Lloyd escorted Cloud and Aerith to his home near the church. When he opened the door, the girl stepped inside and gasped in awe. The room was covered in beautiful flowers. "Oh, wow!" She ran up to one of the pots. "This is wonderful! Look at all the flowers!"

Cloud also admired the flowers. The arrangement of the pots reminded him of his home in Nibelheim. Lailah would often set out flowers around the house to brighten up everything. His mother loved the flowers she grew and shared with them. Of course, he did as well.

After he looked at the flowers, he looked around the small shack to see it was empty. "Where's Lailah?"

Lloyd also noticed she was gone. "She may be at the church. I think she likes Aerith's flowers."

Without waiting for Lloyd and Aerith, Cloud left the shack and headed to the church. He sprinted over to the large building. Opening the doors, he entered and spotted his childhood friend sitting on her knees in front of the patch of flowers. Her back was turned to him. He stared at her, the soles of his boots clunking against the wooden floorboards.

Halfway to her, Cloud suddenly froze as the horrid memory of them fighting the Airbuster flashed through his mind. He had witnessed her being caught in the explosion and her body being flung against the railing as of she were a rag doll. He remembered watching helplessly as her body fell to the slums below. He thought she was dead, but he held on to the hope that she had miraculously survived. And now, here she was-alive and well.

"Lailah," he called out to her once the frightening memory faded.

The snowy-haired girl lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at him, eyes wide open. She was shocked to see him. Gradually, she stood up and faced him. She didn't realize how much she missed him until now. She took a few calm steps toward him before running the rest of the way. She threw her arms around him, engulfing him in a hug.

Cloud stumbled back a step when her body collided with his. He froze when her arms wound around his torso. He could feel his heart racing. His hands, which had been still at his sides, moved. One arm found its way around her waist while his other hand came to rest against the back of her head. He hugged her back just as tight as she was holding him. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled his nose against the top of her head. "Glad you're okay."

The hug lasted fur a couple of minutes before they pulled away from each other. They sat by the flowers and shared what had happened once they defeated the Airbuster. After the robot had exploded and Lailah had fallen to the slums below, Cloud also had fallen. While she had met Lloyd, he had been found by Aerith in this exact spot. He had been helping the people of the slums during the time she had been recovering.

When she tried to apologize for blowing up the robot, he stopped her. "It would've exploded no matter what we did." He gazed up at the hole he created in the roof when he fell from the plate. "Either way, I still would've ended up here."

Lailah's brows furrowed and she wrote her question.

'What do you mean?'

He glanced at her before looking away. "I would've come looking for you."

She was surprised at his honesty but soon smiled. His words made her happy. She didn't want to embarrass him by making him crawl back into that shell of his so she decided not to linger on the subject. She did, however, want to ask him about what he said on the train. She wrote her next question down.

'You mentioned you wanted to tell me something after the mission on the train. What did you want to say?'

Cloud looked at the notebook and read the question multiple times. He knew exactly what he wanted to tell her but felt his nerves beginning to change his mind. Nonetheless, he knew he couldn't keep quiet much longer. He needed to tell her how he felt about her. To do that, he first needed to learn how to talk properly. Talking was not one of his strong suits. "I, uh..." He couldn't meet her gaze. It would only make it more difficult. "I have...feelings for you."

She tilted her head in puzzlement. She wasn't sure where he was going with this awkward and clumsy confession.

He sighed in vexation at his lack of communication skills. As he wondered how much worse this confession would get, he noticed Lailah quickly scribbling down something in her notebook. When she held it up, he read it.

'You mean as a friend or something more?'

"Something more," he said. He urged himself to say those three crucial words but couldn't. Instead, he opted to continue in his usual awkward fashion. "I care about you, Lailah, more than as a friend."

She stared at her notebook as she listened to him. Although she wanted him to say those three words, she didn't need him to say more to know what he was trying to tell her. Deciding to express herself without her notebook, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She figured it would be a good start.

She smiled when seeing his stunned expression. When his attention was fully on her, she grabbed her notebook and wrote down...

'I wish I could say it with my voice, but I hope this is okay for now.'

She scribbled her next words down, her smile blooming.

'I love you, Cloud.'

