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 7
The Destruction of Reactor 1
"Alright. Be sure to return before ten, alright?"
"Don't worry, mom! We will!"
"See you, Elmyra!"
As the door of their house shut behind them, Aerith turned to Naruto and asked him with a beaming smile, a smile that she found herself wearing whenever she looked at him.
"Well then, shall we?"
Nodding, Naruto and Aerith walked together to the small wooden garage that he had built in the nearby abandoned park to house his motorcycle, pushing the flower cart that had been filled with the flowers the brunette planned to sell that evening ahead of them. Having spent the entire day helping out at the Leaf House orphanage and hanging out with the children there, Aerith had decided to sell her flowers in the evening after they had finished dinner.
Although it wasn't the first time she had done this, Elmyra always preferred to see her daughter at home during nighttime. Even with Naruto by her side, it still didn't make her any less worried whenever Aerith made that kind of 'business decision' despite the fact that she didn't have to, which Naruto agreed with.
"Ready?"
"Off we go!" Aerith nodded her head to Naruto with her arms wrapping securely around his waist, making him smile before turning back to start driving them both out to the small, narrowed streets of Sector 5 Slums. If traffic was good, it would not take them more than ten minutes to get to the elevator that would bring them to the upper city.
Break
Cloud Strife gripped tightly at the hilt of his Buster Sword as he stood atop a car of a speeding train, keeping his gaze on its intended destination with the eyes of a hawk. His job was plain and simple; protect the Avalanche cell led by Barret Wallace as they destroyed Mako Reactor 1.
Soon, the train slowed down and pulled into the last train station of Sector 1. Upon the dark concrete platform two guards stood lazily at attention. Their uniforms and darker russet coats rustled slightly as the hot gusts of smoke passed by them. His eyes narrowed as Cloud inspected them with a closer eye, having no trouble recognizing them to be normal guards hired by Shinra for public security.
It seemed his companion was lucky that night. If any of those two guards had been among the main force of the company then this mission would be far more difficult as well as exponentially far more dangerous.
But no matter. As they would soon prove themselves to adversity for their mission and the job that he was hired to do, and he would need to take care of them quick. The moment that the metal vehicle beneath him came to a full stop, Cloud leaped off the car and descended with a swing of his blade without warning, knocking out the first guard using its broadside before he could even notice him. All that his companion could do was let out a gasp of surprise before Cloud did the same to him, hitting him with his elbow hard enough to knock him out cold and send his body flying back a few feet on the cold concrete pavement.
"Hrgnnn..."
That grunt alone was enough for Cloud to know that the leader of the group had emerged from the train, his giant visage of impatience and displeasure gave him an intimidating appearance. Behind him were the members of his group and just as Cloud had expected they all looked more excited than they were supposed to. He would rather have them keeping their heads cool and their mind focused due to the nature of their mission.
"Wow, nicely done, Cloud!" Wedge said with a huge grin as he gave Cloud a thumbs up, but the merc said nothing in response as he strapped his sword to his back and turned to Barret as the man checked on the two unconscious security guards. Cloud had no problem telling that Barret merely wanted to make sure that they would not be a problem for their missions, as he had no sympathy for Shinra and those on their payrolls.
"Let's go." With that said, the man dashed toward the door leading into the station, moving as quickly as his massively muscular body allowed him to. His group wasted no time to follow him, with Jessie lingering behind for a second to wave her hand to Cloud and beckon for him to follow them. He did, trailing a close distance behind the group as they made their way through the surprisingly empty train station, although it wasn't that surprising considering that most if not all normal passengers had departed at the station in the residential area.
"You're up, merc!" Barret spoke to Cloud as he and his group took cover behind a brick wall, his head gesturing to the two Shinra troopers currently patrolling the station. Without needing to say a word, Cloud dashed forward with his weapon at the ready, and in one swift motion, he dispatched the first trooper with a powerful strike.
The second trooper barely had time to react before Cloud knocked him out with a quick, precise blow. A third trooper who just emerged from the bathroom saw this and immediately open-fired on Cloud, but the ex-SOLDIER skillfully blocked all the incoming projectile with his blade before throwing himself at the Shinra trooper, knee-first, the moment that he ran out of ammo. The force of the blow was hard enough to send him crashing back into the bathroom with the door bending inwards and falling off its post.
"Woah."
"Let's hurry before more comes. Those gunshots will surely draw attention." Biggs spoke to his friend before they both followed Barret and Jessie as the group continued to make their way out of the train station. Securing the area, the group took points and waited for Jessie as she worked on the security panel of a nearby gate, her fingers flying over the keys as she hacked into the system to open the gate of a shortcut to the Reactor.
"Talk about being a SOLDIER. He handled the situation quickly." Jessie said as she looked at Cloud, who was calmly inspecting the area with his hand staying the hilt of his weapon.
