jaded_grin | Episode 31

Thank you to everyone who has helped

jsakurachan1 by answering the questions she posed last episode! I really appreciate everyone supporting her scholastic endeavors!

In regards to

belatrix_labe 's pictures not showing up: it has come to my attention that if you are running the latest version of Internet Explorer, then the pictures will not show. The newest IE managed to break the LJ code and renders the pictures unreachable, I apologize for this, I run the latest version of FireFox by Mozilla, so I didn't have the trouble that others have been having. To view her amazingly beautiful artwork, you can also reach her on her Deviant Art account so please go that route if you cannot see the pictures, because we have two more for this episode!

I realize that Reno and Yazoo's first time together was a little unhappy for most, but the rest will be better because of it, and it was necessary for Yazoo's story to be told, so thank you for hanging in there! This week we hear a little from everyone (except Yuffie, because I lost her somewhere in episode 28 and I have no idea of where she's gone, lol) and we get some plot advancing, so enjoy!

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Once the flush of mind-blowing sex had died down, Reno slowly began to realized that he’d fucked up.

Big time.

He knew it because Yazoo was swaying softly where she sat, looking shocked.

No, if Reno was honest with himself, she looked scared.

“Yazoo?” Reno asked again, catching his breath and gently touching the beautiful young creature’s cheek. “You okay?”

Yazoo was trembling still, and pulled away from him almost as if Reno’s touch was upsetting. Tears stood in her big, wide jade eyes and spilled over in silence as Yazoo scooted to the edge of the bed and slid to sit there, her slender back bowed and her head hanging.

“Cateyes,” Reno said, worried now. He sat up next to her and brushed his hand down Yazoo’s spine.

Yazoo shuddered a little on a sob and said, “I’m fine, I just…”

She hitched a little, wiping at her eyes, trying her best not to cry.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Reno said, not sure what had upset her so badly. Yazoo had enjoyed what had just happened, even if it had scared her a little.

“I just…I should have waited! My first time…I had so hoped that it would be with…with someone who cared about me,” she finished quietly, still wiping at her face. “With someone I love…”

Reno kept smoothing his hand down Yazoo’s back, frowning. With soft regret in his voice, he whispered, “Yeah. That’s the way it should’ve been, Cateyes.”

Yazoo stood, hugging herself, her ruined dress hanging off of her. With a kind of vague distaste she tried to cover herself, and finally just snatched a robe off of its hook and bundled up in it, tying it tightly at her narrow waist.

“Yazoo—”

“Please go, Reno,” she whispered, still crying, still horrified and saddened by what had just happened. One more innocent dream left undone. “This was a mistake. I’m sorry if I led you on, I truly didn’t mean to. I didn’t understand what I was asking for…”

Reno gazed at her for a long, tense moment before he silently began to straighten his disheveled clothing. When he left, Yazoo was in the bathroom softly weeping over what she’d allowed to happen.

“Why would you care, really?” Zack finally answered, that cunning side of him prodded into wakefulness, roused by Mei Li’s pointed questions. “It isn’t as if you are here for Reno’s protection, is it?”

Mei Li smirked, one brow arching, and said, “Ah, a question with a question! And I had so hoped such guilelessness would give me the boon of your being a fool.”

Zack smirked and shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“I would be sorry as well, had you done so,” Mei Li purred, and twined a long coil of her inky hair around one long finger. Her glittering eyes assessed Zack, taking the measure of him, adding to her storehouse of knowledge. “Were you frightened when you saw him?”

“Who?” Zack asked, fingers itching to make the call, anything to settle with Mrs. ShinRa’s bodyguard.

“Reno,” Mei Li clarified. “When his little psychotic boy-toy tried to burn the place down, were you frightened by what you saw?”

“I saw nothing I needed to be a part of,” Zack said, his tone neutral. “But I will say that those types of games don’t interest me.”

“What types of games do interest you, Zack?” Mei Li asked, and he easily followed the conversation shift, knowing that she was merely leading him back around to betray something personal. To a guardsmen such as he, a body was the least personal thing he had. He had no qualms giving her answers regarding it.

“I prefer my games to stay out of the bedroom, Mei Li,” he answered. “Love is not something to be toyed with.”

“Love?” she echoed, and smirked. “I thought we were speaking of sex?”

