Author Note: Saturday again and, as promised, here is the next chapter for you to devour. Today we get some more bonding time with Angeal. Enjoy!

Marken: I'm so glad you like the U-28 boys. A few of them are actually based on some beloved guy friends of mine and others are pure creation. I will leave it up to you to figure out who is who. ;)

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.

Chapter 15

Over the next few days, Talin is extremely thankful that Genesis had used a Cura on him. His rib still ached but had fully healed by Friday morning so he didn't have to slow down in his training.

Zack's class that day was in lecture hall where they were reviewing several types of weapons when Talin's phone started ringing. Zack looks up disapprovingly from the front of the room and quickly waves him to answer.

"If it's important, take it in the hall." One glance at the caller ID and he knows it must be. Since he is sitting in the middle of a long row, he decides to vault the desk instead of fighting past chairs, and sprints out the doors.

"Sephiroth?" He glances around the hall to make sure he won't be overheard, glad there is no one around just then.

"I have to leave," The General's words are clipped and Talin can tell he is walking someplace as he's talking. "A situation that we were watching just blew up and they need me in the field. I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but I'll be gone several days. Angeal and Zack will take over your training until I'm back. If they aren't available tonight, go to the VR room." Talin's head spins with the sudden information

"Oh, ok," Is all he can manage before the General continues.

"Take care of yourself while I'm gone and stay away from Hojo," Sephiroth stops walking just before the doors to the helipad, the copter is already there and waiting for him, but he holds back another few moments, waiting for a response.

Talin wants to say 'take care, come back safe' but even in his head that sounds like a condescending thing to say to the General of Shin-Ra's army. He has complete faith in Sephiroth's abilities and that he could handle himself just fine, but any mission that required a SOLDIER 1st Class had its risks.

"I will," He replies simply, then adds "I'll see you when you get back."

"See you then." With that promise, the call terminates. Talin leans against the wall, looking down at his phone, silently wishing his General a safe mission. He felt silly. Worrying about Sephiroth on a mission was like worrying about a fish drowning in a lake, but he still did.

Just as Talin was about finished with lunch, a text message came through.

SMS Message from: Angeal

Angeal: Hey T, I have a training session with a group of 2nds tonight and Zack is heading out with Genesis shopping so you can come watch my group or go to the VR room.

Talin: Oh, I don't want to be in the way. I'll just go to VR tonight then.

Angeal: Ok, sorry about that, I have just been promising these guys some training for weeks. 😅

With a sigh, he finishes his meal and heads up for VR practice. He had been looking forward to training with Angeal again but isn't surprised that he's busy.

Deciding to go through some basic exercises, he sets the terrain to random and waits for the simulation to settle. Blue sky, flowers, sunshine... What the hell is with this VR sim? Random is supposed to be RANDOM, not the same field again and again.

Laughing at his irritated thoughts and giving up on trying to figure it out, Talin lets himself fall onto his back. Petals knocked loose from his fall swirl in the air, carried up by the light wind, and he watches them drift away. It was strange how he kept ending up here but at least it was relaxing. The breeze made the flowers bob and bend as the sunlight poured down on his sun-starved body.

He had noticed that his tan skin was starting to lighten after being in such a perpetually overcast area. Ever since he got here, it had either been raining or so fogged with Mako fumes that the sun didn't come through very often or strong enough for it to get warm. He wondered if he could get a tan in the virtual sun or if it was just an illusion like the rest?

As these thoughts swam in his head, Talin didn't realize he had fallen asleep. Jolting up from a light doze, he shook his head and looked around.

"That was stupid. I'm supposed to be training," He said thoroughly annoyed with himself. As he stood, a sweet scent caught his nose. Flowers...

The sudden warmth of another person standing at his back made him freeze. Angeal was still with the 2nds and Zack went shopping so who...?

"Shirking your responsibilities, Talin?" The voice from his dreams made his breath catch in his lungs. Was he asleep? Dreaming again? He wanted so badly to turn and look at the owner of that voice. They were right there, or would the dream shatter if he tried?

