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Author Note: I apologize in advance if you find errors in this chapter! I didn't get a chance to review it as I normally would and I'm actually uploading this from a parking lot while waiting in line for the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck. 😅 I will do a full review and clean up when I get a chance.

Marken: It really makes me smile knowing you like the cadets enough to actually miss seeing them in the story. They have another section coming up that I love and hope you will too.

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 49

A mission?! The words echoed in his mind, drowning out all but the instinctual dodge and perry of his teacher's opening strikes. Leaping back away from the next slash, the teen finally had breathing space to glance up and meet the 1st's gaze. "Like, a SOLDIER mission or..." In a blink, the space between them vanished and he was forced to deal with the onslaught instead of finishing his question.

Twisting his blades to use the hooks, he caught a particularly powerful swing, staggering slightly, but able to maintain his grip. "You haven't earned that information yet." The quiet reminder was playfully taunting and the Cadet realized that he really wasn't going to get anything without following the rules of their deal. Shoving hard on their locked blades, Talin twisted them, attempting to wrench the sword from the General's grasp.

It was a poor attempt to be sure and left him wide open to the kick that sent him tumbling across the floor. Side aching, the teen had jumped back up to his feet, about to charge once again, when he saw the smug smirk on the 1st's face. "I, on the other hand, just earned something..."

He'd wanted to know about the mission so badly that he hadn't given any real thought to what he would say if...no, when, he had to uphold his side of their bargain. "Fine, what do you want to know?" he said through clenched teeth, mind racing with possibilities of what could be asked.

Crystal green eyes flashed with a pulse of Mako, the smallest of warnings to keep his irritation in check. "That's not what we agreed to. You have to tell me something, not answer questions."

Talin had resumed his guard as soon as he'd stood back up, but now his shoulders fell, arms drooping lower as his mind went suddenly blank. Something I can tell him... something safe enough... but-

Sephiroth watched his Cadet's mood slide from surprise, to panic, and then to a stiff, blank expression as he franticly tried to find something to say. The 1st could all but see the mental barricades going back up around the topic of the teen's past and Seph wasn't about to let that happen. "How about we start with something easy." He offered and was glad to see the redhead perk up at the offer of a compromise, till he continued, "What's the name of the town you're from?"

"I, uh..." The walls that had fallen ever so slightly, slammed back up. Talin's guts froze and, looking away from the perceptive gaze of his teacher, started stumbling over his words while trying to remember a town in the main Corell region. The General's eyes narrowed when the teen looked away. It didn't take a Turk to know that anything the Cadet would tell him right then would be false. His patience snapped.

The quiet sound of boots was the only warning Talin had of the General's rapid approach and there wasn't enough distance between them to make that sufficient for anything. The crash of the sword slamming up into his dropped guard rattled and jarred the bones in his wrists, but he didn't have a chance to do more than tighten his grip before the next strike. The fury of the attack drove him back and, so distracted by defending and the topic of conversation, the younger fighter did know he'd been cornered till he hit the wall.

Sephiroth's sword caught under the hooks on the butterfly blades, tangling the three weapons together as he loomed over his spooked trainee. The moment the teen's back hit the wall, he saw Talin's posture start to shift from defense to fight or flight, but the General was ready.

"Talin." It was a sharp bark, harsh enough to halt the Cadet before he did more than tense in preparation to fight his way out, but soft enough to let him know he wasn't being scolded. "No more evasion, Cadet." The eyes that met Seph's were suspicious, but they were focused instead of clouded with fear or franticly looking for an escape.

Very carefully, the 1st eased up on the pressure between their locked swords. "I won't push you to say more than you want, but don't lie to me." Talin watched the man's expression soften as he spoke, felt the weight against his raised arms lessen till it was only enough to keep the blades hooked together.

Goosebumps rose on the teen's arms. There was more in that supplication than what was said aloud and they both knew it. It was also a request that neither of them could deny if they wanted... whatever this was, to work out in the long run.

"Taka." Talin's voice was less than a whisper, as if saying the name alone would drag him back to the place. The Cadet felt a shiver run down his spine as he spoke of his home for the first time in almost two years. "It's a little village north of the Corell Mountains, buried in the foothills..." It was still hardly a whisper but loud enough for the SOLDIER's sharp hearing.

