New chapter! XD Apologies for taking a while once again. I was busy working on work and stuff and distraction and procrastination and everything that falls under the bubble of flop. XD. And then there is the fact that I have new ideas that I want to start writing but I won't until I finish this otherwise I'm never gonna finish this. And I've also been working on a SephixKadaj drawing...even though I ship CloudxKadaj way more. XD. But Cloud's hair looks like a chocobo and is so fudging hard to draw. Anyhoo moving on.

Mystical Authoress: *pats you gently* Don't worry. You know everything will turn out alright. I don't have bad endings...sometimes…

Whelp...one review…*motivation goes down* Eh…...Is anyone wanting this to continue and end? Cus if not…^^;

(oh hush. everyone is obviously too overcome with feels.)

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7.

And Byaku edit thankies happiness poofballs rainbows unicorns non-vampire-related-sparkles potato.

(Random Byaku note: If the Cullen family sparkles in the sun, and they are vampires that can super heal, why don't they cut off their skin and sell designer handbags?)
((Because it would hurt like hell.))
(They're vampires. ((screwing up your typing XPPP))Like hundreds of years old? You would think that's be long enough - HEY. NOT COOL, BRUH. ((Oops. ^^ *innocent yandere face*))*pfff*)
(What are we doing with our lives.)
((idk anymore.))

"STOP!"

The two shrill voices, shouting in unison halts Kadaj in his movements. The tip of Souba presses into Cloud's clothing, drawing out a small trickle of blood. Kadaj whirls around, his hair neatly following the turn of his head. He feels someone wrap their arms around his leg and looks down. Marlene and Denzel glare up at him, their large childish eyes filled with an innocent anger.

"Kadaj. Don't hurt Cloud!" Marlene shouts as she angrily kicks his ankle.

Kadaj can't care less about the weak kicks, but he isn't able to bring himself to harm them either. He attempts to gently nudge Marlene off his leg but she clutches onto him with fierce power. Snarling with fury, he grabs Marlene's shoulders with his hands and wrenches her off him, shoving her onto the floor with a harsh shove with only a brief millisecond of guilt.

Wait a second. Hands? He glances down at his right hand, finding Souba missing from his grip. Letting out a gasp of surprise, Kadaj finds Denzel running off with his sword.

"Hey! Give that back!"

He proceeds to chase after Denzel but strong, firm hands grip his shoulder and slam him into the wall. Kadaj finds himself staring with shock into the mako coloured eyes of Cloud. As he had been distracted by Marlene and Denzel, Cloud had taken this opportunity to yank Sephiroth's sword out of his abdomen.

"Kadaj. Listen to me."

Growling with anger filled eyes, Kadaj struggles against Cloud's grasp. Clenching his teeth, Cloud slams Kadaj's head against the wall, dazing the silver haired remnant for a few moments.

"You need to listen to me."

"What excuses do you have. What lies are you going to tell me, like the ones you told me before? I don't want to hear such lies."

"I want to tell you the truth."

"Liar!"

"Kadaj-"

"Liar liar liar liar. I don't want to listen to you!"

"Kadaj."

"Blah blah blah. Not listening."

"Kadaj…"

"La la la la la la la…"

"KADAJ!"

The sudden loud shout in his ear startles Kadaj as his heart goes into a wild frenzy in his chest. His mouth stays open, halfway through a response though silenced by Cloud's angry yell. No longer quiet and gentle Cloud is completely serious.

"Good. You're listening now. I just want you to know that Shinra threatened me to tell them. They had Yazoo and Loz. I knew you would have wanted me to protect them, so I told them about Sephiroth and everything. You would have done that, right? I...I just didn't have the chance to tell you or it just slipped my mind…Do you understand why I had to do that now?"

Kadaj stares quietly, his face changing from a look of shock to guilt to regret and then finally back to anger. "You lie."

"No. I'm not."

Glaring at Cloud, Kadaj mutters quietly to himself, or rather, Sephiroth. "Sephiroth...take over...and kill him."

A voice inside Kadaj's head chuckles. 'Oh. I thought you wanted to kill him.'

"I don't care anymore who kills him. I. Want. Him. Dead!"

