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 6
Troubles Ahead
Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams.
When Cloud Strife finally awoke, it was to the fragrant sweetness of flowers.
Opening his eyes, Cloud found himself looking at a dull looking ceiling of a rather small room, about ten to twelve square feet and sparsely decorated, with a small wooden table and a couple of chairs. A vase of fresh flowers stood on the drawer next to the bed where he lied, filling the room with its aroma, easing his senses and confusion as he took in his surroundings.
Slowly, Cloud sat up and gazed emptily at the clock on the wall across from his bed, barely registering that it was only 10am in the morning before swiftly removing himself from the bed. However, he soon regretted making the decision so hastily as dizziness overcame him, causing him to grab onto the nearby wall for support with one hand while the other clutched at his own head to fight the wave of vertigo and nausea that caused him to almost fall over.
It was then that he saw it. His sword. The Buster Sword, which stood propped up in the corner of the room, catching the faint light filtering in through a small window. Memories flooded into his mind in pieces as he gazed at the weapon - a mission, a battle and then... darkness. A sharp pain rang in his head as he tried to recall the details of each event, but the memories remained fragmented, like shards of a broken mirror scattered in his mind.
Shaking his head to repress the headache, Cloud walked to the Buster Sword and reached out with one hand to pick it up, his fingers wrapping firmly around the hilt. The weight of the sword felt familiar as he swiftly swung it around and fastened it to the strap on his back, yet when he began walking toward the door, he felt strange carrying the weapon in such a way, as if it was his first time doing so.
Brushing the feeling away, Cloud opened the door and stepped outside, discovering that he was in the back of a building. Cautiously, he made his way through the short hallway, his ears slowly picking up the soft, heartfelt chatters of females. One of them was quite familiar Cloud could have sworn he had heard it before.
"A word of advice, Tifa. Before you teach Aerith how to cook, you should probably show her how to not burn down the kitchen first."
The third voice was unfamiliar. It was deeper that the other two, and definitely belonged to a male. However, it was the names that the man had spoken up that caught his full attention. The first was a name of a friend he knew, while the second was the name of someone he could only faintly remember.
With uncertain, but no less cautious steps, Cloud found himself arriving at the back of a bar area, where three people were talking to one another earnestly. The first person that he instantly noticed was the young man sitting at the bar counter with a nervous, yet amused grin on his face as he held up both of his hands in front of a young woman who had braided brown hair and dressed in a long pink dress with red jacket. She was the one who had her back to him, but from her posture – with her hands on her hips and her body bending forward slightly at the waist toward the young man, Cloud could tell that she was glaring at her male companion, probably in response to the comment he had made about her earlier.
Regardless, Cloud found himself blinking in mild confusion as he stared at the young man. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, and the fuzziness had not fully gone away from his mind for him to fully comprehend his surroundings, but after a second, Cloud realized he was looking at someone who could have been his twin, despite the subtle differences between the two of them. Excluding the whisker marks on his cheeks and the style of his spiky blonde hair, the two of them was almost identical. His eyes even had that same glow similar to that of a SOLDIER...
"Oh, hey. Looks who is awake."
As Cloud stood there and studied his visage, the other blond noticed his presence and spoke up, causing him to open his mouth slightly in mild discomfort when all eyes in the bar turned to him. He found himself looking away to avert their gaze, but his eyes were drawn back to the third person, who was the one standing behind the bar counter. Despite the fact that it had been years since he last saw her, Cloud did not have much trouble identify her as Tifa Lockhart, a friend from his childhood in Nibelheim.
"Cloud, you're awake!" Tifa said as her face lit up with a smile of relief when she turned around and saw Cloud "How are you feeling?"
"I... uh, I'm good." Cloud answered, glancing briefly over to the brunette sitting next to his whiskered lookalike, as she tilted her head to the side and looked at him curiously while Cloud just frowned. He knew the two of them had never met, but there was a sense of familiarity to her, as if he had seen her before but couldn't quite place where.
After a moment, Cloud shook his head, brushing away the feeling.
"Cloud, do you... remember me?" Tifa asked in concern, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the four of them as Cloud turned his gaze back to her.
"Yeah. Of course. You are Tifa... we grew up together in Nibelheim, right?" Cloud answered, making Tifa nod her head and smile in relief. "Why did you ask like I wouldn't recognize you? I know it has been five years, but..."
"Five years?" Tifa repeated, furrowing her brows in confusion.
"After what happened back in Nibelheim, I'm glad to see that you're okay." Cloud continued, making Tifa stare at him for a long moment before gasping softly in surprise.
"How do you know-!" The woman blurted out in surprise, but she was interrupted when Cloud suddenly winced in pain and shot his hand up to grab his head as images flashed through his mind, hitting him suddenly with another headache. "Cloud, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Cloud answered, shaking his head as he lowered his hand down to look around the place, changing the subject "What is this place?" It was then that he noticed the beautiful flowers and plants decorated the bar, admiring the way they seemed to light up the place and give it a lively atmosphere. It was also a surprise for him to see so many of them in a city like Midgar, which had reduced itself and the surrounding countryside into a barren wasteland with its Mako Reactors.
"Yeah. This is Seventh Heaven, the bar I am working at right now. A lot has happened since Nibelheim." Tifa nodded before introducing the other pair to her childhood friend "And this is Naruto Uzumaki and Aerith Gainsborough. They are regular customers here as well as friends of mine."
