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Gǎnhuà	By : vivarose Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 782 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Don't own Rufus, Tseng, Wutai, Shin-Ra, Midgar or anything else Final Fantasy 7 related. There are some concepts and OC's that are our own creations though. turns out pockets And we're poor no money is made off of this.

Chapter List
- 1-Chapter 1
- 2-c2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 1
- 2
Roleplay: "Ganhuà " TxR Chapter One:

[[Title:]] Ganhuà

[[Rating:]] R

[[Series:]] Final Fantasy VII

[[Pairing:]] TsengRufus

[[Warning:]] YAOI. We're walking by canon but we do what we want. We characterize how we feel we should and we write as we like. You don't have to agree with how we do it, and if you don't like it, don't read it. If you do like it, please encourage us. Criticism is undesired.

[[JadedSilk's Thoughts:]] I've never had the chance to work with a partner who would stick with me through this idea that hatched a year or two ago. Basically I have wanted to do a life story/interaction between Tseng and Rufus. Then I discovered someone who was not only willing, but extremely talented. I have been quite pleased with characterization and character development, and look forward to seeing this all the way through to the finish. If you wonder why something is the way it is, most likely, it will all be explained in another chapter, so hold on to your horses!

Some things will be canon, and some things we just don't know, so we take liberties. There are themes of violence, sexual abuse (tastefully written) murder and well...what you would expect from Turks and anyone who happens to be in the Shin-Ra family or employ. Please read at your own discretion. We hope you will enjoy the character development/degeneration and will come to love this RP. The very impressive vivarose writes Tseng, I write Rufus, and the rest of the characters are at this time, shared.

[[vivarose's Thoughts:]] Just some mandatory disclaimer things. We don't own anything affiliated with the FFVII Universe, that all Square's doing. This is a test, rather an experiment. If you would like to continue reading, we'll be posting the rest of this collaboration in JadedSilk's LiveJournal: http://greenscarab.livejournal.com/?skip=40
Please let us know if you like it!

***

Chapter One:

Rufus Shin-Ra stared up at the man standing beside his father's desk. He was lean, tall and thin. In a Turk's uniform he looked far too severe and far too much like the nervous bodyguard that he was. He'd stick out like a sore thumb. The boy with the dot couldn't have been more than a teenager to begin with, and already Rufus resented his authority in his life. So what? It was just a stupid fight. It wasn't his first and it assuredly wouldn't be his last. He did have a black eye, but the other kid had a broken nose. He figured he'd given better than he got at the least.

But still, here his father was, prattling away about how security was important to this man in the penguin suit. Rufus was secure. He didn't need anyone. Especially someone who wasn't all that much older than he was. He could take care of himself. He didn't need materia and he wasn't going to let them put potion on his face. He still wouldn't, even though his father had grounded him for refusing to let anyone look at him. ( That punishment was uselessly in Rufus' opinion. If he wanted to go out he could sneak out. Nobody was going to stop him. )

The torturous lecture seemed to go on forever, thankfully eventually his father stood up, shook the young man's hand, and then steered Rufus towards him. Rufus gazed up at him with outright hostility, although he shook his hand. He didn't want to add a beating from his father for something this small. Sneaking out, it was worth it to be punished for if he was caught. This guy? He could make his life utter misery for days until he just gave up or got fired. It wouldn't be all that difficult.

~*~

His name was Tseng. Pronounced "t-s-EH-ng". And when translated into one of the various dialects of Wuatian it came out meaning "great grandfather". He had no last name, at least, not any more. It had been abandoned when he had joined the Turks two years ago as had the rest of his familiar past. Starting a new life and leaving whatever his destiny in his home county might have with its complex dynasty-cast system.

