Chapter 14. The Future is ours-To Have and Hold
Everyone woke late the next morning. Indulging in a few extra hours of sleep before preparing to leave. Aiko and Yuffie would be returning to Wutai, Vincent to Neblehiem, and Rufus and Tseng would be starting their two-week honeymoon. Where? Tseng had wondered, but Rufus had been tight-lipped on his plans. Stating only that their first one, having been a shoddy overnight attempt, Rufus was going to make it up to Tseng with something special and memorable. So after a leisurely brunch, while the staff got the limos packed. Rufus and Tseng then bid Liz goodbye with a hug and kiss to her forehead and final words to be a good girl.
Liz rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, dads! Seriously, I am an adult. And I am the Vice-President!" She laughed, "But I'll promise to behave. And besides, I have Rude, Reno and Uncle Shan here if I need anything. So you two go and enjoy yourselves." She smiled fondly. Even though Liz had been on her own and working for the paper, she still held the position of Vice-President and had offered to fill in, with the help of the Turks, while her parents went on their honeymoon.
Aiko stepped forward then and gave the younger woman a hearty hug. "It has been a pleasure to have met you, Liz. And I hope to see you more often!" The older woman stated a little emotionally.
Liz returned the hug. "As do I, Gran!"
There was another round of hugs, back slaps and final words as everyone said goodbye, and the departing party got into their respective vehicles and drove to the airstrip where Cid and his crew were ready and waiting. And once the bags and supplies had been loaded and everyone was on board. Cid, at the helm, navigated the Sherra to ascend into the afternoon sky and headed for the central continent.
The first stage of their flight took about three days as Cid, keeping in mind Aiko's dislike of ships in general, kept the airship at an easy cruising speed. This gave the party ample opportunity to relax and socialize. But no matter how hard Tseng tried. He could only get Rufus to confirm that their honeymoon encompassed two destinations, which had Tseng worrying over what his husband had planned. And his Grandmother's sly looks at him did nothing to quell his unease.
After dropping Vincent off in Nieblehiem, it took another day and a half to get to Wutai. And when they landed, Tseng realized exactly what Rufus had been planning as he watched the crew take ALL of their baggage out of the cargo hold and loaded into the waiting vehicles.
"Are we spending part of our honeymoon here? Or is this a pit stop for courtesy's sake?" Tseng hissed into Rufus ear. His heart dropping into the pit of his stomach. He hadn't been back to Wutai and his family's holdings since the final confrontation with his father, which resulted in Tseng, at fourteen years of age, travelling to Midgar in search of his baby sister Mei-li, who had been kidnapped. And Tseng felt unsure if he was ready for it, even now.
Rufus just squeezed Tseng's hand in a reassuring response and gave his other arm to Aiko, escorting both down the plank as Yuffie preceded them. Then, with a backwards wave, Yuffie was escorted by two palace guards to the limousine awaiting her and immediately whisked off to the palace. Rufus, Tseng and Aiko then climbed into the back of the sedan that was waiting for them. The driver taking them in a more Northerly direction that would ultimately take them to the outskirts of the Capital proper and to the Shirakawa property. It was a testimony to the Wutai nation who had recently adopted some modern technologies like cars, although only the wealthy used them and the roads that had been constructed. But Godo had realized that progress could be made without sacrifice and had begun to carefully and delicately modernize this tiny nation. Yet, at the same time, holding onto the traditions and values that were the foundations of their society.
Tseng sat beside Rufus and across from his Grandmother, lost in thought. What were they up to, and what did they think to accomplish? Granted, Tseng and Setsuka, his mother, had reestablished communication after the war. But it was sporadic at best. But through these communications, Tseng had come to realize that his father had changed. And even though Jinn had taken Sayuri as a second wife, Jinn still respected and possibly loved Setsuka enough to have left Aiko as Dowager and Tseng's mother as head of the house, even after Sayuri had given Jinn a daughter, Sakura. And yes, the family had grown since he had last lived here. His cousin Ai had gotten married and had twins boys, Libei and Shanhei. Adding new land to the Shirakawa holdings. And his uncle Noe, his father's twin, had increased and joined his land to his brothers' although he had yet to remarry. But all these thoughts flew out of his mind as they pulled up to the property, and Tseng saw that the whole family was already there to greet them. His Father and Mother are at the front.
