Liv rushed back to the Shinra HQ and to the President's office. The dread that had been gnawing at her since the phone call with Reno finally settled in her gut and when she finally set foot on the seventieth floor, the trail of blood that led to the man's office did nothing but alleviate the dread that threatened to consume her.

What greeted her was a surprise, President Shinra slumped on the floor, his signature golden gun the mere centimeters from his fingertips and the familiar sword protruding from the man's back.

"T-Tseng…" Liv began as she saw the man on the phone while investigating the body. Liv stood in shock at the corpse and the murder weapon.

Sephiroth's Masamune.

"Most unexpected…" Tseng commented as he placed his cell phone in the breast pocket of his blazer.

"Very," Liv replied. "I don't even know where to begin,"

"Don't at least not yet," Tseng replied as he went over to her and pointed to her tie. "Your tie,"

"Oh, thank you. I got dressed as quickly as possible…" Liv began as she straightened her tie as best as she could before she looked up at the man gazing down at her. With a supportive nod, he turned toward the broken window.

"He will be here any moment now," Tseng began.

"H-Huh? So soon?!" Liv exclaimed.

"I've already contacted Heidegger, Palmer, Scarlet, and Reeve," Tseng continued. "They should be here soon. Please remove the weapon from the body and contact the extraction team to move the body to the morgue,"

"Yes Sir," Liv nodded.

Being a TURK meant you handled the dirty jobs of Shinra, a dead body was nothing new to her she had learned to get used to it but it was the murder weapon that caused her to hesitate.

Sephiroth had not been seen for nearly five years, he had disappeared with Chu and Zack all those years ago and yet his sword was here protruding from the back of President Shinra.

Liv slowly gripped the handle of the great legendary SOLDIER's weapon. As fingers wrapped around the handle of the sword her body froze, her mind suddenly inundated with images that all seemed to blur together. A jolt of energy shot through her as suddenly a cold presence wrapped itself around her, cradling her as she held onto the sword.

"What-?" Liv began as she looked around and saw that Tseng was on another phone call and was making his way outside to the helipad. "Tseng…"

A sudden chatter of whispers and echoes swam around her and suddenly came to a stop, behind her she could feel a looming presence of cold-blooded malice, and despair.

The time for reunion…is coming

Liv stood frozen over President Shinra's body as a voice whispered to her, the whisper sounded as if it was in her ear, next to her as if whispering a secret to her. She carefully pulled the sword from the man's back and immediately placed it to the floor, she quickly stepped away from it and used the corpse as if to shield her from whatever energy came from the weapon.

"That…voice…the malice…" Liv trailed off before she shook her head and pulled out her own cell phone. With a few clicks, she was connected to the extraction team.

"This is Donovan with the TURKS. We have a situation in the president's office. Please prepare to remove a body from the office," Liv began as she glanced at the sword.

"This is nonsense the President—"

Liv turned around to see the large overbearing man, Heidegger, and two low-class SOLDIERS approaching her.

"Please pull the security cams from the office as well,"

"Who-!" Heidegger started.

Liv ended the phone call and placed her phone back into her breast pocket before she spoke to the man.

"Sir. From initial investigation the culprit would seem to be Sephiroth," Liv began to explain. When suddenly sounds of helicopter blades cutting through the air behind them.

"He's already here?!" Heidegger stated as he turned his attention to the broken window behind the man's desk. He motioned to his men to follow him outside to greet the VP.

"I-I told you I saw him here!" Palmer's squeaky voice came from behind her as well as the familiar clack of Scarlet's heels.

"You've repeated yourself too many times for me to care. Shut up," Scarlet scoffed.

Palmer, Scarlet, and Reeve emerged from the stairs and approached Liv and the corpse of President Shinra.

"Liv…what happened here?" Reeve was the first to ask, as the other two Directors looked silently at the body at their former boss.

