Please see the end of this chapter for a NEW message about future chapter uploads!

As of today, 6/1/2021, this story is on a temporary break.


Marken:

I'm sorry that I am cutting this without more warning. I really had planned to get to chapter 52 before stepping away for a while, but I ran out of time. The end of the story has an explanation of everything and I swear I am not going to drop this, not for anything would I walk away without finishing this story.

Mercy is certainly not something Sephiroth often has a need for and, in regards to Talin, mercy now would only put him in danger in the future. Plus, the General knows that if he pushes hard he would be the only one around to take care of his Cadet. Even if that would only be till he could stand and walk again.


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 50

"I was unconscious for days." Talin's voice was steady, breathing even, as he focused on his teacher's every move. Anything to detach himself from the past he was dredging up.

He'd been confused, hurting from whatever was under the bandages on his arms, and scared because his vibrant, always smiling mother was crying. She'd hugged him and cried harder, whispered questions he didn't have answers to, his memory full of hazy green holes. All the while, Rald had stood in the corner and Talin's small body had shaken with a fear he couldn't explain.

By the time he'd been able to patch back together the pieces of memory, it was too late. His step-father had already spun the story of a Father and Son Day gone terribly wrong. Talin's known hesitance around the man had made it easy to convince people that he'd run when Rald tried to spend time with him. That he'd hidden in the one place everyone knew he was scared of, and thus wouldn't look...

When Talin had told his mother the truth, that he hadn't been 'rescued' from the well, but dropped into it, she'd listened and held him tight in her arms to soothe his sobs.

The General had overheard one or two very quiet conversations between the teen and Angeal about the woman. Described as kind and loving, but- "No one believed you? Not even your mother?" The glow in the teen's eyes had remained muted, suppressed, as he fought to keep both Mako and anger locked away, but his restraint faltered.

Jade green flared to life and his next punch practically hummed with amplified power that had slipped past his control. Sephiroth didn't berate him when several blows hit hard enough to rattle bones as he blocked. If Talin was telling him, then it was something his Cadet wanted and needed to get out. The 1st preferred the young fighter vent the violent rage than let it sit and fester as it obviously had till now.

"Hah-" The sound was a painful bark of a laugh that held nothing but contempt. "Of course she did." The gleam of loathing and pain in Talin's eyes as they burned brighter made the 1st wary, and rightly so.

Silfra had held him all that night. Tucked into his small bed, she'd hummed the wordless song his father had taught her till they both fell asleep. Love of her son, her clever and brave little Talin, wouldn't allow her to ignore such heart-rending tears, but she'd also given her new husband a chance to explain himself.

"He's Mako poisoned, you heard the doctor. It could take weeks for him to remember things clearly, if he ever does." Talin had heard the two talking in the night darkness of the kitchen the following evening and pleaded silently with his mother to refute the statement, but she hadn't.

The next day... The next day, the man that had sworn to love and protect Silfra and all she held dear, nearly beat her beloved son back into the unconsciousness he'd only just woken from. A grown man against a child of 6 had been no match at all, and, with every kick, Rald had hissed his threats and warnings.

"Come now, Talin. Be good and stop spreading such horrible rumors," He'd said as the redhead gasped and choked for the air that had been knocked from his lungs. "Such lies are dangerous," a large hand gripped into his hair, pulling his dirt and tear-stained face up to meet the terrifying pale blue of Rald's eyes. His next words were a dark whisper that still rang in Talin's ears thirteen years later. "I'd hate for anything to happen to your mother, especially after how she lost your daddy..."

The anger building in the teen's eyes worried Seph, but he kept his silence as Talin continued. The child he'd been was rightly terrified and it hadn't taken long for him to promise to change his story, but that didn't stop the beating. Nor did him convincing his mother that he'd remembered wrong, that it had been a bad dream, end the whispered threats.

Talin had tried to behave. He did everything he could to be a normal little kid to ease his mom's worries but, unfortunately, he wasn't normal any longer. When the bandages came off, revealing the then near neon green color of his forearms and hands, no one had known what to do or what it meant. The children of the town, however, didn't need to know such information for them to be cruel.

