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: This was supposed to be waaay longer. But Naya and I agreed that we should cut it in two because nobody really wants to ready a long chapter! And the transition for the next events will work out better, so, I hope you'll enjoy this! Oh, and thank you Naya for beta-reading and editing!

It had been years since Tifa leaked so much that she needed to curl herself up inside her bathtub. She could remember only one incident when she leaked like that and it was when Rufus tried to force her to eat breakfast with him when they were kids, back when she had just arrived and was barely swimming with the tide of the Shinra household. She had never suspected that there would be a next time, not until she had to cut ties with the only person who was nice to her at the otherwise inimical school.

Tifa dashed into her bathroom when she was finally alone and water started pouring out the moment she slid her gloves off. She entered the bathtub and frantically tried to stop the leaking, but tears came out instead. She slid herself back down to the tub and folded her knees close to her aching chest as she fought the fitful wring inside. How badly she wanted to keep Yuffie as a friend, yet even that was never up to her. The looming morrow of returning to school was starting to become frightening as she pictured herself walking into the halls and the room, small, unimportant, and unwanted. So what if Yuffie planned to use her? She would be able to take good care of herself and she knew better than to allow other people to manipulate her.

Except that Rufus already did. Somehow. Someway. But Rufus was not other people. Rufus was a friend. A friend who also happened to be one of the masters of the mansion. And she would answer to Rufus if she defied his directions, especially the important ones.

Because she was meant to adhere to Rufus.

She felt the water swell under her palms and bump her hands away from her knees. She lifted them before her gaze and noticed the liquid globes taking shape from the water trickling on her fingertips. It was the first time it happened, but it didn't surprise her. Somehow, she knew that the water sensed her distress so it started to work on protecting her the only way it could, even when it could barely do anything.

The water had gone warm and comforting, then she had stopped crying. Tifa gasped at the dancing fluid, one stroke gracefully overlapping another as it surrounded her in a spherical wall. A smile graced her lips and she felt a chuckle escape when she realized the water meant she wasn't that helpless at all.

"Tifa?" Marle called from her bedroom door. "Rufus is here to see you."

Tifa blinked and lowered her gaze. The water had gone thicker and warmer around her.

"I don't wanna talk to him," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"I'm—" Tifa exhaled briefly and loudly. "I'm busy!"

There was a pause. "Alright."

Outside, Marle rubbed her hands on her apron as she trudged to the front door. Rufus' brows furrowed at the sight of her uneasy smile.

"Sorry, Rufus. Tifa can't join you right now," Marle said, almost halting on her words. "She's busy."

"With what?"

Marle shrugged. "She didn't say."

Rufus parted his lips to say something but quickly closed them again and hung his head down. "Right. Okay. I understand. Thank you, Marle."

Marle nodded at him just before he turned around and began his walk across the lawn. Tifa hadn't been replying to his messages nor had she been glancing his way since they left school. She had been in a somber mood, he could tell. But as expected, in her usual Tifa fashion, she locked herself up from the world. Again.

He texted her to meet him at the rooftop that evening at their usual time, but she never replied. He went there anyway two hours later, half-expecting that she wouldn't show up, and was surprised when he saw her sitting in her hammock.

Tifa looked over her shoulder and smiled, like she was happy to see him but she wasn't in the mood. "Hey, Rufus." She studied him and a frown slowly appeared. "Why are you standing there?"

Rufus realized he had stopped on the top of the stairs and was still dumbfounded at the fact that she came and was looking right at her.

"You…" Rufus cleared his throat to regain his composure then strode towards her. "You're here."

Tifa rolled her eyes and let out a lackluster snort. "Why wouldn't I?"

Rufus considered her for a moment. "I came to your quarters earlier."

"I know."

"You were busy."

"Yeah. I was."

"You didn't reply to my text, either."

"Oh." Tifa forced a smile. "Right. I hadn't."

Rufus approached carefully once she turned away, then sat on the couch while still fixated on her.

"You can talk to me, Tifa."

Tifa looked over her shoulder. "Hm?"

"There's something on your mind."

"About what?"

Rufus shrugged. "You tell me."

"There's really nothing to talk about."

She had officially shut herself from him. Rufus sighed loudly. "Don't be like that."

