Chapter 10
oOoOo
"You are… so unfair. Why are you wrapping me again in bandages?" Tifa demanded. He just removed the bandages when he allowed her to dress up in the black ball gown that he had asked his Turks to buy for him in a doll store, and now he was wrapping her again with those bandages. "Because in a few minutes, one of the Turks or one of my friends will come in here to tell me that it's time to go to the ballroom." Rufus answered as he finished wrapping the bandages around her head.
"It's only 7:00." She muttered, knowing that his signal to enter the ballroom would arrive around fifteen minutes before 8.
"Better be cautious. I don't like any of them to see you like this." He told her as he went over to his drawers. "Now to search for that bloody ring…" he was thinking to himself.
Tifa could hear him searching for something. "What are you looking for?" she asked.
"My gold cufflinks." He answered.
"You're already wearing them." She reminded him.
"No, I'm not." He fibbed as he continued to search.
Tifa grunted. "This ball gown is really itchy…" she complained.
"Well it looks nice on you so stop complaining." He told her.
"I can't believe you want me to sacrifice comfort just because it looks good on me. And come to think of it, you'll be the only one to see me wearing this black ball gown, so why bother making me wear this if you cannot even show me off?" she demanded.
"Everything is supposed to look perfect and dashing tonight, including you since you're attached to me." He told her reassuringly.
She snickered.
"What's so funny?" he demanded before closing his drawers and went over to his bedside table to check the drawers there.
"You? Perfect and dashing? Hahaha!" she laughed at him.
He frowned. "Stop teasing me." He muttered before opening the top drawer. He was surprised to find a picture of himself with Tifa. The background looked dark but he could see a wine cabinet behind them. He figured that it must have been taken at the 7th Heaven Bar. He slowly picked it up and examined it. They were standing together and his hands were inside the pockets of his trousers while she leaned her head on his shoulder. He looked a bit uncomfortable and his cheeks were a little red while she was smiling happily. He flipped the photo and read what was written at the back. "To my dearest Rufus. Love, Tifa."
He smiled faintly upon reading that and he blushed slightly.
Tifa felt that he was warming up again but she just decided to keep quiet.
Rufus turned back to the drawer and saw a small red velvet box. He blinked as he picked it up and opened it. Inside was a silver ring with a diamond on it. He raised his eyebrows. "Bloody brilliant…" he thought before placing the ring inside his pocket. With that, he sat down on his bed for a moment, trying to think of something to say to Tifa.
"Rufus," she said, curious upon his silence.
He did not speak up. He just stared into empty space.
"We were talking this morning…" she began.
Rufus felt alarmed. He was still unaware on how he was going to explain to her how he really felt. Of all the things he hated, it was letting his emotions show and letting other people know how he felt about certain things. He knew he could trust Tifa, but he was still worried.
When she sensed that he had no intention to speak up, she just took a deep breath and said, "I know it's not easy for you to trust people. But I'm glad that you trusted me all these times we've been together…" she told him.
Rufus looked at her. He wished she could look at him but there were bandages around her. She could not even see him. He heard her chuckle weakly. "I just wish I was in my normal size so that I could…" he heard her say.
He frowned slightly. "So that you could what?" he asked. He began to feel nervous. But before she could explain herself, he got up and spoke up, "I think we have to get going to the ballroom…" although he checked the time and it was nowhere near 8:00pm.
"You said we'll talk about it after you're finished planning for your party! Your party has been planned by Aerith and your friends, and you're not even doing anything right now, so why don't you talk to me now?" she demanded with a choke. It was already hard for her to express her deepest emotions to him, but how come he was making it harder for her? But she knew she had to be strong. She failed to let Cloud know before, and it was a mistake she would not want to commit ever again. When she let him go, she decided to herself that the next man she would fall in-love with would know how much she loves him no matter what it takes. Easier said than done.
Rufus did not even respond to her. He exited his room quietly and made his way to the hallway leading to the elevators. Tifa knew that they were outside his room so she stopped talking, but Rufus could feel that she was shaking and it was obvious. It looked like his right hand was shaking so he hid her inside his pocket. When he reached the entrance of the ballroom, he was greeted by Tseng, Reno, Rude and Elena. "President Rufus, you're here early?" Elena asked as Tseng checked his clipboard.
