Sorry about the late update! Thanks for the reviews! And you can kill me after you read this chapter XP

I think it'll be another chapter till the end of this fic. Till then, stay with me. The ending isn't as bad as you think though ;)

The Only One in My Heart

Chapter 13

"Kadaj," Lana began as she got up on her elbows. The question she had in her mind vanished when she saw a glistening silver shell beside Kadaj.

"Hm?" Kadaj asked with his eyes closed.

"Don't move," Lana said as she got up on her knees.

"Wha-?" Kadaj opened his eyes to see Lana's arm reached over him towards the shell that lay beside his head. He saw Lana smiling happily that he couldn't resist smiling back. His hand reached up behind her neck without thinking and he pulled himself up with his other hand.

Kadaj met her pink lips with his. At that moment, Kadaj was able to finally feel happiness flowing through him. Yet, as he deepened the kiss, he felt sorrow slowly seeping into his heart. He circled his arms around Lana and pulled her with him as he lie back on the sand, not wanting to let Lana go. Kadaj had known long ago that in his heart he will never let her go.

"I love you," Lana heard Kadaj whispered to her. She slowly opened her eyes to look into Kadaj's glistening eyes. Lana became worried when she saw the sorrow in his eyes.

"I want to hear your voice. I want to look into your eyes," he continued as he looked deep into her eyes. "More than anything I just want to hold you, Lana," he said as he tightened his arms around Lana. She rested her head on Kadaj's chest with a worried look on her face.

"Kadaj, what's wrong?" Lana asked.

"I don't want to lose you again," Kadaj said, "I've never wanted to lose you."

"It has been painful to see you in the lab," he said, "I have always loved your smile but I couldn't see your smile for two years. I couldn't hear your voice and I began to forget how soft your eyes are. I can't bear seeing the same lifeless expression on you day after day."

A hand reached up to Kadaj's face and brushed away the tear that rolled down his face. "It's alright," Lana said, "I'm here. I won't leave you. I'll be by your side."

"Thank you," Kadaj kissed the top of her head and sighed contently. "Hey, Lana, will you sing for me?" he asked. Lana nodded and began to sing the same song that he had hummed. Kadaj smiled as he listened to Lana's angelic voice but he soon fell asleep listening to her. Lana did not stop singing even though she knew that Kadaj was already asleep. Silently, a tear rolled down her face.

'I don't want to leave you either, Kadaj,' she said in her mind, 'I'm so sorry.'

XXXXX

"Lana?" Kadaj called as he awoke from his sleep. When he didn't feel her head on his chest and he immediately sat up. As he looked around frantically and threw away the blanket that was placed on him, he saw footprints leading away from him towards the forest. Kadaj jumped up and followed the footprints.

Once he entered sandy forest, he saw Lana standing at the place they once slept the night after the raid. Lana stood as still as a statue in the blue dress that fitted her perfectly. Her slender arms hung beside her and her eyes were fixed on the sandy ground.

"Lana," he called as he pulled Lana into an embrace. Lana, who was reminiscing about the past was caught off guard and was surprised when Kadaj held her tightly to him.

"Kadaj?" Lana said in surprise.

"I thought everything was just a dream," Kadaj said, "I thought you were still…"

"Kadaj," Lana interrupted him as she comforted him by circling her arms around his neck. "I realized something," she tried to change the subject.

"What is it?" Kadaj asked, his mood lightened a little.

"You've grown taller," Lana answered. Kadaj laughed. "I'm serious!" Lana continued.

"Of course I have grown taller!" Kadaj said, still laughing.

"We used to be of the same height," Lana said, "Now I'm shorter than you."

"As for me, it is easier to find a place to rest my chin now," Kadaj said as he put his chin on Lana's head. She giggled. "And you have grown more beautiful," he whispered in her ears. Lana stopped giggling and blushed.

"Come on," Kadaj released Lana from his embrace and took her hand. He smiled as he led her back to the beach, to witness the first ray of sunlight rising from the horizon. When he turned back to look at Lana, he saw that she was blushing a deep red colour.

"Are you blushing?" Kadaj asked.

"B-blushing?" Lana stuttered, "No, I'm not!" she denied.

"Then, what is this colour on your face?" Kadaj asked as he touched her cheeks.