Tifa turned around to face him, one leg stretched down against the floor. "Like what?"

"Like you're locking yourself up somewhere I can't reach you. It's killing me."

"What—?" Tifa's face crumpled in bemusement. "There's nothing to reach for, Rufus."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine, then don't."

Rufus huffed more loudly. His fingertips were burning. "It's about the Kisaragi girl, isn't it?"

Tifa turned back around. She was concealing herself from him. "What about her?"

"You're upset because you can't be friends with her."

She didn't reply to that. Ah. That must be it, he thought.

"The school has a lot more students you can make acquaintances with. I don't understand why you must zero in on her."

"She's my first friend."

"Then make a second friend."

"She's my only friend there."

Rufus blinked. "I'm your friend."

Tifa sighed. Deeply. "You're not my classmate. And you're my senior."

"And?"

From her side where the moon cast light on her face, he saw her bit her lip. "The others are not that friendly."

Rufus furrowed his brows and shifted on his seat. "What do you mean they're not that friendly?"

"They act like I'm invisible." There was water in her eyes when she faced him again. "And only Yuffie made an effort to be my friend. And she had been a good friend."

"Put on more effort to make friends, then. Make yourself visible," Rufus retorted pointedly.

Tifa lowered her gaze. "Yeah. I thought so."

"Yeah. Because you know I'm right."

"No." Tifa shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

Rufus flinched, but she didn't see it. Her cutting words stumped his own tongue whilst she put a period on it when she said nothing else. Not even a look of remorse from her for saying something so sharply that held him in that moment— baffled and somewhat disconcerted. He wouldn't understand? The burning was starting to become stinging tingles.

Tifa slid from her hammock and started walking towards the staircase. "I'm going back."

"Wait!"

She stopped and turned around to him. "Yeah?"

Rufus rose to his feet. He rocked on his soles. Tifa was staring at him anticipatingly and suddenly he didn't know what to say.

"Don't…" he began. Don't, what? Don't try and tell him that he didn't understand? But there was no lie in there. He might not admit it, but he indeed could not understand where she was coming from, not when making friends was suddenly a difficult task for someone so amiable like her. And she had just lost someone who cared enough to be her friend.

Tifa was the only person he would consider to be a real friend. To lose her would be…

"Don't look for Cloud anymore," he blurted out instead, which made him instantly want to kick himself. He shoved his fists into his pockets. "He'll show up when he does. But I can bet my life he isn't in Junon Academy."

Tifa's eyes widened, yet her brows remained furrowed. Rufus caught sight of the clenched fists on her sides shaking.

"Goodnight, Rufus," she shot at him sternly before disappearing down the stairs. Still, he stood there for a moment longer, breath held in and frozen in place. He huffed and sunk back into the couch angrier at himself when his mind rewound the hurt in her face before she walked away.

Tifa did better at avoiding his eyes the next morning when they rode the car to school. He shuffled on his seat beside her, crossed his arms tightly against his chest, and sighed loudly, all to yield her attention yet she was unperturbed. She simply sat still, her gaze fixed to the window with a wistful look. Rufus clenched his jaw and shook his head at himself.

She trudged ahead to the quad and Rufus followed behind. He wanted to call her the moment they got inside, but she wasn't ready to talk. Even he could tell. And he sure wouldn't be begging for her attention again.

He halted on his steps. How long would he last, he wondered, through the rest of the day? There was suddenly something straining between them, a pull that tightened in every step she took farther away from him. He wanted to remedy it immediately and he could start by calling for her name. But he didn't.

Rufus rounded on his heels and started heading to his class.

Tifa looked over her shoulder to ascertain if he was still there but was only left with a sight of him walking away. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet, no longer wanting to hear what else she was allowed or forbidden to do. Tifa pursed her lips and went on her own way to her classroom.

And upon her arrival, to her surprise, Yuffie was still sitting on the chair beside hers, which had placed her in an awkward position. Should she decide to pick another seat, it would convey an aggressive refusal to Yuffie's act of staying friendly. If she chose to sit beside her anyway, it would mean another long set of ice cold, uneasy hours of lectures until lunch break. That and she would be defying Rufus' rule. Again.

