Author's Note: Thank you again for all the reviews, alerts, and faves! I appreciate the support! :)

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy VII and all its characters (damn). I just play with them every now and then! :D

Chapter 21: Deceptions

Tseng watched Rufus stare down at Sephiroth and Tifa's private moment with concern. The blond was much too interested in the developing closeness and Tseng could almost see the wheels turning in the young man's mind.

"Do you think he loves her?" Rufus asked as he turned away from the scene and began walking towards the opposite side of the upper deck.

Tseng didn't want to even hazard a guess. "Is that important?"

Rufus shrugged. "It may be later."

"Why would it matter later?" Tseng asked.

"Once I have control of ShinRa, I want Sephiroth and Genesis, if he survives, at my side," Rufus said. "You and I know that given my attempt to take Miss Lockhart away in Midgar, Sephiroth will not come…willingly back into the ShinRa fold. I need leverage."

Tseng fought the urge to roll his eyes. He refused to lose his temper with his young charge. "Sir, your attempt to do that already has failed. To do so again will surely anger the general enough to kill you. He already nearly lost his mind after discovering certain information as to how he was created."

"I think you're making something out of nothing," Rufus said dismissively.

Tseng jaw clenched. "Mr. Vice-President, the recordings we lifted from the Nibelheim reactor show Sephiroth on the brink of having a severe mental breakdown. He talked to Jenova as though she was alive and he apparently heard her responses in his head. If you betray his trust once more, you could cause him to break from reality and set him on a rampage that could very well destroy the planet."

"Whose side are you on Tseng?" Rufus asked with a grin.

Tseng sighed and shook his head. "Do you really need to ask? Of course I am on your side and you will always have my loyalty, however part of that loyalty involves telling you things you may not want to hear. If you cross Sephiroth again, you will be risking your life."

"My Turks are the most dangerous people on this planet," Rufus said arrogantly.

"And SOLDIER is the most powerful entity on the planet," Tseng reminded him. "You would do well to remember that they are strong because of the terrible experiments conducted by Hojo and Hollander. We're not the only players in this game, sir, and it's time you started realizing this. Sephiroth will help you gain the power you seek from your father's position because he can sense the good changes you can make with that power. If you prove yourself no better than your father, I fear Sephiroth will demand your life."

"Sephiroth is a glorified grunt," Rufus said carelessly. "He has no power except the power granted to him by whatever leader he serves. He will be easily manipulated because that is all he has known."

"I disagree," Tseng said as he shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. "He came across some awful truths in the basement of the mansion in Nibelheim. He knows everything there is to know about his creation. He will not trust you so easily. I have worked with him on several missions and he is not the same man he was. None of them are."

"They just need to be reminded of their place," Rufus said.

Tseng watched the young vice-president walk away to the stairs that would take him to their room. It frustrated him when he displayed the same kind of tendency to keep a stranglehold grip on control like his father. If he continued down the path he seemed so intent on taking, he would find himself in a place like his father…surrounded by people just itching to take his power from him. Where had he gone wrong with Rufus? Why didn't he see what was right in front of him?

"Yo, boss," Reno called, interrupting his thoughts. "Just saw the kid and he seemed pretty happy with himself. What diabolical scheme's got him all aroused?"

"Look at the deck below and tell me what you see," Tseng said.

Reno shrugged and sauntered over to the railing before chuckling. He turned and looked back at Tseng. "I see a cute country bumpkin snuggling with the Demon of Wutai, which is really fucked up, in my opinion."

"Rufus just sees pawns in a game that will get him killed," Tseng said as he shook his head.

Reno's face lost all sense of amusement as he approached Tseng. "He's not seriously wanting to go through with his plan of screwing over General Ice Queen, is he? Sephiroth's not gonna take that shit lying down, yo."

"I know," Tseng said as he sighed. "He still doesn't understand what has changed. He understands that Hojo will be killed, thanks to Genesis showing him his degrading body, but he still doesn't understand why none of them will ever give him any power over them again."

Reno shook his head. "We're gonna have some serious problems if he doesn't secure his shit, yo."

"I've never seen Sephiroth as protective and possessive of anything or anyone as he is with Miss Lockhart," Tseng mused. "This is different than the other encounters we've hidden from Hojo."