Cloud stared at the words on the page for a while. He was overjoyed to know his feelings were reciprocated. If only he had the courage to say those words back to her. Scooting closer to her, he leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Someday both of us will say it."

As the sun set, they left the church and returned to Lloyd's home. They had enjoyed a meal together with the man and Aerith.

When their bellies were full, Lloyd said, "Okay, time for us to change your bandages, Lailah."

"Bandages?" Cloud parroted, brows furrowed.

"She was hurt when she fell from the plate. It was pretty bad, but that fancy healing of hers patched up most of her except for her back." Lloyd grabbed a roll of bandages.

Aerith sensed the dislike Cloud was sending to the man and snatched the bandages from him. "Leave Lailah to me. I'll change her bandages while you boys give us some space, okay?"

Reluctantly, the ex-SOLDIER left the shack with Lloyd.

Once they were gone, she sighed in relief. "Whew! Maybe Cloud and Lloyd will like each other when they come back. What do you think, Lailah?"

With a smirk, the snowy-haired girl shook her head.

This made Aerith giggle. "Looks like you and I are on the same page. Now, let's change those bandages of yours."

Lailah took off the straps of her suspender skirt and her white dress shirt. She turned her back to the florist and allowed her to tend to her.

Slowly but surely, Aerith removed the old bandages and replaced it with a fresh one. As she wrapped it around the girl's waist, she couldn't help but admire the markings across her body. She thought they were only on the girl's neck and face. However, she was wrong. They stretched down her back and across her shoulder blades. "I remember running into you and Cloud on Loveless Street. I never expected to meet you both again in such a crazy way. Cloud told me a lot about you these past couple of days. For a quiet guy, he sure can gush about a girl. Besides that, he barely talked. What's your secret, huh?"

Lailah grabbed her notebook and wrote down her reply after putting her clothes back on.

'What secret?'

"To get someone like Cloud to talk so much about you! Or maybe there isn't a secret and he doesn't realize how much he talks about you. I guess when you're in love, you don't really realize how much you talk about your sweetheart unless someone tells you. I didn't mind, though. It was cute seeing how much he cares for you. He was really worried about you and was asking everybody in the slums if they had seen you, even the kids. I guess he forgot to ask Lloyd."

Lailah scribbled down more.

'Cloud told me you were the one who helped him. Thank you, Aerith.'

The girl giggled and poked the shapeshifter's nose. "Cloud was right. You're just too adorable!"

She tilted her head and added something to her notebook.

'He said that?'

"Well, not directly, but I can definitely tell what he's thinking when he looks at you. That boy doesn't realize his feelings are written all over his face, but I won't tell him that because he'll probably try to hide it." Aerith then changed the subject. "I can't believe I couldn't tell who you were when we first met. The markings were so obvious! My mom would love to meet you."

Lailah continued to write.

'Lloyd did mention you know about my people. It's nice to meet someone who doesn't think we're just fairytale creatures.'

She then added...

'Would it be okay to meet your mom?'

Aerith nodded with a smile. "Of course! How does tomorrow sound?"

Lailah nodded and put her notebook away.

Cloud and Lloyd returned minutes later.

Aerith greeted them. "Welcome back, boys. I hope you two were nice to each other."

"Ehhh...." Lloyd muttered. "Maybe? If you count silence as getting along, sure. Mister ex-SOLDIER really isn't a conversationalist."

She smirked. "If you wanted him to talk, you should've mentioned Lailah. That's the secret I learned."

"Maybe I will," he replied. "But for now, you two should head out before it gets too dark. These streets get even more dangerous at night."

Aerith nodded. "Let's go, Cloud."

Cloud was a little hesitant to follow Aerith and leave Lailah in Lloyd's care. It wasn't because of the lack of trust but simply due to being reunited after the battle on the plate. He wanted her to come with them, but Aerith's house only had one spare bedroom. There wasn't room for two guests. Deciding it would only be for one more night, he sighed. "All right."

Lloyd smirked as he saw the two out. "Don't worry, buddy. I won't make any moves on your girlfriend. Even if I did, I'm pretty sure she would kick my ass without needing your help."

"I know," Cloud responded without looking at him.

"Can you escort Lailah to my house tomorrow?" Aerith asked.

"Leave it to me," Lloyd smiled.

