Chapter V: The Story of the two SOLDIERs that came before Sephiroth (End)

1992: Northern Wutai

The year 1992 was an important year for Shinra; it was the year that Sephiroth became a 1st Class SOLDIER and would later become the most famous SOLDIER in Shinra history. The year also marked the beginning of the Wutai War. Within the past few years, Auron and the other SOLDIERs crushed many small rebellions over the world. Just when the people had given in to Shinra's rule, Wutai continued to stand against it. Having become tired of its effort to control Wutai, Shinra declared all out war with Wutai. Sensing that he was going to do a lot of paperwork, Rosch retired early as director a few months before the war. The new director was a young man named Lazard who appeared quite capable; he had developed many strategies to take Wutai, including the current mission.

Auron and Rain were on a truck with five other infantrymen and were currently on a truck en route to a place where they will meet the agent that was assisting them. As he sat on the truck, Auron was feeling unnerved because it had been a long time since he had taken an S-Level Mission. Furthermore, it had been a long since he stepped foot on Wutai. Because of the war, he was now a traitor to his people and he wondered what they were going to say to him when he inevitably kills them.

"So this is Wutai huh?" Rain asked as he gazed at the scenery full of grass, bushes and trees. Sensing the seriousness of their mission, the usual energetic Rain was quiet and less talkative. "It's very green."

"Yeah..." The two had a silent moment before Rain asked him a serious question.

"Can you kill your own people?" Rain asked as he continued to look at the scenery.

"I can," Auron answered after only thinking about it for a moment. Neither Rain nor Auron said anything else for the remainder of the trip. After about 30 minutes, the truck came to a stop somewhere deep in a forest. Auron hopped off the truck and saw a familiar figure. "Sephiria? What are you doing here?"

"I'm the agent that was sent to help you guys," Sephiria said with a large smile.

"It's been a long time since the three of us worked together," Rain said as he jumped off the truck. "It's nice to see another familiar face here, right Auron?"

"Huh…, oh yeah," Auron was temporarily lost in thought because of Sephiria's surprised appearance. Seeing Auron's troubled face, Sephiria walked up to him and nudge him in the ribs.

"Don't tell me you're worried about me," Sephiria teased.

"I am," Auron said in a blunt manner.

"Oh…" Sephiria was quite surprised of Auron's concern because it was something that he had never voiced before; an awkward moment fell between them.

"As long as you're here, you'll protect her like a hero right?" Rain nudged Auron in the ribs.

Pushing Rain away, Auron said, "Of course I will, but anyway; what's the plan?"

With a grin, Sephiria said, "I'll lead you guys through the forest and to the enemy's base where you guys will launch a surprise attack. Sounds simple right?"

"That's good enough for me," Rain answered.

"We'll begin at nightfall, so we'll take this moment to rest up," Sephiria said as she went to sit on a nearby rock. The other infantrymen went ahead with preparations as Rain and Auron followed Sephiria and sat down.

The three friends sat around the campfire made with twigs and rocks. The sun had already begun its descent and the mission was about to begin in an hour. The infantrymen were all resting near the truck and were over a dozen meters away. The only sound emitted were from the infantrymen's distant snoring and the crackling of the fire. To conserve their energy for the upcoming mission, the three remained silent as they gazed into the fire. After a while, Rain broke the silence with a whisper.

"I've come to a decision; I'm going to quit SOLDIER after the war."

"…Are you sure? Isn't it still too soon?" Auron asked; his faced masked a silent worry.

"There's no changing my mind because my son is already 6 years old and I haven't even met him yet."

"Don't you talk with him through letters?" Sephiria asked.

"No because I don't know what I'll do if he asked me why I never met him." Auron could see the burning desperation in Rain's eyes. If he didn't do anything about it, then Rain would likely self-destruct.

"You should do that," Auron said so Rain will have the temporary hope needed while Auron came up with a concrete plan.

"You think so?" Just like what Auron thought, Rain regained some of the hope he had lost over the past few months. It also seemed to have invigorated him for the mission. "All right, I'm going to give it my all and become a great hero!"

"Before that though, you should get some rest, hero," Auron said. Stretching his arms, Rain hunkered down on a rock and closed his eyes. Within seconds, Auron and Sephiria heard slow breathing sounds from Rain. "Guess he had a lot on his mind that he couldn't sleep."

"I kind of understand what he's feeling," Sephiria said as she stared at the sleeping Rain. "The desire to have a family gives you a wonderful warm feeling, especially to those who never really knew their own."