"Miss Gainsborough told us you'd be having your grand entrance at 8." Reno pointed out.
"I know that. But I want to be here early so…" Rufus began.
"Oh no, you don't. You're not ruining Aerith's plan. Go wait somewhere," Cloud told him as he and Sephiroth just arrived out of nowhere and dragged Rufus away from the ballroom entrance. The two were dressed in black suits.
"Oh blimey! This is my party and I'll come and go as I please!" Rufus told them in a whiny manner as he was taken to a private VIP waiting room a few rooms away from the ballroom.
"Since when did you stop becoming so obsessive-compulsive? You used to agree to every detailed plan we make for you!" Sephiroth told him as they seated Rufus on a couch.
"Well I want the party to be over with." Rufus muttered.
Cloud and Sephiroth exchanged looks. "Oh. I see what you mean. He's already bored because Tifa is missing." The latter said.
"Yeah, too bad she couldn't make it because she's not anywhere around." Cloud said before turning back to Rufus. "But don't get us wrong, Rufus, we tried searching for Tifa. We were even calling her cellphone but it seems to be switched off. We tried checking in Nibelheim but she's not there either." He told his friend.
"Have you checked Mideel?" Rufus asked sarcastically.
"Mwahahah. Why? Have you bought her a private condominium unit in one of the prestigious resident towers in Mideel?" Sephiroth mocked.
Rufus eyed them with a blank stare.
Sephiroth bit his lower lip. "Okay, I guess you're not in the mood for my jokes…" he muttered.
Rufus looked away and crossed his arms as he leaned back on the big couch. Just then, Aerith, Vincent and Zack arrived with the Turks.
"Oh good you're here!" Aerith told Rufus as she ran up to him. She was wearing a baby pink gown, while Zack and Vincent were wearing black suits.
"What now?" Rufus demanded impatiently.
"Gee… I could tell you're not in one of your merry moods, and I don't think my news is going to cheer you up." Vincent began.
"What news?" Rufus asked.
"We couldn't find Tifa." Zack told him.
Aerith sat down beside Rufus. "So who are you going to escort to the ballroom?" she asked.
Sephiroth thought for a while before telling him, "You can borrow Yuffie for a while…" he said with a sneer.
"Man, do you want to send the wrong signals to the guests? Besides, Lord Godo wouldn't want that." Zack protested to Sephiroth.
"You're defensive…" Aerith teased Zack before turning back to Rufus.
"I don't need to escort anyone." Rufus told them.
"Or we can make Cloud dress up as a girl…" Sephiroth suggested.
Cloud eyed him warningly. Sephiroth just laughed.
Rufus got up and went to the window. "Just leave me alone here for a while. Tifa will come here. I just talked to her an hour ago. She will come here to my party and we'll enter the ballroom together." He told them. He just had to say that to make them shut up. Besides, he suddenly had a new plan in mind.
His friends were surprised.
"Really? How did you manage to talk to her? Where is she?" Zack asked in wonder.
"…Sephiroth, you were right. She's in Mideel." Rufus mentioned.
Sephiroth's eyes widened.
"I have a house there, I made her go there for a while to take a vacation. But no use looking for her there now. I've already made plans for her to go back here." Rufus told them, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
"Well then that's splendid. Turks, you go down to the entrance and wait for Miss Lockheart's arrival." Vincent commanded.
"Yessir!" the four Turks saluted to their new boss and exited.
The room was silent for a few moments after the Turks had left before Rufus spoke up again. "I want to be left alone here. Just attend to my guests in the ballroom and at 8, I'll be entering with Tifa."
Aerith smiled at him. "Oh I'm glad you told us. I thought everything will be ruined!" she said with a look of relief. She got up and took Cloud's hand. "See you later, Rufus," Cloud told him before he and Aerith exited.
Sephiroth, Zack and Vincent followed after them. "Later." Zack told Rufus before the three of them left.
As soon as Rufus knew that he was the only one left in the room, he slowly pulled his "right hand" out of his pocket and stared at it curiously. "Tifa?" he asked.
