(AN: just a small update explaining how Cait Sith is still around. Keep up the reviews guys and girls. I'm also updating the first book. Mostly the first 10 chapters so check back to see the new additions.)

Chapter 14: Unveiling of Jenova

Naruto was pacing back and forth, trying to get rid of his boredom. After he had knocked out Cloud the team had traveled east across the ocean to Gongaga. They were now staying at the inn and Cloud was still sleeping. Aeris was alright now but she was shaken up for most of the trip. She seemed to be in deep thought most of the time. Naruto knew what had happened. Cloud, who had Jenova cells in him, was subjected to huge amounts of mental torture. The cells inside of him manipulated him in giving up the Black Materia but it seemed that he was resisting quite a bit. It was night now and everyone was getting some sleep. Naruto had stayed up to think things over when he heard the inn door creak. Naruto hid in the shadows to see Aeris sneaking out. She looked around to see if she was noticed and, feeling safe, she darted away from the inn.

'Where is she going?' thought Naruto.

"It seems she is running away though why I do not know,"

'Well I won't let her get away without an explanation,' He felt out with his mind and connected with Gaara's mind. 'Gaara, you awake?'

'I am now. What's going on?'

'Aeris is trying to slip away. We need to intercept her before she gets too far away,'

There was a pause before the inn door opened and Gaara stepped out. They both nodded at each other before sprinting off into the darkness. They didn't need to go very far as she was at the crossroads for going out of the forest or going to the reactor. They landed in front of her and she gave a squeak in surprise.

"Thought you could sneak away without us noticing?" asked Naruto.

Aeris looked at the ground and said, "Please, let me go,"

"Why do you need to go?" Naruto asked. There was no answer so he tried a different question. "Where are you going?"

Aeris looked up and said, "I must go to the City of the Ancients. It's on the northern continent."

"Is there a reason you are not telling anyone you're going?" asked Gaara.

"I need to do this alone," was the only answer they got. Naruto and Gaara looked at her for a long time before looking at each other and nodding.

"Well we'll need to hurry if we want to get away quickly enough." Aeris looked at Naruto and even though it was dark she knew that he was smiling. "And before you argue don't bother, we're still coming, Cloud would kill me if I let you go unprotected,"

Aeris looked at the two before giving in. "Alright," she whispered. Naruto gave off another foxy smile and went through a couple of hand seals before saying softly, "Fuuton: Tobikumo," A white cloud formed under his feet and he gently rose off the ground. He then pumped more chakra into the cloud and it expanded until it was big enough for three people to sit on. Naruto turned to look at Aeris and held out his hand.

"C'mon! I have a feeling that we need to get there soon and I don't feel like walking there," he said as Aeris accepted his hand and stepped onto the cloud. It felt like sitting on a very deep rug. With Naruto sitting in the middle, Aeris on the left and Gaara sitting on the right, Naruto directed the cloud with his mind. The cloud rose up into the sky and sped off in a North-North-Easterly direction.

"So, how was the ride with Cloud in the Gondola?" asked Naruto with a smile on his face. The only answer was a massive blush on her face. Naruto decided to tease her a bit.

"Awww, did Cloud and Awiss smochie, smochie?" If possible, Aeris' face got even redder. It reminded him of Hinata. Naruto started laughing hard and even Gaara gave a light chuckle. Aeris, changing the subject slightly, asked, "What about you?"

"No, we did something better," said Naruto getting a dreamy look in his eyes that wasn't missed by Aeris. She looked at Naruto for a second before the implications of the statement fully struck her mind. Aeris looked at Naruto shocked. When Naruto didn't hear any reply he glanced at her. He quickly realised his mistake and furiously waved his hands in front of him.

"No, no, no, no, no, NO. Not THAT, geez. We just went a little above just a simple kiss. That's all," he assured.

Aeris calmed down at that point. She started giggling and said, "You should have seen his face." She then got a faraway look in her face as if she were recalling an event. Naruto saw this and said, "You love him, don't you?" Aeris stared ahead of her for a long moment before nodding.

"Have you told him?" he asked though he knew the answer. Aeris shook her head softly. Naruto looked ahead and said, "You should," Aeris looked at Naruto as he explained.

"There is a very good chance that me and Kyuubi would not have been together at this point if Gaara hadn't pushed me forward. So now I push you forward. After this is over, tell him."

Aeris nodded before she focused her attention in front of her again. They were now zooming over the Corel Peninsular. In the distance they could see the lights of Costa De Sol. Naruto brought out his phone and selected a song (Get It Together by ). They listened to the song until they hit the southern coast of the Northern Continent. Aeris then pointed to a faint light roughly 50 kilometers inland.

"That's Bone Village. The entrance is there. We have to go through a forest though," she said. Naruto directed the cloud to 50 meters away from the entrance to the village. He would have landed further away but it was night so they would not be spotted. They all got off the cloud and Naruto deactivated the jutsu. They then all walked up to the entrance.

