Summary: Flung into a world of advanced technology and magical fantasy, can a war torn hero defies the future that has already been decided and finds his own happiness there, or will he once again become an instrument of fate and lose all that he cares about? Lucky for him, his new friend seems to know a thing or two about the fate of her world, in a way one could not possibly imagine. [FF7R]
This is a crossover between Naruto and the Remake continuation of Final Fantasy VII, and eventually Rebirth.
Inspired by The Legend of Gaia's Sennin written by The Engulfing Silence, carrying many similar elements that I take no credits of – although I have received the permission to use these elements for this story from the author himself. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and creators!
"Naruto" Normal Speech.
'Naruto' Normal Thought.
"Rasengan" Magic/Jutsu/Technique.
"Kurama" Demon/Monster/Bijuu Normal Speech.
'Kurama' Demon/Monster/Bijuu Thought.
Defiers of Fate
Chapter 1
A Jinchuuriki in Gaia
Consciousness returned to Naruto Uzumaki not with light, but pain. Excruciating pain as though thousands of needles were being mercilessly jabbed into every inch of his body, as if his insides had been submerged in a pool of searing acid. Every muscle and fiber of his being screamed in protest, reminding him just how close to death he had come.
Naruto tried to force his eyes open, and the moment that he successfully did so, all that he saw was a smoky cloaked figure. Its gaze seemed to pierce into his soul as it hovered over him, and even with a blurry vision, Naruto could not help but notice that there was nothing under the hood, as if the ghostly figure before him was just a dark cloak that was given life.
But then, his vision faded to black.
The pain disappeared as quick as it seemed to have come, and the hooded figure was no more as Naruto felt a dull thud as his body slammed into solid ground, after crashing through several wooden objects that were arranged into stacks. He was sure that he had passed out again, because when he became aware once more, he could feel the softness of the bed beneath him, the gentle support of pillows cushioning his head. The scents of sterilized bandages and herbs rushed into his nostrils as he took what felt like his first breath, which made Naruto realize that he was in a medical clinic of some sort.
"Doctor, I brought the herbs that you requested."
"Thank you, Aerith. You can leave them on my table."
The voices of a man who was addressed as the doctor and a young woman echoed in his ears as he tried to use his other senses to survey his surroundings after finding himself unable to move a muscle of his body. His first thought was that he was held down by restraints, but after a few milliseconds Naruto discovered that he simply could not move. Even when he tried to lift his arm with every fiber of his being, a sharp pain that spread across his entire body shut down every other attempt that he had, forcing the blond to remain still in his spot.
"Aerith, can you go help me check on our new patient? I will mix these herbs to make medicine for him."
Before Naruto could see if natural energy would help him, the request from the doctor to the girl who Naruto assumed was his assistant set his senses into high alert. He tensed as several thoughts on what he should do instinctively ran through his mind in less than a second, but most of them immediately got brushed away as he was swiftly reminded of his current condition. He wouldn't be able to crush a bug between his fingers, let alone restraining whoever that was about to check on him.
Naruto almost, just almost, felt bad for himself that one of the first thoughts that ran through his mind had been to just kill the girl. It was something that he wouldn't have thought of several years ago.
In the end, Naruto decided to just do nothing. No one had made any hostile actions towards him, and he also couldn't sense any ill intent from the doctor and his assistants while listening closely to their footsteps as they walked around the clinic. It was obvious that they had been taking care of him.
"I don't think he has a fever anymore, Doctor."
It wasn't long after Naruto had made his decision that he felt the back of small, dainty hand rest gently against his forehead. The touch was soft and warm, and the presence that loomed over him imbued with the subtle scent of flowers and femininity, filling him with a sense of peace, something that he had not known for a very long time.