Suddenly, Lailah popped her head out the doorway behind him. Smiling, she waved farewell to Cloud and Aerith.

Aerith waved back while Cloud wasn't sure if he should do the same or not. Seeing this, the florist grabbed his arm and waved it back and forth with a giggle.

Lailah smiled in amusement. She saw the puzzled expression on Cloud's face as he gazed at Aerith questioningly, making her wish she could laugh.

When they left, Lailah and Lloyd enjoyed a few rounds of Gin Rummy before calling it a night.

○◦───•❃°•°❀°•°❃•───◦○

The next day...

Lailah followed Lloyd through the slums after having rested all morning. It was around evening by the time they left the shack. They only encountered a few monsters on their way to the center of the sector. When they entered the busy part of the slums, she started looking around at the various shops and eateries. Even though it was the slums as well, it felt different than Sector 7. She wanted to explore but she and Lloyd needed to meet up with Aerith and Cloud.

Halfway to Aerith's house, Lloyd was pulled aside by one of the residences. He didn't know how long he would be gone so he gave her directions to the house.

It wasn't long before she arrived in front of the Leaf House. She saw the kids playing outside and smiled before walking past them. As she entered the tunnel, she heard the sounds of fighting. Wondering what was happening, she followed the sound to a nearby area.

Through a gate, she saw Cloud and Aerith fighting against a man in a black suit and sunglasses. Seeing the man grab Cloud and toss him back against Aerith caused her to snap. Transforming into her wolf form, she barged through the gate and tackled the man to the ground. She used her weight to pin him down. With her sharp fangs on full display, she glared at him. The discs on her back ignited brightly as she focused her fire magic on them. The flames expanded and soon erupted, burning the man underneath her.

The powerful spell was just enough to siphon the last remaining stamina the man had.

Lailah jumped off his body, golden eyes watching him closely as he sluggishly pushed himself off the ground. She continued to bear her fangs in a threatening manner.

Just then, the man's phone rang. This puzzled Cloud, Aerith, and Lailah. Reluctantly, he took the call. They couldn't hear the person on the other end.

"Understood," he replied, ending the call.

"Got somewhere else to be?" Aerith asked.

He put his phone back into his pocket. "Apparently so." A helicopter appeared and he mounted the ladder hanging from it. He eyed the wolf before looking over at the girl. "Go home and stay there."

She smirked and shouted over the helicopter's propellers. "You know I can't do that!"

Her response took him by surprise. "Huh?" However, the helicopter took off before he could say anything else.

Lailah lowered her head with a tired snort. After having been incapacitated for a few days, the single spell she used wore her out. She hoped she would recover completely before they would have to face off against another threat again. Feeling a hand on her head, she lifted her gaze.

Cloud, kneeling on one knee in front of her, petted the top of her head. "Thanks for coming, Lailah."

The wolf's ears perked up at his words before flattening against the top of her head. She stepped closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as his other hand stroked her neck. Her tail wagged back and forth while enjoying his touch.

Aerith joined them, astonished at seeing the wolf. She took Cloud's place and cupped the beast's face with her palms and stroked her cheeks with her thumbs. "This truly is amazing, Lailah! This is like a dream come true!" She dropped her hands from the canine's face and proceeded to wrap her arms around her neck to hug her. "You're so soft! Has anyone ever told you that?"

When Aerith pulled away, Lailah reverted. As she stretched, she winced at the small pain in her back. This didn't go unnoticed by Cloud. He eyed her worriedly, but she smiled to ease his concern. The snowy-haired girl's attention was drawn to Aerith when her hand was grabbed.

"Let's head to my place," she beamed joyfully.

Fortunately, Aerith's house wasn't far. The moment they exited the other side of the tunnel, Lailah was struck with awe. It was beautiful. The scenery felt like it was straight out of a fairytale. She ran down the steps and across the bridge to get a better look at the blooming flowers, dismissing the sense of familiarity she felt.

Cloud and Aerith watched her. The girl giggled with a smile. "Looks like Lailah's a big fan of flowers."

"She always has been," Cloud said. "She'd always grow flowers when we were kids. I remember our house being decorated with so many flowers."

Aerith searched the pocket of her jacket. She found a single seed that had fallen out of the pouch she'd given to Lloyd yesterday. Curious, she went over to where Lailah was.

