"Hey! Hey, Tifa! I found somebody who can tell us about the house!" Yuffie yelled, dragging a man with long black hair and blood red eyes toward her.
"Yuffie, let the poor guy go. I'm Tifa Lockhart, co-founder of TAPS," she introduced herself, shaking his hand.
"Vincent Valentine. My family has lived across the street for several generations," he told her, glancing at the home in front of him.
"Did anything tragic happen here?"
The man nodded, turning back to her. "There was a family that lived here once. The father was a scientist, as was his wife. Their son was actually an experiment of sorts. He was a high-ranking official in the army until he discovered what he really was. He returned home to find his mother dead by her own hand. He became so enraged that he murdered his father before committing suicide himself," he recounted solemnly.
Tifa turned to Nanaki, her wine-colored eyes showed her worry. "We're going to have to be very carefully, then…"
"Vincent, long time no see," a man said behind them, causing the group to turn. The other neighbors crossed toward them, the two men waving slightly.
"Angeal. Genesis."
"What brought you here?" the red-head asked, smirking slightly.
"Hojo and Sephiroth," he replied sharply.
"What?" Angeal said, looking between the people gathered.
"You knew about them?" Tifa interjected, stepping forward.
"Yeah," the man answered, glancing at Genesis, who nodded. "We were in the same company for a while. We were the ones who discovered them in the house…"
"Sephiroth never ignored a call from the higher-ups before, so when he didn't answer-"
"They sent us in to check on them."
"When did this happen exactly?"
"About five years ago."
"And no one else knew about it?"
"They kept it out of the media. Publicity was the last thing ShinRa wanted at the time."
"I see," Tifa mumbled, facing her co-worker once more. "This is worse than we originally thought…"
"Finished!" Barret yelled, standing upright. "We good?"
"Let me check. Cid, are we all set?"
"Looks like. And hurry up and get yer asses down here. Tifa's got some'hn to tell you."
"What's up?"
"Tifa and Yuffie have found some gold."
"What's up, Teef?"
"You guys have heard of Sephiroth, right? The famed army general that went under?" Both men nodded in response, so she continued. "We've been told this was his family's home. His mother committed suicide, then Sephiroth killed his father before turning the weapon on himself."
The two men looked at each other, nodding. "Then we're going to have to be extra cautious when we start. Tifa, Red, I want both of you to take a hand-held camera and a digital voice recorder with you on your walkthroughs. And, make sure they're on at all times."
The two nodded solemnly, heading to the vans for their equipment.
"Be careful," Denzel murmured as they past them to go inside.
Tifa smiled softly, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. "Don't worry. We'll get him." This made the boy smile softly. Tifa proceeded inside, heading upstairs first. "I'll holler when I'm ready to trade floors, okay?"
Nanaki nodded heading toward the kitchen.
The woman sighed, carefully climbing up the staircase to the upper level. She started with the end of the hallway, working her way to Denzel's room. She asked some of the typical EVP session questions, along with some of her own. "Why are still here? Why are you tormenting people? Is it because you want them to suffer like you did?"
"Anything so far?" her walkie-talkie sputtered from her waist.
"I've got some feelings, but nothing significant yet."
"Have you done Denzel's room?"
"I'm walking in right now." She clipped it back to her pants, waving to the camera in the corner. She sat on the bed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Then, she felt him, a strong presence of turmoil and hatred. It nearly knocked her off her perch. She could feel him all around, oppressive and dark. She opened her eyes, staring into the corner. "Show yourself. I know you're here."
Nothing happened.
"I can feel you. Show yourself." The door slammed shut, but she repressed her urge to jump. "I know you revealed yourself to the boy who lives in here. Show yourself." She felt the hairs on her skin rise, and a cold breeze caressed her. She heard a small click. The door had locked itself. She stood up quickly, grabbing her camera. She strode to the door, testing it. "Locked it, did you?" She turned slightly, glancing into the corner. The air had grown heavier in the past few seconds, making her even more aware of the room she was in. She saw something slowly trickle from the walls, pooling on the floor. It rose up, forming an ominous haze. It launched itself right at her, shoving her back against the door. She felt her camera wretched from her fingers, and it sailed across the room and under the bed. She gasped softly as she now stared into the acidic eyes of what remained of Sephiroth Crescent's soul. He sneered, putting a hand around her throat and lifting her off the ground. She tried to make a sound, but the pressure was too great.
"You die. Now."
Cid cursed, smacking the monitor repeatedly. "What the hell… The feed's gone."
"To which one?" Cloud asked, peering into the van.
"The one in the kid's room."
He paled, yanking his walkie-talkie off his belt. "Tifa? What's going on?" Empty static answered him. "Shit. Red, where are you?"
"In the basement. Why do you ask?"
"Feed's gone from Denzel's room, and Tifa's in there."
"On my way."
"Right behind you." He dashed from the vehicle, Barret at his heels.
"This ain't right! We haven't even started investigating yet? Plus, it's still sunny outside!" Barret yelled, barreling up the stairs.
"It doesn't matter," Cloud muttered, reaching the top of the staircase.
