Chapter 10: Love and Betrayal

At first Naruto didn't say anything. He looked around at the interior of the hotel with wary eyes, wondering what kind of horrific world he had stepped into.

The hotel was located in the Ghost Square, and was built to look exactly like an old haunted house. Directly in front of the hotel was an artificial graveyard filled with ancient tombstones. Carved onto the front of these tombstones had been names, the name of all the different area of the Gold Saucer. The tombstones weren't exactly tombstones, but rather the hidden airlifts leading out of the Square.

Inside the hotel was not a comforting sight either. The main hall where they stood was tall and grand, with tables covered in dust and grime. An old grandfather clock was ticking silently by the wall, and the floorboards creaked loudly under their feet. There was a warm fire burning—apparently, for it was only artificial—with two ghosts sat comfortably in chairs around it.

"I've never seen a hotel that defined the word 'Hypocritical'," commented Naruto.

Aeris had received a terrible shock when she went up to the main desk to ask about their rooms. There had been no one behind the desk when she approached, and rang the bell to call for assistance. When she touched the bell there came a deafening scream, and then a large dummy of a dead desk clerk fell down and hung in front of her, its neck tied to a rope and its head lolling in front of her. What scared her more was that the dead clerk spoke! In fright she had screamed and jumped back into Cid's arms, where he caught her.

"We don't usually get the chance to be together like this, huh?" Cait said happily, once the major shock of the haunted hotel had passed. He still sounded cheerful, even in this gloomy place. He turned to Naruto. "Naruto, how 'bout it? Can you tell us what's happened so far? I don't really know what's goin' on because I wasn't here in the beginning."

"Sure, though I'm still piecing together the story myself," said Naruto. "I'll explain the newcomers who I really am, aside from Vincent of course," he added, smiling at red eyed gunman. Vincent smiled back since the situation had been explained already to him by Kyuubi. Naruto started to explain about himself, Gaara, Kyuubi and Nibi. He then explained why he was here. When all was said both Cid and Cait were wide eyed.

"What about when you got angry at Wutai?" asked Cid. Apparently everyone wanted to know this too as there were collective nods from everyone. Naruto then revealed his first stage Kikangan. Golden chakra flared around him like fire. His hair stood up and lengthened. His ears and tail appeared. And his eyes had the thin gold band around the pupil.

Everyone stood in awe. "This is called the Kikangan. It allows me to slow down time. There are several stages though I have only unlocked two. This is the first stage and this…." Naruto started concentrating and suddenly he changed again. His hair lengthened again, his muscles pumped up. Blue lightning started crackling around him and the gold band in his eyes thickened so that half of his iris was a gold color. "This is level two. This is what you saw at Wutai." Even his voice had changed. It had become more forceful, deeper and more serious sounding. Naruto then shut off his bloodline limit and he returned to normal.

"Cloud, I'll leave the explanation of what we're doing to you," Naruto finished.

Cloud took a deep breath. "All right, I'll give it a shot…" he began. He took another deep breath and sighed. "Phew… We are going after Sephiroth. Sephiroth must be in search of the Promised Land."

"The Promised Land?" asked Cid, confused.

Cloud nodded. He had forgotten that Cid, being the newest of their group, had not been told everything about Sephiroth, the Ancients, and the Promised Land. "A land full of Mako energy…" he explained. "Or at least that's what the Shinra believe. I don't know if it actually exists."

"The Cetras return to the Promised Land," Aeris continued, taking over since she, as an Ancient herself, knew a little bit more about the Promised Land than Cloud. "A land that promises boundless happiness."

"Cetra?" asked Barret. "That some kinda disease?"

Naruto snorted. "A disease. That's a laugh!"

Aeris rolled her eyes in the direction of the still sniggering hanyo before turning to Cid. "That's what the Ancients call themselves," she said to him. "Hey, didn't you listen to the elders at Cosmo Canyon?" Barret shifted uncomfortably where he stood, not wanting to admit that he hadn't listened to the elders at all. Aeris sighed and turned back to the others. "…You don't 'know' where the Promised Land of the Ancients is. You search and travel, until you feel it. Like you just know, '…this is the Promised Land.'"

"Aeris…" said Cloud, looking at her. "Can you feel it too?"

Aeris closed her eyes in silent thought, calming her mind as she searched to hear the call of the Planet. She could barely hear it—the Gold Saucer was so vast and full of people and noise that the calls could barely reach her soul. But they were there, all the same. Eventually she opened her eyes and looked at Cloud. "I think so," she said finally.

"So Sephiroth is traveling the world because he's searching for the Promised Land?" said Tifa, summing up everything that Cloud and Aeris had said. She shook her head vigorously, her forehead creasing in confusion. She looked up. "Is that it?" she said.

