Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Chapter Nineteen...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter Nineteen: More Meetings and Almost Kisses
The brunette paced across the pale beige carpet with a dulled softness; the whole room being somehow cloaked in a quiet calm which could only be described as being close to a dentist's waiting room, without the nervous children and humming televisions that were always displaying some muted marine life.
A tired yawn wisped through her lips.
Rufus had left her outside his office how for at least ten minutes, whilst he supposedly sorted out a few things; papers and the like which she apparently had to sign, though surprisingly, she found herself not all that bothered by the wait.
It may have been slightly boring, but the place was comfortable enough, and a lot better them some of the places she'd been contained under the President's order, though in all fairness this something rather different with the fact being that it hadn't come from an order as such, but rather a request.
As she continued her pacing she began inspecting the 'reception' room; it felt emptier than she recalled, as if something was missing, something she'd noticed so clearly before and yet she was certain all of the plants and paintings were still present.
Her brow furrowed.
The light glassy desk which sat in the middle of the room had been unoccupied since Tifa had arrived, though it was only that she was beginning to realise it.
With all that had been going on she'd almost forgotten about the young secretary.
As she stared at the void behind the piece of furniture her stomach clenched tightly.
I hope she's ok…
Rufus wouldn't hurt her, she was almost certain of that, but a small matter like sacking someone was a completely valid assumption, but then she would have thought he'd have employed someone else by now rather than leave the position empty; after all he was hardly accustomed to waiting on himself.
Just as she drifted back across the stretch of carpet, a small, soft ringing began sounding from the phone upon the receptionist's desk.
Her head immediately swung round so as to direct her attention, though before she could even start deliberating whether she was expected to answer it, a high-pitched 'ding' echoed around the room and the elevator doors slide open with a familiar mousey-haired female hurrying out soon after; a large sum of paper's tightly clutched within her fingers.
The female's attention was quickly caught by the ringing phone; her senses hardly having time to even notice the other presence in the room.
"Hello?"
The secretary emitted a deep sigh of frustration and began mumbling as she placed the receiver back on its base.
"Honestly…he can't expect me do to two things at once…couldn't they just hold on for another minute…so impatient-"
Tifa approached the desk with a wide, honestly relieved smile forming upon her pale pink lips.
"Jane?"
The female dropped the paper's she was beginning to sort as her body reacted in a nervous surprise.
The brunette's face clenched as a red hue brushed the upper heights of her cheeks.
"Oops…"
The young male flicked a few of his blonde strands from his eyes as he walked over to his desk.
The air was pleasantly warm, the kind of atmosphere that could only be created unnaturally with a combination of both heaters and cooling fans, though their was no doubting their ability to keep this little fact silent and unnoticed.
As he lowered himself down into the leather-coated chair behind his desk, the material emitted a slow, deep rustle that felt strangely satisfying; it had been too long since he had last been there.
A few minutes passed in silence within which he outstretched a finger and gently pushed a pile of folders, so as to align them perfectly with the edge of the polished wooden desk top.
A small, but genuine smile of contentment twitched at his lips; this was his personal space, his kingdom, the place where he made and sealed the most important moments of his life.
His brow lowered though as his icy gaze drifted over to the far side of the room before coming to rest on the door opposite him.
She was waiting out there for him, and soon enough she would be there with him.
He'd always liked space, but now, he wasn't sure why, but being separated from her, just by this shortest of distances, felt curiously disconcerting.
He had, for a moment, wondered what it might have been like if he had allowed her to stay with him whilst the Turk remained in his current condition, but only for moment.
Tifa's brunette locks fell against her face as she bent down to pick up the fallen papers which had spread over the floor at a length and unseen swiftness that was likeable to that of a wild bush fire.
The other female had also joined her on the floor and was busily tidying whilst also emitting nervous apologies that seemed directed at both the papers and the brunette.
Eventually the pair finished and the carpet was clear once again.
Tifa giggled with a dull apprehension as she placed her collected pile back onto the reception desk.
"Sorry about that…I didn't mean to startle you."
Jane's heightened pitch was breathy from both nerves and a degree of excitement.
