A hooded man walked through a poverty-stricken neighborhood. Men, along with their families, sat near waste, begging for a shred of generosity from others in no better conditions. The young man was appalled at the state the people below the city of Midgar lived.
"Excuse me, sir, do you have any spare food?" Asked a small boy who stood weakly. The young man gave a pitiful look beneath his hood. He knelt down to the boy's level and took out a few coins of gil. "Sorry bud, but how's about you get yourself a hot meal or two." The boy looked at the money in shock. His brown eyes gained a bit of color as he graciously took the money. "Thank you so much mister!" He exclaimed before taking his leave. The young man watched with a smile as the boy headed towards a stand selling food.
The mysterious man continued down a path which lead him towards a town. "Seventh Heaven." The man said to himself before walking towards a group of men loitering around a garbage fire. "Excuse me gentlemen, I'm looking for a bar named the Seventh Heaven. Mind helping a guy out?" "Oh yeah? Whose askin'?" Asked a man who was intoxicated. "Never seen ya around these parts? Whatcha hidin' your face for?" Questioned another. "I'm a drifter. Just looking for a place to get a drink and relax." A third man who was considerably more intoxicated rose from a chair. "Look here stranger. We got enough people hanging around these slums. We don't need more trying to take our jobs and supplies. So why don't you just drift on off, drifter." The younger man simply nodded and took his leave.
After walking through an alley and passing a few shops, Y/n found himself at what he assumed to the main plaza of the town. Turning his head, he found the establishment he was searching for.
The young man was met with the sound of music, as well as laughter and cheering from the patrons as he entered. He found an open stool by the bar and decided to take a seat. "Can I get you started with anything?" The young man turned to the source of the woman's voice and his eyes widened.
"..." The young man was a lost for words at the sight of the beautiful woman before him. "Did you need more time?" She asked. "Uh. I'll just take a house special." The woman smiled and nodded. "One Cosmo Canyon coming right up." She began to prepare a drink. "What brings you to town stranger?"
Before Y/n could answer, a woman suddenly barged into the establishment. "Someone help! Those Shinra soldiers are taking my boy! Please! Somebody!"
Tifa quickly approached the woman and embraced her. "It's okay ma'am. Where did they go?" "They were headed towards Scrap Boulevard. They-" "I'll get your son back. Clive." A man who was tending the tables turned to her boss. "Yes?" "You're in charge." The young woman, with anger on her face, left towards the scene. The hooded man followed behind.
"What are you going to do to me?" Asked a frightened boy, no older than 10 years old. "You think you could just mess with us and get away with it." Spat a man wearing white armor while throwing the boy onto the ground. "We'll teach you what happens when you mess with Shinra." The other soldier raised his assault rifle.
"Hey!" The two soldiers turned to the source of the noise. "Who do you think you are?! Taking a young boy from his mother." The young woman from Seventh Heaven approached the men. "Back off girlie. This is men's business." The two men aimed their rifle at the girl as she took a fight pose.
Suddenly, a blade impaled one soldier through their chest, killing him instantly. "What the hell!?" Exclaimed the other soldier as the boy began to cry in fear.
"Tifa." Said the young man towards the girl. "Get the kid back to his mom." The young woman known as Tifa, nodded as she rushed over to the boy's side. "Oh no you don't-" The soldier aimed his rifle at Tifa. The young man threw his sword and he warped.
As the sword impaled the soldier, the young man appeared beside the corpse to retrieve his weapon before it dematerielized.
Tifa gasped at how quickly the mysterious man was able to dispatch of the two soldiers with ease. She turned to the boy who covered his eyes in fear. "It's okay, buddy. We'll get you home." "Pleade don't hurt me." "We're not gonna hurt you. Come on." Tifa took the boy's hand causing him to calm down slightly as the two headed back towards town. The young man lingered behind and inspected thee soldier's armor. It looked striking similar to the material used in the Empire's army. These Shinra Soldiers had piqued the young man's interest as he decided to return to the bar.
Upon re-entering Seventh Heaven, the young man watched as the boy and his mother enjoyed a meal with Tifa watching with a smile from behind the counter. Her red eyes turned to the hooded man and wave him over. "You drink is ready." She said, placing a red cocktail on a coaster before him. "Thank you." He said before picking up the glass and inspecting the drink. "Matches your eyes." He said. Tifa smiled. "Just a coincidence." The young man knocked back the drink. "Smooth as it was beautiful." Tifa smiled and brushed back some hair behind her ear. "Glad you enjoyed it." She leaned closer. "Say, that was incredible back there. You teleported and took down two Shinra soldiers like they were nothing at all. Just.. who are you?" The young man looked around the bar which was still crowded. "A bit packed for my liking. I'll tell you later. Gotta keep it dramatic." Tifa chuckled. "Well okay, stranger. Just let me know if you need anything else."
The young man watched as Tifa tended to the patrons. A smile kept its place on his lips as the memories of their time during childhood came flooding back. Tifa was still as sweet, caring, and gentle as she was then. He only hoped that his other friend remained the same as he remembered.
