Rufus and Cloud

He couldn't stop shaking as he held Rufus' prone form to his chest, his blue eyes on the blood trickling from his brother's mouth and the gashes on his face and body. You can't do this to me, Rufus. . ., he thought, biting his lip hard. You can't die. . . Please don't be dead. . .

Cloud Shinra was snapped from his reverie by Reno, who fell to his knees next to him. The Turk inspected Rufus for a moment. ". . . . . He's still breathing."

His eyes were clouded with tears, but he managed to raise them at Reno's statement. "W-- what?"

The red-haired man gave him a relieved smile, shifting over on the quaking floor quickly. "He's still alive. . . Cloud, get up. We have to get out of here."

"B-- but--"

Cloud was pulled roughly to his feet by Heidegger, of all people, and dragged towards the exit. "Mr. Vice President, with the President out of commission, you have to take responsibility. We have to evacuate before this place collapses!!"

For once, there was reason in the man's voice. Cloud shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. Rufus wouldn't act like this under pressure. He had to act like Rufus. . . "Fine. . . Let's move it! Turks, make sure my brother gets out of here!" He turned to the two members of AVALANCHE. "Get your companions and hurry to our airship. We won't wait for you if you take too long."

Tifa Lockheart looked upwards at Zack Ebony, struggling and screaming as the Sephiroth clones held him down and kept him from escaping. "But what about Zack!? We can't leave him!!"

Something wavered in Cloud's shining blue eyes as he responded. "We have to. There's nothing we can do for him." With that, he strode towards the cavern they had entered through, followed by Scarlet, Heidegger, and Hojo. Reno and Rude slowly and careful took hold of Rufus, who made not one sound as they carried him out of the cavern. Tifa and Red XIII glanced at each other, then at Zack, and then ran for the exit to find their friends.

They had piled onto the Highwind quickly, taking off as soon as AVALANCHE had gathered on the airship. Heidegger was out barking orders to get the airship off the ground, glaring at crew members that would stop for even a moment. Scarlet had taken to the rear of the airship, arming herself with grenades and a Mako gun as she led a small troop of Shinra guards to take out monsters that tried to stop the ship. Hojo, for all his insanity shown in the Northern Crater, was acting like a doctor for Scarlet's guards by passing out Potions and the like. Tifa was, for once in her life, shocked by how well the Shinra executives cooperated. It was absolutely mind-blowing.

Barret Wallace snorted gruffly as he stood next to her. "Now I see why we neva' could stop 'em all those years," he grumbled begrudgingly.

Cid Highwind, smoking a cigarette as usual, muttered, "They're good. Really good. Even Fatman Palmer. They just seem #*(%&# stupid half the time."

The airship was rocked suddenly, sending crew members tumbling and stumbling. Heidegger cursed and held his ground, gritting his teeth as he turned. "You! AVALANCHE!" he yelled. "Make yourselves useful and help Scarlet in the back! That is, if you want to stay alive!!"

He sounded more serious then than any other time they had heard him speak. "Damn," Barret murmured. He frowned and waved for Tifa and Cid to follow him. "Let's go! He actually sounds serious!"

The three headed for the top of the airship, running the whole way.

Reno cursed as the Highwind shook again, bracing himself against the wall. He knelt next to the young President, shaking his head as he felt Rufus' forehead. "He's got a fever already," he reported to Rude, the only other occupant in the room. "Damn, I wish I had brought a Restore Materia."

The two Turks had brought Rufus Shinra to the only room in the airship where they could get privacy: the chocobo stable. As it never had been used for chocobos in the past, it was relatively clean. "Materia won't heal a fever," Rude told his friend solemnly, retrieving blankets from the far side of the room and bringing them over. ". . . . He needs to get to a hospital. There may be internal bleeding."

The younger Turk ran a hand down his face, glaring at a wall. "Damn, I forgot about that," he cursed. He looked at the blond, whose face was strangely tranquil despite the numerous gashes and cuts on him and his developing fever. "We have to get him to wake up. He might not make it if he stays unconscious."

Rude shrugged. ". . . It's worth a try. . . I'll get something for those wounds." He stood up slowly, glancing down once more before leaving the room.

