Author's Note: Someday, I will write nothing but smut with no plot. Till then, let's charge full speed ahead into some story development!

Marken: I'm sad to say that my backlog of completed chapters is getting a little thin... Between life and the lack of good options for social engagements, my productivity crawled into a hole and hasn't wanted to come out. I will keep pushing for weekly updates (I really don't want to stop giving you chapters) but we will cross that bridge if/when we get there. For now, Seph has a LOT to do to make up to our boy...

Beta Readers: Pixie, Kiza, and Discord.

I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.

Enjoy and please R&R.

Chapter 41

Special Note: The word Leash later in this chapter is supposed to be formated with a strikethrough but FF won't let me do it so please imagine it for me. 😉

What the hell am I doing? Talin had been asking himself that same question for the last twenty minutes and still couldn't find an acceptable answer. The sudden halting of the elevator made him lean against the wall, clutching the rail for some kind of stability as his mind pitched rapidly between conflicting thoughts and emotions.

He'd spent the previous day training with Zack and then relaxing with all three Commanders, but no matter how entertaining his companions had been, he couldn't ignore the weight of the phone in his pocket. If they'd noticed his distraction, they said nothing. Even when he and Gen went to bed that night, the SOLDIER didn't pester him but simply pulled him down into the freshly cleaned bedding and snuggled him close.

Talin's sleep was deep and blessedly dreamless but, as soon as he woke the next morning, Sephiroth's message was back on his mind. He just couldn't seem to ignore it. By the time Genesis left for a predawn training session with some 2nds, the press of need to respond was overwhelming. The teen's fingers had moved as if of their own volition and, before he knew it, he'd typed out a simple request and hit send.

Ten seconds went by... then twenty... Just as he was starting to kick himself for not remembering that the General might actually be asleep at so early an hour, the little eye icon popped up next to his text. Dots that indicated typing flashed for a moment before a response popped up below his.

SMS Message From: Seph

Seph: I will be there.

He hardly heard the chime signaling his arrival on the deployment floor and he stared blankly as the doors opened for him to exit. What am I doing? He'd made it this far on pure adrenaline but that rush had faded and the growing chill of uncertainty quickly froze him in place. I can't do this... but I need to. I want to... I just need- The doors shuttered and started to close.

Talin surged forward, halting their progress and pushing past to slip out into the small lobby. If he looked to his right, he'd see the small alcove where they always said their goodbyes before deployment, but he couldn't pull his eyes from the doors leading to the helipad.

Tinted as they were to protect against what little sunlight Midgar received, it was impossible to see out into the early morning darkness. Impossible to tell if he was actually there or not. He said he would be... He wanted a meeting, but what if he decided to not come? What if... Frustrated with his waring emotions, Talin shook his head, clenching both his fists and jaw in an attempt to pull himself back to the here and now instead of the what-ifs.

Ruthlessly, he shoved the quiet whispers of doubt aside. "I can't move forward till I deal with the past." Silently he thought that, regardless of what happened today, this confrontation couldn't be anywhere near as bad as dealing with Rald had been...

The burn of that thought melted some of the chill and, without giving himself time to think any further, Talin made his way to the doors. The hiss of them opening made his heart pound and then it skipped when he looked out and saw long, silver hair, curling and twisting in the light wind. It was just like the man's shadow in the Void, moving with an odd grace as if alive instead of simply windblown.

The quiet sound drew the General's attention and his crystal green eyes glowed brightly as they landed on the Cadet. Talin had only managed to take a few steps out into the cold air before the 1st turned to him. He blamed the shiver that tore down his spine on the crisp wind, but his still pounding heartbeat had no such excuse.

"Talin..." The brightness of Sephiroth's eyes shone like a beacon in the dim, predawn gloom, but it was more like a lighthouse warning ships away from treacherous water than a call to safe harbor. "I'm glad you came. I-" The General had taken a step towards the teen and halted abruptly when he saw him take a matching one backward.

Talin hadn't meant to. Silently he raged at his inability to hold his ground and watched the flash of emotions across the other's face, waiting for annoyance or disapproval like before. It never showed. Instead, there was a flicker of a more painful emotion, a mix of concern and apprehension, and then Sephiroth carefully stepped back.

