A wedding

Thank you

bela (Hehe. Yazoo might have been pretending to not be prude, but after this chapter he might abandon the act^^ And I am glad we finally came that far, because now Yazoo´s sexual education starts. He has the most formidable teacher of all! *hugs to brazil from germany!*)

fyrbyrd (I did, at least it happened in Rufus´and my mind^^ But it was nothing nowhere as hot as your Ruzoo, I just went back last night and read it again and maaaan *fans* I´m sorry to hear about your encounter with the Tram, I hope you are better now? Oh my, poor thing *careful hug*)

Rina76 (Yazoo was pretty bitchy. He probably was just overwhelmed by the situation, but still... Hahaha, yes, Rufus is a decadent pervert but he can afford it! And just as Reno he´s a character who will liven up things. I actually could do a Yazoo-alone-in-the-shower... *has an idea* He has to learn about his body and stuff^^ And, yes, Yazoo´s own brand of haircare!!!! I might include that, it´s an awesome joke and since this fic is only semi serious anyway it´ll work XD Wah, now I´m all fired up to write new stuff, I hope to get another chapter done tonight! *half glares at you coz has actually to do stuff for college* Nawwwww, I love you muuuuuch more^^)

Golden Kitsune (I don´t know when in june it´ll be released in the usa, but at least you got a date -_- I hope they have more Vincent and more SHM (including Sephy)!!! That´d be sooooooooo awesome *squeal* Rufus is the dirtiest of all dirty boys, but just wait until Yazoo discovers his sexuality ;) Haha, maybe I´ll let Yazoo watch the tape again, later^^)

IntHellsing (And, is it red, your hair I mean? It was just a fantasy for now, but maybe Rufus will get to have his way with Yazoo later. Vincent will have to put some effort into it to save his poor, somewhat naive in these realms, friend XD)

Ainaloth (Don´t worry, he´ll get to do things for real. As will most of the ac characters XD Sephiroth surely is a great rolemodel to Yazoo and he has very much respect for his brothers (and yes, I have planned a dirty scene for them^^). hehe, what you pointed out put some ideas into my head, but I am afraid the oneshot´ll have to wait a little bit longer, I´m a bit busy now. The first scene is written though^^)

for reviewing and PfenixB for being such an awesome beta!!!

Warnings: satanistic themes

8

With hanging shoulders and wet hair clinging to his face, Vincent Valentine numbly took the steps up to their church.

He didn´t know what to tell the others, what to tell Sephiroth, Aeris or his wife. He just knew that he couldn´t tell them the truth and that he had to hold it together despite feeling emotionally devastated and pained.

When he reached the heavy, closed gates he leaned his forehead against the old wood, saying a silent prayer to the Holy Mother to give him strength. Then he straightened up, forcing a calm expression on his face and entered the great, dark hall.

Instantly all eyes flew to the screeching door and Aeris looked up with a hopeful look. Her little fingers clamped around the silver wing hanging over her chest, though, when she saw that Vincent had come alone.

The raven haired man took a moment of pity for her –he assumed that she must feel so disgraced and ashamed- but instantly a priest hurried up to him and led him to Sephiroth´s office.

He found himself confronted with not only his friend’s brother but a whole bunch of priests and his wife, as the representative of the women´s committee.

Despite his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, Vincent bowed humbly and maintained his calm façade.

Five pairs of hard, scrutinizing eyes bored into him and Vincent was almost certain that they knew – that they knew all about his dirty little secrets and what had happened the night before and how it was all his fault and-

“Rise.”

The coolly spoken command pulled him out of his reverie and Vincent abandoned his bowing position. He had to pull himself together or this would become very ugly.

Sephiroth had stopped pacing, and with his hands behind his back stared his brother’s friend straight in the eye.

“Now, Vincent Valentine. Would you mind enlightening us as to what is going on here?” There was a clearly angered and sarcastic undertone in the beautiful priest´s voice, but otherwise he appeared to be as emotional as an ice block.

From out of the corner of his eyes Vincent could make out the tight expression of his wife as she stiffly stood beside the desk, hands folded before her lap. He knew she was furious and without a doubt he would get a good piece of her mind later.

Placed in a seat before the dark wooden desk was Angeal Hewley, one of the high priests. Though his face was just as expressionless and serious as the ones around him, Vincent could detect just the faintest hint of patient understanding and lenience, as if the man was mentally sighing.

