The young boy's cries echoed through the dark alleyway. Shadows danced, their essence held in the headlights of passing cars. In the darkness, the desperation could be heard so much clearer.
"Give it back... please." Tears forming in the boy's eyes, he looked up at two scruffy teenagers, one who cruelly held his laptop computer over his head, dangling it as if it were a cat's toy.
"Did you hear that, Banzai? He said please." hissed a silky, mocking voice, coming from one of the attackers. "Do you think we should give it back?"
The other grinned at his companion, and winked. He was a great deal taller than the other teen, and seemed to tower over the little boy which he taunted. "Nah. This little comp'd fetch quite a price." he glanced down and grinned. "Hear that, kid? You ain't never gettin' this little thing back."
"Please..... give it back!" voice choked, the boy jumped, struggling to retrieve his computer. "It's mine..."
"Persistent little brat, isn't he? Well, we'll see to that," said the one who held the laptop.
"Yeah... he'll get what's coming to him."
"I don't think so."
The voice was calm and commanding, with an air of authority to it. Startled, the teens turned to the alley entrance, half expecting a police officer on their trail. Instead, barely visible, with her back to the light, stood another teen, who couldn't have been older than the duo of attackers.
"Let it go, Banzai." she said, smiling slightly. "Just let it go."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Banzai asked, sneering slightly.
"You know what I'm talking about. Give the comp back to the kid. Let him go. Do I need to spell it out to you in black and blue?"
"You tryin' to pick a fight?"
"Depends on how you look at it."
The young boy stepped backward in fear, tripping over a discarded trash can lid. He fell against the stone wall of the alley, barely able to stop himself from crying out. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing he had just stayed home, where he belonged. Somehow, curiosity got the best of him and he opened his eyes just enough to see the flash of a knife, and his two attackers running away, screeching curses of frustration. "We'll get you for this, you bitch!" the one called Banzai roared as he ran across the street, barely avoiding a passing car.
"It's okay now." the girl whispered softly, stepping toward him, hand outstretched. The boy cringed, thinking she was about to strike him, until he realized she was handing him his laptop.
He took the computer gratefully, hugging it to his chest as if it were a rare treasure. "Th-thanks." he managed to whisper, voice shaking. "Who are you? An angel?"
The girl smiled. "I'm as far from an angel as you can get, kid. They call me Skye. That's all you need to know." her eyes, soft and blue, studied him carefully. He was small, even for his age, with bright orange-brown hair and alert black eyes, which at the moment were filled with tears. Trying to appear friendly, she sat down next to him, putting her best effort into a smile. "Why're you here? This is a bad part of town, kid. The slums are pretty rough, 'specially for a little guy like you."
"I-I-I... don't think I should tell you." the boy whispered, sniffing. All thoughts of his mother's warning of 'never talk to strangers' left him. After all, this wasn't a stranger. She was a kid, just like himself, even though she was a lot older than he was.
"Here," Skye whispered, handing him a torn handkerchief. "Now, c'mon, kid. I just saved your hide. You look well-raised enough. Too good to be hanging around in these parts, at least." She arched an eyebrow. "Your parents didn't dump you here, did they?" she asked cautiously.
"N-no... I.. ran away...and.. I don't have any parents. No real ones."
"C'mon.. everybody has parents..."
The boy gave her a cold look. "I don't!" he sniffed. "I.. heard the adults I live with talking.." he spat out the words as if they were poison. "They said I'm not their son. They said.. I'm adopted!" the tears began to flow freely from his eyes. "They weren't even going to tell me... they.... they LIED to me!"
Skye bit her lip, wondering what she should do. Poor kid, she thought. He feels so alone... somehow, she knew she would have to talk to him, but here, in the dark alley, wasn't the place.
"Hey.." she whispered, dabbing away the child's tears with the handkerchief. "It'll be allright.... please, just..... look. Let's get out of here." Smiling grimly, she took the boy's hand and stood up, pulling him with her. "If I know Banzai, he'll be back here faster than you can say 'Geehosophat, Trigger, put that peashooter down!', so we need to go... now." She looked at her little 'friend', and tried to smile. "Let's blow this popsicle stand, okay?"
