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Hikari was fully aware that the quality of life could drastically vary depending on where he was. But before arriving in Sai, he couldn’t have expected it to be so obvious in two different parts of the city-state.
He walked through the eastern district, observing the townsfolk. Poverty was rampant amongst the population. Everyone was skinny, the children bore no smiles, and many were sick. After resolving the issue with Sai’s military conflict, Castti had taken to treating all those that she could. Of course, there was only so much she could do when half a city was in need.
These are the people he was fighting for. The ones who could not fight for themselves had always been the ones who were extorted and persecuted by those deemed above them, and Hikari had to be the one to end that.
Hikari tripped, his foot caught on a piece of elevated road. His necklace fell out of his kimono as he steadied himself.
He slipped it back through his Kimono, clipping it around the back of his neck. It might not hold much monetary value, but a thief wouldn’t see that at a passing glance and Hikari placed value in it. Agnea had made that necklace for his birthday, and he had worn it every day for the two months since. It might only have been a small chain looped through a pierced worry stone, but it was worth more to Hikari than he could describe.
After ensuring the necklace was safely tucked into his clothing, Hikari continued to observe the populace. It wasn’t much different from the lowborn districts of Ku. Too many people to care for, and not enough to go around. Or rather, too much was being withheld.
A stranger bumped into Hikari. “Excuse me,” they said as they hurried off.
“It’s quite alright,” Hikari yelled after them. He paid them little mind. Had that person bumped into Mugen, they would already be dead. Hikari wanted to make sure people knew they could trust royalty once he was in charge, and he knew that even the little things would go a long way.
Eventually, the depression became too much for Hikari. He travelled up the hill, sitting atop its peak where Agnea had clashed with Veronica. Past the city, Hikari could see the sun dip below the horizon. One by one, the stars began to illuminate the sky. The crescent moon began to stand out against the dimming sky, and with it came the windy chill of the night.
Hikari was not particularly fond of that chill. He stood up, dusting himself off as he began the trek back to the inn.
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The prince awoke early the next day, and immediately he could tell something wasn’t right.
He couldn’t quite tell what it was, but he knew that there was something wrong. He checked himself. No bug bites, no unnoticed wounds. He looked around. All his belongings were intact. What was he missing?
He checked himself in the hand-mirror the inn had provided. He appeared rested. He still had bed hair, but that would go away soon enough. His necklace-
The necklace was gone.
Hikari fell over as he scrambled for his clothing. He tied his hair up without brushing it, forcefully shoving his sword into his belt as he dashed out the front door of the inn. How did this happen? Did he drop it? No, that wasn’t possible. He hadn’t taken it off. He never took it off. So how did-
Hikari recalled the stranger from the day prior. Perhaps that wasn’t such an accident after all.
He walked quickly through the roads, wracking his brain for a solution. He would have to find the thief and take it back. No, that wouldn’t be possible. He couldn’t even recall what the thief looked like, let alone where they would be now. Direct confrontation wasn’t an option. Perhaps he could ask around? Even then, who in this town would notice something as insignificant as a cheap necklace? There wasn’t much else to go off of, though. Gods damn it all, he should have been more attentive! The thief must have seen the necklace when he tripped. All it would have taken was a moment’s glance to see he had something! What the hell-
A hand grasped Hikari’s shoulder. “Slow down.”
He whipped around, clutching his sword. Throné threw up her hands. “Woah, there. I don’t bite.”
“Throné. My apologies,” Hikari breathed. “Is something the matter?”
“That’s my line. You ran out of the inn in a mad dash,” Throné retorted. “What’s going on with you?”
“I, er… I lost my necklace,” Hikari stuttered.
“Uh-huh,” Throné said. She raised one eyebrow. “And why is this necklace worth skipping breakfast over?”
“It was a birthday gift from Agnea,” Hikari said. “I think I may have been pickpocketed.”
“From Agnea?” Throné mirrored. “I think I get you. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’re going to see that thing again.”
“I’m going to ask around. Maybe someone’s seen something-” Hikari began.
“Ask who? The thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people who live here?” Throné asked. She sighed, Hikari’s panicked expression registering with her. “Look. I’ll help you out, but only until afternoon. I need to get some things done for Castti, and I can’t spend my whole day looking for a necklace. Sound good?”
“I- yes. Yes, that would be an immense help,” Hikari agreed. “Thank you, my friend.”
“I’ll take poverty town, you live it up with the rich pricks. Don’t get your hopes up.” Throné started in the direction Hikari had come from. He didn’t say a word himself, there was no time for that. Every second he didn’t find that necklace, the chances of recovery went further and further down.
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The heat was starting to get to him.
Hikari had been out of the desert for a good while, and while he did better than most people foreign to it he was still forgoing some of the most basic rules of the desert. For example: don’t run around in the hot desert for hours at a time without so much as a glass of water.
The sun had crested the sky’s zenith, and was making its way back down. Hikari didn’t really know how long he’d been out here, but he also did not care. The necklace was the only thing on his mind.
He had asked everyone who would listen, looked in every place the thief might have dropped it. It was nowhere to be found. It couldn’t just be gone, though. That was out of the question. What would he say to Agnea if he came back empty-handed. He shook his head, eyes on the ground.
He nearly stepped on a necklace. Vigor and hope filled his being for a moment as he scrambled to pick it up, only to find that it wasn’t his. The rope was dirty and ragged, with a little wooden heart hooked through it. Disappointment flooded his being. How was he ever going to find this thing?
Something tugged at his clothes. “Excuse me, mister?”
Hikari looked behind him, then looked down. A small boy stood in front of him. He couldn’t have been more than seven or eight. “I lost my necklace. Have you seen it?” The boy asked.
“I might have.” Hikari knelt down. “What does it look like?”
“It’s made of some string… and, and, uh, it has a heart on it!” The boy said.
Hikari held out the necklace. “Is this it?”
The boy’s face lit up. “Yeah!” He snatched it out of Hikari’s hand and began taking off. Then he stopped, turning around to wave at Hikari. “Thank you, mister!” He shouted. He took off again the very next instant, getting the attention of a little girl. The girl clapped her hands delightedly, and the boy turned around so she could help him put it on.
It had been a gift, Hikari realized. Perhaps he would not find his own necklace, but he found some grace in having found someone else’s.
That grace didn’t overshadow the guilt for very long. He was silent as he returned to the inn, and remained silent through dinner. He had nothing to say as they plotted their route going forward.
He knew he was being ridiculous. It was just a necklace, after all. But it had meant so much to him. Agnea gave it to him, and he had allowed it to be stolen. He laid awake in his bed that night, staring at the ceiling. He didn’t even feel guilty anymore. He just felt so sad.
A knock at the door ushered those feelings to the back of his mind. He put on his robe, walking to the door. Agnea’s face greeted him as he opened it.
“Is everything alright?” Hikari asked. “You’re usually asleep by this time.”
“Well I, uh…” She held out her hand. “I got you something.”
The necklace.
Hikari handled it gently, as though it would crumble with the slightest force. “But I- how did you-” He looked closer. The stone was different. The twine was newer.
This wasn’t the same necklace.
“I asked Throné why you were so sad. She told me the necklace got stolen,” Agnea said quietly. “If it made you that happy, I thought you might like a new one.”
Hikari’s mouth hung slightly open. “Agnea, I…” His lip trembled. “I’m…”
Agnea furrowed her brow. “D’ya need a hug?”
“I… I think I do.”
Hikari closed his eyes as they held each other, tears threatening to spill from them. No one had ever treated him like this in Ku, apart from his mother.
How could so much care end up in one person?