Thank you for the reviews! It really helps me want to keep writing.

Well, I hope I see reviews for this chapter too. x)

Also, I know that I forgot to put the break lines last chapter, I fixed that so you can now tell when the scene changes. Sorry about that. Also, I tried to make this chapter extra long because the last one was short.

-Crimson

Redemption

Chapter Seven – White Knuckles

"You can use this; it should work on any scarring."

Rufus nodded at the doctor who was looking at his forehead, neck and arms. He raised an eyebrow at the ex president but didn't comment. He handed a small bottle to him and then looked him over once more. "Well, other than that you seem fine, vitals are fine, heart is strong." He stepped back and then nodded, "Try and to stay away from stress, get some rest, and be sure to eat. Other than that, you seem fine."

The ex president nodded. He wouldn't have used the word fine, but if that was what it took to get out of the hospital, he'd take it with open arms. Even when he was 'the high and mighty Rufus Shinra,' he had never liked hospitals. They were swarming with sick people and it smelled terrible. How was someone supposed to get better if they were sick, if they were around sick people? Plus, he couldn't stand someone walking in, looking at him, and then deciding what was wrong, or what wasn't wrong. So when the doctor said he could leave and that his clothes were in the cabinet, he was more than happy.

Reno was standing outside; thankfully the doctor had ordered him out before he started to look him over. One thing that the doctor had been concerned with was a small dark spot on the frontal lope of Rufus's brain. He had wanted to do an MRI or CAT scan, but the ex president quickly dismissed it and said he had already had it checked out years ago and it was nothing more than a stain from a concussion.

"Bossman?" Reno's voice came through the door, making him sound slightly muffled, "You ready yet, yo?"

Rufus quickly found his clothes; thankful for the attire instead of the flimsy shirt and sweat pants he had been assigned. He changed quickly, looking at himself in the mirror for one split second before dismissing it and deciding he didn't care what he looked like. He slipped the small bottle of lotion that the doctor had given him in his pocket, and was out the door in the next second.

Reno was leaning against the wall beside the door, and rolled his eyes when he finally saw Rufus emerge. "Finally, this place always makes my skin crawl." The ex president nodded in agreement, and started to walk through the hallway toward the exit. He knew that Reno's eyes were burning in his back, but he ignored it and continued to walk through the many different hallways, looking for the exit.

Eventually Reno was in step beside him, "So, Reeve really wants to throw that party." His voice sounded a little sheepish, and Rufus felt his chest twist. "I told him what you said, but he really wants to do it."

Rufus didn't comment on the subject, he merely started to walk slightly faster. He saw the huge glass doors and felt slightly relieved. The air was starting to feel stuffy. The door opened automatically when they approached it, and once they were finally outside the ex president felt like he could breathe again.

"Bossman?"

"I don't want to." Rufus said, hoping that the red head would just leave it alone.

"I know. But I think you should…"

Rufus was about to reply when someone's voice interrupted him. "Oh my god! Is that Rufus Shinra!?" Both he and Reno looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it belonged to a woman escorting her child to the hospital. She was staring at him, and her little girl was as well.

"Yes ma'am it is!" Reno said sharply and rather loud. The ex president shot a glare over to the red head and clenched his fists slightly.

The woman approached them slowly, and she stopped when she was a few feet away from them. "Well," She began, "it's not the face I wanted to see, but it's something." She gave them a tight smile and started to walk away. "Come on, Valeria." She said to the little girl who was still standing in front of the duo.

"Welcome back Mr. Shinra." She smiled at him and then walked over to her mother, who seemed to be scolding her on the way into the hospital.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt his chest start to twist in a strange bittersweet way. He looked over at Reno who was kicking his foot against the pavement and had his hands in his pockets. He looked up at Rufus and then nodded his head up the street, "Ya ready to give this another shot?"

Rufus followed his head movement and when his eyes landed on the WRO, the bittersweet feeling was replaced with anxiety. His stomach felt like it was starting to float with just the small thought of walking into the building. He let his eyes land on the big glass window on the right side of the building, where his office used to be and he had to suppress a shudder.

He merely gave Reno a nod, and slowly the two made their way through the streets of Junon. He felt people's eyes burn in his back, and for a split second he was confused to why all of a sudden everyone knew who he was. He had traveled before on missions for the Organization and no one ever recognized him.

