Rufus and Cloud

Junon survived that day, even with dozens of soldier casualties. Sapphire Weapon sank back into the ocean and never resurfaced, much to the relief of the many citizens of the harbor city. But tragedy struck Shinra Incorporated hard only a day later, when Cloud and the executives transferred back to Midgar from Junon. A brilliant plan, thought up between Scarlet and Hojo, would settle all their problems: use the Huge Materia located in Mako Reactors around the world to destroy Meteor, and then somehow diminish the energy barrier over the Northern Crater.

It seemed like a good plan at the time, anyway.

AVALANCHE seemed to be a step ahead of them at every turn, Cid Highwind leading the three-person team consisting of Barret Wallace and Yuffie Kisaragi to take the Huge Materia from Corel. Then, leading the android Cait Sith and the beast Red XIII, Cid claimed the Huge Materia from Fort Condor. Two days after the last incident, Zack Ebony, Tifa Lockheart, and Cid infiltrated the Underwater Reactor off the shore of Junon and tried to steal the Huge Materia located there. Reno, having been posted there to overlook the reactor, managed to stall the three long enough for the submarine holding the materia to leave the dock. Sadly, the rebels hijacked a Shinra submarine and sunk the materia-holding sub. Another Huge Materia in Junon, used to power the Sister Ray, was already loaded on a transport ship and flown off to Rocket Town.

However, the group of persistent rebels followed, wounding Rude in Rocket Town and boarding the Shinra No. 26. Even with the controls stuck on auto-pilot, AVALANCHE managed to free the Huge Materia and jettison from the rocket before it crashed into Meteor.

Now, Meteor still hung in the sky and AVALANCHE had disappeared from the scrutiny of Shinra. If Reeve knew where they were, he wasn't talking. . . Then again, Cloud no longer seemed to remember he controlled Cait Sith and Rufus was in no condition to question the executive.

It wasn't a good week.

And it would only get worse; there were still three days left.

"I want Sister Ray moved to Midgar."

Heidegger and Palmer gasped in horror, staring at the young Vice President. Reeve would have joined up them their gasps, but he was oddly absent from the board meeting. "Wh-- what, Mr. Vice President?!" choked out Palmer.

Cloud Shinra calmly focused his gaze on the pudgy man, frowning ever-so-slightly. "I'm sure you heard me correctly," he intoned. "Sister Ray will be moved from Junon to Midgar. With the Huge Materia gone, the cannon is useless. We must use Mako energy as a substitute. . . We will take out that barrier around the Northern Crater, one way or another."

"I don't like that idea, sir," interrupted Heidegger, allowing himself to be openly troubled.

Scarlet smirked and stood up from her seat, declaring quite loudly, "I happen to like it. . . It's quite better to take initiative before that damn psychopath takes up all out."

"Umm. . . What about President Rufus?" Palmer piped up, desperate to steer the situation into his and Heidegger's favor. "What did he say?"

"He said he it was a good idea," Cloud replied, without missing a beat to the conversation. "He actually urged me to give the order."

". . . . Well, then. . ." Heidegger took a deep breath, clutching the seat under him. I don't like this idea at all. . . Shinra's going to hell. . . "I'll send the orders out, Mr. Vice President."

And, sitting quietly on the end of the table, Hojo smiled.

Reeve paced worriedly in his office, wondering what was happening to Shinra. Only an hour ago, Cloud had told him that he would have to readjust the output of all the Mako Reactors. This would allow the Sister Ray to be used without the use of the Huge Materia. What's going on? What had happened to Shinra Incorporated? What had happened to the frail strand of hope he had grasped throughout this whole ordeal? Had Rufus and Cloud gone down the same spiral that had taken their father? Had that tendril of hope been split cruelly?

With a defeated sigh, he armed himself with the gear used to control Cait Sith. ". . . Zack? Zack?" he said into the microphone in his shirt collar. ". . . Yeah. . . Look, you remember that plan you gave awhile back? . . . Yeah. Yes, I'll cooperate."

God, forgive me for what I must do. . .

The following day, Heidegger decided it was for the best to speak with President Rufus about the orders the Vice President had given. Palmer, concerned about Cloud's personality change, came along as well. The old general wouldn't admit it, but . . . he was worried about Cloud as well. The boy had been too cold since the incident at the Northern Crater, shrugging off concerned queries and not attempting to make contacts with his brother or his other friends. It wasn't like him at all, and, quite frankly . . . it scared him.

