-Eight: Love Is My Decision-

            Five months later, she was able to return to Nibelheim. She went straight to her house and just stayed inside for seven days.

However, upon learning that Cloud, Aerith, Vincent, Lucrecia and Sephiroth were just around the little town and residing there, she decided to pay them visits, hoping that socializing with them can make things better.

In no time, she was back in her old self again: hiding all her sorrows behind her cheerful smiles.

            "How did you manage to arrive back here?" Aerith asked with a concerned look on her face while she and Tifa were strolling down the streets of Nibelheim together one late afternoon.

"I had to go to Junon and wait." Tifa replied.

"Oh my… how long did it take?" Aerith asked.

"Around five months or so… can't think clearly during those times, you know?" she replied.

"Why?"

Tifa shrugged. "I just had a confused mind… you know, you guys are back and living normal lives as if nothing happened before…"

"…where's Rufus?" Aerith cut her off with that question.

Tifa was quiet for a few seconds, not knowing how to answer. Aerith noticed the sudden silence and uneasiness in Tifa, but before she could ask why, Sephiroth just came running to them. "Hey!" he called out with a happy look on his face.

Tifa found it weird to see Sephiroth looking so happy.

"What are you girls doing here?" he asked.

"Just walking around town. What about you? I think you should go back to your mommy." Aerith teased.

"Very funny, Aerith," he said sarcastically before continuing, "Say, mom and dad would like to invite you plus Cloud to dinner at the Mansion tonight. It's just a special occasion since it's dad's birthday." He said.

"Dad?" Tifa asked in awe.

"Vincent." Aerith whispered to her.

"Oh… I see…" Tifa stammered, feeling a little bit ridiculous. She knew she still had to get herself used to the fact that Lucrecia is already Vincent's wife and that their son is Sephiroth.

"We'll see you later. You can go now." Aerith told him as she shoved him away from them playfully.

"Hey, what's the rush?" he demanded.

"Girl talk. So scram." Aerith replied with a stern tone but she was still smiling at Sephiroth.

"Well how come whenever Cloud and I would be talking, you'd also butt in? Oh yeah, and before, you would also butt in my conversations with Rufus!" he pointed out with a joking tone.

She giggled. "Don't be ridiculous, Sephiroth. Just leave us alone here for a while." She said.

Sephiroth laughed at them. "Yeah, whatever. Well then, I'll see you later." He said before winking at them and then ran off back to the ShinRa Mansion.

"He acts and sounds different compared to the way he acted before…" Tifa told Aerith.

Aerith giggled. "We all changed in a way or two…" she pointed out.

Tifa just nodded, suddenly remembering Rufus.

"I heard that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry…"

Those were Aerith's former words.

But she had seen him cry.

Aerith noticed the sudden disappointed look on Tifa's face. "Tifa?" she asked.

She just shook her head as she thought silently, "He's just too selfish… all he wants is his family's wealth and that's it. What does he know about loving a person anyway? He's a ShinRa,"

Aerith sighed heavily. "I think you should just go back to your house and rest. You look tired." She finally said.

Tifa just nodded her head and smiled cheerfully at Aerith. "You're right… well, I'll just see you tomorrow." She said before she finally left.

Aerith knew that Tifa wouldn't be attending the celebration later on so she just tried to think of an excuse to Vincent and the others. "I'll just tell them that she's not feeling well and she doesn't want to be disturbed while she's resting." She whispered softly. She turned to the other direction but stopped upon seeing a tall blonde man with blue eyes blocking her way. She looked up at him in disbelief, but upon recognizing who he is, she smiled. "Rufus," she started.

He smiled at her. He was wearing his old clothes: the usual white stuff we all know. But he had two suitcases beside him.

"Hey, Aerith," he greeted.

She looked down at the suitcases, then back at Rufus. "You're on vacation?" she asked curiously.

He just shrugged. "I don't know if I'll call it a vacation…" he replied with an unsure look on his face. She just smiled at him. "How's everything in Junon and in Midgar?" she asked casually.

He shrugged again with a pleased expression on his face. "Everything's stable now. Everything's being fixed ever since I returned but…" he suddenly couldn't go on.

Aerith understood. "I see," she patted his shoulder gently. "There's gonna be dinner at the ShinRa Mansion tonight because it's Vincent's birthday. I'll see you there later." She told him before she turned to go.

"Vincent?" Rufus asked with a perplexed look on his face.

Aerith turned back to him with a sweet smile on her face. "Lucrecia's husband and Sephiroth's new father." She explained.

