Disclaimer: Anything that is not mine, is not mine. The games, the characters, they are not mine. The concept of the story is mine, but the elements added that were not originally mine, are definitely not mine. I hope that's enough disclaimer!

Author's Note: AAAAHHH I'm so sorry for the unusual delay for my fic! This one took longer because it is longer! 8k words! LOL Anyway, I had fun writing this chapter, but it was also the most challenging one yet! Again, much much thanks to Naya who beta-read this and who told me to include the rocket part! She helped me through this chapter early on! And special shout-out to my beloved RufTis! Thank you for always reading!

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Cloud was leaning back against the window frame, shifting his glance between the couple in question— Tifa was fidgeting with her fingers on her lap, her gaze down and unable to look at him, while Rufus was leaning on his elbow against his thigh, watching him intently, waiting. Both jerked up when Cloud suddenly chuckled.

"I think I know now what you meant," Cloud said wryly, directed at Rufus.

Rufus' eyes slid to Tifa who was still on the edge with her ruffled eyes. He snorted. "You see how it still makes her nervous?"

Tifa lowered her head again. "I hope you will forgive me."

"What for? There is no reason to apologize."

"For lying."

A long silence befell them. Tifa raised her gaze to him, apologetic and burdened by her fragile conscience. Rufus had sensed this too, tilting his head slightly to a side and gingerly taking her hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb.

And Cloud looked back, suddenly uneasy, barely finding a memory where there was ever a need to forgive Tifa— too good and faultless that he once deemed himself unfit of her attention some lifetime ago. For her to be sorry about anything just because she was doing the best she could was the unforgivable part, an accusation more directed at himself for even allowing her to feel as if she had committed something too terrible to forgive. All she really did was love a man they had loathed before they could try to learn that he was not his father.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Tifa," Cloud finally said and Tifa's shoulders loosened down. His eyes flicked at Rufus who had turned around on his seat to look back at him. "We haven't been exactly friendly to Rufus, so I can't blame you. Rufus and his Turks were not the chummiest people around either. What were you to do anyway when you see both of our groups constantly fighting? Besides…" Cloud took a deep breath and dropped his gaze. "We all lied at least once, you know."

"Not as bad as I did," Tifa countered.

Cloud shook his head. "I lied to myself. And that made me lie to you. To Aerith. Been keeping the wrong memories the whole time just because I got them all muddled up. And as it turned out, I couldn't even handle the truth." He raised his eyes again and looked at everyone in the room. "I lied to myself about becoming SOLDIER. About Sephiroth. About pretending everything was fine. They were all mistakes that led us to this catastrophe— Meteorfall. And then I also lied about—" he shifted uneasily on his feet and crossed his arms against his chest, "—lied about what I really felt for you."

Rufus levered himself slightly. Tifa squeezed his hand.

"We did it because we were trying to protect whatever was keeping us from breaking. Me from my past, you from tearing our group apart and losing our trust, and Rufus from losing you."

Tifa whipped her head to Rufus and gazed at him.

"But we pay for the lies," Rufus said.

Cloud nodded. "We do when the truth comes back for us. We can only be forgiven when we accept the fault of lying and finally admit the truth." He turned to Aerith who looked back at him. "Aerith helped me." He then looked at the couple. "And you got each other. Now I'm telling you, Tifa, that you got me."

Aerith nodded. "And me."

"And we forgive you."

Aerith offered Tifa a smile when her lips began to quiver and tears welled up in her eyes. "We understand, Tifa," she said. "And it helped that it all came from Mr. Shinra."

"Just Rufus, please," Rufus asserted.

Aerith nodded. "Right. Rufus. Still feels weird saying that. Nevertheless, we understand now the reasons behind every decision you made. And we accept that Rufus is your decision."

Tifa sobbed once and wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand. Rufus turned to face her and caressed her cheek in comfort.

Aerith smiled softly and giggled. "I can see that he's a good decision, Tifa. So don't feel too bad now. We understand why you did what you had to do. All in its right time, right?"

"Besides, Cait Sith kept it from all of us too, which means it was all for a good reason," Cloud added.

The moment was cut short by a careful knock on the door, evidently meant for Rufus or the injured Tifa. Tseng appeared through the gap as he gently pushed the door then nodded at Rufus. He nodded back.

"Sir," Tseng started. "There are reports from Midgar HQ awaiting your word."

Rufus blinked and slipped from Tifa's grasp as he stood and joined Tseng at the door. He threw Cloud a glance, an open invitation to join them, a gesture in Tifa's favor. Cloud loosened his arms to his sides and headed out the door with them.

Reno, Rude, and Elena had all drifted to sleep in the receiving room's couches. Tseng shut the door behind them and nodded at Cloud first before addressing the President once more.

"Sir."

Tseng's voice seemed to have a flashing effect on the rest of the Turks who jolted right up from their slumber— Elena stumbled on her feet, almost losing her balance, Rude slid from his couch and planted himself firmly on his feet in one smooth move, while Reno was the least gracious and rolled off to the floor with a painful thud. He jumped on his feet, ironed down his coat and his shirt with his hands, and sniffled, his eyes only half-open.

"Sir," the three of them followed as sharply as they could manage.

"Progress," Rufus cued.