Still, he could also feel something else, a calming, yet strange energy that seemed to radiate from the assistant, forcing Naruto to slowly open his eyes and look at her for the first time. Their eyes met, and Naruto found himself gazing at a young woman who looked to be around his age, in her late teens to early twenties with light brown hair, and large green eyes. The majority of her hair was pulled back in a thick plait with a large pink ribbon tied around it, leaving the rest to fall down her shoulders in long, voluminous curls and two front bangs to frame her face. Within the ribbon was a small white orb that seemed to be the originator of the strange source of energy that he was sensing.
His first thought was that she was beautiful, in a down to earth kind of way. She wasn't wearing any make-up, nor did she seem to need them to look the way she was.
If he didn't know any better, then he would have thought that she was an angel.
"Oh…"
The young woman, whose name was probably Aerith, made a soft gasp when she saw him looking up at her with tired eyes. Although Naruto knew she was probably surprised to see him awake, he could see that there was also something else, as if she saw something from him that she recognized, which Naruto had to wonder if it was a detail of his facial features, because he was sure that they had never met before – and he would definitely remember meeting a girl as beautiful as she was.
"Hey there." The smile that Aerith had on her face lit up her face as she greeted him, her voice soft and melodic like a gentle breeze through the trees. Naruto felt a wave of relief wash over him at Aerith's friendly demeanor. He tried to speak, but his voice came out as a hoarse whisper, barely audible and was missed by Aerith as she stood up to make room for the doctor, who rushed to his bed and started to check on him.
Naruto could barely remember the last time that he needed actual medical treatment.
In fact, it was only then that Naruto began to wonder why whatever wounds that he had across his entire body had not started healing yet.
"You gave them quite a fright when you landed in their playground, you know."
"Oh… my bad."
Naruto spoke with a soft, amused chuckle, shifting his gaze away from the doctor to look at the group of children peering at him mixture of curiosity and fascination from behind the front door. He had sensed their presence since earlier that morning, but this was the first time he acknowledged their presences.
Seeing him looking at them, some of the children let out a loud 'eep!' and rushed off, making Naruto let out another chuckle as he found it somehow refreshing. It had been a while since he last saw children being able to just hang around and play with one another without a care in the world, after all.
"Well, you seem to be recovering fairly well, young man. Your injuries were severe, but I believe you'll be up and about in no time."
Naruto nodded his head gratefully at the doctor as the man turned back around and returned to his desk, his mind still trying to put together all the fragments of knowledge that he had learnt from eavesdropping people's conversation from outside the clinic. It had been a little over two days since he woke up for the first time, and Naruto still had no idea how he ended up in this unfamiliar place.
As he stared out the window beside his bed, Naruto knew one thing for certain: he was no longer in Konoha. The massive metal structure towering hundreds of feet above him was a clear indication that he was nowhere near the Elemental Nations.
From what Naruto had learnt, he was in a city called Midgar, which was supposedly the capital of the entire world and the most technologically advanced construction that had ever been built on the planet, built by the Shinra Electric Power Company, who was also responsible for the massive metal plate above his head.
Life in Midgar was divided up between two main layers: the paradise above and the miserable dirt below. The city itself was supported by massive pillars in each sector, and it was where the richest and most powerful men in the world lived.
His current location, meanwhile, was in the slum below, specifically the slum of Sector 5. Unlike the city above them, the slums were home to bitter poverty. Even though he had not heard anyone complain about it yet, possibly because they had lived so long under such condition they forgot to do so, due to the size of the metal plate above them, the people of the slums could go their entire lives without ever once seeing the sky, making ends meet in whatever way that they could, having been forced to do so by Shinra in exchange for the electricity to power their electrical devices, generated by the eight Mako Reactors.
It made Naruto sick in the stomach, to know that some company would force people to live in such abject poverty while they themselves had everything that they wanted and proved it only to the rich. It reminded him of what he had seen in Nami No Kuni when it was under the rule of Gato.
Regardless, Naruto could only conclude that he was in a whole new world different to his. How he got to Midgar was still a mystery to him, but it was still a hard and bitter pill to swallow no matter what.
