Disclaimer: I don't own anything still.

My Eyes Can't Lie...

She held the blade in her hand, and handed it to Vincent.
"I'm so sorry, Vinnie, but I can't do it. I just can't. You have to do it for me." Yuffie took his hand and forced him to take the object.

"What? You know I can't. I couldn't. I am not strong enough to do it."

"DO WHAT!?!?!?!?" Everyone except Vincent and Yuffie yelled.

"Remove the Eye from my hand, and use my blood to kill Goliath completely. Forever. My blood can free him, yes, but it can also kill him."

"How?"

"If he takes my blood, it will free him. If I give him my blood, it will kill him. They are completely different trials."

"But what if he takes the blood you give him?" Cait Sith asked.

"You miss the point, cat. If he takes my blood when I give it to him, he will die. That is why he can only take my blood when I am dead. Because otherwise, I would give it to him."

"Oh...I see."

"But to make this work properly, I have to remove the Eye with the sacred dagger, and use the blood from the removal of the Eye."

"D*mn. All these (&^$@ guidelines. It's like you're defusing a &^@%#( nuclear warhead." Cid said.

"Well, this is even more dangerous than that. But back to the whole problem. Who is going to remove the Eye?"

"Ain't it obvious? You are. Who else has the strength as to cut you to pieces?"

"Well I can't do it. I'd chicken out before the thing touches me!"

"We can't do it, though! To hurt you...we just can't."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. If I stay bonded with the Eye for more than an hour, I will be forced to stay in this dimension forever. I won't die, but there is no way I will be able to escape either. Eternal loneliness. That is one of my fears."

"Well, who has the guts to do it?" Tifa asked. "I sure as hell can't."

"I can't. I have paws. If I was to do it, you would be all f*cked up."

"Nanaki! What is with you all of a sudden? You used to be so quiet and mature, and now you are turning into...into...well, me!" Cid exclaimed.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Well, the part of me you are becoming is bad. Bad thoughts, Nanaki, bad thoughts!" Cid said, waving his Gospel at him as if a mother would her finger. (A/N: It was the only way I knew how to describe it so that you knew exactly what I pictured in my mind...^^')

"Well, I don't think I could take it. I'd probably pass out and cut myself."

"I can't. I care about you too much."

"I'm an untrustworthy mechanical cat. I can't do it!"

"Am I supposed to take it out with my gun?" Barret asked.

"Well, who is going to do it?"

"You, Yuffie. You have to. It is your duty. Just think about what you are doing it for."

"But...the pain, Vinnie. The pain will stop me from finishing. Hell, the pain will stop me from starting."

"Then I guess the world is d*mned."

"FINE! IF I SCREW IT UP OR END UP DOING IT ALL WRONG, THEN YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO BLAME! I don't understand why I have to do it all anyways." Yuffie grabbed the blade back and closed her shimmering eyes. She turned her back to everyone, and walked to the far end of the room.

"If you can't do it yourselves, you can't witness it either." She lifted the point high into the air, and started chant words in Wutainese. The monotone phrases suddenly turned into a melodical tune. As she sang, she lowered the blade until it barely touched her skin. This would be painful and she knew it. It wasn't just on the outer layer of her skin. It was underneath, too. Almost touching the bone. Just before she pushed the sharp tip into her flesh, she stopped singing. She closed her eyes, but opened them quickly feeling the pain the blade gave her. She had to look, so she could guide it around and under the eye. Of all things she had to do, she had to do something as excruciating and gruesome as this, didn't she? It was just her luck. She let out a loud scream, which she quickly forced down. She couldn't help but let out a quick shriek every now and then, but soon she was finished. The Eye fell to the ground sending the sound of glass hitting stone around the room. Yuffie's sobs were also heard. She fell to the ground, and clutched her hand to herself agonizingly. Tears were streaming down her face like a cascade. Her clothes becoming wet again with her blood.

"There. I did it. And I hope you all are happy." She tried to stand up, to finish what she had started. She had to give him her blood. She couldn't seem to get up, though.

"I...I can't get up. I feel so numb, and cold. I can't move."

"Yuffie? It's OK. I'll take you over to him." Cloud picked her up, and set her next to Goliath. She turned her head so she could see his face. He was still motionless.

"It is your fault that I have to endure this pain, you @$$hole!" She lifted up her hand and placed it at his lips. Just as the blood dripped into his mouth, his eyes went wide.

"NO! YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME FOREVER! I AM A GOD, D*MN YOU! A GOD!" Goliath yelled as he started to shrivel up and turned into dust.

"Shut up. Someone get the Eye. Don't you dare forget it. If you don't take it with you to Wutai, then other forces will take it and try to use its powers, and I would have failed and gone through all of this pain for nothing." Yuffie then closed her eyes and slept. Tifa took the Eye and put it in her pocket.

