Ha! This time, I indeed managed to finish the chapter before the turn of the year! I hope you'll like it!

Chapter 21: Rufus: The King is gone, but he's not forgotten

They say he didn't bleed or cry.

Rufus used to be proud of that. Not to bleed, not to cry. To know no pain and no feelings. He only wished it were true.

Tseng had followed him back from the helicopter deck, of course. He had offered no opinion, not a word, no consolation. Only when Rufus had turned to his office, Tseng had placed his hand onto his back for a short moment.

I'll figure something out. There always is a way. What a nonsense!

Even in the faint light, the white spots on the back of his hand was obvious. The book he had tried to block out his thoughts with was lying next to his feet. It hadn't helped.

He knew he shouldn't have hoped. If he had been rational, if he hadn't hoped, it wouldn't have unbalanced him so much to hear that, yes, he was going to die of New Geostigma after all.

Either because he burned himself to death or some punk from the street conducted his personal witch hunt.

If his body didn't kill him before that. It had been bruised everywhere around the white spots, not to mention the exhaustion he had felt. Bruises meant that tissue had been hurt or destroyed. Tifa was quite right to suppose that humans weren't meant to produce spells.

He had been so bloody foolish to hope.

He didn't want to die.

There was so much he needed to proof, so much to do.

His hand dug deeper into his hair, until it nearly hurt.

He was just plainly afraid.

Afraid of the fear that was to come, the Turks' sympathy, afraid of death, but most afraid of what was resting in the back of his head. Exactly where he had his hand now.

He didn't ever want to feel that loss of control again. Panic, first, expected, known, and then, the fire that rose. Lightly, before, suddenly, it had turned into a maelstrom, burying everything, every other sensation dead but the one of raging fire, complete loss of control of mental power, nothing but fire that burned everything away, braking loose in the same moment. Painful, as if he was up there in Shin-Ra's tower again and the air around him ablaze.

The most horrible moment had been when he had fallen behind the flames, how they had taken over, no way to suppress them, no way to control them, how they had just taken possession of his body and torn him away. As if they were tearing part of himself away, as if they owned his body. And then, in the last moment, the fire had taken him up, and solvated his mind in flames so that for moments, he had just been gone.

He never wanted to feel that again. Everything else he had experienced he would be glad to face again. But not that.

Yet every time he rested his head it was back, vividly, and the more the fear grew, the more he felt the flames rising again.

He leaned his head against the knee, tried to close the eyes, tried to breathe calmly, to listen to his hammering heart, the cold sensation of evaporating water on his skin. Just like the materia Tseng had used to heal the bruises.

Yet another thing that scared him. It hadn't felt like materia had ever felt before. It had felt as if it the spell was sipping in through his wounds, connecting. With what, he didn't know. With what, he didn't even want to think about. Even the mere suggestion accelerated his heart again, filled his head with the stirring emptiness of fear and that accelerated the fire inside him again. Yet, he forced himself to think that, different from the spell, the healing materia hadn't felt bad. Her suggestion hadn't been bad.

She knew.

His heart leaped, still cramping with fear. Tifa Lockheart – Tifa – knew. Yet another thing that frightened him. If it slipped her, if she just told it – he couldn't bear to think that anyone knew that he, too, was one of them. Lowly. Human materia which killed itself. Pathetic, without control. Not to mention that it would put his life in direct danger.

According to Elena, people in the street hated and despised New Geostigma patients. There was a wide spread opinion that they were sinners, marked by lifestream. According to Elena, that was exactly why they had been murdered.

He shuttered at the thought of the bodies, fear rising again. Witch-hunt-atmosphere, that's how Tseng had called it. Good to have ginger hair, then. Oh, and a red eye.

Would Tifa talk?

He still recalled the way she had studied him, her sympathy which had struck him completely unaware. Her presence of mind today in the church, how she looked at him there, that mixture of contempt and amusement when she talked back. Her desperation when waiting in front of the emergency room, her determination to save her son, the way she spoke to him. The way she dressed, as if she couldn't effort more cloth, the heavy boots that didn't fit the skirt. The way she called him 'Shinra', as if it was a mocking name, sometimes an insult. The way she moved, the way he could so easily anger her. The way she squared her shoulders. The empathy that had persuaded her to tell them about the healing materia. The way she had lightened up after he had said there was a solution to New Geostigma. The way she always said she mistrusted him but then believed him.

