Hey there. It has been a while since I did this

I saw Coco recently and loved the hell out of it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Pixar, though if you're reading this, that would probably be redundant.

Anywho, an idea for a story came to me and I decided to try and to try it out, hoping that it might help get back into writing again, which I've slacked off these past few months due to work. Got to say, I had lot of fun writing this and I hope you enjoy reading.

Basically, this is story where Miguel didn't receive his blessing and was lost in the Land of the Dead. The main idea behind it, was the fact that Mama Imdela wouldn't let him go back unless it was her own way, so what if there was some serious consequences to her decisions? I also, threw in an idea I had for a OC, to help craft a full length story, rather than a one shot

Can't help but feel like this is too long for a first chapter, but a lot of it is just setting up the story. Next chapters may vary, and I can't make any real guarantees of when I update again, though I will try to get the second chapter out soon. Also, I want to apologize in advance for any Spanish speakers who may read this, as I did include some bits of Spanish for certain characters. I tried to be as accurate as I could, but Spanish isn't my first language, so if anyone feels I did anything poorly, I want to apologize

So, without any further procrastination, on to the story

Coco: Second Chances in a Second Life

Quiet. Simple, peaceful quiet

Few people understood or appreciated the serenity and ambiance of total silence. For most people, everything of interest in life had to be defined or measured by how loud, how eloquent, soothing or terrifying it sounded. Sound is a neglected sense, but it's the first one people turn to when they want to understand the world around them. But what most people didn't realise was that in the absence of sound, everything was still and calm.

There was no rhythm, no creative flair, no spontaneity. No bumps or flows or waves or edges or curves. No thought or feeling. No worry or fear. No joy or pain. No hope or love, no dreams or regret. Past or future. Not really even a present. Just the world being played to a serene and perpetual tone of nothing. A great wide, endless and encompassing ocean of silence, where the soul can merely float away forever.

"Koko?

With a sudden jolt to her left leg, Koko Kioku felt her mind pull back from her personal anechoic chamber and back to reality that surrounded her. Blinking her eyes open, the first thing Koko saw was the concerned face of her mother, turned around in her car seat to check up on her twelve year old daughter's welfare. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out but a muffled sound. Seeing her daughter's confusion, Mrs Kioku made a pointing gesture to her own ears.

With great reluctance, Koko did as her mother wanted and removed her noise cancelling headphones, which she had been wearing for the majority of the trip. The headphones were not hooked up to any phone or cd player. One might call them an overzealous accessory, but to Koko, they were a means for her to dampen out the humdrum buzzing that was constantly around her and reduce it to nothing but a slightly more bearable humming. And as soon as she took her headphones off, the first thing her ears were greeted to, was the sound of a boisterous and obnoxious song being played over the radio.

"Remember me! Though I have to travel far, remember me!"

"I said, we're going to be there soon" her mother said, raising her voice above the music. "Ok, sweetheart?"

"Yes, mother" she said unenthusiastically. It hadn't even been a full minute yet and she was already missing the peace of her headphones, her ears starting to ache from the song.

"Uh, I hate music" she muttered in disgust, pulling her knit cap down over her brow.

"Something wrong, sweetheart?" her father asked, glancing back her at in the rear-view mirror.

"Nothing" she mumbled, just loud enough to keep him from following up with another question.

"Honey, do you think you could turn that down?" Mrs Kioku asked her husband, while indicating to the radio, being slightly more conscious of their daughter's current state, and coincidently because she was also starting to find the music annoying, as opposed to her husband.

"It's a classic" Mr Kioku defended. "Besides, this is the hometown of one of the world's most famous musicians. Everyone in Santa Cecilia loves music. Now, if we could just find the inn".

Koko sighed again and adjusted herself in the back seat of the car. She peered out the window, as she saw buildings now coming into view, meaning they weren't far from their arrival. A little less than a week ago, Koko and her parents were living in their home in LA. But her father had decided that it was time for them to finally time to take their long-planned family vacation, to get away from work and obligations. There were some lengthy debates on where they should go prior to making the arrangements, until they ultimately decided to visit what perhaps was the odd child of popular tourist destinations; Mexico

After setting all their nesscessary affairs in order, they had taken a flight in from L.A. to Mexico City, where they had spent their first night. The following morning, they rented a suitable car and began to travel around the country side, seeing many of the famous and popular tourist locations. Their next such destination was the town of Santa Cecilia. It was somewhat of a remote location, but it was a popular tourists' destination nonetheless due to it being the home to one of Mexico's famous musicians, Ernesto De la Cruz, who, appropriately enough, was currently singing to the Kioku family over the radio, from beyond the grave.

Koko cringed heavily as the song continued playing, sinking further into the upholstery of the back seat. She made no objection to this trip but showed no real enthusiasm either. The companions she had this trip was her family, that consisted of her mother and father.

