Final Fantasy VII 1. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 1

Heaven In Your Eyes

            By: General Quistis

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Author's Notes: This is really my first attempt to write something about Final Fantasy VII… so please, forgive me if there are some wrong things about the information or whatever fault you may find … especially if they go out-of-character or something… Oh, and by the way, this fic was inspired by the song _Heaven In Your Eyes_ taken out from the OST of Top Gun (yeah, I know it's an old Tom Cruise movie…). I was supposed to make this as a Seifer/Quistis thing, but for a change, I'd like to focus on my other favorite: Tifa/Rufus. ^o^

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"I'm alive"

Was the first thought that entered his mind as soon as he felt the heat of the sunlight striking his face. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see the world around him… white walls, white sheets, white curtains… dextrose stand.

"A hospital," he figured. He moved his gaze around the room and he could smell the scent of disinfectant. He looked at his hands which had several needles poking through his veins and connected to those needles were tubes. "What the…" he thought. 

And suddenly he felt weird… "How did they… why am I…" he couldn't think clearly. 

Then he stopped his thoughts…

And realized something…

… "Who am I?" 

*** 

"You just had to get into that freak accident, huh?" Tifa asked Yuffie.

"I just fell off from the roof, that's all!" Yuffie replied as she tried to bend her neck, but she stopped when she felt the intense pain.

"Stop that, it might get worse!" Cid told her.

"Oh, blame it on the flood from the last town we've been into!" she snapped.

"Well, it wouldn't have happened if you didn't %^^%$## passed by the roofs of the houses and just walked on the dirty water on the &^^$#$#&*^( ground!" he argued.

Tifa leaned back on the seat. "Can't we just use some cure whatsoever to heal her? The doctors in this local hospital are taking too long… especially since this is a charity hospital lacking equipment and other important elements for a hospital… like doctors…" she thought silently to herself.

She listened to Cid telling Yuffie that she shouldn't have climbed up the tall roof of the ruined building across the street from where they were passing by.

"And Cloud's waiting for us in the next town… now I think we have to stay here for a while until you get better $%^&%$#@" Cid continued to blab.

Yuffie had to cover her ears to prevent herself from hearing more blabbering.

Tifa stood up from her seat and went down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Cid asked, totally interrupted.

"I'll find us a doctor." She replied without looking back.

She continued to walk quickly down the halls, feeling a little nervous. The hospital was pretty big but it lacked doctors and nurses. "I wonder how people manage to survive getting confined in here…" she thought. 

Finally, she saw a nurse holding some records and reading them while standing beside an open doorway leading to a private room. She bit her lower lip as she approached the nurse. "Excuse me, ma'am, could I ask for some assistance? I have this friend who…" 

The nurse looked up at her and then back to the records.

Tifa frowned slightly. "Uhm… excuse me, ma'am?" she asked.

The nurse turned away from her and turned to the other guys from the Nurses' Station across the hallway. "Hey, did Shinra get his shots?" she called out.

"Not yet." The guy in green replied.

Tifa twitched when she heard the surname. "Shinra?" she asked.

It's been 7 months ever since she last heard that surname…

"Well what the hell are you fools waiting for? Give the man his shots! He needs it to get well soon and get out of here! He's been under that rubble for so long and we're lucky to find him alive!" the nurse replied before putting down the records on the table by the doorway.

Tifa realized that that was the head nurse making her rounds. She turned to the open doorway and decided to peek inside. When no one was looking, she entered with a curious look on her face, examining the whole room. 

"Are you the nurse?"  a guy's voice asked, surprising her.

She jerked and tried to hide the surprised look from her face when she saw a young man lying down on the bed. She felt sorry for him when she saw the bandages around his head, the blood-stained gauzes on his body, the life-support systems attached to him and the dextrose plus the other needles and tubes… until she recognized the face.


	2. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 2

Heaven In Your Eyes

(part 2)

            By: General Quistis

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Her eyes were wide in surprise and she didn't expect to see that person again… "I… Rufus… Rufus Shinra…you… I…" she stammered, not knowing how to react.

The man frowned slightly at her as he struggled to sit up, but can't, so he just fell back onto the pillows. He sighed heavily and looked up at the high ceiling. "I remember now… I'm Rufus Shinra… and what the… you are…" he thought silently as he stared at her with curious eyes.

The image of Cloud Strife began to form on his mind and he clenched his fists. "Cloud Strife…" he muttered angrily.

Tifa studied him, "Does he know who I am? Is he really Rufus Shinra? He can't be him… he's dead!" she told herself silently as she eyed him curiously. She approached the bed. "N…no, I'm not the nurse…" she replied quite nervously.

"Run away! He might kill you now!" some voice from behind her back was already scolding her, but she couldn't walk backwards… she was getting closer to him, like he's some magnet and she possesses a metal inside her that gets attracted to him… 

"Lockhart, I suppose?" he asked with a stern tone.

Before she could answer, an old lady nurse entered the room with a tray of injections, syringes, needles, medicines and other formulas; plus some cottons and some tape. She smiled at the sight of the two. "Oh, I see your girlfriend is paying you a visit, President Shinra?" she said.

Tifa shivered at the thought of herself being Rufus' girlfriend. "Oh, you're mistaken, I'm just…" 

"Ohohohohoho!" The old lady cackled, cutting her off. "Silly me… I should've thought that you could be his wife! Early marriage bites, huh? But you look sweet… but how come it's not in the news? Say, Madame Shinra, how did you find out about your husband's accident? Did you hear it from the news?" she continued.

Rufus was about to say something, but the nurse approached him. "Okay, your excellency, it's time for your shots!" she said with a smile.

Rufus' eyes grew wide in surprise when he saw how big the needle was. Tifa's mouth dropped open as she stared in horror at the big needle and the yellowish-white liquid inside. "Wh…what's that?" she asked as she began to step backward, but Rufus caught her hand, giving her a stay-here look. She frowned slightly. "If I twist away, the nurse will know that something's wrong… I should stay for a while and ask questions…" she thought silently.

Rufus looked away from the needle, trying to hide his surprise, but Tifa could easily see the pain in his eyes as the liquid began to flow into his veins.

The nurse slowly injected the liquid into his system and she was even smiling evilly. 

… and Tifa was surprised when she felt his grip tightening… and she unconsciously raised her other hand onto his hand that was squeezing her other hand… and she began to pat and caress it gently, assuring safety… and while doing so, she spoke up, "How did Rufus survive?" she asked.

Rufus began to feel a little better when he felt her hands touching his… and his attention was diverted from the pain to her hands which held on to him.

The nurse withdrew the needle and the syringe from Rufus and got another one. "Well, obviously, there were some survivors from the disaster, as I would call it… anyway, they were the ones who found your dear husband under some rubble and they brought him here along with our ambulance… though this hospital is so far from where they came from…" the nurse explained.

"What are those shots for?" Rufus asked, turning to the nurse.

"Everyday we give you 11 shots. Don't ask what they are coz you won't understand." The nurse replied.

"Wait a minute… how long have I been confined here and who were those people who brought me here?" Rufus asked, trying to ignore the pain from his right arm as the needle began to pierce through his skin into his veins and the liquid medicine began to enter his veins.

His whole arm began to ache, resulting in his grip on Tifa tightening. "Damn…" he cursed…

"8 months ago. It's a miracle that you're alive and you're already awake, President Shinra… or should I say, Mister Shinra…" the nurse said.

"Why not _President_?" Tifa and Rufus both said in unison. They looked at each other, exchanging looks of confusion, then turned back to the nurse.

The nurse cackled once again, which gave them the creeps. "The so-called powerful Shinra Corporation is dead. It's no more! So you're just an ordinary citizen to me," she told him with a wink.

Rufus' eyes grew wide and the beeps from the heart-monitoring machine began to beep faster. Before he could say anything more, he began to feel sleepy and slowly, he just closed his eyes and drifted off into another deep sleep. 

Tifa realized that the nurse just gave him a shot of tranquilizer. The nurse chuckled. "Don't worry about him, Mrs. Shinra. It's just tranquilizer. He seems okay already; we were just waiting for him to wake up. It's a good time that he's already well… the doctor said that himself. Tomorrow, he can go home." She explained.

Tifa remembered something and her hand slipped away from his. "Speaking of doctor… I'm in need of one…" she said.

The nurse's eyes grew wide in excitement. "A doctor! You need a doctor! Why, Mrs. Shinra, we certainly have doctors for your condition!" she said.

"What condition?" Tifa asked, crossing her arms, sensing that the nurse would say something stupid to her again.

"You are going to have a baby. Don't worry… all you have to do is to take care of yourself more… oh boy, Mr. Shinra is going to be pleased to hear that!" the nurse said excitedly.

Tifa shook her head and laughed dryly. "Oh no, I'm afraid you're mistaken… I need a doctor to treat sprains and or broken necks…" she began.

The nurse ignored her and continued with the shots.

Tifa took one last look at Rufus and then left the room, feeling so insulted. "That nurse bites…" she muttered as she made her way back to where Cid and Yuffie were. "What kind of hospital is this? There aren't too many doctors available around here and the nurses are snobs… and the emergency room doesn't care about the patients…" she thought silently.

When she got in the waiting room, she couldn't find the two. "I wonder if a doctor already came to them and took them to the treatment room… but Yuffie's the only one with the problem… or maybe they beat up each other… nah, Cid wouldn't do that… or could he?" she thought with a stifled smile on her face as she looked around. Then, she was interrupted when a male nurse approached her. "Can I help you with something, miss?" he asked with a suave smile on his face.

She turned to him but she moved away a little from him. "Um… I'm looking for my companions… a man and a girl…" she began.

"Oh, the ones seated there moments ago?" the nurse asked, pointing at the couch.

Tifa looked and then nodded. "Yes, do you know where they went?" she asked.

"I saw them leave. The girl has a neck brace." He replied.

She frowned slightly. "They left?" she asked. "How long have I been with Rufus?" she began to think silently.

She looked outside and saw that it was already dark. She clenched her fists. "They must've thought that I left them on purpose, pretending that I'd be looking for a doctor…" she thought as she ran out of the hospital and down the streets. "Oh no…" she thought in panic. 

She stopped running when she found that it was no use. She fell onto her knees and pounded on the ground. "Great! Just great! Now where am I going to spend the night? I don't even know where they went! I don't know the way to the next town or the other…Yuffie's the only one who knows the way and… and what am I going to do?" she asked aloud. She stood up again and looked up at the night sky. "Why the hell did I let Cid hold all the money…" she thought as she began to make her way back to the hospital. 

And she remembered something…

And she suddenly had an idea…

"But it's disgusting… what if word spreads out and…and… oh well, at least he's harmless for now…" she thought with a weak smile as she entered the hospital again. She made her way back to Rufus' room. The old nurse with the creepy laugh was just coming out of the room and she smiled at Tifa. "Better rest, Mrs. Shinra. It's for the good of your baby" she asked, examining Tifa's tummy.

Tifa smiled nodded with a sweet smile. "Oh…uh yeah… sure…is my dear Rufus inside?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

"Yes, Mrs. Shinra. In fact, he's asleep… we'll bring him some food later and would you like some too?" the nurse asked.

"Wait, who's going to pay all the hospital bills?" Tifa asked with a curious look.

"Good question… he will pay the bills himself." The nurse replied.

"How? I thought you've mentioned moments ago that the company is gone and that means…" she began.

"Ohohohohohohohohohohohoho! Don't be silly. That husband of yours is a rich kid by birth. He's got tons of money from his several bank accounts… that should do it. They still are active." The nurse cut off before leaving her.

Tifa slowly entered the room and closed the door gently.

Rufus was still asleep and the life support systems have been already removed from his body, even the dextrose and the monitors. She walked across the room heading for the visitor's couch and sat down, feeling a little uncomfortable as she studied his facial expression…

And realized that even when he's asleep, the pain could still be reflected from his face.

She clenched her fists and looked away. "Why am I thinking like this?" she thought.

She remembered the way he held her hand moments ago. Rufus seemed like a child with a weak threshold for pain seeking comfort from others. 

She leaned back on the couch, trying to keep herself from getting nervous… and little by little, she drifted off into a blissful sleep…


	3. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 3

Heaven In Your Eyes

(part 3)

            By: General Quistis

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"Hey, hey, wake up!" 

She heard the familiar voice of a man telling her to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes and she jumped off the couch when she realized who was seated beside her a while ago. "Wha…what are you doing here?" she demanded.

