AN: Editified... cause it didn't feel right, and T. Pirate is my OOC detector. Really. Less talking, and the heaven comment deleted. I think it has more impact now.
He'd heard it all. When the world is ending slowly, people like to invent fairytales. Like heaven. All that remained now were the ruined churches, only good for housing the scattered soulless and homeless that were bound to wander under the plate. Cockroaches.
It didn't matter what you did in life; all you had to look forward to was a long dark rest. Nothingness. Smart people called it Nihilism.
Her stance was aggressive, but more defensive than offensive. He'd caught her alone, for once, without the entourage of plate rabble she always seemed to be with. Yes, he'd seen her before. No, he didn't notice her before.
"Stay back!" she shouted, adjusting her weight, "Don't come any closer!"
"I am not here to harm you," he replied, holstering the gun he automatically had in his hand. She didn't change her stance.
"Shinra, huh?" she said with a snort, "What're you here for, then?" She'd seen enough blue suits to know who they were; she'd seen enough death to know when to fight. Better to defend than be caught by surprise... that's what Barret often told her.
"If I were sent here to kill you," he countered, "You would already be dead." He didn't talk with people often, but this girl-no, woman-was getting smart with him. He had enough of that with his own kind.
She blinked large brown eyes at him. It was then that he noticed the red in them.
"Wh-what?" she stammered, losing a bit of her defense for a moment. He stayed silent.
She thought that all people were essentially good, though she hated some. Her place in Heaven was never guaranteed... she still had a lot more to do. She had just sworn to fight injustice... Shinra. He wasn't nice to her, but he wasn't... trying to kill her. Where did the black and white go? Just who did he think he was?
"You're not from Midgar," he said, and relaxed his stance further. He thought her a child. But she didn't look like a child. He couldn't help but notice that, she didn't look like a child at all. Except the eyes.
They were staring at him, fazing through all her confusion. Her stark black and white morality was so shaken, so shaken by this stranger-enemy who wasn't accustomed to talking.
"What's your name?"
He had turned to go; satisfied that he'd just shaken another little girl's faith. Another introduction into Midgar. Maybe he would see her later, somehow that was an interesting idea.
"Rude."
"I'm Tifa," she answered, still aggressive, "Tifa Lockheart."
That was the first mistake.
AN: I often wondered why Rude liked Tifa out of all the girls. Seemed like every guy had a thing for Aeris. Anyway, there are two themes to this collection of short (not longer than two pages, I need practice in brevity). First is religion, I think every character has a basic idea of one; second is good guy/bad guy relations, romantic or not, but not necessarily hatred. Black/white and mixing around. Blah, anyway, this note is too long.