A/n: Yay! School is officially over! Now I have to go to work. Boo. Oh
well. A little birdie told me that generalquistis might draw me another
ficpic! Thanks again to her for the drawing she did for me earlier! By
the way it's still on her web page Bloodstained Sniffle She's so nice! I
also want to thank all of you for your reviews again! Keep it up; I need
the advice, comments, questions, etc. Anywhoo, on with the last few
chapters!
Disclaimer: Blah Blah, just the storyline is mine.
"So what are you planning on wearing tonight?" Reno asked Elena somewhat carefully. He had tried to be a lot nicer to her since the incident back in Wutai.
"I don't know. We're allowed to wear something other than our uniforms?" She asked, picking up the sincerity in his voice, knowing that he was trying to make amends.
Reno nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't have anything but uniforms."
Elena chuckled. "Well, let's see, why don't you wear some nice slacks and a button down shirt?
"I have these suits. That's it. I lost the rest of my clothes in the collapse." He said, doing a 360 for her.
She giggled. "Then lets go get you some. K?"
He shrugged. "K, but can we take Rufus? He hasn't had any normal clothes since we were kids." He dropped to a whisper. "Plus, I really think he needs to go outside. He's going a little nuts..."
The blonde Turk shrugged. "If he wants to go."
"I'll go ask him really quick." He left the room, headed to the kitchen where Rufus was supervising the chefs. Reno could tell they were tired of the President telling them how to do their job, but were too scared of losing their job to kick him out of the kitchen. "Hey, Ruf, wanna come with us to go look at regular casual clothes?" He said, stressing the last part, knowing that would get his friend's attention.
Rufus, torn between dictating and going to look at something he hadn't worn for years, looked back and forth between the chefs and Reno. "You." He said, pointing to a rather fat chef.
"Sir?" The chef replied, trembling.
"I'll leave you in charge."
A chorus of relieved sighs caused Rufus to quirk an eyebrow and Reno to laugh out loud.
"Styles haven't changed much since we were kids, Ruf-man"
"I know. But I'm debating on whether I should wear my white ensemble. It's kind of reminiscent of bad times. But then again, I actually like it. If I was evil for a while, why did I wear white?" He pondered that while looking through racks of blue jeans and slacks; waiting for Reno to emerge from the dressing room.
"Are you coming out of there or not?!" Elena banged on the door. "Do I have to come in there and drag you out?"
Reno called back through the door, obviously smiling, "As nice an offer as that is, 'Lena, I'd rather you not just yet."
Rufus yawned. "Hurry up, we don't have all day." He said impatiently.
"All right, all right!" The male Turk whined. The door unlocked and opened, Reno stepped forth in ironed slacks, nice shoes, and white button- down shirt tucked in for once, the top few buttons carelessly left undone. A sports jacket finished the look. "Well, how do I look?"
Elena's mouth fell open. "You look... nice for once... I mean... No offense." She said embarrassedly and breathlessly.
Rufus laughed. "I'll have to agree with her on that, Reno. Your Turk uniform has to be the most wrinkled item of clothing on the planet.
Reno shrugged. "Just the way I wear clothes, I guess."
Back at the mansion, seven o'clock was close at hand. "'Lena, you ready yet? Almost show time." Reno knocked on Elena's door.
A muffled voice came through the door. "Not yet, I still have to fix my hair and stuff."
"I'm sure your hair looks fine, 'Lena. Just come out here. This isn't a fancy formal thing. Its just Tifa." A short pause followed his statement.
The door slowly opened as Elena stepped out. She wore a black calf- length dress that gently hugged her womanly curves. The muscles in her lower legs she'd gotten in Turk training were shown off by wearing black pumps. Spaghetti straps and a semi-modest neckline accentuated her graceful collarbone and rounded cleavage.
Reno smiled at her blushing demeanor, knowing that if he made a crude comment, she'd kick his ass with those high heels, and it'd hurt. But he couldn't have made a crude comment, even if he did try. As far back as he could remember, he'd only made comments to women, never really had an interest in actually having a long-term relationship. He also remembered a few one-night stands he could have done without. But for the first time in his life, he could actually see himself married to Elena.
