Episode 25

[jaded_grin]

Okay, I want to go ahead and apologize for this episode - it didn't come out at all like I was hoping and I'm not sure that I care for it at all. So, please feel free to leave me comments about how you guys would change it, and I may alter it for next week to suit because I REALLY don't like this. I just haven't been able to concentrate on anything and all of my characters are having personality disorders thinking that they are OTHER characters. GAH! So, without further ado, the crap episode!

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1                         24                         26

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25

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            Cloud Strife stalked down the hallway towards Ifalna’s office, nodding at the casual smiles and waves he received. He didn’t stop to chat because Ifalna had sounded rather frightened, and she’d insisted he come right away.

            “Go right in,” her secretary called, and she seemed nervous, too.

            Bewildered, Cloud pushed open the door, saying, “You wanted to see…”

            He trailed off, immediately on his guard when he saw Ifalna’s strained, pale face and the man sitting carelessly in the chair before her desk.

            “Cloud, this is Mister Reno, he wanted to see you—” she started, her voice shaking.

            “You can go,” Reno cut in, jerking his thumb towards the door, ordering Ifalna out of her own office.

            “Wait just one second!” Cloud snapped, furious. “Who do you think you are that you can order her out of her own office?”

            Ifalna scooted her chair back and stood, hesitating when it looked as if Cloud’s determination might get them both somewhere.

            “I think I’m the primary fucking shareholder of FLASH!, you mouthy cunt,” Reno drawled, not even stirring from his seat. He flicked his blue eyes at Ifalna and lowly said, “Beat it, baby.”

            She quickly left, shooting Cloud an apologetic look on her way past, clearly unhappy to be leaving him alone in her office with a mobster and his two goons.

            It didn’t stop her from closing the door on her way out, however, Cloud grimly noticed.

            “Get over here, I’m having a bad morning, don’t wanna get up,” Reno said, his voice as lazy as he was. He didn’t look back to see if Cloud obeyed him, but the two thugs stirred a little.

            Cloud wisely moved around to perch on Ifalna’s desk, glaring down at the half-asleep redhead slumped in the chair before him.

            “Here’s what’s gonna happen,” Reno informed him. “You’re gonna go get whatever prints are left and bring them to me along with the film and we’re gonna have ourselves a little bonfire, and then we’re gonna have a talk about how it ain’t good for your health to follow me around snapping photos of things you got no business seeing—”

            “Yazoo ShinRa is public property,” Cloud growled, teeth clenched in anger. “She is the wife of this country’s future president! The public has a right to know if she is cheating on her husb—”

            “You want cheaters, follow Rufus around,” Reno said, his voice low and dangerous, his blue eyes glittering. “Yazoo is good as gold.”

            “Is that what you tell her when you’re fucking her?” Cloud scoffed.

            The two thugs moved forward but Reno lifted his slim hand, pausing them. Slowly, he straightened from the chair to tower over Cloud, making the smaller man bristle. Those blue eyes stayed sleepy and hazy, even as his arm whipped out and dealt Cloud a backhand that nearly toppled him from the desk.

            “Now,” Reno  murmured, head tipped down to watch Cloud glowering up at him, to watch him gingerly touch his split and bleeding lip. “We done playing around?”

            Cloud panted, his adrenaline high, his heart pounding. Fiercely glaring at Reno, he slowly straightened and said, “Yeah. Yeah, we’re done playing.”

            “Good,” Reno said, and slumped back down in his chair. “Yazoo Jenova is the last person you people need to shit on, especially after all she’s done for Midgar.”

            Cloud wiped at his lip, still pissed but unwilling to get into a rumble with the mobster who mostly owned his place of employment or two dangerous criminals masquerading as bodyguards. Payback could come later.

            Reno would rue the day he ever fucked with Cloud Strife.

            “Look, no one denies that Yazoo ShinRa is a fucking saint,” he lowly said, waiting for Reno to respond again. But the man didn’t seem to be close to losing his temper—even when he’d struck Cloud like the smaller man was some kind of two-gil whore, he hadn’t seemed pissed. He’d just been taking care of business, and Cloud could respect that. He was the same way when it came to exposing the lurid truth about people he actually respected. It sucked, but it was business. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t understand why you care. Midgar has known about the affair for years, ever since you were seen with her right after her wedding. It is common knowledge that you’re her lover, and Midgar eats that up, they want that for her, they want to believe that she is living a life they all dream of. So what’s different about this time? Is it because the photos capture you two kissing? Because I am willing to admit that being the first photographer to actually catch you two acting like lovers has done wonders for my career.”

            Reno stared at him with those frightening blue eyes before he slowly said, “I’m gonna lay it straight for you, Strife. Whatever Midgar believes, whatever you think you know, we both were there that day. Now, I’m gonna ask you, did it fucking look like we was together?”

