Chapter 1 - Start of a Long December

I could hear excited conversation surrounding me as I set up. It wasn't even stage; the pub was small along with a crowd of about 12 familiars and a few new people sitting a table away. Aqua was busy serving everyone in her pizza place she bought a couple years ago with her husband. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful that they let me perform here once a month or so often but I was in a hurry and the house music was still playing as filler entertainment till I was ready. Terra was playing with the kids at the ping-pong table and the women were all chatting excitedly. And I knew all of them, standing around the bar and games.

To the side on a lonely island table that I had to bend around multiple times were three people, two I've spotted around town before and one that I've never seen in my life. They were set up so close to my performing spot I could actually make out some of their conversation.

"So how's your 24th going, Xi?" One of the blondes said, one was a girl with feathery curls and the other a boy with a dark blonde cowlick across his forehead. The one in the center with round blue eyes that were popular floating around town and onyx hair folding across her brow shrugged.

"The pizza here is awesome. And I'm so glad that she had ginger ale." She smiled softly to her friends. "I didn't know they had live music here." I picked up on the last sentence.

"Yea but he's still setting up. We're probably going soon, it's hot in here." The guy waved himself with the checkbook before opening it.

"That's no fair Roxas! Live music is always great. I wonder if he takes requests…" And she was mumbling to them as the radio picked up sound and so did the crowd. He laughed, shaking his head.

"You're crazy."

"But Xion. We have to get you unpacked and all."

"Namine, I've got it all handled."

"But we're your ride and we wanna get going."

"It's my birthday, isn't it?" She snickered. "You guys can go. I might catch a taxi of something."

"You're… A. Broke. And B. You just got in town! We've missed ya!" He pat her back and she giggled.

"One second." She took out a coin purse, dropping a dollar bill into my donations before I was even finished setting up. She smiled at me and turned back to her friends. "All right. I'm ready."

"Thanks." I grumbled out, actually annoyed that her friends convinced her to go without hearing me play. Why did she drop a dollar if she doesn't even know I'm good? Pity, maybe? And I grimaced again.

"Hey, do you take requests?" She smiled at me as our eyes met, looking excited that I took note that she was there.

"Maybe. What are you requesting?" A strummed my guitar in a tuning curiosity.

"You know any Counting Crows?" That was a weird request. I didn't even know them all that well.

"Only one song."

"What song?"

"…Long December." She looked back at her friends, grinning. The guy raised his eye brows and that girl skipped back over, taking her seat. I smiled a little. That did it; they weren't even going to try anymore. I could tell in their laughter. I took a few more minutes to finish setting up and testing the mic and guitar.

"Aqua! Turn off the house music!" I heard Sora's voice make the request as I started to play. The radio went for a few seconds as Aqua rushed to turn it off and people turned to face me.

I spoke into the microphone, my eyes meeting the girl's and I announced with a wink. "Hope you know this one." I put on my happy performer attitude and started to play. The girl's grinned covered half her face. "A long December and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last." I stepped back for a moment from the mic stand, absorbing myself into the guitar melody to the song and I heard some soft woops from the familiars. I set my foot back forward after a moment. "I can't remember the last thing you said as you were leaving. Oh the days go by so fast." I felt the chorus coming and everything picked up from the melody to the mood and the kids were playing, people were watching and I tapped my foot, rolling my voice deeper into the microphone. "And it's one more day up in the canyons. And it's one more night in Hollywood. If you think that I could be forgiven, I wish you would." It wasn't but those few lines were summed up nicely by a follow of "Na Na Na, Na Na na" and people who picked up muttered along. I lead the song onto its next verse. "The smell of hospitals in the winter and the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls. All at once you look across a crowded room to see the way that light is attached to a girl." And the chorus repeated through the music. "And it's one more day up in the canyons. And it's one more night in Hollywood. If you think you might come to California. I think you should. Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na Na, yea." And I took over for a nice guitar solo and verse came right back around. "Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after two AM. And talked a little while about the year. I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower, makes you talk a little lower about the thing you could not show her." I part of me met eyes with her's again. Has she been staring this whole time? I could see this glitter in her eye and I was urged to keep playing. "And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe, maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass." And slowly the song was coming to a close, the melody sadly fluttered to a slow count. "And it's one more day up in the canyon. And it's one more night in Hollywood. It's been so long since I've seen the ocean. I guess I should." The rest was mainly the vocal "Na Na Na" and occasional "Yea". I finished the song after a few moments of playing.

The blondes stayed seat with a soft applause but that girl. She shot up so fast, clapping her hands together her chair stumble backwards but managed not the fall. I wasn't used to that excitement, especially in applause. I was here to play, talk and some claps from friends. A handful of some more coins fell into my donations jar.

"I'm sorry I can't stick around."

No, thank you. "Yea. Sure."

"It was good. Really good." Her face lit up again before she waved back to her friends to bring them forward.

"I'm in often if you wanna come by again. If you're in town…" I trailed on to her. The blonde boy stepped in.

"She just moved up here! We'll probably see you again."

"I'm Xion Fair." She waved a hand to each friend as she introduced them to me. "Naime and Roxas Strife. You probably know them." She giggled a little. "I just moved up here to see them and some other friends I knew way back when in junior high."

"Vanitas Lockhart." I nodded at each word she said. "Been here my whole life. My friends are the ones who own this pub. Aqua and Terra Chikyu. Their kids, Riku and Kairi." I could continue on about the other kid, Sora. Yuffie, a good friend of my mom's. Ventus, a friend of mine from high school. We split up at college and meet here sometimes. There was also Hayner, Seifer (who were both wasted and arguing), Olette was chatting nicely to another gentleman, Saix as she tried to ignore her boyfriend; and Fuu sat quietly with her smoothie down the bar. Demyx was cheering me on, annoyingly.

"It's really nice to meet all of you. And this place is wonderful." She clapped her hands together. Some cheers went on behind us.

"On with the music, Vanitas!" I sighed and strummed the guitar.

"See you again?" Xion chirped.

"Hey, Xi. You should leave your number. Let's get going." And a card came out of her pocket. She scribbled on the back of the business sheet, dropping it in the donations before saying her goodbyes and leaving.

"Feel free to use it any time."

After my performance finished at nine, I picked it up, looking at the company and then turning it over to look at her number.