13: Arrangements

The flight back was rough. Tifa found the occasional shudders of the airplane impossible to ignore. But Rufus didn't seem to mind the jolts. He immediately nodded off the moment they were airborne. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a bit envious. How many raindrop races has she watched since the rain started pounding upon them? Her hand clenched as she imagined how different thing would be in Midgar. It was going to much more difficult to pretend. She would have to be extra careful… she and Rufus would have to play more people there. Tifa slanted a glance at her sleeping companion and sighed. "At least someone's getting some rest," she muttered. She let her gaze roam the planes of his face. Her eyes lingered on his parted lips a second too long and she felt her cheeks heat up.

If anyone had told her that she'd be kissing those lips before she left for Costa del Sol, she would've laughed. And yet… it did happen. And it wasn't only his lips that she'd gotten to know during their trip. Her blush deepened and spread all over her body. The things she did, the things she said, the things she felt… She couldn't compare them to what she had in the past. It was undeniable that Cloud couldn't hold a candle to Rufus in the aspects of intimacy and technique. There's no point comparing a bicycle to a Hardy Daytona.

Rufus stirred while Reno was announcing that they were half an hour away from Midgar. "You look like you hadn't slept," he noted as he blinked the sleepiness away from his dewy blue eyes. "I'm not a fan of turbulence," Tifa sighed. He touched her chin and guided her face towards his. Mirth danced in his eyes. "Oh? Didn't I exhaust you at the very least? My, my," he said with a smirk. Tifa jerked away from him and rolled her eyes.

Tifa tugged at her flimsy shirt as she stood before the open cabin door. The rain had long stopped. "Didn't you prepare a coat?" Rufus asked when he appeared beside her. She shook her head. He gave her a brief look of disapproval before offering his arm to her. Rufus navigated the stairs with deft grace while she traipsed beside him. An icy gust of wind blew down at them. Tifa froze and shivered. "You alright there, Lockhart?" he asked with a hushed voice. She gave him a shaky nod. He smiled down at her and pulled her closer to his side. "Hang in there," he murmured. They ducked into the waiting car and they both let out sighs of relief. Tifa inched away from him and looked out of the window. There were several media vans parked on the other side of the airstrip's fence. Rufus crossed his legs. Tseng settled into the driver's seat and Elena claimed the passenger seat.

The Shin-Ra Building loomed into view moments later.

To the innocent, the building served as the beacon of hope and progress.

To the worldly, it was the place to be for gain.

Landing a position among the ranks of Shin-Ra Corp. was seen as a milestone. An honor, even. Tifa wanted to laugh at herself.

Papa was right, she thought, the rich and powerful are the worst.

Tifa drifted off to sleep.

"It's absurd," Rufus murmured.

"What is, President?" Tseng asked.

Their eyes met on the rear view mirror. Rufus looked away and shook his head. "Nothing," the young President said after a moment. Tsend responded with a minute nod and stepped on the gas.

Rufus glanced at the sleeping woman beside him and let out a soft chuckle. He was ten years old the first time he saw his father kiss a woman who wasn't his mother. And he watched his mother die a slow death because his father's inability to love her. Every time his mother shed a tear, the unconditional love that he, as a son, had for his father, dissipated. "I will never be like you. Only a man of low standards would allow his dick to dictate anything to him. I am so much better than you are," Rufus blurted out the first time he got drunk. His father only smiled at him then. The next night, his father sent two escorts to Rufus's room. His mother was furious the next day, of course, but Rufus didn't offer any objections. He wanted to do it again, as soon as possible. From that point on, Rufus rarely slept alone. He slept with anyone he deemed worthy of his time. But he made it a point to keep things professional with his subordinates.

Until her.

"The fruit never falls far from the tree, huh?" Rufus said.

Right then, the vehicle passed over a speed bump. Tifa fell over on Rufus's side. He looked at her and failed to contain himself. He shifted so that he could wrap his arm around her. She smelled faintly of perfume and sweat. He smirked.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked as they cruised along the street lined with elegant homes. Her expression was so comical that Rufus was beginning to find it hard to stay neutral. "You've never been here, have you?" he asked. Tifa whipped around to face him. "No, of course not! I never even knew about this place..." she trailed off and looked away, embarrassed. "This place isn't open to the general public, so don't feel bad," he murmured.

Don't feel bad? Tifa fumed in her head. You pompous...!

