"Master… I accept your challenge." Josh said with a nod. Slowly he and Zangan walked outside. The moon shone brightly as the two combatants prepared them selves. Josh stretched and felt a slight tinge of pain in his ribs. Oh no! I forgot about the wounds from earlier. I can't let him get any hits on me. Josh moved a strand of his spiky black hair away from his face and got into his ready stance.

Zangan smiled and said "Alright… It's time." Josh; let us see if you are capable of those grand dreams of yours. He dashed towards Josh and made a jab for his ribs. Josh saw the attack coming and quickly blocked the strike and followed it with a hook to Zangan's jaw. Zangan laughed as he ducked under the blow and delivered a powerful uppercut. "Josh what are you doing? Are you even trying to fight me?" Zangan asked as he jumped away from Josh.

"Master… I don't mean to." Josh said with a sigh. What is wrong with me, I can defeat him. Why am I holding back? Josh began to slowly circle around Zangan. He is no longer my master, I must win! "This is it; I am not going to hold back!" Josh yelled as he sprinted towards Zangan.

"Yes! Show me what you can do!" Zangan cheered as he dashed at Josh. The two clashed and began to exchange blows. After several exchanges Zangan slammed his fist into Josh's jaw sending him reeling back into the darkness. Josh stood up and stared at his master. "Josh your mind is clouded; you must clear your mind if you hope to win!" Zangan shouted as he leaped high into the air. Zangan flew like a hawk and dove towards Josh at an incredible speed.

Josh prepared himself to counter attack. Alright he is using the Fire palm technique. My only options are to dodge left or right, but wait a second that's what he expects me to do! I know what to do! A smile spread across Josh's face. He leapt towards his master preparing to use the exact same technique. Both fighters' fists began to glow with a red aura. As the distance between the two closed Zangan laughed.

"What are you planning?" He said as the two clashed. Both palms struck releasing an explosion that sent Josh flying higher into the air. "Josh?" Zangan said as he landed on the ground. Very good, you used the Fire Palm technique to counter so you would be able to vanish with the explosion. I'm not going to make it easy for you though. Zangan scanned the area looking for any signs of Josh's whereabouts. You were always good at disappearing. It must be fate that you are called to go to Wutai. Zangan felt a gust of wind behind his back; he whirled around but saw nothing.

Josh silently moved towards his master. It looks like it is time to use the shadow strike technique. Josh quickly began to gain speed; soon he was at a breakneck sprint. Josh's body blended in with the darkness making him practically invisible. Zangan continued to scan the area for Josh. Josh leaped high into the air and flipped. His body began to emit a dark aura as he descended towards his master. Zangan looked up.

"Found you!" Zangan shouted as he clamped his fist tight and leapt towards Josh. The distance between the two closed in no time at all. Zangan struck at Josh's rib, Josh took the hit and winced. Zangan noticed Josh's reaction and continued to strike.

No! I cannot give into the pain! I can't! They continued to plummet towards the ground. Zangan rained blow for blow on Josh's ribs. Josh closed his eyes tightly. The pain! No! I WILL NOT LOSE! Josh's eyes shot back open. His once brown eyes were replaced with a glowing red. Josh had reached his limit break. Josh and Zangan landed on the ground, only five meters apart.

Zangan watched his pupil closely. What will you do now? You have reached your limit. I better stay on my guard, who knows what techniques he is capable of. Zangan rushed at Josh and swept at his legs. Josh easily dodged the attack and grabbed a hold of Zangan's leg. Josh hurled Zangan into the ground. Zangan slowly stood up and looked at where he once laid. The concrete was shattered from the impact.

"Master I'm going to finish this!" Josh shouted as he dashed at Zangan. He simply nodded his head and dashed towards Josh. They crashed into each other and began to exchange blows. Zangan let out a flurry of punches and kick, but Josh was able to evade the strikes and countered with his own.

Zangan fell to his knees, and looked up at Josh. "You did it; I won't stop you from going to Wutai. With that Zangan fell face first into the concrete and passed out.

Josh smiled; however his legs began to wobble and he collapsed onto the ground. "Master," Josh's eyes slowly closed and darkness overtook him.

It was dawn when Zangan returned to consciousness. He slowly rose up to his feet and looked at Josh lying on the cold cement. If you continue to train I know you will fulfill that grand dream of yours. Zangan slowly limped towards his tent. Zangan slowly turned and looked at his student one last time. He then continued to limp slowly toward his tent. Farewell Josh!

Josh had lain on the ground until a half hour after dawn. His eyes slowly opened and he saw Cloud. He tried to sit up but he was gripped by an intense pain. "My ribs…" Josh groaned as he gripped his side. Cloud only smiled at him and handed him an X-potion. Josh looked at it then at Cloud. "Where did you get this?"

Cloud smiled and said "Zangan gave it to me. He told me that you couldn't go to Wutai in such a pathetic state." Josh sprung to his feet. Once again the pain made him collapse. "You better drink this before you do anything else." Josh nodded his head and slowly downed the potion. A warm tingling feeling spread through out his entire body. And soon he was back to normal. Josh jumped to his feet and grinned. "So you are going to Wutai?" Cloud asked.

Josh nodded his head "Yup… I probably won't see you again for a long time." Josh slowly embraced his brother in a hug. "I want you to take care of Mom for me." A tear went down Cloud's cheek.

"Why do you have to go?" Cloud sobbed.

