Marken: Poor dragons indeed. It's never easy to write about destroying any number of rare creatures, even fantasy ones. Talin certainly wasn't ready for that and I have a feeling none of you are ready for this chapter or the next one... ;)

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 54

A soft wind pushed its way through the canyon, carrying away the smell of the slain dragons and cooling the air that was stagnant with the heat of the day. Talin stood looking down at the splattering of dragon's blood across his chest, thoughts heavy with the weight of his part in their deaths. His mind wared with the hope that the viscous green liquid would come out of the enchanted fabric and the opposing wish for it to instead be a permanent stain on the clothes. A physical mark that wouldn't allow him to forget what he'd done.

The whispering, whistling voice of wind between the rocks filled his ears and the orange-gold glow of the setting sun cast long shadows around the redhead as he knelt to clean his swords. One knee had just touched the ground when the hairs on the back of Talin's neck rose in a primal warning. That instinctual alarm was the only thing that saved him. Blood already alive with primed Mako, the young 3rd kicked hard to the side and, caring more about his life than the bruises or cuts he might sustain, dove full force away from his previous position.

A glance over his shoulder as he fell revealed claws the size of a full-grown man cutting gouges into the dense stone of the canyon floor. A shadow loomed massive over him, blocking out the remaining sunlight, but he could still see the burning, furious gaze of the beast that had so silently swooped down on them. The attack had come so quick, Talin's reaction to it made in a split second, but the fall felt like it took minutes as the teen's brain comprehended a jarring truth. The three dragons they'd killed hadn't attacked the reactor. They'd been juveniles... and this was their mother...

Talin managed to avoid landing on his blades, but the power of his lunge sent him crashing across the carcass-littered ground. The fall onto sharp bones and stones hurt, but the enchantments on his clothes prevented any of them from piercing the extensively toughened material. Before he could gather himself beyond noting that he wasn't injured, Talin was being pulled to his feet by the General and they both saw the great lizard landing next to the still forms of her slain kin.

Where the three they'd fought had been large, more than big enough to be a danger to anyone or anything on the continent, their mother was colossal. With great care, she nudged each of her offspring with her muzzle, hoping beyond hope that one might yet live, but she was too late. The dragon's immense wings unfurled, stretching to their limit, as her head lifted skyward to give voice to her loss.

The image would be burned in Talin's mind from that day till his last and the sound was one neither he nor his General could ever describe beyond a knowing glance between the two of them. Pure rage and sorrow that cut deeper than any knife filled the dragon's roar. The sound was shrill and yet, somehow, the bass rumble of it vibrated the very rock beneath their feet. Eyes that had been alive with a bright green glow and had closed as she roared, now snapped open and burned with the red of her anger as she charged the SOLDIERs.

The blood of her brood marked Talin as the target of her ire and her enraged gaze locked onto the startled redhead with murderous intent. Lifting his blades into a defensive posture, Talin was ready to fight when he suddenly felt Sephiroth's hand on his shoulder give a sharp squeeze before it disappeared. He didn't need to look to know his mentor was gone from his side, but the 3rd also knew he hadn't been abandoned.

The first slam of her claws into the earth where he'd been standing sent rocks and bones flying as he dodged away only to be followed by the great snapping jaws full of razor-sharp teeth. Not seeing any openings, Talin kept evading her attacks till she suddenly reared back and her mouth filled with fire. Instead of running away, the new SOLDIER charged towards his deadly opponent. A suicidal tactic if it weren't for the quiet push at the back of Talin's mind and the flash of silver in the shadows behind the beast.

The cascade of flames had only just started to flow from the dragon's mouth when she let out a pained scream as the powerful wings that she had spread for balance collapsed. Her gaze left the redhead, landing on the silver 1st, and instantly threw herself after the one that had hurt her. By then, Talin had made it to his goal and let the Mako he'd primed burn to life as he slashed down on the dragon's back right ankle.

Just before he struck, Talin saw that these heavy scales were thicker than on the younger lizards. Much thicker. Worried he wouldn't be able to get through, the fighter drew more Mako into his strike, his vision tinging green as it flooded his system. His blades connected, halted for a moment, and then cut deep as the force of his blow and sharp new blades won out against the armored scales.

With a below of pain, the dragon faltered and stumbled to the ground on its injured side. Sephiroth was a silver blur as he ran up onto her back and to the same junction of neck and body as before to make a killing blow. However, where the smaller dragons had been helpless against this, the adult was not. Curving her long neck around, she lunged at the General, snapping her jaws at where he'd been and just missing his long coat as he jumped away.