The rumors started almost immediately. It grew into teasing and then exclusion. None that he'd called friends wanted to get too close to him, fearful of what might happen should they accidentally touch his discolored skin. The parents only made such fear greater, encouraging that distance with dire warnings.

"Stay away from that one. No need to get yourself cursed by falling in with him."

"Misbehave and that's what will happen to you..."

"Listen to your parents or the Goddess will put a mark of shame upon you. Then, all will know your sin."

Talin had tried convincing them he was harmless, that he wasn't cursed, and that he just had funny colored skin. Every effort drove the wedge deeper, leaving him with only his mother for comfort, only himself as a playmate, and Rald...

By his 7th birthday, Talin had become accustomed to his step-father's threats, needing only to see the man's eyes narrow to remember them and behave. Whenever something bad happened, the townsfolk cast accusing eyes at Silfra's child, as if he was the reason for their disfavor with the Goddess instead of bad luck. Always alone, the boy found himself running the trails in the woods for hours just to be away, never realizing the growing strength in his legs or his own speed.

The only times he remembered not being by himself was when he was at home or when he couldn't escape from the ever more antagonistic group of bullies. Originally, it had been name-calling, but that escalated rapidly to pranks, some far more dangerous than others, to chasseing him away from town and into the woods. He'd always been too quick, knew the layout of the town too well for them to ever catch him, at least, until they laid a trap.

There was a narrow path between buildings that Talin would sometimes use to avoid entering the town square but, on that day, he found his way blocked. A rickety, makeshift fence had been wedged into place and when the group that had very cautiously followed him flooded into the tight space behind him, there was nowhere to run.

The moment was a blur to him as much now as it was then. The pain of heavy sticks jabbing and hitting him, the echoing of yells of the boys, the welling panic and fear of what would happen if he didn't get away... The only thing he remembered clearly was the sudden crack to the back of his head followed by such a rush of anger that it burned him to the bone.

Moments or minutes later, he never was sure which, the redhead's vision cleared and he was standing over a crumpled form on the ground. Aarand, an older boy who had often led some of the worst 'pranks', ones that had left Talin injured if not unconscious, lay silent at his feet while the others backed away slowly. Their eyes were wide with fear and, startled himself, Talin had taken a step back only to feel his foot slide slightly in something slick...

Their sparing till that point had been consistent. An exchange of attack and defend followed by another snippet or two, but now Talin stood as if bolted to the floor. Sephiroth saw his Cadet's control splintering as he spoke. "I- I don't remember, even now..." His breathing started to become uneven, a trembling edge to his voice, and haunted eyes growing ever more distant as the past filled his vision instead of the present.

"All I remember is him at my feet and my hands..." His gaze fell to said hands and the General could tell he wasn't seeing them as they were now. "They were hurting so bad that I thought the blood on them was mine, but Aarand... he..." The remembered panic and confusion of that moment was overwhelming. It was something that he'd buried, one nightmare among many that would plague him when he was at his most vulnerable. The shaking that started in his hands became worse and he couldn't get the visions of his past to clear from his mind's eye.

Sephiroth had waited, watched as the fractures grew deeper, and hoped that Talin would reign it in before they went too far, but his Cadet was rapidly losing that fight. When he heard the first rasp of breath, the frantic heartbeat, he didn't hesitate to step in. If he could catch this before it got worse, before a full panic attack hit...

Talin felt his lungs cramp and heard his heart beating loud as thunder in his ears, but he couldn't pull himself free of the remembered horror of what he'd done. He was- is... and I-I... A sharp pain in his shoulder, his arm pulled around and up behind his back. A hand, warm and heavy over his eyes, wiping out the light and pulling his head back to rest against an equally warm chest. The darkness would have given his memories greater space to torment him, but the mind that pushed against his, sending static tingles across the connection, made him gasp.