            Cloud frowned. He knew as well as Reno did that nothing had gone on that day. He’d followed them all day long and never once had he gotten the chance to photograph them kissing or even holding one another like lovers did. It had bewildered him and he’d started to question if they really were the couple the world thought they were. In the end, he’d taken advantage of a moment and presented it as something it was not, merely as a way to prove the still-hidden truth of Yazoo’s infidelity.

            “Here’s the long and the short of it,” Reno purred, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. “You ever photograph her in a situation like that again with anyone, and I will have your goddamned head.”

            Cloud stared at him, too stunned to respond.

            “You tell me if I’m fucking joking.”

            He swallowed hard and stiffly said, “No. No, you aren’t joking.”

            Reno settled back with a small smile and murmured, “Good. Then we’re on the same page.”

            Never one to take anything lying down, Cloud pointed out, “People know, Reno. They know already and no amount of you threatening me or covering it up will hide the truth. The public has a right to know! What’s to keep me from leaving here and telling everyone that you threatened to kill me?”

            Reno smirked, one elegant brow arching as he asked, “What, you think you’re special? You think I ain’t threatened people before?”

            The two thugs chuckled, making Cloud blush in a fury of offended rights and dignity.

            “Listen, kid, I been in this game for years, I’m an animal,” Reno said, laughter floating in his voice. “One stuck up little photographer is a small enough price to pay to keep Yazoo safe, you got me? You ain’t shit to me, pal—but she is. You wanna risk that?”

            “No,” Cloud snapped, gripping the desk hard to keep from slapping that smirk off of his face. “But I’m not going to stay quiet about this.”

            Reno shrugged eloquently, sighing, “You’ll do what’s good for you, Strife. Remember, one more peep about Yazoo and you’re butcher-meat.”

            Fuming, Cloud asked, “Are we done here? Do you feel all alpha male enough to let me leave, yet?”

            Reno snorted, but he said, “Nah, we ain’t done yet. I wanna know something else.”

            Wary, Cloud asked, “What?”

            Those glittering blue eyes held his and Reno asked, “How do you get pictures of people without them knowing it?”

---

            Kadaj stayed outside on the stoop long after Rude had gone, still agog with what he’d been told. For so long he’d considered the man a potential enemy, someone who might decide to murder Reno for seducing Mrs. ShinRa. But after the large man so quietly and thoroughly explained his position—watch Reno, distract him, keep him away from Yazoo—Kadaj could only agree with him. He gave off none of the signs of being in love with his charge, no hint that he had any personal interest in her social life. He, like Kadaj, merely wanted the best for the person he guarded and had enlisted Zack’s help to that end alone.

            “So you really are just a handyman?” he asked for the millionth time, watching the rippling play of Zack’s muscles as the other man hoisted up a beam and anchored it. He’d stripped down to just his pants in the baking, steamy heat since they were in the shade, leaving the long length of his strong back and the delicious expanse of his slim belly exposed. He seemed unconscious of Kadaj’s eyes on him…or else he’d taken the boy leaving with Tseng to heart and figured there was no future there anyway.

            “Yeah, I am now,” he replied, hammering in the nails and pulling on the beam to make sure it was set. “It’s understandable, Kadaj—he guards her, he doesn’t want her to be hurt.”

            “Then maybe she should leave Reno alone!” Kadaj snapped, aggravated. First Mei Li to deal with and now more proof of Reno’s involvement with ShinRa’s lovely wife.

            “I think both of them should leave each other alone,” Zack commented, trying to be fair. He stepped down off of his ladder and swiped at his brow with the back of his heavy leather glove, chasing the sweat down his cheek. Fixing Kadaj with large, cobalt blue eyes, he asked, “Guess that date is off the calendar, huh?”

            Kadaj shifted with discomfort, dropping his head and looking at Zack from the shelter of his long bangs.

            “I won’t try to deceive you,” he murmured, but he looked away, unable to face the frank, open, and honest goodness of Zack. He felt oddly guilty about what he’d done with Tseng, and that made him angry because if he was going to feel guilty, he’d better feel guilty for cheating on Reno.

            Zack nodded a little, and gently said, “Okay…I understand.”

            “No,” Kadaj said, but he still couldn’t meet that gaze. “You really don’t.”

            He pushed himself up from his seat on the railing and yanked open the back door, hissing a little when Zack caught his bicep in a gentle grip.

            “Kadaj,” the man said, his voice as soft as his touch.

            “What?!” he cried, angrily yanking his arm away. “Stop looking at me like that!”

            He trembled and Zack let him go, but he didn’t turn away.

            “All my life I have wanted someone who treats me like I deserve to be treated!” the boy shouted, upset and angry that he still felt so fucking guilty. “Someone who will lavish me with gifts! Someone who will worship me! Can you do that, Zack?”

