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 2

A merc in the making

"You know… When I first brought you here, I wasn't sure if you would survive the night with the severity of your wounds…" The Doctor said while scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner, with the look on his face showing that he was just still trying to figure out an answer to all the questions that he was having in his mind, as Naruto knew he had been doing for the past couple of days "But here you are, completely healed after only three days. In all my years as a doctor, I've never seen anything like it."

"I healed fast."

Naruto chuckled as he slipped his shirt back on, having just had his bandages removed for the final inspection by the doctor. While he was grateful that all his wounds had all healed completely, it still raised some lingering questions and concerns about the amount of time it had taken him to fully recover, as it normally took him only a few minutes to heal from wounds that would have been fatal to most people.

Furthermore, Kurama had been unresponsive for the past few days. Naruto had made several attempts to communicate directly with his partner through his mindscape, but all he saw was complete darkness whenever he tried to go in there. Although slower than normal, if he hadn't healed so quickly, then Naruto would definitely have been even more worried.

"Here, you can wear these. Yours were soaked in blond and all torn up, unfortunately."

The doctor said as he handed Naruto a fresh set of clothes, which was a pair of black running shoes accompanying what appeared to be a simple black shirt and matching pants. They weren't anything that he wouldn't normally wear, but he always preferred to have at least a touch of orange on his clothing.

"Thank you, Doctor." Naruto said, nodding his head and smiling gratefully to the doctor before taking the set of clothes from him. "So I am good to go?"

"Yes. You have no reason to be here anymore. Normally, I would give you some medicines, but I don't think you need them, do you?"

Naruto simply shook his head in response, though they were not the last of his inquiries.

"And about the payment…"

"You can worry about that later. You look like a resourceful guy. I have faith that you will find a way to pay me eventually." The doctor said with a chuckle, shaking his head and interrupting Naruto before the blond could even finish asking his last question for the man. "Just don't run off forever, okay?"

"I won't." A wide grin spread across his face as Naruto swiftly slid into his new clothing, finding them to be perfect in size before bidding the doctor a quick goodbye at his desk.

There were no tall buildings in sight, only small houses, cottages, and crude structures like mobile homes and huts, showing the poor living conditions of the people in the Slum. Still, the streets were bustling with activity; vendors selling their goods from their shops, children playing on the dusty roads near what looked to be an orphanage, and adults going about their daily businesses and hanging out at the local bar, which was just across the street from the clinic. Naruto also noticed several men stationed around the area, armed with what looked to be weapons ready to defend their home from dangers.

As Naruto looked at the drawing of a giant yellow flower on the wall of the orphanage, the blond knew what he had to do first. He needed to find out more about the world he had been transported to, and in order to do that, he would need to find Aerith Gainsborough, who – disappointingly – had not shown up to visit him the day before, leaving the questions he had planned to ask her unanswered. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter, because the simple fact was, the girl could be his only source of information.

After all, she was the only one who somehow knew seemingly right off the bat that he did not belong to her world.

Although…

"Looking for someone?"

"Can't say that I'm not."

Naruto gave his answer just as Aerith finished asking her question, having noticed her standing behind him with her back leaning against the wall of the clinic. He had initially assumed she worked as the doctor's assistant, but the man had revealed to him that she simply helped out at the clinic whenever she could in her free times, being the only person in the Slum who could provide him with flowers and herbs that he could use to make medicines from.

"You didn't come yesterday." Naruto then continued while glancing over his shoulder, his gaze following Aerith as she walked slowly up to his front with her hands folded behind her back.

"My, you sound disappointed." Aerith's teasing comment elicited a slight eye roll from Naruto, though he couldn't help but smile. He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't. The past two days Naruto was bored out of his mind, having no one to talk to and being plagued with questions which he might never get the answers to. The doctor would occasionally keep him company from his desk, but he was often busy tending to other patients' regular medical check-ups, leaving Naruto alone for most of his time at the clinic.

"I suppose I was just looking forward to hearing more about this world I've found myself in." Naruto replied with a shrug.

"I guess you have every reason to. Truthfully, if I didn't know any better I would think that you hit your head somewhere." Aerith said, making Naruto sweat drop, not feeling entirely sure if she was being honest or just teasing him. "Anyway, Sorry for not coming yesterday. I was busy."

