Okay, the deal. This takes place right before Cloud and co. fight Reno and Rude outside of Gongaga. This is a pretty sketchy draft of a story. First draft, very little revision. C&C appreciated.

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"Mr. Shinra?"

Rufus turned languidly in his sleep, the bed shifting slightly as he looked over at his intercom. He hadn't had the time the night before to leave the office, so he slept in his Shinra building apartment. His secretary's voice was amazing, and one of the reasons he had hired her; it pierced through the walls of his sleep. "Mr. Shinra, your eight o clock appointment is waiting."

Rufus sat up, ran a hand through his hair and got out of the unfamiliar bed. The sheets had been mussed badly, and Rufus ran his hands over the other pillow, then stood, groping his way to the shower. After the shower he dressed in his usual white outfit and opened the locked door.

Tseng and Reno stood behind it, and when Rufus stepped out of the room Tseng nodded. "Sir." He said.

Rufus shrugged, and Reno dropped his cigarette, putting it out on the expensive carpeting. "Damn, I got here before you. What were you doing last night?"

"Paperwork." Rufus said, rubbing his eyes and walking. His secretary met the three men halfway to the office, bobbing around Rufus as she handed him his imported coffee and straightened the hems of his coat. Rufus grunted in thanks, and she filled him in on the first appointment of the day.

When he entered his office a small, sweaty man in a badly fitting suit stood from his seat. He wrung his hands, then offered one and said, "Mr. Shinra, so nice to meet you."

Rufus stared at the proffered hand and raised one eyebrow. The sweat clung to the man's hand, making it damp, and Rufus didn't feel like touching him. Instead he stepped around his desk and sat in his chair, setting his coffee down and rummaging through paperwork. "Mr…" he looked up at the man and tried to apply a name to him.

"Lancer." The man offered.

"All right, Mr. Lancer." Rufus finally found the sheet of paper he had been looking for. "You're here to discuss the matter of your coal company, which I believe Shinra is in the business of securing financially." Rufus pushed back from his desk and said simply, "Well then, discuss."

The man ran a hand through his thinning hair and said, "Ah, Mr. Shinra, you see, that company is very small and hardly worth your time…"

Reno laughed. Tseng glared. Rufus motioned for the man to continue, and he nervously said, "So I really can't sell it, you see…it's a family inheritance…"

Rufus took a sip of coffee as the man stood nervously before him. Rufus didn't feel like rushing. "Well." He said once he had finally set his coffee down, "I really don't think that's a matter up for discussion. Is the amount presented not sufficient?" He shuffled through his papers again and found the one he sought. "I offered you two and a half million gil, didn't I?" Rufus didn't bother to look at the man again. Instead he looked at Reno, who was slouching against the desk and grinning with an unlit cigarette between his teeth.

"Well, it was a very generous offer, Mr. Shinra, it's just, you see, I can't accept it, it's just…"

Rufus was getting annoyed. "Mr. Lancer, I have a board meeting in ten minutes. If you choose not to sell me the company, I will buy out your lease for the land you mine, and then you will go bankrupt. Or I will cease to provide energy to your land. Or perhaps I will use one of my other thousand of methods to get your company. Really. Sell it now. It's a much better choice in the long run."

The man muttered, "You can't intimidate me, Mr. Shinra…"

Reno laughed again. Rufus stood and picked up his papers. "Yes, I can. I already have." The man seemed like he was about to say something when Rufus interrupted, "Now I am going to my board meeting. I will send a liaison to pick up the deed in three days. Please be prepared."

The man stood with his jaw flapping. Reno and Tseng both stepped up to escort Rufus, and Rufus said imperiously, "This is when you say, 'Thank you for your time, Mr. President.'"

The man didn't reply as Rufus left the room. Reno drawled, "You want me to take care of him?"

"If he doesn't hand over the deed, you will. Take Elena with you." Rufus flicked hair away from his face. He stood in front of the board room and stared at the door. "I don't want to go in there."

Tseng looked over at Rufus and calmly asked, "Would you like to take a drive, sir?"

"First you show up late, and now you're balking on talking to the board? Man, what's gotten into you? This is my gig." Reno lit his cigarette, and Tseng put it out with his bare hand. Reno glared and took out another cigarette but didn't light up.

Rufus shrugged and nodded towards Tseng, "Open the door."

Tseng complied and Rufus walked to the head of the room. Rude was waiting at his chair and pulled it back as Rufus said, "All right, so the matter of this week is introducing the new line of cars, starting with the Ragnarok series."

The board shuffled slightly. One of them, a very old man who had been with the company since the inception spoke, "Mr. President, are you sure that with Avalanche making messes, we should release a new line?"

