Cloud and Lailah caught up to Barret. The blonde demanded that he wanted the money that was owed to them, but Barret told him they would only get the gil after they returned to base. He was displeased as he watched the man leave.

Seeing the grumpy expression on his face, Lailah grinned in amusement. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the back streets. She guided them to the main road, the path leading to an intersection. She released his hand when she looked around at the destruction. Flames lit up the streets. People gathered around to see what had happened.

"Yoo-hoo."

Lailah was startled by Jessie. She wasn't expecting to see her again so soon.

"Sorry for startling you, Lailah." Jessie then held up a green spherical object. "I don't need to tell you what this is, right?"

The snowy-haired took the strange object. She tapped her fingernail against it, unsure of what it is. Spending the last twelve years in Tellus didn't allow her to learn much. Even the friendly faces that helped her on her journey never told her about such objects. She could sense the familiar energy flowing within. It felt as if her own magic was trapped inside.

Jessie laughed. "It looks like you don't know what it is. That's okay."

"It's healing materia," Cloud said.

"Precisely! It's crystallized mako, to put it more simply," Jessie explained. "You can have it, Lailah. For saving my life and giving me this beautiful flower."

Lailah mouthed "thank you" before storing the materia.

Jessie smiled at her. "I'm lucky you were there, Lailah. I should thank Cloud too."

"Survival can be a matter of luck or skill. And you can't rely on luck," Cloud said.

"Words to live by! Well, see you guys on the train!" Jessie took off.

Cloud and Lailah looked around the area and overheard a few conversations from the locals before moving on. They headed in the same direction Jessie had gone. They were surprised to hear her voice again.

"Cloud! Lailah! Up here!" Jessie shouted. "Look up! I said look up!"

The two friends did as they were told. On a pathway above, they found Jessie waving down at them. They were surprised to have seen her, believing she would've been further ahead of them.

"Careful up here!" She warned them. "This could collapse at any moment! If you guys want up, you'll have to use those stairs!" She pointed to the stairs not too far ahead before leaving.

With no other way to cross, Cloud and Lailah proceeded up the stairwell to the unsteady, crumbling pathway. The blonde was the first to cross to test if it would hold their weight. He didn't make it far before the ground beneath him crumbled and he was deposited to the street below.

Lailah rushed to the edge of the portion of the pathway that remained. She peered down worriedly at her friend.

Cloud recovered from the fall and looked up to meet her concerned gaze. "I'm okay. Be careful coming down."

She cautiously climbed down and followed him down the street. The panicked screams of people running around the sector echoed through the streets. They weren't far from the station.

"Station's intact," Cloud said. "We're not far now."

Cloud continued to lead them to the station when all of a sudden, a portion of the overpass above collapsed. The way to the station was now blocked. He fanned away some of the smoke that accompanied the collapse. "Damn... Looks like we'll need to—" He turned around to find the girl missing. "Lailah?" Flames burned around him. He kept looking around for his friend until he saw a familiar figure standing not too far away.

"What the...?" Cloud stared at the smirking figure of Sephiroth. The man then turned and began walking away. "How...?!"

Deciding to follow him, Cloud had almost forgotten about Lailah as he trudged through the burning streets. "He couldn't be... But then..." He thought about his friend and wondered if her disappearance was his doing.

He carefully maneuvered through the streets to follow Sephiroth. He avoided the burning flames and soon found himself wandering through the alleyways. He had lost sight of the man and wondered where he went. Turning down another narrow alleyway, he didn't give up.

Cloud came to a stop when Sephiroth appeared at the end of the alley.  He couldn't believe he was actually here. "You're not real... You're...dead!"

"I am?" Sephiroth questioned with a smirk.

"I killed you with my own—"

"Oh, you need not remind me. It was the crowning moment of our time together. But that was then, and this is now. I have a favor to ask. Our beloved planet is dying. Slowly. Silently. Painfully. Can you bear to see the planet suffer... Cloud?"

His past trauma resurfaced. He recalled the image of his burning home in Nibelheim. The images felt real, as if he could feel the burning flames and the smoke filling his lungs.

Sephiroth's sinister smirk grew. "Were the planet to die, so many things would be lost. Your hometown that burns so bright... The sound of her voice pleading for me to spare you. The shiver of her flesh yielding to cold steel. That which binds us together would be no more. And I would be loath to live in such a world. Which is why I must ask you this one favor. Don't worry. It's a simple thing." He then mocked the final words of his mother. "Run, Cloud... Run away. You have to leave... You have to live."