It really was more of an excavation site than an actual village, but so many people came to dig in the lands surrounding the forest that the diggers decided to build up homes and live here. The diggers were never left without something to do. New things were being dug up out of the rocky earth all the time. The skeletal remains of animals and ancient artifacts left buried and forgotten were just a handful of the things they had dug up over the years. Most of the stuff they found was worthless, but every so often the diggers would find something valuable. But more importantly, the people loved to dig up stuff. Hence why Bone Village was on the map.

"Let's stay here for the night and then we'll head off in the morning. Is that alright?" Naruto asked Aeris. She nodded; she was a little sleepy. As she wandered over to find a good place to sleep Naruto went up to the main building. No-one was minding the bench so he realised that this place must not run 24-7 like some places. Instead of trying to wake up the people he just went over to where Aeris and Gaara had found a spot and laid down to sleep.

Naruto awoke to a circular traditional Japanese garden. The place was structured in stages. The outside ring was planted with all sorts of flowers. There were blue, green, yellow, purple and white. But there were more red flowers than the others. The next ring was a small river that was deep enough to swim in. In the middle of the ring of water was a circle of grass so green Naruto wanted to lie in it. And right in the middle was a beautiful Sakura tree in full bloom. Sitting underneath with her back to the tree was Kyuubi. This time she was wearing a pink kimono with a blue obi around her waist. Naruto walked over to her, not noticing that he walked over the water without chakra, and knelt in front of her. She smiled and pulled him into an embrace.

The two kissed deeply, enjoying the feeling. Naruto pulled away and looked into her enchanting, red eyes. He caressed her cheek, whispering, "I love you so much, my foxy angel." Kyuubi blushed at the title as she gazed in turn into his bright blue eyes. She cupped her own hand under his cheek and said lovingly back, "And I love you, my knight." Naruto never felt so happy, so content and so full. This was what he had been craving for so long. Finally the last hole had been filled in his heart.

Kyuubi then pulled a little further away and looked at Naruto with seriousness in her eyes. "Naruto, it's time I tell you the missing part in the battle 13 years ago," Naruto, sensing he needed to hear this, fell silent, waiting. "But will you do something for me afterwards?" she asked.

"Of course," answered Naruto gently.

"Thank you. Now everything that I have said about the reason I came to Konoha is true, but I arrived there a couple of years before then. I was searching for Shukaku and the mortal to help me. For almost two years my search had turned up empty. Then about two months before the incident a man came to me saying that he knew where Shukaku was. In my desperation to finally find him I did not question how he knew I was looking for Shukaku. He led me to a cave and then did a strange jutsu on me. A genjutsu. I was sent into a rage. I still knew what my mission was but the genjutsu clouded my judgment. I didn't know what was right or wrong. All I knew was that I had to go to Konoha. And so I arrived on the scene in my final form. The ninja threw themselves at me and I killed them without a second thought. And then the Yondaime sealed me away into you. The genjutsu continued working until your fight with Sasuke. The amount of my chakra that you pulled into yourself overloaded the jutsu and canceled it."

Naruto finally knowing the whole truth smiled at her. She saw this and said, "You don't hate me?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't hate you for something like that, though that guy has a lot to answer for. Do you know who he is?"

Kyuubi was shocked out of her…well … shock by the question. "The guy had long black hair and golden slitted eyes,"

Naruto sighed. "I should have known. Bloody Orochimaru," Naruto growled. He turned back to Kyuubi. "What was the thing you wanted me to do?"

"I want you to give Aeris the chance to talk to Zack after Cloud finds himself," said Kyuubi. Naruto nodded, agreeing with her. The two then settled down and went to sleep in each others arms.

The group woke late in the morning. Bone Village was already bustling with activity with workers, diggers and catalogers. After eating some food from Gaara's food scroll since Naruto's was empty, the three looked around the place.

So far today was fruitful for the diggers of Bone Village. They had dug up plenty of new and interesting artefacts—ones that would fetch a good sum of money in the museums of Midgar. The foreman also had an inkling that Dio, manager of the Gold Saucer, would buy a couple of items for his museum, too. Rumour had it that he had developed an interest in rare and exotic items.

One digger, seeing that the foreman was busy with his cataloguing, got up from his assigned digging spot and ran over to greet them. "Welcome to Bone Village, a town for nature lovers," he said cheerfully. His face was covered in dirt from a long day's dig. His beaming smile showed he didn't mind, though. He wiped his dirty hand on his baggy overalls and held it out to the group.

"Hello, we were wondering how to get to the City of the Ancients. We herd about going through some forest?" asked Naruto.

The man pointed up to the next level saying, "That up there is the sleeping forest but I'll warn ya, you shouldn't go in there. I don't know much about it though when people go in there they hardly ever get out. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to my excavating." The man then turned round and left the group.