He frowned at her and crossed his arms. "I should be the one asking you that, Lockhart." He snapped as he looked up at her. He remained seated on the couch and she felt a little uncomfortable just looking down at him, so she sat down again but a little bit away from him. "You should be on your bed. The doctor said that you can leave tomorrow," she began.

He smiled slyly at her. "And what are you doing here?" he asked.

She fell silent for a few moments and then smiled shyly at him, and began to explain…

*** 

The nurse entered with the tray of food. "Sorry if this came late… anyway, it's only 9:00, you guys can still eat." She said.

Tifa smiled sweetly at the nurse. "It's okay, Miss Nurse." She said.

Rufus continued to watch television and ignored the nurse. "I'm not hungry, why don't you just eat my food." He told Tifa.

Tifa and the nurse exchanged confused looks.

"Now, now, Mister Shinra. Don't be a stubborn patient. It is only proper for a healing man like you to eat. Your soul isn't the only one that needs food." The nurse said as she placed the tray on the table.

"My soul doesn't need food." He snapped.

"Then it is malnourished. I'll see you later for the midnight medicine, Mister Shinra." The nurse said before she exited.

Tifa looked at Rufus's eyes and they expressed deep annoyance despite its blankness…

She stood up from the couch and went to him. "Would you like me to feed you?" she asked.

"You're too kind, Lockhart, but no, thanks." He said with an annoyed look, avoiding her gaze.

"It's Tifa." She corrected.

"Whatever." He said, grabbing the remote control of the television and switched it off. He placed the remote on the bedside table and leaned back on the pillows. "I can't wait to get out of here…" he said aloud.

"Well, if you want to get out of here alive, you should eat." She advised as she sat down on the bed beside him.

He looked up at her. "You sound just like the servants when I was a child, Lockhart." He snapped.

"It's Tifa." She corrected once again.

"Whatever, Lockhart." He said with a sarcastic look on his face.

She sighed heavily. "But when you get out of here, where are you going to go?" she asked.

He sat up and slouched. "I don't know." he replied.

"What about Nibelheim?" she asked.

"I can't go back there," he replied blankly.

Tifa wondered why Rufus seemed a little different at that moment. "Did he hit his head on something or…" she thought silently before an idea came into her head. "Maybe…since he doesn't have any authority now, he's trying to be different than his original self when I encountered him the last time…" she thought.

"Why?" she asked finally.

Rufus stared blankly at her and spoke in a solemn tone, "Because I don't want to," he replied as his gaze traveled to her eyes…

Her eyes…

There was something about them, which made him feel so calm all of a sudden, and as Tifa stared back at him, she found herself seeing through his eyes…

And suddenly, she felt that nothing else mattered to her but the room they were in and the way they were looking at each other…

No Cloud, no Cid, no Yuffie, no any other person or thing in her mind… just herself and Rufus… 

She frowned slightly and looked away from him. "You have nowhere to go?" she asked, standing up from the bed.

He didn't answer.

She smiled at him. "You can come with me if you want to," she said. She froze. "What am I saying?!" she thought in alarm.

He looked at her in total perplexity. "Come with you? Are you crazy? Me? Shinra, will go with you?" he asked with a mocking tone.

She crossed her arms against her chest and she turned away. "Well then, I guess you'll just have to deal with your problem yourself… and I'll leave now. Thank you for your time…" she said before she headed for the door.

"WAIT!" he called out.

Tifa stopped in her tracks.

Rufus had managed to stand up from the bed and walked rather wobbly to her.

Tifa wondered what took him long to speak up and getting impatient, she turned to face him again but she jerked up and gasped when she found him standing before her already and looking down at her with a stern look on his face. "You're not going anywhere, Lockhart." He said sternly.

She took a few steps backward and leaned against the door, but he came closer to her. When she was about to hold the doorknob, he stopped her hand by holding it and removing it from the doorknob. "I said, you're not going anywhere… are we clear with that?" he asked gently, his eyes narrowing.

She bit her lower lip and her eyes were wide in surprise. "Why?" she asked.

He was still holding her and his grip tightened around her. "I could use some help and I would like you to help me… and since I'm a Shinra, I'm hiring you," he said.

"Hiring me? Are you serious? I'll work for you? Like I…" he didn't let her continue.

"I figured that if you're with me back in Nibelheim, there would be less pressure on me from those people who hated my family… and in the news this evening, it was mentioned that the citizens are claiming my properties thinking that I'm dead. I can have everything back once they find out that I'm alive." He told her.

"What if I don't want to travel with you?" she asked.

"Why not?" he asked with a nasty look on his face.

"B…because my companions are going to… to look for me and I'm supposed to be following them. Yuffie's the only one who knows the way and I'm lost and…" she couldn't go on because Rufus let go of her hand and she suddenly felt like she lost something from inside of her. She placed her hands behind her back and clenched them tightly. 

"So, Tifa, would you like to find out what's making you feel those strange things? Besides, do you really think that they'd worry so much about you? Especially Cloud? Why, he doesn't even care much about you the way he cares about Aeris… after all, in that town where they're really going… there's going to be a ritual and…and…" she couldn't continue her thoughts.

And she blurted out. "I will go with you," she told him.

He smiled and patted her cheek gently. "That's a good girl, Tifa." He said with a suave tone.

She felt her ears getting warmer, but she looked away from him, bowing her head.

Rufus moved away from her and raked his fingers through his hair. "Shinra owns you," he told her with a wink.

Tifa nodded silently without looking at him. "Yes, sir," she said plainly.

"Oh, drop the sir. After all, you're pretending to be Mrs. Shinra, right?" he asked.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Oh sure, but unlike you, I don't get it too much on my head!" she said with a sarcastic tone.

Rufus's frown deepened but he just decided to ignore her remark. He went back to his bed. 

Tifa was quiet as she watched him move quietly. She moved away from the door and went to him, assisting him, helping him up the bed. As soon as he got settled, she pulled the blanket up to his chest and gently patted his cheek with the back of her right hand.

Rufus jerked, knowing that she wore metal knuckle gloves, but he was surprised because there wasn't any. They were placed on the bedside table. He looked at her in disbelief, his stare locking with hers.

She smiled sweetly at him, this time, the sarcasm disappeared and the tone of her voice didn't reflect any sarcasm in it either. "Sleep well, your excellency." 

To her surprise, while he was unaware of it, he smiled at her.

It was not the usual nasty smile he flashed at everyone…

It looked gentle and comforting…

And Tifa found herself blushing so she withdrew from him and went back to the couch, crossed her arms and just stared at the floor while swinging her feet uneasily.

Rufus followed her with his gaze but looked away when he knew that she wasn't interested in looking at her anymore at that moment. He sighed

*** 

"You mean Tifa's not yet here?" Yuffie asked with a surprised look on her face.

It was early in the morning when she and Cid finally arrived at their meeting place with Cloud.

"Yes, Tifa is not here. I thought she's supposed to be with you?" Cloud asked with an impatient look on his face.

"But we thought that she went ahead…" Cid began.

"Oh, never mind… I'm sure she'll find her way… I know Tifa. Anyway, we'd better hurry." Cloud said, turning away from them and led the way.

"Aren't we supposed to be waiting for her?" Yuffie asked.

"She knows the way, she can find her own way," Cloud said with a wink as he turned back to them.

"!@#F%^%$#@!!!!! What if she gets lost? I don't think she…" Cid went on and on even when they were already walking down the road.


	4. Heaven in Your Eyes chapter 4

Heaven In Your Eyes

(part four)

            By: General Quistis

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Tifa held on to Rufus carefully as they walked out of the hospital slowly. "Are you sure you can walk properly?" she asked with a look of concern in her face.

"Yes, I can. You can let me go now." He told her.

She let go of him and he kinda wobbled a little, but he managed to keep his balance. 

"How do we get to Nibelheim?" she asked.

"We'll walk for a while. I'm short of cash." He told her.

"Short of cash?" she asked in disbelief.

"Stop talking and walk!" he snapped.

Tifa frowned and clenched her fists in an attempt to stop herself from hitting him. "Great… like how many days 'til we reach Nibelheim?" she thought. "What are you going to do in Nibelheim besides proving to them that you're alive so that you can get everything you own again? Where are you going to stay there? Your mansion's in ruins, right?" she asked with a trembling voice.

Rufus eyed her carefully and looked straight ahead again, walking rather uneasily. "Well, I can rebuild it." He told her.

"Rebuild it?" she asked.

"Yes, rebuild it, now stop talking and walk!" he muttered impatiently.

"Hey, you are pretending as my husband, right? Husbands don't yell at their wives, you know?" she asked with a sweet look on her face.

"Yeah, and I'd be damned if I did. Now shut up and just walk. And walk slowly, I'm having hard time here!" he snapped, referring to his left leg.

Tifa looked down to study his left leg and she remembered that underneath his pants, it was bandaged because of a big wound from the upper thigh down to the middle calf. "Wouldn't the people in Nibelheim be surprised when we tell them that we're husband and wife?" she asked.

"Yes, they will be and I don't care. I have to get my properties and get rid of those nitwits who are claiming them for their own sake! I need to prove that I'm alive and I am going to use my properties and everything I own to support my family…" he began.

"I see, so you'll tell them that I'm Mrs. Shinra, your ever-beloved wife and then they'll think that after you have everything again, you'll divorce me or something?" Tifa asked, quite unsure.

Rufus scratched his head. "That's complicated but anyway, you'll do as I say, you hear?" he demanded.

Tifa didn't answer.

"I asked you a question, I demand an answer. Do you understand, Lockhart?" he snapped, turning to her and blocking her way so that they stopped walking for a while.

Tifa looked up at him. "It's Tifa." She said softly.

Rufus was about to scold her again but he was interrupted when a little girl approached them. "Excuse me, mister… I seem to be lost," she began.

Some villagers turned to look at them, trying to see what they would do upon the little girl approaching them.

"Buzz off, I'm busy," he snapped.

Tifa turned to the girl and knelt down. "Rufus, darling! Can't we have just one daughter just like this pretty little girl?" she asked as she looked up at him and winked, then to the little girl again. "Why, where are you off to?" she asked sweetly.

Rufus pressed his lips together in a thin line to avoid further talking and reactions to what Tifa had told him, but he just played along. "Sweetie, our son is back at Nibelheim, he's waiting for us so we'd better hurry." He said.

The little girl's eyes grew wide in awe. "Nibelheim? You're going to Nibelheim? Can I come with you if you're going to Nibelheim? My mommy lives there! Are you going there?" she asked with a thrilled look on her face.

"No, we're not. We're going to pass by the next town first and take a vacation there before we go back to Nibelheim, okay? Now, let's go, Tiffy-baby," Rufus said, grabbing Tifa's right arm and pulled her upward, dragging her with him as they headed for the road again.

Tifa struggled to break free from his grasp. "Rufus?!" she said in disbelief.

"No, we're not taking anyone with us in this trip. It's only me and you, Tifa," he told her.

Tifa's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Did you just call me by my first name?" she asked.

"No, I didn't, Lockhart." He snapped as he let her go when they reached the deserted part of the road. 

"And did you just call me _Tiffy-baby_ back there?" she asked as she caught up with him.

She noticed that Rufus was already walking properly, like there was nothing wrong with his leg. 

"Yes, I did. It's just for the sake of playing-along." He snapped with a frown, refusing to look at her.

She smiled sweetly. "Why, Ruffy-baby! I didn't know you could be a great actor!" she said.

Rufus twitched when he heard what she called him. "Ruffy-baby?" he asked, blushing, turning to look at her.

She nodded sweetly. "It sounds cute, don't you think?" she asked with a slight blush.

He was silent for a while, not knowing how to react and what to say. She kept her eyes on him, just looking back at him with a sweet smile on her face.

Rufus didn't know what's making her act that way around him, considering that he was once an enemy. 

But her eyes…

He simply returned the smile, which made hers fade away. "Yeah, I think _Ruffy-baby_ sounds cute too…" he said finally.

Tifa noticed that she had been staring at him for too long and it made her blush, so she looked away, bowing her head and continued to walk uneasily.

Rufus's smile turned sly when he noticed her sudden reaction. "What's wrong, Tifa?" he asked.

"N…nothing, President Rufus," she replied.

His smile widened. "Geez, Tifa… this is going to be a fun journey. Anyway, how come your boyfriend's in another town waiting for you?" he asked.

"I don't have a boyfriend," she snapped, feeling ridiculous.

Rufus snickered. "Cloud Strife isn't your boyfriend?" he asked, raking his fingers through his hair.

She looked up at him in disbelief. "Cloud?! Are you kidding?" she demanded.

He frowned at her. 

She shrugged and smiled gently at him. "I never even had a boyfriend before… and Cloud is… is just a friend…" she said with a slight choke.

