Life Lessons (Rufus, Closed)

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Piloting an airship wasn’t exactly Aerith’s forté but with Rufus’ refusal to drive himself and the funny looks she had received when she mentioned she’d do it in jest had pushed her to try. It was obvious that Rufus wasn’t exactly comfortable with the arrangement and so there was a small crew to accompany them to the Forgotten Capital where Aerith instructed them to go. There was one particular member of the crew that was annoying her, she would scowl at him whenever he tried to steer the ship and he would immediately back off but it wouldn’t deter him from trying. “Do I really need a man to watch over me like this?” She would ask Rufus almost in a growl. 

Out of all the people she would have thought to take her back to this place Rufus was perhaps the last one she’d expect. Anyone would expect for that matter, their pasts were so different but with his support in AVALANCHE she may just have needed to give him this chance. Her eyes glanced over to the male in white and took a moment to think about his relationships, Aerith was always curious about people’s connections and the only women she had seen him with was Scarlet and Elena. Elena was perhaps a little too immature for the President, much like Aerith perhaps, but Scarlet…she seemed like a woman no man could say no to. Still, she didn’t seem like Rufus’ type, this planted a seed within her mind, had he ever had a girlfriend before?

“Miss! Miss look where you’re going! Oh god…”

The crew member held his hands in his face once Aerith’s eyes turned back to the front panes again, they weren’t about to crash…nor were they about to miss their destination, they were exactly where they needed to be. “Oh please calm down, everything is fine!” her brows knitted together and she shook her head, “We’re nearly there, sir!” Aerith composed herself and grinned jokingly, “How are you feeling?” The Cetra wondered whether the man expected her to come back at all, the woman had told him that she would but as she left she had wondered whether he’d trust her word. They had both spilled a few secrets though, ones she wasn’t sure she wanted to share but given the situation it seemed fitting to educate the young man on a few things.

They were travelling over the ocean and she could see Bone Village in the distance, it was strange to be going here with company this time. This time though she wasn’t being chased, before she had left she had told Cloud bits and pieces of what she was doing and had even encountered Sephiroth before she was able to leave. It wasn’t a person the Ancient was ready to see, let alone talk to and now she was travelling back to the place it happened. She worried the energy there would suck her up into the Lifestream but if that was what was meant to happen then it would just have to be that way now. Aerith was no longer afraid of the future.

“Look Rufus, over there. That’s the place!” Aerith pointed with one hand and held regained her position, “Now…how do we land this thing?”

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R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

There were many times during their trip that Rufus questioned who was the originator of the idea. As much as he wanted to go back to Planet, he did not really care to have to haggle a means with Tseng, nor afford himself another Makou-tripping adventure on the bright, multicolored blocks of the Gummiships. Either way he was not really one who cared to drive these things. It was not that he was incapable of it, but it was better that people saw him as helpless, incapable even. It drew their attention away from him and put him at a constant advantage. To others he was a spoiled, egotistical, megalomaniac. But Rufus was a cunning, conniving forward thinker who knew when to use his skills and when not. Many forget that he had faced Cloud in the earliest of his days. Rufus tested the man’s strength, spirit and vigor. With eyes unclouded by the delusions of SOLDIER superiority or claims people made to being them he saw for himself the sort of person Cloud could be. The thought made him wonder how much stronger the man who had defeated the Great General Sephiroth had become. The man had been seated as far back in the ship as he possibly could without hitting the cargo hold. He could not help the amused hum that came from his throat as Aerith scolded the crewman who had been over her shoulder on her less than perfect mannerisms when piloting the ship. She was quite a feisty one. The noise that bubbled up from the silent executive’s mouth caused one of the crewmen to look back at him with concern.

“I believe the woman knows what she is doing.” It had been his first words since he boarded the ship hours ago.

Of course his words upon boarding the ship had been “You can tell him yourself,” when a crewman tried to warn the executive against bringing an animal aboard a ship. Usually animals did not take well to riding outside of cages or other containment units and could become wild or violent due to the pressure changes. Rufus walked passed the men without concern, heading straight for the furthest seat in the back of the ship. The fiend itself had not been given orders to stay or follow so instinctively moved to join his master, growling at any hands that were not Rufus’ or Aerith’s, to near him. Tentacle Beasts were intimidating on their own, but knowing a man had taken a wild Tentacle Hound and trained it as a guard animal was terrifying. They were an aggressive fiend on Planet and those that knew of them were aware of how stubborn they could be when it came to picking and choosing the Alphas of their hunting packs. Those individuals had to be strong and dependable. Rufus had hunkered down only for Dark Nation to pad over to his side and flop at his feet as if it were some house pet. But one should not be fooled by the calm demeanor of the fiend because it was still as wild as its ancestors. The crewmen felt uneasy with the man and his fiend.

But that was often the case with the youngest Shinra. He harbored a personality that was hard to touch. He had a natural mannerism that made him out of reach to others. He never told a person that they could not act, nor could do not. Instead he openly offered opportunity, leaving a human to writhe beneath their own, instinctive need to be appreciated, to be given attention and rewarded. He had the patience to watch men fail and struggle to achieve. What he lacked the patience for was men who did not even try. At least a man could grow, evolve, change and become better, but a person who decidedly used others to achieve his goals and foolishly claim them as their own, was what always led Rufus to leaning toward the working man; men like Tseng and women like Cissnei. Though they had their own trials and tribulations, they were capable of pushing passed their human weaknesses to become stronger and meet their goals. If Rufus wanted nothing but dogs watching his back he would have bred Dark Nation by now. He did not feel remorse for jumping ship without letting Tseng know, but Reno likely had an inkling of his plans given the task he left him. There were few other places he preferred to hang around in. Radiant Garden was interesting, calm and full of interesting people. But home was home. Since his accident he felt that his efforts in polluting his father’s ideals were not enough. He simply had lost that war. Being sent away removed his access to a great deal of the vices that controlled the company, preventing him from taking control of it. There was also the incident with Veld’s daughter, Elfe. He rather fancied the girl. She had a strong spirit much like that of Wutains. But letting them get away would, in the end, have benefitted everyone. Fuhito … he was much too like his father for the executive to feel any sympathy for the man or see any use in him.

He had slipped into his thoughts some time ago, all the while playing with his hair. The bangs over his scar were all that stood between him and shooting someone in the face. He did not like his imperfections to be called out. It was as if they were dragging their fingers across the mark, laughing at him. Saying he could not change or move forward. It angered him. He had grown short with Aerith on her incessant prodding of his similarities to his father, but for the sake of his own agenda he had to let it go, plus Dark Nation seemed -- fond of her. The Hound tolerated few and fancied even less. There was something about this woman. Was she really an Ancient? Though she claimed so with such bravado it did not mean Rufus believed her, but neither did he hold any reason to think her a liar. Ancient were so little known. Even what files he could collect on them had likely been corrupted by Hojo. She wanted to provide him proof through actions and help the Planet in the way Ancients did. So, he would allow it.

She seemed to hold a pride to her title, to her race. What race did not see pride in their ways? Legitimate or not.