"No problem." Naruto replied, folding his arms across his chest before he noticed Aerith's gaze on him. It was the same look she had given Naruto when he first woke up, as if she recognized something about him. "That's the second time you've looked at me like that. Is something wrong?" he asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Your eyes." Aerith answered, making Naruto raise an eyebrow in wonder before she continued "They have the same glows of repressed power that members of SOLDIER have."

"SOLDIER?"

"Super soldiers. They are the elite fighting force of Shinra, infused with Mako to have their physical prowess to extreme levels." Aerith answered him "Are you sure that you are not a SOLDIER?"

"Well, I can confidently tell you that I am not." Naruto shook his head and answered firmly.

"Are you sure that you don't have amnesia? Memory loss could be a side effect of being infused with Mako."

Naruto chuckled. "Yes, Aerith. I did not have amnesia. I am also positive that I did not hit my head when I fell." Aerith giggled at his remark "If I had amnesia I would have just forgotten everything, but I have memories of where I was born, and the things I did for the last nineteen years of my life."

"It could have been a dream." Aerith suggested, though it was obvious from her tone that she didn't think it was the case. The girl probably was just trying to make sense of who he was.

"The memories that I have are far too clear to be dreams, Aerith."

Naruto knew that for a fact, simply because he still had full control over his chakra. His wounds wouldn't have healed as fast if he didn't have Kurama's chakra, although it was quite worrying that he still had not heard a single word from the nine tailed fox, and had yet to find his way back to his mindscape.

"And you said it yourself. This planet didn't recognize me. What's with that anyway?" Naruto asked, having been thinking about what she told him before that pretty much confirmed everything that he remembered was not some dreams or fake memories someone could have implanted in his mind. The latter was a possibility that Naruto had thought of, before he started channeling his chakra to do some exercises earlier that morning to see if he was back at full strength.

"If I tell you I can hear its voice, will you believe me?" Naruto could only stare blankly at Aerith in response, because she didn't sound serious at all when she said it. "Anyway, I guess I shouldn't push this subject anymore, and accept that you are really from another world. Do you remember how you got here?"

Naruto decided to only shake his head in response, his shoulders sagging a little. Not knowing how he came to be in Gaia meant that it was next to impossible for him to find his way back home. There was no way to fix a problem if he didn't know the cause of it to begin with.

Sensing his inner turmoil, Aerith reached out and took his hands, rubbing it comfortingly. "I'm sorry, Naruto. It must be hard for you. Not knowing whether you'll ever be able to see your friends and family again. I wish I could do something to help, but..."

"Well, I'm sure that you would have already if you could, Aerith." Naruto grinned at her appreciatively, finding himself enjoying the way her soft hands were holding onto his. "Plus, I honestly don't mind if I get stuck here forever. Of course, I'll take any opportunity to go back home if it arises, but if I can't then I won't dwell on it."

A small, genuine smile graced Naruto's face, but Aerith couldn't shake the feeling that there was a reason why he didn't seem to mind being trapped forever in Gaia. His eyes held a sadness beneath their cheerful facade, and Aerith could tell that he had been through a lot. He must have experienced things that were far worse than anything she could possibly imagine.

"You know… maybe it's a good thing that you came here then." Aerith smiled softly. "I mean… Now that you are here, you can start over from scratch, without having to worry about a thing. Right?"

"I suppose you are right, Aerith." Naruto shrugged, giving Aerith a small smile as he closed his own hand around hers. Naruto didn't honestly know if he could really start over, but he was willing to give Gaia a try. Not that there was anything else for him to do beside trying to figure out his way back, but he had never been one to just give up, and he knew that his friends back at home would never forgive him if he did.

"That's the spirit!" Aerith beamed before giving his hand a light tug "Now come on, I'll show you around Sector Five. Let's see if there's anything that piqued your interest."

Naruto just smiled and let the girl drag him away, not seeing any harm in going for a tour with the excited and happy guide leading him, telling him everything she could about the slum and its people. It was also no surprise to Naruto when he discovered that Aerith was dearly loved by the people of the slum as they traveled from one place to another. Everyone greeted her like a member of their own family, their faces lighting up with just the sight of the girl, who would warmly return their gestures with a warm greeting and smile of her own.

At the same time, however, Naruto also noticed that none of them seemed to like him, although the outright hostility mainly came from the young men, who were probably jealous that he was hanging out with Aerith, and holding hands with her. Besides that, Not that it was a big deal to him, since he had dealt with far worse growing up in Konoha, sensing only a distinct lack of trust coming from the residence of Sector five.