Rufus' frown deepened. "A friend, huh? Well, how come you agreed to come with me?" he asked.

"Because…" she began. 

Rufus could see the sad look on her face and she just looked away. 

Rufus went ahead when she began to walk slowly. "Walk faster, we need to get to the next town before nightfall." He told her.

Tifa's eyes grew wide. "Oh no, we shouldn't go straight ahead, we should take the other road over here," she said.

"Oh yeah? And why?" he demanded, stopping to face her.

Tifa stopped and crossed her arms. "Because the next town… I don't know the name, I forgot coz it's the first time I've been there… it's flooded. There's a storm there and Yuffie told me that that town always has a storm and it has poor drainage systems so it's always flooded… you wouldn't wanna go through the flood, huh, Rufus?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "It'd be fun," he told her.

"Oh, so you don't believe me?" she demanded.

He gave out an evil laugh and patted her left shoulder. "What do you think, Tifa?" he asked with a wink before he turned away and went ahead.

Tifa watched as he went straight ahead. "Fine, you go your way, I'll just go back to the town where we came from so that I can go ahead and find my way to Cloud and the others!" she called out, turning away from him and started to walk away.

She sensed that he stopped walking and she heard something click, so she stopped and looked back at him. Her eyes grew wide in shock and she fully faced him and took a few steps backward.

He was holding a shotgun that was pointed at her. "You're not going anywhere or I'll make sure your head gets blown off by a bullet." He warned.

Tifa's eyes narrowed at him. "Damn you!" she said, loud enough for him to hear as she stomped her way back to him again. As soon as she stood before him again, he put down the shotgun.

"How the hell did he get that shotgun anyway?!" she thought in annoyance, feeling helpless all of a sudden.

She gasped when he grabbed her left arm and dragged her, heading for the road ahead of them. "Go ahead, but don't blame me if you can't swim in the flood or if the dirty water stains your white suit!" she told him mockingly.

"Hah! Whatever happens to the husband also happens to the wife. Together we stand, together we fall; remember that, Lockhart." He told her with a mocking tone, his voice proving of authority to her.

She just looked at him with a deep frown on her face, more annoyed than before. "Let me go!" she muttered.

He turned to her, looking down and making serious eye contact with her and then when he was about to say something harsh and threatening to her again, he stopped and just kept staring into her eyes in awe.

Tifa lost her words as she stared back. There was something in his eyes, which made her stare back in awe, and suddenly, she didn't know what to say or how to react to him.

Rufus frowned and let go of her arm as he looked away, licking his lips and then running his fingers through his hair against the blowing wind. 

Tifa placed her hands behind her back and suddenly felt ridiculous, trying to think of something to say to him. "Are you okay, Rufus?" she asked.

He didn't face her, instead, he went ahead and spoke up in a voice loud enough for her to hear, "Let's go, we don't have all day," 

Tifa couldn't think clearly, so she just followed, trailing behind him. "I'm sorry, Cloud… I cannot be there with you…" she thought silently as she bowed her head, looking at the ground she was walking on, constantly following Rufus' footsteps.


	5. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 5

Heaven In Your Eyes

(part 5)

            by: General Quistis

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The evening fell upon them with strong winds and heavy rains as soon as they reached the flooded town. 

"Damn! What the hell is this place, some kind of dump or something?!" he reacted upon stepping on a puddle of mud. 

"No, it's not a dump, it's a town." She replied against the howling wind.

"What did you say?" Rufus asked, not able to understand what she said due to the howling wind.

"I said that this is a town!" she snapped.

"What? Are you telling me not to frown?!" he demanded with a threatening look on his face as he turned to face her.

Tifa frowned and rolled her eyes. She got his hand and dragged him inside an inn. 

"Go to the receptionist, he's in the second floor. The first floor's not good, ya know… see the water?" the guard told them, referring to the flood.

"Oh, yes. Thank you very much," Tifa replied.

"What's this place?" Rufus asked as Tifa dragged him to the second floor of the inn.

"I think it's a hotel or something… we need to spend the night here for a while and maybe wait for the rain to stop pouring so hard just like that outside." She told him as they reached the second floor.

All eyes turned to them, some were in awe while some stared in fright, and some in rage.

"Ignore them," she whispered as she led the way to the receptionist. 

An old man with a balding head looked up to them. "Yes, may I help you?" he asked.

Tifa smiled sweetly. "Good evening, sir. We would like…" she began.

"A room, please, my good man," Rufus cut in, smiling proudly at the receptionist.

Tifa's mouth dropped open as she turned to Rufus. "I insist that…" she was meaning to say that she wanted to have a room of her own, but Rufus cut her off again, "Charge it to credit card number 0098-8907-098665." He told the receptionist with a wink.

The receptionist nodded uneasily as he began to write uneasily. "You kids are lucky, we still have one vacant room… but it's the honeymoon suite in the last floor. Pretty good view, I might say. I'm glad you didn't ask for 2 rooms because it's already a full house. Is that okay with you?" he asked with a sly smile.

The two exchanged confused looks. "I'm gonna get you for this," Tifa thought in annoyance. Rufus just smiled evilly at her then turned back to the receptionist. "Oh, it's okay, monsieur. After all, we're married." He said.

"I see… pretty young, eh?" The receptionist asked with a warm smile.

"Yes, but we're okay. We love each other very much, right, Tiffy?" Rufus asked, putting an arm around her and patting her shoulder gently. 

She shivered. "Is it just me or is it the coldness of the air-conditioner and my wet clothes?" she thought silently as she nodded her head with a sweet look on her face. 

The receptionist turned to her. "May I have your names?" he asked.

"I'm Rufus, and this is my wife, Tifa. Family name: Shinra." Rufus introduced, not letting Tifa speak up.

The receptionist's eyes grew wide. "Shinra?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, Shinra. Shin-Ra… ShinRa." Rufus replied with a proud smile as he leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table. "So, can we have our keys now?" he continued.

The receptionist nodded nervously. "O…okay, yes, your excellency," he said as he handed them the card key.

Tifa took it and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, mister." She said sweetly.

Everyone's eyes were on them as they made their way to the elevator. 

"Don't make any reactions, Rufus, I'm warning you… they can kill, ya know," she warned in a whisper.

"I know… that's why we'd better hurry before I shoot their brains off…" he muttered with an evil look on his face.

As soon as they got to their room, Rufus shut the door with a bang and bolted it. "Damn those people! I hate it when they stare like that!" he cried out in rage.

"Relax, Rufus," she told him as she went to the window and looked outside.

Rufus took a deep breath as he took off his drenched coat and his other top clothing and let them drop to the carpeted floor.

He looked around, examining the room. "Pretty big… but my room's bigger," he said with a snobbish look on his face.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Spoiled brat…" she muttered as she turned to face him again, but her annoyed look disappeared when she saw him without any shirt on, just his white trousers and his black boots. She blushed slightly and gaped uneasily at him.

Rufus frowned at her. "What's the matter, you haven't seen a topless man before?" he demanded.

She frowned, feeling her ears getting warmer as she turned away.

"Well don't just stand there, get me a robe or something, I gotta get out of these wet clothes!" he told her.

Tifa didn't get the chance to think, she just walked to the closet, checking if there are bathrobes or towels. Fortunately, there were 2 and she got one of them and handed it to Rufus. Afterwards, she got the other one and headed for the bathroom before he could even go ahead and hog it for himself.

He frowned and ran to the bathroom door as soon as she shut the door and locked it. He began to knock calmly on the door while saying, "Lockhart, I order you to come out here at once and let me use the bathroom," he told her.

She didn't answer.

"Lockhart?!" he shouted.

"Rufus, did you hear something? I think it's a lion growling!" she called out with a sarcastic tone from inside the bathroom.

He stomped his foot impatiently when he heard the shower running. He began to pound angrily on the door with his fists. "DAMN YOU!" he called out.

Tifa began to sing, not caring about Rufus's cussing from outside.

Rufus's face was flushed. "Better stop that singing or the rain might pour harder!" he called out.

"I can't hear you!" she replied with a singsong voice.

Rufus pounded one last time on the bathroom door and walked away, feeling so frustrated. He plopped down on the bed while saying out loud, "Fine, you get the bathroom, you leave the bed to me." 

He switched on the television and began to watch the evening cartoons. He felt so uninterested in the news because he knew that it would just talk about the hardships of the modern society.

But, when he got tired of the cartoons (he found it silly), he switched to the news channel and his eyes narrowed as he listened to the male reporter speaking, "And as you all knew, ShinRa Inc. was destroyed and that no one's left to take care of it, but word today reached us that the ShinRa heir is alive and well! It's just like saying that the devil's advocate is alive and well in this earth, huh? And guess what, after 8 months of disappearance, Rufus Shinra was just in a charity hospital in…"

Rufus changed the channel to the cartoons again when he heard the bathroom door open. Tifa rushed out and headed for the dresser. His eyes slowly traveled to where she was and he stared at her with a look of wonder as he watched her comb her wet hair.

She was wearing a pink bathrobe as she hung the wet clothes by the chair together with the towel. 

She could see Rufus from the corner of her eye but she didn't pay any attention, until she noticed her ears getting warmer. "What's the matter, you haven't seen a young lady combing her hair before?" she teased with a nasty smile on her face to get back at him for saying that she hasn't seen a topless man before.

Rufus turned red and looked away, focusing at the television as he got up from bed. "The bed's mine, you sleep on the floor or that couch over there," he said, referring to the couch by the window that can sit only one person. Tifa was quiet as she waited for him to turn off the television and then head for the bathroom. He slammed the door shut.

Tifa dried her hair quickly and then switched off the lights. She got onto the bed and lied down, covered herself with the thick comforter and then closed her eyes, feeling so relaxed. It had been so long ever since she had lied down on a soft feather bed with comforting sheets and soft pillows. She sighed happily and smiled slightly as she hugged the pillow beside her.

Then, she flinched when she heard the bathroom door open and slam shut again. "Hey, Lockhart," she heard his commanding voice.

She ignored him, pretending to be asleep. "Lockhart my ass…" she thought miserably as she decided to just ignore him for the rest of the night even if he tries to kick her out of the bed.

Suddenly, her heart began to race when she felt him get on the bed. "Tifa?" he asked.

She clenched her fists and her teeth, trying not to make a sound. She had to admit, he pronounces her name beautifully… like it's music to her ears… and she felt her cheeks getting warmer.

He switched on the bedside lamplight and then shook her violently. "WAKE UP!" he shouted in annoyance.

She pushed him away from her as she sat up with an annoyed look on her face. Rufus looked at her and she looked very tired, sleepy and annoyed… 

And interrupted…

"What do you want, dear husband?" she asked sarcastically.

He frowned at her and referred to his injured leg. "Dress the wound, will ya?" he asked.

Tifa turned to his leg and made a face. "Eew… that's a pretty big one… will it leave a scar?" she asked as she took a closer look at it.

"If you don't stop staring at it, I'll make you kiss it!" he threatened with an angered look.

She moved away and got up, going to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and found some hydrogen peroxide, povidone iodine, cotton, gauze and bandages. She got everything plus some towels and headed back to Rufus.

He was seated on the bed uneasily while switching the channels on the radio. Finally, he stopped to one radio station playing sentimental music. "There's nothing good." He told her.

She sat down beside him as she began to apply hydrogen peroxide. "It's healing… I don't think it'll leave a permanent scar, just don't let it get soiled or dirty whatsoever…" she advised.

_I can tell by the look in your eyes, you've been hurting._

_You know I'll never let you down, oh no…_

And I'll try anything to keep it working… 

The song began to play and she turned to look at him while unwrapping the bandages. He was looking back at her and her maroon eyes slowly widened as she began to recall what the others had said about him. 

"_I've heard that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry."_

Tifa looked away. "If he's really cold, how come he seems different now?" she thought, feeling a little tense all of a sudden.

Rufus frowned and looked away. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded silently as she began to apply some hydrogen peroxide on his wound. He flinched a little, trying to mind off the slight pain. "At least it's healing now…" he said aloud as he examined his own wound.

"It's really big…" she told him with a hard look on her face. _No one's ever seen him bleed_…

She smiled bitterly as she looked up at him again. "Are you okay, Rufus? Does it hurt?" she asked him.

There was coldness in his eyes but he answered her. "Yes," he replied with a stiff tone.

She frowned slightly. "It's bleeding," she told him.

His eyes narrowed a little. "I know… it's still bleeding because it's taking a long time to heal…" he told her.

"What if this wound's infected or something?" she asked.

