"Why do we always have to do this yo?"
Reno groaned in frustration as him and Mr. Rude made their way through the streets of Midgar. They had suspected that Cloud might actually know something since he had been snooping around the area. Now they had proof. Their new device was leading them in the direction of 7th Heaven. They wouldn't fail the boss a third time. The second time was when the second warrior to awaken – TK-09 – escaped as well but it had truly escaped. There was no way they could have followed into… space. During a quick break, it had slipped from its cell, fixed the kinks in one of the most glitchy air craft and redesigned the small ship into a space craft.
In Mr. Rude's gloved hands was a sort of GPS tracker, designed specifically for model TL-07. It had taken a while to actually get the thing to work properly but now, it was working like charm. He looked above his dark shades to the meek tavern they continued to approach.
Denzel was the first one to reach the door. The children had finally returned to the tavern barely an hour ago. The two orphans had been playing with Talon ever since he had woken up from his cat nap.
Reno was the first to push through the door, followed by Rude. Vincent sat up from his state of depression in great alarm and pulled out his gun. "What do you two want?"
"Is that any way to treat guest, yo?" Reno replied with question. "But if you must know, we're here to take back our property."
"Talon doesn't belong to you!" Denzel exclaimed from below. He was wisely hiding behind a bit of Vincent's cape.
Upstairs, the whole ruckus could be heard as Vincent shot at Reno's feet. Talon cringed at the sound but did not fight back as Marlene tugged him from the room. "C'mon Talon." She pulled him halfway down the stairs so they could spy from a distance.
Mr. Rude was the first to catch sight of him. He whispered into Reno's ear without making any sudden gestures. Talon felt a hard pain in his chest as he gazed upon the two men. He knew why they were here. They wanted to take him back and now, he was scared.
Tifa came from the kitchen only moments later. "What the hell are trying to do to my bar? Get out!"
"Not without him." Reno pointed straight at Talon who was already rushing back up the stairs. "He's incomplete and mentally unstable. If we don't finish our tests, there will be consequences. You should know that Vincent."
The room went silent for a very long time. Vincent knew it was true. After what he'd experienced… what he had to see happen to Lucrecia. He knew.
"I… can't let you have him, not yet." Vincent mumbled hoarsely, his voice caught in his throat.
"I'm sorry but that's not really an option." Mr. Rude said in his subtle voice. His hand was on his gun, prepared to fight.
"Go get Talon Denzel…" Vincent whispered to the boy.
Denzel quickly ran back up the stairs to retrieve Talon. The frightened warrior wouldn't move from his spot on the bed as Marlene tried to coax him. Cloud found he was wandering into the guest room after all the noise downstairs had once again awoken him from his nap. "What's going on?"
"Talon doesn't wanna go back!" The terrifying voice that clawed up Talon's throat shook the room. His pupils were becoming slits as his emotions were taking over again. Fear was shifting into anger and rage.
Cloud instinctively grabbed a hold of both children. "Vincent! Get up here now!"
There was a slight silence and angry mumbling coming from downstairs but loud footsteps soon followed. Vincent looked disheveled as he came into the room. Behind him were the Turks. He hissed harshly at the two of them, demanding them step back. Vincent slowly put away his gun and stepped up to Talon. The warrior's expression quickly changed.
"Tell me what's wrong Talon." Vincent said gently, lifting Talon's head with a gentle tilt of the chin.
"T-Talon doesn't wanna go back…" This time, the warrior's voice trembled. "Stay… with Vincent."
Vincent let out a sigh and, feeling a little embarrassed, placed Talon's head on his stomach. He knew the warrior was blushing as he felt more heat against his abdomen. "I'm not sure if I can keep my promise." His voice was barely audible but he knew Talon could hear him.
Vincent's words pierced through Talon's like a poison arrow, the toxic meaning of the man's words spreading throughout his entire body. The warrior pushed away feebly as strangely green tears streamed down his face. "No! Vincent promised!" He screamed, thrashing his body about violently. He was scared. He was sad. Why would Vincent give him away so easily?
Seeing Talon in such a distraught state tore at Vincent. Without thinking, he tried to calm the warrior: He kneeled down, encircled Talon's thin body with arms and gently stroked the warrior's hair. "I know I promised but… Don't you want to be whole? Don't you want to get fixed Talon?"
"…" Talon was speechless. He had never thought of himself as anything close to incomplete. Inside, he balanced and light hearted but on the outside, there were so many jagged edges. He was so out of place.
"C'mon, let's go." Vincent swept Talon into his arms bridal style and proceeded to carry the warrior away: down the steps precisely. Everyone else followed behind him. The atmosphere turned sour as everything was settled.
Talon sat between Vincent and Cloud, the blond on his right and his savior to his left. He felt squeamish and uncomfortable. He could no longer argue with Vincent anymore. A major point had been proven and he couldn't strike it down. Mr. Rude stared at him with curious eyes. The man didn't seem to bother Talon as much as Reno did. It may have been the serene look behind his eyes but it calmed the warrior.
The red head yawned loudly and began to speak. "So, are you going to let us have him or not?"
"We already said no." Cloud grumbled as Marlene began to play with his hair.
"Yeah but technically its Vincent's decision. So, Vincent, give us an answer."
Everyone looked to Vincent. His face was blank and void of emotion but his answer was clear. "I'll let him go only if I can come with him. I want to ensure his safety and prevent any further experiments than necessary." Vincent's gaze traveled over to Talon whose body began to relax at the comment. "I can't have you poking and prodding at him like he's just something you guys can play with. Are you okay with that Talon?"
The warrior nodded. "Mm-hmm. Talon doesn't wanna be alone." The cute expression on his as his cheeked flushed was too adorable. He gingerly grabbed Vincent's hand and grinned at the man, his fangs preened to a shine.
"Then you don't have to be." Vincent stood up and guided Talon to the door with Reno and Mr. Rude trailing behind. As soon as they were outside, the older man quickly moved forward to meet the warrior's soft lips. The kiss was small and unexpected but Talon felt raw passion. His body nearly gave way as Vincent backed away. "V-Vincent…?"
"I promise… I'll never let them have you."
Mr. Rude stepped out of the tavern first and hastily shot off his tranquilizer gun at both men. Talon went down first with the dart lodged in his arm. Vincent stared at both Turks with a look of surprise before falling to his knees.
"Those are specially made just for you two." Reno began with a smile. "Did you know that they use these on elephants? Of course, we had to add something extra. When you wake up and feel like blowing chunks, you'll know why."
Vincent couldn't hear after that. It was as if someone had poured water into his ears. Slowly, the rest of his body came to meet the ground and his head was plunged into darkness.