Cloud and Wedge landed safely on Scrap Boulevard. They unstrapped themselves from the harness. The blonde looked up to see the bird swoop down to his location.

Lailah transformed once she was close enough to the ground. She wound up stumbling a little but regained her balance and prevented herself from falling. She sighed in relief knowing she wouldn't be making out with the ground. Looking toward Cloud, she smiled and gave him the "okay" symbol with her hands.

"Guess you'll need to work on the landing," Cloud commented. He stared at her markings, seeing they were still black. He wanted to ask her a few questions, but they needed to see Wedge home first.

After having entangled himself from the straps, Wedge said, "I'll head home on my own. After all, Lailah healed me. I am still a little sore, though..."

"It's cool, we'll go together," Cloud stated.

Wedge was more than excited to hear this. "Aw, thanks, bro!"

"Cut that out," the ex-SOLDIER blandly replied.

Wedge then pointed over his shoulder at the gates. "This way!"

Lailah followed behind Cloud as they left Scrap Boulevard and headed to Wedge's house. While on their way down the street near Beginner's Hall, Wedge asked, "Think Jessie and Biggs made it back safe?"

"I guess," Cloud replied.

"Cool if we check on them? We'll pass by their places anyway."

The blonde glanced behind him at Lailah to see if she was okay with it. She nodded and he responded with, "Sure."

Not far from Beginner's Hall was Biggs' house. Wedge looked around for his friend but saw no sign of him. "Well, this is Biggs's place. I guess he hasn't made it home yet."

"Guess not," Cloud commented.

Wedge sighed sorrowfully. "Hope he isn't "worst case-ing" it again. He's got a habit of overthinking things. Worrying about all the possible outcomes till his head hurts."

"Wouldn't've guessed."

"And when he worries, I worry. Anyway, let's head on over to Jessie's!"

Lailah glanced one last time at Biggs' house before following Wedge and Cloud. It wasn't long before they arrived at Jessie's house.

Wedge kept his distance from the door. "This is where Jessie lives. Men are not allowed inside."

"Hmm..." Cloud hummed in confusion.

"Lots of pretty girls trying to make it big onstage live here. So don't hang around or they might get the wrong idea. Well, maybe not if Lailah's with you."

"Huh."

"I'm telling you this for your own good, Cloud! People around here love to gossip. Just make sure you have Lailah with you if you plan to visit."

"They know about Jessie and Avalanche?" Cloud inquired.

"Nah, it's all good," Wedge answered. "They think she's an actress. Oh...and one more thing, bro. It's all a game to her. Don't fall for it!"

He was puzzled. "You lost me."

"Life's a stage and love's the play!" Wedge laughed, throwing his arms out. He then looked over at Lailah. "And you've already got a leading lady!"

Cloud and Lailah's eyes widen. They glance at each other but quickly look away. They both were blushing, earning another chuckle from Wedge.

Lailah placed her hands over her crimson cheeks and embarrassingly walked ahead of Cloud to catch up with Wedge. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and quell her thundering heart. She could hear him behind her, which only made her even more nervous. However, the embarrassment and nerves vanished when they arrived at Wedge's house. There were cats everywhere. She saw three cats sitting by the front door.

Wedge squatted down and smiled at the felines. "Hey there, Biggums, Reggie, Smalls... Brought some new friends to meet you!" He scooped up the cats into his arms and approached the childhood friends. "These little guys are on guard duty today."

Cloud wasn't fond of animals, especially cats. He took a step back when Wedge walked up to him and his friend. "Okay..."

Wedge smiled gratefully. "Thanks for seeing me home!"

"Really sorry about your ass," he apologized.

His smile only widened. "S'all good, bro! Lailah's healing really is amazing!"

"It's kinda weird when you call me th—" Cloud fell silent mid-sentence when the cats hissed at him. He grimaced and took another step back.

"Hey, don't be scared!" Wedge told his cats. "Deep down, he's a big softie."

Lailah stood in front of Wedge. She reached out and petted the three cats. They meowed happily as they enjoyed her touch. One pawed playfully at her hand, which made her smile.

