The children were distraught about the news that Biggs had come to them with. He never gave them a real reason, and that distressed them more. To your surprise though, they seemed to care more that you'd be leaving as well. Honestly, it made you want to leave even less.

You and Biggs were set to leave the next day. You stood at the door as a bunch of kids bombarded you, begging you not to go. Biggs and Ms. Folia tried to ward them away from you, though you didn't mind. You had done your best to comfort them and reassure them that you would be back.

"Please don't go, [F/N]!!" one of the kids cried. He was hugging your waist, refusing to let go. You had a sad smile on your face as you ruffled his hair.

"I promise, I'll be back as soon as we get everything situated," you told him. "And then after that, I'll be back every other weekend. Be nice to Ms. Folia."

He only nodded, burying his face in your shirt. You cringed mentally, not wanting snot and tears on your clothes. But you understood to a certain extent. After all, this had been brought on them less than 24 hours before you actually had to leave. You felt bad for them.

"Okay, guys, why don't we stop crowding [F/N]," Biggs suggested. Thank goodness. They did as he said and backed off, wiping their tears and blowing their noses.
"Ready?" Biggs turned towards you. You sighed a little, tightening your headband.

"I suppose," you replied ruefully. You looked back at the kids. "You all should keep exploring and collecting things. If not for me, then for Ms. Folia," you turned and smiled at the new orphanage keeper. She gave a small smile back.

You looked at Biggs and nodded. "Let's go." You turned and waved to the kids as the both of you ran off. You subtly wiped some oncoming tears, playing it off as rubbing your eyes and yawning. He hadn't noticed. He seemed really excited about this next chapter. 

"Have you thought about whether you're going to join Avalanche or not?" Biggs asked. You felt yourself tense up. You'd thought about it a lot. So much so that you could not sleep the night before. 

"Not really," you lied. It had done nothing but eat at you, but you wouldn't wanna explain why. "I pretty much made up my mind when you first came to me about it yesterday."

"And...?"

"And I'm not going to join them," you told him bluntly. He looked a little surprised, but not very. If anything, a little disappointed. You wouldn't tell him why, but he thought he had a pretty good idea of what it might be.

 You were still upset about all the trouble you had caused just a day or so ago. Biggs and Wedge had to drag their asses topside to save you from ShinRa, without even knowing the truth about you. They might as well have left you there instead. You knew you'd cause more problems later, once this whole terrorism thing went out of wack. The truth was, you'd love to blow up something ShinRa-owned, but you felt you'd hold everyone back. Your face was unmistakable-- to any official who worked for ShinRa, that is. Everyone knew Rufus, sure, but the president's daughter wasn't nearly as important as his son, the vice president. 

"That's all right," Biggs finally said. "There's gonna be a lot more to it than just damaging Mako reactors. It could go wrong at any time, so I guess I can see where you're coming from." That wasn't it, though. Maybe he was more oblivious than you thought, which was a good thing. Or he was trying to comfort you without being suggestive. 

"Thanks," you sighed. "For trying to be understanding." He just looked over at you as you stared forward, and gave a soft smile even though you weren't paying attention. Your mind was racing, though you kept a calm and unbothered exterior. 

*
*
*

A few restless hours later, you and Biggs arrived in Sector 7. You got off the train first, looking around the station. It definitely wasn't the prettiest sight, and of course, standing at the gate were two officers on duty, surveying the area. 

Despite this, something else caught your eye. You couldn't help but notice a very, very muscular man sitting on a bench next to a chain link fence. He had a mean look about him, and a gun for a hand. 

"Ah," Biggs said, "there he is." 

"Uh.... where who is?" you asked, warily. You were hoping it wasn't the guy on the bench. He looked like he could pop your head off, like a child would do with the head of a dandelion. If he was the leader of this group, he was definitely the most extreme and likely did his homework. 

