Disclaimer: Have you ever seen my name in the credits of FF7? No? That's
what I thought.
Author's Note: Okay, this chapter's going to be different. It's about Rufus and President ShinRa. I need to have this in here. For those of you who aren't into the whole Rufus/Reeve/Turks storyline, I apologize, but I still think it's necessary to get an idea of what everyone is doing. FF7 is not just about Aeris, Seph, and Zack *shock*. In fact, that may not even be a main issue *dies in horror*. So, there will be chapters interspersed that deal with other characters from the game. I'm going to try to include every character from the game in some way, but I make no promises. I just babble on continuously in my author's notes, but then you all knew that already, didn't you?
Let's see how well this whole two chapters in one day thing works out.
Chapter 28:
I See
The plate was beautiful. Sunlight reflected off the dark metal designs, casting odd shadows across the metropolis. Buildings loomed above small, disordered houses, while children played in the dilapidated park nearby. Merchants tried to scam their way into wallets, while businesses fought against the inevitable closing of their store. Overstressed mothers watched over their babies, while underpaid fathers worked in noxious factories. Priests tried to save the souls of the unwilling, while unnoticed thieves cleverly collected valuables from an unsuspecting crowd. People immersed in their own lives scurried across the pavement and dead grass, unaware of being watched from above.
It was an activity he indulged in frequently, watching. It was his right, after all. He had made this city. He had developed mako energy. All of these people, they depended on him. So, he led them, as was his right. And, they gave him money. He deserved it. There was satisfaction in how they worked so hard daily, to get paid, then spent their money on things that he owned. He paid them low wages, then charged them high prices for things that should have been cheap. It was a good business, and it made him richer everyday.
He loved being in charge. It was a position of power, and everyone knew who he was. They respected and feared him, and he enjoyed it immensely.
"President ShinRa?"
"Yes?" He hated being interrupted. But, such things were a necessity when you controlled so much.
"It's your son. They found him."
Irritation swept over his normally calm face. "Well, keep the brat locked up this time! How did he get away in the first place?"
"Apparently, the lock on his room was broken, but no one knew about it-"
"Unacceptable. It's been fixed?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then, keep him in there! Why the hell are you bothering me with this? I have too much on my mind to be interrupted for such a worthless piece of scum as him! Dismissed."
"Sir."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The guard breathed a sigh of relief. It was always hell dealing with the president. There was never a good way of going about it. Especially when his son was involved. Everyone who worked for ShinRa pitied the boy. He was ignored and rejected by his father. His mother was nowhere to be found. There were rumors of a massive sum of money paid to a prostitute for her silence, and no one would be surprised if they came to be true. After all, who would willingly sleep with that disgusting man?
His son was nothing like him. Thank God for that. He looked nothing like his father, and their personalities were completely different. The president was obnoxious, rude, and hated by everyone. Everywhere he went he was followed by heated stares and obscene gestures, yet he failed to notice this. It was probably because he was too full of himself to think that anyone would think badly of him. The fool. But who would say it, to his face? No one had that kind of courage. What would happen to their families? It was worth it to remain silent and suffer.
To his son, however, people were more than happy to point out his faults. They felt quite secure in telling Rufus that his father was a horrible person. They also felt sure that Rufus himself was the same. So what if he had never really exhibited any rude or harsh behavior? Just because it hadn't shown itself didn't mean it wasn't there. His father's personality was sure to surface soon. Everyone just had to wait for it to happen. The boy only interacted with two, maybe three people daily, and never his father. Everyone else just got a cold stare in passing. It almost seemed that he would end up being just like his father.
The guard approached the boy's room with no small level of uncertainty. Would he be in there? He knocked hesitantly, and opened the door.
"Rufus?"
The small boy sat there, idly playing with a stuffed bear. His short, golden locks were splayed about his thin face, and his normally perceptive green eyes were dull. The boy's head turned slightly at the guard's entrance.
"Yes?" Rufus asked. His childish voice carried a weight in it that made him seem mature. He spoke so rarely that his voice was almost always harsh from disuse.
"Your father sent me to make sure you were in here."
Rufus nodded, then turned back to the doll. It was the only object of comfort he owned. The room itself was plain, with white walls, a faded blue rug, and unpainted wooden furniture. The guard had seen it all before, but he wondered how the child could not mind it. Most other children he knew were so cheerful, but there was something. off about him. Something that didn't seem to fit.
As he turned to leave, Rufus asked, "Will you be locking the door again?"
The guard kept walking and nodded. He couldn't turn around now. It was difficult already to keep the kid locked up in here. He closed the door tightly, locking it with his key. The guard leaned against the door for a fraction of a second before moving on. There was work to be done, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was quiet and dark. The silence was only broken by the slight sounds of even breathing. A lamp on a nearby table helped to ease the darkness. Rufus continued to move the doll around nonsensically. There was nothing else to do.
Finally, he closed his eyes and replied, "I see." Of course, the guard was long gone. Rufus, knowing no answer would come, climbed into his bed and tried to drift to sleep. It was hard, sometimes. There was never any sound. He had liked it when he left and walked through the park. There were people there, and they were noisy.
But he was back. He was in his room. Once again, he was locked in here. "I see," he whispered before he fell into sleep.