"I was just resting. Sephiroth said to take care of myself while he is gone so I was just..." He cut himself off, his mind scrambling to figure out what to do, what to ask first.

"Are you...real? Is this real, or just a dream?" The warmth at his back felt as real as when Sephiroth stood behind him in training, but the echo of the words around him was ethereal, like it came from everywhere.

"Yes, and no. You are dreaming, but this is very much real," the other said as the wind picked up, bringing that floral smell to him again.

"You've made some strong friendships, I'm glad." The last was almost whispered.

"You said I wouldn't be able to face what's coming by myself. I'm also just...I'm tired of being alone..." Talin's shoulders sagged a bit at that admission but he felt like he could be venerable to this man, this being who kept coming back to him.

"I'm guessing you're not going to tell me who you are, are you?" Talin said with a sigh, looking up to the sky. As his head moved, he could feel the man's hair brush against his own, they were standing back to back but he was several inches shorter than this specter. Taking the risk of the whole thing falling apart, Talin leaned against this familiar-sounding stranger. The wind blew a bit stronger, but the dream held. He felt the vibration of a chuckle and let his head fall back to rest against strong shoulders, closing his eyes.

"Why do I feel like I know you? Like I should trust you?" Talin murmurs quietly.

"Because you do Talin, and you can." The voice is soft and filled with warmth. Talin blinks against a strong wind and finds himself laying on the ground again. There is no sweet smell any longer as the wind blows and he suddenly feels very alone.

Jumping to his feet, as he had in the dream, Talin half expects to see or hear the man again. The field remains empty and silent other than the wind. The confusing dreams, lack of answers, and no one to spar with, just his luck. Shaking his head, he quickly falls into the rhythm of a fighting drill Angeal had taught him.

Step. Kick. Twist. Block. Punch. Twist. Flip. Punch. Block. Kick.

Any other day, this pattern would be enough to clear his mind and allow him to focus. Today he keeps missing a step here or kick there and the pattern falls apart, forcing him to start again. After the third time restarting, Talin is too frustrated by his wandering thoughts to try again. All the little irritations of the day added to this distraction are just too much. Without thinking, a flood of Mako hits his system.

Less than ten minutes later, a swath of the field is destroyed. Flowers uprooted everywhere and large scars of bare dirt crisscross all around him. Panting, Talin feels a little bad for causing such damage and stupid for getting out of control. At least it wasn't a real field. Not wanting to see the destruction he caused, he calls the computer to end the simulation. With an hour remaining before dinner, he decides to go see if Angeal is still teaching the 2nds.

It took him a few tries to find the right room, but at last, he finds the Commander in a Materia training gym with a group of twelve SOLDIERs. Quietly coming in and sitting on some equipment in the far corner, Talin listens in on the lesson, but not without being noticed.

Several turn to look and glare at the lowly Cadet when the door opens. One looks like he is about to say something when Angeal waves to Talin and continues his demonstration. Most of the information is above his head but he tries to stash the knowledge away for later.

Cadets don't get to learn to use Materia at all, only when you become SOLDIER will you start learning early Materia castings. From the sound of the complicated terminology and dire warnings Angeal was giving, this level of training was only given to 2nds.

"Alright, now that you know what to do, pair up. One will deflect, the other will attack. Remember, use restraint or you could cause serious harm to yourself or your partner." Angeal watched his students like a hawk as the first attacks were launched, but after a few minutes, he headed over to Talin.

"Hey, didn't think you were coming. Everything ok? You looked a little out of it when you came in." The 1st had leaned against the rolled-up mat that Talin was sitting on, looking up at him for a moment before returning his attentive gaze to the students.

"Just not the same, training by myself, so I came to see what you were teaching. Looks... complicated."

"It is, unfortunately, otherwise I would let you give it a shot. However, maybe when they leave, I can show you the basics of using weaker Materia. Would you like that?" Talin about fell off his perch at the offer.