“They are one in the same for me,” Zack told her. Now that he was an outcast no longer forced to follow the strictures of the Brotherhood, he had the freedom to make such a choice. Only for love, never for gain or base pleasure. He was happy to wait for such a chance, should one come, and the moment would be all the sweeter for the waiting.

“Hm.” Mei Li merely watched him for a moment before saying, “Yet you did not flinch from it, Zack. I suspect you have seen such things before?”

“A drugged man involved in violent sex? Yes,” he willingly told her. “And however beautiful and intriguing you are, Mei Li, I still have no interest in subjecting myself to such indignities. Reno is a very dangerous man, I am sure such violence appeals to him, but to me it does not.”

“You know very little of Reno,” she chuckled, amused.

Zack conceded with a nod of his head, “I admit you know him more than I.”

Mei Li stood and stretched, lithe and graceful, before she daintily walked over to where Zack was, essentially, guarding his own closet.

“I do not know him in the ways that matter, no one does,” she purred, and her eyes briefly flicked to the closet behind him. “And from that sword I saw, I would venture to say that no one knows you, either, Zack.”

“It is ancient history,” he softly insisted.

Mei Li smirked and murmured, “I suppose.”

“Uhm, okay, you are a ridiculous bitch,” Rufus grandly informed. “And I am expecting company, so if you could just piss of, that would be –”

“I caught Gretchen on the way in and told her to go home, I had this,” Elena told him.

Rufus wrinkled his nose and said, “Ew. I will not have sloppy seconds from my father’s hand-picked whore! Besides, Reno might drop in here, and then what would he say, hm? I don’t want you killed in my house, that would be…well, it would be awkward, really.”

Elena glared at him and went to the bar, refilling her glass.

“Take it easy on that stuff –”

“I’m not too worried about hurting the baby at this point,” she hissed, knocking it back.

“—it’s expensive,” Rufus finished, scowling. He came to the bar and poured his own, downing it before saying, “Look, I appreciate that you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of a pickle, but it’s really not my problem, Peaches. However…”

He considered her, and felt a rise in that simmering resentment towards Reno, his vow to get him back. With an assessing look at Elena, he lowly said, “However, this might just be in both our favors.”

“What?” Elena asked, bewildered.

“Reno crashes here all of the time, what better way for you to get what you want from him and for me to get him back, eh?” Rufus crowed, pleased with himself.

Elena stared at him for a long moment before she asked, “You really don’t care if I’m pregnant with a future rival for your father’s fortune?”

“Pffft! Heavens no!” Rufus laughed, amused. “By the time you squeeze that thing out and it’s big enough to worry me, he’ll be dead as a doornail and I will be the one in control.”

He waved his hand dismissively and added, “I’ll just disinherit it and call it a day, no harm done.”

“Wow,” Elena said, impressed somewhere in her outrage. “You really are a dickhead, aren’t you?”

Rufus grinned and sighed, “I try.”

“Thank you for tonight it was…” several words passed through Reeve’s mind: unexpected, bizarre, infuriating, and awkward were just a few, but he settled for, “Interesting.”

“Oh, darling, I’ve cornered the market on interesting,” Genesis smugly said, patting Reeve’s hand and startling him, his light blue eyes shining even in the darkness of the cab. “Run upstairs now, and grab your things.”

“I m—wait, what?” Reeve asked, bewildered.

“Your things, Reeve,” Genesis repeated, and pulled out a small, lighted compact to powder his nose, looking this way and that in the mirror to check his face. He closed it with a snap and beamed at Reeve, saying, “You can hardly stay with me and not have a change of clothes, you’re much stockier than I, not to mention smaller.”

Reeve stared at him, utterly at a loss.

“I am not going home with you!” he sputtered.

“Reeve,” Genesis said, head cocked, a trace of scolding in his voice. “Darling, you can’t stay at this ratty hotel when you become a darling of Midgar! They would never forgive it! You would become déclassé, and we can’t have that! Now, run along and grab your things, the meter is running.”

“Listen here!” Reeve cried, outraged. “You’ve done your best to bulldoze into my life and make me your boyfriend, and you’ve never even asked if I’m gay! Don’t I get a say in this?”

“Darling, you make terrible decisions,” Genesis softly said, sounding sympathetic. “I’m sparing you the terrible decision of not being with yours truly. Off you go!”