No instead he had joined up with the mercenaries called the Turks who specialized in urban and political warfare and with patience and persistence he now had his first mission. It was a little bit of a let-down however to realize that for all the advertised super-spy work you were really just going to be a glorified babysitter for a rebellious teenager, this Tseng tried not to let show. And from the glare that the young man before him was aiming in Tseng's direction it was fair to say that there was at least a mutual feeling of frustration from the boy, who didn't look a day over ten and had certainly not yet been graced by puberty. Tseng redirected his attention back to Shin-Ra Senior, his new employer. Good Shiva the man could talk. Patience and persistence, Tseng reminded himself like a mantra. Soon enough this too would come to pass and when the boy was nudged towards him by Shin-Ra Senior, Tseng bowed slightly and shook the boy's hand.

"Hello Sir. My name is Tseng," he kept his grip firm, but not crushing, and looked the boy straight in the eye, level and calm. The boy held himself in a self-righteous sort of way that betrayed a barely concealed sense of rebellion. Tseng decided then and there that he would meet this head on and not be driven away by the likes of this boy. Don't underestimate him, he reminded himself. The kid was tense as if expecting violence, Tseng noted and the Turk released his hand and glanced at the boy's father. The old man dismissed them with a wave and nothing more, he was back to running the massive corporate empire that was the Shin-Ra Company.

~*~

“Nice to meet you,” Rufus said lowly. Blue eyes would not settle on any one thing, he was tense.

A combination of angry, frustrated, rebellious and.... tired. Rufus didn't say anything past that. He was sure the orders of what to do would start soon. Honestly he just wished this... Tseng...would leave him be. He wanted to go to his room, rest for a bit, do his homework perfectly, turn it into his father for approval of perfection.... and then try to avoid another beating. Life was complicated enough without outside interference.

He let go of the others hand quickly, just barely managing to not wipe his hand off on his pants. This was...the last problem he needed in his day.

~*~

One of Tseng's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, the boy in front of him giving off the impression of a caged and angry animal more and more, a well cultured and trained animal but angry none the less. Not unlike the animals that performed in a circus, beaten till they got the trick right, a reluctance to do the tricks, but knowing it was necessary to survive. More information to be stored about his new charge. Tseng stepped aside and without a word opened the door for them to leave, Shin-Ra Senior's attention was on something else entirely and leaving now seemed like the opportune time.

Once out of the room Tseng fell into perfect step just slightly behind and to the side of his charge, "Rufus" he believed the boy's name was. His father had mentioned it but mostly had neglected to give off "familiar" vibe that one usually got from parents regarding their children. Perhaps had this circumstance been different, the Turk and the boy not being at such odds already, Tseng might have offered information about himself or even extended the metaphorical hand in friendship, but he did neither of those things. His job was to keep the boy out of trouble and keep him alive, not to be his friend. However, it wasn't his job to be his master either and Tseng wondered if Rufus realized that. Time would tell.

~*~

Silently the Turk kept pace with Rufus as they left his father's office. With Shin-Ra there really was no such thing as "sneaking" about, the company had power to monitor everything and did so quite efficiently, unless you knew how to manipulate the system. Which he was certain Rufus knew how to do. Perhaps the most complicated task Tseng would face would be ensuring the boy didn't attempt to do so. Shin-Ra Senior had mentioned that it was one of his son's more aggravating habits. For now Tseng would quietly observe from a slight distance, leave the boy to his own devices and see how this progressed. When they reached Rufus's room Tseng silently followed the boy inside and placed himself against the wall, hand folded in front of him watching the blonde boy. Not entirely disappearing, but fading slightly into the background. Weighing out the boy's reactions, and later would see what was most effective for communicating with him.

~*~

Rufus sighed. Well this was an interesting turn of events. He hadn't expected the man to follow him all the way into his room. He tossed his book-bag onto the bed, and sat down, unlacing his shoes and kicking them off neatly next to the bed, he sat with his back to the headboard, and put himself facing Tseng. He clasped his arms around his knees, watching the other. The silence was painful, and he wouldn't let him win.

He ignored the aching in the side of his face and his eye, and instead grabbed his mp3 player and turned it on to something loud and angry. He reached for his math book then, and grabbed paper and a pencil. He would just ignore the other until he exploded, but not offer him the option of his back. He couldn't trust anyone. Especially someone working for his father.