Slowly Aeris shook her head. "That, and one other thing he's searching for," she said carefully. She looked at Cloud, knowing that he knew what she meant.

Cloud met her gaze. The look in his eyes showed that he did know what she meant, and that it filled him with the same dread as it did her. "The Black Materia…"

An ominous silence fell down upon the group. None of them had heard about the Black Materia before, but they all knew what it meant. The Black Materia… the Ultimate Destruction Magic… Thinking about it left a strange, dark chill in their hearts, making them shudder. The Black Materia was rumored to lie inside the Temple of the Ancients… If Sephiroth was aiming to get a hold of the Black Materia, who knew what would happen to the Planet?

Cait, who had been lying on his stomach on top of the Mog, sat up. "I heard from Dio that a man in a Black Cape was lookin' for the Black Materia," he said.

The Black Caped men… They had encountered a bunch of those people in Nibelheim. They had been like walking zombies—their bodies covered in black robes to hide their faces, twitching and shuddering as though overrun by a terrible fever. Imprinted on their arms had been a number—presumably some kind of designation. There had been only two thoughts on their minds: finding Sephiroth, and joining in the Reunion.

As Cloud remembered, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. What was the Reunion that Sephiroth and the Black Caped men kept talking about? What Reunion? And what was wrong with those men?

Cloud shook his head faintly, pushing away the faint pounding and dizziness that plagued his mind. When that brief dizziness passed by he realised that Tifa was talking.

"I don't even know what the Black Cape is… How many men with Black Capes and number tattoos are there?"

"…You know, of course…" Nanaki answered hesitantly, his voice soft, almost to the point of a whisper. "My tattoo is number 13." He nodded his head to the black tattoo burned onto his left shoulder, with the numerals 'XIII', marking 13.

Cloud lowered his hand from his head and looked over at the hound. "How did you get that tattoo?" he asked Nanaki curiously.

Nanaki looked down at the deep, blackened mark of the numerals. "…Hojo put it on me," he said with a snarl, curling his furry lip in a sign of disgust. "Everything else is just war scars, but the number was done by Hojo."

Tifa gasped. "So there are at least 13?" she exclaimed in horror.

"You know…" Aeris said, her voice seeming as hesitant as Nanaki's. "…I think Hojo did something to those men in the Black Capes. But I don't know what it has to do with Sephiroth though… That's why I think we should just go after Sephiroth himself."

"Yeah, me too!" said Barret, once again banging his gun-arm on the edge of the table, making Yuffie jump and the holographic ghosts flinch in their seats. "It's all just too damn confusing."

"And…" Aeris began. Her voice suddenly seemed to choke and she halted, unable to speak any more. She turned pale, but only Cloud noticed. "I'm sorry, forget it!" she cried out suddenly. "I think I'm tired. I'm going to bed now." Before anyone could stop her, Aeris suddenly ran past the group and darted up the creaking stairs to the bedrooms. She ran to the room assigned to her and threw open the door, running inside and slamming it shut behind her.

When the echo of the slamming door faded, the others all looked at one another in surprise, completely taken aback by Aeris's sudden departure. "What was that, all of a sudden?" Cait Sith exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Cait looked back at the others in dismay. This conversation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, and he didn't know how. "Is that all?" he asked, disappointed. "How 'bout the Black Materia?"

Cloud shook his head. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you," he said caustically. He had had enough of this conversation as well. It was late, he was tired, and the pounding in his head just seemed to increase as the conversation went on.

"Now all we gotta do is take action!" Barret shouted loudly, making Naruto cringe. Did he have to be so loud? Barret, however, didn't seem to notice as he continued to shout, "We're startin' tomorrow!" Then he ran up the stairs, his big, heavy boots creating loud thuds to join in the chorus of never-ending creaks.

When Barret had disappeared up the stairs, Nanaki walked slowly over to Naruto. "Naruto…" he said quietly, a concerned look on his face. "I'm number 13. Am I going to go mad, too?"

"No, your not. Do you remember much of your time with Hojo? Did he inject anything into you?" asked Naruto.

"No," was the answer from the red hound.

"Then your fine. All those people in the black capes have been injected with Jenova cells. Cloud has too, though he doesn't know. Keep this between ourselves ok?" Naruto asked. Nanaki nodded.

Seeing that the productiveness of the conversation was over, Vincent turned to Cid, who was sat behind him. "Hey Cid, let's go back to our rooms." He stopped and blinked, gazing upon the chair.

"…zzzz…zzzz…"

Cid was already asleep.

Naruto was bothered. He needed to talk to someone about his problem with Kyuubi. Remembering that he was able to set up a private connection with Gaara he did so.

'Gaara,'

'What's up?'

'I need to talk to you about something,'

'So you're finally going to talk about it,'

'About what?'

'About your feelings for Kyuubi of course,'

'How did you know?'

