Rufus was in shadow, slouching into an armchair with his hands drooping uselessly at his sides, chewing furiously on his lower lip. His eyes were glazed and glowing, his mind obviously miles and miles away from this room in which they found him. Hesitating, glancing at each other doubtfully, they moved forward into the room, their footsteps making no noise. He didn't even blink.

Glancing up at Reeve, Tifa finally gathered the courage to reach out and touch him on the arm, startling him out of his reverie. His head leaned back to look at her, the look in his bright blue eyes tired and jaded. "Tifa."

"Yeah," she replied softly. "Hey, Rufus. I've got news."

"Oh?" He struggled to regain better posture, guesturing for her and Reeve to take the other two armchairs which were across from his own. As soon as they had settled themselves in comfortably, Rufus looked between the two of them and sighed, "Well?"

"Well, the Airship's almost done," Tifa began brightly, giving the ex-President a weak grin. "Which means that, technically, we could be out of here in a matter of days. Which is good news, right?"

Rufus's lips played into a tight smile, which was quickly snuffed out by a thoughtful frown creasing his features. "Wait a minute. Technically?"

"Yeah... That's the news," Reeve shrugged, nodding morosely. "Domino wants us to stay another week."

Rufus looked from the executive to the barmaid and back, his shoulders slumped. "You're joking."

"I'm afraid not. And... AVALANCHE just discussed it together, you know, and ... well..." Tifa faltered, glancing at Reeve, her eyebrows raised apologetically. "Maybe it's a good idea if we-"

"Who's quest is this!?! Honestly!" Rufus scowled, falling back into his slouch. He put one hand to his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut exasperatedly. "This is crazy. What the hell does it matter if Domino wants us to stay? He just wants to suck up to us some more, that's all. Improve his own reputation. It's bullshit."

He shook his head down at the floor, hair hanging down over his face haphazardly. It only then struck Tifa how much Rufus had changed. Instead of the princely, arrogant President of Shinra he had arrived as, he had deteriorated somehow. One month living in his former mansion, and he had changed drastically. His hair was no longer slicked back, but allowed to fall over his face more often, his posture was no longer calm and erect. Thinking back, she couldn't remember when exactly this change had occured, but sensed it had been happening, little by little, for a long time.

But she hadn't noticed it before the Turks had abandoned him. Had that thrown him over some unseen edge?

"Tifa," Rufus said suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. She looked back to him, startled by the look in his blue eyes. "What do you think? Do you care about staying another week?"

"I think it would be a good idea," she ventured slowly. "Cid made it seem as though Domino stated it as a veiled threat. He'd probably sabatoge something if we refused."

Rufus laughed mirthlessly and shook his head at something across the room. "Probably. Cunning little bastard." He pulled himself to his feet then, raking a hand through his hair. Tifa's eyes darted to the shotgun momentarily showing itself from beheath his large, white trenchcoat, but Rufus pulled the jacket tighter around him and it was obscured from view. "Alright. Fine. I'm not really in a hurry to reach the Northern Crater, anyway. And, besides," he added, looking sideways at Tifa, "I still have to learn how to use Materia."

"Yeah." Reeve nodded slowly, standing himself. Tifa followed suit, and the two nodded sideways at each other. "I'll go tell them that it's alright with you, then. Thanks, Rufus."

Rufus shrugged and watched as first Reeve, then Tifa turned to go. Only Tifa hesitated at the door, and turned to look at him, confusion in her eyes. But as soon as she saw that he was looking at her, and their eyes met, she broke away and kept walking, all the way out the door.

///Scarlet was going up the elevator to see, to save him. No one knew yet; no one had gotten up the courage to get up there and see. Since the blast, the world had turned to chaos, with screaming women and frantic men scurrying everywhere, running in hoardes out of the Shinra building. Rumours, ghastly lies, were flying everywhere, emphasized by the large groups of injured employees scattered around the building. No one had yet made that trip up to the top of the building, no search parties had been formed. Because putting together a team for this kind of thing would have been the direct result of a presidential order, and the rumours were, the President was dead.//

