White Desire
Chapter 17
"Whaddya mean we can't do anything to Shin-Ra!" Everyone who was down in the basement and not Vincent was horrifically angry. Cloud was the first to speak up, obviously saying all the words that the others were thinking. There really was no need for anyone else to add onto this. The point was, the former members of AVALANCHE needed to expose Shin-Ra and Vincent was telling them not to. The leading blonde couldn't understand why. "...An explanation would be most appreciated right about now." Then a horrible idea filled his head. "Was Tifa found out! Is Rufus going to do something to her!" In a matter of moments, a hand had reached out and grabbed Vincent by the collar of his shirt. "Speak now or I'll forever make you hold your piece."
The black-haired male brought his claw to Cloud's hand and pried it off. That was the nice thing about having a prosthetic arm. He had to exert very little effort in order to defend himself. In fact, he could probably find a lot of uses for his arm if he wanted to. He should have spent more time doing that. He could once they backed off of Shin-Ra and the Turks. "It would be in your best interest not to ever do something like that again." As he shoved the deemed leader back, the blonde-haired young man slammed into the monitor of the main computer, causing a series of cracks to spread over the LCD glass. "For your information, Tifa's fine, no thanks to us. Surely you know that the Turks know who she is. They can inform the president any time they wish. If we put anymore plans against the company, they will do that. I can tell you now that the Turks probably don't approve of Tifa working there at all. If we cause trouble for her...she's going to be the one to pay the consequences."
Well, that made sense. Even Cloud had to agree. When the sound of breaking glass had filled the air, there was complete silence around the table. It wasn't often that a fight broke out between people in the group, but when it did, it was pretty serious. It was about this time that Cid and the other two knew it was best not to say anything at all. It was between Vincent and Cloud only and those two had to work out their differences. Besides, it looked like the younger blonde had hurt himself and no one else wanted to experience that. By the time the taller one had regained his composure, he pulled his red cloak close to him, as though he was having security issues. "As I stated before, we won't be doing anything to detriment Tifa or her job position in that company."
And without getting any other complaints, the others agreed with him for the time. That might change later, but they felt that Tifa's well being was the most important at the time. They hoped for the most part that they wouldn't have to worry about holding back their plans for an extended time. Cloud knew the majority wanted to carry out the things that could bring them closer to prosperity. Besides, the nice thing about not focusing on Shin-Ra and the Turks was that he had all the time in the world for the bar and his delivery service, and the orphans like Denzel. He really wanted to protect those young children. He knew what it was like not to have parents involved in one's life, as did Tifa. However, there was only so much he could do.
"Miss Lockhart, are you feeling quite all right?" Rufus was standing behind the brunette, looking over her shoulder. He'd found her behaviour quite strange when she had come into work earlier and she was staring at the same contract that she had been looking at fifteen minutes prior. There was something on her mind, no matter how much she denied it. He paused by her side for a moment and then reached down a hand, pointing to his signature. "It is not that difficult. You are making it too complex. File that under signed for the Urban Development section." He didn't mind if she read the information within. It was expected for her to understand the situations at hand, just in case for some bizarre reason, he wasn't able to carry out his duty. After all, he didn't have a vice president for the company and had unofficially given that title to her (not that he'd tell the others about his decision).
The brunette raised her head quickly and looked up to him. "I-I'm sorry." She quickly filed the contract away, followed by the next ten or so while he still remained at her side. Ever since she had spoken to Vincent about the workings of Shin-Ra, she had felt somehow so anxious every day when she came home. She thought he would say something to the others and she would no longer be considered a comrade or an ally. So far that hadn't happened just yet, and she hoped it never would. Of course, with the way things were going, one would never know. "That won't happen again, President Shin-Ra."
She was acting more than a little strange. Perhaps she was just thinking too much. She was worrying too much and he didn't know why or what for. Something had happened that terribly disturbed her. He would have asked, but it wasn't his way of doing things. It would be a nicer gesture to take her out somewhere for a break. She could probably use it, and so could he. Besides, if he went on his own, Scarlet was sure to stalk him around and he wanted to avoid that, if at all possible. "Come. Let us go." When she put down her current contract to file and her eyes met his, he knew she was clueless. "We shall go for a walk. It may clear your mind." At least, that's what he hoped for. "In fact, we shall leave the headquarters for a bit. It will be a real walk." Typically when he thought of such a stroll, he meant around the many floors of the building. Fresh air was bound to be good for both of them.