"I knew they would love you!" Wedge cheered jubilantly. "You should bring over Poncho some day so we could have a playdate!"

She nodded in agreement. A playdate with all four cats sounded fun. Backing away, she smiled and waved to the felines and Wedge.

"Good night, Lailah! Cloud!" Wedge replied.

Having forgotten their earlier embarrassment, Cloud and Lailah decide to check up on Jessie and Biggs to see if they were home yet.

Back at Jessie's house, Lailah knocked on the door. A couple of seconds later, Jessie answered. She had a wide smirk painted on her face. "Well, if it isn't Cloud Strife and his lovely friend, Lailah Tenebris! Was wondering when you two'd show up. Without further ado... Here you are." She handed the blonde some materia. "Thanks for stepping up, "mercs." And now for—"

A loud gasp came from inside the house. "Who is this cutie?!"

Three girls popped out from around the corner and nudged past Jessie. They gathered around Lailah, who was glancing between the three women. She figured these were the roommates Wedge mentioned.

"Now, now, girls," Jessie chided them. "Give her some space before you suffocate her." She tried to push them away from Lailah, but they refused to budge.

"Did you just move here?" The sable-haired girl asked.

"There's no way we could've missed you if you weren't new around these parts!" The redhead commented.

The brunette grabbed Lailah's cheeks and pinched them. "You are just too adorable!"

Lailah grimaced at the pain in her cheeks. She tried to kindly step away from Jessie's roommates, but she didn't make it far before the redhead and brunette grabbed her arms and tugged her inside.

"H-Hey!" Jessie shouted. "Give her back! What are you three doing?!"

"Giving this darling a quick makeover!" The sable-haired girl shouted back.

When her roommates disappeared into one of the bedrooms, Jessie sighed and apologized to Cloud. "Sorry about that. You'll get Lailah back soon, I promise!"

Cloud had been too stunned to say anything. He was shocked at everything that just transpired. He was too confused to even ask any questions. Luckily, it wasn't long before the bedroom door flew open and Lailah ran out of the house. She hid behind him as Jessie's roommates caught up.

"Now, don't be shy!" The redhead cooed. "We haven't gotten to do your makeup yet!"

This time, Jessie was more assertive and shoved them back into the house. "Okay, that's enough! Just leave the poor girl alone. She doesn't need a makeover!"

"Oh, we know," the brunette laughed. "She's a perfect blend of cute AND pretty! But she's just too adorable not to dress up! I think she looks amazing without the makeup. And those tattoos of hers are really cool!"

The redhead smiled at Cloud. "Make sure to bring your girlfriend back whenever you want to see her dressed up, okay? We'd love to help her out!"

Cloud wanted to say she wasn't his girlfriend, but he figured it would wrap up the conversation quicker if he didn't try to correct her. "Uh, sure."

The sable-haired girl winked at the girl hiding behind the ex-SOLDIER. "Good night, darling! I hope we get to see you again soon!"

The three roommates returned to the home and retreated into their bedrooms.

Jessie sighed and smiled regretfully. "Sorry you had to go through that, Lailah. Are you okay?"

Lailah peered out from behind Cloud. She made sure the three girls were gone before stepping out from behind him. Her outfit had been replaced with a simple yet cute white dress.

Her snowy-locks were pulled into a low side ponytail with braided strands wrapped around the back of her head. The multicolored tips of her hair contrasted brilliantly with the dress. She was clearly displeased by the look on her face.

"Oh, wow," Jessie shockingly muttered, placing her hands on her hips. "They really did a number on you in such a short amount of time. Those girls are quick..."

Lailah wiped the smudge of concealer off her cheek. They had only put a small amount of it on her when she finally was able to make her escape.

This made Jessie laugh. "They can sometimes go too crazy with the makeup. It's a good thing you were able to escape when you could. But I do have to say, you look stunning! Sometimes simplicity is the best. Doesn't she look amazing, Cloud?"

Both girls looked at the ex-SOLDIER, who had yet to say anything. They saw how he was staring wide-eyed at the shapeshifter. He didn't even seem to blink.

Jessie smirked and waved a hand in front of his face. "Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?"

