Rufus Shinra/Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy 7)

[yawmin.livejournal.com]

Title: And That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart...
Author: Hikaru (sake_butterfly)
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7
Pairing: Rufus Shinra & Yuffie Kisaragi
Spoilers: FFVII, Advent Children, sort-of DoC
E-mail: catadamon at gmail

Foreword: My computer completely died in the middle of drafting this essay. So if it seems to read a bit wonky, that's because it is. I lost most of my notes, so I've had to scramble things together the past few days to recover what I had on a borrowed computer. Once my computer is up and running again, I plan to heavily revise this-- including add pictures ^^;;




The short-short version of Final Fantasy VII
A very brief synopsis for those of you who are not familiar with the game--- Cloud is the protagonist and pseudo leader of the rebel group Avalanche. In the beginning of the game, they have set out to destroy Shinra, Inc.'s hold on the city of Midgar. In the center of Midgar looms Shinra HQ, which is connected by several reactors sucking out mako from the planet. These reactors supply energy for the city. However, by taking the mako energy, they are also killing the planet. It is Avalanche's agenda to stop this. But as they become closer to reaching their goal, things begin to unravel from Cloud's past. Sephiroth (created by Hojo of Shinra, Inc.), who Cloud knew in the past, is wreaking havoc on the planet. Avalanche soon realizes that they need to refocus their attention on Sephiroth. Shinra, Inc. eventually joins in the fight against Hojo's creation, creating a very delicate alliance between the company and Avalanche.


Preface
Now if you are familiar with the game, I understand what is currently going through your head. Something like “THE HELL?” Yes, I am fully aware. Whenever I proclaim that I am a follower of the ship, I get a wide-eyed shock look, or I am asked if I ever actually played the game. “Yes I have,” I reply. “Several times.” So if it is a question of evidence being cannon, then put your mind at ease. Of course, most of it is in actions, and not words-- especially since they do not speak to one another in the game. Some things about both these characters pasts are hazy in the main game of FFVII. In some of the newer games being released (mainly that of Before Crisis) some past plot elements are made clearer. I however, since the game has not been yet released in the states, have not gotten the opportunity to play it yet, and the online summaries of the missions stop right before Yuffie’s appearance. So, I will be working from the information that I’ve always been working from, and will see fit to edit this essay accordingly once I find out further information about BC.

As for the pairing themselves, well the story behind them is a little strange. It happened by accident one night a long time ago when I was still in middle school and I was into online RPGing on ICQ. At the time, I was involved in a FFVII game, and I was Yuffie. Yep, you guessed it. Yuffie ended up getting involved with Rufus in the game. But as I really thought about it, the pairing worked incredibly well. So I decided to try and create a back story for the two characters...


Time line of Games/Movies
(for your own use, as I reference most of these in the essay)
- Before Crisis (5 years? before FFVII)
- FFVII
- Advent Children (1 year after FFVII)
- Dirge of Cerberus (3 years after FFVII)


The Heartless President
"But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."

Rufus Shinra is the only son and heir to Shinra, Inc., which pretty much controls the world on which FFVII takes place. They have their hand in the power supply to the entire planet, advanced weaponry, and have an elite army under their command-- not to mention the space program and other various modes of transportation. But with the immense power, Shinra, Inc. has become hated by most. When his father is murdered by the infamous Sephiroth, Rufus seizes control of the company. Unlike his father, he believes he can control the world with fear. While he is not so troublesome as his father for the protagonists of the game, he takes the company in a dramatic direction with his heartless views. His past is shrouded in mystery, but it is quite evident that he never had a close relationship with his father. He seems almost happy when the former President is murdered.

Thinking it is a brilliant idea, Rufus decides that Shinra, Inc. needs to find the Land of the Ancients, which is connected to the Lifestream-- the very essence of life on the planet. It is also the source of an endless power-- and if it could be tapped, Shinra, Inc. would be unstoppable. However, what Rufus realizes is that the quest is more damaging to the planet than helpful. His plans also eventually help Sephiroth gain control of the Lifestream.

Is Rufus a spoiled child? Oh yes. It is evident from everything he does, even with his signature flick of his hair whenever he says something that he thinks is profound. But for thinking that he is so in control with everything, Rufus suffers from a strong blow during the summoning of Meteor, when he realizes that he actually understands nothing.


Heartstealer
"You scared of the Shinra? Then why don't you fall into line and obey them, just like all of the other towns!"

