Roxas was the last to leave their house that day, so he had to lock the door.
"Come on slowpoke!" a blonde haired artist by the name of Namine called to the blonde boy as she quickly walked to the passenger side of the small car they all shared.
"Yeah! We're both waiting for you!" the brown haired girl, Olette, called from the seat behind Namine.
"Man, you guys are so impatient!" Roxas laughed as he walked to the driver's seat of the car. "We're only going to Kairi's birthday party!"
"Yeah, but everyone we know is gonna be there!" Namine explained impatiently.
A small smile formed on Roxas' lips as he thought back to the day he met the girls. They had met when they were very young. Roxas was just brought to an orphanage because of the untimely death of his parents and he was scared. He didn't know anybody and there was no one around to comfort the crying four year old. That is, until Namine and Olette took notice to him after they saw him all alone crying one day. They too were orphans: Namine's mother couldn't take care of her because she was only a teen mom while Olette's family died in a tragic car accident. The two girls came over to Roxas and invited him to be there friend. He accepted.
Ever since that fateful day the trio was inseparable. Throughout their lives they leaned on one another for support and never stayed angry at each other for a long time. They went to school together, hung out together, and lived together. So when they turned 18 it was only natural for them to rent an apartment together.
But just because they stuck together didn't mean they didn't have other friends. While they were in school they met some of their other close friends: Sora, Kairi, Riku, Axel, Hayner, Pence, and Demyx. And with today being Kairi's birthday, the big group of friends was going to be together once again.
Roxas started the car and drove out of the parking space. Kairi's place was about an hour away so Roxas started a conversation with Namine, who was giggling a bit after she noticed Olette's sleeping figure.
"Wow, she still falls asleep in the car on long car rides? How old is she, three?" Roxas joked.
Namine laughed at this a bit. "Hey! Who are you to laugh at her? You fall asleep once you hear soft music!" Roxas' face turned sour and Namine laughed a little more. Soon the car was filled with a comfortable silence and Namine slowly inched her hand towards Roxas'. She put her small hand over his bigger one and let out a silent sigh when he didn't pull away.
"Roxas?" Namine called out shyly.
"Yeah?" he answered her, a tiny bit confused by her sudden change of attitude.
"Um…" she started. "What…what would you say if I a-asked you out on a date?"
Roxas was completely shocked. "I-I don't know Nami. I really don't know." His voiced trailed lower at that point, as if he was talking to himself. He looked at the artist through the corner of her eye and saw that her eyes were cast downwards and she was folding and unfolding her hands absentmindedly. The boy reached towards Namine with his free hand and put it around her shoulder for comfort. She sighed contently. And that's where everything took a turn for the worse.
Suddenly a huge truck carrying steel pipes that were six inches in diameter pulled in front of the small car and wouldn't speed up. Roxas tried to get into the other lane but couldn't because he was blocked off by a car to his left, the only direction he could go without hitting the guard rail. A pothole in the road jerked the truck as it passed over, just enough to loosen the ties on the pipes. The truck hit a second one and this time a pipe flew off completely. Time slowed down for Roxas as he watched the metal pipe come closer and closer. He took his hand back from Namine's shoulder and put it on the wheel, needing all the strength he could muster to steer the car away. Too bad it wasn't enough.
The pipe shattered the windshield and struck Namine through the chest, kept going, and pierced the now awake Olette through the chest as well. Roxas swerved off the road, parking safely on the grass to the side of the high way.
"Namine! Olette!' he screamed, feeling that that was all he could do know. He looked over to both girls to see blood dripping down Namine's mouth while she was passed out and Olette panicking in her own mind. Roxas regained composure and pulled out his cell phone.
"911 speaking, what is your emergency?" the teller asked
"A big metal pipe just flew through my car windshield and…and impaled my friends. They're still alive but hurry please!" Roxas pleaded
"Where are you right now?" the teller asked so that she could dispatch the closest ambulance to help them.
"Um," he looked around, trying to find a sign to tell him exactly where he was. "I'm on the highway; route 9 to be more specific." Roxas finished really trying now to keep calm.
