Switching Places
By: General Quistis
Disclaimer: I neither own Final Fantasy 7 nor the characters. Duh.
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Chapter Six
Author's note: History had been changed because of the events…
***
***
Mister Lockheart slowly opened the door to Tifa & Rufus's bedroom and he surprised to see that Rufus had his arms wrapped around his daughter.
He raised his eyebrows, feeling so stunned. "Goodness… I'd better get them separate beds already… or maybe just clean up the old attic and transform it into a room… they're already 15." He thought silently. With that, he left the room.
Tifa heard the door closing and she slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust her vision to the sunlight hitting her face. "Ugh…" she grunted as she tried to move, but she couldn't. Her eyes grew wide in surprise when she realized that Rufus was hugging her. She began to feel nervous. "Oh my God?!" she cried out.
It made Rufus wake up and open his sleepy eyes. She was squirming away from him. His eyes grew wide in surprise and embarrassment that he immediately let go of her. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" he said as he moved away and sat up, but he ended up falling off from the bed.
Tifa's face was red in unexplainable embarrassment and a little rage. "Rufus, how many times must I tell you not to do that?" she asked.
"I…I… ow…" he sat got up slowly, rubbing his hip. "Sorry… I guess I just got used to it… I mean, I've been doing that ever since we're 7 and you used to…" he trailed off when she made a face. "…like it…" he continued before starting to look at her. "I'm sorry… I'll just sleep on the floor next time. I'm really sorry," he muttered glumly.
"We're 15, for crying out loud, Rufus." She said with a patient tone.
"I know… but sometimes, I just get carried away…" he told her with a wink.
Tifa blushed and got off the bed. "I understand…" she said softly before heading outside.
Rufus watched as she got out of their room. He sat down on the bed again, raking his fingers through his hair. He couldn't believe that he had been living with Tifa for eight years already…
He had to admit to liking her secretly, but careful not to reveal it. She had grown to be a very pretty woman and her body seemed not to fit her age because it looked very mature already despite her height of 5'4".
Rufus was much taller than her, about 5'10". He was very handsome and many girls had been after him ever since he reached puberty but he made it a point to stay away from them. For him, Tifa was the only beautiful girl in his eyes.
However, he was still cold towards other people. "Maybe that's why I really don't have friends… except for Tifa… she's the only real friend that I have, which is good, I suppose, because if I become popular with everyone, word might reach ShinRa and they'll finally detect me…" he thought silently as he began to fix their bed.
Their bed.
He felt a little nervous when the phrase kept on repeating in his mind. "I think I should be moving out of this room and just start sleeping in the couch downstairs…" he thought. He was interrupted when Tifa entered again with a sad look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Rufus asked.
Tifa sat down on the bed and sighed heavily. "Dad's going away…" she replied.
Rufus frowned. "Where is he going?" he asked.
She did not answer. She just got up and went to the door. "Breakfast is ready downstairs," she told him before she got out.
He did not move for a few seconds, thinking what was going on with her.
***
Scarlet started to knot the necktie. "Kyah… you look very handsome, Sir Rufus. Except for that hair… we should cut it, you know?" she asked with a smile, referring to his spiky hair.
Cloud touched his own hair and frowned slightly. "I don't see anything wrong with it, Scarlet," he said.
"Kyah… look at your pictures from your childhood! You look neater!" she said.
Cloud shoved her hands away from his tie and started to knot it on his own. "I can handle this, Scarlet." he told her.
Scarlet sighed heavily. "You're 15 years old, Sir. You'll soon be the Vice-President when you reach 18." She pointed out.
Cloud frowned slightly as he faced the mirror. "…and still, I don't know who the heck I really am…" he thought as he scanned his own blue eyes. "I'm sure 15 isn't even my real age… like I'm a year older than that…" he thought silently as he flipped his hair. "Who is that Rufus anyway?" he thought as he lowered his gaze to the floor after he finished with his tie. "I know, Scarlet… and today, I'll be transferring to Midgar," he said aloud with a slight smile on his face.
"Kyahahahaha! Your father is really very proud of you," she said excitedly.
Cloud's smile faded. "I'm not proud of him…" he thought silently.
Then, the door opened and there was Heidegger. "Gyah… the chopper's ready, sir." He said.
Cloud nodded his head. "Are all my things there already?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Scarlet and Heidegger replied in unison.
"And Dark Nation?" he continued.
"Ready to go, sir," Heidegger replied.
"Let's go," Cloud finally said before grabbing his blazer and wearing it.
***
"Rufus," Tifa asked as they were walking down the street.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Is it really fine with you if I follow my dad?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. After all, I'm here." He told her.
Rufus looked up at the ShinRa Mansion as they passed by and he stopped in his tracks when he saw the front door open.
Tifa grabbed his hand and tugged it. "Let's go, they might recognize you," she told him with a nervous look on her face.
But they were not even able to move when they saw a guy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes step out of the Mansion, followed by Heidegger and Scarlet. They were headed for the chopper.
Rufus's eyes grew wide upon seeing the blonde guy.
Tifa gasped.
Cloud saw them and his eyes grew wide in surprise that he stopped walking, causing Heidegger and Scarlet to also stop and turn to the direction where Cloud was looking.
Heidegger and Scarlet were surprised.
Rufus's mouth dropped open.
"R…Rufus?!" Heidegger thought.
