Chapter 3: Weeping Stone Eyes

Aeris tore out of Bugenhagen's house and ran to the rails that surrounded the house, a safeguard and lookout point for the whole canyon. She let her staff fall onto the floor as she let herself fall against the rails. She was relieved to feel the cool evening wind against her skin, and the deep red sunset was simply beautiful, especially as the orange-red cast shadows on the entire canyon.

Seeing that, Aeris couldn't help but feel a little foolish. Hearing Bugenhagen's story had made her feel so alone all of a sudden, and guilty as she had been using the Planet's Spirit energy without even realising it. Did that make her as bad as the Shinra, who manufactured it everyday?

Standing up, Aeris reached behind her and slowly pulled the ribbon out of her hair. Her long brown hair fell loosely onto her back in long, wavy strands, blowing back in the breeze. With the ribbon in her hands Aeris looked down and gazed upon the ball of Materia she never used. A keepsake… A memory of her mother… nothing more. Was this shimmering white ball of Materia once part of the Planet's Spirit energy?

"Are you all right?"

Aeris jumped and turned around. Naruto was standing a meter behind her, looking a little concerned. The red light of the sky was reflecting in his eyes right then, making his blue iris's seem almost red. She looked at him for a second, before she turned back to the sunset.

"I'm sorry," she said, and leaned on the rail again. "It's just… hearing that story…" She lowered her head, and her long brown hair fell loosely around her face. "I guess now I understand what the Planet was trying to say. It's crying… Crying because the Spirit energy is being sucked out of it…"

"Can't we do anything to help it?" Naruto asked her. He walked over to her and stood beside her at the rail. From where they were he could see the entire canyon, and the bright orange glow of the campfire in the middle of the village.

"I don't know," Aeris admitted sadly, tightening her grip on the ribbon. "All I know is… The more Spirit energy that is lost, the quicker this Planet will die. Each day more Spirit energy is drawn from it… In the end, I don't know if it is possible."

Aeris pushed herself away from the rail and turned away from Naruto, walking away from the rail. Naruto watched her as she pulled her long brown hair back up and tied the ribbon around it, securing it all with the ball of Materia to keep her hair back. When she was done she ran her fingers through the long strips of her fringe, moving it back out of her eyes.

"Also using materia, condensed Spirit Energy, does it make us any different from Shinra?" she asked.

"No," Naruto said firmly, shaking his head. They were silent for a minute.

"U-Umm…" she said suddenly. She turned back to Naruto. "Do you mind if I stay up in the canyon for a bit? I want to talk to the elders about the Planet."

Naruto smiled. "Of course," he said.

"Thank you," Aeris replied with a smile. She walked away but turned back to him. "Why do you look so very sad?"

Naruto did not answer for a couple of seconds.

"I'll tell you all sometime soon," was his answer.

As everyone suspected the night drew in quick and fast once the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The deep orange-red glow of evening rapidly disappeared and became the dark blue of the night. Dozens of stars became visible after that, until the sky was filled with them, clustering together in thick, sparkly dots.

Down in Cosmo Canyon, the campfire in the middle of the village was still burning brightly. With fresh sticks of wood thrown in to keep it going for another hour, the fire emitted a lovely warm glow around the area, keeping Naruto and the others all nice and warm as they sat and enjoyed the night sky. Aeris had returned after a while talking with the elders, and Nanaki also sat next to Naruto, his head resting on his paws as he stared into the fiery sparks of the fire. Gaara was silently looking at the flames, no expression in his face, though Naruto knew he was thinking about his past.

On the whole, Cosmo Canyon had been a very interesting place. Barret, Cait and Tifa had learned a great deal from the people – about the Planet and about the canyon itself. Rin had her eyes closed. It seemed the excitement of the materia had worn off and she was a bit tired. Cait sat near to her, lying on his side with his head resting on his closed fist as he stared into the fire.

"I wonder how many years it's been…" the cat mumbled quietly to himself. "Gosh, it brings back memories…"

"Cosmo Canyon… This's where AVALANCHE was born…" Barret said suddenly, and Cait looked across the fire to him. Barret was sat with his legs spread out in front of him, close to the warm heat of the fire. "I promised my guys someday… when we saved the Planet from the Shinra, that we'd all go to Cosmo Canyon to celebrate. After all this is finished I'll have to bring all of them back here. But I know one thing. If there's anything I can do, to save the planet… or the people livin' on it. …Then I'm gonna do it! I don't care if it's justice or revenge, or whatever. I don't care… let 'em decide for themselves."

In a rush Barret stood up, feeling suddenly energized after staring for so long into the fire. It was as though the heat of the fire was now burning through his veins, pumping him up with new energy. Before it had been all about revenge, and although he still wanted revenge on the Shinra for what they did to Corel, hearing the words of the elders of Cosmo Canyon made him want to do more for the Planet. And he expressed that desire vocally, making everyone around him jump.

"Urrrrrgh! I'm gonna do it!" he roared, his voice echoing through the canyon.

Everyone stared at Barret as he stood there for a moment or two, his gun-arm raised high above his head as he stared up at the sky with fire burning in his eyes. Then one by one everyone turned and looked away, looking off in different directions as silence once again spread around them.

As Tifa looked away, she turned her gaze back towards the fire burning in front of her. Her boots lay close to the burning sparks of wood, and she could feel the heat through the thickness of the leather, but she wasn't interested in that. She was more interested in staring into the flames themselves, and watching the way the fiery sparks danced about in the air, jumping up and disappearing into the air. Towards the middle of the fire the colour turned to a deeper red, with faint shadows moving in the centre. She stared silently for a second before she blinked and looked at the ground, her eyes watering from the heat.