He let his eyes land on Reno for a moment, and it was then it clicked in his head. They recognized Reno. Not only had Reno always been by his side when there was a national announcement when Shin-Ra was in control, he had looked three years for him. Everyone said that the red head had gone door to door, and if that was the case the public had to be used to seeing him by now, and knew who he was looking for.

Reno grinned at him, "C'mon, don't look so tense." He said lowly, "All eyes are on you, at least give them something to talk about."

Rufus glanced over at his companion, shaking his head. "I think they already have a great deal to talk about." He muttered.

The streets started gain more and more people, and even though it wasn't quite what it used to be - it was still enough to where Reno had to grab onto Rufus's arm and help guide him through the crowds of people that started to emerge.

"That's Rufus Shinra!"

"No way, it can't be."

"Wow."

"Is that really him?"

"Doesn't really look like him…"

"Yeah it is, look at the body guard with him."

Rufus thought his head was going to explode. He hadn't had such attention in years, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He felt his heart beat start to rise and his chest started to twist and turn even more. He felt Reno's grip on his arm tighten and slowly he felt his head start to spin.

"Hey!" One of the many people grabbed his arm, "Where is everyone!?"

Reno quickly looked at the man and shook his head, "Sir, you're going to have to let go."

"Let go!? I want to know where my son is!" His grip on Rufus's arm tightened, and if the ex president was correct he saw that the man's eyes were glossed over. "We deserve to know!"

For some reason time seemed to stop. Rufus looked at the man and he couldn't get rid of the guilt that was starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. The man's face was wrinkled, especially around his eyes. He noted the black rings under them as well, and for some reason Rufus felt so sorry for him that it was impossible for him to ignore him. The feeling of empathy overwhelmed him, and instead of yanking his arm away and walking away, he smiled at the man.

He turned to face him, Reno's grip on his other arm still tight. The old man let go of his other arm, and Rufus held out his hand to him. He hesitated for a moment, but grabbed the ex president's hand. "I'm Rufus Shinra." He said slowly, and his mind flashed to all the times he'd watch his father deal with unhappy people, and all the times he dealt with them as well. "What's your son's name?" He asked as he shook the man's hand.

The old man looked at Rufus, and just as he suspected tears started to stream down the older man's face. "It's…it's Alan."

He kept the smile on his face, and for one second he felt like he had never left in the first place. For one moment, he felt like the high and mighty Rufus Shinra.

His voice was even and back to its velvety tone and even though he couldn't see his own appearance he was sure that his eyes looked just as calm and collected just like they used to. "I personally promise you the safety of your son," He saw that the man was speechless, and instead of walking away he continued, "I can't promise you when, but I will promise you his return. What is your name?"

They slowly let their hands fall back to their sides and the ghost of a smile adored the old man's face. "My name's Henry…Henry Hughes."

Rufus nodded, "Well, Mr. Hughes, I will see you in the near future."

"T-Thank you Mr. Shinra."

He and Reno started to walk away then. People were still staring at them, and the whispers were still buzzing. Rufus wasn't sure how he should have been feeling, but at that moment he couldn't help but feel almost like his old self. Attention was something he had always craved, and at this moment all eyes were on him. For the longest time he had been eerie about showing his face in public, or letting them know who he was. At that moment, he couldn't remember why he was so scared.

When they finally walked into the front doors of the WRO building Reno let go of his arm. The red head's eyes were on him, "So, what the hell was that?"

Rufus looked over at his companion, "What are you talking about?"

"How can you promise someone that you'll return their kid, if you can't even tell us where you were?" The anger in his voice was very evident, and when Rufus knew that by the look on the red head's voice that he was also hurt.

"It's what needed to be done at that moment." He answered simply, not seeing the big deal.

"Are you back to that?" Reno said coldly, "Telling people what they want to hear so they'll leave you alone?"

Rufus was more than taken aback. He narrowed at his eyes at the other man and felt his blood start to boil. "I'm sick and tired of your attitude." He said quietly. Employees started to walk past them, giving them a strange look but still sticking to their own business.

"I'm sick of your secrecy. I could understand it with Reeve, and that ninja chick – but I don't understand it with me." Reno's eyes were narrowed, and even though Rufus had seen him angry before, it was usually never directed at him. "I've known you since I was fifteen; I thought we were closer than that."

Rufus glanced around them, and noticed that people were starting to stop and stare. "Reno, this isn't the place to have this conversation." He felt his heart turn in a strange way when he saw the hurt that flashed through Reno's eyes, but the last thing he wanted was to cause a scene in the WRO lobby.

