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 5
A Time of Peace
"Hmmm, it seems things are much more complicated than I thought."
Kurama said while looking up at Naruto as the two of them sat facing each other on the grass mound next to the waterfall of Aerith's garden, with the brunette herself taking a spot next to Naruto and still trying to pet the nine tailed fox whenever she could, though her hand got slapped away every time by Kurama using one of his tails.
Tifa, meanwhile, was helping Elmyra prepare dinner in the house, having decided to leave so that Naruto and Aerith could talk to Kurama in private. Naruto thought it would be for the best. Although Aerith and Tifa had become good friends, he didn't want to share his secret of being from another world with someone he didn't know well enough. Although she appeared trustworthy and didn't look like the talkative type, Tifa was also the bartender at a bar in Sector 7 Slums, where she probably had a drink or two every now and then. If she were to get drunk and unintentionally reveal their secret to someone who worked for Shinra, it would cause major problems for both him and Aerith.
On the other hand, Kurama was without a doubt the most peculiar creature that Tifa had ever met, but she seemed to believe him to be a summon that he had called forth from a rare summoning Materia. Particularly, she wasn't wrong, and Naruto preferred to keep it at that for the time being.
"So, we're stuck here." Kurama continued. His words were not a question, but rather a statement of fact. Naruto had just finished giving him a rundown of their current whereabouts and mostly everything that had been happening to him over the past few weeks. To say that the Bijuu was surprised would be an understatement.
"It appears so." Naruto nodded.
"Right, but why am I a tiny little fox though?" Kurama asked as he looked down at his forepaws, as if finding them to be offensive.
"Hmm, were you something else before Naruto summoned you from the Materia?" Aerith inquired with a finger on her cheek.
"Obviously, you clueless girl. I was a giant, fearsome beast in my world. I was the size of a mountain, and a swipe of my tail would bring down that giant metal plate above your head like one of your human toys." Kurama explained as he pushed his chest out proudly while Aerith gasped in amazement. "My power was unrivaled. I was feared by many and respected by even more. Being confined to this tiny form is... frustrating, to say the least."
"Oh... sorry that you ended up like this then, Kurama."
"Not to mention I used to have hands, not paws." Kurama sighed wistfully, making Aerith reach toward him, slowly at first, and pat him on his back instead of trying to pet his head again. Kurama didn't squat her hand away this time, and allowed the girl to continue doing it until she took her hand back herself.
"Maybe your size has something to do with the amount of your chakra that I used to summon you?" Naruto asked after giving some thought about the matter. He did use a very small amount of Kurama's chakra that he still had full access to and channeled it into the orange Materia to summon him, after figuring that if the orb was really his partner, then the reason he had not been able to make it work had been because he used his own chakra instead of Kurama's chakra. Fortunately, his theory had been correct and it was thanks to Madame M that he had figured that one out.
"Could be. We gotta try that later. If you use more chakra to summon me again, I would be able to come out at least a bit bigger than a dog." Kurama said sarcastically before he looked up at Naruto and continued "Speaking of, I take that my chakra is still within you?"
Naruto nodded, "Yeah. When I summoned you earlier, it was my first time using your chakra since I got here but I didn't feel like there was any trouble. I thought maybe something happened and I just couldn't hear you anymore."
"I see."
"But I have been healing much slower than before." Naruto continued "Cuts now take about an hour to fully heal instead of instantly. And when I first arrived here, it took me about three whole days to fully recover from my injuries. The doctor who treated me was surprised that I survived the trip to his clinic."
And that came from the fact that Naruto had bounced back from way worse, and in a shorter time as well with how strong his healing factor had been. He still healed fast, much faster than possibly any human in Gaia, but the difference was significant enough to make Naruto more cautious when fighting, knowing that sustaining heavy injuries could potentially slow him down even with his high pain tolerance. Monsters were easy to deal with because most of them were mindless ferals, but Shinra and their forces, especially the Turks, were a completely different matter. As confident as he was in protecting Aerith against them, Naruto would rather not show any weakness, and risk it by being careless – something that he tended to do even after years of outgrowing his reckless-self because of the war.
"I was so shocked to see you waking up just a day later with that kind of injury, you know." Aerith chimed in, making Naruto nod and smile at her.
"Maybe it was because my consciousness wasn't there to cling to life so my chakra responded slower? The whole you die I die situation. I decided to heal you cause I didn't want to die and all." Kurama mused before the two of them shared a chuckle in amusement at the memories of their past relationship, leaving Aerith to tilt her head to the side and gaze at the two in curiosity while wondering the story behind their friendship.
"So, anyway. We are stuck here, aren't we?" Kurama asked.
"I don't even know how we got here, Kurama. Gotta figure that one out first if we hope to find a way to get back." Naruto said before shrugging his shoulders, smiling a little as he leaned back and put his hands on the grass behind him with his legs stretching out in a relaxing manner "But to be honest with you, after a month here... this world is actually not that bad."
"Not bad, you say?" Kurama asked before glancing over to Aerith to continue "So, wanna introduce me to this friend of yours?"
"I'm Aerith!"
"That much is obvious."
"She helped the doctor take care of me when I first got here. She and her mother also let me stay at their place for now." Naruto said with a chuckle before bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, trying to figure out the right words to summarize his whole situation with Aerith to Kurama "And... long story short, Aerith is the only one here who knows that we are not from this world."
However, Naruto wasn't so sure anymore... not after meeting Madame M earlier that day.
"You told her?" Kurama asked, although he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't quite the case.
"Oh, Naruto didn't tell me. The planet did." Aerith answered with a straight face while waving her hand in front of her, making Kurama stare hard at her as if the girl had just suddenly grown a second head before glancing over to Naruto to see him nodding his head with a small smile on his face. Sighing, Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but he was stopped by the sudden, audible growling of his stomach.
It took both him and Naruto a second to fully process what they had just heard.
