Rufus and Cloud

Aeris Gainsborough was dead.

He really couldn't care less.

Cloud Shinra stared at the old, framed picture he kept at his bedside every night. It showed two smiling young boys and their parents, who were both smiling genuinely at the camera. The two boys, the blue-shirted one clearly older, were shoulder to shoulder with bright eyes always staring out of the picture. Their father chortled merrily behind the two -- something one wouldn't expect of the man always seen as a cruel, hardened businessman. The picture had been taken seventeen years ago, and the blond woman in the picture, his and Rufus' mother, had been dead for twelve years. He held the picture to his chest and shut his eyes, bowing his head.

All he wanted was things to be the way they were before. Before their mother died in that plane crash. Before their father closed himself from all emotion. Before Sephiroth went insane. Before AVALANCHE even existed. Before their father died. Before Tseng died. A shudder ran down his spine as he allowed a tear to rise and slip down his cheek. He couldn't cry in front of everyone else, especially Ruf; he had enough things to worry about without him.

"Damn all of this. . .," he muttered bitterly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Even with all of his tears and curses, he couldn't change the past. He couldn't save his mother, or his father, or Tseng. He felt powerless.

Of course, it was natural to feel powerless against fate.

AVALANCHE had finally gone too far with the murder of Tseng. His eyes blazed as he stared out upon Midgar. This was his usual stance since his rise to President; staring upon the plated Midgar with his hands folded behind his back. But if looks could kill, the whole populous would have been long dead under the gaze of the angry young man.

"Damn AVALANCHE, damn Zack, damn them all!" he rasped to himself. "Damn Sephiroth, damn the Cetra, damn Jenova a million times over!!" His right hand, trembling with rage, shaped into a fist and made its way to the glass window before him. And, to the eternal surprise of Rufus, it shattered on impact.

The cold air swirled around through his office from the hole, and Rufus stepped away, his eyes no longer fiery but a dangerous frown now on his face. He shouldn't act this way. This was no way to act now. . . What would Father have done? He shook his head. Father couldn't help him now. Even if he lost all feeling after Mother died, he was still his father. It was wrong not to think of him during dire times.

Knowing the last Cetra, Aeris Gainsborough, was dead wasn't comforting. He had asked Reeve to break it to Elmyra Gainsborough, and the executive had given him the most hesitant affirmation he had ever heard. Rufus thought of the woman, crying her eyes out for the child she had known for the majority of her, Aeris', life as her own. It hurt. It actually hurt.

Steeling himself against everything was becoming more and more impossible with each passing event. What was going to happen next? Was he going to break his legs? Was he going to lose Cloud and Reno, too? Was he going to lose everything? . . . Was he going to lose himself? He spun around and slammed his hands into his desk, earning himself an echoing clap that bounced off the walls of his office.

This was no longer about simply capturing AVALANCHE for their crimes against Shinra Incorporated. This was about stopping them before they killed anymore people. He remembered the bombings of the Mako Reactors he had been informed of while in Junon. The hundreds of people killed by their ruthless acts. Not to mention those hurt emotionally by their acts. Elena, who had cried all over him after Tseng's death, just wasn't the same anymore. She was still a little airheadish, but her views of AVALANCHE had changed completely. She saw them as enemies on which to let loose her revenge. It was with a hesitant heart that he allowed her to go after the rebels.

"Mr. President? Mr. President!!"

Rufus looked up from his desk to see a young messenger hurrying to him from the staircase. The younger man glanced behind Rufus, eyes widening a little at the sight of the hole in the window. That didn't keep him from reporting his message, however. "President Rufus, Elena of the Turks just called in with a report that AVALANCHE is in Icicle Inn and continuing north!"

"Icicle Inn?" Rufus' eyes narrowed. "What would they want up there. . .? What could be so valuable--" A thought -- several thoughts, actually -- occurred to him and he punched the button on his intercom. "Get me Professor Hojo."

The secretary on the other end sounded startled. "W-- what, Mr. President?"

"Get me Professor Hojo. I don't care if he's missing or anything. Find him. Immediately! I want him in my office, now!"

"Yes, sir!!!"

Fifteen minutes of chaos later, the familiar, beady-eyed man came up into his office, followed closely Scarlet and the two remaining Turks. Rufus watched Scarlet rearrange a few strands of her blond hair before speaking. "What are all of you doing here? I requested only the professor's presence."

