Rufus and Cloud

Rufus Shinra sighed in boredom, fiddling with a pen in the silence of his office. As vice president of the most powerful company in the world, he had to do just as much paperwork as his old man, the present president. He shifted his attention from the large stack of papers on his desktop to the clock, groaning as he saw the glaring digital numbers of 11:46 P.M. His eyelids were threatening to come crashing down over his eyes if he didn't sleep soon, but he knew he wasn't going anywhere with so much work to do still.

He leaned back into his chair and rubbed his temples wearily. "Gods, I'm still a teenager," he mumbled wryly, "and I'm already doing this kind of shit." This was very true. Rufus had been forced into the role of heir-to-an-empire at the young age of fourteen, but this was his first year of taking in paperwork similar to his father's. He ran his left hand through his thick, dark blond hair with three bangs and shut his eyes. The silence of the room that Rufus could have sworn was starting to eat him alive was abruptly banished by a knock at the door, which was immediately followed by two more knocks. Rufus cracked one eye open tiredly and slowly regained his composure before calling out to the person outside. "Come in."

The door flew open, admitting Rufus' younger brother, Cloud Shinra. Cloud was considered the lighter of the two, with a brighter blond hair color than his brother and eyes that glittered in any type of light, without the help of Mako. "Dad got ya working late again?" he queried, one light brow furrowed.

Rufus groaned miserably and nodded, setting one arm up on the desktop to hold up his head. "I've been doing paperwork for the last four hours," he sighed, gesturing to the large pile of papers stacked next to his desk. "I've still got all this to do." Rufus pointed to the three stacks of forms and files on his desk.

Cloud shrugged and sat in one of the two chairs positioned in front his Rufus' desk. "Well, that's nothing," he started. "Dad's still up in his office, working away, too. And you know that he didn't even join us for dinner; just think how long he's been at it?"

"I don't want to know."

"Seven hours."

"I told you I didn't want to know!"

"Well, I was never the one to take orders, you know, Rufus," Cloud replied. "I'm more the one to dish them out."

Rufus snorted. "That's a laugh," he said, rolling his eyes. He was no longer as tired as he had been before; with his little brother around, things rarely got boring. "You couldn't give orders if your life depended on it."

Cloud grinned, leaning back into his chair with his arms behind his head. "Maybe so, but I still would prefer to give orders than take them."

The two continued to chat as Rufus wrote more of the forms and papers. Cloud, as it turned out, had managed to gather a bunch of gossip while his older brother was working all day. "You know that really tall silver-haired SOLDIER?" the younger Shinra queried.

Rufus looked up from his work and frowned. There was only one man in the whole SOLDIER unit that had silver hair. . . "You mean that guy that was able to stand up to Hojo? Yeah, I've heard about him. His name's Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?" Cloud blinked, a little surprised by the unusual name. ". . . Weird name. Well, anyway, he's really starting to make a name for himself. I heard that he's been kicking Wutai ass up there."

"Oh, really?" Rufus said, putting down his pen and allowing his hand to rest. "So we've got a war hero now?"

"Looks like it," replied Cloud, his hands falling into his lap. "I've heard he's being promoted to a general . . and . . damn, he's got a big sword. It's even bigger than Zack's!"

At that comparison, Rufus' eyes widened. Zack Ebony was one of the younger SOLDIERs and he was known to use a large, sharp-edged Buster Sword instead of the regular SOLDIER swords that Shinra Incorporated supplied. The sword's blade alone reached Zack's shoulders, yet the boy only one year older than Cloud was still able to use the sword with ease. This within itself seemed highly unnatural, but Zack, who had quickly become friends with Cloud, had assured him that it was just pure skill.

"Hmm. . . Wonder if Dad's already heard about this guy?" Rufus found himself mumbling.

"Most likely."

They talked for about another thirty minutes before Rufus glanced at his clock again. "It's 12:19. . . I think the rest of this stuff can wait until tomorrow." The young man set down his pen and stood up. Cloud stood up as well.

"C'mon," Cloud sighed, turning towards the door and waving to his older brother, "I'll walk you to the elevator." A grin slowly spread over his tired face. "You look ready to fall over." Not waiting for any type of retort from Rufus, Cloud opened the door and stepped outside.