"Not anymore, he is." Biggs said as he got down on one knee and helped Jessie with the security panel "Still, he's a professional – unlike the rest of us. I'm glad Tifa hired him to help us. Makes this a lot easier."
As his friend finished saying that, Wedge gave Cloud a thumbs up and a huge grin, but the ex-SOLDIER merely let out a sigh before speaking to him.
"Don't get too comfortable. This is merely a gig. When it's done, we're done." The smile that Wedge had on his face immediately dropped upon hearing that, while Jessie and Biggs could only look at each other. They really shouldn't have expected anything less from a guy with such a cold front.
"Really a joy to work with though."
"Real joy to look at too."
"Oh, here we go again."
"C'mon, nobody would do something this crazy just for money." Wedge continued as he spoke to Cloud, who just gave him a look. "You said yesterday you wanted to give it to Shinra, right? They may not think you are a true believer, but you know what I think?"
"Not interested." The ex-SOLDIER answered in monotone, making Wedge drop his jaws in surprise.
"Stay focused, people." Barret said as he shoved past Cloud to check on Jessie and Biggs "How it's looking?"
"It's done." Jessie announced as she pressed a button and opened the gate for them, allowing Mako Reactor 1 to come into their view. The giant cylindrical metal tube emitted greenish white fumes as they all gazed at it, filling the night sky with a teeming cloud. It certainly wasn't the prettiest sight, and far from being pleasant to look at for those like Barret Wallace.
"That's our target." Barret said calmly as his group went on ahead. The man was about to follow, but stopped suddenly to turn back to look at Cloud and speak to him "You'd better be worth the money, merc. Every last Gil."
Cloud merely let out a breath and followed Barret as the man ran off ahead of him, catching up to the rest of the group. Trailing behind Avalanche, Cloud gazed up at the reactor. Its massive structure dominated the area, obscuring the sky from where he was standing. The Shinra insignia stamped boldly across its side, a reminder to Cloud of what they had done to him.
Bringing his gaze back down, Cloud then jogged into the complex with Barret, arriving in a sizable room with an elevator to the upper level of the area. It was largely empty aside from an abandoned guard desk, with bulky gray piping running along the sides of the walls, thrumming loudly as Mako flowed within. In the center a group of Shinra troopers stood with their guard dogs, which immediately sniffed the scent of the intruders and alerted their masters.
"HALT!" A guard shouted as he turned the barrel of his gun to Barret, but the man was even quicker with his gun-arm, its cylinder whirling at maximum speed as a barrage of bullets were unleashed upon the troopers and their carnie companions, dangerous feral beasts that were enhanced by Mako. Cloud dashed forward with his own weapon, whirling through the projectiles being fired at him while trusting that Barret would not miss his shots despite currently going full blazing and took out the first guard with a powerful strike. His dog lunged at him from the side, but Barret was quick to mow it down before it could reach him, allowing Cloud to continue advancing forward, his Buster sword a faint silver whirlwind of steel as he cut down one trooper after the other until the last had fallen at his feet.
"All clear." Cloud said, looking unfazed as he sheathed his sword behind his back. Barret merely grunted and nodded his head, reloading his weapon before the rest of the group removed themselves from their cover to walk toward the elevator, with Jessie wasting no time to reach the control panel and start hacking.
While she worked, Barret turned to Cloud and addressed him.
"SOLDIERSs may attack on command, but I hear these days you guys make good guard dogs too." The man said when Cloud walked past him, making him come to a stop "So how do we get to the bridge above mako storage?"
"Hah..." Cloud merely let out a sigh as Barret asked him that question. Of course he had been to a Mako Reactor before, and obviously he had been on guard duty for the place more than once, but knowing the in and out of a reactor was never in his job description. He was a SOLDIER first class. It was his job to protect the place from outside threats like the same group that he was working with right now, not doing work for it inside.
Barret, meanwhile, impatiently mistook his silence for dismissiveness.
"Stamp scared to bite the hand that fed him?" He asked in displeasure, his tone rising with every word "Or is he a loyal little doggy!? Have it your way, mutt. Tifa vouched for you, but we can do this with you, or we can do this without you!"
"Tch... different reactor, different layout. Depends where and when it was built." Cloud answered Barret finally as he tossed a man a look from over the shoulder. "Never seen one like this, but I'll manage."
"And you better, merc." Barret said, and it was then that Jessie finished hacking the door. The panel gave a soft beep and clicked as the light diode on the secure doorway changed from red to green, making Barret nod his head in satisfaction before giving out the command "Wedge, you stay here and watch the door for us. The rest of you, follow me."
"Good luck, you guys!" Wedge called after the group after they had entered the elevator, reaching the inner area of the Reactor after a few seconds of waiting. A hallway opened up into the outside after a couple feet. Catwalks and rails laid out before them, and below was a great chasm leading down to a pool of swirling greenish liquid.
