-10-
The sky is full of clouds and
My world's full of people
All different kinds with different ways
It would take a lifetime to explain
No one's exactly the same
He and she, two different people
With two separate lives
Then you put the two together
And get a spectacular surprise
'Cause one can teach the other one
What she doesn't know
While still the other fills a place inside
He never knew had room to grow
- No Doubt , Different People
The air seemed clearer to her than it ever had before. Taking in a comically deep breath of it, she closed her eyes in pure joy. Freedom. And it did taste sweet. The sun wasn't as harsh as it was from her guest room, the modern buildings throwing long shadows against the sidewalks. She could hear the sounds of the city: murmurs from passerbys, cars making their way around the streets, the breeze rustling through the livid trees. Taking it all in with awe-filled eyes, she didn't even notice the blonde man standing in front of her until he cleared his throat. She gave him an excited smile, managing to squeak out a hello. Rufus gave her shirt a cursory glance, lifting a defined brow. She felt her cheeks get hot as she noticed he was, as usual, impeccably dressed in a thin blue cashmere sweater, pressed jeans and Italian loafers. Looking down at her Saucer shirt and gardening boots, she felt out of place and embarrassed.
A dazzling white sedan pulled up to the curb and a middle-aged driver stepped out, opening the back door. Rufus motioned for her to take a seat beside him, at which she tentatively obliged before giving Elena a nervous look. The Turk's face was unreadable, but Aeris could see an amused twinkle in her eye. She made a small shoo-ing motion with her gloved hands, urging her to go on and enjoy herself.
As the car pulled away from the company headquarters, Aeris couldn't peel her eyes away from the window. The afternoon weather brought out a wave of people sitting at the outdoor cafes, sipping iced teas and talking or simply enjoying the sunshine. Everyone looked happy. Shopping-bag-ladened women roamed through the parking lot of the seven-story shopping complex, their content faces barely showing above their many bought items. Children ran unafraid through the grassy parks, tumbling around each other, playing a game of tag. Aeris watched life unraveling before her eyes, trying to take in everything at once, trying to capture and sear them into her mind. I wish I could have grown up here. But she immediately tossed the thought out; she never would have had Elmyra if she hadn't grown up in the slums. Still, it would have been wonderful just to get a taste of what true happiness was like.
The view outside went from residential to cityscape as they turned a few corners. Monstrous glass behemoths loomed above the car, the reflection of the sun dazzling Aeris' eyes. Here, the flow of people went from lulling to a roar. Men in impeccable suits talked into tiny cell phones, bustling through the throng of people. Bike messengers weaved around pedestrians; taxis lined almost every street corner. The city hummed around her, giving off its busy vibe of people, cars and technology. She had never experienced anything like this.
Rufus silently watched her reaction from the corner of his eye. The city was nothing new to him, he had grown up here, but Aeris seemed completely taken and overwhelmed by it. Her green eyes danced with some hidden wonder which reminded him of a child experiencing life for the first time. And wasn't that what this was? Her experience of life outside of the one she knew? How much of a culture shock would he experience if he went down to the slums and looked at the enormous difference a Plate could make. He gazed in wonderment at how much more livid she seemed once they stepped out of Shinra, her pale skin taking on a slight glow from the afternoon sun. Her hair gleamed as she rolled down the window and stuck her head out, gazing up at the tall skyscrapers. Rufus watched all of this with a thought tickling the back of his mind: had he never noticed how beautiful she really was? Or was it that he could never really admit it to himself?
The car stopped in front of a tall circular building, the driver rushing out and opening the door for them. Aeris gave Rufus a quizzical look before stepping out. Instead of responding, he ushered her to the door of the building, waving a hand at the driver. The lobby was lavished in a modern style, steel and leather furnishings set off by rich mahogany. Gentle music drifted through the foyer as they made their way to the rows of elevators located on the other side. The building was moderately busy, a few business men drifted around in their expensive shoes, but otherwise it was fairly quiet compared to the outside. The elevator was also designed with a modern theme, the lower half made of the same dark mahogany while the top half adorned gilded mirrors. Aeris felt slightly abash at the stark contrast the two of them made: him in his wrinkle-free cashmere, her in her moogle cotton. As if reading her mind, he gave her shirt another glance, giving her a slight hint of a smile.