Hearing her call to him once more, her earlier tease with ‘sir’ having caused him to merely raise a brow, the executive sat himself up and moved to stand. Dark Nation slid a bit on his paws, claws unable to get a grip on the smooth floor, and shifted to pad after Rufus. The crewmen parted like the eye of a storm; they scattered away from him, even the dreadfully nervous co pilot who had stressed Rufus out more than the ride itself. It was a relatively smooth ride, but his constant fretting put the man on edge. Rufus offered a particularly sharp glance at the fellow as he moved to stand behind Aerith’s seat to better observe what she pointed out. He has never been to the Forgotten Capital, and had no idea how it was accessed by anyone. Those woods were impossible to navigate, the natural flow of the Lifestream disrupting all navigation capabilities: rendering their phones into useless bricks. Bone Village was supposedly the path into a whole other world, but he had only received his reports second hand from Tseng and Elena. Though he had been more taken by their recovery, their reports were interesting, if not lacking in detail due to their conditions.

He would dare not enter that forest without assurance he could get out safely. “Bone Village? I did not know you were so interested in the history of our Planet Miss Aerith.” He teased, knowing well it was an old dig site where many ancient weapons and tools could be found.

It was not owned by Shinra, even if the Icicle Region a bit away was, the village was on a Neutral ground that those from many different continents had taken claim as a historical trove, a landmark that should be studied and preserved. He was surprised his father had agreed, but then in turn his father likely had spies among the workmen to report any important finds useful to Shinra activity at the time.

“But, I will trust your leadership for the time being.” Meaning it would not be long before Rufus felt the need to walk ahead of her, rather than be led like a gossling.

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A silent nod was all that was given to her ‘guard’ that overlooked her and he stepped back a few paces with his hands up in response. Aerith wasn’t one to be walked over, she liked teamwork though and she liked to be trusted with some duties even more. She actually liked that Rufus would happily take her back here, Cloud would have told her to stay put and Zack would have just done it for her. Whether Rufus’ reasoning was just because he didn’t care or because he just wanted the papers she could obtain, Aerith didn’t care, she had missed this Planet and was happy to be home. As they drew closer to the island and Aerith pointed out Bone Village, Rufus came closer to look and questioned her knowing of the place.

“Oh…I travelled around all those years ago.” Aerith answered, she couldn’t take her eyes off of the island, she knew that beyond there was the forest and then the Forgotten Capital. The president had said he’d trusted her leadership for the time being but Aerith wondered how things would play out here. The Cetra could see the forest now and as they got closer Aerith’s temple started to pulse. She hadn’t heard the Planet’s cries for so long now that she had almost forgotten its sound but it was coming back to her like a flood. She had been away too long and she wasn’t used to this invasion into her mind, it seemed to get worse the closer she got and she had to let go of the steering wheel to place both her hands upon her head.

“You can take over now.” She stated and moved towards the back of the ship, “Sorry, I just don’t feel so great all of a sudden, can we land…soon?” Aerith slumped into one of the chairs as she felt the plane descend, she was no longer listening to the voices of the others around her but this one powerful entity. It was afraid and it was calling her, I’m here… Aerith tried to project her thoughts, Please just wait a moment longer. Her eyes opened and tried to readjust to the lighting in the room, “We need to dig up the harp…I no longer have it.” Her emerald eyes searched for Rufus, “I can take us there, the harp will calm the forest and let us pass. Erm…I don’t think we can land any closer…can we?”

Aerith wanted to talk back to the Planet but with everyone here she’d seem a little crazy, this was perhaps the drawback of coming with Rufus who didn’t quite trust her yet. If she began to talk to herself in front of him right now he really would think she was crazy. However with the Forgotten City as an old Cetra settlement, it was the one place that the Planet’s energy was focused with the Cetra. This meant she could hear it so much more clearly here than anywhere else…other than the Temple of the Ancients and that was no longer around, or so she assumed.

[Deleted]

R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

Rufus focused on the view ahead. It was always a humbling perspective, viewing Planet from above. It was always man's dream to be more than he was. Born to a family, a person would want the world. Born with riches a man always craved more. Living upon the earth and treading along the soft warm soils, he sought the sky and wished to fly in the cold, gray beyond. Little did humans realize that the further the carried themselves from the Planet's warm embrace, the darker the world became. Tue bright sun became obsolete in the vast emptiness of space. Rufus was definitely built as a man of the soil. He did not crave the diamond studded canvas of space, but instead the gem filled soils of earth.

He had his dignity and choose to not express the peril of Aerith's belief of her heritage. Though it were true, it would only serve to revive the ideals that should have died with his father. The idealism of a Promised Land was far more trouble than deserved for an idealistic world of everlasting peace and prosperity. What good was a weapon's manufacturer, a company, in a world of peace and prosperity? Who would want weapons that ruined peace? Who cared for money if all was provided? The disparity between the rich and poor was a necessity for a world dependent on the gil, a company built on it's continued circulation. Nothing would do him a greater disservice than others learning that an Ancient still existed. Now imprisoning her would do no good. Humans had a strong survival instinct, and so he would hope so with the current state of the Ancient's bloodline Aerith hadn't the wish to lay imprisoned for the rest of whatever her life cycle was. It would also serve him no purpose, had she true claim to her roots, that he would have her view him as an enemy. Speaking to Planet was an invaluable asset.

Rufus gripped the edge of the back of her seat. Leaning forward he would catch her words. He did not understand what having a musical instrument did to help them get into these mysteriously dangerous woods, but knowing that the artifacts involving Ancients were reliably peculiar. Dark Nation had come to stand at Rufus' side. The sharp eared hound stared off toward the woods.

As the crewman gave the pair the room to talk and plan their point of descent, Aerith held claim to being unable to land. One of the crewmen moved to check the ship's landing instruments while the others gathered around to prepare to send the pair to the back of the ship. Dark Nation felt the ill intentions of the selected crew in question. The hound let out a deep woof. The jittery crewman than had been hovering over Aerith was the first to draw a weapon: an electeomag rod. The dark hound spun about and lunged at the man, his fangs sinking into the flesh of his arm.

The hound's sudden attack was unexpected and caused the others to draw their various, non-lethal weaponry. Rufus slide back from Aerith's chair and ran his hand up his side, drawing his sawed off shotgun from his holster. After finishing with the jittery fellow Dark tackled the nearest crewman, his pained screams rattling the nerves of the others.

"You wouldn't dare open fire in the ship!" One of the men exclaimed.

Rufus arched a brow. "Wouldn't I?" He mused.

The men charged toward the pair, shouting about subduing the President and his mistress. Rufus opened fire, not even blinking at his decision. He caught one of the men, sending the sprawling to the ground. The remaining attempted their attacks while one rushed for the controls, lest the meet Planet sooner than what was meant to. But for that man his time was up as Dark Nation snapped his jaws around his ankle and dragged him, mercilessly, to the ground. This sent the ship into a straight dive for the forest.

Naught but a muted boom would echo across the icy continent the the ship crash landed, at risk to become another memory in the woods.

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It was the bark that alerted her to what was happening inside the ship, it sent another wash of pain through her mind that felt almost like being prodded with needles. Her eyes raised to the direction of Dark Nation’s bark before he lunged towards the man she’d earlier berated, “What’s going on!?” She called to Rufus who she believed was behind her, if Dark Nation was attacking the crew then surely he wasn’t behind this. The Cetra’s instincts caused her to draw her weapon, the metal rod appearing before her as she raised herself slightly out of her seat. Rufus, who was behind her moved back and Aerith glanced over to see that he too was drawing a weapon.

