xD

Special thanks to amberblood, who is awesome. BUT, all you other reviewers are too. ILY all. xD

Anyway, On to the next chapter. Tseng again. Personally, A favourite chapter of mine, but God I hate myself for being so nasty to my poor little Rufus baby. ;;

I also had issues with shortening the big chunk of dialogue, but ya kinda need it. lol. Sorry!

Warnings: Please refer to chapter One.

Chapter Four

As a Turk, there had been many incidents in my life where I questioned my work and the very principles we were forced to follow. There were many times when I questioned whether we were really forced at all, or we simply chose to say we were to make the guilt easier to deal with. Then, there were the days where I knew some things in this world were wrong but balanced with the right, and I made my decisions with no force at all. I am Tseng, Commander of the Turks, and a willing guardian to the most powerful man on the planet... There was nothing more.

--

I'd been a fool to let him go... He'd walked from the room with his head held high and his shoulders square, but something within me knew that he would not return the same. It had been several hours now, and I'd remained in our office, presuming it was where he would return to. The daylight had faded away some time ago, and the city had begun to achieve its ethereal glow of the night. He'd left such a long time ago, and with no word from him as the hours stretched on, my conscious began to fight back the bile building within my mouth. No... It was un-necessary worrying, and a Turk was trained to hold no fear. It was an un-necessary trail of thoughts, and a Turk was trained to remain clear headed and focused. Regardless of all I had been trained to do, the nausea I was feeling could only have stemmed from unfocused thoughts and fear. I was ashamed to admit to it. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, and I whipped it out as fast as was humanly possible.

"Rufus?"

"Um... Commander Tseng?"

"Oh, Elena... I apologise. I thought you were the VP..."

"No need to apologise, sir. Is the Vice President ok?"

"Yes... What's wrong Elena?"

"I don't mean to alarm you sir, but the sensor we had installed in your room was activated about two minutes ago. Would you like us to check it out?"

My mind raced, reaching the one conclusion, and I shook my head, unable to remember that the gesture went unseen by the blonde on the other end of the line.

"No thank you... Elena... I know who it is."

"Have a good night then, sir."

"You too Elena, take care."

I moved as fast as I was able to to my quarters, with my body stuggling to meet the haste of my thoughts.

I opened the door slowly and found him there, propped up against the wall beside my door, and knelt to find him bleeding profusely as trails of twin silver fell from his eyes.

"Rufus..." I whispered, as he turned those eyes to meet my own gaze. They were void of all emotion, before he turned his head away.

"You shouldn't... look at me..."

"Shut up..." I murmured, pulling the mastered cure materia from my pocket. His eyes widened slightly, and he shook his head.

"No... He'll know it was you... and you'll be... He'll..." He choked, coughing slightly and staining his suit further with a spray of blood. I shook my head, telling him once again to shut up... that I didn't give a shit what he did to me... that I wasn't going to leave him to die... and he laughed. It was a cold and empty sound, and he turned a half hearted smile to me, his body shivering slightly.

"You should have let me... pull that trigger..."

He almost sneered then, but I cast the spell anyway, the green glow encasing his body in a blanketed cover, before being absorbed into his blood stream. He let out a sharp gasp of pain, before falling silent, his breathing levelling out. His eyes were sunken, and he had been on the brink of death before I'd cast the spell, but I saw the magic beginning to work its wonders. His cheeks filled and returned a somewhat healthier glow to them, as his eyes remained sunken, but lessened in their severity. I stood then, satisfied that he would not slip away within the immediate future, and ventured to my bathroom. My head was swimming with a combination of horrified guilt and consuming rage, and my hands were shaking so violently that I found it difficult to collect the materials I needed.

I was a Turk. I was a sharp shooter, a stealthy opponent, and a powerful enemy to countless amounts of people. My persona was based entirely on a cool composure and a steady hand, and at this moment, I held neither. Why? Why did I let him go?