"I'll carry her now, Cloud. Be right behind me, and don't walk slowly. As soon as the doors close, they are closed forever. Unless the love of our Princess shows her holy light." Vincent quickly picked her up, and started running to the exit. "Unfortunately, I don't know what that means."

The doors were moving slowly together. Everyone was behind him as he ran through the door, placing Yuffie on the soft grass.

"Hurry! The door is almost closed!" Vincent yelled as Cloud jumped through.

"Well if you didn't run so fast, we could keep up with you!" Cait Sith yelled. They then heard Tifa scream.

"Tifa!" Cloud ran back to see what was wrong. She was being held a foot above the ground by her wrists by the tails of two jellyfish-like creatures. Cloud swung his sword at one of them, causing it to release Tifa's wrist, but countered with an electrical shock to Cloud. Using his weapon like a bat, he hit it to the other monster holding Tifa, and it too let go. Then he cast a level 3 fire-all spell, conquering them both. Cloud quickly grabbed Tifa's hand and ran towards the half-closed door.

"Only one of you will be able to fit through if you don't run fast enough!" Nanaki yelled nervously. He was right. When they got to the opening, the door stopped moving.

"A decision placed in the hands of thy mortal souls.

When one let through heals the wounds, will thy seek out thy goals?

Through the elements of flame and ice; torturous the journey be,

Can thy withstand the power of thy greatest enemy?

Unto thee I speak thy fate as written in thy destiny,

Only pure true love can win, in time we soon shall see."

A soft voice rang through the group's ears.

"What the &*%~ is that supposed to (%#~&@ mean? Can't they make these *$~(# things understandable for the (*^$!~ stupid people? Like Barret?" Cid yelled in complaint.

"Why are you always sayin' I'm the stupid one? Or the fag? Why can't you say it be the cat? Or the chocobo haired shish kabob inventor?" Barret asked holding a small tissue in his big hand.

"...I don't know how I could have ever gotten the idea..." And he turned away.

"What? Can't a guy have a tissue? Or did blowing my nose suddenly become against the law?"

"What? Did I say something? No. I'm pretty sure I didn't. So don't yell at me for something I didn't do."

"Yeah, well you were thinkin' it!"

"Silence, fools! You cause great disturbance in my presence.

That may not pass, be you Gods, kings, or peasants.

A lesson be learned when loved ones are forced to separate.

And then the hostile words you hold will all evaporate."

"When you start talking in a language I can understand, call me." Cid said, scratching his head. Tifa then did something no one expected or thought about at the moment. She pushed Cloud through the doorway, and everyone watched in horror as the doors closed tightly shut. Tifa still inside.

"TIFA! NO! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" Cloud screamed angrily, pounding against the stone doors.

"Because she cares about you." Nanaki stated quietly.

"...Cloud? I'm OK. Just go on and I will try to get out. If I don't, then I don't. So just go. I am going to look around to see if I can find a way out, so just...huh? Who are you?" Tifa's voice changed to a confused tone, making Cloud nervous instantly.

"Tifa? Who is it? Who is there?" He yelled, pressing his ear against the door.

"You want to show me something? You want me to follow you?"

"Tifa! Don't go!"

"What is this light for? Are you taking me out of here?"

"Tifa!"

"By the way. What is your name? Mine is Tifa. And..." Tifa's voice faded as if she was suddenly gone. It was there, then it wasn't.

"She was taken out of the temple by means of powerful magic. Someone has teleported her somewhere." Nanaki said.

"How do you know?" Barret asked.

"I can sense these things."

"But where the (*&$#@ was she taken to? And who the (&^$@ would have the guts to do it?" Cid asked.

"...this way. Be careful. The rocks...may trip...you, Tifa." Yuffie whispered, her head shaking a little.

"Tifa? Yuffie? Are you OK?"

"This is...my past. And...my memories."

"I think Tifa is in Yuffie's mind. And that the person that took her there was a messenger from her mind. Maybe even an image of herself." Nanaki theorized.

"Why would she take Tifa to her mind? What for?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we can ask her when she is conscious." Nanaki said.

"But I want to know now. What if she is in danger? What if she can die in there? What if Yuffie dies, and then Tifa dies with her? What if Yuffie is possessed by some evil demon and put her in her mind only to kill her and then destroy the world?" Cloud asked going hysterical. That was when Cid hit him on the head with the handle of his Venus Gospel.

"Get a grip. Do you really think that Yuffie would do that kind of thing to Tifa?" Cid turned his Gospel around so that the point was only an inch away from his face. "If you do anything wrong, Strife, anything. I will *&^$@ make sure you pay. You better not (*&%^# hurt my Yuffie-girl. She ain't done nothin' wrong, and she (*&^%# deserves some *^%#@ respect for saving all of our *&^%$#@ @$$es."