She was one of the only women whose wit was as sharp as his, one of the only people able to hold her own against him, and she rarely showed fear. In fact, the only time he'd seen her frightened was when he himself threatened to hit her.
He winced at the memory, but continued to smile. "You look great Elena. Absolutely perfect."
Biting her lip, she turned around and timidly said, "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Thanks Reno. Ok, let's go."
Tifa took a deep breath and took a step forward what might be her doom.
Dark Nation pushed her from behind, furry head nudging against her legs.
"All right, all right!" She said impatiently to the panther. She raised her arm to ring the mansion doorbell.
Her fluffy companion purred happily. (She had been given a bath before Tifa even started getting ready, and that was no easy task.)
Tifa took another deep breath. "I'm counting on you, girl."
Inside, Reno and Elena stood at the door. "She's here! I'll answer the door, introduce her to you 'Lena, then lead her to the table. Ok?" Reno asked.
Elena nodded. "K."
The redheaded Turk opened the door. "Hello, Teef. Welcome to the ShinRa Mansion. I know you two have met, maybe not personally, but this is Elena ShinRa, Rufus' half-sister.
Tifa smiled, trying to hide feelings of fear, and shook Elena's hand.
Dark Nation growled at Reno.
"Hello to you too, girl. Alrighty, Teef, this way. Oh, and don't be so nervous."
Darkie followed right behind as Tifa followed Reno to a large dining area. An empty dining area.
"Uh, Teef, why don't you sit down? I'll be right back, k? Elena, stay with her till I come back." He said loudly so Tifa could hear. "Our great leader is MIA." He whispered to Elena.
"I feel sick." He thought, pacing back and forth. "What am I going to say? I can't look her straight in the eye. I've caused her too much pain already." The Junon interrogation room flashed in his brain. "First I attack her, then I sentence her to death. I doubt she going to forget about that."
"Hey, there you are Ruf. We're all waiting for you in the dining room. Teef's here, and Dark Nation." Reno's voice startled Rufus.
"I... I'm not going."
The taller man quirked an eyebrow. "...Wha? Dude, you can't back out now! She actually came. That means she still has a soft spot for ya. Don't you dare give up now. I thought you were different from your father?"
Rufus visually shot Reno with an icy cold stare. "Don't you ever compare me to my father Reno."
Reno's own emerald eyes stared back. "Then prove to me, Rufus, that you're better than him. That you won't give up."
With one last glare, Rufus turned on his heel and walked from the room, shaking his head.
Reno merely grinned in his triumph.
"So how long have you known Rufus?" Elena asked the brunette guest.
Tifa thought back a ways. "Hmm, I'd say... off and on since we were twelve."
Elena nodded. "Wow. I've only known him personally since I was seventeen. My mother was on of President ShinRa's mistresses. She thought she'd get money out of it, at the time, she didn't know he was married, or really even who he was. That was when ShinRa just started to get going as a huge corporation. Then I was born and he didn't want anything to do with Mom." She paused.
"Mom didn't have the gall to turn the media on him so that she could get any money or jobs or anything. Then, when I was seventeen, I met Rufus on the streets of Midgar. Imagine his surprise when I told him we were brother and sister. He helped me get a job here and helped my mom and I get back on our feet. Neither of us knew what the mako would do to us once we started working." The blonde told her story with a smile up until mako was mentioned.
"Mako?" Tifa inquired.
"Yeah, when dad made Rufus go to training, they injected a lot of mako into him. More than a human should be given. Mako is an enhancer; speed, strength, senses, all are amplified. Technically, Rufus was mako poisoned, but differently from the way your friend Cloud was. My brother was under Hojo's control, which was under our father's order. Hojo was one to make sure the job is done correctly." Elena took a sip of wine.
Putting down the glass, she continued. "After your team killed Hojo, Reno destroyed his lab where the mako control was. We were all under control. President ShinRa made sure he'd have more power, even after he died. Somehow Rufus survived the mako poisoning, and the collapse, ended up in a charity hospital, and then we found him and started to rebuild the mansion. Basically that's it, I think you're pretty much up to date."
Tifa's mouth had been hanging open the entire story. It all made sense. It all fit. But she still didn't know about the trust issue. "That was a pretty elaborate story to just cook up though..." She thought. She stared off, thing about what Rufus had done, and how it started to make sense. He could be good again... couldn't he?