"So that is Mako..."
Jessie murmured as she leaned over the catwalk to look down and see the full extent of the reactor's roots, her fingers and knuckles turning white as she gripped tightly at the railing. The metal sides shifted into hard, brown earth the further down his gaze traveled. The reactor went deep underground, so deep that it would have been impossible to even see the bottom of the chasm if the pool of Mako was not glowing its signature color while swirling about slowly.
"Woah!" Letting loose a small gasp, Jessie stood back from the edge when a cloud of green smoke shot up into the air close to her. "You don't get Mako poisoning from this stuff, right?"
"No. It's processed Mako. It's not as dangerous as the actual stuff, which should be in the lowest floor. Just try to not breath it in directly." Cloud answered calmly as the group traveled the path, allowing Jessie to let out a smile of relief before following them. The catwalk to the right was where they needed to go, as it led to the innermost area of the sector.
Before she could get past Cloud to take position at the control panel, a gloved hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder. Halted in her tracks, Jessie turned her head over to the merc and looked at him in confusion, but Cloud simply made a gesture with his head at the area in front of them, where a group of patrols in scarlet coats were walking away from them into the room across the way.
"SOLDIERs. Third and second classes." Cloud informed them, making Jessie immediately cover her hands over her mouth when the guards walked past them and strode casually away from her and the rest of the group, their conversation lively but unable to be heard clearly over the loud pumping sounds of the reactor nearby. She knew exactly how dangerous SOLDIERs were compared to the groups of troopers and guards they had encountered earlier.
A few tense moments passed and finally, once the guards had turned down a hallway far ahead of them and vanished out of sight, Cloud stepped out of their cover and motioned for Barret forward. Nodding with a grumble, Barret moved up the line, with Wedge and Jessie wasting no time to join him, heading over to the control panel to unlock it.
"This doesn't feel right." The ex-SOLDIER blurted out as he and Barret waited for Jessie and Wedge to finish their works "Security is spread too thin, and how could the hacking not have set off any alarms?"
Barret gave Cloud a small grin.
"That's why we're bombing this reactor. Intel from HQ showed their maintenance has gone to shit in recent months, which is why they needed the mechanical supplies in that train we hijacked earlier." Cloud only looked at him. That would explain the system not being set off, but it should be far from the main reasons why the Reactor was so poorly guarded.
Nodding his head in understanding, Cloud looked away and waited for Jessie to open the door, which happened only a couple of minutes later. With Biggs staying behind to keep watch, Cloud, Barret and Jessie moved on ahead, entering an elevator that took them down to the lower floor of the reactor. The small compartment was dimly lit, with barely enough light to see. The stainless steel walls seemed to isolate and reinforce the fact that they were unwelcome.
"You know... the sole purpose of this pump is to drain the planet dry." Barret said while walking back and forth "While you sleep, while you eat, while you shit- it's here, sucking up Mako! It doesn't feel, and it doesn't care! You do realize what Mako is, don't you?"
As he asked them that question, Cloud merely glanced over to Jessie and saw her shrugging her shoulders back at him in response.
Barret, meanwhile, ignored their silence and continued on with his speech.
"Mako is the lifeblood of our world. The planet bleeds green, like you and me bleed red! The hell you think is gonna happen when it's all gone huh!? Answer me!" The man demanded dramatically as he looked at Cloud, moving one hand to his ear as if listening to something besides the sounds of the elevator operating "You gonna stand there and pretend you can't hear the planet crying out in pain? I know you can!"
Barret finished with a finger pointing at Cloud, who remained indifferent the entire time as he gazed plainly back at the leader of the Avalanche cell.
"You really hear that?" Cloud finally asked, his tone remaining unchanged.
"Damn straight I do!" Barret replied with a wide grin as he hit his chest with his own fist.
"Get help." The ex-SOLDIER replied blankly back, and next to him, even Jessie had a puzzled look on her face as she looked at her leader.
"Say that again!" Barret grumbled as he walked toward Cloud and towered over him, trying to be intimidating but Cloud wasn't having any of it. Their conversation was interrupted, however, when the elevator came to a sudden stop, with a sound announcing their arrival to the lowest level of the Reactor.
"I'd worry less about the planet and more about the next five seconds. Save the screaming for later." Cloud finished, and even though Barret looked like he wanted to say something in return, he had to agree with the blond on the matter.
Exiting the elevator, the trio crossed over an area that was heavily guarded by laser traps and turrets, all of which Barret took out swiftly with his gun arms. The sounds of gun blazing alerted the troopers and guards patrolling the floor, but the moment that they arrived to handle the situation Cloud was there to deal with each and every single one of them with Jessie assisting him.
