenge for the collapse of the Sector 7 plate. All I knew at the time was that he had a hostage. I was unaware that it was Miss Shinra until I flew to meet them in a farming town not far from the southern edge of the swamp."

"And you didn't think to tell me sooner?" Rufus fumed.

"I thought it best you see her yourself before you made some brash decision."

"Shinra?" Reno gaped in disbelief. "You're a Shinra?"

"Reno," Ruby frowned at him. "I was trying to tell you…"

"You could have told me a hell of a lot sooner you fucking hypocrite!" he spat.

"Reno, I didn't…"

"Ruby," Rufus pounded his fists on the table and rose to his feet. "Everyone get out! All of you! Out. I have to have a conversation with my beloved sister."

Reno was the first to storm from the room. The others hesitated before gathering their things and stepping out slowly. Tseng stopped by Ruby's side.

"I can have a word with Reno," he said quietly.

"What do I care?" she bit her lip. "He can do what he likes. What makes you think it matters to me what he thinks? He's just a piece of shit Turk. Just like you, Tseng."

"I know you don't mean it," he patted her shoulder and she wrenched away from him.

When everyone had filed out of the room, Rufus began to pace back and forth by the window. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Ruby shrugged.

"Around," he repeated. "Causing mayhem in Midgar. Blowing up dad's reactors…"

"I'm not part of AVALANCHE. I don't think blowing up the reactors was the right course. I told them so as well, but I wasn't a member of the group so they didn't take my opinion into account when they made their plans."

"And what were your plans, Ruby? What were you going to do when you got into headquarters? You made it all the way up to the Turks' floor at least. What would you have done if that idiot Reno hadn't caught you first?"

Ruby glared at him. "I wanted to talk to dad. Talk some sense into him. Or scream at him. I don't know which. Blowing up the fucking plate, Rufus? Are you kidding me? Do you know how many senseless deaths that is?"

Rufus clenched his fists. "You can't be a bleeding heart in this business, Ruby. It's not about lives, it's about profit. AVALANCHE had to be squashed."

"Well you failed didn't you? Since they got away. So many people died for nothing."

"Not for nothing. It will be a long time before more rebel groups sprout up in Midgar."

"And what about dad?" Ruby cried. "He's dead now. Do you even care? Did you even cry?"

"Did you?" Rufus retorted.

She stared at her feet. "I was with the Turks. I didn't want them to know about me."

"Yes, and Reno seemed very upset about the news. How long after he took you hostage before you started screwing him. I know you have a certain fondness for the Turks."

Ruby crossed the room and slapped her brother across the face. "I haven't had sex with Reno and whatever happened in the past is really none of your fucking business."

Rufus rubbed his face and slumped into his chair. He stared out the window and sighed. "I'm sorry. It was uncalled for."

"You're damn right it was," she spat.

"I was so mad when you left," he said softly.

"What? Why? You had the company to yourself to inherit."

"That didn't matter then. I know I was more ambitious about it than you and I know we haven't always gotten along that well, but when you left I felt so alone. You were my twin sister. I had you my whole life and even if I couldn't stand you half the time it felt empty without you there. I know dad never treated you as fairly as me. He wished you were a boy. Put you in rifle training and everything," Rufus shrugged. "I missed you for a long time and then I got mad and put all my energy into being ready to take dad's place when the day came. I just didn't know it would be this soon. Did you even miss me at all?"

"I hated you, Rufus," she sighed heavily. "It wasn't fair how much better dad treated you and I just resented you for it. But of course I missed you. There are certain things we always understood about each other. You knew I left to join a resistance group."

"I did," he agreed. "I didn't understand entirely. I thought it was just to make dad angry. I thought when he sent the Turks after you, you'd give up and come home."

Ruby shook her head. "Maybe if one of the others had found me before Tseng did. Tseng wasn't going to make me go back to Midgar. He let me go. What did he tell dad?"

"He said there was no sign of you and that you had probably gotten lost or attacked by monsters on the plain. You know, as mean as dad could be, he never believed you were dead. He still cared. He just wanted you to either be a boy like me or be his little girl and you didn't want to be either."

Ruby sat down on the table next to her brother. "I feel like such a fuckup. A Shinra trying to fight her own family. I don't know what the point of my life is anymore."