"What are you close to? What town or exit? I need more information."
"I'm by exit 12! Please get here soon!"
"Okay. An ambulance is on its way. Please stay calm and we will assist you shortly." The call was ended.
Roxas ran to the girls to try and comfort them, to no avail.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay, I'm here." He said to Namine while rubbing her arm because she was crying.
"I-I don't want to die." Namine choked out between sobs.
Roxas' eyes widened at that "No you're not going to die! Neither of you are!"
He then walked over to Olette. "Are you okay?" he asked her and when she didn't answer he started worrying. He felt her pulse and was relieved to feel it was still there. She was probably just traumatized.
Roxas heard the blaring sirens and looked towards the road. An ambulance, a police car, and a fire engine were barreling towards the little patch of grass off the side of the high way were he had parked. The fire fighters got out first and took out the Jaws of Life to break the top of the car off. They needed to complete this quick because the girls needed medical attention fast.
"Step back son." A fire fighter ordered Roxas. With one last look towards the car and his friends he walked towards a police officer that needed a report on the accident.
"Hello, I'm Officer Leon. Would you kindly explain what happened?" he asked, his eyes showing intrigue.
"Well we were driving when a truck carrying those pipes," he pointed over to the large pipe connecting Namine and Olette "And the truck hit a few potholes before that pipe was dislodged and stuck through my friends." Roxas looked and sounded calm and in control on the outside, but on the inside he was a mess.
"We got them!" Roxas heard the firefighters say as they lifted the roof off of the car. Roxas turned around to see the metal pole in full. It was at least five foot long and it stabbed through their chests. But there was also a problem; Namine's seat was also impaled with the pipe. How they were going to get around that made Roxas wonder. Just then a fire fighter walked over to the car with an axe in hand.
"What the hell is he doing?!" Roxas screamed as he watched the axe come dangerously close to Namine. It barely missed her and the police officer had to hold Roxas back from running towards the car. The fire man readied himself again to plunge the blade into the seat to free the pole the girls are stuck on. Finally the seat was cleared away enough for the ambulance workers and the firefighters to lift the pole from the car and into the ambulance. It almost didn't fit but they eventually got it in.
"Wait!" Roxas yelled as the doctors were closing the doors. He ran to the truck and hopped in.
"I'm staying with them no matter what you say." He stated boldly to the man in back. There was a determination in his eyes that the man didn't challenge.
"Just don't get in my way if they need help." The doctor warned. The truck started driving down the road towards the hospital. Roxas nodded his head and turned towards his girls. He grabbed both of their hands and rubbed the backs of them in circles with his thumb.
"You guys will be ok." He kept repeating, although he wasn't sure if he was saying it to soothe them or to convince himself. He looked down at Namine first and saw her shaking from pain and fear. The blonde had cried her last tears minutes ago but her eyes were puffy and red. All down her cheeks were the trails left behind as her diamond tears rolled down her soft cheeks. A pain filled his chest and he looked at Olette. She was still out cold and her breaths were shallow. All in all she looked worse than Namine. She just looked sickly and paler than usual. Her hands were clammy and a thin layer of sweat covered her face. Roxas leaned down and placed a small kiss on her cheek.
Much to his annoyance, the ambulance didn't get to the hospital for another ten minuets. When they finally arrived he jumped out of the back if the cramped truck and followed the ambulance workers as they carried the two girls and the pole through the emergency room. It was a hectic scene as the staff was yelling things to other members of the staff and moving around frantically. He found himself following a parade of doctors and nurses to an empty room while they were figuring what to do to the girls.
"You need to get out of this room for now." A nurse commanded Roxas and pushed him out.
"But-." He was cut off.
"You can come back in once they are stabilized." She slammed the door in Roxas' face and anger boiled deep inside him. It didn't last as he remembered he was in the hospital because of the girls. Sighing, he slammed his back against the wall next to the girls' room and slid down it. He covered his face with his hands while he awaited clearance to see Olette and Namine.
After what seemed like an eternity a sweating nurse opened the door. "You can come in now, they're stabilized."