"No, no it's fine! I was off in my own little world...I should of noticed."
A small smile of appreciation formed upon Tifa's lips.
"Rufus got you running errands again?"
"Actually I think these papers are for you."
The brunette's face contorted with a comic sort of confusion.
"Huh?"
Jane's eyes widened slightly as she stumbled over her words; seemingly uneasy at relaying something she was unsure of.
"Well I was ordered to get them just before you arrived."
"Oh…"
The brunette's brow lowered in an uneasy trepidation.
"Am I gunna have to read all of those?"
Jane shrugged though Tifa was seemingly talking to herself than to the young secretary.
After a brief but calm silence, the mousey-haired woman scuttled back behind her desk and grouped her own collected papers with the others already placed there, before beginning to order them correctly.
"How's Reno doing?"
Tifa inhaled deeply; her crimson-tinted gaze drifting down to the carpet.
"He's…alright."
A moment passed before she muttered quietly, but poignantly.
"I just can't help but feel this whole thing is my fault."
Jane's brow shot up in a pleading desperation.
"No, no! It's no-one's fault…it was just an accident, it happens." "Turks get into all sorts of trouble…just be thankful it wasn't worse."
"Hm."
Silence settled around the pair as Jane continued working her way through the pile, whilst the brunette fiddled hypnotically with a pen she'd taken from a holder on the desk.
After a while she returned it to its home and allowed her curious gaze to flicker back towards the secretary.
"Are you still staying at his?"
It only took a moment for her to realise what Tifa meant.
"Uh huh. I thought I'd take care of it…until he gets better."
The secretary's gaze locked onto hers.
"And he will get better Tifa."
I do hope so…
The brunette sighed lightly and ran a hand through her smooth, dark locks.
"So…are you enjoying being back?"
Jane allowed a smile of unconvinced amusement to grace her face.
"Well the work loads hard, and the President's taken off all my holiday time for the rest of the year because he feels my house arrest should count as time off…but yeah…strange as it is…I actually missed this place."
For some reason, this surprised the young brunette; she couldn't believe anyone would really miss working somewhere like this, but then there was much she didn't understand concerning Shinra.
"I'm glad Rufus didn't punish you."
Her brow furrowed once again, as she mulled over exactly what she had done over the past few weeks.
"I shouldn't have asked for your help…I could have gotten you into real trouble."
She crossed her arms as her gaze narrowed thoughtfully.
"Why do you think he's so intent to guard himself like he does?"
The secretary just shrugged; her features neither unsettled or relaxed.
"He has his reasons…just like everyone else."
"I suppose."
The female entered the room as quietly as she could; fingering the door handle carefully so as to mute the click it emitted as it became unlatched, before treading softly over the threshold.
It wasn't that she was worried, or scared of entering, but rather she felt uncomfortable with drawing the President's attention so directly to herself; his gaze affected her in a way she couldn't yet explain.
It took her a few moments for her crimson-tinted eyes to find him; Rufus was standing by the window, his back to her and his body really quite still, with his attention cast over the scene laid out before him.
She allowed herself to observe him for some time. From what she could decipher from his calm stance, and quiet performance he was musing over something, though her assumption that she'd been undetected soon dissolved as his confident, charismatic tone sounded.
"Take a seat."
Her eye widened slightly from shock at the sudden emittance, though she soon recovered and made her to the leather-coated chair in front of the desk, before seating herself, though she still found herself fidgeting awkwardly.
A moment or two passed before the male paced back to his desk in silence, before lowering himself down onto the well-crafted chair; his suit jacket flurrying as he positioned himself.
Tifa's lips curled slightly; the movement reminded her of something often occurring in some old-fashioned drama, though she rather strangely found it something of an attraction, in a charming sort of way.
He begun flicking through papers which had been delivered to him just before she'd entered; both Tifa's and the secretary's suspicions being clearly confirmed when Rufus had ordered them in before the brunette.
He emitted a small, throat-clearing cough.
"Shall we begin?"
Tifa just nodded slowly. It was strange how comfortable and almost ordinary it felt for her to be there with him; spending time in his company was becoming somewhat second nature to her now.