"Okay." the boy whispered, tucking his computer under his arm.
"So. What was that you were saying about your parents?" Skye asked cautiously. She had taken the child to the only semi-safe place she knew of: the park a couple blocks away. Ordinarily, it wouldn't be considered safe, except for one important fact: it was across the street from a police station. Skye knew she was trying her chances going to such a risky place, but she knew she had to do something about the child. He's my responsibility, she thought. For the moment, at least.
They were beneath the shadows of an ancient cherry tree, the boy with his back to the trunk, his computer resting on his lap. Skye lay sprawled on a low limb which stretched out over the grass, her long white-blonde hair moving with the light wind.
"I told you, I don't have any." the boy replied, inches away from bursting into a wave of fresh tears.
"Kid.." Skye whispered soothingly, reaching down to ruffle the boy's hair, smiling playfully as she did so. "Maybe you have a different definition of parents than I do. You're thinking of the people you were born to, right?"
"Yeah...." He looked up at her, face questioning. "Isn't that what parents are?"
"Not from my experiences. Y'see... I never knew my parents. I wasn't lucky enough to be adopted like you were. I was shifted around through a couple dozen foster homes before I ended up in a semi-permanent place. But I've learned... parents just aren't the ones you're born to. They're the ones that raise you, care for you..." she paused, trying to conceal the hurt in her voice. "... love you."
The boy fell silent, eyes watering up with tears once again.
"Now, I may have lost my chance, but you..." she smiled slightly. "You have a mom and dad at home who're probably worried sick about you." Sighing, she looked up at the stars, wondering if she was doing the right thing.
"I want to go home."
Skye looked down, startled. "Wha'?"
"I said... I want to go home." The young boy looked up at her, innocent black eyes filled with truth.
"All right! Let's get going now.." Skye said, grinning as she dropped down from the tree branch. "So where do you live, kid?"
"Heighten View Terrace.."
Skye froze. "The Terrace?" she whispered. Memories came flashing back to her. The Terrace..
"Yeah." the boy replied. "Heighten View Terrace."
"That's all the way across town, kid." Skye bit her lip, thinking. "It's probably around midnight.. we'll take the subway."
As they walked through the dark passages of the subway station, the young boy couldn't help but notice how his new friend seemed unusually tense. She would quickly look before she turned corners, and she kept her eyes to the ground. Eventually, he noticed that she was scanning the ground for change that people had dropped, picking up every stray piece of yen she laid her eyes on. And he had just begun to notice that the turtleneck and cargo pants she wore were tattered and threadbare, the colour having faded from them long ago. Her jacket was patched in so many places there was hardly any of the original material left, and it was obviously five sizes too big for her.
"Hey, kid."
"Huh?" he asked, looking up. He hadn't realized that they had reached the ticket booth.
"Do you have any yen on you? Can't take the subway without money." Skye said simply.
"Oh.. yeah." Quickly opening his pack for his wallet, he thought silently 'I probably have more money with me now than she's had in years'.
"Here."He whispered, handing her twice the amount needed.
"Thanks... hey, there's too much here.."
"Keep the rest... you need it more than I do."
Glancing at the boy, Skye couldn't help but notice how he blushed slightly when he said that. "Thanks." she whispered, looking away.
"Watch your step, kid," Skye said, pulling the boy onto the train. "Wouldn't want you to get caught between the ground and the train." She looked around quickly for some empty seats, but the train was full, except for a single seat over in the corner. Sighing, she pushed aside the nagging's of her queasy stomach. "Siddown." She muttered, gently pushing him into the seat.
She held on tightly to a nearby pole as the train started, the contents of her last meal doing flip-flops in her stomach. She'd always hated trains, even when she had the money to ride them. Oh well, she thought. It's better than walking the whole way.
"So, kid," she said, hoping that conversation would calm her nerves. She looked at him, and couldn't help but notice how small and afraid he looked. "What's your name, any way?"
The boy shook his head, and mumbled "I want to tell you.. but.. my mom told me to never give strangers my name, even if they're as nice as you are."
