Demons, Snow And Kunai

The bit about Sephiroth and Aeris in this is true, the rest about fighting I'm not too sure about guys.

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Every living being froze, eyes turning to the high cliff to the humans left. Standing at the top was a tall figure in an deep white cloak and hood, not a single sight of the figure underneath visible.



The monster immediately went from it's guard position to unguarded, chattering excitedly, rushing at the figure.



They started to call a warning to the figure when the huge insectiod slowed and with it's huge head gently nuzzled the figures side, like a pet seeking attention. Like it was seeking a reward for its actions.



Tifa could only watch open-mouthed, how....?



The figure reached out, stroking the creatures 'head' and the monster all but purred, obviously pleased and content.



How could a HUMAN gain a monster as a pet?! All but the Chocobo were vicious and killed humans-anything else really-on sight. How could someone have been accepted as a master of one, let alone become a pet to one!?



Behind them Naruto choked suddenly and started to crack up, laughing louder and so badly he was bending over first then ended up rolling around on the ground clutching his sides and trying hard not to roll over the chick or his stomach.



An dangerous twitch grew over the blonde womans' eyes as she watched, her temper growing "gaki......." she growled.



Painfully fighting his laughs and trying to rise to his feet, Naruto spoke to the figure in white, whipping tears from his eyes "I can't believe YOU got a pet, and an insect one at that, man, Kiba's gonna bust a gut with this!"



Naruto?" the group turned to frown at him, only for the Uchiha heir to answer in his soft almost emotionless voice "Abrahume."



Tifa turned to look at him "the guy we came to find?" and the heir nodded.



The blonde woman turned back to the figure and frowned "Abrahume?" and the cloth rustled as the figure nodded. The woman frowned deeper "but where'd the new pet come from?!"



"When my Kikaichuu and myself discovered us here, I sent out enough of my Kiki I could spare to locate others and one lot informed me of an town not far from here. During my journey there, I was attacked by this one and another. I beat them but allowed them to live, which seemed to have interested them. Since then they have followed me around like lost puppies, and have even persuaded others of their kind into my service. Once in the village, I met up with two others from Kohona in need of protection and in return for protecting the village from other creatures, the people gave us food and lodgings."



"And why are you out here now?"



"It seems on top of the creatures outside town, there is a band of human criminals terrorizing this village. I heard it call for me and....."



"....Thought it was telling you there were here." Tsunade finished for him "well your 'pet' injured Naruto to the bone at a time he can't risk injury!"



The figure didn't speak or move, however Tifa saw an small black flash from the blonde and the figure raised one arm, allowing an tiny black beetle with a red slash on its side to land onto his first finger on the right hand and raise it to look at closer.



After a while of just looking at it, the figure allowed it to shoot down the sleeve and disappear.



"I was unaware of Naruto's new capabilities, including to breed. It seems I am not the only one discovering new strengths here" and with a wave of his hand he sent away the monster. He then jumped over the side of the cliff edge and landed lightly, approaching the group.



"You're not wrong, bug boy" Naruto grinned at him "EVERYONE we've discovered so far has had an dramatic increase in chakra and jutsus. Mine is my connection to the planet and all life on it. Obbachan's healing chakra has increased, Sasuke-teme's demon side has increased, so has Gaara niisan, ero-sanin says he can feel the earth more keenly, Haku-san says his kekkai Genkai ice is so overwelmingly powerful, Itachi told me ever since he merged with the three-tailed, he's felt like he is getting stronger....."



The Uchiha heir nodded.



The hood rustled as the figure cocked his head at him "it seems we have a lot to discuss."



"You could say that, yeah."



"I know of a safe place to rest and talk, come" he turned and began walking towards town.



They followed, leading the Chocobo's with them. Once inside they left the large birds at the nearest stables and continued to follow the figure inside, who pushed the hood back to reveal an pale face, short black hair and, to their surprise, eyes that were mostly black except for an hair-thin line of red circling the pupil.



The same black and red as his beetle, Tifa realized, it was like a marker. "So THAT'S what an Abrahume's eyes look like" the blonde woman murmured.



Tifa looked at her in surprise "you've NEVER seen it?"



"Never and not a single one" the woman answered "when I told you they never remove those glasses outside the clan earlier, I meant NEVER."