"Those chicks were all knew he wasn't looking for any long term connections," Reno said with a smirk. "Cute little mountain town virgins probably bring out his protective side."

"I'm serious, Reno," Tseng said with a disapproving glance at Reno. "This girl may be his koishii and if she is, he will protect her at all costs…and that may include killing Rufus."

"What the fuck is a koishii?" Reno asked with a frown.

"Koishii is Wutainese for beloved," Tseng said.

"Oh…isn't she a bit young for General Ice Queen?" Reno asked.

"It is believed that the bond between a man and his koishii knows no age limit," Tseng said. "And it is a bond that will last through even the longest courtship."

"Tseng, I never woulda pegged you as a romantic!" Reno said with a grin.

"Just because I'm a Turk, that doesn't mean I have no heart," Tseng said stiffly.

Reno laughed quietly as to not alert Sephiroth to their presence. "Yes it does, man."

Tseng smiled slightly. "Well, I was person before I was a Turk, Reno."

"Don't let that rumor get out, yo," Reno said mockingly. "It'll ruin your reputation!"

Hollander looked up when Genesis entered the room. He didn't like the pallor of his skin and he certainly didn't like the dark circles that were becoming a regular fixture under Genesis' eyes. He silently watched Genesis robotically go through the routine of removing his clothes in preparation for the injections, as well as an examination of his current symptoms. Hollander made note of the fact that the mottling on his graying skin was getting worse and that his hair was losing even more color with each passing day. It even appeared as though he had lost more weight again. Genesis had completed the removal of all necessary articles of clothing and was making his way over to the table that served as the makeshift examination table. It was concerning to Hollander that Genesis seemed unsteady on his feet.

"Are you feeling worse?" he asked, not bothering to sugarcoat his inquiry.

"Do I look like I feel good?" Genesis snapped as he allowed himself to unceremoniously drop onto the table. "I feel terrible! That last shot you gave me did absolutely nothing."

"I'm doing the best I can, Genesis," Hollander said as he began taking his vital signs. "Without Hojo's cooperation, it is difficult to really begin to understand what Jenova is. Without knowing what Jenova's nature is, I can't correct what she's doing to you. It's almost as though she is a cancer that spreads her cells within the human body until you become what she wants."

"Well, maybe she really is a cancer," Genesis said wearily as Hollander made some notes.

"But why you?" Hollander asked as he set down his clipboard and picked up a needle. "Sephiroth…"

"Sephiroth is completely different," Genesis said. "When will you and Hojo begin to understand that we are completely different men? You can't fix me by looking at Sephiroth! Sephiroth is perfect!"

"Genesis, I've told you before that he is no better than you," Hollander said as he gently agitated the first vile of blood he had drawn. "You don't need him. You can do everything on your own. In fact, if you killed Sephiroth, you would probably excel even more."

Genesis winced as another tube was attached to the needle in his vein. He glared at the professor as he processed his words. "You would love that, wouldn't you, Professor? You would just love for me to destroy Hojo's hard work just to spite that vile snake! But there is one problem."

"And that is?" Hollander asked as he withdrew the needle and pressed a cotton ball against the puncture wound.

"Your poisonous words have no power over me anymore," Genesis said as he moved the professor's hand away from the cotton ball, preferring to do it himself.

"Genesis, I wasn't…"

A bitter laugh escaped Genesis' lips as he smiled without humor. "Don't lie to me. You're doing what you have always done and that is try to turn me against my friend and make me feel isolated from the rest of the world. It used to work, so I can't blame you for trying, but I realized that I had forgotten one important fact while you filled my mind with hate for Sephiroth. He is my friend and as my friend he wants what's best for me." He pushed himself to his feet and used every ounce of energy he had in his body to tower over Hollander menacingly. "You, on the other hand, Professor, do not."

"Genesis, that isn't true," Hollander protested. "I do have your best interests at heart. If I didn't, why would I bother working so hard to cure you?"

"Because you think if you can fix me, you will repair the damage to your reputation," Genesis said with a sneer. "You scientists are all the same. Nothing but your precious research matters to you. Do you think Rufus will let you lead the science division of his new vision of ShinRa? Do you think if you fix me that will undo the damage you helped me do to ShinRa's reputation? For that matter, what makes you think he won't have his Turks kill us once Sephiroth and I do his dirty work?"