The shadows that danced mirthlessly in his Cadet's eyes made the 1st want to track down the little backwater town and erase it from the map, but it wasn't his place to slay Talin's demons. He would, however, do everything in his power to help him fight them. Every tool and resource at the Silver SOLDIER's disposal would be Talin's should he need them to rid himself of the nightmares Genesis told him the teen still had.

In a movement as graceful as a cat, Sephiroth untangled their swords and backed away. The look on his face was one that Talin couldn't quite place as he waited for some response from his Mentor. A moment passed... and then another before the General cocked an eyebrow at his trainee. Seeing the redhead's confusion, he chuckled and raised his sword. "You still have a task to complete, Cadet. Or do you not care to learn the details of our mission?"

The 1st was glad to see the shadows that haunted his Cadet's eyes fade slightly at his taunt. The flare of determination that replaced them made the SOLDIER's lips curl in a genuine smile as the teen came at him once more. Seeing that fight, that fire, that drove back the darkness, reminded Sephiroth why he'd taken Talin in and offered him mentorship. It was also why he was unwilling to allow the fiery Cadet to retreat from difficult situations.

Only the strong survive in SOLDIER and, of those, only the best make it longer than a few years... The general mused as he parried the first flurry of strikes. The speed of the teen's next attack, however, reminded him that the younger fighter wasn't a pushover and not likely to be badly injured on most 3rd Class missions. Sephiroth dodged easily enough but his mind bristled at the thought of anything happening to his Cadet.

Sorry Talin, but I'm going to run you ragged. For your safety in the field, and for my sanity when I have to wait for you to come home...

…

The wrap of fingers around his bad ankle was the first clue Talin had that he was screwed. In his exhaustion, he'd made not one, not two, but a slew of mistakes on what was to be his last attempt to disarm his Mentor.

His grip on his blade had been too loose, allowing the General to send it flying out of his hand. Then, too tired to think clearly, he jumped to try to retrieve it instead of letting it come back down to him. Now he was airborne, arm outstretched, reaching for his weapon, when he should have been defending against a much greater threat than fighting with only one blade.

He only had time for a gasp of shocked dismay before he was tumbling, skidding, rolling across the floor. Blessedly, or perhaps by design, his momentum was halted by the lightest thump against the far wall instead of the painful smack it could have been. His grip had tightened on the one remaining blade, not wanting to lose it too, but he almost wished he'd dropped it when he was thrown. As he tumbled, the hilt had caught painfully against his ribs and now the spot ached, along with the rest of him, as he lay on the floor where he'd landed.

His free hand was by his head and, with a pained grunt, he started gathering himself to get up. There was a sudden, shrill sound of metal against metal that rang loudly in his ears and he blinked as pair of jade green eyes looked back at him when he opened them. Just past his nose, between his hand and face, was Talin's blade and it was his own eyes he saw reflected in its surface. Had it been just that, the redhead may have gathered the weapon and risen to continue the fight, but the additional cold press of steel at his throat kept him immobile.

"Yield, Cadet," There was a ring of quiet amusement in the man's voice, "Our agreement was that you'd continue till you were unable to do so, not till you passed out from the attempt." Talin wanted to growl. Ya, his last try had sucked, but that didn't mean he was done! He'd only learned that the main mission objective to get rid of a pest monster and their departure date was just after the end of the quarter. Not about where they were going, what monster it may have been, how they'd get there, nothing!

Frustration pushed the teen to tighten his grip on his remaining blade, but the firm press of the sword, tilting just enough for him to feel the edge against his throat, quickly made him reconsider. "Yield." The playfulness was gone, this time it was an order instead of the earlier request, and Talin was familiar enough with both to know the difference.

He pushed away his irritation with a heavy sigh that fogged the blade still blocking his view before relaxing his tensed muscles one by one. "Fine. I yield." The sword was gone and then so was the little butterfly blade, allowing him to look up at his Mentor, crouching just before him with a small smile.

"Good choice." The redhead tried not to flinch when the General reached towards him, but couldn't help the little catch of breath when that hand came to rest at the back of his head. The gloveless fingers didn't ruffle his hair or pet through the lengthening red strands, but pushed his head down, chin to chest. The feeling of the butterfly blade being slid into the cross scabbard on his back made Talin bite his inner cheek.

The General isn't Genesis or Zack. Of course it was just to put the sword back... That he'd wanted it to be more wasn't surprising, but the tinny movement against the nape of his neck was. As the SOLDIER retrieved Talin's other blade from his relaxed grip, the Cadet felt an ever so gentle caress that made him shiver.

