The Time We Spent Together

ViviMouse- You are? Oh, that makes me so happy. I work so hard on this story, I'm just glad for sure one person will stick with it. Thank you for reviewing and sorry for the slow update.

All I could do for the longest time was watch as everything slowly started to regain order no thanks to anyone really but the Turks. Verdot got Legendary to get my father out of the room. I insisted on staying and when I about peed myself with fear because of Verdot and my own epic stare down, he caved and let me stay as long as Two Gun could stay by my side.

Dark Nation whimpers as she moves closer-something black in her teeth. I narrow my eyes and pull out a large flat black pannel seperated into a bunch of tiny squares that-if held up to the light- changed into multiple colors. I make a face as I study it curiously.

There is a soft whine at my feet. Looking down, I notice Dark Nation looking up at me with unbelievably dark black eyes. She whimpers lightly again and nips at the bottom of my pants and tugs lightly before looking back up at me. I reach out and pet her silky head. She uses this oppertunity to nudge the flat black panel.

I glance over to see Two Gun looking over to Reno who was saying something about deformities in the assailants blood. I look back down at the pannel and turn toward Two Gun. "Two Gun, Dark Nation found this-" something nudges me forward with more force then I expected. I spin around and glare down at my friend. "No, Dark Nation."

She whimpers. I ignore her and turn back to the Turk who is now watching us curiously with a hint of amusement. "Having trouble controlling Dark Nation, sir?"

I glare at him now. "Shut up, Two Gun- Dark Nation! Stop it." I snap to my hound. She back peddles slightly and whimpers again as if it was a quiet apology. I stare at her a few moments longer before looking back at Two Gun. "Anyway, Dark Nation found thi- Dark Nation!" I spin around clenching my fists, but when I'm completely around I'm not looking into the corner of my father's office.

I'm in a doorway, looking into what looks to be lab of some sorts. A man and woman are there. They look to be arguing about something.

"I said no, Sheers! I mean it." the woman snaps, hands balled up in fists. The man looks away for a moment before returning her gaze calmly.

"I'm sorry, Elfe. I promise I won't ask about it again." he says smoothly, then notices something about her that I can't place and grabs her elbow catiously. "Are you alright?"

The woman sighs but doesn't pull away from the man. "Yes, I'm okay. I just need to rest." She turns toward me and before I can find a hiding place she stops, jaw dropping. "You," she breath. "No way. Why are you here?"

Before I could answer something rounds the corner and it's large dark body blocks my view but for some reason I can't move from this position. Why is that? Is this what it's like to be frozen with fear? I mean, I feel oddly calm.

"Rufus!"

I jump and drop the panel from my hand and stumble backwards into someones arms. Even though, moments earlier I felt oddly calm, when I reemerge in my father's office on top of the tower, my heart is pounding so fast that I fear it will leap out of my chest and out the broken window then fall some odd number of floors.

The person holding me tries to steady me gently, a low labored breath in my ear as I try to calm down. "Are you okay?" he breaths, it's Tseng. Suddenly, as if it was merely where I was or who I am surrounded by- I may never know- but I instantly felt safe and I knew nothing would get to me without a fight.

Ruggedly trying to clear my throat, I force myself to stand straight and face my bodyguard and best friend. "What the hell just happened?" I ask, eyes wide, unable to hide my surprise and... fear... maybe from my friend and everyone other Turk in this room. I purposely ignored his question because I'm not alright. Two of the Turk and Sephiroth were attacked just moments ago and none of them were able to even able to stop the intruder. Plus, I have been stressing about graduating early and having to worry about the recent attempts to spy on me in my own room. So saying that I'm a little shaken is a very big understatement.

Which brings up something else, how the hell did someone get all the way up here without us being able to find them until the last moment. Wait, Gun came in when the power went out and Cissnei was instantly looking for someone- did they know? Or are they really that good? Somehow I think that maybe they didn't know and that their training has really done it's job-but not enough, because they, Gun and Cissnei, are both hurt real bad.

Tseng's eyes study me, they tell me that he knows that I'm avoiding the question and that I want nothing more then to step out of this life and become a random bystander that will be there one moment then gone the next. What is that called? Oh, it's called cowardice. I'm a cowered. My father would be so mad if he knew that I thought that, but Tseng isn't going to judge me. He never does.

"You dissapeared, suddenly." Two Gun says slowly. I look down at the small flat pannel. It did something. I put it into Tseng's hand.

"It took me somewhere. Like some kind of lab. There was a man and woman arguing when I got there. The woman was called Elfe and the man was called Sheers." I tell him. His eyes leave the panel and go to my face when he hears the names, then they return with a frown on his lips, concentration lines appear between those floating black orbs.

"Anything else?" he asks.

I shrug, trying to remember if anything else stood out in my mind. "Well, it seemed like the girl was hurt or something because the man was instently worried about her but I didn't see anything wrong with her. Then again I was like 10 feet away. I only got side profiles of them- until they noticed me."

"Did they say anything when they saw you?" Two Gun asks.

I rub my shoulders uncomfortably. "Only that the woman couldn't believe that I was. I mean, I couldn't either plus if I was in the same predicament I would probably be saying the same thing. But she seemed generally surprised which isn't unexplained." I swallow thickly. Then I remember the large body that blocked my view, how I wasn't even the slightest bit scared. I tell them about it and Tseng slides the panel into his pocket and looks over at Verdot.

"T-Tseng..." Cissnei whimpers, now awake, she was half way out of the door. The medics look over to the Turk co-commander to see what he would want. Tseng looks to the youngest Turk and walks over to her. She swallows strained and opens her eyes to look at him. Her usually light brown eyes were blood shot. "It-It was a Raven..." then she falls silent.