That he hoped they would quickly progress with the investigations so he could see her again.

He felt his heart hammering, the fear lingering below, he opened the eyes again. He was definitely thinking too much on the wrong topics.

He leaned back, rested his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, heart hammering with the rising fear. If he didn't think about the fear now, if he just let it linger there at the back of his head, and carefully closed his eyes, he would perhaps be able to fall asleep.

Maybe thinking about how he would never persuade Tifa to like him – not to mention give up Cloud – would help.

My, he was so pathetic.

The morning was grey and cold again, the sky leaden. When the hatches to the helicopter opened, the icy wind rushed into it quickly. Rufus got out, straightened up and looked around him before he set into motion, Elena falling in behind him. He was tired, he hadn't caught much sleep throughout the night. But this wasn't a day to be tired. He squared his shoulders, knew it was weak not to have slept most of the night. Just because of some silly problems. His father had had nothing left for loser. L. The doors to the building opened automatically and they were welcomed by one of Reeve's managers, a fact Rufus didn't appreciate very much but which was necessary, of course.

The doors of the elevator closed. Elena remained silent. She performed well. Still, Rufus missed Tseng's reassuring calmness at his shoulder. But Elena was smaller than him, she always tended to look a little awkward. She would certainly give the right impression. And a lot depended upon the right impression today. Today, Shin-Ra would make its first official appearance to the public ever since Meteor.

How much they had achieved already since then!

How much he had lost.

Rufus studied his image in the mirroring walls. At least, he didn't look tired as he felt. In fact, there wasn't a hint of the worries that had kept him up all night, or of the lack of sleep. He looked every inch he wanted to look. His hair was lying close to the skull, the few strands falling, as if by accident, into his face. The scratch had disappeared from his face, even the contact in his eye was undetectable.

His white suit was immaculate, white alternating with black. He had left the jacket open, as if careless, same as the white shirt was hanging loosely over his trousers. Casual, but not too casual to look professional. He wasn't wearing his gloves; his right hand was barely covered by a bandage to hide the white spot.

He tilted his head slightly upwards, adjusted his expression to be smug but yet not too arrogant, looked at himself.

Loser, he thought. You get a company from your father, you spoilt brat, and take it down within months. And even that wasn't your achievement. It's been three years now and Shin-Ra is still groping around. You've done nothing so far and now, you're just feeling sorry for yourself. You aren't any better than all those other high society brats.

Elena was studying their image, too, smiling a little at him when she caught his eye.

They trust you. You'd better not fail this time.

The doors opened with a decent 'beep' and as if the world still belong to him, he stepped from the elevator, was directed by yet another of Reeve's employees to the conference room and when he entered, Elena close behind him, everyone turned.

For a short moment, only, Rufus stopped in the doorway, finding Reeve after a quick look around and set into motion. As he crossed the room, he knew everybody was watching, knew that once again, he was the most important person when he accepted Reeve's hand. That they feared him for something that wasn't his.

"Rufus, good to see you."

Rufus gave a smug smile, tried to banish what ever negative thoughts were still swirling through his brain. "Good to see you, too, Reeve." It cost him a lot of pride to accept Reeve's hand and words instead of receiving them. But it would be worth that pride.

"Why don't you take a seat? We are about to get started," Reeve continued.

Rufus inclined his head a little, this time receiving the words. A look around told him that he had achieved exactly what he had intended to achieve. This weren't the people who hated Shin-Ra for what had happened and were frightened that Shin-Ra might pursue that route further. These people thought of Shin-Ra more as a threat to their carefully built up businesses. And now, they would think that Shin-Ra was in a good relationship with WRO while still being WRO's junior partner and fully accepting that position. For all they could know, Shin-Ra wasn't more than a very small company, just coming back to its feet. It didn't suit Rufus at all to create that impression, but it was true that, at the moment, WRO was still far more powerful than what he had scratched together of Shin-Ra. He still had to guide all those small companies he had bought or set up in secret and it would be a while until the time had come to unite them all in Shin-Ra. Until then, he couldn't have any of them look at Shin-Ra more closely and perhaps notice something. So, he would have them think that while he was eager to keep Shin-Ra in the upper league, he could be satisfied with titles. Just like any other high society brat.

