A/N: HOORAH! X.o Hm. . .I dunno, actually. ^_^ I'll probably end up writing a lot of fanfiction in the FF7 section, because I just love FF7 and am an idiot XD thanks, btw, for the compliments! ^____^ YAY! *dances and stuff*
BTW, YES, VINCENT WILL COME IN AT SOME POINT IN DA STORY X.O; uh. also, the Chapter 3 reviews seem to be. broken. o_O I dunno why. DAMN YOU FF.NET
. . .also. . .I was thinking of some Rufus/Tifa. . .and some Vincent/Tifa. . .and then some CLOUD HATES YOU ALL. . .well, okay I made it sound kinda dumb XD also. . .this chappie focuses entirely on Tifa and Rufus and everyone's bestest pal.
Disclaimer: durr. FF7 is in my house, but it doesn't belong to me. . how'd it get there? O_O the song used is the translation of "My Will" by dream...durr, ending theme for Inu Yasha's 1st season
---
Though they had been travelling for perhaps a couple of days together, there were some leadrership issues at hand between Tifa and Rufus--though Tifa would settle for a compromise of sorts, there was always some sort of reason to argue against his methods. Finally, she settled for allowing Rydia to trot alongside Dark Nation, because she felt obligated not to trot ahead or behind in fear that she would seem arrogant, or that she would have issues of her own. There was little to no communication between the two.
They would often move from continent to continent mindlessly, as if it was no problem at all; and that night, they were in Mideel. In order to cross the ocean, Rufus would often climb onto Rydia behind Tifa, and Dark Nation could swim without the ex-president's weight on his back. The town had been reduced to a smoking pit of Lifestream way back when, but they had cleared some of the forests around the area and built more houses, cleaned up the wood, etc. The "lake" had become more or less a tourist attraction.
So, in the thick forest closest to the shore, they camped out for the night, Rydia picking at some Mimett Greens from Tifa's pack and Dark Nation fast asleep. Tifa sat on a log near a small fire that had been created in a tiny clearing, as did Rufus.
They had barely spoken. At all. There were a few arguments which usually led to one-worded conversations, but that quickly began to disperse also. Tifa was bored as hell, and felt as if she couldn't have emotional thoughts around the cold man; Rufus, however, seemed to particularly enjoy the silence, folding his arms as he sat. His light eyes seemed to be fixed in the fire, as if it held some sort of complete meaning to him. *Him*. The only thing fire reminded Tifa was that night at Nibelheim. . .
There was a short rustling in the bushes. However, *he* didn't seem to notice/mind, occasionally letting a thought or two shine through his poker face as he stared unto the embers. Tifa, however, was more alert, and her scarlet eyes flew to the location of the rustle, her fists clenching at her sides. Slowly, she stood, walking gingerly to the source of the noise.
Click.
//Uh?// Opposite clicks were heard simultaneously, prompting the martial artist to swivel around. Incidentally, she was probably in the wrong direction.
A pair of eyes perhaps redder then hers glared into Rufus's, yet both equally cold and lifeless, and both cut dangerously. A shotgun was pointed to a pale forehead. A large rifle, claimed to be the legendary Death Penalty, stood at Rufus's. To put it lightly, if looks could kill, Vincent Valentine and Rufus Shinra would both be lying on the ground bleeding to death. That is, if they didn't pull a trigger first.
"Vin. . .cent?" Tifa stammered slowly at the sight of the vampiric guy. Vincent acknowledged her existence simply by briefly glancing at her, idly, almost as if he didn't care. He then shifted his vicious glare back to Rufus, who returned it with equal hatred; and for a long time, nobody moved, adding to the suspense. If one even made the slightest movement, the other would probably pull the trigger--that movement being a simple twitch of the index figure, it was highly likely both of them would shoot each other. Rufus's white, longer coat fluttered in the wind, as did Vincent's cape in equal dramatics, and the fire luminated each face, the light dancing in their eyes.
"Tifa, go back to them." Vincent said--no, *ordered*--coldly.
"No. . .I don't want to." she said slowly, approaching the two gunslingers and placing her hands on each gun, slowly pushing them down (though it took more force to lower Rufus's gun then it did Vincent's) and attempting to reduce the violence by maybe one bit. ". . .Rufus. . ."