Scarlet had been acting strangely as well. Before, she was simply known as the genius-courtesan of Shinra Incorporated, but now. . . Her catty attitude had been replaced by the mind of a demented, almost bloodthirsty demon. To add to it, Hojo was acting strange, too. . . But, then again, he was always acting that way.

Shaking his head, Heidegger strode into the hospital room, Palmer following quietly behind him. Rufus Shinra, the young President, sat in a chair against the wall, cradling his broken arm in his lap. He looked at them with a slight tinge of amusement. "I would stand to greet you two, gentlemen, but I had a hard enough time getting to this chair without calling for a nurse's help." He smiled faintly at the memory of his struggling from the bed. His legs refused to cooperate and allow him to walk.

"Mr. President. . . We have a serious question to ask you." Heidegger frowned grimly.

Rufus sighed and ran his good hand through his hair, nodding slowly. "I knew there was a good reason for you to be here. There'd have to be a work-related reason for you to find time in your schedules to come and visit me here in the hospital."

"Er. . . Sir. . ." Palmer shook his head and started over. "Rufus, have you noticed anything strange about Cloud at all?"

Sharp blue eyes narrowed. "Cloud? I don't know; I haven't seen him for almost two weeks. . . Why? Is something wrong with him?"

Heidegger cleared his throat. "Sir, he's been acting strangely. . . He has been very uncaring, very cold. . ."

"Kinda like you, sir, but . . . worse," piped up Palmer. Heidegger nodded sadly.

"He's probably under heavy stress," Rufus murmured, his shoulders sagging slightly. "This isn't a very good time for him to be in such a position, and he's being forced into it. . ."

"That's not all of it, sir," Heidegger went on. "Yesterday, he issued an order that the Sister Ray be moved to Midgar. He said that it was your order to do so."

"What?" deadpanned Rufus, staring at the older man. ". . . . Cloud would never lie. Not about something as important as that. . . Hell, he's never lied to or about me in his life!"

"Sir, he told Reeve to open the output of the Mako Reactors to full!" Heidegger pressed, determined to get Rufus to act. "This whole Sephiroth-Meteor thing is getting out of hand!"

Rufus turned his icy eyes on the general, and Heidegger felt a chill run down his spine. "If you can't handle it, Heidegger, I suggest you leave."

Heidegger firmed his chin at the statement. "No, I won't," he said. "I swore to your father that I would stay with Shinra until the end, whether it be sweet or bitter."

"My father is dead." The words came out harsher than Rufus had intended, but he had no intention to repeat them. "You hold no oath to a dead man."

". . . . I know that very well." Heidegger held himself rigid as he spoke. "But the love of a father for his children surpasses any oath spoken or thought, be it by blood or simple eye contact. Your father loved you and Cloud very much, Rufus. That's why he wanted only the best for you two. Only the greatest the Planet could offer. He confided that with me, and me alone." He leaned forward ever-so-slightly. "That's why I promised him I would stay by your side until the very end."

Rufus stared in shock for a long moment, unable to speak. ". . . He loved us. . . He . . . loved us?" He inhaled sharply, bowing his head in deep thought. "Please, you two. . . Please leave."

Palmer glanced at Heidegger, who was already making his way to the door. "Yes, sir," the head of the space exploration department whispered, nodding respectfully before leaving the room.

The young President of Shinra took another deep breath, shutting his eyes as a single tear welled up and fell from his eyes. Several more followed suit.

. . . He loved us. . .

Reeve's mind was racing as he strode down the hospital hallway, doubtful about his course of action. Could he really do this? Could he actually do something so utterly, terribly treacherous? He had never wanted to act like many of those corrupt workers of Shinra, back-stabbing and lying through his teeth. But there was no other choice now. . . Not after all that was happening.

The Sister Ray was almost completely reassembled, which meant he would have to act fast. The use of all that Mako energy to power the cannon could devastate Midgar, taking countless lives should something go wrong. By going through with this, he would keep such a catastrophe from happening. He would help save the Planet from Shinra Incorporated and Sephiroth. He would become a hero along with the rest of AVALANCHE should this actually work.

. . . . . . But was it worth betraying two innocents thrown to chaos?

He shut his eyes as his fingers found the doorknob to Rufus' hospital room, contemplating for a long, silent moment. Betrayal. He had been helping AVALANCHE through Cait Sith for such a long time now, but now he -- Reeve -- would physically be taking part in the act.

Betrayal.

Oh, God, Rufus. . . Cloud. . . Please, forgive me.

He opened the door.

"Reeve?"

Rufus was seated on a chair near his bed, a magazine held loosely in one hand. Apparently, he was now strong enough to drag himself from the bed he had been confined to for about two weeks. He forced a smile as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. "Hello, Rufus," he greeted slowly.