Reno shrugged. "'Just here making sure the guy doesn't try anything funny," he replied. "I wouldn't try this guy as far as Rude could throw him, and let me tell you, Mr. Stick-Professor here isn't any match for Rude's shot-put arm." He smirked a little, glancing at his stoic-faced partner for a second.

Hojo made an indignant sound at the Turk's remark. "I do wish you wouldn't think so low of me," he huffed, frowning at the red-haired man. Reno only stared coolly back, which caused Hojo's frown to deepen. ". . . What did you wish of me, President Shinra?"

Rufus grimaced slightly at the familiar title his father had always gone by, but chose not to remind the professor he hated being called that. "AVALANCHE is heading north of Icicle Inn, towards the Northern Crater. My first assumption was that this had something to do with making a fortress, but then I remembered Sephiroth. This is all not coincidence that both AVALANCHE and Sephiroth were at the Temple of the Ancients. What was in there, Hojo!? Why is AVALANCHE going to the crater, and why do I have the sneaking suspicion that Sephiroth will be there too?!"

"The Reunion."

"What?"

Hojo calmly folded his hands behind his back, knowing very well that four sets of eyes were on him. "The final step of the Jenova Project is called the Reunion."

A dark look claimed Rufus' face. "The Jenova Project was stopped before I was born."

"That's what the general public thought," Hojo announced, a proud smirk appearing on his gaunt face, "but in reality, the Jenova Project just hasn't revealed itself in any extreme way -- until four years ago. And now."

"What are you babbling about, Hojo??" demanded the young President.

Hojo shook his head. "I will explain to you at a later time, Mr. President, but we should leave for the crater now; I must be present to see what I've waited twenty-eight years for. . ." The professor turned his back on the blond-haired man and started walking away, his back always hunched over. "Besides, there is something there that you may find interesting." He turned his head slightly, revealing a strange smile and a glimmer in his eye that Rufus didn't like.

"Hojo! Wait a minute!! Come back here!" Rufus growled as the black-haired scientist found his way to the descending staircase. "Dammit. . . That man is impossible. . ."

Scarlet, in one of her rare moments of thoughtfulness, murmured, "Just like Sephiroth. . ."

There was a knock on his door.

He didn't answer.

". . . Cloud? Are you in there?"

Cloud straightened as he recognized Rufus' voice, quickly wiping his tears away and placing the picture on his bedside. Brushing his bodysuit off, he walked out of his bedroom and to the front door. After taking a deep breath, the younger Shinra unlocked the door and opened it. His eyes met Rufus', seeing immediately the hint of . . . something . . . in those eyes that mirrored his own.

"What's up, Ruf?"

Rufus noted the tired tone in Cloud's voice, but decided not to ask about it; Cloud would probably end up flustered by his concern. "We're heading out to Junon. You, myself, Scarlet, Hojo, Heidegger, and the Turks."

The other blinked. "Why? Did something happen?"

". . . AVALANCHE happened. Again." Cloud frowned as Rufus continued. "This time, however, Sephiroth's involved, too. And, according to Hojo, there's something up there that I may find interesting." He shook his head, a wry smile appearing. "As if there'd be something of Hojo's findings that I'd find interesting."

Cloud shrugged. "Well, Hojo's a weirdo. Maybe he's actually got something that we can use against Sephiroth and AVALANCHE."

"That'd be a miracle. . . But I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with Dad."

"Like what?"

"I don't know," admitted the older of the two, "but Hojo knew about what Dad was looking for. You know, the Ancients and Mako and everything."

"So what do you think Hojo discovered? The Promised Land?" Cloud sarcastically queried. When Rufus' face hardened, Cloud's eyes widened. "No way. There's . . . no . . . way. . ."

Rufus could only continue to look seriously at his little brother.

The trip to Junon was uneventful. Well, as uneventful as it could be with Professor Hojo Novehar sitting to your left and Miss Scarlet Cassidi sitting to your right. Rufus sat up front, next to Rude. Cloud sighed. He almost felt envious of Reno, who was in the other helicopter with Heidegger. The new Vice President of Shinra immediately took back his last thought; Reno had to put up with Heidegger's incessant 'horse laugh,' as Rufus had put it.