"I don't know what you're thinking but it's making me angry. Why tell them that I'm coming back here from Mideel while I'm just attached to your hand? Are you planning to reveal to everyone in the ballroom that I'm attached to your hand?" Tifa demanded.
Rufus rolled his eyes. "Must you nag all the time, Tifa?" he asked as he walked towards the door.
"Well you deserve some nagging after all I've gone through with you!" she snapped at him.
He just smiled slyly. "It's alright. I can always listen to your nagging. In fact it amuses me." He told her. For once, someone was not afraid to tell him off, and he admired her courage to do so; because usually, people would be so afraid to defy his ideas and the way he thinks.
"Are you mocking me? I don't like the way you're insulting me, Rufus. You ought to be…" she began.
"Hush, Tifa." He whispered to her as he carefully opened the door and took a peek to see if the coast was clear. He could hear and see Sephiroth teasing Zack and Yuffie; Cloud talking to someone on his mobile phone, Aerith laughing with Barret, Vincent and Lucrecia having their picture taken by Cid Highwind; and Reeve and Scarlet arguing about the color of the carpet while they were all standing guard by the ballroom door. They all seemed to be busy with their own world, so Rufus took to opportunity to discreetly step out of the room and rush to the emergency staircase without Tifa knowing it.
Tifa, however, could sense movement from Rufus and she could feel his heart and pulse racing as if he was in a hurry. She just kept quiet because he told her earlier to do so. "Where is he going now?" she wondered silently.
Rufus descended the stairs until he reached the ground floor and the back exit door. Then he carefully made his way to the garage and began to search for his car. The car key was in his pocket and he got it. Just then, he remembered that he has a disabled right hand and that he could not drive. "Blimey…" he muttered before returning the key in his pocket and left the garage. He just decided to walk, and as soon as he got out of the ShinRa HQ premises, he made his way to the bus stop, not caring if people were staring at him because they were able to recognize him.
Tifa could hear street noises, car horns, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles passing by. "Oh now what? Where are we going?" she wanted to ask him but she knew she had to keep her mouth shut.
Rufus waited and checked his watch. It was 7:45. He sighed heavily. Then he heard the sound of the bus beeping. It stopped before him and the door opened. He hopped aboard. "Where is this bus heading to?" he asked.
The bus driver and the other passengers stared at him in awe. "Uh… Mister President… what are you doing here?" the bus driver asked in disbelief.
"Where is this bus heading to?" Rufus repeated sternly.
Tifa breathed in. "A bus?" she thought, frowning.
"Uh… Chocobo Farm. But we'll pass by the Kalm Highway." The bus driver answered.
Rufus used his left hand to pull out his wallet. He fished out 20 gil and handed it to the bus driver. "Keep the change." He said before proceeding to look for a seat. Since he did not want people to stare more at him, he decided to sit at the back of the bus. Certain that nobody was looking anymore, he pulled out Tifa from his pocket and carefully unwound the bandages around her. She was surprised and she looked around. Her eyes were asking him where they were going but he just looked at her. His jaw was clenched and he had a smug look on his face.
When the bus stopped in the middle of the highway in Kalm, Rufus placed her inside his pocket once more and he got up from his seat to go down.
Once he got down, he watched as the bus drove off and he just stood still for a moment, feeling the cool air blowing against him. He brought out Tifa. "Lovely evening, don't you think so?" he asked.
She breathed in the cool fresh evening air as she gazed up at the night sky filled with stars. She smiled. She loved to gaze at the stars. "Why are we here?" she asked.
He began to walk. "I figured that if I can't show up without you by my side at my party, I'd rather be alone here with you." He told her with an arrogant tone.
She frowned at the tone of his voice but a part of her felt giddy at what he told her. She just smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well I'm getting claustrophobic whenever there are too many people around us and I'm wrapped in bandages. But it's nice of you to tell me that you'd rather be alone here with me! But really, Rufus, even if you show up at the party, I'll still be by your side because I'm attached to you!" she said.
"Yes, you're attached to me but you'll be wrapped in bandages and stuffed inside my pocket. I want the people to see you but not in the current state you're in." he told her as he stopped walking. He sighed heavily. "How do you feel now, Tifa?" he asked as he kept his eyes on her.
