I Never Let Her Die! (Aerith x Male Gamer Reader)

Disk 02: Chapter 13: Return to Cosmo Canyon

Two hours after Aerith had calmed Barrett down Tifa's PHS phone rang again. "Teef, this is Cloud. We're on the surface, but Cid wasn't able to manage a safe landing near Rocket Town. We're gonna need a pick-up."

"We're on our way now." Tifa answered. "Where are you?"

"Floating in the ocean three hundred miles southeast of Kalm."

"Alright, we'll be there soon." Tifa hung up and looked at the rest of us. "Alright, let's move."

"Hold, for a moment." Vincent said. "We have an opportunity to handle two issues at once; Highwind will be flying past the Junon area anyway, in route to the landing site. We should land long enough for some of us to transfer to the submarine and recover the third Huge Materia while the rest proceed with the pick-up."

"But Cloud and Cid are both in the pod." Yuffie argued. "Who would pilot the thing?"

"Reno is trained in submarine control." Tseng said.

"Trained? I'm not just trained, yo. I graduated top in my class."

Everyone from Avalanche exchanged uncertain glances. Finally I said "Look, it seems like we're gonna have to give them a chance sooner or later. I'm good with it."

"You be one goin' with him too." Barrett said.

"I know, someone's gotta work the sonar controls."

Tifa said "How's this then? Y/N, Aerith, and Vincent go with Reno. Take Tseng too. Red, Barrett, Yuffie and I will take Rude and Elena with us and collect our friends, then meet you back at the submarine dock..."

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Several hours later, I stood next to Aerith on the upper hull of the submarine, watching as Highwind vanished over the horizon. "Is it surreal to you to be trusting Reno?" I asked.

"Reno yes. Tseng not so much... Certainly not how I expected things to go."

"Me either." I admitted.

Reno popped his head out of the hatch. "You two comin' yo?"

"Yeah, we're coming now." I said. We followed Reno inside and sealed the hatch, then joined the rest of our team on the sub's bridge, where Reno was already activating the engines and moving out. Tseng was seated at the weapons control panel, and both of them were under sharp observation from Vincent.

"Alright, what's our target coordinates?" Reno asked as I settled into the sonar control seat.

"Cid programmed the coordinates of the wreck into the system before we left." I said. Consulting the tattered manual I pressed several keys and an indicator appeared on the forward screen. "That way."

"So, how exactly are we going to get the materia out of the wreck?" Aerith asked.

Tseng answered "R.O.V.'s. We'll direct them from here through remote cameras and control systems, guide them into the ruined sub through whatever opening is available. Or Feu up the cutting torches and make our own opening if needed."

"Hey yo, so what're we doin' with these materia once we've got them all?" Reno asked.

"Taking them somewhere safe." I answered.

"No specifics on that eh?"

"Not for you just yet."

Reno started to complain but Tseng cut him off. "Now is not the time to argue."

"Just as well yo. We're almost there."

We settled into position over the wreckage and Reno triggered the R.O.V.s. The main control screen changed to a pair of camera views, descending to the bottom. Reno guided them around until he found an opening near the sub's midpoint and guided one inside while leaving the other outside. "Emergency back-up?" Aerith asked.