"Oh, you hungry?" Aerith asked with a bright smile as she got up on her knees and looked at the orange fox, not noticing that Naruto had sat straight up and was looking at Kurama in a mixture of surprise and wonder "We will be having dinner with mom and Tifa soon. Would you like to join us, Kurama?"
"I... uh, sure. I suppose." Kurama answered unsurely, nodding his head at Aerith before looking at Naruto to see his partner giving him a shrug of the shoulders, looking as skeptical as the nine tailed fox himself.
Getting up, the trio hurriedly made their way back to the house, with Kurama riding on Naruto's shoulder after he refused to let Aerith carry him in her arms as she had offered, making their ways in just in time to see Tifa and Elmyra setting the final dishes onto the table. It was quite clear that the older Gainsborough had gone above and beyond to prepare enough food for everyone, and they all looked incredibly mouth-watering.
"Oh wow." Naruto commented with a wide grin on his face while Kurama felt his stomach rumbling once again in anticipation at all the food laid out on the table before them.
"Keep your hands to yourself, young man." Elmyra spoke to Naruto in a stern, motherly tone before she finally noticed the fox perching on his shoulder and decided to ask. "And who's the little guy?"
"Mom, this is Kurama. He's Naruto's friend." Aerith beat Naruto to it before the blond could even open his mouth to introduce Kurama to Elmyra as she skipped to his side, her hand reaching out to pet the orange fox while smiling and giggling excitedly, causing Kurama to grumble under his breath "Isn't he just the cutest."
"Well, hard to disagree." The older Gainsborough smiled as Tifa nodded her head repeatedly in agreement. "So, I take that he will join us for dinner. Should I get him..."
"I would like a seat, not a dog bowl, if you don't mind." Kurama said, cutting Elmyra off before the woman could finish asking the question, leaving her looking at him with her jaw hanging in surprise while her eyes darted repeatedly between him and Naruto.
"You know what? I... am not going to ask." Finally, Elmyra said with a small sigh as Naruto and Aerith chuckleed softly while Tifa just looked on in wonder. They could hardly blame her for reacting like that, having seen Naruto performing feats that not even her daughter, who she knew was a Cetra, was capable of. A talking fox would hardly be the most unusual thing that she had seen associated with Naruto since the day he moved in to live with them. "Do you prefer raw or cooked food then?"
After that, everyone took their seats around the table and enjoyed dinner together, with Kurama leaning over while standing on his hind legs on a pile of books stacked on a chair between Naruto and Aerith, eating in enjoyment the first proper meal of his life from a bowl of food that the latter had prepared for him. It was quite clear to both him and Naruto that whatever transformation or progress that Kurama had undergone when they arrived in Gaia, not only had it altered his appearance to make him look more like a fox, but it had also given him the physical anatomy of one. It seemed he was no longer just a chakra beast like he had been his entire existence, and after the first bowl of food, it seemed to be a welcoming change for the fox.
After dinner was done, Tifa and Aerith worked together to clean the dishes with Elmyra before joining Naruto for a few rounds of Queen's Blood, a card game that seemed to have gained popularity among the residents of the Sector 5 slums and all around Midgar. Naruto had been playing the game with the children at the Leaf House orphanage, but Aerith seemed to be on a level of her own with these kinds of games, easily beating him and Tifa no matter what strategies they tried against her.
Kurama, meanwhile, settled down on the couch next to his partner, looking as content as a lazy, spoiled cat after a full and delicious meal.
"Hah! Pay up!" Aerith declared with a cheer as she extended her hand out toward Naruto, who narrowed his eyes playfully at her before handing over his bet money. Not that they bet more than a couple Gil for each round, but Aerith looked genuinely happy lightening up his wallet for him.
"Oh, it's almost eight o'clock." Tifa gasped softly after glancing at the clock on the wall nearby. "I should probably get going now, guys."
"I will walk you to the train station." Naruto said as he got up, with Aerith following closely behind him.
"Me too!"
"You guys, you don't have to..."
"I know you can take care of yourself, Tifa, but I can't let you head there alone in the middle of the night like this. It's no trouble at all, I assure you." Naruto insisted as he grabbed his jacket while Aerith handed Tifa the basket of flowers that they had picked together from the garden earlier that afternoon, making her smile softly in response before nodding her head in acceptance.
Bidding Elmyra farewell after expressing her gratitude to the woman for the amazing dinner, Tifa then set off with Naruto and Aerith, leaving Kurama behind to continue resting on the couch as he chose to do and headed into the night of Sector 5 Slums. The trip to the train station was uneventful, but the lively atmosphere that Aerith was able to maintain as she chatted with Tifa about various things made the walk quite enjoyable for everyone, even the bystanders who caught sight of the two beautiful young women.
"So Aerith, if you don't mind me asking..." Tifa suddenly said as she looked over her shoulder and at Naruto, who continued to follow them but turned around to talk to a group of children following him, asking if he would come to hang out with them at their secret playground tomorrow.
"Yes?" Aerith asked, smiling.
"You and Naruto... are you two dating or something?"
"E-eh!?" Aerith gasped, having not expected Tifa to ask her such a question. She was thankful that there wasn't much light around, or Tifa would have seen that her cheeks were matching the color of her jacket. "O-of course not... w-what makes you think that we are dating?" The Ancient spluttered, keeping her voice down so no one but Tifa could hear it.
"Oh, when I asked around for you two this morning, everyone told me you should be with him... and I was so surprised when I found out you guys also lived together." Tifa answered with a shrug "Not to mention that you guys seem pretty close as well."
"W-well, that's because... he's my bodyguard. Yes, that's right." Aerith answered, mentally patting herself in the back for coming up with such a logical answer in a short amount of time, but all that she got from Tifa in response was a look "A-and we live in the same house because he doesn't have anywhere else to stay. Our home just happened to have a spare room, that's all."
"I see." Tifa nodded her head finally before lowering her head apologetically to the brunette "Sorry if I make you uncomfortable, Aerith. I was just curious. Maybe I shouldn't have..."
