Author note: Well I've decided to be a bad person and sneak in one last chapter as exams threaten to close in on me and suck out all my knowledge, replacing it with major stress. And since writing is excellent for getting rid of it, here I am, blessing you with another update! WHOO! Oh, but before I go, allow me to give a huge thanks for the reviews. I'm just dumbfounded at how many I've received so far, and how wonderful they are! And so I completely dedicate each and every word of this chapter in the name of my reviewers and my readers! Alas, the chapter begins...

Abstract Silver

Ballad of a lost soul

Lost.

He felt lost. The sudden change in emotion twisted at his heart and mind, shattering any hope that had built up over the days. It was now forever lost. Completely severed from him and along with it went his ambition to pull through all of this.

Strange, really. He hadn't known Kadaj for all that long, but there was a deep connection between them that was like nothing he had felt before. And even the distant fighter himself didn't know the reasons behind this, yet he followed what his heart felt, what that deep feeling inside wanted. And now he was faced with a hard situation where the once arrogant rebel now faced nothing but death itself. He didn't like the concept, nor did he wish for any of this to happen. He wanted out and he wanted all of the pain and suffering to stop.

Yet he knew that it would never happen.

As Vincent's words rang in his ears like the horror they were, Cloud could do nothing. Not even rest his eyes upon the younger man. He was frozen in an eternity of shock, lost to the world and trying desperately to find a way out. But there would never be a way out of this false reality if Kadaj were to up and die on him.

The darkness which still lingered within the small room became all too intense for Cloud to avoid. It called out to him in hushed, silent tones, whispering his name and calmly ordering him to fall into a world of peace and rest. But he couldn't. He had to find a cure, some medication, anything to give Kadaj another chance at life.

He was too young to die.

And so Cloud fought back. Pushing all the darkness away from both his vision, mind, and heart, the once again determined blond forced his screaming body to the side. It was as if he had broken an invisible barrier. All the strength he had once had came flooding back in such a rush that it made him light headed, causing white blotches to appear in his line of vision. They soon passed and Cloud was granted all the freedom he wanted. Except for one thing.

He glanced down, towards Tifa's clenched hand as she grasped tightly onto the dark fabric of his clothing, not about to let go any time soon. Cloud didn't even have to make eye contact with her to know that she was upset, but more so worried that he was trying to move and run away like he had done several times before. But this time it was different. He wasn't running away from the harsh truth of his existence, nor to hide the hideous deformation that the Geostigma had induced onto his body. It was to save the life of another.

"Cloud please-"

"I'm not going away forever," he assured her, "I need to find something that'll heal Kadaj. There's got to be some place or something that can help."

Hesitating, Tifa released her grip. Her arm fell lifelessly to her side, a rather dejected looked etched clearly upon her face. She then stepped away from the bed, arms crossed over her chest with a large amount of hair covering her face. She checked on Cloud once before going to stand beside Vincent.

The blond stood up, his legs shaking temporarily as he struggled to maintain his balance. After all, Cloud hadn't been up and about for quite some time, two days or more he figured. When he regained his usual posture, the blond took his first step towards Kadaj, wobbling from side to side when his legs buckled slightly.

The floor felt cold under his now bare feet. The bottoms of them were moist and only caused more problems as he slowly made his way over to Kadaj. Another thing he noticed was that the rather large glove on his hand was nowhere to be seen so he assumed that Tifa had taken it off and placed it somewhere. But Cloud paid no mind, instead he moved closer, eyes blurring and legs beginning to shake involuntarily.

At last he managed to reach the mattress that Kadaj rested upon, resting heavily against the cold stone wall beside him to keep his balance as his legs threatened to give out again. Another light was turned on, a small lamp that Tifa held tightly in her hands, pointed towards him to offer him some light so he could see what he was doing.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Looking downwards, Cloud got his first up close look at Kadaj. His pale face was drenched in cold sweat and his hair clung like glue to his delicate skin. Small droplets of the salty liquid rolled down his cheek, glistening in the light of the lamp. They passed his deathly pale lips, going down the length of his neck and soaking the collar of his leather outfit. His breathing was slow, irregular, and terrifying to even watch as Kadaj's lungs were clearly struggling for air.

Cloud pushed himself away from the wall, bending down to the mattress. He pulled some of the covers off of the fever stricken body before him so that Kadaj's shoulders were visible. He then gently unzipped the front of the rough leather, allowing Kadaj to breath much better since the fabric clung so tightly to his skin, all thanks to the fever and the icy sweat that continuously dripped from the top of his forehead. Something stuck out though, even in the dim light.

The Geostigma looked as if it had spread like a wildfire. Snaking up the side of the silver haired rebel's neck and all over his shoulder, probably his back as well; the sickness looked horrible. The dark color only proved how strong it was and how hard Kadaj had to fight to avoid any amount of pain at all. But Kadaj looked like he was about to give up and Cloud wanted to make sure that it wasn't going to happen.

