Be My Guiding Light
Thanks for all the reviews guys, I really appreciate them… I wonder if I'll get over 100. This is chap 7 and I've already got over 60, I'm not even started yet, help me get over 100, or 200 would be even greater. What did ya think of my new summary? I'll refresh ya mind on what it was. I wanted too attracted more people to ready; I'm a greedy git real.
chosen quote:
'Some people they search their whole lives,
lookin' for somebody who's just right.
Sometimes they settle for less,
lose outta true happiness.'
I haven't done a disclaimer in ages.
Disclaimer – I don't own Rufus or any of the FF7 characters, the credit belongs to Squaresoft… way to go Square.
2nd Disclaimer – I don't own the quote, the line belongs to one of Celine Dion's song… soz Celine (She appreciates it really!)
3rd Disclaimer – I own this fic… © TigerLily 2002
Ok, enough of the legal stuff. I want to ask a favour of all of you guys. I'm stuck of what can happen… I just need small simple idea that can fill in spaces, fun ideas or stuff like that. Something's that the Turks can do in between missions, a side from going to Turtles Paradise and getting smashed (Reno anyway).
I don't matter if ya can't think, still read, I just want you guys to keep on readin', a vary of different peoples idea might be nice to read… an write.
Do you guys actually read this stuff that I write, coz it gets longer with every chap, I gotta stop babbling on about stuff… I want a pony.
STOP IT TIGERLILY!!
Soz, on with the next chap…
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Chapter 7
The three Turks walked inside the large building in the centre of Midgar, ready to deliver the Huge Materia to Rufus. The building was still in slight chaos from Meteor being summoned and the WEAPONS attacking all over the world. The Junon incident was worse, lives lost, millions to get the army rearmed, and not to mention costs to get the damages on Junon repaired. The effects struck everyone.
Reno took out a small key card as the elevator doors opened. The Turks walked in as the redhead slid the card into a slot and pressed 69. Elena sighed, placing her hands in her pocket as she looked out the glass elevator. Reno and Rude (more Reno) were chatting quietly as she continued to gaze, the air polluted urban that some people looked on as home. She still loved Midgar, mainly because it was her home, she grew up in the slums, but was determined to get out and fulfil her dream. She had a lovely home in Kalm, a well-paid job with Shinra.
She looked up at the outsized red sphere that hung in the Earth's atmosphere, staring down at the planet below. That hefty ball of destruction, the key to the end of the world, the dealer of ruin, the gambler of fatality, the death roulette. The one phenomenon that can decide everyone's destiny, everyone's death, everyone's fate. Summoned for a powerful source, by a powerful source.
"Yo! Earth to Elena!" Reno waved his hand in front of Elena's face, waving her from her dazed trance.
"Huh?" She looked over at him, then Rude. Reno with his hands in his pocket and Rude standing rigidly near the door.
"We're here."
She smiled and looked away, taking one last look at Meteor before following her partners to the President's office.
*~*~*
Rufus slouched forward in the office chair, leaning his elbows on the desk, staring at an A4 sheet of paper. He sighed loudly, closing his sapphire eyes as he ran his hands through his smooth golden locks. He murmured under his breath as a couple of loose stands fell over his eyes.
I hope this works… we can't afford any more mishaps. It's getting to a serious stage where we MUSTN'T lose out, people deserve better than to be worrying about losing their lives.
"Stressed?"
The President looked up from the paper at the exec that walked in.
"What is it Reeve?" He said strained. "There's a lot of paper work to be filled out by this evening. I need to renew the contract with the weaponry department, I get a third off."
Reeve walked forward and looked down at the paper that was in front of Rufus. He laughed as he picked it up.
"This that contract?" Rufus nodded as he looked over it. "'The party of group A will hereby take notice of party B's demands and take immediate action. Party B will therefore provide party A with eligible SOILDER candidates on parole to be reserved for further action into party C's management. Party D will form alliance with party A to take party B's high priority requests to serious measures, when party C are applied for accomplishments, party A will therefore require party B's ultimatum with party C's mandate…' Not signed?"
He handed the contract back to Rufus, who gladly took it. He brushed back the loose strands and lent back.
"I haven't gotten 'round to signing yet."
Reeve raised an eyebrow, looking over at the paper again.
"'Time: 09:42.'" He pulled up his sleeve and glanced at his watch, "and it's now 7:26. You've had over 9 ½ hours to sign it."
