Shinta sat down slowly on the couch in the living room of his home. His
father pulled out a chair and down facing his son. His face was a mask of
seriousness and sorrow. Shinta was silent as he looked at his father. He
felt his heart continue to pound in his chest as an uneasy feeling filled
his stomach. He had just been plunged into a dark hellish world where
monsters that Shinta had only pictured in his nightmares lived, and his
father knew about it. What had Shinta terrified was not really his
experience, but the idea that it was not just some strange vision, some odd
daydream brought on by boredom, it was real.
His father took a few deep breaths, his eyes closed in thought. When the crimson eyes opened again to peer into his sons, he spoke.
*I suppose the best place to start is to tell you what that place was, and what those beings were. The world you saw was the world of Darkness, home of a race known as the Heartless. The Heartless are a race of creatures that strive to consume all other worlds, but more importantly, they feed on the hearts of mortals...* His father stopped for a moment, his chest rising and falling as he took another deep breath.
"On the hearts of mortals..." Shinta muttered, looking down at his hands for a moment before looking back at his father, "Dad, before I saw that place I heard a voice.it.it said 'home' and after the vision started it spoke again, telling me 'welcome home'...what does that mean?" His father froze for a moment. Shinta could see a flicker of worry and doubt pass through his father's eyes before he shut them again. Shinta didn't hear his mother working in the kitchen anymore, which left him only with the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest and the gently rhythm of his chest rising and falling with his breaths. His father's scarlet eyes flicked open once more and this time the emotions of regret were very clear in them.
*I suppose there is no delicate way around telling this to you...how I had wished that it would never be revealed, that you, your mother and I might live without its shadow over us...but it is not to be. Shinta, you see, I was born a Heartless. To my ever-lasting shame I admit that I too stole the hearts of the innocent and helped in the destruction of countless worlds...but that changed once I under wen a sort of.transformation which has changed who, and what, I am today. To the Heartless I am an abomination, because of one event that took place after a battle with a boy who wielded the power to stop the Heartless and save all worlds. I was wounded by this boy and forced to find a way to keep myself alive. I attempted to take the heart of a young boy and use that power to heal myself, but instead his heart passed into me. If that had not happened there is no way that your mother and I would have met...or had the great joy of having you my son...* His father reached out a hand to reassure his son, but Shinta quickly moved away, backing up towards the kitchen. His father stood and slowly took a step forward.
"Stay.stay back!" Shinta cried. He turned around and found his mother standing in the doorway, looking worried. He quickly hugged her and moved around behind her to look at his father. His mother looked between the two and saw the look of sadness in her husband's eyes.
*I shall go now...I've kept from you so much and you need to sort this out on your own.* With that he quietly turned and walked out the door. Shinta shook slightly as he watched hi father lave, then quickly shut his eyes, holding his mother tightly. He couldn't believe what his father had said...how could he have kept that from him for so many years? He grit his teeth. He didn't know what he'd do if he saw his father again that night. He felt utterly betrayed. His mother gently placed a hand on his head and sighed.
"He.he didn't tell you because he never wanted you to know, Shinta...he wanted you to live a life free of the things we went through." She said, looking down at him. She hugged her son once more as he sobbed slightly, burying his face against her side. He had been put through quite a lot today...and the world he'd known was slipping away fast. She looked up at the ceiling and frowned. Why did he have to find this out now?
His father took a few deep breaths, his eyes closed in thought. When the crimson eyes opened again to peer into his sons, he spoke.
*I suppose the best place to start is to tell you what that place was, and what those beings were. The world you saw was the world of Darkness, home of a race known as the Heartless. The Heartless are a race of creatures that strive to consume all other worlds, but more importantly, they feed on the hearts of mortals...* His father stopped for a moment, his chest rising and falling as he took another deep breath.
"On the hearts of mortals..." Shinta muttered, looking down at his hands for a moment before looking back at his father, "Dad, before I saw that place I heard a voice.it.it said 'home' and after the vision started it spoke again, telling me 'welcome home'...what does that mean?" His father froze for a moment. Shinta could see a flicker of worry and doubt pass through his father's eyes before he shut them again. Shinta didn't hear his mother working in the kitchen anymore, which left him only with the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest and the gently rhythm of his chest rising and falling with his breaths. His father's scarlet eyes flicked open once more and this time the emotions of regret were very clear in them.
*I suppose there is no delicate way around telling this to you...how I had wished that it would never be revealed, that you, your mother and I might live without its shadow over us...but it is not to be. Shinta, you see, I was born a Heartless. To my ever-lasting shame I admit that I too stole the hearts of the innocent and helped in the destruction of countless worlds...but that changed once I under wen a sort of.transformation which has changed who, and what, I am today. To the Heartless I am an abomination, because of one event that took place after a battle with a boy who wielded the power to stop the Heartless and save all worlds. I was wounded by this boy and forced to find a way to keep myself alive. I attempted to take the heart of a young boy and use that power to heal myself, but instead his heart passed into me. If that had not happened there is no way that your mother and I would have met...or had the great joy of having you my son...* His father reached out a hand to reassure his son, but Shinta quickly moved away, backing up towards the kitchen. His father stood and slowly took a step forward.
"Stay.stay back!" Shinta cried. He turned around and found his mother standing in the doorway, looking worried. He quickly hugged her and moved around behind her to look at his father. His mother looked between the two and saw the look of sadness in her husband's eyes.
*I shall go now...I've kept from you so much and you need to sort this out on your own.* With that he quietly turned and walked out the door. Shinta shook slightly as he watched hi father lave, then quickly shut his eyes, holding his mother tightly. He couldn't believe what his father had said...how could he have kept that from him for so many years? He grit his teeth. He didn't know what he'd do if he saw his father again that night. He felt utterly betrayed. His mother gently placed a hand on his head and sighed.
"He.he didn't tell you because he never wanted you to know, Shinta...he wanted you to live a life free of the things we went through." She said, looking down at him. She hugged her son once more as he sobbed slightly, burying his face against her side. He had been put through quite a lot today...and the world he'd known was slipping away fast. She looked up at the ceiling and frowned. Why did he have to find this out now?