There was an ache in his chest that he hated right now, a tightness that feared violence and pain and hated his life and wished there was some way to escape it. The ache that felt an awful lot like he was young and scared and needed anything that he would never ask for, and his young pride would be shattered by. Like a hug.

~*~

Tseng watched Rufus with only his eyes as the younger boy moved and finally settled to stare at him, arms wrapped around his knees, very much like a child. Which was funny because try as he might Tseng could not mentally equate the boy in front of him to that of a "child", physically he certainly was still but there was a keen mental edge under that black eye. Rufus stared at him a while longer and Tseng stared back, not at him but through and beyond him, like trying to find a "magic picture" hidden in all the noise. Rufus made no move to speak and Tseng saw no reason to break the silence. This was after all, Rufus's home turf that he had just invaded, he was in no position to make the moves. Also he knew that it had somehow become a silent contest of wills, and patient as ever Tseng would wait.

He made no motion as Rufus turned his mp3 player on to a deafening volume and began to work on his homework. The music was the equivalent of someone working on a house, Tseng noted this and the unconscious wincing that the boy made. Perhaps from the black eye, perhaps from the volume of the music destroying his eardrums early, or perhaps it was something else entirely that ran deeper and far more painful beneath the surface. He stood quietly not moving, letting Rufus attack his math with grim determination, for the better part of half an hour and then he silently moved.

Tseng's movements weren't sudden or abrupt but flickering like part of the shadows playing on the wall. He went into the boy's bathroom, how grand it was, and got a small bowl from under the sink, filled it with ice cold water and added a few drops of comfrey oil. The herb was highly potent and grew wild in Wutai, which was known for its exotic herbal concoctions and medicine that mixed magic to do its healing. This oil extracted from the leaves, had been given to him by his mother before he left with the Turk recruitment. It was a potent herb and too much of it would cause toxicity, but it was traditionally used in managing inflammation and pain with broken bones, sprains and bruises. He'd been lucky enough not to need to use it yet, but always kept it with him in the small traditional glass vial.
Giving the water a slight swirl with his hand to mix in the oil, he took a cloth and returned to the bedroom, and placing the bowl and cloth on Rufus's bedside table, he lightly touched a hand to the boy's shoulder to get his attention, see his reaction.

~*~

Rufus had noticed the others movement, but had let it go, he was deeply embroiled in his work. Part of him panicked when the edge of the bed dipped under the dark haired man's weight, and Rufus' first reaction was to fight. A reaction that he stifled out of pure exhaustion, thankfully.

He immediately zeroed in on the cloth and water, and looked confused. So confused he took his earphones out and stared at the other like he was from the moon and he did not understand. Was his face dirty? Did this Tseng... want him to wipe off that dot for him?

The water smelled strong, but good, and it didn't smell like poison. He blinked.

“What are you doing?” He asked, tone surprisingly civil.

Tseng almost smiled at the question, but instead simply nodded to Rufus's face. The hit that had blackened his eye must have been a hard one, though the boy probably hadn't realized it, his eye had swollen shut from the body's natural inflammation reaction. There was nothing aesthetically that could be done for it at this point, but it was dangerous to leave it uncared for around the tender tissue of the eyeball itself.

"Your eye will remain swollen shut for several days if you leave it unattended until the swelling goes down," Tseng stated matter-of-factly. It was dangerous to have a blind spot like this especially should another confrontation happen, it wasn't smart war tactics, but he doubted Rufus would be interested in such philosophy at the moment. Instead he chose the more practical approach.
"Kept under constant pressure like this it could damage your eye, weakening the muscles or further rupturing the blood vessels within it and putting undue stress on the optic nerve," he paused here to let Rufus absorb the information before going on. Despite the apothecary that was associated with his culture, it was a scientific one more then that of old witches tales. "I have added comfrey oil to the water, the plant is native to my home country, its sale and trade is prohibited here in Midgar due to its potency. It reduces the swelling by relaxing the blood vessels and allowing the un-clotted blood to return to the rest of the system, but prevents the clotting already formed from dissipating, it also is a mild anesthetic." He paused once more to glance at the stunning purple and black bruise on Rufus's eye. "The skin isn't broken so there should be no stinging or pain."
Then the Turk said nothing more, leaving the obvious decision and all the other ones that came with it, to Rufus to make. The Wutain would offer assistance if it was wanted or simply step in if need be, as he doubted Rufus would openly ask for assistance and would not suffer the boy to take that blow to his pride. Caring for oneself with your vision docked in half was a feat especially when the wound was on the eye that was blinded, but he would not order the boy to do so, nor would Tseng ask permission, it was Rufus's body, his eye and thus his choice. Rufus was obviously intelligent and more than capable of thinking for himself.

