Chapter One
Bookstores and Manors
"I wanna run away
Never say good-bye
I wanna know the truth
Instead of wondering why
I wanna know the answers
No more lies
I wanna shut the door
And open up my mind"
----------Runaway by Linkin Park
Nibelhiem was dead quiet when Yuffie Kisaragi came into town. That was not unusual, considering the population of the entire town was just under a hundred people. Even though it had gone from about a dozen citizens to about a hundred, the town had retained it's quiet nature.
In the five years since Meteor had ravaged Midgar, Yuffie had become quite a different person. Though she was still her old active self, she had learned control and wasn't considered as annoying to the other members of AVALANCHE. The last time they met, even Cid had said she matured over the last few years.
Yuffie was glad that very few people knew about their part in defeating Sephiroth and Meteor. She used to always love being in the spotlight, but to have people crowding around her like Reeve, the new Mayor of Junon, would be a bit too much for her.
As she wandered down the only street in Nibelheim, she noticed all of the changes that had taken place since her last visit with AVALANCHE years ago. A few new shops had popped up in the last few years. One was selling clothing, another was a brand new Materia shop. She made a mental note to stop by both shops before she left. A few vendors with carts attempting to sell their wares were out on the streets today. The most surprising thing she came across was a book store. The sign above it read "The Knowledge Vault."
Her travels, while not extremely boring, were pretty dull. With the number of monsters dwindling due to the deconstruction of every Mako Reactor on the planet, there really wasn't all that much entertainment on the roads anymore.
(What the heck,) she thought as she opened the door. A bell rang when the door shut behind her. The first thing she noticed was the smell. A torrent of odors hit her all at once. One was the musty scent of old, yellowing pages. Another was the sweet smell of burning wood from the lit fireplace at the other end of the shop.
An attendant came to her side immediatly.
"What can I do for you, Miss?" he asked politely.
"Not a thing, I'm just looking," Yuffie replied.
"I'll be at the front desk if you need anything," he said as he turned and walked away.
Yuffie wandered through the seemingly endless rows of books. Every now and then she would take a book from one of the shelves and flip through it, only to put it back. There were many books that weren't written in any language she recognized. After a time, she came across a book written in Wutaian. The title, when translated, read "Letters to the Daughter." The author was unknown. The entire book was written in a language few could read or even understand. She took this book and sat in one of the plush chairs situated in front of the fire.
She opened the thick book and found a parcel of paper with the word "Forward" printed in plain English. It read...
The contents of this book were found in an abandoned house in Wutai. I have taken the liberty of hand-writing them into this volume. For purposes of clarity, this book is written in the original language in which these letters were written, for in the translation, the meaning and emotion of the printed words are lost.
The letters of a Wutaian general to his only daughter are written here. I have sought out this general and have recieved his permission to sell this book. I have made no corrections to spelling, grammar, and other such things to keep the letters as realistic as possible.
---The Proprietor of the Knowledge Vault
Yuffie stood up and went to the counter. The same attendant was still standing there.
"I'd like to purchase this book," she said.
The attendant took a look at the book's title. "That'll be 1500 gil."
Yuffie dug into her pockets and retrieved the appropriate amount. She turned to leave when a question formed in her mind.
"Who's the proprietor?" she asked tenatively.
"I don't know," he answered. "He only comes in every once in a while, drops off some books, and leaves." The attendant shivered. "He's a really creepy guy, and I don't doubt he has read every book in this establishment."
"Where would I find him?"
"Don't know. He lives somewhere in town. Nobody really sees or talks to him."
"All right, thanks," she said as she walked rom the shop.
The sun had already set behind the mountains as she made her way to the inn. The air had grown crisp and she could see her breath every time she exhaled. Who knew it could get so cold at night here? As she walked, she could see everything that made this place such a good place to live. It was quiet, small, out of the way, and the skies at night were gorgeous. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and stars dotted the heavens like a artist's masterpiece.
Lights blinked out in shops and houses all down the street. Yuffie could see into the windows of some of the houses. In some, mothers were tucking in the children, in others, fathers were reading bed-time stories to young kids. Yuffie felt a pang of sadness and a twinge of envy. Her mother had died many years ago, Yuffie could barely remember her. Since her mother's death, Godo, her father, had been distant. They fought often and never got along. Yuffie had long yearned for a normal family.
Shivering, she opened the door to the Nibel Inn. The heat from the nearby furnace was a welcome change to the biting cold outside. Glad for the temperature change, she smiled and walked happily to the clerk's desk. Upon seeing the he had a customer, he closed the novel he was reading.