"It's an hour to meet you, sir." While her companion waved a friendly hand at him, making Cloud nod his head back in acknowledgement, Aerith greeted him with a beaming smile at the blond, who then found himself staring at her in confusion.
"Sir?"
"You are a SOLDIER, right?" Aerith asked.
Of course he was a SOLDIER.
And it wasn't just any SOLDIER either. He was Cloud Strife. A former Shinra SOLDIER: First Class...
"Ex-SOLDIER." Cloud gave the answer, making both Aerith and Tifa widen their eyes at him in surprise. Without a doubt, they were able to tell he was a SOLDIER because of the distinctive color of his eyes, which was the result of being infused with Mako. "I don't work for Shinra anymore, not after what happened..."
He trailed off, looking away as he recalled the event of his last mission for Shinra before everything went blank in his mind. For some reason, he could recall it clearer than most.
"So? What happened?"
"That's... classified." Cloud said, in response to the question that Naruto tossed at him. "I'm sorry, but I cannot talk about my time at Shinra."
"Fair." Naruto nodded his head in understanding, making Cloud raise an eyebrow at him in wonder. He had expected Naruto to push the matter and tell him that since he didn't work for Shinra anymore, he shouldn't have any trouble dismissing their rules and protocols. It was quite clear that the two of them didn't just look similar.
"So, Tifa. Why did you think that I wouldn't recognize you?" Cloud then turned his attention back to Tifa, his eyebrows furrowing in realization "How long have I been here?"
"Three days, Cloud. You were out for three days." The ex-SOLDIER found himself widening his eyes in surprise at that "The three of us found you passing out on the street near the train station here, so we brought you back so you could rest. We thought you had Mako poisoning..."
"Temporal or even permanent memory loss is one of the known syndromes of mako poisoning, no?" Aerith pointed out with a nod of her head.
"Well, I feel fine now... and I remember things, so that could not be the case." Cloud shook his head and said. He had seen those with mako poisoning, and felt that he was nothing like them. "Anyway, I better get going now. Thank you for letting me rest here, Tifa."
Without waiting for a response, Cloud hurriedly made his way toward the door, giving Naruto and Aerith a nod of his head as he walked past them. Before he could step outside, however, he was stopped by Tifa, who wasted no time to walk out from behind the bar counter and caught up to him.
"Hold up, Cloud. Where are you going? And do you even have a place to stay?" Tifa asked in concern. "At least let me treat you to a meal..."
"Thanks for the offer, but I can manage myself." Cloud answered confidently.
"Sure, but do you have any money on you?"
"Uh..."
Was all that Cloud could manage as he looked away uncomfortably in response to the question that Naruto had asked him. It was quite obvious for the ex-SOLDIER that he didn't have a single Gil on him.
"I'll figure it out. Gotta look for a new job anyway." Cloud finally answered Naruto, who gave a shrug of his shoulders in response, before he looked at Tifa, his hand reaching out to rest on the door of Seventh Heaven "I'll get in touch when I do."
With that said, Cloud pushed open the door and made his way outside before Tifa could stop him again. However, just when he was about to survey his surroundings to pick a direction to head towards, the ex-SOLDIER found himself looking at the towering figure of none other than Barret Wallace, who appeared to be heading in but stopped when he saw the sword-wielding blond.
"You have a problem?" Cloud asked in a calm tone, unfazed by the massive form of the man blocking his path and the disgust etched on his face as he looked down at him. Despite the dark sunglasses he was wearing, Cloud could still feel the disgust emanating from them, a clear evidence that this man did not like him one bit.
"No."
Barret said curtly in response before walking past Cloud without waiting for him to step out of the way, hitting his shoulder with his gun-arm hard enough for the ex-SOLDIER to look over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.
"Barret."
"What?"
Deciding to just dismiss the man as he was scolded by Tifa for what he just did, Cloud turned back around and continued with his departure from Seventh Heaven before Tifa could try to stop him again.
"Finally, the air here doesn't smell like shit anymore." Barret grumbled as he walked over to his usual table and took his seat there.
"Barret!" Tifa snapped at him, and this she time she was also joined by Aerith, who had a similar expression on her face as she walked over to stand next to her best friend and looked at Barret with her hands on her hips, making him hang his jaws slightly in surprise. He looked over to Naruto to find some help, but the blond simply responded by holding his hands up a his sides as a gesture to tell Barret that he was on his own.
Fortunately for Barret, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge picked that moment to enter the bar, although they weren't the only ones. Just a few steps behind the trio were a group of people, led by a bespectacled young woman with short dark brown hair who Naruto had seen hanging around the slums. Her name was Nayo if he wasn't mistaken, and it was clear that she and her group didn't come to Seventh Heaven that morning for a casual drink.
"Morning, Naruto bro! Aerith!"
"Good morning!"
"Yo!" Naruto grinned as Aerith beamed and waved her hand enthusiastically at the trio, who returned their smiles before taking their seats around their usual table. Nayo and her group, meanwhile, remained standing while looking at Tifa in expectant. It didn't take much for Naruto to figure out that they weren't waiting for the bartender of Seventh Heaven to show them to their table.
"Tifa."
"Right." Tifa gave a slight nod to Barret after he called out to her in a surprisingly calm tone, looking over to Naruto and Aerith to speak to them with a smile "Aerith, I'm heading out to pick up some extra liquors for the bar. Would you like to come with me? Once we're done, you and I can go shopping together in Midgar."