“I’m not coming back!” Reeve warned. “We aren’t a couple! You aren’t my boyfriend! We’re not even dating!”

“Today, Reeve, darling, if you could!” Genesis urged, shooing him. “I need to rest up, there is a rehearsal tomorrow.”

Astounded to have been so ignored, Reeve angrily slammed out of the taxi and stomped up to his hotel room, muttering. He was not going back down there, Genesis could sit in that taxi until his fortune ran out!

He sat down on his squeaky bed and turned the television on, fuming. After a little while, he peeked out of the window and gaped when he saw the taxi still waiting.

“Unbelievable gall!”

Two more programs in and Reeve realized that Genesis would simply wait there all night long.

He looked at his room, impersonal and shoddy, his clothing hanging forlornly in the closet, his worn shoes stacked neatly beneath.

Growling with anger, he stuffed everything into a duffel and stormed downstairs, tossing the bag into the trunk and slamming the door to the cab twice with irritation.

Meeting Genesis’s gaze, he lowly announced, “We are not sleeping in the same bed!”

Genesis knocked on the partition for the driver to get going, and graced Reeve with an impish smile, saying, “Well, let’s jump off that bridge when we come to it, shall we? Really, Reeve, you are dramatic.”

Reeve rolled his eyes and wondered in amazement how he was possibly in this unbelievable position.

Rude used a payphone to check the remote voicemail box he rented, emotionless when he heard Zack’s low voice informing him Yazoo’s date. He erased it and hung up, leaving the payphone with a shrug of his wide shoulders.

He’d known about the date, Yazoo had informed him earlier that day that she would be going out. It wasn’t trivial information such as that which he needed—he needed Zack to get close to Reno, to get close to Kadaj and find out what his intentions were. Kadaj himself was too unreliable, and had too strong a tie to Reno. He doubted even telling the boy of Reno’s duplicity where he stood would change Kadaj’s mind.

Then again, finding out that a man had deliberately kept you from being a prince just so you could run his whorehouse might offend that Jenovan dignity to the point of no return.

It was a trump card that Rude was willing to keep in his hand. After all, he did have considerable knowledge of the Jenova family, he’d had to in order to do what he’d set out to do.

And how vulnerable they’d made their only daughter, how helpless. He was often surprised at how delicate Yazoo was, considering her vicious family. He’d gone into this expecting just such a viciousness, a cruel arrogance such as her father and brothers all had. Her aching loneliness and that bottomless sadness had utterly shocked him.

But, he had no more time to wait. If Reno didn’t make his move within the next month, then Rude would be forced to rely on his own means. He’d rather it happen through Reno, ensuring Yazoo’s consent to what he represented. Without it, he knew, she would refuse, and he would hate to do such a thing to her in such a way, to betray her trust so horribly. He, who had softened for no one, who had never shown a moment of compassion to a single soul, balked at the thought of harming Yazoo, but it must be done.

He had his people to consider, and he was not theirs because he ignored their needs. To unite them required such an act, and Rude would perform it, whether Yazoo wanted it or not.

Rufus had heard Reno’s lolling gait too many times to not recognize it immediately, so when the footsteps sounded outside of his suite, he leapt to his feet, bodily dragged Elena off of her own barstool, and hauled her back to the bedroom.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” she screeched, and Rufus clamped a hand over her mouth, hissing, “Reno is about to come in! If he finds you here, it’s over, got it? Now, here.”

He shoved her towards his dressing room and opened the door.

“Rufus!” she cried, keeping her voice down in a harsh whisper. “I can’t stay in your closet all night long! There’s no telling how late Reno will be here! I mean, what the fuck do you want me to do?”

“Well, for starters, I want you to shut up!” Rufus hissed, and shoved her a little. “And after that, I want you to stay in the fucking closet and not come out until I tell you! We clear?”

He didn’t wait for her response, he shoved her inside and closed the door before hurrying back to the main parlor in time to see Reno at the bar.

“That was quick,” he noticed, glancing at the clock. “She tell you fuck off?”

“Not exactly,” Reno said, solemn, and poured himself another shot. “And you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?” Rufus asked.

“Calling Yazoo a she,” Reno pointed out.