Mrs Kioku was Caucasian woman, with a tall, slender, well-toned figure for a body. Her hair was black, almost silk like, and was tied up into a bun at the back of her head, giving a full view of her face.

Mr Kioku, unlike his wife, was of Japanese descent. His face appeared to be that of a man younger than what he was, though with strong features reminiscent of his heritage. Like his wife, he had black hair, cut in a short manner, and prominent goatee, that despite his wife's sincerest efforts, he wouldn't shave off.

Koko herself had inherited a mixture of her parent's traits. At best she resembled her mother, though not without some faint traits of her Asian features, particularly along her cheeks and eyes, which only served to help complement her appearance. Unlike her mother, she let her hair hang loose at the back and wore a knit cap on the top of her head.

Though she wasn't at all vain or shallow over her how she looked, many people would consider her beautiful, or at the very least, on the cusp of becoming beautiful. But right now, at this moment, she appeared nothing melancholy and chest fallen, as though she had long forgotten what joy was supposed to look like.

They had been on the road for a few hours now, leaving early in the morning. They arrived town and now they were busy trying to find the local inn where they had hoped to spend the night.

"Look, they said back at the gas station, there was an inn here and that it was this way" Mr Kioku said to wife. "We'll find it"

"They also said half of it in Spanish and the other half through bad charades" Mrs Kioku retorted. "Look, we're just going to have to stop and ask someone for directions. And I know, it'll bruise your ego, being a man and all"

"Are you actually going to into a stereotype about men not wanting to ask for directions?" Mr Kioku asked wife.

"Should I, instead, go into a stereotype of what a bad driver you are?" Mrs Kioku asked him, with a wryly smile.

Mr Kioku glanced at wife with an indignant look, before rolling his eyes in a sign of defeat, not having the energy to put up with her teasing after having been on the road for so long.

The car continued down a cobbled stone street. Up ahead, there was a large crowd of people crossing the street. Approaching the crowd, Mr Kioku dabbed his foot on the brakes, as the crowd was almost clear, though perhaps not quick enough as they came very close to bumping into an old woman of short stature who walked out on the road at the very last second.

"Oi! Mira a dónde vas gringo!" she yelled angrily, brandishing her fist at the car.

"Sorry, sorry!" Mr Kioku called out, rolling down his window so that the woman could hear him. The radio's music now blared out loudly from the car. The old woman perked up as soon as the Mr Kioku poke his head of the window. She walked around the front of the car and approached Mr Kioku as he spoke to her.

"We were just looking for the Casa de Bienvenida Inn" he said to the old woman, both polite and respectful. "Would you happen to know where that-?"

"Sin musica!"

Before Mr Kioku could finish his question, the old woman suddenly pulled off one of her slippers and promptly smacked him across the face with it, with enough force that you'd swear she had just stuck him with a baseball bat

Mrs Kioku and her daughter both stared at this abrupt act of violence in complete shock, neither of them having idea what had just happened. Normally in these types of situations, the old woman might have been holding a gun or a knife instead of a tattered slipper, though she appeared no less threatening with it.

Mr Kioku rubbed in his face, stunned, but not visibly angry by the woman's actions, believing there may have be a simply miscommunication.

"Um, I'm sorry, I don't understand-"

"I said, no music!" she screamed even louder at him in full English. The old woman winded her arm up for another swing. Mr Kioku quickly raised his hands up to shield himself from the assault the old woman's slipper whipping. Fearing for his safely and to a lesser extent, his family, Mr Kioku hurriedly pulled his window back up and slam his foot hard on the accelerator, the car taking off at full speed, wanting to put as much distance between him, that woman and her slipper as possible.

The car sped down the empty road and rounded a corner before it finally came to stop beside a large truck. Breathing heavily, Mr Kioku turned off the engine of the car, his hands gripping the wheel tightly and looking as though he just stared down the barrel of a gun. Steadying himself again, he switched off the engine of the car. After a moment, he glanced over to his wife, who had remained stock quiet since the ordeal began.

Mrs Kioku looked back at her husband with a blank expression of shock, before her mouth twitched into a crooked smile and immediately she burst out into a fit of uncontrolled laughing. She laughed so hard, that she literally grabbed her own sides and threw her head, as she started doubling over in pain. Slowly overcoming his shellshock, Mr Kioku let out a shaky chuckle, quickly becoming infected by the hilarity of the situation and joined his wife in laughter. In the back seat of the car, Koko was the only who didn't laugh, but she couldn't help but managed a small smile of her own, at the sound of hearing her parents laugh together.

After a few minutes of solid laughter, the excitement in the car died down once again. Mr Kioku was the first to recollect himself. "Okay, I guess not everyone in Santa Celiclo is a music fan"

"You know, I think before we left, one of my students warned me to watch out for any angry abuelita's with a slipper" Mrs Kioku said in between her gasps for breath.

"Abuelita?" Mr Kioku repeated.

"It's Spanish for grandmother" she explained. "You know, like an oba-chan."