"I don't think they like me very much," Naruto commented to Aerith, who had just stopped telling him about the grocery store that sold a variety of items.

"Oh? I wouldn't worry about it," Aerith told him with a smile, after seeing the looks people were giving Naruto. "They're just not used to having outsiders around, that's all. We don't get too many new faces around here often, so when someone does show up people tend to get suspicious. Not to mention that you caused quite a ruckus when you landed in the children's secret playground. Everyone also thought you were from up there as well."

"Ah, gotcha." Naruto smiled.

"So Naruto, what do you do?"

Naruto blinked as he turned to Aerith "You mean like my job?"

"Of course!"

He gave her a smile before answering. "I'm a ninja."

"Ninja?" Aerith pressed an index finger to her cheek and adopted a cute look of contemplation. "Like the people from Wutai?"

"You guys have ninjas in this world?" Naruto asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Well yes, but they are all from Wutai anyway." Aerith answered with a nod of her head "And no, I haven't met anything of them, but there are rumors of them all over Midgar, working secretly with an eco-terrorist insurgent group called Avalanche to take down Shinra, who they have been at war with for several years now until the cease-fire ordered by Wutai. The war has been on indefinite hold since then."

"I see." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. That was certainly a useful piece of information. "So…"

He opened his mouth to ask another question when Aerith suddenly eyed him a playful smile, causing him to stop mid-sentence.

"This is the part where you are going to ask me if I'm a ninja from Wutai, which I must have forgotten because I hit my head and lost my memories, aren't you?" Naruto asked sarcastically while narrowing his eyes at Aerith, who just laughed softly at him in response.

"I heard it was a very hard fall."

Letting out a chuckle, the blond then waited till Aerith had stopped laughing to tell her "Well you see, I am a ninja of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Basically, what we do is that we would take on job requests from people who wanted our help; anything from simple chores like finding lost cats to assassinations of high profile targets. You name it, we did it, for the right price."

"Ah, so you are basically a mercenary with a unique set of skills, am I right?" Aerith asked, tapping her cheek in a thoughtful manner before turning fully to him to continue, her face lighting up "What do you think about starting off as a merc here?"

"You know… that doesn't sound like a bad idea to be honest." Naruto gave Aerith a small smile, making her beam at him in response. "What about you, Aerith? What do you do besides helping out at the clinic?"

"Well…"

Aerith's smile seemed to brighten up. Naruto could already tell that whatever job that she was about to tell him, she took great pride in it.

"I sell flowers."


"There you go. Welcome to my home, Naruto."

"Woahh…"

After traveling through a short tunnel on an old but sturdy wooden bridge, Aerith finally brought Naruto to a small land that left him awestruck. The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking, with vibrant green foliage and wildflowers dotting the ground, which was already an amazing sight on its own after Naruto had seen the condition that the slum was in. At the end of a curved, rocky path stood a little wooden cottage with light red roofs peeking out from behind lush foliage that surrounded it, framed by a collection of vibrant flower pots bursting with blooming flowers of all shapes and colors. Waterfall cascaded down the side of a cliff, the sound of rushing water filling the air like a calming melody while the crystal-clear stream meandered through the lush greenery that was gleaming beautiful in the pouring sunlight that was streaming through the gaps and unfinished parts of the giant metal plate above them.

"So this is where you got all those flowers for my medicines?" Naruto asked while following Aerith toward her home, looking at all the colorful flowers that adorned the land around them. Even the large metal parts that seemed to have fallen from the plate around the area had vines crawling all over them.

"Most of them, yes. I have another place where I grow my flowers." Aerith answered with a beaming smile as she turned around and spread her arms out "These here are for the people of the slum, and myself."

"I see... you have a very beautiful home, Aerith." Naruto commented, feeling more at peace than he had ever been for a very long time in the place.

"Thank you, Naruto." Aerith smiled widened before she turned back around and beckoned for him to follow her "Come on. I will introduce you to my mother."

With that said, Aerith led Naruto into her home, opening the door for him before heading ahead inside with the blond following closely behind. "I'm home!" Aerith called as they walked into the kitchen, where Naruto noticed a woman dressed in a green dress and white apron stood with her back turned to them in front of the kitchen counter, tending to a large pot of simmering stew. Its scent wafted through the air and made Naruto's stomach growl with hunger.