"The estimated time of the Meteor's arrival is in five days, as per Dr. Hojo," Tseng detailed. Cloud crossed his arms and looked away. "Mr. Heidegger is insisting on your presence in Midgar. Mr. Tuesti, on the other hand, is insisting on the immediate evacuation of the populace and relocating them to underground places such as the tunnels and facilities that we have in Midgar, Corel, and Nibelheim. Mr. Palmer is suggesting boarding a Huge Materia in one of Sir Highwind's rockets in Rocket Town and launching it into the Meteor. Miss Scarlet is pressing on utilizing the Sister Ray."

Rufus cocked an eyebrow. "Sister Ray?"

"I would assume that she is referring to the Mako Cannon."

Rufus furrowed his brows. "Hm."

"As for the rest of us," Tseng motioned at the group. "We shall continue to await your orders, Sir."

Rufus lowered his head to the side and flickered his eyes to the ground, seeking for a resolution. Without looking back up, he said, "Advise Tuesti to proceed. Tell Palmer to wait for my word. Tell Scarlet to have the Mako Cannon transported to our Midgar HQ. I want the mako reactors to power it. And notify Heidegger of my arrival in Midgar."

Cloud tipped his head back at Rufus, eyebrows raised in surprise. "But, Tifa—"

Rufus cut him with a raise of his hand. Cloud scowled.

"And when will that be?" Tseng asked.

"Tell him I'll be there when I am," Rufus declared.

Tseng bowed and nodded at Elena before snapping back to Rufus. "Elena will see through the messages to Shinra HQ."

Rufus nodded. "Good. Now that's all settled, any advice from Tuesti where Highwind and the rest of the party are?"

Tseng nodded. "As it just so happens, they are in Corel, intent on retrieving the Huge Materia."

Rufus' frown deepened, a wordless inquiry.

Tseng continued. "Mr. Palmer had begun working on extracting the Huge Materia in Corel without a requisite from your office. I immediately advised Mr. Highwind's party, however, also without your advice because it is to my belief that this is an immediate matter."

Rufus shook his head. "I'm afraid I must agree with you."

"And as for Mr. Palmer?"

Rufus drew a breath and looked away, his lips pressed tight. "He will be hearing from me."

Tseng nodded curtly. "Noted. Will that be all?"

Rufus and Cloud looked at each other, brows knitted and ruminating. The former turned back to Tseng. "Prepare two transportations— one for Midgar and one for Corel. We will meet you at the rooftop."

Tseng nodded once more. "Yes, Sir."

Tifa was already sitting at the edge of the bed when they returned to the room, with Aerith taking over Rufus' chair and was in the middle of casting a glow of Curaga over her wound. Tifa's forehead creased at Rufus' frown when he entered.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It would seem that I might have to fly to Midgar, ASAP," he replied.

"Why? What's going on?"

Rufus took a deep breath, eyeing her contemplatively as if preparing her for a lengthy list of complicated circumstances. "Hojo is giving us five days until Meteor reaches the Planet."

Tifa's mouth fell open and covered it with her mouth. Aerith bit her lip.

"Mako Cannon is being proposed to be used, which I believe is worth considering since it is the most powerful weapon we have right now. It's here in Junon, so we will have to transport it to Midgar if we are to approve this."

"The research papers said something about Sephiroth's Barrier," Cloud said. "Take it down, and it will make Sephiroth more vulnerable. Maybe then Aerith can summon Holy."

Rufus shifted on his feet and curled a finger under his chin. "Then all the more should we transport the Mako Cannon to Midgar. It will give us a better opening of the Northern Crater."

"Mako Cannon that powerful?"

Rufus scoffed. "If fueled by all of Midgar's reactors, of course. It is enough to obliterate a whole city. I am confident it is more than capable of taking down Sephiroth's barrier."

"What about the people?" Tifa asked.

"Tuesti will be evacuating the people and moving them underground."

"Will it work?"

Rufus shrugged. "That's the best we can do. Better than Palmer's plan, in my opinion. Palmer is proposing to load the huge materia into one of our rockets then launch it into the Meteor."

Aerith suddenly stood, her gaze distressed. "No! Don't let him! The Planet needs all the Huge Materias!"

Cloud walked from Rufus' side to Aerith's. "Cid and the others are stealing the Huge Materia from Corel before they can board it on the rocket. I'm joining them to help."

"And I'm going to Midgar to see all these through," Rufus said, looking at Tifa.

Tifa nodded. "I will join you soon."

Rufus' brows squished together. "Of course not. You're staying here until you recuperate. And I will arrange your transfer to one of my underground bunkers as we sort this all out."

Cloud and Aerith awkwardly turned away when Tifa sent him a glare.

"How could y—? No. Not gonna even finish that. I'm coming with you."

Rufus scowled back. "You're gravely injured and barely able to stand. You can't fight like this."

"I can and I will. I've got Aerith!"

Aerith and Cloud exchanged nervous glances.

Rufus scoffed. "You can't expect her to babysit you all the time we are in battle. She has a role to fulfill at that to summon Holy and evade Sephiroth!"

"And you can't expect me to just lay in here doing nothing while the world is ending and all of you out there fighting without me!"

Cloud groused loudly. "Will you two just knock it off already?"