Naruto and the others climbed a ladder to the next level of the camp. The camp was built in a rocky section of the forest, and a new path leading into the forest opened up. The first few trees looked like the regular forest they had been traveling in for days. However after that, the trees looked like they changed completely. The friends gathered at the mouth of the forest, peering inside the eerie, natural doorway, when a voice behind them made Aeris jump.

"The forest just beyond here is called the Sleeping Forest." The group turned to see a woman in purple dungarees standing behind them, one arm resting on her shovel. "Right now the forest is asleep and anyone who wanders in while it's asleep, it confuses. You can go in, but you may never come out…" She took off her safety helmet and ran her fingers through her brown hair.

"Anyway we can get through?" asked Naruto.

A man in green overalls answered his question for him. "You can awaken the Sleeping Forest if you have the Lunar Harp," he said, standing next to his digging companion. "Once awake, they say the forest will open a road for you."

"Where can we find one?" Aeris wondered out loud.

"Ask the guy in the tent below," he told Aeris, and wandered off back to his digging.

"The Lunar Harp is somewhere in the ground here," the foreman told Naruto when asked. He was still going through the last of the crates, listing all the items found the previous day. Shutting the box with a satisfactory sigh, he climbed to his feet. "We could excavate it for you if you want to."

"That would be great," said a thankful Naruto.

"All right!" the foreman said eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "Then I'll lend you some of my staff." He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and led him out of the tent and gestured to the rocky camp around them. "Show us where you want us to dig!"

Naruto looked out at the camp before him. He was no digger! He didn't even know where to begin looking for the Lunar Harp. Hesitantly he picked out five spots from around the camp, picking spots that were roughly the same distance apart and spread out across the camp.

"Now," said the foreman as he pocketed the 500 gil Naruto paid him for the diggers "the staff will dig here. The result of the dig will be placed in the town treasure box overnight."

"Sir!"

The foreman, who had been heading back into his tent to finish packing, looked up in surprise. One of the hired diggers was running across the camp toward him, carrying some long, blue, and slender in his hand. It looked a little like a harp. After a few brief words with the foreman, the digger handed the item to his boss and then ran back into the camp.

"Well, it looks like we won't need to dig after all since we just found it," he said, opening up his hand.

It was the Lunar Harp. It was easy to recognise because the harp was shaped much like a crescent moon. It was perfect in every detail. The harp appeared to be made out of night blue coloured crystal and had an inner sparkle that seemed like the fiery glow of thousands of stars. Thin, strong strings lined the inside of the harp, shimmering bright red in the setting sun.

Naruto took the harp from the foreman. It rested perfectly in his hands. The Lunar Harp was a truly beautiful item. The blue crystal was smooth and cool; its touch brought a pleasant tingle to his fingers as he ran them over its surface. He lightly touched the strings. A soft, melodic sound echoed from the instrument—a sound so soft and quietening that everyone who heard it felt instantly calmer and at peace. Naruto whistled softly in appreciation.

"Beautiful…" whispered Aeris. Naruto let his eyes linger over the instrument a few seconds more before shaking himself loose of its mystical enchantment.

"Lets go," he said and the others nodded. The companions moved back across the camp. Naruto felt a sudden sense of unease as he stood at the entrance to the Sleeping Forest. All of a sudden the hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood on end. A terrifying chill crept over his body, like thousands and thousands of ants were crawling across his bare flesh. He shivered. What was this feeling of apprehension he felt when looking into the Sleeping Forest? Did anyone else feel it? Before anyone could see his hesitation he hurriedly stepped forward, walking through the dark doorway that led into the Sleeping Forest.

Darkness enveloped him for a few seconds as the shadows of the forest took over. Naruto walked hesitantly forward, taking careful steps in the blackness. Then with a start that made him almost jump back, the darkness was gone.

A natural path cut right through the centre of the forest, leading far into the distance. At the end of this path was a bright white-green glow, so bright Naruto could not focus on it clearly. That light was the magic of the forest, there to confuse and disorientate those who tried to navigate its hidden paths. His hand went to the Lunar Harp at his side and prayed that it would work.

Aeris and Gaara came out of the forest behind him, and both looked around in wonder. Naruto held up the Lunar Harp, wondering how and when he was supposed to play it. Should he play it now, or was he to wait? Was there a specific tune he had to play in order to get the forest to lift its spell of confusion?

He began to strum the strings softly.

To his and everyone's surprise, the sounds that sprung forth from the harp were loud and unmelodic; completely unlike those they heard when they were outside the forest. Naruto still the strings with the flat of his hand.

Yet as they watched, something strange began to happen to the forest. The leaves in the trees rustled, though there was no wind blowing. The trunks of the trees groaned and creaked right down to their roots, though nothing touched them. The blades of grass at their feet twitched and swayed, though nothing moved through them. At the end of the path, the glow of light flashed and faded a little, like a door being opened. The Sleeping Forest had awakened.

"Is that it?" asked Gaara.

