Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ The Truth Will Set You Free ( Chapter 37 )

A/N: Guess what folks. I just have the Epilogue to write now! I hope to have the last chapter to the story up by the end of this year. Have lots of story to resolve.

Chapter 37: The Truth Will Set You Free

A crowd was gathering in front of the ShinRa headquarters in Junon. Men of varying ages and sizes shouted back up at the tall concrete building hoping that their voices would be heard. Some men wore pristine suits with badly-dyed blond hair. Others were in rags or whatever clothing was on their back. They came from all walks of life, no one person appearing to know the other. But despite their differences they all claimed the same thing: that they were Rufus ShinRa.
Standing on the twentieth floor overlooking the crowd from the balcony, the Turks stared down in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
“So Reno, what do we do with all of these people?” Clubs asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe if we throw down some treats, they’ll do tricks,” Reno joked.
“Dude, seriously? I think I have a candy-bar here. Let’s see what happens.”
Elena slapped Clubs on the wrist before he could throw the candy-bar over the railing. “Stop that.” Unfortunately, she didn’t notice Hearts clearing his throat before hocking a lugie down towards the crowd. The spittle landed squarely on top of someone’s head as the rest of the Turks looked on in a mixture of disgust and amusement.
“That was sweet. Now it’s my turn,” Clubs said before hocking his own lugie.
The only female member of the Turks looked on in horror as her teammates were trying to see who could hit the most people in the crowd.
“So is this what a Turk does all of the time?” Sol asked in morbid fascination.
“No!” Elena protested.
“Let them live a little. Besides, it’s good target-practice and team-building,” Walt chuckled. “Go ahead Sol, show the big boys what you’ve got.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Why do I even bother? I don’t even want to know what Reeve would think if he saw this.”
“I’d think that I must be insane,” Reeve’s voice answered from the balcony doorway. General Matthews followed closely behind as both men shook their heads at the immature display. “I trust you guys with my life and you all generally do a good job, but it’s times like these where I question myself.”
“Just a little R&R, boss. Don’t want the natives to get restless ya know?” Reno said.
“I think you’re a little late for that one,” General Matthews responded as he eyed the crowd in the street. “We wanted to ask if you had gotten any leads as to the whereabouts of Rufus ShinRa.”
Elena sighed. “Nothing verifiable. All we’ve got are the posers, the quacks and the crazies claiming to be Rufus ShinRa. Of course, after the incident with the Junon Star’s article, now we’re swamped with claims.”
“Do you think any of the people down there could be the real Rufus ShinRa?” Reeve asked Elena.
“Doubtful. According to the report from the soldiers who last saw Rufus ShinRa, he had dyed his hair brown. Everyone down there has blond-hair.”
“Do you think that he could have re-dyed his hair back to blond, Elena?” Diamonds asked.
“Too conspicuous,” Hearts said.
“Not his style,” Rude added.
“So the curtains don’t match the drapes?” Clubs said more to himself. “Wow, I’m trying to imagine it and he would look weird naked.”
Spades slapped Clubs up-side the head. “Idiot.”
“Hey, now that’s an idea. Check to see if the curtains don’t match the drapes,” Reno laughed.
“Reno! Are you suggesting we pull down the pants of every brown-haired, blue-eyed male over six feet tall to check if his pubic hair is blonde?!?” Elena screamed.
“To put it bluntly, yeah,” Reno answered with a shrug.
Elena shook her head. “Isn’t that illegal and unethical?”
“Well if you do it, I’m sure no one would complain,” Reno said with a wink.
“We’re not doing that,” Reeve said. “Some of these complications could have been solved if we had Nick King alive right now.”
“Sorry boss-man, we got a little excited,” Reno said.
Walt raised his hand. “Yeah, my fault. Didn’t know you wanted him alive.”
“What’s done is done. Now I want you all to focus on figuring out what to do with the obvious fakes. And no killing anyone,” Reeve pleaded.
“Sure thing. When do you want the vermin run off the grounds?” Reno asked.
“By this evening if at all possible. Tifa called and is bringing her group back from hunting Chaos. She says that she has something important, but won’t say what yet.”
“Tifa’s coming?” Rude asked.
Reno rubbed Rude’s head as he laughed. “We’re going to have to get you ready to see your little crush.”
“Who’s this Tifa? Is she hot?” Clubs asked.
