Glancing down to the young girl he held, his own daughter though she would never know the truth, he watches as the soft light eminating from the ash of the feathers disappears as she breathes it in. Smiling down at her softly, he watches as her eyes open, her deep blue eyes staring back into his own.
She smiled giggling lightly in his arms as she looked around for her mother who held her arms out.
Looking up to Ayame slowly, he notices her outstretched arms and looks back to the young child, "Your mother awaits, go to her, with newfound strength, let your legs carry you to the one that loves you with all her heart."
She shook her head as the mother picked her up out of his arms. "She does not have the ability to use her legs."
Head lowering at the new knowledge that his daughter was unable to walk, he shakes his head a bit, "I'm sorry... I didn't know..."
"Its not your fault..." She spoke sadly as the little one curled up against her smiling.
Slowly standing, he faces her with a bit of a sad smile, bowing softly, "If you'll pardon me m'lady... I should take some food to the winged one and check on her... should you need me please don't hesitate to call."
She nodded lightly. "the food on the stove should be enough for her." The parents leave with their children in hand.
Going to the wood burning stove near the back of the hut, he takes a bowl and fills it with the warm food. Again bowing to the lady, his wife from the past, he makes his way out of her hut behind the other parents and returns to his hut, eyes shaking with welled up tears that he held back.
The angel lay asleep still her breathing shallow.
As he entered the hut, his eyes fell on the sleeping girl, a soft smile spreading over otherwise saddened lips, giving a little softer look to his face. "You must be really tired..." he says in a low, soft voice as he moves to the bed, slowly kneeling beside it, placing the bowl of food on a small table nearby.
Children can finally be heard playing outside the huts a small one sitting under a tree playing with a soft doll.
Reaching over to the face of the girl, he lightly drags the tips of his fingers over her cheek, pushing back her soft hair to expose the collar. "This... this thing... is all that binds you to life... isn't it...? Your soul gone... you're but a doll... if I remove it... would you breathe your last... would I again be alone in this world...?"
The girl's eyes open slowly looking up to him, her eyes dull, yet glistening.
Catching himself almost becoming lost in her eyes, he looks down and away a bit, slowly moving his other hand to her neck beneath her, both hands reaching to the back of her neck, searching for the clasp that held on the collar, "You suffer... dead yet unable to die... souless, yet breathing... you deserve... to be free..." he says slow and soft, his voice filled with pain and sadness.
She just looked toward the man her eyes lost in her brown hued orbs.
Slowly lifting his eyes back up, he looks into the deep brown of her eyes, sighing softly, a few tears gathering along the bottoms of his eyes. "Farewell... dear angel of Earth... may your body be free... and your afterlife peaceful..." Lowering his head once more, he places his forehead on the edge of the bed, slowly releasing the clasp of the collar, not wanting to watch the last thing he had left slip away.
Her eyes close slowly as she laid down on the beddding her breathing slowing.
Fully removing the collar, he stands and turns away, moving to the door with the black object still in hand, the tears running down his face as he walks out the door, sliding down agaisnt the outside wall of the hut.
The little girl looks up from where she sat under the tree crawling to him weakly her legs dragging behind her on the rough soil.
His eyes don't see her coming as they look down at his hands, holding the collar there, tears dripping from his eyes onto the soft black object.
The girl pushed herself up as she tried to look into his eyes, "What is wrong?"
Slowly lifting his head, he looks to the little girl, trying to smile and assure her there was nothing wrong, but finding it impossible. "You're looking better... so much healthier... it's good to see you outside..." he says to the little girl in a soft tone, trying to change the topic as he folds the collar up and clenches it in his left hand.
She looked to the collar curiously soon holding up her doll for him. "You can hold her she makes me happy when I am sad." Soon looking up to him her blue orbs looking up to his.
The innocence of the little one brought a slight smile to his lips as he reached out with his right arm, folding it around her and picking her up to let her sit against him, "You're very thoughtful little one, thank you, how about I hold you and her at the same time, maybe I'll cheer up faster."
Nods lightly as she ran her fingers through the dolls yarn hair.
"She's very pretty, just like you," he says with a soft tone, using his left hand that holds the collar to wipe away a few tears from his eyes, smiling slightly down at the little girl.
Smiles back to him kindly holding her doll close yawning.
Gently patting her leg with the arm that remained folded around her, he smiles, "Are you getting tired?"
She shook her head even though she was growing tired.
Reaching up slowly, he begins to gently brush his hand against the side of her head, fingers lightly slipping through her hair like a father would a daughter, "Hmm, your eyes say otherwise," he says with a soft chuckle.
"I'm sorry..." Rubs her eyes showing her eyes are tired as she cuddles close.
"No need to be sorry little one, you probably haven't had a good nights sleep in a long time... you deserve a good rest." Smiling, he holds the little girl close to his chest, letting her rest her head against it as he drops his left arm to his side, holding the collar still.
Her eyes close as she rests her head against him sleeping silently.
Leaning his head down a bit, he lets his cheek rest atop her head. Smiling softly, he holds the girl close and gentle, letting her sleep in his lap, against his chest.
The maiden walks out looking around for her child.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, he slowly lifts his head and turns it to look at the lady, smiling as he nods his head downward to direct her attention to the sleeping child.
