A/N: Welcome to chapter eight! In this chapter, there's… I believe one part in here where I refer back to my other story Human Years. It's in parenthesis so… if you don't believe me, you can check it out for yourself. Hehe.

Thanks for reviewing you two! I really appreciate it! (hands everyone cookie)

Disclaimer:

Author: Something just occurred to me… I never put Sephiroth in my disclaimers!
Sephiroth: (jumps in all crazy-like and slices random things in half) RAWRISHALTSLICEYOUUP!
Author: …oh. No wonder.
Cloud: What about me!
Tifa: And me!
Reno: Me too!
Author: SHUSH IT! YOU GUYS ARE STILL STUCK IN THE BATHROOM!
Cloud: And Sephiroth?
Author: …he's... uh…(makes a face)
Sephiroth: (copies)
Author: …aaannnnywaaaay… FF7 doesn't belong to me…

Reveal Your True Eyes
Chapter Eight

Top to Bottom
"Hey, I expect you out of here as soon as you can." -Dyne

There was a flash of light. Two figures were seen walking around a huge test tube. The creature inside had eyes that glowed as bright as the firey depths of hell. The creature also had a necklace that jangled around its neck. Another huge flash of light appeared, only this time, the creature was set lose and it thrusted towards Nanaki without any hesitation. His eyes widened as he stared into the creature's abnormal eyes. A picture of Yuffie was seen, banging her fists behind the creature's eyes. The shrill cry of 'Nanaki' echoed throughout his ears as his necklace exploded into bright light. The sound of a sword slicing through followed after as blood splattered everywhere.

Nanaki woke up from his dream completely startled. His form had now changed from human to beast. His tongue hung out from his mouth as he began to pant like crazy. That dream felt so real to him. It was like he was actually inside, witnessing such an event before his very eyes. (he actually has one, but you get the idea.) He stopped panting and thought back to his dream. Now that he thought of it, he could have sworn he saw Yuffie inside that beast's eyes. Nanaki gasped and hopped out of the bed. He just had to tell someone about this.

The sound of his footsteps creaked inside the small house. It was still in the middle of the night and everyone was obviously sleeping, however, he had to tell someone about this. It had been a while since he had a dream like this before, way back when he changed into a human for the first time. It was a dream about him and Yuffie… and it came true. (Chap. 3, Human Years) Since then, he took his dreams quite seriously, no matter what the situation it was.

One of the doors opened slowly as he passed by. He peeked in, only to spot Aeris sitting up on her bed. Nanaki's head peeked inside her room. He cleared his throat, making Aeris switch her attention to Nanaki. A smile appeared on her face as she gestured for him to enter. The creature sat next to the bed.

"Is something the matter, Red?" Aeris asked.

He bowed his head. "There is. You might think this is weird, but… I think I had another premonition dream. I haven't had one in a while, but I take every dream seriously." Aeris nodded her head at that and Nanaki continued. "Well, I don't really recall the whole dream, but I do remember seeing a black creature that looked like me… and Yuffie was trapped within it. I have a really bad feeling that she could be in serious trouble," his paw stomped on the floor loudly. His shoulders were shaking. "I… I hope that she's…"

Aeris climbed out of her bed and kneeled next to him. She gave him a warm embrace that stopped Nanaki from shaking.

"It's alright, Red. Don't you worry…" she smiled. "We'll find her together."

"Thank you… Aeris."

Her smile faded away at that. She wanted to remember her past so badly. So far, she has only met Barret, however, she vaguely remembers what he was like before. From the way he looked, she started to wonder how they even met. Such a big guy hanging around such small people as herself. A small smile appeared at that. She just hoped that everything would come back to her.

Their embrace finally ended as Nanaki turned towards the door. He bowed his head before he turned the corner. Aeris walked towards the window and stared out into the darkness. Her eyes gazed upon the dark sky that revealed small parts of the Lifestream flowing through. She then began to think… if it was possible to see the Other World again.

