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Ange sat on a chair in the police station. Despite the air conditioner blowing on her, Ange was sweating. Her grandfather sat next to her, holding the young girl's hand as they waited. She heard the news hours ago, about how her family had gotten into an "accident" that was very serious. She didn't hear much about it, due to her grandfather turning off the news station, but from what she gathered it seemed like some died. Before this, Ange never really thought about death. She couldn't understand much about it; only that when someone died, you couldn't talk to them or meet them. Thinking about not being able to see her beloved family again made Ange's chest hurt. She loved her mother, father, and big brother so much. She also loved all her cousins, especially Maria onee-chan. To never be able to talk to them again would be cruel. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she sat in unease.
"Ange-chan!" she heard a familiar voice call out to her. When she turned her head, she saw her mother running up to her. Ange jumped off the chair and ran into her mother's arms, tears finally spilling out of her eyes. Her mother's embrace was warm and comforting to the anxious girl, who just a few minutes prior, thought she might never receive one ever again. In another world, maybe she wouldn't, but here she received the love she needed.
"Mama! Mama, you're okay!" Ange sobbed. Kyrie pulled back and smiled at her gently before delivering a soft kiss to her forehead. A kiss full of affection, and warm feelings filled Ange. When her mother finally let go of her, Ange saw her older brother and father behind her. They both looked tired, but had full smiles when they saw Ange. "Onii-chan! Papa!" Ange ran into her older brother's arms and was picked up into the air.
"Ange! Great to see you again!" Battler said. Battler's words were apt, since in another world, he might have never been able to see his beloved little sister again. Battler's embrace was rough, but that rowdyism gave solace to Ange, who thought she might be dreaming. Her father came up tp her and rubbed her head into a messy mop.
"I'm glad you're safe. I was scared." Ange cried into Battler's shoulder. All the anxiety earlier brought back her sickness from a couple of days ago, but all of that was blown away as she sat safely in her brother's arms.
"It's okay Ange. We're okay." Battler comforted her as she sobbed on him. Kyrie quickly gave a hug to her father before heading back to Ange and giving her another kiss on the head.
"Did we worry you sweetie? It's okay. Mama, Papa, and Battler are all fine." her mother said as she rubbed the tears off of Ange's face. For most people, receiving this amount of affection from their family is something taken for granted. But after such a close call with her future of isolation, Ange would never forget these moments. Being surrounded by people you love was a must for every little kid. If she was with her family, then surely she would be happy. Surely.
As much as their little family would have wanted to spend the rest of the day hugging each other, after thirty minutes Ange's family was called away. Apparently there was still more questioning to go through. Tearfully, Ange watched her family head back into the police station, smiling at her. An officer comes out and starts talking with her grandfather, but Ange is too caught up in thought to pay attention to what they're saying. She was able to see her mother, father, and big brother, but what about the rest of her family? She wanted to see Maria onee-chan, Jessica onee-chan, and George onii-chan. Where were they? Her small family was safe, but the rest of the extended family weren't here. Were they still being questioned? It would make sense if her immediate family were the only ones allowed out so they could see Ange. But the dread from a while ago started creeping back up to her. A slight chill ran down her spine and she couldn't help feeling like the world was slowly turning gray.
"Eva obaa-san.....hurt them?" Ange asked. Her voice was frail after about an hour of crying. She learned the rest of her family had not made it out. Fun Maria onee-chan who always played with her, kind George onii-chan who always treated her like an equal, and rough but sweet Jessica onee-chan who always had fun messing around; all of them weren't around anymore. She would never be able to talk to them again. No matter how much she wished, such a miracle would never be granted. And the one who made sure that such a thing would never happen, was Ushiromiya Eva.
Ange didn't have much memories of her aunt, as they only met a couple of times a year. Eva obaa-san spent most of her time talking with the adults about complicated issues, so Ange never got to interact with her very much. But she remembered how kind she was to her. How she had snuck her a sweet from the dining hall or how always seemed ready to play with her. As little as they talked, Ange felt like her aunt was a sweet woman. But...it seems that conception was wrong.
Ange didn't hear much about the details, probably because her family didn't want to hurt her heart too badly. But Ange wasn't an idiot. Even if she couldn't fully process death or what it meant to hurt someone, she knew it was very wrong. In the movies she watched, killing was something the bad guys always did. Those bad guys were evil to their very core; cackling at people's despair and hurting the weak. That's why they always lost. The good guys would rise up and defeat them, bringing peace to the land and smiles to people's faces. So when she heard it was Eva who hurt her family, Ange was conflicted. Eva obaa-san didn't seem like a bad guy, but she was apparently wrong. Her sweet family was taken away by her dirtied hands, so she also had to be defeated.
With what little she was able to put together, Ange knew that her family were safe from the initial attack because they had a close knit meeting. When Eva finished eliminating most of the Ushiromiyas and servants, she seeked out Ange's family to finish the job. Her mother and Eva got into a fight, and her father had to kill her to save his wife. Ange didn't hear why such a thing happened, but apparently it was motivated by greed. The beautiful color gold blinded her, and with the blindfold of greed covering her eyes and heart, she took up arms against her family.
It was unbelievable to Ange, but it was the truth. She didn't doubt the words coming from her parents lips, they've never lied to her before. She trusted that her parents were telling the truth, but such a truth seemed so out of this world that she struggled to understand it. Was it just because she was young? She heard from her brother that things start to look differently once you get older, so maybe this was one of those times.
As she held tightly onto her mother's hand, Ange was lost in thought. The entire day felt like one long nightmare. All the anxiety and sadness had made her tired and all she wanted was to sleep on her bed. She hoped her real dreams would be more pleasant, that they would chase away all the bad things of the day. But every time she closed her eyes, her extended family's faces would appear in her head. Though she had already drained herself of tears, it felt like her heart was still crying.
That night, she dreamed that she was alone in a vast space. Twinkling shards would fly past her, but she could never take hold of them.
"How are you liking this future? This should be one of the best outcomes for you." she heard a voice from behind her. Turning around she saw a girl who looked not much older than herself. She had long purple hair and pretty clothes, but the expression on her face was lifeless. "Your family has come back to you, though at the expense of your aunt. But you never liked her anyway, so you should be happy."
"Um...I don't understand what you're talking about. Who are you?" Ange questioned the mysterious girl.
"I'm just a wandering witch, you don't need to worry about the specifics. I just wanted to visit and see how you were doing. After all, it took me a long time to find a fragment like this." the girl spoke more confusing words. Her dream was just as confusing as real life, but there was also a sense of familiarity. She felt like she knew the older girl, but she couldn't remember why.
"Are you a dream witch? Maria onee-chan talks about how sometimes witches can appear in your dreams." Ange had forgotten that her sweet cousin was no longer apart of this world. Her reality felt like a dream, and this dream felt like reality. Maria onee-chan still lived in her heart, even if her brain knew she was dead.
"I guess so. I'll show up whenever I'm feeling bored. Make sure to entertain me, okay?" the witch asked of her. Ange didn't understand what she meant by entertaining her. Did she want to play games or something? Maria onee-chan always talked about playing games with Beatrice, so maybe this witch was similar.
"Alright. We can have fun together." Ange said.
"Fun? For me, yes. But I wonder. Just how much fun will you be having?" the girl snickered. Before Ange could question her, she woke up in her bed. As she rubbed her tired eyes, the dream she had been in moments ago already faded from her mind.