Rufus stared at him a long moment. Herbs his ass, the man probably was putting dead lizard bladder on his face. Logic told him that the water didn't smell like a dead lizard, and something about a cold cloth did sound inviting. He wanted to pull away, he really did. The other part of him was exhausted. Too tired to fight and too worried about making a mistake on his homework. It was hard to do this with his eye swollen.

“Okay,” he said hesitantly, hands gripping into the sheets at the edge of the bed, just in case it hurt.

He'd fight him if he tried any funny stuff.

Tseng met Rufus's suspicious and tired stare with a calm one of his own, allowing the boy to mull it over and not rushing him. He was pleasantly surprised when Rufus gave a reluctant "Okay" and gripped the bedsheets out of reflex giving the impression that this was not a common occurrence. Tseng nodded, and keeping his actions timed and consistent so as not to agitate the already on guard boy he soaked a quarter of the cloth, and folding it over so the other parts prevented water from dripping all over the floor and bed he gave it a slight wring.
Placing one hand on the opposite side of Rufus's face, finger tips barely touching the skin as if he was handling a baby chocobo, he took the cloth and gently held it up to the swelling bruise. He was careful no to directly press against the tender tissue but instead let the cloth's own weight do most of the work. He held it there for a minute or two and then re-soaked it to keep the cloth cool and let it rest of the bruise again. The Turk said nothing and repeated this several more times, frowning slightly and brow ever so furrowed in concentration as he worked. It was a slow and gradual process and oil had to be absorbed through the skin and permeate the blood vessels but not as shocking to the system as putting ice on the damaged part.
Finally he tilted Rufus's head with just the slightest push of his finger tips to inspect the bruise again. The swelling had reduced greatly and the eye was watering slightly as pressure was easing off it and it was allowed to open again. That was enough for now, the boy could repeat the procedure later at night before going to bed if he wanted, but the process had started and the body would manage it from here. Tseng refolded the cloth and rested it on the side of the bowl.

"Try not to fuss with it, as tempting as that will be," he said, not ordering, but again suggesting. He knew the flesh would shiver and twitch and human inclination to fuss with things could interfere with the healing. And with that he stood to leave Rufus to his homework without further interruption.

Rufus was unaccustomed to being touched kindly. He did not shy though, from the others touch. He was careful, gentle, and the cloth felt better than he wanted to admit. He leaned into it just slightly even as the other pulled away and looked him over. Amazingly enough he could see out of it a little...and it was much less painful. This drew a rough and quiet:

“Thanks. I don't need it, but thanks.”

Rufus couldn't admit that he did, and he wouldn't, but after the other had left, if he left, he would probably put some more of the water on it before he slept. He would have to make sure the other didn't see him, of course, because that was beyond his pride's ability to withstand. When he left, the blond went back to his homework, checking, double checking. Each line was perfect, each number was perfect, the answer was perfect. He couldn't fail.

And when he had done all his work he stacked the books up neatly, took a deep breath, and headed off down the hall to his father's study, where he knocked lightly once at the door. The elder was home, more than likely doing more paperwork. Bracing his shoulders, he let himself in when he was bidden.

The encounter overall had been a positive one Tseng decided, and when the boy had thanked him, he had turned back inclined his head in the gesture of a bow,

"You are welcome," the subtle nuances such as conjunction in Rufus' native tongue were still difficult for the Wutain, even after having lived in Midgar for two year. He did not leave entirely, put placed himself outside the boy's door reflecting on the encounter and Rufus's reaction.