The car stopped in front of an ornate iron gate. Tseng produced something from the pocket of his suit and presented it. The gates parted to admit them.

It was the grandest house she had ever laid eyes upon.

"It looks like the doll house I had when I was a kid," Tifa commented, eliciting a soft chuckle from Rufus.

She'd seen the mansion in a magazine feature before but seeing it in person was another thing. According to the magazine, the mansion was the biggest residential property in Midgar. It had 9 bedrooms and 11 baths, a library, an office, a gym, and a lot of other things normal households wouldn't have. When she read the feature with her friends in college, they giggled and wondered what it was like. Well, I'm about to find out, she thought. The mirrored wrought iron double doors opened and a middle aged man in a gray suit emerged. Rufus leaned so close to Tifa that when he spoke, his hot breath sent tingles down her back. "Welcome to your new home," he whispered.

Tifa paused at his words.

Her new home.

She looked at the extravagant mansion again and gulped.

Rufus slid out of the car with easy grace then rounded to her side of the vehicle. He opened the door for her and held his hand out for her to hold. She could hear her heart pounding away in her ears.

"Relax, nobody's going to bite you," Rufus murmured beside her as they walked towards the front door. He slanted her a mischievous look. "Unless you want me to." She gasped and almost tripped on her own foot.

"Welcome home, master Rufus," Chester said in the most reverent manner possible. "Welcome to your new home, madame," he said with a smile a minute later. Chester had a kind face and a friendly smile. He looked every bit the proper gentleman: neat, slicked back hair, clean shaven face. Rufus squeezed Tifa's hand to bring her back to the present. "Hello," she said with a nervous smile.

Here we go, she thought.

Suddenly, her feet left the ground. Tifa's eyes widened as her head hit Rufus's chest. His arms held her in a secure embrace as he carried her across the threshold. She heard his heart's steady beating and felt the rumble of his laughter. Chester looked pleased. When they reached the foyer, Rufus set her down in the gentlest manner possible. Hanging from the ceiling was an elaborate chandelier encased in a glass orb. Underneath the chandelier was a cluster of white orchids on top of an ornate round table. She blinked. This wasn't how the foyer looked in the magazine. It was no longer decked out in gold. The only thing that was left from the old foyer was the gold-railed staircase. The chintzy tapestries and paintings that once adorned the walls were gone as well.

"I see that they've finished re-decorating," Rufus commented. Chester bowed. "They have finished re-decorating all the rooms as well, master," the butler informed him. Rufus nodded and led Tifa onward.

He turned and said, "Chester, could you have them prepare breakfast?"

"At once, sir," the butler answered.

Rufus let go of her hand the moment Chester disappeared. "It's so good to finally get rid of his gaudy things," he said.

"But weren't your father's collections... priceless?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Of course. But those things do not matter to me. I had a lot of his things auctioned off."

Tifa frowned. "You must have really hated your Dad, huh?"

"Heh," Rufus breathed before sauntering towards the adjacent room.

Tifa trailed after him like a child in an unfamiliar place.

Rufus stood before a mountain of gifts. He turned to her and smiled with arrogance. "The world sent their best wishes," he said. The pile was so tall that it nearly reached the ceiling. Rufus picked up one wrapped with delicate pink paper and held it out to her. Tifa blinked and reluctantly took the box from him. "Open it," he said nonchalantly as he picked up another gift. The wrapping paper felt like silk in her hands. "Don't tell me that you don't want to damage the wrapping paper," Rufus commented as he lifted a harp. It looked like a golden crescent moon. "They sent us a lunar harp," Rufus said before plucking a random melody. He set it down and knelt in front of a small wooden trunk . "Ah, this one's from Godo Kisaragi," he said quietly. Tifa stood behind him as he lifted the trunk's lid. Two smaller wooden boxes lay inside. Rufus opened the boxes and found a Chocobo feather in the first one and a pair of golden bracelets engraved with flowers and embedded with Materia stones.

By the time a maid appeared to announce that breakfast was ready, the couple had already opened nearly half the mountain pile. A lot of foreign leaders gave Tifa extravagant jewelry. The one gift that elicited excitement from Rufus was the vintage shotgun from his weapon seller from east Gongaga. Rufus laughed when he found the note wedged between the case and the cushion.

Mister Shinra,

Your father purchased this ten years ago. He said that I should only give it to you when you get married.