"Cloud…" she said suddenly, her voice quiet. Cloud, who was sat beside her, looked up. Tifa pulled her knees up towards her chest and wrapped her arms around them, feeling her boots beginning to cool now her feet were away from the fire. "Bonfires are funny, aren't they? They make you remember all sorts of things."

Cloud gazed at her, and for a moment he saw the same look on Tifa's face that he had seen on Aeris's face outside Bugenhagen's house. It was a sad expression, the corners of her mouth turned down into a silent frown.

"You know, Cloud. Five years ago…" the young woman said. Cloud nodded, surprised at Tifa's nervous tone. Tifa suddenly shook her head and her dark brown hair fell over her face and shielded her scared look from Cloud. "…It's nothing. No, forget it. I'm afraid to ask…"

"What is it…?" Cloud asked.

Tifa sighed heavily, and brushed her hair aside as Barret finally sat down after feeling awkward as the only one standing. "It feels like… if feels like you're going far away…" she said. She turned and looked at Cloud, staring deep into his eyes. "You really, really are… you… right?"

Cloud blinked and looked back at Tifa, unsure of what to say. The young woman quickly turned away from Cloud, choosing to put her head on her knees to avoid looking at him. While she wasn't looking Cloud turned towards the fire and looked into it the flames.

They looked like ordinary flames, flickering around as they licked over the wooden sticks, burning over the brown bark until it became dark and crisp. Every time there was a gentle breeze the flames swished over to one side, threatening to blow out but always returning to its original position. Maybe it was just him, but he couldn't see whatever it was Tifa was seeing. Unless she was thinking about Nibelheim again.

On the other side of the fire, Aeris was also staring into the fire. "I learned a lot," she said over the gentle roar of the fire. "The elders taught me many things. About the Cetra… And the Promised Land… I'm… alone… I'm all alone now…"

"But I'm… we're here for you, right?" said Cloud.

Naruto smirked silently, hearing the little mistake. 'Soon,' he thought.

"That's right," Kyuubi agreed.

"I know. I know, but… I am the only… Cetra." she finished.

"Does that mean we can't help?" asked Cloud.

Aeris didn't reply. Instead she just slowly turned her head away from the fire, letting its light shine on her hair instead. The fiery red glow shone against her silky brown hair, and made the Materia flush red. "…" Aeris breathed silently. Clearly her talk with the elders had not eased her worries as much as she thought it would.

"…Long ago," Nanaki said suddenly, not lifting his head from his paws. "…When I was still very small. We were all around this flame…" Just as suddenly he shook his head, and looked down. "No, never mind…"

Naruto turned his head round and looked at Nanaki. "What happened?" he asked gently. He knew something had been on Nanaki's mind, for he had been quiet ever since they had sat around the fire for warmth, watching the night sky take over. He really wanted to help out for he really liked him and didn't want him to be hurt.

The hound sighed heavily, wondering where to begin. The others waited while he scratched his nose with his paw and settled down again, with one paw resting above the other to support his head as he lay down.. "It's about my parents," he said finally. "When I talk about my mother, I am full of pride and joy… And that's fine. …But when I remember my father, my heart is full of anger…"

"…You really can't forgive your father…?"

At the sound of Bugenhagen's voice, Nanaki raised his head from his paws and looked across the fire. Bugenhagen was standing on the other side, his body outlined by the light of the fire. Although Nanaki couldn't see his grandfather's expression, he was sure that it wasn't a smile.

"Of course," he replied stubbornly. "He… left my mother for dead. When the Gi tribe attacked, he ran off by himself, leaving mother and the people of the Canyon!" He shook his head fiercely. Inside him he could feel his heart thumping loudly inside his chest, sending a rush of hot, angry blood through his veins.

Across the fire, Bugenhagen stared at Nanaki. Slowly he was piecing together everything that Nanaki must have been thinking for all the years since then. As a young pup back then, with no real understanding of what was going on around him, it was no wonder that he would misunderstand and form his own truth. He sighed lightly as he came to a decision, and looked up at Nanaki.

"…Come, Nanaki," he said. "There's something you should see."

Nanaki looked up in surprise. "…?"

Bugenhagen turned away and began to head off away from the fire. He then stopped and turned his head back to the group sitting around the fire. "The place may be dangerous. Naruto, will you and one other person come with us?"

With that remark, Bugenhagen turned away and headed back towards the inner canyon. Nanaki walked slowly behind him, his head up in anxiety but his tail lowered and shuffling limply across the ground as though it was already asleep. They stopped by the stairs and looked back at the campfire, waiting for Naruto.

"Gaara, lets go," he said. Gaara stood up and walked over to Naruto and the two headed towards Nanaki and the old man. As the new group of four turned and headed back inside the canyon, Aeris slowly turned towards Tifa.

"I wonder what he wants to show Nanaki…?" she asked.

Naruto, Nanaki and Gaara all followed closely behind Bugenhagen as he continued to lead them through the main part of the cavern, slowly taking them upwards towards the second floor. The corridors were all empty now, with all the shops shut and doors closed, and the only light coming from fiery torches that lined the walls and cast dancing shadows just like the campfire outside. Their silhouettes moved and danced freely across the walls as they headed on.

The corridors were also eerily silent, which only enhanced the mood that had settled among them. It was an uneasy mood, for Bugenhagen and Nanaki were both so very silent as they walked along. The only sound came from Naruto and Gaara's boots as they walked, along with the soft patter of Nanaki's paws on the rock. There was no laughter or chatter anymore, and the whole canyon was suddenly given a very different, almost scary air.