"Of course! That would be awesome!" The exuberant reply reminded Angeal of Zack as a trainee and he couldn't help his chuckle.

"Ok then, hang out for a bit longer and listen in. You won't be able to use any of the things I'm teaching here for years, but it never hurts to know it." With that, Angeal moved back to the six pairs and had them switch attacker and defender. Talin watched and tried to contain his excitement.

Finally, the Commander called a halt and had the 2nds turn in the borrowed Materia, congratulating them on an excellent practice. As they filed out, the ones that had glared at Talin did so again, as if he was the cause of their session ending instead of it being almost dinner time.

"C'mon over, Talin."

Nearly sprinting, he runs over and is given a basic gauntlet with a single Materia slot. Angeal walks him through the few weaker types of Materia they have available and how to use them before holding up several small orbs.

"Ok, pick one and we will give it a shot."

They glowed and swirled with rainbow hues, but he couldn't tell what was what among the jumble. When he looked up at Angeal for an explanation of what each was, he was only given a small smile and told again to pick one.

Looking over them a second time, the one on the far left drew Talin's attention and he picked it up.

"How did I know you'd pick a fire Materia?" Angeal laughs and ruffles Talin's red hair affectionately.

Over the next hour, Talin learns two things. One, Materia casting is hard and consumes a LOT of energy. Two, that Angeal might be even more of a slave driver than Sephiroth.

"Gah, I can't get it!" Talin growls, about ready to throw the gauntlet away in frustration. He could feel the power from the Materia, was able to pull it together into his hand, but when it came time to ignite it into a flame it would dissipate. Angeal shook his head and came to stand in front of him.

"You're trying too hard. Here," he took Talin's hand that wore the gauntlet and held it palm up, placing his own hands one over and one under. "One of the things with fire is not trying to control it completely. It's more volatile than other elements, has to be coaxed into doing what you want instead of forced."

Talin looked up at Angeal, listening but also watching the twisting of Mako in the 1st's eyes. No matter how many times he saw it, he still felt himself becoming entranced. Seeing the slight distraction on the Cadet's face, Angeal wiggled his fingers under Talin's hand, pulling his attention back to their layered hands.

"Close your eyes and focus again on pulling together the energy of the Materia, coil it in your palm and let it sit there," Glancing up to his teacher's face once more, Talin complied. Eyes closed, he relied on his other senses as he gathered the unruly energy of fire into his palm. His hand was already warm from being between Angeal's larger ones, but the heat kicked up as the Materia's power settled. By the time the SOLDIER spoke again, his hand was sweating in the gauntlet.

"Good, keep it there now." For such a big man, Angeal's voice was very soft as he gave the next instructions, "Instead of thinking of a flame, imagine only a tiny spark, like a static shock."

In the space between their hands, Talin felt the 'pop' of a spark and almost lost his control again.

"Again, bigger this time. Don't hold so tightly to the power you gathered, give it a little space to breath. Remember, you're coaxing a flame, not forcing it." Talin felt the hand atop his own rise a few inches but he could still feel its warmth.

A 'pop...hiss' greeted his attempt this time and he let his hold loosen a fraction more before trying again. Another loud 'hiss' and the heat increased tenfold. It was shocking enough that he opened his eyes and looked into the molten heart of the flame he now held. Angeal had a small smile and a satisfied, proud expression on his face as he drew his hand from over the flame leaving his other under Talin's.

"Very good. Now that you made it this far, it will get easier and faster to summon it."

...

Angeal had been right, after the hurdle of getting the first flame, he was able to reliably get one going within a few moments. They worked tirelessly till he was able to conjure a flame faster and then, when handed a blunt practice sword, how to transfer that flame to the weapon's edge for a flaming attack. The hard part was using the flame only as he was about to strike the dummy instead of just leaving the sword alight.