I returned to find him in the same position as when I had left, although he was now attempting to remove his bloodied jacket. For many of the wounds he had received, a quick spell flood would do him no good in the long run. No... he needed a few good days of care and rest. If I were to heal him to his full potential immediately, his stamina would be severely affected for a long time to come.

"Rufus... what happened...?" I asked, and he laughed again. This laugh once again held no mirth or suggestion of anything that Rufus held. It seemed that he had finally broken, and the pieces left before me were all that remained...

"He tried to kill me... He tried to kill me Tseng..." He continued laughing, "And the bastard... Hypocritical fuck that he is... Couldn't even finish the job! Can you believe that?"

"What happened?"

"Don't worry..."

"Rufus..."

"I said don't."

The last word was so full of force and authority that I merely nodded, accepting it as an order as I knelt by him once again with the bandages and Turk first aid kit that I'd salvaged, and began using the towel I had dampened to wipe away the blood on his face and neck. The swelling was severe, and although the cure spell had helped substantially, his skin was bruised from a pale white to a deep purple. He shook his head slightly, seemingly in disbelief, as he continued to fidget with his coat. I slipped a hand around his waist and lifted him from the wall, not looking up as I felt his breath on my cheeks.

I pulled the sleeves of his coat from his arms and began unbuttoning the long sleeved shirt that he wore underneath. His body was shaking again, and I took a chance in looking up. Pristine blue eyes were turned from mine as his tears fell silently, his shame apparent.

"Rufus..." I said softly, and he shook his head.

"I'm pathetic, Tseng. I am twenty years old and still under the iron rule of my father..."

"So is half of the world, Rufus. We're all waiting on you to make that change..." I stated, and he fell silent once again. He'd worn several layers today, and as my eyes settled on the deep cuts along his arms and chest, lying beneath perfectly in tact clothing, the realisation hit me that his father must have done this to him whilst he was topless...

"Rufus... what did he do to you?" I asked, firmly grabbing the blonde's chin to turn his face to meet mine, as his gaze turned away.

"Tseng..."

"Tell me what he did to you..." I said forcefully, his gaze finally meeting mine.

"No, Tseng..."

"Rufus..."

"No."

"...I'll watch the footage."

"There's no security camera in there specifically for that reason..."

I held back the bitterness that I was feeling rising within me. Shinra had specifically requested that no security camera be installed in his office, but I had held no idea why. He had made a fine mistake by treating 'his' Turks the way that he did. He only made us suspicious and resentful. It was about to come full circle. As soon as I had begun to have suspicions of his actions with Rufus, I had one installed without his knowledge... I began to bandage the broken blonde's wounds, barely able to comprehend my own actions. As I'd finished, I lifted him to stand, his arm around my shoulder and walked him to my bedroom. He was still shaking slightly, and his eyes were not rung only by bruises. He was likely to have difficulty sleeping tonight, not only from the physical pain, but the emotional burden.

"Rufus, I have footage from your father's room..." I said softly, and he looked up with wide eyes.

"There were no cameras..."

"We had them installed recently..."

After I got my suspicions about your father... I wanted to say it, but no...

"...You're going to watch it then..."

"Yes."

He nodded slowly, laying back on the sheets, still trembling slightly, as his eyes appeared hollow and vacant.

I turned on the television in my room that was connected to the company's security system and selected Shinra's office. He was sitting at his desk and casually reading the newspaper, as if nothing had happened in his office at all. I stopped the live footage and rewound the tape, selecting the moment that Rufus entered the room.

"You're late..." Shinra's voice echoed through the speakers, and Rufus sat bolt upright from his position on the bed.

"Rufus?" I queried, and the blonde looked at me with confusion.

"Sound?"

"Yes..."

"Tseng... please..."

"I'm going to watch it Rufus..."

He resigned, laying back down, his expression further pained. I continued watching, as Rufus nodded, approaching his father's desk.

"I apologise, I was held up..."