//She waiting while the cold metal door slid slowly open, bracing herself for what she would see. It was worse than she had thought. The place stunk like a Mako reactor, with smoldering metal and warped plastic piled everywhere, everything deformed past recognition. And oh Planet, did it stink. Scarlet stepped out of the elevator distastefully, trying to ignore the beating of her own heart. Her high-heeled shoes made a loud clicking on the smooth marble floor as she took a few faltering steps, unsure of where to start. She knew immediately, instinctively, that, wherever Rufus was, she needed to get him out of there. That is, if he was alive.//

//But he had to be alive. He was Rufus Shinra. He was perhaps the strongest human being ever created, save Sephiroth himself. Not physically, but mentally. He could will himself alive from the brink of death. It had happened before. He was alive. He was alive.//

//Suddenly, a solid, dark shape lept in front of her, fear and hatred glowing in its piggish eyes. Scarlet shrieked in surprise and fell backwards against the now-closed elevator doors, feeling the cold metal unyielding to her skin. She nearly lost her balance, but quickly righted herself and cursed herself for her nerves when she recognized her fellow executive, the former war general himself. Heidegger.//

//"You filthy bastard," she hissed, touching her hair to make sure it was still held firmly in place. "What the hell are you doing up here?"//

//She immediately didn't like how nervous he was, how his eyes darted back and forth an his breath came in panting gulps. "The President is dead."//

//Her deep, wine-colored eyes burned into him, blinking slowly as she struggled to come to terms with the impossible. "How do you know?"//

//"He's dead," Heidegger repeated, licking his lips shiftily. "Rufus Shinra is dead."//

//She didn't move for several seconds. Her voice was oddly quiet, though it echoed forever amongst the wreckage of the Diamond Weapon's blast. "Where is he."//

//Heidegger glanced at her, but nodded once and turned away. He led her over several piles of rubble, through smoldering plastic and sparking wires littering the floor. They moved deeper through the room, the stink getting worse and worse, huge shards of glass embedded in everything. Scarlet's eyes roved around the room, at the twisted, melted metal, knowing all too well that nothing could have survived this. His office must have taken a direct hit. It was impossible. But...//

//And then her eyes caught onto something red, strawberry blonde, in the scrap head Heidegger was leading her to. Red, strawberry blonde, white, black, charred grey. Deep blood red. She scrambled over the debris pile in her way, not even caring when she sent several shards of metal scattering noisily to the floor. It was him. There was no question. Rufus Shinra.//

//She wouldn't have believed how calm he looked. How young he looked. How dead.//

//Time stopped in that brief moment, while she stared down at him. She kept expecting him to move, to flinch, to blink, but nothing happened. It was amazing, all the small movements of life that one expects, that are painfully obvious once life is gone. His coat was soaked with crimson and singed grey. Far from the proud white it had been only hours ago, the last time she had seen him, when he was giving his final orders. And, worse, his normally pale, ivory face was marred by a long scar, stretching from his temple to his jaw. Without thinking, she knelt at his side and mopped the blood from his countenance with a peice of his coat. Of all the dead bodies Scarlet had ever seen, this was the only one that could turn her stomach. Because the one man who would have outlasted them all, the little boy who was older than time, was dead. Rufus was dead.//

//There was a click from behind her, an ominous, familiar click. A gun. Heidegger had a gun, and it was levelled and ready, aimed at the back of her head. "Keep your mouth shut, or I will shoot."//

//She couldn't move, her body frozen in place, her eyes locked on Rufus Shinra's still-bleeding corpse. "Heidegg-"//

//"I killed him. Now I have to get rid of the body." His voice was scared, so scared. Almost whimpering in fear. "And you will help me."//

//Rising to her feet, Scarlet slowly turned to face him, her face a mask of ice. "You didn't kill him. The Weapon did."//

//"I killed him. He might have survived, he was still living when I arrived. I just watched him die." He laughed, gulping for air, swallowing harshly. His hands were shaking, and the barrel of the gun was wavering uncontrollably. "I could kill /you/, anyway."//

//"Yes." Scarlet wanted to retch, wanted to scream, wanted to cry, wanted to die. The bastard was aiming at her with Rufus's shotgun. "You could."//