However, once in Junon, Cloud was pleasantly surprised to see that he was being led to the airport by Rufus. As they reached their destination, Cloud found himself staring up at the largest . . . airship he had ever seen. It certainly took his breath away.

". . . What in the world is that, Ruf?" he whispered to his brother. "Why haven't I seen that before??"

"That's the Highwind, Cloud, named after Captain Cid Highwind himself," replied Rufus, a half-smile appearing on his face, "and the reason you haven't seen it before is . . . you're blind."

Cloud blinked, then snorted indignantly as Rufus passed him, chuckling. "I'm not blind!" he called back, storming after him. Reno shook his head in amusement, hurrying after his two friends and leaving the executives and Rude to make their way to the airship by themselves.

"'Not the greatest professional attitudes I've seen on you guys," the Turk commented as soon as he had gotten onboard the Highwind and caught up with the two Shinras.

"Professional?" scoffed Rufus, rolling his eyes at his best friend. "You should know very well by now that we're nothing close to professional, Cloud and I." He flicked his hair back as it interfered with his vision again. "If anything, we're the highest-ranking unprofessionals on the Planet!"

Laughter spilled from the Turk like water from an overflowing dam. "Nice joke, Ruf," he said with a grin, "it's nice to know you're keeping your almost nonexistent humor during these dark times."

It was Cloud's turn to laugh, latching his arm around Rufus' neck and dragging him downward because of their height difference. "Ha! That's Ruf for you. He's able to crack a joke when I'm trying to be serious, but when it really counts, he can't pull a funny face!"

Rufus, unable able to break out of Cloud's headlock, laughed in the position he had been forced into. "You can't even act serious, Cloud!! Can you blame me for not pulling jokes so often? I have to make up for your lack of seriousness!"

"I'd give you a noogie if I didn't know you kill me for messing with your hair," Cloud replied, loosening his grip and allowing his brother to stand straightly, once again looming over him. ". . . Hmm, I liked it better when you were under my arm."

Reno chuckled and shook his head. "You would, Cloud," he said. "Just because he's not looking down on you like he usually does."

Cloud rolled his eyes in response, but did not speak; it was Rufus that opened his mouth next. "We should head to the bridge. . . We should leave as quickly as possible."

"Heh. . . Right back to business just like that. . ." Reno shook his head. "You're amazing, Ruf."

"We're all amazing. . . So much has happened, and yet we're standing here talking like none of it ever happened," Cloud murmured, smiling wryly. The two older men sighed and thought of all the people that had suffered and perished within the last few months. It was truly a miracle that they were able to continue joking during such a dire situation.

The Northern Crater was coming into sight before his eyes, glittering with an endless flow of Mako energy. "So . . . the Promised Land. . ."

Scarlet tossed back her blond hair and cackled. "Kya ha ha. . ." She turned to look at Heidegger, who silently watched them. "Kya haa hah haa. . . Ha ha. . . This is incredible. . ."

Heidegger smirked, his massive shoulders shaking as laughter wracked his body. "This is the Promised Land the President has been looking for!!"

Rufus turned to look at the two executives, wondering why in the world he hadn't fired them before. ". . . But, I'll be the one that gets to it." He strode away from the two, looking over at his brother.

"Are you feeling as guilty as I am about this whole thing?" Cloud murmured, hands buried in the pockets of the black jacket he had thrown on over his SOLDIER uniform.

"Probably more so," muttered Rufus. He sighed, a hand subconsciously going through his blond hair. "Sorry, old man." The two Shinras frowned sadly at each other as they quickly approached the crater.

Hojo stood to the other side of the airship's bridge, laughing to himself quietly. Rude, the closest one to him, would frequent glances towards him when the scientist's shoulders would shake. The tall and silent Turk wondered how hard the man could laugh without breaking some part of his frail body.

". . . That land . . . belongs to no one. . . . . .," Hojo muttered to no one in particular. "It is where the Reunion will take place. . . Where all my work will finally come together."

He laughed a little louder than before, and Rude turned away, slightly disturbed.

They had traveled through the shimmering caverns, silence enveloping them all. Rufus was just slightly in the lead, followed closely by Cloud and Hojo. Flanking them were Reno and Rude, who stuck close as bodyguards against monsters and Hojo as well. Heidegger and Scarlet trailed slightly, but were still close enough to be heard; between their incessant chuckling and Scarlet's high heels clicking over the stone, it wasn't too hard to tell they were still there.