"Hey Tifa."
The brunette was shaken from her thoughts. "Hm?"
"Uh, how'd you escape from ShinRa both times? How'd you get the keys to the vehicles, and then also get out of the gas chamber?" Elena was perplexed about these two occurrences.
Tifa smiled, looking back. "Rufus helped me."
Elena looked confused. "How? I mean, with as much mako in him, I don't see how his body, being highly controlled, would have allowed it."
Tifa shrugged. "I have no idea."
"All right ladies, we're here!" Reno announced, marching ahead of Rufus, who was looking straight at the floor.
No sooner than the man clad in pure white walked in, Dark Nation bounded toward her beloved master.
Rufus, smiling, braced himself for the full effect of Dark Nation's
pounce.
She stood on her hind legs and placed her paws on his shoulders, full weight into the push. She nuzzled her head against him, begging to be petted.
"Good to see you too again, old friend." Rufus said, petting her dark, soft fur. He looked up from his panther and spotted Tifa, standing by the dining table, looking at him and smiling. He had decided to wear his original outfit, it made him look even more handsome that he already was. Any other suit made him look, for lack of a better word, too business-y. But he'd left his hair without gel. It was his own sign of freedom. He glanced at Tifa again.
She wore a black dress that fell just above her knees with a slight slit at the thigh, accenting the curves of her legs. The style of the dress drew attention away from her more than ample breasts, but focused more on her slender waist and wide hips. Her hair was down and she was wearing a small amount of makeup. Without her trademark hair-tie, she almost looked more grown-up than she did when it was tied back.
Her eyes locked with his, lingering only a moment before he lost nerve and again looked at his pet.
Tifa smiled to herself again.
Elena wandered over to Reno. "Hey." She whispered. "I think Tifa gained some confidence."
Reno nodded. "Yeah, I see that. What did you girls talk about?"
She shrugged. "I just explained the whole mako deal, told her how I met Rufus, you know, that kind of thing."
"Hm, interesting. Well, Rufus won't admit it, but I know he's stressing over whether she's pissed off at him about what he did in the past year."
Elena shook her head. "He's got nothing to worry about, she understands now, I think."
Tifa broke the awkward silence between herself and Rufus. "Hello, Rufus. How have you been?" She asked, still smiling.
Rufus looked up again, barely glancing into her eyes, heart beating faster. "Been better. You?"
"Pretty good lately. I've started up a new bar here. Been good business, lots of customers." Little by little, Tifa's confident fiery ember eyes caught more hold over Rufus' own icy blue eyes, melting his fear.
Finally Rufus couldn't take it anymore. "Tifa, look, I want to apologize for everything I did to you and your friends. I truly am sorry. You are the last person I ever wanted to hurt. But I couldn't control myself... I..."
Tifa silenced him with a raised hand. "You already apologized, remember? In Midgar when you helped me escape from the headquarters. I kinda understand now, you couldn't really control yourself. So, it's not your fault. I don't blame you." She said, smiling.
Rufus, surprised, stared at her with unbelieving eyes.
"I think you're just the same now as you were when you were eighteen. Just a little older." Tifa continued, half-giggling from his expression. "You had me worried though, when you started being evil. Even more worried when I was in the interrogation room. In fact, I was scared out of my wits."
Rufus closed his eyes. "Oh, sure she had to bring that up." He thought. "That's what I want to apologize for most, Tifa. But it wasn't me."
"I know," She walked up to him. "I'm just glad you're back." She wrapped her arms around his torso.
Still surprised, he managed to wrap one arm around her.
She looked up at him and grinned. "Rufus ShinRa! Are you too good to hug an old friend?"
He smiled down at her and enveloped her in a warm hug.
Elena smiled and sighed with a schoolgirl demeanor.
Reno grinned. "Er EM. Dinnertime." He said, interrupting the moment.
Elena turned to him. "RENO!!"
A/n: Wow, it is now 12:50, and I am done with this chapter. And it's a halfway decent length! I need input! I have a piece written that goes in between this and the ending. It's really kind of irrelevant to the ending of the story, but it explains why Red XIII didn't go with her for more protection, you know? Should I include that, or just go ahead and go to the ending? I need feedback please!! So send your thoughts and review this chapter for me please!! Thanks, love ya!