"You can never be too careful with some contacts that are dealt by dodgy companies." He picked up a black ink pen and roughly signed the bottom of the paper.
"Your father had good ties with these people."
"Screams dodgy to me," he muttered.
Reeve shook his head.
"Your father had ties with good companies."
Rufus shot his head up, suppressing a laugh to see if the exec was speaking seriously. He couldn't believe it, but he had to admit, Reeve was right, in a slight way. He did have some good ties, but then.
"Have you forgotten what type of man my father was? Have you forgotten some of the companies that he had contracts with? He was Honey Bee's best customer after all."
No one said anything as Rufus grabbed the contract and carefully folded it, then placing it in a white envelope with the Shinra emblem on the back. He handed it to Reeve, who took it willingly.
"Make sure it's delivered first class, Reeve." He addressed Reeve businessman like.
Reeve nodded and slowly headed for the exit, when he was stopped by Rufus' voice again, echoing throughout the large office room.
"Reeve?"
The head of urban development turned to the President, nodding his acknowledgment.
"Does AVALANCHE still believe that you are spying on us?"
"I believe so sir, right after travelling to Mideel, where we found Cloud, I told… well they heard what they thought was an authentic meeting about the Huge Materia. They are completely unaware that it was faked for their purpose." He walked back to the President's desk and placed the documents a side. "They're going straight to Corel then Fort Condor. Tifa Lockheart has remained in Mideel, so she can stay by the side of Cloud, but the others still believe that I am a spy for them."
"Good." Reeve nodded. "I still can't get my head around the fact that AVALANCHE believe that they are spying on us, when it's the opposite way around."
"I guess it helped that I helped them steal the Highwind-"
"Yes, about the 'Highwind' Reeve." He crossed his arms, looking sternly at the exec that stood in front of him.
"You were informed previously that an airship was to be stolen." He sighed, realising that this was going to turn out to be the exact conversation that they had earlier that day. "Don't you think that it would look a lot more me being a spy for them, if I helped them steal your airship? If they believed that I was still working for you, then I wouldn't have obliged… you have to see things from their prospective, doing that made them trust me that little bit more, partly anyway. But the main thing is that they believe the information that I give them is true." He wasn't going to succumb to this argument again; he did enough apologising that would have been enough to keep anyone satisfied. "It wouldn't look good for the situation if I asked for the Highwind back, would it?"
"You could have at least tried," he pouted.
Reeve shook his head, sighed loudly as he walked out to post the contact first class.
*~*~*
The Turks walked out the elevator and headed to the President's office. There was a large group of staff workers standing in the centre of the floor, arguing over latest discoveries. Reno groaned irritated as they passed them.
"Pansy goody two shoes!" He murmured under his breath.
Elena giggled at the hasty workers, shoving various papers in each other's faces, trying to prove that someone other than them is wrong. All the theories, just for one small thing, not even bothering to keep up with the latest mission, the Huge Materia, but instead several were still fixed on past experiments. Some were Hojo worshipers, so that's telling anyone what they were studying, properly looking for another way to make perfect Sephiroth clones legal, or a time machine to go back and make sure all the clones were perfect, not falters.
"Get back to work now! I pay you to work, not argue over things that have nothing to do with the work I have assigned for each of you!"
The group quietened down and slowly fled back to their research departments or work offices, not kicking up a fuse of any sort.
Rufus stood on the bottom step of the large staircase, arms crossed, and a straight-faced expression. He stared blankly at them as they walked warily and wordlessly back.
Reno watched in amusement, at the rowdy crowd turned chicken, as they scurried away like beetles. He sniggered quietly at the other two Turks, pointing at the crown. Rude found uninteresting, but Elena on the other hand, found it extremely amusing, given Reno's antics. It was only when he noticed Rufus, sharply turning back up the stairs that he stopped.
"Hey, Prez!" His voice elevated to a shout as Rufus ascended up the stairs. He stopped and gave a sidelong glance.
"Yes?"
"We got that materia for ya." He motioned his head to inform that Rude had hold of it. Rufus just nodded and half smiled.
"Give it to Reeve; he'll deal with it, after which you can go."
Reno nodded and turned to the other two Turks, who were walking off to find Reeve. They knew that he mustn't but to far, they passed his as they walked out the elevator, so he couldn't have gotten to far. Most likely in the executive staff room, that was their first and likely guess.