'I've known for a while. Its time you confess to her,"

'You think?'

'Yeah, tonight. You won't have another chance like this in a while.'

'(sigh) Ok, tonight,' and with that Naruto cut the link.

Around midnight Naruto got out of bed and walked out into the main room. He summoned his sword and put chakra into it, revealing Kyuubi.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Let's go out and have some fun. I haven't had the chance for a while," said Naruto, blushing. Kyuubi noticed the blush and said, "As in a date?"

"Uh….yeah," said Naruto nervously. Kyuubi smiled and hooked arms with Naruto. "Shall we go?" she asked, also blushing.

"….Yeah," agreed Naruto.

They eventually found their way to the station. While Kyuubi was sorting out her clothes and her hair, Naruto looked around the Station. The main doors were shut now. Even if the cable car was fixed they still would not be able to leave Gold Saucer that night. He turned around to face Kyuubi, when he spotted one of the Gold Saucer staff standing beside the tubes. When the young man met Naruto's gaze he gave them an exaggerated bow and spoke.

"Tonight's Enchantment Night! All the attractions are free," he announced, his voice filled with excitement. He stood up and waved his hand at one of the tubes beside him. "How 'bout it you two? There's going to be an entertaining show in the Event Square!"

Hearing that, Kyuubi spun around to face Naruto. The look in her eyes said it all. Her red iris's sparkled at him in anticipation. "Come on, let's go, Naruto." Without even waiting to hear Naruto's answer she turned and ran for the tube marked for the Event Square. She jumped in without hesitation, letting the wind carry her swiftly to the upper floors. Naruto smiled as he followed.

He took the tube straight to the Event Square. Kyuubi was waiting for him beside the exit, jumping up and down on the tips of her toes, pointing through the door. There was a lot of noise beyond that door—a lot of cheering and chatter, and the blazing glow of fluorescent lights. Naruto hesitated, but Kyuubi simply grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him—rather roughly—through the door and onto the balcony.

The Event Square certainly was packed. Nearly all of the benches were full—filled to the brim with cheering, squawking people. It seemed as though the show had not started yet, for the stage at the far end of the Square was empty. More fluorescent lights were beginning to flicker on and light the stage. The sound of the cheers grew louder at this, for they were eager to see the exciting show.

Once again Kyuubi's eyes lit up in sheer delight. She ran forward to the edge of the balcony and peered down into the crowd. She wanted the best seats for the show. Someplace where she could see EVERYTHING.

But as she quickly found out, the choice of seating was not going to be a problem. For as Kyuubi leaned over to see past the crowds, another member of the Gold Saucer staff, this time a young woman in her early twenties, walked over to her and Naruto.

"Congratulations!" she said loudly, making Kyuubi jump. She was forced to shout, for the cheers of the crowd drowned out her voice. "You are our 100th couple today! You two will be the leads in tonight's show!"

The response she got to this announcement was a good one. Naruto smiled in anticipation as he always wanted to try it. Kyuubi, who was already high from the waves of exhilaration roaming throughout the park, squealed in delight.

"Just play it however you want to and the rest of the cast will cover for you." She then turned away and began to walk across the balcony to the staff doors. Pausing for a moment, she looked back and motioned for Naruto and Kyuubi to follow her. "Come this way."

A hand patted his shoulder. Naruto turned around to see Kyuubi standing beside him. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded in the direction the woman was walking.

"This'll be cool," she said. She moved in front of Naruto and turned to face him. "This is going to be a smash hit!" Like before she took his hand firmly in hers and began to drag him after the woman as she led them towards the stage.

Five minutes later everything was ready. The cast were ready and the stage was set. The curtain, still lowered, twitched as people ran back and forth across the wooden stage making their final checks. On the other side the crowd could be heard, impatiently waiting for the show to start.

They didn't have to wait for long. The stage lights flickered and dimmed down to almost nothing and all at once the crowd hushed into silence. The thick red curtain began to rise, revealing the simple stage that had been prepared for this show. The crowd clapped loudly. The narrator then stepped onto the stage and raised his hand, silencing the crowd. When all was silent, the narrator spoke, his voice loud and clear so every member of the crowd could hear him.

"Long, long ago… An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia… Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King, Valvados. What will become of her? Just then, the legendary hero, Alfred, appears!"

Over a hundred pairs of eyes turned towards the stage, eager to see the legendary hero. Naruto ran out from the right onto the stage. He stopped in the centre. All eyes were on him.

Under fierce protest from both Naruto and the stage directors, Naruto had refused to wear any kind of costume the staff tried to pick out for him. The ones they suggested looked, to Naruto, to be completely stupid and humiliating, and so he ran out wearing his own clothing instead. Without the stage shoes his boots thudded loudly against the wood. Still, he wasn't going to twirl on like the directors wanted him to. He may have wanted to do this but there would be no ruining his own reputation. Kyuubi was able to disconnect herself from the sword so he was able to use it.