Naruto looked down at the harp. The star-like sparkles in the harp's handle had vanished. Its magic was gone. "I think so," he surmised. He summoned a clone and gave it instructions to give it back to the foreman. The clone nodded and ran back the way they came. He then turned to Aeris. "Is there anyway you can contact Cloud in his sleep?" he asked. Aeris thought hard before nodding. She then began concentrating.

The world was white for Cloud. Everything around him was nothing more than a calm, unending whiteness. Though there was no breeze to tell him which direction he was moving, Cloud had the distinct impression that he was floating gently down into the light. He didn't fight it and let himself float.

"Everything's white… what did I do? I don't remember anything… My memory… since when…?"

Cloud felt like he wanted to curl up into a tiny ball and drift off to sleep, never to wake up again. The dull, aching pain in his head was gone, at least, although he had no memory of how he came to be here. He could not even be sure what his last memory was. Everything… time, and existence… seemed to drift past him on the endless sea of white light, too far out of his reach to grab onto it.

In the calmness of the white sea, a single thought crossed Cloud's mind.

"If everything's a dream, don't wake me."

Closing his eyes tighter, Cloud drew his knees up to his chest and willed himself to sleep. It didn't take much effort—his body was so tired. The calmness of the white light eased his cramped muscles and aching form, wrapping around him like a pair of gentle arms bringing him into a warm embrace, lulling him to sleep. Cloud did not struggle and let the light take him. Wherever he was falling to, he hoped that he would not reach it for a while.

He wasn't sure how long he slept. Time just seemed to roll by without meaning in the white light. Then Cloud became suddenly aware of a soft, gentle breeze blowing against his cheek. He twitched, moaned softly, and tried to go back to sleep.

"Cloud, can you hear me?"

That voice… He knew that voice…

Slowly Cloud opened his eyes. The white light was fading. From the endless white appeared a forest; though which forest it was Cloud had no idea. A natural path cut right through the centre of the forest, leading far into the distance. At the end of this path was a bright white-green glow, so bright Cloud could not focus on it clearly.

The owner of the voice was thankfully a little closer to him, peering out at him from behind one of the thinly built trees. It was Aeris. Next to her were Naruto and Gaara. Upon seeing her gentle, smiling face, Cloud's memories came rushing back to him in a painful wave. They dropped on his mind like a waterfall crashing on rocks. He looked at her face. Her cheeks were no longer red, but a small cut on her lip was proof of her wounds.

"Yeah, I hear you." Cloud looked guiltily at the small, reddish cut on her lip. "Sorry for what happened."

Accepting his apology, Aeris stepped out from behind the tree. A cheerful smile touched her lips as she gazed at Cloud through playful, merry eyes. It seemed as though nothing could hurt this fun-loving young woman. "Don't worry about it," she assured him, waving it off.

"It wasn't you're fault," said Naruto.

"…I can't help it…"

"Oh…" said Aeris.

Turning away from Cloud, she walked slowly behind one of the trees that lined the forest path. Seconds later she jumped out from behind a different tree that grew on the opposite side of the path. "Then why don't you REALLY worry about it?" she suggested. Running to the centre of the path, she pointed her hand on her chest. "And let us handle Sephiroth."

With that, she began to laugh light-heartedly. As she laughed, her body began to glow with an inner power, and in a flash she suddenly disappeared from sight. She wasn't gone for long, as she suddenly reappeared next to a tree on the right-hand side of the path.

"And Cloud," she said with a meaningful look, "you take care of yourself." She turned to face the tree, placed her hand on the rough, flaky trunk, and glanced back at Cloud in concern. "So you don't have a breakdown, okay?" She walked behind the tree.

Cloud felt himself beginning to float down toward the path. Looking down he saw the path coming up beneath him, steadily and safely. Looking up again he saw that Aeris was right beside him, floating down also. The two landed on the slightly rocky path and looked at each other for a moment. Cloud was the first to break her gaze, and glanced around at the forest surrounding him.

"What is this place?" he asked her.

Aeris looked up at the trees of the forest. "This forest leads to the City of the Ancients… and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it." She turned away and began to walk steadily up the path, her hands clasped behind her back.

"The secret is just up here," she continued. "At least it should be… I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something." Stopping, she turned to Cloud. "Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."

"Aeris?"

Before Cloud could stop her, Aeris turned away and began to run down the path, heading toward the wall of light that was at the end of the path. Naruto looked at Cloud and said, "Stay strong Cloud. We'll be waiting for you. We would of waited before but you know Aeris," He gave a small wave and then he and Gaara ran after Aeris. Cloud tried to run after them, to stop them from leaving him, but as he tried to run he found that he could not move very far—as though something was holding him back.

He could only watch helplessly as Aeris and the ninja moved away from him, getting smaller and smaller as they ran away. Eventually the three disappeared completely, swallowed up by the light. Still Cloud continued to run. He had to stop Aeris before she left completely.

Then a deep, calm voice spoke through the silence.