"Really?" Auron asked with a slight bewildered expression. "I never knew a "real" family and I don't particularly care about desiring one."

"It's because you never think about it. You pushed all thoughts about your own family into the back of your mind as you concentrate on other things like SOLDIER. Besides, Rain and I are already kind of like family to you so you don't ask for more. Rain however, seeks a different kind of family, a more traditional one." Auron thought about what Sephiria had said. He didn't like the idea of being accused of running away from something, but her words seemed to have resonated with him.

"What about you? What about your family?"

"Me?" Sephiria was surprised at the sudden personal question. "…I never knew my parents and I was raised by the Shinra Company to become part of the Turks. I guess that's why I find the desire to create a family with a significant other appealing." While Sephiria was speaking, Auron noticed that she was feeling lonelier than usual.

"You never told me that before."

"It's because you never asked."

"I just thought that you didn't want to talk about it, that's why you never mentioned it."

"You still have a ways to go before you understand the female mind," Sephiria laughed before her eyes change into a seductive tigress. "But you know, I like you just the way you are. Behind that angry face of yours is a kind person who can't help, but worry about others." Sephiria leaned in and gave Auron a tender kiss on the lips before moving her head back; a slight flush painted her pretty face. Expressionless, Auron turned his head to look at nothing in particular.

"…If it's with you, I will consider creating a family," Auron said softly. A little surprised by Auron's words, Sephiria said nothing, but smiled before kissing him on the cheek.

Night had officially arrived and all of the Shinra employees are awake and prepared for the mission. The infantrymen were garbed with assault rifles, ammo clips, and battle knives along with their usual uniform. Rain and Auron dressed in the 1st Class SOLDIER uniform and the only weapons they had were their swords, Buster Blade and Muramasa. Sephiria, like the other Turks always dressed in a business suit. While apparently unarmed, Auron knew that she kept a stiletto underneath her sleeve.

Auron looked over the people under his command and when he thought they were ready, he gave a nod to Sephiria; indicating that she should begin leading the way. Wordlessly, Sephiria walked into the deep dark forest; the only lighting came from a tiny flashlight that Sephiria carried. Even though the sun had only disappeared a few minutes ago, the air became cold enough that the Shinra men could see their breath. Scared to be left alone in the eerie dark forest, the men followed Sephiria step-by-step; over twigs, through bushes and under branches. Sephiria for her part moved with such control and purpose that she appeared to have memorized the invisible path.

After about 45 minutes of walking through the forest, Rain and Auron stopped in their tracks. Sephiria and the infantrymen looked at the two with confusion. "Do you hear that?" Auron whispered faintly.

"Yeah," Rain answered in the same low tone. "I feel that we're not alone." Auron and Rain moved their heads around to discern the mysterious presences. The infantrymen and Sephiria grew extremely worried as their heartbeat with continuous loud thumps; loud enough that it could be heard a mile away.

"What is it?" Sephiria asked while holding her breath.

Auron closed his eyes to feel for the presence until he finally knew where the mysterious presences were. "MOV-" Auron screamed, but it was too late as a thunderous boom shook the trees. The next thing he knew, there was a large gaping hole in Sephiria's chest as her eye went wide with fright and surprise. The others went into a defensive formation while Auron ran to Sephiria as soon as she collapsed onto the ground and held her in his arms. "Sephiria! SEPHIRIA!" Auron screamed with such intensity that could have shaken the earth. His tears fell onto Sephiria's face that had become cold and pale; her eyes were unfocused as she spewed dark blood out of her mouth. With a painful half smile, she took out her stiletto and slowly raised her arm; touching Auron's cheek.

"I…lo…ve…y…ou." After breathing her last word, her arm fell to the ground and the light in her eyes distinguished under the dark night. Auron took hold of the stiletto and continued to hold her as countless more tears fell on her face.

"Get out of the way Auron!" Rain suddenly screamed, but Auron showed no signs of moving until he was forcefully pushed away. He heard more of the same loud boom as he turned around and saw that Rain had been shot in the arm by a couple of rifle shells. With great effort, Auron dropped Sephiria and moved to defend Rain from the attackers. Taking a quick peek at Rain's wounds, Auron saw that Rain had a few punctures in his arm and blood was streaming out of them.