Rufus flushed and hoped that Elena couldn’t hear them. With an insincere laugh he said, “Yeah, well, after all these years, she’s earned it, I guess.”

“What the fuck are you on?” Reno mildly inquired, giving Rufus a searching look before he shrugged his narrow shoulders and said, “Whatever, yo.”

“So,” Rufus said, sitting next to him. “Did it…go?”

“You could say that,” Reno admitted, and downed another shot. “Let me put it to you this way: If I haven’t managed to scare the Holy out of her, and if I can manage to make it up to her, then you got your shit in Wutai by the end of a few months.”

“Wait, scare her?” Rufus echoed, confused. “Make what up to her, Reno? You’re one of Midgar’s biggest catches, all people talk about is how handsome, rich, and great a lay you are, so what’s the problem here?”

Reno glared at him silently for a long, tight moment before he lowly said, “She’s not your business anymore, pal. She’s mine. You keep playing golf and going on trips with my girls, and let me handle your wife.”

Rufus shrugged gently. “Fair enough.”

“Fuck,” Reno said, sighing and palming his red hair, sending wild strands tumbling around his head. “I gotta get home.”

“You want to go out?” Rufus offered. “There’s a party at Mideel, I could get the jet ready, no problem.”

“Thanks, yo, but I’ll pass,” Reno said, and mustered up a faint smirk. “I got some damage control to consider.”

With that, he clapped Rufus one on the back, got up, and left the suite and one very bewildered Rufus behind him.

“Tseng?”

There was a soft noise at Kadaj’s back, a purr of acknowledgement.

“You said…” Kadaj trailed off, heart hammering. He turned in the man’s embrace to face him, solemn in the darkness. “You said that you know my parents.”

He felt Tseng tense a little around him, clearly on guard now.

“Yes,” the man said. “I have known of your family for years, Kadaj. They have holdings in my provinces.”

“In Dai Jiao?” Kadaj fished. He could have asked straight out about them, but his nature prevented it.

“Not in that province particularly,” Tseng answered. “Their holdings in Wutai are nominal, at best, but they do provide work for the peasants.”

“Are they like me?” Kadaj asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Tseng smoothed his silver hair back and gazed down into his eyes in the faint light, softly answering, “I don’t really know them from a personal standpoint, Kadaj; but, physically, you much resemble your father. You have his bone structure, his eyes, his coloring…”

Kadaj laughed a little, his nerves making the sound sharper than he’d intended.

“We’re Cetran, we all look alike,” he teased.

“Not in the fine details,” Tseng solemnly admitted. “You have his mouth, his pretty lips, his patrician face…He is a very beautiful man, and you are an even more beautiful boy.”

Kadaj soaked this in for awhile before he hesitantly asked, “Do you think he did it on purpose, like Reno says? Do you think he got rid of me?”

“No,” Tseng answered. “He lost you, Kadaj, he didn’t throw you away.”

“So, it’s not that I’m…” he swallowed hard, remembering Reno’s musings on how superficial and cruel the Cetrans could be, on how they would leave a baby by the wayside for some flaw of the spirit, some quirk of nature they didn’t want passed on. “Not that I’m imperfect somehow?”

“We are all of us imperfect,” Tseng answered after a long moment, still stroking Kadaj’s face. “But there is no flaw in you that would cause you to be abandoned, Kadaj. He looks for you, still, and there have been no children since you were taken from him.”

Kadaj stared at him, wide-eyed, trying to reconcile this with what he’d always thought he’d known. Hesitantly, he licked his lips and asked, “Do you think he would be happy to see me again, Tseng?”

Tseng weighed his options, considered what he wanted from Kadaj against what he had to gain, trying out possible answers and attempting to read what it would have in store for him.

“I think you need time to understand it,” he decided, and felt the boy wilt a little in his arms, the hope that had buoyed him up suddenly yanked out from underneath him.

“Yes,” Kadaj whispered, and rolled away, getting up and starting to dress. “You’re right.”

Mei Li arrived back in Reno’s suite just after the man himself, and was a little aggravated when he did nothing more than nod tiredly at her from where he was sprawled in the entrance to his suite. The birds were all quiet this late, but some of them stirred, rustling in the darkness.