Hollander flinched as Genesis' tirade washed over him. "This is what I was trying to tell you, my boy! We don't need Rufus or ShinRa!"

Genesis just shook his head. "We may be monsters, but what's left of the humans we were still need friends and family."

"Family? You think you need family?" Hollander asked. "Is that why you killed your parents?"

Genesis' cerulean eyes darkened at the mention of his parents. "My parents betrayed me…they had always betrayed me. I was never good enough for that bastard who pretended to be my father. My mother was a two-faced bitch who turned on me the minute I revealed I knew what ShinRa had done to me and what I planned to do to ShinRa in return! I killed them because they were traitors to the man they called son. Their loyalty was to a company that made me the monster I am today." Genesis narrowed his eyes and glared at the man before him. "I hope you are not entertaining the idea of betraying me as well, Hollander. My parents did not meet their end peacefully."

Hollander swallowed convulsively. "No, of course not. I just…don't want you to think you have to appease Sephiroth's vanity by staying in his shadow."

A cruel smile curled around Genesis' lips as he stepped back. "Sephiroth's vanity? If only you realized just how little you understand about him. Sephiroth has no vanity. Everything you ever said to me about him is a lie. You will not succeed in turning me against him, Professor. Not this time, at least."

Rufus smiled to himself when he saw Tifa sitting alone on the deck reading a novel. The sun was catching her hair at just the right angle to allow him to see her hair had subtle burgundy highlights, similar to the way her eyes appeared to have a red tint in the deep brown in a certain light. He had left Tseng to distract Sephiroth in order for him to make contact with her in private and while Tseng was an efficient employee, it would only be a matter of time before Sephiroth would grow suspicious. He had to move quickly. He sauntered over to where she was sitting and stood above her, his shadow falling across her.

"May I have a seat?" he asked.

She was startled to hear his voice and warily glanced up at him. "I guess," she said stiffly.

He lowered himself to the bench beside her and turned his body so he was slightly facing her. Rufus enjoyed watching her pointedly ignore him before turning and looking at the sea behind them. "My father would do anything to own this planet."

Tifa looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "And you wouldn't?"

He smiled. "World domination is overrated. I'd rather delegate the work and supervise."

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "What is the difference between 'owning' the planet and 'supervising' the planet?"

"Owning the planet means I would be responsible for every little thing that happens," he said with a shrug. "Supervising means I still get my way as the supervisor, but others have a way of voicing their input."

"Oh, so you still get to be a spoiled brat and boss everyone around, but you have the luxury of being able to blame others when something bad happens," Tifa said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Aren't you just…charming."

Rufus chuckled. "I'm not doing a very good job of endearing myself to you, am I, Miss Lockhart."

"Not really," she said with a shrug. She pushed herself to her feet and moved to leave, but Rufus reached out and took her hand in his. She glared down at him and tried to free her hand. "If you don't let go of my hand, I am going to break every bone in your hand."

He released her hand, but got to his feet and moved to stand in front of her, effectively blocking her path. He was going to have to try a different approach to get through to her. "This isn't going as I had planned. Let me start again. I would like to apologize for what happened between us in Midgar. I can easily blame my father for setting such a poor example, but the bottom line is I know he's setting a poor example and I should endeavor to make sure I find different methods than his in an attempt to get what I want. I'm sorry."

Tifa didn't trust him. "Fine. You're sorry and I'm leaving."

Rufus again blocked her path as she tried to move around him. "You don't make it easy for a guy to apologize, do you?"

"Is there really any way to apologize for what ShinRa did to me?" Tifa asked. "Do you think you'll be able to find the right words to take away the pain I feel at not having my father alive? Can words ever take away the image I have of my father lying dead in my arms with his body covered in bullet holes and a bullet between his eyes for good measure?" Rufus looked horrified at her harsh words, but it still wasn't enough for Tifa. "Is there enough money on Gaia to take away the memory of the screams I heard as my town burned? Can you give me anything that could replace the lives of all the children that your father's men murdered? If you say yes to any of those questions, you are beyond evil, Rufus Shinra."

Rufus instinctively grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. "Please wait," he said quietly "I really do want to speak with you. Once we're done, we never have to speak again, I promise."