By then, over 100 flashlights lighted the surrounding vicinity, barely illuminating the people around them. Auron saw that the attackers were Wutai warriors, armed with many weapons such as guns, blades, and shurikens; their flashlights were attached to their shoulders. They all wore the same black baggy pants, tunics, shoes with straps, and a mask that concealed the lower portion of their faces (they look like ninjas). "We fell into a fucking trap," Rain panted as he tried to ignore the pain and kept his good arm firmly gripped onto the blade, while the bad arm was only able to exert half its strength.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" A familiar voice rang through the air. Turning to the source, Auron and Rain saw a man walked out of the shadows; clapping his hands with great enthusiasm.

"Krious, what the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Sephiroth?" Rain shouted with confusion. Upon hearing Rain's question, Krious' face lit up with ecstatic humor.

"Don't you get it? I screwed you guys over; I told the Wutais what you guys were doing and where you'd be. I even gave them Shinra's precious weapons. Now look at you, trapped like mice with nowhere to go; how the mighty have fallen!"

"You fucking asshole, why did you betray us?" Auron screamed at Krious. At Auron's allegation, Krious stopped laughing and looked at Auron with furious insane eyes.

"Like I give a shit about Shinra! Those fuckers don't know anything about true talent! To think they would rather promote you brats to 1st Class than myself! It was only natural that they got what was coming."

"You betrayed us for such a retarded reason?" Rain shouted.

"Retarded?" Krious fumed with silent anger as he slowly shook his head. "I don't want to waste my breath on you any longer." Krious gave a hand signal to a dozen Wutai warriors, which prompted them to begin firing at the Shinra men. With their quick reflexes, Auron and Rained blocked the bullets with their swords. However, the infantrymen were not as skilled and therefore were gutted with countless bullets.

"Shit!" Rain hissed as he continued to block the bullets. Rain and Auron were back to back, as they slowly moved in a circle to cover each other from the bullets. After about five minutes of continuous rain of bullets, the Wutai warriors stopped their attack because they had run out of bullets. Taking the chance for a breather, Auron turned to Rain to check on his condition.

"You okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Rain answered, his breathing grew more rapid than before. "I guess I wasn't fast enough with one bad arm."

"How bad are you?" Auron asked as he continued to watch the enemy, he was alarmed by Rain's response.

"Don't worry, only a few got me in the leg and arm," Rain answered with a chuckle.

Krious was surprised that the two had survived the bullet assault, but his surprised quickly became impatience. "Just go attack them directly! You have a hundred men don't you?" Without waiting for further orders, the Wutai warriors drew their blades and charged at Auron and Rain.

"Here comes the climax; you ready, Auron?" Rain asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"It's now or never so give it your all!" When the first Wutai warrior came within five feet of Auron, he drew his Muramasa and cut the warrior in half with lightning quick speed. With his good right arm, Rain swung his blade in a wide arc and cut five Wutais. Auron deflected an oncoming sword thrust and thrust his own blade into the Wutai's stomach. Rain kicked a Wutai in the stomach, knocking him into another one before Rain simultaneously cut off their heads in one clean swoop. Before he realized it, a shuriken flew into his chest and a piercing pain spread throughout his torso.

"Damn!" Trying to ignore the new pain, Rain gathered his energy and slammed the blade onto the ground; a large beam of light burst out of the blade into the oncoming enemies and devoured them.

Auron had heard Rain's cry and knew that he had been injured, but Auron ignored it because it wouldn't do him any good to drop his defense; especially when 10 Wutais were already attacking him. Auron would have normally took the ten down with relative ease if he could move around, but he couldn't because it would leave Rain's back open to the enemy. With limited mobility, Auron held his ground and attacked with rapid thrusts on the enemies starting from the left to right. However, he wasn't quick enough as he was stabbed in the side by an enemy. Grabbing the man who stabbed him, Auron used him as a shield while he attacked the next 10 Wutais attacking him.

While Auron had a hard enough time as it is, Rain was suffering from other factors that impeded his abilities to fight. The arm injury from before had become numb and unresponsive forcing Rain to fight with one arm. The various stabs and cuts that the Wutais had successfully connected had begun to take its toll on Rain's body. Feeling sluggish, he managed to cut down the two Wutais in front of him, but he failed to defend from a hidden Wutai that came at him from the side. With a clean cut, Rain's bad arm flew off leaving a bloody red stump. "Hsssssss," Rain hissed through clenched teeth before kicking the attacker away.

Sensing something was wrong, Auron turned his head for a second. However, that was all it took for a Wutai to get within Auron's defense. Trying to cut of Auron's head, the Wutai swung his blade and Auron tried to move away. He was not fast enough as the blade cut his right eye. Blinded by darkness in his right side, Auron punched the Wutai with his left arm. Taking one moment to look at the remaining numbers, Auron decided they would die if they kept this up.

