July 14th, 2006. Dedicated to my dear friend, Sweetest Oblivion... who implanted the RuTi plotbunnies in my brain and now they're taking over. :D

I thought this would have a much stronger RuTi theme than it does... but...oh well.There are a lot of questions about this one that I don't have answers for, I'm sorry. Sometimes my brain just... does things. Like, I don't know WHY Tifa's in the Turks, why she's not living at 7th Heaven, where Cloud and the kids are, and so on and so forth. Something obviously happened, but I have no idea what. This might be something I will elaborate on if I decide to make it more than a one shot... and I just might because it's intriguing to me. But for now... it's just a random one shot.

The Lesson

I carefully aimed at the center of the bull's-eye, taking much longer than I probably should have. Using a gun was something that I wasn't used to… it was something that I didn't exactly want to get used to, but Tseng strongly recommended to learn how since I was now officially a Turk. I never thought that I would ever join the Turks or have any kind of affiliation with Shinra Electric Company other than a truce, but I did, only a few days prior. I had to undergo several meetings and initial paperwork through Tseng, and when the conversation about weaponry came up, I insisted that my martial arts would do fine. It was the only way I knew how to fight, but I did it well, and I felt that I didn't need to change it. Tseng didn't agree, and informed me that Rude knew how to accurately shoot a gun even though he was a martial artist as well, leaving me with no excuse. I could've asked someone to give me a few pointers with the gun, but due to my stubbornness and the fact that I wanted the least amount of contact with the group that I could get away with, I decided to learn on my own.

It was a lot harder than it looked and it was really starting to discourage me. I had amazing precision with performing spells and fighting with my hands and feet, but gun shooting was very frustrating. No matter how confident I was that I was going to hit the target, I would miss the target completely, or if I was lucky, barely hit the outer layer. I definitely wasn't going to give up… I never gave up on anything, no matter what the task was, but it didn't rule out how I was becoming slightly pissed off. It was getting late in the evening anyway, I should've returned to my apartment hours ago, yet I wanted to at least leave with one good shot. It wasn't as if anyone was waiting there for me anyway… I couldn't even call the place 'home.'

Not wanting to waste time and energy thinking about the past few months, I clenched my teeth, closed my eyes, then pulled the trigger, practically praying that this was going to be my good shot so I could leave. Upon opening my eyes, I saw the hole… on the last layer of the target. It was considered one of my better shots since I received the gun, but it didn't stop me from lowering the gun to my side and cursing under my breath. "Dammit."

"Seems to me you're having a bit of trouble, Miss Lockheart."

I whipped around to see President Shinra leaning against one of the pillars in the shooting range, his hands in his pockets as he observed my actions. I wondered how long he was watching me, but decided not to question it as I lifted the gun and aimed again. "It's taking a bit of time, but I'll get the hang of it."

I heard him chuckle as he said, "it helps if you keep your eyes open."

The comment made me lower the gun in annoyance. He was blatantly mocking me. Just as I began to turn my head to make a remark back, a gunshot went off and flew by my face… hitting the bull's-eye directly in the center. Slowly, I continued to turn toward him and noticed that he didn't move from leaning against the pillar at all. One hand was still in the pocket, the other holding the gun, and a rather smug smirk was on his face. I wasn't sure how he managed to hit the bull's-eye without even thinking about it and from such an awkward angle, but I exhaled quickly through my nose before saying, "You also probably received your first gun when you were ten."

"Eight actually," he replied, pushing himself off the pillar then began walking closer to where I was standing.

"My point being that you've been doing this much longer than I have." I rested my left hand on my hip, then gestured to the gun. "I've been a part of the Turks for two days and have had the gun for a little over one. I'm better than I was earlier, so I'll be a pro in a few more days. I'm a fast learner."

Pointing to the bull's-eye, he said, "Very well. Show me what you have learned so far." I blankly stared at him, unable to tell if he was serious or not. "Go on, shoot."