As he scribed something down upon one of the pieces of paper, her gaze drifted over him with a soft curiosity.
"What is it that you want from me exactly?"
He emitted a lingering, almost nonchalant sigh.
"Well there's some security papers I'll need you to sign, and I'll need to go over some of the-"
"No I mean…what do you want from me?..."
Rufus allowed her question to linger, before lowering his brow, almost with a hint of amusement.
"I'm not sure that I understand you Miss. Lockhart."
Her own brow furrowed; she wasn't that sure herself, but she was certain that he already knew the answer.
The President plainly revealed this to her with his swift avoidance of it altogether, as he flickered his icy gaze back towards the desk.
"Now, shall we continue?"
He turned two papers to face her upon the desk, and slid the pen towards her.
"I'll need your signature here."
Her fingers crept towards the pen as she read over the various sums of information and instructs printed all over the paper explaining agreements from her not to disclose certain things involving the hospital location, among other things.
As her fingertips wrapped around the small metallic object her attention became drawn to the heat still lingering on its surface; the male's own handling leaving part of his own warmth behind.
"What were you doing in my bedroom?"
The unexpected inquiry jarred the brunette, and her crimson-hinted gaze flickered nervously over the desk; all the time keeping from the general direct of the male's own ice-blue gaze.
"I told you…I was just looking for some-"
"Stuff."
He raised one of his eyebrows, this time with a defiant sense of mockery and allowed his lip to curl.
"Yes I recall your rather…unimpressive explanation."
Tifa's eyes narrowed at the snide air surrounding his comment.
It wasn't that bad…really…
"So you felt you had to go snooping around in my personal items did you?"
Her brow furrowed, and her tone lowered in volume.
"I wasn't snooping…"
"Oh really, so what would you call it?"
"I…I don't know."
Rufus's brow cocked.
"Hm."
Silence settled between the pair, as the President began preparing another form for the brunette to sign, though she seemed less happy to drop the topic entirely; the brief conversation bringing up something of a curiosity involving her 'snooping'.
"Whose was it?"
The male sighed in a kind of exasperation, and clasped his hand upon the polished surface of the desk.
"Whose was what?"
"The ring."
He considered her for a moment before his icy blue gaze narrowed with a controlled intensity.
"I don't see how that is any of your business…"
She looked deflated; it wasn't so much that she had expected a detailed or even honest answer, but still, his complete refusal was somewhat disappointing.
A few minutes passed with Rufus reading through the forms upon his desk, before sliding them over to the female to sign, whilst retrieving the ones she'd already marked.
As she scribbled her signature down once again, something rather unexpected happened.
"…it was my fathers."
She carried the pen's movement; what was she supposed to say to that? She had never expected something so sincere. Her brow began to furrow as she mulled the answer over, though the silence caused the male to flicker his gaze towards her with a kind of irritated curiosity.
"What?"
She kept her gaze fixated upon the paper as she searched for an equally truthful answer.
"It's just a bit…sentimental."
"I hardly see how."
She paused as she deliberated the matter with herself.
"Well for someone like you…especially when everyone knows what your relationship was like. You were only ever interested in the power and if Sephiroth hadn't killed him, you'd have been first in line to finish the job."
She had said it so lightly and with such a simple air that for a moment it felt like some surreal daydream, the kind you might see in some comedy show, though the reality of the situation was unmistakable.
Rufus didn't say a word; he didn't need to. He seemed frozen, his piercing eyes set directed at her, unwavering, and seemingly colder than ever; almost as if he was trying to restrain himself.
Her stomach clenched uncomfortably. What was she suppose to say now? She hadn't quite realised that his father might have been something of a sensitive subject, though when she thought about it, how could she not have known? All she had come to understand about the Shinra family was from rumours, gossip, second hand information, and at the time she'd been happy to believe it, and pass judgement.
I don't know anything about him…not really.
"I'm sorry."
Her apology was neither recognised nor commented on, but the President did avert his gaze, though there was still a hint of contemplation in his expression as he collected up the two papers she had finished marking.
"There was an inscription on the ring."
