My Shinra Heaven
Part 02
By Jupiter: Seifer's Babe

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.  FF7is Squaresoft's creation.
Dedication: Rufus lovers (incl. me).  Yeah, why not count the Turks too? Tifa fans as well.

****
Her blackened vision soon became clearer when she opened her eyes in the room.  The first thing that crossed Tifa's sight was the icy blue coloured ceiling and the immensely long table she sat upon. The table surface was colder than the normal body temperature and Tifa's legs shivered uncontrollably. <I should have worn trousers rather than the usual skirt> Tifa sat upright slowly on the table.  She turned to the window where a dark figure stood against the shiny glass. <Rufus> Tifa perceived his towering height anytime.  Although he was not taller than Barrett by much.  He wore the same suit the last time she and Barrett was captives by Shinra Inc.  Didn't he have other suits apart from that one? Rufus turned around to smile at the bar hostess.
"Ah, you're awake finally," Rufus said and walked over to the meeting table Tifa sat on, "I thought the chlorine would never wear off for a long time.  How do you feel, Tifa?"
"Like shit… no thanks to you," Tifa spoke through gritted teeth.  Her anger beginning to boil out of her body.  Rufus laughed.  His nose barely touching Tifa's right cheek.  She sensed a weird sensation coming from his closeness.  Her skin temperature slowly sped up unexpectedly.  She quietly sniffed the strong odour up her nostrils <My God, he wears aftershave.  It smells…really fragrant.  Oh wow.  I wanna smell some more!! Huh? Quit it, Tifa.  This is Rufus Shinra not Cloud Strife>.
"You've got humour.  I like that." The Shinra president moved to sit by his desk.  Tifa hopped off the table and irately fisted Rufus' blazer collar in her knuckle breakers, almost choking the air out of his windpipe.  "You're *very* playful."
Tifa angrily shook her grip, "Where are Cloud and Barrett? Where are you hiding them?"
Rufus spoke difficulty. "Let me breathe and I'll tell you." She obeyed sensibly and glared sharply. "They're not here."
"What do you mean?" Tifa charged in to grab Rufus' collar but he stopped her by talking more.  What an excuse to not get choked to death for the second time.
"They'll return when they're ready," Rufus leaned back in his leather chair proudly, smirking at the anger forming around Tifa's face.  "You're my bait, Tifa Lockheart.  If they don't come soon, I'll have to kill you." He demonstrated with an empty slotted shotgun.
<This isn't how I wanna die.  You're a dead man, Rufus Shinra.  I swear it on my life> Tifa harshly fingered her long black hair as she stood anxiously opposite the President.  It was fabulous to hear that she was officially bait and she would have an end to her life.  It could be in a minute's or it could be in the next 24 hours if she wasn't aware of the dangers approaching her.  Women were always the damsel in distress.  Now she knew how Aeris felt when she was captured by Shinra Inc.  Women were merely vulnerabilities for the heroes, weren't they? <Cloud and Barrett are probably walking in circles, worrying about me> Tifa kicked a chair.
"Now, now.  The bait mustn't lose her temper." Rufus gave a 'tsk-tsk' sound to mock her temper.
"When the hell will you quit bugging me?" Tifa argued back, "I thought you were dead.  Everyone in Midgar shouted out loud 'President Rufus committed suicide.'"
"They're wrong.  I'm back and I'm as beautiful as ever <not as beautiful as you, must I say?>."

Tseng entered Rufus' office briskly then turned to the guest standing by the President's desk.  A tiny grin formed on his face.
"Rufus, busy are we?"
"Definitely, Tseng.  What's the status?" Rufus got down to business.  Tseng explained that Cloud and Barrett hadn't returned to the Shinra HQ main entrance since yesterday and they haven't been seen yet.  Tifa's hopes on being saved before dying deteriorated moment by moment.  Hearing her friends weren't present made her want to scream or cry agonisingly <Please come soon, Cloud.  Barrett.  I need you guys>.
"Young lady, if the President bothers you constantly, you're welcome to call me.  *I'll* make you feel at home," Tseng joked.  <I'm not a prostitute, you creep> Tifa ignored Tseng's arrogant remarks and looked away in the other direction.  Her life was already feeling at home in the Shinra HQ.  It just wasn't to her liking.

****
"Cloud, we gotta go get Tifa.  She's gonna die if we don't save her!" Barrett screamed down Cloud's ear.  The ex-SOLDIER only tapped his feet in response while he sat by the bar.  He hadn't said any encouraging comments when they escaped from the Shinra guards.  Exhaling, Cloud lifted his head up like a robot to look emotionlessly at Barrett.
"Give me another day.  I need to think," Cloud replied seriously.
"Man, another day ain't helping me nor Tifa.  She could be dead by tomorrow."
"Barrett, what I say goes, and I say GIVE ME ANOTHER DAY!" The spiky blond raised his voice as he stood on his feet, aching pains spreading around his body.  Those Shinra guards gave him one tough fight.  He tried using the potions he bought from the item shop but they weren't any use.  Also he hadn't enough  money to buy some X potions and was too weak to cast Cure3 on himself.  Barrett opened a new bottle of beer impatiently.
"How's the injuries?" He asked, "my arms hurt from them frigging guards pinnin' me down.  Those fucking son of a bitches."
"The scratches still itch.  I have to relax for a longer period of time." Cloud focused hard on his body to indulge the pain inside <Try Cure3 again>.  Words of encouragement was the only solution to help himself.