"It's not infected. I know how an infected wound looks like," he told her.

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a challenging look on her face.

"You doubt me?" he snapped.

"Yes, because you are not a doctor." She replied.

He frowned at her.

_…And what I'm feeling inside_

_In your eyes…_

_I wanna see your love again_

_In your eyes,_

I never want this feeling to end… 

He switched off the radio. "I hate those sappy love songs," he said in annoyance.

Her mouth dropped open and she stopped treating his wound. "Hey! I was listening to that!" she told him.

"Well I hate it," he told her.

She puffed to prevent herself from saying anything more. She continued to treat his wound and she began to sing softly, "I never want this feeling to end…It took some time to find the light but now I realize, I can see the heaven in your eyes…" continuing the song playing on the radio just before Rufus turned it off. 

Rufus's frown deepened. "Stop that singing, it'll make the rain pour down more and more; it will just make us stay longer in this horrible place," he told her in a scolding manner.

But still she continued, not listening to him. "Can't you see I'm finding it hard to let go, all the heartaches we've been through. I never really thought I'd see this love grow; but you made me see, now I know what my heart's been looking for… and what I'm feeling inside…" 

And she stopped, then looked up at him again, staring into his eyes. "In your eyes…" she continued with a gentle singing tone.

His eyes narrowed at her as he continued to focus into her eyes…

And suddenly, he felt so calm again… like there was nothing wrong in his life.

And unconsciously, he began to sing with her.

_…I wanna see your love again_

_In your eyes_

_I never want this feeling to end_

_It took some time to find the light_

_But now I realize…_

She smiled but she had to stop singing so that she could start wrapping his leg with the bandages. But she halted and her smile faded when she heard him continue the song, "I can see the heaven in your eyes…"

She looked at him again and to her surprise, the coldness in his eyes disappeared. She just stared at him for a couple of seconds and she just realized that when he spoke up again with a cold tone, "Well are you just going to stare at me the whole night? Wrap it up and let me sleep!" 

She frowned and looked away, feeling so glum as she began to dress his wound.

When she was finished, she stood up to put everything away. She went to the bathroom to fix the mess that Rufus had caused there when he took a bath. "Man, it's like someone gave a big dog a bath in here or something…" she muttered with a deep frown on her face as she avoided the puddle of water on the floor and got a dirty towel and left it on the floor so that it would absorb the puddles. "I'll just get rid of everything in the morning…" she thought as she headed back to the bedroom.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw that it was already dark. "Did you turn off the lights?" she demanded.

"Hell, I did! So, what's it to you?" he snapped.

She shook her head and crossed her arms, feeling her temper rising. "I don't know what your problem is, ShinRa…" she snapped as she walked across the room heading for the other side of the bed but she still kept her eyes on him. She saw his silhouette rise up from the bed. "Hey, watch what you call me, Lockhart!" he told her.

She did not bother to open the lights anymore; she just jumped into the bed and shoved him away a little. "Good night, President Rufus." She said with a mocking tone.

All he could do was gape at her for several moments. He clenched his fists and his teeth, feeling so annoyed. He reached out to grab her shoulder and made her face him. "Good night, Miss Lockhart," he said mockingly, a sort of revenge for what she did. With that, he turned over and grabbed the blanket from her, hogging it for himself.

She was in awe but she couldn't take what he did. She sat up in annoyance and pulled some parts of the blanket from him and covered herself with it. "I'm cold!" she admitted.

He turned to face her and he was in shock when he realized that they were sharing one blanket. He could feel his whole face getting so warm. "Damn it… what is it with her?! Isn't she embarrassed to be in a bed with me?!" he thought silently in disbelief. He tapped her shoulder with his finger. "Hey, why don't you just take the couch?" he suggested.

"And why should I?" she asked.

"Because I said so, now go!" he snapped.

She turned to face him and he could see her eyes shimmering from the lights coming from outside. "No," she replied.

"Aren't you embarrassed?" he asked.

"No, I'm used to it." She replied.

He nodded. "I see, I forgot you're a whore," he muttered.

She felt so enraged. "I'm not a whore, dammit! What made you say that, you nitwit!" she demanded in rage.

His mouth dropped open in disbelief. "What the… oh never mind!" he said, turning over and grabbing the whole blanket again. "Just go to sleep in the couch," he told her with a tired voice.

"I don't wanna sleep in the damn couch, ShinRa," she told him with a hard tone.

"Oh, yeah? Why not?" he demanded, refusing to look at her.

She pulled him to her so that he could face her. "Because I said so," she said as revenge before letting him go. She turned over and sighed heavily. "Fine, the blanket's yours. I'll sleep here and don't you ever touch me." She told him with an annoyed tone.

"Hah! I wouldn't dare even if you were the last woman on earth!" he snapped.

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah," he told her.

"Whatever," she muttered.

He rolled his eyes. "Are we just going to argue the whole night until morning? Just go and sleep in the couch!" he told her.

She couldn't take it anymore and she felt like snapping. She just ignored him.

"Hey, did you hear me?!" he shouted impatiently.

Tifa clenched her fists and sat up, turning to him and grabbing his shoulders and then gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Good night, darling husband. Sweet dreams!" she said with a sweet look on her face as she let go of his shoulders and patted his head, messing up his hair.

Rufus was in awe. All he could do was watch as she turned away from him and lied down again. 

"What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded, not knowing if he was really angry at her for kissing him or was he confused.

"Just doing the job of a good wife, giving her husband a kiss before sleeping." She told him with a tired voice.

He shook his head and smiled slyly. He laughed dryly as he plopped down on the pillows. "You're unbelievable, you know that, Tifa?" he said.

Her eyes were open and she bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling.

He was quiet but he couldn't go asleep. 

…and it was the same with Tifa.

The song was stuck in their heads. 

It had been 3 hours and they were still awake. Tifa could hear him sigh heavily and she could sense his tossing and turning restlessly.

She didn't move and he simply thought that she was already fast asleep and off to dreamland already.

The rain continued to pour down with the sound of thunder accompanied by some lightning. 

It was already 2 in the morning but they were still awake, and Rufus was already beginning to feel very restless.

Tifa was already cursing the air-conditioning unit because she was already hugging herself and feeling so cold that she was already shivering. 

"Damn…" he cursed miserably as he shifted to his left, facing Tifa this time, who had her back to him. He noticed her shivering and different thoughts began to clog his mind… and his conscience began to speak, scolding him angrily, "Damn you, Rufus! Aren't you ashamed of yourself! You're letting your own mother down if you don't give your damn blanket to this cold girl beside you!"

He smacked his own head with his right palm and clenched his teeth, not knowing what to do. 

Finally, he made a decision and he moved closer to her, sharing his blanket with her… 

…and embraced her.

Tifa's eyes grew wide in surprise but she wasn't able to say anything. She couldn't even move. "Okay, calm down, Tifa… just pretend that you're asleep and everything will be alright…" she scolded herself silently.

She could feel his warm breath against her ear and she shivered.

Rufus's eyes already felt so heavy so he closed them. He sighed heavily. "Good night, Tifa," he whispered softly, but unaware that he had said that loud enough for her to hear instead of just saying it to himself in his thoughts. 

He didn't know why suddenly, all the troubles he felt were gone and that it all happened when he looked into her eyes and now, he was embracing her.

Tifa couldn't help but smile gently as her trembling hand traveled to his warm hand. She got hold of it and squeezed it gently. She closed her eyes and let the warmness take over her whole cold body.

And at last, they fell asleep together at the same time…


	6. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 6

Heaven In Your Eyes

            (part 6)

                        By: General Quistis

            Rufus had awoken to the sound of thunder that came from outside. He jerked and he opened his eyes immediately and sat up in surprise, his eyes wide in surprise. "Damn… I let that startle me?" he scolded himself silently. He raked his fingers through his blonde hair and then turned to the lady beside him. She was still asleep. "How could she sleep through that?" he thought with a slight frown… 

But his frown disappeared when he recalled himself embracing her to keep her warm all through the night. He bit his lower lip in an effort not to cuss loudly. He uttered muffled "Fuck…" as he moved away from her. He covered his face for a while and then removed it, revealing wider blue eyes staring into empty space the moment he recalled that she had also kissed him. "Chill out, Rufus… it's only a little kiss… it's just a friendly good night kiss… right?" he thought. He smacked his own head. "WHAT THE FUCK?! Why the hell am I panicking? I'm making a big deal out of everything that happened last night and…" he somewhat calmed down a bit. "At least I'm certain that nothing else happened beyond that… besides, I wouldn't be caught dead having sex with this girl… she's not even from my social status," he thought with a deep frown as he finally managed to get out of bed. "…and I have no intention of doing so before marriage…" he muttered with a ridiculous smile as he headed for the window. He pulled open the drapes and looked outside, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the whole town from his view. The skies were darkening again though little sunlight peeked out from the thick clouds. There was a soft breeze blowing outside but there was no rain. With that, he went to the girl sleeping on the big bed and gently tapped her face. "Tifa," he whispered. He stopped, surprised at himself because he called her by her first name. "Geez…" he muttered.

Tifa slowly opened her eyes and she looked up at the handsome young man looking down at her. "R…Rufus? Why, what's wrong? What time is it?" she asked as she slowly sat up, gently rubbing her eyes. 

"It's 6:30 in the morning. Hurry up and let's get going before the rain starts to pour again." He told her.

She frowned. "Is that supposed to be a command?" she asked as she moved away from him.

"Depends on how you take it. Now hurry up and get out of that bed and get dressed." He snapped as he turned away and went to the closets.

Before Tifa could get up, the rain began to pour down again. She frowned slightly but she smiled and snickered. "Looks like the heavens are permitting me to stay longer in bed." She told him with a wink before she plopped down again and covered herself again with the blanket. "Why don't you do the same, Rufus?" she asked.

He clenched his fists and looked up. "Fuck the goddamn rain…" he muttered as he turned to her. "I hate my life…" he said aloud.

Tifa sat up again and turned to him. She stared up at him as he did so. "Did I hear you right?" she asked.

He did not answer but he just stared at her.

She rolled her eyes. "What's the matter, Rufus, you haven't seen a girl in bed before?" she asked, meaning to tick him off.

His expression hardened. 

She got up from bed. "That's very unusual for a man like you coz I could've sworn that you've had several women in bed before." She said with a frown on her face as she looked away and headed for Rufus. She was surprised to find out that it alarmed her when she discovered herself getting concerned when he did not reply. 

He looked away and shook his head. "You're wrong about that, Lockhart," he muttered glumly as he went to the window.

"Are you okay, Rufus? Do you want me to change your bandages again?" she asked.

"Nah… it's okay. I'll do it myself later on. Why don't we go down for breakfast first?" he asked.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." She said.

He turned to her again. "Why are you so concerned?" he asked with a furious tone.

"I just want to know what's wrong because… because you seem so… so stressed out because… because you… you…" she didn't know how to continue but she still managed to look at him.

He noticed the sudden fear in her. "You're asking me questions and then you are afraid?" he asked.

She smiled gently. "You are very good in sensing fear within people… maybe because you are also afraid." She said softly.

His eyes narrowed on her but he was quiet. He simply raked his fingers through his hair and he simply smiled at her, but it was not that usual evil and at the same time mocking smile of his... this time, it looked different from Tifa's point of view... She frowned slightly as she stared back at him. He moved closer and patted her left shoulder. "You're all right." he said with a tone which sounded like he was a little disappointed, like he was admitting a mistake. Tifa kept staring into his eyes, trying to see if there was any difference in the way he would appear... and she saw the hurt in them. They locked gazes for a few seconds until finally, Rufus broke the trance when he gently tapped her left cheek with the back of his right hand. "I like your eyes." he said with a low tone. For Tifa, it sounded like he was referring to a very expensive antique that could be bought. It made her frown and step away from him. "Well you can't buy it with your money." she snapped at him before she stomped her way to the bathroom, totally flushed with insult. 

Rufus's eyes were wide in awe. "Wh…what did I do this time?" he thought as he went after her. "Hey, did I say something bad?" he asked just before Tifa slammed the bathroom door shut. He stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists. He began to pound on the door. "TIFA?!" he demanded.

"Go find your own bathroom." She said with a trembling tone.

Inside, Tifa stared at her own reflection in the mirror. Staring into his eyes and then hearing those words from him brought tears to his eyes. "Maybe he meant a different thing…" she thought silently.

Outside, Rufus had given up hope in trying to find out what happened and why she did that. He looked down and sighed heavily. Then, he smiled gently. "Hey, Tiff… in case you're asking, I really meant it when I said that I like your eyes…" he told her.