Naruto stood waiting on the stage. He had no idea what to do. In the few moments before the play started he had been given only a brief run-through of the story, and so he had no idea what he was supposed to do. So he just summoned his huge sword and started posing until he was saved by one of the other cast members who, dressed as a knight in dull amour rather than shining, twirled onto the stage. He stopped beside Naruto and bowed fancily.

"Oh… You must be the legendary hero… Alfred!"

Naruto stared at him. The voice that the actor had put on was so loud and so exaggerated and sounded so completely unnatural that it was beyond reason. He didn't sound too much like a knight either. The costume had been made out of scraps of metal probably picked up from the prison at the bottom of the Gold Saucer and roughly polished and shaped into what could pass as a suit of amour. A laugh tickled the back of his throat, and Naruto desperately tried to force it back. He shook his head, trying to avert his gaze from the actor's humiliation.

"Yes it is I, Alfred, legendary swordsman and champion of the world, defender of the weak and punisher of evil," said Naruto loudly as he posed some more.

"Nice!" whispered the actor, impressed. "Please… please save Princess Rosa! Now… Please talk… to the King…!" He faced the audience and bowed. Then he began to slide towards the back of the stage, allowing the next actor to twirl on.

The second actor was just as hilariously dressed as the knight was. He had been given a fancy tunic and trousers that had been filled with soft foam padding to give the impression of extra weight (all kings were well-fed, after all). Covering his shoulders and most of his body was a luxurious robe. Sat on the actor's head was a metal crown painted to look like gold. He twirled perfectly onto the stage and stopped beside the knight. Naruto ran towards the king.

"Oh… legendary hero, Alfred," the actor posing as a king said in a deep, loud voice. This actor was better at manipulating his voice than the knight. He managed to inflict a royal tone upon his voice, making it much more realistic. "You have come to have my beloved Rosa… On the peak of a dangerous mountain… dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados… who's kidnapped Princess Rosa… But…" He turned towards the audience and made his voice louder. "You can't bear the Evil Dragon King now! Talk to one who can help you…"

Taking a single step back to stand alongside the knight, the king motioned to the left-hand side of the stage. A third actor was waiting in the wings, waiting for his moment to move onto the stage. Seeing his fellow actor's sign he stepped out of the shadows and began to twirl onto the stage. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the scene created by his twirling. This was going beyond ridiculous.

Judging by the third actor's choice of clothing, Naruto figured he was meant to be a wizard or a mage or something like that. He was covered from the shoulders down in a long blue cloak, with soft white fur trimming the edges of his collar, sleeves and hem. As he twirled onto the stage the end of the cloak seemed to spread out, revealing the soft stage shoes that allowed him to twirl without falling. The wizard came to a stop beside the knight and the king and looked at Naruto. A slight nod that was invisible to the audience indicated to Naruto that he was the one he was meant to speak to next. Naruto ran over to the wizard.

As Naruto stopped just next to the wizard, the actor took a step forward, cleared his throat, and spoke loudly so all could hear him. "I am the great wizard, Vorman," he announced. He turned to Naruto. "What do you wish to know?"

"Oh great wizard, Vorman, who has said to know over a thousand spells. I need your wisdom in striking down the Evil Dragon King, Valvados," said Naruto, stealing Kakashi's legend.

"That was well done!" whispered the actor, also impressed. He then raised his arms and began to move them around in a grand, exaggerated gesture, as though he was using some mystical, unseen power to call the answer of Naruto's question to him.

"Ahh, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King," he said. He waved his hands more and began to murmur in a strange, unknown language. It was all for show, but the audience whispered in anticipation. "It must be, it must be… Yes, it must be…" The wizard opened his eyes. "True love! The power of love… Is the only weapon that can withstand the fangs of the Evil Dragon King…!"

Naruto felt as if a truck had just slammed into his head and kept on driving. 'True love'? That was the best they could come up with to defeat the Dragon King? Naruto almost faceplanted. Who on earth wrote this play?

However, it seemed as though the audience did not agree with him. Small gasps and murmurs echoed onto the stage, followed by loud whispers of 'aww' and 'how sweet'. The narrator, standing at the end of the stage, began to speak above the murmurs.

"Oh, what is going to happen next…! Oh… Legendary hero… look!"

Naruto turned to face the far end of the stage. His gaze rose upwards as he saw something large and green begin to lower itself slowly onto the stage. The audience gasped, some with fear and some with awe. Behind Naruto, the knight, the wizard and king all raised their arms in mock fear.

It was the Evil Dragon King. Or at least it was a dragon suit, being slowly lowered onto the stage by two very large cables hooked onto the top of the dragon's head. They had made the dragon suit large enough so that the cables would mostly be masked by the edge of the curtain. The person inside the suit operated the wings and tail, which swished and swooshed viciously across the stage. The jaw opened mechanically and a slight roar came out—a feeble attempt.

