Rufus headed down the street, unable to get Tifa off his mind. Why do I think of here? He pondered as he walked. He wondered this whenever she flashed into his brain. After all, she had been the enemy, and, she was female. Rufus was not interested in females in the sort of way that Tifa now occupied his mind.

                Sighing, he flicked back the loose bang as it bumped along the scar down the left side of his face, over which an eye used to be. He was half-blind now, ever since the blast from Diamond weapon demolished his office with him in it. He had survived though; ducking and rolling as the shrapnel tore through that side off his face. Not the worst pain he had ever felt but bad enough to make him drop.

                "Hey Rufus!" Called the voice of one of his friends. He turned and nodded to the slightly disheveled, red haired, former employ.

                "Hello Reno, pleased to see you."

                Reno grinned in his typical boyish manner and arrived at his side. "Haven't seen you in a while, what's been up with ShinRa lately?"

                "Oh, not much... we're dismantling the Mako reactors."

                "Ahh, high time too... no more people yelling about how they are wrecking the planet."

                "Yes, my thoughts exactly. You sure you will not come back to ShinRa?"

                "No, sorry... have my own things to worry about."

                "Such as?"

                "Well... my wife for one."

                "Ah yes... and how is she? I have not spoken to her for a while... tell her I'm sorry, will you?"

                "It's ok, she knows how busy you are. It's still hard to believe you and her are brother and sister..."

                "Well, when I found out who my real father was it all made sense... but any way, you will be sure to tell her, won't you?"

                "Of course. Oh, and she is well. Very well, in fact, she's pregnant." Reno smirked proudly.

                "Really? Oh great, I'm gonna be an uncle." Rufus chuckled, "Actually, I'm happy for you two."

                "I hope Cloud doesn't hear of this. He still thinks I stole her from him."

                "Really? And when was Aeris ever his?"

                Reno shrugged. "I have no idea. Cloud's just a little upset cause he saved the world and no one gave him anything for it. Even Tifa dumped him."

                Rufus's eyes lit up at the mention of Tifa's name. "Really? Where is she?"

                "Trying to set up a new bar in Costa Del Sol... It's where Aeris and I live."

                Rufus felt his knees quiver, and he wondered why. "Well, I'll drop in on you two some time." And try and find Tifa. Rufus could barely believe he had thought that.

                "Really?" Reno smiled. "That will be great. We'd love to have you to the house."

                "Yes, but right now I have to get back to work. I have meetings and such to attend."

                "But of course." Reno nodded and walked away. Rufus watched him go, still wondering why he had Tifa on the brain. He decided he'd have to confront her in person in order to find out.

                A few days later he finally went to Costa. He told everyone he was going to see his half sister, which was pregnant, but really he wanted to find Tifa. He looked around the coastal town for the new bar she was supposedly running... and shuttered as he saw the old ShinRa house... remembering all the bad things that happened to him there as a child. Turning his back on that and looking out towards the beach he spotted his objective... Tifa's beach bar. It was a little different from 7th Heaven, seeing that it was not in some dreary slum but on a pristine beach.

                Driven forward by some inner desire Rufus headed down the beach to the bar and peered inside. There she was Tifa, standing behind the bar. Rufus caught himself staring with his single eye before he finally shuffled his feet inside.

                Tifa blinked. "Rufus?"

                He almost smiled cause she remembered his name, but then he recalled the time he said she was to be put to death. He bit his lip, wishing he hadn't have done that. "Well hello Tifa... Reno told me you had set up a bar down here."

Tifa crossed her arms over top her somewhat large breasts. "The only reason I even talk to Reno is cause he married Aeris, and she's a very close friend of mine."

                "Well, Aeris is my sister... so should you not talk to me a little?"

                "Why? You made our lives hell when we were trying to go after Sephiroth and stop him."

                Rufus sighed to himself and sat down. "Look... I was just trying to do what seemed like the best thing at the time. That never would have happened if Cloud had not been stupid. It was his fault we were not allies in that."

                Tifa gave him a glaring look.