"Oh! Sure, Tifa." Aerith nodded her head and replied to her best friend with a look of excitement, making Tifa beam at her in response before she looked over Naruto.
"And it would be wonderful if you could come too, Naruto. Those liquors can be quite heavy..."
"Don't worry. I'd be happy to help." Naruto nodded with a smile to Tifa. It was quite clear that Tifa was trying to get both him and Aerith to leave Seventh Heaven so Barret could talk to Nayo and her friends in private. Her kindness and friendship with Aerith were obviously the two main reasons she did not just tell the two of them to leave and instead asked them to come along with her as she headed out herself.
"Great. Let's go then."
Entrusting the business to Jessie, Tifa led Naruto and Aerith out of Seventh Heaven and into the winding and crowded streets of the Sector 7 slums, leaving Barret to stay behind and talk to his guests. As they headed towards the marketplace, Aerith leaned toward her best friend and asked in a curious tone, beating Naruto as it was something that he had planned to do.
"By the way, Tifa... about Cloud. Was it really okay to let him leave like that?"
"I honestly don't know, Aerith." Tifa shook her head and said with a small sigh.
"Something felt off about him?" Naruto asked, voicing his opinion as he picked up his own pace to walk side by side with the girls. He might not know Cloud enough to make any judgement or assumption about his character, but it was quite obvious for Naruto to see that there's something wrong with him, at least mentally.
Perhaps his time in SOLDIER changed him. Naruto knew all too well a life of fighting could do to someone, but he wasn't so sure it was the case because of what Cloud had said about the Nibelheim matter, and how Tifa had reacted to it. Between someone most people in Midgar called a Mako Junkie, who had the visible symptoms of Mako Poisoning, and a beautiful and caring, yet somewhat emotionally shy and reserved bartender, it was quite obvious whose memory he would trust more.
"Yeah." Tifa nodded her head to Naruto before turning away, looking deep in thought as she brought a hand up and rubbed her chin "I still don't get how he knew about Nibelheim..."
"We can go look for him, if you want, Tifa. He's probably still around the Slums somewhere."
And Cloud was. Briefly accessing his Sennin mode, Naruto was able to instantly pinpoint the his current location while proposing the idea to Tifa. Because of Mako, Cloud felt a lot more in tune with the planet than normal humans. It was a unique trait that Naruto had noticed in the SOLDIERs he occasionally seen in Upper Midgar, albeit they gave off a weaker feeling than Cloud did, probably because they were not a First Class like him.
And there was also something else that Naruto couldn't quite place the finger around, something that worth making a mental note about.
"It's fine. I think we should let him have some time alone to sort himself out." Tifa answered, shaking her head "Plus, Cloud said he would get in touch once he did. Not to mention he's also a SOLDIER First Class. I'm sure he can take care of himself."
"If you say so, Tifa." Aerith said while smiling warmly at Tifa, making the bartender nod before finding herself smiling back in response. After a couple of minutes, the three of them finally arrived at the shop where Tifa normally purchased liquors for her bar, although calling it a shop would be generous, as the place looked like a rundown shack that barely managed to stand on its own.
Naruto held the door open for Tifa and Aerith, following them inside as the beautiful bartender of Seventh Heaven walked over to the counter, where a man dressed in a blue uniform was wiping down some dusty bottles. The man looked up as they approached and grinned broadly when he saw Tifa.
"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Tifa Lockhart. Back already for more supplies?"
"Business has been going really well, Aaron."
Tifa replied with a smile as she brought out a list of wine that she needed to restock and handed it over to Marlon. As the two discussed the items with Aerith waiting for her best friend, Naruto took his time looking around the small shack while walking around with his hands in his pocket, his eyes scanning the bottles of various shapes and sizes on the shelves lining the walls in interest.
Naruto had been drinking more frequently ever since he came to Midgar, even though he had only been doing it at Seventh Heaven, where Tifa served her famous cocktails that she named after several locations around the world. Of course, Naruto made sure to not get himself drunk since he still needed to bring Aerith home safely and remain vigilant against Shinra, but it was still refreshing for the blond to experience those moments where he could just sit down, relax and share a few drinks with the friends he had made in Gaia, a rarity for him back in his home world with the Fourth Shinobi War raging on for years.
"Naruto..." Hearing his name being called, Naruto turned his head and saw Aerith standing next to him with her hand tugging lightly at the sleeve of his jacket, her face giving a curious look as she asked him "Do you think that the wines here are..."
"Illegal? Probably..." Naruto answered with an amused chuckle, noticing Shinra symbols stamped on several bottles on the shelf before him. Not that it was anything strange in the Slums of Midgar.
"Naruto, how many of these do you think you can carry?" Tifa asked, making Naruto and Aerith look over to her before she pointed a hand at a wooden box sitting on the floor that was filled with a dozen wine bottles. "They are having a sale today, so I want to stock up as much as I can."
Naruto flashed her a grin as he answered, "Just grab as many as you need. I can handle it."
Tifa looked at him uncertainly, while Aerith had a playful smile on her face after Naruto turned to her and gave her a wink.
"Are you sure? These are quite heavy. Normally, I can only handle one at a time." She pointed, but Naruto just waved her concern away with a hand, the smile on his face never once wavering. At the same time, Aerith walked over to a similar box near then and attempted to lift it.
As expected, she failed.
