"Roxas, darling! We have to go!"

A piercing voice broke through the comforting silence of a particular blonde lad, who halted in his movements with such force the tip of the quill pen he held daintily in his hand snapped and ink bled all over the paper he had on his desk. He cursed silently to himself, frowning pitifully at the sight of all of his hard work, wasted. He had managed to catch a rather peculiar specimen earlier that morning and was trying to record it in his sketch book. Well, that didn't exactly go according to plan.

Sighing, he carefully set aside the dripping sketch book and rose from his seat. A glass lid was placed only a foot away from his book, holding a butterfly with blood-red wings that formed the shape of a heart captive. His back arched and he leaned forward, observing his little prisoner with great interest. It was still flapping its wings frantically about - Roxas wondered why the poor thing hadn't died from exhaustion - and landed upon the side of the glass, showing off to the boy whose nature of heart held its fate. A hand reached up as he rose to his feet, unlatching the window and pushing it open while the other moved towards the top of the glass. His fingers wrapped around the nub of a handle and carefully lifted it off of his desk, allowing the insect to feel the outside air rush in, giving wind to lift it into the air and fly. It fluttered around the boy, grateful that it would live to see at least one more day, and landed upon his nose. It tickled his skin, and he let out a small bit of laughter, light and innocent.

"Go on."

His hand shooed the creature off of his face, directing it to the open window. It obeyed, deserting the boy and heading out into the cruel, cold world where its wings stood out like a beacan in the night. Leaning on his windowsill, Roxas stared at the butterfly longingly, wishing that he, too, could sprout wings and escape from this prison he called "home". Especially today. Oh, what he wouldn't give if he could run away today. Alas, that was not meant to be. For you see, today was -

"Roxas!"

He jumped up and yelped, startled by the sudden voice. His reflexes had caused his arm to knock into that glass container, and he just barely managed to catch it before it could fall and shatter onto the floor. It was quickly brought back onto his desk and slammed onto the surface, his hands holding it down as though gravity were to give out and it would move from its spot to float aimlessly into the air. His body was still shaking a little.

"Stop your day-dreaming and get into the carriage! We are going to be late for your rehearsal!"

"Y-Yes, Mother..." he meakly replied. He dared not look at that stout, bubbly woman he called "mother". The tone of her shrill voice told him plenty that she was impatient and not pleased, which didn't happen too often unless it was something important. Her tiny footsteps hurried out of the room and he waited until he could no longer hear them before he let out that breath of air he didn't even realize he took in. His parents' voices could be heard from downstairs, heading towards the door.

"It's a beautiful day," his mother's voice rang out. "It's a rather nice day, yes." That voice was his father. He wasn't as talkative as his mother. Roxas guessed that he got his shy trait from him. "A day for a glorious wedding!"

They were louder now, and when he stood up and looked out and down from his window he could see the two of them just walking out of the front door.

"Uh, the rehearsal, my dear, to be perfectly clear-"

"The rehearsal for a glorious wedding!" His eyes watched as they stepped down the steps that led to their rather large and nice house. Roxas was born into a family of fish merchants - a very wealthy family of fish merchants. The von Karns were very well off, their fishing company passed down through generations on his father's side. They had hoped that one day, Roxas would inherit the business from his own father. Roxas, well, had other ideas.

"Assuming nothing happens that we don't really know-" Once again, his father was cut off, "- that nothing unexpected interferes with the show," she added, and by the way their driver reacted when she turned her head towards him, she was probably giving him an awfully dirty look.

"And that's why everything - everything last little thing, every single tiny, microscopic, little thing must go according to plan!"

Roxas sighed in dismay. Why did today have to come? He shut the window, muting their thoughts of what grand future was to behold of them, grabbed the coat he had hanging off of the post of his bed, and stepped out of the room.

Today was the day that he was to be getting married. Sounds lovely, right? Except, it wasn't exactly all sunshine and roses. This was an arranged marriage, and he had never seen his fiance before. The only reason he was getting married to a complete stranger was because of his parents. Wealthy as they were, they didn't have a very high social standing. This girl and her family, however... Well, let's just say that there wasn't a person in the town who didn't know and respect (or sometimes even fear) their name.

The blonde walked out of the bleak, gloomy house and into an even bleaker, gloomier world, shoving his arm into his coat's sleeve. His bright, golden hair and shining, cerulean eyes completely contrasted this monochromatic world. Everything was always so dark and depressing...it was a rather tiresome and provincial kind of world. His sight wandered, wishing to catch a glimpse of that lovely butterfly in the hopes that it hadn't already left this world of black and white. His hopes were crushed, because that black and white was all that would be allowed to have him be graced in its prescence. Inhaling deeply, then exhaling swiftly, he shut the door behind him and made his way over to the carriage to assist his father in getting that stout mother of his through that damn door.

"It's not me, it's my dress!"

"Do you- ah! Think that Ro- geh! Roxas and I- oomf! Will like eachother, Marluxia?" A corset was forced onto a girl, a grunt being released with each time it was tightened around her already-tiny waist. She was bent over, using a nightstand for support. Before her man-maid-servant could respond, a haughty laugh burst into the room.

"As if that had anything to do with marriage."

