Author's Note: I always feel that actions speak louder than words and, boy, some of the actions in this chapter are going to be speaking for a while...

Marken: The 1st's are definitely going to have a few things to say to Sephiroth, but they have to get to him first... Honestly, your comments are a big part of what keeps me going. I wrote out the entire plot line for this story before I even started the first chapter, but I feel I might have lost motivation if not for the attention the story has received.

I'm always excited to read your review each week and have an outside reaction to each chapter. It makes my heart happy to know I provided entertainment and intrigue to others through my writing. 😊

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 32

"Now. You and I have something to discuss, Cadet..."

The acrid taste of fear bloomed on Talin's tongue as the General's words echoed in his head. He didn't need to look to know that the door was locked, that the protective trio was unable to reach him, and that there was nothing he could do to get away. The anger that had burned through him, that had allowed him the strength to walk into the room, was gone. His throat was dry, the hairs on his neck were raised in spine-tingling alarm, and he couldn't get his lungs to take in enough air. How could he fight if he couldn't breathe? Fight? What about just survive? He needed to get out or hold on long enough for the others to find a way in. How long did he have?

The sound of a step taken behind him broke his paralysis and his mind went blank. A rush of Mako hit his system and, in a flash, he was several yards away looking back at his unmoving teacher. Chest heaving as he sucked in the air his lungs craved, he watched for movement from the tall 1st trying not to focus on any one part of the man's body lest he miss a tell from another. When movement did come, it was a slow and deliberate single step forward to which Talin took a mirror one back.

…

In the hallway, the three SOLDIERs had varying reactions to being ejected from the training room. Shock had lasted only a fleeting moment before Zack was trying every code he could think of to open the door. When that failed, he and Gen were about to try breaking it down when Angeal stopped them.

"You won't get in that way, the door's reinforced," At Zack's growl of frustration, he came up with an idea. "C'mon. We can't get in, but we can still see what's going on," Not taking the time to explain, he ran to Sephiroth's apartment followed closely by the others.

Genesis was the first to realize the plan and darted past Angeal to the General's home office computer. Their access might be limited without the man himself there, but all they needed was available to them. In moments, Gen brought up the live feed and audio from TR50-C.

There stood Talin primed and ready, Mako glowing faintly under the skin, and Sephiroth still by the door. They didn't need to look very hard to see the sharp rise and fall of the teen's chest or the way his hands twitched towards his blades when the General took a step closer. The laser focus, the instinctive retreat at the other's advance, the Cadet was in a panic.

Zack swore a blue streak and, for once, Angeal didn't bat an eye at the language. With no code to override Sephiroth's, there was nothing they could do but watch as the SOLDIER approached Talin.

...

Irritation flashed in Sephiroth's eyes when he took another step and again saw the Cadet retreat. "Are you truly that afraid of me?" The question was quiet but carried in the open space. He knew he'd rattled the teen in the VR room, knew that he'd pushed hard, but not that hard... or so he'd thought.

The sharp focus in Talin's eyes wavered as his brain switched from instinctual reactions to conscious thoughts, but his first response was born from shock. "A-Are you serious?" When there was no reply, the teen felt the first burn of renewed outrage. "You attacked me..." Still nothing but an assessing and, in Talin's mind, mocking silence, and the Cadet snapped.

"You dropped a fucking building on me! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!" Inhibitions and fears lost under the tidal wave of fury mixed with broken trust, Talin shifted to launch himself at the 1st, and Seph had been waiting for it.

Already moving forward, the teen abruptly changed course, almost falling, when the silver SOLDIER charged him in return. The raw fear Sephiroth saw in jade eyes was all the answer he needed, and his plan switched from therapeutic brawl to damage control. Had he really pushed that hard?

The original head-to-head charge devolved into a mad dash for Talin to avoid his mentor, but it was a hopeless endeavor on the best of days. He dodged and pivoted at near ankle snapping speed, but the man matched him move for move. The young fighter's boot slipped as he attempted to make another sharp turn and Sephiroth closed the gap, intending to prevent the teen from falling headfirst to the ground. Eyes still wild in panic, Talin lashed out when he saw silver hair in his periphery.

Not caring if he crashed to the floor, he threw a high-powered punch at his pursuer and missed. A grip like iron closed around his wrist and, when he struggled, the arm was wrenched around and twisted up behind his back. With a gasp of pain, he tried to twist back out of the position but was halted as another arm came up around the front of his shoulders.