"Not if she doesn't decide to listen to me," Rufus retorted. "She insists on going straight to battle in her most vulnerable state. Perhaps you can try reasoning with her."

Cloud crossed his arms against his chest and turned away again.

"Okay. How about this," Aerith butted in, huffing then extracting a smile. "I'll give her one last dose of Curaga, Ancient style. It might just do the trick and I will let you know when she's ready to come with us. Until then, we will stay here."

Rufus and Tifa looked at each other and held their stare, suddenly engaged in a wordless conversation.

"That, I can agree on," Tifa said.

Rufus nodded sharply. "Good. That's settled, then."

Tifa sighed. "Just… try to get along. You two."

"I can promise to try," Rufus replied and stood. He leaned down to kiss Tifa's lips. "I will see you again soon."

Tifa gave him a small smile. "Yeah."

Rufus straightened back up then nodded at Cloud, prompting them both to start walking to the door.

"Well, that was quick," Cloud muttered under his breath the moment they were both outside and the door shut tightly behind them, referring to his reconciliation with Tifa.

Rufus grinned. "Give us a little more privacy and you might lose your mind."

Cloud felt himself shudder at the thought, but he chose to channel it through a deeper frown and a groan as they headed into an elevator.

It had been two hours since Rufus and Cloud left. The faint light of misty dawn was already coating the somnolent skies and rousing very few lights from the city, or what remained of it after the Sapphire Weapon's raid, while the approaching Meteor was spilling orange streaks behind the clouds.

Reno delivered her a brand new phone, care of her husband, the kind she always saw on television as the top of the line by its brand Dering, a subsidiary of Shinra. Of course, she thought when she first saw the box. And of course Aerith was gifted one, too. It would have been enough for her given the circumstances if only she could actually reach Rufus. Four times she punched Rufus' number, and four times she heard "the number you dialled is inaccessible at the moment" from the female operator.

"He's still up in the air, that's why," Reno reasoned. As it turned out, Midgar was at least three hours away from Junon even by a helicopter.

He and Rude had also begun taking care of their security (a little too tightly and strictly) and endorsing their needs to the attendants of the suite.

"I can tell them myself," Tifa contended to Rude once. The man almost relented had it not been for Reno who immediately interjected and told her that it was her husband, once again, who gave the order to make sure no one else would talk to her.

"Why?" she asked, frowning.

Reno tilted his head and gave her a chagrined look. "Hey, c'mon, don't give me that. After those incidents with AVALANCHE and Scarlet, he trusts no one for you anymore, especially not at a bad time like this. But, well, except Strife and company. You gotta understand that, at least."

On the other hand, Aerith's way won with one big gratuity.

Tifa could stand without hurting, which surprised her more than it did her healer. In fact, she could walk, move, and bend without feeling any pain. She could very well forget she was injured at all if she were to discount Aerith's stressing reminder to "not push it." It drained all of her energy, however, that a nap was inevitably needed. So Tifa offered her bed so she may sleep comfortably.

She checked her phone again, waiting for a word from Rufus or anyone. Doing nothing like this had her anxiety clawing deeper in her and giving her the constant need to know how everyone else was. She briefly wondered if Cloud was also given a phone and if Rufus had his number entered on her phone as well. Or maybe Aerith's. She looked at her friend who was still sleeping on her bed and envied her for the calm state she was in.

She returned to her phone to check and found that Rufus had indeed inputted a contact entry for Cloud. She dialled it, only to be responded to by the same female operator. She thought of Shera, the only one she was certain was not in the air who may have some news about the others.

Tifa tapped a finger on the screen of her phone to light it up and stared back at the multicolored wallpaper, in thought of dialling Shera and how she would go about it. She glanced at the door. She could ask Reno or Rude for the number, but then was immediately plagued by the possibility of Reno saying something again to limit her decisions regarding her safety. She could not blame him, after all— the orders came from Rufus. She could not blame him either. She reproved herself for not being grateful for the security detail instead, so her mind went to the softer, docile, more complying Rude.

She opened the door again and the duo instantly turned around to her.

"May I have a word with Rude?" she said.

Rude's head cowered back and then glanced at Reno unsurely. Reno nodded at both Rude and Tifa.

"Sure," he said.

Tifa nodded back and then retreated into the room, leaving the door open for Rude.

"Shut the door, please," she said once they were both inside. Rude followed and gently pulled the door close, careful not to stir Aerith.

Tifa began to whisper. "So, I wanna ask you something, but it's better that Reno doesn't know about it for now."

Rude made a sound against his throat and looked away. It was frustratingly hard to read what was in his mind with those glasses blocking his eyes, so Tifa remained gentle with her approach.

"Do you know how I can reach Shera?" she asked.

"Uh… Mister Highwind's wife?"

Tifa smiled at his response. "Not really his wife, according to him. But yeah, that's the one."

Rude pinched his lips together, hesitant and in thought. "You need to reach her?"