Without a word the Turk started to walk over to the elevator, Rufus followed him silently, feeling strange with the atmosphere change. When the elevator door opened they walked into it and took their places on opposite walls. The tension in the air was thick, and Rufus ended up just casting his eyes to the floor.

The confident feeling he had moments ago was gone. The feeling of once again knowing how to handle himself and handle others was gone. For one moment he felt his authority was back – and he knew his words and opinions had mattered. However, it was gone the second he had seen Reno's hurt and confusion.

"I'm sorry." He finally said, feeling strange because he couldn't remember the last time he had actually apologized to someone and meant it. He glanced up at Reno to see that the red head wasn't even looking at him.

"It's fine, yo"

"Reno…"

"No. It's fine." Then suddenly, the red head changed his mind. "No, it's not fine." He met Rufus's gaze with his own and glared. "I've looked for you for years, and you don't even have the decency to explain to me what the hell is going on."

Rufus felt himself snap. "I didn't ask you to look for me." His voice was harsher than he intended, and before he could even apologize Reno laughed at him.

"I didn't have to take care of you when you had geostigma either. But I did, and you know what? Right now I wish I hadn't."

The elevator doors opened, and suddenly Rufus felt very out of place. He looked at the Turk standing in front of him, and without even thinking he walked out. He felt his heart start to beat fast and he walked down the first hallway he saw. He heard footsteps behind him which only made him walk faster. He walked down any hallway he saw, taking every twist and turn possible.

He stopped when he reached a door, and when he looked over his shoulder he saw that no one was behind him. He took a few steps back, and realized he had walked to his old office. He looked at the huge oak door, and remembered when he told Reeve the only way he was going to even consider being a vice president, was if he had the same president's office from his old company. It had taken a lot of convincing, and eventually Rufus agreed that he'd take part in the WRO only because at the time, he needed some type of authority.

He placed his hand on the door handle and opened it slowly, expecting everything to be packed up in boxes, or maybe even gone. When he walked in though he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widened and he felt his hands start to tremble.

Everything was exactly how he remembered. He walked forward, drinking in every inch of what was once his. He stopped in the middle of the room, and stared at the desk that was dead ahead. Three and a half years ago, he had been sitting at that desk making plans to rebuild Midgar. Three and a half years ago he had been sitting there talking to Tseng. Three and a half years ago, he had been himself, and at the moment he was in now…he honestly had no idea who he was anymore.

He felt the trembling start to increase, so he stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping that he'd just calm down. He glanced over at the couch that was to his right, and remembered all the times Reno had come to bother him and ended up just passing out there. There was a wardrobe next to the couch, and remembered always keeping a suit in there in case something had happened to the one he would be wearing.

He walked toward the wardrobe, and slowly he pulled his hands out of his pockets and set them on the handles. He took a deep breath and opened it, and to his surprise there was a white suit hanging there in a plastic cover. He stared at it for a moment, and then looked at his appearance.

He was Rufus Shinra; he shouldn't look like such a refugee. He wasn't supposed to look like the Turks, or a member of AVALANCHE. He was suppose to look like someone who mattered, and even though he had grown accustomed to being no one in the past three years, there was a part of him that craved being who he used to be.

He grabbed the hanger and brought it out of the wardrobe, and stared at it for a few moments longer. Reeve was under the impression that his presence would help the public, and if that was the case, what exactly did they need? Did they need someone who looked and acted like he did now? Or did they need someone professional?

Rufus debated the question for what felt like forever, before he finally realized why Reeve was how he was. Even though he was a member of AVALANCHE, he always presented himself in a manner that made people think that he knew what he was doing. He was the president of the present major company in the world, and even though he could present himself in any way he wanted, he did it in the way that made people feel comfortable.

That's what the public always needed.

He glanced over his shoulder to look at the door that led to the private bathroom, and with one last glace at the suite in his hands, he slowly started to make his way over there. He felt his heart pound in his chest, and when he was finally standing on the ceramic tile, he slowly closed the door.

He hung the suit on the back of the door, and then glanced at himself in the mirror.

It was time to say goodbye to the past three years.

The situation was more than awkward, even for the greatest General of all time.

Sephiroth was standing in front of the window that belonged to their hotel room at the Icicle Inn. He had carried Cloud all the way down there, figuring out that not only had they been held captive for a year, they had also lost most of their strength. Vincent Valentine was sitting on one of the four beds that accompanied the room, resting against the headboard, keeping his eyes on the wall. Tseng was passed out on another bed, which was also the same thing Strife was doing.