Small and spunky, you do not want to make Yuffie Kisaragi angry. She hails from a small island called Wutai. Several years before the game, Shinra, Inc. raged war against Wutai and won. Since then Wutai has become a sleepy resort town. The people of the island are still incredibly proud of who they are, but their leader (and Yuffie's father) Godo has become a coward. Frustrated with her father's cowardice toward Shinra, Yuffie sets out on her own in search of materia in order to restore honor to her people and to make Wutai flourish once more. She says. Despite the fact that she acts selfishly throughout most of the game, it is evident that she is actually quite dedicated to her friends and doing what she thinks is right.

Cloud's party encounters Yuffie at first as an enemy. She is a tricky thief who decides to join Avalanche if only to suit her own needs. Namely, materia-- or the magical orbs that create magic. Avalanche has plenty, and she wants them. It is a win-win situation for her. She constantly speaks her mind, whether it is an appropriate time or not, and supplies endless laughs for players of the game.


Significance of Wutai v. Shinra, Inc. (sub text)
"So, I finally found you."

The war against Wutai plausibly took place while Rufus and Yuffie were alive, but both were very young. Before the war, supposedly Shinra, Inc. and Wutai were on good terms with each other. Seeing as both Rufus and Yuffie are young heirs to their respective kingdoms, if the Shinra family ever visited the island of Wutai, these two would have at least been introduced and perhaps become friends.

Delving deeper into the game, the reason behind Shinra, Inc. attacking Wutai at all becomes questionable. If anything, it seems like it is the former President Shinra's desire to wipe out the Wutai culture. But why? It is my belief from the name Shinra alone, the President has a former connection to the island that he may not have wanted.

Considering that they come from very similar family situations--both are only children, both mother's are dead, and the have fathers they loathe--the two would probably become very close. But then the war between Shinra, Inc. and Wutai breaks out, and Rufus is torn from his only friend. Despite that they were young, their could have even been a young love between them. Rufus becomes cold and heartless towards everyone because of this loss. Until one day, he finds out that not only is Yuffie alive, but she is fighting on Avalanche's side.


What’s in a Name? (cannon-ish)

It should be pointed out that Yuffie and Rufus are two of four characters that actually have a Japanese element in their name (the other two being Godo and Hojo). Both Yuffie and Rufus have last names that are Japanese, which could trace Rufus back to having roots in Wutai somewhere. This could also explain why relations with Shinra and Wutai eventually are severed. Although Kisaragi is blatantly Japanese, it’s written in katakana. Why the game developers decided to do this, remains unknown (my guess is because everyone else’s names are). However, Shinra (神羅) is written out in kanji- and is composed of the character for ‘god’. This is perhaps a joke on the game developers side. Also, having Rufus’ last name written 神羅 also might signify his higher status than the rest of the characters, as Shinra, Inc. dominates over the entire world.


The Tiny Bronco Factor (cannon)
"I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco."

Above all things, the Tiny Bronco is especially important to this pairing. If you recall, Shinra, Inc. owns most of the world, and owns most of the things in the world. This includes a vast array of helicopters that the Turks, President and (former) Vice-President fly in constantly. Not to mention the Highwind (an airship) for at least the first two thirds of the game. So why is borrowing the Tiny Bronco from Cid so important that the newly appointed President Shinra comes to Rocket Town just to make sure it gets done? Rufus says, "We’re going after Sephiroth. But seems like we've been going in the wrong direction. But now, we think we know where he's headed. But, we have to cross the ocean. That's why we want your plane." The Tiny Bronco is a very small plane that would not be able to fly long distances, nor land in very convenient places. If it was a question of not taking the Highwind to the Temple of the Ancients, then a helicopter would have been much more practical to land. So why? If you have Yuffie in your party during this event, like I did, the party goes out to see the impending argument between Rufus and Cid. And when they do, for a moment, Rufus stares at your party. Looking at Yuffie perhaps? Could it be that he came all this way, to ask for a plane he did not need, just to get a glance at Yuffie without being blatantly obvious? I think so.


Meteor (cannon)
"Whatever I say is too little... too late...... We must evacuate. I want you all to come with me. There is still much more I want to hear."

