The Tanabata's Aftermath
"Eva-oba-san, are evil witches real?"
The innocuous question briefly stuns Eva. She holds the knife over the grilled fish, having been prepared to slice it into even pieces for Ange's breakfast. Flecks of fluffy white rice stick to her trembling hands. She had accidentally knocked over the rice when trying to separate them into smaller bowls, and when she heard Ange stir, she scrambled to appear proper.
Eva peers down at the girl, noting the redness blanking her vision. A faint hum from the refrigerator dulls the silence. Sunlight pools in from the open window, and the breeze gently blows, which causes Ange to shiver. Eva quickly leans over and closes the blinds, casting Ange a hesitant, unbecoming half-smile.
"Ange-chan, that is an interesting question," Eva slowly says, and Ange looks at her bare feet. Eva tenses, setting the knife on the cutting board. She crouches by Ange, slowly collecting the girl's dainty hands. "What brought on that question?"
Ange peers at her guardian. The news repeats in the back of her head. Scenery of a smoking island fill her thoughts meshed with the chaotic laughter of an unknown culprit. Ange breaks her grasp with Eva, fiddling with the cotton fabric of her plaid dress. Her lips tremble, and she sniffles, bowing her head.
Stifling a quiet gasp, Eva quickly brings Ange over to the wooden chairs by their table. She inspects for any injuries as she would do when George was a mere lad. She fusses for a moment, asking if Ange had a papercut or twisted her ankle.
Ange slowly shakes her head. She glances at the table through blurring tears. The vegetable side dishes have already been prepared consisting of cooked pickles and seaweed. A glass of milk is presented clearly for Ange, and Eva has her own steaming cup of green tea. Traces of lemon lifts from the tea. The drinks are next to each other as are the dishes. The remaining chairs are solemn, leaving the table, despite being coated in a fine, linen cloth with delicious meals, with an empty air.
Her mother, father, and brother would fill up those chairs so effortlessly. They would laugh, and Rudolf and Battler would jeer at each other while Kryie politely teased or chastised them. Ange would bounce into her seat and move any disgusting food onto Battler's plate. The lively mornings always beamed whenever everyone was together.
"Ange-chan?" Eva calls, and Ange looks up, biting her lip.
Eva offers a quaint napkin from the table, which Ange accepts to dab her eyes. She looks around, noting Ange's continued silence only to raise her head when Ange looks over her shoulder. Eva hears the television croon from the next room consisting of news anchors discussing the tragedy, and her shoulders hitch closer to her ears. Her breathing stifles, and her heart skips a beat when she hears the names of her beloved husband and son. She hopes Ange does not catch the subtle twitch of despair etching on her face when she sidesteps to the next room, hobbling as she goes and stabs her finger on the remote.
As the sneering faces of the anchors fade, Eva clenches her fist. She grits down on her teeth, knowing the smearing, callous remarks of society would swiftly swarm all over herself and Ange. She is the lone survivor of a cruel massacre, and Ange is an innocent victim, a being left behind by the culprits. She remembers how dumbstruck Ange was when she retrieved her from her grandparents. The way Ange slackened against Eva's embrace was almost enough for Eva to break down in tears. How Ange's lips wobbled in sorrowful longing as she whispered to know what happened to her brother was almost enough to snap Eva's heart in half even when it had already been shattered.
"Oba-san?" Ange hums, and like a composed private, Eva snaps to attention and returns to her.
Even though she cannot properly smile, Eva manages a half-convincing grin. She takes a seat next to Ange, gently covering the child's hand with her own. Stroking Ange's cheek, she then pats the colorful ornaments in Ange's hair.
"Ange-chan, you can tell oba-san anything. What do you mean about witches?" Eva asks, hoping to repress the blank expression of self-imposed death the Golden Witch wore as a mask during that fateful conversation.
Ange whines like a defeated pup. She rocks from side to side, remembering how Maria would soothe herself and sing a calming magical charm. She inspects Eva's hands, noting the faint bulging of cerulean veins. Swallowing, Ange shakes her head.
"Last night, I wrote I wanted my family to come home for tanabata, but a witch came to me instead," Ange says, and Eva feels the color drain from her cheeks. "A blue-haired witch in dark clothes said she would grant my wish."
The description causes Eva's thoughts to rocket. She knows the Golden Witch is blonde and wore an elegant dress shimmering with crimson and gold. Eva thought the witch died in the explosion, but when she returned to inspect the gold and clock, the supposed corpse vanished. Eva opens her mouth, hitching down a breath, but Ange continues.
"She said bad things. Awful things," Ange says, voice cracking under the weight of her words. Her shoulders hitch, and her head bows, leaning against Eva's chest. Her hands form white-knuckled fists, which press against her skin. "Sh-she said Eva-oba-san killed them. She said if I smiled ever again, Battler-onii-chan, Mom, and Dad would never come home, a-and if you became my mother, Mom will never come h-home."