The younger man frowned, closing the magazine and setting it on the stand next to him. "Heidegger and Palmer were here earlier, so if this is about Cloud. . ."

Reeve shook his head negatively. "No, no . . . this isn't about Cloud. . ." So Heidegger and Palmer noticed something strange, too. . . "I'm here to take you back to the Shinra Building."

Rufus blinked in surprise, clearly not believing what he was hearing. "I wasn't aware that I was well enough to leave. . ."

"I just spoke to the doctors," Reeve explained, taking a few more steps into the room. "They've already agreed that you can leave. I believe that we need you around the building right now."

". . . Why?"

Reeve took a deep breath and continued walking until he was standing right over the young President. "We just need you."

He was shaking as he drove the car, resisting the urge to look back at the only passenger aboard. If he did, he had the bad feeling that his eyes would give away his secret. In a situation as bad as this, that would be unbelievably costly. So he kept his eyes on the road, turning off the familiar roads and down ones that he had only seen as blueprints in his mind.

Rufus remained silent in his seat, not truly paying attention to where they were going or Reeve's obvious discomfort. His mind was filled with worries, from the health of his friends to the condition of the company to Sephiroth's plans. But above all, Cloud came to mind. Everyone echoed their thoughts of his brother's attitude, telling him how discomforting it was. He made a promise to himself to talk to Cloud when he saw him next.

The car came to a stop, and Rufus raised his gaze from the back of the car seat he had been staring blankly at. He watched Reeve climb out of the driver's seat, and he shifted to open his own door.

. . . But before his hand could reach the latch, the door flew open and one huge hand reached in and grabbed him by the turtleneck.

Shock flooded Rufus' system as he was lifted from the car, his eyes widening in horror as he recognized the gruff face of Barret Wallace. "Oh . . . God. . .," he whispered, his one good hand falling open.

A spiky, black-haired young man came into view as well, his dark blue Mako eyes focusing on him. ". . . Long time no see, Rufus," Zack Ebony murmured, frowning. "I wish this meeting didn't have to take place under these circumstances."

"Wh-- what's the meaning of this?!" the young President managed to sputter out, struggling weakly as he was suspended in mid-air.

"We can't deal with two major threats at the same time -- Shinra Incorporated and Sephiroth," Zack explained, crossing his arms. He glanced at the huge, ex-leader of AVALANCHE. "Barret, put him down. He's no use to us dead."

". . . He'll get it, sooner or later," grumbled the big black man, setting Rufus on his feet but keeping his good arm on the young man's shoulder. "Right, ya damn Shinra?" Rufus glared angrily at Zack as he felt the cold metal of Barret's gun-arm press against his temple.

". . . Barret, please."

Rufus shifted his gaze from Zack to the speaker, a brunette a few years younger than him. Tifa Lockheart, if he remembered correctly. He felt Barret's gun-arm leave the part of his head it had been hovering over and he visibly relaxed. However, he tensed again when he noticed the figure standing next to Tifa.

"Reeve. . .?" His voice came out much weaker than he had expected it to.

The bearded executive looked absolutely crushed to see his superior in the hands of the rebels, but he stayed beside the young woman. "I'm so sorry, Rufus, but Sephiroth has to be stopped . . . and Shinra isn't what it used to be. AVALANCHE is our only hope."

"This was a setup. . . You did this to get me out of the way!" Rufus hissed, suddenly battling against Barret's grip. Rage burned in his blue eyes. "I thought you were different, Reeve. . .! I thought you were different from all those corrupt workers!!"

The executive-turned-traitor bowed his head in utter shame. "Sadly . . . I'm the only corrupt worker in Shinra Incorporated."

"Let's get him back to the Highwind," Zack sighed, waving for the others to follow him.

Barret immediately dragged Rufus forward, after Zack. The white-suited young man twisted in Barret's arms, aiming those fierce eyes on Reeve. "NO!! I can't believe this! I trusted you, Reeve!!" he ranted, struggling futilely. "I trusted you!!!"

And all Reeve could do was shut his eyes to the harsh, truthful words, tears of frustration and grief running down his face. "Please . . . forgive me. . ." The words would eternally ring through his ears, through the gloomy days and the dark, merciless nights.

"I trusted you!!!"

His face was blank as he stared out the window, out into the waters stretching far beyond Midgar. His eyes didn't actually see anything, his mind didn't actually register anything -- it was just the concept of looking busy that kept him standing there in the Presidential office on the seventieth floor of the Shinra Building. Cloud Shinra didn't even turn when his intercom flared to life.

