Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII compilation does not belong to me. I do not own the characters, story, places etc. They are all the property, copyright and trademark of Square-Enix. I place no ownership/claim on them by using them in this work of fan fiction.

Chapter Two: A King Upon His Throne

The office was warm, but not inviting. Everything looked a little too organised, a little too precise. There was a hollowness to it and it made her feel even more on edge. Rufus had made his way round to a tan leather chair behind a heavy looking wooden polished desk that seemed far too big for one person. Yuffie followed him hesitantly, drawing up to the front of the desk, before sitting down in the chair opposite him. This one didn't look nearly as comfortable as his. She struggled to meet his eyes, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed. She had never really spent any time with the President of Shinra. She'd been raised on stories of the old President and had built up such a clear image of the old geezer in her mind that the one sitting across from her just didn't fit into her mind. Of course she'd seen pictures and read articles with Rufus in, been told stories time and time again from Tifa and Barret. She'd decided years ago that this one should be just as hated as the old, after all he hadn't proved to be much better than his father. Villainy came in many forms, he might have been a different breed than his old man, but he was still a villain none the less.

That was who he was. Or who he had been. She'd heard equally as differing accounts of him since the events of Meteor Fall. They had build Edge out of their own pocket but that meant very little to her, it was the least they could do after the destruction they'd caused. Cloud had spoken to them all after the last battle with Kadaj, he'd said that although he couldn't be sure, Rufus had seemed genuinely changed, even if only a little and that he had appeared to show some real remorse over his company's actions. He had helped during the Geostigma crisis and the Sephiroth remnants had been kept on their toes by him and his Turks. She still couldn't believe Rufus had sort out Jenova's remains to protect them and not use them for himself. The thought was almost laughable. Shinra had always been about world domination, it was practically their slogan. She was all about giving people the benefit of the doubt but when it came to these guys there just had to be an ulterior motive. It had to be an elaborate act. She didn't know what to think but one thing she did know about Shinra was that they were masters of manipulation. She must have been lost in thought for sometime because Rufus started to shift in his chair, feeling the tension in the room and attempting to dissipate it.

"Miss. Kisaragi?" His voice was commanding, but without anger.

Yuffie finally looked up and blinked a little too hard, the coldness of his eyes stilled her for a moment before she snapped out of it. "Yes, Mr…?" She was inwardly cringing. What was she meant to call him? Her instinct would have been to just give him a stupid nickname. She'd heard that there was a time after Meteor Fall that the general populace had started calling him 'Doofus Shinra' and she was sorely tempted to use that little gem but somehow she doubted that would go down well.

"Please…" He gave her a rather rigid smile, "You can call me President Shinra."

Well that wasn't helpful in the least, the thought of being so formal and polite was almost scandalous. He sighed, you didn't need to be especially perceptive to pick up she was clearly uncomfortable and the look she was giving him was hard to decipher as anything other than thinly veiled disgust.

"If you must, you can call me Rufus." He smiled again, a little less formally than before. Rufus took little pleasure in such pleasantries, but he'd been informed by his Turks that Miss. Kisaragi would probably be a bit of a headache. The silence that had once again descended only cemented that fact.

Eventually when she spoke, her voice betrayed the smirk that wanted to spread across her face. "Fine, Rufus."

He clearly wasn't used to people addressing him by his first name and although he was trying his best to hide it, his eye twitched every so slightly when she said his name. Trying to clear the atmosphere, the young man straightened up in his chair, the leather creaking gently. "I hope your journey was pleasant?"

Yuffie decided to channel her best Cloud impression and made her tone as aloof as possible. "It was long." She didn't want to make this easy for him. If he wanted her to be amiable he'd need to try harder. He ignored her tone for the moment and tried to continue on.

"Yes, I can imagine. You've not been back to Edge for some time have you? How do you find it? We have been busy making various improvements and the stability of infrastructu-"

Yuffie cut the President off with a loud sigh, "Can we just cut to the chase?" This was utterly pointless, she didn't come here to have a chit-chat and she wasn't lying before, her journey had been long and she was tired. Her patience as a rule was always in short supply anyway, but given the current situation it had been practically drained.