Her body twisted back to the others and within the confrontation, Aerith dropped her rod and clasped her hands over her ears, firing a weapon over her wasn’t going to do her headache any favours. The blast knocked one man off his feet and as the others continued forward, Aerith pushed herself out of her seat and lunged for her rod and as her fingers grasped it firmly she raised the other towards one of the crew. He too had decided to lunge towards her weapon, his own raised above his head about to strike her but Aerith’s instincts acted quickly and she cast Fire which threw him back. “Rufus!?” She called, unsure of what was going on and her eyes caught sight of Dark Nation who too was fighting them off. Was this an ambush? But why?

With Dark Nation dragging the only standing Pilot to the ground, the airship’s tilt towards the Earth’s surface threw her forward, almost into the hound. She screamed as her body slammed into the controls, her eyes opening just enough to see the chaos in front of her. “Here!” She called, hoping both Rufus was by the two, she couldn’t wait for him though and placed an arm on the back of the beast, “Protect!” A blue shield wrapped itself around them…almost ready for impact.

It was quick and with the shield Aerith was able to wake quickly, her eyes opened to find herself lying in the grass. The Cetra coughed and pushed herself up to get a better look of what had happened, she couldn’t see anything. But then…if they’d landed in this forest it wasn’t going to be easy to find anything, perhaps the Planet could guide her through. As she propped herself on her knees, her eyes once again glanced around, where had the ship gone? Where was Rufus and Dark Nation? Her headache was almost clear now, the Planet wanted to communicate but she couldn’t hear it just yet. Now without the harp and Rufus, she would need to guide herself through it again, but then…this place…it reminded her of her last words to Cloud.

“Then, I’ll be going now. I’ll come back when it’s all over.”

Shaking her head, Aerith’s attention snapped up to hear the crunching of leaves not too far from her, what revealed itself before her was the Hound she’d fallen with. “You didn’t leave me…” Aerith’s voiced soothed itself with the Forest, “Let’s find your master, hm?” Her hand reached out and stroked his head. “Now, be quiet for a moment, let me wake this Forest up.” Her eyes closed and she listened to the Planet, and to the man in white. He was alive at least and she could feel it but she wasn’t sure if he was conscious.

“Rufus?…Can you hear me?” Her voice projected itself through his mind, if he was unconscious then he could hear her, if he was in any state of ease anyway… “I’ll be able to find you if you stay still, this place is a bit of a maze, don’t go running around looking for us!” Aerith’s emerald orbs opened to see Dark Nation in front of her and she felt the pull of the air around her finally guiding her.

“He’s this way, follow me.” With that, she began to walk.

[Abilities used: Fire and Protect.]

[Deleted]

R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

When the vehicle had crashed into the woods the deafening sound of its fall carried over the trees and skies, leaving a haunting echo to roll across the ancient forest. The president was thrown to the back of the vehicle when it fell, the hull split by a tree as old as the world itself. The smell of smoke from the short-circuited console rose into the air, creating a black plume that was swallowed by the dense, knitted canopies of the woods. The whole of the ship was silent, save for the occasional spark from the ruined mechanisms and the groan of the trees outside as the passing winds shifted them over the fallen trees that lay beneath them like a runway. The train of dirt that led from the initial landing to the crash site was a short, but destructive. The ground carved up brought up jagged bits of stone that cut into the side of the hull. But thanks to the Gummi surface of ship there had been no extensive damage which the Gummi blocks could not conform to.

When Rufus roused from the trauma a sharp pain crawled through his back like an electrical shock. He pushed his arms back to help sit his body up. He had landed on his back, thrown partway against the inner hull wall. Looking around to see what remain of the crewmen he could see they were largely unconscious, or losing consciousness from the more aggressive actions from Aerith and Dark Nation. His blue eyes found difficulty focusing and vision foggy. His body suffered more so finding trouble locking and allowing the President to stand. His nerves were afire with pain, muscles trembling from the sudden imbuing of adrenaline. Pulling back the flap of his white coat, his shaky fingers would reach into the jacket and dig into the inner pocket. He was thankful for his fingerless gloves as he felt about for the seam of the pocket, unable to steady his arm. The tips of his fingers to the ends of his toes burned with a grievous pain. He had not expected to return home in such style...

He retrieved a small snap-case. Opening it would reveal small jet injectors packed into the case. He groaned out as a stabbing pain cut into his scar, the burning sensation of Planet’s revelation. His grip around the case tightened, but the moment passed, allowing him to retrieve one of the injectors. With the same hand holding the injector he would yank up his black shirt from his pants, revealing his abdomen. Crinkling the fabric in a desperate action he found difficulty holding the cloth from his intended target. He would bite down into the end of the shirt, breathing heavy as he felt the scar over his eye throb with greater intensity for each passing moment. He pressed the device against his belly and released the diluted substance into his bloodstream. He hissed at the burning sensation against his skin. He released his shirt, letting it slip back down over his toned, pale skin, sweat trickling down the creases of raised muscle.

After a moment the shaking would stop and his vision would clear. He let out a sigh, his face having had begun to sweat. After discarding the injector he would slip the case back into his pocket and look around. With clear vision he could now see what sort of situation he found himself in. It really was a disaster. After locating his gun, which was painfully, conveniently, pressed against his back, he stood to find his way out of the ship. Thanks to the split in the ship’s hull from the tree he was able to escape through the thick mixture of fog and smoke from the woods and ship. As the man tucked his shirt back into his pants he found blood against the white of his suit. It irritated him, but brought to question just whose blood it was. He did not see any wounds on his body, and any should have closed up thanks to the serum, though it would still take his body time to heal from the shock.

He would have to hand it to this place. It was naturally disorienting. He could not be sure what direction was toward any beaten path. Everything was untouched. He turned to the ship, fingers touching against its hull. Whatever these Gummi Blocks were made out of they were strong. Even though the tree had piled through them it looked as if the ship merely parted, catching itself against the tree. Nothing was cut, frayed, or even bent. It intrigued him greatly. As he inspected the craft’s ingenuity his brows would furrow. He had not seen the so-called Ancient since the crash. Was she injured perhaps? He also took note of the absence of his companion.


“You!” Rufus heard call from the surrounding woods.

Slowly turning he would face the figure of the man he had shot earlier. He had managed to catch the man on the shoulder. In the limp arm he still desperately gripped the electromagrod while his free hand was pressed against the still bleeding wound. Rufus’ expression shifted: brows raising in interest. Rufus held his sawed off shotgun in his right hand while his left came to rest at his hip.

“Still alive?” The man questioned.

“D-don’t move!” The remaining crewmen looked around nervously.

The threat of that hound was still very alive even if half the crew did not appear to be. Rufus took a step forward, the man raising his weapon with his shaky, injured arm The executive glanced away and shrugged. “It looks as if you are out of options. I suggest you give up this charade. Who sent you?”

The man’s arm fell limp once more. “Y-you have no chance. We will continue. Your past will awaken to haunt you!” The man turned to flee.

A gunshot echoed through the air. Rufus peered across the smoking muzzle of his shotgun and arched his brow. He shrugged. “I hate dogs. Running off with their tails between their legs is unbecoming. Hounds are far more loyal.”

Dark Nation pricked his ears at Aerith, listening to her words. He seemed attentive toward the woman, but it was the nature of the person who had saved his master that kept the hound from viewing her as a threat. The hound flicked his ears when the Ancient shouted, but something caught his attention. The hound let out a deep woof and padded off, opposite of the direction Rufus was in. He sniffed around the wreckage of the ship only to find one of the crewmen trying to crawl away. Dark Nation bit down onto his leg and violently shook his head, the man screaming in agony as he clutched what appeared to be a safelock box. On the other side of the ship, where Rufus had walked but a few feet into the woods, he found another called to his name. A fleck of moisture caught his eye, causing him to reach up to brush it off. Looking to his hand he found that the liquid was a distinct maroon. It was him. He was the one bleeding on him. Following the the drip he felt a trail of dried blood over his eye. His scar was bleeding. In a fury the man looked up.