After another second of hesitating, I let out a quick sigh. "All right, fine," I replied reluctantly, not really wanting to make a fool out of myself in front of the man. I had always strived to prove myself as an incredibly strong martial artist, much stronger than Rufus Shinra, obviously, so to show myself as less than par with something … at something J. Rufus Shinra III was better at… was something I never wanted to do.

But now, said man was my boss. A position I never thought that I would be in, one that didn't make me particularly too happy, but I joined the Turks. Not exactly by choice, but I had to anyway. It was the only way. Therefore, I had to do what he told me to do.

I spent a few moments getting into a shooting position, both hands on the gun even though Rufus only used one, and making sure to keep both eyes open, I pulled the trigger and watched the bullet zip through the air… missing the target completely. I gave him a semi pathetic look as I muttered, "I told you, I need more practice."

"What you need is someone to show you how to use it correctly instead of guessing," he said, receiving quite the displeased look from me.

"I don't think it's necessary, but if I feel like I need to ask for help, I'll ask Elena or Tseng tomorrow." That wasn't ever going to be the case, but I felt if I didn't say anything, he would never leave.

Quickly looking at the watch on his wrist, he reached into his front pocket for his glasses then slipped them on. "Since I'm down here, let me help you. I have the time."

My eyes widened as he continued to approach me, and I even took a step backward. I never expected him to say that. In fact, I never wanted him to say that. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I needed to convince him otherwise. Quickly. "You really don't have to do that, Mr. President."

"I know very well I don't have to," he stated with a nod. "I feel inclined to."

"No, I can manage by myself, really," I insisted with a forced smile, holding the gun out of his reach. I would be damned if I admitted that I needed help from Rufus Shinra. "I just need more time to practice and I promise I'll be able to shoot just as well as the rest of your Turks in just a few days."

He sighed and even shook his head. "With a stance like that, you won't." I was silent for a moment, so he held out his hand for the gun, motioning with two of his fingers. "Now, are you going to let me help you or not?"

Turning my head to the side for a moment, I gritted my teeth. "What is the chance that I will get fired if I say 'no?'"

"I have no reason to fire you, Miss Lockheart," he began, but as the corners of my lips twitched into a smile, he held up a finger and pointed at me. "That is, if you improve."

Without a moment's pause, I said, "and I will improve as soon as you leave me alone and let me practice." He raised an eyebrow, so I added quietly, "…sir."

"Let me have five minutes and then I will leave you alone." It was clear that no amount of bargaining was going to make him give up or go away, so I decided not to waste my breath. Sighing, I nodded. "I knew you'd listen to me eventually."

Frowning a little for treating me like a child, I handed him the gun. I didn't exactly have a choice. "Why do you want to help me with such a trivial matter, anyway? Aren't there more important presidential duties you should be doing? Such as working on the billion papers that are sitting on your desk waiting for your signature?"

"Nonsense. Helping my employees is definitely part of my job description." I had a hard time believing that he took time out of his schedule normally, but I wasn't going to argue with him. If I was on his good side, I wanted to stay there, even if it did make me cringe by being classified as Rufus Shinra's 'employee.' It also made me cringe that I was basically letting him help me, but I just wanted him to leave. "Now, there are a few basic things that we should go over before I actually teach you how to shoot."

"You have five minutes, Mr. President," I reminded him, a small smirk on my face. Grabbing my phone out of the pocket of the blue uniform pants I was wearing, I clicked a few buttons before looking back up at him. "Just to make sure that you don't go over your time, I'm setting the alarm on my phone for 11: 47, which is five minutes from now. Keep that into consideration."