Don't run from me Talin... please... Sephiroth wished he could speak the request aloud, or even across the Void, but he didn't dare. The bright glow of his eyes dimmed and he stood, unmoving, waiting for any sign from the younger man. His sensitive hearing caught the sound of Talin taking a shaky breath and he almost smiled when the teen reversed his backward motion. Eyes locked with the General's, he took another step forward and, when the SOLDIER showed no signs of movement, continued closer till only a few yards separated them.

Seph waited a few moments more, giving Talin the chance to speak first if he chose. Before the moment could stretch too far and become uncomfortable, he tried to lead them gently into conversation. "I didn't expect to hear from you so quickly..." He cut himself off from saying 'after what happened last time'.

As his mentor spoke, the shiver that had persisted in Talin's spine stopped without him realizing it. Somewhere, in the depths of his subconscious, he still found comfort in that voice and managed to respond without any tremble to his words. "I'm tired of running... from you... from everything."

Talin expected the icy poker face that the General always used to snap back into place, but instead he saw the 1st wince and then regret dominated Sephiroth's features. The man's emotions had always been a quieter thing compared to his companions. Always subdued, but seen and felt by those who knew him well enough to look for the small smile or glitter of mischief in his slit eyes. This emotional response, restrained as it still was, was unexpected, and the teen felt slightly adrift.

Talin wasn't the only one unsettled, Sephiroth wasn't used to being without his mask, but Angeal had pushed him. At least during his conversation with Talin, he needed to drop the barrier and let the Cadet see what was really going on in his head. Let the teen see the effect of his words and know that what Seph had to say was honest, not just insincere phrases meant to placate. The older SOLDIER often guessed correctly and the surprised look on the redhead's face gave him hope that 'Geal had been right again.

"I'm sorry." The words were quiet, but the slight widening of Talin's eyes was all Seph needed to know he'd been heard. "I made you feel like you had to run from me, that you couldn't trust me. I never wanted that. I can't change what I've done, nor will I attempt to defend my actions, all I can do, is ask your forgiveness and try to make amends." The silver-haired 1st saw the slight tremble return and, for a moment, he feared that the Cadet would bolt regardless of his previous statements.

Talin's mind was buzzing. He... apologized... But now what? As much as he'd wanted to fix this, he hadn't actually given thought as to how to get to that point. Unable to think of what to say regarding the apology, the redhead focused on the part that spoke of the future instead of the now. "Amends?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I damaged the trust you had in me... I used it against you." That statement burned of shame and the proud SOLDIER closed his eyes, fighting the urge to hide the emotion, before looking back at his silent trainee. "I can only hope that it isn't too damaged for me to attempt to rebuild that trust."

The emotions that had been twisting inside Talin flatlined and he was left with a painful urge to laugh. Biting his tongue, he was able to prevent all but a soft scoff. "How?" He hadn't meant the one word to come out so bitter, but the sudden sting of frustration rapidly swelled, and he spoke without thinking. "How can I work on trusting you when I can't even be near you without..."

He was almost shouting. A bright flare of green cut across his vision and his brain finally caught up to his mouth. Snapping his teeth closed with an audible sharp click, he cut off the last words and tried desperately to reign in his irritation. His mind silently finished; Without panicking... without being afraid...

Sephiroth remained quiet and very still throughout the outburst. He'd expected far worse than harsh words and yelling, wouldn't even have blamed Talin if he'd lashed out and attacked him. He deserved it. This he could deal with, he just had to wait and give the teen time to vent. Just so long as he stayed to keep talking, Sephiroth could wait, he'd give his Cadet all the time he needed.

Talin's nails dug into his palms and teeth ground together as he pushed back the explosive emotions. Unable to meet the General's eyes, he focused on the man's black boots to appease his mind's need to keep the other in his sight. His throat was so tight from withheld anger that his voice, when he tried again, was a close to a whisper. "How? I want to, but how?"

