Their friendship was strong for over two years. Nothing in their little routine changed. He would visit her, she would visit him… It was because of her that Emil smiled a real smile for the first time in years. Of course, he still picked the pockets of people in her neighborhood.
And then one day, Emil saw her come into the orphanage like she usually would, led to the lobby by Sister Natalia like she always was. But this time… this time her head was bowed, her hair veiling her eyes. And there was something else, as well. It was morning. She never visited this early in the morning.
"Everybody, you remember little Angel, right? Please be kind to her." Sister Natalia announced, putting a hand on the seven-year-old girl's back, ushering her forward gently. Emil found that strange, since Sister Natalia never announced Angel's arrival before.
It hit him quickly when he realized why, noticing how drooped her shoulders were and how tightly she was clutching her doll.
After Sister Natalia left, he and Access went up to her as everybody went back to their normal activities.
"Ange? 'S ev'rything okay?" Access asked in a small voice. He touched her hand. She had been like a big sister to him… he had known nothing else but the orphanage and his two older siblings.
"Angel…" His eight-year-old brother said softly, noticing her trembles. "…What happened?"
Angel didn't look up, nor did she say a word. She clutched her rabbit tighter.
Emil took her by the hand. It was wet….
"Come on. Let's go to our room." Emil motioned, taking Access with his other hand and leading them away. Once they were in the small room and the curtains were drawn to let light in, Emil turned around. Access still prodded the young blue-haired girl.
"…It's okay to cry." Emil said gently.
And she did. She wailed hysterically, clinging to Emil and Access, surprising them. "I miss mommy and daddyyy!!" She sobbed.
At the sight of her tears, Access' face contorted as his eyes began to sting as well. "Don' cry, sis…" And then he started crying too.
"Shh… it's okay. What happened?" Emil said softly, using the brotherly tone he would use to sooth Access when he cried as a child. Even now, he was rubbing his younger brother's back, trying to calm him down while still focusing all of his attention on Angel.
"Yesterday… Fire…" Angel muttered almost incomprehensibly, her sentences broken by tears and hiccups. "The shop…"
"It's okay… you don't have to say anymore… if it hurts that much to think about it." Emil told her, bringing her into his embrace and stroking her hair the way he had seen her father stroke her when he had first met her. He could easily put together the pieces. Her parents were killed in a fire at the jewelry store.
She was an orphan.
Emil used to be slightly jealous of the other orphans for knowing that both of their parents were dead. He had harbored great hate because his mother was still alive, and had chosen to abandon him and Access. But now… now he could see the other side of things, looking through Angel's tears. He had never before known the sadness of the children that had lost their lives when their parents did. Everything had changed for them in an instant, and there was no way to ever go back. Even if his mother would never come back to get them, there was at least still a small chance that she would.
He had only bore half of Angel's pain in the past, seeing the body of his father, lifeless before him. He could only imagine how Angel felt….
"How did you survive, Angel…?" He asked gingerly, wondering if she would answer. At least in his arms, she had begun to calm down; her uncontrollable sobs had become soft whimpers.
"I was…" She hiccupped, "playing… across the street…"
She brokenly explained how she had seen the fire start, how her parents were trapped within the roaring embers and unable to reach out to her cries. One of the owners of the neighboring businesses had to hold her back so she wouldn't run in there too.
"They wouldn't let me save them… Emil, I could have saved them…" She started wailing again, clutching her friend's ragged shirt tightly. The memories of the previous day were vivid to her. They scared her to death.
"…Maybe you could have, Ange… maybe you could have…" Emil said softly, a pang hitting his heart. She would have just died too… he was glad she didn't go in.
Angel still cried. There was nothing left for the young orphan, everything she had ever known in her life burned to the ground with her parents. She had no inheritance and no family. She was alone except for her two best friends.
"Ange! Cheer up!" Access whined, wiping his tears. His face was red. "You're prettier when you smile." He said in a small voice, giving her a weak grin.
Emil chuckled a little, letting the little angel go. "Hey, that's my line, you little thief." He ruffled his brother's hair. Access did learn everything from him, didn't he?
Angel cracked a little smile at the brothers' antics.
"Look on the bright side! Now you can play with us ev'ry day!"
Her little smile bloomed into a grin. "Yeah…" She hiccupped a little, wiping her eyes.
Emil gave a soft smile, petting Angel's soft blue hair affectionately. "Don't worry… we'll take care of you now."
"Really? Promise?"
"Promise. We'll take good care of you."