They headed round and up towards the second floor of the canyon. For a moment Naruto wondered if Bugenhagen was taking them back up to his house, but he quickly dismissed the idea as Bugenhagen went straight past the ladder and stopped in front of the strange machine he had spotted earlier. His eyes glanced over towards the locked metal door beside them, before he turned back to Bugenhagen. The old man was right by the machine now, looking back at them as they gathered around him.

"Ho Ho Hoooo," he said. "Are we all set?"

Naruto looked around at Gaara and Nanaki. The stotic young ninja was all set, with his gun close to hand and his eyes alert and ready. Nanaki was equally prepared, but Naruto could see the sudden anxiety that had filled the hound. His muscles were firm and ready, but his tail was twitching nervously – something that was beyond his control and reminded Naruto that, despite his maturity, Nanaki was still only a teenager at heart.

"Yeah," Naruto replied finally, turning back to Bugenhagen.

The old man nodded in reply. "Ho Ho Hoooo. Shall we go?"

Bugenhagen then turned away from Naruto and the others and faced the machine that stood behind him. Over the years many layers of dust had covered the machine, and there were even faint traces of rust forming at the edges, another sign that it had not been used for a very long time.

As they watched, Bugenhagen went right up to the machine and placed his palm firmly on the side of what at first appeared to be a blank, thin metal plate. Once his palm as in place a long line of green light slid down from underneath the plate and under Bugenhagen's hand, scanning his palm print. Once the scan was complete a loud whoosh of air wafted in from the side as the metal door suddenly slid open.

Beyond the door lay a tunnel, shrouded almost completely in darkness. They could not see more than a few metres in, or what lay beyond it. Bugenhagen stepped away from the machine and hovered in front of the door, motioning to Nanaki and the others to come closer.

"All right. Come in, come in."

Nanaki walked forward and stood beside Bugenhagen. He peered into the dark, shadowy tunnel, but no matter how hard he strained his eyes he could see no more than a few metres ahead. A soft wave of heat and light fell over him and he saw Naruto's dark figure standing next to him, a fiery torch in his hand to light the way.

Swallowing hard, Nanaki took the first step into the dark tunnel. Naruto and Gaara were right behind him, the bright glow of the torch lighting up more of the area so they could see a little more ahead.

They had walked no further than a few paces when Nanaki suddenly realised that Bugenhagen was not following them. He stopped and turned back to the old man, who was still by the entrance. "Hey? Aren't you going with us, Grandpa?"

"What are you crazy?" Bugenhagen replied in surprise. "It's dangerous in there! I told you that! You want an old man like me to go first? I'll be right behind you."

As if to prove his point, Bugenhagen then entered the tunnel. He paused for a moment as he slid the door shut behind them, leaving it open just enough so that a crack of light from outside could be seen through the shadows. Now they were almost entirely in shadow, with only the light of the torch guiding the way.

They all remained very close together as they headed down the tunnel, Bugenhagen staying at the very back of the group just like he had promised, hovering above Nanaki's tail. Naruto held the torch up in front of him as they walked, its orange-red light lighting up the walls for a good few metres around them.

Even so they very nearly missed the entrance to the next floor – accessible only through a large hole in the middle of the floor. It was naturally carved, and had a thick length of rope tied to a short wooden pole that had been jammed roughly into the rock. After confirming with Bugenhagen that this was the way to go, they began the terrifying task of heading down.

Going down the hole was a much more difficult task than it first proved to be, especially since it was hard to see even with the torchlight. As Naruto held the torch out over the hole they could see another rocky ledge below. Nanaki was able to jump down easily and landed on the ledge, while Bugenhagen simply floated down through the shadows until he hovered beside the hound.

When it came to Gaara's turn to slide down he just used his sand to float like Bugenhagen. Naruto just took the rope ladder. They had to go down a number of similar levels in order to reach the bottom. Each level they went down was more terrifying than the last, for the air was becoming colder and thicker with a deeper sense of unease and apprehension.

They finally reached the bottom after climbing down a long length of rope – much longer than Nanaki had anticipated when he took the leap down and ended up falling further towards the shadows below. It was only his agile reflexes that kept him from hurting himself and landing safely.

"Smooth Nanaki, smooth," commented Naruto with a smile.

Once they were all on the ground, they headed on towards the next area of the cavern. Bugenhagen directed them towards an open hole in the side of the wall, barely visible in the darkness. It seemed to be the only way to go, so they went through.

They were surprised to discover that it was lighter in the next room, despite being so deep inside the depths of Cosmo Canyon. The light came from the jagged walls and ceilings, where a strange, gooey substance lightly covered the walls like the trail of a snail. The substance gave off a foul smell – or maybe that came from what else was lying hidden inside the shadows of the tunnel.

Bugenhagen was leading the way now, braving the front of the line and guiding them all through. He seemed to know which way to go despite it being so dark, and the others were reassured that at least someone knew where they were going.

"Over here," the old man said, stopping next to the wall of a tunnel. He pointed towards an even darker shadowy gap where the gooey substance did not shine. "In there is a switch. It should open the door to the next chamber. Be careful, though."

Naruto nodded, and passed the torch over to Bugenhagen. He walked into the small dark crevice and began to feel around for the switch. For a while all he could feel was solid rock, but then he felt the old feel of wood and metal and began to work the switch. It was rusty, though, so he took his time.

