Episode 28

[jaded_grin]

Alright! Well, everything is back on, but for some reason LJ will not let me do a double LJ-cut, so whatever. Unfortunately, that means that the posts are MUCH SMALLER than I wanted them to be!!! Sorry about the long delay! Between "Land Hurricanes", no electricity, no internet, no hot water, etc. I've been really swamped and unhappy! But here we are! * Edited 14 May - Paragraph moved back to last episode*

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1                    27                   29

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28

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            Elena was shaking hard when she finally came home, and she was in no way prepared to see the house abuzz with activity.

            Eyes wide, she wandered into the main hallway to see a stately, slender blond woman directing movers, her gestures imperious, and her voice curt and commanding.

            “Excuse me,” Elena said, stalking over to her, startled to see a feminized version of Rufus ShinRa’s face looking back at her, all aristocratic bone structure and beauty. “What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

            “Elena, correct?” the woman asked, and her smirk made the smaller woman glower. “I’m moving my things back into my suite—no! You there! That armoire goes into the dressing room! Turn around!”

            The movers scrambled to obey while Elena processed this startling and outrageous information.

            “Look, lady, you can’t just move in here, you know?” she began, taking offense. Fuck, she left the house for awhile and things went to pot!

            “My dear, I believe that I can do just about anything I want,” the woman said, not smug, just sure of herself. “Please, pardon my manners; I’m Scarlet, Ronald’s ex-wife and Rufus’s mother.”

            Elena didn’t take the offered hand, her heart shot up into her throat when she realized what this might mean—Ronald’s ex-wife moving back in, the potential that she would be moved out.

            More importantly, Reno not only not getting his money, but Elena with no way to provide it to him, because she had no doubt that he’d cleaned her account out as soon as he’d caught onto her little defection.

            “Look, Scarlet, you can’t do this!” she stammered, suddenly very frightened. “I live here, now! I take care of Ronald, he’s mine.”

            “Well,” Scarlet said, and smirked again, amused but angry all the same. “Perhaps you should learn to take better of care your things, then. I’m afraid you’ve done a terrible job with him, and he’s rather sick of your antics.”

            She swung around, her back to Elena, and said, “Run along, little girl. I expect he’ll want you out as quickly as you can manage to pack.”

            Elena trembled and her fists clenched tight, her mouth thinning out in determination.

            She had much more to lose here than just a place to live and a generous patron.

            She had her life to protect.

            “I don’t think so,” she hissed, and grabbed the woman’s slender arm to yank her around.

---

            Zack Fair did not consider himself a mystery.

            He’d been great in his time, he’d been a legend of his field.

            But that was all gone now.

            He sat in his suite, his head in his hands and his eyes closed.

            Though he still practiced his movements, still worked through his motions, he could feel what he’d been slipping away. He supposed it was for the best since he was no longer the man he’d been, but it pained him to see it slipping away.

            Ever since he’d been a child big enough to walk, he’d been trained for war, for a lifetime commitment to his mentor and their ward…but things had gone so terribly, horribly, and irrevocably wrong.

            In the space of a heartbeat he’d made a decision that had forced him away from the life he’d been raised to live, made him an outcast, made him a fugitive.

            And here he was, far from home, those he loved left behind and vowing that he was dead to them. Dead to them. He could never return to his father’s house, because now he had no father—he was disowned, alone in the world.

            He slowly got up and went to the closet, pulling open the door and shifting aside the panel he’d placed at the back, revealing a length of something wrapped in cloth.

            Gently, reverently, he brushed the cloth away and light gleamed on oiled metal, picking up the glint of a blade wrought centuries before his birth. The intricate, coiled handle was warm to his touch, the metal alive with some force of its own. Down the channel of the wide, flat blade was traced the scroll-work inscriptions of his life—the names of all of those who had protected the Family before him, generations of those who had been called to serve.

            And it had all stopped with him.

