-1Disclaimer: I do not own Angeal, Genesis, Zack, Sephiroth, or any other Final Fantasy VII characters that belong to Square-Enix. FFVII and its spinoffs are all property of Square-Enix.

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Prologue

The Birth of an Angeal

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Angeal climbed up into an old pickup truck caked with dust in every corner. It wasn't the prettiest of sights to Angeal, but then again, compared to the hell he would experience afterwards, it was probably the best scenery he could ever hope for in a year such as this. A dusty truck crowded with Soldiers was much more pleasing than a battlefield crowded with corpses. But that's exactly where he would be at, sooner than he hoped. No matter how much his mind tried to escape blood, blood had always won the chase of cat and mouse when all was said and done.

As he curled up into a ball on the floor to give more space, Angeal observed those of whom he shared the battlefield with. They were all top rank Soldiers like himself, but as he observed one of his comrades pick pocketing Gil from others, he knew for certain that dogs such as these had no real meaning. They were dispensable to ShinRa. Hell, ShinRa probably pulled common criminals from the slums and threw them into training camp.

And to think that ShinRa used to be a simple weapons company. At least, they were until the interference of many opposing governments they face, the last of which was Wutai. And then came the hell that was the Wutai-Midgar war, the only thing stopping the ShinRa Electric Company from becoming a world government.

Angeal then faced the Soldier sitting next to him on the left. He barely recognized the man, but he sensed good character in his eyes. His brown hair and bright red eyes showed similarity to a man who once saved Angeal's life in a previous battle only to accidentally hit him with the blunt end of his blade accidentally while attempting to down a Wutai warrior. Although Angeal wasn't quite fond of his clumsiness, he was more than willing to engage in a nice conversation before the time for combat came.

"Let me ask something of you, sir? What are your goals in life? What keeps you appreciating the life given to you?"

In wartime, such strange conversations frequently came up, and the Soldier next to him had been especially friendly considering the crowd he had been placed in. Conversations like this were only natural, and the man knew Angeal to be a good man with very spiritual values. Hell, he had good enough character to become the leader of their own 3rd Unit, but Borus, their current General, had not enjoyed Angeal's talk about dreams when it came to the battlefield.

"You know, Angeal. I constantly question my values like yourself, and I'm glad to see individuals like yourself in our 3rd Unit. You see, even if ShinRa started this war, the people that rely on ShinRa technology are prone to danger from the Wutai. Even if I may be on the wrong side, I fight to protect those who might be harmed because of ShinRa's sins," the man replied to Angeal's question.

Angeal nodded in acknowledgement of his nobility. Angeal was surprised just how much depth the man next to him had when it came to becoming a member of Soldier. Angeal himself had joined the 3rd Unit of Soldier in order to gain authority among the ShinRa's elite to use his power for the sake of humanity. If he could create a brighter future for the entire planet, it would all be all worthwhile in the end.

The man next to him also added in, "I used to live Kalm before the war started. When my brother joined with the Turks, I felt that I was obligated to keep my wife and niece protected from any harm. When Midgar was invaded, I'll admit I panicked heavily, and that's when I voluntarily joined Soldier. Oh how rude of me… I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Veridos, 2nd Rank Soldier."

"Veridos huh? When I become General, you're the Lieutenant," Angeal said with laughter on his voice. "You'd be suitably moral for this type of job."

The ride was long, but it went by in much shorter time thanks to the idle conversation the two had had about their pasts and dreams of the future. Although Angeal had many tough times getting along with people, he had found Veridos to be quite willing to listen to his problems in life. As they became immersed in each others' life stories, the truck had unfortunately come to quick and bumpy stop on the top of rugged hill.

"Well, it's go time for us. Good luck to you on the battle, Veridos," Angeal said with a smile.

"And knowing you, you won't be needing the luck today, friend." Veridos said as he exited off of the truck.