"So, did you?"
"Excuse me?" she wasn't quite sure what he was implying, although she had an idea.
"Did you get...'sauced'...?"
A small giggle escaped her as she placed a thin hand on her reddening cheek. "I haven't been to the Golden Saucer, so no, I didn't get 'sauced' there. It's Elena's shirt, she let me borrow a few clothes since I didn't have any."
"Elena...gave you clothes?" he said with an unreadable expression.
Aeris bit her lower lip. Did she just get Elena in trouble? Would Rufus get angry over their friendship? "Ah...she was just trying to be nice, I guess. I mean, I asked her to...practically begged her to lend me something to wear and..." she trailed off, seeing that she was only making it worse.
"I see. Well, I guess I should have seen it coming. Two women at Shinra, spending a good amount of time together. It's only inevitable that a friendship would form."
Aeris gave him a tentative look. "Are you...angry?"
"Although I don't approve, given the situation, I can't entirely say that it's wrong." he thought briefly before he went on, "I...I can understand your predicament...I've been there myself. It can get stressful without someone whom--"
"--and lonely. Most of all, it gets lonely without friendship. Don't you think?" she looked at him expectantly.
"Heh, well I guess that depends on who you talk to..."
A feigned look of poutiness crossed her face. "Come now, Rufus. You're telling me that you wouldn't be lonely without your friends there for you?"
Rufus studied her glistening full lips and thick-lidded eyes and noted to himself how becoming a pout was on her. Instead of answering her question, he looked ahead as the doors to the elevator opened. He motioned for her to step out, leading her with a light hand on her back.
"MR. SHINRA!" a lady at a nearby booth nearly tumbled out of her chair, scrambling over to them. "Sir! I didn't know you would be making an appearance today! If I'd have known, I would have made preparations for you. I'm sorry, sir." She bowed so low her head nearly grazed the ground.
Waving a hand at her, he motioned for her to stop apologizing. "Lucy, it's quite all right. I didn't call ahead on purpose." he nodded his head towards Aeris.
The over-anxious woman gave a mega-watt smile, wrinkling her otherwise pleasant face. "Oh, it's wonderful to meet you. I'm Lucy, the social manager of Midgar's Sky Tower and if there's anything you need, just ask."
"I'm Aeris Gainsborough, it's wonderful to meet you too." she gave a small bow which elicited a loud giggle from the woman.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're so traditional!" she turned to Rufus. "Sir, you always had a good eye for women!"
"Ahem...well, then Lucy...we'll be on our way, thank you." he quickly led them away from the booth, making their way down a long corridor. "Aeris..." he stopped in front of the door, placing both his hands on her shoulders. "...close your eyes."
"Hnn?" it felt as though his hands were burning through her shirt and onto her skin.
"Close your eyes." he leaned in closer. "It's a surprise."
She gazed up into his polar blue eyes and felt a little dazed. "O - Okay." She slowly closed them, not knowing what to expect.
She heard the sound of the door opening and felt bright lights hit the outside of her eyelids. Rufus led her with his hands still on her shoulders, slowly making their way where the light was warmer.
"Still closed?"
"Yes." she felt a fleeting in her heart, an anticipation.
Suddenly, he stopped her. "This is it. Open your eyes, Aeris."
Taking a deep breath she slowly fluttered her eyes open. All she could make out at first was a blinding white light, then little by little she saw what he wanted to show her. She let out an audible gasp. "Rufus...it's...beautiful..."
A/N: Waii! I finally finished it. I'm so bad at Aeris/Rufus interactions. Ah well. Is it just me or is there a sudden onslaught of people not updating their fics? SlowGraffiti and Kat...make me happy...update! To all my other wonderful readers who are still following this fic (for some odd reason :D) Thank you for the great reviews! I wub you! 3