Roxas lifted himself off of the floor and walked into the room. The metal pole was still connecting them but both girls were given medicine to knock them out. A few small tears escaped the corners of his eyes but he held the rest back; he needed to be strong for them. He walked over to Namine, who was closest to the door. A blood stain was showing through her white dress right around where the pole was. It was like an arrow hit a bull's eye. Tears threatened to spill over again, but he pushed them back. He didn't want to appear as weak as he was. He rubbed her soft, platinum blonde hair and kissed her forehead lightly. He walked to Olette next and just stood and stared at her. She already looked dead. His eyes widened and the blonde shook off that feeling. He reached out his hand and held hers for a few minuets until the doctor walked in.
"You're Roxas I presume." The doctor said in with a thick English accent.
Roxas looked away from Olette and dropped her hand. "Yeah. Why?"
"I need to discuss some important matters with you." The doctor answered. He looked to be in his late fifties with brown but graying hair and warm brown eyes. "Come with me." He walked out the door. Roxas followed him out of the room.
"So….what are these important matters?" Roxas asked.
"It's about the operation we have to perform." The doctor stalled.
"Yes?"
"With it….we can only save one of the girls. The other girl wouldn't be able to be saved."
"A-and y-you're asking me to pick?"
"Sadly, yes. And if I were you I would pick soon or both will die. I'll give you a little while." The doctor walked away with a grimace.
Roxas' world collapsed around him. How was he supposed to pick? Life wouldn't be worth living if one of them died. Tears rolled down his cheeks but he kept his voice steady as he called Kairi.
The phone rang twice before Kairi answered. "Roxas?" she questioned "Where are you guys."
"The hospital." He answered dismally.
"What? Why?"
"There was an accident on the road and long story short Namine and Olette are pinned together with a metal pole."
"No…"
"Yeah, and now I have to chose which girl stays alive and which dies." His voice cracked at the end.
"Roxas we're on our way. Be strong. And don't make any decisions yet." Kairi hung up, leaving Roxas alone with his thoughts.
Memories flowed through Roxas' mind. Some were newer, like earlier that day when Namine asked him out. Others were older, going as far back to the first day they met each other. What really made them stick together was that neither of them had any extended family either. This brought Roxas back to the present day where the weight of his decision grew heavier. He realized that he had to chose, no one else could because there was no one else. Tears streamed down his cheeks in greater number.
"Roxas!" he heard a voice call from down the hall. He looked and saw Kairi, Sora, Riku, Axel, Demyx, Hayner, and Pence. Kairi reached him first and when she did she pulled him into a big hug. He hugged back, but there was no life in it, like he was just following the motions.
"Hey. Don't worry Roxas, it'll be ok." Axel said, trying to be sympathetic.
Anger flooded through Roxas. "It'll be ok?" the blonde mocked. "How is anything going to be ok?! I have the two most important people in my life in that room dying and I have to pick one to live! HOW IS ANYTHING OK?!"" He screamed and let the anger flow out unstopped with tears. The boy slumped against the wall and slid down it, covering his face and his tears.
Hurt flashed in Axel's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with sorrow for his friend. "I'm sorry; I was just trying to help."
Roxas looked up at him then put his eyes down to the floor. "It-it's ok. I shouldn't have lashed out. You guys wanna see them?" Roxas apologized, and then asked pointed his hand towards the door.
"Yeah, we do. And I need to see Olette." Hayner answered while holding back tears. He and Olette were in a committed relationship with each other and he needed to see her. Roxas led the group towards the room but then warned them.
"It's really bad in there. I just wanted to warn you guys." He opened the door and they walked in. Kairi was the first to react and she gasped, tears threatening to fall. She walked over to her fiancé, Sora and held his hand before taking him to get a closer look at the girls. Hayner practically ran into the room towards Olette, followed by Pence. Hayner grabbed Olette's hand and held it tightly whispering to his love. Axel and Demyx walked in next and walked straight to Namine. They saw the blood stained on her shirt and frowned. Axel leaned down to rub hair out of Namine's relaxed face. Riku walked in and immediately took notice to the metal pole. It seemed to be at least five foot long and no more than two inches wide. Then he looked at his friends and sighed, knowing that one of them would die.
