A/n: Well, I didn't get any reviews telling me not to put in this chapter, so I'm going to write it anyway. I think this fic has two good chapters left in it! Anyways, after I'm done typing the rest of this fic, I'm going to focus more on Beauty, Love, Trust. But that'll be after I get back from my vacation in Florida!! I'm leaving on the 3rd, and be back around the 12th. But anyway, I need feedback still; I like to know your thoughts on how I'm doing! Thanks!
Disclaimer: Nothing but the storyline is mine.
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"So did Dark Nation behave when she stayed with you?" Rufus queried, taking a sip of wine that matched Tifa's crimson depths."Of course. She was very sweet. A little spoiled, but very well behaved."
Dark Nation purred to Tifa's answer.
"I think after Red XIII got used to her, he enjoyed her stay too." Tifa giggled. "I think he's formed a crush on her."
"I'm surprised you didn't bring him with you, Teef. You seemed really nervous when you came here tonight." Reno noted, raising an eyebrow.
Tifa shrugged. "Well, I was actually, but I couldn't find him. Besides, after Elena told me what went on, I knew Red XIII would have been bored."
A woman from the kitchen walked in. "Miz Lockheart, are you feeneeshed wis your plate? And voulez-vous want dessert?"
Tifa smiled. "I'm done, but no thanks on the dessert. I'm stuffed."
Reno piped up. "I'll take some dessert!"
Elena looked at him. "How on earth you eat that much and stay skinny is beyond me. You just finished your third plate!"
As the four ate and talked, they didn't realize that they were being watched from the dining room window by two aqua blue, mako powered eyes.
A curious Dark Nation padded over to the window, but the pair of eyes had disappeared by the time she sniffed to investigate.
Rufus, who was halfway occupied by laughing at one of Reno's jokes, paid no mind to his panther sniffing at the now empty window. "Dark Nation, come on girl. We're going outside." He called to his pet.
The 'backyard' of the mansion had been transformed into a beautiful garden. Hibiscuses were planted at each corner of the yard and rosebushes lined the fences. There were plenty of trees; the landscaping was gorgeous.
"Wow. It looks better now than it did so many years ago." Tifa commented.
Rufus nodded. "Yeah. Dad never had anyone take care of it."
The barmaid smiled. "You're much better at taking care of things than your dad. You took care of me, even when it was near impossible for you to do."
Rufus smiled at her, then upon hearing something behind them, tuned to see Elena and Reno, making out madly, oblivious to Rufus and Tifa's gaping stares. "Heh... Let's leave them alone." He said.
Tifa smiled. "Good idea."
After they had found a concrete bench (away from the smooching noises), Tifa looked up at the stars and sat down. "So, now what are you going to do?" She asked her blonde companion.
"Well, I figure I can still run an electric company, but run on different energy. Mako is too precious... and dangerous... to be used. I don't plan on running cities or towns. You're not planning on going anywhere, are you?" He queried, hopeful.
"Nah, not anytime soon. I'm gonna hire some people so I can take more time off, though. Working all the time is killing me." She said as Rufus sat down by her.
Darkie, who was purring happily under Tifa and Rufus' constant petting, suddenly snapped into a defensive pose and sniffed the air. Unnoticed by the couple, she padded over to some bushes.
"So where's the rest of the group you were in?" The young president asked.
Tifa rolled her eyes. "They all went their separate ways. You'd think saving the world would have made some people content." She said, rather unhappily.
Rufus chuckled. "And your boyfriend?" He teased.
Hiding a grin, she playfully glared at him. "Don't start that again. Both that and you calling me 'Ms. Lockheart' freaked me out."
He chuckled again, but the good mood was soon spoiled by a feline howl and hiss, a thud, and the image of Dark Nation flying backward from a bush and land a few feet away from them. "What the...?" Rufus looked over the bush that Darkie had been thrown from.
Tifa ran to see if she was badly injured.
"Who's there?" Rufus called out.
A pair of glowing eyes glared from the bush. "Let her go, ShinRa. Damn, I thought we were finally rid of you!" A deep voice rumbled.
"Cloud?" Tifa whispered, wondering why in the world he'd be there at the mansion.
"I'm not keeping her here. She can leave if she wants, Strife." Rufus said calmly.
A cold laugh chilled the air as Cloud stepped from his hiding place, Cid close behind. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."
Tifa stood up after Dark Nation got to her feet. "Cloud, I'm fine. Why are you here?"
Tifa's remark surprised the spiky blonde haired leader, yet he maintained his conviction. "I'm here because I heard ShinRa was rising again. I can't believe you're still alive, ShinRa, but I'm here to put and end to you an your stupid company."
Cid piped up. "And he ain't here alone."
Barrett showed up, Reno dragging limp behind him. A man Tifa recognized as Vincent had Elena slumped over one shoulder. She was out cold, as was Reno.
Red XIII trotted up next to Cloud, Yuffie made her presence known up in a tree. "Tifa, are you ok?" She asked her friend.