*~*~*
She placed the key in the lock and turned it before pushing the door open. She slid out of the jacket and tossed it over the banister and strode into the lounge, throwing herself on the two-setter couch. She looked at the clock… 9:46. She sighed in relief of being back home; it wasn't so much a hard day, just tiring. Going over to Nibelheim and retrieving the Huge Materia from the Mako reactor. It was tough, monsters were congregating in front of the reactor, they were disposed in moments, but being cornered by dragons isn't the best way, especially when you've just fought several before. When they reacted the reactor, some of the valves had broken open, realising new kinds of monsters. (I know that don't happen, but hey, ya never know.) Stronger than the normal specimens that roam around Mt Nibel. After getting the materia back to HQ, they were on the losing end of a long search for Reeve, who wasn't in the office lounge. Turns out he was on one of the floors that were hardly used much, communicating with AVALANCHE, saying that they've already reached the reactor and are making faster progress than Shinra believed.
She groaned and cursed loudly as the doorbell rung though out the house. She didn't want to get up to see who it was, but though it was only fair. She pushed herself up and lazily moved to the door, shouting as the person knocked heavily.
"Alright, alright!! I'm coming!" she bellowed.
The Turk opened the door ajar, only to have it pushed all the way open and have a large white suitcase shoved into her arms.
"Outta the way, Elle, it's begin' to pour!" Came a high female voice.
Elena shook her head, closing the door before placing the case on the floor next to the stairs. She walked into the lounge and sat down on the chair, as the couch was taken up.
Sitting there was a woman with long, golden locks, set in a loose plat falling down her back. She held close to her a small raven-haired child with hazel eyes as bright as the woman's through then lens of the rectangular specs.
"You don't mind, do you, Elle?" Said the woman, who sat back on the couch.
"Guess not, you are my sister… what's the reason?"
"Our house is being refurnished, could take a long time, month or two. You don't mind do you?" She asked again.
"No, of course not. I only have one spare room though; you don't mind sharing do you?"
"Course not, at least we have a roof over our heads, right, Nicky?" The child nodded frantically. "You're a star, Elle!"
"You don't mind stayin' with me, do you, Nicky?" Elena leaned her elbow on her knees and leant forward, smiling.
"No, I like your house, Aunt Ella. Ours smells funny."
Elena broke into laughter as her sister looked down at Nicky, who smiled cutely at both of them.
"Nicky, time for bed!" she ordered.
"But Momma, I'm not sleepy." He tried to cover up a small yawn by burying his head into the pillow.
"Maybe you should take Nicky up, Enya. It's getting' late." Elena suggested to her sister, who nodded a reply.
"C'mon you," she picked him up and cradled him in her arms. "Time for bed, say night to Aunt Ella."
"Night night, Aunt Ella." He squirmed in his mother's arms and ran to Elena, giving her a hug before rushing up the stairs.
"G'night, Nicky," she waved.
"Thanks again, Elle… we won't to a bother to you in anyway whatsoever, you won't even know we're here. We'll discus anything when I take Nicky bed." Enya said, walked out of the room, following her son up stairs.
"What, like rent?!" Elena shouted up stairs, not getting a response. "Don't forget to take the case up stairs too."
She stood up and walked into the kitchen, switching on the kettle and taking out two mugs from the top cupboard. This was going to be a long night.
*
Enya walked down the stairs, into the living room. She glanced into the mirror and took her hair out the plat, letting it fall into soft tumbling curls down her back.
"Makin' cocoa?" She asked, grabbing the nearest hairbrush and adjusting her rectangular specs slightly.
"Yeah," Elena shouted from the kitchen.
"Great, don't forget-"
"The 'marshmallow'? I know."
"Yeah, and I want the-"
"White one?"
She sniggered at how much her sister knew about her as she placed the brush back on the mantle-piece, walking to the kitchen to take the mug off Elena, as she walked back in the lounge, flicking the kitchen light switch off.
"Nicky asleep?"
"Sound." She sat down on the chair and looked at the marshmallow slowly melt into the hot liquid, she took a sip and placed it on the floor beside her. "So, what's happening in the Shinra department?" She smiled with false enthusiasm.
"You know I can't tell, Shinra secret! Besides," she placed her mug down, "why would you want to know?"
"Hey! You don't have to say it like that! I'm not a snitch that goes leaking secrets for fun, ya know." She put up her say defensively, even when Elena began to laugh. "I don't know what you're laughin' at! I may not fully support AVALANCHE, but some things that Shinra do are just as bad! In the end there's casualties and people die… that makes my job harder."