"I do not have all the details yet, but it seems as if the President was in the process of defending himself only to be stabbed in the back," Liv began to explain. "As you can see, the murder weapon, the Masamune that belonged to Sephiroth…" Liv trailed off

"That's not possible. The man hasn't been seen for nearly five years," Scarlet commented. Liv picked up the weapon, testing its weight.

It was real.

"There is weight to the sword, the design is sleek, the weapon has been crafted by someone with years of experience, the blade, and the hilt is immaculate, the blade itself has been taken care of with great precision…it's real," Liv examined the sword in front of the Directors.

As she examined the weapon and explained to the Directors of the situation, she felt the same biting coldness and malice she felt the first time she picked up the sword. Immediately she placed the sword back on the ground and took a step back from the weapon. Reeve arched an eyebrow at the woman's sudden movements but said nothing about it.

"Is Professor Hojo aware of this?" Scarlet questioned

"I am not sure," Liv replied as she thought of the man's elation to Sephiroth walking the halls of the Shinra Building. The man would be ecstatic at the mention of Sephiroth

"This is extremely unexpected…I assume you haven't been able to look at the security cameras yet," Reeve began when a group of Doctors with a stretcher rushed past the Directors and Liv.

"Please take the President's body to the morgue," Liv began.

"I wonder what this means for Shinra…" Palmer murmured.

"It means this is a new beginning for Shinra,"

"Mr. VP!" Palmer squeaked.

Liv immediately turned and bowed slightly to the young Shinra heir, with a quick glance of the man he was tall, lean, the same crystal blue eyes and blond hair as his father along with the same arrogant smirk. It had been years since Liv had seen the man at the time she was much younger as was he, though she had no interactions with the man he was the savior of the TURKS.

"Mr. VP," Heidegger began, Rufus clearly ignored the man.

"Mr. President," Tseng began with a slight bow.

"That's right…" Rufus replied as he turned to Tseng. "This is all unexpected but welcomed,"

The man's deep timbre echoed in the room as his crystal blue eyes fell on everyone in the room and stopped on her. Liv's seafoam green eyes looked back at the man, unwavering as he continued to stare, he smirked. Rufus touched the back of the large chair his father once sat in and confidently pulled the chair out and sat down in it.

"All of you. I appreciate you arriving, but you are all dismissed. We will have a debrief of what's to come tomorrow evening," Rufus nodded to them. Without a second glance, Scarlet was the first to exit followed by Palmer. Reeve glanced at Liv and gave her a look and soon followed the two retreating Directors.

"That includes you too, Heidegger. Whatever you must discuss can wait," Rufus began.

"O-Of course Mr. President," Heidegger replied reluctantly before he bowed slightly and followed the others. Just as Heidegger walked past her, Liv bowed and turned to follow suit when Tseng called out to her.

"Sir?" Liv began as she saw the man approaching her. Behind the man, she caught a glimpse of the blonde-haired man staring at her curiously.

"Report,"

"The extraction team has taken the late President's body to the morgue," Liv began. "The cause of death seems to be bled out from a wound caused by what looks to be Sephiroth's Masamune, projection of entry looks to be from the back,"

"A fitting way for a backstabber to die. Being stabbed in the back," Rufus commented uninterested.

"I am awaiting further orders on plans to announce this information to the employees and public," Liv replied.

"How would you like to handle his funeral sir?" Tseng questioned as he turned to the young Shinra heir. With a sigh, Rufus stood and walked around the desk and stopped at the spot where his father's body once laid.

"Though I despised him…he can at least be buried next to my mother," Rufus replied. "It's the least I can do for the old man,"

"And the announcement?" Tseng questioned.

"It can wait. I believe I have other pressing tasks at hand," Rufus began and focused on Liv.

There was something about the man's gaze that made her suspicious of his intentions, but she already knew that the apple didn't fall from the tree.