As they all stood there in silence waiting for Naruto to finish working the switch, Gaara suddenly felt a cold wave pass across the side of his face. It was a light touch, as though cold fingers were slowly feeling their way across his skin, heading down towards his neck. Before they could get there he jumped and drew his gun, firing a shot out to attack whatever it was behind him.

The shot collided with the rock instead of flesh. Gaara looked round and saw everyone staring at him.

"Gaara?" said Nanaki, looking over at the ninja. "What's wrong? Did you hear something?"

"There is something down here," Gaara said softly.

Naruto finished pulling the switch, and a loud grating noise echoed throughout the tunnels. At the same time the cold chill in the air turned even colder, making everyone shiver.

Laughter then began to Ring throughout the tunnels. Eerie, deathly laughter, filled with mockery and hatred. Naruto looked ahead into the crevice as a white figure suddenly emerged from behind the wall. A thin white face with red eyes glared at him before bursting out of the wall, passing right through Naruto's face and shoulders and out into the tunnels.

There were more of the ghastly looking creatures floating around the tunnel, each of them laughing at the terrified group below as they flew around in the air. Gaara took a guard position next to Bugenhagen, while Nanaki snarled and snapped his jaws at any of them that dared to come near. He managed to lock his jaws around one of them, but was shocked when his teeth passed right through the flesh. In response the ghostly figure turned and laughed, before flying off with its comrades into the tunnel.

Bugenhagen was the only one unafraid of the strange creatures. He walked on with the torch up towards the top of the tunnel, where a large door had opened up in the side of the wall. He looked up at the quickly scattering ghosts, watching as they began to fly off down the other tunnels away from them.

"Ho Ho Hoooo," he laughed. "Everyone here's a ghost of the Gi tribe. Killed in a certain battle."

Nanaki stopped snapping his jaws at the empty air, and looked over at his grandfather. "A certain battle…?" he asked. There was a question buzzing under the tip of his tongue, but Bugenhagen was talking again and he didn't dare ask it.

"The vengeful spirits of the Gi didn't disappear, and couldn't return to the Lifestream…" the old man said. He motioned them all towards the door. "We still have far to go. Ho Ho Hoooo." He then walked boldly through the open door, forcing the others to follow him if they wanted to remain in the safety of the firelight. Nanaki followed almost reluctantly, wondering about what Bugenhagen was up to.

'There's that 'Lifestream' word again,' Naruto wondered.

The next area was similar to the first, although there were many hazardous drops leading to deeper parts of the cavern. So the group stayed in a single line, with Bugenhagen holding up the torch at the front to light the way. With the light they could see a little over the edge of the paths, which rapidly turned into shadow. Naruto even dropped a rock down, but he could not hear it land.

They were very glad to have Bugenhagen with them at that point, for he was able to warn them of all the hidden traps within the cave. One in particular was just ahead. A slippery, oily substance had been thickly laid across the floor near the end of the path, heading right towards a series of sharp metal spikes waiting at the end of the path. Without Bugenhagen's guidance, they would have stepped on the oil and skidded right to their deaths.

So they carefully made their way around the substance, listening to the disappointed laughs of the Gi ghosts as they headed up towards the next area.

There was another cave door at the top of the next area, and Bugenhagen stopped again. He turned and waited for the others to catch up to him, and waved towards the door.

"As you can see, this cave leads to the back of Cosmo Canyon," he explained. He turned to the door and floated a little towards it, letting the firelight create more dancing shadows around it. "It was unfortunate that the Gi were larger than us. If they attacked through here, we wouldn't have stood a chance."

"…" Nanaki mumbled thoughtfully.

Bugenhagen looked down at the hound's serious face, before turning back to the door. "Let's move on," he said, and headed through the door.

The others followed him through, now very aware of the increasing sense of hatred that filled every tunnel. They were sure that they were coming close to the source of all the hatred now, and thinking of what it could be made their hearts skip a beat.

Deep inside the dark depths of the next tunnels, the sleeping creature slowly stirred as it heard the sound of faint footsteps enter the cavern. With it came the equally faint scent of meat – living, breathing meat that could mean only one thing, and that was fresh prey. Slowly the creature opened up a few of its many tiny black eyes and peered out through the shadows towards the ground below.

Through the many twists and turns of the old white web that hung on all sides of the cavern, the creature could see its prey. There were four of them in all – an elderly man, a much younger man and a younger girl, as well as a dog. Although it did not care for the old man, the creature knew right away that the other two were perfect prey. Although something about the dog made it uneasy, its scent recalling some faint memory of many years passed.

Its mind awakening with the smell of food, the creature began to uncurl its eight stick-like legs. Each of its joints faintly cracked as they unfolded and stretched out, the sharp claws of its feet grasping onto the non-sticky parts of the web that it had made its home. Eight legs attached to a small rounded body began to move steadily across the ceiling.

Down below, Naruto and the others had just reached the edge of the web. It spread over four different tunnels and left its remains all along the walls, as well as the remains of a few of its unfortunate victims that were caught and snatched up.

Unable to go further because of the web, Naruto stepped forward and placed one finger on one of the silver strings. Strangely enough it seemed to shimmer at his touch, the entire web shaking every so slightly. It was also incredibly sticky, he discovered, stretching slightly as he pulled his hand away before flicking back into place again.

"Can we get through?" asked Nanaki.

Naruto grinned and motioned for everyone to step back. He then preformed a string of hand signs and called out, "Katon: Goukaku no Jutsu!" He brought his thumb and forefinger together and pressed them to his lips. He took a deep breath and blew out not air but a stream of fire that grew out into a massive fireball. The fire burned the threads away and Naruto stopped the technique as he heard a ringing sound.