"I'm sorry Miss, but we have no vacancies," he said rather flatly. Yuffie could not believe what she was hearing. She angerly stomped her foot on the carpeted floor and stormed out.
Normally, and in any other town, she would have gotten into a huge dramatic argument with the clerk that would have either resulted in her getting someplace to stay or getting kicked out of the place altogather. The difference here was the fact that there was more than one place to stay in Nibelhiem, and she wouldn't have to pay either.
The old Shinra Mansion was just up the street anyway. She started off in a jog and built up to a full sprint. She had found that the easiest way to keep warm in these conditions was to run.
As she sprinted down the cobblestone street, she caught sight of the mansion over the roof of a small building and was slightly diappointed and surprised at what she saw.
In one of the windows on the upper story the glimmering light from a single candle would be seen.
With a selfish laugh she went straight to the door. She was not really aware of walking or running or a bit of both to the large hardwood door. It seemed to get colder every moment she was outside. She knew this was merely an illusion, for she was not used to cool weather. What was essentially a relatively cool, comfortable night to the normal inhabitants, was a biting cold to her.
Without even knockng on the door, she turned the brass door knob and, surprisingly, the door opened. What startled her more was the fact that the door opened rather silently. A slight odor emenated from the hinges, meaning the door was freshly oiled. She decided the owner of the place either had way to much time on his hands, or had an army of servants to do his every wish.
Yuffie stumbled numbly into the interior of the seemingly ancient manor. She immediately closed the door behind her and studied the place in which she had ended up in.
The mansion was almost the same as it had been when she was here last. The floorboards were clean and had been waxed recently. There was no sign of any dust or cobwebs in the entire atrium. The boards that made up the staircase were newer, for they did not show many signs of wear and tear. All of the building she could see was clean.
In the dim light she could see one figure standing at the top of the staircase. She immediately recognized the man studying her from afar. Wearing a dark shirt and pants that covered his thin demeanor, the man stared. Her gaze traveled to study his face. The handsomely chisled features contrasted with his sunken eyes. His crimson eyes bore no emotion as they seemed to penetrate her to her core and pierce her soul with the pain that did not show, but everyone knew was there. His ghostly white skin, framed by long raven hair, seemed to have a sort of transparacy to it. His prosthetic left arm gleamed in the low light as it hung loosely at his side.
"State your name and purpose for interrupting my solitude," his tones were dark and , as always, he went straight to the point.
Deep down, Yuffie was hurt that he had not recognized her. She wasn't surprised he hadn't, actually. She had traded in her old outfit for something a little simpler. She now wore tan khaki jeans and a shirt the same shade as her jeans. She also wore a faded dark green vest with many pockets. Her beloved Conformer hung from a thick green belt around her waist.
"Vincent," she pleaded, "It's me, Yuffie. Don't you remember?"
Vincent Valentine nodded and came slowly down the stairs. Every step he took seemed so precise to Yuffie. It was as if he was confident every step was a step in the right direction.
Vincent walked right up to her and stared at her with with his deep red eyes. She suddenly felt cold as she stared back into them.
"Why are you here?" he inquired without a trace of curiosity.
His eyes narrowed and Yuffie felt as if he was staring into her soul for any sign of deception.
"I was cold," she answered truthfully, "And the inn had no vacancies. I thought this place was empty."
He seemed to accept this answer. When he turned away Yuffie felt as if a great weight had been removed from her chest. She never knew why he seemed to have this effect on her.
"You can stay as long as see fit," he said as he walked away. Yuffie jogged up to walk beside him as he began to climb the stairs. "You may stay in the guest room. The entire building is yours to explore if you wish."
Vincent pointed to his left when he reached the apex of the stairway. "Your room is down that hall, inside the old room that once housed the safe."
Vincent turned right and went into his room in the East Wing, leaving Yuffie outside his closed door.
The room assigned to her was not as she had expected, creepy and dark. Thick navy blue carpet covered the linolium floor. The walls were made of an expensive wooden panelling with a fixture for a trio of candles on every wall. A dark hardwood desk and chair sat in one corner across the room from the door. A large four-poster bed was wedged against the wall near a window.
Dropping her belongings at the foot of the bed, she fell onto the lush matress. She found that while lying there was given a spectacular view of the night sky over the Nibel Mountains. The sight was comforting, as it reminded her of the Da-Chao Mountains back home.
In a few minute she fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
---------Chapter One finally complete. I spent quite a lot of time writing this one. Anyways, please R&R.