"But why now?" Tifa asked, only for the figure to answer himself, not once blinking as he looked back at them "it is apparent the villagers here are on edge, when I arrived here the people....disliked not being able to see them. I only remove them inside the town limits."



"That's because they are used to reading your expression by your eyes" Naruto said "YOU may show little, if any, emotion, but they think they can tell."



The male nodded.



They soon reached the outside of an large new restaurant with a large white banner. After looking up at the title Narutos' face broke out into painful hope as he looked at the figure in the white cloak "is it....."



When the figure nodded the blonde tore into the restaurant, calling out "old man!!" as he did.



The group entered in time to see an middle aged man looking out from the back room-the kitchen-with an open hopeful face "Naruto?"



"Yeah it's me old man!"



As soon as the man had stepped out into the outer room, Naruto was on him, crying emotionally and babbling nonsense.



"Naruto" the blonde woman said "he's a civilian not a ninja, he doesn't understand your babbling like we can."



Drawing back, whipping his tear-filled eyes and with an embarrassed smile the blonde apologized. The man smiled gently at the boy and rubbed him on the  top of the head, mussing his hair "it's alright Naruto, we've known you since you were a child and you always get that way when you're overexcited."



The boy's embarrassed grin widened.



Tifa looked at the other woman curiously, Civilian? Known him since he was a child? ANOTHER father figure?



"Teuchi and his daughter have known Naruto practically since he could walk. They are civilians who owned an Ramen shop in Hidden Leaf. Ever since he was able to pay for his own food Naruto went there to eat because the two never treated him like the other villagers did. In fact Teuchi even was known to lower his prices so Naruto could afford to eat there if he was low on money."



Tifa understood. The boy was so obsessed with Ramen because as a child he had come to associate the food with kindness and acceptance. The fact he had an kindly man and girl welcoming him whenever he came around probably was his only escape sometimes from the cruelty of the rest of the village.



It was his haven and shelter from the cruelty of others.



And now finding that same shelter here as well was such an emotional release to him....hence his reaction to the man's presence here.



The pregnancy hormones probably didn't help either.



Naruto must have heard their conversation because he suddenly looked concerned "Ayame...." The man smiled and called out over his shoulder towards the kitchen "Aya-darling....!"



"Hai dad?" the face of an beautiful young woman a few years older then Naruto appeared in the doorway, flour staining her hair, face and apron.



Still smiling the man moved aside so she could see the group with the grinning boy who called "hey Aya-niisan!"



With a wild screech of joy and girly glee and a puff of flour the young woman had thrown herself at the blonde who caught her up and made sure that even when they were hugging and pressing against each other and laughing, she wasn't anywhere near his stomach.



However she must have accidentally whacked the pack because there was an muffled wark of protest and Naruto drew back and slightly more away from the excited young woman, head cranning back to say "ah, sorry No'."



To which the birds answering wark sounded surprisingly like 'Yeah, well so you should be' before going quiet.



"Naruto?" the young woman asked, curious and interested.



Tsunade spoke next "No'? You named it already?" To which the pregnant young man looked uncomfortable about something.



"Naruto" the other blonde said sternly to which he looked away and mumbled something. The Uchiha heir and Abrahume heir looked stunned and surprised.



"Naruto" the woman growled to which the other blonde looked back sharply and growled back "I said his name is Nowari, alright!?"



The blonde woman looked shell-shocked. She finally managed to stutter "you named him after my...."



"Little brother, yeah" the blonde whispered "sorry" he looked ashamed and looked down. "No, Naruto" she grasped his chin and forced him to look at her "you have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm...." she swallowed visibly "....glad. It will just take some getting use to, that's all."



"Really?" he asked hopefully then looked upset "if you're just saying that to....."



"No, Naruto" she said gently but sincerely "I mean it, KEEP the name. At least my brother is alive in more than my memories."



The blonde nodded solemnly "thanks, obbachan" and this time the woman just smiled at it.



As soon as they finished speaking there was a rustle and the little red head stuck out, looking around himthem.



The young woman squealed in girlish excitement "oh, he's so cute! What is he!?"



The boy explained what Tifa had told them while shrugging out of the make-shift backpack so he could open it fully and show the father and daughter

The red feathered blue eyed chick.