Eventually, they arrived at a massive steel door separating them from the control room. There were only two troopers guarding the structure, and they were quickly dealt with by both Barret and Cloud, who slammed their fists directly over their helmets, rendering both men unconscious.
"Lead on, merc."
Nodding to Barret, Cloud walked forward and hit the pulsing green button in the center of the door. The sound of groaning steel came to them as the gears in the door turned, opening it inch by inch, spilling an eerie green light into the hallway that grew as the door rose.
"That's our target. The reactor core." Jessie said as she leaned over the railing and looked at the machine at the bottom of the room. "We gotta head down and set the bomb there. If my calculation is correct, it should destroy this room without blowing up the entire reactor."
After that, the group wasted little time to descend the metal stairs, the hum of the reactor growing louder and louder the lower they were. The Reactor Core loomed before them, pulsating with raw Mako that were harvested directly from the planet
"Hold up." Barret held out a hand to stop Jessie before she could head up and set up the bomb, making her turn around to look at him in confusion "Let's see if the little Stamp really bites the hands that feed..."
With that said, he took the bomb from Jessie and held it out to Cloud "Do the honors. Prove to me you are the man Tifa says you are. That you're one of us."
"Never said I was. I'm just here for the paycheck."
Barret hung his jaw in surprise as he listened to the mercenary before gritting his teeth and letting out a growl of frustration "Then do then damn job!"
"Fine."
Scoffing a little in displeasure, the blond walked forward and took the bomb from Barret, who watched him closely to make sure that he would not rig the device as he set it up on the control panel. As he worked, Cloud could feel a strange ringing in his head, which led his vision to flicker a little. It was swift, but he could have sworn a black feather falling down the floor next to him before fading away.
"Done."
Cloud announced as he turned back to tell Barret, who smirked in satisfaction as the mercenary activated the timer, which was set to 20 minutes.
"You know... I think Cloud is right. Shouldn't this place be the most guarded area of the reactor?"
Jessie asked while following behind Barret and Cloud as the two hurried off, but before any of them could answer her, a new sound reached them. Heavy clanking of metal on metal that drowned out the background noise of shrill whistles and the rumble of the reactor.
Immediately, Cloud reached for the hilt of his weapon and looked up just as a sinister green and red light descended upon them. Reacting quickly, he dove at Jessie and got them both out of harm's way with Barret doing the same on the other side, avoiding the slam that sent out a thundering clang across the chamber.
"Find cover!" Cloud told Jessie as he got up with his weapon at the ready. Not needing to be told twice, the brunette hurried off as the mercenary turned to face what looked to be a robotic scorpion, multiplied in size to be five times the mass of Barret. Where normal eyes would be, rays of pale emerald and scarlet danced as they moved across the room. An enormous tail stretched out behind it, waving and crackling with electricity. Six powerful legs sprouted from both sides of its black steel carapace, holding it resolutely in the air.
"What the hell!?" Barret cried out just as the robotic scorpion slammed its legs down, generating an electric shockwave that sent him flying. Cloud, who used his blade to block the attack, remained firm on his feet before he dashed at the machine to avert its attention from the man, allowing him to get back up on his feet and start unloading his arsenal on the weapon "How do we take this thing down!?"
"It's got reinforced armor plating... but the internals can be overloaded!" Cloud shouted out as he blocked a leg with his blade before knocking it back with all of his might, causing the Scorpion sentinel to stumble back but immediately regained its balance. It then swung its claws at Cloud, but the ex-SOLDIER swiftly dodged both of them, flipping left and right before slashing at its tail when it tried to squat him away with it "Lightning magic!"
"Then allow me!"
With that said, Barret activated the power of his Materia, which sent a surge of energy through his body before gathering at the palm of his hand. With a cry, the man threw it out before him and at the Scorpion sentinel, launching a bolt of lightning directly at its midsection. The machine let out a mechanical sound as it system overloaded, giving Cloud an opening to descend and swing his massive blade downward with all of his might
The scorpion recoiled at the blow, skittering to one side with astonishing speed. The left pincer fell to one side, askew and unresponsive. An enormous gouge was visible where the joint connecting it to the body used to be, sparks flying from the revealed wires and mechanical parts.
However, it didn't take it long for the scorpion to start moving again, creating a deafening metal clang with each step of its six legs; several metal sheets were punctured by the spindly appendages. It unleashed a barrage of bullets at both Barret and Cloud with its remaining claw, but the two both reacted before it could do so and ducked to the sides to avoid being filled with leads.
Ready his weapon, Cloud whipped his blade forward in a blur. A crackling bolt of blue and white energy coruscated and danced on the blade as the Lightning Materia he had prepared ahead flared to life, generating a massive wave of electricity that Cloud sent out in a crescent shaped wave that crashed directly into the scorpion. The robot recoiled once more, the electrical discharge sparking wildly on the monster's armor plates as its system was once again overloaded.