"We have to think of a way to break this." Vincent's voice broke through the silence that had settled over them, and slowly Sephiroth turned around to face him. He waited for him to continue, and when the gunslinger realized that the silver headed man wasn't going to ask why, he decided to continue. "It's based off impulses. So if they see us, they still have control over us."

The ex general thought for a moment. "Have you tried to break it with electricity?" It was a simple question, and even though he didn't care that much, he understood that this was his mission and the only way to gain redemption.

"We haven't really had the chance." The gunslinger finally said.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"If they tell us to do things, we have to do them."

"And if you try not to?"

Vincent was quiet for a moment and then finally he let out a breath, "Unbearable pain. It can be broken with enough fighting, we just never had the chance."

"Why didn't you ever try to break out before?" Sephiroth had actually been curious to why they had never made a plan to escape before. They had two members of AVALANCHE and one of the best Turks, technically two Turks, and yet they had stayed there a year.

"We were ordered not to."

The General nodded, still trying to grasp onto the whole situation. His eyes wandered over to Cloud, who was still passed out on one of the other beds. It was evident that the last year had taken a toll on him – his face looked slightly sunken in, and his muscles were withered down to almost nothing. Sephiroth had to ask himself many times how they had capture the blonde, seeing as he was one of the most powerful men in the world, and he always came up short. He thought back to the Advent event, and the Cloud that he had fought then, and the Cloud he was looking at now – they looked like completely different people.

He glanced back over at Vincent and then thought for a moment, "Do you think that a small shock would disable it?"

"It's possible."

Sephiroth nodded, "Alright, then let's get started."

It was dark outside, despite all the lights pouring out from the windows from bars, and from the streetlamps. There were few cars that passed, mainly because no one in this area could afford one. The people who were walking down the street seemed to have their own business, and that was fine, because he had his own business as well.

Rufus Shinra was walking down the sidewalk of the Slums in Sector Six. He had just turned the tender age of fifteen, and even though he knew he shouldn't be in such an area, due to his stature, at that moment he didn't care. He wore a black long trench coat, and he had his hair in his face. He didn't want to be recognized, and to his luck no one seemed to be paying much attention to the teenager.

He had been walking around for hours, and even though it appeared as aimless walking, he did in fact have a set destination in mind. The part that wasn't going his way though, as the fact that he didn't exactly know where his destination was, other than the fact that he knew it was in the slums.

"Get. The. FUCK. Off me!" A voice broke through the thoughts that were starting to swarm in the teenagers mind, and even though he knew it was none of his business he stood there for a moment, curious to what might be going on. He was about to continue walking when he heard someone start to laugh.

"Man…isn't he a sight?"

Rufus felt his stomach drop and then decided to step into the alleyway. He passed a huge trash bin and a few piles of trash before he saw a group of men crowded around something. Rufus placed his hands in his pockets, narrowing his eyes at the scene and staying out of their sight. He felt his fingers grip the cool metal of the gun that was in his pocket, and clenched his jaw.

"Yeah, he's pretty like his momma."

The teenager narrowed his eyes.

"Too bad that's over with."

"Hurry up, I want my turn."

"Get the FUCK OFF ME!"

"Shut up kid!"

The harsh noise of flesh hitting flesh hit Rufus's ears and he could have sworn he heard someone snap. He shook his head and started to back away, it wasn't his business. However, the last comment made his skin crawl.

"Just be cooperative like your momma was boy."

His blue eyes snapped open and without thinking about it he stepped forward out of the shadows he had been concealing himself in and pulled the small pistol that was in his pocket out. He didn't say a word, he just shot at the group, and a blood wrenching scream filled the air. They all turned to face the teenager suddenly, most of them wearing the same confused expression. A puddle of blood started to form around the groups feet, and while some of them kept their eyes on the teenager, some of them couldn't keep their eyes off of the corpse that was now on the ground.

"Listen! We're just having fun-" One of them shouted, pushing their way through the small crowd. Rufus narrowed his eyes at him, and without giving it a second thought he shot the man dead in the chest.

"What the fuck?!" A gruff voice hollered. "Who the fuck are you suppose to be?" A big man broke through the small crowd, holding a boy by the arm."This is our business." Rufus raised an eyebrow at the man and let his eyes fall on the victim of the whole incident.