"Don't recall my oba-chan ever hitting me like that" Mr Kioku said, rubbing his cheek, which was now turning distinctly red. "Okay, new rule. We stay a hundred yards away from anyone holding a slipper"

"Duly noted" Mrs Kioku replied. "But we still need to find that inn".

"Good point" Mr Kioku replied with a straight face. He pressed down on a button on the side of his car door, which rolled down the window on his wife's side of the car. Mrs Kioku glanced from the window to her husband, giving him a curious look.

"You are asking the next person for directions" he said, with the utmost seriousness

After finally arriving at the Casa de Bienvenida Inn and parking their rented car out in the parking lot, Mr Kioku met with the front-end receptionist, obtaining a room and key. The Kioku family then carted their luggage upstairs and entered their two-bedroom apartment up on the second floor of the inn. It wasn't what you might call a five-star hotel, but certainly liveable, with beds, a bathroom and TV. And the Kioku family was not the type that was prone to wanting any kind of superficial lifestyle.

Settling in, Mr and Mrs Kioku began to unpack their bags, sorting out their clothes and other travel belongings out one of the bed.

"So, what should we do first?" Mr Kioku asked his wife, lifting out some of his folded shirts onto the bed.

"Well first I want to do, is go check out that art gallery they have in town" Mrs Kioku replied, her excitement clearly evident in her voice. "It's supposed to have some paintings by Frida Khalo herself. They say it's some of her most obtrusive works from when she in her eccentric period

"Honey, you don't think that maybe she was always kinda… eccentric" Mr Kioku said, never really having shared his wife's passion for some questionable forms of art.

"Which one of us teaches the art class and which one is a financial manager?" Mrs Kioku replied sarcastically, a challenging look in her eyes.

"Fine, whatever" Mr Kioku said, throwing his hands up in mock defeat. "But afterwards, I think we should go by the cemetery and have a look at Ernesto De la Cruz tomb. Also, they're supposed to be setting up that festival for Dia de los Murtos tomorrow evening"

"Well, we're here for a couple of days, so let's be sure to see what we can. Is there anything you'd like to do Koko? Koko?"

Mr and Mrs Kioku turned their heads to the other side of the room, where saw that Koko was sitting up on one of the chairs, her legs pulled up to her chest and her headphones wrapped around her ears once again.

Sharing a concerned and knowing glance with each other, both Mr and Mrs Kioku ceased their organising to focus on their daughter. With a determined stride, Mr Kioku crossed the room to where Koko was sitting and unceremoniously plucked the headphones off her head from behind her chair.

"Hey!" she said, looking up at her father.

"Koko, we've talked about this" he said, his voice consolingly, but no less firm. He waved her headphones in the air. "You can't keep wearing these things all the time. You need to start getting out again. That's the whole point of taking a vacation"

Koko sighed and slide further down into the seat. "And what exactly am I supposed to do?" she mumbled into her chest, with her face half hidden under her cap.

"You could start by trying out some of the local food" her father suggested, not hiding his own earnest at the prospect. "Despite what some people might say, Mexico has some of the best cuisine in the world. Food teaches you a lot about a culture. Why don't we go out together and see what we can find?"

"Dad, I'm not hungry and I really don't feel like going out" Koko said with great difficulty, the very idea of going back outside leaving her uneasy. "It's just…. too noisy. Please, I like the quiet"

Mr Kioku sighed again, and rubbed his eyes wearily, doing his best to keep his patience. "Koko, we're not having this discussion again. You have to-"

Before things had the chance to escalate, Mrs Kioku swiftly positioned herself between her daughter and husbanding, while giving him a slight look to restraint himself. Knowing right away what she trying to do, Mr Kioku took a step back to allow his wife to take over for him. Satisfied, Mrs Kioku bent down on her knees and rested her chin on the arm of the chair, looking directly at Koko, who was avoiding her gaze.

"Koko, your father and I are going out for a while" she said gently. "If you like come with us you can. Or if you don't feel up to it, why don't stay here and get some sleep, ok, sweetheart? Then later, we can talk about doing something together as a family"

"Yes, mother" Koko replied softly, avoiding her mother's eyes.

Mrs Kioku smiled and gave her daughter a quick kiss on the forehead before standing back up.

"We'll be back soon. And remember". Mrs Kioku raised her hand, revealing a red string tied around her wrist. Mr Kioku pulled up his sleeve to reveal a red string on his own wrist. Still unable to look at either of her parents, Koko merely raised up her own wrist in a half-hearted response, her string just visible.

Satisfied, her parents were about to walk out the door. Just as her father pasted by her, Koko made a brief gesture with her hand as her father passed, thinking her may give back her headphones, but he instead pulled out of her reach and held them in the air.

"You get these, when we get back" he said sternly, placing the headphones inside his wife's purse. as she watched her parents leave the room.

