Rufus sat down regally in the passenger seat of the helicopter and waited patiently for the pilot to climb in, check his equipment, and ask their destination. Folding his arms over his chest, he lay back and closed his eyes with a wearied sigh. Hours had passed since the horrible debacle in the Junon ampitheatre, yet his nerves were still frayed by the roaring of the crowd and his own rage at seeing Domino again. Compared to the events which had taken place in this godforsaken city, Cosmo Canyon was a veritable paradise. Things just kept getting worse and worse.

He heard the pilot's door close, and listened to the other two passeners in the copter, Barret and Reeve, settle in and buckle their safety belts. The ex-President, unmoving except to cover a bore yawn, made himself comfortable and didn't even look up at the pilot.

"Just take us to the Shinra mansion. You should be able to land on the lawn. You know where that is, right?" Rufus for a moment reached up a hand to flick back a lock of his hair, but it was secured by the headband. He paused, aware that he had slipped back into the role of President perhaps a bit too hastily, then dropped his hand back into his lap. "I *think* it's behind the main President's office, on top of the hill-"

"Anything you say, Your Highness," Cid replied sardonically, giving the boy a playful punch on the shoulder. "Your wish is my command."

Rufus opened one eye to see the Captain fiddling eagerly with the controls, the helicopter slowly maneuvering itself up off of the ground. "*You're* the pilot?"

Cid gave the boy a baleful look. "They don't call me the Captain for bein' a fisherman, y'know."

"Great." Rufus settled back again and buried his chin in his chest, feeling the peculiar imbalance of the vehicle as it was hovering in mid-air. His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I feel so secure."

They flew silently over the buildings of Junon, the townspeople and buildings rapidly diminishing until they were smaller than ants, tiny specks so far below them on the ground. There were two other helicopters behind them, one carrying Red, Tifa, and Yuffie, the other transporting Cloud, Vincent, and Cait. The propellors hummed as the men and women of AVALANCHE were flown away from the bustling inner city, towards the top of the great mountain in which Junon held its foundations. Beyond the iron fortress, high above yet shielded by the old Shinra complex which kept lookout in all directions, lay Upper Junon, where most of the executives had their homes. It was unknown to most, aristocratic and exclusive, with only a handful of people living there, and estates that could stretch out for miles. And, the largest of all, of course, was own by the ex-President himself, Rufus Shinra.

Rufus opened one eye as they passed alongside the Shinra complex, where his office once had been. He could still see his desk, see the array of computers behind it, but he knew that Domino had probably already moved in. The only change apparant from so far away was the installation of curtains along the side. One of the secretaries was closing them right then, blocking the room off from the beautiful view of the ocean before it. For some reason, it saddened Rufus, to know that the view he had so cherished when he had worked there was now being put away and ignored. So much had changed, and there was so much he would miss...

Cid moved the helicopter in a graceful curve, the propellors slicing through the air, and Rufus could finally see the ocean out of his window. He stared down at the blue swells caressing the beaches so far below, the gulls seen as only flocks of tiny white dots along the water's surface. The ruby-red sun was sinking below the horizon, staining the sky a brilliant golden yellow. The brightness shone in his eyes, and he had to squint into the light, but it was perhaps one of his favorite things about Junon. Nothing like the choking, endless nights in Midgar. It was a million times more peaceful here, at least it had been, before his entire world had been turned upside-down. Before everything, including himself, had been shot to Hell.

Barret cleared his throat from the backseat of the helicopter, leaning back comfortably, though the ride was making him more than a little uneasy. "How much longer, Cid-man?"

"About five minutes," Cid responded absently, the cigarette bouncing between his ips. That should be it right up ahead. Damn, Shinra, you know how ta live large."

Rufus didn't answer, but turned his attention out the front window, at the great mansion that was slowly coming into view over the horizon. There were no other houses in sight, the land stretched out so far, and the side back lawn expanded all the way to the ocean. A winding, white road snaked its way to the front of the house, then to the back where an elongated garage left its maw open and inviting, but there didn't seem to be anyone either coming or going. The place, verily, was deserted, it seemed, by the fact that no lights were on in the windows, and there were no figures moving behind the curtains. All the better for Rufus, if he wanted to lay low and remain undiscovered.

"Damn..." Barret whistled lowly, leaning forwards so he could see better. "Dat's one huge place. You had that thing all to yourself?"