'Very well.'

A swirl of darkness and Sephiroth is back in all his powerful glory, his one wing flapping behind him with its might. Picking up his blood coated Masamune, he lets out a laugh.

"My oh my." Sephiroth purrs. "How nice to see you again, Cloud."

Cloud scowls, knowing that he stands no chance of winning. Injured and with his weapon lying behind Sephiroth, he is powerless against the one-winged angel.

"It's a pity that Kadaj didn't believe your words. They are lies after all. He believes in Mother now, like he should be. How does it feel Cloud? You claimed that he could do good for the world. You were wrong. He is faithful to Mother. It runs in his veins and will never be altered. Face defeat, Strife."

Cloud glowers at him with blazing angry eyes.

Sephiroth leans closer. "Hmm...since I feel strangely confident about defeating you, how about we play a little...ah...game. Run...do whatever you can do. A game of cat and mouse, hunter and the hunted prey. I'll even give you a minute head start."

"Sephiroth…" Kadaj groans. "Is this really the time to be playing a game?"

"It's always amusing to watch prey struggle as they try to escape inevitable death."

"Whatever...just do what you have to do."

"Very well." Sephiroth glances at Cloud and gives him an eerily cheerful smile. "Your one minute starts now."

Cloud immediately dashes past Sephiroth and picks up his fallen sword, ignoring the splatter of blood that follows him. Twisting around, he runs towards Marlene, hiding behind a pole and places his hands on her small shoulders. "Marlene, go find where Denzel ran off to. Then find Tifa. Just get as far away from here as possible."

Marlene looks up at Cloud with those innocent eyes. "Will you be back before lunch?"

Cloud hesitates. "Um...we'll see about that. Okay? Now go."

Sephiroth watches silently as Marlene runs off. As she disappears from sight, he lets out a soft chuckle. "If you even come back for lunch."

Cloud turns to face Sephiroth, his sword out and ready to fight.

"And your time is up...I see...so the prey chooses to fight back."

"Anywhere else then people will be killed."

"Ah such a valiant and caring hero, always caring about the safety of others. Much like Fair. I suppose you learned that from him."

A brief flash of longing for his deceased friend flits across Cloud's face. That is all that takes to distract him for a second, and that is all the time it takes for Sephiroth to start attacking. Already, it's a losing battle for Cloud as he can only defend himself as Sephiroth attacks over and over again. Never does Cloud get the chance to attack.

Kadaj laughs from the Lifestream, cheering in glee as he watches the battle unfold before him. Each strike was like a spoonful of sugar, fueling the growing joy within him. Sephiroth was right. Playing with the play did make it ever more exciting.

Suddenly, the library around him starts shimmering. Specks of pure white light dance around him like stars up close. Kadaj remembers this, realizing within a moment what is going on. The white dots in his vision. The sweet smell of flowers. The feel of petals against his legs. But this time, there is not calming sense of peace. There is only rage and anger within him.

Hearing, soft footsteps in the grass behind him, Kadaj whirls around, his teeth bared and scowling.

"What do you want?" Kadaj demands harshly. "Why did you bring me here?! Take me back. Now!"

Aerith stares silently back at Kadaj, looking like the sweet, caring angel she normally is. However, the smile on her face is gone, replaced by a sad looking frown and disappointment. Upon seeing that look, Kadaj feels slightly guilty for snapping at her. But he is still just as mad.

"Aerith...why did you bring me here?"

Aerith doesn't reply. She bends down and plucks a white flower, holding it delicately within her small hands. Admiring its beauty briefly, she steps closer to Kadaj until she is less than an arm's length away. Aerith takes the flower and intertwines it with a lock of Kadaj's silver hair.

Kadaj takes a hesitant step back. "Umm…"

"The flower looks nice against your silver hair."

"Err…"

"Kadaj, you can't let Sephiroth win."

Kadaj tenses immediately and glares at Aerith. "No."

"Cloud told the truth."

"I don't believe that."

"Jenova is harming both the world and the Lifestream."

"So?"

"Do you know how many would die?"

"I don't care."

"I'll give you cookies."

"Really?!...I mean. No!"