"It's okay. Us girls talk about those things all the time, right? I was just surprised to have one myself for the first time, that's all." Aerith shook her head and said with a soft laugh, making Tifa smile at her before the two broke into a fit of giggles.
Looking back at Aerith and Tifa while continuing to walk behind them, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what they were laughing about.
"The train will leave in five minutes. I better get going then." Tifa said as she made her way back to Aerith and Naruto after purchasing a ticket back to Sector 7 slums. "Thanks again for the flowers, Aerith. I will make sure to take good care of them."
"I know that you will, Tifa." The brunette replied as she leaned forward slightly with her hands behind her back "Say, do you mind if we stop by your bar tomorrow?"
"Of course not! You and Naruto are more than welcome at Seventh Heaven." Tifa nodded her head with a beaming smile before she turned around to start boarding the train, looking for an empty seat through the windows of the nearest cabins. "See you guys tomorrow then."
"See you, Tifa!"
Naruto and Aerith said as they waved her goodbye to Tifa, watching as the train slowly pulled away from the station before finally disappearing into the night. Smiling, Aerith then turned to Naruto and asked him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, making the blond raise an eyebrow at her in wonder.
"So, my bodyguard, shall we head back?"
"Huh, sure." Naruto answered with a soft, amused chuckle, allowing Aerith to link her arms around his as they made their way back home.
"Remind me why I let you guys talk me into this again."
"Relax, Kurama. No one likes a sulking mascot."
"Good."
The fox Bijuu, or summon, said with a light scoff under his breath, making Naruto chuckle as he walked ahead of Aerith out of the elevator of Sector 2 Upper while pushing the four-wheeled cart he had crafted for her so she could carry more flowers to sell in front of them, with three more weeks had passed since he arrived in Midgar. While the cart's design was rather basic, the bottom portion had been painted to resemble the flowers she was selling, while the frame itself was polished to a shine with gleaming silver wheels and could be folded for easy transportation.
The best part, however, was the drawing of Kurama that Aerith had sketched with the children at the Leaf House on the side of the cart while the nine tailed fox himself sat in his own seat at the head of the cart, being the marketing strategy that was thought up by Aerith herself. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Kurama on board but so far, the strategy had been working spectacularly. The sight of him as a cute little fox never failed to attract a crowd of customers, particularly young adults and children, to the flower cart, giving Aerith the perfect chance to showcase her ware, which had been selling very well.
Naruto had even proposed the idea that if people wanted to pet Kurama they would have to buy a flower, but Aerith had turned it down, claiming that they didn't have to go that far, and not to mention it would also make Kurama more uncomfortable.
"Alright, Kurama. Remember to smile." Aerith said with a beaming smile with two fingers pushing at the corners of her lips as Naruto stepped back and allowed her to take over the flower cart. The fox just rolled his eyes back at Aerith in response, but he did not move from his position. It was quite clear to Naruto that Kurama just went along with Aerith because she had been using a large sum of money the flower cart had been bringing in with his help to buy him snacks and other delicious treats, which he seemed to be genuinely enjoying.
Thus, Aerith began her daily job of selling flowers, pushing the cart around with Kurama sitting inside while Naruto simply stayed back, watching from a distance while keeping an eye out for any Shinra suit. Since they were in upper Midgar, Shinra elite troops and enforcers could be seen patrolling the streets in pairs for sign of lawmakers or even the eco terrorist group AVALANCE, but it was quite clear that they had been ordered to keep their distance from him and Aerith and only watch them from afar, a task many of them sucked at in term of discretion. Still, as long as they kept to themselves and didn't do anything stupid, Naruto would leave them alone to do their duties.
Together, the trio walked down the crowded street of Midgar together, with hundreds of citizens bustling through the traffic filled walkways. Cars were driving down the brick road, and already several people had noticed Aerith and her beautiful flower cart in the crowded traffic. Naruto remained in the back and allowed Aerith to sell flowers as the hours passed by idly, the sun moving slowly across the sky above them. Kurama occasionally complained about the heat or the noise of the city, but overall seemed quite content sitting in his designated spot on the cart, especially after Aerith had woven some flowers together to make an umbrella for him.
"You know... I heard that Kalm was actually right that way."
"Oh?"
Naruto blinked, looking at Aerith to see her smiling at him with one hand pointing at the direction he had been looking at, having just finished selling some flowers to some women who seemed to have been drawn to the cart by Kurama. Naruto did not think much when choosing the place to use as his Place of Birth on his fake ID since it didn't really matter, but he had done some research on Kalm just in case and knew that the place was a small, quiet town that was the home to miners who work in the Mythril Mine before monsters put it out of business.
"I have always wanted to go there, or at least... see it, you know. I heard there was a beautiful grassland that was said to go on forever beyond the town." Aerith continued, trailing off softly as she turned and gazed at the direction.
"Shinra?" Naruto asked, assuming the reason why Aerith had not done so.
"In a way, yes. Still, I don't think that they will care if I ever decide to go there. Junon is just around the corner. No matter how far I go, I will still be under their radar." Aerith shook her head and explained it to him, making Naruto nod his head in understanding "I guess it's because I don't think I can do it. A whole world bustling with life... My childhood was confined within the steel walls of Shinra HQ, and my subsequent years were spent under their steel sky. Even now, it's hard for me to think that I'm ready for everything that is out there."
Before Naruto could say anything, another pair of customers arrived and asked to buy some flowers for Aerith, leaving the blond to ponder her words by himself.
It was a few hours later, when the midday sun was directly above their head that they decided to stop for lunch. With Elmyra being busy that day and could not make lunch boxes for them, Naruto and Aerith decided to head to a local restaurant. After their orders had been placed before them, the two wasted no time to dig in, savoring their lunch in comfortable silence while Kurama happily gobbled up his own order beside them.
The sight of a small fox devouring a bovine rib twice the size of his own body was truly one to behold.
"This way, Aerith."