****
Tifa fiddled her fingers on the knob of the electric heater.  The coldness inside the office beginning to drop dramatically in each waiting minute.  The Shinra President had followed Tseng for a private meeting outside the office to discuss 'important matters.' <Namely ME> Tifa thought suspiciously as she rubbed her hands on her bare arms.  The heating didn't appear to be functioning properly.  Presumably when the Shinra President was out, nobody bothered to clean house in the Shinra Inc. HQ for  a long period of time; until Rufus magically reappeared from nowhere, surprising Tseng.  Now everything was supposedly back in working order.  Except the heating.  Or was it Tifa's skin tight clothes that exposed her dry skin to the coldness? Boy, now was a good time for her to wish she was back at the bar in front of a warm fire.  She pictured Cloud and Barrett arguing with each other and disagreeing about their tactics on how to save her.  She could psychically sense their wide tension in their hearts.  It was a connection close friends had.  Feeling her arms shiver, Tifa slowly sat her weakening body in the soft chair opposite the President's desk <I wanna go home>.  Why did it have to be cold while she was a hostage? The door slammed ajar abruptly.  Tifa didn't bother turning round to even see who it was.  She was too busy worrying about the temperature in the room that the five senses weren't co-ordinating on her command.  The skin tingled less and less as soon as something warm touched Tifa's body.  Struggling to look down, she discovered it was a coat.  A familiarly *grey* coat.  Rufus zoomed in front of her tired eyes.  His face showing more concern than its usual cruel facade.
"It doesn't get this cold in my office," Rufus said, "I think there's been a long term problem with the heating supplies.  You should feel warmer in my coat."
Foolishly, Tifa asked in concern, "What about you? Aren't you worried about catching the flu?" She pulled her face into her knees while her hunched form squeezed inside Rufus' jacket.  Sarcasm wasn't doing much to help battle the coldness.
"No, I'll be fine.  Thanks for asking though, Miss Lockheart.  It isn't like you to share sympathy for the enemy." Rufus winked.  <Not funny> Tifa controlled the boiling temper heating up in her throat.  What made her ask about the enemy's health? It was fitting in some cases for the moment.  Rufus had shown his sympathy to his enemy by offering her to wear his coat, whilst on the other hand, Tifa asked if the Shinra President was worried on catching the flu.  Little did Tifa realise that she and Rufus had exchanged something to each other.  That something was sympathy (in an unasked way).

Rarely did Tifa talk so kindly to an enemy, "Thank you for offering me your coat.  It really wasn't necessary for you to be very generous.  Especially as I'm your 'bait'." She shivered again, "Grr…I wish the heating was working.  It's like the North Pole here." Rufus left his desk to walk into another set of double doors next to the large palm tree sitting nearby. <Where's he off to now?> Tifa thought <Being a nice girl to the Shinra President isn't helping me escape.  I can't do anything under the cold>.
"Take off your clothes," Rufus directed as he returned to his main office.  Tifa gulped in shear embarrassment <you want me to what?>.  "All you have to do is remove your skirt, honey.  I've got a pair of combat trousers I don't think fit me." He handed over the folded pair of trousers to the bar hostess, "I'll avert myself away so you can change." <Like I believe you.  Pervert> Tifa sighed and slipped off her mini skirt, pulling up the pair of combat trousers.  Rufus was right.  They were the right size for her.  After doing the zip, the coldness among her feet faded slowly to effect.  Tifa cleared her throat to catch the Shinra President's attention.
"Better?" He asked when gazing forward.
"Yeah.  Thanks again <why am I thanking the guy? This 'being a bait' business is freaking me out>." Tifa hurled her shyness from Rufus' gaze.  Wasn't she like a guest rather than a hostage here? She wasn't dead yet.  Rufus must have changed his mind on killing someone who was attractive like her.  Could that be the reason he was treating her nicely? <I'm scared on what he'd do to me.  Who knows what the President has on his mind when he deals with me> Tifa fiddled her fingers in between hair strands while she stood bear the window.  <Beauty is ruined by the sadness on her face.  So much for taking her hostage.  Female bait is always hard to kill in the end eventually> Rufus pulled out his shotgun  underneath the table.  The cocking sound attracting Tifa's daze.
"Uh…are you going to kill me now?" Tifa queried in a panic.  Still cold, still weak in her body.  The fighting ability had been cut off momentarily.  Rufus aimed the gun to her nose.  "I-I assume that's a yes." Tseng barged into the office at a rightful time.
"It's ready, President," He stated.  What was ready? <someone tell me what they're up to> Tifa shook worriedly.
"Let it roll!" Rufus cocked the shotgun loudly one more time towards the bait's nose.  He intimidated her with a nasty snigger.  Her face lovingly displaying the one emotion he liked - fear.  "Say your prayers, young lady." Automatically responding, Tifa screamed out at the top of her lungs and covered her face frighteningly.  The President pulled the trigger until a massive explosion met in the air.  The bullet wasn't real.  Tseng ran out of the room to press a loud sounding switch.  Giving a thumbs up sign, he replied, "Got it."
<Ohmigod, they were doing that to use my fear.  How dare they? That was a warm up.  The next time he cocks that gun, it'll be the real thing> Tifa slumped even more in the chair.  Rufus leaned the gun against the window and clapped his hands in applause.
"Great job on the screaming," He complimented, "they'll be heartbroken of your death that they too will receive a bullet from me.  Just now was a prank.  Next time *will* be for real.  You're gonna die, Miss Lockheart."
<I can't believe I was nearly becoming his friend.  Dammit, he knows how to use my vulnerability as a tool.  I wanna go home> Tifa couldn't feel her muscles as she sat in silence timidly.  Rufus was good at making the hostage feel at home in many ways.

TBC.
So, uh what do u think? I hope this goes well as planned.