Chapter 8.

Red was sitting in the back of the car with Tifa sitting next to him. Cid and Yuffie were arguing about who was sitting by the window. Of course, Yuffie ended up sitting there because she got motion sickness. They were arriving in Midgar now. There were people the streets cheering and watching the car go by. They all heard the rumors and wanted to see for themselves. Red was staring out the large city with awe. It was huge. He could see the large headquarters of Shinra Inc.

Tifa slowly took his hand making him look at her. "Nervous?" She asked. Red sighed and then smiled. "Yeah. I'm really hoping that I'm who you say I am. But…" He paused. Tifa tilted her head. "What if I can't convince the Turks?" He winced. "Would they shoot me?" He asked nervously. Tifa, Cid and Yuffie laughed. "No. They wouldn't shoot you. They would toss you out the door on your head but they wouldn't shoot you. Unless you meant to harm Rupert." Tifa said.

Red smiled softly. "I could never hurt my uncle. Not even if I could to, I wouldn't." He said. Tifa nodded closing her hand around Red's. Cid eyed their hands with a painful cringe. This was bad.

The car pulled up to the large building. The driver got out and pulled the door open for the four. "Welcome to Rupert Feine's home, Young Master Shinra." He said bowing to Red. Red nodded as he got out and looked the mansion over. It was a beautiful white home with light blue shutters. A beautiful garden in the front yard. Red was in awe. "Wow, it's so beautiful." Yuffie said getting out beside him. Tifa and Cid stepped up beside them.

Red spotted movement in the upper windows. A man was looking out before moving away. "Well this is it. Today is the day you find out who you are." Tifa whispered to the nervous looking Red. Red nodded. His mouth felt very dry. He didn't know what to say. Cid escorted them towards the door and knocked. Red was trying his hardest to stay calm. Yuffie took his hand feeling nervous herself.

Just then the door opened and there stood a young man with flaming red hair and untidy cloths. He was chewing on a toothpick. He looked the four over, his eyes pausing on Yuffie and he smirked. "Well, well. Aren't you too cute." He said in a cocky tone. Red, Tifa and Cid glanced at Yuffie who was staring wide eyed at him and blushing. She looked very dreamy. Red silently laughed knowing Yuffie already had a crush on the handsome red head. The red haired young man looked at Red and stared. "And you are?" he asked. Cid cleared his throat. "May I &8$#$ present Rufus Shinra." He said. The red haired Turk smirked and nodded.

"Oh, great. Not another one. All well. We haven't seen a Rufus Shinra in several days though. Come on in." He said. All four heisitated by looking at each other with confusion then slowly followed him in. The red haired man lead the four into the living room where there were two others.

A bald black man and a blonde young woman. They both looked up with surprise when they saw the guests. "Elena, go tell Vincent there's another one." The red haired man said. The blonde nodded looking nervous and hurried out.

The bald man stood. "Well then. Since we'll be testing you, I guess we'll need to introduce ourselves." He said. The red haired man stuffed his hands into his pocket. "The names Reno. This is my partner, Rude. The girl you just saw was Elena. Take a seat any where." He said. The four looked at each other then slowly did so.

"Excuse me for interrupting. But what did you mean another Rufus Shinra?" Tifa asked. Reno plopped down in a chair. "We've been seeing guys pretending to be Rufus Shinra for four years now." He said. Red's jaw fell. "People who is pretending to be Rufus?" He asked. Rude nodded. "It's growing tiresome and old." He said. Red looked at the ground. Tifa and Cid looked at each other with an "uh-oh" look on their faces. Reno swung his legs over the arms of the chair and folded his arms looking at the four. "Okay. So let's hear it. What's your names?" He asked dully. Tifa sat up straight. "My name is Tifa Lockhart." She said. Cid nodded pulling out a cigarette. "The name's Cid Highwind." He told him.

Reno nodded to him. "Don't light that. The boss doesn't like smoke in the house." He rolled his eyes. "Believe me. I've been lectured plenty of times by the Vinceman." He said. Cid nodded. Yuffie smiled shyly. "Hiya, I'm Yuffie." She said. Reno grinned at her and sent her a wink. "Hello, Yuffie." He said trying to sound seductive. Yuffie giggled while Red rolled his eyes. Tifa placed a hand on Red's shoulder. "And this is Ruf…." She was saying. Reno rolled his eyes so Red decided to interrupt. "Red." He said quickly. Everyone looked at him. "Huh?" Reno asked with a puzzled look on his face. Red nodded. "Call me Red." He told him. Reno slowly nodded. "Oh, okay. Red."