Having seen the attack on his mentor coming, Talin was already moving to intercept. With quick jumps, he was up onto her back and then sprung high into the air to come down hard on the top of her neck. Again, he felt the resistance of the thick scales, but then they too parted under the power of his attack. It wasn't fatal, but it pissed her off enough to divert her attention once more. With a twist, Talin avoided the claw that aimed to knock him from her neck, but he didn't see her tail.

Thick as a tree, it slammed into him and sent the redhead flying till he connected with the canyon wall. Spots danced wildly across his vision when the teen opened his eyes and the sound of the dragon's roar was muffled in his ears, but the bigger problem was the lack of air in his lungs. Try as he might, his muscles wouldn't respond to his need to pull in air and his desperate gasps only brought pain.

Talin's attack had given Sephiroth the opening he'd needed. Sprinting back around to the front of the dragon's neck, he slashed Masamune upwards with devastating force. Her growl ended in a sound of sock as the blow registered and the angry glow faded from her eyes as she collapsed to the ground. The wound was deep and blood flowed so quickly from it that she was gone before the 1st made it to Talin's side.

The redhead was struggling for breath as the 1st knelt next to him and, fearing broken ribs, he carefully pulled Talin into a position where he could check for injuries. ~Hang in there for a minute. Just take it easy and tell me if anywhere I touch is too painful. ~ Dizzy from lack of oxygen, the Lieutenant caught and gripped Seph's coat as he struggled to focus on the words in his mind.

Talin flinched at the touch of strong fingers running down his ribs, checking each quickly before moving to the center of his chest. The soft poke at his diaphragm made him nearly double over, but that reaction was a relief to his concerned mentor. ~Nothing broken, but the muscles in your chest are in shock from the hit. Here, you need to sit up and keep trying to take slow, deep breaths. ~ Trying not to move him too quickly, the General helped the redhead up and then let the smaller fighter lean against his side as they sat along the canyon wall.

Eventually, Talin's breathing became a bit easier, but not entirely. Seph had hoped that they could head back without further delay, but the damage to the muscles controlling the teen's breathing was worse than he thought. Knowing his Lieutenant wouldn't make it back to the cave for the night in this condition, Sephiroth weighed their options before reaching out to his trainee.

~We need to get to shelter for the night, but you need to be healed first. ~ They had potions, but Seph wasn't able to resist the opportunity presented to him.

Head still hurting, Talin just nodded, opening his eyes in time to see a hand luminous with magic press against his injured diaphragm. The magic raced over his skin and tingled where it found scrapes and bruises. The bump on his head mended and he felt the odd pulling sensation in his chest that was the deep tissue knitting back together. The pain eased, tensed shoulders sagged, and the teen let his head fall back against the rock wall. The relief was great enough that he couldn't stop the groan that fell from his lips and the sound caused a ripple of events.

Talin's eyes snapped open to meet those of his General, a light color creeping into the redhead's cheeks at the unveiled heat in the 1st's crystal green gaze. Sephiroth refused to hide his interest when no one else was around and he wouldn't deny the effect that small sound had on him. His pleased smile had a slightly wicked glint to it when he caught Talin's eyes and saw the faint blush. His first urge was to push the boundaries created by his promise, but he opted instead for a quiet, satisfied purr in his Lieutenant's mind.

~Better I know that I made you feel good than to not know I've hurt you. ~ The statement was innocent until you combined it with the growing fire in the SOLDIER's eyes. Talin's blush deepened but he lost his train of thought for a response as the hand on his chest began massaging gently into the healing muscle. Doing his best to ignore the double meaning, the 3rd bit his inner lip to stifle another groan and dropped his head forward to let his hair cover his burning face. The rumble of a chuckle sounded in his mind, but his mentor said nothing till a while later.

~Take a deep breath now... Does it feel healed? ~ The glow of the healing spell had ended a few minutes ago, but the gentle massage had continued while the last of the magic worked on his injuries.

~Ya, I should be fine. We'd better head back before it gets much darker. No doubt something will have smelled the scent of death and come to take a look. ~ Talin's worry was a valid one for as they gathered his blades and made their way out of the gorge their sharp hearing picked up the sound of movement nearby.