Barret wasted no time to open fire on the immobilized sentinel as its system failed to reboot in time, hitting it with a wave of bullets. As Cloud dashed in to slash at its legs, causing it stumble down as two of the six armored limbs were removed, Barret clicked another hidden button on his weapon, setting it into higher gear. An enormous amount of crackling energy began to gather in front of the barrel of his gun, increasing in size until it was the size of a basketball.
"Now!" Cloud shouted as he leaped into the air and slashed at its tail before it could fire its own beam at Barret, who let out a battle cry as he fired his weapon.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
The orb of energy released from Barret's weapon shot forward like a comet, striking the center of the Scorpion Sentinel with a force that made the entire chamber rumble. As the machine crashed heavily into the nearby wall, Cloud leaped toward it and stabbed his blade into its exposed eye before twisting the weapon to one side and activating his Lightning Materia once again, frying every circuit within its body.
"It's done!" Cloud said as he planted a foot on the neutralized Sentinel and launched himself into the air to return to the main platform, landing in front of Barret as Jessie regrouped with them while the robotic scorpion fell into the pool of Mako with a loud splash.
"Nice work, merc. Gotta give that to you." Barret said as Jessie beamed at the blond with her cheeks resting on her clasped hands.
"My hero!'
"Let's get out of here." Ignoring the remark, Cloud quickly reminded the two with the timer of the bomb ticked down to 16 minutes. Without wasting anymore time, the group departed from the floor, hurrying their way into the elevator that was now flooded with security measures that had been set on full alert after all the commotion.
"I know we have time to spare, but don't hold back! The sooner we get the hell out of here and regroup with Biggs and Wedge, the better!" Barret cried out as he filled a medium sized sentinel with holes, leaving Cloud to cut down the Monodrive guards, octopus-like machines that floated in the air and immobilized their targets with high electric currents.
"Relax, boss. We got this..." Before Jessie could finish, the sounds of alarms and distant explosions echoed through the facility. The atmosphere became thick with tension as normal lights were turned off and red light was switched on, leaving the brunette speechless. "What was that?"
"Could be the scorpion exploding." Cloud replied when he heard the nervousness in her tone, probably thinking that her bomb had exploded. Still, despite saying that, Cloud wasn't entirely sure himself. Those explosions just then didn't feel like it was caused by their bomb, but other than the robotic scorpion they had taken down he couldn't think of anything else.
"Run, fools!" Barret shouted to them as he moved out of the elevator, regrouping with Biggs who also had a look of surprise on his face when they heard the sound of another series of explosions. Wedge was the last to group up with them, and together the group ran as fast as they could carry them out of the facility as metal structures started collapsing with all the rumblings that had been occurring.
"This place is in need of maintenance, alright." Cloud remarked as he avoided a falling steel beam, slashing it with his sword before it could fall down his head. Barret just scoffed in response and kept running, leaping over gaps with Wedge and Biggs right behind him. Cloud was swift on his feet, skipping and jumping over the largest of gaps with relative ease. Jessie followed his lead, but she was not as successful, losing her footing when a sudden explosion that caused the entire Reactor to shake occurred, leading her to fail her jump.
Luckily, Jessie was able to grab onto the edge of the platform, her fingers gripping tightly as she dangled precariously over the abyss below. "Help!" She cried out, her voice filled with panic, but Biggs and Wedge were both too far ahead.
Just the moment she was about to lose her grip, Cloud skidded to a halt and sprinted right back to her, his hand reaching down to grab her wrist before she could fall down. "I've got you."
With a swift pull, he hauled Jessie back up onto the platform, allowing the brunette to let out a long sigh of relief before she turned to him once again to exclaim.
"My hero!"
"Come on. Let's keep moving!" Cloud told her with a gesture of his head toward the direction Barret and the others had run off to as another explosion rocked the facility. Nodding, Jessie hurriedly followed the blonde haired merc, navigating through the crumbling structure with urgency. Behind them the catwalk fully collapsed, sending shards of metal fading into the dark emerald depths below.
Looking over her shoulder as they entered the sewer system underneath the Reactor, Jessie's eyes reflected as the world was enveloped in flame just before Cloud managed to slam the door shut to stop the shockwave from getting to them. The gray lifeless reactor belched jade smoke was no longer, and instead a gigantic sparking fireball rose ominously into the sky, appearing to envelop the world in its dark orange light.
Break
It happened far too quickly for Aerith to truly grasp the situation. One minute she was selling her flowers with Kurama, who was sitting idly in her cart munching on a treat that was given to him by one of her customers, while Naruto was standing just a few feet away messing around with the scanning device Chadley had given him, using it to scan a stray dog. She had almost finished selling her flowers, and was now only down to the last few dozen. It really had been a good idea to get a wagon so she could sell more.