Trapped against the General, he gave up on escape and tried instead to ease the pressure that threatened to dislocate his arm. He stood to his full height and then almost on tiptoe before the sharp pain decreased to a warning ache. His frantic mind recalled Angeal's advice about submission holds and relaxed as much as he could, but he was unable to stop the spasmodic twitch in his muscles or the trembling down his spine.

Having caught his Cadet, Sephiroth felt the spike of tension along with the attempt to ease the strained shoulder joint and he relented slightly. Lowering the restrained arm fractionally till the teen no longer winced at every movement and was able to stand flatfooted once more.

The General's other hand lifted Talin's chin and tipped the frightened boy's head back to look straight up at him as he looked down. Calculating eyes bore down into Talin's and the teen felt the quiet rumble of words in the body pressed to his back. "If I had 'tried' to kill you, you wouldn't be here."

Stillness reigned between them as the 1st waited for a possibly explosive response, watching for the flare of anger or the glow of Mako in jade irises. He felt the shivers and the fluttering twitch of muscles, heard the pounding heart, but nothing else till a whisper escaped the shocked teen. "But you... it fell..."

Talin's brain was crowded with thoughts, memories of the collapsing high-rise, fogged with shock and fear, but Seph's voice cut through it all. "It did." He paused till he was sure he had his Cadet's full attention, "It fell exactly how I wanted it to... Base first." He emphasized the last two words, stressing their importance, and waited.

Eyes that had been focused, blurred once more as Talin saw the events again in his mind. The lightning flash as Sephiroth disappeared, the crunch and crack of the building giving way... the slide of the lower section hitting the ground with devastating force just as the top was starting to tip his way...

The General continued his firm but careful grip on chin and arm as understanding and confusion spread on the upturned face. "You were never in any true danger, Cadet..." He spoke softly, trying not to disturb the rapid flow of thoughts he could see passing behind wide eyes.

Still struggling to control his fight or flight instinct, Talin tried to make sense of what his mentor was trying to tell him, and then it clicked. "The shockwave?"

Proud that the teen was able to figure it out so quickly, Seph gave the barest nod. "That's right." The fall of the building had been engineered to create the ferocious blast of air that swept Talin away from the collapsing structure. It had worked as intended, except for the concussion... A hidden part of Sephiroth's mind flinched at that thought and, as unintended as it had been, that the injury had played a key factor in Talin's later abduction.

"Then why?" As confusion overwhelmed fear, the small fearful shaking of the teen's spine stopped. Having been waiting for the change in body language, the SOLDIER gently released his trainee remaining still as Talin took several fast steps away before turning back, rubbing his abused arm. Wariness crept back into the boy's eyes now that he was free and the General's irritation spiked.

"You came into that room arrogantly, sure you could fix something you didn't understand," He tried to keep his voice level but still heard the sharpness in the words and saw their effect as Talin became tense. Unfortunately, it wasn't the tone of the words, but the meaning behind them that caused the greatest reaction.

"A lesson?" Talin felt shell shocked as he absorbed the true reason behind his harrowing experience. Clenching his teeth, he looked at the floor when he was no longer able to meet the gaze of the 1st. The myriad of emotions that had assailed him since entering the room drained away, leaving only one. "You... gave me a concussion..." The words burned his throat as his eyes, hidden by his longer hair, started to swim with green.

Sephiroth had been concerned when the teen had dropped his head, a highly irregular action from the normally bold Cadet, and became more so when he heard the trembling words. He was about to call the boy's name, tell him to look up, when he saw the tinge of green. He had only a moment to prepare before Talin roared to life.

"You made me afraid of you to teach me a lesson?!" Bubbling rage, worse than when he'd fought Genesis, pushed through his veins with the Mako, and with his vision hazed in green, Talin threw himself at his General with the violence of an infuriated beast.

Stunned at the extreme level of aggression in the attack, Sephiroth caught the airborne Cadet and used the momentum to toss him away again. Instincts curled the teen's legs under him and he slid to a halt on hands and feet before drawing his blades and sprinting back at his teacher.

Hand raised to summon Masamune for the impending sword fight, Sephiroth aborted the spell abruptly when Talin threw his blade like an oversized dagger. The General swiftly deflected the blade and, feeling his own anger flare at the reckless sacrifice of one of the Cadet's weapons mid-fight, almost misses the fact that the blade wasn't alone in the air.

The sting of the second butterfly blade making a shallow cut across his cheek was followed with a bigger surprise. Talin's elbow and forearm slammed into Sephiroth's face, the force behind the collision taking both of them to the floor. Landing on top of the SOLDIER, the teen let fly a flurry of powered punches, intent on taking out his seething anger on the man.