"Yup! These are heavy." Aerith remarked as she stood back up, turning her head to look at Naruto as he walked up to her and bent over to slide his hands into the handholes on both sides of the last box in a stack of three. Effortlessly, the blond stood up, lifting the whole stack with him and carried it over to the counter, where he set the box down on the floor gently to the surprise of both Tifa and the shopkeeper Aaron. "Trust me, Tif. I can handle it."
Naruto flashed Tifa a grin as he leaned an elbow against the shop counter, repeating his words in a reassuring tone. The bartender of Seventh Heaven found herself flustering and looking away from him, her cheeks dusting a pink hue at his smile and his use of the pet name that Jessie had given her. Although her other friends had started to pick up on it as well, with Aerith occasionally using it while talking to her, Tifa couldn't help but feel different when Naruto did it just then, unable to deny how pleasant it was to hear the name roll off his tongue.
"W-well then, Aaron. Can I have 10 of these?"
It took the shopkeeper a moment, but he was able to gather the ten boxes containing the wines that Tifa wanted, handing them over to Naruto one after another. Once that she had paid for her purchase, Tifa then walked back to Naruto, watching him as he carefully stacked the boxes on top of a scroll that Aerith had laid out on the floor in front of them, waiting for him to finish to ask.
"Do you want to head back to the bar for your bike? We can bring these back much faster if..."
"No need." Naruto grinned as he got down on one knee and placed his hand down on the floor next to the scroll, activating the sealing technique with his other hand forming a hand seal. With a sudden burst of smoke, the stack of boxes was sealed into the scroll, causing both Tifa and the shopkeeper to gasp in surprise.
"Show off." Aerith hummed with a playful smile on her face, making Naruto grin and wink at her again in response. It was only then that Tifa was able to find her voice, and asked the blond as he stood up with the scroll.
"Naruto, what did you just do? What happened to those boxes?"
"A little trick I have up my sleeve." Naruto answered, chuckling softly at the bewildered look that Tifa had on her face while tossing the scroll up and down in his hand. Seeing that she wasn't convinced, he then went on to explain while holding out the scroll in front of her "It's a technique that allows me to store objects within a scroll like this. Saves us the time and energy carrying them, you see."
Tifa blinked in amazement, looking over to Aerith to see her smiling and assuring her with a nod.
"And since I can retrieve them whenever you want by unsealing them from the scroll, you and Aerith can go straight to the shopping now, if you want." Naruto continued, hinting at the fact that they didn't have to go back to Seventh Heaven just yet, just in case Barret hadn't finished his business with Nayo and her friends.
"Really? That would be great! Thank you, Naruto!" Tifa said, making Naruto chuckle before nodding her head. Beaming at him in response with genuine appreciation, Tifa then turned her attention over to Aerith and asked her "Shall we go then?"
"Yes!"
With that, the three left the wine shop behind and headed toward the train station, buying three tickets to Midgar before finding a bench to sit together in one of the cars.
Soon, the train rumbled to life, lurching forward with a clang as it started its ascent through the tunnels leading to the upper city. Tifa and Aerith sat side by side and discussed their shopping trip heartily, leaving Naruto to occupy himself with his phone, scrolling through messages from his contacts. Some provided him with the details of the potential mercenary works that he could do, but there were also others who had been tipping him off with the latest information about Shinra. Obviously it didn't disclose any top-secret information like the projects happening in Hojo's lab, which not even Chadley was privy to know since he was only an intent researcher. But it was still beneficial to be aware of the activities taking place in other departments within the company.
After twenty minutes, the train at last came to a halt at Midgar station. The announcement of the automated conductor following the termination of the long vehicles movement signaled the end of the train ride, allowing Naruto and his two female companions to disembark from their compartment and make their way to Miss Andresa's clothing store, located only a few blocks away from the train station. Although he had never been to the place before as it was quite new, Naruto knew the clothing store was a popular topic among the young men and women in the Slums, having heard praises about the quality and styles of the outfits that the place sold. No doubt Tifa had heard about the store from her customers at Seven Heaven and decided to check the place out herself.
'I should probably get a new jacket as well.' Naruto thought to himself as he gazed down at his own clothing. The blond had never been one for fashion, but Naruto knew there were people who would go nuts over the latest trends, spending fortunes on the hottest pieces every season. Having grown up poor, he was content with wearing anything as long as it was comfortable and had a touch of orange.
Miss Andresa' clothing store was a three story building that stood out among the other small shops that filled the street. The interior was well-lit with soft, ambient lighting that highlighted the rows of mannequins dressed in elegant outfits and the racks of vibrant clothing neatly arranged throughout the space. Soft music played in the background, creating a relaxing atmosphere as customers browsed through the selection.
"Oh wow, look at them all!" Aerith let out a soft, bewildered gasp upon walking into the store and being gravitated towards a section filled with beautiful dresses, her fingers trailing over the soft fabrics as she marveled at the ones that were pink. "Tifa, what do you think?"
The brunette asked, taking a dress off the rack and putting it in front of her as she turned to her best friend. The dress was quite similar to the one that she was wearing and normally wore, albeit a bit shorter, with the skirt stopping just below her knees.
"I think it would look great on you, Aerith!" Tifa replied as she nodded her head in approval, making Aerith beam in response before she turned to Naruto, looking for the same kind of response.
"Yeah. That looks nice. You should try it on, Aerith." the blond said, making Aerith giggle softly in response before rushing off towards the changing room to try the dress on with a couple others. As Tifa browsed through her preferred style of clothing, Naruto went looking for a new jacket at the men's section, finding a black hoodie jacket with an orange exterior that looked to be just his size.