When he didn't react with violence, the arm that had been restrained was lowered gently, intended to keep him still but not cause pain. "Breathe." At first, Talin couldn't get his lungs to expand past a gasp, but then he felt the familiar brush of a thumb along his wrist. Back and forth, again and again... The mind pressed against his started to follow the same rhythm, sliding over his like waves over sand at the ocean.

His first deep breath was almost painful, but the more he took, the easier they got as he kept time with the continuous slow pattern. "That's it," the whisper was a deep rumble that he could hear both aloud and in his head. "Pull yourself back together, Cadet." There wasn't any irritation or judgment in that statement, just a quiet reminder and an unspoken offer of support till he was steady enough to continue.

Moments after his breathing started to deepen, his arm was released, but the long fingers maintained a loose grip on his wrist, continuing the soft rhythm over his pulse. The other hand at his eyes also remained in place, keeping him leaned ever so slightly back against the SOLDIER. Neither counted the minutes that passed, but it was only when Talin's heartbeat at a slower rate that his mentor spoke again.

"This tormenter of yours, did he die?" The silver 1st didn't truly feel the need to confirm such information, but his Cadet had felt the need to tell him so he'd shine a light in every corner, leave no place for another dark memory to hide. At least, not in this room, not among these memories.

He felt the barest nod of Talin's head against his chest and under his hand instead of a verbal response. Seph knew he needed to pull back, but it felt too good to have the redhead leaned against him, trusting him enough to hold him up in this moment. A moment more, just till he's steady...

"You don't have to keep going, you've more than paid your part of our deal you know." Talin's small laugh was more from surprise than actual humor but it was enough to break them both free from the odd interlude.

"I can keep going. There's... something else I wanted to tell you about." The General could feel the tension creeping slowly back into the Cadet's muscles and wanted to call an end to the session. Instead, he offered the teen an option.

"Do you want to rest and tell me or keep sparing?"

"I need to keep fighting." Sephiroth wasn't surprised at the lack of hesitation, but had hoped that the remainder of their conversation wouldn't have required the outlet. Knowing he was pushing well past the line of 'student and teacher', the 1st none the less gave in to the need to see something other than anger in Talin's eyes before they started again.

Leaning down over the smaller form, he carefully pulled his Cadet more firmly against himself. The lack of resistance eased his worry of spooking the redhead, but the quickening of his pulse and catch of breath made a small smirk pull at lips he leveled with Talin's ear. "As you wish, Cadet."

Adopting the deep tone of voice he'd never used with any but his lovers was crossing a line, but it was worth it to feel the body against his shiver. Internally, he berated himself for his actions, but still couldn't help gently dragging his hand through red hair as he released his trainee. Using speed he almost never tapped within the confines of a building, the General was able to be standing across from the teen before he opened his eyes. The fire that lit them certainly had nothing to do with anger...

It took Talin several moments to reign in the urge to pursue his Mentor, till he was sure of his own intentions should he catch the man. All he wanted right then was to jump him, but Genesis' warning had been a firm one, and it followed the same advice as before; let him come to you. With that in mind, Talin shook himself and started slowly circling the silver SOLDIER as he rapidly tried to finish telling this part of his history.

If finding the well had been the catalyst for his eventual plunge into it, then Aarand's death had been the event to shape the rest of Talin's life. He tried to maintain the oddly calm yet excited mindset he'd been in just after the General had let him go, but such peace couldn't last long. The line of events his mind was following was hooked and barbed, leaving him bloody almost immediately.

He'd been taken into rough custody by the adults who'd come running at the sound of a fight followed by frightened screams. To Talin's amazement, Rald had actually fought for him against the other leaders and respected figures in the town hierarchy. Unfortunately, it was mostly a wasted effort. There wasn't even a need for a trial, his guilt had been obvious for anyone to see by the stains on his hands and the number of witnesses.

After his step-father's attempt to sway the biased judges, they only offered one small mercy. He wasn't to be sentenced to death. Not outright at least. They decided to leave his punishment up to fate, putting his life in the Goddess's hands since she had been the first to judge and mark him.