"Kadaj...please."

"Prove to me that Cloud never lied to me."

Aerith pauses and then smiles, letting a smile of relief as she bends down to pick another flower. "That's easy. Come with me."

Cautiously, Kadaj follows Aerith as she weaves through the sea of flowers. He spots their destination, a small little pond of sparkling pure water with little flecks of sunlight dancing off the small crests of the waves. They reach the edge of the water, staring at their wavering reflections off the surface of the pond.

Kadaj narrows his eyes at the water, not wishing to touch it as Aerith dips the tips of her fingers in. "It's the magic water...it's going to hurt me…"

"Of course it is." Aerith sighs. "The Lifestream and the world saw you as an enemy before. After the explosion, you were ambivalent about which side you were on, so they too were ambivalent whether to accept you or not. And now you are back to an enemy. Show them that you aren't the enemy but an ally, then the water will no longer hurt you. You were once in the dark, but you were able to move to the inbetween of light and dark. But you fell back into the darkness. However, even though you were briefly in the area of grey, it still proves that you are capable of flying to the light."

Kadaj stands there silently, gazing at his reflection. Here in the Lifestream, there are no more scars to mar his flawless features except for the ripples on the water's surface.

"Watch this." Aerith murmurs softly as images appear on the water's surface. "This was from when Yazoo and Loz were over to visit you at Seventh Heaven. And then Reno got a phone call and handed it to Cloud. On the left, you will see Rufus Shinra speaking. On the left is Cloud."

Kadaj watches as the pictures turn into a moving video, showing what happened in the past. Cloud stands outside the bar, phone next to his ear.

'Hello?'

Rufus Shinra sits in his wheelchair, the white cloth that had covered his head and body now lying on his desk. A small smile crosses his lips.

'Cloud Strife...ex-SOLDIER.'

'Rufus...what do you want?'

'I want you to tell me a little something. Or rather to confirm something. I have come to the assumption that Kadaj might have some contact with Jenova...or possibly Sephiroth.'

Immediately, Cloud tenses up. 'What are you suggesting?'

'Don't play dumb with me, Strife. Tell me, has Kadaj mentioned anything about talking with them? Seeing them? Anything?'

'No. Nothing.' Cloud lies.

'Tell me the truth.'

'If Kadaj has contact with Sephiroth or Jenova, he has not told me anything.'

Rufus fingers one of the buttons on his white jacket calmly. 'Listen. The other two, Yazoo and Loz, are staying at our place. At any moment, I can kill them. It isn't that hard. If you don't cooperate, I will kill them both. Try anything funny like hide them and my Turks will seek them out and kill them for me.'

Cloud pales. 'You wouldn't...'

"I can and will if I have to. It's a necessary evil. I owe this planet a huge debt and Jenova needs to be ridded of. Now what do you say?'

Cloud grits his teeth in frustration. 'Fine...he has had contact with Sephiroth...'

'Continue.'

'When he sleeps, he goes to the Lifestream. He talks to Sephiroth there…and...whatever injuries inflicted on him in the Lifestream also affects his body here as well.'

'Thank you, Strife. This information will be of great importance to us. Good bye.'

Rufus hangs up simply and places his phone down on his desk. His eyes land on the Shinra company logo, the red diamond. 'I owe the planet a huge debt...' he murmurs to himself quietly. '...and I'll do whatever it takes...'

Cloud flips the phone closed angrily as he draws in shaky breaths. Finally, he heads back into the bar and out of sight.

The images flicker away from the water's surface and Kadaj finds himself staring at his reflection once again.

"How do I know this isn't a fake and you're just showing me something random you made up?" Kadaj finally bursts out.

"The Lifestream does not lie."

Kadaj sits down next to the pond, silent with confused thoughts and plans. Aerith sits down next to him and starts braiding more flowers into his hair as he thinks. It's comforting, her hands in his hair, combing through the silky strands. The presence of another person settles next to him. Kadaj glances up shortly to spot Zack grinning down at him. The three of them are silent, letting the Remnant think and come up with his own path.