He couldn't look up, couldn't read the expression in the slit eyes, all he could focus on was the brush of thumb against sensitive skin. When the second blade slid into its place, the Cadet realized something else important. The cameras in this room had no blind spot, but only if something wasn't in their way, like a 1st with long hair that fell like a curtain...

Task completed, it was inevitable that Seph would have to pull away from Talin once more, but in doing so, he let his fingers slip through the soft hair and gave a light tug to a small strand. "This is getting long. Are you going to let it grow?"

His surprise at the tug and the question had the teen trying to roll to sit up, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him when he was balanced on his elbows. "Not so quick. Here, drink this and rest a moment longer." A small potion was held out, having been kept in a pocket just in case their training was a bit too rough.

Talin had been about to refuse, wanting to get up to be in a slightly less vulnerable position, but the ache in his side and ankle were enough for him to reconsider. With the speed of someone taking shots of cheap spirits, he downed the potion and then gladly put his head back down on the cool metal floor as it worked into his system. It may have been a small bottle, but the potion's strength was evident by the tingling feeling that started around his known injuries as well as some of the lesser scrapes and bruises.

Another light tug on a strand of hair brought him back to the earlier question. "I dunno. Maybe? I only had it cut so I could join the program, though, they'll probably trim it down again before next quarter."

The General hadn't released the lock of red and Talin held very still as he felt it softly played through the long fingers. "And if I could... encourage them to not cut your hair? Would you want to leave it long?" The quiet question, spoken in such a deep, wistful tone he'd only ever heard from Angeal, made Talin's breath catch.

This time, there was no blade in the way when he glanced up and, for once, the Cadet was thankful for the cameras in the room. He no longer had to question the man's feeling for him after seeing the storm within the glowing eyes that met his. Knowing that the silver 1st wouldn't act on it, as Genesis had been kind enough to inform him, was both a blessing and curse.

"I-I would," His nod when he answered was automatic and he regretted that the action pulled the hair away from the other's fingers, but perhaps it was for the best. The break in contact was like a switch being flipped and Sephiroth quickly slipped back into the role of Mentor while Talin fought to put his suddenly active imagination back in its box for later.

"Very well," In a fluid movement, the SOLDIER stood before extending a hand to his tired trainee. "As for today's lesson, you did do well a few times but you still owe me seven more pieces of information."

Not wanting an interruption every time he tried to disarm the General, they'd decided to keep tally and have story time after the session. Talin groaned before raising an arm to take the assistance offered. "And you owe me four-"

"Three." The correction was firm but the 1st's eyes were dancing with silent laughter.

"Oh, c'mon! Four! You know that tackle would have worked against anyone but you!" Sephiroth had to give him credit there.

"I agree, but, while most would've been too dumbfounded to do more than gawk and take the hit, that dive tackle was reckless. You're lucky I didn't step aside and let you crash into the floor," As strict as his 'teacher mode' was, the General couldn't help a small smirk as Talin tried to defend his actions. In the end, Seph kept firm to his count of three attempts that disserved rewarding with the tradeoff that he would have to pay up in full before Talin did.

"The monster we will be hunting is quite large but, since it's only attacked at night so far, no one has been able to confirm what it is with one-hundred percent certainty." The Cadet listened intently from where he leaned against the wall, keeping most his weight off the bad ankle while the potion continued its work.

"There's plenty of speculation based on the damage it has done, but I will be keeping that to myself for now. I want you to evaluate the scene when we get there and tell me what you believe it to be." The teen's mind was already racing with thoughts of monsters big and bad enough on their own to require the attention of a SOLDIER 1st. It was a very short list and none of the ones he could think of would be easy to take down.

"I'll be having you outfitted with a few sets of enhanced uniforms to both protect you from the elements and to give you a bit of defense against attacks." He paused, enjoying the Cadet's excitement at this news. "Consider that bit of information as a freebie for the amount of effort you put into today's lesson." In truth, he needed Talin to know not to pack a bunch of clothes before he could get the ordered uniforms. The process took a while for each item to be magically enhanced and then he and Genesis would be adding a few extras to them before he passed them along to the teen.