Rufus drew the chair back and sat down, aware of all the looks on him, and looking around himself. All the bigger companies relevant for the area around Midgar were present. Fuel companies (a few), companies for renewable energy sources (a lot of which he basically owned but doubted they knew), Midgar's Fontainebleau (who was nominally head of a business building generators and lamps, and had sadly brought his daughter) and Fontainebleau's manager (who really ran the company and just needed an important name), Edge's new water-provider (another of Midgar's old nobility who made use of his dubious connections to ex slum dwellers), several other smaller companies (easy to buy up when the time came), and, of course WRO (which he funded directly). It could have been worse.

Reeve started the conference with a speech and after a while introduced the plan to rebuild great parts of Midgar. While the other companies joined the conversation vividly, Rufus mostly listened. When asked, he assured that he was only providing land and some logistics to make life worthwhile again in Midgar, as he saw it as his duty to make up for what Shin-Ra had done to the planet. It was too early to let them know that he had ambitions. He just needed them to commit themselves to Reeve's plan.

As Reeve presented the project, they bought that Shin-Ra was only involved to 'make up', barely more than an associate. Most of them bought it entirely and were pretty relieved by that news, as it seemed. When the conference ended, they thought they were important, most were even enthusiastic about the new plans. Of course they would help, they had assured. They were glad to be asked and taken seriously and they thought it a good idea to improve living conditions in Edge and provide more jobs. They were glad for the great projects and most of them hadn't hesitated a second to 'join forces' and provide their signature.

Rufus had planned to make his appearance as short as possible – he certainly didn't care for more than the small talk with Reeve which was inevitable in any case, and if only to cement the created impression. The others, he didn't want to talk to. He rather preferred to single them out, one by one. Corner them.

But when he was about to leave and had nodded already to Elena, he was intercepted by Isolde Fountainebleau.

"Rufus!" Her voice pierced him and he turned around with a smile he tried not to make contemptuous. She was supposed to be her father's heir and she hadn't paid the least attention. Not that her old man had, but at least, her old man had tried to feign it. The dress she was wearing was underlining her (borrowed) wealth too much, the diamantes around her neck might have been in perfect resonance to her hairstyle and earrings, but were completely out of place for the occasion.

"Miss Fontainebleau," he nodded his head, about to turn. She had always been supposed to be the most beautiful girl in all Midgar. But she wouldn't have stood a chance against Tifa Lockheart and Rufus wasn't about to call Tifa Lockheart beautiful.

"Oh, come on, Rufus! Don't be so formal! It must have been years!" She didn't get his hint and stepped right into his way.

"Seven, now, would you excuse…"

She interrupted him in the midsentence: "Seven? Indeed! It's been too long! You were just a lad when you left! We were so sorry you had to go!"

"I'm sure you were." He made no effort to hide the sarcasm, and rather looked for a way to pass her. But people were standing packed as if everyone in this room was trying to block his way out.

She laughed, moving a little more into his way. "Oh, you're still as charming as ever! – Were you also as bored? Gaia, I nearly fell asleep."

"Indeed? I wouldn't have noticed."

"Really? Oh, I always used to be a good actress!"

So, sarcasm was clearly wasted on her. There was a small gap forming in front of him.

"… you know, you didn't say! I had hoped soooo much you would mention it! I really find the idea great! You could have them build it a spa just like in ancient times! You know, with all…"

The gap had closed again before Rufus could move, and he cursed inwardly, turning back to the young woman in front of him.

"But here I am, babbling away again and barely leaving you time to say a word! I'm sure we will have lots of time to talk at the party next week Sunday – you will be my special guest, you know! And you really need to tell me about your journey round the world!" She laughed her silly girl-laugh again, leaned closer and lowered her voice while Rufus willed himself not to move backwards and knock over the people behind him: "there'll be something very secret to talk about."

Just before she could secretively place her hand on his shoulder, Elena's hand slipped forward and stopped the movement. "Please keep your distance, Ma'me."

Isolde started at her, then at Rufus who willed himself to keep the smirk from his face and discreetly slip his hand from his jacket.

Then, Isolde jerked her hand free, "Let got, you bitch! How dare you even touch me?" She looked back at Rufus. "I hope you'll fire her for that!"