The man stepped aside to reveal Lailah's motionless corpse laying on the ground. Blood seeped from a large hole in her chest. He smirked in satisfaction as he watched Cloud's expression morph from disbelief to a mix of anger and horror. "The last remaining Child of Gaia shall too die with this world."

Cloud snapped and drew his sword. "You bastard!" He launched himself at Sephiroth with his blade raised. He brought it down on the man's head, but he suddenly vanished.

"Good, Cloud. Very good. Hold on to that hatred," Sephiroth's voice rang out one last time.

The crackling flames vanished from around Cloud. He lowered his sword after seeing the man was gone. He looked to the ground to where he saw Lailah's bloodied body. She was gone.

Cloud heard the clicking of heels against the pavement. He turned around to see the living, breathing Lailah running toward him. He put his sword back and sighed in relief when seeing she was safe and uninjured.

Lailah ran to him, worried etched across her face. She placed a gentle hand on his arm.

He could tell what she wanted to ask by staring into her golden eyes. "Everything's fine. I'm seeing things. Fumes from all the mako, maybe." He combed his spiky blonde locks back. He inhaled deeply and exhaled heavily. "All right. You got this," he tried to convince himself.

She wasn't fully persuaded that he was okay, but she decided to push her concern to the side for the time being. They needed to get to the train station soon or they would miss rendezvousing with the others. She grabbed his hand and tugged him down an alleyway toward the street. She let go of him as they emerged from the alleyway.

The street was blocked on both ends, meaning they would have to travel through more alleys. When they came to a dead end, they climbed a fire escape. As they made their way across the rooftop, they came to a halt when they saw the reactor in the distance.

Cloud watched the flames light the nighttime sky. "Man... What a mess."

Lailah wasn't sure how to feel about the destroyed reactor. She was happy it wouldn't be siphoning the lifestream from the planet anymore, but she felt awful that the explosion caused so much damage to the sector. She didn't know if their actions had resulted in the death of innocents. Shaking her head, she focused on getting to the station with Cloud.

Leaving the rooftop, they travel down another fire escape. It led them to the other side of the car crash that had blocked the street. They arrived on Loveless Street and searched for the fountain plaza. A portion of the street was barricaded with security officers standing on guard. They quickly stepped out of the line of sight.

"Don't let the intruders escape!" One officer commanded.

"Security's everywhere..." Cloud mumbled.

"They must be close," a second officer said.

Cloud glanced over at Lailah. "No need to make it harder for ourselves."

Walking the other way, they arrive at the end of Loveless Street. They spotted a girl carrying a basket of flowers. She was panicking while looking around. They wondered if she was okay.

Lailah was about to approach the flower peddler when she heard Cloud cry out in pain. She saw he was grasping his head. It was another headache. She placed a hand on his arm to provide a small amount of healing to soothe the headache.

The flower peddler came over to check on them. She glanced at Lailah, wondering what was going on.

Lailah simply pointed to her head, which the flower peddler was able to understand. "A headache, huh? Will he be okay?"

The snowy-haired girl nodded. Even when Cloud was no longer in pain, she kept her hand on his arm.

Cloud lifted his head, his eyes locking with hers. "I'm fine." It was only when he looked away did he see the flower peddler.

The mysterious girl held out a yellow flower with a warm smile. "Here. This is for you."

He stared at it in confusion. "A flower?"

"That's right. It's a gift. You know, for scaring those things away."

Cloud and Lailah exchanged puzzled expressions before he asked, "What things?"

She dismissed it. "Never mind. Think of it as a memento."

The blonde sighed. "Just my luck..."

"I heard that, you know."

Lailah grinned in mirth as she listened to the exchange.

"I'm good," Cloud tried to brush the flower peddler away.

Alas, she didn't budge. "Oh, don't be like that. I know you want one. When was the last time you saw a real flower, huh?" She directed her smile towards Lailah. "Plus, it'll make your girlfriend's day. I guarantee it."

"We're not..." Cloud tried to explain but decided against it. "Never mind. How much?"

"Well, that depends on the customer. In your case... It's on the house."

Lailah decided to take the flower in Cloud's stead. With a smile, she attached it to his shirt.

The flower peddler beamed. "Lovers used to give these when they were reunited."

Lailah's eyes widen. So did Cloud's. They had just been reunited five days ago, but they weren't lovers. Her cheeks flushed a faint crimson as she stepped away from him.

Cloud had caught a glimpse of her red cheeks before she covered them with her hands. Knowing they needed to make it to the station, he shook his head to forget about what he saw. "Look, we're involved in things. Dangerous things."