It was odd, Vincent thought for a moment, how being around those permanently neutral faces had honed his skills to look deeper than he´d like. No one outside their Circle would have seen anything but an indifferent mask.

To his left, leaned against a book shelf with crossed arms and legs, stood Genesis Rhapsodos. From him Vincent could feel a taxing, sarcastic aura. Quarrelling among the Children wasn´t allowed, for it spoiled their only reason for existence –namely serving the Mother and being only focused on the task to spread her word and praise her glory. Yazoo had once told him though, that he believed high priest Rhapsodos may have fallen victim to the demon of ‘envy’, because Sephiroth had been chosen to be the highest representative of Her Will. Genesis would probably have been gloating now that Sephiroth´s brother had messed up so thoroughly if he hadn´t committed another sin by doing so.

Behind him, in front of the door, stood Zack, but apart from a slight restlessness the raven haired man couldn´t detect anything from him.

Still being captured by Sephiroth´s inquiring, haunting eyes, Vincent finally said in calm, curt sentences “Yazoo´s bow-tie was missing, so I had to leave the room and get it. When I came back he was missing. I went after him, but I could not find him anywhere. So I came back. My humblest apologies.”

He bowed down again. Sephiroth just gestured to him with an impatient flick of his hand to forget the pleasantries for once and come up again.

“And did it not occur to you that it might have been more efficient to inform your superior about the incident so that measures could be taken on a larger scale?” the silver haired man asked flatly, showing clear discontentment and disappointment for Vincent´s failure.

“I am sorry, I acted inappropriately. I was surprised. I have no excuses.”

He lowered his head into the silence that followed, then Sephiroth ordered towards the others “Leave us alone please.”

A shuffling was heard as the men and the woman left their places. Genesis threw the silver haired high priest a long, challenging look before leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

Sephiroth relaxed a little as soon as they were alone and went around his desk, sitting down.

Rubbing his temple, he looked up at the young man standing in front of him with a sharp look, asking “Are you sure this is all you have to tell me?”

Vincent tried not to fidget under the stare and kept his composure. How he hated lying…

“Yes.”

“I see,” Sephiroth said quietly, his head resignedly hanging down a little, as he shifted his eyes to his hands, folded on the desktop.

And how he hated it even more because he betrayed the trust his friends had in him…

“I am sorry,” Vincent offered, though, face just as indifferent as it was required.

“Hm,” was the blank reply, but then emerald eyes shot towards red ones again, becoming darker “Do you think the redheaded heathen has something to do with it?”

“Reno?” the raven haired man asked uneasy, but then added calmly “No, I do not think so. Yazoo is immune to his influence and I did not see him trying anything or talking about anything to Yazoo that could have made him retaliate.”

Sephiroth snorted, pinching the bridge of his nose. Vincent could feel the rage seething under the calm appearance. Sephiroth usually was a patient, reasonable man but no one in his right mind would want to stir his anger.

“Then what could have done?” he asked, bitterly, sharply, and looked up at Vincent again. “You are his closest acquaintance, you tell me!”

Without batting an eyelash Vincent answered “I honestly do not know. He did not say anything that would have hinted at that behaviour, but I am certain he had good reasons for it. He is a reliable, earnest and honest person, he would not have acted on a whim to make anybody miserable or fail The Mother.”

“Well,” Sephiroth leaned back, looking at the man before him with an indecipherable look and slowly quirking an eyebrow “You can never be sure about a person´s heart. The devil comes in many faces, his temptations are all around us and even the strong might not be powerful enough at times.”

Vincent didn´t know what to say to this and therefore wisely kept his mouth shut.

Elbows resting on the chair’s armrest, Sephiroth slowly put his fingertips together, mustering Vincent with one last cold look before finally saying

“Very well, you can leave for now. But stay available. As soon as you hear another word you will contact me immediately. And only me. Are we clear?”

He shot the man a strict, meaningful look from under his bangs. Vincent gave a quiet ‘yes’, and finally left the room.

*

Rufus opened the door to the guest room and stepped in uninvited, as was his habit –it was his house after all. In one hand he carried a white cup of black coffee; the other was put in the pocket of his linen trousers. He wore a half-opened white shirt and his hair was still a little wet from his earlier shower when his bare feet walked over the floor and stopped a few meters before the bed.

