-ANGEL-

Mother?

Yes, my child.

Am I bad?

No, you are not bad.

I think I did something bad.

What is it that you did?

I made the creatures upset today.

Why are they upset?

I did what they asked me to do, and it made one of them cease to live.

They are often unaware of their fragility.

So it was their mistake and not mine?

Yes, my child.

They did something bad to me...they called it punishment.

What did they do?

They hurt me.

Then hurt them back.

Tifa sat by the couch, dabbing at the mystery girl's forehead with a damp, cool cloth. She had kept the lights dim in the room so that the woman could rest more easily. At least the fever had broken this morning, but she still hadn't awakened. No trace of the hound bites or any lingering infection remained, so Tifa could only guess that bringing someone back from the dead had taken a heavy toll on the poor girl. How had her wounds healed so quickly?

The shock of the incident still weighed heavily on Tifa. While it was true that Denzel wouldn't be alive if not for this stranger's abilities, the fact that this girl had the ability to revive the dead was a bit unsettling. It also hadn't been lost on the brunette barmaid that the girl's eyes had been glowing, reminding her of Cloud's eyes...and Sephiroth's eyes. And if this woman could bring the dead back to life, what other abilities did she possess?

"Tifa?" Denzel's voice sounded behind her. Tifa turned to face the child, tilting her head.

"How are you feeling, Denzel?"

"I'm fine." he replied, closing the distance between them. "Is she still sleeping?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded.

The pre-teen considered this information briefly, before speaking up again. "I wanna be here when she wakes up."

"Oh, I don't know, Denzel,"

"Please?" he begged. "I wanna thank her...she...she saved my life."

Tifa stared at him, considering. How much did he know? Up until that moment, she figured Denzel would simply realize that someone had healed him...assumed that he wasn't aware of just how close to death he had been.

"How do you know she saved your life?" Tifa asked him.

He took a shaky breath in. "I was trying to protect Marlene from that...monster. I thought I could handle it...it was so small, you know?"

Tifa nodded, listening to him.

"Anyway, it...it stabbed me...and I fell down...it was hard to breathe... Everything around me got really bright. Then, it was...calm and...quiet. I felt like I was..swimming..I could hear you and Cloud...but it was really far away. I couldn't see you."

Tifa watched him, quietly marveling at such strength for his age.

"I tried to find you and Cloud, but...the green water was so nice...and warm...I started sinking into it. And then, she was there..."

"Who was there?" Tifa questioned.

Denzel pointed to the sleeping girl on the couch. "She said that he didn't want me to die. She...took my hand and told me not to be scared...that she was bringing me back to him. And then she pulled me out of the water...and then I woke up."

Tifa blinked, astonished. It almost sounded like this girl had pulled him out of the Lifestream.

"Is she an angel?" The question was so innocent and naive, but after hearing the boy's story, it sounded ridiculously viable. Tifa couldn't think of an appropriate answer, so she just smiled at him.

Tifa's peripheral vision picked up movement from the doorway.

"How's she doing?" came the blond's voice.

"Fever broke this morning," Tifa informed him as he crossed the room to stand behind her. "Where's Marlene?"

"Going through your closet," he responded.

"My closet?"

"She wanted to find something for the girl to wear."

Good thinking, Marlene, thought Tifa.

"Denzel, can you go get some fresh water and a new cloth?" Tifa requested, and the boy was only too happy to comply. Carefully, he lifted the small basin and carried it away, leaving the two adults to talk.

"Did you hear-?"

"Yea," Cloud interrupted. "I don't know what to make of it."

Tifa watched the warrior, who looked down at the unconscious woman with an odd expression. Something about it completely unnerved her; it wasn't the usual hardened, withdrawn visage she normally saw. Somehow, it was softer, with a bit of confusion mixed in.

The sound of a sharp gasp drew their attention and startled Tifa as she saw the girl sit straight up, and her bright, glowing eyes were wildly darting about the room. A few frightened screeches burst out of her, the panic quite obvious.

"Hey, hey...easy," Tifa tried to calm her down, "It's all right! No one is going to hurt you. You're okay."

It took a few moments, but the girl finally seemed to settle down, switching her frightened gaze back and forth between Cloud and Tifa. Gradually, her eyes began to diminish in luminosity as the fear slowly vanished.