"He's so cute" the young woman repeated, giggling as she scratched the spot directly between the eye and beak at Narutos' direction and the bird cooed happily and pushed into her hand insistently.



"Pity about his mother though," the man murmured sadly "no child should be without a parent this young, and if you're right about how big these guys get, he must barely be hatched. Barely out in the world and already an orphan, poor thing." He looked up and locked eyes with Naruto and added softly and seriously "no child should be deprived of an loving parent so young, it is just as well he found an

figure willing to fill that hole."



 Naruto handed the pack to Tifa as he pulled the chick fully out, showing the silent young man, father and daughter the fluffy red chick.



The chick leaned forward, checking the three new figures out critically before it seemed satisfied and nuzzled up to the blondes chest and going back to sleep.



Tifa moved aside slightly, just a shift of muscle really on the spot but there was an immediate gasp from behind her.



Spinning around Tifa found an white clad blonde sitting on the dark table behind her, noodles in chopsticks halfway to his mouth, staring at the chick.



Ice blue eyes were wide in shocked knowledge, occupied hand trembling.



Naruto frowned at him "Ru'? What are YOU doing here?" He looked around "where are your bodyguards?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously "you didn't ditch them did you?!"



The older man frowned at the pregnant blonde "Naruto? You KNOW who this guy is?!"



"Yeah" the blonde nodded "he's the Kage of Midgar, Rufus Shinra. He's SUPPOSED to have these four bodyguards called TURKS protecting him but two are at our apartment block, so the other two, a guy called Rude and a girl called Elena, SHOULD be here with him now" he glared at the young man "did you ditch them, Ru'!?"



Calmly placing the chopsticks back in the bowl, the blonde in white drew himself up, straightening his jacket with dignity and said calmly "I assure you I can take care of myself, thank you."



"You DID!!" Naruto exclaimed "you ditched them! Do they even KNOW where you are?!"



The young man opened his mouth to protest, but the older man spoke "so THAT was the four you had with you when you first came here!"



The group looked at the man "FIRST?! You mean this ISN'T his first time here?!"



The older man shook his head "Ever since we opened he's been eating here every day. The first time he came he had three men and a woman all in black suits, but they didn't seemed happy being there, so he's came alone since then. He once tried to hire me as his own personal chef, but I didn't want to leave my regulars here so he just comes every day and eats nearly as much as you do every time, Naruto" the old man smiled at the pregnant blonde.



Naruto looked excited "you a fan of the food of the gods too, Ru'?"



"It seems so." Tifa was surprised to hear embarrassment in the other blondes voice. It had never occurred to her that Rufus Shinra had a guilty vice, just like the rest of the world did in one form or another. And something so simple as food.



Tifa herself was partial to lemon cheesecake.

Not even Cloud knew about that one.



Speaking of which, she could really go with a......



Jerked out of her thoughts Tifa blinked as Naruto, followed by Tsunade then Itachi, slid into the padded bench attached to the corner table the other blonde sat in, joining the Shinra heir. Quickly taking her place by Itachi's other side, the Abrahume heir on her other and the outside, Tifa joined them while the pregnant blonde and others put in their orders, the man's eyebrows bouncing at the list the blonde gave "that's more than your usual, Naruto, are you alright?"



The blonde grinned "I've missed out on your cooking for more than a week, I have a lot to catch up on. And besides....." he blushed and looked away, mumbling "I'm kinda eating for two now."



"Naruto?" the man was confused.



Tifa looked around, noticing the shop was empty now of all but them. "Maybe you should close shop and join us, we have a lot of this we need to tell you."



The man nodded, let the Abrahume heir out long enough to inform certain people of where he would be if anything happened and then he and his daughter headed back to their kitchen to dissmiss the rest of the staff for the day-after helping them cook the massive order of course.



Two hours later the entire group of two civilian chefs, one company heir, two clan heirs, one Hokage, one pregnant blonde and his sleeping chocobo chick and two exAVALANCHE members were seated around the table, picking at various dishes while they talked and filled each other in on what had happened and what it really meant.



Both the man and girl seemed delighted Naruto now had TWO fathers, the girl leaning over to excitedly discuss the pregnancy with the blonde and what she thought the new Aeris would look like, and what clothes and dresses and such they could put her in once she was born.