With a gesture for Aerith to follow him, Naruto exited the restaurant as she followed closely behind, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. They made their way to the small parking lot beside the building and walked until they reached a brand new, latest edition black Hardy Daytona motorcycle, the dream of many young men living in the Slums. Aerith's surprise was turned to realization as she watched her friend reach his hand into the top left exhaust pipe and retrieve a key that had been cleverly hidden in there.
"Naruto, this is..." Aerith said in astonishment as Naruto got onto the bike and slowly backed it out of the parking spot "When did you...?"
"I brought it earlier."
"But you didn't..." Aerith trailed off as Kurama leaped onto the bike and examined it from above the headlight. Naruto did leave for the restroom for a few minutes as they arrived at the restaurant, but there was no way that he could have gone to the nearest bike dealership and gotten the bike in that small amount of time. Moreover, Aerith knew the bike cost a fortune, having seen it being advertised on TV recently. There was no chance that Naruto could have made enough to buy one already by jut being a merc.
When was the last time that she saw him not having trouble with money again?
"If I tell you I can be at two places at the same time, will you believe me?" Naruto asked playfully as he got off the bike and brought out his storage scroll to seal away the flower cart, making Aerith stare at him strangely. Chuckling, the blond then made his way back to his newly bought bike and got back on, smiling at Aerith as he continued "You said you wanted to see Kalm, right? What are you waiting for then? Hop on."
"Naruto..." Aerith said softly, clutching a fist at her chest as she gazed at the blond. It wasn't a difficult decision for the brunette as she found herself nodding her head to Naruto without even a moment of hesitation before walking around to take her seat sideways behind him. "So, you do know how to drive this thing, right?" Aerith asked, looking over his shoulder with her arms encircling his waist.
"I actually got my driver's license last week, so you are in good hands, milady." Naruto grinned at her before he turned back, inserting the key into the ignition and bringing the powerful engine of the motorcycle to life with a low, guttural growl before he looked up at his partner, asking him. "Will you be okay there, Kurama?"
"Just drive, Naruto." Kurama said simply as he sat on the headlight and used the small amount of chakra that he had in him to stick safely to the spot. Smiling, the blond then revved the engine and smoothly pulled out of the parking lot with Aerith holding securely onto him, heading down the streets before driving towards the outskirts of Midgar.
Reaching the highway a few minutes later, Naruto sped up, allowing the wind to whip their hair while the hot sunlight kept them company. As Midgar slowly disappeared into the distance, Aerith looked around and took in her surroundings. The Mako Reactors had left the land surrounding Midgar barren and lifeless, but already she could feel the air becoming fresher with no Mako reactor and industrial building around to pollute the air.
"Um... Naruto?" Aerith called, her voice breaking the comfortable silence between the two when she heard the sounds of a helicopter. Looking over her shoulder, the brunette turned her gaze up and wasn't surprised to see a helicopter with Shinra logo flying behind them, having caught up to them soon after they had gone beyond the city.
"It's Cissnei. She has been following us all morning." Naruto answered, his casual tone assuring Aerith that they were not in any trouble with Shinra. "Must have been ordered by her boss to follow us to make sure we are not leaving Midgar for good."
"Are you sure that's not what they're thinking?"
Naruto nodded assuredly, "Yeah. I sent Cissnei a message telling her I am taking you out to see Kalm and the Grasslands earlier. Bet she's sitting up there trying to figure out how I got her number." The blond finished with an amused chuckle, making Aerith giggle softly behind him in response.
The journey to Kalm was a bit more eventful than they both had anticipated with the occasional monsters and fiends blocking the road, but Naruto swiftly took care of them using his shuriken, clearing them out to safely drive through the areas. It seemed the presences of fiends grew exponentially the farther they were away from Midgar, even when compared to the Slums. Continuous exposure to high concentration of Mako mutated them, but the lack of it also made them extremely aggressive in their hunts for prey.
"Would you look at that?"
In the end, it took them about an hour to reach Kalm, but Aerith and Naruto chose not to enter the town and instead drove to a nearby hill, where the pair and Kurama were offered the full view of town as well as the land beyond. Leaning back against his bike, Naruto smiled as he looked over to Aerith, who stood next to him with her braids swaying gently in the winds and gazed longingly at the breathtaking scenery of the Grasslands before them, a mesmerizing sea of green that seemed to stretch on forever under the bright blue sky, being a stark contrast to the bleak metal and concrete of Midgar that even Naruto had grown accustomed to.
"Everything is so... green." Aerith murmured softly, unable to stop herself from smiling as she turned her head and looked at a flock of avian creatures flying over their head. "A living, breathing planet... even after all that we have done to it..." She trailed off, looking down with a hand clutching at her chest.
Before Naruto could say anything to her, Aerith suddenly spun around and flashed him a beautiful smile, so beautiful that Naruto almost overlooked the sadness that flashed through her eyes briefly.
"Thank you, Naruto. For bringing me here."
Naruto returned her smile with a warm one of his own, "It was my pleasure, Aerith."
He said, watching as Aerith slowly walked back to his side, standing next to him with their shoulders slightly touching, and their hands next to each other. It wasn't long, however, for the brunette to lean even closer to him and rest her head on his shoulder, making Naruto smile fondly in response as he turned his attention back to the beautiful landscape before them.
"Ready?"
"Are you?"
Naruto grinned as Aerith winked at him and held up her staff, preparing to face the horde of Wererats and Gorgers that the blond had been hired to exterminate, having built their nests in an abandoned building between the Slums of Sector 4 and 5. Since it was an off-day for Aerith, the brunette had decided to tag along with him, helping him hunt the monsters and destroy their nests before they could cause any serious harm to the travelers between the two areas.
"You wanna try that move we practiced yesterday?" Naruto suggested, making Aerith nod her head in response before twirling her staff around, building up her magic. Dashing toward the brunette, Naruto slashed at a Groger that tried to pounce on her, killing it instantly before immediately twirling around to throw his kunai at the Wererats, just as Aerith swiftly touched the tip of her staff with its blades, empowering it with her magic.