"...Oh...kay?" the girl repeated.

"Yes, you're safe." Tifa answered.

Was she going to say anything? Apparently not. She just sat there, staring at them.

"What's your name?" Tifa tried to get her to say something.

There was a pause. "Name?" The girl looked confused. Tifa glanced at Cloud, who just shrugged in that "I don't know, either" gesture.

"My name is Tifa," the barmaid introduced, pointing to herself. Recognition lit up in the girl's face, yet she shook her head.

"No name," she said.

"No name?"

The girl shook her head again, sending locks of silver hair flying around her face.

"Okay," Tifa sneaked a peek at Cloud, who was just as confounded as she was. She pointed to the blond, "And this is-"

"Cloud.," the girl interrupted, staring at him. How did she know his name?

"Uh...yea," Tifa took a breath, trying to hide her growing apprehension. Pushing it aside, Tifa asked her, "So you don't have a name?"

Again, the girl shook her head, though she lowered her eyes as if she were embarrassed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms about them.

"Your mother never named you?" Tifa persisted.

The girl visibly shuddered, and fear shadowed her face. Looking back at Cloud, she simply answered, "No."

"What were you doing in the wastes?" Cloud interjected his own question. Mystery woman kept her stare focused on Cloud.

"Running."

"From what?" Tifa recognized the mild annoyance in Cloud's voice.

The girl considered this question for a few moments before responding. "Danger."

Cloud sighed, clearly exasperated with the lack of answers. Tifa had to admit that the stranger's replies were extremely vague, and she wasn't quite sure if it was purposeful evasion or ignorant communication.

"Why were you in the wastes?" Tifa tried to clarify. Once again, there was a pause.

"Escape," she finally revealed.

The woman looked like she was trying to say so much more but was failing. It seemed to frustrate her, too, because she lifted her hand to her forehead, squinting her eyes.

"She doesn't have a name?" Denzel, who had returned with the water, spoke up. At the sound of his voice, the girl seemed to brighten. As the boy set the water on the table next to the couch, she gently took his hand.

"Okay?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he grinned at her, the adoration shining through, "thanks to you."

Tifa warmed at the interaction between them. The woman demonstrated that she cared about Denzel, and that spoke very highly of her, in Tifa's opinion.

"So you don't have a name?" Denzel repeated, "I can give you a name."

Tifa was not prepared for the overwhelmingly touched look on the girl's face, her light green eyes glistening with tears.

"A name?" she gasped and then nodded.

"I'll call you Angel." the boy announced, his smile broadening.

The girl suddenly embraced him, whispering, "Thank you."

Cloud had taken the chance while Denzel spoke with her to back out of the room and retreat to the kitchen. Her lack of speech had irritated him somewhat, but it was more than that. He couldn't quite place it, but it felt like something was slithering through his emotions, as if these shifts weren't his own doing. It was just like with the remnants where it was so easy for them to confuse him and irritate him, though this girl's approach was far different. At least she wasn't calling him brother. Then again, she didn't say much, so it could be just a matter of time.

At the same time, though, while being near the girl seemed to bother him like a stubborn insect that wouldn't leave him alone, he felt an odd kinship with her. The words 'danger' and 'escape' and the fear those words were laced with struck a deep forgotten nerve he had, and he didn't know why. Could she have been in a similar circumstance he had years ago? Gaia, he hoped not. No one deserved that kind of torture. It made him stop and rethink how he felt about her, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt guilty for feeling so irritated.

He blinked, suddenly surprised as someone poked his forehead, and his eyes focused on Marlene. She was sitting across from him…when had he sat down? Had he really been that lost in thought?

"I thought it was impossible to sneak up on you," she teased with a smile.

Cloud returned it as she earned a rare chuckle from him. "You're one of the only few who can." And it was true. The girl was so smart for her age, and her ability to see the root of most problems that the adults missed was remarkable. She had helped him see the obvious so many times, and it especially helped during the incident with the remnants.

"Are you worried she might be like those other men, the ones who kidnapped me?"

The small smile vanished as she managed to pinpoint one of his worries. "Yeah, a bit, but she seems different from them."