Displeased, icy grey-blue eyes looked down on the figure lying on the bed, long silver hair dishevelled and hanging in a pale face.

Yazoo kept staring at nothing, facing the other with his back and professionally ignoring Rufus and his attitude.

“How long do you intend to mope?” The coolly spoken question went unanswered and the blond slowly started to walk around, taking a sip from his coffee.

“You haven´t appeared at dinner and Tseng could not report that you had ordered anything.”

He finally came around to face his depressed guest. Taking another sip from the cup he lifted an eyebrow at the silence he received. Then his eyes narrowed and he asked, somewhat incredulous “You don´t think the food is poisoned, do you?”

“No,” came the reply from below, sounding dead-serious and almost accusing “but it might be drugged. What do I know what you and your lot are scheming…”

Rufus felt almost like laughing out at the term ‘he and his lot’. First off, no one beside him and Tseng –who wasn´t even gay, as far as Rufus knew- were here at the moment and second, Yazoo was obviously profiting from Rufus´ graciousness right now. The guy’s self-righteousness and twisted worldview was almost hilarious, if only he hadn´t been serious about it.

“I see,” he instead said in a nonchalant, amused tone, unfazed, sipping at his coffee.

“But you see, if I remember correctly not too long ago you partook in actions that would even put some of ‘my lot’ to shame…”

“You saw it!” was the breathless reply from below, and a face was pressed deeper into the wine-red satin sheets.

Sighing, Rufus moved his hand that held his cup, saying dryly “Well yes, I did. But it´s nothing I haven´t seen before, in one way or another. I know what obscurities and fairy tales your church is ramming down your throat to keep you complacent, but belief me: you´ll survive it. You haven´t turned blind, the earth hasn´t opened to swallow you up and as far as I know your dick hasn´t fallen off yet either.”

Yazoo didn´t answer, but Rufus was well aware of the thin fingers clawing into the sheets and the shallow, fast breathing that ruffled the hair hanging over his guests face. He was probably suffering the worst mental agonies and tried his best to not show it… Well, their lot was so very keen on keeping their facades and maintain their pride and purity.

“Look,” Rufus intoned quietly, features and voice softening somewhat as he abandoned his sarcastic attitude in favor for a serious, careful one, leaning forward so Yazoo could see into his face. Or rather, had to. “I know that this must have been a shock for you and I understand that you feel… soiled and used but-”

“What do you understand,” he was suddenly coldly interrupted, two blazing emerald eyes making him back away in surprise. “You are a wretched, lost creature that will rot in hell anyway. You who have sinned and crawls on the bottom already. You, who have never seen the light, never known what is holy, never received Her benevolence and then failed Her- how can you know anything I´m going through right now. Don´t make me laugh. And do not even dare to suggest that we are of the same kind of people.“

Closing his mouth, Rufus lifted his brow in synch. Mustering the young man staring up at him with cold anger -but even more frustration-, the blond sat his cup aside on the nightstand and then began to slowly unbutton his shirt.

Appalled, Yazoo backed away, frantically searching the room for something to arm himself with against the sexual harassment he would soon have to face, while never taking his eyes from his attacker.

Cocking his head, Rufus announced sardonically, shirt slipping from his well-trained, muscular upper body “Oh please. Don´t flatter yourself, Son. I´m not that desperate, believe me.”

Irritated -and feeling somewhat insulted, though he knew he certainly didn´t ought to- Yazoo relaxed a little, though he was still wary. You could never trust the devil and its spawn and he sure as hell wouldn´t let his guard down with this man. He had trouble enough as it was; he didn´t need to add another sin to his bill.

Eyeing Rufus´ every movement with hostile, skeptically narrowed eyes, he watched the man slowly turning around.

Emerald eyes widened in surprise and a gasp escaped the young man, as he saw the black lines forming a wing tattooed into Rufus back.

It was the coming of age mark every member got stitched into their flesh as soon as they were married and had become a full member of the Circle.

“You´re one of us,” Yazoo whispered, a hand slowly wandering to his mouth to cover it as he blankly stared at the man´s back.

“Well,” Rufus lifted an eyebrow, bending down to get his shirt and put it back on “at least I used to be.”