One by one, the patrons of the Seventh Heaven headed home to rest for the night, until all who was left were Tifa and the hooded man.
"Okay mister, you've kept me in suspense for long enough." Said Tifa with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "Just who are you?" The young man laughed. "Man, you really don't remember me, do you?" Y/n removed his hood, revealing his e/c eyes and h/c hair. Tifa's red eyes widened with shock. "Y/n?" She said in disbelief as tears began to form in her eyes. "It's you." Y/n was caught off guard by Tifa enveloping him in a tight embrace. "I really missed you." Y/n smiled as he returned the hug. "I missed you too." Tifa tightened the embrace. She lifted her head and smiled. "I-"
"Well lookie here." Said a girl's voice. Tifa and Y/n pulled apart as they turned towards the group that had entered.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Tifa." Said the stocky young man. Tifa began to blush. "He's not... he's a friend." She said, her face as red as a tomato. "Tell that to your face." Teased the thinner man. Y/n simply chuckled at his friend's reaction. "I'm Y/n. Nice to meet you." The girl stepped forward. "My name's Jessie. These two are Biggs and Wedge." She introduced.
"Daddy! You're home!" From behind the bar, a little girl in a pink dress rushed towards the door as a tall and bulky man with a gattling gun for an arm entered.
"That's right angel. We're back." The man said as he lifted the girl with his arm. "Welcome back." Tifa greeted. "Dinner is in the kitchen. Help yourselves." The three younger people thanked Tifa as they headed to the back. "Have you been a good girl Marlene?" The older man asked the girl. "Yep. I've been helping Tifa."
"You made it." Tifa said towards the last person who entered the bar. "Y/n?" "Cloud?"
The blonde man gasped slightly as he saw his old friend. "Look at you." Y/n smiled as he walked up to Cloud with a smile. The blonde could only stare in silence. "Caught me by surprise too." Said Tifa. Her red eyes turned to the yellow flower between Cloud's top and overalls. "Is that a real flower? It's been so long since I've seen one." Cloud removed the flower and handed it to her. "How sweet. When did you get so thoughtful?" "Guy can change. It has been 5 years. I need to talk to Barret." "Right. Come on in." Cloud walked over to the bar, leaving behind the two. "Nice to see you Y/n. You too Cloud." Said Y/n in sarcasm. "Like I wasn't even here." Tifa chuckled. "Don't take it personally. Come on. Let's get a drink and finally catch up."
Y/n walked passed Cloud and took a seat at a stool. The man he believed to be named Barret ate his dinner with Marlene at his side. "Daddy, the mako place blew up. Everyone on TV's talking about it." She said, commenting on the news being reported above the bar. "Don't you worry about all that silliness. Daddy's here, and he's not going anywhere tonight. Now turn that thing off and let's get you to bed, huh?"
The trio from before had exited the kitchen with plates full of food. "Thanks for dinner Tifa." Said Wedge with his mouth full. "Thanks Tifa. You guys have a good night." Added Biggs. "Thanks again for the grub Tifa." Said Jessie before turning to Y/n. "Nice to meet you, cutie." She winked before taking her leave. Y/n chuckled as a blush formed on his cheeks. Tifa raised a brow at her friend's reaction before using the wooden bartop to pop open a bottle of beer, surprising Y/n. "Here ya go." "Aw. No special cocktail?"
Cloud walked over to the father and daughter, only for Marlene to jump off of the stool and run behind the bar. "Hey!" Barret slammed his fist on the bar top. "The hell you think you're doing scaring my daughter like that!?" He walked up to Cloud and pushed him back. "Daddy said never talk to strangers." Marlene said, popping her head out. "Smart kid." Y/n commented. "That's right, honey, I do say that. What a good girl you are, remembering Daddy's lessons." Marlene giggled and returned to her father's side. "You know what else good girls do? They go to bed on time. Come on." Barret picked up the small girl. "But I'm not tired. I wanna talk some more Daddy." "Mmm. Alright, but just this once." The two sat down once again.
Tifa turned to Cloud. "Arlight, so what can I get you?" "My money. I'm still waiting on it." "Ah, right. About that. We should talk. Outside." Tifa walked over to Cloud. "Mind waiting a bit longer Y/n?" "Not going anywhere." He said as the two exited.
"So what's your deal? You a merc too?" Barret asked Y/n. "Me? No. I'm just a friend of Tifa and Cloud's." "Hm. Not from around town I take it." "Something like that." Y/n glanced at Marlene who kept staring at him. "Hi, my name's Y/n." Marlene looked at Barret. "It's okay." He smiled at her, causing her to smile as well. "My name's Marlene." "Nice to meet you. Say Marlene, do you like flowers?" "Flowers? I've never seen one." Y/n was caught off guard, nevertheless, he reached into his coat and took out a blue flower.
