The Only One in My Heart

Chapter 14

"I don't want this," Kadaj's tears blinded him as he held the brown haired girl in his arms. "I have never wanted this," he said as he intertwined his fingers with Lana's.

"Will you give up your own life for her?" A voice asked him. Kadaj nodded without a second though but he was too distracted with Lana that he did not realize that the owner of the voice was Sephiroth.

"I'd do anything," Kadaj said as a tear rolled down his face.

"Then give her your life," he said. Kadaj, who was looking at Lana's peaceful face, turned his attention to their intertwined finger. They were glowing as ribbons of blue circled their fingers. Kadaj felt warmth spreading from his finger to his whole body as he lowered his face until his lips was above hers.

"I'd give up anything to give you back the life you should have," Kadaj whispered to Lana before he gave her a kiss of life. The blue ribbons circling their fingers began to circle up Kadaj's arm and intensified around his chest before it moved up to his face to flow into Lana.

"Kadaj, no," Kadaj heard Lana's faint plea in his mind as she drew in a breath, "You'll die."

"I'm not going to let you die," Kadaj said after he broke the kiss, "I promised you."

"No," Lana repeated as the blue light began to soften and fade away.

"Sorry, Lana," Kadaj smiled faintly, "I've always loved you."

"Kadaj!" he heard Lana screamed in his mind as he closed his eyes and laid himself beside her. He knew the consequences of his doing and he was willing to accept his death in exchange for Lana's life. Kadaj gently kissed her forehead as Lana drew shallow breaths in his arms. He smiled knowing that she will live and tightened his hold on her one last time before he gave himself into unconsciousness.

XXXXX

Yazoo, Loz and the others arrived at the beach in time to watch the blue life energy flowing from one black suited figure to another figure in a distance. They instantly recognized Kadaj as the one in black and that he was holding Lana in his arms but they did not know what was happening to them.

"What's happening?" Loz muttered under his breath but Yazoo only stared at the two figures. When the light had faded, Yazoo saw that Kadaj had lain down beside Lana.

"I can't feel her," Yazoo said, referring to JENOVA. Tifa walked up beside him.

"Who?" she asked.

"They defeated JENOVA all by themselves," Yazoo muttered as he continued staring at Kadaj and Lana.

"That's impossible!" Cloud said, "We couldn't defeat her the last time!"

"Perhaps the Cetra defeated her," Vincent said calmly.

"Something had happened," Yazoo said as he ran towards Kadaj. He was shocked to find that both Kadaj and Lana were drawing shallow breathes with their fingers locked in each others. Both of them looked pale and Yazoo became worried. Loz knelt beside them and tried to separate them.

"Don't!" a voice in his mind stopped him.

"Big Brother?" Yazoo whispered.

"Don't separate them just yet," Sephiroth said, "Kadaj gave Lana half of his life. They will not survive without the other half till they have fully recovered."

"What do we do?" Loz asked.

"Get them to a safe place and let them rest," he answered, "Their remaining life energy will replenish after a certain period of time."

"I don't understand," Yazoo said.

"You can survive with half of your life energy drawn but you will never recover," Sephiroth said, "A body will need more than half of its life energy to heal any wound or to replenish itself. Kadaj's life energy is flowing from him to Lana and back to him again, which meant that both will have more and then less than half of the life energy repeatedly."

"They will recover the other half of the life energy in time," Sephiroth finished.

XXXXX

'Am I still alive?' Kadaj asked himself as he slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the bare and grey ceiling for a moment before he tried to move his fingers. He felt something warm resting in his right hand. He turned his head to his right and smiled warmly when he saw Lana asleep beside him.

'She's breathing,' Kadaj thought happily. The door creaked open and a familiar figure entered the room.

"You're awake?" Tifa asked, "How do you feel?"

"Glad that she's still alive," Kadaj said as he sat up without releasing Lana's hand.

"I'll go get you something to eat," Tifa said. "By the way, you two have been out for three days already," she continued and walked out of the room.

"You can let go of her hand now, Kadaj," Sephiroth said, "Your life energy no longer flow into Lana anymore and she's replenishing the remaining life energy on her own."

"Big Brother?" Kadaj said softly but he received no reply from the voice in his mind.

'I don't want to let her go,' Kadaj said in his mind.

XXXXX

Kadaj was reluctant to leave Lana's side at first but both Yazoo and Loz was able to persuade him into changing his clothes and have some fresh air outside the house. He had been quiet ever since he awoke and was seldom seen alone. He was always beside Lana, watched her drew in every shallow breaths and watched her stir every now and then. At times, he would stand outside the house alone and stared at the barren sea of sand.

"You really cared for her, don't you?" Cloud asked. Kadaj tore his gaze from the sands and looked at Cloud, who leant himself on a wall.

"Yes," he answered. He looked at his own ungloved hands and continued, "I'm ready to give up my life for her and I should be dead. But I'm still here."

"Why did you do it?" Cloud asked.

"Do you need a reason to do it?" Kadaj replied with a question. Cloud became silent and looked at the ground as if he just realized something that he hadn't thought of.