Up in the recesses of the tunnel, the creature stirred a little more. It turned its body slowly towards the sound of the Ringing, using its more accurate hearing to guide it towards the web that had been disturbed by its prey. Its small but deadly jaws clicked loudly in response to the Ringing, beginning to quicken its pace before its prey could figure out what was going on.

"I don't like the sound of that clicking," Bugenhagen commented, still holding the torch up so they could all see around them.

Nanaki lifted his head suddenly as he caught a foul scent on the air, and he began to growl deep within his throat.

All at once everyone turned and looked up, and there, on the top of the web, was the creature. A gigantic spider at least four times their size, standing perched on the other side of the web against the ceiling. Its jaws clicked hungrily as it opened all eight of its eyes on the group, sticky saliva dripping from its mouth.

"Aaaahhhh! Fucking big ass spider! I hate spiders!" cried out Naruto and he swung his sword into a guard position.

Above him, the spider slowly stuck two of its legs through one of the small holes of the web, supporting itself before it stuck its body through the gap. Lastly it brought its legs out so that it was fully on their side of the web. Its eight eyes moved around from one person to another, from Bugenhagen to Nanaki to Gaara, before finally settling its gaze on Naruto at the bottom of the web. It then began to move slowly downwards, its jaws clicking even more hungrily.

"Oh shit! It just had to go for me. Well you're not getting me!" yelled Naruto as he slammed his sword into the ground and started up another round of hand signs. "Doton: Imperial Prison no Jutsu!" He slammed his hands into the earth and released the jutsu. A wall of crystal rose from the floor and encased the spider on a dome of rock. They all realized that this was actually diamond. The wall wasn't thick at all but diamond was the hardest mineral so far found and so it was enough. The monster scuttled around trying to get out but even the floor was a one inch thick floor of diamond.

"Oh wow," said Nanaki softly, his eyes open in awe at the dome of crystal. He had never seen anything like it at all. Gaara was also looking at the structure in awe before he turned to Naruto and smirked.

"I didn't think you had an artistic side to you," he said.

"My pranks were artistic," Naruto argued back. "You should have seen what I did to the Hokage monuments a while back!"

Through all this Bugenhagen had been looking at Naruto. He then withdrew his gaze and floated towards them.

"We still have a little way to go yet. Follow me." Bugenhagen said. With that the old man headed on through the tunnel, the torch lighting up the dark sides of the walls. Nanaki, Naruto and Gaara following closely behind.

Bugenhagen came to a stop again at the very top of the cavern, beside yet another cave door leading into darkness.

"This warrior went through the cave alone," he said, looking through the door. "Fighting attackers one after another…"

"Grandpa…" Nanaki said, the question burning underneath his tongue. "That warrior…"

Bugenhagen looked down at Nanaki's face. He still looked like the earnest young Nanaki he had always known, but now there were traces of fear and anxiety in his face. He smiled faintly.

"Ho Ho Hoooo. We're almost there," he said.

They went on through the next tunnel, and entered what they presumed to be the final cavern. It was a much larger cavern, and all around them were large chunks of rock and stalagmites, as well as stalactites hanging down from the ceiling. There were also a number of open pits filled with burning hot lava, creating giant clouds of steam that filled the cavern. There was also a foul stench hanging in the air.

At the very head of the cavern, on the far wall, there was a giant carving. It was built in the shape of a face or a battle mask, glaring out silently at the rest of the cavern with angry eyes.

Bugenhagen was the first to enter the cavern, and from the moment he passed underneath the door he felt the change in the air. All the anxiety, all the hatred… all of it was centred in this very cave. There were many Gi tribe ghosts roaming this cave, hiding in corners like more spiders waiting to attack. Yet, what scared him the most was the giant rocky mask blocking the cave's exit.

"What is this…?" he asked, stopping in the centre of the cave and looking up. His hand was shaking as he held the torch, sensing the anger coming from the statue.

Nanaki walked up behind him, also sensing the hatred coming from the statue. "Grandpa, is he…?"

"After death… The ghosts of the Gi… Like stagnant air… This… can't be!"

At that moment, the eyes of the statue suddenly lit up into a fierce and angry red. Like dark red pupils they darted around until they locked eyes with the group standing in the middle of the cavern. Then the ghostly tongue licked out from the open mouth of the statue, and a low growl rumbled deep within it.

"Here we go again," mumbled Naruto loud enough for everyone to hear. "At leased it's not a big spider,"

"Or a robot," replied Gaara.

Naruto shot him a grin and got into an attack position.

The entire cavern began to shake and quiver as the statue growled, awakening all of the sleeping spirits within it. Dozens of white ghostly figures seeped out of the rock; each still dressed in full battle gear. They floated up towards the top of the cavern, beginning to swirl in a large circle across the ceiling until they were just a blur.

On the ground, Naruto and the others stood frozen, watching as the spirits swirled and swirled, combining their energy. Their swirling created a gust of wind that blew throughout the whole cave, blowing through Naruto's hair and Nanaki's fur, making them shiver and the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. It also blew through the torch that Bugenhagen still held, and eventually it blew so hard that the red flame was blown out, leaving them in the dark red glow of the lava.

They turned their gazes back towards the giant stone carving in the wall, and watched as something began to emerge from the shadows of its face. Slowly but surely the creature emerged – tall and strong, with so much armour on its body that it looked gigantic. Like all the other ghostly figures its clothes were tattered and torn, and its body semi-transparent and ghost-like but rapidly turning solid. It didn't take more than one guess to figure out just who this creature was.