The kunai, shrouding in a sparkling pink aura, soared through the air and sliced through the stomach of a Wererat, causing it to let out a shriek before collapsing. Instead of imbedding into the ground like normal, however, the kunai bounced right off of it like it was made of rubber with Naruto instantly teleporting to its location, using a second kunai to eliminate three more Wererats faster than the eye could blink.
Before the magic infused kunai could fly too high into the air, Aerith swung her staff down, causing a magic platform to appear directly in front of the weapon and allow it to bounce back down with seemingly increased speed toward another monster. In a flash of yellow, Naruto appeared at that exact location and killed his target with the weapon in his hand before teleporting away once again with Aerith repeatedly changing the trajectory of his other kunai with her magic, taking down the monsters one after another in a colorful show of yellow and pink.
No monsters could react in time to their combined assault, including the Gorgers, as Naruto was too fast for their animalistic nature. The final wererat, which appeared to be the alpha, had scale too thick for the kunai to penetrate through, but Naruto teleported behind it and caught the weapon in his hand as it bounce off to twirl around and slash at the air in front of him just as Aerith did the same with her staff by swinging it down, the two of them simultaneously unleashing the magic inside their weapons at the monster, which was blown to pieces in the explosion of magic that were created when the two slashes collided.
"Nice work, Aerith!" Naruto praised, making Aerith beam at him as he walked back to her, looking around to check if there was any monster still lurking around. "I think that's all of them. We just need to take care of their nests now and we can go to Sector 7."
"Don't forget about our payment." Naruto chuckled and nodded his head to Aerith as she reminded him. Since she had been helping out, Naruto had been giving a percentage of his payment for the monster hunting jobs to her. He had wanted to make it fifty-fifty, but Aerith insisted on taking only a small sum of Gil, just enough to buy Kurama his favorite snacks and the necessities to better take care of her flowers.
Using fire Materia and ninjutsu, Naruto and Aerith cleared out the nests in the nearby abandoned building, scouting the area carefully to make sure that they did not miss anything before making their exit after the fire had died down, heading back to Sector 5 to receive their payment. The client was a traveling merchant who had been having trouble traveling between the Slums due to monsters and fiends, but now that Naruto and Aerith had taken care of them, the man could finally resume his business with much less worry.
Bidding the man goodbye with a promise to check out his ware if they ever ran into each other again in the future, Naruto then drove Aerith to Sector 7, weaving through the rundown roads connecting the undercity of Midgar, where Chocobo was always the preferred choice of transportation. Still, as far he was concerned, in Under Midgar Chocobo were mostly used to draw carriage, and the only Chocobo Rental establishment was in Sector 1 Slums, which was inconvenient for how far it was to where they lived and usually traveled.
Naruto still remembered how he felt the first time he saw a Chocobo, finding it to be quite cute like Aerith, who had had playfully compared his blonde hair to its feathers. However, Kurama didn't share the same sentiment. Meanwhile, Kurama didn't seem to share the same sentiment, claiming that he found the 'infectious lively atmosphere' that it radiated irritating.
Arriving at Seventh Heaven, Naruto parked his ride near the entrance of the building and let Aerith dismount first before following behind her. Before either of them could start making their way into the building, the door swung open as a dark skinned man made his way out, halting their advance with his towering figure. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, while his attire consisted of a brown vest over a black tank, military green pants, and matching brown boots.
The glove that he wore on his left hand had several metal bonds around it, but the other hand was not a hand at all, but a steel minigun, which made him look even more intimidating than he already was with his hulking, muscular figure.
"Hey, Barret! Is Tifa in?" Naruto asked the man in a cheery tone, having met and gotten to know the man a couple of weeks ago during one of his many visits to Seventh Heaven with Aerith. To say that the man was rough around the edges would be an understatement, but Naruto found him to be a good father who cared deeply for his adopted daughter Marlene, the girl currently sitting on his shoulder and beaming excitedly when she saw Aerith.
"Aerith!"
"Hello Marlene!" Aerith beamed and waved her hand at the little girl.
"Here again? Maybe you two should just consider moving here." Barret grumbled in his usual gruff voice, as he reached up with his left hand and lifted Marlene off his shoulder to gently put her down so she could run to Aerith, who smiled softly as she brought out some flowers and gave it to the beaming girl, making Barret smile before asking in a much softer tone, which he only used to talk to his daughter "Don't you have something to say to the kind lady, Marlene?"
"Thank you, Aerith."
"You are welcome." Aerith giggled.
"And if y'all looking for Tifa, she's at her apartment toughening up Biggs and Wedge. Bar is closed for the day." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. Biggs and Wedge, along with a girl named Jessie, were Tifa's closest friends in Sector 7 Slums and some of her most regular customers. The trio could often be seen hanging out at the bar with Barret in the evening.
"Thanks, Barret." With that, Naruto and Aerith left Seventh Heaven and headed to Stargazer Heights apartment complex where Tifa lived, waving their hands goodbye to Marlene as she went home with her father.
Because they had come to the place so many times for Aerith to hang out with Tifa, almost at least five to six times every week, Naruto and his brunette friend had become a familiar sight in the Slums of Sector 7, having many people greeted them along the way as they traveled together on Naruto's bike. Obviously, there were also guys who disliked Naruto for being able to hang out so casually with girls as beautiful as Aerith and Tifa, but they were among the minority that the blond simply paid no mind to.
Not that they would dare to start any trouble with him, not after they had seen what he did to the delinquents who tried to hit on Aerith and get her to ditch him last week. There was no clown in Midgar, but the looks that those guys had after he was done with them could have easily landed them a job as professional clowns, with their colorful hair, funny clothing, and bloody red noses.
"Searching for candidates."
"That weird kid is here again huh?" Naruto asked, looking at a boy who looked to be the age of fifteen to sixteen who had been hanging out in front of the grocery store of the Slums. He had medium-length silver hairstyle with bangs, and blue eyes. His sparkling clean, bright color clothing made him look oddly out of place, being a uniform of a sort consisting of a white and blue button shirt, a black leather belt, black plaid shorts, tall black socks with suspenders, and brown boots. He also wore a magnification eyepiece, a multi-colored orange bow on his right shoulder and a large backpack on his back.