	7. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 7

Heaven In Your Eyes

            (Part 7)

            By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own anything but the story plot… (however, if I did own FF7, I definitely won't get rid of Rufus and then probably pair him up with Tifa… and I won't get Aerith killed! @o@) :c

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the reviews… it really inspired me to write more despite of too many moments of writer's block regarding this little story. Why? Because I was hesitant… I mean, this was my first fic about Final Fantasy 7 and the moment I started writing this (around last year), I wasn't too familiar with their characterizations yet (I only played the game once back then, but don't worry, I researched and studied their personalities)… and I found too many mistakes in the first six chapters (I'm sure there are even more mistakes here)… like the way I spelled Tifa's surname. (I know… it's supposed to be _Lockheart_…) -.-'  
I'm so sorry if this chapter took so long, but I swear, I'm going to finish this before my classes start on the 17th of June (I'm in the other side of the planet, I don't live in Europe or US… I'm in the Philippines, dammit! @o@) ;_; …otherwise, because of my schedule (stupid night classes… college can sometimes suck because of that… -.-')… I might not be able to update… but anyway, here goes…

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            The two were eating breakfast together in the lobby restaurant. People kept looking at them like they were some kind of famous couple or something else… but usually, those looks gave off mocking stares at Rufus, like they're saying, "I'm sure you paid that girl to join you," or "He's just using her" and stuff like that.

Rufus couldn't take the pressure anymore so he just tried to finish his food quickly, making Tifa wonder. "What's the rush?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

She smiled slightly. "Will you slow down a little? You might choke! Do you want to die because of food? That'd be lame; and then the newspapers will have your story as their major headlines and you're gonna be known for dying because of choking and…"

"Okay, okay, enough already!" Rufus snapped, interrupting her, surprised at her sudden behavior. "What happened to her? Is she snapping? Moments ago, she was mad at me for saying that I like her eyes and then now she's concerned about me?" he thought silently while scratching his head.

Tifa giggled. "Okay… whatever…" her expression softened. "I'm sorry for acting like a bratty child moments ago… thanks for the compliment, by the way…" she said with a slight blush on her face.

He smiled slyly as he flipped his hair. "No problem. It's true… but why are you thanking me?" he asked.

She looked at him. "You're the first one who ever said that…" she replied sheepishly.

He frowned. "You mean not even that Cloud guy? He must be stupid not to notice your eyes." He muttered.

"What do you mean by… oh hell… let me get straight with you, Rufus… why did you tell me that?" she asked.

"Tell you what?" he asked.

"That you liked my eyes?" she asked.

Rufus was quiet for a while and he simply smiled at her. "Because it's true." He replied.

"But why?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't want to sound like some romantic oaf but it makes me feel… feel so light-headed." He replied, trying to think of the right word to say.

"You get high just by looking into my eyes?" she asked in disbelief.

"NO! That's not what I meant… uh… it's hard for me to explain as of now, but maybe in time, I'll be able to tell you what it really means for me to look into your eyes." He said, surprised at the way he spoke up, like he was confused and she was probing him for something he didn't want to admit at that moment…

Tifa simply smiled slightly at him and nodded her head. "Alright," she said before she took a sip of coffee. Then, she looked at her food. "I understand." She stated flatly, though everything doesn't seem to be clear to her.

Rufus just frowned and rolled his eyes before he leaned back on his seat and just watched her finish the rest of her meal. 

Tifa felt a little uneasy upon noticing his sudden action. "Stop looking at me," she muttered moments later.

He smiled playfully at her as he raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm not looking at you," he told her.

"Well then I do think that you ARE looking at me," she replied as she placed her fork on the plate and crossed her arms.

"That's what YOU think…" he shot back.

She looked away for a while and then laughed sarcastically at him. "Rufus," she began.

"Tifa," he began, imitating the tone of her voice.

She stiffened. "I'm not in the mood for jokes," she told him.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, either, Tifa." He stated blankly.

"Well then, if we're not in the mood for anything, might as well just shut up," she decided before taking a sip of water.

Rufus kept on staring at her until he finally decided to speak up once again, "So, now that we're stuck here in this storm, might as well get to know each other, right?"

"I don't think so. Don't forget that I'm just accompanying you back to your humble abode because it would be very unsafe for you to go on alone." She said.

"Why are you so harsh on me?" he asked directly.

She did not answer. "Isn't it obvious that I've sworn to hate everything about your surname?" she thought silently. Though she wondered why her conscience seems to be nagging off her head by telling her, "Feh! What the hell are you talking about, Tifa?! I'm telling you, he's different from his father! Give him a chance! Besides, even if he's the bad ass here, you can help him change his attitude, right? That way, you can make a difference and show the others what you're worth! Hah! In their faces!" 

He just sighed heavily and completely shrugged off the little argument. "No use. I'll just anger myself further." He thought silently as he motioned for the waiter to get their bill. 

Tifa watched as he paid for their meal; afterwards, he got up and waited for her. "Aren't you going to stand up?" he asked.

She looked up at him before finally deciding not to give him a hard time anymore, so she got up and followed him back to their room. Upon arriving there and as soon as the door shut behind her, she spoke up with a weary look on her face while avoiding his gaze, "I'm sorry, Rufus. It's just that… ShinRa ruined my life. If it weren't for ShinRa, there'd be no Sephiroth. My father could still be alive… and Cloud could…" she trailed off.

"Bah… that Cloud again… what is it with her and that ass?!" Rufus thought angrily as he clenched his fists.

She stiffened when she saw him clench his fists and saw that he was shaking a little bit because of some kind of unexplainable rage. With that, she continued, "…Cloud could be with Aerith now… and I could be somewhere else living life on my own." She sat down on their bed but she kept her gaze onto the ground.

Rufus's gaze traveled to the ground as he listened to the sound of hard rain pouring and hitting the roof and the windows, but he did not say anything as he approached the window, searching for signs that the storm would be ceasing already, but there was none. He touched the glass by the window and spoke up with a deep frown on his face as he watched her reflection on the glass, "That's the past. You should forget it and continue living for your own good." He told her.

She looked up at him, hardly believing that she was hearing those words from Rufus ShinRa (of all people?!). 

He smiled gently when he saw her look at him through the reflection of the glass. "If Cloud is just a friend, then he's just a friend. You can't force a person to love you." He said. Though deep inside, he wanted to smack himself; "I sound so out of character…" he thought silently, mentally kicking himself in the ass.

She just nodded but didn't say anything.

With that, Rufus headed for the TV and began to watch the news.

She just remained there for seven more hours, while Rufus went about his business: reading the newspapers, watching more news, checking what's on the Stock Exchange channel, doing some calculations and plans on blank pieces of paper scattered on the study desk and reading some of the books that could be found in the bookshelf. 

What she did not know was that Rufus had been too concerned about her, and every minute, he would turn to look at her, wondering when she would plan to move away from the same spot where she had been sitting most of the time. Until finally, he lost his patience and stomped his way to her, but he stopped when he realized that the rain had ceased already and there was already sunlight from outside. He turned to look outside the window but he did not smile. He just turned back to Tifa and pushed her shoulder rather harshly to catch her attention and break her trance. "Hey, are you just going to brood over your old boyfriend the whole day? We have to travel back to Nibelheim!" he snapped.

She looked up at him unbelievably, focusing her gaze into his icy blue eyes… and all her cares seemed to fade away. She even forgot about everything that seemed to be bothering her for the past several years as she stared at his eyes. "I… I…" she stiffened before smiling calmly at him. "He's not my boyfriend, Rufus, stop saying that he is," she pointed out before standing up.

He raised an eyebrow at her, feeling completely puzzled at her sudden behaviour. 

No words were spoken between them as they headed downstairs to leave the inn. 

As they walked for three hours straight, the heat of the sun was getting to them… especially to Rufus who was wearing the three-layer clothing he usually wore. 

"It's too hot…" he thought silently, feeling his sweat trickling down from his forehead. He wiped it away with the back of his right hand.

She just sighed heavily and looked up at Rufus, noticing his discomfort. "Maybe you'd like to remove your jackets for a while?" she suggested.

"That'd be improper." He replied snobbishly.

She just raised her eyebrow at him before looking away.

"You know, my mother used to tell me that you can summon the wind by singing a lovely tune," he said, wanting to change the subject.

"…" Tifa responded with a blank look on her face.

"There's no wind," he said.

"Well… you can sing," she said.

"You sing for me," he said.

"What?!" she snapped.

"You sing for me." He said.

"Why should I sing for you?" she muttered.

"I heard from one of my Turks that you're a great singer during your days in the bar," he told her.

Her eyes grew wide as she blushed. "Wh…what?! Wh… which Turk?" she asked in disbelief.

He chuckled lightly. "I just overheard it from one of their conversations while they were guarding me. They thought I wasn't listening but… I heard it from Rude telling Reno." He said.

She frowned. "The bald guy?" she asked.

"Yeah. Rude's the bald guy." He replied.

"Ugh…" she muttered as she covered her face in disgust.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Well… there was one time when Cloud and Barret couldn't do anything but tease me and Yuffie and he mentioned that some guy named Rude likes me…" she replied.

Rufus frowned when he heard that but he just looked away from her. "Oh yeah. I also heard that from Reno…" he said.

She removed her hands from her face. "Never in my life have I imagined myself having a bald guy for a boyfriend…" she muttered.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that he keeps away from you," he said with a wink.

"You mean that?" she asked.

"Whatever pleases you," he said, turning his gaze back to her again.

She smiled. "But really… he could be a nice guy… then looks wouldn't matter, right?" she asked.

"Hah! Don't be ridiculous." He flipped his hair with an arrogant look on his face.

She sneered at him, "You're jealous?" she asked.

"Of who?" he asked.

"Rude,"

He frowned at her. "Why would I even be jealous of a bald guy?! I have hair! Besides, I'm more handsome that him," he said, meaning to make her laugh. Obviously, he was faking it.

"Hahahaha!" she laughed out heartily.

He smiled at her and suddenly, he found himself laughing with her.

"Okay, okay, enough…" he said, making her stop by holding her hand and squeezing it gently.

She instantly stopped laughing and stared up at him. He was smiling at her. "Well, we have a long way to Nibelheim from here…" he said.

She smiled gently before looking away and began to hum a tune. Her humming turned into a "lalalalala". (She's actually singing her theme).

Rufus looked up at the skies when he felt the gentle breeze starting to blow as they continued to walk. 

He did not even notice that he was still holding her hand, and as they passed by a little town, most of the citizens who saw them thought that they were lovers. 

They just ignored the way that they stared at them but deep inside, they were wondering what made those people think that they were a couple.

By the time evening came, they were already far from towns but near the forests. 

"Shall we stop?" He asked.

She hesitated for a while. "But… where are we going to sleep?" she asked.

"Uhm… we can sleep under a tree… I can take off my coats and we can lie down on them." He said without any hesitations.

"Are you sure? I mean… it's obviously gonna get dirty… and you're Rufus ShinRa! You're not supposed to be saying that!" she said in protest.

He stared at her unbelievably. "Well I just said it… now follow me," he said as he led the way. 

That's when Tifa realized that he has been holding her hand for a long time… when he let go of it. 

He stopped under a big tree. "Well… I'm certain no birds would be shitting on us here," he said.

She was quiet as she watched him take off his two white coats and placed it on the ground. With that, he sat down on it and leaned back on the tree trunk. He looked up at the skies and there was a perfect view of the full moon and the stars. He could not help but smile when he saw them. 

"We haven't even eaten yet," she said.

He looked up at her. "Who cares? We can learn how to starve sometimes, right? I mean, in our current condition now, it's hard to find food. The berries out there could have poison. We can't even start a fire here because there isn't enough firewood. But there's a moon up there to serve as our light." He told her.

She stared at him for a while. "We sound different. I'm supposed to be the one saying that," she pointed out with a ridiculous smile on her face.

"Let me just tell you that I've realized that a person cannot always be rich." He said before patting the ground beside him, signaling her to just shut up and sit down beside him.

She did not argue with him further because she was glad that the rich brat could already bear living the simple life without all the luxuries, but she tried her best not to smile as she sat down beside him.

She was stiff for a while, refusing to move a muscle as she stared straight ahead, feeling so embarrassed about their current situation. 

She saw him close his eyes and sigh heavily. His breathing began to slow down a little. "He must be so tired that he just fell asleep like that…" she thought silently as she studied his features. His hair, which was brushed back that morning, began to loosen up and more strands fell onto his face. She thought that he looked more adorable that way… and without those jackets, he was wearing his white slacks and a black long-sleeved turtleneck. She bowed down her head as she moved closer to him. "I hope he wouldn't mind…" she thought silently as she leaned her head against his shoulder. 