"Aerith, dear, you're home early..." Hearing Aerith's voice, the woman turned around and smiled warmly at her daughter, who walked toward her with a beaming smile. Before she could say anything else to Aerith, the older woman noticed Naruto and stopped, looking at him with a frown on her face.

"Naruto, this is my mom, Elmyra."

Aerith introduced with a hand gesturing at her mother, who slightly turned to her but didn't take her eyes off of him. Naruto couldn't help but feel that she was much more wary of him than the other people of the slum, and wondered if it was because he was hanging out with her daughter or there was something else.

"And this is Naruto." Aerith continued as he turned to him, doing the same hand gesture that she had done toward her mother "The talk of the slum."

"Oh, so you are the guy who fell into the children's playground." Elmyra asked him with a small smile, making Naruto chuckle while scratching the back of his head, wondering if that was how the rest of the town knew him.

"Yes, Mrs. Gainsborough. Nice to meet you." Naruto smiled politely and reached his hand out toward Elmyra, his head bowing a little in a friendly manner. As Elmyra took his hand in hers and they shook hands, the blond couldn't help but notice her gaze on his face, or specifically, his eyes, so he decided to clarify before she could make any wrong misunderstanding, figuring that no one in the slum like Shinra and their elite soldiers "Oh, I'm not a SOLDIER, ma'am. My eyes have been like this since the day I was born."

"I have to admit, you certainly have the eyes of one." Elmyra said as she took her hand back, but Naruto could see that her demeanor had become more relaxed than before, making Naruto wonder if the Gainsboroughs had a history with Shinra and their SOLDIER in particular. "Well then, it's almost time for lunch anyway. Would you like to stay and have…"

"AERITH! AERITH!"

Elmyra was cut off as the front door suddenly burst open and a young boy with a wooden sword on his back rushed in. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Naruto, but he quickly redirected his attention to Aerith, who lowered herself down to speak to him with concern.

"What's wrong?"

"The toad king! The toad king is back!" The boy informed Aerith hurriedly "We saw him wandering near our hideout again. Ernis and Rook tried to chase him off, but they got trapped and couldn't get away. Please, you gotta do something to help them."

Aerith's face grew worried as she listened to the boy's words, her brows furrowed in concern. Without wasting a moment, she stood up and rushed over to the corner of the living room to grab a long, metal staff, which had two glowing green orbs installed within the handguard around the handle, looking to be the same as the white orb that Aerith wore in her hair. Judging from the way that she was holding the staff in her hands, Naruto could tell that Aerith at least knew how to wield it, despite being far from an expert.

"Aerith…" Elmyra called out to her daughter slowly and cautiously, but the determined look on her face showed that she had already made up her mind.

"I had to help the children, mom." Aerith spoke to her mother before glancing over to Naruto, giving him a smile as she continued "Plus, I won't be alone. Am I right?"

"I will be happy to help." He said, smiling at Aerith before giving Elmyra an assuring nod of his head, which unfortunately only made her look slightly less worried, though she no longer tried to stop her daughter, who then looked at the boy and told him while he was eyeing Naruto warily.

"Sami, this is Naruto. He knows how to fight and can help us. You can trust him."

"If you say so, Aerith." The boy nodded his head in response before he ran out of the house "Follow me!"

"Please be careful!"

Elmyra called after the two as they rushed out of the house and chased after the boy, crossing the wooden bridge to head back out the main streets of the slum. Although Naruto had to slow himself down quite a lot so Aerith could keep up with him, the blond couldn't help but notice that his new friend was surprisingly quick on her feet as the two of them ran side by side behind the boy, seemingly having little trouble running as fast as she could in that dress of hers. While she might not be an experienced fighter, it wouldn't come as a surprise to him at all if she turned out to know how to handle herself in a fight.

"This way." Sami said as he led Naruto and Aerith to a small gap between buildings that were just across from the grocery store and headed in ahead of them. It was just big enough for a child, but not so much for an adult.

"Well, this is a tight squeeze." Naruto said as he slipped himself into the gap, letting Aerith go on ahead while he followed right behind her "I take that we are close to my landing spot."

"Yes. Sami was among the kids who called for help when you fell into their playground. Normally adults are not allowed in here." Aerith explained.

"But you do?"

"What can I say? I'm popular with children." Aerith giggled, making Naruto snort in response. That must be the reason why Sami ran to Aerith for help instead of going to any other adult in the slum.