"I said 'basic,'" he said, holding the gun in the palm of his hand so I could see it. If I didn't know any better, I thought there was a hint of flirtation in his smile, but I didn't want to notice it if it was there. Tapping my index finger on my phone, he grasped my hint and nodded. "Something very important; you need an understanding on what kind of weapon you are using, so you know how to wield it properly. I'm sure that goes along with any type of weapon, so this shouldn't be a new concept to you. However, using a gun is a very different form of fighting style than you're used to, thus you need to understand the gun itself. The make, model, and year all play a critical role in how the gun works and how you should handle it. For instance, this one is a standard model that the Turks start out with before going up to the next level, and it is a semiautomatic, self loading pistol called—"

Before he got any further, I put my free hand up in an attempt to stop him. I didn't want to hear it. "I just want to know how to shoot the thing, not know its history. I'd rather spend the five minutes learning to shoot, thank you."

"As you wish," he said, sighing softly. Apparently, I burst his gun loving bubble. Without turning away, I tossed the phone so it landed on my suit jacket, trying not to look disinterested as he went on about the gun, even though I clearly was. I could rely on my fists enough that I didn't even need to try to use a different weapon that was only making my shoulders and arm hurt from a recoil. "However, I would highly recommend you look into the history of the gun to understand it more. You might find it fascinating." I didn't respond, so he handed the gun back and continued. "Moving on to part two, then. Stand in a shooting position, and we'll continue on from there."

"What's wrong with the position I'm standing in?" I asked as I obeyed, held up the gun and looked back at him, waiting for an answer.

He took off his suit coat, tossed it onto a nearby chair, then walked behind me and placed one of his hands on my arms to test the way that I was holding the gun. "A lot of things. First of all, you look as though you're trying to grip the life out of the gun. I'm not saying that you have to hold it with one hand to be loose enough, but you need to relax your wrists or else you will never be able to shoot properly and your arms will never become accustomed to the recoil." To loosen my grip up slightly, he held my right wrist with his thumb and forefinger and shook my arm a little bit. "There, that's better."

"Now I feel like I'm going to drop it," I muttered, trying not to show a reaction as he put his other hand on my hip to hold my upper body still. Since he was behind me, he wasn't able to see the way my eyes widened considerably at the touch, and for that I was grateful. I swallowed to try to calm myself down, because I was starting to lose the icy exterior that I built for myself over the past few months and feel a little more nervous. "Four minutes left, Mr. President."

"I'm aware," he said, moving his hand to my stomach and pressing his chest against my back to straighten out the way I was standing. "You keep on trying to twist your upper body for some reason. That's not going to help you hit the target at all, especially if you're just starting out. Proper posture, Miss Lockheart, that way you can get remotely closer to the center."

I nodded and readjusted the grip on the gun again when I noticed that I was now holding the gun too loose. "How's this?" I turned my head slightly, almost surprised that his face was right near mine. He was much taller than I, approximately a foot, meaning that he was leaning down a little so he was able to see where I was aiming from my line of sight.

"Well, if you want to hit the wall, you're fine. If you want to hit the target, you have to aim about here." I saw him smirk with his sarcasm as he slowly moved his right hand up my wrist to where I was holding the gun to move my arms so I was properly aiming. "There. See where you're aiming now?"

"Yeah, actually on the target." My voice was low as tried to bring my attention back on the target. I wasn't exactly being sarcastic back, for now I truly was aiming correctly and I could see his blonde bangs bob up and down as he nodded.

"That's correct," he said, nonchalantly brushing his fingers along my stomach.

My focus on the gun was starting to fade and change to the way he was touching me, and I even flicked my gaze down a bit to look at his hands. I wasn't sure if he was aware of it, but if he was doing it deliberately… why? "So, um…. Can I shoot now?" I asked to break the awkward silence.

Again, I was able to see his hair move, but this time he was shaking his head… and by the way he was standing, he began to breathe into my ear. "No. You're not aiming correctly again. Keep your hold, Miss Lockheart, or else you will miss your target. That's the first rule of shooting."

His fingers continued to brush my stomach and his voice went down to about whisper level… and his other hand was starting to stroke my arm. With an exhale, I closed my eyes and rested against him a little more. "Rufus Shinra, are you flirting with me?"

