a kingdom hearts au where one of the worlds you go to is based on a location (or multiple locations) from final fantasy 7, where you meet a younger version of cloud, and fight with him. bonus points if it's bbs-era, so ven and a teenaged cloud just down several shots worth of mako because it "tastes hot drink spicy" while various other people are losing their minds in the background. (brought to you by me diving into ff7 so that i can integrate ff stuff more into my kh aus)
WARNING : This series about an detailed play through of Final Fantasy 7 and will of course contain spoilers. But then again, the game did come out in 1997.
Once again on the train, a business man bitches about how you damn delinquents are ruining his commute, but you have to admire his dedication to his work, heading out even after all that terrorism. However this becomes worst when the trains security checks happen sooner than they expected and the gangs ID cards are discovered to be fake. As they make their way through the train, the threat level rises. Thankfully, Cloud manages to take a moment to question Tifa’s intentions and Jessie disguises herself in a Shinra uniform. Then they jump out of a moving train like it’s nothing.
In the underground tunnels, they come across a Shinra ™ laser grid gate. Cloud finds a small ventilation shaft and Barrett becomes nervous that his giant meat fists won't fit through. Eventually they make their way through and Jessie reveals she made Cloud’s ID card special, which is why it failed, because why not take that chance and screw up during your super important mission.
Once inside the reactor, everything feels very familiar and you make you’re way through with each until you reach the reactor. Suddenly, Cloud falls to the ground and begins hallucinating.
He’s inside the Mako reactor. On the floor is a sword. A younger Tifa is kneeling on the ground next to a dead man.
"Papa..."
"Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he!?" she asks. The young Tifa, the picks up the sword and runs, declaring her hatred.
What does it mean? I guess we can assume Sephiroth killed Tifa’s dad but it still doesn’t add up to much.
Cloud comes round, Barrett and Tifa are trying to help him But Cloud brushes it off and hurries to the bomb detonation. Unless last time, this device the three of them to press the button in unison and holy shit, it’s not easy. It took two of us almost 10 minutes to get the timing right and undermining all of Clouds characterization thus far as now he seems like an incompetent boob.
However, we did eventually press the button when suddenly they are ambushed by SOLIDER soliders™. Ominous music starts, as President Shinra presents himself to them. He mocks them lazily and mentions Clouds weird eye, a sign he’d been exposed to Mako. And Barrett retorts with some A* grade backchat.
And then he leaves for his dinner plans not before dropping the Air Buster : Techno Soilder, which prompted my partner to start to sing :
Meet the Air Buster-
Techno Soldier -
Fighting weapons development -
With a tasty sound’
And the pair of us making stupid techno music jokes during the boss fight with it’s Metal Gear Solid 1 sounding boss music. After defeating it, President Shinra flies away in his indoor helicopter to his dinner arrangements and the bridge they are stood on collapses, leaving Cloud hanging on for his life. Neither Barrett or Tifa does much to save him. But Tifa starts yelling something about how much she had to tell him but then the bomb goes off and Cloud falls to his untimely demises.
Cut to Black.
...You all right?
...Can you hear me?
Cloud wakes up in a flower patch, inside a church - the Flower Girl from earlier is standing over him. Somewhere in the background Chrom is waiting with a wedding ring*
Cloud sits up and she asks if he’s alright. He’s alright as much as someone who just fell Jesus knows how far can be. The Flower Girl beings tending to her flowers, telling Cloud that it’s the only place in Midgar that flowers can grow, is inside the old church.
She asks if you remember their first meeting, but regardless of your answer she’s happy that you bought a flower from her. She then tells you about her useless materia and asks if you want to talk, then carries on tending to her flowers. All she does it tell you about the fucking flowers though and that her name is Aerith. Cloud then smugly claims he does a little of everything and is then hired as her bodyguard, in exchange for a date. The man who before was demanding money for his work, is now happy to work for free because of the chance he may get some.
At the entrance of the Church a mysterious figure appears and in the promise of mild petting Cloud confronts them.
"I don't know who you are, but....You don't know me.....?
......I know you. ‘
Three Shinra guards burst in and we learn the man is the door is Reno . It’s revealed these mean are Turks - some shady motherfuckers who work for Shinra.
Aerith’s brother who calls Cloud a weirdo before Cloud and Aerith run away.
Reno walks over the flowers like a dick and the guards become upset claiming he’ll catch holy hell and announce that The Ancient is getting away. Thus declaring Aerith is plot relevant.
The guards chase them into the back of the church where Cloud runs up to the rafters and some bullshit with some barrels happens which Aerith tries and fight off the guards.
Eventually they find their way through a hole in the roof of the church and get away.