“What are you thinking of?” she asked, settling next to him, draping against the lean line of his body to rub his belly with one hand. He had his head leaned back against the bench, but one arm drifted down to fall across her shoulders, his fingers idly stroking the silky material of her gown. “You can tell Mei Li, Reno. I am here only for you…”

“Sorry, baby, just trying to think my way out of a mess,” he said, his voice distant, his eyes unfocused, all of his energy turned inwards. His warm body smelled faintly of sex and acrid alcohol, which did not escape Mei Li’s notice.

“So, she is your lover in truth?”

Reno sighed, but only said, “It’s not up for discussion, Mei Li. Mind your business.”

“Your problem, Reno, is that you never love,” Mei Li informed him, drawing back to sit against the arm of the bench, letting Reno’s hand drop from her. “You merely take. You have no more idea of how to give than I have of running your Empire. I am sad for you, at times.”

She touched his face, her nails raking lightly over his skin but not hurting.

“I am sad that you will never know it, Reno,” she purred. “I am sad that you cannot feel it.”

Reno looked at her sharply, with something very like anger in his blue eyes, but the door opened quietly, admitting the slender, rather petite figure of Kadaj, his souba on his hip and his pretty face solemn.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Reno asked, transferring his anger to the boy.

“None of your business,” Kadaj snapped, and stalked to the weapons rack to hang his sword.

“You been fucking him?” Reno demanded. “You been with Tseng?”

“What do you care?” Kadaj asked, turning with his hands on his slender hips. “You’ve moved your lover in here! You only need me to run your business, so don’t pry into my personal life.”

He turned on his heel and stalked off for the bedroom.

Reno was off after him like a shot.

Mei Li smirked, and then went after them with a soft, amused sigh.

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And two more beautiful pieces by Bela! I absolutely adore how gorgeous Rufus and Elena are! And the one of Yazoo and Reno is so SWEET!

Rufus and Elena After

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

jsakurachan1.livejournal.com

omg my baby yazooooooo!!!

yes, yuffie did get lost along the way...hmmm...maybe she'll show up at the mansion and make a rukus till she gets to see yazoo, then talk to yazoo and calm my poor baby down...

lol reeve...you've lost now...you're finished...Genesis is going to eat you...in more ways than one...>///<

zack and rude are killing me!!! i want to know what rude is up to, and i want to see zack do something that gives away his past to more people and casue more drama >.<

bela's pic of elena is perfect, very fitting for the whore...and rufus looks like he has his ever-present proverbial stick up his ass ^.^ awesome work bela!!!

*glomp* now i have to wait a whole week for the next chapter >.<

and omg my hair is still purple...crappers...

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Aw, hehe! I'm glad you had fun with this one! Yeah, Yazoo has the downs right now, but things should look up (for awhile, at least)!

It's all over for Reeve, like it or not, he's got a boyfriend :D But...I have a sneaking suspicion that he will like it!

Zack and Rude will come with time, I promise!

So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for the comment! YAY! *snuggles you to bits*

From:

sussurous.livejournal.com

Aww..what a place to end this episode :(

I want to get into Reno's head. I want to know what he's feeling right now. We all know that Yazoo means everything to him and Mei Li is wrong. Reno does know what love is and he loves Yazoo, I just know it. I mean it may not be the shining knight on a white horse Zack kind of love but love is love right?

I am looking forward to the Kadaj/Reno fight scene. I hope Kadaj get's pissed off and leaves Reno because as far as Kadaj is concerned it seemes that Reno is more possessive of him then anything else.

Freaking Genesis is pure awesomeness. I knew that Reeve would give in and meet him in the cab. Just like I know that he will eventually give in and sleep with Genesis love it and then have a nervous breakdown over it.

Poor Yazoo, but what could have Reno said or done right then to make it better? Hopefully Reno will think of something...

All the mentions of the Jenovas is making me feel very hopeful. I can't wait for Sephiroth XD

I love Bela's picture of Reno and Yazoo. It captures Reno's devotion for her. I really like his hair and eyes. Very nicely done. :)

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Maybe we will get into Reno's head next time? He used Kadaj to distract himself, but it won't work for long. And whatever Reno's love is like, it will be the first kind of love Yazoo knows (if he gets it). I'm hoping for an epic battle again between Kadaj and Reno - those two can fight, now! They sure know how to cause a ruckus! And, yeah, it's a total possession thing for Reno, unfortunately.

