Angels of a Feather (Kid Icarus fanfic)

3. Formal Introductions

Skyworld was... well, it was very beautiful. And bright. About what you'd expect if someone took an Ancient Greek city and stuck it on solid clouds in the sky. Everything was either very white or very brown, which provided a juxtaposition that was surprisingly easy on the eyes. Most of the buildings were clearly not in use, but they'd been kept in decent condition, making it feel like I'd stepped straight into a classical painting.

Oh, and there were angels everywhere.

And I mean, everywhere. Walking around, carrying various items like furniture and clothing, and especially flying through the air. They were like great big, skinny birds minus the feathers all over their bodies besides their wings. They came in all ages and colors, both skin and tunic, and were just... seriously, everywhere. As far as the eye could see. The only problem?

I didn't recognize any of them.

Just like with Viridian and even my own reflection, the sky, to me, was filled with strangers. Children, teens, adults... no one looked familiar at all.

I was somewhat excited at the prospect of rediscovering this world that I apparently called home. Yet at the same time, I dreaded the idea of having to retrace my life here. Would there be anyone I called my friends? Family? ...Oh gods, did I have parents? Why couldn't I remember my parents?! Before I knew it, I was panicking and hyperventilating, the world going out of focus around me. Suddenly, I felt unsteady and afraid, as if I was balancing on a tightrope and on the verge of plummeting down into the abyss below.

"Hey." A large, warm hand settled gently on my shoulder, which I realized detachedly was trembling. I ripped my eyes away from the deceptively happy scene to meet Viridian's concerned gaze. "It's okay," he said softly, turning to fully face me. "Whatever you've forgotten, we'll help you remember it, okay?"

I took a couple deep breaths to help ground myself and nodded, blinking back tears. "It's all just... so overwhelming," I gasped, trying to relax my tense body. "I don't know anyone, but what if they know me? I don't know what to do now or when it happens and..." Viridian began rubbing soothing circles into the edge of my shoulder blade, close to where my wing attached to my back.

"We'll help you remember," Viridian repeated encouragingly. "Losing your memories isn't your fault. We'll find your friends and family and you'll be picking right back up where you left off!" I nodded absently, wondering briefly if Viridian had trained somewhere to deal with panic attacks, because he seemed pretty good at it. At least he's good at multiple aspects of his job. "Let's get you moved back in to the residential district, okay?" The world had phased out for a moment, but as Viridian gently guided me to the left and away from the low structure of the infirmary, my senses slowly started to come back to me and I found reassurance in the way my sandaled feet landed firmly against the solid clouds we walked on.

Viridian occasionally encouraged me to keep breathing deeply, holding my forearm lightly as he guided me down the weaving cobblestone path. Various angelic figures flitted around us, many shouting salutations to Viridian, but they mostly didn't acknowledge me and I did the same to them. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and continuing down the unfamiliar path. A few domed buildings passed in and out of view, but eventually a large, coliseum-like structure appeared directly in front of us.

Well, okay, I say coliseum-like in that there were many arched openings set at periodic intervals all across the wall, but upon closer inspection, the building didn't seem hollowed out inside at all. It was almost like... the exposed inside of a giant beehive, with tunnels or rooms or something further down into the building, but the arches being openings that residents could fly in and out of.

And that's exactly what they were doing, I realized. Angels were literally flitting in and out of various archways like worker bees, albeit much larger, friendlier, and with less buzzing. "It's like a giant beehive," I wondered out loud.

Viridian laughed lightly. "Yes, I do believe whoever built this drew inspiration from the inside of a beehive," he said. "But we don't exactly make honey here, we just sleep here whenever we're not on duty."

I frowned. Something didn't seem right about that to me. Angels slept in honeycomb-like buildings? It made sense functionally and spatially but something else bothered me...

"Something wrong?" Viridian asked, catching the look on my face.

I glanced at him and looked away quickly, shaking my head lightly. "I... think so? But I can't put my finger on it."

"Hmm... Well, let's get you settled into a bunk and maybe find someone to help you investigate things further."

My steps had become more steady at that point and Viridian had let go of my arm, but I almost missed the subconscious, reassuring warmth. I didn't want to be weird and ask for it back, though, when I didn't need it anymore, plus this guy was who-knew-how much older than me and not someone I was romantically interested in... Yeah, it would be way too awkward to ask him to hold my arm again. So I did my best to shake the thought from my mind.

"Do you have anyone in mind who can help?" I asked casually, not really expecting an answer.

Viridian seemed to think about that for a second before saying slowly, "I can think of a few, but most everyone who has come back is either busy rebuilding or recovering from injuries themselves. I'll help you look for them. I won't leave you until you're sure you can handle yourself," he promised me. "I don't normally say that given how many other patients we have right now, but your situation is unique and somewhat delicate." I nodded, trying not to look as relieved as I felt for the sake of my dignity.

We proceeded to look around the angelic beehive, searching for an easily accessed room that wasn't occupied or had a chance of being occupied. It was harder than you might think, with how chaotic and all over the place everyone's attention was. Viridian was in the middle of speaking to one such angel, some older man I of course didn't recognize, when my gaze wandered away from the beehive and across the rolling cloud hills. It was a lovely sight... just not one I felt familiar with, for whatever reason...

My eyes roamed across dozens of different faces and buildings absentmindedly. I found it easier to not panic over having no memory when I distracted myself with little things. Admiring how elegant the angels' wings looked as they flew through the air, the way certain articles of clothing fluttered delicately in the breeze, how one boy's hair shone in the afternoon light...

Wait.

My eyes snapped down to the boy's face and dozens of emotions rushed through me all at once as I studied it. He was oblivious to my presence, walking around like he was pretending to have a purpose to get out of doing something, but his face, his outfit...

"Pit?"