Eventually, after many, many tries, almost burning himself twice, and the promise of more training in the future, Angeal took back the gauntlet and locked the Materia cabinet. Dinner hour was almost over by then and the SOLDIER invited the exhausted Cadet up for dinner.

Angeal's apartment was similar to Sephiroth's in that they were both a two-story design but that was the only similarity. Where the General's was dark, masculine, and somewhat intimidating, Angeal's was bright, open, and full of vibrant plants. The entryway was divided from the main living space by a screen of a tall, feather leaved variety that Talin didn't recognize. As they rounded that shield of green, the floor plan opened out directly into a clean dining space and, behind that, a large and spotless kitchen.

"You don't have a living room?" Too tired for much tact, the words were out before Talin could censor them. Angeal just laughed and pointed to the staircase.

"Upstairs. It's a bit of an odd design, but I liked it for the kitchen, not the general layout. Now c'mon, you can help me make dinner."

Angeal immediately scrubbed his hands and started pulling things from the fridge while Talin did the same. Chicken, fresh veggies, chicken broth, and a handful of herbs and spices were waiting for him when he turned to the main island counter. Together, they worked their way through the pile, cleaning vegetables, cutting up the chicken, and then mixing it all together in the boiling broth before sitting back to let it cook.

"So, I heard that you lost a bet regarding my cell number?" Talin coughed past the piece of carrot he almost inhaled. Angeal gently thumped him on the back till he was reassured the teen was ok.

"Oh man, I wasn't sure if Zack told you or not. I'm... I'm really sorry. I..."

"It's ok, it happens every so often. I was just surprised that it was someone we knew this time. What was the wager?" Talin told him about getting the number from Zack's phone and about the dinner and movie night he would be hosting the next day. Angeal just laughed at the brazenness of the Cadets, who Talin left nameless, having the gall to pickpocket Zack's phone.

"Well, no harm no foul this time. My number gets changed about every four months anyway. Let's just not have a repeat of this kind of thing, ok?" Talin knew he was getting off easy and nodded emphatically.

"Yes, Sir."

"Hey, don't 'Sir' me. C'mon, our dinner's done." Angeal chuckled and ruffled Talin's hair, as he had in the gym, on his way past to the stove. The simple soup, heavy with chicken and packed full of the flavorful herbs, was everything he could have wanted just then. They ate with only limited conversation but the silent moments between each topic weren't uncomfortable.

It was during one such time that Talin realized another difference between this apartment and Sephiroth's. In the General's quarters, he felt slightly... on edge, like he should be doing something. Angeal's were calming. The air was fresh from all the plants and the gentle color scheme of whites and earth tones had him more relaxed before he even knew it. Peaceful surroundings aside, Talin felt the tension from his dream encounter and frustration from his violent outburst in the field creeping back up as he helped clean dishes. He tried again to tell himself that it was just a virtual field, that he shouldn't feel guilty, but he still did.

Angeal had watched the Cadet closely since he had joined the Materia class. Something had happened to put that look of introspection on his face, not just trouble training alone, but the 1st had waited to see if he would bring it up. When Talin hadn't, all his old instincts from mentoring Zack started kicking him to try to get the Cadet to open up.

Offering his thanks again for the food and the Materia training, Talin is about to leave when he feels a light tug on the back of his jacket. Looking back, he sees Angeal's thoughtful expression and the hand gently holding the fabric of his coat.

"You can thank me by being honest, Talin. What really made you come to my training session today?" His glowing eyes bore into Talin's as he looked back at the older man. About to say that he just wanted to watch the session, he stopped himself.

Honesty... His mind flashed back to his fight with Sephiroth. This truth isn't as hard as that one had been, so why did he feel the need to hide it? In fact, Angeal, with his endless patience and kindness, was probably the perfect person to talk with about it.

"Has Sephiroth told you anything about my past? About how I found the Mako well?" The question is hesitant. Letting go of the jacket, Angeal raises his hand to rub the back of his neck.