Aiko looked at Tseng as they drove up to the property. And seeing the turmoil in his eyes softly states, "Dear heart, it is time to bury the past! And even though your father is a proud and stubborn man, he has seen the error of his ways and has changed for the better!"
When the car came to a full stop, Rufus quickly got out and held a hand for Aiko and helped her out of the car. But she quickly shooed Rufus away once she got her balance. He then turned and held his hand out to Tseng, "Coming?" Rufus inquired softly with a small smirk on his face.
Tseng scowled and huffed. "I guess so. It's not like I can stay in the car!" And he slides out of the back seat, taking Rufus's hand firmly into his own. He couldn't explain it but, Tseng honestly felt like he was fourteen years old again.
The trio walked forward to the waiting group, and Tseng witnessed his mother's broad smile at finally seeing him and his father's quick and somewhat uncomfortable glance at his and Rufus's held hands, which did cause Tseng to chuckle. And as they neared, Jinn stepped forward and quickly hugged Aiko. "It is good to have you home, Mother!" he said somewhat gruffly.
Aiko laughed as she hugged her son. "Jinn, I've only been gone for a month. But, levitation have mercy! You'd think I'd been for ten years or more the way you are hugging the stuffing out of me!"
Jinn coughed nervously and stepped back, muttering, "Sorry." Which made Aiko laugh even harder as she was aware that this action steamed from her son's nervousness about meeting his own son after so much time. So she signalled for the pair to step forward.
Presidential mask firmly in place, Rufus steps forward, gently tugging Tseng with him and bowed to the older gentleman. "Mr. Shirakawa!"
Jinn bowed in acknowledgment. "Mr. President!" causing Rufus to roll his eyes at all the pomp and circumstance, but he refrained from commenting. Manners and all!
Jinn then turned and faced Tseng and held his gaze for what felt like an eternity. Then, nodding, he held his arm out and Tseng, taking a deep breath, held his and both men clasped arms, which turned into a hug as Jinn said, "Welcome home, my son!" And then for Tseng's ear only, "I am sorry! I was a fool!"
Tseng swallowed back the lump of emotion, "As am I!" And father and son finally took the first step to healing the devastating wound that had separated them for nearly thirty years.
Rufus let out the breath he had been holding. Even though Aiko had assured Rufus that Jinn had seen the errors of his ways and regretted his actions towards his son. Rufus had been apprehensive about this meeting even though he had hoped for this outcome. Rufus had originally planned this part of the trip at a new and luxuriously built hotel in the capital proper. But after confiding his plans in Aiko. she had convinced Rufus to change his plans. Stating that the time had come, but Tseng and Jinn were cut from the same cloth and too stubborn to initiate contact with the other and would need a nudge in the right direction. And witnessing the outcome, Rufus was glad he had put his trust in the older women.
When Jinn had stepped back, Setsuka stepped forward and dropped all formality as she held her son in a desperate hug. "It is good to have you home!" She stated tearfully.
And Tseng felt himself getting choked up as he returned his mother's hug. "It is! I have missed you so much, Mother." He whispered emotionally.
And after a time they parted, Setsuka hugged her mother-in-law. "Welcome home, Aiko and thank you!" She stated.
Aiko nodded and held her daughter-in-law. "You welcome gentle heart!" She replied fondly.
Once the women released each other, Setsuka turned and faced Rufus. A stern look on her face made Rufus reach out and clasp Tseng's hand. "So you are the man who has won my son's heart?" To which Rufus nodded in acknowledgement.
"I pray That you have come to a firm decision as to your place in my son's life?" She asks grimly.