Whether it was the blindness of rage or a miscalculation, Talin missed the movement below him and his wrists were seized harshly. Face smeared with blood from small cuts, Sephiroth yanked his Cadet sideways and flipped their positions, pinning the irate redhead. With a yell that was more akin to a growl, Talin tried to headbutt, knee, or claw his way free but his mentor was having none of it.

The grip on his wrists tightened to the point of pain, till the bones screamed that they were going to break. "ENOUGH!" The barked order would have sent anyone running, but Talin was too lost to his fury.

"What?! So it's 'enough' when you get punched in the face?!" His struggles may have stopped because of the dangerously strong grip, but the fire in him burned hotter when he saw the anger mirrored back at him in Sephiroth's eyes.

The words of another venomous accusation died on the teen's lips as he watched the mask of frigid self-control slip back into place. "Enough, Cadet," Quiet as a frozen wind over snow and thick with the same frost, the words were unimportant, but the tone that carried them was like a blow to the gut. He didn't notice the grip on his bruised wrists lessen back to a strong but unpainful pressure, all he felt was the sick twisting in his gut and the frozen stillness between them.

The chill of it cut through him, dousing the flames of his defiance down to the smallest cinders, and in its place grew a sense of disquiet. Realizing the damage he'd done, the position he was in, he felt his mind start to spiral back down into fear.

Something wet struck his cheek and he flinched at the unexpected sensation. Looking up for the source, his eyes landed on the bloody cut from his butterfly blade just as he felt the wetness roll down his face. The surprise of it had knocked him out of his panic and given him a second chance to regain some stability. He reached franticly for the small sparks of his previous anger, holding them tightly. Even if such feelings were useless now, anything was better than the bone-numbing fear.

The light squeeze of his wrists brought his attention back to Sephiroth and the disapproval he saw on the man's face made him shudder. Emotionally drained as he was, it was suddenly too much for the Cadet. Knowing his body language would speak louder than his words, Talin let his head fall to one side, looking off across the floor, and then forced every muscle to go limp. "Ok, I 'Get It'. Lesson learned."

His words may have still been full of anger, using the same wording that Sephiroth had in the VR room, but his submission was obvious. Having fixed his eyes on a distant point along the floor, Talin missed seeing the mask crack and the small flicker of pain that showed through at those words.

"I never intended to make you afraid of me, Talin..." Even though the chill had receded and concern now laced the SOLDIER's voice, his Cadet wouldn't hear him. The teen gritted his teeth to stop himself from continuing the argument and shut his eyes to avoid looking back up at his mentor. Other than the controlled rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, Talin remained motionless.

At an impasse, Sephiroth knew that, while he hadn't lost, neither of them had won either. Talin might be a little less scared of him, but the trust and respect that they'd built was gone. Obliterated by his ill-advised 'lesson' both then and now. With a sigh he didn't attempt to hide, the General released his hold and rolled back into a crouch.

Talin didn't wait for the 1st to stand, instead, he used his aching arms to propel himself into a backward somersault, twisting and then flipping up to his feet. Ear's keen for any sound of movement, he traced the trajectory of his blades and retrieved them from the wall. Seeing the blood on the one, he wiped it on his cargo pantleg before sheathing the pair. He could clean them properly later.

The rustle of Sephiroth's long leather coat made him turn, but the General had only stood from his previous position and didn't make any further movement. "We're done for today. The code is 55138."

Already near the door, Talin restrained his urge to run from the room. The hairs on his neck stood once more as he punched in the code and waited impatiently for the locks to disengage. Not turning to meet the crystal green eyes he knew would be following him, he slipped out before the door was fully open and started heading to the elevators.

…

An air of stunned silence weighed heavy on the three commanders as they listened to the exchange. None had moved after their first sight of Talin on the low-quality camera, watching helplessly as the events unfolded.

Talin's first shout of rage, the charge, and then panicked evasion had their hearts beating. A building?! Angeal couldn't stop his shocked gasp as he watched the terrified teen run from his teacher. Sure, Seph had used such tactics against them in a VR fight from time to time, but they could fight back! As powerful as Talin was, he was still a novice compared to even Zack. What the hell were you thinking?!

The normally composed SOLDIER clenched his fists against his anger as he watched Sephiroth catch the Cadet and he started thinking of what to do after this was over. What to do for Talin, and what to do with their beloved General. Eyes glued to the screen, the trio listened, trying to catch the sometimes too quiet words and missing several the microphones couldn't pick up.

