Their First Steps

"I wonder if she's doing alright…"

"Dude, chill! I've lost track of how many times you've asked that!"

I can hardly focus on the handout on my desk. It's the final period of the day and barely a handful of minutes remain before the bell sets us free. We're supposed to be working on an independent assignment, but none of the computer commands had any chance to draw my attention. All I can think about is the young rabbit on her own at the middle school down the street. By this point, Ed has grown tired of watching me shuffle anxiously in my chair.

"She's in middle school! She'll be fine! Ah, can I borrow your notes? I was asleep for the first half."

"Come on, at least pay attention in class…"

"I don't want to hear that from you!"

I pass the new compilation of my knowledge to the desk beside me and try to at least get some of the questions done. Whatever doesn't get finished here will consume my time at home that should be spent hearing every last detail from Mira. Even if I know that, I can't bring my hand to move productively.

"Please just be over…"

With my constant nervous tapping, the page becomes littered with small marks from my pencil. If this continues for any longer, I won't even be able to read the questions or have room to answer them.

Fortunately, the sound of the bell promptly blares through the school speakers.

"That's time. Remember to complete the assignment by tomorrow."

I don't care at all about the words of the old man. Quickly stuffing the handout into my bag, I leap from my seat and try to make it to the door first.

"Sorry, Ed! Got to go!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me know tomorrow. I'll probably be sticking around for tutoring today anyways."

Without a care for my classmates or fellow students, I blow through the hallway and towards the entrance. Somewhere along the way, I could hear a teacher yelling at me for running, but I paid no mind. When I reached the stairs, I might have seen some glowing red amongst a mass of white, but I didn't have time to check. Mira was waiting for me.

It doesn't take long before I'm greeted by the rather gloomy sky. The dark clouds cast thick shadows over the path ahead and the air has an unwelcoming dampness. Even if rain started pouring down at this moment, I doubt that I would care in the slightest. Nothing could stop my sprint.

"Just wait a little longer…"

The familiar building soon comes into view as I continue running along the road. Long line of cars slithering across the concrete fly by with each stride. They all dissolve into the background as the front entrance comes into view. The beating of concrete beneath my feet soon transforms into a muffled tread on the grass. Students younger than I usually see slowly trickle out and among them I find my target.

"Mira!"

I'm more than out of breath, but I still manage to scream the name of the girl sticking out among the crowd.

The young girl being knocked around by the crowd pops her head up at my voice. She starts moving in my direction despite being too short to see me amongst her peers. My hearing isn't nearly as good as hers, but part of me can feel her calling my name.

I no longer need to strain my ears when her face pops out into the open. I slow to a stop and catch my breath, allowing the young girl to scale the patch untraveled by others.

"Noa!"

The rabbit slams into my chest without any restraint and throws both of us to the ground. Pain both in the front and the back are quickly forgotten when Mira begins rubbing her head into me with tears in her eyes. It's hard to breathe with her arms wrapped around me so tightly, but I feel more relieved than ever.

"School is scary! I don't want to leave Noa ever again!"

"Did anything bad happen!?"

Mira's weight shifts down as I sit up and place my hands roughly on her shoulders. She straddles my body and looks up at me with shining blue eyes.

"I couldn't understand anything in class! Then people were being mean to me!"

"Someone was mean to you!? Who is it!? I'm going to knock them down a size!"

The other students have been watching us since I ran up. When my relieved expression became enraged, they visibly became less comfortable by my presence. Many tuck their heads down and briskly escape under my sweeping glare. One person, on the other hand, instead chooses to approach us on the ground.

"You two are making a ruckus…"

A large orange ribbon precedes the short girl and her thick patch of hair. Her white skirt blows in the wind as she stands over us with her arms crossed. I actually feel some amount of shame for having forgotten about her, but not enough to deviate from my current focus.

"Ange! Is what she said true!?"

"I can't say it didn't happen, but it's nothing to worry about."

"A-Are you sure? I really think I should punch somebody…"

"Not unless you want to beat up the whole class in every class. Seriously, you and Dad are exactly the same…"

Ange crouches onto the ground next to us and rests her hands on her knees. On closer inspection, she appears just as exhausted as the girl currently on top of me.

"A-Are you alright, Ange?"

"Don't worry about me. I don't mind you forgetting about me."

The young girl turns her face with puffed cheeks. Without Mark around, she doesn't have anybody to dump her complaints on and help refill her energy. This becomes immediately apparent when Mira looks at Ange with concern. Are we sure that these two aren't actually related?

"You two really tried your best."

"Ah!"

The orange rabbit jumps slightly as I place a hand on her fuzzy head. With one hand on Mira and one on Ange, I softly rub the tops of the rabbit heads. In the end, this was a trial that the two took on together. I don't need to have been there to know that the two were helping each other out along the way.

I can feel a surge of emotions welling up inside of me. The fact that these two are here like this means that things didn't go horribly. That alone is cause for celebration. They've taken their first steps to truly becoming a part of this world.

"Seriously, well done…"

Ange's cheeks flush as Mira and I both smile. Her pale brown eyes still look uneasy, but she doesn't make any motions to move away from us.

"T-This is nothing! I don't need your encouragement, Guardian of Droopy Ears!"

"Hahaha! I know! I'm sure Mark will spoil you rotten when he gets here!"

"He'd better…"

I tap onto Mira's shoulder and the two of us finally return to standing with Ange not far behind.

"I guess we should head back. We'll keep you company at our place until Mark gets off of work."

"Ah, about that…"

The orange rabbit is about to speak up before we all pause at the sudden vibration in my pocket. I pull out my phone and see that the devil certainly did appear when spoken of.

"Hello?"

"Noa! This line isn't moving!"

I reflexively move the device away from my ear when the shout of a worried father fires into my brain. The rumblings of a car are vaguely audible on the other end of the line.

"Um, you might be stuck there for a while if you're just now getting here…"

"Curse my boss, making me stay just long enough to be late! What about Ange!? Is my beloved angel okay!?"

"She's…"

His intensity has me stumbling on my words. Before I can formulate a response to appease the older gentleman, my hand is relieved of my phone by one much smaller.

"Dad, it's me."

"Ah, my dear Ange! Was school okay!?"

"Everything is fine. I'll tell you about it when we get home, so stop yelling…"

Ange shoves the phone back into my hand before the man on the other end starts screaming again. I wait for all sound to stop before bringing it back to my ear.

"For now try and find a spot to turn around. We'll meet you at my apartment."

"Sorry and thank you, Noa!"

The call cuts at that point. Considering that he's likely in a school zone, it was a good thing that we ended it sooner rather than later. I turn back to the rabbits.

"I guess we should head back home."

"Yup!"

Mira leaps up and grips onto my arm. Now that my adrenaline has run out, I begin feeling flustered at the sudden contact and her wide smile.

"Let's go home, Noa!"