". . . . Mr. Vice President," came Heidegger's voice, "preparations for the Sister Ray are now in order."

Scarlet's voice came next, sadistic and shrill. "Ha, ha, ha. . . Anytime is fine."

Time. . . The time is now. Right now, came the whispery instructions of Hojo. It's time to destroy that barrier. . . It's time for Sephiroth to awaken.

Slowly, he nodded, blinking his vacant blue eyes once.

". . . . . . Fire."

Hojo stepped through the slums of Midgar, his dark eyes focused on the Sister Ray high above. He had to reach the cannon. . . Then he could help his son become God. He cackled madly and pulled one of the two Manipulation Materia he had equipped.

"Well, little Cloud, your task is done. . . I have no use for you now."

With that said, he dropped the materia and crushed it beneath the sole of his shoe. Beneath his heel, a flare of gold sparked out . . . and then rippled away like a dying wave.

He coughed and blinked, staring down at shivering hands that flailed for the window in front of him. A stream of yellow energy flowed from his fingertips, from his arms . . . from every point of his body. W-- wha. . .? What happened?

Cloud's eyes suddenly widened as he felt vibrations, then tremors as the Sister Ray shot out its beam of Mako energy out into the sea. He pushed himself away from the window, grabbing the desk behind him for support. The last thing he remembered was the Highwind . . . and. . .

Hojo. That's right. . . Scarlet had confronted him with a Manipulation Materia, emotionlessly telling him that it was Hojo's wish that he be controlled. His immediate thought had been that she was under his control as well, and then . . . nothing. She must have hit him with that materia skill pretty hard.

Where was he now? He shot looks at his surroundings, finding the familiar dark tiles and desk. Rufus' office. In Midgar. But . . . where was Rufus, then? Was he all right? Were the Turks all right? Why was he here? How much time had passed exactly??

An inhuman roar reached his ears, causing his scattered thoughts to shatter and reinvent themselves as one distinct, concentrated thought. What was that?

His question was answered by a barrage of fireballs striking the city of Midgar around him, causing him to grab the desk behind him even more firmly. A huge, hulking monster was stomping towards the city, throwing the masses of energy at it in a fit of rage. One particular fireball caught Cloud's eye, and he swallowed hard. It was coming straight for him.

God, I wish this wasn't happening. . . I don't wanna die. . . So many regrets . . . but mostly, it's Ruf. I can't leave him. I promised him that we'd be together until the end. Until the end, damn it! We were going to hold onto each other!!

. . . What's going to happen to him without me? Who's going to help him out of this mess? Who's going to help him wipe those tears away? . . . Who's going to tell him to smile again? I won't be able to remind him, God! I want to be there to remind him! I want to be there to hold him, to assure him that everything's gonna be all right.

. . . Ruf isn't as strong as everyone really thinks he is. I think I'm the only one that's ever known. He needs someone to rely on, to confide with. Me. He needs me, like I need him. . . God, please don't be so cruel.

The Planet let out piercing wail that reached Cloud's ears, as if in reply to his thoughts.

. . . . . . . . . .

. . . He'll live on, won't he? Ruf will survive, won't he, God? You wouldn't let both of us kick the dust together, would you? You took the whole Shinra family apart one by one. . . You wouldn't let the suffering end yet. You are cruel.

But there's nothing I can do about that, is there? I'm going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it. I wish I could see Ruf one last time. Reno and Elena, too. I want to tell them that I'm okay, that I'm just fine and dandy in the Lifestream . . . or Heaven, or whatever the afterlife is. I want to tell them to stop crying. No one should cry for me. No one. I should've made that clear to them long before this.

. . . Yet another regret. I'm filled with guilt over so many damn things. Maybe I should just get this over with, huh? Mom . . . Dad . . . I'll be with you shortly.

Cloud closed his eyes to the coming shroud of death, tears of remorse pricking the corners of his eyes. He didn't dare brush them away.

Ruf . . . I love you. I'll miss you more than words could ever say.

. . . Then the flames took him, wracking his body with fiery pain for but a second. And then even his body was gone.

Elsewhere, Rufus Shinra hung between consciousness and unconsciousness, fighting to stay with the former. But something tugged at his psyche, directing him into that blackness that would serve as his comfort. And in that blackness, Rufus could almost have sworn he heard the one voice he had yearned to hear for so long, but had been denied of before. It came in a whisper, soothing him to the edge of sleep.

Keep smiling, Ruf. . . Keep smiling for me.

On to Chapter 14.

Back to Rufus and Cloud.