Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Glass Tower ❯ Target ( Chapter 16 )

# 28 Target

 

Sometimes Rufus left the TV in his home office on while he did paperwork. Today he'd left it on a local news program and he paid slight attention to it, always curious about public perception of the company. Since the aftermath of Meteor Crisis, he'd found it difficult to pay enough attention to the media much less spend the time and money involved to suppress it.

 

Only when he heard his name did he look up and raise the volume with a small frown. It had gotten to the more gossip-leaden part of the news magazine, hosted by two irritating young women by the names of Saffron and Rosa.

 

…”Long considered one of Midgar's—and now Edge's—most eligible bachelor, the young president has had a long history of breaking hearts. Everyone thought that he was too married to his job to consider wedding a flesh and blood woman.”

 

Rosa interrupted Saffron's little introduction with a smirk, “However, we now have proof that might not be the case.”

 

Rufus felt slightly nauseous as a somewhat grainy but most certainly authentic photograph was superimposed into the upper corner of the screen, right above Rosa's head. “Shit,” He swore emphatically.

 

The picture was of himself and Reno together at a restaurant. It was blessedly discreet, thought its implication was clear as day. Their hands were touching across the table and they were in the midst of conversation. Strangely, it was more intimate a photo captured than any illicit kiss or scandalous grope. Rufus thought of countless semi-private conversations they'd had in public and was vaguely aware of an almost instinctual habit to touch Reno while they were speaking. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he must have been subtly giving away their closeness for years.

 

He sighed wearily as the duo blathered on.

 

“Now some of you viewers might be wondering who that dashing red-head is,” Rosa looked like an eager, mischievous child with a secret.

 

“Actually,” Saffron giggled, “I was just thinking about how cute they look together.”

 

Rosa ignored her partner's poor attempt at banter and forged ahead to her big reveal. “I have it on good record that President Shinra's handsome companion is none other than one of his own employees, a Turk by the name of Reno.”

 

“Wow, talk about job security!” Saffron added with a suggestive wink.

 

Rufus felt his jaw clench with anger. He wasn't sure what pissed him off more: The invasion of his privacy or the implication that Reno was fucking him to keep his job.

 

“Now don't you think we're going to leave it be with just this one report,” Rosa grinned.

 

“That's right,” Saffron piped in, “There are still so many questions to be answered! How long has their little affair been going on? Is it serious? And most importantly: How does this relationship affect the possibility of there being a Mrs. Shinra in the future. All this and more will be answered as we target a full investigation into this story!”

 

Rufus turned off the television set with a contemptuous sneer curling his lips. “The hell you will,” he snarled as he picked up the phone and speed-dialed Tseng's number.