The girl turned her head in the direction of the voice, recognizing the person it belonged to as her mother, her father standing beside her. Marluxia finished tightening her corset, "Namine, you think your father and I like each other?" The expressions they had on their faces already told her what she should answer with. But, she was hopeful.

"Well," she stood upright, wincing at how tight the corset was, "surely, you must...At least, a little?"

"HA!" They snorted in unison. "We do not like each other," was all that was stated before they left the room. Namine sighed, before her mother's head popped back into the doorway.

"And tighten that corset. I can still hear you talk without gasping for air."

The large doors to the girl's family's house, their name being Everlost, opened. The fellow who opened the door, who was rather short and pale, stared at the guests with an inquiring look.

"Uhh, d-darling..." Mr. von Karn gently prodded his wife's shoulder. Mrs. von Karn was too busy fixing up her son's hair and coat to notice that someone had answered their ringing. Needless to say, she was quite embarrassed when she finally did take notice.

"Oh! Right, we're the von Karns," she introduced to the doorman. "Ahh, yes. Mr. and Mrs. Everlost have been expecting you. Please, come in," his attempt at a warm welcome failed. His voice was far too dreary. The boy took one last look of the outside world before his shirt's collar was snatched and his body was dragged into the home of the Everlosts. Mr. and Mrs. Everlost were standing in front of the stairs. They were marble and very nice, but they were an awful shade of gray. Just like everything else in this damn world, Roxas noted. He could hear his father murmur something under his breath, something about this house being "tacky", before he was apparently nudged in the gut, judging by the grunt he suddenly made.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vexen Everlost and Mrs. Larxene Everlost," Mrs. von Karn tried to act cheerful and friendly. "The pleasure is ours, Mr. and Mrs. von Karn," Larxene replied. "Ohohoho, please! Call me Pence! My husband, Hayner, and I are simply delighted to finally have this rehearsal. Oh, please do call us by our first names, Larxene, dear. After all, we will be in-laws in just a day!"

"Indeed..." Larxene faked a grin onto her face. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that her husband was scowling. She harshly nudged him in the side, ordering him to be polite to their guests. He attempted to smile, but it only came out as a grimace. "...charmed." He spoke through clenched teeth. The Everlosts finally took note of the von Karn boy.

"And I'm to assume that this young man here is Roxas?" Vexen inquired. Suddenly catching his attention, Roxas stood upright and firm, his eyes wide as though he were a deer staring into headlights right before it was about to be hit by a truck. ...he really should stop reading those horror stories about the future.

"Y-Yes, sir! Mr. Everlost, uh, sir!" His voice cracked slightly, his nerves rattling mercilessly. He could feel his body shaking and hoped to God Almighty that they hadn't noticed. Vexen paced around the lad, observing his physique.

"Hmm... I guess he'll have to do," Vexen sighed. It didn't really matter. So long as the boy came from a wealthy family.

"The adults need to talk, m'boy. It'll be boring stuff, really. Matters that you wouldn't understa-" Hayner patted his boy's back before being hit over the head by his wife's purse. "Come along, dear! No use talking the poor boy to death before he's even married."

"Yes, c-coming, dear..." Hayner staggered over and followed his wife and the Everlosts. Well, now with the parents gone, Roxas could use this opportunity to explore this house. He might be living here after...well, they seal the deal. There didn't appear to be much to look at, though. The walls were aligned with family portraits from generations upon generations of the Everlost family (obviously on the father's side) and as for the rest of the house? Gray. Not a single speck of any other color. Gray, gray, and look. More gray. He sighed, hope lost of ever finding something in this place that would be even worth looking at. A chance to answer his prayers came, but dispersed quickly as he continued down the hall full of portraits. He happened to pass by the only portrait of their daughter, Namine Everlost. He also happened to not be paying any attention and, unfortunately, missed that little bit of beauty.

Eventually, he came upon a room that had some hope for his dull life after all. Among this world of gray inside the Everlost home, where outside was nothing but black and white, was more black and white. But this black and white, however, was lovely.

A piano stood alone in the room, lit only by the overcast-concealed sun through a dusty window bordered by even dustier curtains. He carefully approached it, as though it were some forbidden treasure of some lost civilization that was wiped out from being overrun by some other lost civilization, and his footsteps echoed endlessly down the empty halls. His hand reached out in front of him once he was only two or three feet away, and his fingertips gingerly ran down the smooth, pearl-white ivory keys. A small smile was brought to his face as he stared down at this priceless, lovely thing.

"You play?" a shy voice brought him out of his thoughts. Gasping, he turned on his heel toward the direction of the voice. Standing in the doorway, with blonde hair and blue eyes that, lovely as they were, were just breath-taking when compared to the rest of their environment, was yet another priceless, lovely thing.

Author's Note

So, like, I blame my sister. She made me watch Corpse Bride again, and well, I got inspired. Damn it. Hahahaha.

Kimi to Taiyou ga Shinda hi is still being worked on, though I'm a bit at a block right now. D:

This story is like Corpse Bride in the KH universe. Roxas plays the role of Victor (though, he won't be as dramatic hahaha), Namine is Victoria (and she won't be as dull =/) and who shall play the corpse? Well... You'll have to see. C:

I don't own anything. Kingdom Hearts is copyrighted and owned by Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura. Corpse Bride belongs to Tim Burton. This is not my attempts to make a profit. kthxbai