Chapter Two

The streets of the Hamasaiyuki City were covered in a thick blanket of people as the Bon festival reached it's peak of celebration. Many laterns were strung high onto buildings, lighted up against a darkened sky. People chanted and prayed to their ancestors through the streets, asking for luck and for their blessings to come upon their household. Geishas stood at the doorways of their tea houses, gesturing to young men off the street to come inside and chat for a while, while the men in turn, stared at these women in wonder and awe. Loud, drunken laughter was heard somewhere off in the distance, along with a child crying. Where the roads of Hamasaiyuki began to darken and swerve off into sharp corners, mingling with the stench of death in the air, is where we find the house of Shingai, a very popular teahouse at the time. Its windows held the only light that could be seen amongst these dark alleys, giving the house a warm glow to its already gentle beauty. A man, dressed in a black cloak, walked slowly towards this house. He looked it up and down critically, and a smile then came across his face.

"So this is where the idiot could be hiding, eh?"

He then pulled his hood further over his face and proceeded in. The geisha that stood at the doorway stared at this peculiar man in wonder. A whisper went about them for a while, until a smaller girl bowed and held an empty glass and a warm bottle of sake. The man took the cup as the young girl began to fill it; she couldn't help but to peer at the man under the mysterious hood. He drew back quickly, as though hiding something, then held the cup up to the heavens, and poured it over the steps of the tea house. A murmur of excitement rushed through the geisha of Shingai and the small crowd that stood before it. He then took another cupfol of sake and drank it down without a word. The man then entered the tea house, and removed his shoes silently, handing them to a maid that stood nearby. For a moment he stood barefoot in the entryway, staring at the young maid that stood at his side. Her wide, brown eyes looked into his, glazed with fear.

"Sir..." She muttered, and pulled back with a bow.

"You have no reason to be afraid of me, you know." He cooed gently.

The girl blushed, and not knowing what to say in return, just gave a quick bow and said "They wait for you in here, sir." Her voice had a tinge of hidden fear in it. The hooded figure stepped closer to her and slowly bent down to grab her chin. His movements were flowing and soft, like water. She began to turn her head away, but his hand held her head in place.

"Do you know what could happen to a nice young girl like you working in this part of town?"

"N-no, sir."

He smiled and a chuckle escaped his lips. "You don't?"

The young girl shook her head.

"Tell me. What is your name?"

Her lower lip quivered, but after a moment she mangaged to whimper "...Chiyo..."

"Chiyo, is it? Well, let me tell you, Chiyo. This is a bad city. Bad people live here. People who are full of greed and lust and evil."

Chiyo's eyes seemed to grow big, though this was not news to her. "I know sir, but the people who are here have good money and-"

"Don't speak. I'm not finished..." He held a pale finger to her lips. "If this city is so evil, then why should people live here? They say people's hearts are made of light. A light that will impale the darkness and shine brightly to signify hope. But this dirty city you call a home...it is covered in darkness. And what happens to the heart when it lives in the dark for so many days?" His grip tightened on her chin and forced her to look into the impaling shadows that covered his face. "Hmm...?"

"No s-sir...I..."

"You have too, even with such a pure soul, have been corroded with this darkness. Darkness sprouts within the heart after it lingers in it for so long. The soul belongs to the darkness, where there is no light. Answer me another question...do you see any light in this city, Chiyo?"

Chiyo shook her head.

"That's right...Are you still afraid me?"

"N-no sir...I'm not s-scared..."

"Yes, you are." His voice rose with an unexpected anger. He withdrew his hand from her quivering jaw, making her cry out suddenly. His anger was like a heat wave, protruding from under his dark hood with a malicious fire. Scared, Chiyo fell to the floor and grabbed at the smooth wood tiling, attempting to scramble backwards into a room behind her. Instead, she found herself pressed up against a wall.

"Stupid girl. I thought I didn't scare you. How dare you lie to me!" The words slid out of his mouth like snakes.

Chiyo struggled to speak. "I-"

"'I' nothing. You know nothing of the light! You, who crawls through these dirty crowds just to find a job where they will feed you something. You lead such an dark life, and you don't even know your hearts being eaten away this very second."

The dirt-covered girl managed to pull herself up, now leaning against the panneled wall. Her breathing became heavy and hard, and tears began to form in the corners of her almond eyes. The man's smile was no longer there, now replaced with gritted teeth and a tounge that spit venomous words. He then came forward to her. He grabbed her hands, and pressed her violently against the wall. Chiyo was a small girl, and no older than 15, and had no strength against this man.

"Stop! P-please sir, I-i...I-i...Don't..."

"Don't what?" He growled angrily. "So now I'm made out to be a bad guy, huh?"

Chiyo shook her dark head silently.

"Where is he?"

Shook her head in protest. What did he mean? I don't know...I don't know!

The hooded figure's voice became shaken with emotion as he tightened his grip on her left wrist and threw her to the ground. Chiyo landed with a hard thud, and tear leaked out.

"I HAVE TO FIND HIM!"

He then bent down, and Chiyo felt a strong tug that ripped at the nape of her neck, causing her to cry out. The man held her long black hair in his hands, forcing her head upright. He kneeled down next to her and relaxed the pull on her hair, but at the same time, kept a firm hold.

The man's breathing slowed and he pulled in close to whisper into her ear. "You poor girl. I can save you, you know."

The raven haired girl's eyes widened in confusion. "W-what?"

"Such a beautiful girl. You could have been a child of the light. Now look at you. A face carved by the darkness. Deceiving, yet pleasing to the eye." He paused. "Did he send you here?"

"S-sir?."

"I know your him very well. I was...good friends with him. And I trusted him with her...I trusted...him..."

"Sir..." Chiyo placed an warm yet shaking hand on his shoulder. "Are you all-"

"I'm fine!" He snapped, but let her hand remain there. Just then, Chiyo swore she saw two silver orbs leak run down the exposed, pale skin of his cheeks.

Chiyo shuddered. The typical signs of a drunk. "I-I can call someone to help you h-home, sir."

"NO!" He roared. He struck her with the back of his hand, sending her sprawling across the floor again. Chiyo tried to move, but her every muscle froze. Fear over came her as she heard the sound of something being pulled from a scabbard and the shadow of two blades being raised shilloutted on the floor in front of her.

"I want you to relay a message to him for me." The man then struck downwards, both Keyblades in hand. Her brown eyes filled with shock as her own crimson flew before her, and she was quickly sent to a place with no pain with a blow to the chest. The man watched body twitch gently for a moment, then relax, a red pile on the floor. He smiled and withdrew the Keyblade from her now mangled body, having it disappear into the air.

"Tell your Sora that I'm back." The man pulled down his hood to reveal aqua eyes and silver locks that framed his mature yet handsome features. "And that Riku wants her back. Now."