            “I’m sorry,” he whispered, tears springing in his eyes as the events played out in his mind’s eye. His fingers lovingly traced the inscriptions as he knelt there before the relic of his own tarnished, wasted life.

---

            “It’s getting late,” Kadaj said.

            Tseng nuzzled his hair, tickling his lips across the boy’s nape as he murmured, “Yes.”

            “I should go,” Kadaj whispered, but made no move to leave the comfort of the big bed or Tseng’s arms.

            “There is time, yet,” Tseng sighed, and glanced at his cell phone. Mei Li had called again not long ago to inform him that Reno had come home and was dressing to go out for the night. “Reno isn’t home this evening, he is going out.”

            Kadaj stiffened in his embrace, the tension singing down the slender length of his spine.

            Tseng rolled him, covering his back and leaning over his shoulder to whisper against his cheek, “Come back to Dai Jiao with me. There is nothing for you here.”

            Kadaj twitched a little, and softly said, “I can’t leave him, don’t you see that? He still needs me, whatever you may think.”

            Tseng sighed, but he knew that if Reno was given enough rope, he would hang himself where Kadaj was concerned.

            “Who else needs you, my Jewel?” he asked, thinking of that dark-haired man and scowling a little.

            Kadaj shrugged and asked, “Who doesn’t? They all rely on me, Reno’s beauties, all of my meimei’s and didi’s. Should I ever leave, that place will fall apart.”

            Tseng silently considered this before he lowly said, “Do not allow him to mislead you, Kadaj. Reno ran his business quite well before he found you, and he will run it well once you are gone. He is a cunning one—he gives you the illusion of helplessness, of need, and all in order to keep you locked so tightly to him that you feel as if you would abandon him by striking out on your own. It is how he keeps all of your ‘little sisters and brothers’, as you call them. Never for one moment believe that he cannot survive without you, for I am sure he already grooms another to take your place, and another after that.”

            He kissed Kadaj’s soft, round cheek and breathed, “He is without emotion or attachment, Kadaj. He has no grasp of these things. He is an animal…and he always will be.”

            Kadaj turned in his embrace and kissed him, deep and hungry. His jade-green eyes were unflinching and cold when he said, “If he is an animal, then I am the one who collared him, Tseng. For me, he will heel.”

            “We shall see about that,” Tseng said, impressed with his ferocity, with his determination.

            There was nothing that would stand against his Jewel and he knew it.

            Now all he had to do was make sure that determination had no chance to sway Reno, for if there was any creature on this earth that he would attach himself to, surely it was Kadaj.

            Surely.

---

            Yazoo found that when he sat down in his beautiful new dress, the high-cut left side exposed the lacy top of his stockings along with several scandalous inches of skin. He wore his stockings just above mid-thigh, so the dress was not cut obscenely high, but he hadn’t factored his low stockings into the equation when he’d been measured and, much to his consternation, a good deal of his thigh was exposed. He might not have noticed it at all had he not caught Reno blatantly staring, his eyes half-lidded and his mouth curved into a soft, appreciative smile. Though it caused a delicious feeling to blossom in the pit of Yazoo’s stomach, he was too much a lady to allow for such manners, and promptly pulled the long edge of the skirt over his leg to cover it. He much preferred exposing his dainty knees to giving Reno an eyeful of his lingerie.

            Reno just chuckled, but that hungry look didn’t fade any, and Yazoo was silently both thrilled and terrified to see it.

            True to his word, Reno took Yazoo someplace a little less open, to one of his more exclusive restaurants where the private booths were small, cozy, and romantically enclosed rooms with heavy and lush velvet drapes for doors that could be left open or closed as the patron pleased. During the meal Yazoo managed to arrange the catering for Reeve’s opening through one of Reno’s teams, and the man graciously allowed it cost-free provided he could be Yazoo’s date for the evening.