Tseng leans down and whispers something in her ear before pulling away and returning to us. I watch as my other childhood friend is carried away. Gun was quick to get out, she's probably already down at the infirmary. I close my eyes, trying to cleanse the thought of blood from my mind.

"You said they were arguing about something when you got there, know what about?" Verdot asks.

I shake my head, eyes still cold.

"You know who this is, Director Verdot," Sephiroth's deep baritone voice rattles me from my happy place. I forgot he was here. It wasn't a question but still it seemed like it should of been. I open my eyes to look at the SOLDIER Hero. He is staring out the gaping hole in the side of my father's office. He turns to face us, the deep gash across his chest is gone and healed over smoothly. I silently hope for the same luck for both Gun and Cissnei.

"I do." Verdot says calmly.

Sephiroth's unique blue eyes sparkle. "Then we shall talk again soon in privet."

Verdot nods. "We shall."

With that the Hero heads to the door with a soft, "Pardon me, Mr. Vice President." and then he's gone. What a man of many words.

I shake my head again and look down to my four legged friend. "Let's get out of here." She barks happily, glad that she was able to show me what she wanted to. Which brings up another question, how did she know that that was what would happen?

"Rufus," Tseng calls, turning away from me to mumble something to Verdot who nods in agreement before following after me. I turn away from him and avoid eye contact. From the stiffness in my friend's walk and the way that he stands right at my side I can tell he's upset and not liking the fact that I'm ignoring him. "I'm sorry." my friend says softly as we walk into my office.

I spin around and slam the door shut behind, anger and fear filling my veins. Although, I'm more mad then scared. "For what, Tseng? Huh? For not doing your job?" I snap.

The Wutianian man doesn't respond and from the subtle twicth in his hands I can tell that I hurt his feelings. Instantly, I feel bad. Who am I to be critisizing my friend on his job? He's been spending his entire life to please my father and keep the company going. Now, here I am chewing his head off for something that he couldn't of stopped. I'm doing exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't.

"I'm sorry, Rufus." Tseng says softly, eyes down cast.

I release the last of my anger in a deep breath. "No, Tseng, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be mad at you. I mean, I should be happy that Gun and Cissnei were trained to actually come in and save my father and my lives. I mean, that's unique! Who would actually throw their lives away for a greedy bastard and his motherless son? Who does that?" I say hysterically, Tseng's eyes looking at me widely. "Crazy people, that's for sure. I'm possitive that a lot of lives would be better if that bastard and I were gone but I mean, some people like us. I mean a lot less then one would think but there are some people. I can't really see why though. I mean-"

I blink stupidly as Tseng's arms close around me. They press me tightly against my bodyguard. Tseng, 100% Wutinian man that thinks weakness and childishness walk hand and hand, hardcore Turk, Turk second-in-command, and my best friend who would rather keep his distance then ruin something precious to him, is hugging me. Me.

"Rufus..." Tseng breaths into my hair. "Oh Rufus, please don't cry."

I freeze noticing the wetness on my face. I open my mouth to tell him that I must have something in my eye but my throat closes up and the words get trapped.

For the longest time I am unable to move or even blink the tears away. I just stare at a spot above my window over Tseng's shoulder. I never notived that he's an entire head taller then me. One arm unwraps from around me and takes my left hand, holding it up to inspect. It's sliced up from the pointer across to the outside knuckle of my wrist.

The slight pain regesters in my mind but I don't make a noise as he inspects the damage. After a moment, he leads me to the couch on the side of my office. I sit down as he kneels in front of me. He pulls the skin back to look into the wound. Pain shoots up my arm and I jerk my hand from his grip, holding it to my chest blocking the blood flow with my other hand. We stare at one another.

He snatches my hand back and continues his actions. I pull away again but this time his fingers refuse to let mine go. I watch as he picks out a bit of glass. Once he thoroughly checks to make sure all the glace is out, he grabs the wrapping from his mini medical kit that was in his pocket. He wraps my hand up, gently.

We just sit here with my hand in both of his. His are surprisingly warm compared to my cold ones.

"Tseng," I say to my best friend in the entire world. Could you possibly forgive my rudeness? "About what I said a moment ago..." my voice is thick with emotion and no matter how many times I try to clear it away it comes back with much more thickness. "I didn't mean what I said. I mean it, Tseng, I'm..." Just horribly afraid and I don't know how to tell you. "Not really myself, you know? This has a been a weird past few days."

My Turk nods slowly, looking at my hand that he's coddling in both of his. His finger pads are slightly rough but at the same time really gentle. With my free hand I wipe the rest the tears away.

After a slow, shaky breath, I continue, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean it. I trust you with my life because, I know you will protect me from anything." that gets his attention, wide black eyes look up at me like he couldn't believe I was telling him this. Am I that closed off that not even my best friend can tell that I appreciate him? "From the biggest of monsters to the smallest of paper cuts. From anyone that could be a danger to me- even my own father. Tseng, I don't think I've ever told you, but I am grateful for everything that you do and... well everything that is you."

Tseng's surprised eyes soften, a small tender smile crosses his lips. "Rufus... thank you."

I nod, looking into those familiar eyes. "You're welcome, Tseng."

Without even thinking or even knowing what was even happening my lips were pressed against my best friends. We pull away right away and stare at one another. I could feel the color add to my pale cheeks. Who kissed who first? I can't tell from his look. Did he or did I? Oh my god, here I was trying to show him that I appreciate him. Message received!

Suddenly, my face is cupped in my gentle Turks hands and his lips are on mine. Again.

A/N: Sorry for the slow update! I hoped you guys enjoyed! Have a great day. Rate, review, and leave a comment. :)