Koko slumped her head down at the arm of the chair, looking even more glum than before. She rubbed her right ear yearningly, already missing the comfort of her headphones. With nothing better to do and lacking the energy to find something better to do, she got up off the chair and trudged her way over to the second bed. As soon as she was closed enough, she let her legs give way and flopped herself face first into the pillow.

Sleep was the next best thing to quiet, but she couldn't remember the last time she had gone to sleep without her headphones. For a while now, it had been getting hard to remember what sleep was and wasn't, as though she had passing by everything in a haze these past few weeks. Still, the pillow was soft press against her head and the fragment smell of mint was quite relaxing. Only a few minutes passed before Koko slowly felt herself beginning to drift off into peaceful slumber

"Remember me! Though I have to travel far, remember me!"

As though a bomb had just gone off in the room, Koko was jolted out of the bed and onto the floor with a solid thud, panic and fear catching her by surprise. Pushing herself back and rubbing her sore head, Koko looked over to the far end of the room, where she could hear the sound of someone singing the exact song her father had been listening to on the radio just before they arrived, coming loud and clearly from the room adjacent to their, through the walls, which Koko was certain must be structurally unsound in someway if they were that thin.

All her previous drowsiness now gone, and replaced by severe irritation, Koko got to her feet and exited the room. She saw the door to the room next to theirs left ajar, the music emitting from within. Pushing the door open, Koko was greeted by the sight of a massive backside, which belonged to plump, yet very lively maid, who was listening to music playing over portable radio set up on the counter by the bed, while simultaneously vacuuming the floor of the empty room. She hadn't taken any notice of Koko when she entered the room, her eyes closed shut as she hummed along to the tune of the song.

"Um, excuse me, could you please turn that off?" Koko said. "I'm trying to-".

The maid however, didn't hear a word Koko was saying, as the sound of both the radio and vacuum was drowning everything else out. The maid soon became more and more embroiled with the music as she began to sing out loud, and very off tune, mixing her dance moves with the sliding of her vacuum cleaner across the floor.

"Excuse me! Could you please-!?" Koko practically beginning to shout, but once she saw the maid now beginning to shake her excessively large and jiggly rear end in a manner that one would most certainly only do in private, she soon realised that this wasn't worth the effort, nor the nightmares that were sure to follow this evening if she continued looking.

Rolling her eyes in disgust, both at situation and the irony of it, Koko decided to follow her father's advice and go out for some sightseeing, albeit under an extreme case of coercion. Returning to the room, she put on her jacket and her favourite knit cap, while also being sure to take the spare room key her parents had left her. She couldn't help but feel her neck tingle without the weight of her headphones.

Once she was ready, Koko left the room, and being sure to take the route opposite from where the maid was cleaning, she trotted down the stairs of the inn and started walking, not really caring where she went, just being sure it was far away that she could no longer hear that song.

Koko continued to walk aimlessly, passing by numerous buildings and a concession stands that lined up the sides of the streets. But the further and further she walked, the more and more uncomfortable she began to feel, as she the chorus of everyday life all around her ring out all around her. Feet trampling, people shouting, doors banging, horns blaring, dogs barking, glass breaking, bells chiming, birds chirping, whistles blowing. Noises upon noises upon noise. Nothing but decibels and resonates that endlessly bounced and echoed off each receiver, no telling when something began or ended

Koko couldn't stand any of it. She began to feel the deep nausea building up her stomach, her head beginning to ache and her ears straining from the pounding of every racket, jangle and clutter that she passed by. Every time she heard something, she couldn't help but feel like she was being attacked in some way. Like a salvo on the battlefield. Sometimes she thought that the noise itself was alive, with the physical intent of wanting to hurt her as it passed through her body.

All that she wanted was a quiet, empty place where she wouldn't have to think or feel anything, where her mind could go clear again, and where she wouldn't have to dwell on her own feelings.

Eventually, it seemed as though her prayers had been answered, when she found a large plaza in the middle of the town, which was virtually deserted of people, aside from some locals who were setting up decorations. In the centre of the plaza was an iron statue of a man in sombrero and guitar in his hands, which Koko had no doubt must be the famous Ernesto de la Cruz himself.

Still, it was the quietest place she had found yet. Koko wasted no time in taking a seat on an empty bench next to the statue and took a deep inhale of breath to relax herself again. She closed her eyes and began to enjoy the brief solace, her nausea and headache slowly subsiding

"Remember me! Though I have to travel far, remember me!"

Koko jumped up in fright and snapped d her eyes open again. She was now face to face with four extravagantly dressed men wearing sombreros, each of them playing a different musical instrument. She knew enough about Mexican culture to know, that this had to a musicians group known as a mariachi band who played for both tourists and locals. And right now, Koko had the unfortune pleasure of having to listen to them sing the same irritating song that everyone in this town seemed to be obsessed with.

"And each time you hear a sad guitar, know that I'm with the only way I can be! Remember me!"