But she would never reach so low to compromise her own integrity. It was one of the very few things left for her to keep.

So Tifa braved through it anyway and took her old seat, briefly eyeing Yuffie uncomfortably after she settled in. Yuffie turned her head away, pouting.

The heavy heart brought upon by the change between them and the reminder that she was alone lasted even during lunch, especially when she entered the cafeteria by herself. Tifa took a deep breath, lifted her chin a little higher, and berated herself that she had decided, just last night, to soldier through it. The relief of choice was something she couldn't afford in that situation, and it was something she must deal with.

She already had her tray in hand and lined up to the cashier at the front when she felt someone suddenly shove her from behind. The sudden force made her glass of apple juice tumble on her tray and spill its contents to the ground. The students around her quickly backed away, watching her as she stared in horror at her own lunch soaked in apple juice as the liquid kept splattering to the floor. She felt her heart stop and her ears rang from the dead silence that followed.

"Why don't you clean it?"

Tifa turned to the girl who said it— a pretty beguiling petite with blue eyes and short blonde hair, smirking at her. And somehow, Tifa felt she was also looking down on her.

"You're Shinra's maid, aren't you?" the girl taunted.

Tifa's eyes widened at the remark.

The girl cocked her chin at the mess. "Clean it, then."

Tifa's chest hitched, her eyes and cheeks burned, and her mind screamed for her to flee and hide from the dispraising eyes of the students who surrounded her like she was some freak. And at that, like a reminder lurking and waiting to be acknowledged, her fingertips were starting to wet.

"Hey!"

The girl turned around in response to the tap on her shoulder and was swiftly met with a punch on her face. The girl reeled to her side, wobbled to her feet, and was punched again on her nose before she could take a good look at her assailant.

It was Yuffie.

She pinned the girl by her chest in between her thighs to the ground and threw more slaps and punches while the girl struggled to shield her head with her arms.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM TIFA!" Yuffie screeched. "YOU'RE A BIG MEAN COW!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the girl yelled back.

"What's going on here?!"

Tifa, and the rest of the students, turned around at the canteen custodian pushing through the crowd and scuffling towards them. He eyed the feral Yuffie then the girl.

"Yuffie, what is going on here!" he barked.

Yuffie, chest heaving and eyes flaring with fury, quickly stood and pointed a finger at the girl. "She bullied Tifa right in front of our eyes, and I was only defending her!"

The custodian glanced at the girl like it wasn't the first time it happened. He sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head.

"On your feet, Alyssa."

The girl slowly and cautiously lifted her arms away from her face revealing the bruises, cuts, and the trickle of blood under her nose. Her lips and chin trembled when her eyes landed on Yuffie. She pushed herself up to her feet and pointed a finger at her.

"Don't think my parents won't hear about you!"

Yuffie crossed her arms against her chest and stuck a tongue out. "Can't wait! Then I will tell them what you did here today! I'm sure they'll be sooo proud of you!"

"That's enough!" the custodian hollered. "Alyssa. Yuffie. Office. Now."

Yuffie waited with an indifferent look on her as she watched Alyssa walk ahead. And the moment she was in the clear, she turned around and tossed a mischievous wink at Tifa over her shoulder.

Tifa was still too stunned over what happened that she could only stare back. But she knew what that meant. Even when Yuffie didn't utter a word, she knew she meant to say that they were still friends and that everything was going to be alright.

As the students around her dispersed and went back to their own, Tifa felt her chest loosen and lighten. Alyssa had called her a "maid." Nobody had ever spat the word like it was something derogatory, and no one had ever referred to her as a maid. Too few at Junon Academy had talked to her and she couldn't remember telling anyone about Marle, her background and how she lived with the Shinras. Except for Yuffie. Except Yuffie had sworn to secrecy and defended her from Alyssa despite the cold shoulder she gave her, so it would have been unlikely that Yuffie would tell anybody else.

Unless someone else told Alyssa.

Unless he did.

She cast her eyes down as she returned to the counter, no longer wishing to glance around in fear of seeing what other looks would come her way and dreaded, even more, the possibility of Rufus seeing the entirety of the incident.

If only she knew that he actually did.

