Chapter 3 : Thoughts of a troubled Lord

La la la chapter 3….I is doing quite well, ne? Well, in regards to the story planning perhaps not….

"ONIHIME! ONIHIME! DAMMIT BOY! WAKE UP!"

It was late afternoon, and his father was roughly kicking the boy with the pale grey eyes awake. He had been having a nice dream; he dreamt that he had been free of this foul, fake city he was trapped in.

"Wha-? Whazzit?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

"It's the day of the banquet and you are still not ready! It starts in half an hour you foolish boy! Now hurry up before I hang from the balcony by your ankles!"

"Yessir…" Onihime mumbled sulkily. He had never got on with his father with the best of times. This banquet today was just a way from him to suck up to his "friends", the rich and beautiful of Vila Civitas, and of course, to chat up any eligible woman that happened to pass his way. Onihime didn't know why his mother stayed with the cheating, money-grabbing pig but, she always said his father did it to put food on their table, so Onihime shouldn't say such cruel things about him. Well, Onihime thought bitterly, she just can't let the love of her life go. Morged, his servant-slash-minder-slash-butler, picked out a plain, white, high-collared robe, edged with golden thread intricately woven in a pattern of branches for him to wear. Onihime hated feeling that he couldn't do anything, let alone dress himself, but it wasn't proper for a young lord of Vila Civitas to spend wasted time on such trivial things, so he had a servant for everything. To dress him, cook him meals if he was hungry in the night, clean his room, tack his horse, make a fire for him if he was cold…he wasn't allowed to do any of it himself. He glared at his reflection in the mirror, it wasn't the Onihime on the inside, and it wasn't who he wanted to be. The rich white clothing he was wearing doesn't….

Go with your black heart?

Without realising it, he gasped sharply.

"Sir? Is something the matter?" Onihime turned to the icy blue eyes of Morged fixed on him quizzically.

"Umm, no. I'm quite fine thank you." He replied stiffly.

What was that thought? He wondered to himself, Was that me? Or someone else?

He fiercely pushed it to the back of his mind, This is not the time to be worried about things like that. I am a Son of Vila ,a soon-to-be lord, I have a duty to be with my father and mother at the banquet, and support them…yes, that's it.

But that's not want you want to do.

Morged left Onihime sitting on his bed, with a most peculiar expression drawn on his face.

Sora edged through the narrow streets of Vila, as the people in front of him desperately threw themselves out of his way. He had been trapped here two years ago, separated from Donald, Goofy, Kairi and Riku. This world was relatively new, and reminded him of a story he had heard when he was younger. About a city called Atlantis, a city of light and knowledge. Today, Sora was to attend a social gathering, everyone in Civitas generally ignored him, so it was easy for him to gatecrash such parties.

If only I could find the heart of this world, he thought unhappily, I could find my island again, and Riku and King Mickey…and Kairi…

Two years of searching, and he had had no luck. The party today was at the home of Rimuris Sorgota, a famous lord who had worked his way to the top by licking his superior's boots, so to speak. All the top lords were going to be there, so perhaps he could listen in on their conversations and find out any more information about Vila Civitas he needed. Besides, he had nothing better to do than wander around the city yet again... He had found a lot out about this world. The people here liked to think of themselves as pure and innocent, but in fact most of them, especially the ones at the top, were corrupted by power and greed. Knowledge in Vila Civitas was everything. Sora had started to be able to see the darkness in people's hearts, which surrounded them like an aura.

Perhaps that Minerva woman could see my aura? He pondered to himself. Minerva's aura was a deep purple, not quite dark, but not quite light either. Even so, he trusted her.

In the centre of Vila Civitas was a huge tower, with a magnificent ball of light called the Umbris on top. The people of Vila worshipped it like a God, for it was the source of all their power. Naturally, that was the first place he had decided to look, but getting near it was hard, even for him.

I know now, without a doubt, that Kingdom Hearts, is light! Sora smiled as the memory eased back to him. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. Someday, he would find Kairi again, and be with her. There was always hope.

Just wait, Kairi. Just wait.