The summoning of Meteor on disk 2 changes Rufus' way of thinking. Along with Avalanche, he bears witness to Sephiroth summoning meteor. Realizing that Shinra, Inc. has been completely wrong about the Temple of the Ancients and the Lifestream, he takes the responsibilty upon himself (and the company) to try and set things right. In his own way. He does, however, save the memebers of Avalanche from being killed in the summoning of the Weapons (which coinsides with the summoning of Meteor). He also takes them back to Junon for medical care and recouperation shortly after. But like I said, he does things his own way. Instead of asking to join in Avalanche's fight against Sephiroth/Weapons/Meteor, Rufus decides that in order to make Shinra, Inc. look like heroes, he has to put the blame of the summoning of Meteor/Weapons on Avalanche and sentences them to death.

However, the only members of Avalanche that actually walk to the gas chamber are Barret and Tifa. Cait Sith, obviously, is not included because he is a toy and is opperated by a member of Shinra, Inc. Cloud is missing. But that leaves Cid, Red XIII, Vincent, and Yuffie MIA. Cait Sith comes to the rescue after Tifa is already trapped, so Barret and Cait race to save her. Although you never find out how exactly Cid, Vincent and Red XIII escape, Barrett and Cait encounter Yuffie, who has diguised herself as a news reporter-- which leads me to believe that she may never have been imprisioned like the others. Cid, Vincent and Red XIII all have had histories with Shinra, Inc. (be that of employment or being experimented on)-- so the reason they were not imprisoned may be because of this factor, but Yuffie's only connection to Shinra, Inc. was the war. So why is she left free to wander? Could it be because of a connection to the President?


Other Instances (cannon... ish)
It has to be pointed out that Rufus and Yuffie never speak to each other in the game. Ever. In fact, I believe she's the only member of Avalanche who never speaks to him, save maybe for Vincent (but it's been a while since I played the game with him in my party during Rufus' appearences). Despite the fact that she is a secret character in the game, there are several instances in the game where she interacts with other NPCs, and the attack on Junon pretty much requires her presence, so I am sure the game designers completely intended for a player to get her in their party eventually. Yuffie also never mentions Rufus' name, even when he is right in front of her during the birth of the Weapons. Perhaps hiding their relationship, or trying to live in denial of them ever having had a relationship in the past?

While I cannot promise this for every game, the last time I played through FFVII something very strange happened in Gongaga Villiage. If you are familiar with the game, then you know the Turks have an ambush attack on Avalanche, bringing about rumors of their being a spy in their rebel group. I had Cait Sith, Cloud, and Yuffie in my party. But when the fight was activated, the Turks never directly attacked Yuffie. She even had a cover materia on, and when she moved to cover someone, it would automatically missed. I just sat there in awe watching the fight. Gongaga Villiage happens pretty early in the game, so it was not a level factor, and although Yuffie's avasion stats are high, they are not that high so soon in the game. Could Rufus had given orders to the Turks to not attack her? Just some food for thought...


Yuffie Overseeing Rufus’ transport (DoC - spoiler free/cannon)
The newest piece of evidence for this pairing is in the new FFVII offshoot game, Dirge of Ceberus. The opening sequence takes place outside Shinra, Inc. HQ in Midgar the day that Diamond Weapon attacks the HQ while missles. This is the attack that everyone believed that Rufus dies in-- however Advent Children shows that he is very much alive. Yuffie is there, overseeing an injured person on a stretcher. And who is this mysterious person? If you look closely, it is Rufus being carried out of the destroyed building. Not only is this SquareEnix's explaination of Rufus being alive, but it is solid evidence to the Rufus/Yuffie pairing. Why else would she be overseeing just his safe delivery to the ambulence? In the sequence, Yuffie even tells the men carrying Rufus out that there are more injured people, and they need to hurry. So why is she standing there? Because she wants to make sure Rufus is okay.


Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega
This book was published shortly after the release of Advent Children in Japan. It contains everything one would ever need or want to know about FFVII, including the original character concepts. What is interesting is that in the original concept for Yuffie's character, not only was she older (she was going to be 25 as opposed to the final 16 in the game), but she was going to be a former member of Shinra, Inc's Soldiers, like Cloud. But she ran away/left and ended up being a theif. It was planned for Cloud's group to see a wanted poster for her, and then be robbed in the night by her. Being a Yuffie fan, I was truly interested in this-- but for me it gave more evidence pointing to Yuffie being involved with Rufus somehow. A shady past with Shinra, Inc., especially considering Shinra and Wutai's past would have certainly shook up Yuffie, because she would be torn between her honor for Wutai and her honor as a Soldier for Shinra, Inc.