Before long, they entered a strange, wider cavern that had a strange glow to it. Rufus quickly strode into the center, eyes wide with surprise as he gazed at everything around him. Scarlet pushed herself rudely past the men in front of her and walked around the cavern, quickening her pace to examine several points of the glowing room. She shook her head in pure amazement.

"It's all materia!" she exclaimed, her head continuing to shift from one glowing area to another.

Rufus couldn't help but remark on the wondrous sight they were all seeing. "The outside is rich with Mako energy . . . the inside is a treasure trove of materia." Like Scarlet, he shook his head in amazement. "This truly is the Promised Land."

Hojo snorted at their quick inferences. "There is no such thing as the Promised Land," he spat, walking so he wasn't too far from Rufus' side. "It's a legend . . . an old wives' tale. . .," he went on, ". . . it's utterly ridiculous."

Cloud couldn't help but throw a look at Hojo as he walked to his brother's side. "You know, Hojo," he began, no longer feeling very tense because Rufus was handling the leadership and Shinra Incorporated again, "it's that kind of dullness that makes you a second-rate scientist." He couldn't help it; Hojo really wasn't that good of a scientist, with the very famous, late Professor Gast as his predecessor.

Hojo probably would have glared at the younger Shinra if it weren't for a sudden earthquake claiming the ground underneath them, forcing all of them to brace themselves. Rufus staggered and fell to one knee, wincing as his legs screamed in protest once again. He cursed mentally, wishing the pain would just go away with some miracle, and pushed himself back to his feet, receiving help from Cloud halfway up. "What's happening?" the young President demanded, shifting his gaze to see everyone else regaining their wits.

Scarlet was pointing at something, all the while screeching, "It's coming from within the wall! Something's in there! It's moving!" She took a step back towards her companions, unable to stop staring.

Before their eyes, a huge eye opened from into the wall of the cave. The walls, made of materia, were transparent enough to see the gleaming emerald-color of the eye, which again closed. "Weapon. . .," murmured Hojo. "Then it really doesn't exist. . . I didn't believe in it."

"What does this mean?" Cloud whispered, exchanging glances with Rufus.

The freakish scientist turned his gaze to the two brothers, frowning. ". . . Weapon," he repeated. "Monsters created by the Planet. It appears when the Planet is in danger, reducing everything to nothingness." He seemed to pause in thought. "That's what was stated in Professor Gast's report."

The mention of Gast sparked Rufus' interest; Hojo rarely mentioned Gast. "I never saw that report. . . Where is it?"

Hojo chuckled and smirked, and Rufus and Cloud uneasily shared a shudder. Something about his smirk was . . . familiar. The professor tapped his forehead. "Here, right here." Behind him, the Weapon's gigantic eye opened and closed again.

". . . You keep a lot of things to yourself," Rufus muttered.

Reno snorted, absorbing the whole conversation. ". . . No kidding."

"I wonder how Zack and the others are. . .," Red XIII muttered, staring at the Black Materia Zack had left in his protection. Barret and Cait Sith flanked him as they waited for the return of the others. ". . . It's hard to believe . . . such a small piece of materia is able to destroy the Planet. . ."

Suddenly, all his surroundings disappeared in an instant, leaving Red to a pit of blackness. His eye widened in horror and he twisted in circles. "What. . .?!" he gasped. "Wh-- what's going on? Where is everyone??"

"Red XIII!?" Tifa came running towards him from the blackness, looking panicked. "Red. . . You're here! I'm so glad!!"

Everything began to fade back, but Barret and Cait Sith were nowhere to be seen. Red XIII didn't notice; he was too absorbed with his first thoughts of panicking. "Tifa!" He bounded to her. "Something strange is going on. . . Everything went dark, and now Barret and Cait Sith aren't anywhere to be seen!"

Tifa shook her head. "Everyone's waiting!" she exclaimed. "Zack's in trouble! Please come. We need your help." When Red looked at her strangely, she turned and pointed off in one direction. "Over there!"

"R-- right! I. . . I'm not sure I understand, but I'll go if you want me to. . .," stuttered the beast, picking up the Black Materia and bounding off in the direction Tifa had pointed at.

Tifa watched his leave, then smirked. She giggled. ". . . . And remember. . ." Her form wavered, then disappeared completely, replaced by the tall and silver-haired Sephiroth. ". . . The Black Materia!" He laughed madly, Mako eyes glowing brightly as he faded away.

