Okay, okay. The ninth chapter of All for Revenge. I bet you are all psyched, aren't ya?

Anyway, I noticed that I didn't put up my disclaimer in my last chapter, and the "nice" men in blue suits returned. Fortunately for me, I noticed the lack of disclaimer before they showed up so I was ready for them.

Reno: Untie me you stupid moron!

Forget it! You're gonna be a present for one of my faithful readers, Random Reno Fangirl 5!

Reno: What!

I think she deserves you. You might be a better muse than the one she has now.

Reno: You're cruel. I've seen how she's treated her muses.

Yeah, well you shouldn't have stolen my pizza. Now, where'd Elena go off too? I should probably go find her. She's for Nando.

Reno: Hey, wait! Great. Well since she's not around I suppose I'll go ahead and do it for her. She doesn't own FF7 or any of its characters. However, if anyone is willing to try and rescue me than I could probably get you the rights.

Knock it off!

Reno: How'd you get back so quickly?

I'm the writer. I can do whatever I want. Now, you're going to RRF5 and that's final. Besides, I hear she's cute, so what's the problem?

Reno: (blinks) She is? Why didn't you say that in the beginning?

Sigh. You're such a man whore.

Reno: Yeah, but's why you all love me.

I give up. Well, might as well start this fic. Then I'll find your partner.

Chapter 9: Decisions

The room was stark silent as Tifa stared at Dr. Jones. He was an old man. Kind, and seemed to be devoted to the practice of helping people. To hear that he personally had arranged the attempted murder of the President, it was…

"Unbelievable," she whispered.

"I suppose it probably is," the doctor replied.

"But… why? I had heard from Reno that you lived in the slums before you worked here. Wouldn't you be grateful to the company?" She realized that her saying all of this was hypocritical, but at the moment her curiosity was too much to make her care.

"It's true, ShinRa did rescue me from the slums, and for that I'll be eternally grateful. However, and this is something a lot of people from the slums that are now here seem to forget, the slums are still down there. Even though I'm here there are still those down there that are hurting, also because of ShinRa." Tifa didn't seem to understand and he chuckled at her confused expression. "Let me try like this. What extremists don't understand is that ShinRa has both helped people and hurt them as well. We ourselves are both from the slums, and because we showed talent are living comfortable lives. ShinRa has given the citizens jobs at the reactors, in the office, or to join the military. They even built Midgar, thus creating, in a way, their own government that has helped us. But while there are those suffering in Midgar, there are the other cities. I've seen Kalm and others, they're healthy and the world death average is going down because of lack of accidents at coalmines and the oil fields. Mako energy is safer for the people, and has helped. But it's also expensive, and some people out farther than Midgar are losing faith in their 'government'. I've heard about one too many 'rebellions' that had to be destroyed for the good of Midgar. So, as you can see Miss Lockheart, there are two sides to every story. Most individuals don't realize that, and if they do, won't admit to it. Loyal followers of ShinRa won't say that some things could be wrong with what's happening, but at the same time those against ShinRa refuse to believe that some things are better now that it's here."

"But what does this have to do with anything?" she finally burst out. "What ShinRa has done to help people has only been for the company's benefit as well. Okay, maybe some people are better off, but you must think ShinRa needs to be stopped too. After all, you nearly killed the man in charge."

"Yes, this is true, but I feel that a person should always be honest with themselves. If they're not, how can they be honest with others? You see, everything in life comes down to numbers. Cold, hard, unforgiving numbers. How many people has ShinRa saved, how many have they killed? Is it worth forsaking either side for the other? It's how we make our decisions in life. So, is it worth destroying the entire company? Honestly, I don't think so."

"But," she asked, "why did you do this?"

"Again to the math and numbers," he replied. "The president is a tyrant of a man whose chief concern is money and power. He cares nothing for his people, whether they're loyal or not. I believed, and still do, that his one life is worth all those in Midgar and everywhere else. The vice president is better. He's a cold man to many who don't know him, and he claims to be hard to make keeping control easier, but I see a good man in him and he honestly does care about others. He would be a far better prospect than what we have now."

Tifa just sat there, trying to soak all of this new information in. So, he had never wanted to destroy ShinRa, just put someone else in power. It was nothing more than a political battle she had gotten tangled up into. And no doubt Dr. Jones had simply used his influence and files of information to find those that were on board with it, or had just been under the impression that they would help destroy ShinRa like she had been. She really didn't want to ask about it. Those two men were dead in just a couple of days. It's not as if he could do anything to save them, yet it bothered her slightly that he seemed to show no remorse over the fact that they had gotten caught and he hadn't.