Kage3
Disclaimer: Blah Blah, just the storyline is mine.
"So what are you planning on wearing tonight?" Reno asked Elena somewhat carefully. He had tried to be a lot nicer to her since the incident back in Wutai.
"I don't know. We're allowed to wear something other than our uniforms?" She asked, picking up the sincerity in his voice, knowing that he was trying to make amends.
Reno nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't have anything but uniforms."
Elena chuckled. "Well, let's see, why don't you wear some nice slacks and a button down shirt?
"I have these suits. That's it. I lost the rest of my clothes in the collapse." He said, doing a 360 for her.
She giggled. "Then lets go get you some. K?"
He shrugged. "K, but can we take Rufus? He hasn't had any normal clothes since we were kids." He dropped to a whisper. "Plus, I really think he needs to go outside. He's going a little nuts..."
The blonde Turk shrugged. "If he wants to go."
"I'll go ask him really quick." He left the room, headed to the kitchen where Rufus was supervising the chefs. Reno could tell they were tired of the President telling them how to do their job, but were too scared of losing their job to kick him out of the kitchen. "Hey, Ruf, wanna come with us to go look at regular casual clothes?" He said, stressing the last part, knowing that would get his friend's attention.
Rufus, torn between dictating and going to look at something he hadn't worn for years, looked back and forth between the chefs and Reno. "You." He said, pointing to a rather fat chef.
"Sir?" The chef replied, trembling.
"I'll leave you in charge."
A chorus of relieved sighs caused Rufus to quirk an eyebrow and Reno to laugh out loud.
"Styles haven't changed much since we were kids, Ruf-man"
"I know. But I'm debating on whether I should wear my white ensemble. It's kind of reminiscent of bad times. But then again, I actually like it. If I was evil for a while, why did I wear white?" He pondered that while looking through racks of blue jeans and slacks; waiting for Reno to emerge from the dressing room.
"Are you coming out of there or not?!" Elena banged on the door. "Do I have to come in there and drag you out?"
Reno called back through the door, obviously smiling, "As nice an offer as that is, 'Lena, I'd rather you not just yet."
Rufus yawned. "Hurry up, we don't have all day." He said impatiently.
"All right, all right!" The male Turk whined. The door unlocked and opened, Reno stepped forth in ironed slacks, nice shoes, and white button- down shirt tucked in for once, the top few buttons carelessly left undone. A sports jacket finished the look. "Well, how do I look?"
Elena's mouth fell open. "You look... nice for once... I mean... No offense." She said embarrassedly and breathlessly.
Rufus laughed. "I'll have to agree with her on that, Reno. Your Turk uniform has to be the most wrinkled item of clothing on the planet.
Reno shrugged. "Just the way I wear clothes, I guess."
Back at the mansion, seven o'clock was close at hand. "'Lena, you ready yet? Almost show time." Reno knocked on Elena's door.
A muffled voice came through the door. "Not yet, I still have to fix my hair and stuff."
"I'm sure your hair looks fine, 'Lena. Just come out here. This isn't a fancy formal thing. Its just Tifa." A short pause followed his statement.
The door slowly opened as Elena stepped out. She wore a black calf- length dress that gently hugged her womanly curves. The muscles in her lower legs she'd gotten in Turk training were shown off by wearing black pumps. Spaghetti straps and a semi-modest neckline accentuated her graceful collarbone and rounded cleavage.
Reno smiled at her blushing demeanor, knowing that if he made a crude comment, she'd kick his ass with those high heels, and it'd hurt. But he couldn't have made a crude comment, even if he did try. As far back as he could remember, he'd only made comments to women, never really had an interest in actually having a long-term relationship. He also remembered a few one-night stands he could have done without. But for the first time in his life, he could actually see himself married to Elena.
She was one of the only women whose wit was as sharp as his, one of the only people able to hold her own against him, and she rarely showed fear. In fact, the only time he'd seen her frightened was when he himself threatened to hit her.
He winced at the memory, but continued to smile. "You look great Elena. Absolutely perfect."