Rufus's brow raised; he appeared interested, almost curious at this new admission and yet somehow also apprehensive.
"Did you read it?"
"No…I got interrupted."
Tifa smiled weakly, before hurriedly casting his gaze around the room; the silence airing between them was unbearable. She wasn't even sure why she'd smiled in the first place, it wasn't even funny!
He did at least do her some kindness and ignored her for the moment, though that almost seemed all the more frustrating; now she was left to ponder the last few minutes over and over again in her head, each time the moment becoming even more agonizing.
Eventually she was put out of her misery, as he slid over some more papers.
She fingered them briefly before arching her brow and emitting a small, weary huff.
"Isn't this all a bit…unnecessary?"
"You are the one who insists on visiting him."
She sighed.
"Well I suppose it'll be worth it."
Rufus's brow cocked with a hint of superior awareness.
"Suppose?"
A smirk crept across his lips.
"If you didn't want to visit the Turk you should have just said…you don't need to put on some compassionate façade just to prove some point."
Tifa's brow shot up in defence.
"I do care!"
Her brow twitched angrily as she studied him for a few lingering moments.
"You must be such a lonely man."
A more than uncomfortable silence fell down around the seated pair; the brunette appeared to be in shock at her own emittance, and for a moment, Rufus seemed to be in a state of disbelief too.
Tifa's crimson-tinted eyes began to gleam with their prolonged widening.
Rufus drew in a deep, slow breath; the motion expressing a kind of boredom.
"People are only lonely when they allow themselves to be so. I don't need people to fill my life with…I find they just seem to get in the way."
The female huffed cynically; that wasn't what she'd call a satisfying response, he didn't seem to disagree completely with the statement, and yet neither did he seem to support it, though she decided for the moment not to push the matter.
As she observed him marking his own signature, she noticed a small tinge in his shoulder; his facial contours contorting as he continued the movement. The minute detail caused her mind to almost instantly flash back to the previous evening.
He looked healthy enough, some might have said he looked in peak condition for someone who had suffered not only a WEAPON attack, but Geostigma too, and yet now that Tifa really studied him, she noticed the odd mark, or twinge, or small grunt he emitted from the smallest of motions, and the way he held himself so carefully, almost as if he was afraid that his body might collapse on him at any moment. She'd never really thought about the real damage that might have been done; she knew he had told her that it was 'unique', but what did that mean exactly?
The female shifted in her seat as her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"So…how did they fix you?"
Rufus's gaze rose slowly to meet her own, though his was narrowed intently.
"Fix me…"
His teeth seemed to clench at the word 'fix'.
Well that was the perfect wording choice…well done Tifa…
"I meant-"
"I know what you meant."
The male's icy gaze fell down to the collected papers, as the brunette recoiled in a kind of embarrassed defeat; again she felt stupid for airing something of sensitive nature in such a tactless way, if she'd been speaking to anyone else she might have tiptoed around the subject, but then part of her didn't want to be thoughtful when it came to the blonde.
Rufus shoved over the last two remaining papers, though as the female reached over to bring them fully over, her fingers brushed ever so slightly against his own; the small sensation causing her to pull back at twice the speed. Her brow furrowed as she went to study the paper; own reaction felt strange to her, for one thing she couldn't seem to work out was why she so nervous of the act, with any other male a slight brush or accidental knock would be nothing, forgotten in an instant, but for some reason every moment with the President seemed all the more significant.
As she finished her second signature, the male swiftly took back the papers; the pen's nib barely an inch from the page.
"Well that's all I need from you for now."
His cold, blue eyes flickered over the forms once again before quickly adding his own signature, and rising from his seat. As he crossed the room, Tifa's gaze followed him.
"Do you really feel no remorse for what's happened to Reno?"
The male released an impassive sigh.
"Why should I?"
"Because…because he's your friend!"
She cringed inwardly as she said it, but although the idea now sounded silly, in some respects she couldn't help but find it to be true, though Rufus appeared closer to laughter.
"You seem to be confused; he is an employee, he does what I tell him, and he gets paid for it. That is all."
