Author's Note: Oh boy. This chapter has been plaguing me almost since I developed the storyline. How to end this twist. How to get Seph to not be the monster everyone expects without making him completely out of character for what I've set up.

Marken: Seph and Talin are going to have a lot to talk about when this is all over... I will just be happy to get back to writing on my main storyline. This whole section was actually added late but has given a LOT more depth to the later sections. I can't wait to share this whole story with you. :)

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 43

The click as he twisted the little key sounded far too loud in the silent space. The snap of the latch coming free causing some chains to twist and whip back as the tension released. Sparks flew when the metal links struck each other, forcing Talin to squint at the sudden brightness in the gloom. The cacophony of sound pierced his ears and, as he raised his hands to cover them, a wave of dizziness hit him and he staggered to one side.

The loosening chains were falling rapidly now, untangling themselves from one another as they fell. Through narrowed eyes, Talin tried to keep his eyes on the General but just as he saw the man's arms fall free of their bindings, the slight dizzy spell became vertigo. A gasp tore from his lungs, his legs gave out, and the world pitched like someone shaking a snow globe.

Determined not to be sprawled on the floor, the teen managed to drop to one knee as his stomach rolled with nausea. Eyes pinched shut, he pressed his hands into the ground to convince his brain it wasn't really moving, but it didn't help. All around him, the thunder of falling chain continued, but, somehow, amongst that screeching, clanging din, he heard the scuff of boots.

Instinct had his head snapping up, eyes going wide in alarm at the sound, and for a moment, everything was motionless. Kneeling before him, the Silver SOLDIER had his hand outstretched, but the fingers were pulled back in hesitance. Like a child fascinated with fire and reached out to touch it, but then remembering the pain of its burn. The shock of the nearness of his mentor was only exceeded by the man's expression.

The mask Talin had come to hate was nonexistent and raw emotions painted Sephiroth's features as he looked upon his Cadet. Pride, devotion, pain, affection... he could somehow see all of them even though there was no change of expression. Past them all and deeper than the others, was a sense of intense longing, of loneliness, and a need that Talin felt the instant their eyes met.

The impact of those eyes, pleading with him for a forgiveness he wasn't yet willing to grant, shook him to his bones, and the frozen moment shattered. Despite his vertigo, the teen wrenched himself back, trying to get out of arms reach, and crashed to the floor as the world again twisted around him. Unable to open his eyes with the landscape spinning so violently, the scrape of boots on the floorboards was his only warning that he'd been followed.

The hand that gripped his upper arm was no longer hesitant, but it, and the one that came to cradle and lift his aching head, were exceptionally gentle. He struggled against them, pulling back and pushing them away, but, with silent insistence, Talin was brought up onto his knees and held steady by an arm around his waist as he thrashed. Eyes still closed against the dizziness, his attempt to free himself was uncoordinated at best. Pushing at the arm around him, the chest he was held against, and the hands that remained firm but careful, he felt panic starting to bleed in past the overwhelming vertigo, when the General's hand caught his chin.

His mind was struggling to process, but it still registered heat. Of the body he was held by, the fingers on his face... the lips that pressed to his... Again, instinct had his eyes flying open, but instead of the blind panic he would have expected, Talin found his mind falling silent as he met the crystal green gaze.

The hand at his chin shifted into his hair, softly holding him in place before the unique slit eyes closed. The shock of the kiss had prevented him from bolting, but, as the warm lips moved against his, Talin was unable to keep his own eyes open and, instead of pushing away, he found himself leaning in. The leather coat and straps he'd previously pushed against, he now clung to, and the arm encircling him pulled him closer as the dizziness ebbed slowly away.

All his fears and worries started to melt under the warmth of the kiss. The voice that had shrieked in protest at his agreeing to the link, fell silent, and Talin heard the near voiceless whispers he'd missed all this time. He cares. The General doesn't want to hurt me. I want to impress him. I want him to be my mentor, my friend, my... I want him... Lips slanted to fit across the Cadet's, and a wet heat pushed gently against them but not between, causing him to almost miss the last words. ...I want him... and he wants me...