Koko stared at the them with a queasy expression, their voices ringing out in unison. She tried opening in mouth in a feeble attempt to ask them to stop, but she couldn't even muster enough strength to that, as the sound of their music was already overwhelming. And it didn't really help that she was beginning to really, really hate that stupid song.

Koko stood up from the bench and made move to leave, but was quickly intercepted by another pair of singers, one of them holding a large trumpet, which they blew hard right in Koko's direction. Now practically surrounding Koko, the band continue playing, the merriment of their own craft apparently making them oblivious to the discomfort they were causing her.

As they reached their crescendo, their voice hitting that final note of 'Remember me', Koko growled in rage and covered both her ears, almost wishing she could rip them off, rather than listen to anymore music or anyone else asking to be remembered.

Keeping her hands over her ears, she managed to push her way past the mariachi band, who continued singing, and did nothing as she ran straight out of the plaza and down the nearest street, before ducking into alleyway.

Releasing her ears once again, Koko slumped up against the wall and crossed her arms, again feeling exhausted. Groaning heavily, she slid her back down the wall, resting herself on the ground. She hated this. She hated this feeling. She hated having to listen to people try and sound so cheerful. It just made her feel sick.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes again, wishing more than anything she had her headphones again. She pulled her cap down over her eyes and cup her ears with her hands, hoping to mimic the sensation of isolation once again. She felt she could no longer bear the persistent and excessive static of the rest of the world any longer. She just wished everything around her would fade away.

Thud!

For what must have been the umptieth time today, Koko's moment of solace was snatched away from her when she felt something very heavy land on top of her head and jump off again.

Koko pulled her cap off and looked up to see what had hit her. At first, she thought it was some kind of cat, but she was mistaken. Based on its features, Koko could see that it was a fox, though not like any fox she had seen before. It had a long tail and ears, yet it's fur was grey and looked very small, not that much bigger than an actual cat. But it eyes appeared excessively large, like great orbs of black ink trapped in a bubble.

The fox took a tentatively step toward Koko and sniffed the air between them. Koko immediately tensed up, not making any sudden movements, keeping eyes trained on the fox. She had read enough books in school to know that wild animals in any country could be dangerous at a moment's notice, no matter how innocent they might appeared. She glanced to the end of the alley, readying herself to move if needed.

But then something strange happened. As if it had been able to sense Koko's fear, the fox stopped in its tracks and sat back on its heed legs, standing up perfectly straight, like a well-trained dog. Surprised, Koko had no idea what to make of it. She stared into the foxes deep brown eyes, she could swear it was someone trying to hypnotise her. The fox cocked its head to the side and lowered its ears, as it continued looking at her. Frankly, it actually looked pretty damn adorable.

"Um, hello there" she said, for lack of any formal greeting. The fox remained stationary. It then lowered itself to the ground, lying flat on its stomach. Koko still had no idea what to make of it, but she could feel her guard being lowered, as the fox didn't seem to pose any danger.

Getting down on all fours, Koko slowly crawled over to the fox who remained where it was. Resting back on her heels, Koko and the fox merely looked at each other, as though waiting for the other to make the first move. Koko carefully stretched her hand out to the fox, who briefly sniffed it. Feeling more confident, Koko slowly brought her hand down to the fox's head and very pet it lightly.

Then it happened. In the blink of an eye, the fox lunged its head at her wrist and snapping its teeth into sleeve. Alarmed, Koko let out a tiny cry and pulled her arm back from the fox, who instantly backed away from her.

Koko examined her wrist for injury. At first, she was relieved when she saw no bite marks on her flesh, only to realise what was truly amiss. She turned back to the fox. Hanging inside of its mouth, was the red string her mother had given her to wear around her wrist.

Maybe it was just the sheer bizarreness of the situation or the brief burst of adrenaline she was feeling, but Koko now felt something red hot bubbling inside of her, a feeling of genuine anger that was more intense than anything she had felt in a long while.

"Give that back!" Koko snapped at the fox. She lunged toward the fox, but it swiftly hopped around her and jumped on top of a nearby crate.

Koko stared at the fox, who stared back at her pensively, the red string still dangling from its lip. She couldn't help but feel it was taunting her. Narrowing her eyes, she made another grabbed at the fox who jumped off the box and ran down the alley way. Growing more frustrated, yet still determined, Koko scrambled to her feet and gave chase to the fox.

The fox kept a consistent pace ahead of Koko, as it practically gilding it was through the winding alley way. Koko lost briefly lost sight of it as it rounded a corner. When she caught up to the corner, she saw that alley diverged into a number of different paths ahead of her. Glancing down each path, looking for some sense of which one to take, Koko spotted the fox out of the corner of her eye, sitting on top of a wooden fence that the end of one of the paths.