"Yuffie, I'm fine! You are all crazy! There's nothing wrong. Even if there was, you don't think I could take care of myself?"
Cloud whispered something to Cid, who made a surprised face that turned grim. He nodded, and seeing this, Yuffie jumped from the tree and knocked Tifa unconscious.
Dark Nation hissed at the teenage girl.
"What the hell is your people's problem? She's one of your friends! She didn't do anything wrong. What did you do that for?!" Rufus neared Tifa's unconscious body, but Yuffie held up her shuriken.
"You brainwashed her, you pompous piece of crap!" She exclaimed.
Flooded with emotion, Rufus neared his bursting point. "You idiots! If I had brainwashed her, don't you think I would have used her against you? Don't you think I'd have a weapon ready? She came here on her own will, brought me back my cat, and was not threatened the entire time. You are the one's hurting her! I didn't knock her senseless." He half calmly explained.
"You ShinRa are crafty thinkers. Who knows what was going on in that corrupted brain of yours? Let's finish this now." Cloud said, getting into battle stance.
"I won't fight you. I have no reason. I am not your enemy; you're not mine. Yes, I'm beginning ShinRa again, but I'm not using mako as an energy source anymore. I'll use other forms of energy." Rufus growled, patience growing thin.
"Bullshit. Do you expect me to believe your lies?" Cloud asked, chuckling.
Vincent looked from one blonde man to the other. Maybe the president was telling the truth. Vincent had known Rufus as a young child up until the Lucrecia incident. He remembered that Rufus had always opposed and hated his father, acting totally opposite of the old president. Yet, Rufus' recent behavior after he was appointed president baffled the ex- Turk. Vincent adjusted his mechanical claw. He wouldn't put it past Hojo to control someone. And Tifa had even stood up for Rufus, and she was one member of AVALANCHE who hated ShinRa more than anything.
The tall dark haired man set Elena down. "Cloud, let's go. Leave Tifa, let Reno and the blonde girl go. All right?"
Cloud stared at Vincent as if he'd never heard him talk before. "Are you crazy? And let him get away? So are you turning traitorous on us?"
Vincent stared back at Cloud with blood red eyes. "No, I am saying we are leaving Rufus, we'll be keeping an eye on you. I have a feeling Tifa is safe with you right now, but if you hurt one hair on her head, or let anything bad happen to her, you will not only be answering to Cloud, but to me as well." Vincent said with an icy composure that even made Rufus shiver.
The young president nodded in agreement.
Cloud, half pouting, half fuming, stomped toward the front gate. "Vincent, you'd better be right about this." He called over his shoulder.
Barrett stared at Rufus on his way out; Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him, right before dodging a swipe from Dark Nation.
Vincent walked out the front gate, followed closely by Cid. "I'd better be right about this..." The shadowed man thought.
Red XIII stared at Rufus. "I'll be back after I make sure there aren't any conflicts in the group. I'm going to be the one to make sure you treat Ms. Tifa with the utmost respect." He trotted off after Vincent and Cid.
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Tifa slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light. "Where... Where am I?" She asked, slowly sitting up. A sharp pain shot down from her neck through her spine. "Oh, right, Yuffie knocked me out."
"Hey! Lie back down! You've got a nasty bump on the back of your head. We need to make sure you don't have a concussion."
Tifa, startled by the voice, turned to see Rufus walking toward her with an ice pack, a damp washcloth draped over his arm, and a glass of ice water.
He had taken off his over coat and sports jacket, and rolled up the sleeves of his tight turtleneck to his elbows. "I'm surprised you're up already. Reno and Elena are still out cold."
Tifa looked around, shrugging. "Reno'll probably be embarrassed that he got caught off guard. Where are we?" She asked, still looking around the nicely decorated room. She was lying on a huge bed.
"This is my room. I put Reno and Elena in their rooms, there weren't any other bedrooms, and I wanted you to be comfortable, so I carried you in here." He said, lifting her head gently to apply the ice pack.
She smiled at him. "Thanks."
He smiled back at her, the same smile he'd first given her in the Golden Saucer. "No problem." He put the cool washcloth on her forehead and put the ice water to her lips. "Here, I thought you'd like something to drink." He looked into her eyes, at first checking for concussion, but soon he got lost in those wine colored pools.
Noticing that he was staring at her, she turned slightly red and changed the subject. "So, what happened while I was out?"
Rufus stopped his deep gaze and turned to the side. "Strife thought I brainwashed you and he tried to start a fight with me. Then, the dark one with the cape, he seems familiar, he took my side and told Cloud to back off. Then they all left. He made me promise not to harm a hair on your head or I'd have not only Cloud to deal with, but him too."
Tifa smiled. "Ah, Vincent Valentine. Most of the time he's really sweet, and he's got a sixth sense about people, but there are times when he's just creepy."