"Enough of the niceties. What kind of bullshit were you pulling with Scarlet?"

"I... lost control. I apologise..."

"Lost control? You nearly pulled the fucking trigger on one of my best workers!"

"It was... it was an honest mistake..."

That calm and powerful facade that Rufus always wore crumbled, showing the little boy before his father that he was now as he lay beside me.

"Rufus... You can not make these kinds of mistakes... You continually disappoint me..."

Shinra stood then, moving his way around the desk, as Rufus stood as still as he could. The President was still for a moment, before striking his son with the back of his hand.

"Don't stand there and smirk at me, boy..." He spat.

"... with all due respect, sir... I didn't realise I was smi-"

"Don't bullshit to me. You've had this coming for a long time..."

I continued to watch the images on the screen as Shinra slapped Rufus once again, hard enough to have the Vice President stumble slightly backwards.

"Hmmm... No, you're not worth it tonight... But... tell me boy... Tell me why you did it..."

"I lost control, father... I told you... I apologise..."

"I heard that it was for that piece of Wutain trash..." Shinra sneered, and my blood boiled slightly. What took me by surprise however, was Rufus' response...

"Don't you dare speak about him like that..." the blonde said lowly, as Shinra himself was visibly shocked by the assertive response.

"It was, wasn't it?" the bastard laughed, "For fuck's sake, it was for the Turk..."

"...Yes."

"Pray do tell, why?"

"Scarlet was acting inappropriately... I responded out of anger..."

"Oh but they were all acting inappropriately, so Reeve states... So... what was it that set the little fucktard's head into overdrive?"

"She was distasteful..."

"Towards Tseng, wasn't it...?"

"Yes. And what she said was compl-"

Rufus tried to continue, but Shinra punched him this time, knocking him to the floor, before the Vice President coughed violently, doubling over on the ground.

"You piece of shit, Rufus... You disgust me..." Shinra hissed, "Get off the ground..."

Rufus tried, but was too winded, receiving a kick to the stomach as a punishment. He fell flat this time, and Shinra snorted.

"Take off your tops, boy..."

I thought that perhaps I had heard him wrong, but when Rufus slowly began taking off his jacket and shirts, I knew that I had been right after all... Shinra pulled a blade from his pocket and held it to the blonde's throat.

"Imagine that... a fag in my own bloodline... That's how it is, isn't it?" Shinra sneered, as Rufus visibly tensed from his position on the floor.

"I asked you a question, boy..." Shinra hissed, removing the knife from his son's throat and instead slashing it across his pale arm. Rufus let out a strangled cry, clutching at the fresh wound.

"Answer me!" Shinra hissed.

"Y-yes!" Rufus choked, as Shinra shook his head.

"You're a disgrace to this family, boy. You've shamed me for what you are. How is the lineage supposed to continue? Hey? Did you ever intend on having children?"

Rufus remained silent, another costly response, Shinra now slicing the boy's other arm. He cried out again, falling to the ground once more and writhing slightly, his blood seeping across the floor.

"Did you?!"

"...yes..." Rufus murmured, barely audible, "I didn't... choose..."

"Fuck that bullshit! You always choose! You're a Shinra for fuck's sake. I don't give a shit if you get these fucked up urges for a bit of guy action... you swamp them out and you get married to some dumbass bitch, and have heirs to the throne. I'm as straight as they come boy, and I still had to make that choice with that whore you call your mother."

"Don't talk... about my mother... like that..." Rufus hissed, coughing blood from his mouth.

Shinra grabbed the blonde's hair, pulling him up, and crashed Rufus' into his knee, a sickening crack resounding. It was becoming like a train accident. The site was a horrendous one, but my eyes could not turn away, my hands raising to my face to rest my head between them. I was vaguely aware of the blonde beside me, shaking slightly in real time, his soft gasps indicating continuing tears.