She stops looking to him smileing at him a bit nodding before she went back to her hut starting to cook.
Making sure he was holding the girl close, he slowly stands, moving his left arm beneath her to help hold her still, the collar slightly showing in his hand though he tries to keep it hidden. Slowly, carrying the sleeping girl, he moves to Ayame's hut.
She stirs the vegitables in the milk in the stew bowls already set out for them.
Carrying the child gently in his arms, he moves to the table, slowly taking a seat, not wanting to wake her. "Smells good m'lady."
"I am glad you think so sir." She looks up to him then notices the collar.
Continuing to hold the girl, he lightly pushes some of her hair back from her face with his hand, his arm not moving too much though for not wanting to disrupt her sleep.
"...I see you let her go..."
"Hmmm...? Oh... the collar..." his eyes lowered, his voice becoming sad once more as he stared at the table, "I couldn't bare watching her souless body... I... I felt like her body deserved to be free... like her soul..."
Ayame's head nods lightly looking up to him. "...I am sorry..."
"Don't be... you were doing what you thought to be right... you saved me from dieing by her hands... I just wish... I could have saved her from dieing at mine..." His eyes begin to tear up again as he looked down at the collar, "I couldn't watch her leave this world... she's in my hut... in my bed..."
"...If you watch the food and my child I wil get some men to come get her body to be buried..." Ayame said in a soft tone.
"No... I... I will bury her in the morning... if that is alright with you..." he says softly, his head still downturned, voice sad and sounding as though he were in pain.
She nodded lightly. "Ok."
He was unsure if she was truly gone, as he hadn't watched her die, but he had a gut feeling and a pain in his heart saying he was alone once again. His eyes shed tears, some of them lightly falling on the legs of the little girl.
The maiden watched him, eyes filling with sadness.
His eyes closed slowly, causing a few more tears to drip down as he lifted his head, opening them to look at Ayame, trying to smile as he saw her sad face, not wanting to see her sad for him.
"I am sorry..." she says as she looks back to the soup stiring slowly.
His head shakes slowly as he pets the side of the little girl's head lightly, "No... please don't be... I will be alright... I'm alive thanks to you... and I have a place to stay thanks to you... you've done so much for me... I am grateful."
"You gave me back my little girl and I am thankful for that..." came the saddened voice of the maiden as she stirred the soup still.
"I am thankful that I... and the winged one... were able to heal a village of sick children... I'm sure that the winged one looks on from the afterlife with a smile at what her body was able to do... I'm sure she's smiling down on this village from the heavens..."
Nodding lightly, Ayame continues to stir the soup, "I hope so..."
Smiling up to Ayame, he nods his head as well, "The children are well... she is watching over them I am sure, for it is her that we have to be thankful for their well-being."
She nodded tears beginning to fall to the floor.
Slowly, he stands, dropping the collar on the floor. Holding the little girl in his right arm, he moves over to Ayame and places his left hand on her shoulder, "Please don't cry m'lady... t'is a time to rejoice... the new life that this village will take on with healthy children... the new hopes for a bright future..."
Tears continued to fall to the floor as Ayame spoke, "I took her from you how can you stay here..."
"Because of her, this village will live to see a new day... will live to see a bright and prosperous future... Though she cannot... I must stay... and see to it that the future of this village is not endangered... I am staying for her..." he says as he looks down to the little girl, "And for the other children of this village, to ensure that the sacrifice made by the winged one is not wasted..."
She nodded sadly, her eyes closeing.
Slowly, he lifts his right arm and folds it around her shoulders, drawing her into himself a bit, "Please, cry no more, I will be fine I assure you m'lady... so long as I have friends in this village, I will be fine..."
"...I will honor her every day..." came the sad, yet sweet voice of the woman.
Smiling a bit, he hugs her a bit closer, "Thank you... she will be happy to see this village grow I'm sure... we can honor her together... as she is... an angel, watching over us all."
She nodded lightly, looking down still.
Slowly letting her go and stepping back, he lifts his hand to her chin, lifting it to look into his eyes, "Thank you..."
"Your welcome..." spoke the tender voice of she that the man knew as his wife from the past.
Slowly drawing his hand away from her chin, he glances to the little girl, "I'm going to put her in bed and go prepare the angel for her burial..."
Eyes closing slowly, the maiden nods her head, beginning to stir the soup once more.
Slowly, he walks to the bed, laying the sleeping child upon it with gentle arms. "Rest well little one..." he says in a soft tone, brushing her hair back with his hand before smiling and bowing to Ayame. "I will return shortly for the food you are preparing.." he says before turning his back and walking to the door of the hut.
She nodded, continuing to prepare the food, "Ok hun..."
His motion comes to a stop at her last word, his head lowering a bit, but not enough for her to notice. Slowly pushing open the matting over the door, he steps out and begins a slow, sad walk to his hut.
As he approaches the hut, his eyes fall on a small pile of jet black feathers, a sadness in his eyes as he lowers his head and shakes it side to side. "They're kids... forgive them for taking your feathers... they are thankful to you I assure you... please don't be angry with them..." he whispers to the wind, thinking the children had done it. Slowly, he pulls back the mat over the door to his hut...