The admission and understanding hit him hard and, while the sting of the 1st's previous actions still hurt, still made him wary, the teen knew he needed to give the man a proper second chance. The vertigo had mostly subsided and, with his mind made up, the last of the tension drained from Talin. When he let his lips part on the next lick across them, the response was swift.

He felt enveloped by the arms that curled around him and the silken hair that fell like a curtain as if to hide something forbidden. Then, all he could feel was the slick, hot tongue that slid into his mouth, but it didn't seek his out right away. The hand in his hair tilted his head slightly and he was thoroughly explored. He could have pressed forward, initiated the contact he wanted, but something told him to stay still, to allow the wandering touch to seek him out as he'd done with the General so far.

The thunder in his ears was no longer from the crashing of chains, but from the rush of his heart as the blood in his veins turned molten. He'd never thought about how sensitive his mouth was till every inch was touched and teased, except what he wanted most. Then, a shiver went down his spine when the probing muscle halted.

The first brush against his tongue was like electricity. In the back of his mind, Talin felt something click into place, and then... nothing. Leather straps that he'd griped onto vanished, warmth evaporated from his skin, and air replaced the strong form that had been holding him. With a gasp, Talin lost his balance, landing on his hands and knees as he tried to regain his bearings. The figure was nowhere to be found and he quickly scanned the room but saw not even a strand of silver hair. Chains were scattered around him in every direction, some tangled, others in curling patterns and designs that the Cadet didn't register because his eyes were suddenly fixed someplace else.

The burning in his veins was still there, his lips still tingled from the kiss, but the quiet peace that had dominated his thoughts was gone. Instead of vertigo, his brain spun in confusion as he looked to where the figure had been held in front of the doorway... but the door was gone. It had vanished, just as the General's double had, and Talin was left grasping for understanding that kept slipping between his fingers.

His goal had been to reach the door, right? If the door was now gone, then what had been the purpose of... The Cadet's train of thought stopped cold as he remembered the feeling of what had to have been the link forming. It hadn't been when he'd used the key, when they'd first kissed, or after he'd relaxed, it'd been after Talin admitted to himself how much he wanted, needed that kiss. Not just the kiss... all of him... The quiet thought made his eyes widen but he wouldn't deny the truth of it.

The redhead's brain suddenly registered the press of something cold under his palm and his hand locked tight around a small shape as he jumped to his feet. The edges of the key dug into his hand as his grip on it tightened and, mind still reeling, Talin fled the room. The link was formed, now it was time to get the hell out of there.

Remembering he was still in the Void, regardless of his startlingly real experience, Talin kicked himself free of the ground and all but dove for the exit. He'd loved the sensation of 'flying' when he'd first realized that there was no true ground in the dark realm, but now it simply served as the fastest option to put distance between himself and that room.

The thudding of his pulse in his ears was loud as he zipped down the long hallway, but a muffled sound made its way past the insistent pounding. A word? A voice? A war of emotions tore at him as he kept moving. Part of him, spooked and tired of surprises, pushed him to go faster. The other, interested and curious about 'what the HECK just happened?!', begged him to turn back and see if the General was following.

The sound came again, louder and more insistent but the appearance of the exit ahead made his choice for him. With a final burst of speed, Talin cleared the archway of stone and allowed his shadow to rapidly grow to regular size. Turning back to the dark mass of Sephiroth's mind, he saw it take shape and reach out to him half a second before the teen released his hold on his shadow and dropped from the Void.

Beneath his hand, he still felt the warmth of his mentors and, when his eyes opened, he realized he hadn't looked away from the man's face before he'd last closed them. The peaceful stillness of the General's features was just as the doppelganger had been, but the look of quiet tranquility lasted only till crystal eyes opened to meet his. A thread of worry flitted across the normally composed face and the hand below the Talin's flexed as if to take hold of the Cadet's.