"So" the man summerised "we are here because of our connection to Naruto and the spirit of this world wants you-or rather him-to save this worlds Jinchuuriki? That because of the fact you are unaware of them, despite your companion" he motioned at Vincent "you kept killing him off every time he returned."



"We didn't know it was Jenovah we spoke to, not Sephiroth" Tifa defended "She-he rather-was the same. She moved the same as him, spoke the same as him, said things to make us think she was actually him, just gone mad and, well, evil. And we never saw a seal. Not even Zack who was his friend, ever saw one."



"Of course she did" Tsunade snorted "she had his entire life to learn his mannerisms, movements and ways and figure out to mimic him."



"Well it was flawless" the white-clad blonde snorted "I knew him longer than Fair and Stryfe and even I couldn't tell the difference" he pulled a disc from his inner coat pocket and held it up "I WAS going to give you this later so you could study his movements  and fighting skills and figure out how to fight back appropriately, but now that you're here...." he moved out of his seat to slip it into the player beneath the large screen TV in the dinning room across from them.



As the screen flickered into life, the blonde returned to his seat, speaking as he did "these are all the video records of his fighting, before and after Jenovah took possession of him that I could find, including training room records." he handed another in a case to Tsunade "THIS one contains records of all his strategy and military training, including what he did in Wutai for my father to win the war."



The woman nodded, aware of the sensitive information she was being handed, promising "once we have been able to look at it, it will be destroyed-I swear on my honor as an Sanin AND Hokage."



Believing her as a fellow leader, the other blonde nodded in acknowledgement of the vow and they all turned back to the video.



The first was of three men all perched on the huge gun currently being dismantled in this town. One sat while the other leaned back against the wall beside the other like they were old friends, the third standing tall and proud in front of them, back to them and looking out contemplatively out to sea.



The two figures together were different ages to each other obviously, as was the standing one. The eldest was in his late thirties, wearing an blue-black uniform and they frowned when they recognized the young man-Zack Fairs' weapon on his back, called 'Buster Sword' they were told.



He had short black hair slightly spiked at back and the beginning of stubble on his chin and a body built like Asuma had bore, his eyes a glowing purple that Tifa told them signified Mako exposure.



The second, seated, had hair the same shade as Gaaras' and cut to frame the bottom of his face. The youngest of the three he looked only his early twenties, the same as Naruto and his friends. He wore a long red coat over black leather and had his head buried in a book with a white cover so they couldn't see his face.



The sword on HIS back had a winged hilt with an fiery red blade.



His frame, even seated, reminded them of Itachi.



The last figure was like a mix of them both, incredibly tall, but muscular, not thin but more compact. He wore a black jacket and his long white dead-straight hair fell all the way down his back, stopping just to touch the small of his back.



Even though they couldn't see his front, they recognized the hair and the coat as being the figure in the photograph Tifa had showed them, Sephiroth, Vincents' son and Narutos' half brother now.



"Who are they?" the young woman, Ayame, asked.



The blonde paused the picture and answered "the three together are known by many names. The Elite Three, The Devil's Trio, The Devils Elite. They had been friends since the seated and leaning one  'enlisted' in SOLDIER and took in Sephiroth as one of their group. They practically did everything togther. They were the best of friends and unseperatable, or so it seemed."



He then explained about what had happened between the three and their connection as experiments.



"The youngest-seated-with red hair is Genesis, he was the first to go mad. The oldest-leaning-is Angeal, he was the mentor of Zack Fair."



"Ah" Narutos' face twisted "Zack told me about him."



Tne group looked at him in surprise "Really? When?"



"On our way to Midgar that day you guys found us. We were talking about our sensais'. He idolized his and in the end the guy was really selfish to him."



"How so?" the other blonde male asked curiously.



"Think about it. He CLAIMED by being killed he was protecting others from him becoming just like the other two was being selfless and heroic, but his actions weren't. By FORCING the one person who meant most to him and the other way around to kill him he was being incredibly selfish.



By making the one person in his life who meant anything to kill him to save himself and maybe others, he was increasing the guilt already on Zacks' shoulders. I mean he would have felt like he failed him, that by killing him he was forcing ZACK to bare the burden of the sins he did himself, no absolving him of them, and the guilt that instead of finding help for his sensai, he killed him instead. It's a wonder Zack didn't go mad himself from it. And that's just the surface stuff I got while talking to him. Who-knows what stuff he has festering deep down inside where he hides or represses it."



