One's Love, One's Pity



By: Bishojo Beauty



Chapter 1



Tifa opened the door that separated the kitchen and the small bedroom using her back. She stood, frozen as she gawked at Rufus' standing form. She dropped the tray of food on the ground stupidly. Rufus slowly turned around, raising an eyebrow in question.

"You shouldn't be standing!" She shouted. Rufus only shrugged. Waving her off. He did feel a small tinge of pain rising from his left thigh. But nothing that could really stop him.

"Answer me one question," Rufus spoke cooly, "Why am I still alive?" Time seemed to stop, the question stood frozen in the air. Tifa fuddled for an answer.

"I saved you," she finally blurted out. Rufus spun quickly on his heel. His eyes narrowed.

He started to chuckle maniacally.

"Okay, it's over. No more games. I'M DEAD!" Rufus roared, throwing his hands up for more of an effect.

"Rufus?" Tifa cautiously made her way over to Rufus. His head was down. She could hear him whisper nonsense to no one in particular. She reached out to him. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder. Maybe she hurt him, or maybe she didn't. But suddenly, he collapsed. Landing in Tifa's arms. Cursing, she carried his prone form back onto the bed. She practically threw him onto the bed. There was no other way. He was light. But not light enough for her to carry. She went over and cleaned up the mess on the floor where she dropped her food after she made sure Rufus was okay. She picked up a list from the kitchen counter and headed out the door.





Timing herself carefully she quickly made it to the nearby shop to buy some clothes and some food. There was a commotion at the back of the shop but she ignored it and went to the store keeper. Focused on her task, she bought the few things she needed and continued on her way back.

"Shut up foo'!" A voice shouted. Loud, booming, familiar.

"What you just say?" Another voice shouted back.

"Quiet both of you! Or I'll chop you both up and make some sushi out of you," a young voice squealed. Recognized to be Yuffie. Tifa quickly made her way over and around to the group just to say hi.

"Hey guys!" Tifa greeted waving with her free hand. Four heads turned and looked at her surprised.

"Hey, Tifa. What brings you here to Kalm?" Yuffie pulled a chair out, inviting her to sit.

"I'm kinda in a hurry. But drop by my place for a while. I'm just down the street. Maybe later today?" Tifa asked casually. Forgetting there was a certain person resting in her home.

"Yeah, sure." Cloud smiled. She waved her friends goodbye as she made her way back to her home. One returning home, she realized that she had done. She invited a few AVALANCHE members to her home while their enemy lies unconscious in her very bedroom. Very smart, Tifa. She cursed loudly making her way into her bedroom. Rufus was still unconscious. Unaware of what was about to happen.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit! Shit, what am I going to do?!?" Tifa paced around her room thinking of a plan to keep AVALANCHE from knowing. She thought of stuffing Rufus into the closet, but her fears of him awaking and walking out changed her mind. She heard a few muffled voices from the outside. She raced over and inspected around the area for the few AVALANCHE members. There was one girl and 3 men. The girl was dressed in some odd clothing holding a huge ninja star-like thing. The one man had blond spiky hair and a purple costume and a overly large sword. There was a dark skin man with a gun arm and the last guy was smoking and held a large spear.

"Definitely AVALANCHE," Tifa whispered quietly to herself.

"What's definitely avalanche?" A voice queried from behind her. She spun around quickly and eyed the person who voiced the question. A smirk was plastered on his lips, his eyes burned with the essence of a child.

"Um...AVALANCHE is here. They're coming," I stated. I watched him as he swung his long legs over the edge of the bed and walked over to the window and peered out to make sure I was not bluffing. He placed a finger on his lips thoughtfully as he continued to search the outside for something.

"It's not even snowing. What do you mean avalanche?" He finally spoke.

"Don't' you remember AVALANCHE?!?! The rebel group against your company? I was one of their members!" I threw my hands up to emphasize the importance. He just kept shaking his head and mumbling 'avalanche' over and over again.



****

*Buzz* The intercom buzzed in my ears. I turn from my office window and pressed the button to the intercom down.



"Vice-president Rufus, sir?"



"What is it? I thought I asked for no disturbances," I snapped.



"Y-yes, sir, I know. But..." My secretary stopped in mid-sentence. I could detect the fear in her voice. I can detect fear in all the voices of my employees here in Junon. The place where my 'father' put me to deal with 'his' problems. Every tangle he made, I untangled. Just like my life. He tangled up my life into a hellish thing. But still, I managed to untangle it. That bastard.



"...President Shinra was killed by Sephiroth just moments ago. I'm sorry." I quickly depress the intercom and chuckle madly to myself. So, my old man finally hit the dust eh? I quickly throw on my jacked and walk out my office door, ordering one of the SOLDIERS to get the chopper ready to fly to Midgar.



I sat in silence as the chopper made it's way higher into the top floors of the Shinra Building. I look through the glass window of my father's office and see him sitting in his office chair with Sephiroth's sword stabbed directly through him. Nailing him to his desk. I wave to the pilot to drop me off at the balcony as he went to land, I made a quick jump to the ground instead of waiting for him to land the plane. I watched silently as the chopper flew away from me, and soon, it was drowned into the darkness of the night. When I turned around I was met by the members of AVALANCHE. All of them were there. With a few new members added since the last report on them.



//Rufus? Are you okay? God...please answer me! RUFUS!!!//



****



My eyes snapped open, I felt a sharp dull pain in my head. I was on the floor on my knees, my hands clutching my head hard.

"What the hell?" My voice cracked. I looked up at the figure that was gently rubbing my back as I kneeled on the floor, hunched over.

"Tifa Lockheart of AVALANCHE..." I whispered quietly to no one in particular. I felt another surge of power run through my body, leaving my body in pain. I gritted my teeth to keep myself from shouting out my pain. I clutched myself tightly. Inside my body, I could feel something growing...something unknown...but something was definitely there.







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Okay, this is the end of this chapter. Hope you all liked it. I didn't really get too much time to spend on this. Maybe I'll redo it and revise it over.

Til next time. Payce.