            “Why, Reno, I couldn’t possibly,” Yazoo laughed, teasing. He felt oddly daring and it made him giddy with delight. He’d never flirted before, he’d never learned how, but he followed Reno’s teasing lead and found that it was quite fun and exciting. “I have a husband, you know.”

            “I can fix that for you,” Reno told him, grinning, done with his food.

            “You talk so about your friend,” Yazoo laughed, cocking his head, allowing himself to wonder what it would be like to finally be kissed. Though he had admitted to himself that he wanted Reno as a lover, the details of it rather frightened him and he found himself shying away from anything more than just imagining a kiss.

            “You’re blushing,” Reno remarked, lighting a cigarette. “What on earth are you thinking of?”

            Yazoo bit his lip and murmured, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

            He was pleased with himself when Reno just chuckled and eyed him appreciatively. He’d never really had a chance to explore this side of himself, and it felt strong, it felt amazing to know he could coax and entice desire from someone. He was beginning to understand why people strayed from their marriage beds, and suddenly the idea of being like the other jaded, open women of Midgar was infinitely more appealing.

            “I’ll be back, I need to go to the Ladies’,” he said, sliding out of the booth carefully, leaving the drapes pulled back. He was conscious of Reno’s eyes on him as he walked away and tried to keep his nerves from showing in his fluid walk. With a soft, happy smile on his face, he went into the ladies room and touched up his makeup, checking his teeth for any stray bits of dinner and squirting on just a spritz more of perfume.

            “You can do this,” he whispered, encouraging the lovely, sophisticated woman in the mirror, even giving her a saucy wink before he headed back out.

            Yazoo hadn’t gotten far from the ladies’ room when he spied someone standing next to Reno at their table, inside of their booth. He slowed to a stop and just watched for a moment, heart sinking. He recognized Miss Lockhart from visits to his father-in-law’s official office. The buxom, lithe woman was head of Events Planning for President ShinRa, and Yazoo had occasionally spoken with her.

            Still, he was dismayed to realize that her work outfits did her no justice. Her evening gown was cut low on her slim but muscular back, revealing creamy skin that looked as smooth as silk. The dress clung to every substantial curve, hugging her tiny waist and the roundness of her bottom and hips to flare out at the knee. Her dark hair was piled in curls on her head and her dangling earrings bobbed against her swan-like neck as she talked and laughed with Reno.

            With Reno. Who was looking up at her with that wicked, handsome smirk on his face, his cigarette held negligently in his hand and his blue eyes dancing with flirtatious delight.

            Yazoo’s excitement slowly withered, seeing his smirk widen to his familiar grin, seeing his free hand lift to offer Miss Lockhart his card. His eyes were sultry now, darker, his smile more dangerous, and all of Yazoo’s illusions melted in the face of a look that had never once been turned on him.

            “Silly,” Yazoo breathed to himself, laughing at how stupid he’d been, pretending to be so cosmopolitan, and deluding himself into believing that he could ever have Reno as his lover. Here, right in front of him, was his reminder that his incorrigible and complex friend liked women. What chance did Yazoo stand against someone like Tifa? Against a million women like Tifa? Reno had them crawling all over him and that seemed to suit him just fine. Yes, he’d said he would’ve kissed Yazoo in Kalm, but perhaps he’d just been trying to spare his feelings, to make him feel better with a gentle lie when he’d seen how upset Yazoo was. Because when it came down to it, beneath all of this effort, beneath this façade of femininity, Yazoo was a…man.

            Blinking hard, he laughed again, feeling so ridiculous for his daydreams. He felt like he was fourteen again, indulging in grand dreams that came to nothing—he bitterly thought that he should’ve learned by now not to be so eager to have something that simply wasn’t meant for him.

            With sad, resigned eyes, he waited until Tifa had sashayed off and quietly made his way back to their table, fully humbled by his realization.

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1                    27                    29

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belatrix_labe  has done another awesome installment of pics, but thanks to the oddity of LJ I can't post them all. Here is a sneak-peek, and I will do a separate post with the rest later!