Later that day, when Angel was fast asleep from the previous day's fatigue, Emil escaped the orphanage and ran to the upper-class street, his feet running like the wind, silent and light.
He had to see….
The young redhead skidded to a halt in front of the black remains of the jewelry shop, out of breath and panting heavily. He stared in disbelief. There was nothing left but this smoldering pile of rubble. It was heartbreaking. This was where he had met Angel, where they had played together. Even the side of the building of the other half of the alley was slightly black, but not completely burnt down.
He took a deep breath, composing himself. Despite all his thieveries, there was just something about rummaging through the place of the dead that made him uneasy. Still, he walked forward into the ruins of Angel's life.
Surely there was something left….
When Emil got back that evening, he went to Angel's new room in the girls' wing of the orphanage, just down the hall from the boys' rooms. He went in and lit the lamp, then going over to sit on Angel's bed. For a moment, he stroked her hair, his eyes trailing over her. She still held Marron close to her, her face slightly contorted in sadness, as if she was having a nightmare.
He shook her shoulder gently. He had already brushed off the black charcoal that had before stained his hands on his pants. "Hey Angel. Wake up, I have something for you."
She stirred, opening her eyes slowly. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she sat up, blowing out the light of the lamp.
Emil blinked. "Ange?" She was trembling.
"Sorry… I… was having a bad dream…" She said in a small voice.
She's afraid of the fire… Emil quickly realized. He shook his head, dismissing it. "It's okay… you're safe now, remember?"
Angel nodded a bit. "Yeah… I know. Thank you, Emil." She smiled a bit, unseen in the dark.
"Hey, look what I have for you." Emil rummaged through his pocket, pulling out a simply-designed metal cross necklace, half melted but still shining beautifully. Angel held out her cupped hands, and he lowered the chain of the necklace into her palms, closing her fingers around it with his. "It's… a gift. To remember your parents by…"
Angel looked like she was about to cry again, her eyes shining with new tears as she looked down at the silver pendant. Emil flinched. "Hey, don't cry again! I meant, you know, remember the good times." He said quickly, waving his hands as if to distract her. He hadn't meant to remember the day they died at all. "It was all I could find that was still in semi-good condition… I think others got there before I could…"
"Thank you, Emil…" She said again, her voiced chocked up with all the gratefulness she could muster. "Thank you… this is the best gift anyone's ever given me. This is all I can ever ask for…" She whispered. "I want to be able to remember them…"
"Because you're afraid you'll forget?" Emil finished for her sympathetically. It was… the same as him. He had always been afraid of forgetting his father… but lately, it seemed like he was. He had no mementos from his parents. He wanted to make sure Angel wasn't the same in that way.
Angel nodded a bit. She didn't say much else. There was a long but not awkward silence. He hoped she wouldn't start crying again, but it seemed like she had run out of tears. He honestly hated seeing Angel cry, he didn't know why. She had always been a comfort to him… so he wanted to do all he could to comfort her.
Then Angel said, "Emil…? Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone tonight…"
Emil nodded, smiling softly as he pet her hair. "Yeah. Of course I'll stay with you. I'm here to protect you, remember? I'll be… your 'guardian angel'."
Angel giggled softly.
It took a while for Angel to get used to orphan life. She was used to extravagant feasts every night and her own bible or hymn book during mass. But these little luxuries were quickly forgotten as she spent more and more time with Emil and Access, who went out of their way to make sure she could have a little more food or an extra blanket at night like she was used to, but they always poked fun at her and said that she would get fat if she kept eating the way she did or she would get sick from all the heat. But at least they were with her. She didn't mind being an orphan as long as she could play with them. To her, it was like a never ending sleepover.
However, often times, Angel would sneak into their room at night, just to know that their presences were nearby as she slept. It wasn't not allowed, but generally the boys slept separately from the girls. She never wanted to leave the lamp on at night, still afraid of the fires, so Access and Emil were shrouded in darkness as well, but they didn't mind it too much. Emil would tell Access that he would have to get used to it, because in the future, if he was going to be like his big brother, he would have to live in the completeness of the night. Only the moon would be their guide.
The only problem was… Angel was afraid of the dark.
So Emil and Access kept their night time getaways a secret, waiting until she was asleep before they went out.
Though sometimes, Angel would hold onto Emil so tightly that he couldn't escape.
She was the only one who could capture him.
"Where's your money now, spoiled brat?"
"I'm not a spoiled brat!" Angel protested feebly, "Give her back! Give Marron back!"