"I guess it's not hard to see what your favorite color is." Tifa remarked with a teasing smile as she approached him, holding in her arms a number of clothing that she had picked out.
Naruto looked up from the hoodie and grinned. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty obvious, huh? Orange has always been my go-to."
Tifa nodded, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "It suits you, though."
Naruto chuckled, draping the hoodie over his arm. "Thanks, Tifa. What about you? Find anything you like?"
"Just a few." Tifa held up a fitted black top and a pair of dark, form fitting jeans, which Naruto had no doubt would look great on her amazing figure. "Think I will go try these out. You should give that jacket a try too. I'm sure it would look great on you."
"You're right." Naruto grinned, taking the jacket off the rack and tried it on after taking off the one that he was wearing. As Naruto looked at himself in the nearby mirror, Tifa made her way toward the changing room, but stopped when she caught sight of a nearby mannequin wearing something interested, which Naruto couldn't help but notice and walked over to her to ask.
"You like the cowgirl outfit?" he asked, glancing at the outfit on the mannequin. It featured a cropped, sleeveless brown leather vest over a white tank top, a matching mini skirt that reached just above the knees, pair with a dark brown belt buckle, knee-high heeled boots, and completed with a cowboy hat that matched the aesthetic of the outfit.
"Believe it or not, I used to wear something like this all the time back in the day."
"Really?" Naruto asked in surprise, finding it difficult to believe and... quite random.
Though, he had to admit that it was something he would love to see.
Tifa Lockhart in a cowgirl outfit? Now that would be something else.
"You know what? Why don't you go wait over there?" Tifa suggested, pointing her hand at the seats near the changing room.
"What are you..."
Before Naruto could finish, Tifa had walked away, heading over to one of the store assistants who was talking with one of the other customers. Slightly confused, Naruto decided to do as he was asked, walking over to the seats that Tifa had pointed him to, using the nearby full body mirror to see how he looked with the new jacket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tifa disappear into the changing rooms with the outfits in the reflection, though not before she had given him a smile.
As he adjusted the jacket, checking the price tag to see how much he would have to pay, Naruto then noticed Aerith emerging from the other changing room, and turned around to look at her. What he saw caught him completely off guard, as Aerith was not wearing the pink dress she had shown him before, but a completely different outfit, and she looked absolutely stunning in it. It included a white, midriff top that highlighted her graceful neck and trimmed waistline, paired with a denim skirt that fit snugly at her hips and flared out at the hem, stopping just an inch under her midthighs. Over her top she wore her trademark red jacket, adding her own touch to the more stylish wear.
"Ah, Naruto." Aerith beamed when she noticed him and turned fully to ask, leaving the other customers, especially the young men, gawking even though their girlfriends were right next to them. "How do I look?"
Naruto couldn't help but stare, appreciating how well the outfit suited her.
"Wow, Aerith, you look amazing." The blond found himself praising finally, genuinely impressed. His compliment made the smile on her face grew even brighter than it already was.
"Thank you, Naruto. I'm thinking about getting a few more like this one. It feels so much easier to move and jump around, you know."
Naruto nodded in agreement, knowing that Aerith was referring to the monster hunting jobs that she occasionally accompanied him on. Aerith never had any trouble running or moving around in her usual dresses, but even someone who had no experience in fighting could tell that they weren't made for dodging or maneuvering around attacks from feral monsters and fiends, or even a Turk and Shinra, if they ever had to fight them again. "Yeah, practicality is key. And hey, if it looks this good too, then why not?"
"True." Aerith giggled before she gathered her other clothes "I think I will buy this one. Where's Tifa, by the way?"
"She..."
Naruto was interrupted once again, as the door of the changing room Tifa was in swung open, allowing the bartender of Seventh Heaven to emerge. If the other guys in the store had been gawking at Aerith before, they were now completely captivated at the sight of Tifa in the cowgirl attire, utterly entranced by the unexpected sight before them.
"So? What do you think?" Tifa asked as she ignored the rest and turned to Naruto, who stood there with eyes as wide as dinner plates, to strike a pose with her hands on her hips. The cowgirl attire, with the hat and all that, fitted her perfectly, even though Naruto couldn't help but notice the white tank top was especially tight around her chest, showing an ample amount of her cleavage while displaying her toned midriff.
"I... uh, I think you look amazing, Tifa." Naruto finally managed to stammer out before he felt his foot being lightly kicked by a pouting Aerith, making him turn to her but she immediately looked away with a small huff.
Tifa, on the other hand, smiled at his compliment. "Thanks, Naruto. Glad you approve." She then turned to Aerith and praised after checking the new outfit she was wearing. "Wow, Aerith. You look great."
"Thanks, Tifa." The brunette beamed, her mood going a one eighty as she skipped over to her best friend and admired her attire. "You look amazing as well, Tif. Are you going to buy this?"
After that, the two girls spent about one more hour in the clothing store, picking their new outfit and additional accessories while Naruto waited for them with his new jacket. Occasionally, he would browse any item that caught his attention, trying them out just for the fun of it and wasting time.
Eventually, Tifa and Aerith, who had changed back to their normal clothes, walked over to the shop counter with their chosen items. The shopkeeper, a young woman in her early twenties, smiled as she greeted them. "Hello! I hope you have had a good time shopping at our business? Finding everything you like?"