Cloud blinked a few times and immediately looked away from his childhood friend. He did find her change in appearance to be stunning but didn't say it out loud. "We better get going."

The girl pouted and punched his arm. "Aw, come on! The least you can do is compliment her! It's not every day a girl gets to dress up!"

"I..." Cloud looked at Lailah a second time. He wasn't good with words or expressing his emotions. He sighed in frustration at himself. Just as he tried to figure out how to express himself, the redhead from earlier returned.

"We almost forgot to give you your clothes back," she giggled, handing the attire to Lailah. "Oh, and don't worry about returning the dress. You can keep it, okay?"

The shapeshifter nodded and took her clothes back. She mouthed a "thank you" to the redhead.

The girl giggled. "You know, I bet you would be ten times cuter if you got your voice back. When you do, come back to see us!"

Lailah was a little hesitant but nodded. She wasn't sure if she wanted to return. Jessie's roommates were nice, but she didn't enjoy being treated like a doll.

Once the redhead was gone, Jessie said, "You don't have to visit them again if you don't want to. You might just end up turning into their dress-up doll again."

The mute girl grimaced at the thought and hugged her clothes tighter to her chest.

Jessie laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure Cloud here will protect you no matter what the situation is. You're a lucky girl, Lailah. And he's a lucky guy for having someone like you."

Unable to handle this conversation any longer, Cloud turned to leave. "We're leaving."

However, Jessie stopped him. "Wait a second! I'll only let you both go if you promise to come back tomorrow night. Deal?"

Looking toward Lailah, all he got in response was a shrug that said "why not?" Sighing, he replied with, "No promises, but we'll think it over."

Jessie's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really? You guys will?! I make a mean pizza, I'll have you know! Marche, luche, black milly, red shelly—I use only the best ingredients! Sound good?"

"Never heard of any of that stuff."

"Awww, you are so adorable, you know that? You just leave everything to me—it'll be great! Nighty night!" Jessie laughed and closed the door but it reopened and she winked while smirking. "Psych!"

The door closed.

Cloud looked confusingly at Lailah, who was also perplexed. He shook his head. "Let's go."

Walking side by side, the two friends remained silent as they went to check on Biggs. Luckily, he was home when they arrived.

Biggs saw them and smiled, ceasing sweeping. "Oh, hey, Cloud! Survived the jump? And the princess isn't too far behind as usual." That's when he also noticed her change of clothes and hairstyle. "What the hell happened to you, Lailah?"

Lailah pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

Cloud was the one to explain. "Jessie's roommates."

He chuckled. "Makes sense. How's Wedge?"

"He's fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. Tomorrow's a really big day for all of us. When Wedge said he'd been shot, I was afraid we'd have to call off the whole damn thing. Heading topside in secret... Don't think I could've faced Barret if something had happened. If Lailah hadn't been there to heal him.... But Jessie'd been acting weird and I knew I couldn't just ignore her."

"Biggs," the blonde called the man's name after he started rambling.

Alas, he didn't hear him and continued. "She must be prepping the bomb right now. But will she be able to finish before morning? I should go and see if she needs any—"

Cloud held up his hand when the man stepped towards him with a worried expression and shouted, "Biggs!"

"Huh?" Realizing what was wrong, he backed up and apologized. "Sorry. Our chute was blown pretty far off course. It...felt like a bad omen or something...so..."

"Get some rest. You need it."

Biggs nodded. "Roger."

"Night."

"Night. And thanks, both of you. Really."

Lailah smiled and waved at Biggs, who waved and smiled back. She then followed Cloud back to Stargazer Heights. As they arrived at the door to her apartment, she leaned her forehead against it with a heavy sigh.

"Everything okay?" Cloud asked.

Pushing herself off the door, she smiled exhaustedly at him.

"Get some rest," he told her. "You deserve it."

She mouthed "you too" before opening the door. Poncho came to greet her with a cheerful meow. She squatted down, petting the top of his head. Stepping into her apartment, she offered a gentle smile to him and mouthed "good night."

"I'll see you in the morning. 'Night, Lailah."