"Aww, you want your toy? It'll cost you." The boy who held Marron smirked, raising it high over his head so that even if she jumped she couldn't reach it.
"Meanie! Give me my toy! It's mine!" She cried, tears beading at the corners of her eyes, "It's special to me! Please return it!"
"How cute," The older boy sneered sardonically, pushing her back when she got too close, "Special. What, is it worth that much? Maybe I should just sell it."
Angel landed on the dirty ground with a soft thud. She whimpered, trembling in pain.
"Ha. Not so great now that you have no bodyguards, huh? You're a no-good pest of the street." The boy mocked her by lowering the toy slightly, then raising it out of reach once more. "What's the matter, you rich spoiled brat? This is how the real world is."
"I'm… not…" Angel sniffled, her small hands clenching into fists. She had only been at the orphanage for a little over a month, and the kids who lived down the street already figured out who she used to be.
"You're so pathetic. This is a really ugly toy too." The boy laughed, "What, is it made by some famous doll maker from France? I don't think you got your money's worth."
"Stop saying things like that!" Angel got up, "Marron was given to me by a special friend! Give her back!"
"Special friend?" The boy echoed, seeming amused, "You're a rich kid. You don't have real friends, much less special ones…"
He was suddenly cut off by a blur of dark red passing Angel and a hard fist colliding with his face. The boy fell backwards and dropped the rabbit doll.
"Who the hell do you think you are, messing with her?!" Emil growled angrily, glaring down at the older boy. He picked up Marron, handing it back to Angel without a word. She whimpered again, clutching it tightly as Emil turned back to the bully. "Pick on someone your own size!"
"Ow! What the hell?!" The boy got up, holding his nose, which distorted his voice in a funny way. He then realized who had attacked him. "You're that thief from the orphanage! What, gonna steal my victim too, runt? Aren't you a bit too old to be playing with little girls? Oh wait, I forgot, you are one!"
"Shut up! Get away from her! How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from my family? You think you're going to get away with making my friends cry?" Emil cocked his head tauntingly, cracking his knuckles. He gave another swift but effective punch, this time to the gut.
"Grr… little rat!" The boy clenched his fist, still rubbing his nose. "You don't have a family! You're an orphan!" He tried to hit Emil, but he dodged nimbly.
"You're wrong! When are you going to learn your lesson?! Next time you mess with Angel or even my little brother, I'm going to stop going easy on you!" Emil threatened in a powerful voice. Though the bully had hit a nerve, Emil kept his cool. He kicked the boy in the back, sending him into the dirt. "Now scram!"
The boy grumbled in annoyance, swiping at Emil futilely before he trudged off.
Emil watched him until he disappeared, then turned around to face Angel. His voice changed from tough to soft in an instant, is expression becoming gentle. "You okay?"
Angel nodded a bit, petting Marron protectively. "I'm… just a bit sore…" She looked up at him, "Thank you for protecting me, Emil… I owe you."
Emil grinned and shook his head. "Nah, you don't owe me anything. I'm your guardian angel, remember?" He ruffled her hair, laughing a bit, "It was nothing. The guy pretends to be all strong and cool, but he's just a blubbering idiot."
Besides… he was the one who owed her. Even if Emil had saved her once that day, Angel had saved him in a way that he would never forget.
"Why did he call you a thief?" Angel asked, running her hand through her navy blue locks to try and straighten it.
"A thief is someone who steals things, remember?" Emil shrugged, guiding her back to the orphanage.
"Emil… are you still taking things that don't belong to you? You shouldn't do that…" Angel frowned, "Sister Natalia gives us everything we need. And she says stealing is a sin, anyway. Oh, that, and hurting someone else intentionally…"
If only you knew… half of those things are the things I steal for everyone… but of course, they think it's courtesy of an anonymous donor… Emil thought, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know." He didn't answer her question, of course. Stealing was… more than a hobby for him. Not only that, but if he didn't, they wouldn't be living well every day.
However, Angel had grown up having refined tastes and proper manners… so from the very beginning, even if she would forgive them for stealing or sinning in general, Emil knew that he had to keep the truth from her, even if he didn't want to.
"Well, I've had the punishment for beating up that kid before… it's not so bad. Don't worry; I'll still be around tonight, so you won't have to be alone."
"Silly, I have Access too!"
"Yeah, well, I'm the one who promised to protect you." He grinned.
She was happy and oblivious the way she was now. She never needed to know or partake in his nightly activities….
Emil never wanted Angel's wings to be soiled. Angel would be free to fly wherever she wanted, unhindered by the chains of his sins.