Ha! I'm glad you like Genesis! I thought it was time to bring him back in for some fun! He and Reeve keep things light, and that is a must for how crazy this soap is getting!

Yazoo will be explored next episode (I hope, if the others don't run long), but I have faith in Reno's ability to do damage control.

And yes, SEPHIROTH! *teases you with him*

And I totally agree! I ADORE the pictures! Bela does such an excellent job!

From:

ldyavalon.livejournal.com

*wraps Yazoo in a big soft blanket and huggles tight*

*kicks Reno in the kneecaps* If you don't fix this, next chapter I'm aiming higher *glares*

Elena and Rufus were made for each other.

*huggles Zack*

*applauds Kadaj and huggles him while poking tongue out at Reno*

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Aw! LOL! I'm glad this is still working for you! And before Reno is done, you'll be kicking him in the head, hehe! These guys just keep turning around on me! But I'm glad you still like it! *snuggles you*

From:

ldyavalon.livejournal.com

It's not Reno's head that's in danger if he doesn't fix things >:(

I love it. I'm recomending it to a friend who hasn't read much fanfiction :D

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Wow, thank you! That is quite a compliment! *snugs you*

From:

merytsetesh.livejournal.com

Bwah, got totally distracted from FF7 by Hellsing for a while, but now I'm back! I read from 21 to 31 in one go, and wow things have changed.

1st: Normally I don't like character death, but Elena is a cunt who has done nothing interesting to earn her continuing existing in the Soap. Kill her. (Huh, spellcheck does not recognize "cunt." No, I did not mean "count", "aunt", or "bunt".)

2: Mei Li has has gotten more interesting for giving Zack a chance. Kudos for her/him.

3: Although Reno is still an ass for planning to ultimate betray Yazoo, I still want him to whisk her away from Rufus and the two of them live happily ever after in tranny bliss. And yes, I refer to Yazoo as her, because you have done an incredible job developing her character as a woman. Cock or not, Yazoo's aura is female.

4: Cloud is a whiney bitch.

5: I am still very, very confused by Rude.

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Holy cow, 21 to 31 in one go?! That amazes me, I couldn't hold still long enough for that! :D

Yeah, Elena is a cunt, for sure, but she will probably get what is coming to her. (and your spell-check does that, too?! Ha! I added it to my dictionary).

Mei Li will probably stay, my original plans for her have changed :D

And Reno is anybody's guess - there is no telling what he will do next! Guess I will have to cross my fingers and hope for the best!

Cloud will have his chance to change, and Rude will reveal himself in good time ;)

I'm really glad that you liked it! Thank you so much!

From:

nivell.livejournal.com

Oh oh, trouble up ahead!

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

LOL! For sure! *snuggles you* Hope all is well, kiddo!

From:

natila.livejournal.com

Now I cant wait to read more ! I have never been so curious than now !
Will Reno manage to get back Yazoo`s trust ? And will he fall for him (no, I wont refer to Yazoo as "her", just cant ;) ) enough to betray Rufus..? ummm ..

And Kadaj.. I dont understand Kadaj one bit ! If somebody told me that he knew who my real parents were, I would harass them until they told me the names ! But he has waited until now and even now he simply ask questions about how they look, etc.. Come on Kadaj, arent you curious ? :D

Reeve and Genesis.. that was the comic relief of the chapter !!!! Genesis is one persistant bastard I must say :p

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Aw, thank you! Yeah, Reno and Yazoo are going to occupy quite a bit of our time! And that's ok, I don't call him a "her" either, unless it is from one of the character's POV's.

And Kadaj is so guarded he doesn't trust any of it. He still believes what Reno told him - that his family abandoned him. He is curious, but at the same time, he doesn't want to know since the truth might hurt him.

Haha, Reeve and Genesis! Those two just slay me :D

I'm really happy that you liked it! Thank you so much for the comment!

From:

belatrix-labe.livejournal.com

Wonderful dear Stacey!!!!!This is not very clear now, but I can see an aura of torment and regret on Reno and might...LOVE!!!
( I'm an incorrigible romantic.)

Rufus deserves Elena's poison as a gift for his dickhead!

Genesis and Reeve makes me lalalalá, they're fresh and lovable. I'm really didn't miss Yuffie...