            He laughed harshly, willing to wound in order to assuage his own guilt, not understanding the source of it.

            “Of course you can’t!” he hissed, deliberately hurting Zack, wanting to see anger from him, something other than that gentle understanding. “You’re just a handyman! You’re nothing! You can’t lavish me with jewels! You can’t give me everything I want! You can’t afford to love me as I deserve to be loved!”

            Zack’s blue eyes were wounded, but he softly asked, “Is that love to you, Kadaj? Things?”

            The boy said nothing, just panted with the force of his anger and willed himself to feel proud of sleeping with Tseng, proud of cheating on Reno and running out on Zack before things got anywhere. Proud of finally getting some back on the lover who constantly cheated on him.

            “Then, no,” Zack told him, and finally looked away. “I guess I could never love you like you deserve.”

            He turned back to his tools and quietly began to gather them.

            After a tense, strained moment, Kadaj wordlessly vanished back inside.

---

            Yazoo quietly observed Rufus’s mother, ruefully admitting that he had gotten his looks from Scarlet—he had her aristocratic nose, her full mouth, her eyes, even the same slender but strong build. Of course, Rufus was getting himself a little pot belly these days, but he hadn’t responded well when Yazoo had pointed out to him that it rather ruined his otherwise lovely physique.

            “Tell me, Yazoo, are you really the woman I see in those hideous magazines?” Scarlet inquired, smiling softly to take the sting out of her words.

            Yazoo blushed. If he had his way, he would very soon be exactly the woman everyone saw in the magazines…

            “No,” he said, and wistfully wished that Rude had ridden in the back with them. The large man was such a comfort when things got uncomfortable. “No, I am not. I am afraid that one cannot even have friends these days without the media making a go of it.”

            Scarlet sighed a little and said, “It was easier when I was in the spotlight—there wasn’t near the hunger for rumor, and the reporters had respect for people’s privacy…”

            She looked at Yazoo and smiled again, her blue eyes holding a warmth and friendliness that Yazoo had never seen from the son who so resembled her.

            “It must’ve been very hard for you, coming from your family home, coming to a new country where everything was strange,” Scarlet observed.

            “Yes,” Yazoo agreed, and politely kept things vague. Scarlet didn’t need to know that Rufus had dumped Yazoo at the doorstep and gone on their honeymoon alone. She didn’t need to know that he’d actually struck him on more than one occasion, goading him to fight like a man. She didn’t need to know that he kept a string of whores handy and regularly flooded their home with hired sex.

            There was a lot about Yazoo’s marriage to her son that Scarlet didn’t need to know, and Yazoo had his own secrets to keep. In that, at least, he and Rufus were very much alike.

            “I imagine it was hard for you,” he countered, changing the subject the only way he knew how. “Being separated from your family and going so long without seeing your son.”

            “It was,” Scarlet murmured. “I missed them both very much, but I missed Rufus like my own heart had stayed behind with him. Once you have a child of your own, Yazoo, you will understand…”

            Yazoo blushed and looked out of the window, taking a deep breath. His elation with his decision to take Reno as a lover was sorely diminished by this woman’s interest in his life, in the life of her son. Yazoo had always longed for children, and his inability to do so sometimes grieved him painfully. Most of the time he was able to smother it in apathy, drown it in volunteer work, bury it beneath the simple pleasures of reading a good book or curling up to watch a television program. He’d often thought of how a child would ease his loneliness…but then thinking about the life that child would have to endure made him feel selfish and cruel.

            “I’m sorry,” Scarlet said quietly, aware of Yazoo’s embarrassed distress. “That was unkind of me. I didn’t think that maybe there was another problem.”

            Yazoo smiled tremulously, saying, “Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just…It’s a sensitive issue for me.”

            After a long silence, Scarlet offered, “There is a fertility doctor who helped me with Rufus. If you would like his contact information, I would be more than happy to give it.”

            “Thank you,” Yazoo said, smiling despite the tightness in his chest.

He felt anything but happy now. Hollow, was more like it. Saddened. But manners dictated that he be polite, so he pushed it all back down and hoped that his feelings didn’t show in his big jade eyes.

---

            Reeve was certain that someone was playing a practical joke on him, and he was given proof of it when Yuffie came wandering into his studio on the heels of Genesis elaborating on their imaginary first date.

            “This is all your fault, isn’t it?” he demanded, interrupting Genesis in the middle of another soliloquy.

            Yuffie seemed surprised to see Genesis, and the director looked anything but pleased himself.

            “What’s going on, guys?” she asked, confused. “I came by to bring you some take-out, Reeve. I know you don’t eat enough…”

            She held up a grease-dotted doggie bag as an alibi, and Reeve snorted.