"First name terms?" Vincent interrupted, his glare hardening. Rufus gave a tiny smirk, though a stuck-out tongue was kind of implied.
"One-sided." Tifa added, frowning at Rufus. It was Vincent's turn to smirk--well, okay, Vincent didn't smirk, but he raised a brow, giving Rufus an equally smug look.
"Times change." Rufus added indignantly. If Vincent knew how to laugh, he probably would, but instead, one side of his mouth curled upwards ever so slightly, then dropped rapidly as if to prevent any further connection to this notion called "smiling". Tifa couldn't resist but to raise a brow at Rufus, silently asking "what're you getting at," but, nonetheless, she turned her head to look pleadingly at Vincent.
"Don't tell anyone I'm here, Vincent. They'll follow me." Tifa begged, her eyes boring into Vincent's as if hoping it would unlock some kind of sympathy.
". . .they're worried, Tifa." he replied stonily, his gaze finally moving from Rufus's to Tifa's.
Quietly awakening
I always, always wish
that these fleeting thoughts
would reach you
"They'll understand. . .I'll come back soon, I promise."
At this moment, Rufus rolled his eyes with a slight, sarcastic snort, turning around and walking a little ways away from the two red-eyed members of AVALANCHE, folding his arms and staring at the endless forest before him. He didn't like being ignored, obviously, prompting Tifa to give him a worried glance, but she turned back to Vincent.
"Are you going back to them?" she asked quietly.
"Not anymore."
"Rufus is a nice guy, Vincent," pleaded Tifa, eyes hopeful and begging. "If they know, they'd try and kill him."
". . . .a bad thing *when*?"
"Vincent. . ." She sighed. "Please. . .I'm not kidnapped. I'm not in any danger."
". . ."
Unable to move forward across "just a little more" distance
The way I see before me is always blocked
Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up
My strong heartbeat turns into heartbreak
"Is that a yes?"
". . . . .I shall stay with you." Although it was kind of lame and corny, it clearly meant "if Rufus screws up I will pound his ass into the ground, but in case he does I'll be watching his every move". Tifa grinned and threw her arms around the pale man, despite the level of intimidation he often gave everyone and everything. Tifa and Yuffie were probably the only ones who weren't afraid to act like a normal person around him; the rest. . .well, it felt ominous to *breathe* around the guy.
"Thank you~!" Tifa exclaimed cheerily, the hug a rather frightening concept for him. She ran to Rufus. "He won't tell everyone. Okay?"
". . .Whatever." Rufus retorted passively, his back to Tifa and expression unseen. He ran a hand through his slick hair, and finally let his arms go limp at his sides. The flutter in his coat had noticeably stopped, apparently reflecting his disapproval; however, Tifa smiled slightly and patted the blonde man on the shoulder a few times, causing his head to tilt more down and left, and she raced back to Vincent, only to realize she didn't really need to tell him anything, so she walked to the log and sat down.
If there is such a thing as "eternity,"
I want to believe, even if I have to take the long way.
Although I know that I've been hurt before because I'm clumsy
I won't stop; I won't give in to anyone
"C'mon you guys. Vincent, I'm not planning to leave behind Rufus anytime soon, so you guys should get better acquainted." she said, watching as Rufus and Vincent sat down, though still sharing a vicious glare, and Tifa pretended not to notice, beaming as she took out some beef jerky out of her backpack, a loaf of bread, and two bottles of water. "Anyone hungry?" She felt a lot better, having more then one friend around, and was in a particularly cheerful mood nonetheless. Vincent reached for the bottle of water, his claws closing around it and retracting quickly, whereas Rufus reached for a small stick of beef jerky.
"Thank you." Vincent murmured in Tifa's direction, twisting open the cap with one hand, and drinking slowly. Even a simple action such as drinking seemed to be a thing to be admired when done by former Turk Vincent Valentine, who managed to do anything and everything with undescribed grace. Yuffie had once commented there wasn't an ounce of fat wasted on the guy; he was extremely well-muscled, and no skin went to waste. "Tifa," he began suddenly, "Cloud is distraught. Please allow me to contact him about your status."
"No." she responded immediatly and without skipping a beat, biting her bottom lip in strong refusal.
I think of you
and that alone is enough
to make the tears start to flow now
I always, always wish
that these fleeting thoughts
would reach you...