"Yeah. I'd like to get in touch with her and ask her something. Because, well…" Tifa tilted her head and darted her eyes to the ground, wrapping herself around her arms. Whatever that implied seemed to have gone into him because his eyebrows met upwards. "I'm starting to worry about the others. Especially Rufus." She sighed, and Rude rubbed the back of his neck. He was starting to become nervous. "I know I'm not allowed to talk to anyone else, but maybe Shera would know something. Maybe she was able to get in touch with Cid. I don't have Cid's or anyone else's numbers, but even if I do, I might interrupt them in the middle of a crucial mission. So I want to get in touch with Shera. Please."

She wrapped it up with her trump card— her rounded ruby eyes and a small pleading smile.

Five minutes later, Rude was scratching the top of his head, phone in his hand, while Tifa was by the window, her phone on her ear. She made a fist of victory when the other line rang.

"Shera! Hi!" she said a little too loudly when Shera picked up the phone. She heard Aerith shift on the bed behind her and offered her own apologetic look when she glanced over her shoulder and Aerith was rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Tifa," Shera greeted back. There were sounds of metals and faint steam in the background. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. Could be better," Tifa replied, not wanting to elaborate on what happened to her. "Listen, I'm not sure if you know Cid is in Corel—"

"He is?"

"Yeah. They were going to retrieve this Huge Materia. And I haven't heard anything from them yet. I was thinking that maybe you have?"

"I haven't, but, Huge Materia?" Shera sounded surprised.

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Yeah?" she said unsurely.

There were footsteps from the other line, clanking metal echoing against cramped walls. Shera began to talk in a hushed voice. "There is also a Huge Materia over here in Rocket Town."

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Palmer had it loaded on Shinra Number Twenty Six. He told me to rush on the repairs so that he could launch it to Meteor."

"Shera, the Huge Materia cannot be destroyed. Aerith insists on it."

"Why?"

"Because the Planet will need it, too."

Shera sighed. "I agree with you, if that's the case. But Shinra guards are here, and I can't take the Huge Materia on my own. I will need help."

Tifa nodded. "Got it. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Alright. I will wait for you."

"What's going on?" Aerith asked when Tifa hung up.

Tifa was tapping her phone on her other palm in heed. She turned around and looked at Rude then Aerith. "The Huge Materia is already on a rocket in Rocket Town."

Rude's brows furrowed and Aerith quickly slid from the bed and onto her feet.

"We gotta stop it!"

"I know." Tifa slid her eyes to Rude in a disquiet look. Aerith turned around and did the same.

Rude cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "This seems like an urgent matter."

"It is!" Aerith clamored and took a few steps closer to Rude. The Turk stumbled back a little. "If the Huge Materia flies with that rocket, the Planet will lose one good defense against Meteor!"

"What's going on there?" Reno called from the other side of the door. Rude opened the door to let him in.

"Palmer is launching the Huge Materia to Meteor," Tifa said the moment Reno appeared.

Reno frowned. "Boss did not give his go signal on that."

Tifa shook her head. "Palmer bypassed his authority. The Huge Materia is already on Shinra Number Twenty Six. We need to get to Rocket Town and retrieve it!"

Reno and Rude exchanged glances, and it did not take long before Reno's face calmed. The two of them nodded at each other.

"I'll get our transport ready," Reno finally said.

Tifa let out a long sigh. "Thank you."

Reno nodded then turned to Rude, patting on his shoulder before sprinting out. "You stay here, partner."

When the duo stepped out of the door, Aerith turned to Tifa, her right hand gripping on her left thumb. "Tifa, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to ask you this, but…"

Tifa nodded at her encouragingly. "Go ahead."

Aerith was tentative. "Are you sure Rufus did not authorize it?"

Tifa smiled and nodded. "I'm sure. The moment you told him how important the Huge Materias are, I knew he would not allow their use against Meteor the way Palmer wanted."

Aerith nodded slowly and rubbed her arm, looking away.

Tifa placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not that easy right now. But you can trust him, Aerith. Rufus may be the way he is, but he is a good man. That you can trust me on."

The four executives rose from their seats in the receiving area when Rufus waltzed in. He walked straight into his office without paying them a glance and shut the door behind him. Tseng held up a hand at the four when they started to approach, a gesture indicating to give him a moment.

Rufus dialled for Tifa on his phone.

"Rufus?" Tifa answered. She sounded breathless.

"I just got here in Midgar," Rufus said, frowning. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. Aerith's magic helped a lot. Listen, Rufus." Rufus stiffened at the urgency in Tifa's voice. "Palmer loaded the Huge Materia in Shinra Number Twenty Six. We're gonna go take it back."

Rufus' eyes pinched in disbelief. "What?"

"Shera told me. There are guards in Rocket Town right now, under Palmer's command."

Rufus let out a long, dragging sigh. That bastard, he thought. A leech who had never been good enough for anything, never competent enough to earn a seat in his company. And now he was not only going to cost the Planet's safety, but Tifa's as well. He clicked his tongue. "Tifa, let Cloud and the others handle it. Hell, let Rude and Reno handle it. I will deal with Palmer and you should be staying in bed."

"Palmer loaded the Huge Materia right under your nose," Tifa retorted. "He will launch it just the same, and we gotta get there in time before he does!"

"Where are you?"

"Still in Junon. About to board chopper Reno arranged for us."

"Even if you leave now, the flight will still be around three hours from Junon. You will not make it in time."

"But Shera needs us!"

