Final Fantasy VII 1. Crush?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF characters…which sucks. But the girl with Rufus is mine though.

A/N: "Edge news" is a popular newspaper and gossip column. Their favorite person to gossip about? The President of course, and they particularly love gossiping about his private life. People in Edge are only too happy to share what they've witnessed when it comes to the President so they never have to go very far for a story either…which makes good business for them since their gossip pages are what sells the paper.

This is after AC and if DOC happened, well...it doesn't matter if it did or didn't for this. I never played it and don't really know how long that whole story lasted in calendar time, so maybe it would fit in and maybe it wouldn't. I really don't know and it doesn't really affect anything.

Since they're articles, obviously, they won't be very long but hopefully they're entertaining.

Anyway, enjoy the "articles"!

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Edge - March 14th, 2005

Does the President have a crush?

President Rufus Shinra, 23, apparently has a crush on someone. Sources report that he spent his evening at the Edge museum of modern art gala admiring from afar, then finally talking to the girl that caught his eye.

'His bodyguards kept pushing him all night to talk to her and finally ended up having to tease him about being afraid to talk to a girl to get him to say two words to her.' Several witnesses report. 'He finally went up to her while she was looking at a painting and started talking about the artist.'

Apparently, the two hit it off. 'They went around to several different paintings, discussing the artists, their thoughts on the paintings and a few other trivial things. They didn't run out of topics to discuss and there was never a lull in their conversation; they just spent the night talking, smiling and flirting.'

After a while, they had to go their separate ways and said their goodbyes. 'Their parting seemed more awkward then their initial meeting.' Our source laughs, 'His guards were facing him and kept mouthing "ask her out!" to him over and over again.' He finally did heed their advice, again, and asked the young lady on a date.

'She got quiet for a few moments, which obviously would make any guy, including him, worry.' A witness adds, 'She eventually looked at him and smiled then told him that she would like to go on a date with him alone sometime soon.'

After getting her number and address, they parted ways and went to opposite sides of the hall; she went to discuss what transpired with an unidentified older woman while he returned to his bodyguards who continued to tease him.

'They're lucky that he seems to like them a lot or they would probably be dead by now.' A witness jokes. 'When they asked him what happened and he told them that he had a date, one of them just nodded and smiled while the other one, a red-head, cheered, slapped him on the back and congratulated him on getting guts to talk to someone that good looking.'

'I must admit that the President is very good at glaring at people.' The witness continues. 'After the glare, the red-head stopped his teasing and things went back to normal. The rest of the evening went off without a hitch, the President gave his speech, then left about a half hour later. The night finished in the same way that any other charity night finishes; quietly.'

So who is this mystery woman? Either no one at the gala recognized her or they're simply not telling. Trust us, we're dying to know about this woman just as much as you readers are.


	2. First date

Disclaimer: Same as the first chapter. :- )

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Edge - March 30th, 2005

Several eyewitnesses say that President Rufus Shinra was out wining and dining last night with a female companion at the classy Fortuna restaurant in uptown Edge. Those that were able to see her up close identified her as Amber Watson, 23, the daughter of Gerald Watson, President and CEO of the First Bank of Edge (formerly the First Bank of Midgar) and the First Bank of Junon.

'It's a pretty safe bet that she's not after his money and that's probably what attracted him to her to begin with.' confided a friend of the President's, 'After all, her father is the head of the bank and she's doing a lot of work behind the scenes at the bank herself. Plus, she already has a nice sized bank account so she could care less about his.'

Eyewitnesses say that the dinner began as a rather formal affair. 'You could tell that they were holding themselves back. They were both rather quiet for a while and they didn't seem sure what they could say around each other without offending the other.' A witness reports, 'It was basically the typical first date jitters. It looked like both of them wanted to make a move, but neither of them wanted to make the move first. There _is_ a definite chemistry between them though. That much is obvious.'

For those of you wondering what they were enjoying during their first meal together, they savored, among other things, filet mignon with foie gras and seared shark filet. The total cost of the meal including the wine? Roughly 5000 gil. It should go without mention that President Rufus was ever the gentleman and paid the tab.

So what does a young couple on their first date do after enjoying a meal that is the equivalent of most families' monthly combined salaries? Naturally, they go to the theater. Onlookers in the theater say that they were more interested in each other then in the play onstage.

'The only time they ever stopped talking, smiling and laughing at each other was when the audience would applaud the actors on stage. They would applaud with the rest of the audience, then they would pick up where their conversation left off.'

Once the play was over, their evening was not complete. 'He was supposed to drive her home after the play, but asked her to go to a café down the street from the theater.' She was more then happy to accept the invitation and spent several hours chatting with the blue-eyed President over a couple of lattés.