“I have done all I could to progress. What else can be expected of me? I am not the king my father saw himself as, or the infallible genius Hojo believed existed within himself. I am better than them, but I need to see.” He looked ahead. Along the path he saw a ghostly figure in the woods.

She reached her hand out to him. The figure held a haunting familiarity. Rufus looked behind him to where he had heard Aerith call, but he turned to follow this woman into the woods.

“Augh! Get the bastard dog off me!” The crewmen begged.

The crew were a mercenary group that had been hired by someone on Planet to find Rufus and kill him. But there was neither a face nor name to the one who hired them, only a place: Costa del Sol.

[Deleted]

She could feel that he was close but still she had yet to see the man in white. As the pair of them that had escaped the ship nearly unscathed walked through the forest, Aerith came to see the ship ahead. it wasn’t in a good way and the more of the wreckage she saw, the more she began to worry that there weren’t any survivors. The Cetra was concerned for her companion at least, she didn’t feel as though she could do this alone…not here anyway. The hound ran off ahead of her and began to sniff around the wreckage perhaps for his owner, “This way…” Aerith called to him too gently for it to be construed as an order but the hound seemed to have other ideas. Aerith paused and looked across to where she felt herself being drawn, it wasn’t in the direction that Dark Nation seemed to be interested in, “Come on, we should go find him!” She tried to call him again but to no avail.

It was only upon glancing back that she could see the man in the distance, the president seemed to be distracted by something else. Aerith couldn’t see what exactly and assuming he was ignoring her warning and wandering around the forest this didn’t bode well. The bark brought her attention back and Dark Nation wandered off in the wrong direction, “No, wait!” Aerith called but he wouldn’t listen. It was odd for the hound to ignore his master and especially as the situation was turning dire every minute they were around the wreckage. A crack above her made her jump back in surprise, a piece of the wreckage had fallen almost hitting her, she wasn’t about to return to the Lifestream just yet…not today at least. “This is too dangerous" she murmured and headed towards Dark Nation hoping he’d follow her this time.

The Hound was still sniffing around the wreckage as she closed in on him seemingly interested in something, the Ancient continued onwards until she could see a man being dragged out by his leg. Aerith’s brows furrowed as she watched in silence, there was more to this than met the eye and despite the fact she didn’t like the violence Dark Nation was causing, the fact that they’d attacked her earlier only forgave the hound for the violence. “Wait…he has something.” Aerith spoke aloud finally and sprung forward, the man’s fingers gripped the case but with her pulling from one end and the hound’s teeth pulling his skin from the other he had no hope of holding onto it. “That’s. Enough.” Aerith strained herself and pulled hard on the box which sent her backwards a little, her arm reached out to steady herself and her skin caught something sharp from the ship.

The woman bit her lip hard to stop her from shouting out in pain and her fingers squeezed the box until the stinging subsided. Her emerald eyes opened finally and looked at the box ignoring the man’s calls, it was locked and needed a key. Her attention drew back to the man, he was making too much noise and anyone alive would hear him, in fact…Rufus. Aerith ran back to where she stood before to see him now standing and walking into the woods, this was what she was afraid of. “No, Rufus stop!” Shouting had caused him to turn around to her but it wasn’t enough to stop him from walking away, Aerith of course could find him in this maze and in fact no other animal or human would be able to. “Um…” She mused and glanced back to Dark Nation, “Okay, slow!”

A clock appeared before the man who was still calling out to get the beast off him, Aerith ran over and knelt next to him, his movements now resembling that of a sloth’s. She opened his jacket and looked through the pockets, in the corner of her eyes she could sense his arms reaching out towards her but she had time and she had the black hound nearby. “Wait a minute.” She spoke in the direction of Dark Nation and then scrambled through the rest, within the back of his jacket was a zip and pulling on it revealed a small key which fell out onto the floor. Aerith ducked down from where his hands reached for her neck and scooped it up, rolling it within her fingers. The box must hold something important for it to need to be locked up but with her companion on the move, Aerith didn’t have time to focus on this, not now at least. Placing the key safely in her pocket, Aerith turned back to Dark Nation, “Are you coming?” She wouldn’t wait this time, instead she headed over to where Rufus disappeared to, hoping that she would catch up with him before they would.

[Deleted]

R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

Dark Nation made well and sure to cripple his prey, lest it prove itself a danger later on. Without a killing command the hound would not proceed to a most heinous act, luckily for the Ancient. Hearing his name called after coming down from his protective slew of assaults, the beast turned his head toward the calls of the woman. The beast had little in the way of backwards thinking, so once the man lost his attention it was gone until he proves himself a threat again. The beast let out a dwwp woof and sprang after the woman.

Several feet from the downed Gummiship, completely out of sight of the vehicle, Rufus found himself chasing a memory. The man he shot lay motionless on the ground. A victim in the path of a Shinra. The gun remained gripped between the man's fingers. The cold steel and leather grip afforded him a trusted sensation as he was well aware of something not being quite right. It was a lifting sensation; the feeling was almost as i if he was dreaming. But long had h his dreams come followed but the potent, humbling sensation of fear that followed his near-death experience. This was a dominate feeling of mistrust toward peace. Nothing came without a price.

Azure eyes followed the tempting sway of the figure. Specters of the Planet's past haunt these woods. But Rufus was ignorant of such truths. In his world they were but rampant Fairy Tales with the horrific, moral endings to support their status as tales of fancy. Far be it for him to accept the words of his father's scientists so easily, but their research held a basic structure in which allowed Rufus to move forward without being completely blind. Tales spoke of the spirits of the dead roaming Planet, unable to cycle through the process of new life. Though the stories were quite vague on just what this cycle was, Rufus could not help but feel lied to given that living life for the now would be meaningless if one simply became spiritual fodder for another, sentient life. But even the assumption that the next life would be a sentient one was equally robbing of his life choices.

He wanted to remain, always, in control, but he knew that there were times where such things were an impossibility. "Who are you?" But what answer would he receive from that who lived no longer? At least this was something assumed of the being. "Why do you look as you do…?" Like that.

To make such a face.

He turned his head away, no longer willing to satisfy that part of him. "Your face is just like mine." He muttered, the annoyance growing.

He no longer followed and glanced over his shoulder hearing a familiar woof. It seemed the pair are catching up. He looked back toward the specter only to catch it fading away. It held an expression as if it was pained. But was it not he who suffered without his mother? He rest is hand on his hip and arched a brow.

"It seems no others came this way to hide." He excused his earlier disappearing act. "Have you a plan, Miss Aerith?" He questioned.

[Deleted]

The bark alerted her to the hound’s movements towards her, clearly there were important things he felt were needed before chasing after his master. Aerith was happy to let them suffer the maze of the forest, she didn’t believe they would find their way through it so easily without the harp or someone like herself. Still, it landed her with this box, she figured it was Rufus’ job to go through it, although she was growing more curious by the second. The Ancient decided that if she couldn’t find the man lost in this jungle then she would open it instead, of course if she had the patience. Her boots trudged along and she headed off towards where she saw the man in white disappear to, hopefully he hadn’t wandered too far, although with that thought her pace quickened.