"Pretty sure he has started looking at you." Aerith said with a smile as she leaned her head back and looked at the boy as she and Naruto walked past him "See! He's doing it again."
"He looks at everyone and says the same thing every time, Aerith." Naruto chuckled, before the two continued to head to Stargazer Heights.
Upon arrival, they found Tifa standing in the front yard of the building, her fists in front of her as she faced two young men with a smile on her face; one was slim but quite muscular, while the other was a chubby guy wearing a red bandanna holding back his black hair. Both men looked like they had seen a better day, sporting bruises on their faces and arms and sweat trickling down their necks. Their shirts were also covered in dirt as they pushed each other, trying to convince their friend to go on ahead against Tifa while a girl with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail watched them from the apartment building.
"You go first, Biggs."
"No way, I already went first last time. You go first, Wedge."
"10 Gil Tifa will knock them both down in three moves." Naruto spoke to Aerith without taking his eyes off the scene before him, making the brunette laugh softly in response.
"You're on."
"Come on, guys! You can do it!" Jessie cheered from the side, giving the two young men a boost of confidence while Naruto and Aerith watched from the side.
Exchanging a nervous glance, Biggs decided to go first, but Wedge immediately followed suit, running toward Tifa. Before they could even make any move, the bartender swiftly avoided them by diving to the side, at the same time kicking Biggs in his foot, making him lose his balance and fall over. Trying to help his friend recover, Wedge was unable to see Tifa coming at him from the side, grabbing his shirt to flip him around, slamming him into the ground shoulder first before twirling around with a spinning heel kick, knocking Biggs down when he tried to sneak up on her from behind.
"Stop looking so smug. You know about this stuff more than I do."
Aerith pouted as she brought out 10 Gil and gave the money to Naruto, who said nothing and simply held out his hand in front of her in expectation while a complacent smile plastered across his face.
Sticking her tongue out cutely at the blond, Aerith then turned back and walked toward Tifa, her hand waving enthusiastically in the air as she called out to the young woman who had become her best friend while she was giving some tips to Wedge and Biggs "Hey, Tifa!"
"Aerith? Naruto!"
Hearing her voice being called, Tifa turned her head and gasped softly in pleasant surprise when she saw the pair, her hand unconsciously tucking a strand of her hair behind her left ear when her eyes landed on the grinning blond, who walked up to her with Aerith and offered Biggs his hand to pull the Wedge to his feet before doing the same to his friend. "Hey there! When did you guys get here?"
"We actually just got here. Dropped by Seventh Heaven earlier and Barret told us you were here." Aerith answered, waving at Jessie as the girl did the same from her seat while leaning over the railing and flashing Naruto a smile as Wedge and Biggs thanked the blond for helping them get up.
"Thanks man."
"Thanks, Naruto bro."
"No problem, guys." Naruto answered and immediately continued before Wedge could say anything, all the while smiling in amusement "And no, Wedge. Today is also not the day I will finally let you borrow my bike and take it out for a joyride."
"Aw." Wedge let out a sound of disappointment.
"Wow, you are not even trying to deny that, huh?" Biggs asked with a chuckle, patting his friend comfortingly on the shoulder before turning back to Naruto "We are having a party later tonight at Seventh Heaven. You and Aerith wanna come hang out with us?"
"Sure. Just let me make sure her mother is not gonna take off my head for bringing her home late first." Naruto grinned while Aerith just rolled her eyes playfully at him before nodding her head to Biggs.
"Think I might need to go shopping for extra groceries. The bar is running low on stocks anyhow." Tifa pointed out.
"In that case, can I come with you, Tifa?" Aerith said "And we can get Naruto to help us."
"Oh, good idea!"
"Good luck, man!" Before Naruto could even say anything to them, Biggs and Wedge gave him encouraging pats on the shoulders and quickly took off just as Naruto was about to ask if they wanted to tag along, having seen what happened the last time the blond went shopping with Aerith and Tifa. Not that they would buy anything that was expensive, but with Aerith having a knack for buying cute items, and Tifa being not that far off, Naruto often found himself carrying multiple bags and groceries while having to follow them around for hours.
"Can you guys wait here? I am gonna head up to my room and wash up a bit." Tifa said with a gesture to her room on the second floor of the building, making Aerith nod her head in response.
As the brunette hung back with Naruto, Tifa turned on her boots and headed toward the staircase, but she was stopped by Jessie who had a playful smile on her face as she called out to her.
"Hey, Tifa! Tifa! Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure. What's up?" Tifa asked, smiling as she walked over to Jessie, who then lowered her voice down to speak with a teasing smile, her hand moving in a hair tucking gesture to mimic what Tifa had done earlier.
"I saw what you did there with your hair when Naruto arrived."
"Wh-what do you mean?" The bartender asked in surprise, her eyes darting over to the blond as he talked with Aerith "That didn't mean anything."
"Oh, relax, Tif. It's not like he hasn't caught the attention of half the girls here in the Slums already, while you are someone who gets to spend so much time with him thanks to Aerith." Tifa opened her mouth to speak, wanting to tell Jessie that it wasn't like that between them, but her friend beat her to it "Hey, do we know that he's single or not?"
"I asked Aerith if they were dating. She said no."
"And when was that?"
"About a month ago..."
"Huh, a lot could have happened since then considering that those two live together, but I think you still have a chance."
"A chance to do what... why are you so interested in this, Jessie?" Tifa huffed, crossing her arms under her ample bosom as she gave Jessie a look. "Are you interested in Naruto too?"
"Oh, trust me, I would love to date a guy like him, Tif. Handsome, strong, sweet... kinda rich if that bike of his is anything to consider, and can be quite funny too." Jessie answered with a dreamy smile as she rested her head on the palm of her hands, looking at Naruto as he teased Aerith for not being able to balance on his bike while sitting in the driver seat "But that's the problem. I like guys who have a tough front more, cause it's more fun to break that down to see the big softie inside."