            “Is this some idea of a joke to you?” he asked, and went to work murdering one of his other brushes while Yuffie stared at him and Genesis impatiently waited for them both to shut up. “Am I on camera right now? Did you just want to see what would happen if my rapist asked me on a date?”

            “On a date?” Yuffie echoed, looking at Genesis.

            “Pfft, I am not a racist,” the man insisted, inspecting his buff, gleaming nails.

            “Rapist,” Reeve tightly corrected. “You’re not even paying attention are you? You’re just composing your next lines!”

            Genesis gave him a flat look and sighed a little.

            “Genesis,” Yuffie said, confused. She sat the bag of food down on the window shelf and scrutinized him. “What are you doing here?”

            “Darling, you told me where his studio was,” Genesis said, waving his hand a little. “I merely came by to thank him for paying me back.”

            Reeve snorted and Yuffie seemed to catch on that the aggravated painter wasn’t pulling her leg—Genesis had asked him on a date.

            “Genesis!”

            “Yuffie, my Rose, come here for a moment,” the man insisted, and moved back out into the warehouse proper. He pushed her flat against the wall of the narrow hallway and leaned back opposite her, pouting a little when he said, “Reeve is a good man, darling.”

            “Yeah, I got that,” Yuffie said, oddly dismayed by the whole thing. “So what are you doing asking him out?”

            “Look, I’m not hiding anything from you, here,” the man said, his voice cooling considerably. “Yuffie, Reeve has a crush on you, it’s as plain as day.”

            She laughed a little, starting to deny it, but slowly tapered off as she recalled so many little instances, so many ways that Reeve catered to her.

            “Oh…”

            “Yes, oh,” Genesis purred. “You would chew him up and spit him out again and I’m not willing to see that happen.”

            “I would not!” she denied, flushing hotly. “It’s Reeve! He isn’t like all the others, Genesis! I wouldn’t hurt him on purpose—”

            “No, but you would certainly hurt him when you got bored,” the other man reminded her. “Remember that reporter? Hm? Or that milk-cow who worked in the President’s office?”

            “Tifa,” Yuffie absently said, too stunned by Genesis’s words to really pay attention to what she was saying. Reeve liked her? Had a crush on her? She simply hadn’t noticed, and now Genesis was swooping in to snatch him up—“Foul play!”

            Genesis snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, smirking when he said, “All is fair, darling.”

            “So, what? Is this war, then?” Yuffie asked. “You’ll rip his heart out faster than I ever could! You have a new lover every fifteen minutes!”

            Genesis gasped softly, hand pressed to his heart, and cried, “You wound me, vicious creature!”

            Leaning close, he dropped the shocked act and said, “Listen here, honey—Reeve is a darling, he’s a diamond in the rough, he’s a fragile and artistic soul and you are a man-eating, money-grubbing little wannabe-lesbian opportunist who runs through other people’s lives without so much as blinking.”

            Yuffie scowled, pushing up onto her toes to counter his greater height, but Genesis wasn’t done yet.

            “As much as I adore you, my darling Rose, I will not pass the opportunity to experience a truly good man and I will not stand by and watch you strip him of everything he has until he’s an empty, useless husk who can’t even slap his name on a canvas, let alone a masterpiece!” the tall, slender man hissed. “So when it comes to Reeve Tuesti, my dear, may the best girl win!”

---

Tseng waited patiently in his condo for Kadaj to arrive with the numbers from Reno’s various establishments. The boy had called him mere moments before, his sharp voice wavering slightly and rather thick. Tseng could tell the usually self-possessed young man was upset…and he couldn’t be happier.

Mei Li’s call just an hour before had confirmed his suspicions that the tanned and spiky-haired young man working for Reno was, indeed, Kadaj’s lover.

            But now Kadaj was Tseng’s lover, and thing had changed yet again. With Mei Li in place to keep Reno…occupied, Tseng was certain it would take very little to convince Kadaj to come away with him. He was more determined than ever to own his precious Jewel, regardless of the consequences.

            The doorbell rang and Tseng smiled, waiting for Kadaj to come to him.

---

            Elena was on her way out of the house when she heard Ronald talking on the phone in his office. Startled, she checked her watch, wondering why he wasn’t at work.

            “Yes, I see,” he was saying. “No, that’s fine, I can get there within a few hours by jet, it’s no problem.”

            Curious, she crept forward and hugged the wall, wondering who he was talking to.

            “So, this test will confirm everything then?” he asked, and he sounded odd. He sounded tired. After a long pause, he sighed, “Yes, of course, I see. I just need to know…how long, I suppose. I’m sure in these instances that is fairly usual.”

            Elena scrambled away from the door when she heard him come near it, darting down the hallway towards the door.

            ‘Whatever is going on, it’s not my problem,’ she thought, snatching up her keys and taking off.

            Ronald was a big boy, he could take care of himself.