Rufus began massaging his forehead. There was no stopping Tifa from doing what she wanted to do. "Yes. I know. But I would advise that Cloud be informed instead. Corel is closer to Rocket Town and that means he can get there sooner."

"Then we will meet him there."

"Tifa…"

"Please, Rufus."

Rufus grunted in frustration.

"I'll be fine," Tifa cooed. "Just take care of Palmer and the Mako Cannon, will you?"

"We will be discussing this when we see each other again. Your recklessness is killing me."

"Right. Can't wait."

A playful smirk crossed his lips. "Right. Take care now."

"You too."

Rufus shook his head at his phone as soon as the call was disconnected. Her stubbornness had the strength of a mountain and almost matched his own. It would seem, this time again, that he was the one to bend over.

How clichèd for a married life.

He pressed one of the buttons on his desk to buzz in his visitors and the door to his office promptly opened. Scarlet, Hojo, Heidegger, and Palmer all entered and took their respective seats. Rufus scanned the group.

"Tuesti?"

"Already evacuating Midgar, as per your instruction," Heidegger replied.

Rufus nodded. "Indeed."

Scarlet cleared her throat, audibly enough to turn everyone's attention to her. "In light of your approval to use the Mako Canon, which is what I would like to call the Sister Ray—"

"Yes, I know," Rufus drawled.

"—and its transfer here in HQ, I am also inclined to seek your approval to adjust the outputs of all our reactors here in Midgar to maximum and accommodate the power the Sister Ray needs in order to charge and fire."

Rufus nodded. "You may proceed."

Palmer shifted his glance between Rufus and Scarlet before beginning. "A-and as for the Huge Materia—"

"Yes, that," Rufus interrupted. He folded his arms behind him and raised his chin and eyebrows at the executive. He could feel his blood rising. "I wish to discuss that with you."

"I… er…" Palmer lowered his hand slowly back to his lap.

"Word is going around that you bypassed my charter and mined for the Huge Materia in Corel."

"W-well, that is not incorrect, but—"

"I also heard of a Huge Materia being snuck into one of our rockets. Shinra Number Twenty Six, to be exact. The one in Rocket Town."

"That is also not untrue," Palmer stammered. "But then—"

"Are you even aware of the importance of the Huge Materias' role in our current battle against Meteor? Or perhaps you also bypassed doing your own validation before proceeding? You might be launching the whole Planet into its own doom and you would never know why."

The other three executives peered at Palmer whose chins were sinking down on his chest.

"Perhaps this order will be easier to understand— abandon whatever plans you have for the Huge Materias. Or you might as well abandon your place in this company on your own before you embarrass yourself. And trust me when I say you will be kicked out in the least gracious way possible."

Scarlet sneered at Palmer's humiliation and stood, folding her arms, then paced in front of Rufus' desk. "Mr. President, I beseech that you don't forget it was my idea to fire mako powered reactor shells."

"Just make sure they will reach the Northern Border and take down Sephiroth's barrier."

Three hours felt longer in the air.

Tifa's head was still swimming from the flight— barely feeling sick, but was not in the best condition either. Aerith handled it better and walked straight into Shera's house the moment they landed. Reno veered over to survey her and smirked when she placed a palm on her forehead.

"Pilot Rude did a bad job?"

Tifa shook her head. "No. Just… my first time on a chopper."

"Phew, good to know. I almost thought you were gonna fire him!"

"Oh, stop it Reno," Tifa scolded.

"Anyhows, maybe you gotta catch up with Aerith. Missus Highwind might be waiting."

Tifa nodded and followed Aerith inside.

Aerith ran to her with a distressed look. "She's not here!"

Tifa glanced around. "Well, maybe we can check the rocket. She always works on it."

Aerith nodded and ran to the backdoor leading to the yard. Tifa took out her phone and dialled for Rufus. It took a few more rings before he answered.

"Tifa."

Tifa placed a hand on her cheek to lighten her dithers from the possibility of disrupting Rufus from anything. "Sorry, did I call at a bad time?"

"No. I just excused myself from a meeting with the usual hoodlums. You know how it is."

"Well, that's not an attractive word."

"And they are not attractive people. Quite apropos, I'd say."

"Maybe, you know, except for Reeve."

When Rufus paused from the other end, Tifa knew she stepped on a certain line. She pressed her lips together, squeezing in an "oops," and mentally smacking herself for saying something so bluntly.

"Reeve?" Rufus repeated, dubious.

Tifa cleared her throat, preparing herself for the possibility of a lengthy reasoning. "Well, yeah, if we have to be honest with each other. It's just a fair observation, really."

There was another pause. "Hm."

Tifa blew through her pinched lips. "Anyway, you are in a meeting, right?"

"We are just about to wrap it up. Where are you?"

"We just got here in Rocket Town. We haven't found Shera yet, so we're gonna check the rocket inside. How are things with Palmer?"

"I told him to forget whatever intentions he has with the Huge Materia or he's fired. But I don't expect him to really understand that because that's how incompetent that man is. I have given Reno and Rude their respective orders to make sure Palmer doesn't do anything sneaky, but be careful all the same."

"Got it. We are just here for the Huge Materia anyway. And then we'll leave."

"Good to know."

Tifa bit her lip. "You better go back to your meeting."