The barely discernible leaning back against his fingers and the boy's slight relaxing, it was a good signal. Although Tseng suspected that this was only due to the boy's currently exhausted state and he was sure that Rufus would provide plenty of challenges for him as Tseng's employment with Shin-Ra continued. But for right now he was just grateful that things had gone smoothly. A good start often made things easier.

~*~

When Rufus left his room to report to his father with his homework in hand, shoulders slumped slightly, Tseng fell into step behind him like a secondary shadow, and like a fly on the wall took everything in around him. The way the Rufus had braced himself, entering his father's study as if he were going to the dentist to get a root canal instead of getting his homework checked. Another mental memo to keep in the steadily growing file of the interactions between Rufus and Shin-Ra Senior.

Tseng did not press his ear against the door after it closed shut behind Rufus, his hearing was acute enough. Instead he merely stood silently to the side of the door, waiting for his charge to return, his mind running on the obvious potential that the Shin-Ra family was not a happy one, and his ears listening and taking in everything.

~*~

The first thing to hit Rufus was the smell of very expensive bourbon, and his stomach knotted. The man behind the desk looked unreasonably furious, and the blond boy immediately felt grave worry over problem number fourteen in his set of chemistry homework.

“Sir, I brought you my homework,” he said smoothly, a practiced tone showing no fear. He couldn't. He'd be beaten for showing fear too. It made sense to do nothing and show no expression, especially when Shin-Ra Senior was already sauced.

“Shut your mouth. You should be working!” The elder Shin-Ra said gruffly.

So Rufus said nothing more, just handed over the books and papers. For half an hour he stood there, waiting. At the feared chemistry problem, there was a pause, and Rufus tensed his stomach muscles and took a silent deep breath, letting it out. The fist to the stomach came quickly, as expected. The big man had come up over the top of his desk with a lightning fast quickness not common in one of his girth.

“I pay for you to go to school! To take the best classes! This! This is unacceptable!” the man railed, a kick to the ribs his next reward. “Go ahead, turn this in! When you fail you will pay from your own pocket to take your classes again!

Rufus refused to make a sound, gasping for air he would not give in or give his drunken father the satisfaction of fear or pain.

“Yes sir,” he gasped, when the pain stopped enough that he could respond.

He never hit him where the bruises would show, but Rufus' ribs were starting to permanently turn black and blue. He gathered his papers as his father shoved them at him, and curled them back to his chest. Someday he wouldn't be afraid anymore. Someday everyone would be afraid of him, and he would make them all pay.

“You are dismissed,” His father said, sitting to his desk like a fat, red faced, wheezing toad. Not for the first time this week, Rufus wished his mother were here, not away on holiday...

Heading to the door, he tried to make the tiny tremors of pain in his hands stop. Out in the hall, he tried to show no fear, no sign of pain or being ruffled. Tseng would only laugh if knew the beating Rufus' pride had taken again. This was a fight he could never win, and he hated it.

~*~

Tseng said nothing as Rufus emerged from the study that smelled like someone was marinating something in bourbon. The Turk had heard the old man's raving and the blows, despite them being muffled by the heavy oak door that led to the study. The concept of corporal punishment was not unfamiliar to him, Tseng's own father had not spared the rod in the slightest, but his father had by no means been a cruel man.

There was a mark of Rufus' white uniform from where his father's finally polished shoe had connected with the youth's side. Tseng did not address it, but fell into step slightly behind Rufus. The Turk's hand reached out and delicately touched the underside of Rufus's elbow from where his arms tightly held his books and schoolwork against his chest. The blonde boy seemed shrunken somehow, smaller after the encounter, despite his attempts to hide it with mild disgruntlement.
"Let me carry your papers and books," Tseng said, it was as close as he would come to addressing the matter and hopefully the boy would not take it as an attack on his pride. It was as close as the Wutain would come to saying 'You've endured enough today, let me take this weight for you.' Even though this was surely a honeymoon phase, Tseng felt a surge of brotherly compassion towards the boy who's mother was absent and who's father being more and more boorish by the hour.