She wondered why he was looking at her like that. "Is there a problem, Rufus?" she asked.
His lips curled into a scornful pout. "If we wake up the next day and things are back to normal, do you think we'll be able to remember everything that happened?" he asked.
She thought she felt her heart sink when she heard that. "God forbid…" she began. "At least one of us should remember? And then when that happens, one of us will have to remind the other!" she continued with a hopeful look on her face.
"But what if the other isn't convinced?" he asked.
She fell silent.
He looked away and started to walk again. "I now see the point on why this happened to us, but I don't know if I'm right. But I swear, I'm right when I reflected on this…" he said.
She looked up at the stars again.
"No matter how we look at it, we're from completely different worlds. And this experience has been a total eye-opener for me. I'd like to thank you for making me realize that I am capable of caring for another person aside from myself." He told her.
She smiled. Finally he was opening up to her. "You're always welcome, Rufus." She said softly.
Rufus stopped walking and pulled out the box from his pocket. He got the ring and handed it to her. She held it with her two small hands and she stared at it in awe.
"If anything happens to us, I always want you to remember that… I…" Rufus stammered.
She looked up at him curiously. "Yes, Rufus?" she asked with a pleased smile on her face.
He froze up. "Oh no… just spit out the words!" he was scolding himself silently, but he could not continue to speak up.
Just then, they heard the ShinRa chopper flying overhead with search lights aiming at them. Its brightness made them cringe and it blinded them for a moment before they managed to adjust their vision to the chopper as they looked up at it. "What the bloody hell…" Rufus began in annoyance.
"Rufus, there you are! We've been looking for you!" they heard Sephiroth shout from the chopper as it landed.
"Oh no…" Rufus's eyes widened when he saw Sephiroth, Cloud and Aerith getting down from the chopper and coming at him. They were all looking at his hand.
"What the hell is …" Sephiroth trailed off upon recognizing Tifa.
"…Tifa?" Cloud asked in awe.
Rufus hid his hand away from them as he tried to think of an excuse, but his mind went blank when he saw Aerith smiling at him gently. "Are you ready, Rufus?" she asked him.
Rufus frowned. Tifa felt alarmed because she felt as if she was being torn apart on the inside.
Just then, a blinding light flashed from where Aerith was standing…
oOoOo
Tifa gasped as she sat up on the bed and opened her eyes. The room was very bright and the morning sunlight blinded her for a moment so she closed her eyes again and bowed down her head, letting her long black hair cover her face as she used her right hand to gently rub her eyes. "Oooh…" she moaned in frustration before slowly opening her eyes to let her vision adjust to the brightness of the room. Then, she looked around. She was in her bedroom but she felt a little alien to that place and she wondered why. She just had a weird dream but she could not remember what happened. She turned her gaze to the clock and the time read 7:00am. Slowly, she got off the bed and saw that she had failed to change her clothes… and she was still wearing her shoes. She wondered what happened to her the other night, but she immediately dismissed the thought when she heard footsteps from outside her bedroom walking across the hallway. She opened the door and saw Aerith walking towards the stairs wearing a pink bathrobe and pink fluffy slippers. The hallway looked different too, but it seemed like Tifa did not notice. "Oh. Hi, Aerith." She greeted cheerfully.
Aerith stopped walking and turned to her friend. "Hi, Tifa." She said happily. "You're up early." She said.
"I have to prepare breakfast for Marlene and Denzel." Tifa told her.
Aerith blinked. "Marlene and Denzel do not live here; they live with Barret." she trailed off when she noticed that Tifa was already completely dressed. "What time did you get in last night?" she asked.
Tifa felt as if something hit her head but she could not figure out what it meant. How come she felt different? And since when did she start preparing breakfast for Marlene and Denzel? "I'm… not sure. But I was too tired, I guess… because I slept on these clothes. Haha!" she answered weakly with a weak laugh.
"Yeah… I noticed…" Aerith said, feeling worried for her friend.
Tifa stepped out of her room and approached Aerith, slowly remember her dream from last night. "I'm sorry if I'm disoriented… I just had this really weird dream last night…You were dead! Sephiroth killed you and Cloud was so devastated… and then a lot of bad things happened too. Like, Meteor?" she told Aerith.