The tactic of storing Soldiers within a truck was quite the tactical idea. Soldiers were very much similar in strength to tanks, and sending off a whole squad from the back of an armored truck allowed for quick entry and exit from each and every battle they fought in, maximizing damage done in a small amount of time.

Angeal surveyed the lands before him. Just below the hill he was on was Wutai's capital city as well as the home of the Wutai king, Godo Kisaragi. Unfortunately for them, reaching the central palace would be tougher than actually winning the battle outside. The sheer amount of troops and fortress walls surrounding it made attacking it first impractical until a larger group was amassed.

But would that idiot Borus think like that? Angeal never thought much of the current general of the 3rd Unit, codenamed Trinity. Borus had gained a reputation back in the days where Soldier was only made up of two units, but his popularity made him believe that he had no limits. The fact of the matter was that Angeal couldn't stand his superior. Filled with all talk but even more action, and this much action was not needed in his position.

"Alrighty, men. It's rather simple. The central palace is the keystone of Wutai. We will cut down the gates to the Imperial Palace of Kisaragi and capture their king! It's simple! Cleave through all who oppose us and find glory on the other side!" Borus announced as the entire 3rd Unit gathered together in unison outside the city gates.

Such a simplistic strategy, Angeal thought. Never mind the various enemy strongholds outside who could strike their men from long distances with explosive rockets or with their dragons' long range breath. Running mindlessly into the Wutai royal guard, who were as potent as most 1st Rank Soldiers, while getting fellow Soldiers picked off by long range attack was the way to go.

"Damn Borus…" Angeal said quietly to himself. If he got any more of his comrades killed, he would swear to take him out in the dark.

"Well, rookies, it's time to move out! Prepare your arms and break through! For ShinRa!"

As Borus raised his weapon hand, everyone else raised their's as well. Unfortunately for Angeal, even he had to do it whether he liked it or not. And with that signal, Borus and all of the others charged into Wutai's capital city without a care in the world.

Wutai weaponry was rather interesting to Angeal. Their finesse had allowed their every strike to look graceful and artistic. In fact, it was very much similar to the way a fellow 1st Rank by the name of Sephiroth fought, but they were but ordinary humans. They stood no chance against a Soldier, as sad as that may be.

As Borus and the other members of the 3rd Unit charged ahead, breaking through the various gates and walls that protected the central portion of the capital, Angeal and Veridos spent their time picking off any far range attackers they could find. Angeal's sword, the Buster Sword, had allowed only two types of magic attacks at a time, but their potency was concentrated compared to that of other swords, and that's what Angeal liked about it. As Angeal tossed around orbs of fire power, he had managed to knock many long range attackers out with the potency of a grenade launcher. Veridos himself was very good with a high powered Hydra rifle his brother had provided him with. It was surprising just how different being a Soldier was from being normal. It was almost like a different reality, one where mistakes were harder to make than the correct course of fighting. And even when those mistakes did happen, the sting of bullets on the body had been significantly lessened anyway.

Although Angeal and Veridos could both hear Borus yelling at them from the front, they always made sure that the long range attackers were out of the way before catching up with their comrades. They only had two more gates to go through before reaching the central palace. Unfortunately for Angeal and Veridos, the sheer of dragons within the area was overwhelming. Fireballs and Hydra shots weren't enough to take out all of them in time. Many of the other 3rd Unit members had been shot down by the dragons' lightning shots, decreasing their numbers at an increasing rate.

"Damnit, Borus!" Angeal cursed at his leader as he constantly hurled fire spells at his opponents. It wasn't enough for two people to attempt to take down an army of dragons. They needed the entire 3rd Unit, but Borus wouldn't cooperate.

And then the golden opportunity came when Borus had been struck down by one of the dragons as well, knocking him unconscious. Now was the time, Angeal thought. He would command the 3rd Unit and lead them to a victory where most of them lived.

"3rd Unit! Pay attention! Since Borus has been incapacitated, I shall henceforth give all the orders here!"