"He only told me a little. About a voice you followed, thinking someone needed help, and that you fell in at some point." Talin was glad that his General hadn't told anyone about his Step-father causing that 'fall' but his relief is then mixed with apprehension. Honesty. He thought to himself again. He needed to get this out there... He just hoped that he didn't sound crazy.

"When I dream, I find myself in a field and I've been hearing that voice." Angeal looked confused as to how this related but said nothing. "The other day, when Sephiroth took me to the VR room, it generated that same field from my dream. It did it again today when I set it to random generation." Talin looked back up at Angeal, expecting some kind of skeptical reaction. Instead, the raven-haired man raised his hand to his chin in thought.

"That is odd..."

"It gets stranger," Talin warned.

"I don't know what to tell you, Talin. The VR room picking that field could be explained as just strange coincidence, but the voice, if you're sure it is the same as before," He paused and Talin nodded, there was no doubt about it being the same. "It could be that your mind is creating someone to encourage you? Like a personal pep talk? You are in a very challenging situation..." This time he shook his head.

"No, I don't think it is anything like that. It was real, Angeal. As real as you standing in front of me now. I just... I don't think my brain is making it up." The conviction in the teen's words was enough for Angeal. Even if it didn't exist outside of dreams, they were real to Talin, and that's what mattered.

"Well, I'm not sure, T. I have no explanation, but as long as nothing bad is coming from it, maybe it's a good thing. A kind of guardian or who knows what. He might not be giving you answers but isn't hurting you either." Pausing for a moment, he considered something before continuing, "Maybe you just need to ask the right questions?" Angeal offered.

Accepting that possibility, Talin is about to respond when he catches a glimpse at the clock. Shit! It's after curfew! Seeing the boy's panic, Angeal realizes as well and laughingly halts Talin's frantic grab for his gym bag.

"Don't worry, I'll walk you down to your barracks and log you as out with me for training." Together they do just that, passing Talin's Commanding Officer as they exit the elevator. The 3rd gives them a quick wave before marking Cadet Graft as accounted for and moving on. As soon as Talin enters the barracks, he is practically dogpiled on by Cody, Kyle, and a few other laughing teens all asking where he was. A quiet chuckle from the still-open door causes the cadets to jump to attention.

"As you were, I'm just returning your unit mate to you," Angeal says with a warm smile at the awestruck boys. "Talin, if you need anything over the weekend, let me know. Till then, goodnight, cadets." With a wave, he turns to head back to the elevator.

The rest of the night before lights out is havoc. Questions fly at him, mostly from Hank, about Commander Hewely. With the patience of a saint, Talin answers all the ones he feels at liberty to discuss. Some not so subtle questions about the Commander's personal life are ignored, not that he knew much about the man's life outside of being a SOLDIER.

Curling up on his bunk as lights go out that night, Talin tries to think about what he really knows about Angeal. Hell, what he knows about any of the 1sts was mostly how they fight and that they are all friends. Genesis and Zack talked the most out of the four, but he still doubted that he knew any more than the fan clubs did.

These thoughts roiled in his mind as he drifted off. He was so tired.

It was so dark, but he knew the path and followed the thin trail up the hillside. If he was fast enough, if he could just keep one foot in front of the other... The ground shook and Talin found himself sliding down the embankment on slippery gravel. Vainly he tried to clamber his way back up to the path. So close! I just need to... Something gripped him round a leg and suddenly he was flung violently away.

Pain lanced up his back and along one side of Talin's head as he crashed down, skidding to a halt in a ditch. Vision swimming, the boy raised a hand to his aching head and it came away wet with blood. He tried to focus on the ground in front of him, but it was swaying like long grass in the wind.

A glow started to spread as flames burst to life around the valley, deepening shadows and outlining a monstrous shape in the rising smoke.

Shock from the head wound, fatigue from all his efforts that day, and the flatline of adrenaline in his system was all too much. As he collapsed, the roar of the great beast chased him into unconsciousness. One last reminder that he had failed.