They understood, none more than Tifa who had grown close to the other 'country boy' after his reunion with Cloud years ago. He acted wild and 'puppy-like', but that covered an fragile and fiercely protective soul, crying out internally against all he had suffered.



"The other, as you've probably guessed, is Sephiroth himself" they nodded and he pressed play again.



The red head was reading out loud from the book, something that sounded like poetry. Once done he raised his head to reveal the most beautiful glowing bluegreen eyes they had ever seen, almost fluorescent in color.



As they watched the standing figure slowly turned during his reading, striding towards them but only speaking when he looked up "Loveless, act 1." His voice was soft and kind, but also held an steel edge.



When he looked at the two, the experienced ninja's all saw his eyes and face soften and a slight turning up of the corners of his mouth showing them his feelings for the others.



Tifa had been right, when the man gave his heart to those he saw as friends, he gave it fully-sadly for him it was in his eyes and that small but real smile.



The red head snapped the book shut "you remembered" as he turned slightly to place it on the spot he had just sat on a second before.



It was now they noticed the long-haired figure held an incredibly long katana in his left hand. He reached up with his right hand and as they watched tapped his right temple and spoke, amusment and an hint of sarcasm "how can I not when you've beaten it into my head?"



Then with his sword instantly swapped both hands he made an motion with his left, a motion any swordsman recognized. Kind of an 'come on!' and 'enguard!' A signal to fight they recognized.



The sloucher stood while the red hair raised his strange sword. "Don't take Sephiroth lightly" the older warned the red head. "Humph" the red head scoffed "Noted."



And they both attacked the other.



The older man bowed out quickly but the red head-obviously frustrated by his inability to really compare-went wilder, even turning on the older for trying to be the voice of reason. What followed only an ninja or skilled swordsman or warrior could completely follow.



The man was amazing, not even breaking a sweat while the red head obviously had trouble, both with the idea of being beaten and that he couldn't compare.



The battle only ended when the red head was injured accidentally.



The blonde woman frowned at the other blonde in white "the older one obviously gave his weapon to the boy Zack after he died, but why did he use that other, not it?"



Tifa spoke instead "Zack told me once. He said his father had it made for him before he left for SOLDIER, then spent the rest of his short life working and struggling to pay for it. This was his adopted father, not true, a man he loved and admired. Zack told me he said that use means dents, scratches and damage and he wanted to protect it from that to honor his fathers gift. But Zack convinced him that using it would honor it. After all, if he made it for him to use in battle...."



This-the other warriors at least-understood.



The following videos afterwards all was the man, some with the other two, some without, each showing just what Tifa had told them, a gentle soft-spoken man who was fierce but completely in control in battle.



Before the next lot came on Rufus paused it and looked vaguely uncomfortable "the next lot are just after he 'went mad'" he looked at Tifa and the uncomfortable ness increased "the reactor incident."



Tifa suddenly knew why he was uncomfortable. This was when her father was killed and she was so easily defeated by the long haired man, wait, shouldn't that be the man possessed by a demoness?



Rufus was unsure how she would react to the others seeing her, injured and broken. If he had just played it, would she would have flown into a rage at him for embarrassing her and revealing her one moment of weakness?



Tifa thought about it, DID she care if they saw it? She wasn't that naive girl anymore, she had been in countless battles since then and while she may have lost some, she was proud of the fact she had survived this long.



She had learnt by experience that pride could get you killed if you let it get in your way.



So she looked at the blonde and nodded her permission before something struck her "you WATCHED what happened that day?! Why didn't you...."



"Only in the editing process, I assure you" he soothed "I was neither aware or had any knowledge of what happened that day until informed of my 'father's' death, I assure you."



"Oh" Tifa was oddly soothed by this before frowning "Then WHERE did you....."



The blonde man smiled gently "Reno. It seems as well as being an expert mechanic, he can get around nearly ANY security or firewall in a computer system with ease, even takes it as an challenge on his pride if he can't. Recently he managed to hack into some files left by Hojo" he shuddered "it seems he had been watching Lutenient Fair and General Sephiroth and their group from the moment they entered town. It seems to be why he was able to take Stryfe and Fair away from the reactor before my TURKS arrived to help them, after witnessing the incident in the mansion with the library there, he and his forces were moving there."