His eyes remained locked with Sephiroth's as the teen's mind scrambled to withdraw, to have a moment to process what happened. They both felt his muscles tense to pull back, but the action abruptly turned from yank, to grab as his knees buckled. Like a vicious punch to his guts, the same rolling nausea assaulted him a split second before the vertigo crashed over his senses, completing the one-two combo.

His blind grab for anything stable ended with the larger hand gripping his. An arm slipped around him to keep him from falling and he was pressed to the heat of a very familiar body as the ground seemed to sway under his feet. The shrieking, panicked voice that had been silenced by the kiss in the Void, regained some strength and practically hissed in warning at the vulnerable position.

The teen's rational mind processed the firm grip and arm around his middle and realized that, while he was being held securely, it wasn't more than was necessary to keep him upright. It was, however, unnervingly similar to before... Feeling as drained as if he'd trained all day, Talin was only able to push himself back a little from the chest his head had fallen against, but Sephiroth got the message. The SOLDIER didn't let go but shifted his hold on the shaky Cadet to give him more space while supporting him as he swayed from the second blast of disorientation.

"What the hell?" The question was spoken between careful breathes, the sick feeling in his stomach making it difficult to get out even so small a sentence.

"When you stopped responding to me, I tried to warn you." The 1st kept his voice very soft, not wanting to agitate his Cadet's condition if he was sound sensitive as well. "It's an uncommon side effect that I didn't think would happen in a one-sided link." It was the truth, but this extreme of a reaction was even more unusual.

Sephiroth felt the grip on his hand alternate between a desperate, crushing pressure to being almost pushed away and knew Talin was fighting not just the disorientation, but his own fears as well. Taking the risk of spooking the teen worse, he dropped his tone to the same deep, comforting pitch that Angeal used, "Easy, Cadet. It'll pass in a moment." The SOLDIER was tense as he waited for the results of his gamble.

That voice, so different from any he'd heard from his mentor, slipped past Talin's defenses, made him feel safe, and his mind gave up the fight with only the smallest reluctance. World still spinning, he pushed his head into the leather-clad shoulder and hooked his free hand on one of the man's belt straps to anchor himself. When the 1st lowered his head, chin just brushing Talin's hair, and curled himself ever so slightly around him, the teen didn't feel panic. There was a small flutter of nerves, but instead of trapped, he felt sheltered in the careful embrace as he let himself be held.

Not needing to focus on keeping himself up, the teen took the moment to think and found himself wondering about this whole experience. Could the General really not see what had happened in that room? Or did he know? Did he see the doppelganger... or had he been in control of it? The questions made Talin uneasy.

I can ask Angeal, he'll tell me the truth of it. A new doubt clouded his mind. Would Angeal and the others be mad at him? He'd charged into this headfirst, hadn't stopped to think it through or ask for more information before saying yes. The Commander had intentionally left out the 3rd level link in his training, but Talin hadn't considered why that could be other than what the General just told him... Irritation for his own rash actions flared as the disorientation faded and the Cadet was relieved when he cracked his eyes open to find the world no longer dancing.

His push as he lifted his head was firm and Sephiroth cautiously released his grip on hand and waist but kept his arm just behind Talin's back in case he stumbled. The teen's legs were still shaky, but his troubled thoughts and sudden memory of his stipulation spurred him to regain his composure. The unsteady step he took back made him wobble and the Cadet was simultaneously grateful and annoyed at the light pressure of the steadying hand behind him.

Another, more solid, step back was followed by another till Talin stood just outside Sephiroth's reach. The SOLDIER's slit green eyes were alert, watching for any sign of further distress in his trainee but he saw only fatigue. Mentally, he cursed when the same wariness from earlier return to Talin's features but the determination beneath it was at least some reassurance.

"Okay," His voice was as shaky as his legs, "now teach me to sever it." The teen's chest felt tight as he reminded the General of the other part of their deal. Like he'd suddenly asked for more than what they'd agreed on. The silence in that heartbeat of time after his request was uneasy and made worse when he saw the SOLDIER's startled look followed by a shake of his head.