"Rain, we're getting out of here through the way we came in!" Auron shouted.

"No complaints here; I'm just about done."

"Then go now, I'll cover your back." Rain ran in the direction of where their truck was and Auron followed closely behind. Noticing the loss of Rain's arm for the first time, Auron's hatred for Krious dramatically increased. As Rain attacked the people in front of him, Auron heard Krious giving out orders to chase after them. Luckily, Rain found an opening and ran through the enemy lines; despite their injuries, the two 1st Class SOLDIERs moved like the wind.

After 10 minutes of running, the distance between the SOLDIERs and the Wutais had grown to 200 feet. Auron could have gotten farther, but he kept the same pace as the injured Rain, who had gotten slower in the past few minutes. Auron was about to say something until Rain abruptly stopped.

"What are you doing?" Auron asked with a mixture of confusion and worry.

"You go on ahead; I'm staying here," Rain answered with surprising calmness.

"What are you talking about?" Auron became bewildered at Rain's decision to stay behind.

"I can't go any further. We both know that you could easily get away if I didn't come with you."

"If you're staying, then I'm staying as well," Auron shouted, his confusion turning into anger.

"Just listen for a moment," Rain said as he tried to calm Auron down. "You were always smarter than me so I listened to you for all those years. You always thought things through while I always acted on emotions. Now you are the one who is acting on emotions so I have to be the logical one. If you stay with me, we both die; there's no other possibility. If I follow you, I die anyway because it's hard enough for me as it is. I lost a lot of blood and could barely stand on my feet. So if you leave me, at least you'll survive and continue living another day; it is my wish that you live."

Rain pleaded with Auron with such sincerity that he had to think about what he was doing. No matter how he thought about it, Rain was right. There was only one logical choice even though it would mean turning his back on his best friend. His mind continued to waver until he saw Rain's legs shaking with fear. Auron realized that Rain was completely aware of what would happen when Auron leaves him, but he was telling Auron to do it despite of his fear. Never had Auron seen such strength of courage in his life so he decided to honor his friend's last wish. "Okay," Auron relented with great effort.

"152F of Post 2."

"…What's that?"

"That's where I get my letters from. Tell her that I have to break my promise and…I'm sorry."

"…I understand."

"Thank you," Rain said with a smile before turning around so his back was facing Auron. "Remember to live your life with honor."

"What?"

"You said you gave up Bushido all those years ago, but I think it's a pretty great way to live." The two shared a moment of silence before they heard voices from the opposite direction.

"You should go now," Rain said with his back still facing Auron.

"…Give em hell," Auron said before he ran toward the truck that had brought them to this living hell. As he ran away, not once did Auron turn around because he knew that his resolve would waver should he look back. After a few seconds, Auron heard countless screams, shouts and the banging of blades meeting another. The only thing he felt as he ran for his life was the throbbing in his right eye and the burning desire for revenge.

A Few Days Later: Auron's Office in Midgar

The past few days had been the worse days of Auron's life. Not only did he lose the people he cared about the most, but he also lost the small dream that had been sprouting within him. His eye injury left him permanently blind in his right eye; a large red scar remained where the injury had occurred. After Auron had gotten to safety, he had ordered a SOLDIER unit to go to the battle site. When they got back, they told him that they found the bodies of the Shinra Infantrymen, Sephiria and Rain. The Buster Sword had disappeared from the scene.

Sitting with his head down, Auron waited for news about Krious' whereabouts. After a few moments, Auron heard a knock at the door and in walked Sephiroth; wearing a black coat that was his custom SOLDIER uniform.

"Did you call for me?" Sephiroth knew why he was here, but he wanted to gauge Auron's mental status so he acted the obedient subordinate.

"Do you know where Krious is?" Auron asked, his head still looking down at the ground.

"Yes."

"Tell me."

"You're too emotional to take him down now; I'll take care of it."

"I can control my emotions and I will not let it be a hindrance," Auron said as he finally looked up at Sephiroth.

"…Fine," Sephiroth relented. "I'm only telling you out of respect for you and Master Rain."

Five Days Later: A Base in Northern Wutai

Krious had been sighted at a base near the Northern border of the Wutai Continent. After finding his location, Auron assembled a squad of 10 SOLDIERs and 30 infantrymen. Auron knew that was all he needed to exact his revenge.