Laila closed her apartment door. She tended to Poncho, giving him some food and water. Once the cat was settled, she changed back into her usual attire. She neatly hung the dress up in her closet. As she was undoing her hair, she wondered if it would be better to start styling her hair into a ponytail. It would keep her long locks from obscuring her vision. She laid the black ribbon that Jessie's roommate used to tie her hair on the nightstand.

Without wasting any more time, Lailah crawled on top of her bed and fell asleep.

A couple of hours into sleeping, images of the burning Tellus and the horrified screams of her people plagued her mind. The images of her past played like a movie in her dreams. When the SOLDIERs infiltrated her home and killed her parents, she tried to scream but no sound came from her as she was choked.

With a horrified gasp, Lailah's eyes fly open. Tears fell from her eyes as her breathing turned shallow. She felt her heart racing and finding it difficult to breathe. She weakly got out of bed in an attempt to calm herself. She didn't make it far before she collapsed against the wall.

Back pressed against the wall, she hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face against them. She hadn't heard Poncho's worried meows. Although the images were gone, she still felt like she was in Tellus on that day seventeen years ago. Her fingernails dug through her sleeves and into the flesh on her arms. Tears continued to spill from her eyes.

Feeling a warm hand on her arm, Lailah slowly lifted her head. Her tear-stricken eyes met with a familiar pair of mako-infused eyes. Unbeknownst to her, Poncho had somehow opened the front door and brought Cloud here.

From her shaking form and teary eyes, Cloud didn't need to ask what happened. He remembered the occasional panic attacks she would experience. They were triggered by the nightmare she had almost every night while they were growing up. Gently, he placed his other hand on her cheek and attempted to wipe away her tears. He squeezed her arm, concern swimming through his eyes.

Hearing a faint meow, Cloud looked to his left to see Poncho had dragged the blanket off the bed and toward them. Taking the blanket, he readjusted their position. He was leaning against the wall with her sitting between his legs, her back resting against his chest. He pulled the blanket over her.

After a few more seconds of silence lingered between them, Cloud wanted to talk a little. He thought if he talked, it would bring her comfort and help her get back to sleep. "Tifa came by earlier. Mentioned how I was losing my hard edge. She thinks it's because of you, saying you're a "good influence." Can't really argue, though."

Lailah rested her head against his chest as she listened to him. She was slowly beginning to relax. Unconsciously, she placed one of her arms over the one loosely wound around her waist. She covered her hand with his.

"Don't worry about me," Cloud told her. "Just rest, Lailah."

Once she was comfortable enough, she finally was able to close her eyes and fall asleep.

When Cloud heard she was sleeping peacefully, he sighed in solace. He tightened his arm around her waist, propping his chin on top of her head. Turning his head, his cheek pressed against the top of her head. His eyes met Poncho, who was lying a few inches away from them. He had been surprised to hear the cat scratching on his door late at night. He was happy the feline went to get him so he could comfort the distressed Lailah.

It wasn't long before he too fell asleep.

○◦───•❃°•°❀°•°❃•───◦○

Early in the morning, Cloud woke up. He found Lailah was up and had placed the blanket over him once she woke up. Taking the blanket and tossing it onto the bed, he stood up and searched the small apartment for his friend. He found her standing in front of the sink, working on her hair by using the mirror hanging above it. Curiously, he watched her braid strands of hair and connect them to her high ponytail before tying it all together with the black ribbon.

Seeing Cloud in the mirror, Lailah turned around. She pulled out her notebook and wrote down what she wanted to say.

'Good morning. I hope you slept well. I know it wasn't the best place or most comfortable way to sleep.'

"Believe it or not, I slept well," he confessed. "What about you?"

She smiled as she wrote her reply.

'I slept well, too, all thanks to you.'

She then quickly added more.

'Thank you for staying with me, Cloud.'

"Don't mention it," he said. "It was that nightmare again, wasn't it?"

With a small sigh, she nodded and wrote more down.

'Don't worry about it. It's not as frequent as when we were little. I'll be fine.'