"I'll teach you later, after you've rested. You-"

"No, now!" Talin's frustrated growl cut him off, and Sephiroth suppresses his own spike of annoyance at one of his few pet peeves. When the General didn't reply, the Cadet became more annoyed. "You swore you'd teach me. Do you just not want to, or are you scared I'll cut the link as soon as I learn how?!"

The 1st's response was an instant "No." but then a shadow of doubt filled his features and he hesitated a moment. "...Yes, I considered it, but more than anything I'm concerned for your wellbeing. If you go back into the Void again so soon after the stress of the link, it could put too much strain on your mind and you could collapse." He saw Talin's determination waver slightly and softened his voice again. "You're exhausted and your mind needs time to recover."

The teen knew his mentor was right, that he should go rest and come back for the other information later, but his stubbornness won out. "No, teach me now." The quick shake of his head caused him to stumble and, although he hadn't heard a sound, Sephiroth was there instantly to steady him. The strong hands that caught his arms held only long enough for his balance to be restored before they were gone again.

Talin's reaction was surprised but not panicked and, although it was tempting to remain where he was, Seph took the few steps back to give his trainee the space he'd previously sought. The stumble hadn't shaken the boy's resolve however. "Show me, or I'll ask Angeal about it tonight instead."

As much as the General loved his Cadet's tenacity, there were times that he wished the redhead wasn't so relentless. Knowing he wasn't going to win this fight, the 1st sighed and then offered a compromise that would test a bit of their rebuilt trust. "Fine, but on one condition." and he fixed Talin with a stern look, "If I to tell you to leave the Void because you're having troubles, or are about to collapse, promise me you'll listen." It was a simple enough thing to consent to and the teen's nod was careful as he agreed so as not to cause another wave of dizziness.

Talin watched the silver 1st close his eyes and, feeling a little more unstable than he wanted to admit, stepped as quietly as possible closer to him. If he was going to fall, he'd prefer it to be against his mentor than onto the hard concrete. Only a single step separated them by the time he closed his eyes and gathered his shadow in the Void.

The link wasn't visible as he'd half expected it to be but that quickly changed. ~Look down at your hip, see the key? ~ Talin did look and, sure enough, hanging from a thin cord on his belt was the key he'd used to open the lock. ~If you pull it from your belt and toss it, a thread will appear that you can follow to me, if I'm within range. ~

The Cadet had already pulled it free and was looking it over as he listened. It wasn't the silvery metal that it had been within the room but the same stark black onyx like the rest of his shadow. ~To sever the connection, ~ Talin's attention switched back to his mentor, but the simple act of lifting his head felt slow, as if he was moving through something thicker than open air. ~all you need to do is throw the key and focus on cutting the link, of it dissolving into nothing, and the pathway between us being sealed off. ~

Talin nodded and felt the same difficulty as before with his movements. Was this what the General had been worried about? ~ -to find me... Talin?~ Sephiroth's look when he met the man's eyes was searching and concerned.

~Wha-? ~ He tried to push the question to his teacher, but felt like he'd hit a wall, and winced. There was a brush of static in his ears, like someone turned on a broken radio. Irrationally, he closed his eyes and covered his ears against the fuzziness that was invading to cloud his thoughts. The press of hands on his shoulders hardly registered but the static solidified into words, the touch of mind to mind strengthening them enough to be heard.

~Cadet. ~ Talin's blurry vision was filled with a crystal green glow that he knew was the General, but he could distinguish no features. ~Leave the Void. Now, Cadet. ~ It was an order and the teen obeyed it instantly.

Sephiroth dropped out the moment he felt his trainee's shadow dissipate and immediately caught him when the teen's knees gave out. "Talin?" At first, the SOLDIER wasn't sure the redhead hadn't passed out, but then there was a struggling attempt to regain his footing and the weak grip of fingers around one of his belts. The mumble of response was unintelligible, but Sephiroth thought he heard at least one curse in the garble of attempt at words and it made a smirk pull at his lips.