Satisfied Tifa nodded "doesn't surprise me at all. Go ahead."



Now given permission the man pressed play again.



Tifa watched herself abuse Zack when he came to find her, screaming hate and abuse at him, and winced visibly to see that hurt, broken and guilty look on him, she would have to apologize next time she saw him.



They say hindsight is 20-20, and Tifa knew the truth of herself now. Her PRIDE had been hurt, and that was the source of her anger. NOT her father's murder and the slaughter of the entire town, although that was a small part of it.



No she had years ago came to realize that her pride had been damaged. She was SO convinced she was this big skilled warrior from learning to fight in a small town where there were no TRUE warriors to fight against, that when faced with a truly skilled person she reverted to an child having a tantrum.



Since leaving Niblehiem she had grown, both in skill and experience, and in maturity of body and soul. And with that maturity she had been forced to face the truth of herself and her past, and with her forgiveness of Sephiroth and acceptance of his madness and the life he had lived and suffered, she came to accept her own flaws and work to better them and deny her pride overpowering her-not  to let it get in her way as an fighter and person.



Maybe that's why the Uchiha heir was drawn to her, he had recognized someone else who had long learned to deny the pride burning in you and live for the protection of another, to lock your soul to someone and use it to dictate your actions, her-the children she saw as her own and he the brother he thought he could never have as his own, but determined to make stronger.



The group continued to watch the part Tifa had never seen, Zack fought Sephiroth, holding his own, but Tifa knew heshe was holding back, whether because Sephiroth had SOME influence still and was fighting the alien woman for control-he wouldn't want to loose the only friend he had left in the world-combined with the massive guilt over the town, or that Jenovah was just amusing herself, she couldn't tell.



Tifa liked to think it was the first one though.



Just as she thought this, after only seconds it seemed, he was being beaten and knocked out of the room into one of the metal containment pods, bending the tough metal like paper.



Next was when Cloud found her and she frowned when she realized something else. She had made him promise to be there to save her when she needed him, yet she thought she was such an skilled fighter at the time.



Talk about contradictions.



So he went to fight Sephiroth, while she was carried away. She never got to witness what happened to him as he fought to avenge their village and people and protect her when she was already safe and she watched what happened with horror and fear.



Cloud had only been human and no more than a boy of fourteen or fifteen then, and yet SHE thought herself a warrior! He was barely able to lift Buster Sword as it is, yet he impaled the silver haired general on it! Cloud was just a child, an prepubescent teen, yet he was stabbed THREE times, actually pulled himself further onto the sword so he could use it to hit the general, even the manalien woman was stunned by his actions, eyes wide and repeating the word "IMPOSSIBLE!" with everything new Cloud did.



Eventually he was able to throw Cloud, bleeding heavily and severely wounded, out of the room where Zack was, then cradling Jenovah's head, jumped into the mako reactor.



"Ah, I see" Tsunade nodded at this.



"What?" they asked her.



"By taking the head with him-or HER in this case-she ensured not only her return through the lifestream, but direct exposure to the strongest cells around the brain ensured WHEN she DID return, due to the exposure to such, her new body would be cemented in her control. In essence she used an power boost of her own original cells to ensure her control over the body, with the mako to boost HER during the harvest."



They kind of understood this.



"So you are sure SHE was the one in control after the bit in the mansion?" Tifa asked hopefully. If it turned out that Sephiroth wasn't in control of himself, if Jenovah....



"Yep!" Naruto grinned at them "as shinobi we are trained to 'look underneath the underneath.' Sometimes it's the only way to survive an battle, let alone a fight. I used to act stupid, but I never was. Think about it, you act stupid and people underestimate you" he giggled sillily at this, then grew serious.



"I think all us Shinobi here saw the same thing, right?" He looked around as the three other Leaf Ninja with him who echoed each others serious nods.



"What would that be?" Rufus Shinra asked him.



"There is a reason why shinobi are like us" Naruto motioned at the other three "and not more like Gai-sensei and Asuma-sensei was. From when we start at the academy or earlier in clans-speed, stamina and agility are encouraged more than strength, although that is also part of it. With speed and stamina and agility you can either try to outlast an enemy or escape."