"Avalanche has damaged Reactors in Sector One and Five. My father was foolish enough to drop the plate on thousands of civilians…" Rufus trailed off. Liv's eyes lit up at the man's thoughts on the lives lost in the dropping of Sector Seven plate.

"Director Tuesti had already created a plan to rebuild—" Liv began

"And let me guess my father rejected it," Rufus commented.

"Yes," Tseng replied as he gave Liv a knowing look despite his normal stoic expression. She gave a quick apologetic look as she placed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"For Neo-Midgar…and the Promised Land…" Rufus trailed off.

"Sir, might I suggest you turn in for the night. Currently the office is not secure," Tseng began as he looked at the broken window behind the man 's desk.

"I am alright, but you are right, "Rufus sighed as he turned to both Tseng and Liv. "You two, on the other hand, have been through a lot…especially you," Rufus focused on Liv once again.

Both Liv and Tseng nodded.

"You were in the heart of the battle against Avalanche on the pillar, correct?" Rufus asked as he looked at her from head to toe.

"Yes sir," Liv replied as she gave the man a stoic stare.

"You can go, Tseng I would like to discuss something with you," Rufus turned away from Liv and headed towards the broken window.

"Yes Sir, Liv can you please call the emergency repair crew for the window," Tseng began before he turned his attention to the new President.

"Yes of course," Liv replied as she took out her cellphone and headed towards the exit but stopped. "Sir…what about the weapon?"

"Take it with you, give it to Hojo. I'm sure he would be pleased," Tseng replied.

"Y-Yes sir," Liv replied hesitantly and picked up the sword only to have it shatter and turn to dust in her hands. Tseng and Rufus looked silently at the weapon, turning to black dust and being blown away by the gust of wind from the broken window.

Liv made her way to the lounge on the sixty-second floor and saw Reeve waiting for her, he gave her a small smile as did she to him.

"Are you ok?" Reeve asked worriedly.

"Yeah…still sore but I'm ok," Liv replied.

"Good…" Reeve trailed off and motioned for the woman to take a seat. She thanked him before she sat down and sighed.

"You've been through a lot lately…any room for a break?" Reeve asked casually.

"Not that I'm aware of…especially with what just happened," Liv replied.

"You should ask Tseng to at least give you a day for some R&R," Reeve suggested.

"I feel like you're suggesting something to me, Director Tuesti," Liv gave a small coy smile.

"I'll leave that to your interpretation…Liv," Reeve replied with a small smirk of his own.

Reeve Tuesti, the Director of Urban Development for the Shinra Company. When Liv first met the man, she could tell that he was a sincere man and cared for the people of Midgar and for the planet. When she was first introduced to the man, he jokingly suggested that she join the Urban Development Department instead of the Research and Development Division.

Since then they grew closer and closer to one another.

"I suppose you're going to ask what happened," Liv began. Reeve nodded and sighed heavily as he clasped his hands together on the table.

"I wasn't at HQ when it happened…but I rushed over and Tseng was already in the President's office," Liv began.

"Do you really think Sephiroth did it?" Reeve questioned. "He hasn't been seen in five years…"

"I know…but the sword was real…" Liv sighed as she buried a hand in her hair and leaned back in her chair.

Reeve sighed as he studied the woman across from him, he knew that she was honest; he had even scouted the woman to join his department if she ever decided that she no longer wanted to be with the TURKS even if he did have feelings for her.

He knew that she would be an important asset to his team, they shared the same ideology.

"I believe you…but what with the death of the President Shinra…" Reeve whispered. "Who knows which direction Shinra is headed…"

"I want to believe that President Rufus has a good head on his shoulders and will not be like his father," Liv replied as she straightened her posture.

"Rufus has been busy even while on lockdown in Junon," Reeve chuckled. "He's a bit more devious than his boyish features would lead you to believe,"

"I was trying to be optimistic, Director," Liv smiled.

"I wanted to be frank, my apologies," Reeve chuckled.

"Oh-" Liv reached into her breast pocket and pulled out her cellphone.