“Clubs! Behave yourself!” General Matthews barked.
Clubs immediately stood at attention. “Sir!”
“Show a little more respect for Ms. Lockheart. She’s one of the AVALANCHE members who took down Sephiroth and saved your sorry ass from imminent doom.”
“Sorry sir. Won’t happen again sir,” Clubs saluted.
Reeve turned to Reno. “So you set on your marching orders?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“I’ll leave you to your devices then. And remember, no killing.”
The Turks watched as President Reeve and General Matthews left the balcony. Clubs was still standing at attention while the rest of the Turks leaned lazily against the railing. Walter watched the retreating men in mild curiosity.
“Reno, question.” Walter said.
“Answer.”
“Did you ever fight Tifa Lockheart?”
“Oh, yes. Many a time,” Reno sighed wistfully. “The woman’s got legs.”
“How did she fight?”
“Lots of punches and kicks. Great in hand-to-hand combat. But that’s not the best thing. The best thing is that she wears this form-fitting white shirt, a black mini-skirt and combat boots,” as Reno gestured with his hands to give everyone a visualization of her assets.
Elena rolled her eyes as the younger Turks hung onto Reno’s every word.
Walter wasn’t interested in Reno’s physical description of her. He closed his eyes visualizing the type of fighting style she most-likely had. “She was Zangan’s pupil, wasn’t she?”
“Yes,” Rude confirmed.
“Well, I look forward to meeting her,” Walter said with a hint of remorse.
Reno looked at the older Turk seriously. “Walt, you’re not thinking of that, are you?”
“Don’t know Reno. Things are a little different now that I’ve got Sol to train. But she should know the truth.”
“She might kill you when she finds out, but then that’s sort of the point, right? A warrior’s death.”
“If Zangan taught her well, she’ll know better than to act out emotionally. But we’ll have to see. Maybe I’ll wait a few more years before I call it my time.”
“Good to hear. We like having you around you know,” Reno said.
Clubs raised his hand interrupting the two older Turks. “Question. Are we going to have to kill each other in order to retire?”
Reno stared at Clubs blankly. “Dude, were you dropped as a child?”

* * *

She had been avoiding him all day. It was partly for personal reasons and partly because she was afraid of what he was going to say to her once they were alone. Which was why Tifa was huddled near Yuffie chatting away with the young girl. Tifa needed a distraction to keep herself from thinking about him.
“Is your stomach feeling any better?”
“Yeah it is. I think talking to you is helping. Probably distracting me from all of the moving and rocking.”
“We’ll be in Junon soon. Then I’m sure that we won’t be going on any adventures for a while.”
“But what about Rufus ShinRa? Don’t we need to track him down?”
“Reeve is going to take care of that. Once we meet up, I’m sure he’ll take care of everything.”
“Are Cid and Barret going to be there?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. They might be busy with the recovery efforts at Midgar.”
“We should tell them about Vincent and Cloud.”
“You’re right, we should. Too bad the whole gang wasn’t there to see them in person.”
“Yeah, I know,” Yuffie paused and smiled to herself before speaking. “It was good that you got to see Cloud again, right?”
Tifa smiled. “Yeah. It was good to feel him again; to know that he’s always going to be there.”
“Aeris, Vincent and Cloud. I can’t believe we lost them all.”
“Hey Yuffie? Do you think it’s possible to be in love with two people at the same time?” Tifa asked suddenly.
“Are you talking about Cloud?”
Tifa was about to speak, but the answer died on her lips.
Yuffie sat thoughtfully before answering. “Well, probably. I know that I love my parents, even though Mom’s gone, I still love her. I know that I love everyone in AVALANCHE and my chocobo Maru. I love the little girl Marlene and Aeris’s mother Elmyra. I love all of these people and can’t really think of favoring one over the other. Is that sort of what you mean?”
“Not really. But it makes sense. I think Cloud was in love with both of us. He had to be because everyone was in love with Aeris. She was like that. She brought out the best in everybody, especially Cloud. I don’t think I ever got to thank her for helping Cloud break out of his shell.”
“But, weren’t you the one who put Cloud back together in the lifestream?”
“I was, but when I was there, I thought I felt her cheering me on. Telling me to help Cloud find his real self, something that she said only I could do. I think she loved him just as much as I loved him. I think she wanted us to be happy together, but . . . but he’s with her now.” Tifa closed her eyes as a smile graced her lips. “I’m glad.”