"I suppose you think I'm despicable now?" he asked after some minutes of silence.

"I don't know what to think anymore," she answered. "I don't even know what it is I should do. Every part of my mind is telling me I should finish him off myself, but what's the point if he'll just be replaced like you said he would? I can't trust anyone there. Everybody has a double face, even you. Is this whole company corrupt!"

She shouted out the last part out at him, but he didn't show any sign of being startled. He just sighed and patted her on the arm.

"I can't tell how sorry I am that I disappointed you. I guess, in my own way, I'm a loyal fool of ShinRa as well. I make no attempt to say I'm a good man. I am despicable in my own way. However, my actions don't need to influence you. You could very easily end it now. You could go President ShinRa's office and kill him and then do the same thing to Rufus if you manage not to get caught. Or you could decide that it's not the way you want to go and give up and just leave. You seem like the kind of girl that could enjoy a normal life if given the chance."

Hair swished slightly as she shook her head. "It's more than that."

"Ah," he said. "I'm guessing you are referring to Rude?"

"I don't know anything about him, and yet I feel so…attached. I don't even know his real name. If he ever found out… he'd kill me." She was barely able to whisper the last part.

"You don't give him enough credit. And even if you did know him, would it matter? If you knew his name is in fact real and he was probably just the victim of parents that give the seemingly cute name at the time without realizing how bad it would sound later, would it really change your situation?" he said.

Tifa arched her eyebrows. "Is that it?"

"Actually, I have no idea. He wouldn't tell me when I asked," he replied. "But I do know that you love him. Who knows, maybe you can choose him. Is he worth more than your revenge, that you may never be able to achieve?"

Tifa just sat in her chair, no longer paying any attention to the man. It wasn't fair, but he had put quite a few things into context for her. As confusing as some of his words had been to her, she couldn't deny the fact that she had understood his last words. He left soon afterwards but she only said goodbye and saw him off on autopilot. She had never needed him, not really. She could just walk into ShinRa's office with a gun and pull the trigger at point-blank-range. It wouldn't destroy the company, but she'd enjoy doing it.

But there was also Rude. It was true. She did love him. And the way she could just admit it showed her that she had known for a while and just been too scared to say it. But she had to grow up. She wasn't a blushing teenager anymore. She was an adult, and for nearly the first time in a long time she knew what it was she wanted, no, needed to do.

"And I love him," she whispered with a smile. "I love him."

There was no fighting it. She was a fool, but she had never been able to argue with her heart. When it pointed, she had no choice but to follow.

That's probably why after Rude had gotten home at the end of the day, he heard a knock on his door not too long later. He opened to see her standing at his door, a soft smile on her lips. She could see he was surprised from the slight raise of his eyebrows.

She didn't waste words. She just stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, pouring all of her passion into her it. Though he was shocked, he quickly pulled her inside and pressed her against the now closed door with a groan that sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine.

He jerked away from her suddenly and shook his head. "No."

"Why?"

"It's just not-" She cut him off by pressing a finger to his mouth.

"Rude," she said with a smile, "you talk to much."

She kissed again, and this time he didn't pull away.

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The cold mist of the early morning was far from being able to reach Tifa as she woke up in the warm sheets and arms of Rude. She snuggled closer to him and smiled up at him. He held her close to him, but he was so quiet, that she had sudden fears that she had somehow disappointed him. She had never done more than play spin the bottle with the opposite sex before, and she had sort of just done what she thought felt good last night.

"Coming here wasn't a mistake, was it?" she asked him, trying hard not to sound worried.

He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Yes."

It hadn't been the answer she had been hoping for. She sat up quickly and he made no attempt to stop her.

"Yes?" she repeated. Her voice was quiet. She was too hurt to really be angry. "I was that bad last night?"

He immediately shook his head. "No." After a moment of hesitation, he got up and walked over to his nightstand as she held the sheets up to her naked chest. A file flopped in front of her and she nearly choked as she opened it and saw her picture. It wasn't the fact that it was her file, rather what this particular file covered.

"You knew all along?" she asked with tears in her eyes. She had thought only Tseng would know about Nibleheim. Maybe Reno because he was charged with looking after her, but Rude?

"I knew. Tseng wanted us all to be aware incase you really were the spy we thought you were."

"Spy?" she asked.

"We knew there was some kind of conspiracy going on when the security data was stolen. You came in almost a day later and we thought an inside job was being pulled. Tseng hired you, wanting to give the terrorists the impression they had the upper hand in order to draw them out."

"But I-"

"I lost my father a long time ago. I've wanted to destroy ShinRa ever since. If you won't help me than I understand. You have no reason to trust me. But I want you to know that I understand how you must feel."