Just then, gunshots were heard off in the distance. An orange flare of light followed after. Aeris opened the windows at that and leaned forward to get a better view. Her eyes widened as she spotted Barret and another figure shooting each other. It wasn't one of his friends she met earlier so… who could it be? Two other figures appeared from inside the house.

Biggs tried pulling Barret back but he resisted and continued to shoot at his opponent. Jessie watched in the back, clenching her small fists to her sides. She was the first to hear the gunshots. Biggs and Wedge quickly investigated the sound and found Barret and his old friend, Dyne, fighting each other.

"Barret!" Wedge yelled. "Stop this already!"

Barret dodged two bullets aiming for his head. "Not now! 'sides, he was the one who started it!"

Dyne ceased his fire and narrowed his eyes. "I have the right to! Why did you have to die, NOW? What's gonna happen to Marlene! You promised you would protect her forever!"

"Hey! It's not like I planned to come here! I'll find a way to get out of this place!"

"That's impossible! Once you're in here, there is no way out!" Dyne stepped back and fired at will.

Barret moved his gun arm in front of his face as the bullets hit against it. "I told you before! I don't belong here!"

"That's it!" Dyne swung his gun arm to his side and thrust forward. "DIE!"

Aeris stepped away from the window with her eyes wide open. 'D-Die?' she said to herself. 'Now that I think about it… I wonder how…'

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a new voice yelled out.

Aeris jumped back in shock at that. She leaned towards the window and smiled. "Red!"

Barret and Dyne's punches to the stomach stopped at Red's voice. Their attention was turned to him as he made his way to the old friends. His narrowed his eyes and growled at them.

"Now's not the time to be fighting! I may not be an expert when it comes to the Lifestream, but we could cause some serious damage if you guys were 'killed'. Consider what would happen to the 'Other World'."

The two friends grunted at that and pulled their fists away from each other. They turned to face each other and, without saying a word, they walked away. Nanaki watched Dyne enter another house and Barret enter Biggs' house. He sighed at that. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie made their way to him.

"Nice going there," Biggs said. "Wish I knew how to stop them like that."

Nanaki shrugged his shoulders. "I've had my experience. I know that Dyne cares for Barret… he entrusted his own daughter to him to take care of. He didn't really want him to 'die' yet."

Jessie frowned and turned to Wedge. "So Dyne's daughter is now… Barret's daughter?"

He nodded. "I believe so. We even met her."

"Really?" she paused for a while and smiled. "I feel like I did…"

Biggs patted his friend's shoulders. "Well then, it's still late. We should be hitting the hay til morning," he turned to Nanaki. "You coming?"

Nanaki shook his head. "No. I think I'll stay up for a while."

"Suit yourself."

As they left, Nanaki turned and gazed into the sky. Like before, no stars occupied the sky whatsoever. However, the flow of the Lifestream made it seem like there were some. Its bright glow dimmed on and off, making Nanaki turn away from it. It was beautiful, but now wasn't the time to cherish such a moment. His dream was still worrying him. Maybe it wasn't just Yuffie that was in trouble… it could be his friends. He shook such horrible thoughts out. No, he was going to find them… and they were going to be alright.

"Mind if I join you?"

Nanaki turned around and nodded. Aeris sat next to him and pulled her legs up to her chest. She leaned forward with a frown on her face.

"That dream is still bothering you, right?"

"… yeah. But I still have hope that I'll save my friends. And then, we can have a little reunion party or something," Nanaki grinned at that. "Your memories will come back to you easy!"

Aeris nodded. "I do hope so," she lifted her head and gazed into the sky. Actually, she should be the one asking herself that. Ever since she met Nanaki, she had been having a lot of weird dreams. She couldn't recall everything exactly, but she remembered seeing a big sword. It was held by a shadowy figure, and it seemed like the figure was about to slice her. The next thing she knew, everything was black.

"Aeris? Are you alright?"

She gasped and turned to Nanaki. "Yes. I'm sorry. I was just daydreaming," she lied. Something deep inside told her not to tell anyone about this. "So, shall we rest up now?"