She drove around and stalked away, and Rufus led out a long breath, turning to Elena, "Let's leave before stupidity turns out to be contagious."

Passing, he gave Reeve a short nod, exchanged a few words with two or three others who dared to talk to him and was more than happy when the door to the elevator closed behind them.

He caught Elena's image in the mirror and gave her a nod, "Thank you, Elena."

Elena smiled shyly. "I didn't want you to shoot her, Sir."

He gave a soft laugh. "Good thinking."

Elena blushed. She seemed to do that an awful lot, especially when Tseng was around. Then again, she was very attached to his head-Turk as Rufus was sure everyone knew. But his head-Turk, of course.

"Now, that was rather short but painful, wasn't it?"

Elena blushed again. "I… I didn't really pay attention, Sir. Not… not to what was said."

Rufus smirked. "That wouldn't be what I pay you for, anyway."

Elena nodded, then looked at him. "Tseng always pays attention."

"Tseng is a little more than just head of the Turks."

In the same moment, the elevator gave a 'beep' and released them onto the upper level of Reeve's building which offered a splendid view over Edge if it wasn't raining cats and dogs like it was now.

Elena looked at the cascades of rain that were hammering against the windows while Rufus was calculating if that was enough rain to soak them through before they reached the helicopter. He came to the conclusion it was.

"I think we should wait another moment, Shachou," Elena announced in the same moment.

"That sounds reasonable."

Sheets of water were running down the window as he stepped closer, placing one hand against the cold glass. It would be better to come up with a topic for conversation. Otherwise, he would only think about what was lingering in the back of his mind, only just fought down. Up here, the rest of the town nearly disappeared in the low hanging clouds. Apart from the water and the rain, there wasn't much to see. Grey in grey with scraps of the grey town in between.

"Uh, Shachou," Elena started in the same moment and Rufus had to smirk. She was surely communicative, Elena. "About that invitation…"

"I don't socialize." Rufus replied, his smirk fading in the same moment. That was definitely a topic he wouldn't talk about. No, he surely wouldn't ever socialize with them again. Their hollow and meaningless lives, their barely hidden contempt for his birth and the way they still suck up disgusted him.

"Uhm… that was not what I had in mind, Sir… I'm sorry. I… ." Elena fell silent in the mid-sentence.

"Yes, Elena?" He thought of Isolde Fontainebleau and thanked himself that he had been smart enough to try and get his father killed before he could keep certain promises. Otherwise, by now…

"I… I mean, I was wondering, if you don't like them, why do they still invite you? I mean, it can't be the first invitation you aren't going to accept and… uhm… you shirked them pretty much when you became president and…" Her voice trailed off again.

Rufus studied her reflection in the window. She seemed to be surprised at her own bluntness, but he was surprised how little he minded it. "I'm of consequence, aren't I?" he replied after a moment. Money he had, President Shinra's son he was, a man who had ruled the world and thus forced his way into their acknowledgement.

Elena nodded, seemed to blush again. "Yes, of course, Sir."

For a moment, they fell silent. The rain was still hammering against the windows, making it almost impossible to look through. He could barely see the helicopter port.

"Only, they aren't of any consequence anymore. They still fancy they are, though." Was he indeed still? He looked at his mirror image. WRO was of consequence. He was just another business partner for Reeve. One with a lot of money, but Shin-Ra surely wasn't anything close to big anymore, even if he acted a lot smaller than they were. At the moment, Shin-Ra was just an association of shattered businesses, all bought up and held together by himself. He would have to be very careful not to be the one who had been used in the end and he hated that idea. Loser, he thought with bitter anger, staring at his half-reflection in the window.

"Perhaps they will be again," Elena offered.

Rufus shook his head. "I doubt it. Their ancestors built up their businesses, they used to live on what money they could still milk from their companies. But they lost their monopole now, and they know nothing about business and don't care. All they know and care about is consequence. They don't even notice how they are burning up their money."

Elena seemed a little taken aback and Rufus realized that perhaps, he had let a little too much of his contempt show in his words.

"That's sad," she said at last. Perhaps she remembered all those glamour magazines. It was a strange notion to think that she, a Turk, should have read them, too.