Rufus scoffed. "Don't remind me. I would very much rather be there with you. I'll be talking to you soon."

Tifa blushed and quickly nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Later."

When Tifa walked out of the backdoor after the call, Aerith was eyeing her conspicuously with a grin.

Tifa tilted her head curiously. "What?"

"Can't help but eavesdrop, but is that how you two talk? No 'I love you?' Or 'I miss you?' No 'hugs and kisses?'"

Tifa looked away when she felt the blush creep warmer along her cheeks. "It's not always like that."

Aerith clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Well you gotta do better than that."

Tifa sighed. "Can we just go?"

But Aerith did not let it go, even while they were climbing up the metal ladder to the rocket.

"I mean, he's your husband, Tifa!" Aerith managed to say while laboring on the steps. "This is supposed to be the honeymoon stage. You gotta be sweeter!"

"Sure, but who should start it?" Tifa asked while climbing beneath Aerith. "It's a little awkward to start something consistent like that if he's not open to it."

"Then open it for him!" Aerith said when she reached the rusty metal platform. "Tifa, do you honestly think he would initiate these sweet little details in the relationship? I mean, Rufus Shinra? He's got a stone cold heart, and it really surprised me how you two fell in love with each other to begin with, but you did! So, I say row through the whole ocean and start acting like a real couple!"

Tifa huffed as she joined Aerith. "We already are a real couple!"

Aerith nodded. "Good, then you're halfway there."

Tifa sighed. "Well, he did say he'd rather be over here with me."

Aerith pouted. "Well, that isn't saying much. He could be bored to death where he is right now."

"Something like that."

"But at least he's trying! And you should, too!"

A guard in a red uniform was already knocked out on the ground of the entry chamber when they got in. His face was blistered and bruised, apparent of how he fought zealously until the end.

"Wow, what happened here?" Aerith mused.

Tifa grabbed Aerith's wrist gently. "Aerith, I think you should just stay here."

Aerith frowned. "Wha— why?"

"You're too valuable to be involved in all of this. The Planet needs you, you know?"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Both women looked at the metal door where Cid's voice came from. Aerith ran ahead and carefully pushed it open. Inside were Cloud and Cid engaged with the ship's uniformed crew.

"How is the rocket?" Cid asked the men, suddenly cool.

Cloud's eyes widened when the two of them entered. "Tifa! Aerith! What are you two doing here?"

"We're here for the Huge Materia. Did you get it?" Aerith asked.

Cloud shook his head. "No. Not yet."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know yet."

Tifa looked around the room. "What's going on?"

"Shinra is still going to launch the rocket into Meteor."

"But Rufus already told Palmer not to!"

"Hey!" one of the crewmembers barked. "That's President Shinra to you! Show some respect!"

That ticked Aerith off. She glowered at the crewman and flicked her finger at him. "Hey yourself, dumbass! She's President Shinra's wi—"

"W-writer," Tifa cut in. She rounded her eyes at Aerith, warning her not to say more.

"Oh c'mon Tifa, it's about time they know the truth," Reno said when he suddenly appeared at the door with Rude. He was bouncing his nightstick on his shoulder and grinning at the crewman. "That 'writer' you just yelled at is President Shinra's wife. So you better show some respect."

Everyone who did not belong in their party gaped at Reno then back at Tifa. Some lowered their heads and stumbled back, while the one Cid was talking to straight up froze.

"Oi," Cid snapped his fingers at the crew. "Eyes up here. Answer my question. Who's doing the repairs?"

"Sh-Shera," one of them stammered after he had regained his bearing. "Shera's doing it."

"Well, what buncha wizards you all are. Shera's gonna take one hundred years to finish it! Eh, forget auto-pilot. I'll take it from here. Go and tell the others."

All the uniformed men looked at Tifa for her affirmation which she gave with one nod. Only then did they follow through with a "Yes, Captain!"

Reno blocked their exit with his stick and lowered his glare at the lot. "What happens in this room, stays in this room. You boys better love your big mouths good and use them well before something bad happens. Got it?"

Tifa sighed. "Just let them go, Reno."

Reno cocked an eyebrow before lifting his nightstick and allowing the men to pass through.

Cid was still standing by the control panel, scanning it and testing a few buttons. "Alright kids, ya'll do what you gotta do. The rest of you who are not involved better leave this ship now."

"Not until we find the Huge Materia," Aerith said.

"Eh, it should be up there through the ladder," Cid said, pointing at another entry to his right.

The ship began to shake. Tifa was thrown to a wall when she lost her balance, propelling Reno and Rude to stumble to her side. Being the one closest to Cloud, Aerith held on to his arms while Cid balanced himself by grabbing the edge of the control panel.

"What's happening?!" Tifa yelped as she glanced around.

Palmer's voice boomed through the speakers. "Is this working?"

"That bastard!" Reno hissed, while Rude helped Tifa up.

"Shinra Number Twenty Six, get ready for launch!"

"No!"

Cid shook his head, smirking. "Goddamnit Shera. You picked a bad time to finish the repairs."

"She was forced at gunpoint," Cloud denoted.

