24 hours earlier….

Bitter blood started to fill my mouth; the gash above my right eye wouldn't slow the rivulet of blood, my eye watered as it started to sting, I brushed away the trickling trail, making it flow down my cheek to redirect my focus back to the slippery, cunning figure in front of me. My heart pumped adrenaline through me. My thoughts started to blur from pain and frustration, but I forced myself to remain calm, this was my chance. My only hope was to conquer Sephiroth; then I would become a hero.
My lips started to twitch with anticipation; Sephiroth crossed his sword back and forth, trying to goat me on into charging unprepared, a low chuckle prickled in my throat.

"Come one Seph!" I shouted.

He lowered his sword, my fierce determination and fortitude reflected in his eyes. I let a small, mocking smile spread along my face.

"Is that all you got?" I mocked.

The smile slipped away, his eyes turned from daunting to mocking in a heartbeat. He slowly raised his sword, letting the wind catch his hair and the sun shine all along his sword's deadly sheen. He let a proud smile breach his lips, then reaching his hand toward me, he gestured for me to come forward like a child in first year training.
A small drop of blood fell off my cheek, I closed my eyes; feeling everything around me slow to a near stop, as if time itself were being pulled back like a blanket by an invisible hand, silently whispering the passing seconds.

"1…"

The drop continued to fall, every pore of my body opened up into the air. Every sound became a silent. Nothing could provoke me; energy from the Mako filled my nerves with fire. My eye lids seemed to weigh like lifless feathers as I opened my eyes. The light bounced off any reflection; all the shadows deepened, making the world into an outline of perfect contradistinction.
Every grain of dust was as clear as the sun; my hands grew cold underneath my gloves from the tight grip around my sword. Every red flame that ignited down my sword was like a miniature forest fire combusting into life, the deep, bloody hue only ignited my mind of my goal. While Sephiroth ringed his sword with pale, orange flames that cracked the air, sending sparks dancing into existence before they fell onto the cold, stone black top below.

"2…"

Sephiroth's eyes burst into challenging cold flames, no sound came as he lifted his foot into the air; Splitting the universe in two as he came forward, the suns light expanded his flames around him, making the flames look like a giant wave a fire in front of him; while the light off my sword still reflected a bloody shade onto the wall beside me.
My breath became deeper as the drop continued to fall. It was just fractions of a second before it would douse the ground. The deep echo of my lungs was the only thing that my ears could comprehend as I raised my sword to the left, pushing my hilt up to block his blow; feeling and using every muscle in my legs to stand in my center ground, showing no fear as he came down upon me.

"3…"

The drop made a silent splash as time erupted back to life, my eyes only caught flashes of red and orange flames. The heat seared everything beside me as the fire disappeared in an X shape in front of me. Glass started to fly around us as nearby windows and mirrors exploded from seared cars. The deafening booms from the clash of our sword's slightly deafened me, but ended as the glass fell onto the ground.
A low growl resounded in Sephiroth's throat; my sword slipped from underneath him, quickly using my the flat of my blade to swiftly push himself into the air. I jumped in pursuit. The wind deafened my ears as I flew up towards Sephiroth, our feet barely touching the surface of the walls and windows as our fight countinues to climb higher and higher; like graceful stags in the meadow we sprang back and forth until we had reached the highest point of the Shinra building. Our swords clashed and shot sparks as we leaped into the air, all I could feel was the whooshing air around me, all I could see was the black, blurry streaks of Sephiroth's clothes.
Then I saw it, the wind began to thin and soften around me, my momentum was slowing down, but I knew that within two seconds Sephiroth's lower waist would be exposed when he would fall towards me. The air resumed its deafening roar as I began to descend towards the solid, black road below.
I smiled, Sephiroth's eyes were wreathed in vengeance, he shouted as he nose-dived towards me, our reflections zoomed down along the Shinra building; I could see blank stares of young soldiers standing in shock on the other side of the windows as we plunged down. My hand became loose as I confidently placed the edge of my sword above my chest; this was it, this was my chance.

"Ok genesis… it's now or never."