What we're dying to know (and we're sure you all are too) is if the President gave Ms. Watson a good night kiss. 'He did give her a kiss on her hand then she finished off by giving him a hug. Their goodbye really wasn't anything spectacular. After all, he had a Turk with him and he's not the type to lavish out public displays of affection, even if it's in front of someone that he knows very well and especially not towards someone whom he has only dated once.'

So does our source believe that there is going to be a second date? 'I'm 100 sure that there will be a second date and many more after that. They seem to fit together very well and they would both compliment each other's personality.'

Stay tuned to Edge news for news about the President and his potential girlfriend!

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A\N 2: I didn't know what to make the amount for in gil, so let's say that their meal was $500. I put the gil amount as 10 times ours. shrugs It sounds alright I guess.


	3. The Charity Ball

Disclaimer: Same old disclaimer as usual.

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Edge - June 15th, 2005

President Rufus Shinra, 23, didn't arrive at the Egde orphanage charity ball alone last night. His date? None other then Amber Watson. It's usually the norm to see the President arrive to these events only with a bodyguard. Seeing him with a date brings forth many questions.

Speculation has been running rampant for months about their relationship. Other then their first and second dates, they haven't been seen in public together until tonight. So are they officially dating or are they only good friends?

'It's too early to say right now to say anything about their relationship.' His publicist said in a statement. 'While President Rufus will not deny that he respects Miss Watson very much and enjoys her company, he has not gone on record stating that they are dating. They are merely good friends.'

Right...of course they are. Witnesses at the charity ball would say otherwise. 'They didn't leave each other's side the whole evening.' A witness reports. 'When one left to talk to someone, the other was right behind them. When Rufus would get himself some food, he got a plate for her as well. If Amber went to get a drink, she brought an extra one for Rufus.'

Perhaps they were merely keeping each other company because they enjoyed each other's conversation? 'They stood much too close to each other to only be friends.' The witness laughs. 'Once in a while, Rufus would put his arm around her waist, then realize what he did and remove it just as fast. He'd look embarrassed about almost being caught being affectionate and would take a step back.'

'If Rufus did that then he really does like her.' Our source says. 'This is a man who has attended public functions his whole life and is always quiet and reserved when he's there. For him to forget where he is and touch her means that he thinks of her as more then a friend.'

The President wasn't the only one having difficulties hiding his affections. 'Amber was grinning at him the whole evening. She looked so happy to be there with him. She'd grab his arm and lean on his shoulder for a few seconds and rub his back. Then she'd let go just as quickly as she had grabbed him. There's something going on between them. If they're only friends, then they are _very_ good friends.'

It's all speculation at this point, however it seems like the President has found himself a girlfriend. But of course, until his publicist says otherwise they're still "just friends". Trust us; we believe that one as much as you readers do.

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A/N: I do hope that everyone likes the "articles" and gossip so far. Please R&R! has cookies ready


	4. Junon Ball

Disclaimer: Same as usual…

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Junon - June 22nd, 2005

The annual Junon Charity ball was a stunning success thanks in part to President Rufus Shinra. Not only was the event a financial success, it finally put to rest several rumors regarding the President's personal status.

As is the norm with this event, it was hard to avoid the press which were everywhere. One journalist managed to corner the President to ask a personal question and surprisingly, he stopped to answer. The question? 'Are you and Miss Watson officially an item?'

'We have been seeing each other for several months and she has accompanied me to several functions that I would normally attend alone. That should be all the answer that you need.'

While the President may not have come right out and said it (but what politician does?), we can safely assume that the two of them are more then just friends. In fact, we're willing to bet our life savings that they are an item; they stood close to each other all night and did not stop themselves from reaching for the other.

'They've been seeing each other for a while but they didn't want to say anything because it's something that should be personal.' Our source confides. 'I just think that they're tired of hiding how they feel for each other so they're just letting themselves show how they feel.'

With the status of the President's personal life out of the way, we can report that the Junon Charity ball broke their previous record for most money raised in a single evening. President Rufus donated a million gil to the organization and offered to match gil for gil donations ten thousand gil and over. In the end, the President donated an extra $500,000. The total from the evening was 2 million gil, an amount that amazed the chairman.

'Thank you all for your generosity tonight and a special thank you to the President for his generosity. This is by far the most successful ball in our history and the funds will not go to waste. The various charities in the city that will benefit from this evening thank you from the bottom of their hearts. Without your contributions, the sick and less fortunate of the city would have nothing.'

Now that the charity ball is over, what's next on the Presidential agenda? If you said more meetings then you're right. He's staying in Junon for the next several days to meet with the heads of different organizations to discuss the possibility of either deconstructing or recalibrating the reactors for alternative power sources. Sounds like an exciting week now doesn't it? Our source says that Miss Watson will be spend a few days in Junon with Rufus and visit family (maybe to introduce him to them?), then she will return to Edge.