Under the dead of night, Auron's group had snuck to the base undetected. The only thing standing between him and revenge was a large twenty-foot tall red gate. After giving his men a signal, Auron took his large blade and sliced opened the door, a loud siren echoed throughout the base to warn the Wutai soldiers of intruders. Auron's squad quickly moved into action and confronted the first wave of Wutais. As for Auron, he moved down the center of the base because he had a feeling that was where Krious was located.

As Auron walked to the center, he walked in a slow, but calm manner. It was all he could do keep his temper from flaring and getting out of control. As he walked toward the center, shurikens flew at him from all directions. With very little effort, he swatting them away like flies, his destination unaltered. Five Wutais came up to him and simultaneously attacked him from all sides. Auron quickly stepped forward and elbowed one of them in the face before Auron grabbed him. Using the Wutai as a blunt weapon, Auron spinned around and knocked back the other Wutais. After throwing the Wutai away, Auron took his blade and killed all of them with one quick motion.

Turning toward the building, Auron resumed his march. Trying to stop Auron, countless Wutais attacked him, but they were no match for the SOLDIER. It wasn't like before in the forest where Auron's movements were restricted and the lighting was poor. Here, he could move anywhere he wanted to effortless evade and the lighting was almost as clear as day so he could see incoming attacks. No longer disadvantaged, Auron cut down any person standing in his path without receiving any damage. Even though the Wutais were highly trained and skilled, they are no match for the powerful 1st Class SOLDIER.

After 30 minutes of countless interruptions, Auron made it to the center of the base. Standing there was Krious himself; a large smile plastered on his insane face. In his right arm was the large Buster Sword.

"Well look who it is; the great Auron himself has paid me a special visit. I guess you want revenge for your dead partner and girlfriend, don't cha?" A maniacal laugh erupted from Krious' mouth. "But too bad, you're going to join them…in hell!" Krious snapped his fingers and 10 Wutais appeared near him.

Upon seeing Krious' face, the anger that had accumulated inside Auron was unleashed. Driven by a controlled rage, Auron charged his energy and swung his blade in a horizontal arc; creating a powerful surge of wind that ripped the Wutais to shreds.

Unfazed by his comrades' death, Krious leapt forward and raised his blade. Before Krious could do anything else, Auron had already moved in and sliced off Krious' right arm; his laughing face quickly turned into one of fear and pain as he registered the loss of his arm.

"AAAHHHHHHHHH!" Krious shouted loudly as he rolled around on the ground gripping the stump that was his arm. The countless drops of tears that streamed down his face paralleled the countless drops of blood that streamed out of his arm. Ignoring Krious' wailing, Auron picked him up by the collar and punched him hard in the face; the impact left Krious' nose collapsed within his face.

"You call yourself a SOLDIER when you can't even handle the pain of losing your arm? 1st Class? Wake up; you are only trash," Auron breathed into Krious' face before slamming him down into the ground and a SOLDIER came up to Auron with a report.

"Sir, we have almost taken complete control of the base; we await further orders."

"Kill them all," Auron said without hesitation. "And tie him to a post. Remember to gag his mouth too so he won't bite his tongue." With a salute, the SOLDIER left to find rope and a rag. He was back in no time and dragged the crying Krious to a pillar.

"P-Please, have mercy on me," Krious cried in desperation.

"I'm not going to let you die easily; you're going to die a very slow and painful death." Krious' cries became muffled as the SOLDIER stuffed a dirty rag into Krious' mouth. Auron picked up the Buster Sword and without looking back, walked away.

1993: A Southern Wutai Village

One year had already passed since the beginning of the Wutai War. After Auron's devastating assault on a Wutai Base a year ago, the Wutais learned from their mistakes and substantially fortified their bases and villages. It became very hard for Shinra to gain ground in the war because the Wutais had proven to be great adversaries. Their skills are top notch and their numbers greatly outclass Shinra's own men. With the loss of Rain, SOLDIER's power had weakened overall. Even with Auron and Sephiroth on the frontlines, it was not enough to turn the tide of war. To increase the war effort, Shinra ordered the Turks to scout more people for SOLDIER. Two promising new recruits were Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos who would eventually become famous 1st Class members.

Even though a year had passed since Auron had gotten his revenge, he felt that nothing had changed. When he found the mailbox that Rain used to receive letters from his family, the grief he tried to forget, had returned. Taking note of the return address on the letters, he wrote a letter to the family informing them that Rain had died honorably. After that, he burned the letters so there was no trace of it left for Shinra to discover.