Then, it happened. The large Mako reactor in Sector 1 had gone up in a gout of flames, exploding and sending a spray of fire and brimstone onto the city below. Large chunks of metal debris had plummeted into the street, destroying buildings and scattering people left and right.
Following that had been the shock wave, a large blast of hot air that seared the skin and knocked many of the civilians flat. Aerith was fortunate because the area where she was selling her flowers was quite far away from the Reactor, but the explosion still shocked her and everyone nearby, including Naruto himself who immediately snapped his head over to the giant cloud of flame erupting into the air while several citizens started running away from the area in panic.
"Kurama, stay here with Aerith! I'll be right back."
"Be careful, Naruto!" Aerith shouted after Naruto as she exchanged a look with his fox summon. The brunette already knew what he would do so she didn't try to stop him as he leaped onto the rooftop of a nearby building and used it to start making his way toward the exploded Reactor. Naruto had a heroic streak a mile wide. If something happened that threatened the safety of those he deemed innocent then he would not rest until he had done everything he could to help.
"Hey, you wanna go closer and see what's going on as well? Maybe someone can use our help." Aerith asked her little fox companion, who nodded his head back at her in response.
"Alright." With the confirmation from the nine tailed fox, Aerith pushed the cart down the streets of Midgar toward the direction of the Reactor. The area was almost abandoned now, with only a few people still around. Some continued to remain behind to help their friends, but the rest were just running about every which way in a state of panic.
The closer they got to the reactor, which was still burning a column of flame into the sky, the more debris and large metal structures that had fallen from the sky when the Reactor had exploded they encountered. They laid in the street, some sticking straight up from where they had indented deep into the roadside, others had landed on top of the various buildings in the street.
At the same time, Mako Reactor 1 was no more. The entire top half of the structure was missing, large portions of the towering monstrosity of Shinra still had smoke rising into the sky, a large billowing cloud of it that had taken the shape of a mushroom head.
Among the rubble lay the broken bodies, people who had been trampled in the wake of the chaos the explosion had caused. Aerith lent them her aids as much as she could, using her healing power to at least help them recover somewhat before proper medical treatments arrived. Still, there were so many of them that there was little that she could do to improve the whole situation. Aerith wasn't someone who would be stunned by the sight of dead bodies, but it was her first time seeing them in such quantities.
Aerith prayed that whatever that had caused the explosion, it had been a malfunction in the Reactor and not a deliberate act by someone who had grudges against Shinra. As a Cetra, she didn't approve of the act of taking the life energy of the planet for personal gains, but the amount of innocent people that had been killed was catastrophic. Just on this street alone Aerith could see at least a dozen bodies of people who had been trampled to death in the aftermath of the incident alone, and who knew how many had actually been killed by getting crushed by falling debris.
With a sigh, Aerith's eyes lit up when she caught the sight of a familiar spiky blond hair. The brunette quickly moved over to him. If it were not for the massive broadsword that he carried behind his back, then for sure she would have mistaken him for her friend.
"Cloud, hey!" Aerith shouted to the blond, who then turned to her when he heard his name being addressed.
"Aerith?" Cloud asked in surprise as he turned to her "What are you doing here?"
"I can ask you the same thing, you know." The ancient answered before she noticed Cloud turning his gaze to her flower cart and Kurama sitting inside, pausing momentarily at the strange looking fox summoning before back at her, expecting the answer to his question "And I was selling flowers before... you know..."
Aerith said, her voice trailing off a little as she looked at what remained of Reactor 1.
"You sell flowers?" Cloud asked in surprise before his eyes widened in realization "So the flowers at Seventh Heaven..."
"Oh, that's right. Tifa got them from me." Aerith nodded her head in confirmation before she asked "So, do you know what happened to the Reactor? Looks like it blew up."
"No, sorry." Cloud shook his head and answered in response, leaving Aerith to frown in disappointment before he told her "You should not be here Aerith. Where is Na..."
Before Cloud could finish asking where her companion was, Aerith suddenly stepped back in surprise and started moving her arms around, as if to push away whatever that was bothering her but only she could see.
"Aerith, get back!?"
Kurama shouted as he leaped out of his seat, the sound of the fox talking caused Cloud to look at him in surprise. Before he could say anything, the ex-SOLDIER was stunned even further when the fox suddenly busted into golden flame and landed in front of Aerith several times larger than he was before, being about three times the size of a Shinra guard dog.
"What are these creatures!?" Kurama growled while standing protectively in front of Aerith, with nine flowing tails moving behind him like flame as he bore his fangs at the smokey hooded cloaks that were flying around them in circles. Noticing the confused look that Cloud had on his face as he observed him and Aerith, Kurama turned his attention to him as he hit away a cloak before asking. "You! Can you not see them?"