Tifa's words played back at her from the tape player in Rude's hands. She hung her head in shame. What an idiot she had been to not even think of the possibility that the room had been tapped. She wanted to be angry with him. He had made love to her, knowing fully well she was the enemy but she couldn't be mad. After all, she had done the exact same thing. And he had tried to stop it.

"What now?" she asked him.

"Leave," he told her.

"You're not going to kill me?"

He shook his head. "Not on duty… yet"

"I see," she replied.

The two dressed without a word or glance at each other. It shocked her that Rude wasn't trying to apprehend her.

"I'm still going after ShinRa. What will you do then?" she inquired.

"If you show up at the building while I'm there then I won't have a choice. We both know that."

"I don't suppose you'd leave ShinRa?"

"Would you leave what you believe in?"

She bit her bottom lip. No she wouldn't, she could never just forgive ShinRa. Her silence was good enough of an answer for him though and he sighed.

"This isn't fair," she commented.

"No, it's not."

He walked her to the door in an oddly out of place gesture of good will. But just as she was about to open the door he grabbed her and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck as his hand snaked into her hair. Time seemed to stand still for the two before she finally broke away, tears in her eyes.

"It's not fair!" she sobbed into his chest.

"I know."

She broke away from him and was fleeing the house in a fast run. She didn't really think about where she was going, just instinctively going towards her home. The elevator lifted her to her floor and she contemplated her situation. She hadn't really expected it to work out, but she had been hoping. It had been a pipe dream from the beginning and she did nothing but set herself up for a fall, but there had always had been that small chance that it could have worked out.

She wasn't going to stay away though. She had come too far for that. There had been too much playing around, but now her head was clear. She was going to do what she had originally come there to do.

The door of her apartment wasn't locked like when she had left. Getting herself into a defensive position, she slipped inside and peered in the dark corridor for an intruder. Fingers reached towards the light switch, and just as she flicked it on, an Electro-Mag Rod was swung at her face.

"Good dodge," Reno commented after Tifa had jumped back away from him. She gritted her teeth and aimed a kick at his head. It seemed with his ease that he grabbed her leg and threw into the living room where she crashed into the couch. Tears sprung up from the pain before she sprang back up at him again. She tried desperately to hit him but no matter how fast she was, he seemed to be one step ahead of her. It was different from when they first fought. He had obviously been holding back during their sparing lesson. She couldn't believe she couldn't even touch him!

"Uh!" she gasped as 10,000 volts of electricity shot through her abdomen. Coughs escaped from her as Reno grabbed the tie of her uniform and pulled up to look her in the eyes.

"Sorry Tif'. Orders," he told her. He raised his weapon to strike her head but her hands suddenly shot up and grabbed the hand that held his Rod while her teeth sunk into the fist holding her up. "Arg!" he yelled as her head crashed into the bottom of his chin.

Tifa was able to wrench the Electo-Mag Rod out of his hands as he fell onto his back. He tried to get back up but he found Tifa standing above him, a growl at the base of her throat, and the Rod clenched in both hands. Before he could even move a flash of light erupted from it and a transparent pyramid formed around him.

"I don't want to fight you," she told him honestly.

Reno surprised her by laughing. "Daring as ever. Nice move Tif'. You got me good."

The rod clattered to the floor and Tifa shook her head. "You just tried to kill me and now you're paying me compliments? You're so weird."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a shrug, than his expression turned serious. "Look, Rude is gonna be with the President. We all figured what you're planning. Just go. I can report you taken care of, no problem. I…look, I know you're just here outa revenge, but I still saw you as a teammate. I don't wanna see you die, especially not by Rude's hands. He'll kill you, without any hesitation."

Tifa sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "But Reno, would you respect me anymore… if I ran away? Sorry. I've finally made up my mind."

She ignored his calling of her name as she grabbed her Peacemaker that she had been issued by ShinRa. After giving a small wave, she walked out the door and began her stride to the man she would soon see dead.

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Okay, this is my second to last chapter. Or, third to last. It all depends on if I add the epilogue to the last chapter or if I try to make it stand on it's own. In either case, you can all see that this story is close to ending.

I have shipped off Reno and Elena (after some struggling) to my respected friends. I hope they enjoy their gifts and are willing to feed the Turks well. If anyone wants to get other ShinRa employees, or the other FF7 characters, just review and I'll set up some traps for them as well. Although the better be GOOD reviews 'cause those damn Turks were a pain in the ass to catch. Can't imagine what Sephiroth would put me through. (Shudders)