A/N: Let's pretend Cloud stayed in the Sector 5 slums for a few days instead of just one. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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"Haven't you slept long enough, sweetheart?"

Hearing the gentle voice, Lailah opened her eyes. She stared up at the canopy of a tree that contrasted brilliantly against the blue sky. Feeling the plush grass beneath her body, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Looking out across the way, she realized she was on the hill that overlooked Tellus.

Eyes wide, she turned her head to see her mother smiling at her. "Mom..." The girl was more than shocked to hear her own voice. She placed a hand on her throat and felt for the scar, realizing it was gone. "H-How...?"

Laurel, the mother of Lailah, giggled. "This is simply a dream. It's a place where one can make anything possible. You miss your voice, do you not?"

"Of course I do," Lailah confessed. "But..."

The ivory-haired woman smiled sadly. "I know, sweetie. You want your voice back. You want to talk to your friends and loved ones."

"Is there a way I can regain my voice?"

"There may be one, but I cannot guarantee anything."

"Please, tell me," Lailah begged.

Laurel cupped her daughter's cheeks in her palms and kissed her on the forehead. "It will be no easy task. You will endure pain just to get your voice back. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes," the girl replied.

She smiled at her and stroked her cheeks with her thumbs with a gentle, caring smile. "Then you must wake up."

Lailah's eyes widen. "What...?"

"Once you open your eyes, you will find what you need."

Tears formed in her golden eyes. "B-But what if I want to stay here with you?"

"Oh, sweetie," Laurel wiped away her daughter's tears. "You have too many people who care for you to stay here. I want you to be happy. Trust me when I say this: we shall meet again soon, I promise. For now, open your eyes and live your life with those that make you the happiest."

Lailah choked on a sob before nodding. "Okay..."

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Slowly, Lailah opened her eyes and awoke from her pleasant dream. She inhaled deeply, alerting the person near her.

"You're finally awake," he sighed in relief.

Her golden eyes darted over to the man sitting on the floor beside her.

With his help, she sat up. She felt like her entire body had been run over by a flock of chocobos. Scanning her body, she saw her tights were missing and parts of her legs were bandaged. Her suspender skirt had been replaced with a pair of black shorts and her dress shirt was now a simple blue tank top. Her arms were bandaged in different places like her legs. Feeling pain in her back and abdomen, she gently rolled up the tank top to see most of her torso was covered in bandages.

"Now, before you freak out, I have to say I am not the one who changed you. The woman who found you offered to do it. She even fixed your clothes for you before she left," the man explained.

Laila tried to speak but no sound came out. She sighed in vexation and looked around for her pen and notebook. She searched her pile of clothes but stopped when she felt a piercing pain in her lower back. She winced and slumped forward.

The man caught her and eased her back down. "Don't you see how injured you are? You can't be moving around so much." He searched her things, remembering what the woman had told him. "She said you were mute. I remember seeing a notebook and pen with your things." When he found them, he handed them to her.

Lailah quickly wrote down her question.

'What did this woman look like?'

"Almost like you, actually. The only differences were she was older and the tips of her hair were green."

This shocked the girl. Is her mother truly alive? If so, how is it possible? And why hasn't she come to see her? Deciding to push it to the back of her mind, she wrote down a couple of more questions.

'Who are you? Where am I?'

"The name's Lloyd, and you're currently staying with me in my little dingy house in the abandoned section of the Sector 5 slums. No one but me lives here. Of course, I do occasionally venture into the occupied slums for goods," he answered. "Any more questions?"

She nodded and wrote down her next question.

'Do you know what happened to me?'

"The woman who found you said you fell from the Sector 5 plate. I offered to take care of you until you were healed in her stead. And that reminds me..." Lloyd pulled out a small vial from his pocket. "She wanted me to give this to you. Said it was some kind of medicinal herb."

Lailah took the vial and carefully sat back up. She removed the cork and sniffed it. She was shocked to learn it was vellabloom, a flowering herb that only grew in Tellus. It was used for various things like medicines and cooking. It was only then did she connect the dots after recalling what her mother told her in her dream.

"Once you open your eyes, you will find what you need."

It was Laurel who found her. Her mother was alive.

Lailah put the cork back on the vial and stored it with her clothes. She then wrote down something in her notebook.

'Would it be too much to ask for a tour of this place?'

Lloyd arched a brow. "A tour of my house or the area?"

'The area.'