~*~

Rufus let him. He felt too stunned and tired to not be a little grateful at the help. When he returned to his room he took his books back, erased the problem furiously, and then left it blank before shoving his books into his bag, put away his MP3 player. Woodenly he went to draw his own bath, and find a pair of clean pajamas. His uniform was dirty, he'd have to take it for dry-cleaning in the morning. Luckily he had a spare... Tomorrow would be hell with a bodyguard tagging along. He didn't really want to face it. He took a towel and clean clothes in with him, shutting the door on Tseng so that he could just nurse his wounds in private. He didn't want anyone to see this.

When the water was deep enough he slunk in, trying not to hiss at the touch of hot water on fresh bruises. It made the old ones feel a little better though. He put his head in his hands, trying to draw on his anger and the cold nothingness he used to get by. Sadly, his grip on it felt thin.

~*~

Tseng had said nothing more as they walked silently back to Rufus's room and didn't take it personally when the youth shut the door in his face. The Turk's phone chirped softly and starting a habit that he would not break till the day he died, he flipped the phone open to see a text message from Verdot. It was almost cheerful and gave him instructions as to where his room was and congratulated him on surviving his first day as Rufus's bodyguard and of course warned him not to let his guard down.
The young Turk allowed himself just the slightest smirk of amusement before flipping the phone shut again and going to the spare room down the hall as per Verdot's instructions. He found his few belongings already in the room and began to get ready himself for bed. Tomorrow would be a long day and he had to come up with a game plan to make it as painless as possible. Obviously Rufus would be at full pre-teen rage tomorrow and Tseng considered sliding is presence further into the background as some bodyguards did. But that wasn't how Turks worked. They were not subtle in the least so there would be no camouflaging his presence.

There was also the matter of minding Rufus's pride. How to guard him but still allow the boy some amount of autonomy. There was also the matter of should a confrontation occur again. But then again, his assignment had been to protect the boy, not play psychologist to him. That right there made everything crystal clear and with that thought in mind, Tseng turned in.

The next morning he was up before most of the maids were, made coffee for himself in his room and was dressed and silently standing to the side of Rufus's door slightly further off then he had the other day, awaiting the boy. Although he was half expecting Rufus to start giving him hell now, he suspected it might be too early in the morning for such creative thinking.

~*~

Rufus was dressed, painfully, and had taken one of the pain pills a friend had sold him after school. If he could move all the better. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he did what he always did to a bodyguard. He found the emergency fire escape door in the back of his closet, disabled the wiring on it, and let himself down into the escape hall. He would go without him, even for a while.

Tseng had waited but not long, it was just over a minute passed the schedule and Rufus had not made an appearance. A quick picking of the locked door with a hairpin showed that Rufus was indeed capable of early morning creativity and Tseng mentally applauded him for a moment before shutting the door behind him and going out of the mansion via a side door. He had most of the area memorized, it had been in his briefing before he came to the residence and a quick visualization of the property's map in his head told him that Rufus's school was approximately two blocks south and at a flat out run the whole way he could be there in just under seven minutes via sidewalk. No sense in running though, Tseng cut directly through the south end of the Shin-Ra home property, scrambled over the iron fence where it dipped in a slight slope and found himself across the street from the school. Honestly he didn't expect Rufus to enter the school via the front gates, but then again with the most recent display of ingenuity he wouldn't put it passed the boy. And there was no sign of him on the surface street so Tseng crossed and entered the school gates and then stood against the inner wall of the gates, out of sight from the outside of the school and most passerby unless you happened to be looking for someone there, silently waiting. There were approximately twenty minutes till class started.

~*~

Rufus knew almost without knowing, where and when he would find him. He tried to avoid him but the throng of students he was walking within pushed him that way. He was in no hurry to be in the building, and he did see a few of his friends, he hoped to blend in, and drifted towards them. It was going to be a long day. He knew that. The pain pill made him feel a little fuzzy and his stomach cramp with sickness. He didn't feel like eating, but probably should have.

