Chapter 1: Pesante

The cries of the seagulls rang through the evening sky. The large setting sun against the pinkish-orange sky burned on the horizon of the sea. The waves crashed against the shore, pulling in and then out, washing away what was on the shore and replacing what was once there. The waves came in closer and closer before fully retreating, repeating the processes again and never reaching out further. The three young children sat on the golden sand of the small island, looking out to the main island which they called home.

"I'm glad we were able to finally get out here," the redhead spoke, breaking the silence. "I'm sure this will do Xion some good to get out instead of sitting in a hospital all day or stay at home being home schooled."

The frail girl with large sapphire eyes hugged her small legs to her chest. "I'm sorry, Axel."

The boy with the light dirty gold hair and fierce baby blue eyes jumped up. Sand was caked on his golden skin. "You shouldn't apologize, Xion!"

Axel jumped up with him. He stood almost half a foot above the 8 year old. "Don't ever think it's your fault!" He waved his arms frantically in the air, throwing sand off off him. His jade green eyes glistened. He dropped down to his knees and held out his hand. "We love you too much!"

Following suite, Roxas dropped down onto his knees and hands. "You're our beautiful princess, Xion!"

Xion arched her eyebrows and pursed her lips. She brushed her small hand along the sand, scooping some up into her hand. "I hereby bless you two and name you nerds!" She flung the handful of sand at the two.

Axel and Roxas shielded their face from the sand attack. They both flung themselves out, dramatizing each gesture and sound.

"The princess has blinded me!" Roxas cried out, rolling around in the sand. He arched his back and stretched out each of his limbs as he was writhing in pain.

Axel pressed his arm against his eyes. "She has defeated us! She too great!" He strained each word. He reached up to the sky, grasping at nothing. "Please… pass my story on… for generations to come…" He collapsed.

Xion traced a line in the sand with her index finger. "You guys are too much sometimes."

Axel propped himself up on his elbows. "Only for you Xion."

"Yeah, we thrive off your laughter and smiles," Roxas said as he brushed some sand off of his round face.

Xion gazed at the two boys in front of her in admiration. She pushed a few locks of short raven hair behind her ear as she studied them. Roxas was only a year older than her but he was only an inch taller than her. He always tried to act tough for her sake. She adored the way his blond hair swept to the side. It reminded her of one of those famous surfers that always came around during the summer. Now Axel on the other hand was 3 years older than her and acted like their older brother. His spiky red hair matched his fiery personality. She always that his small eyebrows were adorable, but would never admit it to him. Just looking at them made her chest swell with pride and confidence.

Xion pushed herself up. She swung her arm to her chest with her thumb pointing at her. "Well one day, it'll be my turn." She lowered her arm and walked over to the calm water. "One day you two will look up to me and I'll be your inspiration. I'll be everyone's inspiration!" She looked back at them, beaming. "That's why I took up the piano. One day everyone will remember the name Xion and my music. That way I'll never be forgotten!"

Axel and Roxas exchange excited glances. Xion looked toward the calm waters again and threw herself forward, taking off. Her laughter filled the air. Roxas and Axel followed after her, joining her in the cold water.

We'll always be together, right?

As predicted, a heavy storm had hit the islands that night. Flooding was expected in areas near the shoreline and many were advised to evacuate if the sea level rises too rapidly. Weather stations repeatedly warned against driving on the main roads until the storm had passed over. Of course, there would still be some people who completely ignored this warning, but the number was significantly small, so the chances of crashing into someone would be relatively slim, like a 0.01% chance. And the chances of someone drunkenly speeding recklessly down the slippery road would be non existent since the island has eradicated all drunk driving crimes by passing new laws this year. And the chances of your best friend driving down that same road… would be improbable. But there were people driving, and someone was drunk, and your best friend was driving down the same road at the same time… and there was an accident.

Xion rushed down the muddy side road on her light green beach cruiser. The icy rain pelted against Xion's exposed face as she sped along. Her hood flapped wildly around her head. Her heart raced in her small chest as she breathed rapidly at an unsteady pace. Her saw the all too familiar hospital looming in the distance. This time it wasn't her staying.