"If you want to hear a reason," Kadaj continued, "Maybe it's because I promised her that I won't let her die."

"I let her die," Cloud mumbled, "I didn't do anything to save her."

Kadaj did not reply to his mumbles and he too felt the same remorse that crept into Cloud's heart. It was true that he did not do anything to stop Lana from sacrificing herself to defeat JENOVA until it was a step too late.

'Where am I?' Kadaj froze when he heard Lana's voice in his mind.

'Lana?' Kadaj's mind asked.

'Kadaj?' came the voice, 'Where are you?'

"Kadaj?" Cloud called when he realized that Kadaj had not been listening to what he said. "What's wrong?" he tapped Kadaj's shoulder.

"She's awake!" Kadaj exclaimed which surprised Cloud before he ran back into the house. The children in the playroom stared at the silver haired brother who ran across the room and jumped up the steps to the upper floor of the house before he disappeared into the room where the sister was sleeping in.

XXXXX

'Where am I?' Lana asked herself as her eyes focused on the bare grey ceiling.

'Lana?' she heard Kadaj's voice inside her head.

'Kadaj?' she called in her mind, 'Where are you?' But she received no reply from the voice in her mind. Instead, she felt his presence drawing closer to her. She pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked around the room for a second before the wooden door was thrown open.

"Lana!" Kadaj exclaimed as he enveloped her tightly in his arms.

"Kadaj?" she called innocently.

"I'm glad you are awake," he said.

"Kadaj," Lana began, "What happened?"

Kadaj released her from his embrace and smiled at her, "I don't know and I wouldn't care anymore."

Lana's eyes became wet and she said in her mind, 'Kadaj is a fool.'

Kadaj, who heard her voice in his mind, stared at her, 'I heard that.'

'But Kadaj is really foolish,' Lana turned away from him.

'But I managed to save you,' Kadaj replied in his mind.

'Kadaj could die doing it!' Lana continued.

'I'm willing to die for you; you know that, don't you?' Kadaj lightly kissed Lana.

'But,' Lana began, 'But-'

'No more,' Kadaj rested his forehead on hers, 'Everything's alright now.'

Lana closed her eyes and nodded, 'Thank you, Kadaj.'

"Tifa! The sister is awake!" both Kadaj and Lana heard Marlene's voice from the door. Lana smiled at the little girl and at Cloud, who stood behind her.

"FINALLY!" Loz exclaimed from the door of the house but they later heard a loud thud.

"It's great that you are awake," Yazoo said as he looked into the room. Lana beamed as both her elder brothers came to view.

"Yes, it's great to be awake," Lana smiled as she joined everyone who had gathered at the door.

XXXXX

"You shouldn't be out here at this time of the night," Kadaj said as he stepped out into the night. A silhouette figure turned at his voice to look at him but turned back to gaze up at the starlit sky.

"I want to stay here a little longer," Lana replied.

"You'll catch a cold," Kadaj said as he enveloped her in his arms from behind.

"I won't," Lana replied, "You're here." Kadaj smiled knowing that he meant something to his Lana.

"Yeah, I'll protect you," he said.

"I'm glad," Lana said as she turned to face him, "That you are here with me."

"I'll always be with you," Kadaj replied, "Never to leave you."

"Thank you," Lana circled her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. "I won't leave you either," she whispered and felt his arms warmly secured around her once again.

"I'm sorry I decided what I decided that day," Lana continued.

"It's alright," Kadaj rubbed her cheek as a tear slipped down. "You had no choice," he continued, "I wasn't strong enough."

Kadaj felt her shook her head, "It was I who was not strong enough. I'm sorry."

"I told you not to say that word again, didn't I?" Kadaj reminded her.

"What word?" Lana asked.

"I hate that word, especially when it comes from you," he continued. Lana looked at him and saw regret in his Mako green eyes, " 'Sorry', I hate that word from you."

"Is that so?" Lana laid her head on his shoulder once again. "I didn't know that, sor-" she stopped herself, "I apologize for that."

Kadaj chuckled, "Two years ago, I told you not to say that word. Maybe you have forgotten but I know I said it to you."

"Maybe you did," Lana replied with a smile. Kadaj stroke her head and smiled as he watched the stars shone above them. Lana stood holding onto Kadaj closing her eyes and breathed in his warmth.

"Let's get in the house," Kadaj said after a moment of quiet embrace.

"I don't want to," Lana said with her eyes still closed.

"You are tired and you'll catch a cold," Kadaj said.

"No," Lana said playfully.

"Alright," Kadaj smirked as a plan was constructed in his mind, "Do you really want to stay out here?" He received a nod as a reply and his playful grin widened.

"Then, I'll just have to carry you back in!" Kadaj said as he kissed her on the lips and lifted the unsuspecting Lana into his arms.

"You cheat!" she said softly after he broke the kiss.

"And?" he asked playfully as they walked into the house.

"And…," Lana stopped when she found nothing to reply him and sighed in defeat.