"Barret," Biggs replied, gesturing to the same guy. You felt your heart sink as a lump formed in your throat. "He's Avalanche's leader. Well, our cell anyway." He explained, heading over to the bench. You sighed and followed him over. If he was on your side, it wasn't that bad. You were more concerned about the officers at the gate who were now staring at you. You inched closer to Biggs, hiding beside him. He looked down at you, confused. 

You watched the officers out of the corner of your eye. Seeing Barret rise from his seat suddenly out of your peripheral vision startled you, and you jumped slightly. He turned toward you, tilting his head slightly. 

"Who's your friend here? She all right?" Barret asked, looking back at Biggs, who was also giving you a concerned expression. 

"This is [F/N]," Biggs explained. "She worked at the Leaf House with me. And as for her being okay...?" he looked at you expectantly. 

"I'm fine," you squeaked. "Sorry about that."

"She looks scared half to death," Barret pointed out bluntly, even sounding a little annoyed. "She's got a limp too," you heard him quietly note to himself.
"She joining us?" He asked. You felt maybe he was hoping for a 'no'. He didn't seem to like you all that much. 

"She's not," Biggs replied. "She's a fugitive of sorts. She'll only join the Neighborhood Watch with me. She won't cause any trouble."

Your face flushed from embarrassment. The way he spoke for you like some kind of parent made you a little upset, but you were more concerned that Biggs's guarantee was definitely not liable. You were already humiliated by the trouble you hadn't even caused yet. 

"I'll take your word for it," Barret said. Exactly what you didn't want him to say. "Always happy to meet a ShinRa cynic." Part of you wanted him to say he wasn't comfortable or happy with you being around. That he wanted you gone before you did cause a scene or some kind of conflict. 

He held his one hand out to you and you shook it. "Nice to meet you," you muttered, trying to avoid eye contact. It felt rude, but his gaze was just too nerve-wracking. You felt like there was no way around making this guy mad at some point, but to your surprise he never seemed offended. 

"Report to the base once you and your friend get settled. Whether that be tonight or tomorrow morning, but no later," Barret told Biggs, who nodded in response. 

"Let's go, [F/N]," Biggs said, nudging you out of your nervous trance. You just nodded and walked off with him, trying your best to stay hidden as you walked behind him. On your way out, you felt a gloved hand on your shoulder. 

"Just a second, Ma'am," a guard said, stopping you. You froze, but Biggs didn't seem to notice as he kept walking. It was amazing how oblivious he could be sometimes, but you couldn't blame him, seeing how excited he was. 

"You wouldn't happen to be [Y/N] ShinRa, would you?" the guard asked.

You expressionlessly shook your head. "No, my name is [F/N]," you replied coolly. Inside you were super proud of yourself about your calm approach. 

 "Apologies. I just can't seem to shake how much you look like her," the guard explained, taking his hand off your shoulder. "You see, his daughter fled the facility a while back for some reason. They've been searching for her."

The other guard tilted his head and looked at his partner. "I thought they found her a month or so ago." You cringed mentally at their words. 

"That so?" the first one asked. "I heard someone broke her out. Maybe it was just a rumor. Sorry about that, Ma'am."

"[F/N]?" Biggs called after finally noticing your disappearance. You saw him glancing around a few meters away. As you noticed him spot you, you quickly whirled back around to the officers. 

"No, it's okay," you replied with a fake smile, hurriedly waving your hands dismissively. "I am busy right now though, so I should go." You turned around and jogged over to Biggs, who was walking back over to you. 

"What was that all about?" he asked. 

"Oh, they were just asking me if I'd seen a missing person," you lied off the top of your head. It wasn't that much of a lie though; you were a missing person, after all. A runaway, really, but it could pass as the same thing. 

"Oh, well. Let's get everything situated. Then I'll introduce you to the Watch. Wedge will be there too, so I won't be the only familiar face." That was a little reassuring, if you were being perfectly honest. Wedge was a really nice guy, who you wouldn't be afraid of under any circumstance.

Biggs seemed to know a lot of people already, which made you even more uneasy for some reason. You did your best to suppress the feeling, since he had done his best to reassure you. 