Cloud hesitated to accept her words. She clearly wasn't fine when he found her last night. If Poncho hadn't come to get him, he wondered if she would've told him about the nightmare or suffered in silence. As he pondered the thought, his attention was drawn back to her notebook when she held it up to him.

'So, what do you think about my hair? I decided to change it up after seeing what Jessie's roommates did to it last night.'

"I, uh..." Cloud wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't good with compliments. He loved her hair regardless of the style, but he did find her new hairstyle to suit her quite well. Her bangs framed her face with her long locks pulled up into a ponytail, a style he found himself enjoying. "It looks, um...good?"

Lailah smiled awkwardly and wrote down...

'Sorry for putting you on the spot like that.'

He sighed in annoyance at his own lack of competence to speak with people. "No, it's just..." Seeing as they were alone, he wondered if now would be a good moment to tell her his feelings. "Listen, I—"

Suddenly, the door opened and a breathless Tifa entered the apartment. Poncho, frightened by the noise of the door being flung open, scurried under the bed.

"Lailah! Cloud!" Tifa hollered.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked worriedly, seeing how panicked she was.

"Come with me! Quickly!"

Cloud grabbed his sword and dashed out of the apartment with Lailah behind him. They caught up to Tifa. A swarm of wraith-like creatures had invaded the slums.

"We were getting ready to set out when those things showed up and came after us!" Tifa shouted, pointing at the creatures.

"The others?" Cloud asked.

"Barret and Jessie are holding their ground, but for how long I don't know..."

Cloud looked at the two girls. "Let's go."

Lailah nodded and activated her chakrams. The marks across her face turned from black to red as flames engulfed the curbed blades.

"Right," Tifa replied.

Suddenly, the creatures circled around them, blocking off any escape. The snowy-haired girl stepped closer to her friends.

"Ready?" Cloud asked his childhood friends.

"You know it!" Tifa confidently responded.

As the battle began, multiple specters emerged from the swarm to attack them directly. Cloud sliced through one and pushed it back. "Let's head for the bar."

"Okay!" She hollered back, focusing on another specter.

Lailah tossed her chakrams over and over at different enemies. She noticed how the flames would gnaw at them and cause them to wither in pain. She aided her friends by attacking from a distance while slicing at the specter that was in front of her.

Eventually, the swarm of specters dispersed.

She lowered her chakrams and looked around to see they had fled. With a silent sigh, she deactivated her chakrams.

"What are these things?" Tifa asked.

Cloud glanced over at Lailah. He remembered when they had met that flower peddler. It was the first time she and him had seen the wraith-like creatures. "No idea. Pretty sure you can't even see them unless they make physical contact first..."

"And that's all you can tell me?"

"I can tell you they're not invincible," he said.

"I guess that's something."

Lailah patted Tifa on the arm and smiled reassuringly at her. The small gesture was enough to calm the sable-haired girl.

Leaving Stargazer Heights, they dash down the road towards Seventh Heaven. However, they didn't make it far before more specters shot out of the ground, blocking the road.

Tifa raised her fists and got into a fighting stance. "More of them?! We're running out of time."

Cloud refused to engage in another fight. "Any other way?"

She lowered her arms and nodded. "Yeah—over here!"

Lailah and Cloud followed Tifa down another street, but their path was blocked by another swarm of specters.

"Again?" The blonde hissed in vexation.

"Are they trying to stop us from reaching the others?" Tifa pondered. She looked around and saw another path. "Cloud, Lailah. This way."

They run down another street, but were soon met by another swarm. The specters zoomed past them, creating a strong wind tunnel. Knowing there was no other way, they pushed through the torrent of specters.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me. It's like trying to fight a hurricane!" Tifa grunted as she followed behind Cloud.

"Stay on your feet, both of you," Cloud told the girls.

"You don't have to tell us that."

Lailah was behind Tifa as they pushed through the specters. The three of them were being pushed back when she decided to cast a wind spell. She held out her palm and a gust of wind redirected the swarm.

"Much better," Cloud commented.

"Thanks, Lailah," Tifa sighed in relief.

The mute girl smiled at her childhood friends before following them down the narrow street. When they arrived at Seventh Heaven, the sight they saw horrified them.