//There was a tense moment of silence, neither of them moving, both of them with muscles primed and ready for whatever would come next. Scarlet was suddenly aware of the desolation in the room, the silence. The only sounds discernable was the faint humming of some intangible electricity, and the lonely sound of car horns through the now-open windows. Behind Heidegger was the oppressive Midgar gloom, a red, smoky sky hovering above everything. You could never see the sun, no matter what time it was. In Midgar, everything was endless night. Was this the last thing Rufus ever saw? Or was it Heidegger's smugly grinning face, the hoarse laugh ringing in his ears?///

//He shifted his foot, cracking a shard of glass on the floor with a loud pop. Scarlet almost flinched at the sound, but forced herself to remain calm. Heidegger, however, tensed every muscle, his finger tightening on the trigger of Rufus's gun. She waited, moments flowing into minutes, into hours, into days.//

//All of a sudden, he was laughing, the raucous, horse laugh that he was consummately famous for. The barrel of Rufus's gun was lowered, as his chuckled enveloped his whole body. Scarlet didn't move. Simply watched him.//

//"I'm a fool," he rasped, tapping the barrel against the marble floor. "What do I have to worry about you for, Scarlet? For God's sake, we're the leaders of Shinra now."//

//She knew it. Oh, yes, she did. Which was the only reason why she didn't fly at Heidegger, why she didn't wrench the gun from his grip and shoot his brains out, end his life like he had ended that of the boy lying dead behind her. She knew it. She hated it. She hated everything at that moment. Everything she had once been was dead. Long dead.//

//"C'mon, we need to get the body," Heidegger urged, having grown impatient for her reply. "They're gonna have someone comin' up here soon. I don't wanna have to kill him, too." Heidegger hoisted Rufus over his shoulder, blood soaking into his dark green suit. "Damned bastard's bleeding on me. Hurry, where do we put him?"//

//Scarlet closed her eyes, banishing the tears from her eyes. /I'm sorry Rufus. I'm so sorry./ "The basement. They'll never look there. Hurry."//

"Rufus...?"

"Oh god... Oh my god, no..."

"Rufus? Open your eyes, Rufus... C'mon... What's going on?"

"Tifa... Tifa, they... Oh, god, no..."

"My Planet, you're pale... And, Rufus... you're shaking! What's wrong? C'mon, you're scaring me, snap out of it. What's wrong? What did you see? Rufus?"

"They... Tifa, it was *them*. *They* were ..."

"What!? Who? Talk to me. Stop staring at me like that. Rufus, try to breathe. ... ... You're freezing cold. ... Rufus..."

"It was ... *Her*..."

"Who?"

"No... Oh my Planet, please no... Please...no..."

"Rufus, stop it! You're scaring me! Tell me what's going on. *Please*!"

"Tifa?"

"... ...Rufus?"

"... ... ... Tifa."

He grabbed her arm and took her to the small bluff overlooking the ocean, the same spot where Vincent once looked out over the ocean, waiting for Lucrecia. It was deserted now, the only sound that of the waves breaking on the shore a few feet below. It was sunset; the sky was emblazoned with streaks of scarlet and gold smeared across the horizon. Above, a few stars were visible, twinkling dimly in the fast-approaching twilite. The salt wind blew deeper, pushing Tifa's hair away from her face as she watched Rufus carefully. His trenchcoat flapped in the breeze, revealing the shotgun at his side, which sparkled as it caught the reflection of the setting sun. He bit his lower lip and stared out to sea, his Mako eyes glowing brightly in the dim light.

Neither of them said a word for a long time, simply staying where they were, with Tifa and Rufus standing a few feet apart, watching the setting sun. No words needed to be said. He was calmer now, but not at ease, it was obvious. He hadn't explained why he had awakened with a cry, why he had been drenched with sweat and babbling on about 'her'. Tifa merely went with him, sensing pain in him rooted deeper than anything else within him. Deeper than birth, deeper than death.

He could feel her eyes on him, but couldn't turn to face her, no matter how hard he willed himself. His mouth parted slightly, taking in a breath of the saline breeze and closing his eyes. "Tifa... I don't know what to-"

"You don't have to," she reassured him immediately, before he had even finished his sentance. "You don't have to, if you don't want to."

"I can't do that," he said softly, looking down to the ground. "Tifa, I don't... I've never... I don't know what to do. This is all so..."