    Mei Li - by Belatrix!

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Comments

[ldyavalon.livejournal.com]

I think you broke my heart in every scene.

Poor Elena.

Poor Kadaj.

Poor Zack.

Poor Yazoo.

*kicks Reno* wake up you bloody deluded redhead!!!!!!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Aw! I'm sorry! This is only HALF of what the real chapter was supposed to be, though! And I fucked up the timeline *smacks self and sighs* But I'm glad you liked it! And you should definitely kick Reno as much as you like, he's such an instigator!

[ldyavalon.livejournal.com]

He's an idiot, that's what he is :P

[white-jenna.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor Zack and Yazoo. :( I guess it's really poor everybody, but those are the ones that stood out.
Delighted to see that you were able to get the episode up, despite everything. Very glad you're okay. That's the first I'd heard about the storm; I don't think we got much besides rain up here....

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

This WAS a depressing half-a-chapter, lol! I'm glad I finally have power and such back! We've been declared a disaster area by the governor and there are still loads of places with no power or running water, so I feel really awful for those dealing with that. With all of the trees ripped out of the ground and tossed all over the place, we were lucky not to be worse off! Good to hear that it stayed south, though! I think Missouri was really badly hit, too.

[jsakurachan1.livejournal.com]

Oh no that's terrible! I'm glad your okay! I don't know what we would do without you!

on to the review...eh-hem...

i think i want to hug yazoo and tell him that itll all be okay, and drive mei-li from reno's with a very heavy object...

but im too sad to write anything else right now cause this chapter was soooo depressing...but its all leading up to the climax, and everyone's gettin ready!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Heh! Mei Li is here to stay, I'm afraid :D And this was just half of the chapter it was supposed to be, so next week's will be a little bit of a let-down, I'm afraid. Sorry it was depressing, but there is far more to come!! Thank you for the comment!

[sussurous.livejournal.com]

Awww I was so looking forward to Yazoo's first kiss. Maybe next week?

Good episode I can't wait for the next update.

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

It was supposed to be twice as long as it was...but a friend clued me in on how to get around the LJ limits, so hopefully this won't be an issue in the future *fingers crossed*

Thank you so much for the comment and for reading the Soap! *squeezes*

[sephbuttons.livejournal.com]

I am glad to see you got your internet back :)
What a great chapter! I loved it. You left us in suspense again, but hey, I didn't expect the 'hubba hubba' stuff to happen oh so easy.

I am glad Zack continues to speak to you and reaveal his secrets little by little. So excited to find out more. My heart skipped a beat when he reminisced over his sword *tear* so sad!!!! And 'Family'?!?!?! His mistery just keeps growing.

You did a great job of introducing Tiffa, her position as an event organizer fits her so well. I wonder what are you planning for her. I never really liked her too much (especially after Advent Children) but I am finding that your soap has made me like characters I otherwise disliked, and vice versa, so I am up for anything you put on a plate!! :)

Is there going to be a cat fight between Scarlet and Elena? Wow, I would love to see that! of course, Scarlet would win, no doubt :)

Man, you know what I am really looking forward to? The galla. Reeve's opening night just screams 'something big is gonna happen' (or is that my brain screaming?) and I just can't wait for all of this suspense to climax. I think I'm like a 5 year old in line to see Hannah Montana....

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Yay for internet! Yes, the Good Stuff is happening quickly, but Yazoo is determined and is also ripe for the plucking, so that is helping to speed things along :D

Zack's past is slowly coming to me, lol!

Tifa was a surprise, really, I didn't expect her to show up! But I'm glad that my Soap is mixing things up for you! It was my intention to make people take a second look at all of the characters, so I'm glad to hear that is working!

And the Gala shall indeed be the event of the year, hehe!