This particular gun is from The Second Empire where contemporary designers, silversmiths, sculptors, and engravers worked to transform functional hunting and target weapons into works of art.

It is the last of its kind. No other man will ever have the distinction of owning an exquisite piece of history.

Use it well.

He snapped the case shut. It's so like you to do something like this Dad, Rufus thought.

"Don't you think the boss is enjoying this a little too much?" Reno asked his partner as they headed out of the mansion.

Rude paused to look at his partner. "What do you mean?"

The redhaired Turk looked around to make sure that nobody was around. "Y'know, playing house," he whispered.

"Hmm..."

Tseng approached Tifa while she was following Rufus up the grand staircase. "Excuse me, but may I speak with you for a moment?" he said. Tifa smiled and descended towards him. "What's the matter?" Tifa asked with a tentative smile. "Your father, miss Lockhart," Tseng murmured as he produced his PHS. Her eyes widened at the mention of her only living parent. "My father?" she burst out. Her voice rang throughout the mansion. The Turk leader flinched. "Please... keep your voice down, miss," he admonished. She blushed. "I'm sorry..." she said with a softer voice, "but what about my father?"

Tseng handed her his PHS and pressed a button.

There was a long silence before Tifa finally heard her father clearing his throat. "Right... well... congratulations, Tifa, darling! Erm..." It felt as though someone had dropped a brick on her belly. "I'm not going to lie, honey. I'm hurt that you didn't even introduce him or ask for my blessing before getting married. You kids these days sure go about things so fast... hehe... I can only hope that he treats you like the treasure that you are to me. I'd like to meet him someday. Come over when you two have time, okay? I love you."

Tifa bit her lip and held back her tears as she shakily handed back the PHS to the Turk. "Thank you," she managed before turning away from him.

Rufus was waiting at the top of the stairs with his hands in his pockets. "He wants to meet me, huh?" he said as they resumed heading to what would their bedroom. She glared at him, "Not now," she said with a sharp tone. He merely shrugged and opened the master bedroom's door. Tifa made a beeline for the bed and buried herself with the soft duvet and pillows.

She felt the mattress yield under his weight. "Don't be so upset now, Lockhart," he whispered, "it's not like you made this choice. I forced you into acting as my wife." Tifa peeked at him and sighed.

"I didn't even think about how my Papa would about this."

"It's not like you had a choice when I asked you, Lockhart," Rufus said dryly. "I plan everything perfectly."

She pitched a pillow at him. It hit his arm with a soft thump. "If you planned it perfectly, then why does this whole thing feel like one big mess?"

"Because it is," he said as he placed the pillow back on the bed. "Believe me, Lockhart, it's only gonna get more complicated from this point on."

Silence fell upon them.

Rufus rose from the bed and disappeared into another room.

Tifa sat up and hugged her knees to her aching chest.

How can she get married without introducing him to her father?

Is she ashamed of her father?

Shameless, ungrateful girl!

No, she thought, it's not like that at all... Papa, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please... don't hate me! Tears raced down her face. When she heard him return to the room, Tifa hid under the covers and tried to stop her crying. Rufus stopped on her side of the bed and threw the duvet off her. Tifa looked up at him with sharp, teary eyes. "Can't you leave me alone for a while?" she asked.

He sighed and sat down beside her. Her warmth seemed so welcoming against his back, but he knew he wasn't welcome at the moment. He hated to admit it, but he didn't exactly factor in these things. Her feelings and the feelings of those around her... were unimportant to him. All that mattered was the endgame: rightfully claiming the seat of power. Damn, he thought. His hand clenched into a fist. Everything's become so complicated.

He turned to face her. "What do want me to do?"

Tifa's glare softened, somehow, when he asked this. She said nothing.

"Do you want me to meet him?" Rufus asked after a moment.

She frowned. "No."

He raised a brow. "Why not?"

"I don't love you. I didn't become your wife because we love each other," Tifa said. "We're pretending. I don't want to insult my father any more than I already have." Fresh tears were already welling up in her eyes as she spoke. "We may be sleeping together and I may be carrying your name, but you are not the man I want to bring home to meet my father."

Insult? Rufus felt a flare of indignity burst in his chest. You think I'm embarrassing? He bit his tongue and turned away from her. "I understand," he murmured before standing.

Note:

Hello, dear reader!
Two years have passed since I last updated.
I would like thank those who have sent me messages of encouragement and well wishes during my hiatus.