Bookstores and Manors
"I wanna run away
Never say good-bye
I wanna know the truth
Instead of wondering why
I wanna know the answers
No more lies
I wanna shut the door
And open up my mind"
----------Runaway by Linkin Park
Nibelhiem was dead quiet when Yuffie Kisaragi came into town. That was not unusual, considering the population of the entire town was just under a hundred people. Even though it had gone from about a dozen citizens to about a hundred, the town had retained it's quiet nature.
In the five years since Meteor had ravaged Midgar, Yuffie had become quite a different person. Though she was still her old active self, she had learned control and wasn't considered as annoying to the other members of AVALANCHE. The last time they met, even Cid had said she matured over the last few years.
Yuffie was glad that very few people knew about their part in defeating Sephiroth and Meteor. She used to always love being in the spotlight, but to have people crowding around her like Reeve, the new Mayor of Junon, would be a bit too much for her.
As she wandered down the only street in Nibelheim, she noticed all of the changes that had taken place since her last visit with AVALANCHE years ago. A few new shops had popped up in the last few years. One was selling clothing, another was a brand new Materia shop. She made a mental note to stop by both shops before she left. A few vendors with carts attempting to sell their wares were out on the streets today. The most surprising thing she came across was a book store. The sign above it read "The Knowledge Vault."
Her travels, while not extremely boring, were pretty dull. With the number of monsters dwindling due to the deconstruction of every Mako Reactor on the planet, there really wasn't all that much entertainment on the roads anymore.
(What the heck,) she thought as she opened the door. A bell rang when the door shut behind her. The first thing she noticed was the smell. A torrent of odors hit her all at once. One was the musty scent of old, yellowing pages. Another was the sweet smell of burning wood from the lit fireplace at the other end of the shop.
An attendant came to her side immediatly.
"What can I do for you, Miss?" he asked politely.
"Not a thing, I'm just looking," Yuffie replied.
"I'll be at the front desk if you need anything," he said as he turned and walked away.
Yuffie wandered through the seemingly endless rows of books. Every now and then she would take a book from one of the shelves and flip through it, only to put it back. There were many books that weren't written in any language she recognized. After a time, she came across a book written in Wutaian. The title, when translated, read "Letters to the Daughter." The author was unknown. The entire book was written in a language few could read or even understand. She took this book and sat in one of the plush chairs situated in front of the fire.
She opened the thick book and found a parcel of paper with the word "Forward" printed in plain English. It read...
The contents of this book were found in an abandoned house in Wutai. I have taken the liberty of hand-writing them into this volume. For purposes of clarity, this book is written in the original language in which these letters were written, for in the translation, the meaning and emotion of the printed words are lost.
The letters of a Wutaian general to his only daughter are written here. I have sought out this general and have recieved his permission to sell this book. I have made no corrections to spelling, grammar, and other such things to keep the letters as realistic as possible.
---The Proprietor of the Knowledge Vault
Yuffie stood up and went to the counter. The same attendant was still standing there.
"I'd like to purchase this book," she said.
The attendant took a look at the book's title. "That'll be 1500 gil."
Yuffie dug into her pockets and retrieved the appropriate amount. She turned to leave when a question formed in her mind.
"Who's the proprietor?" she asked tenatively.
"I don't know," he answered. "He only comes in every once in a while, drops off some books, and leaves." The attendant shivered. "He's a really creepy guy, and I don't doubt he has read every book in this establishment."
"Where would I find him?"
"Don't know. He lives somewhere in town. Nobody really sees or talks to him."
"All right, thanks," she said as she walked rom the shop.
The sun had already set behind the mountains as she made her way to the inn. The air had grown crisp and she could see her breath every time she exhaled. Who knew it could get so cold at night here? As she walked, she could see everything that made this place such a good place to live. It was quiet, small, out of the way, and the skies at night were gorgeous. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and stars dotted the heavens like a artist's masterpiece.
Lights blinked out in shops and houses all down the street. Yuffie could see into the windows of some of the houses. In some, mothers were tucking in the children, in others, fathers were reading bed-time stories to young kids. Yuffie felt a pang of sadness and a twinge of envy. Her mother had died many years ago, Yuffie could barely remember her. Since her mother's death, Godo, her father, had been distant. They fought often and never got along. Yuffie had long yearned for a normal family.
Shivering, she opened the door to the Nibel Inn. The heat from the nearby furnace was a welcome change to the biting cold outside. Glad for the temperature change, she smiled and walked happily to the clerk's desk. Upon seeing the he had a customer, he closed the novel he was reading.