A half hour had passed, and it seemed that Vincent was fast asleep. . .or at least, lay on the log totally immobile and staring at the dotted sky. The fire was still up and flickering, and Rufus leaned against a tree, arms folded and frowning in the direction he faced straight ahead. Occasionally, the ex-president would run a hand through his hair, but that was basically the only motion of life between the two totally monotonous men; however, Tifa was rather restless, and would tap her foot impatiently, staring into the fire.
"Lockheart," Rufus began, but there was some kind of snorting sound from Vincent's direction that alerted him to his. . .error, prompting him to start again. "*TIFA*. Do you intend to go back to AVALANCHE?"
"Yes. As soon as I think my trip's over." Tifa answered, boot tapping impatiently and finger tapping her chin. Her head was held in her gloved hand, and she would occasionally stretch.
". . .Why?" he inquired further. Rufus Shinra simply did *not* see what benefits there were in rejoining the terrorist group; he loathed them heavily, and especially Cloud.
"Well, they're my friends, and Cloud's probably worried."
I've known all too well about pretending to be strong.
But since then, my doubts have vanished.
". . . . .Strife isn't worth your time." Rufus spat, expressing his obvious hatred for the spikey-headed ex-SOLDIER, arms folded and eyes rolling rather high. Tifa laughed a little, prompting a glare from the white-coated blonde. Her laughing came to a halt, but she returned his icy gaze with a smile. "To be honest, I think a woman of your calibur is better off with a different crowd." Tifa grinned at him, pushing some hair out of her eyes and blinking.
"Why, was that a compliment, Rufus Shinra?" she giggled, hugging her knees to her chest as she usually did.
"Nothing more then a statement of a fact, Ms. Lockheart." he commented in a monotonous voice, eyes narrowed at the martial artist. "I suggest you do not assume what point I am trying to get across." Tifa continued to beam at him, that //--annoyingly patient--// smile of hers beginning to chip at his defenses. Not emotional barriers, but it was more or less pissing him off!. . .He murmured something incomprehensible under his breath, then ran a hand through his hair.
This triggered the memory of something she once heard-- //No one's ever seen him bleed or cry.//
There's definitely things I want to show you
And so many words I want to hear
I want to see all sides of you, when you laugh and cry
So I'll stop waiting
and seize my "chance."
BTW, YES, VINCENT WILL COME IN AT SOME POINT IN DA STORY X.O; uh. also, the Chapter 3 reviews seem to be. broken. o_O I dunno why. DAMN YOU FF.NET
. . .also. . .I was thinking of some Rufus/Tifa. . .and some Vincent/Tifa. . .and then some CLOUD HATES YOU ALL. . .well, okay I made it sound kinda dumb XD also. . .this chappie focuses entirely on Tifa and Rufus and everyone's bestest pal.
Disclaimer: durr. FF7 is in my house, but it doesn't belong to me. . how'd it get there? O_O the song used is the translation of "My Will" by dream...durr, ending theme for Inu Yasha's 1st season
---
Though they had been travelling for perhaps a couple of days together, there were some leadrership issues at hand between Tifa and Rufus--though Tifa would settle for a compromise of sorts, there was always some sort of reason to argue against his methods. Finally, she settled for allowing Rydia to trot alongside Dark Nation, because she felt obligated not to trot ahead or behind in fear that she would seem arrogant, or that she would have issues of her own. There was little to no communication between the two.
They would often move from continent to continent mindlessly, as if it was no problem at all; and that night, they were in Mideel. In order to cross the ocean, Rufus would often climb onto Rydia behind Tifa, and Dark Nation could swim without the ex-president's weight on his back. The town had been reduced to a smoking pit of Lifestream way back when, but they had cleared some of the forests around the area and built more houses, cleaned up the wood, etc. The "lake" had become more or less a tourist attraction.
So, in the thick forest closest to the shore, they camped out for the night, Rydia picking at some Mimett Greens from Tifa's pack and Dark Nation fast asleep. Tifa sat on a log near a small fire that had been created in a tiny clearing, as did Rufus.
They had barely spoken. At all. There were a few arguments which usually led to one-worded conversations, but that quickly began to disperse also. Tifa was bored as hell, and felt as if she couldn't have emotional thoughts around the cold man; Rufus, however, seemed to particularly enjoy the silence, folding his arms as he sat. His light eyes seemed to be fixed in the fire, as if it held some sort of complete meaning to him. *Him*. The only thing fire reminded Tifa was that night at Nibelheim. . .