Rufus followed quietly, grabbing his light jacket on his way out. The two brothers walked to the pair of elevators on the sixty-ninth floor, Cloud pressing the down button upon their arrival. There were a few moments of silence between the two as they waited, but only a few, as the elevator bell rang as it reached their floor. As the doors silently opened, Rufus and Cloud exchanged good-nights before Rufus got into the elevator that would soon be descending to the forty-third floor. Just before the doors shut, Cloud and Rufus made eye contact, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. This contact between the two just seemed to add some finality to their farewells, as it happened everytime before they would split up. It was like some type of quiet respect for one another, even if their words would not do justice to such a thought.

Rufus yawned as the elevator doors opened on the sixtieth floor, and as he opened his eyes, the young man was startled to find himself face to face with the solemn-faced leader of the Turks. Tseng regarded Rufus quietly and nodded. "Good evening, Mr. Vice President," he greeted formally, stepping into the elevator.

Although he had seen the Turk many times before, Rufus had to stare at the stoic figure before him. As long as he could remember, Tseng had been the leader of the Turks. The young vice president knew that the leader of the Turks had a very cold reputation in every city in the world. The older man was known for his calm demeanor and the aura of foreboding he emitted. Rufus shuddered at the thought of how many people Tseng could kill just by being around him.

Hoping to lift the eerie silence that had enveloped the elevator, Rufus cleared his throat and looked at the taller man. "So . . . uh, why did you come in so late?" Only after those words came out did Rufus realize how awkward the words truly were.

He could feel Tseng's steel-colored eyes immediately on him, and he grimaced as Tseng replied. "I was chasing the Ancient," he said icily.

Rufus nodded slowly before returning to his own thoughts. He had heard of the Ancient before. From what he knew from the business meetings he attended, (his father refused to talk to him about the Ancient) there was only one Ancient left on the Planet. The Ancients were another race different from humans that had been around for thousands of years, and they were known to possess mysterious powers that enabled them to speak to, use, and listen to the Planet. Hojo, the head of the science department and the most foreboding person Rufus had ever met, was very intent on capturing the girl Ancient. Hojo had even been able to get his father to order the Turks to try to capture the Ancient, but she turned out to be very clever; she managed to evade the Turks for quite some time now.

A quiet sigh of relief passed Rufus' lips as the elevator stopped on the forty-third floor, and he made his way to the door as it opened. His eyes lingered on Tseng, who stood silently against the wall of elevator, and he turned to look at him. "Good night, Tseng," he said.

Tseng looked up at him, his eyes focusing on the teenage vice president. "Good night, sir," he returned, nodding at him.

Rufus turned and exited the elevator, stopping to see it close and descend farther downward. When he could no longer hear the humming of the elevator, Rufus started down to his quarters, his feet feeling heavier as he walked along. Soon, very soon, he would be able to enjoy the comfort of his king-sized bed.

Cloud Shinra felt a tap on his shoulder, and he groggily opened his eyes. He sighed, still feeling drowsiness clinging on to him like a child to its mother. The sixteen-year old boy turned in his chair, rubbing his blue eyes to see his brother looking down on him. "Huh?" he queried. "What's up, Ruf?" He had been napping in his brother's office and Rufus had interrupted a great dream he had been having.

Rufus flipped a few rebellious strands of hair from his left eye before looking down, back to his brother. "Dad wants you present at the meeting today, Cloud," he said.

Cloud blinked in surprise. "Why?" he asked, rising from his seat. Rufus backed away as his brother stretched his arms, crossing his own arms across his chest.

"Why does Dad want anything?" Rufus said in reply, shrugging. "I suggest that you get dressed in something more appropriate than that blue suit, Cloud; people'll think you're a Turk."

The younger of the two made a face. "No, they won't," he said, brushing at his blue suit. "Look at Reeve; he wears a blue suit, and no one calls him a Turk."

"That's because people *know* he's not a Turk," sighed Rufus, shaking his head. "Just . . oh, forget it. Wear what you want; it's not my reputation on the line."

"Oh?" Cloud snorted. "Look at you, Mr. I'm-All-White." He pointed a finger at Rufus' suit, which was completely white, except for the turtleneck under his jacket. "People will think you dropped your clothes in a bucket of bleach."

Rufus rolled his eyes and turned away from his brother. "Grow up a little, will you?" he mumbled, a smile slowly spreading on his face.