“But… I never saw you at the gatherings or anywhere,” the young man said, looking confused, but instantly less dismissive, the blond noticed. He had knitted his brows together, looking up at the business man with questioning eyes. Rufus finished buttoning his shirt and grabbed for his cup again, mustering Yazoo over the white rim as he took another sip.

“I wasn’t a member of your branch,” he informed calmly, looking into the black liquid “And after my… retirement I thought it to be wise to leave town. I should have expected that I could not escape the tight network of the Circle, though.” He took another sip, thinking about the open hostility and attacks he had to endure from this local group.

“What, you didn´t think it was just accidently that your group chose to make me the scapegoat for everything evil in the world,” he then asked dryly, leaning with his back against the wall, one arm around his waist, the other still holding the coffee cup as he looked down on Yazoo with hard eyes.

“Accidently -never. You surely deserve to be blamed, even more so after you failed the Mother,” Yazoo replied just as coolly, head tilted. Then he cast his eyes downwards, and after a moment asked in a less accusing tone “What happened?”

Rufus watched the white crescent of light mirroring in his black coffee, before he gave a monosyllabic “Things.”

Seeing the look of nearly perfect indifference thrown into his direction and feeling that Yazoo was closing up again, the blond set the cup aside again.

“Things that made me realize certain principles,” he elaborated, sizing his guest up and noticing with satisfaction that he had his attention again. “I do not want to elaborate them, but rest assured that it puts me in a position from which I can understand very well in what situation you are right now. I was in a similar one.”

“And what situation would that be?”

“Afraid. I felt afraid and guilty. I feared your god’s wrath, as well as the punishment my clan would bestow upon me. I feared that my pure soul had been soiled. I feared that I had failed everyone I held dear. And this inspired a guilt inside me that´d pushed me down onto the dusty ground to make me crawl to the feet of those who I failed, without ever being able to stand up to their eyelevel again. I felt uncertain and utterly alone, because the rules that guided me before and made my life safe and predictable had been taken away. And I desperately tried to find a way back into the safe lap of your goddess. And all that was occupying my mind, apart from the icy claws of fear and the weight of guilt, was the question how to escape that sin, how to redeem and establish my honour again.”

Yazoo blinked at the man, then his eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he didn´t deny Rufus´ words either.

“So, what did you do?” he asked calmly.

“Hm,” Rufus shook his head a little. “There were not many options of what I could have done. My Circle had abandoned me, so the only option for me was to either go mad from the guilt and fear or…”

Yazoo raised an eyebrow at the pause, then watched Rufus as he set down on the corner of the bed in a respectable distance to Yazoo. Though he was less wary now, the silver haired man didn’t trust him, either.

“Let me tell you something about the way you lived until now. There are actually two kind of ways, and yours is the one to the right. You live only for the sake of your Goddess, to fulfil her will and to praise her glory. Your only responsibility lies in executing her wishes and living according to her will. Your own will does not exist, or at least it shouldn´t, because your wishes are identical to those of your god. Now, your way is very straight and devoid of uncertainties. The rules are very clear and all you do is to take care that you do not break them. In the end you can be sure with a calculable certainty that paradise awaits you, if only you do not fail your deity. If you do, you will go to hell, and this is a motivation to serve your god even more pedantically. In the end your world revolves around your deity and in return you hope it will acknowledge your achievements. You are utterly at the god´s mercy. ”

Rufus paused for a moment, mustering Yazoo out of cool eyes and then continued, “That is the way I followed as well, for a long time. But there is a second path. The Left-Hand Path.”

The silver haired youth tilted his head, signalling that he had never heard about that, and Rufus wasn´t really surprised.

“This way is rather similar to the one you are following right now. You will live according to the rules of your god, you live only for its sake and pleasure. You praise his glory and you will absolutely never accept any other god above yours. There is one crucial difference between those two paths, however.”

He paused again, blue -greyish eyes boring into green. Outside the rain was pouring against the large window and briefly lightening filled the dimly lit room with blinding light.

“The god you are serving is you.”

TBC

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AN: Sorry if talking about satanism offends you, you have been warned. And this view isn´t even solely shared by satanists at all. I myself prefer to not think about it in this cliché categories at all. But since Rufus is the anatgaonist to the religious group his believes would be opposite as well, and so he is a follower of the left-hand-path (from a satanistic viewpoint), in my eyes^^

Review please?