            He’d have to, because taking care of Ronald ShinRa was certainly not something Elena Lügner would ever do.

---

            Cloud watched Reno and his thugs leave Ifalna’s office with relief mingling with outrage. They’d taken his snapshots, taken his film, taken everything he’d captured in Kalm and had summarily destroyed it…

            …but only after Reno had questioned him so closely about how exactly one got photos of people without them knowing about it.

            Cloud knew the man was planning something, and his curiosity was eating him alive.

            “Reno!” he shouted, scrambling out of the office after him and catching up as the man lolled to a stop. Fixing Reno with his critical blue eyes, he said, “I forgot to tell you. That camera you had won’t work for whatever you have planned. You’ll need something smaller.”

            “Like what?” Reno questioned, and if he was surprised that Cloud was onto him, he didn’t show it.

            “Like I’ll tell you after you make me a deal,” Cloud informed him, and merely glared back at the two glowering thugs.

            Reno thought about it for a moment, his eyes shuttered and his mouth curved up in the barest of smiles.

            “What kinda deal you wanting, Strife?” he finally asked.

            “Whatever you get that won’t bust you out, I want it,” he said, determined to have his edge in this. “Gossip, details, anything. I’ll help you but I want exclusive rights to your world.”

            “My world?” Reno laughed, amused. “What makes you think I’d give you anything?”

            “Because if you were going to have me killed, you would’ve already,” Cloud said. “You need help trapping someone, blackmailing them? I’m your man and you know it. It’s my stock in fucking trade. All I ask in return is information to keep my career on the right track. It isn’t much to ask.”

            “Nah,” Reno said, lighting another cigarette. There was a bubble of space around them twenty feet wide, all of the usual goings on of the magazine oddly muted and subdued. “It ain’t much to ask…”

            He sighed out a cloud of smoke and stared at the young photographer cum reporter for another long moment before he suddenly grinned and said, “You got yourself a deal, Strife. But I dictate everything you publish, no questions.”

            “Right,” Cloud lied, smirking. “No questions.”

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1                         24                         26

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Comments

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Thanks for updating!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reading! Hopefully, next week's episode will be better!

[d0rkgoddess.livejournal.com]

omg, love it!... is it weird that I actually LIKE Scarlet?... should I like her? and poor Yazoo.... also, someone needs to smack Yuffie and Genesis both... Rufus still needs shot... let's see, I think that covers it... *prances and waits for next Monday*

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's weird to like Scarlet, she's a capable, straightforward, and strong woman! LOL! Gen and Yuffie will have their day, and Rufus will get his, too! Glad you liked it, I'm still iffy about this episode.

[superkalifragi.livejournal.com]

cushion in my back *check* popcorn *check* a tissue box (just in case, you never know) *check*
I´m ready to go!

Man, I love Cloud XD *smothers him to death* 'The public has a right to know...' Great! This sence is so overused but it fits in soooo well here! It shows Cloud is really determined and idealistic, in a way. I actually liked that Reno was rather calm with handling that situation-normally one would think he´d be more agitated, but it was a nice atmosphere there, with that underlaying threatening air. Now even though it seems that I was wrong with my assumption that Reno had intentionally let this photos been taken he seems to think my way now ^^ I´m wondering who´s in...

I´m wondering if Zack is all 'goodness'- he might be, but the actions he did in the past might not be... Curious about that now!

Hahahahahaha, Rufus has a potbelly XDDDDD But he hurt Yazoo? Now that´s no laughing matter. Hm... Maybe Yazoo can 'find' a child? Like, when he´s visit an orphanage for his volunteer duty and falls in love with a cute, bold little kid that captures his heart? No? Damn. ^^

The exchange between Genesis and Yuffi was so funny! Poor Reeve, he´s in for something...

Yah, Elena certainly wouldn´t do anything that isn´t for her own benefits. Clever girl.

So, all in all I do not see why you are dissatisfied with this chapter, I enjoyed it greatly and I think the characterization is just fine!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm glad you liked the episode! I was really iffy about it (and still am, I just can't put my finger on the issue...), but I guess I will leave it as it stands.

Cloud is waiting for his time to get Reno back, oh yes he is! And Reno is going to put his information to good use when it comes to getting those photos that Rufus wants of Yazoo in order to blackmail the Jenovas.

Speaking of Rufus - I thought the potbelly fit his alcohol problem, lol! And I'm not sure, I have some ideas for Yazoo, but they all revolve around the end of his plotline, so we'll just have to see!

I feel bad for Reeve, without even wanting to he's now stuck between two friend/rivals. And Elena just needs a smacking!

I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I know it isn't as strong as the other chapters, but it moved things along and I guess I will live with it!

Thanks again!