"Take Tifa outta here!" Reno yelled. "We gotta—"

The ship rattled more violently this time and they could feel the ship slowly lifting from the ground. Tifa bent her knees and held on to whatever surface she could reach for support as the ground gradually felt stable and lighter. She looked at everyone nervously, each of them finding his or her own ways to steady themselves.

They were going up to space.

"Boss is gonna kill us," Rude muttered under his breath rather calmly.

Cid trilled through his lips. "Quit being so dramatic." He trudged towards a panel by the wall and started pressing several buttons. "We got an escape pod for emergencies like this. Here. I unlocked it. All you gotta do is get in. Easy."

"Great," Reno said. He turned to Tifa. "Taking you there now."

"Not without them," Tifa shot back, gesturing at everyone else.

"And not without the Huge Materia," Aerith added.

"Then we gotta hurry," Cloud said. "Take Tifa and Aerith to the escape pod. Wait for us there."

Reno did a lazy salute. "Aye aye, SOLDIER."

Rufus was waiting with Tseng in his office for the Mako Cannon to land on top of the building when Elena barged in, panicked and agitated.

"Sir! Shinra Number Twenty Six was launched!"

Rufus blinked. "Tifa—"

"Missus Shinra and Miss Gainsborough are still on board!"

Rufus quickly shot up from his chair and rushed outside with Elena. He and Tseng followed her to the control room where about fifteen staff members sat by their respective computers, too focused on the numbers and details on their screens that they failed to notice him glide through their aisle towards Palmer. The executive was standing by a large screen, watching the progress of the rocket by the charts as it passed through the Planet's atmosphere and into space.

Rufus grabbed Palmer's collar before the latter could turn around and see him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Rufus growled so lowly and dangerously under a knifelike glare, his grip so tight he had lifted the much shorter Palmer from the floor.

Palmer could only let out a strained stutter. "S-sir—"

"I specifically told you not to launch the rocket," Rufus hissed.

"B-but, there is no othe-"

Rufus furiously threw Palmer back onto his cushioned chair, almost tumbling himself back from his own weight, hanging only by the chair's two hind legs. Rufus rammed the chair back down on the floor with one loud thump by stepping on the small space between Palmer's thighs and stomping on it with one hard thrust. It froze everyone else in the room from whatever they were doing who then turned their attention to Rufus as he was leaning closer to Palmer, still glaring.

"You listen closely and listen well, you rotten imbecile," Rufus seethed. "I don't ever want to see your face here again or anywhere that brushes my vision. I want you to disappear like a fucking speck of dirt that you are, gone without a trace and forgotten. Or I swear I will give you what you truly deserve as inhumanely as possible."

Palmer was shaking under the President's piercing scowl, face ashened, and eyes blinking rapidly. He wobbled on his feet when Rufus kicked his chair violently, lobbing it onto the floor with a loud clunk.

Rufus turned his eyes to the screen as his vision darkened from the incensed encounter. He was heaving to regain his composure and his focus.

He waited until Palmer's footsteps disappeared through the door before speaking again. "Get me through the rocket."

The clicking sounds of the keyboard in the room grew steadily until he felt Tseng leave his side and approach one of the staff manning a computer.

"Sir, we're in," Tseng said.

Rufus was still heaving, eyes flickering restlessly on the screen. "Number Twenty Six, can you hear me?"

There was silence.

"Twenty Six, can you hear me?"

Another silence.

"Tifa, can you hear me?"

And another.

Rufus' eyebrows were creasing together until a static sound came through with a voice breaking frenziedly on the line.

When the white noise settled and dissipated into a more stalwart silence, it was Tifa's voice that rolled in. "Rufus!"

Rufus fluttered his eyes close and exhaled in relief. He took in a deep breath. "Where are you?"

"Up here, in space! Palmer launched the rocket!"

"I know, Tifa," Rufus acceded as calmly as he could. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not. None of us is."

"What are you doing now? Where's Highwind?"

"In the cockpit. I think that's what you call it. He's trying to fly the ship."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the escape pod. I'm with Reno, Rude, and Aerith. We're waiting for the others."

"What for?"

"They went to get the Huge Materia."

"If the ship closes in on Meteor—"

"No! Stop right there, Rufus!" Aerith interjected, drawing a frown on his face. "I am not leaving without that Huge Materia!"

"Do you realize the Planet needs you more?"

"But the Planet needs it, too!" Aerith snapped back.

Rufus closed his eyes again, his jaws tightening. As much as he wished for Tifa to leave the ship and come back to the Planet before it reaches Meteor, he knew the mission was crucial enough to allow her to wait and stay. Rufus had to remind himself that it was for the Planet— their Planet. And he had no choice but to place his faith in Cid and Cloud to make it in time and bring Tifa back to him.

And there was the matter of the Ancient.

"Well, hurry up before you kill yourselves."

"Sir!" Reno's voice emerged. Rufus narrowed his eyes. "I would like to extend our sincerest apologies—"

"Can it for later," Rufus spliced crassly. "Bring Tifa and Aerith back, then we'll talk."

"Sir, yes Sir!"

Tifa came forth again. "Rufus?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry, okay? We'll make it."

Rufus pursed his lips.

"I… uh…" Tifa trailed off. He heard Aerith's voice whispering something nonsensical aggressively in the background before Tifa spoke again. "I miss you."