"I had heard you were rather… spirited." He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I understand that this visit isn't exactly… palatable to you." That was an understatement. "But I'm hoping that over the next few weeks we'll learn to get along."

Yuffie let out a mirthless chuckle, allowing an eyebrow to raise. "Listen Rufus, let's be clear about something. I don't like you. Quite frankly I think you're scum." His eyebrows raised a little, though otherwise he remained remarkably composed. "That being said, I am the future leader of Wutai. For whatever reason you and your company just can't be kept down. If you want my help in getting the world back on your side then I expect you to prove to me that you're not going down the same path as before. Not only that but I expect some assurances about your future intentions towards Wutai." She had been looking him dead in the eyes throughout her little speech and continued to hold his gaze.

He let her words settle for a moment, before nodding slowly. "You're right, Shinra could do with some positive press, and our history with your people is... marred. Your use as a symbol is of great worth to me. I'm sure we can find a way to both be satisfied by the arrangement."

She didn't understand why, but the way he'd said that last part caused a strange tingle in her belly.

"That being said" Rufus took a deep breath as he lent back in his chair, "I have…concerns about your ability to fulfil your end of the deal."

Her brow furrowed, and her voice took on an irate edge. "What's that suppose to mean?"

He made sure to look her in the eye when he spoke, knowing he needed to step carefully with this one. "Your temper and energetic disposition could become a problem. Also, although I understand your feelings towards me at present, you seem unable to hide them very well which could become a problem when it comes to the press. You can't look like you're here under duress."

She opened her mouth ready to fight her corner, but realised at the same moment that she'd just be proving his point. She slowly unclenched her fists, something she hadn't even noticed she'd done and tried to make her voice as steady as possible. "I'll work on it."

Rufus nodded. "We shall see how you do over the next few days Miss. Kisaragi."

"So…" The young woman's brow relaxed slightly, though confusion lingered on her face, "what exactly is going to be expected of me?"

He sorted through some files on his desk before handing her a small black folder. "Here's the itinerary. You should find everything is clearly laid out. This is your own personally copy so make sure you study it later."

She quickly opened up the file and scanned over the pages. Right, let's see…looks like we'll be going to see some charitable organisations Shinra's no doubt funding, a few speeches at some checkpoints around the outside of the city, a photo shoot and press conference at one of Shinra's new labs, a charity ball- She outwardly cringed. Does this mean she'd be expected to dance. Rufus, who had been watching intently as the young woman was reading, seemed amused by her expression. She looked up at him, her voice tight as she tried her best to sound indifferent and taciturn. "This seems like… a lot."

He smiled, the corners of his eyes creasing. "Well I would be a fool not to get the maximum use out of your visit."

Oh yes, after all she was merely a tool wasn't she. God, these people are gross.

She tried to return the same smile. "Right." How humiliating.

He made his way around the desk and held out his hand to her. She looked at it a moment too long before rising from her own chair and reaching her own hand out to meet his. It was strangely warm. He had such a cold countenance that she had expected him to feel like ice, but he felt so warm. Although the handshake lasted all but a few seconds, when they parted it felt like she could still feel his hand on hers.

Now they were standing so close to each other she took a moment to fully appraise him. He was taller than her, but that was an easy feat, though he did seem taller than most of the men she knew. He was older than her by about a decade and she imagined if it wasn't for the effects of the Diamond Weapon attack and Geostigma he might look younger than his years. That wasn't to say he looked old, just that he looked his age. His hair was a silvery blonde and as he lent forward, thin strands fell in front of his eyes which were a cool blue; beautiful but empty, like they'd been drained of any spark. She wasn't sure if she thought he was handsome. He was aesthetically pleasing in a classic sort of way, but when she looked at him it almost felt like he wasn't real and it was off putting. Cloud and Vincent were often accused of being cold or distant but this was different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She took a little half step backwards, hoping she hadn't been staring.

Yuffie crossed her arms. "Erm…Where exactly am I staying? No one's actually told me yet."

"Ah yes," Rufus stepped back around his desk, opening a drawer and picking up a set of keys before returning and handing them to her, "there is an apartment within the Shinra Sector, I thought it best to keep you under guard. There is a possibly that whilst working with us you may encounter problems from certain… unsavory groups."