Aerith eyed her curiously. "I died in your dream? And Meteor?" she asked.
"Yes because Sephiroth killed you! And Meteor almost destroyed the Planet, and then there was Geostigma and… Oh dear, it all seemed so real! And we were living in a small house in Sector 7, then when it got destroyed, I moved to Edge and then there were these three horrible silver-haired men and their names were Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz and…" Tifa trailed off with tears in her eyes.
Aerith felt her heart sinking. "Aww, don't cry!" she embraced her friend.
Tifa sniffed as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. She felt afraid all of a sudden. "I'm just… happy that it's just a dream!" she told her.
"Yes, it's just a dream and be thankful that you're awake now! So we're in Sector 7 but this is a big house! And what's Edge?" Aerith stated with a gentle smile on her face.
"…I don't know… a place somewhere near Midgar because Sector 7 got destroyed?" Tifa was not sure anymore.
They were interrupted when Cloud came out from one of the rooms at the end of the already-big hallway wearing a white loose shirt and blue board shorts. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily.
"Oh nothing. Tifa just had a bad dream." Aerith told him with a wink.
Cloud thought for a while before nodding with a slight smile on his face. "I see…" was all he said before approaching them and gave Tifa a pat on the shoulder. "It's all a dream, stop worrying about it." He said before going down the stairs.
Aerith let go of Tifa and led her back to her bedroom. "Alright, just rest here for a while. I think you're too shaken. I'll just prepare breakfast. I'll call you once it's ready." She said.
Tifa just nodded, still feeling shaken. Aerith helped her sit down on the bed. Tifa saw that her friend is wearing a gold ring on her left ring finger. "Oh you're married!" she said in amazement.
Aerith blinked. "…you really are shaken. Of course I'm married!" she said with a laugh.
Tifa eyed her sternly. "To Cloud, right?" she asked.
Aerith eyed her in wonder. "Of course. Who else?" she asked before moving away from her. "And I think you're really hungry because your memory is failing you." She said jokingly.
Tifa chuckled lightly. Now everything seemed alright.
"I'll just call you when breakfast is ready." Aerith told her before leaving the room.
Tifa looked around, comparing her surroundings to the surroundings that she saw in her dream. "Life seems to be much better here… I'm really glad it was just a dream…" she said as she got up and went to the window, looking outside and she was awestruck when she saw the view. Midgar looked very different from what she saw at that moment compared to her dream. And she could clearly see the ShinRa Tower in the middle of the city. But there was something about the ShinRa Tower that made her feel strange, though she could not figure it out.
oOoOo
Downstairs, Cloud was helping Aerith with preparing their breakfast. "You died in her dream?" he asked with a funny look on his face.
Aerith laughed. "I know, isn't that ridiculous?" she asked.
He laughed, and then they were quiet for a few moments just staring at each other with faint smiles on their faces.
"I'm just glad it's all over." Cloud told her.
She smiled gently and nodded. "Everything that happened is now just a bad dream…" she said softly.
Cloud nodded his head before looking away. "I wonder who else knows…" he told her.
Aerith just smiled before going to the refrigerator to get the milk carton.
oOoOo
"Hey, sonny boy! Wake up!"
Rufus cringed when he heard the voice of his father trying to wake him up while trying to figure out who was shaking him gently.
"Rufus, darling, wake up."
Rufus froze when he recognized the other voice. He opened his eyes and looked up at his parents who were smiling happily at him.
"Happy birthday, Rufus." His mother told him.
Rufus slowly sat up and stared wide-eyed at them.
The President and the First Lady studied the look on Rufus's face. "You look surprised to see us; is there anything wrong, darling?" the latter asked.
Rufus turned to his father.
President ShinRa eyed him curiously. "Are you okay, Rufus?" he asked.
Rufus was too shocked to speak up. How come his parents are together? He then turned to his right hand to check it. It was back to normal. He inhaled sharply and held his breath for a few moments before turning back to his parents again. "I'm… fine." He answered, although he was unsure. He looked around and the family picture on his bedside table caught his attention. It was a picture of him with his parents. They all looked happy in that picture… and it looked recent too. "What time is it?" he asked.
"It's 7:30, son. Let's have breakfast someplace else, shall we? Since it's your birthday…" President ShinRa told him.