Marlene nodded, remembering the time when Loz had taken her to the ancient's forest. "Yeah, the one who grabbed me acted like it was all a big game, and he talked like he was younger than me. The one with the longer hair was creepy. He kept giving me these looks that gave me goose bumps, like he had some sneaky evil plan in mind, but he instead would keep making fun of the other one and made him cry a lot. The leader was the scariest one. He never paid me much attention, but he always knew what I was doing. I tried to sneak away on my own, while he was looking through your materia, but he knew what I was doing and struck a tree down, cutting off my escape."

Cloud felt bad for her, having to go through that. Even if he had come for them eventually, he still kicked himself, even now, for wanting to run and leave the rescue to Reno and Rude. Tifa had been dead right as usual. He had been afraid of failing more people that counted on him. It was different now. He still carried the guilt,...always would...but he had learned to forgive himself. That falling rain that raced down from the sky from Aerith after Sephiroth's last defeat had cleansed him of that heavy burden he had carried for so long, and that immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Looking back at Marlene he offered her another reassuring smile. He knew how he had to handle this situation now, and once again, he had Marlene's wonderful common sense to thank for it.

He placed a gentle hand on her head, "Even though you were scared then, you still helped. You gave me the chance I needed that night." And she had. Kadaj's sword was mere inches from his throat, and he wasn't able to reach his weapon. But Marlene shouting his name distracted Kadaj enough for Cloud to seize his chance. She had saved his life, and he often wondered if she ever realized it. He'd tell her one day, if she hadn't figured it out by then. "She does remind me of them, but she's not the same. The others didn't have a shred of pity, remorse or compassion. But she's different. She saved Denzel, and she's the reason we knew you were in trouble in the first place."

Marlene blinked in surprise, and Cloud shook his head. "I don't know what her situation is, other than she's scared, unsure and she can't speak very well. But maybe, if we help her she might be able to give us some clues about where she came from, even if it takes time. Would you like to help me?"

Marlene smiled and nodded. "You bet! I can start by taking this to her." She held up the outfit she had picked out from Tifa's closet.

Cloud nodded his approval. "Sounds good; let's go."

It was a little after eight in the morning. Tifa had taken the kids to school after the morning's events when the girl finally woke up, and Denzel had given her a name. It suited her well; at least she seemed to like it. Cloud would have taken the kids to school on Fenrir, but it wouldn't look good if the boy was seen riding a motorcycle and then trying to explain to the kid's teacher that he should take it easy after suffering an injury, regardless of how skilled a rider Cloud was. Besides, Tifa was much more skilled at talking to people.

He needed to head out on patrol soon, along with delivering a few packages to the city of Kalm and to the chocobo farm. The reason why he was still home was because the girl...Angel...he really needed to start referring to her by her name now...was still sitting on the couch where she had woken up and was blinking like an innocent, curious child, unsure of what to do, and she probably didn't if her lack of vocabulary was anything to go by. She probably hadn't really been in a homely setting before. Cloud wasn't even sure how to talk to or approach her, if he was being honest. He wanted to thank her for saving Denzel, of course, but he always had trouble showing gratitude.

A strange sound drew his attention back to the girl, and she, in turn, looked down at her middle with pure confusion.

Cloud heard it again and relaxed, knowing what the issue was, even if the girl didn't seem to realize. She had probably never been left alone long enough to feel hungry or understand what it means, if his suspicions about her origins were right. "Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" she parroted, not sure of the word's meaning.

The growling continued, and she looked down at her stomach with annoyance.

"I know how to make it stop," he replied.

"Thank you," she replied.

He carefully made his way towards her, trying not to scare her. "Are you able to walk on your own?"

Angel carefully lowered her feet onto the carpet and then slowly stood. She was shaky, but she managed to take a few steps, closing the gap between them. Cloud nodded and turned for the kitchen. "This way."

She followed as he headed for the fridge and looked for something he could make a quick and easy meal with. He wasn't a great cook, but his food wasn't bad either, at least according to the kids. He found the perfect thing to make and pulled it out of the fridge before looking for the frying pan.

"Ever have eggs?"

Angel shook her head.

"Are…they good?" she asked slowly.

He didn't know why her question made him smirk, but he took it as a good sign, putting a little vegetable oil in the pan to help prevent the eggs from sticking. A useful trick Tifa had taught him, and reminded him…at least six times.