"Calm down, sis. I know what you mean, we're trying to help… but AVALANCHE!"
"That Junon incident was worst by a long shot, I though the sector 7 episode was tragic, but." She sighed and looked down. "I've never had some many casualties lose their lives in such a short space of time. A lot were soldiers, but there were plenty families, children. It was awful," she replayed the even in her head as Elena watched her in grief, "having to watch a child cry over their dead mother body, or hearing the pain filled screams of children as they take their last breaths of life.
"It'll go down in history."
"If there is a history for it to go in." She saw Enya looking at her curiously, as if she'd forgotten the horror that would inflict the world in a matter months. "Meteor."
Enya bit her bottom lip and nodded meekly.
"Hopefully President Rufus has some fool proof plan to abolish Meteor."
"Don't worry…" She picked the mug and took a gulp of cocoa.
Enya picked up the mug and cradled it in her hands, watching the melted marshmallow stand on top of the cocoa. She couldn't help but think back to the Junon accident, all the lost lives.
(Begin flashback)
The shoulder of her white coat was strained with tears of the child she held firmly in her arms. The small red-haired girl laid her head into Enya's chest, still sniffling, and her voice weary from screaming and crying out loud. Lying next to the girl, face down, was the bloodied body of a slender female with light red hair, and lying under her arms was a baby, stiff and not moving an inch. The baby to was covered in a crimson fluid.
Enya looked down cautiously at the small girl, who ceased moving, weeping or whimper. She delicately lifted the girl and laid her down next to the female, slowly and gently placed two fingers to the side of her neck and felt… nothing. No small rhythmic beating of the arteries. She knelt down and laid her head only centimeters away from the girl's face, checking to see if there was any breath… nothing. Finally she looked if the child's chest rose… nothing.
A few tears rolled down Enya's face as she looked around, then something caught her eye. She bent over and clenched hold of a small brown bear and gently placed in it the girl's arms. She looked around, unconscious bodies lying around her, doctors rushing to try and save as many lives as they could.
"Enya!"
She turned at the voice that shouted out to her. A female and male in a long white coat with a member of SOILDER in front of them.
"We need help on the double!"
Enya pushed herself up, looking back at the lifeless child one last time before rushing to help her colleagues.
"He's lost a large amount of blood and has a blow to the head, not to mention severe burns to the arms and torso. Also believed to have five broken ribs and a broken right arm, in addition damage to the eyes and upper torso."
She nodded at the information and knelt down at the unconscious form in front of her.
(End flashback)
She shook her head, trying to disregard the disturbing image. She looked up and saw Elena looking down to the ground, smile disappeared from her face.
"You're not still mourning over that bloke… Ten Zing?-"
"Tseng!" she snapped suddenly.
"Whatever."
"At least remember his name!" she pouted, glaring at her sister.
"I never liked the guy!" She crossed her arms and looked at the floor.
"You never knew him!" She was determined to stick up from the man she devoted her heart to, couldn't understand why her sister was acting so cold towards him.
"Neither did you!" She looked straight at Elena, the aghast look creeping on her face.
"What's that suppose to mean!!" She stood up, trying not attempting to hide her anger as her cheeks flushed dark with ire, screaming in rage. "What are you trying to say!!?"
"You misunderstand Elle," she began, "w- what I'm trying to say is." She paused and looked at Elena, hands on her hips, eyes glittering with anger.
"Well?"
"Look, Elle," she sighed, looking down then back up at her enraged sister. "What I wanted to say- well, I don't want to see you getting hurt, or anything."
The blonde Turk said nothing, just crossed her arms and looked on.
"You shouldn't just jump in coz a guy's cute and you may stand a chance. In the end you'll end up getting hurt, no matter how nice a person you are." She noticed Elena's anger melting with each word she said. "I don't want you to make a mistake like I did when I was 15-"
"14!"
"Yeah, 14… but still. You understand, right?"
Elena glanced at Enya, noting that she was being sincere about the subject. She had to agree with her, at first it was just a crush, but it felt more than that, more real. When he spoke to her, the way he said her name, it felt as if her heart skipped a beat. That sweet feeling that she felt when he was nearby, or just by thinking about him. That sensation of buoyancy, an indescribable sensation.
She sat back down, willing to hear Enya out.
"Continue."
Enya nodded, as a smile grew wider on her face.