Seph hadn't come unprepared for their conversation. "You no longer trust me, my judgments, my orders, or my promises." He saw the glow of Talin's eyes flare again, and continued but watched for any sign of an attack. He wouldn't dodge, wouldn't move an inch, but he would be prepared for the Mako enhanced assault if it came. "I want to give you a way to fight back if you feel threatened or if I push you too far. Something that can stop me in an instant and that I have no defense against..." Now he had the Cadet's attention.

The angry glow was gone between one blink and the next, and Talin looked up. His eyes searched for a hint of a lie or deception and found none. "What... could you possibly give me that could do that? A stun gun?" He winced, remembering the pain of the weapon, and was relieved to see his mentor shake his head.

"A link."

"Like an Aura link?" Now Talin was confused and became more so at Seph's nod. A link took time and focus to maintain, how could the 1st expect him to do that when he'd only just started learning?

"Angeal did tell you about the different levels of links, didn't he?" The question felt innocent but the Cadet saw a tiny flicker of amusement and it made him bristle again.

"Of course he did. First level is for basic skills, like communication, and the second is for harder things and takes more concentration." Talin growled, thinking his answer would wipe away that smug look, but it didn't, and his irritation flared hotter.

"So he didn't tell you about the third level?" There wasn't anything snide about the comment, nothing depreciative of Angeal or his teaching, but Talin was already agitated enough and it spurred him on.

"At least he trained me to use my Aura instead of hiding the fact I even had one!" Venom laced his words and he saw the SOLDIER flinch when the verbal barb hit its mark. Sephiroth's expression darkened and he couldn't deny the truth of the accusation.

"I thought I was protecting you," The rolling wave of anger in Talin lessened, but didn't disappear as he listened to this long-overdue explanation. "The more people that knew, the more chance you had of being attacked, so I waited. After you started to make improvements in your training, I considered bringing it up and decided to test your sensitivity to see if you were at all aware of it."

Sephiroth's small smile held traces of remembered pain. "It turned out that you, at least some part of you, was very aware. So much so that, on instinct, you lashed out at me." The strike had been vicious, hurting like a white-hot whip that had wrapped around his arm and then yanked free to leave a spiral of agony in its wake. The mental wound hadn't been able to leave a physical trace, but the General had been forced to keep his shields up for over a week while his shadow recovered. After that, he'd been much more careful when testing Talin.

"Your reaction to my testing was so negative that I didn't want to push forward with training without knowing why your subconscious responded the way it did. Such defenses are not unheard-of but they're not developed naturally..." The unspoken question beneath the explanation was impossible to miss, but this man had lost the right to expect an answer... for now.

Talin fought not to look away from the probing gaze and finally shook his head. "It doesn't matter anymore." Cutting away from the subject, he moved back to the original one. "What's a third-level link, and why do you think Angeal didn't tell me about it?"

The General tucked the information away for later and focused back on the more important topic. "He likely didn't tell you because, while it is useful, it's not commonly used. Most SOLDIERs are unable to forge one, and those that can, seldomly do so." Talin cursed his curiosity as it pushed him to know more.

"If not just anyone can do it, then how are you so sure I can?"

"You won't be the one to initiate the link. I will." The sudden realization of what that would likely entail stopped Talin in his tracks. You had to be close to form a link... and the connection went both ways.

"You said I could use it to stop you, but what can you use it for, then? You could do the same thing..." Dread filled him and he took a half step back as his mind swam again with doubts.

Seeing the rise of panic in Talin's eyes, Sephiroth rapidly worked to diminish the Cadet's fears. "A third level link isn't the same as a first or second. It can be like a regular connection, with access on both ends, or it can be one-sided. Yours would be one-way and I would have no access back along it to you." The redhead's heartbeat had been steadily increasing but started to slow once more as the General continued.

"With that connection in place, even if I had my shields locked down airtight, you could pass through them as if they were your own. My thoughts would be open for you to scan at any time with only as much focus as it takes to form your shadow. Anything I tell you, any command I give, you could question and know the true intention of in a moment's time... I would be an open book to you."

Talin's eyes had widened in mild shock at the implications of such a link, but another question pushed forward first. "And how would I 'stop' you?"

