Author's Note: It seems a little odd that I've done this for four years, but I look forward to it every time, and I hope you do as well. This is one for Azora, who's always got me 'shipping Rufus and Scarlet. Still, she's been an awesome friend for. . .oh, god, five years now? And I know I was sad to see her stop writing. -ahem-. Merry Christmas.

-

It was something less than Scarlet's idea of a romantic getaway. Of course, she hadn't particularly expected a romantic getaway, and he'd never really told her that was the case, but she'd assumed that Rufus ShinRa's invitation of spending a weekend together was supposed to yield results that weren't platonic.

Nevermind that; it was something she also hated with every fiber in her body. It was a blue chocobo named String, and it was loud, heavy, smelly, and ugly. String had lost an eye some years ago, and a piece of its beak had broken off in a fight. Of course, just like a child, it had learned to adapt and stick its tongue through the hole – in and out, in and out, in and out.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Rufus glanced over, almost feeling sorry for her. She returned his look and said, "It wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't learned to fucking whistle through it."

At least String was happy. He'd been in Scarlet's family for thirty years or so, and had practically molested her at the gate. String didn't get many visits these days.

Through Scarlet's complete lack of internal direction, she'd forgotten some time ago which direction they were going, but they'd been going there for two days and she wasn't really comfortable with that. Every time she asked Rufus where they were headed, he would manage to change the subject without really answering her and make her forget her question in the first place – she'd stopped trying last night.

They'd had their share of good times over the years, but this one wasn't too high on the list. They'd had time to sit and talk inside the Sister Ray, tender moments on company trips to the Gold Saucer, and plenty of dinner dates that she forced herself to pass off as business.

Rufus sat on his own chocobo, gold, in his usual white coat and black turtleneck, looking at ease in the heat. He'd chosen to stay along the coast, whatever direction they were going, if only for the breeze. "I suppose it's kind of like when you broke Reno's lip open. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't learned how to talk out of it."

"Then Rude knocked his front teeth out, and he learned to whistle through those, too," Scarlet recalled miserably. They didn't know the context of the punch, but Reno had damn near killed the bald man afterward, so they all assumed it was passionate Turk business they had no right to hear about. Of course, typical of the two, they'd split a bottle of whiskey, broken a coffee table, and had found common ground after the dust had settled.

Scarlet and Rufus had found in each other a friendship that could survive long silences, and not a word was exchanged for the next three hours. Rufus suddenly stopped his chocobo and she followed suit as he dismounted and squinted his eyes at some black mass in the distance. It was either a city or a tank, Scarlet decided, but that was as far as her thinking got.

The boy president checked his watch and sprung into action, grabbing a rope out of the pack on his bird and looping one end around String's neck. He tied the other end to a ring on his pack and then pulled out a long piece of black fabric, advancing on Scarlet.

"Rufus," she said slowly, backing up a few steps, "what are you doing?"

He smirked. "Nothing to worry about. Surprises, surprises." He waved the black flag at her. "It requires a blindfold; is that alright?"

He was either trying to be funny or he was just too used to company policy. ShinRa had so many employees that there was probably a lawsuit involving anything you could do, and it was routine to ask for someone's permission to touch them in any way. She decided to think that he was asking out of respect, though. It would help her sleep if this turned out to be a joke.

Rufus was behind her a minute later, making sure the knot was tight, when he asked, "How fast can String run?"

It was a good thing he could run as fast as he needed to, because Rufus' chocobo was kicking up dust behind it as it went, legs a blur. String was the kind of bird that wouldn't have minded being dragged along anyway, and he would've probably whistled as he was. Scarlet could only hear wind whistling by her ears, and she wondered why they hadn't gone this fast the whole way.

"Do I get to know where we're going yet?!" she called, needing to yell over the wind, as she tightened her arms around his waist.

She could feel him chuckle. "Now, now," he responded. "Do you think I'd ride a chocobo for two days if I was just going to tell you where we were going as soon as I got the blindfold on you?" Unfortunately for her, he had a point, and she knew it. She let her head fall against his back and held on for the rest of the ride.

When they finally stopped and he let her off, she felt concrete beneath her feet. Everything had started to smell the same in her travels, though, and she couldn't decide exactly where they were. She heard Rufus shush someone when they got inside wherever they were, after he'd hitched up the chocobos, and she heard a loud din of voices all around her. He had her hand, though, and was pulling her around sharp turns and down long hallways. He was moving too fast for her to get in on any of the conversations, and it was probably intentional.

Suddenly the noise faded out, she heard a door close, and the voices were replaced with song. He whispered for her to be quiet and led her some more, closer to the noise, and set her down in a seat before pulling off the blindfold.

She'd guessed as much as she could see. They were in a large auditorium, the lights down, and on the stage was a group of children, singing one of those songs that everyone knows and no one knows the name of. She looked at Rufus and he smiled, putting a finger to his lips, and they went back to watching the performance.

It wasn't long before a little girl stepped to the front of the group. She was strikingly blonde with bright blue eyes, and looked as Scarlet had looked when she was that young. And young she was; maybe seven at best. But when the other children quieted and she began to sing, she sounded like she'd been doing it for longer than Scarlet had been alive. Hers was such a strong voice that Scarlet didn't notice Rufus squeezing her hand until the solo was over, and she looked over during the applause.

"Holy, Rufus," she muttered, eyes wide. It took her a moment to see tears in his, and she gripped his hand as she quirked a brow. "What's wrong? I mean. . .who is she?"

He breathed for a second, giving her a moment of silence, and leaned in close. Her face flushed – her hopes had been too high; he was only telling her something.

"She. . .that's my daughter."

-

Author's Note: A bit of a clear-up for anyone confused. Azora's requests to me all circle around Scarlet and Rufus, and so I've kind of made them into a series over the years. And I say if I keep getting requests for it, then she can have a cliffhanger 'til next year, if it comes to that. xD Cheers, Az.