[randrews25.livejournal.com]

I second everything ann said :D
Your Cloud is fawnable xD and my baby boo zacky poo! *I'll love ya Zack!*

*pass you chocolate, double fudge, almond cookies*

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! *snugs you to bits* I'm glad you like them! I was really unhappy with this episode, but I guess I'll live! Thanks again!

[ldyavalon.livejournal.com]

I LIKE your Cloud ;)

Though Zack's still my fav. And Kadaj.

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Thank you, honey! I'm glad you like Cloud! And Zack's time will come, oh yes! Just hang in there, the crazy Kadaj show isn't over yet!

[sussurous.livejournal.com]

I liked this episode, everyone seemed to be acting like themselves so...

Cloud was awesome here. Reno didn't scare him and Cloud had the balls to strike a deal with him. I hope he becomes a major character in your soap.

The Yazoo scene made me sad. That line where he remembers Rufus hitting him and telling him to fight like a man- that sucks. I think Rufus is scum.

I'm so curious about Zack I can't stand it. He is such a good guy and whatever happened in his past has made him so sad I just want him to be happy. I don't think Kadaj is the boy for him though. Kadaj has too many issues I think.

The Reeve Genesis Yuffie scene was funny. "May the best girl win" heh. I wonder what Reeve is thinking right now?

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! I'm still really GRR about this chapter but I guess it will stay. Whatever is off about it I can't put my finger on, so I can't fix it.

Glad you liked Cloud! In that situation it was hard to make him brave without getting him killed. I think he showed a lot of courage chasing after Reno, and Reno seems to be impressed by him (or else he would've killed him). Cloud will most likely become a major player shortly, once Yazoo's plot is wound up.

Yazoo's situation is a sad one, but it seemed like something Rufus would do to him since he's never EVER seen Yazoo as anything other than a man.

Zack gets more complicated every time I write him. He IS a genuinely good man...but he's certainly hiding something! He could do wonders for Kadaj, but Kadaj isn't ready for that yet.

And poor Reeve! I'll just leave it at that! LOL!

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad the episode didn't suck as bad as I thought it did!

YEEEEESHHHHH!

[sephbuttons.livejournal.com]

I love Mondays!!! I do, I do, I do :D

Not sure why you dislike this chapter. It was good. I am so happy to see Cloud, finally hehehe
He seemed a bit whimpier than I expected, but perhaps he is 'holding back' so to speak, until an opportune moment, to strike back?? Either way, you have to know how to talk to mafia, no matter how brave you are, right?

Love the bit with Yazzo and Scarlet. I feel so much for poor Yazoo, so sad. Hope he gets his happilly-ever-after ending. Oh, finally, Tiffa's mistery is revealed, sort of hahaha

Zack's mistery keeps on building, like it. He seems too goody-goody with a shady past. Something's definitely up.

I will shamelessly keep "promoting" Seph x Cloud pairing to you, regarless of the outcome, I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't...

Great chapter, and I wouldn't change anything.

Re: YEEEEESHHHHH!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm happy you liked it! I'm sorry if I made Cloud come off as wimpy, he did his best to be brave without winding up dead. He's certainly going to get his digs in when Reno least expects it. And you are totally right - he was talking to a mobster, he had to be super cautious because Reno wouldn't really hesitate to kill him.

Yazoo's story will lighten a little bit before it winds up, and Scarlet is a good support character for Yazoo, so I'm happy they hit it off. And Tifa, LOL! Yeah, she's part of Yuffie's past, so she'll make it in in good time.

Zack is definitely hiding something, he just won't tell me what. And I have no idea what will happen when Seph arrives, so we'll just have to see!

Thank you so much for your awesome comment! I really appreciate it!

[natila.livejournal.com]

well Reno was certainly himself ! :p And so was Yazoo, the poor thing .. :( No, I really dont see why you are not satisfied with the result, now again, I am totally uncritical when I read your stuff anyway so im not the one to ask :D

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yes, Reno was definitely himself all over the place! I'm happy the episode worked for you, I'm still a little "EH" about it, but I'll live! I'm glad you liked it! I hope next weeks is much better! Thanks again!

[nivell.livejournal.com]

I thought this was the best chapter! Why would you want to change it? It was especially perfect because of all the tensions going on...just oooh, I can't wait to read the next chappy!

And yay, Cloud! I was wondering when he was gonna show up..but what about Loz??XD

I've always wondered about this..who the hell is Mei Li? Besidse being a shemale, I mean. XD

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Really? I can't really figure out why I dislike it so much, but if the readers are happy with it, I am too! Cloud will show up more and more as things progress, and Loz will turn up later on, I've already written his entry.