Nanaki nodded and stood up. "Yes. We have a long journey ahead of us."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day, Nanaki and company began to discuss their travels. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie pointed out that the mountain path was the best place to go. However, there were risks involved. Those who travel through the path will get lost forever. Most likely the Lifestream would take their lost souls as an offering and they would disappear forever. Nanaki narrowed his eyes at that. He wasn't sure which way was the right way, but he felt that going through the path was the best option. Biggs leaned against the wall.

"I don't know much of the geography of the Lifestream, but I think after you pass through the mountain, there should be a cave you can enter. After that, I'm not sure."

"The journey is long," Wedge pointed out. "So don't rush through to reach your friends. I'm sure there will be a couple of dangerous encounters."

Barret lifted his gun arm in the air. "Damn that! I'm ready for anythin'!"

"Heh, lively as ever, aye?"

Nanaki nodded. "Anything else we need to know?"

"That's pretty much it," Jessie stroked Nanaki's head. "Just be careful."

"Yeah, you guys too," Barret patted his hand on Jessie's head. "Maybe on the way, we'll find out who's been messing with my friend's memories."

She smiled. "Thanks, Barret."

"Barret."

Everyone turned at that. Dyne was seen leaning against a wall. He turned and threw a brown bag to Barret. He eyed his friend and opened it. It revealed a couple of mountain gear and other useful items for their travels. Barret and Dyne stared at each other before exchanging grins.

"Hey, I expect you out of here as soon as you can," Dyne said.

Barret nodded. "I'll be out of here before you know it."

After saying their final goodbyes, the three travelers were off. They had a feeling that things would change from impossible to possible in no time.

"Urg… did you bring any of that food your pops brought?"

"Just a bag of chips and-"

Cid peered over Tifa's shoulder. A stream of drool poured out from his mouth. Tifa gave him a look and handed the food over. She couldn't have brought all the food her papa got. What would he have then? She lifted and eyebrow and tried ignoring the fact that Cid was still peering over her shoulder.

Before the three left, Lucrecia had warned them of the dangers that may lie ahead. She mentioned a village nearby an old cave. So, seeing that that was their only option, they headed northeast for the village. They haven't encountered anything out of the ordinary, just wild flowers growing in a meadow. Tifa gestured for the boys to take a little rest while she gathered a few flowers to bring.

"I heard that these kinds of flowers could help soothe a person's body."

Cid shoved another potato chip in his mouth. "Oh really? And when is that really going to help? This place is filled with nothing but souls. Hell, we're souls even!"

Tifa froze at that. "Oh yeah… I forgot…"

"Easily mistaken," Vincent finally said. "The Lifestream can play tricks in our mind if we're not careful. I even forgotten that everything we see here are just souls."

"…I hope we find Cloud and the guys really soon. I'm starting to get worried."

"We shouldn't worry. And we shouldn't rush either. We don't know what lies ahead of us."

Everyone nodded and resumed their journey. No sooner that they left, they arrived at yet another village. They wondered why Lucrecia never mentioned that. Perhaps she had… forgotten? They made their way inside, however, it was practically a ghost town. All the houses, even the trees seemed old and wasted. Not one soul was seen wandering outside. Tifa spotted an old sign lying on the ground. She tilted her head to read the words, 'Welcome to Trensford'.

"It sure's not welcoming," Cid said, nervously crumbling his potato chip bag around. "What the hell happened to this place?"

"It looked like a hurricane passed through here," Tifa added. "Let's have a look around."

Vincent headed towards the house that was closest to him. Before he could turn the doorknob, the door fell inside. He narrowed his eyes at that and peered inside. There was a slight hesitation but he finally stepped inside. The inside of the house was just as beaten up as the house itself. Bits and pieces of furniture had been scattered throughout and it was extremely dusty. Vincent kneeled on the floor and brushed off dust on the broken table. The words, 'The Arm Of The God' was carved on it.

"…is that supposed to mean something?" he shrugged the thought off and continued his search.

"Ew, this place smells like shit."