And what to say about Mei Li and Zack? They're slowly growing up and making another story inside the soap, sensual,enigmatic and surely hot... She pushes Zack in all ways - his past actions, his present at Reno's house, and that part of him saying “And however beautiful and intriguing you are, Mei Li, I still have no interest in subjecting myself to such indignities"...he refuses but I guess it won't be for much time...Great work with this surprising pairing/characters.
And the same for Rude! He left a clue...Jenova family...oh my god papa Sephiroth? It would be epic!!!

Dear, I can't wait to read more and more and I'm sure if you could post every day a chapter, it would be happily welcome by everybody here!

Hugs and kisses and thank you for all you love and care with the drawings! Its makes me very happy!

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Hey, sweetie! I just realized I never replied to your email that had the pictures (I am a jerkola, I apologize!)Promise I will do better next time you send more of your delightful and beautiful drawings!

Reno just might have met his match in Yazoo, he is hooked, he just doesn't know it yet :D Rufus is a hopeless dickhead and Elena deserves to LIVE in that closet, lol!

I'm glad you didn't miss Yuffie! I didn't either, which is probably why I keep forgetting to write her, lol!

Mei Li and Zack are really interesting to me now, I'm wanting to see where it will go! He's in for a ride and a half if he has her - but imagine Reno's rage if he finds out Mei Li let Zack Top first try out?! HA!

Hugs and kisses to you, too, honey! I adore you! Talk to you soon!

From:

neurotoxia.livejournal.com

Wonderful chapter!

Can I sense regret coming from Reno? My...
And I just love how he practically tells Rufus to leave Yazoo alone. I think (or maybe I like to think?) that Reno here might be in love. Or at least he feels more for Yazoo than for anyone before.

Rufus is still an ass. It's funny that he keeps calling Yazoo a she. Shows that Yazoo has such a female aura she can even fool the husband who's extremely bothered by the fact that he's not an actual she.

The conversations between Mei Li and Zack are incredibly interesting, I love reading them. They don't reveal very much but there is something to them that makes me love them. Interaction between them is on a special kind of level somehow.

Poor Reeve, it's so easy for Genesis to get his way by just being persistent enough. But it's adorable!

Great that Tseng's showing up again. I mentioned it a million times, but I have to say again I absolutely love your characterization of him. Dark, dangerous and manipulative. Kadaj doesn't look like he's got a clue that Tseng perfectly knows how to push his buttons and to pry him from Reno's grip.

And I'm happy I can see the drawings again, they're great!

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Thank you so much! I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out, myself :D

Reno is a like mercury, he shifts and changes so much that I can't get a handle on him. I honestly have no idea what he'll do next.

Rufus, I'm afraid, will always be a bit of an ass, lol! And he's coming around, it's actually really surprising.

Zack and Mei Li are really unexpected for me! I hadn't really foreseen this coming, but now that it has happened, I can't say I'm sorry! I'm glad you like what is going on with them, and I hope it stays intriguing!

Yeah, Reeve is just monumentally had! I wish him the best of luck, he's gonna need it!

Thank you for that about Tseng! I sometimes think I make him too dark, but it's good to know he is thrilling instead of just icky-scary. But he needs to watch himself, because Kadaj is no one to be trifled with ;).

And WOOT for the drawings!!!! Yay!

From:

etrix.livejournal.com

Just lovely.

So much in this chapter: sorrow, humour, romance, intrigue, and so many hints of what is or might be...

Happiness is Monday's episode followed by reading (and re-reading).

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

GAH! Late again (is heading to FF.net after this!)!

I'm really glad you're still enjoying the Soap! Thank you, Etrix, for always giving me a little boost! I hope the future episodes are just as good to read! *snugs you* Thanks again!

From:

sephbuttons.livejournal.com

OMG!!! It's been three chapters and I haven't posted!!! Shame on me! I read 30 and 31 in one day so I will just reply to this chapter.

So much drama, so much angst - I love it! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.

Yazoo's first time was sexy but his sorrow after the fact was really sad to read. However, I am glad you took that approach and not some sappy happyness. I mean, happyness is good, but at a right time :o) Reno has to work a bit harder for darling Yazoo, ya?