Tifa was still wary of the young blond, but she found herself allowing him to lead her back to the bench.

Tseng wasn't sure he was making the right decision, but he had to protect Rufus from getting himself killed. He may not take Sephiroth's threats to send him to the Lifestream seriously, but Tseng did. He had been on enough missions with Sephiroth to know the General wouldn't think twice about killing Rufus. Rufus was still too young to understand the office politics between SOLDIER and the Turks that demanded the two departments compete with each other. The Turks and SOLDIERs were all very good at playing along with those corporate demands, but in reality each side knew that being friendly with the other side made all of their jobs much easier at times. As the senior field personnel for SOLDIER and the Turks, Sephiroth and Tseng had spent quite a lot of time together and had actually developed a pretty decent rapport between them, based on mutual respect and admiration. It was that rapport he had with Sephiroth that made him ninety percent sure that he was doing the right thing…however that other ten percent of him was concerned that any rapport they shared disintegrated when Sephiroth decided to leave ShinRa for good.

Despite his reservations, Tseng assertively knocked on Sephiroth's cabin door. Sephiroth appeared within seconds and only quirked an eyebrow at Tseng.

"May I have a word with you, General?" the Turk asked.

Sephiroth inclined his head and stepped aside to allow Tseng to enter his cabin. "Of course."

"I'll get straight to the point," Tseng said. "I would not have come here if I didn't believe that our previous working relationship still held some weight with you. Am I correct in assuming this to be true?"

Sephiroth nodded. "This is true."

"Then I must ask you to not just react to what I have to say," Tseng said. "I am taking a big risk by telling you this, but I trust you to work with me and give me time to do my job."

"Why do I get the feeling that whatever you are about to say is going to end in my Masamune being impaled within a certain ex-executive of ShinRa?" Sephiroth asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"As I said, I am hoping you will listen, not just react," Tseng said, a hint of a smile briefly touching his lips. "As you know, Rufus is a young man who never had the benefit of a positive upbringing."

"I am beginning to see that this is a common problem within ShinRa's walls," Sephiroth said, an obvious bite in his tone.

Tseng ignored the glare in Sephiroth's eyes and pressed forward. "He is too young to truly understand the power he holds in his hands. I know that he could become a strong leader and if we are able to replace the current president with Rufus as we plan to, he will not let you down. However, there is some work we have to do in order to make sure Rufus doesn't end up like his father."

"I could just kill him and put him out of his misery," Sephiroth said with a careless shrug.

"I was hoping that he would make it out of his teen years," Tseng countered.

"And just how do you propose we ensure he escapes the inevitable fall into his father's bad habits?" Sephiroth asked.

"As we fight ShinRa, Rufus must be on the front lines fighting alongside everyone else," Tseng said.

Sephiroth raised his eyebrows. "The last thing Genesis and I need to worry about is a spoiled brat on the battlefield."

"Rufus has trained with the Turks," Tseng assured him. "I myself have trained him in many areas of combat. He is quite talented with firearms, especially the shotgun. He wields it as I have never seen before." He paused and looked at Sephiroth, noting that the proverbial wheels appeared to be turning in his head as they spoke. "If left to his own devices, Rufus will resort to scheming behind your back and though ShinRa appears to be against him, there are people within ShinRa who will support him, even if only to see the old man out on his ass. As we speak, he is already setting a scheme in motion."

Sephiroth's gaze hardened and his body tensed. "This is the part where I am not to just…react, isn't it?"

Tseng nodded. "He still seeks to use Miss Lockhart against you."

Sephiroth turned walked towards the door. "ShinRa has done enough to her."

"Sephiroth, Rufus witnessed your moment of…closeness with the young lady last night," Tseng said. His confession had the desired effect and Sephiroth froze instantly before turning to face him again.

"What is his game?" he demanded.

"He hopes to draw her to his side with the sad details of his childhood so she will not be suspicious of the amount of time he wants to spend with her," Tseng said. "At this moment, he is attempting to apologize to her for what happened in Midgar."

"He is with her right now?" Sephiroth asked with a controlled calmness that Tseng didn't buy for one second. "I told him…"

"None of us were to approach her," Tseng interrupted. "Unless it was to apologize…which is what he is doing."

"I hate Shinra and all his heirs!" Sephiroth snarled.