"Hmm… …She's thinking of interfering? She will be a difficult one, don't you think?"

Cloud looked up as Sephiroth floated down from above and landed on the ground near him. Sephiroth glanced up the path where Aeris had run off, an evil look on his pale face. He glanced back at Cloud, smiling wickedly.

"We must stop that girl soon," he said.

Then, in another flash of light, everything vanished.

The path through the Sleeping Forest proved to be a straightforward one. Once the Lunar Harp had awakened the forest it had opened up a path for them, heading away from Bone Village and deeper into the depths of the forest. They stumbled across the path almost immediately, when the harp's harsh, wakening tones had faded from the air. How the path appeared was a mystery to them: one second it was not there, and then in a blink of an eye it was, ready to guide their way.

The route itself was simple in its course. A clear, rocky path cut right through the centre of the forest, making it impossible for them to wander and lose their way. Strange bushes and trees grew like markers around it, so if they did happen to wander off they could easily find their way back again. The trees that grew around the path were stunted and had wide trunks, their upper canopies as flat as a tabletop. Growths of red coral sprung up here and there, releasing a spicy scent into the air that was both uplifting and invigorating.

In the sunset the Sleeping Forest had a very magical feel to it. The leaves on the flat-topped trees were lined with a thin later of moisture and when the orange sun shone down on them they shimmered like stars in the twilight. The shades of red on the coral growths grew deeper into a dark shade of red, their thick branches creaking in the wind. Even in the fading light the forest was warm.

At one point during their hike the path came to a stop, ending at the base of a steep, rocky cliff. Just when the companions thought they had to turn around and go back, the forest opened up another path for them that again had not been there before. A short, rocky outcrop had appeared just a few meters back, leading to the top of the short cliff. The group climbed the outcropping and crossed the gap inside a large, fallen tree trunk that had mysteriously fallen across it.

After crossing the cliff, the group decided to stop for a quick rest. They could not stop for long—the sun was settling rapidly and they had to escape the Sleeping Forest before darkness descended on them completely. They gathered together in the cooling air and shared small chunks of bread, dried fruit, and some smoked meats from Gaara.

The forest provided its own addition into their meal in the form of tiny red cherries that strangely appeared on one of the trees. Although they were sure that cherries could not grow in this part of the Planet, they ate them anyway. The cherries were plump and juicy and left a warm feeling in their stomachs, pushing aside the cold air.

Their stomachs full, the companions set off once again through the forest, moving quickly to escape the rising darkness. The forest also seemed to sense their haste and hurried with them—opening paths that would guide them as quickly as possible to their destination.

Not long after the rocky path began to break up and disappear, replaced by a path of bony scales leading out of the forest. The companions scarcely realised the change of scenery until the trees and coral suddenly came to an end and they were confronted by a long, winding trail leading down into the depths of a deep canyon.

The sun was starting to set faster now and dark shadows were beginning to fall over the canyon. From their position they could see the trail winding safely at a steady pace into the canyon, never at any point too steep to walk down. The flat-topped trees reappeared at irregular intervals down the path. Or at least they appeared to be trees—they couldn't be sure. Most of them converged at what appeared to be the end of the trail, leaving only a shadowed opening.

From their position at the top of the canyon, the companions looked down upon the landscape. There was no sign of the City of the Ancients, but Aeris knew that they were close. Whether it was the charge of power in the air or the impression of isolation and loneliness they could not be sure. As everyone looked around, their eyes were drawn to the same point—the shadowy doorway at the foot of the canyon. At the same time everybody knew: the City of the Ancients lay beyond the shadows.

They entered the City of the Ancients just as the sun disappeared behind the western mountains. The warmth it had provided until then disappeared and left the companions feeling cold and shivering a little. Now out of the shelter of the forest a chill wind began to blow and they had to rub their shoulders briskly to circulate their blood and gain some warmth. Their breath came out in short puffs of white steam.

Known as the Forgotten City by the rest of the Planet, the City of the Ancients was no longer a city, but a ruin. It was easy to see why it was nicknamed the Forgotten City, though the title suited the city more as an epitaph now more than a name. At some point during the city's over 2000-year-old past, it had been abandoned by its inhabitants and forgotten by the rest of the world.

Over the passage of time many buildings had fallen apart, but there were still some that were left standing. These remaining few buildings were worn and weathered—the creamy-grey stone was cracked and in disrepair, with some missing vital parts of their construction. There was no building left unscathed. The companions were surprised any of the buildings were standing at all. Whoever built them those thousands of years ago had built them to last.

There were three main paths leading into the city. The centre path led up to the grove of stone-like trees they had seen from the top of the canyon. The left-hand path led to a small cluster of houses, while the right-hand path wound its way through the city toward the other side of the canyon.