"Oh, I'm so happy! My only son is 23 years old today!" Mrs. ShinRa embraced her son happily, surprising Rufus. "I remember it like it was only yesterday… you were born around 3 in the afternoon and you were so tiny! Now you're a big boy!" she said with ears in her eyes.
"Alright, dear, don't get all teary-eyed in front of our boy." President ShinRa told his wife jokingly.
Rufus felt weird. "…alright, I'll just… put on some decent clothes… and… where are we going again?" he asked, quite unsure of what to say.
"What about the café at the Sector 7 Park? Would that be alright?" Mrs. ShinRa asked.
"You like the food in that café ever since you were a little boy! That would be nice." President ShinRa told Rufus.
Rufus just stared unbelievably at his father. "…But it's Sector 7. We're going to need a lot of bodyguards… I'll just tell the Turks to…" he began, but his father laughed at him. "What's wrong with Sector 7?" his father asked him.
"It's the slums, old man." Rufus answered.
Silence.
"What slums? There are no slums here in Midgar, darling." Mrs. ShinRa told her son before gently slapping his hand. "And don't you call your father that! He's your father; have you no respect for him?" she asked.
Rufus studied the look on his father's face. He did not appear to be putting up an act; and he looked as sincere as his mother. With that, Rufus jumped off the bed and ran to the window. He gazed outside and was surprised by what he saw. "Bloody brilliant…" he murmured in amazement. "It looks so perfect…" he thought before turning to his father. "All of this… you did this?" he asked.
President ShinRa blinked. "Of course. I'm the President. What's wrong with you, are you ill, sonny boy?" he asked as he approached Rufus with a concerned look on his face.
Rufus knew that his father being so nice and caring to him plus the fact that his surroundings were already different would take a lot of getting used to. He could not wait to get out of his room to see what else had changed because of what happened to him. Then he looked at the area on where Sector 7 is located. "…Tifa…" he murmured softly.
"What's that, son?" his father asked.
"Oh… nothing… are you using Mako energy for this?" Rufus asked, wanting to be sure.
"Mako energy? That's dangerous. Do you want me to kill the Planet?" President ShinRa asked with an offended tone. "Besides, Dr. Lucrecia Valentine has found a much better source for energy that is much safer and effective for everyday use." He told him.
Rufus felt lighthearted. "That's good to hear…" he turned to his father. "…dad." He said.
It felt good being able to call his old man "dad" again.
President ShinRa embraced his son. "You're acting all weird, son. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked curiously with a worried look on his face.
"I'm alright, father…" Rufus answered before moving away. "I'll see you folks in the lobby in 15 minutes," he told them.
"Well then, we'll see you." Mrs. ShinRa said with a happy smile on her face. "Come now, dear." She told her husband. "And change your tie! It's horrible!" she told him.
"Darling, you said that this tie suits me!" the President said as he went to his wife and they exited.
Rufus sighed heavily before turning to his bedside table when he heard the message alert tone of his mobile phone. He immediately went to get his mobile phone to check his text messages. He has 5 new messages in his inbox. When he checked them, each of them came from Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth, Vincent and Marlene.
"Marlene?" he thought to himself as he read the text message from the little girl. "Happy birthday, Rufus!Papa reminded me to greet you. I almost forgot! Anyway, you're such a nice man. Thank you for giving me a scholarship to MidgarElementary School. I hope that I can come over there again so that we can play! I have a new doll and I want to show her to you!"
Rufus could not help but smile. He was pleased. "So much has changed…" he murmured to himself before proceeding to read the other messages:
Cloud: "Hey, birthday boy! Are we going bar-hopping tonight?"
Zack: "Yo buddy! Happy birthday! As soon as I dismiss my troops, let's meet in your office so that I can give you my gift."
Sephiroth: "RUFFEH! Mwahah. Happy bday! You're a year older again! Let's par-tay! Just tell me where!"
Vincent: "Drop by the Turk office today, I made my Turks do something for your birthday. You're going to have fun."
Rufus sighed heavily as he placed his mobile phone aside. "My life is going to be very different from now on…" he thought with a pleased smile on his face before proceeding to his closet to look for something appropriate to wear for breakfast with his parents at the park.
oOoOo
Cloud, Aerith and Tifa were having breakfast.
