Rufus and Cloud

Together, the Shinra brothers rode the elevator down to the first floor, and were starting to go outside when someone called to them. "Rufus! Cloud!" Rufus Shinra spun on his heels immediately, smiling broadly when he saw a familiar red-haired man rushing down the stairs, a black rod hanging at his belt. He wore a messed up Turk uniform, a sling that held his right arm, and bandages that were wrapped around his forehead. The grin on his face didn't disappear as he approached the two. Reno's emerald green eyes went up and down Rufus and he smirked. "Look out, Midgar! The most handsome man in the world has come home!"

Rufus' brow shot up as he pushed his hair back. "Are you trying to get a raise, Reno?" he queried. "Because if you are, it's not going to work."

"You are just a barrel of monkeys," chuckled Reno. "It's good to see you again. Have you met Elena yet?"

"Yeah. Cloud introduced us." Rufus' face twisted. "How in the world did someone like Elena get picked to be a Turk? She doesn't seem like Turk material."

Reno shrugged. "I think she's some sort of computer hacker or something," he replied. "Oh, and she's got one hell of an arm! You should see the way she handles throwing grenades!" He grinned. "She's a little too chatty for her own good, but Elena's a good kid."

"You'd know," Cloud Shinra chuckled. He shook his blond head as he looked at the Turk. "Reno, you shouldn't even be up. You were put in the clinic for a reason, you know."

"Why stay in a bed when you can be enjoying your time off?" Reno queried. "C'mon, let's go out and throw you a welcome home party, Ruf. It'll be the first stupid thing we do together."

"Hey, why not? I'm now officially old enough to drink without a fake ID!" announced Cloud. When Rufus threw his little brother a shocked look, Cloud grinned. "Just kidding, Ruf. Yeesh, Junon's really made you serious. C'mon, Mr. Sensible, lighten up a bit. You're among friends now, remember?"

Rufus had to smile at that. "You're right. I've got to stop being so serious around you guys; people will start wondering how we became friends." He nodded. "Okay. Let's go to a bar and get drunk."

"Yeah! That's my Rufus!" Reno patted his friend on the back with his good arm and led the two out of the building.

As the three walked out of the Shinra Building, they failed to notice another group of three heading towards the side of the very same building. In the lead was a black-haired man in a SOLDIER uniform, followed by a burly black man with a gun for a right arm. The last was a young woman with long, brown hair. She stopped, turning to look at the three that had walked out the front of the building.

Her eyes flitted on Reno, the Turk that destroyed Sector 7 and a young man in a white suit; he looked very important-looking. The third person was the one that really caught her eyes; he wore a SOLDIER uniform and yet looked so relaxed. All three of them so happy together, as if they'd known each other forever. She had never seen Reno look so genuinely happy, even in his present condition. But she couldn't take her eyes off the blond-haired SOLDIER. 'Should I know him?' she wondered. 'Have I met him before?'

"Tifa!" came Zack Ebony's voice. "C'mon!"

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Tifa Lockheart hurried after her two comrades.

Rufus sipped his drink, eyeing Reno's prone form wearily. He couldn't believe Reno had taken out seven beers before he had passed out. Cloud was sitting to his right, fiddling with a loose string on his uniform. His eyes were just barely open, as he had downed four drinks a little too fast for his stomach to handle.

When Rufus' PHS began to ring, Cloud was a little too out of it to even realize that there was sound in the room. Rufus sighed, taking the phone device out of his pocket and turning it on. "Rufus Shinra," he said, clearing his throat.

"Rufus?"

The vice president of Shinra Incorporated frowned, straightening in his seat. "Reeve? What's the matter?"

Reeve was speaking in a quiet voice. "Y-- you have to get back here," he whispered. "People are dying in the building."

"What?" gasped Rufus, his eyes widening. He shook Cloud and Reno awake before returning his attention back to Reeve. "Reeve, you still with me?"

"Yeah," Reeve affirmed. "AVALANCHE got in here, but the Turks grabbed them after they tried to take back the Ancient. They're locked up, but-- but--"

"Reeve! Stay with me!"

"I-- I'm okay. There's so much blood on the floors. . . Sephiroth's back, Rufus."

"What is *he* doing back here??"

"He-- he's killing everyone," Reeve hissed. "The people on the lower floors got out, but I'm afraid for the other executives. Your father and Palmer are still on the top floor."