Cid pinched his nostrils shut as shoved some cloth away from him. He decided to check the house directly next door to where Vincent was searching. Apparently, it had to be a house that smelled unpleasant. He would have checked elsewhere, but he wanted to get this one over with. He flung a pair of dirty white cloth across the room, paused, and continued the action for a while. Sooner or later, he finally discovered a small brown box underneath all that. He quickly snatched it off the ground and observed it. There were unusual markings surrounding the box. Cid shrugged then tried opening it but couldn't.

"…shit!" he moaned. "Oh well. Might as well bring this over to Tif."

Meanwhile, in the back of the village, an extremely old-looking statue was present. It caught Tifa's eye so she decided to check it out. From her observations, the name of the statue was unknown. The plaque was rusty and she couldn't make out the words. However, the statue made a clear picture of what the person looked like. It was a young man wearing robes and he had some kind of fancy crown tied around his forehead. His arms were positioned quite oddly though, like he was holding something in his hand. Tifa stared up at the statue and tilted her head.

"I don't know why… but this statue is quite peculiar…"

"Tif!"

She turned and found Vincent and Cid walking towards her. "So, did you find anything?"

"Sort of," Cid handed the box to Tifa. "It looked a little suspicious."

"…a box?"

"I dunno! I couldn't open it so… why not?"

"I didn't find anything, but I saw the words, 'The Arm Of The God' carved on the furniture."

Tifa lifted an eyebrow. "… 'The Arm Of The God'?" She paused and turned to the statue. It seemed weird, but she had an idea. She stepped on the pedestal and tip toed to the man's left hand. She placed the box on it and jumped to the ground. The two men lifted an eyebrow at that.

"Uhm… why the hell did you do that?" Cid grunted.

Tifa shrugged. "I… don't know. It… seemed right," she stared at the statue and narrowed her eyes. "Don't you feel that something is wrong with this statue?"

"What? Like it's fake or something?"

"Yeah…"

Vincent narrowed his eyes and stepped towards the statue. "It's left arm looks discolored," he wrapped his fist on the arm and pulled it down.

A flash of light suddenly appeared. Cid and Tifa stepped forward. The statue suddenly vanished, leaving behind a huge hole on the ground. It was pitch black so there was no telling how deep it was.

Cid gestured to his friends. "S-Someone… jump in."

"It could be a trap," Vincent pointed out. "Maybe we shouldn't."

"After all that shit? Ha! I don't think so!"

Tifa sighed. "Fine. I'll go in first," and without any hesitations, she jumped in. The two boys stuck their faces in the hole. It was completely silent. Several minutes have gone by and there was no sign of Tifa. Cid and Vincent nodded to each other and finally jumped in. Suddenly, the statue reappeared, but the box in the young man's hand was gone.

The drop to the ground seemed never-ending. Cid and Vincent felt lightheaded as a big gust of wind nearly knocked them unconscious. After a few minutes, they stopped falling, but they never touched the ground. Cid awakened first, only to find himself floating in midair. He stood up and looked around. There were no signs of anything whatsoever. He grunted and shook Vincent's shoulder.

"Vin! Wake up!"

Vincent groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "What… happened?"

"I'm not sure myself. Come on. We havetah look for Tif."

The two men began walking straight into the darkness. They were still a little lightheaded so they helped each other stand. Suddenly, they spotted bright lights just above a hill. As they made their way up, the lights grew brighter and brighter. Tifa was seen standing on top of the hill.

"Tif!" Cid called out. "Damn! Ever heard of staying in one… holy…"

Vincent's eyes widened. "Is this even possible…?"

Tifa turned to them. "It's… an underground city."

A/N: End of chapter eight! Hm. I only put two different stories in here. (loud gasp) BUT. There is a reason for that. The Hojo and Reno parts, I felt like I was rushing through them. The Turks part is not that long actually. So, they deserve a lil break til the next chapter. Hehe. And, I'm sorry that the Dyne reunion wasn't long or detailed at all. I wanted to make a better one, but that's what came out instead. I will do my best in my other chapters to make up for that. And number 2, I didn't mention Cloud. Eep! Next chapter! I'll add him! (panicks that Cloud will slice Author in half) Anyways! I hope you enjoyed and please tell me how you thought of it!