"I'm going to enjoy this Rufus... I'm going to enjoy watching you take that last breath of yours... I'm going to enjoy watching the life drain from your cheeks... I'm going to enjoy seeing that fucker's face when I tell him you've passed on... Will it kill him as much as it would kill you?"

"...Fuck... you..." Rufus spat, his blood droplets falling on the president's shoe. Shinra looked down in disgust, before stooping to toy the knife along the blonde's chest.

"I think that you're at your weakest right now..." Shinra smirked, before I watched him press the blade deeper, slowly dragging it along Rufus' skin. The blonde cried out, and yet tears were still not visible.

"Or are you? Maybe it's not you I should be hurting? Maybe there's a white knight you're expecting to burst through that door..." Shinra paused, "Maybe it would hurt you to hurt him?"

"...Don't you fucking dare..." Rufus hissed, trying in vain to push himself up.

"Well, depends on how willing you are to keep this... discussion... quiet. I'm willing to let you live if you can... I have little choice in the matter... I need an heir... Maybe you'll learn and change your filthy little ways..."

"I won't... change..."

"So your life doesn't matter, I get it..." Shinra shrugged, apparently bored, "But does his?"

Rufus remained silent, gradually moving into a sitting position, his wounds seeping continually. He was quiet for a long time, before he nodded slightly.

"...Yes..."

"Then be a good little fuck and go to your room... Let everyone see these marks. You can tell them whatever you like, as long as it's not the truth..." Shinra scoffed, kicking the Vice President in his still bleeding chest. Rufus fell back, as Shinra returned to his desk.

"Get out of my site. You're embarrassing..."

That was exactly what Rufus appeared to do, as he dragged himself to his feet and collected his clothes. Shinra called in his secretary then, who gasped at the scene, but said nothing.

"Clean this up..." The president ordered, as she gave a horrifed yet sympathetic gaze to Rufus as he passed her. She nodded fearfully then, and disappeared, returning a few moments later to begin scrubbing the floor. Shinra lit up a cigar and began smoking it then, as if his son had not been brutally beaten by his own hands only moments before. I turned then to fixate my eyes on the now dozing Rufus, tears still streaking his pale cheeks. How he slept, I would never know, and my only guess was that exhaustion had taken hold of him before he could fully rebel the onset of sleep. Why had he done this? Why had he spoken out when I had told him specifically that I had Shinra to thank for my welfare? It was the only reason I had not killed the bastard of a leader yet... But no... Nothing would stop me now... I stood then and took his bloodied clothes to my personal laundry chute. This went directly to Reno's apartment below mine, and he knew that whatever fell down that chute was not ever meant to be seen by the outside world. As a Turk, it was common to return from missions, blood stained with the DNA of an individual that Shinra desired to have no connection to. Reno had been roped in to the task of destroying any evidence the Turks may have that would jeopardise the company's reputation. This was one of them... But no, Reno would understand. This was not for the company, nor was it for the bastard who run it. This was for Rufus, and that meant that we would all go that extra mile, like we always had and always will... I dropped the clothes down the chute and closed the door.

I returned to find his eyes wide open once more, staring vacantly at the wall. He was seemingly not making terribly too much progress, and his shivering had intensified after his moment of rest... Probably as a result of shock...

"Rufus... how are you feeling?" I said softly, and his eyes flicked briefly to mine.

"I'm cold..."

I moved to his side and sat beside him. At first, we remained silent as I raised a knee up to my chest to rest against, lost within thought and pain. My own instinctual needs and desires however, ached for some form of intimacy to tell him... to let him know I was here... I lay down beside him, looping a hand around his waist and pulling him slowly to lie atop my chest as he let out a startled gasp. I readjusted both of our positions slightly so that my form had acted as a cushion for him, and he now lay draped across my body, his breath coming in short shallow gasps. It was then that I realised that what I had presumed to be gasps were short sobs. I pulled his head to my heartbeat, something that I knew comforted even the most broken of men, and his breathing soon slowed as my fingers ran loosely through blond locks.

