Chapter 4 - Die For You
I woke up on a soft, cushioned floor. I sat up and I blinked, waking up faster than usual this time. I looked around real fast and it only took me one glance straight ahead to tell me that I was back in Rufus Shinra's big room on the 70th floor.
I woke up slightly befuddled. "You guys need to stop taking me places while I sleep," I said, rubbing my head. "I don't like sleepwalking much less traveling places when my eyes are closed and I don't know where I'm heading or what I'm doing."
I managed to stand up and brush myself off, sleepy-eyed. Despite my long sleep I was still exhausted, thinking about the past day's events made me tired again.
I stood still as Rufus sat up, smiling at me. "Today's going to be your first day working down on the 2nd floor," he said proudly.
"Wha.huh? 2nd floor?" I was stunned. Why was he doing this?
"You need secretary assistant work before you can move up to the higher levels, so I'll make you.let's see." Rufus punched some buttons on his compu-pad at his desk and looked back up at me, smiling professionally. "You'll be Employee 4127's secretary assistant."
I was shocked. "I'm worth billions to you and you're putting me on the 2nd floor as an assistant?"
"You're not worth anything to me, dear, in fact, you cost me. While you roam out in the world searching for a lost cause, I could have you in this building learning valuable office skills and getting involved in our company like you should be. Sephiroth wouldn't be suited for this job of course because he's much too good for this company, but you're just perfect." Rufus leaned back in his chair, grinning.
I was still stunned and by now, slightly annoyed by Rufus's games. "Listen to me," I said sharply, "I have nothing to do with the humans of this earth. I have nothing to do with this company. I have nothing to do with you, most of all."
"Oh dear Aerith, you've got some facts all mixed up in that pretty little head of yours."
I growled slightly, growing even more annoyed by the moment. "Oh yeah?"
"Yes, dear Aerith. In fact, I'd die for you. I'm actually so infatuated with you that if you demand something more than a 2nd floor apprentice job - I'll move you directly into the Turks' gang."
With that, I nearly fainted. "I don't even have a WEAPON!" I cried. "How am I going to be able to join the Turks?"
"As you said, dear, this is where my power comes in. I can control them, they'll have to let you join whether or not you or they want you to. So this way I'll keep a closer watch over you dear." He smiled ever so softly. "I wouldn't dream of hurting the last living Cetra on this planet. No, no, that wouldn't be right." Then he spun around again, and the doors opened. In walked the Turks.
Out of them all, Reno, Rude, and Elena, Tseng looked the most furious. "This is an outrage!" Tseng demanded, waving his arms furiously.
Rufus simply ignored him. "Heh.you don't know what's an outrage to me, Mr. Tseng. Either you take Miss Aerith onto the Turks or you resign your duties as Turk leader."
Upon hearing that, Reno, Rude and Elena turned and looked at Tseng. He looked at them and examined the pleading look upon their faces, clearly saying that they'd rather have their harsh, fierce and bossy boss for a Turk leader than this clearly inexperienced resistance girl from the Ancients. Tseng nodded slowly, frowning slightly, then looked back to Rufus. "Alright, I'll take her," he muttered under his breath.
Rufus smiled triumphantly. "I thought so," he said, and crossed his fingers. "Now be gone with you all." Rufus spun back around in his chair so his backs faced them all again.
I sighed, breathing in and out deeply to keep the fear from rushing to me. I was going to be one of the Turks! And not because I asked - because Rufus seemed to take a false liking to me! Well that was interesting. Because I would be right in the center of all the important information the Turks needed to run.
Tseng growled lowly at me as I walked past him, and I returned the growl just as meanly. I didn't care about them now that I was a Turk. I strode straight back to the jail cells and told Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Cloud. "You guys, I'm a Turk now."
Barret's chin dropped, and Red muttered something. Cait Sith shrugged as if this fact was insignificant to him, and Yuffie merely remained silent. Tifa said "Oh my god!" and muttered something under her breath, but Cloud just stood against the wall, still silent, and continued to look at the floor.
"..Cloud?"
"What."
"Aren't you going to comment on this?"
"Why comment if it'll do no good? You didn't listen the first time."
I grew impatient, stomping my foot. "What do you mean I didn't listen the first time?!!? I heard you!"
"You heard nothing of what I said. And you still joined the Turks."
"It wasn't my choice, I was forced to by Rufus."
"Oh, now Rufus is just recruiting anyone into the Turks? How about I walk up to him right now and ask him if I may join the Turks?"
"Cloud! Don't be immature!" scorned Tifa. She scowled, then looked back to me, trying to look as friendly and homely as possible. "Aerith, no matter what you do, AVALANCHE'll back you up. And I'm assuming Cloud is part of us since he travels with us everywhere." She giggled slightly.
Cloud didn't move or say a word.
"Oh come on Cloud, you should be happy! Now that I'm in the Turks, I can get us some valuable information!"
Cloud shook his head. "It would never work that way. There must be more to it. Just like Barret said yesterday - he only wants a piece of the Cetra Pie by getting to you through the nice route."
I shrugged. "So? It's still free authority. He was going to put me down on the 2nd floor, you know," I added.
"Hehe. Do what you want, Aerith."
I shrugged, thankful this conversation finally came to an end. "Don't worry, I'll put my status with the Turks to good use," I finished, and turned back around to adjust my hairpiece.
Cloud looked up once. "He said he would die for you, right?" I believe I had told them this in the conversation a while ago. I nodded.
Cloud grinned, then looked back down. "He's in love with you, Aerith. He really WILL die for you."
After that, I just stood there, unsure of what to do next.