"Obviously you do. Anyway, Naruto is just a friend, Jessie. I gotta go now. Best not keep them waiting."
With that said, Tifa turned around and headed up the staircase, going two steps at a time and a little bit too fast for her own liking. By the time that she had reached her room, Tifa immediately opened the door and walked inside, slamming it shut behind her to lean against it and exhale, releasing breath that she didn't know she was holding.
A moment later, Tifa emerged from her room to rejoin Naruto and Aerith, and together the three of them traveled to Upper Midgar, since the market in the Sector 7 Slums did not exactly have what Tifa needed for her bar. As Aerith and Tifa walked arm in arm down the crowded streets of the city together, moving from shop to shop, supermarket to liquor store, Naruto trailed a close distance behind them, although it didn't take it long for the blond to find himself carrying multiple grocery bags, some of which contained wine bottles that also needed careful handling.
He really should have made more storage scrolls when he had the chance.
"Hah." Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed onto a bench under the shade of a large building, feeling more exhausted than he did hunting Drakes, some of the more dangerous monsters in the Slums. It also didn't help that it was a pretty hot day in Midgar. It was one of the only times having a steel sky above their heads was a benefit for the people of Under Midgar, as it blocked most of the sunlight.
Despite that, the blond couldn't stop himself from smiling, unable to deny that his time in Midgar so far had to be the most peaceful and enjoyable that he had had for a very long time.
"Naruto, hey!" Hearing Aerith calling out to him, Naruto looked up to see her and Tifa standing before him, each holding out an ice cream cone with the same flavor as the one she was holding in her other hand. For Aerith, it was strawberry, while Tifa had vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup. "Want some ice cream?"
"We didn't know what flavor you prefer, so..." Tifa said, trailing off a bit before asking with a twinkle of hope in her eyes while Aerith also looked on in anticipation "So, which one do you like?"
"Can I just have both of them anyway? I'm melting here." Naruto asked before reaching both hands out to take the ice cream from their hands, making both girls look at him in surprise. "Thanks." Giving them a grateful smile, the blond then looked down and started eating, as Aerith and Tifa looked at each other before breaking out in a fit of giggles. Smiling, they both turned on their boots and headed to the nearby shops, leaving Naruto to sit there and enjoy the treat contently.
Looking around, the blond wondered where Cissnei and the other Turks had been. He hadn't seen any of them in a week, and even on that afternoon, there was no sign of them. Perhaps they had been given a new assignment by their boss, but it was unusual for them not to have at least one member trailing him and Aerith around Midgar.
"Eating too much sugar is proven to be bad for your teeth."
"How in the hell are you even here?" Naruto said, snapping his head to the side to ask the white haired kid that he had seen hanging around Sector 7 Slums, finding him weird not just because of the monotone that he used to talk, but also because of the way he turned and looked around. His movements were stiff, and they almost felt mechanical.
And there's also the fact that Naruto couldn't sense him at all. Sure he could hear his footsteps, but there's nothing coming out of the boy that made him feel like a living person.
"Oh, I walked here." He answered "Regardless, I have been meaning to introduce myself to you. My name is Chadley. Please to meet you."
"Naruto." The blond introduced himself as he shook hands with the strange boy "What do you want with me then?"
"I am an intern researcher for Shinra's Research and Development Division. I am here hoping that you will be interested in helping me with my research." Naruto opened his mouth to refuse, but Chadley beat him to it by continuing before he could say anything "Rest assure that this research is entirely my own and has nothing to do with Shinra or Professor Hojo, whose efforts I am working actively to undermine. As you are a merc, I will also make it worth your while if you agree to assist me with my work."
"Really? That's quite generous of you." Naruto said, narrowing his eyes at Chadley. It didn't look like he was lying, and Naruto also knew not all apples were rotten in that bunch called Shinra Electric Power Company. There were honest workers who were just trying to make a living in a city like Midgar. "Why though? Who are you exactly?"
"As I have introduced myself to you, I am merely an intern researcher, who wishes to know more about the world around him. I wish to become an independent scientist who uses his research for the good of the people instead of Shinra's ambitions. However, as you can see, I am not exactly equipped for fieldworks and have to rely one someone who is capable." With that said, he then reached his hand behind his backpack, his arm bending in an awkward angle before pulling out a small device that looked like a smartphone, with some buttons on the sides and several camera lens on the back. "This is a prototype Access Module. Please accept it as a down payment for this job, as well as your tool to fulfill my request should you agree to assist me with my research."
Naruto reached out and took the Materia, taking a closer look at it before turning back to Chadley to ask "What does it do?"
"The module is connected directly to my personal biological database. It allows you to access all the information and data that I have on local wildlife, monsters and fiends, from their biology to behaviors, which you can use to give yourself an edge in battles against them should you need it." Chadley explained "At the same time, if you encounter new species of monsters or fiends on your job, you can use the device to scan for their biological data, which is also your primary task."
"Sounds simple enough." Naruto nodded his head in understanding to Chadley before putting the device away into his pocket, seeing no harm in helping Chadley with that kind of work. "Alright, Chadley. I will help you."
"Thank you, Naruto. Please accept this guidebook should you need any assistance with using the module. I wrote it myself. You can also use the device to call me if you have any further inquiries. I will always be available." Chadley said as he took out a small notebook and handed it to Naruto "Now if you excuse me, I have to return to Shinra now before Professor Hojo starts questioning my prolonged absence. An incident in his lab a week ago has been keeping him occupied, but he will start asking questions if I don't return soon. However, rest assured that he will never know of this meeting between us."
"Good. See you then." With that, Chadley left, disappearing into a crowd of people crossing the street as he headed toward the direction of Shinra building, leaving Naruto behind to sit on the bench and check out the guide while finishing his ice creams, while wondering if the incident in Hojo's lab had anything to do with the absence of Cissnei and the Turks.