"It's a Saturday and you guys have work?" Tifa asked.
"It's Rufus's birthday. We have to be there and help him plan." Cloud told her.
"Isn't it hard being his publicist, Aerith?" Tifa asked.
"No. He's actually nice. He may seem unfriendly at first but really, he's a people-person!" Aerith told her with a proud smile on her face.
Tifa finished her meal. "So who's going to help me with the bar tonight if you guys are partying with Rufus tonight?" she asked.
Cloud and Aerith exchanged looks. "Who says you're going to bartend tonight? You're going to come with us." He told her.
"What? But I'm not really familiar with him! We haven't even been introduced formally before…" Tifa reasoned with an uncomfortable and shy look on her face.
"That's why your first time to be formally introduced to him will be tonight." Aerith told her with a wink.
Tifa pouted. "Oh well… I have to work tonight so I can't go with you guys." She said before getting up. "Anyway, I have to buy 5 bottles of red wine and 3 bottles of champagne." She told them before picking up her plate and placed it by the sink. "I'll just see you guys later." She said before leaving, passing through the back door.
Cloud watched as she exited. "What now?" he asked Aerith as soon as Tifa had completely gone out the door.
"We have to find a way to convince her to go with us. I don't want her working alone." she told him.
"Never mind. After the party, the guys and I are planning to go to a bar. I'll just tell them to go to Tifa's 7th Heaven instead." He answered.
oOoOo
While eating breakfast with his parents, Rufus was just quiet. He was trying to observe his new surroundings and while trying to let himself get used to his parents being completely together again.
Vincent and Sephiroth served as their bodyguards and they sat with the First Family.
"You're so quiet, Rufus, are you alright?" Mrs. ShinRa asked.
Rufus stared at his food before nodding. "Well I'm full." He answered before turning to his father. "I'd like to take a walk around the park after this. May I?" he asked.
"Sure, sure, sonny boy! Your mother and I will go with you if you want to." President ShinRa said kindly.
"And tonight, Rufus, your party will be held in the ballroom of the Sector 1 Grand Hotel. It's going to be a formal event." Mrs. ShinRa said with an excited look on her face. "Your friend Aerith is really a very good planner!" she said.
"…of course. I only choose the best for my team of professionals. Besides, this is for the future of ShinRa." Rufus told them, trying to sound proud, although he had no idea what they were talking about.
"Haha. You should tell that to Aerith yourself, Rufus. She'll be proud of you and she'll ask for a raise." Sephiroth kidded his friend.
As soon as Rufus was finished with his food, he excused himself. "Can I go ahead? I want to enjoy the view alone." He told his parents.
"Sure, son. Let's just meet by the fountain in 5 minutes." President ShinRa told him.
With that, Rufus went off.
President ShinRa urged for Vincent to follow Rufus.
oOoOo
Rufus shoved his hands inside the pockets of his trousers as he stopped walking and breathed in the fresh air.
"Rufus," he heard Vincent call his name from behind.
Rufus turned around and was surprised to see Vincent. "So, how's your life as a Turk?" he asked with a slight smile on his face.
Vincent caught up with him. "Quite alright. You never asked me that before." He said with an unsure tone.
Rufus smiled slyly as he flipped his hair. "I just thought I'd ask now." He said as he offered a handshake. "We're friends, right?" he asked.
Vincent stared at his hand at first. He thought Rufus was acting weird, but he shook hands with him anyway. "Of course we are." He said with a calm smile on his face. "Even though you're much closer to my son." Vincent told him.
Rufus frowned slightly. "…Sephiroth?" he asked, wanting to be sure.
"How come you sound like you don't know? Are you alright? Do you feel ill?" Vincent asked him.
Rufus stared at him with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Must be the coffee…" he said as an excuse before turning away. "I can't believe you're his father. You look so young." He said.
"Must be the JENOVA or something." Vincent said.
"JENOVA?" Rufus asked. "Who experimented on JENOVA?" he asked.
"…Professor Hojo and Professor Gast. They tested it on me and Lucrecia. You've been tested with it too, don't you remember?" Vincent asked.