Standing back up, Cloud inhaled deeply, feeling a sensational burn as his lungs released the air he had taken in. He was quite aware that he was being watched by his two friends, but he didn't care at the moment. He glanced down at Kadaj once more and began to walk again, surprised that his legs hadn't opposed to him doing so yet. In a short amount of time, Cloud found himself back at the bed, searching for his discarded socks and black leather boots.

A shuffling noise could be heard from behind him as Tifa rummaged through a pile of clothing that was stashed in the farthest corner of the room. She made a triumphant noise, then hurried over to Cloud, offering him a pair of boots he had once thought lost and forever gone. He had blamed it on some supernatural force, but apparently it was his own doing. Recklessly throwing things to the side had become such a habit that he constantly did it. Though things had most definitely changed since then.

"Here Cloud, take these." Tifa offered him the once thought missing boots, a unforced smile gracing her lips. She also offered to help him get them on, but Cloud objected and gave his thanks before going through a great struggle to get them on.

From the closed doorway, Vincent watched, crimson eyes taking in everything with precise accuracy. However, his attention was mostly on Kadaj. He could easily tell that they boy wouldn't last long in that condition. In fact, his time in the world of the living was becoming quite limited. A week or so and he would be nothing but a whisper in the wind.

"It won't be long," Vincent interrupted, his voice overflowing with calmness. "Until the body of thoughts is only a blur in our memories." He watched as Cloud turned towards him, his facial expression turning drastically and his color paling even further. But Vincent continued anyways. "There is little hope that he'll survive."

With his boots now on completely, Cloud cast his eyes downwards, flattened blond hair covering most of his pain ridden face.

"I'll stop that. I'll find a way to save him..."

Before Vincent or Tifa could do anything, Cloud walked in a tight, straight manner towards the door. The ageless man with deep crimson eyes moved to the side, allowing his upset friend to pass. He was then met with a questioning stare from Tifa as the door closed lightly with a click.

"Why Vincent? He's not well enough."

"I understand. But Cloud must pull through this on his own. Let him do as he pleases, I believe it is the right thing."

Tifa shook her head slightly. She believed in Cloud too, but her friend was really pushing past any limits that he may have. So, trying to push the worry from her mind, though finding it impossible, she walked over to Kadaj and stared blankly at his heaving body as he slept in a world of horror an pain.

She had never been this close to someone such as Kadaj. He had been the one to kidnap both Marlene and Denzel, a horrible thing that she would never forget as long as she lived. Yet as the young man in front of her tossed and turned restlessly, Tifa's judgment wavered. He looked completely helpless as he was; like a child. But she barely knew him and she had been betrayed before, seen things her sleep was plagued with, and moved away.

Looking at Cloud's desk, eyes resting upon a photograph that had been taken a while ago, she whispered, "What's going to happen now?" So quietly that the only one able to hear it was the severely injured rebel in front of her.

It was completely empty in here.

Cloud closed the wooden church doors with some amount of force, having not acquired all of his strength yet, and slumped against them when he had shut out the darkness that loomed about outside like thick smog. But inside, it was just the same. In fact it felt more lonely and deserted in here than it did outside, leaving Cloud to feel as small as an ant.

No moonlight pooled down into the ancient building, but the faint light of the stars and they gave off a small amount of their iridescent glow. The only thing that gave away the water which still remained in a calm pool was the quiet noise of water lapping against the broken floorboards. And that was also the only noise inside as well.

But Cloud merely shook his head and stepped forward into the somewhat less dark area of the church, rubbing his hands together to bring some warmth back to his still weak body. The temperature was less of a bother in here than outside, but still freezing and below normal. And that cold was all that Cloud felt as he neared the waters. Not the same familiar warmth that had been here for so long, just empty cold that wrapped around him like a blanket.

He couldn't even detect the presence of Aeris that had always swarmed in here since her death. Perhaps it had truly been put to rest with the 'end' of the Geostigma. But that couldn't be the case because even after all the events that had transpired a short while ago, Cloud knew she was watching over them whilst Kadaj and himself took refuge here.

As the floorboards made a familiar creaking noise under his newfound boots, Cloud was swept up in a stream of deep thoughts while his body battled the cold air that surrounded him. He passed all the breaking church benches and all the ones that had managed to remain upright. The once neat rows came to an end and Cloud found himself standing before the healing waters, which reflected the stars above and the glow of the city outside.

Cloud reached inside one of his many pockets, one in particular that was covered by an array of silver buckles, and withdrew a small plastic bottle. He had retrieved it from Tifa's bar area behind the marble counter top, and had left shortly after that, but not before glancing back at his room, mentally wishing that Kadaj would pull through.

Bending downwards, the sore muscles in his legs bunching up, Cloud opened the lid and dipped it into the frigid waters. Though it wasn't the temperature that made the water so cold, but the fact that it was so pure that caused such an effect. As Cloud took his hand out of the water, he was suddenly not so sure about what he doing. But Kadaj needed this for his Geostigma and perhaps it would even allow him to heal properly.