Reno sighed and brushed Rufus' hair from his hot face, allowing sadness to show on his face. "Dammit, Rufus," he growled, "why are you always doing this. . .? You're always helping Cloud at the expense of your own personal health. Damn you, Ruf. . . Stop being so selfish." He swallowed hard. He was glad that they had managed to keep Cloud out of here; the younger Shinra wouldn't be able to stop grieving over his injured brother were he in the same room. "You're this company's, and this Planet's, hope, Ruf. . . Did you ever stop and think of how many people rely on your decisions, as President, to react to something? Cloud, me, Rude, Elena, Reeve, Palmer, Heidegger, Scarlet . . . hell, even Hojo. . . Where would we be without you? What would happen if you were to die? . . . Did you ever realize you were being selfish, Ruf? Did you ever realize you could be selfish, Ruf?"

". . . . . . . It probably never crossed his mind."

Reno's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet, spinning to face the speaker. He came face to face with a black-haired, red-eyed man that seemed to emit a cold aura. The golden claw he had for a left arm gleamed in the lights. ". . . You. . ." Reno shifted uneasily under the man's gaze, knowing how fast he could draw the firearm at his belt. Knowing he had the ability to enter rooms without a sound also wasn't very comforting. "I remember you from Wutai, when Elena was abducted. . . Vincent Valentine, right?"

Vincent nodded, his face remaining neutral as he looked past Reno and at the still form covered in blankets. "So, that is President Shinra's older son?" he queried, studying the young man. He frowned. "He is still young."

". . . He's twenty-three. . . What does it matter?" Reno hissed angrily.

"I am just stating that he is young," replied Vincent. "He is very young for a President of such an important business. He is quite young for such a heavy burden." When he noticed Reno's glare, he decided to change the subject. ". . . From the way you spoke of him, he sounds very noble. Unlike his father."

". . . Are you trying to get at something here?" the Turk queried.

"For all of his flaws, President Shinra has managed to bring up two very strong sons," Vincent went on. "Shinra Incorporated, from what I have heard lately, had been absolutely ruthless to the Planet before the late President's death. Apparently, Rufus and Cloud Shinra have been doing something correctly for this Planet."

By now, Reno had lost most of the tenseness that had come with Vincent's sudden intrusion. He was now trying to get over his surprise. An AVALANCHE member was not insulting Shinra? Why. . .? The door opened then, admitting Rude, carrying a few Potions and a roll of bandage. The bald Turk looked at Reno, then at Vincent, and then again at Reno. His brow rose, but he didn't utter a single word. It was his way.

"Don't worry, Rude," Reno said, "he checks out."

Rude didn't give any sign of affirmation, but instead walked over, kneeling next to them and beginning to tend to Rufus' wounds. Reno began unrolling the bandage, noticing that Vincent was simply watching them work. The three men, two Turks and one an ex-Turk, knelt together in silence in front of Rufus, joined together in one moment of common interest. It was a time none of them would forget.

Barret cradled Tifa's unconscious form in his arms, the young woman unconscious from hitting her head against the deck of the Highwind. Huge creatures had burst free from the Northern Crater, rocketing into the skies in different directions. Hojo had called them Weapons. He wasn't sure what to think; he had never seen anything like them before, but his only source of information was a damn quack. Barret decided that it was better to believe the damn quack over his own imagination for now.

"Someone get the Professor!" shouted a Shinra soldier over the destruction. Barret looked up to see the soldiers battling against monsters that had flown after them from the Northern Crater. "Ms. Cassidi's been hurt!" Soldiers looked back to see the woman on the deck, bleeding from claw marks. She had apparently passed out from the pain.

"#*%(#* !!" Cid bellowed from within the ranks of the soldiers. "Keep firing, you damn @*%(#% !! Do you want those freaking monsters to get us??" He was busy arming himself with materia. "Bolt 3!" Streams of lightning came down at his shout, striking more creatures out of the air.

Meanwhile, Hojo had managed his way from other injured soldiers to Scarlet's side. He inspected her wounds and frowned, shouting out for assistance from two soldiers. "Bring her back inside!" he ordered over the sounds of battle. "I'll take care of her in there!"

Saluting, the two men picked up Scarlet and brought her inside, laying her down on the cold floor and leaving her and Hojo alone. They left so quickly they did not hear Hojo begin cackling madly, his dark eyes dancing with a twist of insanity. ". . . . My dear Ms. Cassidi . . . you have just opened up a doorway of possibility for me. . ."

His cackling did not stop even as he removed a yellow Skill Materia from his coat. . .

The Highwind was on its way back to Junon, the air finally declared clear once they were outside the vicinity of the Northern Crater. Cloud sat numbly in the long room that served as a meeting hall, staring at absolutely nothing as he gripped the chair underneath him.