"I have to become stronger to even hope to stand a chance in SOLDIER." Josh said with a sigh. Cloud looked surprised.

"You're joining SOLDIER?" Cloud said in disbelief "Since when!"

Josh sat down on the cool pavement and told Cloud of all the events that took place the day before. Cloud listened closely as he learned of Tseng proposal and of how Josh had to leave for Junon in three months.

"Wow, there is only one problem Josh…How are you going to convince Mom to let you go?" Cloud said with a sigh.

"I don't know, I guess that is going to be the fun part." Josh said with a grin. "Take care of yourself Cloud." Josh said he rose to his feet. I hate long goodbyes so I better hurry. Josh sprinted towards home.

Cloud watched his brother go and shouted with tears welling up in his eyes. "Take care!"

Chapter 2: Painful Farewell

Josh ran toward his house, adrenaline pulsed through his veins; his desires to become stronger seemed to be in reach. He rushed through the door into a cozily lit house. The walls shone proudly as they reflected light to every corner. Josh saw his mom in the kitchen preparing dinner over a hot stove.

"Hey mom, I have something important to tell you!" Josh shouted from behind. His mom jumped. Her light blonde hair shot up as she winced.

"Josh! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that! You should be more like Cloud and be quiet more." She said with a scowl. She turned away from the oven, and slowly smiled at her eldest son. "Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Mom I have to go to Wutai for a while." Josh said hesitantly. "I hope she doesn't freak out…" Josh thought as he watched his mother's complexion go pale.

"You have to do what!" She scolded "Why do you want to go there! Josh I don't know if you realize it but Wutai is across the ocean."

"Mom I know. I have to go its important." Josh pleaded.

"Absolutely not, you and Cloud are all I have left in this world! Do you want to break my heart?" She yelled tears began to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…Mom." He said as he sulked away to the garage.

"My son… Why don't you realize that your dreams are impossible to reach…My dreams were shattered when I was raped by that lunatic." She thought back, it all flashed before her eyes.

It was sixteen years ago…When he appeared. She had met him when she was passing the old mansion. He was handsome, but pale. He always wore a white lab coat; his long black hair was always tied back in a pony tail. She remembered seeing him several times. After a few visits she had invited him over to her house. She remembered talking for what seemed like hours, and then he told her about a scheme of his. He always talked about creating the ideal soldier, a man who could surpass all the limitations of mankind. She remembered asking him why he desired this so much. He told her about how his predecessor Professor Gast had created the perfect soldier. He became quite violent when he talked about his predecessor's work. Then one night he came over and brought with him a vial of a mysterious green liquid, and other scientific equipment.

It was that night that her life would be changed forever. She had let him into the house and it was then that he struck. He knocked her onto the floor, she was dazed. He violated her body, and injected a weird green substance into her womb. She remembered the pain, and the sorrow. She watched him dance around; he clearly had lost his mind. He kept ranting; he continued to chant this one phrase "I've done it! Ha Gast you fool! I've done it, the Perfect soldier, one even stronger then Sephiroth!" She didn't know what he meant but she did the only thing she could. She screamed, soon some military police ran through the door. They stopped looked at her then looked at him. They saluted him and said "Well done Hojo, you make Shinra proud." Hojo slowly walked towards her and gave her a shot of tranquilizer. The next thing she knew was…She was pregnant; it was going be twins. She remembered the pain of labor, but still she had no regrets… She slowly came back to reality and sighed.

I'm proud of you Josh; I just wish you would listen to me."

Josh sat in the garage and looked at the corner. In the corner sat a motorcycle. He stared at it for about five minutes. The bike was an old Shinra motorcycle, it had massive black tires, and the bike itself had been repainted from the Shinra blue to black. Josh rose to his feet and walked towards the bike, eyeing it carefully he examined the gauges and tire pressure. "The bike hasn't been ridden in about two years, it probably won't run, but besides that if I can get it fine tuned then fuel won't be a problem." Josh looked to an old wooden shelf. Cobwebs hung all over it but he saw it. "Wow we still have Mako in our fuel can, it even looks full!" Josh thought as he grabbed a hold of the can and brushed off the cobwebs. Josh coughed a little and looked towards the bike. "All I need to do is fine tune you…"

Josh walked towards the bike and began to do what he could to get the bike running. He pulled out the dipstick on his bike and saw that the bike needed some Mako. He reached over for the can and poured it all into the bike.

Ms. Strife heard a low humming sound coming from the garage. What's that noise? She walked towards the garage to see what was causing the noise.

"I feel really bad about doing this, but I have to go." Josh whispered to himself as he pulled the tarp off his motorcycle. "I'm sorry mom…" He mounted the vehicle and revved the engine. Its roar broke the silence and Ms. Strife let out a cry as she ran towards the garage. As soon as she got to the door Josh floored the throttle and he zoomed off towards the street.

"Josh! Please don't go!" She screamed as tears streamed down her face, but it was no use.

Josh raced off into the distance. My first stop is Cosmo Canyon. I feel pretty bad about just leaving like that, but its better this way. Josh's bike zoomed over the grassy plains. After several kilometers of traveling Josh stopped and looked back. In the distance all he could see was the Nibel Mountains surrounded by a mist. Josh's stomach growled. Josh groaned "I better hurry to Cosmo Canyon or I'll die of hunger!" Josh started his bike once again and raced off towards the red lands in the distance.