"I'm sorry. I just really care about Tifa."

"We know, man. But d*mn. Yuffie wouldn't hurt anyone. Her friends, anyways." Barret said.

"I guess you are right."

"Well, enough of this small talk. I'm taking Yuffie back to Wutai so she can be in a bed and rest. Maybe we will be able to get Tifa out of her mind and Yuffie conscious again. Then find out some things." Vincent said walking towards the city. Everyone else just stood there, staring at the door of the shrine.

"I'd follow me if I were you. I'm the only one who knows the way back. Unless you want to find it yourselves and be back next year, you can do that too." Vincent yelled from a little ways into the forest.

"Well, that's our cue!" Cait Sith said as he ran after him and the others followed.

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"Where am I? Who are you?" Tifa asked.

"I am Yukkie. Well, a memory of her. But my spirit is partly here too. I don't have that much time though. As soon as Yuffie wakes up, you will be automatically taken back to your world and time. But anyways, I am Yukie, Yuffie's twin sister. I am here to tell you a little bit about her past. So you can better understand the ways of the Wutainese culture. First we will start with our birth. When we were born, we had so many brothers and sisters before us, that we didn't try to be better in anything, because someone in our family already achieved it. So we just did what we felt like, when we wanted to. I was a tomboy, she was a girly girl. We were fine and happy. Wutai was a thriving city. Religion a major priority. We lived life like a schedule. Then, she got sick. She had medicine, but she still got sicker and sicker. When she was about to die, I gave her my heart."

"I know all of that. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"You don't understand. It is because of how we acted that Wutai became how it is. Because all of our brothers and sisters were deceased, leaving her alone, she was forced to take the ruler ship no matter what she felt. Because of that, she is the one who has to deal with the protection of the eye. Just because Goliath is gone doesn't mean she can stop protecting the Eye. That is an eternal job. I remember our fourth birthday. And fifth. And sixth. All of them had father missing. He was never at any of our birthday parties. We never saw him on the day of our birth. But what should really be known is about our mother. She doesn't know it, but our mother didn't die giving birth. She died after we were born. Protecting us from Goliath. Father refused to leave her side while giving birth, even though he risked the future on hope that we were going to be sons. When Goliath came, he tried to kill me and Yuffie. Just before he hit either of us, mother went in the way of the attack. Just before midnight. No one told Yuffie because she was the girly one, and really emotional. You may not think so, but even now, she is emotional. She just doesn't show it. She cries herself to sleep sometimes."

"I never knew. That must be so awful." Tifa said with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, well, what are you going to do? There isn't really anything you can do."

"I know, but that is just so sad. And what do you want me to do with this information?"

"What else? Tell Yuffie."

"I can't do that! That is too difficult for me to do! I can't just go up to her and say 'Your family lied. Your mom died protecting you from Goliath.' One, she wouldn't believe me because where would I have gotten this information, and two, that is just too emotional of a subject."

"Tell her in a more sympathetic way, and say I told you and how, and you can do it. You understand how it feels to lose family."

"But..."

"But nothing. Do it. She is waking up now." Tifa was thrown on her back, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Cloud.

"Great. Now I have to tell her two things. As if the one wasn't hard enough, it just has to get worse, doesn't it?"

"Tifa! What happened? Are you OK? Where did you go? Who took you there?" Cloud asked.

"Are you hungry? Need to use the potty?" Cait Sith asked.

"How was the time? How long did it seem to be while you were there?" Nanaki asked.

"You look like sh*t, Tifa. You need to take a shower or somethin'?" Barret asked raising an eyebrow.

"Did you need to fight any monsters? Goliath?" Cid asked.

"...If you give her air and let her talk, she may answer your questions later. Let her do what she pleases until she is calm again. By the look on her face, she looks like she just saw a ghost and needs to sleep so she can think and rest." Vincent stated quietly. Everyone moved back from her except Cloud, who picked her up and laid her on another bed. They seemed to be in Godo's house. "It is closer." Vincent had said earlier.

"Well then she is going to sleep. And no one is going to bother her. Everyone out." Cloud yelled.

"I'm going back to sleep." Yuffie said as she closed her eyes again. Only after she said that did they remember that she was still in the room. Everyone else walked out and shut the lights and door.

"Hey, Yuffie?"

"Yeah Tifa?"

"I need to tell you something. Two somethings actually. Both of which are important."

"How important?"

"Very important. I want to tell you before you sleep though, so you can sleep all the emotions off."

"Is it that bad?"

"They both are. You see..."

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That was chapter 15. Kinda short, and I did fit a lot into a little bunch, but that's ok, right? Hope so. Well, please read and review!

Ruri-sugar