To her wonder, he still smelled so good even though he had been sweating that afternoon. She smiled shyly as she mentally slapped herself. "Stop it, Tifa… you know that this guy cannot like you. You're just like a servant girl for him coz he's friggin' rich!" her smile faded away after giving herself a silent scolding as she removed her gloves and placed them beside her. Tifa looked up at the stars and smiled wearily, remembering herself asking, "Do you think the stars can hear us?" she sighed heavily and then smiled up at the heavens. "This is silly… but I wish that I could always be with him…" she said softly, knowing that Rufus was already asleep.

With that, she closed her weary crimson eyes as her hand unconsciously traveled to his. She touched it gently and held it in her own. Her smile faded away as she fell asleep.

Rufus opened his eyes again, staring up blankly at the stars. He heard what she said and he suddenly did not know what to do. He looked down at her and studied the peaceful look on her face and listened to her gentle breathing. He decided to put his arm around her waist and held her closer to himself as his lips curved into a loving smile. He leaned his head against hers and smelled her hair. It smelled like wine, he didn't know why. His grip tightened on her as he fell asleep.

The moment he fell asleep, a shooting star fell from the skies…

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**_Author's note:_** Ugh… I know that was full of crap and I hated it too, but please, don't flame me, I know my own weaknesses so don't remind me unless you want me to hunt you down (yeah right, you might be thinking). But anyway, review this if you want to live… or I'll just tell my little alter ego here named Samara to come out of your TV sets during the night and kill ya all! Mwahahahahahaha! (just kidding)…


	8. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 8

Heaven In Your Eyes

            (Part 8)

            By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the story plot… 

Author's Note: Ugh… I hate mushy stuff, I really do… but for the sake of the story, I write it. ;_; *hey, gotta explore the creative unknown, right?* I'm not saying that there's gonna be mushy stuff here in this chapter (though I think all chapters have 'em… oh well…), but just to warn you that if you're the kind who is squeamish about those kinda stuff, just get out of here and read all my other fics… heheheh. ;_; Oh whatever… I'll shut up now…  
And yeah, do review this, **but never ever flame this** or I'll use your @#$%^%$ flames to burn your @#$%^%$ asses, dammit! @o@' I know that the OOCs are very scattered everywhere in this fic, I don't need you to remind me. (sorry for the sudden outburst of temper, but I can't help it… some people are just so damn evil than me and they think they're better and perfect than you or me or anyone else.) :-(

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            "What do you think happened to Tifa?" Yuffie asked.

Aerith stared at them. "Come to think of it, where is she?" she asked.

Finally, she came back from the dead! (gyah… -.-')

"She's supposed to be coming here too but I don't know where she went now," Yuffie explained.

"Maybe she got lost or somethin'. The @#$^%$ storm's really @#$%^%$ and maybe it bothered her!" Cid said.

"So where are we off to now?" Barret asked.

"Aerith and I are heading off to Nibelheim." Cloud told them.

"Well, that's only a little bit far from here. You foo's need some extra money for the trip?" Barret asked.

"No thanks, I have more than enough saved here in my pocket from our past journeys." Cloud replied.

Yuffie's eyes grew wide in awe. "OH MY GAWD! You're gonna start a family there?!" she cried out.

Cloud just raised his eyebrows at her, while Aerith touched her lips with her fingertips as she giggled. He smiled at everyone. "Well, I guess we'd better get going," he said before taking Aerith by the hand and leading the way.

*** 

*** 

            Tifa and Rufus had been traveling for nine months already but they still haven't arrived in Nibelheim. "Ugh… it's gonna take us forever to get there! Which side of the Planet are we in anyway?" Rufus asked in annoyance as they continued to walk.

"I'm not really sure… but the place where we came from is near Kalm, so we must be in the East Continent…" she said.

Silence.

"Hey, if we're in the East Continent, Junon is just here… why not go there instead, Rufus?" she asked.

"I don't wanna go to Junon." He replied stiffly.

"Why?" she asked.

"I said I'm going to Nibelheim to claim my right to my properties there. It's my mother's hometown so I think it's just rightful for me to stay and live there instead of Midgar or Junon where Old Man had forced me to stay for several years." He admitted with a blank stare.

She smiled. "But where were you born?" she asked.

"Nibelheim." He replied.

She looked straight ahead. "Same here," she said.

"Yeah… so maybe I've seen you playing around before when I was a little boy." He said.

Silence.

"I didn't see you," she said.

"I wasn't allowed to go out and play with the common kids. The only playmates I had were the Turks and my pet Dark Nation… or when Old Man is home to, quote-unquote, visit, I pester General Heidegger or Scarlet."  He said.

She smiled up at him when she realized that he had become too easy for her to talk with. She also came to the conclusion that Rufus ShinRa isn't what all people thought he was… she did not find him too cold and too arrogant to talk to anymore; instead, she found him fun and amusing. She also realized that he wasn't too boring or rude or too stuck-up anymore… he answers to her every time she speaks to him.

"Well… at least you're having some fun… are you?" she asked, wanting to make sure.

"Mostly no… coz they force me to study until my brain eventually developed into this." He gestured, pointing to his head with a wink.

She chuckled lightly. "Well… at least you grew up to be… uh…" she stammered, suddenly not knowing how to put it into words.

He frowned slightly at her. "It's okay, you can say whatever you want to say; I won't hurt you," he assured.

"Eh… at least you grew up to be like that… someone who is… who has breeding and brave… and… very smart." She said, blushing a little… but she was really meaning to add, "…and handsome too. They must've groomed you properly, Rufus." But she just kept it to herself.

"Anyway, who taught you how to use your shotgun?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

Rufus raised up his shotgun and stared at it for a while as he spoke, "Oh this? Self-study… but Old Man insisted on letting Heidegger tutor me for some days." He hid it back in a secret pocket big enough for his shotgun (which is in his longest coat).

Tifa couldn't help but ask, "You call your father _'old man'_?"

He looked down as his frown deepened. "He's not worthy of being called _'father'_ or '_daddy'_… any noun referring to a father isn't good to be called to him." He replied.

Silence.

She looked down, but eventually turned to him again when he spoke up without any warning, "I hated him so much, I actually rejoiced secretly when Sephiroth killed him." He admitted with a slight smile on his face.

Tifa knew that the old ShinRa guy didn't have a good reputation amongst everyone. She had heard from several rumours that he was a gambler, a womanizer… somewhat corrupt… everything negative that you can find from a famous figure. From the way Rufus had talked about him, she understood that everything was correct.

"He goes often to the Honeybee Inn. I hated the fact that he had other women besides my mother and…" the way he mentioned '_mother_' caught Tifa's attention because his voice seemed to falter.

He turned his head to his side, away from Tifa's gaze, not wanting her to see the sad look on his face upon remembering his mother. "To be honest with you, Tifa… I saw her die. Old Man shot her… I couldn't do anything because he threatened to kill me… I was afraid to die back then… so helpless…" he began.

They stopped walking, not caring if the sun was already beginning to set and the horizon was beginning to darken. 

He flipped his hair as he turned his gaze to the sun's dying rays. "…I hope you understand why I said that I control the world with fear… because I am hiding. It's like my wall… so that I wouldn't appear vulnerable in front of everyone." He admitted.

She felt her heart sink. She couldn't believe that he was telling her everything that was supposed to be a secret for him. "Does he really trust me?" she thought in awe as she scanned his back profile, noticing the broadness of his shoulders and the way he stood up straight despite his tiredness. Of course, he was way taller than her… even taller than Cloud, but she did not really notice it fully until that day. She observed him quietly as he made a move to wipe something away from his face near his eyes. "He must be crying," she thought with a gentle smile on her face, feeling her own eyes welling up with tears too. She didn't know why, but she could feel his pain. Mindlessly, she reached out to him, approaching him and embracing him from his back, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his back.

Rufus's eyes grew wide in awe when he realized that she was embracing him. 

"I understand, Rufus…" she said.

He smiled as he looked down at her hands.

She let go of him so that he could face her. He gazed down into her crimson eyes as she spoke up again, "I promise I won't reveal to others what you have told me." She swore.

"Why not?" he asked.

She shrugged shyly as she clasped her hands together by her thighs. "I don't want people to use that kind of information to hurt you…" she replied sheepishly; however, she wanted to add, "…because I want to protect you. I don't want to see you getting hurt…" but she just kept it to herself as she looked up at his blue eyes… and she noticed something. The expression in his eyes changed. They weren't cold anymore… and she realized that as she looked at them, she could easily read his thoughts.

He smiled sadly at her, "Thank you for being a good friend to me. I haven't had a real friend before… then came you." He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Thank you, Tifa," he said.

She stared up at him unbelievably as he conscience started to nag her, "What?! Did ya hear that?! He said that you're _a good friend?!_ Can you believe that, sistah?! What's wrong with that?! Doesn't he like you the way you like him?! Ugh… can't he tell that you're in-love with him?! Man, boys are really stupid and so darn dense! Oh well, at least he's definitely better than Cloud. Gotta snag him before you guys part in the end of this journey, Tifa!"

Tifa mentally kicked herself for having a conscience like that as she continued to smile lovingly at Rufus. "You're always welcome, Rufus." She said.

Her conscience began nagging her again as she and Rufus proceeded to walk, "Oh man, Tifa! Go ahead, go back to your old style of droppin' hints to the boy of your dreams! You'll get nowhere again and end up with a broken heart if you don't tell him that you like him! Oh wait, you don't like him anymore… you _love_ him! Heeheeheeheehee! Oh well, it's your loss if he just leaves you. Maybe your surname really suits you: _Lockheart_. You have a locked heart… you keep your feelings hidden in your heart so it'll never be revealed. But I tell ya, you'd better tell him sooner or later… or you're gonna miss looking into his blue eyes!"

Rufus looked at her when he noticed her silence and the troubled look on her face. "Something wrong, Tifa?" he asked.

She shook her head frantically as she flashed him a fake smile. "N…nothing, Rufus… I'm just… tired…" she said weakly.

"You want me to carry you until we reach the next town? I think it's just a few kilometers away," he said.

She blushed intensely at what he said. "Wh…what?!" she demanded.

"Oh, c'mon," he said with a playful grin as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her without any effort.

"B…but…" she suddenly couldn't speak.

"Hahaha. Shut up, Lockheart." He said coldly.

She frowned at what he said but deep inside, she was jumping with joy.

Silence took over them and they had to admit, it was killing them. 

"Say something," Rufus scolded himself silently.

"Say something, dammit!" Tifa silently scolded herself. She smiled at him gently, "Are you going to start a somewhat new ShinRa Company?" she asked.

"Well… yes. I'll be gathering my old forces and use my money for everything. If my calculations are correct, everything will be all set in less than a year… if the work force is enough to handle it." He told her.

She blinked. "You mean… even the… the Mako Reactors and stuff?" she asked.

He laughed at her. "Don't be ridiculous! I wouldn't wanna do what Old Man had done. I'm through living in his pesky old shadow. I'm scrapping that idea out; instead, I'm thinking of hiring new scientists for ShinRa to help develop a new way of providing power and electricity to the whole of Midgar. I'm also planning on rehiring Reeve… just hope he's still alive… he could do something with the Slums… like fix it or something so that it wouldn't look disgusting anymore. I also want him to help in the reconstruction of Midgar since it got ruined, right?" he asked.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She just agreed. "Right…" She looked away with a secret smile on her face, "Oh my… Rufus _did_ change…" she thought silently.

"And you know, I was also thinking if your AVALANCHE friends could also help out in the planning and stuff…" he said.

She looked up at him unbelievably. "Wh…what?" she asked.

"I trust they know what's good and bad for the citizens. Maybe I could even put one of them for Public Relations." He said with a wink.

She smiled up at him. "That'd be nice," she replied softly.

He raised his eyebrows at her with a pleased look on his face, "You think so?" he asked.

She nodded eagerly.

He sighed as he looked up at the skies, feeling the cool breeze hit his face. "Where are you going after we arrive in Nibelheim?" he asked.

"I don't know… maybe since it's completely standing and wasn't burned down, I guess I'll just return to my old house and live there," she replied.

"Where's that?" he asked.

"A couple of blocks away from the ShinRa Mansion," she replied.

He nodded his head.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I thought I've mentioned before that I'm restoring the Mansion and I'm gonna stay there for a while," he said.

She smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm sorry…" she replied.