Aeris felt pulled to the center path as she and the others walked. The grove of stone-like trees loomed ahead of him. Their rough, flat tops tipped precariously around the doorway. Merging into the foot of the cavern, they formed a tunnel that cut briefly through the canyon and to the other side. On the other side of the tunnel there was another path that led to an unusually shaped building. The building was shaped rather like a large shell that had been placed on its side, its curved opening at its base. Sharp spikes jutted out here and there across its gravely frame. In front of the building was a large pool of clear water, shallow enough to wade through except for one spot where the ground opened up and delved into deep shadows. How deep it went was anybody's guess. But Aeris ignored the pool and the three entered the building.

This house was one big room, with a single path that spiraled around the wall of the 'shell' until it neared the top. The centre of the shell contained no floor. Instead there was a hole leading deep underneath the earth. Leading into that hole was a radiant blue staircase made of pure energy.

"Down here," Aeris breathed as she started walking towards the hole. They found suddenly that the narrow hole opened up into a great chasm so vast and so deep that they could not see the bottom.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Naruto as he and the others looked in awe.

Another city had been built underneath the other one, and this one was far from ruined. Great towers and buildings made from an unknown substance rose from the ground. Walls of shimmering crystal rose up from the perimeter at uneven levels, acting as a shield. Those walls had been level at some point, joining together at a single point to form a protective barrier in the shape of a sparkling flame.

The spiral staircase led down toward one of the towers. Naruto and his companions followed it in total silence. No one dared speak; no one wanted to disturb the tranquil peace that filled this city, the true Forgotten City.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and came out of the tower. They looked around in awe. Though this city had been abandoned for more than a thousand years, nothing was in ruin. Some magic kept this city alive. The group walked carefully down a set of stairs that led toward the centre of this small but still magnificent city.

They came to a stop at the end of the boulevard. A large pool lay before them, filled with crystal clear water that glistened an iridescent blue, reflecting the light of the towering walls of crystal overhead. This pool formed the centre of the city. A number of rising stone pillars rose from the waters, heading up toward a large platform in the heart of the city.

"Time to get to work," said Aeris to herself as she hopped across the stone pillars to the platform. She stopped in the middle, knelt down and started to pray. Naruto, who was tiered from the traveling, decided to summon some foxes to guard her until Cloud and the others got here. He kept an image of a fox inside his mind and bit his thumb. He made the long chain of hand seals before summoning heaps of his chakra and said, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Honor Guard,"

Four human sized puffs of smoke exploded in front of him. When the smoke cleared he found himself looking at four men with eight white tails waving behind each one. Each of them were the same height. They were clothed in white armor with gold edges. They looked like warriors from God himself. Instead of katanas they had what looked like ceremonial broadswords strapped to their sides. They wore helmets in the same style as the armor with holes for their white fox ears to poke out of. The kitsune in the front removed his helmet to reveal silver eyes and long white hair. He and the others then knelled on one knee and said, "You have summoned us Taishou. My squad is here to serve."

Naruto gestured for them to stand up and said, "Thank you. The woman behind you needs to be protected until she is finished. The enemy could strike anywhere, so be very alert." The one that spoke, who Naruto assumed that he was the leader, nodded before Shunshining over to the centre platform and positioned themselves in a box formation, their white fox ears twitching.

Naruto, knowing that Aeris had the best protection, proceeded to unseal his sleeping bag, Garra doing the same. Then they both went to sleep.

Naruto woke to silence that was only broken by Aeris' mumbling in prayer. He sat up and noticed that Gaara was already up. He was listening to some music from his phone and it seemed that he had not noticed Naruto waking. The blond looked over to where Aeris was. She was still there, whispering softly in a language he did not understand. It seemed that she was in a trance of sorts. The kitsune were still standing guard.

Naruto shifted in his sleeping bag, drawing the attention of Gaara who turned off his phone. "Nice to see you are awake," he said.

"How long have we been asleep?" Naruto asked.

"I was only asleep for roughly 8 hours but you've been asleep for almost a day," answered the red head. Naruto looked up to the roof of the canyon. "I was a little exhausted from the summoning," he admitted. He then got up and walked over to the foxes.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

The leader spoke in a soft voice. "We are just fine Taishou,"

Naruto nodded. "I need three of you to go and wait for eight people that are arriving soon. I need to let them know that we are down here. I'll stand guard in your place,"

The leader nodded and his three subordinates jumped away and bounded up to the exit. Naruto then stood next to the leader and started waiting. He knew that Sephiroth was near. He did not have to wait for long a tall figure stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in leather and had long silver hair. Naruto stared into those cold, green eyes and felt a chill down his spine. Nevertheless he narrowed his own eyes and directed his KI at Sephiroth.

"'Bout time you showed your face, Sephiroth," said Naruto.

"I was going to kill the little meddler but then you interfered," came the voice that sounded like ice and cruelty mixed together.

"What are you going to do about it?" smirked the blond. Sephiroth smirked back and in a flash he was bearing down on Naruto. "I think I'll kill you."

Naruto whipped out his hand and summoned his sword to him. Metal flashed againsed metal as the two faced off. The kitsune kept his eyes on the fight as he settled into a defensive stance between the two fighters and the girl.