"Lastly, we're going to be taking a long flight to get to the site of the reactor with a stopover in Costa Del Sol to refuel." The General saw the first shadow filter into the green eyes that still held his own. "From there, we head due west to the first major foothill of the Corel Mountains. Did your studies ever cover the Satskin Reactor site?" Talin's unease didn't fade and he nodded slightly.

"Ya, we had to memorize all the major sites in class last quarter. It's-" He cut himself off, sharp enough that Sephiroth had heard the click of teeth. When the teen dropped his gaze, the 1st almost said something, but then saw that it wasn't done to avoid his eye contact. Upon the teen looked up to his left at one of the monitoring cameras, Seph took the hint.

"Would you like to go someplace else?" Talin's agreement was instant but he wasn't sure where to go for such a conversation. Certainly not the General's apartment, even if it was the closest, unmonitored space. Not after earlier... "If you'd like a bit more sparing practice, there should be a free VR room at this time of night?" That was the best option certainly, and Talin again agreed.

Nothing was said as they made their way down and into one of several free rooms. When the door lock clicked shut behind them, the teen felt his stomach roll with anxiety. He moved to the center of the chamber, waiting for a program to be selected, and franticly tried to organize his thoughts.

The burst of black particles that flooded the space startled him but not as much as the chosen terrain as it settled and came into blinding clarity. Eyes wide, the teen glanced back at his Mentor as he slowly made his way over through the field of flowers. "Did Angeal-"

There was a huff of annoyance from the man as he stopped a short distance away. "No, he didn't, although I did ask." A small smile curled his lip, "I had to backtrack through my user logs to find it." As Talin turned to face him, the teen almost laughed thinking that the powerful 1st looked out of place in such delicate scenery. Then, as he watched the gentle wind lift the SOLDIER's long hair and saw the man's content expression as he scanned the endless field, he found the opposite to be true.

The contrast of strength and elegance that was so well balanced in the General's figure and features, was also reflected in this place. The captivatingly cloudless skies did nothing to temper blindingly bright sun and there was nothing to stop the heat that it zealously poured down on them. The breeze, that was enjoyable to them, was persistent and forced the plants to strengthen their stalks as they reached ever higher. Yet the flowers thrived under such intensity.

The flow of these thoughts was so quick, the connections so rapid, that by the time his Mentor returned his focus to his Cadet, Talin's anxiety had eased. The flowers were a product of their environment, growing stronger to overcome each obstacle of wind and weather, and so was he, so was his teacher. Each had hit different hurdles and found a way to get past them in their own way.

This man's path had been full of painful moments, just as Talin's had been. Now he was asking to know more, to be let in, to be trusted enough that he could offer help or comfort... All the things left unsaid in their previous conversations pointed to that overarching desire. Enough running...

"I- If it's ok with you, instead of counting, can I just... start talking?" The Cadet felt stripped of his emotional armor as crystal green eyes met his. The General nodded, his expression changing from content to attentive as he shifted his feet into a fighter's stance.

"If that's your desire." By the flicker of emotions in his eyes, Talin could tell the man hadn't meant to say the words as he had, but the young fighter's ears felt scalded by the heat of them none the less.

Taking a shaky breath, he lowered himself into a ready position, "It... will be easier I think." His opponent moved then, taking a slow step to one side, and they slowly circled each other, watching for the first opening.

"Then talk to me, as much as you wish. Tell me about you, Talin." Tell me more about this little bird, enveloped in fire. Tell me what made you a Phoenix... As much as he wished to speak his thoughts aloud, for he knew the fall into the Mako well could have only been the first of Talin's trials, he restrained the impulse. Instead, he intentionally let his guard slip as his foot met a small rock on the ground, giving his sharp trainee a reason to initiate their match.

"I survived the well... but I don't remember it." Each flurry of attacks was followed by another snippet, continuing to weave the redhead's history from the end of their last of such conversations.

It wasn't a kind tale, and Mako backed punches and kicks punctuated some of the more painful memories, allowing him to fight his way through the telling as he hadn't been able to do when the events occurred. Talin kept going, coving as much as he could, but there were things he couldn't yet speak of, things he skipped over. Moments that drew hearts blood and would only lead down a dangerous path of rage and unclaimed retribution.

Reminder: CHANGES FOR FUTURE UPDATES!

I didn't want to have to do this, but I will have to put this story on a brief hiatus. There are still a few chapters between now and that point so keep tuned to these post story notes for updates. When the time comes, I will even include a date when the first post-break chapter will be uploaded so you won't be left guessing.

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