She cocked her eyebrow and gave him an incredulous look. "I'm not a helpless little girl you know. I'm a ninja of Wutai, we're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"That may be," He sighed reproachfully, "but we must appear to be the gracious host. If something where to happen how do you think the press would react. If we can't even protect you, we begin to look completely incapable."

Yuffie huffed, rolling her eyes, "Fine."

"With that being the case…" There was a touch of hesitancy in his voice, as if knowing he was about to get an earful, "you will also be assigned a personal body guard." His feeling were validated, as the young woman's voice rose in indignation.

"What?" Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her eyes wide. Not only was she expected to spend the best part of her days with this Rufus guy, but now she had to put up with some Shinra lackey following her around too. This is going to be the worst three weeks of her life.

The young man decided to push forward, if she was going to throw a fit then the sooner she was out of his office, the better. Walking steadily towards the door, he continued as if she hadn't said anything, "He will meet you out front, and take you to your accommodation. I shall see you first thing tomorrow for the first assignment. Remember to study that file and don't be late."

Reno was lent casually against the driver's side door of a black car that was far too shiny, a cigarette hanging from his lips, "Hey again, little Miss."

The disappointment she felt was palpable.

Yuffie walked up to the car, dragging her feet, "Well this trip just got ten times worse."

The red head gave her one of his best devil-may-care smiles, "Awh, don't be like that," He moved round to open one of the back passenger doors for her, "I was looking forward to the two of us becoming close friends."

"I don't need any more friends, especially Turks." She pushed past him, purposefully walking round the car and getting in the other passenger door, slamming it closed after her. The young woman knew she was being petty but she didn't feel the need to put on any pretense in front of Reno.

He shook his head, closing the car door slowly. The young woman's little display was certainly entertaining.

The apartment wasn't far from the Shinra Headquarters, in fact it was a little too close. She could practically see it from the window.

I'm not gunna get a moments peace from this lot, am I?

As they made their way inside, she took a look at her surroundings. The furnishings were of good quality, but there was really only the bare minimum; a sofa and a couple of plush looking chairs in the lounge with a small round dining table, two chairs and a sleek kitchenette tucked in the corner. A doorway followed through into to a bedroom with a double bed and an en-suite. Modern but simple. It would do just fine.

"So, up to your standards Miss?" The red head kept at least a few steps behind her as she walked around.

Yuffie looked back at him, putting on an air of indifference. "It wouldn't have been my first choice." She walked over to her bags, which had been stacked just inside the front door. After finding the one she was looking for she threw it onto the bed along with the file Rufus had given her and went to go into the en-suite. The young woman was only a few steps into the bedroom when she realised the Turk was behind her. During their car ride he had told her he'd be staying with her, which she found distasteful enough, but he was out of his mind if he thought he was gunna follow her into the bathroom. The young woman gave him a hard look.

The red head smirked, enjoying her annoyance, "Listen, I know it'll be distracting, but I'm sure we'll manage a few weeks together." He gave a little shrug, "I might even grow on you."

She raised her eyebrows, "What, like a fungus?"

Reno laughed. "Maybe."

The young woman took a step forward, challenging him, "Well I want a shower and if you think you're following me in there you'll be in for a world of pain."

He threw his hands up in mock defense and slowly backed out of the room to go a sit in the lounge. Yuffie sighed before closing the bedroom door, grabbing some bits from her bag and heading into the bathroom. It was already stocked with various body washes and shampoos, similar to what you'd find in a hotel; maybe these were guest quarters? Did they get many visitors? She supposed it was more likely that they were used for Shinra Employees when they were signed on or transferred.

So they like to keep their own under watch too.

The shower was warm and the pressure was pretty standard; nothing much to complain about. As the water cascaded over her she let her thoughts drift into a haze. She was so tired and yet she just couldn't relax, like she was stuck balancing on the edge of a cliff, ready to topple at any moment. She hadn't even been here for a day and Yuffie was already at her wits end. Most people who knew her would assume she was a master of manipulation, after all her years of sneaking around being a Materia 'Hunter', but the reality was different. Yes, she could put people off their guard, get them to relax around her enough to wheedle information out of them or distract them enough to 'relieve' them of their possessions but this was a different kind of manipulation altogether. The persona she had to embody was that of a powerful leader, with the ability to hold influence, respect and smarts to know when to speak up and when to have restraint. She sighed, restraint wasn't one of her strong points. Her emotions had always been like a pot simmering on the stove; just a degree or two from coming to a boil.