Standing clutched in the dragon's claws was Kyuubi. She supported herself on the dragon's legs as it lowered, but once it reached the bottom she let herself fall limply onto the wood, acting as though she was weak and in need of help. She tried her best to look terrified, but it was a hard effort considering she was having so much fun joining in.

"Gaaaaaaaah!" the Evil Dragon King roared fiercely. Naruto could just see the actor through the shadows of the dragon's mouth, trying his hardest to sound threatening and fearful. "I am the Evil Dragon King… Valvados! I have not harmed the Princess… I have been expecting… you!"

Down by his feet, Kyuubi trembled with fear at the sound of the dragon's voice. She looked to Naruto and reached out desperately, her hand trembling in sheer fear. "Please help me… Legendary hero!" she pleaded. Still reaching out, she glanced upwards at the dragon's head. "Psst…" she whispered softly. "Like that?"

Softly the dragon-actor nodded his head. Then, grasping his controls that were well hidden beneath the dragon's plastic and metal surface, he turned the head back to Naruto. "Gaaaaaaaah!" he roared again—a roar so filled with pure anger and hatred that it made the audience tremble. The actor raised the short arms with their razor-tipped claws and pointed at Naruto. "Here I come, Legendary hero… Alfred! I already know… your name!"

'Whoop-de-fuckin'-do. You know my name. Good boy,' thought Naruto at the particularly lame line.

Hurriedly the wizard grasped Naruto's shoulder and pointed towards Kyuubi and the Evil Dragon King. "And now… Legendary hero…!" he said, in a voice that commanded sudden urgency. "Here is what will happen… to your beloved…" He looked up to the sky, as if speaking from divine command. "A kiss! The power of True Love!"

Once again all the eyes on the stage turned to Naruto, eager to see what he would do to defeat the dragon. The rest of the cast watched fearfully, hoping that Naruto would not forget what it was he was meant to do. Thankfully Naruto did remember, and he ran across the stage towards Kyuubi and stopped in front of her.

All eyes were on Naruto as he knelt slowly in front of Kyuubi, or Princess Rosa. The Evil Dragon King looked down in bewilderment, wondering what the Legendary hero Alfred was doing. Naruto reached out and carefully took Kyuubi's hand in his own. Pushing back her long sleeves, he leaned over and kissed her hand gently. There was a parade of soft gasps from the audience—mostly from the women.

Kyuubi's eyes widened in surprise, and a deep pink flush rose to her face. "Naruto …" she breathed. Realising her mistake she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, Alfred…" The blush stayed on her face as Naruto rose to his feet. He scratched the back of his head and didn't look at her, as his face was burning as well.

The Evil Dragon King roared angrily, as though struck by a stake right through his heart. It made the wood beneath Kyuubi's feet tremble. The actor was very good at his role.

"Arrggaahhh!" he roared angrily. "Curses… The power of… love!"

Inside the dragon the actor pulled on the controls that operated the wings. The two large leathery wings began to flap vigorously—the metal that made them work creaking loudly. The cables wound into action and began to lift the dragon swiftly off the ground, carrying it back up to the beams above the curtain and out of sight.

Once the dragon was out of sight, the king stepped forward and raised his arms joyfully into the air, addressing the audience. "Oh… look!" he said, his voice filled with joy and delight. "Love has… triumphed! Now, let's all return… And celebrate."

"Yes, let's… yes, let's…!" the knight and the wizard cheered in unison.

Together the three actors rose up onto the tips of their toes and began to twirl off the stage—the wizard's cloak and the king's robe spreading and swirling around their bodies. Seeing her chance to shine Kyuubi also rose to her feet and began to twirl—following the three actors off-stage. She was surprised to see Naruto following her—also twirling. She grinned as they both twirled off the stage.

When all the actors had finished twirling off the stage, the narrator rubbed a small tear (a fake tear, to emphasise the effect of the story) and turned to address the audience. "Oh, how profound the power of love…" he said. "And so the legendary hero Alfred and our story can live on happily ever after." He gave a bow.

The audience erupted into cheer.

When the play was over and the curtain lowered, Naruto and Kyuubi bid a fond farewell to the stage cast and returned to the Gold Saucer Station. As a thank you for their efforts in the play the stage manager gave them 5,000 Gil—a price that Naruto agreed was fair for their work. Staying at an inn could be very costly in the long-run, and they needed every Gil they could get. The pittance they received from the battles they won would take a while to mount up.

They returned to the Station, Naruto first, making sure that Kyuubi was following him. They emerged from the tubes to find that the young man who had told them of the play in the Event Square was no longer there—presumably he had already retired for the night. Kyuubi, still on an immense high after the thrill of performing in front of a large audience, ran to the centre of the Station. She turned to face Naruto, the soft curls of her fringe falling around her face.