He was still, his skin close to burning to touch, and he raised his head slowly, his eyes meeting mine. He held them for a long moment, before we both reached a small understanding of sorts, and my heart skipped a beat. He lay his head back against my chest and raised his left hand to encircle my neck, as his right thread its fingers through my own. This... We both knew now... This entire time I had longed for this individual cradled in my embrace, he had felt some sort of emotion for me that I had left uncomprehended... But no, not tonight... We both knew that tonight was not the time for admissions...

"Tseng..."

"...Yes?"

"Don't kill him..." He said softly, a plea within his voice, "Please... Not yet..."

"I won't..." I replied, and his fingers strayed slightly to brush lightly through my hair. He was quiet for some time then, and I thought he had drifted off, until his voice wavered.

"Tseng..."

"...Rufus?"

"How long have you..."

"Longer than even I know..."

"Why?"

"Not tonight, Rufus. You need rest."

He nuzzled my chest slightly and let out a remnant of a soft sob. I moved my arms to drape over him and pulled him as close as I could, and he murmured my name sleepily against my skin.

This... This was perfection... In every fucked up sense of our tormented lives, this moment of vulnerability and raw emotion... Perfection...

It took him only a short time to fall asleep after that, and when the knock resounded at my door, I knew already who it would be. Footsteps resounded along the tiles outside, before my own door received a knock.

"Come in..."

Reno flung the door open, closing it swiflty behind him and turning to face the situation. Hie eys widened in panic, and I shook my head.

"He's just asleep..." I reassured, and he let out a soft sigh of relief.

"I'm going to kill him, Tseng... I'm going to kill him..." Reno almost hissed through his teeth, his eyes raking along the many bandages on the blonde's body, as he approached and ran a feather soft touch along the blonde's forehead.

"No. We can't."

"Bullshit! This has to have been going on for awhile. I've had my suspicions, and I knew that today... Everyone had been talking about it, and the bastard was so angry that I just... I just..." Reno fumbled for the words, but I shook my head, careful as to not wake Rufus.

"He does not wish for him to be killed..." I whispered, and Reno watched me with a growing understanding. He stepped backwards, falling back to lean against the door, shaking his head slowly.

"All this time I thought he had no one but me, you know? It's kind of..." Reno shrugged slightly, "Relieving..."

"How so?"

"If he's got something in here..." The redhead explained, raising his own hand to his chest and tapping it, "We've all still got a chance, you know?"

He looked at the blonde cradled in my arms for some time, his face a miriad of facial expressions.

"He's like family to me..." He said quietly, raising defiant eyes to meet my own, "So you gotta promise me... promise me..."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me that you're not going to leave him anytime soon. Swear that you're not gonna go into Rambo mode on a mission and wind up getting yourself killed, you're not gonna decide that you haven't got a heart and leave him in the middle of the night, and for fuck's sake, you're not going to change your mind now when he's hit the bottom..."

I shook my head, and mused slightly at the clenching of his fists and jaw.

"I can't guarantee I won't be killed, you know that..." I said softly, "But I can assure you that I have been waiting for too long to give up now."

The redhead gaped slightly, mouth moving wordlessly, before resigning. He smirked slightly, albeit a little forcefully, before leaning back against the door once more.

"Holy shit, you were both blind... Here I was thinking it was just you that didn't see his fawning, but I guess it was him too..." the redhead shrugged, and I felt a little awkward, despite his obvious acceptance towards the situation.

"I was under the impression that perhaps you showed inter-"

"Whoaaa... Stop there..." The redhead snorted, "You gotta be shitting me? No boss man, just can't swing that way. Got no problems with those that do, but I'm a lad for the ladies..."

I wouldn't lie. The admission had been somewhat of a relief. Just as Reno saw Rufus as family, I saw him as mine, and so was reluctant to take any action that may result in ill blood so to speak... We sat in silence for sometime, as the blonde's chest rose and fell with every breath he took, his body moving slightly every now and then to resettle himself against my own. Reno was staring vacantly at a spot on the floor a few metres from his feet, and he was clearly trying his best to contain his rage.