The Valley of Four was a deep-cut ravine not far from the town with four distinct paths that lead into the winding gorge. It was full of monsters that either lived there by choice or had slipped down the edge of the steeply sloped cliffs and ended up trapped in the maze-like canyon. It was a dangerous area, avoided at all costs by the townspeople and children, but Talin would eventually come to know its twisting paths far too well.

The punishment they decided on had been called a 'monitored trial' but was little more than a public execution. Hauled away by two of the town's Hunters and followed by several elders along with Rald, he'd been pushed down the steep, slide-like edge of the Valley of Four. They'd given him some sympathy by finding a place that wouldn't send him tumbling as he slid down and was blessedly free of monsters at the bottom. Not that it mattered, the monsters would find him soon enough.

Alone, defenseless, and hungry, he was unlikely to survive the three nights he'd been sentenced to spend in the hellish place. Not wanting to be heard and attract attention to himself, Talin had hidden in one of the narrow cracks in the walls. Out of sight of his watchers as well as monsters, the adrenaline and shock that had kept him numb wore off. He'd cried, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, but not letting a sound escape from him as he shook with sobs.

His hope that the hiding place would be sufficient to keep him safe overnight had been a childish one, but none could blame a seven-year-old for not knowing better. The first creature to find him had nearly been his end, hooking a long claw into his shirt to drag him from the crevasse and out into the night. He had no choice but to run from the beast, but when he did, it was only to find another and another at every turn.

By luck or fate, one path he turned down was impossibly narrow and he pushed and tugged his way through, leaving the monsters howling and snarling on the other side. The elders, Rald, and their guards had followed from the ridge, cautiously keeping to the solid ground and poking the edges with long sticks before walking forward. Talin's step-father was furiously trying to find some way to change their minds when a terrified scream and an odd glow from the canyon ahead had them rushing to catch up.

The redhead's miraculous escape route had turned out to be a cunning trap. Tonadu had found the secluded section of the ravine to be well suited for raising their young and providing a safe place for them as they learned to hunt. Anything small enough to make it past the fallen rocks was small enough to be good prey and only moments after Talin cleared the pass he was pounced on by the still flightless adolescents.

The claws that raked his back were sharp enough to cut his light shirt and scrape thin slashes in his skin, but it was the needle-sharp teeth that latched onto his arm that broke Talin's attempt to remain silent. Then there were more claws, another sharp nip at his leg before he could kick a smaller one away, and wings that kept buffeting his head and neck as more crowded around him. Stumbling back and tripping over one of the dozen or more Tonadu, he fell, and it had felt like the moment dragged on in slow motion till his back hit the rocky ground. The shrieks of excitement from the winged hoard changed to alarm when their prey suddenly fought back.

Just as he had back then, Talin threw himself at his opponent. His eyes glowing brightly with primed Mako, but not so much as a drop of it was funneled into the attacks that Sephiroth blocked and parried. Seeing the tidal pull of the memory, dragging the teen back in, the SOLDIER calculated the risks and then pushed his mind gently against his Cadet's once more. The natural habit of his mental cloud to slowly twist and reform made the contact feel like a constant, gentle caress. He had a moment's worry he'd gone too far when Talin suddenly jumped away from their current skirmish.

The feel of the other mind back against his own was soothing, its touch far softer than almost anyone would believe of the man in front of him, but there could be no mistaking who it was. For a moment, he wanted to pull away, the part of him that had suffered alone in silence for so long bristling at the idea of pity. Then he saw the blaze within the slit green eyes an instant before he was ruthlessly charged and forced to defend himself.

No, it wasn't pity. While the gentle push against his mind was meant to be comforting, it certainly wasn't out of pity. It was just something to ground him, giving him a second to breathe before continuing. Barely blocking the kick that was aimed for his previously injured ribs, Talin did his best to keep talking as their match became more aggressive.

The same flood of power that had overtaken him against Aarand had again surged forward and given him the strength to systematically crush the juvenile Tonadu. Young as they were, it wouldn't have been hard for any reasonably capable adult to have done, but for a boy of seven it was highly unexpected, and this time it had been witnessed.