Tifa nodded, her excitement evident. "Oh yes, thank you! Can you tell us how much these cost?"
"Oh, you two don't have to worry about it. Your items have already been paid for in full." The shopkeeper answered with a small smile, making Aerith and Tifa gasp in surprise as the two exchanged a confused glance "Please just give me a moment to confirm your purchases and you are good to go."
"Ah... sure." Aerith nodded her head, before she leaned forward and asked "Excuse me, but... May I know who..." Even before the shopkeeper answered their question with a gesture of her hand at the bench next to the front door outside, Aerith and Tifa had already found the answer to their question, their eyes widening in realization as they spun around and looked at Naruto, who grinned and waved a hand at them in response.
Once that she had finished scanning their items, the shopkeeper swiftly put them in bags and handed it over to Tifa and Aerith, bidding them farewell as they walked out and came to stand before Naruto, who spoke up first before either girl could say anything to him.
"Before you two say anything, don't worry about it." He grinned "Consider it a token of my appreciation for all the ice creams that you two have treated me whenever we go shopping in Midgar."
"I'm not sure, Naruto... comparing these to ice creams..." Tifa said unsurely, looking at the bags in her hands and the bill she was holding in the other.
"Yeah." Aerith nodded her head in agreement, even though she had a feeling that Naruto knew she had been saving up money for this shopping trip with Tifa, and knew he probably didn't want her to spend them all "We appreciate the generosity, really, but..."
Naruto shook his head, his grin unwavering. "It's fine, Aerith. You two are my friends... well, probably my only good friends here in Midgar if we are not counting Barret and his gang. Plus, you know I have money to spare."
"If you say so..." Aerith nodded, looking at Naruto longingly with a soft smile before she decided to ask "by the way, I have been meaning to ask. Did you have a secret job that I didn't know about that pay really well? Cause no way that you can make that much money with just a few merc jobs a month."
"It's a secret." Naruto winked playfully at her, making Aerith roll her eyes at the blond before smiling, looking over to Tifa to see her doing the same.
"Alright, I'm starving. Who wants some pork noodles?"
With a final round of laughter, the trio left the area and made their way to a nearby restaurant, finding a cozy corner booth to settle into before ordering their foods. Naruto went for his favorite pork noodles, the closest to ramen that he found in Midgar, while Aerith and Tifa shared some sandwiches and pastries, eating contently while sharing the stories of their daily life to one another. As they ate, Tifa also talked with Aerith about cooking and her plan to teach the brunette how to cook, with Naruto not feeling entirely sure how it would turn out since it never ended well every time Aerith entered the kitchen, but decided to keep his opinions to himself.
As they finished their meal and left, making their way back to the train station for a train ride back to the undercity, Naruto suddenly stopped and turned slightly around to look behind him. Despite finding nothing suspicious out of the ordinary for a normal afternoon in Midgar, Naruto still turned back around and swiftly caught up to Aerith and Tifa, matching their pace to avoid arousing suspicion.
"Girls." He said, his hands reaching out to grab at their shoulders, making them look at him "How about we take a left turn into that alley over there?"
"Uhm, why?" Aerith asked in confusion.
"We're being followed." He said, causing both Aerith and Tifa to widen their eyes in response. When Tifa tried to look, Naruto held her shoulder firmly and stopped her from doing so as Aerith asked in a slightly worried voice.
"Shinra?" Her words caused Tifa to turn to her in curiosity, which was understandable since they hadn't told her that she was being targeted by the company for being an Ancient.
"Nope. Just some thugs, but they're armed." Naruto answered before leading the girls into the alley. At the same time, the thugs Naruto had talked about, the same group that Naruto and Aerith had beaten up for harassing Madame M a few weeks back, along with several others, emerged from their hiding spots and rushed into the alley, their hands bringing out their concealed weapons, which included bats, knives, and even small firearms.
"You're death, lovebirds!" One of them shouted as the whole gang charged into the dark alley, but stopped and looked around in confusion when they didn't see anyone.
Before any of them could wonder where the trio had disappeared to, Tifa suddenly jumped down from above and sent an armed thug flying with a flying kick, landing gracefully on the ground on one knee to launch herself forward and elbow another, disarming him and even taking apart his weapon before he could even react to her swift strike. A thug recovered from his shock and tried to shoot her with his pistol, but Naruto had thrown his kunai at the weapon, knocking it out of his hand before Tifa jumped at him and punched the thug hard across the face, knocking him down.
"Sorry for this, gentlemen."
Standing on the fire escape of the building on the left, Aerith said as she held up her staff and unleashed her built up magic, launching a medium sized fireball that bounced from one thug to the other, blasting them away with cries of shock and pain. By then, the rest had snapped out of their trance and rushed toward Naruto and Tifa to attack them, but the blond swiftly retaliated with powerful punches and kicks of his own, knocking out one thug after another, all the while making sure that none of them could even try to shoot at Aerith.
Tifa, meanwhile fought side by side with Naruto, matched his agility with her own, using her martial arts techniques to swiftly disarm and disable her targets before launching them away with strikes that were far too powerful for someone of her frame, leaving Naruto impressed. He knew Tifa could handle herself in a fight from the first time that they met, but the girl was proving to be even more formidable than he had anticipated.
"Ah, I remember you now." Naruto said as he blocked the strike of a thug with his kunai "You guys were the one Aerith and I beat up in Wall Market for harassing Madame M. A bit too late for a revenge arc, don't you think?"