"Damn!" growled Rufus, his mind racing. "Reeve, get out of there! I don't want to lose you to Sephiroth. . ."

Cloud and Reno, who had been trying to listen in, gasped when they heard Sephiroth's name. "Sephiroth!?" the two repeated.

Reno grabbed the PHS out of Rufus' hands. "Reeve, did Elena get out of the building?"

"All the Turks got out, Reno," Reeve whispered back. "I think Heidegger, Hojo, and Scarlet got out, too."

"Hold on, Reeve, we'll get you out of there," Cloud said, snatching the PHS from Reno. He jumped up, stumbling back as the alcohol to effect. "Ugh . . . let's go."

"I'll drive," Rufus said, running out the door. Reno and Cloud hurried after him.

The three were met outside the Shinra Building by a large group of Shinra guards and SOLDIERs. Tseng ran up to them, saluting to the vice president and Cloud. "Sir!" he shouted over the noise. "We have the area surrounded! If Sephiroth or AVALANCHE tries *anything,* we'll take them out!"

"Get the helicopter ready, Tseng," Rufus ordered, his face serious and stern.

"What?!"

"Reeve's still in there!" Rufus went on. "We have to look for survivors!"

"But sir--" Tseng started.

"NOW, Tseng!!"

Tseng looked into Rufus' burning eyes once in the red light that the alarms emitted then nodded, running off towards the helicopter. "Cloud, Reno," he started, "you're coming with me." He stopped one of the soldiers that were rushing around. "Soldier, get me a shotgun."

"Yes, sir," the soldier shouted, running over to retrieve a gun.

"A shotgun?" repeated Cloud, blinking at his brother. "Can you handle that, Ruf?"

"I can handle it," was Rufus' cold reply. As soon as the soldier had come back with the gun, Rufus started towards the helicopter. Reno and Cloud exchanged glances as they followed. Once all three of them were onboard, Rufus told Tseng to take them up. They flew around the building several times, looking for anyone that could have survived Sephiroth's onslaught.

"What the hell was Sephiroth thinking?" Reno wondered as they went around again. "Why the hell is he trying for partial genocide?"

"Maybe he's gone insane," Cloud whispered in reply, shaking his head. "I've heard that he wasn't right in the head; this just may prove that point." He returned his attention to searching for survivors, spotting a form at a window. "There! Over there, Tseng!"

Tseng directed the helicopter closer in, but as the young man was about to get onto the helicopter, he was impaled through the back. Cloud backed away at the sight of the Masamune erupting through the man's chest, gritting his teeth when the man fell out the window to reveal Sephiroth, his silver hair billowing.

"Oh, my God. . .," Rufus gasped, seeing Sephiroth smirk evilly at him as he brought up his bloody sword. As the Masamune was thrust in his direction, Rufus was surprised to find himself being pushed out of the way. "Cloud!" he shouted, seeing his brother deflect the sword with his own.

"Find Reeve, Ruf!!" Cloud yelled, shoving the Masamune back at its owner and jumping out of the helicopter and into the building. "Reno, don't let him get hurt!" With those words, Cloud started at Sephiroth, who frowned as he entered battle against the young Shinra.

Before Rufus could cry out, Tseng took the helicopter away from the window, flying off. "Dammit, Tseng, we have to go back and get him!" Rufus screamed. "He doesn't stand a chance against Sephiroth!!"

"Your safety comes first, sir," Tseng called back. "Your brother is expendable."

"EXPENDABLE!?!" roared Rufus. "Cloud's my brother!!! Tseng, you get your---"

"Shut up, Ruf!!" Reno yelled. Rufus glared at him. "Look, Cloud can hold his own. Besides, Reeve's down there." With his good arm, Reno pointed down a few floors.

"Take us down there, Tseng," the vice president ordered, putting down his gun and getting to the opening of the helicopter. Reeve sighed with relief as he saw the helicopter coming down for him, and he stood up on the window. "Jump!!" shouted Rufus. Reeve nodded, trying his best to not look down as he leapt from the building. The next thing the head of city development knew was Rufus grabbing him by the wrists, slowly pulling him into the helicopter.

"Are you all right?" Reno queried, kneeling next to Reeve as he tried to catch his breath.

Reeve looked Reno up and down. "I'm in better shape than you are," he managed to say. He turned to Rufus. "Your father's still up there. We've got to get to him and Palmer."