Rald and the elders made it to the ridge just in time to see the mob of winged monsters, enraged at the death of one of their kind, swoop and dive at the boy with shrill shrieks of anger. They'd watched on in silent shock as Talin dispatched the remaining dozen or so creatures till only he remained in the narrow canyon. Untrained and unused to the strength behind his attacks, it was an unpleasant sight, but the unearthly glow that came from the child far outweighed the gore of the scene around him.

All of Ral's prior arguments regarding Talin's importance and his singularly exceptional existence were suddenly understood by the elders who quickly sent their guards to collect the boy from the ravine. His relief at being rescued was short-lived. Instead of continuing the punishment that would no doubt have eventually resulted in death, they gave him a new sentence. Lifelong service as a Hunter and his training began immediately under the leader of the Hunters, Prishin.

His mother remained the only consistent source of affection and care in those years and, at first, he'd almost daily begged her to take him and leave the town. She'd wanted to, longed to carry her little boy away from harm and to a place they could live happily again. She almost followed through on the thought when he came to her one day covered in bruises too painful to touch, but she knew they wouldn't make it out of town on their own. Rald was watching them both too closely.

One night, Talin's pleas were overheard and the next day he found himself cornered by his step-father and the Hunters in one of the storage buildings. They'd been careful not to break anything and had left him crumpled in a corner of the warehouse for most of the day before retrieving him and locking him into a small bedroom of the Hunters building.

Rald told Silfra that Talin needed to be closer to his teacher, that their separation was for the boy's own good so he could grow and become a man. Everyone knew the truth, that it was done to control them both, but by that point, it didn't matter. No one would speak against Rald, not concerning his own wife and especially not to defend an ostracized murderer turned guard dog.

Much of what followed, Sephiroth had already heard about or deduced from his Cadet's prior admissions. What he hadn't heard, was how young Talin had been when he'd received some of his worst injuries from his own trainer. Or that his first target after being considered 'good enough for service' was a stray Silver Cockatolis.

Dangerous because of their petrification magic and rare enough to make even the feathers valuable, his mission to kill the large bird had been partially a test of his skills and part to satisfy Prishin's greed. He'd only been eleven.

The young Hunter had stumbled back into town with a broken arm, concussion, and more cuts and gouges than could be treated before he fell unconscious, but he hadn't failed his task. With his one good arm and every last drop of Mako burning in his blood, he'd managed to drag the heavy bird back in the tarp given to him to protect the expensive feathers.

After that, he was considered a fully-fledged Hunter but it wasn't the end of his training or of the near inhuman treatment from most of the town. Silfra had been granted limited time to spend with her son once or twice a week as his duties and training allowed and had been distressed to see her once happy, bouncing child so changed.

He was quiet, hardly saying more than a few sentences while they were together, and the light of joy and mischief that had shown in his eyes had been smothered till nothing remained. The only smile she could get from him was when she would hum as he was laying down to rest and even that was sad.

"She wanted to run away," The teen said as he ducked under a strike aimed for his throat, "She came to visit one day and had packed a basket for lunch. We went out to a pile of boulders where we could be seen but not heard by the person standing watch and she told me she had a plan to leave..." The barest tremble of Talin's voice put the SOLDIER on alert and, having a good idea where this was going, he shifted to defense just in time to catch an enhanced kick that was aimed for his head.

"She had it all planned out. A merchant who was coming with new ale and spirits for the town was due the next day, would stay for two nights, and then leave with us smuggled in the covered cart." Each punch and kick grew in strength and Sephiroth opted for more evasive action instead of blocking the amplified blows. "Rald was hosting a party for most of the town the night we were supposed to leave, it's why the merchant was coming with so much alcohol."

"Everyone was busy getting ready and all the Hunters would be at the party except for me and two others doing patrol. It should have been easy, but somehow, he found out... Somehow, he knew and..." Sorrow, as piercing and deep as ever he'd seen it, flashed across Talin's face before the blinding burn of Mako flared to life in his eyes. The pain and loss were too great to speak of and, unable to face the anguish of that memory, the redhead pushed it aside in preference of emotions he could more easily express.