This was the ghost leader of the Gi tribe: Gi Natak.

Nanaki growled fiercely as he caught the scent of the Gi leader. That scent stirred up many memories within the depths of his mind – memories that had lain suppressed for many years until this moment. Memories of the fateful day the Gi tribe attacked Cosmo Canyon, of how many of the canyon's inhabitants were brutally slaughtered… And of how his mother fought with all her strength to fight off the Gi and protect the canyon.

Unable to contain his anger anymore, Nanaki suddenly leaped forward, his claws extended to their full length and his teeth so visible they glowed with the colour of the lava. His muscles were powered up by his anger – anger towards the Gi for taking his mother from him.

It was that powerful hatred that made him coil his muscles and leap high up into the air, high up above Gi Natak's head. He brought in his back legs and tucked them underneath his stomach, tilting his head down towards the head of the Gi leader. He began to fall and it was then that he pushed his hind legs out, giving him an extra burst of speed and strength as he powered down to the Gi leader's head, clamping his jaws around partially solid flesh.

Gi Natak flung his head around, trying to force the hound off his helmet. Nanaki kept his grip and stayed on, his body twisting back and forth as the ghostly leader fought back. Eventually Gi Natak reached up with one long arm and wrapped his fingers around Nanaki's waist, pulling him free before hurling him against one of the walls right above a pit of lava. He fell down onto a small ledge just above the lava, so close that even one slip would send him falling into it.

"Nanaki!" Naruto yelled in worry.

He drew his sword and made to run forward, but as he did a sudden gust of wind made him stop and step back. The Gi leader stood with one arm raised up towards the ghostly swirl of spirits that covered the ceiling. As Naruto watched the swirl parted for just a second, allowing two fiery balls to drop down towards the ground where Gaara and Naruto were standing.

Naruto and Gaara managed to jump away in time as the fiery ball landed at their feet. The two balls of fire hovered in front of Naruto and Gaara, and they could see directly into the fire. There was a small ghostly face burning inside the flames – the face of one of the Gi tribe. The fiery balls must have been some kind of protection or shield, allowing the Gi ghosts to have some sort of physical presence. The balls suddenly darted forward, and Naruto raised his sword to attack.

Gaara fed chakra into the ice materia and blasted the fire ball in the face. The ball stopped and paused before approaching him at less speed to dodge easier. Gaara called over to Naruto without taking his eyes off the foe.

"Use water or ice Naruto!" he called as he set off another ice bullet at the fire ball. "And lots of it," he added.

As the ninja were facing off againsed the fire, Nanaki was just climbing to his feet. He looked over across the pool of bubbling lava and saw Cloud stuck in the middle of a fierce battle with the Soul Fire, fending off its fire attacks with the flat end of his sword. He also saw Gaara shooting Ice bullets at the steadily dodging fireball. What was important to him, however, was the Gi leader, who was standing and watching the fray with a smug satisfaction.

He jumped off the small ledge he was on, just as it crumbled and fell into the lava. He landed on the main floor again and charged forward, zipping past Naruto like a blur and right through the Soul Fire. The spirit inside the ball made a terrible screeching sound as Nanaki's claws sliced through the flame, and it disappeared with a faint pop and a sizzling sound. Nanaki didn't stop there, and charged once again towards the Gi leader to make another attack.

Bugenhagen watched silently as Nanaki and Cloud made their attack on the Gi leader. He was awed at their synchronization, as if they had done it before.

"Nanaki, I need you to distract it, kay? I'll finish this off in one jutsu. I'll tell you when to back off," said Naruto. Nanaki nodded and he sprinted off on his own leaving Naruto to put all his training to work. In the nights he had been working on fire manipulation into the workings of the Rasengan. It was going to be wind but Kyuubi said it would be better working with the tail he had.

Flashback

He pushed chakra into the air but it dissipated before he could draw it into a Rasengan.

"GOD DAMN IT! WHY!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

Kyuubi had been looking at him, figuring it out.

"Naruto, I think we should work on fire instead of wind. Kitsune are fire beings, fire is our element. As we grow tails we gain mastery of the next element. You have almost mastery of the fire element since you have only just become a half kitsune. If you work on Fire now and wait until you get your third tail we'll leave wind alone. Does that sound alright?"

Naruto agreed reluctantly agreed. He really wanted to do wind first but wisdom from someone who is a lot older than you is foolish to shrug off.

Flashback Ends

Naruto started gathering chakra in his hand.

Meanwhile Gaara had had enough. He gathered chakra into his legs and called out his move.

"Divine 64 Bullets Of Ice!" He flickered behind the Soul Fire and shot twice. "2 Bullets!" He then flickered to the left. "4 Bullets!" He then proceeded to flicker in random places. "8 Bullets! 16 Bullets! 32 Bullets!" He then jumped high and unleashed the last volley directly overhead.

"64 BULLETS!"

He landed in front of the Soul Fire and looked at it. The fireball was now a frozen ice block. It was still hovering meaning it was still alive. Gaara deactivated the ice materia and fired a single bullet. The monster exploded into a million pieces. He the ran to stand beside Bugenhagen.

Nanaki was keeping it distracted when he heard a yell from Naruto. He jumped back and looked at Naruto and he widened his eyes in awe.