Before she even really had the chance to protest, he had escorted her up from her chair and within a few minutes, they were outside. They hadn't escaped the harassment from the Turks, but Rufus wasn't about to let that get in his way. Besides, they knew better than to let him hear about it because the blonde-haired president would reprimand them for it later. As the two walked together, they were silent, both thoughtful about certain things. While Tifa was busy worrying about her future, Rufus was concerned about the future of his company, and his prospects. Ever since the fund raiser, he'd felt a little different, but he couldn't describe or even begin to understand what he was getting himself into. For so long, he had pushed extra curricular thoughts out of his mind, insisting that his company was first and foremost, but suddenly, that wasn't the case any more. He was beginning to expand his horizons, and that very well could become his downfall.
"President Shin-Ra, you're so quiet... Are you okay? Is it because I was being so slow?" When he shook his head at her, Tifa was quiet and she nodded slowly. At least it wasn't because of her. She slipped her hands behind her back and she watched him for a few minutes. He always looked so thoughtful and she thought she liked him best at those moments. She leaned over and peered around his frame as her head lifted and her gaze met his. "What is it that you're thinking about? If you think too much, you'll get worry lines. And then you won't be as cute." It was a pretty bold thing to say, but she wanted to see some kind of surprise from him.
What she got instead was a fallen face. In a matter of moments, Rufus had turned from thoughtful to wistful. He looked as though he was miles away and his blonde eyebrows knit together in confusion. "...Cute..." It was an interesting word for him to hear. It wasn't often one that was used to describe him. In fact, he could almost vividly remember when he had last heard it. It wasn't something he wanted to be reminded of. He wanted nothing more than to shove those thoughts aside. He looked to her again, and repeated what she'd said once more. "Cute?"
A hand rose to her lips and she muffled her laughter. The way he had said it was so absolutely priceless. It was like he'd never heard the word before. She had to tease him about it a little. That was almost as good as surprise, because it was so close to being the same. "What? You've never heard the word before? Or maybe no one's called you that." She wondered if it was a mistake to go that far. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Eventually she'd find out, like when she lost her job. Then again, maybe it wouldn't turn out that way. Maybe he would just refuse to have anything to do with her. He could have her transferred to another department, like Scarlet's. Wouldn't that be the ultimate torture? Oh, yes. It would.
He was still rather thoughtful, living through his past memories as he listened to her speak. Although it seemed he was both far off and very near to her, he still managed to understand what she had said. He shook his head at her slowly, as though still trying to formulate words. "The last person I remember calling me that was my mother. She...passed away when I was younger, so I do not remember a lot about her." It was true. His mother, that beautiful blonde-haired female, his idol, his unreachable star, she was the one he wanted to be like. His parents had been two completely different people. While he had very few interests that were interwoven with his father, his fondness for his mother was quite apparent. He couldn't remember ever telling anyone about his past.
O-oh...! How terrible! To remember something like that! It wasn't as though she hadn't had the same thing happen. She remembered everything about that day her mother had passed on. It was something that played through her mind frequently. It seemed that she was beginning to see a couple similarities between her and Rufus. Although both had come from completely different worlds, there were things that happened that shaped them into the people they were in the present. Both of their mothers had passed on, as had their fathers. That meant...there was absolutely no one left in his life. There were no other relatives. He was the very last of the Shin-Ra line. It was to be a sad future for him. "...Oh...I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I shouldn't be so...carefree." And without even thinking it, Tifa had reached out and taken a hand as she held it close. She wanted to help him, to be there for him...and she couldn't.
He had slightly flinched at her contact. No one had ever dared to touch him in that respect and frankly, it might have even frightened him. Of course, no one had ever been so bold with him either. He didn't know how to react to such things. He didn't pull away, but he didn't exactly react warmly either. Rather he shook his head, finally realizing that they had stopped walking and were merely standing around, perhaps like a couple normally did when they were together. "It is not your fault. You had no way of knowing unless I had said something. Do not blame yourself, Miss Lockhart." He had refused to look at her after what he'd said. He was feeling loose with his words and because of it, he felt ashamed. There was no need to continue to act in such a way.
She pulled him to face her and when he finally did so (although reluctantly), she tilted her head to the side slightly. "...Things are so much harder on you than what anyone else knows." A hand rose to brush over his face, in a curious manner. When he suddenly pulled away from her, she released him and slipped her hands behind her back. She ducked her head as her dark hair fell over her shoulders. Of course she'd been too bold. She shouldn't have gone that far. It only seemed expected that she should do something stupid like that. Just when things were getting good.
That might have been something he needed to get accustomed to. For some reason, watching her back off the way she had made him feel faintly guilty or bad. He hadn't meant to cause that at all. "I apologise. I am not used to such actions being executed." He couldn't think of anything else to say. He wasn't sure if she was going to be pleased with that sort of response. And for a brief moment, he wondered when he began to worry about what she thought of him. Whatever could that possibly mean for him? There were more of those thoughts that he didn't want to answer. At least...he didn't want the answer just yet.