"I'm sorry Miss, but we have no vacancies," he said rather flatly. Yuffie could not believe what she was hearing. She angerly stomped her foot on the carpeted floor and stormed out.
Normally, and in any other town, she would have gotten into a huge dramatic argument with the clerk that would have either resulted in her getting someplace to stay or getting kicked out of the place altogather. The difference here was the fact that there was more than one place to stay in Nibelhiem, and she wouldn't have to pay either.
The old Shinra Mansion was just up the street anyway. She started off in a jog and built up to a full sprint. She had found that the easiest way to keep warm in these conditions was to run.
As she sprinted down the cobblestone street, she caught sight of the mansion over the roof of a small building and was slightly diappointed and surprised at what she saw.
In one of the windows on the upper story the glimmering light from a single candle would be seen.
With a selfish laugh she went straight to the door. She was not really aware of walking or running or a bit of both to the large hardwood door. It seemed to get colder every moment she was outside. She knew this was merely an illusion, for she was not used to cool weather. What was essentially a relatively cool, comfortable night to the normal inhabitants, was a biting cold to her.
Without even knockng on the door, she turned the brass door knob and, surprisingly, the door opened. What startled her more was the fact that the door opened rather silently. A slight odor emenated from the hinges, meaning the door was freshly oiled. She decided the owner of the place either had way to much time on his hands, or had an army of servants to do his every wish.
Yuffie stumbled numbly into the interior of the seemingly ancient manor. She immediately closed the door behind her and studied the place in which she had ended up in.
The mansion was almost the same as it had been when she was here last. The floorboards were clean and had been waxed recently. There was no sign of any dust or cobwebs in the entire atrium. The boards that made up the staircase were newer, for they did not show many signs of wear and tear. All of the building she could see was clean.
In the dim light she could see one figure standing at the top of the staircase. She immediately recognized the man studying her from afar. Wearing a dark shirt and pants that covered his thin demeanor, the man stared. Her gaze traveled to study his face. The handsomely chisled features contrasted with his sunken eyes. His crimson eyes bore no emotion as they seemed to penetrate her to her core and pierce her soul with the pain that did not show, but everyone knew was there. His ghostly white skin, framed by long raven hair, seemed to have a sort of transparacy to it. His prosthetic left arm gleamed in the low light as it hung loosely at his side.
"State your name and purpose for interrupting my solitude," his tones were dark and , as always, he went straight to the point.
Deep down, Yuffie was hurt that he had not recognized her. She wasn't surprised he hadn't, actually. She had traded in her old outfit for something a little simpler. She now wore tan khaki jeans and a shirt the same shade as her jeans. She also wore a faded dark green vest with many pockets. Her beloved Conformer hung from a thick green belt around her waist.
"Vincent," she pleaded, "It's me, Yuffie. Don't you remember?"
Vincent Valentine nodded and came slowly down the stairs. Every step he took seemed so precise to Yuffie. It was as if he was confident every step was a step in the right direction.
Vincent walked right up to her and stared at her with with his deep red eyes. She suddenly felt cold as she stared back into them.
"Why are you here?" he inquired without a trace of curiosity.
His eyes narrowed and Yuffie felt as if he was staring into her soul for any sign of deception.
"I was cold," she answered truthfully, "And the inn had no vacancies. I thought this place was empty."
He seemed to accept this answer. When he turned away Yuffie felt as if a great weight had been removed from her chest. She never knew why he seemed to have this effect on her.
"You can stay as long as see fit," he said as he walked away. Yuffie jogged up to walk beside him as he began to climb the stairs. "You may stay in the guest room. The entire building is yours to explore if you wish."
Vincent pointed to his left when he reached the apex of the stairway. "Your room is down that hall, inside the old room that once housed the safe."
Vincent turned right and went into his room in the East Wing, leaving Yuffie outside his closed door.
The room assigned to her was not as she had expected, creepy and dark. Thick navy blue carpet covered the linolium floor. The walls were made of an expensive wooden panelling with a fixture for a trio of candles on every wall. A dark hardwood desk and chair sat in one corner across the room from the door. A large four-poster bed was wedged against the wall near a window.
Dropping her belongings at the foot of the bed, she fell onto the lush matress. She found that while lying there was given a spectacular view of the night sky over the Nibel Mountains. The sight was comforting, as it reminded her of the Da-Chao Mountains back home.
In a few minute she fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
---------Chapter One finally complete. I spent quite a lot of time writing this one. Anyways, please R&R.