~*~

Tseng's eyes settled on Rufus, picking the blonde out of the crowd of students, which had been a bit of a feat in and of itself. The private school was monstrous, almost its own city, between the elementary, middle and high schools all crammed within its stone walls and it had just as many students. If Tseng had to place a guess possibly around three thousand between all the grades combined. The Turk made no move to approach Rufus but watched the boy as he worked his way through the crowd over to a smaller group taking care to avoid the Wutain.
A few administrators tried to encourage the children to class but their efforts were largely ignored as the students loitered, dreading the start of the school day. It also appeared as though Tseng was not the only body guard accompanying someone to school. There were a few others, large men who were smoking and talking near the gate in various uniforms that identified their profession, but no other Turks in sight. It wasn't surprising, Turks were expensive to hire after all, even for Shin-Ra, despite that Tseng wouldn't see any of the money until he himself was of legal age, half of it would go to the private Turk company anyway.
One of the other bodyguards approached Tseng, waving good- naturedly at him.

"Hey the kids are as good as gold man, let the teachers worry about them. Leave off for a bit and hang with us, the school don't like us being here anyhow," the man clapped a meaty hand on Tseng's shoulder. Tseng shot him a look, and the man quickly back peddled and his mouth formed in a silent "O" as realization dawned on him and he made a mumbled apology and headed back over to the group of waiting body guards. Tseng moved just enough to keep Rufus in his sight as the ten minute warning bell rang.

~*~

Rufus could feel Tseng's eyes on him, he knew he was watching him. He had well expected that this one would follow him. He knew that deep down he would have a hard time shaking someone as bright as the other. By the time he made it to the classroom and pulled out his books, he was ready for the day to be over. He'd steal a smoke and sneak out as soon as he could. He hated this place, almost as much as he hated being home.

He felt his shoulders slump as he reached for his pen and a notebook. There was a test tomorrow. He couldn't remember what on or why. He wasn't overly sure he cared.

~*~

Tseng had kept his distance from Rufus, crowding the boy would not help things, and didn't engage him. His charge was subdued as were must of the students, shouting and running about the school yard was something poor public schooled kids did. These were the kind of children that had been made to skip childhood and dressed in power suits and pencil skirts ready to tear into the business world and could type better then they could write by age five.

The Turk moved and stood at the back of Rufus's classroom, ignoring the glare that the teacher gave him and the lecture started. Tseng half-listened, finding it interesting, his small village in one of the less populous parts of Wutai had only gone up through the sixth grade and the training education the Turk company had given him was a crash course at best. You were always on your own to fill in the gaps. Rufus however looked less then pleased to be there, which was interesting. Most kids buried themselves in school to forget about bad family life, but if last night had been any indication, Rufus wasn't even allowed that escape. Then Tseng reminded himself that his duties to Shin-Ra did not entail shrink work.

That had been one of his weaker points in training, getting emotionally invested in his assignments. Which was why somewhere in the Wutaian's file there was a small memo denoting that long-term work that required loyalty was best suited for this trainee, which was why Shin-Ra Senior had chosen the boy in the first place.

~*~

Rufus took as many notes as he could, looking a bit irked when the boy next to him tried to pass a note, which he ignored. He knew what was coming. The shadow that had now followed him into his third class of the day was going to undoubtedly be eating lunch with him.

He always ate lunch alone, and then bought a cigarette off of one of the other boys and then would sneak out to smoke. It was a dirty habit. He detested it, but it made him feel better for a few moments. He'd drink what he could get out of the liquor cabinet if it wasn't locked at home too. He took whatever he could get, as long as it didn't involve having to actually talk to people. They were all ignorant. Dumb as chocobos and wanting to please their parents that couldn't be pleased.

He hated that occasionally he found himself in that same place. And he wished to Shiva his mother would come home soon. He didn't like when his father hit her either, but anything was better than than him being hit all the time...or worse.