Genesis x Reeve play keeps getting better and better. I just knew he would end up going with GenGen! They are so much fun to read. Make me laugh all the time and bring much needed relief from all other drama.

Speaking of drama, where is my Drama Queen (a.k.a. Cloud???) Did he get lost as well hahahaha

Yay, more plot advances with Zack and Rude. Glad to see they are revealing their secrets to you.
And what can I say, I just get goosebumps everytime you mention Jenova's - mmmmmmm Seeephiiiiroooothhhhh
tee hee can't wait!!!!

hugs and kisses for all your hard and wonderful work.

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Man, I am just falling behind here! Sorry for the late reply!

Glad you love it! That is wonderful to hear! It makes me want to write more and more :D

Yazoo had that typical first-time OMGshouldn'thavedonethat reaction, but s/he'll be okay! And yes, happiness has its uses, but that moment required something a bit...different. Reno WILL have to work a little to get Yazoo, but it won't take too awfully much considering that s/he is so lonely :D

Glad you like Genesis and Reeve, they are so much fun to write! And Cloud will make his comeback at the Gallery, so he's on his way!

And Sephiroth...oh, he's acoming! Sure as god's vengeance :D

Hugs and kisses back at you, and thank you so much! I appreciate you letting me know what you think!

From:

superkalifragi.livejournal.com

I loved how you switched to making Yazoo a full 'she' now. I suppose siomilar to how a woman sometimes only starts to see herself as a 'true' woman after she lost her virginity, it´s the same with Yazoo? That´d be tragic, in a way, since she finally gained some stability in her gender issues, but on the other hand it clearly doesn´t seem to make her very happy...

I am somewhat sad for Reno that he is unable to love, but I guess Mei Li just got it spot on. I hope he can learn...

Gah, I´m dying to know more about Kadaj´s past, Tseng is such a tease! *beats him* And it seems that Genesis is making some progress, go go go!!! XD

Rude´s dilemma was touching, he doesn´t really seem to be a bad guy...

Ah, it was so wonderfully dramatic again *sigh*

(Btw: i hope you´ll forget Elena in the closet^^)

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Oh, I is so LATE with my response!!!! I am sorry!

Yazoo is a full "she" in Reno's eyes - he's only ever viewed Yazoo as a female, as THE female. I write Yazoo male from his own perspective because it is something that troubles him, so the readers are always aware of that barring his way. Reno, though, is like Hey WOMAN!

Reno is a mess, and Mei Li is very perceptive, having known him for so many years. This issue with Yazoo will open his eyes, I think. He certainly isn't proud of what he did, so that is a start.

Tseng IS a tease! He and Rude just hang out in the corner looking mysterious and not telling me what is up! It's infuriating! And I'm not sure if Rude is a bad guy or not...

And oops, Elena let herself out in 32, lol! My bad!

From:

f-mystic.livejournal.com

Love the Yazoo/Reno pic! And Rufus and Elena in b&w could be related. Now that's a scary thought!

Stupid Reno. Boy, are you in a mess! And Kadaj? I'm waiting for that one to explode!

But my faaaavorite part, of course, is Genesis waiting for Reeve in the car, and Reeve trying to hold out. Silly man! He has much to learn!

Next!

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

Hey, thank you so much! I'm glad you're still liking it! Things are progressing nicely, and I hope it keeps popping for you :D

From:

fullmetalguitar.livejournal.com

I was totally crushed when I tried to click the link to the next episode and nothing happened. X3 Well, first I was in denial but after trying to click it a billion times I was crushed. I'm utterly in love with this ! ! Even Rufus makes me shake my head in amusement at his evil little antics.

I can't wait to read more ohmygosh ! <3

From:

jaded-grin.livejournal.com

I'm sorry! That was my fault! I hadn't added the link, and thank you for letting me know ;) I"m really glad that you are enjoying the soap! I have two episodes written that I can't post yet due to internet trouble and my sister not having open ports on her computer, but as soon as it gets fixed, episodes 40 and 41 are going up! And if you ever run into a link that doesn't work again, just go to my master fic list link in the side bar and they are all linked there! :D

From:

fullmetalguitar.livejournal.com

You mean there is more?? That just made a really good day into a perfect one! ^___^ I'm off to catch up then, and I look forward to seeing those two episodes as well, whenever you have the opportunity to post them :D