"Roxas, please don't drive tonight," Xion quietly pleaded on the phone. "It's very dangerous. You could end up losing control and…"

"Xion, I'll be fine," Roxas cut her off, trying to reassure the 21 year old on the other side. "All I'm doing is getting the new copy of Arial Audio's new album."

"I thought you were into Rockwell Spectacles?" Xion asked cluelessly.

"Nah, they're old news," Roxas replied, his voice crackling on the phone.

"You could be so fucking hipster sometimes, Roxas!" Xion hissed at him.

Roxas only laughed at her remark. "I can't help my music taste! The only problem is I don't have the voice for it. If only I wasn't cursed with my beautiful Pop vocals."

Xion gently squeezed her phone. "Roxas…" Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. I love hearing your voice. "I guess life really fucks us over sometimes." She laughed, masking her nervousness. "Just be careful okay."

"Okay, okay, Mom," Roxas mocked her.

Xion clenched her fist. Don't call me that. "Just call me in a half-hour."

"I will, Xion."

Xion listened to the click followed by nothing. Her lower lip quivered.

Xion threw her mud covered bike down in front of the entrance and ran in through the large sliding glass doors. The familiar smell of disinfectant filled her nostrils as she ran through the blinding white halls. Her mind went blank, feeling disconnected as she ran into oblivion.

Axel threw himself at Xion when she entered the ER waiting room, bringing her back to reality. "Xion, I…. fuck…" he swore quietly, his voice shook. Tears collected in his red puffy eyes. A few anxious people waiting in the ER eyed them. A few looked at them with pity while others simply worried about their own problems. "It happened when he was coming back."

Xion shoved Axel back in a seat. His entire body trembled. It was a horrifying site. "How bad was it?" She regretted asking.

Axel squeezed his knees, digging his nails in his ragged jeans. "The driver was speeding… the roads were so slick with rain… Roxas couldn't brake in time. It was a head on collision. He was ejected from his seat through the windshield." Axel leaned over, covering his mouth. His tanned skinned turned deathly pale. "Oh my god," he whispered. He let out a silent cry, tears streaming down his face. "I need a fucking smoke." Smoking a little pot always calmed Axel down, but he couldn't do that right now when he needed it more than ever.

Xion stared at the linoleum tile. "Roxas…" Tears filled up Xion's eyes, blinding her. She wiped them away, defining her emotions. I have to be strong for Axel. She felt herself lock up like always whenever she was in a stressful situation.

Axel placed his hand on top of Xion's. She felt herself relaxing at his own trembling touch. "Remember the first time we went to the small island?" he asked without looking at Xion. "We made a promise to always be together forever."

Xion looked up. It sounds ridiculous now. "Yeah?"

"And now look at us…" He pulled away from Xion. He stared at his large hands that were scarred from over the years. "Sitting here waiting for Roxas to die." He couldn't hold it in any longer. He cracked. The man who Xion used to look up to when she was growing was sitting there right next to her, afraid, unable to do anything.

Xion raised her heavy hand. She wanted to slap him and shake him out of this, but she lowered her hand instead. She was more afraid and all she could do was cry with him. Even with everyone staring, she couldn't help but lose herself in the moment.

Xion, Roxas, and Axel sat on the shoreline. The weak tide came up to their sandy feet. They watched what was left of the sun retreat under the horizon and the sky above them turn into a black midnight with a tint of blue. Stars began dotting the night sky.

Xion pulled her legs up to her chest. "If only if we could stay like this forever then we wouldn't have to worry about tomorrow." She hugged her legs tightly. She didn't want to leave this day behind to return to the hospital tomorrow. "I promise, one day I'll get better so I don't have to go away anymore. Then we could be together all the time." The chances of Xion ever fully recovering were inconceivable.

Axel and Roxas remained silent as they all watched the night sky together. A single shooting star streaked across the black sky.