As for Mei Li - she's just an OC, really! Shoveled in for plot-purposes and to expose Reno's kink (and I use that word in a good way, I refer to anything that gets a person all happy as their kink. Mine happens to be boys in bondage and she-males YUM), so she's really a nobody. She was so well-received, though, that my original plan for her has changed. I was surprised at the way people took to her, especially as an OC. So that's her story! She's just a boy-gal from Wutai! If she sticks around, I may write a history in for her.

I'm really happy you liked the episode, and thanks so much for the comment!

[white-jenna.livejournal.com]

I think it was a perfectly fine chapter. :)

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

God, how've you been? I need to get on my friends page and stop being such an asshole!

[white-jenna.livejournal.com]

I've actually been stressed as hell recently, but there hasn't been much in the way of interesting journal entries. Although you did show up as "the sexy, smirking anti-villain who joins your side at the last moment" in a meme that I did. :D
And how have you been?

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

I was really the sexy, smirking anti-villian who joined your side at the last minute?! Yay! ...what's a Meme?

I'm sorry things have been hectic and stressful for you! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you have fun coming (looking at DoC!). Things are bound to get better! And if not, yaoi will always be happy to help! lol!

I've been going bananas enjoying myself in life after the army! If I'd known about my meme-fame, I woulda...something'd it! YAY!

[white-jenna.livejournal.com]

Yup. :D http://white-jenna.livejournal.com/169276.html Meme is any of those quiz type thingies that travel from journal to journal.
Thanks for the positive thoughts, I could use them. :)
Glad you're enjoying civilian life. :D

[zilldk.livejournal.com]

There's really no reason for you to be this unhappy with this episode! Please erase that thought from your head, sweetie!

The little snippets with the different characters keeps them all in mind, and is just enough to peak your interest in what comes next.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the characters either, and I guess I don't even need to tell you how much I loved little, sneaky, up-to-no-good Cloud... He he I can't wait to see his further involvement with Reno's business unfold.

And Zack of course! Aww he needs love! And I need to know more about his past!!! Pretty please?

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Thanks, honey! I just can't figure out what exactly has me picking at this episode, so I guess fixing it is out of the question. So far, everyone seems to like it pretty well so maybe it is in my imagination?

Cloud is certainly a fun little guy to write! I tried to make him courageous as much as possible without Reno just flat-out killing him, and his ballsy behavior at the end of the episode seemed to impress Reno, so he's probably going to emerge as a pretty strong character.

Zack just teases me like a tart! He won't give up ANY of his backstory! I'm like, Zack, WTF is the Brotherhood of C--? and he just smiles at me. *baps him*

But he's well quit of Kadaj right now, that boy is crazy all over the place!

Glad you liked it! And thank you for your comment!

[etrix.livejournal.com]

I read this yesterday (after another freakin' busy day, ugh), and was just going to fire off a short note about how much I enjoyed it (which I did) when I read your note about not being happy with it, so I decided to do another, more critical read through.

The two biggest question marks I can see are with Cloud in the first part and Genesis with Yuffie.

Cloud when he's in the office with Reno comes across as a complainer along the lines of he's "owed" things and, if he doesn't get them, then life is unfair. He's all bravado and no punch. Maybe he should be more like your Cloud from 'The Beginning of the End' who was no bravado and all strength?

Genesis, when he tells Yuffie to stay away from Reeve, isn't the flamboyant drama queen you've written before. He actually comes across as someone's who's getting older and is looking for something or someone stable and nice to come home to. He seems to want hugs and kisses (with thorns) rather than passion and drama. He actually comes across as kind of lonely and sad. Now I'm hoping he does get Reeve and treats him well.

The interaction between Yazoo and Scarlett is a little, hmm, stilted and polite. I assumed you did that deliberately since this is the first time they are meeting: Daughter and Mother-in-law. That's got to be kinda awkward.

As for the rest of your cast, I thought they were in keeping with what you've set up for them before (and general fandom standards).

The scene between Zack and Kadaj was especially touching. Zack is (understood) to be the kind of person who values intangibles more than material things. Kadaj has been set up (by Tseng) to desire jewels and gold and slavish devotion. Although, he kinda gets that from Reno (lots of things, not much emotion) and it hasn't made him happy and/or secure... but I digress.

Reno is excellent at being Reno. ShinRa Sr. holds on to his noble, lonely persona you've established. Elena's a selfish, self-serving skank. I hope, on so many levels, that ShinRa Sr. writes her out of the will.

I'm also hoping that Kadaj didn't go to Tseng's side. Maybe, hopefully, what Zack said made him think a little. He is capable of it when he's not ridiculously unhappy and feeling pressured. *sigh*

Now I have to wait another week! bleh!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! I just couldn't put my finger on what was bugging me! I kinda wrote myself into a corner with Cloud because he was trying to be courageous but it's really hard when there's a mob boss who would rather kill you than deal with you. He didn't come out as strong as I had wanted, but there is time and room for him to grow. I started to get somewhere at the end of the scene when he realizes that Reno isn't going to do him in and decides to go after him, but it fell a little flat. I'll keep him, I guess, but he isn't like the Cloud I had in mind, you totally called that one and I appreciate it because after you mentioned it I realized it!