*
*
*

"There's no need to be so tense. They don't bite," Biggs said, pushing open the door of the Neighborhood Watch base. A few people were sitting around, chatting, refining gear and such. You saw Wedge among them, as well as a girl with a red bandana. She, of course, stuck out to you for that reason. 

A few people turned and waved at Biggs, giving brief greetings and waving before turning back to their conversations. 

"Took you long enough, Biggs," the girl said from her spot across from Wedge, placing her hands on her hips. Wedge followed her gaze and waved to the both of you with a welcoming smile.

"Sorry about that," Biggs replied with a shrug. 

"Who's this with you?" she asked, ignoring his comment. She made her way over to you, stepping over and around the Watch members sitting on the floor. 

"This is--"

"[F/N]," you said. You were a little annoyed with this girl. She had already struck you as bossy, or maybe you were getting the wrong idea. Maybe she was joking, so you didn't wanna be stuck-up. "His friend. I'm here to join the Watch."

She ignored that last part. You seemed to have lost her at your name.
"'[F/N]'? That's crazy," she exclaimed. "You look almost just like--"

"[Y/N] ShinRa," you and Biggs repeated at the same time with bored expressions. Biggs snickered a little. You looked up at him, embarrassed for no reason.  

"[Y/N] ShinRa," she laughed, amazed at your accidental unison. "You get that a lot, do you?" You nodded in response. 

"She's not," Biggs told her. "We'll explain later."

"Well, '[F/N]'," the girl smiled, sort of deviously. "I'm Jessie Rasberry." You had to stop yourself from cracking a smile. The first thing to come to your mind was "raspberry". 

"Nice to meet you, 'Jessie Rasberry'," you said, jokingly mocking the way she had emphasized your alias. 

"So, you're not joining Avalanche?" Wedge chimed in. "Just the Watch?" You nodded and turned to him. 

"That's right. My criminal record isn't something you want following you around on your little missions," you explained. 

"That's a shame," Wedge sighed a little. "You would really like it, since you're anti-ShinRa."

"Yeah, I would join if I wasn't wanted. Believe me, I'll only hold you back." Wedge went to say something, but Biggs cut him off without realizing it. 

"We gotta get going," Biggs told them. "Barret's expecting us." He then turned back to you. "Why don't you take a job or something while I'm gone? Get to know the sector a bit? Make some friends?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," you said, laughing a little. "Don't worry, I'll find some way to occupy myself." Your nervousness was thankfully beginning to subside. Being around adults was a lot more difficult than being around kids. Around kids, you didn't have to worry about being judged too much. But everyone here seemed almost just as friendly. "You go have fun doing terrorist things."

"Right," Biggs said, turning around. He then turned back toward you. "Just... be careful. You never know when some ShinRa official might swoop in and--"

"Don't be a worry-worm! I'm a big girl, you know," you said, punching his shoulder playfully and walking off. He sighed and headed to Avalanche's base.

In the meantime, you wandered around looking at the shops. You had planned on getting new gear once you arrived, using the money you fled with, and what you saved up at the Leaf House. You wouldn't get a lot though, since you were sharing a room with Biggs since the place he picked out only had one. 

You spent the rest of the day wandering around and getting used to your new surroundings. Biggs's little meet had taken longer than you had expected, so instead of waiting around, you went home. 

"[F/N], are you home?" Biggs called, walking into the house. Getting no answer, he glanced around at the work you had done, since you got bored on your little adventure earlier. You'd cleaned almost every nook and cranny of the tiny kitchen and living room, stocked groceries and put all the kitchen wares away.
He made his way into the room you two shared and opened the door. You had tapped out for the night on a mattress on your side of the room. You laid sprawled out on the twin sized mattress, with your blanket hanging off your feet. He crouched next to you and tucked the blanket back over your body.

 "Night."

~~~~~~
Author's Note:

Word count: 2,436 words.
Including acknowledgements: 2,466
Ugh, I said I would have this out on July 14th. That went well, didn't it..

Upcoming:
Chapter Seven-
Title: TBD