"Mr. President . . . I've got a bad feeling about this place. . ."

Rufus turned to look at Heidegger, frowning. "Heidegger's not the only one," Cloud muttered. "This place suddenly doesn't feel as safe as it felt a moment ago."

"Well . . . I guess we should start back to the ship," the President of Shinra conceded with a nod. "I personally don't want to stay here any longer myself. . ." He trailed off when he realized that the room was slowly filling with a bright, white light.

"What the--??" Reno covered his eyes as the light grew unbearable, followed by everyone else.

When they opened their eyes again, Zack Ebony was standing in the center of the room. He blinked slowly, staring at the room and then at them. Scarlet frowned and stepped forward. "Hey! Where did you come from??" he demanded.

Zack shook his head. ". . . Don't know. . .," he replied. He turned to face Rufus and Cloud. "You should get out of here while you can. . . This is going to get rough."

"Rough?" repeated Reno, pulling out his nightstick and stepping up the his friends' side. "What are you talking about, kid?"

Cloud barred Reno's way to hurting Zack. "Not here, Reno," he ordered. ". . . What are you talking about, Zack?"

". . . This is where the Reunion is happening," explained Zack, his voice flat. He looked like he'd been through a lot. "Where everything begins and ends."

"The Reunion again. . . What the hell is the Reunion?" demanded Heidegger.

From the back of the cave came Tifa, shouting out to Zack. No one paid her heed. Red XIII came into the cave as well, holding the Black Materia in his maw. He set it on the ground before speaking. "I'm here to help, Zack!" He looked around, eyes resting on the Shinras. ". . . What is Shinra doing here?"

Zack ignored his last question and stared at Red XIII. "Red. . .? Why did you bring the Black Materia here?" he queried. He ran to him, picking up the materia and frowning. "It's dangerous here!"

"B-- but Tifa. . .," started the beast, looking at the young woman. She gave him a confused look as well, causing Red to shake his head in confusion himself. ". . . W-- what?"

". . . Sephiroth." Everyone stiffened. That wasn't just one voice . . . but dozens. "Sephiroth. . ."

Tifa ran over to her two comrades, all of them backing away when they saw what was coming in through the cavern. "It's those black cloaks," she gasped. "Those ones from the Whirlwind Maze. . ."

"I thought . . . I thought Sephiroth killed them all. . .," Zack muttered.

"Sephiroth. . ." The large group of black-cloaked people swarmed into the center of the cavern, pushing into Zack and clutching him. They pushed away Tifa and Red XIII, forcing them back towards the shocked Shinra employees. Before their eyes, the group of cloaked people twirled into the air, still holding Zack. As their gazes were aimed upward, they finally noticed the huge, tree-like structure growing out of the ceiling of the cavern. A large crystalline object sat in the center of it.

Hojo, long forgotten, began laughing. "Ha, ha, ha. . . This . . . this is perfect!" he exclaimed. "This means that my experiment was a success!" He smiled with some sort of twisted excitement. "So many clones. . . This is perfect!!"

"What are you blabbering about, Hojo!?" Rufus shouted, glaring at the scientist.

"Jenova cells and Mako, with my knowledge and skills, have been combined with science and nature to bring these clones to life. This proves the Jenova Reunion Theory!"

". . . Jenova Reunion Theory. . .?" Cloud and Rufus exchanged glances.

Hojo had a strange, delighted look on his face. Not quite something you would see everyday. "You see, even if Jenova's body is dismembered, it will eventually become one again. That's what is meant by Jenova's Reunion. I have been waiting for the Reunion to start. Four years have passed, and now the clones have begun to return."

"Four years. . .?" Cloud's mind raced with the possibilities of what had happened at that time. The only thing he even slightly remembered was the trip to Nibelheim he had made with Zack and Sephiroth. What had happened. . .? A town near North Corel had been burned down at that time, but. . . What else??

"I thought the clones would begin to gather at Midgar where Jenova was stored," Hojo continued, but my predictions were not entirely correct. Jenova itself began to move away from the Shinra Building."

". . . That would explain its disappearance during Sephiroth's massacre," murmured Reno.