He was entering the cafeteria with his usual posse when he saw the Kisaragi heiress attacking a girl she had just pushed to the ground. Alyssa Zaidelle had done something to Tifa that made Kisaragi scream murder and attack her in Tifa's defense. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM TIFA!" he heard her say, which was enough to freeze him just right where he was. He moved his sight to Tifa then to the juice dripping from her tray to the floor. He wanted to move but his feet had fastened themselves firmly on where he was, his mind reasoning that the situation would settle on its own, especially when the custodian appeared and came through to diffuse the situation. Entering the scene as himself would only add fuel to the fire and he could tell Tifa wanted it to be over as fast as he wanted it to.

He had his moment of hesitation once the crowd had thinned out and Tifa started to amble away with the tray still in her hand and her head down like she was hiding from everyone. He stepped forward then and sprinted after her only to stop halfway when she suddenly disappeared through a door at the other end of the cafeteria.

"Hey, Rufus!"

He didn't hark the call behind him. He started walking faster until he burst out the door that led him to a smaller hallway at the other wing of the building. He glanced at both sides of the corridor in search of her, but Tifa wasn't there.

He fished for his phone and typed a message for her.

Where are you?

It took a while before she finally replied.

Eating my lunch.

Where?

She didn't reply after that.

He contemplated calling her to force her answer out, but what good would that do? She hated it when he did that and he didn't want her to hate him more than she might already have. And then, as if on cue, the spark came when the thought of her eating alone slipped into his mind. Rufus quickly slid his phone back into his pocket, clenched his fists tightly to his sides, then took a deep breath. He wanted to see her, be with her, make sure she was okay, and apologize for not making it time to help her. It wasn't her fault, he wanted to tell her.

When his breathing steadied and the tingling had simmered down, he glanced around the hallways one last time. You have to show up, he thought, a wish that faded through the place. He huffed after waiting for three more minutes before turning on his heels and went back into the cafeteria. He would make sure to talk to her when they got home whether she'd like to or not.

Tifa lifted her head the moment she detected movement by Yuffie's chair. And alas, she was there, quickly settling on her seat, a playful grin across her lips while doing so. Tifa stirred on her chair to face her. She had many things to say.

"Yuffie."

Yuffie raised her eyebrows and gave her a smug smile. "Yes, Tifa?"

Tifa balled her fists, her leather gloves squeaking tightly against her fingers, stirring her courage to speak. "I…"

Yuffie's smile softened, wiggled her shoulder playfully, then turned her head away in one dramatic swoop. "You're welcome, if that's what you want to hear."

Tifa bit her lip then reached for Yuffie's hand. "Did I get you into trouble?"

Yuffie pulled her by the arm then pinned her under her elbows. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Alyssa took most of the brunt of it. It's all worth the trouble if this means we're friends again."

Tifa smiled wanly. "You know that I want us to be."

Yuffie winked. "Then let's keep it a secret from Shinra."

"Isn't that har—"

"We'll do our best!"

Tifa giggled. It didn't seem so hard, now that she put it that way. "Okay. Let's try our best."

Yuffie chuckled and shook her arm against herself, donning an impish look on her face. "Glad we agreed to it!"

Tifa placed a hand on her arm and squeezed it. "Thanks, Yuffie."

Rufus and Tifa hadn't seen each other again at the rooftop after that incident in the cafeteria. Rather, Tifa was sidestepping his messages asking her to meet him there every time.

What's wrong? He asked her the first time she denied him.

Nothing. Don't worry. She replied, not shorter than seven minutes after.

It infuriated him. Too many times he would pace back and forth in his room deliberating whether he should summon for her regardless if she was willing to see him. He had already visited her to her quarters once and he couldn't go through Marle— the wise old woman knowing better than to force Tifa into doing something she was not agreeable to. He didn't want to rouse the suspicions of the staff about them if he persisted either, if he kept this up. He thought of Reeve and how he could ask him to reach Tifa for him, but he remembered that the guy was far from dense. He was too smart, in fact, that he would most likely end up scolding Rufus for not allowing Tifa's need for space. And he couldn't deal with that right now, not when Reeve had the tendency to paint him in the wrong. Then he thought about calling her.

But why should he? Reason was no longer lingering in the matters of pride. If she didn't want to talk to him and see him, then he would especially reciprocate the hesitation.