The second explosion from Talin came as a shock to all but Genesis, but even he was impressed when the teen landed the elbow that took them to the floor. The saddest moment of all was seeing the fiery fighter's complete surrender and listening to the defeat in his voice. At the quiet dismissal from Sephiroth, they abandoned the computer and burst from the apartment into the hallway.

Zack spotted the Cadet in front of the elevators. "Talin!" His young lover didn't even look over before entering the lift. A heavy hand on the SOLDIER's shoulder stopped him from sprinting down the hall to catch the doors before they could close.

"Let him go, Zack. If he left, then he needs his space. We have something to deal with first, anyway." Angeal was also worried about the teen, but they needed to set things straight with his errant mentor before they could help him. The Commanders turned their focus and entered the training room.

Sephiroth hadn't moved, not even to wipe away blood from the cuts that had already started to heal. "You had your discussion with Talin," Angeal managed to keep his tone even, deciding to at least start the conversation out as calmly as possible. "Now we need to have one with you."

…

Talin had heard Zack call out and a part of him had wanted to bury himself into the strong arms and affectionate warmth, but it couldn't match his driving need to get away. He needed to be out. To be in the open air, away from people, away from the confines of walls and doors. He needed the freedom that couldn't be felt in a VR room.

His first thought had been to take the first train out of town, but that train wouldn't run again till morning. As such, he found himself going up instead of down. The deployment floor was empty when he arrived and checked the landing pad schedule. No other choppers were slotted to come in till almost three in the morning so without hesitation, he went out to the open expanse of the landing pad.

Not caring about his light clothing or the biting cold wind that battered him, Talin walked to the edge and looked out at the city. The platform had no protective railings but, even as he looked down and saw the several hundred-foot fall, he wasn't scared. Heights was a fear he'd concurred long ago in the massive mountains not far from his home town.

"Fear..." He whispered the word and felt it snatched away by the strong wind. He'd been fighting that emotion all his life and yet he still found himself trapped by it over and over again. Clenching his fists till he felt the sharpness of his nails against his palm, Talin took a deep breath and tried to push everything from his mind as he sat down. Legs dangling off the edge, he let his mind go blank and watched the sunset over the wasteland outside Midgar.

A familiar brush against his mind a while later was startling, but not unexpected. Angeal was checking in on him. With a sigh, Talin closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on controlling his mental shadow. Spreading it out to find the Commander's presence and then solidifying to stand next to it, he felt the mental link snap into place as they touched.

~Talin, are you... Where are you? Do you need anything?~ The first words had been hesitant and, realizing the question 'are you ok' was a dumb one, he'd moved on. Concern was evident from the mental touch but, as much as Talin appreciated it, he just wanted to be left alone for a while.

~I'm someplace safe,~ Talin almost laughed aloud at the dubiousness of that statement when he felt another strong gust of wind pull at him ~I just... I need some time, 'Geal.~ He couldn't 'see' Angeal's form but felt the brush of spectral fingers across his cheek.

~Whatever you need, T. We'll be here when you're ready,~ The ghostly sensation of fingers running through his hair mingled with the wind as the SOLDIER ended the link and faded away. Talin shivered from the odd but not unwelcome feeling and opened his eyes to watch the last of the sunset.

…

Hours had passed since their short conversation and Angeal was starting to worry. When they'd talked, the Commander had the distinct impression of strong winds when he'd asked where the boy was. That had been fine at the time, but now it was getting late, and the last thing he wanted was for the teen to be out in the city at night on his own.

He'd reached out twice more since then and each time felt the soft push and flow of Talin's mind, but nothing else. When he tried to link to the passing cloud, it had pulled away from him, leaving only a sense of wanting to be alone.

He had to give it to the teen, he was a quick study. Even mentally blind, the Cadet had avoided the 1st by switching between a small solid form and the liquid/gas to slip away quickly. Frustrated by the evasiveness, Angeal gave up and turned to the next best option.

…

The small smile at having again avoided Angeal was the only movement Talin had made in over an hour. He'd meant what he'd said about wanting some time. I'll head back in later... He ignored the small sense of guilt for pushing the man away, but he wasn't ready to go back yet...

After the sun disappeared, dark clouds had rolled in and heavy drops of rain fell on the unshielded teen, soaking him to the bone in minutes. The blood that had dried on his cheek was washed away in the downpour, shirt and pants became heavy and stuck to his skin, but he didn't care.

The rain felt good. Cold as it was and sometimes driven down on him by the increasing wind, he felt free and reveled in the wild ferocity of the storm as lightning arced across the sky. The accompanying thunder vibrated his chest as the silver-blue bolts cut through the darkness.