Rufus shrugged. "That's life." He had never really understood how somebody's life could be filled just with party and fashion all day long. In his opinion, they had had it coming and if he could help it, he would have nothing to do with their extravagant world of wasting money and resources. Or the shallow people that inhabited it. His father had bought his way into their good-will and cooperation. If it had been him, he would have bought their businesses and disposed of them if they hadn't been of any further use. Which he doubted they would have been; they knew nothing about work.

At the other end of the room, a door opened and closed again, but he didn't bother to turn.

"Hi, Tifa." Elena's greeting made Rufus turn around, his heart suddenly a lot quicker. He hadn't realized he had actually hoped to meet Tifa and, pathetically, he envied Elena for using Tifa's first name.

"Good afternoon, Miss Lockheart."

"Hi Elena, hello, Shinra." Tifa had stopped. "Is the conference over already?"

Rufus gave a short nod. "I hope Denzel is improving?" He still remembered how the boy had clung to his jacket, how small he had been, those terrified eyes, and didn't quite get why that all was a reason to really care about that brat. Yet, he had wondered several times how the boy was improving.

But Tifa smiled and perhaps, that made the question worth it. She gave a half nod. "Yes, a little. Not as much as I hoped, but… he's up and he's relatively well and that's all that counts." She studied them and didn't look quite so happy.

"Now, he was shot twice and they left him to bleed to death, you know? It's not only physical." He was surprised by his own reply. Why on earth would he want to cheer her up? She was strong enough and the last one she'd want sympathy from was him, she had made that quite clear. And why would he offer his sympathy to someone like her? Just because he had been forced to save her brat?

Still, she smiled back when she replied, "Yes… Sure." But her smile was worn and suddenly, he realized that it was perhaps that worn smile that had made him utter these words and that made her so alluring. So, he was almost on his knees himself and felt inclined to someone just because she was fighting not to crack up herself? Right. Brilliant.

"So, you are waiting for…?" Tifa broke the silence again.

Rufus nodded outside. "For the rain to stop."

"Oh, I see. You don't want to get wet, right?" Tifa smiled a little at that.

"Right." He studied her. Again, she was wearing a little too little for the weather. She didn't look as if she had chosen her clothes carefully in any way. Yet another thing he couldn't understand. Why she still looked good.

"Why're you waiting here, then? Don't they want you below?"

Rufus smirked. "The pause in the rain was a little shorter than expected." But 'rain' brought him to quite another conclusion, for suddenly, he remembered that Isolde Fontainebleau had babbled something about his plans to build a spa. Only, he was pretty sure Reeve hadn't told anyone and Tifa Lockheart surely didn't know upper-class people. "By the way, Miss Lockheart, do you happen to be in any kind of contact with the upper class?"

Tifa suddenly glared at him before she answered, slowly and deliberately, "I had a bar, Shinra. Quite a good running one before either you or your bloody father dropped the plate."

Her tone suggested very much that 'having contacts to the upper class' must have had that negative connotation in the slums, and that he shouldn't press any further on that matter, but it also made very clear that even if she had had contacts to the upper class, she surely wasn't using them anymore.

"My father," Rufus replied. "I wouldn't have dropped the plate." That was even more pathetic. That he had known better than his father and still, the company had gone down before he could proof any of that.

Tifa didn't reply to that which perhaps was better that way. Her hair was almost black in this light.

"Is Reeve on talking terms with them?"

"I don't think so, but business, of course. Why are you asking?"

"I was just wondering," Rufus shrugged. It was perhaps a good idea to encourage Tifa to find out, though, "Denzel said the people he surprised questioned him, and that he had replied he had expected them to be my people who were building a spa. – Someone just asked me about the spa."

Tifa looked at him, a little stunned. "Oh…" And after a moment, she continued. "But… you don't expect them to…"

Rufus gave a soft laugh, "Them? I should be very much surprised. All I'm saying is that if neither you nor Reeve told them, they must know from another source."

Elena had been looking from one to another so far, but suddenly intervened: "If you were to go to that party, you could find out, Shachou."

Tifa gave Elena a puzzled look, "What party?"

"A high society party," Rufus replied, liking the look on her face. "That sort of thing which all those flock to who fancies themselves important, and have too much of their hollow chit-chat."

"The woman who invited Shachou was the one who talked about the spa. It would be a perfect opportunity to find out," Elena added.