Rufus' heart stopped and his face fell from her words. He felt time cease to be for a second before the awkward pause in the air settled accompanied by the creaks on the chairs from the staff overseeing the launch and hearing the entire conversation. He could feel their gapes of disbelief drilling on his back as he felt the warm flush rising to his cheeks and then up to his ears.

Rufus cleared his throat. "I…" The lack of any trace of sound from around him was pressing. He turned around and sent everyone his signature glare, quickly prompting them to return to their respective tasks. Even Elena swiftly turned her head away, averting her eyes to the ceiling for Gaia-knows-what as if it was the only sensible thing to do. He turned back to the screen. Tifa was waiting.

"I…" He gulped. "I miss you, too."

The typing sounds from the keyboards grew louder.

Tifa hummed a laugh. Rufus turned his head away, his lips turning up a little on a side, unable to push down whatever he said had conjured.

"I'll stay on the line," Tifa said. "Until we get back there."

Rufus nodded. "Yeah. I'll stay on, too."

And he did. He stood there, waiting for Shinra No. 26's progress. He waited even after Cloud, Cid, and Shera joined Tifa and the others in the escape pod with the Huge Materia. He stayed even if it took at least an hour until the pod unlatched from the ship and Cid called in saying "We're on our way back!"

Still, he stayed there, waiting for Tifa to land back.

His pensiveness was interrupted only when Elena appeared on his side.

"Sir, we have updates about the Mako Cannon," she said. "It's here in Midgar."

Rufus faced her. "Has it been secured in place?"

"Just about to, Sir."

Rufus nodded and pressed the button to reach the rocket. "Tifa."

"Rufus?"

"The Mako Cannon is here."

"Good. That's good, right?"

"Yes. But I need to oversee its movement. I might have to leave for a while."

"Sure. Just do what you have to do."

"Tseng will be here, if you need anything."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"Okay."

Rufus straightened up and Elena made an unsure sound. He gave her an inquiring look.

"Sir." Elena nodded at the screen. "Aren't you going to—"

"No," Rufus snapped before she could finish the sentence. He had given everyone enough show for the day, and the private pleasantries with his wife could wait for later.

It was Cloud who threw up first the moment they got out of the escape pod. He was then quickly followed by Rude who lurched more loudly until he could not get any more out.

The flight back was anything but a smooth ride. "The atmosphere is getting in the way," Cid explained to them, the only thing Tifa understood from his lengthy lecture about astronomy and physics. She had never seen him so enthused about anything until he reached the space himself as if the vast expanse of the universe was the very essence of his being. Even Shera noticed it, paying him a heartfelt smile while they all tried to listen to him as they fell back to the Planet.

The pod had brought them in the middle of what looked like a jungle— tall tropical trees everywhere she looked and the spaces filled with the greenest bushes Tifa had ever seen. From a distance, she could see the upper part of an elevated makeshift shack and a wooden windmill turning lazily against the gentle gale.

The first thing Tifa did was take out her phone. As she had expected, there was not even a peek of signal.

"It's because of the remoteness of the area and the lack of signal towers," Shera explained to her. "Neither is viable in this area because it's so close to the lifestream."

The Highwind flew above them not long after. Barret took the lead of the ship the moment they caught sight of their falling craft and almost mistook it for an asteroid. It was Vincent who pointed out that it was man-made, therefore a part of Cid's rocket.

And out of everyone who greeted them in the Highwind, Barret was the only person who did not look happy to see her.

He suddenly fell silent when Tifa stepped into the ship with Reno and Rude following behind her. She cast him a look, an attempt to fasten him to herself while he was averting his eyes. She smiled a little when he finally peered at her with a stern look. Reno rubbed the back of his head and led himself and Rude away from them.

"So, you're the new Shinra," Barret said, his voice gruff.

"Yes," Tifa replied plainly. There was no other way to say it.

Barret hummed in his throat, a gutteral sound imparting his reluctance to accept her answer but conceding to her mind at the same time.

"It will take some time," Vincent offered when the silence between them stretched.

Barret shook his head. He glanced at his right arm briefly before turning back to Tifa. "It will take longer than that."

Tifa nodded. "Then take all the time you need."

Barret took a deep breath. "Rufus may not be able to change my mind about things. But maybe you can."

Tifa's smile grew wider, just enough to wrinkle her eyes. "I will try. Well, we will try our best."

"Hey, you guys," Yuffie called from the wide window of the ship's cockpit. She pointed a finger at a towering grey creature with a bright red gem on its chest emerging from the shore closest to Midgar. "What's that?"

Everyone ran to her side and watched as the creature trudged leadenly towards the outskirts of Midgar.

Tifa widened her eyes. Aerith clasped her hands together.

"Diamond Weapon."

Reno and Rude tussled to get their phones and so did Tifa. She tried to choke down all the thoughts of the Weapon reaching Midgar, of Rufus not getting out in time. She forced herself to catch her breath and focus before she could lose grip of her wit.

"Ya'll aren't getting nothing from those phones. Here." Cid quickly handed her a radio device. "Use this."

"Rufus!" Tifa cried out at the device. "Rufus! Pick up!"

The buzzing sound filled the other line.

"Please pick up!"

A/N: Next up might be the last chapter!