"Reno..."

"Mother fucker! What kind of sick bastard could treat another human being like that, let alone his own blood?" the redhead hissed, and I remained silent. As was the usual in regards to Shinra, I had no answer to offer. I opened my mouth to offer some kind of reassurance, but froze when another knock resounded at my front door. It was much more demanding and persistent than the knock Reno had provided, and I knew...

Reno's eyes flicked to mine, and showed the same amount of initiative that I did. I brushed the hair from Rufus' face then, and collected the tear droplets still staining his cheeks. Gods, he was beautiful. To see him in such a state of ease and rest reassured me further of the movement I was about to take. I leant forward, the temptation too great, and pressed my lips lightly against his. He leant subconsciously in, but I pulled back, my eyes turning to Reno's once more.

"Let him stay here the night. Make sure that you lock the door once I've left, and for God's sake make sure that you stay with him the entire time..." I said quietly, and the redhead gaped.

"You're bullshitting me... You're gonna stand by and let this all happen?" he spat, and I nodded slowly, pulling on my gloves and letting my gaze linger on the blonde for a few moments. At least now... At least he knew.

"What the fuck did you just say huh? What was all that shit before for?" Reno hissed, his anger boiling over as he swung to hit me. He underestimated my skill, or over-estimated his, however, as I caught his fist and easily flipped him. He appeared slightly winded however, as he glared up at me from the ground.

"If they know he's here and they know that we know... They'll kill him... If I go supposedly unaware, they'll merely take me and he will be spared..." I said softly, "So shut up and lock the fucking door..."

The redhead's face seemed to reach a dawn of realisation, and he nodded solemnly.

"Tseng..." He said unusually softly for him as I opened the door, "Come back alive, yo..."

I nodded and headed for the front door, where the pounding continued.

I opened the door to several SOLDIER members, apparently reluctant in addressing me.

"Commander Tseng... We've been ordered to take you to the president..." the largest of the group said forcefully.

"May I request a reason as to why there are five of you required to do that?"

"We were warned that you may not come willingly, and if need be, to take you by force..." the SOLDIER explained. Second class by the looks of it... all of them were... That was a somewhat clever move made on behalf of the president. Sephiroth need not be told about second class activities... Only his first class SOLDIERs were required to report directly to him and follow his orders only. I was almost certain that if Sephiroth had known of this, he would not have approved...

"I don't see why I would have reason to resist?" I said quietly, my capabilities of masking truth working flawlessly, as the SOLDIERs nodded between eachother.

"Have you been in contact with the Vice President, sir?"

"He has yet to return from his father's office. Is it possible to return to my office for a few minutes? Perhaps it would be wise to leave a note..." I said flatly, and the leader of the group shook his head.

"We're to take you directly to the president sir."

"It is my duty as a Turk to protect the best interests of the Shinra family. If the Vice President were to return to our office and find me absent with no idea of my whereabouts, he would surely worry. I insist you allow me this small favour, and I will come willingly..." I stated, "As I am starting to feel as if there is something amiss here, and I am growing increasingly edgy because of the tone you are choosing to use..."

"...If we don't take you to your office?"

"I can make your role in this task considerably more difficult... I did not make Turk Commander lightly, I assure you..." I said, allowing a trace of ice to lick at my words, as the SOLDIER held my gaze defiantly. He broke contact first, however. They always did.

"Five minutes..." He murmured, and I nodded. That was plenty...

--

A/N: -grabs her Rufus plushie- Oh I'm so sorry! -petsandsnugglesandmeows-

Not THE best chapter of this story, but the second last just the same. lol. I don't mind it, really. Just got a little too soppy for my own liking. Muahah.

Poor Tseng as well! I feel like such a bitch! -squishies her plushies- ILY boys! I'll make sure to hook you up next chapter. -pets-