She shook her head at him. It wasn't his fault. Not really anyway. She didn't understand him completely just yet, so she couldn't help except to question his ways of thinking and his lifestyle. "No, no. It's my fault. I got too bold. I won't do that again." A few more moments of silence ensued and there was a small smile creeping over her lips. "You know, I really appreciate the way you've treated me, President Shin-Ra. I don't...feel quite so lonely, you know?" It was sort of funny the way she had phrased it.
He raised an eyebrow out of confusion at her. "Lonely...?" He didn't understand what she was saying at all. Of course, she often spoke in this strange lingo that he could only deem as unrecognizable. It wasn't as though he considered her to be lazy, which was really what he would have thought of anyone else. It was just interesting to hear a young speak so differently. He based his opinion of females off of Scarlet and his mother, seeing how those had been the only two females in his life.
How many more things would he question her on? She knew he was clueless, but this was beginning to get ridiculous. "You don't understand that word, either?" She sighed with exasperation, shaking her head slowly. Rufus was like a young child, she often thought. She wondered just how his parents had raised him. He'd previously mentioned that his mother had not let him out of the mansion often when he was younger. He had been so sheltered that it might have been possible for him not to have much experience with anything, much less anyone. She was quiet for a moment as she watched him and then she grew sort of a dreamy gaze. "That night we went to the fund raiser, it's the first party I really considered going to. When I was younger, my friends used to invite me out, but I always had to turn them down. Wherever I went, it didn't matter with whom or why, I always felt so left out. My friends had boyfriends and girlfriends, and I didn't have anyone who saw me like that." She chuckled weakly and shook her head slowly. "It sounds so silly, doesn't it? Maybe it's because I'm like a little girl with a crush." It was more than a crush though, it seemed. It was more like infatuation. Chances were he wouldn't know what either meant.
When would she ever close those lips? Every word she said was being heard, but not quite understood. How expected from him. He arched an eyebrow at her. "...Well, I suppose I am glad that you are no longer...lonely. I cannot honestly say I know how that feels." Of course he couldn't. When he was younger, he had Dark Nation. That was all he needed. Dark Nation and his mother. Other people weren't worth knowing. Strangely, though, he felt that Tifa was an exception to that rule. Somehow another question had formed within his mind. He wondered how far he could go without irritating her too much. She was being awfully patient, and he wasn't sure if he understood that either. "Another word of that strange language you use?"
Could she be any more right? Sometimes Tifa could hit things right on the top without a single doubt in her mind. She wished she could do that more often. "Umm...you mean to tell me you don't know what a crush is either? That must have been a fairly big rock that you've been hiding under." She shook her head at him slowly, almost out of disbelief. Then she laced her hands together and the softest smile crossed over her lips. "A crush...is like when someone likes someone else. It leads to all sorts of things, sorrow, happiness, rejection, love, passion, infatuation...stuff like that. A lot of romance nonsense. I'm not sure how interesting that would be to you." She tried to picture Rufus in some way other than his current serious stature, and she just couldn't pull it off. It was humourous to try, though.
Even if he hadn't been fully listening, he probably would have reacted the same way. There was a light red hue that began to fill his cheeks and even he could feel the heat rise to his face. He hated that and he hated even knowing it. He turned from her and remained quiet for a few moments and then coughed. "I see. That is...nice." How else could he describe something like that? It wasn't like he really understood what she was saying. Sure, half of it he got. The other half, not so much. "Well, I think we have been away enough. Do you agree?" He'd quickly pushed aside the uncomfortable subject, in hopes that he could convince her to allow them to return to the building.
She could have continued the conversation, but chose not to. She'd have time to torture him later, she was sure. There was a vague nod given and she nodded to him. "You can call me Tifa, you know." The brunette was going to insist on that as often as possible. Whether he ever would or not was going to be a mystery to her. "All right. Let's go back. You have all of this work to do, and so do I." She hadn't even waited for him when she had turned her posture back to the direction of the building.
As he began to follow after her, he paused for just a moment as he watched her. When she realised he wasn't following her, she beckoned him to come with a rather large smile and his gaze changed slightly, not enough for her to notice, of course. Tifa. Tifa Lockhart. Such an interesting specie of female. What is it about you? I do not quite understand it just yet. He nodded to her and his pace quickened to catch up with hers and then out of nowhere at all, he held out an arm to her to formally escort her back to the headquarters building. He could still be a gentleman, even if he thought she was more than a little strange sometimes.