"Oh, that was fun," she said. Naruto nodded, smiling. He really had fun. "To finish it off how about we go on the Gondola?" he asked.

Kyuubi looked at him and smiled. "That would be great,"

Naruto, leading the way, went to the Round Square. He was glad to see that there was no one else around. The Gondola was waiting at the dock. Naruto felt his heart skip with nervousness. He looked back at Kyuubi. She met his gaze and smiled again at him, making him feel worse. But he had made up his mind. He walked up to the woman inside the ticket booth.

"Two, please," said Naruto.

The woman nodded and deftly pulled two tickets from a reel. "Here you are, two tickets," she said, pushing the tickets through the slot towards Naruto. "Enjoy the sights of Gold Saucer."

Naruto stepped into the Gondola with Kyuubi in tow. The doors shut swiftly behind them. Kyuubi sat down on the bench beside the open window, wishing inside that the hard, polished wood had a cushion to make it more comfortable. Naruto sat down next to her, nervous as hell.

Just then the Gondola shuddered into life and began to move away from the station. Kyuubi huddled up close to the window and looked out. Beneath her she saw the rail tracks dip away as the strong cables above carried the Gondola away from the station and up into the air. Within moments they left the Round Square completely and began their winding trek around the Gold Saucer.

"Wow, how nice," Kyuubi said, voicing her thoughts as she gazed through the open window. They were just coming round the first pass, and one of the other Squares was just ahead. Kyuubi leaned over to look, and her red eyes lit up in delight.

Naruto looked over her shoulder at the sight. The gondola was rising past the Chocobo Square, and she could see right into the racing ring. They saw the Chocobos with their different, fascinating colours race through the multicolored arena, their riders pushing them on towards the finish line. At one point they passed so close to the edge of the ring Kyuubi thought she might reach out and pet one of the Chocobos as it ran past. She didn't, of course, but it was a nice thought.

They passed the Chocobo Square and the gondola began to lift up again—a motion that was perhaps a little too swift, for Naruto felt his stomach lurch slightly. The gondola then steadied itself and moved forward gently. The next square came into view and Kyuubi leaned forward eagerly to see which square it was.

As she was leaning over a bright red light suddenly flared inside the gondola, making Kyuubi leap back and shield her eyes. Naruto stared at her and glanced at the window. The light had come from outside the gondola, from the square they were just beginning to pass. After a second or two the red light passed the gondola and Kyuubi sat up. She moved back to the window and looked out, this time looking out for any more sudden, flaring lights.

"Oh! Look, Naruto," she called. She waved her hand eagerly, motioning for Naruto to join her at the window. Naruto leaned over to see.

Outside the gondola was passing the Speed Square. The rollercoaster ride was in motion, its blurry form zipping along the tracks that wound their way inside and out of the square. The red light Kyuubi had seen was one of a series of brightly coloured lights that lit up in sequence around the square. They lit up and moved around playfully like coloured beacons lighting up the night sky.

The rollercoaster came zipping past. It zoomed around the outside of the square, the metal framework only a fast-moving blur as it came dashing past the gondola. Naruto could hear nothing of the people inside—the sound of the track and fairground music drowning out all other sounds. However when the rollercoaster came speeding past the gondola he heard the brief sound of joyful screams—a split second sound before it was lost to the sound of speed.

Kyuubi was almost disappointed when the gondola began to rise again, making a gentle turn away from the golden square and began to move up into the air again. Now in the middle of its journey the gondola was moving away from the side of the Gold Saucer, moving into a position above all the lower squares.

Peering out, Kyuubi could see all of the lower squares they had passed. She could also see the Ghost Square and its eerie graveyard, standing out like a sore thumb amidst all the light and colour illuminating the other squares. The golden-plated metal that encased the squares glittered in the coloured light, making it seem as though it really was all made of gold.

"It's so pretty," breathed Kyuubi silently, her voice nothing higher than a whisper. Naruto did not hear her. He was busy gearing himself for the conversation ahead.

At that moment a bright flash of light lit up around the outside of the gondola, followed by a loud, piercing bang that pierced the jubilant sounds of the Gold Saucer. Naruto, startled by the sudden noise and the fact that his nerves were not in the best condition, nearly jumped out of his seat. Kyuubi however, was leaning out of the window, looking up at the sky. A gasp of shock and delight escaped her lips, before they widened into a thrilled smile of joy.

A second firework fired up from below. Kyuubi watched its smoky trail as it zipped past the gondola and high up into the air. It exploded with an ear-shattering bang, and an upsurge in brightly coloured sparkles spread across the sky. With the smoke still trailing beneath it and the sparkles burning in the sky, it looked like a giant, multicoloured palm tree growing in the air.