And the sad thing was, he did.
Author's Note: Okay, this chapter's going to be different. It's about Rufus and President ShinRa. I need to have this in here. For those of you who aren't into the whole Rufus/Reeve/Turks storyline, I apologize, but I still think it's necessary to get an idea of what everyone is doing. FF7 is not just about Aeris, Seph, and Zack *shock*. In fact, that may not even be a main issue *dies in horror*. So, there will be chapters interspersed that deal with other characters from the game. I'm going to try to include every character from the game in some way, but I make no promises. I just babble on continuously in my author's notes, but then you all knew that already, didn't you?
Let's see how well this whole two chapters in one day thing works out.
Chapter 28:
I See
The plate was beautiful. Sunlight reflected off the dark metal designs, casting odd shadows across the metropolis. Buildings loomed above small, disordered houses, while children played in the dilapidated park nearby. Merchants tried to scam their way into wallets, while businesses fought against the inevitable closing of their store. Overstressed mothers watched over their babies, while underpaid fathers worked in noxious factories. Priests tried to save the souls of the unwilling, while unnoticed thieves cleverly collected valuables from an unsuspecting crowd. People immersed in their own lives scurried across the pavement and dead grass, unaware of being watched from above.
It was an activity he indulged in frequently, watching. It was his right, after all. He had made this city. He had developed mako energy. All of these people, they depended on him. So, he led them, as was his right. And, they gave him money. He deserved it. There was satisfaction in how they worked so hard daily, to get paid, then spent their money on things that he owned. He paid them low wages, then charged them high prices for things that should have been cheap. It was a good business, and it made him richer everyday.
He loved being in charge. It was a position of power, and everyone knew who he was. They respected and feared him, and he enjoyed it immensely.
"President ShinRa?"
"Yes?" He hated being interrupted. But, such things were a necessity when you controlled so much.
"It's your son. They found him."
Irritation swept over his normally calm face. "Well, keep the brat locked up this time! How did he get away in the first place?"
"Apparently, the lock on his room was broken, but no one knew about it-"
"Unacceptable. It's been fixed?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then, keep him in there! Why the hell are you bothering me with this? I have too much on my mind to be interrupted for such a worthless piece of scum as him! Dismissed."
"Sir."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The guard breathed a sigh of relief. It was always hell dealing with the president. There was never a good way of going about it. Especially when his son was involved. Everyone who worked for ShinRa pitied the boy. He was ignored and rejected by his father. His mother was nowhere to be found. There were rumors of a massive sum of money paid to a prostitute for her silence, and no one would be surprised if they came to be true. After all, who would willingly sleep with that disgusting man?
His son was nothing like him. Thank God for that. He looked nothing like his father, and their personalities were completely different. The president was obnoxious, rude, and hated by everyone. Everywhere he went he was followed by heated stares and obscene gestures, yet he failed to notice this. It was probably because he was too full of himself to think that anyone would think badly of him. The fool. But who would say it, to his face? No one had that kind of courage. What would happen to their families? It was worth it to remain silent and suffer.
To his son, however, people were more than happy to point out his faults. They felt quite secure in telling Rufus that his father was a horrible person. They also felt sure that Rufus himself was the same. So what if he had never really exhibited any rude or harsh behavior? Just because it hadn't shown itself didn't mean it wasn't there. His father's personality was sure to surface soon. Everyone just had to wait for it to happen. The boy only interacted with two, maybe three people daily, and never his father. Everyone else just got a cold stare in passing. It almost seemed that he would end up being just like his father.
The guard approached the boy's room with no small level of uncertainty. Would he be in there? He knocked hesitantly, and opened the door.
"Rufus?"
The small boy sat there, idly playing with a stuffed bear. His short, golden locks were splayed about his thin face, and his normally perceptive green eyes were dull. The boy's head turned slightly at the guard's entrance.
"Yes?" Rufus asked. His childish voice carried a weight in it that made him seem mature. He spoke so rarely that his voice was almost always harsh from disuse.
"Your father sent me to make sure you were in here."
Rufus nodded, then turned back to the doll. It was the only object of comfort he owned. The room itself was plain, with white walls, a faded blue rug, and unpainted wooden furniture. The guard had seen it all before, but he wondered how the child could not mind it. Most other children he knew were so cheerful, but there was something. off about him. Something that didn't seem to fit.
As he turned to leave, Rufus asked, "Will you be locking the door again?"
The guard kept walking and nodded. He couldn't turn around now. It was difficult already to keep the kid locked up in here. He closed the door tightly, locking it with his key. The guard leaned against the door for a fraction of a second before moving on. There was work to be done, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was quiet and dark. The silence was only broken by the slight sounds of even breathing. A lamp on a nearby table helped to ease the darkness. Rufus continued to move the doll around nonsensically. There was nothing else to do.
Finally, he closed his eyes and replied, "I see." Of course, the guard was long gone. Rufus, knowing no answer would come, climbed into his bed and tried to drift to sleep. It was hard, sometimes. There was never any sound. He had liked it when he left and walked through the park. There were people there, and they were noisy.
But he was back. He was in his room. Once again, he was locked in here. "I see," he whispered before he fell into sleep.
And the sad thing was, he did.