"I don't think we can afford not to." Rufus said lightly. "We can't do anything about Avalanche, so why do we have to focus on that?" Rufus slammed his fist on the table angrily. "Why is this board so caught up with Avalanche? They're terrorists!" The Turks in the room shifted slightly, all closer to Rufus with the exception of Reno, who shifted his hand to the inside of his jacket.

The room fell silent, and when the next topic came up it was on the line and how to promote it. Rufus listened to the board for the time it took, then stood and left, the Turks falling in behind him.

Lunch was an informal affair. The sandwich lady came up to the President's office and was let in by his secretary. As usual, the moment she walked through the door Reno pounced on the cart. "Hey, baby, did you bring me my favorite?"

"One BLT for Reno, one turkey, no mayonnaise for Tseng, one extra-large hoagie with salami and provolone for Rude, and one side salad and a bowl of hot chocobo noodle soup for Rufus." She pulled out the things from the cart and set them on the table next to the sofa. She handed Rufus his food.

Rufus took the food and shooed her away as Reno gushed praise over the BLT. Reno had discovered that the executive lunch cart was better than eating the company cafeteria, and since then he had taken to making sure he was guarding Rufus over lunchtime. Reno draped himself over Rufus' desk and grinned, chewing loudly and obnoxiously. "So," he mumbled, his mouth full, "what's the matter with you today, boss? You sick?"

"No." Rufus pushed his mound of paperwork aside and picked at his side salad listlessly. "I suppose I'm just annoyed."

Tseng didn't say anything, but Reno piped up, "You mean, with god knows how many terrorists wanting your head, that's got to be harsh, doesn't it?"

"Shut up." Rufus growled.

Reno didn't take the hint and instead kept yammering, "After all, that's like, how many people wanting you dead? You don't make friends easy, after all." Reno grinned. "Well, whatever." He lit a cigarette. Smoke curled up and floated towards Rufus. "Right?"

"Get off my desk." Rufus flicked his hair back in annoyance, and quickly his hand reached into his coat and he pulled the shotgun on Reno. "Now."

Reno flipped back and his gun was out of its shoulder holster and aimed at Rufus' head. The tense moment lasted only for a second before both Rude and Tseng had their guns aimed at Reno. "Put it down." Tseng said quietly.

"As if I'd kill him." Reno laughed, tucking the gun back into his shoulder holster. Rufus set the shotgun down on the desk.

There was silence for a moment as everyone ate, and then Rufus muttered, "All this fucking paperwork is driving me crazy."

The Turks shifted slightly. Reno looked like he wanted to say something but Tseng gripped him on the shoulder and shook his head slightly. Reno stepped back. Rufus ate his lunch, threw it out and buzzed his secretary. "Who am I meeting with this afternoon?"

"Your one o' clock is the junior vice president at the Gongaga site, sir. Then at two you have a meeting with the executives on the continuation of the Mako reactors near North Crater. At five, you have a meeting with an internal designer to determine the colors you want for the renovation of the Niebelhiem Mansion." The intercom buzzed.

Rufus pressed the intercom and said, "Well, when the one o' clock gets here, tell him to wait a couple of minutes."

"Yes sir." She replied, and the intercom went dead.

Rufus looked up at Rude. "Go to the Turks office and tell Elena I want her to trace the Gongaga site's input and output rate."

Rude grunted in response and left, and Tseng cleared his throat, "Do you suspect something's up?"

"No." Rufus stated. "I just want to know exactly what I'm dealing with, and if I should suspect something." Rufus stood and looked around. "Where's Dark Nation?"

Tseng replied, "He's in his box. Would you like me to let him out?"

"I'll get him." Rufus said, walking over to the box where the giant cat was sleeping. He opened the box, and Dark Nation turned his green eyes on Rufus. Rufus took a step back and said, "Come on, lazy."

Dark Nation stalked out of the box, stretched, then prowled around the room. He padded up to Rufus and purred loudly, then to the giant cat bed next to the desk. He plopped down and proceeded to snooze again.

Reno smirked, "Damn lazy cat."

Rufus shrugged when the intercom buzzed. "Sir, your one o clock is here."

"Tell him to wait." Rufus replied, heading to his desk. He sat down and cleared off the remains of his lunch and looked up at the door.

Half a moment later it opened and Rude came through carrying a stack of papers. He deposited them on the desk and grunted. Reno snorted. "What is it, boy? Is Timmy lost down the well?"

Tseng looked annoyed but didn't reply. Rude adjusted his glasses wordlessly, then cleared his throat. "Elena says that this is everything."

Rufus looked through the papers quickly, rifling through them. There was nothing of note; everything seemed normal. It made him immedietly suspicious. He pressed his intercom on. "Send him in, please."