"I see that smile!!" Cloud chuckled, his eyes glittering happily. "Well, at least I know you're still human; you're still smiling."

"Are you trying to say that Sephiroth isn't human, Cloud?" queried Rufus.

"More or less, yes," Cloud replied. He shuddered at the thought of the man. "I really hate that guy."

Rufus' brow shot up. "Well, that's something I thought I'd never hear," he remarked. "Everyone loves Sephiroth. He's a hero, a SOLDIER, and everyone wants to be like him."

"That's what you think, bro," Cloud sighed. "There's tons of people out there that are scared stiff of Sephiroth; he's a very stoic character and he doesn't even say that much. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't ever smiled in his whole life."

"Why don't you ask him, then?" Rufus asked, his arms still crossed.

"Huh? How?" Cloud blinked in confusion.

"He's coming to the meeting."

At that, Cloud paled considerably.

Rufus nodded at Reeve as the head of the urban development and city maintenance division walked past him, and he received a smile from the bearded man. Rufus liked Reeve; he wasn't as formal as the other executives were to him and he chatted with him every now and then. He continued to walk towards the briefing room, watching Reeve turn right at the corner. As he approached the corner, he heard a deep, sultry voice behind him.

"Hello, Rufus."

The young man didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "Hello, Scarlet," he said, stopping. "How are you?"

The beautiful head of the weapon research and development division smiled at the young vice president, tossing back her blond locks nonchalantly. "Oh, just fine, Rufy," she purred, her quick hands running down his arms. "Hmm . . . been working out?"

Rufus could feel his face going red. This wasn't the first time that Scarlet had been touching him and talking to him seductively, but he still wasn't used to it. "Y-- Yes," he managed to sputter out.

Scarlet smiled behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. For a teenager, the young vice president was tall and slender. She brought one hand down and let it trace his chest, her smile broadening. A voice from behind the two snapped them from their reverie. "Isn't my brother a little too young for your taste, Scarlet?" came Cloud's voice. "Why don't you jump into bed with Heidegger or something?" The woman immediately spun around and hissed at the smug-looking boy, tossing back her head and stalking off towards the briefing room. Rufus let out a sigh of relief as she disappeared from sight. Cloud came over and looked at his brother. "Hey, you okay, Ruf? I know you have a soft spot for women."

"Soft spot my ass," snorted Rufus, shaking his head. "That woman just gives me the creeps. I bet you she's been in bed with everyone in the building, excluding you, myself, and Reeve."

Cloud frowned. "Even Dad?" he queried.

"Even Dad," Rufus affirmed, flicking a few blond strands of hair from his face.

Cloud shuddered at the thought of Scarlet running her hands down his father's arms and chest in the same manner he had just seen her do to his brother. He shook his head and looked his brother straight in the eye. "Well, let's get going," he sighed. Deep inside, he still dreaded going to the meeting; he didn't want to see Sephiroth up and close.

Rufus nodded, leading his brother towards the conference room.

The two brothers took their seats across each other in the first seats before the head of the table. Reeve sat to Rufus' left, while Palmer, the head of the space travel division, was to Cloud's right. Cloud threw his brother a look of dismay as Palmer giggled and rocked back and forth in his chair, Cloud's eyes clearly saying, "Help me." To Reeve's left was Scarlet, who was busy filing her nails. Heidegger, the head the of public safety and peace preservation division, sat to Palmer's right and was making it his business to ignore the silly man. Over on Scarlet's left was Hojo, the head of the science research and development. He sat in silence, his eyes always on the double doors that were the entrances and exits of the room.

A few minutes passed before President Shinra stepped into the room, flanked by the two Turks, Tseng and Rude. Rufus and Cloud's father shared their blond hair and blue eyes, but he was quite heavier than either of the two. He strode towards the front of the table through the side that Rufus sat at, the two Turks sitting across from each other, Rude to Hojo's left, Tseng sitting with an empty seat to his left. President Shinra watched the two sit before taking his seat, and he eyed his executives and sons.

"We'll wait a few minutes for Sephiroth to arrive," Shinra announced.

"Don't bother," came an icy voice from the still-open doors. Everyone turned their attention from President Shinra to the man at the entrance, whose waist length hair was a shimmering silver color. He had aqua eyes that glimmered with Mako, the marking of SOLDIER, and he wore a long, black trenchcoat over his SOLDIER uniform.