Just then another person walked in catching everyone's eyes. Red turned in his chair and froze. There stood the one called Vincent. And he knew he had seen him before. The memory flashed very quickly but stayed. Red remembered seeing him standing by Danielle Shinra smiling at her.

Vincent looked very peeved but halted in his footsteps when he looked at Red. His eyes stared straight into those blue ones. His mouth fell into an O shape with surprise. Vincent couldn't believe what he was seeing. This young man…he looked exactly like Rufus Shinra. He remembered every curve in the boy's face and this young man had the same curves. He slowly stepped forward squinting his eyes. Red stood slowly and faced him. The leader of the Turks looked Red over before returning to his official look.

"Well, I see we have another one." He said folding his hands behind his back. He stood taller. "So do tell me. Have you come to break Rupert's heart too? Pretending to be Rufus Shinra?" he asked sternly. Tifa opened her mouth to say something but Vincent silenced her with a look.

Red stood taller, his arms fell straight at his sides. "No. I have not. I've come to find out if I really am Rufus Shinra." He said calmly. Again something flickered in Vincent's eyes. He tilted his head with interest. "Really?" he asked. Red nodded once. "Yes." He said. Vincent narrowed his blue eyes at Red before nodding. "Sit down." He said. Red did so. Vincent took a seat in a love seat sitting tall and staring straight at the boy. "Tell me about yourself before we begin. Where are you parents? Your real parents. How old are you and where were you born?" he asked calmly.

The young man ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't remember too well, Mr. Valentine. I am 21 years old and my parents are dead. They died 11 years ago in Nibelhiem. I was born in the Shinra Summer house near Kalm." He said clearly. Vincent nodded slowly. "Well let us begin with the questions." He looked at Rude who held out a photo album to Red. Red took it and placed it down. They began.

They continued with questions. Each time Red answered clearly and without hesitation. And each time Vincent looked even more surprised as well as the other three Turks. Tifa, Cid and Yuffie were smiling proudly and so was Red. Vincent asked questions about each person in the photos and Red answered. Then he questioned about the Shinra Family and about Rupert Feine. Again, Red answered correctly.

Finally Vincent was very close to smiling but kept his smile back. "I have only a few more questions now. Three at least." He said. Red nodded not losing one bit of composure. "Then ask away, Vinnie." He said smiling. Vincent smirked at that. He shook his head and continued to smile. "First hard question. What did you have as a pet when you were a boy?" He asked. Tifa and Cid looked at each other with wide eyes. They had forgotten about Rufus' pet panther. They both looked away trying to hide the upset looks on their faces.

Red squinted his eyes a little trying to remember. 'Did Tifa and Cid tell me about this?' He thought. He turned his head a little but kept his eyes on Vincent who was smiling. There was something about that smile. About that look in his eyes. It was like...Red's eyes lit up a little. 'He believes in me. He really thinks I'm Rufus Shinra.' He thought. And that's when the answer came to him.

"It was a black panther by the name of Dark Nation. I loved her so much. She was always with me. I was always scared during thunder storms. When I was, she would curl up beside me and let me bury my face in her side." Red said without missing a beat. Tifa and Cid turned back with surprise written on their faces. How the hell did Red know all that? Vincent smiled even more. "Very good, Rufus. Next question is more a reaction." He looked at Elena. "Bring her in." He said. Elena nodded. All four looked towards Elena as she opened the door and whistled. At that moment a big beautiful black panther stalked in. Red smiled seeing her. "Call her." Vincent said simply. Red looked at him and nodded. Tifa and Cid were holding their breath and Yuffie looked terrified.

Red stood and bent down to one knee. The black feline looked straight at him and stood stalk still. As if she had been caught doing something she was't suppose to. Her tail twitched though. "Dark Nation, come here, girl." Red said softly. The large feline rose it's head and perked up her ears. Her eyes still wide with interest. Red squinted his eyes a little. "Oh come on. You not going to make me do the baby talk, are you?" He asked. The feline just narrowed it's eyes and it's tail twitched. The others looked at each other. But Vincent was smirking.

"Fine. Come here, Darky. It's me. Rufie." Red said blushing a little. The panther began to purr very loudly and stalked over to Red rubbing against him. Everyone in the room smiled. Yuffie giggled. "Darky?" She asked raising her eyebrow. Red grinned at her as he rubbed Dark Nation's ears. "She loved being called that. Don't ask." He said.

Vincent laughed shaking his head. "Well, I see that Dark Nation likes you. But there is still one more question that I need to ask you." he said. Red nodded. "Alright. Bring it on." He said. Vincent cleared his throat and folded his hands together.