Naruto had his tail and fox ears out and a glowing, gold coloured aura around him. His hair had spiked up and his eyes were blue with a gold Ring around the pupil. But in his right hand was what looked like a raging inferno. Fire was raging, contained and compressed into a ball. It was quite a sight. A strong gust of wind whipped around the cave, ruffling Naruto's coat and hair, his tail flicking behind him. He then sprinted forward, faster than before and leapt up to be level with Gi Natak's chest. He reared back his arm and, dodging his arms, yelled before slamming the fire into the monster.

"Rasengan Art: Firestorm!"

The effect was instantaneous. The ball of fire ripped apart the thing and everything for 3 meters around was scorched. Naruto had leaped away just in time. A sphere of fire burst out of the Gi leaders body and the whole thing expanded until the whole body was inside the sphere. The mini sun floated there for a couple more seconds before contracting to a pinpoint and finally smoking out.

The cave soon fell silent again. The aura of hatred that had filled the cave before had disappeared now, leaving the cave with a calm and almost serene feel. The giant stone carving of Gi Natak's mask had disappeared as well, leaving just a blank stone wall with a single doorway leading through to the final area.

Naruto walked up to Nanaki and looked him over. He had a slight gash on his led but nothing too serious. He performed hand signs and said, "Divine Rebirth no Jutsu," The cut on Nanaki's leg started healing as steam rose from the cut.

Bugenhagen floated down from the ledge he had been hiding on, and stopped beside Naruto.

"…Thank you, Naruto. Because of you, we survived," he said gratefully. Naruto smiled, and Bugenhagen turned to Nanaki. "Nanaki, you have grown strong, too."

Nanaki looked up at his grandfather. "…Oh yeah?" he asked. Although he desperately tried to hide it, it was clear that Nanaki was extremely proud to hear Bugenhagen say those words.

Bugenhagen nodded. "Now I know that it wasn't a mistake bringing you here…" he said. He went over to the fallen torch and picked it up. Its fire was out now, but as Bugenhagen passed his hand over the top of the wood it caught fire again, and the brighter light filled the cave as the old man walked over to the last door. "Come, I have something I want to show you."

With the torch now lighting the way again, Bugenhagen proceeded to walk through the final door with Nanaki. Naruto and Gaara were about to follow but Naruto saw a Materia lying on the floor. Although it was green on the outside, he could see a dark hole inside it.

'A void materia?' he asked Kyuubi.

"No, not void but Gravity. It's slightly different. Void is difficult to explain but the difference is like the difference between water and ice."

"By the way, nice work with the ice bullets," noted Naruto, praising his friend.

Gaara nodded before he saw Naruto holding out the materia to him.

"I'll give this to you. You'll find a use for it I'm sure." And with that they moved to the exit.

Nanaki was surprised when he emerged from the tunnel. He was surprised because he found that he was no longer inside the canyon. Up above him there was the clear sky filled with the stars of the heavens, and a cool, gentle breeze was blowing through the air. There was a rugged path around him, as well as a tall cliff accessible only from the large rocks that jutted up out of the earth.

As Nanaki stepped out and looked up, his one good eye opened up wide in an expression of both amazement and fear. For a second he couldn't move, instead listening to his heart beginning to beat faster than he thought possible, and feel the blood pulse through his head. His paws trembled as he walked up to the first rock, the rough surface feeling awkward against the soft padding. With a sudden burst of energy he jumped up to the next rock, his neck sore as he strained to look up.

"This is…" he said, but he couldn't finish his sentence. His voice simply refused to finish the words he was trying to say.

Behind him, Bugenhagen slowly floated towards the first rock, slowly nodding his head. "…The warrior who fought against the Gi," he said, his voice echoing slightly around the canyon. "He kept them from taking even one step into Cosmo Canyon. But he was never able to return to town…" Nanaki slowly turned and looked at him, and Bugenhagen nodded. "Look, Nanaki. Look at your father, at the warrior, Seto."

Nanaki did look. His gaze wandered back towards the top of the cliff, where a large stone figurine was standing. He had recognised it instantly, even after all these years. He remembered the large bulk of the hound-like body, with muscles powerful enough to carry more than twice his own weight. Around his head were the markings of his tribe – the many red feathers symbolising his age and his status. Nanaki had no choice but to recognise him.

The only thing now was that his entire body was stone. Many arrows had pierced the hound's skin and were still there, turned to stone like the rest of him. He was frozen in a proud, firm stance, glancing over the rest of the canyon like a guardian.

"That's… That's… Seto…?"

Bugenhagen nodded again, and also looked up at the stone statue. "Seto continued to fight the Gi tribe here. …To protect this Canyon," he explained to the younger hound. "Even after the Gi's poisonous arrows turned his body to stone… Even after they all ran away… Seto continued to protect us. And he continues to protect us, even now."

"Even now…" Nanaki whispered in awe. He could not believe the story he was hearing, nor could he believe that what he was seeing was actually real.

"You thought that he was a coward and ran away. But he, alone, risked his life to protect Cosmo Canyon. That is your father, Seto."

Nanaki closed his eyes and shook his head, and looked back. "That… that is Seto? …?" He turned his head round and looked at Bugenhagen. "Did mother know?"

"Ho Ho Hoooo… She knew," replied the old man, nodding as he laughed. "The two of them made me promise to keep this cave shut. They asked me to seal it myself and not to tell a soul. They said we should forget about this cave."

Gradually, Nanaki lowered his gaze to look at the stone floor, mumbling quietly under his breath. He could not believe that he had been so stupid for all these years. All this time he had always believed that his father had run away during the battle with the Gi, leaving his mother for dead so that he might live. He had built up a deep hatred for his father because of that. Now he was seeing his father again, the truth finally revealed, and he couldn't say a word.