A few minuets later the doctor walked back in. "Have you decided yet? You should pick soon or the chances grow that neither will survive." The doctor asked.
Roxas looked at him with dead eyes. "No I haven't picked. How can I? Olette and Hayner are in love, but I can't just kill Namine. You tell me doctor. How am I supposed to choose?"
"Choose Olette." Hayner said shocking everyone in the room with his frankness. "Namine isn't in a relationship. She doesn't have anyone she loves and no one here loves here more than a sister or family." Roxas' mind flashed to this afternoon in the car when Namine asked him out on a date. "I'm not saying she is less important than Olette but-"
Roxas interrupted him, more pent up anger and frustration and sadness rising up from his core. "No, that's exactly what you're selfishly saying! We all love Olette and respect that you two are in a relationship, but we also love Namine. I'm not choosing anyone, you bastard! They're my family!" he spat. He then turned to the doctor. Hayner was shocked that Roxas turned so hostile.
"My choice? I want you and your team to save them both. Do whatever you can no matter the cost or the time or anything. I want my family to be whole. And for that to happen you need to save them. Both of them."
"I already told you, that's not possible, and if we try they'll both end up dead!" the doctor explained again. Everyone stared at Roxas as he was searching for something to say.
"You can do it. I have faith in you." Roxas' voice was low and soft, pleading. The doctor looked down and frowned.
"We'll try as hard as we can, but now we can't guarantee that even one of them will survive." He said.
"If they both die, expect me to be buried the same day as them, my grave between theirs in the cemetery." Roxas boldly stated his future to the doctor. "So now that's three lives on the line."
The doctor was flabbergasted. Roxas had basically just declared that if the two girls died he would kill himself. "Very well, then. We will take your life into account as well. We'll be seeing you after the operation." He walked out of the room to get his team so that the operation could begin. Roxas walked over to Namine and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Don't die on us, please." He muttered to her quietly. After that he walked over to Olette and, despite protests from Hayner, did the same thing to her. The doctors and nurses walked in and started wheeling out the hospital beds the girls were on.
"I love you." Hayner told Olette, who was still unconscious, right before the girls were out of the room.
"You weren't serious, were you?" Sora asked Roxas.
"I'm dead serious." Was all he answered back. The group walked into the lobby and sat there, awaiting the news of their friends' operation.
They waited for hours and hours with all but Roxas eventually falling asleep. He stared into space, running over countless scenarios in his head of what the doctor would say when he came back. Some were good, while others were terrible. He shuttered at the bad ones.
His feelings for Namine also shot through his brain. Did he even have feelings for her? If he could go back in time would he have said yes to her offer? Namine was always a bit lonelier than Olette but she hardly showed it. Roxas only knew because he had seen her on accident when she was alone, just crying with no one to comfort her. It made his heart hurt when he saw her cry. The blonde realized he had feelings for the girl, but did he actually love her? Yes, yes he did he decided.
10 hours after the operation started, the doctor came back. Roxas saw him and woke up his friends.
"Well, what happened?" Roxas asked, fearing the worse.
The doctor took a deep breath before revealing the results. "There was a complication-"
"Oh God." Roxas fell back in his seat without thinking.
"Namine is in the room resting right now, she had a punctured lung, some broken ribs, and she needed stitched to close the big hole in her chest. She was taken off the pole first. Olette had the same problems basically but the complications began when Olette woke up unexpectedly and early. The pain was horrible and so she started struggling. But this just worsened her condition and hurt her more. We got her sedated again but the damage was already done and she died soon after. Although as we were sedating her for the second time she said that she and I quote 'loved Hayner and to tell him that, And also to give him her necklace and tell him not to worry or blame it on anyone' end quote. We are truly sorry and we tried harder than we thought we could. If she wouldn't have woken up early I could have only been giving good news." The doctor told everyone what happened and then walked out of the room after giving Hayner the necklace.