                "I'm sorry..." Rufus managed to say, and noticed the look of surprise on Tifa's face. "Can we all please just start over? We all made mistakes... Cloud for fighting me and me for... well... some of the stupid stuff I did... which nearly got me killed I might add."

                Tifa let her arms dangle at her sides. "We all thought you had perished... no one ever thought some one could have survived."

                "I did, barely... and not in once piece." Puts his fingers to the scar on the left side of his face.

                "I noticed... did it hurt?"

                "Yes... but no as bad as some of the things I've had to endure in my life."

                Tifa's forehead creased. "What do you mean?"

                Rufus bit his lip... he had never spoken to any one, even Reno and Aeris, about what had been done to him as a child. He could barely believe he was about to tell Tifa.

                "Well..." Rufus went on, "You saw how evil the president was, right?"

                "Yeah... he dropped the plate on sector 7, killing many and destroying my bar."

                "What do you think he did to me when I was little?"

                Tifa blinked. "He hurt you?"

                Rufus nodded. "Very badly... some times I was bedridden with injury... or just from the sadness. Wow, I've never told anyone about this... I guess cause he was alive for so long and even though I practically danced on his grave it's hard to believe he's really dead."

                Tifa's whole manner towards him seemed to soften at that moment. She came out from behind the bar and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She told him.

                Rufus sighed. Then he reached his hand up to his shoulder and placed it over hers. "I do not need pity, but thank you."

                "No wonder you always seemed to cold hearted... having had to endure all that abuse would probably have driven me insane."

                "I know... I barely managed to hang onto my senses... It became harder for me to feel anything though."

                "I noticed. When I first saw you on the roof I saw you as the enemy.... Especially after that speech you gave, but now I understand why."

                "You do?" He turned to look at her with his single eye.

                "Yes. As a child your father used fear and pain to control you.... To make you do what he wanted."

                Rufus nodded sullenly. "I think that's why I've had a change of heart... the last thing I want to be is anything like him. Did you notice I'm having the Mako reactors dismantled?"

                "You are?"

                "I want to do away with my father's legacy... and start even my own life over because I some how survived the explosion. It might have been so I can make things right again... given a chance to show the world I'm not like my father."

                "What are you and the ShinRa corp. going to do now then?"

                "I'm not sure yet. I just know it's a new begging for us all."

                Tifa's lips upturned into a smile and Rufus found that he was drawn to it like a moth to a light. He stood up.

                "Tifa..." He began, "I should tell you why I sought you out."

                "Sought me out?"

                "Well... this was very odd for me... but, you have been in my thoughts for a while now. I came here to figure out why and am left in mystery."

                Tifa looked at him, another slightly surprised look on her face. "I've been in your thoughts? Do you have a crush on me?"

                Rufus blinked. "A crush? On a female?" He backed slightly into the bar... not really wanting to deal with the possibility.

                Tifa raised an eyebrow. "You find that surprising? You're gay, aren't you... or at least think you are."

                "I am... I've known I was since I was 13... and it had nothing to do with the abuse I suffered."

                "He... oh gods.... That's even worse.... I really hope he's rotting in hell or something."

                "Me too." Rufus sighed, trying to push away old memories.

                "So, you do have a soul after all."

                "Yes... I do... even though it was nearly crushed out of me." He closed his eye and sighed.

"When I first met you..." Tifa told him, "I thought you were and evil corporate man, like the president. I don't think that any more."

"That's why I've changed. I don't want to be anything like he was. I don't want to be evil. I just want to be... me."

"Then be yourself Rufus. Don't live in his shadow."

"I'm not any more. I'm letting everyone know that."

Tifa rested her hand gently on his shoulder. "I know that now. You are not evil... you have just been somewhat confused."

He nodded. "Thanks for listening to me... I don't know why but hearing you say that makes me feel better." He opened his eye in time to see her smile... and feel himself tremble inside because of it. "I really should get going now... to see my sister and all."

"Alright. Stop by again if you want."

Rufus nodded. "I will. Good bye for now." He walked past her and out the door.