Rufus, knowing she was referring to the time of indecision Rufus had concerning his relationship with Tseng and his subsequent hiatus, replied just a firmly. "Yes, ma'am, I have!"
She smiled then and unbent enough to hug Rufus. "Then welcome to the family, Rufus!" She exclaimed.
Rufus blushed but replied with an honest, "thank you."
And this seemed to be the signal that formality had been met and the rest of the family stepped forward to be introduced. The first was Jinn's second wife, Sayuri and their daughter Sakura. Who promptly tugged on Rufus's pant leg and exclaimed that she was a five-year-old Princess and that Rufus was her Prince and if he would have tea with her the following day. The child's innocent enthusiasm had him and Tseng laughing, and Rufus agreed that he would love to have tea with her. Much to the other adult's amusement. It came as a shock to see the Sayuri was heavy with her second child and to hear Aiko exclaim in delight that she was going to become a grandmother again. But it eased Tseng's heart to witness no malice between the younger women and his mother. In fact, it appeared the opposite was true.
The next to be introduced was Akane, Aiko's youngest child. And with her, her daughter Ai, and Ai's husband Kazan with their identical sons Li-Bei and Shunhei. The adults conducted themselves quite formally, but the fourteen-year-old boys descended on their cousin, asking him to tell them everything about becoming a Turk. As they had sworn, they were going to be like Shan and Tseng and become Turks. Which had Tseng raising an eyebrow to his aunt and cousin, who only shrugged and mouthed 'boys' and made Rufus chuckle at their enthusiasm.
A young man stepped forward wearing what appeared to be a formal robe, which Tseng confirmed when he stepped forward and greeted his cousin with an arm clasp and warmly stated. "So it appears you have received Leviathan's Blessing and become a disciple, Hikaru?"
Hikaru smiled and nodded, embracing his older cousin. "Indeed I have. And I hope you and your husband will find time to come to the temple and receive a formal Blessing?"
"I'm sure we can manage to find the time for that," Tseng commented softly, albeit a little surprised that the temple had become willing to bless same-sex marriages. But perhaps this was the greatest indicator that Wutai, as a nation, had designed to lead its people out of the dark ages.
The last to step forward was Noe, Jinn's twin brother and Shan's father. He proficiently clasped arms with both men and nodded in greeting, but Tseng noticed his uncle looking towards the car they had left and, in understanding, softly replied, "Not this time, uncle, but perhaps I can convince him to come with us; the next time we visit!" At this, the older man nodded and stepped back into the crowd.
And before things could become strained once again. Aiko announced very loudly that they should all retire to the house and get ready for the welcoming feast. And with that, conversations started up as the family turned and headed to the main house. A servant came and escorted Tseng and Rufus to the guest house discreetly from the main building and yet close enough to not feel completely excluded.
Once the couple had put away their things, Rufus turned and took Tseng into his arms. "I hope you are not angry at me for planning this. I had originally thought of staying at a nice hotel in the village. But Gran felt that this would be a better solution."
Tseng laid his head on Rufus's shoulder. He felt limp now that the greetings were over. "No, my love, I am not angry. Perhaps Gran knew that it was time. It is good to be back and see my family—even my father. But tell me! Where do you plan to take me for the second half of our honeymoon?"
Rufus chuckled softly and released the breath he had been holding. "Good! And I have rented the cabin up in Icicle Inn," Rufus confessed. "Now, how about a bit of a nap before we subjugate ourselves to that throng you call a family?"
Tseng smiled softly and started to undress his husband. Planting soft kisses along his neck. "Let's"
And the two men celebrated their love for each other and a mending of the past.
A/N: And so we come to the ending of this part of the story, even though I will add parts of their life in Rufus Reminisces. I want to say an exceptional thank you to Kitsune_queen, who has become a dear friend, muse and the best Tseng to my Rufus. And it is through her imagination that Tseng has a family. So I hope you have enjoyed this A/U as much as I have enjoyed writing it. But for now, it is on to other projects.