All my senses burst into over drive. I screamed, sending my sword brashing into Sephiroth's, flipping the hilt through my fingers forcing his hilt to lock with mine. I swung all my weight to the right, sending my knee into a swift punch to his lower waist. This was it; no one was going to stop me this time.
Searing fire shot through my shoulder, causing my body to hit open air as I missed my target completely to end the pain.
Sephiroth flipped over; my mind froze as he grabbed my hand, throwing me as he spun. There was a sickening "clink" as our hilts slid off each other. He smiled as he slammed his foot down into my abdomen, the fire in my shoulder shot up into my neck and arm. All my eyes caught were a flash of red before falling into black.
For what seemed like hours there was only silence, until slowly what sounded like, distant muffled voices reached the inner depths of my mind. I felt something pull my clothes, but all my mind could register beyond that was pain; every part, every cell seemed on fire with pain. Then faint lights started to show through my dark lids. My neck fell against something soft, white lights flashed across my dimmed sight. My eyes felt like ton blocks as I weakly, forced them open. They only caught blurs of red, blue, and white before they grew too heavy to keep open.
My ears rung, every muscle ached; but through all the pain I could catch a faint voice that sounded like someone trying to talk with their mouth full of food.

"Geniss… genesis, uhalf got toa get up."

Sharp pain struck my face, shocking my mind back to consciousness. My eyes flew open; they strained to focus as someone roughly forced me to sit up. My stomach flipped, sending puke rushing to my throat, but I fought the nausea back down. My lungs felt numb as I coughed, but I quickly smiled as I saw Angeal in front of me.
His eyes were full of concern, but my focus went to the soft bed I was sitting on. The smooth sheets tickled my fingers, I laughed inside as I recognized the hideous white, black trimmed walls and surgery equipment and materia around me. Then my mind flashed at everything that happened, my smile faded, I felt my heart sink in disappointment.

"Angeal…" I whispered. "I… (sigh) I lost didn't I?"

He didn't reply, he lowered his face as he handed me to white pills the size of large beetles, and placed green materia into my back. My back started to tingle from the materia's healing affect. Angeal's eyes stayed looking at the floor as I quickly swallowed my loss and my pills. He stood in silence as I placed my feet on the floor and stood, deeply inhaling to stick my loss and the memory of my shoulder down in my stomach as I stretched my arms.

"Well." I smiled as I turned to him. "There's always next time."

Angeal let out a hearty laugh. All the concern and worry disappeared from his face as we strode towards the two, aluminum doors. He only turned to me, shaking his head as he grabbed my shoulder as he always does after I lost to Sephiroth.

"You're never going to give up on that are you?" he chuckled.

"Of course not, I mean come on Angeal. This world would be so dull if no one challenged Sephiroth once in a while."

We both walked down the marble hall, only laughing at our personal jokes; before I caught the look of business in Angeal's eyes. His jaw tightened, he tried not to show it, but I knew he was done with laughing matters.

"Ok, what is it Angeal?" I asked.

He grabbed a small, tablet sized, green envelope from his shirt pocket. Instantly my anger from my defeat and at Sephiroth returned as I saw the red, classified stamp in front of the seal. My cheeks burned, stopping dead in my tracks. My anger just kindled even more as Angeal started to laugh.

"no." I spat. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I won't do it!"

Angela just threw the envelope at me, teasingly punching my shoulder as he walked away, before smugly adding his comments.

"They expect you to find a new trainee in the next two days." He laughed as he opened the doors, looking back at me as he shrugged his shoulders."Besides genesis, a new student might do you some good; and who knows? It might teach you to obey the rules for once."

I crumbled the paper, feeling every wrinkle, in its altered surface, before letting my anger ignite into flame as I threw the blackening paper onto the floor. Only two words came to my lips as I morosely walked towards the door.

"Those morons." I hissed.

Angeal just shook his head; my eyes twitched as I the smug look on his face. He was training an idiotic second class student, but I have only one opinion on arrogant, young, pompous brats like them. "They were total, illiterate, ignorant morons."
A thin smile returned to my lips, Angeal's eyes went from smug to worried as he saw the mischievousness look in my eyes.

"Well..., may the goddess bless whoever that poor soul is."