"See what?" Cloud asked in confusion, but he could not ask more as a troop of Shinra soldiers suddenly appeared behind a corner and ran at him.
"You there! Drop your weapon!" The leader demanded as he and troops pointed their firearms at the blond, who immediately brought out the Buster Sword to defend himself.
"They can't see these creatures either?" Kurama pondered out loud as one of the cloaks circled around the leader, who didn't even flinch or react like he knew it existed. Making a quick decision, Kurama then turned to Aerith and spoke to her as he lowered himself down a little "Aerith, get on my back. Let's get out of here."
"But what about..."
"Do as he says. I will be fine here." Cloud answered before Aerith could finish, making the brunette nod her head to him before climbing on Kurama's back, sitting with her hands gripping tightly at the fur around his neck. Without wasting any more time, the nine tailed fox sprang forward, his powerful legs propelling himself and Aerith into the air and down the street before the troops could even open fire on them with the cloak creatures chasing after them for a good distance before they suddenly stopped, blocking the path as if to make sure that they would not try to come back to the area.
"Sword on the ground, right now!" The Shinra captain demanded one more, but Cloud merely turned his attention over to him with his weapon at the ready.
Seeing that he would not do as they wanted him, the troops opened fire upon him, but Cloud was far quicker. He dashed forward, using his Buster Sword to deflect the incoming bullets. Within a second, he was upon the first soldier, knocking the firearm out of his hands with a powerful swipe before cutting him down with a swift strike before quickly moving on to his next target, knocking him out with a kick across the head.
The other soldiers hesitated, their resolve wavering as they witnessed the prowess of the ex-SOLDIER. Taking advantage of their hesitation, Cloud spun around and slashed his Buster Sword in a wide arc, forcing them to scatter and giving him the space to launch a fireball at them using the Fire Materia in the other slot of his weapon. Those who were not caught in the blast dove for cover, and Cloud took the opportunity to dash forward again, closing the distance to the remaining troops.
With a series of rapid strikes, the blond merc disabled the remaining soldiers, knocking their weapons away before ensuring that they would no longer pose a threat to him. The last one didn't even have the time to reload his gun as Cloud wasted no time to close in on him, slashing his sword upward and cleaving the firearm in two before delivering a powerful kick that sent him sprawling.
Strapping his sword to his back, Cloud looked around and assessed the situation. This Shinra troop was down, but the streets were filled with a whole lot more, and the chopper above was still circling, its spotlight sweeping the area as it searched for Avalanche. The sounds of soldiers shouting orders and scouting the area was directly in front of him, giving Cloud no choice but to prepare for another fight.
Bringing out the Buster Sword once more, Cloud dashed into the plaza, catching the Shinra troopers guarding the place by surprise as he cut down the first few. The chopper's spotlight was immediately upon him, momentarily blinding Cloud but the ex-SOLDIER was quick to dive out of it to regain his field of vision. His next target didn't even have time to react before Cloud's blade sliced through his weapon and armor, leaving him collapsed on the ground as he moved onto the next.
The two shock troopers that ran at him were incredibly quick on their feet and even faster with their gauntlets, but Cloud was even faster than them. After parrying their strikes, Cloud changed his stance and started slashing violently at them, giving them no time to recover their footing before knocking the first one away with a straight punch in the gut and launching a fireball at the other, effectively neutralizing the two. More troopers appeared and started firing at him, with the helicopter overhead starting to open fire upon the blond, who had no choice but to retreat toward a ladder that would take him to the rooftops.
Unfortunately for the blond, the trooper on the helicopter anticipated his move and fired a rocket at the ladder, causing it to explode before Cloud could reach the top. Gritting his teeth, Cloud put both of his feet on the side rail to launch himself up, his hand reaching for the ledge that he wasn't entirely sure he would be able to reach with bullets firing at him from every direction.
"Got you!"
Fortunately for him, a familiar figure appeared on the rooftop and grabbed his arm. Half of his face was hidden behind a black bandana, but the spiky blonde hair peeking from under the hood of his jacket and the eyes that resembled those of a soldier were unmistakable.
"Naruto." Cloud acknowledged the fellow blond as he was swiftly pulled onto the rooftop, where he then turned back to see Naruto throwing a massive Shuriken like weapon at the tail rotor of the helicopter training on them. The rotor shattered and exploded, sending the chopper into a wild spin. The pilot struggled to regain control, but his effort was in vain. The helicopter veered off course and crashed into a nearby building in a fiery explosion.
"That should buy us some openings. This way." Naruto spoke from under his bandana, making Cloud nod his head to him in understanding before following the other blond as he swiftly moved across the rooftops until he reached the fire escape of a nearby building that would take them down to a fairly empty area on the street. "Hold!"