Hayner collapsed onto the floor and cried, holding the diamond heart necklace in his hand tightly. Roxas wasn't taking the news any better, as he was crying. He had lost a family member and a close friend. Suddenly Hayner jolted up and walked up to Roxas. Through their teary eyes the other group members saw what was happening. Hayner punched Roxas hard, over and over, crying with each punch until he stopped completely and collapsed again.
"You could've saved her! If you weren't so stubborn she could still be alive right now!" He cried.
"Don't you think I'm devastated too? Olette and Namine were my family and now one of them is dead! And it's my fault!" Roxas countered.
"It's no one's fault, ya here?" Demyx stated loudly to get it across to the two fighting friends.
Hayner stood up and pulled something from his pocket. It was a black felt covered jewelry box and when he opened it there was a dazzling diamond ring inside. "I was going to propose to Olette tonight but now I will never get the chance! Fuck you Roxas and I hope to never lay eyes on you or that girl in there. Olette should've been the one to live, not her! She doesn't deserve to live!" he stormed off towards the elevator to the way out. Pence looked beck once and then followed him out. Aside from sobs not s sound could be heard.
Roxas stood up, walked over to Kairi and gave her a big hug. "Happy birthday. I'm sorry it was ruined with death." He then walked away towards Namine's room. He reached it and opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake her up. The blonde boy walked in the room and pulled a chair up to the side of the bed. He took her hand in both of his and just cried.
Later that day, the rest of the group walked into Namine's room to offer condolences to both of them and to hug the artist. They left and it was Roxas and Namine alone yet again.
When Namine awoke later on she asked where Olette was.
"Nami…Olette. Olette died." He hung his head low and felt tears pour out again. Namine's eyes widened. Tears leaked out. He stood up and Namine grabbed his arm.
"Don't leave, Roxas. I don't know how much more I can take." She pleaded.
He chuckled sadly. "I'm not leaving. Just move over a little bit."
She did as she was told and he got onto the bed with her. His arm wound around her shoulder while his other one was rubbing her head. "Shh. Get some rest. I'll stay with you. We're the only family we've got." Roxas laid down completely with his arm still around her shoulder. She moved closer to him and rested her head in the crook of his neck. As she drifted to sleep tears fell from her eyes and memories of Olette filled her mind. Before he passed out as well, Roxas looked at her and smiled. He knew Olette would live on as long as the people she cared about remembered her and moved on.
"Yes." Roxas answered Namine as she was falling asleep.
"Yes what?" she asked him.
"I was answering your question if I would go out to dinner with you one day. Yes I would." He answered.
She smiled. "Thank you." She said before finally falling asleep.
XXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxx
A year had passed since Olette's death. Namine and Roxas were in a new car (the old one was destroyed) and they were driving to Kairi's birthday party. Roxas' hand was intertwined with Namine's and they were both blushing.
Roxas was remembering Olette's funeral, which was only attended by her 'family', her closest friends, and the doctors and nurses that had operated on her. The truck driver was there as well, much to Hayner's chagrin because no charges had been pressed against him. He wanted to press chargers, but deep down he knew that would solve nothing. The truck driver gave a toast and apologized for the billionth time before the funeral was over.
Namine, on the other hand, was thinking of the relationship that sparked between her and Roxas. They had known each other their whole lives but had never dated and now she wondered why it took so long to start. They were happy together and both were living in memory of Olette. Roxas had even proposed to Namine and of course she said yes. They were to be married the day after Kairi's birthday, which was the day Olette died.
Hayner and Roxas were still on bad terms, but now Hayner didn't blame everything on Roxas. It was a friendship that would have to be repaired over time.
Namine and Roxas arrived at Kairi's house and were greeted with hugs and kisses from all of their friends except for Hayner, who had only waved. Roxas kissed Namine gently on the lips as they were walking into Kairi's party. The sun was setting behind them and yet another decision was made: the decision to live happily and always remember their family.
Life is full of decisions and no matter what path you chose there will always be more. But there is a beauty behind it. You can make no decision at all, like Roxas did and follow the outcome. Sometimes, that's the smartest thing to do.