He stood back up, his legs burning temporarily from not being ready to function as well as Cloud pleased. He brushed the feeling off and headed towards the doors, then something caught his attention through the corner of his eye.

Glowing radiantly, a single flower sprouted out of one of the far corners. Its petals were a bright white and in some places it was speckled red. The appearance it gave was that of a Lilly, but Cloud wasn't too sure. The stem was just as bright, except it was green, unlike the majority of the flower. Luscious green leaves spouted outwards, gently swaying from side to side even though there was no breeze to push them.

Cloud bent down in front of it, mako eyes studying the magnificent organism. He reached for it hesitantly, then stopped once the presence of Aeris once again filled the ancient church. The cold was replaced with abnormal warmth, something even Cloud hadn't experienced while he had made this his home away from the bar.

There was no time though to hang around while Kadaj was back at Seventh Heaven, holding onto life by a single thread. So, standing back up and turning away, Cloud ushered one last good-bye to the glowing flower, a symbol of Aeris he assumed, and headed back to the isle of which he had walked down numerous times before.

Cloud tucked the bottle safely into the same pocket that he had stored it in and resumed his steady pace, glad that his legs were not as jelly-like as they had been before. Completely assured that the healing water would not leak, Cloud reached for the old wooden door and applied a small amount of force onto them, the same noise filling his ears as it had only moments ago.

He glanced back one last time before shutting them as quietly as possible. As he did so a gentle breeze swept over him, rustling his hair and giving him the warmth he needed to stand the cold temperatures of the night.

"Have faith," it seemed to whisper into his ear.

Cloud turned around, half expecting to find someone there, but there wasn't. Perhaps he was imagining it and his mind was only playing games. As he walked away from the building, Cloud couldn't help but look back and whisper, "I'll try."

"You'll try what?" A gruff voice interrupted.

Cloud snapped his half lidded eyes open; his heart racing at the sudden change in the atmosphere. He became aware of several eyes that bore almost completely through him, each stare filled with anger and hate. Cloud looked around and noticed that three tall, extremely built men blocked his way, each wearing almost identical attire.

"What's that you got in your pocket?" The man who had first spoken to him demanded, pointing towards the pocket which held the healing waters within it.

Cloud only stared at him blankly, blond hair lifting into the air as he raised his head. He then tried to move past the biggest out of them all, but was stopped when two hands clenched tightly onto his upper arms, preventing him from going anywhere.

The leader, the one who had spoken to him, was in front of Cloud before he could do anything. The blond bit his lip, drawing blood and tasting the bitter copper that came with it as a balled up fist was rammed into his stomach. Shortly after, the same man reached for the pocket that was protected with the silver buckles. And that was when Cloud had enough of the thugs.

Lashing out, Cloud connected the toe of his boot with the face of the leader, causing the man to topple backwards. Without giving the other men a chance, Cloud raised his left leg slightly so that his knee was bent, then thrust it backwards, striking the now sorry man in the groin. One of the hands was immediately taken away from his arm, leaving Cloud with one last person to take care of.

He was still weak, sure, but Cloud was determined and that alone gave him power over the others. Using his free arm, Cloud grasped onto the standing man's arm and pulled down on it, forcefully making him come closer. Cloud didn't want to make too much of a disturbance, so, using little force, the blond struck him in the side of the head, knocking the man out cold.

His pure mako eyes surveyed the mess of bodies, glad that nothing had been damaged. Cloud turned around and made for the bar and in a matter of a few minutes, the blond was standing before Seventh Heaven, marveled at how well his body was healing. But Kadaj wasn't. He was dying with every passing hour it seemed.

Rushing inside, up the wooden stairs, and through the door of his bedroom, Cloud came upon the scene of a coughing Kadaj and his two friends watching the rebel. Tifa looked somewhat worried, surprising Cloud, as Vincent observed everything with his glowing crimson eyes.

"Is he alright?"

"For the moment," Tifa answered, eyes shifting away from Cloud. She didn't like the situation, especially since she knew her friend would do anything and go anywhere just for the sake of some bandit.

Cloud walked over to the mattress and sat down beside it, watching Kadaj's irregular breathing and cringed at how horrible the rebel looked. He reached into his pocket and took out the bottle, pure crystalline water glistening in the light from the lamp. Cloud popped the lid off using the nail on his thumb and reached across Kadaj's now shivering body.

I hope this works...

Cloud tipped the bottle downwards and watched as the healing water splashed onto Kadaj's pale skin. It created an iridescent glow in the light, but Cloud noticed something was missing. He sat back up and peered down, looking for the otherworldly green glow that would signal to him that the Geostigma was being cured.

There was no glow. The water did nothing.

And Kadaj was now reacting to it in a horrifying manner.