As Auron continued fighting in the war, his grief turned into anger. He became a walking empty shell and killed his enemies without any hesitation so he didn't have to think about anything else. The Wutais feared him as the One-Eyed Dragon. Now, he was fighting a battle to claim a village in Southern Wutai during the late hours of the night.

The village was like any other Wutai village, full of unique structured houses, buildings and architecture. A small stream of water ran through the village; bridges were built over the streams. Lying around him were dozens of Wutai soldiers; Auron had killed them all. With all of his enemies dead, Auron stood still as he stared across the horizon until he heard the sound of a crying girl. He walked to the sound and under a bridge, he saw a woman cradling in her arms a child of no more than two years old. She was trying to cover the child's mouth so Auron couldn't hear the child's crying, but it was useless as Auron had found them. He raised his sword intending to kill both of them, but he was distracted by a loud voice that rang from behind him.

"STOP!" A man shouted. He was dressed in a brown cloak, tunic, silver gauntlets and leggings. His large scruffy brown beard exuded great wisdom. "It's about time I found you."

"…You know who I am?" Auron's face drew a blank expression.

"Don't you recognize me?" After looking at the man for about a minute, Auron had an idea who it might be based on his beard.

"Zangan?"

"That's right, your older cousin." Zangan had belonged to a famous clan known for their martial arts. Zangan and Auron's mother were sisters thus making them cousins, but Auron had only met Zangan on a few occasions.

"To think we would meet like this," Zangan said with a look filled with sorrow as he looked at the dead bodies. "Not only had you abandoned the people of Wutai, but you have also abandoned your honor." At the mention of "honor", Auron's face contorted into anger.

"Honor? What can honor do for me? Could honor have saved my friends' lives? Could honor make me stronger?" Auron spewed venomous words at Zangan who only gave Auron a disappointed look.

"Honor cannot solve everything, but it can at least relieve the massive anger you are carrying if you choose to walk a better path in life. The way you are now, you are just bringing needless wanton destruction."

"SHUT UP!" Auron screamed at Zangan, his anger threatened to explode at any second.

"I guess I have to smack some sense into you. It's been a while since I've fought a worry opponent." Zangan lifted his arms and moved into a fighting stance.

With a mad dash of speed, Auron had already charged at Zangan. He swung his blade with all his might that created small gusts of wind. Zangan effortless moved aside and quickly jabbed Auron in the face. The punch shortly stunned Auron as he made another powerful slash at Zangan. Like before, Zangan moved out of the way and roundhouse kicked Auron in the side. The force of the kick knocked Auron into a wall, which broke upon impact.

"Is this the same Auron that matched my own skill when he was merely 10 years old?" Zangan mocked at the Auron climbing out of the wreckage; a few noticeable cuts appeared on his angry face. "Looks like you're ready for round two!" Zangan put up his arms and returned to his stance.

Wiping away the small trickle of blood on his lip, Auron jumped high into the air and did an overhead cut. Zangan quickly moved below Auron and did a jumping punch into Auron's stomach. Because of Auron's abs of steel, the punch did not do much. While they were still in the air, Auron punched Zangan with his free arm, but Zangan knocked it away and grabbed Auron's shirt before slamming him into the ground.

When the two made contact with the ground, Zangan followed up with a downward kick to Auron's face. Barely reacting in time, Auron moved to the side and countered with a cut from below; Zangan jumped to the side and evaded the attack. Unrelenting, Auron thrust his blade at Zangan, but it once again missed him by a mile. Auron continued the assault as he unleashed a fury of cuts, but Zangan swiftly evaded all of them.

"Come on Auron, you're just swinging your blade wildly! What happened to your impressive discipline and technical prowess?" Zangan stopped moving and smoothed out his scruffy beard. "I'm very disappointed-" Before Zangan could finish, Auron was already on him with a quick horizontal cut. Caught off guard, Zangan could not evade and had to block the attack using his gauntlets. The difference between the strength was obvious as Zangan was beginning to lose his balance. Auron's eyes glowed brighter as he exerted more force into the blade. "To think you were this strong…" Zangan pulled his arms away from the blade and bent backwards as Auron's blade went over him.

At the sudden loss of opposing force on his blade, Auron pushed his sword too far and could not defend himself from Zangan's barrage of punches. Zangan ended his combo with a powerful kick to Auron's chest, which knocked him into another wall. "Are you finished?" Auron asked as he stood back up after the assault.