Eva stares through Ange for a brief moment. She gazes at the ring confirming her headship. The winged symbol torments her, sending her thoughts into a frenzy of what truly happened. The bodies of her son and husband along with the wicked forms of the perpetrators appeared before her. Their tainted smiles dripping with blood embedded chills throughout her toned frame.
Eva struggles to smile, caressing Ange's head like she would for George when he came home from school after being bullied by a classmate. She moves to speak only to spot the mutilated faces of her nieces out of the corner of her eye. Her fingers freeze on Ange's scalp, and slowly, the bodies accumulate. The slit throats and gunned down corpses fill her kitchen, spreading rich ichor and copper to pollute her senses. Eva bites back a scream, feeling sweat dampening her brow and tears brim in her eyes only to gasp.
Ange suddenly claps Eva's cheeks and holds her face. She sniffles through one nostril, the other clogged with mucus. She feverishly shakes her head, bellowing, "B-but that's wrong! Because Eva-oba-san said to help her smile! Maria-onee-chan said that magic is to make people happy and smile, s-so that witch was a liar!"
Ange breaks away, hopping from her chair. She looks at the grilled fish just beyond her grasp and sees her simpering reflection in the knife embedded into the cutting board. To Eva, she looks like she is holding something invisible like a plush.
"I-I want my family back, but I always wanted to say sorry," Ange whispers, clenching her fists, "to Maria-onee-chan. I-I made fun of Sakutarou, and I hurt her. I can't say sorry anymore. I-I can't see anyone anymore. Not Mom, Dad, Maria-onee-chan, O-Onii-chan!"
Eva hobbles from her seat when Ange's voice hits a hissing cry, kneeling in front of Ange and prying her fingers away from her palms. Free tears fall from Ange's eyes and land on Eva's cheeks. Eva collects the sobbing girl to her chest, clenching her eyes shut and allowing twin tears to slip down her chin. She strokes Ange's back, allowing Ange to bawl against her chest. She embraces her tightly, pushing away the cruel thoughts of the Black Witch poisoning the back of her mind, reprimanding her for allowing the tragedy to take place. Eva glares ahead, barring the Black Witch of her heart from impeding on them even when the truth sears her mind.
"Eva-oba-san, you're warm like Mom," Ange murmurs, and Eva faintly gasps. Ange lifts her head, tilting it, and a serene, gentle grin spreads into her cheeks. "The blue-haired witch was wrong. Oba-san isn't the Black Witch who took away everyone. Maria-onee-chan said that I needed to believe in white magic to be happy, so a Black Witch saying I can't be with Oba-san was lying."
Eva's chest tightens. Her heart beats against her ribcage as she absorbs Ange's words. Her lips tremble as she attempts to form words, and Ange stands up, smiling down at her. Ange offers her demure hand.
"Oba-san, I'm smiling, see? I can smile again if I'm with you," Ange says, and she giggles. "Maria-onee-chan once said that white magic can be shared with everyone, so I wanna share this magic with you like a true member of Mariage Sorciere!"
The tears welling in Eva's eyes collapses like a dam. Salty tears cascade down her thin, flushed cheeks, and she covers her face. Hearing Ange gasp, Eva wipes her eyes and lifts her head.
A matching grin becomes one with Ange's smile. The smile she once thought deceased burns with life. Eva stands, leaning forward and kissing Ange's forehead. She says nothing, embracing Ange as tightly as possible, and Ange hugs her aunt's waist.
"Ange-chan, thank you. White magic truly is wonderful, eh?" Eva asks, and Ange laughs, bobbing her head in agreement. "I'm glad Maria-chan taught you something so noble. The power to make people smile again is wonderful magic."
"Oba-san, I'm glad you're here, and-!" Ange blushes, hearing her stomach growl.
Eva chuckles behind her fingers, and Ange pouts, puffing out her cheek. "I'll finish making breakfast. You know, I was once known as the Witch of the Kitchen by my husband, so I'm sure breakfast will be to your liking."
Ange nods, announcing she will be ready for breakfast in a few minutes. She skips upstairs to her room and finds the tanabata hanging on the faint branch. She reaches for it, tempted to discard it, but she shakes her head. Ange fixes her dress and turns away, hearing the murmuring from the blue-haired witch in her thoughts, commenting that Ange will regret her decision.
Ange looks back to the tanabata and smiles. She has her family even if it has been reduced to one person. In her heart, she believes that one person will multiply into many soon enough. Just like Maria announced that she could create one from zero, Ange believes she can create a universe with her new mother and soon have it populated with as many people as their hearts desire.