"I-It's…um…," Lana muttered and avoided his eyes. "The sun! Yes! The sunlight is-" Lana stopped as Kadaj put a finger on her lips.

"I've noticed that you always blush when I held your hand," Kadaj said as he caressed her cheek, "Why?"

"I'm not blushing now and I didn't blush when you held my hand in Midgar!" Lana insisted. Kadaj smiled. Lana covered her mouth with her other hand and looked away in embarrassment.

"Well…" Lana began to explain but Kadaj laughed. "What's so funny?" Lana pouted.

"There's no need to explain," he said. as he embraced Lana again. "I love you," Kadaj said, "I don't want to lose you."

"Kadaj, you said that many times," Lana said.

"Then I'll know that you will remember it," Kadaj said. Lana nodded but tears blinded her eyes as she realized that she was getting weaker by each passing hour. She thanked the flaming red sun that rose in front of her to colour her pale skin.

"I found you," a hoarse voice interrupted the couple who sat cuddled up together by the shore. Lana gasped when she heard the voice. Kadaj looked up at the sea and tightened his arms around Lana when he saw JENOVA stood on the water in front of them.

"Kadaj, give me the girl and let me live," she said. Kadaj stood up and held Lana's hand.

"I'll never give her to you," Kadaj shouted and threw the concentrated energy that he had prepared at JENOVA. JENOVA screamed in pain at the attack and was momentarily dazed. "Lana, lets go," Kadaj pulled Lana along with him and broke into a run towards his motorcycle. Before they could reach it, it was blown up and they heard JENOVA laughing triumphantly.

"There's nowhere to run. Give me the girl and I'll let you live as well," they heard her said. Kadaj could feel Lana's gaze turning from him to her. He gave her hand a squeeze and shook his head.

"You have to live," Lana said.

"No," Kadaj protested, "I'm not going to lose you again. You said you'll be by my side. Don't turn back on your words."

"You can't run and you know well that you can't defeat me alone," JENOVA taunted.

"I'm not alone," Kadaj said, "Lana's with me." Lana nodded at him.

"I'll do my best," she said as Kadaj unsheathed his sword.

XXXXX

"Where's Kadaj?" Yazoo asked Tifa when he entered the cozy house.

"Marlene said he brought Lana to the beach," Tifa answered, "I don't know where it is though."

"They went home," Loz said.

"Home?" Tifa asked but the two men did not answer her. Both Yazoo and Loz looked dazed as if they felt something reaching into their minds.

"Oh no," Yazoo said as he dashed out of the house. Loz immediately followed him but Tifa stopped him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"JENOVA is back," Loz said, "She's at the beach north of here."

XXXXX

"It's futile, boy," JENOVA laughed.

"That's what you think," Kadaj replied as he slashed at her but hit her barrier instead.

"Protection!" Lana cast a blue barrier around Kadaj before JENOVA could hit him. Kadaj knew this fight will not turn out well but he had decided not to give up trying even though his chances of winning the battle were slim.

'I will not lose Lana again,' the thought of Lana alone lifted his spirits higher and he fought against JENOVA once again. He tried to maneuver his sword nearer to her but he failed every time he had the chance.

'Physical and magical attacks does her nothing,' Lana looked on helplessly as Kadaj began to get exhausted but JENOVA seemed unaffected by their attacks. 'And I don't have a spell to break that barrier!' Lana's mind screamed in frustration.

"Lana,"Lana remembered Sephiroth said to her, "Help us."

'Is that the only way?' she asked herself. Kadaj charged once again at JENOVA with the intention of breaking her barrier but with a wave of her hand, she threw Kadaj back onto the ground near Lana. 'It is the only way,' Lana said to herself.

"You forget what power I have," JENOVA said as she raised her hand. Kadaj stood gasping for breath in front of Lana. Green energy began to gather around her hand and a wicked smile came across her face.

"Barrier!" Lana moved beside Kadaj and blocked the coming attack with a spell that summoned a pink dome to surround them.

"Lana," Kadaj said softly.

"This is all I could do," Lana smiled, "I have figured out a way to defeat her."

"Lana!" Kadaj's eyes widened as he saw Lana's body began to glow in a light pink hue.