Yuffie gazed at Tifa’s face before cautiously asking, “Do you think you’re ready to move on? I’m sure there are a few young and available men out there ready and willing to win your heart.”
“Of that I have no doubt. But the man suitable for me has some big shoes to fill. I don’t think I could settle for anyone who wasn’t as great as Cloud was.”
“Man Tifa, that’s going to be pretty tough. So,” Yuffie asked slyly. “Have any guys in mind?”
Tifa turned her head to face the wall. “I’m not telling.”
Yuffie tried to get a glimpse of Tifa’s face, but the older woman kept shaking her head from side-to-side. “Oh, come on Tifa. You know you can trust me.”
“I’m still not telling. Besides, it’s complicated.”
“It’s complicated? He’s not one of those guys with three wives or anything is he?”
“What? No!”
“Just joking Tifa. I know that you wouldn’t go for any guys like that. But still . . . who is it?” Yuffie said as she perked her ears.
“I promise I’ll tell you eventually. But I have to be sure. There are a lot of things that need to happen before I can say for certain,” Tifa said.
“Okay, but you better let me know right away once you’ve made your decision.”
While the two women chatted and laughed in the hanger, Rufus stared out from the bridge of the Highwind. His mind was going through all of the different scenarios in which to broach the subject of his true identity to Tifa, but the biggest problem he had was getting around to talking to her. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was afraid of confessing so he had been avoiding her. However, he knew that if he delayed addressing the situation until they reached Junon, it would be too late. So that’s why ever since he boarded the Highwind he had been staring at nothing in particular mustering the courage to act.
The intercom blared, “We’ll be arriving in Junon in thirty minutes.”
Rufus jumped at the sound and clenched his fist in frustration. He was running out of time. The sound of laughter suddenly permeated the bridge as Tifa and Yuffie entered wearing similar smiles of giddiness.
“I can’t believe that’s what he said to you! Are you going to meet up with him back at Gold Saucer once everything’s settled?”
“Of course! Ace is totally rufus!”
Rufus sighed, reminded of why he needed to talk to Tifa. Walking towards the two women, he straighten up his back and spoke, “Tifa, could I have a word with you?”
“Sure, what did you want to say?” Tifa asked him while she stayed rooted in the crowded bridge.
“Um, in private.”
Tifa’s eyes widened as she nodded her head and walked towards a secluded section of the Highwind. “So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
“I wanted to talk about something I’ve been holding in for a while now. I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid of the consequences and now that we’re almost to Junon, I need to tell you now.”
Tifa raised her hand to stop him. “John, now is not the time. I think I have a feeling on what you’re about to confess and . . . well, I know already. In fact, I probably should have always known. Once we reach Junon and we have our meeting with Reeve, then we’ll talk more.”
Rufus looked at her in confusion. “You know?”
“Yes, you confessed to me last night at Cosmo Canyon. I have to admit, I was taken aback, but I guess I can see it,” Tifa said avoiding any eye contact.
He was about to ask her what it was that he said that night when she placed her fingers on his lips.
“We will talk about this. But I’m just not ready yet. After the meeting with Reeve, I promise.” Tifa then walked out of the room leaving behind a stunned Rufus ShinRa.
Rufus stared at the empty space where Tifa was and wracked his brain trying to figure out exactly what he had said to her last night. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember. He was told once that patience was a virtue. He had never claimed to be a very virtuous man and this predicament was certainly pushing the boundaries of that. Left with no choice, Rufus was going to have to wait.

* * *

One-by-one, the large crowd of men that were in front of ShinRa’s headquarters were leaving the area in disappointment and embarrassment. Each and every person who claimed they were Rufus ShinRa had to be put through a few tests, courtesy of the Turks. Over half of them failed the first test and the other half failed Reno and Rude’s intense questions. They were slowly getting rid of the crowd as ordered and no one had gotten killed yet.
Walter and Sol were staring at the proceedings in a secure location as the older Turk quizzed his young apprentice.
“What do you see when you look at all of those men down there?”
“That they’re trying too hard,” Sol said.
“How exactly?”