The boy next to him tried to pass a note to him again, and with a tiny inaudible sigh he finally took it and opened it. The girl next to him was looking at him with longing eyes and the note was full of hearts... giving her a dirty look he crumpled up the letter and dropped it on the floor, looking back up to the teacher and away from the classroom.

No. He didn't like her, no he didn't want to 'go out' that was disgusting. All that led to was things that made babies and honestly he never wanted to touch a girl. He hoped his father wasn't noticing the lack of interest... but touching, being touched...that was gross. Doing other things even worse...

He glanced at the clock. At this point even a brawl at lunch sounded better than some silly little blond thing in a short school uniform sniffling beside him.

~*~

Tseng was personally not looking forward to lunch, he'd never quite taken to Midgarian food, it sat too heavy in his stomach, and really wanted nothing more then a simple bowl of white jasmine rice but he doubted that he'd be able to get such a thing here. The past few hours while intellectually stimulating, had been quite boring job wise, but for that he was grateful because some part of him would have still felt a little bad about fighting kids who were still half his size and easily three years his junior. But a job was a job, what could you do?

He watched with some bemusement at the girl who passed the note via her neighbor to Rufus, and bit down a chuckle at Rufus's reaction to it. Although the Wutain wasn't exactly certain as to why. The girl wasn't bad looking, as far as Midgarian girls went, it could be a maturity thing still, but somehow he doubted Rufus was worried about getting "cooties" from her.

Shin-Ra Senior would certainly want his son to carry on the family line and thus the business, the importance of an heir was one thing that hadn't changed from the Wutain to Midgarian culture. And although it left open one obvious glaring answer, Tseng reserved that for later, it could be just general lack of desire from a stressful home life. Not that any of this really was his concern, he reminded himself. But it also wasn't that surprising either.

Tseng had learned at an early age about gender and sexuality, and of course the boys and girls of the village were always daring each other with a complicated game that involved foretelling future spouses and sexual experimentation with a cup of cat's teeth that when thrown on the ground and read for a specific pattern decided who would mess around with who in front of the others and the amount of babies that would result from it in the future should they fall in love. Not unlike soothsaying, but definitely more concrete, for some odd reason Tseng had always gotten paired with boys from the village, much to the disappointment of some of the girls.

The bell signaled lunch and the students eagerly departed, Tseng trailing them. The scent of the cafeteria turned his stomach and he fought down the urge to hurl. How people ate these things he would never know. His eyes fell on Rufus, eating alone with his own tray of food. Tseng considered joining him but decided against it for now. So far the day had been hazard free from them just pretending to be politely ignoring each other. Tseng watched from the wall closest to where Rufus sat and made a mental note to himself to bring his own food in the future.

~*~

Rufus barely picked at his food, it didn't taste good on a good day and today he just wanted fresh air more than anything else. He ate the main course, offered his dessert to the large boy that occasionally has his back in fights, then slunk towards the door to the recess grounds.

It was nothing more than concrete and basketball hoops, and an air of gloom and smog. So it wasn't really fresh air. He paid one of the tall boy's for a smoke, and then dug his lighter out of his back pocket. Hoping his bodyguard wasn't following, he ducked into one of the back alleys that housed picnic tables and sad scraggly plants struggling for life. He observed them as they struggled and suffocated under rock. He felt bad for them sometimes.

He lit his cigarette and took a drag, waiting for the shaking in his hands to stop, and two drags in it did. Sometimes it felt like he was one of those plants, and this his only drop of rain. He wondered how long it would be before he snapped like one of the commissioners boys had last semester. They found him swinging from a bathroom stall frame by his belt.

It wasn't that he planned to give up and die, but he knew a lot of them didn't make it out of this hellhole, and he knew that this was the only shot he had. If he were home schooled it would only make it worse. He wouldn't even have this...

He frowned at a brick wall before glancing up into the sky. Those below the plate didn't even have this much air.

Next Chapter:

http://greenscarab.livejournal.com/20847.html#cutid1

~*~

Questions on Chinese language found in this fic? go: href="http://greenscarab.livejournal.com/2010/03/01/
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