The fight was fierce. Sparks flew off in every direction as the two swords met with blinding speed though it was obvious that Sephiroth had the upper hand. Naruto realised this and activated his second stage Kikangan. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the transformation but kept up with the assault. Naruto, now bathed in golden chakra and his hair extra spiky, was now able to keep up with Sephiroth. He jerked his blade to the side, causing a bright flash of sparks that forced Sephiroth to close his eyes, but he jumped away before Naruto could follow-up.

Meanwhile Cloud and the others had just arrived and were looking open mouthed at the power and speed that was used in the fight. The two leapt into the air and continued fighting. There was a constant rain of sparks raining down from the speed of the blows but it seamed that neither could overpower the other. Naruto went for a horizontal slash with his zanbatou, but it was blocked by Sephiroth, who used the base of the blade and the handguard. The two were now locked in a test of strength.

"Hey Sephiroth, want to know who your real mother is," grunted Naruto. Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly. "Her name is Lucrecia. Jenova cells were injected into your mother's womb before you were born,"

Sephiroth pushed Naruto away and stood facing him. He then spoke but it was not the voice of Sephiroth.

"Heh, so you figured it out eh," said a low voice with a heavy demonic overtone. "Yes I, Jenova, am using this body," he snarled and attacked again. Naruto called out, "Fight Sephiroth, you must fight it. It's your body so fight for what you own,"

'Sephiroth' smirked again. "He can't do anything," Suddenly he stopped dead. He brought his hands up to his head and cried out in pain. "NO, it cannot be! I'm in control HERE!" he yelled before he stopped again and he looked up.

"Get out," he said softly. Naruto took a step closer but Sephiroth backed away. "Get out of here. I don't know how long I can hold it …." He screamed again in pain before he started laughing. "Now that was close," he said more to himself. "I've wasted enough time here so I'll just have to leave a playmate for you." Suddenly Sephiroth spun in the air and flew straight up, vanishing in the green light. Seconds later a small speck of black appeared in the centre of the light, growing larger as it fell, and dropped by Naruto's feet. It was a piece of dismembered flesh, flopping and twitching as it tried to crawl rapidly toward him with nonexistent claws. Naruto recognized it at once: another piece of Jenova.

The dismembered arm suddenly convulsed, its floppy flesh hardening into rock. That flesh then split open with a crack, unleashing, like before, beams of purple black light that waved around wildly. Once more abnormally dark blood began to creep out of the glowing wound, sliding across the podium and dripping steadily over the edge and down the sides. The blood hissed as it touched the water. The arm sizzled and bubbled as the light engulfed it, growing larger before Naruto's eyes. A tall, familiar shadow could be seen inside the light, looking this way and that. Two small red eyes opened and peered out of the darkness, focusing on Naruto. The light faded.

"Here we go again," mumbled Naruto as he positioned himself into a defensive position. He reached into his coat and brought out his phone. He flipped it open and selected a song that literally had it's name on it (J-E-N-O-V-A by The Black Mages).

Jenova looked different from before. The flesh was redder, as though more blood pumped through its veins, making it seem more alive. More folds of loose flesh hung around the base of its body, folding like a dress made of pure fleshy tissue. It still had only one arm, the tentacle-like strands making up its other side wriggling attentively. All wounds from the previous battle had vanished. She was completely reformed. Jenova looked down at Naruto, mocking and unkind. She stepped forward, her folds of skin rustling sickeningly.

It was at that point that Aeris woke up. She looked at Naruto, then at Jenova, then at her protector. The kitsune, sensing that she was awake, turned and picked her up and teleported to where Cloud and the others were.

Naruto swiped his sword at the monster. Jenova recoiled in pain and screeched, the tip of her tentacle-arm missing. Blood, a mixture of black and red, sprayed from the open wound. Naruto rolled out of the way. A flash of yellow light lit up the podium as Vincent summoned the Lightning God Ramuh into the fray. A bolt of lightning struck the water and the god appeared, hovering just a few feet above the water. Although elderly and frail in appearance, powerful electrical energy crackled all over him and made the water beneath his feet ripple. In the old man's hand was a wooden staff that flickered with electrical energy.

Sensing the Jenova's form before him, Ramuh floated higher from the ground until he loomed over her. He raised his staff. Electricity began to flicker and crackle around it, as though the staff were drawing in power from the very air around it. Ramuh waited until the staff was brimming with power before hurtling it down away from him and toward Jenova.

Jenova stiffened as the staff struck, and her screech was cut short into a choking croak. For a moment she froze, paralyzed by the lightning that whipped around her. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, and it was not a nice smell.

Ramuh was not the only summon called in to battle. Cloud had summoned Odin—a powerful dark knight who rode upon a terrible stallion. This dark knight was riding on an invisible path through the air toward Jenova as Ramuh's staff electrified her body. While Jenova was paralyzed and unable to move, Odin struck.

