Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts, KH:COM, and whatever characters from it are copyright Square Enix. Not me. No matter how much I beg or plead.

A/N: Its me, Zoshi! I'm back with the next in my KH fanfic run. Yes, its the sequel to "These Wings That Ache" ! Aren't you excited? So, I'm not going to keep you, get on with the reading! And most important, enjoy!

Title: Blood in the Cesspool

Rating: PG-13

Author: Zoshi the Confused

Genre: Kingdom Hearts

Sequel to These Wings That Ache

Prologue

The streetlamps around the city square were lit, and connected by strings of small colored lights, glittering like stars along the black wire that held them. It wasn't anywhere near evening, and the sun was still a ways above the horizon, but the all the lights were lit. Bright lights attracted many people. And the more people there was, the more money waited to be made.

At the center of the square stood a platform. It was four feet high, roughly, made of wood that might have once been oak, or ash. It was weathered now, and some boards had been replaced by newer ones made of yew, brought from the foot of the nearby mountains. The front of the platform was full, and painted in stripes of blue and white. More of those stringed lights were hung on the front, spots of twinkling color. From the poles that stood at each corner of the platform, a canopy was strung, supported by another pole at the very center of the platform.

Around the platform a multitude of people had gathered, large and small, young and old, but all dark haired with skin the color of gray ash. A few among them wore blue or green robes, some with hoods and some without, but most wore wide farmers' straw hats and bonnets. Mother and fathers, clutching coin purses, stood holding their children by their hands. Others held toddlers up on their shoulders. All of their eyes were focused on the platform before them. Their voices, hushed, created an excited buzz that served to attract more people, more customers.

A man stood on the platform, grin wide and not at all faked, not with a crowd this large. He had dark blue satin pants, a white shirt with silver threads running through it, and pointed black boots that turned down at the knees. The sleeves of his shirt widened at the end, flowing and rippled, so each time he moved his hands they fluttered like tied doves. He liked the effect of those sleeves, his hands moved in time with his words in flourishes and large gestures. His hair was golden, shining in the sun and lamp light, long and curled and tied at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a curious shade of green, glistening, but still reminiscent of moss on boulders. He gestured largely once more towards the pair of people standing towards the front of the platform. One was a young man, hands cuffed together in iron clasps. The other was a woman, seemingly of the same age, also cuffed at the wrists. Both were naked to the waist, the shabby gray robes they were dressed in tied at the waist and only covering them below their hips.

"12,000 gold pieces for the pair, I hear?" The man said, turning round and round the platform to face all directions. "Anyone to bid higher?"

"12,500!" One man on the east side called out, raising his hand excitedly.

"I hear 12,500! 12,500… once… twice…" The well dressed trader turned around once more. "And sold for 12,500 gold pieces!"

Some in the crowd cheered as the winning bidder pushed his way forward. The pair on the platform was clothed by a cheery woman dressed in green satin, and led down stairs in the middle of the platform that led underneath. The winning bidder made it to the platform and was led to a door that opened into the area underneath it. The trader smiled widely and rubbed his hands joyfully. This was turning out better than he had expected; he had only been there for two hours, 6 sold in total, and he had already made over 100,000 gold pieces. And many more money makers waited below the platform. Murmurs began picking up, growing slightly louder as the crowd surged to and fro, impatient for the next person to be brought out. The trader's eyes gleamed; this was going to be a very good day indeed.

A hush descended over the crowd as the woman in green satin came back, leading a black robed figure beside her. Those closest to the platform tried to peer into the darkness of the hood to catch a glimpse of the person before the trader revealed him. The cheery woman smiled at the trader, her hands giving an almost unnoticeable signal to him. He smiled and nodded at her. Secret signals were essential to a trader who wished to keep his wares a secret until the very last moment, and this way he knew exactly who was brought out. Even if he arranged the lineup ahead of time, there was always the chance that someone might grow ill in the stuffiness under the platform, or hysterical, and mix ups occasionally happened. The flicker of fingers, fore and ring first, then middle and pinky, signified that everything was going according to schedule. The trader grinned as he turned to face the crowd directly in front of him.

"Now, before I reveal the next item, I'd like to set the bidding to start at 3,000 gold pieces," The trader said. The murmurs in the crowd grew louder in anger, as the traders bids had always started at 1,000, even for pairs. The trader, grinning softly, raised his hands to silence the crowd, and the murmurs softened. "Now, now, dear friends, once you have seen him, then I will let you decide if the price is too high."

The crowd, on hearing his words, hushed more, and almost without thinking pushed forward. Those closest to the platform had to hold steady to keep from being pushed up against the boards. The trader smiled again, his hands flourishing. He had the crowd now, and no one was hissing in anger. Everyone was intent on that black robed figure, anticipation in the eyes of even the youngest amongst the crowd. The trader motioned to the cheery woman in green, and with a mysterious smile, she pulled back the top of the robe. Quiet fell, deep and still, and a long moment passed before voices began to whisper again. Excitedly, the crowd surged forward, most raising hands holding coin bags, all focused on the figure now revealed from behind the robe.

