angelic | jean kirstein

chapter zero

ANGELIC – CHAPTER ZERO

"She's adorable." Hanje Zoe smiled softly as she stared down at the baby that was being rocked carefully in her father's arms. She slowly reached her pale hand down and rubbed it against her porcelain cheek. Hanje had never been quite so mesmerised before as she felt the softness of her cheek. "She looks just like you, Erwin."

He chuckled slightly and stared down in awe, his blue eyes meeting her wide jade. "Except the eyes," He hummed quietly and met eyes with his exhausted wife, his lips forming a smile at what they had created. "She has her mother's eyes."

Hazel Smith lay exhausted in the hospital bed, her eyes barely staying open as she watched her husband rock their first born child. "What's her name?" Mike Zacharias asked as he folded his arms over his chest, he flicked his hair out of his eyes as a contempt smile grew on his face.

Erwin flicked his eyes away from the new born to the other side of the room, a sad smile on his lips as he met steel eyes. "Her name is Isabel." I'm sorry, he thought.

The man across the room's lips parted for a second, eyes wide in confusion before he shifted his gaze to the other side of the room, not daring to show the specks of tears that had began to form. "It's perfect." Hazel breathed out quietly, her arms falling to her sides. "Isabel. . ."

Erwin's head shot over to the bed, eyes wide with panic as her jade eyes stared blankly at him, "take her." The blond shoved his first born into the closest pair of arms before he rushed over to his wife's bed. "Hazel –"

"Erwin," Mike said quietly from behind him, a pitiful look in his eyes as he held Isabel close to his chest, not daring to show Isabel her first glimpse of death so early. "I – I think she's gone."

The room grew silent as all the occupants stared in sadness at the Section Commander and his newly deceased wife. Nobody knew quite what to say, in bringing something beautiful into the world he had to lose his love. Levi looked back over to the baby in Mike's arms, her body wrapped in soft fabric. She's going to be a replacement or a reminder, Levi thought and sighed quietly.

Isabel stirred in Mike's arms and opened her mouth to let out a cry, almost as if she knew that she had just lost her mother. Mike looked down warily at the now crying child, unsure what to do as the silence had been broken. Levi stood up from his seat in the corner of the room and stalked over towards Mike, his arms outstretched. "I'll take her out."

Mike looked down at the dark-haired man cautiously, he was well aware his colleague was not good with people never mind a crying child. "This may come as a surprise to you, but I'm good with children." Levi sighed, his eyes flickering from a silently sobbing Erwin to Isabel.

Hanje placed her hand on Mike's shoulder and gave him a nod, the taller man nodded his head silently before he passed her onto him, his fingers lingered onto the fabric for a moment longer before he completely let her go, afraid she'd drop and shatter. Levi looked down at the baby and let a barely noticeable smile crawl onto his face as her cries seemed to quiet down.

He swiftly exited the room, his arms holding Isabel close to his chest, once the door had been shut behind him did he let the tears fall. His steel stared deeply into her jade and he couldn't help but feel a comforting familiarity in her eyes, one he hadn't seen for many years despite how impossible it was.

"Welcome to the world, Isabel." He whispered quietly as he rocked the baby, the tears still streaming down his cheeks, a smile on his lips. "We'll save humanity for you."