Rufus clenched his fists before he grabbed Tifa's arm and pulled her with him as he began to walk away.
Heidegger was about to go after them but Scarlet grabbed him back to stop him. "No, don't!" she hissed.
Heidegger pushed her away. "But…but that's…" he stopped when he realized that the pilot and the other servants were looking at them. "Damn these people… if I say that that's Rufus, they'll discover our secret…" he thought silently.
Cloud turned to the ground with wide eyes. "Wh…who are they? How come it seems to me that I've seen them before?" he thought silently as he touched his head.
***
"So that's why they aren't looking for me because…" Rufus trailed off, feeling so disgusted. "My father is really a big fat bastard!" he yelled angrily.
Tifa swallowed hard, feeling a little bit afraid of him because she had never seen him so angry before.
Rufus faced her with an angry look on his face. "My father married another woman and then they produced another heir and…SHIT! For the love of my mother, he's such a fucking bastard!" he said frantically as he paced back and forth.
Tifa bit her lower lip. "Rufus, I don't think that guy is really your father's son… I could recognize him from somewhere…" she said.
Rufus took a deep breath and exhaled ruggedly as Tifa came closer to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I remember that I knew this boy named Cloud Strife. He just disappeared the next day after your mother died. I could've sworn you were Cloud when I first saw you, but you're not. It would mean that both of you have the same features and…maybe Heidegger and the others just used him to cover up for you." She explained.
Rufus just stared at her with a hurtful look in his eyes. "But look at his hair?!" he said.
"I don't know how they did it, Rufus, but…" she trailed off when he spoke out again, "Damn… almost forgot about Hojo… with his not-so mediocre mind, he could just make a formula to brainwash that Cloud and… and turn him into me…" he moved away from Tifa as he raked his fingers through his hair.
Tifa felt so nervous. "R…Rufus," she began.
He turned to her again with a confused look on his face.
She smiled sadly and looked down. "…are you going back to ShinRa?" she asked.
He studied her. "Go back?" he asked.
She just shook her head. "N…nothing. Forget it." She said before turning away and continued to walk.
Rufus went after her and joined her but did not say anything more.
***
Cloud got down from the chopper a few moments after it landed.
Reeve smiled at him. "Hello, Sir," he greeted.
Cloud ignored him and looked around the place. "So this is Midgar," he said.
"Sector One. ShinRa's main HQ." Reeve told him as he looked up at the tower.
Cloud turned to the exit, taking a good look at what's outside the HQ premises. His frown deepened when he saw a girl with braided brown hair wearing a pink dress and holding a basket of flowers. She was just passing by but she stopped when she noticed that someone was looking at her. She instantly turned her gaze to where Cloud is and though she didn't have any idea who he was, she smiled at him before proceeding to leave.
Cloud did not move, stunned by her smile, until Heidegger tapped his shoulder and urged him to go inside already. "The President's in his office," he said.
Cloud looked away and just proceeded inside the building, still with confused thoughts.
As Heidegger, Scarlet and Reeve followed in a distance from Cloud, Hojo called their attention.
The three turned to Hojo and just let Cloud go on alone.
Heidegger walked over to Hojo and frowned at him. "Are you aware that President Rufus is in Nibelheim?" he demanded.
Reeve and Hojo were surprised. "What?" the former asked.
"We just saw him this morning and he's with this girl. He still looks the same except that… ugh… he's wearing… kyah… ordinary clothes that don't even suit him." Scarlet explained with a disgusted look on her face.
"Really?" asked.
"And our little clone must've recognized Rufus and the girl. I think the three must've known each other before." Heidegger said.
Hojo nodded slightly. "I see… well then, I don't think Cloud would get busted, huh? Things are going smoothly. He acts almost like Rufus, he looks exactly like Rufus except for the hairdo… but he still isn't smart enough to be like Rufus." He explained.
"Kyah… I'm getting nervous here… what if Rufus comes for us and kill us for that switch?" Scarlet asked.
"He won't. He doesn't wanna come back." Heidegger said.
They were silent for a while.
"Besides, we have another major problem… though it's not yet well-discussed by us." Reeve told them with a frown on his face.
All eyes turned to him.
"I'm suspecting that Cloud could be returning back to his own self," he replied.
Hojo smiled when he heard that. "Relax, you ninnies," he said as he adjusted his glasses. "Nothing bad will happen to Cloud. We've been observing him and putting pills in his drinks ever since he was a little boy. I'm quite sure that we'll be alright." He said.
"What about your cloning experiments?" Heidegger asked.
Hojo thought for a while. "Oh you mean Sephiroth? Can't continue that. I've been too busy developing stronger formulas for that Cloud to take so that no one, most especially President ShinRa, would suspect that you guys brought home a mere look-alike of the real ShinRa heir." He said with a mocking stare at Heidegger, Scarlet and Reeve.
"Gyah… you can't help but blame us, huh? Well then, you'd better remember that if one of us gets busted, you're also to suffer the consequences! You're the one brainwashing the boy," Heidegger pointed out before leaving them with an annoyed look on his face.
"Kyah…" Scarlet said glumly.
"Don't worry. We will not get busted. With my genius, we can control the boy like he's just a puppet… and play his role as Rufus ShinRa." Hojo reassured Reeve and Scarlet.
The two just exchanged confused glances before leaving Hojo alone.