And those three days of silence felt longer than they seemed or he had hoped. His fingers would burn more often, sparks would slip through, and he had to buy himself a new printer when his hand accidentally burned the one in his room.

She had stopped showing up in the cafeteria during lunch hours, the only time he could check up on her at school. He wavered on asking anyone— they couldn't know how much it dismayed him. The ride to and from school had been uneasy, although the regularity of it had him grow accustomed to her high disregard for him. And that bothered him more than anything.

The weekend had been more difficult when it arrived.

Rufus did his best to distract himself from looking out his window to Tifa's. He tried reading his books, but he always wound up glancing at his phone every thirty seconds. He would pace back and forth on the lawn as he bickered with himself over storming straight into Marle's quarters or back into the mansion. He had drowned himself so much in his thoughts that day until evening brisked by. He had woken up the next day only to go through the same woes over again. And as if to heap on his unforgiving torment, his father decided to be home that Sunday and tried to strike a conversation with him over dinner. It cost him too much effort to not roll his eyes that he had barely any to spare to listen to him stoutly talk about his new executive named Scarlet. (The name was enough for him not to trust her and to suspect that Scarlet was more than just an executive) Rufus would respond, albeit scarcely with short answers just to keep up with his facade as a good son, and it was rather enough for his father until he decided to excuse himself the moment he had finished eating then called it a day.

With the two days' rest granted to him over the weekend, or perhaps the lack thereof, Rufus was suddenly unprepared to see Tifa the next day. He tossed and turned on his bed as his insomnia worked harder than his will to sleep. His eyes darted to his phone and his mind hovered by Tifa's window. The night was cruel in his yearning to sleep it off and move on, but his heart kept nudging him to find a reason she had locked herself up from him.

Tifa had been staring at her phone for an hour, her thumb hovering over the "Send" button and then retracting to safety over and over while her gaze read her message for the fifty-fourth time.

Rufus, how have you been? I think I owe you an apology for not talking to you. Something happened at school and I'd rather not talk about it. I knew you'd ask me to tell you more, but I'd rather forget. Nothing to worry about it anyway. And it has been a few days already; it might as well be over. Anyway, there's something I'd like to ask you. It's about school and me living with Marle. Can I call you?

She wanted to send it because she needed answers, and she was hesitating because a part of her worried that Rufus wouldn't answer. He had been successful at tolerating her silence over the past few days and he had reciprocated it with a silence of his own. Tifa couldn't say that she was surprised, not when she was dealing with the proud, self-important Rufus Shinra. Reading it would probably send him cackling at her for being the first one to give in to the long silence. Then again, maybe he'd rather not get anything. Maybe it would be better for her to let the ice melt on its own.

Besides, it would be a good idea to avoid too much interaction with him. She might forget herself and let slip over her friendship with Yuffie. And if she had to be honest, keeping all her friendship secret, even the one she had with Rufus, was becoming more draining the longer it dragged on.

In fact, everything was starting to become tiresome for her.

She locked her phone, placed it on her bedside table, then buried her head into her pillow. It was going to be a difficult Monday.

Their eyes met briefly as she walked towards the car that morning after, and it felt as if the unspoken words between them were ready to burst. He rocked on his soles to face her and slid his hands into his pockets when her eyes landed on them and flickered at the realization that he was wearing his gloves. She was the first one to look away and stepped into the car while he silently followed.

When they arrived at the quad, their proximity made Rufus shatter through the wall between them. She was walking beside him and reaching for her was becoming more tempting— it was all he needed to do. So he called her name. And it had been so long that she hesitated before facing him.

Rufus's finger fidgeted around the strap of his own bag as he fought to retain a straight composure. He shrugged. "Is everything okay?"

"Between us?" Tifa nodded. "Yeah. I guess."

Rufus exhaled in relief, though subtly and gently so that she wouldn't suspect his own reprieve. He had been behaving like their long silence was not a big deal, so she couldn't think that he meant that. "No, I mean about you. And this school," he said instead.

"Oh." Tifa tucked her hair uneasily behind her ear in her effort to somehow distract herself from the racing of her heartbeat. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Liar. "Are you sure?"

Tifa nodded.

