Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Gomen Nasai ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

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Things were going from bad to worse. Sephiroth had called meteor. The said rock was now hanging in balance over the city of Midgar. If the meteor wasn't actually threatening the existence of every living thing in the world, it could have called 'pretty' in an weird way. Rufus thought that anyway, as he stared at the rock. Everyone's depending on Shinra to get rid of it. Rufus mused. But I wonder, even after Sephiroth's gone, will it just disappear?

He idly twiddled with a pen in his hands, watching the whole of Midgar carry on as normal, or at least trying to. Cars still ran down the highroads, people still walked. From the seventieth floor of the Shinra building you couldn't see the fear on the people's faces, only imagine it.

Then there was the other problem. The Weapons. The huge monsters created by the planet to get rid of it's threat, even if it meant wiping out the human race to accomplish it. The Weapon attacks had gotten worse over the last few days. Junon had been hit more than once while he was staying there. Mideel had already been wiped out by the huge purple coloured Weapon. Then there was the gigantic silver coloured Weapon that was seen rising from the deaths of the sea, miles away from Midgar, but there was no mistake that the Weapon was heading straight for the city.

Rufus wasn't worried. The same cannon that had taken out a Weapon in Junon, was now hanging over Midgar, pointing towards the Northern Crater where Sephiroth resided, a huge barrier protecting him.

The President heard the door open and spun around. He was greeted by a kiss planted hard on his lips. Reno smirked slightly as he pulled back. The smirk faded quickly.

"Sorry. I just needed that." He whispered, wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist. Rufus smiled and kissed equally hard back.

"Who said I minded?"

"No one, but I would have hit you round the head if u did mind." Reno said in a attempt to lighten the situation. Rufus smiled lightly.

"You ok?" He asked. For once the roll reversed.

Reno looked a little surprised, but shook it off.

"I'm fine, or will be after this shit's over." He mumbled.

"Won't we all?" Rufus murmured. Reno looked at his watch.

"I suppose I'd better to go." He said reluctantly. "Got a job to do surprisingly." Rufus slid his fingers between Reno in an effort to keep him there a little long. Even more reluctantly than before, Reno started to take a step back, their fingers still intertwined with each others. The redhead took another step back and slowly their fingers came free.

"See you later." Rufus whispered. "Love you." He said as an after thought. For some reason his stomach was creating a bottomless hole which the contents of his stomach weren't liking one bit. Reno smiled.

"You too." He then left the room, the door closing slowly.

Rufus took another look at the very small silver dot on the horizon. His eyes then drifted to look at the huge rock in the sky. Still looking out the window, Rufus heard his intercom click on.

"Hah, hah, hah, Mr. President, preparations for Sister Ray are now in order." Boomed Heidegger's voice. Rufus' eyes travelled along the long barrel of the Sister Ray, meeting again with the now slightly larger silver dot.

"Hah, hah, hah! Anytime is fine." Scarlet laughed. Rufus knew Scarlet couldn't wait to see her plan become a success. The President sighed, closing his eyes. He muttered the word she was waiting to hear,

"......Fire."

Rufus watched as the Sister Ray powered up. The lights flickered out in his office. The whole of Midgar plunged into darkness as the cannon took all the power it could to create a single shot. Everything was silent for a split second, until the cannon drew all the energy together one last time. The Sister Ray fired with a huge bang. The windows of the Shinra building shattered outwards, the glass showering the concrete below. Wind whipped around Rufus' hair. He moved a lock of it in an attempt to stop it blowing in his eyes, but it blew back. Rufus gave in with a sigh. He turned away from the window to get away from the wind. The wind ceased to be as strong as he stood near his desk, running a hand over the cool metal. The unmistakable sound of the intercom was heard, as it clicked on again.

"Sir! Weapon's been defeated!! The barrier has disappeared!" The operator shouted out, sounding ecstatic. Rufus blinked slowly, a small smiled gracing his lips. Two problems down....

"Sir!" The now panicked voice of the operator said, "A mass of high density energy is heading towards Midgar!"

Rufus spun back round. As the operator had said, yellow beams of energy were heading towards Midgar, more specifically towards him. His uneasy stomach churned a whole lot more. His fear froze him still. The attack was heading right towards him, yet he couldn't move. As his senses gained control again, he did the only thing he could. He shielded himself using his arm, not realising that it wouldn't do a whole lot in protecting him.

The first blast shook the building, a few floor below. Rufus lost his footing slightly. He didn't have to wait long for the second blast. It directly hit his office. The energy seemed to expand as it hit it's target. The light seared his skin. The pain was overwhelming. Rufus dropped to his knees as another blast hit the building. Then another. The fifth blast hit the office again. Rufus felt as though the energy was tearing his skin apart. Unable to take anymore, he fell the rest of the way to the floor. He screwed his face up in pain, but still he didn't scream out loud.

Then came the eerie silence. The energy attack had ceased. Only the crackle from small fires that scattered the office reached Rufus' ears. He took a deep breath from where he was laid, blinking slowly. As pain shot through him he hissed, closing his eyes tight.

It won't hurt for much longer, he told himself. He wondered just how many times he had said that same line, over and over again. He managed to smile grimly.

But this time it's true. It won't hurt much longer. But this time was different. True, he didn't want it to hurt any longer, but he didn't want to die.

For the first time in his life he had something to live for. That's what was different.

He felt his skin burn like it was on fire. He felt the growing pool of crimson touch his outstretched finger tips. With as much effort as he could muster, he dipped his fingers into the liquid and rubbed his finger and thumb together lightly. A voice rung in his head.

No-one's ever seen him bleed or cry.