Strangely, the fox waited patiently on top of the fence as Koko sprinted toward it. Only when she was about to reach the fence, did it jump off to the other side. Once she was close enough, Koko managed to jump up and grab the top of the fence with her hands. Hoisting herself up, she swung her right leg over the fence and planted her foot on thin wooden boards. Using it as leverage, she pulled herself over the fence, and brought her other knee on top. But then she felt something snap under her right foot, forcing her to slide down the fence and on to the ground, pieces of wood falling behind her.

Wincing hard, Koko pushed herself into a sitting position, feeling a sharp pain radiating in her knee. Checking for any bleeding, she saw to her relief that it wasn't cut. Breathing still rapid, Koko did a quick survey of her surroundings and saw that she had been brought back out onto the street, right beside a flower shop that was next to the fence she had climbed over, situated on at the top of a small incline. There were dozens of people around her, browsing the other shops and stands, none of them taking notice the young girl who had just come over the fence.

Koko's eyes continued to scan the area, but she couldn't see any sign of the fox anywhere. Her breathing slowly coming back to normal, the excitement wearing off, Koko couldn't help but feel incredibly stupid. She couldn't tell if it was because she let the fox get away or because she actually chased after it in the first place.

Deflated, she got back to her feet, but then noticed something else. Lifting up her right foot, she looked down and saw that the outer sole of her canvas shoe had been severely ripped at her heel, likely when the fence broke out from under her. The rubber piece of the sole was barely hanging on by a thread.

Koko groaned wearily at the sight of it, no longer having the will to get upset or angry. Now feeling tired again, Koko elected to head back to the inn, hoping that the maid had finished her cleaning so that she could have sleep.

Walking past the front of the flower, she rounded the corner, looking around to see if she could a bearing on her location, but then came to an abrupt stop just before she nearly collided with something big laid out right in front of her path that she failed to notice.

Sitting out on the pavement beside the flower shop, underneath the hot sun, was weaver basket wheelchair and sitting inside that wheelchair, was an old, extremely old looking woman. So old in fact, Koko wagered that she could very well be pushing a hundred.

The elderly woman made no sound or acknowledgement of Koko's presence next to her. Her eyes were closed, her head hanging low and mouth slightly gaped open, her breathing raspy and barely audible. Her wide face appeared so wrinkled, it may never have been smooth to begin with and her hair was a grey as ash, tied up in a ponytail. She appeared be almost entirely detached from reality, and it unlikely she had any idea who or where she was.

Koko glanced around the street and into the window of the shop. There didn't appear to be anyone supervising this woman and she certainly didn't look as though she could go anywhere under her own power.

Though she knew it was probably rude for to gawk at this woman, Koko couldn't help but feel a terrible swelling of pity form in the base of her chest, to see someone look so defeated, empty and alone. For a fleeting moment, Koko felt a compelling urge to speak to her, to comfort her in some way, but she felt herself being held back at by another twisted feeling in her stomach bubbling in her stomach. A feeling she couldn't really describe yet was disturbed by its effect on her.

Suddenly becoming very uncomfortable, Koko decided that it was best to move and leave the elderly woman be. She carefully stepped around the wheelchair, making sure to put a wide breath between it and her. After making it around, Koko sighed in relief, hoping to put it out of her mind. But then out of nowhere, something small and fast ran past her feet, catching Koko by surprised, forcing her to instinctively back up and bump right into the wheelchair that was behind her.

Hearing the creaking of the wheels, Koko turned to see the wheelchair and its helpless occupant being propelled forward off the footpath, reaching the slope of the hill the street was on and then begin to speed down toward the road at the bottom

Koko watched in horror as the wheelchair gained momentum rolling down the hill and was heading for a collision course with the bust traffic on the road. Somewhere nearby, Koko heard a woman's voice cry out 'Mama!'.

Without any time to think, Koko ran after the wheelchair, sprinting as fast she could, despite the broken heel on her shoe, managing to catch up to the chair and grabbing it by the handle bars as it was halfway down the hill. Using every bit of her strength and weight, her heels skidding against the pavement, Koko pulled back on the wheelchair and successfully bringing to a halt, just less than an inch from rolling out onto the road and into the path of oncoming truck that sped right on by. The elderly woman in the wheelchair didn't even so much as flinch as the truck whipped right past her.

With considerable effort, Koko managed to pull the wheelchair back onto the footpath, far enough that she was certain in wouldn't roll off when she released the handle. A small crowd of onlookers had formed around them, drawn to the commotion and checking to see if anyone had been hurt.

"Are - are you alright?" Koko asked the old woman in the chair, who had not screamed or cried out during the entire event. Given the blank, expressionless face she was still wearing, Koko was quite certain that her mind was gone altogether.

But then, to Koko's surprise, something changed. The old woman's eyes twitched slightly until she finally opened them, as though she just woke up from a nap. She raised her head up and turned to look directly at Koko, allowing her to probably see a shade of her hazel eyes beneath her wrinkled face. The old woman looked at Koko and then let out a wide smile that beautifully lit her entire face up as though the sun itself was shining upon it for the first time in decades.