"And who is this toad king that they mentioned?" Naruto decided to ask, doubting that it was one of the toad summons who somehow got to this world with him. Eventually, he and Aerith were able to make their way out of the gap and arrived at a vacant area filled with toys and carton boxes scattered about before they continued to follow Sami as he darted through a small gate that seemed to open to another section of the slum.

"I have not seen him myself, but he's a monster that has been wandering near their playground. The kids think he's some kind of toad royalty because he has a crown on his head." Aerith answered.

"There he is." Sami called out to them in a low tone, making Aerith and Naruto rush behind a stack of carton boxes, which was just tall enough to hide both of them as they peeked their heads up to survey the area. In the center of a vacant lot next to a small river was a dozen of creatures that Naruto had never seen the like of before, and indeed they looked like toads that had learnt to stand on their hind legs, while having bloated stomachs, massive mouths with big fangs and large spikes producing from their backs.

But while the normal ones were red in color, the toad king was distinguishable from them by its blue scale and a much tougher appearance. And it was just as Aerith had told him, the monster wore a golden crown on the top of his head. It also had claw scars on its belly, and appeared to lead the other toad-like monsters as they grouped up around what looked to be a collapsed hut, where two children were being trapped inside. Other kids were standing on the cliffs overlooking the lot, trying to distract the monsters from their friends by throwing rocks at them, but most just completely missed their targets while the rest barely flinched the monsters at all.

"Well, that's the toad kind alright." Naruto commented while Aerith sighed in relief, as the two trapped kids didn't look like they were hurt. Knowing what he needed to do, the blond then turned his attention back to his new friend and asked her "Aerith, you stay here and keep Sami safe. I will go rescue the kids"

As Aerith quickly nodded her head in agreement, her hands gripping tightly at her staff, Naruto swiftly moved out from behind the boxes and dashed towards the collapsed hut where the two children were trapped. The monsters immediately noticed his presence and turned their attention towards him, letting out menacing croaks. Large fireballs began to form above their heads, but Naruto did not allow the monsters to finish charging up their attacks to make his move. Moving so fast that he disappeared from sight, the blond then kicked the toad king across his head and launched him across the lot with so much force that he went 'splash' against the cliff across the nearby river.

"Fūton: Kamikaze! (Wind Release: Divine Wind)"

Before the crown that had been knocked off the toad king's head hit the ground, Naruto had unleashed his technique, with his right hand forming a half ram hand seal and his left swiping the space in front of him, generating a medium sized hurricane that hurled away some of the other toad monsters.

"Go! Run as fast as you can to Aerith!" Naruto shouted as he kicked off the door of the collapsed hut. The children inside were momentarily stunned by his arrival and the sudden tornado but were quick to realize that Naruto was there to help, wasting no more time to scramble out and run towards safety as the other monsters struggled to regain their footing in the chaotic wind. Some of them tried to chase after the two running kids, but Naruto had immediately raised an earth to stop them and shield the kid from dangers until they had reached Aerith.

"Oh no, you guys are not going anywhere!" Naruto said as he swiped his hand over his head, causing the earth wall he had raised to extend and circle back down, forming a dome around the monster that had only a single opening. Grinning, the blond then widened his stance and sucked in a shallow breath, building up chakra within his lung before blowing out of his mouth a large stream of fire into the dome that he had created, roasting the monsters inside quite literally.

"Woahhh!" The kids standing on the cliff cheered excitedly for Naruto, who couldn't help but turn to them and grin, giving them a quick thumb-ups in response to their cheering, not missing the last remaining toad monster that came charging at him from behind.

As Naruto spun around to take out the monster, he was abruptly halted by a shining white orb that expanded itself into a massive chunk of ice that fell directly on top of the monster, crushing it underneath its weight. Surprised, Naruto then snapped his head over to look at Aerith and saw her standing with her staff pointing forward, indicating clearly that she was the one who had conjured the ice orb and hurled it at the toad monster using her weapon.

"Now that's new." Naruto murmured with impress before he walked back to Aerith, who smiled at the other children as they grouped up around her with their three friends "Nice trick, Aerith! Thanks for the assist!"

"Anytime. We make a good team, right?" The girl beamed before raising a hand with her palm facing toward him, making Naruto look at her for a second before finally realizing what she was trying to do, raising his own hand and tapping it lightly against hers in a high five.