There was a short rustling in the bushes. However, *he* didn't seem to notice/mind, occasionally letting a thought or two shine through his poker face as he stared unto the embers. Tifa, however, was more alert, and her scarlet eyes flew to the location of the rustle, her fists clenching at her sides. Slowly, she stood, walking gingerly to the source of the noise.
Click.
//Uh?// Opposite clicks were heard simultaneously, prompting the martial artist to swivel around. Incidentally, she was probably in the wrong direction.
A pair of eyes perhaps redder then hers glared into Rufus's, yet both equally cold and lifeless, and both cut dangerously. A shotgun was pointed to a pale forehead. A large rifle, claimed to be the legendary Death Penalty, stood at Rufus's. To put it lightly, if looks could kill, Vincent Valentine and Rufus Shinra would both be lying on the ground bleeding to death. That is, if they didn't pull a trigger first.
"Vin. . .cent?" Tifa stammered slowly at the sight of the vampiric guy. Vincent acknowledged her existence simply by briefly glancing at her, idly, almost as if he didn't care. He then shifted his vicious glare back to Rufus, who returned it with equal hatred; and for a long time, nobody moved, adding to the suspense. If one even made the slightest movement, the other would probably pull the trigger--that movement being a simple twitch of the index figure, it was highly likely both of them would shoot each other. Rufus's white, longer coat fluttered in the wind, as did Vincent's cape in equal dramatics, and the fire luminated each face, the light dancing in their eyes.
"Tifa, go back to them." Vincent said--no, *ordered*--coldly.
"No. . .I don't want to." she said slowly, approaching the two gunslingers and placing her hands on each gun, slowly pushing them down (though it took more force to lower Rufus's gun then it did Vincent's) and attempting to reduce the violence by maybe one bit. ". . .Rufus. . ."
"First name terms?" Vincent interrupted, his glare hardening. Rufus gave a tiny smirk, though a stuck-out tongue was kind of implied.
"One-sided." Tifa added, frowning at Rufus. It was Vincent's turn to smirk--well, okay, Vincent didn't smirk, but he raised a brow, giving Rufus an equally smug look.
"Times change." Rufus added indignantly. If Vincent knew how to laugh, he probably would, but instead, one side of his mouth curled upwards ever so slightly, then dropped rapidly as if to prevent any further connection to this notion called "smiling". Tifa couldn't resist but to raise a brow at Rufus, silently asking "what're you getting at," but, nonetheless, she turned her head to look pleadingly at Vincent.
"Don't tell anyone I'm here, Vincent. They'll follow me." Tifa begged, her eyes boring into Vincent's as if hoping it would unlock some kind of sympathy.
". . .they're worried, Tifa." he replied stonily, his gaze finally moving from Rufus's to Tifa's.
Quietly awakening
I always, always wish
that these fleeting thoughts
would reach you
"They'll understand. . .I'll come back soon, I promise."
At this moment, Rufus rolled his eyes with a slight, sarcastic snort, turning around and walking a little ways away from the two red-eyed members of AVALANCHE, folding his arms and staring at the endless forest before him. He didn't like being ignored, obviously, prompting Tifa to give him a worried glance, but she turned back to Vincent.
"Are you going back to them?" she asked quietly.
"Not anymore."
"Rufus is a nice guy, Vincent," pleaded Tifa, eyes hopeful and begging. "If they know, they'd try and kill him."
". . . .a bad thing *when*?"
"Vincent. . ." She sighed. "Please. . .I'm not kidnapped. I'm not in any danger."
". . ."
Unable to move forward across "just a little more" distance
The way I see before me is always blocked
Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up
My strong heartbeat turns into heartbreak
"Is that a yes?"
". . . . .I shall stay with you." Although it was kind of lame and corny, it clearly meant "if Rufus screws up I will pound his ass into the ground, but in case he does I'll be watching his every move". Tifa grinned and threw her arms around the pale man, despite the level of intimidation he often gave everyone and everything. Tifa and Yuffie were probably the only ones who weren't afraid to act like a normal person around him; the rest. . .well, it felt ominous to *breathe* around the guy.
