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"What if he wants to die though, to end the pain? As Sephiroth said, there's no cure..." the boy stated. He looked at Bella as they ran towards the cry for help. "My brother was sure to have cast Curaga to try and heal it. It's still afflicting him though."

Sephiroth ran off to find the paramedics. "Auros... you really should have told Blaze this."

Auros' eyes started to glass over. "Just... let the pain stop. I can't... take this virus anymore."

"There's... no cure. Not even... Curaga would work. I've... I've tried," Auros stated matter-of-factly. He looked at Blaze, sorrow in his eyes. The sorrow quickly turned to anger. "I know what you're thinking and no, I refuse. I won't have Hojo experiment on me to save my life as he did with you."

Blaze closed his eyes, saddened. "Let Bella help you, Auros. Please, and don't talk. It's... it's sapping your strength."

The midnight blue-locked man gave a wistful smile. "No... I know my time is up. And I think... it's better this way. Even if I was healed... I wouldn't be cured. I could slip back into these... painful bouts at anytime." He closed his eyes, raising his right arm up to his younger brother. "It's... funny. All these years, I promised myself I wouldn't leave you. Or that I'd use one of Angeal's corny lines.

"But, right now... I think you need one of Angeal's speeches. 'Protect... protect your honor, and keep hold of your dreams.' Don't lose hope, Sephiroth's persuasive, if anyone can get Lazard... to change his rules, it's him," he said. A pained laugh escaped him. "I know... it hurts. But... just let me die. I'm... begging you. Promise me, that you'll move on, that you'll live on."

"This is the only time you've ever really begged for anything," choked out the boy. Tears glistened in his eyes as he looked at his dying brother. "You're... in that much pain?" A slow nod from the man on the ground answered his question. "You're... not making this any easier, you know that?"

The man lifted his upper body up from the ground enough to embrace his kneeling brother, his head next to the boy's, his eyes closed. "Bella... look after Blaze, alright?"

Auros' breaths became shorter and more ragged. Ultimately, after another few seconds, they stopped altogether. His eyes opened shortly before the final breath came, and glassed over. His skin became cold, his body still, yet there was a smile on his face, strangely.

Blaze felt and saw the changes to his brother's body. The smile on his brother's visage didn't make him feel better. On the contrary, loud sobs came from the boy as he knew that the smile was bittersweet. As he placed the body of the only family member he had left on the ground, he whispered, "I'll never give up, I won't break my promise to you."

The boy's sapphire eyes darted to the sword stowed on his fallen brother's side and drew it from the sheath. It's blade matched the hue of the man's midnight blue hair as it flashed through the air. He carefully lifted his brother's hands, placing them on the sword's hilt, and laid the sword on the man's body, the blade pointing towards his feet, the pommel towards his face, and the hilt on the chest. "That blade... was always yours in life. It should never be parted from you, even in death."

Blaze's eyes closed, as he saluted the prone figure on the ground. Not only because the man on the ground was his superior in rank, but because he had always looked up to him, Auros being his older brother. Tears rolled down his face as he sank to his knees, sobbing.

Sephiroth returned to the hallway, having been unable to locate the paramedics, as they had left the building. Upon seeing the kneeling boy's shaking, he looked at the grief-stricken SOLDIER 3rd Class with pity. He dialed Angeal's number again. "Auros has just... fought his last battle." Solemnity filled his voice as he uttered these words. "You knew him better than any SOLDIER other than Blaze. Care to say farewell to an old friend?"

Sephiroth walked towards Blaze and clasped his left hand on the grieving boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry." His gaze shifted to the body of Auros, particularly to the man's open eyes. With a simple touch of his fingers, he closed the royal blue eyes. "We can't just leave him here though, we have to take him elsewhere." As he spoke, Auros' body began to fade, particles of light streaming from it. "He's joining the Lifestream."

Blaze watched with wonder at the occurance. "It's... incredible." His gaze turned to Bella, a wistful smile on his face. "Thanks for being here with me, Bella."

As Auros' body disappeared, the blade that rested on his body, and the ice rose upon that, remained. The midnight blue sword sank lightly to the ground, resting upon the floor without a sound. Blaze's eyes rested once more on it. "Mako... the Lifestream. That eco-terrorist group, AVALANCHE I believe it was? They mentioned that the two were linked. Like I said before, the blade and its master shouldn't be parted, even in his death." He took up the blade, and turned to face the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Sephiroth inquired. He watched the boy with interest.

"Sector 1 Mako Reactor, I'll be there to return this to him," the boy curtly replied.

"I'd like that a lot, Bella," Blaze stated. He smiled, though it was empty; bittersweet, in comparison to his others. The fact that his brother, the only person he had left in his family was gone, tore at him.

"Take your I.D. cards when you board the subway. It's the only way to travel between sectors here in Midgar, the walls separate the sectors and you won't be able to get to Sector 1 on one of the Shin-Ra motorcycles," Sephiroth stated. He stared straight at Bella and Blaze, a casual look on his face. "Without those I.D. cards, Shin-Ra security will be sent to capture you, as there are scanner points that scan your I.D.'s. Whatever you do, don't lose or misplace them.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a talk with Director Lazard, to try and convince him to repeal those rules," he continued.

Blaze strolled into the elevator, laughing at Bella's remark. "Nice one Bella." He set the elevator's destination for the main lobby of Shin-Ra headquarters, Auros' blade gleaming as he stowed it on his back.