As more and more 3rd Unit Soldiers heard the call of Angeal's voice as he gave commands, they became increasingly willing to obey.

"Focus all magic and projectiles on the long range attackers on the top of the walls around you. Until the area is cleaned, we will not go to the next gate! Understood?"

As all Soldiers obeyed his commands, he hoped that he made the right choice. He could get a glorious reputation for killing King Godo, but he knew that killing Godo would be impossible if none of his men made it inside.

When the area had been cleared of the dragons and rocket launching warriors, Angeal signaled to the 3rd Unit to break through the gate. As they burned through the large gate with fire, Angeal noticed that Borus behind him had been getting up from his short slumber.

"Damnit, Angeal! We were supposed to charge in and get to King Godo as quick as possible! Now someone like Genesis, Sephiroth, or Cain will get to him first! You've cost us precious time, Angeal… out of sight with you! I don't want to see your face on the battlefield again!" Borus scolded Angeal.

As Angeal slowly walked away from the gate, the rest of the 3rd Unit went through, with Veridos and a few other Soldiers giving him a concerned look. Angeal just smiled back at them to show them that everything was alright in the end.

But now was not the time to give up and high tail it out of there. Angeal followed the rest of the 3rd Unit from a distance, but he made sure that Borus could not catch sight of him. He would be damned if he'd let someone like Borus have his way at a critical stage like this in a battle.

And then a thought occurred to Angeal. Where exactly did those dragons come from? They weren't like normal monsters that had random patterns of violence. These dragons followed human orders obediently and without question. They must be materia summons, Angeal thought to himself. And with that thought, Angeal looked up to the sky to see a dragon overhead that was flying westward. That must mean that whoever summoned it came from the east, Angeal thought.

As Angeal headed eastward towards the dragon's source, he noticed that the Wutai warriors that he fought slowly got more and more competent. And then there were even more monsters as he further ran eastward. It seemed that whoever was summoning these things, he was quite ready for business.

When Angeal went further, he found the source of it all, a large cathedral guarded by countless Wutai warriors and monsters. These warriors were much different than the others and wore heavy armor and blades. Large shurikens had been attached to their backs, giving them potent long range capability. There was something… inhuman about them though.

As they prepared to attack, a Wutai man in the front raised his arm to signal them to stop. Angeal stood his ground and stared at them with shock. The man in front of him was quite young and wore his black hair very short. Robes donned his figure, giving him the appearance of a priest rather than a warrior, but Angeal knew better than to believe this prematurely.

"Ah! Hello there, Angeal! You've come to destroy our monsters I assume?" the man asked.

Angeal continued to stare into the man's eyes, hoping to intimidate him even if he did have an army behind him. "How do you know my name? I'm only famous around my 3rd Unit, and I'm known very little besides that. Where'd you hear it?"

The man shrugged in response. "We're Wutai. It's our job to spy on ShinRa's Soldiers isn't it? So of course I'd know your name. But how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Yukio, and I'm the priest of this shrine here. It's just a damn shame when I have to lift my fingers in violence, but if you ShinRa continue to harm the planet, I'm afraid that we'll just have to exterminate all of you."

Angeal agreed on that, but he knew that, in the end, Wutai would ultimately lose the war when it came down to it. With 15 fully functional Units of Soldier, the Investigation Division, and a secret weapon ShinRa has yet to reveal, Wutai's loss is inevitable. As passionate as Yukio might be, he would lose, and Angeal could live to see another day. And that meant more time to try and change the spirit of ShinRa. And if killing this guy meant a chance to continue on, then Angeal would sure as hell take it.

"So be it then, Yukio. I guess I have no choice but to personally kill you then!" Angeal replied to Yukio with a smirk on his face.

As Yukio pointed his finger towards Angeal, legions of Wutai warriors and dragons flew towards Angeal at the same time. Angeal wasted no time as he began to dodge flurry after flurry of sword attacks and waves of shurikens. He was only able to do much in such little time, but he did pick off warrior after warrior with blows to their heads. The dragons were much tougher thanks to their instantaneous lightning spells, but Angeal had managed to keep his distance while fighting them.