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

[lady-elodie.livejournal.com]

Ooh, Yazzie and Zack are really tugging my heartstrings at the moment. If only Yazoo knew! Actually, it's probably good he doesn't. (Damn, typoed the he as she there)

Zack I just want to cuddle. And string up by his heels until he spills his whole uncut life story.
I'm seeing them as the only two decent people atm, apart from say Reeve. Poor Yazzie doesn't realise he's tootling along between Scylla and Charybdis here. :(


And I'm sorry for Elena's life being in great peril, but I'm so on Scarlet's side for this one. She's got treacherous experience on her side!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Aw! Zack would totally be up for a cuddle! He's in a bad place right now, and Yazoo is, too, although s/he doesn't know it. Just wait, though! In the end, Yazoo will come back around :D

And my money is on Scarlet ;)

[natila.livejournal.com]

What a great chapter ! :D First of all, the Mei Li picture is absolutely amazing, the colours are splendid and its just the way I imagined her/him somehow.
I see that Zack still has his buster sword.. ;) makes me wonder about his past..
Elena.. hahaha ! But whats going to happen to Scarlet ? :o She cant possibly kill her after all ?
Kadaj and Yazoo.. This could turn very ugly, very quickly, considering the temper of Kadaj, that is if Reno and Yazoo become an item.

Yazoo.. sob.. I was almost crying in the end of this chapter. I love him to bits and his insecurities are so touching.

"Blinking hard, he laughed again, feeling so ridiculous for his daydreams. He felt like he was fourteen again, indulging in grand dreams that came to nothing—he bitterly thought that he should’ve learned by now not to be so eager to have something that simply wasn’t meant for him."

That hit right home.. You could just as well have described a younger me..

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm glad you liked it! It's half of what it should've been, but I'm glad it is even UP! I'm glad you can SEE the pic of Mei Li, so many people can't, I don't know what the problem is *smacks photobucket*

Zack's past is coming out in bits and I'm scooping them in as quickly as I get them, lol!

Elena and Scarlet will be at one another's throats until suitable living arrangements can be made for Elena, hehe!

Reno had better hope that Kadaj and Yazoo never meet, because there is no way Yazoo will NOT recognize him up close, and then the shit will REALLY hit the fan, relationship hogging notwithstanding.

And Yazoo...He gets to me, too! I think it could describe quite a few of us *snugs you*. Now, let's just hope that he lands on his feet when things turn sour.

Thnak you dear!

[belatrix-labe.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! Lovely. You're such a sweet...
I could say that you're a little bit sad cause of this chapter...and a teaser as always.
Hope everything is Ok by now.
I couldn't see the drawing...something wrong with the photobucket screem or LJ.
HUgs and kisses dear and take care!

Re: Thnak you dear!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

BELA!!!! *snugs* Yes, the chapter is depressing, isn't it? But it was only HALF of what it was supposed to be, it wasn't supposed to end on such a sad note! And everything is AWESOME here now! Got the electric and the internet on, the works!

Several people have said that they can't see the pic, and then others have complimented it, so I'm not sure if it is an LJ issue, a photobucket issue, a me issue, or if one simply needs firefox? I will look into it a little later to see what the deal is.

Thank you so much for everything! You're the best!

[superkalifragi.livejournal.com]

Woah, Elena got it back at her XD Somehow I even feel a little bad for her... But just a little :)

Mei Li is a geisha, yes? Then it wouldn´t surprise me that the way things go in that brothel surprise her. I really wanna hear Reno grunt now...
(That scene was a flashback, I take it? Since in the last chapter Reno was already at Yazoo´s...)

I think you did a lovely job with Zack. I could never cease wondering why a guy like him was a soldier. He seems so kind, like someone who´d protect if it was necessary, but he never appeared to me as someone who´d be an agressor. You explored that side of him very well!