"This last one is very hard. And only two people besides myself knows the answer. Only Rupert Feine and the true Rufus Shinra knows the answer. How I know it is because Rupert told me." He told them all. He was now looking seriously at Red. "The night of Shinra Family's murders, something happened. You went back to your room for something. A music box I believe. However you were cornered by some of the mobs. How did you escape?" He asked. Again Tifa and Cid lowered their eyes. They had completely forgot this one.

Red was scratching Dark Nation's ears. His eyes back on the ground. He knew that Tifa and Cid hadn't told him about this one. But there was something nagging at his mind. He tilted his head and then closed his eyes trying to remember. Images began to slowly form in his mind. Everyone was watching him. Red then nodded slowly. "It was so dark that night. Even in the house. We were trapped in my room. There was no way out. Not even out my window. It was a twenty foot drop and we would have broken our legs if we jumped."

He paused. "There was a girl that night. She opened up the wall. I didn't even know that there was a secret door there. She came out and made us go in. It went through to the servent's quarters and her father was waiting for us." He said. Tifa was staring wide eyed at Red. Disbelief in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Red opened his eyes and they grew wide.

"She told us her name but...I can't remember what it was." he said. He strained to remember then slowly looked up. "Tifa." He whispered. He turned to look at Tifa but she had gotten up and left the room. Yuffie blinked a few times. Was Red saying what she thought he was saying.

Vincent smiled softly. If Red didn't know any better, there were light tears in the Turks' eyes. He cleared his throat and stood. Cid nodded. "Are you impressed with our Rufus?" He asked smirking. Vincent looked at him. "I'd have to say so. He answered every question correctly. And Dark Nation seems to know Rufus. She never really reacted like that to strangers or guests. And he knew how he escaped. Like I've said only the true Rufus Shinra knows that answer. And if he knows that, he is Rufus Shinra." he said. Red stood smiling brightly.

Yuffie jumped up and hugged him. "Yeah! You have a family, Red! You know who you are now!" She said happily. Cid pumped his fists into the air grinning. "Now we just get to see your uncle!" He said happily. The Turks frowned again and looked at each other. Vincent looked down. "Actually I'm afraid that's not possible." he said. Red frowned looking at him. "What? Why?" He asked.

The Leader of the Turks sighed. "I'm afraid we've been having trouble lately. There has been alot of young men pretending to be Rufus. Rupert just got tired of it. He refuses to see any more boys." He said. Red looked horrified. "But I have to see him, Vince. I have to see my uncle. I've waited so long to see my family." He said. Vincent eyed him then tilted his head.

"Tell me, Rufus. Did you come for the company or to see your uncle? It's not for the money is it?" He asked. Red shook his head. "Vincent, I only want my family. I couldn't care less about money." He said honestly. Vincent smiled. "Just like that boy I knew." He said. Red ran his hand through his hair again. "Please, Vincent. Is there anything you can do?" He asked. Vincent looked down at the ground turning away. Then he looked up at the ceiling as if trying to see something. He smiled and turned back. "Yes. There is one thing I can think of. Tomorrow night is the Loveless play. Rupert loves that play. It helps take things off his mind. We will be there." He said.

Red nodded slowly. "Okay. Sounds good." He said catching on Vincent's drift. Vincent smiled. "We have a lot to talk about, Rufus. It's good to see you again." He said. Red smiled back. He nodded. "It's good to see you too, Vincent." He said. Vincent looked at the other Turks. "We must be prepared for tomorrow." He said. The Turks nodded. Cid turned and hurried out to go find Tifa and tell her the good news. Red and Yuffie stayed to talk with the Turks and Vincent.

Tifa was staring off in the garden with a distant look on her face. She couldn't believe what she had heard in there. Her arms were folded across her stomach and she kicked stones. Cid hurried up. "$&#$! We did it, Tifa! We did it!" He said happily. "We're going to see Rupert Feine tonight at Loveless! We're going to be rich!" He began to do a victory dance.

The young girl smiled at her friend's dancing. "I wish Shera was here to see that." She said. Cid laughed. "Yeah, same here." He said happily. Tifa frowned and looked away. "Cid……I don't want the money anymore." She said. Cid stopped immediately. "What?" He asked. He stepped closer to the sad looking girl. "Are you feeling alright, Tifa? It's a million gil." He said. Tifa sighed looking away. "I know but…." She stopped when Red came out smiling.

He hurried forward. "Thank you two so much for helping me find my family! You never doubted who I was, did you? Not for a second. You kept telling me that I was who I was and I am." He said happily. He didn't stop until he was right there next to Tifa. Then he did something that surprised both Tifa and Cid. He pulled Tifa into a small hug then kissed her cheek softly. He pulled away and smiled at Tifa before turning back and hurrying back into the house.