"Well, no. When my father would come in from Midgar, he would stay here as well. And ambassadors, magistrates, people like that, would be my guests occasionally." Rufus shrugged dispassionately, arching an eyebrow to stare at the ocean.

Barret's face was clouding over ominously. "Yeah, while the people in the slums of Midgar could barely get a meal, Shinra's livin' the easy life in his goddamned mansions. If you ain't the most spoiled, greedy-"

"Barret," Reeve admonished, putting his hand on his comrade's shoulder. "Wait until we're on the ground. You're gonna make me airsick."

The ex-miner conceded to grudging silence, as the helicopter dropped slowly towards earth. It made its landing on the luscious green lawn of the Shinra estate, the house looming darkly over it, its abandonment so much the plainer in this waning light.

Rufus waited for the propellors to slow down before opening his door and nimbly stepping from his helicopter, shielding his eyes from the dust while the other two aircraft landed and released their passeners onto solid ground once more. When the rest of AVALANCHE had been reunited, the other two pilots saluted and raised their metal choppers back into the air, slowly moving away and growing fainter and fainter until they were gone. AVALANCHE was left standing on the broad lawn, looking around at each other and waiting for someone to say the first words.

It was Rufus who broke the silence, his eyes glowing like a cat's in the deepening twilight. "It's obviously been abandoned since I left it. The servants probably ran off with everything when they heard I was dead."

"Probably stole all your stuff, too," Cait Sith shrugged, licking the back of one paw. "Don't it suck to be you."

"Well." Rufus suppressed his rebuttal, turning instead to Cloud and smiling breezily. The sea wind picked up right then, brushing his light red hair from his face and fluttering his dark trenchcoat in the breeze. The boy pulled the handkerchief from his face and showed his grin without impediments, untying the cloth and holding it in front of him gingerly with two fingers. "I hope I never have to wear *that* again."

"Are we gonna go?" Cid asked, guesturing towards the house. The ominous feelings eminating from it disconcerted all but Rufus, who seemed to be used to it, though it could very well have been a facade constructed through years and years of practice. "We ain't gettin' any younger."

Cloud nodded at everyone in turn, then, taking a deep breath, led the way there.

He placed one palm on each of the solid oak doors, straining against them until they gradually swung open. A yellow rectangle of light cast by the sunset could be seen inside the dim room, but beyond it was only shadow. Rufus led the group inside, soon disappearing into the darkness with only his Mako eyes glowing visibly. AVALANCHE filtered in after him, looking around them warily, unsure of whether or not the living quarters of their former nemesis would be safe or not. He said not a word the entire time, simply watching them walk in and waiting in silence for them to make the first move.

"Hey, does this place come with lighting?" Yuffie wondered allowed, her smile voice echoing around the great front hall.

There was the slight sound of Rufus reaching out his arm for the switch. "Click."

As if in reply, the room was suddenly struck into brightness, from a crystal chandelier hanging down from the high marble ceiling. Light burst to the four walls, illuminating suddenly the front hallway of the Shinra mansion. Tifa found herself holding her breath as she looked around the interior of the house: to her left was a red-carpeted hallway, leading off to what looked like a grand ballroom. A huge staircase swept up to an upper landing, with several doors coming off of that, each solid oak and carved with exquisite delicacy. All around her, antique furniture and what looked like priceless artifacts decorated the area, merely hinting at what riches lay further within the rooms. It was like walking into a museum, there were so many beautiful things to look at, and everything was so delicate. She had never thought herself to be especially dirt-poor, but when she saw this spectacle of color and magnitude, the Seventh Heaven was perfectly disgraceful. It was sort of like the first time she had ever seen the ocean - it was hard to believe something so amazing could exist without actually seeing it.

Rufus threw his knapsack down with a casual toss of the wrist, brushing back the hair from his forehead. "Well. I can tell by the looks on your faces that you're impressed."

Tifa turned to him in awe, her eyes wide and drinking in every detail of this wonderful sight. "You *lived* here?"

"Yes." His voice was strangely flat, as though he were numbed to the point of boredom at the riches he had at his fingertips. "Believe me, it's not everything that it seems."

"Dammit." Barret wasn't buying into the beauty, but staring around him with one fist clenched. "You have all this crap takin' up your front hallway, and there are people *dyin'* in the streets-"

"Well, appoint them Vice-President, and invite them right in, then," Rufus sneered. Seeing the shocked look on Tifa's face in reply, he instantly regretted it, but was somehow unable to make any move to redeem himself. He just slowly brushed back a lock of hair and looked away. She stared at him in shock.