Biting her lip, she turned around and timidly said, "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Thanks Reno. Ok, let's go."
Tifa took a deep breath and took a step forward what might be her doom.
Dark Nation pushed her from behind, furry head nudging against her legs.
"All right, all right!" She said impatiently to the panther. She raised her arm to ring the mansion doorbell.
Her fluffy companion purred happily. (She had been given a bath before Tifa even started getting ready, and that was no easy task.)
Tifa took another deep breath. "I'm counting on you, girl."
Inside, Reno and Elena stood at the door. "She's here! I'll answer the door, introduce her to you 'Lena, then lead her to the table. Ok?" Reno asked.
Elena nodded. "K."
The redheaded Turk opened the door. "Hello, Teef. Welcome to the ShinRa Mansion. I know you two have met, maybe not personally, but this is Elena ShinRa, Rufus' half-sister.
Tifa smiled, trying to hide feelings of fear, and shook Elena's hand.
Dark Nation growled at Reno.
"Hello to you too, girl. Alrighty, Teef, this way. Oh, and don't be so nervous."
Darkie followed right behind as Tifa followed Reno to a large dining area. An empty dining area.
"Uh, Teef, why don't you sit down? I'll be right back, k? Elena, stay with her till I come back." He said loudly so Tifa could hear. "Our great leader is MIA." He whispered to Elena.
"I feel sick." He thought, pacing back and forth. "What am I going to say? I can't look her straight in the eye. I've caused her too much pain already." The Junon interrogation room flashed in his brain. "First I attack her, then I sentence her to death. I doubt she going to forget about that."
"Hey, there you are Ruf. We're all waiting for you in the dining room. Teef's here, and Dark Nation." Reno's voice startled Rufus.
"I... I'm not going."
The taller man quirked an eyebrow. "...Wha? Dude, you can't back out now! She actually came. That means she still has a soft spot for ya. Don't you dare give up now. I thought you were different from your father?"
Rufus visually shot Reno with an icy cold stare. "Don't you ever compare me to my father Reno."
Reno's own emerald eyes stared back. "Then prove to me, Rufus, that you're better than him. That you won't give up."
With one last glare, Rufus turned on his heel and walked from the room, shaking his head.
Reno merely grinned in his triumph.
"So how long have you known Rufus?" Elena asked the brunette guest.
Tifa thought back a ways. "Hmm, I'd say... off and on since we were twelve."
Elena nodded. "Wow. I've only known him personally since I was seventeen. My mother was on of President ShinRa's mistresses. She thought she'd get money out of it, at the time, she didn't know he was married, or really even who he was. That was when ShinRa just started to get going as a huge corporation. Then I was born and he didn't want anything to do with Mom." She paused.
"Mom didn't have the gall to turn the media on him so that she could get any money or jobs or anything. Then, when I was seventeen, I met Rufus on the streets of Midgar. Imagine his surprise when I told him we were brother and sister. He helped me get a job here and helped my mom and I get back on our feet. Neither of us knew what the mako would do to us once we started working." The blonde told her story with a smile up until mako was mentioned.
"Mako?" Tifa inquired.
"Yeah, when dad made Rufus go to training, they injected a lot of mako into him. More than a human should be given. Mako is an enhancer; speed, strength, senses, all are amplified. Technically, Rufus was mako poisoned, but differently from the way your friend Cloud was. My brother was under Hojo's control, which was under our father's order. Hojo was one to make sure the job is done correctly." Elena took a sip of wine.
Putting down the glass, she continued. "After your team killed Hojo, Reno destroyed his lab where the mako control was. We were all under control. President ShinRa made sure he'd have more power, even after he died. Somehow Rufus survived the mako poisoning, and the collapse, ended up in a charity hospital, and then we found him and started to rebuild the mansion. Basically that's it, I think you're pretty much up to date."
Tifa's mouth had been hanging open the entire story. It all made sense. It all fit. But she still didn't know about the trust issue. "That was a pretty elaborate story to just cook up though..." She thought. She stared off, thing about what Rufus had done, and how it started to make sense. He could be good again... couldn't he?
"Hey Tifa."
The brunette was shaken from her thoughts. "Hm?"