Genesis here IS a little different, because right now something is on the line for him. I maybe missed my little plot-nudges in prior episodes where I show his interest in a good man, in changing. I picture him as a man who IS at a pivotal moment, who DOES want more than what he's got. But the question is can he change enough to land Reeve or will it all go to crap? I'll try to make his moments work in a little better in the future, because I adore flamboyant Genesis!

And thank you for the rest, too! I really appreciate when someone takes the time to really give me quality feedback! I hope next week's episode is much better because I'm not sure I can deal with it if it isn't! Anyway, thanks again! And I hope things calm down for you! *hugs*

[etrix.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe Cloud just finished an all-night surveillance that didn't turn into anything. Or maybe he'd just gotten off the phone with his mother. Either of those events would likely put him off his game.

Any maybe, just to make him even more off balance in his first meeting with Reno (and therefore less strong than he would normally be) is his first thought of "Woah, He's hot!" followed by his second (even more disconcerting) thought "I'd do him".

The scene with Genesis was excellent and doesn't need changing. I'm so happy I called it right. I just hope, when he gets Reeve, that he doesn't screw it up.

Calming down... um, not likely for at least another couple weeks. *sigh*

[f-mystic.livejournal.com]

Yay! More Genesis and Reeve!
Booooo! Not enough Reno with Yazoo!
Okay, now that I'm over that little personal quirk; I missed last weeks update. Don't know how, except that maybe I was busy getting back to work and it rolled on my friends page, but here I am reading this thinking "did I miss something?" Then I realized, yeah, you could say that!

Zack's story is intriguing; I'd like to know more about his past, and am waiting to find out how this all ties together. Reno confronting Cloud was absolutely delicious, and I can't even tell you why. Genesis; yeah, Genesis. I can't wait to see where that one goes, but I have to say I hope he wins!

Bravo!

*patiently waiting for MORE*

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

LOL! Reno and Yazoo's time is coming! God knows it will take more than a smile to REALLY sweep Yazoo off of his feet *insert evil grin here*! Sorry about the sneaky episode! I'll make them behave from now on, lol!

Zack's past is a mystery to me as well and Genesis is just a hoot! I'm having a good time writing, I only hope that next week's episode is better than this one! Thanks again for the comment!

[neurotoxia.livejournal.com]

That's no crapisode!

I'm glad Cloud didn't turn out to be emoing in the corner like he does in way too many fanfics. He's showing some balls here, I like that.

Kadaj is still insane and as sad as it was to read it, it's good that Zack got him off his back...at least for a while. But still, we have no idea what his background is D:

Genesis is hilarious...may the best girl win... xD

I like Elena's last name, it fits her quite well.

...and now, I have to wait patiently for the next episode *sigh*

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm glad you think it's good! Cloud is working with what he's got, trying to get his angle while staying alive.

Kadaj is young and confused, which is a not-good combo, LOL!

Genesis I adore, and I'm almost rooting for him, now :D

I picked Elena's last name special, I'm glad you got it! And thank you again for the great comment, I'm really glad you liked it!

Love it!

[belatrix-labe.livejournal.com]

I could read your soap all day long. I want to know moore! I love this Cloud Strife, not so Mr Nice Guy and taking advantage of his baby-face. And Reno... oh Gods, I'm really want to believe he will change his mind about Yazoo and truly fall in love by him.
And sure at last but no least...The threesome Yuffie, Reeve and Genesis...man..I'm getting obsessed with that...
Hugs dear and I have a drawn for you..How can I send it?

Re: Love it!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you so much! I'm really happy you liked it, and I'm CRAZY excited to see your drawing! Uhm, my email is inamabilis_unloved@yahoo.com if you want to send me a digital copy, or if you have it in a gallery somewhere, send me the link so I can see it! I'd love to add it to the next episode if you don't mind! YAY! Do you have a Deviant Art Gallery or a photobucket account? God, I'm so excited! YAY!!

[sphinxofthenile.livejournal.com]

and you are a man-eating, money-grubbing little wannabe-lesbian opportunist

Oh, God, did that crack me up... The two of them are being so childish. I'm afraid they'll hurt Reeve in the end... but let the best girl win!

Loved the Reno/Cloud interaction. Cloud boy seems to be a perky little spikeball, hmm? Well, we shall see how it goes. Reno might be in for something!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

I worry for Reeve, myself! Between Yuffie and Genesis, there's just no winning *pets him*!

And Reno is definitely in for more than he's bargained for ;)

[afuri-kurage.livejournal.com]

woah Cloud! You little bitch! XD