This is an FFVII fanfic that I decided to write based off of an essay I had to write in English on how money can't buy happiness. So I wrote it on a rich spoiled prince. Then a thought hit me to make the prince Rufus Shinra and turn it into a FF fanfic. This first chapter is basically the beginning of the story introducing y he began his journey
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There was once a prince, not just any prince, but a rich and spoiled one. All he cared about was himself and his money. He had what seemed to be a never ending pot of gold. He thought of himself as the happiest man on Earth just because of his wealth. That was until his kingdom was visited upon by an Old Wiseman, who imparted some of his wisdom with the foolish young prince. "If you think just because you are rich then you are happy, then you are gravely mistaken, for no amount of money can buy happiness."
When the prince heard that he basically laughed the man to scorn. He couldn't possibly believe what this man was telling him. After all, why would the prince believe him? He thought that he was "happy" and content with his wealth. So he just simply dismissed what the Wiseman said and continued living his selfish lifestyle, until one day an event occurred that would change his views of life forever.
The prince gets up blissfully and looks around the room. His jovial spirit however did not last very long; for as he looked around the room he noticed that his luxurious room had been turned into, well your average room. In fact his entire house had been virtually metamorphasised into a "shack" compared to the luxurious palace he was used to living in. He looked around the room frantically searching for any possible clue as to why he was living in such deplorable conditions. He calls out to his servants, with no response, he calls out again, and the only response he gets is the wind blowing gently through an opened window. He reluctantly gets out of his bed and starts walking towards the door, when he spies a mirror hanging on a wall in his peripheral vision. Turning to face the mirror he is floored by the appalling image he sees. He doesn't see himself wearing his usual princely attire, in matter of fact the outfit wasn't even worthy of any noble position. Instead he was wearing clothing that was suited for the lowest of peasants. He just stood there, looking at how pathetic he looked in those rag-tagged pieces of clothing that should only be considered cheap fabric. As he stared at the mirror a thought crossed his mind. 'This can't be real, maybe it is just a cruel prank them nobles are playing on me and when I step outside I will just see all off them laughing at such a funny joke.' He got so caught up in thinking this way that he started a little laughing of his own just thinking of it. He slowly walks down the creaky old steps and swings the door open.
But what he sees is not what he expected. He did not see a group of nobles standing outside greeting him with good natured humored laughs. Instead he saw a neighborhood that was totally wrecked. The houses looked as if they hadn't been renovated since the day they were built. There was dirty water seeping through the ground from the sewage gutters. There were flies everywhere as if this was some flies nest. But in this nasty, forsaken piece of land he saw something that absolutely amazed him. He saw little children running around in this wasteland with nothing but joy in their eyes. The prince wondered, 'What are they so happy about? They don't have no reason to be happy about, but living in such a poor state and probably hardly a dime to their name.' Are they disillusioned into thinking this is what happiness is? Do they believe that this pathetic existence is true happiness? Or is it I who was disillusioned into thinking that because I had all the money in the world that I had simply bought my happiness? Because here is a group of people who are possibly the lowest life forms that have absolutely nothing, but the clothes on their back and yet they are still as elated as a flock of Larks, just chirping away their gay melody. In this state of joy, he too can just feel himself being filled with energy and bliss. Right as he reached his climax he is plunged into darkness once more.
This time when his world is lit up, he sees his usual luxurious room, filled with all the precious gems that many people only dream of seeing let alone owning. But this time as he woke up, he did not fell happy. Instead, he felt a deep emptiness, as if something had miraculous had been realized. He then realized what he was missing, and that was joy. No matter how rich he was, he could not simply buy happiness. He could not go up to a shopkeeper and tell him, "I would like to buy my happiness." He had to experience it, feel it and enjoy it. It was then that this prince decided to set out on a journey…a journey to find real happiness
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Plz R&R and tell me what I need to change or any ideas for future chapters