"Welcome, Sephiroth," greeted President Shinra. Rufus' eyes immediately went to Cloud, who was frowning at the SOLDIER. The two brothers made contact for a brief moment, and Rufus could see the uneasiness burning within his brother's eyes. "Take a seat next Tseng, if you will." Sephiroth took long strides as he walked towards Cloud's side of the table, sitting down in the vacant seat between Heidegger and Tseng. President Shinra cleared his throat before continuing on. "Well, now that everyone is here," he started, "I'd like to get this meeting started."

The meeting went rather smoothly, up to the point where the town of Nibelheim came up. "The residents of the town of Nibelheim have been complaining about the Mako Reactor on Mount Nibel," President Shinra said. "It seems that monsters have been appearing ever since the reactor started malfunctioning, and no one's been able to get close to the reactor without getting killed."

"That's why you want SOLDIER to get involved," Sephiroth stated coldly, his eyes burrowing into President Shinra's.

Shinra paused to break contact with Sephiroth's eyes before nodding. "Yes," he said. "We are going to send you, Sephiroth, along with Zack Ebony and Johnny Darden to Nibelheim to check out the reactor."

Sephiroth nodded. "Fine," he said flatly.

"I am sending one other person with you," President Shinra said. He looked at Cloud. "Cloud, I'm sending you off with Sephiroth on this mission."

Cloud paled considerably. "W-- what!?" he stammered.

"I want you and your brother to have some hands-on experience with these type of things," Cloud's father stated calmly. He looked from Cloud to Rufus, while the executives, Turks, and SOLDIER officer looked on. "That's why I'm sending you on SOLDIER missions, Cloud." He turned to Rufus. "Rufus, you will be sent to our office in Junon."

Rufus blinked in surprise, but he didn't dare ask a question. He swallowed hard and nodded. Scarlet looked rather disappointed; she had been hoping to be able to seduce the young vice president before he started to gain his independence. She felt President Shinra's eyes on her, and she brought her attention back to the meeting.

"You said that you had some type of new weapon that you wanted me to approve, Scarlet?" he queried, resting his arms on the top of the table.

A smile crept up Scarlet's lips, and she nodded. "I'm sure that this new weapon I have in mind will be of great interest to you, Mr. President," she said. "I call it the Sister Ray. . ."

Cloud stepped on to the roof of the Shinra Building, looking up to see a helicopter coming his way. He sighed, his eyes searching the rooftop for his brother. Rufus had asked him to see him off, since their father would be too busy with his work to see his older son leave. He finally found Rufus standing near the edge of the roof, his head bowed. Cloud wrapped his gray coat around himself as he walked to his brother's side.

Rufus glanced at his younger brother, but he quickly went back to looking down at the plate that separated the top floors of the Shinra Building from the sectors down below. He wore his white suit and coat, his coat billowing like Cloud's against the combined force of the wind and the helicopter propellers.

"So . . . you're leaving in an hour?" Rufus queried.

Cloud nodded. "We're going by plane to Junon. . ." He paused, waiting for Rufus to look up at him. "Maybe I'll see you there?" he added hopefully.

Rufus shrugged. "Probably not," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. A wry smile appeared on his face. "Make sure that Scarlet keeps her hands off you and Reeve, okay?"

The younger Shinra grinned. "Sure," he replied, "as long as you keep on smiling."

Rufus laughed and shook his head. "I'll try my best," he said. "It's gonna be pretty hard, though, since you're not going to be around."

"Well, try your best."

"Oh, you can bet I will." Rufus' dark blue eyes glinted in the early sunlight. The two brothers turned as the helicopter landed on the landing pad on the rooftop, and Rufus sighed. "Well, I'll see you, Cloud."

Cloud didn't reply as Rufus moved towards the helicopter. He watched his brother get into the helicopter, looking past him to see Tseng at the controls. As the helicopter came up off the pad, Cloud brought hand up in farewell. Rufus stood at the open door of the helicopter, looking down at him in silence. Cloud could see his brother bring his own hand up, and it was only then that their eyes met. Both pairs of eyes scanned each other, and their eyes remained locked until they could no longer see each other. Cloud took a deep breath as he lost sight of the helicopter, turning away and striding towards his father's office. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be seeing Rufus again for quite some time.

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