“They’re trying to look like the person they think Rufus ShinRa is, but all of them are only getting the surface image down. Take that guy over there,” Sol pointed. “He’s wearing the exact same suit that Rufus ShinRa wore before he went missing, but it doesn’t make sense for him to even have the suit given all of the information we know about his disappearance. And none of them look remotely confident in themselves. It’s all an act.”
“Very good Sol. Now if Rufus ShinRa were to walk up to these doors and try to return to ShinRa, how do you think he would do it?”
“First off, he wouldn’t be waiting in line to get tested by the Turks like everyone else is doing. He would walk right up to Reno and Rude and tell them who he was without breaking eye-contact. Most of those guys down there can’t even stare Reno in the eyes for more than a few seconds.”
Walter pat Sol on the back. “I knew you were a smart one. Now last question to see if your analytical skills are any good. Why do you think we’re going through all of this effort to test all of these fakes if it’s obvious from the get-go that they’re not the real Rufus ShinRa?”
Sol smirked. “Because these guys all feel like they have something to prove, even if they know the Turks would never let them set foot in the building. If we don’t give them that slim chance, then they’ll never leave thinking that we never disproved their identity.”
After several more minutes, the final Rufus impersonator was turned away and the Turks made their way back into the building.
“So, did you guys learn anything?” Reno asked the four new recruits.
“Yeah, it’s much more fun to kill someone’s ego than it is to kill them,” Hearts said.
“That’s right my psychopathic friend. A Turks’ got to be strong not just physically, but mentally too.”
Spades snorted. “Looks like Clubs is screwed.”
“And that’s also why Turks always get partnered up with someone to make-up for anything the other partner lacks,” Elena stated.
Reno smirked. “And as we all know, Elena could get partnered up with any one of us guys because of what she lacks.”
“Pervert.”
“You only say that because you know me so well.”
Elena was about to deliver a retort when her phone rang with a call from General Matthews. She quickly answered it and then turned to her teammates after getting all of the information. “Looks like the Highwind has been spotted on the horizon. We’re to report to the roof to meet up with it when it touches down. Come on boys, let’s not keep the President waiting.”
She moved down the hallway with nary a glance behind her as she walked with confidence and purpose. The males watched in appreciation how the female suit accentuated her backside.
“So, when do I get to be partnered with her?” Diamonds asked.
Reno answered tersely. “Never. Elena’s special. She gets to be in a threesome with me and Rude. And if she ever does get partnered with any one of you, it’s only temporary. Got that?”
Everyone nodded their heads, not daring to disagree with the Leader of the Turks. Especially when it was one of the few times Reno had given them that look. They hadn’t been Turks for long, but it wasn’t hard to tell when the normally laid-back Turk was dead serious.

* * *

It was a nostalgic feeling landing in Junon. He hadn’t been back since he first assumed the role of John Woolfe. He didn’t know if any of the guards that had been watching him when he portrayed his half-brother would still recognize him. The last time he checked in the mirror, the brown-dye was slowly starting to fade and his roots had come in, giving him a completely different look. He was a changed man.
Watching the landing platform get closer as he stood on the deck of the Highwind, he knew what he needed to do. It wasn’t going to be easy and he hated to think of what Yuffie and Tifa would think when he finally revealed his true identity. They wouldn’t look at him the same way, he was sure of it. But reminiscing on the adventures he had and the time he spent with them, no matter how short, put a smile on his face. If he could he’d do it again.
He let his eyes wander to Tifa as she gazed out the main window. There were so many things that he wished he could say to her right now; so many questions left unanswered. He only hoped that she wouldn’t completely hate him after what he was about to do. Rufus committed her peaceful expression to memory fearing it would be the last time he’d see it. Once the Highwind completed docking, he walked off the bridge wanting to get everything over and done with; because he didn’t want to see the expression on her face when she learned who he really was.
The first thing that Rufus noted once he debarked the airship was that the Turks had recruited. That was something he had had on his agenda, but the entire Sephiroth debacle put that idea on the back-burner. The second was that Reno and Rude looked like they were taking their friendship to an entirely new level. Rude could do the bald look, but not Reno. Finally, the most important thing was the curious expression that Reno was giving him. Rufus knew it was probably best to start with him since he knew him the best.
“Hello Reno. Looks like you’ve been keeping busy with the Turks. The bald look doesn’t suit you though,” Rufus said.
The Leader of the Turks eyed the dirty-blond-haired man standing before him. There was a familiarity about him that was unmistakable. “Do I know you?”