At last, Kadaj speaks. "Tell me what I have to do...to stop him...to save him…"

Zack sits down next to Kadaj and reaches out to ruffle Kadaj's hair. He stops when he remembers the flowers in them and awkwardly moves his hand around for a bit before resting it on Kadaj's shoulder. "I'm gonna assume you mean to save Cloud, right?"

Kadaj nods numbly as he shrugs off Zack's hand from his shoulder.

"Well first of all, you gotta get your body back from Sephiroth. I'm gonna stop you before you ask how. It's your body, you should be able to force your way back in and kick Sephiroth back into the Lifestream."

Kadaj smiles a bit. "Alright then. Can you take me back to the library?"

Aerith nods as she stands up. "Good luck then."

"Oh...and Zack…" Kadaj adds. "Cloud says you died a hero."

"I'm glad." Zack grins.

"One more thing…"

"Spit it out, kiddo."

"Are you and Aerith in love?"

Both their reactions are immediate. Aerith drops the bundle of flowers in her hands as Zack chokes on nothing. Both have similar blushes on their faces. Kadaj just stares blankly, surprised by their reactions. Did he say something wrong? He was just voicing his thoughts.

"Erm..*cough*"

"Oh dear…"

"Uh…*cough*...I think you should go, Kadaj. Umm...before something happens to Cloud and stuff…"

"Bye, Kadaj!"

Aerith and Zack look at each other with a smile for a moment before bursting out in laughter. That is the last thing Kadaj sees before he is once again back in the library. He does not waste any time, knowing that Cloud is in critical danger right now. One short glance towards the hazy mirror shows a bloodstained Cloud with multiple wounds on his body. Yet he keeps on fighting against Sephiroth, putting on a pitiless effort to drag his sword around to block and attempt to attack, never cowering in the face of death.

"Sephiroth…" Kadaj growls.

"Ah...Kadaj...where were you?" the voice of Sephiroth echoes nonchalantly around the room.

"Give me back my body."

"Why should I?"

"None of your business."

"Are you going to betray Mother?"

Kadaj smirks, feeling overly confident but quaking with fear at the exact same moment. A brief moment of confidence. That is what he needs to regain his own body back. He can go hide in the corner with fear later. "So what if I am?"

Sephiroth laughs. "In that case, no. I'll have to properly punish you later as you obviously do not know obedience."

"Give. Me. My. Body. Back."

Through the mirror, Kadaj can see Sephiroth noticeably hesitate at the fierceness of his words, halting him like a tether. Sephiroth recovers in a second and goes back to fighting as if nothing had happened. However, Kadaj sees that momentary hesitation, and it bring a smile to his face.

Kadaj draws in a huge breath, filling his lungs with oxygen as he stared fiercely into the mirror. And then he shouts.

"SEPHIROOOOOOTTTTTTHHHHHHH!"

Scream after scream of insults. High pitched screeching that bounced around the library. It hurt even Kadaj's ears to hear his own screams. Kadaj watches the mirror to how Sephiroth reacts. There is no doubting his actions now. The one winged angel clutches his head furiously, trying to block out the sounds in his head. Cloud seizes this moment and rushes towards Sephiroth with his sword raised.

Sephiroth raises his sword to block, but it is too late. He leaps back to dodge but the sword manages to cut his wing, rendering it useless for the time being as blood dribbles over the black feathers.

"Kadaj." Sephiroth snarls. "Stop this instant!"

"NO!"

Before Sephiroth can respond, Cloud snatches his sword away. It takes a few moments for the distracted Sephiroth to realize his sword is missing and when he does, the sword is already imbedded into his wing and the wall. Cloud's sword pointed towards him brings him into full realization that he has lost. Sending a dark look towards the blonde man, Sephiroth fades into a mist of black.

Kadaj grins as the library disappears from view, to be replaced by the look of relief on Cloud's face.

"You're...back…" Cloud whispers briefly before collapsing onto the floor.

Kadaj lets out a gasp as he kneels down next to Cloud. "Cloud!" The sharp pain in his side causes him to double over as he collapses next to Cloud. "Ugh…"

Both of them lay there, hurt and exhausted, waiting for someone to come and save them.

A/N: Too lazy to type much here…sorry for late updates. HW and stuff.

Review? XD