Heart of Thirst (Kingdom of Hearts Series #1)

Chapter One - "Black & Red"

Red is the ultimate cure for sadness. Black is what causes sadness.

Inigo's POV

They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Truth is, you knew exactly what you had, you just never thought you'd lose it.

And that's exactly what happened to me.

I had a dream. I saw a girl... I remember she had long, dark brown mixed with blonde and a tint of red hair. She was young, just like me. Then I woke up feeling my heart beating fast. The day dawned crisp and clear. My room felt cold and empty.

The butler knocked on the door and came into my room. "I see you're already awake, Master Alexandrelle. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," I replied quietly.

"...I see. I brought you a glass of water for your medicine. Breakfast is ready downstairs."

My doctor told my parents that I should always take my antidepressants in the morning after waking up. He would often visit the palace to have our sessions, but...

It never seemed to get better no matter how they tried.

My parents disciplined me ever since I was at a young age. They taught me how to behave myself as the eldest of their children. They were strict, so we always had to follow a set of rules. I never had time for myself to do what I wanted. The only thing I was ever able to do as a child was read Shakespeare every night and play the piano. It always helped me fall asleep.

I have always wondered what it was like to step out into the sun... To feel the heat on my skin... To know the feeling of being heartbroken, and yet I have never fallen in love. I've only ever felt... sadness.

Everyone told me that I should be happy because I had a bright future ahead of me, but my world was as dark as the night sky.

...Until I saw her. I was six years old. She was my sister Alexandra's best friend. She looked oddly familiar... Beautiful and expressive bright red, siren eyes that looked like they could pierce through my soul, with the same hair as the girl I saw in my dreams.

She was always the top one in the entire school. She would join all sorts of competitions and would always win first place. She was also unsurprisingly the teacher's pet. She was multi-talented. She could draw or paint, sing, play the piano, and more. She also helped in fundraisers, since her family owned the school. Because of all this, she was elected as the Student Council President.

Though... I was never envious of her. Not even a little bit. In fact, I was always happy and proud of everything that she did.

I always wondered how she could accomplish so many things at the same time. Was she trying to impress someone? Or did she simply want everyone to know about how good she was in doing everything or anything at all?

Even though I was royalty, her family was as wealthy and powerful as mine. Since her parents were my family's physicians, she was a frequent presence in the palace. She often visited with or without her parents, so we became very close over the past several years.

Her name is Scarlett. It suits her, you know. I figured I just knew her all too well. Though, I still wasn't sure if she was truly the one who I would always see in my dreams.