Cain and Abel

Cain stared dubiously at the new child being introduced to all of the rest of the ones at the orphanage.

"Everyone, this is Abel, please make him welcome. He's had just as hard a time as all the rest of you." Hachi sat a small boy on his feet in the middle of the half circle formed by the children of the orphanage. The brunette shyly tried to hide behind him, but Hachi just chuckled and patted his head.

"You'll do just fine here." Hachi murmured. Various little kids started coming up to him and Abel, to ask questions and say hi. Cain hung back, waiting until the others were gone. He didn't like spending time around all of the others at once. Too many people in one place is how he'd been hurt before coming here.

Wide, scared blue eyes met his own untrusting green ones. Cain wanted to comfort him, which scared him. He didn't comfort people. His mouth snapped shut before he could even give the hello he'd had planned and he whirled to run away. Behind him, he could hear the other start sniffling.

"What did I do...? Please...so lonely..." He heard being whimpered behind him before he was safe hidden in his room. Memories of his mother wasting away from despair and lack of care being backed by large, scared blue eyes.

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Abel watched Cain, he often did when he thought the other boy wouldn't get upset about it. It hadn't been all that long since he'd first met him, and he still wasn't sure what he'd done wrong that first day. He'd been petrified, all these happy, curious children trying to talk to him. And he just, wasn't. How could he be, after all he'd been through before here?

The weird things that had attacked his parents. The aftermath at the hospital when no one had known how to treat their wounds or the poison like stuff in their bodies. He shuddered at the thought of the screams the nurses and doctors hadn't thought he could hear until they couldn't scream anymore...

He was startled out of his thoughts by angry shouts nearby. One of the slightly older boys was pushing Cain around and Abel found himself reaching out to the other. Cain glared and ran off, Abel's out stretched hand fell to his side. Loyi was giving him a look like he should be grateful he'd done that to Cain. He twisted about and ran off to Hachi. Angry tears in his eyes now, at the thought that he may never get to talk to Cain.

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"Abel! Come quick!" Abel looked at Opal as she came panting to a stop near him. Her hands on her knees as she doubled over. She was one of the few friends he actually had made there within the six months he'd been there. He'd turned seven during those months, and the most remarkable thing about it was that Cain had given him a small book on medicine. Shaking it off, he turned his attention back to Opal.

"What...? Why...?" He got asked for help so rarely, he couldn't imagine what he could be needed for now.


"Loyi..pushed Cain into the pond by the path...Cain can't swim!" Abel swallowed and nodded.

"Get Hachi!" He told her as he started running to the pond. She'd come to him because he was a stronger swimmer. And closer he discovered as he ran the path to the pond. There was no one there to see as he kicked off his shoes. Silently blessing his parent's for drilling him since he could barely walk, he took a deep breath and jumped into the water.

He dove down, eyes wide despite the slight sting. Relief flooded him as he saw Cain's hand. His just barely brushed it at first before he kicked closer. Grabbing it, he tried to hurry back to the surface. Abel gasped when he broke the surface, nearly going back under with the other's weight. But then there were strong hands as Hachi grabbed them and brought them back to shore.

He saw Loyi's smug expression that Cain wasn't breathing and started to growl. He was only distracted by the fact Cain started coughing up water next to him. He leaned over the other boy as Hachi moved away.

"Cain! You'll be okay now, you will." Abel helped the other roll onto his side to get the rest of the water out. Cain gave a weak nod, and within moments both of them found themselves looking up in shock as Opal smacked Loyi as hard as she could.

Abel supported Cain when he fell against his side, watching as the girl ranted and cried at the same time.

"Girls are scary." Abel murmured. Cain coughed and nodded, smiling faintly.

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Ten years later, Abel was starting to wonder about his sanity when he had first wanted to befriend Cain. They both were having to give the speech at their graduation, and Cain was constantly poking him in the side. He finally retaliated and poked him back at the end. They left the stage and Abel was softly chiding Cain, who of course wasn't repentant at all.

Near death had brought them together as best friends. They'd discovered both had dreams of becoming a doctor, for some what of the same reason. Loyi had apologized, with Opal grumbling a bit. Both, had heard the rumors that they would end up together. But that wouldn't work. Their personalities didn't get along in that way. Both were too dominating. And Abel would probably kill his friend despite how much he liked him.

They'd already moved out, sharing a home and the bills that went with it as they searched for jobs to get them through college. It was going to be tough, but worth it to achieve their dream. He sighed as Cain grinned and poked him again before throwing both their caps up in the air.

Yeah, it'd be worth it. If they didn't kill eachother first.