Tifa stared with wide eyes and her mouth fell wide open. She softly reached up and touched the cheek Red kissed. She ran her finger along her cheek and stared off looking distant again. Cid frowned and folded his arms. "Oh, this is sad." He said. Tifa looked at him. "Huh? What is?" She asked. Cid shook his head. "Life is so hard on everyone. You find the right guy, then you lose him." He said. Tifa stared at him.

Cid sighed. "Tifa, what are you going to do once we take him to Rupert? Your leaving right?" He asked. Tifa finally understood and lowered her head. "Yes, Cid. I am leaving. But what could ever happen between me and Red, huh? He's a rich guy, the heir of Shinra Inc. And me? I'm just a lowly commoner." She said. She turned away and walked towards the house. Cid placed his hand on his belt and ran a hand down his face. "Oh no. She's heart broken already." He whispered. He shook his head.

That night, Vincent had decided to take the guests out for the night. Reno volunteered to go with them just so that he could play escort for Yuffie. They went to a high ranking place for new out fits to wear the next night. Then they took a walk down the street and Vincent told them all about Midgar City. A flower lady gave them all flowers. Red took a pretty red flower and stuck it in Tifa's hair making her blush. Vincent saw them and smirked. He knew that there was something going on between his best friend's nephew and the lovely young lady. He decided to take them out dancing to a high class night club where they had a great time. Then they took a small chocobo carriage ride. They got to see a lot.

Finally they returned back to the house and got settled into their rooms. Vincent was talking to Red while he was settling in bed and looking at pictures again. Vincent was pulling the curtains closed. "So, that's sure a pretty girl you got there." He said. Red looked up. "Huh?" He asked. Vincent smiled over at him. "Your girlfriend, Tifa. She's very pretty." He said.

Red felt his cheeks heat up. "Oh, Tif? She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends. She helped me remember a lot of things." He said. Vincent looked at him. "Oh really?" He asked skeptically. Red nodded. "Really." He said. Vincent went over and sat down next to Red. "Red, is that what they call you?" He asked. Red nodded slowly.

"Ever since the orphanage. The kids called me Red because of my hair." He said. Vincent nodded. "I know you are Rufus, Red. I can see it by looking you right in the eyes. I remember those eyes so well. They were definitely your mother's." he said. Red smiled. "You loved her, didn't you?" He asked. Vincent looked away not wanting to go there.

"Tell me the truth, Vince. You were in love with my mother. You just couldn't have her because……" Red was saying. Vincent nodded. "Because she was engaged to your father. Yes." He said. Red smiled. "I can't remember everything, Vincent. Really I can't. It's because of that fall from the train. When we were trying to get away." He said. Vincent looked at him. More like stared seriously. He shook his head. "How did you ever survive that fall? I swear you had died when you hit those tracks. It hurt so deeply to watch you fall like that and never get up." He said. Red shrugged. "Hard head I guess. I've got a scar from it." He said touching the small silver scar on his temple.

Vincent nodded with a small smile. "Red, Rufus, what ever your name is. You are so lucky to have a friend like Tifa. Maybe she is more than a friend and you don't even realize it." He said. Red watched him. Vincent smiled again and patted his shoulder. "Get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." He said standing and moving towards the door. Red sat up straighter. "Vincent? Where is my uncle?" He asked. Vincent stopped at the door and didn't turn around.

"He's back in the office. He practically lives there now. He slowly turned to look at Red. "He's been very busy for the past 11 years, Rufus. He never takes a break anymore." He said. Red stared at him. Vincent gave him a weak smile and left the room. Red laid back and stared up the ceiling. "Don't worry, uncle. I'm here. I'll help you with everything." He silently promised. He fell asleep.

Never knowing that they were there too, Hojo was looking in the black orb again. Sephiroth was staring out the window of the building. He was really starting to get annoyed with Hojo and his crazy obession with killing all the Shinras. He had tried and tried again to convince him that they should just let Rufus Shinra be. But Hojo never listened. He was looking in the orb which was shining brightly. "We are much closer to him, are we not?" he asked stroking it absentmindedly. The orb shone again and shivered. Hojo smirked. "Yes. You are very excited. You are ready to finish this blasted curse." He said softly.

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. That was getting very annoying how he would talk to the orb as if it was a child. He had never did that to Sephiroth and he was his son for Hyne's sake. "Soon, my pets. Soon Rufus Shinra will die. And we will reign terror upon the world of Gaia." Hojo hissed placing the orb back into it's little box. Sephiroth turned to look back out at the lights. He sighed and shook his head.