"Oh, I'm sure you two are. So?" The flower peddler asked.

"So keep your distance."

"Wait—you think someone's out to get you both? Is that what you're all worked up about? Relax. No one's going to attack either of you. I promise."

"Hey, a mako reactor just blew. You shouldn't be out here trying to sell fl—"

Suddenly, the flower peddler gasped in fear and dropped the basket of flowers. She was looking around in panic and reached out to grab Lailah and Cloud. "Help me!"

After being touched by the girl, the two friends could see the wraith-like specters flying around them. Cloud drew his sword and slashed at one, only for it to vanish in a puff of particles.

"What are they?" The flower peddler asked.

Lailah was about to activate her chakrams to see if her magic could get rid of them. However, she was taken by surprise when one of the hooded specters circled around her at high speed. A silent gasp fell from her lips as her body was lifted off the ground and carried away.

"Lailah!" She heard Cloud shout.

She tried to break free from the specter's grasp, but her struggling was futile. She was carried all the way to the fountain plaza before it released her. Her body fell to the ground, earning a grimace of pain from her. She watched the specter circle her a few more times before zooming back in the direction of Cloud and the flower peddler.

She rubbed her sore back as she stood up. She looked around the plaza, only to be interrupted when she heard the shouting of an officer. "We've found one of the intruders!"

Lailah looked around as she was surrounded by security officers. She activated her chakrams when they aimed their guns at her. Cloud would have to wait until she got rid of the enemies. Infusing her chakrams with ice, her markings turned blue. She fought against the officers until they were all gone.

She believed the area was clear until a Shinra helicopter appeared. It hovered above her as it focused its searchlight on her. "Target sighted. I repeat, target sighted. Shock troopers, prep for immediate deployment!" The operator of the helicopter shouted. "Troopers on standby! You are clear to engage! Be advised—target is headed for the station! She's armed and dangerous. She may also not be alone."

Shock troopers jumped out of the helicopter. She remembered fighting a few while trying to escape the reactor and switched elements. Flames erupted from her chakrams as she threw them.

She was occupied with one shock trooper that she lost track of the second one. The man snuck up behind her, but he didn't make it far before he was sliced by a sword. His body crumpled to the ground.

Lailah disposed of the other shock trooper and turned around. Chakrams in hand, she realized Cloud had caught up and taken out the second enemy before he could pounce on her.

"She's not alone! I repeat, she's not alone," the helicopter pilot shouted. "Send in more troops!"

More enemies jumped out of the helicopter and entered the fountain plaza from various directions. Their numbers were growing and the friends were outnumbered.

"Enemy combatants—you are surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender!" The pilot commanded. "Ground forces engaging targets in fountain plaza! All nearby units converge and provide immediate support!"

Cloud and Lailah dealt with another wave of enemies before the plaza was cleared again. In their scuffle, the fountain had shattered.

"Targets still mobile! Support, proceed to rally point at the station," the helicopter pilot announced.

Cloud lowered his buster sword. "So much for the direct route. Find another way... Use the rooftops, maybe..."

Lailah looked around. She found a ladder located beside the 8th Street Café. She grabbed Cloud's attention by deactivating her chakrams and tugging on his shirt. She pointed to the ladder and ran as fast as they could.

"Don't let them get away, no matter what!" A security officer yelled as more enemy forces poured into the fountain plaza.

"Over there!" One officer shouted after spotting them climbing the ladder.

"Open fire! Shoot to kill!" Another hollered.

They quickly climb the ladder as gunfire rained down upon them. They reached the top of the first ladder just as it fell off the side of the building.

"Close call," Cloud commented.

Up the second ladder, they arrive on the rooftop. They sprinted to the adjacent rooftop as they were spotted by the helicopter. "Be advised—targets approaching residential area. Seal all access immediately!"

Cloud and Lailah descended from the rooftops using another ladder. Back on the streets, they entered the residential area of Sector 8. They ran through the streets, plowing through any enemies that tried to stop them. Time was short and they couldn't afford to miss the train.

They traveled through the residential area until they were stopped by speeding vehicles. With nowhere to go, they were blocked in by vehicles and surrounded by enemies.

"End of the line, punks!" An officer shouted as he and his fellow comrades jumped out of the vehicles.

Another officer chuckled. "I'm gonna enjoy this!"

Cloud drew his sword and aimed it at the approaching men. He felt his back pressed against Lailah's. "Let's make this quick."