"I know, Rufus. I know." She considered putting her hand out for him, but something held her back. It was like a power kept her rooted in place, wouldn't let her approach the enigma standing before her. "The Planet chose you to be its Weapon. I'm sure there's a lot of... I mean, it's a scary thing..."

"Yes..." he murmured, opening his hands and staring at them, his eyes glittering. "But... that's not it... It's how I died. It's ... how I lived..."

Tifa bit her lower lip, pushing her hair away from her face. "It's too late now. You're making up for it, anyway." There was a silence, while she struggled for words to say. "And, if it matters... I forgive you."

"But... you don't even..." He put his hands to his forehead, covering his eyes with his hands. "You don't even... You can't."

"Rufus..." Tifa shifted her weight uneasily but couldn't make herself move towards him. "I do."

He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes brimming with pain and confusion. His hands dropped to his sides, curling into fists. "You don't understand, Tifa. It's not that easy. You can't forgive me."

"I have," she shrugged, biting her lower lip. "I know it doesn't mean much, but... I mean, for that whole execution thing, and for trying to kill AVALANCHE ... I just forgive you. I know you probably just didn't... I mean, I ..." She looked at the ground, waving a hand meaninglessly. "I don't know what to say."

Rufus turned away from her and looked up to the stars, his face desperate and pleading, as though he was searching for some answer. "Don't you think how it's funny that I ended up in the basement of the Shinra building after I died? Did you ever think about that?"

There was a silence; the only sound was the waves crashing against the beach. Tifa stared at him, uncomprehending. "You were in the basement? I didn't know that. But... Wait, shouldn't you have been...?"

"In my office. Yes. I should have." Rufus turned to face her, letting his breath out slowly. "It was Scarlet. She and Heidegger put me in the basement. He murdered me, and Scarlet didn't stop him. ..." He put a hand to his head, the red locks springing from between his fingers. "She... They were my murderers."

"That's no surprise to me, Rufus," Tifa said quietly. "She was ruthless. She's probably betrayed millions in her time. But she's dead now, I mean, it's over, right?"

He shook his head slowly. "I can't explain what went on between the two of us. She knew me like no one else did. I didn't even have to say anything, and she knew exactly what I was thinking. She was the only person I've ever met who really *knew* me. But that was because she was exactly the same as me... But..."

Tifa took a step closer, feeling suddenly cold. "Rufus..."

"But... then *you*," he continued helplessly, his eyes brimming with confusion and pain. "You came along... and... You were the same. You *know* me... Like no one... But... You're not..." He looked at her, desperate. "You're not... like anything else..."

"Rufus..."

"Tifa..." He shook his head vehemently, turning his face away, rooted in place. "I don't know what to tell you."

Her heart was beating mercilessly in her chest, so fast she could barely breathe. "You don't have to say anything, Rufus."

"But..." he murmured softly, "I do."

She took another step forwards, almost shaking in fear. He looked at her with some undiscernable emotion in his eyes, from terror to pain to hope and back again. He didn't move, kept his hands fisted at his sides, but he didn't make any motion to push her away. He just let her come, didn't take her eyes off of hers. The two were bound together, unable to break the connection between them, woven together in this moment and somehow totally helpless to look away.

"Rufus..." she murmured, the exact same moment he said softly, "Tifa..."

They both realized it at the same moment; someone was watching them.

Rufus broke his gaze away from hers, noticing the movement out of the corner of his eye. His expression didn't change, but, from even a foot away, Tifa could tell how tense he suddenly became beneath his overcoat. She turned her head slowly to see what he saw, her wine-colored eyes widening when she beheld the sight in front of her.

The Turks stood in perfect formation, dressed impeccably in their blue and white suits, only about thirty feet away. Their faces were hard and without expression, three identical sheets of ice against the dusky sky. Reno held his nightstick at his side, Elena had one finger hooked into the belt loops of her pants, and Rude stood with fists clenched at his sides. The redhead stood a little in front of the other two, his eyes glittering with some sort of triumph, pride, and arrogance.