"So, Tifa," he began again after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?" she asked, hoping that what he's going to say would be significant on how she would benefit from their relationship. "C'mon, ask if I can come over for dinner in the ShinRa Mansion," she thought silently with a secret smile on her face.

He stopped walking and looked around. "So, are we going to stay sleep in one of the inns here or just settle for the ground in the forest?" he asked.

She mentally kicked herself. "Oh well… so much for daydreaming about us together…" she thought sadly. "I don't know, Rufus," she mumbled miserably as he set her on the floor. 

"You sound pissed off at something," he said.

"No, I was just thinking about some… stuff." She said with a weak smile on her face.

Rufus was about to say something else, but he trailed off when he heard an awfully-familiar voice, "Kyah!? President Rufus?!"

Tifa's eyes grew wide and she instantly hid behind Rufus when she heard that voice. She _hated_ that voice.

Rufus turned to his side and saw Scarlet with Reeve, but he did not show any happy or relieved emotions to them; he just frowned and stiffened, realizing Tifa's reaction. He reached his right hand behind him and held Tifa's hand, mindlessly giving it a squeeze to assure her that she shouldn't worry about Scarlet's meanness. 

The two former ShinRa executives approached them. "Is that you, President Rufus?" Reeve asked.

Scarlet eyed Tifa with an arrogant stare. "Kyah… Reeve, I don't think that's President Rufus… because that girl is with him!" she muttered to Reeve.

"Don't be ridiculous, Scarlet, it's me!" Rufus snapped impatiently as he took a few steps with Tifa away from Scarlet.

"But… you're alive?!" Reeve said in disbelief.

"Oh yes, I'm alive," Rufus said as he flipped his hair. "Skip the surprised scene, you two. Now, what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Kyah… we just headed for this town to stay here while we're contacting Rude, Reno and Elena so that we could bring back ShinRa even without you," Scarlet replied.

"Hmf. You can't run my Company without me," he snapped impatiently. "Well then, now that I'm here again, you can help me with my plans. I'm going to Nibelheim to pick up the pieces there… if you know what I mean," he continued as he let go of Tifa and approached Scarlet and Reeve.

Tifa clenched her fist as she observed Rufus's movements and the way he spoke to his two executives. "He sounds so different from how he would speak to me…" she thought silently.

She listened for several minutes as he explained all of his plans to the two and she thought that he would go on and on forever, but she came back into her senses when she realized that Scarlet and Reeve were already walking away.

"Let's go, President Rufus. We'll get you a suite in the most expensive hotel in this town," Reeve told him.

Rufus just stared at them, his back facing Tifa.

The two executives stopped walking and turned back to Rufus. "Kyah, President Rufus, what are you waiting for, let's go!" she said.

Rufus just stared coldly at them before turning to Tifa with a gentle smile on his face. "Let's go, Tifa. We'll be sleeping in a comfortable bed tonight," he said.

Tifa's eyes grew wide in embarrassment. "D…did you just say… **_a_** comfortable bed?" she asked, emphasizing the _"a"_

He raised his eyebrows at her and winked. "C'mon, Tifa," he motioned as he offered his hand to her.

She smiled gently at him as she placed her hand on his, but she jerked up when she heard Scarlet scream a shrill "KYAH!" and ran to them, pushing Tifa away from Rufus. 

Rufus's mouth dropped open in surprise and sudden anger. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he demanded as he hit her face with the back of his hand, causing her to fall to the ground. Reeve ran to Scarlet and helped her up, though he was really thinking that Scarlet was stupid enough to do that to Tifa.

"You should learn to respect people if you still want your job back in ShinRa, Scarlet," Rufus said mockingly with a cold look on his face before turning to Tifa. "Let's go," he told her before turning to Reeve. "Where's the hotel that you're talking about?" he asked.

"Uhm… right this way, sir," Reeve replied as he grabbed Scarlet's hand and dragged her with him to the direction of the hotel. "Next time you'll know better than to just bitch around," Reeve muttered to her with an annoyed look on his face.

"Kyah!" she just replied. She was still too speechless.

"You okay?" Rufus whispered gently as he wrapped his arm around Tifa's shoulder as they followed the two executives.

She was still shaken. "I… I guess so…" she just replied. "That woman really hates me." She though silently as she eyed Scarlet with a pitiful stare.

He guided her as she walked because he noticed that she was shaking. "Don't pay too much attention to Scarlet. She's just jealous of you coz you're young and you're beautiful," he whispered reassuringly.

She turned red and almost tripped. "Wh…what?" she asked.

"I'm just saying the obvious," he said with a blank look on his face which made her heart sink. "Aww shucks… I thought he meant it… but what's with the blank look?" she thought silently with a frustrated expression on her face as she turned away, but when he wasn't looking at her anymore, she looked up at his eyes and saw that they were telling her something. She just looked away when he looked at her again. "Reeve will call for a chopper tomorrow morning and it will take us to Nibelheim. Don't you think that's great? The sooner we get there, the better," he told her with a pleased look on his face.

She felt her heart skip a beat. "Tomorrow?" she asked. Her conscience nagged her again: "Meaning that you'll have to part with him already. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor girl with the locked heart… oh well, at least you've got nine months with him to remember on long cold winter nights,"

She just looked down to the ground, focusing on her steps rather than her thoughts about that matter.

*** 

            Reeve got themselves a suite with connecting bedrooms and one living room. Reeve and Scarlet were to sleep in the living room, while Rufus and Tifa each occupied the two connecting bedrooms.

Around 1 am, Tifa couldn't sleep. She was looking outside the window, up at the stars and watching them silently. She had to admit, the walls of isolation around her made her feel so lonely. She smiled ridiculously. "Heheh… I must've gotten used to sleeping with Rufus beside me in the forest." She thought sadly before sighing heavily. 

Those nine months seemed like nine decades… and it mattered so much to her… 

She felt so restless upon the idea that tomorrow, they will be in Nibelheim… and they'll be living their lives in different sides again… 

"Just like before when I he's not yet familiar to me…" she whispered sadly as she touched the glass of the window. She gazed up at one particular star, the one that's shining so brightly among all the others. "Please… if anyone can hear me… give me a chance… I don't want to be lonely again…" she prayed silently as tears began to cloud her vision. She blinked and they began to fall uncontrollably.

Had she been suppressing those sad emotions for so long? Ever since Cloud? "I guess I've been hiding too…" she said softly as she gazed down at her hands.

She turned to the direction of the door leading to Rufus's room. She stared at it for a long time before finally deciding to move. She was wearing a white silk sleepwear and she got her robe and put it on before proceeding slowly to the door and opened it gently, surprised to find that it was unlocked. She saw Rufus sound asleep on the big bed. By the peaceful look on his face, she could tell that he was very comfortable. She smiled as she stared at his handsome features being shadowed by the moonlight. She made her way through the darkness, going to his bed, realizing that he was wearing red silk pajamas. She gazed down at his face, memorizing every single detail.

Finally, she climbed up on his bed, her movements not even waking him up. She lay down beside him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest, sighing heavily. 

"I love you," she whispered softly as she closed her eyes, letting her last teardrop fall before she finally fell asleep.

*** 

*** 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Author's Note: icks… *dies* *stands up again* don't forget to review this… oh, and if you're just gonna insult me and flame me or say bad things to me about this piece of crap, forget it. You'll just be tiring your hands typing those nasty words on the keyboard and wasting electricity and energy when the data transfers to the PC and starts processing it.


	9. Heaven In Your Eyes chapter 9

Heaven In Your Eyes

            (Part 9)

            By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the story plot… oh and did I mention that I don't own the song _Heaven In Your Eyes?_ It's from the OST of TopGun (you know that old Tom Cruise movie? *I can hear fangirls screaming*)… sung by some guy or some group called "Loverboy". Gyah…-.-'

AUTHOR'S NOTE (yet again): I'm not supposed to be ranting anymore, because I know I've made it clear, yet some stupid people still exist in the net. Some guy said that this fic is boring… I know it doesn't have much action coz hello; it doesn't have much battle scenes. If you don't have anything nice to say, just shut up and leave this alone. Fine, so this was meant to be a "**boring"** fic in the first place, got a problem with that?! Oh yeah, and I thought I've already mentioned that if you are just going to flame this, don't proceed with the idea and just leave… and I'm repeating it again. I don't like people who insult other people's works just because they don't understand it! GYAH! @o@' Okay, so I don't wanna be mean, but I just don't like harsh critics. Hey, guess what critics are… _they're the ones who failed in the arts and literature!_ So please, if you failed in those fields, don't make it obvious. I'll just laugh at you! Mwahahahahahahahaha!

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

            "Was it just a dream?" Rufus thought silently as he boarded the chopper.

He woke up that morning, looking for Tifa… but he couldn't find her.

Reeve and Scarlet did not even realize that she left…

She did not even say goodbye…

He searched for any sign of her, but he couldn't find any… not even a goodbye note… but she left one thing that belongs to her: the maroon band she uses to tie her hair with. Rufus decided to just keep it, hiding it in one of his coat pockets. "Maybe if I see her again I can return this to her…" he thought silently.

He frowned as he flipped his hair, his mind filled with mixed thoughts and his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Though he swore he heard her say, "_I love you"_…

He looked down at his hands, clenching them tightly as he pressed his lips together in an effort not to scream in too much frustration.

"Yes… go ahead, suppress everything inside again…" his conscience seemed to nag him.

He had been silent the whole trip, and when they arrived in Nibelheim, he just rented a room at an inn for himself while the others fixed the ShinRa Mansion and locked himself inside for the rest of the day. He told Reeve that he would just be creating new marketing plans and calculating the expenses for everything, but the truth is, he just laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

*** 

*** 

*** 

*** 

*** 

[_In your eyes;_

_I wanna see your love again_

_In your eyes._

_I never want this feeling to end._

_It took some time to find the light_

_But now, I realize;_

_I can see the heaven in your eyes_]…

*** 

            "Well, ShinRa is back in power, President Rufus… we fixed Midgar and everything is in their rightful places. What more could you ask for than your '_empire'_, sir?" Reeve asked with a pleased expression on his face during a conference.

Rufus was silent, a blank look was on his face. "How long did it take us to complete everything?" he asked mindlessly. He knew the answer already but he just wanted to speak out so that the others wouldn't think that his mind isn't really set in that conference. It was drifting away… like he was daydreaming.

"I never daydreamed ever since I was a kid… I never allowed my thoughts to drift away because it's just nonsense… but she taught me how…" he thought silently as he mindlessly began to doodle on a blank sheet of paper.

Reeve and the others observed what he was doodling and it puzzled them because they had never seen Rufus do that before… he would always be serious.

"Is he bored or something?" Heidegger thought silently with a deep frown on his face.

"Kyah… he's good." Scarlet realized silently as she swallowed hard, observing that Rufus was sketching a pair of eyes… and they almost looked so real.

"Uhm… it took us one year and eleven months, sir… almost two years." Reeve replied as he stared at the drawing.

"Any signs of rebellion from the people?" Rufus asked.

"Well… there's actually none, surprisingly. The people find you better than your father." Heidegger explained with a pleased look on his face.

"Good." Rufus mumbled.

He finished sketching. "I'm adjourning this meeting," he said with a dragging tone before standing up, leaving all the papers on the table. "Take these papers in my office. I'll just take a nap. I'm tired," he said with a weary look before leaving.

All his executives gathered around the table and examined the drawing. 

"Kyah…" Scarlet said in surprise as she covered her mouth.

"Oh my…" Palmer said.

Reeve grabbed the paper to take a closer look. "They look familiar," he said.

"Gyah… is that his mother's eyes?" Heidegger asked.

"Mrs. ShinRa's eyes are like Rufus's. These eyes are wider and more soulful…" Reeve explained.

"Kyah. Those eyes belong to that girl." Scarlet reasoned with a sour look on her face.

"What girl?" Heidegger asked.

"Are you stupid? Don't you remember that woman who was supposed to be executed with the fat guy?" Scarlet demanded impatiently.

"Gyah! I'm not stupid, I just can't remember her name!" he snapped angrily.

"Her name is Tifa Lockheart, for crying out loud." Reeve faced them with a stern look on his face, "She was the one who helped President Rufus." He said.

Silence.

"Kyah… well what do you want us to do? Go and look for her? Kyahahahahahahaha! You gotta be kidding me!" Scarlet said as she crossed her arms.

"Gyahahahahahahaha! How is she connected with President Rufus anyway?" Heidegger asked.

"I'm not sure myself… but I've seen the way he treated her and I think he likes her." Reeve said with a slight smile on his face.

"So what if he likes her?" Palmer asked with a snort.

