Rufus sat in the conference room, fingers steepled under his chin.

Tseng was gone. Field assignment. Which left you here.

You never looked at him. He noticed that early.

Most people stared. Out of fear, out of need. Some lingered. Some challenged him. Even Tseng made eye contact when required.

You never did.

You were not unaware of him. You responded when spoken to. But your gaze never lifted to meet his. Not once. Not even by mistake.

At first he thought it was respect. Then he remembered.

He had seen your face before. Not in the hallways. Not in Shinra. Not in any profile file.

Before that.

As a child, he used to wake with the memory of someone beside him. Not touching. Just watching. A figure that always remained just out of reach. Each year, that face aged with him. From child to teenage. Then older. Always near, always the same eyes. No words were ever spoken in those dreams. No names given. Just a strange, quiet recognition.

He never believed in fate. Not once.

But when Tseng first introduced you and he saw you standing there with your eyes fixed just past his shoulder, something in him turned cold.

And now, here you were again. Present. Breathing. Real.

He had tested it more than once.

Dropped files too suddenly. Changed tone mid-command. Walked silently into a room to test you.

You never looked at him. Not once.

Now, across the quiet room, he watched you straighten the final sheet in the folder. The soft brush of paper was the only sound.

The file closed with a quiet click. You stepped forward to place the next report.

Rufus said nothing for a moment. Then his eyes dropped to your wrist.

Bare.

He remembered it with perfect clarity, the pale jade bracelet you always wore in the dreams. Adjustable. Worn loose. He had seen it countless times. It had become part of you in those memories, silent and constant.

You never spoke but it was always there. Now, it was not.

He spoke without looking up. "You are not wearing the bracelet."

You froze.

"The jade one," he said. "Probably from a grandparent. You wore it every time."

Your breath caught. It was subtle but not enough to hide.

"You never took it off," he added.

When your eyes finally met his, the look in them was unmistakable.

You knew and you had not expected him to know too. But now he did.