Making it up to where he'd jumped from, the teen glanced back at the sad scene below. The sun had long since set, but the remaining illumination, and a small use of Mako, let Talin see more than enough. Dragons were so powerful, ferocious, and intimidating, yet today he'd seen the care with which the mother had touched her young and felt her heartrending sorrow at their loss. He'd killed a juvenile dragon and assisted in killing an adult, both were claims very few could make, but he couldn't feel pride at the accomplishment.

Their mission was over and this was a victory for him as a new SOLDIER, but that word, 'victory', left a sour taste in his mouth.

…

Talin was glad for his choice of their campsite as he made quick work of setting up a small fire before ducking back into the cave for his pack. Leaving Sephiroth to warm their dinner, the teen jogged the short distance to the river and stripped off his blood-stained clothes. Tossing them into a plastic sack from his bag, the redhead clenched his teeth and waded into the frigid water to scrub himself clean.

He did his best to dry off, dressed in his spare clothes, and headed back up to their camp just in time for the General to be pulling their food from the fire. All while he'd been away, Talin had felt the pressure of Seph's mind against his. Keeping track of him, available if needed in the case of an emergency, but also a silent, comforting presence that asked for nothing other than to be allowed to remain... He'd allowed it.

They had dinner, cleaned their weapons, stowed their gear, knocked down the fire for the night, and got ready to sleep. Talin kept the link open throughout, but the 1st didn't speak, and neither did he. It wasn't till the teen was laying by the embers of their fire, looking up at the stars with a sad smile on his lips, that he heard the first quiet question.

~ You look forlorn... What's causing you such troubles? ~

Talin blinked and looked around from his prone position to see the General's glowing eyes observing him while leaning against the stony wall several feet away. ~Uh... Nothing's troubling me. I'm just... looking at the stars –or, rather, the constellations. ~

~And is it the constellations that put such an expression on your face? ~ There was a teasing air to the question now but it was also twinned with an honest confusion that almost made the teen laugh.

~No, ~ Talin couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his mental control. ~it isn't them. It's-It's the stories attached to the stars... ~ He sighed and rolled over onto his back to look up once more. ~and the person who told them to me. ~ Talin hadn't expected such a line of questions from the silver 1st and was even more startled when he heard the crunch of boots followed by said man laying down next to him on the hard earth. He'd pulled his long hair to one side as he'd come down and now it lay like a river of starlight between them dark.

~I've often found Genesis and Angeal on the helipad late at night star gazing, but they'd only be looking at special events. Planets, falling stars, the eclipse. ~ Glowing green eyes met Talin's as the General glanced over at him. ~I never had someone who knew the legends and tales relating to the formations. Would it be too much to ask for you to tell me some of them? ~ The Lieutenant's surprise at not just the request, but the sincerity of it, burned away any hesitation he might have otherwise felt.

Talin found himself recounting the stories and pointing out the constellations relating to each as he did so. They'd been told to him so long ago, but these were some of the few memories that he cherished, and now... Now he shared those precious memories with his General.

Before Talin realized it, they were comfortably pressed shoulder to shoulder from the necessity of following his line of sight as he traced the stars. More than once, he'd catch a glimpse of the SOLDIER next to him and was pleased to see wonder, curiosity, amusement, all flitting across the unique eyes as the teen spun story after story. It was as Talin was in the middle of a tale about a Sorcerer, Cactuer, and a bet lost with a Djinn that the young 3rd fell asleep.

Sephiroth had felt the teen's exhaustion and had started the very slow and gentle push-pull of his mind against Talin's some thirty minutes ago to encourage sleep. Now, seeing him resting so peacefully, the 1st was unable to make himself pull away. His lovers so often stole his trainee that this sight was exceedingly rare and, again, Seph was tempted...

They all knew Talin would pass the SOLDIER exam, it wasn't even a question at this point. Maybe, in the beginning, he would have doubted the redhead's ability to make the cut, but Talin had changed his mind on a great many things and made him question so many more. The one question bothering him most at that moment was if he could wait six months for even a taste of this fiery little bird.

Silent as a cat, Sephiroth rolled up onto his elbow over Talin, careful to keep his long hair from brushing against the sleeping Lieutenant's face, and came to a conclusion.

~I can't... ~ The thought escaped his control and whispered into the teen's mind causing him to stir from sleep. Tired eyes opened and their hazy focus sharpened on the man leaning so close over him.

"General? What are you..." Too startled to remember to use their mental connection, Talin felt his heart kickstart and mouth go dry at the hungry look in the slit green eyes that met his. Sephiroth had leaned closer, leaving only inches between them as he also abandoned mental speech.

"I don't think I can wait six months..."