As Yukio looked upon Angeal, he was very shocked to find out just how much vigor a Soldier could have in reflex and the pure agility they acquired while running. And the sheer power of Angeal's fists and feet could easily go through walls, making armor almost useless. And then came the magic. Anyone could use magic, but Angeal had such aim and concentration when it came to his magic. Where'd it all come from? It was inhuman.

"He's just like him…" Yukio said himself in a soft voice.

As Angeal slowly beat his way through masses of warriors, Yukio smiled to himself. He knew a quick way out of this. His god had granted him the gift of complete control over his Unit, even beyond death. All he had to do was say the keyword, and the battle could be his.

"Rise!"

Upon hearing these words, the various dead Soldiers that Angeal had just torn through rose from their dead state and began to mutate and twist their bodies into various monsters of different shapes and colors, though many resembled the countless dragons that Angeal saw before.

"…damn. So that's where all of those dragons came from!"

"Rather interesting specimen aren't they, Angeal?" Yukio asked. "This, my friend, is a gift granted to me from the gods themselves! Someone from ShinRa cannot hope to match something as potent as these!"

"What are they? Why do they still stand?"

"They are quite simply souls that have refused to move onto the planet and have become quite twisted in form. I have granted them their wish, and now they fight for the pride of Wutai!"

"It's bastardization! Who granted you the ability to rule their lives as you see fit anyways?"

"There's no time to talk. You'll have to defeat them all over again if you want to survive. So very sorry."

Angeal gritted his teeth in anger. Such a despicable being, even if he believed that it was for the good of the planet! Not only was he completely frustrating to fight, but he also played with other peoples' lives, and he would not allow such a thing to happen!

Angeal paused and concentrated on the fire materia that he had placed in the Buster Sword behind him. As it glowed brighter and brighter, the Mako glow in Angeal's eyes began to brighten as well, signaling a potent magical spell he was preparing. As potent as Fire was in its regular form, when it was upgraded 2 times, it could easily decimate a large area at a time. And with the regeneration of Yukio's unit, it seemed to him that he would need it.

As power pulsed into the orb in Angeal's hands, the result was a potent fireball the size of Angeal himself. When he let loose the powerful orb of furious heat, Yukio's monsters had been decimated by a handful. And as the battle went further and further on, Angeal had created Fire spells much faster than he ever had before. Soon, it became more natural and potent than ever, almost like he knew magic as well as he did breathing.

With so many of his unit defeated, Yukio could not help but be shocked at just how mighty Angeal was. Were all ShinRa 1st Rank Soldiers like this? He thought to himself. It couldn't be… He has the strength of a hundred monsters. I'd better summon Leviathan, quickly!

With the Wutai monsters keeping Angeal at bay, Yukio swiftly fled into the cathedral to consult with the water god of Wutai in order to assure Wutai's victory over the ShinRa. Yukio did not wish to use it, but the situation was desperate, and it would be the only thing stopping the ShinRa from winning the war altogether. Yukio approached the altar, which contained a golden box with a large materia inside. Yukio placed his hand upon the shiny orb, summoning a mist that further stretched and changed color until it had turned into a long blue serpentine with many transparent wings across his body.

"Leviathan, go forth and destroy ShinRa and their dogs!" Yukio commanded of the summoned creature.

As Angeal finished of the last of Yukio's creatures, he raised his head to spot the flying dragon above. It was spectacular, but if Yukio had summoned it, why wasn't it going after him? It seemed to go towards the palace!

"That oughta stop ShinRa from laying their mitts on the king's head," Yukio said as he walked outside of the cathedral.

"I see. Protecting Godo's live is a smart move because he won't have it for much longer. But it won't save you"

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. My magic is quite powerful as well, you see, and summoning Leviathan by my hand gave it quite the extra boost. It is inevitable that you will not be able to stand against such a potent summon as this."