"You should find someone who respects you most of all, someone who appreciates and wants you for who you are. You need to look on to the future, Tseng's dead, Elena. Nothing you do will ever change that." She tried to get her point across as bluntly as possible, but didn't want to hurt Elena in the process. "I guess… that its fates way of saying, you didn't belong together. It might found like a fairytale, but if possible, try to find that one person… someone who makes you truly happy."
"What, like you?" she said bluntly.
"I found that person, and they wanted nothing more to do with me once I told him I was pregnant with Nicky. But differently, I'm not looking for… love. I've finished looking for that one person, because there isn't one for me. I've been hurt at a young age and that affected me badly, so I've given up." She said truthfully.
"That's terrible," Elena said softly and sympathetically.
"Oh god, don't tell me." She quirked, causing Elena to looked at her with a look of sheer puzzlement. "Love is like oxygen. Love is a many, splendid thing. Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!" She recalled with false enthusiasm.
"What's people's problem with Moulin Rouge? You're as bad as Rufus!" The Turk leaned back and sulked.
"Why am I as bad as Rufus? Why would he pick at Moulin Rouge?"
"He saw the box and picked at me too!"
Enya raised an inquiring eyebrow, still sniggering.
"Why, do you take it to work or somethin'?"
"He saw the video on the floor when he was round her yesterday." She scratched her nose and flicked a piece of hair back, not seeing the look her sister was giving her. She turned and waved her hands frantically. "It's not like that! Honestly."
"Your boss comes round to your place and you say it like it's nothing." She delved in deep, trying to find the truth behind her sister, not willing to fully believe what she was saying. "Are you sure?"
"He came on to me at work and I left my jacket, then he brought it back. But I eventually kicked him out the house, nothing happened!"
"You… kicked your boss? Out of the house?" Seeing that Elena was nodding with each statement. "And you still have a job??"
"Well, it seems that way."
Enya sighed a sigh of relief.
"That's a prime example… Rufus is a typical male. The exact thing I was saying! You wouldn't want to be with Rufus, coz he'd most likely treat you like a trophy."
"I have no intention!" She looked over to make sure Enya had completely believed her; she didn't want her making false actualizations, or jumping to conclusion. Nothing happened, nothing was going to either. She wondered why her sisters keen interest to make her happy and start looking for 'that one man' whoever that was. She certainly hadn't found him. She thought back to Tseng, but knew that was just hoping for a miracle to happen, which wasn't. Tseng WAS dead and she had to get to grips with it. She wouldn't be able to live her life happily when she does find this 'one love', if she had the death of Tseng still weighing her shoulders down. "Why the sudden rush for me to be happy, Enya?"
"Huh? You're my sister… I just want to be there for you; like you were when I found out I was pregnant." Her smile changed to that of a frown. "You were the only one who stood by me, you helped my in my times of need. Not just while I was pregnant, the accident two years after that, you made me realize that Nicky is the most important thing in my life, and that I should be there for him always." She grinned. "I just want to be a good big sister."
"Big sister… Enya, we're twins!" She kicked up a fuss quickly. (I have an infatuation with twins… do you hate me?)
"Technically speaking, Elena," she began proudly, "I'm two and half minutes older than you. Making you younger than me, and me being your big sister… and you the little sis."
Elena rolled her eyes and glanced over that the clock.
"It's late, En. I have work in the morning and if I'm late, I have a feeling I'll be fired, or have my pay docked… tell ya in the morning."
Enya nodded and stood up.
"Oh, En? Are you able to get to work now you're staying in Kalm, not Junon?" She asked, knowing that Junon was a while away, no access with trains or anything.
"Yeah, I have a lift in the mornings and I'm able to drop Nicky off at school too… except."
"Except what?"
"Sometimes I'm called out to emergencies, like in Midgar or Mideel, and I'm not able to pick up Nicky. Would you?"
"Let's talk about it when the time comes, ok?" She walked into the kitchen and dropped the mugs into the sink, not wanting to think about any problems. She couldn't really afford to lose half a day's wage if she had to pick Nicky up. She'd think up something later.
"Night, Elle." Enya shouted from upstairs.
"Night!"
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Hey, finished. I've added my own characters into the fic now… hope you like. Never realised how slow this fic is going, I should fasten the pace… maybe.
Soz bout giving Elena a sister… I can see it; I need her for the fic though. No complaining.
Like always, last parts are always a dozy for me… the excitement of getting to the end of a chap and being able to upload. So, what did ya think of that chap?
Please leave comments in the review box by clicking on the 'submit review' icon at the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
Next chap up next week.
Bye bye guys.
xxTigerLilyxx