He waited for the pan to heat up enough, cracking the egg on the side and splitting it open. Angel watched the yolk and membrane fill the pan and was amazed when it turned from clear to a thick white color.

She reached her hand in to touch it when Cloud noticed and grabbed her hand. "No!"

His heart nearly broke when she flinched and shut her eyes, as if expecting him to hit her, and it hurt even more when he felt her jump with fright.

"I'm sorry…but that's hot. You'll get burned. We're trying to help you, not give you more injuries."

She looked up, timidly at his sincere eyes and slowly nodded. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "You didn't know."

Angel then turned until her back was to him and sat down on her legs before leaning forward.

"Punishment…" The way she said it revealed that it was something she expected, like it came second nature to her.

Cloud's eyes widened as his protective nature kicked in, and he knelt down, turning her to face him. Her face betrayed her fear, and she began trembling uncontrollably. Tears emerged from her large eyes, rolling freely down her cheeks.

Cloud saw them and eased his grip. He hadn't meant to come off so strongly, but it bothered him more than he'd liked to admit to see how tortured she seemed. This was a result of cruelty and not just any kind; it felt familiar. And then it struck. His foggy memories cleared a bit, just enough to give him a glimpse of his own hell years ago…

Floating in a tank of liquid mako, he glanced over at the tank next to his, hoping his vision would focus enough to see his friend. It got harder and harder each day and he forgot more and more. Who was he? Why was he here? Why was the man in the white coat so cruel and merciless? How long had he been stuck there? Had he always been there? Was Zack okay? Wait, who was Zack? He could only think of one connection: Brother?

It all made sense for Cloud in that moment. This girl...she was someone's escaped experiment, someone kept locked up for Gaia knows how long and tortured. The blond gave her the most honest, sincere and determined look he could offer. He didn't know where she had come from, or how she came to be, but he would do what he could to help her and keep her safe.

"You will never be punished again. I promise."

She just stared at him, astonished. She leaned forward into him, resting her forehead against his chest before she gave into her tears and cried.

The action surprised Cloud, but he knew she needed to feel safe, so he wrapped her in a gentle hug.

She uttered a single, shaky whisper: "Promise..."

After a couple moments, Cloud carefully pulled away and blinked at her, his expression was apologetic. "Um, the eggs...they're starting to burn."

Angel nodded as he stood and helped her up. She looked over at the table and then back at him. "May I?"

Cloud caught on and gave her a pointed look. "You don't need to ask permission to sit down."

She looked away and sat down. Cloud sighed and shook his head. This was going to be one heck of a time. He could feel the winds of change blowing, and they felt ripe with bad luck.

His prediction came true as he grabbed a plate and set the eggs on it just as Tifa came in. She saw the girl sitting at the table, looking hungry and ashamed and Cloud with a meal on his favorite plate. She gave him a stern look. "Cloud Vaskr Strife! How dare you eat a meal and force the poor girl to watch!"

Cloud gave her an injured look as if she had just struck him in the heart. "Teef, you promised you'd never use my middle name."

Tifa just glared at him. "Yes, except when you do something that warrants me to. Did you stop to think she may want something to eat?"

"This is for her," he replied as he set the plate in front of Angel and offered her some utensils.

"Oh," Tifa blinked sheepishly, having jumped the gun. "Sorry. I guess I'm still stressed from the school visit."

"That bad?" asked the blond.

"The worst," she replied, and Angel stared with intense fascination as she watched the two work around each other in perfect sync. Cloud put dishes away and rinsed out the dirty pan he used. Tifa pulled out two mugs for coffee. "That teacher gave me a lecture like the world was coming to an end."

"Like we've never faced that before," Cloud joked.

Tifa smirked at the truth in those words. "He said we may be heroes, but that doesn't mean we get to throw ourselves into danger at every turn if we're the guardians over innocent children. He made it seem like Denzel was an incapable toddler. He talked like he believed the kid was helpless and unable to think for himself."

"The nerve of some people. Maybe next time a meteor threatens to crash on their heads we'll go take a vacation to Costa Del Sol and watch the show from a safe distance?"

Tifa chuckled at the horrible joke and gently smacked his shoulder.

"Kidding," he replied in reaction to the slap.

He glanced over his shoulder at Angel, who was just watching them with a small smile. "So how are the eggs?"