"Fuck you, punk!" The thug cried out as he brought his weapon back to try striking Naruto again, but the blond simply leaned his body to the side, not to dodge, but to allow Tifa to dash past him and punch the poor thug in the face, knocking a tooth out and sending him soaring back. The two then dodged out of the way at the same time, as Aerith launched a ball of magic at a charging thug, knocking him away before he could even muster a cry.
The mechanical sounds of machinery then caught their attention, and the three looked up just in time to see two Shinra Sweepers, an old model if Naruto was correct with his research, jumping down and landing before them with their machine guns aimed at Naruto and Tifa. "Hah! You didn't think we come unprepared, did you?"
A thug cried out triumphantly while the others laughed and cheered. While it was common knowledge that local criminal gangs had gotten their hands on abandoned Shinra machine weaponry, how these thugs were able to sneak two Sweepers into a residential district of Midgar unnoticed was beyond him, though Naruto knew he would have time to figure that out later.
"If you girls agree to come with us, then we will just beat up your friend to a bloody pulp." Another thug said while laughing lecherously, making Tifa glare hard at him and those who joined him in his laughter while Aerith gripped tightly at her staff.
Naruto, who had devised a plan to take out those Sweepers as quickly as possible without them even having the chance to shoot at Aerith or Tifa, shifted his gaze towards the building on his left when his eyes caught a glint of yellow and saw the figure of none other than Cloud Strife running swiftly on the rooftop until he was directly above the two Sweepers, his hand at gripping readily at the handle of his Buster Sword. Exchanging a quick nod of understanding to the other blond, Naruo then turned his gaze down and took a stance with his kunai, waiting for just the moment Cloud leaped off the building and descended with his broad weapon to cry out.
"Now, Tifa!"
For a brief millisecond, Tifa didn't quite understand Naruto's signal, but when she saw Cloud coming down with his blade, slicing the arm of a Sweeper like it was butter and catching the thugs by surprise, she knew what to do. Swiftly dodging to the side to avoid a barrage of bullets being fired at her from the other Sweeper, the bartender of Seventh Heaven leaped onto the building on the right of the alley and used the wall to launch herself at the cockpit, punching it with such force that she broke through the protective layer to grab at the driver inside by his collar and yank him out as Cloud slashed as it legs, making the Sweeper tumble over to one side.
On the other side, Naruto rammed into the first Sweeper with his shoulder, knocking it back before Aerith called down a bolt of lightning to strike the machine, disabling its internal systems and leaving it incapacitated. Cloud then came in with his sword and slashed at the head, revealing the driver inside, who had a look of shock and horror on his face before Naruto knocked him out. Seeing their big guns being taken out so easily, and feeling terrified at the sight of the new arrival and his massive weapon, some thugs made a run for it, leaving the ones stupid enough to stay behind to continue unleashing their blind rage at the four, who swiftly dealt them out with little to no effort.
"You're good." Cloud said as he stood with his back to Naruto, who brought a thug down to knee him in the face and knock him back.
"You too." Naruto replied with a grin as Cloud slashed his massive blade effortlessly at the last two thugs, leaving them whimper on the ground before sheathing the weapon behind his back. "Not that I couldn't handle it but... thanks for the assist." With that, the blond offered his SOLDIER lookalike his hand, which Cloud took into his own and shook it.
"Don't mention it." Cloud nodded his head back in response before looking at Tifa, who walked up to him to ask.
"Cloud, what are you doing here in Midgar? How did you know we were in trouble?"
"I came here to deliver a package for my client when I heard the commotion. Looked like you guys could use some help so I stepped in." The Ex-SOLIDER answered before he continued "Just signed up to be a merc. It was my first job."
"A merc you say? What a coincidence because Naruto here is a merc too." Aerith stated after leaving her spot on the fire escape.
"Ah..."
"If you are looking for more jobs, I can give you the number of one of my contacts. He can help you set up with jobs that pay fairly well." Naruto offered with a grin, making Cloud look at him for a second before nodding.
"So, what are we going to do with them?" Tifa asked, looking at the men on the ground.
In response, Naruto just shrugged and brought out his phone, dialing a series of number before moving it to his ear. "Let's just call the local authority. They will know what to do."
"So, do you have a place to stay the night, Cloud?" Tifa asked, as she walked with childhood friend out of the train station of Sector 7 Slums with Naruto and Aerith walking next to them. "And before you think it's the bar, no. I am talking about an actual place to stay. The landlady of the apartment complex I'm staying at is looking for more tenants. I can introduce you to her if you want. She's very kind so you can probably negotiate the payment with her if you don't have enough money just yet."
"I will think about it. Gotta turn in the job first anyway." Cloud answered, making Tifa nod her head to him with a smile.
"Barret and the others probably finished by now. Wanna come hang out with us at the bar?" Naruto asked "Let me treat you to a drink for helping us back then."
"I..."
"I insist." Naruto grinned, hitting the ex-SOLDIER on his back as he walked on ahead with Aerith and then Tifa, leaving Cloud to ponder with his decision before following them. After a couple of minutes of traveling, the group finally returned to Seventh Heaven. Barret and Nayo were nowhere to be seen, but Jessie was still behind the bar serving drinks to the few customers the place was having.
"Tifa, can you show me to the storage room?" Naruto asked, holding out the scroll containing the boxes of wine bottles Tifa had purchased from the wine store earlier on that day.
"This way."