As the pair quickly made their way through the forest, Aerith’s nerves began to build, this was the last place she’d been to back then. Physically at least, she was here with Cloud and Sephiroth…her head shook the thought away, there were other matters to attend to here, she couldn’t get distracted. “I think I…” Her eyes narrowed as her feet slowed down, although it was Dark Nation’s bark that made it clear, “You know best.” She called to the dog as he ran towards the man, Rufus seemed distracted, perhaps it was the Forest communicating with him. Being in a place so close to the City of The Ancients made it absorb some of the Ancients life-force, the Lifestream seemed to ooze itself from every crevice here.

As the man turned to face her she could see he was wounded, she scowled in concern and moved towards him quickly. He mentioned that no others came this way to hide and she only nodded, knowing full well that there was more to it, Rufus however was fairly secretive. He didn’t seem to like to bother others with his strife, instead he felt that he had to do everything alone, Aerith hoped he found her prescence here at least useful at least. Her questioned her on a plan, Aerith just shook her head in response, “Shh you’re hurt.” Her hands cupped themselves in front of her as the green liquid spiralled into a ball, “I’m sorry my protect didn’t reach you, hopefully this will make it a little better.” The light from her healing wind surrounded all three of them, any injuries minor or so would heal, otherwise she would try something else.

The Cetra wondered whether it would remind him of the feeling that they all experienced while being healed of Geostigma, although in a way she hoped it didn’t. To explain her death to a man she’d only met recently would be the epitome of strange and she would assume that he’d feel she were crazy. To claim to be an Ancient was one thing, to claim to be resurrected was another. “There.” Her words were soothing and she took a step back, “Better?” In honesty she did wonder about him here, he had in fact saved her on the airship….in fact she should probably thank him for that too. Her arms pulled behind her and she gripped them by both hands, “What were you chasing there, Rufus? Be careful with what you follow in this place.” The final comment was out of concern, she of course was familiar with being led by the spirits, however with her ability to communicate with the Planet, she was capable of sensing what was good and bad.

Here eyes locked onto the colours of his, perhaps it was the intimidation she once felt around him or something else but she hadn’t acknowledged the colouring before. They glowed, and the sense of that being was now clear, perhaps this was why she was drawn to the man much like Cloud and Zack. “The energy within you, Rufus…we can talk about it once you are ready, I hope.” She left her comment there for a moment, wondering whether he had anything to add before she thought on their next move.

“I can guide us through here to the City of the Ancients but…oh! Here…” Aerith rummaged through her small pack and brought out a box, “I didn’t want to open it without you here.” Aerith held it out to him whilst digging around for the key in her jacket pocket before handing that to him also, “You should unlock it, I’m not sure if it’d be any importance for you but I figured it had something to do with either of us.” Aerith paused and then took a step back, she didn’t realise how close she was standing from when she was healing them all.

“I say that we open it before we head on, does that sound good?” The Ancient smiled apologetically for her final statement, “And thank you for what you did back there, I guess you earned some trust points for that.” Sure she would tease him but she did in fact mean it.

[Deleted]

R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

Rufus was not the sort to openly divulge information if it did not benefit him in some way. Loose lips had the tendency the sink ships and egos were well known to get stuck in doors. Letting the woman know what it was that had caused him to leave, beyond the threat of his life, was not an applicable situation in the state of events currently presented. That was the best excuse he could provide with as little information as possible. Though it made him seem cruel, even cold-hearted to disallow the man a chance to escape, he was not yet prepared to face that which he had seen. There was little explanation for it, that which he saw.

Placing his gun back into his holster the man held out his hand to his side, outstretching his fingers. Dark Nation padded up to Rufus’ side, the beast raising his head so it touched against the executive’s fingers. The woman reached out and cast a strange spell over his wound. It was much unlike the magic from Materia. It was -- warmer. Almost like …. well he had no experience with such things so he could not really compare it to anything beyond a warm meal filling one’s belly. There was a strange flicker of a thought that crossed behind his eyes, but he would choose to ignore it for the time being. It held no relevance for the current situation.

He reached his fingers up toward his forehead. The wound was gone, though some of the dried blood had remained. Digits would brush down the strands of blond hair. He was still subconsciously aware of that injury over his brow. In these woods it only seemed that much more painful. He seemed to raise a brow, a soft smile drawing over his features at her words of some energy inside of him. She was quite clever and would be an individual much harder to manipulate if it was not done correctly. “I do hope we can get there quickly. Being lost in the woods at night doesn’t sound like an ordinary camping trip.” He moved to walk toward her.

Aerith pulled out a strange, metal box. While he off handedly wondered just what this Ancient City was, he could be sure it was interesting. Very few were capable of finding their way there. By Tseng’s descriptions it was almost mystical. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. it was small and looked insignificant, but he knew better than to underestimate these sorts of things. She wanted to open it now. Like a child with a new toy. He was not too intrigued with it, but if it was on the ship, it was perhaps a clue as to who, or what, they were. She seemed a bit more excited than he was, just like a kid… he really hated kids. Taking the key, the man chuckled softly.

“Well, I suppose staying a bit longer in a ghost filled forest can’t be terrible…” He mused before settling the key into its slot.

His thin fingers wrapped around the metal of the key, carefully turning it as to not unintentionally break or snap the key in the hole. Opening the small chest he popped the lid. Inside were a few charts. Maps, piloting instructions, information on emergency maneuvers. But, at the bottom of the box, sat a small secure digital card. A soft hum escaped his throat before taking the SD card and reaching into his back pocket for the phone. He smirked and nodded his head.

“It was of no consequence Miss Aerith. I am one who repays my friends kindness. After all you are helping me get to this place. It should only be so courteous that I escort you there in one piece.” He clicked the memory card into his phone before flipping it open. “After all, I can consider us friends… right?” But the phone had no response.

The forest did well t o mutilate any signals coming in from satellites or towers. It was no good, at least not until they were well out of this place. Snapping his phone closed he shrugged off his disappointment with a calm exterior. it was likely these thugs were not the last to be sent now that he was back in the public eye, free of the Geostigma. It was not going to be an easy trip and he would need many more walls to build. Though Cloud was simply reluctant, it was easy enough to garner estate on his friends were the time to come. With Reeve in his place and the Turks he held the advantage.

No Shinra meant no one was manufacturing high grade weaponry that Shinra produced. No weapons meant the WRO would be fighting with sticks and rocks. And with the president’s backing there was no way he would be seeing Reeve’s back anytime soon, so long as he played around the sentimental ideals. All he had to do was play them correctly and he would come out on top rather than on his desk with a sword on his back… Dark Nation whined and barked out before stepping forward. Rufus was drifting in his thoughts.

“Well, shall we Miss Aerith? Lead the way and I am sure Dark Nation and I can provide far more protection than any grunt.” He was, after all, trained in his mind and body.

He was no simple damsel in distress. If anything he was the cause of another’s distress much of the time. But they were not alone. In the woods three of the men survived the crash. After coming too they took care of their comrade's injured leg and left him armed, within the safety of the ship. The other three took it upon themselves to follow the two. It would be quite difficult for the hound to take notice of them. Something about this woods.... it was as if they whispered in one's ear.