With her chakrams, Lailah dealt with half of the officers. One wielded a red shield, but it was no obstacle. She easily tossed her curved blades and they sliced into the man's exposed back. He cried out in pain as he dropped his shield. She finished him off and turned to Cloud at the exact moment he dealt with the last officer.

However, more enemies poured from the vehicles. There were too many of them.

"Don't let them escape!" A security guard commanded.

Standing back to back, Cloud and Lailah eyed the men surrounding them.

"HQ, this is Sector 8 Unit 2. Targets are surrounded. Moving to secure," a second officer said.

On man lowered his gun when he seemed to recognize Cloud. "Wait! I know that—"

Cloud felt a tinge of a headache coming on. It vanished within seconds and he took the initiative. He sliced one officer down and broke out into a sprint. Lailah was on his heels. They ran as the train sped by on the tracks below.

Cloud was the first to leap onto the train. He looked up to see Lailah had yet to jump. The officers were still shooting at her. He was beginning to worry she wouldn't make it until she jumped down onto the tracks. Her current pace wouldn't allow her to reach the train. "C'mon, Lailah," he mumbled in encouragement.

Lailah didn't hold back. Transforming, her body shifted into that of a large wolf.

The wolf ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was gaining on the train as it entered the tunnel. She caught up to the train and jumped on top of it. With a poof, she shifted to a pup and landed in Cloud's arms.

He sighed in relief as he held her. "You really were cutting it close." Gazing down into her golden eyes, he patted the top of her head. "Are you okay with the others seeing you like this?" He was against her secret being exposed, but he had a sneaking suspicion they wouldn't do anything bad to her once learning who she truly was.

The wolf pup yipped in response, her tail swishing back and forth.

With that, he knew her answer. "Fine."

Cloud kept her tucked in his arm as he kneeled down to bang on the door of the freight car. The moment it slid open, he jumped inside with Lailah still in his grasp.

"Ugh, you had me worried for a minute..." Barrett said without thinking. He received shocked and questioning looks from everyone. This made him realize his slip up. "What the hell you been up to? Huh?!"

"Giving Public Security the runaround, that's what. Had to draw them away from the station somehow," Cloud explained.

"Nicely done," Jessie commented.

"Well—can't argue with the results, huh?" Biggs was the first one to point out the pup in the blonde's grasp. "Don't tell me you switched Lailah for a puppy."

"No," Cloud replied. "This is Lailah."

Jessie gasped as she recognized the red marks. "What happened to her? Is this some kind of magic?"

The blonde glanced down at the wolf pup. "Ever heard of the Children of Gaia?"

"Well, yeah," Wedge responded. "Who hasn't heard the fairytale about them?"

"They're not a fairytale, they're real. Well, were..."

"Were?" Jessie parroted. "What do you mean?"

"Seventeen years ago, the Children of Gaia were wiped out by Shinra so they could harvest more of the planet's lifestream. The Children of Gaia tried to stop them, but they were all wiped out. All of them except for Lailah."

Jessie stared in shock at the pup. "A mystical race of shapeshifters born from the lifestream who help the planet flourish." She held up the flower Lailah gave her. "That's why she was able to grow this flower."

Cloud stroked the top of the wolf's head. "She's bound to this planet because of that."

"So then, by destroying the reactor, we also saved Lailah?" Wedge asked.

"To some extent, yeah."

Lailah hopped out of Cloud's arms. She sat on the floor and yipped.

Biggs kneeled down and scratched her head. "Saving the planet and this cutie sounds like a pretty awesome gig."

Jessie laughed. "She is super cute!"

Wedge nodded in agreement. "Definitely!"

Lailah continued to get attention from Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge.

Cloud faintly smiled at her being surrounded by the three members of Avalanche. He then remembered what he wanted to ask. "Got a question for you all."

"What?" Barret inquired.

"Ever been attacked by an invisible enemy? Wearing robes. Came and went like the wind."

"Thought they were invisible," Biggs remarked as he picked Lailah up.

"They were—at first. Only saw them after she grabbed us..." Cloud looked down at his arm.

"A new Shinra weapon, maybe?" Jessie pondered.

"Hah!" Barret laughed. "More like a panic-induced hallucination!"

Cloud decide to drop the subject after the cocky retort from the brute. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Suit yourself. C'mon, let's move up."

Biggs set Lailah down on a crate to follow Barret. Jessie and Wedge were behind him. Cloud remained in the freight car with his friend. "You planning on staying like that?"