Talin had indeed cursed, not once, but several times and all of them were aimed at himself. He had little success getting his legs back under him, but the strong arms weren't about to let him fall. He was just grateful that the man didn't say 'I told you so' as any of the others would have. Instead, he heard the quiet "You need rest." spoken just above his head and redoubled his efforts to stand under his own power.

"Yeah." The word was slow and deliberate, the exhaustion making even that much difficult. Talin managed to secure both hands on the General's belts and finally got his legs to hold his weight. A murmur of sound came from above him. When he raised his head to see the 1st looking down, he realized a question was asked. "Huh?"

Firmly stopping himself from chuckling, Sephiroth resettled his hold on the still shaky Cadet. "I asked where you want to go to rest?"

"I'll be fine." Stubbornly, Talin pivoted a foot as if to pull away, but the hand that had been a gentle pressure at his side held tighter, halting him. A cold chill ran through the redhead at that restraining hand and he glanced up with a startled, but no less determined glare.

Sephiroth arched an eyebrow but did loosen his hold slightly. "You'll never make the walk in the condition you're in." The General saw the burn of stung pride in his trainee's eyes before the teen's legs give another threatening shake. Talin clutched tighter to the leather belts in his grasp, the small tremor nearly toppling him. Seph tried again. "Let me help you. Please."

"Stop saying please..." The teen hissed. He'd grimaced at the 'please' and looked away before repeating the same request from earlier.

"Does it bother you that much?" The General hadn't meant to say that, but the unexpectedness of such a reaction to something so simple had him speaking without thought.

Talin's nod against his chest caused his eyes to widen, and the 1st was suddenly glad for his slip in control. "It's too much like begging..." The statement was rough and the following whisper of "I hate it..." was filled with such seething anger that the SOLDIER burned with curiosity.

Tucking his more direct questions away for now, Sephiroth decided to see if he could get answers in a more roundabout way. "I'm not begging." He slipped one arm free from around his trainee and hooked a finger under Talin's chin to make him look up. "I'm simply asking you to let me help."

Although he was physically looking at his mentor, the teen kept his eyes diverted from the other man's. "Then don't say 'please', just ask." The disdain for the word made it come out in a venomous hiss, and Sephiroth shifted tact.

"Would it make you happy, then, if I promised to never say it again?" The eyes that had refused to meet his own snapped to stare at him in surprise. The General let a small smile curl his lip as he waited, enjoying not only Talin's flustered and slightly disbelieving expression but the simple feeling of holding his Cadet. Seph was more than willing to strike the word from his vocabulary with the teen. It was obviously linked to something bigger than just the word, but they could at least start with this.

When speech failed Talin, he simply nodded, too surprised at the offer to think of turning it down. Sephiroth's small smile grew and the silver 1st leaned down a little closer to his upturned face. "As you wish," The vow was hardly a whisper as it was spoken into the space between them.

Talin's mind felt sluggish and heavy as he looked up into his mentor's eyes and watched the swirl of Mako in their depths. They were so close... He could feel the warmth of the SOLDIER pressed against him everywhere, but didn't have the capacity to find anything wrong with that fact. The finger under his chin had been joined by a thumb that now brushed feather-light along his jaw while he remained transfixed by that crystal green gaze.

Lost as Talin was in the moment, Sephiroth found himself just as caught, but the slight fuzzing of the teen's eyes snapped him out of the trance. He needed to get the exhausted Cadet someplace safe to sleep off the aftereffects, and there was no way in hell he was taking him back to his place. His lovers would have a conniption fit for one and, likely, so would Talin when he woke up.

Standing slowly back to his full height, the General allowed himself one more indulgence and slid his hand to hold the back of his trainee's head, enjoying the feel of the silky red hair. "Where would you like to go? Angeal's?" The jade eyes focused a bit at his quiet question, but the body in his arms rapidly sagged against him. It was easy to support the teen's weight and, as he curled the redhead closer, he felt the light shake of the head now held to his chest.