"He will not harm her in a confined space such as this," Tseng assured him. "And it is my intention to distract him from this disastrous course of action by having him fight alongside you instead of allowing him any form of control by distancing himself as an executive, not a fighter."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side slightly. "You wish to humble him?"

Tseng nodded. "Yes."

"This is a dangerous lesson you wish to teach your young charge, Tseng," Sephiroth said as he turned over the Turk's words in his mind. There were so many outcomes that could result from the game he wanted to play. "It could well end in the death of the boy."

Tseng smiled slightly. "Strategic pairings will ensure that he is paired with one of us Turks…and never Miss Lockhart."

Sephiroth knew he liked Tseng for a reason. "Does the boy know you manipulate him so well?"

"The day when he figures that out is the day my job is done, General," Tseng said.

"Man, that girl is not givin' him an inch to spare his life!" Reno said with a smirk. "That babe is a gal after my own heart yo!"

"She's not like the others," Rude said. "She doesn't care that he's a Shinra."

"Yeah, all she sees is the pain his daddy caused her," Reno said as he took a long drag on his cigarette. "That shit in Midgar didn't help nothing either."

Rude nodded. "You got that right."

"I'm a pretty sure General Ice Queen is gonna kill him for going after her again," Reno said as he shook his head.

"General Sephiroth should learn to trust the young lady," Rude said. "She's not stupid enough to fall for Rufus' plan."

Reno smiled and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Nope. That chick is smart. She'd have to be a really vacant to fall for our snake charmer boss and his tricks, but if that were true, Seph wouldn't have time for her. That ditzy shit really pisses him off."

Rude turned and looked at Reno. "You sound like you actually admire her."

"Sure I do!" Reno said as he considered the young girl beside Rufus. "She's fuckin' hot as Ifrit's fire and she's spunky! She doesn't take shit from anybody, yo! Plus, she totally kicks ass. She's any man's wet dream!"

"She is fifteen," Rude said as he shook his head.

"That's legal in Midgar, man," Reno said with a smirk.

"This is why Cissnei gave her number to Genesis and not you," Rude said.

"Did you have to remind me yo?" Reno asked as he made a face. "That is just harsh."

Tifa listened to Rufus' tales of growing up with a cruel father who didn't appear to care for him and felt bad for him…when he was young. Now that he was reaching the later years of his teens, surely he could see the difference between right and wrong? Apparently not.

"So you see, I need time to really grow into my own person and having strong people around me to help guide me, is exactly what I need," Rufus said as he moved closer to her. "My Turks help me with that, but I need a female perspective too."

Tifa smiled sweetly. "You need a female perspective? Well, that's easy! As a female I have to say that this was probably the lamest attempt to worm your way into a girl's heart. Claiming to be so damaged by the influence of a man you hate that you truly don't know the appropriate boundaries of polite interactions is ridiculous. If you truly hate him as much as you claim, then avoiding becoming like him should be easy. Just do the opposite of what he would do. There really shouldn't be any thought behind that. And if your Turks are helping you, then this should be the obvious line of though for you…unless you're trying to say your Turks aren't effective in their jobs."

"My Turks are flawless," Rufus snapped as he got to his feet and glared down at her. "How dare you imply they are anything less?"

Tifa got to her feet too and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not the one saying it's their fault that you're too stupid and self-centered to know right from wrong! That's you, buster!" Tifa mockingly put her hands together and tilted her head so her clasped hands were resting against her cheek. "I would know right from wrong if someone would just teach me! I need a female perspective to learn how women should be treated! Give me a break! If you don't already know this, I've got news for you, Rufus Shinra: you'll never figure it out!"

"You impudent little girl!" Rufus said, indignant at her complete disregard for his carefully crafted act.

"Little girl? Oh please!" Tifa spat. "You're barely older than me! And if any of us acts like a child it is certainly not me, it is you!"

Rufus, blinded by his anger, reached out and roughly grabbed her by the wrist, jerking her towards him. Reacting on instinct alone, Tifa punched him in the jaw. His head snapped back and he was barely aware of the sound of Reno and Rude approaching them.