He bit the inside of his cheek. "I don't know. You shouldn't be on your feet. How about I give you a tour of this place tomorrow?" He stood up and adjusted his gloves. "You're probably hungry, and so am I if I were to be honest. I'm heading to the slums for some food. I'll be back soon, okay? Just...try to behave while I'm gone."

He left.

Lailah couldn't stand lying down any longer. Gradually, she fought through the pain, put on her heels, and got to her feet. Carefully, she trudged out of the house to see the area around the shack-like abode. She saw the strange layout of the area, almost as if it had been home to thousands at one time. She could see pathways across the rooftops, but what grasped her attention was the church not too far down the road.

The girl tried to walk down the road. However, she stopped and hid behind a building when security officers and a man with long, red hair exited the church. She watched them closely, unable to hear their conversation as they left in the opposite direction.

Once the coast was clear, she came out from hiding and walked to the church. When she walked through the front door, her eyes widen and she gasped. There, she found a blossoming patch of flowers. She limped over and fell to her knees beside the flowers. She didn't dare to pick one. As she took in the smell and sight of the flowers, she came to realize they were the same flower as the one the flower peddler gave her and Cloud.

While enjoying the flowers, she lost track of time. It wasn't until Lloyd dashed into the church did she notice how late it was.

The man sighed. "Damn... I thought those Shinra lapdogs found you. I thought I told you to not go anywhere?"

Lailah looked away in shame. She regretted making him worry, but she needed to know where she was so she could figure out how to get back to the Sector 7 slums. She needed to reunite with Cloud, Tifa, and Barret and tell them she was fine.

"Listen," Lloyd said, his tone gentle. "I know it can be difficult just sitting around, but if you don't rest, you won't be able to go anywhere. Can I take you back to my place and make us dinner?"

She glanced melancholically at the flowers before nodding. She got to her feet with his help and he allowed her to lean against him all the way back to his house.

Back at the shack, Lloyd prepared dinner while Lailah sat on the bed. Even though this area of the slums was mostly abandoned, it didn't stop the man from keeping his place nice and neat. He had decorations here and there. He even had flowers on display, which surprised her because they weren't like the ones found in the church. She had been caught staring at the flowers when Lloyd came over to deliver her bowl of soup. "Like them?" he asked.

Lailah nodded and carefully took the bowl from him.

"In that case, I'll grab some more from Aerith tomorrow. She's the one with the green thumb, after all."

The name doesn't ring and bell nor did it spark Lailah's curiosity. She just figured someone had finally been able to make the soil fertile enough to grow flowers. She enjoyed the soup for a little while before an idea popped into her mind. She put her soup down on the nightstand and grabbed her small notebook. She flipped to a new page to write down what she wanted to say.

'Instead of buying flowers, could you get seeds?'

"Are you sure? I don't know how to grow flowers," Lloyd confessed.

She nodded and replied.

'I do. Trust me.'

"Trust the girl that fell from the Sector 5 Plate?" he teased her with a smirk. "I'll see what Aerith can give me."

'Thank you, Lloyd.'

"Don't thank me yet. I still have to get those seeds."

After finishing the soup, Lloyd served her another bowl and she scarfed it down. Now full, she could feel her exhaustion slowly vanishing. Curious, she tried to heal herself. In the past, it never worked but she wondered if she could now with the blessing of Zephyrus. She felt her body being engulfed in warmth for a few seconds before vanishing. The pain in her arm and legs disappeared but not her back.

Carefully, she unwound the bandages around her arm and legs. The skin was now patched up with no signs of there being any wounds.

Lloyd was in awe and couldn't help but stare. "Holy shit... H-How did you do that?"

She wrote down her response.

'Never heard of a healing spell?'

"Of course I have, but...where's the materia you used? I don't see it anywhere," he said.

She wondered if she should lie to him or not. Nonetheless, she lacked a healing materia for her to sell her lie. So, she told him the truth.

'I don't need to use materia to cast spells.'

Lloyd seemed curious, but he shook his head and refused to interrogate her. "You don't have to tell me who you are. I'll keep you safe until you're healed. By the looks of it...that won't be for too long after seeing that fancy magic of yours. Just be careful around here. Shinra's been more active down here ever since Mako Reactor 5 was attacked. For now, just get some rest."

She did as he said and fell asleep within minutes.