Rufus nodded, glaring at Tseng as he motioned him to take them to the roof. They landed, Rufus leaping off the helicopter and looking around wearily. As he was starting towards his father's silent office, the young man was shocked to see Palmer race from the office, sweating beading on his forehead.

"Palmer, what happened?" Rufus queried. "Where's my father?"

"R-- Rufus," gasped Palmer, tears threatening to claim his vision, "y-- your father-- he-- he's d-- dead. . . Sephiroth killed him."

"Damn!" the young man hissed, gritting his teeth together. His father was dead . . . but if Sephiroth had managed to get to his father. . . "Did you see Cloud? Was he chasing Sephiroth??"

Palmer shook his head. "I-- I only saw Sephiroth," he whispered. He whimpered, looking back behind him. "AVALANCHE is after me. . ."

Rufus tightened his grip on his shotgun. "Get into the helicopter, Palmer. . . I'll take care of these hoodlums."

Palmer nodded, racing past him and getting into the helicopter with Reeve, Reno, and Tseng. Just as he reached the helicopter, a group ran onto the roof; two brunettes, a large black man with a gun-arm, an odd-looking cat-like beast, and . . . a familiar-looking young man.

". . . Zack?" Rufus whispered in disbelief. He couldn't believe that the young man that had been his brother's best friend stood with these rebels.

"Rufus. . .!" Zack Ebony gasped, clenching his Buster Sword. He looked at the white-clad man, wondering when he had returned from Junon. "You're back."

It was so silent for a moment that the wind could be heard whistling around them. Rufus brushed back his hair as a few strands flew into his line of vision. "It really is you, isn't it?" he said darkly. "You quit and left to join AVALANCHE." He smiled sardonically. "I guess that was a good idea; you would have ended up strewn around here like everyone else." His eyes narrowed. "Like my father."

"Good riddance," growled the black man behind Zack.

"Shut up!" snapped Rufus, averting his eyes to the black man. He pointed an accusing finger at him. "You . . . you're the leader of AVALANCHE. . ." His face hardened. "Damn you! If it hadn't been for you, Reno wouldn't have had to destroy Sector 7!"

"Now wait a minute!" intervened one of the brunettes. Her hair was a darker brown and she wore a tight shirt and shorts. "You're the ones that were scheming to blow up Sector 7 in the first place! We were trying to *stop* you! You Shinras are all alike!"

"I don't know what my father ordered, but I had nothing to do with it!" shouted Rufus, suddenly growing angry. "I don't like to see people get hurt!"

"Bullshit!" the black man snorted. "You were probably the one that ordered it to be done!"

"I said: shut up!" hissed the blond-haired man. "Zack, you haven't said anything for a while. What do you have to say?"

Zack looked Rufus in the eye. ". . . How's Cloud?" was all he said.

Rufus was silent for a moment and he shut his eyes. "I don't know -- you tell me," he said evenly. When eyes were burning with anger and pain when he reopened them. "Did you trample over his corpse on your way up here? Did you see my brother fighting Sephiroth?"

The same brunette that had spoken before gasped. "He fought Sephiroth!?"

"He could be dead at the moment . . . and . . I couldn't help him. . ." Rufus gritted his teeth and cocked his shotgun at the group before him. "As the new president of Shinra Incorporated, I place you under arrest."

"You're only president cuz your old man bit the dust!" the black man roared.

"Stop *reminding* me!!" Rufus screamed, firing his shotgun into the ground between them. The black man backed up, glaring a hole through the young man.

"Guys," Zack started, looking at his comrades, "get out of here."

The other brunette, this one wearing a pink dress, stepped up. "Zack, what are you going to do?" she queried, wringing her hands.

"Just get out of here," Zack said, unsheathing his sword. "I'll take care of him." The odd group of rebels complied and ran off, leaving their leader to face Rufus Shinra. Zack frowned and got into a battle stance. "I never thought it would end like this, Rufus," he sighed.

"Zack, why are you doing this?" Rufus asked. "Why join AVALANCHE?"

The ex-SOLDIER glared at Rufus. "Your father's Mako Reactor destroyed Gongaga . . . my hometown! That's why I'm against Shinra . . . against you and Cloud."

"So you would turn against Cloud and me for something our father did?? I hardly see that as fair!"

