It has been years since Y/n had last seen his childhood friends. Now as an adult, he returns to his homeland, only to find that his friends are tangled with megacorpation, Shinra. As Y/n joins in their crusade, things begin to spiral back at his cur...
Y/n knelt beside Tifa who was slowly coming to. She met Y/n's e/c eyes and slowly sat up. Tifa looked at their surroundings in horror. Y/n helped her to her feet and without another word, she began to walk down the broken path ahead. "Hey! Anybody there!?" Barret shouted from behind the rubble. "Barret!?" Tifa called. "I think I hear him up ahead!" The two stopped before a metal sheet. "Ready?" Y/n asked. "Push!" The two strained, but managed to push down the sheet. Tifa once again couldn't believe her eyes at the destruction left in their wake.
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"Marlene!" They heard Barret. "Marlene! Marlene! MARLENE!!! Biggs! Wedge! Jessie! Goddammit!" He cursed, his voice breaking as he fought hard to hold back his tears. "Goddamm you!" Barret began to punch the debris. "Goddamn you all!" Y/n, Cloud, and Tifa only watched in silence as Barret broke down. "Marlene... Marlene..." Tifa approached Barret and placed a hand on his back. "It was us. We did this." Her voice shook. "No. You can't think like that. Whatever came before, it was Shinra that pulled the trigger today. Am I right!?" Barret turned to Tifa who shook with anger and sadness. "...Yeah." Tears began to fall from her eyes. Barret took notice of Tifa's shaking hands and held them. "Hold on to this. This... anger. Okay?" Tifa remained still as Barret pulled her into a hug.
Y/n and Cloud looked at each other, despite the Sector 7 slums not being their home, they were still responsible for what had happened. They would do whatever they could to make things right.
"Barret." Cloud began. "Marlene's fine." "Huh?" "Aerith found her." "Aerith? Is that the girl they took?" "That'd be her." Y/n confirmed. "The hell's going on?!" "I asked Aerith to find Marlene and take her somewhere safe." Tifa informed. "And she did? You sure!?" Cloud didn't respond, but began to walk. "Hey! Where you going!?" Barret chased after the blonde.
Tifa turned to Y/n who remained looking at the debris engulfed in flames. "I'm sorry." He said. "What do you mean?" "I'm sorry for this. I can't even imagine what you must feel and... I hate that I can't think of a way to help you feel better." Tifa walked over to Y/n and took his hands. "You don't have to say anything. Just promise me that you'll always be by my side." "I promise." Tifa couldn't hold back her tears anymore and hugged Y/n tightly as she cried into his neck. Y/n hugged her back, allowing her to release all her pent up emotions.
Cloud and Barret had paused as well, looking over at the two. "As much as I hate to say it, I'm glad Y/n's here for this." Said Cloud. "Whaddya mean?" "Ever since we were little kids, Tifa was only able to express how she really felt with Y/n. Whether it was anger, happiness, sadness; it was always Y/n who would get her to draw them out. If he weren't here, I don't know how Tifa would be right now."
After a few minutes, Tifa pulled away, her eyes avoiding Y/n's eyes, however, Y/n cupped Tifa's face, causing her to tremble slightly and look deeply into his eyes. Using his thumbs, he dried away her tears. "No matter what happens, I'll be here for you." "Thank you, Y/n. I'll always be there for you too." Tifa held Y/n hand and interlocked her fingers with his. Y/n wanted to admit his feelings for her then and there, but given their current situation, he believed it wouldn't be appropriate to confess yet. Little did he know, Tifa's heart felt like it was bouncing right out of her chest, despite losing her home, the person she cares for the most is by her side. Tifa looked down onto his lips and she lost control of herself as she tried to lean in for a kiss, however Barret waved them over. "Come on y'all!" Tifa looked down in disappointment, but she was willing to wait for a better moment. A moment that would truly be theirs.