Holding out his hand, Naruto stopped Cloud from advancing, hiding in the shadow of an alley as a unit of SOLDIERs marched past them, with heavy Shinra armored machinery following closely behind.
"That's a lot of firepower." Naruto chuckled as he and Cloud waited for the machines to pass "Barret and the others are fine, by the way. They made it out."
"You saw them?"
"Yeah, I caught sight of you guys earlier near the Reactor when I checked around the area. Wasn't that difficult to figure out what you guys were doing there." Naruto turned him and pulled down his bandana to speak to the blond, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow "And don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I take that Avalanche hired you to get them safely into the Reactor?"
"They did." Cloud nodded his head, before telling the blond something that had been in his mind from the moment that Naruto helped him "I met Aerith earlier."
"You did? Was she okay?" Naruto asked, and it wasn't that difficult for Cloud to hear the worries in his tone.
"She was." Cloud nodded his head and answered in assurance, allowing Naruto to breath out a sigh of relief that even he didn't know he was holding. He knew that she would be safe with Kurama, but it was hard for him to not get worried with all the chaos happening around them.
He probably should have left a clone behind to watch over her as well.
"The fox she was with got her away. They seemed to be... chased by some kind of invisible enemies."
"The what now?" Naruto asked in surprise. Now that was the first.
"Beat me. I couldn't see them to help, but Aerith and the fox seemed to be able to see them. He seemed to have fended them off before carrying Aerith away before Shinra got to her... well, me, but you get the idea."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding as Cloud answered him, making a mental note to ask the two about them later once they got home.
"I think it's clear. Come on." Naruto said and signaled for Cloud to follow him, and together the two blond ran down the streets of Sector 1, stealthily avoiding every checkpoint that Shinra had set up around the area. As they moved from one spot to the other, Cloud could tell that his companion was extremely skilled in the art of staying hidden and out of sight, far more than he had expected him to be after acknowledging how swift and quiet he moved.
"So I take that you guys are responsible for the explosion." Naruto spoke up as he stood in front of Cloud, the two of them once again hiding in the alley for another Shinra troop to pass. "Not gonna lie, that's some hardcore protesting."
"It's not my business. They hired me to get them in. I did..." Cloud answered firmly, and Naruto responded simply by holding up his hand and shrugging his shoulders. He knew better than judging Cloud for doing what he was paid to do as a mercenary who clearly had no more love for Shinra.
"Something troubling you?" Naruto then asked when he turned back and noticed the puzzled look that Cloud had on his face.
"Nothing, it's just... we heard explosions before the bomb went off." Cloud paused momentarily before making the choice to tell Naruto what was in his mind. "We fought a sentinel before setting up the bomb, but it fell into Mako without exploding. Jessie also said she made the bomb just strong enough to blow up the core, but that explosion just then was..."
"Catastrophic." Naruto nodded his head once again to the other blond in understanding as the two of them exchanged a look "You know, Aerith and I had some encounters with the elite forces of Shinra themselves, but never before have I seen them mobilizing so many troops in such a short amount of time. It's as if..."
"They are fully ready for Avalanche." Cloud finished the sentence. "Those explosions that we heard, it could be..."
"Their own doing. They blew up the entire place themselves and framed Avalanche for the destruction and casualties." Naruto said "Not a bad way to gain public recognition and leverage for whatever else that they are intending to do. We're clear now. C'mon, your exit point should just be right around this corner. We should be right on time as well."
With Naruto leading the way, the two blonds emerged from the alley into a larger, open space, arriving at a bridge overlooking a railroad that cut through Sector 1. The railways stretched off into the distance, glinting in the dim light of the street lamps.
"That's your ride out of here." Naruto said when they heard the sounds of the rapidly approaching train. "You still at Sector 7? I probably will drop by tomorrow with Aerith so she can hang out with Tifa. I still owe you the phone number of that person who can set you up with more mercenary jobs."
"I will be around." Cloud nodded his head as he prepared to leap off the bridge "My job with Avalanche is done though, so once I got my payment from them I will leave.."
"I will keep that in mind." Naruto said before shaking hands with Cloud, the two blonds nodding their heads to each other in acknowledgement before the ex-SOLDIER jumped off the bridge to land gratefully on the middle car of the speeding train, having no problem gaining his footing despite the speed that it was moving.
Swiftly, Naruto departed before any Shinra troop could notice him, leaving behind only a swirl of leaves as he disappeared from the area.
End of chapter 7
Note: And that is the end of this chapter folks! Sorry for taking this long to send this one out!
So yeah, I hope that you guys have had an amazing time reading this chapter! Took me a while to finish it as I need to recreate the Reactor Bombing scene from Remake! It was really fun though.
Well, that will be it. Not much else I wanna say for this chapter. As always, be sure to leave me a review once you have finished reading! All new chapters and updates are always available much earlier on my p/atreon than here, 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.
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