With a growl, the Cadet charged headlong at the 1st, uncaring if it was rash or ill-advised during a real fight. He needed this. Needed to expend the fire in his blood that roared for a vengeance he couldn't seek. Sephiroth was willing to aid him, but only to a point.

Seeing Talin starting to be consumed by the fury of his rage, the SOLDIER blocked all but a few strikes that he allowed to slip past his guard, letting the teen get closer even when his attacks became more vicious. Talin's vision was a haze of green as he attacked his silver-haired mentor, reveling in every strike that connected regardless of if it was blocked or not. He just needed to hit something, anything, he needed-

The speed at which the teen went from attacking to skidding across the meadow like a skipping stone over water, left no time for him to even attempt to fight back. The force of the throw and its angle had been carefully measured so as not to cause real harm, but strong enough to plow a long line of destruction through the field.

The General hadn't wanted to have to go that far, but when he'd spoken to his Cadet, called his name louder and louder with no response, he'd had no choice. That level of extreme anger in someone as strong as Talin was dangerous. Now that he knew its extent, Seph silently vowed to track down the resources to aid him in overcoming it, but, for now, he could only attempt to contain the flames.

Dizzy from the throw that had sent him skipping, skidding, tumbling through the field, the redhead groaned as he rolled over onto his back. His head swam. The punch of adrenaline and other hormones that had released in his body during the fight mixed together to make him feel as high as his mood had been low. When a shadow fell over him, he blinked up at his mentor who was eyeing him warily.

"Talin?" The teen nodded and closed his eyes again to let the remaining dizziness pass. He heard the 1st move to his side and when he looked up again, saw him knelt next to him, his look stern but not cold. "I appreciate you telling me as much as you did," A hand under his arm helped him sit up before a small potion was held out. Talin automatically took it and then drank down the contents when it was obvious the General wouldn't continue until he had.

"When we get back from our mission, we'll work more on your control and, if you agree, I'd like to look into a few things to help you conquer that anger." The Cadet dropped his head but looked back up again when the hand that had remained on his shoulder slid up to play with a lock of hair. "You need to be in control, mind and body, if you want to make SOLDIER, and I have no intention of letting you fail, Cadet." The words were a quiet purr, a promise and warning in one that made Talin's mouth go dry.

Emboldened by the endorphins still racing through his system from their fight, he used the opening given to him. "The SOLDIER test is six months from now. That's... a long way off..." Understanding the real question being posed, a smoldering glow of Mako flickered to life around the slit pupils and the hand at his shoulder slid up to twine in the strands at the back of his neck.

"It is a long time to wait, but..." Seph leaned down close enough that, if not for the hand in his hair, Talin could have moved forward and- Said hand flexed, pulling back and to the side lightly, exposing the line of his throat and shoulder. The redhead's eyes had closed and he'd bit his inner cheek to stop the sound that he'd almost made at that gentle tug. "I'm not like Zack or Genesis. I can be patient." He bit down harder and shivered when he felt the puff of breath against his skin.

Talin's breath caught in his lungs and pulse raced when he felt the brush of lips as the next words were whispered into his ear. "Especially when what I want will be well worth the wait..."


The next chapter will be posted on Saturday, July 31st

Author Note: I love you all so very much for the responses I've had to this story so far. It has been the best experience I could ever have hoped for with this being my first ever public work. I was delayed in posting this due to the amount I tried to cram into one chapter to give you all something to chew on until I can get more done. I wanted to have at least two more chapters finished before announcing my break, but time has worked against me once more.

I am devoted to finishing this and I hope you will take a moment to favorite the story so that you will get the updates when I'm back. I know that July 31st is a long time from now, but my current list of delayed or ongoing projects and life events is far too extensive to settle in a month's time as I had originally hoped. My plan is to write as much as possible of the story between now and then after some dedicated time getting my life back in order. With any luck, I will finish the entire work by the time I get back or be very close to it.

Thank you again for all the support and I will see you on 7/31 with the continuation of 'Mako's Fury'.

~D.S.