The group was so focused into Hojo's story that they didn't notice Zack struggling against the black-cloaked clones around him. ". . . But being a genius that I am, I soon figured it out," the black-haired scientist announced proudly. "You see, it was all Sephiroth's doing. Sephiroth is not just content to diffuse his will into the Lifestream; he wants to manipulate the clones himself." He paused, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. "I wondered where the clones were going, but I was never able to figure it out. The one thing that I did know was that Sephiroth was at their final destination."

"What the hell does this have to do with Sephiroth?!" demanded Rufus. "He didn't start acting strangely until. . ." He stopped, eyes widening in shock. ". . . Until he disappeared four years ago on his way to Midgar."

Hojo eyed the young President, an evil smile working up to his face. ". . . He never was on his way to Midgar, Mr. President."

". . . What?" the two Shinras gasped, pretty much in unison.

"I'm sure Miss Cassidi knows that Corel had a . . . small reactor mishap four years back," Hojo said, glancing at the blond-haired woman, "and, as some know, the Mako Reactor in Gongaga exploded some time after Corel's. Some said it was a malfunction, but. . ." He began to chuckle softly. ". . . It was Sephiroth. I should know. I was there to see it."

"Damn. . ." Reno was shaking his head in horror, while Scarlet stared at the frightening man silently. Rude and Heidegger shared grim frowns.

"These clones . . . then . . . what are they?" whispered Cloud, almost dreading the answer.

"They are the ones killed in the Gongaga explosion," was Hojo's reply.

Tifa was shivering as she listened. "You are a sick man!!" she screamed at the scientist.

Up above, the chanting had begun again. ". . . Sephiroth. . . Sephiroth. . ." Gazes rose at the chanting, eyes widening as they saw a glowing black rock being pulled away from Zack and passed towards the large, blue object in the center of the tree-like structure. ". . . Sephiroth! . . . Sephiroth!"

Before their eyes, the blue, crystalline object slipped free, revealing the silver-haired form of Sephiroth. Black hoods fell away from the chanters, revealing glowing aqua eyes and silver hair in many different lengths. Gasps filled the rooms, rising as the room was overtaken by quakes.

"Did you see it!?!?" Hojo yelled over the quaking. "It's Sephiroth!! So he is here! This is perfect! Both Jenova's Reunion and Sephiroth's will. They won't be diffused into the Lifestream, but gathered here! Mwa haa ha. . ."

Tifa was shaking her head at the professor. "What are you so happy about, Professor? You know what this means, don't you?! The clones took the Black Materia from Zack! Sephiroth is going to summon Meteor! Every single person on the Planet is going to die!"

Rufus stepped forward. "Whatever I say now is too little . . . too late. . . We must evacuate." He sounded defeated. Tifa and Red XIII faced him. "I want you all to come with me, AVALANCHE. There is still much more I want to hear. . ." The tree-like structure was beginning to break up, clones falling around them, along with materia-studded rocks from the ceiling. The young President glanced up, blue eyes widening in alarm as he realized the rocks above his brother were giving way. "Cloud!! Get out of the way. . .!!" Rufus ran and shoved his little brother over, crying out as the rocks fell over him. There was a sickening crack as they fell on him.

Cloud looked on in unbelieving horror as he realized what had just happened. "Rufus!!" He dove at the rocks, throwing them every which way he could. "Oh, God, oh, God. . .! Ruf!!" Tears threatened to overwhelm his eyes as he continued, not noticing the two panicked Turks digging as well, Reno cursing all the while. Scarlet and Heidegger, whom Cloud would never had expected help from, were digging. Even the two AVALANCHE members had ran forward, even when they could have ran and saved themselves.

They discovered Rufus not too much later, bloody and broken, but amazingly enough, alive. His eyes, open with unimaginable pain, glistened clearly with the help of the materia-covered walls. "Hah hah. . .," he managed to laugh, wincing as Cloud cradled him close to his chest. "Cloud. . . I'm too protective of you. . ." A wide smile graced his face. "But . . . you see? I'm keeping my promise. . . I'm still smiling." He stared at his little brother, his eyes flickering once, then shutting.

Cloud buried his face in his older brother's hair and cried. "Dammit, Ruf, you can't do this. . . I told you . . . we're going to hold onto each other. . . . . Ruf, I'm not done holding onto you yet."

The earthquakes rumbled louder. "Please, bro . . . I'm not done holding onto you yet."

On to Chapter 11.

Back to Rufus and Cloud.