A slight thud sounded as Rufus stamped the papers, before laying them down in a tray by the door. As he his way back towards the desk, Tifa rose from her seat and edged closer to him; purposely blocking him from his own seat, and causing him to halt in front of her.
"What was he doing for you?"
"Do you really expect me to give you that kind of information?"
She paused, before emitting an exasperated grunt.
"No."
"Then why ask?"
Her lip quivered uncertainly.
"Because…"
"Well aren't you full of amazing explanations today."
As a mocking smirk began to form on his lips, Rufus attempted to side step the brunette but after only the briefest of hesitations she blocked him once again; the action receiving a rather unimpressed sigh from the male.
"What about Sector Seven?"
Rufus's brow arched in confusion; her complete change of subject somewhat jarring him, though he did not take long to recover.
"Those were not my orders."
"Oh please…you would have done exactly the same thing."
"Maybe."
Her brow furrowed slightly; she wasn't sure what she had expected but that response was certainly not among them. Tifa's warm gaze flickered nervously up to meet his, though her tone did not waver, but was instead soft, almost thoughtful.
"You were going to have me killed…"
"But I didn't."
"Only because I escaped..."
Although his expression didn't seem to falter, there was something telling behind his eyes, almost as if he knew more than he was letting on. After a short spell of silence between them the male matched her softness of tone.
''I've done a lot, some things I'm less proud of than others...''
Her crimson-tinted gaze widened in a pleasant surprise.
Tifa edged closer, though the distance between them had not been great to begin with.
"You mean…you regret it?"
"I'm saying I might have."
By the time his whisper-like tone had finished sounding, the two had grown closer than ever; the fact not having been unnoticed by either of them.
Rufus stroked a finger down the side of her cheek, before cupping his hand around her slim, pale neck and drawing her mouth that bit closer to his own, as he viewed her without a hint of amusement, or mockery. Just as Tifa's lips parted a familiar voice aired through the phone upon the desk.
"Sir?"
Rufus's eyes narrowed, there was no hiding his annoyance at the interruption. He stepped around an unmoving Tifa and pressed one of the phone's buttons.
"What is it?"
His tone was sterner than usual, though Tifa could not bring herself to turn and view his face; her body was still in shock, as her mind tried to understand what had just happened, though what Jane's voice soon sounded over the speaker brought both hers and the President's attention back to reality.
"It's the hospital Sir, it seems Reno's regained consciousness."
A/N= Ok so I'm actually on time with this update…well kinda XD I started writing this about…three weeks ago in order to finish it around the right time! That's how busy my life gets sometimes! When I first began writing on this site I could post three pieces a day, now I can barely get one good sized chapter out a month…
Also I don't think I should be blamed too much for being slow seeing as I'm applying for UNI at the mo and have the joy of filling out UCAS forms and writing personal statements…oh the fun
But I will be starting another chaptered fic soon; hopefully by then my schedule will be more manageable. So the updates should come every two weeks or so XD
So on to the chapter!
I gave you guys a nice big chunk of TifaxRufus here XD told ya I would! Hope it was alright…I do try my best to keep their conversations believable/in character. I've got endless ideas for conversations between them so I got to use quite a few here which I was quite happy about X) I hope it was interesting!
And there was an almost kiss! Not quite a proper kiss yet, but… I tried my best to write it interestingly, it's not perfect, but hopefully it was exciting to read XD though I still can't see them jumping into a relationship, or physical things, at least not in this fanfiction.
I've read other pieces where it works and some where it really…really doesn't, but I think it usually depends on how they characterise Rufus. I've read some where he seems to be 'normal' in the sense of personality with a few tweaks to make him a tad more arrogant, or sometimes remorseful, and I've got nothing against people who characterise him like that, but it's all down to how you see him, and at what time it's set etc etc
And look, I am nice really XD I may have injured Reno, but I did do him a favour and brought him out of his comatose state…that's a plus :D, now I had some people earlier on in this fanfiction that were interested in a love triangle kinda thing between Reno, Tifa and Rufus…now I'm not sure where I stand on that atm but if anyone has any opinions on that then I'd like to hear them X)