"My shields and defenses would become immaterial to you. If you ever became frightened, needed to break away, or couldn't handle something, all you'd need to do is strike out at the link." Sephiroth halted for only a moment before explaining further, "Hitting it, or any of my forms in the Void would be many times stronger than one of the stun guns." The General's face was emotionless as he finished, not with his icy mask, but as if he wasn't sure what to feel while offering to create such a vulnerability.

The enormity of that offer, of the amount of sway Talin would have over someone so devastatingly powerful, felt wrong. 'Many times stronger...' He couldn't imagine the pain a blow like that could cause. "Why would you do that?" The shock of imagining someone as imposing as the General taken to his knees, if not rendered unconscious, made his voice shake. "Why would you give me something like that?"

"Because I want you to fight, Talin. I want you to push back against your fears." Sephiroth's expression burned to life again and became a riotous mix of emotion as he continued, "I should have been the one behind you, pushing you forward to face your demons. Should have been the one there to catch you if you fell or set you back on track if you strayed." Talin watched the creep of pain across slit green eyes and thought he could almost hear the strain of it in his voice.

"I lost my right to that role." His gaze fell to the ground, filled with honest regret, before rising again to meet his trainee's. The determination that now swam behind lightly glowing irises was as fierce as his sorrow had been piercing. "Instead, I'll be one of the demons ahead of you, the one egging you on and challenging you to do better."

The Cadet's mind staggered as it tried to wade through the emotional tide the words created. He didn't like the connotation 'demon' applied to the SOLDIER. Especially not now that he knew the man's fears of being seen as a monster. But he was unable to offer consolation or comfort to his mentor as he would've attempted before.

The other, more potent feelings expressed were even harder to ignore. Talin had often thought about what he'd lost since his headlong charge into the VR room that day. What he'd never considered, was that the General had also been deprived of something by his actions. Seeing him now, still composed, but eyes flickering with raw emotions, told him more about his proud mentor than he'd learned in their months of training together.

The whole concept of this link made him uncomfortable. It felt too close to a violation, too similar to the Leash for him to truly feel at ease accepting so intimate a connection. "I... appreciate your offer, but I can't... I don't want that kind of access. Isn't there- there has to be some other way." Talin struggled to express his thoughts. He couldn't bring himself to explain why such a thing felt so wrong to him without treading too close to shaky ground.

"The extent of your access is entirely dependent upon how far you look. The harder you focus, the more you'll see, just like with a second-level connection." Seph paused and Talin saw a small glimmer of amusement cross his eyes. "If you only want to see the surface of the ocean, you don't put on diving gear and jump in. You just look." The analogy, and the thin vein of humor threading through the man's eyes, eased some of Talin's worries. Then another, more important, question arose.

"This type of link, it's not... permanent, is it?" The world felt frozen as he waited for an answer. If it wasn't, he might be able to accept that... but if not- His mind revolted at the thought and a chill ran through him. No, he wouldn't be tied that way, not ever.

Sephiroth shook his head what felt like minutes later even if it could only have been a moment. "No, it can be severed, at any time, by either of us." The General felt the first stirrings of hope as he saw the teen forming another question, and waited patiently to answer it.

"You can teach me how to cut it?" The 1st withheld his growing excitement at the question. You didn't ask how to end something that you had no intention of starting. His nod sent silver hair sliding forward and the wind blew it back again just in time for him to watch acceptance settle in the Cadet's eyes. "That's my condition then. If I accept the link, you'll teach me how to terminate it."

Again, the Cadet waited, watching intently for the slightest sign of deception, for any warning that the General's offer might be a trap. Without hesitation, the SOLDIER nodded. "As you wish."

The last barrier fell in Talin's mind. If this link provided him the ability to fight back, the reassurance that he'd be able to walk away, then it'd be worth trying for the chance to once more train with this man he'd respected and looked up to. The discomfort he felt at the thought of invading the SOLDIER's mind still bothered him, but since it was something he'd have to choose to do, the redhead was willing to ignore what he couldn't change.

The first lines had been drawn in the sand and, even if they weren't precisely where he wanted them to be, they were at least visible. "So, how do we do this?"