"You bitch!" he growled before tossing her to the deck. She slid away from him when she landed on her back. He smirked when he saw her eyes widen slightly as he moved closer to her until he towered over her. He only realized she wasn't looking at him, but past him when he felt a leather-encased hand wrap around his throat before slamming him into the metal wall behind him. He instantly found himself staring into cat-like eyes that glowed with rage. "Sephiroth?"

"What did I tell you about minding your manners, boy?" he seethed.

"Drop him, yo!" Reno said as he and Rude drew their guns, pointing them at him.

"Enough!" Tseng said as he stepped between his Turks and Sephiroth. "Lower your weapons." When Reno and Rude holstered their guns, Tseng turned to Sephiroth. "Please release him. He's turning blue." Once Rufus was on his feet again and Sephiroth had stepped back about a foot, Tseng made his way over to Tifa and offered her his hand. She shakily took it and allowed him to help her to her feet. "My apologies, Miss Lockhart. I assure you it will not happen again."

Rufus straightened his clothing before glaring at Sephiroth. He said nothing and stormed towards his cabin, followed by Reno, Rude, and Tseng. Once they were alone, Tifa shook her head and looked at Sephiroth.

"He just will not give up, will he?" she asked.

"When we arrive in Wutai, he will not have a choice," Sephiroth said firmly.

"Do not ever apologize on my behalf ever again!" Rufus snarled as he slammed his hands on his desk and glared at Tseng. "You are supposed to be on my side!"

"I am on your side," Tseng insisted. "But you almost got yourself killed."

"That little bitch was absolutely insulting and needed to be taught a lesson!" Rufus said angrily.

"Judging by what I saw, she was about to be taught the kind of lesson, your father likes to teach women," Tseng said pointedly. "And his child."

Rufus paled slightly. "That is a low blow, Tseng."

"Yet completely true," Tseng said with a shrug. "I told you any plan to use that girl in the way you are thinking will result in your death."

"Reno and Rude were there," Rufus said carelessly. "It would have been three against one."

"And Sephiroth has faced hundreds against one," Tseng reminded him. "Sephiroth isn't dead, so that leads one to believe the other men are the ones who died. You need Sephiroth's help, sir. If you continue to behave like this towards Miss Lockhart, he will kill you."

"You are supposed to keep me safe," Rufus said as he folded his arms across his chest. "If I die, that means you all failed."

"No, that means we're all dead, yo," Reno pointed out.

"My Turks don't die," Rufus said arrogantly.

"We ain't enhanced like SOLDIERs, man," Reno said. "Fighting one SOLDIER is like fighting three guys. Seph and Gen are like fighting six guys each at least. When you look at it like that, we are seriously out numbered!"

"You can't let your instinct to behave like your father take over," Tseng said.

"I have no intention of throwing money at problems!" Rufus snapped as he dropped into his chair. "Wielding power is all about control!"

"You cannot control them," Tseng said. "The more you tighten your grasp on the control you have on those around you, the sooner you will find an uprising against you. You will lose control of ShinRa and you will turn an extremely powerful ally against you."

"This sounds very close to a threat, Tseng," Rufus said, his voice deceptively calm and even. "You're not threatening me, are you?"

Tseng fought to retain the tenuous control he had on his anger. "Threatening you? I am trying to save you from yourself. And while on the subject of threatening people, your tone implies a threat against me for your overactive imagination getting the better of you. If you have a death wish, then proceed as you wish. I can only help you when you let me and if you insist on going behind the general's back, then I can't protect you."

"I can protect myself," Rufus said dismissively.

Tseng clenched his jaw and nodded curtly. "As you wish."

Reno turned and glanced at Rude when Tseng left the room before facing Rufus. "Just cool it, kid."

"Don't call me kid!" Rufus snapped.

Reno raised his eyebrows and grinned at Rude. "Whoa, I think it's nap time in kindergarten, yo. Let's see if we can round up some milk and a snack for him."

Rufus snarled and threw a glass at the door as it closed behind Reno and Rude. He was not his father! How dare they suggest he was? Didn't they know who he was or what he could do to them once he had his father's power? He could have them pulling guard duty at the Honeybee Inn for Corneo! He could have them banished to Modeoheim for the rebuilding of the town that never seemed to be a priority. Or he could have them killed for their insubordination. He could have them tortured or…or…Rufus' eyes widened slightly.

"Oh gods," he murmured. "They're right. I am just like my father."