"Uh, how'd you escape from ShinRa both times? How'd you get the keys to the vehicles, and then also get out of the gas chamber?" Elena was perplexed about these two occurrences.
Tifa smiled, looking back. "Rufus helped me."
Elena looked confused. "How? I mean, with as much mako in him, I don't see how his body, being highly controlled, would have allowed it."
Tifa shrugged. "I have no idea."
"All right ladies, we're here!" Reno announced, marching ahead of Rufus, who was looking straight at the floor.
No sooner than the man clad in pure white walked in, Dark Nation bounded toward her beloved master.
Rufus, smiling, braced himself for the full effect of Dark Nation's
pounce.
She stood on her hind legs and placed her paws on his shoulders, full weight into the push. She nuzzled her head against him, begging to be petted.
"Good to see you too again, old friend." Rufus said, petting her dark, soft fur. He looked up from his panther and spotted Tifa, standing by the dining table, looking at him and smiling. He had decided to wear his original outfit, it made him look even more handsome that he already was. Any other suit made him look, for lack of a better word, too business-y. But he'd left his hair without gel. It was his own sign of freedom. He glanced at Tifa again.
She wore a black dress that fell just above her knees with a slight slit at the thigh, accenting the curves of her legs. The style of the dress drew attention away from her more than ample breasts, but focused more on her slender waist and wide hips. Her hair was down and she was wearing a small amount of makeup. Without her trademark hair-tie, she almost looked more grown-up than she did when it was tied back.
Her eyes locked with his, lingering only a moment before he lost nerve and again looked at his pet.
Tifa smiled to herself again.
Elena wandered over to Reno. "Hey." She whispered. "I think Tifa gained some confidence."
Reno nodded. "Yeah, I see that. What did you girls talk about?"
She shrugged. "I just explained the whole mako deal, told her how I met Rufus, you know, that kind of thing."
"Hm, interesting. Well, Rufus won't admit it, but I know he's stressing over whether she's pissed off at him about what he did in the past year."
Elena shook her head. "He's got nothing to worry about, she understands now, I think."
Tifa broke the awkward silence between herself and Rufus. "Hello, Rufus. How have you been?" She asked, still smiling.
Rufus looked up again, barely glancing into her eyes, heart beating faster. "Been better. You?"
"Pretty good lately. I've started up a new bar here. Been good business, lots of customers." Little by little, Tifa's confident fiery ember eyes caught more hold over Rufus' own icy blue eyes, melting his fear.
Finally Rufus couldn't take it anymore. "Tifa, look, I want to apologize for everything I did to you and your friends. I truly am sorry. You are the last person I ever wanted to hurt. But I couldn't control myself... I..."
Tifa silenced him with a raised hand. "You already apologized, remember? In Midgar when you helped me escape from the headquarters. I kinda understand now, you couldn't really control yourself. So, it's not your fault. I don't blame you." She said, smiling.
Rufus, surprised, stared at her with unbelieving eyes.
"I think you're just the same now as you were when you were eighteen. Just a little older." Tifa continued, half-giggling from his expression. "You had me worried though, when you started being evil. Even more worried when I was in the interrogation room. In fact, I was scared out of my wits."
Rufus closed his eyes. "Oh, sure she had to bring that up." He thought. "That's what I want to apologize for most, Tifa. But it wasn't me."
"I know," She walked up to him. "I'm just glad you're back." She wrapped her arms around his torso.
Still surprised, he managed to wrap one arm around her.
She looked up at him and grinned. "Rufus ShinRa! Are you too good to hug an old friend?"
He smiled down at her and enveloped her in a warm hug.
Elena smiled and sighed with a schoolgirl demeanor.
Reno grinned. "Er EM. Dinnertime." He said, interrupting the moment.
Elena turned to him. "RENO!!"
A/n: Wow, it is now 12:50, and I am done with this chapter. And it's a halfway decent length! I need input! I have a piece written that goes in between this and the ending. It's really kind of irrelevant to the ending of the story, but it explains why Red XIII didn't go with her for more protection, you know? Should I include that, or just go ahead and go to the ending? I need feedback please!! So send your thoughts and review this chapter for me please!! Thanks, love ya!
Kage3