They were out of danger for now. Them and AVALANCHE. They would be in Junon in less than three hours, and then Reno and Rude would take Rufus back to Midgar, where Reeve and Elena would be waiting for them; Midgar's hospital was more well-equipped for his injuries in comparison to Junon's. He had requested that Heidegger not tell Elena that they had AVALANCHE on the ship; she would definitely lose it if she were to know.

He propped his elbows onto the table and buried his face in his hands, wishing for some sign that everything would be all right. Why was this happening to him - to all of them? Had they been misguided to try to take out AVALANCHE? Maybe they had been, but now they knew that Sephiroth was the bigger threat. As acting President, it was his duty to make sure that the company and the cities under its protection were protected from whatever threatened them. It was also his duty to deal with AVALANCHE. His head hurt just thinking about all of it.

A knock on the double-door entrance broke Cloud out of his train of thought, and he raised his bright blue eyes in surprise. Who could it be? He had asked specifically to be left alone. . . "Come in." The familiar, blond-haired Head of Shinra Weapon Research and Development slipped into the room, shutting the door quietly and leaning against it. Scarlet. Figures; the woman did what she pleased and would rarely take no for an answer.

"Hello, Cloud," she greeted, slinking towards him and smiling slightly. "I see you've been trying to seclude yourself. Picking up habits of Rufy's, are you?"

Cloud frowned. "Scarlet, I asked to be left alone. I'm too tired to deal with you right now."

"Oh, but I must insist, Mr. Vice President," Scarlet purred, making her way to his side. She stood over him, Cloud unable to do anything but look up at her warily. He didn't like the look in her green eyes. They were too . . . strange, even for her. "You see . . . I have a little present for you."

"Scarlet, no offense, but I don't want any gifts from you." He prepared to stand up when Scarlet pushed him back down into his seat.

"This gift, Mr. Shinra," she started, her voice suddenly devoid of emotion, "is one that you cannot decline." And then she pulled out a familiar, yellow sphere from her dress.

A Manipulation Materia.

"It's no use. . . He's not waking up."

Reno hung his head and closed his eyes, although his emotions were raging inside of him. Vincent had left the room sometime ago, and Rude was presently leaning against the far wall. ". . . If he's survived this long, there's a chance he'll make it to Midgar," Rude murmured. "Don't worry so much, Reno."

The door to the room opened up, admitting Cloud. He glanced at Rufus' unconscious body and then snapped his head away, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. "We've arrived in Junon," he said, sighing heavily. "The executives and I are going to get off here with AVALANCHE; you two will go to Midgar." He paused. "I'm trusting you two with my brother's life. . . If something happens to him. . ."

"Don't worry, Cloud; we won't let anything happen to Ruf," Reno managed, trying his best to smile reassuringly. Cloud frowned deeply at Reno's attempted smile, then left the room.

Rude stepped up to Reno's side as the Vice President left the room. ". . . He must be really worried," he remarked. "He avoided using names the whole time."

Reno nodded wryly. "You noticed too? Cloud really must be suffering."

"I don't get it. . . Why're we going with them?" queried Yuffie Kisaragi as the members of AVALANCHE stepped off the airship. Cait Sith had gone ahead with the executives of Shinra.

"They did save our lives back there, Yuffie," reminded Red XIII, aiming his one good eye at the teenage ninja.

"Nobody asked them to," Cid grumbled, picking his cigarette from his lips for a moment and blowing out a long stream of smoke.

". . . Well, then perhaps that tells us something," Vincent said in a low voice.

"What're you getting' at?" demanded Barret, glaring at the ex-Turk as he carried Tifa's unconscious body. "You're sticking up for the damn Shinra? You missing your Shinra pals, Vincent? Is dat it??"

Vincent's red eyes narrowed at the accusation. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Like hell you don't!" Barret hissed, glaring holes into the red-caped man. "I saw you leave dat room with da Turks! What ya doin', plannin' to stab us in that back?"

The other members of AVALANCHE stared at the two. ". . . Is this true, Vincent?" Red XIII asked.

Vincent fell silent and Cid frowned. "He's not denying it," he muttered.

"Dammit!" cursed the black ex-leader of AVALANCHE. "I can't believe I trusted you! Get da hell outta here, you traitor!"

Now, if Tifa or Zack had been in able to hear that, Barret would never had gotten away with those words. So. . . "If that's the way you feel, Barret, then I can't say anything in proper response. I joined AVALANCHE for my own reasons and I believed we all shared a common goal . . . but now I see we don't. I'll take my leave, and I'll have you know before I leave that I had no intention of back-stabbing any of you."

And before anyone could stop him, Vincent Valentine ran off and disappeared from Junon.

On to Chapter 12.

Back to Rufus and Cloud.