He rose from the stool and walked over to her, handing her the flower. Her brown eyes widened as she gasped. Even Barret himself was stunned at the flower's beauty. "It's beautiful. Thank you Y/n." "Where did you get that?" "You're welcome." Y/n said to Marlene before turning to Barret. "From Tenebrae. They're called Sylleblossoms." "Tenebrae? You're from way out there?" "No. I'm from Insomnia, the capital city of Lucis." "Whoa. So you must come from money." "Something like that." Y/n returned to his seat and continued to drink from his bottle.
Moments later, Tifa returned, however, Cloud didn't. "Where's Cloud?" Y/n asked as Tifa returned behind the bar. "Said he wanted to call it a night." "Right."
Barret turned to Marlene. "Hey, how about we head to bed, huh?" Marlene yawned and rubbed her eye. "Okay." "Say good night now." "Goodnight." She waved as Barret picked her up. "Welcome to Midgar." He said to Y/n before taking off.
"Wow. Did I miss something? What'd you do to get on Barret's good side?" "I gave Marlene a flower." "A flower?" "Yep." Y/n reached into his coat and brought out another Sylleblossom. "Here." He handed her the flower. "It's beautiful, Y/n. Where did you get this?" "Tenebrae. The only place I know where Sylleblossoms bloom." "Is that where you live now?" "No. I live in Insomnia." "Sorry?" "It's the name of the capital city of Lucis." "Capital city, huh? Guess you've been living the good life since you left." "Yeah, but not a day went by when I didn't think about you." Tifa was taken aback from the statement. "Really?"
"I hated the fact that I had to leave. I didn't want to leave you or Cloud for that matter, but at the same time, I was glad that I had a parent." "What exactly happened? All I remember was crying the day my dad told me you were leaving." "We never did get to say goodbye, did we?" Tifa looked down and shook her head. "No."
"That day that I left, my father arrived at the orphanage and talked to the caretakers. As it turned out, there was an attack at the capital city and I was taken from my mom... forcefully." Y/n cleared his throat before he continued. "Whatever happened then lead me to the orphanage where I was raised. It was only 10 years later when my father found me once again. And now, here I am." Tifa smiled. "I'm glad you're back Y/n." She put down to shot glasses and filled them with alcohol. "Let's raise a toast." "Sure." The two lifted their glasses in the air. "Let's see..." Tifa thought for a moment. "To reuniting with old friends!" "Cheers!" They clinked their glasses and took their shot. Tifa cringed and cleared her throat whilst Y/n laughed. "A bartender and you can't handle a shot?" "Just because I work behind the bar, doesn't mean I drink what's there." "Touché."
"So, Ms. Lockhart, what brought you down here? I stopped by Nibelheim to ask around, but no one seemed to have know anything." The vibe in the room suddenly shifted at the mention of Nibelheim. "Y/n. The village was burnt down." "What? How?" "A man named Sephiroth burnt down the village and... killed everyone. My father and even Cloud's mom was killed." Tifa eyes began to stream with tears. "Sephiroth?" Y/n murmered. Tifa clutched onto the bar top and began to cry. Y/n leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. We can drop the subject." He felt Tifa nod and eventually wrap her arms around him. The pair stayed like that for a minute to two before Tifa pulled away, drying her tears. "Sorry for ruining the moment." "Don't be. I'm so sorry that happened."
Tifa tried to pull a strong face by forcing a smile that didn't go unnoticed by Y/n. "You must be tired. Come with me." "Right."
Y/n followed Tifa through the streets of the Sector 7 Slums. Despite being a poverty stricken area, some townfolk seemed to be lively and energetic. Some danced to music. Others sat around a TV.
"Here we are. Stargazer Heights." Tifa brought Y/n to a run down building. "I know the owner, I'm sure she'll be okay with you taking a room." "Great." "You're on the second floor. Room 201 here is where I sleep. Don't have much time for much else, what with Seventh Heaven and all. Though Clive does help take the load off on really busy days. Here, room 202, is where Cloud is. Finally, room 203 is all yours." "Are you sure it's fine for me to be here?" "Of course." Tifa turned the doorknob. As the two entered. "It's a little bare, but should be enough." "It's perfect. Thank you Tifa."
Y/n looked around the room. "How long are you planning on staying?" Tifa asked as Y/n removed his cloak, allowing him to move better his clothes.
"Until you get sick of me." He said, trying to lighten the mood. Tifa chuckled. "Haven't seen you in 10 years. Don't think I'll be getting sick of you any time soon." "I hope not." The two laughed. Tifa walked over to Y/n and pulled him into a tight hug once again. "I still can't believe your back." Y/n returned the hug. "I'm glad that I get to see you again, Tifa." She lifted her head and smiled before she pulled away. "Meet us tomorrow at the bar, okay?" "Sure. What's tomorrow?" "Just be there." She said walking towards the door. "Okay." "Sleep tight."
And that is the conclusion of the first chapter of this little story project I'm doing. I'll be mixing the story of FF7 and FFXV together to make this idea of mine work. Some story elements from both plots will change to make my story as coherent as I can write it. I hope you all enjoy.