Bugenhagen turned away from Nanaki and looked at Naruto and Gaara.

"Naruto… Would you mind hearing this?" he asked humbly.

Naruto nodded, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

"Nanaki," he said, his voice suddenly growing rather stern. "I want you to continue your journey with Naruto and the others."

Nanaki's ears pricked up in an instant, and he turned to face Bugenhagen. "Grandpa?" he exclaimed, shocked.

Before he could say any more, Bugenhagen raised a hand and shook his head. "Listen, Nanaki. Naruto says they are trying to save the planet. Honestly, I don't think it can be done. For even if they stop every reactor on the planet, it's only going to postpone the inevitable. Even if they stop Sephiroth, everything will perish. But, Nanaki. I've been thinking lately. I've been thinking if there was anything WE can do, as a part of the planet, something to help a planet already in misery… No matter what happens, isn't it important to try? Am I just wishing against fate? I am too old to do anything about it… This year, I'll be 130. Ho Ho Hoooo. That is why, Nanaki, you must go with them! For my sake!"

"Grandpa…"

"I wanted to show you your real father before you left…" the old man continued. As he spoke he turned away, his voice suddenly quietening down to almost a whisper. "I'm so glad that you came back while I was still alive to show you."

"Grandpa… don't talk like that," Nanaki said, turning his head away to hide the faint specks of salty water forming in the corner of his eye. He didn't want Bugenhagen to see him cry. "I don't want to think of life… without you…"

"Ho Ho Hoooo. Well, I've had a long life," the old man began.

"Grandpa! You must live!"

Bugenhagen looked up in surprise at the volume of Nanaki's outburst. He had raised his voice until he was almost shouting, and there was an expression on his face unlike anything he had ever seen before on Nanaki's face. For a moment he seemed like a completely different person.

"I'll see to it," the hound said firmly, digging his claws into the rock. "I'll see what's happening to the planet. And I'll come back to tell you."

"Nanaki…"

The old man watched as Nanaki suddenly jumped down from the rock he was standing on and landed a metre away from Bugenhagen. Bugenhagen could see something different about the way Nanaki moved – there was a sudden fluidity in the way his muscles uncoiled to let him reach the floor, and something very familiar in the determined gaze in his eye.

"I am Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon!" shouted Nanaki, his voice raging with a strength he had never shown before. "The son of the warrior, Seto! I'll come back a warrior true to that noble name! So please, Grandpa…"

Bugenhagen continued to stare at Nanaki, unable to believe that the young hound he was looking at was still the same one. He stared and stared until an eerie silence spread between them, only broken by a sudden faint sound.

Nanaki turned around and looked behind him, just in time to see a drop of crystal clear water fall down onto the rocks. It splashed into many tinier drops, each one so clear they were able to give a perfect reflection of Nanaki's face before they hit the rock again and trickled down the side. Another drop of water fell beside it, and Bugenhagen looked up, his mouth falling open as he gazed. Naruto and Gaara looked up as well.

"That's… Seto's… Seto…"

"Seto…" Nanaki stammered, his voice shaking. "Fa… Father…" He coiled his muscles and leaped back up onto the next rock, just in time to see another drop of clear water fall from above and splash onto the ground.

On top of the cliff, the petrified form of Seto stood firmly as it overlooked the canyon. Although he was seemingly silent, Nanaki and Bugenhagen watched together as a small stop of water appeared at the edge of Seto's stone eye, and began to roll down the side of his face. It dripped off the end of his face and tumbled towards the ground – another tear of sadness and joy.

Seeing those tears fall from his father's face, Nanaki could bear it no longer. He threw back his head and howled loud into the night, the sound of his voice echoing inside the canyon just as his father's tears fell onto the ground. Father and son… united at last… yet never to touch again.

Naruto felt himself crying softly. He had never known his father or mother. He felt so sad for Nanaki, who knew some of the loneliness. Even though he had Bugenhagen he had lost his parents at a young age. He walked up to Nanaki and put his arms out and wrapped them around his neck, tears streaming down his own face.

"Nanaki I know how you feel. I lost my mother and father just after I was born. I know your sadness. I know your loneliness. I'm the same. But now you have us. You have me and Gaara and Cloud. And Aeris and Barret and Tifa. And Yuffie and Cait. And you have Bugenhagen. Even though we are not connected by blood or species we are your family. Just like you are part of my family. I grew up alone, so alone. It was like that for 12 years. I had to pull pranks to have people recognize me. Then I found someone. He recognized me for who I am. After that more people started recognizing me and soon I had more precious people than I could count on my hands. And now I have you guys."

Naruto pulled his head away and looked at Nanaki's eyes. Tears were streaming down his face too.

"I consider you one of my precious friends that I would die to protect."

They then both cried harder and held on to each other as the night flowed on. Gaara even joined in, putting one arm round Naruto and the other arm round Nanaki. Soon they had no more tears to cry and so they disentangled themselves. Nanaki looked at Naruto and said, "Thank you, for everything. Thank you for accepting me and thank you for making me a part of your family, brother."

Naruto's eyes widened at that and he smiled a huge smile.

"No problems, bro,"

"Yeah brother," added Gaara.

They looked at each other and laughed. They kept on laughing for a while, glad that all the sadness had been pushed out and washed away.

'I knew you would help Nanaki get rid of his sadness.' Bugenhagen thought. 'As soon as I saw you I knew you were the same in loneliness. And I am grateful that you have finally come to us Great One from the Skies,'