The boy couldn't have been any older than Rufus. He was skinny to the point that he looked lost in the clothing he was wearing. His hair was a devilish red that was spiking all around, giving him a chaotic look. It was his eyes that Rufus found the most interesting, they were a deep turquoise that looked so emotionless and dull that he had to remind himself that the boy was alive. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and suddenly Rufus felt a small amount of pity for him.

"Come any closer, and I'll slice him open." The man screamed. He stuck his hand in his pocket and quickly opened a switchblade, he grinned as he put it in front of the boy's throat and even though this really wasn't Rufus's business, he didn't want to walk away.

Rufus shook his head then sighed at the men in front of him. They were such sad excuses for life; it was actually quite annoying that they actually thought that they had the authority in the situation. He grinned at the man, and without warning he pulled the trigger once again. The bullet hit the man dead in the head and he dropped to the ground, leaving the boy standing there. His eyes widened and he looked at Rufus and then glanced around him frantically, like he wasn't sure where to go from there.

Rufus waved him over, his gun still pointed at all the other men, daring them to move. "Come." He said, his voice venomous as is always was.

The red head listened without hesitation and walked over and stood beside Rufus, his eyes trained on the ground. Rufus was debating on whether or not letting them get away with their lives, so he decided to ask the boy beside him something;

"Did they kill your family?" He said calmly, his eyes fixated on the men in front of them. He didn't know exactly why he had even walked back in the alley when he heard the scream, and he still didn't know why he was even bothering on helping the kid, but he supposed it had something to do with the mother comment. It was poor timing on their part, but today happened to be the day his mother's death anniversary, and that was why he was in the slums; looking for her grave.

"Yes." He whispered, his face pointing downwards.

"Did they harm you?"

"Yes."

"Alright then." Rufus said glancing over at the kid then back at the men. He merely gave them a sick sweet smile and pulled the trigger on every last one of them, not flinching when they met the cold hard pavement. They were all groaning and moaning, and he thought seriously of shooting them a second time around, but decided against it and put it back in his pocket and turned to face the boy.

"Name?" Rufus asked as he started to walk. The boy followed, with his head still pointed down.

"Reno." He mumbled.

"Reno what?"

"I don't think my last name matters anymore." He said with a small shrug. His voice was very velvety even though it seemed so weak. He was walking with a slouch in his shoulders and one of his arms limp. Rufus noticed that his nose was bleeding and that he was actually very beat up. There was a few seconds of silence before the boy spoke again, "What's your name?" He asked quietly, there seemed to be a large amount of curiosity in his eyes, and even though he was trying to give off the vibe of being nonchalant, Rufus could tell that wasn't the real case.

"Rufus," He answered evenly, "Rufus Shinra." He wasn't surprised to see the amount of shock on Reno's face, and was actually slightly amused by it. "You need medical attention." He said as he looked over Reno's appearance one more time.

"I'm fine." Reno answered quickly, casting his eyes over to look at the passing building. Rufus couldn't get over how closed up he seemed, and had to wonder what exactly had happened to him.

"No you're not. Listen, just take the help and shut up."

It was silent after that. It seemed comfortable, but all Rufus could think about was Reno. He wanted to know who he was, and what happened to him. It was strange, because usually he couldn't care less about anything that didn't involve himself. They reached a small bus stop and Rufus walked over and sat down. Reno sat down beside him, his head was tilted forward and he stared at the ground.

"Why is someone like you gallivanting in the streets of a place like this?" Reno mumbled, bring his eyes to glance over at Rufus.

"I had business to take care of." He answered, looking at the red head and noting all the scaring on his neck.

"I can't afford medical attention." The red head finally said, shaking his head slightly. "Thanks for saving me though." Reno was about to stand up when Rufus stopped him.

"I'll pay for it." Rufus shrugged. "What's the point in saving someone if they're just going to walk around in pain anyway?"

Reno looked like he wanted to say something, but ended up just sitting back against the bus station bench. It was silent for a long time, and finally when the bus showed up and they were about to walk onto it, he looked at Rufus and smiled. "Thanks, yo."

I hope that this chapter was enjoyable. I actually really liked writing it. I know that the coldness between Rufus and Reno is strange, but I feel that under the circumstances that it's how it really would be. I also hope that everyone enjoyed and understood the decision that I made to make Rufus revert back to his old attire. I thought the reasoning made sense.

But please, leave a review because I love the feedback and I always take it to heart. :)

The next chapter will be up soon.

-Crimson