"Thank you~!" Tifa exclaimed cheerily, the hug a rather frightening concept for him. She ran to Rufus. "He won't tell everyone. Okay?"
". . .Whatever." Rufus retorted passively, his back to Tifa and expression unseen. He ran a hand through his slick hair, and finally let his arms go limp at his sides. The flutter in his coat had noticeably stopped, apparently reflecting his disapproval; however, Tifa smiled slightly and patted the blonde man on the shoulder a few times, causing his head to tilt more down and left, and she raced back to Vincent, only to realize she didn't really need to tell him anything, so she walked to the log and sat down.
If there is such a thing as "eternity,"
I want to believe, even if I have to take the long way.
Although I know that I've been hurt before because I'm clumsy
I won't stop; I won't give in to anyone
"C'mon you guys. Vincent, I'm not planning to leave behind Rufus anytime soon, so you guys should get better acquainted." she said, watching as Rufus and Vincent sat down, though still sharing a vicious glare, and Tifa pretended not to notice, beaming as she took out some beef jerky out of her backpack, a loaf of bread, and two bottles of water. "Anyone hungry?" She felt a lot better, having more then one friend around, and was in a particularly cheerful mood nonetheless. Vincent reached for the bottle of water, his claws closing around it and retracting quickly, whereas Rufus reached for a small stick of beef jerky.
"Thank you." Vincent murmured in Tifa's direction, twisting open the cap with one hand, and drinking slowly. Even a simple action such as drinking seemed to be a thing to be admired when done by former Turk Vincent Valentine, who managed to do anything and everything with undescribed grace. Yuffie had once commented there wasn't an ounce of fat wasted on the guy; he was extremely well-muscled, and no skin went to waste. "Tifa," he began suddenly, "Cloud is distraught. Please allow me to contact him about your status."
"No." she responded immediatly and without skipping a beat, biting her bottom lip in strong refusal.
I think of you
and that alone is enough
to make the tears start to flow now
I always, always wish
that these fleeting thoughts
would reach you...
A half hour had passed, and it seemed that Vincent was fast asleep. . .or at least, lay on the log totally immobile and staring at the dotted sky. The fire was still up and flickering, and Rufus leaned against a tree, arms folded and frowning in the direction he faced straight ahead. Occasionally, the ex-president would run a hand through his hair, but that was basically the only motion of life between the two totally monotonous men; however, Tifa was rather restless, and would tap her foot impatiently, staring into the fire.
"Lockheart," Rufus began, but there was some kind of snorting sound from Vincent's direction that alerted him to his. . .error, prompting him to start again. "*TIFA*. Do you intend to go back to AVALANCHE?"
"Yes. As soon as I think my trip's over." Tifa answered, boot tapping impatiently and finger tapping her chin. Her head was held in her gloved hand, and she would occasionally stretch.
". . .Why?" he inquired further. Rufus Shinra simply did *not* see what benefits there were in rejoining the terrorist group; he loathed them heavily, and especially Cloud.
"Well, they're my friends, and Cloud's probably worried."
I've known all too well about pretending to be strong.
But since then, my doubts have vanished.
". . . . .Strife isn't worth your time." Rufus spat, expressing his obvious hatred for the spikey-headed ex-SOLDIER, arms folded and eyes rolling rather high. Tifa laughed a little, prompting a glare from the white-coated blonde. Her laughing came to a halt, but she returned his icy gaze with a smile. "To be honest, I think a woman of your calibur is better off with a different crowd." Tifa grinned at him, pushing some hair out of her eyes and blinking.
"Why, was that a compliment, Rufus Shinra?" she giggled, hugging her knees to her chest as she usually did.
"Nothing more then a statement of a fact, Ms. Lockheart." he commented in a monotonous voice, eyes narrowed at the martial artist. "I suggest you do not assume what point I am trying to get across." Tifa continued to beam at him, that //--annoyingly patient--// smile of hers beginning to chip at his defenses. Not emotional barriers, but it was more or less pissing him off!. . .He murmured something incomprehensible under his breath, then ran a hand through his hair.
This triggered the memory of something she once heard-- //No one's ever seen him bleed or cry.//
There's definitely things I want to show you
And so many words I want to hear
I want to see all sides of you, when you laugh and cry
So I'll stop waiting
and seize my "chance."