"Well," Rufus looked at her. "When dad died, his will still left half of everything he owned to you. I told you he never believed you were dead. It's all in a fund I can't touch. Tseng could show you it. The Turks are in charge of protecting the account."

"What?" Ruby gaped at him.

"He left you almost two billion gil, Ruby."

Ruby's head spun. "What!?"

"This is my advice. I don't want you back in the resistance. If you're fighting Shinra, I'm going to send my men after you. But you're my sister and even if I'd like to kill you for leaving and for the trouble you've caused, I'm not going to. You're technically still a Shinra hostage, you know, so you have to do as I say. Take the money and figure out just what your purpose is, Ruby. Keep an eye on the Turks if you like them so much," she glared at him as he said this. "Go see the world. Figure things out. Maybe you can bring some information to the table that could help your cause and mine. Give it a try. You're a shareholder in this company, so you get a spot on the board now if you want it."

Ruby rubbed her forehead. "This is a lot to take in at once."

"I know it is."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should just travel and figure some things out."

"You're free to do as you like. You could spend half our father's fortune on a machine to blow up mako reactors if you really wanted to. Dad would be rolling in his grave."

Ruby laughed and wiped some tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry I never wrote you or called, Rufus. I did miss you, even on the days when I hated you the most."

Rufus stood up and offered her his hand. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He patted her back unsurely.

"Talk to Tseng about the money," he told her.

She nodded. "I think I should talk to Reno first. He was pretty upset."

"It sounds like you've developed a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome," Rufus grinned at her.

"I haven't," she said fiercely. "I just feel bad for not telling him."

"You talk a lot of shit about the Turks and you always have, but I don't think you really hate them at all. Go on and talk to him if you like. He's clearly enamored with you or he wouldn't be so bent out of shape about this."

"Do you think he is?" she asked.

"Was that a hopeful note in your voice?"

"No!" she growled. "Shut up," she punched his arm. "I'll keep in touch from now on okay?"

"Good. I want to know what you're blowing your fortune on. I hope you manage to find yourself with it."

She smiled. "I'll see you later, brother."

He watched her hobble toward the door and thought to ask, "What happened to your leg?"

She looked down at the injured leg, wrapped in fresh bandaging with Reno's help earlier that morning. "Your swamp monster happened to it. Might think about cleaning up that mess." With that she exited the room and made her way for the elevator.

Reno was standing outside the building leaning on the railing overlooking the ocean and smoking a cigarette. Ruby couldn't exactly approach him quietly with her foot dragging behind her, so she didn't even try. She stood next to him and waited for him to speak, but he didn't.

"I wanted to tell you, Reno," she spoke first.

He flicked some ashes from his cigarette. "What do I care about it? You were just a hostage. And now you're my boss I guess."

"I'm sorry," she rested her head on the railing. "I know you don't think I care what you think, but I didn't want you to hate me. I had a hard enough time myself coming to terms with being a member of this family, I…I don't know who I am or what I should be doing with my life. I was a terrible rebel. None of my plans ever worked. I couldn't be what my father wanted me to be…" she stared into the ocean. "I just feel lost. I should have told you sooner."

"So now what are you going to do, Miss Shinra?" he asked bitingly.

"Well, I've recently come into some money," this made Reno laugh despite himself, which made him angry at her. "I don't know. I'd like to travel and maybe get a better understanding of the company for which I'm now a huge shareholder. I thought maybe…if you're not too mad and if Rude doesn't mind…maybe I could go with you two for a while? Just because I'm used to you and all. Not because I like you or anything."

He turned to face her with a small grin. "Are you serious? All that money and you want to bum it with two Turks?"

She laughed. "Yeah, if you'll have me."

"Well I guess I did spend all that money on this stupid gun. You might as well use it."

"Does that mean you forgive me?" she looked sheepish.

"What is there to forgive? It's not like I care!" he flicked his cigarette over the edge of the city and it fell far below into the ocean. "Just don't slow us down."

She smiled, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and kissed him right on the lips. It was a quick kiss and he was completely dumbfounded by it. She left him with a stupid grin on his face and walked away to talk with Tseng about her money.