Coco

Nearly Sunrise

Miguel is surrounded by family and safe. He hugs Dante, "Good boy, Dante." Imelda runs to Miguel and embraces him, "Miguel!" Behind them, Héctor and Y/N struggle to get to their feet but stumble with a flicker. Miguel runs to support them.

"Héctor! Y/N! The photo, I lost it..."

"It's okay, mijo. It's--" Y/N gasps and collapses as Héctor suffers his most violent flickering yet. He collapses next to her. Miguel kneels by them, "Héctor! Tia! Héctor?! Tia Y/N?!" Héctor can barely move his limbs, "Coco..." Y/N rests her head on Hector's chest and his hand on her shoulder. She couldn't keep her eyes open.

"No! We can still find the photo..."

Mamá Imelda looks to the horizon, the first rays of sunlight peeking over, "Miguel, it's almost sunrise!" She kneels next to Hector and Y/N, her hand on the spirit's shoulder. "No, no, no, I can't leave you. I promised I'd put your photo up. I promised you'd see Coco!" Miguel was in tears.

Héctor looks at Miguel, putting his hand on the boy's cheek. The skeletal transformation is creeping in on the edges of Miguel's face. He's almost full skeleton now. "We're both out of time, mijo." The shimmering of Héctor's bones advances, and Y/N whimpers, gripping her brother's ragged vest as her body flickered.

"No, no... she can't forget you!"

"I just wanted her to know that I loved her." Héctor musters the strength to grab the marigold petal. Miguel watched as Hector and Y/N shimmered, "Héctor--"

"You have our blessing, Miguel." He gasps. Imelda grips Y/N's shoulder, staring sadly at Miguel, "No conditions." The petal glows. Héctor struggles to lift the petal to Miguel. Mamá Imelda takes his hand in hers.

"No, Papá Héctor, please!"

Imelda and Héctor move their joined hands toward Miguel's chest. "No..." Miguel whimpers. Y/N opens her eyes slightly as Héctor's eyelids begin to close. "Go home..." She whispered. 

"I promise I won't let Coco forget you! Aaahh!--"

WHOOOOSH!

A whirlwind of marigold petals, and everything goes white.

Y/N feels Hector's hand gently brush her head, "Hermanita..." She weakly moves her head to him and lets tears gently slide down her paled cheeks, "Hmm, wind's howling/ Summoning snow/ Land so vast/ Between them both..."

Hector softly sings the last few lines, "Wolf and swallow/ Woven by fate/ Bound like father and child..."

"Bound like father and child..." Y/N whispers. The two felt Imelda hold them tightly as The Final Death began to take them. They closed their eyes from weakness, hearing Imelda cry.

Suddenly, in the wind, a voice, followed by another, could be heard.

"REMEMBER ME THOUGH I HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE REMEMBER ME DON'T LET IT MAKE YOU CRY FOR EVEN IF I'M FAR AWAY, I HOLD YOU IN MY HEART I SING A SECRET SONG TO YOU EACH NIGHT WE ARE APART REMEMBER ME THOUGH I HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR..." 

Back in the Living World, Miguel sings gently, with love. Mamá Coco's brows slope up, delighted. The song seems to bring her back to life. Abuelita can't speak. None of them can. Brimming, Mamá Coco joins Miguel in song -- her voice scratchy with age, his clear with youth. "REMEMBER ME EACH TIME YOU HEAR A SAD GUITAR KNOW THAT I'M WITH YOU THE ONLY WAY THAT I CAN BE UNTIL YOU'RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN, REMEMBER ME."

Miguel gently smiles, "REMEMBER ME EACH TIME YOU HEAR A SAD GUITAR KNOW THAT I'M WITH YOU THE ONLY WAY THAT I CAN BE UNTIL YOU'RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN REMEMBER ME." Tears stream down Abuelita's face; she's witnessing a miracle. Mamá Coco looks at her daughter, and is troubled by her tears.

"Elena? What's wrong, Mija?"

"Nothing Mamá. Nothing at all." 

Mamá Coco turns to Miguel, "My papá used to sing me that song." Miguel sniffs, "He loved you, Mamá Coco. Your papá loved you so much." A smile spreads across Mamá Coco's face. She's waited a long time to hear those words. She turns to her nightstand, hand shaking. She opens a drawer and pulls out a notebook.

"I kept... his letters... poems he wrote me... and..." Mamá Coco leafs through the book to reveal a torn scrap of paper. She hands it to Miguel. It's the missing face from the photo -- Héctor's face. Miguel pieces the picture back together, finally seeing Héctor as he was in life, a young, handsome man. Mamá Coco smiles. She finds the words slowly, but she speaks with fondness and love, "Papá was a musician. When I was a little girl, he, Tia Y/N, and Mamá would sing such beautiful songs..." The family gathers close to listen to the stories.

"She remembers, hermano..."

"Gracias, chamaco..."