"So" Tifa asked him "all THAT TYPE of training leads to developing an similar body type to everyone else."



Naruto nodded "there are some who develop strength along with the others, but usually it means sacrificing one of the other skills completely or to some degree."



"So?" the man-who Tifa had yet to learn his name-asked.



"So males and female develop different styles of fighting because of their different body types and strengths. Granny?" he looked at the woman.



She nodded, slid out of the seat, motioning the Uchiha heir with her, who looked at Tifa for guidance.



"Go ahead" she encouraged with a nod "just spar though."



He nodded and followed the older woman out.



At first the two stood just in the space in front of their table, trading a blur of blows and kicks, then they slowed, allowing them to see the movements more clearly.



"Do you see?" Naruto asked and when the group shook their heads, Naruto called for them to slow down so they could witness each motion from start to finish "Watch their hips and waists when they start the blow all the way through to end. That's a good start."



So they did and Tifa saw it first "Lady Tsunade doesn't have as much flexibility in the hips as Itachi, but she has more flexibility in other ways."



"Right" Naruto said "women have wider hips due to the ability to conceive and give birth, while a male has an more compact one, allowing more flexibility to someone with an more swimmers body-or someone grown up with concentration on that area, to use it to his advantage."



Itachi showed this by ducking under a punch, first backwards at the waist and then forwards, then punching out to show how Tsunade had to move the same sort of way to avoid it.



"However even though a woman isn't as narrow, they have other advantages over this and an higher capability for more flexible areas."



Which they showed as well.



Then Naruto motioned at the table and the two returned. Once everyone was comfortable they went on with Rufus adding "And what is your point?"



"During the fighting we witnessed a few times when he seemed to be fighting with limit, around the waist but moving like he should be more flexible than he was, like she was forgetting the way she was acting. Do you have more of him, we can show you."



"Sure" Rufus played the disc again.



The four then preceded to point each part out to them so soon they were able to see the same thing they did.



They could watch an entire fight scene-like with Cloud and Kadaj-turned-Sephiroth in Midgar, and pick each bit out.



Tifa also pointed out how the man, before his possession, was hardly an talker, in fact he seemed to be inordinately quiet-except for with his friends and the situation demanded an explanation or giving out commands. Yet now he seemed to talk almost constantly "it's almost like she's trying to convince us she's him."



"You're right" Rufus Shinra nodded as he looked at the blank screen thoughtfully "now we know what to look for, it is obvious."



Naruto looked suddenly eager "do you have anything on Aeris? Even a picture? I haven't seen my daughters original appearance yet."



Rufus smiled at him "I thought you would ask for something of the sort" he pulled an folder from his inner coat pocket and held it out to him.



Naruto eagerly took it, nearly tearing it open. He past the information over to Tsunade to read while he closely examined the photographs and seemed to be memorizing her image.



At one point his eyes went red with the Sharingan again on the largest most detailed picture and once his eyes faded back to blue, Naruto smiled gently and looked down, stroking his stomach gently.



Tifa jolted with the thought that while he had examined and memorized the images, Aeris was curious over her past appearance and had also done so, which Naruto thought was cute.



Which lead to another thought. Aeris was only just becoming aware of herself and those outside her environment and by the looks of things starting to interact with it. How much would that change as she continued to change as she further developed? What sort of things would she-or rather NARUTO-become capable of?



What would they expect as time continued?



Tsunade suddenly frowned and shifted the pages in confusion as she continued to read. After an noise of concern and confusion she looked at the blonde male in white "is this true?" and waved the pages.



"After some heavy investigation into my father, Ghast and Hojo's workings we confirmed it. Yes, it's true."



"Ooba-chan?" Naruto looked worried "what's wrong?"



"It seemed your daughter's previous incarceration was meant to have a brother, at least HALF brother, but circumstances prevented it-or rather changed it."



"Really?! Who?!" Naruto looked excited.



"Sephiroth."



Stunned silence.



"What?!" Tifa gasped at her in disbelief.



"According to these records Aeris' mother was exposed to Jenovah cells as well-just like Lucretecia Cresent was, only since she was already Cetra-or at least half, her body reacted violently to it. Aeris was born almost premature and with the damage from the Jenovah cells and difficult labor, the woman only survived long enough to reach the train station in sector 7 and give the child to an kindly older woman before she died. She would never have survived his conception and birth."