Rufus gave another scornful laugh. "Don't forget you aren't of consequence, Elena. They won't even talk to you. And I couldn't care less to make myself amiable to them. If you want to have them talk to you, have the police arrest them. For speeding or whatever."

Tifa seemed a little surprised at his reaction, at least, she looked a little taken aback. "Aren't those people your friends, Shinra?"

Rufus sneered. "Now, birth or income certainly make bad selection criteria for friends, don't you agree?"

Tifa halted a little at this reply and then suddenly looked at him with some kind of a smile that made his heart beat faster, "You know, Shinra, why we all go down and drink a cup of tea until the rain stops? There's a little bar in this building. It'll be a lot more comfortable to argue there. And you can tell me a little more about the case."

The look with which she was fixing him, the smile, her words, it took him so completely aback that for a moment, he felt nothing but his heart hammering and his breath catching in his throat. He hoped he had caught himself quick enough when he shrugged, his brain still somewhat empty and all but wanting to leave. "There isn't much more on the case so far. We don't know, yet, where the drain ends."

It was still raining cats and dogs, he could still except her invitation, even if there was too much to do. But… he couldn't let her guess. Only, this invitation, he supposed, was clearly making his day. If Tifa asked them to join her for tea, she couldn't mistrust him that much anymore. Or perhaps he had just managed to say the right thing to her for once.

Tifa shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"There's really nothing much to tell," Elena supported him, oblivious. "I think Shachou and Tseng-san told you basically everything yesterday and today, well, it hasn't been twenty-four hours, yet."

Rufus didn't add anything, nor did Tifa ask further.

"So, you're going back to your HQ now?"

Rufus gave a smug smile and gave a short nod. So, Tifa did actually possess a skill to make polite conversation. "There's still more than enough work that needs to be taken care of."

Tifa grinned a little, mischievously. "So, you don't just sit around and enjoy all the evil your employees are causing?"

"No, actually, it's quite a lot of work to make people miserable," Rufus replied, sarcastically. "Different from running a bar, obviously."

Tifa frowned at that, definitely more than Rufus had expected. She seemed even angry, but didn't snap back, although her entire face darkened. Perhaps she was too much aware that she might have given a similar insult.

"Is Denzel awake all day already?" Rufus asked after another moment to chance the topic again, watching the rain outside. If he wasn't mistaking, it was decreasing. He hoped he was mistaking.

Tifa looked at him, a bit estranged, mastered her expression in the same moment. "Sure."

"So… He'll be up and about soon again?"

"Not any when soon, I fear." Tifa looked worried, suddenly. "I mean, his leg is fine, but… it seems that the White Geostigma lingers around the wounds. It hurts him very much to move it."

Rufus nodded. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"But Reeve suggested a wheel chair." She gave him a half teasing half dark look. "I guess you're an expert on that."

"I guess the rain is decreasing," was his reply. He wasn't much in the mood to make that a topic of conversation and disappointed. It seemed that if he didn't find a way to vex her, she found a way to vex him.

Tifa looked outside, too, got his hint, for she replied with a short, "Looks like it."

"I'd better leave, then." He inclined his head a little towards Tifa, didn't want to part.

She nodded. "Tell me if you got something new."

"Of course. I hope Denzel gets well soon."

Tifa smiled. "Thanks."

He gave her a short smile, too, before he turned towards the helicopter port.

"Hey, Shinra?"

He had hoped she would call and turned back. "Yes?"

"They have phones nowadays. Would be got if you called us before you set into action."

He smirked. "Whatever you say, Miss Lockheart." He turned and than turned back again. "Have a nice day."

She replied his smirk. "Yes, you too."

It was still raining more than could be appropriate, but they made it to the helicopter without getting too wet and after a few moments, Reeve's building was disappearing in the misty day.

Perhaps, Tifa was even watching. But why on earth would she? Only because he was overdosed on dopamine? He should really be a little more impartial about her. After all, she knew about his illness. But although he still feared she could, much to his surprise, he actually trusted her that she wouldn't tell anyone about his illness.

For now, this is it. The chapter next week (hopefully) will be dealing with Tseng who gets a cold and a worsen situation downtown.

As always: please tell me what you liked/didn't like or if I made huge mistakes.