Rufus grimaced. "Then what about that incident at the cafeteria?"

Her eyes widened. He had caught her where he wanted her. Rufus shrugged again.

"People talk."

Tifa shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"You know I won't stop until I find out what really happened."

Tifa cast her head down and breathed rapidly.

"C'mon, Tifa," Rufus urged gently. "What happened?"

Tifa shook her head. "Rufus?"

He slid a step toward her. "Yeah?"

"Did you… tell anyone that I'm a maid?"

His breath hitched. "What are you talking about?"

She didn't lift her eyes. She stood still and solemnly while his mind was batting into pieces.

"Just say yes or no, Rufus."

Rufus exhaled loudly and fidgeted on his feet. He turned his gaze away at the students hurrying along the corridor as they tried to make it before the ring of the bell. They were going to run late, but all he could think of was the encounter he had with Don and the others when he told them of her status in the mansion. "So what if she's a help?" he said in defense. But the jeers from them that followed had meant that nothing, not even the righteous principles, could go through them.

"I…" Rufus couldn't lie to her. Tifa always deserved the truth, no matter what. But what if the truth would hurt her? What if it would take her away from him? They were already treading along thin ice, and he would rather not strike it with the admission of his stupid stupid mistake.

Her eyes cast down knowingly, now aware of the truth with his wordless answer. They both looked up when the bell rang and Tifa silently walked away while Rufus felt his throat close up. He made an irrevocable mistake. He knew he did.

And irrevocable mistakes often lead to irrevocable consequences.

Tifa had told Yuffie to go ahead that day during lunchtime because she had lost a pen in her bag. But that wasn't the truth. She needed to catch her breath from her encounter with Rufus that morning at the quad. He wouldn't admit his role in her torment simply because he couldn't, she could tell. But a guilty conscience needs no accuser. Tifa sighed deeply, languidly lifted the strap of her bag, and shook her head. She had held him too high in regard and now her heart was shrinking over the truth that he was never entirely her friend. But the sadder truth was that she had thought he was her truest friend. Five years' time could give too many expectations. In the end, he was still a Shinra and she was his subordinate. Always had been.

A petite girl with auburn hair and brown friendly eyes suddenly stood before her. She placed a hand on her hips and smiled glowingly. "You're Tifa Lockhart, right?"

"Yeah." Tifa waved shyly. "Hello."

The girl's smile grew wider. "Hi! Might I interest you in a play we're producing for Teacher's Day? There's an unfilled role, and I think you're perfect for it! Wanna try it out at the audition?"

"Oh." Tifa began to smile. "Are you sure? I'd be happy to join you and help out."

The girl clapped her hands in delight. "Perfect! Come see us at the auditorium after school."

Tifa's fingers fidgeted around the bag strap. "Oh. I'm carpooling with Rufus, and I don't think I'm allowed to make him wait for too long after school."

"We'll invite him over too, then! C'mon, it's gonna be exciting! I'm sure they'll love you!"

"Who's they?"

The girl winked. "You'll see!" She began scampering away. "See you later!"

Tifa giggled. "Okay. See you. And thank you!"

"No, thank you!" the girl called back.

Yuffie grimaced skeptically when Tifa told her about the audition. They were sitting at one of the benches of the gym, having just unwrapped their sandwiches. They both agreed that sandwiches were the most convenient food to eat at the gym where there were no tables around. It was the only place where they could eat their lunch freely until Tifa could find a way to convince Rufus to let them hang out with each other. Yuffie was surprisingly supportive of the idea.

"I don't know, Tifa. I don't trust her face." Yuffie took a bite from her sandwich, staining her lips with brown sauce she didn't bother to wipe off while her eyes continued to look up for words. She shrugged. "But if they're inviting Rufus Shinra…"

"Then it can't be that bad, right? I mean, they must know I'm kinda acquainted with him."

"I'll stay too, Tifa," Yuffie said. "I can't leave you alone with those witches. I have a bad feeling about those people."

Tifa shook her head but Yuffie held her hand up.

"You can't stop me, Tifa. I'll be there. Just in case."

"You can't be doing this all the time. I can take care of myself just fine."

"You don't know people like them. They're spoiled and bitchy and…"

Tifa giggled. "And what?"

"And tacky."