"Could you show me?" She asked, holding out the seed.

The shapeshifter nodded and took the seed. Using her magic, she helped the seed grow into a beautiful blue flower. She then handed it to Aerith.

The florist took the flower, amazed at what she witnessed. She then decided to add the flower to the large garden. She placed it by the blooming white flowers to make it pop. "There. Another beautiful flower to add to the others."

After the flower was planted, the trio went to the house.

As they walk through the front door, Elmyra stepped out of the kitchen. "Where have you two been? I've been-" The second she saw Lailah, her eyes went wide and she dropped the plate she was holding.

The plate shattering on the floor startled the three.

"Mom?" Aerith asked worriedly. She saw her mother staring at Lailah. From her shocked look, she could tell she knew who the girl was.

Noticing what she had done, Elmyra tried to clean up the shards with her bare hands. A piece sliced open her fingertip, earning a small gasp of pain from her.

Lailah fell to her knees in front of Elmyra. She took her injured hand and examined it before healing the small cut. She then picked up the pieces of the plate carefully and tossed them in the trash.

"Thank you," Elmyra told the girl.

She smiled in response.

"Mom," Aerith spoke up. "This is Lailah. She's Cloud's girlfriend and I think you know who else she is."

"A Child of Gaia," Elmyra said. "Tell me, are you one of the Twelve?"

Lailah tilted her head in confusion.

This surprised the woman. "You don't know who the Twelve are?"

Cloud stepped in to help Lailah so she wouldn't need to use her notebook. "She was only five when Tellus was attacked."

"Oh," Elmyra mumbled sorrowfully. "I am terribly sorry for what happened to your people, Lailah. Now I understand why you don't know who the Twelve are."

"Maybe you should tell her, Mom," Aerith said.

Elmyra waited for permission from Lailah. When she received a nod from the snowy-haired girl, she shared her knowledge with them. "The Twelve are direct descendants of Gaia herself. They are the true Children of Gaia. They have the power to receive blessings from the ancestral beasts." She saw a look of knowing pass across Lailah's face, which made her question her. "Has this happened to you? Have you met an ancestral beast?"

Lailah nodded.

"Then there is still hope," Elmyra sighed in relief.

Just then, Aerith grabbed Lailah's hand and tugged her towards the stairwell. "I've been struggling to grow some of the flowers in my room. Could you help me?"

Lailah nodded and allowed Aerith to drag her upstairs.

"Don't be too long. Dinner's ready and I wouldn't want it to get cold," Elmyra told the girls before they vanished from sight.

"We won't!" Aerith shouted.

Once the girls were gone, Elmyra addressed Cloud. "I've refused to comment on this matter, but I can't stay silent any longer after seeing who you're with. Judging by those eyes, I'm guessing you're a SOLDIER?"

"Ex-SOLDIER," Cloud corrected her.

She sat down at the table. "I hate to ask...but would you leave here tonight? Without any fuss-no questions? You boys made a trade-a normal life for power. You can't have it both ways. You won't be able to have a normal life with Lailah. Will you let me take care of her?"

Cloud was silent for a moment. The thought of leaving Lailah behind made him melancholic. He decided to speak his true feelings. "Sorry, but I can't do that. She means too much to me to be left behind."

Elmyra sighed in defeat. "I understand."

Seconds later, Aerith and Lailah returned.

"We're back!" Aerith cheerfully announced.

Elmyra nodded. "Good. Now-I hope you girls are hungry."

Aerith smiled back. "We're starving. Right, Lailah?"

The four sat at the table and enjoyed the food Elmyra had prepared.

After dinner, Lailah decided to enjoy the garden while Cloud headed up to the guest room. He laid down on the bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep and dream.

*****

Cloud lay in bed back in his home in Nibelheim. He could hear his mother's voice as she washed the dishes. "I've never been so proud. The man you've become... Women must be hounding you day and night."

"Not really," he said.

"You know, there's all kinds of temptations in the big city. I'd feel a lot better if I knew you'd found a good girl-one who'd make sure you didn't get into trouble."

"I can take care of myself."