Silver-blue lightning... The thought unexpectedly brought something else to mind. The flash of steel he'd always compared to lightning, the crashing grind of blade to blade in place of thunder. Talin's heart skipped as he watched the display above him. Like a picture seen from another perspective, he couldn't help but envision Sephiroth, Masamune in hand, slashing across the sky, leaving a momentary scar of lightning.

Talin had heard whispers since arriving at Shin-Ra about his now Mentor. He hadn't given any of them much credit, even debunked a few, but one now stood out. A force of nature. More powerful than any one man should ever be... It fit. Talin couldn't imagine anyone stronger than the silver SOLDIER. Angeal admitted freely, and Genesis begrudgingly, that the man was possibly unbeatable...

Eyes transfixed on the light show above him, the sudden weight around his middle and warmth against his back and legs sent the teen into a blind panic. "Easy Little Bird," The whisper in his ear was warm as the arms around his waist tightened. "Easy, Talin. It's me."

The sheer fright the Red Commander had given him left Talin gasping and his heart lodged in his throat. "Gen?! What the-" An apologetic chuckle cut off his expletive and he was pulled firmly back from the edged he'd about slipped off.

"Sorry, Love, but you didn't leave me much choice." It'd been pure coincidence that the doors had opened for Genesis just as thunder boomed, masking his arrival. He'd thought the doors closing would work as well but, again, the storm had deafened Talin to the noise. Too stubborn to walk back in and out of the doors till the Cadet noticed, he'd needed to come up with another idea. Plan B had been to make some dumb comment about the 'lovely weather' but he didn't want the poor teen to panic and fall, so he'd decided on plan C.

Talin's heart finally descended from his throat and he twisted slightly to look up at the tall figure behind him. "What're you doing out here?" His tone was as irritated as it was confused. Did they put a tracker on him?

Gen didn't look down from the ever more distant lightning and chuckled again. "I could ask you the same," His teal blue eyes appeared to sparkle as they reflected the bolts of electricity. "You know... it's raining..." Now he did look down and cocked an eyebrow. "Has been for the last two hours." Fingers plucked at the Cadet's shirt hem. "You're soaked..." Then the 1st gave a dismayed sigh but a small smile still curled his lip. "And now, so am I."

Unable to stop himself, Talin dropped his head and laughed. The smile felt rusty after so much turmoil, but he found himself laughing harder as Genesis continued to grumble about wet leather. By the time his laughter died down to an amused smile, he found himself tucked tighter against the warm chest.

They watched the retreating storm in silence till Talin's curiosity got the better of him. "So, how did you find me?" If they'd used a tracker, he wouldn't be able to rest till he found and destroyed it.

"That's a bit of a secret but since it's my secret, I guess I'll tell you." In one swift motion, Gen pulled himself and Talin back from the edge before hooking his legs under the Cadet's, effectively settling him in his lap. Startled but not overly ruffled by the change, Talin relaxed into the new position as Genesis explained.

"Angeal told you about auras and that some people have them but can't use them? Well, I fall into that category but with a twist. I can't use mine like you and Angeal, but I can do something that most can't."

"You can track people?" Talin guessed and felt the arms around him tighten in a gentle hug.

"Yes and no. I can track those with auras that I recognize. I memorized yours after 'Geal told me this morning. Didn't expect I would need to hunt you down so soon though."

The teen let his head rest back against the SOLDIER's shoulder. "You didn't need to. I told Angeal that I needed some time alone. I would've come in eventually..." He trailed off when he felt Gen lean down, pressing his cheek to Talin's temple.

"Little Bird, the Mako in your system might keep you from getting sick, but it can only do so much." Slipping a hand free from around his waist, Genesis laced their fingers and the Cadet realized just how numb they felt. He didn't resist when both of his hands were held between the Commander's larger ones. "C'mon, let's get you inside and warmed up."

When Talin didn't make any move to get up, the 1st continued holding him and waited. "I-" Talin changed what he was going to say, "I don't want to go in yet." With a sneaking suspicion, Gen decided to cut past all the hedging and evasion in preference of blunt questions that might get them inside sooner.

"Is it that you don't want to go in yet, or that you don't want to stay with Angeal or Zack tonight?" The teen's flinch told him he'd guessed right. The Red Commander could understand such reluctance, he'd had similar moments with his lovers. The pair of them were so protective that, at times, their attention was smothering. Talin needed care, needed someone to be with him, but not a bouncing puppy or a worried mother hen.

"Well, I half expected to be wrong." He felt the Cadet's shoulders drop and decided not to torment the poor boy. "Would you feel better staying with me instead?"