*This is a work of fan fiction. I do not, in any way, profit from the story.

Creative rights, belong to their original creator of the Final Fantasy universe, Hironobu Sakaguchi

CHAPTER 2

A NEW HOME

"...Are you here?"

"Mother is that you?"

"Yes dear, have you forgotten me?"

"Pardon me? Forget you? Why? Where have you been by the way mother?"

"Here my sweetheart. I'm here all along. Haven't you noticed?"

"Uh?"

...The pillow felt so smooth and cold altogether. The blanket was so warm, rays of morning light kept it at the right temperature. It was a wonderful morning in a strange but happy place. It reminded nothing of the blurry past but still everything was hazy. Until she woke up. Aerith was not sure about how she ended up there but she remembered well that woman under the name Elmyra. And as soon as she pt her brain into thoughts, Elmyra visited Aerith on her room.

"Aerith, my girl?"

"Um, you are Elmyra right? How was I sleeping?"

"Strange question dear, the matter is how long you were sleeping", said laughing.

"Hehe, how long then?"

"Seven days and some hours."

"..."

Aerith didn't talk for a while. She knew very well what happened a week before. Mother was dead and she really got out of order that day. It's like her body couldn't accept the incident and went out of order. It's like it wanted to keep company to Ifalna's dead body. But now she was awake.

Elmyra tried to do everything she could do to keep Aerith cheerful but a reply from Aerith's mouth made her understand that the young girl was happy and cheerful by nature.

"Did you really mean that?", said Elmyra between laugh and terror.

"Yeah let's go cook together.", Aerith answered full of joy.

"Are seven days enough to forget...? You know..."

"Ms. Elmyra mother is watching me. She is here with me...well she is everywhere now, why should I be sad anymore?

Elmyra was astounded by the mature tone Aerith spoke but also shocked about that 'everywhere' thing. Whatever Aerith meant Elyra intended not to give much attention that time. The two of them got down in the kitchen to start cooking. Aerith was really but really hungry after so many days asleep. And that made Elmyra wondering.

"How much possible is for a human to endure so much sleep, hunger and tragedy?", she asked herself.

A few minutes later, Aerith full of zeal asked:

"Ms. Elmyra, I want to go out and talk with the flowers."

"First of all call me Elmyra. Secondly, flowers don't talk my girl."

"But...I hear them talk to me."

"Really my girl? And what do they tell you? Are they nice to you? Because you are sweet as they do."

"They say to me that they hate humans."

Elmyra was a bit overwhelmed by that quote. She really wondered if all that really were mean or a just a kid's joke.

"No I tell you the truth. Back there at the prison, me and my mother were listening to other prisoner flowers, condemning humans for not proteting them and watering them."

Elmyra said nothing at all, she just laughed and went off to the kitchen. Aerith laughed from joy as soon as she looked outside the window. A garden full of flowers and a small cascade flowing calmly on Elmyra's backyard. Everything there was so nice, there were things that Aerith has seen before and now gotten alive right before her eyes. There were even a mysterious pink sphere glowing under the rays of light.

"Can I go out and play with your ball Elmyra?"

"My ball? Aerith what are you talking about?"

"Yeah that pink ball over there on the flower garden."

"Oh dear, that must be it. That's so strange for it to appear here."

"I want it to touch it yay", Aerith immediately went out.

Elmyra was happy for her young girl, there wasn't any sign of sadness in her eyes anymore but she also wondered how quickly Aerith overcame her mother's tragedy. Aerith went outside the house. Everything was so calm here. It was not like in Shin-Ra home, like she called it. Here seemed like hope and love was taking flesh and bones through the calm water, the flowers and the singing birds. Sector 5, or like people used to call it 'Garden Slums' was a paradise for the people who used to live there. It was nothing like the rest Sectors. There were no dirty, no bandits and no poverty. The only Sector alongside Sector 7 that was full of life and joy most of the times. There was nothing specific here, like Sector's 7 '7th Heaven', a fancy nightbar that gathers any kind of people, but at least everything was in peace for a strange reason.

"Hey you", a strange voice was heard.

As soon as Aerith turned her face to look the man that talked to her Elmyra opened the door.

"Oh Changel, here you are...",Elmyra greeted the mysterious man.

Aerith remained silent, gazing upon two emerald green eyes. There was something special about that man...And she was sure of it...