"Ah. You have a such a beautiful voice" she said warmly.

Koko stared abashedly back at the woman, unsure how to respond to such a statement. She was soon brought out of her of stupor when she heard someone nearby calling out her name.

"Coco! Coco! Mama Coco!"

The crowd of people gathered around Koko and the elderly woman, parted ways as another, shorter, slightly younger looking, but nevertheless old woman came pushing her way past them, followed closely by a large man in a cowboy hat, who spluttering out of breath. Koko quickly backed away as the short woman, rushed over to woman in the wheelchair and fidgetily began to check her for any signs of injury. Given her attentive nature, Koko assumed that she must be the old woman's relative or caretaker.

"Oh Mama, I was so worried about you" she said, patting her hands gently. "I'm here now, Mama". As Koko watched the shorter woman consoled her still unfazed mother, she couldn't help but get the impression that she had seen the shorter woman somewhere before.

The man in the cowboy hat, who still panting heavily and clutching lower left abdomen, approached the two women, looking just as concerned.

"Is she alright?" he asked the shorter woman. The short woman turned to with him with a dangerous snarl.

"You stupdio! I told you to watch Mama Coco while I got the pedals from across the other shop across the street. You-you!"

Screaming out something undoubtedly profane in Spanish, the short woman pulled off one of her slippers and began to furiously beat the larger man with it, who recoiled from her in fear. Koko felt a deep sense of dread in the back of her head, as she now realised where she had seen this woman before. Less than an hour ago, beating her own father with the same slipper.

"I'm sorry abuelita!" the man cried helplessly. "I just took my eyes off her for a second! I had to use the restroom behind the liquor store. I couldn't hold it anymore"

This didn't placate the Abulitea's anger, who threw out more curses in Spanish and continued to beat the large man with her slipper for almost a solid minute of endless whacking, until he looked to be on the verge of tears. Only when she was finished, did she finally take notice of Koko standing next to them, turned to face her with an angry growl, slipper still in hand. Koko tensed up and raised her hands up to her chest, half expecting herself to be next one on the receiving end of the slipper.

"You" Abulitea whispered, after a long moment, staring wide eyed at Koko and lowering her slipper. "You saved my Mama Coco"

"Well…uh….I mean….kinda?" Koko replied feebly.

The terrifying anger that Abulieta had been carrying a moment ago, dissolved away almost instantly. She tossed her slipper to the side and cupped her hands together. Her entire demeanour had changed, transforming into such an innocent old woman, looking so sweet and nurturing, that you'd swear she couldn't hurt fly and the idea of even suggesting it would be laughable.

"Oh, mi amor, you are an angel!" she said with unbridled joy, her eyes practically brimming with tears

"What? Oh, no, I'm not-See I was just trying to catch a fox and that, um-". Koko's next words didn't make out of her mouth, as the Abuelita had clasped her entire face into her hands and pulled her in closer, planting kisses on every bit of her exposed skin that her lips could reach.

Koko let out a stifled gasp once she had been freed, rubbing her now crimson cheeks in embarrassment. She almost would have rather have had the slipper instead. Abuelita turned to her mother, still as joyous as ever.

"Oh, Mama Coco, this beautiful young girl saved you" she said. "You should thank her"

"Gracias, mija" Mama Coco said directly to Koko.

Abulita's entire face went slack jawed these words. It became clear from the way she was looking at her Mama Coco, that she had not actually been expecting her to answer. In fact, she seemed to be surprised that her mother had the ability to speak at all. What's more is that Mama Coco was no longer haggard and lifeless as she did before. She too was wearing a perpetual, happy smile, which was aimed right at Koko, who squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Mama? You spoke...?" Abulitea turned her head back and forth between Koko and her own Mama Coco. She seemed almost unable to comprehend her own shock.

"Mama Coco hasn't spoken to anyone since…not since…" she whispered

Oh no.

Koko just barely had enough time to brace herself, before Abuelita grabbed her again and gave her yet another barrage of kisses.

"Oh, you truly must be an angel!" she said, squeezing the Koko cheeks as tightly. "You saved my Mama Coco and you made her smile again! What can I do to repay you?"

"Nothing" Koko said quickly, breaking away from the Abuelita, not wanting to received anymore praise. "I'm sorry for troubling you, but I think should go find my parents before they-"

Koko took a single step back and nearly tripped on her own foot. Glancing down at her shoe, she soon recalled the damage she had sustained earlier. For a moment, she thought maybe this would make the perfect excuse to escape, but the moment Abuelita saw her shoe, she soon learned how wrong she was.

"Aiya! You can't go anywhere wearing shoes like that!" Abuelita said now sounding both stern and appalled, eyeing Koko's shoes with a kind of professional contempt. "You will come with me and we will get those fixed for you"

"But-" Koko began

"No buts!" Abuelita said, in a very no-nonsense tone of voice. She took a firm hold of Koko's wrist and began to pull her along helplessly, with a strength that would certainly complemented her slipper wielding hand.