"That was cold, shithead," Cid scowled. "Real damned cold."

"My family worked to get where we were. It's not *my* fault."

"What do *you* know about working for anything, Rufus??" Cloud snapped, incensed by the ex-President's tactlessness. "You got to where you were because you were the son of President Shinra. You were the President because he died. There was no *work* involved for you. It was all just *handed* to you, and you acted like you owned the goddamned Planet, and you could kill it as you pleased!"

Cloud's outburst was the final straw, for a boy who had been inwardly tense since he had stepped off of the Highwind that afternoon. Red flushed the boy's face, a flash of anger glinting in his eyes. "Well, take a good look at where it got me, Cloud!" He stomped one foot and scowled at the ex-mercenary. "Now I'm a goddamned Weapon! I've *learned* about how wrong I've been. I've *been* to Hell for it. I'm still paying! You think I don't know!?"

"Guys! Guys!" Tifa broke in hastily, shaking her head. "Come on! We've gotta live with each other, we might as well get along. Rufus knows what he's done. Maybe... maybe we can sell this stuff off before we leave, and give some of the money to charity *now*. It's not too late for-"

"It's probably already going to be auctioned off," Reeve noted, fingering a vase gingerly. "I mean, if I were Domino, I would be thinking of the donations I could make with these surplus riches."

"If you were Domino, you would be moving all of this junk into your own mansion down the street," Rufus said wryly, rubbing one temple. "To hell with charity. That bastard's going to take all of this for himself."

They looked at him silently, watching him brood over the Mayor with a dark look on his face. They had noticed the animosity a while ago, but they had chalked it all up to jealousy. Now, perhaps, they were given insight into something more.

But Rufus closed himself off as soon as he had let this leak through his steel defenses. "Well. You can make yourselves at home, if you would like. There are plenty of bedrooms in here; just wander around until you find one. You should-"

He was interrupted by a cry from Yuffie, from the other room. "Holy COW!!! Guys! Come look at this!!!"

Rufus rolled his eyes impatiently and strode off after her, in the direction of the main ballroom. AVALANCHE followed at a distance, surveying the beautiful paintings and tapestries around them, almost afriad to touch anything lest it should break. The teenager must have wandered off while they were arguing, hoping to do a little exploring on her own, like the thief she was. They couldn't see Rufus's face, but the way he carried himself belied the fact that he was probably angry. He wasn't the sort of person to enjoy having his belongings perused.

They arrived to find Yuffie staring up at a huge portrait of the young President, his aristocratic fingers resting on the head of a sleek, black panther. Even on canvas, the boy's blue eyes, while not Mako infused at the time, were steely and seemed to bore with through the viewr, the look of cool arrogance on his face the epitome of Rufus Shinra. He was cloacked magnificantly in a white trenchcoat, immaculately clean, and his face was icy cold. They marveled at the way it portrayed Rufus's arrogant, haughty demeanor, even down to the delicate arching of one eyebrow.

"What?" Rufus poked the young Ninja on one shoulder and held out his hands questioningly. "What was so important we had to come see?"

"*That!*" She pointed at the painting, smiling in delight. "That's *great*! Where did you get that?"

"Oh, that? It was painted several years ago. I was probably eighteen at the time." He squinted up at the artwork, cocking his head to one side. "Pretty bad, isn't it. Doesn't really even look like me."

"Like *hell* it don't!" Cid protested. "That's you, awright. You even *look* like an asshole."

Rufus shot him a whithering glare. "Watch yourself, Captain."

Tifa didn't take her vision from the portrait, tracing the red hair sweeping over the forehead, the scornful look on the boy's face, the angry look in his eyes. Whatever emotion Rufus had been feeling at the time, he certainly didn't look like a teenager. His skin was white and polished, his hands smooth and uncalloused, resting on the ebony animal's fur. He looked like a china doll that had been taken out of its box for only a few short moments, then put carefully away so that it wouldn't get hurt, but the look on his face defied this delicacy. He was so... cold. Like ice.

When Tifa had been 18, she was waiting tables in a bar, trying to save up enough money to buy herself a new outfit or have a fun night on the town. Rufus had been acting so naturally around her, even letting down his guard occasionally, that she had started to forget that he wasn't a normal boy. But her idea of Rufus had come in direct collison with the icy spectre in the painting, the cold blue eyes searing into her. This was Rufus as a child, and he looked older and angrier than age itself. It made her wonder if he had even *had* a childhood.