"Are all SOLDIERs as tough as you?" Zangan shook his hands to relieve the tension in them.

"You're as strong as I remember, but it won't be so simple now," Auron said with a smirk and his eyes glowed brighter than ever. He took a deep breath before slowly breathing out. Unlike before, his eyes became serious and determined. Readying his blade, he did another charging thrust at Zangan. Similar to before, Zangan stepped out of the way to the right. Anticipating that, Auron simultaneously swung his sword toward Zangan's new position. Surprised by the sudden follow up, Zangan had barely managed to jump over the attack. Once again, Auron anticipated the evasion and made a quick swing toward Zangan, which he managed to evade within a hair's width. With his great concentration, Auron was able to judge where Zangan would move to and was able to attack Zangan the moment he moved to a different location. Auron's attack grew faster and faster until eventually, Zangan did not have time to evade and had to block the sword's attack. However, Zangan was quickly overpowered this time and Auron's blade knocked Zangan into a wall.

Unlike Auron, Zangan suffered bigger injuries from being knocked into a wall with such brutal force. "I guess I miscalculated your abilities even when clouded by anger," Zangan panted. "I guess I have to stop you now before you get anymore shots in." Zangan stomped the ground and pulled his right arm slightly back as he drew energy into it. A large glowing ball of white light covered his right arm. Noticing the power of the attack, Auron raised his sword and drew energy into it; the earth shook violently under the two source of energy. After a few seconds, Zangan dashed forward and extended his right arm forward. Auron then made a downward cut, which released the gathered energy into a giant white wave that collided with Zangan's punch. At first, the two attacks were even as no side gained any ground, but Auron's wave seemed to have gotten stronger with every second until it engulfed Zangan's attack and sent him flying 30 feet away into another wall.

After the smoke cleared, Auron saw that his attack destroyed everything in its path for 30 feet. Zangan was no longer moving, but Auron could hear the man groaning. Ignoring Zangan, Auron walked back to the woman and the child. They had both been frozen with fear that they didn't move at all during the match. Auron raised his sword up and looked at the crying child. He waited a few seconds before he swung the sword down.

"You said you gave up Bushido all those years ago, but I think it's a pretty great way to live."

"So not just for my family, I rather bring happiness than sorrow to people."

"But you know, I like you just the way you are. Behind that angry face of yours is a kind person who can't help, but worry about others."

Auron stopped his attack a few inches away from the child's head as many past thoughts swarmed his mind. The anger he had in his body had begun to cool down before it disappeared. Replacing the anger was a new sense of calm that he had forgotten over a year ago. Tears flowed out of his eyes and fell down onto the cracked earth. Blowing a large amount of air out of his mouth, he raised his sword and attached it to his back. "Go," Auron said softly. The woman was now confused and bewildered at what happened that she remained frozen on the sport. "GO!" Auron growled in a louder voice. This time, the woman snapped out of her shock and picked up the child.

"Come Lady Yuffie, we must go now," the woman said to the child, her voice still showing signs of shock. Auron watched as the woman and child left the vicinity before he heard Zangan's voice from behind.

"It seems you have regained your original composure," Zangan said as he gripped his right arm. "Have you decided to live your life with honor again?"

"If I didn't, I would tarnish my friend's name who believed in it; and… the name of someone important to me who believed I was a good person."

"They sound like good people."

"They are," Auron said with a smile.

"Even though we are still enemies, I look forward to fighting you the next time we meet." Zangan placed a hand on Auron's shoulder before he walked away. Even though Auron still had some anger left within him, he was beginning to find peace.

1994: Auron's Office

After Auron had fought with Zangan a year ago, he had stopped the destruction that had made him greatly feared by his enemies. He continued to fight the war and struck down anyone who stood in his way, but he no longer attacked civilians or innocent bystanders. The honor that he had abandoned all those years ago had changed him into a greatly respected person. No longer was he respected only for his strength and skill, but he was now respected as a great leader and person.

Leaning back in his chair with his arms folded over his head, Auron looked at the Buster Sword standing by the wall; Sephiria's stiletto was lying on the table. He was lost in his own thoughts when his door suddenly opened. Rotating his chair, Auron saw Angeal walked into the room. Angeal was now wearing the 1st Class SOLDIER uniform. "Congratulations on becoming 1st Class."

"Thank you Master Auron; I couldn't have done it without you." Angeal's sight shifted to the Buster Sword before turning back to Auron.