Wise woman, Skye thought.
"Though, I guess right now that would be kind of dumb, 'cause you're bringing me home-"
"No.." Skye interrupted. "That's all right." she sighed, and shook her head. "It's not important. I just want to get you home, before something happens to you."
From the corner of her eye she saw him staring at her intently. The corners of her mouth turned up at the sight. Such a curious little kid.. the kind who would go places. The kind that was so unlike herself..
As the hours passed, the passengers became less and less, until the only ones left in the train were her and the kid. Skye had been thinking, trying to get her mind off her queasy stomach, when she heard the child speak.
"Skye?"
"Yeah?"
"How old are you?"
Skye bit her lip. "I dunno. Thirteen? Fourteen? What month is it?"
"It's July, I think. Yeah, July."
"Fifth?"
"Yeah."
Skye glanced up at the clock on the wall of the train, and smiled. "Well, what do ya know... my fourteenth birthday's tomorrow."
His eyes went wide as dinner plates. "Really?" he asked, blinking.
"Yeah." Skye smiled. "Happy birthday to me.."
Looking up at her, the boy noticed at though she was trying to smile, her eyes were watery, as if she were about to cry.
"It doesn't look like you'll have a very happy birthday." he said cautiously.
"Forget about it, kid. I've got a whole bunch of birthdays ahead of me.. the ones before weren't exactly what you'd call fun, but who knows, maybe some will be great, maybe some will be bad. I won't know until they happen."
He fell silent, thinking. "I'm eight." he said at last. "And right now, I'd trade all my birthdays just so you could have one great one."
"Thanks, kid." Skye looked away, brushing the tears from her eyes. "Thanks."
When they finally stepped off the train, it was past midnight. Skye noticed that her young friend looked exhausted, and even though she was grateful for his company, she was glad they were near the Terrace.
"Just a little while longer, and you'll be home," she murmured, smiling slightly as the child instantly became more alert at the prospect of getting home.
Skye sighed. It had been a long night, too long for her liking. It would take her days to get back to her territory... But it was worth it, she thought.
As they turned a corner, something caught her eye. It looked to be nothing more than a dark shadow, but a closer look revealed it to be a teen, only slightly older than herself, huddled in a large jacket. Dangerously thin and wiry, his thick dark hair which hung in his eyes seemed to make his face seem smaller, and almost ghostly. He leaned against a wall, avoiding the eyes of passers-by, but something drew her to him.
"Hiro?" Skye whispered as she caught a glimpse at his face. "Is that you?"
The teen looked up, surprised at hearing his name. "Skye?" he mumbled softly, his dull green eyes seeming to brighten. "It's been a while."
Skye nodded. "Yeah, no kidding..."
Hiro glanced downward, then back at Skye, a confused expression passing on his face. "Who's the kid?"
"Just a little guy that I found down in one of the bad parts of town, is all. Figured I'd help him get back to his keeper.. the city ain't a good place for someone like him."
"Tell me about it." Sighing, Hiro looked away. "Wish I could talk to you.. it's been too long... but I guess you've got places to go." a smile flickered across his pale lips. "Take care."
Skye nodded. "You too. And... don't take this wrong, but.. you should go topside. Believe me, things are a lot easier there."
As Hiro watched her go, holding the young boy's hand, he couldn't help but smile. "I'll think about it," he muttered to himself. "I'll think about it."
"Who was that?" the boy asked, looking up at Skye as they walked down the empty streets. Even though it was late, some windows were still lit, and the streetlights shone brightly above, their light overriding that of any stars which showed themselves in the night.
"An old friend," she replied. "We used to hang out in the subway tunnels together. But then I went topside, 'cause I heard that it's easier to scrape out a living there. I never saw him again, until now." she bit her lip, and sighed. "I hope he takes my advice... he won't last much longer if he doesn't."
"Oh." he fell silent for a moment, thinking. "What's topside?"
"Above ground, away from the tunnels," Skye explained as she scanned the streets. "It's where all the people are, and more importantly, the open markets. A person can live off the open markets, if they're not against nicking to stay alive." Looking up, she could see the Terrace plainly. It loomed high above them, its few lit windows seeming to glitter.