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The next day, Lloyd gave Lailah permission to adventure the area but warned her about the monsters and Shinra. He left to get the seeds he promised, leaving her all alone. He did promise to protect her but he had a sneaking suspicion she would wander off regardless if he gave her permission or not like she did yesterday. He also sensed she could handle herself well in battle and trusted she could hold her own. Still, that didn't stop him from worrying as he left.

Lailah changed into her regular clothes, folding the tank top and shorts neatly before placing them on a chair. She then checked her bracelet to make sure it was working. Luckily, her chakrams were functioning perfectly. She then got to work on styling her hair. She pulled it up into a ponytail with two braided strands located on either side of her head. It was the same hairstyle she had come up with the morning after Jessie's roommates held her hostage and gave her a makeover.

Leaving the shack, she wanted to see the flowers at the church again. She walked down the street but doesn't make it far before she spotted the man she saw yesterday. His ponytail of red hair blew in the faint breeze as he cooly meandered down the street. His black suit wasn't buttoned up all the way, revealing his chest. He had a single hand slid into his pocket while the other tapped an electro-mag rod against his shoulder.

Stopping in her tracks, she didn't even bother to find cover. All she did was stare at him. She listened to him whistle until their eyes connected.

The redhead's stoic expression morphed into one of amusement and shock. "Hot damn!" He cackled. "You're actually real! And here I thought you were some figment of that old geezer's imagination. All that footage was just some blurry shit, but here you are standing right in front of me, princess. Today is my lucky day!"

Lailah said nothing as she looked away from him with a sigh. She had no idea who the man was but was already annoyed by him.

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, damn. Right. The whole "can't speak" shit. Almost forgot." He activated his rod with a grin. "But that doesn't matter. You're coming with me, sweetheart."

Activating her chakrams, Lailah readied herself for battle. She hoped this wouldn't put too much strain on her injured back. She waited for him to close the distance between them. When he did, she sidestepped and avoided his rod. She tried to slice at him with her curved blades, but he was quick and nimble. He easily avoided her attacks.

It was a struggle between the two as they were both agile and quick. They exchanged blow after blow, each one either being blocked or dodged.

Lailah could feel her back aching with every swing and decided to change tactics. Jumping back, she infused her chakrams with fire.

As her markings changed to red, the man whistled in interest. "Look at you, princess. You really ARE full of surprises. No one told me those fancy markings of yours changed colors."

She kept ahold of one of her chakrams while tossing the other one. When he went to block it, she tossed the second one and watched in satisfaction as it sliced through his clothes and skin.

While he was recovering from the pain, she charged at him as her chakrams returned to her. She sliced and kicked him until she knocked him to the ground.

As the redhead lay on the ground, he laughed in amusement. "Holy shit, that was better than yesterday!" He managed to get to his feet after struggling a little. "Probably shouldn't have picked a fight when I was still injured, but to hell with it! That was some amazing shit, princess! Bravo!"

His behavior puzzled her. She lowered her chakrams, eyeing him closely and wondering if he was going to attack again.

The redhead simply disabled his rod, his smirk still present. "As much as I would love to play more with you, I've got other things to do." He pressed his palm against his bleeding side. "Damn, I'm gonna need a new suit..."

Lailah deactivated her chakrams and backed away from him.

The man playfully saluted to her, his grin festering. "Until I'm somewhat prim and proper, you better wait for me, princess."

She watched him leave with a limp in his stride. Once he was gone, she sighed in relief. Feeling her back ache, she decided to leave the church for later and get a better understanding of the area's layout.

After an hour, she returned to Lloyd's house.

A few minutes later, the man himself returned. He jogged up to her with a smile and handed her a small sack. "Aerith was surprised when I told her I wanted seeds, but she was more than happy to give me some. I'm curious as to how you're going to grow them."

Lailah found her notebook and wrote down...

'Do you have any extra pots?'

"I've got tons, actually." Lloyd walked outside and returned with three pots. "Will these do?"

She nodded and got to work. With help from him, she filled the pots with dirt from outside.

This surprised Lloyd. "I'm not so sure how well flowers are going to grow in this soil with the mako poisoning and all."

She held up a finger to tell him to wait. She put a few of the seeds in one of the pots and covered them with dirt. She then placed her palms over the dirt and worked her magic. She not only helped the flower grow but also purged the dirt of any mako. She lifted her palms when she felt petals brush against them. Three flowers with purple petals bloomed.