“Get your head out of your ass Reno and take a good look at me.”
Reno’s eyes widened as he recognized that no-nonsense stare only one person ever gave him. “Rufus? Holy shit-on-a-stick! Rufus! It’s really you!”
The scene following Reno’s proclamation was nothing short of chaotic. Rude and Elena both looked at him with a quizzical eye as well as General Matthews. Reeve somehow looked relieved while the rest of the ShinRa military looked on in confusion. He could hear Yuffie cursing in various forms of Wutainese in the background. But the most puzzling sight to him was the silent and stoic Tifa who stared at him passively. He could take anger, he could take surprise or hurt, but Rufus wasn’t sure what to make of her blank expression.
He wasn’t given any more time to think about Tifa as General Matthews and Reeve both came up to him.
“Rufus ShinRa I presume? General Matthews. We’ve met before,” General Matthews shook his hand.
“Ah yes, I remember meeting you here in Junon. You became a Four-star General during the ShinRa-Wutai War, correct?”
General Matthews smiled at the accurate statement. “I’m glad that you at least know who I am. However, I didn’t earn my rank taking things at face-value. A few tests are in order.”
“I’m glad that you take your job seriously General,” Rufus said expecting to be tested to ascertain his true identity. Honestly, if they had handed him the reigns without a thorough interview to confirm it was him, he would have fired those responsible on the spot. “What tests do you have for me to prove my identity?”
General Matthews, Reeve and Reno all exchanged looks before turning to Rufus. “Reno and the Turks have an intricate vetting process set-up to weed out the obvious impersonators. After that I’ll have a simple test with the final test conducted by Reeve. Are we ready to begin?”
“I was born ready.”
The tests began with multiple questions that only those in the inner circle of ShinRa’s government would know about. He also answered personal questions of the Turks that only he would know. Rufus almost mentioned that he knew Reno had a daughter, but decided against it after he remembered how she passed away. He had convinced them enough, there was no need to dredge up any painful memories if they served no purpose.
General Matthews was impressed with how easily he had passed the first test, but there were still two more tests. Handing Rufus a standard issued ShinRa guard rifle, he asked him to shoot three targets in the air. Rufus smirked as he took the gun and fired at the targets on command as they were tossed up. It was only natural that General Matthews had access to his marksmanship records. Two down; one to go. As Reeve approached, Rufus wondered what sort of test the ShinRa executive had for him.
“The last test is going to require us to head into headquarters. If you could follow me.”
The entourage walked past all of the offices and cubicles of all the low-level workers. Rufus fully expected Reeve to lead him to the President’s office, but instead found himself in the middle of the finance department. In front of him was a computer with a password entry screen. A man that he recognized as the son of the head of ShinRa’s banking system stood at attention.
The man extended his hand to greet him. “Rufus ShinRa I hope? I’m Mark Baker, the new head of the banks for ShinRa. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Rufus replied. He didn’t have to guess how Mark came to take over his father’s position. Rufus was intimately familiar with inheritance through death.
“If you’ve reached this far, then it’s time to administer the last test. President Anderson instructed me that this was going to be the most important one. All we need is for you to input the key password known only by President Rufus ShinRa to open up the ShinRa accounts.”
“This test is the most crucial,” Reeve spoke. “Currently, we’re at an impasse in regards to funding many of the recovery and rebuilding efforts after Meteor. Our emergency funds are nearly depleted and without access to the normal cash flow of the company, we’ll be out of resources. So for your sake and the sake of the entire world, I hope that you are who you say you are.”
Rufus nodded his head in understanding. He hadn’t known that the situation had gotten so dire. As exciting and liberating as the past few weeks of being inconspicuous had been, the company and the world needed him. His fingers moved with certainty as they typed: W001f3. He’d never forget his mother’s maiden name or the fact that it was the password he encrypted after his ascension to President.
A cry of relief echoed through the room as the password was accepted. Rufus barely registered the field of questions that were being fired his way. His eyes were planted solely on the figure staring back at him with resigned defeat. The look in her eyes gave it all away. She knew. He didn’t know how long she had known, but if he had to guess, it started the night at Cosmo Canyon. She suddenly turned away from the room and rushed past the Turks.
“Tifa wait!”