"It's of no consequence. 1st Ranks have killed summons before. But enough about us. It's time for you to die, Yukio!"

"I think not, Angeal! Your magic is potent, but you've already sucked yourself dry. I can take you out from right here."

Angeal just chuckled at the notion. He thought he had won? It wasn't even close. True, most of his magic potency had been lost, but there was enough of it for a new technique he was ready to try out.

As Angeal concentrated on the fire spell, instead of molding its shape into that of an orb, he had shaped it into the same shape as his own Buster Sword. With the sword made, Angeal ran towards Yukio, pointing the blade forward, ready to stab Yukio in the heart.

Yukio drew from his robes six chakrum and, through the use of magic, made them float in the air and obey his commands as if he had six invisible arms working for him. And based on observation, a defensive aura appeared around them as well. It might be tough to get around them to strike Yukio.

Yuiko ordered the six chakrum to surround Angeal, making it hard for him to go anywhere without getting sliced by at least one of them. As Angeal tried to block every attack, he found himself having trouble keeping up with six weapons at a time. When three were blocked, the other three would slice through anyways. No matter how fast he was, he was no match for all six.

When Angeal realized he could not win against Yukio, he let his fire sword turn into ashes.

"I surrender. I don't see how I can beat you anymore. I've pretty much lost my advantage. I'll come quietly."

"Wise choice, Angeal," he said as he lowered the chakrum away from Angeal. Angeal smirked as this happened.

Angeal's eyes began to glow bright blue, and Angeal took no time at all to quickly pull the Buster Sword off of his back in order to slam its blade into Yukio with a quick throw, lodging Yukio against the cathedral's wall, killing him.

As Angeal walked up to Yukio to retrieve the sword, he became repulsed by just how much blood had gotten on his sword.

"You know… I probably shouldn't use this sword that often. It's one of the most powerful in ShinRa, but then it'll just get ruined like all the others eventually do."

But then a thought struck him. What happened to Leviathan? As Angeal turned around to look at the palace, he immediately noticed ribbons of dragon flesh rapping around the palace's tower. Although Angeal knew Soldier best, he was always constantly surprised at just how much the 1st Ranks like himself had progressed.

As it had turned out, Leviathan had been slain by Genesis, the general of the 6th Unit of ShinRa, Hubris, and one of the most feared of Soldier. No one actually knew how it happened, but when asked, Genesis would just say that he did what he did best.

The war was ultimately won when a youth from the 10th Unit of Malkuth by the name of Sephiroth had put his sword to the neck of King Godo. When forced to surrender for the life of their king, it seemed that most of Wutai had been quite willing. Many of their fighters had been captured by ShinRa; whatever happened to all of them is unknown.

And as for Angeal, he became the new general of the 3rd Unit, Trinity. Borus' poorly executed plan had cost the 3rd Unit many lives, including his own. To Angeal's displeasure, Veridos was another of the fallen as well. The crisis in Wutai was the beginning of the Crisis Core.

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Author Note: Well, this is the prologue. I figure I'd at least try to at least get Angeal's philosophy and way of thinking down. I hope to make use of Angeal further down the line so I figure I'd start off with a bang by Angeal himself. Personally, Angeal is currently the character I wish to see the most in Crisis Core, and I wanted to get used to his character early without revealing everything there is to know about him. I also felt that he's the type to do right for others, even when he was kicked out of the battle.

As for why Zack's not there during this time. The Wutai war's about 15 years before the events of FFVII. Chances are that Zack's about 8 or so years old. I doubt he'd be serving in full scale battles like this so early just yet, and his chances of becoming a hero at such a young age are slim. It wouldn't quite fit.

The ending felt kinda abrupt, but I assure you that it's with good reason. I plan on revealing all of the details down the line, but as for now, I want deal with the simple issues before moving onto the complex ones.

So this is my first fan fiction. How'd you enjoy it? I'll begin on Chapter 1 immediately.