Angel With No Wings

Part 4

Slowly creeping up the stairs, Angela prepared herself for the state this man would be in. She knocked very lightly on the door, afraid she would accidentally wake him. On the other side of the door, she heard a scratchy voice respond, "Come in," She complied and opened the door calmly. Looking over, she saw a broken, beaten, and battered Genji propping himself up on a pillow.

"Oh, no! Please, don't get up. I'm not here to put you in more pain than you already are in." He let out a sigh and slouched back down into the comfortable bed. Usually, he would insist on looking proper enough for any lady, but he was in so much pain, he took the invitation and let himself sink into the bed.

"Hello, I'm Angela. I was the one who found you nearly dead." Genji shook his head. He felt bad for the woman. She had to hold his blood-covered hand as he drifted off to death. She should have just left him there to rot, and act like nothing happened.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to you. You didn't deserve this. Not only were you mutilated and nearly murdered, but you were treated so poorly in the community hospital. You must be in so much pain." She stepped closer. Genji could now see her so clearly. Her blue eyes, a creation of the stars. Wait, no. This couldn't be, he thought, The angel with no wings? Was it... was it really her? She was so much more beautiful than he imagined. The golden strands of her hair accented her fair skin and red lips. The daisy-colored dress made her eyes glow and shimmer.

"You, you look like an angel." He didn't mean to say this, but all of the medication he's on made him groggy and he lost his filter. Angela blushed. She's been complimented hundreds of times, but by someone who doesn't even know who she is... that made her smile authentic.

"Thank you very much sir."

"Please, call me Genji."

"Genji then. I'll let you rest. If you need anything, I'll make it my solitary duty to make it happen." She walked out of the small room. Her eyes teared up the second she was out of view, almost like they were waiting for the queue. He's in such a terrible state. What he needs is serious help. She went to her room and sat down on the bed. Her tears now strained down her face. A light knock lifted her head from her hands. She stood up and straightened out her dress.

"Come in." The door creeped open and the small Hana stepped in.
"M'Lady, The dress for your ball has come. Your mother has requested for you to try it on and we could size it accordingly." Angela nodded her head. Hana stepped in fully, uncovering the beautiful dress in its full. It was the same color as the dress she had on, but much more beautiful. The sleeveless dress was held up simply by the back lacing. The torso had intricate stitches and beads that created a pattern one could only describe as beauty that would withstand the tests of time. Layers of sheer fabric blasted out and fell to the ground, continuing with a small train. There was a rump in the back, with a bow right at the base of the lacing.

It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen, but she dreaded the thought of wearing it. She couldn't do it. Marry someone she didn't know? She would never be free again, but she had no word in the matter. Whoever her father approved of would be the heir to the estate and fortune, thus marrying Angela.

Hana took off the dress she had on and placed it carefully on Angela's figure. It was a little loose around Angela's waist, so Hana worked her magic, and it fit perfectly. She took it off of Angela and placed the young woman in her night dress. An eggshell white, something boring and ordinary, at least in that house. Hana picked up the ballgown and took it someplace it would be kept for the following days. Angela laid down on her bed and fluttered off to sleep. She hasn't been able to do such a thing since the day she found... him.

Genji, however, stayed wide awake. He could not stop thinking about the angel, Angela, whatever her name was. He couldn't get her out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. He knew it was pointless. Who could ever love him again if he looked like this? He lifted his hand and stared at it. The poor limb was covered in wounds. Every stitch and bandage was the one thing covering the world from the hideous remains.

He lifted his hand higher and brought it down as hard as he could onto his raw face. A few stitches came undone as he screamed. He did it again. It was more painful than the first, but he kept on going. He hit and screamed until his palm was dripping and he could feel droplets of warm blood streaming down his forehead.

Angela heard the screams from across the huge estate. She went sprinting toward Genji's room and slammed open the door without asking. There he was, head in his palms, the bed speckled in red. She rushed toward him and put her hand on his arm.

"Genji, are you alright? What happened?" He lifted his head ever so slightly to let Angela see his ripped open wounds and dripping blood. "Why did you save me? Why did you SAVE ME?!" Dr. O'deorain came into the room as she pushed Angela away.

"Angela, this is no place for you, let me handle my patient." She stood up, but watched him intently, waiting for him to speak. "YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT ME TO DIE! I SHOULDN'T BE ALIVE! I SHOULDN'T BE HERE!" He moaned and screeched as the doctor tried to calm him down, but he wasn't finished. He was going to scream, he was going to let all of his built up anger out. So much anger, built up for so long. He'd scream until he passed out, but instead, he crumpled himself up and cried on his bed. "I don't deserve to be alive."

Moira stopped herself, surprised by what he said. She looked over at an equally confused Angela. "Genji, you deserve to live. That's why we saved you. We are giving you a second chance, and you will take that second chance and make the world better, so you feel better about who you are."

Angela watched Moira speak to him in a gentle, calm tone, while Genji began to relax. She, herself was now tearing up from the emotion that was building up in the room. She ran over to the bed and wrapped her hands around Genji's wounded body. The impact stung at his cuts, but Genji didn't even realize the pain. Her arms around him felt so comforting. He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face in her shoulder. "You have to live, Genji. You have to live for me."

He nodded his head lightly. Angela could feel her shoulder getting wet, but she didn't care. She cried too. They sat there for a while, finding the position so warm and comfortable. Their sobs eventually turned into sniffles. Genji realized the angel got much heavier and quieted down. He lifted his head and stared into the closed, fluttering eyes and still face. Very carefully, he lifted her off of him and laid her head on the pillow next to his. He smiled at the beautiful girl. "I'll live for you."