Koko sat awkwardly on the wooden bench inside the courtyard of the Rivera home, the hot stone ground prickling her now bare feet. She hadn't been able to read the sign above the entrance as she was being dragged but she never would have guess that it stood for shoemaker of all things or that Abuelita, who insisted on fixing her shoes, actually ran a shoe making business. Despite her best efforts, she wasn't able to argue back as she pulled her canvas shoes off her feet and took them away for repairs.

Koko groaned heavily, feeling extremely embarrassed by the entire situation. She briefly thought about slipping away but realised she wouldn't make it far in a sun baked town without any shoes or socks.

After a few minutes of waiting Abuelita reappeared again, carrying a small plate with some kind of roll on it.

"Here you go" she said, happily, offering the piece of food to Koko. "I made you my special tamale"

"Um, not really hungry" Koko said, not even sure if she wanted to eat it.

"I said, I made you some tamales!" Abueltia repeated, giving Koko an unamused look.

"Yes, ma'am" Koko said at once, accepting the plate

"That's what I thought you said" Abueltia smiled. "So, tell me. What's your name, mija?"

"Koko" she replied, picking up tamale off the plate.

"Oh, Mama Coco is fine" Abuelita said sweetly.

"No, no. My name is Koko" Koko said. "With a k, I mean" she added after an awkward pause.

"Your name is Koko too?" Abuelita said, looking very surprised. She then let out a cheerful laugh. "That is beautiful. You save my Mama Coco and you have the same name as my Mama Coco. Oh, what a day this is"

It was then, that a moustached man, wearing a brown apron exited the main building of the compound and came over to where Koko and Abueltia were talking.

"Hola, Enrique" Abuelita greeted the man as he approached. "This is Koko. Koko, this is my son Enrique"

"Koko?" Enrique repeated quizzically.

"Si, si!" Abuelita laughed. "With a k! Can you believe that?"

"We'll have your shoes fixed by tomorrow" he said to Koko. He pulled out a pair of old looking sandals from the front pocket of his apron. "Here, you can wear these. They are my wife's old sandals, but they should do you fine for you to walk home"

"Thank you" Koko replied, taking the sandals from the man and slipping her feet inside them. Koko stood up, finding to her surprise that they fit quite well. She patted her pockets, quickly reminded that they were empty.

"Um, I don't really have money with me" she said, in a rather lame manner.

"Ah, don't worry about that" Enrique replied with a kind smile. "You pay for it tomorrow"

"She doesn't need to pay for anything!" Abuelita snapped at her son. "She saved Mama Coco's life"

"Of course, Mama" the man said placidly. He looked back to Koko. "You're a tourist aren't you, si?"

"Yes." Koko said. "My family is visiting here on vacation for a few days"

"Do you have any plans while you're here?" Enrique asked casually.

"Um, sightseeing" Koko said, with an indifferent shrug. "Go to an art gallery". She complemented the tamale in her hand. "Try out the local food"

"Then it's decided!" Abuelita said abruptly, clapping her hands together happily. "You and your family will be having dinner here with us tonight!"

"Mama!" Enrique exclaimed to his mother with a slight reproach.

"W-what?" Koko said in surprised. "Oh, no, that's really not nesscessary"

"I said, it is decided!" Abuelita snapped angrily, pointing her finger directly in Koko's face, which made her fall silent at once. She glanced dangerously over to her son, who made it clear he wasn't about to argue with her either. Seeing no resistance to her will, Abuelita immediately returned to her warm and kindly demeanour.

"Now, you run along mija" she said sweetly, lightly patting Koko on her cheek. "We'll see you again this evening. I'm sure Mama Coco will love to see you again"

"Sure thing" Koko said, giving up all hope this point, though she was still relieved to finally have the chance to slip away. Getting to her feet, Koko was about to head over to the gate where she had entered, but then pause and turned back to face Enrique and Abuelita

"Thank you for your hospitality" she said awkwardly, giving a low bow of her head to the two of them, who were taken aback slightly at such formal act, before she took off in a run toward the gate.

Just before she crossed the threshold of the gate, Koko spotted Mama Coco, sitting at the shade of the wall. She looked right her and was smiling tenderly. Koko held her gaze for a moment, thinking maybe she thought she could feign maybe even a small smile back her, but she found that she couldn't. Not wanting to risk anything happening, Koko ran off down the street, trying her best to get the image of Mama Coco's smile out of her mind.

Gotta say. Feel pretty proud of myself for getting all this done.

Anywho, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and if you can, please leave a review and tell me what you though about it. I know more or less where this story is going, but I'm happy if you want to leave any ideas or suggestions. I'm also open to questions, though I may only answer them in the next chapter rather than PM.

Thanks a lot for reading, I hoped you like the first chapter and that you'll stick around for the rest of the story (if I ever finish, so that may be a while)

Thanks again for reading and peace out