The first thing the crowd, dark haired, dark eyed, dark skinned, noticed was the paleness of the boy. Skin as pale as milk cream contrasted richly with the dark black of the robe. His hair, fluttering softly in the rising wind, was grayish silver, glistening in the light, slightly covering his eyes. As their voices rose, the boy's head shifted, and the crowds' voices rose again at the sight of his eyes. Blue, crystal blue with green lines shifting and merging within them as the light flashed, mixing as the crowd watched, making the eyes look green suddenly, blue again. They couldn't understand it; they'd never seen eyes of a color like that. Some in the crowd began jumping, arms swinging coin laden purses high.

"Now, please, quiet now. As you can see, it is a rare treat I have for you here. I traveled across many lands, many seas, to find him." The trader motioned at the boy. "Wherever he had been, it seems that troubles befell him, and he is a little damaged…"

The trader spared a glance at the boy, looking again at the two scars that marked the boy's body. One was ragged, stretching horizontally across his side. The other was sharp and long, from his left shoulder to his left hip. Other than those two marks, the boy's body was immaculate, and well formed for his age. The trader smiled to himself, already hearing in his mind how high the bidding would get. He turned with a flourish to the crowd.

"The bidding starts at 3,000 gold pieces!" The trader announced, and was immediately bombarded by offers.

"3,500!"

"4,000!"

"5,000!"

"6,000!"

The trader smile grew wider and wider. There was no need to interject at this point, in their excitement the people would set their own limit, and from the looks of it, it would be a high one.

"7,000!"

"9,000!"

The trader turned to look at each bidder as soon as he could, nodding to acknowledge their bid. Suddenly, a voice rang out, loud not from excitement, but merely from the need to be louder than the rest of the people.

"15,000."

The trader whipped around, his smile shaking for a moment. His eyes caught a figure in the crowd, a figure given some space in the tussle. It was dressed in a dark green hunter's cloak, hood low over the face. Those around it were watching it warily.

"What…" The trader licked his lips, his throat suddenly dry. "What was the bid again?"

"15,000." The figure answered over the now hushed crowd. "Maybe that isn't enough? 20,000 then."

Gasps went up among the crowd, murmurs of surprise and wonder.

"20,000 is the standing bid." The trader's voice shook in surprise as he voiced the offer. He turned slowly to face all sides of the crowd. "Is there any bid left?"

No one made a sound, and the trader turned to look at the woman in the green satin before turning back to the crowd.

"Sold, for 20,000 gold pieces."

The cheery woman, her smile full of surprise, pulled the robe back onto the boy, hurrying him to the staircase at the center of the platform. The green-cloaked figure was already nearing the doorway in the side of the platform, the crowd having parted as it passed. The trader grinned at the crowd, almost apologetically, and made his way down the staircase. Mopping his suddenly sweaty face with his sleeve, he looked around for the woman in the green satin, and found her standing beside the sales table, the boy in his black robe next to her.

The door from the outside opened, and the green cloaked figure entered, walking up to the table in steady, sauntering strides. The narrow black hilt of a sword rose high above one shoulder, the trader noticed, and the tip of the scabbard visible well below her knee. A long sword, the trader thought, a kind that wasn't seen in these parts of the world. He started at the slam of a large coin purse on the table. A second quickly followed the first, and then a third. The trader looked at them for a moment, and then picked one up, weighing it in his hand. If it was all gold pieces, then there was at least 10,000 in one bag. Quickly, he undid the tie on the purse, revealing the beautiful gleam of gold coins. At the top of the bag, as if put there specially, was a long black feather. He pulled it out, twirling it thoughtfully, and looked at the green-cloaked figure.

"A souvenir," It replied, shrugging, and the trader's eyes widened, noticing now that the voice was feminine. Not much surprise there, he thought to himself.

"One of these purses contains 10,000 gold pieces," The trader said, setting the one he was holding down. "And the agreed price was 20,000, but you have put down three."
"It was getting bulky, carrying them around," The girl said, putting her hands on her hips. Her head turned towards the direction of the boy. "So, does he come with a leash?"

"For this, my lady," The trader smiled widely, spreading his hands over the three purses, "He comes with anything you want."

E/N: So, there it is dear friends, the prologue to the next installment. How'd you like it? And who is who!

This story is already promising to be darker and angstier than These Wings That Ache... I mean, I started with slave traders. SLAVE TRADERS... scandalous...

I'd just like to say a quick "Hi!" to returning reviewers, and Welcome to the new ones. I hope you all stick around for the rest of this. In my head its promising to be an interesting journey...

Laters, Zoshi