Rufus ignored everyone as he pushed past the bodies around him. But there were too many people in front of him for him to get through. No sooner had he thought that he’d never make it past the sea of bodies, the Turks had cleared a path with Reno and Rude escorting him past the crowd.
“Wait, President ShinRa, where are you going? There’s so much we need to do,” Chris Johnson said.
“Dude, don’t cock-block the Prez,” Reno said.
He knew he could always trust Reno to take care of the situation. Rufus nodded his head in appreciation and smirked as the Turk returned the gesture. Then he bolted down the hallway trying to figure out where Tifa would have run off to. He didn’t have to guess as he saw Elena at the end of one of the halls gesturing for him to go left, so he did. The hallways emptied out into a series of conference rooms with large open windows and sleek wood furniture. He saw Tifa in the last room looking out the window.
She looked beautiful. Rufus silently closed the distance between them and stood next to her as he stared out the window. It was a magnificent view. The ocean was laid out in all of its glory before them with hardly anything beyond the expanse of blue. He spared a glance over at Tifa who was shyly biting her lip. It was now or never.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Tifa replied.
“So now you know who I am.”
Tifa’s lips curled up briefly. “Yes, you’re Rufus ShinRa. You told me at Cosmo Canyon.”
“So that’s what I did that night. Did I say anything else?”
“If you don’t remember, then it must not have been really important.”
“Or that I was drunk off my ass. You want to know what the last thing was that I remember from that night?”
Tifa looked at him and briefly nodded.
Rufus licked his lips before he spoke. “I remember the firelight dancing in your eyes as we sat next to the Cosmo Candle. Your face was flushed from all of the alcohol, but it really made your skin glow. And your lips, how could I ever forget that kiss?”
She closed her eyes briefly and breathed the memory out like a whisper. Yes, how could one ever forget that kiss? Remembering where she was, Tifa turned to Rufus. “I didn’t know who you were then.”
“And for that, I’m sorry. But that still doesn’t change any of my feelings.”
“I know Rufus. I know. However, it changes mine.”
Rufus stared at Tifa in hurt. “Why?”
“You confuse me now,” Tifa whispered. “I don’t know who you really are. There are many things that I associate with Rufus ShinRa. Negative things like trying to have me executed. Then there are all the adventures I had with John Woolfe. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“I am who I am Tifa. All my actions, all of my feelings and friendship with you are the same. The only difference is my name.”
“A name that carries a lot of baggage.”
Rufus sighed. “I know. It’d give it all up for you if I could.”
Tifa eyed him cautiously. “Why don’t you?”
“Because I know that they need me. The people of this planet need me. I know you probably don’t agree, but I need to put ShinRa back on it’s feet.”
“And what? Return ShinRa to it’s former glory? Keep on sucking the life out of the planet or going around destroying innocent lives?”
“No, nothing like that. ShinRa needs to be rebuilt, but not in the way it used to be. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’m going to give-up ShinRa, give-up the company that I was bred and raised to run. But I’m not going to run it the same way my old man did. ShinRa has blurred the line between company and government too much and it’s time for me to change that. I need start laying the foundations to separate the two entities like they should be. I’ll reform the government to ensure that the top officials are elected instead of born or bribed into the position. There’s so much that I need to do to fix things I don’t know how long it will take. Sephiroth taught me that mako energy is not the way to go and my time with you taught me that I’ve been out of touch with the most important aspect of the government and that’s the people. Hell, I’m probably blathering things that don’t make any sense to you do they?”
“No,” Tifa shook her head as something in her gaze softened. “But I think I understand your intent. You want to change ShinRa in the same way that you’ve changed.”
“Yes. That’s exactly it.”
Tifa choked back a laugh. “You’re . . . really something you know that. One minute I’m scared and confused; then we start talking and you say something to infuriate me and then . . . and then you say the smartest things that make me really respect you. It’s like I’m starting to truly understand you.”
“The same could be said for you too you know?” Rufus smirked.
Tifa bit her lip to try and hide her smile. “At least I was upfront about who I was and I never dyed my hair.”
“Touché. You know what Tifa, let’s start over,” Rufus turned around briefly and then faced her with his hand extended out in a greeting. “Hello, my name’s Rufus ShinRa, pleased to meet you.”
Tifa stared at Rufus’s hand with a wry smile on her face before grasping it. “Hello Mr. ShinRa. I’m Tifa Lockheart. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, I assure you.”