"So, Hojo moved his plans to an more convenient source, Lue and MY child."



"Unfortunately yes. Your little illicit liaison provided him with the perfect replacement at a time they desperately needed one" Rufus said this "meaning if you both had not done what you did at the time you did, controlling yourself and leaving it to an later date, he probably wouldn't have cared-or moved his attention to someone else's pregnancy."



Vincent didn't know whether to be mad that they had been chosen out of who-knows who, relieved that someone else, maybe an young innocent family, wasn't torn apart like them, furious over the way Rufus Shinra described their love with such disapproval and contempt or embarrassed about being seen as an teen on a wild 'oat sowing' mission.



"You disapprove of our relationship" he looked threateningly at the younger man, but was stunned out of any other mood as the man laughed at him "well now that would make me worse than you, wouldn't it, since I have been with Tseng Xian since my return after the fall of meteor! Since I am in the same sort of position as you both were."



Vincent blinked at him "what do you mean?"



"Well I am in the position of power Lucretecia Crescent was and Tseng is in the same YOU were. However even though Tseng is by no means in love with me, he is by no means FORCED into our kind of  relationship. And we are not the only ones. Reno and Rude are partners in more than their jobs."



This was news to Tifa and something she had never considered before. And why not? Those two were almost inseperatable!



"What about Elena? Has she found anyone yet?"



The blonde in white answered "well, first she was dating Kunsel just after she joined-keeping it secret from everyone but her fellow TURKS of course. Then after Sephiroth killed the old man she was visibly dating Adrian......"



"Kunsel? Adrian?" Naruto asked curiously.



"Kunsel was an lower-class SOLDIER friend of Zack Fair" the other blonde man explained. "He was known to be an expert in stealth and gathering information...."



"In other words, he was a pervert" Tifa translated to have Rufus roll his eyes at her, but agree "quiet. And Adrain was also one of my TURKS......."



"Zack's second cousin-also from Gongagga" Tifa supplied.



"Yes, he was later killed during Meteor Fall" the blonde in white didn't react this time "however she does not appear to be with anyone at the moment. "Taking a break from relationships for now", I was informed recently."



Tifa understood, but in her peripheral vision she saw Itachi eying her thoughtfully. Was HE considering her for an relationship?



Tifa had standards, rules for those she dated or considered dating, Cloud had learned that long ago when they were kids.



Like rule 1-they had to have honor.



Itachi had sacrificed himself for his village and brother, even at the cost of his own soul. Definitely something she respected and understood.



Rule 2-They had to understand her as a warrior.



Some men had assumed since she was a barmaid and owner she was either dumb or drinking her products herself, or by dating her they were entitled to free alcohol, in which case when she showed ANY skill, it scared them off-or when she refused them a bar tab.



However Itachi had shared that moment of complete understanding with her, he would not only understand her, but respect her experience.



Rule 3-they had to be able to beat her at a fair fight.



Looking at Itachi she KNEW without a doubt he could do that. The man was raised-from birth probably-to be a weapon, first for his family, then the village and the criminal organization he belonged to. That plus the edition of the three tailed now a part of him, he was no longer just a weapon but an deadly demon.



However even that didn't scare her. Quiet the contrary, she shocked herself by feeling both affection and arousal for him. She blinked in surprise at him.



Only to have him blink back, and that wasn't all. She suddenly noticed she had three other sets of eyes on her, Vincent, Naruto and the figure in a white cloak and hood.



And all four wore exactly the same expression on them, like they could smell her sudden arousal.



Damnit, three demons and an boy in sync with natures insects, they more than likely could.



"What!?" she demanded, starting down the other three while she watched the Uchiha Heir from the corner of her eyes.



Naruto was the first to react. He smiled widely like he knew a secret she didn't and looked away "I didn't say anything" the grin widened cheekily as he tried to pretend to be interested in the wallpaper.



Vincent just blinked a few times at her, then his eyes went to Itachi, as if sensing something no one else could from him.



The bug ninja just politely looked away, as if it was no longer his business, or of any interest to him.



Itachi, on the other hand, seemed just confused that she could find him of any interest.



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