[Deleted]

The Cetra felt a little more relaxed in the forest with Rufus, it was her turf now and that meant that without the detour of getting the harp, both Rufus and Dark Nation would be stuck in the forest. It wasn't something she wished, however he had protected her on the plane and brought her here too. Although she knew that he had his own interests in coming here, to the place that called for her and hid many secrets. She watched as he put his gun away before she healed him, there was no spoken gratitude but she still knew it was there…assumed at least. He mentioned not wanting to be lost in the forest, Aerith smiled, no…he wouldn't want to be lost here, especially without her right now. She could sense the forest communicating with her although her headache had passed, was it trying to warn her about the danger on the plane? For a moment, she felt as though she was losing her connection but again it was the communication that was shaky.

"Exactly." Aerith said with a smile as he took the box from her hands, "Is that what you saw then?" Aerith could feel a presence before but it felt lighter, there was sweep of light behind Rufus that she caught from the corner of her eye, it was following their inevitable path. Emerald eyes returned to Rufus as he fiddled with the things inside, "what is it?" She asked and closed in on him to get a better view of what was inside. There seemed to be a variety of things that were important to the men, the maps would be useful and Aerith knew this wouldn't be something they could ignore. He wanted to repay her kindness but she wasn't sure he needed to, Aerith always just did as she felt was best and it either landed her in more trouble or just the trouble itself. Still it had gotten her this far, it had brought her back too, everything worked well in the end.

"We're an unlikely pair aren't we?" She questioned almost teasing him once again, "I suppose our friendship would depend on whether or not I make it there in one piece!" Aerith stepped back from the President and held her hands behind her back, she enjoyed their small talk and he was easy to tease. He seemed slightly disappointed by the fact the phone didn’t work, although he didn’t voice it, it of course was something he could sort out later although she was getting annoyingly curious. Even Dark Nation wanted to move things along, the hound barked and brought her attention down to him, he was a loyal dog although Aerith wasn’t jealous of her lack of companion. She was too free spirited to have something like that to look after, at least when it meant for Planet’s survival, although there was a time when she was too afraid to even leave Midgar.

“Hmm…okay.” Aerith turned right from the direction they came from, “I feel it this way.” A hand rose and she pointed to the City, “I was afraid I wouldn’t feel it after so long but I was wrong! I know where to go now.” The Ancient took a few steps forward, she wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible, there was something in her gut that would tell her to keep moving. For a moment, Aerith stopped and turned around, her eyes flickered between the trees and then rose to the treetops whilst falling back down. “The forest…it’s not ready to let us go.” Her feet padded backwards, as the wind picked up.

“Not until we set things right again, this way!” Aerith pulled on Rufus’ arm towards one of the trees, turning right around it as she let go of the President, it revealed a place almost unrecognisable from where they’d just left. “This isn’t right…” She spoke, eyes glancing from one way to the next, “I feel it guiding me but the Forest…we can’t go until the intruders are dealt with it…that’s what it says.” Aerith added the last part hesitantly and finally turned back to the man, trying to assess what he was thinking, trying to assess whether he too was labelled as an intruder.

[Deleted]

R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

Rufus chuckled at her childish claims toward friendship. Though he had no personal attachment to the idea, it seemed to serve Cloud and his comrades well. The way they worked together much reminded him of the Turks. They had a single goal they lived for and fought together under the most strenuous of circumstances to get where they were. They did not always agree when it came to certain, personal matters (he knew Mister Highwind detested others in his personal workspace, but Miss Shera was given to always getting in his way), but they always came through for one another. It gave them strength. Even if the 'Ex-SOLDIER' would be annoyed to admit it so, his comrades had much in common with the Turks.

"Friendships only seem to work when those friends are in one piece." Though he held no one in such a regard, he was far from acting rude and belittling her banter. "Ghosts don't make for riveting conversationalists, with their guilt and pity." Though he last words seemed to be directed elsewhere…

Witty Aerith may be, but he still held suspect over her claims. Claims of hearing voices, following orders of the Planet… Even if he faced the possibility of becoming lost his demeanor remained the epitome of relaxed. He had an awareness as to what direction they were headed for the time being. If need be he could find his way back to the show, in theory. Though it was easy to get lost in the woods, he did not quite hold understanding of the level of danger within the twisting labyrinth of spirits past.

As they circled around Rufus grew more annoyed at the passing of useful time. Dark Nation seemed uneasy. Each step the fiendish hound made was doubled up to keep up with the pair. Rufus did not fail to notice as Dark uncharacteristically kept so close that Rufus risked toppling over him. The man, more than once, had to give the beast physical commands, though they in themselves were subtle. A brush against the tip of his ears here and a tap on his rear end there, would not bring attention. Nation did not normally require commands for something that was second nature to him, but it was indefinitely connected to the peculiarities that filled these woods.

"Intruders? Those men?" He would care not to discover if he was said burden. "I can only hope their aggressive actions are when separate us from them seeing as none of us took the sensible path in." Could a bunch of ominous spirits determine such things?

Regardless of the matter Rufus held a calm and inviting smile, even if his forward venture was being deterred by the incompetence of a menagerie of worthless assassins. They hadn't any choice but to act on the bidding of spirits for the time being, but he was grossly disadvantaged by having the words come from the person he held doubts toward. It left him powerless, so he would have to usurp control.

The small alliance made their way back toward the ship. The injured man left behind was gone, but a trail of his blood leading away from the ship. The other men become equally split in their determination to find the executive and woman. Four intruders, lost in the maddening whispers of ghast infested woods. It was a prospect of disaster. Approaching the downed ship his blue eyes traced the surroundings for signs of disturbance. It was different from before, the environment. Things were moved, out of place when he last saw it. But he was not sure if it was fault of Aerith or the men.

"Trace." Rufus spoke out.

With the words spoken Dark Nation perked up. The beast lowered his head and began to search for signs of prey. The beast collected scent, visual cues and environmental. Tentacle Hounds were a proficient hunting animal. They were brutal and highly intelligent so were more than capable of working independently of the pack, as the beast proves a time or two by Aerith. With one man limping his way not too far from where the ship lay, the other three became separated while attempting to track Rufus and Aerith. It seemed going in a straight line in these woods was near impossible unless whatever wanted you out, did not want to keep you in as such.

With a bark the Hound padded off toward where he heard shuffling in the bushes, but little did the beast know the man was armed. When Dark raced out of view Rufus looked to Aerith, in question. “So what exactly is it that you are hearing… a voice?” And there was the first verbalization of the Shinra’s speculation.

Rufus was not his father. He did not blindly believe the implications others provided of themselves, especially when they were boastful notions of being able to feel the vice of the world. Though he could neither deny it in the wake of his Geostigma either. For him he stood between the line of belief and disregard. Where Aerith could perhaps be the last Ancient on Planet, he also felt that if Planet really did create a cycle of life through its own reasoning of life and death, than perhaps it would make more Ancient were it so inclined and not simply use such a small girl~!

The silence of the woods was broken with gunfire. Dark Nation had found his prey, and they were not as underarmed as they were before. The shot grazed the beast’s face, only sending it into a rage. The hound lunged and moved to bite a more vulnerable section of his body, dragging him to the ground viciously.

[Deleted]

[Sorry it's short and a bit bleh!]

Aerith understood that Rufus was trying to joke with her, although her mind wandered onto who his other friends would be, in this case she wasn’t actually sure she was one. But in a way they were in the same boat, they both wanted to leave the forest and enter the Forgotten Capital. Even if it were for different reasons, she’d rather be there with Rufus than within the forest with the intruders…especially those she couldn’t see. She did wonder what Rufus meant when he mentioned them and their guilt and pity, of course Aerith had lived within the Lifestream and met many who’d guilt kept them from passing to the other side…she wondered there and then if he’d seen someone who couldn’t make it yet.