He nodded. "I see… well then, are you Mrs. Strife now?" he asked with a teasing smile on his face.

She giggled. "Soon, Rufus, very soon." She winked at him before she waved goodbye and went to the other direction leading back to Cloud's house.

Rufus sighed heavily as he looked around Nibelheim. Everything still looked the same from what he could remember from his own childhood. His smile faded slowly as he began to think of where to go first… and finally decided after a few seconds only. With that, he began his way around Nibelheim in search for a certain house.

He asked for directions from some townsfolk and eventually, he arrived at the said house. It looked small compared to his old home, obviously… but he didn't really mind.

He knocked on the front door but he wasn't sure if anybody was home so he just decided to go inside on his own. Upon getting inside the house, he placed his things by the doorway leading to the dining area and shut the door. He felt so nervous all of a sudden, but he tried to convince himself that everything would be alright.

"Who's there?"

Rufus immediately turned to the direction where the back door was located. There she was, standing there as she stared at him in awe.

He smiled calmly at her. "Hi, Tifa," he greeted.

She swallowed hard. "Wh…what are you doing here?" she asked.

He walked to her, and as he did so, he wondered why she wasn't even moving. "I have nowhere else to go." He told her.

"The inn is a few blocks away from here. You can go there." She explained flatly as she tried to avoid his gaze.

"My money isn't enough to rent myself a room in such an expensive place." He told her.

She frowned at him. "But… but you went back to ShinRa, right?" she didn't really know how to put her thoughts into words, so she just said that. She was thinking that if Rufus really did go back to ShinRa after she left, he could've just stayed there and forgot about her, and if he would come around her place, he would have to live in another place instead of her own house.

"I gave up everything." He told her.

Silence.

"What?" she asked with a voice that seemed to falter.

He eyed her carefully, keeping his blue eyes on her crimson ones. "Please forgive me," he said softly.

She just stared at him curiously. "What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion as she felt herself trembling slightly.

He didn't say anything more; he just ran to her and took her in his arms, embracing her tightly.

She just stiffened, wishing that everything was just a dream… but why is she crying?

"I… I can't stay in ShinRa much longer if it would mean another lifetime of loneliness… I have to be with her…" he thought silently.

She shook her head before she pushed him away from herself. "Get away from me! I hate you!" she screamed at him angrily before she ran out of the house again, proceeding to the streets of Nibelheim.

"Tifa, wait!" he called out as he ran after her.

            She kept on running again and as she did so, tears fell from her eyes. She just stopped by the well to catch her breath because she really felt so tired. She wondered where she would be going next, because she did not really want to see Rufus.

She is not ready to accept the fact that she has feelings for a former enemy. She was so ashamed of herself for doing so, and yet who can blame her?

Or maybe she's just so stupid and too jaded to think.

"What is happening? Why is he here? Does it mean that he gave up ShinRa or he ran away or something?" she thought silently as she wiped her tears away, but before she could run off again, she stopped when she heard familiar laughter from behind her.

"Gyahahahahahahaha!"

She immediately turned around and the moment she did so, there was Heidegger with the Turks and some ShinRa Soldiers. Her eyes widened in awe at all of them.

"It's the former AVALANCHE member." Heidegger pointed out.

Tifa swallowed hard as she frowned and clenched her fists, although she realized that she wasn't wearing her gloves. "What are they doing here?" she thought in panic.

"Where's President Rufus?" Heidegger demanded.

She froze. "Wh…what?" she asked in disbelief.

Heidegger gestured for the Soldiers to aim their guns at her.

She took a few steps backward but stopped when Heidegger threatened to fire if she kept on moving.

She couldn't hide the fear from her eyes as she stared back at them.

"I ask you again, slut, where is President Rufus?" Heidegger sneered rudely.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" she stammered with a trembling voice, her eyes filling with tears. "Why are you looking for him anyway?" she asked, trying to act innocent.

"He just went off, telling us that he doesn't want to take part in ShinRa anymore. He said something about meeting someone and just staying with that person. Whosoever the hell that person is." Heidegger explained.

She bowed down her head. "Who is that person?" she asked.

"He didn't specify. But he said that she lives here in Nibelheim. He mentioned that he'd rather spend his life without money with her than be with ShinRa." He explained.

She gazed at them blankly. "And you're jealous because Rufus's attention is on this girl and not in the further developments of ShinRa, huh?" she asked mindlessly.

"Are you mocking us?" he demanded angrily.

She turned away from them. "I'm going back to Rufus…" she decided silently with a weak smile on her face as tears fell from her eyes…

But just as she started to walk away, she heard gunshots…