"...en's..." Talin was pushing himself to speak, to say anything, but that little mumble was all he could manage as he went all but limp in the SOLDIER's arms.

"Gen's? You've been staying with Genesis?" A weak nod, more like the dip of someone falling unconscious, answered both questions and Sephiroth found himself wondering if Talin would make it to the Commander's apartment before falling asleep. Lowering his head just above his Cadet's, he dropped his voice to that deep pitch once more. "As I am bid, so shall I obey..."

In one fluid movement, Talin was scooped up and carried effortlessly into the building. It was early enough still that no one would be about on either floor, but the teen still felt uneasy about being seen with the General and about being so completely helpless.

Quick strides of long legs took them directly to the elevator and in the quiet lobby, the Cadet could hear the strong tempo of the heart under his ear. Its rhythm sounded off, like it was beating too fast, and he closed his eyes to listen...

The steady thumping was gone between one beat and the next and Talin went from relaxed to alert just as rapidly. His own heart continued to beat at a calm, resting pace and he kept his breathing as it had been, but his mind stuttered to figure out what was happening.

"Thank you, Talin." The soft push of fingers through his hair along with that quiet voice nearly startled the redhead, but he somehow remained unmoving. Brain still not processing things very quickly, it took him a moment to realize he was laying on something soft instead of being carried.

I'm on a bed... Gen's bed. Cinnamon and apples, the sweet-smelling body wash Genesis had used that morning, still lingered in the room, but now it merged with another scent. Clean and fresh, but tinged with a strange sharpness, like the air after a thunderstorm... There was a dip in the bed next to him and the fingers brushed back another lock of his too-long hair from his eyes.

"I can't honestly say I deserve another chance, but that you've given it to me means more than I could ever explain." Sephiroth was speaking so quietly that, had everything not been completely silent in the apartment, Talin wouldn't have heard him. The hand left his head and the bed again shifted as the General rose, but the teen still felt like he was being watched and remained motionless.

The sound of boot falls retreating ended after a few short steps across the deep carpet and then he had to strain his ears as the distance almost muffled the SOLDIER's last words. "I'll endeavor to be worthy of that second chance." A pulse of power filled the air and Talin's heart jumped at the sudden use of magic. "Till then, little Phoenix, come at me. I'll take the sting of your blades and the burn of your fire if it means that, one day, you'll let me enjoy the softness of your feathers once more..."

A fluttering, rushing sound was accompanied by a flare of light and Talin blinked his eyes open just in time to see green flames, the same that Sephiroth used to call Masamune, envelope Shin-Ra's General, and then he was gone.

Teleport?! No, that wasn't possible... Maybe a reverse summons of some kind? Too tired to try to figure out what he'd just seen, the teen let his head fall back to the bed. All the words and events of the last few hours swam past Talin's eyes and ears, ending with the short speech that, he assumed, the General hadn't meant him to hear.

Little Phoenix... He might outwardly scowl at the nickname, only really letting Genesis get away with it with any consistency, but hearing Sephiroth say it had made a small shiver run down his body. The same little shiver shook him as he thought about it and then his lips began to tingle as he also recalled the kiss. His eyes fell shut and he could almost feel the press of lips against his, the strong hands and body that had been frequently against him...

His emotions teetered between enjoyment of the memory and caution of the future, but, again, he was too tired to think too hard on it. Reaching back for a blanket, he pulled it over him, head and all, and gave into the sleep that his body demanded before he could imagine other things about that body.

Post note: I am still writing as fast as time will allow but some of the upcoming chapters may be shorter due to a very busy personal schedule. I am trying very hard to not put the story on pause while I write more chapters but it seems that everything is trying to get in the way of me catching up on writing.

I will keep you posted but till then, please continue to enjoy and let me know your thoughts and don't forget to favorite/follow the story to get alerts when I update. Saturday's are becoming very busy so I may need to switch to Sunday but I will also let you know beforehand if that needs to happen.

Please remember to post a review if you're enjoying the story too! I really love to hear from people about what they enjoyed and get an outside perspective on my writing. :)