“Yes…” She answered, although it was to him, her eyes looked elsewhere, “At least I hope so.” Emerald eyes landed onto the man before her, when Cloud and co. wandered through the forest they were carrying the lunar harp which awoke the forest. The forest now was awake…but not in the same sense, she could carry on through here but with Rufus it was proving difficult, especially when others were nearby. “I don’t think I’d be too happy if a Ship crashed into me.” Aerith’s lips curved as she tried to make light of the situation, there was nothing she could change right now, she could only sort this out before anyone (or thing) got hurt in the process.

Rufus ordered the hound to search the area and his attention would turn back to her, curious about how she was hearing such things. Aerith’s eyes averted to the ground, she was being very open right now, although it was difficult to ignore with it being so close to the source. “I guess it’s like a voice…except I can’t describe the sound, it doesn’t really compare to anything I’ve heard elsewhere. It’s more like a feeling, it pulls me in the right direction or when I do hear it sometimes it’s so cryptic it takes a little more searching to find out what it means…or wants.” Aerith was fiddling with her fingers that were intertwined together, she wasn’t sure what he was thinking although she couldn’t deny it would sound crazy to those that didn’t understand.

“When we get there…it will show us what it wants, it’s just-“ Aerith stopped dead in her tracks, her words interrupted by the sound of gunfire ahead. “What’s going on!?” Dark Nation flew into attack mode, his own teeth sinking into the man. Aerith’s own hands reached up, “Protect!” She called, hoping it would reach Rufus who stood only a small distance away from her. It was becoming instinct to use the spell, especially when bullets were fired. She checked over herself making sure she wasn’t hit, “Did he get you?” Aerith spluttered and looked at the man, “I thought they were all dead…I couldn't feel them here.”  The Cetra worried about the others, although she hoped the intruders weren't those that she was travelling with she also hoped they weren't around to cause harm...she needed a little time to communicate with the forest and she wasn't going to be able to do it with these men around here causing the trouble.

The woman wanted to leave Rufus for that time she needed but until things calmed she couldn't leave, instead she stayed to make sure everyone was okay, perhaps there would be a better way to finish this without any more bloodshed.

[Deleted]

R u f u s S h i n r a

firemasterofcheyenne

The man carefully listened to Aerith. In truth there was no true way to determine if she spoke the truth of the things she felt in this forest. The land was riddled with the spirits of those who were unable to pass onto the Lifestream. Any man, woman or child could see that. It was not as if the people of the Planet were ignorant toward any such concept, but there were still mysteries that surrounded the energies that flowed from the ground below. In truth, until Meteorfall, Rufus had believed the energy to be involved with the cycle of the Planet’s revolutions, the twist and pull of the tectonic plates generating some sort of power. But he was a Shinra. He was not so simple as to accept truth without truly learning of it. It had all begun with Gast Faremis, and so there he would try to find all the could. While his father busied himself with his indiscreet hobbies of the flesh and desire to chase a fantasy that was as old as well-- the Planet itself, Rufus dedicated himself to bringing pride to the Shinra name. A genius from a young age he understood the complex web weaved between humans and their environment.

Excelling in understanding the human psyche and the very machines they invented, Rufus could come up with a magnitude of devices that would continue to serve the Shinra enterprise as a Weapons Manufacturing company. But his father was chasing a turbulent dream. Energy was as varied as the humans in the world. There was no one answer. Low in the plains of Gongaga wind energy proved to be one of the better sources of power. Far above the plateaus of Cosmo Canyon: the sun fed all from the plants to the observatory. But his father had perfected the method that allowed them to absorb Makou from Planet. It was a secret long held within their family and once he cracked the hidden technologies of their ancestors, he felt himself a messiah. But little did he know, understand -- was that what he found the truth. Men had come to him searching for an answer to bring down the evil that his father beckoned onto the world.

“I see… well,” He seemed confident in his next words, the man never hesitating or giving pause, unless some fool could not keep up with him, which happened quite oft. “There are many things in this world difficult to understand, but that is why we continue to search for them.” He chuckled. “I am still unsure of the mystery that surrounds the Ancients, and though I will try to learn, it does not mean I will go beyond my ability as a human, nor go as far as to call her a liar.” She did seem quite nervous that he did not quite get it, and to be assured: he could not.

But it went far beyond his nature to be so grievously foul toward another person.

Rufus was an immoral man by his very nature. The belief of good and evil were perspectives born of humans and those who clung to the demure ideals that men was greater than he truly was. Such labels implied that man saw himself as gods, spirits: beings unhindered by the moral obligations of self-preservation. Rufus felt that, though he was human, he needn’t lower his standards to achieve all he could with the least amount of work possible. The truth he had found, was that: so long as his father stood above him, he could never move forward. His father’s beastly behavior, antics and vices kept the Shinra name down and dragged it through the mud. If he wanted to survive, he had to make sure to rid of all those incompetent and an obstacle to his goals. Rufus was indeed immoral because he followed the basest of instincts and that was to survive and succeed.

Rufus was beginning to detest the sound of gunfire. His arm pulled up instinctively, head lowering to protect his more vital organs as his body tucked in on itself. Hearing the ferocious growls of Dark Nation assured that he was not the current target. Standing straight the man would straighten the lapel of his overcoat, black, fingerless gloves smoothly sliding over the fabric. Reaching his right hand up the executive would slick back the blond bangs that hung over the left side of his features, which effectively blocked his vision. Holding his head high he would subconsciously smooth the right bangs over his scar. Ever since they arrived in this forsook forest he has felt the numb throb intensify behind it. A gift from the WEAPONS never forgotten. Letting out a sight the man would look to Aerith with appreciation. At least this protect spell landed where it should have. Shifting his weight he would reach into his white overcoat. Letting his thumb slide over the hammer of his shotgun, and allowing those pale, slender fingers to wrap around the grip: he carefully drew it from the holster. Stepping forward he would come to find that one of the men had returned to the Gummiship.

“It seems luck is with us today.” He professed, brushing off the sleeves of his jacket, shotgun drawing in the process. “I think for the remainder of this trip I’ll stay armed so I’m not surprised again. I wouldn’t want you getting hurt after all this run about.” So far they were graced with the inability of their captors.

They were not very efficient, so were likely paid-off mercenaries from remaining branches of AVALANCHE sympathisers or Makou-enthusiasts. Whichever the group, both were an assured pain in his side and an obstacle to be eliminated. As Dark Nation held his prey pinned Aerith spoke her worries to the man. Rufus’ blue eyes slowly drifted toward the captured interloper. The man was no fool and knew exactly why they were here.He would not be so easily stopped. Rufus seemed to part his lips. The pained man’s eyes widened as he saw the glimmer of a killer behind those blue gems. Rufus reached his left arm out to effectively attempt to block Aerith’s field of vision before trying to pull her close to his body.


“Look out!” Rufus called.

Dark Nation lowered his head and pulled back. Rufus’ right arm would come up by Aerith’s side and he would mercilessly fire at the already defeated man, ending his chase. Rufus would not be hunted. cold eyes seemed to shimmer as he looked to Aerith with a warm gaze befitting a princess in the arms of a prince. But this prince was the prince of serpents. He was well versed in falsifying his emotions, delivering actions that portrayed compassion rather than the cruel calculation befitting an executive such as he. If he smiled, by Planet he was smiling from the depths of his heart, but felt nothing but the icy touch over his ruined organ. Nothing, not even the guiltful love his father poured over him would warm it. Perhaps nothing ever would. But the serpent was still a man and a beast of instinct. His parted lips were touched by the tip of his tongue before he pulled away from her form.