His large, thick-bladed sword struck Jenova in her side, slicing through the rubbery flesh that made up her right shoulder. The giant, claw-like limb was pulled back as the sword cut, sending showers of blood through the air. Then the limb was torn free, ligaments snapping, and fell to the floor. Odin and Ramuh disappeared, leaving Jenova screeching and shrieking in pain and rage.

Jenova turned her head and saw Nanaki running across the pillars, preparing an attack on her face. Jenova made a guttural growl. A bright blaze of blue light flared before her eyes and a beam of light fired at Nanaki. The hound was hit square in the chest and flew back with an agonized howl. He hit the path beyond the podium and skidded across the floor, slamming into the far wall. Smoke rose from his fur and a painful wound burned on his chest. Nanaki tried to climb to his feet, staggered, and then slid to the floor again, his tail light dim.

"Nanaki!" Naruto yelled before dodging a strike from Jenova.

Tifa ran across the podium, jumping over Jenova's swinging foot folds and the pillars to reach Nanaki. She knelt beside the hound, who was lying weakly on the ground. The fur on his chest was black. Hurriedly Tifa delved into one of her pouches and pulled out a small blue bottle. She poured the potion into her hand and quickly rubbed it over the wound. Nanaki winced. The potion sank into the wound, which began to close almost instantly. Nanaki looked up at Tifa feebly and smiled.

The battle against Jenova was becoming more intense. More attacks from Odin, Ramuh, Ifrit and Shiva had opened up more bloody wounds—Jenova was now missing both her shoulder limbs, her left side burned to a crisp by Ifrit's flame. Jenova was attacking wildly now, sending sheets of blue flame in all directions as she tried to kill the group quickly. Every so often she would breathe in deeply and send bubbles of ice-cold water after them. She hit Cait with such a bubble, and the robotic animal almost fell from the edge of the podium into the water. Luckily Cait managed to grab the edge of the rail and pull himself to safety.

Suddenly the ground beneath Jenova's feet shook wildly as Yuffie cast some magic available to her. Deep cracks burst open at the far end of the podium and formed around Jenova. The ground quivered as the cracks widened, and Jenova shook precariously from side to side, caught off balance by the power of the Earth magic. Part of the ground in front of her jutted suddenly upward, and Jenova tipped backward.

This was their chance. As Jenova began to fall, Vincent and Gaara both leaped up, aimed their guns and fired two shots at Jenova's neck. The bullets hit their mark and Jenova screeched, tipping further back. Then Naruto jumped up from the rail, his sword ready, and brought the blade down on the beast's thick, fleshy neck.

Naruto's sword sliced through Jenova's neck, tearing her head from her body. Seconds after Jenova's headless body slammed onto the floor, completely vulnerable on her back. Naruto ran across to where he thought her heart would be, and stabbed down. The body convulsed, then fell still. She was defeated.

Naruto stepped off Jenova's body just as it began to dissolve and melt away. The flesh turned into black and red liquid and seeped into the cracks that covered the end of the podium. The giant chunks of shoulder mass on either side of the podium broke melted and dripped over the sides, landing in the water with a hiss. The last to disappear was Jenova's head, which looked up at Naruto through menacing red eyes. Naruto just gave the one finger salute.

"You got yours bitch!" yelled Naruto as Jenova's head completely dissolved. He turned around and walked over to the group. Everyone was panting slightly from the battle. Nanaki was going to be fine but we would be in slight pain for a while.

"So Cloud, what do you think of Sephiroth now?" asked Naruto. Cloud was silent. He didn't know what to think. All his structures about Sephiroth were now shattered for the second time. He looked at Naruto. "I need some time to think," was all he said.

"Ok, but don't take too long," answered Naruto. He turned his head to Aeris. "Have we done what we came here to do? And exactly what did we come here to do?"

Aeris sat in deep thought. "I prayed to Holy,"

"Holy?" said everyone.

"Yes, just as Meteor is the Ultimate Destruction Magic, Holy is the opposite of Meteor,"

"Ah, I see," said Naruto. "Did it work?"

"I hope so," said Aeris.

"Well now what?" said Barret.

"I have a hunch that Jenova went further north though I have nothing to back it up," said Naruto.

"Well it's better than doing nothing," said Vincent.

"I agree," said Tifa and Cid together.

"Ok, so now we're after Jenova, not Sephiroth. It seems he's innocent. I'll work on a technique that will kill the Jenova cells inside him. Does everyone understand that?" asked Naruto. Everyone nodded except for Cloud who was still thinking hard. Naruto turned to the four white, eight-tailed kitsune and nodded his head. "Thank you for your hard work. And may I know your name?" he asked the leader.

The lead kitsune removed his helmet and said, "Kaiden, that's my name."

"Well Kaiden, I thank you and your team. Dismissed!" he said sharply. "Hai, Taishou-sama!" they called before poofing into smoke.