Lloyd was starstruck. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide as saucers. "What...? How...?"

Lailah took her notebook out.

'I can revitalize the earth and help plants and flowers grow. It was my people's job to do just that to ensure the planet would thrive, but then Shinra came along.'

"And that's why they're after you," Lloyd concluded. "Who were your people?"

'The Children of Gaia. We are direct descendants of the planet itself.'

"Aerith has talked about your kind before. I think she said your people were special and needed to be protected."

A sorrowful look crossed Lailah's face as she wrote down her response.

'There isn't much to protect now. Shinra killed almost everyone.'

This made Lloyd angry. "Those bastards..."

She placed a calm hand on his shoulder.

He didn't need her to write down what she wanted to say. He could see it written across her face. "Sorry, I just really hate Shinra. Now I hate them even more. I used to work for those bastards, but after I learned what they were doing with my experiments, well...I left. I couldn't keep my nice house in Sector 5 so I found myself here."

She smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm glad I left." Wanting to change the subject to something more cheerful, he started filling the other two pots with dirt. "Let's get back to these pots. Mind helping a few more flowers grow?"

She shook her head and got to work.

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The next morning, Lloyd left his home while Lailah slept. He headed back to the center of the slums so he could search for Aerith to buy more flower seeds for the girl.

Soon, he arrived at the Leaf House. He found the florist and the mercenary who was still with her. He remembered seeing him with her yesterday.

Once Aerith finished speaking with Ms. Folia, Lloyd approach her. "Well, someone's up bright and early this morning."

Aerith smiled at hearing his voice and turned around. "Hi, Lloyd. How were the flower seeds?"

"Great, but I'm gonna need more."

She tilted her head, surprised. "Already? What happened to the ones I gave you yesterday?"

"My lovely guest has quite the green thumb like yourself and already planted them. She asked that I get her more seeds. I'll also need to see if can buy some more pots."

"I would love to see them once they bloom," Aerith said. "Would you like the same seeds or different ones?"

"She'd like some different ones to add more color," he explained. "Hopefully, that's not too much to ask for."

"Not at all! Let me head home and grab those seeds. Mind keeping my amazing bodyguard company while I'm gone?"

"Uh..." Lloyd looked over at the spiky-haired mercenary. He wasn't sure how to feel about the silent yet intimidating blonde. "Sure."

"Great! I'll be back in a few minutes!" Aerith ran in the direction of her house.

Lloyd awkwardly shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Sooo...you're the merc the town's going crazy about, right? That's a pretty cool gig."

The mercenary crossed his arms. "I guess."

Feeling the awkward tension only getting worse, Lloyd opted to whistle instead of talk. He hoped Aerith would come back soon so he didn't have to keep the blonde company for too long. He thought the conversation was dead but was surprised when the mercenary happened to be the one to break the silence.

"Mind telling me who this guest of yours is?" he asked.

Lloyd tensed up. He knew the mercenary was an ex-SOLDIER, but he was suspicious of him and lied. "Just my cousin. She's visiting from Sector 4. She loves flowers and has a...magical touch."

The blonde gobbled up the lie.

What puzzled Lloyd was seeing the mercenary visibly deflate at his response. As he was getting a better look at the blonde, Aerith returned.

"Here they are!" She handed the pouch to him. "And don't worry about giving me some gil. I want my payment to be seeing the blooming flowers your guest has planted."

"Thanks, Aerith. I definitely will once she's got them all blooming." He put the pouch in his pocket.

"Oh, and thank you for keeping Cloud company for me."

Lloyd froze at hearing the name. He remembered talking to Lailah last night and how she mentioned her two childhood friends-Tifa and Cloud. "Wait a damn minute..." He had teased the girl about the boy. His eyes widened and he pointed a finger at the blonde. "You're the boyfriend!"

Cloud and Aerith were taken aback at his behavior.

"What?" Cloud asked in confusion.

Lloyd shook his head at his mistake. "Sorry, the childhood friend. Cloud Strife, right?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed. He was perplexed as to why he was talking to him as if they were acquainted. "Do I know you?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure you're the guy she told me about," he smirked.

"What are you talking about, Lloyd?" Aerith asked.

"Sorry for lying, but my guest isn't my cousin. Her name's Lailah and I think you know her, Cloud."

Cloud couldn't believe it. Lailah was here too and he needed to see her. "Take me to her."

Lloyd grinned. "Follow me."