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By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com) or (generalquistis@hotmail.com)
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SEVEN: All But Love Is Dead
After the restoration of the ShinRa Mansion, President Rufus ShinRa finally decided to come back and live there once again.
As he got down from the car, he observed as Rude and Reeve opened the main front doors of the mansion, then he turned back to the car and stepped aside but stooped down as he looked inside and offered his hand to the girl wearing a maroon floral sundress with black roses as prints. Her crimson eyes turned to him, examining his gentle smile. "Welcome to your new home," he said gently.
She slowly moved her bandaged right hand to his until he finally grasped hers gently. He helped her out of the car. "Are you sure you can walk properly?" he asked with a concerned tone.
Tifa looked up into his eyes, and upon seeing the reassuring look that she is going to be alright, she nodded with a slight smile on her face. As she got out of the car, she stared up at the big house standing before her. She blinked twice before turning her gaze to Rufus who was looking at her curiously. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head. "This is my new home?" she asked softly.
He smiled gently as he gazed lovingly at her.
Elena flashed Tifa a reassuring smile, so did Rude.
Tifa nodded at them then turned back to Rufus. "Yes, it is. From now on, you will stay here with me," he told her gently.
She just stared at him, then turned back to the street outside the Mansion. Her eyes still reflected some blankness but Rufus wished that he could see life in them even just for once.
"Let's go inside so that you could rest." She was interrupted when she heard his voice telling her that.
She instantly spun her head to his direction and to his surprise, he saw that her eyes were wide. He raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is there anything wrong?" he asked.
She just shook her head.
Reno watched quietly from one side of the door as Rude and Reeve escorted Tifa and Rufus inside the house.
Why don't you go inside there and see for yourself?
He shuddered when he recalled Tifa Lockheart telling him that upon asking what was inside that well.
"Is there something wrong, Reno?" Elena asked as she approached him. He shrugged. "Nothing much… she just bothers me… the way her eyes are looking at us… it's just plain creepy." He told her.
Elena snickered. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Reno! I know that she acts like a zombie but look at the bright side! I think there's some hope that we could let her soul come back to her body without us fetching it in the Lifestream, you know?" she explained in almost a whisper as she smacked his back with her right hand. He almost fell forward, but he maintained his balance. "Ow! Watch it!" he frowned slightly as he narrowed his eyes on her. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Elena waited until Rufus finally went upstairs with Tifa. "Don't tell me he's putting her in his room?" she asked Reno with a silly smile on her face.
"Nah. He had one room reserved for her… it's on the second floor beside the room where… where President ShinRa killed the First Lady…" Reno explained rather uneasily. Then, he realized that they were already off-topic. "And back to the question…" he began.
"Oh yeah…" Elena shoved her hands inside the pockets of her slacks. "It's like this… knowing that old Hojo, he's a little deranged… and because of his deranged brain, he could do things which are really very unexpected of a scientist from this epoch. I am just certain that the formula he placed inside that well is not permanent but only temporary… it could just wear off in several days or so, but at least it will be gone!" she told him with a smile on her face.
Reno was quiet for a while then spoke up with a hesitant tone, "How could you say that? You've got any proof?" he asked.
"It's just a theory that I thought of after I found out that her heart was still beating but there was no pulse, and she's supposedly brain-dead according to her medical records… her lungs and her other internal organs aren't functioning properly." She explained.
"Or maybe you could put it this way…" Scarlet started as she approached them.
Reno and Elena exchanged annoyed looks. "You're eavesdropping again?" the latter demanded.
Scarlet just frowned at them and then turned to Reno. "Isn't it that she loves President Rufus?" she asked with a sly smile on her face.
"Yeah, and so?" Reno asked impatiently as he scratched his head.
Scarlet's sly smile widened. "It could happen that you could destroy every single emotion inside of that poor girl until they die and make her crazy… but you could never stop a person from loving someone… you can't kill that one single feeling. That's what keeping her alive… do you get my point?" she asked.
Elena raised an eyebrow. "How the hell did you come up with that thought?" she asked as she smiled unbelievably at her.
"Yeah… of all people… how could you even think of such a thing?" Reno demanded as he crossed his arms.
Scarlet just shrugged. "Kyahahahahahahaha~! You don't know much about me, do you, Turks?" she asked as she flicked their noses one by one with her index finger before she walked away from them, still laughing.
Reno snorted as he looked away from Scarlet. "That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" he told Elena gruffly.
Elena was silent and then smiled slowly at Reno. "But it makes sense to me…" she said before she flicked Reno's nose with her index finger, giggled and then went inside the house, leaving Reno stunned.