Yuffie finished rinsing herself off, shut off the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. It was nice and soft; she'd always found towels from hotels were better than the ones she used at home and these were no exception. As she stepped out of the shower she felt a trickle run down her forehead. Naturally she brought up her hand to wipe her face but froze when it met with something that sent a shock wave of pure revulsion over her whole body.

The scream that reverberated from the bathroom was, in a word, intense. Reno jumped up from the chair as if someone had electrocuted him.

What in the world?

Without even a moment of hesitation, the red head rushed through the bedroom and forced open the door to the en-suite, looking a little bewildered. Yuffie was flailing her arms about, as if trying to squat something off and her eyes were squeezed shut.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Reno squinted, trying to find the source of her terror. There on her back was a decently sized house spider, looking as though it was wishing it could be anywhere else. Shaking his head in amusement, he reached a hand out. "Stay still a moment." The red head quickly scooped up the eight-legged fiend and threw it out the window, chuckling to himself.

"When they said I'd be your bodyguard I didn't realise I'd be having to save you from creepy crawlies."

Yuffie's cheeks flashed crimson, her arms tensing at her sides. She was utterly mortified. "Oh shut up! I didn't need you to rush in here and save me, I could have dealt with it!"

Reno continued to chuckle, mockery taking over his tone. "Is that why you were screaming 'Get it off! Get it off!' at the top of your voice?"

She huffed, clearly with no good argument against him, but unable to relent. "It was… instinctual." It was true, she hadn't been able to help herself. Gawd, I really hate spiders.

As the adrenaline settled it became apparent to her that she was standing in a rather small space with the Turk, wearing only a towel that didn't quite cover enough to feel secure. Yuffie felt the heat start to tingle on her cheeks again, though she tried her best not to show it, not wanting to give Reno the satisfaction of her embarrassment. She let her eyes meet his for the first time since he entered the room and she immediately tensed up. She couldn't explain how, but the look he was giving her… it was intimidating. No, that wasn't quite right, it was more intense, more predatory. Her heart beat felt too hard. She had been around plenty of men and had spent a significant amount of time alone with Vincent but his presence had never felt like this. It was like there was a tension between them but she couldn't understand why.

Yuffie's eyes faltered as her fingers clenched at the top of her towel. "Erm… you can go now."

Giving off an air of nonchalantness, Reno just backed away towards the door. "Sure thing little Miss."

He let his gaze linger on her for as long as possible as he exited back to the lounge. After she was sure he was far enough away, Yuffie made her way out and purposefully shut the bedroom door with a little too much force. Her body felt like jelly all of a sudden as she collapsed on the bed. After a moment she rolled over and grabbed the file Rufus has given her and went to studying the contents; anything to take her mind off the lingering feelings that were conflicting within her.

As Reno sat back down in the chair, he heard the bedroom door slam closed. He clasped his hands behind his ponytail and smirked.

Well that was unexpected.

He was completely aware of the effect he'd had on her and was thoroughly amused by it. That little towel had left much less to the imagination that before and Reno had taken full advantage of the opportunity. He had come to the conclusion that his earlier assessment of her at Headquarters was right on the money. To think that the 'little ninja twerp' would have become so enticing. To make matters more interesting, the young woman had been practically blushing. Did she really have so little experience with men? If she was that easy to get her all flustered, then it was going to be far too tempting to tease her. Reno's gaze flickered over to the bedroom door, a little half smile on his lips.

This was going to be a fun few weeks to be sure.

A/N: That spider scene is based on a real life experience. Once, after showering, as I was walking into my room I felt this weird sensation, it was so close to what you'd expect from a bead of water but I just felt something was off and very slowly reached up my hand and flicked the source of the tickling. My flick must have been pretty hard, or the spider was maybe mushy from being wet, but I ended up finding it's corpse on my floor. It. Was. Gross. I usually put up with spiders to a certain extent, but I draw the line at them being on my face.