He paused and backed up slightly, and I could tell that I was pretty close, if not dead on, to being correct and he wasn't aware of what he was doing. "Miss Lockheart," he began, softly chuckling as he stood up to his full height. "I can assure you that J. Rufus Shinra III doe not flirt like some hormonal teenager."

"Mm." When he stood up, I noted that his hold didn't lessen, so I completely put the gun down and turned around to face him. Tilting my head up to look at him, I placed a hand on his chest, gripped the top of his tie, and flashed him a smile that stated that I didn't believe him. Keeping the devious smile on my face, I slid my hand down the length of the material, wrapped the lower portion around my hand, and gave it a few gentle tugs. "Then what is it that you are doing?"

His eyes watched my hand for a moment before looking into my eyes to read my intentions. Playing along the same lines as I was, he trailed his fingers up my arm in an excuse to get a closer look at his watch. "I am simply giving you advice and I still have time."

"So, you do this for all of your employees?" My smile was rather deceiving as I pulled him closer to me by his tie. "Or am I just… that special?"

I could tell that he caught onto my slight sarcasm, so he chuckled again, even though he bent over a little more, putting our faces very close as he looked deeply into my eyes. "Miss Lockheart, I know your reasons for wanting to be in the Turks and I admire them, but I am simply trying to help you. It is my job… as is yours to listen to me."

He leaned in closer and although I felt a shiver down my spine from the power in his voice, I shut my eyes and whispered, "Then why are you trying to kiss me?" Nothing happened, so I released the hold on his tie and opened my eyes to see him blinking blankly. "Is that in both of our job descriptions as well?"

"Kiss you?" He backed away quickly and brushed his blonde bangs out of his eyes. I almost admitted disappointment as I waited for an answer, but I really didn't need to wait for one. His hesitation spoke volumes. "I…" He sighed and motioned toward the bull's-eye to avoid the question. "Time is up."

"As a president of a very large corporation, I would've imagined a very creative fib," I stated, turning around and aiming again. "I must say I'm disappointed." Looking at him over my shoulder, I added, "I know that time isn't up because I set the alarm on my phone and it has yet to go off, plus you did state that you had time." I spent a few seconds aiming before shooting off the gun, the bullet hitting somewhere in the second layer of the target. Without looking at Rufus again, I put the gun down and shrugged. "That's close enough."

"Better than when I first came down here," he stated, and I could tell there was a little bit of arrogance in his voice, proof that he was getting over the embarrassment of trying to kiss me. Either that or he was doing an excellent job covering it up.

Unable to lie to him, I locked the gun and walked toward my coat. "Yes, best shot yet. I have a feeling that it was because of your advice." I put the coat back on before fixing my hair back into the low ponytail that it was in. "I think that is enough for tonight though. I really do need to get back to my place, it's getting late."

He reached over and grabbed his own coat, placing it over his arm and nodding. "Ah, yes, just keep up with it and you'll do fine. I have some more paperwork to do, so have a good night, Miss Lockheart."

"Good night to you as well." As I walked over toward the steps, I rested my foot on the bottom stair before pausing. Something didn't make sense. Tapping my fingernails on the railing, I put the gun in the holster attached to my belt and looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "Mr. President, if you have paperwork to do in your office, why did you come down here to watch me?"

I turned my head toward him the rest of the way and our gazes locked. We stood like that for a few seconds, neither of us moving or saying anything, and then my phone's alarm went off. It made me jump, and caused him to run his fingers through his hair. "I suppose that means time is up."

"I suppose so," I whispered, turning off the alarm and putting the phone back in my pocket.

Taking off his glasses, he nodded his head, but continued to look into my eyes. "Good night, Miss Lockheart."

He was a very private man, his emotions were hard to find, but in that one moment, I was able to read through him like glass. My lips turned into a small smile as I continued walking up the stairs and replied, "Good night, Mr. President."