Prologue:

The sun began its nightly hibernation beneath the ocean's distant horizon on yet another peaceful evening. The orange-pink hues gradating the canvas sky above was soon dappled in a plethora of bright stars, each twinkling its greetings upon the tiny island system of Destiny Islands.

Destiny Islands was certainly a tranquil place, inhabited by countless content citizens isolated from the remainder of an oceanic world. Nothing out of the norm ever dared to occur, which suited seven-year-old Taiyou just fine. As the mayor's only child, he found he had his father's talent of accepting this serenity rather than its dangerous alternative. Although he was alone a majority of the time due to his working family and the island's playing children he kept a distance from, he relished such solitude. He could take his time to enjoy such wondrous scenes as this, as he traipsed along the main island's sandy shore, listening to gentle tides lapping at his sandaled feet. Cooling, salty breezes enveloped him as he continued his nightly stroll.

Nothing out of the norm would ever dare to occur on this peaceful island; such an ironic mantra to have as Taiyou's life was seconds away from changing.

The boy halted abruptly in his tracks as he noticed a small lump not very far from his position, lying on the sandy border meeting the water. Was it a pile of debris, washed in from a long journey upon the sea, or something else entirely? Taiyou wanted to leave it alone, but his curiosity overtook him, causing him to carefully approach said enigma.

His eyes started to identify this mystery, and panic rose within him as soon as he realized. A girl, unconscious, appearing smaller and younger than Taiyou, lied upon the sand. He dashed to her side as quickly as his legs could carry him, winding up clumsily sliding along the ground at the end of his run. The boy attempted nudging the girl to rouse her, but she did not stir. Lifting his upper body from the ground, he flipped her over to face the ever-darkening sky, studying her features carefully in an endeavor to recognize her.

Her ruby-red hair was lengthened as far as her chin, mussed due to her obvious hardship. Such an even, youthful face she had, it could've been coveted by most who weren't too busy admiring her. Her petite mouth was left agape as she breathed lightly as if in simple slumber. It was clear to him she did not originate from the main island, and the satellite island a short boat ride away had no people, aside from a few children who voyaged over to play from time to time. Who was this stranger, and where did she come from?

A faint flash of light captured Taiyou's attention, illuminating the girl's neck. Her simple necklace's white charm glowed weakly, gently fading away as he stared. Whether it happened to be his imagination fabricating strange illusions or some foreign power like magic, one thing was certain to Taiyou: this was no ordinary girl he stumbled upon.

Suddenly, the girl stirred in his arms.

"H-hey, are you okay?" Taiyou's words stumbled out. Her indigo eyes slowly opened, gazing at his face in a daze.

"Where...am I?" she wondered in a meek, hoarse voice. The boy's heart pounded in his ears as the seconds dragged on.

"We're on Destiny Islands. Where did you come from?"

"I...my home..." All of a sudden, tears began to flow from her eyes as sobs escaped her lips. "G-Grandma..."

Alarmed, Taiyou was confused as to how he could properly handle this situation; he rarely associated with others around his age.

"Don't...don't cry! I'm going to get you some help." Because he was rather small, he struggled to hoist the girl onto his back to carry. "Hold on to me, okay?"

At the girl's weak nod, he briskly scurried up the slippery hill of sand to a brick path, darting along until he reached his home atop another steep slope.

After he opened the door to his house, the events that followed hurried past in a blur: his mother and father dashed in when he shouted in the doorway, the girl was taken from him to another room, and he was dismissed to his own bedroom upstairs to wait.

Sitting against the windowpane adjacent to his bed, staring out at the night sky, Taiyou commenced thinking deeply about the events which occurred just moments ago. The more time he was given to reflect, the worse he felt about it all. Whatever his parents decided to rule, he had a crushing feeling his peaceful life had ended abruptly. Such a mysterious person entering his life without warning...what lied in store for his once-set future?

A sea of stars twinkling down at him, as if in reassurance. Silently, he thanked them for being there for him, no matter if he could see them or not. One star, blinking far more than the others, caught his eye like the girl's necklace had. Was it going to wane as well? As if his question were being answered, the light of that single star flashed once and vanished immediately. Did he just witness a star's demise, or was it something more...?

A rhythmic knock sounded against his door, startling him away from his thoughts.

"Taiyou, please come down to the den," his mother's gentle voice requested, muffled by the door. Curious, he followed his mother's instructions and made his way down the staircase to his home's gathering room, where he found his father, mother, and the girl sitting in chairs around the fireplace next to the room's open entrance. His mother was soothingly rubbing the girl's back in order to comfort her. The girl was staring down, her hands nervously resting upon her knees. Taiyou's mayoral father stood up from his seat, gesturing to the girl as he looked to his son with firm, dark eyes.

"This is Kairi. Due to the shock of whatever has brought her here, her memory is in pieces. Since she has nowhere else to go, your mother and I have decided to raise her in our home as our daughter," he declared, his tone resolute, fitting for a politician.

Taiyou's eyes were glued to the girl. She was a complete stranger, brought here by fate and cursed with memory loss? It made the boy feel rather uncomfortable, especially due to his isolated lifestyle. He had never shared his home with another child, either. However, as all of his excuses would only be seen as whining or complaining, he simply nodded in agreement.

"I understand," was his reluctant reply.

After a few more words were exchanged, Kairi was escorted to the guest bedroom next to Taiyou's by his mother. His father, remaining on his feet, appeared to have more business with Taiyou, causing him to reluctantly stay behind.

"Son, I have a very important job for you." At this sentence, Taiyou felt happiness swelling up within him. He enjoyed being able to aid his family. After seeing his son's reaction, he continued. "Kairi is quite shaken by what has happened to her, and you were the very first person she met here. I need you to be her friend-no, her brother. You need to protect Kairi. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," Taiyou acquiesced after a brief moment of hesitation. All of this was happening far too quickly for him to feel comfortable with it. Just an hour before, he was an only child, alone but content with his existence. Now he had to live and play with a girl he had only just met, be her brother...and defend her. His father's words were absolute. With such a heavy responsibility as his new burden, Taiyou had no choice but to adapt and wait for what this new uncertain future would bring.