"What's with the cat?" Cait Sith asked, adjusting the crownd perched on his forehead. "That's one damned big fe-line, if I say so myself."

"Dark Nation," Rufus murmured, reaching out a finger to flcik away a stray clump of dust attached to the parchment. "She was my bodyguard panther."

"I tawt I taw a puddy-tat," the toysaurus whispered aside to Yuffie, who giggled. Rufus heard it quite clearly, however, and turned on the animal with a dangerous glare in his eyes.

"She wasn't a *puddy-tat*." He spat out the words indignantly, towering over the small cat. "She was a highly-trained defense animal, who I had with me constantly for years. A lot stronger and more intelligent than a house pet such as yourself. Now, shut up before I take out your batteries."

"What happened to her?" Yuffie asked, her eyes feasting on the graceful form of the panther.

Tifa, Red, Barret, and Cloud all flinched, knowing full well the demise of the huge cat. No one spoke up for seceral moments, though, while Rufus turned and regarded the foursome evenly, a slow smirk building up on his face.

"Hmm..." he mused sarcastically, bitterly, a dangerous smile flickering across his countenance. The tone in his voice was deep and threatening, double edges on every word. "I do wonder, what *could* have become of my beloved pet? Me dear," he took one step towards Cloud, "sweet," and another step, "Dark Nation? ... Hmm, I simply can't remember..." His eyes took on an ominous gleam, as he leered over at the mercenary, pretending to rack his brain. "Oh, Cloud? Perhaps you'd like to remind me?"

The blonde-haired young man glowerd at Rufus, Mako eyes glaring back at Mako eyes. "Look, Shinra, you know just as well as I do that she was about to rip out my throat. And you would have had me dead, too, if you'd had the chance. Don't tell me that I killed that devil out of cold blood."

"Oh, yes." Rufus's voice was without emotion, as though he were reading from a history book. "You attacked me, wounded me, and killed Dark Nation, all not one hour from the death of my father. How could I forget."

"@#*$ you!" Cloud rebuked, reaching menacingly for the sword strapped to his back. "If I-"

"Woah, woah, *woah!!!*" Reeve interjected, staying his friend's hand. "None of that, you two. Come on. We're all tired. Let's just go to bed."

Cloud din't reply, but turned to Cid instead, crossing his arms impatiently over his chest. "How long do you think it will take for the Airship to be finished?"

The pilot shrugged, scratching the back of his head a bit uneasily. "Well, I can't say. Anywhere from two weeks to two months. It all depends on how good a job I did patchin' her up before I left for Cosmo."

"Good. The quicker we can get rid of this bastard-" Cloud threw a hand to Rufus, who stood withdrawn into himself, watching and listening silently, "the happier I'll be."

The mercenary stormed off, and his angry footsteps were heard clomping up the stairs, before they faded down one of the huge hallways and eventually disappeared. No one moved, simply listening to their leader go, not even turning their heads to shoot a glance at each other. They couldn't see him, but they were acutely aware of Rufus standing, unmoving, cupping his chin in one hand and pondering, though any emotion was well-concealed. His demeanor was as though he hadn't heard a word said about him, though they knew this was untrue. Whatever he was thinking was a mystery to anyone and everyone but himself.

Yuffie coughed lightly, fidgeting nervously from foot to foot. "Well, uhh... It's late... I guess I'll be going to bed now. I guess."

"Don't be stealin' nothin'," Barret commanded, but the Ninja didn't take any heed, and wandered her way out the door and down one of the hallways. There was the sound of several doors opening and closing, but they, too, faded to silence rather quickly.

One after the other, the AVALANCHE members each found excuses for leaving. Tifa offered to make dinner for Barret and Cid, who moved off towards the kitchen, an uneasy conversation going on between them. Vincent left as silently as he had come in, disappearing steathily out the door,w ith Cait Sith following behind, snapping his fingers. Red padded off to find a place to curl up for the night, and Rufus was left alone with Reeve, pacing around the immaculately polished hardwood floor of his grand ballroom.

"Sir?" Reeve watched the ex-President circle thoughtfully, his head bowed and eyes close. "Sir? Is there anything you need before I leave?"

"No." Rufus's voice was rasping a bit, but he cleared his throat and stopped walking, instead drawing himself up to his full posture and glancing around him wistfully. "You know something, Reeve?"