"These snot-heads sound like the evil stepsisters from Cinderella…" Reeve thought silently with a deep frown on his face as he turned away from them. "Never mind. I was just planning to suggest to you guys that we go and find her." he muttered miserably before walking out of the conference room.

*** 

            Rufus was in his bedroom, looking up at the high ceiling with a blank stare as he remained on his bed, lying down with his arms spread open wide. His stereo was switched on and it was tuned in to a radio station that plays sentimental music. He really hated that stuff, but because of his mood and feelings, he just wanted to listen to those sappy love songs about broken hearts, being in-love and more of that stuff (you get the picture). He mindlessly reached into his pocket and pulled out the one thing that he had left of her besides her memory. He had this cold look on his face but his eyes gave away his true feelings… he felt so lonely.

He let out a desperate sigh… "So unlikely of me. Feh… who cares?" he muttered with a smug look on his face before sitting up in a jiffy when he thought he heard a voice tell him, "_I love you,"_

"Tifa?" he asked as he got out of bed, his eyes wide in awe as he looked around. 

He stiffened as he clenched his fists in annoyance, cursing himself angrily. "It's not a dream… it's not a dream…" he reminded himself silently as he plopped down on his bed again with a frustrated grunt. "Hmf…"

His facial expression softened as he gripped her hair band tightly. With that, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off into sleep, thinking that maybe if it was really a dream, he'd rather be sleeping forever than survive in the corporate world without her by his side to remind him that life is beautiful despite the presence of the corporate sharks trying to put him down and fail him.

Her eyes told him that… her eyes that were full of happiness and cheerfulness even though she had been suppressing hurt feelings deep inside her heart. She wasn't telling him anything but he could always look into her lovely crimson eyes and read her thoughts easily.

*** 

            "Hey, Tifa, are you in there?"

Tifa jerked up in surprise when she heard Aerith's voice from outside her front door. "Y… yes, Aerith," she called out as she got up from the chair by the dining table and headed for the front door. She opened it, flashing a happy smile at Aerith. "You dropped by?" she asked.

"It's boring in Cloud's house. He's at work so I guess I'll just hang-out here with you for a while," Aerith said as she stepped inside and gave Tifa a friendly hug. 

Tifa hugged her friend back and let go of her to close the door. Aerith noticed that Tifa's hair was loose without any clip holding it on the near ends of her hair. "I wonder why she isn't tying her hair anymore ever since last year…" she thought silently.

They sat down on the couch, with Aerith blabbing about stuff that interested Tifa. 

Tifa listened well, but Aerith couldn't help but notice the dry expression on her face. "How are you doing?" she asked.

Tifa was surprised because Aerith just popped in that question. "I'm… fine," she replied casually.

Aerith leaned back, knowing what to do, "You know, I was looking for you when I came back but you weren't there. They said that you must've lost your way… I didn't believe them," she said.

Tifa just kept quiet, trying to avoid her friend's gaze.

Aerith did not say anything more; she just waited for Tifa to speak up. Tifa gave up and just looked into Aerith's eyes as she spoke up with a hesitant tone, "I was stuck in the hospital where we took Yuffie because I helped someone. I stayed with him for several months and realized that I couldn't leave him alone because… because… because I just grew fond of him,"

"Who is he?" Aerith asked with a curious expression on her face, though deep inside, she already had an idea of who he was.

Tifa shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore… he's gone. He's probably forgotten about me already because I'm just a nobody and he's this powerful figure who practically owns everything his heart would desire," she said sadly.

Aerith smiled gently as she nodded her head. "You didn't even say goodbye to him?" she asked.

Tifa looked at her unbelievably. "How'd you know?" she asked in disbelief.

Aerith shrugged. "I just guessed." She said with an innocent smile on her face.

Tifa sighed heavily. "I can't… it's just that… I feel that if once I say goodbye, I'll also be letting go of the memory… the memory of being able to love him even for just a short time…" she said as she focused her gaze into Aerith's eyes. "…I don't even want to believe in those stupid wishing stars anymore because… they're just crap!" she snapped.

Aerith was just silent, gazing back into Tifa's eyes, making eye-communication with her.

Silence filled the room as they just stared into each other's eyes. 

"What can you see?" Aerith asked suddenly.

Tifa's mouth dropped slightly open. She was beginning to realize something.

"You've been looking into those blue eyes, hoping he'd be the one, right? Why don't you go back to him? I know you want to," Aerith said with a gentle look on her face.

Tifa just stood up before running out of her house with a confused expression on her face as her crimson eyes glistened with tears. But she did not let them fall as her conscience spoke up, "Hey, in the past, you were looking for Cloud right? It wouldn't hurt to look for Rufus, right?"

She looked up at the orangey skies, admiring the sunset, remembering their long walks in their travels…

"In Midgar…" she thought silently. With that, she began to walk…

*** 

***

            "May I please speak with President Rufus ShinRa?"

Reeve studied the girl. Her hair looked disheveled and her clothes looked messy, somewhat dirty and dusty all at the same time. He could tell that she had been traveling for a long time… probably days… yet she looked awfully familiar. He raised his eyebrows at her, hoping that Scarlet wasn't there to see the girl or else she'll just ward her off. Poor girl.

"Who are you? What happened to you?" he asked as he came nearer, taking a closer look at her face. "Well you do seem familiar; have I seen you before?" he asked.

"I… I just arrived from Nibelheim," she explained, not really wishing to reveal that she traveled by foot all the way from Nibelheim to Midgar. It reminded her of the song with the lyrics, "_Coz you know, I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you tonight…_" Duh. She felt ridiculous.

Reeve nodded. "Did you walk all the way from there to here? You look famished and weary, young lady. Maybe we should get you cleaned up for a while," he said as he offered his hand to hers.

She just shook her head. "I… I think I'll just go," she said before turning away.

Reeve put down his hand, realizing who she is. "Oh no, please don't leave!" he pleaded.

She stopped in her tracks and faced him again. 

"You can stay here instead of some of the inns out there. Besides, it's already 9:00 in the evening," he said before smiling at her, "My name is Reeve, the Head of Urban Development. It is my pleasure to serve you, Miss Lockheart," he said.

She blinked in awe at him. How could he have recognized her despite the way she looked? She could've sworn that the floor of the ShinRa HQ lobby was even cleaner than her. 

"President Rufus is in his office on the 70th floor." He pointed out before leading the way.

"W…wait. I can't…" she suddenly said.

He faced her. "Why?" he asked.

She smiled sheepishly. "I… can't face him this way… he might get disgusted," she reasoned.

Reeve chuckled lightly. "Miss Lockheart, President Rufus doesn't discriminate people who are kind-hearted like you. Now, let's go up to him so that he can finally see you again." He said as he took her hand and dragged her with him to the elevators, not caring if the other employees were looking strangely at them… most especially at Tifa.

"Huh?" she asked.

They boarded the elevator and it began to move up to the 70th floor. "Why did you leave him like that? You know that he's been so worried about you," Reeve said frankly.

"He is?" she asked unbelievably.

"Oh never mind… who am I anyway to tell you all of these. I'm just an executive. But I've been observing him and he seems to have changed for the better. You've seen the new Midgar, right? Everything's okay. Crime rate is very low, everyone is in favour of Rufus. I really believe that the change in him was caused by you, Miss Lockheart," he explained with a proud smile on his face.

"Gee… he's really different from Scarlet and the others…" Tifa thought silently as she nodded her head. "I'll take that as a compliment, Mister Reeve, thank you," she said humbly.

They reached the 70th floor and as soon as the elevator door opened, he let Tifa out. "Just go straight ahead. If you see Scarlet, just slap her face." He said before the elevator door closed again.

"He just left me here?!" she thought in alarm. "What if Scarlet's really here and she sees me and… oh hell… never mind! I'll just slap her face!" Tifa thought with a hopeless look on her face as she made her way slowly to the office. The floor was very shiny and she could see her reflection from there. She sighed heavily, "Now I really look like a girl from the slums…" she thought silently before stopping by the door. She looked up at the door before her and knocked three times. 

"What?!" demanded an impatient tone from inside.

"Shit! Maybe he's doing something and I disturbed him…" she thought silently.

*** 

            Rufus just stared up at the stars as he stood standing by the window. He had this deep frown on his face. "If that is Heidegger and he still isn't coming in, I'm going to really deduct his salary for being so damn slow…" he thought silently.

Silence.

He began to fiddle with the hair band that has been with him for almost two years already.

"Come in!" he yelled again.

He heard the door creak open slowly. 

Rufus spun around with an annoyed look. "What's with you just taking so long outside after knocking?! Why, I oughtta…" he trailed off as his eyes grew wide in disbelief.

Those crimson eyes again. 

Rufus did not stop himself anymore, he just ran to her and took her in his arms, embracing her tightly.

Tifa was really surprised by his reaction. She was really fearful of that fact that she was very filthy and Rufus was wearing his usual white get-up: clean and well-pressed… and it will just get tainted by her.

He saw her: the way she looked… but he didn't care. "Well, her hair still smells good… just like before… at least she's here again…" he thought silently as tears clouded his vision. He frowned. "What the… I cannot be crying… I'm not supposed to cry…" he thought silently as the tears finally fell.

She looked up at him unbelievably. "Rufus, you're crying?" she asked with too much concern in her eyes. She also began to cry as she reached up a hand to his face, wiping away his tears. 

He laughed weakly. "Yeah, I'm crying. So what?" he asked. He wiped her tears away with the back of his right hand. "What matters is that you're here again, right?" his eyes narrowed at her as he sniffed. "Wh…where have you been? How come you did not even say goodbye? I was looking for you… and… did you know how disappointed I had become because of what you've done?" he asked, but he was smiling gently at her. He just couldn't get angry at this beautiful creature before his eyes.

She chuckled lightly as she leaned her head against his chest. "I'm so sorry, Rufus… I was confused and so afraid…"

"But where were you? Where have you been and how did you get here? Did you walk for days?" he asked, studying her clothes. 

She smiled sheepishly. "I came from Nibelheim. I was just there all the time… in my house. The one I told you about? Thanks to my best friend, my mind got cleared and I just couldn't wait to go here in Midgar to… to see you," she said.

Suddenly, they were silent.

"C'mon, say something… unless you want him to be just another Cloud Strife who will leave you?!" Tifa scolded herself silently as she bit her lower lip.

"Dammit, Rufus! Tell her everything… about your true feelings… unless you want to miss her for another two years!" Rufus scolded himself silently as he gazed down at her, admiring her eyes.

"I…" they both began at the same time.

They fell silent again, waiting for each other to speak…

But they couldn't speak; they were just gazing into each other's eyes.

…and they suddenly realized that they didn't have to speak out loud to one another… they could just look into each other's eyes to know how the other one feels…

The crimson eyes told him, "I love you,"

The icy blue eyes told her, "Stay here with me… I love you too,"

With that, she smiled lovingly at him as he bent down his head to hers and just stopped when his lips met hers, melting into a sweet and loving kiss…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[_I can tell by the look in your eyes, you've been hurting._

_You'll know I'll never let you down._

_And I'll try anything to keep it working._

_You gave me time to find out what my heart was looking for_

_And what I'm feeling inside_

_In your eyes._

_I wanna see your love again_

_In your eyes._

_I never want this feeling to end._

_It took some time to find the light_

_But now, I realize;_

_I can see the heaven in your eyes._

_Can't you see, I'm finding it hard to let go_

_All the heartaches we've been through._

_I never really thought I'd see this love grow,_

_But you helped me see; now I know_

_What my heart's been looking for_

_And what I'm feeling inside_

_In your eyes._

_I wanna see your love again_

_In your eyes;_

_I never want this feeling to end._

_It took some time to find the light,_

_But now I realize_

_I can see the heaven in your eyes._

_We've been living on the edge_

_Where only the strong survive._

_We've been living on the edge_

_And it's something that we just can't hide_

_Oh, this feeling inside_

_In your eyes;_

_I wanna see your love again_

_In your eyes._

_I never want this feeling to end._

_It took some time to find the light,_

_But now, I realize_

_I can see the heaven in your eyes._

_I can see the heaven in your eyes._

_I can see the heaven in your eyes._

_I can see the heaven in your eyes._

_Heaven in your eyes._

_Heaven in your eyes…]_

--------"Heaven In Your Eyes" _by_ Loverboy (Taken out from the OST of Top Gun)

________________________________________________________________ 

Gyah!

-end-

Please review; just don't flame it, don't insult it, don't say bad things about it coz I know it's already bad, sappy and corny! :'-(


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Final Fantasy VII, Romance