No one moved. Rufus's body was tense, his eyes hardening to glimmering Mako steel as he stared at his former bodyguards, sensing unspoken threats from the three. It was apparant, what they must have come for. His blue Mako eyes swirled in the gathering darkness, he pulled himself to his full height, though he knew it was futile. They were unintimidated. Nothing would sway them; they could stand here in silence for ages, letting the tension build, letting it grow and grow. The Turks and Rufus, meeting one final time. And Rufus knew, if there was one thing the Turks loved, it was dramatic tension.

He felt the girl at his side moving away from him, stepping back, out of fear or anger, he couldn't tell. She was shaking slightly, from the growing cold or dread, or anger. He didn't know. Rufus wondered if he could tell his thoughts even then, or if she was just as confused as he was. A sidelong glance at her showed only a blank expression on her face, though a flush was building on her cheeks, and her arms were slightly raised, ready for battle position.

It was Tifa who spoke first, breaking the long silence. "Did you know they were coming?" she asked Rufus in a cold voice, in a tone that chilled him through and through. "Are you in on this?"

"Tifa," he protested, not looking at her. "What are you talking about?"

"You planned this," she snapped, looking from him to the Turks and back again. "Rufus, I thought... I thought we were friends."

"Did we come at a bad time?" Reno sneered, one eyebrow raising. "Don't mind us, we're not really here."

"Tifa, I swear to the Planet, I didn't know. I had nothing to do with this," Rufus asserted. "Don't think that!"

Tifa faltered, but returned her focus to the Turks, who had been watching the scene impassively, though Elena and Reno's lips had curled up in almost identical half-sneers. Their eyes met hers, haughty and contemptuous, especially Reno, who hadn't seemed to forget the attack she made on him in the Junon alley.

"So we meet again, Reno," the ex-president interrupted, his voice dripping sarcasm. "Do I need to guess why you're here?"

"If you're asking if we were sent, no you do not," the redhead replied offhandedly, shrugging his lanky shoulders and tilting his head impishly to one side. "I think you can guess what's happened, can't you, sir?"

"I think I can," Rufus nodded angrily. "Who was it?"

"The Turks never reveal their employers. You should know that by now, Mr Shinra."

Rufus shook his head slowly, a tired smirk on his face. "You've certainly outdone yourselves this time, Turks. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir," the Turk replied, bowing his head once. "If you know why we're here, then, I guess there are no surprises."

"Promise me one thing, first. Don't hurt the girl," Rufus growled lowly, moving forward to stand between Tifa and the three killers. "She's not a part of this. Promise me that. As your ex-President."

"She won't be hurt," Reno smirked, raising one eyebrow. "You can bet on that."

Rufus paused, then turned to the young woman, who had stepped back, astounded at his sudden act of chivalry. "Go inside, Tifa."

Anger flared within her, bringing her to her full height, shaking her head firmly. "No. If they're here to kill you, I'm not going to let them without a fight."

"I've already died," Rufus snapped harshly. "I'm not afraid of them. Go. Tell the rest, if you want. I'm sure by the time they get here, the Turks will be gone. Just..." His eyes took on a quality of pleading, and he reached out to grip her shoulders. He pulled her closer so that their faces were almost touching, and lowered his voice, so that even the Turks and their acute hearing couldn't read his words. "Make sure you find the materia, ok? Find the materia. Even if I can't."

"No!!! Rufus..." Tifa protested, pulling herself out of his grip and glaring at him. "I'm staying with you."

There was a lengthy silence, in which the two simply stared at each other. Slowly, Rufus reached for his waist, resting his hand on the hilt of his sawed-off shotgun, making sure that Tifa could see, and understood his threats. "Go," he hissed softly. "These are the Turks. You play by their rules, or your death is that much more painful, Tifa." He pointed towards the mansion, his red hair wild in the dimming light. "Now."

She drew back, her eyes clouding. "No."

"Tifa," he growled softly. "Please. Go."

"Rufus, I don't understand..."

He didn't answer. Why didn't she leave? She couldn't suddenly turn noble and let herself die with him. She didn't deserve any of that. "Go inside, Tifa," he commanded for the last time, his voice serious, deadly. The shotgun glinted as he pulled it halfway from its holster, never once taking his eyes off of hers. "Now."

Feeling the world crashing around her, the wind and pain screaming in her ears, Tifa turned. And ran. And ran.