"Vincent Valentine? That name sounds familiar. Oh yeah! He used to be a Turk. I knew I'd seen his face before. But he disappeared when I was still a kid. He was the closest thing to a friend that I had back then. But right after Lucrecia died giving birth to Sephiroth, he just disappeared. He looked a lot different tonight."
Tifa nodded. "Yeah, Hojo got a hold of him. After he experimented on him, he put him here in the basement where he slept for a long time."
"Well, at least he remembered how I was before I went crazy." Rufus mused, turning the washcloth over on Tifa's head.
Suddenly the two heard a deep voice yell out in pain, "Ow, shit!!"
They shared a laugh. "Reno must be up. I'll go check on him. You can stay here tonight while you heal. It's kind of late, so it's pointless for you to go home just to go to bed when you can stay here. I'll stay on the couch in the den."
Tifa looked up at him. "No, I can't take your bed from you! I'll sleep on the couch."
"I won't hear it. You're a guest and a good friend. I'm sleeping on the couch, and that's that." Rufus said, walking from the room.
When he was done tending to the two Turks, Rufus walked back into his room. "Tifa, how are you—" He stopped short when he saw she was sleeping.
She had pulled the covers to her chin, and the only visible part of her was her face.
Rufus smiled and pulled a few strands of mahogany hair from her face. If only she knew how he really felt about her. To him, she was a light that helped lead him from the darkness after his mother died, and also when he was under control. Even when Tifa wasn't there, her memory kept him from turning to the evil of his father's company. Not by his choice, he had betrayed her trust, yet she had still forgiven him. He loved everything about her, her optimism, her quirkiness, her athleticism, beauty... He could go on with an endless list.
He kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Tifa." He turned off the lamp and walked from the room.
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Reno yawned, walking through the mansion in an open robe and black silk boxers. No one else was up; it was around seven in the morning. Normally, he'd also still be asleep, at least till ten, but he couldn't sleep. He walked up to the front door, ready to get the newspaper, opened it wide, about to run out and run back so he wouldn't be seen in his morning attire. But as soon as he did so, he was just about blinded by a bunch of flashes. When the flashing stopped, Reno opened his eyes, seeing spots.
About fifty photographers and reporters stood on the lawn.
The Turk's face turned as red as his hair. "I've just been photographed in my underwear..."
"Aw, it's ok guys, it's not the president. Hey, you! Bring the president out here!" A reporter cried out over the crowd.
Reno grabbed the newspaper off the steps and slowly walked backwards, still stunned. Shutting the door behind him, he took a big sigh. "That has to be the freakiest thing that has ever happened to me..." He said with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Hey, Ruf, you have visitors." Reno said, shaking Rufus.
The latter opened an eye. "Huh?"
Reno grinned. He was now fully dressed. "Hey sleeping beauty! Wake up! There are a few reporters here to see if you're truly alive."
The blonde sat up. "Oh great."
Tifa, awakened by the racket Reno had been making that morning, walked into the den. "What's going on?" She asked sleepily and yawned.
"We've got company." Rufus replied, headed toward his room for a new change of clothes.
"Who?" Tifa asked, stretching.
Elena came running in. "Oh my gosh, you will never believe how many reporters are outside."
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"President ShinRa..."
"It's Rufus. President Rufus if you want." He corrected.
"All right, President Rufus, how did you survive the collapse of the Midgar HQ?"
"I'm not sure how I survived the actually collapse, but I do know I was rescued and put into a hospital. I was in a coma for about two weeks."
"Wouldn't all that rubble have crushed you? And those beams directed straight into your office? It seems impossible for you to be standing in front of us, with little apparent injury, I might add." A different reported asked.
Rufus smiled. "That's my secret."
The makeshift press conference went on, asking questions about how he survived, how he was going to run the company now, and why he had changed his mind.
"The person that ran the company before, I'm not him anymore. I've changed my perspective. I guess being pounded by beams and rubble knocked some sense into me." He gave the reporters a grin.
The two Turks stood behind Rufus while Tifa, who had borrowed clothes from Elena, stood with them, listening to every question and answer.
"And who is she, President Rufus, is she a new Turk? Or perhaps she's a new First Lady?"
Another reporter piped up. "Hey, she's Tifa Lockheart of AVALANCHE! Isn't she considered one of your worst enemies? Why is she here?"
Rufus chuckled; Tifa took a deep breath.
"Ms. Lockheart and I are making a pact. AVALANCHE shall cause no harm if ShinRa doesn't harm the planet. Seems fair."
All the reporters quieted and either continued writing in their pads or packing up their camera equipment.
Once everyone was gone, Reno clapped a hand on Rufus' shoulder. "Ya handled that well. Heh, but your know they're gonna write something about you and Tifa."
Rufus looked at him. "And? Your point is?"
"My point is, are you sure Tifa doesn't mind?"
Rufus looked at his friend for a moment and took that thought.
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A/n: Ok. I'm ending this chapter here. It's starting to get a little long. It's almost double what I normally write. Anywhoo, I still say there are one or two good chapters left. I'll finish when I get back from Florida. Please Review!!