Another new fic from yours truly! I'd be working on my other story right now, but I currently have writer's block and so I started working on this one XD

So for this fic I'm planning on making it have a darker plot than Imponderable Fate (my other story), so hopefully it turns out well :D

Onward to the story~

Phase 0

I never wanted things to end this way...

. . .

"Do you have them?" Edgar asked breathlessly as he ran towards the emergency room of the Asian Branch. The entire facility was in an uproar: two children were found half dead and covered in a multitude of lethal wounds. No one knew how they had arrived at the doorstep of the Branch; Fou had sensed a presence and left to investigate it, only to come back covered in the blood of these children.

"Yes, they're still in critical condition but we have hopes that they'll live," Alair replied hurriedly.

"Where's Twi?"

"I informed her earlier, so she should be on her way."

"Good." They had reached the entrance to the emergency room and went into the observation room to inspect the situation through the large glass window. Edgar placed a hand on the glass, his other hand was tightly clenched. "How do you think this happened?" he asked in a somber voice.

"...I don't know." Alair's own voice seemed to have been drowned out by the beeping of the monitor in the room in front of them as they watched the doctors and nurses frantically operate on the two children.

"They're so young." Edgar's voice broke when he said the last word, and he could not bear to look at the scene any longer. He heard the door open and the click clack of heels echoed loudly in the now silent room. He felt a hand gently wrap around his fist and the warm breathing of his wife standing by his side.

He turned his head slightly to the side to see her staring at him worriedly. "What should we do?" he asked her in a broken voice.

Twi closed her eyes and seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment before opening them once again. "We'll raise them here," she declared. Two pairs of wide eyes stared at her as she finished speaking. "What?" Twi demanded as her cheeks flushed a bright crimson.

"N-nothing," Edgar stammered quickly. "It's just that...I never thought those words would ever leave your mouth." He squirmed under her fierce glare and quickly shifted his gaze so that he made eye contact with Alair. An idea suddenly emerged in his head. "Right Alair!?"

The hair on the back of Alair's neck stood up as he now faced the piercing glare of the Asian Branch Head. "U-um uh," he tried to look anywhere but at his boss. "Y-yeah," he agreed lamely.

Twi folded her arms across her chest with a loud humph and returned to staring at the unconscious children, her gaze softening. Edgar smiled at his wife's kindness - however rough - and took one of her hands into his own and squeezed them reassuringly. "We'll take care of them here," he repeated softly.

A soft knock at the door called their attention and Alair moved to open it. A nurse bowed to them quickly before she straightened. "The operation was a success," she informed them. "All that's left now is to let them rest and recover." Twi nodded in acknowledgement and the woman bowed once more before murmuring "if you'll excuse me" and exited the room.

Edgar smiled softly as he once again squeezed Twi's hand. "All that's left...is for them to wake up."

. . .

But if it's you...

. . .

Alma peeked curiously through the glass at the two girls who were asleep in the ward. The nurses had been bustling in and out of the room for the past two weeks, and after what seemed like an eternity of begging, Edgar finally gave him permission to go see what everyone in the laboratory had been fussing over, reminding him not to go into the ward but to watch them from inside the observation room.

He soon grew bored of staring and sought to take closer look at the girls, one reason being that he was still far too short to see above the ledge and he was beginning to grow tired of having to hop over and over again just to catch a glimpse of them. Quietly opening the door, he scanned down the hallway for any sign of someone moving closer. Finding none, he gently closed the door and tiptoed into the next room. When he found no nurses inside, he finally relaxed and walked up to the closest bed and stared at the girl covered in bandages. She had raven black hair and she seemed to be around his age. Her long hair was dirty and unkempt, but as she slept Alma couldn't help but stare at her peaceful state. A movement from the corner of his eye caught his interest.

"Ah...!" he gasped as the girl's eyes opened to reveal two sapphire blue orbs. She blinked at the sudden brightness and slowly sat up. "You're awake!" Alma shouted excitedly, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

The girl blinked once again. "I'm Alma," he pointed to himself with his thumb. "What's your name?"

. . .

Then I'll gladly give up this life for your sake

. . .

"...Estelle," the girl's soft and quiet voice made her seem as if she could be blown away any minute. Alma's mouth formed a small 'O' as he nodded slowly. He peeked at the smaller girl behind her and he looked back at Estelle, then back to the girl who was still sleeping.

"Who is she?" He asked, referring to the smaller girl.

Estelle slowly turned to see the other girl quietly stirring due to the noise that Alma had been making. "...My sister," she murmured quietly.

The other girl was now awake and slowly sat up as well. Alma ran up to her and took in her features. She was covered in bandages but her wavy brown hair still managed to make her look more endearing. One of her eyes was covered by bandages, but the other was a soft baby blue hue.

"I'm Alma!" He introduced himself yet again. "What's your name?"

"M-my name is...Elena," the girl squeaked shyly.

"Estelle and Elena..." Alma smiled happily at the two. "Nice to meet you two!"

. . .

Because I am your eternal Guardian Angel

. . .

"Edgar! Edgar!" Alma ran up to the man and began to pull on the sleeve of his lab coat excitedly. "Estelle and Elena are awake!"

"Estelle? Elena?" Edgar asked confused.

"Uh huh! They told me their names!" Alma nodded vigorously.

"Did they now?" Edgar laughed as he patted the boy's head. "Where are they now?"

"They're still in bed, but I told them that I'd introduce you to them!"

When they had reached the ward where the two sisters had slept, he gently opened the door and stepped inside. Both girls stared cautiously at the man who now appeared before them but visibly relaxed when they saw Alma walking in behind Edgar.

Alma waved to the two and tugged on Edgar's sleeve and dragged him towards Estelle, the closest of the girls. Edgar chuckled nervously and waved shyly to them. He then knelt down so that he was at eye level with the raven haired girl. "My name is Edgar," he greeted her with a gentle smile, prompting a small smile from her in response. "What's your name?"

"Estelle..." she murmured shyly and tugged on the hem of her gown slightly.

Her little sister poked her head out from behind Estelle's small frame and stared at him curiously. Edgar gave her a kind smile. "And what's your name little lady?" he asked.

"Mine is Elena," she chirped and gave him a sweet and innocent smile. She slid off her bed slowly and ran up to him to give him a warm hug.

"Nice to meet you Estelle and Elena," Edgar laughed and ruffled her hair slightly. He turned his gaze to Estelle, who still sat in bed. He held out a hand to Estelle, who stared at it curiously. "Would you like to join our family?"

"I..." She hesitated but then glanced at her sister, who clung to the man tightly. Could they trust him with their lives? She stared into his eyes and asked the one question that appeared in her mind at that moment. "Will we be together...forever?"

Edgar blinked in surprise, but then his face broke out into a wide smile. "Of course! We'll always be family forever and ever!"

. . .

Forever and always.

Please tell me what you think of it! ^^