#4
"You son of a bitch! You let him die! You sent him out there knowing Sephiroth was after that goddamned keystone and the Temple and whatever else used to be there!"
Rufus stared at the red-haired Turk screaming at him from where his teammate was holding him back. The girl--Elena, he reminded himself--was standing between them and looking from one to the other, her eyes wide in confusion. "I sent him to do his job, Reno. Like I would have sent you. I didn't do this to hurt you!" It was hard to keep his composure, watching those Mako-tinged eyes. Reno would have killed him right now if Rude weren't there to hold him back.
"Self-centered, manipulative little bastard! You're just like your father! Tell anyone anything they want to hear as long as it gets you what you want," Reno spat back at him. "Fuck you, Mr. President. You sent the most important person in my life to die!"
It was the anger and the hurt talking, Rufus kept telling himself. Reno didn't mean it. He didn't...
"Rude, let go of me so I can get out of here before I kill this asshole."
Reno squirmed away from Rude, stalking towards the office door, and making sure he slammed it hard enough to rattle the paintings on the wall beside it.
"Rufus, sir...?"
Rufus slumped forward, resting his head in his hands, willing back the tears that he could feel. Seeing him cry wasn't a privilege that he gave to anyone, even his Turks.
"Elena, Rude, just...leave me alone for a bit. And...I really didn't mean for Tseng to die. I'd never hurt any of you like that, you have to believe me," he whispered, trying to keep the strength in his voice.
"Of course you didn't, sir," Elena's voice returned. "Reno...he'll understand that in time. He's just..."
"...hurt. And I don't blame him. Thank you, Elena, just...please leave me alone for a while."
"Yes, sir," Elena replied softly before he heard her heels click softly on the tiled floor. Rude's more silent steps followed, and it wasn't until he heard the door click that he risked looking up.
The truth was, he didn't mean to hurt Reno that badly. He never could have intentionally hurt Reno that badly. The man was the only person that Rufus had ever felt something for that strongly. And to lose that...
A tear splashed on the paperwork under his elbow. Only Reno and Tseng had ever seen him cry, and then only that once. But Tseng was dead, and Reno wished Rufus was.
Okay, so this is the part where I'd like to note that this was written before Advent Children came out. I've always been indecisive about Tseng's fate after the Temple of the Ancients, and in this case, it was better if I went with the not-so-happy ending.
Even if I am more of a Tseng/Reno fangirl at heart.