And also, what happened to Sasuke?
"Doctor, here are the ingredients that you requested!"
The feminine voice made Naruto turn his attention back inside the clinic, doing so just in time to see Aerith skipping in with a radiant smile on her face. Just like yesterday, she was carrying in her hand a woven basket full of flowers and herbs, which the doctor had been using to make medicines for him. Some were placed on his wounds every time his bandages were changed, others were mixed, grinded and boiled in water for him to drink. The medicine was extremely bitter, but he had had worse.
"Thank you, Aerith." The doctor thanked his part time assistant with a grateful smile, making her beam at him before she finally turned her attention to Naruto. Their eyes once again met, and the girl flashed him a beautiful smile before walking over to the blond and taking her seat on the chair next to his bed.
"Hello, Naruto. How are you feeling today?" Finally, the girl asked, making Naruto look at her for a moment before answering.
"I am feeling better now. Thanks to you… and your flowers." He said, glancing over to the flowers that the doctor was picking out from the basket to put in a grinder. It was only then that Naruto noticed there were some other ingredients being added into the mix, one of which looked like the claw of a feline creature, which Naruto had trouble telling which.
"Don't worry. It's perfectly safe to drink." Aerith assured him with a soft giggle after a quick glance toward the direction where he was looking, making Naruto turn his attention back to her.
"It's just… never mind…" The blond found himself murmuring, just loud enough for Aerith to hear before he looked back out the window with a sigh.
Someone like her would probably not understand.
"I know that you are not from around here."
Naruto found himself looking at Aerith once more, realizing that they were the only two inside the clinic now. The doctor must have headed out to prepare his medicine, leaving them alone in his place.
"Like… not from around here, around here." Aerith continued, but Naruto did not need her to do that to confirm the meaning behind her word. He could only sit there and look at the young woman before him with newfound curiosity and wonder "And before you ask, I don't know where you are from either. I just know that you are not from here because the planet doesn't recognize you, but it likes how you feel."
"The… planet…?" Naruto repeated, slowly and unsurely. Now she began to sound strange. Was it a saying around Midgar? Was she speaking implicitly?
Aerith was definitely leaving him with more questions than answers, despite looking like she knew more than she looked.
"Gaia. This world is called Gaia." Aerith told him, making Naruto widen his eyes in surprise. It was quite obvious to him now that she was well aware of his current situation, or at least, knew something about it.
Before Naruto could ask Aerith anything, the doctor made his way back inside, making them both look at him before back at each other. Smiling softly, Aerith then rose from her seat and turned on her heel to leave, though not before she had turned her head back to Naruto and speak to him with an assuring smile.
"Focus on your recovery for now, Naruto. I will come visit you again tomorrow."
And with that said, she left the clinic, bidding the doctor a warm farewell before heading outside. Judging by the passionate and loving greetings he could hear being directed at her from the people as she stepped outside, no doubt that she was the favorite girl of everyone in the slum, something that was no surprise to him despite having only known Aerith for a couple of days, with each of their meetings lasting for only a few minutes.
With a heavy sigh, Naruo fell back and let his body sink into the comfort of the bed, gazing blankly at the slightly worn white ceiling above him.
His short conversation with Aerith had only added to his confusion, but one thing was certain:
He was no longer in his own world.
End of chapter 1
Note: and that, is the end of the first chapter of this new story of mine!
Hope that you guys have enjoyed it, guys! This is something that I have been cooking up for a while now since the day that I first played FF7R on PC, a crossover fanfiction story between Naruto and the Remake continuation of Final Fantasy VII. With Rebirth coming in a couple of weeks I gotta say that my inspiration to get idea done skyrocketed, so here it is!
The next chapter will come really soon. Hope that everyone who celebrated Lunar New Year has had an amazing holiday with your family and loved ones. As always, leave behind a REVIEW once you have finished reading! Tell me what you think about this first chapter and the story as a whole!
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See you in the next update everyone!