The girl blinked, as if remembering she had food in front of her and studied how to use the utensils before she figured it out and took a small test bite. Her eyes grew comically wide, and Cloud swore they sparkled as she cut a bigger piece and took a big mouthful before chewing. "Mmmmmm"

He then turned back and nudged Tifa's arm before offering a hand gesture over the sink, which was one he used when they had gone out on missions. It was the one to signify that they turn the corner and strike, but Cloud was trying to say they needed to speak alone, without Angel thinking they were just up and leaving. Apparently, the message was received because she subtly nodded to him. He held up two fingers, signifying for her to wait two counts. He dried his hands and turned to leave.

Angel watched him head out, and she smiled as she held up her current bite and nodded her head. "Good! Thank you!"

He smirked and nodded. "You're welcome." He then vanished through the doorway.

Tifa finished putting the dishes away before looking at the clock. "Better get the laundry started now." With that she left the room, only to poke her head back around the corner. "I'll be right back; I'm just going to do a few chores."

Tifa did get the clothes and headed to the wash room where Cloud was waiting. "What happened?"

Cloud looked at the wall, as if he could see through it to where Angel was still eating before looking down. "I think she escaped from a lab somewhere."

"Tell me what happened." she encouraged him, her expression one of understanding.

He relayed the events of Angel's discovery of breakfast and how she expected punishment. "You don't think whoever had her will come looking for her, do you?" she asked, worriedly.

"Hojo sent swarms of goons to hunt me and Zack down after we escaped the mansion. I don't think anyone would give up on their…work...so easily." Memories swarmed in his mind of his time at the mansion, and he attempted to refocus on the current discussion. "But I promised we'd keep her safe. I can't explain it, there's just something about her that's different."

"Different how," Tifa asked with a suspicious lifted eyebrow.

"I don't know, and that's what confuses me."

Tifa nodded. "Well, I'll take care of her while you're gone. Just try to make it back early tonight."

"Try is all I can promise," he replied as he headed out.

Tifa rolled her eyes with a smile and continued with the laundry.

Cloud headed into his room to change into his battle/traveling clothes. They were perfect for taking down monsters and looking cool, but at home he'd adopted a more laid back style. Camo pants or loose jeans with a black or light colored T-shirt mostly. When he headed downstairs to check on Angel before he left, he saw that she had finished her meal and had even washed her plate.

She saw that he had changed and tilted her head with a slight frown growing.

"I'll be back later. Tifa's gonna be here if you need anything, okay?"

He turned to leave and had his hand on the doorknob leading to the garage when he felt something pulling his battle skirt. He turned to see Angel grabbing it tightly and looking at him with sad, pleading eyes. "No go...?"

Cloud sighed, feeling bad for having to let her down. "I have to go, but I'll be back tonight. I have a job that I have to do, and people are counting on me."

She seemed to think it over, while still not letting go. "A…promise?"

Cloud smirked slightly at that. "Yeah, kind of. A job is a lot like a promise, but I also need to make sure there aren't any more monsters running around. Like the ones that attacked you and the kids."

Angel thought about that before she slowly let go, and, although she didn't look happy about it, it seemed she understood.

"Be…" She paused, seemingly searching for words, "…not hurt."

He smirked at her and nodded. "I'll be careful."

"Careful," she repeated the word, testing it out and he nodded.

With that he headed out the door, checking that everything was set before he opened the large sliding door, and Fenrir growled to life. The mechanical beast roared as it launched out of the garage and thundered down the street out of sight, the door closing on its own from the timer.

Once he was out on the road, Cloud couldn't help but ponder over Angel's possible origins. How aware of it was she, and what had they created her for? It was clear she had enough mako coursing through her to choke a moogle, maybe even levels similar to his own, even though that was very dangerous territory. As much as Cloud eternally hated Hojo with a passion the man was brilliant and was a master at chemistry, ensuring the components in his formulas were perfect before testing them out.

Cloud pulled up to a stop light and growled with irritation from the feelings those thoughts were bringing up. He touched the ribbon on his left arm to calm him. It was his best connection to Aerith, and it worked wonders. Not just as a protector against status effects such as poison and sleep, but it had an amazing calming effect when the past troubled him.

Author's Note: For those who are curious, Vaskr is a viking word meaning: brave, bold, gallant or valiant. This is a middle name I've given him, it's not official.