Why, in Jenvoa's Name, why?
I have to admit, I know my pairing is a little off the scales of "normal." Go to Japan, and you will not find any Rufus/Yuffie doujinshi, while just about every other pairing imaginable exists (believe me, I looked ^^). But their personalities bounce off of each other so well, I am shocked that it is not more popular. While both can act very spoiled at times, they both can pull it together when it really counts. For Rufus, it is after Weapon's summoning-- when he is constantly battling against Diamond Weapon in order to protect the people of the planet. For Yuffie, it is the conscious decision to help her friends fight against Sephiroth. She did not have to come, in fact everyone in Avalanche does not think she will return. But she does, because she wants to stand beside her friends and save the planet.

Rufus acts entirely too serious for his age, and Yuffie still acts like a child. The two of them being together would certainly relax his nerves a little. His sudden change of heart during the Weapons awakening also comes too sudden for me. From what the game provides with Rufus' actions for him to take responsibility for what has happened jarred me the first time I played the game. There had to be something going on before this incident, helping him realize that there are more things in life than money and power.

But the reason why I love the pairing so much is the factor of this being a forbidden love. Lovers who are opposing sides in a battle to save the planet. How long a time period the game takes place is kind of hazy, but it seems to last six months to a year in game-time. Having to be separate that long, with only the occasional glace at each other on opposite sides of the battle field has to tear you up inside. But both Rufus and Yuffie are dedicated people, which means that they would be dedicated to each other. Yuffie and Rufus would have to sneak around the backs of everyone they know, if they wanted to see each other in person. The factor that Yuffie does not always have to be in your party certainly influences the chances that she could run off somewhere, with her PHS on, trying to spend time with Rufus before she has to run off with Avalanche again.


Pieces of the Puzzle
"OK. Boring story no. 1."

Although I know I am not alone in this ship, it is very bleak, and I am the only writer of it that I am aware of. And while some of my writings are super recent, my "opus" explaining the entire Rufus/Yuffie relationship and how it could have been started, is almost six years old, so the writing is... horrible ^^; I will make notes about the newer and older fics.

A complete script of the game. All my quotes came from this, both in this essay and in my fanfiction.

Just Your Average Fairytale - My first Rufus/Yuffie fanfiction. This is I guess what is called the definitive fanfiction for the pairing--- I don't call it that, but others have told me it is *blush*. This is really old and really horribly written if you ask me. One day, I plan to do a revised version.

Definition of a President Forlorn - Rufus sneeks away from Shinra, Inc. to meet Yuffie in a restaurant Costa Del Sol. Probably what most people would think how these two would interact with each other.

Beautiful Collision - The current piece that I am working on. It takes the scenario from Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega as described above.

I also have a NC17 fic based on the events in Advent Children for interested parties. Leave a comment if you want the address for that ^^;

Comments

[snarky-kat.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm going to have to consider it a bit more, but you've pretty much convinced me ^^

[erikomyoujin.livejournal.com]

Oh hey. I've honestly never considered this before, but... you've got me thinking. ;3 Very nice~.

[verdictlesslife.livejournal.com]

Very interesting pairing! And excellent job on the essay!

One small thing, though - canon is spelled with only 2 Ns. Cannon with 3 Ns refers to the weapon. ^^

[eurogabby.livejournal.com]

Interesting thing about the past, but other then that it seems a bit shaky and too obtusely implied. If they were childhood friends, I could see Yuffie being concerned, but that is stretching it. I definatly could see one-sided Rufus->Yuffie, and him growing an idolized vision of her as he got older (later to be disappointed whe meeting her again, hey, that would make a good fic!), but Yuffie probably would hate his guts forever because of what his father, and in turn he, did to her country. And in DoC, Yuffie is not a medic,she's intelligence. She could be watching to see if everything is okay, but more then likely she was getting a scope for the situation, gathering info to put the pieces together.

Interesting, but it only proves Rufus->Yuffie. However, you still did a good job.

Wearer of the viking hat,
Gabby the Great

PS: Yuffietine is my OTP XD

[otilu.livejournal.com]

I wrote a Rufus/Yuffie fic a while back, as a 'But wouldn't it be awesome?' idea. I love the pairing. So much so that at that time, my friend wrote me a reeeeally short 'wedding' piece for them. I could go find it, if you like. It's not exactly literature, though. ^^;