"You gotta tell me what was that later, though." Naruto said as he lowered his hand down before turning his attention over to the two kids who had been trapped inside the collapsed hut, asking them with a small smile "Hey, you guys alright? Those monsters didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, we're fine. Thank you for saving us!" The girl said gratefully before the boy quickly followed with a question to Naruto.

"You are the guy who fell into our playground?"

"Yeah, that's me," Naruto replied with a chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the group of children before him. "It seems you guys saved my life as well. So I guess now we are even."

"Everyone, this is Naruto Uzumaki." Aerith introduced them as she lowered herself down between the kids "He's a friend of mine who is looking to become a mercenary, so if you and your friends have any problem that you think he can help you solve, feel free to come looking for him."

"I'm not going to work for free, but for you kids… I think I can give a discount." Naruto nodded his head in confirmation and grinned, making the children look at him with a mix of excitement and admiration. Clearly they were impressed by his display of supernatural powers, although he could tell that it wasn't something so shocking. Whatever Aerith could do, it must be a relatively normal thing in Gaia.

"Alright, everyone. Let's all get out of here." Aerith said and ushered the kids to leave the place with her and Naruto, which they did wholeheartedly. As the group headed back out together, the kids also showed Naruto the spot where he had landed, which was quite near to their playground. Judging from the crushed and destroyed carton boxes scattered on the ground around the area, it seemed he had landed on a very big stack, which must have slowed his fall down if he really had fallen from above.

"We uses the boxes to play Whack a Box." Sami explained. "You can join us sometime if you want, Naruto!"

"Sure." Naruto nodded.

Once they reached the main playground, the kids scattered out and played with one another as they usually did. Some continued to talk about what had happened with the toad king, but soon their laughter echoed through the air as they went back to playing games with little care for the danger they had just faced.

"Look, I know that you said we were even because we saved your life and all," Sami began before Naruto and Aerith could leave, making the two turn their heads back to look at him as he reached his hand into his pocket "but I think you deserve some kind of payment for helping us getting rid of the toad king and keep our hideout safe. Here."

With that said, he took out from his pocket an orange orb and showed it to Naruto.

"A Materia?" Aerith asked in curiosity.

"Materia?" Naruto repeated, looking over Aerith.

"Yes, like these here." Aerith said as she raised her staff and pointed a finger at the two green orbs installed in the handles. They were smaller, and the energy radiating from them felt less intense. "It's thanks to them that I was able to use magic, like casting the ice spell from before."

"Ah, I see…" Naruto said before he accepted the orange Materia from Sami and tossed it around in his hand, having no idea how to use it but nonetheless approving its color. Although, the blond couldn't help but feel a strange, yet familiar pull coming from the orb.

"Where did you find it, Sami? Materia of unique colors like this is quite rare." Aerith explained "I don't think I have ever seen one that is orange before."

"I thought it was yours, Naruto. I actually found it yesterday near the place that Naruto fell when we came there to start cleaning up the place." Sami revealed, making both Aerith and Naruto widen their eyes in surprise. "You can have it. Us kids are not allowed to play around with dangerous stuff like that anyway."

"Well, thank you then, Sami." Naruto nodded his head and gazed longingly at the Materia in his hand.

"I can teach you how to use it later. Let's leave for now, Naruto." Naruto nodded his head to Aerith and took his leave with her, bidding the children a quick goodbye before they left together. "That was exciting, wasn't it?" Aerith asked with a small smile as she went ahead of him into the gap, with the blond following a close distance behind with his hand still holding firmly at the orange Materia.

"Yeah, and those kids are really tough. Most I know would have been pretty shaken up if they were almost eaten by monsters." Naruto answered with a soft chuckle.

"Kids have a way of bouncing back from scary situations faster than us adults," Aerith remarked, making Naruto chuckle and nod his head in agreement. "And I gotta say, I think you will make a good merc. Not bad for a first job also."

"No way I'm considering that my first job. I was just doing a favor, that's all." Naruto reasoned, but nevertheless smiled. "But hey, if the payment is involved, count me in for more. I really need to make some money soon to pay the doctor for his care, after all." Naruto grinned as he stepped into the street of the Sector Five's slum with Aerith, joining her as she headed home for lunch with her mother.

Maybe Aerith was right.

Maybe this was a new start for him.


End of chapter 2

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