"Well, kid, it looks like you're home."
Skye shuddered as they walked down the halls. The Terrace. This was where it had started. The hurt. The lies. Shoving her thoughts aside, she looked down at her little friend, who looked as if he knew where he was going. He looks happy to be home, she thought. At least he has a home to come to.
"Here." The boy stopped short, and looked up at her. "I live here." His black eyes were soft, earnest. "I like you, Skye." he said softly. "My... parents... are really nice. Maybe you can stay with us.."
Skye stared at the door, thoughts running through her head. Sighing, she sank down on one knee so she could be more level with the child who looked at her expectantly. "Kid.." she muttered, blinking back tears which were trying to force themselves from her eyes. "Just forget about it. Forget about me, forget about this whole thing, okay? Just.. take care of yourself. Stay sharp. Remember that your parents are your parents because they love you... and.. whatever you do..... don't end up like me." She closed her eyes and looked away. "Just forget it."
The child was silent for a moment. Then, without warning, he hugged her warmly, smiling sadly as he did so. "Okay," he said. "I'll remember that. But I won't forget you, no matter what you say."
When he finally released her, Skye stood up slowly, shaking her head. "Bye, kid," she whispered.
The child watched her walk down the hall, thoughts running through his head. Though he was very young, he knew that she had no place to call home, no people to love her. Sighing, he turned back to the door and swallowed hard. Will they be mad at me? he thought as he raised his hand.
He knocked on the door, quietly at first, then louder. Whispers could be heard from inside, and slowly, the door opened, casting a light out into the hall.
A woman looked out the door at him, her tearful eyes lighting up with joy at the sight of her son. "Koushiro! Oh, I'm so glad you're safe.."
The young boy walked up to his mother and bowed his head, whispering sadly. "I'm sorry I ran away, mom..."
"That's all right," the woman replied, bending down to hug her son. Tears spilled from her eyes, yet they were tears of relief and happiness. "Just don't do it again. Your father and I were so worried..."
"You shouldn't've been, mom, 'cause.."
"Yes, Koushiro?"
Koushiro smiled. "I met an angel, mom. A real, live, guardian angel! And she helped me come back home!"
"If you say you did, then you did. Now, come in, you've been out all night. You should get some sleep."
Koushiro stood on his toes and stared out his bedroom window at the few stars which showed themselves. He always liked to watch the lights of the city.. but now, it was different. There was something.. distant about it. Perhaps it was because he was home now, or perhaps it was because he now knew that there was a whole world set apart from his own, though it occupied the same place. His mind kept drifting to the girl, the angel who helped him home. A sigh escaped his lips, and he brushed back a long strand of hair. I'll probably never see her again, he thought. And then, his eyes wandered from the horizon to the street below, and beneath the bright light of a street lamp, saw the kind spirit.
Skye shivered as the fingers of a cold wind easily slipped through her jacket. She stood outside the Terrace, looking up at it, thinking of the boy. She had lingered in the hall while he spoke to his mother, listening to every word. An angel, she thought. He thinks I'm an angel.
Her eyes scanned the windows, searching for something, she wasn't sure what. Then, in one of the few that was still lit, she saw the silhouette of a small red-haired boy, looking out of his window. Koushiro. Her face lit up with a smile and she waved to him, heart bursting with joy when she saw that he had spotted her, and was waving back.
"Koushiro," she whispered. "No matter what, I'll always be your guardian angel. I'll never forget you... I promise."
Though her words were quiet, it seemed to her that the child in the window heard her, and understood her words. Then, her task having been completed, Skye turned and slowly walked away.
They never saw each other again, and as the days turned to months and the months turned to years, Koushiro eventually forgot the angel who had helped him. But the memory of the young, wide-eyed boy stayed in Skye's heart, and whenever it seemed that her life was at its worst, a smile crossed her face when she remembered that somewhere in the cold world, there was someone who cared for her.
Author's notes: Yeah, I know this is pretty cheezy, but hey, I was bored, okay? Give me a break. 0_0 Erm.. anyway.... questions? Comments? Flames? Whatever..