Tifa nodded, making Naruto follow her into the back of the bar while Aerith headed over to the counter to greet Jessie before turning back to Cloud, who walked into the bar while looking around. Smiling, the brunette then told him in an assuring tone.
"Don't worry. Barret won't be here until night time. He must have gone to pick up his daughter from school."
"I'm not..." The ex-SOLDIER said, wanting to tell her that it wasn't the reason he had looked around, but didn't finish it. Picking a table, Cloud then removed his sword from back and rested it against the wall next to him before sitting down to say "He doesn't seem too like me much."
"That's basically everyone's first impression about him." It was Jessie who answered him as she walked out from behind the bar to place the menu down on his table. "Not to mention that more than anyone here in the Slums, he hates Shinra, and you're also a SOLDIER..."
"ex-SOLDIER." Cloud corrected her.
"Does not matter much to him, actually."
"You should have seen him when we first met. He thought I was a SOLDIER too." Naruto said with a chuckle as he walked out from the back with Tifa, holding in his hands two bottles to put under the bar counter where the bartender wanted.
"Wait, you're not?"
"Nope. My eyes might have the same glow as yours, but I'm not a SOLDIER. Never worked for Shinra and probably never will." Naruto answered with a humorous chuckle before sitting down in front of Cloud across his table with Aerith taking the seat next to her friend. "Alright, order anything you like, Cloud. As much as I want to have a drink with you, I need to drive Aerith home and her mother will have my head if she knows I was drinking."
"If you insist." The ex-SOLDIER said and picked up the menu, noticing Jessie and Tifa glancing at him as they retreated behind the counter to talk about something in whispers. It seemed to be a serious matter, so he decided to leave it for later.
It was at dusk that Naruto and Aerith left, heading back to Sector 5 Slums after bidding goodbye to Tifa, Jessie and Cloud, who was also about to take his leave from the place himself when Barret, with Biggs and Wedge following him, suddenly entered the bar with a sneer on his face as he looked at Cloud.
"So we meet again." He said with a grunt.
"Can't say that I'm glad." Cloud replied simply to the statement as he stood up from his seat and picked up his sword to strap it back on his back. As he turned back and prepared to leave, the ex-SOLDIER immediately saw that Tifa and her friends were all looking at him, with Wedge urging the remaining customers of the bar to leave.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Cloud, there's something I have been meaning to ask you." Tifa began as she walked toward him, making the blond look at her puzzledly "What do you feel about Shinra now? Would you care if something bad were to happen to them?"
"Nope." Cloud answered, almost immediately much to the surprise of Barret's gang, but not the man himself as he still looked at the blond judgmentally "The thing that they have done- you have no idea, trust me. They deserve whatever they get."
He said, looking away, his tone carrying a weight in them as he remembered what had happened to him, leaving Tifa and her friends to exchange meaningful looks.
"Good. Then we are all on the same page here." Tifa nodded her head. "You see Cloud, all of us here, including myself... are members of an anti-Shinra organization called Avalanche. And I think you can be a big help to us."
"Simply put, we're interested in hiring you to help us out with a job, since you're a merc and all and don't mind sticking it to the company." Biggs explained, confirming it for the blond.
"Having an ex-SOLDIER First Class on our side would certainly make us feel a lot safer." Jessie nodded her head with a smile to Cloud, who looked between her and his childhood friend before he decided to ask in genuine curiosity.
"What about Naruto? He's a merc too, and doesn't seem like he likes Shinra much, either."
"No." It was Barret who answered the question, his tone but a serious grumble. "He's not in on this with us. That kid has much more to lose than any of us here."
"Aerith." The ex-SOLDIER found himself stating, without needing to think much about it. He could see it in the way they talked and looked at each other while sitting with him earlier... and Cloud had to admit he was a bit jealous of the bond that they seemed to have, but shook the thought off almost immediately, finding it unreasonable and even strange for himself to feel that way in the first place.
"Yes... and I would like to keep the fact that we're Avalanche from him and Aerith as well, if possible." Tifa said as she looked down at her hands, as if feeling disappointed in herself for keeping such a secret from Aerith, who she had come to see as her best friend, and Naruto "We are regarded by the public as terrorists, so..."
"How much are you guys willing to pay?" Cloud interrupted, saving his childhood friend from keeping on troubling herself with the thought.
"Don't you wanna know what we are going to do first?" Wedge suggested, making Cloud nod his head in response.
"Then go on. I'm all ears."
End of Chapter 6
Note: And that's the end of this chapter! Hope you guys have had an amazing time reading it!
Sorry for the long wait folks! This chapter took me a bit of time to finish, not to mention the issue with email notification, but IT HAS BEEN FIXED NOW! I'm so happy that the function is working properly again.
This will probably be the last chapter before the events of canon FF7 Remake start taking place. Hope that you guys have enjoyed the moments that I had for Naruto, Aerith and Tifa in this chapter. It was really fun to write and I have plans for more in the future as the main plot processes. My deepest apology for the Cissnei enjoyers because she has not been making her appearance in this story for a while now, but don't worry, it will be perfectly explained very soon.
And that will be it for now. Be sure to leave me a review once you have finished reading! This chapter was supposed to stay on my p/atreon for a LONG TIME but I was so excited about the email notification being finally fixed that I decided to send this one up earlier than planned. Even though the last chapter was updated while the issue was going on, I still got a lot of nice reviews so I was really happy as well, so be sure to keep the reviews going with this one as well!
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