The junior vice president of the Gongaga site was a very well-groomed man. He wore a finely tailored black pinstripe suit and carried himself well. He stepped towards Rufus' desk and said, "Hello, Mr. President. I'm here to report that all is well with the Gongaga site."

Rufus leaned back into his chair and asked, "No problems with the Mako distribution, I assume."

"No, none." The junior vice president replied. "Our output is normal."

Rufus took out a form. "You wish to apply for an increase in Mako. Why?"

"Our demand is greater than our output," the other man replied, "and it seems necessary. Is that a problem?"

"No, no problem." Rufus replied, filling out paperwork. "You'll take this back with you. I'll have your stations inspected before I allow an increase in Mako."

"Sir, thank you." The other man bowed his head.

Rufus smirked. "Yes, that's fine. In any case, please enjoy your stay here in Midgar."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. President." The other man left the room.

Reno spread his legs wide as he sat back on the couch and muttered, "Why did that seem so easy for him?"

"It won't be. I'll send Palmer and Scarlet. I want them out of my hair." Rufus signed some papers, exhaustion settling over him. He buzzed the intercom. "Cancel my afternoon appointments."

The intercom buzzed back, "Yes sir. What shall I tell the executives?"

"Tell them I have paperwork I have to finish. Tell them…I have work to do. Tell them I can't see their faces right now."

"Yes sir." The intercom buzzed into silence.

Rufus spent the rest of the afternoon signing papers in silence. Reno and Rude were playing cards in the corner, and Tseng stood watch over Rufus' shoulder.

When the afternoon was almost over, Rufus stood and shook his head. "I'm going home. Tseng, call the car."

Tseng nodded and was left the room. Reno looked up at Rufus from his card game and asked, "Who you taking home with you?"

"I don't know." Rufus was too tired to care. He massaged his temples. "I have a migraine."

The door opened, and up the stairwell came a young blonde woman in a blue suit, dressed much like a Turk.

Suddenly the room was a frenzy of movement, and Rufus could barely track it. The woman pulled a gun from her jacket, and as she did so there was a movement behind Rufus.

Reno pushed the Rufus to the floor and cried, "Rude!"

Rufus heard gunshots, and felt Reno wince over him. "What's going on?" He yelled angrily.

Reno's voice cried out again. "Rude, can I get up?"

There was a grunt, another gunshot and there was a woman's scream. It took a total of three seconds for everything, and soon Reno helped Rufus up. "Sorry." he said, "But I'd rather see you eat carpet than die." He grinned crookedly. "And yes, that is a pun."

Rufus muttered, "Crude, Reno. Fucking disrespectful, and crude."

Rude laughed, and the woman continued to scream. Her gun had been taken away, and she was lying on the floor when Tseng opened the door with his gun drawn. Reno took out a cigarette lit up. "I say we go out for a beer." He took a long drag. "Maybe two."

Rufus walked up to the woman and asked, "Who do you work for?"

The reply was only a stare of hatred. Tseng picked her up and threw her to Rude. "Take her to Elena. Have her tortured for information."

Rude nodded, and Tseng said, "Sir, the car is waiting for you."

Rufus nodded and started out of his office and towards the elevator. Reno followed doggedly, "Hey, hey, I'm going to go get a couple of beers, knock 'em back and all. Tseng's got you?"

Rufus nodded. The exhaustion made him too tired to wonder how the woman had gotten in the room, how she had made it past security. Instead he went down to the car, got in, and slept.

His evening was typical. There was dinner, alone, and papers, alone, and conversation with Tseng, who as usual didn't say much.

It was almost eleven when there was a knock at the door, and one of the maids came flouncing up stating that it was "Master Reno" and that he wanted in. Rufus was frustrated and tired, and didn't particularly want to entertain Reno in any way. But as usual, Reno burst into the house.

From the moment he came in Rufus knew he was drunk. The smell was overwhelming. But Reno had always carried it well, and he leaned his lanky body against one of the walls. "Rufs." He started, "You're a good guy, but way to strung out. You're burnin' out. Now…your old man…"

There was a pause. Rufus raised an eyebrow and waited. Reno stopped. "You know what? Fuck this." Reno staggered up and spun his nightstick into his fist, setting it on his shoulder. "I'm going to go find some ass to kick."

"Do that." Rufus said dryly, his patience worn.

When Reno left, Rufus turned to Tseng. "I'm going to bed. If he comes back, send him to Gongaga. Tell him he's going to fight Avalanche, or something equally insipid. Send Rude with him."

There was a brief response, but Rufus didn't hear it. He knew that Tseng was only going to affirm the order.

He headed to bed, into sleep, and into silence.