In the blink of an eye, Lailah returned to her human form. She hopped off the crate and followed him through the train. By the time the adrenaline left her system, she felt a burning pain in her side. Stopping, she looked down to see the left side of her dress was torn and stained with blood. The red patch was growing by the second. She quickly placed her palm over the injury and caught up to Cloud.

While Cloud spoke to Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie, Lailah carefully made her way through the packed train. She was starting to feel the toll of the blood loss. Her vision was splotchy, the edges of her vision slowly turning dark. She shook her head and staved off the dizzy spell.

She followed Cloud, Jessie, and Barret into the next car and witnessed the large man frighten away three Shinra employees before taking their seats. She found herself gazing out across Midgar as the train sped by Shinra HQ.

Cloud, having left Lailah behind, walked over to Jessie.

"Let's get this out of the way... Personally, I find visual aids make the dull stuff a lot more bearable. If it helps, think of it as an initiation rite," she said.

Cloud sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you people. I'm not—"

Jessie placed a finger over his lips to shush him. "Shh. There's such a thing as playing too hard to get. But, that's okay. I can tell you already have a special girl in mind." She glanced over at Lailah with a knowing smirk.

He followed her gaze to see Lailah looking absentmindedly out the window. He wouldn't deny it since it would only cause more chatter and decided to change the subject. "Why did you want me again?"

"Oh! Right, sorry." Jessie accessed a video feed. "So, here we've got a wireframe model of the great city of Midgar. Complete with massive steel plates suspended three hundred meters above ground level... Atop which stands a shining beacon of civilization. The whole system is sustained by the mako reactors, which feed the insatiable appetites of the public."

Suddenly, an announcement came over the loudspeakers. "The train will be passing through an ID checkpoint shortly."

Jessie returned to the 3d-rendered map. "This here is the train's route. As you can see, it'll take us around this main pillar. Look—we're about halfway through it now. They've set up a checkpoint here to scan the IDs of all passengers heading in and out. Date of birth, residential status, criminal history... All that and more is automatically cross-referenced in their databases. Public Security wouldn't have it any other way. Heads up."

Cloud saw the red lasers and was concerned.

Seeing this, Jessie reassured him with a proud smile. "Don't worry. Our IDs are impeccable." Her smile widened when they passed through the security gates without incident. "What'd I tell you? Have a little faith. Won't be long till we reach the bottom. Relax."

Barret glanced at the blonde. "Take a good look. It's because of that great big pizza in the sky that people down there gotta struggle to survive. Shinra sucks up mako while the soil turns to dust, the air fills with smog, and the flowers die. Think your little friend could patch up the entire planet by herself while they pump out all that mako, huh? It's her job, ain't it?"

Cloud glowered at him. "She's not a miracle worker. Even if she tried to heal the planet, Shinra would learn of her survival and who knows what they would do."

"Probably take her right out from under your nose, merc."

His glare sharpened. "Like I'd let that happen."

Barret was about to retort when his and Cloud's attention was drawn by a 'thud.' On the floor of the train car laid Lailah.

With a horror-stricken expression, Cloud rushed to her. He slid to his knees and frantically tried to figure out what was wrong with her. "Lailah?" He called out her name in hopes she could hear him and would wake up. However, she didn't budge. "Dammit...!" He checked over her body and found the large crimson stain on the left side of her torso. Through the torn dress, he saw a gaping hole in her flesh that was bleeding heavily. He hooked an arm around her back and pulled her closer while he pressed his palm against the bleeding wound.

Jessie was the next to come over. She kneeled beside the blonde, lifted his hand, and saw the extent of the girl's wound. From the appearance of the injury, she knew what caused it. "If she's bleeding this much, the bullet must have gone straight through."

Cloud remembered her being behind him while they were running away from the security officers earlier. He thought she must have been shot before she jumped onto the tracks. He hadn't even noticed her injury and started to beat himself over why he didn't see it earlier. "We need to help her."

"We don't have any emergency first-aid kit with us," Jessie said. "But we'll patch her up the best we can with what we have. She'll still need medical attention when we get back to Sector 7, though."

"Just help her," Cloud begged.

Jessie was shocked to see him so distraught. He appeared to be a cold, level-headed person on the outside, but it was possible to make that facade shatter. She pulled out a spare potion and used it on Lailah. She watched the skin attempt to mend, but the wound was too deep to heal all the way. However, the bleeding had stopped. She sighed in relief. "Okay, the bleeding's stopped. That'll buy us the time we need."

Cloud silently scooped Lailah up into his arms. He laid her on the bench, eyes never leaving her pale form. He remained by her side as the train sped towards Sector 7.