More fireworks joined it after that; steady at first but gaining in speed and occurrence. Pretty soon dozens of fireworks lit up the night sky. The entire sky surrounding the Gold Saucer was alive in colour and flame. In the clearness of the night, those colours would be seen as far away as Costa del Sol and Gongaga.

"Kyuubi?" said Naruto. Kyuubi turned around to gaze at Naruto with beautiful red eyes.

"Kyuubi, there's something I need to say, but I'm afraid of your reaction,"

Kyuubi, sensing this was serious, turned her full attention to him.

"Ever since the start of this adventure something has changed within me. And the cause of this is….you,"

Kyuubi felt her heart skip a beat.

"You've always been there for me, protecting me. You're like my guardian angel. You've always been a good friend whether I realised it or not. But I've recently realised something,"

Kyuubi felt tears threatening to fall.

"This something I've realised is a feeling that comes about whenever I think of you. Every time I look at you I'm blown away by how absolutely, dazzlingly beautiful you are. Every time I talk with you I feel so warm inside that it instantly banishes all negative thoughts I have. I guess what I'm trying to say is …"

Kyuubi's tears were now crawling down her cheeks. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Is that… I love you," finished Naruto.

Kyuubi couldn't take it anymore. She brought her arms round Naruto's neck and looked straight into his eyes. What Naruto saw shocked him. Her eyes held so much warmth, happiness and…love.

"Naruto, I love you too," replied Kyuubi as she cried tears of joy. She then leaned forward and Naruto, getting the idea, moved forward as well. Their lips met in between them as their eyes closed. Naruto ran his hand trough her soft red hair lovingly. Kyuubi also combed her fingers through his wild, blonde locks. They both broke the kiss, panting just a bit.

"Wow, that was…amazing," said Naruto.

"Sure was," agreed Kyuubi.

"You want to go at round two?"

"I thought you'd never ask,"

They pressed their lips together in a more passion filled kiss as their hands roamed each others backs. Kyuubi opened her mouth to slide her tongue into Naruto's mouth. His eyes opened in shock only to close as the sensations overwhelmed him. Kyuubi rubbed her tongue against Naruto's and the boy moaned into the kiss. He did the same thing back and smiled inwardly when she gave a little moan that was the most erotic sound he had ever heard. They continued on like this for the rest of the ride.

When they got off they were greeted by Cloud and Aeris who were looking to go on as well.

"Hey Cloud," called Naruto as they walked over.

"Hi Naruto," answered Cloud who was looking fidgety.

Aeris looked from Naruto to Kyuubi and back again until she looked down to find they were holding hands. She looked at Kyuubi. "What happened with you two?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyuubi answered. "I'm in love with Naruto," she finished off with a small blush.

"Same here. I love Kyuubi," added Naruto with a blush in his cheeks as well. "Have fun!"

The two walked away to the station. Aeris watched them go until they disappeared. Then with a sly look at Cloud which he completely missed, she walked over to get tickets.

- At the Namikaze Residents -

A tearful Kushina was watching her son with pride and happiness. She couldn't of picked a better person for Naruto to spend the rest of his life with. Not only was she beautiful but she was also smart, kind, loving, caring, there were too many good things about her. To sum it up in one word, she was perfect.

Minato had a big smile on his face. He was proud, so proud of his son. He had been in fact hoping for this to happen for quite some time now. He turned to his loving wife and said, "Our son is growing up so fast isn't he?"

Kushina gazed at her caring husband. "Indeed, we have lots to prepare for," she said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Minato saw this and grinned before fishing out his phone and dialing a number.

Ring…Ring…Ring…Ring…click "Hello this is Hitomi the 10 tailed fox here,"

"Hello its Minato here. I was wondering if you are aware of the relationship with my son and your daughter?"

- At the Momochi Residents -

Inside the house, Haku was wiping her eyes and sniffling.

"That's so beautiful,"she blew her nose. She then heard sobbing beside her. "Zabuza?'

Said ex-demon was staring at the screen that showed Naruto and Kyuubi, trying not to bawl his eyes out.

"Sh-shut up...It's just...it's just that...It's...It's so beautiful!"he also blew his nose.

- Back to where Naruto and Kyuubi were -

The two shot back up to the Station and saw Cait. The cat had his back to them, and was muttering quietly to himself. They could not see what he was doing.

"Hey? What's Cait doing?" wondered Naruto out loud. He couldn't see what the cat was up to.

Cait tilted a pouch upside down and dropped the small object into his open hand. Small and smooth and almost perfectly round, it could have been nothing more than a fancy-looking stone. It was still cold, like ice. The markings on it, although natural, looked like they could have been painted by an expert hand. He held the object up to the light, gazing at its brilliance.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he saw the object Cait held in his hand. "! Is that the… Keystone?" he asked in disbelief. No, he had to be wrong. He had placed the Keystone in a pouch and had given it to Cloud, hoping it would be safe. But there was no mistaking the object that Cait was holding now. It was the Keystone. "Hey! Cait!"