As he checked out Chadley's guidebook, Naruto could see that along with all the typical information about how to operate his module, there were also detailed instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble the device without causing it any damage should Naruto ever feel the need to check if there was any listening or tracking device – which was actually what Naruto intended to do later. It was quite clear that Chadley had planned ahead so that he could enforce the trust between them.
"Naruto, you coming!?"
"Coming!" Naruto shouted back when he heard Aerith call out to him, quickly eating the cone of the vanilla ice cream before dusting his hand to pick up the bags to stand up, making his way over to the girls as they waited for him "So, where to next?"
"I still need to buy some bread, so the bakery should be our next stop." Tifa answered him after checking her note.
"Buuutt, before we go, Tifa and I have something for you." Aerith said with a smile, reaching her hand into the bag she was carrying to bring out a keychain with a small orange fox charm. "It's a gift. Looks a lot like Kurama, doesn't it?"
"It really does." Naruto nodded his head with a small laugh and accepted the keychain, taking out the key of his bike to attach it to. "Thanks, Aerith. Tifa."
"You're welcome." Both girls said at the same time while beaming radiantly.
By the time that they returned to the Slums of Sector 7, the sun had already started to set, casting a warm orange glow over the Undercity of Midgar. Stepping out of the train, Naruto followed Aerith and Tifa as they made their way out of the train station together, listening to their conversation about the menu for the party that night. Aerith knew how to cool, but her skills paled in comparison to Tifa Lockhart, whose recipes were said to be famous even to the people outside of Midgar.
"Oh, I would kill for that meat stew of yours, Tifa. That might be even better than my mom's." Aerith said with a dreamy smile before she leaned forward and whispered into her friend's ear "And I think Naruto loves it too."
"Is that so?" Tifa's face lit up when she heard that "I will make plenty for you two tonight then, Aerith. Good thing that we bought so much..."
Tifa was just about to finish telling Aerith another idea for the menu when something caught her eye, causing her to stop in her tracks with her eyes widening in surprise. Aerith and Naruto looked at her curiously before turning their gazes towards the direction she was looking, seeing a blond haired man cladded in a black outfit with shoulder-pads sitting on the ground with his back leaning against the wall of just outside the station, looking to have passed out from exhaustion. While it wasn't uncommon to see people sleeping on the streets of the Slums, the man differed from the usual bunch with the massive sword lying on the ground next to him.
"Cloud?" Tifa blurted out, before hurriedly running over to him, with Naruto and Aerith immediately following. Moving ahead of Tifa, Naruto put the bags in his hands down and lowered himself down on one knee to check for his pulse, making him whimper weakly in response. His face was covered in dirt, and overall he had the look of someone who had been wandering around for days.
"He's fine. I think he's just tired and malnourished." Naruto said before looking over to Tifa to ask her, as she breathed out a sigh in relief. "You know him?"
Nodding, the bartender then gave Naruto her answer, "Yeah, but this is my first time seeing him in years... His name is Cloud Strife. We came from the same hometown before he left to join SOLDIER."
"Even more reason for us to help him. Can we bring him back to your bar, Tifa?" Aerith asked, and Tifa nodded her head in confirmation.
"I will carry him. You girls took care of those bags." Naruto said as he helped Cloud sit up a little, throwing one of his arms on his shoulder before standing up, grabbing his sword along the way to carry it along with them. When he felt Cloud stir against him, Naruto looked over to the fellow blond and said with an assuring tone "You're gonna be alright, man. Just hang on."
"Re... union..."
Naruto heard Cloud murmuring under his breath as he carried him through the streets of Sector 7 Slums, feeling confused as he pierced together what Cloud just said. Slowly, the other blond opened his eyes, but didn't give any more response than that as he allowed Naruto to carry him to Seventh Seven, with Tifa and Aerith following behind them.
Without the shreddest doubt, those were the eyes of a SOLDIER.
End of Chapter 5
Note: And that's the end of this chapter, everyone! Hope that it's worth the wait.
Sorry for taking such a long time to get this chapter out. I actually finished writing it and sent it up on my p/atreon weeks ago, but with the returning issue of email notification, I just couldn't bring myself to publish the chapter publicly not knowing if the readers who have been waiting for update will know that it's out or not. Hopefully the admins will fix the problem soon so readers will get notified whenever a story they follow gets an update.
Not much I want to say about this chapter, but I hope that you guys have enjoyed reading it. I had a lot of fun writing this one, developing the relationships that Naruto had with Aerith and, yeah as you can see, Tifa, as well as exploring his daily life in Midgar. Hopefully I did his scenes with the girls justice.
And Cloud is here! With his debut, we are closer to the event of FF7 Remake more than ever. Still, I think there should be a week or two before we are officially in the main event though, so I can build a little bit of a friendship between him and Naruto. Trust that I will not make Cloud bitter and jealous toward Naruto because of Aerith and Tifa, not to mention that it's just not his MO like a reviewer had pointed out. And don't worry that he won't get any love interest in this story. He will (with a hint of her in this chapter *wink *wink).
Hope you guys have enjoyed the little scenes that I have for Kurama.
And that will be it for now. I have already started writing the next chapter and long into it by the time I updated this story on fanfiction, but honestly I don't know for how long I can sent it up due to the persisting issue with email notification. Regardless, be sure to leave behind a REVIEW once you have finished reading! Tell me what you think about this chapter!
As always, all new chapters and updates are always available much earlier on my p/atreon than here – like this chapter for example (In fact, it has been published there for quite some time now as I wanted to wait and see if the email notification issue would be fixed… but yeah, no luck.), so make sure to check it out if you have the financial powers to support me and want to read new chapters earlier than their public releases or make requests as well as commissions. Your supports would be immensely appreciated, and help me keep on pursuing this hobby of mine as well as pay for my university tuition fees.
And be sure to check out my discord channel as well, and join my amazing community! (Both links to my p/atreon and discord channel can be found in my profile page).
See you in the next update, everyone!
Take care!