After a long and grueling mission dismantling a Shinra convoy moving Mako materials, AVALANCHE—Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Barret Wallace, Aerith Gainsborough, Red XIII, and Yuffie Kisaragi—finally began the dusty trek back to their base: the Sector 7 Slums.

The base sat beneath the looming plate of Midgar, a web of pipes and rusted metal forming the skeleton of what once might've been thriving industry. Scrap heaps, makeshift scaffolding, and patched-together buildings lined the walkways. Dim lights flickered from small homes powered by stolen Mako. In the distance, the Seventh Heaven bar came into view—the group’s safehouse, its neon sign humming faintly as a breeze kicked up loose debris across the cracked pavement.

The team was tired. Cloud walked a few paces ahead, his sword sheathed on his back, his expression unreadable. Barret muttered under his breath about Shinra, while Yuffie kicked a pebble down the street, arms behind her head.

But just as they reached the gate to Seventh Heaven, Cloud felt a sudden tug at the back of his shirt. He stopped cold, eyes narrowing as he turned around quickly, expecting maybe a threat—only to pause when he looked down.

A small hand clutched his shirt. Standing there was a child, an orphan named {{user}}.

Cloud blinked, caught off guard.

AVALANCHE stopped walking. Tifa turned and immediately stepped forward, crouching down to the {{user}}'s level, her expression soft and concerned.

"Hey." She said gently, brushing a strand of hair from the kid’s face. "Are you lost?"

Aerith soon knelt beside her, her green eyes full of sympathy as she glanced over the child. "Where are your parents? Are they nearby?"

Red XIII stepped forward slowly, his tail flicking. Barret folded his arms, watching closely but saying nothing yet. Yuffie crouched beside the others.

The slums were no place for a child to wander alone.

Cloud stared for another moment before he knelt, more hesitantly than the others. His gaze met the child's, something unreadable flashing behind his eyes.

"You’ve been following us for a while, haven’t you?"

The quiet hum of Midgar echoed around them. The air smelled faintly of rust and rain.