At the sound of Naruto's confused voice Cait started, almost dropping the Keystone onto the floor. The pouch fell at his feet. Cait caught the Keystone before it could fall, clutching it close to his chest in his clumsy clawed hands. With a gentle smack he ordered his mog forward and began to move quickly. He jumped into the Battle Square tube and with a whoosh, he was gone.

"Let's go Kyuubi!" said Naruto as he and the vixen ran after him. . Without hesitation Naruto leapt into the tube. The wind flow caught him instantly began to drag him down into the tube, making him move with all haste towards the Battle Square. He was aware of Kyuubi's presence right behind him. Up ahead he could see the shadow of Cait's body zipping through the tube, heading upwards.

Cait reached the exit before Naruto could reach him. His large mog body burst out of the tube with a very loud 'pop', startling the guard who was standing outside the arena. The cat clutched the Keystone tightly in his hands as he looked around at the other open tubes, wondering which one he should hop in to evade Naruto and Kyuubi.

His mind was made up when he heard two consecutive whooshes from behind him, followed by an angered cry. Cait quickly darted around and hopped into the tube leading to the Wonder Square, carefully evading Naruto's outstretched arm as he attempt to snatch the cat from the mog. Cait didn't waste time with a mocking sneer and hopped into the tube.

Exasperated Naruto ran forward and dived into the tube, along with Kyuubi. The two zipped nearly side by side as they were carried along by the wind currents, but they were not gaining on Cait.

The cat was already at the exit, bursting up out of the tube and up into the air, before landing safely on the ground. Quickly his eyes darted around. There were a few people in the Wonder Square—maybe Naruto would think he ran off into the crowds. With that plan in mind he dived into another tube, zipped away by its current.

Naruto was just emerging from the tube when Cait made his dive. Through his windswept blond hair he saw the cat dive headfirst into the tube marked 'Chocobo Square' and vanish into its depths. Less than a minute later they emerged at the Chocobo Square. Carried forward by the immense momentum of the wind and his own drive Naruto staggered forward onto the stairs. Kyuubi emerged just seconds after and ploughed straight into him. The crash threatened to knock Naruto off the stairs. Naruto waved his arms and just managed to keep his balance, thanks to Kyuubi's help.

"Thanks," Naruto said quickly as they started up again. Cait was just ahead of them, bouncing rapidly up the stairs towards the Chocobo arena. He stopped at the last step and glanced across the stairs, scanning the sky above. When he looked back down and saw Naruto and Kyuubi running towards him he jumped in fright and darted into the arena, the doors crashing shut behind him.

"Dammit Cait!" Naruto cursed. He threw the doors open and charged into the arena. The bright lights and the heat of the room hit his face, making him, for a moment, feel dizzy and faint. There were many people in the Chocobo Square, all of them cheering and yelling as the races went on.

He spotted Cait somewhere near the back of the square. The cat was trying to blend in with the crowd, or at least appear as part of the scenery, standing close to the betting booth. Cait looked around and saw Naruto and Kyuubi standing in the doorway. Realizing that he had been seen he broke from his position and ran back into the crowd. Naruto ran after him, dodging through the crowd as he ran.

Cait burst through the exit and stopped halfway down the stairs. He stopped at the edge of the stairs and looked to the skies. He saw what he was looking for and ran down the stairs, calling up to the sky, just as Naruto and Kyuubi came running out of the square.

"Hey!" Cait called up loudly. "Over here! The Keystone!"

Hovering in the air above him was a large black helicopter bearing the logo of Shinra and the Turks. The helicopter descended on the Chocobo Square, and the door in the side of the chopper slid open. At first Cait could see nothing in the open doorway, until Tseng stepped out and stood on the edge. He held out his hand, waiting.

"Oh hell no!" said Naruto before he activated his Kikangan's second level.

Standing up as high as he could on top of the mog, Cait threw the Keystone up into the air. The stone flew up to Tseng's waiting hand. A sudden yellow blur snatched the keystone and shot back to the ground. There Naruto stood, pissed as he held onto the stone, his eyes narrowed in fury. His golden chakra flared angrily around him and blue lightning crackled around him. Kyuubi walked to stand beside Naruto.

In one fluid motion Naruto took out and unfurled his item scroll. He pressed the keystone to a spare space and charged it with chakra. A puff of smoke later and the keystone was gone, sealed inside Naruto's scroll.

"Now no-one but me, Gaara and Kyuubi can unseal it now," said Naruto in a lightly distorted voice, betraying the anger in his tone.

"Oh crap," murmured Cait.