How wrong they were. Rufus would have laughed bitterly if he had the strength to. A tear ran down his cheek onto the burnt carpet below him.

No-one's ever seen him bleed or cry.

He had bled more than once in his life. Most of the time it was courtesy of his own father. Other times it was his own doing, but never once had he cried. He never saw reason to. Until now.......

For the first time in his life, he was scared. It wasn't the first time he had stared death in the face. All the other times he was never scared, he even welcomed it. This time I actually have....... had...... something to live for.

Another tear joined the first. His skin continued to burn. The crimson liquid continued to grow. If he had the strength to, he would have curled up in a ball in the corner of the room.

Everything was silent now. He closed his azure eyes and opened them slowly again. His strawberry blonde hair was limp against his head.

I'm sorry..........

The number of people that would have given anything to see the President of Shinra like this. The number of people that would embedded a bullet in the young blonde's head was even higher. It didn't matter to him what they thought. Only one person mattered.

I'm sorry...........

Life's a dream. Sometimes it's a nightmare, sometimes it's pleasurable, but like everything it'll end one day, no matter how indestructible you think you are.

Rufus remembered when he was told that. If it's a dream, tell me why it hurts so damn much?

As if to remind him, pain raged through his stomach. He shut his eyes tightly and breathed a shuddery breath. His head felt lighter. His vision was blurry. All he wanted to do was shut his eyes.

He gave into temptation. Slowly, he shut his cobalt eyes for the last time. He breathed unevenly a few times.

I'm sorry Reno.

He breathed his last shuddery breath as the rest of Midgar carried on the way it always had done.

Reno couldn't take his eyes off the Shinra building as the Weapon's attack began to assault it. His heart felt like it had dropped a few hundred feet and then some. He blinked a few hundred times, hoping it was just crazy hallucination he was having, but it wasn't, it was all real. Another explosion hit the building, making the redhead wince.

"Rufus......" He murmured. His mouth slowly but gradually dried up, a huge lump rose in his throat. He took a deep breath, but it only seemed to make it worse. His vision started to go blurry. Reno rubbed his eyes harshly. "God damn it.." He muttered even quieter than before. He vaguely remembered the other two Turks stood behind him, Rude's hand on his shoulder served to remind him.

"Reno..." Rude started. Reno shook of the hand violently and walked away a few steps. He stood silently, his hands clenched, shaking with anger. As sudden as it came, the anger left him. He let himself squat to the floor, not bothering to stop the tears that had started to run down his cheeks. They were silent tears, no sobs came from his throat. He just let them fall.

He wasn't the kind of man that cried. He couldn't even remember the last time he had cried, but it wasn't stopping the tears from falling. He didn't care anymore. The only thing he cared about was gone.

The rain started to fall. Still Reno sat on his heels. The rain mixed with his tears. Anyone that would have looked him wouldn't have been able to tell where the rain stopped and the tears started. His suit became drenched, sticking to his skin, but he acted as though he didn't notice. His face looked void of everything, his eyes stared into nothingness.

Rude and Elena stood a few feet behind the redhead. Elena found the situation unnerving. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever seen Reno upset, it didn't seem like an emotion that someone such as him had. Maybe that's why she said nothing. She didn't know what to say anyway. Rude ventured towards Reno, again placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get going." The bald man murmured.

"He's gone.." Reno mumbled.

"You don't know that-"

"I do." Reno interrupted. "I just know......" Rude didn't speak again. Instead he moved his hand under Reno's arm, and pulled him up. Reno didn't resist it. He looked at Rude, the rims of his eyes slightly red. He caught Rude looking at him so flipped his sunglasses over his eyes. He again shook off Rude's hold on him and walked slowly towards the Shinra building without a word.

"Aren't you gonna go with him?" Elena asked when Reno was out of hearing range. Rude shook his head and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Elena took one more look at Reno before following the bald headed Turk.

Somehow, Reno found a way to the seventieth floor that wasn't decimated by Weapon's blast. Cold air whipped around the huge room. The sky was now visible through a huge hole in the ceiling, the whole office ruined beyond recognition.

Reno's eye caught Rufus laid near his desk. He slowly walked towards him, over the crumbled plaster and snapped metal. He stopped when he stood next to the blonde.

"Are you telling me no one listens to me? Me? The great Reno?"

"Great? That makes you sound like a magician or something."

"Ah, but I can do magic tricks. See?"

"That's the lamest trick I've ever seen."

"Well, if I knew you wanted a magic show I would have brought all my tricks."

"What? Including a white rabbit in a hat?"

He squatted down next to him, lifting a lock of dirty blonde hair that had fell across Rufus' face. The blonde's eyes were closed, his face had lost any expression it had before. A cut across Rufus' cheek had began to dry out, but streaks of blood had ran down his face and fell onto the already soaking carpet. His skin was cold to the touch, Reno noted. He let his hand linger on Rufus' cheek.

"I try my best to make as much racket as possible."

"You don't have to try very hard."

"You wouldn't have it any other way, right?"

"Nope, nope and nope."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to say I love you Reno."

"I love you too."

Reno let himself sit on what ended up being a piece of plaster from the ceiling. He took one of Rufus' hand and brought it up to his cheek. So cold.......

"You ok?"

"I'm fine, or will be after this shit's over."

"Won't we all?"

"I suppose I'd better to go. Got a job to do surprising."

"See you later. Love you."

"You too."

It was then Reno let out the sob he'd been holding back so long. He squeezed the hand tighter, threading his fingers through the others. He kissed the hand, his tears falling on the cold skin.

"Rufus......" Reno murmured. "I'm sorry.........."

One last bit...... *sniff*