Rufus suddenly felt a chill creep up his spine. "…was it like a vaccine?" he asked.
"Yes. It's for immunity to several illnesses except for colds. It's like several vaccinations in one. Although it's very expensive. But anyway, you're ShinRa." Vincent answered.
Rufus sighed in relief. "That's nice to hear…" he muttered as he turned away and looked up at the skies. "I thought that nothing changed in terms of JENOVA…" he thought.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Vincent asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Rufus looked straight ahead. "Yes, I am." He answered before something caught his attention from his peripheral vision. He turned to his left and saw Tifa Lockheart walking by the park fences carrying three heavy grocery bags with bottles of liquor in it.
Vincent saw the way Rufus's mouth had opened slightly and the way his blue eyes widened as he caught sight of Tifa walking. He also noticed the blush forming on Rufus's cheeks.
"Does she even remember?" Rufus asked himself silently as he removed his right hand from his pocket and looked at it for a while. With that, he took a deep breath to gather enough guts before running after her. "Tifa!" he called out.
Vincent was surprised. He actually knew her name. "I thought they haven't met before?" he thought before running after Rufus.
Tifa stopped walking when she heard someone calling her name. She thought the voice sounded very familiar but she could not remember where she heard it. She turned around and saw a blonde young man in white running towards her.
Rufus stopped when he finally reached her. He caught his breath quickly and smiled at her. "Tifa," he repeated her name.
She looked up at him curiously. "Y…yes, do I know you?" she asked.
Vincent caught up with them. "Tifa," he called her attention.
Tifa turned to Vincent and smiled. "Oh, hi Vincent." She greeted.
"You two know each other?" Vincent asked her.
Tifa said no; Rufus said yes.
Vincent became confused. "How do you know about Tifa?" he asked Rufus.
Rufus began to think of a reason. "…I… she's friends with Aerith and Cloud…" he answered.
Tifa blinked as she finally recognized Rufus, but she was unable to say anything. She just stared even as Rufus turned back to her. "I'm Rufus… ShinRa." He said as he offered a handshake to her.
Tifa placed the heavy grocery bags carefully on the ground as she stared wide-eyed at his right hand. Somehow, she felt something familiar about it. She slowly took his hand and shook it firmly as she looked up at him again with a shy smile on her face. "Tifa Lockheart." She said. "Finally, we meet formally." She told him.
Rufus just smiled coolly at her.
"Rufus,"
They were interrupted when they heard the First Lady calling her son's name. Tifa, Rufus and Vincent turned to Sephiroth, the First Lady and the President. The First Couple was looking at Tifa curiously but they had friendly smiles on their faces.
"Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet Tifa Lockheart." Rufus told his parents as he withdrew his hand from Tifa.
"Oh, it's so nice to meet you, Tifa," Mrs. ShinRa said, welcoming the girl with open arms.
Tifa felt somewhat stunned because she was being embraced by the First Lady.
President ShinRa smiled kindly at Tifa and offered a handshake. "Nice to meet you, young lady." He said.
Tifa shook hands with him. "Same here, sir, ma'am." She said rather shyly.
"So, is she your girlfriend, Rufus?" President ShinRa asked, nudging his son with a teasing look on his face.
Sephiroth was smirking maliciously at Rufus.
Rufus blushed slightly but he still tried to keep his cool by smiling confidently at them. "She will be, mom and dad; she will be." He thought silently to himself. "Haha. Stop teasing me, dad." He told his father through clenched teeth before turning back to Tifa. "Tonight is my birthday party, would you like to be my special guest for tonight?" he asked her.
Tifa blushed intensely. "I…" she thought for a moment. "How come he seems so familiar? Like I know him already… Oh well, might as well…" she thought to herself. She smiled shyly and nodded. "Alright."
Rufus smiled. "Splendid." He said as he gazed into her brown eyes. He missed looking into those eyes.
Tifa gazed back into his blue eyes, having a familiar feeling inside her as she did so. But she could tell that their meeting would be a beginning of something wonderful.
oOoOo
-the end!- (finally)
author's note: The last two chapers were hurried because I wanted to finish them already. I did whatever I could in hurrying these chapters for just a day so that I could finally post them here.