Claudia continued. "An older, more mature girl that could keep you on the straight and narrow-and tell you when you're being a silly goose. That's the perfect type for you, I'd say." She giggled as she lowered the dish she finished cleaning. "What about Lailah? She's perfect for you."

Cloud turned over to his other side. "We are together."

Claudia stopped drying the plate. "And here I was rambling on about girls when you already have one. I'm happy for you, Cloud. Make sure to take care of that sweet girl, okay?"

"I will."

*****

The dream ended and Cloud woke up. He climbed off the bed and grabbed his sword. "Don't want to overstay my welcome."

As he left the guestroom, he avoided all the objects strewn about to avoid alerting Aerith. He made his way downstairs and saw Elmyra sitting at the table.

"You're leaving," she said.

"So, how do I get to Sector 7?" Cloud asked.

"It's simple enough. Just cut through Sector 6. It isn't exactly safe, but you should be okay, seeing as you're a SOLDIER."

"Was one," he clarified.

Elmyra met his gaze. "Promise me. You'll never talk to Aerith again, and you'll protect Lailah. Shinra cannot get their hands on her. Please."

Cloud didn't hesitate to comply. "You got it."

"Thank you," she replied. "Lailah's outside."

The ex-SOLDIER was surprised to hear the girl was still here. He thought she would've returned to Lloyd's home to get some rest. Walking out of the house, he saw Lailah on the cliff with the yellow flowers. She was laying down on the ground. He went over to her and saw her eyes were closed.

Quietly, he sat down beside her. His eyes gazed down at her peaceful face to see a loose strand of hair obscuring it. He gently combed the hair out of her face. As he withdrew his hand, he saw her eyes slowly open.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Cloud told her. "I thought you would've headed back to Lloyd's place to rest."

She pushed herself up into a sitting position. She had thought about returning to Lloyd's house but decided against it after having relaxed in the garden for a long while. Wondering why he was up, she looked over at him and tilted her head.

"Figured we should head back to Sector 7 tonight," he explained. "You ready?"

Lailah glanced around at the garden one last time before nodding. With help from Cloud, she got to her feet. They left and headed in the direction of Sector 7.

When they thought they were in the clear and ready to venture into the more dangerous area of the slums, they were stopped in their tracks by Aerith. She had been waiting for them. She smiled innocently as if she hadn't planned for their meeting. "Well, look who it is. Talk about a coincidence."

Cloud was shocked. "What're you doing here?"

"Waiting."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not sick of you yet." Aerith walked over to Lailah and poked her cheek. "And I just got to meet Lailah. She's the best friend any girl could ask for."

Cloud remembered his promise to Elmyra, but he figured there was no way to convince Aerith to go home. Instead, he decided to put her in charge. "Lead on, then."

"With pleasure." Aerith begins humming as she started to walk down the path.

Suddenly, Cloud was struck with another headache. He grabbed at his head and grimaced in pain.

Being the closest to him, Lailah noticed right away. She tried to ease his pain with her healing magic. She gazed at his face and noticed a single tear trail down his cheek. When she lifted her hand to wipe away the tear, he looked away and tried to act cool.

"It's nothing," he said.

Lailah knew it was something and didn't give up. She grabbed his arm before he could walk away from her. She tugged him back, causing him to stumble a little. She then released his arm and grabbed his face with her hands.

Finding himself staring into her golden eyes, Cloud froze. He felt the warmth of her palms against his cheeks and the tension in his muscles slowly dissipated. Unconsciously, he took a step closer to her when she caressed his cheeks with her thumbs. She had wiped away the single tear. He saw the look on her face, one that was void of judgment and only expressed concern. He didn't enjoy crying in front of others, not even if it was a single tear. He wanted to look strong in front of her, not weak.

Exhaling a shaky sigh, Cloud didn't fight against her. He relaxed and allowed himself to get lost in her gentleness and kindness. "Lailah, I..."

She shook her head with a smile, silencing him. She didn't need him to explain himself to her. All she wanted him to understand was that he could come to her with any problems he had. She wanted him to know he wasn't alone.

Cloud received her message loud and clear without her needing to say a word. He placed a hand over one of hers and squeezed it while it remains against his cheek. "Thank you."

She smiled and didn't let go of him until he was ready. Once he regained his composure, they followed after Aerith and left Sector 5.