“My apologies, it seemed not even the threat of a Tentacle Beast looked to falter his desire to end us. Perhaps it is best we not offer mercy to the rest of them.” He would offer her the choice, since she seemed the sort.

To Rufus Aerith was indeed the kind of bleeding heart that was so easily manipulated by the masses and the idea that all humans could survive onto tomorrow were they to work together as a society. Perhaps in some otherworldly utopia did such a fantasy exist. But here there was nothing but the cold, hard truth of a dog-eat-dog world. Rufus looked to Dark Nation who hovered over the corpse. When the hound looked up to his master Rufus motioned his head, calling to the beast. Dark Nation lowered his head, Tentacle squirming as it sought to feed. The vampiric beast was no ordinary dog. It was a fiend, so it fed from anything it could slam its tentacle into. Black claws dug against the ground before it let out a deep woof and turned to pad toward Rufus.

He moved to hold his hand out in apology. “I did not mean to be so invasive, but if we are to survive out here against such rogues, perhaps it is best we do not allow them opportunity, hmm? If you are the last of your people it would be foolish to allow the vultures chance.” Dark Nation would march up to Aerith’s side, his curled, bladed tail wagging forcibly enough to make his rump dance.

It seemed there would be no other way. If the men truly wished to finish their job they would do so while they were strong enough to fight for their beliefs, but while Rufus was around even as a man fell to his knees they would hear the song of a cold, hard bullet taking their last breathe before they could touch the earth below. Rufus would wait for Aerith to move. She was the beacon in which he hoped to escape this infernal forest with and she was his guide to the mysterious Capital, lost behind a veil of unbreachable mist. With three armed assailants hunting the trio, which ones would they come across as they proceeded? If Aerith wished for peace they would have to find these men before they were found.

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A nod was the only thing offered to the man at first, Aerith, arms behind her back as she listened to him, all she could ask him for was to listen for only saying she had those powers and could hear the voices meant nothing until proven. That was, having to try and prove something when they were being stalled in this sleeping forest was irritating her. She was so close to being able to show him that her patience was wearing thin, she tried to listen to the forest, even closing her eyes to concentrate more on the surround area but nothing was coming to her. “I will show you when we get there, it’ll make more sense when I can ask the Planet to show you what happened.” She wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by this at all, to really prove what she’d done meant telling him she had previously died and been brought back to life…as the only one who had done so would only be suspicious.

With the commotion approaching them, Aerith was beginning to feel almost relieved, they needed to get rid of the men so they could continue. It seemed that their only goal was to hurt them and if that were the case, Aerith was open to getting rid of them by any means necessary. Her protect spell managed to reach her companion which gave them a little time, Rufus turned to her and she nodded in understanding. “Yeah…perhaps that would be a good idea.” Aerith agreed with him about staying armed, she too should draw her own weapon, although the shotgun and Dark Nation would be quite enough for them…she’d hope. “Though if they come to us I guess it would make things a little easier, I’m surprised they could find us in this place. Sometimes when you go back the way you came you appear in a part of the forest you’ve never seen before.” Aerith’s arm crossed over her and she rested her chin on a fist trying to think about what could be happening.

It wasn’t the forest that was waking up, if that were the case then it would be easily walked through, no…it was asleep, maybe even dreaming. They were disturbing it in its inner calm, much like when someone is awoken during sleep walking, Aerith needed to communicate with it and allow it to wake up as it should after the intruders were dealt with. Her thoughts were interrupted by the touch of his hand and his call close to her ears, he pulled her into him and Aerith covered her head with her hands trying to protect herself. It was only instinct, she didn’t see what Rufus was seeing before her and didn’t have time to draw her weapon. Her face was hidden within him, eyes closed as she felt his arm reach up with his weapon, this only made Aerith cover her ears, she should probably warn him about the shell shock within his actions.

A bullet was fired and the Cetra would only assume it was because of the man that Dark Nation had found, “I thought he was dead…” She whispered, all of her instincts were off right now, she couldn’t sense them with the forest like this. Her hands slowly removed themselves and she glanced up to Rufus trying to read his face and decipher what happened. He was protecting her, instinctively too, she assumed that he meant it as in a moment of panic you would only rely on those instincts, perhaps she wasn’t completely useless in his eyes after all. She froze as he looked at her, she’d never seen him like that before although all the times she had done was always about business and Shinra…right now they were a duo trying to get themselves out of this place together.

He moved away from her and Aerith’s arms dropped to her sides as they were freed against the pressure of him, she held her hands together and tilted her head, still trying to work this all out. “I agree…” She said to him, “And it’s okay, you really helped me there. But maybe I need to be on alert a little more too or you’ll be protecting me throughout the rest of our journey.” She offered him this light heartedly and still smiling, she was unsure if he were embarrassed by his reaction or just found it a little unexpected. Aerith wouldn’t forget though, she’d kneed this into her memory in order to better understand the man before her.

“You are right, I suppose we need to get to them before they get to us. I think…that I could find them if I concentrated a little more. You see, I can’t guide us out of here but I can guide us to them.” She nodded, eyes casting over the bloodied man as a hand gently stroked the hounds head, he seemed happy with his catch and Aerith wouldn’t deny him that, she only wished they didn’t need to fight here…and she wouldn’t take those men with her to her other home. Kneeling down on the ground, the Ancient clasped her hands together, “Let us see them, we can help you…” She whispered, “I don’t…understand…no not us…them.” The forest was wary of the man before her, it could feel Aerith’s presence and so was calmed enough to not play mind tricks on the woman and the man had been left alone for now. They would need to stay together in one piece were this to end happily.

The forest showed her every inch of itself, she felt her mind race through the trees as if it were an animal darting through to escape its predator. “I feel them close by.” She spoke again, it wasn’t to Rufus but to the Planet, to this forest, “There. Rufus, close your eyes.” It was blurry but there within the trees, walking from left to right were three men, armed and trying to track the trio’s whereabouts. She felt the burning against her head and she scowled, “Can you see them yet?” This time, her voice was to Rufus, hoping he was closing his eyes too and looking into what she could see. There had only been one other person she had brought here and that was Cloud, only he wasn’t to join her yet, Rufus however was to go with her this time.

It was hardly a teleportation for her, she had no abilities that would stretch as far as that but within this place she could twist and turn her consciousness throughout the forest. When they had opened their eyes they would be hidden watching them from afar, seeing them try to trace any sort of footprints from the soiled ground. Aerith turned to Rufus, they were in a different place now, the area looked different, the forest had allowed her to once again manipulate the surroundings…it was how she could travel from one tree and appear behind another. The hound too would join them, although they hadn’t moved, their surroundings had changed and the animal’s soul was far to connected to Rufus’ heart to leave him. At the back of her mind, she wondered about Rufus’ humanity, Cloud was easy to accept into the place, not completely like Aerith was…but the Mako within him…

She stood from where she was and pressed herself against the tree, a finger raised to her lips ordering him to be quiet, although she knew he wasn’t completely ignorant to what might happen. “I guess now it’s my turn…follow my lead” She spoke with a nod, the two had already done a lot and although she was grateful, she needed this to end quickly.

“Holy.” Her rod had already been summoned before she spoke the words, a bright light blinded everyone and the power that exuded from her exploded within the three men…what would happen next she wasn’t sure.