Ew. I do not know if I am happy that Yazoo got de-illusioned (it´d spare him the bad things) or if I should be sad. I feel sad for her, since she clearly got a good change from her times with Reno and it was loevely to see her open up, and be happy... I bet Reno will fix it anyway, but I pray that all tornados will stay put so you can update regularly and let me see what will happen next!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

What would I do without you, kiddo?! *glomps you* I really need to shift that around and fit it into the last episode when I get a chance. And Mei Li is all about getting Reno to "talk" lol!

Zack is letting his story out bit by bit, and thank you so much for your compliments about him! He's been surprisingly difficult to get a handle on, which is probably why he has featured so little in these recent episodes.

I really feel bad for Yazoo, but things are only going to keep swinging up and down for him for awhile. And I'm with you about the tornadoes - they need to stay AWAY!

Thanks again, kid! I hope to talk to you soon!

[cupcake-clown.livejournal.com]

My internet died so I just read this one and 27, I could not wait to catch up! Oh, I cried and cried over ShinRa Sr. And you're killing me with the Scarlet/Elena cliff hanger! :O
You're jerking at these poor heart stings with everything! ;_;

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Aw! *pets* It's going to be okay! I'm glad that you're still enjoying the Soap, though! Having people be able to really get into it is what I was hoping for! Next week's episode is already written, so it should be up on time and ready for everyone!

Glad your internet is back, kiddo! See you soon!

[neurotoxia.livejournal.com]

The Elena/Scarlet thing is going to be interesting. I'm placing my bet on Scarlet hehe.

Once again: Poor Zack. But I'm glad there are bits of his past slowly coming to the light. His story seems to be rather sad, though.

And Yazoo's self-confidence reminds me a lot of a rollercoaster. But I think Reno will fix that, I have a very strong impression that he' won't let go of Yazoo now.

Great chapter as usual :) Good to see that you got your internet back so fast :)

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

My money is on Scarlet, too :D

Zack is continuing to be a mystery, but it's one I'm having a fun time writing it, lol!

Yazoo is still coming into his own and trying to find his way, but you may be right - Reno might NOT let him go after this ;)

Thank you so much! I'm realy glad you liked it!

[etrix.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I missed this! Oh well, the boss was late so she didn't even know I was reading rather than working. -p

First off, you are an ebil tease! A little Scarlet/Elena, a little Zack, a touch of Mei Li and Kadaj and Tseng followed by a chaser of Yazoo...

I... need... more!


Glad you're safe and back online.

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I missed your comment! *wonders where in the hell I have been* Sorry! Haha! I AM an evil tease! But, in my defense, LJ wouldn't let me post the whole episode, so it IS only half. So, yes, there is more more more!

Thank you for your kind thoughts! You guys have been wonderful through all of this!

[sphinxofthenile.livejournal.com]

LoL, finally Elena gets her butt kicked, wooo! *cheers Scarlet on*

Poor Zack. All alone and every tie with his past cut... poor baby. And poor Yazoo. *hugs them*

Glad to hear that despite all the awful happenings you are okay!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

I'm fine, and thank you! I'm happy you liked the episode (even if it was only half)!

I feel kinda like a bitch for being so mean to all of them *blushes*, they really are all having a rough go of it :D

[sphinxofthenile.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, but that keeps us on the edge of our seats, so keep it up! :D

[f-mystic.livejournal.com]

More Zack was good. More Tseng was deliciously good, though it was brief. Scarlet telling little miss Elena off was strangely satisfying, though I'm starting to feel bad for Elena. And I love Yazoo's coming into himself, as painful as it looks like it's going to be.

However, if Reno didn't own me, I would have some not-so-nice things to say about him right now. As it is, he's already narrowed his eyes at me.

More soon, I hope!

[jaded-grin.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks! And Reno kinda owns me, too, but he's relishing his new role as a baddie :D

I'm happy you enjoyed it, and the next episode goes up Monday! Thank you so much!

[afuri-kurage.livejournal.com]

Time for Laney's punishment. Poor girl.. And silly Yazoo! You're far way better than all women in midgar! Lol