"All is fair in times of war," Zack retorted darkly.

"War?" scoffed Rufus, the side of him that had been created in Junon emerging. "You honestly believe that AVALANCHE can stand up against Shinra Incorporated?" He laughed mirthlessly. "AVALANCHE *will* succumb to Shinra. You can slow down the inevitable, but you can never stop it."

"I don't want to fight you, Rufus . . . but you leave me no choice," Zack whispered before launching himself at Rufus, his huge sword above him. He stopped in mid-attack, staggering backwards as he felt Rufus' bullet graze the left side of his chest.

"Then fight me," Rufus hissed. "I have nothing to live for now; my family's gone."

Zack shut his eyes for a moment. 'The saddest life to live is one with no hope or love.' The black-haired man sheathed his sword, thrusting his shoulders back as he cast a spell. "Bolt 2!" Lightning came showering down on Rufus, sending him to his knees in pain. Rufus squinted as Zack walked up to him, bringing his sword up above him head. He looked down and locked eyes with Rufus . . . blue eyes to Mako blue eyes. "I pity you, Rufus, to be born as a son under an evil man. Goodbye." Rufus shut his eyes, preparing for the end.

What he heard next was the sound of a gun being fired, then Zack's moan of pain. Opening his eyes, Rufus saw Zack fall back, gritting his teeth as he held his bleeding shoulder. Rufus looked behind him, blinking in surprise to see Reno standing there, aiming a gun directly at Zack. "Leave him alone!" shouted the Turk. Rufus watched Tseng jump into view as well, aiming his own gun at Zack as well.

Rufus stared at Zack as he glanced down at him before sprinting for building, followed by a hail of gunfire that created holes in the wall. As he reached the door, Zack was shocked see a bloody young man stagger towards him, dragging a sword behind him. "Cloud!" he gasped, almost not recognizing the young man under the layers of blood, both dried and wet, both his own and others'.

"Za-- Zack?!" Cloud hissed in disbelief, his sword clattering to the floor. Cloud was about to go on, but fell forward, apparently fainting from blood loss. Zack looked down at his best friend's prone form with concern, but hurried away when the gunfire resumed.

"Stop firing!" shouted Rufus, forcing himself to his feet and limping towards the bloody form. He knelt next to Cloud, brushing back his brother's hair. "Cloud . . . my God, you're still alive. I . . can't believe it. . ."

Reno ran over, followed by Tseng, Reeve, and Palmer. The crimson-haired Turk pulled his jacket off and covered up Cloud. "We've gotta get someone to look at him," Tseng whispered, waving Reno and Reeve to help him pick up Cloud. "He'll die if he's not attended to."

"He won't die easily -- not Cloud," Reno remarked as they hurried towards the helicopter. "He's a tough cookie, right, Ruf?" He tried to smile at Rufus.

Rufus nodded sadly, frowning as they climbed into the helicopter. Reeve looked out, towards the office that, according to Palmer, held the body of President Shinra. "What about AVALANCHE?" he queried. "They'll try to find a way out of here."

"It doesn't matter," Rufus whispered. "All I care about, at the moment, is Cloud's health. We've got to get him to the ground. Tseng, get us out of here."

"Yes, Mr. Vi-- President," Tseng said, taking the controls of the helicopter.

"Hey-hey, that's right!" Palmer realized. "You're the president now, Rufus!"

The new president of Shinra Incorporated looked outside, his expression reflecting gloom. All the anger towards AVALANCHE and Sephiroth was gone, replaced by depression over the many deaths of the employees of his company. "There's no reason to get excited over it, Palmer," he whispered, bowing his head. "No reason at all."

He stood in silence as he stood alone in the middle of his father's former office -- his new office. Rufus stepped up to the desk that his father's corpse was still pinned to, forcing back tears as he the horrific face painted on the old man's face. He quietly walked around the desk, taking a firm grip on the sword that held his father's body down. After several moments of pulling, Rufus finally managed to yank the Masamune off, blood dripping from the blade as he threw it to the floor in disgust.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered as he put his hand over his father's wide eyes. "Sephiroth will pay for what he's done. Even if it means getting myself killed to accomplish it, I *will* see to it that Sephiroth pays. I swear it."

And when Rufus Shinra swore . . . he meant it.

On to Chapter 5.

Back to Rufus and Cloud.