	5. Roommates?

Disclaimer: Same as the other chapters…

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Edge - June 20th, 2006

President Rufus has a roommate?

Rumor has it that the President has a new roommate; a female roommate to be exact. Sources say that Amber Watson, 24, spent her weekend moving her personal belongings from her loft in downtown Edge to the President's penthouse uptown.

'She's been giving a lot of her furniture to her friends over the last couple of weeks.' One of her friends reports. 'Rufus spent the weekend over at her place a couple of weeks ago and they decided what she would be bringing and what she would give away.'

However, not everything that was given away was her stuff. 'Rufus got rid of a couple of his things to make room for her. He much preferred her dining room set so he got rid of his. He also liked her bedroom set so he put it in the spare bedroom and got rid of the one he had there.'

So how did the question about moving in come to be? 'Rufus had been thinking about asking her for a while but didn't know how to approach it or how she would take it.' A source close to the President confides. 'Finally one of his bodyguards just told him to "get some nerve and ask her straight out before I ask her for you". So, that's what Rufus did; got the nerve and asked her one night over dinner.'

And just how did the red-haired beauty take the question? 'She was shocked at first. She thought he was kidding and started giggling.' Our source laughs. 'He just blurted it out, she didn't think he was serious. When she looked up at him, she saw that he was serious and she felt bad about laughing; he never looked so uncomfortable and out of place in his life. When she asked him if he was really serious and he said that he was, she stared at him for a few minutes before grinning from ear to ear and saying that she was happy that he asked and would love to move in with him.'

Having an extra body in the Presidential penthouse means that his personal bodyguards now have an extra person to protect. 'They've always liked Amber so having the extra job of guarding her doesn't bother them.' Our source continues. 'Besides, if they didn't guard her with their life in the same way that they guard Rufus, they know that Rufus would kill them should anything happen to her. They know that she's very important to him and they want to keep them together and danger free as long as possible. They like her so much that a couple of them took their weekend off to help her move in!'

Now that she's moved into the President's home, one can only wonder how long it will be before they make their union official. 'A few of his guards, namely Reno and Tseng, have been teasing him about marriage but he's not ready for that yet. They've been dating for about a year now and for him, that's too soon to even think about marriage. He's happy taking it one step at a time and seeing where it goes. Plus, he'll be the first to say that right now is a bad time to get married anyway; with his workload and agenda, he knows that he wouldn't be a good husband right now and he doesn't want to do that to their relationship.'

Edge news wishes the happy couple the best of luck on this new stage of their relationship.


	6. Trouble

Disclaimer: See last chapter…

A/N: I know this one is shorter then the rest, but hey, gossip columns can only write so much about one topic without knowing more about the story right? Right.

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Edge - June 18th, 2006

Rocky road for the happy couple?

Sources report that Rufus Shinra was offered an ultimatum by his girlfriend, Amber Watson yesterday; "cut back on your workload or we're through."

That's doesn't mean that Amber doesn't understand that he's a busy man. 'She knows that as the President of Shin-ra, he has to give a lot of hours to the company and she accepted then when they started dating.' Our source confides. What is getting to her is his constant 16-18 hour days, 7 days a week. 'When they started dating, Rufus would start his day before dawn and call it a night around 6pm or so. Now he still gets into work at the same time, but doesn't leave until 9pm or so and then he goes home and works some more from there for a few hours.'

The lack of time together is starting to affect their relationship. 'She's said that she feels like she's living with a complete stranger and she doesn't know what to do anymore. She's asked him to take a few days off but he won't. She's asked him to keep his work at the office, so he ends up just staying there longer. This past month, she's lucky to have had a dinner date with him once and that's just because he managed to pencil the dinner into his schedule.'

Being treated like a business associate is wearing thin on his girlfriend. 'Most of the work that he's doing is work that should be delegated to others but he never gives it to them. He wants to be hands on in everything so he keeps it all for himself and leaves them with nothing.'

Trying to tell him to delegate the work appears to have the same affect as telling it to a brick wall; namely nothing. 'He tells her that he knows he's working a lot of hours right now but that it'll be over soon. He's blaming the final stages of the reactor project for the workload. But Amber knows that this is only the beginning and if it's not stopped now that it'll only get worse. If he doesn't slow down, she knows that he'll work himself until he's in the hospital and possibly work her out of his life. Personally, I think he'll come around, and hopefully before it's too late.' Our source continues, 'He really cares a lot about her so I doubt that he'll let his work take precedence over her once this project is complete.'

Let's hope for both their sakes that our source is right.

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A/N 2: I hope that they're not boring anyone to tears (crosses fingers that they're not) Reviews make me very happy!


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