I woke up on a soft, cushioned floor. I sat up and I blinked, waking up faster than usual this time. I looked around real fast and it only took me one glance straight ahead to tell me that I was back in Rufus Shinra's big room on the 70th floor.
I woke up slightly befuddled. "You guys need to stop taking me places while I sleep," I said, rubbing my head. "I don't like sleepwalking much less traveling places when my eyes are closed and I don't know where I'm heading or what I'm doing."
I managed to stand up and brush myself off, sleepy-eyed. Despite my long sleep I was still exhausted, thinking about the past day's events made me tired again.
I stood still as Rufus sat up, smiling at me. "Today's going to be your first day working down on the 2nd floor," he said proudly.
"Wha.huh? 2nd floor?" I was stunned. Why was he doing this?
"You need secretary assistant work before you can move up to the higher levels, so I'll make you.let's see." Rufus punched some buttons on his compu-pad at his desk and looked back up at me, smiling professionally. "You'll be Employee 4127's secretary assistant."
I was shocked. "I'm worth billions to you and you're putting me on the 2nd floor as an assistant?"
"You're not worth anything to me, dear, in fact, you cost me. While you roam out in the world searching for a lost cause, I could have you in this building learning valuable office skills and getting involved in our company like you should be. Sephiroth wouldn't be suited for this job of course because he's much too good for this company, but you're just perfect." Rufus leaned back in his chair, grinning.
I was still stunned and by now, slightly annoyed by Rufus's games. "Listen to me," I said sharply, "I have nothing to do with the humans of this earth. I have nothing to do with this company. I have nothing to do with you, most of all."
"Oh dear Aerith, you've got some facts all mixed up in that pretty little head of yours."
I growled slightly, growing even more annoyed by the moment. "Oh yeah?"
"Yes, dear Aerith. In fact, I'd die for you. I'm actually so infatuated with you that if you demand something more than a 2nd floor apprentice job - I'll move you directly into the Turks' gang."
With that, I nearly fainted. "I don't even have a WEAPON!" I cried. "How am I going to be able to join the Turks?"
"As you said, dear, this is where my power comes in. I can control them, they'll have to let you join whether or not you or they want you to. So this way I'll keep a closer watch over you dear." He smiled ever so softly. "I wouldn't dream of hurting the last living Cetra on this planet. No, no, that wouldn't be right." Then he spun around again, and the doors opened. In walked the Turks.
Out of them all, Reno, Rude, and Elena, Tseng looked the most furious. "This is an outrage!" Tseng demanded, waving his arms furiously.
Rufus simply ignored him. "Heh.you don't know what's an outrage to me, Mr. Tseng. Either you take Miss Aerith onto the Turks or you resign your duties as Turk leader."
Upon hearing that, Reno, Rude and Elena turned and looked at Tseng. He looked at them and examined the pleading look upon their faces, clearly saying that they'd rather have their harsh, fierce and bossy boss for a Turk leader than this clearly inexperienced resistance girl from the Ancients. Tseng nodded slowly, frowning slightly, then looked back to Rufus. "Alright, I'll take her," he muttered under his breath.
Rufus smiled triumphantly. "I thought so," he said, and crossed his fingers. "Now be gone with you all." Rufus spun back around in his chair so his backs faced them all again.
I sighed, breathing in and out deeply to keep the fear from rushing to me. I was going to be one of the Turks! And not because I asked - because Rufus seemed to take a false liking to me! Well that was interesting. Because I would be right in the center of all the important information the Turks needed to run.
Tseng growled lowly at me as I walked past him, and I returned the growl just as meanly. I didn't care about them now that I was a Turk. I strode straight back to the jail cells and told Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Cloud. "You guys, I'm a Turk now."
Barret's chin dropped, and Red muttered something. Cait Sith shrugged as if this fact was insignificant to him, and Yuffie merely remained silent. Tifa said "Oh my god!" and muttered something under her breath, but Cloud just stood against the wall, still silent, and continued to look at the floor.
"..Cloud?"
"What."
"Aren't you going to comment on this?"
"Why comment if it'll do no good? You didn't listen the first time."
I grew impatient, stomping my foot. "What do you mean I didn't listen the first time?!!? I heard you!"
"You heard nothing of what I said. And you still joined the Turks."
"It wasn't my choice, I was forced to by Rufus."
"Oh, now Rufus is just recruiting anyone into the Turks? How about I walk up to him right now and ask him if I may join the Turks?"
"Cloud! Don't be immature!" scorned Tifa. She scowled, then looked back to me, trying to look as friendly and homely as possible. "Aerith, no matter what you do, AVALANCHE'll back you up. And I'm assuming Cloud is part of us since he travels with us everywhere." She giggled slightly.
Cloud didn't move or say a word.
"Oh come on Cloud, you should be happy! Now that I'm in the Turks, I can get us some valuable information!"
Cloud shook his head. "It would never work that way. There must be more to it. Just like Barret said yesterday - he only wants a piece of the Cetra Pie by getting to you through the nice route."
I shrugged. "So? It's still free authority. He was going to put me down on the 2nd floor, you know," I added.
"Hehe. Do what you want, Aerith."
I shrugged, thankful this conversation finally came to an end. "Don't worry, I'll put my status with the Turks to good use," I finished, and turned back around to adjust my hairpiece.
Cloud looked up once. "He said he would die for you, right?" I believe I had told them this in the conversation a while ago. I nodded.
Cloud grinned, then looked back down. "He's in love with you, Aerith. He really WILL die for you."
After that, I just stood there, unsure of what to do next.