"I'm sorry," she said as the aura around her intensified.

"You know the consequence of unleashing that power with that weak body of yours, don't you?" JENOVA's proud voice faltered when she saw the power Lana tried to gather to herself.

"Lana, no," Kadaj said as he tried to embrace her to stop the flowing energy. But the aura had prevented him to touching her.

"I'm sorry," Lana repeated as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"I won't let you linger on this planet any longer!" Lana said to the frightened JENOVA. As Lana pushed all the energy she had gathered towards JENOVA, she felt as if she had pushed her own soul out of her body as well.

Waves of pink light flew around her body towards JENOVA who tried to escape the light. She lifted herself up and flew away but the light had drifted on the sky swifter than she. They circled around JENOVA and blocked all of her escape routes.

"Lana!" Kadaj caught Lana as she fell forward, "Lana!"

Lana opened her eyes to see JENOVA, trapped in a luminescent ball of pink hue, unable to escape. With every last ounce of strength left in her, she pulled herself up on her feet.

'I'm too weak for this,' Lana realized as she gathered energy to her once again, 'But I can't leave it as it is. I must finish it even if it costs me my life.'

"Lana! NO!" Kadaj embraced her from behind causing the energy to fade away.

"Kadaj," Lana said softly, "I'm sorry."

"I hate that word, Lana," Kadaj's voice faltered.

"I'm s-" Lana wanted to repeat herself but she was cut off by Kadaj tightening his embrace around her shoulders.

"I don't want to hear that word ever again," he said. Lana touched Kadaj's hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Lana whispered as a tear fell off her cheek. She knew she would break his heart by leaving but she was left with no other choice. Lana heard Kadaj drew in a ragged breath and felt a tear dropped onto her bare shoulder.

"No more, please?" Kadaj pleaded.

"There's no other choice," Lana answered.

"Everyone will be here soon," Kadaj said, more of convincing himself than the girl he held.

"If you kill me," JENOVA shouted, "You'll die as well."

"That's not true," Kadaj said unbelievably, "Tell me it's not true, Lana!"

"Her power," Lana began, "Is from me. She's draining my energy. And to unleash my Cetra powers too will drain my own energy."

"Then, don't do it anymore," Kadaj said.

"I have to do this," Lana said as she tried to remove Kadaj's hands, "I'm the last of the pure blood. I'll be able to defeat her."

"I'm not letting go," Kadaj tightened his gentle embrace and rested his head at the back of her neck. Lana released her hold on his hand and clasped them in front of her.

"I'll still have to do it," Lana said with a sigh. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she gathered her remaining energy into her hands. Before Kadaj could do anything to stop her, Lana had already hurled the energy she had gathered towards the trapped JENOVA.

"Fool!" JENOVA shouted before she was hit by the last ounce of energy by Lana. A long screeching scream echoed throughout the whole bay as JENOVA curled herself up in pain. Seconds later, she saw that her own body is slowly fading into the air as the barrier which the last Cetra had cast around her began to disappear. There was no splash of water as she fell into the sea as she became weightless and translucent.

"No," she said in a hoarse voice, "This can't be. How could you, with half of your life drained, still defeat me?" Slowly, more of her body was fading away until she was completely gone.

Lana watched with dazed eyes as her enemy faded away into nothingness. Unconsciously, tears blinded her eyes as she tried to grasp Kadaj's hand. Kadaj was so shocked beyond words when he saw JENOVA fading away that he did not realize Lana frantically held his hand with tears streaming down her cheeks.

'I don't want this,' Kadaj's mind said, 'If JENOVA's gone, Lana…' Tear blinded his sight as the thought of losing Lana again flooded into his mind.

"I'm sorry," Lana said before her legs gave away. Kadaj still had his arms around her as she sat on the sand while he knelt down beside her. He gently caressed her head as she nuzzled comfortably into his chest.

"Don't leave me," he begged as he intertwined his fingers with Lana's.

"I'm sorry," Lana said softly as her eyes began to close, "I'm really sorry."

"Don't say that-" Kadaj did not finish. His eyes widened when Lana's fingers slipped between his and her hand lay limply on the sand.

"Lana?" he called but there was no answer. He looked down and saw Lana smiling with her eyes closed on his chest.