Prologue. Bittersweet Passing

I guess, in a sense, it had made me stronger...

Still, it broke me.

"Whoa! Look at the time guys! I gotta go, Kaoru's gonna kill me for being late!" I called to my friends, waving as I grinned. I was young, naive, I didn't know the cruelty the world could feet padded against the wet ground, little pink rain boots clicked against the water as I eagerly walked to the bus stop. I was going to be late if I wasn't quick.

I stopped for a moment, looking at the alleyway. My friends always told me it was an easier way to get to the bus stop instead of going around, it was stupid of me to believe them. My mother's, Rini and Yami, had both told me multiple times 'don't go in any dark, shady areas... with all the gang violence you could end up being killled'

But it wasn't me who ended up getting killed.

I bit my bottom lip, it would be disobeying rules, walking in there. I knew it too, but I pushed that thought aside, I wanted to see Kaoru as soon as possible, I wanted to tell him all about my day, all about the 'pretty' drawing of a ballerina I had made. I wanted to tell him all these innocent things, all these things that would be of no use to the dark world that revolved around him.

I walked in, watching as my light slowly dimmed, leaving eerie shadows against the wall as I went deeper and deeper. Everything was fine, nothing jumped out at me in those scary stories everyone told me around Hallow's Eve.

Though, I saw something much worse.

There had to be at least five of them, all of them had something red on them, I knew immediately. Red Diamonds, I gulped, trying to back out of the alleyway without them noticing me, only to step back into a trash can, causing it to fall over with a loud crash, I turned to it, wide eyed, before my gaze shot to the group, who's eyes has turned to me.

"Aw, who is this, cutie?" One practically purred as he came closing in on me, I gulped, my twelve-year-old mind couldn't process that they probably wanted to do horrible things to me. I thought they might want to help. Like I said, I was naive.

"X-Xion." I sputtered out an introduction, looking down quickly, avoiding their lecherous gazes.

"Xion, eh? That's cute! Aw, you're so adorable." Another grinned, and I looked up as they began crowding around me.

"No need to be nervous now, if you cooperate we won't have any problems." I heard one from behind me say, and I felt him tug at my little blue skirt. I did the only thing I could think of..

I screamed.

The sound was loud, harsh and they all seemed to sneer at that. They probably thought with the way I had so easily introduced myself I would've cooperated, but I was smarter than that. I just wish I had been smart enough not to go into that alleyway.

"I thought we told you to—"

"—to what?"

My gaze shot up and I sighed in relief. Kaoru. He had heard me, tears brimmed at the corner of my eyes, my idol, my shining star, my protector, my hero... my big brother... he had come, I let out a cry of joy, though as I wanted to run towards him I froze.

This was not my Kaoru.

His honey eyes were narrowed into a harsh glare, red hair ruffled as usual, his posture was intimidating, shoulders back as he looked over the group, shadow spreading out. I heard all their murmurs around me.

"Oh, shit."

"It's the Black Sparrow."

Who was the Black Sparrow? I wondered, was it Kaoru? But where did he get such a title. I stared at my big brother, only to let out a startled sound as I was dragged back into a chest. The man smelt of cigarettes.

"Aw, what's the matter, Sparrow?—" He taunted. "—you don't like it when we touch this girl?" The man laughed, his hand moving around to my stomach and I thrashed, trying desperately to get out of his grasp. I watched as Kaoru's eyes widened, the honey I knew burning to a fiery ocher, he charged, toppling over the other guy as his fist slammed against the male's face, missing me altogether.

Though that wasn't what I focused on.

My eyes focused on the blonde teenager wearing a beanie, his hands shakily pulled out something, I saw the glint of metal. A gun? I tried to shriek to Kaoru, tell him to get out of the way but found myself unable to speak as he grabbed my arm, yanking me from the man's grasp.

I found the will to speak as the cock of a gun reached my ears.

"Kaoru!"

Bam!

I watched in horror as my brother froze, his grip on my arm slowly slacking as he stayed, frozen, before finally he fell to my feet with a loud thump. He didn't so much as flinch on impact. I looked up, catching sight of the terrified teen's face, the one that had just shot my brother, I was in shock. Not even able to cry out for help as the five ran away like the cowards they were.

I looked back to my brother before my hands shakily grabbed at my phone, flicking it open and feeling it tremble in my hands, I punched in at least five different numbers before I got the right one, I waited.

"Hello? Xion? Is everything okay? Where are you and Kaoru?"

That's when everything came crashing down on me. My knees felt weak and I had to use my free hand against the alleyway wall to keep myself from falling, I breathed out a word before I started sobbing hysterically.

"Xion! What's wrong? Xion!" Rini tried to get some words from my incoherent sentences as my small frame wracked with shakes.

"We're on-on the—hic!—Tsush-Tsushiro alleyway!" My phone slid from my hands and I dropped to my knees at Kaoru's head, grasping hold of his shirt.

"Kaoru! Kaoru! Open your eyes! Say something! K-Kaoru!" I bent over, my back forming an awkward bridge as I held onto him, my forehead lightly brushing his back as I begged him to come back.

But it was too late.

Kaoru was gone and it was all my fault...

No.

As I wept, I silently told myself it was that man's fault... and he would pay for taking Kaoru from me.