"What, sir?"

"I hate this place." He didn't wait for a reply, but slowly turned and left Reeve standing alone in the ballroom, with the painting staring haughtily down at him. The man gave it one last glance, feeling the searing gaze of the teenager burn into him, before leaving himself, closing the door behind him and immersing the room in darkness.

Rufus felt it strange to be sleeping in his own bed again, though sleeping wasn't an apt way of describing how he spent the night. He had more of the same fitful tosses and turns, the odd dream which felt almost *too* familiar, like a recurring nightmare, but one that he couldn't wake up out of in easy escape. And, occasionally, the voice from the Planet, beseeching him, begging him... Destroy Jenova. Destroy Jenova. Always, destroy Jenova. But he didn't even know where to begin...

"Rufus, for God's sake, sit up straight. Your posture is horrendous. If you were seen in public looking like that... You'd embarass our entire family."

"*Motherrr!* Do I have to be reprimanded for *everything*? We're not even-"

"Would you like to repeat that?"

"..."

"I didn't think so. Now, how old are you again?"

Mumble...

"What?"

"Sixteen."

"Yes. And hold am I?"

"Forty."

"So don't you think I might know this better than you?"

"Yes, m'am."

"Alright. Someday, Rufus, you're going to thank me for all the trouble I'm going through. The only reason I'm still here is because I can't see to have your father raise you. Sometimes, I really wonder if you're worth it."

"... Where is Father, anyway?"

"Oh, who knows. I believe he said there was some pressing business he had to attend to, so you probably don't see him for another few weeks. Either that, or he's in Junon."

"Oh. What's in Junon?"

"Nothing, Rufus. Nothing. Stop asking me these questions!"

"I thought the Vice-President handled everything in Junon."

"Well, your father doesn't trust Heidegger to have all of that responsibility, so he's going to check up on him. And as soon as you reach your next birthday, he's going to be appointing *you* Vice-President, so I hope you've been listening to him when he tells you about the company."

"Whatever, Mother. You know how awful he gets."

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware. But you'd better watch your mouth, or he's going to get very angry with you ... And you know he gets so violent when he's angry..."

"Why do I even have to be Vice-President? Can't he find someone else to do it?"

"No, Rufus. That's all you were born for: to be his Vice-President. Don't go around thinking I'm your mother because I love you or anything; it's because I have to prepare you for when you'll be taking over the company after he retires. So, basically, you have absolutely no choice."

"So what's going to happen to you when I'm Vice President and off in Junon? Are you going to stay here all by yourself?"

"No."

"So... what?"

"That's not important. Your Father's building me a villa in Costa Del Sol that I'm going to be vacationing in for a while, and then... I don't know. It's none of your business, anyway."

"Well, you're my *mother* for the Planet's sake-"

"So?"

"So... Nevermind. Forget I said it. You're right. I don't care where you go."

"Don't take that tone of voice with me, little boy. It all depends on what that bumbling father of yours wants to do, and, quite frankly-"

"Well, he's *your* husband."

"Quite right, he is! ... Don't make that face at me, young man. I know what's good for you, I know what's best for all of us. Someday, I swear to God, you'd better thank me for this."

"*Thanks*, Mum."

Her laughter was so lilting. Nothing like Rufus's cold laugh, or his father's bumbling chuckle. "Why so sarcastic?"

"Nothing."

"That's better ... ... ... And are you slouching again?"

"..."

"Come *on*! You're going to drive me out of my mind one of these days. Sit up! And don't give me that look, either, boy. Ohhhh ... Sometimes, Rufus, you're more trouble than you're worth!"

well, I dream you, constant stranger
with your best bloods and your anger
you say, 'mother, do you claim me'
my beloved - do you blame me?
-a. ray

Dark Nation seems like a she-panther to me. She just does. You know how nations are, like, mother countries? And usually referred to in the feminine? Well, I figured, that, because of that, Dark Nation must be a girl. (And, seeing as DN the writer is a girl, then DN the cat is assumed to be a girl. Something like that.)

Other ambiguities: Is Cait Sith a girl, since he/she has a girl's name in the first place? Is Red XIII a dog or a cat? Is there a female Weapon? Is it just me, or is President Shinra incredibly short compared to his son?

Have a nice day =) Thanks for reading. Feel free to write.

Dark Nation (feminine!)
japalac27@hotmail.com