"Don't you always do that when you come into my office?" Auron asked with a laugh.

"I just find the sword fascinating," Angeal said, embarrassed by his habit.

"Do you know who owned that sword?"

"I heard that your friend wielded it before he died." Auron didn't say anything in response, but decided to ask Angeal something else.

"Why don't you try holding it?"

"Really?" Angeal's eyes lit up like a child on his birthday. After Auron nodded his head, Angeal went over and picked up the sword; slowly moving it up and down. "It's pretty heavy."

"That's surprising coming from a 1st Class SOLDIER. It should be light as a feather to you."

"That's not what I meant," Angeal said as he shook his head. "It just feels heavy for some inexplicable reason." After hearing that, Auron smiled at his subordinate's senses.

"Do you have any dreams, Angeal?" For a moment, Angeal was at a loss for words.

"…I want to become a hero to protect people from harm," Angeal said with a hint of embarrassment. Auron laughed aloud when he heard Angeal's dream.

"My friend had a similar dream of becoming a hero as well. The reason why you felt that the sword was heavy because it's full of my friend's unfulfilled dreams." Auron paused for a moment before he continued. "You should take it."

"What?"

"I'm not suitable to keep the sword because I don't have any dreams of my own, but you do. I'm sure my friend would be happy if you would carry his dreams with your own. Besides, you haven't ordered your custom blade have you?" Angeal shook his head and held the Buster Sword up high.

"The dreams within this blade…, I accept."

"That's good to hear; and remember, live your life with honor so you don't tarnish the name of your predecessor."

"…I will."

From that point on, Auron continued to fight in the Wutai War alongside his fellow SOLDIERs. He had met Zangan countless times on the battlefield, which ended up becoming a sparring session between the two. As the war was reaching its end, Auron had decreased his participation in the war because it became evident that Shinra would win and that Auron's presence was no longer required. Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth were enough to make the final additions on Shinra's eventual victory. Eventually, Auron decided to quit SOLDIER altogether, the year before the war ended in 2000.

On the day that he decided to quit, Auron walked into Lazard's office and said he was going to quit. Lazard tried to persuade Auron about reconsidering, but he had failed in the end. After telling Auron that he was allowed to leave because of the many years he spent as a loyal SOLDIER, Lazard said that Auron would be under surveillance until the day he died. Dismissing Lazard's concern with a wave of his hand, Auron left Shinra without telling anyone else. At first, everybody was surprised about Auron's sudden departure, but they grew to accept the fact that Auron was retiring because of his long years of service.

Upon retirement, Auron first traveled through Wutai to check the damage. Many people hated him and called him a traitor, but he didn't care because it was the path he chose. When he visited his home, he was reunited with his mother, father, and little brother. Surprisingly, they did not hate him, but actually welcomed him home. He asked why they didn't hate him and his brother said, "it's because we're a family." For the first time in years, Auron cried and realized that he didn't understand his family at all. Even though they wanted him to stay, Auron had to refuse because he believed he didn't deserved it. He was however, willing to accept his brother's offer of living in a house that was owned by the family. The house was located far south of Wutai where few people ever ventured.

Auron never looked for Rain's family even though he knew where they lived. His guilt prevented him from ever meeting them. Furthermore, he didn't want to cast suspicion should Shinra follow him to the family's home. Auron decided that he would cease his travels and live out the rest of his life in his home in Southern Wutai.

While living in his new home, Auron kept his ears opened and heard about Angeal's death. He was saddened by the death of his subordinate, but he knew that Angeal lived the life he wanted. Auron then heard that the new owner of the Buster Sword was Zack Fair. Auron had met him once, but Auron did not know anything else about him. However, Auron trusted Angeal's judgment in handing down the sword to the boy and hoped that the boy would walk the same path as his predecessors.

Auron had also heard a lot about Sephiroth such as his mysterious death in 2002. Then he had apparently resurrected in 2007 and killed President Shinra. Afterwards, Sephiroth threatened to destroy the world with a meteor, but a group of people stopped him. Auron was very surprised to hear that Sephiroth had become evil, but he was even more surprised to hear that he was defeated in combat. While he was in SOLDIER, Auron would have never thought that Sephiroth could be defeated. He wanted to meet the people responsible for Sephiroth's death, but he thought that he would never get the chance if he stayed in one place all the time. However, he was proven wrong the day that Cloud Strife delivered a package to him.

A/N: Well that was a long flashback. I don't know how long it took to read it, but it took me weeks to write it. I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it.