Hi all! This is my first story, so I would really appreciate reviews/feedback! I'm currently updating things so the chapters will flow better and so that I can work in more from Reno's POV so it could be a while until I upload an entirely new chapter.

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters in it. =)

And now..enjoy!

Astrid's eyes opened wide, and she froze, a tight, fake smile on her face as the man whose pocket she had just attempted to pick turned tall, dark looking man's mouth formed a line as he looked her up and down. He frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. She felt her face growing hot, but she kept her features calm. After a few seconds, the man turned around and began walking again, but his movements were slightly more aware than before.

The moment he was far enough away that she was sure he couldn't hear her, Astrid let out her breath. She had only been caught stealing a very small number of times, but those times had been enough to scare her into being extra careful.

Still, that had been a man had obviously been wealthier than anybody she had seen around here in a long time, and she was sorry she hadn't been able to take anything from him. He was wearing the kind of clothes, a suit, that said he had money—and lots of it.

Astrid hunched her shoulders and bent her head low, once more following the man, but this time being even more cautious. She was determined to get something from that man. It had been over a week since she'd had anything more to eat than stale bread and moldy cheese, and besides, the fruit vender was beginning to grow weary of her constantly hanging around his stall.

Astrid softened her footsteps, making sure to keep a good couple of meters of distance between them. The man turned left, down a dark alley, leading into an even worse part of the slums, if that was at all possible. He was awfully confident for someone so rich.

He strode up to a weathered building, scrutinized it for a minute or two, and then tugged open the door and went in.

Astrid cursed silently. The man just had to choose that bar. Last time she'd gone in there, she'd gotten thrown out for causing a fight over something she'd stolen. Astrid hesitated for a moment, before opening the bar's door as softly as she could and slipping in soundlessly. The minute she was in the door, she moved to the side, standing in the shadows, and searched the room for the man. She found him standing at the counter and talking to a lanky red-head guzzling alcohol.

"I thought I might find you here. Shirking your work down here in the slums again? Sooner or later someone's going to realize this is where you sneak off to when you're sick of paperwork," the dark man said softly, gripping the red-head's shoulder.

"Well they haven't found me yet," drawled the red-head, "And when they do, I'll just move on to a new bar down here. A quieter one."

"That's not the point, Reno."

"Then what is the point? It's not like I'm skipping an actual job or anything," whined the red-head, turning to face the other man. "Seriously yo, you need to relax." he clapped the darker man on the shoulder. The man frowned, glanced at the counter where a slew of empty glasses sat, and gripped his friend's arm.

"Come on. You've had enough to drink. You're going to have a nice hangover tomorrow, and if you skip one more time, you might be off the next job. Or so rumor has it." He yanked the lanky redhead up and gave him a shove toward the door, despite his protests. The dark man pushed the countless glasses aside and slapped some bills down on the counter before following his friend out the door.

From next to the door, a shape melted out of the darkness and stole up to the counter. The conversation had meant nothing to Astrid, it was irrelevant. It had given her the opportunity she needed. Before anyone working at the bar had a chance to collect the money, Astrid snatched it up, stuffing it into her pocket. Then she darted out the door, silently praying that no one would stop her before she could make it back out into the streets.

Back in the streets of the Sector 7 slums, Astrid breathed in deeply. It felt good to be back in familiar territory. She crept back through the streets and towards the ruined building where she lived with a few other street kids. Astrid rounded the last corner before home, letting her feet lead her down the well-worn streets.

She stopped.

There, a little further on, was the tall dark man from before. She couldn't see the redhead, he was probably somewhere up ahead. Astrid chewed on her bottom lip and tugged her left earlobe. This might be her last chance to steal a few more Gil off him before he left the slums for good, and she was not about to pass it up.

She glanced around quickly, then crept toward the man with smooth, catlike movements. As she neared him, she stretched out a hand toward his pocket, slowly, quietly.

SMACK!

Something hit Astrid hard on the back of her head. Black spots floated in front of her eyes and suddenly even the dim streetlights hurt to look at. Fog began creeping in around the edges of Astrid's vision, and she felt herself floating upward, leaving her body somewhere on the streets far below.

Reno grinned and swung the ER over his left shoulder.

"And you said I was drunk," he said smugly, his grin broadening at the look on his partner's face. Rude sighed and rubbed his forehead. It had been a long day—looking for Reno was no easy task.

"Lighten up, yo," Reno said cheerfully, clapping him on the back. "I just saved you several hundred gil." Rude's expression didn't change. Instead he stared at the body of the girl on the ground.

As if reading his mind, Reno said, "Just leave her there. She'll get up eventually, yo." He turned to go, but hesitated when he realized Rude was still staring at the street urchin on the ground. In a few quick strides, he was next to the kid. He lifted her up. She was startlingly light. Reno took a better look at her, and realized just how thin she was.

The girl had a small, bony frame and a gaunt face. Dark, matted reddish brown hair was tangled around her face. The edges were jagged, as though she had cut them roughly with a blunt knife. She had on a huge green army coat with holes in it over a worn t-shirt and muddy brown shorts. Everything she was wearing was caked in dirt.

Reno moved her to the side of the alley and propped her against the wall of a brick building. As he set her down, something fell out of her pocket. Curiously, he leaned over and picked it up. It was a folded paper. There were scribbles all over it, arrows flying around the page, and very careful instructions on how to piece something together. He studied it carefully. After a minute, he looked up at Rude, his grin much more sinister.

"Seems like I saved you more than a few gil," he drawled. He handed Rude the paper, and picked up the thief again.

"Instructions for making bombs...and where to place them," Rude commented, frowning. He looked questioningly at Reno, who shrugged and started walking again.

"Who knows, yo," he said. "But we'd better take her with us anyway." Rude nodded and pocketed the paper, following Reno out through the slums and back toward the company building.