"I guess you don't have time to grab a drink…" Reeve trailed off as he watched her.

"If only...I have to head back up," Liv sighed. "But I can offer a raincheck…"

"I'll hold you to that," Reeve smiled.

"Deal,"

Liv traversed to the seventieth floor once again but this time under different circumstances, she had been called by Rufus. At first, she was curious to know how he had gotten her number since he had no prior communications with her but decided not to question it. He was her boss; he had access to any and everything if he wanted.

Live stopped in front of the door and adjusted her tie and swept her hair over her shoulder and placed a stray bang behind her ear just as she was about to knock on the door.

Enter

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Liv began as she entered the private office. She found the man sitting on the edge of the large desk placed in the corner of the spacious room. Near the door his beloved pet, Dark Nation stared at her, it was a ferocious beast in battle but outside of battle, it was skin to a domestic dog despite the red beady eyes focused solely on her.

"Relax, Dark," Rufus said as he continued to look at the documents in his hand. "Can you have a crew up here to redecorate this place as well, It reminds me of him,"

"Yes sir," Liv replied as she took out her cell phone to make a mental note. She glanced at the man as he adjusted his glasses and flipped through papers.

"Was there anything-" Liv began when he began to approach her and held out a piece of paper for her to take.

"This is you right?" Rufus began as he walked past her and dropped documents into a bin. Liv quickly scanned the document he had given her; it was the matchmaker application her mother convinced her to complete and submit nearly a year ago.

"Yes. This is me," Liv replied as she looked at the man as he passed by her again and back to the glass L shaped desk.

"Liv Sumire Donovan, daughter to the famous Cecelia and Sebastien Donovan. Millionaire Planetologist and Historian," Rufus began.

Liv remained silent as he spoke, there weren't many people in Shinra that knew of her true origins, nor knew about her matchmaker application.

"Yes. That's me and those are my parents," Liv replied confidently.

"What's a woman like you doing in the TURKS? How is that working for you?" Rufus questioned as he took off his dark-rimmed glasses.

"My job? I'm not entirely sure how you would like me to answer your questions sir," Liv replied.

"Truthfully," Rufus replied as he sat down at the desk and leaned back in his chair, his attention focused on her.

"I was scouted by Veld with the expectation to become a researcher for the Research and Development Division or the Urban Planning Division. I decided to continue to remain in with the TURKS instead," Liv explained.

"You're working for the very thing that goes against all that you know and studied," Rufus started as he quirked an eyebrow.

"Veld wanted to make a change in Shinra, I wanted to make a change as well. I still feel I may be able to do that," Liv replied, Rufus laughed.

"Determined and admirable. I like that, it's cute," Rufus replied with a crooked smirk.

"I-I don't believe it's…" Liv trailed off.

"Roy Salvas, does that sound familiar to you?" Rufus began. As the name came from his lips, he could see the woman stiffen at the mention of the name. It confirmed his initial thought when he had first laid eyes on her, she looked different, but her eyes were the telling sign, he had seen her somewhere before tonight.

"The look on your face already tells me that you know this name," Rufus replied amused at the woman's reaction to all of this.

She was unaware of everything as he quickly connected pieces of information he knew together. And it all had to do with the woman known as Camille.

"You...you're joking," Liv murmured.

"Though my mother passed, I made her a promise, and this is me fulfilling that promise to her," Rufus sighed as he slicked back his hair and intertwined his hands together.

"W-Wait, you're serious," Liv stammered as the shock of the realization set in.

"If I wasn't serious, I wouldn't have wasted my time in asking about you let alone bother contacting you," Rufus replied. "I will say Camille did a good job in hiding what you actually do especially fluffing your application to make you seem like the perfect bride,"

Liv stood taken aback by the man's frankness in this entire situation and the revelation that the man she was supposed to meet for her matchmaking meeting was none other than Rufus Shinra himself.