Disclaimer: I do not own any Final Fantasy 7 characters blah blah blah.. And any lyrics or song titles used here are Copyright A.F.I./ Muse.
The door slammed shut.
"Hello?" she called. Her voice echoed through the mansion.
Nothing stirred.
She took a cautious step forward, then another, growing more confident with each one. She glanced around her, taking in her surroundings through the dim light. It was just as she remembered. A glimmer of light penetrated the entrance hall from a dusty window.
She started her search, checking all the downstairs rooms one by one.
Nothing. That left the basement and the rooms upstairs. Turning, she went back into the main hall.
Uneasily she crept up the stairs, all too aware that the last time she'd come through here it had been crawling with monsters. Apparently, that wasn't the case now.
It was so… silent. On her own it was overwhelming. She had a wild impulse to run around, to shout, anything to break this eerie silence. But she didn't. She felt cut off from the world outside. If something happened to her here would anyone find her? Ever?
Oh SHUT UP Tifa! She berated herself mentally. Your whole point of being here is because someone else IS here, so stop trying to creep yourself out. She rolled her eyes. Great. Now you're talking to yourself. Absolutely wonderful.
She sighed and turned left at the top of the stairs, checking the room filled with plants and the safe room first. Still nothing. Retracing her steps she entered the bedroom on the right where the passage down to the basement was found. She was fairly sure that whoever had invaded the mansion would be there.
A light had been seen here, burning all night. In the basement to be exact.
In Tifa's opinion it was probably just Vincent brooding in the library, but the town's people weren't convinced. They were afraid. Everyone knew what had happened the last time there were people in the Shinra mansion. The town had been burned to the ground.
It was barely a year after Sephiroth and Jenova had been destroyed and everyone knew the truth behind Shinra's lies. God, everyone knew it all. About her, her friends, every step of their journey. Debates raged for hours about Sephiroth, his motives. Was he being controlled or did he do it all out of his own free will? Personally, Tifa didn't know what to think on the matter. The man had destroyed everything that she had held dear, but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, it hadn't been him behind it. Like Cloud. Just another puppet with Jenova pulling the strings.
Jenova. To quote the over zealous mayor of Nibelheim, "Now there was a topic of endless fascination." Fascination! Well they could discuss what she was all they liked, but she was gone. And Tifa had helped to make it happen.
She smiled at this. Saved the world. She'd helped save the world. That's why she had been the one approached by the townspeople to find out who had invaded the mansion. She was their resident saviour of the planet, after all.
She shook her head in amusement as she pressed the stone on the far wall. Time to find out who had DARED to disturb the peace of Nibelheim. Her neighbours definitely were an edgy bunch these days.
She made her way down the spiralling staircase and into the room where she'd first met Vincent. Nope. If he was here then he wasn't spending the day asleep in his coffin.
A large crash emanated from the direction of the library. She jumped in fright. So. That's where they are.
Pushing the library door open she stepped in.
Author's note:
A few words added here and there. Nothing major. Lalalala..